Kirith's 8th Journal Entry

Once again I found myself behind enemy lines.  The fighting is becoming intense.  I am having to be a lot more careful in my sneaking around.  I was seen by a couple of orc scouts.  I ended up having to polymorph one of them into a cat while I dealt with the other one.  I was able to keep him off balance by icing him in place and blinking away in order to give me room and time to cast my spells.  Fortunately for me, all he managed to do was cut my robes up a bit.  Once I had killed him, I turned my attention to the other one.  My spell was still in effect.  I’ve gotten better at that polymorph spell or maybe it was the fear that made it stronger.  As usual, the recipient of that spell was sort of wandering around dazed at finding himself in another form, but he was starting to come out of it.  He hissed and jumped at me with claws extended.  I used my cloak to catch him and then snapped his neck.  I was nearly crushed when his true form returned with death.  I have to stop forgetting the important parts of my spells!  Like, death undoes the polymorph. 

It’s the results that count and not how much I screw up getting there.  I made my way further into the mountains and found another encampment of orcs in a valley.  These were better dressed soldiers and I saw many warlocks.  Then to my horror, I saw a black dragon with an orc dragon on its back.  I crept closer and saw several more.  I knew this was not good for our side.  I am nowhere near strong enough a mage to take on a black dragon.  The troops needed to be told.  

Orc troops

Orcs and black dragons

 I started to head back when something caught my attention.  I made my way toward it and drew up short when I realized it was a man hanging between two posts.  The orcs had killed him and strung him up.  It wasn’t just that they killed him, but they had mutilated him as well.  I couldn’t even begin to imagine what he had gone through.  

Prisoner killed and strung up

 I looked about and saw several more like him scattered around.  The orcs had displayed the bodies so it would have an effect on morale on our troops when they came across them.  I started to wonder if they had more prisoners and, if so, what were they doing to them.  I made my decision to infiltrate the camp to see what I could find.  This was a nerve wracking experience for me.

It looked like this a more elite squad of orcs.  I guess they were letting the grunts take the brunt of the fighting and then they would swoop in and finish our guys off.   I saw many munition stores, but they were lax about guarding them.  They must have thought no one would be foolish enough to walk into their camp and do something about it.  They didn’t know me.  I finished scouting out the camp and found several enclosures in the back with prisoners.   

Found enclosures with human prisoners

 The warlocks were doing some terrible experiments on them.  I had to figure out a way to get them freed.  After some thought, I decided I would try to sabotage the munitions stores.  That should give me a distraction and an opportunity to free the prisoners.  I am by no means on expert on weapons, but I’m decent at fireworks.  I found some supplies that I recognized and managed to not blow myself up when I set the fuses.  I just hope I gave myself enough time and not too much time that it was discovered.  Each set of munitions I made my way to, I reduced the size of the fuses as I was trying to time it so they all went off at about the same time.

I did better than I thought I would.  They didn’t all go off at the same time, but it was close enough for me.  Pandemonium ensued!   

Munitions starting to explode

Munitions exploding

Pandemonium ensues!

Several of the black dragons were flying over the munitions stores when they went off and the dragons went down.  Those munitions were more powerful than I thought.  I was lucky I hadn’t blown myself up.  During the confusion, I made my way to the enclosures and with a few well placed spells, had the doors cage doors opened in short order.   

Freeing the prisoners

With the explosions and smoke as cover, I led the prisoners out of the valley.  We met our troops coming in and I quickly explained what was going on.  I left them to clean up the mess I had made as I led the released prisoners back to Lakeshire.

I heard later that our soldiers finished what I had begun.  A few orcs escaped, but a good many of them died that day.  I also heard that several squads wiped out the gnolls encamped in another valley in the mountains.  Messner and his friends were with that group and he told me that there was a mage who was working with the orcs and gnolls and were coordinating their efforts.  The mage got away.  They thought he might have retreated to Stonewatch Keep in the mountains and they and a squad went there to check it out.  What they found was the mastermind behind all of this.  They thought they were facing the leader of the blackrock orcs, but he shaped change into a black dragon.  Messner told me they lost many lives during that fight, but the dragon managed to escape.  For now it’s a victory as Redridge is safe.  The orc and gnoll army is severely depleted and the soldiers are checking the area and finishing off the ones they can find.

As for me, I think I’m going to make my way south and check out the jungles of Stranglethorn.  I hear they have a lot of good herbs that I could probably find some use for.  I am tired and a change of scenery will do me good as this was my first real experience with a war.  I didn’t like it.  The atrocities that were committed are still burned into my memory, but I will do whatever I can to make sure things like that doesn’t happen again.  I will get stronger.  I will hone my skills in both arcane magics and alchemy.  I will protect those around me and I will fight those who try to take the life and freedom of the citizens of Azeroth.  Those are things worth risking my life for.

Kirith

((Level 25))

Kirith's 7th Journal Entry

Finally a response from the King to the Mayor of Lakeshire’s request!  He is sending some troops.  I made my way back to Lakeshire arriving just ahead of those troops.  There were some strategy meetings with the Mayor and the head of the troops (sad to say, but I know nothing about the ranks in the army, shows how new I am to all this) which I sat in on.

The troops were going to hit the orcs head on and I and a few other mercenaries were going to infiltrate the lines and cause havoc in the rear.  I’m good at causing havoc.  As soon as the battle was raging, I snuck behind enemy lines.  I love my blink spell, I could kiss Garath for insisting that I learn it.  I was picking orcs off when I became aware of someone yelling for help.  

I heard someone yelling from the old lumber mill

  I was able to finally locate him; he was in a cage in an old lumber mill.  

Messner caged

 I made short work of the guards and one shot the lock freeing him.  He was in pretty bad shape, yet still insisted he wanted to help me.  He told me his name was Messner and some of his friends were taken off to another part of the encampment and he wanted to look for them.

It fit in fine with my plans as I was just trying to kill as many orcs behind the lines without losing my own life.  With his help I should be able to do more damage.  We slowly made our way around the camp looking for his friends.  

Looking for Messner's friends

 

Fighting our way to Messner's caged friend

 We found one of them, Jorgensen, held in another cage near a cave.   Messner went charging out there like a mad man.  Turns out he was a fire mage (a pretty strong one at that) and he was blasting everything that moved.   Casting like that can take a lot out of a mage and it took its toll on Messner as well.   

We found Jorgensen and freed him

 We released Jorgensen who told us that the orcs took their other two friends into the cave.  He told us that he had heard one of the orcs talking about a Troll who was going to perform some type of dark ritual on one of them.  We heard chanting coming from the cave and knew we were running out of time.

I led the way as I was least tired of our little group.  I know it chafed them, but I took my time and picked off the orc warlocks one at a time.  I was slow, but I was able to down them in one shot.  We made our way toward where the chanting was coming from and our eyes were met with the sight of a Troll witchdoctor chanting over a prone figure.  Messner and Jorgensen called out to their friend and that at least interrupted the ritual.  That Troll put up a fight, but we were able to kill him and rescue their friend, Krakauer.  

Killing the Troll witchdoctor and freeing Krakauer

 As Messner and Jorgensen freed Krakauer, there came from somewhere in the back of the cave a terrible scream.  Krakauer grabbed at his friends and told us that the person making that awful cry was the last of their little group, Danforth.  The orcs had been torturing him for hours before Krakauer was lashed to the altar and the Troll started his ritual.  The cry came again, but it was sounding weaker.

We knew we didn’t have much time, so we quickly made our way toward the back (or as quickly as we could with the wounded group we had).  Much of the killing fell to me and I was fine with that.  The atrocities committed by these orcs was too much for me to feel any empathy for him as I sent arcane shot after arcane shot at them.  It wasn’t as easy as I am making it sound as there were some very decent warlocks in that cave and by the time we reached the back of the cave, I was rather singed myself. 

 

We walked around the last corner in that cave and saw a man suspended by chains over a small body of water.  He was arms were stretched taught and a large orc was laughing as he pulled a lever tightening the chains even more.  If this kept on, the suspended man would have his arms ripped out of their sockets.  I heard the others gasp and whisper the name Danforth.   

Danforth stretched taught

 There were a few orc soldiers with this large orc and no way to pick them off without being noticed so we didn’t even try.  It was chaos in there.  Krakauer and Jorgensen had picked up some dropped swords and they engaged the large orc while Messner and I quickly downed the orc soldiers.  Then we turned our attention to helping the other two.  We were finally able to get him down.  I think sheer rage kept that orc up and fighting for as long as he did.

Fighting the orcs to free Danforth

 We turned to the lever and finally figured out how to release it.   

Freeing Danforth from the chains

The water wasn’t as deep as it looked so when Danforth fell into it, we were able to get out there and get his head above water.  Two small arcane blasts  removed the chains, but the wrist shackles would need a blacksmith to remove without hurting him.  He was in pretty bad shape.  Jorgensen and Krakauer supported him between them and we made our way out of the cave.  Some orcs had showed up and was looking around at the devastation we had caused.  Fortunately, they were in the part of the cave with the dead Troll so we quickly made our way outside and skirted most of the fighting.  I led them back to Lakeshire.  It took as some time as we had to stop many times to let them rest and I had to clear out some orcs a time or two, but we finally made it back to town.   

Clearing out some orcs between us and Lakeshire

 They were taken immediately to get some medical attention and then to meet with the Mayor and the leaders of the army for debriefing.  These last couple of days behind enemy lines tired me out.  I took the opportunity to grab a decent meal, a bath and some sleep.  I feel that in the next couple of days I will be heading back out there in the midst of the battle as this is not ended yet.

Kirith

((Level 25))

Kirith's 6th Journal Entry

It is taking longer than I thought it would for the Mayor to get aid from the King.  It has been three weeks now and we are no closer to moving in on the orcs and gnolls than we were when I discovered their plot.  As such, I decided to teleport back to Stormwind to check on my potions and pick up a tome from my room which has some spells that I have been studying.  I might as well get something accomplished while I wait on the bureaucratic wheels to turn.

Once I was in Stormwind, I stopped by the inn to have a drink and a bite to eat.  Some travelers were talking about the Darkmoon Faire being set up outside of Goldshire, a town not too distant from Stormwind.  I had heard stories about the Faire, but had never been able to attend so I decided to take the opportunity to experience it.

As I headed toward the city gates, I passed this mage hawking the Faire.  For a few copper pieces she offered to teleport me directly the entrance of the Faire.  It seemed like a good deal to me, so I handed over the copper and found myself before the entrance.  

The mage that teleported me to the Faire

There were performers at the entrance and very lively music playing.   

At the entrance to the Faire

 It looked interesting and I stepped through the entrance portal and found myself at the start of a dark forest.  I was greeted by a friendly gnome directing me down the path toward the Faire.  He told me to make sure I stayed on the path and did not stray as there were strange things in the forest.  The path was well marked so I made my way down toward the lights and the carnival music.

The path through the woods to the Faire

  I paused on the path to take the sight in.  There were tents and music playing and performers in the street and people hawking tickets for the rides, different foods and drinks and games of chance to win a prize.  My head actually began to swim and I stumbled from the stimulus overload.

My first view of the Faire

 I tried to take it all in.  I watched some performers juggling torches and tossing them to each other. 

Fire jugglers at the Faire

 A gnome offered to launch me from a cannon to the other end of the Faire, but I declined that opportunity.  There was a ride called a merry-go-round where you could sit upon a carved statue and ride in a circle.  I tried that and actually got dizzy.

Me on the merry-go-round

 There were booths that sold arcane items.

Checking out the wares at the booth

 There were booths that sold toys and souvenirs.

Trying to decide if I wanted a souvenir

 There was a booth that you shot at targets to win a prize.  I wasn’t very good at it and didn’t win anything, but I had fun.

I am a terrible shot with a gun

 I tried many different drink concoctions …

And I tasted the many snacks they had to offer.

They also had many exotic animals held in pens.

Some of the animals in their pens

 I ended up spending all day there and was exhausted by the time I started back to Stormwind.  There was supposed to be some kind of concert later that night, but I was just too tired to stay and hear them play.  I ended up teleporting back to Stormwind and almost crawling to my room to collapse onto the bed.  I had eaten too much, drank to excess and saw and experienced so many things.  I concluded that I had fun.

Kirith

((Level 20))