Post by Rebekeh on Jan 15, 2007 23:27:29 GMT -5
((Received an email from Blizzard today. "We're very busy with he run up to the Burning Crusade, so we apologize but we won't get to your character restoration until later in the week." That's pretty good news, actually -- someone remembered me in the midst of what must be utter chaos at their company. Herewith, then, Rebekeh introduces herself.))
Rebekeh stood at attention. The position was unfamiliar and uncomfortable. She'd learned the various stances of a soldier during her training, of course. Attention, At Ease, Parade Rest, and all the other things one needed to know to drill with a martial unit. However, she never really thought of herself as a soldier, per se. Most of what she did, she did alone, seeking the Light as she made her way in the world as a mercenary.
She'd been settling in for a nice warm cup of tea in her small cabin in Winterspring when the messenger found her. When she answered the door, she'd been surprised to see a paladin like herself, but considerably better equipped. The woman's face had been grim, but there was a twinkle in her eye, too, as she handed the heavy parchment letter to Rebekeh, after exchanging a perfunctory set of "Light be with you" comments.
Rebekeh had taken the packet of papers, her head almost spinning at the unprecedented formal communication from her superiors in what she never really thought of as a military Order. Of course, it was a military organization, formed for the defense of the innocent through the blessings of the Light, and she had benefitted greatly from the training and care she had received as a younger woman. And the packet felt military. As she held it in her hands, Rebekeh felt her back straighten just a bit.
When she looked up, the messenger was gone, and the wind was whipping up on the doorstep, so she closed the door and went back to the kitchen table. Sipping her tea, she carefully opened the package of letters. Inside, she found several items. First, a letter from the head of the Order, informing her that she had been assigned to duty in Alterac Valley, and congratulating her on this. Second, a formal communique from her battalion commander.
Goodness, she hadn't even realized that she had a battalion commander, but she guessed she must. The document was long and densely worded, but amounted to a set of travel orders, and a list of things to do before she reported for duty.
First, she was to complete her current training schedule and do the tasks required to obtain the Summon Charger spell. Then she was to organize herself for healing duty in support of the Stormpike dwarves. She was to consider herself under their command until they released her to other duties, at which time she was to report back to the Order for further assignments.
The rest of the packet contained lists and other information to make it possible to do all these things. And some clerk who knew dwarvish paladins well had added a hand-written note to the bottom of one of them, reminding her to practice "acting like a soldier of the Light, and not just a wandering seeker of the Light". She'd smiled at that, but the smile didn't last long. There was a lot to do, and not much time to do it in. And then once she'd satisfied the requirements, she'd be called to duty against the Horde.
That had all been over a week ago, and now she was in Ironforge, presenting herself to her trainer for evaluation. One of the things she needed to do, according to her orders, was to review her healing skills. For the most part, Rebekeh was not a very good healer, focusing far more on the use of her hammer to subdue enemies quickly, rather than on her healing skills to help her survive longer battles. But her orders were clear: she was going to be healing in Alterac Valley, in support of an offensive push to take back the darned place and restore it to the Stormpike Dwarves.
So she stood at attention before her trainer, who had never required that of her before. Like everyone else in Ironforge, though, the man seemed far more stern than on past visits, distressed at the news that the Blood Elves had thrown in their lot with the primitive races of the Horde, and shocked to the bones by yesterday's demonic assault on the Dwarven capital itself.
Rebekeh had been shocked, as well, by the carnage that was visible on the streets of Ironforge, with dead bodies and the other detritus of a nasty battle still visible everywhere, as the survivors rushed to clean things up, notify the next of kin, and restore to their home its sense of safety. It seemed that the relatively peaceful days of her training in Ironforge were over, and the world was at war once again.
"At Ease!" he yelled at them, and the three women shifted as one to the new position. as they stood there, motionless (although Rebekeh was sure she was not the only one who wanted to fidget), the man began to run down the requirements for this duty. At the end of his review of basic healing protocols, he handed each of them a packet of further instructions and advised them that they would be tested on the contents on the morrow.
"Dismissed!" he barked, and the three paladins ran out of the room, trotting back to the barracks they'd been assigned while they waited to be shipped out. Rebekeh dropped to her cot, and opened the packet, quickly skimming the pages, and noting which sections she would need to review in more detail before tomorrow's quiz. Then she reached into her pack and pulled out her list of things to do before deployment. She still had a few loose ends to tie up with customers, as well as the list of tasks she'd been assigned by her superiors. She took grim satisfaction that some items were neatly checked off, then she made a shorter list of things to do in the next 23 hours, before she had to report to her trainer once again.
"Nap" was first on the list, and she sighed to herself as she quickly removed her boots and armor, and crawled under the thin blanket. The cot wasn't comfortable, but it was available and she was tired. Her last thought as she drifted off to sleep was that she wasn't at all sure she liked living in a world at war.
Rebekeh stood at attention. The position was unfamiliar and uncomfortable. She'd learned the various stances of a soldier during her training, of course. Attention, At Ease, Parade Rest, and all the other things one needed to know to drill with a martial unit. However, she never really thought of herself as a soldier, per se. Most of what she did, she did alone, seeking the Light as she made her way in the world as a mercenary.
She'd been settling in for a nice warm cup of tea in her small cabin in Winterspring when the messenger found her. When she answered the door, she'd been surprised to see a paladin like herself, but considerably better equipped. The woman's face had been grim, but there was a twinkle in her eye, too, as she handed the heavy parchment letter to Rebekeh, after exchanging a perfunctory set of "Light be with you" comments.
Rebekeh had taken the packet of papers, her head almost spinning at the unprecedented formal communication from her superiors in what she never really thought of as a military Order. Of course, it was a military organization, formed for the defense of the innocent through the blessings of the Light, and she had benefitted greatly from the training and care she had received as a younger woman. And the packet felt military. As she held it in her hands, Rebekeh felt her back straighten just a bit.
When she looked up, the messenger was gone, and the wind was whipping up on the doorstep, so she closed the door and went back to the kitchen table. Sipping her tea, she carefully opened the package of letters. Inside, she found several items. First, a letter from the head of the Order, informing her that she had been assigned to duty in Alterac Valley, and congratulating her on this. Second, a formal communique from her battalion commander.
Goodness, she hadn't even realized that she had a battalion commander, but she guessed she must. The document was long and densely worded, but amounted to a set of travel orders, and a list of things to do before she reported for duty.
First, she was to complete her current training schedule and do the tasks required to obtain the Summon Charger spell. Then she was to organize herself for healing duty in support of the Stormpike dwarves. She was to consider herself under their command until they released her to other duties, at which time she was to report back to the Order for further assignments.
The rest of the packet contained lists and other information to make it possible to do all these things. And some clerk who knew dwarvish paladins well had added a hand-written note to the bottom of one of them, reminding her to practice "acting like a soldier of the Light, and not just a wandering seeker of the Light". She'd smiled at that, but the smile didn't last long. There was a lot to do, and not much time to do it in. And then once she'd satisfied the requirements, she'd be called to duty against the Horde.
That had all been over a week ago, and now she was in Ironforge, presenting herself to her trainer for evaluation. One of the things she needed to do, according to her orders, was to review her healing skills. For the most part, Rebekeh was not a very good healer, focusing far more on the use of her hammer to subdue enemies quickly, rather than on her healing skills to help her survive longer battles. But her orders were clear: she was going to be healing in Alterac Valley, in support of an offensive push to take back the darned place and restore it to the Stormpike Dwarves.
So she stood at attention before her trainer, who had never required that of her before. Like everyone else in Ironforge, though, the man seemed far more stern than on past visits, distressed at the news that the Blood Elves had thrown in their lot with the primitive races of the Horde, and shocked to the bones by yesterday's demonic assault on the Dwarven capital itself.
Rebekeh had been shocked, as well, by the carnage that was visible on the streets of Ironforge, with dead bodies and the other detritus of a nasty battle still visible everywhere, as the survivors rushed to clean things up, notify the next of kin, and restore to their home its sense of safety. It seemed that the relatively peaceful days of her training in Ironforge were over, and the world was at war once again.
"At Ease!" he yelled at them, and the three women shifted as one to the new position. as they stood there, motionless (although Rebekeh was sure she was not the only one who wanted to fidget), the man began to run down the requirements for this duty. At the end of his review of basic healing protocols, he handed each of them a packet of further instructions and advised them that they would be tested on the contents on the morrow.
"Dismissed!" he barked, and the three paladins ran out of the room, trotting back to the barracks they'd been assigned while they waited to be shipped out. Rebekeh dropped to her cot, and opened the packet, quickly skimming the pages, and noting which sections she would need to review in more detail before tomorrow's quiz. Then she reached into her pack and pulled out her list of things to do before deployment. She still had a few loose ends to tie up with customers, as well as the list of tasks she'd been assigned by her superiors. She took grim satisfaction that some items were neatly checked off, then she made a shorter list of things to do in the next 23 hours, before she had to report to her trainer once again.
"Nap" was first on the list, and she sighed to herself as she quickly removed her boots and armor, and crawled under the thin blanket. The cot wasn't comfortable, but it was available and she was tired. Her last thought as she drifted off to sleep was that she wasn't at all sure she liked living in a world at war.