Two years ago…

Synil loved spending time at the falls. The cool, refreshing water flowing over her as she lay on the sun-baked stone was the perfect mixture of temperatures to make her skin tingle. She closed her eyes and listened to the deathly roar of the waterfall; the sounds of nature’s most wondrous element helped her focus her mind in preparation for meditation.

The gentle beating of wings could be heard, growing louder as the beast softly landed on the nearby bank. Synil let a small smile cross her serene face as the sun was blocked from bathing her in its warmth. There was only one person who knew where she would spend hours on end during this time of year, and the ever so slight high-pitched whine of his breathing confirmed Synil’s suspicion before his nasal voice filled the silence.

“Why you spend so much time in this place instead of remaining in the comfort of the manor I will probably never understand,” he stated, sounding rather pompous and, to a point, distressed.

“Just as why you cannot appreciate the power and beauty of nature will never be completely understood by me,” Synil replied, her voice both graceful and commanding, “What brings you here, Kel?”

“An emissary has arrived who urgently wishes to speak with you. Were it not for the sword that he carries I would have dismissed the notion of fetching you immediately,” Kel replies as he moves slightly to his right to avoid a small wave.

Synil opens her eyes, disbelief shining through them as brightly as the sun shone above them, “Sword? I can only think of one that would invoke such a reaction. Are you saying…?”

Kel nods as Synil’s voice trails off, “Yes, madam. It is, indeed, the Sword of the Chosen.”

Synil remains motionless for a moment, the shock of this news rippling through her as though it were a bolt of lightning. The low growl of the Pegasus, waiting calmly for them on the river’s bank, bringing her attention back to the present. Synil rose to her feet, pulling her robe off of the nearby branch and wrapping it around her.

“Let us make haste, then. I fear not to do so may be an insurmountable failure on our part, for the reappearance of the sword has always marked the resurgence of darkness.” With that thought still occupying her mind, Synil and Kel mounted the Pegasus.

“Quickly, Shelora. We must make it back to the manor immediately,” Kel whispers in the Pegasus’ ear, and the beast lets out a soft whinny as it soars gracefully into the air. Within moments they were high above the land. It would take them no longer than a couple of minutes to reach the manor, and in that time Synil knew that she must be prepared for the worst.

Synil closed her eyes as they flew, embracing the strength of the wind as it threatened to rip her from her perch on the back of the Pegasus. Her heart raced. The last time the Sword of the Chosen was seen in these lands was almost two decades ago, and it had long been rumored to have been lost. The sword was not really anything spectacular to behold. It even looked rather plain to the average eye. It commanded the respect of the world, however, for two reasons: it was practically indestructible, at least by conventional methods, and it always reappeared before the coming of another war. The sword was possessed by a sentient spirit, who would drive the bearer of the sword mad if it was not in the possession of a worthy wielder.

The Pegasus dropped suddenly, and Synil opened her eyes to see watch them descend onto the manor grounds. She quickly dismounted, and with a quick incantation her appearance changed from the relaxed, yet disheveled, attire she so often preferred to the formal robes and groomed appearance expected of most sorcerers.

“Thank you, Kel. Please see to it that our guest is shown to my study. I will be there in a moment.”

“At once, m’lady.”

Synil strode into the manor and made her way to the upper chambers. She walked into her private room and picked up a small vial from one of the tables, tucking in neatly into the  folds of her robe. She then turned and pulled her belt and dagger from the edge of the bed and wrapped them securely in place around her waist. After a quick glance around the room, a habit she had long ago developed to ensure everything was in order, Synil strode out of the room and down the hall to her study.

Secrets: The Beginning is a post from: Diabolical Minds

No one, no thing, not the most powerful of sorcerers or the strongest of flying creatures, had ever survived even being close to the swirling energy storms that constantly lashed out at the ridge. Moving closer to the edge is suicidal, but making it to that point and falling over into the abyss was certain death.

Until now…

A scarred hand grasped the ledge, struggling to maintain a hold on the sharp rock as bolt after bolt of arcane energy blasted almost every square inch of the ridge line. Straining from exhaustion, Synil pulled her bloodied body onto the rock and gasped for air, bolt after bolt of energy pelting and searing her as she fought to roll out of harm’s way.

“From the deepest, darkest corner of hell I have emerged,” she growls, her voice cracking and raspy as she gulps in the fresh air, “And I will not allow you to survive after what you did to me. This I swear, on my own blood.”

As the last word escaped her lips, darkness consumed Synil. Exhaustion and pain overwhelmed her, and her last thought rang in her head as she succumbed to unconsciousness:

And so it begins…

Can you guess what’s coming? And, potentially more important, are you even interested in figuring it out/reading where this goes? Let me know (and let’s get back to having more comments/back and forth on here, I’m missing you all!)!

From the Depths is a post from: Diabolical Minds

Today, I want to chat a bit about my second favorite faction leader: Thrall.  After today, it’s all downhill.

*pauses, tapping her chin*

Well, mostly downhill.  Although, I suspect our opinions align more when it comes to those pesky Alliance leaders.

Now then, let’s get to it.

Thrall

I have a lot of respect for this hulking mass of green alien.

And he has a voice that even us Sin’dorei women can love.

*winks*

I may be a tad biased when it comes to the Orcs, because I spent a lot of time with the Mag’har when I was a child.  That may seem odd, considering my chosen path as a mistress of the dark arts and demons.  But, as a whole, I have a great admiration for them.

Thrall is a strong leader and takes the best interest of his people into consideration first and foremost.  He thinks and plans…. he’s proactive rather than reactive.  This sense of responsibility and maturity are excellent qualities to have in a leader.

Certainly, there are many that despise his desire for peace and feel he does not utilize his military might enough.  And as much as I take joy in making my enemies squirm, his goal of world peace is a noble one.  I may not like the humans, gnomes *shudders*, dwarves, draenei, or even my distant Kal’dorei cousins, but we have much more at stake in this world than our own pesky squabbles.

I mean, seriously, Garrosh and Varian need to be knocked down a peg or two… or at least take five.

But, while Thrall strives for peace, I would not want to mess with that guy.  The strength and keen battle sense he and the other orcs have is mighty impressive.  Thrall is a truly powerful shaman.  He can wield the elements better than I could ever hope to wield shadow magic.

I mean, he can make the very ground turn against you.

How cool is that?

Back to the peace bit.  It’s admirable to want to achieve peace for his people… for all of us.  His people and himself have been through a lot.  He was trained to be a killing machine for no purpose other than to line that feldamned human, Aedelas Blackmoore’s pockets with gold.  Thrall worked hard to free the orcs from the encampments and revitalize their sense of being.  If Thrall continued to be felbent on war and destruction, it would have all been for nothing.

The very reason they ended up in such a predicament was due to power hungry orcs eager to dominate the world.  This lead to corruption and then… led to the Alliance fearing them and wanting to hunt them into extinction.

Being ostracized myself, I suppose I can relate to such a plight.  It’s wrought with honor and drama.

*suddenly scowls*

But don’t you think for one second that I’m going all soft now.

I suppose next time I could say a little something about Cairne Bloodhoof.

Syrana’s Soulstone: Mail Call – Thoughts On Leaders Part Deux is a post from: Diabolical Minds

Now to correct the delusional lass on a seemingly minor point. Young, naive Syrana, we of the Blood Knight Order do not “steal” the powers of the Light. As High Elves many of us were actually members of the Church of Light, and it was after the Third War and during the rebuilding of our race as Blood Elves that we began to experience difficulties accessing the powers of the Light. While it is true that many of the original members of the Order, and even a large number of our current members, did originally gain their powers through less than honorable means, the Blood Knight Order is dedicated to upholding the virtues of the Light. It is clear from our command of such power that we have not been abandoned, but that the powers of the Light must be controlled only by those who possess the strength and courage to undertake such a difficult path. In short, my dear, misguided Syrana, we choose not to seek the easy way to gain our powers, which is less than I can say for many of our arcane-feeding brethren, and quite probably a large number of those who dabble with dark magics.

Ah, but I digress. I suppose I should congratulate you for not having been killed, given that we had not heard from you in a while. I hear there’s a nasty bout of random firebolts tearing through Azeroth, and I would certainly have had to laugh if a warlock fell to one of their own pets. Though, with the number of new imps running around the place I am certain it will only be a matter of time.

Prognosis Has Something in Common with Syrana!? is a post from: Diabolical Minds

Yes, well, I digress.  *clears her throat and pulls out a crumpled piece of parchment*

I have received a letter inquiry from that prissy Light stealer.  Although her and I do not share the same views on our powers, who am I to dismiss a piece of fan mail?

Bal’a dash, malanore,
miss “worshipper of the dark (and woefully misguided) arts,”

Given your rather accurate opinion of some of the... *ahem*... ahhhh... lesser
inhabitants of Azeroth, why don’t you share with us your opinion of each of the
faction leaders? Rest assured I will refrain from dismissing your thoughts as
simply the malformed ramblings of one who actively pursues dark magic instead
of embracing the Light, for whether I agree with your methods or not there are
many who think the same of the Blood Knight Order. Although the strength of the
Light is obviously more powerful, even we will admit there are times when dark
magic is useful.

Ambivalently yours,
Prognosis of Silvermoon, Master in the Blood Knight Order

Ha, ha, I dare say, of course my description was accurate of some of those mindless “NPCs” I have been unfortunate enough to run into.  But to your question… what do I think of the faction leaders? That’s a doozy.

I don’t think I can answer that all in one sitting, but I will start today by talking about my favorite faction leader….

Lady Sylvanas Windrunner

She was once a high elf, you know, and hails from the same area as me.  While she is now a Forsaken, she is one tough woman.

She endured a lot at the hand of the crazed Lich King afflicted Arthas Menethil.  But she was never a weak woman.

No, oh no, she stood her ground in an attempt to save her people from him.  Even when he tortured and killed her, raising her as a banshee under his will, she never gave up.

The woman has strength and perseverance like no other.

She stayed determined and never let go of her willpower.  She knows how to utilize and exploit the weaknesses of her enemies to accomplish her goals.

I admire her.  Sure, she’s felbent on revenge and vengeance.  I can’t say I blame her.  I think at times this clouds her judgement as a leader, but overall, I view her as someone that is looking out for the best interests of those that align themselves with her.

While she may not be keen on warlocks like myself, I’d be honored to fight alongside her against that wretched, pompous, spoiled prince turned dark “king.”

And she’s done quite well at keeping her looks despite the… y’know, decomp.  I mean, have you seen her Cosmo Azeroth cover?

Next time, dear Prognosis, I shall tell you my thoughts on my next favorite leader: Thrall.  (I know you can barely contain your excitement.)

Syrana’s Soulstone: Mail Call – Thoughts On Leaders is a post from: Diabolical Minds

Elainara pulled a small brooch from her pack, seemingly happy that she had found what she was looking for. Byaghro watched curiously, wondering why Elainara thought a piece of jewelry would be so helpful getting to the crystal.

“This was a gift from my mentor upon leaving to find you. Her words seemed strange to me at the time, but I think now it makes sense. She told me that, in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, the brooch would reveal the truth.”

Byaghro, still somewhat puzzled, asks “Ok, what truth?”

Elainara replies, “I have no idea. Let me meditate and see if I can discover something we’re missing.”

Byaghro just nods as she gets up and moves to the edge of their campsite, looking out into the wilds and watching for any further wildlife threats.

Jeseth found the path to Ravenholdt without difficulty. It never ceased to amaze him how others would search for days, some never finding the path and turning back. Looking around to ensure no one was following him, Jeseth started up the mountain. Upon reaching the tunnel that would lead him the rest of the way to the mansion, Jeseth couldn’t help but chuckle at the pile of bones from lost adventurers that had died because they couldn’t detect the traps ahead.

“Did you all bother to read the sign?” Jeseth mumbles, making his way carefully through the tunnel, “Of course not, half of you probably cannot read anyway.”

As he emerges on the other side Jeseth is greeted by two sentries, and although they do not speak the message is clear: do not disturb the peace here.

Elainara moves over to Byaghro, her face grim yet showing the faintest traces of hope, “You were right, but there is a chance that we’ll be able to reach the crystal with minimal encounters with the moonkin if we travel around toward the southeast and then follow along the mountain range’s base to the north.”

“Then that is our path. I’m sure we can win any fight we end up in, but I would prefer not to fight the moonkin as much as possible if there is a chance we can remove this influence,” replies Byaghro.

“I understand. We should get moving, I’m certain we’ve already taken long enough,” says Elainara.

The two strike camp and head south along the road that passes by Auberdine. The dreary sky grows even darker as the wind picks up strength. Thunder booms in the distance.

“Sounds like it will be a normal, cheery day in Darkshore,” mumbles Elainara as she pulls her cloak tighter, “Just once I would love to see the sun visible in this cursed land.”

Jeseth spent hours sparring with the Ravenholdt guards while he contemplated his next course of action. The idea of forming a small group of highly skilled assassins was quite appealing, and would easily allow them to lead assaults against Horde forces without much fear of detection. He would have to choose his allies carefully, though. Many rogues gained notoriety through backstabbing their way through the chain of command.

Days quickly passed and, after spending a couple of weeks in Ravenholdt, Jeseth decided it was time to leave and search out others to join his cause. He knew of two others who had fought alongside him in the battlegrounds and had left, although finding them might prove difficult. His first stop, however, would be back in Stormwind in order to formalize the new guild and to listen to the rumors that would be flowing like ale in the alleys of the city.

Disclaimer: While the events in this series will be based upon the World of Warcraft universe in general, this is purely fiction and will certainly have a number of liberties taken that would not make sense if attempting to draw correlations to the actual in-game lore and events. This will also be an attempt to complete one RP series from start to finish instead of leaving a number of random, open series left unfinished. Also worth noting is that I am going back to the beginning, when Byaghro was created, and moving forward through “vanilla” WoW, through the Burning Crusade, and on into Wrath to tell her entire story. Starting with part nine I will be bringing in my other original character, Jeseth, and intertwining their stories as I see fit. Many details are vague in my memory at this point, and as a result I will be taking even more liberties with older content in bringing this story to fruition.

(RP) Journeys, Part 10 is a post from: Diabolical Minds

Working alongside the Banshee Queen herself, our small force penetrated the outer walls of Icecrown Citadel in an effort to shut down the soul grinders. While the foes we met were relatively easily dispatched, there were a number of things the filthy, Scourge forces did to try to thwart our mission. It would appear they understand our abilities, indicating these new Scourge have developed some semblance of intelligence over the typical, brainless ghouls we have encountered in the past. Not only do they space themselves far enough away from each other to make it a royal pain to force them to attack me instead of attempting to devour the other members of my party, but I am also unable to reach more than one at a time with my Avenger’s Shield. While more frustrating than anything, I am still learning ways in which I can trick the bastards into charging me on sight so that I can clump them together nicely for my fellow adventurers to rain all sorts of physical and magical death upon them.

The first “boss” we encountered, assuming you can call this pathetic excuse for a soul keeper a boss given that I have met more formidable warlocks in my time, was Bronjahm. This human, or I suppose he must be undead, tries to drain the souls of party members and heal himself with their life force. It’s really simple to counter, since all I have to do is run him around the room while the remaining members of the party destroy the magical energy before it reaches him. You would think Arthas would have at least enlisted someone intelligent enough to move toward the life force he is draining, or at the very least stand still, instead of chasing after me and running away from the only thing that could possibly allow him to survive our assault. I suppose that’s about normal, though, when you think of how unintelligent Arthas’ decisions have been in general so far.

Anyway, as we continued on through the pesky Scourge forces littered inside the Forge of Souls we encountered the other “boss.” With a name like the Devourer of Souls, which I have to admit has a nice ring to it, I expected to really be challenged. This… thing… I actually have no idea what what it is… a floating head thingy… anyway, this clown uses an ability to link himself to a party member, transferring damage done to him during this linking to the party member instead. Oh wow, how ever will we beat that!? Oh, I’ve got it, we’ll just wait a couple of seconds for the link to go away before we beat the crap out of him some more.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy these new playgrounds (I’ll talk about the Pit of Saron and the Halls of Reflection a little later). Not to mention fighting alongside Sylvanas, even if she is Undead, is a treat. Between you and me, I’d even go against my whole “no fraternization with undead things” rule for her, and that says a lot. But if you’re trying to actually protect anything in Icecrown Citadel, Arthas, you really should enlist the aid of more intelligent subordinates. Oh… wait a minute… I bet that’s like saying that Varian Wrynn could possibly possess an intelligent thought…

I’ve rambled enough. I really need to get back to the front lines with the rest of the members of the Blood Knight Order. Without us showing our strength and determination those pansies in the other Paladin Orders start to get sentimental and hope that Arthas can be redeemed. Rubbish I say, but let them think what they want. If necessary our ranks will stand alone alongside Lady Liadrin and Lady Sylvanas in order to destroy Arthas.

Selama ashal’anore.

Prognosis Pontificates: The Forge of Souls is a post from: Diabolical Minds

Elainara awoke with a start, nearly leaping to her feet at the sound of a low growl nearby. Quickly she scanned the treeline, barely able to discern anything in the early morning fog. What little sun ever shone on Auberdine was still not visible, which meant dawn had not quite arrived, and the fire had long since died out. Slowly getting to her feet Elainara glanced toward where Byaghro slept, and noticed only an empty blanket crumpled on the ground. The growl could be heard again, closer this time. Elainara drew herself upright and cast a minor incantation to illuminate the campsite. As the light grew stronger she could make out two forms, both bears, the nearest of which was not even ten yards away. Something was different about the closest bear, though, and as Elainara watched closely for any sign of either bear attacking she noticed the markings.

“Byaghro,” she gasped, realizing finally what she was actually seeing.

Byaghro did not dare look away from the encroaching grizzly, but uttered a low growl to reassure Elainara that she was, indeed, correct. Relieved, Elainara focused her attention on the approaching grizzly. Suddenly it roared, the sound almost deafening Elainara, and charged. This was the moment Byaghro was waiting for, however, and she intercepted the grizzly with ease. The sound of massive beasts crashing into each other rang through the forest like a gunshot, echoing through the trees and startling a flock of small birds to the east.

Byaghro roared, the sound seeming to make the grizzly back down slightly in fear. Elainara seized her opening and sent a bolt of holy energy into the grizzly, causing it to let out a howl of pain before it stood up on its hind legs and swiped at Byaghro. The druid was faster, though, and managed to maul the grizzly and knock it off balance. Seeing another opening, Elainara cast another bolt of light into the bear, catching its throat for a fatal blow.

As the bear fell to the ground Byaghro transformed, almost instantaneously, back into her elven form and quietly stated, “The journey to the crystal may be more difficult than we thought…”

Whispering quietly, Elainara casts renew upon Byaghro before responding, “Why so?”

Byaghro sat down, letting the spell fill her with a comforting warmth as she replies, “The moonkin have grown in number. Something about that crystal is attracting them here, almost as though amassing an army in preparation for assaulting Auberdine.”

Elainara seems to think about the ramifications of such an attack for a moment, and then suddenly leaps to her feet in excitement and begins muttering to herself, “Of course, why didn’t I think of it sooner… you’d think I would be more intelligent… where did I…”

Byaghro sat back and waited for her to finish. Whatever it was Elainara had thought of apparently had her quite confident they would be able to reach the crystal easily, and although Byaghro was definitely curious what could spark such a reaction she knew Elainara would explain in time.

Across the world, in the city of Stormwind…

‘Imbeciles. The entire operation was botched as a result of that fool and they decide to do nothing about it!? This is an outrage. Damn the joint Alliance forces and their notion of an army, it is time to return to the old ways.’

Jeseth glances around before ducking into one of the alleyways in Old Town. He reaches up and pulls the Master Sergeant insignia from his cloak, glances at it for a moment as though remembering something joyful, and then tosses it to the ground as he pulls his hood up over his head.

‘I suppose I should start at Ravenholdt. The Order will be difficult to reform without some type of haven for meeting, and it is certainly one of the most remote places available to us. At the very least it should do until a proper location can be found.’

Jeseth stops by the city hall as he makes his way out of the city, purchasing a guild charter and slipping a few extra coins to the councilman to keep quiet about having seen him. Certain that no one had noticed his absence quite yet, Jeseth slips outside the city walls and starts his journey north into the Alterac Mountains. Once out of range of being seen by Stormwind’s city guard, Jeseth calls for his steed, a frostsaber with silver and green armor. The journey, although long and perilous, would certainly be swift upon her back.

Disclaimer: While the events in this series will be based upon the World of Warcraft universe in general, this is purely fiction and will certainly have a number of liberties taken that would not make sense if attempting to draw correlations to the actual in-game lore and events. This will also be an attempt to complete one RP series from start to finish instead of leaving a number of random, open series left unfinished. Also worth noting is that I am going back to the beginning, when Byaghro was created, and moving forward through “vanilla” WoW, through the Burning Crusade, and on into Wrath to tell her entire story. Starting with part nine I will be bringing in my other original character, Jeseth, and intertwining their stories as I see fit. Many details are vague in my memory at this point, and as a result I will be taking even more liberties with older content in bringing this story to fruition.

(RP) Journeys, Part 9 is a post from: Diabolical Minds

Take this guy, Lord Torvos…

They poked me in the eye and stole the plans back! I swear!

I was eager to work my way up the ranks of the Shattered Sun Offensive and build a reputation with them.  But how stupid could he be to lose the Sunfury attack plans every day? Fel almighty, he’s lucky I didn’t strike him down myself.  Some days I thought he was playing a cruel joke as I’d spend what seemed like forever searching the corpses of my fallen enemies for those plans.  How hard would it have been to lock them up safely after I retrieved them the first time?

But noooo.  Every day he’d send me out on a suicide mission to find them.  I should have reported him to his superior for being such a numbskull.

Next we have this woman, Arko’narin.

I returned to Felwood to see if there was any help I could lend.  I know that area is much less traveled these days.  As I was tending to some things, I decided to check on Jaedenar.  I was curious if it remained clear after my mass “cleansing” a few years ago.  Of course, it had become overrun yet again.  I ventured into one of the buildings and found a Night Elf woman in a cage.

Why won't you look me in the eye, lady?

This gave me pause.

I remembered that cage… and that woman.

I don’t know why I’d helped her previously.  I suppose it was because I was young and naive and she had a compelling story as she plead to be freed.

She had the nerve to pretend I wasn’t standing outside her cage, yet again.

If you're trying to shadowmeld, you're doing it wrong.

I should have killed her.  Instead, I cackled and left, warning nearby wannabe heroes that she’d kill them if they got too close to the cage door.

And finally, (well, not the final stupid NPC, there are dozens more, I’m afraid) there’s this guy, Gilthares Firebough.

As I wandered up and down the coastline, venting my frustrations upon the Southsea pirates that camped there, I happened upon Northwatch Hold.  I knew of a man in Ratchet that would pay for the medallions carried by these marines and proceeded to collect a few.  Inside one of the towers, I found this male elf, sitting and moping.  He begged me to rescue him and escort him back to Ratchet.  I was puzzled at his pleas as I saw no cage or shackles.  I really think he could have escaped anytime he pleased.

But I figured there’d be a reward in it for me.

As I helped him along, I couldn’t believe how ridiculously crazy he was.  Here I was, trying to sneak him around the many pirate camps, not wanting to have his blood on my hands.  (I may be cruel, but only with reason.)  That frakkin’ idiot would run full speed into a group of pirates, start throwing punches, then scream bloody murder that he was being attacked and needed me to save him.

Him: "Those guys are going to punch me first, I swear." Me: "Blasted, I didn't record the right part of our venture, you maniac."

Well, stay away from them and keep your hands to yourself.

Turns out, he’s a glutton for punishment and keeps getting himself trapped inside that tower.  When I tried to acquire my reward for bringing him back with minimal scratches and bruises, I was handed a few coins and laughed at.  The idiot seems to think it’s a game.

Don’t be that guy.  Don’t be any of these stupid NPCs, I beg you.

Syrana’s Soulstone: Stupid NPCs is a post from: Diabolical Minds

1. Part One is located here: link
2. Part Two is located here: link
3. Part Three is located here: link
4. Part Four is located here: link
5. Part Five is located here: link
6. Part Six is located here: link
7. Part Seven is located here: link
8. Part Eight begins below:

Auberdine seemed on the verge of collapse. Its inhabitants put on a good show, but their jovial manners were an obvious facade meant to try to maintain some semblance of a normal life amid the constant threat of being overrun by darkness and despair. Only a few of the townsfolk would even speak to Byaghro and Elainara about matters outside the town’s borders. Among them was Thundris Windweaver, the town’s ruler, and Sentinel Glynda Nal’Shea, leader of the Sentinel forces in Auberdine.

“The town is under constant seige, both physical and magical,” explains Thundris Windweaver as he stares out over the Lost Sea from within his customary spot in the town hall, “We have been able to fight off the assault for quite some time, but the forces have grown darker and stronger as of late. I fear we will not be able to hold out much longer without assistance.”

Byaghro spoke up, “We are here to offer you our assistance as emissaries of the Cenarion Circle and the Priestesses of Elune.”

Thundris allows a small sigh of relief to escape from his lips, “Had I known we would be receiving such emissaries I would have prepared a fitting welcome. Praise to Elune for bringing you to us in our time of need.”

“We would prefer to keep our presence here low-key actually, sir. We’re uncertain whether we will be of much use quite yet, and would like to investigate the area more before we announce our presence to the town,” states Elainara.

“Understood. Sentinel Nal’Shea spotted a strange crystal, glowing red, to the east. She can tell you more, but it seems as good a place as any to begin,” responds Thundris, turning to face them, “May Elune watch over you both.”

“Yes, the crystal is directly east of the town. The moonkin in the area seem attracted to it for some reason, and I believe it to be the source of their growing hostility,” states Sentinel Nal’Shea.

“Have you any suggestions on determining its purpose or nature?” asks Elainara.

“Truthfully no,” replies the Sentinel, “Although it is possible that the use of some water from the Moonwell might provide us some sort of clue. Such powerful magic should react with the crystal if it is not of natural origin, which could at least provide us with a starting point.”

“We will take a small vial with us, and hopefully between its powers and our connections with both Nature and the Light we will be able to discern some indication of the crystal’s origin.”

“Be careful. The last adventurer to go in search of an answer never returned, and I fear it was his remains that I found in one of the moonkin caves,” whispers Sentinel Nal’Shea somberly.

Byaghro and Elainara decided to take the rest of their first day in Auberdine to gather some supplies and prepare themselves for their venture into the wilds. Uncertain of what perils they may face or of how long they may be out in the forest, both chose to gather some food and water in addition to purchasing a second pack to carry some additional potions in. As the sun started to disappear, or rather as the source of any light seemed to diminish further indicating that the sun was setting, Byaghro and Elainara finally felt prepared enough to head out of the town. Their plan was to set up camp on the outskirts of Auberdine in order to get a better feel of the forces at work in the area.

In the distance the howls of the frenzied moonkin could be heard, and as the two settled around their campfire the wind picked up its continuous assault on all who dared venture into the forest. In the distance a slight, red glow could be seen, marking the general location of the crystal they were to investigate in the morning.

“I feel so cold, so devoid of the strength of the Light..,” whispers Elainara, “It is as though this very land simply drains me.”

“There is a force at work that is trying to destroy us, that much is certain. Remember who you are and that nothing can take that away from you,” responds Byaghro, seeming unnervingly calm as she continues, “No matter the odds, the strengths of both Cenarius and Elune are at our command.”

Feeling some reassurance at having the Druid by her side, Elainara drifted off to a restless sleep.

‘Only through the Way is there understanding, and only through understanding can the Way be discerned..,’

The thought echos in Byaghro’s mind as she focuses on feeling out the strange sways in Nature’s balance in the area. Something was definitely dark and sinister, corrupting almost all life outside of Auberdine. With any luck they would have an answer in the morn.

Disclaimer: While the events in this series will be based upon the World of Warcraft universe in general, this is purely fiction and will certainly have a number of liberties taken that would not make sense if attempting to draw correlations to the actual in-game lore and events. This will also be an attempt to complete one RP series from start to finish instead of leaving a number of random, open series left unfinished. Also worth noting is that I am going back to the beginning, when Byaghro was created, and moving forward through “vanilla” WoW, through the Burning Crusade, and on into Wrath to tell her entire story. Many details are vague in my memory at this point, and as a result I will be taking even more liberties with older content in bringing this story to fruition.

(RP) Journeys, Part 8 is a post from: Diabolical Minds