I intend to do an update post soon. Lots has happened!

Rosary wept upon his body and cursed the blood thirst that enveloped her. For many days she had fought against it, managing to get by from drinking blood from her fellow covensisters.  But she was weak and the thirst was too strong for her.  Each time she drank the thirst returned faster and faster until it was only satisfying her for a few minutes. Rosary knew that in order to be able to get the sustenance she craved, blood from her Goddess, she needed to make this sacrifice. She prayed for salvation but she knew the Light was lost to her now.

Rosary cleaned the hammer of the high priest’s blood before setting off on her journey to meet with her dark goddess.

When Rose came around the lady from the square was tending her wounds. She informed her that she was in fact a healer also and could  treat her. Rosary at first struggled against this a little but something about the woman’s voice calmed her and she relaxed. Soon feeling better, Rose sensed a lot of anger being directed towards the elven rogue in the corner of the room,  clearly this incident had not been part of their plan. Clearly though there was also no sick draenei to treat either.  Sesra and Rosary then went to a deserted house where the situation was revealed – she wanted to question Rosary about her knowledge of Sheleria. Sesra backed up what Vihlar had said about Sheleria being extremely dangerous now.  The two promised to keep in touch and Rosary gave Sesra a small talisman that would act as a private channel they could use to communicate if they needed each other.

A few days later, Rosary got a message over the guild communicator that the young human priestess named Ortia wished to speak with her. Rosary had a feeling of foreboding about this, but brushed it aside, mostly out of curiosity about the girl as she knew there was some kind of link between her and Sheleria/Eclipsis.  Rosary knew that it was dangerous, but she really, really wanted to see the demoness and knew that meeting with Ortia held a strong chance of being led to her.

They met in Stormwind and had barely began talking when suddenly the door opened and in came the draenei girl that Rosary recognised as the beggar from the square. The girl appeared to have some kind of hold over Ortia and demanded that she tie Rose up and take her to their “Goddess”.  Rose did not resist, Ortia was clearly very uncomfortable with the situation and likened it with leading her to her death.  The draenei girl overpowered her however and the two of them frogmarched Rose to the crypt at the bottom of the cathedral.  There, they found the woman formerly known as Sheleria, but was clearly not her any more.

Rose recognised her former friend, but many changes had occurred to the woman since they had last seen each other. The face was the same, but when her mouth opened she had what looked like fangs or extremely sharpened teeth. Her claws were lengthened also. Her eyes glowed with a cold evil as she looked upon them.  Rose tried to appease her and make a quick exit, her self preservation instinct kicking in at this point over her intense curiosity that had led her to this point, but then before she had a chance to run the woman struck her to the ground and she felt a sharp pain in her neck followed by nothingness….

She sought to find a way to make Azarael see sense. How to make her once wise, now lovesick cousin and friend see the light. The warlock was evil. A strong demonic taint existed in him and it was affecting Azarael’s judgement.

Kaldara wrote a letter to the lady Sesra. She had formed a strong friendship in the past over their shared opinions on many topics, including the warlock. Maybe she would know what to do. Sesra replied that she was happy to help with whatever Kal had in mind. A few days later, Kaldara was at the first aid house in Darnassus picking up some bandages and found lady Sesra there.. she had been wounded, and was recuperating. Kal was most concerned about her friend’s injuries and asked where she had sustained them, but the paladin was rather evasive, hiding what Kal thought looked like a bite mark on her neck. She was about to question her further on that, but then they were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a rogue, Maransas, whom Kaldara knew from Shadowsteel.

Sesra said that she was waiting for Ortia in Darnassus, the priestess whom she had taken under her wing as apprentice. The two of them had been attacked by Irinax and dragged to the lair underneath the cathedral where they had been bitten. Sesra had been rescued by Ortia and taken to Darnassus where Ortia promised to meet her. Only Ortia had not returned yet..

Kaldara mentioned that Rosary, a priestess and fairly new recruit in Shadowsteel had been asking a lot of questions about Vihlar and Sheleria, which was Eclipsis’ old name from before she was “turned”.  Sesra upon hearing this was intrigued  to find out of the draenei woman knew anything about Sheleria and if she was somehow connected with her. It was decided that they should arrange a meeting with her.  Kaldara and Sesra told Maransas that they would meet  at Stormwind, with Rosary. First though they went on a then the two of them travelled together to the docks where they where they dived for the vessel, finally finding it at the bottom of the ocean. They then travelled to Howling Fjord where Kaldara buried the vessel in some sand near a big rock for a marker. She then froze the ground with a spell to prevent others from digging to find it and also to keep Eclipsis away since she fears the cold.  Then they travelled back to Stormwind to meet with Maransas.

“What is going on?” Azarael questioned Vihlar. The warlock looked angry and cold towards her as he responded “That woman is an agent of Eclipsis. We must not let her get away.”  The two of them gave chase but it quickly became apparent that the interlopers had gone. However in the corner of his eye Vihlar spotted something and they changed course. Another draenei woman, a different one to the one they had just seen, was running from them.  They quickly gave chase and cornered her, pinning her against a wall. Azarael realised with shock that she recognised her. It was Irinax, the priestess who had promised to help them when she and Sesra had travelled to the Exodar to seek help with finding a vessel to remove the fel energies from Naisha.

Irinax appeared angry to have been cornered, but not surprised to see them. Vihlar tied her roughly so avoid her escape as they questioned her.  The priestess claimed that she had the vessel stored on a ship down by the docks, and that she would lead them to it. The priestess persuaded for them to release her from her bonds which Azarael did, being a trusting kind of soul.  At the docks Irinax instructed Vihlar where to find the vessel and he left Azarael with the priestess to stand guard over her. However the second Vihlar’s back was turned, Irinax dived into the sea. Azarael jumped in after her, being an adept swimmer, however the priestess was nowhere to be found. She returned to Vihlar, who was also empty handed. Her lover was furious with her that she had let the woman escape and even more so that he had allowed himself to be duped and the vessel once again was lost to them.

Rosary paused. “I have found out very little thus far, my lord.  Covert listening over the communicator has given a few leads, however. I do believe there is some connection with the warlock, Vihlar.”

Izmir nodded.  “I feel it is time for you to make some more in depth investigations. Please question the warlock to find out what he knows. Sheleria  must be returned to us and the sooner the better in order for us to be able to heal her of her condition.”

Rosary spent the next few nights barely sleeping as she planned a meeting with the warlock. She did not want it to be an organised interview, more a by chance encounter so as to catch him unawares. She travelled to Stormwind where she found a young human priestess in the cathedral square whom she recognised as a new recruit to Shadowsteel, Ortia. Ortia however seemed somewhat distracted and hurried and kept looking towards a house in the square as if she believed she was being somehow watched. She made a reference to a planned meeting with someone in this square. Rosary’s suspicions were heightened and she excused herself and made a quick journey over to the Trade Square where she picked up some refreshments for her bags and then returned to the square, making herself look as inconspicuous as possible she hid behind a tree. The priestess was no longer there, but there was a blonde human woman having quite a heated conversation with a dark haired human male, whose voice she recognised as Vihlar.

She listened keenly and sensed her plans had paid off as she eavesdropped and heard them talking about the elven woman Naisha whom she had heard mentioned before over the guild channel – indeed this was another one of Rosary’s leads, although it seemed that Naisha was missing, her whereabouts unknown. There was for sure some kind of connection with Naisha’s disappearance and Sheleria.  The humans’ voices carried as their conversation grew more tense, the woman especially refusing to give information to the man, despite his urgent persuasion.  When the woman left, Rosary quietly made her way to the centre of the square where she approached the warlock male, and introduced herself, asking if it was possible for them to have a word in private.  The man agreed, and they went to a nearby deserted house. On the way across the square, they were accosted by a young draenei female asking for gold. After dismissing her, they entered the house, but Rosary had a distinct feeling that they were being watched.

Rosary questioned Vihlar about the draenei priestess Sheleria, he informed her that the lady she had once known was effectively dead, that her mind had been altered, she was now known as the demonic Eclipsis,  and that she was extremely dangerous and not to be approached alone. Rosary thanked him for his help,  and they parted ways.  As she left the house intending to return back to the Exodar to report her findings,  the draenei girl came to her again, asking her for gold again. She said that her family needed gold to buy food to feed her sisters. Rosary had very little gold herself, but offered to give the girl some food from her bags. The girl asked her to go back with her to her house. At this point Rosary began to become suspicious as the tone of the girl’s voice changed. She brushed back her hair to reveal a halfway healed bite mark upon her neck.  Something within herself gave Rosary a compulsion to run and not look back, which she did.

Ortia was confused and not making a whole lot of sense but she relayed to Azarael that she had by chance met with the warlock Vihlar who had been attempting to obtain information on her regarding Eclipsis and Naisha. While Vihlar had not actually physically harmed her, he was not responsible for her bodily injuries at least,  he was directly responsible for her current mental state, as he has used several methods of extracting information, involving curses and extreme mental anguish to achieve his end.  This news upset Azarael and she fled to Vihlar’s house intending to confront him.

There in his house in Cut-Throat Alley Azarael walked right in, not pausing to knock.  She found Vihlar sitting alone in his living room by the fire. He looked on her with a coldness she had never sensed before and she felt fear course through her. She demanded to know what had happened to Ortia. Vihlar’s response astounded her… he informed her that Ortia was in fact an agent of Eclipsis, and he had tortured her to find out more.  Ortia was potentially dangerous to them, because Eclipsis was now working through her…

She met with Vihlar in the Hero’s Welcome in Dalaran where they found a quiet spot. Almost as soon as he saw her Vihlar sensed the darkness  surrounding her from the mark and as he took her into his arms, his love and powerful nether energies eased her pain. He informed Az that the mark was a death rune, and the individual that had struck her with this mark would be able to kill her with a single thought. Terrified at losing the woman he loved, Vihlar stayed with her that night and they slept holding each other tightly.

A few days later Azarael was contacted by Sesra who required her help once again in forming the vessel  for draining the nether energies from Naisha. The scale needed to be melted, and not by just any heat or forge. Even the dwarven forges in Ironforge were not hot enough to melt it. Only one place in Azeroth would be hot enough to melt the scale – the lava in Molten Core. Az, Sesra and  the dwarf Valkara set off to the core. They met some pretty tough resistance there but nothing they were not able to overcome.  After melting the scale sufficiently Sesra took it with her and handed it to Ortia to take with her to the priestess Irinax  who was to make a vessel for them to use to drain the nether energies from Naisha.

Azarael was left in a state of emotional turmoil about her feelings for Vihlar and her continued responsibilities towards her guild.  She was not even sure at this point where she even stood with him. At times they would look at each other and she would sense an electric magnetism between them. Azarael also sensed a kind of distance and reluctance from Vihlar to get involved. Yet her feelings for him grew stronger every day and not being one for ignoring such things, and a pep talk from a warrior named Gregoryan she met in the Blue Recluse steeled Azarael’s resolve to do something about it.  Azarael had decided that she had had enough of being serious and of  even caring what other people thought. She sent a letter to Vihlar asking him to meet with her and they shared a large keg of ale together before she outright asked him “Are you going to kiss me or what?”

Azarael and Vihlar soon descended into an intensely passionate relationship, the two of them giving up all pretense for hiding it and openly flirted and enjoyed each other’s company.  For two that were so very different they somehow fitted together extremely well. Vihlar had not known love before and she loved him unconditionally which was not something that Vihlar was used to, which brought out a surprisingly soft and protective side out in him.  Az’s family upon finding out about the relationship promptly disowned her, soon after this Azarael was summoned once again to the Temple of the Moon where Antrize informed her that due to her refusal to turn Vihlar over Azarael and Shadowsteel could no longer count on the support of the Darnassus priesthood and she had been cast out. As Azarael left the Temple, she heard a shrill voice shouting her name.  She then saw a figure blocking the exit of the temple.  A young elf, dressed in black and a vicious, twisted look upon her beautiful face…

Naisha..

Shadowsteel had an excellent run to Gun’Drak tonight.

From WowWiki:

Gundrak (also known as Gun’Drak) is the capital of the ice troll nation of Zul’Drak in eastern Northrend. The Drakkari tribe rule Zul’Drak from here, constantly battling the mighty forces of the Scourge.

Gundrak is an instance which contains the final boss for the ice trolls. This instance will show the Ice Trolls in all their glory, and teach us why they have been so successful against the Scourge. The story that emerges in the completely constructed zone, Zul’Drak, and the instance at the end of that zone, Gundrak, is that the trolls worship various animal Gods, like the rest of the troll races. They have began sacrificing to these gods to give them the power to fight the Scourge. The whole zone is recognizable as Troll, but with a twist to it that is true to the ice troll culture.

Gun’Drak Heroic has a very difficult first boss (Slad’ran) which it took us some time to defeat, but with Deliorion’s excellent tanking and tactical analysis, Vihlar, Rinta and Pikne’s  DPSing and add control and healing from yours truly we finally made it and even got the achievement for killing him without getting wrapped. The tactic we used was the ramp method – Deli pulled Slad’ran to the ramp near the entrance where he and Pikne engaged him in melee, while Rinta and Vihlar rained down death from above from on the ramp near the entrance.  I stood with them and healed the party. This way we did not fall foul of the Poison Nova.  The biggest challenge was to keep the snake adds away from me.  The first few tries were unsuccessful so we went around and cleared some more of the instance before going back – our first try this time was the charm!

Oh, and Vihlar got naked Well, sort of, apart from his mage shorts.