User:Yaki/Yaki/Original

Yaki Syrilefra is a Blood Elf Rogue from the Sentinels roleplaying server. This page is about the original incarnation of him, up to and including a storyline that placed an alternate version of himself in his place.

Life Up Until the First War
Yaki was born to a rather unimportant, unnoticeable couple of Thalassian Emissaries. Throughout his youth, he often frequented the great cities of the land, such as Stratholme, Lordaeron, and even Dalaran on rare occaisions. He, however, was far too energetic for the life of a diplomat and when he turned eighty, he joined the Farstriders, training for years to become a ranger.

He slowly climbed through the ranks, earning himself a spot as a Fledgeling in the Rangers by the time he was ninety. He was placed into a squad under the leadership of Rolantheras Brightshot. The elder man and the boy became extremely good friends and Yaki learned a great deal from him, about being a soldier and about life in general. As they went on campaigns together, the two became closer and eventually flourished their friendship into a romance. It was ill-fated, however, as Yaki received a special mission - a test to see if he could become a true Ranger.

He and Rolan were to escort a pair of diplomats through the southern forests of Quel'Thalas and get them to Stratholme safely, whereforth they would be escorted by Humans to Stromgarde. However, the difficult part of it was that in recent months, Amani attacks had been increasing and the roads were thusforth dangerous. When the lieutenant and his protégé met up with the two emissaries, Yaki was stunned to see that he was escorting his own parents.

However, the awkward introductions and catching up aside, the mission commenced and went well for the first day. But, as they were nearing the Stratholme Border, they were ambushed by an Amani scouting party. Rolan was able to fight off a large portion of them and ordered Yaki to escape, which he barely did with his life. As his parents and lover were taken back to the camp, the young soldier trailed them and watched as they were ceremoniously prepared for a sacrifice... and then devoured by the cannabalistic trolls.

Horrified, Yaki fled from the scene and arrived at the Farstrider Enclave. There, he related the tale of his failure and the loss of not only his superior, but his wards as well. He subsequently resigned from his position and departed to Silvermoon, where he spent several weeks slumming around the few less well-kept streets of the city, living in filth, squander, and poverty.

Soon after, however, he was able to pick himself back up and fell into a crowd of thieves, developing a knack for sneaking into places, as well as pick pocketing. Coupled with his already-developed proficiency with martial weapons, he became a welcome addition the the pack. He remained with these scoundrels for years, eventually leaving Silvermoon and travelling through the cities of Lordaeron.

The group, at times, hired themselves out as mercenaries, and did odd jobs for various organizations around Quel'thalas, and even extending into Lordaeron. However, whispers of war began to rise on the tradewinds, and seeing this as a massive oppertunity, the outfit headed south to Azeroth to realize their ambitions.

From the First War to the Rise of the Sin'dorei
While serving as a scouting party to help the Humans, Yaki took command of the organization, due to his previous career as a soldier, and began to gather intelligence on the camps of strange greenskins that had sprung up in the area around the Black Morass. As the war began to escalate, their status shifted from mere recon to that of full fledged soldiers. However, the mercenaries began to lose morale as battle after battle was lost. When King Llane was assassinated, they decided it was time to flee and they fled north with Lothar's exodus and then quickly reported to Quel'thalas to spread the word of the Orcish Horde.

As the Second War spread to the borders of the Elven lands, Yaki was called back to duty for the Farstriders and quickly ascended to the rank of Lieutenant-Ranger, leading several raid parties on the forces that had encroached into his homeland. He was even present for the theft of the Runestone by Gul'dan and his warlocks, although he did not participate in the thick of the battle ; he had been posted to the end of the line and only met with a brief skirmish. His squad was also one of the few Elven Rangers present at the peasant uprising of Tyr's Hand. There, his group was ambushed by Alterac soldiers and eight out of ten of his men died, although they were victorious in the end.

As the Horde was pushed back, through Khaz Modan and eventually to the Black Morass from which they had poured out of, Yaki opted to stay behind and survey the forests, helping with the immediate recovery of Quel'Thalas, having lost the will to fight. As peace began to settle in Azeroth once again, the battleworn ranger decided to shift his focus in occupation, becoming a diplomat in the same vein as his parents. He served as a liaison between Lordaeron and Silvermoon for many years, although he once again took up arms as the Scourge invaded his homeland.

He was placed in the southern forests and met with a contingent of Scourge soldiers and his squad ended up being brutally massacred a remaining Abomination. Yaki, once again having lost the men under his command, went into a fit of rage and proceeded to rend the Abomination, limb by limb. He slowly dismantled the beast and landed a killing blow, although he soon passed out from the many wounds he'd sustained over the course of the fight. Taken for dead, he was overlooked until a party of Rangers came through, surveying the scene and finding the Lieutenant still barely breathing.

Taken back to Silvermoon, Yaki was incapacitated for the remainder of the Invasion, recovering from his battle. He was awarded a medal from the Ranger-General, Lor'Themar Theron, who had taken over in place of Sylvanas after she had died. Shattered by the massacre of his people, Yaki joined up with the Sin'dorei movement, rallying under the banner of Kael'thas and serving as a part of his unit while in service to Grand Marshal Garithos. His duties were transferred, however, back to Silvermoon, where he served as a scout, quitting the Farstriders soon after.

In Service to House Kaleron
(Note) All events hereafter are actual roleplay.

Soon after his resignation from the Farstriders, Yaki was approached by a Blood Knight Initiate, who needed a bodyguard for several days. The young lass was attempting to join the House Kaleron, and until she was fully accepted into their ranks and was able to enter their company, she would need protection from the political intrigue that was starting to escalate in the city. Houses of nobility had begun to clambor for power under Lor'themar's regency and things were starting to become violent.

Yaki, however, finished his mission, and ended up meeting with Duke Siliven, the Lord of the House Kaleron. So impressed was he by the man's charisma, and the offer of a roof to sleep with over his head, he entered into a contract and oath with the man to become a servant of the House. His particular area of service would be in espionage, protection, and to be an eye and ear in the underworld of Silvermoon's politics.

His entrance into the House could come at no better time, as a group of assassins began to cause general mischief around Silvermoon. Known as the Sanguine Order, they intended to set the Noble Houses at odds with one another. Calling together a summit, a temporary alliance was coalitioned from the most prominent of the Houses, which numbered Kaleron, Lysaen, and Fallensun. They determined the Order to be a threat to the political affairs of Silvermoon and that they were to be treated as hostile.

One day, however, while lounging around the Grand Hall of the Royal Exchange, he was confronted by several members of the Order, and they began a fight. Yaki, summarily, was beheaded.

However, due to the efforts of Vazhin De'Uden, his head was retrieved from their possession and returned to his body, where a lengthy and draining resurrection process began. Although it worked and restored the retainer to life, albeit with severe side effects (such as the loss of his voice for a few weeks, as well as loss of many other motor skills), he harbored a secret about the ritual that he seldom, if ever, told anyone: He was confronted by a blinding white light, a spirit that held enormous power beyond anything he'd ever felt before. It told him it wasn't his time to die and that his death was meant to be more glorious than this. It also told him that if he accepted its offer to return to life, that he must "keep the promises you made."

Exile and Return
Soon after the ordeal, however, the Order disbanded, due to the increasing pressure and hostility from the Noble Houses and the forces at their command. Raehvin Kaleron, the younger brother to Lord Siliven, engaged in a conversation in which he spat upon their name and insulted them continuously. Yaki, however, asked Raehvin that he respect their power. The young Duke began to berate the assassin and his honor and in a fit of rage, the warrior retaliated, affirming that Raehvin would never be the Lord of the House and that he was an arrogant fool.

Raehvin was not amused and hot-headedly banished Yaki from the House. During this time, he became disillusioned with Silvermoon and shortly left for Thunder Bluff to find work. There, while awaiting a summons from Siliven to re-instate him as a retainer, he began to learn much about Tauren customs and traditions. To earn his place among the city, he hunted regularly and fished a considerable amount. He did plenty of odd-jobs and took some of the missions that the Bluffwatchers didn't have the time or resources to deal with.

One day, while out hunting, Yaki came across one of the legendary beasts of the Barrens - a kodo known as Lakota'mani, the Earthshaker. After an intense battle, he felled the beast and severed its horn as proof of his kill, showing it to some of the other hunters at Camp Taurajo. He then received the honorific title of Earthshaker and solidified his presence as a warrior of the Bluffs, gaining the respect of many Tauren in the process. As a result of this feat, he was allowed the honorary tribe title of "Bloodhoof," although he held no authority or actual rank in the tribe itself.

Not long after this event, the Earthshaker received a letter from Siliven, saying that Raehvin's wedding to Aislin Morningfire would be held soon and that that night, he would be accepted back into the House. Attending the younger Duke's procession, the two reconciled. At the party afterwards, he was ceremoniously inducted once again, and renewed his oath to serve Lord Siliven and House Kaleron unfalteringly.

But... not long after he made this promise, Siliven and Adelina stepped down as the Lord and Lady, transfering the title to Raehvin and Aislin. It was shortly after this that Yaki left the House, still holding a grudge against him, despite their amends being made. He took this oppertunity to relentlessly work within the Horde, enlisting as a Defiler and fighting particularly hard within the Arathi Basin against the Alliance.

His status began to rise, and after a few months, he was honorifically awarded the title, "Warrior of the Horde," by Thrall himself.

But Yaki's promise of promises began to slowly catch up to him. Some invisible karma began to follow him like a dark cloud, causing storms and such to assail him as he travelled by zepplin or boat. His mount, awarded by the Defilers for his service, would collapse at random times, and he was assailed often by beasts that he had thought he developed an empathy with.

Slowly, he realized that his neglection to serve Raehvin had turned his good luck against him, but bad news faced him when he was ready to amend it; Raehvin Kaleron was presumed missing and dead in Outland.

Serving Aislin
Soon after the disbanding of House Kaleron, Raehvin and Aislin dissolved their marriage as well. Taking up her maiden name again, she began to dedicate much of her time to becoming a better priestess and less time to being a noble, or whatever remained of her title. Around this time, she began to get involved with the young mage, Ascharal Sunsavior. However, the boy had a troubled reputation, being known as an insane anarchist whose supreme ambition was to destroy the remnants of the Noble Houses in Silvermoon, in hopes of replacing them with people who would actually, and actively, participate in the reshaping of Quel'thalas.

Ascharal, however, was cornered by House Lysaen, which had become the de facto power in Silvermoon Nobility since Kaleron's disbanding. Rather than submitting to them, he killed himself. Aislin, distraught over his death, slipped into a brooding depression. She sought out the dark priest, Sgrios, in order to learn more techniques from the Shadows, hoping to find a way to pull Ascharal's soul from the Nether where it had been thrown.

The process, however, was rushed and Aislin decided to seek out her ex-husband Raehvin and ask him to open a portal to the vicinity of Ascharal's spirit. He did so, but the nature of the flaws inherent in the ritual ended up giving the young mage an incorporeal body and drastically altered his consciousness. Above all, however, was the entrance of a great and powerful demon slipping through the cracks of reality, into the domain of Azeroth, unseen and undetected. N'aagul Tar, a horrendous thing of pure evil, embedded itself in the womb of Aislin's soul, preying on her and growing in power until it could manifest in full form.

It was around this time that Yaki ended up on nearly drowning off the coast of Ratchet - the ship he was on from Booty Bay having been attacked and sunk by Bloodsail Buccaneers. Slowly, superstition took over him and he realized that, in order to waylay this curse of misfortune on him, he had to seek out the one woman who had any resemblance left of authority in Kaleron.

Yaki located Aislin in Silvermoon and slowly became integrated into her life, desptie her protests and reservations about it. She suspected him of foul play, having distanced herself from all memory of Kaleron and attempting to disassociate with it. Yaki, however, insisted on his earnestness and in her duty as a (former) noble to command him. And though it disturbed her in many ways, she hesitantly agreed.

The Order Returned
It was by absolute accident that Yaki discovered the Sanguine Order had resurfaced in Silvermoon. By the mistake of a troll he came to know only as "Z," he recognized the crest of the Sanguine immediately and attempted to accost the troll of all knowledge of the Order. Despite being dead, Z insisted that it was Lorenz, the first master of the Order, that had called them back together. As well, he maintained that the Order was not up to any mischief or ill-intended events.

Remembering all too well the machinations of the first Order's incarnation, Yaki refused to believe him and set out to find more about their return. Lingering around Silvermoon's taverns, he began to scrounge up information, and was able to assess the situation fully, trying to determine who their members and allies were. During this "investigation," he met Aldira Wolftail, an emissary sent to Silvermoon City by the Cenarion Circle. Their meeting, just like his with Z, was absolute chance.

Aldira hinted of some great danger that Aislin was perhaps in, in open public while talking to her bodyguard. Attempting to use his reputation as Lakota'mani, Yaki approached her and demanded information. She, however, refused to divulge anything, leaving the rogue angered and frustrated. He sought out Aislin and told her of what he'd heard, however very little that it was. In his mind, the conclusion began to form that perhaps it was the Order that may be the threat Aldira was talking of. However, he was extremely wrong.

Yaki, at that moment, asked for permission to make good on his vow to pay them back for his own life and protect her at the same time.

She hesitated, not willing to say anything. Taking her silence as a yes, Yaki immediately sprung forth and in only several days' time, was able to confront Daegwen, a former ally of the Sanguine Order and discover who belonged to their ranks. Not only were there several people who frequented the tavern that he'd taken note of, but also it seemed that Aldira and her bodyguard, as well, had joined up. Immediately seeking them out, with every intention to kill, Yaki was able to draw Schorl and Shias, a young huntress lass and a young mage boy, away from the tavern and into an empited Bazaar. There, he confronted them, telling them of his story and of their debt to him.

Of course, they refused to lay down their lives, but then one man intervened: Larinath Sedaris.

Having been seeking out Shias, the somewhat aloof figure stepped between Yaki and the pair he'd accosted and offered to lay down his life for the promise that he would leave them alone. Although originally dismissing him, refusing to kill anyone but a Sanguine, Yaki determined that he meant more to the two than probably they meant to their Order. As such, he calculated the amount of damage it would cause to their morale and cohesion and took the boy up on that offer.

Leading him out to what he considered the "hallowed ground," where his blood had been spilled months earlier, he ceremoniously executed the mageling, piercing him through throat. Yaki contacted Vazhin De'Uden and had him resurrect the boy for several reasons, although he never disclosed them. In truth, he was discontent with the hollowness of his actions and he couldn't stand to think of the perpetuation of events like this. With the damage done, he returned to Aislin and reported that she was safe from the Sanguine.

The Paradigm Shift
Yaki and Ascharal had a tentative relationship throughout the course of their mutual acknowledgement of eachother. For some time since Yaki had returned, Aislin and Ascharal had become lovers, although the mageling was naive and was not able to properly express his emotions. Often being teased by the elder assassin, he would blush, stammer, and insult him, but the two remained on relatively good terms; rivals, but respectful of one another.

So it was odd, then, that one day Ascharal, though having a promising potential and a rising ascendance in the arts of magic, became estranged - the aura of his power having disappeared and everything about him cold, dark, and mysterious. Yaki met him in the streets of Silvermoon, walking aimlessly and muttering cryptic messages about, "the big picture," and "brushstrokes," and how vast "the universe was."

After this, there were several more incidents like this, but none of which allowed Yaki his utmost suspicion of Asch, until the wizard encountered Shias and Larinath.

He approached Shias, who was actually the youngest son of a family who had been dedicated to guarding the Sunwell, up until its corruption. Ascharal promised him things, some of which was to tell him of his family, of maybe whereabouts of his elder, now-Wretched brother. In return, Shias had to go to the Scarlet Library in the Tirisfal Glades and retrieve a well-guarded tome of demonic lore. The tome known as "The Lesser Key of Sargeras."

Larinath, horrified at this offer, and twice more when Shias hesitantly accepted, sought out Yaki, who had observed only a portion of this conversation. They came to an agreement, knowing that they had to observe, and potentially stop whatever Ascharal was planning. It was then that Yaki hatched the thoery that he was perhaps attempting to resummon the Dark Titan himself.