Plus the place is boring.))
Dear diary
Shortly after waking and eating breakfast we headed through the portal. Ballad didn't seem to mind the portal as much as I thought she would. Mind you we were technically still on the ground. We arrived directly inside the Keep, in front of the quartermaster no less, and reported for duty.
He told me many people here in Blasted Lands came from Silithus too. Finding a spot to fit into might be tricky. He was able to offer me something though; the Horde are proving to become pests despite all Nethergarde has done in these lands. Lungertz wants me to send them a clear message by killing a scout that has been spotted nearby. Not sure why they didn't kill the scout as soon as they were spotted, but oh well. Work is work. Other adventurers had also killed a scout each... makes you wonder about their security.
Just outside the keep a dwarf woman by the name of Enohar Thunderbrew flagged me down, saying she spotted shipwrecks carried in by a recent storm. She offered a few coins if I inspected them for her. Seems there's more work available than I thought. Except, again, pretty much everyone looked at them. Is this some kind of joke?
As soon as we set foot outside Nethergarde an orc attacked from the shadows. Had it not been for Ballad's ability to slow time I may well have had a dagger in my back. I reitorate however, servailance must be terrible here if so many scouts are wandering about.
I reported my findings to Lungertz. It was just a test, to prove my quickness. Bastard. He gave me something a bit more challenging next: remove the orcish artillery attacking the mines not far from Nethergarde. Leyon Stiltson, just across the table, ordered that I remove the head of the beast and kill the orcish leader. A gnome across the hall gave me grenades to blow up the orcs' supplies. They mean business. Or try to sound it. Security really is questionable: I'm certain I saw someone come out of the mines just a moment before. Perhaps they skirted their duties, killed one orc claiming it to be the leader and left again. After all, we're not being asked for proof.
Well that was more than a bit messy. Some of the grenades were duds and refused to explode on contact! Ballad remedied that by throwing rocks at them. Even if the grenades didn't explode finally, at least the supplies were damaged by the rocks.
Orcs, everywhere. Seriously, each one had three or more soldiers attacking them, human and dwarf alike, and they couldn't do anything! Add one worgen and her oversized, time-distorting lizard and they fell like a pile of bricks. Just who trained these people?! Ballad also helped me spot the leader. Or the potential leader. He was the only one riding a wolf and had a banner on his back.
Returning to the keep each quest-giver thanked me in turn and claimed that soon they'll retake the mines and drive the orcs out. I wonder how many other saps they said that to. Since they've all gone quiet I suppose I'd better “scout out” the “recently wrecked” ships.
Cursed! My people! The spirits of fellow worgen wandered around the shorelines as vultures pecked at the remnants of their corpses. I could not bear the sight. My people... By Greymane how did this happen? Enohar sympathised with me, though I doubt she knows my pain. She expects they were headed to someplace called Surwich. Despite how I'm currently equipped she gave me a bow and a quiver of arrows coated in something that will “give those vultures a surpise”. I can see where this is going. I'll release the spirits of my kin while I'm there. I cannot leave them like this.
Explosive. The arrows are explosive. I must interrogate that dwarf some, this concoction could come in useful. Some of the shots missed, but that served just as well; the buzzards came down for us and we killed them accordingly.
((Again I appear to have misplaced some of my screenies. Argh.))
One of the worgen held a strange crystal fragment. Perhaps that's what they were shipping with them? Regardless, I'm sure someone will want it. I'd keep it, but it only serves to bring back the bad memories. I stayed a moment to pray for my fallen brethren. Enohar greeted me sombrely when I returned. I sure could use some of whatever it is she keeps drinking. To help me take my mind off things she told me to report to Mahar Ba, a moody mage stationed in the tall tower here.
Why am I not surprised I'm not the first to meet the mage? He explained, poutily, about the cultists skulking around the cave to the south of here. He'd sent several people out to deal with them but there seems to be just as many as there were previously. He told me to bring back the foci they carry. Ballad's hissing. I think she's picking up on the sheer idiocy of this place.
Before I set out someone told me a “lost one” - whatever that is - was collecting crystals like the one the worgen merchant held. They didn't stay longer than to tell me where to find him. Fair enough, I don't seem able to sell it to any of the local vendors.
As I sought out the “lost one” I was attacked by a giant reptile. No I don't mean Ballad, as playful as she is. No it was a basilisk, one much bigger than any others here in the Blasted Lands (emphasis currently on “blasted”. Eesh.) and with scales like coal. We killed it with ease thankfully. I was surpised to find it in possession of a crystal sphere not unlike the fragment I'd picked up. Perhaps the “lost one” would like this too?
I was right. The lost one – a highly mutated draenei apparently – disregarded the fragment vehemently. Others brought him shards but he declared them useless. It didn't go without reward though. The sphere was a different story. He took that with reverence and asked that I bring him more should I find any. He'd called it Dreanethyst. I now know what I'm looking for, despite his claims of it being unlikely to find any more like this.
Back to the task at hand. The cultists must be as dense as the soldiers of Nethergarde, or as bored as I am havig no end of people out to kill them. Either way I managed to catch some of them sleeping. I also noted how the vast majority of the cultists were forsaken. I hope they suffered. Especially the one that dared to turn into a demon!
Mahar peered into a focus I gave him and looked at me in horror. Jeez, what did the last adventurer miss this time? Whatever it is, the mage told me to make my way into the cave nearby where I found the cultists and speak to someone by the name of Kasim Sharim. I bet, diary, that someone else has aleady been there.
Kasim claimed that he didn't need the letter Mahar told me to give him. Of course not, he's being pestered day in and day out by other stupid idiots! He said he could use me though, so I listened. First he introduced me to a quick and mostly painless way to move between his cave and outside. I say mostly because it required blood to attune myself to it. I had to run some of Ballad's blood on it too and let me tell you, she did not like me cutting her one bit. Blood mages. Ever wondered how they earned that title? Now you know. Anyway. Despite most claims, blood mages are not vampires. They work with blood, but not drink it. His first request was that I bring him meat from the boars that wander the land. Secondly he needs the blood of hyenas and basilisks. I won't ask what for, but we can safely cross drinking off the list, eh?
Ballad and I were both more than a little surprised when the boars took on a semi-demonic look. Had the cultists done something to them? Then again there is a large portal said to be connected to a world of demons. Maybe that's given them that effect? Fel residue? I hope Kasim likes his meat demonic.
Baslisks and hyenas roamed in large enough quantities to get all the blood necessary for the mage. If only I'd met him earlier, I'm sure that massive, black basilisk's blood would have been worth something.
We ended up with a little more hyena blood than necessary so Ballad helped herself to it. She seemed really satisfied after. Huh. Anyway we returned to Kasim who hurridly took them meat from us, even pausing to eat some there and then. He then explained what the blood is for. And as it turns out this isn't the first time he's done this either, as he's become somewhat a professional at giving the short version. Surprise. Cultists plan to summon a powerful demon into the world. A powerful demon or aNOTHER powerful demon? Either way Kasim wants to summon the demon first so we can kill it.
After performing the ritual, which I thought was what would summon the demon given his words, he explained that he can now sense the objects we need to actually summon it. Brilliant. Three amulets, one of which is nearby. The others... not so. Let's put it this way: I'm probably going to get wet again.
The first amulet was easy enough, it was inside a chest just at the entrance to this cave. Warp out with the teleporter, grab it, warp in again. Simple as.
The next one, however, is on one of the wrecked ships on Shattershore, where the spirits of my people lingered. This would be a good opportunity to become human again.
Gruesome. What did this “Grol” do to wind up as a head on a stick? He wasn't happy with it either, as his spirit attacked as I reached for his amulet. May he rest in peace. Assuming he was good. Kasim didn't speak highly of him but then Kasim is mad.
The last amulet is in the hands – claws? - of a murloc. A murloc of all things. Well, killing it wouldn't be a problem if it's anything like the other fishmen I've faced previously. Or not. This murloc, and his tribe, aren't about to attack. In fact in a change of tides (possible pun?) he asked for help as his people had been attacked by naga. Well, I demanded the amulet first. While he gave it to me and I could easily return to Kasim to get this foolishness done with I felt compelled to aid the fishman. This one cannot speak common very well and directed me to another. Swift lagged behind, he wanted to play with the tadpoles.
What... What is going on here? I thought naga and murlocs often worked together. Yet this... this is slavery. Neptool, or rather the ghost of, told me the story. The Rockpool murlocs and Bloodwash naga used to coexist peacefully but one day the snakepeople turned on the murlocs violently, either killing or enslaving them. Even now they're forced to do the naga's dirty work.
Neptool implored that I kill the naga, regardless of whatever past they had. This cannot stand. And I cannot stand the naga anyway. As long as there's water the naga have more often than not been a thorn in my side. At least I can remove the one embedded in the murlocs'.
Each time a naga struck a murloc I flinched. So I slaughtered them. What the fel caused them to turn to such atrocities? Neptool was thankful and pointed me further up the beach, explaining how the murlocs and naga once worshiped Neptulon together. The naga though turned there scaly backs to him and now focus on Azshara. The serpent bitch. Neptool told me to find her idols and destroy them, and kill more of the naga while I'm at it. No amount of naga deaths will bring back the tribe but damn is it satisfying.
While I was fighting the naga I happened across an abandoned crate which three tiny tadpoles were using as shelter. The poor things were scared, hungry and close to drying out but didn't dare move. I took it upon myself to help them to safety. For the future of the Rockpool murlocs. I simply pray it doesn't come back to bite me later.
That was worth getting wet for. The babies are safe, the idols destroyed and the naga sufficiently beaten. Neptool thanked me as only a ghostly murloc chieftan can. The rest of the Rockpools here may well be enslaved and killed... but at least they know there are some out here who care. Besides, those tadpoles still have a future now.
I think we've earned ourselves a break. Write again soon.
It is a shame she'll be getting replaced soon in the story though. 
Though it's hardly an original concept. Several others, including 
