"My name is Wren Ilim Shaddar. But my name means little in these forsaken parts. I know not where I am. Do I really care? I guess not. I am a shadow walker as my name suggests. There is one thing that keeps me going. Vengeance.
"On who? The one that wrecked my soul. No, I am not of the undead, scourge, forsaken , or whatever they call themselves. Many would claim I am lifeless. You would be to if you went through what I went.
"Should I tell you my tale? Am I going to put the shadow of my soul into your heart? For me, it makes little difference now. As I raise my blighted eyes to gaze upon the horizon against the hard cold wind that sweeps this mountain side filled with snow by the ongoing blizzard, I can't help remembering the months I spent in Northrend . The same bitter cold, the same isolation and despair that creeps from every side. Although I am many miles away from that land chasing legends and ghost of the past I can still hear the voice of my last mentor echo in my head. The chilling sound of the Lich King's thoughts. . .
"Alas, I departed about three month ago from that wretched place. My path lies on a different line than that of the Scourge. Am I wrong again? Should I have stayed and learned more, pledged forever in the service of the lich King Ner-Zhul? I made so many mistakes…
"But this is not were my story begins. Let me take you back to a simpler time in my life.
"Two years ago I was still with my people, my tribe. I was born to the dark elfs, a tribe derived from the high elfs long ago when they settled in Quel'Thalas. My people took residence in Gilneas on the southern tip of the peninsula. We lived in shadow and secrecy and thus named ourselves the Dark Elfs. Our great skill? Mercenaries, thieves, assassins for the highest bidder. Far from our noble brethren. We lived a simpler life. Wars bothered us little as there were more jobs. Into this world I was born and raised to become an assassin like my father before me.
"I was just a boy when my father left home for good. I remember that day, when I was still innocent, and as I look back on it with all that I now know, I think that my father was a fool. It rained all week and my family stayed indoors with my father taking occasional trips to the local tavern for news and gossip, possibly rumors of a job. He left in the afternoon as always, only to return later that evening accompanied by a strange man.
"The man was covered in a long leather hooded cape, with metal shoulder armor on top. All he carried was a staff topped by a bird sculpture. As they entered our house the man dropped his hood and smiled as he saw me, a youngster of 16. My father whispered something to my mother that made her face turn to stiff and then to fear. She quickly put on a smile as she invited the old man at our table. The man introduced himself as Medivh, and that alone should have told my father to stay away. To me it meant little. It was a name I barely remembered from boys who ease dropped on their fathers who told tales upon returning from a job. So t me he was just a man.
"My parents on the other hand knew all to well who he was. My mother took me to my room and told me to stay put, while my father discussed with the traveler. I though nothing of it at the time seeing as that was the way any job was acquired around these parts. An hour passed until my mother called me out, and I could see that she had been crying.
"My father was dressed for the road. He packed all of his gear and was leaving for another job. He would be back in a couple of months, I thought. But I was wrong. Something in the way he hugged me that last time told me this was different. My mother cried for a week afterwards, barely talking to me. And so my father left with Medivh. The elf that walked out that door was lost to me forever that day. I never saw him again.
"I should feel some sadness, some sorrow, for because of that my mother died three years after that day. But my soul is empty. I feel nothing save a scrape of anger at the one who did this."
"Why do you forsake all life Wren? There is nothing to find in these land except suffering"
"That voice. . . The voice of my second mentor, the cause of all this. In his claims of compassion lays nothing but puppet strings.
"I am, as before your creation, you bastard. You speak of life ? Look at what you have brought into this world. You failed! You failed with my father, you failed with me, and you failed with my kind! I choose my own path. No more of your manipulations. Return to the Nether from which you came, and torment me no more. Have you not done enough?"
"He hounds me day and night, try to find redemption for the mistakes he has made. But now is not the time to tell you about he. My body shivers at the cold as I instinctually tighten my cape around my body.
"I grew up and became an assassin like my father before me. When my mother died I left home and wandered Lordaeron for some years working in my trade. A loner, a professional. The second coming of the legion was all done with by the time my father left home for the last time. I found myself slay humans and orcs and undead with ease. I perfected my skills traveling from kingdom to kingdom. All this time I was searching for any information about my father. All clues end up to be dead ends.
"One night I decided to camp at a local tavern in a land in southern Azeroth. It was a cold day, overcast with signs of a storm brewing somewhere in the distance. I had just finished a job and with gold in my pocket I deserved a rest. I took a seat at a lonely table in the shadows away from the drunken crowd ordering a hot meal and some wine. Near the fireplace at the opposite end of the room knights were pouring ale down their throats making a lot of noise. Away from them, at another table was an orc and an elf archer going over a map laid out between them. That I thought was strange, but following the war nothing really surprised me anymore. And close to the door a man stood alone at a table apart from the drunken knights.
"Nothing really different from any other tavern in the south. That was until he walked in.
"A ghost from my past, the man I never thought I would see again. With him came the cold wet wind that was now blowing outside. No one seamed to take notice of him. In his familiar leather hood and cape leaning on his staff he came straight towards me. Underneath the table I armed my small pistol crossbow ready to shoot this man if he tried anything.
"He stopped in front of me. He clutched his staff with both hands, leaning on it a little."
"I know you Wren!"
"I know you as well, human"
"Human, I would hardly consider my self human anymore." And he sat down. "And that weapon of yours will do nothing to me."
"So I gathered from the tales I heard. I should have strangled you the day you came into my house" I laid my weapon down. "You said once that you wanted to take your place among the legends of the past. Why did you come back?"
"I was called back. Just like I am called now to you."
"I gazed into his eyes, cold and sparkling with the light of the Nether. This was the one…creature, that could tell me of my father.
"What happened to my father?"
"He smiled lowering his gaze:
"That is a matter that you will discuss with my master."
"You are too sure of yourself. I am not my father. For what reason should I listen to you? You took my father away and that killed my mother!" anger was boiling inside of me"
"But you are your father's son. Wren, your father left for a worthy cause. . . "
"No cause is worth enough to take a father from his family" I was yelling and found myself standing up leaning towards the old man.
"The human at the table near the door was staring at us. I glanced at the odd pair behind me, the orc and elf, who were clearly more interested in me and Medivh than in their map. I sat down. My rash actions were attracting to much attention. Luckily the knight were too drunk to notice."
"Come with me Wren and you will learn of your father's cause. I can teach you what your race should know, come with me Wren and learn of your destiny!"
"Were those the same words you told my father, filled his head with notions of glory and valor that he left his family behind for you?" my jaws were clenched in rage.
"Your father came with me to save this world, and that is what I ask of you now, to complete your father's work. There is no glory, valor maybe found in one's heart. But I do not want your courage or your sense of right. All I require is your skills as a thief and assassin. I want to hire you !"
"Why I accepted to come with him I will never now. I did not need the gold. I probably wanted a chance to find my father. I did not leave right away. I wanted to finish my meal and have a good night sleep. And so he left only to return next morning. Little did I know that I would not be alone in my journey with Medivh.
"I feel my body tiring, I haven't slept in over a month. Perhaps in this blizzard I can rest. I drop in the snow and curl pulling my hooded cape around my body. Just like the wretched undead I feel good in that cold. It gives me comfort. I close my eyes and listen to the howling wind that drives the snow around my figure covering me in a white frozen blanket.