Story of Chaindog
Lobo approaches her shared room with Chaindog and notices that Chaindog is inside lounging on her bed. Her wolf, Mist Howler, lies across the foot of the bed. Lobo walks in and starts to take off her armor. As she does so, she looks over at Chaindog and asks, “Mistress Chaindog, what do you know about the Trial of Resolve?”
Chaindog looks up from her feather headdress that she was working on and says, “Me knows about it. What ju be asking?”
“I need a minimum of four elders and their stories or at least of them. Would you be considered an elder?”
Chaindog says, “I suppose me could be. I was around a long time ago when da Grim was young. And me do ave a lot of stories.”
By this time, Lobo is changed into her lounge clothes and sits on the edge of her bed. She begins to clean and polish each piece of her armor. “When did you join, what was it like, what were you like then?”
Chaindog chuckles. “Easy now, dere be lots to tell.” Chaindog sits up and leans against the wall. Mist Howler places his head on her lap and she begins to rub his ears. “Me actually knew of da Grim long before me joined it. Me was young and fresh and me tinks me was running in Brill when a forsaken ran up to me asked to join his dis guild he be creating. Now me wasn’t all da interested in being tied down as me was busy exploring da world. It turned out da Forsaken’s name was Maledictus or at least me tink it was. Who knew den I would be joining almost a year later?”
Lobo was astonished, “Seriously? You had a chance to join right at the start?”
“I did, but I didn’t know den how big an strong dey would get.” said Chaindog. “Anyways, about a year after dat, I was asked by an orc me trained with in Razor Hill to join em. His name was Skash. Me gots some funny stories about him later for ju.”
Lobo asks, “What were you like then?”
Chaindog replies, “Me was still young but aving fun. Me was put under da great hunter Muatah. Best hunter ever, in my opinion. Even now I don’t tink I could ever be his equal. I did try to make em proud though. He taught me da right way to be a hunter dat would elp da guild. Eventually, me got to be a puller in da Molten Core.”
Lobo says, “So, even though you joined young, you got a mentor who trained you and made you better?”
Chaindog nods, “Jub. But me was not perfect. In fact dere was dis one time in da core, where me accidentally shot our target near da Maja Domo. We even won, me tell ja though, me gots such a tongue lashing from Spymaster Abric. Perhaps ju could find a mentor in da Deathknights who could teach ju a ting or two.”
A Story of Skash
Lobo asks, “What of this Skash? What was he like?”
Chaindog says, “Skash was one of our best warriors. He was da same calibre as Guduk and Bloodscream. Me seen im stepped on by giants, kicked into stone walls, lit on fire, thrown in lava, and me even seen a dragon try to eat im once. And yet, he never stopped, never complained, and never gave up.”
Lobo’s eyes widened, “He took that much abuse?”
Chaindog nodded and continued, “Da world was young for us den, dangerous, we da Grim made our mark in dis world. Many of us paid heavy tolls so dat da Horde knew who we be. What we could do. It wasn’t all pain though, dere many laughs too.”
“Laughs?” asks Lobo.
“Oh ja, Skash will always be remembered for two tings. One being Cherry Pie. Dat orc goes crazy for Cherry Pie. Two, teleports or summoning. No matter how hard Skash try, he gonna puke every time. Da warlocks ated summoning him. Usually cuz dey gonna wear whatever Skash ate.”
Lobo laughed, “So you’re saying no matter screwed up you are, if you can do the job, the Grim will keep you?”
“Jub, pretty much.”
The Tale of Chingaso
Lobo says, “But not everyone could possibly get along with the Grim, right?”
Chaindog’s laugh disappears and more sombre tone is heard, “True dat. Me lost a good hunta friend a long time ago. Chingaso was his name. Me and him hunted together an often. We had such good times together. Drinking and hunting, keeling everything.”
“Sounds like it was a blast. What went wrong?” ask Lobo.
“Well, me memory a little hazy, but over time, tings changed. Chingaso fell in love, got married. Me rose to rank of Dreadweaver of da Hunters. Me even made it to Inquisitor of da Grim. We was still friends, but we was drifting a apart. Me wasn’t dere when it happened, but dere be a fight between Chingaso and da leadership of da Grim. In da end Chingaso lost and left da Grim. We stay in touch a little bit, but it never da same like it used to be.”
“The leadership of the Grim makes the final decision?” asks Lobo.
“Jub, dere rule be law. Know it, understand it, live wit it.” said Chaindog.
“But you stayed with the Grim and didn’t leave?”
“Dat’s right me stayed. We still friends, and me gots lots of friends in da Grim. Syreena, Spymaster Abric, Guduk, and many more.”
A tale of Abric?
“You mention Abric is a Spymaster?” said Lobo.
“Ja dat’s true.” A twinkle appears in Chaindog’s eyes.
“What? You won’t tell me?” asked Lobo.
“Sometings be common knowledge, others, ju gotta earn em. Dey not free. But me will say it started with Abric sneaking up on me, a true hunta, in Western Plaguelands.” Chaindog cackles.
“Huh, so you’re saying if I want to find out more, I need to talk to Abric?”
“Ja, dat’s Spymaster Abric to ju, pup. Ju gotta earn his respect.”
Lobo says, “Very well, I shall.”
With that, Lobo retires for the night, and contemplates the four lessons she learned tonight. One, find a mentor, they can help you be a better you. Two, the Grim may not care how messed up you are as long as you can do the job. Three, the leadership of the Grim is law. Four, one must earn respect of the Grim.