Fire and Ice

The Fire Festival is in full swing. People from every land have set out to honor the flames of the various Alliance held territories and towns in honor of the season. It is a celebration to be sure, though the festival does have its fair share of fire related mishaps and injuries. The Sisters at the Temple of the Moon have their hands full healing victims of burns from the recreational activity of "torch catching." Among all the merrymaking and pilgrimages however, looms a deeper secret, something that has only recently surfaced.

It started with a report of unusual activity along the Zoram Strand back in my former home of Ashenvale. At one time the beach was the site of a majestic Kal'dorei temple which was devoid of the evil Naga and cultists that linger amidst the ruins today. The temple had fallen during the great sundering of our world and has since been defiled by the Twilight's Hammer, who use the once sacred place as a summoning ground for their dark gods. The Earthen Ring, an organization of Shaman across factions, very similar in nature to the Cenarion Circle, was the first to discover that the cultists among the Zoram Strand showed signs of increased activity. These Shaman were much involved in the organization of the Fire Festival across the world, so it was fitting that they used this opportunity to spread word of the cultists to the adventurers and pilgrims that came to honor the fires.

Having recently finished my work for the denizens of Lower City, I took it upon myself to look for clues along the Zoram Strand as to what exactly these cultists were up to. As the area is often used as a proving ground for up and coming Night Elf warriors and priestesses, I asked my cousin Driya to accompany me. Driya is the niece of Salthier's wife, Lal. While that may mean we have no blood ties, we became fast friends when we met, and she was recently inducted into the Order of Veritas along with her Aunt and Uncle. Together we scouted the strand, and before long we discovered a lone cultist patrolling the outer border of a fallen building.

I raised a finger to my lips to signify silence to Driya as we approached the cultist from behind. He was an orc with dark green skin and a perpetual scowl on his tusked face. He seemed to be fiddling with a note in his hands and did not see us before it was too late. Acting quickly, I sent Lethan ahead of the orc to distract him. With a screeching wail, Lethan dived in front of the cultist and spooked him. Just as the Orc began to call for help, Driya silenced him with a spell, and I jumped on him with my spear pressed to his throat.

"You cannot call for help, cultist," I said. "Tell me why you have began to gather here, and I may spare your life." His eyes lit up in rage, and his mouth moved as if to curse and grunt, but no sound came from him. Looking to the priestess I said, "Driya, if you please." With a flick of her wrist Driya released the hold on the Orc's voice, and guttural cries broke forth from the beast.

"...you nothing, witch. Release me, and prepare to face the wrath of the old gods!" he growled.

Unwilling to release him, I pressed my spear harder down on his neck, choking off his air supply. He began to turn a darker green in color, unable to breath, and after a second I eased the pressure. Seizing the opening, the cultist bucked wildly and threw me to the side, my strength unable to match that of the orc. Immediately he jumped up and released a shadow bolt directly at me. Driya countered the bolt by casting a divine shield around me. Seeing that he was outmatched, the cultist began to run toward his camp. My reflexes took over, and in a moment's time an arrow was notched and loosed from my bow, finding its way deep into the fleeing orc's back. He fell to the ground dead where he lay, the note still clutched in his meaty paw.

Driya and I approached the body, and I kneeled down and took the note. After reading it, Driya could see the shock on my face. "What does it say, Elio?" she asked.

"They are serving Neptulon, the elemental Lord of Water. And through him they are seeking to summon an ice elemental to battle Ragnaros, the Fire Lord. It is unfathomable that they would seek to cause an elemental war. What end they are seeking, I do not know."

Preparing a beacon, we called to the Earthen Ring and reported our findings. In turn, they asked us to scout out a meeting that the note spoke of. But to do so, we would need disguises. Taking an orb of transformation, Driya and I found ourselves in the guise of ocean crabs, similar to the many varied species found along the strand. We scuttled our way to the clandestine meeting and eavesdropped as a band of Naga in the service of Neptulon, sought the help of the cultists in summoning the Ice Lord, Ahune.

"Curse those foul snake skins!" I swore. It came out more of a "hiss, click, clack," but Driya understood the sentiment. After all of our work in scouring the reservoir in Zangarmarsh, now the Naga were using those caverns to usher in an elemental disaster. We quickly scuttled away, and regaining our true forms, reported our findings to the Ring.

"There is no choice," the Shaman said, "We must ask you to gather warriors of the highest caliber and seek out this Ahune. We will await you there to assist in whatever manner we can. He must not be allowed to start this war. The consequences to the world at large and the balance of nature would be catastrophic."

Driya was too young and inexperienced to battle the Ice Lord, but there was work for her to do against his minions in Desolace. It seems that the cultists' work was wide spread across the the continent. With my goal before me, I knew exactly who to turn to for help. People who I trusted, and who I could count on to destroy this menace. Ahune's time is at hand. He will melt before the Crack of Dawn.