Post by Bobo on Sept 12, 2009 20:16:52 GMT -5
((The first pages of the diary of Vee’lah, translated into English from Darnassian. Since English is not my first language, I hope you will bear over with me for the spelling and grammar. A description of Vee’lah is in its way.))
Dear diary
I am writing this before I will take my leave from Ashenvale and not knowing when I will be back again. It is the first time I will travel outside Ashenvale all by myself. But I need to know where my mother has gone.
First you need to know my name, so you can recognize me next time I write to you. My name is Vee'lah Staghorn. I am very pleased to have you to write in.
I am named after ”Vee’lah”, an ancient Goddess of energy moving through the earth as nature. It has been a family name for many generations. I think my parents thought it would fit me well.
I belong to the ancient and noble race of the Night Elves. I am female with long white hair and I am turning 322 years old next month.
I was born in the woods of Ashenvale. My home for the last 321 years have been a holy place in the woods, of which my parents were guardians of. I have seen people living in their houses in Astranaar. We have never had a house. We lived in the woods under the sky. I prefer it that way. But…
I am leaving Ashenvale. I am leaving my home.
And that makes me sad.
First let me tell you a little more about myself. I have so much to tell, but I will write the most important memories first.
The fondest memory I have is of my childhood. I had a happy childhood. I could run around free in the woods day or night and never be afraid of anything. The animals and trees were my friends and I lived everyday to the fullest. Only wolfs did I try to stay clear of. I could from early age sense that they had something dark inside them. Of cause I was curious of them and often got a bit to close to them, but they also wanted to stay clear of me and ran away, if I came to close.
It was a great place for a spirit of the woods to grow up. Other times I went with either my mother or father into the woods and tended and healed the sick plants, trees and animals. I was happy. It is difficult trying to gather all those happy feelings down on paper. The many happy memories of my childhood are almost too overwhelming. So I will write more of them later. Oh, I do have so many things to tell you. First of all you need to know how I learned to read and write. That is also a very fond memory of mine.
It was my father who taught me to both read and write. He taught me to read by the book “Elune”. Many hours did he spend by my side making me read the whole book and patiently spelling the difficult words for me. I really loved him for his kind way of doing it. Later he taught me how to write, but I have never really liked writing. That is kind of odd. At this very moment, at this big turning point in my life, I have so much energy to write and write. And I have never written much before now. Yes, starting to write this journal is quite hard. I did not think it would be this hard getting my thoughts down on paper. And I am not a great speller or very good at grammar either, but I do hope that you bear over with me, my dearest diary. And I will keep my word to Lardan (the one who gave me this journal) and write my experiences and thoughts down. I will do my best. More about Lardan another time, he is really sweet. First I will tell you about my parents.
My parents
Both of my parents are druids and they are training me in the art of healing the trees and the animals. I must already correct myself here. They were training me. My father died six years ago when the Green Skins first invaded our forest. He was cut down by an axe in one of the first battles that took place, at least that is what some of the elders told me. It must be horrible dying by the hands of those creatures. It makes me sad thinking about it now, but I know, that I will never stop seeing my fathers smiling face in my mind. That memory always helps me, when I am in a bad mood. My father was a kind and loving man who helped who ever was in distress, be it elf, tree or animal.
I remember my mother and I mourned his death for a long time each in our own different ways. For me that meant slipping into the woods to be alone with my thoughts and seeking comfort in the trees my father loved so much. Meanwhile my mother faithfully continued her work on healing the forest from the evil that the Green Skins brought with them. I told you in the start that I was looking for my mother. I am. Now I will tell you why.
Two years ago my mother had a terrible vision of Demons burning Ashenvale Forest. She went to seek guidance from the arch druid Fandral Staghelm in Darnassus. I have never known what he told her. Only that when she came back, she told me, that she had to leave. She wouldn’t tell me where she was going. Just that her destiny was “Out There”. So she went on a quest hunting a demon. At least that what I think, she was after. She would not tell me anything. She left me with careful written instructions for the care of the woods, even though I already knew the rituals, and then she said that she would be back within a year. I have spend almost two long years alone in the woods trying to heal the woods only to see the evil corrupting more and more of the trees. I also spend a lot of time at my mother’s brother’s place near Astranaar waiting for my mothers return. But she has yet failed to show up.
My uncle’s name is Cali Deh’meter and he creates some beautiful leatherworks. He is a true artist in his field. I had long conversations with him. I was loosing my faith and my hope. Loosing it over the never ending stream of Green Skins who kept killing the trees and corrupting what is so dear to my hearth. Loosing my faith and my hope over being alone and that my mother has not come back yet. It is almost two years to the date that she went on her quest. I miss her and I do fear deep in my heart, that she has been killed. I cannot sense her anymore. We do not have the spiritual connection anymore. I am not really sure how to explain it to you. But you could see it like a piece of rope that has been cut in two. I had the same feeling when my father died.
I believe that my uncle could sense that I was getting both very sad and very angry when I was thinking about the needles killing of my father, and my missing mother. And over the injustice against my people that followed the invasion of the Green Skins. I have seen so many heartbreaking things and heard so many tales about the slaughter of so many of our men, women and children, that I felt that I was loosing my mind. My uncle decided that it was time for me to get out of Ashenvale, maybe to Darnassus.
But I am scared. I have never been away from home on my own, and never been away from Ashenvale on my own. I have been to Nordrassil a couple of times together with my parents. That is something I must tell you about later. The World Tree on the summit of Mount Hyjal. Now that was a sight to behold. But now it is gone as well as so many good things in this world.
The emotions are running high in me tonight. It is a strange mix of feelings. I am sad, scared and excited at the same time to be leaving Ashenvale. And since I do not have many belongings, I am ready to take my leave at this very moment.
Now I am crying by the mere thought of leaving. My heart is heavy with grief and the very idea of leaving is tearing my heart apart. But my mind is made up. I must leave. I will finish writing this and leave tonight when the full moon is on its highest. I will go to Darnassus. I want to see the New City and the New World Tree. Maybe I will seek some guidance from a Master Druid and learn some more about the way of druids. Maybe that can heal my mind a little and give me some peace.
First encounter with the Green Skins
But before I go, I have a few things I need to write down first. First I need to write about my first encounter alone with three Green Skins. They are the ones responsible for me missing those two fingers on my right hand. It happened just a few weeks after my mother went away.
I was walking in the forest near my home in Ashenvale doing my daily rituals for healing the trees, when I was attacked by three Green Skins. I do not know why I did not see them coming. Usually their stench alone can be sensed miles away and scare even the smallest animals into hiding. But this day they caught me by surprise. These Green Skins looked very grim and ugly as the stood there laughing and speaking in their foul tongue. It sounded like rocks being broken apart by demons in my ears. All three of them had big axes. It was the most terrifying experience in my life.
This horrible feeling of panic crept up my spine. The feeling of being trapped was even worse than my fear of the Green Skins them self; I had only heard stories about the Green Skins at that time from my parents and had only seen a couple of them from far away. And I still had the memory of my father in my mind and his death by their axes. To this day I am not sure, what exactly happened that afternoon when I was face to face with those three Green Skins. My mother thought me at an early age “The Way of the Bear”, as she called it. It is one of the many gifts from nature. I prefer to be bear form in the fights I do in the wild. I had never been in a real fight before. Only scared wolfs away from a wounded animal a couple of times. But this day I woke up the bear in me, an angry bear. I know for sure that I killed one of them. But the rest of the incident is a blur.
It was late at night when I finally woke up from this trance or what ever I shall call it. I was deep in the forest, and I was badly wounded. So I took refugee at my uncle’s place. The Green Skins had taken my little finger and my ring finger on my left hand with a blow from one of their axes. My uncle and a friend of his, Lardan, the leatherworking vendor in Astranaar, nursed me back to health.
It was weeks later before I had the courage to go to my home again. Luckily I was not alone when I walked home that day. My uncle and Lardan and three city guards went with me. We found the remains of the dead Green Skin. I had torn him apart, and wolfs had taken most of him.
My home is well protected and was not disturbed. It is not easy to find for other people or even animals. Often when I was a little girl, I could see animals walking right past me at night, especially a beautiful old stag. He liked our place and spent many nights there. I think he felt safe near us. Maybe he was one of my father’s friends. And coming home and seeing all the familiar trees and animals again, after that dreadful experience with the Green Skins, made me feel strong.
I need a break here. I have already filled several pages in you. I have never written so much in my life before and my hand and neck are hurting a bit.
My pledge
During my little break I could not help staring at my left hand, and at the places where my two fingers used to be. Those Green Skins make me so angry. They are barbaric and have no respect for the woods.
Second time I came across the Green Skins I got scared just seeing them. I do not know if they saw me, I just ran to the far side of the woods. Standing there far from the Green Skins, at that very moment I pledge to help the world get rid of them. I will kill any Green Skin that crosses my road. And I will hit them hard and without mercy. Never again will I run away.
A changed and darker mind, second pledge
I have changed a lot in the past six years. Ever since the Green Skins invaded my forest and killed my father, dark forces have been taken hold of me. I have to destroy the Green Skins.
As long as I can remember, during my happy childhood, my mother and my father taught me the Way of the Healer. That it was the way of a pure mind, the way of a free mind. I think that they were right. My mind is not as free as it used to be. I have become somewhat bitter, as my uncle told me one night. And he is right. I am chained to this darkness in my mind. My mother went on fighting her Demon. Mine is right here with me inside my head. I must fight it. But it is so hard. It is so hard not just giving into the wild beast that I now know are in me and rampaging through the Green Skin camp West of here. It would most likely get me killed, and I will not let the Green Skins have that satisfaction.
I must make a second pledge to myself right now: I will fight the dark from spreading in my mind. And one day I will return to the Way of the Healer and a free and pure mind. I must not let other see this dark side.
A farewell to Ashenvale
I went by my uncle’s place the other night and said goodbye. He gave me a beautiful little doll figure of skin that looked exactly like my mother and said that it would help protecting me on my journey.
Later that night I went by Lardan’s place and said farewell to him as well. He gave me this journal to write my experiences and thoughts in. He has made you all by himself. You are the most beautiful book I have ever seen: Dark skin with my uncle’s special artwork with the small brown stones formed like a star. I think I could live with Lardan, when I find my mother and find my peace again. He is the kindest person I have ever known (Besides mum and dad). And I do sense that he has some feelings towards me as well. One day I might return to him. Maybe I should take up leatherworking like Lardan. I don’t know yet. Either that or learn to make potions like my mother.
I leave Ashenvale with only a few things. The cloth I wear. My staff, this diary and a pen and some ink. My little mother-doll and my book: “Elune” – the one with the stories about the Ancients. It is the one my father taught me to read when I was a little girl. I got a long time ago from a relative. It is my most priced belonging, so many happy memories are attached to that book.
So this is it. A farewell to Ashenvale for a long time. The full moon is high in the night sky and the stars will guide me north to Auberdine in Darkshore wherefrom I shall travel to Darnassus. I will go now. I will write to you when I have time again.
Love,
Vee’lah.
Dear diary
I am writing this before I will take my leave from Ashenvale and not knowing when I will be back again. It is the first time I will travel outside Ashenvale all by myself. But I need to know where my mother has gone.
First you need to know my name, so you can recognize me next time I write to you. My name is Vee'lah Staghorn. I am very pleased to have you to write in.
I am named after ”Vee’lah”, an ancient Goddess of energy moving through the earth as nature. It has been a family name for many generations. I think my parents thought it would fit me well.
I belong to the ancient and noble race of the Night Elves. I am female with long white hair and I am turning 322 years old next month.
I was born in the woods of Ashenvale. My home for the last 321 years have been a holy place in the woods, of which my parents were guardians of. I have seen people living in their houses in Astranaar. We have never had a house. We lived in the woods under the sky. I prefer it that way. But…
I am leaving Ashenvale. I am leaving my home.
And that makes me sad.
First let me tell you a little more about myself. I have so much to tell, but I will write the most important memories first.
The fondest memory I have is of my childhood. I had a happy childhood. I could run around free in the woods day or night and never be afraid of anything. The animals and trees were my friends and I lived everyday to the fullest. Only wolfs did I try to stay clear of. I could from early age sense that they had something dark inside them. Of cause I was curious of them and often got a bit to close to them, but they also wanted to stay clear of me and ran away, if I came to close.
It was a great place for a spirit of the woods to grow up. Other times I went with either my mother or father into the woods and tended and healed the sick plants, trees and animals. I was happy. It is difficult trying to gather all those happy feelings down on paper. The many happy memories of my childhood are almost too overwhelming. So I will write more of them later. Oh, I do have so many things to tell you. First of all you need to know how I learned to read and write. That is also a very fond memory of mine.
It was my father who taught me to both read and write. He taught me to read by the book “Elune”. Many hours did he spend by my side making me read the whole book and patiently spelling the difficult words for me. I really loved him for his kind way of doing it. Later he taught me how to write, but I have never really liked writing. That is kind of odd. At this very moment, at this big turning point in my life, I have so much energy to write and write. And I have never written much before now. Yes, starting to write this journal is quite hard. I did not think it would be this hard getting my thoughts down on paper. And I am not a great speller or very good at grammar either, but I do hope that you bear over with me, my dearest diary. And I will keep my word to Lardan (the one who gave me this journal) and write my experiences and thoughts down. I will do my best. More about Lardan another time, he is really sweet. First I will tell you about my parents.
My parents
Both of my parents are druids and they are training me in the art of healing the trees and the animals. I must already correct myself here. They were training me. My father died six years ago when the Green Skins first invaded our forest. He was cut down by an axe in one of the first battles that took place, at least that is what some of the elders told me. It must be horrible dying by the hands of those creatures. It makes me sad thinking about it now, but I know, that I will never stop seeing my fathers smiling face in my mind. That memory always helps me, when I am in a bad mood. My father was a kind and loving man who helped who ever was in distress, be it elf, tree or animal.
I remember my mother and I mourned his death for a long time each in our own different ways. For me that meant slipping into the woods to be alone with my thoughts and seeking comfort in the trees my father loved so much. Meanwhile my mother faithfully continued her work on healing the forest from the evil that the Green Skins brought with them. I told you in the start that I was looking for my mother. I am. Now I will tell you why.
Two years ago my mother had a terrible vision of Demons burning Ashenvale Forest. She went to seek guidance from the arch druid Fandral Staghelm in Darnassus. I have never known what he told her. Only that when she came back, she told me, that she had to leave. She wouldn’t tell me where she was going. Just that her destiny was “Out There”. So she went on a quest hunting a demon. At least that what I think, she was after. She would not tell me anything. She left me with careful written instructions for the care of the woods, even though I already knew the rituals, and then she said that she would be back within a year. I have spend almost two long years alone in the woods trying to heal the woods only to see the evil corrupting more and more of the trees. I also spend a lot of time at my mother’s brother’s place near Astranaar waiting for my mothers return. But she has yet failed to show up.
My uncle’s name is Cali Deh’meter and he creates some beautiful leatherworks. He is a true artist in his field. I had long conversations with him. I was loosing my faith and my hope. Loosing it over the never ending stream of Green Skins who kept killing the trees and corrupting what is so dear to my hearth. Loosing my faith and my hope over being alone and that my mother has not come back yet. It is almost two years to the date that she went on her quest. I miss her and I do fear deep in my heart, that she has been killed. I cannot sense her anymore. We do not have the spiritual connection anymore. I am not really sure how to explain it to you. But you could see it like a piece of rope that has been cut in two. I had the same feeling when my father died.
I believe that my uncle could sense that I was getting both very sad and very angry when I was thinking about the needles killing of my father, and my missing mother. And over the injustice against my people that followed the invasion of the Green Skins. I have seen so many heartbreaking things and heard so many tales about the slaughter of so many of our men, women and children, that I felt that I was loosing my mind. My uncle decided that it was time for me to get out of Ashenvale, maybe to Darnassus.
But I am scared. I have never been away from home on my own, and never been away from Ashenvale on my own. I have been to Nordrassil a couple of times together with my parents. That is something I must tell you about later. The World Tree on the summit of Mount Hyjal. Now that was a sight to behold. But now it is gone as well as so many good things in this world.
The emotions are running high in me tonight. It is a strange mix of feelings. I am sad, scared and excited at the same time to be leaving Ashenvale. And since I do not have many belongings, I am ready to take my leave at this very moment.
Now I am crying by the mere thought of leaving. My heart is heavy with grief and the very idea of leaving is tearing my heart apart. But my mind is made up. I must leave. I will finish writing this and leave tonight when the full moon is on its highest. I will go to Darnassus. I want to see the New City and the New World Tree. Maybe I will seek some guidance from a Master Druid and learn some more about the way of druids. Maybe that can heal my mind a little and give me some peace.
First encounter with the Green Skins
But before I go, I have a few things I need to write down first. First I need to write about my first encounter alone with three Green Skins. They are the ones responsible for me missing those two fingers on my right hand. It happened just a few weeks after my mother went away.
I was walking in the forest near my home in Ashenvale doing my daily rituals for healing the trees, when I was attacked by three Green Skins. I do not know why I did not see them coming. Usually their stench alone can be sensed miles away and scare even the smallest animals into hiding. But this day they caught me by surprise. These Green Skins looked very grim and ugly as the stood there laughing and speaking in their foul tongue. It sounded like rocks being broken apart by demons in my ears. All three of them had big axes. It was the most terrifying experience in my life.
This horrible feeling of panic crept up my spine. The feeling of being trapped was even worse than my fear of the Green Skins them self; I had only heard stories about the Green Skins at that time from my parents and had only seen a couple of them from far away. And I still had the memory of my father in my mind and his death by their axes. To this day I am not sure, what exactly happened that afternoon when I was face to face with those three Green Skins. My mother thought me at an early age “The Way of the Bear”, as she called it. It is one of the many gifts from nature. I prefer to be bear form in the fights I do in the wild. I had never been in a real fight before. Only scared wolfs away from a wounded animal a couple of times. But this day I woke up the bear in me, an angry bear. I know for sure that I killed one of them. But the rest of the incident is a blur.
It was late at night when I finally woke up from this trance or what ever I shall call it. I was deep in the forest, and I was badly wounded. So I took refugee at my uncle’s place. The Green Skins had taken my little finger and my ring finger on my left hand with a blow from one of their axes. My uncle and a friend of his, Lardan, the leatherworking vendor in Astranaar, nursed me back to health.
It was weeks later before I had the courage to go to my home again. Luckily I was not alone when I walked home that day. My uncle and Lardan and three city guards went with me. We found the remains of the dead Green Skin. I had torn him apart, and wolfs had taken most of him.
My home is well protected and was not disturbed. It is not easy to find for other people or even animals. Often when I was a little girl, I could see animals walking right past me at night, especially a beautiful old stag. He liked our place and spent many nights there. I think he felt safe near us. Maybe he was one of my father’s friends. And coming home and seeing all the familiar trees and animals again, after that dreadful experience with the Green Skins, made me feel strong.
I need a break here. I have already filled several pages in you. I have never written so much in my life before and my hand and neck are hurting a bit.
My pledge
During my little break I could not help staring at my left hand, and at the places where my two fingers used to be. Those Green Skins make me so angry. They are barbaric and have no respect for the woods.
Second time I came across the Green Skins I got scared just seeing them. I do not know if they saw me, I just ran to the far side of the woods. Standing there far from the Green Skins, at that very moment I pledge to help the world get rid of them. I will kill any Green Skin that crosses my road. And I will hit them hard and without mercy. Never again will I run away.
A changed and darker mind, second pledge
I have changed a lot in the past six years. Ever since the Green Skins invaded my forest and killed my father, dark forces have been taken hold of me. I have to destroy the Green Skins.
As long as I can remember, during my happy childhood, my mother and my father taught me the Way of the Healer. That it was the way of a pure mind, the way of a free mind. I think that they were right. My mind is not as free as it used to be. I have become somewhat bitter, as my uncle told me one night. And he is right. I am chained to this darkness in my mind. My mother went on fighting her Demon. Mine is right here with me inside my head. I must fight it. But it is so hard. It is so hard not just giving into the wild beast that I now know are in me and rampaging through the Green Skin camp West of here. It would most likely get me killed, and I will not let the Green Skins have that satisfaction.
I must make a second pledge to myself right now: I will fight the dark from spreading in my mind. And one day I will return to the Way of the Healer and a free and pure mind. I must not let other see this dark side.
A farewell to Ashenvale
I went by my uncle’s place the other night and said goodbye. He gave me a beautiful little doll figure of skin that looked exactly like my mother and said that it would help protecting me on my journey.
Later that night I went by Lardan’s place and said farewell to him as well. He gave me this journal to write my experiences and thoughts in. He has made you all by himself. You are the most beautiful book I have ever seen: Dark skin with my uncle’s special artwork with the small brown stones formed like a star. I think I could live with Lardan, when I find my mother and find my peace again. He is the kindest person I have ever known (Besides mum and dad). And I do sense that he has some feelings towards me as well. One day I might return to him. Maybe I should take up leatherworking like Lardan. I don’t know yet. Either that or learn to make potions like my mother.
I leave Ashenvale with only a few things. The cloth I wear. My staff, this diary and a pen and some ink. My little mother-doll and my book: “Elune” – the one with the stories about the Ancients. It is the one my father taught me to read when I was a little girl. I got a long time ago from a relative. It is my most priced belonging, so many happy memories are attached to that book.
So this is it. A farewell to Ashenvale for a long time. The full moon is high in the night sky and the stars will guide me north to Auberdine in Darkshore wherefrom I shall travel to Darnassus. I will go now. I will write to you when I have time again.
Love,
Vee’lah.
Founded April 26, 2005