(IC) What name or title do you go by?
When I served the Alliance, I was known as Knight Smith. When running away from someone, many people change their name to try and escape identification; however, I am not running away. I am charging towards. And I want my malefactors to know who it is that ruptures their infrastructure. The Alliance has taken a great deal away from me. If they want my name, then they will have to win the war and write me out of their tainted past.
(IC) What is your gender and race?
I suppose you can never be too sure, can you? I am a male High Elf.
(IC) What is your class in life? Why did you choose to follow this class?
I am a rogue. I chose this class not only because it best suited my natural capabilities, but because I enjoy it.
(IC) How many "Honorable" Kills do the Battlemasters currently have recorded for you?
The Battlemasters have informed me that I have garnered approximately 9,309 honorable kills. Their figures seemed a little low.
(IC) What drives you in life? How would the Grim benefit from having you among its ranks?
Peace is what drives me. It is the lack of peace which ultimately led to the destruction of my homeland and death of my beloved partner. I believe that The Grim would benefit from my presence not only because of the life experience and skills that I bring forth, but also because we believe in the same ideals.
(IC) What did you do prior to The Grim?
Excuse me one moment while I order a drink. This tale is of moderate length and I fear I may become parched.
After the Scourge tainted the Sunwell and eradicated the majority of my people, I eventually found some solace within the arms of the Alliance. Lady Jaina Proudmoore was quick to accept me and others of my kind into her militia to protect Theramore from its enemies, but the human soldiers were slow to accept our aid and relinquish respect. Being forced from my home after watching it destroyed by the legions of undead was demoralizing. Coupled with the hazing from Alliance soldiers and withdrawals from arcane magic, living was in itself crippling; however, I would not permit myself to fall beneath the boot of Arthas nor the enlisted of the Alliance. I swore to persevere, and I did.
Theramore was plentiful with warriors, archers, gunners and mages, but lacked in the covert - my area of expertise. Trained to detect traps and avoid the enemy sentry, I quickly became a invaluable asset to my superiors. I was involved not only in the skirmishes against the Horde, the Grimtotems and the wild, but also the war against the deserters within the walls of the city. In time, I would finally gain the respect of the men I served with and life would begin to grow comfortable again.
After a few passing years, I rose to the rank of Knight and was assigned to manage small groups within the city walls. Afforded with free time, I would often scout the Dustwallow Marsh, if not to become one with the terrain, then to clear my mind and meditate. It was through one of these ventures that I discovered a male Tauren by the name of Brauntu Winterhoof. A skinner and herbalist hailing from Thunder Bluff, he traveled the region in search of rare and unusual plants to sell at market for alchemists and animals to skin for those adept at crafting leather wares. Not wearing the insignia of the Horde nor heavily armed, I greeted him warmly and the kindness was returned. We conversed for hours and each of us had a wealth of information to share. He would sample my concepts like hors d'euvres and I would eat his questions for dessert. We would meet in the marsh to mine each others resources only to find that there was enough between us to last a lifetime. Never in my life had I ever felt so content and the feeling was mutual.
With my time served to Jaina Proudmoore and the Alliance, I took my rightful leave and settled down south of Camp Taurajo with my Tauren partner. There, we raised a large garden from which we harvested herbs for sale in Thunder Bluff as well as skins from the wildlife at large all around us. After a few years, the pains of the past drifted away with the sands of time and our new life solidified through proposal when I was presented with a Sunwell Ring, an expensive token that blocked my magical addiction and withdrawal symptoms. Our new foundation withstood Deathwing's initial assault on the land and the Horde respected our neutrality as merchants when the Alliance forces sifted into the Southern Barrens; however, the Alliance wasn't so kind.
When we were approached by members of Theramore's militia, I assured them of our neutrality; however, those that made up the brigade were filthy criminals mixed together with men I had served with for years as their superiors. I greeted those whom I use to call friend respectfully, but the pleasantries were not reciprocated. They looked down upon me with disgust that I had left the service of the Alliance to fasten hands with the enemy. In their eyes, I had committed treason and betrayed everything they believed in. The armed thugs apprehended me and shackled me inside my home. I was powerless as they ultimately overwhelmed my husband in numbers and then dragged him outside like a feral animal. I shouted and thrashed within my chains until I heard gunshots. A sick feeling encompassed me. The pit of my stomach clenched itself into knots. Then, flaming cocktails were hurled through the windows, unleashing terrifying bursts of flame all around me. The wooden structure quickly caught on as black smoke filled the air. Half of the roof collapsed in upon itself, sending large splinters everywhere. As I began to suffocate and the fear of death was upon me, I willed myself to focus. Sifting through the splinters near me, I was able to apprehend several of the desired size and pick at the locks holding me down. The effort was time-consuming and I could feel myself on the verge of passing out, but with resilience, I saw myself through the task and crawled out of the burning structure where I saw Brauntu in the grass. Coughing relentlessly, I eventually pulled myself to his side, but it was far too late. Within the thread of an hour, years of my life had been unraveled - I had lost everything. In the distance I could hear the sound of screaming and fighting. Masses evacuated from Camp Taurajo as the Alliance pillaged and burned it to the earth.
Through tears and sweat, I buried my partner in the womb of the Earth Mother. The Alliance had taught me a valuable lesson that day - you win or you die. It was a lesson I intended to prove to them that I had mastered, and after sifting through the rubble of my home, I found the perfect utensils to execute this task - Brauntu's skinning knives. Outside the walls of Fort Triumph, there were many Alliance camps, but it wasn't long until I singled out the encampment where the men responsible for my losses resided. Under the stealth of darkness, I traversed their small camp with a cloak of shadows. Using my late partner's knives, I filleted the tainted soldiers, but it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. With ruthlessness, I slayed them all. The deadly momentum carried me from tent to tent delivering the coup de grace to every sleeping body I encountered, all except one - the commanding officer I served with who gave the order. After opening the night's patrol like tin cans and allowing their blood to stain the earth like spilt tomato sauce, I dragged their superior away from camp. Bound by rope, he wailed like a banshee and threw words like weapons, but I tuned him out as I picked up a torch and set their post ablaze. Once in a clearing, I released the human and armed myself with a shotgun I had garnered from one of the men's tents. I held the double-barreled weapon to the man's head, and suddenly, his words ceased. As I pulled back both of the hammers, his breathing became shallow and all the blood ran from his face.
I stared deep into his eyes and spoke firmly, "Lok'tar ogar." In cold blood, I pulled the trigger.
Coated in a layer of blood and particulate, I dropped the smoking gun to the ground and turned away. I could hear mounted troops nearing, but it didn't concern me as I vanished into the night. On the way back towards what remained of my home and Camp Taurajo, I came to the realization that while there was war, there could not be peace, and as long as the Alliance existed, there would always be war. It then stood to reason that the only way to obtain peace was through annihilation of the Alliance. With that thought in mind, I collected what I could on the way to Thunder Bluff in search of that peace that could only be delivered by those in service to The Grim Reaper himself.
(IC) What are your thoughts of the new direction the Horde has taken since the Cataclysm?
I feel that while Garrosh Hellscream has taken a more direct approach in our war against the Alliance and Deathwing, he has acted recklessly and caused our ties with the Tauren and Trolls to weaken significantly. With that said, I am relieved that Sylvanas has been put on a short leash; however, I don't believe it is short enough and that her loyalties are not to the Horde, but to herself.
(OOC) The Grim is a role-playing guild that requires full immersion (heavy RP) of their members. What does that mean to you?
It sounds exciting. The reason why I chose this server more than five years ago was for role-playing opportunities. I have had the pleasure of role-playing with a variety of players with different perspectives and personalities which keep the game revolving and fresh. Being part of a guild that is focused heavily on this aspect excites me. I have always respected The Grim and have had the pleasure of hating them in-character as Alliance. It will be refreshing to be able to participate on the other side of the aisle and experience new character concepts.
(OOC) The Grim are considered a Lawful Evil guild, ruled by a structure with the intent to see the complete annihilation of their enemies. Does this definition conflict with how you want to play your character? If it does, how do you expect to handle the conflict with other members?
At one point, this definition would have conflicted with my character, but as you have seen from his history, he has had a firm alignment shift and his views now reflect the views of The Grim, which is why he decided to apply in the first place.
(OOC) What sort of role-playing experience do you have, online or off-line? Do you consider yourself a beginner or Gary Gygax?
I consider myself a senior role-player within the community and have role-played ever since I was able to understand the concepts of Dungeons and Dragons and Internet role-play chatrooms.
(OOC) Is this character a server-transfer or has it been renamed recently? If so, what was your previous server and/or in-game name?
This character is not a server-transfer nor has it been renamed recently.
(OOC) What are you, the player, looking for in the Grim? What are your expectations of the guild?
I am expecting a guild that holds true to the face value that I have been presented within this forum, on the guild website and from guild members I have role-played with in the past.
(OOC) When joining the Grim, each new applicant will be matched up with someone to help them get into the swing of being Grim. In order to coordinate this, we will need to have a fair approximation of your play schedule. Please give a general outline below, OR if you wish to keep it private, send a PM to Thalevia.
Because I am a full-time college student, my schedule fluxuates. If I am assigned a schedule that ever conflicts with my own, I will immediately notify the person in charge. With that said, I am most often available 3PM-4AM EST on weekdays.
(OOC) Please provide an armory link to your character for verification.
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/t ... ith/simple
(IC/OOC) Do you have anything further to add?
"Peace through Annihilation."/"Peace through Annihilation."
Smith
Moderator: Officers