Reckoning? ...Betrayal

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

I swear that Northrend's foundations are built upon betrayal. Drakuru, the incident at the Wrath Gate, and now this.

I am such a fool. I should have seen through the illusions, the lies, and I would have known that the wench, Lok'lira, was really Loken in disguise. All of his plans and my own involvement, as it seems, was to draw Thorim out of hiding and allow him to be delivered into the hands of Loken and his dark master. All I could do was watch as that power reached out and took the Stormlord away, and all the while I heard that laughter. It was the same that haunted my dreams, a dread fear that whispered that I would turn against my allies. An ancient...evil power...

They are gone now as I write this, fled back to Ulduar and, for now, beyond my reach. My questions tear through my heart and mind. First, we must deal with Loken, and I have no doubts that the Sons of Hodir will agree. That will undoubtadly be the next step. Beyond that I have to wonder what the fate is of Thorim and Veranus, now in the clutches of this evil, Loken's master, Yogg'Saron.

All I can think about is what we have ahead of us.

When Titans Clash...er, yeah.

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

The tasks have been completed. The relations between Thorim and the sons of Hodir have been repaired, Thorim now has his great proto-dreak mount returned, as well as his great hammer of storms, Krolmir. A magnificant weapon. Great storms can be made small, but I can tell that weapon is too mighty for even my hands.

Now comes the next step: Confront Loken.

As the story goes, Loken and Thorim are brothers, and with the Loken's betrayal of his post as a Watcher came other betrayals as well, including crimes against his own family. I grew angry when I heard Thorim tell me the tail of how Loken slew his wife. No greater crime exists among the orcs than to betray one's own blood, and the same honor that binds and orc also binds a titan.

I hope to be there when Thorim teaches his one-time-brother this harsh lesson.

Thorim

*From the Writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

He resides in his temple at the top of highest mountin in all of the Storm Peaks, sitting in a throne and more kingly than the Lich King or that Alliance wretch could ever hope to be, just one of his feet great enough to crush any single mortal without much thought. I wonder if this being is one of the titans of old. However, when I look into the face of this being, this Keeper Thorim of the Temple of Storms, I am reminded of my own people during their lethargy of demonic powers lost.

He sits up here, brooding in silence, looking more pathetic than your average human despite all his great power. The old crone, Lok'lira, has guided me to this place after the long battles with the other Vrykul wenches, and now there is another step in my purpose here. What my next step is will have to wait, for my old bones creak and I must rest.

The titanic being sitting on his throne makes no motion in protest as I make a fire in his temple and settle myself for the evening. He just sits there, continuing to brood.

The Engine of the Makers

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

It is obviously not natural made, easily surmised by the mear sight of it, and I think all the dwarves and gnomes and goblins in the world could study it for years and still not figure out what its purpose is. It is just one of the many wonders of these peaks left behind by the Titans.

What more can these beings do? The powers of the elements that I wield in battle were long ago bested by the power of the Titans, and in the aftermath of that war they refined the world how they saw fit, bringing order to chaos.

I look at these marvels and I think them not natural, but then when I think of those who made them, I wonder...

What really is natural?

The Storm Peaks

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

There comes a time in every being's life when he make his first steps into a much larger world. Such times are always felt in the early years of childhood, for man and orc alike, when he must walk away from the home that was his whole world and take his first steps in a larger one.

An orc who has lived as long as I have, who has seen and experienced such things, I believed that I have seen all there is to see in this world and I would not be making any new steps into any new worlds.

I was wrong.

I know that now as I look up at the icy mountains of the Storm Peaks, and I can tell that this place is unlike any other that I have ventured in through my long years. Whatever might be waiting for me in these mountains, I know two things. I know that whatever is causing me to have these dreams, visions of me fighting my own comrades, as well as the several whispers I have heard since coming to Northrend, I will find it somewhere here. Also, I believe I will find my destiny here, whatever that should be.

I notice that there is something peculiar about these mountains though as I brave their snowy heights. Twice in my ventures I have seen signs of such giant machinery that it could only be true that these mountains as a whole were not made by nature's hands, but were built by something else entirely. What power could build such wonders? The legends of the titans are not unknown to me, but to think that the ancient enemy of the Old Gods could have constructed such things as this is too much for one orc to grasp.

I have little time to dwell on it, for there is much work to be done. I have recently met a Vrykul hag who has offered me her assistance, and I am obliged to give mine as well. I intend to end my contract with her as quickly as possible, because I do not enjoy wearing the guise of a half-giant woman.

WoW and the Real World

I have always thought that the World of Warcraft was basically a representation of our world in a sense, and the things that go on in WoW has sort of represented events of real life.

Take, for instance, the constant conflict between the Horde and the Alliance. In retrospect, these are two sides that have the same goals in mind: to live in peace and make the best life possible for themselves and for their children, and that is entirely understandable. We all want the same for ourselves and our children, so we do what we do. However, these two forces often clash and viewpoints conflict, differences can't be resolved, greed often steps in and whispers in someone's ears saying "you don't want to share with the other side", so they try to take things that don't belong to them, the other side tries to defend it, and thus war breaks out. It's a law of the world as a whole.

I view the relationship between the Horde and the Alliance a lot like the way I view the relationship between Democrats and Republicans. These are two factions of people who should not be fighting because they are both pursuing the same thing, and thus should work together to achieve it. The Horde and the Alliance both face the same enemies in the Scourge or the Burning Legion or the rising threat of Old Gods and corrupted dragonflights. Just as Democrats and Republicans, both Americans, face threats of terrorism and a declining economy. If one side were to work with the other side, it would make things better for everyone, yes?

Every once in a while though, a certain someone comes along who has no interest in playing with the other side, he just has his own agenda in mind or is driven by his own motivations and not those of the country he is trying to protect. In those regards I see Varian Wrynn along the same line as George W. Bush. Bush was driven by the thought of wanting to "kick ass" and Varian is driven by his revenge, both started wars against the wrong people, and though Varian has not screwed Stormwind the same way Bush screwed America, I would not doubt if it comes down to that. He is a man who was traumatized as a child when he saw his father murdered and his home burned during the first war and has suffered much since then, and people like that might be great combat leaders but they seldom make great kings. I really think that this vendetta turned to war against the Horde is going to cost Stormwind a lot when it's all said and done.

The bottom line is that I think that Blizzard introduced Varian Wrynn as an allegory of Bush's presidency. It begins with a tragedy to both the Horde and the Alliance by what happened at the Wrath Gate event (9/11) and both sides are quick to make the perpetrators pay for it. When they do though, Varian Wrynn sees all the human bodies in Undercity and gets pissed. The truth is he's always hated the Horde, and now he has an excuse to move against them, even if they had nothing to do with it (Iraq and 9/11).

A lot of Alliance players have drank that kool-aid however just the same way a lot of Republicans bought into that reasoning and were quick to support a war. The only difference at this point is that Bush did not make war on the Democrats, but with the start of the war the differences between Dems and Reps took a nasty turn for the worse.

This is where we're at now in WoW, two sides fighting each other when they should be fighting a more dangerous enemy, and though I have no doubt that we'll take care of the Lich King, Yogg-Saron, and any other real threats to Azeroth, I think the war between the Alliance and Horde will most undoubtedly get in the way. And even after the Lich King has been defeated, what then? Will the war go on, or will certain people gain some sense? Judging by the nature of WoW, I doubt it.

The whole tragic thing I find about all this is just how enamured some Alliance players have gotten with Varian Wrynn. "Ohhhhh, we have a king who kicks ass now! He's going to lead us to victory! *GASP* SQUEEE!" A lot of Americans did the same thing with Bush because he was a dude who was willing to take the fight to the sands of Arabia and beat terrorists on their own ground, but as things got worse he lost a great deal of support. Some not so bright individuals in the world still think that Bush was the best president ever though, just as I think some Alliance players will think Varian is the best king ever.

You know, I don't hold it against Alliance players for playing Alliance, I started WoW as Alliance myself and still have a few alts abroad. I don't hold it against people if they want to be Conservative Republicans either. I might not agree with their ideals or beliefs, but this is America and they are entitled to those ideals and beliefs. However, if, as a Republican, you are not appalled, embarassed, and ashamed of George Bush, then I think there is something seriously wrong with you. I'm not to that point yet with Alliance players and their attitudes towards Varian Wrynn, but time will tell if we get to that point.

What will our new Alliance Bad Boy have to do to get to that point? Everything that Bush did I guess. Can we expect Varian Wrynn to all of a sudden start ignoring the Lich King the way Bush started to ignore Osama Bin Laden, just to concentrate his efforts on Thrall? Instead of toppling Icecrown Glacier, will he try to burn down Orgrimmar first? Is Varian Wrynn willing to sacrifice the sons and daughters of Stormwind to fight a needless war? Is he willing to destroy his nation's economy to get that war?

God, I hope not, but I would not be surprised. I guess our saving grace is that some of the factions out there who were once part of the Alliance probably will not support King Douche if he makes such an action.

I already mentioned in the last thread that I think Jaina would stop being Alliance only if it came to blows and she was forced to choose sides. Doubtless guys like Tirion Fordring, who has friendships with orcs, will see such things as folly, plus his focuses are on the Lich King.

I'd like to think that people like Velen, Tyrande Whisperwind, and King Magni might have more sense, but who knows... The draenei have bad blood with the orcs for past transgressions, Tyrande is constantly getting upstaged by Staghelm, and Magni Bronzebeard has no love for orcs either, so they might support a war as well, to which they currently are it seems.

What will they do if things start turning bad though? Only time will tell.

Jaina Proudmoore, What Next?

I am assuming that by this point, everyone I know has done the Battle of Undercity quest in some form or another, or has already had it spoiled in some form or another. If you haven't done the questline yet, and if you don't know what happens, and you don't want to be spoiled, then you should stop reading about....now.

Ok, moving on. I'm interested on what our pretty little mage is going to do next now that the Alliance and Horde are back at each others throats even worse than before now. I know that King Douche is going to be trying to take the battle to the Horde lands if the war keeps going after the Lich King has been dealt with (assuming he can be when those who are suppose to stop him are fighting each other), and he'll foolishly try to invade Kalimdor, Duratar, etc.

My question is, what will Jaina do in that respect? I can think of only one thing that she would do in that regard. The same thing she did when she sided with Thrall against her own father, and refuse to help fight the Horde. If that would happen, then I imagine that King Douche will certainly be the douche that he is and kick Theramoore Isle from the Alliance.

My prediction for the future includes an ocean expansion. It would be stupid for Blizzard to not tap those regions in between the continents as new territories, less that big Maelstrom is just going to sit there as a not-so-pretty picture in the center of the map, staring at us mockingly. When those oceans become available, let's look at the facts:

Eastern Kingdoms Open Ports:
Stomrwind Harbor: Alliance Controlled
Menethil Harbor: Alliance Controlled
Booty Bay: Neutral
Sunwell Isle: Netural (maybe this won't be included?)

Kalimdor Open Ports:
Theramoore Isle: Alliance Controlled (currently)
Ratchet: Neutral

Sorry if I missed any, but as you can see, the Horde is kind of lacking on actual open ports in either of the two continents. Since the beginning Horde transport has depended on zeppelins to get them to and fro across Azeroth, and if you include zepellins into the lines along with ships, that's two for the Horde. It's still kind of unbalanced though.

What am I getting at? Well, I'm hoping that with an ocean expansion we finally get the option of player ran ships, battle on the high seas, that sort of thing. The problem with that currently is that as a Horde player, I do think that captaining a zeppelin would be pretty awesome, but I want the options of actual ships for the Horde as well, but right now they are lacking in viable ports to call on, so I think that Blizz should make some for Horde only just as Alliance have their own (this means, of course, that Alliance would get their own zep towers, and I think that would suck, but fair is far I guess).

You're probably asking, what the hell does any of that have to do with Jaina Proudmoore?

Simply this. If Jaina refuses to take part in Varian Wrynn's war against the Horde, I can see him getting pissed off at her and kicking Theramore Isle from the Alliance. I then see Theramore becoming neutral territory, now open for Horde characters to enter, ships included, and I think that would be frickin' awesome. I always thought it was kind of a crappy thing to do to make it for only Alliance considering the friendship that was forged between Thrall and Jaina, but I guess that's the way the world turns sometimes. Hopefully soon we'll be seeing some changes happening.

Making Deals With Gods

*From the journal of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

Shalazar Basin is a spectacular region. I would not have dreamed that such a land existed in such a place as Northrend, and whatever power it is that keeps it, the land is vibrant and wild.

I have a theory though that the five pillars, four rather as one seems to have been destroyed sadly, has something to do with it. I have seen however that this cradle for life is someone fragile. It seems that the destruction of one of these mountainous pillars and the device at its top has triggered a recent avalanch from neighboring Icecrown. Scourge are beginning to invade this land, and the only one to stop them is the Avatar of Freya.

I know not who this Freya is, but I admire her ferocity in defense of this place, calling in the entire basin's wild powers to keep the Scourge out. Yet the tenacity of the undead is unrivaled and they continue to push and steadily gain ground from the avalanch. This avatar of a godess or other greater power is willing to take allies, but I am too weary now to be of much use to the Scourge. The avatar made a deal with me, a night of rest here in these wilds, under her protecting, and in the morning I will help her with the Scourge any way I can.

I wonder if she has a plan for this. I will soon see.

The Titans

These are the guys who fought the Old Gods like Yogg-Saron in the ancient-ancient times of Azeroth. The beat them, shackled them, and imprisoned the in the underbelly of the world in places like Ulduar and elsewhere, presumably at the bottom of the Maelstrom with Azshara would be my guess, so I can anticipate a future Ocean expansion, yes? But that's beside the point.

Anyway, here we are fast approaching Ulduar raid and a lot of juicy Titan lore, and I'm thinking, "just who the hell are these guys anyway?"

All we know about the titans is that they are a race of metal skinned giants, they are extremely powerful and advanced, travelling through the space and altering worlds to have order and life. In a sense, they are the good version of Galactus, right?

They are led by a group called The Pantheon, a council of the mightiest titans, akin to gods in Warcraft Lore. As far as the Pantheon goes, a few snippets of lore give some information but right now they are nothing more than paragraphs and pictures on a page. One or two might have been mentioned but none of them have yet to be seen.

Within Ulduar we'll possibly get to see the first actual Titans of the game? There have been suggestions that guys like Thorim, Freya, and Hodir are all Titans themselves, though not part of the Pantheon itself, obviously. Since Loken is brother to Thorim, that would make him a titan as well, right? Some have suggested not, that these guys are just creations of the Titans. So, the question is, what is really the truth here?

It is suggested in the Alliance quest "Fate of the Titans" that Thorim, Freya, Mimir, and Hodir are in fact members of the Titan race. The quest talks about the missing "Watchers" which include these guys who were stationed in their respective temples around Storm Peaks. Thorim can be found at his post in Temple of Storms and Loken makes an appearance in Temple of Wisdom. I think that's pretty solid evidence, yes?

Hard Boiled

With the upcoming patch that will unveil the Ulduar raid in Northrend, Blizzard is also implementing a new feature called "Hard Boiled", as they so eloquently describe it. Basically this is going to be like difficult mode for the boss encounters in the raid, a bit similar to Sartharion and his three dragons in Obsidion Sanctum. Defeating the boss on Hard Mode is suppose to yield greater rewards than normal.

Apparently in Ulduar there is going to be an optional side boss in the raid named Algalon the Observer. Basically he's Ulduar's version of Nightbane from Karazhan. Not exactly the final boss of the instance, since Yogg-Saron already has that honor, but an extra, deeper challenge for would be raiders.

Algalon the Observer has earned a rather unique nickname in the Blizzard development teams who have dubbed him "Algalon the Raid Destroyer".

A quote from the Blizzard team:

"Hard mode rewards will be the best in the game. With that said, I want to be sure that everyone understands: Hard mode is hard. Some hard modes are harder than others. Then there's Algalon the Raid Destroyer. He feeds off of your tears."

Despite their gross foul ups with PvP and class balance since Patch 3.0, I honostly have to say that Blizzard's attention to the PvE aspect of the game has been really top notch. I could give less than a frozen pile of cat poo about PvP, but hopefully they'll fix class balance enough so that classes that have been neglected (warlocks and rogues) can get back their equal share of the pie. Even so, this raid sounds trully epic, and I can't wait for it.

EDIT: Ok, maybe I'm being a little unfair about the PvP aspect of the game, because Wintergrasp is a pretty cool concept. However, I do say that class balance since 3.0 is a travesty and it needs to be fixed. The game has pretty much been given to Paladins and Death Knights, served nicely on a platinum gilded dinner platter, and players are getting drunk off it. Take it away and alot of them might very well leave, but things are getting not so fun for those of us who like to play other classes. More on that some other time though...

Corruption of the Dragonflights

I read a very interesting article about the Dragonflights recently in terms of Warcraft Lore, and where things very well might be headed. As of now, we have already seen two of the great aspects become corrupted in their purpose.

Neltharion the Earth Warder, better known to some as Deathwing, was in charge of keeping the earth itself stable and protecting the underparts of the world, mountains, that sort of thing. In his corrupted state we see him making his home in seismically and geographically unstable regions, volcanic areas and the like, and the black flight uses lava as a weapon of battle.

Now we have Malygos the Speal Weaver, charged with safeguarding the magical flows of Azeroth, turning against his purpose and messing up the leylines of magic in the world to his own ends, possibly causing a catastrophe by letting magic destroy the world. This brought about the Nexus War to stop him and the eventual death of the first of the five aspects. What next for the Blue Dragonflight? Only time will tell.

That leaves three of the five dragonflights uncorrupted...or so we think.

As of now, both the bronze and green dragons are fighting in their own private wars. Nozdormu the Timeless, leader of the bronze, is supposedly helping to fight against the Infinite Dragonflight who are trying to upset time by attacking important events in history: Thrall's escape, the opening of the Dark Portal, the Culling of Stratholme, etc. Aside from that Ysera and her flight is fighting the Nightmare that is slowly taking over the Emerald Dream.

But what if these two are the perpetrators behind their own war?

Although it's just speculation, but someone pointed out a very interesting possibility. Chromie sends the player on a quest to the Bronze Dragonshrine which is being besieged by the Infinite Dragonflight, hoping to uncover their leader. The result is the appearance of Nozdormu himself, and although he seems to be fighting the Infinite, it's interesting that he should show up, yes? What if he's the cause of the Infinite Flight?

This is supported by what he said in the War of the Ancients trilogy where he seems to know that Malygos and maybe himself as well will eventually become corrupted and turn against their own duties: "Know that I now ask forgiveness for the wrongs I will cause you in the future, but I must be what I am destined to be... as Malygos is" (p. 712 in the combined books).

If this is true, then that would explain the origin of the Infinite Dragonflight, not as a seperate flight altogether created by some outside force (possibly by the Old Gods), but rather they are corrupted bronze dragons.

Ysera the Dreamer is ruler of the Emerald Dream, which is slowly being taken over by the Nightmare. What is causing this to take place? I have to wonder now. Already we have seen a number of green dragons going mad because of that force and becoming a threat to the world, and thus having to be dealt with accordingly. Soon enough players will be venturing in to the Emerald Dream itself to help deal with this Nightmare force, and what will they find there? Will they find an invading force trying to take over the Emerald Dream, or will the find that the enemy actually comes from within. Do important lore characters such as Malfurion Stormrage or Cenarius already know this? I guess we'll see...

Finally, we have Alexstrasza the Life Binder, who is in charge of safeguarding life itself on Azeroth. She's still very much the good aligned, motherly figure who likes to take the form of a blood elf female in skimpy clothes, doing what she can to help against both Malygos and the Scourge (and, I hope, against Yogg-Sarron the Old God). Now that Malygos is dead, she can turn her attention to both of them, but I have to say I don't like that idea much. What happens if she does become corrupted with the plague of undeath.

Think of it. The guardian of life on Azeroth now getting control of undeath from the Lich King and Yogg-Sarron and thus going on to create a flight of undead dragons, the beginning of yet another corrupted dragonflight. The plauge of undeath from that would be far, far worse than the Scourge I think.

What does this mean for me? Well, considering I'm totally hot for Alexstrasza, I don't think I like that thought very much. I would prefer that she remain the motherly guardian of life with the hot blood elf body, and not become the ultimate undead queen of undeath. That would...kind of suck, to be honest. Yeah, that would make for one hell of a raid fight, but one that would make me sad. So, hopefully, we can kill the Lich King and Yogg-Sarron and all of the other Old Gods before they can further corrupt our favorite dragons.

One can hope anyway.

The Fate of the Fallen

*From the writing's of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

Drakuru is dead.

He was looking to use the blight crystals that he's been harvesting from the grounds below with many of the Drakkiri chiefs he's been capturing. His ultimate plan was to create an army of these blight infused warriors, perpetual juggernauts, to assualt and conquer the rest of Zul'Drak. The death knights were right that we could not let this happen. It was time that Drakuru be confronted.

I will not say I regretted the encounter. I used the very rod of dominion that Drakuru gave me, reworked by the magics of the Ebon Blade, to turn his new creations against him. Drakuru was understandably enraged, believing that he had an ally in me and thus feeling betrayed. I suppose it's poetic justice from the way he used me, and he put up a tremendous fight right up to the very end.

When the Lich King arrived again and disposed of him. I am still alive only because the wretch was amused by my betrayal of Drakuru? The very thought makes me physically ill.

All that left of Drakuru was his skull and an imprint of his final wish: just to escape and be away from this place.

That seems to be the wish of all the Scourge, deep down. Slaves they may be, and as much as they might gain power, it does not change that fact. Strip away that power, and underneath you will see a slave who desires freedom.

I can't help but wonder if you strip away the layers of the Lich King, will we find the same notion? Is he also a slave to his own power?

For the...Scourge!?!

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

I have very little time to write this. The death knight has just left with a new task, a new effort to undermine the Scourge. So far they don't see me, the ghouls and ghasts that are patrolling about, so I am allowed a moment to breath living air outside of that gross Scourge disguise, as well as write this.

I was right. It is Drakuru, in command of the Scourge forces here. I was also right in my hunch that he would be glad to see me if I were to turn up...dead, or undead rather. He thinks I am his partner in this, but just as he used me, so will I use him. He will help us crush the Scourge here in Zul'drak.

I have to go. They are coming.

The Knights of the Ebon Blade

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

I have heard rumors of the band known as the Ebon Blade, supposedly a group of Death Knights who have broken away from the Scourge. I have seen the former slaves of the Lich King, in their black, deathly armor, running through the streets of Orgrimmar, meeting the contempt of our people head on. The memories of the Scourge atrocities were still fresh in their minds, and I could not blame them of their ire then. Now this wayward band has allied themselves with both the Horde and the Alliance, former sons and daughters of all the peoples now free and returning home, despite the dark mantles they wear.

I never thought I would have to deal with these people directly though, but here I am in their forward camp in Zul'Drak, the Ebon Watch. I cannot help but hold a small bit of concern about these Ebon Watch death knights. They are suppose to be our allies against the Scourge, but I look into their cold eyes and see something unnatural there, a lust for power. Talking with Stefan Vadu leads to such conclusions as well. It is true that death knights who once served the Lich King would know the Scourge better than anyone, but hearing him say that there is nothing more effective than fighting fire with fire, it makes me pity them.

These people are not fire. Fire is a natural force, an energy given by the elements. These people are cold and darkness and death. One cannot fight ice by throwing more cold at it, nor can they fight darkness with more darkness.

It takes flame and light to fight these evil powers.

Nevertheless, I will accept their help. I've come across a black metal chocker, picked up from an undead I've slain some time ago. Instinct warned me that putting it on would be an unwise thing to do, and from what the Eben Watch commander, a human death knight named Stefan Vadu has told me, it was a wise decision. This little trinket was to turn me, specifically me, into the undead! Someone has targetted me it seems, and I think I know who it was.

If I am right, then I will possibly be in a position to undermine the Scourge from within, and I will have a chance to give a former friend a taste of those very flames. If I am wrong, then this might be my final entry...

Revelation? A Sick Joke...

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

That foul, disgusting troll.

I should have known this is the way things would turn out. I should have smelled this coming from a mile away. I allowed myself to be used though, and for that I am mostly to blaim, thinking I could trust Drakuru. Now things have been made worse, and I am heading into the ancient troll empire of Zul'drak to make things right.

I have little time to write, so I will make this short. We fought our way to the top of Drak'Tharon keep and summoned Drakuru there, as instructed. He opened the portal and the Lich King emerged from it! I had to hold myself in check, remembering the Wrath Gate and the fate of young Saurfang, but to attack now would be folly.

The revelation that Drakuru promised was that it was he who betrayed his people to the Scourge. I could only watch as the Lich King bestowed a new power on the decietful troll, giving him command of the Scourge armies in Zul'drak. I fear I have contributed in making things worse, and now I must do what I can to make things right.

I hope it is not too late.

Hugs to Guildies!!!

Great Big Hugs to Guildies!

Two in fact, Kahbukii and Nakaeri. Thank you guys for all the upgrades tonight, three new epics and some nifty enchants to go with them. You two trully are awesome beyond words!

Thanks to Kahbukii as well for help in the PvP in Venture Bay. Sorry that DK chickened out on us early, but you can't expect much more than that from alliance players these days.

Anyway, you guys Rock!

:)

Courage and Cowardice

Define Courage.

Is courage taking on a level 80 human death knight, unholy specced, knowing you're outclassed as a caster shammy, getting your butt kicked for the most part, but coming back for more anyway? I think so.

Define Cowardice.

I would say Cowardice is a level 80 human death knight body rezzing after being killed just once by a caster shammy and a blood elf death knight. The dude didn't even come back to try again.

Prime example of Alliance cowardice?

I would say so.

An Old Foe Returns...

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

Him again...

At first I did not want to believe it. It has been four years since I saw his head removed from his shoulders, and he had dropped to something less than an afterthought since then. To think he has returned is wholly ridiculous.

We cannot look away from the fact that the human mage, Arugal, has returned from the dead. I saw the vision of him rise by the magics of the Lich King's elven slaves, and now he is being employed here in the Grizzly Hills. This certainly explains the rise of the Worgen in this area. And to think that the Alliance sought an acord with them, not knowing what they were getting into. It goes to show you just how foolish and ignorant they can be.

Dakore Turns 80!!!

In age or in level though? Perhaps both! Dakore is an old orc, around long enough to witness the orcs become corrupted in Draenor before the first war, and take his own part in that issue as well... From what I can tell from the few WoW timelines I have seen, that's quite a ways in the past, around 60 years.

I haven't flushed out the details yet, but as soon as I do I'll be posting Dak's back story sometime in the future.

Drakuru

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

Just what is this troll up to?

I met Drakuru at Granite Springs earlier today, the latest captive to a group of trappers in the area. Normally I would have left him to his fate after being threatened with head shrinking if he ever got out of that cage he was in, but then he opened up with offerings to help with my tasks here in Grizzly Hills.

Reluctant, I nonetheless agreed, curious on what this troll from the north really now. I only hope the blood pact we made is not one I will end up regretting.

The day has passed, and I find that the more I help this troll the more dubious I become of him. I've gathered the artifacts he requested of me, his motives to have vengeance for the death of his kind at the hands of the Scourge. Why then is he having me kill more of his own people to get these artifacts and utilize their powers? What good can come of this?

He has asked me to summon him to Drak'Tharon Keep, a sacred temple to the Drakkari Trolls. What will happen when I accomplish this task, I don't know, but I feel the fool for going along with this. My instincts tell me to run and forget this business, but a pact has been made.

I must see it through.

This....

...happened almost two months ago, during the Lunar Festival, but I HAD to post about it.

Imagine three players in the same guild: an orc hunter, a blood elf death knight, and a tauren death knight. The orc has Aspect of the Pack up, an ability which grants all members of a party an extra 30% running speed. Both death knights have Unholy Presence active which grants them an extra 15% percent running speed, and they stack. All together it grants the whole party an extra 60% increase in movement speed.

Now both Death Knights (only one needed to do it) casts Path of Frost, which gives all part members the ability to run on water whether they are mounted or not.

In this case, all three are mounted on the Orc Hunter's brand new Taveler's Tundra Mammoth, a three person epic ground mount. So now, on top of the 100% increased movement rate, you have an extra 60% speed on top of that and the ability to run on water. Needless to say, we did not have to take the boat to Darnassus during the Lunar Festival! Plunging through an enemy city to get special coins from elders for an achievement? Hella fun!

This was one of the most epic days I had in WoW for a long time. We owe it to Zooka and his mammoth.

Dude, if you're reading this by chance, get your fucking ass back to Voodoo Reborn where you belong, you bastard! >_<

Grizzly Hills

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

Stepping into these wild forests, at first glance one might be mesmerized the sheer beauty and natural power of this place. The trees of this area are immense. Only in the forests of Ashenvale are they so large.

However, I can tell it's just a covering. Like a wolf who was fabled to wear a sheepskin to walk unnoticed amidst his pray, I feel something sinister beneath these vibrant forests. An evil more ancient and terrible than the Scourge, and also quite familiar as well.

Anyone who communes with the spirits of this world have heard the whispers of dread surrounding old, terrible evils from ancient times, forces that once shackled this world and held everything in a chaotic flux. The reopening of Ahn'Qiraj is still quite fresh on the minds of us all, and the horror that I smell here, seeping up from the soils, the trees, is very kindred to that ancient terror. It smells like it is awakening.

I push these thoughts to the back of my mind and ride on to Conquest Hold, our main outpost in this region. I have heard that the commander of this outpost, Conqueror Krenna, has a most dour reputation of governing these parts with an iron fist.

These young orcs that are gaining positions of power are growing more and more bold and furious. On one hand, I am glad to see their high spirits flourishing in such times of great need. Against enemies like the Scourge, the Alliance, and whatever might be sleeping under this land, they will make fine, brave warriors. However, I can see what High Overlord Saurfang is concerned about. We cannot let the lust for blood seep too deeply into the hearts of these young leaders, not unless we repeat the mistakes of the past and the Horde once again becomes a mindless engine of destruction.

We have no choice to go forward now and counter the banners of our enemies by raising our own, I just hope that the price we pay is one we can actually afford.

TWINS!!! :D

Just kidding! ;)

Congrats to Xoz for getting her glowy kitty along with Thanadose! They look super awesome!