Rabbit Stew?

Bunnies! The world is over-run with bunnies. You can't move for them. According to the scholars in Stormwind Library a group of rabbits "is known as a colony or a nest". Personally I think they are a plague.

If hundreds of fluffy bunnies hopping about getting underfoot wasn't bad enough they jangle. Yes. I did say jangle. Like those little metal wind chimes. It's kinda pretty and nice at first, but after about, oooh two minutes, it might as well be fingernails down a blackboard!

Also, they lay eggs! Yep. They do. They lay eggs. Rabbits...laying eggs. Did you know they could do that? Well. they can. But only these rabbits.

Then there's a herd of pet rabbits (domestic rabbit groups are apparently called herds..) trapsing about after, well, pretty much everyone. Chiming and laying more eggs.

If that isn't enough there are Blossoming Branches which turn people into rabbits! So we have more rabbits, and ridiculously, raiding rabbits.


But, the worst of all is the game of "Shake your Bunny-Maker" which requires people to place bunny ears on unsuspecting females of each of the races. So I spend the entire holiday looking "cute" as Aggrion puts it. After he'd stopped laughing at his hilarious opening comment of "My! What big ears you have." that is. Yes, all the better to listen to your screams of agony, or is that wind chimes?

Love is in the air

Love was in the air, or so the posters said.

To be totally honest I had pretty much decided to skip the whole thing this year after my romantic plans last year left me wondering if Aggrion was truly totally oblivious to my feelings or simply trying to let me down gently.

But just after the world became a cloud of pink and red I stumbled on a collection of friendship bracelets in my Guild's bank. Friendship. The events at Brewfest had made me feel ever closer to Aggrion and I believe there is more for us to explore, so whatever the future may bring, he's my friend and that was worth celebrating if nothing else surely!

The Romantic Picnic Basket that had eluded me last year was now available to buy. So with a brand new basket in my possession I confirmed that Aggrion would be free and in as off-handed way as possible declared it to be "a date!". Let him make of it what he will I thought trying my best not to care either way.

When I heard about the Love Boats that had been set afloat in Darnassus and Stormwind I could barely contain my excitement. I asked Aggrion which of the two cities he would prefer and he chose Darnassus, of course he did, being a Night Elf. It didn't cross my mind it might also have been the more romantic option. I wonder if it crossed his?

It was a beautiful, warm evening and we met at the pier just across from the Bank of Darnassus and I was astonished to see he wasn't wearing his customary plate-mail armour. Instead an attractive shirt enhanced all the right bits of his toned torso to perfection complimented by matching pants. I looked down at my black shirt and dress dismayed that I looked positively dowdy next to him. But the thought was lost as Aggrion's strong arms lifted and swung me gently into the boat.

"Wouldn't want you to fall in and get eaten by a crocodile now would we?" Aggrion chuckled by way of explanation.

I just laughed, completely unprepared for the tone of this 'date'.

We were the only boat on the water, the city was practically deserted, this only made it more special, exploring the almost silent city's beautiful waterways. The sun blinded me when we left the shade of a large bridge and I turned to see Aggrion was gone! I looked about in confusion and was about to start shouting when a wet hand grabbed mine on the side of the boat. Another appeared and then a mass of long blue hair floated on the surface of the water framing Aggrion's face complete with mischievous grin. He pulled himself into the boat laughing and soaking me in the process and lay in the bottom of the boat looking up at the sky. I'd never seen him like this. So relaxed, so free, so playful, so happy..?

We moored the boat at a pretty little bank near a waterfall and set up the picnic. Okay, I'll be honest. I'd been completely unsure of what to wear and opted for a casual look, but had brought along a much prettier dress just in case of a last minute change of mind. Now, dripping with water, I had an excuse to change. Whilst Aggrion didn't seem to care about his clothes clinging even closer than before, I most certainly did. So I ducked behind a stand of trees and changed quickly.

"You look great Ary, that's a nice dress." Aggrion said appreciatively when I reappeared.
"Oh this?" I replied, trying to hide my gratified blush.

The picnic basket contained a selection of the most exotic and romantic food and drink available and we wasted none of it. I got quite giggly from all the champagne, Aggrion was positively chatty (for him). Once the picnic ran out we sat side by side and watched the water lapping at the bank, listening to the splash of frogs, totally content in one anothers silence. I leaned back and closed my eyes, trying to commit the moment to memory when I felt a large hand on mine, I opened my eyes as Aggrion gently took my chin turning my face his way.

"Ary, I want you to know that you are more than just a friend." He said in little more than a whisper.

Then he leaned down and kissed me and I had the presence of mind to close my gaping mouth in time to return his kiss.

The year that was

Winter Veil always seems to me to be a double edged sword (wooden one of course) or perhaps two sides of a chocolate coin.

Don't misunderstand me, the feasting and merry making, the mountains of presents and the decorations that adorn every spare corner whip me up into a near frenzy of bubbling excitement. My friends listen with fading patience to my enthusiastic chatter of presents, decorations and festive fare. Even my demons become ever more reluctant to heed my summons , fearful of being draped in tinsel and adorned with fairy lights!

Yet the festival has its roots in coaxing light in the darkness of the depths of winter, in the promise of spring and the renewal of the world. So, for me at least, it is also a time to reflect, to take stock and to remember past times. There's something special about the quiet after the party has died down, staring into the low flames of a dying fire lit by the twinkling of fairy lights.

This has been an interesting year, for myself and of course my companion, Aggrion. We had all but lost touch with one another at the end of last year and the discovery of Northrend did little to enthuse my warrior. Eventually I was able to drag him out of his drunken stupor and we boarded a ship from Stormwind that took us to the besieged town of Valgarde. There we began to learn a healthy dislike and respectable admiration for our new foe, the Vyrkul. Our first few expeditions left me concerned that our friendship was not what it had once been. Had our time apart created a chasm too deep for us to bridge?

Perhaps to reassure myself I started to spend my free evenings reminiscing. Remembering the many adventurers we had experienced together and our varied and ridiculous disguises. In light of these memories it seemed foolish for me to worry, we have so much that binds us.

But Valentine's day came and went with my romantic meal coming to nothing but a 'pleasant' few hours. Can he really be so blind to my feelings? Still, as the weeks and months passed we fell back into an easy way with one another, getting a feel for each others moods and more importantly, fighting styles. We worked together fluidly, bantering as we fought our way across Northrend. Finally, in April, I caught a glimpse of a deeper, kinder side to Aggrion as he spoke tenderly to Emily following our failure to rescue her rabbit, Mr Floppy.

The next few months were lighter, perhaps the weather, perhaps our growing familiarity with Northrend, and we found ourselves donning many strange costumes, raiding the Undercity (with gnome sized standards!) and laughing until we cried whilst dressed as Scourge. Then all of a sudden, almost at the same moment (almost), we were level 80 and a new era opened for us.

We put ourselves up for hire as 'Tank' and 'Damage Dealer' and started to explore the dungeons of Northrend. But we did so with little direction or drive, not really knowing where we wanted to go, rudderless in a way.

It was with this backdrop that we ended up at the Brewfest festival in Dun Morogh, and the day that changed our relationship forever.

Not that you'd know it if you saw us today of course. We're just as light hearted as ever, always teasing one another. But beneath that our friendship is strengthened in a way that can't be captured in simple words.

As for our careers? We thought it unlikely we'd ever be accepted into the larger raids that were organised against the powerful forces of the area, and for a long while that was true, but slowly we are beginning to tag along.

Our motivation? To carry on adventuring. Together.

So what am I grateful this Winter Veil? I'm grateful for my friends and most of all for my Warrior.

Gnome Lovin'?

There are times in life where having a group of people to draw on works in your favour, and for this reason I am affiliated with a guild. One of my fellow members is a gnome warrior known as Phearless. He thinks of himself as something of a ladies gnome and has outdone himself and all of his aspiring competitors by extending an invitation to the women of the guild for some 'gnome loving'.

To my astonishment all have replied agreeing to attend!

I appreciate that I, myself, am a gnome, and as such I should find something to love about the opposite sex of my race. But...well...would you?

What's not to like? Well, here's a list!

1. They are short and dumpy
2. They almost all have beards
   
3. and what is with the hair!?
4. Their laugh is downright freaky
5. They dance like the nightclub letch

Their one redeeming quality is that they blow the best kisses. Seriously, they are cute enough to erase almost all of the above. Clearly that is the only reason my race has made it this far.

But when it comes down to it, male gnomes just don't do it for me.

So sorry Phearless, but I won't be attending your party tonight, I think I'm washing my hair!

Aggrion

I woke slowly, swimming my way to the surface of a very deep sleep. My limbs felt heavy and I was supremely relaxed. I let the feeling wash over me, luxuriating in it as my mind rediscovered the body in which it lived. I became aware that I was lying on something firm, and warm, not a pillow, it rose and fell everso slightly, everso slowly, my right arm flung over it. Then I noticed a weight, wrapped around my torso. I felt safe, drifting on the edge of sleep, the last thing I wanted to do was open my eyes, but the sensible part of me told me I should at least investigate. I sighed and allowed my eyes to float open, taking a minute to focus.

Skin. My head was resting on a bare chest, my arm draped lazily across it, just above another, bare arm, which I realised was the weight wrapped around me. The rising and falling was the slow, relaxed breathing of sleep and now that I understood, I could hear a regular heartbeat beneath my left ear. The rough blanket gave me no clue. Then I saw a sword propped against the end of the bed and couldn't help but laugh.

The arm around my waist shifted so fast I had no chance to move, and a hand clamped across my mouth.

"Ary, cute as your laugh is, I'm sleeping." came a deep voice from above my head, amused more than angry.
"Mmmmhmmmffff mhmmm mha!" I responded yanking at his hand which finally came free. "Aggrion let me go!"

I pushed his arm off me, he seemed in no great hurry to move, and sat up. In one swift motion I grabbed the blanket and, dancing away from the bed, flung it into a corner. Aggrion grunted and shifted the arm that had been around me to rest behind his head, his eyes remained closed, but the hint of a smile played on his lips. I took a moment to admire his well muscled torso as I straightened my robes and pulled on my boots. Shame those leather pants were practically glued on I thought, allowing myself a sly grin.

"Gah!" I exclaimed as the headache hit me. "What were we drinking last night?" I groaned, as much to myself as Aggrion.
"Too much." Was the reply. "You gonna give me the blanket back, little one, or do I have to get up?"
"You'll just have to get up." I replied, darting out of the room.

I needed something to wake me up, clear my head. I headed out the back door of the silent Inn, into a small square yard. The cold of Dun Morogh hit me instantly and I ran to the shower area, casting a firebolt at the water tank above as I moved. By the time I'd stripped off my robes and boots and was standing beneath the rush of water it was almost too hot. Steam rose around me and I closed my eyes, going over events of the previous day.

"It's been ages since we've kicked back and had some fun Aggrion!" I half reasoned, half pleaded.

"Hmmmf." Was the reply. Aggrion was hacking at a target dummy in the great caverns of Ironforge.

"I feel like I've been disenchanting for at least three lifetimes. I am so bored of casting the same enchant over and over, I don't see how it will teach me anything!" I complained. "And if I have to go on another stupid quest into another stupid citadel or tunnel with another bunch of rude strangers I will scream!"

Aggrion didn't even look up, just continued to jab, slice and thrust at the dummy in front of him.

"ARRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed.

"Ary." He looked at me with a weary expression, a slight depth of breath and colouration to his skin the only sign of his sword practice.

"It's Brewfest Aggrion! It's right outside the city gates. It's only on for two weeks a year and it's part of my culture!" I added this last bit in desperation. Of course it wasn't actually my culture, it was Dwarven and growing up around them had instilled a healthy distaste for most things Dwarf, but with so few records of Gnomish history theirs was the only culture I really had. Aggrion was well aware of this, but I also knew he believed in ceremony.

"Ok." He shrugged, sheathing his sword and rolling his shoulders. "Show me 'your' customs."

We arrived just in time for the morning "Tapping of the keg" ceremony which had all the pomp and dogma I'd grown up rebelling against. As soon as it was finished I dragged Aggrion off to try Ram Racing, not a sport for the faint hearted! I was winning right up until my ram stopped for a snack at a barrel of particularly juicy looking apples. Aggrion raced past me and across the finishing line laughing so deeply he all but fell off when his mount screeched to a halt by its own apple barrel. We staggered unsteadily around the festival stalls, sampling the many rarely seen brews and delicacies on display. Finally, pleasantly drunk and exhausted, we sat on an outcropping of snowy rock overlooking the collection of tents and stalls. As the sun began to dip behind the mountains, casting a brilliant orange-red glow over everything, the evening's Tapping of the Keg ceremony played out once again beneath us. After the days raucous behaviour it was nice to simply sit and contemplate the world. Silence was something I was used to with Aggrion so I just enjoyed the feeling of the alcohol in my veins and the beauty of the sun on the snow.

The moment was shattered by shouting from below. "Invasion! Gatecrashers! The Dark Iron dwarves are here! Get them! Grab a tankard!". Aggrion was on his feet in an instant, sword in hand. I rose a second later and forced his hand down with my two. "Look!" I said, pointing at the fight that was breaking out below. No weapons were drawn, the two sides were instead throwing empty tankards at one another. I began to laugh and to make my way down the slope. "Come on Aggrion! Lets join in! We must save Brewfest!" I chanted as I slipped and slided down. Aggrion chuckled, sheathed his sword and followed me into the fray.

And it was so much fun. Of course we had to drink whatever was in the tankards before throwing them at our targets, well before the fight ended I was unable to see clearly, let alone be sure my tankard was hitting my target. Maybe that's why I lost sight of Aggrion, maybe that's why I missed what happened until it was too late.

I heard a yell coming from behind one of the Dark Iron's Mole Machines, a horrible fear filled shout that was nothing like the good natured banter that had been taking place. Along with most of the other revellers I ran to see what was going on and was aghast to see Aggrion beating one of the Dark Iron dwarves with a bloodied tankard. Two Dark Iron dwarves and a few of the festival goers were trying to pull him back, but I could see the berserker rage had him and I knew they didn't stand a chance. I noticed the city guards making their way through the crowd and I called to him frantically but he was oblivious. The dwarf before him sagged as he turned on those at his back, the look on his face terrifying, and a desperate plan came to me. I summoned Jhorlia as quickly as I could.

"Yes Mistress?" she sneered.

"Jhorlia, Aggrion needs our help. Stop the guards now, don't hurt them, just stop them." I spoke fast and she took in the scene, a look of concern crossing her normally hard features. She nodded and made her way towards the guards.

"Well, hello boys!" I heard her say, cracking her whip.

I had to act fast, the strength coursing through Aggrion's body wouldn't last much longer and the crowd were beginning to organise themselves. I summoned my magic and pictured the most terrible evils and miseries that I had seen or imagined and sent them racing towards Aggrion.

"I'm so sorry!" I gasped as the spell left my lips.

The effect was instantaneous. Aggrion, went sheet white and ran. The crowd were dazed, I saw my opportunity and cast again. I let the images flood out from me touching all those around me and the fear and panic spread like wildfire. Complete chaos ensued. I called Jhorlia and we ran, following Aggrion's path out of the festival and into the snowy wastes of Dun Morogh.

The noise of the panic stricken festival faded until all we could hear was the crunch of snow beneath our feet and the faint crackle of iced trees. I knew my fear spell wouldn't have lasted long but I had no idea if it would break the berserker rage permanently. Aggrion could have doubled back to the festival or have found someone else to focus his rage on. Luckily the recent snowfall and the rarity of travellers in this area was in our favour and we could make out what we hoped to be his tracks. Even so it took us an hour to find him.

He was sitting at the base of a tree, sword in hand, head bowed. I don't know when Jhorlia left, I think once she saw he was safe. I walked over and knelt in front of him and touched his cold, cold hands.

"Aggrion?" I said quietly. "Aggrion it's Ary."
"Yes." came the reply, but he didn't look up.
"Aggrion, look at me." The concern clear in my voice.
"No Ary, I cannot."
"It's okay. I'm okay. I'm sorry."
"You're sorry!?" His head shot up, his eyes pierced me, reddened from the berserker rage, the fear, the flight, the cold, or tears, I didn't know which.

I flinched instinctively, pulling my hand from his, regretting the movement immediately as I saw the pain flash across is face.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I had to fear you, you were out of control, the guards were coming, the people were going to overwhelm you!" I pleaded.
"Ary. You did the right thing." he paused. "Did I kill him?"

I knew he meant the Dark Iron dwarf. What did it matter, we had killed many more in the past, but yes, somehow this was different.

"I don't know. I just followed you."

Aggrion sighed and lowered his head again.

"Will you tell me what happened?" I asked tentatively, finding it harder than ever to gauge his mood.

"Yes, I owe you that much at least." he replied in a flat, emotionless voice.

He leaned back against the tree, avoiding eye contact and stared, unseeingly, into the distance, his hands still gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly the blood was fading away from his knuckles. I wanted so much to comfort him, but I felt unsure, he gave the impression of a cornered animal, calm now, but something, anything, could tip him over the edge. So I settled on a nearby fallen branch and waited.

I thought he'd changed his mind, when suddenly he cleared his throat and began to speak in the same flat tones.

"Long, before we met I was working as a mercenary. I moved from job to job, doing what was needed, helping those I could and I ended up in Ironforge. This was not long after your ancestors had been driven from Gnomeregon and the Third War was still a recent memory.

I came across the Thorium Brotherhood and was amazed at their blacksmithing skills. I spent time working with them and had nothing but admiration for their work. They were, at the time, liaising with the Dwarves of Ironforge to protect the city and themselves from further attacks from the Dark Iron dwarves, their less amiable brothers. For the Brotherhood the Dark Irons were a constant menace and most definitely too close for comfort. For Ironforge they were an ever-present threat. So they enlisted people like me to make regular trips into the Blackrock Mountain and disrupt the Dark Irons in the hope of delaying, if not preventing, any attacks.

I was asked to join one such group. We knew it would be risky and all of us were prepared. Or so we thought."

Aggrion paused, his eyes flickering to me briefly, but away too quickly for me to give him any reassurance. I stayed where I was, afraid to break the spell, he had never talked about his past like this before, and I longed to hear more.

"There must have been an informer. Someone must have told them we were coming. We were deep in the tunnels beneath the mountain, it had been difficult, but we had got through with only minor injuries. Then suddenly we were overrun. Dark Iron dwarves came at us from all angles. They didn't just attack us, they weren't just defending themselves. They were rabid, insane....

....I, I, can't describe it. I'm not sure I can even think about it enough to do so." He looked at me, his eyes pleading.

"Ary, they ripped the group apart. I don't mean figuratively, I mean literally. Limb from limb....I fought as long as I could then myself and five others ran. We were cornered...." he trailed off into silence, shaking his head as though to dislodge the memories.

"I came to barely able to breath, suffocated by a pile of bloody bodies. I have no idea how long I was unconscious for, nor how long I lay there listening before I slowly dug my way out of the twisted corpses of my friends. I don't know how I made it out alive. Maybe their guard was down, maybe we had made it closer to the exit than we had realised, but eventually I stepped into the sunlight of Searing Gorge and made my way to the Thorium Brotherhood camp.

They took me in and cleaned me up. I think I was with them for months rather than weeks. But its a strange time for me...." he trailed off again.

"I can't begin to imagine Aggrion." I didn't have the words to express how I felt, to comfort him, to heal this pain. I was suddenly overwhelmed by how little I truly knew this Elf, by what horrors he'd experienced in his long long lifetime.

"We all have dark times and light times Ary, and we deal with them. I thought I had put this behind me. But something snapped today at the festival, I was surrounded by Iron Dwarves and the laughter suddenly sounded to me like screams for help. I was back there, under Blackrock Mountain, I was there with the people around me dying and I had to do something this time. I had to." His voice cracked and he bowed his head.

I couldn't stop myself, I ran to him and flung my arms around his broad shoulders, burying my face in his neck.

"It's okay Aggrion, I'm here, you're safe, it's okay." To my surprise he didn't shrug me off, he seemed to sink into my arms, to let me hold him, and that is how we stayed for a long while.

Eventually I managed to persuade him that we couldn't stay out all night and we walked to the nearest inn. We drank and ate and took a room as though it was a normal night. He barely spoke for the rest of the evening, not so unusual. We were drunk and tired and fell into bed gratefully.

"Ary? Ary are you awake?" Aggrion whispered.
"Nearly." I replied.
"Come here." And he gathered me close, and I fell asleep listening to the sound of his heart beating.

The cold water made me gasp and I stopped the flow, wrapping myself quickly in my cloak and dressing as fast as possible. The other inhabitants of the inn were stirring and when I stepped back inside Aggrion waved me over to to a table in the corner.

"I ordered breakfast." he said.
"Thanks" I sat down. Knowing that things would be exactly the same as always and yet never the same again.

Interesting Times

There is an ancient curse of lost origins, "May you live in interesting times". Sometimes I wonder that this was cast upon the concept of the game of chance known colloquially as 'PUGing'. Certain quests may require additional members in a party, so a 'Pick Up Group' of helpful strangers is sometimes the only option. There is rarely a shortage of people to choose from, but the resulting group can vary dramatically and the experience can be entertaining or downright miserable.

On this particular occasion we had decided to venture into the Violet Hold, in Dalaran. The Hold hosts a number of extremely dangerous prisoners. Recently, however, Malygos has sent supporters of the Blue Dragonflight to enter the Hold via magical portals with the hope of loosing the prisoners on the city. On our arrival it was clear that the Kirin Tor guards were close to being overwhelmed and they wasted no time in leaving us to it. We worked hard to keep on top of the constant flow of creatures through portal after portal. Aggrion did his best to hold the attention of our foe, but his health was wildly unstable and we feared for his, and subsequently our, life on more than one occaision. I was deeply concerned when I glanced at our priest to see him gazing vaguely into the distance. Finally a different beast appeared, immune to our attacks he ignored us and calmly released one of the prisoners. Without waiting to see the outcome he disappeared, leaving us to defend ourselves (and all of Dalaran). We just managed to best the creature, but Aggrion was looking significantly the worse for ware. During a brief pause he made his way to me.

"I'm not sure about this healer." he muttered.

"Are you having any problems?" I asked the priest.

He seemed to ignore me, staring at his feet.

"Hang in there, we'll make it through." I whispered to Aggrion without much confidence.

But we didn't. We fended off the next set of attackers but as another prisoner was loosed, our healer was simply unable to keep up with the beating Aggrion was taking and we were forced to retreat.

We regrouped outside of the Hold and re-entered and once again the guards left us to it and again we battled the creatures that exited the portals. Once again a prisoner was released and once again we bested him by the skin of our teeth.

"I don't think we can do this." Aggrion said under his breath.

He was bleeding and bruised. I did my best to help him bandage himself, I wished, not for the first time, that my first aid skills were better. I glanced over at the Holy Priest who was standing a little way from the group looking distracted, then continued my task murmering my agreement.

Suddenly the healer glanced around at the rest of the party.

"I have to go. Sorry!" he said and without waiting to hear our response he cast a spell and disappeared.

"Oh..." I gasped.

"I'm hearthstoning!" cried Aggrion, already casting.

"Ow!" I groaned as a portal guardian struck me hard. The last thing I saw was a slightly guilty expression on Aggrion's face as he teleported to safety.

He was the only one who made it out safely. The rest of us gathered ourselves and met with him at the doorway to the Hold. We still had a job to do, but we couldn't go on without a healer. So we began to ask around once again. To our muted delight and surprise we found someone who was willing to help within a few minutes.

As we entered the Violet Hold for a third time we were somewhat subdued. Not so our new Druid healer.

"Warlock." He addressed me by class, not name, a pet hate of mine.

"Great" I thought, "another unlucky roll!"

"Just go ahead and use Life Tap whenever you want, I'll have you covered at all times." He finished, flashing me a winning smile and winking.

I almost choked on my Firecracker Salmon. I'm sure I blushed an unflattering shade of red. I shot a glance at Aggrion who was clearly too busy scowling at the prisoners to have noticed my reaction.

"Um, er, thanks!" I managed to respond.

"Lets get going." Aggrion said gruffly and charged at the first guardian.

I had never expected a tree to be quite so energetic! Through the entire encounter the Druid bounced and danced his way around the prison, seeming unperturbed by his dismal surroundings or the very real danger we were in. He was like our own personal sunbeam as he waved his branches and rustled his leaves. Aggrion's wounds were disappearing almost faster than they could be inflicted, he later commented that he barely even felt the attacks so quickly were they healed!

As we laid the blue dragon, Cyanigosa to rest, we thanked him for his help. Clearly skilled at healing, it was astonishing the difference that one single individual can make to such an experience.

So, PUGing. A way to meet the best and worst people. Definitely an interesting experience, not always a pleasant one, but it is how I met almost all of my friends, so it's perhaps more of a blessing than a curse.

Endings and Beginnings

We made it! My warrior companion, Aggrion, and I hit level 80 within seconds of one another. This was by no means an easy feat and required significant amounts of co-ordination and planning. The final moment was timed and we counted down the seconds to talking to our quest giver, knowing that his reward would be the last we needed.

"One, two, three...." counted Aggrion.

(I know, I was surprised he could too!)

And then it all happened in a rush.

The wings of a great drake darkened the sky as another adventurer swooped down to converse with Thassarian.

"Wait!" I urged.
"Go!" Shouted Aggrion.

The familiar yellow glow surrounded my friend and I took just a split second to decide to go ahead and speak with Thassarian myself. I was instantly blinded by a bright light that filled me with an almost overwhelming sense of achievement. The weight of months of adventuring, working ever towards this moment lifted from my shoulders. I couldn't help but be deeply proud that we had made it so far, and done so together, a solid team.

But of course even the best laid plans of Warlocks and Warriors go awry. The interruption from our fellow adventurer, Xr had caused confusion and ruined a fantastic photo opportunity.


Even so, Aggrion appearing as a half-elf/half-gorilla beast does make for amusing if not epic imagery :)


So now we begin to explore the heroic instances of Northrend. This will be a true test of our skill and mettle and we will embark on this next phase of our careers with interest!

Gnome on a stick

The day began usually enough, inside a hot and itchy Scourge costume.

I was busy commanding Bloated Abominations to kill Drakkari Skullcrushers and their chieftans in the not-so-pleasant surroundings of the Frigid Breach. Things were going well and I had managed to take out my targets with only a few minor hiccups along the way. I had one Abomination left and he was ready to blow. No problem, I thought, I'll send him off into the....BOOOOM!

Exploded Abomination everywhere! I was bounced high in the air, which was no bad thing really as I missed all the blood and guts. Aggrion looked around wildly looking more than a little bemused and definitely not amused as he dripped with abomination entrails. I landed comfortably and called over to him to confirm that all was well. He looked around in confusion seemingly unable to place my voice. Then I glanced down and realised I was I was balanced incredibly precariously on the tip of a giant wooden stake with only my disguise between me and a great impression of Gnome kebab!

There is something deeply unsettling about a Warrior, dressed as a Scourge, covered in body parts, dripping in blood and goo, laughing uncontrollably....

Accessorising to your strengths

Not long ago I found myself storming the horde Undercity. Yes, it's a very long story that I won't go into here as I am but one of many involved and others have told the tale far better than I ever could. Suffice to say that things took a turn for the worse and I think it was only Aggrion's respect for the discipline of hierarchy that kept him, and thus me, there.

We were all given standards to carry as we charged into the city (extremely unwieldy. I would not recommend them for future attacks). Having noted a while ago that gnomes seem to be given larger mounts than other races I was quite nervous about being given a banner that would be too long to carry!

Imagine how pleased I was when it became clear that the organisers of this dash into horde territory had been thoughtful enough to stock a supply of smaller standards for the shorter recruits...

Heroic Flop

Whilst exploring the Grizzly Hills a few weeks ago we were passing an abandoned tower when Aggrion stopped, almost imperceptibly cocking his head to one side, listening. He reminded me momentarily of a hunting dog, all senses alert, poised and attentive, then the image was gone as he turned and stared at the tower (perhaps a side effect of our recent time as wolves?). I stopped watching him and heard a high-pitched voice, female, whispering urgently. Aggrion motioned for me to follow and we began to make our way towards the tower. At the base of the stairs that lead to the doorway I heard a giggle from inside. I glanced at Aggrion raising an eyebrow quizzically, he merely shrugged and unsheathed his sword, quietly climbing the steps.

The whispering grew louder and I clearly heard the words "Mr Floppy". I readied a shadowbolt as Aggrion forced open the door (heroes don't knock). A gasp came from the far corner as the door slammed into the wall and one of the largest rabbits I have ever seen hopped towards us.

"Oh! I'm so glad you're here Mr Warrior!" said a small girl as she scooped up the rabbit. "We went exploring but got lost and the wolves chased us in here and we're getting awfully hungry!"

Aggrion sheathed his sword and mumbled something, shuffling his feet slightly. The look he gave me was so full of desperation I couldn't help but giggle. Aggrion is not good with children. I stepped around him and smiled at the girl.

"Hi! I'm Ary, this," I tapped Aggrion on the knee. "Is Aggrion. Who are you?"
"My name is Emily, and this is Mr Floppy." She held the rabbit out its hind legs dangling mere millimetres from the floor. He glared at me. I glared back. I am not good with animals.

“Can you take us home?” asked Emily.

Turned out that home was the Westfall Brigade Encampment and of course, Aggrion, never one to leave a damsel in distress, nodded an agreement, took up his sword and lead the way from the tower.

We strolled through the pleasant woodland, the dappled sun warming my face, Mr Floppy pausing occasionally to nibble a blade of grass and Emily skipping at Aggrion's side chattering incessantly. The warrior's discomfort was palpable; I couldn't recall a situation that had made him so unsure and was considering rescuing him when a giant black wolf appeared as if from no-where, and launched itself at Mr Floppy.

"Eeeeek!" screamed Emily. "He's going for Mr Floppy!"

Aggrion spun and sliced at the wolf deftly. I muttered a few words under my breath and pointed at the wolf, a bolt of pure shadow energy left my fingers and smashed into its side. Seconds after the bolt hit Aggrion laid a mortal blow and the creature fell to the floor.

Emily hugged Mr Floppy who glared at me over her shoulder.

"We need to keep moving." Said Aggrion, his eyes sweeping the woods for signs of more wolves.

The pace was frustratingly slow, Emily still insisted on skipping and Mr Floppy hopped, too heavy for her to carry and unwilling to be carried by Aggrion. Finally we were within sight of the encampment when another, larger, wolf burst from the undergrowth going straight for the rabbit.

"There's a big meanie attacking Mr Floppy! Help!" Emily cried.

Aggrion was on the wolf again in seconds, but it already had the defenseless Mr Floppy in it's jaws.

"He's gonna eat Mr. Floppy! You gotta help Mr. Floppy! You just gotta!" Sobbed Emily.

I cast a curse of agony hoping the wolf would drop the rabbit in its pain, but it had locked its jaw and nothing short of the wolf's demise would release Mr Floppy. Aggrion growled in frustration, he had to take care not to hurt the rabbit as he sliced at the wolf.

I fired my full repertoire of curses at the creature, knowing they would only hit their intended target, but they are slow to take effect and the wolf shook Mr Floppy horribly. Then my curses took effect and the wolf yelped and fell to the ground twitching in agony. The rabbit dropped from his jaws and lay motionless to one side.

"Don't go toward the light, Mr. Floppy!" Emily wailed.

I watched sadly as Aggrion examined Mr Floppy (through the tangle of Emily’s arms) he looked at me and shook his head then hesitantly patted Emily's shoulder. She hugged her dead rabbit all the more tightly its weight shifting slightly in her arms and to my utter horror Emily took this as a sign of life.

"Mr. Floppy, you're ok!" She looked at Aggrion with wide innocent eyes. "Thank you so much for saving Mr. Floppy!"

Aggrion and I stared at one another in stunned silence.

"Emily..." I began. "I think Mr Floppy has gone to bunny heaven."
"No! He's fine, thank you!" She smiled at me.
Aggrion, kneeling at her side, took her chin gently in his rough hands and turned her face so she was looking at him. "No. Emily. Mr Floppy has gone." The words were firm, but said with a tenderness I'd never seen him exhibit.

"No! You're wrong!" cried Emily, placing Mr Floppy on the ground where he lay motionless. "He's just sleeping!"

We tried for an hour to convince her he was hopping in a meadow free of wolves and full of other rabbits with all the dandelion leaves he could eat. But she would not listen, neither would she accompany us to the Encampment, saying she had to wait for Mr Floppy to wake first. Eventually we had no choice but to leave her and inform her brother, Squire Walter of her situation.

Not our finest moment.

We did however make it up to her by finding her later, in the same tower of all places, and escorting her and Mr Floppy (the 2nd) safely home.

Flying visit

Aggrion and I were taking a brief break in Silverbrook in the Grizzly Hills when the gentle hum of daily life was shattered by a noise falling somewhere between a shout and a scream "TAAAAAADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!".

Aggrion was on his feet instantly, a cleaning rag in one hand, a dagger in the other. For someone who's so....laid back about personal hygiene, he sure spends a lot of time cleaning his weapons! I guess a spotless sword does more damage? A shiny shield reflects more hits? Definitely doesn't work on wands. The one time I cleaned my wand it stopped working entirely and I had to leave it out in the sun for a whole day to dry and even then it would occasionally spit water and soap bubbles instead of shadow bolts. More clown than Warlock.

A tap on my shoulder brought me out of my thoughts and I turned to see Lithurius, healer recently turned shadow priest, standing behind me.

"Hi! What did you think!?" He enthused at me.
"Of what?" I replied "And hey."

Content there was no immediate threat Aggrion had begun to examine his shield. He glanced at Lithurius for the briefest of seconds then looked away disinterested.

"You didn't see?" Asked Lithurius.

When I shook my head he frowned, a second later he was grinning like a lunatic and jumping on his flying rug. As he zoomed upwards I heard the words.

"Look up!"

I looked up, feeling slightly dizzy. Funny how when you tilt your head right back and look up into the sky you feel that you may fall over backwards at any moment. I concentrated on keeping my feet flat on the ground and focussed on the bottom of the receding rug. I became aware that Aggrion was also looking skyward. The rug became a dot, then even that disappeared.

I was just about to glance away when a smudge appeared, growing rapidly in size, I soon realised it must be Lithurius, falling to his death! Suddenly a puff of smoke appeared, a cloud perhaps? Whatever it was, it was slowing Lithurius's decent. As he glided to the ground his yell of "Taaaaaadaaaaaaaa!" echoed through the woodland and he landed without a sound a few feet in front of me, bowing with a flourish.

I applauded enthusiastically. Aggrion stood, adjusted his shining weaponry, looked over at me, inclined his head slightly and walked away to talk with one of the townsfolk.

I smiled at Lithurius.

"Looks like it's time to go! Thanks for dropping in."
"He always like that?" Asked Lithurius, looking over at Aggrion.
"Yeah, he's not big on chatting." I answered.
"Hmmm, you should hang out with me more then." Lithurius, winked with a grin and hopping nimbly onto his rug said. "I could take you to new heights!"

As he zoomed upwards I waved at him, thinking for a moment how much fun it must be to fly across the wilds of Northrend on a magical rug. But my Gryphon was stabled in Shattrath and my sewing skills were not up to rug making.

A few hours later we were clinging to the back of a horse on a white knuckle chase through the woodland. It turned out the entire village were werewolves and having uncovered the truth we were making our escape. Aggrion slashing at anything that came close, with me facing backwards casting fireballs. As we came in sight of Amberpine Lodge we slowed and perhaps that's why we were able to hear the pitiful shouts coming from high in the treetops.

It took me a minute to realise what I was actually seeing. A giant flag on top of one of the tallest trees. A giant flag shouting "Help! I'm stuck! Get me down!". I shook my head. No, not a flag...a rug...and it wasn't the rug that was shouting it was the small priest clinging to it....

Our rider slowed to a halt and Aggrion looked up, following my gaze. A pause, one second, two seconds, three seconds and his daggers began to rattle against his armour as he began to chuckle, then to laugh, a deep, deep laugh from right down in his belly and he didn't really stop for the rest of the day

I rode with the local Gryphon Master to help untangle Lithurius.

"Told you I'd show you new heights." He grinned sheepishly as we finally loosed him.

We last saw him flying off rather unsteadily due to the large hole in the rug grumbling about the cost of Iceweb Spider Silk and Imbued frostweave.

Fool for Love

I guess its pretty obvious to most people that I am extremely fond of Aggrion. I guess its pretty obvious to everyone except Aggrion. I decided to make an effort during the recent celebrations of love. I undertook some simple errands and was rewarded with a lovely red dress. I gathered together some pretty pink petals and fireworks that burst as a pink heart, all I needed was an activity that would provide a talking point and set the tone I was hoping for. I had seen lots of love-struck couples huddled together under heart-patterned umbrellas eating from hampers packed with champagne, strawberries, chocolates... Yes, a romantic picnic was ideal for what I had in mind.

Ideal but illusive. I spent days and days trying to track down a romantic picnic basket but it was not meant to be and as the festival drew to a close all had been sold or given away, an omen perhaps? Although disappointed I was determined not to let the season pass us by unmarked. So I made do with what I had and we enjoyed a pleasant meal of dried meat and chilled wine.

Pleasant.

He admired the dress and enjoyed the petals and fireworks. He even brought along a fancy light beam, not quite candlelight but better than nothing. We laughed about how rarely we wear anything other than our armour and finished our wine, then I pulled on my robes and armour and packed away my dress and we continued to explore the Howling Fjord.

Should I take a hint? Is Aggrion really so oblivious or is he just playing at it so as not to risk hurting my feelings?

Oscar nominee?

I have a confession to make, I'm prone to the odd bit of reminiscing. Often these moments descend when I'm alone in one of the many bland tavern rooms where I seem to spend so much of my time. Of course a few glasses of the local beverage often have their part to play....

So having spent a few hours pouring over my collection of photos, I thought I might share with you some of the more memorable moments in my...uh...acting career.

My oldest disguise was during a foray into Dire Maul, where I found myself dressed as a Gordok Ogre. I particularly enjoyed the dancing, although I think my audience would have preferred less thrusting and wobbling of the belly.

I'd barely been through the portal and in Outland a few weeks before I was sticking feathers everywhere for my Arakkoa disguise. I couldn't help but cackle and rub my hands...umm claws...together but the shambling gate is deeply impractical.

Next I was posing, I uh mean undertaking serious espionage, in the guise of a Blood Elf. I must be honest, against all of my better judgement, I rather enjoyed these disguises. It's always interesting to see the world from a different viewpoint and I have a certain sympathy for the pure arrogance of the species. Plus they are very pretty, Aggrion certainly wore his disguise extremely well. It was nice to be able to look him in the eyes without needing him to sit down! However, it took weeks for my body to recover from the contortions I needed to perform in order to achieve their amazingly bad posture!

I definitely preferred the first look.

And now for my favourite disguise. This is, indeed, Aggrion and I hiding in crates. I found it incredibly cramped and smelly, and I have absolutely no idea how Aggrion managed to squeeze himself in, I do remember it taking quite some time to get him back out though! I'm still surprised our enemies didn't hear the whispering between the two innocuous little boxes that had quite suddenly appeared on the nearby wall, especially when one of them got a fit of the giggles and nearly shook herself onto the floor!

The wilds of Northrend have been no less demanding of my acting skills, I found myself dressed as a Worg whilst exploring the Howling Fjord. Not quite as uncomfortable as the crates but I'm not really sure why the costume had to come complete with its own family of fleas. And boy, do Worgs stink! Or maybe that was Aggrion...

And finally, the reason for this little trip down memory lane was my latest undercover operation. Sent by Serinar to investigate the Cult of the Damned in the Obsidian Dragonshrine of Dragonblight we were given disguises that took us by surprise. Aggrion's robes suited his shapely form far better than mine....

Divided?

It's becoming apparent that Aggrion is missing Jhorlia. I use my felhound more these days and Jhorlia is rarely summoned out of her particular hell dimension. He has commented on this more than once, but I'm trying to ignore it, I was hoping my company would be enough. During our more recent excursions I have begun to wonder whether he needs my company at all. He needs little help with the general hack 'n slash of exploration and my support tends to come solely in the shape of Healthstones and Soulstones.

Truth be told, I am concerned that his experience has far outstripped mine. Prior to the discovery of Northrend we spent some time apart while I tended to various chores. Aggrion was drafted to raid areas such as Serpent Shrine Cavern and Tempest Keep. I am not sure exactly what happened on these excursions but he returned to me a changed Nightelf. His shoulders seem broader, he carries himself straighter and his combat skills are greatly improved. He learned a lot in that time, whilst I simply trod water.

I would hate to think that that time has created a divide between us. I've hinted at my concerns in off-hand comments, but he has not seemed to notice, although subtly is not his strong point! Some say that Northrend is a new beginning for us all and I will grab that chance with both hands and rip the soul from it! ;)

I'm back!

Hi!

Did you miss me? I know, I've been really bad at keeping you up to date but the past few months have been so busy I've barely had time to feed my Felsteed! Let me bring you up to date.

With Aggrion at my side (or about 30 yards in front of me) I've explored most of Outland. We battled the vicious beasts that roam Hellfire Peninsula, helped the Sporelings in Zangarmarsh, cleansed the barren wastes of Terokkar, marvelled at the beauty of Nagrand, negotiated the spikes of Blade's Edge Mountains, reunited the elements in Shadowmoon and had not long arrived in Netherstorm when rumours reached us of the discovery of a new continent....Northrend.

Aggrion, rather than excited by this news, seemed to lose interest in continuing to adventure and took himself away. I finally tracked him down to a corner of the Worlds' End tavern in Shattrath. To be honest it didn't take very long, but I decided to give him some 'alone time' (read consuming significant quantities of local red wine time). I have, on occasion, joined Aggrion on these drinking sessions, but that is another story for another time.

"Come on! There's a whole new place to explore!" I enthused, jumping up and down on the table in front of him.

"Hrumph" He grunted back to me, which I took to be his way of saying "Yes, I'd love to accompany my favourite little Gnome to investigate the new lands." He's a Nelf of few words.

I bounced of the table and started to tug at him. "Come on then! Lets go now! Hurry up!".

He sighed exaggeratedly and tried to hide a smile as he rose to his feet and let me lead him to the Stormwind Portal.

The new docks in Stormwind were breathtaking and we spent a few hours exploring before realising that we had to get a boat from Menthil Harbour in Wetlands instead...some signposts wouldn't go amiss!

Valgarde is set in a deep chasm on the Southeast coast of Northrend overlooked by the breathtaking Utgarde fortress. Within minutes of arriving in the town we were drafted to help deal with an almost constant attack from the Vrykul to the East.

I think Aggrion quite admires them, the half giants are accomplished warriors and a formidable foe. He does so enjoy any opportunity to truly test his combat skills. Personally, I think the world needs less giants. We recently met the Tuskarr who are far more to my liking being smaller and pretty cute looking...not as cute as me of course! But they do smell of fish and I'm really not a big fan of fish or water for that matter, doesn't suit my fiery nature.

But it is good to be adventuring again!

Hellfire Peninsula Wildlife - Up close and personal

I described my arrival in Outland a few months ago. Almost as soon as you gain your bearings after setting foot through the portal, you are sent off on a gryphon ride to the outpost of Honor Hold. It's a town under siege, with regular attacks from the skies as it is bombarded by what appear to be small meteors, shaking the buildings and forcing all those in the vicinity under cover.

Honor Hold sits in the centre of the Hellfire Peninsula, a barren and uninviting wasteland. Rumours are that it was once a beautiful land, but there's no evidence of that now. Its rocky, rust red terrain show the ravages of war and years of abuse by the Orcs that now inhabit and control the majority of the region.

It is no surprise that the Peninsula is an extremely dangerous place for any adventurer even putting aside the various warring factions, the local wildlife is understandably aggressive. Two-headed vultures can be found near the many bones that scatter the area. I watched in horror when, after I had killed one of a flock, another bird wasted no time in swooping down on the corpse of its recently departed brethren and began tearing it apart with little more than a warning "Caw!" in my direction.

Helboars roam the wastes and provide both a good source of food and of course soulstones for a wandering Warlock like me!

However, Ravagers are by far my most disliked of the local Hellfire fauna. Ravagers are brightly coloured, four-legged creatures, that bring to mind a bizarre experiment crossing an insect and a sand worm. They skitter and scuttle in a manner that makes even this hardened Gnome's skin crawl. You can imagine my dismay when they were appearing all across the lands as hunters trained them as pets. People think that Warlock's have pet related issues, but I can assure you that we have standards, it seems that Hunters, some at least, do not.

The inhabitant of Hellfire that strikes fear into the heart of any sane and life respecting adventurer though is the Fel Reaver. They are massive machines that stalk the wasteland at an alarming speed. As they approach the very ground shakes and vibrates and the air is filled with a haunting metallic noise. The only sensible thing to do under such circumstances is find out where the creature is coming from and run as fast as you can in the opposite direction!

Sounds simple? Well somehow, despite their great size these creatures are supernaturally stealthy and seem able to creep up on even the most alert explorer. I mean we can't be constantly looking around us can we? Maybe you're helping to cull the local Helboar population, or watching a flock of Bonestripper Buzzards peck at the flesh of one of their number, or maybe just running away from Ravagers....

Either way most people will feel the ground shake, hear the grinding of metal on metal and desperately twirling on the spot to judge where its coming from glance up just in time to find a giant Fel Reaver foot about to squash them into the ground.....

.....at least that's what happened to me one fateful day. My warrior friend, Aggrion, could only stand at a safe distance and watch as his favourite Gnome was ground into the red dirt of Hellfire Peninsula. As soon as it was safe to do so he helped me, grumbling, to my feet and stood at a prudent distance whilst I dusted myself down as the air about me turned a subtle shade of blue from the words pouring out of my now very grumpy mouth. After giving me time to calm down Aggrion stepped forward and tentatively suggested we continue on our way to the nearby Temple of Telhamat where I could recover fully perhaps over a cool drink...

A few skins of Filtered Draenic Water later and I was almost ready to laugh about it. Aggrion, however, kept his peace, knowing better than to laugh at my misfortune before I was ready to join in. "You just watched me die!" I pouted at him teasing, "You should avenge my death!" The serious nature of the look he returned to me sent me into a fit of giggles as I practically fell off the comfortable sofa on which I was perched.

So, feeling much better we set off into the wilds once more to continue running errands for the local population. We were getting a lot done and exploring much of the western side of the Peninsula, meeting all sorts of strange people and creatures, but nothing that came close to the elite monstrosity that had so unceremoniously squashed me!

I had all but forgotten about the earlier instance when to my horror I heard the haunting noise in the distance. As the ground shook I looked wildly about me, determined not to fall victim again. Then I spotted the great Fel Reaver not more than 100 yards away. I had to rub my eyes because I did not believe what I was seeing, had I taken too much of my life source through Life Tap? Had we had one too many Filtered Draenic Waters? Blinking quickly I looked again. No, my eyes were not deceiving me. Aggrion was indeed the small figure, sword slicing at the tree-trunk like ankle of the Fel Reaver .

I watched, mesmerised as the Warrior spun and jabbed, feinted and thrust at the monster. It became clear that this was no mistaken battle, Aggrion had consciously initiated this fight. I feared for him, he couldn't hope to best this creature, and yet I knew I would be be no help, so I stood, mouth open in shock as he put every ounce of energy into doing at least some damage to the beast.

It was a scene that I shall never forget, it lasted but moments and yet seemed to stretch for hours. Finally, as though tiring of this game, the Fel Reaver raised a great foot, which seconds later came slamming down on the bothersome Night Elf at its feet. Without a backward glance the demon continued on its seemingly mindless march across the wasteland and was lost from view.


I ran to the broken and battered body of Aggrion and he must have seen the question in my eyes. "What on earth were you doing!?" I shouted at him.

"I was avenging your death" he stated simply before losing consciousness.

I made a mental note never to joke with Aggrion where honour and combat were involved.

Deviate delight?

As everyone does from time to time, I went through a rather quiet period not so long ago. Whilst my adventuring was on hold for a short while I thought I might explore some of the other delights that Azeroth has to offer an inquisitive warlock such as myself.

A friend of mine is a very fine cook and managed to acquire a rare recipe known as Deviate Delight. Rumour has it that those who feast upon this dish will find themselves under the influence of a most powerful glamour spell.

Now, whilst I am deeply proud of my Gnomishness I do occasionally tire of the constant jokes and jibes about my height and general size, as I believe I have mentioned before. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be the size of a human. To possess a shape and proportion I could only dream off. To be nearly tall enough to look my fellow adventurers, especially Aggrion in the eyes! Well, you don't get to be a great Warlock without some mad scientific experiments and of course the engineer in me found the whole concept fascinating!

I petitioned said friend and she kindly cooked up a batch of piping hot Deviate Delights for me.
I happened to be in Stormwind at the time and decided to take myself off to the relative quiet of the Mage Quarter to conduct my initial tasting of this strange fare. I must confess to being quite nervous about trying out this food, with any potion that promises glamour there are bound to be side effects, and just because this dish smelt divine and looked delicious, in no way guaranteed its safety! However, I am a scientist and thus I took a deep a breath and took a bite.

For a good while I felt no different. I actually began to believe that the experiment had failed and that this was a bad batch. Then, as I raised my hands to take another bite I noticed the fingers were longer and slimmer than before. Looking down I noticed my clothes had changed. I was no longer wearing my usual robes, but instead an extremely low cut pirate shirt. And of course I couldn't help but notice that I had good reason for wearing such a revealing outfit!

Excitably I stood to try and get a better look of myself. I was, for all who cared to look, a pirate! "Arrrrrrr me hearties!" I cried, laughing to myself as one of the locals took a detour to avoid crossing my path, eyeing me nervously.

I tried to dance the Hornpipe, but found I just danced the Macarena. Still it's quite a fun dance. And made a change from my usual moves. What would Aggrion think of the new me? Would he be able to look me in the eyes ;) Considering this I sought out a mirror, wanting to get a closer look at this...new look. Finally finding one I nearly cried. Surely a face only a mother could love!? What was I to do? I couldn't go to Outlands looking like this!!! Where were my beautiful green eyes, my cute face? I'd even welcome back my shaggy brown hair! Anything but this ugly mug....

I calmed myself. "Think Ary, think..." then almost unconsciously my hand came to rest on an antidote, kindly prepared for me by my friend. Sighing in deep relief I took a swig and held my breath....

One, long, minute, later I felt a tingling sensation all over and when I looked down I was back to my normal self again. Not quite feeling out of the woods yet I ran into the nearest shop and scared the poor serving girl half to death with demands that she describe me and requests for assurances that I was not, indeed, wearing a pirates hat! "No, no! You're a gnome! Honestly! Please do not hurt me...." she cried, desperately trying to back away from the small whirlwind I had evidently become. Finally I took her word for it and gave her a few coins and a health stone as an attempt at apology for my strange behaviour. I left the shop, still shaking, and vowed never to try the Deviate Delight again!

But....I am a curious gnome. And a few days later the now thoroughly cold, but surprisingly fresh, dish, locked away in my bank vault, was attracting my attention more and more. I reasoned with myself that no true experimentalist would allow one bad experience to knock them from their path. If things go wrong I should pick myself up and try again. This motto had gotten me through my life so far, why should I give up now. And for vanity of all things! I was not so vain that I would let a mere pirate related disaster stop me from exploring the unknown, surely!? What was I? A Gnome or a Succubus!?

This time I decided to see if being in my home city of Ironforge would bring better luck. Retreating to the security of the Forlorn Caverns I found a darkened corner in which to try, once again, the Deviate (for sure) Delight (hmmm). Nervously I took a bite and another and another, as I finished the whole dish I concluded that perhaps it wouldn't work when cold. I could barely contain the involuntary sigh of relief as I realised that I was spared another ordeal without having to back out of important experimentation!

Feeling slightly warm and in need of some fresh air I wandered out through the City gates into the crisp early morning. As I walked I started to feel a little light headed, my breathing felt stifled, almost as if.....raising my hand I felt a scarf around my face....a scarf!? What on earth!? I looked down to see my now human form was clad head to toe in supple black leather. I was, not a pirate but an assassin. And an attractive looking one at that!

Well now, this was a great improvement on my previous experience and I have to say I spent a long while trying out my new self. I quite enjoyed the looks I got from the passing male humans and Nelfs and danced the Macarena with glee. The human cheering is not nearly as nice as my Gnomish cheer, but I loved the jumping. Humans sit so neatly and move so gracefully. It was definitely an experience worth waiting for.

I couldn't wait to share it with Aggrion! I wasted no time, fearful that the spell would leave before I reached Honor Hold where he was currently abiding. My Felsteed was a little nervy at first, but soon recognised my scent and soothing tones and allowed me to ride her, grumbling only a little at the added weight. Racing against the clock we finally made it through the Dark Portal and mounted a Gryphon to take us to the outpost town.

The creature landed and I rushed to the doorway of the Inn, excited to see Aggrion's reaction, I walked around the corner. He was sitting at a table with a mug of ale, he glanced up briefly as I entered the room, but not recognising me, returned to gazing into the fire. I paused. Suddenly aware of what I was doing. Did I really believe that my appearance was so important? Did I really feel that I had to change myself so much for someone? I was a Gnome Warlock, not a human assassin, and proud of it!

Smiling to myself I stepped back around the corner, took a sip of the antidote and waited to return to my true form. As I did I took a deep breath and rounded the corner greeting Aggrion with a bright "Hi!". He looked up from his ale and smiled back, waving me over to join him. I climbed on an empty chair and settled down next to him, sighing as I too gazed on the flickering flames. Absently I patted the remaining Deviate Delight, wrapped carefully in my pocket, sure that one day it would come in handy. But not today.