Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

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Varethyn
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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

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((I can has updates.))

Dear diary

Well rested, it is time to go. Perhaps not quite yet: Bossa's chasing butterflies. Let her have some fun before we slog through the inevitable mess ahead of us eh? Chatting with Balren I learned of what has been discovered to be the corpse of a creature supposedly similar to the Old Gods. I truly cannot believe this diary, Darkshore is full of amazing things. Dryads, dragons, and now gods... what next? We'll find out later I expect. Balren gave me an odd little panther trinket saying it will allow me to sneak in close and find out what the Twilight's Hammer are up to around the corpse.

Two other elves here in the grove also asked favours of me. One wants me to check in at the nearby furbolg camp. He says contact with them has been lost recently and would like me to find out why. Why me? Well, because I'm the one doing all the adventuring of course. Lucky me. Another elf is concerned about the local bears. Something in the water has made an entire generation deathly sick. Guess who's gonna find out what that is? Bingo. Time to- no, wait, Bossa's gotten herself tangled up in the vines of an Ancient's beard. Daft animal.

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Diary, I don't think I would call these bears “sick” as such but if you ask me, anything that has its ribs showing, is covered in open sores and emits a foul purple aura then something is definitely wrong. The wretched things looked like something was literally eating them from the inside out. The nearby pond was also purple and generally not healthy looking. Further investigation reveald a twisted font of sorts from which a purple smokey substance stemmed. I tracked down and killed as many of the poor creatures as I could.

No one at the grove knew what that stuff was all about either, but there may be a way to cleanse it. Three seeds, one of which was held by the Ancient of Lore, Onu, here at the grove. He passed it to me without much fuss. Now the other two won't be as easy. The Seeds of Sky are held by shy wisps that play in the trees, and the Seeds of Sea are hidden within shells along the beach.

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The forest was so quiet as I made my way to the beach. Everything must have sensed the corruption and is trying to hide from it. I don't blame them, but that does annoy me since I can't see any wisps either. Combing the beach for shells wasn't too big a deal though and I even found what I was looking for in the first one. Unfortunately for me there was also a giant crab living in it. Unfortunately for the crab Bossa was bored and decided she wanted to play. I had to drag her away before she got herself hurt.

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Wow! So that's what a wisp looks like! So pretty! And fast; it led me on a merry chase before I was able to even get close enough to grab it. But now I have all three seeds. I hope we can do something for the bears now.

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Kathrena, the night elf I've been working with for this, used some kind of magic and made the seeds grow into saplings, which she twined around each other. She gave them to me and told me to wave it over an uncorrupted beast and watch the results. I remember seeing a pack of uncorrupted bears to the west...

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Success! At least I hope that was a success. The bear is now protected from corruption but I felt something... Something angry. When I told Kathrena this she said it was a good sign. For all our sake I hope she's right, normally when something's angry we're in for a heap of trouble. Now for the fun bit: I get to ride a hippogryph again! I do love those beasts. I long for the day I could have one myself. But this isn't the time for daydreaming: Kathrena and I need to use this sapling rod to further prevent corruption in the rest of the forest. Bossa doesn't seem to mind being left behind, she's busy chasing Withers again. Poor little treant's been promoted to “scratching post”.

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Exhillerating, I'll never yet grow tired of flying. Kathrena handled the hippogryph amazingly while I cast the protective spell of the sapling over groups of deer, moonstalkers and bears. Watching the magic unravel beneath us was fascinating to behold. As we flew Kathrena told me how the respective animals were doing. The deer were repopulating well, though previously there were few to none before the cataclysm. The way nature finds ways to fill in cracks is incredible. Fire had pushed the moonstalkers further south than they usually lived, but too were fairing well. And of course the bears which I've already seen first-hand. We also flew over the corpse of the Old God relation. Unbelievable. Kathrena worded my thoughts perfectly: “Why would anyone dig up something so horrific?”

With that sorted its now time to cleanse the pool using the sapling. Who knows what evil thing might emerge from it?

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What in the name of Gilneas was that!? Horrendous, truly horrendous. I had barely finished casting the spell when it emerged from the murky depths of the pond. I cannot even describe it. Whatever it was it was connected to the twisted font and both exploded upon its death. I. Do. NOT. Want to know what I am covered in. Neither does Kathrena, though at least she could describe it a bit better. Chowder. Mashed up fish. Brilliant. Definitely taking a bath before I move on.

More corruption, this time it is the work of satyrs. Brolg, leader of this furbolg tribe, explained how his people have been maddened by foul magics. He also mentioned a herb that grows in the area which they use to ease fever and fortify the weak. Maybe that will help fight the corruption too? A lot of mad furbolgs surround this place though; I won't be getting it without a fight.

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Sometimes I wish I were a herbalist, it would make finding the herbs so much easier. As it was I kept my eyes low to the ground an awful lot and wound up blundering right into the furbolgs. I managed to snatch a few stalks but it was hardly clean business. Worst part is they're all weak and spindly, but Brolg confirmed that, no thanks to the corruption, its all we have to work with. On its own however it will be ineffective. The spell will require the tailfeathers of tallstriders, large, grounded birds. One in particular wanders nearby to the pond I just cleansed, let's go pay him a visit.

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Such an oddly elegant bird, it was almost a shame to have to put him down. But now I have the componants I need for the spell they need to be blessed at the bear statue near the Grove of the Ancients.

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Words cannot describe how it felt here diary. I felt power as I drew near and aas I asked for the bundle to be blessed I'm certain all the bears I'd protected had come to watch. I am in the bear spirit's favour. Now I can assist in saving the crazed furbolgs.

Upon casting the cleasing spell on the bear-men a strange slime oozed out of them. It was quite disturbing to witness. Whatever it is it holds some minor sentiance and attacked us! Come on world, what other nasty stuff are you going to cover me in, huh? We managed to splatter the sludge which caused the furbolg it had inhabited to snap back to their senses, returning to the hold. Poor Bossa, she's going to need a bit more than a few cat treats to clear the gunge out of her mouth. While I was saving the furbolgs I noticed odd braziers housing a sickly green fire. I doubted that was anything good and promptly smashed the lot.

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Brolg and his attendant were pleased with my work so far. Only one last hurdle remains: the satyr responsible for the whole mess. At the far end of the hold, where it huddled along the base of a cliff, was a cave. The satyr was home so we paid a quick visit. Of course there was no door so we had to knock on something else, if you catch my drift.

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The furbolgs should now have enough breathing space to finally recover. I shall leave them to it; Bossa's in dire need of something tasty.

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Rest in peace mum. I really did love and miss you, even if I never got to see you.

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

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Oh neat, I've never done that quest chain so it was good to read. :D

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

Unread post by Varethyn »

Glad you enjoyed it, but maybe I should add "Potential Spoilers" to the title/first post for those who haven't done the new quests yet? :lol:
Getting good screenshots on the flight was a pain :| I had to do 3 flights to get some decent ones.

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Rest in peace mum. I really did love and miss you, even if I never got to see you.

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

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You could add a spoiler warning if you want. Personally, I don't mind. In many cases I don't finish a zone all the way through and I enjoy reading the posts of you guys who do. :) I really enjoyed reading about a set of quests I've never done before. :D

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

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It was meant to be a joke ;) It's all good. I'll only add a warning if someone specifically asks :)

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

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Oh whoops, right over my head. XD Sorry.

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

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((Ninja update!))

Dear diary

Bossa and I shared some stag flank I'd preserved when I was forced to kill a stag while collecting the deer fur. I'd kind of regretted it then, but after these last few fights I'm glad I did. Perhaps I should have waited a little while before headed to our next destination; the ancient corpse. Something about it makes my gorge rise.

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I forced myself to get a grip and made my way closer to the Twilight camp, panther figurine in hand. I still wonder how it will help me. Is it magic? Or does Balren want me to throw it at someone? Its heavy enough to do some kind of damage.

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By the Light! I'm a cat! I honestly cannot convey just how that felt diary. There is indeed magic in this figurine which can turn people into panthers! Incredible. Bossa gave me a look of welcome but otherwise treated me just the same. Withers took off in the other direction; he doesn't need a second cat sharpening her claws on his bark.

I told Bossa to stay behind while I did some scouting. It was strange, it was almost as if she actually understood my words just as much as the meaning behind them. Did turning into a cat unlock some kind of ability to talk to her? That is a question for later. I need to find out why Twilight's Hammer is here and what they intend to do.

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Not far in I found a supervisor-type person yelling at a bunch of workers. First discovery: the thing has a name. Soggoth the Slitherer. Call me crazy but it doesn't look about to do any kind of movement, let alone slither. There are more people on rafters above, at the thing's “head”. Maybe I'll learn more up there.

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That was hairy. More of those tentacle-faced freaks like the one from the pond are here and they can sense me. I got chased out of the camp a few times but thankfully whatever their job is it was more important than chasing a cat-wolf-girl. As soon as the creature was far enough away I made my way up. Here I did learn more. Worryingly they plan to revive the beast using some kind of ritual! They lack a few reagents for it right now though, maybe we can beat them to the punch. I'd better let Balren know first.

Dire news indeed. While Balren pondered our next move a girl he'd been talking to before I arrived, Larien, told me of a dwarven excavation team that are digging not far from “Soggoth”. She wonders if maybe, since they're so close by, they might have learned something about it. Let's find out. Oh, Withers came back by the way. I have never seen him so relieved. But one look at Bossa got him hiding behind Onu. Maybe I should leave him here for now, there are plenty of trees Bossa can attack.

According to Broff, one of the diggers, Soggoth was attacked by twenty stone giants sent forth by the Titans themselves. Only one survived long enough to kill the wretched thing. Broff's right about our situation. We can't allow Twilight's Hammer to revive Soggoth, we don't exactly have twenty stone giants to kill it with again. Before I return to Larien with this it turns out the dwarves could also use a hand with a few things. Namely murlocs. The fish-men's hovels had been destroyed in the Cataclysm and are now using the ruins as shelter. A little eviction's in order. Another digger, Ferd, asked me to keep my eye out for a particular artifact, a disk of some sort, while I'm down there.

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Just as I'd turned to get wet again (really, I've given up by this point) a rough hand grabbed my shoulder. The leader of this dig, Remtravel, had written about his find in his journal and wants me to help him find it. The journal that is. Remtravel is a very confusing and forgetful guy and led me all the way around the ruins in search of the journal. At least that was the original plan: he was convinced that we'd found more ruins similar to the ones he'd found a few months back... except it was the same place. Guess where we ended up diary? Yep, back where we started. His journal had been on the stool behind him all along. I'm not amused. Let's see if he'll remember this!

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Ferd just laughed at it all, the little sod. He's just eager for me to find this disk. I must say, he stikes me as not being completely right in the head either: he believes the oaf-of-a-dwarf Remtravel actually did find more ruins! I'll never understand. Let's just find this stupid disk and get back to the serious part of all this.

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You. Have. GOT. To be kidding me. Murlocs keep swarming to this site; there's just no end to them! Groff's come up with a solution: build them a new home. He wants me to do what?! After all the trouble these fish-things give me he wants me to do them a favour?!

<There is a gap before the writing continues.>
I'm calm. I'm calm. Gah, murlocs. Watching Bossa play in the surf has calmed me somewhat now. I still hate the things but in the long-run it'll get them out of the ruins so that the excavation can finish. If I can just gather enough driftwood and other flotsam to suffice as a murloc hovel then all's well. Oh, and Ferd handed me a device that picks up buried treasure. Apparently he's figured out what one of the previous relics they unearthed was for and wants me to find it while I'm out at the beach. Sheesh, why can't anyone do things for themselves these days?

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There, I've done your chores. I even got attacked by giant fish for all the wood! Can I do something fun now? Nope. First off, I need to see what the slotted relic does. Effort demands results after all. Ferd removed... something soggy... from the object before inserting the disk. An image of what I thought was a person appeared! He said something about the site being compromised at that he needs to alert the aspects. Aspects? Does he mean the Dragon Aspects? The image faded before we could learn more.

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Ferd said he'll take it to Ironforge and see what the head architects make of it. As for me... I need to build a house. Yadda yadda Groff picked out a good spot blah blah... would the murlocs be able to tell the difference? Better get this done...

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It has to be said, I'm impressed with what I made. The murlocs came to watch me build and seemed really rather happy. It was... heartwarming. In a way. I still hate the buggers. Groff better be as content as I am: I am not going into murloc-hovel renevation!
“What have I done” indeed. At least he's not blaming me for it. So many murlocs. I'm getting back to the Grove, the dwarves can deal with this calamity.

When I told Larien of the dwarves' story it was Onu that pitched in. We may not have twenty stone giants, but ancient lumber giants should work just as well. I just need a special horn to awaken the Ancients of the forest. A grovekeeper, Aros, lives just north of us and should hold the horn.

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Small problem. He's dead. He's still warm though, and a naga corpse is nearby. Clearly they've decided they want the horn to themselves. Balren, the other elves in the Grove and I all disagree. An island believed to be used as a naga stronghold lies to the west. That must be where they took it. I think its clear we leave the snake people a “firm” message.

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Their warlord did not have the horn! With his dying breath he sneered and told me that the horn was to be an offering to their queen, Azshara. I thought I saw an odd green glow from the top of the island, that must be where the ritual is taking place!

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As expected the priestesses were close to offering the horn. But when I slew them a large, very important- and royal-looking naga woman appeared. Azshara herself had arrived. She was about to attack when who would show up but Malfurion! Azshara had half expected the druid to come and gave a triumphant hiss: the attacks on Darkshore were simply a ploy to occupy Malfurion while the naga's allies stormed Hyjal. The damage has been done, Darkshore is still coming apart at the seams. The druid is confidant though. He's headed to Hyjal to oversee a counterattack and told me to finish here in Darkshore. Twilight's Hammer had successfully revived a fragment of Soggoth. I have the horn, with the Ancients' aid the avatar will be defeated.

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Battle against the ancient freaks was already in full swing when I arrived. It definitely wasn't har to tell which of them was Soggoth's avatar. I got in as close as I dared then blew the horn. Almost instantaneously the Ancients defeated their respective targets and all converged onto the avatar. With them attacking, Bossa and I seemed to be doing little in comparison. It hit hard and fast, enough to splinter the Ancients' bark armour. I dodge most of the attacks but Bossa took a blow to the head. She's still fighting however, but I must check on her once this is over.

The avatar has fallen, Twilight's Hammer's plans have been ruined and Darkshore is safe once more.

No. No! Bossa! Bossa wake up! Please! Please...

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Rest in peace mum. I really did love and miss you, even if I never got to see you.

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

Unread post by TygerDarkstorm »

Aw, poor little Bossa. :( Hope she gets better.

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

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Kill her. I dare you. And then you'll have a sad Azu on your hands. And you don't want that. It doesn't matter if I kill off my pets, but when other people do it, it's awful! D:
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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

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((Small update, just so you know I'm still working on it :)))

<The writing here is slighlty askew, as if the writer were half-asleep.>
Dear diary

Both Bossa and I had fallen unconscious after our ordeal with Soggoth's avatar. I, myself, still feel rather groggy.

Bossa...

She's alive, but the attack she suffered was great. On occasion she would stop moving and have some kind of fit. Devistated that I might lose her in such a way, I hurried back to Darnassus where she is now in great care. I feel like I've failed in a way. I promised the ghostsaber that I would take care of his cub, and now look at her.

<A few tear stains dot the page.>
Bossa is strong, she will live. But for now my side is not the best place for her. The night elves are so kind, especially the druids who are now watching the moonstalker. It was painful but I forced myself to move on. Nocturne had been taken outside the city for exercise so I took the boat to Stormwind, then gryphon to Westfall.

Requiem. You were always so grumpy, yet so calm and mysterious. Your songs will always haunt me even after all the pecking you gave me. I hope your return to your old home will do you some good. Farewell for now, my feathered friend; I will try to find you when I visit Tune.

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Speaking of Tune, she's grown a little from when we first parted and believe me she was happy I came along! As soon as she'd caught my scent the little red fox bounded over, put her paws on my hips and reached up to lick my muzzle. I laughed and licked back. It only seemed fair.

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I only stayed a while though: Mama Celeste was getting ready to “cook” again. I still have a mission over in the night elven lands so I set out quickly the way I'd come. It will be a while before I visit again. For now I must travel alone into the forests of Ashenvale.

Who knows? Maybe I'll make a new friend there.

((Progress will continue shortly.))

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Rest in peace mum. I really did love and miss you, even if I never got to see you.

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

Unread post by TygerDarkstorm »

Aw, how cute. Poor little Bossa, hopefully the druids take good care of her. :)

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Unread post by Varethyn »

Have to admit I'm a little annoyed with how fast I'm levelling right now, even though I don't use heirlooms and the guild Lakita's in is a just-for-fun level 1 so no guild perks either. I feel like I didn't get to spend enough time with Bossa or my new pet (who you'll meet soon ;)). Doesn't help that I ran straight into a couple of rare spawns either. Requiem was an exception as I did a bunch of low level quests with him so I got to play around with him a bit more. I don't like skipping places or changing pets so often but that's what might happen. Ashenvale is big so I'll leave bits of that out too.

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Rest in peace mum. I really did love and miss you, even if I never got to see you.

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I suggest you adopt my method then. I change pets every zone, because I outstripped my pets and the zone way too fast. (Scylla, my Westfall pet, was about to be changed when I had only been a good 20 or so quests in.) You get to spend more time with your pet.
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Mmh I suppose I could deviate from the rules just a little bit ;) I was too focused on keeping to the whole "change pet every 5 levels" part. This should make things more fun.

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Dear diary

I'm now writing from the border of Ashenvale. I'm loath to enter straight away on my own, it feels so strange to be anywhere without a pet partner at my side. I must get used to the fact that I'll be alone for some time and will have to act accordingly. No more randomly shooting something to get its attention and waiting for my partner to finish it off. The trees here are even larger than those of Darkshore, and there's a whole lot more of them too: a proper forest. My target is a little ways in. Let's get to work.

At a place known as Orendil's Retreat I found a group of elves watching the nearby clearing. A herb called Bathran's Hair grows there but Horde forces have gathered and are harvesting it for themselves. Evenar, another druid, pleaded me to gather some of the hair as there is a sick child in the town of Astranaar. While I'm there the sentinal, Shyela, told me to put down as many of the Horde scum as I could handle. No rotting horrors or green-skinned orcs will get in my way of duty.

As I drew near the clearing I heard a voice. I was startled to see the ghost of an Ancient, Bathran himself, standing there. The Horde had dared to slay him in order to harvest the herb! How dare they! According to Bathran the forsaken here have vials of “wildfire” which supposedly lives up to its name. Bathran wants me to burn his corpse to prevent further misuse of his hair. When it comes to the Horde, I will gladly do this.

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Taking care of the forsaken and their brutish orc overseers was a lot more difficult than I'd dared hope. On ocassion they ganged up on me, forcing me to flee and seek shelter deeper into the forest. It was mostly by stealth that I was able to pick them off and steal the wildfire vial.

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Ancients fascinated me from the moment I saw the first one in Darkshore and to see one dead is like seeing an ancient tree felled. For a moment after setting the corpse ablaze I stayed near and offered a prayer in reverence. Yes I know his ghost is right behind me!

I must make a decision now diary, Sheyla wishes me to meet a friend of her's who doubtlessly needs my aid, but Evenar needs me to deliver the hair to his master over at Maestra's Post. Normally I'd assist the sick child first but the friend, Talen's, camp was not far from here. Whichever I choose I feel I must try to bond with a beast here or things will be slow indeed.

As I'd pondered I saw a white wolf, ghostly in the forest's gloom, limping up the path from the beach. My heart ached to see it in pain and decided to try to get close. At first he had none of it, defending himself. I'd noticed though that he let me get a lot closer than a normal wounded wolf would. Finally, with a few scraps of meat, I encouraged him to let me closer and bandage the wound. He was so calm! It was almost as if he could sense my trust. As I moved on, satisfied, he let out a howl. A calm, soothing melody. That was it. I decided there and then.

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((I waited for 10 minutes for him to howl to get this! Needless to say he continually howled shortly after >_>;))

With so soft a voice and such calm a nature, what else could I call him but Serenade? I knelt next my new friend and asked him which way to go first. As if he knew my plight Serenade turned around and pointed back down to the beach, where Talen's camp lay. We've bonded so well, so fast. Maybe its because of the wolf in me. Come then pack-brother, let us run together!

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Talen greeted us warmly, introducing himself as an archaeologist of sorts. Giving me an apologetic look he explained how he was attacked by naga (those filthy things again?) and was forced to abandon some relics he'd been studying. I can take a hint, relics don't rescue themselves after all. And of course here is your obligatory extra quest-giver, this one by the name of Shindrell Swiftfire, asking that I kill the naga while I'm there. Convenient much?

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Well, well, turns out the statuettes I recovered have secret compartments in them, but are locked. And guess who have the key? Talen and I suspect so too. The archaeologist tasked me with locating the leader of this scaly band, Ruuzel, and prise the ring-key from her cold, dead hands.

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Curious though I am I decided not to pry into Talen's prize and left him to the spoils. Time to visit Orendil at Maestra's Post. I must say I'm concerned though, and Seren too; there is smoke on the wind.

Horde! By the light the Post is a mess! Those blasted orcs are attacking us with siege weaponry; there are flames everywhere and elves are dying. Orendil was easy to spot as he is currently healing rangers on the front line. There was a pause long enough to get through what had happened and what now needs to be done: the herb must be bathed in the light of the goddess, Elune, before it can be administered. I've never heard of such a thing before but he insists. He also wants me to locate a scout that went missing at Lake Falathim a few days ago. I feel that I need to do something to help here first. Damn those greenskins.

As I thought, help is appreciated albeit in a different manner than I expected. Crazed furbolgs are also attacking because of moonstones nearby. Two priestesses asked that I thin the furbolg numbers and deactivate the stones somehow. The elves seem to have the main orc attack under control for now, so this is a good time to do so.

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Having only recently saved the furbolgs in Darkshore from corruption I felt a pain of guilt for each bear-man I had to slay here. But I have little choice otherwise the elves would be severely outnumbered. With the secondary threat removed, its time to focus on the main attack. A sentinal, Onaeya, granted me leadership of a few rangers to take out what we can.

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One thing's for certain, these women sure know how to fight. It was an honour for me to join them. Now that a gap has formed we can push through. According to the sentinal leader two humans were here before, but perished in the attack. Each had an item of some description and I'm to retrieve and preserve them. Onaeya lent me a magic cape that should render me invisible to the greenskins and cowmen. I told Serenade to stay behind and help where necessary as the cloak wouldn't affect him too.

True to her word the cape worked wonders, even when I slipped and bumped into a tauren he just yelled at the goblins operating the catapults to watch what they were doing. I also learned that goblins can't count. Stealthily I was able to retrieve a hammer from the first paladin but the other was up a tower. Simple enough? Not really: there was a warlock up there who could see through the magic. No sweat though, he and his imp now have splinters in their mouths while I retrieved the other man's prayer book.

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Little more can be done here for now, so time to check Lake Falathim and learn what happened to the scout, Teronis.

What I saw at the lake was highly disturbing. Fleshy tendrils sprouted from the ground, tearing up the plant- and animal-life. Upon a small hill at the centre of it all was a keeper by the name of Heartwise... and Teronis' corpse. The scout's body is covered in slash marks. In a journal I found with him he mentioned finding a gem, but didn't have it with him. Perhaps one of the tendrils picked it up... Heartwise fears so too and pointed me in the direction of another faceless freak to the south. It was the cause of this. The keeper would have helped but one of his fetlocks was broken saving Teronis' body. All he can do is keep the tendrils at bay. It is enough.

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I successfully located the gem and defeated the monster. Amidst the flailing tendrils I found the spot Orendil mentioned, a beam of moonlight piercing through the canopy. As I stood within the light it seemed to focus on the herb concoction he'd given me. I hope that means it is ready.

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Heartwise promised to take care of Teronis' body for me once he's finished cleansing the lake. In the meantime I suppose all I can do is take the gem and concoction back to Orendil. The druid was understandably upset at the loss of the scout, but nothing can be done until all is clear here. Instead he instructed me to take bothe the gem and potion to Astrannar, to Raene Wolfrunner and the sick child respectively. I could have run there but another saber handler offered a ride. How could I say no?

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((More to come!))

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Rest in peace mum. I really did love and miss you, even if I never got to see you.

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

Unread post by TygerDarkstorm »

Nicely done. When I saw that shot of you and Serenade howling I figured it must have taken a while to get that one down. :lol: Those wolves are stubborn about howling when you want them to.
Look forward to more. ^_^

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

Unread post by Varethyn »

Actually I got it on the first attempt :) I had to wait 10 minutes for him to howl AT ALL :lol:
I then went afk in Astranaar's inn to get a drink and heard him and Raene's wolf having a little duet the entire time.

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

Unread post by TygerDarkstorm »

Yar, I meant getting him to howl must have taken a while. >_< Poor wording on my behalf. Figures he would howl a whole bunch when you don't need him to. :lol:

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

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((Possibly bad reading, too. I woke up rather groggy this morning >.<))

Astranaar is ablaze! Those blasted Horde will stop at nothing in their onslaught. Sentinals were handing out buckets of water to anyone who would help. I of course joined in, Serenade carrying an extra bucket for me. Together we doused what we could reach.

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Nearly impossible. We've put out the worst fires but for each one doused the Horde fliers start another. Sombre, the sentinals acknowledged this: keeping on fighting the fires themselves they instructed me to commandeer one of the glaive-throwers here in town and fight back. You can probably imagine how overjoyed I was to accept.

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That did the trick, with the new breathing space Astranaar is back under control, albeit smoldering. I returned to one of the houses I'd help put out as I thought I'd heard voices. Who in their right mind would stay in a burning building? Evidently, someone with a sick child. This was the place; I handed Orendil's concoction to the man, Pelturas Whitemoon, who in turn gave the potion to his sleeping daughter, Relara. For a moment the girl woke up, complaining that she was hungry, before slipping back into semi-consciouness. Pelturas had feared this. But hope isn't lost, one more remedy remains if only we can find it. A Tear of Elune, found only at Iris Lake which was all but destroyed when the nearby volcano erupted.

I'd dropped by the inn for supplies when a figure caught my eye. This woman must be Raene. I guessed correctly as I told her everything that has transpired. Briefly she turned away to weep for her friend but regained composure quickly. She told me of the furbolg village north of the elf town and how their population, and ferocity, was growing too fast and how this could end up being yet another threat. Short version: kill a bunch of them.

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After culling the threat I'd begun to leave when Serenade dashed over to one of the furbolg corpses, pawing at it and whining. As I approached I too felt that sense of dread when corruption is close by. Inspecting the furbolg we discovered an odd artefact. It makes my fur stand on end but why would the furbolgs have it? Maybe Raene will know.

While the huntress was pleased with my work she didn't know anything about the carving. Instead she pointed me to a worgen across the inn from us. Another of the Cursed! I haven't met one since Darnassus. Hephaestus, as his name was, didn't share the same joy at seeing another of his people and gave me a blank stare until I showed him the object. He informed me it was of troll make and had been designed to corrupt any non-troll who holds it, and promptly disgarded it. This would explain the furbolgs' frenzy then. Hphaestus echoed my thoughts well, explaining that no doubt there were more hoarded away in their hold. It won't do anything immediately but removing those charms should help sort this out.

Just outside the hold I ran into a furbolg who understands Common. He told me how once before his tribe had stolen a cursed item which corrupted them all but how they were barely saved by a night elf. I was about to remark on how they've stolen yet more cursed objects when he revealed that it was the trolls that gave the objects as a token of friendship. Some friendship. This time the chieftain is too far gone to reason with; the only way to save Vear's tribe this time is to kill Dal Bloodclaw and destroy the charms.

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The den was crawling with powerful furbol ursas and totemics but we forged through. Every now and again Serenade picked out a chest containing a troll charm and fought off any furbolgs that attacked while I was looting. Dal was waiting in the very depths of the cave system, attacking us on sight with sheer force and speed. Serenade perservered through the blows as I shot from one side. Vear was pleased though mournful of my work. He doubts we will meet again. Hephaestus too was impressed. The fellow worgen asked me to find his sister at the base of Thunder Peak, the volcano. She is in league with the Earthen Ring, currently trying to control the elements.

En route I passed by what little there is of Iris Lake. By that I mean the boiling swell at the base of the volcano. No way was I going in that, I'd be cooked alive! Surely the tears weren't in the water so I took a trip northwards where the lake had been evaporated. Sure enough large, smooth stones jutted out of the ash. I grabbed one, Serenade guarding my back.

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Hephaestus' sister, Sabina, greeted me along with an elemental each of earth, wind and water. The fire spirits here were enraged and empowered by the eruption. The earth elemental, Core, and the water elemental, Arctanus, both asked that I do their will. For various reasons they were unable to approach the lava as they are and so granted me a portion of their powers. Earth to fill in the lava fissures to prevent further lava flow, and water to smother the enraged fire elementals.

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With the fire trapped I'd wound up getting the attention of the boss of this mess: Lord Magmathar. He dwelt at the top of the volcano and threatened to snuff out all life here. The air was filled with his taunts and threats. All a bunch of hot air if you ask me but the risk is too great to ignore. Besides, the elements need to be in harmony. How was I meant to get up there and deal with that? Simple. The Vortex, the air elemental, gave me a cyclone to ride on and shoot lightning with. Fun times, diary. Fun times.

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((Continued next post. Yeesh I'm sure I'm overdoing it with text lately.))

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Re: Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

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((Continued.))

Magmathar's temper reduced to cinders I made due haste to return to Pelturas and his daughter. Pelturas commented that the tear appeared tarnished, and became concerned that it wouldn't work. Indeed, it was placed in a bowl of stew and given to Relara but while she ate the stew, she remained delerious. Troubled Pelturas could only think of one thing we could try: there is a moonwell at the base of Thunder Peak, maybe cleaning the tear there will purify it again. All I can do is try. Relara is suffering. Raene called me over just before I set out, asking that I deliver the gem Teronis had found to Shael'dryn, a dryad at Raynewood Tower.

Battling our way through the remaining agitated fire spirits we arrived at the moonwell described by Pelturas. Such a soothing place right next to such turmoil, it almost makes no sense to see this greenery here with the tiny little dragon-creatures flitting about. As soon as I put the tear in the water everything glowed white and blue, almost blindingly bright.

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((Augh my eyes!))

A voice entered my mind, washing away any fear and doubt I felt. It told me that things always come at a cost; in order to fully purify the tear I must assist someone called Avrus Illwhisper over at Raynewood Tower to the east. Well, since all standing in the moonwell is achieving is pruny pads I suppose I should look into this.

A satyr. The Voice wants me assist a satyr? Isn't corruption the only thing satyrs are good at? I must say I'm really rather sceptical at all of this now, though I am also watching my back as there is a freaking battle going on here too. He said something about redemption. Is this what I need to do? Redeem him? I recall hearing tales of satyrs, much like the naga, having also once been night elves who fell to shadowy corruption. Moonstones at Night's Run are what I'm looking for he claims. I hope this is right, I don't want to be a part of any satyrical plots.

Before I go though this place is clearly in need of assistance. The Horde are still intent on assaulting the night elves and have killed many dryads in the process. Melyria Frostshadow asked that I retrieve all the fallen dryads as I can find and take them to Raynewood Retreat. I also found Shael'dryn and gave her the gem. She understood immediately what was going on and told me of a shaft locked away in Howling Vale. The treant guardians held the key, but they too are crazed. I'll check on that later.

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More druids. And more Horde. I quickly hauled the dryad corpses inside the Retreat. On the second floor a nymph thanked me but pointed at the turmoil outside. She told me of the great cat Shadumbra that prowls here protecting the night elves and told me to invoke her shade. I became I giant spectral tiger! With the cat's agility I literally tore through the orc ranks.

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((Not as clear as I'd hoped but the timing of the orcs' animations was perfect.))

It was almost a dissapointment when I ran out of orcs to sink my claws into, but power is corruption as they say; I couldn't enjoy myself for too long in that state. Satisfied at the desimation of the greenskins and their war machines I reported back to the tower. Now I must gather those moonstones... warily. The stones were in the hands of Avrus' “former”, if that can be believed, clan of Felmusk satyrs. Plenty of carnage occurred in the collection of these moonstones. None of these bastards will be allowed to cause more corruption.

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While I was in the relative area I headed northwards to the Howling Vale the dryad mentioned. Even before I got to the vale proper I noticed plenty of treants wandering about. Some of them didn't even look crazy until we got too close. Good thing Withers decided to stay at the Grove of Ancients back in Darkshore; I doubt he'd have enjoyed watching me kill his kin. It took a few kills before I found the key I was looking for, and the chest was easily located too. Time to head back to Raynewood.

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I cannot explain how I feel right now diary. Ill partly, but also like I just did something great. Avrus said that the power of the moonstones required a life to activate. Just like that, no questions asked, he tore open his chest and ripped out his heart! I almost vomited but stopped when he was bathed in light... and transformed into a night elf! He was telling the truth, and has been redeemed. Oh Light... can being selfless be less grisly next time?

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((Again, not as clear but emaculate timing.))

Still trembling a little I gave the shaft to Shael. She proceeded to tell me that the final piece of the staff, the pommel, was in the hands of a corrupted druid by the name of Oso. He insisted on staying in bear form and skulked in a cave nearby but is far too powerful to tackle. Instead the dryad taught me how to “play possom”, or feign death basically. Just wait for him to leave the cave, sneak in, grab the pommel and sneak out again, playing dead if Oso spots me.

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Once again I was forced to leave my beloved pet behind just incase. If things got really bad I could call for him, but I always feel like I've left a part of myself behind. The heist itself went pretty smoothly, except for one hairy moment as I was leaving the cave. The trick worked well; stupid bear couldn't tell that I was faking.

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Shael'dryn reassembled the rod and almost immediately we were hit by a wave of powerful magic. I'd dropped it in surprise and Serenade lay down, muzzle on paws, staring at it and whining. I too can hear the faint humming coming from it. I hope Raene was right in having this thing restored.

Finally we can cure Relara. I rushed back to Astranaar and presented the moonstones to Pelturas. Promptly the moonstones were crushed and mixed into a sweet-smelling cup of tea. That reminds me, I'm parched. I watched carefully as Relara took the drink and sipped it. A few moments later she was sitting up, asking if she could play with her dear father. I can't blame Pelturas for weeping now, to save a young life is no small favour. Such a great feeling. You know what is also a great feeling? When liquid spills down a dry throat. Be back soon diary, I really am in need of a drink myself.

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Rest in peace mum. I really did love and miss you, even if I never got to see you.

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