A tattered journal page: The death of Derriah Rotherhide

by **Raenmar** Sun Apr 28, 2013 4:24 am

I found this while I was looking through the old Ravenholdt RP forum. It's a couple of years old, from back in the GLF's glory days in Fenris Keep, and it's a bit messy (maybe because I was so emotional while I was writing it. It was some sad RP). I was considering cleaning it up a bit but it seemed more fitting to leave it how it is.

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Commander Raenmar Alric. 29th October.
It's been a long day. I sat with Derriah until sunrise. I talked to her, cried on her. I thought, maybe she could hear me, wherever she is now. Maybe it'd do some good to apologize, to tell her I appreciated her. If I'd had the chance to tell her before she passed, everything would be so different now.

Of course, the day was mostly work as normal. I had to hide the pain of loss no different to hiding the pain of my wounds. I promoted Dumon to sergeant; he'll do well, I know that. But I still miss Rotherhide; perhaps I always will. No different to how she.. how she missed people all this time. Anyway, once I'd promoted him, I put him in charge of the keep's defense. He's been organizing patrols and the like.

I took him and Private Miral on an offensive against the murlocs. We took the mortars; cleared two islands, thanks for some skilled demolition work from Dumon. They chased us, which was quite a sight. We made it back to the keep and closed the gates behind us, and the archers dealt with them from there.

We found a wild cat lying around the keep. It had kittens. Winga was given permission to stay at the keep for a while from Hadell, so I've asked her to look after the cats; maybe help us heal the wildlife on the island, too.

Bensson's still in a coma. Poor lad. I don't know if he'll ever open his eyes again, but we can't give up on him yet. Baker and Crown have been tending him and the other wounded since the ambush. Their dedication truly inspires even me. Speaking of which, Baker got his promotion to corporal today; he was proud, I could see. And he deserved it.

We also got a new recruit, Jhona Varghese. A priest. She's a friendly enough girl, and it's good to have someone to... see off those who we've lost when the time comes.

And yet, perhaps the most important event - to me, at least - that's happened today, I've left until last. I didn't even know if I could bring myself to write it, and I know this page will be stained with many tears after I've attempted. But even after all Derriah went through, she still wrote. Then so should I.

Kira turned up at the keep. She was a good friend of Derriah's, that I knew. She'd came to visit her, to welcome her and to see how she was doing. She had no idea what had happened. I took her through to the barracks, and I told her everything. She broke down. She cried for what seemed like hours by her side. I had everyone leave the room; Nuruc was stubborn as always, but he left in the end.

I talked to her for a while. I told her Derriah went to a better place. That she was free, to see her family again. Whether I believe in such an afterlife is irrelevant. We can only hope for such a thing, and that Derriah arrived there safely. She certainly deserves some peace.

After a while, I told Kira that we needed to go through her possessions. She hesitated, and then nodded. We sat down together. I pulled open a sack and reached inside. I pulled some clothes out first, along with soap, a toothbrush. The normal things. And, next, I took out a necklace; a long silver chain, with a small pendant attached. I could see that Kira was about to cry as I handed her the necklace. Hell, I was too.

"This is beautiful," I told her. "Keep it, and look after it." I forced a smile, but what I pulled out next only tore me apart more. A photograph; a tall, black-haired brown-eyed man. Next to him, a woman, about two inches shorter. She looked happy. I looked closer, and I realized it was Derriah. Derriah, before the scars and the torment. And, in between them, a young girl - only eight or so. They looked so happy together. The smile on Derriah's face was a smile I'd never seen on her before.

I asked Kira if she really wanted to see it. She nodded. I held out the photograph, feeling my tears running down my cheeks. She held it, and she stared at it for a while. And then, when she handed it back to me, I pulled out the last item: a diary. Neither of us really knew whether or not to open it. I told her, "This diary is about the bad things in her life. She's free from all of that now. I think we should bury it with her, not open it." She agreed, and so, I kept the diary and the photograph with me.

As Kira left the room, she fainted in the hall - most likely from the shock. We took her, we put her in a bed. And then, I carried on with my day; I had no choice.

Then, later, I talked to Jhona for a while. I got the idea to read the diary. I won't even begin to write the horrors that I read - that she went through. I cried through it. I read every page, and then I threw it at her bed, and I sat down and cried. Jhona hugged me, took me to bed. What must she think of her commander, whimpering like a child? But that's irrelevant now.

I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but nightmares tormented me. All I could think about was her tragic, painful life. And it's made me realize who we're fighting, and why.

All of this time, I've told my people not to hate the Horde. I've told them that it's wrong to hold prejudice. I remember, when we first arrived at Fenris, I demoted Rotherhide for killing a Forsaken 'innocent'.

And yet, I realize now. I realize why she disobeyed a direct order to do so. Because the Forsaken never hesitated in killing her innocent daughter. They didn't hesitate to infect her with their vile plague.

And now I've decided. I shall no longer hesitate to destroy every Forsaken that I come across. I won't hold my forces back to let the enemy retreat. The Forsaken and all those who would ally with them deserve nothing more than banishment from existence. Derriah was right all along.

We'll get them for you, Derriah. Every last one of them. Rest now, with Lauren and George.