Application - Jolnar

Hi

This is my application for my death knight character Jolnar.
I know that you are not much for accepting death knight into your ranks, but I hope that you will find his background worthy and acceptable.
I had another char in your guild earlier, my shaman Nilank, but since I havent played her for a long time, I think that is the reason she was kicked from the guild. But I ended up changing my draenei familys backgroundstory a bit, so that it is more lore fitting.

Character name: Jolnar

Character description:
Jolnar was the child of what the draeneis once saw as heretics, therefore he was raised in solitary. Jolnar never came much around, he knew that there was a smaller village nearby, but he only went there if he was in need of something, that he couldn't get from the nature around his hut or make from what little he had himself. Jolnar was raised in the worship of elemental spirits by his parents, just as they had been raised by theirs.
In his early life, long before the draeneis came to Azeroth, Jolnar had contact with the elements, he could feel their need and wants, sometimes he even thought that they actually talked to him as well, and he liked to help them achieve their goal. It was things like taking the water from a puddle and then pour it into a lake, or move a stone from the bottom of a hill to the top of it.
Allready then he had little contact with the light, because he prefered working as a guide and interpreter of the elements. He had great knowledge in this area and gladly shared it with others who had the same beliefs as he. It was very rare for him too meet other draeneis, both those who simply came to the area, as those who wished to learn about the elements, and since many saw him as a heretic, he did not speek of it openly.
When Jolnar first met Fricka, he started doubting his beliefs he had taken, he had never met a woman with such fury and belief in the light as her, but as he slowly got to know her, he instead learned to accept himself and the beliefs he had been raised with, which made his belief in the elements just as strong as her belief in the light. He never told really told Fricka, about his contact with the elements, because he was afraid of loosing her friendship because of it. Though he had thought that they would only be friends because of their different beliefs, he had told her that he was a hunter, living in nature because he felt closer to it than the light, the elements came to him in dreams and told him that he had to make a child with her, and that this child would be one of their strongest contacts to his kind who where ever to live, because of the contact it would have with both the light and the elements.
Jolnar proposed to Fricka, for them to engage in a more intimate relationship in his secret hopes of inpregnating her. In the start Fricka went furios at him, it was against her beliefs to engage in such matters without the blessings of the light. But also she was granted a vision very near the one Jolnar had and even if she doubted at first, Jolnar got her persuaded in the end, with a few demands from her site.
Jolnar accepted marrying Fricka before ever touching her in any intimate way, and so it was, that Jolnar, who never though he would ever marry or start a family because of his love to the elements, married with a paladin, a true warrior of the light.
Though Jolnar and Fricka didn't see much too each other because of the ways their paths wanted them to go, they enjoyed what little time they spent together, Fricka even accepted moving her things into his little hut, since he was allways home and she was away most of the time.
Only a few years later Fricka concieved their firstborn child, a little boy they named Madral. Jolnar and Fricka both tough him what they new about the nature and the light, Jolnar also thought the boy about the elements in secret, trying to even his knowledge between these to great beliefs, though in the end, Madral shared the beliefs of his mother and therefore chose the path of the paladin.
Jolnar was devestated, he thought he had failed the elements, and could no longer show real passion in raising Madral anymore. Fricka felt him closing into himself, and she tried what she could to make him see that this was the will of the light, this was what had been foretold. But Jolnar only grieved for his own failment.
A few years after Madral had left his home to join the ranks of the draenei army, Fricka concieved another child, a little girl they named Nilank, and as was foretold to Jolnar, she showed great contact with both light and elements in her earliest years. Fricka did not see this at first, because she thought it was some kind of magic she showed abilities from. When Jolnar slowly started to notice, he believed that the elements had chosen to give him yet another chance, and so he was filled with new energy and passion for the elements. Jolnar tought her all he knew about the elements and the nature they lived in. Since Fricka was not much home, she did not know that her own daugther was taught in the ways of the elements, and if she had known, she would have been furious. In the end, Nilank shared the beliefs of her father, since she too could here the elements whisper in her ears and comming to her in dreams, she choose the path of elemental guide, just as Jolnar hoped she would.
Fricka did not like this, but Jolnar convinced her of accepting the path her daughter had chosen, only a while later, the shaman Nobundo came to Velen and asked for acception of him and his fellow elemental believers. That was when Fricka found out that Jolnar also had abilities in the ways of the elements.
Both Jolnar and Nilank started to learn about shamanism from Nobundo, sicne they both wished to walk this path.
When Jolnar and his family traveled with the other draeneis on the Exodar to Azeroth, the family was split in the crash. It took Jolnar almost a year to find all members of his family again. Fricka had joined the forces against the Burning Legion, while Madral was working as a healer back in Exodar. Nilank had continued her training as a shaman, and learned that the contact to the elements was even stronger here on Azeroth.
Jolnar joined Fricka in the war against Kil'jaiden and his demons, but unfortunately he was killed in battle...
Fricka and her children grieved for him, but life had to move on. Fricka drowned herself in work of the light, Madral kept on helping the wounded and lost, and Nilank traveled the world to find meaning in his death.
A few years later Jolnar was raised by the lich kind as a death knight. In the start he was a mindnumbed minion, but as his training kept on going, he slowly regained some of him concience, when in the end he finally broke free from the claws of the scourge and joined the forces of the Knight of the Ebon Blade.
When Nilank somehow learned that he was "alive", she sought him out right away, but she found him cold and without any real feelings. Though he did remember her somehow being of his blood, he did not recall how or why. Nilank tried to make him remember, but his mind was slow and careless. Nilank tried to make Madral come and see him as well, but he disguised her belief in this really being their dead father, and asked her not to trouble him with this kind of noncense again.
When Nilank almost had given up making her father remember his past, she clinged to a final hope of her mother accepting to come and see him, and try help him remember.
Fricka tried to understand her daugther and went with her to see Jolnar, though she did not like the idea of him being Jolnar any more than Madral had. But when Jolnar and Fricka saw each other, it was like tons of ice melted away, and made Jolnar realise that this one woman, he knew better than himself. Fricka accepted him to be her lost husband, but she did not like what she saw, and she could feel that he was lost from ever seeing the light again. Fricka and Jolnar was not seen together ever since.
When Fricka was lost in the cataclysm, Nilank went out to look for her. When Jolnar slowly realised that the war against the scourge was comming at an end, he asked if he may join her in her search, though they ended going their seperate ways, only meeting once in a while, to share what news they have.

Loyalities:
Jolnar find Velen a good leader, else from that he dont really think of him. Since Jolnar is lost to the light, he does not fight for the Naaru, though he respects them and accepts them as a part of the living draenei community.
Jolnar is a knight of the Ebon Blade, and therefore he is loyal to them and follows the call of Highlord Darion Morgraine.
He is strugling with being accepted by the races of the Alliance, but he is slowly gaining their trust in honoring them, therefore Jolnar helps the Alliance forces against the Horde in any way he can.

Why are you interested joining Light of Argus?
Because Jolnar is strugling with accepting himself being an undead, he wishes to be accepted by other draeneis even stronger. Though he know he will never feel the touch of either the light or the elements ever again, he still wish to be near those who do and see them fullfill their call.
Truth be told, Jolnar dont really know what to do of himself, he is in lack of real feelings and his mind works slowly in that area, this does not mean he dont feel anything, but he is seen as cold and insensible, and he hopes being with others of his kind can change this.
He has been trained to be a killing machine, which now is his area of expertice, he hopes to be able to teach others with the little knowledge he have left from his life as one of the living and his newly gained knowledge from his life as an undead.

I miss doing RP alot! I have done a lot of background study about draeneis and death knights, but I have only worked with Jolnar for a short period of time, and I hope to be doing some RP with him
And since this guild seems to be the only serious RP guild on moonglade, I hope to play with all of you again, both old ones and newcommers


I put the editet parts in italic

Welcome back Nilank, and hello Jolnar ;-)

First of all, it is nice to read your app. It is a long and detailed story and you clearly put effort into defining your character's traits, ideas and background. This is greatly appreciated!

We, of course, have a few points of uncertainty. One being, as you probably guessed, your returning. Although we do not expect much from our members, a little bit of activity is usually something we do want. And for you to be away for so long to be kicked from the guild before does not speak well for you.
But, we also do not wish to judge and we do see a certain motivation in the size and detail in this application. So we will assume that you are very motivated to play more now.

Please know though, that inactivity during your initiate period is a reason for us to kick people from the guild. You experienced it before, but it is just fair of me to warn again.


Second point, is the story itself. I honestly loved the family history and the details you put into that. This is really great! But, there is some lore limitations to your story that I must point out.

Farseer Nobundo was the first Draenei shaman, he introduced Shamanism to our race on a large scale. Before him, many Draenei did not know of shamanism and those that did often saw it as heretical to the Light.
Farseer Nobundo introduced shamanism to the Draenei shortly after the fall of Shattrath. Timeline wise, that is a few years before the opening of the Dark Portal. So that makes it, at most, 30-40 years before the current time. That is not enough time for Draenei to raise a child to adulthood, let alone train themselves as shaman even before they do this.

Shamanism was something that occured with the Draenei though, but it was very sporadic and it were usually hermits that practiced it. This is mostly because most Draenei considered shamanism to be heresy to the Light.
So although you could have been a shaman for long enough to raise a child with your wife, it would have meant that you probably lived outside normal society until Nobundo made sure that shamanism was accepted by the Draenei as a whole.

These are details I'd love to see worked out more, with the extra information I have given, before we meet up for an interview.

But I do want to add: that I am very positive about your application so far. the details I mention are just to make your background lore-compliant. As you know from your earlier application, we are a very lore-specific RP guild.

Good luck, and I look forward to your changes!

Hi again

Ive been sick for some time, which ended in me letting the computer be shut down for a period, therefore my lack of activity, but now that I am well again, and if I get it they way I want at work, I will have much better time to sit down an play again. Also I have started doing some RP with a few ppl, mostly here on moonglade, and I know that one of them is allready a member of your guild.

I didnt read all the lore there is, but I primarily read all there was on blizzards own sites, and there I couldn't really find anything about the timeline. But I did read about Nobundo, who I used as inspiration.

So the details that I have to work out is whether Jolnar lived in or outside of the draenei society, though living outside would make the posibility of him being with Fricka very very small... because of her beliefs. The only real way this would have worked, is if he had another proffession that he used as a cover, and she did not know of his real proffesion, so he would have tought the children in seecret. Living in the society would either have to make him a heretic, living in a slightly accepting area or he first becoming a shaman when Nobundo showed up.
Would it help if I made the difference of age between the children smaller?
Jolnar living as a hermit would be of great possibility, since he had so little contant with the light, he would have found the draenei society and their beliefs doubtfull to be close to. Here he could also have met Fricka, since she liked to travel in her earlier days.
Then again, though Fricka being a paladin and very strong in her beliefs in the light, she could have been more accepting then others and kept his secret.

Thank you for the extra information, I hope you will tell me what you think about the possibilities that I am thinking of using from.

Jolnar living as a hermit would be of great possibility, since he had so little contant with the light, he would have found the draenei society and their beliefs doubtfull to be close to. Here he could also have met Fricka, since she liked to travel in her earlier days.

Now that, is a very good idea. The thing is, your charracter could NOT have been a shaman on Argus. He could have had the contact with the elements and heard whispers and such, but no rituals and spells as they are in-game. Since Nobundo only started teaching Shamanism after the fall of Shattrath it would be impossible that your charracter could teach his own children about shamanism, because it simply didn't excist at the time. It could be so that your charracter told his children about his contact with the elements, but because there are no teachers in it, he could not have taught them anything about it. And ofcourse the little girl could have had the same contact, but again no teachings untill Nobundo, since he really is the first Shaman of the Draenei.

Oh wait I just saw you edited some things, doh silly me
I always found WoWwiki had some good bits about shamanism, because it tells alot about Nobundo. You'd have to read around the Horde parts of Shamanism, but it's pretty good.

Greets,
Senra.

I did some more editing, after I read about shamanism on the wowwiki, really exciting reading!
I think it fits the lore now

Oh, and there is actually a thing you are a bit wrong about...
It is written on the wowwiki, that the draeneis commune with the spirit world in search of knowledge, guidance and power, which would mean that worshiping the elements would not make you a heretic! They see the worshiping of the light as an interconnectivity with the spirit world. So both beliefs are acceptable within the race since they got a strong connection.

Indeed Draenei (which is the plural of draenei) now see both beliefs as acceptable. But that wasn't always like that. As Perforad described back on Argus turning away from the Light in any way would be seen as a heretic. But now shamanism is accepted by the community and it can be freely practised.

But if you don't want your charracter to be a herectic, that's your choice since it's your applicaiton and your charracter. He could have lived among the other Draenei and kept his elemental contacts a secret.

Anyway, we'll have another look at your application with the edited bits and have a chat among officers about it with some nice tea.

Greets,
Senra.

I dont mind him being a heretic, it gives something to work with, because he might be a little doubtfull about people actually accepting his beliefs now from time to time.
I will look forward to hear from you

Jolnar, your background clearly improved after our comments and advice.

Please, contact us in-game so we can plan an interview date together.
We would normally invite you to join us during our guild RP on wednesdays, but we do believe a Deathknight deserves specific attention.