The Diary Pages of Dame Krixtian, Paladin of the Argent Dawn
Author: Ahn-Li Steffraini
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to World of Warcraft, but given the open encouragement to not only play the game, but also RP & get involved in the storyline, I couldn't resist the temptation to do just that! I am, however, a paid subscriber/player of the game and "Krixtian" is found on the Draenor server. If other players are mentioned, they will be mentioned in the notes for each "Entry"/chapter at the bottom of the page and are used with their express permission. The use of NPCs, however, isn't used with permission per se, but neither am I claiming them as my own creation. World of Warcraft is run by Blizzard Entertainment and as far as I know they own the rights to all npcs and places, but since my character has to interact with the world, well…
Author's Note: Updates to this are sporadic as it chronicles my character, Krix, in informal RP sessions with other people who have helped flesh out this character's 'life' across a few servers, although Krixtian is only ever on the Draenor server, and is a human (therefore Alliance) paladin with neutral views on the Alliance/Horde.
Year One
Day One
It wasn't as if I didn't know that I was human. It's just that I never really thought about my human heritage. As far I can remember I had always lived in Thelsamar. There was even a point when I had wondered why I was so much taller and thinner than my sister, Edenni. My parents had been honest when I asked, my mother, Vidra, answered me frankly, "As much as we feel you're a dwarf, honestly, you're not. You're human. But that doesn't mean you're any less me daughter, and I'm any less your mother. Edenni is still yer sister, and you never forget that this is your home!"
Those words were still true.
But it didn't mean that I didn't have another family out there.
Finally, I guess it was the human part of me, I felt I wanted more out of life than to live out my days as an innkeeper, or a cook, in Thelsamar. I took it up with my parents yesterday…
"Ma, you know I love my home, but I need to know, as well as I don't think I could be happy in one place," I chose that way to bring it up, and maybe it was the right way.
Vidra Hearthstove, my adoptive mother, looked at me sideways and said, "That may be true, but remember when you were twelve and wanted to run off and join the Darkmoon Faire. You insisted on acting like a ringleader and yer sister was a lion for the crowd to watch."
I winced, even as I chuckled at the memory, "As I remember, the patrons were entertained."
"Aye, but I'm just asking you to think it out more."
I sighed, "I have thought it out, ma, for a very long time. It's just that ever since that letter arrived I've been thinking it was time to set out and see if I can find some trace of my birth family. What if I have elderly grandparents that need carin' for and since my birth parents died, they've been getting poorer and poorer… not sayin' that they would come to be your responsibility, ma, but if they be my family, then what?"
Vidra thought for a moment and looked over at her husband, "What do you think on this, gravel gut?"
My father harrumphed at his wife's semi-endearment and then ran his fingers through a graying beard, "She has a valid point. And the letter did say she had an Uncle in Goldshire, perhaps it would be best to send her at least there to find out if it's true or not…"
Vidra pouted, "That wasn't the answer I was lookin' for and you know it!"
"Now, now, we knew this day would come," my father looked at me. "Promise us that you will stay in contact, now, and if there is kin of yers there needin' our help, then kin of yours is kin of ours as we be kin, right? If they be needin' it, then you bring them here. Thelsamar may have harsh winters, but our hearths are warm, dry, and cozy unlike those drafty elf stands or shoddy human ones. And our summers ain't too hot either."
I smiled as I hugged him tightly, "Thank you father."
And so today I found myself in Dun Morogh, and well on my way to Ironforge with my father and mother who wanted to come with me that far. There was Hearthstove kin in Ironforge that will help me get to Stormwind.
We still had a day and half on the back of our rams. Father paid for the best he could, and while they were not as fast as others I've seen they were quick enough. We made it as far as the far side of the pass and the chilly, surprisingly snow filled valleys, were beautiful. There was a mostly frozen over lake in the distance and, I knew we didn't have time for the break, I would have liked to have fished in it.
"There, my girl, is Dun Morogh. We will continue west, and then North to come to the Gates of Ironforge," he stopped then, running his fingers through his beard as he often did when considering something. "As far as I know the trip to Stormwind is dangerous… very dangerous… over land. It may not even be possible. We may need to fly by griffon back to Thelsamar and then see about gettin' you to Menethil Harbour for a ship bound for the human lands. I'm not sure on what port they have, if they have a port."
"Oh, they must," Vidra rolled her eyes. "After all, ships and boats are a human thing."
"What if they don't have a port, and I can't get to Goldshire or Stormwind?" I asked.
"That's why we headed to Ironforge first, lass, if anyone knows they be there. I suppose we could hire a mage to teleport you there, and there's griffon back," her father shrugged. "It's not the getting' you there I'm worried about, me lass, it's the getting' any infirm kin back here should it be needed."
Oh.
"Ach, we'll cross that gnome bridge when we get to it, eh?" he grinned.
Other than this, my night was uneventful and we slept soundly.
Characters: Edenni – Was a female dwarven hunter on Draenor.
