Note to Readers and Nikolas' Backstory, Part IV

NOTE TO THE READER: There are several stories floating around in my head- the one I originally started developing, which takes place largely in the southern province of Duskwood, as well as others centered more in the four or five years since Nikolas joined Ravenholdt (detailed below). In this post and previous others I have tried to provide an abridged account of Nikolas' Tien's life, so that you may better understand who he is and where he comes from.

In addition to the story(s) as I write them, I may occasionally include short snippets or excerpts from Nikolas' life that provide insight into either his character or significant events from his past. Please, feel free to leave comments, critiques, notes, questions and such in comments. I am a fledgling writer and want to do as well as I can, and feedback is a key. Thank you for reading, and enjoy as I try to introduce you to Nikolas Tien.

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Nikolas met up with Myrokos and the pair returned to Quel’Danil. As they traveled, Nikolas told Myrokos what happened with his family, and said he didn’t know what to do next. He really had no desire to keep fighting the trolls, though he said he would if that’s where he was needed. Myrokos offered a suggestion that surprised: become a rogue. The elf revealed that he belonged to a secret guild of rogues and spies, led by a wealthy man living in the mountains northeast of Hillsbrad and Southshore. He told Nikolas the guild had need for good men like him, men of integrity (which Nikolas found amusing coming from a thieves’ group) and cunning. Nikolas was wary, as he found clandestine organizations something to keep at arm’s length. Myrokos offered to introduce the guild’s leader, who would explain what use he had for Nikolas, if he was willing. Nikolas agreed to the meeting, telling himself to tread lightly.

The man turned out to be Jorach Ravenholdt, who revealed that his guild, also called Ravenholdt, got its start as a league of assassins. They still operated in this capacity, but had expanded their operations in the years following the Second War. Following the War, the political climate had become an interesting one. Though the Alliance of Lordaeron existed on paper, the nations that were part of it operated largely autonomous of one another. That meant that things like protection and enforcement were a lot harder to realize without the overarching infrastructure of the Alliance in tact. Jorach realized that great profit could be made by working with these nations in a secret capacity, performing those tasks that were either too difficult or too controversial for the official governments to perform. In particular, groups had formed that threatened the governments on varying levels, groups which after the war the Alliance didn’t have the manpower or resources to combat.

That’s where Jorach and his guild had stepped in. Jorach had personally made offers to those rulers of the Alliance who would grant him audience: Stromgarde, Lordaeron, and Kul Tiras***. To these three kingdoms, Jorach offered the services of his guild in performing those services in which official hands would be tied. He offered a situational agreement, meaning that when they needed something, he would provide, and there would be no obligation whatsoever save monetary payment. If he needed something he would ask the kings, but if they refused he would leave it at that. Jorach was not one to get caught up in favors and obligations. All three rulers told Jorach that if they needed him, they would seek him.

Their tasks for the kings mostly consisted of spying on the other nations- they used his guild to avoid implications should the spies be caught. They paid particular attention to Gilneas and the former kingdom of Alterac. Ravenholdt had little success with the former, as Gilneas had built a massive wall along its borders, making infiltration impossible by land and very difficult by other means. Alterac, however, occupied much of Ravenholdt’s time.

Alterac had betrayed the Alliance in the Second War by aiding the Horde in several instances. Aiden Perenolde, the lord of Alterac, felt the Horde would be victorious, and he and the other nobles agreed that being on the winning side was paramount. Their betrayal was uncovered by the Alliance, and punishment was swift and severe. Alliance forces razed many of the towns and cities in Alterac and drove those nobles who weren’t executed for treason into exile, along with most of the citizens of the nation.

From that time forward, the Alterac exiles were forced to wander from land to land, begging for food and means, often being turned away by those who felt Alterac’s betrayal could have cost the Alliance victory. The exiles started to band together, gathered by those same nobles who had ratified the measures of the former nation’s treason. Many of the nobles had money (which had been hidden away) and influence, which they used to secure their place among the leadership of the exiles’ growing band. They began calling their organization the Syndicate, their goal being to reclaim their former lands and holdings, and regain their former influence. They also sought revenge on those nations who had driven them into exile; they hated Stromgarde, Lordaeron, and Kul Tiras above all others.

Thought they started small, they grew quickly and became strong in a few short years. They struck from the shadows, stealing lands and possessions and resources. They drove farmers and landowners out of their homes and off their farms, claiming those lands for the Syndicate. Most importantly, they reclaimed the razed city of Strahnbrad (Nikolas’ birthplace) and from there ran most of their operations. The Syndicate also claimed the abandoned Durnholde Keep, a ruined fortress that acted as the criminals’ chief outpost. Their power only grew as the nations of the Alliance were forced to deal with the Scourge, so that by the time the Third War ended, the Syndicate was firmly entrenched in their holdings and was able to wreak havoc at will.

Jorach told Nikolas that it was combating the Syndicate which occupied much of Ravenholdt’s time. As the nations of the Alliance struggled to rebuild, they were easy prey for the Syndicate’s assassins and thieves. Jorach had taken the responsibility upon himself and his guild to be the counter to the Syndicate, the Alliance’s sword and shield against the criminals.

To Nikolas he offered work, but Nikolas replied with an expression of discomfort at the thought of being an assassin. Jorach admitted his organization had a stream of assassin’s work, but also said he had something else in mind for Nikolas. Were Nikolas to join the guild, Jorach said, his work would largely be spying, information gathering, and thieving (which Jorach amusedly referred to as “strategic acquisitions”). Jorach was well aware of Nikolas’ skills in combat, and believed he could have been a skilled and formidable assassin. But he was also impressed with Nikolas’ moral core, and knew the lad would never be comfortable with assassination. He gave Nikolas two days to think about it, after which he would require a final answer. But Nikolas returned with an answer after only a few hours. He agreed to join the guild as a rogue, but requested the option of opting out after one year, with a promise to maintain full confidence about the guild and its activities.

Nikolas moved his things into a small cottage near Ravenholdt Manor, which he would share with Myrokos, who was to be Nikolas’ chief trainer at the Manor. Nikolas was stunned to learn that Myrokos had been grooming him for recruitment ever since they met, and that everyhing the elf had taught Nikolas had been geared towards Nikolas' development as a rogue. Myrokos said he had seen great potential for an agile and swift warrior from the outset, and that Nikolas had become a sort of “project,” to see if he could develop the skills necessary to a rogue. Thanks to the tutelage of Myrokos and the other elves, Nikolas had those skills in spades. As part of the Ravenholdt guild, though, it would be Myrokos’ job to make those skills even sharper.



***Alterac had been razed because of its betrayal during the Second War; Gilneas had built a massive wall along its border, cutting itself off from the rest of the continent; Dalaran, the wizard city, had no need for such services; and Azeroth had the services of SI:7, their official intelligence agency.