User:Dark T Zeratul/Vegdrasil

Early Life and the Second War
Vegdrasil Trollbreaker was born and raised in Ironforge, and lived a fairly average life for a dwarf. His father was a city guard, and from an early age Vegdrasil knew he wanted to help defend the city just like his father. Then the orcs came.

Too young to fight on the front lines, Vegdrasil served primarily as a courier during the Second War, running supplies from the city to the soldiers fighting to defend it. Though victory was achieved in the end, Vegdrasil's father suffered grievous injuries that left him unable to swing an axe in the service of the king. Vegdrasil spent much of the next twenty years caring for his father, learning what he could where he could. Eventually, as his father lay dying, he told Vegdrasil to seek out Thran Khorman in Anvilmar. There he would learn the ways of the warrior, as he had always wanted. Thus it was that Vegdrasil left Ironforge to seek his destiny.

For the next three years, Vegdrasil trained hard, honing his body and mind as much as his axe, until at long last Khorman declared his training complete. Vegdrasil set out from Anvilmar soon after, determined to do battle against the enemies of Ironforge.

The Bael Modan Regiment
Vegdrasil traveled throughout Dun Morogh, slaying trolls, troggs, and whatever else needed slaying, eventually arriving in the town of Thelsamar. There he ran into some old friends, and decided to celebrate with a round of drinks. As inevitably happens with dwarves, one round turned into several, and Vegdrasil awoke the next day on the Menethil docks with no memory of what had transpired the night before, a feeling like the Explorer's League was excavating his head, and signed enlistment papers in the Bael Modan Regiment.

Vegdrasil did his duty as well as could be expected under the circumstances, taking the opportunity to learn how to fight with new weapons and heavier armor. The life of a soldier was not for him, however, and he took the first chance he had to leave the regiment and strike out on his own.

Northfury Privateers
Vegdrasil's solo career was short-lived. When he arrived back in Menethil Harbor, he ran into Tagnor Rockfury, a friend and former officer of the Bael Modan Regiment. Over a round of drinks, Tagnor told Vegdrasil that he had inherited a considerable amount of money from his father, and was using it to buy a ship and start a shipping company called the Northfury Privateers. In fact, a fair portion of the crew were all former members of the Regiment. Tagnor offered Vegdrasil an officer position aboard his ship, the Wavecutter, a position which he quickly agreed to take.

Vegdrasil sailed with the privateers for many months, all the while gaining more knowledge and experience about the world.

Swift Retribution
Eventually, Vegdrasil decided that he was getting away from his original goal of battling the enemies of Ironforge. While the life of a privateer was a good one, it wasn't helping him achieve his goals. And so one day he said his goodbyes to Tagnor and the crew, went ashore, and signed up with a mercenary company called Swift Retribution.

Swift Retribution was dedicated to rooting out and destroying the enemies of the Alliance wherever they could, and making as much coin as they could while doing it. Together they battled the Horde in Alterac Valley, Arathi Basin, and Warsong Gulch. They staged raids against Horde towns such as Tarren Mill, Splintertree Post, and the Crossroads. They fought against the Hakkari trolls, the minions of Ragnaros the Firelord, the black dragons nesting in Dustwallow Marsh, and the evils within the city of Ahn'Qiraj. But their crowning glory was when they supported the armies assaulting Blackwing Lair and played a pivotal role in the defeat of the black dragon Nefarian.

Unfortunately, though their deeds were glorious, internal politics were another matter. The leader and founder of Swift Retribution decided he had grown rich enough to retire and left, and his replacements were not nearly as effective at leading the company. Several members, including Vegdrasil, clashed with the new leadership on numerous occasions, eventually leading them to quit Swift Retribution altogether. Vegdrasil decided to wander the world alone for awhile, and has not seen his former mercenaries since.

Lone Wanderer
Over the next several months, Vegdrasil traveled throughout Azeroth, vanquishing evil where he found it. He fought frost giants in Winterspring, foul undead in the Plaguelands of Lordaeron, and even the demons infesting the Blasted Lands. Between his sojourns to the ends of Azeroth, he frequently returned to the Bruuk's Corner tavern in Ironforge to spent the gold he was earning on drinks. On one such occasion, as he was attempting to woo a young dwarven girl, he met a young human priest named Calithos. They talked briefly about their separate experiences with fighting Dark Irons in Shadowforge City, and before Vegdrasil realized what had happened Calithos was walking upstairs with the girl Vegdrasil had been chatting with. Something about the priest intrigued him, and from that day on they became frequent drinking companions, swapping stories over drinks as they plied their charms on the dwarven women with varying degrees of success.

Calithos also spoke frequently of a band of fellow heroes that he adventured with called Sere Vala. "It's a bunch of decent folk," he said, taking a swig of ale. "Not sure why they keep me around, though." Vegdrasil put it out of his mind, though, and continued to venture alone for some months.

Everything changed when the Scourge attacked.