Kalishnu

Kalishnu [kal ISH noo] is a night elf priest of Elune who follows the path of Discipline. Whoever heard of a male priest of Elune? Anyone who’s ever heard of Kalishnu. His aunt, the mother of his cousin and best friend, Kelmari, disgraced the entire family by giving birth to a child without naming a father. Whoever heard of a chaste, virginal night elf priestess becoming a single parent? Anyone who’s ever met Kalishnu, much to Kelmari’s chagrin. Kalishnu’s parents (his mother a sentinel, his father a master leathercrafter) welcomed young Kelmari into their home after his mother died defending against a Horde attack which destroyed the village where she and Kelmari lived. Sympathy for the orphan and night elf propriety stilled wagging tongues and the two cousins had something resembling a normal youth in Dolanaar. Until Kalishnu decided to devote himself to Elune and become a priest.

It is traditional that clergy in the temples of the Goddess Elune are female. This is changing as night elves have had greater exposure to the ways of humans. Kalishnu’s penchant for flippancy and the enjoyment he takes in provoking hidebound traditionalists (with artfully innocuous remarks) sometimes make it difficult for the casual observer to see how genuine is his devotion to Elune. If night elves had middle names, Kalishnu’s would be “Scandal.” The priestesses at the Temple of the Moon in Darnassus had some difficulty accepting Kalishnu until they realized the depth of his sincerity and eagerness to grow closer to the Goddess. Their decision to accept Kalishnu as a novice was not unanimous, but many priestesses who initially opposed the idea have come around over the years. A few have gone the other way. Despite all the feathers ruffled and noses put out of joint whenever Kalishnu is present and it is not time for study or worship, he really does try to bring Elune’s light to all he meets.

Kalishnu’s second-best friend after Kelmari is the gnome Drozil. Their friendship was quite literally a bolt from the blue. Drozil fell out of the sky and landed on him as Kalishnu was fishing not quite far enough from the cannon target at Darkmoon Faire. They both thought it was hilarious. Despite the vast difference in background, the two discovered they are kindred spirits and they correspond and visit regularly. They look forward to seeing one another at every Darkmoon Faire.