Journal page 3

The years following my father’s death lead me to drift.

Like a discarded message in a bottle tossed to the sea, I felt that there was something important for me to accomplish or say. But hell if I knew what it was.

Without the North Hare I had no boat. I felt as a man lost at sea when I was on land and felt at home when I was on the waves. I thought I would never sail again and so I despaired.

I wandered from town to town, gambling, hustling, and drug trafficking, and working in menial day-labor jobs.

I did a lot of things for many years that most elves are not want to do. I worked with my hands for years for little or no money. I stole, drank, and slept on pavement. I even worked in the coal mines for some time. I grew hard and strong inside and out. This made me an outsider. An elf but not an elf. I had more in common with the humans, orcs, goblins, and dwarves then I did with my own people. I worked alongside them and grew a commonality and respect for them. However this only distanced and alienated me more from my own people.

I felt myself go numb with longing to be away, but I knew that no matter which direction I ran it was only deepening me further in the cage. I was trapped upon land and had learned to adjust to this reality. I felt that the only freedom that truly existed was one where there was salt spray on the air and the endless mystery of the sea beneath me.

Looking back, I saw that period of my life as a series of gray. It was the mist, uncertainty, purgatory and of mourning. I was mourning the ship, my father, and myself. I was wandering in a sullen daze from place to place, moment to moment, season to season, and phase to phase.

Around me the world was crumbling but like a phoenix, new powers had come to rise. I had all but avoided being drafted into the war. The Alliance was forming and Thrall has been appointed the figure head to the Horde. I avoided most of the political ramifications that the war was causing, however it was beginning to seep into even the lowest caste of the world.

I recall heading north in the Eastern Kingdoms in search of work. Either to find new towns in which I could hustle money from unsuspecting locals from a shooting contests I’d arrange. (I was nearly good enough to call myself a sharp-shooter in those days) or to find contracting work laying brick, mortar, or even digging holes. Whatever they needed.

I did not have a problem in the beginning with races outside of my own--but this only distanced me further from the other Sin’dorei. I was not elitist. Who was I to throw stones? Though eventually my feelings on the Alliance would change.
Initially I traveled to New Stormwind as I had heard they were rebuilding. I was mistaken for a high elf and used this to my advantage. My people, the Sin’dorei, were being courted by Thrall.
Had I been open about being a Sin’dorei, I likely would not have found a job. Under the guise of a high elf, they set me to work laying brick. I was making a decent wage. I spent most of it drinking, but then again most contractors in the worker encampment were heavy drinkers. The little I managed to save I bought myself a decent fishing pole.

Those were good weeks for me. I spent a honest day working hard in the sun. My skin tanned a nut brown and I grew stronger by the day. I felt a flutter of pride and hope, thinking that my time of living like a walking dead man was over. I even thought I could possibly find someone and settle down in New Stormwind. I’d live as a high elf amongst the Alliance in the city I helped build.

One many of the workers and I ended the day as we often did in the local pub. I had become pretty good friends with a cluster of actual high elves. One could even say we were brothers after so much time working together. We were pretty drunk by the time we were seriously considering a suggestion to steal a merchant ship and sail it around the world. At first it was just drunk talk, however the following night it was mentioned again.

By the time the plan was settled, it was agreed upon to just steal the ship for a night or two and return it in the same condition-- no harm done.
We justified it by saying it was just to relax and have fun. After all, we worked hard for months for little pay and no benefits. Some of the other workers had even revolted against the King due to unfair working conditions. We weren’t one of them. We were just there to earn our keep but felt that stealing a ship for a short while was something we deserved. We had planned it out to the smallest detail. We set aside plenty of non perishable foods, a few fireworks for fun, and enough booze to get an army drunk.

A few of us were going to take the guards out to a night of drinking. Another group of us (ones who had little to lose) set out on open crime sprees to keep the rest of the Stormwind army occupied. Those that remained were going to steal the ship by the blackest night when the moon was new. We was planning on picking up the crew at an agreed upon location at another time.

The plan went off without a hitch. I was only too eager to be on a ship again. In the back of my mind I fantasized either killing or dumping off the crew to take the boat as my own. Or I could adopt them to be proper sailors and they would call me captain. We would sail around the world, only pirating when we really needed to, and live as free men doing and going where we pleased.

The first night we all got so drunk we were not sure if it was the alcohol or the lack of our sea legs that made the world tumble and toss.
The second night was quiet as we were all hung over and getting used to the workings of out new vessel.
The third night we set port to a nearby small town and scoured the city for beautiful local women. We found a few, and I had a memorable night in the creamy pale arms of a brunette.

The fourth night had a different feel all together. The moon was a blood red and oozed along the horizon. After she had risen to a decent height on the bruised sky, a fog had set in. I stood on the bow and saw it rolling in like a gray cloth curtain.
I knew something was palpable in the air. I don’t believe in luck, not really, but the sea has it’s own code and set of rules. Whatever was coming… was coming to destroy and our ship was in it’s way.