Memoirs of Light- Part 3

"Although it might seem obvious to say such a thing, part of who we are now is forged from who we were in the past. Sometimes the demarcation between present and past is a slow, gradual process while other times it can be a traumatic change from one state to another. Regardless of how it occurs, we keep a little piece of our past selves, even our childhood, within us always.

This is on my mind as of late due to the fact that I have taken up some of the old craft that I once made my life's work. Before the Scourge, before I took up arms and all of this happened, I have said I was an artisan. Essentially I had some skill with molding metals and working with such materials to make jewelry and intricate metal-works that were used for a variety of other purposes. Many of my pieces were purchased as anchor points for magical statues, brackets to hold art in place in the various ways it is displayed in Quel'Thalas, or even as the base materials to create enchanted items. We all have some skill with magic, and I am no exception; many of my pieces were enchanted for endurance, beauty, or to aid those who sought to use them as foci for spellcasting.

All of this came to an end when Quel'Thalas fell. What need is there to create beauty or even functional components when there is no one left to purchase such items? Who is creating art when our very nation lies in ruins? And yet this was the only skill I had when I first fled with the other survivors. Obviously in the intervening years I have learned much about the use of a blade, wielding the Light, and fighting in war, but that does not mean I forgot my other skills!

During the campaign in the North I was able to make myself more useful by turning my hand towards forging weapons and armor. Although the process differed greatly from what I once did and was more labor intensive, I found the familiarity of the work to be a reassurance in those dark times. With the Light to guide me, my blade to ward me, and my craft to bolster my spirits, I found myself truly healing even as we marched on the worst of the Lich King's strongholds. I believe firmly that the Light and the creativity contained within me were the balms that soothed the grief I had been feeling for so long. I still feel that grief, even now, but it is more distant and something I am able to keep firmly in the back of my thoughts.

Now that the Crusade has come to its conclusion and I am free to wander as a Knight and lend my Light to those in need, I find my hand turning to craft once more. I maintain my own weapons and armor of course, and the armor for my warhorse as well. A Knight would not be complete without such equipment, and I have worn such implements for so long that to part with them would feel alien now. It is amusing considering before all of this I had only handled armor a few times.

Not only do I repair my equipment, but I have now the techniques to forge new armor or weapons. I can aid local communities and militia who are in need of supplies, repair the equipment of other Light-wielders, and create masterworks for myself. By combining a bit of the art that I once created with the functionality of the smith-work I learned from the Crusade, I am able to create new wonders that bring back a little of who I was.

And so it seems that even as I travel into the future, I bring a little piece of the past with me. I will admit that it brings a smile to my face when I see a piece that is well made and appreciated. Perhaps one day when I roam no more I will find a place to rest my sword and a forge where I can live out the rest of my days creating art in dedication of all those who have fallen and all those who have given of themselves that the world might see the dawn each day."
~An excerpt from the memoirs of Britanielle 'Britany' Dawnblaze, Paladin of the Argent Crusade.