Day Thirteen - Southern Elwynn Forest farms

I went through my inventory and realized I have quite a lot of junk.  Well, not junk, but things I've picked up from the few scrabbling animals I've killed.  Shed furs from worgs and the like.  What I'm wondering is what do I do with those.  Is there someone I can sell them to?  I haven't found anyone in Goldshire wanting to accept them yet.  But I could use the money.

A kobold.  They smell as attractive as they look.

I started heading south.  I thought maybe it was time to actually start performing my duties as an acting deputy of Stormwind.  Mostly fields.  Then I headed toward a lake and saw a weird humanoid.  At first I thought he was a lizard man, but then I thought "oh, THIS is a kobold".  They're more like rats or moles.  They look like they're miners, with pick-axes and candles on their heads.  They're ugly enough that no wonder Dughan needed someone to come investigate.  They'd all run away.

Well, these ones don't run away.  In fact, they're quite happy to come up to you and start swinging.  They're not pushovers like the Blackrock clan orcs or goblins.  Must be hearty from all that mining.  And fire-resistant if they've got candles on their heads.  Then I wandered on one's den, up on a hill.  He was cooking and counting out gold... bottles or something.  And he jumped on me.  Almost would have fallen if I hadn't remembered the new spell I learned.  Instead of a shadow word, this is a power word : shield.

And it is extremely effective.  I didn't feel a thing while the spell was in effect, allowing me to take my time, no matter how many kobolds joined the fight (which one or two did).  As soon as I dispatched Goldtooth and recovered, I went back into the den to see if there were any valuables I missed.  And lo and behold, there was Goldtooth again.  I wish I could say I was surprised, but I wasn't.  I'm getting too accustomed to this waterwheel afterlife.  I hope that if I go back to my own home, I won't accidentally do something stupid, thinking I'm immortal.

The vineyards

Somewhere in this southern area is the Maclure Vineyards.  I was talking to the local vintner when a bear came up and started attacking me.  And he kept on talking!  Damn thing's slashing my face off and he's still jabbering about wine.  I'd say he was sampling his own wares, but doesn't anyone react in this place?  Am I a ghost?

I ran inside the cabin to escape it, thinking I'd be safe, and it followed me in!  It still kept attacking me!  Shouldn't there be safeguards against this sort of thing?  It's not I like baited it in or anything.

--Caden Watkins

Day Twelve - Goldshire

Argus accepted his delivery gracefully, but I had been away so long that I felt I had to avoid Marshal Dughan's gaze.  I kept my head down or snuck around back buildings to avoid him, because I still hadn't even started investigating the Fargodeep mine for Kobolds (still don't know what they are).  There were other things I needed to do first, like basic survival tactics such as learning first aid.

Hard part was finding the one who teaches that sort of thing.  There are people in Goldshire who teach you to fish, to cook, to hunt, to smith weapons, to smith armor, to make jewels, tan leather, engineer things, enchant things, alcheme things (wouldn't that be a trip -- come back knowing as much as my alchemist friend).  But I couldn't find the person who taught it -- she was in the upper floor of the inn.  But I had to search the town, talk to a dozen other trainers, WHILE it was raining.

Then the great thing was all I learned was how to make a linen bandage for the first lesson.  Money well spent -- a trained monkey can make a cloth bandage.

--Caden Watkins

Day Eleven

Kicked awake by some Stormwind guards.  I used to admire those guys at Northshire Abbey.  Now, let 'em burn in the vineyards for all I care.

Okay, that's not fair, but still.  I hate this city.

My breakfast was some bread I bought from a wandering baker in Goldshire, turned stiff and tasteless.  And what kind of profession is "wandering bread seller" anyway?  After this morning, I decided the only way to find the winery was the same way I learned to navigate a maze.  Put your left hand on the wall and start walking.

I traveled around Cathedral Square, found the Command Center, explored lots of canals.  And then I found a sign with grapes on it.  Hot damn, I thought.  Then I went in and... it was a different place.  A wine bar called the Shady Lady.  Took all my restraint not to go apeshit on the place.  Made me wish I was a mage, set the place on fire.  Would have gone up quick from all the fumes from the winos.

Then finally, FINALLY found the Gallina Winery.  I shoved the ticket in her face, and she gave me a small bottle of pinot noir.  I wanted to take it into a back alley and drink it all, but I figured I still had to deliver the armor back to Argus.  Wouldn't do much for my reputation if I came back smelling of alcohol.

On my way back to the aerie, I passed two Stormwind guards.  That wouldn't bother me but one was sitting on a horse.  She was selling Stormwind Tabards, which seemed weird to me.  It was like "there's merchandising for the city?"  Like gift shops in tourism places.  I shook my head no.  Last thing I want is to be reminded of this place.  Unfortunately, I doubt this will be the last time I'm here.

--Caden Watkins

Day Ten, Part Two - Stormwind

I would be very curious about the history of this city. It's so dense, there are shops everywhere.  Every building is made of the same granite brick, and there are shops upon shops.  But the construction of the city was not as bizarre as their people.

As soon as I landed, a man riding a giant dragon/gryphon thing flew past me.  Just flew past me and no one batted an eye.  There were people on fire dragons, invisible wolves, orbs circling people.  One person rode around on a flying disk.  Birds made out of light.  Knights in giant glowing armor.  Walking pandas.  Mechanical men.  Elves with glowing yellow eyes.  A dwarf with a rotating dish on its head who wouldn't talk to me.  Something called a Blingtron 4000 that was maybe a man in armor, but maybe a robot?  It gave me a package for no reason.  I haven't even opened it yet, I've been too dizzy from what I'm seeing.

This man brought a flying eagle into a bank

I passed by a vendor who gave me a free ticket for some wine if I visited the Gallina Winery.  I thought, sure, I'll take a free bottle of Pinot Noir.  The problem was that I couldn't find anything.  I'm not even sure how I found the armor shop I came here for in the first place.  The city's divided neatly into four or five districts, but how you get anywhere is a mystery.  There are criss-crossing paths, arches, buildings in your way.  I found myself almost walking out of the city a few times.  And I did have a map, but it doesn't tell you anything about routes.  I passed the bank three or four times.

When I went to the winery according to my map, there was an inn -- the Gilded Rose.  And the person inside wouldn't talk about anything but her inn.  Finally, I just started asking random people if they could help me find the Gallina Winery.  There was a huge crowd gathered in the square, looking for people to join their troupes for tasks and missions.  But no one would talk to me.  Not the people looking for groups, or residents.  Two elves, calling themselves Silverwing Emissaries, just stood there and ignored me.  I don't even know what they were emissaries for.  They just stared at me with their spooky yellow eyes.

I tried talking to individuals, people who looked like they'd help me.  No answers.  Just ignored me.  Then I got so angry I just yelled into the crowd.  And again, nothing.  Just people on their giant animals made of energy and lightning, standing there, being closed-mouth dicks.  I kept wandering and wandering and wandering, getting nowhere, going to the same old place.

This is just one district.  There are six.

Now, I'm sitting here under an awning, too tired to go on.  I keep going into the inn, as if I'm expecting it to change into the winery.  At this point I'm so angry at the inn for not being the winery I refuse to stay there.

This is a wolfman on top of a flying bird made from lava and rock 

This town is full of people, but not one will talk to me.  The world is full of people, but not one will give me the time of day.  I should have take Zurix up on his offer.  At least then I'd have a group to turn to, even if I'd have to stay in the forest and rob people.  At least then, I wouldn't be sleeping under the awning of a cheese shop tonight.

--Caden Watkins

Day Ten

Given that I'm now part of the Stormwind Marshals, I decided I better report to Marshal Dughan in the morning.  He looked at me quite strangely -- I guess the military is not as formal here.  Maybe they have poor communication with the ruling capital (which I'm not sure where it is, or even if this world has one.  I suppose there must be a king somewhere).  He actually told me that the "Fargodeep Mine" (wonder who named that) is riddled with Kobolds (again, what is a kobold?)  All he wants me to do is explore the mine and confirm the reports.

Argus

But before I found where that was I got stopped by the Blacksmith (Argus is his name) who asked me to get some armor from a shop in Stormwind.  I didn't feel like I was ready to tackle a big city, but I felt obligated.  Smith kinship, I guess (smithship?)  And he gave me a note to give to the "gryphon master".

I saw this guy before.  He was caretaking a corner behind the forge with gryphon nests.  Real gryphons.  And he had quite the trippy outfit.  I gave him the note, and he said he'd provide me with a gryphon to take to Stormwind.  Half of me was like, no way, not ready for this.  And the other half was like "Hell, yeah, I'll ride a gryphon".  Of course, I had no idea how, but that hardly mattered.  The gryphon needed no commands.  It was like sitting on a wide horse.  Of course, flying was hard to get over, but I managed.

It dropped me off in Stormwind's aerie, and that's where I got my first taste of the big city.

--Caden Watkins