User:Flyspeck/Calangil

Youth
Calangil Hawkwing was born eighty years before the First War in the quel'dorei capital of Silvermoon. His father Aldrin was an instructor in the arcane at the Falthrien Academy, and his mother Falora was a weaver in Silvermoon's bazaar. He also has a brother, Talar, ten years his elder.

Growing up, Calangil was relatively free from want. His family was firmly entrenched in the middle class of elven society. Talar and Calangil were both educated in their youth in the high elven fashion, learning reading, writing, history, mathematics, the basics of the arcane, and other subjects. Talar's interests soon turned to more martial affairs, and he enrolled in the Farstrider academy, while Calangil remained relatively aimless, continuing his general education.

Down the path of the rogue
One day in his adolescence, Calangil and his brother were on their way home, taking a shortcut through the less-than-reputable Murder Row section of the city. Talar, feeling mischievous, dared his younger brother to snatch a wheel of cheese from under a poorer elf's nose while he wasn't looking. Calangil did not want to embarrass himself in his brother's eyes, as he had come to greatly admire Talar, who would one day protect Quel'thalas as a member of the Farstriders. As silently as he could, Calangil snuck forward, grabbed the wheel of cheese, and darted into the shadows without being seen. Before the poor elf could notice he had been robbed, the two boys were gone, both laughing.

The act had not gone unnoticed, however. An elf named Nerisen had watched the entire incident and followed the pair home. He then reported what had happened to his superior, Zelanis. Both of these elves belonged to the society of rogues that had formed on the fringes of Silvermoon society. Calangil was approached a day later by Zelanis, who informed him that, according to Nerisen, he had what it took to become a top-notch rogue. Intrigued by the aloof yet perceptibly deadly air Zelanis cultivated, Calangil agreed to enter into training.

As Calangil learned the basics of thievery and assassination, and honed his body into a more deadly weapon, the orcs poured through the Dark Portal, devastating the kingdom of Azeroth. In the Second War, the rangers of Quel'thalas were drawn into the fray as King Anasterian pledged the high elves' support to the Alliance. Talar was livid that he had not yet graduated and thus would not be allowed to fight; Calangil too longed to adventure beyond his home and meet this new threat.

Devastation of Quel'thalas
At the outbreak of the Third War, Calangil had almost completed his training, and his brother had become a full-fledged Farstrider, stationed in the southern forests of Eversong and combating the Amani threat there. Rumors of the plague of undeath had reached the high elven capital, but few among the population took them seriously. Still, there were whispers among the mages about the Cult of the Damned, and the dark necromantic powers that some of their highest-ranking brethren, such as Kel'Thuzad, had fallen prey to. Aldrin Hawkwing became grim and withdrawn, often staying late at the Academy to discuss the new threat with his fellow instructors.

It did not take long for tragedy to strike the entire high elven kingdom. Shortly after slaying his own father and murdering his former teacher, the renowed paladin Uther the Lightbringer, Prince Arthas Menethil drove his way through the entirety of Quel'thalas and sacked Silvermoon itself before defiling the Sunwell in order to raise the renegade Kel'Thuzad from the dead as a lich. Talar was recalled from his post to combat the Scourge onslaught, but nothing the high elves could throw at the undead proved effective - even the Ranger-General, Sylvanas Windrunner, was cut down. The high elf king, Anasterian Sunstrider, and the entire ruling body of Quel'thalas, the Convocation of Silvermoon, were all slain as well, along with almost nine out of every ten living high elves.

Fleeing to the safety of Sunstrider Isle, the Hawkwing family laid in wait until the Scourge forces had retreated, venturing south to Dalaran to summon the mighty Archimonde to Azeroth, though none knew that at the time. Talar was immediately recalled by the remnant of the ranger corps and the Farstriders to battle the remaining Scourge forces, while Calangil's mother and father attempted to re-establish some semblance of their lives in Fairbreeze Village, which was isolated from the Scourge's decimation. Calangil, meanwhile, sought out his instructors, including Zelanis, Nerisen, and a young woman named Tannaria, once more, discovering that they had all survived the sack of Silvermoon unscathed, and set about finishing his training.

Blood elves and the sundering of the Hawkwing family
When Prince Kael'thas returned to Quel'thalas and rallied the remnants of his race under the banner of the blood elves, Calangil's family was appalled at this new, vengeful ideology which freely utilized fel magics. Fueled by a desire for revenge, as well as anger at the fall of his civilization, Calangil, along with many of his calling, embraced this new way of life. His basic training deemed complete by his master, Zelanis, Calangil and his fellow rogues proved instrumental in the retaking of Silvermoon and the cleansing of Eversong. While he did not accompany his prince to Outland, Calangil still believed strongly in Kael'thas, hoping that he would bring a brighter future for his race.

Meanwhile, however, the entirety of Calangil's extended family were horrified by the measures which Kael'thas was willing to take, including joining forces with Illidan the Betrayer, of whom ancient legend from the time of the Highborne still told. Calangil's mother, father, and brother swiftly packed their things and fled to the Kingdom of Stormwind, where they now live among the other high elven expatriates. Aldrin took a teaching position at the Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences, while Felora set up a new weaving shop in the city's mage quarter.

Only Calangil's uncle on his father's side, Tanin Hawkwing, remained "loyal" to the prince, as they both see it. Like his brother Aldrin, Tanin is learned in the arcane, though rather than teaching his skills to others, Tanin uses them on the battlefield. He became one of the most famous blood mages in Kael'thas's forces, beyond the prince himself.

In service to the Horde
Done with learning the basics of his trade and with Silvermoon reclaimed, Calangil was free to make his own way in the world, and to make a name for himself. With the havoc the Scourge had caused, and unchecked magical addiction running rampant in the blood elf population, Eversong had its share of problems. Battling the native fauna, marauding murlocs, invading night elves, and, primarily, the Wretched, those blood elves who have succumbed to their magical addictions, Calangil performed a variety of tasks, eventually being reassigned to the Ghostlands.

Here, Calangil earned renown with the settlement of Tranquillien, a joint village run by both blood elves and their new Forsaken allies. Helping to combat the undead threat, spying night elves, and the plagued wildlife of the area, as well as serving some of Talar's former comrades in the Farstriders by battling the Amani forest trolls, Calangil eventually became a hero among the blood elves by participating in the death of Dar'Khan Drathir, a traitor to Quel'thalas who had been raised by the Scourge. For this he was awarded the magically imbued Dawnblade, and assigned as Quel'thalas' envoy to the Horde by Lor'themar Theron, Regent Lord of Quel'thalas, himself. At this time, he was also assigned by his master, Zelanis, to continue his training under the Shattered Hand rogues in Orgrimmar.

Beyond elven lands
Traveling by translocation to the Undercity, Calangil reported to Lady Sylvanas Windrunner. She was pleased to learn of the death of Drathir; however, she seemed sour when the rogue presented her with a necklace he had found in the Ghostlands, which had been a gift to the Dark Lady from her sister. Calangil was quickly dismissed and sent to Orgrimmar to meet with Thrall, the Warchief of the Horde. Journeying for the first time to Kalimdor, Calangil left the Undercity by zeppelin and arrived in the capital of Durotar some time later. Thrall, too, was pleased at the news the messenger brought, and fully welcomed the blood elves into the Horde.

After returning to his homeland to inform Regent Lord Theron of the Warchief's decision, Calangil chose to return to Kalimdor. There he spent time in the Barrens, honing his skills against the region's wildlife - for, he thought, if he could sneak up on a lion, so versed in the hunt, then he could sneak up on anything. He also became more adept at the art of skinning, learning to separate animals from their hides with deftness and skill. Finally, he contacted Taskmaster Fizzule, who gave him his task from the Shattered Hand: infiltrate the Venture Company's tower in the northern Barrens and steal their last remaining batch of the deadly poison of Zanzil. It took all of the rogue's skill, but he scaled the tower, finally assassinating Grand Foreman Puzik Gallywix and absconding with the last of the mixture. In the process, however, Calangil became infected with the poison, slowly beginning to undergo the same process that had turned the tower's denizens into mindless automatons.

Returning to Shenthul in Orgrimmar's Cleft of Shadow, Calangil was instructed to seek out Serge Hinott in Tarren Mill, in the shadows of the Alterac Mountains. Returning once again to the Eastern Kingdoms, Calangil traveled through the plagued Silverpine Forest, keeping concealed to avoid notice by the agents of the Scourge or the strange wolf creatures he encountered. Finally reaching Tarren Mill, he contacted Hinott, who was able to cure him of his affliction; in the process, he was taught the art of brewing poisons, secrets shared only to rogues. Calangil decided to remain in Tarren Mill to assist the fledgling Forsaken town in establishing itself.

Appearance
Calangil Hawkwing is a bit short for a blood elf, barely reaching six feet in height. All elves are slim, and Calangil is as well, yet he is also athletically muscular, due to his time spent training and his active lifestyle. The elf's skin is pale, even moreso since he embraced the blood elf ideology, and his eyes, once a light blue with a hint of a golden glow, now burn green with fel energy. Hawkwing's hair is black and worn somewhat long in the front; his bangs hang down beneath his shoulders, as do strands behind his ears. Longer strands are swept back on the top of his head. In the back, his hair is not quite as long, though still brush his shoulders. He also affects a small goatee on his chin.