A Priestess Tale

((I know, it's been awhile.  I've been caught up with school work.  But here.  The story of what's happened since that last post.  ^__^  This is written not as a journal entry, but simply to fill you all in before the next installment of adventure.))


Having no idea where she was simply was nothing new.  Sephidra had stopped being afraid of new places long ago, though she had become completely alone in the process.  It was hard to imagine how things once were back at the Temple.  She missed the priestesses there, and often imagined going home.  They would not judge her for deciding to stay away for so long, they would not judge her for limping home, prodigal daughter, tail between her legs.

It seemed only rational to be upset, but Elune was with her, guiding her.  The Godess would not let her stumble any further.  Besides, she couldn't.  Her face was in the dirt already.  There was no where to go but up.

It had been almost a month since Ateris had left.  Sephidra had lost count of the days.  All she knew was that it still hurt to think about it, the lack of note, no sign that he'd not be there in the morning the night before.

And by Elune, she had loved him, loved him enough to give him herself.  And then he had left.  Just like that.

At first, Sephidra was certain that it had been a game, one they often played.  But Elwynn was empty.  Darcy from Lakeshire had no idea where he went.  Not even Wilder from their favorite pub in the Dwarven District of Stormwind had seen him.

This place, however, was a very long way from Stormwind.  It reminded her of her home land, and indeed, she had often gazed at paintings of Azuremyst Isle in her youth and heard fantastic, magical stories about it.  But she had never once thought of going there.  Indeed, she had been moments from stepping on the boat back to Rut'theran Village when the small purple boat docked nearby.  One last adventure, she had thought to herself, before returning back to Darnassus.

That had been the idea, at least.  She had not expected to find herself lost in glowing, pulsing pink and purple ruins surrounded by faces she had never seen before!

 Diary, did you miss me?  It's been a few days since I've written about anything that's happened to me, but that's because I've been profoundly busy!  I am pleased to say that as of this afternoon, I have been given the title of Gnoll Exterminator by some of the people in Westfall!  Oh dear, though.  Gnoll Killer.  That can not be good for the ego of a priestess that really hadn't want to harm the gnolls in the first place!

They just don't listen to reasoning.  And they're as prone to kidnap as the Defias it seems.  Let me start at the begining.

Ateris wasn't feeling too good, so I forced him to stay in bed in that leaky, not-complete inn that the Westfall...ites...deem is appropriate for lodging.  Perhaps that's just a human custom not to finish their work.  Anyway, I decided to use my new alchemical skills to find a way to make Ateris feel better.  So, I went out into the fields myself.  I'm stronger now, afterall.  Priestess Laurena has promoted me all the way to the 16th level and has taught me new spells to take care of myself!

Needless to say, I ran a foul of some rather foul gnolls in one of the fields as I collected mageroyal blossoms and briarthorn.  Four of them jumped me before I could even squeak off one of my shadow spells!  I woke up back at their camp, tied up next to one of their cooking pots and they went on and on about the fresh meat that they'd have that evening.  I don't know about you, diary, but I wasn't prepared to become a meal!

Happily, a passing warlock managed to come to my defense.  As far as humans go, she's actually rather pretty...even if her clothing is a bit on the frumpy side.  It was amazing to see the giant blue gas cloud with glowing eyes she controlled tackle the gnolls!  Her name is Tabatha Wyrmwood....but she didn't seem all that talkative until I expressed interest in the magic she used.

I'm suppose to meet her at the Slaughtered Lamb tommorrow.

Oh, and as for Ateris, the ungrateful lout, he said my draught to cure his sickness tasted bad!  The nerve of some boys!

I ache.  Everywhere.  Ateris finds my current stage of waddling to be amusing, but Parker is at least understanding of my suffering!  Though I've seen and dealt with worse recently, today's journeys back and fourth across the Eastern Kingdoms have left me thoroughly dazed and rather sick of seeing a gryphon again.

Every.

I mean it.

While I can understand that Magistrate Solomon of Lakeshire does not trust mailboxes for his most secure letters, I don't see why he couldn't deliver his correspondances himself!  The trips by gryphon are short, and I'm sure he would not get as lost as Ateris and I in delivering his letters to every creature under the sun!

I think I know the aerial path between Lakeshire, Stormwind, and Westfall by heart.  I also have discovered a new loathing for the Defias Brotherhood, as each letter seemed to be about their progress across the human-controlled forests in this area.  Ateris says I ought to be angry at them for my kidnapping....  But as I would have never met Ateris and might have never started on this journey, I suppose I'm grateful to them in a way.

I just refuse to play messanger for law enforcement any more!

Although Westfall still needs our help with their little Defias problem -- I'm sorry, but it hardly seems little to me even if Ateris says that we can handle it -- Ateris and I took a stroll through Elwynn forest on a mission to discover some new and useful plants for my alchemy training.  I spent most of the time sketching the way plants looks, cataloguing them, and checking them against my herbalism book before picking them to be sure I wouldn't accidently poison Ateris rather than help him!

Somehow, Ateris and I wandered right past Eastvale and into the Redridge Mountains!  Guard Parker, who was patrolling, mentioned a girl in Lakeshire that was suppose to be very beautiful and also a talented herbalist.  I was excited, and so was Ateris...though I'm not sure that we were excited about the same thing!  I feel a little...odd...about that.

Oh well.  Lakeshire is only a very tiny town on a portion of the lake.  It's surrounded by the mountains on three sides and there are gardens cut into the side of the hill.  It's really lovely.  One of the guards said that an orc attack had taken out their bridge, but they were almost through repairing it.  They did a very nice job if you asked me!

It was just about lunch time, so Ateris and I stopped into the Inn.  There was a very beautiful human girl there, and it turned out that she was the girl that Parker must have been talking about!  Her name is Darcy.  She said that if we take Parker his lunch, she'd give the two of us lunch for free!  Ateris immediately agreed, and though I had wanted some water, I really can't let him go out alone.  He gets himself into scrapes!

And delivering lunch can be a noble task...and it was just nice to do.  Parker was happy about his lunch and gave us a little money to pick up flowers from the florist for Darcy.  Oh, what a mess that turned out to be!  Ateris called it a love triangle.  The florist loves Parker, Parker loves Darcy, and Darcy loves Parker too!  Or maybe...  I don't pretend to know about love.  I'm much more interested in the Light and helping people!

Darcy doesn't seem to like the florist very much, even though I thought she was fascinating.  She knows all about the herbs in the region, including Mageroyal, a plant I had never heard of until I went to Lakeshire.  After the human ranted a little bit, during which Ateris seemed enthralled, she did serve us up a nice lunch of sauteed sunfish.  Ateris said it was the best he had tasted, though I thought they were just mediocre.  Darnassus has much better seafood...well, it ought to!  It's on an island!

After we left Lakeshire, we went back to Stormwind to repair some of our gear and so that I could consult with Lilyssia Nightbreeze, the alchemy master, about the uses of mageroyal.  In the canals, however, I ran into a little boy named Timmy who was looking for someone to give a good home to his little white kitten.  It seemed that his mother would not let him keep the cat so he needed to find a loving home for the poor dear.

I decided to name the kitten Parker.  Ateris didn't look too happy about that!

Just now, Ateris looked over my shoulder as I wrote that title and tottered away babbling about going off to clean some of the boar muck from his hands.  He must have realized that he was not the cleanest either!  I, however, made sure to wash my hands before touching my diary.  Who wants to save grime for posterity?

I was always a bit of a gardener during my time in Darnassus.  I really liked spending time with Firodren Mooncaller behind the temple, learning my way around herbs.  I never actually thought that herbalism could have it's uses, though, until we spent lunch with two gnomes arguing over what professions to take.  One insisted that engineering was every true gnome's calling.  Another said that it was alchemy that was truly rewarding.

Ateris said it wasn't nice to butt in on conversations, but I was curious.  Alchemy.  I never really thought about using the herbs I come across for more of anything!  I think I understand now why Ateris didn't want me to join their conversation though.  After a five hour lecture on the ins and outs of engineering versus alchemy, I'm truly and completely dazed.

However, I decided to take it up.  Ateris and I made a quick stop up in Stormwind so that he could try and "force training" from the weapons master there -- whatever that means! -- and I went to discuss my profession with the High Priestess.  She seemed delighted, saying that alchemy was a noble calling for any priestess.  She also granted me my thirteenth level and taught me how to use my inner fire to benefit both Ateris and myself.

I've spent most of the day fiddling with herbs and my pestle and mortar while Ateris tries out his new sword skills.  I can now make formulas to make him stronger, to keep him from getting hurt more, and to help heal him when he's in a scrape.  I truly feel useful!

How do women in Westfall stay fashion conscious when the only thing around them is yellows and golds...and the occasional red of harvest golems gone wild and buzzards that flock about to pluck out the eyes of living and dead creatures alike.  I've never concidered myself to need to wear nice things until I came to this place with Ateris.  It's bad enough that the inn is only half-built and just one long room with beds in it...but the local garments make me want to cry!

I ought to stop being so pompous, but it's hard when wearing a bright yellow and green frock made of thick, scratchy wool.  Perhaps it's unfair to be so mean.  The woman that made it for me did so out of gratitude for helping to rid her farm of nasty harvest watchers.  She said that everyone that's anyone gets to wear harvester's robes.  I hadn't been so sure until I saw at least three other human women and one dwarven lass in it!

Ateris says I'm silly for being distainful.  The robe is thicker than my last so it offers more protection.  It also makes me feel a little more spiritual too since it doesn't turn see-through in the rain or when picking my way across a river.

I don't want to go to sleep here.  There's too many men snoring nearby.

I don't have a perminant place to live, but as I'm now one of the might adventurers of Azeroth (or one day hope to be!), I find I rather enjoy moving around.  For the past several days, Ateris and I have gotten rooms at the Cathedral.  Though he is not a follower of the Light, he is my traveling companion and I wouldn't want him sleeping in the stables.  Stormwind's inns are quite full, afterall.  

Last night, Ateris said we ought to have dinner at someplace more exotic than just the 'bland' food that the humans seem to enjoy eating.  We headed to the Dwarven District and after an hour or so of waiting to be let in for a bite to eat, we managed to be seated.  I've never seen so many happy people all in one place!  Night elves are more reserved than humans or dwarves, and I do believe humans try to bottle up some of their natural aggressiveness as well so as not to offend each other and the rest of us, but dwarves, when having their evening meals, are almost off the wall!

I had to dodge my fair share of ale mugs, but the food was thick, heavy, and utterly delicious.  Ateris had a weird look on his face, though, when I played a game of 'who can eat blood sausage the fastest' with one of the perky dwarven barmaids!  I think he was just impressed that I won.

As we were heading back to the Cathedral, Ateris roughly pushed a bit of metal into my hand.  It was that bracelet I admired the day before!  He didn't want to talk about it, though, but I wonder if he was suffering from buyers remorse.  Still, I like the way it looks on my wrist!  I think I'll wear it everyday.  If only to tease Ateris for spending so much money on a silly girl like myself.

I've decided not to return to Darnassus.  I know that my family is worried about me, but judging by the message sent to be by High Priestess Tyrande, she accepts and encourages me to find a path in the Light of Elune in my own way.  I'm certain now that my way is here, rather than back serving the Temple of the Moon.  One day I will return there, I am sure, but the people in the Eastern Kingdom seem to need me.

Ateris has agreed to journey with me...or rather, has agreed to let me tag along.  We make a very good team, he and I.  He protects me and I protect him too, he with his sword, me with my gifts of healing.  I enjoy his company immensely.  He's a bit crude at times, but it's nice to see a familiar face and speak my birth language around so many humans.

Our adventures these past few days have been helping Guard Thomas and the good people of Eastvale with some of their tasks.  I have also had my first taste of Murlocs, of how agressive they can be, and how dangerous they are!  I've also seen some foul sides of people...  Why is it so many humans will simply stand around and let you be hurt without helping?  Ateris says that people, no matter their race, are loners.  I still wonder why he agreed to let me go with him then if he, too, seems to like being alone.  Perhaps he simply likes that I can tend his wounds.

I also had another running in with the Defias Brotherhood.  The brutes have been terrorizing more innocent people.  Not only do they kidnap poor priestesses, but they also pick on the loggers and the tailors in Eastvale.  It felt surpisingly good to help chase them out of Elwynn Forest....though I'm not sure how I feel about my capacity to hurt things as well as heal them.

I also have some very good news to report!  Ateris took me to Stormwind yesterday and my goodness, it's so easy to get lost!  I had to hold onto his arm the entire time.  Trade District was full to the brim with people buying and selling.  It's a very good thing that I am poor, or else I would have purchased a bracelet for myself.  How frivolous!  I also made my way to the Cathedral in Stormwind, to pay my respects, only to have High Priestess Laurena tell me that she's heard of my help with the people in Eastvale.  She decided to promote me to the Eleventh Level in the order!

Talk about exciting!

You read about it in stories, but you never expect to be kidnapped yourself!  It was a rather interesting experience, now that I think about it.  Sure, I was scared, but I knew that Elune would protect me!  She always has when I've gotten into some trouble.

I have no idea what happened from the port we pulled into with the large goblin statue to arriving in the second floor bedroom of that little house in what I now know is Elwynn Forest, but I DO know that those men that agreed to give me a ride were actually part of the Defias Brotherhood!  I'll be sure to keep my eye out for them and their red bandana wearing friends from now on!

I was lucky to escape from their clutches by a passing warrior named Ateris.  He's far from home himself, a fellow night elf like me.  He managed to rescue me from the hands of those scary men!  He was so brave and helpful!  He's going to point me the way home tommorrow....though I'm not sure I want to go home now!  After we escaped from that scary house, it was raining outside so we took refuge in a mine called Fargodeep.  It was full of kobolds, nasty little critters.  They tore at my dress, but Ateris was there to save me again!

He cleared a way through them so that we could have someplace safe to wait out the storm.  The kobolds also dropped large, half used candles that we were able to use to light the cave with and some gold dust.  When the storm let up, Ateris and I made our way back to a little human village called Goldshire.  I was able to trade in the candles and the gold dust I collected in exchange for some money for a room for the night.

Ateris said he'll take me home in the morning...but I think Elune put me in this situation for a reason.  It's time to seek my path beyond the walls of the Temple of the Moon.

Well, it's a little smelly and not at all like the passanger ships I've seen in the harbor or that I accidently took to Menethil Harbor.  It's small.  A little crowded.  And there are a lot of things in boxes all over the place!  I suppose that's normal for a merchant ship though!

The man that helped me out and some of his friends laugh a lot and they smell like the tavern in the village.  They offered me something from their cups, but I never have liked strong juices so I just passed.  They seem to think I'm amusing.  Maybe I'm funnier than I thought!

They also really like red face mask bandanas.  They all seem to be wearing them!  Maybe it's fashionable for humans in this part of the world?  I think I'll ask if I can have one for a momento of my trip!  The other novices will be so jealous!

Oh, I can see land now!  It doesn't really look like Rut'theran Village though.  How odd...I've never noticed a goblin statue near Darnassus before!  I wonder if there's a festival going on that I forgot about!

I've gotten lost plenty of times.  I remember once, when I was a child, I had gotten lost in the woods by Dolanaar.  My parents had been there to visit the moonwell and...let's just say this:  I've always been a bit of a trouble child for them and everyone else involved with me too!  Anyway, being lost in the woods is nothing like being lost...well...whereever I am!

Anyway, this morning, my teacher Astarii Starseeker greeted me with my 7th level!  I'm still a novice, of course, but attaining learning levels as a priestess still makes me happy.  Astarii says I'm learning quickly and I'll one day become a full priestess!  Anyway, I decided to celebrate by going to Rut'theran Village to sit at the water's edge and meditate a little.  However, a few new hippogryphs had recently hatched and I decided to ask Vesprystus if I could see them.  Before I got out anything more than a greeting, the hippogryph master asked me if I could help him by delivering a package to Ashenvale!  I was just suppose to fly there -- which was exhilerating! -- and fly back again.  Boom boom.  I wasn't suppose to miss dinner at the Temple!  I decided that I was going to take the boat back instead of the hippogryph, but I must have gotten on the wrong one!  There were so many humans on the dock.  And dwarves too!  Their little village was very nice.  I guess I must have looked lost, because one of the nice sailors helped me to the inn.  He even bought me something to eat, the nice man, and said that his ship was going to be heading back to Rut'theran Village's port that evening!

So I'm going to wait in this nice tavern in the port of Menethil Harbor -- wherever that is! -- for him to return with his friends.  I'm looking forward to this adventure!

I'm so excited!  Not only was I of some use today, but better yet, I actually got to save someone's life!  I've been able to heal minor scrapes and cuts since I was a small girl, but I've never done anything quite like this before!

Let me start at the begining.

Today I was visiting the priestess in Shadowglen when Dirania Silvershine called me over.  She usually makes the most wonderful smelling potions and food, so I was more than willing to excuse myself from the lesson the priestess was teaching me and see what she wanted.  Evidently, her friend Iverron had not returned from the cave in the north and she was exceedingly busy and could not go and look for him herself.  I immediately jumped on the chance for adventure!

It took a little time to sneak past the spiders around the cave before I found poor Iverron!  He had been bitten by a terrible spider and was suffering greatly!  He told me that Dirania would be able to help him, so I quickly returned to her.  Dirania tasked me again to help her search for ingrediants for her potion to save Iverron, and I agreed to help again.  Finding the mushrooms and the petals for her was easy...but she also needed some of the venom from the spiders.

I've never killed anything before, though I was taught how to defend myself through the light of Elune, and also with my mace.  I was scared, but I was able to kill one of those nasty spiders!  Getting the venom was a little...gross...though.  I messed up collecting it the first few spiders I tried, but with patience and luck, I was able to return to Dirania and then take the serum she created to Iverron.

I felt like a hero for the first time in my life!  I still haven't told anyone else about my adventure....  I'm afraid they'll stop me from leaving the Temple again to see if there's anyone else I can help!

It's the fifth night in as many weeks that I've look at the moon in the Temple and felt a need to leave.  Darnassus has been my home forever.  My little 'forays' -- as my mother use to call them -- into adventure have been less than interesting.  I enjoyed meeting priestess Shandra in Shadowglen to start my training as a young novice in service to Elune, and I still like to go back and visit her from time to time esspecially since the road can be a little dangerous!

I can only imagine what my parents would say to know that I crave some excitement.  The other priests and priestesses here in Darnassus are very nice to me, but they're a little boring too.  Highpriestess Tyrande use to go on so many adventures when she was younger, but now she seems so busy and distracted with the day to day existance of the Temple.

Is it terrible to want more?