User:Dark T Zeratul/Vegdrasil

Early Life and the Second War
Vegdrasil Trollbreaker was born and raised in Ironforge, and lived a fairly average life for a dwarf. His father was a city guard, and from an early age Vegdrasil knew he wanted to help defend the city just like his father. Then the orcs came.

Too young to fight on the front lines, Vegdrasil served primarily as a courier during the Second War, running supplies from the city to the soldiers fighting to defend it. Though victory was achieved in the end, Vegdrasil's father suffered grievous injuries that left him unable to swing an axe in the service of the king. Vegdrasil spent much of the next twenty years caring for his father, learning what he could where he could. Eventually, as his father lay dying, he told Vegdrasil to seek out Thran Khorman in Anvilmar. There he would learn the ways of the warrior, as he had always wanted. Thus it was that Vegdrasil left Ironforge to seek his destiny.

For the next three years, Vegdrasil trained hard, honing his body and mind as much as his axe, until at long last Khorman declared his training complete. Vegdrasil set out from Anvilmar soon after, determined to do battle against the enemies of Ironforge.

The Bael Modan Regiment
Vegdrasil traveled throughout Dun Morogh, slaying trolls, troggs, and whatever else needed slaying, eventually arriving in the town of Thelsamar. There he ran into some old friends, and decided to celebrate with a round of drinks. As inevitably happens with dwarves, one round turned into several, and Vegdrasil awoke the next day on the Menethil docks with no memory of what had transpired the night before, a feeling like the Explorer's League was excavating his head, and signed enlistment papers in the Bael Modan Regiment.

Vegdrasil did his duty as well as could be expected under the circumstances, taking the opportunity to learn how to fight with new weapons and heavier armor. The life of a soldier was not for him, however, and he took the first chance he had to leave the regiment and strike out on his own.

Northfury Privateers
Vegdrasil's solo career was short-lived. When he arrived back in Menethil Harbor, he ran into Tagnor Rockfury, a friend and former officer of the Bael Modan Regiment. Over a round of drinks, Tagnor told Vegdrasil that he had inherited a considerable amount of money from his father, and was using it to buy a ship and start a shipping company called the Northfury Privateers. In fact, a fair portion of the crew were all former members of the Regiment. Tagnor offered Vegdrasil an officer position aboard his ship, the Wavecutter, a position which he quickly agreed to take.

Vegdrasil sailed with the privateers for many months, all the while gaining more knowledge and experience about the world.

Swift Retribution
Eventually, Vegdrasil decided that he was getting away from his original goal of battling the enemies of Ironforge. While the life of a privateer was a good one, it wasn't helping him achieve his goals. And so one day he said his goodbyes to Tagnor and the crew, went ashore, and signed up with a mercenary company called Swift Retribution.

Swift Retribution was dedicated to rooting out and destroying the enemies of the Alliance wherever they could, and making as much coin as they could while doing it. Together they battled the Horde in Alterac Valley, Arathi Basin, and Warsong Gulch. They staged raids against Horde towns such as Tarren Mill, Splintertree Post, and the Crossroads. They fought against the Hakkari trolls, the minions of Ragnaros the Firelord, the black dragons nesting in Dustwallow Marsh, and the evils within the city of Ahn'Qiraj. But their crowning glory was when they supported the armies assaulting Blackwing Lair and played a pivotal role in the defeat of the black dragon Nefarian.

Unfortunately, though their deeds were glorious, internal politics were another matter. The leader and founder of Swift Retribution decided he had grown rich enough to retire and left, and his replacements were not nearly as effective at leading the company. Several members, including Vegdrasil, clashed with the new leadership on numerous occasions, eventually leading them to quit Swift Retribution altogether. Vegdrasil decided to wander the world alone for awhile, and has not seen his former mercenaries since.

Lone Wanderer
Over the next several months, Vegdrasil traveled throughout Azeroth, vanquishing evil where he found it. He fought frost giants in Winterspring, foul undead in the Plaguelands of Lordaeron, and even the demons infesting the Blasted Lands. Between his sojourns to the ends of Azeroth, he frequently returned to the Bruuk's Corner tavern in Ironforge to spend the gold he was earning on drinks. On one such occasion, as he was attempting to woo a young dwarven girl, he met a young human priest named Calithos. They talked briefly about their separate experiences with fighting Dark Irons in Shadowforge City, and before Vegdrasil realized what had happened Calithos was walking upstairs with the girl Vegdrasil had been chatting with. Something about the priest intrigued him, and from that day on they became frequent drinking companions, swapping stories over drinks as they plied their charms on the dwarven women with varying degrees of success.

Calithos also spoke frequently of a band of fellow heroes that he adventured with called Sere Vala. "It's a bunch of decent folk," he said, taking a swig of ale. "Not sure why they keep me around, though." Vegdrasil put it out of his mind, though, and continued to venture alone for some months.

Everything changed when the Dark Portal opened.

Sere Vala and the Battles of Outland
Though Vegdrasil had not been involved in the Third War, he had heard the stories of the Burning Legion from those who were, and knew that this was not a foe he could face by himself. Deciding that it was time to get back into the world, he approached Calithos and asked to join Sere Vala. With Calithos's approval and a need for more hands to battle the demonic hordes, the adventuring company welcomed him with open arms. And, once the demons had been pushed back through the Dark Portal, he joined them as they marched bravely through it, into the unknown world beyond.

Alongside Sere Vala, Vegdrasil fought against the forces of the Burning Legion and Illidan, slaying the naga in Coilfang Reservoir, the spirits in Karazhan, and the felblood elves on Quel'Danas. And together with Calithos, he decimated the dragonmaw forces in Shadowmoon Valley and befriended the Netherwing dragonflight. But throughout it all, Vegdrasil longed for something more. It was when the Lich King awoke and laid siege to Stormwind Harbor that Vegdrasil finally realized what he was looking for, as he took charge and led a group of his fellow adventurers to victory over one of the Scourge's powerful frostwyrms. He was named an officer by Sere Vala's leader, Nukumi, and vowed to lead their fight against the Lich King.

The Northrend Campaign
Vegdrasil took the first boat to Northrend out of Stormwind, leaped off the boat in Valiance Keep, started swinging his blades into the Scourge and did not stop, cutting a bloody swath across Northrend alongside the countless other adventurers fighting against the Scourge. Given the vastness of the Scourge, Sere Vala initially divided their forces. Some of them assaulted the necropolis of Naxxanar in the Borean Tundra. Some battled against the Lich King's vrykul servants in the Howling Fjord. Others uncovered a cult of worgen commanded by the ghost of Arugal, recently raised by the Lich King. A few aided the troll Drakuru in retaking Drak'tharon Keep, only for Drakuru to betray them and deliver all of Zul'Drak to the undead. With the aid of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, they infiltrated the necropolis Voltarus and slew the traitor. Meanwhile, more of their number were busy halting the Scourge's advances into Sholazar Basin and the Storm Peaks, while Vegdrasil himself joined the Argent Crusade in pushing through Icecrown itself to establish a foothold. With the Scourge in disarray, the disparate members of Sere Vala came together once more to assault the necropolis of Naxxramas, culminating in their defeat of the lich Kel'Thuzad.

When Brann Bronzebeard returned from Ulduar with reports that the Old God Yogg-Saron had broken free of the titans' chains, Sere Vala uncovered a plot by Prime Designate Loken and stormed the ancient titan facility. Though the fight against the servants of Yogg-Saron was long and difficult, they ultimately helped free the Titanic Watchers Hodir, Thorim, Freya, and Mimiron from Yogg-Saron's control. Meanwhile, the paladin Rubedo led a small force against the myriad of draconic foes that sought to take advantage of the chaos to threaten Azeroth: the renegade blue Aspect Malygos, the terrifying black dragon Sartharion, and the mysterious twilight dragon Halion.

When Tirion Fordring held a grant tournament to find the most powerful champions to storm Icecrown Citadel itself, Sere Vala fought and earned the Highlord's acclaim, undaunted even in the face of an unexpected battle against the crypt lord Anub'arak. Vegdrasil even aided the death knight Darion Mograine in the creation of a legendary weapon, Shadowmourne, which the dwarf would go on to wield in the final battle. It was there, before the Frozen Throne, that Vegdrasil and his guildmates bore witness not just to the demise of Arthas, but to Bolvar Fordragon's noble sacrifice as the jailer of the damned. They returned from Northrend with heads held high, knowing that they had played a pivotal role in ending a dire threat to Azeroth. Though the Scourge had been defeated, they remained ready and determined to face whatever challenges the future might hold.

Shattered Hope
Sadly, Sere Vala's moment as a rising power in Azeroth ended almost as soon as it had begun. Deathwing's emergence into Azeroth, and the resulting Cataclysm, caused widespread death and destruction on a massive scale. Many adventurers perished in the worldbreaker's flames without ever having the chance to even raise a weapon in their defense, however futile--and Sere Vala was no exception. In the wake of the Cataclysm, many of Sere Vala's best and brightest were missing, Nukumi and Rubedo among them. Though Vegdrasil yearned to search for his guildmates, he knew that Deathwing represented a threat too terrible to ignore and that taking up arms against the Twilight's Hammer was more important.

Though Shadowmourne was a powerful blade, Darion had warned him of the possibility that it might attempt to claim his soul just as Frostmourne had done to Arthas. Therefore, with the purpose for its creation fulfilled, Vegdrasil put aside Shadowmourne and brought more mundane weapons to bear against the apocalyptic armies of the destroyer. Though Vegdrasil played a part in driving Ragnaros from the slopes of Hyjal, in breaking Cho'gall's grip on the Twilight Highlands, and even in once more doing battle with an undead Nefarian, Vegdrasil felt lost without his friends. After several months of wandering across Azeroth, though, he met a group of heroes who believed they were fated to save Azeroth from destruction. Calling themselves the Prophecy Reborn, they welcomed Vegdrasil into their ranks as they attacked the Twilight's Hammer all across Azeroth.

When the Aspects devised a final plan to bring an end to Deathwing, though, the heroes realized their numbers were insufficient. They put out the call for adventurers to join them, recruiting a great number of travelers and thieves into their ranks and renaming themselves the Guardians of Honor. With their ranks filled, they hurried to the Dragonblight where the Old Gods' forces were laying siege to Wyrmrest Temple and laid waste to the enemies of Azeroth to buy the Aspects time to charge the Dragon Soul against Deathwing. The Guardians of Honor pursued the mad Aspect across the Great Sea aboard the Skyfire, parachuting onto his back to tear off his elementium plates and expose a target for the Dragon Soul to wound the dragon and force him to crash into the Maelstrom itself. There, standing on the shattered remnants of the sea floor, Vegdrasil and his new friends fought against Deathwing's monstrous, mutated form long enough to allow the Aspects to pour the last of their power into the Dragon Soul and obliterate their nemesis so thoroughly that nothing at all remained.

Exploring Pandaria
With Deathwing's end, Vegdrasil was able to enjoy a period of peace as he returned to Ironforge, having made enough money battling evil to live out the rest of his days in comfort. Such a sedentary lifestyle did not suit him, though, and when word came that Stormwind was sending a force to the fabled land of Pandaria in search of Prince Anduin Wrynn, Vegdrasil did not hesitate. While his fellow Guardians of Honor were more eager to do battle with the Horde in the wake of Garrosh Hellscream's increased aggression and the destruction of Theramore Isle, Vegdrasil was drawn more to the opportunity to explore a strange new land. And so he bid them farewell as he headed out into the wilds of Pandaria alone.

It was during his travels that he encountered Wrathion, the so-called Black Prince. Wrathion had foreseen a terrible calamity in Azeroth's future, and wished to prepare for it. Acting as a representative of the Alliance, Vegdrasil aided Wrathion in eliminating the myriad of foes that threatened Pandaria: the Horde, the mogu, the mantid, and the Sha. He also helped Wrathion acquire a number of powerful artifacts, for which he was rewarded with a magical cloak infused with Wrathion's power and blessed by the August Celestials. Wrathion's plans collapsed, however, when King Varian Wrynn allowed Vol'jin to retain control of the Horde, rather than disbanding them and subsuming their members into the Alliance. Worse, he took Garrosh Hellscream prisoner rather than executing him for his crimes. Wrathion left Pandaria in a fury, leaving Vegdrasil to wonder at the wisdom of aiding him.

Old Friends and Older Enemies
Exploring the mysterious Timeless Isle off the coast of Pandaria, Vegdrasil bumped into Leith and Morgreth, whom he had known from Sere Vala. He was thrilled to discover that most of them had survived the Cataclysm, though their ranks were greatly diminished through death and retirement. He quickly rejoined them, eager to face the future with friends by his side once more. Unfortunately, none of them could have foreseen what the future held. When Garrosh Hellscream led the Iron Horde into Azeroth from an alternate universe's Draenor, Vegdrasil recalled the brutality of the Horde during the Second War and was determined not to let it happen again. Taking up a second weapon, he charged headlong through the Dark Portal alongside Khadgar to push back the invaders, answering their savagery with a renewed bloodlust of his own.

Though he threw himself into stopping the Iron Horde's many offensives across Draenor, Khadgar cautioned that Gul'dan was the more dire threat. Despite his hatred of the Iron Horde, he recalled Wrathion's vision of impending doom for Azeroth and knew the archmage was right. Khadgar's fears proved well-founded when Gul'dan took advantage of the Iron Horde's crippling losses and usurped Grommash Hellscream, once again feeding the orcs demon blood and calling the Burning Legion to Draenor. Though Sere Vala and others threw their might against the demons, and even defeated Archimonde himself, they were unable to prevent Gul'dan from being sent to Azeroth. Knowing what lay ahead, they set about preparing for what was to come.

It would not be enough.