Character Profile: Tawyn Starshifter

"You know what they say about you, right? You know what they say about you in Teldrassil? They say you're a 'human in night elf's clothing'."

"Well... thank them for the compliment, will ya?"


Tawyn Starshifter comes from a long line of mostly hunters, with a smattering of druids here and there. The Starshifters have established themselves as a decently well-off family in Teldrassil and are rather known for producing various sorts of eccentric individuals-- though typically not eccentric enough to cause much of an uproar at all.

Tawyn grew up in a world isolated from the rest of Azerothian society; she was not born until long after the Well of Eternity incident, and her race was not involved in the First and Second wars of the Eastern Kingdoms. As such, she had a fairly idyllic and carefree childhood; running free among Teldrassil's lush lavender forests and making friends with its creatures. She was very much a tomboy and also became something of an oddity because of her natural curiosity and inclination for technology and the sciences, things which were largely ignored by the rest of her people. To her, the entire world and all its marvels was-- and still is-- a place full of wonder and excitement; whether that wonder and excitement stems from nature or from the hands of mortals, it makes little difference to her.

The Burning Legion and the Third War came to Kalimdor; although Tawyn had at this point reached adulthood and had just begun her training as a hunter in the way of her family, she was not seen as seasoned enough to provide help in battle and was kept on the sidelines. After Archimonde and the Burning Legion were seemingly destroyed, the reclusive night elves agreed to join forces with the Alliance. These humans, dwarves, and gnomes were such a curious bunch-- and whereas most of her peers seemed to look upon them with some moderate degree of disdain, they were fascinating and fiery to Tawyn.

Tawyn's training as a hunter resumed; her skill with the bow was rather above average but where she really shined was in her seemingly natural ability to communicate with the beasts of the forest and get them to show their best for her. She befriended an owl who she named Tux (no one is quite sure where the name came from) and despite a rocky start they soon developed a steadfast friendship.

Within a few years a small expedition was set up to send a few night elves from Tawyn's town to the Eastern Kingdoms and the human's capital city Stormwind to try and improve their newfound relations; Tawyn jumped at the chance and after a long journey across the ocean and trekking across foreboding marshlands and snowy mountains, Tawyn found herself in Stormwind.

And oh, what a city it was! Bustling and busy and full of these absolutely fascinating humans. These people were not nearly so reserved as her own, no, these were people who were passionate and impatient and had the ability to be either the most heroic adventurer or the most terrifying villian. They were brilliant and flawed and Tawyn wanted to be just like them.

So much so that when her expedition went back to Kalimdor a few weeks later, Tawyn refused to go. This caused more than a few eyebrows to be raised and some mumblings about "those blasted Starshifters" but they conceded to her wishes and left her there in that strange city that they all found so disquieting.

But to Tawyn, Stormwind was not a scary place. It was her new home. She quickly fell in step with a ragtag group of people banded together under the name of "Entelechy" led by a wizened old warlock named Lord Sentai Grehsk, who helped her get set up with a small home in the city. She continued her training as a hunter there through the watchful and seasoned eyes of the hunters in the Dwarven District, which perhaps is what inspired Tawyn's penchant for guns rather than the traditional bows of her people.

In the few years that have passed, she has fought countless battles in the name of her beloved city of Stormwind and proudly wears their tabard. She has ventured into the Outland and fought there, too, making herself and those of her guild known as heroes in many a situation. Her skills as a hunter have proven to be uncanny but she still strives to master them. Stormwind has recognized her contribution to the Alliance and has bestowed upon her their highest honorary rank; Darnassus, too, recognized her accomplishments some time later, for contrary to popular belief, she still loves the kaldorei and makes visits to Teldrassil when she can-- she just feels that she has incorporated her newfound "humanness" into her "night-elf-ness".

Tawyn is friendly and fond of a good joke and perhaps a little too fond of the bottle (as her friends know all too well); and her neverending sense of justice for the wronged and the weak has gotten her into trouble a time or two but it's just in her nature. Whether it's battling demons or heading off in search of the town's best whiskey, her friends are used to thinking "There goes Tawyn, off chasing another adventure..."