World Of Warcraft: The Adventures of Gilraen - Chapter II

Dolanaar

What kind of place is this?
How can this happen to me?
How can someone be so cold and live?
Why can the whole world turn grey and back again?

It started on the way out of Shadowglen. Porthannius at the gate asked me to take a little parcel to the next town. But then I saw a sign along the road to Starbreeze Village. And I saw a house in the distance, and a Moonglade. And there was a shrine with light coming in through the roof. And I went in the house, but it was deserted. I didn't see any inhabitants, but I just felt a whack at my neck when I went in. I turned around and there was this ugly bear hitting out at me. So I stabbed and slashed with my knife to get rid of it. Then I ran out of the house as fast as I could. But there were more of them coming to help their comrade. And I died.

Next thing I remember was that the world was all grey. And an angel was standing behind me. I can't remember what she said, but she send me to go back. I went back and got my outfit on. Then I ran away again, as far as I could from that dreadful place. When I could run no more, and slowly regained my breath, I found my way to Dolanaar. I saw Zenn Foulhoof on the way and he asked me to do some things for him. I didn't know what he wanted and I just wanted to be alone, so I said yes just to get away from him. From everyone. I finally got to the inn and gave Porthannius' parcel to the innkeeper. He let me have a room to myself and I just sank to the floor and cried until I passed into a deep sleep. The next morning I found a plate with Darnassian on toast and a herbal tea on the table next to me.

Corithras asked me to fill a jade phial at the Moonglade in Starbreeze Village. He said that he knew it must be difficult for me, but fear was an emotion to overcome. We are constantly threatened by invaders and we are right to be afraid. But that is not going to make them go away, we have to fight them back. So, begrudgingly, I went to fill the phial anyway. I sneaked in the back of the road and only had to fight one webwood spider to get there. Then I ran back again. I'm getting good at running, at least if that is what my legs are trying to tell me. Next he asked me to do it one more time, but at a different moonwell, by the pools of Arlithrien. He said that the creatures there were nastier still, and even fouler than the ones I'd seen till now. I tried, but I just can't find it, so I'll pass for now.

I got bored quickly when I got back to Dolanaar. So I did Zenn's errands and got a Severed Voodoo Claw as reward. I don't know why, but that claw gave me the creeps as soon as I saw it. So I got rid of it at the first merchant I saw. Then Kyra Starsong tells me that Zenn is a Satyr! I mean, how was I supposed to know? We don't get any woodland creatures at the sea where I used to live with my grandmother. And he looked so much like an dead ugly dryad ... but now that Kyra mentioned it I can see some differences. Although Kyra was mad at me, she also gave me a means of tricking Zenn. He proved to be a dumb satyr, as he fell quickly for Kyra's trap that she had me execute on Zenn.

Syral Bladeleaf had a different errand for me. She asked if I could take some special earth to a druid just south of Dolanaar, at the lake nearby. The druid, Denalan, also had a few small tasks for me that he just didn't have the time for. The last of these was to deliver one of the distorted seedlings that he had found to Darnassus. All these tasks for these people are wearing my gear down, so just as well that they give me a few coppers here and there and I can repair my outfit when it needs it.

Athridas Bearmantle was the next person to hit me up for a task. This one caught my interest a bit more: see how the hybernating druids were doing! The hybernating druids reside in the Emerald Dream, a realm outside of Teldrassil, outside of Kalimdor and even Azeroth. Athridas was worried that there might be something amiss and asked me to check it out for him. He sent me back to Starbreeze Village though ... That place still gives me a chill down my spine, but already much has happened around here during the day that I'll risk it. Nothing is more important to a Night Elf than the harmony of Nature and our druids are at the forefront to preserve the balance of all living beings. Unfortunately my discovery at Starbreeze Village was my worst nightmare fulfilled.

It was teeming with gnarlpines. Everything was overrun by them. These were the creatures that got me before, the ugly bear-like monstrosities. Gaerolas was badly wounded by them and charged me to break the news in Dolanaar of Starbreeze Village's demise. On my return Athridas didn't waste any time either to send me on another dangerous mission to try and save the sleeping druids caught in the Emerald Dream. The Ban'ethil Den to the west of Dolanaar needed to be purged of the invaders, or at least the sacred druid relics needed to be rescued from their clutches. I went forth with great intrepidation to see what horrors awaited me there.

On my way on the road just west of Dolanaar, I was stopped by Moon Priestess Amara. She too had bad news about gnarlpine ambushes. And if I was going this way, towards Darnassus, could I please get rid of the foul elements for all the travelers? Well, since I don't know where I'm heading yet, and I will need to kill off these gnarlpines, and if I see them, why not?

The Ban'ethil Barrow Den was my worst nightmare. I'd never been this deep underground before. It is cold in these narrow twisting tunnels and the air is so stale. Moreover, it feels so unnatural in these artificial caves, nothing like the open hollows in the cliffs sculpted by the tides of the seas that I'm used to. And those gnarlpines kept coming round every turn. Some of them could even heal themselves to undo anything I could throw at them. In the end I just followed a small group of brave adventurers and shot my arrows from a safe distance behind. Deep inside was Oben Rageclaw, stuck inside by a curse. I don't know anything about magic, good or bad, so I just did as he said. I succumbed more often to the creatures than I care to remember. And my outfit had to be repaired several times before I finished the tasks asked of me. If this is going to be the state of things in Kalimdor as well, then our world, our lives and our joy are truly lost. And when I finally returned to Dolanaar with the relics, Athridas was still not finished with his efforts to save the druids in the Emerald Dream. He sent me to the Gnarlpine Hold to put a stop to their leader once and for all. This is the place that Corithras warned me about, but I can't honestly think that it can be worse than the Ban'ethil Den.

There was just one more rite of passage left to do in Dolanaar. After a long and refreshing rest in the inn, it was time to pay a visit to Dazalar, the local
Hunter Trainer. He gave me one of the most amazing skills I could ever dream of - how to make friends out of our foes!

First he showed me how to tame a spider, a webwood lurker. It was hard to just stand there and not attack it. Just letting it hit me and all I needed to do, all I could do, was to tell the spider that it was alright. And in the end it just gave up, like it was useless to fight against me, who didn't want to fight back. And it changed me too. I could never take such a close look at the scales of its skeleton and the movement of its mandibles when I was fighting against webwoods. But now I could see this in absolute peace, knowing that it was safe to do so. I went back to Dazalar and he told me to let the spider go, as I had other animals to tame. Reluctantly I did.

The next animal to tame was a nightsaber stalker. It was much the same as for the webwood spider. But this time, after the feline settled down a bit, it licked me! I have never felt so much pain on my skin! It was worse than the paper of sand that my grandmother used now and then to smooth over some rough wood patches of new furniture. But his paws felt like silk. Not even a glimpse of those sharp claws that struck out at me the day before. But when I got back to Dazalar, he told me once again to let it loose.

The last creature to tame for Dazalar was an owl, a strigid screecher. It was pretty much the same as before with the webwood and the nighsaber. But the strigid has sharp talons that sink into your flesh. But after it calmed down, those sharp talons clamped on my shoulder like a vice without even making a mark on my skin. And those wings that could knock me down off my feet, now they lost the tender down from underneath and made my nose sneeze. But it was cool to have its wings flapping through my hair once we set off on our way back to Dazalar. I was so excited at getting my own pet to tame for all of my adventures to come that I rushed back to Shadowglen and soothed the first young nightstalker that looked like it needed some company.

Karrin, the cook, taught me how to make "feasts from the meat of beasts" that I might encounter, though I am loath to make more than I need for myself and my pets. Byancie taught me how to dress wounds and wrap pieces of flesh together to come out whole again. I managed to do Athridas' and Corithras' jobs in the end. I even had time to help Sentinel Arynia Cloudsbreak with a harpy problem. On the way to Darnassus I came across Radnaal and Nadyia Maneweaver. They convinced me that the woodlands are more than hunting grounds. The woodlands are also places to provide for our needs. Thus they taught me the basics of making cheap, but sturdy leather garments to keep me covered. They will also work in my favor in a fight they said, and you can make your present armor a bit better if you add some leather patchers. So now I can call myself a Skinner and a Leatherworker!