Elthinkle Shortshiv

"He taught me the very fundamentals of who I am today. His name was Thimble Twistblast."

- Elthinkle Shortshiv

Elthinkle Shortshiv is an officer of the Survivor Assistance Facilitation Expedition, or S.A.F.E. She is an experienced hand-to-hand combatant with years worth of knowledge exploring Khaz Modan at a relatively young age. In correspondence to her achievements, Elthinkle has developed enhanced senses of her surroundings and for that is one of S.A.F.E.'s most trusted members.

Youth
Before the birth of Elthinkle, the Mekkawizzle family were struggling to help protect their son, Bilris. Cog-Waddle was known for its crime and death rate, which made it difficult to raise a stable family there. Due to their financial status, they were unable to move to a more secure location in preparation for Elthinkle. Eventually agreeing upon staying in Cog-Waddle and being extra wary of the visitors, Fimzy gave birth to their newborn daughter, Elthinkle.

All things considered, her early life in Cog-Waddle went smoothly and there were no interruptions. In fact, Elthinkle would actively visit the local centre to meet new people and become familiar with the area. Bilris and Elthinkle got along quite well as they would grow up together and often gossip about the stereotypical appearance seen on gnomes, alongside her little sister, Bixitwink. Her style of fashion was quite outlandish and would stand out amongst the crowd. Gelzo searched for any work possible to assist the family as much as possible, which was mainly labour. His hard work wore him out on most days, and never had time to properly teach Elthinkle.

Because of her parents' endless nights of working, Elthinkle was left with no choice but to rely on learning about the gnomish culture that she grew up with. Soon transitioning into a preadolescent, rumours were spreading around Cog-Waddle about the constant death threats that Elthinkle's parents were receiving for 'exploiting' a bogus deal that a local resident made between her father. He was well aware of the situation and was in negotiation with friends they recently met in Gnomeregan. Because of their children's safety, Elthinkle and her siblings were evicted from the Mekkawizzle family and moved into their new family, the Cogsparks. This was very demoralising for Elthinkle as it was likely she was never going to see her family and childhood house again.

Life was suddenly different for Elthinkle. Her view of the world was obstructed and became more curious about her fate. From what she observed during her childhood, Elthinkle extended her knowledge on tinkering and began experimenting with tools Belbik had stored in his workshop. Although spending most of her time constructing insignificant gadgets, she found more interest in combat than pursuing her father's occupation. In order to conceptualise her motive, Elthinkle was serviced as a trainee at the Gnomeregan Special Forces Academy to harness the effectiveness of her tactical and martial arts expertise. Fortunately, Lysslyfizz taught her what she knew already about combat to support Elthinkle.

Throughout her adolescence, she also learnt additional languages such as Dwarven and Common. Between her mid to late teens, Elthinkle stumbled upon a mentor at the Gnomeregan Special Forces Academy, Thimble Twistblast. The two became quite intimate during her service at the Gnomeregan Special Forces Academy because of their similarities and ambitions. This derived from his public speaking and numerous campaigns to reform Gnomeregan, most specifically Cog-Waddle.

Towards the end of adolescence, unfortunate news had transpired, shocking the whole community of Cog-Waddle. Gelzo was killed during a home invasion and were unsure of any suspected murderers, but the reasoning behind it was personal to Elthinkle. When she still lived with her parents, the suspicious thieves wanted to retrieve her while she was still a child, which was discussed during the bogus deal her father exploited. Fimzy escaped the home invasion and fled as distant as possible from Gnomeregan to purposely hide her identity amongst the community in Cog-Waddle. It was later confirmed that the suspected killer’s name was Dimo Whistledata.

Ironforge
Cog-Waddle was left untreated and created an exposed outlet for crime, which convinced Elthinkle to seek refuge in Ironforge as she developed a basic understanding of the dwarven language and felt relatively safer outside of Gnomeregan. Despite Elthinkle's relationship with her stepparents, she soon moved to Ironforge so she could escape from Cog-Waddle's crude nature with the cost of disconnecting from her friends and mentor, Thimble.

Upon departing from Gnomeregan to move into her new home in Ironforge, Elthinkle's siblings would follow her footsteps under the same circumstances. The three were curious about their allies' relation to their people and how living there differs from Gnomeregan. To no surprise, Ironforge was a welcoming change and opened a lot of opportunities for Elthinkle to discover.

Since the ending of the Second War was approaching, the dwarves of Khaz Modan recently experienced an influx of tension in relation to protecting their land from the Horde. Such involvement left them in despair and was incredibly enduring, making it exceedingly difficult to meet anyone of interest. Elthinkle resulted in learning more about dwarven culture to easily situate herself between the people of Ironforge.

Searching for Purpose
After settling into Ironforge, Elthinkle obtained a position as a mercenary to present her wits and abilities, as well as fulfilling her aspiration in becoming an established fighter. Most of the territories that were overruled by the Horde in Khaz Modan during the Second War had severely recovered with heavy losses, but minor footholds were still scattered across the mountains of Dun Morogh that were Horde dominated.

Abruptly, Elthinkle was assigned a mission to infiltrate a camp that was recently discovered by Ironforge Guard. The contractor vowed to provide a bountiful supply of goods in favour of her efforts. Without hesitance, she began her journey to search for the recently uncovered foothold among the mountains. Passionately reaching to the top of the mountain through a hard-fought blizzard above the valleys, Elthinkle slept throughout the night to wait for the strength of the wind to reduce.

Steadily awakening from unconsciousness, Elthinkle is found captive in the Horde camp near her location. As the orcs prepared to execute Elthinkle, Bhargran Steelbraid encounters the camp and disrupts them before they cause any damage. Shooting the chains cuffed around her wrists, Elthinkle scrambled relentlessly and slaughtered the camp of orcs. She was redirected to the nearest outpost by Bhargran for reassurance following the incident.

After returning to Ironforge, Elthinkle confronted the contractor about the ambush and reported his actions accordingly. The request was prioritised by the Ironforge Military and resulted in the contractor's inevitable exile from dwarven land for betraying the Kingdom of Ironforge. Further notice was governed by the dwarves of Ironforge to change her surname suited to her profession for surviving the death-defying quest.

Friendship with Bhargran
Fear remained as Elthinkle bared the sleepless nights, hoping she was no longer vulnerable to the Horde. After recovering from the journey, Elthinkle became friends with Bhargran as she would embrace his benevolent personality, which continued to develop significantly through most of her adulthood. Once adapting to her new lifestyle in Ironforge and declaring forfeiture upon Elthinkle's contractor, Bhargran helped search for a new hobby to occupy her time while continuing to pursue errands as a hired mercenary.

Elthinkle became fond of hunting inside Dun Morogh alongside Bhargran; a mountaineer who preferred valuing his past-time discovering the details of his homeland. In return for partnering with Bhargran, he dethroned himself to provide aid for Elthinkle so that she could understand the principle of surviving and gathering resources without any additional assistance.

Impressed by her capabilities, Bhargran decided to teach Elthinkle how to use his single-shot blunderbuss long rifle, including skinning and leatherworking. Now prepared to face the wilderness from long distances, Bhargran convinced Elthinkle to participate in the recent opening of the forthcoming mountaineer training programme stationed within Dun Morogh after willing to cooperate with Bhargran in his endeavours.

Enrolling as one of Ironforge's first gnome candidates to be in the programme was enticing to Elthinkle seeing that she made an honourable decision to represent Gnomeregan respectively. Because of her considerably recognisable expertise, she was recruited into the Ironforge Military as a gnomish mountaineer. Bhargran was most certainly proud of Elthinkle, granting her usage of one his most profound and distinctive pistols: the Matilda.

Fall of Gnomeregan
Closely obliged to investigate the human city, Stormwind, Elthinkle became more familiar with races of the Alliance as she contributed to many jobs affiliated with her mercenary profession such as opposing the Defias Brotherhood and cooperating with other mercenaries that sought to bring justice to criminals and assassins alike inside the Kingdom of Stormwind. Prior to her work in Stormwind, Elthinkle observed the effects of the Third War from Azeroth to Khaz Modan. The aftermath became increasingly prevalent and soon led to the fall of Gnomeregan following the excavation of the previously titan-forged facility, Uldaman.

Desperately looking for answers, Elthinkle rushes back to Ironforge, only to discover her people's capital city being decimated in front of her eyes. Gnomes were instantly evacuated as they attempt to fight their way out of the city while soldiers gun down any invading troggs on the lower level of Gnomeregan. Its city's defences were inefficient during the breach and failed to protect the citizens of Gnomeregan, leading to heavy casualties, as well as fatalities. Consequently, the dwarves of Ironforge had no choice but to remove existing residents of Ironforge to allow room for the gnomish refugees.

Although the gnomes who escaped were able to protect themselves in time, Elthinkle couldn't resist thoughts about the possible death of her stepparents and most importantly the destruction of Cog-Waddle. Numerous gnome tinkers and engineers hurried to construct their newly founded district, Tinker Town. Hundreds of gnomes required medical attention and were treated slowly over time as they create a more established and functional town. After the troggs invaded Gnomeregan, Tinker Town acted as the gnome's new official home to most newborns in Ironforge. For convenience, Elthinkle soon transitioned to Tinker Town so she could nurse the remaining gnomes that reached Ironforge.

Days after moving to Tinker Town, Elthinkle waited patiently for Thimble and her stepparents to arrive, happily enticed to start a new life in Ironforge. Alas, no sign of those she knew showed up, concluding to their death by assumption.

Recovery
The events of the Third War always beckoned Elthinkle to protect Gnomeregan and support the citizens of her city. Vengeance was a damned trait she received after Sicco Thermaplugg's hazardous undertaking in tainting Gelbin Mekkatorque's reputation purposely. The gas that was released during the invasion annihilated almost eighty per cent of the population, deeming it a catastrophic failure. The fallout diseased and mutated the population of Gnomeregan as they helplessly roamed around, believing gnomes to be trogg invaders. Unfortunately, the travesty now laid in the hands of her people to gradually eradicate all leper gnomes, making it a stressful occurrence for Elthinkle. To remedy the issue, she resolved to accept the role of a nurse temporarily as an attempt to convey her desire to help the gnomes of Tinker Town as they recover from the invasion.

In recognition of his contributions towards improving Cog-Waddle, a ceremony for Thimble was hosted at the mountain range facing Gnomeregan to commemorate the loss of a compassionate leader. Standing firm, Twistblast's peers sobbed as the candles began glittering in the darkness to grant their final farewell.

Operation: Gnomeregan
With almost twenty per cent of the population mended from Thermaplugg's menace against Gnomeregan, they were able to recoup and form a functional military powerful enough to oppose Thermaplugg for his treacherous actions regarding the nation. Revenge was a viable option for the residents of Tinker Town, and Gelbin's strategic outlook on the situation meant it was time to repel the leper gnomes from Gnomeregan. In desperation, the High Tinker published the recruitment posters for their contemporary operation.

As the recruitment for Operation: Gnomeregan was available to all physically capable civilians and militarists of the nation, Elthinkle took interest and applied to fight for her people under Gelbin's command. Members of the Alliance were noticed of the planned attack and accepted to help retake Gnomeregan in the best of their ability, which made it significantly easier to acquire what was lost from a once-flourishing metropolis. Juggling multiple jobs simultaneously was challenging for Elthinkle, but she managed to follow through and prepare for the inevitable defeat of Thermaplugg.

After the fall of Arthas Menethil, the Alliance were now prepared to make a full assault with Gelbin in targeting Gnomeregan's airfield and surface command post. Upon completion of their tasks, the rallied exiles of Gnomeregan stormed into the city, successfully tearing through Thermaplugg's irradiated soldiers. Elthinkle and the others fought their way endlessly through crowds of troggs, gasping for fresh air as they battle in the radiation. Barely able to rest in time, Thermaplugg continued to delay the assault. Gradually reaching to the central platform, Elthinkle and her allies were unexpectedly led into a trap; the Irradiator 3000 was bound to explode within 10 seconds of their brief arrival. As they escaped the explosion via teleportation, Operation: Gnomeregan was considered complete. Elthinkle situated herself in Tinker Town again to ease off from the attack.

Shortly after Operation: Gnomeregan, the Survivor Assistance Facilitation Expedition was founded as Gnomeregan's first organisation to eliminate dangers and provide clearance for those who were still trapped within the city. Destined to assist the gnomes of Gnomeregan from its radiation, Elthinkle enlisted as an operative of S.A.F.E. Her contribution to the war effort during Operation: Gnomeregan deemed Elthinkle a courageous and trustworthy asset to the organisation; she was now officially a member of the Survivor Assistance Facilitation Expedition prior to the Shattering.

Hope
While negotiating the future of Gnomeregan following the operation, the main leader of S.A.F.E., Nevin Twistwrench, came to the conclusion of establishing a new foothold outside of Gnomeregan as a new ground for his troops. The opening of New Tinkertown was the beginning of a new chapter for Elthinkle as everything she'd hoped for was finally becoming a reality. Partaking on such a straining job meant Elthinkle's only course of action was to prioritise saving Gnomeregan and retire from her previous occupations.

During her life in Gnomeregan, Thimble was renowned as 'the voice of Cog-Waddle' for empowering the community of his hometown and driving crime out of Cog-Waddle, which forged him into an idealistic role model. His passion for helping others inspired Elthinkle to continue his legacy by spreading his name and possess the habit of mentoring the youth when possible.

Long after her debriefing with Nevin, Elthinkle met Thema Fastmaster, who was one of her students. Thema often accompanied Elthinkle on her darkest days in rescuing her people from the radiation, regardless of how capable she was. Proud of her efforts in volunteering for S.A.F.E. in the best of her ability, Elthinkle suggested the Gnomeregan Covert Operations since Thema's temporary participation in the Gnomeregan Military provided a headstart for recruitment. Keen to start her career as a rogue similarly to her mentor, Elthinkle, Thema convinced her to partake on the role aswell.

Eventually agreeing upon her idea, Elthinkle and Thema were enlisted into the Gnomeregan Covert Operations. Their collaboration together led to becoming friends with Thema, and often she would call Thema 'Elthinkle's sidekick' in a hysterical way of showing her appreciation. Elthinkle was already learning how to overcome situations that she had never encountered before as they were more focused on supplying aid for the Alliance rather than placing Gnomeregan as their primary objective. Nevertheless, Elthinkle's service in Gnomeregan Covert Operations influenced her to stand by the Alliance and began assisting them with the aftermath of the Cataclysm.

Snowball
WIP.

Fool's Game
WIP.

Personality
Depicted from her actions towards rescuing the people from her beloved city, Gnomeregan, Elthinkle is a compassionate and ambitious person. Whether it would be related to Sicco Thermaplugg or simply losing what she loved dear, Elthinkle despises evildoers who disturb her allies unless their motive is justified. Leadership is apparent when associated with her motives as she is determined to aspire the less fortunate. As a result of her experiences, Elthinkle has developed a rather persistent personality that has benefited herself and others' lives, which is apparent from her accomplishments in S.A.F.E.

Notes and trivia

 * Elthinkle is referred to as Ellie, which is presumably her nickname.
 * Elthinkle is heterosexual.
 * She is still learning how to speak fluently in Common.
 * Elthinkle has a minimal dwarvish accent.
 * Elthinkle is 91.44 centimetres in height.
 * Surprisingly, Elthinkle prefers the outdoors.
 * Her favourite animal is a rabbit.
 * "Shortshiv" can be viewed as a potential goblin surname, intentionally mimicking the similarities of the two races.
 * Elthinkle was originally going to be a tinker.
 * Elthinkle has previously undergone several appearance changes that are considered out of character.