The Diary of Atherya Sunleaf - Entry 6: The Arathi Highlands

 

34th Day of Spring

   The Arathi Highlands are a little disappointing. The landscape is harsh, with thin scrubland. There are large boulders dotted around the place, and it's just not comfortable. By comparison to almost all of what I've seen so far, however, it's certainly better than nothing. At least the rain is clean.

   But what makes the place a little better, though it was historically another internment camp, is Hammerfall. Orcs. I've met Orcs before, and they were...not as well-mannered as my people, but actually better than I had originally expected. These Orcs are no exception. I was hugely relieved to see them, and I've slept far more comfortably in the inn here. There are one or two Forsaken, but they don't appear to be up to no good - and it's unfair to assume that they all would be.

   But the place still isn't quite right. There's something beneath the land - but not in the same way as Tirisfal Glades. But there is still something evil here. I have seen elementals at one or two points in the region, all lingering around stonework as if they were guarding it. There is also a large gem not too far south from Hammerfall, a large floating crystal that shifts from black to purple and back again at a whim. I asked around about it, but anyone I asked seemed a little unsure about it. There is one Orc, however - named Zaruk - who seems to know a lot more, but if he does, he isn't inclined to talk about it.

   I've also heard shouting and screaming in the distance, beyond a small mountain range. I asked the innkeeper about it, a very polite Tauren named Adegwa - certainly the first Tauren I've seen up close, and they are surprisingly huge beings - and he told me that beyond the hills there is a natural basin which is almost a constant battleground. Apparently the Horde and Alliance are constantly trying to claim its resources - a prosperous mine, farm, lumbermill and such - and it's more or less a blood bath up there at all times.

   The cries still send shivers up my spine, and I'm forced to remember the march of the Death Knight, Arthas Menethil, and the cries of my people as they tried to hold their defence against him. Once again, I feel the need to move on, but there is enemy land immediately south of the Arathi Highlands, and, while I've managed to find a few people to teach me a few tricks with weaponry, I'm not too confident to go charging down there just yet.

   I'll linger here for a time longer while I decide what to do.

-- Atherya Sunleaf