Worgen Tales (Image Heavy)

[TygerDarkstorm]

I've only done a small portion of the Winterspring quests from Cata so I am enjoying this read as well. ^_^ I can't get over how pretty Olm looks in the snow.

Lovely update as always Varethyn.

[Varethyn]

Dear diary

Haleh was indeed ready for me to continue work towards Umbranse's fall. She watched owlbeasts, wildkin, enter and leave the cave unaffected and believes their druidic powers may combat Umbranse's. First step is to recover a dreamcatcher from Dun Mandarr, to the south of here. What? Are we going to capture the owlkin's dreams?

Dun Mandarr was crowded with owlbeasts. Sadly the magic must have addled them slightly after all as they attacked fiercely. We managed to fend off the owlbeasts long enough to get to the camp proper and located the dreamcatcher inside a chest. No prizes for guessing what happened to that poor dwarf.



Haleh magically contacted me and told me to use the dreamcatcher near totems within the caves of Owl Wing Thicket to the east. They will be highly defended but we need the magic in order to combat Umbranse. At the entrance we all but tripped over an orc of all things, surrounded by feathers. He told me that he'd been sent here to gather relics but the owlbeasts attacked in a flurry, leaving him badly wounded. Rather than ask for help he told me to kill the beasts to reclaim his lost honour. Vengeance is petty, but we all feel it at some point. I'd managed to bite back comments about the Horde around him; I did after all fight beside them back in Thousand Needles. However I will still never forgive the forsaken, no matter what I end up doing with them.



It's times like this that I long for the comforting, if mournful, hoots from Aroom; he was one owlbeast I could rely on to not kill me. Poor beasts.



I was amazed to see that each totem had a spirit animal with them: bear for claw, deer for life and, to Prelude's approval, owl for wisdom. I tapped each one with the dreamcatcher and the spirits reacted to it. The dreamcatcher now holds their essences.



I returned to Jadrag, the orc, and told him of the carnage. He nodded but he lost honour elsewhere too, namely Frostwhisper Gorge. He'd tried to find a new way across since the bridge that spanned it is now broken, but ice giants chased him away in shame. I know what to do, kill those giants for him. The orc mentioned a water elemental too: Frostilicus. I'll know him when I see him. Just as I turned towards the Gorge Haleh contacted me. Now that we have the owlbeasts' essence we need to amplify the power. The water from the elementals in the Gorge will do just that. Two bir- [there is a slight jagged line here] Sorry Prel, I promise to never use that phrase around you again.

No sooner had I reached the broken bridge had I seen the giants. Kind of hard to miss actually, even surrounded by snow and ice.



I thought those ones were big; there was an even bigger one right at the edge of the broken bridge! Incredible... I wonder if Jadrag will appreciate that.



I can't say much about these elementals. They fell apart so easily. You could say they simply didn't hold water! Well, aside from the winterwater Haleh needs of course.



Wow. Just wow. Jadrag wasn't kidding when he said I'd know Frostilicus when I saw him; the thing is bigger than the biggest ice giant! Didn't last any longer though. Perhaps I'm just powerful Maybe Ursius' meat did hold something after all.



Jadrag thanked me almost fervently. He told me that if he survived his wounds, which he still won't let me tend to, he'll always remember my name whenever the wind whistles through the trees. Touching. Though I'd hate to know how that'd feel if he ever got caught in a gale. Or a tornado like the one in Darkshore. I bet he'd wish he could forget it then.

I returned to the Blue camp outside Mazthoril and gave the winterwater and dreamcatcher to Haleh. According to the Blue, as she amplified the dreamcatcher, Umbranse's wanton casting within Mazthoril has caused terrasects – portals – to open inside. Various displaced creatures now spill out of them. If the Blues are to return to their cave these creatures must be destroyed and the portals closed. That is what the dreamcatcher is for. Afterwards I must seek out the renegade mage at the back of the cave and end him. Haleh wishes she could join me to kill him but the magics inside would surely kill her as it is now. Let us redeem those lost spirits and the blue dragons.

<Tear stains dot the page here and there. Several marks are present where Lakita had started to write something but stopped. The rest of the page is blank.>

[Azunara]

Uh-oh...

AAAAARGH. SUSPENSE.

[Varethyn]

Keeps the readers interested :3
Now you'll keep coming back, checking continuously for updates to see what happened *wicked grin*

[TygerDarkstorm]

Ack, what a horrible way to leave that off! D: And of course, I don't really mean that but gods what a cliffhanger. XD

Lovely update.

[Varethyn]

Hehe, well I figured it was time to ring the changes a little Not every entry ends with "goodnight" after all.
(Not-so-subtly asks for opinions on her latest drawing.)

[Varethyn]

((Short update this time to show I'm still going with it I still have some of this pre-typed with pics but after that updates may be delayed since I've given myself a new project to work on.
Plus I'm sure you're eager to know what happened in Mazthoril ))

<There is a mass of swirly lines in the vague shape of a bird in flight. After much consideration you decide it must be Prelude. Or Swiftwing was playing with her quill.>
Dear diary

I apologise for the brief absence, I had to collect myself after... what happened. Ah, but I haven't written about that yet have I?

I'd entered Mazthoril cave as Haleh asked. Before each portal had been a group of different creatures: Wraiths, giant, green lizards covered in spikes, something that looked like a dreanei, only red and stank of fel magic, creatures – at least I'll assume they're creatures – that looked nothing more than a bundle of cloth in a humanoid shape, tiny, dragon-like creatures, satyr, giant oozes (ugh!), a vaguely insectoid -thing- that I find hard to describe other than “spiky”, imps, arcane elementals... I used the imbued dreamcatcher and closed all the portals I could.



However at the satyr portal one tried to flee back to... wherever the thing leads. Prelude gave chase to end it. But... I was already closing the teresect...

Prelude, why were you so close?

When the terresects closed a blastwave sucked anything nearby back through. Prelude got caught in this blast... I will find you, Prelude. Whatever world you may be on, I WILL find you. Somehow...

But I had to focus. I had a job to do. I wasn't alone in facing Umbanse either. While I enjoy his company I don't mean little Swiftwing, though it was the cub who helped me find our new friend. Hiding behind a rock was one of the lizards. I'd seen it warp away and figured it went back through the terresect. Instead it'd been hiding, watching us.



I couldn't help but fall for the soulful look she gave me. She understood my pain and she was lonely and afraid. I had to bring her along. Ballad – as I named her – followed me down to the depths of the cave where we found the renegade mage, manipulating the magic of Mazthoril to transport him around. I shot him down. Umbranse tried to blink away but Ballad did the same and pinned him.



Haleh had given me a ring of sorts which allowed me to teleport back to her camp. I explained what had happened, but it wasn't necessary; the Blue already felt the magic stabalising. I didn't mention Prelude to her, but she may be able to help locate him later once things calm down. In the meantime I have a new friend to learn more about. And what better way than by adventuring together?

I'd returned here to the inn in Everlook. The innkeper was kind enough and told me the latest gossip. Both the Blasted Lands and Silithus are in need of assistance. Last I heard one of the women had already set off for Blasted Lands so I suppose it's to Silithus with us. Not without visiting my other pets first of course; it's been too long since I saw them all.

I'll update when we arrive in Silithus. Until then.

[TygerDarkstorm]

Aw poor Prelude. He was so pretty too. Still, I look forward to your adventures with Ballad. ^_^ <3 me some warpies.

[Azunara]

Aw.

...Waiiiiiit...Another world...?

....Hm. *speculates.* *wishful thinking.*

[Magli]

Heh, yeah, I was thinking that myself.

("Do you know what I'm thinking, Pinky?" "Yeah, Brain, but I don't think Deathwing would fit in a Mini Cooper, even if you did rip the front seats out.")

[Varethyn]

*Whistles while she works.*
Good to see the brains clicking away. Speculation is fun.

[Varethyn]

((I totally had a certain warpie on my mind when thinking up a good personality for Bal xD))

Dear diary

Bal doesn't seem to like flying at all in the slightest, gripping tightly to the ground each time we landed. But she soon loosened up when she met my other pets. First we visited Felwood to see Minuet and they basked together for a while. I feel bad having to fly around after this but it is the easiest mode of transport.

We then went to Darnassus to play with Bossa and Nocturne, who'd just returned from a hunt. I'd wondered how they would bond given Bossa's boisterousness but they had fun. Bal now seems to have an infatuation with rocks and stones, often scooping them up and showering us. It stings a little but thankfully she avoids the large and pointy ones.

Next we headed down to Thousand Needles to give Bolero a friendly kick in the side (he hadn't gone far from where I'd left him). I must say, the greedy sod has applied so much more fat by now that I doubt he even felt it. He noticed when Ballad tried to shove him away to get to the better basking spot though.

Finally we went to Dustwallow to see Lied. Construction has taken a turn for the better thanks to the wind serpent's performances. I'd have thought he'd be tired of it by now but I, clearly, was wrong.

I decided not to go see Tune and Serenade yet; since Ballad doesn't like flying I don't think she'd take well to water straight after either. But now we're in Silithus, no more flying for a while. The playful lizard flicked a pebble at Swift the moment we arrived, who chased it and is now batting it around. You wouldn't think we were here to assist the Cenarion Circle, acting as we are!

Despite the interesting arrival we were greeted warmly by the residents of Cenarion Hold. One tauren, Windcaller Proudhorn, brushed off some snow that had somehow clung to my shoulder. Fancy that. Pleasentaries were soon put aside though she explained the situation: the biggest threat is the silithid, those bug-things from Thousand Needles. But beside those are cultists and aggressive wildlife. My first task is somewhat light: hunt down worms which have stolen morrowgrain, a valuable herb. The less there are of them the less herbs will be stolen.

Before I left I heard a commotion coming from the top floor of the inn. Beetix Ficklespragg, a goblin, was worried sick about her cousin, Noggle, who apparently took a heavy dosage of stong poison. She had the poison under control but needs the stingers of whatever stung him. I'll have to keep an eye out for those. Truthfully I might have preferred Blasted Lands; I feel I stand more of a chance grappling with demons than I do being injected with venom. Oh well.

There were spiders and scorpids all over the place! I'd barely set paw outside the Hold when we were jumped by a brown tarantula the size of Ballad! Not far were a few scorpids too... Fel, I'm going to get poisoned at some point, I just know it. At least Ballad should have some immunity to the venom.



The worms took a little longer to find as they hid in the sand, but when the popped up they came almost in droves. Bal and I picked off as many as we saw (which was a lot, let me tell you). Swift occupied himself by chasing desert lizards and scorpid hatchlings.



Back at the hold we barely got a look-in after my reports. Thankful though Beetix and Proudhorn were, there's always a bigger fish. Or worm and poison-filled critter in this case. All could be found to the south of the Hold so at least I know where to look. I also heard about the Twilight's Hammer getting a little too close for comfort. Guess it's up to me to put them in their place too. Huum Wildmane agreed and his brother, Bor, suggested I steal their means communication: encrypted text. We have no way of reading it but it'd do good to leave them deaf and blind.

As it turned out there is a cultist camp not very far from the Hold at all. This should be my first target. I don't think the druids would be best pleased if I ignored these ones to seek out bigger camps. Except a lot of these cultists turned out to be cowards, which Ballad exploited happily.



Well fel. Those worms really are much bigger than the strikers to the north. Some of them seemed more curious than aggressive, but the Cenarion Circle can't afford to keep losing supplies to them.


((Don't ask why I did that. Really. I have no clue >_>))

The scorpids were bigger too. The spiders however were smaller and spindly, but not any less toxic.



Noggle is back on his feet. Well almost, but he's making good recovery. It doesn't quite end there though: he was gathering rare ingredients in the southern mountain range when he was stung but it seems he lost his pack there. He believes it to be near to where “Deathclasp” is. Who – or what – is Deathclasp?

That was answered quickly. Checking the Wanted board outside the inn revealed Deathclasp to be a monsterous scorpid in dire need of putting down. I know where to head next I guess.

I think I'll take a break first though. The heat is... interesting. By that I mean hazardous in my wolf form but bareable (if too hot still) while human. Later diary.

[TygerDarkstorm]

Excellent read. I love that Tirrae inspired you with Ballad. ^_^ It's adorable.

Also that screenshot of Ballad chasing down the orc and the one with the worm in the monacle and mustache had be burst out laughing.

[Nefretiti]

That worm picture is just win

Good read as always been following Laki for sometime but never got around to posting before .. lazy me x.x

[Azunara]

I laughed with the worm.

And Tir-Bal! That's awesome! Kozri says he approves. Azunara is just bouncing happily up and down because come on, she loves Tirrae, so any warp stalkers like Tirrae have to be just as awesome.

[Lupis]

Gods, I'm so incredibly behind on this. x.x But I think I've caught up. And as soon as I saw Ballad I thought, "Tirrae!" xD

[Varethyn]

Really glad you all approve of Tir-Bal I hadn't intended it at first until I saw the pics you lot made for her and, well, things went from there And the worm... I was in a completely random mood when I did that. Random obviously seems to be a big hit though

Nef and Lupis, happy to know you're reading too It makes me happy to see other people reading and enjoying it ^_^d

[Varethyn]

((Whew it's been a while since I updated this. Well, compared to how I normally post at least My other project's reached a dead-end for now so... back to Laki for a bit.))

Dear diary

Time to go find this Deathclasp. Except that turning over the texts and news of my attack on the camp yielded information on another camp to the northeast. Huum wants me to head over there and kill their leader: Vyral the Vile. Rather fitting name, I must say. Eh, the camp is closer and more of a threat. Let's go there.

<Flecks of soot and burnt fur can be found in the crease.>
It took ages to get deep within that blasted cave where Vyral was hiding. Too many flame casters. Ballad didn't mind them, she loves the heat. Me? My fur is flammable. Eventually we found the git reading a book of all things. Ballad surprised him by warping behind and tackling him. Then more fire. Yeesh.



I delivered Vyral's signet ring to Huum, who thanked me. A dwarf not far away, by the name of Larksbane, overheard what we were talking about and asked that I go to the remnants of another cultist camp and collect tablet fragments. Just how deeply set into this desert are those crazy cultists?!

My train of thought was wrecked as the commander of Cenarion Hold, Mar'alith, called me in. He's worried about his wife, Natalia, as she went missing recently. Last she'd been seen was at the Bronzebeard camp to the south. Mar'alith wants me to (subtly) interrogate the dwarves there and learn where Natalia is. He'll be listening in using a pair of special shards. I hope there's an “Off” setting to these, I don't want him eavesdropping on me talking with Bal and Swift.

I headed northwest first, to find the ruined cultist camp. I figured the sooner I did it the sooner I'd get the Twilight's Hammer off my back. Tablet pieces were all over the place. And so were earth elementals. Ballad had so much fun catching the rocks they threw at us and hurling them back. We managed to gather enough frags to placate Larksbane though.


((First proper face-shot of Bal I noticed. Isn't she sweet? :3))

I know I need to find Natalia, but Mar'alith can only hear through the shard, not see, right? Anyway I brought the frags back to the dwarf who then studied them. And got nothing. Typical. She has heard a rumour of a cultist deserter who is said to live in a cave to the southeast. She thinks he might help. Chasing rumours again. At least they've all been true, so far.

So much for avoiding any more cultists. Ortell, the deserter, does indeed exist and is inclined to help. But he needs a book, the Twilight Lexicon, in order to decipher the complete tablet Larksbane had me bring him. And where is the Lexicon? In three pieces; each piece in a different camp. Give me a break will you?

Three chapters, three keepers, three camps. One of which I've already been to. Calm, calm... I think the desert heat is getting to me. Two of the camps are close by to the Hold. I don't know how I managed to miss the keeper at the one I'd already decimated. But there you go. But why the fire? The keeper at the second camp wasn't hard to find though, except she kept using her powers to terrify me.



I'll drop by the third cultist camp later; from what I heard it is all the way down in the southwest corner of the desert. It's about time I found out about Natalia anyway. The first dwarf I questioned, Rutgar, started by explaining how Natalia was one of the first to join the expedition into the numerous silithid hives in the desert. Inside Hive'Regal they found a glyph of some kind which sent her into some kind of trance. The dwarves had taken her back to the Hold in hopes that the druids could help her. While they were able to wake her she'd returned to the dwarves demanding to be taken back inside the hive. When the dwarves refused since the situation was too dangerous she went crazy and attacked before running into the hive on her own. Rutgar believes something possessed her. He began to trail off onto their research at which point I decided I'd better talk to the other guy.

Frankal concluded that Natalia had been talking to someone or something in a language none of them had heard, considering between them they know more than thirty-eight languages including Titan! Whatever it was had to be the reason she attacked. They'd all just about passed out when Brann Bronzebeard's, leader of the expedition's, pet monkey went literally ape and viciously pounded her in the head. That was when she an into the hive... without being attacked. The silithid treated her as one of their own.

The commander spoke to me then, asking that I find his wife. He also said to “do what I must” if she truly is as mad as the dwarves claim. Speaking of mad and dwarves these two want me to go down there too! They're the ones who said they need a flipping army before they go in. Guess I'm a one-woman army. With a pet. Anyway Rutgar needs rubbings of the glyphs inside Hive'Regal while Frankal is making elixirs to translate said glyphs. The ingredient being silithid brains. Tasty.

I'm not going to dive down there just yet: Deathclasp needs killing, Noggle's pack needs finding and the cultists need their butts kicked. I started with Deathclasp. Supposedly it's just up behind this camp.

What is with creatures in this place being so huge the further south you go?! That thing was massive! It hit hard too, sending poor Ballad flying ocassionally. Thankfully she only lost a few scales which will grow back in time.



Just up the path from where we found the giant scorpid we located Noggle's pack. It is heavier than I expected it to be.


((I wanted to put something witty in there, but couldn't think of anything. Long warpie is long.))

Okay, okay I'll go into the hive first. The cult can wait a little longer. But the prospect of bug brains doesn't appeal to me much.

Despite the sheer number of the insect creatures it took a long time to get anything that resembles a brain. I'm not even sure if it IS a brain. Oh well, Frankal be damned if I'm wrong.



Deep inside the hive we encountered a disturbing sight. A female night elf, Natalia Mar'alith no doubt, was crouched next to a glyphed stone surrounded by the silithid. I tried to talk to her but she lashed out, screaming something about “C'thun” and how it will retake this world. Retake? As in it had it before? I won't pretend to understand. I was forced to defend myself against her as she attacked with inhuman (inelven?) force. “Do what I must”. I had to. I killed her. There was nothing I could do. I hope the Commander understands.



Thank fel I'm out of that infernal place. I all but dumped the rubbings and brains into the respective dwarf's lap. Just before setting out to get the last piece of the Lexicon Rutgar asked that I take their findings back to Larksbane at the Hold. I wanted to delay telling the Commander the news of his wife.



Ortell was able to decipher the tablet I'd given him using the Lexicon. I didn't take the time to read it, but the hermit insists it is valuable information and should be given to the Commander immediately. I guess there's no more delaying the inevitable.

Well, perhaps a little. I gave Noggle his pack, which he was pleased to announce was still full of all his reagents, gave Larksbane the glyph, which she confirmed needed a special trick in order to decipher but did not go into specifics, and handed over Deathclasp's pincer as proof that I'd killed it. When it came to facing the Commander I started off by giving him the translated text. He thanked and rewarded me, but the tone in his voice was insistent. So I told him. He did not take the news well but masked his anger by demanding to know, rhetorically, just what “C'thun” is. I left him well enough alone.

Well diary, it seems there is little left to do here. My only option now is the Blasted Lands, despite the help already there. I will just have to squeeze in and help in anyway I am able. Conveniently there is a mage stationed in the building behind Mar'alith offering me a portal to Blasted Lands and to speak with Quartermaster Lungertz in Nethergarde Keep. I shall do that tomorrow, we've been through a heck of a lot in such short time.

Good night diary, I hope the nights are cooler here.

[TygerDarkstorm]

I'm totally late to comment on this, and I apologize, I got a bit lazy. But anyway, you make Silithus much more interesting than I found it when I tried questing through there. Ended up taking Rose to Blasted Lands to push her to 58 and get to Outlands. XD

Anyway, good read, as always; Ballad looks really pretty out there.

[Varethyn]

So, insomnia, various IRL crap and getting frazzled over a certain seahorse detained me from writing for a bit. But now I'm back. I hope.

Good to know I made Silithus sound more interesting than it is ^_^ I found it boring to level through too. I was also vastly disappointed as, since I don't keep up with a lot of stuff, I was looking forward to this "Bad Stuff" quest and other things found on the PTR by Acherontia and, through her, TotalBiscuit (before he quit *sadface*) only to find that they're not yet ingame Oh well.
Short zone is short though. I gained a whole level and a half. Huh.