Shaurria: A Night At the Pig & Whistle

Inspired by Tuesday night's awesome rp.


Shaur with her two friends Aleros the druid and Aely the pally.


Sitting with Aely. Shaur is kinda attached to her.


Overlooking her domain from the stair railing.

She had a really good time despite the fact that she was missing Arvoss (he's still in the Plaguelands). Aleros helped alot by playing with her a couple times. I should have gotten a couple screenshots of that. >.>

She also couldn't find Windstar, so she didn't have her regular friends around her. It made her more nervous than usual, but she actually found it easier to just go up to people and say hi. I am starting to realize, however, that my little druid has some major issues. Hmm.

I think I'll have Arvoss' story done before I finish Kaled & Khaotic's, so I might post part 1 of that soon. Til next time, Happy Hunting!

Kaledain & Khaotic: Mischief

Still working on the longer stuff, but I came up with this shorter story. I had the first part written weeks ago but it didn't feel "finished" enough to post. Couple days ago I went back to it and added more to it, and here it is! Enjoy.

P.S. Kaled and Khaotic are both extremely ticklish. I wouldn't try anything or you'd probably get a blade to your face (>.<), but to each other it's fair game. /evilgrin

P.P.S. This is after their trip to Winterspring, but still a week or two before they head to Eastern Plaguelands.
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The early morning light shone down on Silvermoon, the sun just peeking out over the tops of the buildings. The city was still quiet, until you reached Farstrider Square, then the hush was broken by the regular hssstt- thnk of someone practicing their archery at the training dummies.

Kaled and Rajji stood at one of the dummies, pulling their arrows out. Kaled had his bow at hand; Rajji had set aside his rifle and was using an old bow of Kaled’s. Kechara perched on the wall nearby and Ashke lay underneath her, side-by-side with Rajji’s newest companion. Kaled still wasn’t sure what to make of the brightly-glowing, transparent, catlike creature, but Rajji had assured him that Wraith was harmless, to the troll’s friends, at least. Alti had followed them out as well, even though he had scarcely left Khaotic’s side in the last several days. But the scrawny cat-that-was-not-a-cat that also lay nearby had intrigued the young lion so much that he had come out with them, and he now sat grooming the stranger’s mane, his expression still confused. Bearkat took it all in stride, and let Alti be as he watched his two friends.

Kaled was continuing the conversation they were having as they practiced their archery. “It’s just that we’d like to know,” he was telling the troll. “We can’t call the baby an ‘it’, that’s insulting. But we don’t know whether to say he or she, and it’s just getting confusing.” Rajji stopped and thought for a bit. “I know what ya mean, Kaled, but I’m afraid that I’m not sure whether my priest or shaman brothas can do what ya ask. I don’t know enough about what they do, ya know.” “Well, what about a witch doctor? Do they have any different skills?” Kaled asked, and Rajji shrugged. Kaled turned to the cat lying nearby. “What about the druids? Do you have any spells or something that could help, Bear?” The druid closed his eyes as he thought, then opened them to look at Kaled. “We have no spells,” he answered, his voice a deep rumble. “Perhaps there might be something in the Emerald Dream, but I haven’t walked there for a long time, and it’s grown dangerous.”

Kaled frowned in concentration. “I know our priests, paladins, and mages can’t help; I already asked them. I asked the orcs too, and they said the same thing. Their shamans don’t use the kind of magic that could help.” He sighed as he looked at Rajji. “I guess we’ll have to wait, then,” he said ruefully.

They took a few more shots before Bearkat asked Kaled, “So where is Khaotic this morning? Still sleeping?” “She was awake when I left,” Kaled replied. “But she hasn’t been feeling all that well the last couple days. I think the baby’s being kind of hard on her,” he finished with a worried frown. “Do you want me to come look at her?” the druid offered. “I’m no healer, but I know enough to help, maybe.” Kaled shook his head. “Thanks, but we have Harene taking care of her already. She says everything is okay, he’s just… active.” He watched as Rajji tried a few more shots, then as they pulled the arrows out of the target again, he said, “I think that’s enough for me. Thanks for coming out here, you two. I need to get back to her.” Rajji nodded and clapped him on the back, and they watched as Kaled headed back to the Royal Exchange and home.

* * * * * *

Khaotic was sitting in a chair with her chin propped on one hand, elbow on the armrest. She didn't look around when Kaled came in and stepped up behind her. “What’s wrong, love?” he asked her. She tilted her head back to look at him. “Nothing much, I just haven’t been sleeping well the last few days,” she answered as he started rubbing her shoulders. “Mmmm,” he said. “The baby?” She nodded. “It’s not really his fault; it’s just hard to sleep when it feels like a kodo is hopping around in your belly.” He snorted, trying not to laugh, and she eyed him. His expression changed to complete innocence, and she sighed at him.

He continued his massage, and she hardly paid attention when his hands moved down her back. She was completely unprepared when he suddenly started tickling her sides. “Kaled!” she yelped. “Stop that!” He laughed and went after her again, and she slapped his hands away, then retreated upstairs. He followed her more slowly, giving her time to prepare a defense. By the time he reached the top she was standing next to the bed, staring at him fiercely. “I’m warning you, Kaled,” she said when he started toward her.

She glared at him as he approached, then with a snarl she grabbed the pillow from behind her and swung it at him. He blocked the blow but she swung again. The third swing he managed to get a hold on the pillow and pulled it out of her hands, then dropped it to grab her wrist as she struck at him. He was laughing again by this point; she was still snarling. He forced her back to the bed, and she fell backwards onto it when the edge hit the back of her knees. She tried to hit him with her other hand, but he grabbed that wrist as well, pinning both her hands to the bed above her head while he crouched over her. She twisted underneath him in an attempt to throw him off, then tried to knee him between his legs. “Hey!” he protested, blocking the knee before it hit anything important. Growling under his breath, he sat on her, being very careful of her belly. Straddling her with his knees on either side, he hooked his feet over her legs, holding her immobilized.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, catching their breath, then suddenly Khaotic started giggling. “That’s much better, love,” Kaled said, but then she muttered something under her breath in Thalassian. He raised one eyebrow in mock reproach. “No thanks, love. That’s not really my thing, which you ought to know by now.” Khaotic smirked at him, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “Ready to behave yet?” he asked. Her grin stretched wider. “No.” “Good,” he murmured as he leaned down closer. “Neither am I.” His lips brushed her forehead, then he kissed her on her mouth. She returned it eagerly, hungrily. After a moment, he released her wrists, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her.

The need for air finally forced them apart. Kaled eased over so he was lying beside her, then ran his hand down her face, cupping her chin. “Su balah,” he said softly, then grinned at her, and she returned it. “You are impossible,” she murmured back. He kissed her again, and her last coherent thought for a good while was how much she loved him.

Arvoss: Darrowshire, prelude

Arvoss sat in the Park, watching Shaurria walk around him batting at random grass tufts. She stopped suddenly, dropping to a crouch and tamping her back feet a few times, then leaped out, covering a dozen feet in one jump. The squirrel she had targeted squeaked and ran for its tree, making it just barely ahead of the druid. Arvoss sighed. "Kitten," he called to her.

Shaur was staring up into the tree after the squirrel, but quickly turned and loped over to him. Skidding to a stop, she rubbed first her head, then her whole length against his plate-covered back, ending up flopped on the ground at his side. He tried for a stern stare. "Ye've jus' 'ad yer dinneh, naow ye shouldnae be chasin' squirrels when ye've got a full belly," he told her. She considered this for a moment, then gave him a baffled look. Shifting out to her night elf form, she sat down next to him. "But then when should I chase them, Arvoss?" she asked, her forehead furrowed in confusion. He sighed again and changed the subject.

"Ah've got ta go out agin, kitten. Dinnae ken 'ow long Ah'll be gone this tahm," he said. Her face fell. "More smithing stuff?" she asked him. He shook his head. "Nah, this's diff'ren'," he said quietly. "Ah 'ave ta... there's jus' sommat Ah've got ta do, is all." She frowned, then brightened again. "I can watch your house while you're gone," she offered, and he smiled. "Tha's a good ideah, lass," he told her. "Ah'm leavin' Shadow heah as well, ye can look aftah 'im too."

They sat in companionable silence for awhile after that. Shaurria finally broke the silence. "Where are ya going this time, Arvoss?" He didn't answer at first, then quietly he said, "Ah'm 'eadin' ta th' Plaguelands, kitten. Ah'm goin' back 'ome, ta Lordaeron."
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In the interest of Character Development, I'm going to run Arvoss through the Darrowshire chain as well. This will give me something to do, since it looks like Kaled & Khaotic's tale will have to wait til the server resets (aka, Darrowshire on Durotan is still overrun with battling undead). What I have in my head so far is shaping up to be a Massive Wall O' Text, so I'll probably write it all out, then post it in increments once it's ready.

Kaled & Khaotic reach level 60!

And as soon as I can wrap up the Darrowshire questline, they are heading to Outland at last. But why did I wait? Couple reasons- firstly, epic ground mount. Faster escapes when I run thru everything in my path is always good. Also, not every quest out there is available at level 58. I'm toying with the idea of taking them to Zangarmarsh first, and doing Hellfire Peninsula later. Also, I have rushed thru content so much for most of my toons; I wanted to do some of the quests that I haven't done before (like the Darrowshire chain). Call me nostalgic if you will, but eh.

My sister on her druid & I were going to finish the questline tonight, but we ran into a snag. Seems the Battle of Darrowshire quest bugs out sometimes. When we went to do our quest, there were mobs and guards running all over the place, and no sign of the NPCs anywhere. We might have to wait for Tuesday's reset to be able to finish it. :(


Will finish up the story once we do complete it. Then it's on to Outland, with a brief stopover to do Warlord's Command (love that quest and haven't done it since Boogga reached 60).

And it is once again waaay too late, and I need sleep. Til next time Happy Hunting!

Kaledain & Khaotic: Plagueland

Kaled is not a morning person. >.>
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Khaotic yanked the covers off the bed. "Come on, Kaled. Time to get up!" she told him, then shook his shoulder. He groaned loudly, then buried his face in the pillow. "Kaled!" she said sharply. "We need to get going if we're going to make any sort of time. It's a long trip to Light's Hope." He half-raised his head and looked at her blearily. "But it's still dark," he mumbled. "Nonsense, I've got the lamps lit," she retorted, then grabbed his legs and pulled them off the bed. Kaled got himself to a sitting position, then blinked at her. "Outside, I mean." She sighed at him. "We need to be leaving Undercity by daybreak if we're going to reach Light's Hope early enough to do anything. You're the one that wanted to help that girl find her sister, remember? Now come on." He mumbled something unintelligible, but got himself up.

They did manage to be leaving the Undercity by the time dawn broke over the horizon. Alti paced at the heels of Khaotic's hawkstrider, while Argus followed Kaled. They made it to the Bulwark in good time, and passed through the Western Plaguelands without incident as well, having familiarized themselves with it before. Once they crossed the Thondoril River they relied heavily on their map and followed the road, until they neared the town of Corin's Crossing.

They stopped a healthy distance away. Even so, they could see the movements of the undead within the town. "Light save us..." Kaled said quietly, eyes wide. Khaotic said nothing, her gaze sweeping over the closest buildings. Finally she reached out and touched his arm. "Let's go," she said quietly. "We can find a way around. That's too many for us, and we have a promise to keep." Kaled nodded and followed.

They cut across country once they were clear of the town, but wound up too far south, at Tyr's Hand. They backtracked and, after studying the map more, finally found the Chapel. There they asked after the Redpaths, but no one knew what had become of them, save that most of the family was believed dead. That didn't faze them much, since the girl from Everlook, Jessica, had already said the same. They did find a member of the Argent Dawn who knew where Darrowshire was; he marked their map, then told them to be careful. They were preparing to leave Light's Hope when Kaled ran across a cat-formed druid, sitting near the inn and sniffing the breeze. It took Kaled only a moment to recognize him.

"Bearkat!" he exclaimed. "How have you been?" The druid purred at him. "Hello, Kaled. I've been well, how are you?" Khaotic came over and joined in the greetings, then Kaled said, "We were about to head out to find Darrowshire. We met someone who wanted us to try and find her family. Would you like to join us?" "Why not?" Bearkat replied. "I do know the area, though it's been awhile since I was here last."

The three headed out shortly. Alti growled at Bearkat once, but after a light cuff from his mistress and an admonishment to behave, he seemed to accept the druid. They had to steer clear of Corin's Crossing again, but reached Darrowshire without incident.

Kaled wasn't sure what he had expected. After what Jessica had told them, he didn't really think they would find a thriving town, but he hoped it would not be another Corrin's Crossing, swarming with undead. Yet, as they approached the outer buildings, and they saw the state of disrepair that the nearest house showed...

Khaotic whispered, "Kaled..." He reached back and took her hand as they all came to a stop. "It's... dead," he said, looking all around. There was no sign of life at all, not even Scourge.

Bearkat sniffed the air, then headed toward one house. "I think I smell something," he called back to them. "It smells odd, though." The two elves dismounted and tethered their hawkstriders, then followed the cat to the house. Alti was pressed against Khaotic's leg, growling softly as he watched all around. They got to the doorway and stopped again.

"Hello," said the little girl. "Have you seen my family? I've been waiting for them a long time. Do you think you could help me find my doll?" She looked at them expectantly, seeming to be completely normal except for the fact they could see right through her.

"Kaled," Khaotic gasped. "She's..." "Mmhmm," rumbled Bearkat. "That would be why it smelled wrong." "Light..." Kaled said softly. He reached out to pat her head, but his hand went right through her. He shivered slightly, then looked at the others. "Let's see if we can find her doll."

They found the pieces scattered throughout the other buildings, and Kaled did a fair job of stitching it back together again. He placed it on the ground in front of her and looked into her face. "Is there anything else we can do for you, Pamela?" he asked.

"Do you know where my family is?" the ghost asked. "Auntie Marlene told me to stay here, but then she left and never came back! And my dad... have you seen him? Maybe Auntie Marlene knows where he is. Can you ask her? She lives near Andorhal, in a house to the south. I think it was on a hill... she said it was on a hill. And sometimes, when it's nighttime, I can hear my Uncle Carlin crying. It sounds like he's far away, to the east. Will you find my uncle and tell him I'm alright? If you find him say I'm waiting for him, and I want to hear the funny story he used to tell." Kaled looked to the others, and at their nods, he told the girl, "Yes, we'll find them."

As they walked back to their mounts, Khaotic started mumbling to herself. "What's that, love?" Kaled asked her, and she said, "Uncle Carlin is to the east. Wasn't there a Carlin Redpath with the Argent Dawn at Light's Hope?" "That's it, love. You've got it!" Kaled exclaimed, then stopped and looked at Bearkat, then back to Khaotic. "Which do we go to first?" he wondered. Bearkat looked up at the sky. "We have enough time to get to Andorhal and back before dark. Shall we go the longer trip first?" Khaotic nodded, and Kaled said, "It's settled then. Let's go."

They were all quiet during the trip, although Kaled broke the silence once after they crossed the Thondoril River. "Never would have thought I'd consider the Western Plaguelands to be 'clean'," he said quietly. Khaotic grunted noncommittally, while Bearkat simply looked at him, then back to the trail ahead.

They found the house, right where Pamela had said. Bearkat went up the stairs inside ahead of the hunters. "Uh," he called back down. "Brace yourselves, elves." Curious, Kaled and Khaotic came up and joined him in a bedroom, where they saw what he was talking about. "It's another ghost," he said, unnecessarily. Marlene, like Pamela, looked at them all, quite plainly able to see and hear them. "Marlene Redpath?" Kaled began; the ghost nodded at him. "We've come from your niece, Pamela. She wanted to know where her family is, especially her father...?" The ghost's eyes turned sad at that. "I wish Joseph could be with his daughter again, but it cannot be so. His soul was twisted by the Scourge, and he became a monster," she told them. "But perhaps we can change his fate. Search the graves outside for Joseph's monument. His body's not there, for it was trampled and destroyed years ago, but under the monument is his wedding ring. Take that ring to Chromie... a strange gnome with very strange powers. She is staying in the ruined inn at the northwest corner of Andorhal."

Kaled and Khaotic had both had dealings with Chromie before, so they were able to go straight to her. The "gnome" was still where she had been last time they had seen her, and didn't really seem surprised to see them. After listening to them explain everything, she said, "To save Joseph Redpath, we must first discover his past. We can learn this in the Annals of Darrowshire, a book held in the city hall of Andorhal. Bring me that book. We can then learn Joseph's fate, and with luck... change it!"

The town hall was not easy to get to, as there was a large group of undead milling in the square nearby. There had been a lich as well, but with help from their friend Rajji, Kaled and Khaotic had dealt with him some time ago. Even without their leader, the remaining undead were still dangerous, so the three slipped into the big building as quietly as they could. Khaotic had to speak sharply to Alti as he tried to go after the closest group. He reluctantly returned to her side, rumbling deep in his chest. Bearkat eyed him cautiously before turning his attention to the books scattered everywhere. "Which one are we after?" he asked as the two elves poked through the mess. Khaotic picked one up, but it promptly fell apart in her hands. Almost as if that was a signal, a large ghostly shape sprang up from nowhere and rushed at her. Alti lunged at it with a snarl, finally finding a target for his aggression, and the shape scattered to wisps beneath his claws, then vanished.

Kaled looked at the others. "Um, I hope neither of you think any less of me for this, but to be honest, all these ghosts are starting to freak me out a bit," he said, rather shakily, and Khaotic managed a laugh. Bearkat continued to poke through the books on the floor. "I think I've found it," he said. "Come take a look. Hands are better than kitty paws for this." Kaled gingerly picked it up, expecting another ghost to attack, but nothing happened. He checked the first few pages. "This is it," he said. "Back to Chromie."

Chromie took the old book from Kaled and promptly started casting a spell over it. Finished, she handed it back. Khaotic quickly took it and started leafing through the pages. Chromie explained, "The Annals of Darrowshire, through my magic, has gained pages at its end, and now it extends its history beyond the battle. One of the extra passages tells of another Redpath, Carlin, who survived Joseph's betrayal. Carlin's now in the Plaguelands to the east, at the Light's Hope Chapel. Go, take the book and speak with him."

Kaled turned toward the door, then noticed his wife. He chuckled and went over to her. "Reading it already, love?" he asked. "Mm," was all she said. Kaled began reading over her shoulder, and even Bearkat's curiosity got the better of him. He changed to his Tauren form and came over to read over her other shoulder. She obligingly waited until they had caught up with her before turning the pages.

They read through the first parts quickly, then came to the chapter pertaining to their quest:

The battle continued, and Captain Redpath led his militia bravely. And it might have been won, had the captain not been corrupted by the death knight Marduk the Black.

In the middle of the fray Marduk rode up to Redpath, and with black magic he tore loose Redpath's spirit, twisting it into an evil shadow of the brave captain.

The corrupted Captain Redpath then spread his evil taint among the defenders of Darrowshire, who betrayed their allies and slaughtered them. They then turned on the town of Darrowshire and killed all who hid in their homes.

They finished reading in a state of shock. Finished, Khaotic closed the book with a thump. "Anar'alah belore," she said fervently. "I think I agree, love," Kaled replied. "So that's what happened to the town..." "Dor rini dath," Khaotic muttered to herself. "Uh, language, love," Kaled prompted her, as Bearkat raised a curious eyebrow at her. "Oops, sorry Bear," she said apologetically. "Sometimes I forget what language I'm speaking. The poor girl." Bearkat waved off her apology. "Yes, now we know what happened to her," he said, shifting back to a cat. Kaled cleared his throat. "Let's get back," he told them. "I don't want to be here when darkness falls."

They wearily rode into Light's Hope as the sun sank below the trees. After giving the book to Carlin Redpath, they stood and waited while he read it. "What is this book? The Annals of Darrowshire? That was my home before the war... my home before the battle that destroyed it! Why did you bring me this book? But look here! At the end there are pages that tell tales of the days beyond the battle! Here is a passage about me! And one about my brother Joseph! Is this book true? We must discover the truth!" He looked at them anxiously. "Will you help me?" Kaled looked at Khaotic and Bearkat, who both nodded at him. They had come this far, now they all wanted to see it through to the end. "Yes," Kaled told Carlin. "We'll help. What do you need?"

"The Annals of Darrowshire tells of the villains of that battle," Carlin told them. "It tells how the ghoul lord Horgus the Ravager was destroyed by Alliance forces during the battle. His body was cast into a lake, northwest of Corin's Crossing, and his skull remains there.

"Marduk the Black was never defeated, but his fabled sword was shattered and lost. It lies at the bottom of the gorge west of Corin's Crossing. Retrieve these items if you can. I know not why, but I am certain their fate lies with you." Kaled nodded. "We'll start in the morning, sir."

The trio walked back to the inn. It was crowded with Argent Dawn soldiers and officers, but Khaotic managed to get inside and order a couple bowls of stew and bread from the innkeeper. She brought them out to a quiet corner of the camp, where Kaled had already spread their bedrolls. He took his supper gratefully, and they ate in silence. Afterward, he took Khaotic's arm and pulled her close. They sat together for a long time despite their weariness, finding comfort in the other's warmth and presence. "Tomorrow will be even busier, unless I miss my guess," Kaled said quietly. Bearkat opened one eye from his sleeping place on a nearby wagon. "Yes, but we'll find out what happened here, one way or another," he replied. "Maybe we'll even help that little girl find peace." "I hope so," Khaotic broke in. "To think she's been alone here all this time, waiting for her father to come home..." She trailed off, but Kaled noticed her hand moving to her belly, and knew she was thinking of their own baby. He squeezed her reassuringly. "We'll help her, love," he whispered to her. "Come on, let's get some sleep before morning." She let him pull her down next to him on the blankets, and finally they all fell asleep.

Kaledain & Khaotic: Winterspring

I am attempting something a little bigger than what I've done recently. I'm going to chronicle the entire Darrowshire quest chain as they go through it, as a story. Hope you enjoy.
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Winterspring was a vast improvement over the Plaguelands. Well, if you didn't mind the cold, that is.

Kaled was woken up by a kiss on his cheek. He opened his eyes to see Khaotic bending over him. "Wake up, love," she told him with a grin. "Time to see what the day brings." He grinned back at her, then hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her down next to him, mindful of her growing belly. "Oof," she said, then looked at the edge of the bed, which was right at her other side. "They didn't exactly plan these beds for sleeping double, did they?" she asked. "No, they didn't," Kaled responded. "And I had a very long, cold night last night." He kissed her soundly, then pulled back and looked at her. She smiled back at him. "So did I," she said softly, then abruptly she winced and put a hand on her stomach. "Kicking again," she said, then reached for his hand and placed it next to hers. "Feel it?" He was still for several seconds, then started grinning widely. "Yeah," he said softly.

The baby settled down soon, and Khaotic pulled Kaled out of bed and onto his feet. "Come on, love. We have to earn our keep here," she said, only half-joking, and he allowed her to help him into his armor before returning the favor for her. Finished, they went to find some breakfast.

In the inn's common room, they were approached by a young human. "Please," she asked them. "Can you help me find my family? We lived in Darrowshire, where the Plaguelands are now." Kaled looked regretfully at her. "We'd like to help, but we just left the Plaguelands not long ago. We weren't planning on going back so soon." Her face fell. "My name is Jessica Redpath. If you do go back, keep an eye out for them? Please? I'm really worried about my sister." Kaled nodded as they passed her and went outside.

Once outside, they both took a good look around. The little town was mostly populated by goblins, but there were a few others of different races; they all seemed to be keeping mostly to themselves. Khaotic stopped one goblin and asked if there was any work available. The goblin sized them both up, then said, "There's a dwarf out by the hot springs that needs help with the furbolgs here. Buggers have gotten nasty lately. Her name's Donova Snowden." Khaotic thanked the goblin, then turned to Kaled with one eyebrow raised. He shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Let's go." As they went to get their mounts and pets out of the stables, Khaotic sighed and muttered "More furbolgs."

They found Donova with no trouble. The story she told them sounded much like the problems in neighboring Felwood; the formerly peaceful furbolgs had turned vicious and were attacking anything that came near. The first thing Donova asked them to do was thin out the furbolgs nearby, as they had been keeping her from doing her research at the hot springs. Kaled and Khaotic looked at each other, then headed out.

As they picked through the belongings of a couple furbolgs they had killed, Kaled suddenly straightened up, an empty vial in his hand. "What's this, love? Looks like some sort of strange liquid." Khaotic peered at it, then shrugged. "Let's take it to Donova."

Donova's eyes went wide when they showed her the flask. "This greenish liquid... it reminds me a bit of the sludge I saw when traveling through Felwood. And I've seen some Winterfall runners passing into Timbermaw... Perhaps these things have something to do with the flask you found! There's a large group of furbolg just past Timbermaw Hold, in Felwood, called the Deadwood tribe. They have been corrupted and driven mad by the fel. Why don't you look around there and see if you can find any evidence of dealings between the Winterfall and the Deadwood?" The two hunters nodded and set out.

They found the camp with no problems; they had been there before. But this time they fought their way to the back of the camp, where they found a white Winterfall furbolg showing a few of the Deadwood something it was brewing in a cauldron. They had to kill the furbolgs to get to the cauldron, then Kaled carefully dipped out a sample for Donova, stoppering the flask tightly before stowing it in his pack. He looked at Khaotic. "If you don't mind, love, I'd rather you not touch any of this stuff." She just nodded.

They returned to Donova and gave her the sample, which she began studying carefully. Kaled and Khaotic took the opportunity to grab a quick lunch from their packs while they waited. Kaled was idly tossing bits of jerky to Kechara, watching her swoop after them and catch them, when the dwarf called to them.

"This is very interesting," she told them. "When this toxic substance is mixed with the water from the hot springs, it loses its toxicity, only retaining the ability to temporarily affect those that ingest it. This must be why the Winterfall protect the hot springs so fervently -- they need them to purify their firewater.

"We need to stop this -- cut off contact between the Winterfall and the Deadwood. A group of runners walks the distance between their village and Felwood. Find them and steal their shipment."

The group of furbolg, three of them, weren't hard to find. After sending in Kechara and Maelthra to distract one of them, the two hunters quickly dispatched the others, then finished off the third. They recovered the crate that one had been carrying and returned to Donova. She took the crate and set it aside, then looked at them, almost apologetically.

"You're probably not going to like this," she began. "While we still know very little about why the furbolg have been ingesting this strange substance, I do think it's best that we put a stop to it before it gets out of hand. The Winterfall furbolg are not a normally aggressive tribe, and this change in their behavior leads me to think that they must be under orders from their chief. We most likely can't undo the damage that has already been done, but I think that if their leader is slain, they will not get any worse." She took a deep breath. "Winterfall Village is to the east."

Kaled and Khaotic looked at each other, then without a word they went to their mounts and headed off. Kaled waited until they were well down the road before speaking. "Is it really necessary?" he asked. "Killing their chief just seems a little....excessive." "I think she's right, Kaled," Khaotic answered. "Without a leader they will stop the attacks on travelers, if only because they will be busy fighting among themselves to find a new leader." "But there's no guarantee of that, Veldora," said Kaled. "And when they do find a new chief, who's to say that he won't start up again where the last one left off?"

Khaotic sighed. "There is no guarantee, you're right about that," she said. "But if we leave things the way they are, the attacks will continue, and will probably get worse. Sometimes, better to take the unknown rather than suffer under an already bad situation." Kaled was silent after that. She could tell that he still didn't like it, but she had at least partly convinced him.

They had to fight their way through the village, to the cave in the back where the chief lived. They found him there, with a shaman accompanying him. Sending thier pets in to distract the shaman, they both took aim at the chief, and loosed.

Kaled looked down at the fallen chief rather sadly, as Khaotic rifled through his meager belongings. "What is this?" she asked, straightening up with a small book in her hands. Kaled took it and leafed through it. "Looks like a journal or something," he said. "I certainly can't read furbolg, can you?" She shook her head. "Donova again?" she suggested, and he nodded. "We need to let her know the chief is taken care of anyway," he said, a trace of regret in his voice.

Donova took the journal carefully and began looking through the pages. "The Winterfall are no longer a threat to me, but if you still want to find out what was driving the furbolg to create and consume this strange firewater, I think you should seek out Kelek Skykeeper. He is part of a group known as the Emerald Circle, druids that are committed to their work in Felwood, healing the land from the corruption. Kelek has much experience with the furbolgs in Felwood, and may be able to tell you more about this log." She closed the book and handed it back to them. "Thank you, again, both of you."

Kaled and Khaotic took the Timbermaw tunnels up to the Moonglade, then hired a couple wind riders to carry them to the Emerald Circle's camp in southern Felwood. They arrived at dusk and gave the book to Kelek, who promised to study it and send them word if he was able to translate any of it. After that, the two elves wandered to the edge of the camp. Kaled sat down, then gently pulled Khaotic down too. As she settled into his lap, she asked quietly, "Now what, love? Where should we go next?" He was silent for a bit, and she turned her head to look at him. He was staring off into space, his eyes distant.

Finally he said, "You remember that girl at the Everlook inn? The one looking for her sister?" "Yes," she said, and waited. "I think, maybe we ought to go try to track down her family," he said slowly. "I'd like to do something helpful, like that." She took his hand and squeezed it. "Alright, my love. We'll go do that." He wrapped his arms around her, and they just watched the woods around them until it grew too dark to see.

I have come to a few realizations...

The first is, I can be really ADD in-game.

The second is, I cannot for the life of me get Barraccus to his next level. He has been 75 for weeks and I can't even log on him for more than a few minutes. I remember this happening when I was leveling Boogga and Alanon too. There's just something about the halfway point that baffles me.

I'm hoping that if I can focus long enough to get 2-3 quests done at a time, in a few more weeks he will reach 76. Then he can go quest in Sholazar Basin, which is my favorite zone, and hopefully break out of this leveling slump.

I really want to get him up to 80, because the next in line for leveling is my favorite, Taurros the feral druid. If there's any toon that I can escape the midway slump on, it will probably be him.

The third thing I've realized is that in WoW, I go through phases. I had a PVP phase back before Wrath was released and got several pieces of gear on several toons while I was at it. I've gone through a couple "raiding" phases (currently at the end of one, I'm almost glad that my Alliance guild has stopped seriously raiding just cause it gives me a break). I go through alt-leveling phases almost like clockwork (this seems to be the phase I'm in right now). And I have also started an RP phase. This last I think is because I have never actually tried to actively roleplay on any of my characters, so it's kind of a "new shiny" thing.

Playing Barraccus for the short bit I did was the first time I was on Gilneas for a long time. I think perhaps some of my guildies might have been upset that I haven't logged on in so long, particularly my GM. She wasn't online while I was, so I don't know for sure, but she did put an interesting guild note on Crison, who has been mostly playing on the same servers I have. That's what really made me notice just how ADD I can be in WoW. I tend to focus on one thing for a short while, then something else will come along and I'll pretty much forget what I was just doing. Couple examples are: leveling Barraccus to 80, getting Kaled & Khaotic their PVP mounts, raising profession skills on various toons, etc.

Playing on Feathermoon has been fun, though. When I'm on Shaurria, I've been trying to interact with as many people as I reasonably can, and she's even made a few friends. I'll probably be posting another story of her, Arvoss & Co. sometime soon, as well as another Kaled & Khaotic story if I can kick my brain into gear. Right now I seem to be having some writer's block.

Can't think of anything else noteworthy to add, so til next time Happy Hunting!