A worn leather journal sits on a table,"For Ryanica" written across it. You flip through it and find drawings upon drawings and then the last few pages are filled with quickly scribbled words. A tale of sorts. A very short tale, but one that might be useful should you ever find yourself near Zul'aman.
I traveled through Zul'Aman with a group I had met in Orgrimmar. It was quite interesting, Vol'jin was there to greet us and there were, well, lots of trolls. Upon entering we had to help Zol'jin open the gates, banging on this gong in the right sync. We finally mastered it and the doors swung open to greet us with two troll lookouts followed by some villagers. Vol'jin asked us to attack mercilessly and to free any Darkspear as we went and we agreed before charging into the guards.
They attacked fiercely but we were fiercer, Vol'jin and his gaurds aiding us.
We thwarted the group of guards and villages and cheered. After the mender healed our wounds we mounted up and headed down the left side, wondering what we'd find. Vol'jin and his guards staying back to make sure none of the Amani escaped.
We snuck past some troll guards who were busy playing a game of dice and moved up the path to be greeted by some more guards. But we were ready this time. They fell more easily than the ones before and we once more took a short break and moved on. We encountered a large troll who wore the armor of an eagle, he challenged us, daring us to fight him and see how powerful the Amani were. And we accepted.
His eagles attacked us, larger ones picking one of us up now and then but they were easy to kill and when he summoned his lightning the mender kept us safe as we stood together. Finally we rose victorious after killing many birds and the troll himself. We scrounged up a few pieces of his armor. After snooping around a bit we saw a darkspear troll calling for our aid in a cage in the back. We released him and he thanked us and ran for the entrance as fast as his injured body would allow.
Once we were finished looking around we headed back, crossing over to the other side after seeing many trolls in the only way to the other side, and were met by a large troll dressed in armor that resembled a bear. He sent some guards down at us and when he saw we defeated them without a hitch he drew back and we pursued him. More guards attacked us, this group baring a medicine man who used totems to protect his allies but the totems were no match for my devilsaur who splintered them in seconds within his massive jaws. We took a beating with this group but eventually rose victorious! And again the Bear troll drew back. When we caught up with him again he had two warrios waiting for us, mounted on armored bears. They were difficult foes but the mage and I took out the riders while the vanguard and the warrior worked on the armored bears. We came close to falling but the mender called forth a rain that made the bleeding stop and our wounds close.
As that battle ended we ascended some stairs, the bear troll laughing at us as we saw what awaited us. Two more of the mounted trolls along with another medicine man and a guard. We were ready. This would be difficult but we were ready. I called out to the vanguard that I was laying down a trap of ice and he drew the attention of the others. The guard ran right into my trap, freezing himself in place. When I turned the medicine man was a frog, hopping around madly while we beat down the mounted trolls. The mage was hurling frostbolt after frostbolt at the mounted warriors, a water elemental at his side, aiding us. I quickly jumped in and we defeated the two mounted warriors, the healer calling down a totem that would replenish his strength, allowing him to cast more of his heals. We moved onto the medicine man, my devilsaur once more destroying his totems and he fell. Now all was left was the guard.
By this time the bear troll was very angry. He headed down the stairs towards us just as my trap broke and we engaged the guard. The vanguard quickly taunted and teased the bear troll til he was focused on him and the rest of us finished off the guard before turning our attention to the giant troll. He charged us at random, leaving gashing wounds on us and a bit dazed, but the mender called forth the healing rain once more. As the fight wore on, the troll became more enraged until his bones began to crack and snap, fur appearing and his mouth elongating to a muzzle until before us stood a large bear. Larger than a kodo! We didn't stutter though, continuing our attack until he finally fell at our feet.
After looting and looking around, we moved on yet again. Weaving inbetween huts and killing scouts as we went until we finally reached another large troll, this one wearing armor like a Dragonhawk. He taunted us and laughed, telling us we wouldn't be able to stand the heat. But in the end, he was wrong. We avoided his fires, destroyed his hatchers, and killed the dragonhawk hatchlings... though we felt exhausted afterwards.
A quick break refreshed us and we moved on. Ready for whatever awaited us. We ran into a group of cats, killing them as quickly as we could and snuck past some guards that were busy playing that dice game. We finally found a room that held another huge troll, this one wearing cat armor. He smiled at us as we wenter, showing his fangs and challenged us to fight him and see if we could defeat him.
We all smiled and stepped forth, engaging him quickly. He too summoned totems like the medicine men before, but we noticed that the ones that shot out green light helped us as well. So our vanguard drug him away from the totems, the cat troll too infuriated to realize it. The mage, mender, and I sat in the bathing green light, our wounds healing constantly and the mender having to do little. The cat troll summoned a cat spirit but when we attacked it, we realized it was useless, it didn't take any damage hardly, moving too quickly and bouncing between all of us. It was obviously unsure of who to attack. So we focused on the cat lord til finally, he too fell.
Another reprieve, this one a bit longer as we looked around and looted corpses. The thought sitting uneasily in my gut, but I knew it would just go to waste if we didn't use it.
We pushed open a couple doors and headed off, to where we had seen a huge building that reminded us of a barracks. No guards were around now. We moved carefully, more aware of our surroundings than usual. Wondering what was going on. And then we realized why. As we opened the doors to the barracks like building, our gaze landed on a troll, a large snake and a spirit on either side of him. He laughed at us and yelled something in troll then started to run at us. I leaped forward after the vanguard engaged the troll. My trap landed just in front of the snake and he slithered right into it, freezing himself in place. I laughed and turned, shooting at the spirit and telling my devilsaur to aid me while the others worked on the troll. A mess of frostbolts, weapons against flesh, and cleansing water.
The spirit took forever but eventually fell. I turned to face the troll just in time to see him siphoning the soul of our shaman mender. My eyes widened as he laughed maniacally and soon his arsenal had some heals, the very same heals our shaman used. The vanguard spoke loudly and quickly to the warrior and they did their best to interrupt him.
As we continued he siphoned someone else, this time the vanguard, dropping the cleansing fire that most paladins learn. It burned at us, making us cry out but we moved out of it quickly, the troll infuriated by this and attacked relentlessly, unaware of the advantage he gave us by being unaware of exposing his weakspots. The heals had left his arsenal by this point and he was an easy target, we launched our most powerful attacks until finally he fell, screaming something in troll.
We were about to celebrate when the doors opened behind us, the snake gone, and a bunch of under-armored trolls ran out at us, yelling their war cries. I shot an arrow that seperated into millions of shards, the shrapnel felling the trolls quickly, their unarmored flesh allowing the tiny blades to seep into them. The warrior charged forward as more poured forth and performed a bladestorm, his large axe spinning out around him and slicing through their bodies until none were left.
We smiled and looked around at one another, cheering happily. The mender and vanguard rested while the rest of us began to rifle the bodies quickly. Wanting to be out of this place at this point. We all then took a short break before charging through the door and following the boardwalk around to where a rise made of stone stood with stairs leading up to it.
Quickly we ascended them, looking around at the four little nooks that held spirits of each one of the animals we fought earlier. But what stood out the most was the troll sitting up on another rise, stairs leading up to him as well. His armor was notably intricate and well kept. He looked at us and shook his heads, muttering something in his language then descended the stairs slowly, stopping at the bottom and unsheathing his weapon from his back. A massive axe that glinted in the sunlight.
He attacked with little time to spare to ready ourselves, the vanguard engaged him first, shield and sword a flash of metal as he parried, slashed, and blocked as many of the trolls blows as he could. The warrior charged in afterwards, hacking away at the trolls armor. The mage hurling his destructive magics, frost and fire as well as arcane. I niched an arrow and looked for a weak spot, a gap in his armor. I was not disappointed when my sharp eyes caught one at his collarbone and a couple at his sides. I nodded at my devilsaur who raced in and a bestial fury overtook us, both of us glowing a blood red as the thirst for blood controlled our minds. I let loose arrow after arrow, imbued with an arcane magic. A few missed, but most found their ways into the gaps. Arrows in clumps at his sides and a few sticking out of areas around his collarbones. But he carried on, hacking and slashing until he knocked the paladin and warrior back, yelling something and looking up to the sky. He said a few words then his body shifted until a massive bear, even larger than the troll we fought earlier, stood before us.
But he too did the same as the troll before, charging at random and leaving gaping wounds, but we stood together. The healing rain showering down onto us and closing our wounds, slowly but surely. After a few moments of this he threw the warrior and paladin back once more, looking up at the sky and speaking more words, these ones more frantic. Now he was an eagle.
He hovered in the air as tornadoes moved about, attempting to pick us up and hurl us away, but we dodged them.
I whistled for my devilsaur to retreat into the nether and summoned my own flying creature, a chimaera. She took to the air and assaulted the large eagle with bites, slashing of claws, and a breath of ice and lightning. The eagle screeched his fury as I unloaded arrow after arrow into his feathery, soft flesh. The mage hurling bolts of fire up at the bird, singing his feathers and burning the skin beneath. The shaman helped us in the assault as well, lightning bolts and bursts of flame.
The warrior and paladin, ran around dodging tornadoes, unable to do much to the large bird. Except the occasional thrown weapon and a burst of holy energy.
After oh so long, the tornadoes died down and the eagle landed, laying down a totem that the paladin and warrior hacked away at til it fell. The smell of a brewing storm, blood, and burnt flesh hung in the air. The eagle screeched his fury once more but was cut short as we finally grounded him for good. His breathing slow and his eyes looked at us each in turn, wild with fear. The paladin raised his sword then drove into the throat of the bird and ended his life.
We stared at his corpse, unsure as to if we really destroyed him or not. The tank was weary, his wounds too many now for the mender to heal them all. The warrior was exhausted, leaning against his axe and shaking his head as he looked towards the boardwalk, Vol'jin and some of his guards joining us. I bowed and backed up, joinin my chimaera on the stares as we rested. The mender tended to the paladin, waving slightly at Vol'jin in acknowledgement but too busy with healing the wounds and bruises that she could. The mage watched Vol'jin for a moment then went about to looking around for treasures.
Vol'jin gathered us up though after a few moments and thanked us for helping the Darkspear and thwarting the Amani forces. He awarded us with a crest, the darkspear emblem and a bag of coin for each of us.
Quite a good day if I do say so myself.
