Ashagga
09-16-2006, 09:31 AM
When night fell in the Tirisfal Glades, it fell quickly and it fell without remorse. Even in broad daylight, the glades were eerie at best and dangerous at worst, but when night came, the worst of all the creatures of the darkness roamed the land: the Forsaken.
It was one of those creatures Ashagga Wolfskin had come to meet. Ashagga crouched beside her campfire in a ravine near Cold Hearth Manor, as far from both Brill and the Undercity as she could manage. The shambling, former Scourge were nominally her allies, but even so, there were some among them best left unnamed and untouched. It was one of these which she had come to meet.
She heard the person coming long before the indistinct shadows materialized into a hooded and cloaked figure, but the aura of silence and menace around the slender Forsaken was unsettling to say the least. Ashagga stood, gulping slightly.
"T'ank yer fer comin'..."
The figure lifted a hand dismissively, and in what passed for a female voice, hissing and gravelly, cut through the pleasantries. "Why have you summoned me from my rest, orc?"
"I need 'elp... I been 'avin' dreams."
"I am no doctor, nor do your dreams interest me in the slightest."
"They been about Sylvanus."
The hood cocked slightly, eyeless sockets burning suddenly bright with inner fires. "Lady Sylvanus Windrunner? Tell me more."
Ashagga motioned for the other to sit, and both settled in around the fire. "In my dreams... I'm marryin' the Banshee Queen. She kisses me, an' I feel like I's dyin'. She leads me into the RAS, an' I give birth ta meself." Ashagga blushed. "I cut off her face, an' sew it onta me own... an' she smiles."
The other listened gravely, yellowed claws tapping idly on her knee. When the orc finished, the Forsaken nodded.
"Very interesting. What made you call me?"
Ashagga shook her head. "What d'yer mean?"
"I am an exile. Even conversing with me could be a death sentence in some parts of the Horde. I have been damned thrice over, once in life, once in death, and once in undeath. I was a soldier in the armies of the Scourge, and a sorceress in the most feared Horde units. I have truly Forsaken all I have ever known in pursuit of power and vengeance. I have even left my surrogate family for the peace of death, and even that was denied me. I am not a person someone calls for a disturbing nightmare."
Ashagga blinked at the sudden reminder of who she was dealing with, and hurriedly replied. "Ah... I.. well, I t'ought it seemed... well, it felt like it was more'n a dream, if yer know what I's sayin'. It felt..."
"Cold." The other shivered despite the heat of the late summer night. "Yes... and why did you not seek the aid of those in your guild? You are one of the Grim, are you not?"
Ashagga nodded and bit her lip. "I... I don' know."
"Yes you do."
Ashagga looked at the other and slowly nodded. "Aye... these dreams ain't fer them. They's fer me. They mean change... an' the Grim might try ter stop me from changin'."
The other nodded and stood. "You seek enlightenment and wisdom, but those do not come from the path you follow. It will be even harder for you to expand yourself, to truly understand the mysteries of the world. The trials will be many, and they will be harsh. They could well kill you, or worse, make you a vessel for something else entirely. Are you still willing to try?"
Ashagga looked up at her, and wanted to run. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to have a spine. She'd always run before, always, and it had only made things worse. Portentous events were in the making, and she was determined to face them this time.
"Aye."
The other nodded and produced a thick tome from the folds of her robe. "This is the Liber Libri Ex Sol Solis Itaque Umbra. It was my primer, the first step on my path. Let it now be the next step on yours."
"But... I ain't a magic user."
"Yet, Ashagga Wolfskin. You are not a magic user yet. There are many paths in Azeroth, and not all of them are as clear as others. Some share steps, and sometimes there are multiple paths to a single destination without a single step in common." She extended the grimoire to Ashagga, who took it with trembling hands. The book felt electric to her, like pins and needles in her fingertips.
Ashagga looked up at the other. "T'ank yer."
"Do not thank me, Ashagga. When you discover the paths to tread... and you will discover them... you will curse me. Have courage." She turned and walked back into the shadows, leaving Ashagga holding the arcane libram.
With trembling hands, Ashagga opened the book.
It was one of those creatures Ashagga Wolfskin had come to meet. Ashagga crouched beside her campfire in a ravine near Cold Hearth Manor, as far from both Brill and the Undercity as she could manage. The shambling, former Scourge were nominally her allies, but even so, there were some among them best left unnamed and untouched. It was one of these which she had come to meet.
She heard the person coming long before the indistinct shadows materialized into a hooded and cloaked figure, but the aura of silence and menace around the slender Forsaken was unsettling to say the least. Ashagga stood, gulping slightly.
"T'ank yer fer comin'..."
The figure lifted a hand dismissively, and in what passed for a female voice, hissing and gravelly, cut through the pleasantries. "Why have you summoned me from my rest, orc?"
"I need 'elp... I been 'avin' dreams."
"I am no doctor, nor do your dreams interest me in the slightest."
"They been about Sylvanus."
The hood cocked slightly, eyeless sockets burning suddenly bright with inner fires. "Lady Sylvanus Windrunner? Tell me more."
Ashagga motioned for the other to sit, and both settled in around the fire. "In my dreams... I'm marryin' the Banshee Queen. She kisses me, an' I feel like I's dyin'. She leads me into the RAS, an' I give birth ta meself." Ashagga blushed. "I cut off her face, an' sew it onta me own... an' she smiles."
The other listened gravely, yellowed claws tapping idly on her knee. When the orc finished, the Forsaken nodded.
"Very interesting. What made you call me?"
Ashagga shook her head. "What d'yer mean?"
"I am an exile. Even conversing with me could be a death sentence in some parts of the Horde. I have been damned thrice over, once in life, once in death, and once in undeath. I was a soldier in the armies of the Scourge, and a sorceress in the most feared Horde units. I have truly Forsaken all I have ever known in pursuit of power and vengeance. I have even left my surrogate family for the peace of death, and even that was denied me. I am not a person someone calls for a disturbing nightmare."
Ashagga blinked at the sudden reminder of who she was dealing with, and hurriedly replied. "Ah... I.. well, I t'ought it seemed... well, it felt like it was more'n a dream, if yer know what I's sayin'. It felt..."
"Cold." The other shivered despite the heat of the late summer night. "Yes... and why did you not seek the aid of those in your guild? You are one of the Grim, are you not?"
Ashagga nodded and bit her lip. "I... I don' know."
"Yes you do."
Ashagga looked at the other and slowly nodded. "Aye... these dreams ain't fer them. They's fer me. They mean change... an' the Grim might try ter stop me from changin'."
The other nodded and stood. "You seek enlightenment and wisdom, but those do not come from the path you follow. It will be even harder for you to expand yourself, to truly understand the mysteries of the world. The trials will be many, and they will be harsh. They could well kill you, or worse, make you a vessel for something else entirely. Are you still willing to try?"
Ashagga looked up at her, and wanted to run. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to have a spine. She'd always run before, always, and it had only made things worse. Portentous events were in the making, and she was determined to face them this time.
"Aye."
The other nodded and produced a thick tome from the folds of her robe. "This is the Liber Libri Ex Sol Solis Itaque Umbra. It was my primer, the first step on my path. Let it now be the next step on yours."
"But... I ain't a magic user."
"Yet, Ashagga Wolfskin. You are not a magic user yet. There are many paths in Azeroth, and not all of them are as clear as others. Some share steps, and sometimes there are multiple paths to a single destination without a single step in common." She extended the grimoire to Ashagga, who took it with trembling hands. The book felt electric to her, like pins and needles in her fingertips.
Ashagga looked up at the other. "T'ank yer."
"Do not thank me, Ashagga. When you discover the paths to tread... and you will discover them... you will curse me. Have courage." She turned and walked back into the shadows, leaving Ashagga holding the arcane libram.
With trembling hands, Ashagga opened the book.