(( Even though I've already become a Watcher, I felt it wise to add some of Venia's background here. ))

The Youth

As a young girl, Venia seemed to skip the period of fun and frolicking that many youths gravitate towards. Her mother, a Sentinel of the Silverwing, was her biggest idol. In her youngest years she was constantly inquiring as to the duties of the Sentinel, what this bit of armour protects or how this weapon functions. While many of the topics and questions were gruesome, Venia's parents did not shy away from letting her know what everything was - in hopes that she would follow in her mother's footsteps.

When Venia was entering her early teens, a sister was born - Dharya. This changed Venia's life dramatically, and she tried to follow the examples of her parents in Dharya's upbringing. However, this backfired, Venia becoming opressive on the subject to Dharya, causing the sister to shy away from Sentinel lifestyle. Dharya and Venia held a bitter relationship towards each other as they grew, Venia believing Dharya was a layabout and useless, Dharya believing Venia was oppressive and a know-it-all.

On her birthday at the age deemed mature enough, Venia instantly enlisted to the ranks of the Silverwing. It was one of the proudest moments of her life, causing her parents much joy, and her sister nothing but bitterness over the attention Venia recieved.

The Recruit

In her training as a Sentinel, Venia stood out. She was quick to learn, often requiring only one explanation - and more importantly she was flexible in a rapidly changing situation. This impressed her superiors, and she quickly recieved her armour and weapons, beginning active duty. She grew accustomed to Sentinel life fast, gaining a shy at first but strong bond to her unit. While she shyed away from many of the group activities the Sentinels performed in their off-hours, she was always eager to lend her experience to those who wished it.

The Sentinel

Working in a unit of five Sentinels, two archers, two glaive-weilders and a Captian bearing a mixture of arms, Venia quickly found herself drawn to the art of glaive hurling. She grew attached to her squadmates, each of them sharing a love for each other, allowing them to function securely. This unit performed well in forward attacks upon the cursed lands of Xavian and the forests near Satyrnaar, scoring victories against the foul Satyr without casualty. However, nothing is perfect - on a forward strike to try and push the Satyr further into their own territory, the Captian of the unit died.

The Keepers of the Silverwing chose to raise one of the archers to the role of Captian, but promoted Venia as Lieutenant-Captian incase anything occured to the new leader of the unit. This rank she wore proudly for the rest of her time as a Sentinel of the Silverwing, often carrying out missions in the stead of the Captian and earning her position as second-in-command.

During this peroid, Venia found a lover. A druid who rose from the slumber of the Dream to walk amoung the trees found her - and they instantly 'clicked'. Their love lasted unbroken for years, in a tender, easy relationship. They both understood each other's duties, and both cherished each other. The relationship was like a slow fire, burning more in gentle embers rather than a blazing flame.

The Watchers

Venia's faith, leadership abilities, and quick wittedness drew attention of another faction of Night Elf society - the Watchers. Lead by Maiev Shadowsong, the Watchers guard the prisoners and outlaws of Kaldorei society. The Silverwing and Venia were approached by a recruiter of the Watchers, and began learning their ways. Aside from her normal patrols, she now headed into the Barrow Deeps, reading up on the potent abilities of the Wardens. She learned under the watchful eye of the Iron Raven, one of the more powerful Wardens.

These classes, however, were cut short with the second coming of the Burning Legion.

The Second Coming

When the Legion invaded for the second time, Venia was on the front lines. The Silverwing, protective of the Ashenvale's borders, meant that Venia was one of the first who encountered the greenskins - the armies of Grom Hellscream that cleaved through a large portion of the Ashenvale before the intervention of Cenarius. Much of the forests that Venia spent her youth in were cleaved away by the invaders, and at the death of Cenarius - a deep-rooted hatred crept into Venia. She began to loathe the orcs, treating them like demons.

The demons themselves alarmed and shocked Venia. Having fought the Satyr she was used to the manipulative and seductive powers weilded by the Shadow, but she had never seen it so vividly until the demon invaders tore her friends asunder, and began defiling the forests and the creatures within. Almost the entire area of her youth was engulfed by the Blight - and her early days were washed away. Her parents were moved, her mother still a Sentinel (superior in rank to Venia), and her father a druid, were kept further behind the front.

Her sister at this time still did not seem to be making much of herself, much to Venia's irritation. She would've swelled with joy if her sister followed her own path, but it never occured. Dharya remained almost a polar opposite to Venia - the biggest common ground was the bitterness they shared. They didn't hate each other, but had very little love either.

Her father began to lose his sanity as the Legion and Scourge pushed into Kaldorei lands, the damage to the forest taking a heavy toll upon him. He became unpredictable in emotion, in turmoil at what was occuring.

Eternity's End

At the final, crucial fight at Mount Hyjal, Venia's unit was sent to the very front. The human lines were the first blockade to prevent the Legion's charge to Nordrassil, and it was Venia's unit who went beond this blockade to harras and slow down the charge. The unit was expanded, taking on more Sentinels and a higher ranked officer - Lieutenant Commander Stillnight, Venia's mother. They managed to attack and kill many Felguards and ghouls, but the swarm was too immense. In a surge, the demon forces overwhelmed the Silverwing Sentinels at the front - killing almost all of them. In the midst of battle, Venia was hurled into a cliff-face by a charging Infernal, knocking her cold.

She rose minutes later, forgotten by the unholy army, to see the remains of her unit spread around the area like confetti. She swore aloud as her glaive was busted - broken as she hurled it fruitlessly into the heart of an Infernal - and knew that she had to get back to the front lines if she was to be any help at all. She grabbed the nearest weapon she could find - a Felguard's heavy blade - and headed back to the front lines.

On arrival, she was met with horrified looks and accusing glares. The blade in her hand was not ordinary metal - a Felblade, likely cursed. Venia did not pay attention to this fact, mixed up in the horrors around her, and swore aloud when she realised. She was hurriedly detained, and sent far back to the Night Elven lines, kept prisoner in a Huntress' Hall.

It was there she heard the deafening roar of Nordrassil and the end of the Legion's invasion.

The Aftermath

Her life fell apart, her rank was stripped from her, her friends shunned her. She was set for trial before the Wardens - instead of their welcome training she was now faced with their accusing glares. The trial was swift and quick, the tests to see if she was corrupted coming up inconclusive, the Kaldorei did not want to murder one of their own without evidence. Instead, she was sent with the new allies the Elves had found, onto the Eastern Kingdoms.

This sent her already cracked father's sanity into a thousand pieces. Her broke apart, the loss of his wife and one of his children causing him to lose any hold he had on his rational self. Dharya took it upon herself to care for the broken druid - cursing her sister's name for the damage she had caused.

Her love, the druid she was with until the fateful trial, was filled with sorrow and regret for what she had done. The last he ever saw of her was being escorted to a boat destined for Menethil Harbour - and with a weary heart knew that she was now as good as dead. Venia's sentence carried with it a mark of exile, disallowing her from Kaldorei contact.

Ironforge

The Sentinel found herself in strange lands, with strange people and strange ways. She headed for Ironforge, hoping for some kind of military work or defense work - but found nothing. She settled herself in a quiet home near Tinker Town, the noise of the gnomish inventions causing restless sleep and painful headaches. She went to examine what all the noise was, and before she knew it, was enraptured by the oddities she saw there.

Gnomish Engineering appealed to her, the fiddly work often reminding her of armour repair. The way things are handled were precise and logical, appealing to Venia's outlook on life. She slipped into engineering as a profession, working as an apprentice to a young gnome - attracting odd looks from everyone nearby. The Night Elf wearing heavy goggles and working deligently on this or that new invention or that was something not often seen, making her somewhat of a curiosity of Tinker Town.

However, her failures constantly gnawed at her. She became reclusive, avoiding Night Elves as one would avoid a terrifying foe. Anytime a Kaldorei entered her workshop she would retreat and shadowmeld in a dusky corner, feigning that nobody was there. She fled and avoided contact with Kaldorei for so long that she began to fear them, following her sentance strictly. She feared that if another Kaldorei even saw her, she would be taken back to Kalimdor and executed swiftly - death being one thing that Venia always wished to avoid.

After four years of working in Tinker Town, Venia decided to come out of her reclusive shell and head to Stormwind, trying to once again enlist in the military.

Stormwind City

In Stormwind Venia found herself lost, and most of all, frightened. There were far more Night Elves here than there were in Ironforge - no doubt the dark and claustrophobic environment causing many Kaldorei to dislike the place. She often made herself look an utter fool, fleeing in terror from the Kaldorei and falling over in doing so - her swiftness and fitness gnawed away by the years spent with the gnomes.

She found herself drawn to the Stormwind City Watch - thinking of them like the Sentinels of the humans. She was shocked to find how wrong she was, and even more shocked to find herself thrust before Nath Shadoweyes in an interview. She almost fled in terror from the room, but Shadoweyes welcomed her and understood her plight - stating that Stormwind is his prison, his exile, and his punishment aswell.

Serving in the Watch, Venia rose swiftly through the ranks. Her sense of duty and strict military work impressing some and gaining the ire of others, she took naturally to the Watch. However, she became frustrated at human law and human custom - laws allowing demons to roam the street and those who practiced the dark arts to be welcome. This filled her with a quiet rage and anger against the humans, and a general displeasure of the Alliance as a whole.

There was one human, however, who impressed her. A young Watch constable called Bronkar - who served on the Night Watch. Venia often stood with him and talked, Bronkar's willingness to learn impressing her. She told him about Elune, and taught Bronkar how to pray to Her - so that She may look after him on his shift. Venia became fond of Bronkar, to the point of romantic desire - but this was quickly ended as Bronkar was already in a relationship with another, Ailen of Westfall.

It was in Stormwind that Venia met the Silvereye for the first time. Stumbling across a conflict in which the Silvereye spoke with Dwoozle, Venia found herself caught in the middle. Her heart panged with longing as she heard the familiar addresses, ranks, and respect of a Night Elven unit - causing her to attract a little attention to herself. She immediately withdrew and fled - fearing what would happen if she broke her exile.

Drunk!

However, this encounter was not the only one she would have with the Silvereye. Venia attended a ball in Stormwind - at which Taiev spoke of an Alliance, and how mutual aid is the key to victory. The audience at a whole ignored the words, wishing to drink and party, but struck Venia deeply. She decided to risk breaking her exile and speaking to Taiev.

She tracked her down a little later, after the Silvereye had defeated a Lich in the Plaguelands. Venia barely got a word out before she was whisked off by some to a celebratory party - a drink thrust infront of her by a druid. She eyed it hesitantly, never having drunk alcohol in her life, and having seen more than enough of it's effects in Ironforge, she wasn't keen on trying it. The druid, however, told her to drink - and never being one to disobey an order from a Shan, she did so. She instantly felt intoxicated and queezy, slumping down onto a table.

She was taken outside shortly after, and purged of the toxin in her veins. Feeling slightly better, the druid and a few others enquired about her and her exile. They were about to 'pass a judgement of their own' on it when some busy took them all away. That was the last time she had any serious contact with the Silvereye before becoming involved in the operations of the Theramore Compact.

Unwelcome Help

Venia found herself resolved by the contact with the other Kaldorei, and wished to clear her name. She began to make enquiries until a gnome approached her, with world that he could possibly help. Venia knew that there was only one type of person who would truely know if she was cursed or not - a warlock. The gnome brought her to one, Lisell Barrings.

Barrings lead Venia down into the depths below the Slaughtered Lamb, and performed there a demonic ritual in order to contact the Legion. She asked it if Venia was indeed an agent, and the Legion burned them both to an inch of their life for their insolence - Venia was not an agent.

Barrings, being a known demonologist, gave Venia the necessary documentation and this was used to absolve Venia of her exile. Although suspicious of the methods, the Wardens could do nothing against it - the proof was all obtained via official Alliance methods, and she was cleared of her sentence.

Still Exiled

With her official exile lifted, Venia instantly began trying to make contact with those she used to know and be friends with, but one stood out above all. She tried to make contact with her former love, the druid, but was shocked when she'd recieved word that he'd died in a battle at Dalaran - aiding Malfurion in an attempt to stop Illidan destroying the world. This crushed her inside, as Venia had wanted to explain herself to him and try to regain his trust - instead, he had passed away still thinking her a cursed exile.

Venia also attempted to make contact with the Silverwing Sentinels - and found that they were in peril aswell. The orcs, not having quenched their thirst for destruction in the War, continued to hack away at the forest. Venia instantly wanted to head back to the Ashenvale, but recieved a firm 'no' from her superior officers. They instead made her an Emissary of the Silverwing, someone to stay in the Alliance homeland and spread the word of aid. This was 'important' and 'necessary' - but Venia saw past those words and believed that they did not trust her, nor did they trust the evidence that Barrings held.

She spent more time in Stormwind, becoming increasingly dismayed at the humans and how easily they allowed magic and the Shadow to be used on a daily basis. She still felt like a prisoner, trapped in politics instead of bars.

The Noonshade Project

As time rolled on, Venia continued to try to mingle with crowds and get back to having a social life. After a brief fling with a Night Elf woman (her first homosexual relationship - and done more due to the pressure of finding someone within the confines of mortal exsistance than actual love), Venia recieved news from some of the highest commands of Night Elven society.

Apparently, Fandral Staghelm had wished to spread druidism and the Kaldorei way further into the Eastern Kingdoms, and felt this could be done best by establishing a Sentinel unit there. These Sentinels would be a mixed group of Priestesses, Soldiers and Druids, whom would demonstrate the wiser Kaldorei way.

Venia was informed of this, and informed that she had been selected to front this group, dubbed the Noonshade Project. Venia would be assigned as Warden of the Noonshade - and was ordered to recruit those she felt able for such a task. Her experiences and time spent in the Eastern Kingdoms, sided with her shining record aside from the large blot at Hyjal, had made her the natural choice for Staghelm. A Night Elf eager to prove herself worthy and filled with aspiration and dreams would follow most orders given to her - if only so she could prove that she was still worthy of recieving such orders.

However, it did not take long to realise that this Project was overambitious. The Kaldorei who frequented the Eastern Kingdoms were mostly washouts themselves - thus leaving Venia with nothing stable to work with. The unit imploded and died, and Venia sent back a report of her failure. This was met with much anger - and she was quickly reassigned.

The Stormguard

For her failures in the Noonshade Project, the Wardens and Sentinel Commanders instead gave her another assignment. A long-serving all-human unit known as "The Stormguard" was being watched carefully - as it stood as a testimony to old ways that no longer exsisted. The stubborn Captian still believed himself to be in the Grand Alliance of Lordaeron - the Alliance of human nations - and not the Alliance of the races. The Wardens communicated with the human commanders, and they agreed that adding Venia to the unit would perhaps broaden the Captian's horizons.

Thus, Venia was assigned to the Stormguard. Much to her and Captian Arthurion Greymantle's dispair. Venia loathed the humans - who acted more like a mercenary force than a fighting unit - and was loathed in return. She was seen as an interloper, someone who didn't belong. However, her ability to perform and her rigid sense of duty outshone that of most, quickly getting her promoted to the rank of Corporal and Drill Mistress of the Stormguard. This promotion was done at a time when the Captian was away, however, and he was irritated to see that an elf had achieved a higher rank in his unit.

The Temple

One thing that remained constant in Venia's life was her faith to Elune. Even when exiled she still prayed to Her, worshipped Her and followed Her path. She had already seen in the many skirmishes that she had fought the more warlike side of the Temple, and thus enrolled.

The Temple, being more open and receptive to those who seek it's guidance, accepted Venia. She was made an initiate and began training under the watchful eye of the Sisters of Elune. She found herself naturally inclined to the more warlike side of Elune - finding that her healing abilities were sub-par and often weak at best. The Goddess answered her prayers often in gifts of strength or resolve, but rarely gave her the gift to ease another's suffering.

The Temple also offered her a way out of the Stormguard. Her superiors in the Temple wished her to spend more time on Kalimdor amoung the Sisterhood, in order to study better. They saw that the duty she had assigned caused her much turmoil and thus disturbed her meditation. This offer held weight - the Watchers could not stop her leaving the Stormguard to join the Sisterhood, but Venia's stubborn sense of duty held her to the Stormguard.

Enough is Enough

However, she saw the Stormguard like a wilting flower more and more each day. The Captian was rarely seen, and his Lieutenant was often elsewhere as well. This left Venia with no orders, and a unit that didn't respect her. After much careful deliberation, she spoke to the Temple - and spoke of her wishes to join an Elven unit, the Silvereye - who had offered to take her in. The Temple agreed, and Venia spoke to Taiev in the turmoil of Blackrock Mountian, quickly briefing her on her new rank and duties.

It was from that point on that she was Silvereye, and for the first time in many years, she felt as if she was home.

Yay! Welcome onboard, Ven! Good to know you'll be keeping my guild safe in my abscence.

*nods* Typical

Nice background, Venia!

Looking good! Its always interesting to see things from other people's point of view!

That was ages ago, and I remember hearing Taiev speaking about it after at how the audience barely listened. A cookie goes to whoever can guess the druid who got Venia drunk...

Aerandul.. Druid of the paw, warden of the booze.

Yes?

Nope, not Aerie! Don't think booze, more corrupting influence.

Erynia? Wait.. IC or OOC? Cause Dari sure is corruption itself ooc'ly..

Umm..Sent-in-robes? Should count as bearform at least..

Edit: Duh.. Forgot to compliment on a good story.

It was Ewwynsh - and it was Ewwynsh who cleansed her of the alcohol and began to grill her.

Anyway! It's finished!

It's not worse, at least.

...how dare you imply I'd do such a thing? I ply only myself with the stuff. *hmphs*

*cracks her whip at Telarion*

Shooo! Back! Not true, not true!!

Errmmmm..Yes...
Great story Venia!

*hands Venia a lolly*

The background story was very enjoyable to read, Venia. Very well defined details.