Jaeni Wildmane

Jaeni is a tauren druidess. Even at her relatively young age, she has garnered significant respect with her elders in the Circle and has become a rather powerful member. She is currently helping restore the damage caused by Deathwing, though since most of her fellow druids are already doing the very same thing, she has been relieved of most of her duties for the time being as a reward for her efforts in Hyjal.
==History==
Jaeni's calfhood was fairly uneventful. Her tribe, as every other, was harassed by centaur, but she was lucky enough never to lose any close relatives or friends. This supposed luck made her a target for the other calves who had suffered more, and no matter how many times Jaeni tried to make friends with them, they kept berating, bullying and even beating her. The adults of her tribe were observant enough to stop anything horrible from happening, but children can be both crafty and cruel. A yank on her mane here, a kick on her shin there, pushing her into a ditch "by accident" as they walked by her... over the years Jaeni grew into a disillusioned, spiteful young woman, determinedly enduring the torment from her peers until one day she snapped, eventually driving her antagonists off by way of relentless, remorseless beatings returned for their transgressions.
Jaeni became known as one of the Wildmane tribe's best hunters, if also the least friendly one. She spent days alone in the wilderness, enjoying the sounds of nature around her, eventually gaining the trust of various small creatures around the Wildmane hunting grounds. She felt safe and comforted in the company of these animals, feeling they were the only ones who would never act with malice towards her. The animals started following her home, turning her tent into a miniature zoo - just the way she liked it. While initially becoming more and more friendly towards her tribe due to her improved mood, she eventually came to prefer the company of beasts, becoming something of a recluse, rarely speaking to anyone for twenty-five years barring the odd festivity - where she always surprised the other members of her tribe with an amiable personality and wide variety of trained animals, only to retreat back into her shell afterwards.
As might be expected, the arrival of the Horde and her race's subsequent alliance with the orcs turned Jaeni's world upside-down. After her tribe settled in Thunder Bluff, she found that she couldn't keep her animals with her anymore - going from a nomadic, free lifestyle to a static settlement without enough room to hunt had left the beasts growing restless and unruly, eventually becoming enough of a nuisance that she was asked to release them back into the wild. As she went into the Barrens, tearfully bidding farewell to her companions and friends, she noticed a member of the newly reformed order of tauren druids had been following her. And so began the most recent chapter in Jaeni's story.
She took to the druidic arts easily, mastering the art of shapeshifting especially quickly. Being able to not only communicate with, but also take the form of the animals she had loved for so long was a dream come true for her. Jaeni became extrovert, passionate and energetic, rare traits for a tauren but unsurprising knowing her history. However, as the years passed darker sides made themselves known. Jaeni fell in love several times, every fling ending in tragedy due to her possessive, excessively clingy attitude. She became quick to anger and slow to calm, ready to spill blood over the smallest slight. Her tour in Northrend only made things worse, her being pressed into service as a healer driving her into a deep depression, turning to even more uncharacteristic actions for a tauren, some of which are best not discussed here. Suffice to say, Jaeni thought she could use and abuse her body to make her mind forget everything. It didn't work. During this time, she gained her characteristic long fur, yellow eyes and dreadlocked mane.
She joined The Thousand Eyes during this unstable time in her life, quickly cementing her role as someone who wasn't very engaged in the guild's activities, but was both eccentric and very eager to fight anyone who opposed her or the Eyes in general. Her relationship with the Eyes has improved significantly along with the rest of her life, though now she often argues with Sage over her (in Jae's eyes, at least) more extreme views.
Ironically, the Cataclysm that ruined so much also saved Jaeni. Once again having a purpose, a cause she could believe in, she eagerly joined the Circle in healing the shattered world. However, try as she might, she was still as impulsive, reckless and sometimes downright feral in her attitude, something that both intrigued and frightened her... and worried her druidic peers.
Eventually, the cause of the psychological instability she had experienced since her becoming a druid was revealed: Jaeni's behaviour was a side effect of her unknowingly using imperfect shapeshifting techniques, bringing her dangerously close to the beast aspects druids use to change themselves. Her fellow druids were unsure if they should confront her about it, wondering if it was intentional, but after several incidents too serious to ignore they had to take action. Being forced to relearn the basics of shapeshifting, deal with the withdrawal-like symptoms of losing her dangerously strong connection to the animals she shifted into, and above all realizing the importance of respecting the judgement of her superiors was a humbling experience for Jaeni, who became calm and nonjudgmental to a fault in addition to her more normal and serene mental state brought on by her relief from the imperfect shapeshifting.
Presently, Jaeni is a calm, matronly woman in her prime, her demeanour sometimes making her seem older than she really is, trying to distance herself from her troubled past as much as possible. Currently on reluctant leave from her druidic duties in the wake of Deathwing's defeat, she is left wondering what the future might hold.
==Occupation==
Jaeni specializes in healing and druidic offensive magic, gracefully performing the balancing act between taking lives and preserving them, however she usually does the latter - since her shapeshifting re-education, Jaeni has become more reluctant to engage in combat. Since maturing during the Cataclysm, she has begun to take her duties as a druidess much more seriously, and only grudgingly accepted the Circle's offer to let her rest after her efforts in Hyjal as a matter of courtesy.
She treats her occupation as a healer with the utmost respect and seriousness, absolutely refusing to knowingly leave any injured or sick member of the Horde suffering, having seen enough death during the war in Northrend where she first took to the Restoration arts in earnest.
==Physical Traits and Personality==
Jaeni is quite attractive for a tauren (at least, to other tauren), with a somewhat unusual touch added by a long, dreadlocked mane reaching her lower back, her thick, soft fur and her bright yellow eyes, all of which are a result of her previous imperfect shapeshifting methods.
Most of the time, Jaeni is friendly and well-mannered, if a bit impatient at times. During the Cataclysm, she has had to mature a lot and has become more calm as a result. She still dislikes inaction, and if words fail she is always happy to settle disputes the old-fashioned way. When questioned about her earlier behaviour, she prefers not to discuss it with anyone other than her close friends.
Since switching focus from feral combat to restoration, Jaeni has become quite nurturing and motherly. She has gained a certain air of matronly arrogance, often speaking to difficult or complaining patients with the same affectionately condescending tone one would use to adress a child. Still, she does her best to stay friendly, smiling and caring to the best of her ability,
Likes:
*Healing
*Adventuring
*Reasonable people
*Children
Dislikes:
*Not healing
*Difficult patients
*Unreasonable people
*Unnecessary bloodshed
==Equipment and companions==
Having traveled all across the world and beyond it, Jaeni has gradually learned the importance of being prepared for any eventuality. Thus, she always carries the following items unless prevented by circumstance.
*Belt pouches - Between her access to druidic lore and skill in alchemy, Jaeni's knowledge of medicinal herbs and plants is nearly unmatched, always carrying several belt pouches with remedies for nearly any common ailment.
*Brewing kit - Traveling as often as she does, Jaeni quickly realized she might need potions at the drop of a hat. Therefore she bought this compact, efficient brewing kit from a goblin. She treats it warily, storing it in a wrapper of wet cloth when she's not using it just to be sure.
*Picture - A near-perfect representation of Stonebull Lake, in paper form. It was taken with a goblin camera, and is one of the few good things Jaeni considers the race to have brought to the world.
Adventuring has also come with some rather interesting friends for the druidess.
*Zamandormu, a male bronze drake. Having gained his friendship after rescuing him in the Caverns Of Time, one might think of him as an odd ally to Jaeni at first, having been somewhat of an opposite to her due to his seemingly unshakable calm, collected manner and preference for well thought-out strategies. Nevertheless, he has saved her life on many occassions with these plans, and Jaeni's recent maturation has led to a new appreciation for her friend's demeanour.
*Chayastrasza, a female red drake who bonded with Jaeni over their cooperative defense of Wyrmrest Temple during the war against the Blue Dragonflight. Jaeni often calls on her when she needs to fight, since Chaya's flames, healing abilities and hot-blooded temper suit that purpose well. However, she is not reckless, and was relieved when the source of Jaeni's psychological issues was identified and dealt with.
*Suhaku, a female nether drake. After gaining the trust of the Netherwing Dragonflight, Suhaku insisted she accompany Jaeni on her travels as a way of thanking her. As the youngest of Jaeni's draconic allies, she is excitable and curious to a fault in contrast to her impressive size (a result of the chaotic energies coursing through her native environment, Netherstorm), and often needs Jaeni to prevent her from running into danger. However, their impulsive tendencies compliment each other, and Jae has come to appreciate Suhaku's quick thinking and wit.
==Trivia==
*Jaeni tends not to hold grudges. She has a tendency to build up irrational anger over the course of an argument, and is ashamed of it.
*Jaeni adores Tasty Cupcakes.
*Jaeni has a rather schizophrenic tolerance for alcohol; she gets drunk quickly but can down an impressive amount of liquor before collapsing. For this reason, she doesn't drink very often.
Category:Characters
Category:Horde
Category:Tauren
Category:Chaotic Good
Category:Characters
Category:Chaotic Good
Category:Horde
Category:Druid
Category:Female