Oathmaker.

A Song of Fire and Ice:
"Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come."

My dear friend Señor once told me a man is nothing without his word: granted, these are not original sentiments, but originality is superfluous for vows to remain timeless. Inifinity is more fragile than we perhaps believe, or maybe our small human minds wilt under the heat of eternity. Meh. I don't know. If you Google the terms "oath WoW" you will see a number of links to the word oath in Azeroth, but I didn't find any specific pledges, vows, or oaths to be spoken.

From WoW Insider

As we all know, Velen does not pledge his allegiance: sometimes not taking an oath takes greater courage than accepting all alliances at face value. Promises and pledges should not be taken lightly, yet, they are mutable and plastic due to the very nature of the oath-sayer: we change, mutate, and fixed, rigid promises are only as good as the integrity of the barter, of the trade they are built upon. Every married couple on their wedding day intends those vows, and yet the divorce rate is alarmingly high. It is not the vows at fault, nor is it the breaking of them: perhaps they cannot be sustained in the era they are given.  But I digress, and this is not a personal reflection, merely a thesis on the nature of vows and oaths in general. What does the Night Watchman receive for his oath? The fealty of brotherhood, the security of position, or is it the basic, but overwhelming desire for purpose in life? Like many vows, I've come to discover, we are asked to take the vows long before we understand what it means, or how the promises impact our lives. "In sickness and in health" sounds charming when we've coddled a boyfriend through the sniffles, but altogether something very different when other maladies emerge, or even more crticial concerns and loss. But that's too serious to consider, allow me to steer it back: I've often joked that all babies should be second babies--motherhood is much more relaxed and confident enterprise with that second one. But no one can tell anyone that, just like you can't tell anyone who has not experienced the same things you have to have anything but sympathy: empathy is not an option.

In Azeroth, and my time spent there, I wonder what my own goals are, and wheres satisfaction lies. I have never seemed to fit anywhere--always a dilettante in any endeavor. This is not a "poor me" statement, or a "Blizzard must change something," no, on the contrary. It has allowed me to make my own vows, create my own promises, and be true to myself in a trajectory that has few equals. Try on a variety of roles, voices, playstyles, and plasticity that has been open and sweet.

I am so looking forward to see how the story unfolds: remember my friends, often in Azeroth I am not me, the scrubby human behind the screen.My character is Mataoka, a shaman, complicated and conflicted.

And she has pledged her vows:

I shall live worthy
To see Draenor reborn, to live by the Light
To mend the Broken, and share the Gift
I shall live worthy 
To hear the sounds of children, in freedom
To heal the sick, and give to those less fortunate
I shall live worthy
I pledge myself to others, so fortune favors us all
Wherever the path shall lead
I shall live worthy 
And we all shall be strong



Blog Azeroth: What vows would your character say, intend, or break, and to what allegiance? Would it be to class/race/specialization, deity, or ruler? This is quite a challenging Blog Azeroth topic, however, I know you are all up to it because you are amazing writers. 


Mantra