Originally written June 8, 2011.
I have returned fulltime to war. My time is split between the siege against Blackrock, and strike missions in the Highlands. I find myself with little time to dwell on much else, save a night's flood relief effort in Menethil, and brief stays in Stormwind. I have not stepped foot in Theramore for two months, the war has not carried me across the seas to Kalimdor. From the intelligence the Templars have gathered, perhaps it soon will.
Years ago, soldiers served in the armies against Blackrock, but I was not one of them. I was in the Dawn, fighting undead in Lordaeron while Horde and Alliance faced Black dragons and fire elementals. This lack of experience in my part has led to my heavy reliance on Koryander, a former slave of the mountain, and knowledge rich in Blackrock and elemental Lore. I have wondered more than once how this siege has affected her. She has given little aside from a grin and more insistence to drink while on leave in Stormwind. I have given into this need and treated her to many taverns, perhaps due in part to my worry of her. I need not to doubt her battle prowess, only her mental state. The mountain left a mark on her, as Lordaeron left its mark for me. It is a subject that needs broached, sooner rather than later. I have been too neglectful when it comes to personal things, and they now threaten to affect the battlefield.
For now, all Templars are accounted for, despite the siege. The political net in Stormwind was finally cut, and we have moved freely for some time. If there was any revenge for the Templar role in the trial of Sirithil Nightstone, and ousting of city cultists, it either never came to pass or was too subtle to notice. We have moved on.
It seems that we have far more enemies within the Alliance than before. I expected it, given that the cold war between the factions is all but over, and all-out war rages in the Barrens, Highlands and Gilneas. And yet no city has been breached, armies have not tread that far. It may be from the spirited defense of both sides, or the Horde and Alliance armies tethering themselves back for greater fights. I have seen the aftermath of Deathwing flying over a green swath of Azeroth, it is a dark reminder of the shadow that looms over us. The cult is only a puppet, a mortal arm to a greater beast. Unification was brief in Northrend and ill-fated at the Wrath Gate, but it was the Argent Crusade who breached the citadel first, and attacked the Frozen Throne.
The Templars live to set the example, but it is a long, arduous road. I see some who follow, and others who stay rooted in blind hatreds. There is sense in defending your homeland, but there is needless nonsense in choosing the lesser enemy first. The molten scar in Menethil made it clear enough for my eyes. Again, I thank the archdruid of Sunrise Brake for quickly rising to heal the wound, but now I question whether some scars need to remain open and fresh for others to learn the same harsh lesson.
I seek peace in Stormwind tonight. If I trusted portals far more, then perhaps I could spend my leave in Theramore, but I am not wholly without ally or comfort here. The city and I will perhaps never fully reconcile, but there are moments when I catch glimpses of its potential, as well as its more honorable colors. Taldrus, I see now, is one, but he is often disillusioned. He is not alone, but there is a growing quietness to him that leads me to question his thoughts as much as I do Koryander's. Again, it is a personal matter that I have left unattended – they are like wounds that grow.
Enough for tonight. It has become tradition for me to neglect a daily or weekly log – always a weakness of mine since my days as a new knight. I find myself always thinking of the long term, but never putting it to words. Considering the dangers of the Templars' latest missions, this is something that I need to change, and quickly.
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