Coils of Darkness: A Forum RPG

[Admin]

(If you want to take part, just post what your character's doing, and update the story! Don't take control of someone else's actions without their permission. Having more than one character is allowed, and I'll probably be handling a villain or two as well as a hero)

Ularitharion fell to his knees, exhausted. His eyelids, encrusted with blood, hung heavily over his glowing eyes, and his hair, equally matted with gore, pawed at his face in foul tendrils.
How long has it been since I bathed? he thought to himself. How long has it been since I slept?

His hands reached into the river, which still whispered its soft song innocently, unaware of the horror that lay close by. The druid splashed water over his face, attempting to wash off the worst of the filth. He winced, slightly, a hiss of air escaping his lips, as water fell from his hands into a still-fresh wound, a series of long scratches across his torso reaching from shoulder to hip.

The druid stared at his reflection in the clear river. The face that stared back at him was barely his own, and Ularitharion felt again the weight of the injuries that scarred his body, all fresh. "It's a wonder I'm still alive," he said, wryly, to the river, and it burbled its agreement with him.

And then a shape appeared behind him in the reflection. The druid seized the staff that lay at his side and spun, rising, but it was too late. He barely caught sight of his assailant before claws struck him full in the face, sending him spinning through the air. Water sprayed everywhere as the unconscious druid fell into the middle of the river, and the low growling of his assailant was the last thing he heard as consciousness left him and the river swept his body away...

[Sherazhina]

Sherazhina knelt on a rock overlooking the river. She sniffed the air cautiously, careful to maintain her stealth, for her enemy was cunning and more then prepared to make a quick meal of her. She stalked cautiously from rock to rock, avoiding patches of algae in favor of dry stone and surer footing.

Suddenly, she heard the sounds of combat ahead, something distinctly alien in the wilds that she called home. She moved quickly, crouching under low branches and vaulting brush, until she reached another rock outcropping overlooking a small waterfall. The sounds had ceased, so she paused a moment to reattain her bearings. Closing her eyes and thingying her head, she distinctly heard someone speak. Sherazhina crept forward, creating the stone just in time to see the elf spin and the beast strike. The blow cut deep, and the elf, already wounded, fell back into the water and disappeared into the steady current.

Sherazhina let out a low chirp, followed by several guttural clicks, all of which disappeared into the music of the woodlands around her. Within moments, Vigo, a young and spirited ravager, was at her side. She made several quick and silent motions, and the Vigo moved off, slowly circling the beast that seemed intent to stare that the fading figure of the elf. Within moments, Vigo exploded from the brush behind it, hissing its strange battle cry and cutting with its huge fore-claws.

The beast turned to face Vigo, exposing its back to Sherazhina. She lifted her crossbow, took careful aim, and gently squeezed the trigger. The bolt flew true, landing squarely at the base of the beasts skull. It stumbled forward, one step... two... then fell to the ground with a thud, crunching the leaves loud enough to silence the woodlands and make Sherazhina wince. Foolish, she thought.

Below, Vigo chittered angrily, denied his kill. He glared up at her and stamped his fore-claws on the ground, irritated that he had served as nothing more then bait. Sherazhina stood slowly. She looked down at her long-time companion, shrugged at him, then dived into the water to retrieve the fallen elf.

[Admin]

The next thing Ularitharion knew, something was digging into his back, and his face was burning with agony.

He tried opening his eyes. This seemed to be an improvement in understanding what was going on, for he was looking up into the face of a Draenei woman, who was swabbing away at his face with a crimson cloth.

The next realisation came when he wondered why what he was seeing seemed slightly out of focus. His left eye was not opening - and the cloth the woman held was not red, but an off-white rapidly growing more crimson with his blood.

A sudden wave of panic struck him as memory returned in a rush - the horrific visage, the incredible agony as it had struck half his face off, the rushing waters closing over his head - but he fought it, and within a moment the panic faded, and full realisation came to him.

He was lying on rocks by the side of the river, while this woman tended his face. Obviously she'd rescued him.

He blinked with his one remaining eye, and suddenly realised that the woman was familiar.

"Lady Sherazhina?" he said in disbelief, his voice ragged.

[Sherazhina]

The swim had taken more out of Sherazhina then it should have. She might have chided herself for being out of shape had she been the type. However, since she was not, she simply made a plan to improve her stamina by engaging in more water-related exercises.

She dragged him onto the bank and quickly assessed his wounds. They were many and deep, but not entirely untreatable. She quickly calculated that his chances were three-to-one, and then wondered why she had suddenly taken such a dispassionate view of the health of her friend. Perhaps I have been away too long, she thought. She bit her bottom lip, a habit that stemmed from her guilt, and began tending to her friends injuries.

She tore rages from her cloak, using them to staunch Ularitharion's bleeding. As she wiped a particularly jagged wound, his uninjured eye began to flutter. She chose not to speak, hoping that he would fall back into unconsciousness (the better to heal, she thought) and continued to tend his wounds, wiping away the blood and grit from his face.

When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, as if he had been long without drink. "Lady Sherazhina," he said, his voice sounding slightly confused.

"Shh" she said quietly. Her voice was deep, a quality she had been told that was unattractive to the men of this world. Strange that I would think of that now, she mused. "You are not alright," she began, "so I will not waste time asking how you are. You are as safe as I can keep you for now, and most of your wounds have stopped bleeding. Take this opportunity to rest... quietly... while I scout the area."

She raised to a crouch and began to creep away when she heard Vigo clicking and chirping from the brush about twenty paces away. d**n and blast, she thought (she found dwarven vulgarity truly fascinating). She slipped silently back to Ularitharion, readied her crossbow, and darted her eyes to the west...

[Admin]

Regardless of Sherazhina's words, the druid propped the battered frame that served as his body up by one arm, and his one good eye surveyed the area. He could feel it too, the too-sentient malevolence watching the three of them. A jolt of nauseous agony flashed over him suddenly, a reminder that this too, too mortal flesh was not as willing as the spirit it contained.

He tried to blank his mind, reach the perfect place of mental serenity where his soul would become one with the wilderness about him. It was not easy - physical pain and mental exhaustion were hard burdens to bear, and it took all of his considerable willpower to sublimate his consciousness, so that what was left of his soul, wordless, was no more - it was the forests, and the forests were him.

I am weak, he pleaded without communication, without even thought. Lend me your strength, so I might continue to defend you against this abomination.

And without thought, the forest answered. He could feel a thousand blades of grass about him, and knew their names. He could feel his roots, the roots of a thousand trees, digging into the ground. He was the insects that hummed lazily between the branches, and the worms that murmured songs to themselves as they dug that no one would ever hear.

And then he was himself again, and the strength of all these things flowed into him, causing pain to melt away. His left eye opened, and a golden orb glowed beneath it. With a gentle urgency like falling leaves, new power flowed through him. He rose, stiffly at first, but he moved with greater strength and certainity as life roared back into his body.

His steps left no impression upon the ground as he padded inaudibly to Sherazhina's side, his keen eyes scanning the undergrowth. His knuckles were white as his grip tightened on his plain wooden staff.

[Sherazhina]

Anthraxis watched the Elf and the Draenei with mild amusement. They searched the wilds about them for somthing, something that they could not possibly comprehend. He closed his eyes a moment, almost overcome by the feeling of power that knowledge brought him. It was almost orgasmic to know the fate of another. Almost like being a god, he mused with a wicked smile.

He rose to his feet in near silence. The elf suddenly turned, scanning Anthraxis's position through narrowed eyes. The glow of those eyes unsettled him. The feeling enraged the assassin, and he froze, allowing himself to settle back into the shadows of the great alderoak trees that surrounded him. To think of that dark-skinned... barbarian... as kin made the Blood Elf almost vomit. He calmed his mind and controlled his breatheing, taking comfort in the knowledge that the entertainment to come would more then make up for the weeks of uncomfortable tracking and hiding and sneaking. He had been following the Draenei, studying her carefully, discerning her strengths and weaknesses in the traditions of his people. Finding the Night Elf with her was simply a bonus. Not today, he told himself as he added the Night Elf to his mental list. Still observing. Everything must be perfect. When the time for his strike came, it was supposed to be precise in every detail, a work of art to be admired by peers for an enternity and dreaded by his foes for what remained of thier pathetic lives.

He silently laughed at thier folly. Soon they would know the wrath of Anthraxis, if only for a moment. Perhaps he would pose them when he was done, a lurid embrace that would destroy thier families and friends as well. The thought excited him all over again.

But not today, he thought. Soon... but not today... He settled back to watch the next attack...

[Admin]

Ularitharion's eyes narrowed.
"There's..." he began, whispering, to the Draenei woman.
Exactly what he was going to say, Sherazhina was fated not to find out. Something roared, a sickening bellow that might have been that of an enraged bear - except its scream echoed at three different pitches simultaneously, and reverberated in a way no mortal throat ought to be able to produced.
The thing emerged, ursine in appearance still, but only vaguely. Skin and flesh sloughed from its frame as it moved, leaving sinew and bone bear. Other parts of its form were enlarged, freakishly so. A foul-smelling orange bile frothed and slipped from jaws big enough to engulf Vigo in a single bite, and the grass died where it fell.
Ularitharion did not indulge in profanity - he never saw the need. But now, knowing he was at the end of his strength, and seeing the monstrosity, he knew that if he were the sort that swore, he would be doing so, proliferously.
He did not have the mental fortitude left for any further magic, and no time to summon the forces of nature to his aid, either. The thing cackled - and the druid nearly buckled at the knees, as a wave of pain, the bear's pain, poured through him via his connection to the wilds. And then claws dripping with greenish blood that ran from lacerated paws were flashing at him. The druid hurled himself backwards, and lashed out with his quarterstaff, striking a powerful blow against the beast's head. It snapped back - and then the thing screamed at him again.
Of course, he'd forgotten. The things could feel no pain with the agony that they were in.
And he deprived of his magic.
He backed up, and the thing closed the ground between the two of them instantly, and roared again as it charged...
...and the roar was echoed as a second of the nightmare beasts emerged behind the two at a ragged, loping sprint, and charged at Sherazhina.

[Sherazhina]

It was the smell of the beast that bothered her. Sherazhina couldn't quite place why, but there was something all-too familiar about the odor.

She whistled sharply, a piercing sound that would have silenced the forest had the beasts not already done the job. She took a shot at the charging thing, no longer a bear or natural beast, now a twisted mockery of creation. The bolt hit squarely on the things massive and dripping fore-paw, but it did not appear to notice. By Thunderbrew's sodden beard, she thought to herself. Not having time to reload she dropped her crossbow, a gift from her people for her services on their behalf, and whipped off her great sword in a deft and practiced motion. She hefted the blade that Jovil had crafted for her, re-familiarizing herself with its weight in the seconds that she had left before battle was joined.

The first strike of the beast went wide, more of a corralling strike to force her back to the trees. She took the opportunity to leap over the swinging claws and roll to her feet with her back to Ularitharion. The beast roared its strange multi-tonal howl, a sound that made Sherazhina wince. She felt her vision blur for a second, but quickly shook off the feeling and raised her sword to engage the abomination. It stood up, raising to a full twelve feet on its hind legs. Its bones made a sickly grinding sound, like algae-covered river rocks moving against each other in a fast flowing stream of bile and ichor. She steeled herself, drawing strength from her companion.

"My friend," she said, glancing over her shoulder for a split second, "if I do not see you again, know that it has been a true pleasure to fight by-" Before she could finish, the beast roared again as it dropped back to all fours with a sickening crunch and charged. Obliged by its actions, Sherazhina did the same...

[Admin]

Ularitharion's staff spun in his hands. He had not had to rely upon his skill with it in some time, but he had been a warrior once, ten thousand years ago, and the skills honed against the Burning Legion were never truly forgotten.
Jagged talons clawed up a fountain of dirt where the Night Elf had been standing. The druid spun aside, striking with the tip of the hardwood staff at a place where grating bones showed. The blow was jarring, and the beast turned to swipe at him again, barely noticing the impact.
So much for trying to dismember it, he thought dryly, and then ducked. White hair billowed above his head, a veil through which talons tore, barely missing his head.
I'm faster than this, the druid thought as he flung himself to one side, barely evading the maw of jagged teeth, like broken razor blades.
Except he wasn't. He'd been fighting the things for three days with barely any pause, and there was one inescapable truth - he was tired. Too tired to use his magic, too tired to move fast enough or strike hard enough.
His next move was too slow. He stepped away from the once-bear's paw, but not fast enough to avoid the back-swipe. The blow struck his chest with staggering force, sending his breath whooshing out as he flew back, spinning and rolling without control until he struck a tree. He groaned in pain, and then flung himself down as jaws closed over where his head had been. They caught the tree, and with a scream of bark shattered it.
If I don't think of something, the druid realised, I die here. And if I die, then Sherazhina dies. And the truth behind this atrocity will never be known, until it is too late.
He pulled himself upright slowly, and the once-bear advanced, equally slowly. It growled at him as it came, a nightmarish sound, and then reared back on its back legs and roared. Bile from its mouth flew, and trees shook as the deafening noise blasted forth, a torturous scream of hellish agony and hatred.
Ularitharion responded by driving his staff into its mouth.
Before the bear could react, the staff tore into mouth, throat, and guts, pinning the monster in place. Monstrous jaws began to close, about to shatter the weapon before finishing off the druid - but with a strength born of desperation, Ularitharion channelled a final spell. Green fire flowed from his hands down the shaft of the staff, shattering the teeth as they came down, searing heart and gullet. A fragment of broken tooth flew past, tearing open the side of the druid's cheek, but the elf paid it no mind. His eyes narrowed, and the green fire intensified, coursing in coruscating rivers into the belly of the beast.
The bear yowled faintly once, and then exploded. Gobbets of putrid flesh flew forth in a gory shower, soaking the druid in its filth. Covered in multitudinous liquids, the druid winced in revulsion, and then fell to one knee in pain. His mind screamed with agony from the exertion.
He'd done his part. Now he had to hope that Sherazhina was equal to the task of defeating the second of the horrors.

[Sherazhina]

The Blood Elf's position only allowed him vantage over the Night Elf's battle. He remained still, anxiously watching as the Night Elf beat ineffectually against the bones of the monster before him and patiently awaiting the deathblow (while at the same time hoping for the Night Elf's victory - he wanted the pleasure of the kill all to himself). The elf dodged and parried like a warrior, a quality that Anthraxis made sure to make note of. But he was still slightly wounded, and it was really only a matter of time before his condition got the better of him...

...quite suddenly, the Night Elf rammed his staff into the gaping maw of the beast before him. Green fire erupted from his arms, traveled the length of the partially ingested staff, and...

Anthraxis scowled as the beast exploded, leaving the Night Elf as the victor. He felt anger welling up inside, and almost readied his rifle (a gift from his last Dwarven target), but then suddenly stopped. He allowed himself a silent laugh, a mistake as it became hard to control.

The Night Elf was tired... and weak...

He stifled gleeful laughter and began making mental notes about his latest project. He heard the roars of the other beast, and suddenly snapped back from his revelries. He repositioned himself, once again hungry for blood (but secretly hoping for the Draenei's victory)...

[Sherazhina]

The beast lacked any true cunning - blunt force trauma seemed to be its primary mode of operation. That I can use, Sherazhina thought as they closed the distance to each other, each letting out a battle cry. At the last second, she vaulted for a low branch on one of the massive trees and used it leap over the creature. She spun in the air to face the creatures back, and as she came down brought the bronzed great sword in an overhead slash starting at the beasts shoulder and terminating at its mid-back.

She landed with a smile... her overconfidence proved a mistake.

The beast suddenly kicked back with one of its massive hind legs, the blow landing solidly against the ribs on her left side. She heard cracking and felt something splinter with a sound more terrifying to her then the roar of her opponent. Flying back fifteen feet, she was stopped suddenly by the trunk of a large alderoak and felt her consciousness begin to slip. Vigo's roar (if it could be called that - he was still young after all) snapped her back. He charged from the brush to her left, leaping in front of the beast as it turned to press its advantage. He was fast, but not strong, and would not last long in a...

By the light, is that blood, she thought feeling the back of her head. She shook it, ignoring the pain, and lurched to her feet. She stumbled a few steps as she regained her equilibrium. She had to move fast - Vigo would not last long in a protracted engagement. She paused, took a deep breath, and let out a piercing howl. She then searched for her sword, finding it in seconds. Vigo danced around the beast, angering and distracting it. Sherazhina advanced slowly, letting Vigo do his work and waiting for help.

Her howl was answered a moment later by another, one that was growing closer. She smiled, hefted her sword one last time, and charged, swinging overhead again and landing a blow on the creatures already bleeding shoulder. It turned its massive head suddenly, letting out an anguished and enraged roar - its breath, a mixture of rotting vegetation and meat, almost knocked her over.

Vigo lunged in, planting both of his foreclaws into the creatures neck. When it turned again, now confused, Sherazhina struck, this time at its fore leg. The creature reared taking Vigo with it. Vigo gleefully stabbed at its neck over and over again, positioned just enough out of reach to avoid the worst of the beast's claws. Sherazhina slashed ineffectually at the beast's ribs, praying for a few more seconds...

Distracted, the creature did not notice the wolf until after it landed its telling blow, tearing through the creature's all-too important ankle tendons with sharp canines as Vigo leaped clear of the beasts thick neck. Enraged, wounded, and confused, the beast toppled, crashing hard onto its back. The wolf turned suddenly and skidded to a halt, growling at the monster before it. Sherazhina moved forward quickly, vaulting onto the creatures chest and stopping just short of its claw-torn throat. It was stunned, but would not be for long.

She looked into its eyes as she readied her blade. Pain... suffering... anguish... but most of all sorrow. She moved quickly, thrusting the blade into the beasts exposed flesh with a pained cry. The blade moved with a high-pitched whine, penetrating the things skull with a wet crack. The creature stiffened, its fore-paws and one good rear one twitching. She closed her eyes, whispering a prayer to the Naaru to guide the spirit of the beast to its next life, then turned the blade sharply. The creature seized one final time, then fell limp with a moist wheeze.

Sherazhina began to cry despite herself, climbing gently from the things chest and leaned against a tree. The wolf approached her and whined its concern while Vigo, chittering and clicking, leaped onto the creature and joyfully began slashing it into pieces. She fell back, letting the tree support her, and wept silently for the thing on the ground before her.

She had beaten the monster... but the victory brought her no joy.

[Admin]

Ularitharion looked over at the bloodied huntress. His breath still came in jagged gasps, and his mind hurt horrifically. There would be no healing for the two of them just yet.
He opened his mouth and spat upon the churned up ground. Thick blood, rather than saliva, splattered upon mushed leaves.
"We need to get out of here," he croaked hoarsely as he pulled himself upright. His throat burnt as he spoke. He thought about elaborating, but pain and exhaustion decided against it. "I'll explain everything once we're safe."
He cast a final, sorrowful look at the mutilated corpses upon the ground.

[Sherazhina]

Sherazhina allowed herself to be helped to her feet, numbing her mind against the horrors of the last few minutes. She wiped away the tears and trail dust and tried to ignore the pain in her side. She tasted the sweetness of her blood on her tongue and swallowed hard, fighting back nausea.

She clicked weakly for Vigo who looked almost hurt that she had interrupted his revelry. Junk, the ghostpaw wolf, fell in beside her without whine or gesture, seeming to instinctively know that it was time to go.

As she fell in beside Ularitharion, it suddenly occurred to her that all would be for naught if they could not determine what had happened to these poor beasts. She gently grabbed his arm and squeezed, then headed back to the rotting corpse. She emptied one of her spare water skins, then cut away its top creating a pouch-of-sorts. She filled the pouch with a moderate amount of the pungent ichor that fell from the beasts body, tied it off with a cord from her belt and then to her pack with the same.

She fell in beside her Night Elf friend and handed him another skin of spring water. "I don't know how something like this can be explained," she said quietly.

[Sherazhina]

Anthraxis smiled despite himself. Weakness, he thought as he watched them walk away with a small entourage of animals (if you can call that.. thing... an animal). Quietly, he positioned himself to begin the pursuit anew.

"I'll explain everything," the Night Elf had said, "once we're safe." Safe... never, he smiled to himself. But the information that the Night Elf had could prove useful... to useful to pass up. A while longer then he sighed, following them at a safe distance.

But not much...

[Admin]

Ularitharion took the proffered skin gratefully and raised it to bloodied lips. The water stung - at some point, he had bitten his tongue by accident, and the coppery taste of blood mingled with the water's own earthy, impure taste. But it was liquid, and at this point Ularitharion wouldn't have minded overly if it were bilge-juice from Stormwind's sewers. He drank greedily, swiftly emptying the skin, and then handed it back to Sherazhina. "Thank you," he said, still feeling shaken. "The nearest town is Asilinaar. A few hours west." He glanced up at the sky - night would be veiling the sky with its spangling of stars soon, the warm moon of Elune surrounded by the souls of Kaldorei heroes she had gathered to her. Normally he would begin to stir at that time - but now, the elf felt he would sleep through the night entire, and possibly what remained of the week as well.
Aching with every step, he set off towards Asilinaar...

(And if no one objects, we'll pick up the narrative there!)

[Sherazhina]

((Fine by me!)) ;D

[Admin]

The warm celestial light of the night sky illuminated the peaceful white wood of Asilinaar, making the buildings appear to glow and reflect Elune's light back upon the heavens. Within its street, its life's-blood moved freely, Kaldorei about their daily lives. They were not oblivious to the two who crept from the wilderness that night - Night Elves stopped to stare at the battered and bloody pair, and at the strange and alien animal that hung constantly by the otherworlder's side. Even the Kaldorei gained much in the way of stares, for many of them knew, at least by repute, of the ceaseless battles that he waged throughout the wilds.

Ularitharion ignored the stares as he staggered through the street slowly. His pains were simple now - his body throbbed with anxious agony, and his mind had become so numb he could barely concentrate, could barely keep himself from collapsing where he stood and sleeping for a month.

"There. An inn," he said, gesturing. Speaking too much hurt, but he pulled himself onwards, the Draenei in his wake.
Something fluttered down before him. A raven, almost invisible in the night sky. Ularitharion stared at it numbly for a moment until he recognised it. He held out one bloodied hand, and hummed softly at it. From his throat came a series of noises no Kaldorei should have been able to reproduce, sqwarks and clicks, the language of the ravens. The crow turned its head to one side and stared at him, and then black wings beat as it flung itself into the sky. Ularitharion smiled and entered the inn.

And that night, as the druid slept, ravens flew across Kalimdor, first one, then many, then hundreds, all bearing the words that Ularitharion had given to the first one.

"Summon the Viridian Shield to Asilinaar..."

[adana]

Auberdine was far from the bustling, scum-ridden port that Theramore, Menethil Harbor, and certainly Booty Bay had become. Though she once preferred the busy and amoral atmospheres of the latter port-cities, Maryla had since come to appreciate the serenity of places like Auberdine. Perhaps it had to do with her joining the Veridian Shield. Though many mariners with whom she had once been close friends now called it a 'tree cult,' it had given her more appreciation for what was on the land, and what was in the sea other than water.

Not that she'd seen anyone from the Veridian Shield in several months. She'd gotten a position as boson (a big step down from her previous captaincy) of a ship running from Auberdine to Booty Bay with various rare herbs that sold well in the Eastern Kingdoms. But here in Auberdine she found herself facing someone she was hoping to never see again; Nalnorga, the Goblin fixer to whom she owed 2000 Gold for a ship that had been sunk by a Horde Dreadnought. The Goblin and her two bruisers pinned Maryla against the dockposts, ready to 'shake her down.'

"I don't appreciate your attempts to avoid me, Captain Tashin," said Nalnorga in her high-pitch, grating voice. "There'll have to be consequences this time. 2000 Gold is a lot of money, especially when you're a member of Steamwheedle."

"I'll have your money as scheduled. I just need time," pleaded Maryla in as composed voice as she could muster.

"You're already off-schedule, Captain Tashin," said Nalnorga savagely. "Now boys, break her..."

But her words were interrupted by a fierce squawking and cawing above her as a large raven flew into Nalnorga's face, causing her to curse and squeal. The two bruisers realized they couldn't use their rifles without blasting Nalnorga's head into putrid green gore, and thus attempted futily to chase them off with the butts of their firearms.

This infuriated Nalnorga, who, spewing a stream of profanities in Goblin, screamed for her bruisers to help her. Not paid for creative thinking, the bruisers continued swatting the bird with their rifle-ends until, with one wrong blow by one of them, Nalnorga was sent hurtling off the dock and into the Veiled Sea. The bird then flew into the forests just outside Auberdine. Maryla, as well, had vanished in the confusion. Nalnorga was livid!

Meanwhile, Maryla had fled into those self-same woods, the thick forests of Darkshore, when the bird also flew up to her, but, rather than heckle her, seemed to be persuading her to follow into the forest. Seeing the work of a druid behind this behaviour, she thought that it maybe a good idea to follow the bird...

[karranaii]

The young draenei warrior strolled casually into the Exodar inn; she had been here many times before and knew the innkeeper quite well. She sat at her usual table and was happily devouring the morning special when a loud black bird came fluttering into the room and sat on her table.

"Whoa, where did you come from?" she asked as if the bird could speak for himself. A series of flaps and squawks made it appear the bird WAS trying to speak.

"How odd?" Karranii thought out loud. But then she recalled the words of Ularitharion, her guild leader, "If a wild creature seems to be talking to you, it could well be a call to action."

Karranii immediately got up, ran out of the inn, and called back to the bird "Come on, there's a druid near the docks who should be able to interpret for you!"

Sure enough, the night elf druid trainer near the dock was able to tell Karanii that the Viridian Shield is being called to action.

"Well then, I must head for the night elf woods at once!"

[Thorek]

Bringing his hammer down with a great blow, Thorek killed a Trogg in Loch Modan. After taking the thing's sword he spotted an unusually black bird on a treebranch. Paying it no mind, he began to walk towards Thelsamar. As he began to move, the bird flew down and squaked at him loudly. "Och! d**n bird!" Thorek said loudly as the bird squaked more. "I'll turn ye inta a blood sausage I will!" Thorek grabbed for the bird before it flew away, but stayed low to the ground. Thorek chased it, having nothing better to do other than kill. "Ge' back 'ere ye squakin' bastard!"
((Which contenent is Asilinaar on?))

[adana]

The dry wind blew up a cloud of dust that, mixed with the beating sun and swarms of insects, made this summer day in Westfall a burden for Lady Casteldra Andralis. She had grown up used to comfort and luxury in the noble courts of Stormwind Keep, but since setting on the path of the mage and adventurer as her great-grandfather once had, she had known the life of living outdoors in the wilds, which she found anything but comfortable. She wondered how the druids, hunters, and shamans, and even many others in the Veridian Shield, which she had joined some time ago, withstood, even thrived, in the great outdoors. As she considered this, Salem, her orange tabby, hissed, alerting her to the presence of a Defias footpad. With a deft motion of her hands and a chant she knew by rote, she conjured a ball of flame, as she had many times before, and hurled it at the bandit. She hurled two more rapidly afterward, the finished him off by whipping out her wand and uttering the one-syllable activation word, impaling him with an arcane bolt.

As she paused to take a breath and wipe the sweat from her forehead, a large raven landed near her, cawing furiously. Salem swiped at it with his paw, intent on mauling the poor thing. The bird flapped and jumped back, still cawing madly. Casteldra thought something was strange about the bird, however. It took her a minute to place it.

The bird, as her extensive education in her adolescence allowed her to recall, was not native to the Eastern Kingdoms. She'd in fact never seen a member of this specific species of raven except but once. A Night Elf emissary to Stormwind had one on his shoulder, and said its breed was only found in Northern Kalimdor. So, wondered Casteldra, what was this bird doing so far from home, and why was it pestering her?

The possible answer hit home. Could one of the druids in the Veridian Shield be trying to contact her? If this was the case, she should follow this insistant creatures. But what if it were a trap? Only one way to find out. Picking up Salem (who was still trying to pin down the foreign raven) and putting him in her backpack in a manner that his head could peek out the top, she waited to see if the bird would lead her.

Sure enough, the bird took to flight and headed toward the northwest, along the dusty, ill-cared for road. She wondered how far she could go before mountains, sea, or hostile lands became an issue, but even those could be dealt with if she put her mind to it...

((Thorek, Asilinaar, like most Night Elf settlements, is in Northern Kalimdor))

[Thorek]

((Thanks.))
Thorek chased the bird from Loch Modan to Dun Morogh and eventually Ironforge. It was there where a Night Elf began chasing Thorek. "Ge' back'ere, b-" "DWARF! STOP!" Thorek instictivly skidded to a halt near the great forge. The bird flew upwards and squaked more. "Wha' d'ya wan' Elf? Can' ye see I'm busy?" The Elf was obviously a druid- a powerful one at that. "Why are you chasing that bird with hostility in your voice?" "I' annoyed me." "It wants you to follow it to Asilinaar- it's another druids signal!" "Wha How dya- Oh righ' righ'... ye a Druid as well. I betteh ge' me a mage ta telepor' me. Thank ye fer tellin' me, I was gonna cook i'." Thorek sent the next thirty minuets asking every Gnome if it could make a portal for him. He found one and -after paying her the unreasonable sum of 75 silver pieces- was teleported to the Night Elf town known as Asilinaar.

[Mantarayce]

Mantarayce was out wondering the wilderness of kalmidor carful to avoid the horde settlements and camps. he was carfully going around a rather large horde camp when a very loud raven suddenly came squawking to him. In a desperate attempt to remain hidden he said a shadow word on the the raven causeing it to fall silent to the forest floor. Carefully gathering the stunned raven into his massive hand he continued around the camp.

After he was a safe distance from the camp he spoke another word and the silence fell from the raven as he flew squawking into the air. seeming to speak into the wind for any near by he said to the raven "im sorry about that but you could have got me killed with all the noise you where making" the raven then carrened back towards him squawking loudly and flying in what seemed like to him as mindless cirlces. but having been raised believing in the power of the Naaru to guide thier children in many ways, he decided that this raven was in fact a message and seemed to want it to follow it, so seting off at a steady pace of teh dreanei he followed the raven.....all the way to Asilinaar......

[Mantarayce]

Silvanosheii sat quitely on a rock meditiating, feeling nature around him, and trying to become one with it. He closed his eyes and reached for the connection between himself and nature, he needed his complete concentration he began to block all else from his mind as he pulled himself deeper and deeper into the forest around him.

He was violently jerked back to full awareness as a raven came flying straight towards him squawking loudly. Silvanosheii took a moment to recover from the birds startleing entracne and began to re-enter the trance from which he had been distracted.

As he entered the trance he heard the raven land a few feet from him and begin squawk loudly once again distracting Silvanosheii from completeing his meditations. "alright bird speak your piece" said Silvanosheii in an irritated voice. the bird looked t him for a sec then began to squawk anew. Silvanosheii now listen to the bird realized that it had been sent to find him and to take him to Asilinaar.

Silvanosheii without wasting a second gathered his staff and bag of herbs as he headed off into the forest towards Asilinaar......

[Mantarayce]

Rasitlinm sat quitely in the corner of the goldshire inn, siping slowly at his tea. to most of the patrons f the inn he was just a strange man who did nothing but sit in the inn and drink tea, but to thiose who knew him they realized that this was a far stretch from what he really was.
As he sat there siping his tea his eyes scanned everyone in the room as if those eyes could see straight into the persons soul. He say nothing unusual about the nights crowd however, just the usual drunks and the people in town stopping by for a drink.

Then something fluttering in the window caught his eye, it was a large raven trying to get into the inn. "odd" he thought, "most birds stay away from the inn, why is this one trying to get in?" quitely casting a spell that allowed him to open the window without leaving his seat Raistlinm let the bird enter, casueing quite a stir with the other patrons as the bird ame squawking loudly into the room. To Raistlinm's supprise the raven flew directly towards him and landed on the chair next to him. As Rasitlinm wathed the bird he saw an inteligence behind the birds movments and decided that it was attempting to say something to him.

Quickly reaching down and allowing the raven to perch on his shoulder he picked up his staff and walked towards the door leaving the astonished patrons to stare after him as most had never seen him move from his chair and none had seen him leave the inn. As he walked away from the inn he cast a spell on the raven that indicated that someone had indeed sent the bird and that the bird was to guide him to that person. following the raven up the road towards Stormwind, Raistlinm pondered over where the bird was going to lead him.

As he entered Stormwind, Raistlinm had an idea he would seek out a druid and have the druid translate the birds message. with the Raven on his shoulder Raistlinm set off towards the Gardens thinking that the most likely place to find a druid. Shortly after arriveing in the gardens Raistlinm found a Druid and asked him to translate the birds message for him. After hearing that the bird was to lead him to Asilinaar in the land of the elfs.

Rasitlin thanked the druid and quickly went to the trade quarter to gather some supplies before opening a portal to Asilinaar. stepping throught the portal he felt the familiar rush of magic as he was transported across the ocean and land to Asilinaar, arriving just at sunset.