User:Lifelight/Mikall

Untimely Beginnings
Mikall was born to Galvin Trueblade, a zealous warrior, and Alixa Brightheart, a cheerful priestess. The couple had an unquestionable zest for life and for the world around them, and as such, they spent their lives exploring the wondrous lands of Azeroth. At the time of their son's birth, the couple's current escapade was that of exploring the rolling plains of Mulgore, the home of the tauren race. Despite her pregnancy, Alixa insisted that she would be fine and that her husband should accompany her in exploring Mulgore's vast landscape. Reluctantly, he complied, and he was right to have his doubts - shortly after their arrival in the Tauren lands, the priestess went into labor. In desperation, she and her husband rushed to Camp Narache, the nearest settlement. Although it was Horde territory, the Alixa and Galvin prayed that the camp's inhabitants would show them sympathy. Upon their entrance into Narache, the warrior and his wife were met with many awe-filled eyes from the children and looks askance from the community's elders. In hopes that their knowledge of Taur-ahe would be enough to avoid immediately provoking the hostile Tauren, the two wanderers hastily explained their situation and begged for assistance. Taken aback by the outsiders' ability to speak their language flawlessly, the nearby villagers held a momentary discussion amongst themselves before sending for the camp's midwife. In an instant, she appeared, quickly introducing herself as Ardra Earthgiver before escorting the mother-to-be and her husband into a nearby hut.

The birthing procedure went quite smoothly, and before they knew it, Galvin and Alixa were the proud parents of a baby boy, whom they named Mikall. The couple expressed their overwhelming gratitude toward the midwife and offered to do anything they possibly could in exchange for her service and kindness. Ardra laughed softly and reminded the priestess that she would need a great deal of rest for the next few days, assuring her that she and her husband would receive the opportunity to return the favor once they had some time to bond with their newborn son. In the meantime, she explained, she would make arrangements with Chief Hawkwind, the camp's leader, for the family to stay at Camp Narache until they were ready to return to their homeland.

Life on the Plains
In the years that followed, Mikall grew into a healthy young boy. He was quiet, obedient, curious, kind, and intelligent. He was always fascinated with his environment and loved Red Cloud Mesa with all the affection his little heart could muster. As he grew up in the village, he became fast friends with the midwife's granddaughter, Berinda Brighthoof, who happened to be about the same age. The two were practically inseparable; although they were of two completely different races, it didn't seem to matter at all, and their friendship grew stronger and stronger over time. Like Mikall, Berinda was soft-spoken and generous, but she was much shier and appreciated serenity and tranquility, whereas Mikall was eager to adventure as far across the mesa as his parents and Mama Ardra (as he lovingly called her) would allow. Like a good friend, though, she accompanied him on nearly all of his ventures and enjoyed every minute they spent together, as did he.

Meanwhile, Mikall's parents had also become well-adjusted to life at Camp Narache. Galvin frequently joined the village's huntsmen on their expeditions and made quite a name for himself as a game hunter, collecting various pelts and other trophies of his kills with which to adorn the hut that the family shared with Ardra and her granddaughter. His prowess in the wild earned the human family much respect among the Tauren of the camp, further nurturing the bond that had started between them on the fateful day of Mikall's birth. Likewise, Alixa assisted the women of the camp with the tribe's daily chores, learning a great deal of recipes and other valuable trade skills. Her position as a priestess of the Light was highly revered among the camp's Tauren, who were always eager to learn more about this interesting new faith. As such, she became an influential leader in Camp Narache's spiritual community, giving hope to the downtrodden and rallying the spirits of the tribe when necessary.

All in the Family
(This section will recount the birth of Rault, Mikall's brother.)

A Forced Goodbye
At the tender age of nine years old, Mikall was forced to leave behind the world he knew and loved. Tensions between the Alliance and the Horde were rising by the minute, and as such, King Varian Wrynn trumpeted a degree across the lands that all able-bodied citizens of Stormwind were to return to the Eastern Kingdoms at once to prepare for war. The family reluctantly accepted this news and made arrangements to leave Camp Narache, much to their dismay. Galvin and Alixa thanked the camp's inhabitants incessantly for allowing them the most wonderful nine years of their lives and for welcoming their family to the mesa. Chief Hawkwind replied that he was honored to have such fine and noble people at Camp Narache; he lamented that he would miss the family dearly and that they would be welcome at Camp Narache for the rest of their lives, naming them official honorary members of the Hawkwind tribe. With tear-filled eyes, Mikall gave Berinda and Mama Ardra one last hug, promising he would write them at every chance he got and that he would return for visits once he was old enough to travel alone. Galvin and Alixa also pledged to revisit the camp, and Mama Ardra smiled softly, assuring them that she and Berinda would be right there, eagerly awaiting their return. Once the farewells were through, the last of the tears was shed, and every friend had been embraced, Mikall and his family gathered their belongings and set off on their journey back to the Eastern Kingdoms.

The School of Hard Knocks
Once they had completed the difficult trip back to the Eastern Kingdoms, Mikall and his family settled down in Westfall and made their home in the town of Moonbrook. Mr. Trueblade was immediately enlisted in the Stormwind army, and he spent most of his time in training for the battles ahead. Meanwhile, Mrs. Brightheart balanced her time between working as a medic for the People's Militia and caring for her two children. Now ten years of age, Mikall was old enough to begin his education, so his mother agreed to enroll him in classes at the Moonbrook Schoolhouse. Because he didn't grow up around people of his own kind, school was both awkward and fascinating for the young boy - while he was very intelligent and always picked up concepts rather quickly, Mikall's tauren-esque upbringing proved to make him very different from the children of Moonbrook. This anomaly drew severe scorn and taunting from his classmates, making it very difficult for him to stay focused and motivated. The worst heckler of all, Hope Saldean, was so unrelentingly cruel that Mikall eventually gave up trying in school because he found himself sobbing more often than studying.

Eventually, Mikall decided to forgo his education, and, although his mother disagreed with his decision, she understood why he chose to do so and stood by her son. In lieu of pencils and paper, the twelve year-old took up a needle, spools of thread, and handfuls of medical books in an attempt to both help his mother with her work and do a little work on his own. Mrs. Brightheart was initially worried that Mikall would overwork himself with his two new, strenuous undertakings, but her fears were soon allayed when he proved to be a masterful tailor as well as a superior medic. After a year of honing his skills, he was able to stitch and sew as well as any tailor in the Stormwind Trade District, and he could also apply anti-venom and bandage a wound in thirty seconds flat. As could be expected, these skills were highly valuable in Azeroth's current state, and thanks to their little prodigy, Mikall's family enjoyed several years of great prosperity - Mikall and his parents earned a very good living, and even young Rault, now seven years old, was eager to contribute by selling the herbs he gathered while playing outdoors. The family was very happy indeed, and Mikall knew that the only thing that could make him happier would be a reunion with his friends at Camp Narache.

To the Victor Go the Foibles
By his fourteenth birthday, Mikall was at the peak of happiness - he had a loving family, a steady flow of money, and a feeling of self-worth. Unfortunately, this meant that the only direction his luck could go was down, and indeed, a rapid descent soon came in the form of a succession of people and things in the wrong places at the wrong times.

One day, while Mikall was out gathering herbs with his younger brother, the pair stumbled upon something fantastic. As Mikall picked it up and studied it, he and his brother decided they had never seen anything so splendid in their entire lives. The sparkling purple stone they had stumbled upon was perfectly dazzling; they were sure it would fetch a high price at the market. As they turned around to head home with their spoils, they were stopped in their tracks by a rugged and incredibly shady looking man who had to be one of the most frightening people a child could imagine. With a devilish look in his eyes, he asked the two boys what they were carrying. Mikall mumbled that they didn't know what he was talking about and attempted to make his way around the shady character. The man quickly countered his movement, warning the boys that they weren't going to escape with property of the Defias Brotherhood. He gave them an ultimatum - hand over the valuable gem or their precious lives. His body flowing with a mixture of adrenaline and pure fear, Mikall made a swift kick at the ground, blinding the cutthroat with dirt, then snatched Rault's arm and sprinted toward Moonbrook as fast as he possibly could. As he and his brother approached Moonbrook while being pursued by the knave (whose vision was once again intact), Mikall's foot was ensnared by a patch of bruiseweed, causing him to tumble to the ground, fracture his left arm, and lose his grip on the stone. Rault hastily untangled him from the weeds and helped him back into town, leaving the gem behind to avoid being caught by the fast-approaching highwayman. Not noticing the obstacle that had downed Mikall, the pursuer was also forced to the ground by the pesky plant. Unluckily for him, the gem that had been dropped by the boy had landed on its head, leaving its razor sharp tip face-up. This immediately impaled the boys' assailant, causing him a swift but painless death.

After finally recovering from the trauma of the event, Mikall realized that his brush with death had cost him not only the gem that could have sold for a fortune, but more importantly, the arm that allowed him to preform the activities which made him feel like he was useful and had worth. This sent him into a state of severe depression, and not even his own mother could convince him that he was valuable and that things would be okay. Frustrated and miserable, Mikall confined himself to his home, avoiding contact with anyone or anything that would remind him that he was now unable to handle going to school or helping his family financially.

Encounter with the Life-Binder
It had been months since Mikall's arm had broken and with each passing day, he became more and more reclusive, fearing that it would be broken for the rest of his life and that he would remain a shattered shell of his former self forever. His anxiety was heightened each time his mother took him to a doctor as each one claimed they had never seen a broken bone refuse to heal after such a long time. Eventually, Mikall concluded that he was just extremely unfortunate and would simply have to wait for his arm to heal before he could return to his normal life.

On another of his herb gathering trips with Rault (which were now much closer to Moonbrook due to the boys' fear of another ambush), Mikall spotted a rather strange looking plant sprouting from the earth. Upon examination, Rault concluded that the herb in question was a dreamfoil, which was incredibly extraordinary because such an herb was certainly not native to Westfall. Furthermore, he explained to Mikall that consumption of the herb when liquefied has been reported to cause the imbiber to experience an altered state of consciousness, almost like an incredibly vivid dream. This information instantly piqued Mikall's curiosity, and he decided that he must find out whether or not his brother's information was true. The two returned home, and Rault concocted an elixir from the mysterious herb. Upon drinking it, Mikall noted that it had a flavor sweeter than anything he'd ever tasted, and the soothing effect of the drink immediately made him drowsy. This excited him greatly, and he quickly retired to his bedroom to fall asleep and discover what mysteries the potion held.

When he awoke, Mikall found himself in an unfamiliar location. He appeared to be atop a tower in the middle of some frozen wasteland, but he was sure he'd never seen the place in his life. As he attempted to uncover the mystery of his whereabouts, he felt a throbbing pain rush through his head, causing him to cry out in agony. Immediately, a soothing female voice assured him that the pain was temporary and that he would feel normal in a few moments. Curious to see who was addressing him, Mikall turned around and instantly fell to his knees upon seeing who had spoken to him - Alexstrasza the Dragonqueen. He'd read about her in books at the Moonbrook Schoolhouse, but he never imagined that he would meet such a powerful and majestic creature in all his life. Rising to his feet, he asked the Life-Binder what was going on. She laughed softly and explained that it was she who caused the dreamfoil to grow in Westfall, knowing that Mikall wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity to experiment with its magical properties. Furthermore, she informed Mikall that she used the herb's effects as a way to summon him to Wyrmrest Temple for a special audience with her. Flattered and confused at the same time, Mikall asked the Dragonqueen why she would want to talk to him - he was just an ordinary human, after all. At this point, Alexstrasza corrected him, informing him that he was no run-of-the-mill human after all. In fact, she knew that in the future, Mikall would be destined to do great things and to help countless people, and because of that, she had to summon him to her to restore his spirit and to make sure that he didn't lose faith in himself. Somewhat unconvinced, he hesitantly inquired as to how she planned to motivate him again. Instead of answering, the Dragonqueen blew softly towards the boy, and the purity of her breath instantly healed his broken arm. Overjoyed at this miracle, Mikall dropped to his knees once again and thanked the Life-Binder profusely for healing his body and soul. She replied that she was happy to help, but she explained that this service came with a small price. For as long as he lived, Mikall had to believe in himself and his value to the world, or else his arm would cause him unbearable pain. Mikall happily agreed to these terms, and with that, Alextstrasza smiled before telling Mikall how special he was, pressing a beautiful pendant into his hands, and returning him to his home.