Family Tree

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Randwin Windfury; Blood Knight of Silvermoon City, wielder of Quel'delar Might of the Faithful, and veteran Paladin of the Horde checked the pace of his Charger as he neared the entrance to the cave. He had been in this new land, Pandaria, for less than a day but it felt as though it had been far longer. Not three days ago he had recieved a message from his old friend, General Nazgrim, whom he had served with in Northrend and in Vashj'ir.

He had gone to Orgrimmar to find the General delievering a report to Warchief Garrosh Hellscream. Upon revealing that an Alliance ship had run a ground on a new land to the south, Garrosh had ordered Nazgrim to take a force at once to secure the land for the Horde or "Paint it red". So they had set out on a Gunship, a trip that had taken a day. Then they had encountered an Alliance vessel off the coast and taken damage. Randwin had been knocked out for several minutes only to awaken in the thick of a battle as the Gunship was stuck in gun sights of an Alliance Fort.

Randwin had sprung into action, manning the guns and devastating the Alliance cannons and ground troops before deploying on foot. Once on his own two feet he let his blade do the work, cutting down Alliance soldiers and burning their supplies. They stormed the fort and had almost captured it when the Alliance commander had escaped by gyrocopter and shot down the crippled gunship.

Then the Sha had attacked and the locals, the Panderan had come to their aide. They had cut their way out of the fort and regrouped at a nearby village named Honeydew. The Panderan had refused to aide them against the Alliance however.

Cut off from resupply, reinforcements, having taken heavy losses, and without a base the Horde had been up a creek without a paddle. Worse more hostile natives, the hozen had attacked some of their warriors. Randwin had driven them back and secured a cave the hozen had controled giving the Horde a foot hold to continue the advance. Then it had been on to capture a nearby Alliance air base and slay the Captian who had shot down the Gunship. It had been a fierce battle but in the end the Horde had won through and captured the base.

Still by the time they had taken the airfield they had lost almost two thirds of the forces they had brought on the Gunship they had to try and hold the base against a hozen counter attack with a gyrocopter and throwing stars. Then Randwin had gone out to scout the nearby lands before battling a hozen champion named Dook Ookem. He'd fought harder foes before but he was weary and wounded dragging out the battle. In the end however he had triumphed.

Then as the hozen had scattered a Panderan had arrived. Curiously the Panderan, Lorewalker Cho, had invited him for a chat in some place known as the cave of words.

And so Randwin had ridden up the path to this cave, seeking answers.

He dismounted his charger, whispered some words into its ear. The Charger gave a huff and stepped off the path to munch on some grass. Satisfied he set a hand on the hilt of his sword and drew its sheath on his back. He'd learned from experince not to go anywhere unarmed. He stepped into the cave and found a surprising sight.

The cave was brightly light, with shelves lining the walls covered in scolls. A small table was off to one side with a steaming tea kettle on it. Sitting cross legged in the center was the Panderan who smiled at him.

"Ah, a visitor!" He exclaimed. "This is an incredible time for Pandaria - the mists have parted, and we rejoin the world. You come in peace, I hope?"

Randwin sheathed Quel'delar slowly.

"I mean you no harm if that is what you mean," he answered.

"Welcome, traveler," Cho replied standing up and making a small bow. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

"Your pardon," Randwin said. "But I have other pressing matters, I cannot stay for long."

"Rush rush rush," Cho replied with a dismissive wave, "are your people always in such a hurry? Sit and have some tea with me a moment, and we will discuss your plight."

Lorewalker Cho's features settled into a patient smile and motioned to the tea pot. Randwin sighed and fixed himself a cup. He sat himself down and took a sip. It was hot but not scolding, very different from other teas he had drunk before. The Lorewalker nodded appreciatively.

"Thanks to your actions, the Hozen fear your people. Indulge me a moment..."

He stood up and began shuffling through the scrolls

"Ah! Here we are," he said pulling out a scroll and unrolling it. An image appeared of a towering creature with a lion like head. Randwin choked on his tea. He had seen this creature before in the ruined statue he had found by Honeydew.

"Over 14,000 years ago, this entire land was ruled by a terrible race of warlords called "the mogu," Cho began. "The mogu ruled through fear. And fear kept them in power... until the first Pandaren monks taught my people courage. Then the mogu were overthrown."

Relief washed over Randwin. He had had enough of giant warrior races in Northrend and Vashj'ir.

"You see, those who lead through fear only stay in power while those they govern lack courage," Cho continued. "The hozen are many things, but they are not cowards - not for long. If you don't wish to fight them, you must... inspire them!"

"Inspire them?" Randwin asked raising an eyebrow.

Cho nodded.

"I will help you, traveler, but first I would like to learn a little about this Horde of yours."

Then he clapped a hand to his forehead.

"Oh, where have my manners gone? Technically, I suppose I am the host here. Allow me to tell you a little bit about myself and my people before asking questions of you."

Randwin nodded setting down his half finished cup of tea.

"Follow me, traveler. Let us get to know one another better," Cho said leading him out of the cave. He gave a whistle and a massive turtle came around a corner which he mounted. Randwin quickly located his Charger and mounted up. Thus mounted they set off down the path.

"I am known as a Lorewalker - a kind of historian for my people," Cho explained. "As such, knowledge is my armor, and I carry a quill in place of a sword."

Randwin nodded along with the Panderan's words. His eyes wondered however over the rolling green lands about him. It reminded his own homeland of Quel'thalas.

"Much of Pandaria's past is shrouded in mystery, even to us," Cho continued as they drew nearer to a group of standing stones that looked to be some sort of shrine or grotto. "A Lorewalker's sworn duty is to rediscover our history - to rend that shroud, piece by piece."

The came to a halt and dismounted at the stones. Up close Randwin could see figures and characters upon the stones, he wished that he could read Panderan glyphs.

"I suppose the best way to explain what a Lorewalker is all about is to show you," Cho mused. "This is a very ancient place, traveler. Only recently have I pieced together a method of translating the forgotten language carved into these stones."

"Interesting," Randwin muttered. The carvings reminded him in a way of the lands of Uldum.

"Oh, the thrill of discovery!" Cho exclaimed with a grin. "This never gets old, I assure you." Then he presented Randwin with what appeared to be a key of glyphs for the stones. "Here, you are the guest. You do the honors. I insist. Use this key to unlock the secrets the stones contain."

"I'll try," Randwin replied. "But I'm afraid I cannot read your langauge. You'll have to tell me what it all says when I'm done."

And so he set to work, matching glyphs and organizing them properly into lines of text. He could only assume that his grammer and hand writing would be poor compared to the Lorewalker.

It took several minutes before he finished the first one and presented Cho with his work. The Lorewalker grinned eagerly pouring through the pages.

"This stone tells of a great hozen warlord who lived here twenty-five hundred years ago," Cho reported not taking his eyes from the parchment. "What are your leaders like? Poets? Warriors? I should like to meet them someday."

"Warriors mostly," Randwin replied. "The Horde is lead by a Warchief, and most of the member kingdoms like my own lands are ruled by nobles and chieftans."

"Fascinating," Cho answered as Randwin set to work on the second stone.

It was a little easier than the first stone, he was starting to memorize the glyph correlations even if he did not understand them. He was just about to finish when a massive reptilian creature came barreling into the glade!

"Prepare yourself! Saurok attack!" Cho cried out.

"Die, softskin!" The creature roared swinging at Randwin with his claws.

Randwin dropped his quill and parchment, bringing up his armored left gauntlet. Clearly it had never fought an opponent wearing plate armor, if the expression on its ugly face was anything to go by. He cast a judgement with the light causing it to hiss in rage. Then Quel'delar swung through the air and the creature shreiked as the blade sheared off its arm. Before it could recover Randwin pressed the attack, viciously spitting the beast on the Prismatic Dragon Blade in a spray of gore. It died on his sword, with a sharp jerk he wrentched the blade free and let the creature fall.

"What was that?" He asked wiping the blood from his blade.

"The saurok have plagued this land since the time of the mogu," Cho said gravely. "They are impossible to negotiate with. But we never stop trying! We fight them only as a last resort."

Randwin nodded and collected his work. He passed them to the Lorewalker before decrypting the final stone. He worked quickly, though he had slain one of the Saurok it had been just one, he did not wish to be caught out in the open again if a whole army of them came charging in at them.

Finally he compiled the last of the glyphs and translated them into Panderan. He presented his findings to Cho who bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for your help," the Lorewalker said, "these notes are important to my studies. Your people value knowledge too, yes? I assume so, only because you arrived on a great airship."

"We do," Randwin replied thinking of the Reliquery. "Though our studies have more often than not been towards new or even old ways to kill eachother."

"That is enough translating for one day, I think," Cho said either ignoring Randwin's last remarks or simply accepting them. "This experience has been an enlightening one, I hope."

"A bit," Randwin admitted glancing at the Saurok's corpse.

"Just a moment, now. Allow me to gather my things," Cho said as he packed his gear. "Wouldn't want me to lose these notes now, would we? Especially after you risked life and limb for them!"

"No we wouldn't," Randwin replied keeping his eyes open for more Sauroks. Cho was thankfully packing quickly.

"There, all set," the Lorewalker said closing his pack. "Let us be off, shall we? I must say, I feel much safer traveling with you after seeing how you handled that saurok!"

Randwin wished he could say the same as they collected their mounts and set off again.

"Enough about pandaren history," Cho started as they rode. "Let's talk about your people, traveler. I've learned a great deal already just by watching you in action. You fight with the fervor of youth but the experience of an old veteran. You've seen a lifetime of warfare, haven't you?"

"Yes," Randwin admitted. "My people have been forced to fight for our survival for thousands of years."

The Lorewalker gave him a nod urging him on.

"My people are descended from the Highborne who choose to leave Kalimdor after the rifts among the Night Elves became to great," Randwin continued. "We landed in a place called Lordaeron but did not stay their long before moving north to a forest we named Eversong. It was inhabited by trolls who did not take well to our coming. We sacred them off with our magic and built ourselves a kingdom we named Quel'thalas. Still we had to be on guard against invasions and raids by the trolls because they had an empire there called Zul'aman. With a little help my ancestors defeated the trolls and secured the lands."

"Go on."

"Some years ago the orginal Horde invaded our lands and allied with the trolls to attack us," he said finding it easier as he went along. "We fought them off but at a cost. It was only the begining however. About thirteen years ago a plauge of undeath swept through the neighboring lands. The human Prince Arthas fell in with the undead and lead an assault upon our lands. Though we fought hard he overwhelmed our defenses, butchered our people, and ravaged are city of Silvermoon. The surviors of the attack, myself among them renamed ourselves Sin'dorei, or Blood Elves in memory of our fallen people."

"And the Horde?"

"The New Horde," Randwin explained, "offered us supplies and military aid in exchange for our allegiance. Seeing as how they were the only ones offering we accepted their help and joined the Horde."

"Intriging," Cho said musing. "I understand you are a skilled warrior and possess an intriguing power. Mind elaborating on that."

"I am one of the Blood Knights of Silvermoon," Randwin replied. "I am a Paladin, a warrior of the Holy Light. Thus it is my sworn duty to seek out evil wherever it hides and destroy it."

"A great burden," Cho commented. "At least you are well equiped for the task, as well as well armed."

Randwin nodded putting a hand on Quel'delar hilt.

"Quel'delar and I have faced a lot together despite the short time I have been bonded with the blade."

They were coming up on another shrine now, and all though it looked clear for the moment so had the standing stones. They came to a stop and once more dismounted.

"Ah, this is a special place," Cho said fondly. "My great grandparents called this part of the forest their home. Come, this will take only a moment."

He lead Randwin into the small shrine to what looked like an altar with two pots filled with un light insence sticks.

"We Pandaren do not worship our ancestors, but we revere their memory and the wisdom that they have passed on to us." Cho explain and igniting one set of sticks.

To Randwin's suprise the smoke from the burning insence gather together and took the shapes of several Panderan some of whom seemed to share resemblance with the Lorewalker.

"It was my Great Grandfather who first told me the tale of the mogu that I recently shared with you," Cho continued motioning to one of smoke figures. "I am most grateful for the knowledge my forebears have passed on to me. I stand upon their shoulders."

"So there you have it, traveler, or as much of it as would make for a proper introduction, hmm? What of you, then? Are your people so much different than mine? Surely, there must be things we share in common. Let us see."

The Cho offered him his matches.

"I would very much like to hear about your ancestors, stranger. Light the incense and let's reflect on where you came from, hm?"

Randwin sighed and accepted the matches. He very much doubt he would see anything here, they were far from Quel'thalas. He light the incense and turned on his heel expecting to see simply empty space, for the Lorewalker's magic to only work for his own people.

What he saw however, taking shape in the gathering smoke were ten figures dressed in flowing robes or intricate armor. Two in the back were night elves, highborne wearing armor. They looked strikingly different from the other figures at first glance but the more he looked the more elements of their apperance he saw himself. The noses, the brow, the shape of the chin. He was looking at his great great great grand parents, Aradas Windfury and Eliris Whitestar. They had not been mages themselves but warriors in service to a Highborne familly.

The next set on left he realized were his great great grand parents, Telrias Windfury and Amira Sunbreeze. They had been among the first Quel'dorei born in Quel'thalas, they had been some of the first to experince the power of the Sunwell, and were among the orginal founders of Silvermoon. In them he could see more similarties right the start; the form of the body, the tone of the hair...

Right next to them and in the middle was a blonde mage and a pretty woman in armor who Randwin knew were his great grand parents, Relious Windfury and Calisen Feathersong. Relious had been the first and so far only mage the family had produced along Randwin's own line. Calisen was by far the more physical of the two, having been a Ranger lord in the Farstriders. The two had fought in the troll wars along side the humans of Arathor.

On the far right where his grand parents Malicus Windfury and Ficera Stormsinger. Randwin had known them for a good deal of his younger years until the second war. The two had been victims of the Amani Trolls that had aided Orgrim Doomhammer's invasion of Quel'thalas. He remembered the funeral, how his sister had cried her eyes out. And then...

His heart caught in his chest, unbidden tears came to his eyes.

Kneeling on the ground before him, dressed in their mail and ranger garb, were his parents Raethar Windfury and Diesa Hawksight. Their faces were exactly as he remembered them, kind but strong. His mind returned back suddenly to the smells of burning forests, screaming women and children, and the snarling and groaning of the on coming undead. His parents had been rangers, Farstriders in fact. They had gone south across the river Elrendar to help defend the sancutaries protecting the gems that made up the key of the three moons. His brother, Raenar had gone across the river with them. Raenar had been the only one to return. Randwin had demanded to know what had happened to there parents but Raenar had refused to answer.

Then Raenar had been taken by the Scourge and became one of the Death Knights of Acherus. Randwin had been left to care for Dyonia on his own. It had been years before he had at last learned of his parents fates from none other than Halduron Brightwing. The Ranger General had told him that his parents had tried to hold back the Scourge at Suncrown village. They had made use of incendiary explosives to keep back the Scourge until the village had been surrounded by the Nerubians. They had refused to feed the Scourge additional soldiers. They ignited all the remaining explosives and blew half the village up.

He had become a Paladin specificly to avenge them. They had thrown him to the priest hood to try and clean up his act but had still cared for him. He had fought Quel'thalas, to Outland, to the Sunwell, and then to Northrend to battle the Scourge. Along the way revenge had transformed into a need for justice, maybe it had been the Sunwell or the return of Raenar but his quest had become one of justice, of retribution.

Then he had found the battered hilt of Quel'delar in the halls of Icecrown Citadel. He had journeyed across northrend to learn of the blade before returning to Icecrown to remake the blade. In a way it had mirrored him and still did, his methods to repair it had made it dangerous to everyone around it, unsafe to weild. He had done terrible things during the early days of the Blood Knights, most of the Blood Knights had cut corners and abused their powers. There was only one place where the blade could have been reborn properly, the same place he had been reborn, the Sunwell. He had purified the blade in its sacred waters as he himself had once been purified by its power. And with the blade in hand he had found justice.

He reached out a hand to touch his parents, forgeting himself. His fingers passed right through them. He should have known better, they weren't his ancestors ghost, they were memory given form.

He turned back to the Lorewalker who was watching him, nodding with understanding.

"Ah, noble is your lineage! Your people possess GREAT power, and all the terrible burdens that come with it," he said appreciatively. His face fell slightly, now somber. "Equally great has been your suffering. Now I see why you call yourself 'Blood' elves."

Randwin nodded in response.

"Not so different, you and I," Cho continued a small smile returning to his face. "I believe we can become good friends."

Randwin turned away from the smoke figures though his heart begged him not to.

"Now, back to your dilemma," the Lorewalker said business like once more. "I believe you can help your people build relations with our hozen, as my people have."

"How?" Randwin asked.

"The trail behind me will lead you to a body of water the hozen use to gather the fish that feeds them," Cho explained. "Around this time every year, fearsome beasts call those waters home and many hungry hozen are lost to them. If you were to rescue some of the victims and gather some fish, perhaps you will be regarded more favorably."

Randwin nodded and then bowed respectfully to the Panderan.

"You have my thanks Lorewalker."

"The pleasure was all mine friend," Cho replied with a smile.

Randwin then turned back to the smoke figures. They still stood there, as if frozen in time. He wished that they could speak, that he could talk to them. He had so many questions to ask them, so many things that he had left unsaid, so many things that he wanted to beg their forgiveness for. But he could not.

They were shadows, echos of people who had once walked the world but were long dead. Five generations of his family stood before him, but their souls were with the light. They were at peace.

He turned back to the path to that Cho had suggested he take. He grasped the hilt of Quel'delar, drew it forth, and with one last backward glance at the forms of his ancestors started down the path.

The dead were at peace, he however had a war to fight.

Ranger24: I know most of those who have seen my previous works in the Warcraft section have been asking for another comedy like Road Trip of Madness but for the moment I feel like I need to do at least one serious work. This quest line in the new expansion provided the perfect way to do so. When I first saw the ghosts of my character Randwin's ancestors it got me thinking about how he would react in lore. Blood Elves have suffered a great deal, odds are most Blood Elf characters are either the last of their family or are among the last. They cling to anything they can find of their ancestors be they Highborne or High Elves. Seeing their family, standing before them going back generations would be a powerful and moving experince.

I'm always open to new thoughts and ideas regarding the lore and character interpritation in Warcraft folks. Feel free to leave your personal experince on the quest line in a review.

Also can someone give me a good Holy Paladin rotation? Trying it out for dungeons in Pandaria.

And yes I know Quel'delar could never three shot the Saurok, but thats the beauty of Transmog.