local _, LK = ...; -- Let's use the private table passed to every .lua

local LK = Lorekeeper_API.LK

local LOCALE = GetLocale()

if LOCALE == "enUS" then
LK["customItems"] = {
	["lilis-travel-journal"] = {
		["nameRealm"] = "Li Li's Travel Journal",
		["text"] = {
			'Life is an adventure.\n\nThat\'s what Uncle Chen wrote in a letter to me once. It\'s sage advice, but my pop, Chon Po, doesn\'t think so. He says I spend too much time dreaming about the outside world, and that I ignore all the beauty and wonder of the Wandering Isle. He couldn\'t be more wrong—I do love where I\'m from.\n\nThat\'s the point of this journal. I figure if I\'m ever going to be a great explorer like Uncle Chen, I need to start writing about my own adventures, just like he does. Why not begin at home? Maybe my book will end up in the Great Library, tucked alongside Uncle Chen\'s missives. Better yet, someday folks in Stormwind City, Orgrimmar, or other faraway lands might read this and learn about my kin, our culture, and what makes this place so great!\n\nFirst things first: an introduction. I was born on the Great Turtle, Shen-zin Su, also known as the Wandering Isle. Nowadays, many of the pandaren here just sit around on their butts, telling the same old stories, but it wasn\'t always like that. Our ancestors had adventure in their blood. To them, every day on the isle was a chance to see new things and make new stories!\n\nAs I write this, Uncle Chen is carrying on that tradition somewhere out in the world, but he\'s not the only one. The Traveler\'s Path has called to me too, right here at home, and it\'s time I finally answered!\n\nMy name is Li Li Stormstout, and this is the Wandering Isle.',
			'Entry One: Back to the Basics\n\nI decided to explore my home using the Wanderer\'s Way, a philosophy that Uncle Chen has written a lot about in his missives. Basically it means to take each journey one step at a time, observe everything around you, speak to everyone you meet, and soak in all the details.\n\nAfter some thought, I started my journey across Shen-zin Su where I had initially learned about the isle\'s history: the Dawning Span. This massive stone bridge stretches along high cliffs near the center of the isle. From the top of the span, you can see all across the emerald Pei-Wu Forest to the south. It\'s breathtaking up there!\n\nBut I didn\'t go for the view. I headed into a small classroom built below the bridge. This is where most cubs learn of Liu Lang, the first pandaren explorer (although I originally heard about him in a letter from Uncle Chen). The cozy open-air room was packed with eager little cubs who were being told Liu Lang\'s history by a couple of Lorewalkers. I grabbed a seat and closed my eyes, trying to imagine I was hearing the tale for the first time.\n\nListening to Liu Lang\'s story made me feel like anything was possible! Inspired, I set out across the span to the Temple of Five Dawns, a gleaming tower at the heart of the isle. Stepping into the giant building is like entering a different world. Rain poured from the ceiling; a soft breeze tugged at my clothes; and, even though it was chilly outside, the air within was as warm as a summer\'s day.\n\nThe Lorewalkers say that as Shen-zin Su grew larger, so did the temple, as if the building itself were a part of the Great Turtle. This is a sacred place, and for good reason. The temple is home to the four ancient spirits of the land: Shu (water), Wugou (earth), Huo (fire), and Dafeng (air). As long as they\'re safe and sound, the weather stays calm and the seasons pass as they should.\n\nThe temple\'s full of wise proverbs and rare trinkets, but what interested me most was the statue of Liu Lang on the first floor. As I looked at him, I thought about all the great things he\'d accomplished. It took guts to do what he did! Adventure must\'ve followed him around at every step, even at home.\n\nI bumped into Master Shang Xi as I was leaving. He\'s a big deal around these parts, a very noble and brave pandaren who mentors young and old alike. I can\'t count how many times I\'ve gotten into trouble with Shang, but he\'s always been pretty forgiving (except that day I brewed his tea with skunk-water from the cursed pools). Anyways, he was in a good mood, so I hit him with some questions that\'d been bothering me: What would Liu Lang do if he were still alive today? Where would he find adventure on the isle?\n\n"Why don\'t you ask him?" Master Xi replied, pointing back to the statue. I hadn\'t thought of that, so I gave it a shot. I didn\'t really expect an answer. But I got one!\n\nThe spirit Shu must\'ve been listening. The little guy hopped up on Liu Lang\'s shoulder and chucked a glob of water that splattered on the ground. After a moment, the puddle moved. It slithered to the entrance of the temple as if it was alive, and then it bounced down the long Dawning Stair outside.\n\nI followed as fast as I could until I reached the wide valley north of the temple. I never asked the water where it was going; that would\'ve ruined the surprise. Just like Chen, I was taking the journey one step at a time!',
			'Entry Two: The Dawning Dilemma\n\nMy journey through the Wandering Isle continued in the Dawning Valley!\n\nI chased the water blob that Shu had created all across the region\'s grassy hills and wooded thickets. The little guy stayed one step ahead of me, but I didn\'t mind. That time of year, the valley was beautiful and full of fascinating plants and animals, such as the amberleaf scamps, tricky forest sprites who love to play pranks and cause mischief. I\'ve always liked them. But my favorite things in that part of the isle are the bright red puzhu trees. There\'s something magical about them. Their petals keep their color for months even after you pick them.\n\nThe Lorewalkers say that Liu Lang planted different saplings and seeds across the isle years and years ago. Does that mean the same types of plants and flowers are in Pandaria? If so, maybe the folks there use puzhu petals for medicines and festival decorations like we do.Anyway, I lost the trail of Shu\'s water somewhere in Wu-Song Village, north of the Dawning Valley. To make matters worse, no one in the settlement had spotted it! How can you miss a living blob of water dancing through your streets? I guess I can\'t really blame the villagers. They seemed busy doing chores and practicing martial arts. Many of the isle\'s best monks are born and raised in Wu-Song, partly because of how close it is to the Shang Xi Training Grounds. The grounds sit atop a towering hill just east of the village. All day the sounds of bare fists and weapons smacking against training dummies echo across the valley below. As I headed toward the grounds, I ran into two of the wisest pandaren around: Aysa Cloudsinger, a master of the Tushui way of thought, and Ji Firepaw, a master of the Huojin way.\n\nBoth of these philosophies are pretty popular, but each has its own distinct flavor. Tushui above all else teaches that you should defend what is right. There is only one correct path in life, and it must always be followed. On the other paw, Huojin is all about passion and taking direct action. The students of this school believe that as long as they\'re working for the greater good, they can be more flexible about how they get the job done.Being a follower of the Wanderer\'s Way, I couldn\'t pass up the rare chance to bug Aysa and Ji with questions, so I asked them what I should do to find the water blob."Sit, watch, and wait, young one," Aysa said. "Shu is an ancient being, and he will not always answer your call. If his water wishes to find you, it will. In time."Ji\'s approach was a bit different. "You\'ll find the water only if you\'re thorough, little Stormstout. Search every tree and riverbank. Leave no stone unturned!"I ended up trying both ways. First, I settled down at Fu\'s Pond, a tranquil area south of the training grounds. I sat there and meditated for what seemed like hours, but Shu\'s water blob never showed up. Then I tried Ji\'s advice and went digging through every shrub I could find. Eventually, I realized that it was all kind of pointless. My mission was to explore. If Shu led me there for a reason, maybe it was to help me take the first step in my journey. After heading back to the Temple of Five Dawns, I crossed paths with a cart driver named Lun and his big yak. He\'d just delivered some supplies for the temple and was getting ready to return to the Dai-Lo Farmstead. That part of the isle seemed as good a place as any to visit next. I managed to talk Lun into giving me a ride on his cart.But I got the feeling he was in a bad mood. He had this sour look on his face, like the kind you get when you bite into a sweet red-bean bun only to find that someone has filled it with rancid yak cheese. (This has happened to me.) After a round of questions, I pried the truth from him: hozen thieves had pillaged his food stores! Sure, I felt bad for Lun, but to be honest, I was also pretty excited. Exploring Dai-Lo was one thing, but exploring it and investigating hozen thievery sounded like a dream come true.\n\nThe next leg of my journey was shaping up to be quite the adventure!',
			'Entry Three: To Catch a Hozen\n\nAfter my romp through the Dawning Valley, I continued on to the Dai-Lo Farmstead!\n\nThis beautiful place is the breadbasket of the Wandering Isle, and I read in the Great Library that the region\'s soil is some of the most fertile in the world. Dai-Lo itself is a small farming community near the Rows—long, winding tracts of tilled land bursting with pumpkins, carrots, and other goodies.\n\nAll that ripe food sitting out in the open makes this area a prime target for annoying pests like virmen. Those furry critters will devour anything they can get their grubby little mitts on, but they especially love vegetables.But virmen are just one of the problems at the farmstead. While taking me to Dai-Lo, the cart driver Lun told me about a group of hozen thieves that had snuck into the village and made off with a few sacks of rice and veggies. Normally, the tenacious monkeys kept to Fe-Fang Village in the northwestern part of the isle, but sometimes they would show up to cause trouble. Don\'t get me wrong; I like hozen. They have their own captivating culture and customs. Hozen are crazy in a fun, lovable kind of way. But every so often they get a little too crazy.\n\nI was shocked to learn that no one was trying to find the thieves. I guess with virmen snooping around, Dai-Lo\'s farmers didn\'t think losing a few bundles of food now and then was a big deal. The way I saw it, if the farmers let the hozen snatch their crops, the fur balls would just keep doing it. That was our food they were taking, and I wasn\'t going to sit back and allow them to get away with it!\n\nLun said the hozen were last seen heading through the forests north of the Rows, toward an area called the Singing Pools. It didn\'t take me long to find a trail of chewed-up carrot bits and discarded broccoli heads (I guess even hozen hate broccoli). I followed the trail into the secluded emerald forests surrounding the pools.I\'ve always enjoyed visiting the pools. They\'re serene and full of magic. I\'ve spent a lot of time there, balancing atop narrow wooden poles that rise up through the water. Those training sessions are a big thrill, because falling in doesn\'t just mean you get wet. There\'s more to the waters than that. See, over the years, all sorts of animals have died in the pools, and their spirits have merged with the enchanted waters. If you get wet... BAM! Next thing you know, you\'re hopping around as a frog or waddling through the mud as a turtle. There\'s even a pool infused with skunk spirits. After that curse wears off, you\'ll stink for days!I took my time searching around, watching cubs leap from pole to pole under the guidance of a pandaren named Strongbo. He\'s a burly, no-nonsense fellow who\'s been one of my teachers for years. He has a good heart, but he\'s about as much fun to be around as a bucket of week-old fish bait. It\'s always Don\'t do that! with Strongbo... just like with my pop. They\'re both complete opposites of Uncle Chen. Strongbo spotted me as I walked beside the pools, and he gave me the evil eye. He probably thought I was up to no good. (He was right, of course.) Luckily, he was too busy teaching the cubs to bother me.\n\nFinally, I found the hozen thieves—five of them, to be exact. They were hanging around the shore of the skunk pool, pushing each other into the water. Whenever one of them fell in and briefly transformed, the rest would jump up and down, hooting and hollering like it was two-for-one night at the Ki-Han Brewery.I saw what was left of the sacks of rice and veggies on a nearby hill, tucked behind a tree. The hozen were so busy with their game, they never noticed as I quietly approached the hiding spot for a better look at the goods. I crept closer and closer until the food was within arm\'s reach, and then... two fuzzy hozen babies popped up from behind the bags! I hadn\'t expected the thieves to be a family. They must have taken the stuff to feed their young, so I couldn\'t bring myself to reclaim the food. But I could still get a little bit of revenge. I hurled one of the stolen pumpkins at the hozen near the pool, and then I raced off into the forest. From the big splash that followed, I figured I\'d knocked at least a few of them in, although turning into a skunk probably made the hozen smell better than they normally did.\n\nWell, it was about time I finally faced my fears. I gathered supplies in Dai-Lo, and then I was off to Pei-Wu Forest, the most dangerous and forbidden spot on all of the Wandering Isle!',
			'Entry Four: The Forbidden Forest\n\nLoaded up with supplies from the Dai-Lo Farmstead, I prepared for my trek into the deadliest place on the Wandering Isle: Pei-Wu Forest!\n\nThe woods are dangerous—forbidden to almost all pandaren—and I knew sneaking in would be tricky. Hills and steep, rocky mountains surround the dense bamboo forest, and the only real path leading inside is blocked off by two massive gates. These sturdy barriers are located outside Mandori Village, where I\'ve lived my whole life. That might sound convenient, but pandaren are always in the area, so it\'s hard to get over the walls undetected.\n\nTo make matters worse, I saw Strongbo as I was searching for a secluded place to scale the first gate from. Why was he snooping around the village today of all days? He asked me what I\'d been up to earlier at the Singing Pools. "Experiencing the beauty and splendor that is our home," was my answer—and it was true!\n\nEven so, Strongbo just narrowed his eyes and scowled like usual. (I wonder if he knows how much he looks like a wrinkly mossback toad when he does that.) With Bo poking his fat nose around, I went home to lay low and get some rest until I knew the coast was clear. Before sunrise, I crept out into the quiet, empty streets and climbed over the two great gates with a yak-hair rope I\'d picked up in Dai-Lo.\n\nSoon the sun peeked over the horizon, but Pei-Wu\'s thick canopy blocked out almost all light. Fog hung low on the forest floor, making it even harder to see. But I could hear sounds all around me... a lot of them. The region is well known for its abundance of critters, but there\'s only one that strikes fear into the heart of every pandaren: the ferocious Pei-Wu tiger. And one of them was hunting me. Wherever I walked, heavy footsteps followed in the distance. If I stopped, they stopped. If I moved, they moved. Then, all of a sudden, the beast rushed toward me, snorting and growling. I went into the stance of the sturdy ox to defend myself just as a giant form emerged from the mists—It was Strongbo! Why couldn\'t he mind his own business? Without a word, Bo took me back home, and then he woke up Pop and told him I\'d snuck into the forbidden forest. My pop chewed me out for a good hour before he finally calmed down. As punishment, he decided I\'d have to suffer through a full week of training at the Singing Pools... under Bo\'s watchful eye.\n\nI tried to tell Pop what I\'d been doing, that I\'d been exploring the Great Turtle and writing about how wonderful the journey was. I thought it would make him happy, but he didn\'t seem to understand or care.\n\nPop said my punishment would begin the next day, which meant I had time to visit one more location. Still fuming about what had happened, I set out west until I reached a long, winding trail that led to the Wood of Staves—the final resting place of the Wandering Isle\'s Elder pandaren. A massive stone lion, the Guardian of the Elders, protects the entrance, and the mighty being won\'t let you through unless you\'ve bested him in single combat. (I was one of the youngest pandaren ever to pass the test.) Years ago, before he left the Great Turtle, Uncle Chen had told me that he often visited this part of the isle for inspiration. Back then I didn\'t understand why, but now I do. There\'s magic to this place. When someone is laid to rest there, their walking stick is planted into the ground, and the staff eventually grows into a wondrous tree. Well, after many generations, an entire forest has sprouted—an entire history of the isle\'s great pandaren.\n\nEven my family has a spot there... but I\'d rather not write about that. I didn\'t visit it that trip. After my argument with Pop, the last thing I needed was more heartache.\n\nAs I strolled through one of the oldest thickets in the area, I came across Elder Shaopai lighting incense on his family\'s shrine. He\'s a supremely wise pandaren from nearby Morning Breeze Village. The Elder has spent his whole life recording words of wisdom for the benefit of future generations.\n\nShaopai walked with me for a short time, pointing at trees and saying who they were in remembrance of. Before he left for his village, he said, "I can tell that you have much on your mind, little Stormstout. It\'s not my place to ask you about personal matters, but take this." The Elder gave me a smooth, round object just bigger than the size of my paw—a worry stone. "When life weighs heavy on your shoulders, the worry stone can lighten the load. Its magic is very powerful."I\'d always thought worry stones were useless trinkets, but if a genius like Shaopai believed they worked, that was good enough for me. When I finally left the woods, an odd feeling came over me, and I haven\'t been able to shake it. I was thankful for Shaopai\'s gift and for having visited so many great places on the isle, but I wanted more. The Wandering Isle is a beautiful and enchanted land full of history and wonder. For me, though, it\'s home. I\'ve seen it all. Meanwhile, there is a whole world out there waiting to be explored, and I\'m afraid I won\'t ever get to experience it.\n\nI spent the rest of the day in the Great Library, reading through Uncle Chen\'s letters again. I miss him. Pop says my uncle probably got himself killed on one of his "crazy" adventures, but I don\'t believe it. I know he\'s still out there somewhere, and I know he\'ll come back someday.\n\nUntil then, all I can do is keep the Wanderer\'s Way alive here on the Great Turtle. Uncle Chen would be proud of that... My ancestors would be proud of that. It\'s how we were always meant to live! As Liu Lang himself once said, "Every horizon is a treasure chest; every blank map, a story waiting to be told."\n\nIf only my pop understood that. No matter what he says, one day I will make my mark on the world.\n\nAnd when I do, maybe Uncle Chen will be there at my side.',
			'Entry Five: The Jade Forest\n\nA lot\'s happened since I last wrote in this journal. For one, Uncle Chen finally came home to the Wandering Isle (thanks to the help of yours truly). A little while after, we ventured to the far corners of the world, searching for the legendary continent of Pandaria. Most folks on the Great Turtle believed the place had been destroyed long ago, through war or disease.\n\nWell, they were wrong.\n\nAfter battling pirates, surviving a violent storm at sea, and overcoming all sorts of other perils, Uncle Chen and I did the impossible: we found Pandaria, the lost homeland of our ancestors!\n\nBut getting there didn\'t go exactly as planned. Our guide for the trip was the Pearl of Pandaria, a mystical artifact that granted me visions of how to locate the continent. I only wished that dumb pearl had warned us how dangerous the journey would be.\n\nThe important thing is that we reached Pandaria in one piece. We made landfall near the Jade Forest, a region that stretched across the continent\'s eastern shore. The woods were green as far as the eye could see, with dense bamboo thickets full of strange plants and critters.\n\nUncle Chen and I didn\'t have a map, but that wasn\'t a problem. After having a look at our immediate surroundings, we picked a random direction and began our journey as any true follower of the Wanderer\'s Way would: one step at a time.\n\nIt wasn\'t long before the locals showed up to greet us. Dozens of beady-eyed lizard-men (called saurok, I later learned) burst out of the forest. They smelled something like old leather that was soaked in rotten ale and then stuffed into a barrel of Granny Mei\'s fermented fish paste. And that was the best part about them.\n\nWe made short work of the leather-faces (well, maybe it was mostly Chen). The only one that gave us any real trouble was the leader, a huge saurok covered with scars, war paint, and more scars. Pretty soon he was retreating through the forest, hollering like a baby.\n\nWe found the saurok\'s dingy camp nearby. It was filled with what looked like plunder: carts of grain, vegetables, and big chunks of pure jade. As we sorted through the stuff, a group of pandaren slowly emerged from the woods. When they saw that the saurok were gone, they bowed low and praised us like we were heroes! It turned out the leather-faces had been terrorizing the area, and all attempts to defeat them had failed.\n\nOur new fans were dumbfounded when Uncle Chen told them we\'d come from the Wandering Isle. The folk in Pandaria hadn\'t seen the Great Turtle in centuries, and most of them had started thinking the island was no more. I was surprised how similar the pandaren in the Jade Forest were to those back home. Apart from some minor differences, like clothing, not much had changed over the generations.\n\nOnce they learned we were good old-fashioned explorers, the pandaren told us a lot about the Jade Forest, its inhabitants, and its most important site: the Temple of the Jade Serpent. Apart from being a monument to the pandaren\'s legendary emperor Shaohao, the incredible temple was closely tied to the Jade Serpent, Yu\'lon, one of the four celestial beings that watched over Pandaria.\n\nWhen Uncle Chen and I reached the temple grounds, workers were carving an enormous jade statue called the Serpent\'s Heart. Every hundred years, Yu\'lon would transfer her life essence into the sculpture, which would then turn into a new being. This cycle—creating statues so that Yu\'lon could undergo her rebirth—had been going on for generations, and those saurok raiders had threatened it all by stealing the workers\' supply of precious jade.\n\nOne of the temple\'s caretakers, Elder Sage Rain-Zhu, was kind enough to give me and Uncle Chen a tour of the surrounding area. He took us north to the Arboretum, a beautiful spot of land that was home to the Order of the Cloud Serpent. This fearless group had a long history of taming, raising, and riding the region\'s cloud serpents, majestic flying beasts that I\'d seen in the sky above the temple.\n\nOld Rain-Zhu said he\'d grant us any request as thanks for defeating the saurok and returning the jade. My first instinct was to ask for a serpent of my own (the babies were adorable), but Uncle Chen thought that was going too far. So I settled for the next best thing: a ride on a cloud serpent!\n\nNow, I\'d flown on one of the giant cranes back home—and even on a goblin-built zeppelin—but this cloud serpent was in a class of its own. The beast rocketed into the sky faster than I\'d seen anything move before. Being up so high gave me a clear view of what lay beyond the Jade Forest. To the west: rolling plains and farmlands. To the northwest: a range of impossibly tall mountains, their peaks capped with snow. Pandaria was huge. There was so much out there to discover. I was exploring an entire continent that no Wandering Isle pandaren had laid their eyes on for generations!\n\nBefore my uncle and I set out across the rest of the forest, we decided to give Rain-Zhu the Pearl of Pandaria. He\'d treated us like family, and seeing as how the pandaren revered the temple as a center of wisdom and insight, we couldn\'t think of a better place to donate the pearl. It was tough giving it up, but it had already led me to Pandaria. It was time for the pearl to guide someone else toward their destiny.\n\nIn the weeks that followed, Uncle Chen and I walked... and walked... and walked. The Jade Forest seemed to go on forever, and around every corner was something new and exciting: secluded pandaren shrines, ancient vine-covered ruins, and monasteries tucked high in the mountains. The only problem was that my uncle moved at a snail\'s pace, stopping every few minutes to sit and "enjoy the scenery," as he put it.\n\nFinally, we reached the Jade Forest\'s border. Ahead lay the Valley of the Four Winds, the farmlands I\'d seen from atop the cloud serpent. By that time I was itching to explore anything that wasn\'t a forest, but I never could\'ve expected what Uncle Chen and I would find on the next leg of our journey.\n\nSoon, we\'d make a discovery that would change what we knew about the Stormstout family forever!',
			'Entry Six: The Valley of the Four Winds\n\nDuring the weeks Uncle Chen and I explored the Jade Forest, I started feeling like a total stranger with no real connection to Pandaria. Sure, my ancestors had come from these lands, but that was generations ago. Although I ran across a few hozen (bigger and even crazier than the ones back home), almost everything else on the continent was so different from what I knew.\n\nWell, that was all before I visited the Valley of the Four Winds. It was a home away from home, only on a much larger scale. The valley—considered the breadbasket of Pandaria—was covered with giant tracts of farmland that made the Rows on the Wandering Isle look like a tiny garden. I bet one harvest of the valley\'s crops could feed every pandaren in Mandori Village—even a fatso like Uncle Chen—for a lifetime.\n\nI could fill this whole journal with the incredible things I saw in the valley, from the roaring Huangtze Falls to the magical Pools of Purity. But it wasn\'t the new stuff that really caught my attention; it was the familiar stuff that I never expected to find in a place so far from my home.\n\nThese discoveries started as Uncle Chen and I were exploring the valley alongside heroes from other lands of Azeroth, travelers just like us. Running into outsiders wasn\'t that big of a surprise. My uncle told me he\'d crossed paths with a couple members of the Horde and the Alliance a few weeks back (I\'d been asleep at the time). It turned out that the two factions had landed in the Jade Forest and caused all sorts of trouble. They\'d even dragged some of the locals into their conflict, such as the hozen and a race of fish folk called the jinyu. Luckily, Uncle Chen and I were on our way out of the forest when that stuff was happening.\n\nNot long after we entered the valley, we met a fellow named Mudmug, a friendly pandaren who brewed his own ale with muddy water. He was sort of weird, but I liked the big guy. Out of the blue, he told us about a Stormstout Brewery in the area. Uncle Chen and I couldn\'t believe it. We had living, breathing cousins in Pandaria—and a brewery! The news got Chen moving faster than a few steps per hour for the first time in weeks.\n\nUnfortunately, the brewery was a complete mess. Virmen (just like the ones on the Wandering Isle) had infested the grain and rice stores. Hozen had taken over parts of the building and gone bonkers. To add insult to injury, the Stormstout in charge of the brewery, Uncle Gao, didn\'t even want our help! Well, Chen and I weren\'t going to let the greatest discovery in our family\'s history fall to ruin because of some grouchy relative.\n\nEventually, we cleared out the brewery\'s pests (something we couldn\'t have done without our fellow newcomers from the outside world). Once the place was under control, Gao opened up to me and Uncle Chen. Usually, many other Stormstouts lived and worked in the brewery, but they\'d all gone west to fight an ancient insect people known as the mantid. Gao had been left behind to take care of the brewery. I guess he was under a lot of pressure to live up to the family name, because his efforts had led to some pretty unstable brews—the kind that come to life and try to kill you.\n\nGao didn\'t know when the other Stormstouts would return, but he told us all about them. He also explained our family\'s history in the valley, and how far back it went. Right outside the brewery, he showed us an old shrine dedicated to the widow Mab Stormstout and her son, Liao. I\'d heard about those two from my pop. After Mab\'s husband had died in a tragic grape-press accident, she\'d taken Liao and begun a new life on the Wandering Isle.\n\nAside from the Stormstout family, there were even bigger ties between the valley and my homeland. Gao claimed that Liu Lang—founder of the Wandering Isle—had been born and raised close to the brewery. Imagine that! His birthplace, around a village called Stoneplow, was located at the valley\'s western edge.\n\nEvery day, I learned new stuff about the region and my distant relatives. Things were going well, until bad news suddenly arrived...\n\nSomething big was happening far to the west, at a colossal wall called the Serpent\'s Spine. Years and years ago, the mogu—gigantic brutes who ruled over Pandaria until my ancestors kicked their butts—had built the barrier to protect themselves against their archenemies, the mantid. Now, the pandaren guarded the Serpent\'s Spine, but the bug-things had recently broken through their defenses and begun invading the nearest settlement: Stoneplow!\n\nUncle Chen and I joined a large group of pandaren who\'d gathered at Stoneplow to ward off the invaders. We wiped the floor with the mantid, but I got the feeling that this was only the first of more attacks to come. The locals whispered about some other force being responsible for the assault, a dark and mysterious power known as the sha. It sent chills up my spine, thinking that such evil existed in Pandaria.\n\nThings calmed down after the attack. Uncle Chen and Uncle Gao spent days on end in the brewery, discussing recipes and testing new ales. That was fine by me. Chen had been slowing me down ever since we\'d come to Pandaria. I was itching to explore on my own, and I knew the perfect place to visit: the Krasarang Wilds. That was where Liu Lang had first set out from Pandaria atop Shen-zin Su, the sea turtle that would eventually grow to become the Wandering Isle!\n\nI\'d learned about Krasarang from one of the valley\'s farmers. He warned me that the place was very dangerous, but hearing that made me want to go even more. So, I gathered some supplies and wrote a note for Uncle Chen, telling him where I was headed. He had his nose stuffed so deep into sacks of hops and barley that I figured I\'d be back before he knew I was gone.\n\nFinally I was free, blazing a trail of my own. Next stop: Krasarang Wilds and the birthplace of the Wandering Isle!',
			'Entry Seven: The Krasarang Wilds\n\nEven without Uncle Chen around to help me, it was easy finding the Krasarang Wilds. But slogging my way through the gloomy coastal swamp was quite the challenge. The thick forest canopy blocked out the sun, making it almost impossible to get a sense of direction. When I wasn\'t tripping over gnarled roots, I was getting tangled in the big stupid vines that hung down from the trees. And then there was the wildlife. Saurok, giant hissing wasps, and other types of angry critters prowled around everywhere.\n\nIt was just as exciting as I\'d hoped!\n\nBut it bothered me that I couldn\'t find the spot where Liu Lang had set off from atop Shen-zin Su. After days of searching through the wilds with nothing to show for it, I crossed paths with an angler named Ryshan, the first pandaren I\'d seen in a while. He\'d just delivered a shipment of fish to Zhu\'s Watch, an outpost in northeastern Krasarang, built to keep nasties like the saurok from attacking travelers destined for the coast.\n\nFriends must be rare in Krasarang, because Ryshan treated me like family even though we\'d just met. When I explained what I was doing in the wilds, he told me that the place where Liu Lang had left Pandaria from was very close to his village, the Anglers Wharf. He was nice enough to invite me back to his settlement to stock up on supplies before I made my trek to the site. Finally, my luck was picking up.\n\nOn the way to the village, Ryshan filled me in on Krasarang\'s history. Few pandaren trod those forests. "Only anglers and madmen, if there\'s any difference," he said, beaming with pride. We passed a bunch of crumbling old ruins that he said had once belonged to the mogu. Before their empire fell long ago, some of the big brutes had lived in Krasarang. More recently, the mogu had returned to claim their former territories, but heroes like the ones who\'d helped Uncle Chen and me at the family brewery had stopped them.\n\nIt was near dusk by the time we approached the Anglers Wharf. The ramshackle little village had been built just off Krasarang\'s shore, meaning Ryshan and I had to take a boat to get there. Not a big deal, right? Well, after we\'d set sail, the angler suddenly started screaming bloody murder and leapt to his feet, swinging one of the boat\'s oars through the air. What could rattle a bold angler like him? Crocolisks? Saurok? I was fearing for my life until I saw what had spooked him: a bandicoon.\n\nThese furry little guys were master thieves, and they loved snacking on fish. In other words, they were the bane of anglers. The bandicoon in our boat was fierce. He didn\'t flinch when Ryshan began smashing his oar onto the deck. In fact, the critter fought back, hissing and swiping at the angler with his claws.\n\nBandicoons normally keep to the Valley of the Four Winds, but this one had come all the way into Krasarang. I calmed Ryshan down by promising to take care of the furball and make sure he didn\'t get his paws on any fish. It was the least I could do. After all, this bandicoon was a fellow explorer. Oddly, the critter reminded me of my older brother, Shisai. Maybe it was his chubby face and bushy ears. Or maybe it was the way he picked tiny bits of old food out of his fur and ate them, not caring how disgusting it made him look. Whatever the reason, I decided to name the bandicoon after my big brother. As hard as it was to believe, I actually missed Shisai. Well... a little bit.\n\nAt the Anglers Wharf, Ryshan and his pals roasted up some of the day\'s catches and told me their best fishing stories. When I said I\'d come from the Wandering Isle, they took it as a challenge to tell better stories, and began spinning some yarn about a baby kraken they\'d fished up years ago.\n\nOnly anglers and madmen. Yeah. That sounded about right.\n\nOne of the most interesting things the anglers talked about was the Temple of the Red Crane. The massive complex, located in central Krasarang, was built in honor of the celestial Chi-Ji, known as the Red Crane. Ryshan mentioned that this powerful and benevolent creature was also called the spirit of hope. Not long ago, something dangerous had escaped from the depths of the Red Crane\'s temple: sha. The strange evils were later defeated, but not before a shadow of despair had fallen across the wilds.\n\nI\'d heard about the sha during the mantid attack on Stoneplow back in the Valley of the Four Winds. Why were these weird things suddenly popping up all over the place? Was it happening everywhere in Pandaria? Just thinking about the sha made my skin crawl. It was hard to sleep that night.\n\nThe next morning, I was getting ready to continue my search for the Wandering Isle\'s birthplace when a giant hot-air balloon landed at the Anglers Wharf! The pilot, a soft-spoken pandaren named Shin Whispercloud, had come from the northern region of Kun-Lai Summit to pick up a shipment of fish. Apparently, he was making a delivery to a sacred place high in the mountains: the Temple of the White Tiger. The fish in Krasarang must be some of the best in Pandaria; otherwise why would Shin come so far south?\n\nThe more Shin talked about Kun-Lai, the more I wanted to see it. The balloon pilot said I was welcome to join him as long as I helped load the fish. How could I say no? Sure, I still hadn\'t found the spot where Liu Lang and the Great Turtle had begun their journey across the seas, but at least I\'d figured out the general area it was in. Uncle Chen and I could always come back some other time. But when would I get another chance to go to Kun-Lai? With my uncle holed up in the brewery, it could be weeks—or even months—before we finally visited the distant corners of Pandaria. Or maybe we never would. I imagined Uncle Chen sitting around in the brewery, drinking barrels and barrels of ale and growing fatter than Shin\'s balloon—too big even to fit through the building\'s doors!\n\nThere was only one thing to do: I rolled up my sleeves, held my breath, and started loading barrels of fish into the large basket hanging from the balloon. I probably smelled like a true angler after the work was done, but it was a small price to pay for a free trip to somewhere as mysterious and exciting as Kun-Lai.\n\nAfter saying my good-byes to the anglers, I tucked Shisai into my travel bag and hopped aboard Shin\'s balloon. Pretty soon we were rising above the Krasarang Wilds higher and higher and higher! The wind carried us north, over the Jade Forest, and then on toward Kun-Lai\'s majestic mountains. Through openings in the white fluffy clouds, I began to make out my destination.\n\nWhen I told Shin how beautiful Kun-Lai seemed from afar, he became sad. "Funny how everything looks so perfect from the sky," he said. "Kun-Lai is a wondrous place, as you say. But these days, not all is well there. A storm is gathering over the region, little one."\n\nShin went on to explain that war had come to parts of Kun-Lai. He told me not to worry; the area he was taking me to was safe, but I still wondered if joining him had been a mistake.\n\nThen I reminded myself that Uncle Chen and every other great explorer needed to travel dangerous lands and peaceful ones. It was all part of being a wanderer. I took a deep breath and stared ahead, ready to face any challenge that was waiting for me in the snowy mountains of Kun-Lai Summit!',
			'Entry Eight: Kun-Lai Summit\n\nI\'d thought the Jade Forest was a big honking slice of land, but it didn\'t compare to Kun-Lai Summit. The mountains there were so tall that even from up in the hot-air balloon, I had to crane my neck just to see where the snowy slopes vanished above the clouds.\n\nOur destination—the Temple of the White Tiger—was nestled in northeastern Kun-Lai. Like the temples in the Jade Forest and the Krasarang Wilds, it was dedicated to one of Pandaria\'s legendary celestials. In this case it was Xuen, the White Tiger. The balloon\'s pilot, Shin, also referred to the being as the spirit of strength, which seemed like the perfect trait to have up in those harsh mountains.\n\nThe temple grounds were freezing cold when we arrived. My paws were numb by the time we\'d unloaded all of the fish barrels. Even my bandicoon, Shisai, couldn\'t escape the cold. Frost covered his fur from head to tail, and his whiskers had turned to ice. I would\'ve felt bad for the little guy if he hadn\'t been acting like such a grouch recently. Just the night before, he\'d tried to bite me when I\'d caught him stealing fish from the barrels!\n\nSomething was wrong with him, but I didn\'t know what… Not yet.\n\nAfter making our delivery, we returned to the skies and headed to the rocky highland steppes in southern Kun-Lai. That was where most folks in the region lived. Apart from hozen huts and pandaren villages, I saw a jinyu settlement at the edge of a lake called Inkgill Mere. I\'d been hoping to learn a lot about that amphibious race\'s ancient culture and rich history. More importantly, I wanted to know how they put tiny fish into bubbles and then made them float around in the air.\n\nBut I never got a chance to explore Inkgill. In fact, I couldn\'t enjoy any of Kun-Lai\'s amazing sights. Every second that passed, Shisai became more dangerous and unpredictable.\n\n"He is angry," Shin explained, noticing the bandicoon\'s behavior. "But it is not his fault…" The pandaren went on to tell me that one of the sha—a being of pure anger—had escaped from its prison high in the mountains. It was terrorizing the steppes, causing violence to break out among the different peoples who lived there.\n\nTo make things worse, a race of shaggy yak-faced nomads called the yaungol had marched into the region from the west. The big jerks acted like they owned the place, burning any settlements that stood in their path to the ground. Shin didn\'t know if the yaungol\'s sudden appearance was connected to the sha, but the brutes sure weren\'t making Kun-Lai safer.\n\nAlthough we couldn\'t do much about the sha or the yaungol, we could still help my bandicoon. Shin said he knew just the person to cure Shisai\'s anger issues: Courageous Yon.\n\nYon lived in a small cave up in Kota Peak, a remote mountain in southwestern Kun-Lai. He was an eccentric pandaren, famous for his ability to tame wild animals and train them how to fight. Luckily, Shin was old pals with Yon, so the tamer welcomed us into his home and agreed to help Shisai. Carefully, he inspected the grumpy bandicoon. Every so often, Yon would turn to the pets he kept in his cave and ask them a question or mutter something under his breath. But what really freaked me out were the weird sweaters, booties, and scarves hanging on the walls. It was clear they\'d been knitted to fit different kinds of animals. Each piece of clothing even had the name of one of Yon\'s pets embroidered on it!\n\n"Laugh if you want," the tamer said defensively when he caught me staring at the clothes. "But up here in the cold it\'s important to keep a pet warm. They could pull a muscle, you know."\n\nYeah… Yon was kind of crazy, but I liked him. He reminded me of the master monks back on the Wandering Isle, who spent their entire lives training in their chosen arts. Only instead of achieving inner balance, Yon was making bunnies fight baby crocolisks. Which was cool, too.\n\nOver the next day, Yon showed me ways to deal with Shisai and "focus his anger." By that, I realized he meant teaching the bandicoon how to battle other animals. I never expected my scrappy little furball would be able to use tactics in a fight, but he turned out to be pretty good at it!\n\nShisai was actually holding his own against Yon\'s battle-hardened pets (thanks to my strategic coaching, of course). More than that, the fighting did calm Shisai. In between smacking around his opponents, he was back to his old self, although with a few more scars.\n\nThe following morning, I set off from Kota Peak with Shin and Shisai. Before we left, Yon gave me a bag of his old pet supplies: chew toys to settle Shisai down if he got crabby, treats, and all sorts of other stuff. The tamer never asked me for payment. I respected him a lot for that. He\'d helped Shisai because of his love for taming wild beasts. And, well, the fact that he knew I didn\'t have any money might\'ve been a factor too.\n\nShin piloted the balloon east as we talked about where he would drop me off. About halfway into our conversation, something on the ground caught my eye. Dozens and dozens of pandaren were entering a giant gate at the southern border of Kun-Lai.\n\nShin called it the Gate of the August Celestials. He was stunned that it was open. Apparently, the barrier had been closed for thousands of years. Beyond the wall lay a place long shrouded in myth and legend: the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. It was a land very few people had ever set foot in.\n\nIn other words, the vale was an explorer\'s dream come true, and I knew I had to go there next.',
			'Entry Nine: The Vale of Eternal Blossoms\n\nThe Vale of Eternal Blossoms was like its own little world hidden in the heart of Pandaria. A warm, calming breeze washed over hills of golden grass. Leaves and blossoms rained down from the trees, filling the air with a sweet smell. Instead of getting all dry and crunchy like normal leaves and petals, the ones that fell stayed fresh and soft for days.\n\nA lot of the things I saw seemed to fit with the legends I\'d heard of the vale. Cubs across Pandaria grew up learning myths about the place. One of the most popular stories was that the region was home to a handful of magical pools. Some people even claimed that the waters could perform miracles! There was definitely something special to the vale, and I wasn\'t the only one who wanted to see if the tales concerning the region were true.\n\nDozens of pandaren refugees flocked to the golden valley. Almost all of them had been driven out of Kun-Lai Summit, their homes destroyed by the yaungol. The poor folks brought as much as they could carry with them, which in most cases was only the clothes on their backs. If they were lucky, they also had a yak or two, some old family heirlooms, and enough food to last them maybe a couple of days.\n\nI joined two refugees—a pandaren named Buwei and his son, Little Fu—who were traveling by themselves. They were both pretty quiet until I put the ol\' Stormstout charm to good use and learned more about them. It turned out Buwei and his cub had lost everything in a yaungol attack in Kun-Lai… even the rest of their family. Now, the father and son were headed to Mistfall Village, a place in the vale that had become a refuge for many of Kun-Lai\'s pandaren.\n\nLike all of the refugees, Buwei and Little Fu believed they\'d find peace in the valley. And who could blame them? Until a few days ago, the vale had been blocked off from other areas of Pandaria for thousands of years. All that time, the great celestials had watched over it closely. The legendary beings handpicked special caretakers—the Golden Lotus—to help them keep an eye on the vale. The pandaren I met said it was a huge honor to be chosen as a member of the sacred order, but the whole thing seemed a little weird to me. I couldn\'t imagine a godlike creature showing up one day and asking me to leave my friends and family behind to spend my life in a secret valley.\n\nAll that aside, I understood why the refugees were coming to the vale. With the celestials and the Golden Lotus around, it was probably the safest place in Pandaria.\n\nAt least, it used to be.\n\nBuwei told me that the vale had once been the seat of the mogu empire. Recently, the big stinkers had found a way back inside the valley and were trying to reclaim their old turf. It was hard to believe that the mogu had ruled over a place as beautiful as the vale, but statues of them were everywhere!\n\nDespite the news of the mogu, Buwei and Little Fu cheered up as the days wore on. I wished I could take credit for that, but the honor went to my bandicoon, Shisai. The furball had gotten over most of his anger issues once we\'d left Kun-Lai. But just in case, I taught the two refugees how to calm him down if he got a little cranky, using treats and chew toys. Buwei and his son played with the bandicoon a lot. Having him around must\'ve taken their minds off of everything they\'d lost, especially for Little Fu. The only time he smiled was when he held Shisai. Pretty soon the cub became a master at taking care of the critter.\n\nWhen we finally reached Mistfall Village, I was surprised at how big and lively it was. The village\'s stone streets looked ancient and worn, but many of the buildings seemed new. Buwei said that Mistfall used to be smaller, just a few structures here and there occupied by the Golden Lotus, but the first wave of pandaren from Kun-Lai had quickly expanded the place.\n\nThe refugees hadn\'t wasted any time making themselves at home. The sounds of pandaren chatting, laughing, and singing filled every corner of the village. Most of the carts they\'d brought had been broken apart and rebuilt into makeshift tables and market stalls. Leftover scraps were used as firewood to cook big boiling pots of green curry fish or to roast skewers of peanut chicken. Now and then I saw sprites—like the ones back on the Wandering Isle—peek down from atop the roofs. The mischievous little guys watched the refugees go about their business before darting out of sight.\n\nVisiting Mistfall was great, but I still wanted to explore the rest of the vale. I set off early the next morning. Buwei was sleeping. So was Little Fu. The cub was smiling, his arms wrapped tight around Shisai. I\'d been planning on taking the bandicoon with me, but after seeing how happy he made Buwei\'s son, how could I? After everything Little Fu had been through, he deserved Shisai. Plus, I was getting tired of finding the bandicoon\'s hair in my clothes, food, and tea every day. At least… that was what I told myself to keep from blubbering like a baby as I wrote a good-bye note for the father and son. Then, I made my way out of the village.\n\nJust after sunrise, someone—or something—started following me through the vale. I felt it in my gut, but what really tipped me off was the weird stench that hung in the air like incense. It reminded me of Ryshan and the other anglers in the Krasarang Wilds: a mix of sweaty fur and fish parts. I tracked the smell down and caught my stalker hiding behind a big boulder. At first I thought it was my granny Mei, but after a closer look I realized the thing wasn\'t as hairy as she was. Not by a long shot.\n\nIt was a grummle. I\'d seen the strange creatures in Kun-Lai, but I\'d never met one of them up close. They were expert mountain climbers and trackers with an incredible sense of smell. Traveling around the hostile mountains made them pretty superstitious, and they had a habit of carrying charms (like coins or rabbit feet) called luckydos. Grummles even took on the names of their favorite luckydo, which in the case of my new friend also explained the stink…\n\n"Messenger Fishtail at your service!" the grummle said. "Chen Stormstout sent me to find you, but it was most difficult. I followed for many days making sure you were you. Not enough stink. You need a better luckydo."\n\n"Or you could\'ve just asked me who I was," I replied.\n\n"A grummle always trusts his nose above all else."\n\nHe handed me a scroll addressed from Uncle Chen. Between the ale stains and bits of spicy tofu splattered across the parchment, I learned that he\'d finally gotten off his butt and left the brewery. Not only that, he\'d found more Stormstouts in the Sunset Brewgarden, some kind of settlement in a region that he cryptically called the Dread Wastes. He told me to meet him at one of the guard towers along the Serpent\'s Spine, the great wall that stretched across western Pandaria.\n\nAnd Li Li, Uncle Chen wrote at the end of the letter, whatever happens, do not go to the other side of the wall! It is extremely dangerous there. Just stay put when you reach the guard tower.\n\nThe fact that he didn\'t mention the way I\'d run off without his permission made me nervous. Something big was happening down in the Dread Wastes if he was going to let that slide. As much as I regretted leaving the vale, I knew that Uncle Chen needed me. And, well, I really wanted to walk on the wall.\n\n"Come, come!" Messenger Fishtail pointed west, where the Serpent\'s Spine ran across the vale\'s edge. "I will lead you to the wall, but we must hurry. East winds are blowing. That means good luck and safe travels!"\n\nEven from far away the Serpent\'s Spine looked huge. I\'d first seen the barrier in the Valley of the Four Winds. From that moment on, I\'d been hoping to one day gaze out across Pandaria from the top.\n\nWell, that day had finally come.',
			'Entry Ten: The Townlong Steppes\n\nI\'d heard a legend once that the Serpent\'s Spine was made from billions of stones.\n\nYes. Billions.\n\nAt the time, I thought it was just crazy talk. But when I finally stood on the great wall and saw how big it was, I started to believe the story. The Serpent\'s Spine stretched to the south like a giant winding snake, so far that I couldn\'t see where it ended. The top was wide enough that you could\'ve driven a few carts side by side and still had room for a fat pandaren like Uncle Chen to walk between them. Some parts of the barrier were newly rebuilt, the stones flat and precisely cut. Other areas were rough and craggy, weathered by the elements and covered in gouges from past battles.\n\nBeing at the Serpent\'s Spine was a dream come true, especially after all the time I\'d spent getting there. Based on detailed instructions from Uncle Chen, the grummle messenger Fishtail had led me to one of the wall\'s guard towers way out in Kun-Lai. Once we finally made it to the wall, I understood why we\'d taken such a roundabout route.\n\nUncle Chen had arranged an escort to meet me there… a member of the Shado-pan!\n\nThe fellow\'s name was Min. For generations, his mysterious order had stood watch on the Serpent\'s Spine, protecting Pandaria from nasties like the mantid. He dressed like most of the other Shado-pan I\'d seen: lightly armored, with a wide hat tilted low over his eyes and a scarf wrapped around his face. He didn\'t talk much, but the stuff he did tell me was pretty interesting. Min said that every stone on the wall had a story: tales of where Shado-pan guardians had fended off attackers, sometimes sacrificing their own lives to uphold their sacred duty.\n\nIt started raining as we made our way south. Instead of forming into big puddles, the water traveled through grooves in the stonework and then cascaded off the sides of the wall like thousands of tiny waterfalls. I was admiring the barricade\'s architecture when I noticed something odd about Min. He always seemed to keep his eyes fixed to the west, as if doing so was second nature for him. The land in that direction was known as the Townlong Steppes, a place of open, grassy hills and rocky outcroppings. Here and there, huge trees (called kypari) towered into the sky. Some of them looked as tall as the Serpent\'s Spine.\n\nTownlong was a rugged land inhabited by rugged folk: the yaungol. Min told me that in years past, you could gaze out from the wall and see giant groups of the shaggy nomads roaming the hills. Now, the area looked deserted. Vultures hovered in the air, flying over the smoldering wreckage of yaungol camps.\n\nWar had come and gone in Townlong. It all started when the mantid had invaded the region, causing the yaungol to flee into Kun-Lai and begin destroying pandaren villages. The sha had also influenced the brutes, making them more violent than usual. Eventually, the pandaren and their allies had defeated the yaungol.\n\n"I harbor no hate for yaungol," Min said. "The Shado-pan do only what we must to protect Pandaria. Emotion plays no part in our actions. We train to keep our feelings in check so that they do not control us. But take heart, little one. Those nomads are survivors. Their culture will endure. Most of all, I hope that they learn from these events."\n\nMin didn\'t say anything else during the rest of our journey, which was fine by me. I had a lot to think about. I\'d wanted the yaungol to be punished for the terrible things they\'d done in Kun-Lai, but after what I\'d seen in Townlong, I didn\'t know how to feel. Should I be happy or sad?\n\nBy the time we reached the guard tower where Uncle Chen was supposed to meet us, the rain had stopped and the clouds had parted. The good weather lifted my spirits... until I noticed my uncle wasn\'t there. The Shado-pan guards who usually stood watch at the tower were gone too.\n\nBefore I could ask Min where everyone was, the mantid attacked.\n\nThe bugs had been waiting for us, clinging to the outer part of the Serpent\'s Spine. Dozens of them suddenly leapt over the side and circled us. They clustered to the north, south, and east, cutting off our escape and forcing me and Min against the edge of the wall overlooking Townlong. I\'d fought the mantid back in the Valley of the Four Winds, but that didn\'t make seeing them again any easier. Their weird antennae, mandibles, and parchment-thin wings made my skin crawl.\n\nMin cut through a few of the bugs with his spear. He stabbed, parried, and dodged as if he knew what the mantid were going to do before they did it. I jumped forward to help, but he held me back.\n\n"We have secret caches of supplies hidden near the guard towers," he said calmly, even as he twirled his spear and knocked away a group of mantid approaching his flank. "Look for a stone with a snarling tiger carved into it. The Shado-pan emblem. Move it aside and take the rope from within."\n\nI found one of those blocks near his feet and pried it up with my staff. Beneath the stone was a wide chamber filled with bags of dried food and a thick rope. As Min held off the mantid, he ordered me to tie the line around his waist and then throw the other end over the side of the wall.\n\nAfter that, he told me to climb down.\n\nI was a little freaked out. Descending the colossal Serpent\'s Spine was one thing, but doing it while my anchor was fighting a small army of mantid was another. Also, what would I find when I got to the ground? I remembered the cryptic message Uncle Chen had written to me: And Li Li, whatever happens, do not go to the other side of the wall! It is extremely dangerous there.\n\nMore than all that, leaving Min behind felt wrong. But what else could I do? He was a Shado-pan and a monk of the highest order. He knew what he was doing, and if I wanted to earn his respect, I had to follow his lead.\n\nSo, I climbed. The whole way down I could hear the clash of Min\'s spear against mantid swords and armor. I kept hoping he would peer over the side and tell me the battle was finished. He didn\'t.\n\nAs I neared the ground, the line suddenly went slack. Someone had cut the rope. I fell and landed in a thorny bush growing alongside the Serpent\'s Spine. I stayed there without moving, fearing the worst. I breathed a sigh of relief when Min finally poked his head over the wall and started yelling.\n\nThe distance between us made it almost impossible to hear what he was saying. From what I could tell, he\'d killed the mantid, but the last one had sliced through the rope. Min kept pointing south and flailing his arms like he was trying to explain something else to me. He was a great monk (one of the best I\'d ever seen), but he couldn\'t perform a gesture to save his life. All I knew was that staying put would be a bad idea. With the rope cut, there was no way back up the wall. If the mantid had attacked there, more of the bugs were probably creeping around, just waiting to launch another ambush.\n\nTownlong seemed a lot more dangerous from the ground. The grass was oddly cold to the touch. The clear sky had disappeared behind a layer of dark clouds. Thunder boomed overhead. All the hills and giant boulders in the area were perfect hiding spots for beasts that might want to eat me.\n\nBut Uncle Chen was my biggest concern. Where was he? Why hadn\'t he shown up? He wouldn\'t have forgotten. The thought that the mantid had done something to him crossed my mind, but I knew he was too tough for the bugs. He would\'ve smashed them to pieces with one paw tied behind his back (or, more likely, holding a mug of ale).\n\nI decided to head south for the Dread Wastes and try to find the Sunset Brewgarden on my own. I was guessing that the folks there would know what had happened to Uncle Chen, or where he\'d gone.\n\nIt was a long shot, but from where I stood, that was the only option I had left',
			'Entry Eleven: The Dread Wastes\n\nThe first time I\'d ever been afraid—really terrified—was back on the Wandering Isle. I was just a little cub, and I\'d gone to the Great Library to read the Book of the Turtle. A few pages in, I spilled a pot of ink onto the parchment. I tried wiping the stains off, but that only made things worse. So I freaked out, stuffed the book into a dusty corner of the library, and hoped it would stay a secret forever.\n\nFor the next three days, I lived in terror, sure that I\'d get caught. I could barely eat or sleep. I hardly ever left my room. The fear had taken over me like one of the evil forest sprites in Granny Mei\'s scary stories. At the end of the third day, the library caretakers figured out what I\'d done. (Luckily, the book was a copy they kept on hand.) As punishment, my pop forced me to write the "Song of Liu Lang" lyrics a few thousand times, but that didn\'t bother me much. The worst part had been those three horrible days.\n\nI\'d never been that afraid again… until I stepped into the Dread Wastes, homeland of the mantid. I entered the region farther away from the Serpent\'s Spine than I liked. A huge ravine separated the Townlong Steppes from the Dread Wastes. I\'d headed west along the chasm until I\'d found a natural bridge—a giant hollowed-out tree trunk—that I could use to cross over.\n\nThe Sha of Fear had turned the wastes into a weird mirror image of Townlong. The terrain was the same—grassy hills, rocks, and towering kypari trees—but everything seemed strange and unnatural. A clump of dark clouds twisted in a big angry swirl overhead. The sky around that glowed with a ghostly light. Splotches of white and black sha energy bubbled up all over the ground. They reminded me of the ink stains on the Book of the Turtle. As a matter of fact, every time I breathed or took a step, a chill went up my spine, and I felt as if I was reliving those three days of terror.\n\nI wanted to run. I would\'ve if Uncle Chen hadn\'t been on my mind. I had to find the Sunset Brewgarden.\n\nThe more I focused on the place, the more I calmed down. I kept repeating the name in my head as I made my way to the base of a kypari tree (called Kor\'vess, as I later learned). The exposed roots were so big they curved over me like massive archways. Bits of shimmering amber drifted off the branches, floating through the air like lazy fireflies. Here and there I saw vaulted doorways and honeycomb windows built into the kypari\'s trunk. There was something insect-like about the architecture, and I realized the mantid must\'ve created the structures. The bugs lived inside the trees!\n\nLuckily, I didn\'t see any mantid around—not any living ones, at least. Bug corpses were everywhere, as if some kind of battle had taken place. Still, I played it safe and kept to the shadows of the kypari roots, looking for clues that would point me in the direction of the brewgarden.\n\nMy first break came when I found the remains of a wooden cask. It was definitely pandaren-made. Drops of bright amber surrounded the debris. Then it hit me: were the pandaren who lived in the Dread Wastes hunting for kypari sap? It made sense. The mantid used amber for all sorts of things, from creating weapons to building their homes. I\'d even heard that the gooey stuff had healing properties. In other words, it would make the perfect ingredient for a batch of rare ale.\n\nIt took me the better part of an hour to spot the brewgarden at another kypari tree near Kor\'vess. Pandaren dressed in light armor lumbered around the rugged settlement. Steam spiraled out of cauldrons filled with boiling barley and hops. Globs of sap dripped down from the tree into waiting barrels. All in all, the place had a cozy feel, even if it was a little rough around the edges.\n\nA few steps into the brewgarden, I heard a familiar voice.\n\n"… Shado-pan last saw her heading toward the Dread Wastes," Uncle Chen was saying. I spotted him near the back of the settlement, standing next to three other pandaren.\n\n"Then what are we waiting for?" someone replied. She was an older lady, her hair tied up in two buns. She kicked at a fat pandaren who was snoozing on the ground. "Get up, Big Dan! We can\'t afford to lose another Stormstout."\n\n"Looking for me?" I interrupted.\n\nAll of their heads turned at once. The surprise on Uncle Chen\'s face was priceless.\n\n"Li Li!" He scooped me up and gave me a big hug. Suddenly all my fear melted away. I started to apologize for leaving the brewery without asking, but Uncle Chen stopped me.\n\n"How could I be angry at you for running off to explore?" he said. "That\'s what I\'ve done my whole life. I\'m just glad you\'re safe."\n\nUncle Chen explained why he hadn\'t met me at the Serpent\'s Spine. The mantid had attacked spots across the great wall, blocking his way. Once the bugs had been defeated, he\'d found the Shado-pan monk Min, who then had told him what\'d happened to me. My uncle had just returned to the brewgarden, and he was in the middle of organizing a search party.\n\nA search party full of Stormstouts! Their names were Han, Mama, and Big Dan.\n\n"You made it through Townlong and the Dread Wastes all by yourself?" Han asked me.\n\n"Of course she did!" Mama pinched my cheek. "She\'s a Stormstout, isn\'t she?"\n\nBig Dan snorted, sat up, and rubbed his eyes. I got the idea that this much movement was rare for him. He stared at me in silence before finally saying, "She… she looks just like Evie."\n\nMama, Uncle Chen, and Han nodded and lowered their heads. When I asked who that Evie person was, they led me out of the brewgarden, down to the ravine bordering the Dread Wastes. At the edge of the chasm, a stone memorial had been set into the ground. It was dedicated to Evie.\n\nEvie Stormstout.\n\nShe\'d died while hunting out in the Dread Wastes, killed by the sha or mantid (or maybe a combination of both). Uncle Chen had been the one to find her. I\'d never met the girl, but I missed her. If Big Dan said I looked like Evie, did that mean our personalities were the same too? Could we have been good friends, or even something like sisters?\n\nThe sha and mantid had ruined any chance of me answering those questions. I was angry, not just about Evie, but about everything I\'d seen during my journeys through Pandaria. In one way or another, the sha had stirred up trouble across the entire continent. How many more innocent folks would die like my cousin?\n\n"I\'m taking you back to the Valley of the Four Winds," Uncle Chen said. "You should stay there until the sha and the mantid are dealt with. It\'s not safe to explore a wasteland like this."\n\n"No," I replied. Exploring was the last thing on my mind. "There\'s a time to explore and there\'s a time to stand your ground and fight. You wrote that to me in one of your letters. Well, I\'m following your advice. I want to stay and help."\n\nI was afraid Uncle Chen would refuse and send me to the valley anyway, but after a few moments a smile tugged at the corners of his chubby face. "Hmph. Spoken like a true wanderer."\n\nWith that, we headed back to the brewgarden. There was a lot of planning to do. Maybe I wouldn\'t be fighting against the sha and the mantid on the front lines, but I\'d do whatever I could to help, even if I had to cut bandages or cook meals. I\'d make sure that Evie\'s death meant something… that Buwei and Little Fu could return to their family home and start a new life… and that everyone else I\'d met on my travels could live free from the sha\'s influence.\n\nI\'d make sure there was still a Pandaria left to explore when all this was over.\n\n—Li Li Stormstout',
		},
		["author"] = "Blizzard Entertainment",
		["icon"] = "Interface/ICONS/inv_offhand_1h_panstart_a_01",
		["expansion"] = 4,
	},

	["trial-of-the-red-blossoms"] = {
		["nameRealm"] = "The Trial of the Red Blossoms",
		["text"] = {
			'Ten had been following the strangers all afternoon and was sure that they had money. He could read it in their posture, their clothing, and the confident way they moved through the market. Discerning the wealth of potential marks was a habit that had kept Ten alive, even in these hard times.\n\nThere were four of them—four travelers from the north, if their heavy cloaks were any indication. And if the unseasonal garb weren\'t enough proof of the newcomers\' foreignness, then their choice of a guide certainly was: Jogu, the old jinyu drunk who spent most of his time napping by the small, stagnant pond near the market. Jogu was thin for a jinyu, prone to slurred rambling, and he was missing scales. Why these gentlemen had chosen him as their guide was a mystery to Ten. Regardless, their coin must have been good, because Jogu was showing more energy than he had in years, gesturing and pointing to the mediocre sights and scenery of Halfhill Market as though they were monuments in the Jade Temple.\n\nFor their part, the four travelers were quiet, not responding to the fish-man\'s antics. It was obvious that these pandaren had hoped for a more direct and silent guide to their destination, and were already regretting their decision.\n\nTen leaned back against the alley wall and tried to think. Thinking was hard when his stomach hurt like this, but that would not change unless he put his mind to work. Harvest had been poor this season, even here in the Valley of the Four Winds. Farmers were more careful with their wares, and more guards were stationed around the trade routes than ever before. It had been a day since he had eaten—a peach that had rolled off of the fruit seller\'s cart as he had wheeled it from the market. Or... it had seemed to roll off, just as the cart had rumbled past where Ten had been sitting in the shadows. Ten had benefited from Kim Won Gi\'s "carelessness" in the past; he wanted to thank the generous trader... but was not prepared to stop stealing from him. How else was a thief to survive?',
			'Thief. Ten was not proud of what he did, of what he had to do. If his father were alive, he would wring his paws in sorrow.\n\nOne cannot change the seasons.\n\nThe group was moving now. Jogu had finished a long soliloquy about the Shrine of the Honest Trader in what appeared to have been an epic, emotional presentation accompanied with twirling motions. When Jogu\'s clients had failed to respond to his act—or to tip him as he stood there, arms raised as if he were a mighty taolun tree—he had shrugged his shoulders and kept walking. The strangers followed, one of them shaking his head.\n\nAt this point, Ten was positive that they were headed to the Tiller\'s Council. It was the only building of note in that direction. He smiled. Of course these wealthy strangers were here to see the powerful farmers\' union, possibly to discuss trade or contracts. Merchants, perhaps? That would explain the voluminous cloaks worn across broad, well-fed bellies—and, if Ten was not mistaken, covering deep pockets and purses heavy with gold. Watching closely, he could see the way the dark cloth pulled across the travelers\' waists. Yes. There was coin tucked underneath. His fingers twitched.\n\nThe group was crossing Fo Bridge when it happened. Nam Ironpaw the stockmaster had just arrived at the high point of the bridge with a cart stacked high with salmon. The wheel on one side had come loose, and as Nam waved to the approaching travelers, it suddenly bent under the heavy load. The burly grocer turned in shock, helpless as the overloaded cart tipped over and spilled the contents of a night\'s bounteous catch onto the bridge.\n\n"No! No!" he shouted, whiskers shaking in a visual echo of his frustration.Thief. Ten was not proud of what he did, of what he had to do. If his father were alive, he would wring his paws in sorrow.\n\nOne cannot change the seasons.\n\nThe group was moving now. Jogu had finished a long soliloquy about the Shrine of the Honest Trader in what appeared to have been an epic, emotional presentation accompanied with twirling motions. When Jogu\'s clients had failed to respond to his act—or to tip him as he stood there, arms raised as if he were a mighty taolun tree—he had shrugged his shoulders and kept walking. The strangers followed, one of them shaking his head.\n\nAt this point, Ten was positive that they were headed to the Tiller\'s Council. It was the only building of note in that direction. He smiled. Of course these wealthy strangers were here to see the powerful farmers\' union, possibly to discuss trade or contracts. Merchants, perhaps? That would explain the voluminous cloaks worn across broad, well-fed bellies—and, if Ten was not mistaken, covering deep pockets and purses heavy with gold. Watching closely, he could see the way the dark cloth pulled across the travelers\' waists. Yes. There was coin tucked underneath. His fingers twitched.\n\nThe group was crossing Fo Bridge when it happened. Nam Ironpaw the stockmaster had just arrived at the high point of the bridge with a cart stacked high with salmon. The wheel on one side had come loose, and as Nam waved to the approaching travelers, it suddenly bent under the heavy load. The burly grocer turned in shock, helpless as the overloaded cart tipped over and spilled the contents of a night\'s bounteous catch onto the bridge.\n\n"No! No!" he shouted, whiskers shaking in a visual echo of his frustration.',
			'A silvery, wet avalanche poured across the planks of the bridge, the raised balustrades funneling it directly toward a terrified Jogu and his charges. The poor jinyu, obviously still drunk, echoed Nam\'s shouts at the oncoming fish—"No! No!"—and tried to wave them off with desperate, imploring gestures. The dead salmon paid no heed.\n\nWith a moist smack, the group was buried. Ten grimaced at the thought—and smell—of being bathed in clammy fish. In another second the wave passed, the remaining salmon sliding off the sides of the bridge and into the stream below. The four pandaren merchants had crouched and grasped onto the planks to keep their footing, and were now helping each other back up. Jogu had been swept along with the fish into the water, where he failed to resurface. This was funnier than it was alarming—as a jinyu, the drunk was more at home there than on land. Shouts and laughter rang from the market as Nam\'s family and other villagers came running.\n\nTen knew that there would be no better time to strike.\n\nSlipping from the shadows, he joined the crowd moving toward the tipped cart. Slight and thin for his fourteen years, with patches of gray fur where most pandaren were white, Ten found it easy to remain unnoticed in the chaos. He usually did. Being unnoticed was something of a specialty for the youngest son of a poor turnip farmer, a son named merely for the order of his birth.\n\nHis five oldest brothers had divided up the property when Father had died, but soon learned that five pieces of a struggling farm would barely sustain them; what was the point of dividing it further if it meant they all would starve? So the remaining five, the youngest, had been given the option of staying as farmhands… or leaving. Ten had left, much to his siblings\' relief. There was nothing on that farm for a young pandaren anyway. He doubted that they noticed his absence.',
			'Just ahead, he could see members of the Ironpaw family attempting to right the cart while others gathered up what fish they could into baskets, pots, and the fronts of their aprons. Nam had approached the four strangers, head bowed, and was apologizing profusely. Ten had expected these wealthy merchants to be furious at their slimy welcome to Halfhill, but was surprised to find that they were laughing—soft, rumbling laughter that practically shook the bridge as they wiped scales from their hats, clapping each other on the shoulders. One of the travelers pulled a large fish from his collar and handed it to Nam with a nod. The stockmaster was relieved by their good humor, and he stepped away to supervise the retrieval effort. The price for salmon was high, and it had been months since his cart had been so full.\n\nTen moved forward, quietly collecting fish with the rest of the Ironpaw family. As he neared the travelers, he pretended to slip and stumble against the largest of them. The merchant turned, and Ten gasped. His target had only one eye. A long scar stretched across the traveler\'s face from brow to chin, and a black patch covered where his eye would have been. The merchant was obviously accustomed to this sort of reaction, and he smiled and steadied Ten, warning him to be careful on the wet planks. His voice was strong but kind, and the young thief felt a twinge of guilt about stealing from this gentle soul.\n\nBut warm thoughts do not quiet a rumbling stomach.',
			'Ten bowed shyly, just as a simple village cub would, and walked away. The leather purse he had lifted from the merchant\'s cloak was tucked underneath Ten\'s grubby tunic, and he was excited to see what riches he had stolen. Gold? Not heavy enough. Jewelry? Possibly. Enough to buy some hot meals and another blanket, he hoped. Winter would soon be here, and Ten worried about the cold. The small pandaren had made sure to pocket a few of the smaller fish as well, but didn\'t want to press his luck. His stomach grumbled again.\n\nHe reached the edge of the market and pretended to brush scales off his sleeves as he surveyed the scene behind him. Ten\'s departure had gone unnoticed, and everyone was still engaged in recovering the fish before they were all swept away by the slow-moving stream. Pulling the purse from his tunic, he quickly undid the leather cord binding it together and emptied the contents into his paw.\n\nIt was not gold, not jewelry. It was a scroll. Ten\'s heart sank. A stupid scroll wound around a simple rod of brass with ivory ends. He lifted the delicate thing, breaking the wax seal to see if he could pull it apart. Maybe he could sell the ivory.\n\nHis eyes flashed across the page, reading the words without meaning to. Years ago, Seven had taught his younger brother to read so that he might at least help with the tallying after harvest. Ten had learned quickly, and he found the skill useful when selecting which bag to lift from an unattended grocer\'s stall. The message was written in strong, urgent strokes, and as he read, Ten felt a panic begin to grow in his empty belly.',
			'Honorable Haohan Mudclaw, Leader of the Tillers in the Valley of the Four Winds,\n\nThis message comes with a greeting, a blessing upon your fields, and a warning. Our sources have come across several yaungol tribes moving east from the Townlong Steppes in a manner more akin to escape than aggression. In centuries past, this has taken place when the mantid were surging, their hives growing to such numbers that even the mighty hooved ones flee before them. Our own forces are spread thin, Haohan, and we need to begin storing supplies for the coming conflict. Well we know of your poor harvest this year, and of your duty to feed the people of the valley and beyond. But our need is urgent. Please send what you can with these esteemed guardians. They will assure that whatever your generosity allows you to part with arrives safely.\n\nThese were not the words of a merchant.\n\nEsteemed guardians. These travelers had not come to trade. The mark at the bottom of the scroll caused Ten to catch his breath. It was a simple mark, a circle with curving stripes coming down the sides, the snarling face of a white tiger.\n\nShado-pan!\n\nSuddenly there was a commotion back by the bridge. Ten spun around, swiftly tucking the scroll into his tunic. Jogu had emerged from the water and was shouting and pointing... pointing at Ten.\n\n"Thief! My good masters have been robbed! Thief! Thief!"',
			'At first, nobody knew what the hysterical jinyu was talking about. Some looked at Ten with suspicion, and a few laughed at Jogu, rolling their eyes at his drunken rambling. But the large pandaren that Ten had bumped felt into his pocket and then made a quick gesture to his fellows. Their cloaks fell away to reveal weapons—swords, spears, blades that glinted dangerously in the sunlight. Yes, they had been hiding something after all. Ten had been half right.\n\nIt was time to run.\n\nCursing under his breath, Ten turned and sprinted through the market.\n\nA market crowded with farmers, fishermen, and fruit sellers, and who do I decide to rob? The squad of armed killers.\n\nHis mind whirled, tried to remember what little he knew about the Shado-pan. He had never really had much time for history. They were an elite military force, something rarely seen in this gentle valley. Ten knew that the Shado-pan guarded the wall to the west, that they protected the pandaren lands from evil creatures like the mantid. He had heard stories from other thieves and lowlifes who lived alongside him in the alleyways. Stories about the Shado-pan and their ability to walk along the edge of a sword, to snatch an arrow from flight, and to strike an enemy so that his heart burst inside his chest. He had heard that the Shado-pan did not forgive those who crossed them, or forget when they were wronged.',
			'Ten reached up as he was running, could feel his heart—still intact—hammering away. The scroll bounced with each step, ivory knobs clicking against his bony chest. Almost as though it were calling to Ten\'s pursuers.\n\nHe could already hear heavy footsteps pounding behind him. These warriors were fast. There was a whistling sound, and Ten ducked just as a spear thudded into the post supporting a merchant\'s stall in front of him. The merchant screamed and threw a pot of soup into the air. The hot broth splashed into the face of an irritable hozen who sold cooking supplies in the next stall over. Jumping up and down in anger, the monkey hurled a ladle at Ten, who dodged the spinning utensil and cast around for some avenue of escape.\n\nHe could see himself in the reflection of another pot hanging from the soup merchant\'s stall. Two of the Shado-pan were coming up quickly on either side... and there was nowhere to turn.\n\nSo he didn\'t. Ten leaped, landing with one foot on the haft of the Shado-pan spear embedded in the post ahead of him. Praying that the strong bamboo would hold his weight, Ten crouched as the haft bent and then sprang back upward, catapulting him over the stall and leaving the two Shado-pan blinking their eyes in the late-afternoon sun.\n\nGood craftsmanship in that weapon. At least I was right about one thing: the travelers are wealthy.',
			'He landed and rolled onto the grass behind the market. Shouts echoed from all sides; he wasn\'t clear of his pursuers yet. The two Shado-pan came from around the stalls, obviously unimpressed by his acrobatics. The thief knew he would have no chance of escaping the stronger, quicker pandaren in the open countryside. He would have to try to lose them in town. Cursing again, he set off around the edge of the market and toward the village. Overhead, a hawk called out.\n\nThe village was just up the hill, and the Shado-pan were almost upon him by the time he reached the Lazy Turnip inn. Innkeeper Lei Lan yelped as Ten burst through the door, knocking her tray of drinks to the ground. Ten winced at the thought of good Stormstout brew put to waste by his hurry, but there was nothing to be done. The first Shado-pan behind him slipped on the sudsy mess and tripped over the innkeeper, who had barely regained her footing. The second pursuer leaped over his companion and chased after Ten toward the kitchen, audibly growling. Apparently this hayseed pickpocket had already caused the Shado-pan more trouble than they had bargained for.\n\nTen sprinted into the kitchen, scaring spicemaster Jin Jao so much that he threw his deliveries into the air and swore. Ten kept running, sliding under Jin Jao\'s legs and then continuing up the stairs. He could hear the Shado-pan pursuer\'s feet tramping through the kitchen behind him, heard the spicemaster\'s angry protestations about his ruined goods and further outrage at being pushed aside by these "uncouth thugs." Ten reached the top of the stairs and then ran down the hallway, trying each of the doors. This was where the inn\'s staff lived, and of course they had locked their rooms. Ten cursed, knowing that he had no time to pick the locks.',
			'The final door was unlocked, and from the smell, Ten could tell that this was where Den Den lived. Den Den was the inn\'s hozen bartender. He was not a bad fellow as monkey folk went, and certainly a good deal more affable than his ladle-throwing cousin. Den Den had once traded a mug of Stormstout brew to Ten for a pomegranate—obviously stolen from Gi\'s cart—and Ten had always appreciated the generosity. But the room was a stinking den that looked more like a garbage heap than a domicile. Unwashed bedding, piles of seeds, a barrel filled with fruit rinds, and… what appeared to be a girl hozen dummy made from matted hair. Ten wrinkled his nose and started digging through the trash against the wall at the far side of the room, looking for the window. At last, a ray of light shone through his fingers; he\'d made it!\n\n"Step away from the wall, thief!"\n\nThe voice was angry but firm. Ten could almost feel the spear aimed at his back. Slowly turning, paws raised, he tried to force a smile. Two Shado-pan stood in the doorway and were joined by a third, dripping with beer.\n\n"Hello, gentlemen. Welcome to Halfhill. I have been up here looking for medicine for my sick mother, and—"\n\n"Quiet, runt!" roared the moist warrior, brandishing a sword. He was out of sorts, both for the beer and having bumped into the lovely innkeeper in a manner most unchivalrous. Ten decided to keep his mouth shut.',
			'Another Shado-pan, the one who had donated his spear to Ten\'s escape down in the market, put a paw on his angry companion\'s shoulder. He wore a red scarf around his neck, and the other two parted to let him pass. Although he had retrieved his spear from the stall, Ten could tell that this warrior did not need a weapon to kill. It was clear in his sure movements, the scars on his paws, and the intensity of his golden eyes.\n\n"You are on dangerous ground, little thief. My friend here thinks you are a spy come to intercept our missive and deliver it to the mantid. I choose to believe that you are merely a fool and that your simple criminal act has put you in greater peril than you intended."\n\nThe Shado-pan stepped forward and extended a paw.\n\n"Quickly—my master is waiting below. Give me the scroll that you have stolen. Make no sudden moves, or Tao-Long here will likely skewer you from nose to tail. Do this now, and I will guarantee you a speedy trip to the Tiller\'s Council for judgment and likely a sentence of hard labor in the granary."\n\nTen took a breath. He slowly reached into his tunic and pulled out the scroll. He began to hand it to the nodding Shado-pan, and then stopped.\n\n"So... any other options?"\n\nThe red-scarved warrior frowned, his demeanor turning cold.\n\n"Of course, you can refuse the mercy I have extended and confirm Tao-Long\'s suspicions. And then we willtake the scroll from you, as well as your life. But don\'t think that this means we will simply kill you, thief. When the Shado-pan take your life, it means that your life comes into our possession. We will bind you, take your eyes, your feet, and all but two of your fingers so that you can feed yourself. Then you will be strapped to a mount and carried to our monastery high in Kun-Lai Summit. Upon your arrival, you will be placed on an ice-rimmed ledge to wait for our Truthseekers."',
			'Here, the beer-dipped Shado-pan—Tao-Long—smirked and twisted his sword ever so slightly. It was obvious which option he preferred.\n\n"The Shado-pan Truthseekers will teach you that the previous removal of your eyes was only the first and most gentle of our gifts. They will find out how you have been corrupted by the sha, what you know of their designs, and whether we should toss you to the canyon winds for judgment."\n\nTen\'s eyes had grown wide, and he lifted the scroll to his face as though to cover his fear.\n\n"I... I don\'t like that option either."\n\nRed Scarf smiled sternly and again extended his paw. Ten brought the scroll to his mouth and returned the smile.\n\n"I think I\'d prefer a third option."\n\nAnd then he blew into the scroll. The cindergut powder he had lifted from Jin Jao billowed out in a red cloud around the faces of the pandaren crowded in the doorway, and cries of surprise and pain filled the little room. There was a thump, then a crash and a sudden blaze of sunlight. Ten was gone.',
			'The Shado-pan were not prone to panic, and after a few seconds of cursing and stumbling through the stinging fog, they quickly reorganized in the hallway just outside of the room. Red Scarf had received the brunt of the powder, and his eyes were swollen shut behind angry red lids. He asked Tao-Long to bring him to the broken window, to describe what he saw.\n\nTao-Long, now feeling chagrin over his earlier anger, led his comrade to the window. Blinking his own tear-filled eyes in the afternoon light, he described the cracked bamboo poles trailing down the roof ledge below the opening. The bent branches of the taolun tree at the edge, a hasty pathway smashing through the bushes beneath. And then... then a lazy river winding past the village and into the wetlands beyond. Countless places to disappear into. The thief was gone.\n\n"For now," grumbled Red Scarf, wiping at his streaming nose. "He is only gone until we find him. And then this arrogant thief will know the limits of Shado-pan mercy."\n\nHe stepped back and addressed his companions.\n\n"Our quarry has fled into the soft lands beyond this incomplete excuse for a hill. There is an agent of the sha who has evaded our grasp, brethren. Who are we?"\n\n"We are the sword in the shadows."\n\n"And will we rest?"\n\n"We shall not falter!"\n\nThe mantra was whispered with a cold passion, an undeniable surety. And then, without another word, the Shado-pan were down the stairs, out of the inn, and lost in the market crowds below.',
			'On the rooftop above the window, Ten watched them go. He leaned back against the thatch and shivered. They had been deceived by the barrel he had pushed through the window, and had not thought to check the ledge above them. Why would they? What kind of fool would trap himself on a rooftop when escape lay in every direction?\n\nA fool too small to run very far.\n\nHe had escaped, yes, but now he was hunted by hard-bitten warriors who would never rest. The conviction in their voices had been frightening. The intensity. Ten had never heard such confidence. Behind his fear, there was something else.\n\nAdmiration?\n\nAnother hawk called out in the sky above. Ten shook his head and responded with a whisper.\n\n"Count yourself lucky, my friend. To be a hunter such as these, to choose where your path lies and to know that you will follow it to the end..."\n\nHe left the sentence hanging, full of longing. That sort of life would be forever beyond a thief like him.\n',
			'Her name is Whitefeather, said a deep, oddly familiar voice. "And better to be a hunter than prey, little thief. But the hunter who knows how to be prey will catch quicker game."\n\nTen spun around, almost losing his footing on the thatch. The one-eyed merchant—no, the one-eyed Shado-pan—sat on the rooftop above him, a large spear across his knees. The hawk called again and then fluttered down to perch on the large pandaren\'s shoulder. Ten tried to speak, but breath would not rise from his lungs. That spear… it was big enough to slice him in two. Wielded by a grizzled warrior who could alight on the roof of an inn with the speed and stealth of an evening wind; had Red Scarf not mentioned a master?\n\nI am going to die.\n\nThe Shado-pan master frowned.\n\nYou have something of mine. I would like it back.\n\nMouth agape, Ten fumbled into his tunic and brought out the scroll. He shook it, trying to dislodge any of the powder that might remain. A pinch of red dust sprinkled out and was caught in a breeze that, unfortunately, drifted into Ten\'s face. He let out a pathetic little yelp and began coughing, eyes blurry with tears.',
			'The stranger leaned forward and took the scroll, returning it to his voluminous robes.\n\n"What is your name, little thief?"\n\nBlinking until his eyes cleared, Ten coughed again.\n\n"My name is Ten, sir."\n\n"Ten, as in the number ten?"\n\n"Yes, sir. My father ran out of interesting names after the fifth son."\n\n"Well, Ten. The penalty for stealing from a Shado-pan messenger has already been outlined to you in some detail by my lieutenant. He offered you a merciful alternative, which you quite literally blew back in his face."\n\nTen was not sure if his eyes were seeing correctly, but he thought he saw the hint of a smile at the corner of the Shado-pan master\'s mouth.\n\n"I am not as softhearted as Feng, but perhaps that is because I have been on the wall for so many years. Fighting against the sha, just being near them... has a way of hardening one to the gentler aspects of life. Even if those aspects are what you are fighting to preserve."\n\nTen was unclear on what this large, spear-wielding warrior was talking about—or what these sha were—but he thought it best to sit quietly and nod his head. He felt that his life hung very much in the balance.',
			'The Shado-pan master looked down at Ten with his one eye and seemed to consider. Ten quailed under the unblinking gaze. He glanced over at the spear. The heavy, wide-bladed spear that the Shado-pan held so lightly. Ten trembled as the warrior\'s paw tightened around the haft. He closed his eyes, head bowed.\n\n"I present to you a third option, Ten of the Peppered Scroll. And a fourth."\n\nTen looked up, not quite sure what was happening. The Shado-pan stood and placed a finger against Ten\'s chest.\n\n"I can kill you right now as a merciful alternative to the punishment described by loyal Feng. It would be quick and painless; my blade would be through your neck before you could blink."\n\nAnd suddenly, like a thought, an arm\'s length of metal gleamed cold and silver under Ten\'s chin. Moments later, a rush of wind followed the spear\'s motion. Ten shivered, and his tiny movement against the blade drew a warm trickle of blood. It slowly crawled along the length of the weapon, which held motionless at his throat. The Shado-pan continued.\n\n"The other option, the crueler one, would be for you to submit yourself to the Trial of the Red Blossoms."\n\nTen\'s brows went up in question, and the Shado-pan lowered his spear with a sigh.',
			'"Do not be fooled by the name. Every seven seasons, the sacred trees of our monastery grow blossoms of a fiery red. That is our sign to begin the trials. It is the gauntlet of pain and rigor required for all of those wishing to enter into our order. The test kills most who submit to it. It certainly tortures all who would be Shado-pan."\n\nThe warrior removed his spear, hiding it behind his cloak in one swift motion.\n\n"But," he said, looking out across the valley, "if you pass the trials and become an acolyte of the Shado-pan, then the punishment for taking our missive will no longer apply."\n\nTen could not believe what he was hearing. Me, a Shado-pan? He was a nothing. A thief. A runt. The tenth son of a dead farmer. He struggled to find the words.\n\n"But how could you think I could somehow be like Feng? Like... like you?"\n\nThe warrior regarded him quietly.\n\n"You are quick, Ten. Quick with your feet, your paws, and your wits. A Shado-pan needs strength, yes, but that can be built. Our enemy is quick, and while we need warriors who can match the sha in their ferocity, we also need warriors who can dodge their attacks, blow pepper into their faces, and send them running in the wrong direction."\n\nTen nodded, speechless. Something akin to hope stirred in the thief\'s narrow chest.\n\nCould I...?',
			'The large pandaren reached into his belt and pulled out a ring. It had a simple design, skillfully carved from an ivory that reminded Ten of the scroll ends. The snarling tiger symbol of the order was inlaid into the top of the ring with a silver that sparkled like northern ice.\n\n"I see that you have made your decision. Take this ring. In three months\' time you will present yourself at the front gates of Shado-pan Monastery. The ring is cut from a white tiger\'s fang. It will guarantee your safe entrance through our gates; only your wits will guarantee your arrival. Kun-Lai Summit can be treacherous, especially during the cold season.\n\n"You shall come alone. Bring no weapons, no armor; they will not aid you." He grasped the thin fabric of Ten\'s grubby tunic and frowned. "Although I suggest you procure some warmer clothing."\n\nTen nodded dumbly, and the Shado-pan released the cloth. Then his voice went hard.\n\n"If the trials begin and you have not appeared, I will assume that you refuse my final option. At that point, the Shado-pan will take your life. And I assure you, Feng showed restraint in his description of our methods. Do you understand all that I have said, Ten?"\n\nTen was not sure that he had, and did not think he could nod anymore. His muscles felt numb and frozen. The warrior took his silence for affirmation.\n\n"I am Nurong, master of the Wu Kao. I will see you in three months\' time, little thief."\n\nMaster Nurong whispered to Whitefeather, then sent the bird flapping into the evening sky. Ten turned to watch the hawk soar over the marshlands to the northeast, following after the other warriors. The thief finally found his voice.\n\n"Three months. How am I supposed to reach the tallest mountain in the world—let alone climb it—in three months?"\n\nThere was no answer. Ten looked over his shoulder and saw that he was alone on the rooftop. The Shado-pan was gone.',
			'Another gong sounded throughout the courtyard. Ten tried to stand straight on the swaying planks of the bridge, tried to look as imposing as he could next to the rest of the applicants. It wasn\'t working.\n\nHe was, of course, the smallest of the dozen young hopefuls who had gathered under the red blossoms, which blazed vibrantly against the winter snows. Even the homely boy—Crooked Wu from Binan Village, who was easily three years his junior—stood a head and shoulders taller and wore an armored chest piecelike an actual warrior. Ten glanced up at Wu, who shot him a glare. None of the applicants was happy to be competing against a scruffy runt like Ten, as though his mere presence in the trials was an affront.\n\nTen looked down at his toes, scowling. Just getting here had been a trial in and of itself, and he doubted that any of these oversized rich cubs could have survived the journey he had made. Climbing the Path of a Hundred Steps, skulking past hungry saurok in the Ancient Passage, and finally, scaling the viciously steep and winding trail up the slopes of Kun-Lai. Fearing that every wind would knock you from the narrow road and dash you against the rocks miles below. That was if you didn\'t freeze to death first.\n\nHis cloak fluttered in the wind, and Ten pulled it more tightly around his shoulders. In the Valley of the Four Winds, a cold day meant a little rain and enough of a breeze to keep you out of the open fields. Here, the cold was lethal. Ten had tried to follow Master Nurong\'s advice, trading in his ratty blanket and a few coins he had procured for a traveler\'s cloak. The sorry length of patched cloth had saved his life, providing shelter, warmth, and even camouflage in the shadowy folds of the mountains as enormous yetis stomped past. His hat, wide-brimmed and smelling of spoiled fruit, had been a gift from Den Den as thanks for not mentioning the state of his room (or the hair dummy) to anybody before Ten had been chased from Halfhill. It kept rain and snow from his shoulders, acted as a dish when he could find food, and—according to Heavy Chan—made Ten look like a wizened mushroom.',
			'Heavy Chan was the applicant from the trading town of One Keg. He was the son of a wealthy alchemist, as vain as a peacock, and as large as ten Tens. He had arrived with an entourage of grummle attendants, none of whom had been allowed inside the monastery walls. Ten could remember walking past the little encampment of silken tents as he had reached the summit. How the scent of sizzling meat had made his mouth water.\n\nHad I a bit more energy and a bit less frostbite, I would have relieved the camp of some of their excess food. Chan certainly doesn\'t need it.\n\nA hushed silence fell over the applicants, and Ten turned to see that the masters had appeared. They stood across from the bridge, where the meditation grove met the edge of the frozen lake. As still as statues, the three masters stood regarding the dozen hopeful initiates. The morning sun was bright against the mists wreathing the monastery grounds, and he couldn\'t tell if Master Nurong was among the three. Ten wanted to make sure that his presence was noted and his life would not be taken. He had arrived on the last day of his three-month parole, panting as he jogged past the silent Shado-pan gatewatcher, who nodded when Ten flashed him his ring.\n\nA hawk cried overhead, and Ten looked up, squinting.\n\n"Get on with it," mumbled Crooked Wu under his breath. "The blossoms are not going to turn any more red." Ten understood Wu\'s grumbling as nervousness. All of the applicants showed signs of unease: shuffling feet, wringing paws, biting lips. Even Heavy Chan was absently twirling the golden bracelet around his thick wrist, a gaudy affair large enough to be a necklace on any normal-sized pandaren.\n\nNice bit of jewelry there.',
			'One of the masters stepped forward, and Ten frowned. It was not Master Nurong but a dour-faced pandaren woman who wore her gray hair pulled back behind her ears. The Shado-pan master raised one paw and spoke, her stern voice carrying across the icy water.\n\n"Initiates, I welcome you to the Trial of the Red Blossoms. You have come from across the land, each of you selected by our agents as a worthy candidate. So it has been for years without number. So it shall always be.\n\n"I am Master Yalia Sagewhisper of the Omnia discipline, the Shado-pan charged with maintaining the wisdom, knowledge, and sacred traditions of our order. It is my honor to welcome you here and to commend your courage for appearing upon the appointed day. The Trial of the Red Blossoms consists of three tests: the Test of Resolve, the Test of Strength, and the Test of Spirit. Each of these tests holds death for those unfit to stand beneath the banner of the Shado-pan."\n\nThese last words were accompanied by a stiff breeze that grew into a gust, a cold wind that roared down from the surrounding peaks and into the monastery like a predatory cat. Red petals spun through the air like drops of blood as the bridge swayed, and Ten tightened his grip on the chain balustrade. Crooked Wu saw his panic and chuckled as Master Sagewhisper continued.\n\n"This will be your last chance to turn away from the course that has brought you here. If there are any among you who doubt their place in the trials, any with misgivings, I invite you to step from the Bridge of Initiation and return to your homes. There is no dishonor in this decision, but you will never again be allowed within these walls."\n\nThere was a moment of silence, and then the sound of someone clearing his throat. Some whispered pardons, followed by a slow shuffling as one—no, two—pandaren excused themselves from the bridge. They were the tall woodcutter from the Southern Isles and a studious-looking girl from Stoneplow. Both held their heads down as they left. Ten wished that he had the luxury of following.\n\nNo. No, I don\'t wish that at all.',
			'He was surprised by the thought, which had blazed out unbidden from his mind. Was he actually glad to be here in the biting cold, swaying above a half-frozen lake?\n\nWell, not glad. But... but at least this feels like a chance to do something. To be something. One cannot change the seasons, certainly, but I won\'t turn away from a fortunate wind.\n\nThe cold breeze pressed against his cloak, and Ten shivered.\n\nIn a manner of speaking.\n\nMaster Sagewhisper waited until the two pandaren had been escorted from the courtyard, and then continued.\n\n"Now begins the Trial of the Red Blossoms. There are Shado-pan among you, initiates. At least, we hope so. Our numbers have grown few over the centuries, and our enemies grow bold. From the Temple of the White Tiger come dire omens as the mists that surround Pandaria are drawn apart. Recent months have brought savage new threats to our shores, and our most sacred sites have been seized, corrupted, and destroyed. The sages sing of dark days ahead."\n\nTen wondered what Master Sagewhisper meant by "savage new threats." Apparently something important—and frightening—had happened since he had left the Valley of the Four Winds. He remembered overhearing half-whispered conversations on the road, rumors of strange beasts and visitors from foreign lands, but had been so focused on surviving his journey north that he had passed them off as the silly prattle of nervous travelers. Now Ten wished that he had listened more carefully.\n\nMaster Sagewhisper took a step forward and raised a clenched paw.',
			'"Regardless, we are not some rough-hewn army scrabbled together from the unready common folk. We are the Shado-pan. Our numbers have ever been fewer than those of our enemies, but every Shado-pan blade is the equal to a dozen ordinary soldiers. Thus we cast down the mantid. Thus we spurn the yaungol. Thus we keep the sha at bay. And so shall it ever be."\n\nMaster Sagewhisper pointed across the lake, toward the other side of the monastery. There a small tiger-shaped brazier was being placed by a pair of Shado-pan acolytes wearing white scarves.\n\n"The fiery tiger will test your resolve. Within her belly, buried beneath the coals, are six silver coins marked with the symbol of our order. You will plunge your paw into the tiger\'s mouth, retrieve a white-hot coin, and return it to me in the grove."\n\nThe ten remaining applicants looked at each other nervously. The rangy girl from Krasarang started edging her way back up the bridge, trying to get a head start. In seconds, she was caught in a tangle of arms as several others pushed to get to the shore past her. The bridge swayed wildly, and Ten tightened his grasp on the chain.\n\nA footrace to show resolve? There is something she\'s not telling us.\n\nMaster Sagewhisper turned to go, the other two masters already walking back to the grove. She called over her shoulder.\n\n"There are only six coins, and ten of you. I suggest that you swim quickly."\n\nSwim?',
			'With a clank, the chain holding one half of the bridge dropped from its mooring, and the applicants fell into the lake below, breaking jagged holes into the ice. They came up sputtering, shouting, bellowing, one voice screaming that he could not swim. There were a few seconds of terrifying chaos as some panicked and grabbed onto others, who responded violently with blows and curses to avoid being dragged down into the frigid depths. Those who had been dressed in fancy armor did not surface. The quick ones shucked their heavy gear and struck out across the lake with rapid strokes. They knew that more time in this icy water meant death.\n\nTen swung from the remaining bridge chain above their heads. His nervous grip had kept him from getting dunked with the rest of the initiates. Now, he was being left behind. He pulled himself up to straddle the chain, wondering whether he might be able to crawl across it to the mooring and simply run around the lake to the brazier.\n\nI don\'t think they\'ll let me get off that easily.',
			'His fears were soon confirmed as another white-scarved acolyte walked over to the second mooring and began to disconnect the chain. Apparently a dip in the lake was prerequisite to becoming a Shado-pan, but he knew that if the water didn\'t kill him, the wind against his meager wet cloak soon would, even if he passed the stupid test. He did not have the size and resources of the other initiates. He had to stay dry.\n\nHand over hand, he moved to where the chain dipped lowest, and he began to lower himself down the planks that hung beneath it. The bridge was built to drop away on one side and then be easily reconnected after the trials were finished. Clever, thought Ten. It saves them from having to build another bridge every seven seasons.\n\nLuckily, or unluckily, this seventh season happened to fall in the middle of winter. It meant that the ice stretching across good portions of the lake was thick. Maybe thick enough to support a runt. The acolyte was almost finished with the chain, and Ten felt the tension begin to loosen. He spied a stretch of ice just beyond where he hung, and he began kicking his legs, swinging the entire bridge back and forth in order to give himself enough momentum to—\n\nThe second chain clanked loose, and Ten let go at the apex of his swing. He spun through the air, arms wide, and then landed with both feet on the ice with a solid—and dry—thunk. For a moment he stood there, ears perked for the slightest sound of cracking ice. Silence.',
			'He cast around for another piece of ice and saw a slab floating a few feet away. Leaping across the gap, Ten landed and almost slid off. His momentum pushed the ice a little farther toward his goal, but he had to wave his arms wildly to keep his balance. There was ice scattered all the way across the lake, but going at this lumbering speed—and at this unsteadiness—would result in a loss, a swim, and a shallow mountain grave. He knew what he had to do.\n\nJumping from the ice slab, he alighted onto the next, a smaller piece, and without stopping to regain his balance, he simply leaned into the skid and propelled himself into the air and toward the next chunk of ice. And the next. Skipping across the lake like a stone, Ten soon passed the swimmers and neared the far bank.\n\nSix chains rose from the water at the edge, twenty feet of frost-rimmed metal that climbed straight up to the rocky shelf where the brazier was perched. It would be a difficult haul for anyone, harder still for a wet pandaren with paws numb from the cold. This truly was a test of resolve.\n\nUnfortunately, the pieces of ice were getting smaller and farther apart. Ten\'s feet were wet from all the splashing, and he could no longer feel his toes. To make matters worse, the water surrounding the chains was completely clear of ice. In two more leaps, he would be in the lake, no way around it.\n\nNot around. Just like in the market. Over.\n\nReaching up, he quickly untied the chin straps on his broad hat. As he leaped from the final piece of ice, he pulled the hat from his head, bent at the waist, and spun it toward the icy water that waited below. The hat twirled down onto the lake\'s surface just as Ten\'s foot landed on top of it. Carried by the momentum of his leap, he skated across the water with one foot balanced on the hat. It was large enough to keep him above the lake for a few seconds before he leaped again, this time onto the chain rising from the water in front of him.',
			'One of the advantages of being a shriveled mushroom.\n\nTen climbed the chain as fast as he could. The small pandaren was energized by his sprint across the lake and did not have much weight to carry. He crawled over the ledge and trotted toward his smoldering goal.\n\nThe brazier was cleverly built, a snarling tiger constructed from slanting iron bars that became black stripes against the yellow-orange glow of the coals. Clenching his teeth, Ten plunged his paw into the tiger\'s wide mouth, quickly pulling a white-hot coin from the heat with an audible hiss. As a thief, he had mastered the art of speedy coin grabs, and the maneuver cost him nothing more than a blistered palm, some smoking fur, and scalded fingertips as he juggled the glowing metal toward a nearby snowbank. With a sigh, he sank his paw into the crusty whiteness.\n\nThe first time I have ever been grateful for snow!\n\nHe spun as the chain rattled behind him; the next initiate had arrived. The girl from Krasarang pulled herself up and collapsed at the base of the brazier, shivering violently. She looked up at Ten with confusion on her face and then curled into a trembling ball.\n\n"S-s-so c-c-cold!" she moaned, her voice raspy and low.\n\nTen looked past her. Three more chains were shaking as other initiates arrived. It was time to go. The more direct route would be a swim back across the lake, but Ten quailed at the thought. His hat was gone; his toes were frozen; and he had already taunted the ice spirits enough for one day. Around the lake he went.',
			'Ten reached the grove without incident and found Master Sagewhisper sitting serenely under a gazebo at the center. If she was surprised to see the small initiate appearing first—and dry—then she did not show it. Master Sagewhisper simply held out her paw, nodding as Ten dropped the coin into her palm. She then motioned for the initiate to wait at one side of the pavilion, not saying a word.\n\nThe next to arrive was not the Krasarang girl but a burly, long-haired lad who Ten had not noticed before. The boy was still dripping wet, and his right arm steamed from its encounter with the tiger\'s mouth. Ten could tell that the boy had been slow in digging around for his coin; patches of fur had been singed off completely around his wrist, and there were some painful-looking burns on his paw.\n\nRegardless, the boy had made it, and he took his place next to Ten without a sound. The little thief thought that his competitor\'s face certainly showed signs of resolve. That was how a true warrior dealt with pain, and Ten felt admiration for the boy.\n\nHe passed the test. I merely snuck around it.\n\nTen\'s earlier sense of victory was hollow now. He was still just a thief.\n\nThe girl from Krasarang came next, teeth chattering from the cold. Ten could only imagine how foreign and painful the icy water must have seemed to somebody accustomed to the steamy heat of the southern jungles. At least her arm was in better shape than the other cub\'s. Ten guessed that survival in the jungle required quick paws.',
			'There was a growl, an explosive sneeze, and Heavy Chan stomped into the grove. The large pandaren was more than merely soaking wet. He had managed to discard his luxurious cloak in the lake, but the rest of his clothing sploshed and squelched and ran with thick rivulets of icy water. It dripped from his nose, his chin, his belly, and pooled around his broad feet when he reached Master Sagewhisper. He was so wet Ten could not help but wonder if Heavy Chan had swum back from the brazier rather than running around the lake like the rest of them. Again, Master Sagewhisper held out her paw.\n\nHeavy Chan lifted his own paw, and that was when Ten noticed something he hadn\'t seen from where he stood at the side: Chan\'s paw was encased in metal. Strips of metal that had been formed into the shape of a tiger.\n\nThe large pandaren shivered and then bowed before the Shado-pan.\n\n"I could not remove my paw from the tiger while holding the coin, Master. The tiger\'s mouth was too small and quite hot…" Heavy Chan looked up at Master Sagewhisper, eyes steady. "... So I took the brazier and jumped back into the lake."\n\nHe sneezed again, a powerful sound that shook the grove. More red blossoms floated to the ground, and Ten saw that the other initiates were looking at Chan with wide eyes.\n\nHe really did swim both ways. And carrying an iron tiger for half of the journey.',
			'Heavy Chan lifted his arm and then smashed the brazier against one of the paving stones near his feet. Already weakened by the cold water, the brazier broke apart. Chan dropped three coins into Master Sagewhisper\'s paw.\n\n"There are no others behind me."\n\nTen was curious how many had drowned, or frozen, or simply given up when Chan took the brazier.\n\nMaster Sagewhisper stood and motioned for the initiates to follow her. Everyone gave Heavy Chan a wide berth as he splashed after her, trying to squeeze the excess water out of his clothes. He sneezed again, then saw Ten following behind him, hopping to avoid the puddles.\n\n"Well done, runt. Let us see if standing on your hat will help you pass the Test of Strength."\n\nThe long-haired boy laughed, and Ten just shrugged. He strode past Heavy Chan and gave him a friendly punch on the arm.\n\n"It is too bad there is no test for sogginess. You carry half of the lake in your enormous pants."',
			'Heavy Chan growled and swung at the smaller pandaren, who was expecting the response and dodged out of the way easily. Now the girl from Krasarang was laughing as well, and Ten made a show of daintily shaking water off of his fist. The big pandaren frowned and sneezed again. Even his rolls of insulating fat were not impervious to such a thorough and frigid soaking.\n\nMaster Sagewhisper led the four initiates through a pair of heavy doors and into a training dojo. Inside was a simple arena ringed with stone pillars. Ten could sense the history of this place, the centuries of training and discipline that seemed to be woven through the very air. The Shado-pan master nodded farewell and quietly returned to the grove, leaving the initiates to glance nervously about the dojo and wonder what the next test would entail.\n\nTen noticed something curious. Placed at the very center of the arena were three massive bells. Tall as a grown pandaren and as wide around as a Heavy Chan, the ancient bells were marked with words of power. Ten approached, hoping that this test would not require him to actually carry one of these things.\n\nA low voice came from behind the initiates.\n\n"You have all shown true resolve worthy of the Shado-pan. Now I would have you show me your true strength."',
			'Ten turned and caught his breath. Standing at the doors was the largest pandaren warrior he had ever seen. Easily three heads taller than Heavy Chan and far broader at the shoulders, this Shado-pan rippled with muscle. His fur was almost pure white, and his eyes scanned the initiates with predatory speed, marking strengths and weaknesses.\n\nTen shivered, feeling as though he stood before a barely contained avalanche of deadly martial power.\n\n"I am Master Wan Snowdrift of the Blackguard discipline. The warriors of the Shado-pan must answer to me, just as I answer to Lord Taran Zhu. I know every warrior who stands upon our walls, and have tested my blade against each of them. If you live through the trials and become Shado-pan, someday you will cross swords with me, for you cannot truly know someone until you fight them."\n\nHere, Master Snowdrift clenched one mighty fist, and the sound of cracking knuckles echoed through the dojo like boulders. Ten grimaced.\n\n"But today is not that day. You are young and untrained. An initiate is not yet a weapon but a raw bar of iron still waiting for the forge. This is where iron shows strength before it is given an edge."\n\nHe walked over to the three bells, and the master\'s quiet strides reminded Ten of a prowling tiger.\n\n"You stand before sacred artifacts, relics from centuries past that have been crafted with magic and metallurgy to withstand the depredations of time. Each has been tuned to sound one perfect note when it is rung."',
			'He rapped a knuckle against the bell nearest him, and it made a dull clank.\n\n"Lovely, is it not?" Master Snowdrift smiled. "The bells will not sing until they are lifted from the ground and struck with some ferocity. It is a part of their magic."\n\nTen frowned. Giant-bell lifting was definitely not in his repertoire… and had he heard a muffled sound from inside the bell? A hiss?\n\nMaster Snowdrift continued, "Underneath each of these bells lies a different type of death, initiates. The death that steals, the death that hides, and the death that saves. I shall wait in the grove until I hear all three bells ring, and then return. Any who have been strong enough to survive shall move on to the next test."\n\nHeavy Chan sneezed, and the Shado-pan master gestured toward the dripping initiate.\n\n"This seventh season has been especially cold, and I know that you are all weary. Let me get you started."\n\nIn one smooth motion, Master Snowdrift spun and kicked the bell behind him. It flew through the air to crash against a pillar on the other side of the arena. The pillar cracked, and small pieces of stone rained to the ground. The bell rolled across the floor unharmed.\n\nMaster Snowdrift walked back toward the doors. The initiates watched him leave in quiet awe.\n\n"I do not expect you to fight well," he called. "But I do expect you to fight."\n\nThe doors swung shut. The lock clicked into place.\n\n"Look!" cried the long-haired boy, horror in his voice.\n\nTen turned around and gasped. Where the bell had been, an enormous snake was coiled. It rose up on a muscular neck, towering over the initiates.',
			'"A bamboo python!" shouted the girl. "Back away! It is going to str—"\n\nLike a bolt of green lightning, it struck. Knocking the long-haired boy to the ground, the serpent sunk its fangs deep into his shoulder. The boy cried out, tried to beat at the snake\'s scaly head, but it held on tenaciously and looped powerful coils around him. The three other initiates backed away from the creature\'s striking range, looking for somewhere to hide. How were four unarmed and untrained youths supposed to defeat such a deadly beast?\n\nThe Krasarang girl was cursing to herself, and Ten heard her angry whisper at his side.\n\n"I know how to kill these things. If only I had my spear. Why didn\'t they let me bring my spear? I could save him!"\n\nThe death that saves.\n\n"Heavy Chan!" shouted Ten. "I think that one of the bells may hold weapons! Quickly, look underneath!"\n\nThe big pandaren looked at Ten as though he were crazy.\n\n"Nice try, runt. You think I\'m going over there?"\n\nHe pointed at the remaining two bells, which stood just behind the serpent and its prey. Well within striking distance.\n\n"Besides," yelled Heavy Chan, "how do you know there are weapons there?! It might be more snakes!"\n\nThe long-haired boy had stopped struggling, and the serpent gave him one more shake before uncoiling and rising back up to its full height. It was covered in emerald scales and had cold black eyes. Long fangs dripped with blood and vile slaver, pooling onto the stone floor. Ten looked at the dead boy on the ground, two tear-shaped red marks on his shoulder. He was surprised by their size.',
			'The death that steals—venom, or some noxious fluid from the swamps. It sneaks into the body through tiny little doors and leaves with your soul.\n\nA thief.\n\nThe serpent was now slithering toward the Krasarang girl. She had reached the back wall of the arena and had nowhere else to go.\n\nTen knew that he would not be able to pass this test once the others were dead. He could not lift a bell by himself. It was an odd realization: he needed them.\n\n"Chan, you have to trust me or we are all going to die. The python is the death that steals. One of those bells holds the death that saves. I think that means weapons—tools of death that we can use to save our lives."\n\nTen clenched his fists and ran toward the beast, waving his arms. The creature hissed and turned away from the girl.\n\n"I will distract the snake and draw it away from the bells!" he shouted. "Knock on them; listen for any sound coming from inside."\n\nThe python was now slithering after Ten, and he had to turn and run. Perhaps he could dodge between the pillars? Glancing back, he saw that Heavy Chan and the girl were already moving toward the bells as the creature chased him.\n\nIt was faster than he had imagined, and Ten did not think that he would be able to reach the pillars in time. The bell that Master Snowdrift had kicked was lying on its side just ahead, and the little thief dove behind its bronze bulk as jaws snapped at his heels.\n\nTen scurried around to face the python. It towered over him, and the cover provided by the bell seemed very meager from his point of view. The snake struck again, and Ten barely ducked under the blur of scales and fangs. Behind the slithering beast, he could see Heavy Chan tapping one side of a bell, the jungle girl pressing her ear against it with an intense expression on her face.',
			'And then Ten realized the major flaw in his plan: he was arming his two rivals so that they could wait for the python to kill him, and then finish it off with one less competitor.\n\nHeavy Chan looked over and smiled at Ten, then waved goodbye. He put his arms around one of the bells and began to tip it over.\n\nTen ground his teeth, but he couldn\'t really blame the other initiates; this test was about survival, not making friends. But he was damned if he was going to let them join the Shado-pan over his little dead body.\n\nHe ran around to the mouth of the bell, placing himself directly in front of the giant snake. It reared back in surprise at this audacious move, hissing angrily.\n\nAs a thief, Ten had learned to watch his marks for a tell, a signature expression, or gesture, or movement that indicated his target was going to attack. This lesson had saved his life countless times on the street.\n\nThe python had a tell. Ten had watched as the beast had struck at the long-haired boy, and again at himself. It would flick out its tongue right before striking, extending the sensory organ to taste its victim\'s fear just before the kill. Ten watched the snake\'s hypnotic sway with legs bent, waiting for the tongue to flick—there!\n\nTen leapt straight up into the air as the python struck into the space where he had just been. Unfortunately for the beast, the place where Ten had just been was the open mouth of an ancient bell, and the python\'s skull rang against the heavy bronze with a clear and lovely sound.\n\nThat\'s one.\n\nTen landed on the creature\'s back and then rolled off, dodging the thrashing coils as the snake tried to dislodge its head from the bell.',
			'He joined the other two initiates just as the Krasarang girl was pulling a spear from under the bell with a raspy laugh. Ten crouched down to see what else had been hidden beneath—the death that saves indeed! A pile of sharp, simple weapons was stacked neatly on the floor: a sword, a club, an axe, and a dagger. Ten hurried and swept them out from under the tipping bell, snatching the dagger for himself. He reached up and used the weapon\'s heavy pommel to strike against the side of the bell with all his might. A pure note rang through the dojo.\n\nThat\'s two.\n\nHeavy Chan was cursing at them to grab a weapon for him, and that he couldn\'t hold on much longer.\n\n"Here you go," said Ten, sliding the axe across the ground.\n\n"\'Bout time," gasped Chan, panting under the effort. "Look out!"\n\nWith that, he released the bell. It landed with a heavy clang and a whoosh of air.\n\nHeavy Chan lifted the axe with a smile. The Krasarang girl smiled back, hefting her spear.\n\n"Now this is what I have been waiting for," said Heavy Chan. "Let us show the serpent some death of our own making."\n\nA muffled voice came from inside the bell.\n\n"Best of luck, you two!"\n\nHeavy Chan stood unmoving, and the smile dropped from his face.\n\n"Where is the runt?"\n\nThe Krasarang girl shrugged.\n\n"Only one place he could be," she said.',
			'Heavy Chan pounded against the smooth, impervious, and very protective surface of the bell.\n\n"A thousand curses upon your family, despicable runt! Have you no shame? What sort of coward are you?"\n\n"I am the sort of coward who is still alive, Heavy Chan. Now listen: the python will be free from that bell in no time. It is faster than you think. Watch for its tongue—it will flicker out before the snake strikes."\n\nTen leaned back against the cool side of the bell and listened as the two initiates argued about what to do about the thief. In the end, the serpent decided for them. He heard shouts, taunts, and angry hissing. A scream, a roar.\n\nBoy, am I glad I\'m not out there.\n\nHe trusted that now that the initiates were fully armed, the girl\'s jungle savvy combined with Heavy Chan\'s strength would be enough to slay the thing. There were more shouts and another hiss. He felt something slam against the ground, followed by a long silence. Then, the rap-rap-rap of knuckles against the bell.\n\n"Python? Is that you?" Ten replied.',
			'Heavy Chan\'s voice was tired and hot with anger.\n\n"The snake is lying in several pieces across the dojo floor, runt. Now Pei-Ling and I are going to knock over the third bell, complete the test, and leave you to rot inside your little metal cave. Or who knows? Maybe I will come back here once I have become a Shado-pan and stick another serpent inside the bell with you."\n\nTen could hear the Krasarang girl (apparently Pei-Ling was her name) laughing at the idea.\n\nFantastic. By arming the initiates and saving their lives, I have earned their hatred.\n\nIt was what he had become accustomed to. From his father, his brothers, even the other pickpockets in the alleys. Why should he expect anything more from these initiates?\n\nOne cannot change the seasons.\n\nTen knocked on the bell.\n\n"Heavy Chan, check your wrist. I think you dropped something."\n\nThere were a few more seconds of silence and then a cry of rage.\n\n"Thief! Degenerate! Hozen-loving root eater!"\n\nThe insults carried on this way for quite some time, until there was another dull thump. It was Heavy Chan, slumped against the bell.',
			'"That bracelet was a gift from my mother, you misbegotten toad. Crawl out from under there and return it to me."\n\nThere was a grunt, a sneeze, and the bell began to tip upward. Ten rolled clear and found his back against the third bell. Pei-Ling was sitting on the ground, cleaning blood from her spear. She looked up at Ten and gave him a mock salute, then returned to her weapon. Ten was confused by the action. Even in jest, he had never seen this before.\n\nA show of respect.\n\nHeavy Chan dropped the bell and turned, puffing and shaking so hard he could barely raise his axe. He had been wounded in the battle, one pant leg bloody and torn as though the large youth had been dragged across the stone floor. The wound, the icy swim, and the repeated bell lifts had cost the initiate, and he appeared to be coming down with the flu. But Heavy Chan\'s anger drove him forward.\n\n"Give me the bracelet, runt," he wheezed. He slammed his axe against the bell he had just dropped, and Ten cringed as sparks flew from the clumsy blow.\n\n"Calm down, Chan. I have your little trinket right here—"\n\n"Give it to me now!"\n\nAt the sound of Chan\'s shout, the ground shuddered in a sickening motion that rippled out from the third bell and shook him from his feet. Thinking this was some trick of Ten\'s, he growled and climbed to his knees.',
			'"You filthy runt. One does not steal from Heavy Chan!"\n\nPei-Ling shouted, pointing at the bell. This finally caught Chan\'s attention, and he turned with eyebrows raised.\n\nThe bell was shaking. It lurched to one side and then to another. There was a sound of impact, of metal being twisted, and a bubbling snarl...\n\n... followed by a tremendous crack. The third and final bell had just split down the middle, and whatever ancient magics had held it together across the centuries were rent in vibrant whorls of glowing energy as a shadowy black claw tore through the thick bronze. The two halves of the bell fell to the ground with a syncopated clang, revealing a writhing cloud of smoke and ebony flame.\n\nNo, it\'s a living thing. A monster.\n\nIt seemed to be carved from nightmares, shadow given flesh. Ten looked more closely and shuddered. The horror was crouched over the body of a dead tiger, and Ten realized that something had gone wrong.\n\nThe tiger was supposed to be our enemy. The death that hides, a stealthy hunter. Not this thing.',
			'He remembered that Master Nurong had spoken of an enemy Ten had never heard of before—the sha. What had the Shado-pan said?\n\n"Just being near them… has a way of hardening one to the gentler aspects of life."\n\nHe crawled over to Heavy Chan and Pei-Ling, trying to push them away from this sha. Both were frozen with terror, and Ten could see that the creature seemed to grow as their fear did. It was pulsing now, moving in sync with the initiates\' panicked breathing. The sha was already larger than the three of them combined and was sprouting new claws and tentacles with each passing second. As long as it was feeding off of their fear, the monster did not appear to be in any hurry to attack. Ten knew that this would not last for very long.\n\n"Look at me! Both of you!"\n\nThe two looked at him, terror wet in their eyes. They had been trained in combat, yes, but never before had they faced an enemy that seethed with such darkness. It was one thing to know how to fight. Another thing entirely to know fear.\n\nTen knew fear. He drew his dagger and held it up in front of them.\n\n"Listen! We are not frightened children. We are Shado-pan. We crossed the lake of ice; we returned the burning coins; and we slew the death that steals. This is our test, our chance to prove our worth and enter the ranks of those who hunt the darkness. We can do this."\n\nThe other two nodded, gaining courage from Ten\'s words. Ten reached into his tunic and pulled out the golden bracelet.',
			'"Here, I am sorry that I stole from you, Chan. I kindled the anger that fed this thing."\n\nHeavy Chan looked over Ten\'s shoulder and paused, a curious expression on his face.\n\n"The monster. It shrank just then, when you apologized."\n\nAs if in response, a snarl boiled from the sha, and it began to crawl across the arena floor toward them. Ten grimaced.\n\nWhoops. Maybe that wasn\'t such a good idea.\n\nThe little thief helped the initiates to their feet as they stumbled back, away from the sha. He whispered a quick command to Pei-Ling, and she gave him another salute before slipping around to the side of the monster. It growled as its prey split up, but decided to stay focused on the two pandaren in front of it.\n\nAs he retreated, Ten took the dry cloak from his back and offered it to Heavy Chan, who was still wet from his earlier swim.',
			'"I suppose I\'d better give you this as well. Bind your leg to stop the bleeding."\n\nHeavy Chan considered for a moment, then extended a broad paw to the little thief. The large pandaren\'s grip was weak and clammy.\n\n"I… I am terrified beyond all reason right now, runt. This thing is a nightmare. But I have every confidence that you will find a way past it, just as you skipped across the lake like a damn pebble. Keep the bracelet; even my mother would say that you\'ve earned it."\n\nTen put the bracelet back into his tunic and then gripped Chan\'s paw as tightly as he could.\n\n"Keep your fear in check. Move around the monster as I approach it. Do not attack."\n\nTen released the initiate\'s paw and turned to face the sha.\n\n"And my name is Ten."\n\nSmiling grimly, Heavy Chan tied the cloak around his leg and then stepped away. The monster growled and started after the larger pandaren, so Ten hurried and ran toward the sha, dagger drawn. It whirled to confront him with claws and tentacles raised. The little thief regarded the horror calmly, or at least with what he hoped seemed like calm.',
			'"You do not belong here, monster."\n\nThe sha drew closer, shadowy tentacles poised for violence.\n\n"This monastery is a place of meditation and focus. Your intrusion upon these grounds goes against—"\n\nWith a snarl, the sha struck at Ten, a pair of tentacles the size of tree branches whistling through the air like monstrous whips. Not even Ten could dodge these, and the blow sent him tumbling back across the dojo floor.\n\nOk, that really hurt.\n\nTen painfully climbed back to his feet. One of his ribs was broken, and a line of blood ran from the little thief\'s mouth. He had managed to keep ahold of his dagger, and he lifted it pitifully as the sha crawled toward him.\n\n"I have been an orphan since age seven. I have slept in sewers and fought packs of virmen for food just to survive. I have sheltered under the twilight rain in alleys with thieves and murderers."\n\nThe sha snarled and struck again. Again, Ten tumbled backward, his dagger clattering across the stone floor. Another rib broken. Could he even stand now? He had to. With a groan, he stumbled back to his feet. Blood ran freely down the side of his face.',
			'"You think I have never taken a beating, monster? Just last season I was whipped by a butcher for stealing his garbage, and by a blacksmith for warming my paws at his forge."\n\nA thick tentacle lashed out, wrapped around him, and caught him up in a smothering grasp. The sha drew Ten close to its toothy maw. Ten had lost his dagger, and so he rummaged through his tunic with his one free arm. Heavy Chan\'s bracelet felt cold and solid in his paw.\n\n"I have lived in the shadow of hunger, pain, and death all of my life," snarled the thief. "You don\'t scare me."\n\nHe snapped his paw toward the sha, and Chan\'s long golden bracelet whipped through the air. It tore through one of the creature\'s glowing eyes with a pop. The sha screeched and dropped its prey, coiling backward with tentacles waving in agony. Ten crawled to his knees, coughing blood. The sha was now only slightly bigger than him.\n\n"Now, Pei-Ling!" he cried, hoping his voice would carry over the monster\'s wails. The girl from Krasarang burst from the shadows with her spear extended. She drove it through the sha, using the force of her momentum to carry the flailing thing past Ten and toward Heavy Chan, who stood waiting next to the first bell.',
			'"The bell, Chan!" cried Ten, trying to climb to his feet. He prayed that the large pandaren youth still had enough strength for this one last effort.\n\nHeavy Chan nodded, already guessing Ten\'s plan. He crouched and bent his knees, wrapping his arms around the bell. With a mighty roar, he lifted it into the air.\n\nPei-Ling pushed the thrashing sha toward Heavy Chan at a full sprint. The monster was mad with pain, writhing tentacles and claws whipping blindly around with violent abandon. It struck at the girl, drawing blood along her shoulders and arms.\n\nWith a shout, she hurled the spear—and sha—directly into the bell. Heavy Chan staggered backward as the impact knocked into him, growling as he slammed the bell\'s mouth down. The floor cracked under the weight.\n\nThe bell shook as the tentacles caught under its rim flailed wildly. Heavy Chan drew the axe from his belt and grimly set to chopping them off. Pei-Ling joined him, using her foot to keep the tentacles steady as the axe flashed down and rang against the ground.\n\nTen stumbled over to them both, holding tightly onto his side.',
			'"That should hold this monster as long as we can keep our emotions reined in."\n\nPei-Ling laughed her raspy laugh.\n\n"I think," she said, "that won\'t be a problem."\n\nTen and Heavy Chan looked down. The bell had gone quiet. A murky fluid bubbled and smoked through the cracks in the floor. Ten wiped blood from his brow to keep it from running into his eyes.\n\n"Let\'s go try to ring the pieces of that third bell. I believe that we have passed the Test of Strength."\n\nMaster Sagewhisper and Master Snowdrift stood quietly arguing on the terrace overlooking the frozen lake, their expressions calm. This was how the Shado-pan argued, Ten supposed, and after his fight with the sha, it made sense. The little thief leaned forward and strained to hear what they were saying, but the masters\' words were lost in the cold wind. The motion hurt his ribs, which were still not entirely healed. Ten winced and sat back on his haunches.',
			'There had been some alarm at the discovery of a sha within the monastery, and the initiates had been questioned repeatedly about what had taken place. Shado-pan agents had been sent out to investigate what had gone wrong. While he had waited in the infirmary, Ten had learned that the tiger waiting beneath the third bell had been sent as a tribute from the village of Firebough Nook, but it turned out that none of the villagers knew anything about the gift. Ten had heard the acolytes\' whispers of mantid scheming, even a mogu conspiracy. Regardless, someone had attempted to corrupt the Trial of the Red Blossoms and foul the Shado-pan\'s sacred tradition. From what Ten surmised, things could have gone much worse. If the sha had been able to kill the initiates, it could have easily hidden inside the monastery and set to corrupting the Shado-pan where they were most vulnerable. Nobody would have suspected anything; after all, initiates died at every trial.\n\nIn other words, Ten and Pei-Ling and Heavy Chan were heroes.\n\nTen glanced over at Pei-Ling, who knelt beside him. She was dressed in the uniform of an acolyte, white scarf highlighting the snowy fur that curled around her ears. The girl from Krasarang smiled and nodded at the large figure kneeling next to her. Heavy Chan was also in an acolyte uniform, but he wore a dirty, threadbare cloak wrapped around his neck in place of a scarf. The little thief rolled his eyes; apparently Heavy Chan had sworn to wear Ten\'s cloak as a token of honor as long as he was a Shado-pan.\n\nIf we truly are Shado-pan.',
			'And that was why the three had been called here. It seemed there was some debate over whether or not they had earned their place in the order. After all the questioning had finished, Ten, Heavy Chan, and Pei-Ling had been visited by Master Snowdrift as they recuperated inside the infirmary. It had been he who commended them on surviving a test he would not have given to even his most senior students. He was proud of the initiates\' strength, he said, and there would be no more testing required to prove their worthiness to the order. When the three were healed and ready, they could begin their training in the dojo. White-scarved acolytes had then appeared behind Master Snowdrift, bowing as they presented the initiates with their uniforms.\n\nThe following day, Master Sagewhisper had arrived with another handful of acolytes. She had thanked the initiates for their bravery but had sternly intoned that tradition called for three tests, and the Trial of the Red Blossoms was not yet complete. The intrusion of the sha, while regrettable, had provided valuable combat training and certainly qualified as a test of strength. It was not, repeated Master Sagewhisper, a test of spirit. Was she to promote those initiates who had frozen in the lake during the Test of Resolve merely because this seventh season happened to fall upon one of the coldest winters in memory? Her acolytes had then removed the uniforms from Ten, Heavy Chan, and Pei-Ling, bowing to the initiates as they departed. The next day, Master Snowdrift had returned the uniforms. This had gone on for a week.\n\nSo now they were all here. The two masters turned and walked back toward where the initiates knelt. Master Sagewhisper raised an eyebrow.\n\n"I apologize for our inconstancy, young pandaren. I am sure that Master Snowdrift extends his regrets as well. This is what happens when tradition is not followed. Chaos."',
			'The larger Shado-pan master bowed his head in acknowledgment, the shadow of a smile on his broad face as he motioned for her to continue.\n\n"We have spent the morning debating the finer points of tradition versus practicality, and together have arrived at a consensus. We have decided... that the decision is not ours to make."\n\nHere Master Sagewhisper stepped back, and Master Snowdrift took her place.\n\n"The decision on whether or not to expect a third test from you initiates should be made by the Shado-pan responsible for the third test. Unfortunately, he left soon after your encounter with the sha. Such was his duty; matters pertaining to our loathsome foe are under his stewardship as the master of the Wu Kao."\n\nA hawk called out in the morning air, and Ten smiled. He knew that sound.\n\n"I thank you for your patience, fellow masters."\n\nMaster Nurong strode onto the terrace. His boots were heavy with snow, and his cloak bore the stains of travel. Ten noticed dark red marks on his sleeve. In one paw the Shado-pan master held a large crossbow; in the other he carried a sack. The spear that Ten had encountered on the rooftop months ago was strapped to his back. Master Nurong tossed the sack to the feet of Master Snowdrift and Master Sagewhisper.\n\nThe bag fell open, and three heads rolled out across the stone floor. At first Ten thought that they were skulls; then he noticed the bulging insect eyes. The serrated mouthparts.\n\nMantid.',
			'Each of the heads had been pierced by a single crossbow bolt through the eye, and Master Sagewhisper lifted one of the grisly objects with an expression of academic curiosity.\n\n"I tracked these assassins from their hidden den near the outskirts of Firebough," said Master Nurong. His voice was steady and deep, just as Ten remembered. "I was able to learn little from them before they died; mantid spies do not speak under torture. I removed their limbs anyway just to be certain."\n\nMaster Snowdrift nodded, then waved to an acolyte who stood against the far wall. The white-scarved attendant scurried to stuff the heads back into the sack, taking the one that Master Sagewhisper proffered to her with a bow.\n\n"Well, now we know where the attack came from, or at least have strong evidence suggesting its origins," said Master Sagewhisper. "Sadly, this will not change our tactics along the wall. We shall fortify where we can, but our forces are still outnumbered."\n\nMaster Nurong smiled and for the first time looked down at the initiates.\n\n"At least we have three able new members of our order—or we soon will, if they can pass the final test."\n\nMaster Snowdrift cleared his throat, frowning. "I had thought that you more than anyone would be impressed by the courage these young initiates have shown by slaying a sha infiltrator. Is there any other way to prove the Shado-pan spirit?"\n\nMaster Nurong replied earnestly, "I am impressed. From what I have heard, the initiates demonstrated courage, strength, and some... remarkable cleverness." Here he nodded toward Ten, who blinked awkwardly and ducked his head.\n\n"But tradition calls for three tests. And three tests shall be given before these initiates are accepted into the Shado-pan."',
			'Master Sagewhisper bowed, a placid look on her face (which may have been the closest she could come to a smile). She took a step back as Master Nurong joined her in front of the three young pandaren. The one-eyed Shado-pan crossed his arms.\n\n"Initiates, on your feet."\n\nTen, Pei-Ling, and Heavy Chan stood.\n\n"I am Master Nurong of the Wu Kao discipline. The Wu Kao are scouts, hunters, spies, and assassins. We bring death from the shadows and teach monsters to fear the night.\n\n"You have each taken the first test, and you were marked for your resolve. Look down at your paws, for you bear our sign."\n\nThe three initiates looked down and saw the round scars that had just finished healing on their palms. The scars had taken the shape minted upon the coins—the face of a tiger. Ten could see that Heavy Chan was smiling.\n\nOf course. He has three.',
			'Master Nurong continued, "You have each taken the second test, and you were marked for your strength. These scars are more numerous, and I promise that you will join them with countless more if you take up our standard."\n\nTen felt the bandage at his forehead and nodded solemnly.\n\n"You have defeated an enemy that only our veteran soldiers dare to face. You have witnessed the horror of the sha and felt the creature\'s dark presence inside of your hearts and minds. And while your courage and strength may have saved your lives, the cost of this battle is greater than you know. There is a reason we do not send untrained warriors against such an enemy.\n\n"From the moment your battle began, you were known and marked by the sha. And once the sha have left their mark upon you, it will never go away. Every encounter you have with them, from this day forward, will be more difficult and more terrifying. The sha know you now. They know your minds, your weaknesses, and your fears."\n\nAnd Ten realized that truly he did feel fear. Fear like he had never known before. What Master Nurong said was true: he had been marked. Ten suppressed a shiver and looked up at the masters with hurt in his eyes.\n\nTheir faces were unreadable. Master Nurong closed his one eye.\n\n"And now I present your third and final test.',
			'"The sha are the collective power of all the fear, hatred, and evil in our land. They are an enemy who will show no mercy and will never tire. They manipulate the mantid and drive the yaungol against our people. As the Shado-pan, it is our sworn duty to destroy the sha. We are the sword and shield against their terror, the last and only line of defense against the evil they would bring to Pandaria.\n\n"If you take the oath of our order, you are willfully choosing to battle the sha again. And again. For the rest of your lives. We shall train you in their destruction, and we shall arm you against their fear, but one thing is assured: it will never go away.\n\n"Your final test is this: take the oath of the Shado-pan. Knowing all that you know, bearing the scars that you bear. Will you stand with us?"\n\nTen suddenly felt cold, a cold that came from deep inside his bones.\n\nFace the sha again? We… we only barely survived it. And now it knows me? I cannot do that again, cannot stare into fear as it breaks me against the stone floor.\n\nA breeze wound through the terrace, and Ten shivered. The frigid wind of this damn mountain made his ribs hurt. Ten stared down at the small round scar on his paw. He thought of returning to Halfhill, of his home in the alleys.\n\nLife was not so bad there. I survived, didn\'t I? I did alright as a thief.\n\nA thief.',
			'Whitefeather called from the blue winter sky above. And Ten realized that title no longer fit him. It was simply too small.\n\nOne cannot change the seasons.\n\nTen stood before Master Nurong and grasped his paw.\n\n"I will take the oath and join the Shado-pan, Master Nurong."\n\nPei-Ling stood beside Ten. Heavy Chan did too.\n\n"I will take the oath, Master Nurong."\n\n"And I."\n\nMaster Sagewhisper scowled, stepping forward to put her paw on Master Nurong\'s broad shoulder.\n\n"But they cannot take the oath to be Shado-pan as a test for worthiness! The oath can only come after the test has been passed. This flies in the face of centuries of tradi—"\n\n"You will not instruct me on my duties, Yalia!"\n\nMaster Nurong\'s powerful words rang throughout the terrace, his voice smoldering in a tone that was not anger but a dangerous warning. Master Sagewhisper stepped back, her face blank.',
			'"Tradition dictates that the Wu Kao master holds the final test. I have done so. These initiates have elected to serve their people, knowing full well what terror awaits them in the coming years. They have shown the courage and strength of spirit that the Shado-pan need in these dark days."\n\nWhitefeather flew into the terrace, alighting on her master\'s shoulder.\n\n"You have passed the final test, young Shado-pan. You will give your oaths to Lord Taran Zhu at sunset upon the Bridge of Initiation—and, no, it will not drop you into the lake this time."\n\nThe two other masters filed out of the terrace with their acolytes behind them. Ten noticed that Master Sagewhisper\'s eyes refused to meet his. He wondered if her demeanor would always be so dour, and was not looking forward to training under her. But that could be dealt with another day.\n\nToday, I am Shado-pan.\n\nHe bowed and followed Pei-Ling and Heavy Chan. They were to move into the dormitory now, and Ten was excited to have a bed of his own, hopefully somewhere near his new friends.\n\n"Ten of the Peppered Scroll, I would speak with you."\n\nHe turned to see Master Nurong seated on a stone bench at the end of the terrace. The one-eyed Shado-pan was leaning back against the wall, obviously tired from his journey. Ten approached, head bowed respectfully.\n\n"Yes, Master?"\n\nMaster Nurong looked at Ten with a weary eye and held out his paw.\n\n"You have something of mine. I would like it back."\n\nTen smiled, reaching into his tunic.\n\n"My apologies, Master. One cannot change the seasons… but old habits die hard."',
		},
		["author"] = "Cameron Dayton",
		["icon"] = "Interface/ICONS/achievement_faction_shadopan",
		["expansion"] = 4,
	},

	["bleeding-sun"] = {
		["nameRealm"] = "Bleeding Sun",
		["text"] = {
			'Dezco clutched a lock of his dead wife\'s hair and waited for the ritual to begin.\n\nThe Shrine of Two Moons loomed behind him, dark and silent in the night. Even the mountain city\'s normally bustling Golden Terrace was quiet. For that, Dezco was thankful. He and his Dawnchaser tribe had the great stone platform to themselves. Now was no time for distractions.\n\nA gust of warm air flowed over the terrace, rustling the white plainshawk feathers and small earth-toned wooden charms tied to Dezco\'s horns, wrists, and leather vest. He eyed the ceremonial trappings, disappointed. If he\'d been back home in Mulgore, he would have worn proper ritual garb. But here, in the strange and distant land of Pandaria, he was forced to make do with the resources at hand.\n\nLeza would understand, he told himself. She wouldn\'t mind.\n\nDezco shook away his worries and stared out from the terrace, down across the moonlit hills and wooded thickets blanketing the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. Even at night, the place was mesmerizing.\n\n"A crucible for change," Leza had called it. "A valley golden with blossoms, filled with the hope of peace."\n\nFor months, she\'d dreamed of the vale. Dezco and other tauren had seen visions of it as well, but they\'d been strongest in Leza. Without her, the tribe would\'ve never succeeded on its arduous voyage to find Pandaria and, from there, the vale hidden deep in the heart of the continent.\n\nThe search had been brutal. Violent storms had destroyed three ships filled with members of Dezco\'s tribe. Friends. Family. When the last remaining vessel made landfall in Pandaria\'s sweltering coastal jungle, more death followed. The fact that Leza was pregnant made Dezco increasingly worried about the dire situation. Then, his wife contracted a fever that, despite the tribe\'s best efforts, seemed incurable. Through it all, Leza always remained steadfast, a beacon of hope as every Sunwalker strived to be.\n\n"It\'s still night," she\'d say, "but the sunrise is near. I can feel it just ahead."',
			'When she finally went into labor, the strain proved too much for her ailing body. She died weeks before the tribe would ever find the vale, still believing the hardships were almost over. Dezco remembered that dark day with biting clarity: his wife\'s last tormented cry as the fever sapped the life from her veins, his failed attempts to spare her from death, and later, the smoke and fire that roiled up from her funeral pyre…\n\n"The Bleeding Sun!" one of the tauren behind Dezco shouted, bringing him back to the present.\n\nDull light pushed away the darkness, painting the vale in shades of violet and gold. It was the moment before dawn, that fleeting time of the day when An\'she, the sun, remained hidden but somehow a glimmer of his light managed to spill across the world.\n\n"Bring the children." Dezco motioned with his hand, keeping his eyes to the east.\n\nLeza\'s cousin, Nala, quietly approached, holding two infant tauren in her arms. Ceremonial feathers and beads dangled from their tiny horns. The first was called Redhorn, and the second, Cloudhoof. Dezco handed the lock of his wife\'s mane to Nala and then scooped Leza\'s final gifts to him into his arms.\n\n"Begin!" Dezco commanded. Without hesitation, twelve tauren sitting behind him pounded their fists against small leather drums. The beat was quick, a warrior\'s heart on the eve of battle.\n\nAs Nala braided Leza\'s hair into Dezco\'s mane, he leaned into his sons. "Watch closely, little ones," he whispered. They were too young to understand what was happening, but it felt right telling them. His children yawned and stared forward with half-open eyes.\n\n"Every morning, An\'she bleeds," Dezco continued. "He sacrifices part of his light to let us know that dawn is coming. But he doesn\'t do this alone. The yeena\'e help him. Your mother helps him."',
			'Yesterday, the twin moons had appeared during the day for the first time since Leza\'s death, signaling that her spirit had finally joined the yeena\'e, "those who herald the dawn." She was in good company now, alongside all those other great ancestors who had died in the process of saving lives or, as with Leza, making new ones.\n\nThe drumbeats slowed as An\'she peeked over the vale\'s impassable mountains. Sunlight shimmered across fields of honey-colored grass. Gold leaves rustled in the breeze on tall ivory trees. Dezco had seen the sunrise here many times, but he was still amazed by how brilliant An\'she\'s light was. It was as if his gaze were fixed on the vale, and all other lands merely basked in a reflection of his light.\n\nThe beauty of the place was cruel in a way. Things were supposed to have gotten easier once Dezco and his tribe reached the vale, but they hadn\'t. Battle was raging. Horde politics had become a daily annoyance. Dozens of refugees from the war-torn lands north of the region streamed into the shrine morning and night in search of food, shelter, and respite from the strife.\n\nAnd then, just days ago, his boys had taken ill, crying and refusing to eat. Dezco and Nala had tried to puzzle out the sickness with no success. By An\'she\'s grace, Redhorn and Cloudhoof seemed normal this morning. Perhaps the ritual had healed them somehow, Dezco pondered.\n\n"Look." Nala stepped forward, pointing down into the vale.\n\nDezco peered over the terrace railing. A cluster of figures moved along one of the well-worn stone-and-dirt paths leading to the shrine. In the dawning light, their shadows reached across the ground like outstretched arms.',
			'"The Golden Lotus," Dezco said, recognizing one member of the group who was different from the rest. Mokimo the Strong\'s gait was unmistakable even from afar. Like all of the hozen race, he had long muscular arms that nearly dragged along the ground when he walked. Dezco couldn\'t make out the other Lotus, but he was surprised that so many of the vale\'s ancient guardians were coming to the shrine. Normally they kept to the Golden Pagoda, their meeting place nestled in the center of the land.\n\n"Do you think this has anything to do with the rumors?" Concern tinged Nala\'s voice.\n\n"Never put faith in rumors," Dezco replied. He\'d heard the talk: stories about the vale\'s caretakers meeting in secret and visiting locations throughout the region for some unknown purpose. As the ambassador between the Lotus and Dezco\'s people, Mokimo would\'ve been able to explain what was going on, but he\'d been away from the shrine for over a week. Regardless, Dezco didn\'t see any reason to worry. The Lotus were a mysterious order, yes, but they were also his trusted allies.\n\n"I know." Nala nodded slowly. "But I\'m more concerned about the younglings. We aren\'t sure if the sickness has passed yet. Visitors might make it worse." She stroked Redhorn\'s cheek. Ever since Leza\'s passing, her cousin had become fiercely protective of the children. Dezco sympathized with her. This far from home, the infants were some of the only family she had.\n\n"Take them inside while the Lotus are here," Dezco said, and then added, "after the ceremony."\n\nWith that, he turned back to the rising sun. Loud voices and heavy footsteps began echoing across the terrace as early morning risers flooded out of the shrine\'s catacomb halls. Merchants groaned as they set up rickety stands. Refugees huddled together and shared food. Orcs, blood elves, and other members of the Horde who had followed Dezco into the vale mingled on the platform.\n\nThe drumming stopped as An\'she, in all his brilliance, ascended above the mountains.\n\nFor a moment, Dezco felt at peace. Maybe today was the day the hardships would finally end, he thought with cautious optimism. Maybe the dawn Leza had always spoken of had finally come.',
			'Dezco commanded extra guards to patrol the terrace and keep order in preparation for the visitors. He\'d lived at the shrine for weeks now, acting as the city\'s de facto leader, and almost every day he\'d had to deal with fights and arguments breaking out between members of the Horde. The scuffles were never serious, but he dreaded the thought of the Lotus seeing how chaotic the place could become. They had welcomed Dezco and his people here—a land the Lotus had guarded for many centuries—with open arms. It was the tauren\'s responsibility to honor that trust.\n\nAfter changing out of his ritual garb and donning his armor, Dezco gathered four Dawnchaser guards and awaited the Lotus at one of the great curving staircases leading up to the terrace. Two golden statues towered at either side of the steps. The monstrous figures grimaced fiercely, pointing long-bladed spears down the stairs as if to ward off anyone who dared ascend. Dezco\'s blood boiled just looking at them.\n\nThey were mogu, a brutish race that had once ruled the vale, using the power there to build an empire of hate and domination. Dezco had battled some of them before. They were mighty and ruthless opponents, devoid of honor. Fortunately, their empire had fallen long ago.\n\nBut things were changing. One clan of mogu, known as the Shao-Tien, had managed to infiltrate the vale. Dezco had heard numerous reports about their growing numbers. As he waited at the terrace steps, he wondered if the war between the Shao-Tien and Lotus had taken a new turn. Why else would so many of the vale\'s protectors be coming to the shrine?\n\nThe question lingered in his head until the visitors arrived. Dezco was glad he\'d taken the time to get the terrace in order when he saw Zhi the Harmonious among the caretakers. There were few people in Pandaria who he respected more than the sage pandaren leader of the Golden Lotus.',
			'"We\'re not disturbing anything, I hope. We heard drums as we approached," Zhi said as Dezco led him and the other Lotus into the shade of a buzao tree growing at the center of the terrace.\n\n"Not at all. It was a ritual to honor my wife, but it ended at dawn."\n\n"Your wife, yes." Zhi nodded gravely. "Do all tauren honor their dead the same way?"\n\n"A few. The ritual is an ancient one. It was nearly lost to memory before the Sunwalkers breathed new life into it. The ceremony fit well with our beliefs."\n\n"Interesting." Zhi stroked his braided gray beard. "There is much I wish to ask about your order. I see many similarities between it and the Lotus. When the turmoil in the vale settles, we will have to talk."\n\n"I would like that," Dezco said as he looked over the other Lotus members who were nearby. The tauren had met some of them when he\'d first arrived in the vale, but only briefly. One familiar face was Weng the Merciful, a plump, soft-spoken pandaren who was a fixture at the shrine.\n\nAnd then there was Mokimo. The immense hozen wore pieces of sturdy wood-and-iron armor. He kept his hair pulled back in a short ponytail. Tufts of white-gray fur framed a long hairless face that was marked by teal paint. Mokimo glanced furtively around the terrace and then, as he sometimes did, spat out a string of incomprehensible words in his native tongue.\n\n"No cubs?" the hozen finally asked in a language Dezco understood.\n\n"I\'m afraid they need rest. They\'ve been up since before dawn."\n\n"I see." Mokimo\'s white tail drooped in disappointment.',
			'"Perhaps later." Dezco gave the hozen a hearty pat on the back, although he was glad his sons were inside the shrine with Nala. Their illness had returned after the yeena\'e ceremony, much to Dezco\'s distress. But more than that, he felt as if disaster was just around the corner whenever Mokimo was near his children. The hozen were a rambunctious people, prone to spontaneity and mischief. Although Mokimo spoke and carried himself much more like a pandaren than one of his own kind, the younglings brought out the hozen in his blood.\n\n"The way Mokimo talks about them, you\'d think they were his cubs," Zhi chuckled. "I\'ve been wondering about the children, though. Are they healthy?"\n\n"Well…" the tauren said before stopping. He didn\'t want to worry Zhi with the sickness, especially when he wasn\'t sure how serious it was. "They\'re growing quickly, as they should."\n\n"I see." Zhi seemed deep in contemplation for a moment. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and then looked to Dezco. "We\'d best get to work. I know you\'re busy here. I don\'t want to take you away from your duties any more than I already have."\n\nZhi motioned to the waiting Lotus. They sprang into action. A few hurried off to a clot of refugees near the shrine\'s entrance. The others unclasped the locks of a large wooden chest they\'d brought with them.\n\n"If there\'s any way I can help, please tell me," Dezco said, his curiosity rising.\n\n"I wish there were. But the truth is we\'ve come here at the behest of the celestials."',
			'Dezco tried to hide his surprise. The celestials sent them here? Zhi had once told him that the four great spirits had been watching over Pandaria since before recorded history. They were akin to gods, as far as Dezco was concerned. It was the celestials who had opened the vale to outsiders not long ago, believing that people like Dezco and his tauren could help the Lotus defend the region.\n\n"As you know," Zhi continued, "the vale is large, and we Lotus are few. Now, with the Shao-Tien encroaching, I fear our ranks will soon grow even smaller. We have come here to seek new members."\n\n"There are Horde who would be honored to join you," Dezco said.\n\n"I\'m afraid it\'s not as simple as that. The celestials guide us in this task; they tell us exactly whom we should look for… Until now, that is. The great spirits are distraught. Their messages have become muddled. Recently, the celestials told me that a worthy guardian exists here, in the vale of all places. In the past, our order has always ventured outside the region to find new guardians. Then I realized why the spirits had directed us here: this land is now home to many other people."\n\n"Master Zhi!" Weng called from across the terrace. "We are ready!"\n\nNear Weng, a silver gong had been erected, emblazoned with symbols representing the four celestials: Niuzao, the Black Ox; Yu\'lon, the Jade Serpent; Xuen, the White Tiger; and Chi-Ji, the Red Crane. A handful of pandaren refugees had gathered in front of the gong.\n\n"One moment!" Zhi replied, and then turned back to Dezco. "All that\'s left for us to do is perform a simple test. It will be quick. I\'ll speak with you afterward."\n\n"I—" Dezco began, but Zhi had already strolled off toward the gong. The tauren stared on, disappointed. He\'d been hoping the Lotus would ask something of him, for some kind of help. The Horde was assisting with the war effort, but Dezco himself had been feeling more and more useless. Nearly all his time was consumed keeping watch over the shrine.\n\nMokimo loped to Dezco as Zhi began addressing the refugees.',
			'"Oh, I hope it works," the hozen said, wringing his hands together. "We\'ve been to every corner of the vale in the past week. I can\'t even remember how many cubs we\'ve performed this test on."\n\n"Cubs?" Dezco asked. Suddenly, he noticed that all of the refugees standing by the gong held small children in their arms.\n\n"Our members are always chosen at a young age. When I was just a child, Zhi traveled to my village in the Jade Forest to give me a new life. But we\'ve had to resort to other means of finding members now. Three days ago, we rang the Singing Gong. It sends out a call to any children who are in some way tied to the celestials. Well, that\'s what the old writings say, at least. This test had never been done until recently."\n\n"Three days ago…" Dezco said, more to himself. He tried to remember when Redhorn and Cloudhoof had become sick. It seemed about three days ago. Or was it longer? He couldn\'t recall with certainty.\n\n"What happens when the gong rings?" he asked Mokimo.\n\n"I don\'t know. No one really does. I suppose the child would become upset. Almost like an illness. The purpose is to show which child has potential. Ringing the gong a second time is meant to soothe the affected cub and, in so doing, verify that he or she has been chosen. That would be followed by some sort of signal from the celestials."\n\nDezco\'s pulse quickened. Beads of sweat trickled down his snout. An illness…\n\nOne of the Lotus handed Zhi an iron mallet. The elder grasped it in his paws and then slammed it into the gong. The silver disc vibrated and swung forward, but there was no sound. At least not that Dezco or anyone else could hear. None of the pandaren couples or their cubs reacted. There was no signal from the celestials.',
			'"Nothing happened." Relief flooded through Dezco as he thought of his children. And why would anything have happened to them? The Golden Lotus was composed of Pandaria\'s races: jinyu, pandaren, hozen, and others who had been tied to these lands for many thousands of years. His children were tauren. Foreigners.\n\n"Nothing…" Mokimo lowered his head. The other Lotus glanced around as if seeking some explanation for what had transpired. Zhi turned the mallet over in his paws, forlorn.\n\nDezco felt a pang of sorrow for them. The order\'s members had lived in peace for so long. Now, war was at their doorstep. Now, the celestials who had guided them were—\n\nSomeone in the crowd screamed.\n\nThe gong trembled violently. Cracks spread out from the center of the disc like spiderwebs. The silver artifact crumbled to the terrace floor in shards. A gold and blue sphere of light hovered in the air. Slowly it twisted and expanded into the form of a giant crane. The creature stretched his neck forward and then ruffled the yellow, red, and white plumage along his body.\n\n"Chi-Ji," Zhi said, remaining calm. He and the other Lotus bowed in unison.\n\n"The call is answered," the Red Crane\'s avatar said in a rumbling, ethereal voice. The celestial, over twice Dezco\'s height, peered at each of the pandaren cubs in turn.\n\n"Not here," he finally said. The celestial\'s head snapped up at the gilded face of the shrine jutting out from the mountainside. Suddenly, he marched through the city\'s immense doorway. The crowd lingered for a moment and then surged after the Red Crane.\n\nDezco pushed forward, his thoughts on Redhorn and Cloudhoof. He passed through the shrine\'s vaulted hallways, racing to Summer\'s Rest. He knew that Nala would\'ve taken his little boys into the inn, tucked at the eastern side of the fortress.\n\nSo did Chi-Ji.',
			'To Dezco\'s horror, the Red Crane was already there, looming over one of the folding wood-and-paper partitions that demarked each of the inn\'s "rooms." Nala was inside, standing in a defensive position before two small cradles.\n\n"You\'re not the mother," Chi-Ji said curiously.\n\nDezco brushed past the celestial and put his hand on Nala to calm her. Redhorn and Cloudhoof looked up from their cradles. They were giggling for the first time in days, reaching out toward Chi-Ji.\n\n"There must be some mistake." It took all of Dezco\'s strength to keep his voice even.\n\n"You are the father." The celestial\'s eyes locked on Dezco, burning like twin suns, fiery and unrelenting. The tauren felt the Red Crane peering into him, searching his thoughts and memories. "The mother is gone. She died in childbirth. But in death, she gave two lives."\n\nChi-Ji cocked his head. "You call them Cloudhoof and Redhorn, but those are not their real names."\n\n"Not their real names?" Mokimo squeezed through the refugees, Lotus, and Horde who were crowding around the partition, eager to watch.\n\n"No." Dezco looked at the Red Crane in astonishment. Redhorn and Cloudhoof were the children\'s weaning names—a rare tradition his tribe carried. In time, they would take on their true names: one for an old and dear friend who had died in Pandaria\'s coastal jungle, and the other for a new friend who had helped his tribe.\n\n"I did not foresee twins." Chi-Ji\'s avatar turned to Zhi. "Only one need serve the vale."',
			'"I understand." Zhi nodded. The elder\'s calm facade had crumbled. There was genuine shock on his face. His eyes met Dezco\'s. "Children from afar… I never expected this, my friend," the Lotus leader said. "It had crossed my mind, of course, but I never thought it was a real possibility."\n\n"They\'re my sons." Dezco struggled to make sense of what was happening. The whole series of events had unfolded so quickly. "What you\'re asking me is—"\n\n"To protect that which you have traveled so far to protect," the Red Crane replied. "To honor your wife\'s dream. To sacrifice for the vale, as she did. It is good you have two. One will help the vale; one will stay with you. The only thing left to do is choose." Chi-Ji\'s avatar began to fade into the air like smoke.\n\n"Wait!" Dezco shouted.\n\nBut there was no reply. The Red Crane disappeared. The Lotus members clapped in celebration. Behind them, refugees worked their way toward the children. The faces blurred together. Nala shoved a pandaren who was reaching out for Redhorn, sending him crashing into the partition.\n\nSomeone slapped Dezco hard on the back. He whirled in defense and saw Mokimo, grinning wide. "What a day!" the hozen yelled over the din of the crowd. "What a glorious day this has become!"',
			'Choose…\n\nChi-Ji\'s command haunted Dezco, following him like a restless spirit for hours. By the time his aimless wandering brought him out to the Golden Terrace, An\'she had long since disappeared beyond the western horizon.\n\nRedhorn and Cloudhoof slept peacefully in two baskets—one at Dezco\'s back and one at his chest—that he\'d made after they were born. The baskets were connected by a length of rope that hung over his shoulders. The whole contraption had been a great boon during his journeys through Pandaria, helping him keep his younglings close and have his shield and mace at the ready. These lands were filled with so many dangers that he\'d refused to let his children out of sight even for a short time.\n\nLittle good my weapons do me now, he thought as he surveyed the terrace. This late at night, the platform was nearly empty. A few orcs squatted under the buzao tree, sharpening their blades with whetstones in the light of a single lantern. Near the shrine\'s entrance, blood elves in long flowing robes talked heatedly about the magical properties of the vale. Normally, Dezco would have greeted them, but tonight he passed them by without a word.',
			'"A golden opportunity, if you ask me," he heard one of the orcs whispering to his comrades. "There\'s power in the vale, yes? That\'s why we\'ve come. Well, the Alliance is here too. Right now we\'re both on equal footing. But if we had a member of the Horde in the Lotus…"\n\n"Don\'t be a fool," someone else replied. "The pup wouldn\'t be one of us anymore. Horde wouldn\'t mean a thing to the child. Look at Mokimo. He doesn\'t act like any hozen we\'ve met. The Lotus took his culture from him. His identity."\n\nDezco paced out of earshot from the conversation. He\'d heard the arguments a hundred times. The day had passed like a dream. No—a nightmare. He only remembered fragments: the Golden Lotus congratulating him and then disappearing just as quickly as they\'d come, endless meetings with the other members of the Horde to discuss what had happened, and the constant stream of refugees who wanted to see his children as if they had become sacred objects.\n\nHe was glad to be alone now. He\'d reached the limits of his patience and had sent his advisors—even Nala—away hours ago. Dezco sighed, frustrated by how the day had started out so well, only to spiral into chaos.',
			'Dezco set his crystal mace and jagged-edged shield against the lacquered wooden railing at the edge of the terrace. Ahead, scattered torchlight and campfires burned against the dark terrain. Five sacred pools glowed with a ghostly blue light in the distance. Mokimo had often spoken of the waters. They were the vale\'s power: its lifeblood. Perhaps Dezco and his people had been drawn here to protect or use them in some way.\n\nThere were six pools in total, but one was hidden from his view, deep within Mogu\'shan Palace. Faintly, he made out the facade of the colossal fortress, once the seat of the mogu empire, carved into the vale\'s eastern mountains.\n\nHe\'d always thought it odd that the Lotus had never torn down all the statues and edifices of the vale\'s former rulers. Leaving them up was like giving the mogu a reason to come back. Once, he\'d posed that concern to Mokimo, and he had replied, "The mogu believed that the vale served them. The Lotus believe we serve the vale. We leave their statues as a reminder of hubris and vanity."\n\nAt the time, Dezco had been taken by the wisdom, but now the words seemed hollow. An excuse for inaction. If the celestials were so powerful, why didn\'t they scour the mogu invaders? If the vale was a crucible for hope and peace as Leza had thought, why didn\'t the energies welling up from this land help the Golden Lotus bring a swift end to the war?\n\nDezco took a long, deep breath. Too many questions. Too many uncertainties.',
			'"It\'s a beautiful night, isn\'t it?" someone asked.\n\nThe tauren turned as Mokimo slowly approached.\n\n"You\'re back," Dezco said gruffly. The hozen had disappeared along with the other Lotus after the test, leaving the tauren alone to puzzle out the day\'s events. Mokimo never seemed to be around when he needed him.\n\n"Just now." The hozen leaned against the railing beside Dezco. "Zhi asked me to accompany him. We met some members of my order who had returned from battle. There are more Shao-Tien entering the vale than we\'d expected. I\'m glad you weren\'t there to see the defenders. They were so close to despair… so afraid."\n\n"I\'m sorry." Dezco put his frustration aside at the thought of the mogu gaining more victories.\n\n"But when we told them about the Red Crane and your cubs… they changed! One minute, sorrow; the next, joy. One minute, despair; the next, hope!" Mokimo hopped up and down on his short, stout legs.\n\n"They\'re children," Dezco said. "They wouldn\'t make a difference in war."\n\n"We Lotus live and die for tomorrow. The Red Crane promised us a future. He wouldn\'t have come here if he didn\'t believe we would need a new generation of protectors." Mokimo pulled a small wooden carving from his tunic and set it down on the railing in front of Dezco. "Here. This belonged to one of my order. He was killed yesterday. I can\'t think of a better way to honor him than giving it to you."\n\nDezco inspected the object: an intricate carving of the Red Crane. Strange characters in a language he didn\'t understand spiraled around Chi-Ji\'s body from feet to beak. It was only a piece of wood, but it unnerved him.',
			'"The words say, Fate is the wind, always changing. Life is the cloud, gone in an instant. The vale is the sky, everlasting. It\'s an old saying in our order. It reminds us that even in the worst of times, there is hope. That in death, our struggle goes on. I thought you would like it. You often speak of your wife and the dawn she saw ahead."\n\n"Mokimo, you know I want to help you. But I…" he began to say, but stopped short when he saw the look of joy on the hozen\'s face. He couldn\'t bring himself to crush Mokimo\'s dream. He wasn\'t even sure if the caretaker would understand. The Lotus seemed to think that whether or not Dezco would actually choose wasn\'t up for debate. It was expected.\n\n"No need to talk about it now," Mokimo said. "I\'m not supposed to be here. Zhi told me not to speak with you until you had more time to think and choose. I just wanted to give you the gift. I wanted to thank you." The hozen backed away from the terrace railing. "I\'d best go. They\'ll be looking for me at the pagoda."\n\nMokimo hurried down the platform\'s staircase. Dezco lifted the carving of Chi-Ji from the railing. Choose, the celestial\'s voice boomed in his head. Choose what? he wanted to shout back. The Lotus regarded his children as saviors now. If he refused them and stayed in the vale, he knew he and his sons would be a blight on the land, a constant reminder of a shattered dream.',
			'Dezco set the carving back down and then removed Cloudhoof and Redhorn from their baskets. He hugged them tight in his arms and pictured them in the years to come, learning the ways of the Sunwalkers, assisting him with leading rituals to honor An\'she and the Earth Mother, hearing of Leza\'s bravery in the face of death.\n\n"Leza…" Dezco whispered, wishing she were at his side to help him through this, and wondering what she would\'ve done. Suddenly, he remembered something his wife had said just before she died. My love… whatever happens… you must protect our… our child… She hadn\'t known that she was giving birth to twins. To Dezco, that made her last wish all the more powerful.\n\nAnd his choice became clear.\n\n"I will," he said, staring down at his little boys.\n\n"Nala!" Dezco called out, and turned his head. He figured she was lingering nearby in the shadows. Even though he\'d sent her away, he knew her too well not to expect that she had followed him.\n\nLeza\'s cousin emerged from behind the buzao tree. "The Lotus don\'t understand, do they?"\n\n"It\'s not their fault."\n\n"What should we do?" Nala asked as she approached the railing.\n\n"We…" Dezco said. "I\'m placing you in charge of the shrine."\n\n"What?" Nala gaped at him, perplexed. "For how long?"\n\nDezco gave the Chi-Ji statue one last look. "Permanently."',
			'It was nearing dawn when Dezco set out from the shrine with Redhorn and Cloudhoof snug in their baskets. The farewell with Nala had been tearful, but in the end she\'d understood. She was a Sunwalker, and she knew that in all things there was only one true path, one right decision.\n\nWhat could be a truer path than keeping family safe? Keeping family together?\n\nNala\'s concerns stemmed more from her desire to accompany Dezco and look after the children, but he needed her at the shrine. He couldn\'t imagine anyone else keeping the place from falling apart. Like Leza, Nala always knew when to be firm and when to be flexible. She was a born leader.\n\nApart from that, Dezco wanted to distance himself from his comrades as much as possible. This was hischoice, and his alone. He didn\'t know how the Golden Lotus would react, or more importantly, the Red Crane. The last thing he wanted was to imperil the Horde\'s place in the vale. This land, despite recent events, still meant something for the future of his people.\n\nDezco felt ashamed leaving Mokimo in the dark, but there was nothing for it. A clean break, even though it pained the tauren, was for the best. It would make it easier for the Lotus to get on with their lives.\n\nThe tauren made good time through the morning hours. He stayed off the main roads, working his way through the northern foothills. He estimated that before nightfall he would reach the Gate of the August Celestials, which led out of the vale.',
			'Around noon, he stopped at the base of a small hill and set his children on the ground. He pulled out a skin of herbs and yak milk that Nala had taught him how to brew. She\'d assured him that the drink would keep his sons healthy until he reached Mulgore and found a tauren female to nurse them correctly. She hadn\'t, however, warned him how much the younglings would hate the brew. After one sip, both of them began to cry, refusing to take any more.\n\n"It\'s not that bad," Dezco grumbled. He took a gulp of the mixture. The thick, unbearably bitter drink made him cough uncontrollably. Redhorn\'s and Cloudhoof\'s cries quickly turned to laughter.\n\n"It\'s not wise to disrespect your elders like that, little ones," Dezco growled playfully.\n\nDezco was about to try the nursing again when the ground started to shake. Three yak-driven carts roared over the hilltop, overloaded with pandaren. The yaks snorted, their mouths frothed with saliva.\n\n"Mogu!" one of the passengers screamed as the carts raced past Dezco. "At the gate!"\n\nImpossible. Dezco scrambled to lift his children into their baskets. He slowly climbed the hill, shield raised high. At the top, a gust of wind washed over him, heavy with the smell of smoke and battle.',
			'Far ahead he saw the Gate of the August Celestials. Fires burned everywhere. An army of dark-blue-skinned Shao-Tien swarmed around the vale\'s entrance. Clusters of lightly armored shapes—the Golden Lotus—rushed toward the advancing mogu. Cannon fire cracked through the vale like thunder. An entire group of Lotus defenders vanished in a torrent of fire and blood. The rest of the order\'s warriors made a hasty retreat, the mogu following at their heels and slaughtering stragglers.\n\nDezco cursed under his breath. His path was blocked. He turned and descended the hill, weighing his options. The tauren had heard of another gate far to the west, but he wasn\'t sure if it was open. Perhaps, though, he could find a way through… a secret mountain pass or tunnel known to the locals.\n\nThe only thing he knew for certain was that he couldn\'t return to the shrine. He wasn\'t a part of that place anymore, not now, after he\'d made his choice.Hold to your choice. Stay strong, he told himself.',
			'One of the refugees was waiting for him at the base of the hill. He was an old pandaren with a long, wispy beard that trailed off his chin. "Nothing for you that way but death," he said.\n\n"So it seems. Where are you bound?" Dezco asked.\n\n"Mistfall. Many of us have been separated from our families. We\'ve heard that some of them might be there. I\'m looking for my grandchildren. Where do the winds blow you?"\n\nDezco mulled over what little he knew about Mistfall Village. The small refugee camp was tucked near the southwestern side of the vale. From there, Dezco could learn news of the other gate. And if that way was blocked too, at least the journey would buy him time away from the shrine. Perhaps even enough time for the Lotus to rout the Shao-Tien and retake the Gate of the August Celestials.\n\nIf they had the strength to do so, he wondered grimly.\n\n"Mistfall," Dezco said.',
			'Dezco and the refugees cut through the vale\'s eastern half, putting the twin mountains that rose from the center of the region between them and the mogu front. The presence of injured and elderly pandaren slowed the journey to a snail\'s pace, but Dezco didn\'t mind. He enjoyed his time with his children, keeping to himself most of the way. His only real concern was running into members of the Lotus, but he saw no sign of the order.\n\nJust before nightfall on the second day, the caravan approached the vale\'s southern edge and the mountain pass that would take them to Mistfall Village. The sacred pools shimmered in the fading sunlight to the south, east, and west. So close to the waters, the air seemed to hum with an odd, almost tangible power. Dezco was admiring the distant pools when the caravan ground to a halt.\n\n"Something ahead!" a shout went out from the front of the refugees.\n\nDezco moved through the other travelers from his place at the rear of the caravan, fighting off fatigue. He\'d barely slept during the journey. The refugees had good hearts, but they lacked military training. The tauren didn\'t trust them enough to leave his children unguarded for even a few hours at night.\n\nA group of refugees was standing close to the lead cart, deep in discussion. In the distance, Dezco spied a large campfire burning near the mouth of the pass, effectively blocking the path.\n\n"Any idea who it is?" he asked the gathered pandaren.\n\n"We\'ve sent someone out to look," a young refugee dressed in ratty clothes replied. He waved his paw at the others standing nearby. "Some of them think it\'s the mogu. But they wouldn\'t make a fire out in the open like that."',
			'"When did you become an expert on the mogu?" another pandaren challenged. "I\'ve heard that Shao-Tien raiding parties are skulking all over the vale, murdering anyone they find and then disappearing like ghosts. That fire could be a trap to draw us close."\n\nAn uneasy silence descended on the group. Dezco\'s tail lashed back and forth as he tried to subdue his anxiety, telling himself that mogu couldn\'t have made it this far into the vale.\n\nThe scout returned a short time later, waving the caravan forward. "It\'s safe!"\n\nThe pandaren around Dezco sighed in relief, but he remained cautious.\n\n"More refugees?" he yelled to the distant scout. Apart from the mogu, there was another enemy that concerned him: the Alliance. The Horde\'s rivals had established an embassy at a fortress similar to the Shrine of Two Moons in this corner of the vale. Dezco had formed a bond with one of the Alliance\'s leaders, Prince Anduin Wrynn. Like the tauren, the young human didn\'t want conflict. He\'d come to the vale driven by the promise of hope and peace. Still, the tauren didn\'t know how much weight that camaraderie carried. There were just as many warmongering fanatics in the Alliance as there were in the Horde.\n\n"No," the scout replied. Faintly, Dezco could see him smiling. "It\'s the Golden Lotus!"',
			'"Sit! Eat! Rest!" Mokimo shouted with his arms raised.\n\nA great fire roared behind the hozen. Steam curled up from iron pots hung over the flames. Nearby, Weng the Merciful scooped rice from the cauldrons into smooth wooden bowls etched with carvings of the four celestials. A pandaren who Dezco had never met before unpacked cups from leather travel bags. He was monstrous, dwarfing the tauren in size, and adorned in massive pieces of dark armor. Apart from a brown topknot and beard, his coat was pure white.\n\nThe refugees brushed past Dezco and hurried to the fire, famished and exhausted. The tauren\'s own stomach rumbled as the wind blew the savory smell of warm food toward him, but he held his ground. The presence of the Lotus irritated him. By now, surely they\'d learned of his choice. The honorable thing to do would\'ve been to let him go on his way, and live with the ramifications of his decision.\n\nInstead, they had followed him.\n\n"Dezco!" Mokimo waved to him. "Come! You must be starving!"\n\nDezco flicked his ears and snorted, annoyed by the casual tone. The way Mokimo spoke, it was as if meeting the tauren out in the middle of the vale wasn\'t a surprise at all.',
			'Without responding, the tauren took a few strides away from the camp and picked out a clear spot of land. Before long he had a fire of his own popping and crackling in the night. He pulled Cloudhoof and Redhorn from their baskets and began nursing them with the yak milk mixture. The feedings had become easier. His little boys were even taking a liking to the drink.\n\nThe children had just finished nursing when Mokimo approached Dezco\'s fire. "I would have come sooner, but the refugees were very hungry," the hozen said. "Thank the celestials you and the cubs are all right. We\'ve been worried." He crouched down and smiled wide for Redhorn and Cloudhoof. The younglings giggled and batted at the long tufts of white fur around the hozen\'s cheeks.\n\n"You remember Weng." Mokimo gestured back at his two companions, who mingled with the refugees. "And the big one is Rook. He\'s never been much good at formalities, but he\'s loyal to a fault. A gentle friend, but also a ferocious enemy. I think you\'d like him. Why not join us? There\'s plenty of room at our—"\n\n"You followed me," Dezco said.\n\n"Well… not exactly," Mokimo replied. "We anticipated where you would travel. What with the Gate of the August Celestials closed off, there are only so many places in the vale to go."\n\n"I\'ve made my choice, Mokimo," Dezco said, his voice firm. "It was wrong of me not to tell you in person. For that I\'m sorry. But following me doesn\'t change anything. My children belong home in Mulgore. Together.This is my decision." He added, "The others at the shrine had nothing to do with it."\n\n"Nala told me. I met with Zhi, and he agreed that if it is your desire to leave, you are free to do so."',
			'Dezco wasn\'t sure how to react. He\'d been expecting some kind of resistance. "Just the other day you spoke of how important my sons were to the future of your order," the tauren said.\n\n"And I was happy. So were all the Lotus. But it\'s not my decision, is it? That lies with you."\n\n"Then why are you here?"\n\n"Your children have been chosen; they are tied to Chi-Ji, and thus to the vale. The Lotus are sworn to protect this land at all times. Until the day your cubs leave it, we will watch over them. But why you would want to leave is beyond me. I thought being here was why you traveled so far."\n\n"It is… It was." Dezco lowered his head. "If Chi-Ji had asked me to march into the mogu lines alone, I would have honored his request without a second thought. I would have done anything. Anything but this…" He looked up at Mokimo. "This isn\'t why I came here."\n\n"How do you know?"\n\n"It\'s not," Dezco said, his anger rising. It dawned on him what was happening: Mokimo was trying to convince him. Zhi had likely sent the hozen and the others to talk him out of leaving.\n\n"I\'ve lost too much already," the tauren continued. "I didn\'t come here to lose everything. My tribe was promised peace. Hope. We… I haven\'t found anything I was expecting." The tauren took a breath to calm down. Without even realizing it, he\'d lurched to his hooves. Weng, Rook, and the refugees at the other fire were staring at him in silence.',
			'Mokimo remained impassive. "Expectation… a dangerous thing." He poked at the fire with a stray stick. "I expected much when I first joined the Lotus. But as the years wore on, I began to hate this place. Everything was so strange and confusing. I wanted to go home. Well, one day I decided to do just that, but Zhi caught me while I was trying to sneak out of the vale. He didn\'t scold me, though. He understood. In fact, he promised to take me to see my family. It is rare for a Lotus to leave the vale unless it is for official business. He did me a great honor.\n\n"When the promised day came, we traveled to my village in the misty hills of the Jade Forest. I was scared and excited all at once. I hadn\'t seen my family in years." Mokimo untied a small teal band from his ponytail and held it out for Dezco to see. It wasn\'t much to look at: a simple leather strap, aged and worn by time. "This was my mother\'s. We found it in the ruins of my family\'s old hut. The entire village had been destroyed. Everyone in it was dead. The hozen tribes often war, you see."\n\n"I\'m sorry," Dezco said, ashamed at his outburst.\n\n"Why? If I\'d never been chosen, I wouldn\'t be alive today. We can\'t predict where life will take us. Better not to fight things beyond your control. The moment you let go of expectation is the moment you are truly free. All we can do is serve the vale and know that wherever the winds blow us, we will have lived our lives for something greater than ourselves. For us, that is enough."\n\nMokimo rose and dusted himself off. "Come back to the shrine. That\'s all I ask. Why endanger the cubs out here? Nowhere is safe in the vale now. Nowhere."',
			'Dezco breathed deep and stared at the flames, flickering and shifting. Always moving, never stable. Unpredictable, like so much in Pandaria. The only constant was himself, his own choices. He\'d traveled through the coastal jungle, the northern mountains, and other regions with his sons. He\'d faced brutal enemies like the mogu, lurking in every dark recess of the continent. All that time, he\'d protected his children.\n\nThe shrine wasn\'t an impregnable fortress. In fact, some part of Dezco suspected that the Lotus only wanted him there for a chance to win him over. He\'d be cornered. Trapped.\n\nDezco shook his head. "You\'re right that this land is dangerous, but there is a safe place for my sons: at my side. That\'s where they\'ll stay. If you want to follow us, so be it, but our destination is Mistfall."',
			'It was still dark when Dezco suddenly awoke.\n\nHe propped himself up on his elbows, angry that he\'d fallen asleep. He\'d planned on keeping watch throughout the night, but the long journey had finally taken its toll.\n\nNearby, the yaks snorted and stamped their hooves into the ground, stricken with fear.\n\nDezco\'s thoughts went to Redhorn and Cloudhoof. They were safe, sleeping soundly on blankets near the fire. He carefully placed his children in their baskets and then secured them to his body.\n\nAt the other camp, a few of the refugees were slowly waking up, rubbing tired eyes. Mokimo, Weng, and Rook stood motionless at the far end of the fire, peering out into the darkness.\n\n"What is it?" Dezco asked as he joined them.\n\nMokimo held his finger to his mouth in a gesture of silence. "Rook sees something," he whispered.\n\nA low growl rumbled out of Rook\'s throat. His paw tightened around a giant iron mace adorned with vicious spikes. "Rook doesn\'t like those rocks," the white pandaren muttered.\n\n"Why don\'t you like them?" Weng asked.\n\n"They don\'t stay still." Rook gnashed his teeth. "Bad rocks. Stupid rocks."',
			'Dezco put his back to the fire so his sight could adjust to the darkness. Slowly, details came into view: a steep slope, one side of the mountain pass they were planning on going through. Boulders of various sizes dotted the hillside. But nothing seemed out of place. It was just a—\n\nMovement flashed against the slope. It was only for an instant, but Dezco saw it.\n\n"Weng," Mokimo said. "Wake the refugees. Quietly. Hitch the carts to the yaks."\n\nWeng nodded and scurried off.\n\nDezco kept his eyes locked on the mountain, unsure if what he\'d seen had been real or just a figment of his imagination. Then the movement came again. And this time, it didn\'t stop.\n\n"Run." Mokimo turned to Dezco. "Run!"\n\nTen giant boulders began tumbling down the slope in a landslide.\n\nNo, not tumbling, Dezco realized. They were running.\n\nRook raised his arms and roared as the boulders leapt off the mountainside, the details of their stout dog-like bodies and snarling faces becoming visible in the firelight.\n\n"Quilen." Dezco sucked in his breath.',
			'The beasts raced toward the camp, granite skin rippling in strange, unnatural waves. They were the mogu\'s hounds, cruel beings of living stone like many of their masters.\n\nThe yaks reared on their hind legs, only two of them secured to carts. Weng held them by the reins, struggling to keep them from bolting. Refugees scrambled around the camp, lighting stray pieces of wood in the fire to use as torches. Redhorn and Cloudhoof wailed in alarm.\n\nRather than attack, the quilen formed a wide semicircle around the camp, creating a barrier between the refugees and the vale to the north but leaving the mountain pass open.\n\n"The path to Mistfall is safe!" Weng shouted. "Everyone, go to—"\n\n"Hold your ground!" Dezco bellowed, aware of what was happening. "They\'re trying to drive us into the pass."\n\n"He\'s right." Mokimo loped to Dezco\'s side, his breathing heavy. The quilen snapped their jaws together and paced closer to the camp but still held off their assault. "We need to move north, back into the middle of the vale."\n\n"Rook make path." The white pandaren lifted the unhitched cart over his head, his tree-trunk-sized arms quivering from the effort. With a deafening roar he threw the cart forward. It exploded into timber at the center of the quilen line, forcing the beasts to scatter left and right.',
			'"Now!" Dezco waved his hand.\n\nThe refugees surged ahead. Quilen closed in from all sides. Rook caught one of them in mid-leap with his mace. Four others charged at Dezco. He said a prayer to An\'she, and the cold air around him bristled with power, warming and brightening as if night had turned to day.\n\nHe unstrapped his shield from his forearm and hurled the slab of jagged iron at the quilen. Glowing, it spun through the air and slammed into the first beast, embedding itself into the thing\'s head. The momentum of the blow sent the creature crashing into one of its brethren, splitting the other quilen in half.\n\nThe two remaining beasts continued on unscathed. Mokimo vaulted toward them on his long arms, striking one of the quilen with his foot. Dezco had just enough time to turn sideways and cover his chest with his free hand, protecting Cloudhoof, as the other hound leapt forward and crashed into him.\n\nSomething ripped. Dezco felt a weight lift off his shoulders. The quilen had severed the rope.\n\nThe tauren caught Cloudhoof\'s basket as it dropped. He whirled with his mace raised high, only to see the quilen bounding off toward the mountain pass.\n\nIt was dragging the other basket by the remains of the rope. Redhorn, tucked inside, was screaming.',
			'The tauren sprinted for his crying son, his hooves tearing deep gouges in the soil. Mokimo raced up beside him and pulled on Dezco\'s arm hard enough to bring him to a stop.\n\n"I\'ll get him," the hozen said. "Take Cloudhoof and go with the refugees."\n\n"I\'m not leaving Redhorn!" Dezco yanked his arm out of Mokimo\'s grasp.\n\n"Then give me Cloudhoof and I\'ll take him to safety," the hozen pleaded.\n\nDezco lingered, torn by indecision. The refugees were making a haphazard retreat, pursued closely by quilen. Two of the beasts had wrestled Rook to the ground. He frantically batted at their heads with his paws.\n\n"To where?!" the tauren shouted. "I told you before that—"\n\nA bloodcurdling shriek tore out from the mountain pass.\n\nDezco shoved Mokimo aside and stormed toward the sound, Cloudhoof\'s basket held tight under his arm. He whispered a prayer to An\'she and wove a protective shield of light around Cloudhoof to keep him safe from the battle he knew was coming.\n\nThe tauren was aware of Mokimo chasing after him as he approached the dark pass, but his focus was on Redhorn\'s distant cries. Firelight flickered ahead, the dull orange glow ebbing and flowing against the mountainsides. He followed the light, his blood thundering in his ears.',
			'A few strides into the pass, Dezco found his boy.\n\nRedhorn was dangling from the massive chiseled fist of a Shao-Tien. Apart from an intricate leather kilt, the muscular brute wore no armor. His dark-blue, rocky skin shimmered in the light of a torch in his other hand. The quilen stood a short distance in front of the mogu, along with two more Shao-Tien adorned in heavy armor and wielding long-bladed spears.\n\nThe mogu didn\'t say anything. Dezco never expected them to. They were not a race that could be reasoned with. Their actions defied the logic that honorable people lived by. They merely watched Dezco, scowling. The lead Shao-Tien jerked Redhorn into the air as if beckoning the tauren closer.\n\nHe accepted the challenge.\n\n"Dezco!" Mokimo shouted from the mouth of the pass, but the tauren ignored him. The only sounds he heard were the cries of Redhorn and Cloudhoof, and the distant voice of his wife, pleading.\n\nMy love… whatever happens… you must protect our… our child…\n\nThe armored mogu and the quilen lunged forward. Dezco cracked his mace into the hound, shattering its head. A wave of light exploded out from the blow, cascading toward one of the Shao-Tien. The mogu lurched aside, but not fast enough. Half of his body, caught in An\'she\'s light, crumbled into dust.',
			'Ahead, the lead mogu staggered back, shielding his eyes from the light. He shook his head and threw his torch on the ground. The brute drew a short blade from his kilt. Long tendrils of crimson and black energy wormed out of the weapon, squirming around the steel.\n\nDezco watched in horror as the Shao-Tien raised his sword arm, readying himself for a strike at Redhorn.\n\nThe torchlight dimmed… Darkness enveloped the pass. A shadow moved overhead: Mokimo, leaping through the air. The last armored mogu jumped in front of Dezco, blocking his view. The Shao-Tien spun his spear in his hands and then swung it at the tauren. He dodged the heavy blade, but the weapon\'s wooden shaft broke against his wrist, sending his mace flying. The mogu stomped forward and smashed into Dezco, trying to knock him off his hooves. He held his ground and slammed his head into the brute\'s face. The Shao-Tien stumbled to the side, dazed.\n\nDezco fell to his knees, blinded as blood welled from his forehead into his eyes.\n\nHe frantically groped for a weapon. Anything. His free hand found the dead quilen.\n\nDezco gripped the beast\'s hind leg and rose, throwing his weight forward and spinning. Every muscle in his body became as tight as steel. The mountain pass went quiet. All the crying stopped.\n\n"Redhorn!" he roared as he whipped the quilen one-handed into the armored mogu\'s chest with a sharp crack. The brute flew back and crashed to the ground, motionless.',
			'Shadows flickered ahead. Dezco scrambled toward them. He felt Cloudhoof\'s basket bouncing under his left arm, safe. The tauren clawed at the blood in his eyes until his vision came back. Mokimo was kneeling. The lead mogu lay nearby, his own blade protruding from his stone head.\n\n"Where is he?" Dezco asked.\n\n"Here." Mokimo\'s voice was a wet rasp. Blood spurted from a deep wound in his neck. He extended his hands, holding Redhorn. The child\'s eyes were closed. He was covered in blood, some of it his own.\n\nBefore reaching out for his little boy, Dezco beseeched An\'she to mend the child\'s wounds. Bright yellow light enveloped the youngling, but when it faded, he didn\'t open his eyes.\n\n"No…" Dezco ground his teeth in rage. He was helpless. Useless. Just like when Leza had died. He\'d tried so hard to save her, to keep her in his life. It hadn\'t worked. Nothing had worked.\n\n"The mogu\'s blade found him," Mokimo said hoarsely. "The weapon was poisoned. It is too strong for you to heal his wounds… or mine. But hope remains." Mokimo feebly grasped Dezco\'s hand and brought it to Redhorn\'s chest. There was a heartbeat. It was faint and quiet, but there. "The cub lives."\n\n"I can\'t help him…" Dezco slammed his fist into the ground in frustration.\n\n"There\'s another way." Mokimo slowly rose. He swayed from side to side for a moment, nearly falling over. "The sacred pools. As long as there\'s still life in the cub, the vale\'s waters can—"\n\nHis voice trailed off, and his eyes widened. "Cloudhoof," the hozen said.\n\nDezco looked down where he\'d tucked his boy in the safety of his own arms.\n\n"Is he…?" Tears welled at the corners of Mokimo\'s eyes. "Oh no."\n\nThe basket hung in shambles around the child. Cloudhoof was draped over Dezco\'s arm, his body broken, crushed. The tauren dropped to his knees and loosened his grip, letting the youngling fall into his lap. He froze, his hands cradling his little boy, as the realization hit him like a blade through his heart.\n\nAll his focus had been on Redhorn. He hadn\'t even noticed when Cloudhoof had died.',
			'"This way!" Mokimo shouted. Somehow, the hozen had found the energy to move despite his injuries. He frantically waved the mogu torch through the air, beckoning Dezco forward. The tauren followed, carefully holding Redhorn in one arm and Cloudhoof\'s body in the other.\n\nBehind the hozen, a large pool glowed softly in the night. Intricate wooden archways encircled it, rising from flat stones placed around the sacred water. It was the southernmost pool in the vale, located not far from the pass where the attack had occurred.\n\nDezco fought to keep up with Mokimo. For the hundredth time, his mind raced through the battle. He recalled the series of events, trying to pinpoint when Cloudhoof had died. When was it? When the mogu had crashed into him, nearly knocking him down? Or had he done it himself?\n\nHad he crushed him?\n\nThe tauren fell to the ground, sick to his stomach. "By An\'she, it was me," he said. "I know it was."\n\n"Get up!" Mokimo struck Dezco across the head with the bottom of the torch. The blow snapped the tauren out of his daze. He glanced around until his eyes settled on the blood-soaked hozen.\n\n"He\'s gone. How, you will never know," Mokimo said. "All that matters is Redhorn."',
			'Dezco struggled to his hooves and followed Mokimo to the edge of the pool.\n\n"The mogu once used these waters for evil, but good can come from them too," the hozen said. "Each of these pools represents a different emotion. Courage… peace…" Mokimo stepped into the pond, wincing. The blood from his wound clouded in the water. "This is the pool of hope."\n\n"What—what do I do?" the tauren asked. A handful of fish, illuminated by the pool\'s energies, fled from him as he loomed overhead.\n\n"Give me Redhorn."\n\nDezco handed his boy over without hesitation. There was nothing else he could do now. Nothing. All the tauren could do was watch as Mokimo carefully—lovingly—lowered Redhorn into the water up to the child\'s neck.\n\nHe was suddenly taken by the scene: by how Mokimo held his son as if he were his own, by how much the hozen had risked to give Redhorn a chance, however dim it was, of life. Looking back on the battle, it was clear what had happened. Mokimo had put himself between the mogu\'s blade and the child. Even though the weapon had still cut Redhorn, Dezco knew his boy would be dead if not for the hozen.\n\n"Come." Mokimo struggled to wave his hand. He was fading. "Leave… Cloudhoof at the edge."',
			'Hesitantly, Dezco set Cloudhoof\'s body by the pool and then splashed into the water.\n\n"Take… handful," Mokimo said. "Pour… over Redhorn."\n\nDezco obeyed, his heart pounding. He let the water fall across his son\'s head. Mokimo did the same. Glowing beads trickled down Redhorn\'s nose. It didn\'t seem to have any effect on the child.\n\n"Nothing\'s happening." Dezco scooped up more water, but Mokimo grabbed his hand.\n\n"Let… vale do its work," the hozen said, his breathing shallow. "You can\'t control this. You can only have… hope. Believe as Leza did. When she faced death, did she… despair?"\n\n"No." Dezco clenched his eyes shut. She\'d always believed. She\'d always been so strong. Leza deserved to be here. Not him. If she had been, none of this would have—\n\nA wave of heat flooded over Dezco, and he opened his eyes. A translucent image of Chi-Ji walked on the water as if it were solid ground. Gold light rippled outward from where his talons touched the pool. With each step, a faint chime, like a tiny bell, rang.\n\nThe celestial snapped his wings open, and the sudden rush of air blew a shower of water across the tauren and hozen. Mokimo righted himself and patted his neck. His wound had sealed shut.\n\nChi-Ji leaned forward, piercing through the water with his beak and touching Redhorn\'s chest. Dezco watched and waited, the moment seeming to go on forever. And just when he\'d begun to fear for the worst, the child squirmed. Dezco stared at him in disbelief. Redhorn\'s eyes opened and darted around until he saw his father. Then, he clawed out toward Dezco, crying.\n\n"Thank you!" Dezco hugged his child close. Then he remembered Cloudhoof, and he turned back toward the edge of the pool, where he\'d laid his son\'s body. "My little boy. Red Crane, is there still a way to—"\n\nHis words trailed off as he faced Chi-Ji. The Red Crane was gone.',
			'"Quilen dead. Refugees with Weng." Rook thumped a giant paw against his chest. He\'d arrived at the pool shortly after Chi-Ji\'s appearance. When the monstrous pandaren had learned what had happened to Cloudhoof, he\'d sat down and sobbed for a long time before recovering. Dezco had never expected the death to impact Rook. He\'d barely even met the children.\n\nBut it did. Somehow the Lotus cared for them so much. Dezco wished he understood why. All he knew was that the order\'s concern was genuine. In some way, the younglings were like family to them.\n\n"Good!" Mokimo said to Rook, and then he turned to Dezco. "It\'s best if we return to the shrine for now. I know you want to leave, but we have to make preparations. Whatever it takes, I\'ll find a passage home for you and Redhorn."\n\nHome. Dezco thought about his tribe\'s small enclave in the sunny plains of Mulgore. When he and Leza had left, they\'d wondered if they would ever see it again. He\'d believed they would, but he knew his wife hadn\'t. She\'d always spoken about the land in her visions as if it was their home. A home they\'d always belonged in but hadn\'t yet known. He finally understood what she\'d meant. He\'d seen the vale\'s power, its potential not only for him, but for the lives of so many people across the world.',
			'"I\'m not leaving," Dezco said.\n\n"Truly?" Mokimo replied.\n\n"There\'s something else," Dezco added. He looked down at Redhorn in his arms. "Will you still…" he began to say, but it was too hard. He held out the child to Mokimo.\n\n"That isn\'t necessary." Mokimo shook his head. "If you\'re thinking Chi-Ji wants something in exchange for what he did, you\'re mistaken. The gift was given freely."\n\n"Take him," Dezco pleaded. "This is why we came. This is it." By An\'she, he thought, I was a fool not to realize it sooner. They had come so far to seek the vale, to see it with their own eyes, to dwell within it. But to be a part of it… to be one with it. That was so much more.\n\n"If this is what you want," Mokimo said, "what you really want, then of course."\n\n"It is," Dezco replied. "Is there something we need to do? To make it official, I mean."\n\n"We…" Mokimo lowered his head. "There are rituals, yes. I will take the child to Zhi, and then he will present him before Chi-Ji for anointment. I\'m afraid only the Golden Lotus may be present when that happens. I\'m sorry."\n\n"I understand." Dezco\'s voice caught in his throat. "Go now, then."\n\n"It doesn\'t need to be now," the hozen said. "We can return to the shrine first."\n\n"Go. Before I change my mind."\n\n"Once the rituals are over, you can see him," Mokimo added as he took Redhorn into his arms. "He\'ll be busy training in the years to come, but he\'ll be here in the vale."\n\n"One of the Golden Lotus."\n\n"And your son," the hozen said. "Always that, but now something more."',
			'Mokimo glanced at the basket with Cloudhoof inside, hanging at Dezco\'s chest. The tauren had mended the remains of the basket, tying it around his neck with rope. "And him?" the hozen asked.\n\n"I\'ll build a pyre and light it at dawn so that An\'she can watch my boy\'s passing," Dezco replied. "I… I\'d prefer that I do it alone."\n\nMokimo nodded slowly. Without another word, he motioned for Rook. Just as they set off to leave, Dezco called after them, remembering something.\n\n"Wait." The tauren felt for the lock of Leza\'s hair on his head and quickly unbraided it. He wove the lock into Redhorn\'s mane and then leaned down and touched the child\'s forehead with his snout.\n\nAfter that, Rook and Mokimo departed. Dezco spent the next hour gathering wood for the pyre, thinking about the days ahead. He would resume his duties at the shrine, but he didn\'t look forward to telling Nala and the others what had happened. What would he say? Would they forgive him for the loss of Cloudhoof? Would he ever forgive himself? Maybe not. But that much he deserved. All of this had been his choice: a terrible and mistaken one.\n\nDezco sat down to rest before beginning the funeral. It was still dark out, but the dawn would come soon. He could feel it. The when didn\'t concern him any longer.\n\n"We\'re home," Dezco said aloud. He held Cloudhoof in his lap and stroked the child\'s mane. He turned to face the east, knowing it was only a matter of time before the yeena\'e appeared.',
		},
		["author"] = "Matt Burns",
		["icon"] = "Interface/ICONS/inv_ability_heraldofthesunpaladin_dawnlight",
		["expansion"] = 4,
	},

	["the-blank-scroll"] = {
		["nameRealm"] = "The Blank Scroll",
		["text"] = {
			'"Let me get this straight," Ziya said, sharpening her daggers. "You want me to tell you a story?"\n\nShe sat with Arko against a cliff wall on the northern coast of Pandaria, sheltered from the worst of the wind. They couldn\'t risk a fire; the ten goblin plundersquads scattered across the continent had been raiding treasuries, temples, and armories for weeks now and were, for some reason, not popular with the locals.\n\nZiya\'s squad had seen better days. Luki was in the infirmary with a spineclaw wound in a… sensitive area. Zuzak\'s expertise with bombs hadn\'t extended to fuses. Strax had, against Ziya\'s orders, tried to rob a lone pandaren wanderer who turned out to be a Shado-pan monk with absolutely no sense of humor.\n\nArko, who kept lighting his robes on fire with his own spells, was the last survivor. Ziya had no idea how.\n\n"Yeah!" the little mage said. "It\'s gonna be a long night. You\'ve seen a lot, right? How about a war story?"\n\n"Which war?" Ziya snorted. A chill wind swept off the ocean and hit her full in the face. With streaming eyes, Ziya glared at the distant, glowing, warm bulk of Trade Prince Gallywix\'s uberzeppelin above the dark waves.\n\nGallywix, to the surprise and outright horror of his goblins in Pandaria, had decided to personally oversee the Plundersquad Initiative and "inspire" his troops. The only thing he had inspired so far, as usual, was contempt. Even from here, you could occasionally hear the party music drifting over the water.\n\nShivering, Arko scooted closer to her along the wall, seeking warmth. Ziya casually sank a dagger into the sand between them.\n\n"What do you mean, which war?" Arko said, staring mournfully at the dagger.\n\nZiya sighed. Even for a goblin, he was green.',
			'"Let\'s see," she said, sheathing her dagger and counting on her fingers. "I\'ve fought the Alliance. Twilight Cultists. Elementals. Undead. Mantid. The sha. A dragon, once. Oh, and Gallywix back when he tried to enslave us all—whoops, I ran out of fingers."\n\n"It\'s gonna be a long night," Arko repeated. "Come on, Sarge."\n\nZiya rolled her eyes.\n\n"Fine, but no war stories," she said.\n\n"Why?"\n\n"Because," she said, reaching up to twist the ring hanging around her neck, "those are personal. How about… You know the story of Rakalaz?"\n\n"No."\n\n"Surface kid, huh? I grew up in Pyrix, one of those Undermine sluicetowns no one\'s ever heard of—"\n\n"I\'ve heard of it!" Arko said helpfully.\n\n"Great," Ziya said. "Stop talking and listen.\n\n"A hundred years ago, Trade Prince Leeko was sending kaja\'miners deeper than anyone had been before. You had to find a cart\'s worth of ore before your overseers would let you go home. Late one night, down in the dark, a miner named Miz broke through what he thought was a rock wall and found—"\n\nZiya paused. Arko hadn\'t spoken. Even the wind had fallen silent. But she thought she\'d heard the whispered echo of her words a half-heartbeat behind.',
			'"A hole. N-no," Ziya said, only now remembering that she had hated this story when she was a kid. "A void. And at the bottom, two moons, pale and round. The eyes of Rakalaz, watching him."\n\nSurf clawed at the shore. Arko swallowed. Licking her lips, Ziya said, "It roared and started climbing up at—"\n\nZiya had leapt to her feet, both daggers curled against her forearms, before she even fully registered why.\n\nThe stars had vanished.\n\n"What? What is it?!" Arko shrieked.\n\nDespite herself, Ziya smiled. Arko probably thought that Rakalaz was attacking.\n\nCold crept up her spine.\n\nThe shore was gone, the waves muffled. The air was stale, oily, and familiar.\n\nIt was the smell of the Undermine.\n\nOn cue, a gigantic, pale, eight-fingered hand exploded out of the ground twenty feet away and gripped the sand. Rakalaz rose, its reptilian, lantern-light eyes tracking the two of them separately.\n\nZiya\'s mind screamed. Her body, however, hauled Arko up by the robes.\n\n"Signal the zeppelin," she hissed in his ear. Struggling to get its leg free, Rakalaz swiped at them, missed, and howled, blasting them with breath like a thousand Undermine garbage dumps.\n\nArko whimpered but did not move.\n\n"Arko!" Ziya shouted. "Tell the uberzeppelin we\'re here! Maybe someone there is sober enough to send reinforcements. Look out!"\n\nShe seized tiny Arko, whirled, and used his weight to haul both of them out of the way. Talons plunged into the solid rock where they had been and tore out a chunk of the cliff.\n\nWobbling, Arko was the first to rise. Planting his feet, he began chanting, calling an arcane beacon, calling salvation, into his cupped palms.\n\nThen he made the mistake of looking at Rakalaz. It was reaching for him, thick black cords of drool running from its hanging jaw.\n\nArko squealed, flung the unfinished beacon into the air, and sprinted off down the beach.',
			'Ziya watched him go. Then she looked up at the beacon\'s tiny speck of light just in time to see it wink out.\n\n"Great," she said.\n\nRakalaz\'s hand closed almost gently around her and lifted her, struggling, toward its dripping maw.\n\nA rock whirled out of the dark and struck one of the moon eyes. The hand holding Ziya spasmed, and she fell…\n\n… into furry arms.\n\n"Hello," said the pandaren, setting her down with casual strength. She nodded at Rakalaz. "I don\'t think I know this one."\n\n"What?"\n\n"This character," her savior said, paws on her hips, surveying a nightmare from Ziya\'s youth with a professional eye. Growling, Rakalaz shifted its good eye between them, perhaps trying to figure out how to eat them both at once. "You were telling a story and it popped up, right? Out of curiosity, how does the story end?"\n\n"Are you serious?" Ziya looked for the uberzeppelin. Surprisingly, it was slowly turning their way.\n\n"Almost always," she said. "Quickly now."\n\n"Miz throws his last stick of dynamite down its throat."\n\nThe pandaren\'s gentle smile froze.\n\n"Oh, a goblin story," she said. "Of course it ends with explosions. Don\'t drop it."\n\nZiya flinched. Her right hand was suddenly heavier. And sizzling.',
			'A calm certainty, of all things, fell over her. She had grown up with this story. She had seen herself in Miz\'s place, had imagined this moment with a child\'s vivid terror.\n\nWithout further thought, she hauled back and hurled the story\'s dynamite down Rakalaz\'s cavernous throat.\n\nRakalaz stared at her, puzzled, and swallowed. Ziya\'s eyes flickered between the creature and the emptiness of her outflung palm.\n\n"Muh?" she said intelligently.\n\nThe pandaren\'s paw shot up from somewhere near Ziya\'s feet and yanked her onto the sand.\n\nAfter a brief, interesting period of noise and splattering, Ziya raised her head. The burning remains were fading as she watched. The hole in the ground was filling with sand. Soon it would be as if nothing had happened at all.\n\nPieces clicked together.\n\n"I did that," she said.\n\n"You did," the pandaren said, rising and brushing herself off with precise grace. Gallywix\'s uberzeppelin was close enough that they could see the rum slides and pudding jacuzzis in the airship\'s lower levels. "You started a story. You finished it. That\'s storytelling. All the rest is decoration."\n\n"But we lived."\n\n"Yes?" the pandaren said, frowning up at the uberzeppelin.\n\n"Miz didn\'t survive the explosion. In the story."\n\nThe pandaren smiled. Her teeth were sharp and dazzling white.\n\n"Well, I\'m glad you didn\'t say that before."',
			'Something was wrong.\n\nThe uberzeppelin hovered over the breakers. Spotlights roved between Ziya, the pandaren Shuchun, and the hole Rakalaz had made in the cliff.\n\nShuchun was a Lorewalker, a trade that Ziya barely understood. Lorewalkers told stories. They searched for artifacts from Pandaria\'s long past. And, if Shuchun was any example, they talked with their mouths full and smiled a lot.\n\nFramed in the blazing circle of light, the Lorewalker looked up, took another bite of her cold wildfowl roll, and chewed thoughtfully.\n\n"You really should get out of here," Ziya said. "Gallywix is up there. He might start chucking megabombs at us for fun."\n\n"Oh?" said Shuchun, swallowing. "I\'ve heard of him. But I think I\'ll stay."\n\n"Why?"\n\n"Let\'s hope you don\'t find out."\n\nThey sat in uncomfortable silence. Finally, Ziya said, "Thanks for the rescue. Look, I should probably tell you—"\n\n"That you\'re here to steal treasures and artifacts?" Shuchun said. "I know. I came to stop you."\n\n"But you saved me!"\n\n"I said stop, not kill," Shuchun said mildly.',
			'"Oh. And how did I make Rakalaz appear?"\n\n"Magic," Shuchun said.\n\n"Magic."\n\n"Yes, magic," the Lorewalker agreed. "I\'m glad we have that settled."\n\n"That doesn\'t explain anything!"\n\n"Do you remember," Shuchun said, "when I told you that I hoped you wouldn\'t find out why I was still here?"\n\n"Yeah. You said it about ten seconds ago."\n\n"Well, I really, really meant it."\n\nA rope uncoiled from the distant deck in a lazy spiral and snapped to full length several feet away. High above, a dark figure leapt over the railing and descended at a gut-clenching speed, one-handed.\n\nAt the halfway point, Ziya swore. This wasn\'t an assassin or a thug or some other hired killer. This was someone worse.\n\nDruz, Gallywix\'s chief enforcer, landed in the sand. His leather armor was as tailored as any suit. A flat case was under his muscled arm.\n\nHe, the stories went, had grown up with Gallywix in Kezan. He wasn\'t infamous because he\'d never been caught doing anything truly horrible. But sometimes, great and terrible things happened to Gallywix\'s enemies, and Druz would be one of the first goblins to extend his condolences.\n\n"Sergeant," he said, nodding at Ziya. "Lorewalker Shuchun. One moment, please."\n\nHe knelt in the sand and opened the back of the case toward them. Smooth clicks sounded behind the leather wall.',
			'Ziya groaned quietly. That was another scary little detail. Druz always seemed to know too much about everyone he met. Names. Ranks. Strengths. Weaknesses. She wasn\'t sure if it was research, spies, or magic.\n\nShe wasn\'t surprised that the enforcer had called the Lorewalker by name. He probably knew the names, boot sizes, and favorite drinks of everyone in Pandaria.\n\n"I saw Rakalaz from the bridge," Druz said as he worked. "That was a thing. Hated that story as a kid."\n\nClick. Clack-click.\n\n"All right," he said finally. "Thanks for rescuin\' our employee, Lorewalker. Have a good night."\n\nHe waited. Shuchun\'s smile grew larger. Druz nodded and then reached into the case. Instinctively, Ziya gripped her daggers…\n\nDruz tossed a huge bag of gold, Ziya judged by the delicious clink, at the Lorewalker\'s feet.\n\n"Obviously, there\'s a reward. Give my regards to little Fen. I hear it\'s almost her birthday."\n\n"Is that a threat?" Shuchun said quietly. She stood up slowly.\n\nDruz sighed.\n\n"No. That was me bein\' polite. I offer you a reward. I send you on your way with well wishes for your loved ones. It was the furthest thing from a threat."\n\nIn a blur, Druz lifted a huge rifle from the case, leveled it at Shuchun, and cocked it. Gun parts spun against each other like oiled continents.\n\n"Now," he said, "this is a threat. So I\'ll say again: take the reward. Go home."\n\n"You\'ve seen it, haven\'t you?" Shuchun said.\n\n"Seen what?" Ziya said.\n\n"There\'s a golden door behind that hole in the wall," Druz said, pointing to where Rakalaz had hit the cliff. The weight of the gun held in one hand did not seem to trouble him. "And we\'re takin\' it and whatever\'s inside."\n\n"I don\'t care what weapon you choose to aim at me," Shuchun said, shifting a foot behind her with slow elegance. "I won\'t let you into the lorevault."\n\n"Look," Druz said reasonably. "Cards on the table. It sounds like there\'s a weapon in there that can make monsters out of thin air. We want it, and it ain\'t worth your life."\n\n"I will stop you if I must," Shuchun said.\n\n"Right. Let\'s assume you take me down." A spotlight from the ship bracketed him, and he shaded his eyes. "The uberzep is gonna hammer the area with cannon fire until they breach the vault anyway. You still lose."\n\nA dagger appeared at his throat.',
			'"I\'m getting this strange feeling," Ziya said behind him, "that you\'re going to shoot her when she turns her back."\n\n"Probably not," said Druz. He didn\'t lower his gun.\n\n"Probably still bothers me. I kind of like her. Also, I get this other strange feeling that you\'re planning on going into the vault alone."\n\n"Yeah. So?"\n\n"There\'s the small matter of my finder\'s fee."\n\n"Your squad ain\'t found anything yet."\n\n"Exactly."\n\nShuchun watched the two goblins bicker about contractual obligations and high-risk pay with curiosity. She sat down again, ate a few curry balls from her pack, and waited, ignoring the unwavering eye of the gun.\n\nFinally, she said, "It\'s not a vault."\n\nHer voice, firm and rich, cut through the argument like a molten blade. Both goblins looked back at her.\n\nDruz studied her with unmasked suspicion. "You said—"',
			'"I said it\'s a lorevault. It uses pandaren stories as traps to protect dangerous artifacts. I\'d hate to think what would happen to anyone who went in there without a knowledgeable guide. Curry ball?" she said, holding one up.\n\n"You offerin\' your services?" Druz said.\n\n"For pay? Absolutely not," Shuchun said. "But without me, you\'ll both be eaten. Or worse. So, I will take you inside and endeavor to convince you that this is a mistake."\n\nShe stared at the gun, then the dagger, until they were put away. Then, she smiled, stood, and called out with a storyteller\'s voice that rose above the rumble of the waves.\n\n"\'The Lorewalker had made her decision,\'" she said. "\'She turned her attention to the lorevault. Recognizing her for what she was, it opened.\'"\n\nWith a thunderous CRACK, the cliff unfolded, spilling sand and chunks of rock.\n\nIn the darkness within was a round golden door large enough for a dragon to fly through. Etched figures covered every inch of its surface, thousands of characters in thousands of stories, one after another. The delirious spotlights swarming over the door made it seem as though the carvings were moving…\n\nThe door spun and opened to reveal a staircase leading down.',
			'Lorewalker Shuchun walked ahead of the two goblins down the gentle curve of the stone passageway. Once it was clear that no one was immediately going to betray anyone, the goblins relaxed. The air was cool, quiet. Expectant.\n\nZiya broke the silence. "I don\'t get it."\n\n"What?" Druz said.\n\n"You. You\'re reserved, competent. How did you end up working for \'I\'ve got my face on a mountain\' Gallywix?"\n\n"Mr. Gallywix," Druz corrected. "Or Trade Prince Gallywix. Never just Gallywix. And maybe you don\'t know him like I do."\n\n"There\'s nothing to know," Ziya said. "He\'s a monster. I\'ve stepped in deeper puddles."\n\n"Right," said Druz. "And somehow, he\'s still in charge when most of the other trade princes and goblins want him dead. Hell, his own mother tried to kill him twice. Makes you think."\n\nThe path suddenly curved to the right. Gradually, the smooth walls were replaced with ancient, jagged bricks. Stinking sludge leaked through the cracks. Neither goblin noticed. Shuchun grinned at the ceiling.\n\n"No, it doesn\'t," Ziya snapped. "He enslaved us when we left Kezan! His own people!"\n\n"Not his fault you didn\'t have your own boat," Druz said. "But, hey, you fought your way free. Good for you. And I bet you\'re more careful who you trust now."',
			'The gentle curve became a four-way intersection. Shuchun went left without pause, and the goblins followed.\n\n"That aside," Ziya growled (because he was right), "you really want to turn over this weapon—whatever it is—to Gallywix? Knowing how he sucks up to our lunatic warchief?"\n\n"Mr. Gallywix," Druz said reprovingly. "And between you, me, and our guide, we are seekin\' leverage, not power. Originally, we were after peace between the Horde and Alliance, but after Theramore…"\n\n"Peace," Ziya said. "Gallywix wants the Horde to make peace. With the Alliance."\n\n"Yeah," said Druz, eyebrows raised at the anger in her voice.\n\n"But they\'re worse than him! If we go back now, then it\'s all been for—"\n\n"Hold on," Druz said. They had passed a few more intersections without stopping. "Lorewalker, where are we?"\n\n"In a story," Shuchun said. She was focused on the ground.\n\n"Which?"\n\n"Not a happy one, if I\'m right," she said, slowing to allow the goblins to catch up. "But I want to be sure before I—never mind." She pointed. "I\'m sure."\n\nTheir footsteps stretched before them. Somehow, they had gone in a circle, but there was something strange.\n\nThere were other footsteps racing along behind theirs, lopsided and horrible. And if they had gone in a circle—\n\n"Don\'t turn around," Shuchun said.\n\n"But—" Ziya said, horror scrambling up her spine. Eager feet slapped the stone behind them, getting closer.\n\n"Don\'t turn around," she repeated. "Because this is \'The Maze of Mad Emperor Ku.\'\n\n"Emperor Ku," said Lorewalker Shuchun, "was ruled by his fears. He believed that the mogu would return. Through the haze of his paranoia, he saw treachery behind every smile, a scheme behind every vow of devotion, and cunning traps in the calm prophecies of the jinyu waterspeakers.',
			'"And so, he had a maze built beneath his palace, with a safe room at the center. The next time his fear gripped him, Ku fled for it, shut the door, and waited for the terror to subside. It never did. The maze had been so cleverly constructed that the emperor had forgotten the way out."\n\nTeeth biting his lip, Druz inched his gaze around, reaching for his—\n\nWithout taking her eyes from the tunnel ahead, Shuchun flicked his ear.\n\n"Ow. Don\'t do that again."\n\n"What do you care?" Shuchun said calmly above the low, crackling groans of the approaching thing. "You clearly aren\'t using it for listening. Do. Not. Look."\n\n"Why?"\n\n"I think she\'s trying to tell us," Ziya said, eyes closed in either fear or prayer.\n\n"Search parties sometimes heard him calling," continued Shuchun. "But years passed. Occasionally, an explorer went into the maze and ran out screaming, wild with terror, for Ku\'s time in the dark had twisted him into something appalling to behold…"\n\n"What do we do?" Ziya whispered. Claws scraped the walls behind them. Druz\'s mouth was a firm line, and his hand hovered over the holstered rifle.',
			'"We mimic the story," the Lorewalker said. "A cub named Li Tao chased his bandicoon kit into the maze. He soon realized he was being followed."\n\nA massive head hung beyond the corners of their vision. Long, sobbing breaths painted the sides of their faces, sour and hot.\n\n"Even though he was too frightened to look, little Li Tao still understood that here was someone even more frightened than he was. So he reached back…"\n\nShe reached back. A huge, misshapen paw closed gently over her own.\n\n"… and led poor Emperor Ku out of the maze."\n\nSunlight, white and blinding, appeared ahead. Ziya and Druz, both striving for nonchalance, strolled briskly for it.\n\nThey entered the light. The two goblins looked back and flinched simultaneously.\n\nThe emperor was gone. So was the maze. Lorewalker Shuchun stared sadly at her empty paw.\n\n"Fear and paranoia make monsters of our enemies," she said softly. "Someone has to reach out first."',
			'They continued to walk through the light, following the Lorewalker.\n\n"Where are we?" Druz said.\n\n"In the lorevault," Shuchun said.\n\n"Very helpful," Ziya said. "Which story? \'The Light of Eternal Boring\'?"\n\n"I like boring," Druz said. "It rarely tries to kill you."\n\n"Yeah, I\'m sure you live a dangerous life," Ziya said.\n\nDruz raised an eyebrow. "You have something to get off your chest?"\n\n"Since you asked, yes," said Ziya, turning on him. "It\'s easy for you to talk about peace. You\'ve been living in luxury with Gallywix for years while I\'ve been on battlefields. Everyone I joined up with is dead. Peace isn\'t possible, Druz. If you fought on the front lines at all, you\'d know that!"\n\nThe light gently pulsed once. Lorewalker Shuchun stopped walking and sniffed the air.\n\nGripping the ring around her neck until it hurt, Ziya expected Druz to shout at her. She wanted him to. Instead, he sighed.',
			'"You remember the Trade Wars, Sergeant?" he said.\n\n"B-barely," Ziya said. "I was too young."\n\n"I wasn\'t. Cartel fighting cartel. Brother fighting sister. I was workin\' for Mr. Gallywix back then, too, as you know.\n\n"And you\'re right. I never saw a front line because the Trade Wars didn\'t have one. We fought for tunnels and storerooms throughout the Undermine. Ambushes weren\'t fancy pincher maneuvers in open fields, but some bastard kickin\' through a wall you thought was solid. Of course, the Peace War was worse."\n\nThe light was pulsing faster now. Druz glanced around, then drew his rifle as he spoke.\n\n"You can\'t stop war, Sergeant. Not for long. It keeps comin\'. Mr. Gallywix keeps winnin\' \'em, too. Sometimes by the right bomb at the right time. Sometimes it\'s an alliance with a powerful idiot. And sometimes it\'s a scary weapon he can use as a deterrent."\n\n"And now your master strategist thinks peace is the best move," Ziya said, rolling her eyes.\n\n"That\'s right," Druz said calmly.\n\n"Impossible," Ziya said. "If the Alliance doesn\'t wipe out the Horde piece by piece, they\'ll enslave us like they did with the orcs."\n\n"As it happens," Druz said, "I agree with you."\n\n"Really?"\n\n"Yeah. I ain\'t ever known Mr. Gallywix to be wrong, but I wouldn\'t give him more than one in a hundred for pulling off peace. He can turn the other trade princes and princesses against each other and come out smellin\' like sugared daisies, but against the pinkskins and their allies? I think we have to keep on fightin\'."',
			'"Stop," Lorewalker Shuchun said. As gently as she had said it, the word still had the raw force of an order. The light around them flared like wildfire now, bleeding white. Heat fell on them like a dry, scratchy blanket. The white resolved into dunes curving away in all directions. An infinite desert.\n\nA gauntlet carved from sand burst through the nearest dune. Another gauntlet followed. Then seven.\n\n"I thought so," Lorewalker Shuchun said, pleased. "This is one of my favorites. \'Di Chen and the Desert.\'\n\n"Proud Di Chen was the finest fighter of his time," she said. "No monk could best him. He slapped arrows out of the air with ease. Mountains were slight inconveniences that could be leapt over or kicked through.\n\n"He was bored out of his mind. In desperation, Di Chen asked the desert witch Lui Ka for a true challenge.\n\n"Amused by his arrogance, the witch gave him his wish: he would fight the desert itself. Each grain of sand became a fierce warrior intent on Di Chen\'s death."\n\nThe warriors closed in. They looked like mogu in plate armor, gauntleted hands flexing.\n\n"So these guys are intent on our deaths?" Druz said, wrinkling his nose.\n\n"Oh yes," Shuchun said.\n\n"Good," Druz said, and he fired. Three sandy heads exploded. "I was startin\' to think I\'d brought the gun for nothin\'. Sergeant?"\n\n"Already on it," Ziya said. Druz dropped to a knee to reload, and Ziya vaulted over his broad back and buried both daggers in the nearest warrior\'s chest. It stumbled and collapsed in a mountain of sand. She threw one blade into the snarling face behind it, dove through the disintegrating enemy to catch her weapon, crouched, and pounced into the middle of the remaining three. Steel flashed in a spiral, and the soldiers fell apart joint by joint.\n\nA hot breeze coiled over the empty desert. Grinning, Ziya returned, sheathing her daggers…\n\nThirty more warriors burst from the dunes, shrieking in rage and hate.',
			'"Get back to me, Sergeant," Druz said, flicking the rifle\'s chamber shut. Ziya, setting her jaw, stalked to his side and waited, daggers poised.\n\n"I never did tell you the rest of the story," Lorewalker Shuchun said.\n\n"With all respect, Lorewalker," Druz said as he fired another shot. Two warriors fell. Another three rose. "Does this look like the time?"\n\nShuchun shrugged and went to sit on a nearby dune. Humming, she reached into her pack, selected an apple, took an enthusiastic bite, and watched the fight with interest. A single warrior lurched in her direction, snarling, and she displayed her mostly empty paws. It froze and crumpled into the sand. No more of the creatures troubled her.\n\nEventually she dropped the apple core and frowned.\n\n"Something\'s wrong," she called.\n\n"Oh, do you think so?" Ziya\'s daggers punched sand in quick succession. "Fall down, you ugly lakratz! Fall down!"\n\nShuchun scratched her cheek, puzzled, then snapped her fingers.\n\n"That\'s right," she said with satisfaction. "In the story, the desert warriors had weapons."\n\n"What? Druz! Down!" Ziya shouted. A warrior\'s heavy iron hummed through the air and crunched into the sand.\n\n"That\'s more like it," Shuchun said. Now all of the warriors had an exciting variety of swords, maces, and polearms. She settled her chin into her paws and watched.\n\n"Did you do that?!" Druz roared at her between gunshots.\n\n"No," Shuchun said. "The story did."\n\n"And you! And you!"\n\n"That\'s probably fair," Shuchun said. "But I could have mentioned that their weapons were also on fire—"\n\nFWOOSH!\n\n"Aah!"\n\n"All right, that was careless," Shuchun admitted, firelight glowing orange on the fur of her upraised palms. "I\'ll keep quiet. Carry on."',
			'Minutes passed, punctuated by grunts, growls, and daring acrobatics. Finally, Shuchun rose and walked down the dune and into the battle.\n\n"Each grain of sand became a fierce warrior intent on Di Chen\'s death," she repeated, absently pushing aside the soldiers. They paused, confused, as if they couldn\'t see her. "The battle would end only when Di Chen admitted that there were some challenges too difficult even for him."\n\nShe reached the center of the hundreds of soldiers. Druz and Ziya stood back to back, utterly surrounded. Flaming weapons blotted out the sky.\n\n"Are you saying," Ziya panted, "that we have to surrender?"\n\n"That\'s one option," Shuchun said.\n\n"Good enough for me," Druz said, and he dropped his weapon. Ziya hastily did the same.\n\nWind howled down from above, rich with the desert witch\'s laughter, and carried the soldiers away grain by grain. The goblins watched them go.\n\n"You could have said," Ziya growled.\n\n"She tried to tell the rest of the story," Druz said, grinning and bending to pick up his gun. "We wanted to fight…"\n\nHe paused and shot Shuchun a suspicious look. "Hold on. Before all this, we were talking about having to go on fighting. We ended up in an impossible battle."\n\nZiya\'s jaw dropped. "We were talking about monsters and how there\'s no way back, and we ended up being followed by a monster in a maze!"\n\n"Lorewalker," Druz said in a tight voice. "When we argue, are we makin\' traps?"\n\n"Of course," said Shuchun, her face a mask. "I thought you knew."\n\n"How would we know?"\n\n"When my people are embroiled in a divisive argument, they call for a Lorewalker," Shuchun said. "I\'ll listen to both sides and then tell a story that challenges their opinions. That\'s not what you were doing?"\n\n"No!"\n\n"Oh," Shuchun said.\n\n"We could have died!"\n\n"Never," the Lorewalker said. "After all, Di Chen wasn\'t even scratched. In the story."\n\n"What happened to him, anyway?" Ziya said. "Did he surrender too?"\n\nThe wind rose again, and the high circle of the sun expanded over them, a spreading blanket of white light. Shuchun shook her head and pointed at a figure atop a faraway dune. As they watched, it swung a weary fist, blasting a warrior into dust.\n\n"He battles on to this day," she said. "There are always reasons to fight. The trick is knowing when to stop."',
			'The goblins stood quietly, shoulder to shoulder, at the center of a small white room.\n\n"What\'s happenin\'?" Druz said out of the corner of his mouth.\n\n"The lorevault is waiting for you to speak so it can create the final challenge," Shuchun said, leaning back against the wall.\n\nDruz nodded.\n\n"That\'s what I thought," he said, then fell silent again. Time passed.\n\nEventually, Shuchun took pity.\n\n"You could talk about your mutual love of sunsets," she said.\n\n"Any stories that could turn into?"\n\nShuchun thought.\n\n"Several," she admitted.\n\nSilence.\n\n"I don\'t understand," Ziya said. Druz nudged her, and she ignored him. "Why do the pandaren use their stories to solve problems?"\n\n"It\'s not just us," Shuchun said. "Every race has stories that are told and retold. We enjoy them because they have simple answers that help us find the hard ones. But stories are dangerous."\n\n"You don\'t say," said Druz. The Lorewalker smiled.\n\n"Sometimes, we forget that stories break rules," Shuchun said. "Simple answers don\'t care about consequences, and there are plenty."\n\n"I get it," Druz said. "Your artifact is a simple answer. But you\'re neutral, Lorewalker. We don\'t have the luxury of… We have to make hard deci—oh, hell."\n\nFar beneath their feet, under the previously opaque white of the floor, something dark and terrible stirred.',
			'"You knew this was going to happen," he said.\n\nShuchun shrugged.\n\n"I didn\'t force you to enter the lorevault," she said.\n\n"Which one is it?"\n\nShuchun peered at the uncoiling horror below.\n\n"If I had to guess? \'The Spiders of Te Zhuo,\'" she said.\n\nDruz and Ziya closed their eyes. The black cloud beneath them expanded as a thousand tiny—but not tiny enough—bodies scurried toward the light above.\n\n"How are you with spiders?" Ziya said.\n\n"Not great. Lorewalker? Any chance of us skippin\' ahead to the moral of this story? Something about actions and consequences? We get it."\n\n"Do you?" Shuchun said politely. "They\'re still coming."\n\nThe white walls whirled away like gray clouds in a high wind. The goblins and the Lorewalker stood on dull stone, a platform in the center of a vast room filled with noise. Thousands of legs skittered up from below, and massive, heavy shadows circled through the darkness around the platform with crushing speed.',
			'"Well, tell the end of the story," Druz said through gritted teeth. "Make this stop."\n\n"That\'s going to be a problem," Shuchun admitted. "No explorer who entered the lost temple of Te Zhuo was ever seen again, so it\'s more a cautionary tale than a story."\n\n"A cautionary tale about not entering the temple we\'re already in?" Ziya said wearily.\n\nShuchun beamed.\n\n"Wait, hang on," Druz said. "No one ever came back, yeah? So no bodies were ever found."\n\nShuchun cocked her head. "Yes?"\n\n"So, how do we know it\'s a bad place?" Druz said. "Could be it\'s so wonderful inside that no one wanted to come out."\n\n"That\'s certainly possible," Shuchun allowed as Ziya buried her face in her hands. "Except the story is named after the spiders for a reason."\n\n"Oh?" Druz said. He and Ziya moved together, shoulder to shoulder, by unspoken arrangement.\n\n"Well," Shuchun said, "I never said that the explorers were never heard from again. They scream."\n\n"Let me guess. They scream about spiders," Ziya said.\n\n"Oh yes."\n\nA wave of black death on a multitude of hairy legs exploded from the pit below. And froze. Clusters of glittering eyes burned with hunger.\n\n"So, if we enter this Te Zhuo place," Druz said after a deliberately calm breath, "we might find anything. Traps. Very impressive spiders."\n\n"Servants of the Old Gods, maybe," Ziya said. "They get everywhere."\n\n"One action," Druz said slowly. "One outcome: viz, we never get out."\n\n"We don\'t have a way out of this, do we?" said Ziya. "Our actions brought us here. We have to deal with the consequences."\n\n"Yes," said Shuchun, smiling. "Well done."\n\nDarkness flooded over the platform, washing the goblins away.',
			'Ziya opened her eyes. The cold against her cheek was a marble floor, long and pale, stretching toward…\n\n… a scroll hanging on the far wall of a narrow, doorless chamber. The ghosts of words raced over the scroll\'s surface as fleetingly as thought. It was the blazing white of a pupilless eye, staring at her, waiting.\n\nShuchun stepped over her head and blocked her view of the scroll with a footfall as measured and precise as if it had been foretold.\n\nGroaning, Ziya pushed herself off the ground.',
			'"This is it?" Druz grunted. He was easing himself up against the wall, looking worse than she felt.\n\n"Yes," Shuchun said.\n\n"What is it?"\n\n"A weapon, some say," Shuchun said. "Others, a lesson or a punishment. All I know is that the Lorewalkers made it long ago and must bear the burden of keeping the world safe from the consequences."\n\n"What\'s so dangerous about it?" Ziya said.\n\n"A blank scroll—any blank scroll—contains possibilities. It could become the tale of Rakalaz," Shuchun said, and Ziya looked up. There was a crack in the ceiling, trickling sand. Somewhere above, she had told a story. Had the scroll listened?\n\n"Or, perhaps, it could record the legend of an infinite army made of sand, a legion of spiders," said Shuchun, "or worse."\n\n"So, you\'re sayin\' that it brings characters to life, like Lorewalkers do?" Druz said.\n\n"No," Shuchun said. "You do not understand. I can call on Di Chen to argue with his desert witch and battle his legendary army. I could not turn him on my enemies."\n\nDruz raised an eyebrow. "It can do that?"\n\nZiya heard the hunger in his voice. Could Shuchun?',
			'"Perhaps," Shuchun said quietly. "Our legends say it can change words into flesh. Hopes into reality."\n\n"Sorry, but that just sounds like summoning to me," Druz said. "Warlocks do it all the time. Nothing wrong with that, minus a few demonic invasions."\n\n"No?" Shuchun said.\n\nA gun cocked.\n\n"No. I ain\'t denying it\'s dangerous," said Druz apologetically, his rifle leveled at Shuchun. "But a weapon\'s a weapon. It won\'t shoot unless you pull the trigger. So to speak. Ziya, get the scroll."\n\nShuchun gave Druz a look of such sorrow that Ziya wondered how he could bear it.\n\n"I told you," Shuchun said, "I won\'t let you take it."\n\n"This ain\'t a discussion," Druz said. "Ziya. Scroll."\n\n"You think you can control it when we failed?"\n\n"Me?" Druz said. "No. Mr. Gallywix wanted whatever was in here. He\'s gonna get it."\n\n"\'And so, the goblins decided to take the scroll,\'" Shuchun said softly.\n\nHer words raced across the scroll, and it pulsed like a single ivory flame. The walls of the room cracked, and white light spilled through the gaps.\n\nOut of instinct, Druz pulled the trigger.\n\n"\'Out of instinct, Druz pulled the trigger, and—\'"',
			'—the bullet flew.\n\nBearing the scroll, the goblins left the lorevault and entered the private quarters of Trade Prince Gallywix.\n\nZiya stumbled, fighting nausea. Druz swayed into her and steadied himself on her shoulder.\n\nHow had they gotten here? The last memory she had was of the rifle firing at Lorewalker Shuchun\'s solemn face, which seemed only seconds ago.\n\nThey were somewhere else now. The muted roar of the uberzeppelin\'s engines throbbed behind the walls. Ziya and Druz stood in a dark, narrow space. A tinker\'s workroom with a simple wooden stool. A workbench. Carefully organized tools.\n\nJastor Gallywix sat at the workbench, drawing a schematic freehand, and Ziya\'s disorientation fled. It had just been a long day.\n\nGallywix was thinner than she remembered, but not by much. His gut spilled through a plain, open vest. Back then, he\'d also had an outrageously oversized top hat, glittering rings, and a megawatt horror of a grin.\n\nThis Gallywix wore no riches and wasn\'t smiling at all. "Maybe you don\'t know him like I do," Druz had said…\n\nDruz straightened beside her.\n\n"This is it, boss," he said thickly, and he tossed the scroll onto the workbench. Gallywix didn\'t touch it.\n\n"The Lorewalker?" he said.\n\nGuilt washed over Ziya. She had seen the bullet fly. Shuchun was gone. She had to be.\n\n"Dead," Druz said, but he sounded unsure.\n\n"Too bad," Gallywix said, and he nodded at the scroll. "What is it?"\n\n"Apparently it\'s a kind of portal that makes stories real," Druz said. "Things got out of control before the Lorewalker could explain more."\n\nThe trade prince considered the scroll. Ziya braced herself for whatever terrible thing—\n\n"Sounds like bad news," Gallywix said. "I\'ll put it in the lower vault when we get back to Azshara."\n\nZiya\'s jaw dropped.\n\n"Boss," Druz said, almost pleading. "If you don\'t use it, someone else will."\n\n"You know what I\'m gonna say," Gallywix said, glancing at him.\n\n"Yeah," Druz said, sighing.\n\n"Good. The last thing we need is another big gun floating around," Gallywix said. "Get it outta here."\n\n"And that\'s it?" The words were in the air before Ziya realized she had spoken them.\n\nGallywix regarded her. She could see the gears turning in his head.',
			'"What did you expect, Sergeant?" he said.\n\n"I expected you to use it!" Ziya growled. "It\'s what you do. You use things. You\'re a monster!"\n\nTo her surprise, Gallywix nodded.\n\n"Yeah, I am," he said. "But not that kind."\n\n"You\'re exactly that kind!"\n\n"No," Gallywix said. "We ain\'t ever met face to face, Sergeant, so let me explain. I don\'t mind selling you if you get careless. I\'ll send you to die if it\'ll help the cartel\'s bottom line. But I won\'t get you killed by stupidity or a big dumb weapon for nothing. That ain\'t me."\n\nHe glanced at the ring hanging around her neck. Her hands closed protectively around it. An unreadable expression crossed his face.\n\n"For what it\'s worth," he said, "I\'m sorry about what happened to your husband in Hyjal. But I ain\'t sorry about anything I\'ve done. So, yeah, I\'m a monster. But I watch out for what\'s mine. When I can.\n\n"And right now, that means hiding this big gun before anyone finds out about it."\n\nBut, of course, someone did, whispered Lorewalker Shuchun\'s voice, and the room crystallized, slowed around Ziya. The rumors rippled across the world: Gallywix had found a powerful weapon in Pandaria and kept it for himself.\n\nIn the mind of Garrosh Hellscream, warchief of the Horde, there could be only one explanation for such treachery: rebellion. Garrosh led the fractured Horde against Bilgewater Harbor.\n\nThe uberzeppelin melted away. Solid ground rose beneath Ziya\'s feet.\n\nFrom the cold heights of Gallywix\'s palace, she watched her home burn. Druz swayed beside her, exhaustion lining his eyes.\n\n"Get your armor on," an enforcer said behind them. "They\'ll be here soon."\n\nGarrosh\'s forces descended upon the palace. The goblins fell back along the subterranean corridors, protecting the vault and the secrets it held, Lorewalker Shuchun said.',
			'Her daggers slick in her hands, Ziya retreated. A blood elf raised a crossbow, and Druz thrust Ziya to one side, catching the bolt in his shoulder. He reeled against her with a grunt, and she hauled him along with her.\n\nSoon, the few goblin survivors had nowhere to go, said Lorewalker Shuchun, calm and relentless.\n\nAn arrow slammed into Ziya, and she sat down, faintly surprised. Druz leaned on her, struggling for air. The vault antechamber was a large steel room, littered with fallen goblins. The Horde, the invaders, closed in, reluctant now that slaughter was near. She recognized some of them from Hyjal and other battles. If she could just catch her breath, she knew she could convince them they were making a mistake…\n\nThe vault door opened behind her.\n\nA spider-tank leg stepped over the goblins. Another. And Trade Prince Gallywix charged at the massed invaders, roaring laughter. Garrosh shoved through his troops, axe hanging in one gigantic red fist.\n\n"Stand down," the warchief growled. "The traitor is mine."\n\nThe duel was not a long one, but neither did it go as expected, Shuchun said.\n\n"Help me," Druz wheezed, fumbling with his rifle. Reaching from the ground, Ziya propped up the gun barrel, aiming it at…\n\nThe duel. The mechano-tank stumbled sideways from another axe blow, sparks hissing from its ruined joints. Gallywix was losing. Of course he was losing.\n\nWhy was he still laughing?\n\nGallywix ejected himself from the wreckage of the mechano-tank and clung to the muscular orc\'s tusks, ramming his forehead into the warchief\'s face like the street fighter he had once been. Garrosh dropped to a knee.\n\nHead hanging, delirious with pain, Druz fired the rifle. His aim was off.\n\nGallywix shuddered and fell.\n\nAnd Garrosh claimed the treasures of the vault, Lorewalker Shuchun said.\n\nZiya lay in a spreading pool of blood, unsure if it was her own, watching Garrosh kneel to take the scroll.\n\nMonths passed, Lorewalker Shuchun whispered over her. And the world changed.\n\nZiya surrendered to the story, closed her eyes, and…',
			'… struggled to open them. Blood was running into her good eye. The helmet had deflected most of the orc\'s blow. Ziya growled, pushing the disorientation away, and rolled to the left.\n\nThe orc\'s sword crunched into the ground where she\'d been. She lunged into the air and brought both daggers down in a wicked arc.\n\nThe orc stared dully at her, daggers protruding from his throat, and fell.\n\nHe would rise again soon.\n\nGarrosh believed in a world ruled by the orcs. The scroll had made that reality. The orcs flowed over Kalimdor, enslaved by a different master than the demonic blood that had once dominated them. Nothing could kill them, and the pale void of the artifact that drove them blazed in their empty eyes.\n\nTeldrassil had toppled, burning, into the sea. A charred pit was all that remained of the Exodar. The tauren and trolls, appalled by the devastation, had fled across the Great Sea, hoping that Garrosh would be content with his victories.\n\nHe was not.\n\nZiya stood near Stormwind Harbor. A last stand alongside her allies and former enemies. A fight they couldn\'t win.\n\nThe sound of footsteps jerked her around, daggers ready.\n\n"You," she said.\n\n"Me," said Druz, winding a frayed bandage around a long gash on his arm. "Good to see you, Sergeant."\n\nHe carried no weapon. Maybe it had been lost. Maybe he had given up and dropped it. She couldn\'t blame him either way.\n\nThey stood shoulder to shoulder. The orc fleet poured into the crowded bay, spilling hundreds of howling warriors onto the dock. Tauren died alongside humans, dwarves, and blood elves, but too late, too late.',
			'The orc at Ziya\'s feet stirred, his hideous wounds closing.\n\n"Good intentions, huh?" Druz said.\n\n"All of this is our fault," Ziya said quietly.\n\nDruz chuckled. "At least we won\'t live to regret it."\n\nZiya charged into the battle, and Druz followed.',
			'Stormwind fell. The orcs reigned supreme. For a time.\n\nThe Dark Portal, left unguarded, was reclaimed by the Burning Legion. Horrors rose from the sea and found no champions left to stop them.\n\nAzeroth\'s mountains burned and melted. Its oceans boiled until nothing remained. And all was dark.',
			'All was light.\n\nDimming now, the blank scroll still cast a long, standing shadow before Lorewalker Shuchun and turned the beaded tracks of water on the lorevault\'s walls into a net strung with shining pearls.\n\nThe bullet hung frozen just in front of Shuchun, the last link between the two goblins and their terrible future.\n\nLorewalker Shuchun reached out, plucked the bullet from the air, and laid it carefully on the ground.\n\n"\'Lorewalker Shuchun turned to the scroll,\'" she said. "\'In a way, Druz was correct. The scroll was as simple as a gun. But guns can be fired accidentally. Bullets can hit the wrong targets. So, Lorewalker Shuchun aimed carefully and said…\n\n"\'"The images the two goblins saw weren\'t true."\'"\n\nThe room twisted, knocking the goblins to the ground. Shuchun didn\'t move an inch.\n\n"\'None of the horrors they witnessed had actually happened.\'"\n\nZiya bent her head beneath the sickening, ebbing waves of memory, of the losses and old wounds she no longer had.\n\nShe heard, "\'And everything was as it was.\'"\n\nZiya looked up in the sudden calm. Shuchun tucked the tightly wrapped scroll behind her shoulder.\n\n"Was that real?" Ziya said. "Any of it?"\n\nShuchun considered the question.\n\n"You will sleep better," she said, "if I do not answer that."\n\nShe held out her paws to help them up. Ziya took one. Druz did not.\n\n"You could have used the scroll like that whenever?" he said. It sounded like an accusation.\n\n"Yes."\n\n"Made me do the things I—"\n\n"Made you?" Shuchun said, and there was no gentleness in her tone anymore. "You believe peace is impossible because you haven\'t tried it. You think war will continue because it has never ended, and you make hard decisions with no fear of the consequences.\n\n"You chose your path," Lorewalker Shuchun said, and she took a breath. "I saved you from it."\n\nDruz\'s jaw flexed. "Why did you take us through the lorevault at all, then? Why not make us forget we found anything?" Ziya realized he was pleading.\n\nShuchun\'s smile was both kind and unnervingly sharp.\n\n"Maybe you needed to find out what simple answers cost," she said.',
			'They said their farewells on the beach in the fresh, salty air.\n\n"You have a safe place for that thing?" Druz said, nodding at the scroll. Something had broken in him; that much was clear. But it had been reforged into something different. Something stronger.\n\n"Yes," Shuchun said.\n\n"Good. Sergeant, take some time off. Paid, of course," he added when Ziya\'s mouth opened. "Make sure the Lorewalker gets where she needs to go."\n\nAnd he climbed back up the rope to the uberzeppelin without another word, hand over hand.\n\nZiya and Shuchun walked away from the coast along a rising path. The uberzeppelin lurched into the distance as if the pilot were drunk. He probably was.\n\n"Where to?" said Ziya.\n\n"This way," Shuchun said, pointing. "We have a bit of a journey before us."\n\nZiya twisted the ring hanging from her neck. To her surprise, she was smiling. It would be nice, for a change, to protect rather than attack. To believe that war and all of the horrors it brought could end.\n\nThey traveled in silence.\n\n"Want to hear a story?" Shuchun said.',
		},
		["author"] = "Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie",
		["icon"] = "Interface/ICONS/inv_inscription_scroll",
		["expansion"] = 4,
	},

	["death-from-above"] = {
		["nameRealm"] = "Death From Above",
		["text"] = {
			'He floated alone. Time meant nothing. Finally, the sound of her music rippled through the stillness.\n\nSwarm the Wall, the empress sang. The strong will return. The weak will not.\n\nKil\'ruk opened his eyes for the first time.',
			'Smoke and dust shrouded the eastern horizon. Only the faint outline of the Wall, the Serpent\'s Spine, was visible through the brume. Echoes of war hung in the air, the joyous cries of the young mantid and the screams of the dying blending into the distinctive harmony of clashing blades and rending flesh.\n\nThe new cycle had truly and gloriously begun.\n\nA group of elder mantid watched from a hill to the west.\n\n"The swarmborn seem healthy, vibrant. The empress nurtured them well," said one. None disagreed. They had all observed the young mantid stampeding toward the Wall mere minutes after entering the world, unable to think of anything but slaughtering the lesser creatures. "Their enthusiasm will prove useful should the mogu continue to provoke us. Nothing tempers ambition more than the fear of oblivion."\n\nThe other elders wordlessly clicked and chattered. It was the sound of agreement but not of commitment. There was no need to make a decision just yet.\n\nFor now, the Klaxxi would simply watch. Events were progressing as expected.',
			'A lone mogu, clothed in ornate, precisely tailored robes, stepped into the large tent and coldly eyed the slaves scurrying around the odd collection of polished, hollow white tubes. With a loud, scornful voice, he pronounced, "You told Warlord Gurthan your weapons would be ready by now. He is disappointed in your failure."\n\nThe sixteen slaves—mostly pandaren, though there were a few jinyu—went still with fear. Far in the back of the tent, a bulky figure slowly stood up, face shrouded in shadow. He leaned forward. The edge of his jaw caught the glow of a flickering brazier. Despite the hostile words from the visitor, the larger mogu\'s expression was forbiddingly calm.\n\n"If Warlord Gurthan were disappointed in me, he would have told me himself, Hixin," said Taskmaster Xuexing.\n\n"Perhaps you are unaware of recent events. The mantid are attacking," Hixin said blandly, as though it were possible to miss the horrific sound of the fighting to the west. "Warlord Gurthan has more important matters to attend to than a delinquent arcanist and the misuse of a few slaves."\n\nDelinquent? Xuexing kept a firm grasp on his temper. Hixin was by far the slipperiest of Warlord Gurthan\'s advisors. He never provoked someone without a reason. No doubt he wished to carry tales of Xuexing\'s rage back to the warlord. If he can\'t respond calmly even to simple criticism, Warlord, Hixin would undoubtedly say, can he really be trusted with critical duties?\n\nIt was no secret that Xuexing had the warlord\'s confidence in almost all areas of the arcane. Even the Zandalari sought his counsel and advice. Hixin would need to discredit him before supplanting him. He seeks to ascend by stepping on my head.\n\n"The huatang will be ready when it is ready," Xuexing said. "And when it\'s ready, I\'ll tell Warlord Gurthan myself."\n\n"Should I tell him to expect a working weapon in days? Weeks? Months? The insects will not wait," Hixin said in the same bland, political voice. He ran his finger absently along the rim of a strange, ornate urn sitting on a table next to him.\n\n"Tell him whatever you like," Xuexing said.\n\n"I suppose I have to inform the warlord you don\'t have an answer."\n\n"Do not test me, advisor."',
			'Go together. Swarm the Wall. The empress\'s words filled their minds. She gave them purpose. Her desires were their desires, and they did not hesitate to obey.\n\nWithout her, the mantid were nothing.\n\nThe strong will return. The weak will not, she said.\n\nKil\'ruk and dozens of other flyers rose into the air and went east again. It was their third trip to the Wall, or perhaps their fourth. Kil\'ruk hadn\'t really kept count. All he cared about was her voice, urging him onward. He had craved battle from his first moment of life. His instincts took care of the rest. His antennae twitched restlessly. His forelegs remained tucked up beneath his abdomen, settling easily against his carapace. Even the act of keeping his four transparent wings buzzing together behind his back was as natural as breathing.\n\nThe lesser creatures must die, she sang to them all. Sweep them away.\n\nFrom so high in the air, the ground itself seemed to writhe with her wrath. Thousands upon thousands of mantid pushed east without thought toward the lesser creatures and their pathetic obstacle. Even though their Wall jutted into the sky, the empress had ordered it to fall. So it would.\n\nThey call it the Serpent\'s Spine, the empress had sneered. Break it.\n\nOn the ground, the swarmborn charged the Wall, attempting to climb its sheer face. Already piles of broken carapaces were growing at the base of the Spine. The climb was exhausting and dangerous, and the few mantid who managed to reach the top found themselves alone against scores of defenders. They did not survive long.\n\nKil\'ruk and the other flyers hovered high above the Wall\'s battlements, far out of range of any archers. Each of the mantid carried a net filled to bursting with strange nuggets that leaked wisps of vile smoke. An ambersmith with a missing eye had called them rounds. "Decorate their heads with these," he had hissed while shoving nets into his forelegs\' grasp.',
			'The flyers plucked the rounds from their nets and let them fall. They burst open in sprays of poison and acid, showering nearby defenders. The lesser creatures scurried around for a few moments, shouting in pain and confusion, but the poison soon dispersed in the wind. The defenders retook their positions at the Wall\'s edge and sent more arrows and rocks against the mantid climbers.\n\nKil\'ruk continued to drop rounds. It was oddly unsatisfying. He wanted to see the lesser creatures\' agony up close. He wanted to paint the battlements with their blood. Dropping bombs from so high felt too clean, too detached, and not terribly useful.\n\nWhen the flock ran out of rounds, they flew back to the ambersmith. The other flyers chattered happily along the way. Kil\'ruk brooded in silence. The ambersmith had more nets waiting in the shade of a kypari tree sapling.\n\nFor two days and nights, they repeated the same actions: fly to the Wall, drop rounds from the sky, go back for more nets, over and over.\n\nBy the second night of the cycle, most of Kil\'ruk\'s flock had curled up from exhaustion underneath some of the larger kypari trees. Kil\'ruk merely took another net of rounds and flew on without them.\n\nThe Wall still stood. The empress\'s enemies still lived. How could he rest?\n\nHe didn\'t succumb to fatigue until the sun rose on the fourth day.',
			'A hawk rode the afternoon breeze high above the ground, hunting in solitude. Nearly every other beast in mantid lands had fled the moment the cycle had begun. Only a few baby virmen, too young to keep up with the mass exodus, remained in their warrens, shivering at the sounds of battle in the distance. One of the tiny creatures poked its head above the ground, sniffing at the air, hoping for the scent of food.\n\nThe hawk spotted it. It folded its wings close to its body and arced downward. Only an instant before hitting the ground, the hawk spread its wings wide, slashing at the air. There was a great flurry of motion, and then it swooped upward, a wriggling baby virmen caught in its talons. With a firm squeeze, the hawk stilled the virmen for good.\n\nThe hawk wheeled back toward its nest high in a kypari tree. Suddenly, it changed course, angling wide around a lone mantid flyer hovering nearby.\n\nThe hawk regarded it with wary eyes, but when it became clear the flyer wasn\'t preparing to attack, the bird screeched angrily at the delay and winged off. The absence of easy prey had left it hungry.\n\nThat lone mantid, Kil\'ruk, simply watched it go with an astonished look.',
			'"A hawk?"\n\n"A hawk," said the elder mantid known as Klaxxi\'va Pok. "This mantid is fascinated with it. Obsessed, perhaps. He constantly attempts to imitate it."\n\n"Diving from the sky is impossible for us," the other objected. He had wings. Klaxxi\'va Pok did not. "Those of us blessed with flight can hover. We dart nimbly from place to place. That is our advantage. This swarmborn is suicidal. The strain of halting a dive from so high will rip his wings straight off his back."\n\n"As I said, he practices constantly," said Klaxxi\'va Pok. "Yesterday, he could manage a drop of ten strides. This morning, fifteen."\n\n"That is hardly useful, only—"\n\n"This afternoon, twenty-five strides," Klaxxi\'va Pok finished.\n\nThe other elder mantid went silent. His forelegs rubbed together in contemplation. Recovering from an uncontrolled fall of twenty-five strides was the limit of even highly skilled mantid flyers. "So he\'s becoming stronger?"\n\n"Yes."\n\n"Much stronger?"\n\n"It appears so," Klaxxi\'va Pok said.\n\n"Interesting."\n\n"In more ways than you may realize," Pok added. "It has barely been a week. The swarmborn are still fragile and terribly immature. They are totally dependent on the empress\'s voice, and she has said nothing about such strange tactics."\n\nThe other mantid slowly clacked his mandibles together in understanding. "He is acting on his own initiative. He is putting aside her desires. Promising, from one so young." His antennae twitched lightly, and a rasping chuckle escaped his mouth. "It has been three cycles since a paragon has emerged from the swarmborn. Perhaps this one will earn a second name soon."\n\n"Perhaps," Klaxxi\'va Pok said. "Or perhaps he will simply be another who dies before reaching his potential."\n\n"Indeed. That is how the cycle works, after all."',
			'Yong comforted himself with a simple thought. It will all be over soon.\n\nThe savage beatings of the last few hours had left the pandaren slave almost completely blind, only able to make out vague shapes and shadows. Two mogu guards dragged him into bright sunlight and chained him to a tall post. He couldn\'t tell if they were the same ones he had attacked yesterday.\n\nI hope I hurt them, he thought tiredly. It had been a pitiful gesture, one he knew would mean his death, and yet he didn\'t regret it even for an instant. They cannot have my obedience anymore. They do not deserve it.\n\n"We\'re going to try something new on you," one of the mogu said. "Xuexing, you may fire when ready."\n\nYong was too exhausted to be truly fearful, but he was certainly curious. He blinked hard and tried to make sense of the shape in front of him.\n\nOdd. It looked as if the mogu were going to execute him with a big white honeycomb.\n\nThe last thing Yong heard before he died was the sound of crackling arcane energy.',
			'Sunset on the ninth day came and went. By sunrise, Kil\'ruk could manage a drop of fifty strides. He wasn\'t satisfied; the hawk had dived at least a hundred. Still, he could feel his wings growing stronger, the sinews along his back toughening.\n\nThe ambersmith had changed locations in the night, placing his nets on the slopes outside of Klaxxi\'vess, the home of the mantid\'s cultural council. When Kil\'ruk returned from the Wall, he lingered, mesmerized by the sight of the amber architecture at the top of the hill. He was forbidden to enter, of course. To enter the Klaxxi\'s realm without an invitation was death.\n\nNot for the first time Kil\'ruk wondered why the Klaxxi were so rarely seen. The mantid treated the council with respect, but few of the swarmborn had spotted its members outside of the boundaries of their home. None of the Klaxxi had ever been seen joining the fight. In the midst of a glorious, ongoing battle, the council seemed useless.\n\nThe ambersmith broke Kil\'ruk\'s reverie. "Is something troubling you, swarmborn?"\n\nMany things. Kil\'ruk asked the question that had weighed heavily on his mind for a full day. "What of the lesser creatures?"\n\n"What do you mean?"\n\nHow can a hawk possibly fly better than I? I am one of the empress\'s chosen, Kil\'ruk didn\'t say. He felt shame over his own inability; he had no desire to reveal it to anyone else. He asked another question. "I see different creatures fighting against us on the Wall. Different shapes. Different sizes. Different beings. Why are they working together?"\n\nThe ambersmith chittered with amusement. "Together? The saurok and the pandaren are both enslaved by the mogu. They have no choice but to fight us."',
			'Saurok? Pandaren? Kil\'ruk did not know these names. He had never bothered to think of the defenders as anything other than lesser creatures. The ambersmith was happy to explain. "The skilled, scaled fighters are called saurok. The creatures with the fur and the thick bellies are called pandaren."\n\nThe ambersmith spoke at length about the mogu and how they had harnessed the usurpers\' power to establish their empire in millennia past, empowering themselves and subjugating others. Much of the mogu\'s greatest work would not have been completed but for the strength of their conquered slaves.\n\nWhen Kil\'ruk asked how the slaves learned to fight, the ambersmith laughed again. "The saurok were born to kill. They have not yet found any other purpose. The pandaren, well," he said, "they are forbidden to hold weapons at all until they find themselves on their Wall, facing us."\n\nKil\'ruk\'s forelegs twitched with disbelief. "The mogu send untrained creatures to battle? They could not possibly be so foolish."\n\n"It is truth, swarmborn," the ambersmith said. "The mogu starve rebellion in its infancy. Any pandaren who show signs of dissent are sent to the Wall as punishment. Thus the strongest among them are here to face us. But they are here only to die."\n\nKil\'ruk hadn\'t known the mogu had such a rich sense of humor. He laughed until his antennae hurt.',
			'A young pandaren boy poured a fresh cup of tea. A few errant drops splashed to the floor, and he squeaked in fear. Xuexing ignored him and sipped the tea politely.\n\n"I was pleased to see the successful demonstration of the huatang. Warlord Gurthan wishes you to use it in battle immediately," Hixin said.\n\n"Tell Warlord Gurthan," Xuexing said, his words rumbling through the tent, "that I wish to personally and privately discuss how he would like to use the huatang."\n\n"There is no need," Hixin said. The advisor handed over a tightly rolled parchment—an official Clan Gurthan order, sealed by magic. Xuexing took it and examined it, suspicious.\n\n"What is this?"\n\nHixin took a small sip of tea. "The will of Warlord Gurthan."\n\nXuexing carefully eyed the other mogu. It was inconceivable that Warlord Gurthan would use this political creature as an intermediary, yet the seal felt genuine. He conjured up a small amount of magic and unsealed the parchment. It contained a short message.\n\nDisplay your potential by nightfall. Do not disappoint me again.\n\nXuexing said nothing. Only the distant sound of battle and the shallow, frightened breaths of the pandaren slave kneeling in one of the tent\'s corners could be heard.\n\nThe huatang had been tested only once. On a slave. It was untested in battle. The slightest imbalance in the flow of energy could disrupt it. A large imbalance could be catastrophic.\n\nBattle has a way of introducing imbalances, Xuexing thought grimly.\n\nNot that he would admit that to the bottom-feeder sitting across from him. Xuexing drained his cup. "So be it. Tell the warlord the skies will belong to him soon." He stood up to leave. "Thanks for the tea."\n\nHe didn\'t bother to take the parchment with him. Hixin watched him go, not allowing himself to smile until Xuexing had disappeared from view.\n\n"Dispose of this," Hixin told the slave, handing him the parchment.',
			'"I want a blade," Kil\'ruk said.\n\nThe ambersmith looked puzzled. "Why?"\n\n"I need talons."\n\n"What?"\n\n"I have seen how the mantid fight on the ground with blades," Kil\'ruk said. "I wish to join them."\n\n"You are a flyer," the ambersmith said. "You are not meant for that."\n\n"The wingless cannot reach the battlements," Kil\'ruk said. "The climb is too dangerous. There are piles of mantid dead all along the base of the Wall. I have wings. I can drop onto their battlements from above."\n\n"You are not meant for that," the ambersmith repeated, more confused than ever. "You can still sense the empress\'s will, can you not? She tells you to remain in the air."\n\n"I will be her talons," Kil\'ruk mumbled.\n\n"I don\'t understand."\n\n"Then we are done talking."\n\nBy sundown on the tenth night, Kil\'ruk could survive a dive of seventy-five strides.',
			'On the fourteenth day of his life, Kil\'ruk earned the empress\'s favor.\n\nKil\'ruk and the rest of the flock were dropping rounds over the battlements, hovering safely out of range of any attackers. The gnawing feeling of uselessness continued to eat away at Kil\'ruk\'s mind, yet he obeyed the empress\'s command and rained poison on the lesser creatures.\n\nHis net was only partially empty when strange sounds rang out—crackling, then a deep, stuttering rattle, like a giant tree trunk snapping in half in a storm\'s gale.\n\nKil\'ruk\'s first reaction was confusion. He had never heard such an odd sound before. An instant later, startled cries of pain and surprise filled the air. Five flyers to the north tumbled from the sky, chunks of flesh and wing falling beside them. The other mantid clicked and chattered, alarmed. Archers? Perhaps with improved bows? There had been little threat from them in previous raids.\n\nAfter a moment of searching the ground, Kil\'ruk spotted an odd shape on the edge of the mogu encampment behind the Wall. From his perspective, it first looked like a honeycomb, but as he looked closer, Kil\'ruk realized it was a collection of tubes, stacked together in a round bundle as tall as a mogu. White smoke drifted from its openings.\n\nThey had placed the bundle of tubes on wheels and aimed it directly at the mantid flock.\n\nSlaves scurried around the front of the honeycomb, shoving handfuls of pebbles into the tubes.\n\nMore crackling filled the air.\n\nKil\'ruk understood just in time.',
			'Xuexing fed arcane power into the back of the weapon in one violent burst.\n\nBOOM.\n\nThe sound of the blast drowned out all other noises, the concussive force a hammer\'s blow to his chest. White smoke clouded his vision. He could dimly see several pandaren slaves lying still on the ground in front of the huatang. Dead, most likely. Xuexing hadn\'t waited for them to move out of the way.\n\nIt would teach the others to move faster.\n\nAs the smoke wafted away, the effects of the weapon became clear. The first shot had been slightly wide, killing only a few of the flyers on the north edge of the flock, but the second shot had hit dead center. Dozens of mantid flyers fell toward the ground. Some fell in pieces. Xuexing even spotted one still clinging to its net, its wings motionless. Maybe three or four flyers in the entire flock had escaped unharmed, and they had the sense to turn and flee back to their lands, out of Xuexing\'s reach.\n\n"Reload!" Xuexing bellowed. The slaves shoveled more pebbles and small rocks into the tubes, tightly packing them in. Xuexing carefully began gathering more energy to fire again. A third shot was probably unnecessary, but why take chances? This weapon worked better than he had dreamed.\n\nThe skies above this section of the Serpent\'s Spine had been cleared in two volleys. Just two. I will have to thank the Zandalari for this, he thought. The trolls\' command of the arcane was primitive compared to the mogu\'s, but observing their techniques had driven Xuexing\'s own thoughts in unexpected directions.\n\nWho else among the mogu would have imagined that tiny rocks, even propelled to incredible speeds with arcane energy, could cause such damage?',
			'The screams of the wounded came from all sides. Nearly the entire flock had been shredded. Rocks and pebbles had torn through dozens and dozens of flyers, punching holes through their carapaces. They fell, out of control.\n\nKil\'ruk fell with them, but he was not out of control. He was not dying.\n\nHe was diving. Like the hawk.\n\nThe moment before the honeycomb fired, Kil\'ruk had hugged the net close to his chest and tucked his wings behind his body. The rounds in his net had shielded him from the worst of the weapon\'s blast. The rest of the pebbles had whistled through the air around him.\n\nThe wind rushed by wonderfully fast. As Kil\'ruk descended, his heart soared. The mogu hadn\'t fired a third shot. They must have thought the flyers were all dead.\n\nIt was time to show them their error. "Can you see me, Empress?" Kil\'ruk whispered. The shock of the attack had made him forget her song, but now he could hear her again, singing softly and commanding the swarmborn onward. Was there a note of sorrow in her melody? Had she seen what the mogu\'s new weapon had done?\n\nKil\'ruk let go of the net. It seemed to float away slowly. He slightly spread his wings, catching just a bit of the rushing air. It hurt. It threatened to tear his wings clean off. This would be a far, far longer dive than any he had previously attempted. Perhaps he would fall two hundred paces. Perhaps two hundred and fifty.\n\n"Empress, watch me."',
			'"They\'re all dead!" Xuexing called. With a careful twist of his wrist and a relaxation of his will, the arcane energy he had gathered safely fizzled away. "We\'re moving north!"\n\nNorth meant the Gate of the Setting Sun and the biggest concentration of mantid. First he would wipe out any flyers still aloft there, and then he would—\n\nA shadow fell over Xuexing. He barely had time to look up before an ear-shattering screech of mantid fury descended upon him.',
			'Kil\'ruk landed with his feet in the mogu\'s stomach. He tried to stab the creature through its chest with his forelegs, but the impact was extraordinarily violent; the mogu went sprawling and Kil\'ruk was thrown off, skidding through the mud and rolling to a stop against the flimsy cloth walls of a slave\'s tent.\n\nA calm thought swam into Kil\'ruk\'s head. I need to practice landing.\n\nKil\'ruk fought off his daze and leaped to his feet. He was surrounded by lesser creatures, but his dramatic arrival had unnerved them. The pandaren and even the saurok instinctively shrunk back in surprise.\n\nA dead pandaren lay at Kil\'ruk\'s feet. Strange wounds—perhaps killed by the honeycomb. Friendly fire. A chipped sword lay next to the creature. Foul, cheap steel. Pathetic. Kil\'ruk scooped it up anyway. For a moment, the weight was unfamiliar and ungainly in his hand.\n\nThen Kil\'ruk remembered the hawk, its talons, how naturally it had snatched its prey. Now I have a talon.\n\nSuddenly the sword was like an extension of his body. It felt no stranger in his hand than his wings did on his back.\n\nKil\'ruk heard a deafening explosion on the battlements. He and the lesser creatures flinched. Oh yes. My net. It had still carried plenty of rounds when Kil\'ruk had released it while falling. Upon hitting the top of the battlements, they had burst all at once. A cloud of poison and acid expanded rapidly. At least it would keep the Wall\'s defenders occupied for a time.\n\nKil\'ruk let his wings propel him into the mass of lesser creatures near the honeycomb. His new talon drew blood almost immediately.',
			'It was madness. Mantid flyers never fought hand to hand on the ground. Nysis bellowed an order to his fellow saurok: encircle and attack. Even the best mantid fighters would fall eventually to that tactic. If the pandaren slaves were smart, they would get out of the way. If not—\n\nThe crazed flyer leaped onto a fleeing pandaren and tore into his midsection with its forelegs. Nysis charged in, swinging his steel blade, but the mantid\'s wings buzzed and the creature lifted out of reach.\n\nNysis hesitated.\n\nIt dropped down and eviscerated another saurok with a swipe that almost looked casual. Then it rose back into the air. Encircling wasn\'t going to work. It has wings. The thought was ice in Nysis\'s mind. If they couldn\'t encircle it, what could they do? The mantid bent over a dying saurok, and Nysis lunged with a strike against its unarmed side.\n\nTo his surprise, his sword thrust was blocked by steel. The mantid had picked up a second blade, the dying saurok\'s sword.\n\nThe flyer whirled and slashed with both swords. Nysis managed to parry only one. A deep fang of mortal injury blazed in his chest. The mantid spun away and leaped toward new opponents, shouting something odd, something about an "empress."\n\nNysis toppled to the ground and felt his life\'s warmth joining the cold mud.\n\nMadness.',
			'This isn\'t happening. Xuexing flung another molten blast, missing again. This can\'t be happening. The other mogu in the vicinity staggered away, his thigh opened to the bone. It\'s only one mantid! The flyer lifted into the air as Xuexing set the ground beneath it on fire.\n\nThis was no time for finesse. Xuexing crouched and cupped his hands, gathering every ounce of power he dared, heedless of his proximity to the new huatang. It was sensitive. It could react badly to excess energy, but that was a problem for later. For now—\n\nShunk.\n\nXuexing stared in surprise at the steel protruding from his chest. The mantid had thrown one of its swords.This isn\'t happening, his mind wailed. He collapsed on all fours.\n\nNo. He would not let this mantid survive. Xuexing continued to gather power even as darkness crept around the edges of his vision. Crackling energy seemed to infuse the very air around him.\n\nHe lifted a shaky, weakening hand toward the flyer.',
			'Crackling sounds rose from everywhere, uncontrolled and untempered. The expression on the dying mogu\'s face told Kil\'ruk everything he needed to know. The flyer strained into the air without a second thought.\n\nThe mogu lifted its hand toward Kil\'ruk with its last breath, but just before it could unleash the spell, the final bit of life left its body. The creature went limp. The energy it had gathered suddenly rushed out in all directions.\n\nThe honeycomb quivered and shook, then disappeared amid a shimmering shockwave of pure light. Kil\'ruk kept climbing into the sky until the echoes of the explosion faded away.\n\nFar below, he could see the edge of the mogu encampment burning. Nearby tents and defenders alike had been torn apart by the blast. Even the rear face of the Serpent\'s Spine seemed singed. Whatever that foul weapon had been, it was unstable. Prone to utter disaster for those who tried to use it. Kil\'ruk would remember that if he saw another.\n\nAs he flew back to the ambersmith, he realized that something had changed. The empress was singing a new song.\n\nBehold our might, the empress was saying. Behold our strong. See the smoke rise from the lesser creatures\' camp. Their new weapon is gone, destroyed by a single one of my favored.\n\n"Empress?" Kil\'ruk breathed. "Empress, were you watching?" His antennae curled in ecstasy. The empress was singing of him. My favored.\n\nThe swarmborn on the ground stared up as he flew past. Flocks of flyers surrounded him and followed him home. Behold my wrath, striking from on high, the empress sang. Behold my death, descending from above. Behold the Wind-Reaver.\n\nThe flock repeated her words in awe. "Wind-Reaver."\n\n"Empress," Kil\'ruk said. She had seen him.\n\nWind-Reaver.\n\nAs Kil\'ruk approached Klaxxi\'vess, he spotted a hawk circling near one of the kypari trees.\n\nIt was the same hawk he had seen days earlier.\n\nKil\'ruk flew toward it. The bird saw him coming and dove.',
			'Hawk, Kil\'ruk thought a few minutes later, tastes delicious.\n\n"We have much to discuss, Wind-Reaver," said Klaxxi\'va Pok.\n\nKil\'ruk hefted his two new blades, forged from the purest kyparite available at the empress\'s order. They gleamed in the daylight. Only her favored could claim such an honor. "We can talk once the lesser creatures are destroyed."\n\n"We will not delay you long."\n\n"The empress has ordered the deaths of all the lesser creatures," Kil\'ruk said. The look in the elder mantid\'s eyes was strange. It was almost as if he was disappointed that Kil\'ruk would not put aside the empress\'s commands. "Any delay is unacceptable."\n\n"Very well," Klaxxi\'va Pok said quietly. "Be careful. I believe the lesser creatures will do everything they can to prevent you from achieving your potential. They may yet have more vile weapons like the honeycomb. They will use them against you."\n\n"Good. I will destroy those as well."',
			'Warlord Gurthan gently kneaded the forehead of the young quilen sitting patiently at his side as he watched the lone mantid dive toward the distant battlements. Thin, dark arrows leaped up to meet it but missed. The mantid disappeared behind the edge of the wall, and Gurthan could no longer see the fighting. Judging by the screams drifting across the camp, his defenders weren\'t faring well.\n\n"Tell me again, Hixin," Gurthan said, keeping his eyes on the Serpent\'s Spine, "why did Xuexing fling himself into battle without my permission?"\n\n"He seems to have been overconfident in his own skills, Warlord," Hixin said. "I, of course, begged him for weeks to notify you the moment the huatang was ready so you and he could formulate a proper strategy—"\n\nGurthan didn\'t say a word. He simply reached into his pocket and withdrew a small scrap of parchment, holding it at arm\'s length. Hixin instantly went quiet.\n\nOne of the junior advisors, Fulmin, took the scrap and looked at it. His expression grew puzzled. "This has your seal on it, Warlord."\n\n"Indeed it does," Gurthan said.\n\nHixin shifted uneasily behind him.',
			'The ambersmith had done well. The twin amber blades felt balanced and deft in Kil\'ruk\'s hands, and the armor fit perfectly without restricting his ability to fly or kill.\n\nKil\'ruk cleaved a path into the defenders\' midst. They had sent their best today. That was good. Today he would prove their best couldn\'t stop him.',
			'Even from such a distance, Warlord Gurthan could see dark crimson dripping off the mantid\'s blades. The sight of a single mantid cleaving a swath through the defenders was infuriating. Humiliating. This is what thehuatang was meant to stop.\n\n"Do you know where that parchment was found, Hixin?" Gurthan asked.\n\n"I do not, Warlord."\n\n"A pandaren boy turned it in. One of your slaves, I hear. He said you told him to dispose of it after you showed it to Xuexing. He seemed to think he might find a less cruel master if he exposed your treason," Gurthan said.\n\nThe reaction was instantaneous and vehement. "Lies," Hixin spat. "Bring him to me. We will see what he has to say when—"\n\n"The child is dead." Warlord Gurthan\'s words froze Hixin\'s tongue. "Any slave that touches an official Clan Gurthan seal must of course be executed, but I assure you, Hixin, he was… encouraged… to speak the truth before he died."\n\nHixin\'s eyes darted nervously. "Warlord, you cannot trust the dying words of a slave—of a child! I have served you faithfully for years."\n\n"I remember this parchment," Warlord Gurthan said. "\'Display your potential by nightfall.\' I enchanted those words more than three years ago. I believe I was addressing one of my junior beastmasters, asking for a demonstration of his skills in training battle quilen. Circumstances made the document redundant and it was never delivered, so the seal wasn\'t broken and it was sent to my archives. I have made inquiries since Xuexing\'s demise. It seems the parchment was stolen recently."\n\n"Warlord, I—"\n\n"You served me as my chief archivist for years, did you not, Hixin?"\n\nHixin dropped to his knees, sputtering out an apology he would never have a chance to finish. Warlord Gurthan pursed his lips and whistled twice: one long tone, one short. The quilen at his feet leaped for Hixin\'s throat. The advisor—the former advisor—let out a strangled cry of fear.',
			'The unpleasant noises lasted only a short time, and the quilen trotted back to the warlord\'s side, licking blood off its chops. The other advisors seemed unable to take their eyes off the mess.\n\n"I should not," Warlord Gurthan said to them all, "have to learn the truth from the wails of a dying slave."\n\nHe turned back toward the wall. "Every hundred years, the mantid attack. Every hundred years, we fight them to a standstill, and they retreat into their lands as though they never intended to fight us in the first place. Nobody has ever known why."\n\nGurthan let his voice drop to barely above a whisper. "I did not seek command of the Serpent\'s Spine to settle for another stalemate. Xuexing\'s weapon was a chance to change that, to finally establish control of the land beyond the Spine and finally launch an attack against the mantid. That opportunity has been sabotaged. It will take time to build more huatang. What else can we do?"\n\nThe advisors remained silent. Most still stared at what was left of Hixin. Finally, Fulmin cleared his throat. "Warlord, the relic."\n\nWarlord Gurthan gave him a flat look. The relic was a project Xuexing had studied years before the mantid swarm; it was a fascinating object of arcane origin, but no experiment had managed to produce anything more useful than an irritating hum. "The relic is not a weapon, Fulmin."\n\n"And yet it may serve as one."\n\n"How? I understand it was once meant for communication." Gurthan paused. An interesting idea occurred to him. "Are you suggesting we could negotiate with the mantid?" Perhaps if they could be convinced to join Clan Gurthan…',
			'"No, Warlord. The relic uses sounds we do not have the ability to hear. Xuexing experimented with it long ago but found no use for it. When he tested the relic with an abundance of arcane energy, he described the effect as a \'wall of sound\' beyond our hearing," Fulmin said. "He didn\'t see a purpose for it, given the dangers of using the relic at all."\n\n"What is your point?" Gurthan asked.\n\n"Xuexing\'s experiments took place in the vale. We are much closer to the wall now. I suggest we continuously overload this relic with all the energy we dare. I want to try out the \'wall of sound.\' If I am correct, the arcane energy won\'t facilitate mantid communication; it will prevent it altogether."\n\nIt took several moments before Warlord Gurthan understood. "You\'re speaking of an unproven theory."\n\n"Yes, Warlord."\n\n"That the mantid empress gives orders and direction to her swarm from a distance. That she can speak into their minds."\n\n"Yes, Warlord."\n\nGurthan let the implications play out in his head. "You believe there is a connection, that the relic and the empress communicate in the same way. What exactly would the relic do if overloaded? Overwhelm her words?"\n\n"Essentially, Warlord. Perhaps we can drown her out. At the very least, the relic might make the mantid confused. At best…" Fulmin shrugged. "I\'m not certain. The effect could be dramatic. I suspect that it will provoke a tremendous reaction."\n\nWarlord Gurthan scratched the quilen on the forehead again. "If you\'re wrong, we gain nothing."\n\n"If I\'m wrong, we lose nothing," Fulmin said.\n\nWarlord Gurthan smiled. "Except you. I\'ve been told the relic is unstable. It once magnified a small amount of energy by a hundredfold and sent it back into an arcanist. Very unpleasant. Very messy." He glanced down at the remains of Hixin.\n\nFulmin inclined his head. "I\'m willing to take the risk."\n\n"Find the relic. Bring it here."\n\n"Yes, Warlord."',
			'Kil\'ruk left the Wall in his wake. His arms and forelegs ached with the pleasant glow of a productive day. A tiny cut on his right leg pained him slightly, but he had otherwise slaughtered the lesser creatures without receiving a single significant injury.\n\n"Empress, were you watching?" he muttered. Kil\'ruk let the empress\'s song fill his mind, and—\n\nThere was a terrible noise. A horrible, awful, overwhelming noise. And then it was gone.\n\nShe was gone.\n\nJust like that.\n\nKil\'ruk blinked and fell from the sky. "Empress?" he said. His wings stayed still. The ground rushed to meet him. "Empress?"\n\nShe\'s gone. Panic surfaced. Where the voice of the empress had once sung, only a dead hum remained. Total silence. "Empress!"\n\nKil\'ruk remembered to fly before hitting the ground. He hovered numbly, straining to hear her voice.\n\nShe is gone. Why is she gone? What happened to her? Is she...?',
			'The sudden silence from the west hung in the air. For a few moments, all mantid sounds ceased. Then shrieks of agony, terror, and grief rippled across the land.\n\nA smile spread across Warlord Gurthan\'s face.\n\n"Six days. It has been six days," said Klaxxi\'va Pok. "Do any of you still cling to hope that the swarmborn will suddenly emerge from their fugue and return to the fight?"\n\n"No," said another council member. "Unless we wish to try to bring the empress into the open again."\n\nIt was not a serious suggestion. Three days ago, the Klaxxi had convinced the empress to greet the swarmborn in the open, face to face, to prove she had not been killed but merely silenced by the mogu\'s strange relic. Thousands and thousands of swarmborn had gathered at Klaxxi\'vess, but when she appeared, they had not recognized her. Unable to speak into their heads as she once could, she had no influence on them. They simply stared at her.\n\nThe only good news was that the swarmborn had not left. A solid mass of mantid still milled aimlessly around Klaxxi\'vess. They would at least serve as living shields against the mogu\'s inevitable attack. None of the Klaxxi had any hope they would attempt to fight.\n\nKlaxxi\'va Pok limped to the center of the chamber. A wound he had suffered three days earlier pained him deeply. He came to a stop next to the large, smooth chunk of round amber that had been found and relocated to Klaxxi\'vess only an hour ago. Inside lay a legend, a hero of the mantid preserved in case of a great crisis. A paragon.\n\n"Then this is our only chance," Klaxxi\'va Pok said flatly.\n\n"The Wind-Reaver should take the role of Wakener," another council member said. All turned to look at him. "You know as well as I do that he is distracted. He\'s not useless, not like the others, but his mind still cries out for the empress\'s voice. The presence of a paragon may draw him out of his depression."\n\n"Bring him here."',
			'A sound rippled through the silence.\n\nThe paragon opened his eyes for the first time in centuries.\n\nThe vessel of his preservation, the amber egg, crumbled around him. Air flooded into his lungs. It hurt. The mantid toppled to the ground, retching uncontrollably. The amber had kept him alive, and his body rebelled against its absence.\n\nIt took some time before he regained control of himself. There was a healthy supply of kypari sap laid out before him, and he feasted upon it. He sensed there were a number of mantid watching him, yet they did not interrupt. It was a sign of respect. They would pretend not to notice his weakness.\n\nFor now, anyway.\n\nSoon his strength trickled back. His limbs trembled, yet he forced himself to stand. "I hear the Klaxxi\'s call," Ninil\'ko rasped. "I have returned."\n\nOne of the other mantid in the room spoke. "Ninil\'ko the Bloodcaller, are you well?" he asked.\n\n"Yes," Ninil\'ko said with pleasure. If they knew his name, they knew his reputation. "Tell me what crisis has led you to awaken me. I await your—"\n\nHe blinked. There were three mantid standing before him, two of whom wore the traditional garb of a Klaxxi\'va. Neither of them was his Wakener. Ninil\'ko could tell. He sensed that the third mantid, the one with the interesting armor and weapons…\n\n"You are not a member of the Klaxxi. What is your name?"\n\n"I am Kil\'ruk. Some call me Wind-Reaver."\n\nSome? He is not a paragon? Ninil\'ko thought. Interesting. Why did the Klaxxi choose him as my Wakener?\n\n"Bloodcaller," one of the Klaxxi\'va said, "we require your aid. The cycle is in danger."\n\nNinil\'ko pushed aside his curiosity over the third mantid. "Tell me what you need."\n\n"The lesser creatures have invaded. The empress stands on the brink of annihilation," the other Klaxxi\'va said.\n\nThen replace her with another, Ninil\'ko didn\'t say aloud. If the Klaxxi\'va hadn\'t already prepared for that, there were mitigating factors and the option wasn\'t worth mentioning. "I must see the enemy\'s movements before I can form a plan."\n\nKil\'ruk tilted his head slightly. He looked oddly distracted, but his voice was strong. "I can carry you, Bloodcaller. I will show you the enemy."\n\nNinil\'ko glanced at the two Klaxxi\'va. They both nodded.\n\n"Let\'s go, Wakener."',
			'Only one building on the Terrace of Gurthan had been completed in the six days since the mantid had been broken, though slaves had worked night and day to lay the foundations and construct walls for a dozen more. For now, the completed building would serve as a war room, Warlord Gurthan decided. When the mantid were utterly defeated, it would be a fitting place to receive ambassadors from the other mogu clans. They would undoubtedly seek his favor when all that land west of the Serpent\'s Spine suddenly became unoccupied.\n\nFulmin led Warlord Gurthan inside. "I would like to show you something," the advisor said.\n\nAt the south end of the war room sat an unfamiliar object. "I\'ve had this prepared for you over the past few days," Fulmin said. "It is finally ready."\n\nWarlord Gurthan inspected the offering closely. It was a large urn, gilded in bronze. It seemed to shimmer, and he sensed residues of arcane energy drifting about like wafts of smoke near a stick of incense. "What is its purpose?"\n\n"It occurred to me, Warlord, that when we finally kill the mantid queen, we will need a proper place to display her remains," Fulmin said.\n\nThe warlord\'s low laugh rumbled through the room. "I admire your foresight."',
			'"Furthermore," the advisor added, "we may not even need to kill the empress to render her helpless."\n\n"Explain."\n\n"With a simple arcane spell, we can suspend the empress\'s spirit in this urn. Her physical form will vanish, but her mind will be trapped. It will be like a heavy sleep with troubled dreams," Fulmin said. "And if any of the other mogu doubt that you have truly conquered the mantid, you merely need to summon her spirit. Her very essence will be at your command. Her mind will be your trophy."\n\nThe warlord grimaced. "No. If the mantid know she is still alive, they might fight to save her. I won\'t give them a chance to bring her back."\n\n"Ah," Fulmin said with a smile, "that is why I crafted the spell to be immutable to the mantid. They will not be able to damage the urn, much less free the spirit inside."\n\n"It\'s too much of a risk."\n\n"I will stake my life on it," Fulmin said. "Capture the mantid queen. Suspend her spirit. Then, to test it, throw the urn to the rest of the insects. If any of them are even able to scratch it, take my head as punishment."\n\nWarlord Gurthan regarded him for a moment. Rare was the mogu willing to wager his life on success, and Gurthan had to admit that the notion of keeping the mantid empress\'s spirit as a memento of victory greatly appealed to him.\n\n"Fulmin, I think you\'ll have earned more responsibilities once we settle the mantid," Warlord Gurthan said. "Can you teach me this spell?"\n\n"Yes."\n\n"Then do so. Right now." Warlord Gurthan let a wide grin split his face. "I intend to end the mantid today."',
			'The view from the air was incredible. Ninil\'ko crouched on the Wind-Reaver\'s back, letting the flyer carry him ever higher, finally cresting at almost a thousand paces in the sky.\n\nThe paragon said nothing, and Kil\'ruk didn\'t make any conversation. Ninil\'ko simply studied the movement of the mogu\'s army. The situation was certainly dire. The Klaxxi\'va hadn\'t exaggerated. Unless the lesser creatures moved cautiously, the army would likely attack Klaxxi\'vess before sunset, and even though thousands of swarmborn were packed together, encircling the site, they wouldn\'t provide much resistance.\n\nNinil\'ko could sense the absence of the empress\'s voice, but it meant little. He didn\'t know her. And even if he did, he served a new purpose now. Empresses come and go. Ninil\'ko tapped Kil\'ruk on the shoulder, and the flyer jerked in surprise as though he\'d woken from a doze. Odd, the paragon thought.\n\n"Wakener, who among the swarmborn is most skilled at attacking that wall?"\n\n"I am," the flyer said.\n\nIt was the first good news Ninil\'ko had heard since awakening. Glimmers of a plan danced in his head, yet there were still serious challenges to deal with. "That wall did not exist in my time."\n\n"Can you defeat it?"\n\n"I do not know."\n\n"So the empress is doomed." Kil\'ruk\'s voice was despondent.\n\n"I did not say that," Ninil\'ko said. "The cycle will be preserved at all costs."\n\n"But the empress is doomed."\n\nNinil\'ko said nothing for a moment. The Wind-Reaver\'s mind is still immature. He is a creature of the empress, not the Klaxxi. That was a troubling thought, but it illuminated something interesting. He let his mind chase it, worrying away at its secrets.',
			'The pieces fell into place. Ninil\'ko understood why the Klaxxi had allowed—forced, probably—the Wind-Reaver to awaken him. An ambersmith had speculated long ago that the process of reviving a paragon from his amber slumber was akin to an empress bringing her swarmborn into the world. There was a certain logic to the idea. Being preserved was painful. It felt like dying. Who was to say that being awakened wasn\'t simply being reborn? Young mantid were hopelessly dependent on the empress; perhaps a paragon would feel a similar bond to his Wakener, even if it was only a pale shade of such blind loyalty.\n\nThe theory wasn\'t entirely wrong, Ninil\'ko realized. Even now—\n\nHe shook his head sharply. The plan stood out clearly in his mind. He knew how to stop the mogu. But he would need Kil\'ruk the Wind-Reaver fully focused on the task at hand, not distracted by the empress\'s absence.\n\nHe will die no matter what, but he needs to do as much damage as possible before then, Ninil\'ko thought. "Wakener, how long have you served the empress?"\n\n"Since I arrived in this world," came the irritated reply.\n\n"How long have you served the Klaxxi?" Ninil\'ko asked. Kil\'ruk did not answer, so the paragon pressed onward. "To serve the Klaxxi is to preserve the cycle. Preserving the cycle means the empress survives. Do you not serve them?"\n\n"I serve the empress," Kil\'ruk said.\n\n"Do you know what the cycle is?"\n\n"Of course."\n\n"Explain it to me."\n\nKil\'ruk\'s head turned, and the paragon could see the flyer\'s eye staring back at him. This was dangerous territory, Ninil\'ko knew. If the Wind-Reaver decided he was being treasonous, well, it would be a long way to fall to the ground.',
			'After a few moments, Ninil\'ko broke the silence. "You were born knowing about the cycle. You can feel it. You know its importance. It is an instinct that simply has not been explained to you. There is no shame in that."\n\n"Tell me."\n\nNinil\'ko very carefully described the hundred-year process. How the empress nurtured the swarmborn. How they all rushed against the lesser creatures at once, to prove themselves in combat. "Only through battle do we grow. It is an efficient mentor," he said. Ninil\'ko did not mention how often empresses died and were replaced. When Kil\'ruk asked him what the empress was like long ago, the paragon changed the subject.\n\n"But one cruel truth about the cycle is that this empress will die one day. She knows this. She accepts this," Ninil\'ko said. "It is nothing to fear."\n\nKil\'ruk began shaking. Ninil\'ko waited patiently for the tremors to subside before he continued. "That is why the Klaxxi are here, to make sure the cycle lives on. To make sure her good work never dies."\n\n"What use is the cycle without the empress?" Kil\'ruk whispered. His wings seemed to falter, and the two mantid dropped a few strides before he regained control.\n\n"Battle is an efficient mentor," Ninil\'ko repeated. "There is much to learn from the lesser creatures." And whydid Kil\'ruk suddenly go rigid at that statement? Ninil\'ko pushed on, sensing that he had finally reached the flyer. "With every cycle, we learn more about battle, about them, about ourselves. We grow stronger. We change. The lesser creatures learn nothing except fear."\n\nNinil\'ko could feel Kil\'ruk\'s breathing slow. He was calming down. He was listening. "How long will the cycle last?" Kil\'ruk asked. "Forever?"\n\n"No. The day will come when we need swarm no more," Ninil\'ko said. "Until then, the Klaxxi preserve the cycle. They make sure this empress—and all other empresses who will ever live—will live as long as she can. Do you understand?"\n\nKil\'ruk didn\'t answer, but Ninil\'ko knew the seed had been planted. It was time to let it grow.',
			'"Please return me to the Klaxxi," Ninil\'ko said. "I must tell them my plan."\n\n"Can we win?" Kil\'ruk asked.\n\n"Of course."\n\n"How?"\n\nNinil\'ko let out a rasping laugh. "By doing what the enemy does not expect. That is how you win any battle."\n\n"The centuries you spent in amber have rotted your brain, Bloodcaller."\n\n"Listen to me, Klaxxi\'va," said Ninil\'ko, turning from one Klaxxi\'va to the next. Each faced him with an equally disapproving expression. "The empress will die by sunset no matter what we do. Am I wrong?"\n\n"You are not. And yet you propose insanity. We do not have another to take the empress\'s place. We cannot put her at risk. If she dies, the cycle ends."\n\n"The only solution to the mogu invasion is the swarmborn. If we cannot revive the minds of our young, we will not have the numbers to repel them," Ninil\'ko said softly. "The swarmborn will not be of use until the relic is destroyed. I cannot destroy the relic while it is surrounded by an army. Our only chance to reach the relic is to tempt the army with a prize they cannot resist. The empress is that prize. She is the only possible prize! This is my logic. This is my plan. This is why you awakened me. Heed my words."\n\nThere was a very long silence.',
			'"Warlord!" The junior mogu scrambled into the building. Seven senior military leaders looked up from the collection of maps and scouting reports scattered across a long table. Gurthan sat at its head. "The mantid are moving!"\n\n"Against us?" asked one of the commanders.\n\n"No!" the younger mogu said, gasping. "Away… away from us."\n\n"Explain," said Warlord Gurthan.\n\nThe junior mogu took a few deep breaths. "Our scouts say a few mantid left their stronghold by air, carrying another."\n\n"Why?" Gurthan asked.\n\n"Not sure… The one being carried, it looked…" The messenger suddenly appeared nervous. He cleared his throat and carefully chose his words. News of Hixin\'s demise had spread quickly. "This particular mantid looked different. Very different. The other insects seemed to treat it with care and respect."\n\nThe commanders exchanged glances.\n\n"Was it the mantid empress?" Gurthan asked quietly.\n\n"The scouts think so, Warlord, yes," the junior mogu said.',
			'Warlord Gurthan slowly stood, his eyes resting on the ornate urn on the corner of the table. His armies had moved cautiously beyond the wall thus far. Gurthan knew time was on his side; sooner or later, the mantid would only have reckless, desperate options. This was the moment he had waited for. "They\'ve seen our preparations. They know we\'re attacking today. They hope to delay their destruction and keep their empress out of our hands, even if only for a few minutes longer. And now they\'ve removed her from the one place they could have mounted a proper defense."\n\nOne of the mogu commanders looked uneasy. "They may be attempting to draw us out—"\n\n"Of course they are," Gurthan said. It\'s precisely what I would do, he thought. "It changes nothing. We have enough warriors to overrun any defense they have."\n\n"Your orders, Warlord?"\n\nAll of the commanders fixed their eyes upon him. The warlord quickly analyzed his options, searching for flaws and unseen dangers. The relic will be vulnerable while the army pursues the empress, Gurthan thought. That dangerous mantid flyer still lives. Is this a trap?\n\nA smile spread over the warlord\'s face. "Send everything. Chase the empress. Bring her here. Preferably alive. I want her in this urn by sunset." I hope the flyer does attack, Gurthan thought. "And make sure thehuatang crews are ready. Tell them to expect a strike from the sky."',
			'Kil\'ruk watched the mogu warriors and their slaves leave behind their tents, their cookfires, their belongings, taking only a single weapon each before rushing to the west. Clearly, the warlord had told them to waste no time.\n\nThey will kill this empress and every empress who might have ever lived. The thought spun crazily in his head like a spring sapfly near a kypari tree. Strangely, despite his anger, the mind-numbing effects of the mogu relic seemed dim compared to even an hour ago. He still couldn\'t hear the empress, but her absence no longer muddled his thinking.\n\nIn truth, he had never felt clearer in purpose. The lesser creatures wanted to end the cycle. Kil\'ruk would stop them.\n\nOnly through battle do we grow, Ninil\'ko had said. It is an efficient mentor.\n\nIt seemed even the hunger for battle could sharpen a mantid mind.\n\nKil\'ruk waited until the last stragglers of the mogu\'s vast army disappeared over the nearby hills. He lifted into the air. Six other mantid flyers rose with him. Only six. They were the only surviving winged mantid mature enough to fight without the empress\'s voice guiding them.\n\nThe Terrace of Gurthan was laid out before him. The Wall towered above it.\n\nKil\'ruk flew toward the Wall. Six hundred strides away, on the battlements, the white outlines of six honeycombs turned to face him.',
			'"There it is, Warlord."\n\nWarlord Gurthan squinted and shaded his eyes against the afternoon sun. Indeed, that distinctive mantid flyer was approaching from the west. Several other flyers, perhaps five or six, followed closely.\n\nTo the warlord\'s surprise, they didn\'t descend toward the terrace.\n\n"Are they attacking the Serpent\'s Spine?" Fulmin said. "I suppose they don\'t know we moved the relic here."\n\n"Perhaps," Gurthan said, doubtful. The mantid weren\'t known for such oversights. What am I not seeing?Gurthan glanced around the terrace. His guards held their positions but kept their attention on the mantid. Even the trained battle quilen at their heels tracked the flyers across the sky.\n\nThe first huatang shot rang out just as the winged mantid crossed the west edge of the terrace. Two flyers dropped in an instant. The dangerous one was not among them.',
			'Two hundred strides to go. The flock stayed level with the battlements. The mogu guards on the ground watched closely.\n\nThe mantid saw the puff of white smoke a heartbeat before the honeycomb\'s payload of pebbles whistled past. Kil\'ruk heard impacts on a carapace to his left—fatal impacts. He didn\'t know who had been hit. Nor did he care. There were five more loaded honeycombs to worry about. It was time to see whether the Bloodcaller lived up to his legend as a tactician.\n\n"Disperse," Kil\'ruk said.\n\nThe remaining flyers—four, Kil\'ruk saw in a quick glance—scattered left, right, and up, but didn\'t descend. The paragon had expressly forbidden it.\n\nThe lesser creatures will expect you to dive for the terrace, Ninil\'ko had told them, so don\'t.\n\nAnother honeycomb fired. It missed, low. Two more fired in tandem. Low again. The paragon had been right; they expected the flyers to make a play for the relic. Slaves scrambled over the four empty honeycombs, reloading.\n\nWind-Reaver, most of their shots will be fired at you. They fear you too much to do otherwise, Ninil\'ko had said.\n\nThey drew close to the Wall. Fifty strides to go. The final two loaded honeycombs were aimed true. They would not miss, not at this range.',
			'Twenty strides. Time for the next part of the paragon\'s plan.\n\nThey can\'t imagine that you wouldn\'t be the first to strike them, Ninil\'ko had said.\n\nNeither can I, Kil\'ruk had responded.\n\nSurprise them. Surprise yourself, the Bloodcaller said.\n\nKil\'ruk\'s wings suddenly buzzed into a translucent blur. He ascended fast, incredibly fast, almost as fast as he could dive. The final two honeycombs tried to track him and cranked off hasty shots in a panic. They missed.\n\nNone of the honeycombs had been reloaded yet. The other four flyers fell upon the battlements in a berserker whirlwind of amber and blood.\n\nKil\'ruk let his wings go still. His momentum carried him higher and higher, arcing above the Serpent\'s Spine. He reached his zenith about four hundred strides above the battlements.\n\nIt was strangely quiet up here. The sounds of battle were far below. The empress was silent. For the first time in his life, Kil\'ruk was flying into battle truly alone.\n\nIt didn\'t disturb him at all.\n\nHe began to dive.',
			'"Clever," Warlord Gurthan said, smiling. The flyer had exploited their assumptions and neatly threaded through their defenses. Now it had a clear dive to the Serpent\'s Spine. "Very clever indeed."\n\n"Should we send reinforcements?" Fulmin asked.\n\n"No. Even if we were to lose everyone on the battlements, it would mean little if the relic—"\n\nA shrill cry interrupted the warlord. "Mantid! Mantid from the west!"\n\nWarlord Gurthan spun. A dozen mantid on foot charged toward the Terrace of Gurthan, already within a hundred paces of the mogu. All of the guards had been so focused on the flyers…\n\nClever, he thought, no longer smiling.',
			'Ninil\'ko the Bloodcaller charged into battle with the rest. He hissed and clicked his mandibles—kss kss tk-tk-tk-tk—and the other mantid arrayed themselves in a wedge formation. He allowed himself a moment of satisfaction; his time in the amber hadn\'t quelled his talent a bit.\n\nMost paragons received their second name from the Klaxxi. Ninil\'ko was the only paragon, to his knowledge, who had chosen his own second name. Who else should have? The Klaxxi had lauded him for his sense of broad strategy, and his empress, weak and pathetic though she might have been, had marveled at his cunning in defeating a mantid rebellion.\n\nBut which of them would have named him Bloodcaller?\n\nNinil\'ko raised his spear as his fellow mantid sprinted over the last few strides to the mogu. He pointed the curved blade at the left flank and clicked his mandibles together twice. The entire mantid force targeted two particular mogu. The enemies died in a cyclone of sharpened amber.\n\nNinil\'ko slowly swept his spear across the defenders\' skirmish line, picking targets. Click click click. Three more mogu died, leaving a giant hole in their defenses. The left flank collapsed. Click click. Two quilen died.Click click click. A mage, a beastmaster, and a wounded quilen fell next.\n\nIt was a gift. Ninil\'ko had learned even as an immature swarmborn that he could communicate and influence other mantid without words. When he projected his will, nearby mantid knew where to attack; when he hissed or clicked his mandibles, they knew when. He could send his soldiers in and out of combat at will, directing the flow of battle on an imperceptibly precise level.\n\nHe had never explained the gift to anyone, not even to the Klaxxi. Ninil\'ko didn\'t truly understand it himself. Was it the sound they responded to? Could he influence them like the empress? He wasn\'t sure. Perhaps he was tapping into some ancient part of the mantid mind, some primal instinct left over after the Old One had bestowed them with clarity of thought and a higher purpose. Perhaps this was how the mantid had communicated long ago.\n\nIn the end, it mattered little. When Ninil\'ko called, blood flowed. Soon the terrace ran red.',
			'And Kil\'ruk continued to dive.\n\n"Keep reloading!" the battlement taskmaster roared.\n\nA pandaren slave dropped to his knees, desperately sweeping tiny stones into his paws. The sounds of other slaves dying threatened to drive him mad. He wanted to run, but he would be whipped again if—\n\nA hideous screech filled the slave\'s ears and wiped away his thoughts with pure horror. He looked up just in time to see a blur of amber and violet descending upon him.',
			'The kneeling pandaren absorbed most of the impact. Kil\'ruk regained his balance quickly and then swept a blade down into the slave. He felt resistance for a brief moment—his first kill of the battle.\n\nThere would be many more.\n\nTwo of the other flyers still lived, brawling wildly among the lesser creatures. They were eager, excited to battle at the Wind-Reaver\'s side, but inexperienced. They wouldn\'t survive long in a fight like this. The battlements were packed. Six honeycombs and nearly two hundred defenders filled the space between the two watch towers overseeing the Terrace of Gurthan.\n\nKil\'ruk rushed into the lesser creatures\' midst and let his amber blades dance.',
			'Ninil\'ko leaped back with a hiss. Ksss-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk. It was the only command he needed; the others leaped back with him. Two of the mogu, blinded with battle rage, rushed toward them. Click click. Seven mantid blades filleted them. In less than a minute, Ninil\'ko had halved the number of mogu defenders while losing a handful of his own.\n\nA decent start. Now they were only outnumbered two to one, but the mogu had recovered from the shock of the ambush and regained their discipline. They formed a loose skirmish line between the mantid and the building with the relic. Their tactics would be sound in most battles, Ninil\'ko knew.\n\nBut not sound enough today. Ninil\'ko darted forward and pointed toward a mogu in the center of the line. It looked the most frightened, and the most senior. That made it the most valuable kill of the moment.\n\nClick.',
			'The warlord watched, impassive, only the clench of his jaw betraying his feelings as the last of his commanders died. Finally, he turned toward Fulmin.\n\n"Take the relic and go," Warlord Gurthan said softly.\n\n"What?!" Fulmin hissed. "We outnumber them!"\n\nGurthan\'s eyes blazed. "Take the relic and go back through the gate. Quietly. Unseen. Keep the relic active at all costs. No lapses. We need the mantid to remain docile."\n\n"Warlord—"\n\n"I will not let them win. I. Will. Not. Do you understand? Our army will end this in an hour. It won\'t matter what battlefield miracles the mantid can unveil if their empress is dead."\n\nFulmin hesitated. "They\'ll kill you, Warlord."\n\n"I have no doubt they\'ll try. Go. But hurry back when it\'s over," Gurthan added with a twisted smile. "I may need you to wake me up. I can be a heavy sleeper."\n\nUnderstanding dawned on Fulmin. "Yes, Warlord."\n\nGurthan watched him go, waiting until he was out of sight before issuing his next command.\n\n"Fall back! Fall back into the building!"',
			'Kil\'ruk painted the battlements with the lesser creatures\' blood. And yet they kept coming.\n\nWhat did the mogu threaten to do if the slaves ran? Kil\'ruk wondered as he cut down another pandaren.Could it possibly have been worse than this? The heads of two saurok tumbled away from the lizard-like creatures\' shoulders. What useless beings.\n\nKil\'ruk rose into the air and skimmed above the defenders\' reach. He set down near the honeycomb closest to the northern watch tower and gutted the nearest mogu.\n\nA furious pack of saurok sprung out of the mass of defenders, tackling him. Kil\'ruk buried his blades in two of them but was pinned flat on his back an instant later. The weight of dozens of bodies held him immobile. A grinning saurok\'s face in the pile hovered only inches from his.\n\nAnd then crackling filled the air. The saurok looked up. The grin turned to terror.\n\nA deafening, overwhelming blast numbed everything. Much of the weight lifted away from Kil\'ruk\'s chest. Kil\'ruk refused to blink. He wanted to die with his eyes open. He saw the saurok leap upright, only to die as a second blast shook the Wall. Before the lesser creature could collapse, it vanished in a third explosion.\n\nThe noise hung in the air, paralyzing all other senses. Finally, Kil\'ruk blinked. He was still alive.\n\nThe same couldn\'t be said for most of the saurok. Coughing, Kil\'ruk pushed away what was left of them and climbed to his feet. The ringing pain in his ears slowly gave way to screams and wailing.\n\nThe sight left Kil\'ruk stunned.\n\nThe mogu had turned their reloaded honeycombs north, firing directly along the battlements. Firing into the battlements. Three times. They had shredded their own slaves in an attempt to annihilate a single mantid flyer. Only the bodies of the slaves that had tackled him had kept him from injury.\n\nKil\'ruk\'s respect for the mogu increased substantially. A bold tactic, he mused.\n\nLingering smoke from the blasts shielded him from the mogu\'s sight. It wouldn\'t last. Let them think I\'m dead with the slaves, he thought. Kil\'ruk stepped off the battlements and descended smoothly to the ground.\n\nThe sounds of fighting still raged on the Terrace of Gurthan. They seemed to have moved into the building where the relic was housed. Kil\'ruk raced toward it on foot.',
			'The tight quarters of the building had greatly hampered the attackers\' movement. The only other mantid still in fighting shape died as two mogu spears cleaved him into thirds before he could respond to Ninil\'ko\'s hissed warning.\n\nThe Bloodcaller was alone on the battlefield. Ninil\'ko put his back to a wall and waited for the inevitable, final attack. There were only three mogu left—no, four, including a strange one wearing ornate, regal garments. This last mogu was standing back from the fight, arms folded across its chest, its two remaining quilen crouched at its heels.\n\nThat must be Warlord Gurthan, guessed Ninil\'ko.\n\n"Halt," the fourth mogu said. The others stopped advancing. "Mantid, do you have a name?"',
			'The lone insect didn\'t seem to hear him. "Creature, do you understand me?" Gurthan asked.\n\nA sharp, ugly noise rippled through the room. The mantid\'s mandibles clicked open and shut in a strange, raspy rhythm. Is it laughing at me? Gurthan thought. "I am Warlord Gurthan, mantid. I am—"\n\n"I don\'t care, mogu."\n\nGurthan\'s jaw clenched. "Do you have a name, mantid?"\n\n"None I wish to share with you," the creature hissed.',
			'Kil\'ruk crept to the doorway. He heard Ninil\'ko\'s voice, and another.\n\n"Where is the relic?" Ninil\'ko asked.\n\n"I have put your species a single step from extinction, mantid," the other voice said. "If you are capable of reason—"\n\n"Far more capable than you, Gurthan. Where is the relic?"\n\n"You won\'t find the relic before your empress is dead," said Gurthan. "But perhaps there is no need for all of the mantid to die with her. Some of you are skilled fighters; perhaps—"\n\n"Are you negotiating?" Ninil\'ko chittered with amusement. "Then here is my offer, mogu: kneel before me, beg my forgiveness, hand me the relic, and I will allow you to leave this room alive. What happens to you between here and your Wall, I cannot say."\n\n"Kneel?" Gurthan\'s voice turned quietly furious. "The slaves of the empire kneel before me. Beasts lay at my feet, awaiting my command. And in your arrogance—"\n\nKil\'ruk had no interest in hearing any more. He stepped through the doorway. "Your words waste our time," he said loudly. "Face me."\n\nThe three mogu warriors shifted uneasily at the sight of the second mantid.\n\nGurthan simply pursed his lips and whistled twice, sharply. The two quilen at his heels leaped toward Kil\'ruk\'s throat.\n\nKil\'ruk swept both of his amber blades up in the air, and both quilen flopped back to the ground. One of them was still barely alive, a pitiful whine escaping its muzzle. It weakly tried to crawl back to Warlord Gurthan. Kil\'ruk drove one of his forelegs through its torso and ended its feeble cries.\n\n"Bloodcaller. I am ready. Are you?" Kil\'ruk asked.\n\nNinil\'ko hefted his spear. "Yes, Wind-Reaver."\n\nThey stepped forward together.',
			'"Kill them," said Warlord Gurthan.\n\nThe three remaining guards rushed forward to meet the two mantid. Blades clashed and sparked.\n\nGurthan had no illusions about their chances. His eyes fell on the gilded urn, the one meant for the mantid empress.\n\nIt would have to do.\n\nI will not let them win.\n\nAs his guards died, Gurthan crouched and cupped his hands, gathering arcane energy. He would only have time for one spell.',
			'The last guard fought bravely, but with its two comrades dying on the floor, it was only a matter of time before one of the mantid\'s attacks found flesh. Both of the Wind-Reaver\'s blades punctured its torso. It collapsed and grunted and lay still.\n\nKil\'ruk turned slowly. Toward the last mogu standing. "Gurthan," he hissed. "You would have killed the empress. This empress and every empress to come. You would have ended the cycle."\n\nThe mogu warlord was moving his hands in small circles. Conjuring power. For what purpose, Kil\'ruk didn\'t know.\n\nOr care.\n\nNinil\'ko took a step back. "Wind-Reaver, I leave this honor to you," the paragon said.\n\nKil\'ruk raised his blades and slowly advanced. If Gurthan planned on unleashing a final attack, some final cowardly gesture, the Wind-Reaver would be ready. "You will die, Warlord. It will not be quick."\n\n"Will you enjoy it, insect?" Gurthan spat.\n\nOnly five more strides to satisfaction. "More than you know."\n\nGurthan\'s hands suddenly stilled. The air felt alive with power. The mogu\'s eyes met Kil\'ruk\'s. "Good. This I vow: you and your kind will never have the pleasure of ending my life."\n\nThe warlord\'s hands splayed out. A blinding flash of light enveloped the room. Kil\'ruk shaded his eyes with his blades.\n\nWhen his vision cleared, the light had faded.\n\nWarlord Gurthan was gone. The urn seemed to vibrate as if imbued with power, energy, life.\n\n"No," Kil\'ruk said.',
			'Ninil\'ko allowed Kil\'ruk to rage for several minutes.\n\n"Coward! Coward! Face me!"\n\nThe Wind-Reaver struck the urn with his blades over and over. He couldn\'t scratch it. Couldn\'t budge it. The enchantment Gurthan had used to consign his spirit to the urn apparently protected it from all physical attacks.\n\nThe warlord was, in short, out of the mantid\'s reach. Kil\'ruk swung again and again, blind with fury.\n\nFinally, Ninil\'ko had seen enough. "Wind-Reaver," he said softly. Kil\'ruk didn\'t slow or stop. "Wind-Reaver, the empress is still silent."\n\nKil\'ruk swung at the urn one final time, his blade crashing into it with a strangely muted thump. He faced the paragon, panting. "The relic isn\'t here."\n\n"It\'s moving away from us. You can feel it too, yes?" Ninil\'ko asked. It was an odd sensation. He could only compare it to clouds moving in the sky: from the ground it seemed to happen so slowly that they appeared almost motionless.\n\n"Yes." Kil\'ruk angrily kicked the urn in disgust. "Lead on, Bloodcaller. Let\'s be done with this."',
			'Fulmin walked carefully along the base of the Serpent\'s Spine, clutching the relic to his chest, concentrating on maintaining the spell. Without constant maintenance, the delicate balance of energy would spin out of control. The consequences would be unpredictable, but likely fatal to whoever held the relic.\n\nThe Gate of the Setting Sun was just up ahead. Once Fulmin was through, he could hand off the relic to another arcanist and rally a fresh force of mogu to take back the terrace.\n\nThe awful noise and flash of light meant Warlord Gurthan had suspended his spirit to avoid death at the mantid\'s hands. Well, Fulmin had taught him the technique, and it would be a simple matter to reverse once the mantid threat was gone.\n\nLeaves crunched behind him.\n\nFulmin turned around and nearly lost his balance. A mantid, clothed in bizarre armor and carrying a large spear, stood perhaps fifteen paces away. It had no wings; it wasn\'t the flyer.\n\nThe mantid raised its spear and pointed it at Fulmin. The mogu watched with curiosity. He sensed no empowerment. This wasn\'t a spell. It was too far away for a quick attack.\n\nThe mantid made a strange sound. Click.\n\nA shadow fell over Fulmin. He didn\'t even have time to scream.\n\nThe relic tumbled free of his grasp.',
			'"A strange object," Kil\'ruk said.\n\nThe relic still dripped with the mogu\'s blood. Ninil\'ko examined it carefully, turning it over in his hands. "I cannot hear the empress, Wind-Reaver. Can you?"\n\n"No."\n\n"Arcane energy is beyond my talents," Ninil\'ko mused. The relic emitted pale light, and with each passing moment, the light grew brighter. "The mogu employ magic in such unusual ways. I do not know how to silence this foul thing."\n\nThe paragon glanced down at the butchered mogu mage. The lesser creature had maintained the spell until its death. Why bother? The relic didn\'t seem to need a constant supply of new power to keep the empress suppressed.\n\nNinil\'ko held the relic at arm\'s length. "Wind-Reaver, perhaps you could see if any—"\n\nThe light from the relic suddenly flared and vanished. Kil\'ruk saw a dim flash and heard a brief, soft crackling sound.\n\nNinil\'ko felt—only for the smallest moment—most of the remaining arcane energy in the relic shoot up his arm like lightning. There was an instant of pure agony as the energy passed through his brain, burning through every bit of consciousness.\n\nThe last thing the paragon heard was a single faint click.',
			'Kil\'ruk knew instantly that Ninil\'ko was dead. The paragon tumbled into the dirt next to the mogu mage and lay unmoving, eyes wide and staring.\n\nThat relic, that cursed, vile relic, still blocked the empress\'s voice. But not completely. Kil\'ruk could hear quick hiccups of her sweet song. It was as if the fabric of the mogu spell was fraying, pulling apart thread by thread, allowing brief glimpses of what lay beyond it.\n\nHow long would it take for the relic finally to go quiet? Would it take hours? That would mean the death of the empress. Kil\'ruk bent down over Ninil\'ko\'s body and studied the relic, unwilling to touch it. The light had faded, but he could still hear crackling and hissing.\n\nJust like the honeycomb—\n\nKil\'ruk picked it up. A trembling energy made his hand shiver. It felt as if the relic might unleash its remaining arcane charge at any moment.\n\nHe remembered the first day he had dived from the sky into battle, when a honeycomb and a little spare arcane energy had reacted in a destructive way.\n\nKil\'ruk let his wings carry him above the battlements. He clutched the relic in his hands as he flew south, searching. Defenders all along the Wall pointed and shouted at him in surprise.\n\nThere.',
			'The remaining honeycombs still stood amid the dead, desiccated slaves on the battlements overlooking the Terrace of Gurthan. The few living slaves and mogu spotted him almost immediately, but they needed time to line up their shot. Kil\'ruk only needed time to hurl the relic at them. It was nearly the same size and weight as one of his rounds. His aim hadn\'t faded a bit.\n\nThe foul thing arced toward the Wall and bounced once between two honeycombs. The relic broke apart with a shimmering wave of light and a stuttering crescendo of crackling.\n\nThere was a terrible noise, and the light enveloped the honeycombs. Their combined arcane energy swelled into a tremendously bright display, and the lesser creatures were consumed.\n\nThen there was a wonderful sound, heard only by the mantid.\n\nI\'m still here. I\'m still here, the empress sang. Elation surged through Kil\'ruk with every word. The lesser creatures are here. Kill them, kill them all.\n\nFar away from Kil\'ruk, far to the west, a great noise of joy and fury rose into the air. The swarmborn came awake, and their rage burst forth.\n\nIt was a matter of hours, not minutes, but by sunset, the empress\'s song had changed.\n\nDead, so dead, they are all dead. Well done. Well done. I am safe. I am safe.\n\nWell done.',
			'I was made a paragon. My deeds became legend among my cycle and all cycles to come. The Klaxxi granted me the second name I desired, Wind-Reaver, and it was whispered among the swarmborn.\n\nThe army of Clan Gurthan had been annihilated. Both sides had suffered greatly, but the Klaxxi wished to send a simple message: invading our lands is death. They unleashed me as punishment. I slaughtered thousands of defenders on the Wall. Many thousands. After only a few months, they would run at the mere sight of me, Wakener. I have such fond memories of that time.\n\nThen the Klaxxi allowed me to fly beyond the Serpent\'s Spine. They instructed me to raid mogu encampments and supply lines. It had never occurred to me to do so until they gave the order. Strange, yes? It would be such a simple thing for every flyer to soar past the lesser creatures\' defenses and lay waste to unprepared villages. They would have no way to counter the tactic. It would be tremendously effective.\n\nIf the death of the lesser creatures were the goal, that is. Truly, Wakener, it is not. If the Klaxxi had wished it, the whole of this continent would be ours by now.\n\nAs a paragon, I earned the right to ask questions and expect answers. The Klaxxi told me much.\n\nThey told me about preservation. They explained how an ambersmith of my choice would shape kyparite into the empowered amber shell that would serve as my resting place until there was need of my help as a paragon. I, of course, chose the ambersmith who created my blades. He was honored to accept. He and I went alone to the Terrace of Gurthan, and he worked the flow of amber until sleep claimed me for thousands and thousands of years. Of course, that ambersmith was immediately killed. The Klaxxi believe it is important to keep the location of a paragon secret. It requires the power of the entire council to locate our amber eggs; such secrecy prevents outsiders or lone Klaxxi\'va from finding and destroying us. Though it does happen, as you\'ve seen.\n\nThey told me so much about the cycle… I suspect you still don\'t understand, Wakener. The cycle was old when I was young. It predates you and me. I was preserved for thousands and thousands of years, and much has changed.\n\nBut do you know what hasn\'t changed?\n\nThe will of the Klaxxi.\n\nThe will of the Klaxxi is eternal.',
			'You fought many battles, toppled many foes, yet not a single action in your life mattered until you crossed the Serpent\'s Spine and entered our lands. You obeyed the Klaxxi. You released me from my long sleep in the amber. In doing so, you finally became useful.\n\nI mean no insult, Wakener. Rejoice. You have earned our trust. All of your earlier, meaningless struggles have raised you above the other lesser creatures. Few of them could ever be of service as you have been.\n\nI\'ve heard plenty about your war. The Alliance. The Horde. Two equally useless sides fighting over insignificant goals. I suspect you don\'t see it that way. Your war could last a thousand years and it would be but a small river feeding into the ocean of the Klaxxi\'s plans. Their will is to preserve the cycle.\n\nThe purpose of the cycle is not death. Indeed, it is knowledge.\n\nKnowledge of you. Knowledge of us. Battle is an efficient mentor. All creatures can achieve their potential only when the alternative is death. The Klaxxi ensure that battle lasts as long as possible. It is in their interest to prolong each cycle, pressuring the lesser creatures as much as they can without breaking them. Thus the defenders will fight with all their skill, fearing that everyone they know and love stands on the brink of oblivion if they fail.\n\nThe strongest among the mantid return alive. The weak are culled. Our kind grows stronger. And with each cycle, we learn about the lesser creatures\' tactics and weapons, and we learn how to counter them.\n\nThere is so much to learn from creatures like you, Wakener.\n\nDid I mention that I learned to dive from the sky by watching a hawk? I was utterly fascinated with its ability. I conquered its skills.\n\nYou fascinate me too, Wakener.',
		},
		["author"] = "Robert Brooks",
		["icon"] = "Interface/ICONS/achievement_raid_mantidraid03",
		["expansion"] = 4,
	},

	["the-strength-of-steel"] = {
		["nameRealm"] = "The Strength of Steel",
		["text"] = {
			'Koak was falling. He tumbled endlessly through countless leagues of clouds and rain, the earth below him forever just beyond his sight. All around him flew the dragons, with scales as red as blood and eyes of molten gold, crimson phantoms in an eternal storm. Koak could feel their seething hatred buffeting his orcish body.\n\nHe raised a fist toward the dragons and shouted with the authority of the Dragonmaw clan. "Obey me!" he commanded, but his voice was tainted by fear and doubt.\n\n"NO!" they roared in unison. Their myriad shadows melded into one, larger than the sky itself. Lightning flashed, and Koak caught a glimpse of Grim Batol in the distance, a smoking ruin he had once called home.\n\n"Koak!" someone shouted.\n\nThe dragons\' breath birthed a conflagration, and the heavens were set ablaze. Koak howled in pain as the storm clouds were burned away and his world was consumed by fire. His descent accelerated, suddenly and without warning, and the unforgiving ground came rushing up to meet him...\n\n"KOAK!"\n\nHe awoke abruptly at the point of impact, with the echo of an explosion ringing in his ears. Beneath him was a deck of sanded and polished wood; above him was the bulbous balloon of a goblin zeppelin. The ship itself was a blazing inferno, and its crew was frantically fighting to keep it in the air.\n\n"Abandon ship!" the captain screamed.\n\nKoak rose unsteadily to his feet, blood from an open gash trickling down his brow. "The Alliance..." he said groggily. Looking over the edge of the hull, he saw a retreating gunship vanish into the clouds high above the Jade Forest.\n\nWith a squeal of twisting metal, the zeppelin ponderously lurched to its side. Koak scrambled to grab hold of something—anything—as the waters of the Mistveil Sea came into view over the starboard bow. Then another explosion knocked him off his feet and sent him sailing over the edge into the open air, the captain\'s cries for help dying on the ocean breeze.',
			'A light rain was falling and the coastal winds were whispering in his ear when Koak washed ashore. His leg throbbed with relentless pain; it had taken the brunt of the blow when the currents had smashed him against the rocks. As he lay broken and bleeding on the sand, he wondered whether this was what Hellscream had in mind when he ordered them to paint the continent red.\n\nHe was on a small island, a single stone spire rising up from the center and into the clouds high above. All around him, pieces of the zeppelin\'s flaming wreckage trailed away from the shoreline and toward the spire, jetsam that had fallen off during the ship\'s final descent. The rest of it floated atop the ocean waters, along with the charred corpses of his former crewmates.\n\nFor the Horde, he thought bitterly. There was a time when those words had meant something to Koak. The pain in his leg flared as he made to stand.\n\nLeaning on a makeshift crutch, Koak hobbled inland among the ship\'s scattered remains to search for survivors. Acrid smoke from the ship\'s ruptured fuel tanks stung his eyes and seared his lungs. He nearly choked on the fumes as he rounded a section of the zeppelin\'s demolished hull.\n\nBefore him loomed a monstrous cloud serpent, its scarlet scales shining wet with blood.\n\nKoak gasped and stumbled backward, his mauled leg giving out beneath him. The serpent was lying in a nest of flattened stone at the base of the spire, its body a patchwork of burns and bruises. It raised its enormous head and stared directly into Koak\'s eyes.',
			'"Easy..." whispered Koak in his most placating tone. The serpent was thirty feet of solid muscle, with claws so large that they could easily curl around Koak\'s torso and crush his ribs while the creature\'s massive jaws tore him in half. But it made no move to attack him, and Koak realized that it was dying. He took in the twisted metal and scorched wood that surrounded the nest.\n\nWe did this, he thought. He suddenly felt sick.\n\nSlowly, as if it meant to show him something, the serpent uncoiled itself. In the center of its nest was a single egg the size of Koak\'s chest, pristine and undamaged, its shell shining like polished garnet. The serpent coddled it gently, her tenderness at odds with her ferocious appearance. She could have escaped her fate but instead had stayed to protect her egg. For some reason, that filled Koak with anger.\n\n"You sacrificed yourself in vain," he growled under his breath. "Your whelp will still die, abandoned and alone." He grimaced as another bolt of pain shot mercilessly through his leg. Blood was flowing from it like a river, staining the soil beneath his feet. And I will likely die with it.\n\nThe serpent raised her tail and wrapped it around Koak\'s wrist, insistently pulling him toward the nest. She crawled to his side and nudged him from behind, and he found himself before the egg.\n\nShe wants me to care for it? Me?',
			'"No," Koak protested, but he was unable to look away.\n\nHe stretched his hand toward the egg. The space between them felt thick and heavy, like the calm before a storm. When he touched it, a stinging shock snaked its way along his arm. Koak could feel the egg trembling beneath his palm subtly at first, but soon it began to shake so forcefully that Koak backed away in apprehension.\n\nAll at once the top of the egg exploded, showering Koak with fragments of shattered shell. A bright halo of red smoke billowed out from the fissure and rolled across the ground like a bank of fog. From within arose a glistening newborn cloud serpent with ruby scales and eyes of sapphire, eyes so deep and fluid that looking into them was like trying to mark the bottom of the sea.\n\nThe hatchling met Koak\'s gaze and held it. Koak reached out his hand; the hatchling snaked forward and closed its tiny jaws around the meat of his palm. He did not flinch, bearing the pain until the young serpent came to be at ease, curling its body around his arm.\n\nKoak saw its mother watching them, sorrow written plainly upon her face. She fixed a final look upon Koak, and he withered under her unblinking stare. She closed her eyes, and her body rose and fell with one last labored breath; then she lay still. The hatchling saw her, and from its anguished cries Koak knew it understood what had happened. He watched in stoic silence as the serpent sidled up to its departed mother, longingly nuzzling her and curling up within her shadow.',
			'In the days that followed, Koak struggled to keep himself and the hatchling alive as he waited for a rescue party that he suspected General Nazgrim wouldn\'t send. And why should he? The life of one orc was of no concern to Hellscream, no more than the life of one dragon would have been a concern to the Dragonmaw. Koak was on his own.\n\nThe rain provided them with only limited fresh water, and no matter how many sugar minnows he caught, the serpent\'s ravenous appetite was never sated. His leg tormented him incessantly, as did the question of what to do with the hatchling.\n\nOn the fifth day, the rains stopped. As Koak\'s hopes of salvation dwindled into dust and the serpent sat shivering in the cold, they spotted two figures in the clearing skies. A pair of cloud serpents, fully grown, flitted effortlessly between the other spires across the sea, each with a pandaren rider astride its back. They circled deftly around the mountain peaks and returned to the cliffs of the Jade Forest with breathtaking speed. A story he had heard weeks ago from one of the natives echoed in Koak\'s mind.\n\nThe Order of the Cloud Serpent.',
			'The windswept cliffs of the Jade Forest rose tall and sheer over the Mistveil Sea. Koak and the hatchling had crossed the water in a raft he had cobbled together from the zeppelin\'s broken hull, and were arduously making their way along a steep and narrow path toward the forest proper. Koak\'s leg pained him unceasingly, beset by dull aches and sharp pangs. It didn\'t help that the serpent fought him with every excruciating step, struggling against the frayed length of rope with which Koak had leashed it.\n\n"Calm down," Koak huffed, exhaustion seeping into his voice. "We\'ll be there soon enough, and then you\'ll be the order\'s problem."\n\nThe Horde\'s advance forces had only recently arrived on the shores of Pandaria, but Koak had already heard much of the Order of the Cloud Serpent. Mighty warriors who rode on the backs of the ferocious beasts, the serpent riders were said to swoop into battle as swiftly as the wind itself, striking with the strength of storm and sky. Koak had been harboring a secret desire to meet them, to witness their power and stack it against that of the Dragonmaw.\n\nOf course, there wasn\'t much Koak knew about the Dragonmaw. He was only a child when the red dragonflight destroyed Grim Batol, and was one of the few too weak to evade capture by the Alliance when the rest of the clan escaped into the Twilight Highlands. What he knew of his clan he had learned from stories recounted by veterans of the Second War, and from the dreams that plagued his restless nights. He had never bent a dragon to his will; the stubborn serpent hatchling he was dragging up the hill was proving to be enough of a handful.',
			'The Order of the Cloud Serpent must be fearsome indeed, Koak pondered, to tame such willful beasts.\n\nWhen they reached the top, Koak thought for a moment that they had scaled the wrong cliff. He had expected a fortress of steel and iron, a mighty citadel encircled by patrolling serpents adorned in armor and ready for war. What he saw instead were a humble cottage and an airy gazebo, both hewn of simple wood and stone, surrounded by wallows of mud and bales of hay.\n\n"This can\'t be the right place," he mumbled to himself. But as he led the hatchling around the corner of the cottage and into the area beyond, Koak was greeted with the sight of cloud serpents of every size and color. Some lounged in open pens while being attended with brushes and bags of feed. Others floated calmly beside their companions as they strolled through the grounds on an afternoon walk. A few hatchlings sat coiled and placid in the laps of pandaren meditating peacefully by a tranquil stream.\n\nKoak was utterly confused. Where were the warriors of legend?\n\n"Ah, we have a visitor!" called a kind voice from behind him.\n\nKoak turned to see an elderly pandaren emerging from the gazebo, her hair and fur going gray with age but her eyes alight with youth. With her were several more pandaren, each of them accompanied by a cloud serpent of a different color. She stepped forward and bowed.',
			'"Welcome to our home, traveler," she said with a smile. "I am Elder Anli, and we are the Order of the Cloud Serpent."\n\n"Are you all right?" asked one of the pandaren with her. "You don\'t look so good."\n\n"Oh, and who is this little one?" chirped another in a cheery voice.\n\nThe hatchling retreated behind Koak\'s leg, shielding itself from the eyes of the onlookers. Koak shifted to the side and brought the hatchling into view, shaking the fog of bewilderment from his mind as the pandaren cooed and fawned over the infant.\n\n"He\'s yours," he replied, offering his end of the rope to Anli. "And I am not all right. I am injured, and I require transport to the nearest Horde outpost. If you could provide it, I would be in your debt."\n\nAnli watched him thoughtfully before shaking her head. "I\'m afraid that will not be possible."\n\n"You do not wish to involve yourselves in our conflict." Koak fought to keep his tone free of scorn and to push the image of the hatchling\'s maimed mother from his mind. "If you carried me to Dawn\'s Blossom instead—"\n\n"No," Anli interrupted. "I mean you cannot leave this serpent with us and depart."\n\nKoak frowned. "What exactly are you saying, pandaren?"\n\n"It seems to be quite attached to you," she replied calmly. "I take it you must have been the one to hatch it. And so you must be the one to raise it."\n\nShe took a step toward him, closing his hand around the rope and pressing it back against his chest. The members of the order were watching him, stroking the scales of their serpents as if they were pets. Koak regarded them with unmasked disappointment. They were supposed to be great warriors; he saw nothing here but a nursery. And he would take no part in it.',
			'"I don\'t think so," he said dismissively.\n\nKoak dropped the rope on the ground and turned to leave, but he made it only a few steps before a sudden pain jolted through his leg. Bracing himself against his crutch, Koak fell to one knee and cursed his injuries. He felt someone tugging at his wrist.\n\n"If you will not take me to Dawn\'s Blossom..." Koak trailed off when he turned his head and saw not a pandaren at his side but the hatchling. It had curled its tiny tail around his wrist and was pulling him back toward the others, an imploring look in its eyes.\n\nIt didn\'t want him to leave either.\n\nKoak watched as a pair of riders streaked across the clouds above them, spiraling into serpentine twists and turns, executing death-defying maneuvers with casual ease as they raced against each other. The Order of the Cloud Serpent was not made of the fighters Koak had expected, but there was no denying that its members could fly.\n\nSomething inside Koak shifted. When next he looked upon the hatchling, he saw not a burden but an opportunity: a chance, at last, to become a true Dragonmaw orc, to train his own war mount, to ride it into battle, and to conquer the skies. Let the others prepare their serpents for a life of peace and playtime. He would prepare his for war.\n\n"Very well," he said, as much to his hatchling as to Anli. He took the serpent in his hands and lifted it above his head, the sun gleaming off its crimson scales, as red as the dragons his clan used to command.\n\nI will make the Dragonmaw proud, Koak pledged.\n\nI will make my serpent obey.',
			'The first week of training did not proceed as Koak had hoped. The serpent proved to be willful and stubborn, certainly more so than any other hatchling under the order\'s care. It seemed determined to chew and devour everything except precisely what Koak was trying to feed it, and whenever Koak attempted to call it to heel, it chose instead to chase its fellow hatchlings with its snapping jaws. The serpent was quick and agile, and Koak\'s mangled leg continued to hinder him, leaving him little recourse but to bark at the hatchling until his face was red and the order\'s students eyed him with concern and amusement. Yet his leg was healing, thanks to the ministrations of the pandaren, and it occurred to Koak that any order that sought to ride such raucous beasts must be well practiced in the mending of broken bones.\n\nOn his eighth day with the order, as the sun rose over the peaks of the spires out to sea, Koak found his hatchling\'s pen conspicuously empty. Anli was standing at the fence post with a warm smile.\n\n"It seems my hatchling has an early start on the day\'s mischief," Koak grumbled.\n\n"Oh, not at all," Anli explained. "Jenova will be in charge of your serpent\'s care for today. Please, take a walk with me."',
			'Their walk was quiet and meandering. Anli led him through the serene splendor of the Arboretum, dappled by sunlight and caressed by a calming breeze, until they eventually arrived at the Windspire Bridge. True to its name, the bridge spanned the distances between several of the natural spires that jutted upward from the ocean far below. Each of its arches was an architectural marvel, a monolith of masonry that seemed to defy gravity and stood stalwart against the buffeting coastal winds. The bridge appeared not unlike a cloud serpent itself, a massive creature carved from wood and stone, snaking out over the Mistveil Sea to watch over the Jade Forest in perpetuity.\n\nAnli waited until they had traversed the majority of the bridge\'s expanse before she turned to address him.\n\n"Have you named your serpent yet, Koak?" she asked.\n\n"No," Koak answered. "And I will not do so until it has earned one. That is the way of the Dragonmaw."\n\n"We are not the Dragonmaw," Anli replied. "And their ways are not ours."\n\nKoak bristled. "I will do this the Dragonmaw way or not at all. There are no other options."\n\n"This seems to be quite important to you," she remarked.\n\nKoak stopped for a moment, searching for the right words before continuing to walk. "When the Alliance took me prisoner, I was separated from my clan. I had the chance to be reunited with them after the Cataclysm, but I did not take it."\n\n"And why not?" Anli asked.\n\n"I don\'t expect you to understand," Koak replied, "but I dishonored myself and the Dragonmaw by being placed in chains. How could I possibly face them without first proving myself worthy?"',
			'Koak turned away from Anli, looking north across the sea, in the direction of the Eastern Kingdoms. "I am Dragonmaw in name but not in action. By taming my serpent our way, I can change that, and I can once again be with my people."\n\n"I see," Anli murmured. They had reached the end of the bridge and the ornate shrine that sat atop the farthest and tallest of the spires. Behind them lay a breathtaking vista of the Pandaren coastline and the bridge\'s winding path over the open sky and water, the golden pagodas of the Temple of the Jade Serpent hazy in the misty distance.\n\nKoak did his best to avert his eyes from the edge of the spire and the long and fatal fall to the sea. His best was not good enough, though he did manage to mask the fear that took root within him.\n\n"The Order of the Cloud Serpent," Anli began as she stared out at the ocean, "was founded thousands of years ago by Jiang, a young girl from Dawn\'s Blossom. She came across an injured hatchling, named him Lo, and nursed him back to health.\n\n"Back then, the citizens of Pandaria feared cloud serpents. They were seen as violent and aggressive creatures, and even to approach one was to flirt with danger. Everyone thought that Jiang\'s actions would lead to disaster."\n\n"Taming a monster is no task for a little girl," Koak grunted.\n\n"Ah, but they were wrong," Anli continued. "When the Zandalari attacked the Pandaren Empire, and our armies were fighting a losing battle on a bridge much like this one, Jiang rode in on Lo\'s back and turned the tide of the entire war. Together, Jiang and Lo struck the batriders from the sky and plucked the trolls from the bridge. Jiang founded the order shortly thereafter, and the sight of a cloud serpent has filled the pandaren with hope ever since."\n\nKoak scoffed. "So now you all follow her example? These serpents are born to hunt and kill. You cannot change the nature of a beast through compassion, no more than you can change the nature of war."',
			'"It is not a question of change, Koak, but of choice." Anli turned to face him. "Cloud serpents are wild and tempestuous by nature and, if mistreated, may still grow to be that way as adults. But a cloud serpent is not bound by its nature, no more than you or I. Jiang didn\'t force Lo to fight; Lo chose to fight, because Jiangchose to trust him and treat him with compassion. That is why we follow her example. We all choose who we will be."\n\nKoak remained silent for a long moment. Could such a thing really be true? Could a rider, with life and limb on the line, release his reins and trust his mount to do his bidding? It seemed like madness.\n\n"An interesting sentiment," he said at last, "but I still say that chains are more effective than choices."\n\n"Is that so?" Anli pondered quietly.\n\nShe stepped backward and plunged off the edge of the spire.\n\n"NO!" Koak bellowed. He sprang forward, the pain in his leg momentarily forgotten. But he was too late. Anli was gone, and all that was left of her was the sound of her laughter dancing on the wind. That confused Koak; Anli hadn\'t been laughing when she fell.\n\nBut she was laughing now. From beneath the bridge\'s closest arch she emerged on the back of her onyx cloud serpent. It rose before Koak, swaying and billowing like liquid smoke.\n\n"Are you insane?!" Koak exclaimed. "What if your serpent had allowed you to fall?"\n\n"Do you know the difference between steel and iron?" she asked him calmly.\n\nKoak faltered. She is insane, he thought.\n\n"Steel is stronger," he answered. "Any competent warrior knows that."\n\nThe corners of Anli\'s mouth curled into an enigmatic smile. "So it is."\n\nShe touched the side of her serpent\'s neck, and it twisted away in the direction of the distant coastline. "I trust you can find your way, Koak!" she called over her shoulder, darting toward the Jade Forest as quickly as she had reappeared. "Jade Serpent guide you!"\n\nKoak watched them go, leaning heavily on his crutch at the end of the bridge, the wind in his hair and much on his mind.',
			'"I did not agree to this!" Koak shouted. "You have deliberately misled me!"\n\n"What are you talking about?" asked Ace. "Anli said you agreed to be trained in our ways!"\n\nAce Longpaw was unlike the other disciples of the order. While the others espoused humility in their simple attire and good sportsmanship, Ace chose to adorn himself in fine silken shirts and gaudy jewelry. He kept his moustache waxed and his hair expertly coifed, and never missed a chance to boast about his prowess both in the sky and with the fairer sex. Koak found his boisterous nature more than a little obnoxious—particularly because the order seemed to think they were so much alike. Still, he was the one Anli had selected as Koak\'s personal tutor, and after weeks of playing nursemaid to the hatchling, Koak was eager to begin the real training.\n\nThis, however, was not what he had in mind.\n\n"I agreed to training," Koak argued. He reached into the bag that Ace had brought with them and pulled from it one of a dozen leather balls. "But this is a child\'s game!"\n\n"Then it should be perfect for the both of you," Ace retorted with an insufferable grin. "All riders in the order play catch with their serpents," he explained. "It teaches you to read each other\'s moves and instills in serpent and rider a vital give-and-take relationship. It\'s an important lesson!"\n\n"That\'s foolish," Koak sneered. "In the heat of battle, a single moment of deliberation can lead to death. There must be a master, and there must be a servant. There is no room for \'give-and-take.\'"\n\n"Come on, Koak," Ace sighed. "Just give it a try, will you?"',
			'Koak scowled and looked from the ball to his hatchling. He had nothing to lose now that Ace had dragged him out here, to an open field an hour\'s walk away from the rest of the order. Whistling to catch the serpent\'s attention, he lobbed the ball in its direction. The hatchling sighted it and then bumped it toward Koak with a bob of its head.\n\n"See," Ace chimed in as Koak caught the return, "that wasn\'t so bad, was it?" He turned toward the order\'s grounds. "Now do it twenty-five more times—in a row, mind you—and I\'ll meet you back home."\n\n"Twenty-five?" Koak hissed. But Ace was already walking away, leaving Koak with a bag of leather balls and a hatchling that had a history of making his days difficult.\n\n"Let\'s get this over with," Koak groused. He tossed the ball to the hatchling again. The serpent spun around in a tight circle, slapping the ball with the side of its tail. The return came back wide, far too wide for Koak to reach it, and his aching leg gave out under his weight when he tried. Pulling himself to his feet by way of his crutch, he looked across the field to the hatchling and could swear he saw it smirking.\n\nThat little... Koak thought. It did that on purpose!\n\n"You have made a grave mistake," Koak said ominously. He pulled another ball from the bag as the hatchling kept a close watch over him. He held the ball low, hiding it behind his hip.\n\n"Now," he said with a growl, "let\'s play a game, you and I."\n\nKoak tensed his arm and then shot the ball at the hatchling hard and fast. Its eyes widened and it jerked out of the way just as the ball struck the ground with a loud thump and an exploding cloud of dirt. The hatchling screeched at him, and Koak laughed.',
			'"That\'s what I thought!" Koak shouted. "Maybe next time you should think more carefully—"\n\nThe hatchling hooked its tail around the ball and sent it straight at Koak\'s chest with the speed of a bullet. It struck him with a resounding thud, knocking him off his feet and filling his vision with a plethora of vibrant, flashing colors as the air was forced from his lungs.\n\nHow in the world, Koak thought as he gasped for breath, can anything that small be that strong?\n\nAs he rose again to his feet, ball in hand and stars fading from his sight, Koak glared downfield. The serpent responded in kind, and Koak knew that it understood. The battle was about to begin.\n\nKoak threw the ball with as much force as he could marshal. The hatchling whipped around and met the volley with its own show of strength, sending the ball rocketing back toward him. Koak caught it just before the point of impact, the clapping of the leather against his palm reverberating across the grass. Then he sent it hurtling at the hatchling, and the cycle began anew.\n\nIn time, both Koak and the hatchling grew tired, and ferocity gave way to fatigue. Their attempts at ballistic retaliation degenerated into half-hearted lobs and feeble tosses, and when the sun had set and the moons had risen in its place, the two of them were simply catching and returning each other\'s throws. Nevertheless, the hatchling appeared to be enjoying itself and seemed genuinely disappointed when Koak finally decided to hold the ball instead of throwing it again.\n\n"Enough now," Koak said. He made his way to the ball that had started their skirmish, the one that the hatchling had shot too wide for him to catch. "It\'s time we had something to eat."\n\nAs he knelt to retrieve the ball, he heard a shuffling sound behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the hatchling dragging the bag across the dirt toward him, the burlap between its teeth, struggling against exhaustion. When it reached him, the hatchling pulled back the lip of the bag to hold it open.\n\nThe act took Koak by surprise. "Thank you," he said quietly.\n\nKoak dropped the ball into the bag and closed it. The hatchling curled its body around his arm and shut its eyes. A moment later it was asleep, trailing wisps of vapor puffing peacefully from its nostrils. Koak watched it silently for a short while before hefting the bag over his shoulder and starting back toward the order.',
			'Days became weeks, and weeks became months. The seasons in Pandaria were mild in their differences, and Koak lost track of how long he had been with the order. His serpent had grown quickly and was now easily ten times the size it had been when it first hatched. A crown of ivory horns, long and sharp, had sprouted from its scalp; its face, once smooth and round, had become ferociously contoured and angular, flowing whiskers drooping downward from just above its deadly teeth. Its infinitesimal claws had developed into razor-sharp talons capable of rending a suit of armor into ribbons. A broad and spiny fin decorated its elongated neck, which was draped with a full and thick mane, and its ruby scales had deepened into a shadowy scarlet.\n\nKoak had watched as it matured, day by day, and for a time had grown accustomed to the idyllic pace of life within the Arboretum. But his wounds had long since mended, and he was becoming increasingly restless. The war raged on without him, and news of battle had trickled its way across Pandaria to fall upon his ears. The Horde had strengthened its position on the shores of the Krasarang Wilds, and Hellscream\'s agents were scouring the continent for buried relics of ancient power, going so far as to tear a hole into the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. Vol\'jin and the Darkspears had risen up in open rebellion against the warchief, and the Horde was splintering as its warriors chose one side or the other.\n\nKoak knew where the Dragonmaw would stand. Warlord Zaela vocally admired Garrosh\'s style of leadership; the Dragonmaw were just as intolerant of insubordination as he was. They would fly for Hellscream, and there was no better chance for Koak to prove his strength to them. He could wait no longer; the time had come for him to ride. Even if it meant fighting against the very same orcs who had watched over him in the internment camps and told him stories of his lost clan when he had no one else. The Dragonmaw do not forgive disobedience, Koak told himself, and neither should I.',
			'"I\'m not sure this is a good idea," Ace warned him. "If you ask me, neither you nor your serpent is ready."\n\n"By now, a true Dragonmaw orc would be racing his fellow riders across the sky," Koak replied. He held a saddle in his hand and was striding toward the hill that marked the end of the order\'s racecourse.\n\n"Oh, ho!" Ace chortled. "I didn\'t know the Dragonmaw like to race! Tell you what: you manage to ride your serpent, and I\'ll owe you a match."\n\n"Deal," Koak agreed. He had to admit that for all his bluster and bravado, Ace was occasionally good company.\n\nWith some effort, Koak crested the hill. His leg still ached when supporting his full weight, and the slope was not an easy one to climb. He wondered sullenly how Ka Saltboil managed to haul his carts to the top of the hill each day.\n\nKoak caught sight of his serpent lounging nonchalantly in the shade of a tree. Crowded into the stands by the finish line, and standing around the periphery of the hill, were all of the order\'s students and riders.\n\nKoak shot a look at Ace, who shrugged in fake innocence. "I may have told a few of the others that you\'d try to saddle the serpent," he confessed sheepishly.\n\n"No matter," Koak mumbled. There were so many of them, watching him, judging him. "This will be short and uneventful."\n\nIgnoring the onlookers, Koak approached the serpent. It raised its head as it noticed him and narrowed its gaze into a suspicious squint when it saw the saddle. The serpent had grown in every other way, but the deep cerulean of its eyes had remained the same.',
			'Koak made to swing the saddle over the serpent\'s back, but it slithered to the side. "Be still," Koak said. He tried again; the serpent caught the saddle with its tail and flicked it away. The beast clicked its tongue at him, and Koak began to grow angry. He thought he could hear the pandaren in attendance whispering to each other and giggling at the expense of his pride.\n\n"No more games," Koak snarled. "This is what we\'ve been training for!"\n\nHe lifted the saddle off the ground and threw it over the serpent\'s back yet again, reaching out to hold the beast still. It whined loudly and moved away, pulling Koak off balance. He redoubled his efforts, wrapping his arm halfway around the serpent\'s circumference as he tried to buckle the saddle\'s straps.\n\nThe serpent was having none of it. It thrashed wildly against him, vigorous and agitated, slamming its tail into the tree and nearly uprooting it. Koak fought to gain control, but the serpent was limber and strong.\n\n"Hold still!" he commanded, slapping his hand against the serpent\'s firm back. "I said hold still!"\n\nA collective gasp arose from the crowd as the situation escalated. "Koak, maybe you should take it easy!" he heard Ace shout above the clamor.\n\nBut Koak and the serpent continued to wrestle, smashing each other against the tree and tumbling into the stands. The onlookers quickly evacuated, retreating to the far edge of the hill. Try as he might, Koak could not reach the serpent\'s back, and with a final flail, he was flung violently into one of the posts holding the checkered banner of the finish line. The pole splintered and cracked upon impact, then came crashing down with the ropes and flag streaming behind it, but Koak\'s mind was on his recently healed leg, which had been under him when he fell.',
			'Pain lanced through him, and Koak felt hot blood rushing to his cheeks and clouding the edges of his vision with a haze of red. How dare the creature defy him! After all he had done, after all the training and capitulation! He grabbed a fallen rope and brought it to bear, swinging its length overhead with a snap and cracking it like a whip inches from the serpent\'s face.\n\n"OBEY ME!" he bellowed.\n\nHis words echoed in the stunned silence. The serpent, shocked into stillness by the outburst, cowered before him. Good! Koak thought. Learn to fear me! Learn your place! LEARN TO OBEY! Koak beat the air with the length of rope again, and the serpent shrank away from him as he approached. Koak was livid, his heart pounding loud and heavy in his ears.\n\nHe heaved the saddle over the serpent\'s back and made to tighten the straps. The serpent yowled in protest and struggled against him.\n\n"You will obey!" Koak snarled. He lashed out with the whip, this time making contact with the serpent\'s scales. The creature shrieked in pain, its anguish naked and terrible, echoing across the Arboretum.\n\nIt will hate me.',
			'Koak pushed the thought aside. Of course the serpent would hate him. That was only natural, and Koak didn\'t care. It would hate him as the dragons had hated the Dragonmaw, and as he had grown to hate Hellscream. It would hate him as any slave hated his master. Koak grabbed the serpent\'s horns and yanked its head around, prepared to meet its hatred head-on and deflect it with a hardened heart.\n\nBut when he looked into its eyes, Koak did not see hatred. He saw betrayal, and confusion, and a sorrow so deep that Koak could drown in it. He saw not a terrible monster to be tamed but the frightened and orphaned hatchling that had cried itself hoarse on the night its mother had sacrificed her life to save it. He thought he saw tears in the serpent\'s eyes; it was a moment before he realized they were his own. The rope slipped from between his fingers as his rage died in his throat.\n\nBy the ancestors, what had he done?\n\n"I did not..." he stammered. "That was not..."\n\nThe serpent cut him off with a terrible roar that shook Koak to his core. It drew a deep breath, its chest and throat expanding, and then let it out with the full fury of a storm. Koak ducked out of the way as the lightning rolled over his head, singeing his hair as it stood on end. The serpent spiraled up into the air and looked down upon him.',
			'Koak didn\'t know what to say or think. He watched in silence as the saddle slipped off the serpent\'s back and came crashing to the ground, breaking and splintering into a hundred different pieces.\n\nThe serpent turned away and skulked out across the sea. Koak rose shakily to his feet. The crowd had seen it all. His shame was sudden and complete, and his anger did its best to eclipse it.\n\n"What did you expect?" he asked them. "What did you expect?! I am a Dragonmaw orc! This is our way! This is who I am!"\n\nAs he looked out over the crowd, he caught a glimpse of graying hair and youthful eyes. Anli stood quietly among the spectators, those bright eyes now filled with sadness.\n\nWe all choose who we will be.\n\nThe pandaren left him then, and not a word was spoken. They trudged down the hill in silence, Koak\'s failure shrouding the finish line like a pall. Ace hung back for a moment, but Anli placed a paw on his shoulder and shook her head. Then they too were gone, and Koak was alone.\n\nHe turned toward the sea, in the direction to which the serpent had fled. He knew where it was headed, because he knew from his own tortured experiences that there was one place where all creatures went when their worlds had crumbled and their hearts had shattered.\n\nHis serpent was going home.',
			'A sudden squall had darkened the skies of the Jade Forest and sent sheets of rain pounding into the sea. Night had fallen in the hours since the serpent had left him, and Koak fought to control his shivering body as the rainfall soaked through his clothes. He had found the raft where he had hidden it months before, left miraculously untouched by enterprising thieves and the elements. Koak had never paid much homage to those elements, and as the raft reached the island\'s coast, he wondered whether they had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to punish him for his insolence.\n\nBeset by the forces of wind and water, Koak took his old crutch in hand and trudged across the muddy beach toward solid ground, tracing his own footsteps from the fateful night he had found the egg. A short time later, he came upon the site where he knew he would find the serpent.\n\nThe nest of stone was shattered and broken, as it had been the night Koak had stumbled across it, though no trace remained of the serpent\'s mother. Koak\'s serpent sat coiled at the nest\'s center, its mane drooping with the weight of rainwater. When it saw Koak approach, it hissed at him and retreated to the rear of the nest. The sight broke Koak\'s heart and filled him with renewed shame.\n\n"I have not come to harm you!" Koak shouted over the sound of the pouring rain, and he meant it. He held his arms out at his sides as he slowly made his way to the nest.\n\nThe serpent wailed at him and rose into the air. It swooped past him, landing on an outcropping high above, and continued to watch him with obvious suspicion. Koak threw his arms up in exasperation, sending droplets of rain spraying around him.',
			'"Even now?" he huffed. "Even when I come to you, my pride discarded, to plead for your forgiveness? Even now you resist?" He plopped down on the opposite side of the nest as his crutch fell, clattering against the rocks. "Why must you always be so willful? You answer every command with defiance, simply because you can. Even now, when I have braved this wretched storm in search of you! A true Dragonmaw orc would never tolerate this! A true Dragonmaw..." But he trailed off, his fervor doused by the downpour and his own insurmountable doubt.\n\n"A true Dragonmaw," he croaked. "As if I knew anything about that. I am no \'Dragonmaw orc.\' And I never will be."\n\nHe said it barely louder than a whisper, and it hung onerously between them in the falling rain. Koak suddenly felt very tired. The skin of his soaked hands had pruned, and his hair was matted flat against his head. He sighed heavily, breathing a lifetime of anguish into the cold night air, and closed his eyes as the rain ran down his brow and beard.\n\n"I grew up in an internment camp," Koak said into the silence, "but I was born in Grim Batol. My father used to tell me that I would one day ride on the back of a great dragon—that the Dragonmaw would rule the skies, and the rest of the world would soon follow."\n\nHe swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "That was before those same dragons rose up and burned the clan alive. We lost control, and we were too weak to regain it.\n\n"The humans found me afterward and placed me in chains, because I lacked the strength to escape with the rest of my clan. My slavery did not end until Thrall brought the camp\'s walls crashing down, just as the red dragonflight had done to the Dragonmaw. That is the way of the world, you see. With strength comes freedom; with weakness comes servitude.',
			'"Now the Dragonmaw belong to Hellscream," he said, and the admission crushed his heart. "They depend on him for vital resources and military support. To defy him is to be destroyed. You cannot see the chains, but they are there nonetheless. Until they too are broken, we are Hellscream\'s to command. And after all these years, I am still searching for one thing: the strength to regain control."\n\nKoak took a slow, deep breath and exhaled until his lungs burned for air. He looked to the skies, to the storm clouds, and into the falling rain. He was crying now, the tears coming forth as freely as the night his clan was destroyed, and a part of him wanted to believe that their spirits were weeping with him.\n\nHe heard a scratching sound above him and saw the serpent crawling down the face of the spire to meet him. It came to rest at his side, coiling around itself in protection against the wind and rain. Koak reached over, cautiously, to place his hand on the serpent\'s head and gently stroke its mane. The serpent tensed for the briefest moment, then relaxed.\n\nThey sat quietly together, waiting for the storm to pass as they had done for the first five days of the serpent\'s life. When the rain had stopped and the wind had died and Koak could see the reflection of the moons on the surface of the sea, the serpent was slumbering peacefully, small puffs of smoke rising from its nostrils.\n\nKoak wrapped his arm around the serpent, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.',
			'Koak had always appreciated the morning after a night of heavy showers. He found solace in the crisp air and sparkling foliage that followed a downpour, in the way the land was refreshed and renewed. He awoke to gray skies and the scent of rain, and the early morning fog was so thick it seemed the entire world was shrouded within a cloud. Koak was surprised, but unfazed, when Elder Anli emerged from the mists like a ghost in a dream.\n\n"It was simple enough to find you," the old pandaren explained. She started on a narrow, winding path up the side of the spire and beckoned for them to follow. Both Koak and the serpent did so, though Koak suspected the serpent only came because of Anli.\n\n"Most serpents make their home on Windward Isle," Anli continued, "but some of them—the headstrong few who prize their independence and solitude—roost on the lone spires surrounding the island."\n\n"And you thought my serpent must take after its mother," said Koak.\n\nAnli smiled. "Or perhaps its rider."\n\nKoak immediately felt chagrined. "I am not its rider. That has been made unmistakably clear."\n\n"So why pursue it all this way?" she asked.\n\nKoak looked to the sky, remembering the Alliance gunship that had shot him down and the search party that never came. "Hellscream abandoned me on this island," he answered. "I will not do the same to my serpent."\n\n"You seem to dislike this Hellscream fellow," Anli observed.',
			'Koak thought at length about how to respond. "The Horde is his army," he said at last, "but we are not his people." It was treason to say so, but only Anli was there to hear him. "Garrosh demands loyalty, but to him that just means dying at his command. He doesn\'t know what loyalty is. Thrall inspired loyalty. What Garrosh wants is obedience."\n\nAnli nodded in understanding. "The two are not always the same."\n\nKoak glanced at his serpent. "No," he conceded, "I suppose they are not."\n\nThey continued in silence, and in time they reached the summit of the spire. The mountainous peaks and verdant coastline he had espied from the top of the Windspire Bridge long ago were obscured by the oceanic fog. A light drizzle had begun to fall, its droplets as cool as mist on Koak\'s shoulders and chest.\n\n"When you first came to us," said Anli, "it was because you heard that we were great warriors. And when you saw how we treated our serpents with affection, you thought the tales were false.\n\n"And yet when I asked you the difference between steel and iron," she continued, "you told me that steel was the stronger of the two."\n\n"Yes, I remember," Koak responded, slightly confused. "What is your point?"\n\nAnli strolled to the edge of the spire, peering into the impenetrable mists. "You balk at the act of caring, Koak, but the strongest steel is forged through love. A smith folds it with the utmost care, hundreds upon hundreds of times. Such is the Order of the Cloud Serpent. We are the smiths, and the serpents are our steel."\n\nAnli gestured for him to join her. As he came up to her side, she placed a paw on his chest and looked him in the eye.\n\n"But with iron," she said to him, "a smith heats and hammers the metal, forcing it into the shape he or she wants it to be. When it cools, it becomes blackened and brittle. And though it may seem strong for a time, it will break when you need it the most. Do you understand, Koak?"\n\nIt hurt him to hear it, but Koak knew it was the truth. Such were the Dragonmaw, and their bitter bond between orc and dragon. "I do understand," he said as he glanced at the serpent, lounging silently behind them, "but what happens when the smith makes a mistake?"\n\n"Then he must correct it," she replied, "while the metal is still hot."',
			'Anli stepped off the edge of the spire. Koak made no movement toward her and was unsurprised when she reemerged on the back of her serpent. "You told me once that chains are more effective than choices. Well, you\'ve tried putting your serpent in chains. Perhaps it\'s time you tried giving it a choice."\n\nKoak watched as Anli flew away, wondering if he would ever do the same. She disappeared into the mists, and Koak was left alone with his serpent. The fog coalesced around him, blinding him to the rest of the world, but he knew that a foot in front of him, the ground fell away into a perilous drop just like the one that haunted his dreams. He felt as though he had been falling all his life. And he was done with it. Anli wanted him to give his serpent a choice? Then he would give it one hell of a choice.\n\n"Serpent," Koak called. It occurred to him that he still hadn\'t given it a name. The serpent looked up and met his eyes. It saw what he intended to do, and it began to open its mouth in protest. He did not give it the chance.\n\nKoak stepped off the edge of the spire and into oblivion.\n\nIn an instant he was plummeting headlong through cloud and fog toward the invisible beach below, his nightmare transformed into frightening reality. My serpent will not save me, Koak thought suddenly. This is how I die.\n\nHe heard a familiar screech from above and looked up to see a long and twisting shadow diving toward him. His serpent emerged from the mists and raced to his side. It had made its choice.\n\nKoak had never been happier to be so wrong. But as the serpent approached, he realized with a sense of doom that there was no saddle or reins with which he could gain purchase on its scaly skin. Panic sunk its claws deep into Koak\'s heart. He reached desperately for the serpent, frantically grasping at it.\n\nThe serpent roared and craned its neck, meeting his gaze and holding it. When Koak looked into its eyes, he expected to see fear or doubt or despair. But he did not.\n\nWhat he saw was strength.',
			'Koak relaxed his grip and relinquished control. The serpent quickly swooped below him and caught him squarely upon a bend in its back. Koak instinctually read its movements and wrapped his arms around its body at the moment of impact, as the serpent had wrapped its body around his arm so many times in its youth.\n\nWith a roar that shook the heavens and echoed across the sea, the serpent pulled straight up with all of its might. Koak felt a spray of water on his face as they skimmed against the waves, and then they were climbing skyward as the fog lifted like a velvet curtain, the ocean and the coast and then the spires and the bridge and then all of the Jade Forest falling away and shrinking below them. Koak laughed, half in elation and half in disbelief.\n\nHis serpent had not allowed him to fall.\n\n"Thank you," Koak called as he smiled at it. The serpent looked back at him, and Koak could swear he saw it smirking.\n\nThey broke through the clouds and into the brilliant light of the sun. The serpent pulled into a loop, and even without reins or a saddle, Koak remained astride it. He held on tight as they soared across the sky, free and strong and as fast as lightning. The serpent\'s scales caught a beam of sunlight and shone brightly like polished metal.\n\n"Steel," Koak said without thinking. The serpent craned its neck to look at him again. "Your name is Steel."\n\nThe serpent roared in hearty approval. They dove under the clouds with blinding speed, Koak whooping and hollering into the wind. Koak was flying—no, they were flying, together, forged as one. It was like nothing Koak had ever imagined, and it was everything he had always hoped it would be.\n\nSteel carried him from the eastern coast, and as they passed over the Arboretum, Koak saw the Order of the Cloud Serpent\'s members assembled by their open pens, waving to him with broad smiles on their faces. Ace was raising his paw high into the air as if Koak\'s triumph was his own, and Anli was beaming with a teacher\'s pride.',
			'"You owe me a race, Koak!" Ace called up to him.\n\nKoak laughed. "And you\'ll get it!" he shouted. "But first there is something I must do!"\n\nSteel continued onward, over the treetops of the Arboretum and the roofs of Dawn\'s Blossom, toward the Vale of Eternal Blossoms and the Shrine of Two Moons. Koak had come to a decision of his own. His people needed him—not the Dragonmaw, but the Horde.\n\nThe Order of the Cloud Serpent had taught Koak a valuable lesson. True loyalty can never be enforced; it can only be earned. He had raised and nurtured his serpent, cared for and confided in it, and in return it had saved his life. The Horde had done the same for him: they had taken him in and given him a family when he was orphaned and alone, and now Koak would stand beside them against Hellscream and the Dragonmaw alike.\n\nDoing so would forever mark Koak as an outcast from his clan. But the Horde was born of outcasts and rebels, homeless refugees with no one to depend on but each other. Together, they had built a home for themselves: Orgrimmar.\n\nTogether, they would take it back.\n\n"For the Horde!" Koak exclaimed. He remembered now the meaning of those words. To fight for the Horde was to fight for one\'s brothers and sisters, to fold the strength of one into the strength of many and create a bond that could never be broken.\n\nThat was the true strength of the Horde—the strength of steel.',
		},
		["author"] = "Raphael Ahad",
		["icon"] = "Interface/ICONS/inv_pandarenserpentpet",
		["expansion"] = 4,
	},

	["over-water"] = {
		["nameRealm"] = "Over Water",
		["text"] = {
			'No matter how many times you do it, it\'s never any easier. Every day, wearing the same muddy clothes. Waiting for hours for a bunch of them to charge you, growling like wolves the whole time. Swinging your sword until you can\'t feel your shoulders anymore. Just as scared you\'re going to cut yourself or one of your own guys as you are to feel a knife in your spine. Ending up with blood and sweat all over you and not knowing who it belongs to, and going back to whatever hole you\'ve dug to sleep in, and trying to figure out who\'s dead and who\'s alive. Then somebody shakes you awake, and you do it again. Sometimes you have to march first.\n\nThe kid had looked back at Tarlo with the dumbest gawp. Someone had probably convinced him that the war was over and the Alliance had won.\n\nSure, they were better off than the other side. Orgrimmar breached, the chief orc in irons, the Horde down and licking their wounds.\n\nSo what? Pandaria had been ravaged, to exactly no one\'s surprise. Now that their local menaces had been run off, the natives were quick to spout gratitude, but Tarlo knew they were only being polite. There was no way to have armies fight in your home without hating the people who started it.\n\nAnd the Horde wasn\'t destroyed, just routed. There was a new warchief now, and there\'d be a new war once he got settled in. Whoever thought a cannibal troll would lead the Horde to an era of peace and understanding hadn\'t seen much of the Zandalari.\n\nYeah, they\'d won.',
			'Tarlo Mondan had been at the Pandaren campaign from the first call for volunteers, and he\'d been in plenty more battles before that. Orcs, moldering undead, twisted horn-heads that wore human skulls—he\'d fought them all and lived.\n\nWhat\'d he gotten out of it? Enough scars to make him shave his scalp? Some pillage put away in a bank? No children, no wife, no home he built himself, no paintings on the wall. Not much to go out on. They were sailing home on the Patron\'s Pride, but it could have been any other fat ship full of loot and new recruits. They\'d stand in the first clean uniforms they\'d worn in months, get cheap medals around their necks, and then do… what? Wait for the next call to arms?\n\nBetter the kid figure it out now. Sooner was better than later, alone with some brain-dead Horde ox barreling down on him. At least he could quit while he was young.\n\nOf course, the kid never did. He had that same idiot\'s gawp on his face when the third big wave of the night belched over the deck of their ship.\n\nIt knocked Tarlo to his knees. White, foamy water washed over everything, got in his mouth, and stung his busted gums, but he squinted and focused on the kid.\n\nThe sail was flipping, near ripped in half. Men were yelling to be heard over the din, screaming, picking themselves up. The Patron\'s Pride was lurching, and Tarlo\'s stomach seized up in his guts and stayed there while he ran for the kid.',
			'Tarlo was halfway across the deck when he realized why the kid\'s face hadn\'t changed: he was slumped up against the side of the ship, little ocean washes pushing him back and forth. Tan, waterlogged wood splinters were all over his clothes, pooling in the water around him. His formerly blue tunic had been bled through and was sickly purple. Probably a cannon had slid over and crushed him. Maybe a spar had cracked his skull. Maybe—\n\nWhile Tarlo was speculating, another wave turned the ship sideways. His feet left the ground, and he was ripped off the deck. He saw seawater everywhere under him for an instant. Just a few hours ago, he\'d been pissing in it.\n\nTarlo smashed into the ocean back-first, the air already halfway out of his lungs, the churning of the water tugging his limbs left and right like doll parts. Sinking him.\n\nNo.\n\nIt was piercingly cold, like being hit with a spear out of nowhere. His fingers curled involuntarily. It hurt to open his eyes.\n\nNo.\n\nDown. His body spun over and over. The water was punching him everywhere at once. His arms and legs flailed out.',
			'Tarlo was being pulled farther under, it felt like. He was painfully aware of his lungs throbbing, trying to expand. They would pop, and water would come flooding in. There was no knowing when. He bit his lips closed, thrashed, was wreathed in his own bubbles.\n\nHis lungs burned hotter, harder. The veins in his neck pulsed, tensed like rigging.\n\nHis chest was giving in. His body was a puppet. Maybe his legs had been broken; they were hardly moving.\n\nEverything seemed heavy. Was he drowning? How terribly appropriate that he\'d die here, after surviving a dozen battles, a few seconds from his ship.\n\nHe had to open his mouth. Something hit him hard out of nowhere, and his mouth opened itself.\n\nHe sucked in brine and hot salt. Because of the pain, it just felt right to breathe back in. He hated himself even as he was doing it.\n\nAir. He snorted air and water and snot, and Tarlo realized that his head was above the surface. He was breathing. His back and sides were on fire, and his arms were sore, but he saw straight for the first time in an eternity, and there was light gleaming from the twin moons up above. Tarlo bobbed against something behind him. Rocks. Sharp. He pushed against them with his legs and gasped in another breath.\n\nTarlo coughed red, salt bile into his mouth. It hurt—a good sign. He was alive.\n\nIn the distance, he could see the Patron\'s Pride, beaten, sails wrapping, shakily drifting away. He wouldn\'t expect them to come back in this storm. He wouldn\'t have come back. Better one man overboard than a hundred.',
			'The water was freezing. At first, the waves had nudged him painfully against the rocks, but they clearly wanted to lift him up and smash him down. Tarlo tried not to think about his back and failed. Hopefully it was just a strain. He didn\'t even want to reach his arms around to touch it.\n\nChurning water was rising up everywhere around him. How long did he have? He looked up again, glanced around for the Patron\'s Pride, and saw a tiny hump of a wave growing in the distance. It probably wouldn\'t be as big as the one that had set a ship of the Alliance to chaos, but it was big enough to do for him alone.\n\nTarlo sucked in his breath and shivered. The waves kept coming. If it wasn\'t this one, it\'d be the next. His breathing was ragged.\n\nAs the nearest wave slunk down, preparing to rear again, he noticed something climbing its crest. Wreckage? It looked like a long plank.\n\nIf he could reach it after the wave bottomed, maybe...\n\nThe wave crashed down, and he was pelted with spray and pressed backward again. Tarlo wanted to scream as the rocks scraped his back, but he shoved against them. He felt as though he was barely moving, but he was somehow getting closer to the plank, to his salvation. How was it still above water after that last crash?',
			'He realized then that the plank was coming toward him. He could see it sharply in the moonslight as it punched through a rising wave, landing square in the middle of his sight. It was getting bigger. Closer. A ship?\n\nA craft, at any rate. Tarlo watched as the speck of plank in his vision became a long wooden skiff with nets trailing alongside it.\n\nThe pilots of the boat were big, thick-necked. They hunched forward, and oars, tiny like batons in their fists, flashed again and again into the water.\n\nOrcs. There were three, Tarlo understood as they got closer. He wished he had his sword.\n\nAn ocean surge smashed the craft on its right side, and the three forms deftly switched positions, standing up straight and pounding their oars into the sea like spear butts to try to keep their boat from listing. Tarlo held his chattering teeth and breath, and pondered. Better to freeze to death, or drown, or be captured by...',
			'No, not orcs. Their faces and hands were covered in fur, and they were soaked entirely through it. Even their eyes looked sodden. They\'d wrapped gray-and-brown cloaks double around themselves, resembling bundles of wet rags, and their shaggy-furred paws clung to the side of their boat.\n\nPandaren?\n\nOne huge figure had its wide mouth open, but it did not appear to be saying anything. Just... shouting. A wave surged behind the boat, and it was pulled backward, its aft lifted treacherously upward. The shouting figure raised one paw, making a sign as the craft was sucked out of control. Its mouth did not close.\n\nWas it... cheering?\n\nThe pandaren skiff rode the top of the wave for a few seconds before it slapped down, and Tarlo was staring at the craft not fifteen feet away. The three sailors were completely drenched, but the big one held out a meaty paw, pointing at Tarlo. Its mouth was still open. Behind the boat, another wave grew, soon to seek the rocks.\n\nTarlo kicked his legs and swam for his life.',
			'He was shivering and retching as the three figures heaved him into the boat, but Tarlo choked down the salt spew when they started moving. Against the rising waves, the pandaren were a force.\n\nThey shouted inarticulately, two quick hollers and then one, chanting as a wave rose and cheering when they came out of it no more than soaked, slapping each other on the back and yelling as if they hadn\'t been moments away from dying. Every time the ship went through a wall of water, Tarlo knew he\'d be in the ocean any second... and then the chants would resume, and the boat would leap against the waves. Water roiled everywhere as though giant unseen hands were smacking the ocean, and still the pandaren continued on. Then there were no more waves; there was only cheering.\n\nTarlo had stopped counting the swells that almost flipped their boat and had just let himself lie on his back. It didn\'t feel as if he\'d broken anything bad. Maybe cracked a rib? His side was tender, but sitting hurt less than he\'d thought it would, so he huddled into the extra cloak the pandaren had wrapped around him. The sky was no less grim, the rain was pounding, and their tiny boat shifted precariously almost without warning, but the waves were... calmer. He couldn\'t see the Patron\'s Pride anywhere, but far in the distance, he saw rocky, dark juts of cliffsides, probably the ones the men on board had expected to round before the storm.',
			'Looking around the boat, Tarlo felt as though he\'d just woken up. He was safe. Safer. "You... thanks," he mumbled.\n\nOne of the pandaren, the big one who hadn\'t stopped yelling, did stop long enough to grunt assent. Another—small and stocky, with a thick jaw—scooped water out of the boat\'s belly with a mug. The third, with its hood up over its ears, worked two oars with an alternating twirl, its back propped up against what looked to be a beer keg half the size of a man. The pandaren didn\'t turn or cease rowing as it spoke, and its words were barely audible over the ceaseless rain.\n\n"You are... Alliance?" Accented Common. Husky, grating voice. A male?\n\n"Yeah." Tarlo paused. "Where are we... where are you taking this boat?"\n\nThe boat coasted for a second as the pandaren stopped rowing. He turned to look at Tarlo, golden eyes bright under his hood, like a startled animal. His flimsy beard, two long furry whiskers, twitched.\n\n"Fishing."\n\nTarlo was as dry as he was going to get: not at all. He pulled another blanket over his head as the oars were put up and the pandaren idled about, letting their boat get tossed by the waves.\n\nThe cliffs were even farther away. Tarlo could barely see them. He couldn\'t imagine where the Patron\'s Pridemight be, if it wasn\'t a wreck. Lightning popped in the sky.',
			'The pandaren were busy chattering, wrangling lines, checking nets for holes, applying bait to hooks. The big yelling one had unstoppered the keg and was filling mugs two at a time.\n\n"Look, I\'m grateful," he said to the big pandaren, "but could you let me off near those cliffs we passed?"\n\n"Cousin Shi Ga is preparing his cast. Would you like a drink?"\n\nHer—her—voice was surprisingly soft. Tarlo almost couldn\'t believe that what he was hearing came out of the same bellowing maw he\'d heard earlier.\n\nHe found himself accepting a foamy mug of ale pressed into his hands. His teeth chattered around a few gulps. It was warm... but not in a bad way.\n\n"Uh, thanks. Tarlo," he said, pointing at himself.\n\n"I am Mei Pa. It is good to share a drink with you, Tarlo. This is my brother, Kuo." Her open palm gestured toward the stocky pandaren with the big face.\n\nKuo, who had his brawny paw looped through the handles of two mugs while he straightened the boat\'s nets, nodded back.\n\n"Kuo was just telling us about the time he caught a lungfish off the coast of the Jade Forest. Do you fish, Tarlo?"\n\nTarlo did not. Fishing was about as boring as it got. You sat, you waited, you watched, and you waited some more. People fished in the laziest, clearest conditions imaginable, and then they called themselves fishermen like it was a big deal. Anyone could be a fisherman in springtime. Fishing during a rainstorm, in a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean while you froze to death—that wasn\'t boring; it was idiotic.',
			'"I\'m not really much of a fisherman," he said.\n\n"But you do tell stories, surely."\n\n"Stories? Yeah, sure. I have a few."\n\nImmediately, Mei Pa and Shi Ga focused their intense eyes on him. They\'d clamped on to the idea so fast, and it might help coax the pandaren into taking him somewhere drier if they felt some common ground…\n\nTarlo cleared his throat.\n\n"Well, when I was serving in the wetlands a few years back, we found this old town. There were, ah, I think, eight of us in the company. Old broken-down fort, probably dwarf-made from a long time ago. We\'d found it on a scouting mission and started checking the interior, but I guess the Horde had gotten the tip, because before too long there were two whole warbands outside the gates, looking for a way in. They completely surrounded the place. There was no way we were gonna get through them without getting spotted. Tons of \'em. Bloody ugly bastards. Giant axes, swords, everything."\n\nMei Pa\'s huge brow furrowed.\n\n"So Griley had this great idea: we pulled down all the stone tapestries and carvings off the wall, grabbed up a few of the rugs that weren\'t rotting, and we piled them all in the front courtyard, ripped a few up to look like they\'d been left behind by looters. We tossed a couple coins in the mix, because orcs just can\'t resist a junk pile if it looks like it\'s got coppers in it."\n\nThe pandaren were really into the story. Shi Ga had put down his fishing rod and shifted his seat to watch Tarlo tell the tale.',
			'"Then we put about a half-dozen charges in the loot pile, you know, buried underneath all the stuff. And we hid. When the orcs came in, I was sweating like crazy. No lie. I wasn\'t sure if they\'d go for it.\n\n"They argued about it for a little while, but eventually they sent a few goblins—you know, little green guys with the ears—over to go rooting through. We waited while more of them got halfway deep in the pile, you know, six, eight, ten... and BAM! Took care of probably twenty of them, and most of the portcullis and front wall too. Loudest thing I ever heard in my life. While they were spinning their dumb heads around to figure out what happened, we tossed our ropes over the west gate and snuck out."\n\nDone. It seemed that Kuo had been holding his breath. "And?" he said.\n\n"Huh?" Tarlo asked.\n\nMei Pa butted in. "What my brother wonders about, I believe, is the moral of your story." Her face looked small and strange.\n\nMoral? "Well, we baited them. We outsmarted them. And we got away. None of our guys even got hurt. It was near ten to one!" Tarlo was starting to turn red.\n\n"I... see." Mei Pa certainly appeared upset.\n\n"We were at war, you know." Tarlo was raising his voice, but the pandaren had turned away, fiddling with their gear, re-looping lines, and gazing out into the stormy black. The boat was swaying madly, but it wasn\'t moving anywhere. This was awkward.\n\n"What are you doing out in the ocean during a storm, anyway?" Tarlo asked, aware of the absurdity of questioning the people who\'d saved his life. "It\'s pretty clear you weren\'t looking for our ship."\n\n"May I answer your question with a story of my own, Tarlo?" came Mei Pa\'s soft response, not unkind. Tarlo nodded. Why not? He was going to get rained on either way.',
			'Many, many years past, not too far from here, there was a tiny village called Za Xiang. The pandaren who lived there were ancestral fishers, and they filled their bellies with the fruits of the ocean. They depended almost wholly on it; there was not a farmer or hunter among them. But they were happy and healthy, until one day, an unnatural famine found their village, and fish disappeared from the sea near their homes. They drank rain and beer and ate tree nuts, but soon their stores ran out, and the fish had not returned. And they suffered.\n\nAfter weeks of hunger and rationing, the villagers fell into hopelessness. They sent runners to the capital to ask for food, and while they waited, families began to abandon Za Xiang in droves. Pandaren sat on the docks for hours on end, hoping to catch something, but they failed to get the bite of even a single fish on their lines, and they always returned to their houses empty-pawed. Except for a young boy named Xun, aged about twelve.\n\nXun was stubborn. He swore that he would fish without stopping until he had enough to feed not just his family, but the entire village as well. Unfortunately, he did not know the first thing about fishing. So he waited by the docks, calling to the fish, looking for them above the water. He had a stick with some string tied to it, but as his neighbors had taken to eating most of their bait themselves, he had nothing to use as a lure. So Xun decided to play a trick on the fish: he polished stones until they were shiny, and he skipped them over the water, hoping that fish would leap out after them. They did not.',
			'He threw stones for a whole week, disregarding sleep, before he gave up. Next Xun tried to coax the fish out of the water. He stuck his mouth in the ocean and told jokes to the fish in their native tongue. But fish do not share our sense of humor, and if any of these heard the sound of Xun\'s voice, none came to the surface to greet him.\n\nAfter three more days of this, it seemed as though there were no fish in the sea at all, and Xun grew angry. He cast his stones aside and waded out into the ocean until it was cold, he was treading water, and the shore and his home were very small behind him.\n\nHe held his breath and ducked down in the ocean. He began to look for the fish with his eyes open and stinging so he could catch them with his paws. And down under the mud, he spotted a tiny brown fish, covered by the seafloor as if it was hiding. Xun was quick, and he swam to grab it up, but as he approached it, a massive, dark shadow blocked out the sunlight from above. He saw a giant, hungry snake\'s mouth dart past him and bite onto the fish.',
			'The monster that stole Xun\'s fish was huge and ropy like an eel, but it was scrunched up as though it could not fully stretch itself out. Its stomach was bulging and distended, and living fish were impaled on its silver teeth. Xun realized that this monster had been eating all of Za Xiang\'s fish, and that was why nobody, not even the town\'s greatest fishers, had been able to catch any.\n\nThe creature\'s mouth could fit Xun\'s whole body inside. It was so big that just being in the water with it made Xun scared, but he was too angry to go home. He swam after the monster, his arms and legs paddling in the same rhythm as its fins, and he wiggled through the ocean, copying its movements.\n\nHolding his breath as tightly as he could, Xun went directly for the beast\'s open maw. He reached his arm between teeth with gaps so wide he could fit a paw through them, and he pulled one fish free. Then Xun let go of his breath and shot up to the surface before the creature could get its jaws around him.\n\nHe took the fish straight to his house, dropped it on the table, and told his parents and brothers and sisters that they did not have to leave; they just had to find a new way to fish, and they could feed everyone.\n\nXun had found, as all who set out to fish must, that the best fishing was not passive.',
			'Tarlo had to look down and bury his lips in his beer to keep from smirking, despite the pain in his back and the rain and the cold and everything else these mad panda-people seemed to ignore.\n\nOf course a pandaren boy had swum out into the middle of the ocean, and he was so fast that he pulled a fish out of some big eel\'s mouth, got away without being eaten, and saved his starving village. Sure.\n\nWhat Tarlo said was, "Huh. Interesting story."\n\nMei Pa smiled at him as if she could see into his mind. "It is just a story, Tarlo, and only part of one at that. But I believe it is an important one."\n\nThese pandaren were inclusive. They hadn\'t only saved his life and told him a tale; they\'d given him a tiny, crooked fishing pole and some bait, the way you might give a kid a wooden sword to play fight with. He\'d been swishing his line in the water with one hand while Mei Pa had gone on and on. Fishing. Right. Dangling a string in the ocean to keep his mind off the shivering, more like. Nothing to show for an hour of waiting and listening. No bites at all.\n\nNow that she was quiet, Tarlo turned both his legs toward the sea, staring intently. Why hadn\'t he caught anything after that long? Kuo and Shi Ga were hoisting up nets flush with smelly gold fish.\n\n"Don\'t worry, Tarlo. Sometimes, the fish simply do not come. It has very little to do with you."\n\nTarlo jerked the toy pole out of the water, looked over at her, and grunted nonchalantly as he dropped it on the deck. The pandaren were done, so he was done. They could get going. Within a few minutes, the boat was moving again.',
			'Tarlo looked up at the sky. The rain was pelting harder now. His blankets had long since ceased to do anything but keep the wet and cold close to him. He tried to think of the last time he\'d seen those cliffs. That had been, what, four, five hours ago? It was still dark.\n\n"Are we headed anywhere toward land?" he asked nobody in particular.\n\n"There\'s good fishing left," was Shi Ga\'s raspy response. Lightning flashed in the sky, and the clouds seemed to open up anew.\n\nTarlo would much rather die for his own mistake than for somebody else\'s bad judgment, so he looked out over the water, peering for something he could swim for, even hurt as he was. Driftwood, a hunk of coral—anything. But all he saw were curtains of rain so thick they pushed his eyelids into a squint.\n\nNo, he saw something else. There, a bit below the surface, was a sinuous shape, oily black and moving. Tarlo thought he spied a fin, but it was cutting through the water too deep to tell. Their boat rocked lightly, and Tarlo grabbed for the side. It\'s the storm shaking us. Not… whatever that is.\n\n"Hey—" he started to say, but Kuo and Shi Ga had pulled their oars out of the ocean. The boat made a slow, languid drift to stillness, and the force of the rain hit them top-on.\n\n"Don\'t disturb the surface," Shi Ga whispered in his pipe-smoker\'s voice. "It will pass."\n\nTarlo watched the inky form looping around and around in perfect circles below, and he wasn\'t so sure. His neck itched, and he wanted to cough out whatever was building up in his throat, but he wouldn\'t make a sound he didn\'t have to with that thing underneath.\n\nKuo had no such scruples. "Tarlo, shall I continue Xun\'s story? Now seems an excellent time." His fat paws shoved another beer over. Pouring rainwater slopped froth over the top of the mug.\n\nCrazy.',
			'Xun\'s catch was not enough to feed the whole village of Za Xiang. It was not enough to feed even his family, though they diced it up and made soup from the fins and chewed the scales besides. But it meant something. If an amateur could catch fish, why couldn\'t masters who had been fishing all their lives? Villagers took to casting through the day and night, so many that the tiny docks could not fit them, and they crowded each other and tangled their lines. Those who were unable to fish began to build up the pier so there would be room for the whole village to stand side by side with their poles above the water.\n\nBut even all working together, the villagers barely ate. One or two fish were plucked out daily, and pandaren would stand in the center of town and carve off bites, cooking them and sharing them in a line. The rumblings of their stomachs echoed off the ocean. They lost weight from their backs and arms and faces, looked gaunt, and walked around sleepless. The sea seemed empty.\n\nXun was unhappy. His village had worked hard for food once again, but he knew the monster he had encountered was waiting below, eating all the fish and making sure his family and friends would be hungry forever. He had not told anyone about the beast he had seen for fear that the villagers would be too scared to fish. Instead, he took a canoe in the night and set out on the ocean. Onto the boat he had piled empty casks and cooking pots, which weighed him down terribly. He paddled by sweeping a spear through the water, as most of the wood for oars had long since gone to building the docks. It took him half a day to get out of sight of land. The wind whipped up, and he was cold for want of a coat. No one could call Xun wise.',
			'Once he could no longer see his home, Xun began to yell and scream and beat the water with his spear. He took the heavy pots and barrels he had brought, lifted them overhead, and flung them into the sea with all his might. Some pushed through the water to hit the bottom and kicked up great clouds of dirt, sounding like giant feet stomping on the seafloor. He beat the ocean all night and near to morning until, with his keen eyes, he thought he spotted the eel monster wriggling its way up toward him, making waves as it went.\n\nXun grabbed his spear, ready to strike the thing as soon as it reached his boat, when behind it he saw more shapes drawing closer. Some were the same size as the great eel; some were even larger. There were beaked maws, massive shells, finned tails. Each creature was bigger than a family home in Za Xiang, and Xun\'s trap had brought them.\n\nXun was overwhelmed with shock, and before he could even think about what to do, they reached his boat and pulled it apart with their jaws. Xun rolled into the cold ocean, flopping about in a pool of beasts.\n\nHunger drew them toward him with gnashing teeth, and Xun swept his tiny spear left and right and kicked his feet so quickly that he rose out of the water like a leaping fish. The creatures grew increasingly agitated every time their jaws closed on empty air, and they bit at each other as often as at him. Seizing the opportunity, Xun stabbed at one with his spear, but the iron split in four directions like the peel around a banana.\n\nThe frenzy continued, and the sun came up and went down again, and Xun was growing tired. Five of the mighty beasts surrounded him, lashing out to keep the others from eating him first. Then one of the great rocky turtles flapped its fins beneath him and yawned its snaky mouth wide like an open door lying on the ground, and Xun found himself rushing downward with torrents of seawater. His sight went black as he was sucked directly into its jaws.',
			'"And what am I supposed to learn from that, Kuo?" Tarlo blurted, keeping his eyes off the water. "Don\'t take a tiny boat into the middle of the ocean? Because it doesn\'t seem like the three of you are following the lesson."\n\nKuo looked back, somewhat surprised. "Oh, no, no. Xun learned that, no matter the size of the fish you see, there is always one bigger. But I am not finished."',
			'It was cold and full of seawater and echoes inside the throat of the beast. Xun could not see a thing with the darkness and the creature\'s mouth pressing upon him, and the water slowed his punches against its innards. Its iron jaws remained stubbornly shut.\n\nXun knew he could not fight his way out. But he also knew that the creature was waiting for a morsel. So he held what little breath remained to him, gathered it up in his mouth, and pulled it back inside his lungs. He puffed his cheeks and clenched his chest and pushed himself against the wall of the great beast\'s throat while it swam around and around, lashing with its tongue at Xun and trying to pull him farther down into its stomach. Xun was tired and afraid, but he clamped his eyes closed and waited.\n\nA few days later, when most of the villagers of Za Xiang had gathered at the docks, struggling to fish, an old pandaren was walking the beaches, looking for stray wood and seaweed. Great was his surprise when he thought he spotted a house on the beachfront, but greater still it was when he approached and saw that the "house" was a dragon turtle, with a lean, long head like a snake\'s and a shell that extended all around its body, even on its belly.\n\nIt took the whole village, pulling and straining, to haul the creature farther up the beach. The villagers brought hammers to crack the shell and swung them into the night, and the ringing resounded over the hunger in their bellies. Once the shell was broken, they found soft spots to cut away the turtle\'s meat, and there was enough to feed everyone.\n\nThe loud hammer swings had awoken Xun, and when the villagers cut the beast\'s belly open, he crawled out, to the joy of his family and all of Za Xiang. The beast had been almost as stubborn as Xun. It would not open its mouth to let go of its prey. Inside its gullet, Xun had held his breath so long that the creature drowned, but it did not sink because of the mighty whirls of air in Xun\'s lungs.\n\nXun told the villagers that they had nothing to fear and that they could fish anything from the sea, from small minnows to enormous beasts. They cooked the meat of the dragon turtle, and they were full for the first time in a long while.',
			'Tarlo realized that, with the story done, he was conscious of the mechanical sound of rain on waves, roaring and calming over, over, and over. He was even more conscious of his fear; his hands were gnarled into tight claws around an oar, and they wouldn\'t uncramp.\n\nThe big shape underwater had hovered, no longer circling, for what seemed like an eternity. Likely ready to strike, Tarlo figured. Shi Ga had been looking over the side at it for the duration of the tale, rainwater cascading off his hood and whisker-beard, which resembled nothing so much as twin rat-tails attached to his chin.\n\nThen, abruptly, the shape had receded, getting smaller and smaller until Tarlo couldn\'t see it anymore. None of the pandaren said anything, but within a few minutes their oars were back in the water.\n\nIt was probably just a shark anyway. The biggest thing he had to worry about was the cold. Tarlo was shivering through the storm so much that his bones felt like icicles. He could barely keep his hands still. The pandaren helped him pull off a soaking cloak and throw on two others plucked from an iron lockbox, and they poured more beer. Maybe they\'d hit land soon, and he could really be sure he\'d survived.\n\nBut in the meantime the boat was moving, and curiosity, dumb and directionless as it often was, got the better of Tarlo. This kid Xun set out to save his village, lucked into the exact right place, fought giant toothy fish without getting hurt at all. And in one fell swoop, he solved everybody\'s problems, washed up on the beach near his house, and life was back to normal? Yeah.',
			'He tapped Kuo on the shoulder.\n\n"So, that\'s it? He finds some big creatures, gets swallowed by one of them, miraculously survives, and when it washes up, that saves his village from starving?"\n\nKuo shook his head. "There is more to Xun\'s story, of course."\n\n"Sure there is," Tarlo bit back. "There\'s always more when you\'re making it up as you go along. It must be nice not to have to limit yourself to things that actually happened. How long did Xun hold his breath for? Two days?"\n\nTarlo expected Kuo\'s face to register some kind of hurt, but it looked like he was smiling, albeit a soggy-furred smile.\n\n"It is good of you to remember his name. Shi Ga is best at telling the rest of the story, so I will let him continue."\n\nKuo and Mei Pa moved to take the oars, and Shi Ga sat against the bench next to Tarlo, looking up at him as the boat drifted on toward no landmark or purpose that he could see. Shi Ga\'s eyes were as bright as ever, and his raspy voice made Tarlo bend down, begrudgingly, to hear him clearly.\n\n"Much time had passed since Xun saved his people, and with the passage of time always comes change..."',
			'For many years, Xun fed his village. The people of Za Xiang ate of dragon turtles and great eight-eyed squid and mighty eels. None ate more than Xun himself, and he drank the oil of the beasts as well. As he grew into an adult, he became taller and stronger, until his head could be seen above the tops of the village homes. When he walked, it was with straightness and solidness as though he were an oak tree.\n\nAs male pandaren did when they lived near the cold ocean winds, Xun grew a long beard, and it caught the salt of the sea and was ragged like the hide of a wild animal. His eyes became red and bloodshot, and his pupils constricted like a fish\'s, and it was said that he could see for a league underwater.\n\nWhen Xun wore his shirts into the ocean, the seawater would tremble at his presence and flee into his clothes, making them soggy and damp for days. He began to leave his great shirts, which had to be made by a dozen village tailors, on the beach to dry, and they were crusty and stiff with brine, and cubs would trip over them. Worse, when he turned in his sleep, his broad shoulders would knock his house down, and so Xun took to walking around shirtless and sleeping upon the pier to spare the village the burdens of his size.',
			'Grown, Xun began to catch the grand beasts of the sea by himself. He was stung and bitten many times over, and he bore the white scars like a perfect forest upon his chest and jaw. A colossal shark with a tooth in its mouth for every living soul on Pandaria once clamped its maw upon Xun\'s ear. Unable to dislodge it, he walked the ocean floor back to land and lifted the beast out of the water, where it could not breathe, and dragged it onto the beach, which made the rivers that still flow inland near Za Xiang. When the villagers cut the shark off of Xun, part of his ear went with it. What remained was like cured leather, and Xun\'s family brought him a great ring the size of a cub\'s hoop to wear through it.\n\nAnd all of the people of the village stopped fishing, because they did not need to.\n\nXun was happy to take care of everything. But as old age came to him, he began to worry. Fish had remained scarce in the seas around Za Xiang, and he had not seen more than a few at once since he was a boy. The appetite of the villagers, who ate of the mighty beasts Xun caught, had only increased, but no other pandaren grew like Xun, and none could haul up the fauna of the sea as he did. He feared that when he passed on, the people of the village would lose their ocean to the beasts and be forced to leave their homes or starve.\n\nA wise pandaren might have suggested that Xun lead his village across the land in search of a new life. Surely a hero of Xun\'s size and strength, who had done so many things, could become an accomplished hunter or win a place for his family and friends in a large city.\n\nBut Xun was not wise. He was stubborn, and he loved his home, so he resolved instead that he would feed Za Xiang forever.',
			'In his nights resting upon the pier, he had heard old fishers talk, pandaren who had been gray-haired when he was a boy. They had repeated one tale so many times that it had stuck in Xun\'s mind: the story of a nameless monster, vast like the sea itself. It was a thousand feet wide, bigger than any beast ever brought up onto land.\n\nThe first time Xun heard the story, the creature was an immense shark with rows upon rows of champing teeth. When they told it again, it was more like a jellyfish the color of glass, covered in stingers.\n\nXun did not see these two differing accounts as a sign of falsehood in the story. Regardless of which one was true, he reasoned, the beast was always big enough for everyone to share, and there were salt and smoke aplenty to dry its pieces for quite a while. Its fins or tentacles would flavor a rich soup; its belly would be equally suited to fresh steaks or long-lasting jerky. It could be diced, fried, peppered, stuffed, marinated, tossed with greens, filleted, grilled, skewered. They would eat of this catch for months. Years. Generations.\n\nAnother commonality in all of the stories of this gargantuan creature was that it lived deep, deep in the ocean, deeper than any pandaren had ever gone. So Xun spent hours filling his lungs with breath, sitting atop the highest hill near his village and swallowing the gusts of wind that blew into his mouth. He tied weighty barrels to his feet so that he would sink to the seafloor. As he waded out into the ocean, the riptide formed by his heavy strides brought sandbars to the surface, and the seagulls that had nested in his beard flew together toward the sky like a white arrow. The villagers had grown used to this sight, and they waved to the gulls as though they were Xun himself.',
			'The boat had idled again, and without really planning on it, Tarlo found himself with his fishing pole in the water, mind drifting. Mei Pa and Kuo had done likewise, casting multiple times before they were satisfied, then sitting still as statues while the rain ran off of them.\n\nWhen Tarlo started in the service, he\'d been young and dumb too. He just knew that fighting for the Alliance could lead somewhere other than to another fight, to more ragged, empty bodies looking identical in the ground. But when you were young and dumb, you could know something without it being true. There was always going to be a new enemy or a prize that two people wanted but couldn\'t share. People who warred made generations who warred. Death led to more death. All that.\n\nSo why hadn\'t he quit the army, gone home?\n\nHe stopped. It was the strangest thing, but Tarlo swore he\'d felt a tug on the line. Maybe he was shaking from the cold… but then, no, he felt it again. He grabbed the pole with both hands, and Shi Ga suddenly shut up, pausing his story to watch Tarlo fish. "Carefully, now..."\n\nWith as much caution as he could muster, Tarlo slowly rose to his feet. He tightened his grip underneath the pole as though he were holding a spear. A tug again, then another, and he wrenched sharply upward as—\n\n—an empty hook leapt from beneath the waves and slapped Tarlo on the shoulder, the wet cord winding around his ear.\n\nThe bastard fish had taken his bait straight off the line. Maybe two of them, working together, had split it in half and carried it away. He was almost mad enough to go in the water after it, but then he saw Shi Ga\'s inscrutable, furry face. Could a pandaren smirk?\n\n"Yeah. Go on," Tarlo snarled.',
			'Xun sank below the waves. He sank for longer than he could measure, a thousand times his height through the depths. The water grew colder, and the fish scarcer, and the sea darker all around him as far as he could see.\n\nHe had swum beneath the ocean before, but never where there was no movement from the waves, and the rock walls loomed around him like a canyon. Even with water filling his ears, they felt pinched from somewhere deep in his head. Soon the insides of his ears blew apart, and blood rushed out of them. The sea\'s salt stung him, but he did not retreat from the depths.\n\nXun descended into the dim until his eyes were no good; he could not see the tiniest hint of light from above, or any farther than his paws in front of his face. He did not see the nebulous creatures, vast as whales, which passed him in the dark, and when he brushed up against their scaly hides, they did not notice, so large were they.\n\nHe drifted until he slept and awoke after a full night\'s rest, still sinking. A faint heat warmed the water from below him, and he swam down faster until his paws touched black-blue dust. Beneath him yawned an enormous trench, a split in the rocky seafloor, and as he let his weights loose and pulled himself through, he was sure that he was headed close to the center of Azeroth.\n\nInside the trench, Xun felt water rushing past, and in his broken ears he heard the echoes of his movements cast wide. He knew the cave was so big it was a sea unto itself, and the walls were so far apart it would take an hour to swim between them.\n\nHe sat and let his eyes adjust to the darkness close to the floor of the world, and soon he began to see faint outlines, shapes that wavered, and the overhang of a broad rock alcove. Before the alcove were vast ridges, and Xun was certain that inside he would find the home of the great nameless beast, for he had seen no deeper spot in all the ocean.\n\nBut the small mountain around the cave seemed strange. It was the pale yellow-white of an earthworm, not the brown-blue of undersea rock. Even in the darkness, Xun could make out its color clearly. He was puzzled.',
			'Then the mountain\'s gills fluttered, and showers of stone came off of it, and Xun knew it was alive.\n\nIt was as large as Xun\'s village, and the heat it emanated was strong enough to warm the trench at the depths of the ocean. It shifted, as Xun\'s presence had woken it from where it lay, and Xun could see hundreds of tentacles nested under its body as if it were the stem of a great tree. They were tipped with fat, barbed stingers the size of a grown adult.\n\nIts maw was a shoal or coral reef, and the sharks that wriggled between its teeth, feeding off of the remains of its meals, were big enough to overturn a boat with one nudge of their snouts. Its slick skin was covered in wavering spines that undulated in the dark water. As the creature rose and shook strata of earth off itself, the odor of its breath flooded the ocean with ages upon ages of death and decomposition, and Xun was tired for the first time in a while.\n\nHis once-grand eyes and ears underserved him in the murk; by the coarseness of his drifting beard, he felt the undeniable pang of age. He had not enjoyed fresh air or cool wind for days. Compared to the creature in his way, Xun did not seem small; he was small, as a cub before the sun.\n\nXun\'s bare fist connected directly with one of the great teeth. Cracks shot up its base. Another punch surged through the water, and the tooth shattered, sending fragments ricocheting through the thing\'s mouth like flung harpoons. No fewer than four sharks ingesting the nameless creature\'s plaque were sucked noisily into its gullet as though through an unseen whirlpool.',
			'Xun lowered his head and kept swinging. With a horrific creak that he could hear in the stubs of his ears, six more teeth spiraled out into the sea. They rocketed upward, gathering kelp, fish, and whales as they went. When the teeth finally burst to the surface, covered in impaled plant and animal life, they resembled nothing so much as tree-sized seafood skewers.\n\nThe thing brought its jaws together then, and Xun pressed his feet in the quicksand of its gums and lifted, trying to prevent it from closing its maw on him. His wrists twisted around in agony, and his bones ground down to powder, but he kept the creature\'s mouth wedged open. It was relentless and sent its underbelly tentacles snaking between its own teeth, wending around Xun\'s throat and pulling at his limbs and stabbing him over and over in his guts.\n\nTheir stings were awful, leaving sucking red puncture wounds in his hide, but their poison was worse. Xun felt his blood burn in his body. He could not move his arms to protect himself, as the terrible jaws might slam shut on him, and so he bit down hard on one of the tentacles and kept biting until it wriggled loose. He closed his fingers around the retreating limb and was yanked free into the open ocean.\n\nThe sharks that had made their home in the thing\'s mouth clung to Xun\'s arms and legs, but their bites bled some of the poison from him, so he held them close like shields to block writhing tentacles from stabbing at his eyes. All the while, he swam up over the thing\'s mouth and began to pummel the top of its head. The spines on its skin stood up as though the creature were a great pufferfish, and Xun\'s flesh parted like cloth whenever he landed a punch, but he did not stop. His strikes were the crack of thunder across open earth, muddled in the deep. The creature\'s spines broke away, and its meat sizzled with the force of each swing, but it remained as silent as a squid.',
			'For days they fought without rest: Xun striking at its head or belly and pulling away when the tentacles drew too near, the thing drawing Xun closer to its maw or crushing his bones. Such was the fury of their battle that waves broke on the shore near Za Xiang, climbing so high that the villagers feared for their lives. The pier cracked and was swept out into the ocean, and people fled into their houses.\n\nEventually, Xun began to flag. The poison ate at his heart, making his arms harder and harder to swing. The dozen tentacles that remained enfolded him, wrapping again and again around his waist and legs, squeezing. Xun knew he could not find the force to punch them away.\n\nBefore they constricted his arms, he crunched his fingers into two of the wavering tentacles, planted his legs into the ground, and hefted. Xun felt his insides snap like a ribbon.\n\nThe titanic body surged through the water, leagues tall, dangling above its tentacles as though it were a kite on a string. Xun pulled with all he could muster, and he brought the mountain-sized mass down against the seafloor with a crash he could not hear. Coarse gray earth and dust sped from the impact for miles.\n\nWasting no time, Xun wrapped the great tentacles double around his wrists and tried to heave the creature forward. He had lifted it once; now he had only to swim it up to the surface. He tugged, waiting for some sense of give from the enormous carcass.\n\nBut it did not move.',
			'Xun\'s vision was a pinprick; his movements were mud; his lungs yearned for air. He would recover, then, and try one more time. Barely aware of his own echoing heartbeat, he dragged himself into the alcove that had been blocked by the thing\'s bulk.\n\nIn the dark, a school of tiny fish swept around his head. Their wavering fins were minute, their scales like pale gold.\n\nOver his ruined condition, pity awoke in Xun—pity for the golden fish that had been kept here, but pity for their captor as well. The big beast had eaten most of the smaller fish in the sea and then herded the rest for itself. Famine had come to his home only because of another\'s hunger.\n\nIt had grown harder and harder for Xun to remember anything, but his goal was paramount. He would rest, and then he would try to lift the thing again. He lay down on the seafloor, brightly colored fish swarming about him, and let go of just a bit of his breath in a thousand bubbles.\n\nXun wondered if he had truly found the deepest part of the sea. He wondered about the truth of the stories, and as he wondered, his spirit began to leave him. Before his eyes finally closed, he watched the fish swim out of the cave, up and away, into the wider ocean.',
			'Shi Ga stood up. Probably, Tarlo figured, because the story was over. Yet the pandaren had more to say.\n\n"When Xun fought, the people of Za Xiang saw only the waves. But fishing is not simply what you see above the water, but what goes on beneath, what the fish sees. The experience is a struggle, for life and for death, even if it does not appear so to your eyes."\n\nTarlo nodded. "And what about the fish in the cave?"\n\n"Xun did not know it, but those fish," Shi Ga rasped, "were the ancestors of the golden carp. They swam into waters free of danger, and they multiplied. Today, they are one of the most common fish in our ocean, eaten by young and old, great and small."\n\nTarlo looked over at a catch bucket on the boat. Two gold-scaled fish swirled around inside. Okay. He could see a point, or the outline of one, now. Xun saved his village by accidentally finding a new food source. A neat little story, albeit with a few holes.\n\n"If Xun died in that cave, how\'d you hear so much about the fight?" Tarlo asked, too softly to be heard clearly in the rain. He felt bad pointing it out. Obviously, the story was pretty dear to these pandaren. Xun was probably somebody\'s great-great-grandfather who\'d been a big deal in his day.\n\n"Hmm." Shi Ga\'s response made it sound as if he was considering the question himself for the first time. Neither of the other two pandaren said anything; they just beat the sea with their oars. Shi Ga took up his own oar as the rain continued to cascade down.\n\nThey\'d been paddling for hours. The sun hadn\'t risen, and Tarlo didn\'t think they were any closer to land. The three pandaren moved their oars in lockstep now; it seemed as if they were only traveling in a straight line, until Shi Ga sniffed the air and pulled his oar out of the water. The other two did likewise. "Ahhh," he said, taking a big breath as the boat wobbled.\n\n"This is it."',
			'Tarlo was already shivering, but when the waves whipped up, spraying ocean onto their laps, he forgot the cold entirely. Mei Pa had slid over to their iron lockbox, now situated in the middle of one of the boat\'s larger puddles.\n\nWhat she carefully removed from the box seemed too big to have fit inside in the first place. It resembled a rusty boat chain with a hook, the kind a group of men would use to anchor a ship at harbor. Huge nets hung from it like the petals of a flower.\n\nMei Pa stood, perched like a ship\'s prow on the lip of their tiny boat, balancing as though she might fall over the side at any moment. Despite her size, the boat didn\'t rock at all. She began to cast with the chain, spinning it in a wide arc over her head, and Tarlo involuntarily ducked when it hit the water with a prodigious splash. Heaped coils of metal ran over her shoulder toward the bottom of the ocean.\n\nTarlo\'s head hurt.\n\nMei Pa remained intently focused on her task, staring at the waves for minutes. At one point, she tensed, and Tarlo was sure she was going to fall into the sea. But then she started pulling at the chain, and the first of the attached nets eased onto the deck. It was plump with bounty, glistening fish, gold and white and green, and Kuo and Shi Ga began to pluck them free, tossing them everywhere on the boat in a hurricane of marine life.\n\nLamely, Tarlo dunked his child\'s fishing line back in the water.',
			'As the pandaren worked, he watched the beer mugs, the pots, the nets, and the bait buckets all spill over with wriggling fish. Fish were swimming around in the puddles under his feet. The boat was running out of places to put them. And the pandaren were pulling up more still: a squashed-faced, frowning brown fish with a tentacle above its head; an ebony-colored fish with steam coming off of it like a cooling lava rock; a small blue fish with a thin sheen of... ice... coating its body.\n\n"Those… are really delicious," Mei Pa put in, pausing with the effort of holding the chain steady.\n\nWith another few filled nets on board, Mei Pa\'s arms began to sag on the chain. Kuo and Shi Ga had come over to help, and the three of them together were back to their call-and-response chants, yelling with the exertion of hauling the massive fishing line up.\n\nTired as he was, Tarlo had learned a long time ago that staying idle in the middle of a frenzy of activity was a good way to get yourself surprised, killed, or both in order. He thought about heading over to lend a hand, and—\n\nHis line jumped.\n\nTarlo wasn\'t going to lose this one. He shook off the hot jolt of shock and tensed his arms. The wind cooled urgent sweat on his face and neck.',
			'Whatever had decided to take the bait dragged the line sharply to the left, and Tarlo felt himself giving way more slack than expected. Though his back ached, he bunched his shoulders and stood up while the line started moving again, seemingly controlled by the thing under the water. He wrenched in the opposite direction, but it was all he could do to keep the pole steady.\n\nTarlo was no stranger to a contest of strength. He\'d clashed in close with bellowing tauren in full armor, had wrested clubs and swords from their grasp and pulled their pillar arms away from his throat. But this... this was something else. The creature he was fighting to bring up from the blue was swimming through molasses, covered in weights, arm-wrestling with him through a thin line tied to a clumsy reed. He yanked the line again, but trying to get his adversary closer to the surface, closer to the boat, or even moving in a straight path was a struggle.\n\nHe strained, red-faced, and his breath shot out in fits and starts. The tiny fishing pole bounced in Tarlo\'s hands, scraping back and forth at his palms, sending numbness shivering up his arms as though he were chopping at a castle wall with his sword. A clunking splash resounded behind him, and he started in surprise but didn\'t dare turn around.',
			'The pole hooked downward, bending more spastically every moment. Tarlo pulled back, sucking in breath, rising up on his toes for any inch of leverage he could get. His line was so taut he could make out the fibers standing up on it for an awful second, and he knew something was going to give.\n\nHe just didn\'t expect it to be the fish. Without warning, the pressure on his arms let up, and the fish\'s golden scales glistened as Tarlo hefted it, thrashing, out of the water.\n\nIt was a lot smaller than it deserved to be. Smaller than the fight it\'d given him, for certain.\n\nThe fish was barely distinguishable from the dozens of other golden carp that flopped and swam around their boat, and Tarlo didn\'t have to try hard to keep it from wriggling out of his hands.\n\nAll three pandaren were gripping the chain, moving in what seemed like choreographed time to lower it back down into their gigantic tackle box, but they stopped as one when they saw Tarlo holding his catch overhead, grinning as though he\'d just won the war.\n\nWhile they watched, he worked the hook out of the fish\'s fat-lipped mouth. He dropped the animal in a bucket of water in his corner of the craft and sat back.\n\nOne.',
			'As they packed away the evening\'s catches, the rain finally began to calm to a drizzle. The droplets were smaller now, and Tarlo could actually wipe them from his eyes instead of simply squinting. He sat down next to Shi Ga.\n\nWhat he had intended to say—a question—was, "Are you gonna head back to shore now?"\n\nBut what came out was a simple statement. "I think I understand why you wanted to tell me that story."\n\n"Hmmm?" Shi Ga\'s eyebrow rose.\n\n"To prove you\'re not crazy. But also… inspiration, right?"\n\nShi Ga smiled. "We only told you the story of Xun because it is a good story to share. But you may find more in the telling."\n\n"And that\'s why you\'re out here? To catch fish and tell stories?"\n\n"We continue Xun\'s work. Not just to feed ourselves and survive, but to find our own legacy. To… tell our own tales. Is that not why you came here?"\n\nTarlo pondered that. What had he expected to find on Pandaria? A cold death far from home? An end to the fighting? He certainly hadn\'t thought he\'d catch dinner. Deep-sea storm fishing, you pulled up all kinds of things.\n\nHe hefted an oar and joined the pandaren in rowing, four in the water.',
		},
		["author"] = "Ryan Quinn",
		["icon"] = "Interface/ICONS/ability_mount_pandaranmount",
		["expansion"] = 4,
	},

	["the-untamed-valley"] = {
		["nameRealm"] = "The Untamed Valley",
		["text"] = {
			'"Neither of you will survive the night," the orc said.\n\nVindicator Maraad and Sentinel Commander Lyalia ignored him. He had made similar threats every night since he had been captured. Lyalia poked the campfire with one of her moonglaive\'s blades, repositioning a log. The flames roared briefly. The light played off Maraad\'s hammer, sending thin, flickering violet rays across his armor.\n\n"The night elf will die first," the orc said a few minutes later. "I will make you watch her die, draenei. I promise this to you." He shifted his posture, and the shackles on his wrists jingled softly.\n\nMaraad didn\'t bother responding to him. "You should sleep tonight, Lyalia," the draenei said.\n\n"So should you," she said. "But since you cannot, I will not." Even as she stirred the ashes in the fire, her eyes swept over the wide, open terrain. "Besides, he is talkative tonight. Maybe he will finally tell us his name." She gave the orc a level glance. "No? What is the harm in a name if we will not survive the night?"\n\nThe green-skinned prisoner glared at her but said nothing.\n\n"Suit yourself," she said.\n\nThe sun touched the horizon.',
			'"What exactly do you mean," Haohan Mudclaw asked, "by \'When Thunder blow, Thunder gonna blow big\'?"\n\nThe hozen farmhand loped along the roadway through the heart of the valley, keeping pace with Haohan\'s cart. "Since you been gone, Thunder not go."\n\n"\'Not go\'?"\n\nMung-Mung waved his hands in front of his nose as though smelling something foul. "Me not want to be around when three days of dook comes out of his ooker."\n\n"Wonderful," Haohan said. The last thing he needed to deal with today was a constipated mushan. "Mix up some olive oil into his feed. Should clear him right out."\n\nMung-Mung shivered. "Did. Began two days ago. Still nothing."\n\nHaohan stared in disbelief. "You\'ve fed him oil for two days? And nothing?" He shivered too. When Thunder blow...\n\nThey passed the next half-mile in silence. "You know, Farmer Fung arrive early. Already at your house," Mung-Mung said.\n\n"Good. Wait," Haohan said, giving him a suspicious look. "What are you thinking?"\n\n"Mung-Mung think that grouch obsessed with fertilizer."\n\nHaohan grinned broadly. "And maybe he\'d like fresh ingredients. That\'s the best idea I\'ve heard in weeks." One problem solved, hopefully. "Who else is at the house?"\n\n"Geezer." Old Hillpaw, he meant. Not a member of the council but a neighbor. "Gina." Haohan\'s daughter.\n\n"Who else?"\n\n"Just them," Mung-Mung said.\n\n"Where\'s Nana and Mina and Tina and Den?"\n\n"Jade Forest, still."\n\n"Still?" Haohan frowned. "I thought they\'d be back today. I wanted this to be a full council meeting. What about Yoon?"\n\n"He went with them."\n\n"Oh." Now Haohan remembered. Yoon was planning a food-delivery contract with some dwarven masons on behalf of the Tillers\' Union.\n\nWith a light touch on the reins, Haohan steered to the right, and the two horses turned onto the road to the Mudclaw property. Mung-Mung continued to knuckle-walk alongside the cart but made no move to jump on. He didn\'t trust horses. Haohan preferred mushan leads, too, but that Alliance quartermaster down at Lion\'s Landing had offered to trade two healthy horses for a cartload of carrots, and that was a deal a Mudclaw couldn\'t pass up. He had to admit the horses were a lot easier to handle. Even well-trained mushan had a tendency to wander a bit on the reins.\n\nMung-Mung suddenly sprinted ahead and climbed a signpost, peering into the distance. "Uh-oh," he said.\n\n"What?"\n\n"Listen, boss."\n\n"Your ears are better than mine," Haohan said.\n\n"I hear virmen," Mung-Mung said.\n\nHaohan sighed. "Let\'s scare \'em off before they annoy anyone to death."',
			'One of the virmen, a larger male with white-streaked fur and a strangely curved front tooth, hopped forward and flung a paw\'s worth of woodchips at Vindicator Maraad. "Here money. Give carrots!"\n\nThe draenei let them bounce off his face and chest armor. "I do not have any carrots," he said calmly.\n\nAngry chattering rose from the dozens of red-eyed rodents that had surrounded the trio. Several thumped the ground threateningly with their feet. At Maraad\'s side, Lyalia put her hand on her moonglaive\'s grip but did not remove it from her belt loop.\n\n"Think they will be trouble?" she asked lightly.\n\nMaraad chuckled. "I doubt it," he said. In a louder voice, he asked, "You want to buy carrots?" The virmen\'s grumbling took on a passionate tone. "I am sorry to disappoint you. I do not have any carrots to sell."\n\nThe virmen with the woodchips bounced on his hind legs, agitated. "We see Halfhill! We see market. Tall ones like you give round things and get carrots." He flung another pawful of chips at them. "Now give carrots!"\n\nThe small pieces of wood showered the prisoner. The orc growled and kicked out but missed the virmen. His shackles jingled.',
			'Vindicator Maraad kept a firm grip on the orc\'s arm. "As I said, I have none to sell or give," he said. "And most merchants deal in gold, not... the coins you have."\n\n"Hey!" A voice cut through the din. Lyalia could see a pandaren and a hozen huffing toward them. A cry of alarm went up among the virmen. "Get out of my fields!" the pandaren bellowed.\n\nThe virmen scattered. One darted around the hooves of the draenei, picking up most of the "coins." The hozen flung a rock at him, narrowly missing. Soon all of the rodents had retreated to their warrens.\n\n"Stupid ookers," the hozen muttered.\n\n"Sorry \'bout that," the pandaren said. "They ain\'t as crazy as they were a couple months back, but they still need a swift kick every now and then."\n\nLyalia smiled. "I do not think they meant any harm," the night elf said.\n\nThe hozen inspected the woodchips. He sniffed one and grinned. "Hey, boss," he said. "Axle." He hooted with laughter.\n\nThe pandaren uttered a strong oath under his breath. "Those idiot virmen... This is why they gnawed through the axles on three of my carts? Of course it is. Probably saw me buy them with coins and assumed the carts were actually made of \'em." He ran a paw through the fur on his head and sighed. "Well, comes with the territory, I suppose. You want to live in the valley, you get to deal with them.',
			'"My name\'s Haohan Mudclaw. I own this farm."\n\n"Thank you for your help, sir. My name is Lyalia. I am the commander of the Sentinels on Pandaria. My friend here is Vindicator Maraad of the Exodar. And him... We do not know his name, so I cannot introduce you properly."\n\nThe pandaren\'s eyes lingered on the orc. And the shackles. "You\'re an odd group to see around these parts."\n\n"We do not mean to trespass. If you wish us to leave, we will," Maraad said.\n\nHaohan shook his head. "Ain\'t nothing growing where you\'re sitting, so it\'s no problem." He glanced again at the restrained orc. "I thought the issues between y\'all had been settled for now," the pandaren said carefully.\n\n"The ceasefire is still in place," Lyalia said. "This one wiped out a small Horde caravan two weeks ago and tried to ambush my Sentinels ten days past. After the ceasefire." The night elf\'s expression was cold. "He committed murder against both sides. If I had to guess, I think he is unhappy with Hellscream\'s fall."\n\n"So a criminal, not a soldier," Haohan mused. The orc grunted but said nothing intelligible. Haohan raised an eyebrow. "And the Horde accepts your... custody... of him?"\n\n"We decided to avoid the Horde altogether," Vindicator Maraad said. "Simple misunderstandings have a way of spiraling out of control. Tensions are still high. We do not wish to threaten the peace."\n\n"And what they don\'t know won\'t bother them." Haohan scratched his chin. "Makes sense. Well, come on. I have a cart just around that hill."\n\nLyalia and Maraad exchanged glances. "And where would we be going?" Lyalia asked.\n\n"To my home. Bed you three down for the night."\n\n"We appreciate the offer," Maraad said, "but we have to decline."\n\n"It\'s no trouble."\n\n"No, thank you."\n\n"Those virmen will come back."\n\n"We will handle them," Lyalia said.',
			'"I don\'t think you understand," Haohan said. "If I know these virmen, they\'re arguing in their warrens right now about why their plan failed. When they come up with another scheme, they\'ll go to the other warrens first and rally even more troops. You might turn around in a couple hours and see a few thousand drooling virmen staring at you, chanting about carrots, and if you can\'t produce the goods..." He shrugged. "Maybe you can take care of yourselves, but I\'m not sure you\'ll enjoy fighting them all off."\n\nVindicator Maraad looked troubled. "Very well. We will pick another place to settle for the night."\n\n"You definitely don\'t understand," Haohan said. "Unless you get yourself a dozen miles away from here within the next half-hour, they will find you. You won\'t believe how persistent they\'ll be until you\'re willing to kill a few to show you mean business. They\'ve learned to steer clear of Tiller homes, though. We have rakes and we know how to swing \'em. You\'ll be fine at my place."\n\n"Still," Lyalia said, giving Maraad a worried look, "we cannot accept."\n\nThe orc suddenly spoke up. "Do not offer aid to the Alliance, farmer," he said, "unless you wish to share their fate."\n\nHaohan blinked. "Oh. I see." He smiled at the draenei and the night elf. "You think your prisoner is dangerous. That I can\'t take care of myself."\n\nLyalia guided the pandaren a few steps away, out of the orc\'s hearing. "We cannot put you at risk," she said. "We do not know anything about him or whom he might have been working with. We have skirted wide—very wide—of the Horde presence in Krasarang to get him to Lion\'s Landing unseen. If he was not acting alone, we could be attacked at any time."\n\nHaohan peered at the orc. "He\'s a Hellscream loyalist? And maybe other loyalists will come to rescue him? It\'s settled. You\'re staying at my home."\n\n"We cannot."\n\n"Well, you can\'t stay out here. I\'m serious about the virmen," Haohan said. "I want to help. People like him have done enough damage to our land. Tomorrow morning, I\'ll take all three of you to Lion\'s Landing on my cart."\n\nLyalia hesitated. That would shave days off their journey.\n\n"I won\'t take no for an answer," Haohan said.',
			'Farmer Fung scowled at the newcomers as they arrived at the Mudclaw property. "More guests, Haohan? Outsiders, even?" he said. "Is this your way of manipulating me?"\n\n"They were being harassed by virmen," Haohan said. "Just giving them shelter for the night."\n\n"Don\'t play games." Fung jabbed a finger toward Haohan\'s chest. "You happened to bring some outsiders on the night we\'re talking about outsiders? At least Farmer Yoon isn\'t here. He got lucky. He partnered up with a good one. Just because I like one outsider doesn\'t mean I want our valley overrun by them forever."\n\n"Your opinion is noted, Fung," Haohan said wearily. "Hey, Mung-Mung, weren\'t you going to talk to Fung about something? The mushan, perhaps? Fertilizer ingredients?"\n\n"Really?" Fung said, brightening.\n\nMung-Mung gave Haohan an annoyed look as Fung dragged him inside.\n\n"Haohan," a new voice said. Haohan turned. Old Hillpaw was standing near the mushan pen, calling out to him. "You got a sick mushan."\n\n"Mung-Mung told me, Hillpaw," Haohan said, joining him at the fence. They both looked at the mushan pen, where Thunder noisily chewed hay. "I don\'t know. He seems fine to me."\n\nThe mushan belched roughly, and a horrible smell filled the air. Haohan wrinkled his nose. It was a wonder the nearby crops didn\'t wilt. The sound echoed off the mountains to the north. He could have sworn the smellechoed, too. Haohan sighed. "Yeah, the old boy\'s sick."\n\n"Feed him some oil," Hillpaw said. Haohan felt a headache coming on.',
			'Lyalia helped the orc off the cart. Maraad stepped down after him.\n\nThe night elf noticed the older pandaren standing next to Haohan. Hillpaw looked away from the mushan and appeared to be closely studying the trio of outsiders. She nodded to him. He didn\'t nod back. A wide-brimmed straw hat kept his eyes in shadow. The fur on his chin had grown into a long beard. The other one, Fung, had at least made his hostility clear. Lyalia couldn\'t read this one\'s intentions.\n\nShe turned her attention back to her duty: the prisoner, and any who might try to rescue him. She scanned the horizon.\n\nThe Mudclaw home stood near the top of a small hill, close to the mountain range separating the Valley of the Four Winds from the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, and had a spectacular view of the surrounding farmland. Even in the waning light, Lyalia could see rows and rows of gigantic vegetables and other plants stretching into the distance. Between the home and the mountain range, the ground sharply sloped down into a body of water.\n\nNot a single threat in sight. Time to deal with more pedestrian matters.\n\n"Can you handle the orc alone for a moment?" she asked Maraad. He grunted in agreement.\n\nLyalia grabbed her empty waterskins and carefully moved down to the pond\'s shore. A moment later, that older pandaren, Hillpaw, joined her.',
			'"Don\'t step in there," he advised.\n\nThe surface of the large pond seemed calm enough. "Why?"\n\n"Watch," Hillpaw said. He whipped his arm forward, and a stone skipped across the water. Ripples spread from each bounce. And then...\n\n... something massive surged from the deep, breaking the surface. A giant eye stared at the two figures at the water\'s edge. The creature was easily six or seven times as long as Lyalia was tall. Maybe even more.\n\nIt sank out of sight, and the water returned to its tranquil state.\n\n"What was that?"\n\n"Cattail grouper," Hillpaw said. "They get big sometimes."\n\n"That is a little more than big," Lyalia said.\n\n"That\'s why you cull \'em. Or rather, why you\'re supposed to. Mung-Mung has been slacking." Old Hillpaw grunted. "You\'re safe on the edge of the shore unless it decides it doesn\'t like you. Just don\'t go jumping in the water."\n\n"I will remember that." Lyalia finished refilling her waterskins.\n\nOld Hillpaw didn\'t leave. "I recognized that orc\'s shackles. I saw the sigil of the White Tiger," he said.\n\n"Ah."\n\n"Shado-pan manacles. The kind they use to restrain people with... unusual power. Unknown power."\n\n"You\'re right," Lyalia said. "They were a gift."\n\n"The Shado-pan aren\'t in the habit of giving gifts," Hillpaw said.\n\n"True enough. Call them a payment instead," Lyalia said. "In exchange for removing anyone who might wear them from your land as quickly and quietly as possible."\n\n"Now that sounds like the Shado-pan."\n\n"You have dealt with them before?"\n\nOld Hillpaw didn\'t answer. Lyalia didn\'t press him.',
			'"How long have you and your friend been in Pandaria?" asked Hillpaw.\n\n"Vindicator Maraad arrived rather recently, and he will probably be leaving soon. But I was one of the first of my people to land on your shores," Lyalia said.\n\n"Why? What brought you here?"\n\nShe hesitated. Hillpaw showed no expression at all. She didn\'t know if he was asking out of curiosity or suspicion. She decided to be honest. "One of our leaders saw a vision of a blessed land. Some of us were looking for other things"—Lyalia bowed her head for a moment as memories of her father suddenly surfaced—"but it was that vision that launched our ships. It turned out to be the Vale of Eternal Blossoms."\n\n"And what did you do there?"\n\nFought off the mogu for months, only to see a tyrannical orc raze the place. There was a limit to what Lyalia wanted to share. "I tried to protect it." Her voice dropped into a whisper. "Elune knows I tried."\n\nSilence settled over the pond. The water rippled. Finally, Hillpaw grunted again and left her alone at the shore without another word.\n\nLyalia looked back at the pond. Of the danger lurking beneath its surface, there was no sign.',
			'A thick green finger stirred the ashes of the extinguished campfire. "Still warm. They were here tonight." The orc turned toward the other eight. "We take them before sunrise. Pair up. Prepare."\n\nOne of the others shifted uneasily. "The spirits won\'t behave, Zertin."\n\n"The spirits here are spoiled and soft, Kishok." Zertin\'s response was laced with anger. "They are children in need of discipline. If you can\'t handle a child, open your veins now and save me the trouble of gutting you."\n\nThere were no more objections.\n\n"Good. Move."\n\nThey did. Quietly. The dark of night cloaked them.\n\n"Don\'t use all the sauce, Gina," Farmer Fung said. "You\'ll drown the meat."\n\n"That would be horrible," Gina Mudclaw said without an ounce of sarcasm. She gave her father, Haohan, a steady look. He didn\'t return it. He was paying far too much attention to chopping the vegetables. "Imagine all that meat being tender, flavorful, falling apart with each bite. Simply tragic." So perhaps there were a few ounces of sarcasm.',
			'Fung scowled. "Fresh meat doesn\'t need that much sauce. But this is from one of Old Hillpaw\'s chickens, isn\'t it? That explains it. If I raised chickens, they wouldn\'t taste as gamey as his. I can see why you\'d want extra sauce. Still, only use half of it."\n\n"Your mouth," Old Hillpaw said, "does you no favors, Fung."\n\nGina gave Fung a slanted smile and dumped the sauce into the wok. All of it. Fung clucked his tongue.\n\n"Where\'d our guests go?" Gina asked.\n\n"Cellar," Haohan said. He flinched at his daughter\'s reaction. "Their choice, not mine, Gina."\n\n"Cramped down there," Gina muttered. "Packed in with the carrot harvest."\n\n"Enough room for three, if they\'re on good terms with each other."\n\n"Or if one of them is in chains and doesn\'t have a say in it," Fung said.\n\n"True. They also asked us to lock the doors shut later tonight."\n\nGina filled three bowls with soup and handed her slotted spoon to Fung. "See if you can salvage my stir-fry," she told him wryly. "I\'ll bring these to our guests." She stepped away from the wok, balancing the bowls on her arms, before Fung could object.',
			'Deafening chatter filled the packed warren. "Hooktooth say we get carrots!" one of the virmen shouted. "We give money, they give carrots. No stealing! We buy! That what Hooktooth say!"\n\nHooktooth snarled back, his hackles raised, white-streaked fur standing on edge. "We chew coins out of carts. That what you say! Tall ones not want cart coins. They want shiny coins. Not my fault!"\n\nThe warren mother slammed her feet into the ground with a roar. The crowd went silent. Scores of glowing red eyes turned toward her. She shuffled through the warren, giving Hooktooth a sharp glance. He bristled and sucked air through his teeth but said nothing. "Hooktooth right. Tall ones want shiny. Not cart coins. Tomorrow we steal shiny from tall ones. We use shiny to buy carrots!"\n\n"Why steal shiny?" one of the runts asked. A bigger virmen nipped his ear. Hard. The runt hopped out of his reach and refused to stay silent. "Why not steal carrots like always?"\n\n"They hit with rakes and shovels when we steal carrots. We buy, they not hit," the warren mother said.\n\n"What they hit with when we steal shiny?" the runt persisted.\n\nThe others hadn\'t considered that. More arguments erupted.',
			'Then Hooktooth looked straight up. "Quiet!" The warren went still. "Listen!" Soft tremors rattled the earth. Footsteps. Above their heads. Too big to be other virmen. "More tall ones! Maybe they have carrots!"\n\nThe virmen stampeded toward the warren hole. "Bring the cart coins!" the warren mother shouted.\n\nThere were nine tall ones traveling through the turnip fields. Odd that they weren\'t using the road, Hooktooth thought. In moments, all nine were surrounded.\n\n"Carrots! Carrots!" the virmen chanted. Hooktooth hopped forward and flung pawfuls of cart coins into the lead outsider\'s face. Then he froze. A look of pure fury seemed etched into the tall one\'s expression. Hooktooth tentatively tossed another pawful and then hopped back into the crowd. Something about the outsider\'s eyes made him nervous.\n\nThe warren mother stepped forward. "We have coins. We want carrots. You give—"\n\nA gust of wind blew her onto her side. The other virmen went quiet. Sometimes the wind would rise, and sometimes the earth would shake, but there were always warnings. The virmen had learned to read the signs. They knew to stay underground if a storm might blow them away and to flee their warrens if they might collapse in a tremor. The spirits could be mischievous and playful, but they were rarely cruel, and they never knocked virmen over without reason. And they would never do it because the tall ones asked.',
			'The warren mother regained her footing. Her uncertainty lasted for only a few moments. Yipping with anger, she bounded forward. "You give carrots! Take coins!"\n\nAgain, there was no warning. The wind swept her off her feet, lifting her into the air. The warren mother screamed. It was as if the spirits screamed with her. The wind suddenly sent her careening toward the ground. Earth rose to meet her.\n\nEarth and wind howled together. And together, they crushed her.\n\nThe virmen drew back. The remains of the warren mother flopped over, lifeless.\n\nThe tall ones smiled.\n\nHooktooth turned and fled back to the warren with the others, screeching at the top of his lungs. They all had experienced strange things in recent months—the dark energy of the sha that had whipped them into a fervor, the hozen raids, the masses of outsiders stomping through the Valley of the Four Winds—and none wanted any part of whatever new power these nine were wielding.\n\nThe virmen huddled together in silence, hoping the tall ones would leave soon.',
			'Gina carried the steaming bowls of soup down the cellar stairs. The draenei and the night elf were talking quietly, leaning up against the pile of harvested carrots. The orc was sitting with his back against the dirt wall to the north. He was smiling.\n\n"What\'s he so happy about?" Gina asked.\n\n"I would ask him if I thought I would receive an answer," Vindicator Maraad said. The draenei was still wearing his armor, his hammer within easy reach.\n\nGina gave a bowl of soup to both Lyalia and Maraad. She set the third down by the orc\'s feet. The prisoner didn\'t look at it or her. "You two travel together often?" she asked.\n\n"First time," Lyalia said.\n\n"Choice or necessity?"\n\n"Both," Maraad said. "I volunteered to help the Shado-pan find the culprit in the convoy attacks. A few of her Sentinels were in the area. We searched in pairs. Here we are."\n\n"The draenei have business with the Shado-pan?"\n\nMaraad offered a slight smile. "Not in the way you mean. The campaign on your land is over. Prophet Velen wants strong relationships with all on Pandaria. He is here himself, though most of his time will be spent in the north. It is a fascinating place with a fascinating history. Much to learn here." He sipped from his bowl of soup.',
			'"We work fairly well together," Lyalia said, "considering neither of us has slept in six days."\n\nGina\'s eyes went wide. "Six?"\n\n"Maraad watches the orc." Lyalia wondered if she should explain that paladins had ways to squelch any unexpected spellcasting. She had no idea whether the average pandaren understood things like that, even after months of mingling with outsiders. Gina simply nodded; perhaps she did. "I keep an eye out for everyone else." The night elf grimaced. "I know we could not have left the vale undefended, but I wish we could have spared a few extra Sentinels for this journey. Or at least my nightsaber." Ash had taken a minor wound to one of his legs a couple weeks ago, and Lyalia had been worried he couldn\'t yet cope with such a long walk.\n\n"The vale? Why would it still need defending?"\n\n"Most of the Shado-pan went north, to Kun-Lai. The Temple of the White Tiger," Maraad said. "Have you not heard about the—"\n\n—thrum thrum thrum thrum...\n\nMaraad went silent. Gina tilted her head. "What\'s that sound?"\n\n... THRUM thrum thrum thrum THRUM thrum thrum thrum...\n\nThe orc raised his eyes. His smile had turned feral. The sound vibrated through the earthen walls of the cellar. Little bits of dirt fell to the floor.\n\n"Maraad?" Lyalia slowly lifted her moonglaive. "That feels as if it is coming from the ground. Is it the elements?"\n\n"I am no shaman, but I believe so," Maraad said quietly. His hammer began to glow with the Light.\n\nLyalia tightened her gauntlets. Her green eyebrows drew down. "Now we know what our friend is, don\'t we?"\n\n"Yes."',
			'Haohan, Hillpaw, and Fung stopped talking immediately as the ground rattled with a strange rhythm. THRUM thrum thrum thrum...\n\n"That\'s not good, is it?" asked Fung.\n\nThe cellar doors swung open. Gina jumped out. The two Alliance members followed, pushing the orc ahead of them.\n\n"No," the night elf said, "it is not."',
			'"Look at these ookers." Mung-Mung whistled softly.\n\nFrom his perch in the tree just outside the Mudclaw home, he could see nine orcs forming a wide semicircle. With the mountains to the north, there would be no way to escape without fleeing through their midst. Two of the orcs\' arms moved in time with the tremors in the earth.\n\nTHRUM thrum thrum thrum...\n\nThis was supposed to be intimidating. They were posturing. Mung-Mung understood posturing. When he was six (and simply named Mung), a bigger hozen had pushed him down. The other hozen had beat at his own chest and hooted at him to stay down, to give up, to leave the wildfowl hunt "to the real grookers."\n\nTHRUM thrum thrum thrum...\n\nThe bigger hozen had fallen. Mung had earned his name name that day. Mung-Mung.\n\n"They wanna mess with a real grooker?" he whispered. "Fine with Mung-Mung."\n\nHe counted again. Nine orcs.',
			'"Our prisoner and the orcs outside are dark shaman," Vindicator Maraad said. "This is not good news."\n\nThe prisoner straightened up. "They are members of the true Horde," he said. "And they follow my orders. I am Mashok of the Kor\'kron. I command the dark shaman on this continent." He smirked at Lyalia. "You were right, Alliance. Since you will not survive the night, there is no harm in telling you that much."\n\n"Kor\'kron?" Farmer Fung did not look impressed. "Hellscream\'s henchmen? They didn\'t do so well at Orgrimmar."\n\n"That\'s what I heard," Gina agreed.\n\n"Had proto-dragons and the power of a sha and still couldn\'t win," Haohan added.\n\nAn ugly expression passed over Mashok\'s face. His shackles jingled together. "Watch your tongues, if you wish to keep them. Some of you may still have a chance to see another sunrise."\n\nTHRUM thrum thrum thrum THRUM thrum thrum thrum...\n\nMashok raised his shackled hands and snapped his fingers. The rhythm instantly stopped. Lyalia gave Maraad a startled look. The draenei didn\'t take his eyes off the orc, but he made a slight gesture with his hammer. The Shado-pan shackles. He could see she understood. They might suppress much of his power, but not every scrap of it, apparently.\n\nSilence filled the Mudclaw house.\n\nFor a moment.',
			'"So you dark shaman can make music," Farmer Fung sneered. "We\'re supposed to be afraid? I\'ve heard better."\n\n"What you heard," Mashok said with relish, "were the elemental spirits of your land marching to our orders. They are already under our control. We trained in Durotar, you pandaren fool. A harsh land. Not soft and bloated and childlike like yours. The spirits here never had the slightest chance of defying us."\n\nOld Hillpaw had stood silent throughout the conversation. No longer. "So. Dark shaman. Dominator of the elements. Member of the \'true Horde.\'" He stepped closer to Mashok. "Captured by only two of the Alliance. Your power truly knows no bounds. Why were you raiding Horde camps before these two caught you? Because they weren\'t part of the \'true Horde\'?"\n\nMashok threw his head back and laughed. "They chose to betray their warchief. They deserved much worse than what I did to them."\n\nOld Hillpaw wasn\'t done. "Explain why a group of Kor\'kron dark shaman is here in Pandaria. Obviously you weren\'t present at Orgrimmar. Were you left behind after your warchief defiled our land?" Fire blazed in the orc\'s eyes. Hillpaw nodded. "I suspected so. You weren\'t even valuable enough to merit a thought in Hellscream\'s head when he went back to Orgrimmar."\n\n"Here is the only deal you farmers will ever get," Mashok snarled. "There are fifteen fellow Kor\'kron standing outside right now. You—"\n\n"Nine. There are nine." Mung-Mung swung into the house, landing on a table. He scratched an armpit and grinned at the orc. "Mung-Mung checked twice."\n\nMashok spluttered. Maraad and Lyalia shared grim looks. Nine dark shaman? Long odds, even if Old Hillpaw was right in assuming these weren\'t Hellscream\'s elite. Better than fifteen, though. Interesting that Mashok would feel the need to lie, Maraad noted.',
			'"If you pandaren have an ounce of intelligence between you, listen well," Mashok finally said in a dangerous voice. "Release me now. Now. And I will not kill you. I will kill them"—he gestured toward Vindicator Maraad and Lyalia—"but not you. If you resist in the slightest, I will tear this house to the ground around your ears."\n\nOld Hillpaw showed only cold, raw anger. He stepped nose-to-nose with the orc. "This land is not yours to command," he said. "This is where I raised my family. This is where I buried my family. It will be mine and theirs forever. Do you really think we\'ll surrender to the likes of you?"\n\nMashok smiled down at the elder pandaren. "The deal," he said, "no longer applies to you. The rest of you should make your decision quickly."\n\n"Don\'t bother," Haohan said. "We\'re not stupid. You\'re not letting any of us survive this." The other Tillers nodded.\n\nMaraad slowly let out a heavy breath. If the Tillers had wanted to surrender...\n\n"We will hold them off for as long as we can," the night elf said, exchanging another grim look with Maraad. Nine versus two. At best, they would only buy minutes with their lives. "Run to Halfhill. Sound the alarm. The Alliance will assist you. The Horde probably will, too," she added reluctantly.\n\n"Don\'t bother with that, either," Gina said. "We\'re not running."\n\n"This is not your fight," Maraad said.\n\n"It is my house," Haohan said.\n\n"I meant what I told him." Old Hillpaw\'s eyes were fierce. "I will not surrender to them. This land is not so easily cowed, and neither are we. And if you believe we aren\'t willing to fight, you don\'t know us very well."',
			'Farmer Fung sniffed with disdain. "You don\'t need to lay it on so thick, Hillpaw," he said. "But yes. I won\'t run either."\n\n"Fools," the orc prisoner said under his breath. "Absolute, weak idiots. Every one of you deserves what\'s coming."\n\nEveryone ignored him. Maraad smiled. "Then here is what I propose. We lock the prisoner in your cellar. I will take the lead outside, draw their attention—"\n\nA sound cut him off. Steel clinking. Hollow thumps.\n\nMashok\'s shackles hitting the floor.\n\nA small, thin vine quickly retreated beneath the space between two wood slats. It had picked the lock. The orc was free.\n\nThick roots, thorny and brown, smashed through the floor of the home in three places. Vindicator Maraad did not hesitate. He flung the power of the Light. The orc staggered, fell to a knee. The roots went limp.\n\nBut after a moment, the orc smiled. And stood back up. The roots twitched.\n\nMaraad continued to push the Light forward, numbing the orc, stopping him from calling upon his power, but he could feel the dark shaman stretching his will, building his strength bit by bit. The other dark shaman outside were forcing the spirits to lend him their aid.\n\nGina picked up the shackles. "I\'ll put these back on."\n\n"Stay where you are," Maraad said.\n\n"I\'m not afraid of him. I can—"\n\n"Do not move any closer to him." The draenei was relieved to see Gina step away. He had seen the orc\'s stance. Mashok would have taken her hostage or killed her outright. Maraad strained to keep the orc\'s power at bay as an unbelievable wave of strength flowed into him from outside. Those shackles wouldn\'t help at all unless Maraad could completely subdue the orc first.',
			'The Light was infinitely powerful. Vindicator Maraad believed that. But he was simply a vessel. And vessels had limits. And flaws. Maraad knew that very well. These nine dark shaman—these ten, including Mashok—would eventually overwhelm him. Someone needed to disrupt the dark shaman outside. And someone needed to keep Mashok contained.\n\nLyalia hefted her moonglaive. Maraad could feel her concerned gaze. "Are you well?" she asked.\n\n"Mashok and I have things to discuss," Maraad said. "We will have our conversation in the cellar. We do not want to distract you."\n\nLyalia went very still. She asked a silent question with her eyes. Are you sure? Maraad nodded. Lyalia clenched her jaw.\n\nThe orc saw their wordless exchange and laughed, but Maraad redirected a bit of the Light to the floor around him. The consecrated ground crackled with energy. Only a small circle directly beneath the orc\'s feet remained untouched. Slowly, Maraad moved it toward the cellar doors. Mashok stepped along with it, amused. Maraad was sure the shaman could force his way out of the impromptu consecrated circle if he wished, but he would expend strength doing so. And it would hurt. A lot.\n\nMashok\'s expression soured once he realized he was being corralled toward the cellar. "Fine, draenei. Let\'s end this quickly," the orc said. He descended the cellar stairs without resistance.',
			'"Bar the doors behind us," Maraad said. He gave a final look toward Lyalia. "Light be with you. Fight well, Sentinel."\n\n"Join us when you can, Vindicator," she said.\n\nThe doors closed behind him, plunging the cellar into darkness. Only the shimmering Light radiating from Maraad\'s hammer allowed him to see anything at all. The orc was sitting calmly against the dirt wall to the north again.\n\n"Shall we begin, paladin?" Mashok asked.\n\n"Yes," Maraad said, and drew deeply from the Light.\n\nHaohan slid one of his oversized metal chopping knives between the cellar door handles. That would keep the doors shut for the moment.\n\nThe pandaren stared down at the roots lying on the floor. "Snakeroot," Farmer Fung said. "Since when do you grow snakeroot, Haohan?"\n\n"Seen the prices on minerals at Halfhill? The outsiders can\'t get enough of \'em." Haohan shook his head. "Seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe it still is. I\'ll need the money to repair my floor."\n\nThe hozen peeked out the door. "Orcs are waiting. Not moving," Mung-Mung said.\n\n"Can we win?" Gina\'s voice and eyes were calm. "I\'m not talking about miracles. Do we have a real chance of beating nine of these... dark shaman?"\n\nLyalia wished she could say yes. "If we fail, it will not be for lack of effort," she decided to answer. "Nobody is unbeatable."\n\n"Why didn\'t they attack earlier?"\n\nEveryone turned to face Old Hillpaw. "What do you mean?" Lyalia asked.\n\n"If they had attacked you two on the road, it would have been nine versus two. Now it\'s nine against seven. Well, six." Old Hillpaw glanced at the cellar doors and tapped a claw on his cheek. "Why didn\'t they attack you two earlier?"',
			'"We were moving fast." But not that fast.\n\n"Maybe." Hillpaw didn\'t look convinced. "Maybe it was more than one thing. This... Mashok... seems to be the strongest of the bunch. Maybe they don\'t fight as well without him. Maybe—"\n\n"What\'s your point, Hillpaw?" Fung interrupted.\n\n"There could be many reasons they waited to attack. But they had such overwhelming numbers; what reasons could possibly outweigh that? It had to have been something significant." Hillpaw\'s voice dropped to a whisper. "Perhaps we have an advantage here. They don\'t know this land. We do."\n\n"That will certainly help," Lyalia said carefully. "Knowledge of terrain is always vital."\n\n"No," Hillpaw said. "We know this land. We Tillers are not shaman. We can\'t speak to the elemental spirits. But we work with them every day." He lifted his paws. "We care for them. We fight to protect them. We\'ve invested generation after generation into them."\n\nLyalia didn\'t want to give them false hope. "Dark shamanism is harsh. I do not understand every aspect of it, but I am not sure your spirits can resist."\n\n"Mashok said the spirits here are soft. If he believes that, if the others believe that, then they are sorely mistaken," Hillpaw said.\n\nUnderstanding dawned on Haohan. "Childlike. He called them childlike."\n\nLyalia could see all of the others\' faces brighten. "Is he wrong?"\n\nGina smiled fiercely. "In ways he can\'t even imagine," she said.\n\n"That strange sound, that rhythm in the earth," Fung said, "was probably a lot of fun for the spirits. They won\'t think it\'s so fun when they\'re told to kill the people who keep the land watered and the soil tilled."\n\n"You saw the pond, night elf," Hillpaw said. "Great predators grow alongside our great crops. This is not a tame valley."\n\n"I see." Lyalia glanced outside the door. There was still no movement. The shaman were holding their positions. Waiting.\n\n"Can we win?" Gina asked again.\n\n"Do you have weapons?" asked Lyalia.\n\n"We have hoes and rakes outside," Haohan said.\n\n"Don\'t give us that look, night elf," Fung said. "We can handle ourselves."\n\nLyalia schooled her expression back to calmness. They were not warriors. Untrained. But they had the right to fight for their land. "Of course." She faced Gina. "Can we win? I will tell you this: I spent months inside the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. I did everything I could to protect it. It was not enough. I will not let them do to your homes what Hellscream did to the vale. I would die first." She turned toward the door. "I will take the lead. They will see me as the biggest threat." And if they are more powerful than we hope, my quick death will warn you to run. A grim thought.\n\n"Here we go," Lyalia said.',
			'"Planning to use that?" the orc asked. The cramped confines of the cellar made his voice unnaturally loud.\n\nMaraad glanced down at his hammer, glowing with the Light. "Not right now."\n\nThe two sat cross-legged, staring at each other across the narrow length of cellar that wasn\'t packed floor to ceiling with carrots. To the untrained observer, they might appear to be meditating, preparing for a battle.\n\nFew would know that the battle had begun. Glimmers of energy were already visible. Shining motes of yellow spun around Maraad. Dark brown and red flashes sparked around Mashok.\n\nMaraad kept the Light pressed down on the orc. Waiting for the next attack. It came quickly, a small jab, trying to seize control of the earth. Maraad brushed it aside.\n\n"Hit me once with that thing, and all this ends," Mashok taunted. "Otherwise I\'ll keep my promise. I\'ll make you watch as they die."\n\nMaraad didn\'t rise to the bait. He didn\'t even blink. The concentration needed to put the orc down with a hammer\'s blow would give the dark shaman an instant of uncontested access to the spirits. And that was the real danger. Not strength. Speed. Mashok was fast. Maraad would only get one swing of his hammer.\n\nHe would wait. He would make it count.\n\nThe orc began probing. Here. There. Again. Faster and faster. Maraad kept pace, knocking down each attempt.\n\nRivulets of sweat soon ran down both of their faces. The colors whirled ever brighter.',
			'"You will obey me," the dark shaman Kishok growled. The reply from the spirits of fire came back as a series of confusing, overlapping pleas:\n\n—we don\'t understand we don\'t want we don\'t know we don\'t need we hate we can\'t we won\'t—\n\nThe orc extended his will through his totem and clamped down hard. The spirits howled in pain. He smiled. This wasn\'t so difficult. The spirits had rebelled briefly after Zertin forced them to kill that warren mother, but once the Kor\'kron had begun to work, the elements had been quickly brought under control.\n\n"You will lend me your strength," Kishok said. "You will lend me a minion. Send it forth, the strongest and the mightiest of you. Bring it to me." More howls of pain and fear. They resisted. They fought. Finally, they yielded. Kishok could feel the heat even before the minion appeared. "Yes. Good." He straightened his back and spread his arms wide, awaiting the most powerful fire elemental of this land.\n\nSwoosh.\n\nKishok stared down. The elemental craned its neck to look back up at him. It was barely tall enough to reach Kishok\'s knees. It seemed to be wearing a mask, ornamental. Playful. Childlike.\n\nHe shook the spirits in a fury. "You mock me!" he roared. "You dare to send this?" The elemental shrank back, fear plainly visible in its oversized eyes. "This is an infant! I demand strength. I demand—"\n\n"There she is!" Another orc pointed toward the pandaren house. Shouts of alarm rose among the Kor\'kron.\n\nA lone figure sprinted out of the door. A night elf. Alliance. She was but a dark blur in the moonslight. Her moonglaive was out, all four of its blades bared. She intended to die fighting.\n\nGood, Kishok thought.\n\nThe nine dark shaman gathered their might. The earth groaned. The wind howled. Kishok glared down at the fire spirit. "Banish the shadows," he commanded. "Leave her nowhere to hide. If you are even capable of that," he added with contempt.',
			'The small spirit lifted a hand.\n\nFire blazed in the sky. A giant ball of rippling blue flame, perhaps fifty paces wide, hung hundreds of paces above the ground. Even at such a height, the light was blinding. Kishok shaded his eyes. The heat nearly singed his skin. Such power... He had misjudged this little one. Spoiled and childlike indeed, but not without use.\n\n"Excellent!" he bellowed, laughing. "Now—"\n\nCries of pain ripped through the night, and the air went still. The wind, and its spirits, fell silent.\n\nWhat? Kishok squinted against the bright light and peered into the fields. A second cry of agony rose, and Kishok could see the night elf dashing away. Dark liquid dripped from her blade.\n\nAnd the wind remained still. There had been two Kor\'kron controlling it. She killed both of them?\n\nRage erupted within Kishok. The elemental\'s light had helped the night elf, not the Kor\'kron. "Stop that!" The ball of fire disappeared. In its absence, absolute darkness swallowed the land.\n\nKishok heard confused shouts. The orcs\' night vision had been obliterated. "Do as I say. We need light. Bring—" Without warning, the ball of fire returned, brighter than before. Kishok squeezed his eyes shut. He saw the veins in his eyelids.\n\nIn pure, blind anger, Kishok turned to where he had last spotted the Alliance elf and unleashed his fury. The sound of thunder filled the air.\n\nHe didn\'t see the other figures darting out of the home\'s front door.',
			'Old Hillpaw stayed low and went south. No immediate attacks came his way. He snatched up one of Haohan\'s rakes. The prongs were made of ghost iron. Expensive. Durable. Sharp.\n\nPerfect.\n\nThe enraged shouting was a good sign; the night elf must have killed at least one of the orcs. The flicking waves of light meant the spirits were not being completely obedient to their new masters. Those irregular flashes showed him where the orcs were. They shifted west in pairs, all looking for Lyalia.\n\nThey found her. The night erupted in chaos. The earth trembled. Hillpaw kept his footing all the way to the nearest pair of shaman.\n\nThey had their backs to him. Hillpaw planted his feet—just as Master Bruised Paw had taught him so long ago—and jabbed his rake\'s shaft toward one of the orcs\' throats. Cartilage crunched under the blow. The unfortunate orc fell to the ground, a high-pitched wheeze escaping his ruined windpipe.\n\nThe other dark shaman bellowed in surprise. The two must have been controlling the spirits of water. Hillpaw saw that a globe of foul, dark, oily liquid vileness hung suspended over him and the orcs. But without both orcs exerting their will, the spirits apparently didn\'t feel compelled to obey any longer. The globe popped like a bubble, showering down. Hillpaw felt the first few drops sizzle against his fur, and he ducked away, rolling smoothly. The dying orc\'s gasps turned to gurgles as poisoned water splashed over his face.\n\nThe other orc was utterly doused. He shrieked in pain, stumbling to the north, desperately scrambling toward the large pond, his skin burning and peeling.\n\nThe gurgling continued near Hillpaw\'s feet. The pandaren swung the rake one last time, and the orc was finally quiet. Hillpaw had to pry the prongs out of the motionless corpse. That took longer than he wanted.\n\nThe other orc disappeared down the slope to the water\'s edge. Hillpaw was tempted to follow, but that would take him away from the fight. He turned toward the fields instead, seeking a new target.',
			'Goosebumps rippled over Lyalia\'s skin as lightning gouged gaping holes in the ground a few paces behind her. The storm seemed to sweep in an arc—away from her, she realized after a moment. At least someone is blinder than I. The giant ball of flame flickered out again. One of the orcs began shouting angrily in the distance.\n\nShe continued to run. She swerved east, across a dirt path, into the snakeroot field. Thorns tore at her legs. One stabbed deeply into her calf. She grimaced but didn\'t slow. Lightning lit the field before her. Two silhouettes, with a totem between them, were peering in the wrong direction.\n\nToo bad for them, she thought.\n\nLyalia smiled and let her moonglaive\'s blades lead the way.',
			'"The night elf is fast," Haohan said.\n\n"Follow her example, Father," Gina said. The night elf was drawing the outsiders\' focus east. The Mudclaws sprinted west, looping around behind a lone orc. Odd that this one was standing by himself. The others stayed in pairs.\n\n"Together?" she asked.\n\n"Together," Haohan agreed.\n\nHaohan lowered his shoulder. Gina took two more steps and firmly planted the shaft of her hoe in the dirt, vaulting into the air, her foot aimed directly at the orc\'s throat.\n\n"Zertin! Watch out!" One of the other Kor\'kron shouted a warning from across the field.\n\nThe orc turned. With a cry, he flung himself away, evading both Gina and Haohan. This one is good, Haohan thought.\n\nThe orc faced them and raised his arms.\n\n"Father!" Gina hurled herself at Haohan, knocking them both flat. Snapping teeth closed where he had been standing. The two Mudclaws scrambled back to their feet and stared into the glowing eyes of a black shadow. Lightning flashed elsewhere on the field, illuminating its shape. It was a wolf. A spirit of a wolf. It howled at them, anger and torment plain in its cry.\n\nThe orc offered a savage laugh. "You have many wolves in your land. But a few less now," he said. Then he turned to run, heading back into the fight with the night elf.',
			'The feral spirit leaped at the two pandaren. Gina swung her hoe. The farm tool hit squarely on the ghost wolf\'s flank, pushing it to the side. It snarled at her but sprang toward Haohan. He barely dodged.\n\n"Gina, give me that!"\n\nShe tossed the hoe. He snatched it and spun. Whacking virmen over the head for so many years made the movement effortless. The shaft whistled through the air, and the wolf instinctively flinched back from the sound.\n\nHaohan hesitated. Then swung the tool again. The noise made the wolf back up. "Good wolf," Haohan said unconvincingly. "Nice wolf." He kept swinging the hoe. The wolf\'s red gaze followed it.\n\n"Father," Gina hissed. "What are you doing?"\n\n"A few less," Haohan said. "A few less wolves. That\'s what the orc said." Haohan suddenly drove the hoe downward, planting it in the dirt. The wolf stared at it, not advancing. "I think this wolf was from this valley." The spirit sat down on its haunches. It began whining, an unnerving sound.',
			'"Where? The farms in the east?" Gina asked.\n\n"Wolf packs sometimes pass through, right?"\n\n"Yes, they do," Gina said. "This one remembers the farmers."\n\nHaohan gritted his teeth. "And these orcs killed it. Enslaved its spirit."\n\n"I see. Good wolf," Gina said, equally unconvincing. "Nice wolf. Father? Do you think the other wolf spirits will recognize farmers, too?"\n\n"What other spirits?" Haohan glanced over at Gina and froze. "Oh. Those."\n\nSeven more pairs of glowing eyes closed in on them. A parting gift from the orc named Zertin, no doubt.\n\n"I hope so, Gina."\n\n"Wonderful," she said in a small voice.\n\nThe air in the cellar howled at hurricane speeds. Cracks crept up the dirt walls. The earth shook.',
			'Neither Vindicator Maraad nor the orc had moved. Their battle was one of wills. The orc could only manage the lightest touch on each element before Maraad stopped him, but with each touch, Mashok increased his control a hair\'s width. The amused smile on the orc\'s face had long since vanished. It was clear Maraad could keep pace with him.\n\nMaraad let a tiny portion of the Light leak away into the air. In it, he sent a simple message, a feeling.\n\nI am not your enemy. I am not fighting you.\n\nThe message was not for Mashok. It was for Mashok\'s victims. The spirits. Maraad was a paladin, not a shaman, but perhaps the spirits would understand.\n\n"How long until you fail, Alliance?" Mashok asked. "You haven\'t slept all week. I\'ve slept well, thanks to you. You\'ll miss a step eventually."\n\nEvery second, Mashok tried to smash Maraad with earth, to burn him to ash with fire, to force water into his lungs. Maraad deflected each attack. But the orc was right. Fatigue weighed down on Maraad\'s mind. Eventually, he would fail.\n\nYet the draenei allowed himself an inward smile. No orc had come to Mashok\'s aid. They were all occupied aboveground.\n\nGood work, Lyalia, he thought, and blocked another assault.',
			'"Stay here," Hooktooth whispered. "Nobody go up."\n\nThe virmen murmured with fear, shivering as hollow booms shook the earth. Only a few of their glowing red eyes were open. Another warren had already collapsed due to the battle above. There was no telling when this one might fall.\n\n"Hooktooth, we have to help," one of the runts said. It was the same runt who had questioned the warren mother\'s plan. "Land hurting. Green tall ones hurting it."\n\n"We stay here," Hooktooth repeated.\n\n"What if land hurted too much?" the runt insisted. "Tall ones can\'t grow carrots if they dead or land hurted too much."\n\nA few of the virmen opened their eyes and looked to Hooktooth.\n\n"We stay here," Hooktooth said, less certain.',
			'"Someone could get hurt out there," Farmer Fung mused aloud.\n\nHe crouched behind the edge of the Mudclaw home, watching as a torrent of murky air swirled around the fields. Almost as soon as he had stepped outside, the foul vortex had spawned right above him. He didn\'t think it had been meant for him, but it had taken at least a minute for it to begin winding toward the night elf.\n\nUnpleasant sounds came from beneath his feet. The cellar. The draenei and the orc must be busy, he thought.\n\nThere were also unpleasant smells. Fung turned, nose wrinkling. The mushan, Thunder, stomped his large hooves, whining, frightened by the battle. He was obviously no longer constipated. A pile of leavings grew by the moment. It would make an excellent base for Fung\'s new fertilizer recipe when this nonsense was sorted out.\n\n"Fung wanna stare at poop all night?"\n\nMung-Mung hung from the home\'s eaves upside down, scowling at him. "I don\'t see you fighting down there," Fung snapped.\n\n"Dookers made tornado. Mung-Mung stay in house until it pass." The hozen flipped off the eaves and landed next to Fung. "How you wanna smash stupid shaman?"\n\n"I\'m thinking." Fung eyed Thunder with disdain. The pandaren briefly considered riding the mushan into battle. Very briefly. Haohan\'s beasts might pull carts easily enough, but they likely wouldn\'t be much use with a heavy pandaren on their back.\n\nAlthough...\n\nFung scratched his chin and sized up Mung-Mung. Then he looked back at Thunder. And smiled. "Hey, Mung-Mung," he said.\n\nMung-Mung had followed his gaze. He shook his head vehemently. "No. Mung-Mung say no!"\n\n"I have an idea," Fung said brightly.\n\n"No!"',
			'Three down. Lyalia spun and thrust. Four. She began running again, trying to stay on the razor\'s edge of safe ground among the chaos.\n\nThe Kor\'kron regrouped. Fresh attacks rained down around her. A tornado curved across the fields. Already her lungs felt as if they were on fire; she had taken a single breath of the invisible toxic fumes the last pair had conjured, and now each new breath scraped her throat like sandpaper. Jagged slivers of earth whistled past her head. One grazed her neck, adding another small cut to the many she had collected thus far.\n\nTwo more dark shaman stood in front of her. One of them raised a hand. She had no chance to dodge this time. A column of burning ash slammed into her. The force of the blast bowled her over, but the attack didn\'t cease. The ash poured down from above, tiny pebbles of fire, the sheer power of it keeping her flat on the ground. Lyalia gritted her teeth and covered her head, refusing to cry out. The searing rocks flayed her.\n\nI got four, she reminded herself. Four. Not bad.\n\nFather. I will see you soon.\n\nShe looked up at the orc who was only moments away from killing her.',
			'The night elf locked eyes with Kishok. He smiled and contemptuously gestured toward her with a free hand. She was instantly engulfed in flames.\n\nThere. He let the rain of ash cease. Kishok peered into the darkness and spotted Zertin near the pandaren house, no doubt waiting for the proper moment to enter the cellar and end the remaining Alliance fool within. Perfect. Kishok set his totem pouch on the ground, adjusting its straps, preparing for the remainder of the battle. The orc next to him, a quiet one named Trokk, followed suit. It would be simple to finish off the farmers. A couple might run, but they would be easy enough to track. If the wind—\n\nA loud hissing sound interrupted his thoughts.\n\nKishok spun. Steam rose from where the night elf lay. The flames were gone. The fire elemental giggled.\n\nShimmering blue light peeked out from behind an enormous turnip. Another elemental. Water. It had extinguished the fire. It shyly tossed a small globe of water into the air. The fire spirit launched a tiny spear of white-hot flame at it, and when they collided, the globe vanished in steam and sparks.\n\nBoth spirits giggled again.\n\nAre they... playing catch?\n\nWith a scream of rage, Kishok tried to stomp on the fire elemental.\n\n"Kishok, wait!" Trokk called out.\n\nThe fire spirit slid out of the way, and the orc\'s foot slammed into his pouch of totems. He felt several items shatter under his heel.\n\nKishok spitted Trokk with a sharp glance. The other orc wisely kept his mouth shut. "Enough!" Kishok snarled. The spirits refused to obey? They wanted to play games? Fine. This was why dark shamanism was necessary for the true Horde. The spirits had begun to shy away from responding to the warchief\'s shaman in Orgrimmar. That disobedience had been corrected swiftly.\n\nKishok would crush this spirit. Make an example of it. He reached out with his will.',
			'And caught nothing. The fire spirit looked down at the shattered totems. And giggled again.\n\n"I don\'t need those," Kishok said softly, stepping forward. "One way or another—"\n\n"Hey, dooker!"\n\nThe ground shook, and a warning cry from Trokk was silenced with the sound of a gruesome impact. A moment later, a beast crashed into Kishok from the side. Kishok\'s face hit the dirt. He rolled to his feet with a growl. The shape of a lumbering mushan disappeared into the high stalks of the nearby turnip fields. The orc could hear the beast slowly turning around to charge at him again. Kishok dropped into a low crouch and looked around. Trokk lay still, his head deformed. The mushan had stepped on it.\n\nKishok heard a soft footstep in the dirt to his left—very close—and the left side of his torso went numb. The orc caught a flash of black and white out of the corner of his vision, and he desperately brought up his right arm, blocking a blow to his head.\n\nOne of the pandaren farmers stared into his eyes. His paw was clutching a strange, sharp weapon. "I hate outsiders. Most of them, anyway," the farmer said.\n\nThe numbness gave way to blinding pain. Another of the strange weapons was sticking out of Kishok\'s side. His mind delivered the news without panic. The orc was well trained. He ruthlessly squashed the agony and drew himself upright. A lesser creature might fall to such an injury, but not a Kor\'kron.\n\nThe pandaren slid around his right guard, clumsy, but Kishok\'s reflexes were dulled by the pain. The orc\'sother side went numb. Kishok swung, and his fist slammed into the farmer\'s face, dropping him into the dirt. Kishok pulled one of the weapons free with a snarl. It had an odd handle, curved, and it was made of junk metal.\n\n"What is this?"\n\n"Shears," the pandaren said in a muffled voice, holding his broken nose. "For the sheep."',
			'Kishok could feel blood dripping from his sides. He removed the second shear. "Understand who you\'re facing, farmer. I am not a simple—"\n\n"Still alive, dooker?"\n\nThe ground shook again. The mushan had returned, and it smashed into Kishok, sending him head over heels, massive hooves mashing the soil only inches from his skull. Desperately the orc reached out. His earth totem had not been completely destroyed, and he managed to catch a spirit of earth by a fingernail. A wide swath of the field heaved, and the mushan tumbled onto its side, its hozen rider hooting with fury. The spirit wriggled and tried to escape, but Kishok refused to let go.\n\nMore pandaren were approaching from the east, a male and a younger female. A much older male closed in from the west. The mushan and the remaining pandaren were south. Kishok stumbled north. There was no room for subtlety. He was bleeding. Injured. He needed distance and time to fight them off. There was a slope leading to a large pond. Kishok stood at the edge of the hill and forced the spirit to raise a wall of earth five paces high between him and the pandaren.\n\nThe spirit obeyed, using the land just beneath Kishok\'s feet.',
			'Kishok fell.\n\nHe skidded down the slope, all the way into the shallows of the pond. Fresh pain throbbed throughout his entire body, and for a few moments, he gasped for breath, waiting for the agony to subside.\n\nThey will pay. His rage grew with each heartbeat. They will PAY. He stood up, knee-deep in the water. He could see dark swirls of his blood.\n\nHis right foot bumped into something. He bent down and fished it out. A pouch. A shaman\'s totem pouch. Half of one, anyway. Kishok regarded it curiously. It looked as if it had been ripped in two—no, bitten in two.\n\nThe orc felt a chill. One of the other Kor\'kron had come down to the water\'s edge. What happened to him?\n\nThe water in front of Kishok roiled. A giant mass heaved underneath the surface, jaws gaping, teeth gleaming in the moonslight. With a horrified cry, Kishok sloshed backward. The huge—the absolutelyenormous—fish launched forward, lunging, snapping its mouth closed. A crunch echoed off the mountains to the north.\n\nThe totem pouch fell into the shallows yet again. The fish slowly slid back into the deep.',
			'"This is why you outsiders need to eat more," Farmer Fung said. He cupped his broken nose, grimacing. "Too skinny. If you had some padding on you, you\'d probably feel fine."\n\n"Probably." Lyalia groaned. She lay flat on her back. The flames had only lasted for a couple moments. Hopefully not long enough to badly injure her. Hopefully. It still hurt. She could see the water elemental that had saved her prancing in a nearby field, playing with the fire spirit.\n\n"Can you stand?"\n\n"Let\'s find out," she said. Fung pulled her upright. After a few heartbeats, Lyalia decided she wouldn\'t drop dead this instant, but if Maraad couldn\'t heal her within the hour, she didn\'t have high hopes. "How many are left?"\n\nA terrible scream rang out near the pond. And then there was silence. The wall of earth blocking the slope to the water\'s edge collapsed into a pile of dirt. "One less," Fung said. Mung-Mung hooted, patting the mushan on the head as the beast stomped his hooves.\n\n"I think there\'s only one more," Haohan said. He cradled his left arm, wincing. A gash stood out against a patch of white fur. "Plus the one in the cellar."\n\n"What are we waiting for?" Gina said. Old Hillpaw grunted in agreement.\n\n"He\'s strong, Lyalia," Haohan warned. "Very strong."\n\nLyalia tested her range of motion. Each movement sent pain shooting from head to toe, but at least she could swing her moonglaive. It would have to be enough.\n\n"Stay—" She hesitated. They wouldn\'t stay here even if she asked nicely. She changed her approach. "Behind me for now. Wait for him to come after me. Then strike. It has worked well for us so far."\n\nFung eyed her injuries with skepticism but nodded. The others did too.',
			'Zertin knelt next to the pandaren home, his fingers pressed into the dirt. He smiled. The spirits roiled under his feet, crying out, writhing. But obeying. Mashok would soon be free.\n\nFootsteps. Behind him.\n\nZertin turned. The night elf was slowly approaching him. She looked injured. Charred. Her pandaren allies spread out behind her. A hozen was even riding a mushan in their midst.\n\n"So," he said, raising his voice. "I\'m outnumbered. You think I\'ll surrender, don\'t you?"\n\nLyalia stepped closer. "No," she said.\n\n"At least you are not a total fool," the orc said. He spotted the father and daughter pandaren advancing with her. He called out to them. "Did you enjoy meeting my pets?"\n\n"They\'re gone now," the daughter said. "They weren\'t interested in killing the farmers who once fed them."\n\n"I see," Zertin said. "Then meet the ones I brought from Durotar."\n\nGhostly howls shattered the night, and a pack of wolf spirits leapt at the group. The elf turned to fight, to protect the farmers.\n\nZertin ignored her. He sprinted into the house.\n\nThere. The cellar doors.',
			'Everything in the cellar shook. Everything writhed. Everything but the orc and the draenei. The shrill of the spirits and the whirling Light formed an unending assault on the senses. Maraad squinted, forcing himself to keep his eyes open.\n\nBehind him, above him, the cellar doors rattled.\n\n"They\'re here," Mashok said through clenched teeth. "You have failed. They\'re right above us."\n\nI am not your enemy. I am theirs, Maraad called once more to the spirits. "That is exactly what I have been waiting for," he said.\n\nMashok looked confused. The cellar doors swung open. "Mashok!" an orc voice shouted. "I\'m here to save—"\n\nMaraad whipped his hammer off his lap and threw it. With a crunch, the hammer caught the newcomer underneath the chin, taking the orc off his feet. Maraad sprang up, clearing the cellar stairs in two strides. He heard a roar of rage behind him and a swelling of power as Mashok finally seized control of the spirits. Maraad snatched his hammer and ran for the home\'s entrance only a heartbeat before thick roots shot out of the cellar, twisting, searching for prey.\n\nAfter that, things happened very fast.',
			'"Keep that mushan away from the house," Lyalia called out.\n\n"Dooker not listening!" Mung-Mung shouted back, holding on to Thunder\'s neck for dear life. The ghostly wolves had been an illusion, nothing more, but the bucking mushan was utterly terrified. At least the beast was moving away.\n\nThe sound of wood bending and snapping drew Lyalia\'s attention. She saw Vindicator Maraad exit the Mudclaw home at a dead run.\n\n"He is loose!" Maraad turned to face the door. "How many left?"\n\n"Just those two," Lyalia said.\n\n"This is it, then!" Maraad gave a quick glance to the pandaren. "Help if you can."\n\nTwo orcs emerged. Zertin was stumbling, a hand pressed to his jaw as though he had taken a heavy blow. The other was Mashok. The former prisoner raised his arms. Thick vines of snakeroot tangled around each of the Mudclaw home\'s support beams. The roots flexed once. The home shattered, collapsing into ruin.\n\n"Roots. Are we sure he isn\'t a druid?" Lyalia said. Maraad sighed.',
			'More roots broke through the earth beneath Lyalia\'s feet. She danced away. The ground heaved. She could see Maraad\'s hammer glowing as he dodged a different patch of roots.\n\n"Ideas?" she yelled.\n\n"Do not fight the spirits. Fight them."\n\nLyalia noticed he hadn\'t smashed any of the roots flat. "Good. I was worried this would be easy," she said. It had been only moments since the orcs had stepped into the open. Every passing heartbeat would make her job harder. She dashed forward, ducking and weaving, resisting the urge to cut a path through the looming roots. I hope you know what you are doing, Maraad. A chasm in the earth suddenly yawned beneath her feet, and she barely managed to leap over the gap. She saw the angry red glow of magma far below.\n\nThe two dark shaman slowly backed away as she advanced. Chunks of rock jutted upward between her and them. Snakeroot reached for her neck. It was impossible to close the distance.\n\nA shape darted toward the orcs from the rear. Gina. Lyalia expected her to try a quick attack, in and out, but the pandaren female leaped on Mashok\'s back, tearing at his ponytail and locking an arm around his throat.',
			'The other orc, Zertin, hesitated. Another shape closed in from the side. Farmer Fung. Lyalia and Maraad charged in. Mashok threw Gina off his back only to be bowled over by Haohan. Zertin dodged Fung\'s slashing shears, stepping into Lyalia\'s reach. The night elf swung her moonglaive once, twice. Zertin ducked the first swing, took a wound to an arm on the second.\n\n"Enough!" Mashok was flat on his back, but he clapped his hands together, and suddenly Gina and Haohan were lifted, roots wrapped around their throats. More snatched at Fung, catching him by the ankle.\n\n"Indeed," said Vindicator Maraad. His hammer whistled through the air. Mashok cried out and tried to roll away. The hammer still landed solidly on the orc\'s right thigh. Lyalia heard bone splintering.\n\nAn instant later, three sharp root tips pierced Maraad\'s abdomen, cracking his armor. He fell with a grunt, dark blue blood dripping to the dirt.\n\nZertin roared with rage, but his mouth clicked shut as a pandaren\'s open paw slammed into his chin. Hillpaw. Zertin dropped to his knees. Two roots punctured the older pandaren\'s shoulders and dragged him to the ground.\n\n"Hillpaw!" Lyalia furiously drove one of her moonglaive\'s blades into Zertin\'s chest. Five, she thought. Before she could make another move, she felt a loop of root settle around her neck and pull tight. Thorns stabbed deeply into her flesh as she was yanked off her feet.\n\nFive for me. Nine out of ten between us. Not bad.',
			'Mashok lifted his hands and clenched his fists. The roots tightened, pulling the pandaren onto their backs, leaving them hopelessly entangled. Only the hozen was left free, and Mashok could hear his outraged hooting in the distance as he struggled to bring the mushan under control. The night elf yanked against the plant around her throat while the draenei breathed slowly, clutching his middle, the roots still embedded in his stomach.\n\nIt was done. The spirits wept and wailed in the orc\'s mind, a fitting victory song. Zertin gasped a final breath a few paces away and went still, joining the other dark shaman in death. It wasn\'t a terrible loss, Mashok decided. His underlings had always slowed him down.\n\n"Now," Mashok said, savoring the cold pleasure of the moment, "I keep my promises." With a twitch of his fingers, the roots brought Vindicator Maraad to a kneeling position. "You and the night elf will die last. After I\'ve dealt with every one of these farmers you failed to protect."\n\n"Doesn\'t matter." The biting words came from Old Hillpaw, blood trickling from his shoulders and mouth. "You\'re alone. The land itself knows you are its enemy."\n\n"Good." Mashok smiled. "You\'ve spent generations tending this land? Hear me well: I will salt this earth. I will make the spirits pay for your stupidity. I will leave this valley barren." He looked down on the pandaren with contempt. "They will know you chose to fight me, and they will know that they are being made to destroy everything you have ever worked for."\n\n"They already know. You mean to end them. We stood against you," the draenei said, his voice slurred and pained. "They know."\n\nMashok ignored him.',
			'The land went quiet. The spirits went still. They no longer called for mercy. They no longer tried to escape. They no longer wept. Finally, submission. There was only a slight rustling in the fields behind Mashok. He didn\'t turn around. The hozen was still hollering at the top of his lungs far in the distance. Not a threat.\n\n"I will cover your lands in ash. Fire will seek out even the bugs and mites that crawl through the dirt. Nothing will grow on this soil again. And then, and only then—"\n\n"Not even carrots?" Farmer Fung asked. He could barely force the words past the roots around his throat. Mashok fixed his gaze on the immobilized pandaren. "Not even carrots will grow on this soil?"\n\nA long moment passed. "Even now, you mock me?" the orc asked softly. "Even now—"\n\n"It\'s a simple question," Fung said. "Will carrots grow here again?"\n\n"No!" Spittle flew. Mashok\'s words echoed across the land. "Nobody will ever grow carrots here again!" Why was the farmer smiling? Mashok tightened the roots around the Tiller\'s neck until the thorns broke through his flesh. "I think I will kill you first," the orc said.\n\nAbruptly Mashok paused. The spirits were still. Too still. Too obedient. The rustling in the fields had ceased.\n\nHe turned around.\n\nA sea of red, glowing eyes greeted him. Virmen. Hundreds of them. Thousands. Simply standing, watching.',
			'The rustling in the fields... The spirits had given Mashok no warning. A rodent stepped forward from the pack. It was the one with white-streaked fur and an oddly hooked front tooth. He sniffed the air. Mashok moved his hand in a scornful gesture. "Leave. Now," the orc said.\n\nThe virmen with the hooked tooth cocked his head but did not retreat. "You... kill carrots?"\n\nMashok bared his teeth. "Leave." The land shook at the word. The spirits of the earth, at least, knew to obey him without question.\n\nThe mass of virmen swayed with the earth\'s trembling, but their unsettling red eyes did not waver. "You say you kill carrots," the hook-toothed virmen said. "Why kill carrots?"\n\nThis was absurd. They need an example. Coldly Mashok told the earth to swallow the lead virmen, to open a chasm beneath his feet.\n\nNo, the earth said.\n\nMashok squeezed one of the spirits. It shrieked in agony, but still it refused. Every moment of your existence will be pure pain if you do not obey me, Mashok told the spirit. He sent the same thought to the rest of them. Do not dare to disobey me again. Give in.\n\n"Other tall ones grow carrots," the hook-toothed virmen said. "They make big carrots. You no kill carrots. You no kill tall ones."\n\nSear them to ash, Mashok commanded a spirit of fire.\n\nNo, the spirit said, and screamed.\n\nA spirit of wind didn\'t wait for a command. I will not obey, it said.\n\nNor will I, said a spirit of water.\n\nMashok slammed his will into theirs, flogging them with his mind, inflicting untold suffering. And yet they did not yield.\n\nThey didn\'t fight us, said the fire spirit. We will not help you.',
			'The roots loosened around the pandaren and the Alliance members. The draenei grunted as the sharp tips finally pulled free of his flesh.\n\n"No," Mashok whispered.\n\n"You no kill carrots," the hook-toothed virmen said again. Throughout the mass of virmen, the words were repeated.\n\n"No kill carrots... No kill carrots..."\n\n"You will bend!" Mashok roared aloud. He knew the spirits would hear. "Or you will break! Nothing can resist forever!"\n\nWe don\'t need to, the spirits replied in unison. We only need to resist for a few moments.\n\nMashok only glimpsed a flash of light before something smashed into the side of his head. His cheek in the dirt, Mashok saw Vindicator Maraad\'s radiant hammer falling to the ground.\n\nThe virmen surged forward. "No kill carrots!"\n\nMashok cried out and tried to ward off the wave of teeth and glowing eyes descending upon him.',
			'Sounds of agony emerged from the center of the hellish, squirming mass. The orc was fighting, but each virmen he sent flying hopped back into the fray within moments. Haohan watched from his knees, breathing heavily. "Always knew those rodents were good for something. Are you okay, Gina?"\n\nHis daughter waved off the question, but he could see blood beginning to mat her fur.\n\nThe draenei caught Haohan\'s eyes. "Can you stop them?" Maraad asked. He stood in obvious pain, hands clamped over his stomach wounds. He limped to Old Hillpaw and knelt down. The Light glowed around him, and the pandaren hissed in surprise. The gashes in his shoulder vanished.\n\n"Stop the virmen?" Haohan took another look at the chaos in his fields. It appeared that the dark shaman was still alive, struggling, but being dragged toward a nearby warren hole. "Why would I want to? He destroyed my house."\n\nLyalia slowly walked to Haohan. "Believe me, I understand the feeling," the night elf said. "But no matter what he deserves, it is better if we take him alive."\n\n"Justice?"\n\n"He is a dark shaman," Lyalia said. "Few have been taken alive, and few are as strong as this one. Anything we can learn from him will help." After a moment, she smiled, adding, "Justice, too."\n\nHaohan rubbed an aching shoulder and shook his head ruefully. "You\'re right. This is too easy an end for him." With a groan, he stood and stumbled into the mass of wreckage that was once his house. "Now where was...? Ah," he said, pulling aside some of the roofing and revealing the open entrance to the cellar. Even in the darkness before dawn, the rows of giant carrots were visible. "Gina, would you make the invitation?"',
			'Gina grimaced with pain and cleared her throat. "Carrots!" she yelled.\n\nThe virmen instantly went silent, glowing red eyes turning toward her.\n\n"Here are our carrots! With thanks! So much for our harvest." She muttered the last.\n\nHaohan pointed toward the cellar and gave an exaggerated nod. "All of our carrots! Here you go!"\n\nThe creatures hesitated, looking at each other, at the orc, and back at the pandaren. The hook-toothed one abandoned the dark shaman first. Hundreds followed suit.\n\nVindicator Maraad waded against the tide of virmen. Not every one of them had given up beating and gnawing on the orc, and the draenei gently pushed those that remained to the side. They grumbled but soon gave in to the temptation in the cellar.\n\nMashok\'s eyes were wild. The rest of him looked like ground meat. Maraad knelt next to him, preparing to heal him. "I suspect," Maraad said, "that did not end how you imagined it might."\n\nDawn broke.\n\nThe cart creaked loudly. Soon the Mudclaw home disappeared over the horizon. Vindicator Maraad kept his attention on the orc. His chest armor lay beside him; the battle had left it cracked and damaged. He had remarked that he would need to get it repaired or replaced.',
			'Lyalia scanned the fields, but her gaze drifted to the road behind them. Maybe three dozen virmen were closely following Haohan\'s cart, staring at Mashok. In daylight, their glowing red eyes weren\'t as menacing, but every time one of them yipped, Mashok flinched. The orc was back in his shackles and hadn\'t said a word since sunrise.\n\nMaraad had spent the morning healing the others. And himself, last. Lyalia had kept the orc company. Haohan had sent word to Halfhill that he was in need of workers to rebuild his home; outsiders were welcome to apply. Fung had objected strongly to the final part.\n\n"I\'ve been thinking," said Haohan. His paws rested lightly on the reins. "What would have happened if we had wanted to surrender?"\n\n"But you did not," Lyalia said.\n\n"Still. Our friend\'s offer. Your lives in exchange for ours. If we had believed him and wanted to take him up on it, what would you have done?" The cart creaked along in silence. "Seems like it would\'ve been a pickle for you two. Do you fight us to save your own lives? Or do you give up and allow yourselves to die for an offer you know is a sack of mushan pies?" Haohan chuckled. "Some might call you two fools if you had chosen the second option."\n\n"Some might."\n\n"Some might call the whole Alliance a great heaping flock of fools for capturing defeated enemies instead of gutting them, because they might be a bit dangerous," Haohan said.\n\n"Some might," Maraad said.\n\n"Mmm." Haohan tugged on the reins, and the cart turned south at a fork in the road. Toward Krasarang. Toward Lion\'s Landing. "Look at me. Jawing the whole trip. Talkin\' nonsense. Annoying you two after that rough night we all had."',
			'Lyalia and Maraad shared a quick glance. The draenei shook his head in amusement and returned his scrutiny to the orc. Mashok flinched again as a virmen hopped up on the rear of the cart, yipped loudly, then bounced back onto the road.\n\n"Still, I\'ve been thinking," Haohan continued. "Maybe you can stand to bear a little more of a farmer\'s philosophizing. I wonder if the people who\'d call y\'all fools aren\'t missing the point. If you claim a standard, you have to live by it. Win or lose. Else the standard never meant nothing. You Alliance folk like to claim all sorts of civilized standards. I bet some people might think that puts you a step behind when the going gets tough."\n\n"Some might," Lyalia said.\n\n"Mmm. Still, I\'ve—"\n\n"—been thinking?" asked Maraad.\n\n"How\'d you guess? What I\'ve been thinking is this: being all civilized probably does put you a step behind. If people trust you not to put a knife in their back, they get to scheming that maybe they could put one in yours without a problem." Haohan cracked the reins. "But that\'d be a mistake, wouldn\'t it? There\'s nothing quite as frightening as a civilized person roused to anger. Some might not like what they get when they force good people to fight them."\n\n"They might not," Maraad agreed.\n\n"Are the virmen going to follow us all the way to the coast?" asked Lyalia.\n\n"Probably," Haohan said. The orc shivered.\n\nThe cart rolled on.',
		},
		["author"] = "Robert Brooks",
		["icon"] = "Interface/ICONS/achievement_zone_valleyoffourwinds",
		["expansion"] = 4,
	},

	["the-jade-hunters"] = {
		["nameRealm"] = "The Jade Hunters",
		["text"] = {
			'Queen-Regent Moira Thaurissan requests yer presence. Immediately.\n\nFenella Darkvire lingered before the massive oak door to the royal chambers, repeating the words in her head. She licked dry lips, wiped sweaty, soot-stained hands across her metalworking tunic. She\'d been hammering at an anvil in the heart of Ironforge when a royal advisor delivered the message. She wished she could\'ve had time to change into something more presentable.\n\nBut one did not make Moira wait.\n\nFenella knocked.\n\n"Enter," a muffled voice replied from within.\n\n"Stay here, Koveth." Fenella turned her head slightly, enough to see the enormous golem looming behind her. A mountain of metal, sorcery, and Dark Iron ingenuity.\n\n"Affirmative," the construct rumbled.\n\nThe door creaked as Fenella pushed it open. She\'d never set foot in the royal chambers. Very few had. Fine dwarven tapestries depicting historic events covered the walls. Moira sat, back straight, behind a wooden table that looked big enough to pass for a merchant ship. Broken quills and scrolls lay scattered across its surface, the casualties of battles waged with promises, threats, and half-truths. The war of politics.\n\nFenella swallowed, wondering whether she should be the first to speak. She had met Moira on a few occasions. Once was after Fenella had finished construction of the now-famed Ruby Crystalarium in Shadowforge City. Still, being in the queen\'s presence made her nervous.',
			'"Fenella," Moira finally said, donning a relaxed smile. She cradled a small object in her hands: a statuette of deep jade, carved into the shape of a spiraling serpent.\n\n"Yer Highness."\n\n"Thank you for coming. I presume you know these lads." Moira gestured to one side of the chamber.\n\nFenella had been so focused on the queen that she hadn\'t noticed the other dwarves in the room. One was a Bronzebeard—a freakishly large Bronzebeard, two heads taller than the rest of his kind. The second was a burly Wildhammer with tawny skin marred by dozens of blue tattoos. A giant hammer hung from a strap on his back. He grimaced when he saw Fenella.\n\n"Can\'t say I do, Yer Highness," Fenella lied, more to spite the other dwarves than to deceive her queen. Of course she knew them. Ever since the Wildhammer, Dark Iron, and Bronzebeard clans had reunited, Ironforge had become oversaturated with masons and smiths, most of them megalomaniacs who believed they were destined for fame and glory. Every day, she saw these two roaming the Great Forge as if they owned the place, belittling everyone else\'s work.',
			'"Then introductions are in order," Moira said.\n\nUnease flitted through Fenella. Why had she been called here? Why were they here?\n\n"This is Carrick Irongrin." Moira gestured to the Wildhammer. "A blacksmith and miner of legendary strength. I\'ve also heard that he can speak to the stones. That is true, Carrick?"\n\n"Course it is."\n\n"And here we have Fendrig Redbeard, the \'Hand of Khaz.\'" Moira turned to the Bronzebeard. "A member of the Explorers\' League. He has mined the depths of Uldaman, the Borean Tundra, Bael Modan, and many other dangerous locations. By all accounts, his bravery is without equal."\n\nFendrig let out a long sigh, as if his presence here were an utter waste of his time.\n\n"Lastly, Fenella Darkvire of my own Dark Iron clan…" Moira paused. "A mason, a smith, an engineer, and an accomplished architect."\n\nAnd the daughter of a traitor. She had skipped that part. Not that it mattered. Everyone knew Fenella was the offspring of Fineous Darkvire, the late chief architect of the Dark Iron clan. A dwarf reviled for how he had cheated his way into the coveted position. That, at least, was the story.',
			'Carrick muttered something under his breath. Fenella ignored him. Being both a Dark Iron and the daughter of Fineous, she was accustomed to scorn. It did not bother her. She had learned long ago that she worked better alone. It made things easier for her and for everyone else.\n\n"You\'re wondering why I have called you here." Moira twisted the statuette in her hands. "I have handpicked all of you for a special team—a job that requires the best masons in Ironforge."\n\n"A team?" Carrick exploded. "With these two?"\n\n"Ye expect me tae lead them?" Fendrig guffawed.\n\n"No." Moira nodded to Fenella. "I expect her to."\n\nFenella\'s stomach tightened. She nearly shouted in protest before biting her tongue to hold the words back. Nothing good would come from openly disobeying her queen.\n\n"A Dark Iron? Out o\' the question!" the Wildhammer bellowed.\n\n"On that I agree." Fendrig shook his head in disgust and made his way for the door. "I\'ve got better things tae do than waste me time as part o\' this fool\'s errand."\n\n"I\'m sure Muradin will be interested to know what you think of this idea—an idea he wholeheartedly supports," Moira said.\n\nInvoking the name of the Bronzebeard clan\'s leader brought Fendrig to a halt. He turned slowly.',
			'"The Council of Three Hammers has unanimously agreed to this venture," Moira continued. "I have been tasked with overseeing the details." The queen carefully set the serpentine statue aside and then unfurled a long roll of parchment. She beckoned the masons forward.\n\nFenella and the others crowded around the desk, jostling for position. The seals of Muradin, Moira, and the Wildhammer clan\'s leader, Falstad, were clearly marked at the bottom of the paper. So were the three masons\' names, written in thick, black, permanent lines.\n\n"Me name… I didn\'t agree tae anythin\'." Carrick scowled. "What\'s this nonsense?"\n\n"This is a chance to prove our greatness to the Alliance, to show that we are no longer a nation of bickering rivals but a people united. And if you refuse…" Moira leaned forward. "This decree will be a record that you opposed the council\'s struggle to forge a new future for all dwarves."\n\nFendrig crossed his arms and drew his brows together. "Stinks like blackmail tae me."\n\n"Blackmail is a gamble. A tool used by the desperate." Moira smiled wider, but her eyes were daggers of ice. "I deal in absolutes, lad. I included your names because I knew that you would not be foolish enough to put your own petty animosities over the greater good of our people."\n\nThe queen\'s gaze moved between Carrick and Fendrig, daring them to prove her wrong. The Wildhammer shifted on his feet but stayed silent. So did the Bronzebeard. Moira then looked at Fenella. As much as the idea—the very thought—of working with a Bronzebeard and a Wildhammer sickened her, what could she do? Moira was her queen, her clan\'s guardian.\n\nFenella forced herself to nod, all the while hoping this "assignment" would be a quick one.\n\n"Good. Now that we have that settled, we can move on to the specifics." Moira plucked the jade statuette from the table as she leaned back in her chair. "How much do you know about Pandaria?"',
			'A pandaren acolyte of the August Celestials once asked, "Did the land give birth to the celestials, or did they breathe life into the land?"\n\nHer master chuckled knowingly, for he had pondered this very question. Yet time had granted him wisdom. "I have a much simpler question to consider—a question whose answer will solve this riddle of yours," he replied. "Which came first, sunrise or sunset?"\n\n—The Scrolls of the Celestials',
			'The job was simple: rebuild the Serpent\'s Heart statue. Any apprentice mason with a lick of talent could have finished it up in no time. Fenella had been in the Jade Forest for three weeks with nothing to show for it. The pandaren masons she worked with moved at a snail\'s pace, but the Dark Iron hesitated in pushing them. She was, according to Moira, an "ambassador."\n\n"Make me proud," the queen had ordered before Fenella left Ironforge.\n\nFenella mulled over the words as she marched to the construction site, a clearing on the eastern side of the forest. Foreman Raiki, the lead pandaren mason, had called a meeting. What this entailed was beyond the Dark Iron. She just hoped things would get moving.\n\nThe pandaren were there en masse when she arrived. Promisin\'. Fenella squinted to ward off the blinding sunlight as she settled back against a boulder. The Jade Temple reached skyward in the distance, heat waves shimmering off of its tiled green roof.\n\nRaiki slowly made his way to the center of the gathering. "You all know the task ahead!" he bellowed, gesturing to a debris field nearby.',
			'An immense, circular stone pillar towered behind him. Around it lay the broken chunks of the Serpent\'s Heart. The statue had been built in the image of the Jade Serpent, one of the four legendary August Celestials. They were, from what Fenella could remember, godlike beings native to Pandaria, but she had yet to see any of them in person. The Serpent\'s Heart had been destroyed when the Alliance and the Horde had gone to war in the region. According to the story Moira told her, once the masons finished the reconstruction, the Jade Serpent would transfer her life essence into the statue and be "reborn," although Fenella wasn\'t exactly sure what that meant.\n\n"We need more jade to rebuild," Raiki continued. "That is why I propose a Great Jade Hunt!"\n\nA murmur rippled through the crowd, but the excitement was lost on Fenella. Her eyes drifted over the masons until she spotted Fendrig, standing out like blood on new winter snow. The Bronzebeard stared right back at her, smug and condescending as always. On another side of the construction site, Fenella found Carrick, watching her, anger twisting his face.\n\nThe last time they had spoken was on the sea voyage to Pandaria. The bastards just couldn\'t cope with the fact that Fenella was in charge. For all the talk in Ironforge about equality, it wasn\'t so easy to wash away old hatreds. Being led by a Dark Iron was a mountain too high for them to climb.\n\nSimpler this way, Fenella told herself. Finish the job an\' get on with life.',
			'"The hunt will begin at sunrise and end at sunset. The use of carts is prohibited; bags and satchels, however, are permitted. Good luck!" Raiki adjourned the meeting to a round of applause.\n\n"Fenella!" The foreman plodded over to the Dark Iron as the pandaren masons mingled, forming into teams. "Do you have any questions about the hunt?"\n\n"No," she replied. "I\'ve got it."\n\n"I wouldn\'t take it too seriously. It\'s something of a tradition to get the spirits up."\n\n"A Dark Iron never takes a minin\' challenge lightly, lad," she stated matter-of-factly.\n\nRaiki gave a good-hearted chuckle. "So I\'ve heard. That\'s why I\'m looking forward to seeing those famous dwarven skills in action." He glanced back at Fendrig and then at Carrick, neither of whom had moved. "Do you and your team need any advice on mining spots?"\n\nFenella discerned a note of hesitation at "team." The tension between the dwarves wasn\'t lost on the pandaren. They were just too polite to prod her about the problem.\n\n"I\'ll manage."\n\n"Good hunting, then. Jade Serpent watch over you." Raiki bowed deeply and then departed.',
			'Before returning to her camp, Fenella shot a glance at Fendrig and Carrick. They were dwarves. Formality or not, this Great Jade Hunt had stoked the fire of competition in their blood. The Dark Iron gave each of them a long look, eyes narrowed. She cracked her neck from side to side.\n\nFendrig yawned. Carrick spat on the ground, kicked grass in her direction, and then stormed off.\n\nGame on.\n\nKoveth was waiting back at camp, guard protocols initiated. Fenella rummaged through her things until she found a stack of maps marked with well-known mining locations. Raiki had given her the bundle when she had first arrived in Pandaria. She pored over the scrolls, circling promising spots with a stick of charcoal, calculating travel time, necessary provisions, and—\n\n"Hello."\n\nA pandaren cub in a blue dress, obsidian hair tied up in two buns, stood at the edge of the camp.\n\n"Och." The Dark Iron laughed nervously. "Gave me a fright."\n\n"You are one of the dwarves. From Ironforge," the cub said, curious.\n\n"Aye."\n\n"The three of you seem pretty angry at each other."\n\n"You\'ve a lot tae learn about dwarves, lass." Fenella left it at that. She turned back to her maps, hoping the child would leave her be.\n\n"Teach me."\n\n"What?"\n\n"Teach me about dwarves."\n\nFenella sighed. What was there to say? "A long time ago, we all lived in Ironforge. Then we got into a scuffle o\' sorts an\' went our separate ways. Now, we\'re all back in Ironforge." She decided to leave out the more "controversial" parts, such as how the Dark Irons had, until recently, been enslaved by the elemental lord of fire, Ragnaros, and pushed inexorably down a path of evil.',
			'"But you\'re not really together."\n\n"We\'re different," the Dark Iron replied, her anger getting the best of her. "Always will be."\n\n"So you won\'t be going on the hunt with them?"\n\nHow many questions was this girl going to ask? "They can come with me if they want. Dinna matter. I\'ll pull in more jade than the two o\' them could mine in a week."\n\nThe girl\'s brow furrowed. "I see." She cautiously stepped toward the dwarf and gestured to the map in her hand. "In that case, you should avoid all those locations. They will be crowded with pandaren. And the jade there has been mined very low. But I know a good place where no one goes…"\n\n"That so?"\n\n"There." The girl pointed to a spot on the map, northwest of the Serpent\'s Heart. "The entrance is covered in weeds and stones, but you will find it if you keep looking. It is an ancient mine, filled with jade more beautiful and pure than anything the others will bring in."\n\nFenella marked the location. "If it\'s so special, why dinna the rest o\' the miners go there?"\n\n"You\'ve a lot to learn about pandaren." The girl grinned. "They go to the places they know. Routine is comforting."\n\nFenella nodded. "Watch fer me come sunset, lass. Maybe—"\n\nShe stopped short when she looked up at the girl, noticing her eyes for the first time. They were strange, red eyes—eyes ancient like elementium. Out of place on this small, innocent cub.\n\nThe Dark Iron recovered and said, "Maybe I\'ll save some jade fer ye."\n\n"I hope you do." After a polite bow, the girl scampered off.\n\nFenella shuffled through the maps for the next hour, but she kept returning to the one she had marked on the cub\'s advice. Jade more beautiful and pure than anything the others will bring in. She didn\'t like taking mining instructions from strangers—especially children—but she was a foreigner in this land. This could be the edge she needed. Nothin\' great comes without a little risk.\n\n"Koveth," Fenella called out. "Ye ready tae do some diggin\', lad?"\n\nThe golem\'s eyes flared violet. "Affirmative."',
			'Fenella set out while it was still dark. The rules stated that the hunt began at sunrise. Whether that meant preparations and travel or the actual mining was something she deemed open to interpretation. Near sunrise, she found the mine. Rocks and a tangle of thick thorny vines partially covered the entrance. A small green shape skittered across one side of the opening.\n\nShale spider.\n\nFenella grimaced. The pandaren had an apt nickname for these nasty little critters: "nibblers." They could chew through and gulp down solid stone. The creature stopped and reared at Koveth. Its mandibles furiously clicked together.\n\n"Analysis: It wants to devour Koveth." The golem was to the point as always.\n\n"Aye. But we aren\'t gonna let that happen now, are we?"\n\nKoveth answered by lunging forward, crushing the spider to pulp with a precise punch.\n\n"Lead the way." Fenella was happy to have Koveth by her side. The golem was the only "team" she needed. He was dependable, unquestioning, and could mine more stone than ten masons.\n\nThe golem cleared the rest of the vines and rocks with a swipe of his iron hand and then disappeared into the yawning darkness. Once inside, Fenella pulled a small violet crystal from a pouch on her belt and knocked it against the wall a few times. The gem, fashioned by a Dark Iron sorceress back in Ironforge, rattled and flared to life, illuminating the passageway. She found nothing remarkable as they picked their way through the tunnel, and her mind began to wander.',
			'Why was she here?\n\nThe Dark Irons had recently won respect in Ironforge by playing a major role in fending off a brutal troll invasion, saving a number of dwarves—members of the other clans. After such a victory, Fenella was perplexed why Moira had chosen her—a Darkvire, of all people—to lead the expedition.\n\nWas she missing something?\n\n"Jade." Koveth pointed to the ground.\n\nA dozen small objects were scattered on the floor, covered in a layer of dust. One was a figurine of the Jade Serpent. The others were the rest of the August Celestials: Xuen, the White Tiger; Niuzao, the Black Ox; and Chi-Ji, the Red Crane. She picked up the Jade Serpent statue. Heat radiated off of the carving. A strange heat, warm enough for Fenella to feel through her leather gloves.\n\nSorcery. Some part of her screamed to leave. Warned her she did not belong here.\n\n"Just like a Dark Iron…"\n\nFenella leapt back. Koveth crouched into a defensive position.\n\nAhead, Carrick emerged from the shadows, a single flame burning on his steel helmet.\n\n"What are ye doin\' here?" Fenella asked.\n\n"I would ask ye the same question, \'cept I know the answer. Ye followed me!"\n\n"Hostile intent detected," Koveth growled. "Shall I obliterate him?"\n\n"Your little friend takes one swing at me, an\' I\'ll turn it into scrap." Carrick drew his hammer to make good on the threat. A pale blue energy crackled around it. Most miners used pickaxes or rock picks to do their work. Fenella knew Carrick was different. He had a pointed stormhammer, imbued with the power of lightning. A weapon like what many members of his clan carried.',
			'"Stand down, Koveth," Fenella ordered, and then she said to the Wildhammer, "I found this place on me own, stubborn bastard."\n\n"That so? Well, the word o\' Fineous the Fraud\'s daughter is worth about as much tae me as straw stuck tae a gryphon\'s arse."\n\n"Quit yer yappin\'. Neither o\' ye found this place on yer own." Fendrig\'s gravelly voice echoed from back the way Fenella had come. The enormous Bronzebeard casually strode forward until he loomed over the other dwarves. "Looks like all three o\' us had a visit frae that pandaren lass."\n\n"The girl…" Carrick smashed his hammer against the wall. "What\'s her angle in this?"\n\n"She was tryin\' tae help," Fenella said. "Doesn\'t understand the bad blood between us."\n\nThe three dwarves lingered in silence, glaring at each other, faces scrunched up in thought. Fenella knew they were all wrestling with the same dilemma. Jade more beautiful and pure than anything the others will bring in. To leave would be to give in—to concede. None of them made a move.\n\n"Well?" Carrick sneered. "Ye can both go now."\n\n"We\'re all foreigners in this land," Fendrig retorted. "Ye got nae more claim tae this mine than we do."\n\nThe veins on Carrick\'s sweat-sheened temples bulged. "If the two o\' ye want tae follow, that\'s yer choice. Just dinna get in me way!" he shouted, and then he stomped down the tunnel.\n\nFenella caught a hint of unease—of fear—on Fendrig\'s face, like dark soil peeking through late-winter snow. When he noticed the Dark Iron watching him, his features hardened again. "Might be worth a laugh tae see the two o\' ye struggle with minin\'." He plodded forward.\n\nThe Dark Iron stood alone with Koveth, gnawing her lip. It was past sunrise now, she figured. It could take a few hours to even find another suitable mine. If she was lucky.\n\n"Come on." She motioned to Koveth.\n\nThe golem filed after her as she walked down the gullet of the mountain.',
			'A dark chapter hangs over pandaren history—the mogu empire. It is difficult for us to imagine how much our ancestors suffered during that era. The terrible mogu trampled pandaren culture beneath their feet. They banned all worship of the celestials. Merely speaking their names was punishable by torture and death. In time, even those who had known the celestials best forgot their wise teachings.\n\n—The Scrolls of the Celestials',
			'Should have ignored that girl\'s advice, found a mine on me own, Carrick fumed.\n\nThe heavy silence around him only stoked his anger. When he was young, his parents had recognized his gift—his ability to speak with the stones. A Wildhammer elder had requested that he undergo shamanic training, but it wasn\'t the life for Carrick. He was a miner at heart, and his innate connection with the elements made him one of the best in the clan. One of the best in the world.\n\nAt least, it had, back when he could still hear the stones. Their silence now was like a sharp object jammed between his ribs, a constant and painful reminder of how far he had fallen.\n\nCarrick mulled over these thoughts as he continued forward, emerging into a large circular room. The flame on his helmet sent a wash of light to the far side of the chamber. Cracked and faded murals covered the walls, all depicting Xuen, the White Tiger. In one mural, Xuen was battling a giant armored mogu whose body crackled with lightning. In another, chains bound the White Tiger atop a mountain peak. The creature was struggling against his shackles, roaring in fury, his face twisted in uncontrolled rage. The mogu brute watched from afar, arms raised in victory.\n\n"What is this place?" Fenella asked as she and her golem blundered into the room. The Dark Iron waved around the gem in her hand, casting a sickly purple hue over the chamber.',
			'Fendrig followed close behind. "Neither o\' ye thought tae do a little research before comin\' here? Figures." The Bronzebeard sighed and walked over to a series of Pandaren runes etched into the wall. He pulled out a long scroll tucked into his belt, the worn paper marked with similar-looking symbols. Next to those were Dwarven letters.\n\nCarrick eyed the cipher. "What\'s it say, then?"\n\n"Ye want tae know, ye do the legwork yerself." Fendrig turned his back on the Wildhammer and then continued examining the runes.\n\nCarrick opened and closed his hands in quick succession. A pleasing image came to mind: his fist slamming into Fendrig\'s oversized maw, wiping away that smug smile.\n\nFenella cursed and clicked her tongue. She was standing across the room. A monstrous stone, chiseled into the shape of a snarling mogu face, blocked what looked to be the only passageway that led deeper into the mine. "The lass didn\'t say anythin\' about this."\n\n"No one\'s been in here fer generations. Probably didn\'t want folk snoopin\' around," Fendrig replied. "We\'ll have tae break through."\n\nCarrick inspected the boulder. Solid. Sturdy. He drew closer and placed his palm on the rock to give it a testing shove. When his skin touched the stone, a painful jolt of energy raced up his spine. The air in the room suddenly grew warmer, crackling with a force akin to magic.',
			'Before his eyes, the mogu face slowly morphed into something else.\n\nA hideous, scarred visage. A Dragonmaw orc.\n\nCarrick stumbled back and shook his head.\n\nThe orc remained. Seeing it there, his enemy staring back at him with beady stone eyes, challenging him, made Carrick\'s heart race. He twisted his neck and stretched his arms. Muscles popped. He took his great hammer in his hands and swung it forward, putting all his strength into the blow.\n\nMetal hit stone with a thunderclap of sound and a blinding flash of light. Carrick lost his grip on the hammer, and it went flying.\n\nFendrig chuckled. "I can\'t tell if ye hit the stone or the stone hit ye." The Bronzebeard casually hefted his pickaxe. "Let me show ye how it\'s done, lad."\n\n"Ye won\'t break it either. I\'ll handle this." Fenella beckoned that infernal golem of hers.\n\nCarrick grabbed his hammer and whirled toward the other dwarves. "Back off!"\n\nHe didn\'t wait for their reply before taking another swing at the Dragonmaw.\n\nThen another.\n\nAnd another.\n\nHe didn\'t make a scratch, but this fact was lost on Carrick. His anger roiled within, molten hot, reshaping everything around him. Before long, he found himself back among the green hillocks. Back in Northeron.\n\nThe smell of smoke filled his nose; the sounds of battle, his ears. Dwarven gryphon riders soared through the ash-choked skies, trading blows with orcs riding on their cursed enslaved red dragons. Carrick watched as a swarm of Dragonmaw descended on a smoldering village just down the hill.\n\nHis village.',
			'He had replayed these memories in his head a thousand times: rushing out of the mine when he received word of the attack, racing down the hill to his blazing home. But no matter how quick he ran or what shortcuts he took, he could never make it back fast enough. This time, however, seemed different. The memory was more visceral than previous ones, filling him with confidence.\n\n"Ho there," a small voice said.\n\nA young Wildhammer in a white tunic, a plume of brown gryphon feathers sticking out of her red hair, approached Carrick.\n\nCan\'t be, he thought. He rubbed his eyes, but the girl was still there.\n\n"Rhona!" Carrick picked his daughter up and squeezed her tight. In some corner of his mind, he knew this was an illusion. She had never appeared in his other dreams or memories of this day. But he could feel her now. He could smell the hill daisy pollen in her hair.\n\n"What ye doin\'?" the girl asked after he had set her down.\n\nCarrick looked to the base of the hillock, at that burning village.\n\n"Tryin\' tae make it," he said.\n\n"It\'s too late." Rhona took a feather from her hair and twirled it in her fingers.\n\n"No. It\'s different this time. I can feel it."\n\n"It\'s the same." Rhona laughed innocently, as if this was all some kind of game to her.\n\nSomething in Carrick snapped—something deep within that he had no control over.\n\n"Dinna say that!" he roared. The fury quickly ebbed, and guilt came rushing in to take its place.\n\nRhona slowly backed away, tears welling in her eyes.\n\n"I… I\'m sorry." Carrick kneeled and stretched out his hands. "Please, lass. Fergive me."\n\n"If ye promise me somethin\'."\n\n"Anythin\'."\n\nRhona came close and wrapped her arms around her father\'s neck. The smell of hill daisy pollen vanished. The pungent odor of death, of burning flesh and a dream turned to ash, enveloped Carrick. His daughter\'s tiny voice whispered, "Stop comin\'. There\'s nothin\' left fer ye here."',
			'Rhona kissed him on the cheek and then danced away. The wind suddenly picked up, blowing the feather out of her fingers. She laughed and chased after it down the hill.\n\n"Wait!" Carrick shouted.\n\nHe started after her, but hands grabbed at him from behind, pulled him away. He blinked, and Northeron disappeared. He was back in that damn hole beneath Pandaria, writhing on the ground. Pain blossomed up his arms. Blood was pouring from his knuckles. His hammer lay a few feet away.\n\n"Oi!" Fenella said. "Ye gone soft in the head? Tryin\' tae punch through stone?"\n\n"What?" Carrick managed to say through the fog of confusion that had settled over him.\n\n"What was that business about the Dragonmaw?" Fendrig asked.\n\n"Ye were screamin\' at \'em like they were here in the room," Fenella added.\n\nCarrick considered waving them off, considered shouting a retort. But when he looked down at himself, sitting on the dusty floor, bloody and bruised, all the fire left his veins. The mighty Carrick Irongrin. There was no hiding how pathetic and useless he had become anymore.\n\nHe hadn\'t told anyone about the Dragonmaw attack in years, but when he opened his mouth to speak, the words forced their way out, and he was too exhausted to stop them. They had, he realized, been held in for far too long. Like water in a dam, they wanted to flow free. So, he let them.\n\n"Ever since that day, I haven\'t been able tae hear the stones," he said when he finished the story.\n\nThe other dwarves were unreadable, but they didn\'t belittle him as he had expected.\n\n"Just wait there," Fendrig sighed. "I\'ll take care o\' the boulder."\n\n"Hold on." Carrick dusted himself off and approached the rock. The snarling orc was still there. He met its stony gaze, wondering how much longer he would let this anger consume him—how many more friends he would drive away due to his temper. For all his talk, the truth was that he had built nothing of worth since that day in Northeron. He didn\'t have the patience for it anymore.',
			'He could blame the Dragonmaw all he wanted for that, but in the end, it wouldn\'t change a thing.\n\nCarrick took a deep breath, tried to calm his nerves. He put his palm against the stone and stared hard at the orc. The Dragonmaw\'s sneer widened. The anger returned, the smoke filling Carrick\'s nostrils. The urge to wrangle those memories, to make them into something better, like stone quarried and prepped for shaping, overwhelmed him. He shut his eyes, fighting the desire, and let the memories run their course.\n\nI\'m through with ye.\n\nSomething moved against his skin. The boulder was vibrating, that old, familiar sensation of the stones singing to him. The pure rush of excitement and relief almost caused Carrick to pull his hand away, but he kept it steady. He opened himself to the elements, let them guide him as they once had. Every rock, every mountain, had a weak point. That was what they showed him.\n\nWhen Carrick opened his eyes, the mogu stared back at him. His palm was touching a spot to the right of the carving\'s nose. There ye are. The Wildhammer swung his hammer, biting his lip from the pain in his hands.\n\nCRACK.\n\nRather than crumbling, the giant rock rolled sideways, revealing a dark passage beyond.\n\nCarrick let the other dwarves go through the opening first. When they were gone, he leaned against the wall for a long time, every muscle in his body violently trembling. It felt as if he had been carrying a sack of iron on his back and, finally, had found a place to set it down.',
			'Some pandaren wished for revenge. They built their strength for the day when they could strike at the mogu. Anger was the motivation for every breath. But what is strength without control? These poor slaves soon became instruments of wrath, turning their hatred on everything and everyone. They had forgotten Xuen\'s most fundamental lesson: "The only enemy is yourself."\n\n—The Scrolls of the Celestials',
			'Beads of sweat slowly trickled down Fendrig\'s neck. The fear was creeping back, churning in his guts, roaring like distant thunder. Down in the depths of this Light-forsaken mountain, he wondered if the storm would finally overwhelm him. He could only hold it at bay for so long.\n\nDark thoughts rattled around inside his head. Who knew how stable this place was? What kind of safety measures did the pandaren take with their mines? Maybe none, when these tunnels had been built. Maybe that was why the pandaren masons avoided them.\n\nFendrig cursed himself for not staying back at the camp, but what good would that have done? The Dark Iron and the Wildhammer would have returned and seen that he hadn\'t mined a thing. And then, perhaps, they would discover that the "Hand of Khaz" hadn\'t gone into a mine in over a year.\n\n"Another chamber ahead!" the Dark Iron called out.\n\nRelief flooded through Fendrig. The jagged walls had been growing narrower, squeezing in tighter around him. Making it hard to breathe. He took a moment to compose himself, to erect that cool mask that he had become such a master at keeping up day in and day out.\n\nThe long rectangular room was much larger than the last one. Fortunately, there was a doorway at the other end, and it was open. The ceiling and walls were unnaturally level—finely crafted.\n\nDespite his research, Fendrig had not discovered the purpose of these chambers. Clearly, the pandaren had built them in honor of the celestials. But why? The runes carved on the walls didn\'t provide an answer. They were cryptic and vague. Mostly old pandaren proverbs.',
			'A flat carving of Niuzao\'s head, the size of a warrior\'s buckler, was embedded in the floor at the center of the room. The ox\'s sapphire eyes glittered, reflecting light from the open flame on top of Fendrig\'s helmet.\n\nFenella stepped on the disc as she crossed the room, the golem stomping behind her. Carrick entered the chamber and, after a brief inspection of the surroundings, followed after the Dark Iron.\n\nFendrig barely noticed them. His attention was on one of the intricate murals worked into the chamber\'s walls. It depicted Niuzao, the Black Ox. Fendrig had read about this creature on the sea voyage to Pandaria. He was a mighty being, capable of standing against entire armies. It was no surprise to him that the pandaren worshiped the ox, hoping to mirror his fortitude.\n\nYet in this mural, Niuzao was anything but fearless. The Black Ox cowered atop a hill, surrounded by throngs of mogu warriors. On closer scrutiny, Fendrig realized the soldiers were fake—statues made of clay. The real mogu looked on in delight at the scene from the borders of the mural.\n\nThe air suddenly crackled with energy, an energy that coiled in the pit of Fendrig\'s stomach. This place was unnatural. He wondered if he had overlooked some detail while doing research. Perhaps the mogu had found these tunnels. Perhaps they had cursed them.',
			'A shiver went through Fendrig when he noticed he was alone. "Oi! Where are ye two?"\n\n"Down the tunnel!" Fenella\'s voice echoed from the doorway.\n\nThe Bronzebeard hurried toward the opening. His foot hit against a groove in the floor. He looked down and discovered he was standing on the emblem of Niuzao. The face of the Black Ox, once stoic, had taken on the same terrified visage as he had in the mural.\n\nFendrig leapt back as the disc turned and made a full revolution before stopping. The roar of stone grinding against stone shook the room. From behind the walls, Fendrig heard what sounded like wheels and pulleys—the creak of old wood and the strain of strong rope being pulled taut.\n\n"What was that?" Fenella yelled from the tunnel.\n\n"It\'ssss…" Fendrig couldn\'t get the words out.\n\nThe rumble grew deafening. Slabs of thick rock descended over the chamber\'s two openings with alarming speed. He took a step, his legs like anvils. He tripped and slammed into the ground. His mining helmet clattered to the floor, the impact blowing out the flame that burned atop it.',
			'"Bronzebeard!" Fenella shouted.\n\nFendrig raised his head and saw the violet light of the Dark Iron\'s gem. The stone slab continued sliding down. Fenella was crouching along with Carrick and the golem, their faces barely visible in the distance. All three of them were struggling to keep the doorway from closing, but to no avail.\n\nHe could have run for it. Instead, he watched like a helpless newborn lamb as the door shut. Darkness swallowed him. But in his mind, the din of grinding stone remained. It took on a different sound. The sound of the world breaking, of a mountain and its ancient wrath crashing down.\n\n"Fendrig! Where are ye, lad?" an unseen voice called.\n\nHe recognized it. He hadn\'t heard it in over a year. Not since—\n\n"CAVE-IN!" someone else cried.\n\nFendrig tried to stand, but his legs failed him. In the dark, he lost all sense of direction. A wave of nausea made his head spin. His lungs filled with an icy chill, and he knew exactly where he was.\n\nColdridge Pass.',
			'"No. Nae here… nae here…" Fendrig muttered to himself as he glanced about. It was still dark, but he sensed a new enormity to the chamber. He wasn\'t in Pandaria anymore; he was in that cavernous mountain tunnel tucked deep within dwarven territory. He had been working there with twelve other miners when the Cataclysm struck, when earthquakes shattered his world.\n\nTorchlight flickered around the room, the source indistinguishable. In the brief moments of illumination, he saw giant shadows falling, stones the size of wagons raining from the roof.\n\n"Where\'s Fendrig?"\n\nThat voice again. Louder. A chorus of other familiar speakers followed it.\n\n"Still in there! I\'m goin\' back!"\n\n"I\'m with ye!"\n\n"No." Fendrig choked the word out. "Save yerselves!"\n\nThey didn\'t listen. Their torches grew brighter. Closer.\n\n"This way!" one of them howled. "He\'s—"\n\nA sharp, sickening crash silenced the voice forever.\n\nStill, the others continued on, calling Fendrig\'s name. One by one, he heard the great stones fall. He heard the miners scream, watched the glow from their torches slowly fade into nothingness.\n\nAnd through it all, Fendrig remained frozen in place, too afraid even to stand or seek out the dead and dying. Shivering but safe in a natural void formed by the falling stones. Dumb, shameful luck.',
			'As suddenly as it had begun, the earthquake stopped. All was silent.\n\nFendrig blinked, telling himself that this was just a dream. But nothing around him changed. The air was still bitter cold and dry in his throat, the dust of pulverized stone still thick on his tongue.\n\n"Oi." A boot kicked him hard in the ribs.\n\nFendrig looked up, expecting to see the rescue party that had found him in the rubble of the pass. Out of the thirteen miners who had entered that day, only he came out alive, and not even on his own two feet. The rescuers had carried him to safety because he lacked the strength to walk.\n\nThis, however, was not the rescue party he remembered.\n\nA group of vaporous forms, glowing with a faint, iridescent light, encircled him. There were twelve of them in total, all adorned in mining gear. The twelve bravest dwarves Fendrig had ever known.',
			'"Enough, Koveth." Fenella leaned back against the tunnel wall, sweat pouring down her brow.\n\nHer golem backed away from the stone door leading into the sealed chamber. He\'d been hammering at it for some time, to no avail. All the while, Fenella and Carrick had scoured the tunnel, searching for a way to open the door. They had found none.\n\n"Fool…" Carrick mumbled from nearby. "Why didn\'t he run when he had the chance?"\n\nFenella shook her head. She and Carrick had been forging ahead through the tunnel when the door had started closing. By the time they\'d made it back, the rock slab was already halfway down, and even with Koveth\'s brute strength, they hadn\'t been able to keep it from shutting.\n\nThere was nothing else they could do for Fendrig right now, Fenella realized. They would need to return with blasting powder, or with help from the pandaren, before the air in the chamber ran out.\n\nThe Dark Iron motioned for Koveth and started off down the tunnel.\n\n"Ye just gonna leave him in there?" Carrick asked.\n\n"We need help tae free him, an\' we won\'t get that until we find our own way out o\' this place."\n\nCarrick lingered for a moment in front of the door, head down, and then followed after Fenella.',
			'Fendrig stared at the ghosts of the miners, wondering if they had come here for revenge. After all, what had he done to honor their sacrifices? Until Pandaria, he hadn\'t ventured into a mine. He\'d lied to get out of such assignments. He\'d spent his days telling stories of his past mining exploits, struggling to uphold his façade of fearlessness. It was the only thing he was good at anymore.\n\n"What do ye want with me?" Fendrig hissed.\n\nThe phantoms didn\'t respond. They drew closer. The Bronzebeard took a wild swing at them.\n\n"We ain\'t gonna hurt ye, lad," the ghosts said in unison. "We\'re here tae help ye up. Ye been lyin\' down there fer far too long."\n\nFendrig took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He let the shadowy forms grab him, the sensation like eddies of air pushing against his body. They lifted up the Bronzebeard until he was standing.\n\n"There we go."\n\n"I\'m sorry, lads." Fendrig cast his eyes down, too ashamed to look at the ghosts. "I should have come tae ye in the pass. I should have done somethin\'. Anythin\'. I… I was afraid."\n\n"So were we. Difference was we didn\'t allow the fear tae stop us. High time ye did the same. We\'re gonna let go now." The phantoms loosened their grips, and a pang of terror spiraled through Fendrig.\n\n"No!" The word leapt out of his mouth. "I\'m trapped in here. I dinna know the way out."\n\n"All we can do is get ye tae yer feet, lad. Whether ye lie back down or stay standin\' is up tae ye."\n\nFendrig swallowed, his throat raw from the frigid mountain air of the pass. "I…" He tried to think of something to say, but he knew it was just an excuse to keep the ghosts at his side.',
			'"Time tae start livin\' again," they continued. "Ye ready?"\n\nFendrig\'s heart thumped in his chest. His breathing quickened. When his time came and he passed into the realm beyond this one, what would he say to the ghosts of the twelve? He had often pondered that question. Would he tell them he\'d lived the rest of his days in fear? Or that he\'d lived a life of purpose, eyes open, fire burning hot in his blood?\n\nAnd now, here they were.\n\nHe cleared his throat. "Do it."\n\nThe ghosts let go.\n\nFendrig sank slightly and then stumbled back, struggling to keep his balance. He found his footing, found that part of himself still locked away under the stones in Coldridge. He was tired, and his leg muscles burned and ached from the effort. But the pain felt good. It felt real.\n\nA faint blue light began shining from somewhere in the room. Fendrig saw the Niuzao carving nearby. The ox\'s sapphire eyes were glowing fiercely, brighter and brighter.\n\nWithout looking back, he stepped forward, planting one foot firmly on the disc.',
			'Fenella was a ways down the tunnel when she heard stones grinding behind her. She rushed back with Koveth and Carrick in time to see the doorway to the Niuzao room slide open. Cautiously, the Dark Iron crept into the chamber, glow gem in hand, and saw Fendrig.\n\nA wicked grin stretched across the Bronzebeard\'s face.\n\n"What happened?" Carrick rushed into the room.\n\nFendrig laughed from deep in his belly. "Wish I knew, lad." He pointed down at the engraving of Niuzao, where he was standing. "It\'s a trigger o\' some kind. Must\'ve tripped it when I came in."\n\nFenella eyed the disc with suspicion. She remembered stepping on it when she had walked through the room, but nothing had happened. The carving looked no different than it had at that time. It was simply an engraving of the Black Ox, his features stoic, unyielding, and fearless.\n\n"Ye fine, then?" she asked. "Ye froze up in here."\n\n"Aye. Just… lost me way fer a bit." Fendrig met the Dark Iron\'s eyes. His earlier coldness was gone, replaced by something else. Something real. "There\'s magic in this place. That\'s a fact."\n\nThe Bronzebeard glanced at Carrick, who gave a short nod.\n\n"But it\'s alright now," Fendrig said. The giant dwarf struck flint, reigniting the flame on his metal helmet, and then, his head held high, led the way deeper into the mountain.',
			'Other pandaren were stricken with terror. Merely hearing the name of their tormentors paralyzed them. This fear seeped into all aspects of life. They became afraid of every shadow, of every sound. They became afraid of life itself, content to waste away in a prison of their own making. If only they had remembered the mantra of Niuzao: "Fear seeks to diminish you. Instead, let it reveal you."\n\n—The Scrolls of the Celestials',
			'On and on the tunnel wound. Murals of Chi-Ji, the Red Crane, shimmered on the walls to either side. The celestial—a symbol of hope, Fendrig explained as they walked—flew over throngs of rejoicing pandaren slaves in the first few murals. But as Fenella continued down the tunnel, the depictions grew darker: mogu warriors capturing Chi-Ji, binding his wings with chains, and then parading the Red Crane among the pandaren, all of whom cast their eyes down and wept at the sight.\n\nThe number of mosaics gradually lessened, giving way to a sea of sparkling gems. Ruby crystals blanketed the walls and ceiling, reflecting the glow of the dwarves\' lights.\n\n"Wonderful," Fenella said under her breath. This was true beauty, not the forests and flowers that grew topside. These crystals, these stones, these were things that lasted the test of time.\n\nShe noticed a dark green spot on the wall and moved closer. A large stone was wedged between two crystals. Fenella shone her glow gem across the ceiling and found more of the strange, almost perfectly shaped rocks. She had seen these somewhere before…\n\nCurious, she reached out to touch one.\n\nIt shrieked.\n\nFenella lurched back as spindly legs unfurled from beneath the shale spider\'s body. Its carapace rattled. A cluster of green eyes gleamed in the darkness. The commotion roused the other nibblers. Dozens of them sprang to life on the ceiling and walls, their legs clicking and clattering.',
			'"Koveth!" Fenella shouted. "Engage!"\n\n"Affirmative." The golem struck the nearest clump of spiders, splattering them against the wall.\n\nBut there were more. They rained down on the dwarves, sinking razor-sharp legs into skin. Part of the ceiling crumbled, and a group of giant spiders, half the size of Fenella, plummeted to the ground.\n\n"Too many!" Carrick swung his hammer, splitting the carapace of one of the larger spiders. "Run!"\n\nHe and Fendrig fled back the way they had come. Fenella tried to follow, but the seething mass of spiders blocked her. A portion of them broke off and chased after the Bronzebeard and the Wildhammer. Fenella looked in the other direction; the path ahead was clear.\n\n"Koveth," she hissed. "Defensive retreat!"\n\nFenella sprinted, the sound of the golem\'s footsteps thundering behind her. She didn\'t stop to think of where she was going or how long she ran. She continued until she reached a fork in the passageway. A statue of Chi-Ji had been set high into the crystal walls. The Red Crane\'s wings were bound, and the celestial\'s head was turned toward the right tunnel, tears pooling in his eyes.\n\nFenella stopped to catch her breath. Nothing followed her save for Koveth, his iron body marred by jagged gouges.\n\nA shrill cry rang out from the direction they had come from. A dwarven cry. Fenella\'s hairs stood on end. The air in the cavern suddenly grew warmer, tinged with a hint of sorcery.',
			'Can\'t do anythin\' fer them. The thought welled up in Fenella, crawling out from some dark part of her. If I go back an\' the three o\' us die, I\'ll bring shame tae me clan. Moira put me in charge. Folks in Ironforge will whisper about how I botched the job, how I led a Bronzebeard an\' a Wildhammer tae their deaths. But if I go on me way an\' live, a Dark Iron will have succeeded where the others failed.\n\nThe more she considered it, the more logical this line of thought seemed. Carrick and Fendrig would do the same to her if given the chance. They hated her. It was something branded onto the cores of their beings, something that neither time nor experience would ever expunge.\n\nFenella looked toward the forking passageway.\n\n"Make me proud," Moira had said, to her in particular. This was what she meant, wasn\'t it? Why else would she have asked the daughter of Fineous Darkvire to lead this team?\n\nMovement caught Fenella\'s eye. On the walls, reflected on each facet of the crystals, were images of herself. They were waving at her, calling to her, urging her to take the rightmost fork in the tunnel.\n\nFenella followed the reflections, scarcely aware that Koveth was matching her strides. The tunnel spiraled steadily downward, growing colder. She nearly tripped over something scattered across the ground—bones. From the shape of the skull, it looked like the skeleton of a pandaren.\n\n"Nothin\' fer ye this way, lass. You\'ll end up runnin\' in circles down here."\n\nThe voice was barely audible, a ghost of a whisper.\n\nFenella whirled, her heart pounding. "Who\'s there?"\n\n"Och. Ye dinna remember yer own pops?"',
			'Then she saw him. Fineous Darkvire, reflected on the surfaces of a dozen crystals. The infamous mason wore his favorite monocle and suit, dressed to impress, as had always been his way. He lit a pipe with flint and took a long pull. The sweet smell of smoke drifted up from memory. The last time she had seen him was years ago, just before a band of outsiders invaded Dark Iron territory, slaughtering the more nefarious members of her clan. Including her father.\n\nNae real. Fenella shook her head, but Fineous remained.\n\n"Ye gonna leave those two fer dead, lass?" he prodded.\n\nFenella ignored him. She trudged onward. Her reflections were still waving, but their movements had grown more frantic and urgent—almost manic. Hurry.\n\n"I gave ye a second chance, an\' this is what ye do with it?"\n\nFenella spun in anger, opening her mouth to curse Fineous for his hypocrisy.\n\nBut he was gone. In the crystals where he had stood, she saw a younger version of herself, fire-orange braids hanging down to her waist. This other Fenella crept through the corridors of Shadowforge City, a bundle of schematics under her arm. She had stolen them from a number of prominent architects and forged her father\'s seal on them. Fenella watched her reflection slither through the Dark Iron capital and present the schematics to the emperor, Thaurissan.\n\nThe clan\'s ruler had been so taken with the work that he quickly appointed Fineous to the rank of chief architect. Rumors surfaced that he had not personally created the schematics. Thaurissan launched an investigation. Yet no one had ever been able to prove anything. Fenella had been sure of that. Her crime had been as solid and minutely honed as a thousand-cut diamond.\n\nAnd she had done it all of her own volition.',
			'Fineous had not been angry when he found out, but she remembered seeing something flash in his eyes. It was not specifically regret, guilt, or sadness. It was an amalgamation of the three, some mixture of emotion that had clawed through the darkness that ruled his heart.\n\n"Never told anyone what ye did." Fineous\'s reflection reappeared. "Took the blame an\' the scorn. In the end, I died a villain. I\'m nae complainin\'. I wasn\'t a good dwarf; ye know that. But fer a moment, a part o\' me was. I had it in me tae do somethin\' good. Tae give ye a future."\n\nFenella couldn\'t meet Fineous\'s eyes, even if he was just a reflection or some product of sorcery. The truth was, a day never passed when she didn\'t think about what she had done, what he had done for her. Whenever she heard talk of her father around the anvils, his name dragged through the muck, the guilt would hit her full force. She would realize, once again, that she had done nothing to change herself, nothing to honor his noble act.\n\nBut what alternative was there? To try was to open oneself up to failure. To try meant she would need to put her trust in others and have faith they would put their trust in her. There didn\'t seem to be a point to that, when in the deepest part of her, she knew that no matter what she did, she would always be that thief slinking through Shadowforge, ready to deceive a nation.\n\n"I\'m a Darkvire," she said.\n\n"Name\'s nae an excuse. Thing is, I never had much o\' a choice tae change. Ye do. All it takes is one step, lass. Strange that ye can\'t do somethin\' so simple, when ye\'ve accomplished so much else."\n\nFineous upended his pipe, dumping out the contents. Ghost embers vanished among the crystals. "Well, that\'s about all I\'ve got tae say, lass. It was good seein\' ye again."\n\nSlowly, he faded away. When he was gone, Fenella could still smell smoke in the air.',
			'Dead end.\n\nFendrig put his back against the crystal wall. Hot blood pumped from the wounds on his arms and soaked deep into his leather gloves.\n\nCarrick stood nearby, teeth bared. Fendrig had never been too fond of Wildhammer dwarves, but the lad at his side was a good one. Brave and fiery.\n\n"Here they come again!" Fendrig tightened his grip on the pickaxe.\n\nAhead, a wave of shale spiders rolled toward them. Carrick hurled his hammer at the creatures. Jagged strands of lightning trailed off the weapon as it slammed into a particularly large spider, reducing it to a smoldering husk with an explosion of light and sound. As the spots in Fendrig\'s vision cleared, he saw the hammer arc back through the air, returning to Carrick\'s hand.\n\nBut the spiders didn\'t pause in their mindless attack. No matter how many the dwarves killed, more and more of the critters crawled out of the nooks and crannies in this place.\n\nA brief flare of violet caught Fendrig\'s eye. A monstrous shape emerged from the darkness.\n\nThe Dark Iron golem charged through the spiders, crushing scores of them beneath his feet, smashing others with gigantic hands. The nibblers converged on this new threat. They scrambled up the golem\'s legs, chewing through his iron hide with ear-shattering screeches.\n\nFenella shouted from behind the construct, waving her glow gem. "Move, lads!"\n\nFendrig and Carrick sprang into action, leaping over the spiders and chasing after Fenella. They followed her down the passageway, eventually stopping to rest at a fork in the tunnel. A giant carving of the Red Crane towered above them, wings stretched over the two paths ahead. Chi-Ji\'s head was turned to the left, his slender beak open wide as if he were singing.',
			'"What about the golem?" Carrick asked, concerned.\n\n"Can\'t risk waitin\' or goin\' back." Fenella\'s voice was strong as steel, but Fendrig caught a glint of moisture in her eyes. "This is our only chance."\n\nCarrick lowered his head. He made a fist and placed it reverently on his chest, in what Fendrig took for some kind of Wildhammer salute.\n\n"Didn\'t think ye were comin\' back fer us," Fendrig said to Fenella through heavy breaths.\n\nShe regarded him for a long moment. "I didn\'t either."\n\nThe Dark Iron gave no other explanation for what that meant, but Fendrig wasn\'t looking for one. He realized, surprisingly, that he was glad to see her. "Well, ye did. That\'s all that matters."\n\n"We ain\'t outta the fire yet," Carrick said. "We dinna know which passage tae take."\n\n"I do." Fenella stared at the carving of Chi-Ji, then down the right tunnel. Fendrig followed her gaze but saw nothing strange—just violet light from her gem flickering across the crystal walls.\n\n"This way," she said, as she took the left path.',
			'Still other pandaren saw the mogu as an undefeatable enemy. They lost all ambition. They became numb to every emotion, wrapped tight in a chrysalis of self-loathing. It is said that these slaves even lost the power to dream. For what would be the purpose of dreams, when their doom was already decided? But they had only to open their hearts—to believe in the power of themselves—to see that this was not so. As Chi-Ji is wont to say, "Hope is the sun behind a stormy sky. Ever in the heart but veiled to the eye."\n\n—The Scrolls of the Celestials',
			'The narrow passageway gradually ascended, the slope steep but steady in its inclination. There were few twists and turns; the way was relatively straight. Before long, the three dwarves came to a threshold. A coiled Jade Serpent, carved in stone, framed the doorway.\n\nFenella passed through first, entering a vast cavern. Her breath caught in her throat.\n\nDeposits of jade sprouted from the floor and walls. Even unworked, the stone was lustrous and deep green. It glittered in the heavy darkness as if it thrummed with a life force all its own. A trail of glowing sapphire arced across the ceiling in a jagged pattern that resembled lightning.\n\nCarrick whistled. "That little lass wasn\'t lyin\', was she?"\n\nThe three dwarves wandered the cavern in awe. In the center stood a large circular pillar, etched with pandaren symbols. A long cut of bamboo, thick as Fenella\'s arm, rested against it.\n\nFendrig picked up the bamboo, eyeing it curiously. He reached inside and pulled out a roll of scrolls. The Bronzebeard sat down on a nearby rock and carefully unfurled the parchment, revealing rows of elegant Pandaren script. Fendrig removed his cipher and closely studied the runes.\n\n"What is it?" Fenella asked.\n\n"The Scrolls o\' the Celestials," Fendrig replied. "Shall I read it?"\n\n"Aye," Fenella said. Carrick nodded as he took a seat on the floor near the Bronzebeard.\n\nFendrig read in a halting voice, checking his cipher intermittently. The scrolls told of the history of the celestials, of the rise of the mogu empire, and of how, when that terrible era occurred, the pandaren had become broken, lost to anger, fear, despair, and doubt.',
			'"The celestials, each in their own way, tried tae help the slaves," Fendrig said. "But this drew the fury o\' the Thunder King. One by one, the mogu emperor overpowered the meddlesome celestials until only Yu\'lon, the Jade Serpent, remained. She\'d begun spreadin\' her wisdom tae the miners o\' the Jade Forest, causin\' some tae abandon their duties fer the pursuit o\' knowledge. Durin\' one o\' her journeys tae a slave camp, the Thunder King hurled a bolt o\' lightnin\' through the sky, piercin\' her side. Yu\'lon crashed down into the thickets o\' the forest an\' knew no more.\n\n"When she awoke, she found herself deep below the world. Pandaren miners had spirited her away tae their most sacred place—chambers hidden frae their mogu overlords. Inspired by Yu\'lon\'s recent teachin\'s, these pandaren had built a refuge tae worship the celestials in secret. The Jade Serpent, so moved by what she saw, imbued the place with her magic tae help the miners find the wisdom, hope, fortitude, an\' strength they had lost in life. Then, she made a request—"\n\n"Tae build a statue o\' her…" Fenella interrupted. Her hand traced along the stone pillar. It was beautifully worked, almost identical to the one at the Serpent\'s Heart construction site.\n\n"Aye," Fendrig said. "Fer a hundred years, generations o\' miners toiled. All the while the Jade Serpent, still wounded frae the Thunder King\'s attack, drew closer tae death. At the moment when the work finished, she breathed her last breath. The miners wept. They thought they\'d failed tae save her. But just then, the statue moved. Its eyes opened. Its tail coiled. It had become a new Jade Serpent. This reborn Yu\'lon looked out over the weepin\' miners an\' said tae them, \'There is but one certainty—every end marks a new beginnin\'.\'\n\n"These miners would go on tae spread the wisdom o\' Yu\'lon, instillin\' in other pandaren the great traits o\' the August Celestials—enough, at least, fer them tae survive until the day when the legendary slave Kang, the Fist o\' First Dawn, rose up an\' led his people tae freedom. Many years later, when Emperor Shaohao taught all pandaren how tae overcome their fear, doubt, despair, an\' anger, the offspring o\' the miners would build immense temples in honor o\' the celestials an\' found an order dedicated tae upholdin\' their teachin\'s—the order o\' the August Celestials."',
			'Fenella closed her eyes and let everything sink in, let the ancient air of this place envelop her.\n\nThe silence stretched on until Carrick chuckled. "Y\'know, I expected tae come here an\' show the pair o\' ye up. Instead, I only made a fool o\' meself."\n\n"We all made fools o\' ourselves," Fendrig replied. "We\'re just three washed-up masons. What I dinna understand is why the council chose us fer this job."\n\nWhy indeed? Fenella wasn\'t sure. Part of her wondered if this was all some political gambit by Moira and the council. Throw the most rancid of Ironforge\'s masons in a crucible, and hope that they made it out in one piece. If they failed, it would merely be another example of unfortunate tension between the clans. If they succeeded, the victory would be priceless.\n\nThen another thought came to her. The truth was, the three of them had accomplished great things in the past. Maybe, just maybe, everyone still believed they would again.\n\nEveryone but themselves.\n\n"Who knows what goes through their heads?" Fenella said. "But here we are."\n\n"Probably nearin\' sunset," Carrick added. "Nae enough time tae mine."\n\n"I\'m nae concerned about that anymore." Fenella extended her gloved hands, one toward each of the seated dwarves. "We\'ve got a statue tae build, if ye lads are up fer it."\n\nCarrick and Fendrig stared at her open palms for a moment, then at each other. With a slight shrug, the Wildhammer gripped Fenella\'s arm and raised himself up. The Bronzebeard did the same.\n\n"Let\'s get buildin\' then," Carrick said.',
			'Fenella walked over to an outgrowth of jade, sizing it up. She swung her hammer down, deftly breaking off a piece as big as her fist. "We can start with this." She tossed the chunk to Carrick.\n\nThe Wildhammer slipped the jade into a pouch at his belt. "Let\'s hope gettin\' out is easier than gettin\' in."\n\n"Dinna think that\'ll be a problem, lad." Fendrig was still holding The Scrolls of the Celestials, scrutinizing something. "Says here another passage was built directly into this room."\n\nThe three dwarves quickly spread out, examining the walls in search of any opening.\n\n"Here!" Carrick shouted from one end of the cavern.\n\nFenella and Fendrig rushed to his side. A circular slab of stone, twice the height of the Dark Iron, was set into the bedrock. Fenella removed one of her gloves and held her bare hand near the edge. A soft current blew against her skin. The boulder itself was featureless, save for a small etching of Yu\'lon in the center.\n\nCarrick sighed. "Would\'ve been nice fer the lass tae tell us about this."\n\n"I\'ve only seen mention o\' it on those scrolls." Fendrig shrugged.\n\n"Come on, lads." Fenella braced herself against the stone.\n\nCarrick spit on his bruised hands and placed his palms on the rock. Fendrig squatted, pressing his massive upper body squarely against the boulder.\n\n"Three… two… one…" Fenella said. "Ho!"\n\nThe boulder gave slightly.\n\n"Ho!"\n\nThe rock slid back into the tunnel with a groan. A torrent of air gushed into the room, washing over Fenella. Up ahead, daylight glimmered in the pitch-black passageway.',
			'The contest was long over by the time the dwarves returned, and night had set in. A team led by a pandaren named Hao Mann had won, hauling in five bulging bags of jade. From the way the masons celebrated, however, it was impossible to tell whether there had been any winners or losers.\n\nForeman Raiki was speechless when he saw the rock the dwarves had brought. He gathered the other pandaren around, and the revelry stopped momentarily. The masons gawked at the lustrous jade, mouths agape. None of them had ever seen a stone so beautiful.\n\nAmid the congratulations that followed, Fenella spied the pandaren girl across the camp.\n\n"Lads." Fenella nudged Fendrig and Carrick. "It\'s the lass. Figure we should thank her?"\n\n"Aye," the other two dwarves replied.\n\nAs they made their way toward the girl, she scampered off to the north.\n\n"Oi!" Fenella shouted. "Wait!"\n\nThe dwarves wove through the pandaren masons, but when they reached the edge of the construction site, the girl was gone. Only an empty hill stretched out before them.\n\n"Where\'d she go?" Fendrig asked.\n\nFenella was opening her mouth to speak when she saw something flit through the air overhead. The Jade Serpent peered down at the dwarves. Fenella briefly met her gaze and found herself lost in Yu\'lon\'s strange eyes—eyes ancient like elementium.\n\nThe Dark Iron stood next to the other dwarves for a long time, silently watching the celestial ascend higher and higher, a vein of jade against the diamond sky.',
		},
		["author"] = "Matt Burns",
		["icon"] = "Interface/ICONS/inv_misc_silverjadenecklace",
		["expansion"] = 4,
	},


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