Baojun Jadeshuriken

Subtlety and Shadows

I am a Subtlety Rogue but actually I try to be honest when I can. It is disarming to my enemies who expect nothing but trickery and lies. My mother taught me to be honest rather than fearsome. Yet like I have said there are times when lying or misdirection is the better option. What is true and what is fantasy? Does it matter?

I try to treat all combat encounters like a highly elaborate game. Place yourself like pieces on a board and move appropriately. Predict your enemies' strategies and call them out in public to intimidate them. And lie always with your stances, movements and attacks. That is where my class mostly comes into play.

In personal dealings or remembering myself I try to be honest. It does not do to lie to yourself. I once had an enlightening chat with a Tushui monk woman on the subject.

"Is your mother dead or alive? You seem to refer to her as both." She said sternly. Watching me for any signs of deception.

"My mother like all of my family on Shen-zin Su does not want me. That is why I came here."

"That does not answer my question."

So I told her that I have cut off ties to my past and will say what I will about them. They are figments of shadow and illusion that bind me to a life I cannot have. I spoke to the giant sea turtle. He informed me that I was no longer welcome. What did I do to earn such a fate? I... lied too much. I must still be lying she said. Telling dishonesty to others was not as bad as telling it to myself however she reminded me. To keep a clear chi you must practice mindfulness.

That means being careful in how you view the world. It means scrubbing clean the harmful habits and thoughts that restrict your true freedom. Every day you must do it lest you fall into disorder like a drunken hozen. I laughed at the mental image and the stern schoolmarm's expression softened.

Once the Hellscream man assigned me to a mission in Ashenvale Forest. I was to scout out an operation by an upstart human. She was doing things with the Shadow and he did not trust that she would not advance into the Barrens. I sneaked through the forest for days. Always hiding and never revealing myself except to gather supplies at the Horde outpost.

I found the woman. She was using the Shadow to mind control a great Ancient of the forest and commanding fear with its presence. Her lackeys were a couple of night elven sisters of the Arcane. First I watched them. For hours I studied what they were doing from afar. Using the Ancient and the Mirror Image spells of the sisters she was slowly forming an army--Largely made up of illusions. But why? So I took the direct route and revealed myself.

Yet I controlled to whom I showed my presence. I stalked the elder sister for it was she who seemed the least sure of what her commander was doing. Humans and night elves were allies she protested. Why use the Ancients in a way they were not intended? I asked her what the woman said or did and assured her that if she answered honestly I would disappear and not harm her.

"Because she is lying. She is not a human but a Forsaken priestess. She has never shown her true self to me but I know it because of one thing: She never sleeps and I never see her eat or drink."

Armed with the knowledge I returned to the Hellscream man's officers and told them. They informed me and a group of rogues to return and monitor them. If they were hostile to the Horde we were to quietly grant the woman her true death and the elven sisters their first. They did not trust night elves, even under the guidance of a Forsaken, to refuse to harm the Horde.

So I returned. The woman indeed stayed awake at all hours. She merely retreated to private areas to fool the younger sister. The elder seemed to be fuming yet made no moves to slay her. And I soon discovered that the elder sister was cursed not to harm her and she was secretly planning to end her army from the inside. The younger was power hungry and could not be saved. Feeling that for once the night elf's goals aligned most with the Horde I and my group showed ourselves in the dead of night to the sisters. We promised the younger a powerful Pandaren elixir that would grant her eternal beauty if she aided us. No such elixir exists.

We promised the elder sister that we would help end the Rot Brain's mad plans if she only agreed to temporarily aid agents of the Horde. They agreed to help us. Ambushing the woman in her private command tent we prepared for a grueling battle. Yet in my mind I was calculating what would happen next and each new move in the game. I predicted that the Rot Brain would unleash her Ancient upon us first and she did. We distracted the brute with Gloom Blade strikes delivered from behind while the sisters worked to disenchant the enchantments placed upon it. When the Ancient was free it left the camp forcefully damaging many of the Rot Brain woman's illusion soldiers.

The woman had no rhyme or reason to her plans. She was merely amassing power under the guise of humanity because she feared... her people would cast her out. She was hopelessly paranoid and depressed. I paralyzed her with a poison on my daggers and we took her prisoner. Our official orders were to execute her and for once I could see no other option. Yet I could not bear to be there myself and allowed my sisters in combat to end the conflict privately. I do not know what happened to the night elf sisters for they left as soon as their aid was no longer needed.