World of Warcraft™

((OOC- this is just an open rp thread for the folks who like to be spontaneous and can come and go as they please. It is not a tavern thread, just an open setting in the wilds of Outland. I will set it in Terokar for now as a start. Many of the people who know Jazzy and Maraqsalle and all her alts are encouraged to join in as well as total strangers! All I ask is no God-mods, no Mary sue, etc. And have fun!))

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The grunt and growl of a basilisk warned Jazzy as she slunk through the forest in search of fresh meat. She was not particularly fond of basilisk, it tended to be rather chewy and bitter. She had left Dalen asleep in the small house they had rented in Shattrath. He could be so lazy! She chuckled as she thought of the many times he had thought to track her...and how often she had avoided him. He was very good at it and it became a game of sorts where she would go off and he would come searching for her.

One time he had followed her to the forest and slunk right under the tree she had been sitting in watching him go by. If she had not noticed the phase dragon spring up behind him ready to attack....and stayed in the tree she would not have been found that time either. She admired his skill and liked to match wits with him at every opportunity. It kept them both sharp.

The snap of a twig alerted her and she froze, the dim shape of the wolf following her was a flash of grey as he leapt out of the shadows at her back. She whirled and her sword and axe flashed in a dance of death, leaving the wolf in a pile of fur at her feet. Sighing with regret, she really did not care for wolf either...she skinned the fine pelt and buried the remains of the wolf.

The day was far from over and she was getting desparate to find something more edible. She finally resorted to a few rabbits and a quail that had flew out from some bushes in front of her. The sun was well up in the sky and she decided to cook the quail and take the rabbits home to Dalen, unless he got his lazy self out of bed to come and find her.

The firepit was made and she sat by it next to the small pond that was outside of Shattrath. There was an old man fishing and she nodded to him and he invited her to catch some fish. "I need to watch this cook or it will burn...but if you want to use the fire to cook some fish , be my guest.." she turned the make shift spit over the fire and glanced at the peacekeepers making their rounds nearby.

It reminded her there were still enemies in this place...the smell of demon taint often hit her sensitive nose. It seemed they were everywhere here in Outland...and the draenei were busy trying to keep Shattrath neutral.

Dalen

Dalen had awoken a few hours ago, the sun had just started to rise to find that his lover was gone so he did the only thing he knew was effective at that time. What that was, boiled down to finding Ashok Longshadow, a wanted fugitive by both the Horde and Alliance for war crimes, and try to find out how they could get back home. Outland was nice, the plains of Nagrand able to sate Dalen's need to be in the wilds but at the same time it was alien and all the while the signs of desolation, destruction and chaos were visible. Now he and his friend sat looking over letters that had been sent by several of Ashok's old comrades from Azeroth.

"This is hopeless!" The paladin said, anger seething in his voice as he threw the latest letter down on the table and leaned back in his chair, his right hand reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose in a gesture that had become all to common. Dalen sighed as he set the letter he was reading down and looked across the table at Ashok. "You know, getting frustrated and saying "its hopeless," tends to lead to that outcome." Dalen paused as he picked up another letter and skimmed it, Silver was giving them some details about how things were in Stormwind and Orgrimmar and they boded well if they wanted to head home.

"Silver seems to think that since things are progressing against Deatwhing that we might have dropped off everyone's radar." Dalen's voice was calm and collected, it always paid off to use logic on Ashok when he was angry. Ashok quickly sat up and pulled the letter from Dalen's hands as he skimmed it as well a slight furrow creasing his brow as he read and then thought about what that meant. "Still our enemies are in power and we would be hard pressed to fight them..." Ashok trailed off as he saw Dalen smirking at him.

"Since when are our enemies not in power?" Dalen retorted and the both started laughing at that.

The kitchen door opened and Mara walked in with a cup of coffee in one hand and the coffee pot in the other. "I thought I heard a familiar voice..how are you Dalen? Is Jazzy out hunting? I swear that elf will never sit still for more than a minute...some coffee?" she asked as she refilled Ashok's cup and sat her cup down on the table.

Her bright blue eyes looked with affection on Ashok as he sat fuming over the letters. "You know it is nice to be away from all the hustle and bustle of Stormwind...you should relax and enjoy the peace of the city...at least we have some time to raise and train Isildur and Phaedra...they are growing so fast and need to be stronger before we unleash them on the world."

Her hand rested on his broad shoulder as she poured his coffee. The aroma of fresh cinnamon rolls came from the kitchen. A cheerful voice called out, "They are almost done, Mom...I can't see but I can smell them...yummy!!" Phaedra was helping to make breakfast and her Guardian was trying to keep her away from the hot oven.

Mara chuckled and set the coffee pot on a metal stand with a candle on it to keep it warm. There was a rack of cups hanging on the wall next to the table and she grabbed one and set it next to the coffee pot. "You want cream or sugar Dalen? I need to see if the rolls are done yet before Phaedra pulls them out too soon..." her eyes were warm and friendly to the elf she had come to see as almost family.

Dalen

Dalen smiled as Mara entered the room the moment of mirth with his comrade passed as his wife entered. "Ah, its good to see you Mara; and I would love some coffee but no cream or sugar, if you have honey I will do that!" Dalen said with a smirk, it was a habit he had picked up from Ashok, and it was a delicious one at that. He took his cup and took a sip of the coffee while Ashok got up and kissed his wife's cheek and moved off to grab the jar of honey. He came back with a smirk on his face, "Phaedra is going to give her Guardian a heart attack..." Ashok murmured quietly, kissing his wife's cheek a second time before passing the honey to Dalen who scooped a few generous spoonfuls into his coffee and then handed it to Ashok.

"It is nice here in Outland however I would love to return to Azeroth. That is home and will always be home, besides we probably will have to wait a few more months or longer before we can actually go back to Azeroth." Ashok's voice was quiet as he spoke, he was thinking about Isildur and his training while he told Mara about what he and Dalen were discussing. Dalen noticed he was preoccupied and picked up the conversation for his friend, "And yes, Jazzy is hunting again; it seems she enjoys just going out into the woods to have me come and find her. Today I decided to not go after her and just come an spend a relaxing morning with the Longshadows." Dalen's quiet voice sounded very musical and he turned to see Ashok raising his brow at him.

"A relaxing morning with the Longshadows? You seek to flatter my wife Dalen, there is nothing relaxing about being in this house!" Ashok said sarcastically, a smile tugging at his mouth as he took another sip of his coffee. "Speaking of Isildur Mara, apparently he is about to proceed on his final trials and then should he succeed, which Garelen has no doubt that he will, he will be inducted as a Paladin and a Vindicator." Ashok's voice was filled with both pride and sadness. He was happy and proud of his adoptive son but at the same time it was yet another reminder of what he had lost. Dalen saw the shadow fall across his face and it pained him to realize that no matter how many good things in Ashok's life there were, he would always be saddenned by the loss of the Light.

The appearance of the Guardian hovering around the small teenaged girl might seem laughable, he was trying to keep her in a steady path as she carried a plate of hot cinnamon rolls covered in icing. The smell was heavenly as she walked slowly, her face the sweetness of youth as her long blond hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Pink shaded goggles covered where her eyes used to be, they were dark enough it was hard for anyone to see beyond the tint. Her mouth was turned into a sweet smile as she set the plate of rolls on the table.

Her pale pink and white robe hung loosely over her delicate frame, the mere beginnings of womanhood were starting to shape her slender figure. The sandals on her feet were soft leather and her footsteps were as sure as if she could still see everything in the room. Her voice came softly as she nodded to Dalen. "Good morning to you, Dalen...where is Jazzy?"

She set the plate down between Ashok and Dalen and leaned over to kiss her foster father on his cheek, "Good morning Papa, I made these just for you...with Mom's help of course." the Guardian sighed slightly as she finally set down the plate. He did not speak often and it seemed he was totally devoted to Phaedra.

Mara smiled and nodded as she followed Phaedra from the kitchen. "Indeed, you did a good job my little girl...and I did not do much, you did most of the work." she was proud of her daughter.

"So Isildur is going to be a paladin officially then? I know how proud you are Ashok. Where is he anyway? Did he not smell the rolls baking...I thought it would get him out of bed already...unless you sent him out earlier and I did not see him leave?" she sat down at the table and sipped her coffee. She knew Ashok was feeling a bit down and longed to do something that would help. She relished the time they had now and the peace they had found here in Shattrath. But she was also ready to go at a moments notice if any trouble came up.

Idly she glanced at the notes that had been delivered. "So...does this mean we have some more time to enjoy the beauty of Outland? You should do something constructve here maybe...time to go and do some hunting? There always seems to be plenty of ogres needing to be thinned out...or the occational demon to hunt down..."

Phaedra grinned as the demons were brought up, "Yes! Let's go demon hunting! I want a chance to show you my new spells!! I am getting so much better, Papa...I can tell where they are and shoot with my holy fire as accurate as any bow...I bet I can even be as accurate as Dalen!.." she grinned shyly at the elf.

Rahl appeared and smiled. Then teleported back to Ogrimmar.

Ashok smiled at his family and he looked over at Dalen and winked, "You see what happens when you show up? It turns into a day for adventures! As to Isildur Garalen wanted to take him to deal with the Ogres and Gronn causing trouble in the pass to Nagrand. But I think I can get him to join us, to be honest I have some surprises for the rest of you as to what I can do myself..." Ashok trailed off as his smile grew wider at the expression on Dalen's face.

"I had heard mention that you were back in training but no one would make mention of who you were training with. Care to share what you've been up to while your son has been making a name for himself?" Dalen's insatiable curiosity was part of the reason he had made such a great Ranger, that and his ability to shoot a target up to several kilometers away with the appropriate conditions. Before Ashok answered however Dalen turned his gaze on Phaedra and raised an eyebrow, "You think you can be as accurate as me hm? Well I think we can see if that is true..." Dalen then turned back to Ashok and waved his hand impatient for information, "Well go on!" He said.

Ashok grinned and smiled at his friend and family, "Well if you must know I've been working with the Shattered Sun warriors and field commanders learning how to fight without the Light. Apparently I'm a natural born warrior, so now I've been trained in those arts..." Ashok trailed off as Dalen started laughing and stood up slamming a hand down on the table and pointing at Ashok. "I knew it! You sneaky b@stard couldn't sit idle for long! I knew you would get some power to match that ruthless blade of yours!" Dalen couldn't help the smile playing on his face now as he took the last swig of his coffee and then grabbed a cinnamon roll and bit into it.

"But if we are to go anywhere we should find Jazzy, that girl is probably still pouting that I haven't come and tried to find her yet." Dalen's voice was teasing, he knew Jazzy wouldn't be pouting but at the same time she would be a little angry he didn't come and find her. "And I have to go and snatch Isildur from the Vindicators if we are going to go on an adventure. I'm thinking we go to Shadowmoon, plenty of action there." Ashok said as he stood and got ready to go get his adoptive son.

After sating her hunger with the roasted bird, Jazzy took a few moments to drink some water. As she did a small patrol of peacekeepers dashed by going into the city. She wondered what they had seen and got up to follow them.

Before she had taken more than three steps there was a whooshing sound from the air above her. Startled she looked up to see a demon winging in on a direct course towards her. She had no time to do more than scream at the old man fishing..."Look out!! Run!!" as she dived for the cover of the trees.

The demon laughed as he shot a bolt of fel energy at her, It was a sickening blast of fel fire and it managed to singe her hair as she rolled away from it. A lock of her beautiful purple hair fell drifting to the ground a few meters from her campfire. Jazzy drew her weapons and turned to fight the demon.

He was big and he dodged her blade and axe with considerable skill. This was no ordinary demon, he was large and had wings, and his hands were sharp clawed as he made a grab for the elf. She was able to dash away from him, trying to lead him away from the old man at his fishing hole.

The old man was frantically trying to make it to the peacekeepers who were out of sight on the bridge a short distance away. Frustrated that he could not catch Jazzy, the demon turned and aimed a fel blast at the scurrying old man. It caught him in the back and sent him sprawling, he was badly hurt and only a few feet out of sight of the peacekeepers.

As the demon turned away from her, Jazzy disappeared into the shadows and slunk up to his back. Her axe bit deep into his back, crippling a wing. Her flurry of attacks cut him in many places, but his skin was so tough she could do no more than surface damage. The demon howled in rage and spun around, his felblood splashing everywhere. Drops of demon blood were like acid and burned the very ground where they hit.

But he was far from vanquished, he made a successful grab and his huge hand grasped Jazzy by her arm holding the axe. He squeezed and Jazzy screamed in agony as the bone snapped and her skin burned where he touched her. He wasted no time and dragged her behind him as he tried to take off into flight. he was headed towards Shadowmoon Valley. Jazzy could only stab ineffectively at his hand with her dagger as she was dragged into the air.

Her weight and the damage she did to his wings kept him from getting totally airborne and he touched ground often. His path a series of long 20 meter jumps and ragged landings where Jazzy struggled to get free. Jazzy looked longingly at the disappearing city of Shattrath. She could not break his grasp and the pain of his grip on her broken arm was enough to finally make her pass out.

The demon chuckled, "You will make a fine gift for my master...he loves the succulent flesh of the almost immortal Kaldorei...though you may live a while as he enjoys torture as well..." His flight path became one of longer hops as he crossed the river and entered Shadowmoon Valley. A winding series of hills and smoking fel pools later he arrived at a citadel in the hills. Dragging the unconcious Jazzy behind him...he finally appeared before his Master. He grinned as he deposited the limp elf on the floor of the rocky keep....the Master smiled at such a fine gift.

"You did well...Xonisfar...I may let you have a taste of this one...in any way you desire...after I am through with her of course..." the booming laugh of the demonlord Bezeelikar echoed through the keep.

The imp that had surprised Jonas fell down dead as the teenage human sliced it in half with his sword, Dawnstar. Jonas was somewhere in Terokkar Forest hunting down demons and whatever else he could find to kill. He had also been hunting with mixed results. All that he managed to get was a couple of rabbits, a large quail and a snake that had almost bitten him. Jonas was wearing his paladin grab that his late biological father had made for him. He was training to be a paladin.
Jonas didn't come alone of course. His adoptive mother was out here somewhere. Galaire had challenged Jonas to find her to continue his training. Jonas and Galaire had been together for a time. But at some point Galaire had vanished from sight while Jonas chased down a rabbit.
Now, Jonas wandered through the dense underbrush. He was now looking for someplace to build a campfire and cook what he had caught. He heard a faint rustling up in the trees somewhere and looked up. He didn't see anything that could've made the noise. Jonas continued forward until he came on a small clearing. He walked into the clearing and started to gather firewood.
"What did you catch today?" asked a voice from above. Jonas looked up and saw nothing. The voice belonged to Galaire. Jonas couldn't see Galaire anywhere.
"A few rabbits and a large quail" said Jonas, looking all around to locate his adoptive mother.
"There are sweeter meats in this forest" said Galaire's voice, filled with mischief. Still, Jonas couldn't see her anywhere.
"Yeah right" said Jonas, continuing to gather firewood.
There came a soft thud from somewhere behind Jonas. Jonas glanced backward to see a warp stalker entering the clearing. The creature eyed Jonas for a moment before it went after him in a leap. Jonas whirled around and sliced at the creature with Dawnstar. At the same time Jonas sliced with his sword, there was a loud bang of a gun going off. It was hard to say what killed the stalker first; the sword or the gunshot. Jonas looked around until he saw Galaire standing there not ten feet away.
"Were you there the whole time?" asked Jonas.
"Nope" smiled Galaire. "well, let's cook what we caught shall we?"
"Where's Clawfyre and Tobias?" asked Jonas. "I thought they were coming later?"
"Those two are off hunting somewhere in Nagrand" said Galaire. "Clawfyre said that he was growing tired of the forest"
Before Jonas could say anything, a winged demon came from the sky and went for Galaire. Galaire narrowly dodged the demon by mere inches. The demon cursed in the demonic language and wheeled around in the sky and went for a grab. The demon was focused on Galaire and didn't notice Jonas. Jonas attacked with Dawnstar. The sword sliced through the demon's right leg, nearly cutting it off entirely. The demon hissed in pain and fired a fel energy bolt at Jonas. Jonas dodged the attack.
Galaire fired her gun at the hulking demon, hitting it squarely in the chest. It didn't even slow the demon down.
The demon then went after Jonas. The demon made a grab for Jonas just when Jonas was swinging his sword at the demon again. The demon caught the sword in its claws and didn't let go, lifting Jonas off of the ground. Jonas kept his grip on Dawnstar. Galaire leaped unto the demon with her swords. By this time, the demon was flying up into the air. Galaire stabbed the demon in one wing. The demon swiped at Galaire with its massive claws and scored a hit. The blow knocked Galaire's sword off and it went down into the forest. The blow also knocked out Galaire. Then the demon's attention was all on Jonas. The demon swung Jonas wildly around until Jonas lost his grip on his sword and fell down to the ground below along with his sword. The demon smiled as it flew off to Shadowmoon Valley.

The cinnamon rolls were delicious as Mara bit into hers and chewed carefully before washing it down with some coffee. "I knew you could not stay idle very long...I will be ready shortly, as soon as Phaedra and I clean up the mess in the kitchen. We will meet you at the gate leading out of the city in about an hour...I need to dust off my fighting skills as well...don't want to get too rusty..." she winked at Ashok and smiled at Dalen.

Her gaze turned to Phaedra and she chuckled, "Looks like you will have to prove your skills to Dalen...I have seen him shoot, he is very skilled....maybe we can find a place to set up a target? Or just find some nasty ogres to hit...I think they are a bit hard to miss anyway..." She got up and took the rolls to the kitchen to store them for later.

Phaedra smiled and giggled at Dalen. "I can shoot ogres any day...I want to go after some demons...." as she spoke she suddenly stopped as if struck with a thought. Her face went pale and she gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles white. "Jazzy!!.....No!!!...she is hurt...I...heard...her scream...in my mind..." she stood trembling in her fear and pointed in the direction of Shadowmoon Valley.

The Guardian moved closer to her and hovered, he seemed disturbed as well. "Danger lurks there...many bad creatures...and lots of demons..." Phaedra sat back down, her face reflecting her thoughts as she followed the faint trail of Jazzy's thoughts as they faded away. "She is hurt bad...she passed out... in terrible pain....I lost the thoughts she was sending....we must go and find her!!!" she turned to Dalen with her pink goggles as if she could see him.

"Her last thoughts were of you, Dalen....she loves you very much..." the voice of the young teenaged girl was filled with the angst of the moment. She reached out a hand to touch his in sympathy.

Clawfyre and Tobias were just entering Shattrath. Their hunting trip into Nagrand went very well indeed. Now the two of them went looking for Jonas and Galaire in the neutral city. After some time looking for them, Clawfyre and Tobias couldn't find Galaire nor Jonas. The two weren't in the cave that served as their home either.
"I have a bad feeling about this" said Tobias.
"Galaire can handle herself" said Clawfyre. "I wouldn't worry. Jonas and her went off together, remember?"
"Yeah" said Tobias.
"Say, why don't we visit Ashok and Mara" said Clawfyre. "we haven't done that in a while"











Galaire



"Galaire!"
Galaire snapped out of the nap she was taking and looked around until she saw a hulking worgen coming to her slowly. Galaire noticed a little bundle lying behind the worgen. A bundle of blankets that was stained with blood. Next to the bundle was the body of her sister covered in blood. Galaire went for her weapon only to discover that she was unarmed. The hulking worgen came closer and closer to her, it's mouth dripping with blood and gore. The worgen reached out for Galaire as if to grab her. Galaire closed her eyes tight. Not this memory again! She was through that! The nightmares had just stopped two months ago at last. So why was she going through those dark memories again?

Galaire opened her eyes to see that she was in a large room filled with demons. Big demons. Little demons. Imps. A few succubi. She was chained to the wall, hanging above the floor about fifteen feet. As Galaire looked around, she found that she wasn't the only one chained to the walls of the room.
"You'll make a fine treat for the master" said a demon right in front of Galaire. "he likes the taste of night elves like you. But he also likes to torture. You'll in for a rough time" The demon laughed and walked away.







Jonas

Jonas landed on the ground hard but quickly bounced right up. He frantically looked up in the air for any sign of the demon that took his adoptive mother away. No such luck. Jonas picked up his sword a few feet from him and then ran his way back to Shattrath. He needed help.

((Oh goodie!! two to be rescued!! The chase is on!!))

Ashok and Dalen both stared down at Phaedra as she spoke, then they looked at each other, horror in their eyes. Then both men hardened their faces and nodded, "I'll get Isildur you get ready. I'll meet you all at the gates!" Dalen shouted as he darted out of the house heading for the Terrace of Light. He all but flew over the land, his feet barely touching the ground and his body a blur as he moved. When he reached the central chamber on the Terrace he immediately located Vindicator Garelen and Isildur, the two men standing out as they were heading out the west entrance towards the pass to Nagrand.

Dalen skidded to a stop by them, barely breathing hard and quickly relayed the message. "Garelen! Ashok wants to bring Isildur with us today, my lover has been kidnapped and Ashok thought it might be good to test the boy with a group." Dalen's voice was hard and had an edge to it that showed his desperation and need to find Jazzy. Garelen nodded and turned to Isildur but the boy was already in motion, "Let's go Dalen!" He shouted as he sprinted towards the north entrance and the gates to Terrorkar. Dalen grinned as he followed the boy, Isildur wore half plate armor and had his weapon of choice, the battle-ax strapped to his back as they ran.

Dalen had to hand it to the initiate-paladin that he could keep up with the likes of Dalen. While that was occuring Ashok quickly moved into his and Mara's room and donned his black armor and grabbed his rune weapon Ragnarok. The weapon glowed in Ashok's hand as he strapped it to his back and tucked his helmet under his arm. He went to the door and quickly opened it, "Quickly ladies! We have little time to waste!" Ashok's voice was quiet but urgent, he knew all to well what lay in Shadowmoon Valley. He then went to his warhorse Ruin and saddled the black stallion.

The horse sensed his master's needs and did not fuss while Ashok prepared the horse for battle. Once ready Ashok mounted and headed off to the gates to Terrorkar arriving just as Dalen and Isildur did. Nodding to his adoptive son he turned to Dalen his face hard, "There are several likely locations for Jazzy to be. The Hand of Guldan, The Black Temple and several ruined cities scattered throughout the Valley." Ashok's voice was hard and Dalen was nodding as he spoke, "It won't take long to find her, Phaedra can sense her and that will prove to be valuable." Ashok nodded as the three men waited for Mara and Phaedra to join them.

Isildur was jumping in place because he was so excited.

Jonas



The young paladin made his way to the gates of Shattrath a scant five minutes after Ashok did. He was out of breath and it took him a few moments to get it back.
"Ashok, Galaire has been kidnapped by a demon" said Jonas.


Clawfyre and Tobias


"Wasn't that Ashok?" asked Tobias as a man on a horse rode by pass the pair. Clawfyre nodded without talking and followed Ashok to the gates to the city. Whatever was happening, it had to be serious. Clawfyre and Tobias reunited with Jonas at the gates and Jonas told what had happened to Galaire.
"Did you see where the demon was going?" asked Clawfyre.
"Not a chance" said Jonas. "it was long gone by the time I looked up"
"Off on another adventure" said Clawfyre, his voice grim. He glanced at Ashok.
"You two, go and get horses" said Clawfyre to his two adoptive sons. "and be quick about it!" The two brothers went off like a shot and returned almost six minutes later. The two young men were riding on horses.

The stale fetid stench of rotting flesh hit her nose as Jazzy woke up. Her arms were chained to a wall, and her feet encased in a set of manacles as well. It appeared her arm had been roughly set and healed, though it still throbbed with pain. Her hair hung down over her face, making it hard to see. When she tried to move the pain of her arm nearly made her pass out again.

Her throat was dry and she licked dry lips, it was hot in the room, wherever it was. She heard a sound from her left and looked over to see another night elf chained up as well. "Who...are you...I can't see well..." she croaked. Her chains clinked as she tried to shift around to look. She gritted her teeth and tried to steady her breathing. The pain in her arm throbbed, it had not healed well and was close to snapping again. She suspected it was only healed enough to keep her alive and in pain.

It was then she noticed her armor was gone...her skin was raw from where someone or something had grabbed and tore the leather from her body. Long welts lay across her stomach and back from rough handling. Her feet were bare as well...someone wanted to humiliate her and make her cringe in shame.

The other elf was not saying much and Jazzy assumed she was still out...looking around the room again she saw stone walls and strange carvings on them. Runic wards to prevent magic or invoke it...was all she could make out. Her manacles glowed slightly...it would indicate a magical lock of some kind.

A voice could be heard from the other room, though it was deep and seemed demonic in origin. "They will make good bait...leave them be...our guests will arrive soon...they will learn soon enough who rules this plane...it is not the pitiful draenei with their beams of Light...it is I...Bezeelikar...who rules...Sargeras has sent me to deal with them...you will all obey me or feed the basilisks in the Pools of Fel that surround Terrorkeep..." the voice chuckled at the twisted meaning of the name.

The answering host made Jazzy's blood chill, it seemed like a hundred voices chimed in obedience to this Demonlord...Bezeelikar. A pool of fel? The keep was surrounded by the acidic slime of fel corruption...it would be hard for anyone to get through...Jazzy's thoughts were very bleak...rescue may or may not come...whoever came would be in grave danger...tears rolled down her face as she though of Dalen.

"My sweet love...I miss you so...but I do not want you hurt....my stupidity for not watching better...silly games...now I will be dragging you to doom..." her throat constricted as she thought of him trying to get to her.

The words coming from Phaedra made Mara's blood run cold, her eyes glanced once at Ashok and she hurried off to get ready. Grabbing her enchanted robes and staff she stopped only for a moment to take the special robe she had finished for Phaedra out of the closet. It was a bright purple with golden embroidery on the hem and cuffs, a wide belt with runic gems and sturdy boots made from dragonscale completed her outfit.

She had not wanted to give it to her daughter yet, she wanted to see her more ready for hard core fighting...but this was a good time to prepare her and Jazzy was a good friend. She would not desert a friend. She hurried into the room where Phaedra was packing some small things and held out the new robe. "Put this on...it will help you to be able to fight the strongest of demons..."

Phaedra could only feel the fine fabric of the robe, but she could see its glow as Mara had enchanted it heavily. "This is mine? I am...almost speechless...it is so beautiful..." she could hardly breathe with her mind still on Jazzy. Nodding quickly and sensing the urgency, she put the new robe on and the belt. The boots fit her perfectly and Phaedra could sense that the leather had come from dragons.

She was ready in a few moments and her and Mara were out the door and on their way to the gates before the guards even had time to salute them. Mara was riding her carpet and Phaedra had her own horse now. The Guardian floated in front of Phaedra and kept pace easily. The arrived just as the Jonus and Tobias came up on their horses.

"We are ready, Ashok. Is there a trail? Dalen have you found anything?" Mara was worried for Jazzy. The two of them had been friends for a long time. She could tell Dalen was upset and she turned to look at Phaedra.

"We must follow the trail the demon left...I can only give general direction...Shadowmoon Valley?" was all Phaedra could say. She was worried about Jazzy as well.

"....can't see well"


Galaire had drifted in and out of sleep, unable to completely stay awake nor able to sleep for long. Was it some kind of fel spell that these demons put on her to torture her? It seemed likely...although Galaire didn't know such a spell could do that. The voice had stirred her from a light doze. She thought she had recognized that voice.

"Is that you, Jazzy?" asked Galaire, her voice came out raspy and slightly hoarse. Her throat was bone dry and she licked her dry lips. She couldn't move her head very well. As far as she could tell, she was stripped of her armor. Even her bejeweled dagger wasn't there.
"..Sargeas has sent me to deal with them...."
"Clawfyre..." said Galaire softly.

Ashok and Dalen both had even more grim expressions on their faces as they heard that Galaire had also been taken hostage by this demon. They gazed at each other and were thoroughly disturbed by this turn of events. Then Phaedra and Mara arrived and their expressions grew even more grim. "This is going to require even more time than I think we have..." Ashok muttered quietly as Dalen quickly got his bike assembled and motioned for Isildur to jump into the passenger seat. "My skills at tracking are good, I'll need help though if I am to trace that demon's taint if he is flying."

Dalen's voice had a hard edge to it, he ignored Ashok's words and then took off, blazing a trail for the others to follow. Ashok sighed as he set Ruin off after Dalen and his adoptive son, following as the Ranger led the way towards Shadowmoon Valley, a place he had been several times and one he never thought he would be returning to. Unlike his older counterparts, Isildur was thrilled to be off on an adventure, albeit he was worried about Jazzy but he believed, with his naive and protected mind, that they would be in time to save her.

Hadn't Ashok and Dalen arrived in time to save him and his sister? He believed that his father and his Ranger friend were like the heroes of old. Unbeatable fighting machines that would storm the gates of Sargeras' citadel itself and triumph. While the young man thought about the adventure ahead and prepared himself to face the demons Ashok and Dalen turned their thoughts to likely places the demon would have taken prisoners. There were only a few options and most of them had natural defenses that would make entry problematic. But Ashok thought he had a way around it, he just hoped they would be in time.

((Where exactly is this Terrorkeep?))

((Hmmm...things you need to find...lock of Jazzy's hair...the place where the demon's blood hit the ground, long leaps that leave a fel tainted trail for Phaedra to see....a river...lots of hills...a climb up a mountain...lots of pools of Fel slime...a fortress in the mountains of Shadowmoon...surrounded by fel slime filled moat....LOTS of demons....lots of demons....a virtual army of demons...only one place in Shadowmoon has that..OK l digress, there is a path in the mountains that leads to a fortress with demons all over, its there or you can assume Black Temple if it seems more realistic, in any case it is a keep with thick stone walls and surrounded by a moat filled with fel slime. Edit your posts...snicker, I am!))

Phaedra sat in the saddle, the horse was trained to follow the Guardian and he was following after Mara. She could see in her mind's eye the Fortress where Jazzy was chained to a wall. All around the Fortress were guards tramping around and the green slime of fel was in pools everywhere. Phaedra could feel Jazzy's pain...it cut into her like a knife...she doubled over in the saddle and almost lost her breakfast at one point.

"Papa..".she spoke into his mind as if she was sitting in his saddle with him. "The demon there is waiting for you....he knows we are coming....he will be ready for you...Jazzy is in great pain...but they heal her and do it again...there are naga there as well...they are slaves of the demons..." her whispered words reflected her own pain as if she felt it with Jazzy.

((SEVERAL PLACES HAVE LOTS OF DEMONS!!!!! Black Temple several ruined cities! Hand of Guldan! etc. so many places that it hurts my head >.<))