ACT I

Our story begins in the Northwest corner of Azeroth, within Teldrassil, the world tree, its boughs sacrificed eons before. Within its trunk lived thousands of purple trees, rich green bushes and tall shrubs illuminated by bright orbs of light. The soft mossy ground was covered in shade, cast upon the forest's floor by the massive canopy stretching high above it. This was the home of the Night Elves, a race of shadow-dwelling druids whose dark purple skin and earthy-green hair matched perfectly their surroundings. One Night Elf, however, did not fit in as well as the rest of her kind. Her name was Daggerkin, and this is her story.

Bright beams of sunlight pierced small gaps in the forest canopy, lighting up the forest floor. It was the perfect day for a Night Elf in Teldrassil; the kind that only came around once or twice a year. Elven children ran the roads of Shadowglen, surrounded by mountains on all sides. The peaceful valley which stretched out from Aldrassil, a particularly thick tree which many Night Elves made their home, was lit with just enough light to see clearly the purple hues of Summer in Teldrassil. This was nothing to one, however, whose unusually pale skin disliked the bright light of a Teldrassillian Summer had to offer. Her name was Daggerkin. She had been obsessed with becoming a rogue ever since she had been exposed to the world's injustices. All her life her peers had shunned her for her oddly purple hair and barely colored skin. Because of this she had become exceptionally skilled at hiding, but that wasn't enough for her. She now stood invisibly behind Frahun Shadewhisper, Aldrassil's only Rogue Trainer. He was walking alone through the forest, enjoying the marvelous day, but it didn't matter to Daggerkin what he was doing. She wanted to surprise him. She needed to surprise him, if she ever wanted to become a rogue like him. He would only become her mentor if she managed to scare him. She stalke him quietly along the path leading away from Aldrassil, passing many animals along the way, but none turned to look at her. They took no notice as she slid purposefully through the undergrowth, making no sound. He had taught her that skill. Frahun was the closest thing to family Daggerkin had, after her mother had died when she was but a year old. She remembered clearly the sickly look on her face the last time they saw each other. And her no-good father, the one she had never met- no one knew where he was. She quietly followed Frahun for what seemed like forever before finally stepping out from under a bush to inch closer to her target. She stepped slowly and carefully towards him, making no noise. She had never gotten this close before. Chirp! Chirp! Chiiirp! The song of a small bird whistled through her ears, coming from behind her. The bird's beautiful tune must have extended its melody to her target, too, as his head soon whipped around to meet it. But, as you know, there was Daggerkin, her efforts for nothing.

Another failed attempt. Daggerkin dropped her head in dismay, waiting for a scolding. But none came. Lifting her head, Daggerkin's eyes met with the illuminated orange of Frahun's. But he wasn't staring at her; his mind was fixed on a low branch behind her, where a songbird sang its morning song. He hadn't noticed her. What's going on? Daggerkin looked down to find that she was not there. Beneath her was the path she walked, covered by small stones and dirt. I'm… invisible! But that's impossible, Daggerkin thought, Elves who could slip into shadows and become unseen are just Fairy-tales! Nonetheless, there she was- or, rather, wasn't- her whole body nothing but a sliver of darkness invisible to the eyes of others.

She turned her attention once again to the figure in front of her, his broad shoulders and muscular appearance laid out before her. Taking advantage of her unintentional undetectability, she grabbed him by the arm and appeared accidentaly, her entire body now visible. Shock rippled through his body, and he fought the urge to attack the girl in front of her, "H-how did-" Daggerkin stared triumphantly into Frahun's eyes, her victory clear.

"How did a six-year-old manage to catch you off guard?" Daggerkin finished for him, "A little birdie helped me."

"But that doesn't explain how you snuck up on me," Frahun's voice pierced the clean forest air, the sun now beginning to set. Night Elves preferred the night, naturally, so this helped to calm him down, "You just… appeared." He walked slowly down a small path separate from the main road leading to Aldrassil. He intended to report his encounter with Daggerkin to Shadownglen's appointed leader, but he had to hear the full story first. "So, what was that?"

Daggerkin looked up at her mentor innocently and answered, "I don't know. It just happened." Daggerkin began to worry, a dim wave of purple light shimmering through her hair. This was not something a Night Elf's hair should do, making it an easy target for bullying from older Elves. She had been learning to read and write since she was two years old, as all Night Elves did in Shadowglen. Since they matured faster than most races and lived much longer than humans, they spent up to forty years, starting at birth studying everything from Azerothian history to advanced mathematics. Frahun went silent, not wanting to startle the shy youth that Daggerkin was. They didn't talk for the rest of the short trip back to Aldrassil. When they arrived, they began climbing the steep ramp that rose with the massive tree, passing by dozens of Night Elf homes carved into it. At last they reached the top, their feet tired and the moon's light glowering in the treetops.

Frahun entered first, followed by Daggerkin. Before them was Tenaron Stormgrip, the royally-appointed leader of Shadowglen. He sat on a tree stump in the corner of the main room, examining papers strewn across a small table in front of him. His eyes darted to them as they approached. "Can I help you?" He couldn't help but notice the flashes of nervousness that coursed through Daggerkin's hair- its rich purple slightly darker than the color a Night Elf's skin should be. "It's… a long story. It began when…" Frahun began, telling Stormgrip exactly what had happened.

After Frahun had finished telling his story, Stormrage clutched his chin, deep in thought. He had sat them down on a bench off to the side of the room to tell him everything. "It felt… peaceful. It was like I wasn't there," Daggerkin offered, noticing how his eyes had drifted to her. After a long pause, Stormrage let out a sigh and got to his feet. He rested his arm on Daggerkin's shoulder and looked into her eyes. Why does he look like he pities me? He thinks I'm weak, like everyone else. I should have known. Daggerkin wanted to look away, but for some reason she couldn't. "Daggerkin… Your father…" Her skin went cold and more dim slivers of purple light shivered down her hair. She hated her father. He had never loved her. "You're..."Daggerkin felt it. An answer to why she was weird, why everyone hated her, why, why, why! This had to be it. He began again, "You're not entirely… a Night Elf…"

"Daggerkin… your father was a Void Elf."