#makrura

[findmeinshattrath]

Love the Unshackled so much. Really glad that Neri and a few others showed up in Durotar later on. Would love to see more of them.

I like to think they would set up one of those underwater "dive bars" we saw in BfA, a nice place to gather and celebrate their new safe haven.

[bread-elf]

DWC 2020 - Day 12

Lore Disclaimer: This story involves taking place sometime during what’s referred to as the Long Vigil, a point in time between the War of the Satyr and the War of the Shifting Sands, roughly 8k years apart or so. There is a wide berth of the Kaldorei just remaining vigilant and waiting for the Legion’s return in this time, and so plenty of room for made up adventures. However in this story there are creatures that are not formally introduced to the story of Warcraft until the Third War, so any lore fanatics should take that as a precaution and are encouraged to enjoy this piece as just an exercise of creative writing. Some contents may not be suitable to some readers, viewer discretion is advised.

Escape

The Long Vigil - Age 2000s

Jiroki didn’t know where in the world she is, but she wanted nothing more for it to end. Once more she stared up at the ceiling of her cage made of strong kelp rope, swaying softly in the breeze as did her hair. No, not the breeze, the waves. The water had become like air.

She had stopped counting after 875 days, and it must have been so many months since. This had all started out as a simple voyage, younger elves wanting to venture out into the sea and travel far down south and see what the world had to offer. But the fates dedicated to be cruel to such young blood, encountering a menace that she had never even dreamed up of.

“Ugh, I hear them coming…” To her left sat Mytindia’s cell. Once the female had a pixie cut of blue hair, now it had grown past her shoulders.

“It’s just feeding time. They shouldn’t be putting us to work so soon.” To Jiroki’s left sat Fellor’s cell, a young man with sky blue hair pulled back into a bun. Many others are trapped such as these three, all Night Elves that had journeyed together on the same boat. Two years could pass by in a blink of an eye to someone with immortality, but stuck in a scenario like this…

Hearing the fins of one of their prison guards, Jiroki sits herself up, brushing her hair out of the way to glance outside of her cage. These… Things she had never seen before. A humanoid figure with the tail of a snake, fins protruding from the back and having large frills around the face. Yet as Jiroki had been their prisoner this long already, they eerily started to remind her of her own kind. A male, having a more reptilian face and large brutish frills, and one who had been in charge of bringing their meals for a while now, swam up to their area to give them their first meal of the day. Only being fed some sort of seafood; different fish, oysters, shrimp, sometimes barnacles, it changed depending on the season, and whether or not there was punishment. And to go along with it, some sort of kelp mush with every meal. When she first had been served this mush she tried it and hated it, refusing to eat more of it and many other meals as a means to starve herself, protesting her capture and becoming defiant. But she had learned the hard way that mush had some sort of highly addictive properties mixed in with it, and it was only just a day later before she felt the first cravings. She couldn’t last through the second day. Trapped by the addictive nourishment and the spells made constant to keep the night elves breathing underwater, it had resulted in many failed attempts of escape. Many had died from when they had started, there only being five remaining, the other two across the way of the three, another young woman and young man, San’ra Mosswind and Kaenul Greenstar. The humanoid-fish swims by, sliding food into each of the cells. Today it was freshly killed crabs along with the kelp, and after it gives a gurgle of reverberated sounds from its throat, communicating with the prisoners. There were so many of these creatures, but only a few of them could actually communicate in the same tongue as the Kaldorei. Yet besides that, over the years the prisoners had begun to understand certain tones and social cues the creatures gave for specific things, and this was one of them. “Ugh, I knew it.” Mytindia sighs out in complaint, cracking open her crab. “We just found those ruins, of course they’re going to make us work extra.” “It’ll be fine. At least we’re not traveling again.” Fellor tries to play devil’s advocate. Jiroki agreed silently, traveling in these waters was the worst, especially since they weren’t made for it. Falling behind and being a burden had resulted in the execution of a few of their comrades; if you couldn’t prove your worth, the creatures didn’t hesitate to kill you. Survival of the fittest fitting too well in this scenario, they were the last of their crew, and they were in the best shape of their life having to constantly swim. But that didn’t help any when it came to their captors. “This sucks.” Jiroki grumbles, eating at the kelp first. She had got used to the taste; in fact, it tasted delicious now. Hearing a shift in the water she turns her head to towards Fellor, who gave her a sad smile. “Just hang in there.” And his words reassure her, feeling a bit of a spark. As of late he had become most of her inspiration, her thrive to continue on. One day they’ll get out of this, they just have to be patient. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jiroki swam through the rubble of ruins, looking for ancient artifacts. During their imprisonment they swam from ruin to ruin, ancient landscapes deep beneath the waves from what she assumed had been before the Sundering, and they looked to be of her ancestors. She had no idea why these sea creatures had an interest in her people’s relics, but it gave hope that perhaps they still lingered near Kalimdor. Though in which direction it laid, she had no idea. “Sssspread out sssslackersss.” One of the most foul beings she’s ever met spoke, some sort of Overseer in charge of their parties proceedings as they hunt relics. She did not know where found relics were taken too, at times a group of these creatures whisking them away to far and unknown waters, and she did not want to know. “There issss much to collect here!” And she loathed the way she spoke. “Myti, help me?” Fellor asks as he swims by an overturned pillar, blocking an entrance to a crumbed structure. “There might be something in here…” Fellor and Mytindia always worked well together, quick to understand each other’s actions without much communication. Wordlessly she swims up and begins to assist, and from there they carefully scour the structure while he keeps the pillar at bay. San’ra and Kaenul split off in their own ways, and not wanting the attention of the Overseer Jiroki swims off too. When they hunted through relics there were not as easily watched; it wasn’t necessary, if one tried to escape the creatures could easily outswim them, that or cut off their spell of air supply and watch in amusement as they struggled to the surface and eventually drown. It had been done, and Jiroki had no intentions of repeating that same mistake. In hindsight of everything, she enjoyed searching through ruins. Having a first hand glimpse as her ancestor’s passed, when her people thrived. She had accepted her wanderlust from wanting to go out on this damned voyage in the first place, but she would give anything to return home. At least she had a moment of respite from the fiendish creatures, keeping idle to herself as she just focuses on her task. More times than not she tried to make some sort of weapon, but she couldn’t make use of anything she found. Plenty of rusted over weapons, but they were either too heavy or she could barely lift it as the rust and coral life attached pricked roughly as her already waterlogged hands. She had been too stubborn to learn more weaponry use from her Min’da and she woefully regretted it with each passing day. She spotted some sort of structure akin to a gazebo amongst a seascape of what could have once belonged to a posh noble, beautiful statues of the former Queen of the Night Elf empire and tall buildings, parts of its walls standing. Swimming downward she decided to indulge in the sights of the gazebo, gazing at the garden of sea life that overtook the area, sun rays from high up above shining down. Never had she thought to see a sight such as this, and only just a handful of individuals to share it with. But it wasn’t worth her capture, not in the slightest. Something shifted to the side, feeling the slight pulse of water and seeing the way the sand churned, and she became alert. Plenty of times some sort of predator would become curious and lurk towards the odd scent of hot blood this deep in waters, Jiroki herself having more than a few scraps with a few during her imprisonment, but all she had to do was swim back towards the Overseer as fast as she can and hope to get noticed in time for assistance. Though the captors were cruel, they still made sure their livestock survived. In the shadows of the ruins something stirred in the sands, something large. Starting to wade backwards in the water to hide more behind the gazebo she contemplates fleeing, but she pauses as she sees the strange creature. Bigger than her and with a blue shell it reminded her of a lobster, and suddenly she recognized it. A Makrura, much like ones she had seen before off the coast of Feralas, curious creatures that mostly kept to themselves. Her people hunt them on occasion where she first tried some, but also had been fed some from her captors as a reward treat. The sea creatures she had been enslaved by had a great disdain for creatures not of their own kind, and the Makrura were no exception. A thought crossed her mind to lure the creature back to the Overseer, and perhaps she could eat something better… Or… She stayed afloat, watching the creature, and it watched her in turn. They had a bit of an intelligence, and she didn’t know how far that went. She swam to the other side of the gazebo and continued to stare, and it simply followed her with its gaze. The Makrura extendends some of its long pincers and steps forward a few steps, slow and careful, and she had a strange sense it was gauging her. Jiroki inch back a bit in caution, unsure what intentions it had, but it stopped the moment she did. Its pinchers were shut down, but as it extends one massive claw forward it drops something, and begins to step back. With a confused and skeptical expression Jiroki remains where she hid, and the being left for different waters. Whatever it had dropped it glimmered in the fading sunlight, and she looked around the area before coming closer to investigate. A small figurine of some sort; no, not just any, she could feel power thrumming from it. The figurine had a likeness to the former Queen, who had long perished in the Sundering, but some sort of magic had been imbedded to it. Jiroki always had a bit of a sense when it came to magic, but it was forbidden in her culture, and thus learned nothing of it. But in this very moment, for the first time she was glad for it. Gingerly picking it up she looks it over, it nearly unscathed from time and water wear, but something else glitters in the sand beneath it. Looking down, she nearly loses her breath. A large fishing hook, the tip sharp to the point. Reaching over with a finger Jiroki lightly taps her finger to it, and immediately she feels a pinch, followed by small clouds of red filling the water around her finger. Pulling it from the sands she marvels at it for a moment. This surely had to be a hook meant for large fish, just the curve of it alone could fit the palm of her alone. A neat little find, she had not seen something from land so well intact since her journey, not even amongst shipwrecks she had been made to go through, everything always having been waterlogged. The Overseer most likely wouldn’t let her have this, he let them keep no personal belongings- unless. Unless… The idea sprung to mind, and her hands began to shake as she stared at the hook. If she could sneak this past the Overseer, perhaps she can use it to help cut the bindings of the cages and free everyone. To damn with the kelp, with that Makrura being so close there had to be land nearby… Lifting her head she looks towards where she had seen the creature, then back down to the idol in her possession. That thing had left these things for her, there was no other logical explanation, and it seemed too coincidental for it to be sheer luck. A weapon, an item to distract the Overseer. Whatever the reason though, this could be it. Though much of her clothing had become worn to the water, she still is moderately covered. The wrappings she used to keep her breast in place had not failed her yet, and there in her bosom she hid the hook. She had no alternatives, and she could feel the hook threatening to dig deep into her skin at even the slightest of a wrong move. Adjusting it more than once to make sure it would not compromise her, she swam back to where the Overseer resided, carrying the figurine. The Overseer noticed her approach swiftly, no doubt having sensed the magic she carried with her, she noticed these creatures had an affinity towards it. Yet he waited as she came up, his slanted eyes boring an intense gaze at her until she presented the idol. He takes it gingerly, as if the artifact had such a deep and precious meaning to him, and he gives harsh orders in hisses and snarls towards other of the fish men nearby. Then reverted his attention back in the direction the others scoured. “RETURN!” Either his magics empowered his voice or these creatures were just that capable of speaking so clearly in the water, but either way his voice booms across the seascape, and immediately the others stopped what they were doing and did as ordered. San’ra came with some tattered remains of scrolls, Kaenul with nothing. Fellor and Mytindia found bits of treasure of jewelry, but they all came back confused as the call to return had come far earlier than before. “A great find hassss been made!” The Overseer held up the figurine, and Jiroki thought she could barely see the magic pulsing from it. Whether the others could, she had no idea, and still had no intentions of sharing her secret. “We sssselebrate! Resssst, and a good meal. Come.” He turns and begins to swim off, already in a hurry as he clutches his prize, but some of the other creatures linger nearby as they wait for the prisoners to move. One comes up and takes the items found from the others, and starts to roughly push them back towards the designated camp area. Still confused, the others begin to swim, as does Jiroki, but Fellor comes to swim beside her. “Great job, Jiroki!” He says with a bright smile, making her heart leap more than it already was doing, and he reaches to hold her hand as they swim back. “It’ll be so great to sleep in! Though I have a feeling that they’ll push us hard again afterwards…” “Fellor, I have something to tell you later.” Jiroki had become fairly familiar with who could speak in their tongue and who couldn’t amongst their captors, and she saw none of those faces around them now. “This is it.” Fellor looks a bit befuddled, but one of the guards gives a nasty hiss, one that indicates too much chatter is going on. They both become silent, but he nods, and she waits for the right time to tell him. The sea creatures had their own form of revelry where they all lingered about, though the prisoners were always kept separated from them. That being said, they still had guards come and do their watch to keep an eye on the prisoners, and as promised a decent meal of tasty fish and clams to fill them up, along with the typical kelp meant to sate their addiction. Jiroki had managed to share her findings and show the hook before any of the guards could notice, and everyone suddenly was on the same page. This is it. There was only one hour of a gap when no one had duty to watch them, a time when the elves were in their deepest of sleeps. But it was still a while before it came, so they had to enjoy their meal and make it like usual. However, Jiroki only eats a bit of the kelp to appease the usual guard that brings their meal, being sure to stash the rest where the hook hid the moment his back turned. “It’s hard to imagine.” Fellor spoke in a hush voice, leaning against the side of the cage next to Jiroki’s. The guards switched their arrangements from time to time when they would move, but Fellor had always ended up beside Jiroki each time, and she felt they had a bond as they would whisper stories and share thoughts in the night when there was nothing to do. “I almost don’t want to risk it, it seems so unreal, but… Better late than never, I suppose.” “Mhm.” Jiroki leaned back as well, the kelp of their cages waning slightly to their weight, but they could never tear it. But even so, she could feel him leaning against her back. “I’d rather die than stay like this. This isn’t a life worth living.” “I get what you mean. Well, we set out on this together. It’s still so strange with that Makrura though…” She had shared that bit as well, as much as she could with the others at least, but with him beside her she was able to indulge in deeper details. “It’s like it knew. You think it’s watching us from out there? Like it knows we’re prisoners?” “Maybe.” Her head tilts to glance out into the ocean, though nothing out of the ordinary stood out, at least no lobster men staring at them. “Who knows. But I think Mother Moon finally heard our prayers from so deep below.” “No kidding, we better pray fervently before we start.” Jiroki feels him shift, sitting up and no longer leaning against her. “How is Myti doing?” “Oh? She seems anxious, but I think she’s excited.” Glancing at Mytindia from the other end, who currently laid down on the sea bank, appearing to be resting. But she could see the way her fist clenched and unclenched repeatedly. More than once he asked of her, they were close friends after all, but they could only speak so loudly to one another before the guards hushed them. “We probably should feign sleep soon, the others are starting to. We’ll need our strength.” “Yea, you’re right.” Laying himself down Fellor rests one arm under his head, trying to relax. “I’m so nervous, this is going to feel like hours.” He gives a bit of a nervous chuckle, turning his head to give him his bright smile. “Want to hold hands again?” “Please…” So little comfort could be found, but they had found a bit in each other, even just a simple touch of their hands both set her heart aflame and eased her greatest anxieties. Laying on her side to face him she sticks her hand out, and he does so in kind with his free hand, and their fingers laced together. After having been infatuated with the same man for so long at her home, she never thought she’d find someone else who put her at such ease, and yet Fellor did just that. Perhaps, if they made it out of this successfully, something more could bloom from this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The hour was nigh, and Jiroki never felt her heart pound in her chest so fast. But she kept her eyes shut and forced her breathing and muscles to remain calm, knowing fully well the guards that remained. It felt like it was taking longer than usual, and she almost dared to think that their plans would be ruined and there’d be no chance of escape tonight. But, when she least expected it, she could hear the shift in the water as they began to swim away, and it took every fiber in her being to remain in her feigned sleep to give time for them to truly be far enough. “We’re good!” Keanul whispered, and everyone sprang up, all eyes on Jiroki now as she wrestled the hook carefully out of her bindings. “Goddess, I hope this works…” Myti breathed quietly, and Jiroki began to cut at the kelp. Hooks definitely were not designed to cut things, but if it could pierce through the flesh of sharks, it surely could work on this kelp. A few awkward fumbles and slips as Jiroki tries to angle it just right to get at the kelp, she almost loses face as her brain moves a thousand times faster than her hands. But it begins to give, and she stretches it far enough to slip through. Blood pounding in her ears she works on Fellor’s cage next, and after he’s freed they both move to Myti’s, then San’ra, then Keanul. Suddenly they were free, something they had not experienced for a while, and they all were almost dumbfounded that this was actually happening. But Fellor keeps a level head. “Come on, follow me!” He whispers quickly and swims off, and everyone follows. They could still hear the revelry of the sea creatures as they gloated over the magical artifact, never knowing why they needed such things and what for. But no one cared, this is it. Carefully they swam, not wanting to churn up the currents too much, going behind corals and rocks that could help obscure their view. The urge to swim away as fast as possible was so strong, but Jiroki knew that would just alert the captors of their escape, and this could genuinely work. For a time they swam away carefully at a steady pace, low and amongst the seascape without startling the ground. Elune rose high in the night, the dark waters nearly pitch black, but thankfully they could all still see in these depths. Truly she blessed her children this night. After a time, when they had gone quite a bit away from the campsite, they swam up, needing to get their bearings. They surfaced and breathed in fresh air for the first time in those over 865 days, soon to be over 866 for certain, but right away they began coughing up water from their lungs. Nearly losing their strength from that alone, but they found the spells still lingered on them as the captors remained unaware of their escape, and they could breathe both air and water, for now. “There!” San’ra calls out, pouting. They follow their gaze and there’s the faintest outline of land, a large one. Too far away to tell where it was, but that didn’t matter. “Ok, we can do this, come in!” Fellor dives back into the water and the others follow, and the five move like a pack of dolphins as they swim for their lives. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jiroki’s body aches so badly, it felt like they had swam for hours, but it couldn’t have been, the spell still lingered. The spell helped with their movement in water as well, and it was only thanks to that that they could cover so much ground. They didn’t surface once to check how far away the land mass was, any inch further away from those devils of the sea was a blessing to cherish, and they had no intentions of stopping in the direction they were going. Suddenly, the air is stolen from Jiroki’s lungs, and she feels the weight of water in her lungs as the water suddenly feels like it’s crushing her. She could no longer breath, and she barely registers that the others begin to thrash as well, and quickly she moves to resurface. Now she was so slow, wading through the water up until she came out for air. “What the fuck?!” Keanul manages to spurt out after his coughing fit, the others trying to recover as they nearly sink. “The spell has worn off! They must know!” Jiroki says, quickly looking back over her shoulder towards the open sea, though she couldn’t see anything. She didn’t need to. “Fuck, we’re so close! Move!” Fellor quickly begins to swim forward, having lost the magical capabilities he swims like an athletic pro, arms wading through the water with quick speed. The others have no choice but to do so in kind, now losing their greatest advantage of escaping. But the landmass is much closer than before, a large forest being spotted, almost reminding her of home. She didn’t know if that was the case, but she didn’t care, anywhere can be home as long as it’s not here. Jiroki only had a few moments of seeing those sea creatures swim at full speed, and it was startling fast, like a shark. If those things could figure out the direction they swam in, they could be upon them in the minutes. Praying with all her might in her heart she keeps going, focusing solely on the destination at hand. Every splash made her paranoid that their captors were upon them, but it wasn’t until something grabbed her foot that she knew they had been caught. She first sees Myti get yanked into the depths before herself, forced to hold what little breath she had, and pulled below by the Overseer. “You filth!” The Overseer sneered at her as she writhed and squirmed, Jiroki now only able to see blurs in the ocean water as it stung at her eyes now. Myti struggled too with the creature holding her foot, the others swimming after her other comrades. One held something like a harpoon, and hurled it towards San’ra. A cloudy explosion of red mist blossoms where the harpoon makes contact, and the elf is ruthlessly pulled beneath the waves, the other end of the harpoon latching into her chest and digging in deep as the blood trail follows. “Don’t kill them!” The Overseer hisses at first in Jiroki’s tongue, then begins his agitated hissing and reverberates in the water as he communicates with his followers. Frantically digging for the hook, even cutting her skin with it, and she grabs it and swings it wildly at him. She manages to scrape it along the side of his face while it’s turned, taking him by surprise as he yelps. Immediately he growls, and suddenly begins to coil himself around her body, constricting her like a snake as his hands go for her throat. “You’ll pay with your life!” He snarls, and suddenly bites down his massive jaw on her right shoulder. Almost like the teeth of a crocolisk sinking into her skin, she yelps and bubbles go forth, filling up her lungs with water anew. Still clutching that hook as her life depends on it, she jabs it at his face and it sinks into something soft, and his body goes rigid. His blood begins to stain the water right away and she struggles more, knowing her aim has hit somewhere sensitive as she tries all her might to dig it in deeper and deeper. The constricting gets tighter and tighter as a result, but Jiroki had no intentions of surviving this encounter if things went south. However, his grip begins to loosen, and he grows slump in his arms. Pulling herself back she realizes that the hook had gone right into the Overseer’s eye, and she had shoved it so far into him that it helped meet his demise. Suddenly free of that burden she shoves his body away and once more begins to resurface, only for another to come and begin to drag her down to the depths. Jiroki’s lungs burned like never before, desperate for air as she began to start swallowing it. Fellor and Keanul had been drawn down into the depths with her, and with the Overseer dead the slaves had no use anymore, especially since one of them had killed him. This must be it. From the ocean floor something massive comes up, a large pincer throttling one of the sea creatures as it loses parts of its tail, more blood staining the waters. The Makrura showed up, but it wasn’t the one that Jiroki had encountered, nor was it alone. There was a group of them, suddenly ambushing the fiendish creatures as they began to attack one another, confusion mixing in with the chaos. The creature holding fast to Jiroki suddenly let’s go, only to be felled by a pair of pincers. Barely able to focus, this one seemed vaguely familiar with the way it just stared at her. Then it turns, leaving her to her own devices as it goes in to join the fray. Frantically Jiroki swims up and gets some much needed air, so ready to pass out, but by the strength of will barely hangs on. “F-Fellor?!” Her voice croaks, trying to search in the water. “Myti?!” She breathes and ducks back into the water, lungs cursing her, but she perseveres to try and find her friends. Keanul is nowhere to be seen, but she sees the body of Fellor floating, left alone and no longer having the strength to wade. Swimming down she grabs hold of his arm, and with strength she didn’t even know she had she brings him back up for air. He coughs and she nearly submerges herself trying to keep him afloat, but he manages to come back from the edges of unconsciousness. “Myti, Myti?!” He calls out, trying to frantically look around, almost pushing Jiroki back down. “I- I don’t know!” Jiroki comes back up, and he manages to keep himself afloat to not hurt her further, but only so he can get some air before going back under. She does too, trying to search for the other elf, and she spots her in the grasps of one of those creatures. She struggled in his arms, putting up a fight as he had refused to let go of her despite the attacking Makrura. One as such comes in to fight off the creature, a large pincer opening and striking, but it also cuts into Mytindia in its efforts. Purposely, uncaring that another was in the way as Mytidnia is lost in a cloud of blood. Jiroki nearly screams but gets a mouthful of water, as does Fellor who begins to fervently swim towards Myti. Reaching out she manages to snag his leg, fumbling with it and pulling him back up as they both are forced to resurface for air. “SHE’S RIGHT THERE!” Fellor cries out in a panic, trying to go back under. “No! Stop! She’s gone! We have to go!” Desperately Jiroki tries to fight with him to swim to land. They had gotten so far. Almost ready to give up, she had barely just started thinking of swimming away, but he gave in. In a ruined mess they both weakly swim back, the instinct of survival strong as they get closer to land, seeking their freedom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A pair of elves washed up on the shores of Feralas one day, a mystery in itself of where they had come from, but they were taken and held in Feathermoon stronghold. They spoke of humanoid sea creatures unlike anything they had seen before, incredibly intelligent and having kept them slaves under seas for over two years. But the pair of elves also showed signs of severe withdrawal symptoms, the only evidence of their addiction being a strange seaweed substance one of them possessed. So much confusion around this whole scenario and names of people that were not with them, they were brushed off as having drug induced paranoia and kept for recovery. Hands shaking greatly Jiroki sat alone, on a chair with a blanket wrapped around her. She didn’t feel like doing much these days, the cravings etched deep into her bones. Local druids and priestesses were trying to figure out a means to aid her and Fellor of whatever severe addiction wrecked through their bodies, but they wouldn’t listen to their story, their story being too far fetched to believe. Jiroki could hardly believe it herself, it almost seemed like a dream, yet the taste of the kelp still lingered on her tongue. But there was hope, she had managed to get one of the Sentinels on duty to reach out to her family, and she had hoped her Min’da would come. She had much to learn. The same couldn’t be said of Fellor. Looking more and more disheveled by the day, and losing his will. He often stared out blanky at the sea where they had come from, muttering to himself often, and thrashed and panicked in his sleep. No longer did their hands intertwine at night, and he expressed no interest in doing such the moment they were saved. Jiroki stood from where she sat, seeing him afar in the other end of the open-air building, once more sitting on the edge and staring out at sea. Pulling the blanket closer to her she begins to walk over with slow steps, the tremors not only in her hands but her whole body, but she manages to come up and sit down beside him without difficulty. “Fellor…” He had rarely spoken to her now, each day making an attempt, but barely any budge. “Talk to me, please…” He takes a deep breath, his response lapsing into silence, and she turns her gaze away to stare downward moments before he does speak. “I shouldn’t be here.” He says, finally having a meaningful conversation with her. “I shouldn’t be here. This isn’t fair.” “What do you mean? We survived.” Jiroki turns to him, gently reaching out to lay her hand on his arm. “No, you survived.” Her touch unwanted, Fellor pulls his arm away. “I died out there, with Myti. You should have let me go.” “But, but Fellor…” Blinking back tears, not expecting this sort of thought process from him. “There was nothing we could do. Mytindia would not have wanted you to perish. It was all we could do to escape as we had. I miss her too, I miss everyone…” Myti and San’ra falling to those creatures in their moments of escape, Keanul lost at sea, and everyone else that had begun their voyage with them having long ago perished. “You and I, we’re all that’s left…” “I shouldn’t be here.” He repeats, starting to shake his head as his face cracks, staring out at sea. “I loved her. I should be with her.” The sudden truth of his words crash into her like a wave, catching her off guard. She blinks at him, unsure of what to say in his grief. “Fellor, I…” “Just go.” Giving her the cold shoulder once more, lowering his head. “I want to be alone.” This was not what she had expected, hoping they could heal together. She understood the need for grief, but the instant rejection after everything they’ve gone through, only the two were able to understand they had gone through, and also the affection she thought they developed. It all felt out the window now. Slowly, the rejection filling her with sorrow, she stands and parts to give him his space. Jiroki did nothing for the rest of the night, nor the day. Aimlessly she wondered, her own grief enough to temporarily curve the craving her body ached for, if only to nurture a broken heart. So much was lost, all for nothing, and the only person who could understand her anguish didn’t even want her company. The next day Jiroki aimlessly wandered the stronghold. Known well enough by the others stationed there of her condition, eyes kept on her to make sure she did nothing to hurt herself, but given her own space to cope with her ordeal. Jiroki didn’t know to be thankful or angered at their distance, but in the end it meant nothing, the only one she wanted to be with was nowhere in sight. Over hearing some voices she ends up drawing closer, hearing her name whispered around a corner, and she quietly comes up and listens in. “They speak of these humanoid creatures from the sea, almost looking like elves! Can you believe that?” A druidess spoke her opinion, though Jiroki knew already of the disbelief that spread in the stronghold. “I can’t even imagine what they must be going through.” A more kind hearted priestess speaks up as they gossip. “I don’t know what really happened, but it’s just awful, and whatever is ailing their body can’t be helping.” “Yes, I know. I don’t mean to be harsh towards them, it’s just… I don’t know. It’s so hard to believe.” There’s a startled shout and their gossip is interrupted, there suddenly a commotion over something up above. Jiroki hears the pair move away in great earnest to investigate, and Jiroki gets the mind to as well, instincts kicking in to see what trouble occurred. She saw the pair looking upward at the main building of the stronghold, faces fixated in horror at whatever they saw, and Jiroki quickly moved to look too. The priestess catches  movement in her line of sight and looks down, and nearly pales at seeing Jiroki. “No, don’t look!” But it’s too late. Coming out from under the woodwork Jiroki looks up, and nearly collapses right there. Fellor hanged from the rafters way up above, blankets fastened together in a noose around his neck, the makeshift rope taut as his body idly swayed side to side in the wind. His face contorted in pain from the constriction around his throat, but the light in his eyes is already long gone as they stare longingly at the sea. Jiroki collapses as she stares upward, the priestess and druidess running to her. Fellor had killed himself, and it was something that Jiroki couldn’t properly fathom in her mind. Still, the stress in her stomach couldn’t bear, and she hunched over as she began to hurl. After the first heave, that’s when the screams began, and none could calm the poor woman who now could only suffer all alone. (( @daily-writing-challenge​ )) (( One of my background stories for Jiroki, all the characters mentioned OCs just for this, though clearly they’re not around. This definitely is one of the darker moments in her life that she has not even given the details in full to anyone yet, only perhaps sharing how she got the scar on her shoulder that she still has today! If you read the whole thing, thank you SO much for taking the time, and feedback on my story telling would be really appreciated! ))

[kinamysa]

Goblin cuisine ^^

Two of the greatest chefs in the game are goblins; Dirge Quikcleave and The Rokk, and some other ones, such as Legassi. They are the inovators of many recipes on this list, and also other ones that are Outland specific. While unconfirmed, and possibly a coincidence, this could imply that goblins have a certain talent for cooking :3

One such case of their ingenuity is using the poisonous Violet Tragan muschroom into an amazingly tasting addition to meals (Sprinkle’s Secret Ingredient), or the unusual ingredient from Stranglethorn, the Crisp basilisk urethra.

Light meals:

Main dishes:

- rarest food recipe in the game.

Clam dishes:

- originating from Tanaris.

- they also like eating other sea creatures, such as Swampshore Makrura in Swamp of Sorrows.  Jumbo Swampstrider Drumsticks are also from the region.

Drinks:

- reference to Sx on the Beach.

- signature drink of the goblin party town of Bogpaddle.

Deserts:

Misc:

- turns you into a skeleton for an hour, created in Gadzetzan. Made from glands of moss creatures and aforementioned Violent Tragan juice.

- typical Goblin restoraunt ^^

[katieskarlette]

Fun fact:  Xal’atath speaks makrura!

[risrielthron]

Kaldorei Culture - Wildlife

What kinds of animals are in Kalimdor?

From the domesticated to the wild, Kalimdor has a range of creatures and plants. Much like the diverse zones, the wildlife has adapted to their native temperatures.  Both carnivores and herbivores call the forests, plains and deserts of Kalimdor their home. For the Kaldorei, nature is where they are most comfortable and the elves work in harmony to maintain a balance of meeting needs and preventing over-population or over-hunting.

The main species of animals found on Kalimdor include basilisks, bears, boars, crabs, crocilisks, deer, eagles, gorillas, hippogrpyhs, hydras, hyenas, kodos, makrura, nightsabers, owls, plainstriders, raptors, scorpids, sharks, silithids, spiders, threshadons, turtles,  wind serpents, wolves, worms, and wyverns

Favored of the Kaldorei

Nightsabers, owls, and hippogryphs are the three animals many associate with the Kaldorei. Nightsabers, in particular, are seen as more than pets or mounts. Trusted and faithful companions, a Kaldorei may keep a dead saber’s fang to honor the friendship. Many Kaldorei keep owls as companions. The birds are adept hunters and scouts. Owl feathers are given to children as a sign of good luck. Hippogryphs are also favored as trusted aides in transportation and combat alike. The hatching of the hippogryphs in Feralas each year is seen as a holiday to celebrate the species.

Headcanons

Saber kittens are given to children to raise to encourage the bond between rider and mount.

Owl roosts can be found along the top of most Kaldorei homes.

Hippogryphs are stabled within a community and cared for by everyone equally.

The death of a saber, owl, or hippogryph is treated as solemn occasion and even mourned as a family member.

Decorations and clothing depicting an owl are considered good luck.

(Inspired by the questions here.)

[isei-silva]

I can't imagine how bad Nazjatar must stink during the day like all that seaweed roasting, the naga and ankoan slime skin, makrura... Like an unclean fish tank filled with bags of expired shrimp baking on the sidewalk.

[jollyparaphernalia]

Mel’s weapon of choice are some Makrura claws that he tore off some unsuspecting lobster monster a while back and he uses them for all sorts of things.

Except, you know, breathing underwater. 

Mel isn’t the smartest Void Elf around

[alittlepieceofwarcraft]

Naga: A Lore Guide

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History

Evolution: (Year -13,500): Naga are descended from the Highborne, an upper class of night elf. This is turn means that the naga have a range of races linked to them. The night elves come from tribe of dark trolls encountering the Well of Eternity 15,000 years ago and those who remained near the Well began to evolve into taller, near immortal beings that resemble what we now know as night elves. The Highborne revered their Queen Azshara. However, in Year -10,000 Azshara allied herself with The Burning Legion when their arcane magics attracted his attention to Azeroth and began to cultivate the Well of Eternity into a portal to bring Sargeras into the world. Her plans were thwarted by a night elves rebellion led by Malfurion Stormrage and Tyrande Whisperwind. She faced resistance against her actions with Prince Farondis: once one of her trusted advisers and planned to use an artifact stored deep within Nar'thalas Academy: a Tidestone of Golganneth. Vandros, a young noble in Farondis' court, caught wind of Farondis' plans to defy her and relayed this information to her. In retaliation, Azshara destroyed the Tidestone and cursed him and the elves of Azsuna to never be able to experience death. The Well was destroyed regardless, splitting the continent of Azeroth into the four we know today: this event was known as the Great Sundering, the War of the Ancients being the conflict beforehand. The Highborne and their city of Zin-Azshari sank into the ocean. However, Azshara managed to make a pact with Old God N'Zoth, swearing allegiance and becoming the first naga alongside the other Highborne including her handmaiden Lady Vashj. After the Great Sundering, arcane magic was outlawed in night elf culture and high elves, descendants of the remaining Highborne, who refused to give up the practice were exiled and went on to establish Silvermoon City (finishing construction in Year - 6,800). This in turn went on to form the Blood elves following Arthas Menethil’s invasion of the city (Year 20), and eventually continued on to form Void elves (Blood elves exiled for delving into the Void). Nightborne are Highborne who splintered off and left the conflict during the War of the Ancients. Satyr even related to the naga: Lord Xavius was loyal to Azshara and due to his failures in the War of the Ancients was transformed into a demonic being. 

Above the Water (Year 20): The naga resurfaced around the time of the Third War. Naga were a threat when Warchief Thrall rescued the Darkspear trolls from a tribe of murlocs. Theese murlocs worshipped a naga they called sea witch - Zar'jira. Vashj reappeared to aid Illidan Stormrage in his quest to destroy the Frozen Throne and she joined her forces with Illidan's. She brought snap dragons and dragon turtles, and assisted Illidan with his mission on the Tomb of Sargeras on the Broken Isles and within Dalaran in Lordaeron where they were pursued by the Watchers led by Maiev Shadowsong. Kael'thas Sunstrider  encountered Lady Vashj who offered her help to battle the Scourge. Kael'thas agreed, but when the blood elves' human commander, Othmar Garithos, discovered this alliance, he denounced the blood elves. Garithos imprisoned Kael'thas and the rest of the blood elves, sentencing them to death. Vashj helped them to escape and the two forces fought together and eventually joined Illidan in Outland. Another group of naga led by Lady Darkscale attacked Kul Tiras forces in Dustwallow Marsh and while many were killed the Darkscale took prisoners for an unknown reason. Soon afterwards Lady Darkscale, Scilla Murkshadow, and the rest of their naga forces were slain by the combined might of Jaina Proudmoore, Rexxar, Rokhan, and Chen Stormstout, who were trying to find any survivor of the attack in order to determine what human force was attacking Durotar.

Outta This World (Year 26): Outland tribes of naga have began draining the water of the Zangarmarsh lakes and marshes. The pumps are all connected through underground drains to Coilfang Reservoir, where Vashj and her minions dwelled, turning Serpent Lake into a giant water sink for the rest of Zangarmarsh.  The Cenarion Expedition's intervened and the naga operating the steam vaults end up at war with the druids. The plan was to take control of all the waters of Outland, and through them, its people. Vashj was later killed and her forces defeated by adventurers.

In Icy Waters (Year 27): In the Borean Tundra, tribes of naga created a fort in Northrend in Riplash Ruins. The naga are made ominous attempts at melting the polar ice caps to flood the world and create an entirely underwater empire for Azshara. Their plans did not come to fruition as the kvaldir slaughtered most of them.

 The World is Split Again (Year 28): Azshara can be seen in Darkshore: N'Zoth commanded her to take the seas, both for revenge against Neptulon for defying him and so that they could splinter the world's nations into isolated enclaves by halting sea travel. As well as this, exploring in Vashj'ir an artifact can be found to relive moments of a Naz'jar Battlemaiden wherein the nature of Vashj's mother and her former stronghold were discovered, as well as the naga executing their plan to usurp Neptulon's control of the Abyssal Maw. Neptulon was abducted by Ozumat after the naga invasion, and this abduction leaves the Abyssal Maw leaderless. Azshara is well placed as one of the most potent forces in Azeroth's oceans.

A Burning Desire (Year 32): The remainder of Illidan's Naga are led by Lady S'theno aboard the Fel Hammer. Azshara has sent a force led by Tidemistress Athissa to Azsuna on the Broken Isles to retrieve the  Tidestone of Golganneth. Azshara herself appears before Farondis when Farondis tries to save an adventurer captured by the naga and attempts to convince him to kneel before her, but Farondis fights Azshara off. The naga at the Eye of Azshara summon a creature known as the Wrath of Azshara after retrieving the Tidestone of Golganneth. Naga at Azuregale Bay in Suramar are enslaving vrykul with merciless ones. The naga and sea giants at Felrage Strand on the Broken Shore are corrupted by fel and share their encampment with members of the Burning Legion while enslaving soldiers from the Armies of Legionfall. Their leader Lady Ssathara made a pact with the demons and her followers went willingly, but unaware of the price they had to pay. Despite the apparent contradiction of naga serving the demons when Azshara and N'Zoth are opposed to the Legion, there are different groups of naga with different motivations, just like humans. More naga are present within the Tomb of Sargeras, led by Harjatan and Mistress Sassz'ine. They entered the tomb to secure the Tidestone of Golganneth from the adventurers, on Azshara's orders but are both slain. 

While You’re All Fighting... (Year 33): The naga attack the coastlines of Zandalar and Kul Tiras. Within Stormsong Valley they summon the Pride of Azshara to destroy a levee and in Nazmir they are drain Krag'wa's frog children to sate their magic addiction, attacking Horde forces at Naz'agal, and gathering titan relics on the Sundered Span. In Zuldazar they look for an ancient power at Atal'Gral and Azerite at the Dreadpearl Shallows. In Vol'dun they are battling the tortollans in the north. Following the Battle of Dazar'alor, the naga attack both the Alliance and Horde on shores across the Great Sea. They drag the prisoners to Nazjatar and the Alliance and Horde follow, befriending slave races such as gilblins, makrura, and sea giants as they battle the naga in their home territory. 

Physical traits

Life expectancy: As part of their mutation, some naga have gained immortality and most are very much long lived.

Height: No exact measurements have been made for naga, however naga females have bene described as tall, with men tending to be more hunched over when on land.

Eye colour: They can have eyes ranging from hues of blue and some have the rare eye colour of gold like Azshara.

Cosmetics: Naga are covered in scales, having long tails to allow them to swim very quickly in water. Some female naga have snakes instead of hair like Vashj. Naga lords such as High Warlord Naj'entus have stony arms and shells fused to their skin which isn’t known whether it is a mutation or part of a sub-species. Male naga have a head that resembles a dragon.

Personality traits

All Hail The Queen: Most naga are fiercely loyal to their queen Azshara, doing everything in their power to succeed in her orders even after ten thousand years.

Girl Power: Much like their night elves, naga are matriarchal: female naga tending to be higher in intellect and magical ability. Males are more suited to melee combat whereas their female counterparts are powerful sorcerers. 

Other races: Naga are hostile to both Horde and Alliance alike, however may favour night elves. Vashj commented to Illidan that they shared a common ancestry, hinting it may have been part of her motivation to help him. On the other hand, night elves are known to loathe their naga cousins and many return the same sentiments. The half-orcs, furbolgs, and pandaren don't trust the naga, and the naga feel the same way in return. The naga's main rival for dominance of the ocean are sea giants and kvaldir. 

Other creatures: Naga have managed to tame many sea creatures, such as snap dragons and dragon turtles but due to their tails have no need to use underwater mounts. Naga however fear turtles, seeing them as omens of bad luck.

Culture

Languages: They speak their own language of Nazja, and most know Common. Some may have learned the language of their heritage, Darnassian.They also know Low Common, Nerglish, Draconic, and Eredun.

Government: Naga of Nazjatar are ruled under Azshara and Illidari naga are led by Lady S'theno.

Military: There are various military forces made up of naga. Some female naga practice as priestesses of the tides whereas other naga are part of the Naga Royal Guards. Naga can be many combative classes: Assassins, Brutes, Mages, Myrmidons, Priests, Scouts, Sea witches, Sirens, Sorcerers, Warriors. 

Religion: Azshara is worshipped as a demigod, however some like Skar'this the Heretic worship the naga's enemy, Neptulon, something which he was imprisoned for. The Bloodwash naga formerly worshipped Neptulon and lived in peace with the nearby Rockpool murlocs, but recently the Bloodwash turned their back on him, choosing only to worship Azshara. There are countless statues and altars dedicated to Azshara.

[xenodile]

God the total 180 walkbalk of the gilblins in 8.2 is honestly BAFFLING

These little shits have been around since CATACLYSM and have been uniformly “Always Chaotic Evil caveman-esque fish goblins that hoard shiny things”.  They were in Legion and still behaved that way with no meaningful development.

Then Nazjatar rolls around and there’s friendly Gilblins that are practically begging to let them give you presents and cooperate and la-di-dah friendship.

Does Blizzard even think about anything anymore?

Edit: MAKRURA AND SEA GIANTS TOO??

[gale-heart]

The salt content level in a makrura’s organs strips the soil of nutrients. Get your shit together, Ilyssae. Like, don't you know anything? God.

“I know many things, actually. Usually because I’ve had a teacher in certain other subjects who was competent at teaching.”

[lifeisaminigame]

The WoW Makrura Toy comes to mind.

[characterrevolvingdoors]

Kalima have you ever taken the form of a tauren or tuskarr or makrura or murloc or pandaren or furbolg? What about a dryad?

Kalima: -shrugs- Can't say I have. Trolls and Night Elves have always been my oldest children, so I took those appearances.

[katieskarlette]

WoW:  What’s Next

I will edit this post as I watch the livestream.

Done editing! 

Each expansion is a fresh start.  Ion says their priority is to keep a steady flow of new content throughout.

8.1 is well known by this point but just to review, it will have:

Darkshore Battlefront, faction invasions of each other’s BFA continents, new island expeditions, Dazar’alor raid with different experiences depending on which faction you play, Gallywix vs. Mekkatorque lore, dwarf and blood elf heritage armor, improvements to reputation (account-wide) and island expeditions.  

They’re trying to make Warfronts’ content spread out over the week instead of “yay, here’s a bunch of quests to do all at once, then ignore this content until it changes hands again.��  (Not a direct quote, just my paraphrasing.)

8.1 will hit December 11th in North America.  The Dazar’alor raid will not unlock until January.

Darkshore Warfront cinematic...A dying troll tells Nathanos about how Malfurion fucked up a Horde supply caravan, just in time for Malfurion and Tyrande to show up and promise a world of hurt. 

That is the most badass Malfurion has looked since Warcraft III, IMHO!  Very nice!

Allied races incoming:

Zandalari can be paladins!   They get a racial slow fall, extra gold from looting, and a self-heal.  Their mounts are direhorns.

Kul Tirans can be shaman!  They get a stun/knockback, plus improved swim speed and breath holding.  They get (shocker) a horse mount.

The Darkmoon Faire is getting a roller coaster!

Children’s Week will have new questlines for Kul Tiran and Zandalari orphans!

New Microholiday events:  Wanderer’s Festival in Krasarang, a diving event in Vashj’ir, and free T-shirt day

WoD Timewalking:  Auchindoun, Slag Mines, Shadowmoon Burial Grounds, Skyreach, Iron Docks, Everbloom.  Two new mounts, elekk and war wolf.

Dedicated portal rooms will be added to Orgrimmar and Stormwind instead of having random portals tucked in various buildings all over the place.

“Tools of the Trade” questlines that gives blacksmiths, alchemists, enchanters, etc. perks like spontaneous armor repair, etc.

Brawler’s Guild will be back in 8.5 with a new questline featuring a murder mystery.  Rewards:  new shirts and transmog, Bruce the crocolisk mount

PVP battlegrounds:  WSG and AB remastered.  Visual updates, same spirit and terrain.

There will also be an Arathi Basin mode where you fight vs AI.

8.2.5 will bring goblin and worgen model updates.   Female worgen are still more cute than fierce, to my eye, but they don’t look like rabid chihuahuas, so I’ll take it.  (I’m also just basing this off a single slide.)

NAGA PATCH INCOMING!

Naga coastal attacks lure us out into the ocean where we find a huge crack in the ocean...and Nazjatar! 

RISE OF AZSHARA

Former naga slaves, sea giants, makrura, gilgoblins = new Horde friends

deep sea jinyu tribe = new Alliance friends

(OH PLEASE BE THE NEXT ALLIED RACES!  I WANT TO PLAY A BADASS FISH PERSON!!!!!!!!!!!!)

New naga units that look like crab centaurs.  New crab and sea horse mounts.  The crab walks sideways!  Jellyfish with lots of eyes.

BABY NAGA battlepet wielding a tiny fork.  Awwww!

Azshara’s Eternal Palace:  8 bosses, a naga hatchery, underwater boss (crowd boos) and Azshara as final boss.  Bioluminescent architecture that hasn’t seen the light of day in 10,000 years.  Lots of drying-out coral and seashells around the landscape.

Meanwhile, a vault has been opened in Tiragarde Sound that contains new technology.  Goblins and gnomes jump to investigate, leading us to Mechagon, a long-lost gnomish kingdom.  We meet Mechagnomes who are in conflict with King Mechagon and his evil robots. There’s a “Megadungeon” that will be 8 bosses long, Mythic-only for now.

Also in Rise of Azshara: 

Storylines continue for Sylvanas, Saurfang, Jaina, Anduin, and Magni.

Tauren and gnome heritage armor

New Island Expeditions:  Crestfall (a Warcraft II map where you fought dragons and gryphon riders) and Snowblossom (a pandaren village besieged by virmen--or however they spell it.)

Heroic Warfronts:  10+ players, new mechanics, higher difficulty and ilvl rewards

New arena in Mechagon

Flying!  Bee mount!  Mechanical parrots.  Updated gryphon model with blue armor.

[givenchyng]

My Kitchen: Tat can cook Makrura Prawn！#kitchen #cook #mykitchen #cooking #makruraprawn #prawns #deepfired #steamprawn #familyday #familydinner #mycook #yummy #seafooddinner #instagram #instadaily #instafood #llovecooking #foodblogger #foodstagram #foodphotography #photooftheday #photoofthelife https://www.instagram.com/p/BoEStHTgXbX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=k20wxfvkuhfh

[ask-the-black-dragonflight]

To anyone who is feeling left out: What's your favorite thing to do on a beach vacation?

Hey, Sartharion, here.  I haven’t gotten to answer any of these, so I’m going to jump in.

I’m not a huge fan of beaches, to be honest.  It’s too cold in Dragonblight to enjoy them properly, and the last time I tried the local tuskarr threw harpoons at me.  Harumph.

Dustwallow’s a bit better.  The mosquitoes are terrible, but luckily they can’t bite through scales, so as long as you keep your belly in the water it’s not so bad.  

Last time I went down to visit Onyxia, our whelps tried to bury me in the sand.  Poor things, they worked for hours and only managed to get my legs buried.  I’m rather large, you know.  Now, if they weren’t corrupted, they could probably use their earth powers to move sand easily, but…oh well.  They seemed to have fun.

Oh, and don’t mess with makrura.  They may taste great, but it’s not worth all the pinches to the snout.

[slamd]

“Please come home, Corynn. Please let us see if we can’t move past the past.”

Corynn Highfall clenched her jaw, frustrated at the sudden tears in her eyes she now had to blink away. One made it down her cheek and fell onto the parchment she held near a candle, the only illumination in the small cabin on board the Fate’s Fortune. Corynn brushed the wet spot off the letter and stared at the page, as if looking past the words and through to the table at which she sat.

Move past? Why should she move past? It wasn’t her choice to leave. Well, it was her choice to leave home, but if it had been up to Corynn, she’d have been made welcome back any time. Her father and mother were the ones who’d made it clear they didn’t want her there.

At least, that’s how Corynn had come to remember it. If she were honest with herself, and sometimes she was, she remembered the anger had been there on both sides, and both sides could have done so much more to soften their feelings that day. But Corynn still felt - knew - she hadn’t been wrong to do what she did.

Almost unconsciously she started reading the letter again from the beginning.

“My dearest Corynn,

“I hope you’ll take this letter in the spirit of love and longing in which it’s written. I should have written this years ago, soon after you left, and I regret it’s taken me this long to pick up a quill and do so now.

“Your father’s getting weaker, and can’t work as hard. I can’t imagine it’s his age but maybe the long years of working the farm have taken more of a toll than we would have expected. Sometimes he takes medicine and it helps, other times it seems to just get worse. Your brothers do what they can to help, but I worry about what will happen if your father’s strength fails altogether. It might be we can keep the farm going for some time, but it will be hard. It doesn’t help that there are other pressures on us and the people here. Difficult enough managing our own affairs without having to worry about gnolls or wild beasts or bandits.

“I hope and trust you’ve been well in Theramore, and I hope you won’t think it an imposition to ask you to come home. We miss you dearly, and we would love to get to know Jessa. We’ve had no word of her or you since your brother talked to you before the evacuation. If only we’d had more time, we’d have come ourselves.

“We’re not angry about the decision you made to leave. I know we were before, and I am so sorry for how we parted. I wish we’d been different in our words and thoughts, and maybe we wouldn’t have found ourselves with so much time to make up for. I think it would do your father good to see you, to meet his granddaughter.

“Please come home, Corynn. Please let us see if we can’t move past the past.

“Always in love, Mother”

More tears, and this time Corynn didn’t wipe them away immediately. She’d received the letter more than a week prior, but that didn’t dull the emotions she tried but failed to push aside.

She hadn’t seen her parents or younger brother in nearly a decade, not since she’d left for Lordaeron to join the Knights of the Silver Hand. Her leaving was at the heart of the strife with her parents; they’d wanted her to stay in Hillsbrad, stay on the farm, and hopefully marry someone and be a good wife. Corynn wasn’t against the idea of marriage, but wanted it to be on her terms, and more than anything she’d wanted to be a paladin.

When years later she and her daughter Jessa, then a newborn, had ended up back in Hillsbrad preparing to evacuate and escape the Scourge, her older brother Tadric had found them. He’d told her their parents had softened, but only a little, and that they really wanted to see Corynn again. The threat of the Scourge was too great, Corynn had argued, and she needed to get her daughter to safety as soon as possible. That had been true, Corynn knew, but she’d also readily used the chaos of the Scourge invasion to avoid facing her family. She guessed her brother detected that, but if he did he didn’t say anything.

That had been the last time she’d seen any family, as shortly after she and Jessa had boarded a ship and sailed west to Kalimdor. There, they’d been part of the effort to establish the city of Theramore, the largest Alliance settlement on the continent. Corynn had begun work as a blacksmith, and as the city was always under threat of attack by dragons or ogres or makrura, she was never without a long list of tasks to do.

Corynn told herself often that’s why she never returned to Hillsbrad, even after the Scourge threat abated. She was too busy, and had said as much in the few letters she exchanged with her brother, who’d taken on the task of staying in touch for the family. Corynn was, in fact, very occupied with her life in Theramore that when she got a letter, she read it once and then tucked it away. She hadn’t mentioned them to Jessa, either, though at five years old, the girl was unlikely to take much notice of anything written in them.

This latest letter, however, had stayed in Corynn’s thoughts every hour since she’d received it. Not just because it was from her mother, she knew, but because of the news about her father’s health. She’d never say it out loud, but Corynn had always felt closer to her father. His anger at her leaving had hurt more than anything, and had left a scar on Corynn’s heart she wasn’t sure would ever fully heal. In sleepless moments or after dreams of memory, Corynn had to admit to herself that her staying away was in no small part to spite Barick Highfall.