Illidan Stormrage

PLAYER INFORMATION
Name: Lea
Timezone: Central USA
Personal Journal: None
Player Contact: AIM: Emp Leareth
Plurk: friedunicorn
E-mail: dark_lord_leareth@yahoo.com
Characters in Game (previously too):
Nepeta Leijon (bloodpainter)

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: Illidan Stormrage
Canon: Warcraft
Gender: Male
Age: Over ten thousand years old
Suitability: N/A
Species: Demon/Night Elf Hybrid
Canon Point: End of Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne
World/Setting: N/A
History: Here.
Personality: One word to always keep in mind while thinking about Illidan is "destiny". He was born with golden eyes, which were said in Night Elf society to indicate a "glorious destiny". Though it was later revealed that what they actually indicated was a heightened capacity for druidism, there's no doubt that being told he was destined for great things shaped Illidan in many ways, good and bad. He believes, deep down, that he is meant to be a leader, to change the world, and to have his name written down as an important figure in history.

This view of himself comes into play a lot when we consider his actions, his plans, and most of all his interaction with those around him. Though boastful and arrogant, he's usually working for the benefit of those around him, or at least what he sees as such. He makes daring plans, takes risks, and even goes borderline self-sacrificial all in the name of saving those around him, though how much of that is due to caring for them and how much is due to his desire to be recognized is debatable.

Things are made more interesting when we note how these plans turn out. Perhaps his biggest success was infiltrating the highborne in the War of the Ancients, where he managed to get the Demon Soul, gain new power from Sargeras, open a route to attack the Well of Eternity, and played a major part in shutting down the portal leading the demons of the Burning Legion into Kalimdor. Ironically, this fake defection was a large part of what earned him his title "The Betrayer", and despite the role he played his fellow Night Elves were leery of him even before he recreated the Well, an act he believed to be necessary lest the Legion return, as without the power of magic, they might not be able to win against them a second time. He was imprisoned for ten thousand years with a woman who had a personal grudge against him that easily reached obsession as his jailor as a result of this act. Small wonder he finally ran out of patience for his people as a whole.

Still, even then, he does keep affection for two of them, namely his brother Malfurion and his childhood friend and long-time crush (and Malfurion's lover), Tyrande Whisperwind. His relationship with his brother is particularly interesting, as Malfurion has achieved many things Illidan only dreams of, gaining the "grand destiny" Illidan sought as the first and greatest druid, being heralded as a saviour, and of course, winning Tyrande's heart. Unsurprisingly, Illidan feels a serious amount of jealousy towards his brother, twisted to hate at times when he thinks, or is pushed into thinking, too hard about what Furion has that he doesn't. Yet even despite that, he's shown to care for Furion and want his approval. One of the first things he said upon being freed from his imprisonment (though this was to himself) was that he intended to show Malfurion that the demons had no hold over him. His desire for approval and recognition probably shows itself the most in his relationship with his brother, and it genuinely hurts him, though he tries to hide it, when Malfurion withholds that approval. Their relationship is probably summed up best in the final thing Illidan ever says to him.

"We have had much strife between us, my brother. I have known only ages of hate for you. But for my part, I wish it to end. From this day forward, let there be peace between us."

With Tyrande, things are equally complicated, but largely for different reasons. In many ways, Illidan views her as much as a goal to be obtained as he does a person. This isn't to say he dehumanizes (or rather, de-night-elfs) her, but he can often get lost in his desire to have her by his side and be incapable of fathoming why she wouldn't want to be there. This was especially a problem back in the days before his imprisonment, but it surfaces later on as well, when she's assisting Malfurion and Maiev in attempting to recapture him after he kills off many of the wardens trying to bring him back to his imprisonment, and he demands to know why she's with Malfurion and not him.

That said, he clearly still cares for her, and honors her decisions, as later on after saving her from an entrapment by a legion of undead horrors, he carries her safely back to Furion and never seems to even consider the possibility of taking her with him instead. It's probably this moment that shows best that although Illidan would much rather Tyrande was with him, he's not going to get all Nice Guy about it and try to take her from his brother. Granted he might have considered it during the War, but that's a side of him that he thankfully seems to have put to rest.

Beyond those two, his primary relationships with others are either adversarial or that of a leader. He almost never seems to place others as equals, though that's not to say he talks down to them or belittles those with him, in fact he's a very good leader. He just expects his commands to be followed and his will to be obeyed. This is largely shown in his relationships with Vashj and Kael'thas, his primary subordinates. Fortunately, neither of them have any real objection to his orders, as by and large they tend to make sense. Every so often one of them will interject with a comment or suggestion (usually Kael) and more often than not Illidan will consider it fairly, showing that he may consider himself on top, but he still values their opinions.

One of the suggestions he agrees to is to save the village of a group called the Broken Draenei (though they simply call themselves Draenei), an act of compassion that earns him their loyalty. While this could just be an "enemy of my enemy" situation, it's just as likely that Illidan genuinely did want to help them, and their aid was simply a bonus. After all, he already had several powerful allies and a great deal of strength in his own right. Regardless, when the Draenei leader Akama pledges his aid to Illidan as a result, he doesn't hesitate for a moment to welcome them into his forces and place them under his protection.

And that's really another important thing to keep in mind about Illidan. Every action he makes could have many different motives, and it's hard to tell which one was his true one. Did he revive the Well of Eternity to feed his own addiction for power, or to ensure the world had a source of magic to aid in fighting the Legion should they ever return? Did he take Prince Kael'thas and the Blood Elves in to help them with their addiction magic, or just to bolster his fighting forces? Was he trying to save the world from the Lich King when he attacked Northrend, or just attempting to pacify Kil'Jaeden's anger? Most likely, the answer to all those and more questions which could be raised about him lies somewhere in the middle, though he'd always give the answer which paints him in the best light.

In the end, despite all his flaws it's hard to say Illidan is truly a bad person. He's dangerous, reckless, arrogant, selfish and a dozen other unpleasant things, but he can also be compassionate, generous, noble, even wise. He has all the makings of either a great hero or a great villain, but it's hard to tell which one he'll finally prove to be... if either.

Abilities/Weaknesses: Illidan is extremely powerful. His abilities include:

Skilled in physical combat
Talented and practiced mage
Ability to sense magic
Laser eyes
Heightened non-sight senses
Flight
Enhancement of basically all the above due to demonic power
Ability to temporarily transform into a demon and become even more absurdly strong

His primary weakness is his pride, which is actually kind of an enormous flaw and has lead to his downfall several times in the past. He's also blind, but as he's honed his other senses to compensate this isn't really that much of a disability.

RP Samples: One:

Two:

Doors in the castle were not made for enormous bat-winged demons.

Illidan grumbled irritably to himself as he stooped through the one in front of him, once again knocking his horns on the doorframe to his continued irritation. Folding his wings against his back almost painfully, he managed to squeeze through and sighed in relief as he stepped out into the fresh air. Sure it was cold as all get out, but he was strong, he could deal with that.

Of course, there was the mild problem of him not really knowing where in the world he was going. He'd stepped out to explore the new world he found himself in, but now he had no idea where to start.

After a bit of thought, his nose started to lead him down to the village. He followed the scent of milling people until he reached the crowds, then moved away from them, ignoring the hushed whispers and murmurs of fear as the demon walked through the crowds. He focused a bit harder, smelling for metal and listening for hammers falling on anvils. He managed to find his way to the blacksmith rather quickly.

Navigating the door with a bit more ease this time, he stood before the tall, strong man who he could hear was quivering in his boots at the sight of the monster before him. He folded his arms and attempted to look as fearsome as possible, which was pretty darn fearsome.

"I require the fashioning of a pair of blades. Crescent in shape, with handles in the middle. Name your price, craftsman."

The man stammered out a price that was far lower than such a demand should rate, and Illidan smirked. Intimidation was so very useful.

"Done. You shall receive your payment as soon as my blades are completed. I shall be stopping by once each day to check on your progress until then."

He could practically hear the poor blacksmith's breathing stop for the moment. Restraining a chuckle, he turned and went back outside in a far better mood.

You were very certain you knew the way, and yet following you cost us at least three days of travel. I am unamused, Kael.

[The fire fox trotting along on the ground only responds to this with a sniff and a turned away head, dismissing his trainer's irritation completely. Illidan would roll his eyes if he still had them.]

Well, we are out now, which is what really matters, but I'm sorely tempted to delay your access to a fire stone for this incident once we actually reach Goldenrod.

[That statement gets Kael's attention back very quickly, and he immediately whips his head around to start jabbering angrily at his trainer, who simply arches a brow at him.]

You don't think that's fair? You wasted the rest of the team's time, and mine. A delay for you seems like quite a fitting punishment. And you can't argue that you dealt with a great deal of the wild opponents we met along the way. We wouldn't have run into them if not for you.

[Kael responds to this with what can only be described as a pout, and turns his head away again. Illidan snickers under his breath and addresses the gear more quietly.]

Quite the remarkable desire to evolve, he has. Tell me, you others out there in Johto, have you encountered any other Pokemon so eager to... change themselves?

[The gear switches on to near total darkness, save for a strange pair of tiny red-orange lights, illuminating Illidan's brooding face from the very middle of it. Yes, his eyes appear to be glowing behind the blindfold. Though the glow flickers a bit every now and then for some reason.]

My Pokemon have recently begun acting very strangely.

[The tiny squeak of a Vulpix from above chimes in, and the two lights turn a bit, the sound of a pat on something soft (probably the same Vulpix) echoing strangely. Well, not too strangely. He's obviously in a cave, after all.]

Kael is being exceptionally affectionate, while Vashj has suddenly become more hostile than usual. And given her temper this is no easy feat. The wild ones in here seem suddenly more drawn to us as well.

I have heard several complaints of some sort of "disease" spreading, but as far as I can tell I myself have not been affected by anything close to the scope of that affliction. Although I do have one symptom. My eye sockets appear to be much... warmer than they were before.

... But perhaps that is only my imagination.

[No, Illidan, no it is not.]

[There's a thunderous roar as soon as the gear turns on, but Illidan seems unperturbed. He just turns to the side calmly.]

Calm yourself, Vashj. You do not wish to frighten the most recent addition to the group, do you?

[He tosses a pokeball in the air and catches it.] This Dunsparce was as difficult to find as I was told. I'd rather not render it useless due to fear of its own partners after expending so much effort.

[The response is a growl from the Gyarados as she slides along next to him.]

You will be grateful for its assistance eventually.

[She scoffs and turns her head away, but he merely chuckles, amused, before returning his attention to the gear.]

A question. If one has the advantage of type in a fight, how many levels of power below an enemy can you be and still win? Assume for this that the enemy has not taught their Pokemon moves that would be useful against types they are vulnerable to.

[After about a week of trudging along in silence save for talking to his Gible, Illidan has finally become curious enough to bring something up over the gear.]

The closer I get to this next city, the more foul this stench becomes... I assume this is what has everyone so up in arms.

[Why yes, he has been paying attention to the situation over the gear. Not that it really matters as he's not even halfway past Cherrygrove.]

I'd like an explanation from someone not panicked enough to provide a decent one.

And while I'm asking questions, at which point of the journey do the creatures in this world begin to get actually impressive? Small birds, rats, and larvae are not what I think of when I consider viable combat options. Though I suppose the larvae might metamorph into useful forms given time...

[His Gible opens its mouth, as if to agree...

And promptly bites Illidan's hand. He gives it a blank look through his blindfold.]

Stop doing that. It's very annoying.