(RP) Journeys, Part 8
Table of Contents
- Part One is located here: link
- Part Two is located here: link
- Part Three is located here: link
- Part Four is located here: link
- Part Five is located here: link
- Part Six is located here: link
- Part Seven is located here: link
- 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.
