Elthinkle Shortshiv

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

- Elthinkle Shortshiv

Elthinkle Shortshiv (formerly Elthinkle Mekkawizzle) is an officer of the Survivor Assistance Facilitation Expedition and covert operative of the Gnomeregan Covert Operations. Before moving to Ironforge, Elthinkle was mentored by Thimble Twistblast at the Gnomeregan Special Forces Academy while undergoing extensive training. As Wobblecog grew onto her self-consciousness, Elthinkle became a hired mercenary to escape the past and venture beyond Khaz Modan at a relatively young age.

Tragically losing her friends and family during the fall of Gnomeregan, Elthinkle united with the exiles of Gnomeregan during Operation: Gnomeregan under Gelbin Mekkatorque's command to defeat Sicco Thermaplugg. She proceeded to join the Gnomeregan Military to reconquer her nation's city and start a new life inside New Tinkertown.

Realising her mistake after murdering her father's killer, Dimo Whistledata, Elthinkle turned herself in to act against her grievance until being interrupted by the Burning Legion's arrival to Azeroth. Fighting alongside her allies added to Elthinkle's fidelity with the Armies of Legionfall and ongoing evaluation to her combativeness - that is - discovering shadow magic.

Since Mechagon Island's recent discovery by the Alliance and Horde, Elthinkle has situated herself amongst the townsfolk of Rustbolt and is now fascinated in its culture whilst acquiring an appeal for archaeology.

Youth


Before the birth of Elthinkle, the Mekkawizzle family were struggling to help protect their son, Bilris. Wobblecog 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 Wobblecog and being extra wary of the visitors, Fimzy Mekkawizzle gave birth to their newborn daughter, Elthinkle.

All things considered, her early life in Wobblecog 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, Emma. Her style of fashion was quite outlandish and would stand out amongst the crowd. Gelzo Mekkawizzle 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 she grew up with. Soon transitioning into a preadolescent, rumours were broadening inside Wobblecog concerning the constant death threats Elthinkle's parents were receiving for 'exploiting' a bogus deal 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 Patrick Cogspark had stored in his workshop. Although spending most of her time constructing insignificant gadgets, she found more interest in combat than pursuing Patrick's occupation. In order to conceptualise her motive, Elthinkle enrolled as a trainee at the Gnomeregan Special Forces Academy to harness the effectiveness of her tactical and martial arts expertise. Fortunately, Jyxall Cogspark taught her what she already knew about combat to support Elthinkle.

Throughout her adolescence, she also learned 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 Wobblecog.

Towards the end of adolescence, unfortunate news had transpired, shocking the whole community of Wobblecog. 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 Wobblecog. It was later confirmed that the suspected killer’s name was Dimo Whistledata.

Ironforge


Wobblecog 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 adoptive parents, she soon moved to Ironforge so she could escape from Wobblecog's crude nature at the cost of disconnecting from her friends and mentor, Thimble Twistblast.

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 the Ironforge Guard. The contractor vowed to provide a bountiful supply of goods in favour of her efforts. Without hesitation, 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 made a halt near the camp to let the intensity of the weather conditions reduce.

Resting close to the Horde made Elthinkle a susceptible victim once they discovered her location and rummaged through Elthinkle's belongings, until knocking her unconscious before being taken to their designated labour camp. She was found captive in the Horde camp by Bhargran Steelbraid. As the orcs prepared to execute Elthinkle, he 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 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 pastime discovering the details of his homeland. In return for partnering with Bhargran, he dethroned himself to provide aid for Elthinkle so 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 in 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 she made an honourable decision to represent Gnomeregan respectively. Because of her recognisable talent, 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 regarding the possible death of her adoptive parents and most importantly the destruction of Wobblecog. 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 Twistblast and her adoptive parents 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 was now laid in the hands of her people to gradually eradicate all leper gnomes, making it a stressful occurrence for Elthinkle. By potentially utilising her expertise in first aid since she was a trainee at the Gnomeregan Special Forces Academy, Elthinkle became a qualified medic in the Gnomeregan Military to help the gnomes of Tinker Town recover from the invasion.

In recognition of his contributions towards improving Wobblecog, a ceremony for Thimble Twistblast 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 Sicco 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 Mekkatorque'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 notified of the planned attack and accepted to help retake Gnomeregan to 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 Mekkatorque 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 battled 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 for the survivors to reinstate themselves. The opening of New Tinkertown was the beginning of a new chapter in Elthinkle's life as everything she'd hoped for was finally becoming a reality. Partaking in 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 Twistblast was renowned as 'the voice of Wobblecog' for empowering the community of his hometown and driving crime out of Wobblecog, 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 an advantage for recruitment. Eager to begin her career as a rogue similarly to her mentor, Elthinkle, Thema convinced her to partake on the role as well.

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 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 the Gnomeregan Covert Operations influenced her to stand by the Alliance and began assisting them with the aftermath of the Cataclysm.

Snowball


When Pandaria was discovered by Azeroth's leading forces, Elthinkle was sent with the Gnomeregan Covert Operations to stop the Horde from progressing further into the continent. Besides the prolonged war between the Alliance and the Horde, Elthinkle happened to find a domestic rabbit that was confined to one of the many merchants located in Kun-Lai Summit. Her supposed expedition with Thema Fastmaster, along with the remaining of the partnered covert operatives, turned into a tender loving experience for Elthinkle as she was invested in looking after her new pet rabbit, Snowball. He was soon relocated to a more permanent habitation in New Tinkertown following the alliance against Garrosh Hellscream for his war crimes.

Fool's Game


Associating with many gnomish organisations in Dun Morogh gave her quite a name amongst the community of Ironforge and New Tinkertown because of Elthinkle's contributions to reconquering Gnomeregan and active service in the military. Although abandoning the past to succeed in building a better future for her people, many questions remain unanswered in relation to Gelzo Mekkawizzle's death, as it was never brought to question despite numerous cases on Dimo Whistledata's crimes in Wobblecog.

Curiosity got the better of her when Dimo allegedly made an appearance in Dun Morogh decades after his last recorded crime. Ready to question the intentions of her father's killer, Elthinkle began a thorough search of Dimo in Dun Morogh to report the validity of his return to the nation of Gnomeregan for further evidence. Going alone into the woods of Dun Morogh uninformed was a dreary turn of events as she was searching for a cold-blooded murderer who could be composing an ambush to make Elthinkle his next victim.

Unlike what most would expect, Elthinkle identified the characteristics of Dimo from what she could memorise through the front window of a reasonably small cabin nestled in Coldridge Valley. When Elthinkle carefully approached the cabin, hoping it was the person she had been looking for since Gelzo's murder, Dimo confronted her with an intrusive introduction: a switchblade to the throat.

The two squared off in a merciless fight after her resentful response to Dimo. Elthinkle endured a gash past her left cheekbone while Dimo suffered a much worse fate - broken and battered limbs because of Elthinkle's superior tactical ability to counter certain attacks. On his dying breath after punishing him severely, Elthinkle shot and killed Dimo with her pistol, the Matilda, once he uttered she was 'as pathetic as her father' in a disrespectful manner.

Such eruptive behaviour left Elthinkle feeling discouraged after doing exactly what Dimo did to her father. Elthinkle's morale to continue servicing as a soldier for the military was affected greatly, resulting in turning herself in for what she had done. The hindrance was also obstructing her will to justify what she did was an act of self-defence.

Conviction


While the Burning Legion initialised their third invasion upon Azeroth, Elthinkle was convicted within dwarven province after turning herself in for committing a crime against Dimo Whistledata, the one who murdered Elthinkle's father, Gelzo Mekkawizzle. All that she had accomplished faded into obsolescence as her reputation would cascade before honouring both Gnomeregan and the Alliance any further.

Where Elthinkle was drafted in Ironforge contained a large crowd of displeased visitors, eager to heckle her for an answer to Dimo's misfortune. What many did not know, however, were his affairs prior to the fall of Gnomeregan, which led to the confusion of the misinformed residents who had never heard of Elthinkle's hometown, Wobblecog. Confident to justify Dimo for his unspeakable crimes, Elthinkle strained herself from the guards while trying to convey the truth, hoping desperately to change their perspective of the real situation at hand.

Many were unsure what she was trying to state, but some of the jurors sided with her argument and remained hopeful for the possibility of Dimo's redistributed accounts among the victims of his petty crimes. Time was limited before the demons' arrival to Dun Morogh, bound to destroy the city and render their decisions pointless. The trial continued with both sides determining its outcome until the walls of Ironforge began to tremble. The people who attended the trial were mildly concerned about the peculiar atmosphere that enveloped the sudden silence of Ironforge.

From the opposite side of the room behind Elthinkle's position was Bhargran, in which they laid their eyes on each other, prepared to oppose the potential threat. The entrance opened instantaneously towards the crowd accompanied by a dwarven militant notifying the participants of the trial regarding the Legion's appearance. The opening of the doors revealed the terrified civilians of Ironforge hurrying to safety as Elthinkle attempts to break free of the guards' shackles, clumsily escaping Ironforge in desperation to help protect the innocents of Dun Morogh and fight off the invading demons.

Joining the Fight
Awaiting to be unrestrained at the Gates of Ironforge, Elthinkle stared at the sky of Dun Morogh, witnessing the severity of their invasion from afar. Thema Fastmaster raced tirelessly from New Tinkertown so she could convince Elthinkle to assist the Gnomeregan Covert Operations and alert her of the Burning Legion's undoubtful terror upon Dun Morogh's citizens. Once she released Elthinkle from her constraints, Thema continued to stare at her as she was worried about how the very crime Elthinkle committed could've changed her permanently. Reluctant to admit to her justification for Dimo Whistledata's death, Elthinkle turned to Thema followed by placing her hand on her shoulder, clarifying that she would never relinquish what she loved the most: being a role model for her nation.

Elthinkle and Thema rushed back to New Tinkertown so they could assemble a plan with her associates on launching an assault against the Legion before they possess control of the region. Unable to keep themselves organised under tremendous pressure, the team decides to set foot into Kharanos where they can strike the demons at the heart of her homeland. Brasen to face them head-on similarly to her tactics during Operation: Gnomeregan, Elthinkle begins battling them with the Ironforge Guard whilst most questioned how she was fighting alongside the military despite Dimo Whistedata's murder case. Unlike what most gnomes recognised, the dwarves of Ironforge never fathomed what Elthinkle was truly capable of until her allegiance in saving their people from catastrophe.



Able to retreat from the Legion's grasp before strengthening in numbers again, Elthinkle proposed a rendezvous where the forces of Azeroth were preparing their assault on the Broken Isles. The instant she gathered sufficient intelligence about the battle was when Elthinkle advanced to the Broken Shore with the Alliance to prevent the increase of the Legion's presence on Azeroth. Clashing against them within its twisted nature was a difficult feat to accomplish, so the heroes of Azeroth upheld a declaration to form a universal organisation to retain the competence in contending with the demons under the Kirin Tor and other definable individuals who supported those that opposed the Legion invasion. This would then conduct the formation of the Armies of Legionfall, whose purpose was for absolute unification stationed in Deliverance Point at the Broken Shore.

Obliged to join them because of her involvement with the Alliance during the Legion invasion, Elthinkle voluntarily resided in Deliverance Point alongside the Armies of Legionfall to finish what she started. Between the Armies of Legionfall's creation and Sargeras' imprisonment is where Elthinkle learned the possibilities of shadow magic and harnessed its power to her advantage, now integrating Elthinkle's current knowledge of combat into something more proficient, but with the potential of developing unwanted disturbance amongst her peers.

Redemption
With the Burning Legion intercepted from corrupting Azeroth, Elthinkle stepped into the lands of the Broken Shore once more, dispatching the demons to the Twisting Nether while they were retreating from Azeroth shortly after the defeat of Sargeras. Opposed to their sadistic ways, Elthinkle resorted to no remorse in slaying them amongst the Alliance before the rest diminished to particles. Miserably surviving from the demons' sheer difference in strength, tears dropped from Elthinkle's eyes until they eventually soaked into the parched soil of the Broken Shore.

The soldiers of the Alliance and Horde raised their weapons above themselves, cheering in triumph as Elthinkle shifted through the crowd to reach Deliverance Point. It was time to return to New Tinkertown; where she inevitably belonged with the desire to address her mistakes in forgiveness to what Elthinkle had done. Coming back to see the effects of the invasion on Dun Morogh was a disheartening experience, not because of its destruction, but the determination in standing alongside each other to achieve their final goal.

Arriving at New Tinkertown, the community welcomed Elthinkle from her mission to the Broken Isles and revealed their gratitude for contributing to the defeat of the Legion. Elthinkle rose through the ranks to become an officer in S.A.F.E. because of her lasting status in the organisation. The era of despair, pain and suffering were deemed worthwhile, even with all the hardships included between those she admired or despised. To express her appreciation for the associates of New Tinkertown, Elthinkle proposed a speech respecting the deeds they carried out together, and how she would eternally cherish those moments.

Mechagon
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 objective 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's armoury page can be found here.
 * Her alignment is lawful good.
 * She doesn't use poisons as they go against her beliefs.
 * Elthinkle is often referred to as Ellie, which is presumably her nickname.
 * She is still learning how to speak fluently in Common.
 * Elthinkle is 91.44 centimetres in height.
 * She has a slight dwarvish accent.
 * Surprisingly, Elthinkle prefers the outdoors.
 * Her favourite animal is a rabbit.
 * She was originally going to be a tinker.
 * Elthinkle has previously undergone several appearance changes that are considered out of character.