Worgen

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The recent increase in Worgen activity is quite disturbing. I got some reports from Grizzly Hills that I first did not believe in, but they were delivered by Jennie Nowind herself.. And in person.

It is not the first time I hear about worgen in Grizzly Hills, I have battled them myself from time to time but it seems that Arugal is back again.

I have decided to compile a paper on what we actually do know about the worgen.

The Book of Ur

The magician Ur, one of the best researchers that Azeroth has seen, wrote a research paper about worgen back when Dalaran still was in its former glory. May his soul rest in peace.

As a first step in his research he comes to the conclusion that even though folklore is full of wolf-men, the Worgen are real, they are not just something that we have imagined. He also states that the Worgen are not from our world, but that it is possible for a powerful magician to bring them here. Ur's research also tells us that the home world of the Worgen is a dark and nightmarish place, and that if their own mages would attempt to reach Azeroth they would become an unstoppable force here as well.

Quite a grim report. Let's move on to Arugal

Arugal, a former mage of Kirin Tor that deserted during the Scourge invasion. He fled into Shadowfang Keep that is located close to the border of Gilneas. I can only speculate of why he started to use Ur's research to summon Worgen to our beloved Azeroth. Arugal himself says it was to even the odds against the scourge. As the Worgen drove the scourge in front of them, the ones closer to the mages started to turn on them instead. At this point Arugal started his decent towards madness and locked himself firmly into Shadowfang Keep with the Worgen that he now called his children.

So we have a crazed wizard, using his magic to bring the Worgen to our world. But, if that wasn't enough, another story unfolds in Kalimdor.

Kalimdor
Velinde Starsong, priestess and sentinel of the Night Elves had been given the task of cleansing the forests of Ashenvale and Felwood from demons. Reports say that Velinde had prayed to Elune to help her with the task that was assigned to her. I do not want to double guess my own Goddess choice, but it turns out that Velinde's prayer was granted and Elune handed her the Scythe of Elune.

From Velinde's own journal: 
"By focusing on it, I became able to communicate with the worgen. It was not speech I used to contact them, however. It was something different... I could not describe it. What mattered was that the worgen heard and understood me. ..... By further channeling the energy of the Scythe, the barriers weakened more, and I was able to draw the worgen into our world."

So Velinde used the Scythe to summon Worgen to her aid, later in the same journal she describes how she is starting to loose control over the summoned creatures. But even as she stopped summoning more, the Scythe continued on its own. When she finally realized that she had lost her control, she decided to travel to consult Arugal, that she had heard rumors about.
Her journey goes from the port in the Barrens, my guess would be that she means Ratchet.

Duskwood

The next we hear about Velinde is actually not of her but of the Scythe. It was found by some Defias supporter in a mine in Duskwood. Velinde must have passed through there on her way from Booty Bay towards the north and Shadowfang Keep.

Jitters, the fellow who writes about the event in his journal, says that the whole mine rippled with change when he touched the Scythe and that the Worgen had attacked his group from hidden holes all around them. Jitters was the only survivor of this incident, but he managed to loose the Scythe when he fled.
Later, he was visited by dark riders that were asking around about the Scythe of Elune. The riders killed the wife and children of the farm where he was staying when they found out that she did not know about the Scythe. How this Jitters managed to survive this meeting is unknown, and what troubles me is that this is the only time that I've heard about these dark riders. Could they be from Kharazan, or maybe agents of Arugal.

Conclusion so far is that Worgen where pulled into Azeroth from their home world by two different people that did not work together. The Scythe of Elune summoned worgen during Velindes journey to meet Arugal.

So back to Arugal
I think it was some agents of the Horde that finally killed Arugal in his keep. But in reality it did little good. The Worgen still roam the villages around the keep and Arugal, well he was resurrected and his ghost serves the scourge.

He was sent to Grizzly Hills, to convert the populations of the small trapper villages into worgen. Nowind reports that he succeeded with Solstice Village and Silverbrook, if not more. He has his operations in a tower that he calls Shadowfang Tower. I guess that his ghost form lacks imagination, but the tower is located on a small island outside the east coast of Grizzly Hills.

This is where Nowind was on her way after she left me last night.. I do hope her the best of luck…

Banker on vacation..

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I heard that my banker has geared up and picked up her sword again after a long time in close proximity to the auction house.

I heard that she is bound for Dragonblight and Grizzly Hills in Northrend and I do hope her good luck on her vacation. She also told me that she will try to enter some of the dungeons that she hasn’t been in since she came back to fight for the Alliance…

Loremaster, in depth…

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So as you may know. Last I finally managed to complete my Loremaster studies a few nights ago. It has been a long journey covering visits to many places all around Azeroth and even Outland. A look at some golden moments from each continent is the least I can do, now that I can call myself a Loremaster.

Kalimdor
One of the more fun encounters in Kalimdor occurred during a research trip to Maraudon, we had been led there by stories of one of Cenarius offspring being trapped there and that five of the centaur tribes in Kalimdor are of his blood. And we truly found the spirit of Zaetar, one of Cenarius children deep below ground level. Always fascinating to meet the legends.

Eastern Kingdoms
Andorhal, or more precisely the Ruins of Andorhal, in the Western Plaguelands has pulled me back from time to time to thrive into the lore of the city. Once one of the central cities of Lordaeron, and thus the center of distribution of goods like grain in the country. But the city was laid in ruins by the scourge and is now populated by the undead and lead by Araj the Summoner, the former headmaster of Scholomance.
This region has always been the place that I have traveled to when I start to research something new of the Scourge. It has proven a good strategy so far.

Outland
The Kirin’Var Village in Netherstorm has an interesting story behind it that started when the Alliance ventured beyond the dark portal to end the threat from the Horde once for all. The wizards of Kirin Tor built this village before the world was torn appart. The surviving wizards have been trapped in the village since then.
Later Kael’thas destroyed what was left of the village with a Mana Bomb. To make things worse, many of the wizards that died have had their spirits brought back by the necromancer Naberius.
The Kirin’Var Village has a lot of history hidden in the ruins about what it was like to be trapped in outland during the years when the Dark Portal was closed.

Northrend
The Frosthold in Stormpeaks is the home of the Frost Dwarves, most of the city is inside the mountain and not open for outsiders. Their friendship with the Alliance is all thanks to the Explorers League. This is one place that I still frequently return to and I must say that it is very interesting to get to know another race of dwarves. So much in common with other dwarves but at the same time so much different.

Loremaster!

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Loremaster studies completed..

Unforgotten Places – Arathi Highlands

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The time has come for another issue of Unforgotten Places, this time the focus is on Arathi Highlands located in the south of Lodaeron in the Eastern Kingdoms.

Refuge Pointe
Refuge Pointe is the main Alliance settlement in this area of the Eastern Kingdoms. The main reason the camp was set up where it is was probably to guard the Alliance entrance to the Arathi Basin. The camp itself is located almost right in the center of the area.

Dabyrie’s Farmstead

Not far to the north from Refuge Point is where Dabyrie’s Farmstead is located.

Hammerfall

Hammerfall, the main horde settlement in Arathi Highlands protects their entrance to the Arathi Basin. The settlement is located to the north east of the area and is fortified with wooden walls and patrolling guards.

Witherbark Village
In the south east of Arathi is a quite large Troll settlement. I know that at least the Alliance has some rewards out for them, they reside in the small huts around the lake as well as in the caves in the hills above it.

Boulderfist Hall

Located between the Witherbark Village and Thandol Span is a Ogre settlement that is run by Kor’gresh Coldrage. The Alliance has out some rewards for the Ogres as well.

Faldir’s Cove
If your interests are in pirates, then a visit to Faldir’s Cove is a must. It requires a little swimming and can be reached from both Stromgarde and Thandol Span. From Thandol Span you need to swim towards west and you will reach it in no time.

Captain Steelgut of the Blackwater raiders is trapped here.

Circles of Binding
Around Arathi there are different Circles of Bindings. Each circle is guarded by different elementals. Myzrael, a princes of the earth is able to contact the world from the place where she is trapped deep beneath the Arathi Highlands. I must say that I did not like my encounter with Myzrael.

Thandol Span
The mighty bridge that connects Arathi Highlands with the Wetlands, or more specifically Khaz Modan. This was once the main connection between the humans of Lordaeon and the Dwarves.
Originally this location hosted three bridges that were made of wood, but at some point the Dwarves built the twin bridge that stands today. Regrettably during the third war, the western bridge was destroyed and still today only the eastern bridge can be used for crossing.

Stromgarde Keep and The Tower of Arathor

Stromgarde Keep has a long history, originally the capital of Stromgarde lies at the same place as Arathor that once was the capital of Strom. Stormgarde lies now in ruins and is overrun by many factions struggling for control over it. The syndicate has a precense here, as do the Ogres that have seized control over the Tower of Arathor that once was used for study by the sorcerers of Arathor. The syndicate holds the eastern parts of the keep as well as the inner keep. Forces that are friendly to the Alliance can be found in the northern parts of the keep.

Thoradin’s Wall

Thoradin’s Wall marks the border between Arathi Highlands and Hillsbrad Foothills.

The Forbidding Sea Farm
The farm on the coast of the Forbidding Sea is one of the least visited areas of Arathi Highlands. The reason may be that it is not charted on any maps and if you do not have a ship or rowboat, you are up for a long swim.
To reach the farm that is run by some Dwarven Farmers, you will have to swim east from the Tandol Span, and when you reach the sea, just follow the coast northward and you will soon be there. From my estimates this farm should be bigger then any of the other farms in Arathi Highlands and it even has its own dock even though it isn’t trafficked for the moment.

Resources
Mining
Iron, Gold, Tin, Mithril, Silver, Lesser Bloodstone and Truesilver.

Herbs
Stranglekelp, Bruiseweed, Wild Steelbloom, Grave Moss, Kingsblood, Liferoot, Fadeleaf, Goldthorn and Khadgar’s Whisker.

Banker has moved

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Once again I’ve received word from my banker that she has moved. This time her journey has gone to Dalaran. After she reached Grand Master of Engineering, she heard a rumor of an Auction House in Dalaran that only was available for Grand Masters of Engineering. I do not think that she needed to think about it for a very long time.

The auctioneers name is Brassbolt Mechawrench and can be found in the shop called Like Clockwork in the Magus Commerce Exchange, so this spot is close to every kind of shop you can imagine. And much closer to your engineering trainer then in Stormwind as he stands next to the auctioneer.

Gearing up

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So, bought some new gear last time I visited Dalaran. Ended up with Duskstalker Shoulderpads for my shoulders and a new idol called Idol of Mutilation that will come to good use. Looking good, Emblems of Triumph well spent.

Also got Fleshwerk Leggings as a souvenir from the Pit of Saron and Mask of Distant Memory from my Trial of the Champion. Also, a new trinket from my visit to the Forge of Souls, Needle-Encrusted Scorpion.

Unforgotten Places – Westfall

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The Unforgotten Places project continues and today it is time for Westfall. I sent out Wanilla to do the research once again and here are the results.

Westfall is located to the west of both Elwynn Forest and Duskwood. It saddens me that Westfall is a Defias stronghold and only a few farms and the watchtower on Sentinel Hill are really friendly towards the Alliance. If this would not be enough, being a short trip from Stormwind, Sentinel Hill has become a popular place for the Horde to do hit and runs on.

In the south western part of the area is a small village called Moonbrook that is today controlled by the Defias Brotherhood. The real reason for the Defias to guard this small village seems to be that the main entrance to their base deep inside the Deadmines is located in one of the buildings. There have been many attempts made to root out the Brotherhood from the mines but they always seem to return.

The shoreline is to the most part overrun with murlocs, but then again there are few shores in Azeroth that are free of them so it should not come as a big surprise. We may not like them but most civilized places will pay you to go out there and hunt down a few of them. They usually carry around a clam or two that sometimes can contain pearls.

And if you can live with a few murloc scratches, there are many shipwrecks around the coast that can be explored.

With everything bad comes something good.

There is a good supply of wild animals for both skinning and cooking if you are into that sort of things. I asked Nowind for some skinning details and she says that there is plenty of good material like light leather and light hide. For you miners out there I can tell you that this is a nice place for Copper and Tin. I even heard a rumor in Sentinel Hill about Silver, but I did not find any. At least not yet.

There are two more places I want to include about this Unforgotten Place. The first is the Westfall Lighthouse that can be found in the southwest, straight southwest from Moonbrook. If you have not yet seen a ghost, then meeting Captain Grayson might be a bit scary but I think that it is a good idea to visit him for every adventurer that is starting out. And remember, during childrens week you will probably get to show this place to some of the children of your capital city.

Lastly, if you like good a good lager, you must visit Grimbooze Thunderbrew in the Dagger Hills. This man is a living legend. But remember that he only shares his brew if you bring him resources to continue his work. So remember to pack some hops in your bags.

If you decide that you liked the Thunderbrew Lager, then you may want to visit him again when you have traveled the lands a bit. If he finds you experienced enough he might decide that you can help him with the creation of Thunderbrew's Boot Flask. But be prepared to travel a lot, as the materials needed are not easy to find.

 

And this was everything we had on Westfall for now. I hope you find this useful and if you decide to visit Grimbooze, be sure to say hello from us.

Unforgotten Places – Elwynn Forest, a world in changing….

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Event though most people will argue that Elwynn Forest is not forgotten as people tend to socialize in for example Goldshire. I must point out that most changes start right under our noses and then escalate beyond our imagination. Hence, I must document the Elwynn that we know today before it is too late. Most of the research and information gathering for this article was done by my dear paladin friend who we can call Wanilla. The Timber Wolves of Northshire Valley have become diseased with something and the local residents are afraid of an epidemic among the animals. But the disease of the wolves is not the only change in Northshire, it seems that the Defias Thugs in the camp are not hostile anymore. You actually have to pick a fight with them these days. I have no idea what has changed their attitude towards ordinary people but I think that it is a change in the right direction. Now just hope that the rest of the Defias members adopt the change like their lowest members.
Just outside of the Northshire Gates, one of the rare Night Elf Mohawks has put up camp. If you believe what he says, you will be awarded with Mohawk Grenades!

A lot of strange things seems to be happening in the world today, and I will probably need to investigate more areas to see if this is a wide spread change or just something in the Elwynn Forest…

But let us continue with some other places that we hold dear. Even the Horde tends to visit some of them, but mostly not for the same reasons that the Alliance.

Goldshire

The main village in the area is Goldshire, this is where most people can be found. All profession trainers are in or around the village and class trainers can also be found here. This is one of the places where people like to hang around, talk and maybe duel against other people.

Lately the children of Goldshire have begun to stay inside and are not seen that much on the streets. Wanilla was able to track down where they hid. In the attic of the house where Helene Peltskinner and Adele Fielder reside. Well, to put it short. The children do not respond when spoken to and they just stand in a strange formation in the room. Evidently the atmosphere in the room was quite extraordinary and our heroine left the room without finding out if she had stumbled upon a childish play or something worse.

 

In the far east of Elwynn is a logging camp that is just plainly called Eastvale Logging Camp, the people here are really friendly and if you wonder where you can buy a horse or two, this is the spot. The horses are of nice breed and seem to like their human handlers.

To the north of Eastvale Logging Camp is a lake called Stone Cairn Lake, the strange with this lake is that it mostly consists of a huge island that these days is inhabited by Defias Rogue Wizards. In the center of the island itself is a stone monument called Heroes’ Vigil and was raised as a memory of the First War.

Somewhere midway between Goldshire and the logging camp is a tower that is simply called Tower of Azora. Inhabited by servants of Azora, be careful when approaching these people as they will drag you into their feud with the Tower of Ilgalar in Redridge Mountains, if this is not what you want then it will probably be best to stay away from this place.

In the far west of Elwynn is where the Westbrook Garrison is located. If you want to hunt gnolls, this is where you should head. Most of the western Elwynn is occupied by just gnolls, so there will be plenty of hunting.