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 Shades of the Past - by Kaeden

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Vypra
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Vypra


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Shades of the Past - by Kaeden Empty
PostSubject: Shades of the Past - by Kaeden   Shades of the Past - by Kaeden EmptySat Feb 20, 2010 9:16 am

((copied from: http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=12534384462&postId=126787969163&sid=1#10 - Vyp

With a soft sigh, Kaeden once again looked over the scraps of paper he had gathered over the last few days. Some were short, others were long, consiting out of several pages, some were diary entries, some were reports, others records, scraps of news, but all were slightly yellow of age, and some even filthy.

He had gathered them over the course of days. It all started when he by accident found a part of a copy of a document in the Stormwind Library, an old troop record of Lordaeron, before its fall. Normally, he wouldn't have payed any attention to it, but a familiar name cought his eye, a name that brought up a lot of memories.. and emotions.

Irwin Lighthammer, his old mentor.

This single fragment set in motion a search that took several days, following clue upon clue found in old records or diary entries reclaimed from corpses. He passed Southshore, Ambermill, Refuge Pointe, the ruins of Dalaran, and even Chillwind Point and Light's Hope chapel, finally going after the real Dalaran itself.

It wasn't much, but it was something. He knew know that his old mentor had travelled in the direction of Stratholme when the first rumours of undead reached Lordaeron on top of the old rumors of plague. This man, this paladin.. he had tought Kaeden everything he knew about the Light, and a thing or two about fighting, too. But most importantly, he had shown Kaeden how to lead his life properly.

Now, the man was most likely dead. But he deserved a proper burial, a proper farewall. Kaeden nodded to himself, then an old diary entry caught his eye, a piece of information he hadn't payed attention to earlier.

"We rode off towards... [illegible] ...day or two. There's this Paladin of the Silver hand with us, called Lighthammer or something. Sure pumped some moral into the men, with that shiny armor of his. Even in this terrible weather, it appears to glow as if the sun's own beams enlighten it, and the rich decorations and patterns seem to light our way. If only ...[illegible]"


Kaeden frowned. Could it be? His old mentor had been a paladin of renown. He had had a set of armour, said to be blessed by a host of Paladins, a set of armour which was favoured by the Light itself. It was said to protect the wearer form any influence of evil or shadow, but Kaeden had always doubted it. Of course, he had only seen the armour once or twice. His mentor only wore it during very ceremonial occasions.. but now, it appeared he had rode into battle, wearing it.

Kaeden scratched his starting beard. He hadn't shaved in a few days. If it was true..

((OOC: Just something I wrote as an introduction to a small plot I am planning, to ICly aquire a new set of RP gear I am gathering right now. I'm planning on not only the hunt for the fallen paladin himself, but of course also a lot of cleaning, repairing, restoring, and empowering, of course.))


Last edited by Vypra on Sat Feb 20, 2010 9:19 am; edited 1 time in total
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Shades of the Past - by Kaeden Empty
PostSubject: Re: Shades of the Past - by Kaeden   Shades of the Past - by Kaeden EmptySat Feb 20, 2010 9:17 am

He was dead.

After all, nothing was going to change that fact.
Still, it was strange to see him lieing here, like this.


It had been a straightforward enough search.. all the records indicated Lighthammer and his regiment had went towards Stratholme, more or less a week after Arthas set off in that direction as well. He had asked Sindariel, the person he trusted most, at least in matters like this, to accompany him, and once they had procured a set of horses with a stretcher tied between them, they set off, from Light's Hope, towards Stratholme.

It hadn't been that hard, except for the continious attacks of undead. At every settlement, every tower, they found abandoned weapons and skeletons, and with them, journals. It was a common habit of Lordaeron soldiers to write their thoughts in diaries, in fact, it was encouraged as a means to both keep them sane, and to keep a catalogue for the generations of the future. Slowly they had found out that the regiment had constantly been under attack from the undead, and when they caught sight of Stratholme, found that it had been left burning in Arthas's wake, upon which many a soldier abandoned the cause and retreated from the undead onslaught.

Not his mentor, oh no. He had pushed on towards what is now known as Terrordale, protecting the last few civilians left alive, and barricaded the town. They knew it would be their last stand, there was no hope.. yet they fought, the signs could still be seen everywhere.. barricaded rooms, shattered windows, lost swords, broken shields..

And then.. they had found him.

Dust, grime and soot now covered the bones and armour of the skeleton, but Kaeden knew it was him. Partly because he recognised the shield, partly because it was the only corpse that hadn't stood up and started walking. Perhaps.. perhaps there was truth behind the so-called power of this armour..

Kaeden shook his head and snapped out of both his thoughts, and his sorrows, and quickly brushed Sindariel's hand from his shoulder. No time to mourn, not here. It could be done later. He grabbed the shield of his mentor, and that of his own, and slid them under the skeleton, forming a makeshift stretcher with which they carried the fallen hero outside, and laid him onto the improvised transport.

The travel home would be long, but what did time matter? They were reunited. His mentor would get the proper burial he deserved, and Kaeden could put his mind to ease.

Still, something was nagging at him..

((To be continued..))

[ Post edited by Kaeden ]
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Shades of the Past - by Kaeden Empty
PostSubject: Re: Shades of the Past - by Kaeden   Shades of the Past - by Kaeden EmptySat Feb 20, 2010 9:17 am

It kept nagging at him.

There was something left to be done.. but what?

His mentor would get the proper burial he deserved, and there was nothing left to take up where he had left behind -- it was all gone. Kaeden had thought about it during the entire journey, which took the entitre night, morning, and most of the afternoon. He had travelled at a slow gallop, switched horses twice, and had encountered little resistance.

Sure enough, a couple of bandits or horde had approached him on the roads, but as soon as they got close enough, they turned around and left him alone. He supposed there was just something about a paladin transporting a skeleton that removed the lust for battle. Or perhaps it had been the look on his face. Frankly, he didn't care much.

Entering Stormwind had been.. odd. He had expected difficulty from the guards, but for some strange reason, most didn't look angry, but rather solemn, or looked away. Some of them even saluted him, even though he was wearing his old armour, not the uniform.

It didn't take long for some commotion to arise, though. Peasants gaped at the skeleton, some even accused him of being a warlock before they were silenced by the more quick-qitted individuals, and by the time he had arrived at the Cathedral, a few paladins he had come to know since his return were already waiting for him. Their faces bore a look of understanding, and with no questions asked, they had helped him to carry the skeleton inside.

And here he was now, in the upper levels of the catacomb, watching the skeleton of his old friend and mentor, now on some sort of workbench used by the caretaker of the catacombs.

A shuffle of feet made him turn around. It was the caretaker, a shade of a man, with greying hair and a worn face and pale skin. But, he supposed, that's how you get when you spent most of your time under the ground looking after the dead. Somehow he had been informed, because he walked up right next to Kaeden, and examined the bones of his former mentor.

"Hmm, cleaned and prepared for burial?"
"Yes.."
"Hmm, what clothing will he wear? I assume this armour will be preserved?"

A sudden pang hit Kaeden from within. The armour. The proper thing to do would of course be to bury him with it, but... Should armour like this be lost?

"I.. don't know."
"Well.. what would he have you do?"

Yes.. what would he?
"Remember, Lad, for all your zeal, you should stay alive. There'll be a day where I am no more, and you will have to pick up my arms and protect the people in my stead."
Aye, it was clear.

"He'd have me keep it. Just his armour and shield, though. The sword and libram are personal and unique to every paladin.. they should stay with him."
The caretaker said nothing for a few moments, then nodded slowly.
"It will take a few days.. I will need to clean and detach it from the skeleton. I.. prefer to work alone."

Kaeden took the hint and nodded, and left with a bit of hesitation. Was it the good thing he was doing? Should he really pick up the armour of someone long dead?
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Shades of the Past - by Kaeden Empty
PostSubject: Re: Shades of the Past - by Kaeden   Shades of the Past - by Kaeden EmptySat Feb 20, 2010 9:18 am

Kaeden frowned. The request he had gotten from the Gnewspaper had come unexpected, but he had seen no reason not to comply. Still, he wondered what results it would bring.

Time would tell.
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Vypra
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Shades of the Past - by Kaeden Empty
PostSubject: Re: Shades of the Past - by Kaeden   Shades of the Past - by Kaeden EmptySat Feb 20, 2010 9:18 am

((This is worth the read: http://gnewspaper.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/in-honor-of-our-fallen/))

The light of a few torches illuminated the otherwise dark room within the upper catacombs of the Cathedral of Light. Here, over the past few days, he had shown a select few that he trusted the remains of his former mentor. He hadn't shown them for no reason, of course. He would need their help in the final preparation of the armour, something he could not hope to do properly alone, even with the help of a few paladins and priests residing in the Cathedral. They had not only agreed to help him, but had also told him it was the right thing to do, something which he had long doubted. But there is no place left for doubts.

But for now, it was time. Winston, the caretaker, had finally managed to clean and oil all parts of the armour with damage the remains of the fallen paladin, and was now carefully removing the armour from the corpse itself, with precise, calculated movements. Kaeden raised an eyebrow or two at the skills of the caretaker; barely a bone moved, and only where it was absolutely necessary. It didn't take long before the once-glorious set of armour was neatly arranged on a table nearby. It was now clear how much the armour had been affected by the dreadful surroundings it had to endure for eight years; it barely even shone in the torchlight. But, that would be dealt with. For now, he turned his attention to Winston, who spoke to him in his usual dusty and mundane voice.

"I will continue to clean the bones as is usual.. but in what sorts of garments do you wish tos ee him buried, sir?"
Kaeden frowned. Yet another thing he hadn't thought of yet. It must be his age.
"Do you have robes befit for a fallen champion of the Light?"
"Hmm, I will have to ask the bischop for permittance, sir. Your mentor was never registrated in our Cathedral, you see."
Kaeden nodded. "Try, if you'd please."

As winstons nodded and returned to his work, Kaeden looked back at the armour. The next step would be simple. He'd take it to Thorgrim, an old dwarven friend of his, from during the second war. Thorgrim was one of the best smiths he knew, and would surely know how to resotre the physical aspects of the armour, as well as re-fit it to Kaeden's size.

With movements that suggested a good portion of awe, Kaeden stacked the pieces of armour carefully in the breastplate, and put the whole in a large sack, which he took in his arms. It'd be best if the crowds didn't see him walking with this over the streets, at least not yet.

((Special thanks for contribution to this storyline so far: Sindariel, Cantor, Sellindria, Halain, and Isadora.
Thanks for occasionally helping me out with getting the trickier parts of the gear (Which is complete now, yay!): Alavira, Cantor, Adrian, Sellindria. thanks guys.
And, of course, thanks to Gnomurus for covering the story in the Gnewspaper.

Stay tuned, this is not the end, of course. And please, some feedback would be welcome.))

[ Post edited by Kaeden ]
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Siheld

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Shades of the Past - by Kaeden Empty
PostSubject: Re: Shades of the Past - by Kaeden   Shades of the Past - by Kaeden EmptySat Feb 20, 2010 10:35 am

I loved reading this one!
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PostSubject: Re: Shades of the Past - by Kaeden   Shades of the Past - by Kaeden EmptyFri Feb 26, 2010 4:25 pm

Days had come, and days had passed. A feeling in his gut, however, told him he would long remember this day.

Yesterday the final procession had been done. Thorgrimm, ironically besides Kaeden the only one left alive (at least to his knowledge) that knew Irwin from the 2nd war, had returned to Stormwind with the repaired and adjusted armour, and that evening, they had given his mentor the last honor.

After the appearance in the Gnewspaper, the thought had crossed Kaeden's mind to publicly announce the burial, but it had not taken him long to decide. The people of Stormwind had never known Irwin, and even if he was a fallen hero, he had never fought, or fallen, for them.

No, it had been a proper ritual. Thorgrimm had led the way into the deeper catacombs beneath the Cathedral with a torch, uncapable as he was to carry the coffin, due to the height diffirence between man and dwarf. Kaeden and three paladins of the cathedral had silently carried the lifeless skeleton down, the coffin raised on their shoulders, followed closely by two priests of the Light, who chanted and illuminated the otherwise dark halls with orbs of Light, floating above their hands.

They had walked for what felt like hours, the continious chant weaving second with second, minute with minute, together into an inrecognisable net of time. When they finally reached the location prepared by Winston in advance, they set down the former paladin, now concealed by a heavy wooden lid, though Kaeden knew what lied in there. A bony man, grasping sword and libram, dressed in fine robes of the Light.

Kaeden sighed, as did Thorgrimm. They stood side by side in front of the coffin, the paladins and priests respectfully forming a half-circle behind the two of them. There was no real need for words. The paladins and priests, too, had never known this champion, and whatever Kaeden and Thorgrimm had to say to their old friend, needed not saying. In death, as in life, he had already known. Still, something needed to be said. Kaeden drew a raspy breath, and spoke.

"Here lies a fallen Champion of the Light, and let him rest for evermore. Those who knew him, knew him as a great man, and those who do not know him, can only believe what his legacy tells them about him. Let it be known that Irwin Lighthammer always stood for the Light, he stood for the people above all, helping those in need. He stood as well, against the tides of darkness, fighting them unto his dying breath."

Kaeden stopped, and thought shortly. Yes, it was only proper. He drew another breath, and continued:

"But in death, his work has not stopped. As he tought me, as I was and am his student, I shall take up his work, and continue in his name. Let it be known that Irwin Lighthammer never has truly died, until the day I join him here, at his side. This, I vow."

Kaeden clenched a fist and pressed it to his heart, a small rippling of, what? Surprise? Astonishment? Recognition? rippled through the circle of Light-followers, and even Thorgrimm wrenched his gaze from the coffin and looked up at his friend, before nodding solemnly.

It had been said. Now it only needed to be done.

[ Post edited by Kaeden ]
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Shades of the Past - by Kaeden Empty
PostSubject: Re: Shades of the Past - by Kaeden   Shades of the Past - by Kaeden EmptyFri Feb 26, 2010 4:26 pm

It had been done, it had finally been done.

The cleansing of the armour had been easy enough. Kaeden had led the circle, standing around the table at the far end of the cathedral, upon which the armour was displayed, and guided the chant, his words repeated by the others. Fortunately enough, there had been no great evils slumvering in the metal, just forlorn memories of the long desolate years, and they were repelled easily enough.

But afterwards, afterwards, the moment of truth had come. He had looked around the circle of men and women, priests and paladins. Sellindria, Halain, Duthorian Rall and one of his students, High Priestess Laurena and Brother Joshua, all they smiled at him, wishing him the best, wishing him this. His gratitude towards them was hard to describe.

Finally, it was time. High Priestess Laurena smiled and with quiet and calm words described what they would do now; a chant, not wielding or commanding the Light into blessing this armour, but to ask for its blessing, humbly. Should the Light choose to reject the request, then that would be it. The circle nodded. It was only logical it had to be done like this. Such a blessing could not be forced.

It had been.. taxing. They had stood, chanting, their palms stretched outward towards the armour, their eyes either closed or aimed at the above, for what felt like hours, their minds blank, open, automatically repeating the words spoken by the High Priestess, a request to the Light to bolster the armour and extend its blessing onto it, a blessing that would combat the forces of darkness, the reign of shadow, and give the courage needed to those who would wear it, so that the Light could be spread far and wide once more.

It did not take long for the Light to hear their call, a shapeless glow forming in the circle of their combined hands, linger, almost swirling around the armour, without shape or form. Only as the High Priestess guided it with her words, echoed through the circle by mouths of men and women, brothers and sister, it began to take shape, it became purposefull. Slowly, but surely, the armour was coated in what seemed like a layer of Light, an armour upon armour.

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was done, and the circle collapsed. Some men stumbled backwards, others fell to their knees, Kaeden himself stumbled backwards and sat down with fatigue, resting his head against the cool glass of the Cathedral's windows. In their midst, the armour lay, glowing brightly, but already slowly decreasing to a dull hum of Light, all of their eyes fixed on it, while they themselves were speachless, not only from fatigue, but from awe as well. The Light, so it appeared, had listened.

Sellindria was the first to recover, and to ask the crucial question. "Did it.. work?" Kaeden looked up at the High Priestess, who was standing still, as if nothing special had happened. he stood up, and they simultaneously laid a hand upon the armour, and closed their eyes, then nodded. It had. Kaeden's gaze crossed that of Duthorian, and they nodded. No words were needed to express gratitude. He and his pupil left, to continue their training, and most likely to discuss this event as well, to shape it in the form of a lesson.

Halain and Sellindria stood side by side, smiling, while Kaeden looked down upon the armour in awe, not knowing what to say. This lasted for a few minutes, until the High Priestess whispered something into his ear.

"The Light does not freely give its blessing so that it can go to waste. Wear it now, to show your appreciation, and then wear it when you deem it necessary."
"N..now?"
"Yes, now."

Kaeden nodded slowly, and undid his old set of armour (under which he wore sermon clothes, for the occasion), and equipped the pieces of blessed armour, still glowing slightly in their newly aquired blessing. As soon as they were all equipped, a warm feeling rose through him. He was not only home here, not only safe, he was also in the right. As long as he wore this, he wore the Light, and he could not possibly do anything to undermine it. He smiled at Halain and Sellindria, Halain the first to speak.

"It even looks good on you."
"Heh, it is not about looks."
They both chuckled and nodded, then Halain and Sellindria left, arm in arm.

It had been done. Now, it was to be used.

((Thanks to Halain and Sellindria for making this a small and enjoyable event. Unfortunately not all of the people I wished to see participate could attend, but nontheless the event was enjoyable. Thanks!

Oh, and for those curious, this is the armour set:
http://www.wowhead.com/?compare=16858:16859:16857:16853:16860:16855:23999:11817:16476:34675
(click on the smallt riangle above the set, and click 'view in 3d'. it looks better in-game, the shoulders are not displayed correctly, and the shield's glow is not displayed.)

Although this is the end of the actual armour-enquiring plot, I intend to update regulary with short stories of whenever it is used, and Kaeden's character development through it. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading! Feedback is as welcome as ever Smile ))
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