User:Larxene/Larxene Character History (Part One)

Larxene is a player-controlled character on the Sisters of Elune server. This character history is the first of two parts.

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Larxene Character History (Part Two)

History
(Except where otherwise noted or as told in the course of RP, none of the following information is common knowledge to other player characters.)

Young Life
In the beginning, Larxene seemed set to live a very carefree and charmed life. Her father, Jerakh, was a prominent Blood Knight and a well-respected diplomat to other races of the Horde who doted on his wife, Marlucia, and his new daughter. Things were going beautifully for the new young family, until shortly after Larxene turned 4. Jerakh's descent into Wretchedness was quick and violent. His appetite for mana was insatiable beyond any average Wretched. Within a few weeks' time, over a dozen deaths had been attributed to Jerakh's thirst for magical energy, and other Wretched, sensing opportunity to have their own appetites better and more easily sated, began to rally behind him. The Regent Lord himself commissioned a special task force for dealing with the voracious serial killer, now popularly known as "Jerakh Xel'Latoth the Poisoned". However, several more of this force and citizens alike would fall to Jerakh before one fateful night. Once Jerakh had lost his self to magical addiction, Marlucia and Larxene were moved deeper within the city for their safety. Whether by insider knowledge or cruel fate, Jerakh, increasingly emboldened and enraged by his cravings, left a trail of unsuspecting bodies in his path to the door of the other Xel'Latoths' new home. He savagely attacked Marlucia, Larxene awakened by her screaming and struggling as she ran to hide. Though Marlucia hung on valiantly against Jerakh, she finally succumbed to his drain of her magical lifeblood. In struggling so loudly, Marlucia may have saved Larxene's life as a final act. Jerakh paused in the darkness, either reveling in the sustenance derived from his late wife, or experiencing a moment of realization of what he had done. The reason would become a mystery to all time as the remnants of the special task force arrived on the scene of the disturbance and caught Jerakh by surprise, cornering him and putting an end to his reign of terror. When all became quiet, Larxene crawled from her hiding place to the side of her mother, cradling her in her arms and sobbing. While they allowed ample time for the child to grieve over her lost mother, members of the force soon set about the business of taking Marlucia's body away to be laid to rest, the last of 30 victims of Jerakh's killing spree. Being the orphan of a diplomat's family, Larxene was taken in as a ward of the city.

The city grew jubilant in the aftermath of Jerahk's death. His Wretched followers once more fell into disarray, becoming much easier for the city guard to deal with. Jerahk's body was dragged unceremoniously through the city streets behind horses, the surviving family members of his victims lined up on the sidewalks, a mix of rejoice, grief, and cursing of his family name. Though many years have passed since then, Jerakh is still widely regarded as one of the most foul villains of modern times, and the day of his death is still observed as a holiday by some. One can imagine the hate, spite, and vitriol directed at the last of the Xel'Latoths. Larxene feared to travel by herself through any part of Silvermoon. Whether being chased away from storefronts, dubbed demonspawn, having refuse thrown upon her, or being tormented by other children made fatherless or motherless by her father, Larxene's fortunes failed to improve significantly as a courier and page for the diplomats, magisters, and Blood Knights of the city government. She lived a lonely existence in small, spartan quarters, doled out modest, mostly flavorless meals by largely indifferent caretakers. Her very presence there was a periodic source of debate between those who abhorred her for her father's sins, and a group of influential and forward-thinking individuals who fought hard for a second chance for one of Silvermoon's more tragically orphaned children. Though still a child, her mind was keen, and she methodically weathered the hate of her people, promising herself and her fallen mother to make the city a safer place to live, free from monsters like the one her father became, somehow. One day, she saw a potential opportunity. At the time, the Blood Knights were offering qualified children the opportunity to become squires of older, up-and-coming Knights, and to earn some training along the way as a head start to becoming Blood Knights themselves, largely a power play to indoctrine much of the next generation to their agenda. Larxene, however, simply admired the Blood Knights who were instrumental in bringing down her father, and after repeated requests, was at last begrudgingly made a squire to a pompous ass of a Blood Knight by the name of Chenir. At first, Chenir bristled at the notion of having a child tagging along with him. But when he learned that the squire was to be the child of the notorious killer Jerakh, a deluded plot of revenge against someone he saw as an abomination began to form in his head, and he gave his approval to the matter.

Though a modestly powerful Blood Knight in his own right, Chenir was also a coward and paranoid. Though he came close on a few occasions, he couldn't find a way to kill Larxene within the city where young squires initially spent most of their time and still make it look like an accident; the supervision of his commanding officers was always too close. Though rogues and assassins were readily available, he was too afraid it would still somehow come back to him. Under direct orders by his superiors as part of the squire program, he was required to tutor Larxene in the ways of combat and manipulation of the Light. He was as lax and indifferent as he could get away with in explaining things to Larxene at first, but this didn't stop her from shining. Larxene hung on to Chenir's every venom-laced word, and even at her tender age, she quickly began to excel in armed combat and use of magic. She became something of a wunderkind, giving herself to the life and ways of the soldier, attracting more and more attention from other Blood Knights, making it even harder for Chenir to complete any plots against her, especially when she was moved to more guarded living quarters in recognition of her deeds. Larxene, for her part, was mostly oblivious to her skill and rising fame amongst the Blood Knights. She was merely doing what she felt would be necessary to make herself stronger, and thereby be ready to help make Silvermoon City a safer place.

Chenir pretended to be honored and proud to be mentor to the child prodigy, forced to be more diligent in his training of Larxene over the next year, biding his time and earning more of her trust as the child grew ever stronger, while simultaneously growing more disgusted with her very existence, determined to end the "tainted" bloodline once and for all. Finally, the opportunity he was waiting for came. So confident in Larxene were they, Chenir's commanding officers appointed Larxene to be a special "youth ambassador" to the rest of the Horde. As fate would have it, the Orb of Translocation that normally makes travel between Silvermoon and the Undercity had been affected by a recent dip in the city's magical energies, and was not functioning properly. So Chenir was entrusted with transporting Larxene to her first destination by more conventional means. When Chenir told her of the news, Larxene, in all her youthful and idealistic glow, was overjoyed and more than eager to go, and Chenir, for reasons known only to himself, was just as pleased.

Chenir was ordered to accompany Larxene to Tranquilien and wait. A special detatchment of the Blood Knights in the Plaguelands was to be ordered to come back especially for her and take her the rest of the way to the Undercity. Instead of traveling there by riding bat, Chenir convinced Larxene to travel with him on foot through Eversong Woods instead, and enjoy its natural beauty. Larxene, viewing Chenir as a trusted teacher and semi-fatherly figure, agreed. She had never been very far outside of Silvermoon in her life thus far, and Chenir knew it. By circumventing the flight path, he hoped to avoid any entanglements or witnesses in Tranquilien and finally let Silvermoon be "cleansed of the Wretched-spawn". He had his "tragic accident in the Ghostlands" excuse all written out and well-rehearsed in his head as the two traveled, straying from the roads here and there for "sightseeing", in reality avoiding any villages or checkpoints. As they crossed the border into the Ghostlands, Chenir took advantage of Larxene's poor knowledge of the lay of the land and ushered her along the road to the ruins of Suncrown Village instead, distracting her from road signs with tales of the great Horde cities and lands she would soon be visiting. So starry-eyed was Larxene that she didn't even notice they had strayed from the road onto a disused trail, little more than a thin line into the deep woods. It was only when the trail ended at the small ravine that Larxene, in her naivetee, finally began to think something was wrong. But it was too late. Chenir had fallen a few steps behind the quick-footed child, and with a cruel stroke, slashed her across the back, the source of the great scar she bears to this day. Still, his self-righteous flourish of wasted sword motion might've been a blessing in disguise. He could just as easily have beheaded her or run her through, surely ending Larxene's life beyond all hope of revival. And perhaps he realized this as Larxene tumbled forward down the short rise. He was about to make his way down and finish the job when spears from the thicket landed dangerously close to him. A hunting party of Trolls from Zeb'Sora, across the lake, had come upon Chenir, who quickly proceeded to flee, his sword still bloodied. So focused on Chenir were they, the Trolls didn't notice Larxene's bleeding form in the small depression as they set off in pursuit. The coward Chenir fled north, unmindful of his surroundings, looking back over his shoulder long after the Trolls had given up the chase. When he finally stopped running, he took notice of the ruined buildings of Suncrown all around, and the growing sound of skittering noises from the shadows. The terrified screams of a scheming Blood Knight filled the northeastern forest as the spiderlike Nerubian fiends closed in and tore Chenir limb from limb.

Meanwhile, at the behest of the Farstriders, another young Blood Knight named Zehan was traveling north from their enclave in the Ghostlands on an excursion into Suncrown. Along the way, he decided to scour the foothills around Sungraze Peak for veins of mineral resources to mine. Carefully keeping out of sight of the Trolls, he mined his way along the northern reaches of the mountainous area. It was at this moment he heard the distant yet unmistakeable scream of death of someone from off in the direction of Suncrown. Curtailing his mining activities, he set off in the direction of Suncrown to help reduce the Nerubian threat. Not far from there, he slipped and fell on something wet. Grumbling and brushing himself off as he got up, he then noticed the crimson of blood on his silver boot. As his eyes focused past his foot and down into a small depression, he noticed the girl, her back cut almost to the spine, lying there and bleeding to death. He scrambled down, then readied a series of healing spells. They closed the wound and stopped the bleeding, but the severe trauma her body sustained left the scar as an indelible reminder, and the girl was still suffering from the severe loss of blood. Once he was certain it was safe to do so, he scooped the girl up, and his heart sank. He recognized Larxene from her demonstrations in Silvermoon, and had been a strong proponent for her continued feeding and shelter by the city. He carefully brought her to Tranquilien, the beaten-down outpost offering any and all of its limited resources to help stabilize her condition. By the next day, Larxene was still unconscious, but stable. Around this time, the group of Blood Knights that was to take her to the Undercity arrived. News of the find had also reached the Farstrider Enclave, and they had sent a handful of their own to see for themselves. Zehan related his story to them, and leaving Larxene in Tranquilien's care, he led them to where he found her. Tolerating each other's presence for the moment, the Farstriders helped the Knights put together the pieces of the puzzle by retracing Chenir's steps, up to the point of the foul deed, the ambush, and later, the finding of a fresh and badly dismembered corpse in Suncrown. A few remaining bits of armor were positively identified as that of a Blood Knight, and after returning to reclaim Larxene, Zehan rode back with the other Knights to Silvermoon to make their startling report.

After coming so close to happiness again after several years, Larxene spent the following days holed up in her room, even after she had healed enough to continue her daily life. She skipped out on training, and barely picked at the meals left at her door. Just as with her father, someone she gave her trust to turned into a monster. She was paralyzed by mistrust and grief, wishing her mother were still with her. Meanwhile, in light of the events, the city council debated what to do with the girl. There was talk of giving her up to foster families, but no one wanted to be endangered should there be another attempt on her life. Those who preferred for the city to be unburdened of the child had slowly become a majority, and it was voted that she be removed from the city "for her own safety", though Zehan and others knew that was simply the council's way of washing their hands of the matter to avoid further controversy. Zehan did not want to remove Larxene from the only home she knew, but in the end, he abided by the council's decision. Though Larxene had no desire left to act as any sort of youth ambassador, it was decided that she be sent to the Undercity as originally planned. Soon, the flow of magical energy stabilized enough for the Orb of Translocation to become operative again, and Zehan brought a mostly non-verbal and very passive Larxene to the city of the Forsaken.

Reluctantly leaving Larxene in the care of the proper Forsaken authorities, Zehan promised Larxene he'd come and visit her often, though the girl registered little emotion. She was reasonably well-cared for in the Undercity, but it quickly became apparent that the Forsaken just plain didn't know what to do with her. She was shuffled around from household to household, doing menial work when she wasn't sitting balled-up by herself, until she was finally taken to Tarren Mill by a farmer in search of cheap labor for his fields, and it doesn't get cheaper than free. Larxene worked day after day in the fields, strong from her training, but having lost her desire to become a Blood Knight, or anything else, for that matter, she didn't try to dazzle any of the locals with her impressive skills. By this time, she was 10 years old. Her existence became a fog of routines, her actions seemingly more drone-like and lifeless than even the Forsaken around her.

One day, Larxene went down by the river near Tarren Mill to sit alone with her morose thoughts, as she would often do on the rare occasion she wasn't needed in the fields. Though many Deathguards roam the outer perimeter outside Tarren Mill, they can't be everywhere, and anywhere outside the town gives way to treacherous wilderness and all the creatures that come with it. A bear, emboldened by hunger and in search of an easy meal, spotted Larxene at the riverside and charged from the brush. Larxene turned at the noise and watched, feeling unable, unwilling even, to react, closing her eyes and resigning herself to her fate. What she felt next was not the slash of claws and piercing of fangs, but a slight breeze, followed by the thud of something heavy falling over. She opened her eyes to see the bear, lying unconscious on its side, and an elderly Human male standing over it, gazing down at her with steely eyes, a white beard upon his face, and wearing clothes quite unlike anything she'd ever seen. Larxene knew enough of the outside world to know that Humans, like those of nearby Southshore, were enemies of the Horde, and she took a few cautious steps back before something clicked in her head, something similar to that which made her desire to be a Blood Knight's squire. This old man before her, with no weapons of any sort, somehow managed to knock out a bear with one blow. She wanted to know how. And the man, who had happened upon Larxene by chance, could see that this young Blood Elf girl was already strong beyond her years, with so much untapped potential. He extended his hand to her without a word, and with one quick look back to Tarren Mill, mostly just to make sure no one was watching, Larxene took the man's hand just as silently. From there, they traveled from the Hillsbrad Foothills to deep within the Hinterlands, speaking not a word to each other along the way, as if both in a constant deep state of contemplation.

After going through a lot of red tape, Zehan tracked Larxene's whereabouts to Tarren Mill for a visit, only to find out she had gone missing weeks before without a trace, and the Deathguard had given up the search. The Knight's heart sank once again, though his role was far from over...

Fist of the Beast King
Larxene was taken to an isolated village called the "Beast King Enclave", a place largely unknown to the rest of the world, save for a few trustworthy individuals. The old man who rescued Larxene was Grand Master Tong Yao Zu, who serves as the elder of the community as well as the foremost teacher of "Fist of the Beast King" martial arts. Second to him in the community is Master Ran Peng Fei, a severe man of few words. Finding the Alliance to be an unsuitable political climate for his teachings, the hermit Tong and a handful of disciples established this retreat; at any one time, there have never been much more than 20 people in the Enclave. It serves as a place of enlightenment, healing, and tempering of inner strength for children of the few who know about it, sending them there for a chance at a better life away from the Alliance-Horde conflicts, as well as people who have been beaten down by life, but not beyond the point of redemption. Daily life is filled with training, teachings, chores, and contemplative meditation. There are many in the world who may stand to benefit from such a life, but Grand Master Tong believes in small beginnings, knowing in his heart that the world is not ready to fully embrace the teachings he shares, nor may it ever be within his lifetime, instead concentrating on training heirs to his mastery of the Fist of the Beast King who will be well-prepared to carry on its teachings in a hopefully more receptive and peaceful world.

At first, Larxene continued to be hesitant and mostly silent around the new adult figures in her life, but her curiosity and wonder of the people training and learning around her beckoned her out of her shell. In short order, she began training along with the other children, mostly Humans and Night Elves, with the odd other race member passing through now and then; Larxene was the first of very few Horde members to pass through this place. Though most of the children had a several-year head start on her, Larxene's sharp mind was a sponge for her environment, and just as she had during her time training as a Blood Knight, she quickly became a prize pupil of Fist of the Beast King. Even Tong himself was surprised; Larxene exceeded the potential he had seen in her in a short time. He knew about the fall from grace of the Blood Elves, finding their story particularly tragic. Here was a race at a crossroads, caught between its dependency on magic and its covenant with the warlike Horde, and the shrinking but still viable chance for a return to a peaceful existence. In Larxene, he saw what the Blood Elves still could be, and continued her training in the hopes that someday she may return to Silvermoon City and help guide its people down a more peaceful road. Not wanting there to be any secrets kept from her, Tong told Larxene about these hopes in time. At first, Larxene was adamant about having nothing to do with her former home, and wished for nothing but to continue her isolated but peaceful existence in the Enclave. As time went on, however, and Larxene began to mature, her perspective broadened, and though she wouldn't admit it, there were things about Silvermoon City she did miss.

One of these things was access to magical energy. Since Larxene scarcely used her magical talents anymore, her dependence on mana was greatly diminished, though not entirely gone. Though she had a strong constitution, as she became a teenager, spells of weakness began to grow more common. Generous Night Elf practitioners in the Enclave offered what mana they could to help, but everyone knew Larxene would soon need more than they could give. Tong didn't wish to send Larxene back to Silvermoon City against her will, but he knew her condition would only get worse if things went unchanged. However, in their conversations, the name Zehan had been mentioned by Larxene to Tong. Taking a risk on the trustworthiness of a Blood Knight, Tong composed a letter to Zehan, explaining everything from the day Larxene disappeared from Tarren Mill, even enclosing an attunement jewel that would be necessary for setting foot on Enclave lands. Fortunately for Tong, Zehan was loyal and true, and at great risk of punishment and/or death, he smuggled a small mana-producing crystal from Eversong, enough to cover Larxene's meager mana needs for a very long time, and brought it to the Enclave. Larxene's condition improved almost immediately, the crystal set in a central location in the village. She was overjoyed to see Zehan again, and for perhaps the first time since her mother died, she was surrounded by people she truly knew she could trust. Tong explained what he wished to accomplish for the Blood Elf race, to present them with an alternative to their current path. Zehan supported Tong wholeheartedly, being a bit of a renegade compared to the average Blood Elf when it came to ideology. Tong wasn't so naive to believe that such a path would not contain any fighting, so he asked Zehan if he would return periodically to continue Larxene's Blood Knight training, so when the time came for Larxene to return, she could still be relevant to Blood Elf society on some level. He also entrusted Zehan with specific instructions of what to do if anything should happen to Larxene, which would prove to be crucial. Zehan swore he would not fail.

And so it continued for just over 20 years. Larxene grew into a strong and beautiful young woman, learning the ways of the Fist, becoming skilled enough to teach younger pupils. Students came and went for their own reasons, but Larxene remained for the duration, dedicated to the last. On average of about once a year, Zehan would visit for as long as he could get away with, to teach Larxene the Blood Knight's trade as well, so she would be ready to take her place amongst them again. While many Blood Knights coerce their power from the imprisoned Naaru in Silvermoon, Larxene applied teachings of the Fist to the application of magic, namely that Light does not need to be forced to enter one's body; it *wants* to enter, by its very nature, and need only be given the opportunity. Through this philosophy, Larxene's grasp of magic became strong, and some may argue more pure. In her later days in the Enclave, Tong would tell her that *all* living things produce their own Light in addition to what they absorb from the world around them, and someday she may learn to harness that power. But for now, the time came for Larxene to venture back to where her life began. Tong sent a tearful Larxene off with a reassuring smile and one of his favorite hats, which became a treasured article of clothing for her, hoping she could be the one to help the Blood Elves walk the path to peace.

Return to Silvermoon
Two decades had been ample enough time for Larxene to be all but forgotten by nearly all the city. Even her infamous father, though still reviled by many, had long since fallen out of the forefront of the public consciousness, and the seats of government had enough new bodies sitting in them for Larxene's enlistment in the ranks of the Blood Knights to cause very few ripples. With new resolve, Larxene threw herself back into the life of a soldier, and made quite an exemplary one. She would never fail to carry out her orders, no matter how arduous the task, and many other soldiers of the Horde, Blood Elf or otherwise, considered themselves fortunate to fight alongside her. To watch her in battle was almost distracting. Blending swordplay with her martial arts training, her fighting was like a painting come to life, rendered in the blood and ichor of her enemies, graceful and dancelike yet with no wasted motion. Larxene also acquired skills as a field cook as well as a medic; she often spoke out against her people's overdependence on magic and would avoid using it altogether if she could do the job without it. Her outspokenness was perhaps her single biggest flaw. Though Zehan, who was now a member of the Honor Guard at Sunfury Spire, had similar opinions, he was better at keeping them unheard by more influential officers or legislators than Larxene was. When she publicly questioned the wisdom of keeping the Naaru captive once too often, the next generation of scheming beaurecrats devised a new assignment for Larxene, one that she was to perform without fail or question whenever she was within the city walls. She was to patrol and keep the peace in the Bazaar district, mainly the inn on its east side, known for a host of troublesome characters. Larxene knew this was an unpopular assignment; she'd heard enough guardsmen moan about having to patrol the area, and shirking the duty altogether to avoid the riff-raff was commonplace. However, Larxene saw opportunity to do good for this place, to make it safer as she had promised for her mother, as well as spread the word about a better way of life as taught by Grand Master Tong. It was not an easy task. For every criminal she apprehended and punished, five more would get away. And much of her words of peaceful coexistence with the Alliance, to instead focus on the true threats of the Burning Legion and the Scourge, fell on deaf ears. She did manage to find friends in individuals such as Anie, Naeloki, and Okaeshi among many others, but this place was also where she met her greatest adversary: Mirson.

On the fateful night when Larxene saw Mirson shoot someone in the head for disagreeing with him on a petty discussion subject with notable zeal, right in the middle of the inn, Larxene made it her mission to stop him. In Mirson, she saw everything that was wrong with the city, even the world. While her father had been driven to kill by mana addiction, Mirson seemed to have little or no cause for the killing of innocents other than stereotyping and an unforgiving demeanor, which infuriated her to no end. Though she was an officer of the law, the law did not give her adequate tools to deal with Mirson, especially in this part of town. Every time she got close to apprehending him, he'd either escape or get off on a technicality. Larxene once challenged Mirson to a hand-to-hand fight, which she was set to win save for Mirson's cheating and the interference of a then-crazed Naeloki. On another occasion, she had beat him senseless and was about to bind his limbs and take him away when, again, Naeloki interfered, which makes it almost seem strange that Naeloki is one of Larxene's dearest friends. It was with this friend that Larxene was having a conversation one night when Mirson shot Larxene in the back of the head for insulting him. With the act that drove Larxene against him, he put a stop to her as well, or so it seemed at the time...

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Larxene Character History (Part Two)