- The End -
Just check back on Thursday.
Pearlhunt in Blackfathom Deeps
Re: Pearlhunt in Blackfathom Deeps (WoW-story)
When it is the end, it will say:
- The End -
Just check back on Thursday.
- The End -
Just check back on Thursday.
Re: Pearlhunt in Blackfathom Deeps (WoW-story)
After a long time, Morgrin returned.
He looked devastated.
"Where are the others?" I asked.
"They sent the Priest to the Undercity, together with an escort, so he should be safe. He made me promise to tell you that you should not forget about your Wand, or something and that you should come to visit him there when you can.
The Warrior was sent to the Warriors Headquarters. The corruption of the Warrior-training was not taken lightly so I guess they have a lot of questions for her.
That was basically all they cared for. Lucky for me, I guess, they could have asked some troublesome questions.
But that does not mean I am off the hook, or you, for that matter. You know what I mean, remember?" And he cast a stern eye on me.
"Anyway," he continued, "about the Twilight Hammer Cult, they said that they knew about those zealots for a long time, but they are not seen as a real threat. No matter what I said, I could not make them see the importance of the threat of the Old Gods that has manifested itself in the Deeps of Blackfathom.
They just say that the Old Gods are dead or buried and that they have more urgent matters to attend to.
But we were there! And we felt the powerful influence that this monster emanated! And that was only their pet!
They told me that I could muster and lead a new group into the Deeps, for all they cared.
So, then they made me leader of a new expedition: 'To investigate the Burning Blade and their connection with the Shadow Counsel!' Not even mentioning the Twilight cultists!
Oh! And they will put spies on Neru Fireblade as-well." he concluded.
'Spies on Neru Fireblade', that did not sound as a lot. Not enough to deal with this kind of threat!
More should be done! But it was clear that at least he had tried the best he could.
So I said that I felt bad about not been able to say a real goodbye to Gregory.
"We can't always choose how things go." he replied. "I now have to get a new group ready.
I rather had some good rest.
I take it, you are not in the mood for a new one?"
"No thanks!" I replied quickly, "I have a lot of thinking to do and could do with some rest too."
"We won't go back today," he tried again, "it will take time to find the right people."
"Still no, but thanks for asking." I said.
"And do be careful, although I don't need to tell you that.
So... , see you around, I guess."
"Yeah, you take care too." he replied, after which he Vanished.
Not too good with farewells, it seems. I thought.
Well, neither was I, so it was for the best, probably.
Finally, Wilani had come back from the Warriors Headquarters.
She looked hasty and said: "Don't wait for me here. I have to go! Warrior-business. We will meet, back in the village!"
And off again she was.
"Be careful!" I shouted after her.
You can read the whole story in one piece here: https://mantigora.net/bfd
He looked devastated.
"Where are the others?" I asked.
"They sent the Priest to the Undercity, together with an escort, so he should be safe. He made me promise to tell you that you should not forget about your Wand, or something and that you should come to visit him there when you can.
The Warrior was sent to the Warriors Headquarters. The corruption of the Warrior-training was not taken lightly so I guess they have a lot of questions for her.
That was basically all they cared for. Lucky for me, I guess, they could have asked some troublesome questions.
But that does not mean I am off the hook, or you, for that matter. You know what I mean, remember?" And he cast a stern eye on me.
"Anyway," he continued, "about the Twilight Hammer Cult, they said that they knew about those zealots for a long time, but they are not seen as a real threat. No matter what I said, I could not make them see the importance of the threat of the Old Gods that has manifested itself in the Deeps of Blackfathom.
They just say that the Old Gods are dead or buried and that they have more urgent matters to attend to.
But we were there! And we felt the powerful influence that this monster emanated! And that was only their pet!
They told me that I could muster and lead a new group into the Deeps, for all they cared.
So, then they made me leader of a new expedition: 'To investigate the Burning Blade and their connection with the Shadow Counsel!' Not even mentioning the Twilight cultists!
Oh! And they will put spies on Neru Fireblade as-well." he concluded.
'Spies on Neru Fireblade', that did not sound as a lot. Not enough to deal with this kind of threat!
More should be done! But it was clear that at least he had tried the best he could.
So I said that I felt bad about not been able to say a real goodbye to Gregory.
"We can't always choose how things go." he replied. "I now have to get a new group ready.
I rather had some good rest.
I take it, you are not in the mood for a new one?"
"No thanks!" I replied quickly, "I have a lot of thinking to do and could do with some rest too."
"We won't go back today," he tried again, "it will take time to find the right people."
"Still no, but thanks for asking." I said.
"And do be careful, although I don't need to tell you that.
So... , see you around, I guess."
"Yeah, you take care too." he replied, after which he Vanished.
Not too good with farewells, it seems. I thought.
Well, neither was I, so it was for the best, probably.
Finally, Wilani had come back from the Warriors Headquarters.
She looked hasty and said: "Don't wait for me here. I have to go! Warrior-business. We will meet, back in the village!"
And off again she was.
"Be careful!" I shouted after her.
You can read the whole story in one piece here: https://mantigora.net/bfd
Re: Pearlhunt in Blackfathom Deeps (WoW-story)
So, I set out, to go back to the village.
Since Wilani was not expected to return there for a while, it was up to me to inform the Elders of what we had found.
I wondered what their reaction would be.
We Trolls were not so many and we would certainly not send any substantial armed force to an obscure place like the Deeps.
After I had done my telling they said:
"Dat place, it has bad Mojo! You best stay away from dere!"
"You go sit in da sunshine! And let dem rays of da Sun get dese dark thoughts out-a ya head."
"Dem Old Gods, you should not speak of dem. Dey are old trouble dat needs to be forgotten!"
All very well meant advice, but nothing was going to be done, of-course.
The thoughts of the World being brought to an end, kept running through my head. Even though it was getting cooked by the sun.
That sun was definitely not going to do it! I had to go talk to someone.
Dawnstrider! He was the only one that was not busy (hopefully) or very far away, like Gregory.
So I left for Thunder Bluff, in the hopes of finding him there.
I had so many questions that remained.
What was going to happen?
What was I supposed to do?
You can read the whole story in one piece here: https://mantigora.net/bfd
Since Wilani was not expected to return there for a while, it was up to me to inform the Elders of what we had found.
I wondered what their reaction would be.
We Trolls were not so many and we would certainly not send any substantial armed force to an obscure place like the Deeps.
After I had done my telling they said:
"Dat place, it has bad Mojo! You best stay away from dere!"
"You go sit in da sunshine! And let dem rays of da Sun get dese dark thoughts out-a ya head."
"Dem Old Gods, you should not speak of dem. Dey are old trouble dat needs to be forgotten!"
All very well meant advice, but nothing was going to be done, of-course.
The thoughts of the World being brought to an end, kept running through my head. Even though it was getting cooked by the sun.
That sun was definitely not going to do it! I had to go talk to someone.
Dawnstrider! He was the only one that was not busy (hopefully) or very far away, like Gregory.
So I left for Thunder Bluff, in the hopes of finding him there.
I had so many questions that remained.
What was going to happen?
What was I supposed to do?
You can read the whole story in one piece here: https://mantigora.net/bfd
Re: Pearlhunt in Blackfathom Deeps (WoW-story)
The day was drawing to a close by the time I reached the Crossroads.
The Crossroads! So many adventures started at the Crossroads. This time, however, it seemed to be at the end of an adventure. But the end is the beginning of something new.
Yes, if I only knew what! I had no idea what I was supposed to do.
I had been walking all afternoon and could do with some good rest.
And my Mind too! During my long walk I had a lot of time to think and most of it was worries!
Even though I agreed with my Inner Voice, telling me that nothing ever got better because of worrying, I could not think of much else than that the world was going to end. And nobody seemed to care!
It was too early to go to sleep, so I sat down on a little hill, in the shade of the watchtower, to catch some of the breeze and to cool down from the long hot afternoon. This place, built and run by the Tauren, felt so much different than Orgrimmar, not withstanding the fact that there were quite a few Orcs here. Mostly guards.
I let my gaze go over the plains and the road towards the South. That stretch would be for tomorrow.
Even though I was tired, I felt restless. I told myself to not get up and to just sit here.
If Dawnstrider could sit to meditate in the middle of a lake full of Naga, then I should be able to just sit here!
It was not easy, but I managed to do it. I let my mind drift over the plains in the distance.
It helped a little, but ever so often, my Mind was back in Blackfathom.
That sentence the Mr. Slacker had spoken: "To be liberated from the flesh...".
Right there and then, the word liberated had struck a chord, apart from sounding gruesome.
Somehow I wished that I had paid more attention to what he had said.
Now I was left wondering what he had been talking about.
The horrible death of Lord Kelris came to mind: he had his flesh fall off from his face.
If that was what was meant by it, then it truly was dreadful!
"What a pretty bunch of thoughts are we having again!" said my Inner Voice.
Yes, it was not pretty at all. How am I supposed to deal with this?!
I promised myself to ask Dawnstrider how he was able to keep his Inner Peace.
My Inner Voice and me were no longer fighting, like we did before, but that did not mean there was real Peace.
At last it had gotten dark and I went down to the Inn, to find a place to sleep.
I was really tired, but it still took a long time and way too many thoughts before I finally fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up with a headache. It must have been from Kelris' terrible Mind-Blasts!
I could not bear to think of eating, so I set out for the last bit of my journey on an empty stomach.
Perhaps later, I told myself. After-all, I could conjure food and water whenever I wanted.
You can read the whole story in one piece here: https://mantigora.net/bfd
The Crossroads! So many adventures started at the Crossroads. This time, however, it seemed to be at the end of an adventure. But the end is the beginning of something new.
Yes, if I only knew what! I had no idea what I was supposed to do.
I had been walking all afternoon and could do with some good rest.
And my Mind too! During my long walk I had a lot of time to think and most of it was worries!
Even though I agreed with my Inner Voice, telling me that nothing ever got better because of worrying, I could not think of much else than that the world was going to end. And nobody seemed to care!
It was too early to go to sleep, so I sat down on a little hill, in the shade of the watchtower, to catch some of the breeze and to cool down from the long hot afternoon. This place, built and run by the Tauren, felt so much different than Orgrimmar, not withstanding the fact that there were quite a few Orcs here. Mostly guards.
I let my gaze go over the plains and the road towards the South. That stretch would be for tomorrow.
Even though I was tired, I felt restless. I told myself to not get up and to just sit here.
If Dawnstrider could sit to meditate in the middle of a lake full of Naga, then I should be able to just sit here!
It was not easy, but I managed to do it. I let my mind drift over the plains in the distance.
It helped a little, but ever so often, my Mind was back in Blackfathom.
That sentence the Mr. Slacker had spoken: "To be liberated from the flesh...".
Right there and then, the word liberated had struck a chord, apart from sounding gruesome.
Somehow I wished that I had paid more attention to what he had said.
Now I was left wondering what he had been talking about.
The horrible death of Lord Kelris came to mind: he had his flesh fall off from his face.
If that was what was meant by it, then it truly was dreadful!
"What a pretty bunch of thoughts are we having again!" said my Inner Voice.
Yes, it was not pretty at all. How am I supposed to deal with this?!
I promised myself to ask Dawnstrider how he was able to keep his Inner Peace.
My Inner Voice and me were no longer fighting, like we did before, but that did not mean there was real Peace.
At last it had gotten dark and I went down to the Inn, to find a place to sleep.
I was really tired, but it still took a long time and way too many thoughts before I finally fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up with a headache. It must have been from Kelris' terrible Mind-Blasts!
I could not bear to think of eating, so I set out for the last bit of my journey on an empty stomach.
Perhaps later, I told myself. After-all, I could conjure food and water whenever I wanted.
You can read the whole story in one piece here: https://mantigora.net/bfd
Re: Pearlhunt in Blackfathom Deeps (WoW-story)
It was the end of the morning when I reached Thunder Bluff, the Tauren Capital. The tall Lift had taken me all the way up and I was finally there. Now to find Dawnstrider!
I remembered, him telling about his clan, the clan of the Enchanters, so I went to look for their shop.
When I found him there, he greeted me and upon seeing my worried face he said:
"May the Eternal Sun shine upon thee.
We Tauren say this and I have heard this all my life.
Only recently I started to give it some real thought.
Eternal, it is not just very long, it is always, for ever, without end.
I think not very many ever think about this; the days go by, each of them packed with their own drama and concerns.
Only sometimes, for instance when someone dies, is a shy thought given to the impermanence of our lives and only a glimmer of a thought to the idea of Eternity.
The Eternal Twilight that the Cultists are bringing about, I think that is only in name, not really Eternal.
They might wish it to be so, but how can Darkness stay for long in front of the Eternal Sun?
No, to be Eternal, it has to exist, not be created, since what can be created can be destroyed.
We have been given Life and we know that it will end, some day, but then, the Spirit remains.
We believe that it returns to the Earthmother.
Of course, this belief might be unfounded, but it has endured for as long as anyone can remember.
The alternative is that the Spirit will dwell in Eternal Twilight, at least until the Eternal Sun shines upon it and the Darkness will be dispelled.
Then it will be in the Light.
Who knows what will happen then?
Eternity has all the time.
I will leave you with this, my Friend.
Go in Peace."
I indeed felt Peace and said:
"You too, my Friend and May the Eternal Sun shine upon thee."
May the Eternal Sun shine upon thee.
-the end-
You can read the whole story in one piece here: https://mantigora.net/bfd
I remembered, him telling about his clan, the clan of the Enchanters, so I went to look for their shop.
When I found him there, he greeted me and upon seeing my worried face he said:
"May the Eternal Sun shine upon thee.
We Tauren say this and I have heard this all my life.
Only recently I started to give it some real thought.
Eternal, it is not just very long, it is always, for ever, without end.
I think not very many ever think about this; the days go by, each of them packed with their own drama and concerns.
Only sometimes, for instance when someone dies, is a shy thought given to the impermanence of our lives and only a glimmer of a thought to the idea of Eternity.
The Eternal Twilight that the Cultists are bringing about, I think that is only in name, not really Eternal.
They might wish it to be so, but how can Darkness stay for long in front of the Eternal Sun?
No, to be Eternal, it has to exist, not be created, since what can be created can be destroyed.
We have been given Life and we know that it will end, some day, but then, the Spirit remains.
We believe that it returns to the Earthmother.
Of course, this belief might be unfounded, but it has endured for as long as anyone can remember.
The alternative is that the Spirit will dwell in Eternal Twilight, at least until the Eternal Sun shines upon it and the Darkness will be dispelled.
Then it will be in the Light.
Who knows what will happen then?
Eternity has all the time.
I will leave you with this, my Friend.
Go in Peace."
I indeed felt Peace and said:
"You too, my Friend and May the Eternal Sun shine upon thee."
May the Eternal Sun shine upon thee.
-the end-
You can read the whole story in one piece here: https://mantigora.net/bfd
Re: Pearlhunt in Blackfathom Deeps (WoW-story)
Epilogue:
"May the Eternal Sun shine upon thee."
This sentence kept turning around in my Mind.
I had come to know so much, but much of it was still unclear.
I approached an Elder and explained what I had heard and that I was worried about what was going to happen.
The Elder spoke: "
Peace, friend.
People fear Darkness because it obscures Truth.
Understanding brings Light.
Light is Truth, it removes fear.
There is Balance, between Light and Darkness.
Indeed, both are Eternal, but like in a balance, at one time, one side is up while at the other time, the other side is up.
This is what is meant with Balance. It swings, up and down.
If both sides would be equal and stay that way, there would be no change and nothing would ever happen.
There would be no Time, for Eternity.
And obviously, since we are sitting here, talking, this can not be."
"But that means that we will be in Darkness for a very long time!" I exclaimed. "They say it is the Hour of Twilight, therefore the whole of the night still has to come!"
"Is it wise to believe what those who are in Darkness say?" asked the Elder.
"A tree takes many years to fully grow, but when it eventually falls, that does not take much time. And a new tree will be growing in it's place.
What they call Twilight, might well be called Dawn instead.
And with the new Dawn, the Tauren will again roam free and unhindered over the grassy plains of Azeroth and you Trolls will build great Empires with rich cities in the East.
The Spirit has it's path between the Darkness of the Void and the Light of Truth.
Those who speak of being bound in flesh, that the Void will set you free, if you will abandon your flesh speak only half truth. Darkness can not know the whole Truth.
To know that the Spirit will exist, always, is Truth and Freedom.
To think it is bound, is to be a slave, who can be tempted with gaining Power and Freedom that truly never was taken away.
Those who turn to Shadow for truth will find that they will be left with nothing.
Shadow devours, it can not Create, other than to create Chaos from Order. It's hunger can never be stilled.
It has Power, great power, initially easy to obtain, since it is easy to destroy that what has been created by great effort.
But they will be left with nothing. What will be there in the end, if everything is destroyed?
Darkness will be left with no power.
Since there is nothing more to destroy, it will have to end.
Then it will be the new Dawn and you will still be there.
Your true Self can not be destroyed.
You, the Spirit, are like the Eternal Sun. And the Eternal Sun will shine upon you.
You would do best to remember this always.
Now go, without Fear.
And may the Eternal Sun shine upon thee.
You can read the whole story in one piece here: https://mantigora.net/bfd
"May the Eternal Sun shine upon thee."
This sentence kept turning around in my Mind.
I had come to know so much, but much of it was still unclear.
I approached an Elder and explained what I had heard and that I was worried about what was going to happen.
The Elder spoke: "
Peace, friend.
People fear Darkness because it obscures Truth.
Understanding brings Light.
Light is Truth, it removes fear.
There is Balance, between Light and Darkness.
Indeed, both are Eternal, but like in a balance, at one time, one side is up while at the other time, the other side is up.
This is what is meant with Balance. It swings, up and down.
If both sides would be equal and stay that way, there would be no change and nothing would ever happen.
There would be no Time, for Eternity.
And obviously, since we are sitting here, talking, this can not be."
"But that means that we will be in Darkness for a very long time!" I exclaimed. "They say it is the Hour of Twilight, therefore the whole of the night still has to come!"
"Is it wise to believe what those who are in Darkness say?" asked the Elder.
"A tree takes many years to fully grow, but when it eventually falls, that does not take much time. And a new tree will be growing in it's place.
What they call Twilight, might well be called Dawn instead.
And with the new Dawn, the Tauren will again roam free and unhindered over the grassy plains of Azeroth and you Trolls will build great Empires with rich cities in the East.
The Spirit has it's path between the Darkness of the Void and the Light of Truth.
Those who speak of being bound in flesh, that the Void will set you free, if you will abandon your flesh speak only half truth. Darkness can not know the whole Truth.
To know that the Spirit will exist, always, is Truth and Freedom.
To think it is bound, is to be a slave, who can be tempted with gaining Power and Freedom that truly never was taken away.
Those who turn to Shadow for truth will find that they will be left with nothing.
Shadow devours, it can not Create, other than to create Chaos from Order. It's hunger can never be stilled.
It has Power, great power, initially easy to obtain, since it is easy to destroy that what has been created by great effort.
But they will be left with nothing. What will be there in the end, if everything is destroyed?
Darkness will be left with no power.
Since there is nothing more to destroy, it will have to end.
Then it will be the new Dawn and you will still be there.
Your true Self can not be destroyed.
You, the Spirit, are like the Eternal Sun. And the Eternal Sun will shine upon you.
You would do best to remember this always.
Now go, without Fear.
And may the Eternal Sun shine upon thee.
You can read the whole story in one piece here: https://mantigora.net/bfd
Re: Pearlhunt in Blackfathom Deeps (WoW-story)
Hae'Wilani is safe and sound. Seen her just yesterday.
Slowly turtling my way up.Re: Pearlhunt in Blackfathom Deeps (WoW-story)
Very Nice! And if you look around a bit more, you will see Lah'Mawhani too.