Memoirs of a Dragon

[TygerDarkstorm]

Disclaimer: This story is about my high elf death knight, Indigosa. It is best to read it with an open mind. I studied huge amounts of lore to make this story plausible, places where WoWwiki lacked definitive information, I embellished. All of this is keeping within WoW's lore. If you don't like it, that's fine, but please refrain from being hostile that I chose to break away from the traditional death knight stuff. It's my firm belief that the lore is open for interpretation and that the death knight starting zone is just a game-play mechanic. Anyway, just thought that needed to be said so people know that it's going to be different.

Memoirs of a Dragon

When many think of the word “dragon,” they think “savage vicious beast that must be killed.” What a shame it is the thought so associated with my kind that we have to assume mortal guises in order to make contact, learn, help, etc. It is my suspicion that Neltharion's betrayal may have aided such thoughts...I am getting ahead of myself...

My name is Indigosa and I am—or at least was—a proud member of the blue dragonflight. I was born near the end of the Age of Dragons; the high point of dragon existence on Azeroth. As I grew into a drake, I grew the typical blue dragon affinity for magic and an insatiable appetite for any and all knowledge of the world around me. I learned to take on the guises of the mortal races and even spent time learning their languages. I honed my skills in magic, becoming fluent with both frost and arcane.

Before I could put my skills to use by teaching the younger members of my flight, we learned that the foolish Kaldorei had inadvertently summoned the Burning Legion to Azeroth. We could feel the shift of magic in the world and the foul taint it brought with it. Malygos was informed of what had happened, and he, in turn, gave the news to the other dragonflights. Neltharion said that he could create a magical artifact capable of destroying the Legion, providing that each dragon aspect contribute a bit of their essence to it. With our flights being so close, Malygos was the first to agree to the Earth-Warder's plan. The others agreed as well, and thus Neltharion's Dragon Soul was born.

It was an exciting moment for all when Neltharion turned the Dragon Soul against the demons of the Legion...A moment that quickly turned to horror as the Earth-Warder turned his creation on us—his own kind. We all became paralyzed by the Dragon Soul...all except his own dragonflight. I could only imagine what the other dragons around me, especially Malygos, thought of the black dragon's betrayal. Suddenly, a red dragon came hurtling out of the sky, plummeting straight into Neltharion. While the red stood no chance, the distraction caused us to be free of our paralysis. Hastily, we assumed formation for an attack on the black dragon aspect, only to see him turn toward us and unleash his fury.

I watched many of my kind die then and there. Panicking, I began balking in the air. I saw Malygos throw a weak shield up and I aimed for it—about a second too late. I had made it to the very edge of the blue aspect's shield and so missed the brunt of Neltharion's attack as he slowly turned my way. However, I was hit by enough of the attack through and around the shield that I was tossed like a rag doll over what is now known as the Eastern Kingdoms. My mind was still caught up in the betrayal, but my body prepared me for a rough landing. Using the last of my strength, I turned invisible, so as not to frighten any mortals, assumed my high elven form (it was my most familiar form next to my dragon body itself, and much easier to protect), and summoned a weak shield around myself. I remained barely conscious until impact, landing in what is now Eversong Woods, and promptly passed out from the pain of Neltharion's attack and the strain of maintaining magic.

[TygerDarkstorm]

I do not know how long I lay there unconscious. All I do know Is that one of the local troll tribes found me at some point. They felt that I held “great voodoo,” and instead of killing me, took me back to their village for their priestess and shaman to inspect me. They decided that I was worth keeping around, calling me a gift from their loas. They kept me as a “special” prisoner—keeping me just alive and strong enough to perform silly mage tricks for them; never more than enough for me to use my magic to break free. Between the lack of food, drink, and exercise, I began to grow sickly.

At some point the outcast High Elves established a settlement nearby. I would occasionally see them in the woods from my prison, and I watched as they went from being elves of the night to elves of the day, amazed as their bodies changed as well. As they changed, so I too changed my high elf form to match their evolving looks. I think my troll captives just assumed it was a part of my act and that the loa who sent me tired of my old look. One night, as I performed a new round of magic tricks, a group of elves ambushed the troll village. They yelled in a language I didn't understand, slaying the trolls and taking me with them back to their city. They must think I'm one of them, I thought idly to myself.

[TygerDarkstorm]

I eventually learned the Sin'Dorei's language and customs, blending in with them as best as possible. I studied under their magi, pretending to not know as much as I really did. I assumed my dragonflight to be dead and made no move to go after them to see if any others had survived. I lived as if I were one of the mortals...A decision that would cost me my life.

War bigger than the troll threat headed our way. Arthas and his Scourge forces were tearing a path straight to Silvermoon. Ranger General Sylvanas prepared the armies. Scouts were sent out to recon just how many undead we were dealing with, but many times, they never returned. Soon Sylvanas had to quit sending them out altogether. Instead, she went out to go try and stop Arthas herself. Not wanting to be left behind, and wanting to help the new place I called home, I set out on my own mission to find Arthas and his Scourge.

Like the over-eager, way too curious dragon that I am, I snuck out of Silvermoon City to try and perform recon (which I knew nothing about) on the incoming Scourge invasion. Looking back on it now, I often wonder if my real intention was to see Arthas and his undead forces with my own eyes. Whatever the case, I got more than I bargained for. I followed the general direction that the tireless army was reported to be coming from and found signs of the Scourge within my first day of travel. The land where Arthas' army touched and traveled was dead. I could see the beginning of the scar, signaling that I was getting close.

I threw caution to the wind and took to the forest, heading for the dead strip of land. It didn't take long before I came across the ever marching hordes of the undead. A gasp of horror escaped my lips—I had not predicted just how vast the Scourge army was. Before I could ask myself where Arthas himself was at, I felt sharp claws rake around my neck. Panicking, I tried to blink forward, but the undead's grip on my neck was too strong. Desperately I gasped for air, trying to think of a spell that required little enough concentration to free myself. To my despair, another undead walked out of the forest. I cried out when I recognized it as one of the elven rangers that Sylvanas had sent to investigate.

The two undead began communicating incoherently with one another. The first one dropped its grip on my neck. I drew in huge, rasping breaths into my aching lungs. I was given no time to react with a spell. The two undead elves forcefully grabbed me by the arms and began dragging me toward the center of the Scourge horde. I kicked. I screamed. I cried. I cursed myself up and down for being so foolish. If I believe in gods, I would have been praying to them. I began to shake uncontrollably, gasping in shock as the two undead threw me to the ground at Arthas' feet.

Arthas looked down at me as if he had just stepped in a fresh pile of dung. His eyes...they were a sight I would never forget—intelligent and terrifying all at the same time. “Let me guess,” he snarled disdainfully, “Sylvanas sent you?”

Terrified, I couldn't answer. I wanted so bad to be able to concentrate long enough to teleport away from this horrid place. I swallowed hard, managing to shake my head and squeak out, “N-n-n-no. I-I-I-I came of my own accord.”

A smirk crawled up his face, lighting his eyes with an evil glow. “Then we'll just have to send you back with a message.”

I was too terrified to respond. My eyes were opened wide and my mouth hung agape. My mind screamed at me to move...run...anything...but my body refused to listen. Arthas unsheathed Frostmourne and raised it in front of me. I swore I could hear echoes and screams coming from the blade. It felt like it took ages for him to plunge the dreaded sword through my heart; the screams I thought I had heard turning into my own.

As my body died, I was not allowed to rest in peace. No sooner had I died than I was being brought back, and not just as a ghoul either. Arthas had sensed my power, knew what I could be capable of. My body was reincarnated, my soul corrupted into that of a death knight. Like so many others, my mind became under His control. New powers called to me in ways I never encountered, but more than anything, I wanted to server Him...kill for Him!

The powers of blood called to me...they needed to be satisfied. I fronted the Scourge forces heading for Silvermoon City, slaughtering anything that got in my path—I was built to be a bloody, damage taking machine. A part of my mind hated what I was doing, wanted to stop these atrocities...Instead, I plowed straight through the city I once called home. It was both horrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

[TygerDarkstorm]

I spent much time working for the Lich King, fronting armies of mindless ghouls on the fields. I began to notice, as time wore on, that the Lich King's sway over me began to weaken. I started to push at the boundaries of this control, bit by bit gaining more and more of my free will back. When He returned to Northrend, His power had diminished enough for me to fully break free of His hold.

I remember distancing myself from the Scourge forces I commanded as I felt his hold weaken. By the time I was able to gain full control, I was completely separated from my contingent of undead soldiers. Freedom...How I still remember that moment clearly, even to this day...I had wandered into the lands of Tirisfal Glades. I was along in the middle of the woods, rain pouring down around me. With my freedom back, I attempted to shift into my dragon form, only to discover that I couldn't. I tried over and over, falling to the ground crying. It felt as if a part of me had been lost.

Horrified, I began to wonder if I was really free. I broke down as I had never done before, my great, racking cries echoing with the thunder. My curse had become my reality, and as I lay there sobbing, two undead stumbled upon me. Thinking they were members of the Scourge, I panicked, trying desperately to achieve a fighting pose. One of them held up their hands in a show of peace.

As it turns out, they were undead like myself that had broken free of the Lich King's grasp. They informed me that Lady Sylvanas Windrunner was leading all the free undead; their goal was to “reclaim” Lordaeron for the Forsaken—as they called themselves. After the shock of discovering I was no longer a dragon, I had no real desire to meet Sylvanas after helping to destroy Silvermoon. I declined their offer and went on to lead as solitary a life as possible.

I began to travel the world. As I traveled, I spent a lot of time thinking about what had happened in my life...the choices I made. Tears ran down my face as it occurred to me that while I had been living in Silvermoon, I had come of age to pick a mate. I felt ashamed of myself...What man would ever love a corpse? I pushed these feelings aside, going on a journey of self-discovery.

[Saturo]

I like it. :) Though, if I were to make any complaint at all (it's really the only thing I can complain about) your timeline seems to be a bit off. But definitely an interesting read. Looking forward to more stories soon. :D

[TygerDarkstorm]

Hm...was pretty sure I followed the timeline right...but it may be off. Which part?

[Saturo]

Well, mostly the very early stuff. The shattering at that point would be something VERY recent, so the land would be pretty unstable, and the Eastern Kingdoms wouldn't be called that. Also, it took the elves quite a bit of time to settle in Eversong Woods, so your elf would have been prisoner for quite a few years (as they started out in Tirisfal Glades, but moved North due to a "great evil under the ground", aka an old god), and they only started "evolving" a lot later, and a lot slower, so unless Indi was kept prisoner for a few hundred years, there would be no tangible difference.

But as I said, these are minor things, and the story is great, so it doesn't really matter.

[TygerDarkstorm]

With the EK part, that's why I have her mention it as "what is now known as the Eastern Kingdoms" since I wasn't sure when it established its name as such.

As to the elves...I suppose a few hundred years might be a long time to be a prisoner...she is a dragon so it could be doable, but if you have a better alternative, I'm game to hear it. ^_^

[Saturo]

Well, I don't really have a better suggestion, I just wanted to point it out. It doesn't matter though, it's a great story.

[TygerDarkstorm]

Well thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. ^_^

[Azunara]

I also approve! Makes me want to write about Azu. And maybe Kozri, though I've never actually fleshed out his story. The Kozri you see in Tales of the Hunt is the only version of Kozri I've messed with, besides vague ideas of his story.

...Curse you for making me what to write. I still need to write up a story about Skoll, too. And get Arcturis at some point. And flesh out Loque. Noooes.

[Saturo]

Hmm... Maybe I should post up the sequel to Decay's stories, just to spite Azu for being so lazy...?

[Azunara]

D:

And you should. Just because.

[TygerDarkstorm]

RPing with you guys is what inspired me to finish Indi's story up. XD

I'll get around to writing Rosaliah's story soon too since she seems like she'll be fun. I should write one eventually for Alarial too. XD

[Azunara]

Yay! It means I'm usefulish! I think.

And because of that thread, I've doodled way too many felhunters. My poor S.S work was riddled with them...>.> I feel bad for my teacher, trying to decipher my awful handwriting from the tentacles and claws of the felhunters protecting the margins...