Level 40 Priory quests! Introducing Annhilda, Tharash's Norn Guardian and soon-to-be guild leader of Caoilfhionn's guild!

9: Raven's Shaman

Returning to Lion's Arch was less of a culture shock this time. Caoilfhionn knew what to expect, both from the surroundings and the people, and he didn't so much as jump when a Norn staggered past him in the outskirts, waving a tankard and bellowing insults to everyone she saw. The centre of town was more peaceful, with more… 'ordinary' people gathering near the beautiful lion fountain. Now that he looked at the place from a new perspective, it was not overwhelming at all. People thrived here, Sylvari included. The gulls stirred his heart, the towers of masts and rigging, the slosh of the waves against the docks, the smell of seaweed.

He caught sight of Caithe, sitting alone on a bench near the Asura gates, her arms folded and a pensive look on her face. "Is everything all right?"

She looked up at him, a hurt deep in her eyes. "They are frozen in that moment. The one second when we split apart. Why can't they move beyond it? I don't understand."

"Sorry?" He sat beside her. Wegaff hovered a short ways off, unobtrusive.

"I met with the other members of Destiny's Edge, an hour ago." She shook her head. "They quarreled about the same old things – Logan leaving, Snaff's death. It's been so long, I thought they might have become ready to move on."

"A death leaves a wound in the survivors," Caoilfhionn said softly. Young as he was, he'd already seen it in Tiachren and Caithe herself. "As the Pale Tree mourned when Riannoc died, so too do they mourn."

Caithe's gaze sharpened, though she stared out across the bay. "They are wasting time while the dragons grow stronger. I must find a way to make them see."

"We will. You are not alone, Caithe."

She looked at him again, and this time she seemed to really see him. "Not alone… because you are here. Yes. I will hold onto that, through the long nights ahead." She stood, and so did he, and she offered her hand to shake. "Take care, my friend. You will hear from me soon."

"I'm glad," he said. "Be well!" She smiled vaguely and headed in the direction of the Asura gates.

The inside of the Black Lion headquarters was so entrancing, filled with wondrous and mystifying and rare things, that he nearly forgot he was supposed to be meeting Magister Sieran at the back of it. Wegaff tugged him along. "Are you going to grow stalks for your eyes next? Come along, our new mentor is waiting!"

Caoilfhionn perked up as he heard a Sylvari accent from up the stairs. "Stop worrying, Kekt! One little side-trip, and I'll have the sproutlings home at the Priory in no time. It'll be cherry!" Her voice was so full of laughter he couldn't help but brighten in response. He took the stairs two at a time to see if she were the one he was sent to meet, and met a lovely Sylvari woman whose joie de vivre was fairly bubbling from her face. She turned to meet his eager gaze and clapped her hands. "Oh, here you are! You must be the new novices I was sent to retrieve. I'm a Magister of the Order, but we don't need to use titles. Just call me Sieran!"

"Happy to meet you," said Caoilfhionn, taking her hand and bowing over it. "My name is Caoilfhionn. I'm looking forward to working with the Durmond Priory."

"And I'm Wegaff. In case they forgot to mention it, I already completed an assignment," Wegaff said. "Just haven't been to the actual Priory yet."

"That is our destination today! But first – I know I'm supposed to take you straight back to the Priory, but I'd like to take a little side trip. While I was waiting for you, Explorer Kekt here was telling me this really interesting story about an old dwarven tomb – and guess what? It's right on our way! I'll still take you to meet Steward Gixx at the main Priory building, but I want to have a bit of fun first."

The Asura that Sieran had been talking to stomped his foot and waved his arms. "Magister Sieran, you're not listening to me! We don't even know if the story is true. What if the tomb doesn't exist? What if it's just a legend?"

She laughed and waved him off. "Oh, Kekt, stop being a spoilsport! If I ignore this, those skulky dredge might find the tomb first, and how would that turn out? They'd destroy it! Come on. It won't hurt anything to go look around a bit. Caoilfhionn and Wegaff don't mind, right?"

"This is why I joined the Priory, of course I'm coming," Wegaff said.

Caoilfhionn laughed. "Exploring an ancient tomb on my first day in the Order? Sounds like fun. I don't mind at all."

Sieran jumped for joy. "Then it's settled! Our destination is Molent Summit. Let's go!" She strode to the stairs with a bouncy step, fully expecting them to follow instantly.

Kekt shook his head as Caoilfhionn turned to follow. "Magister Sieran's a bit excitable. By the Alchemy! She was supposed to take you to the Priory, not off on an adventure!"

Caoilfhionn shrugged. This turn of events suited him just fine. "I'd better keep up. Be seeing you!"

"Er… Sieran…" Caoilfhionn said, staring at the map by the light of a nearby torch. "This is the opposite of 'on the way'." The tomb location she'd just pointed out to him was on the eastern side of Lornar's Pass from the Priory, which was on the western side right by Lion's Arch.

"It's fiiine!" Sieran said, hardly pausing in the middle of the tunnel that led from Lion's Arch Bay into the Shiverpeaks. "We're not expected back until dusk, and it's still mid-morning – we have lots of time!"

"That's not what you- never mind." Caoilfhionn jogged to catch up to the other two.

"That's not the point!" Wegaff said. "Sieran is quite right to consider this the most effective use of our time. The important thing is the preservation of whatever history we can acquire before something happens to it, particularly dwarven history, which is so rare nowadays."

"Yes, indeed," Sieran said. "The dwarves are almost extinct, you know, but in their time, they knew a lot about dragons. This tomb's completely unexplored. If there hadn't been a little earthquake, it would have stayed buried beneath rocks and ice. Kekt's old scrolls said this was the tomb of a dwarven prince. It might have…"

Caoilfhionn drew his breath in as they left the tunnel, suddenly not listening, stunned at the glorious vista before him. He'd never been in the mountains before, real mountains, and the Shiverpeaks were dazzling beyond measure. Knifing up into the pale, robin's-egg-blue sky above, swooping down to smooth glacier-carved valleys, dotted with stern pines, covered with the most beautiful glittering whiteness he'd ever seen… They stretched into the distance, beyond his sight, endless rows of stone and snow. Yet again, Tyria astonished him with its beauty and variety. One would never guess that an hour before and a mountain away they'd been in the semi-tropical region where Kryta sloped down to the Sea of Sorrows.

He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered, just a little. He… had not expected the wind to bite so hard, and though his current fashion covered his body completely, it was made of light material suited for tropical weather, such as the Grove had.

Sieran, whose clothing had vents along the sides and shoulders, didn't seem to notice, spreading her hands towards the peaks. "Look at these glorious, snow-dusted mountains! I love the Shiverpeaks. They're so magnificent."

"They are indeed," Caoilfhionn said. "I have not seen their like before. I love them! Though I fear we must keep moving or else my sap shall cease to circulate properly."

"Ha! Summon a fire elemental, you'll be fine," Wegaff told him, pulling his hood over his head and summoning an elemental of his own as they moved down the path in a southerly direction.

Sieran laughed. "That's one way to deal with it! I've grown accustomed to it, myself. A couple weeks traipsing about, you'll be adapted to it in no time. Well, at least Caoilfhionn will. I'm not sure how Asura deal with it."

"I can't wait," Caoilfhionn said. "It looks as if there must be nooks and crannies everywhere."

"Full of secrets," Wegaff said with glee. "Nowhere in the Shiverpeaks is fully known, even after all this time. There are still many things for newcomers like us to discover."

"Secrets I want to see," Caoilfhionn said. "Even if I do not always find something no one has ever seen before, I want to see everything I can with my own eyes."

"Same here!" Wegaff said. "You watch – I'll be an Explorer within the week."

Caoilfhionn smiled. "I think Trahearne would approve."

"Oooh! You know Trahearne?" Sieran exclaimed, cupping her chin with eager hands. "He's my hero!"

Caoilfhionn beamed at her. "Mine, too! He's so wise and patient!"

"He is, and endlessly knowledgeable about history. The Priory sure could use him!" Sieran sighed dreamily.

Caoilfhionn had known he liked her for a reason. Indeed, if he weren't in love with Trahearne, he might have fallen in love with Sieran for appreciating Trahearne too! "He said he didn't want to join any Order, though."

"I know. He must focus on his Wyld Hunt. But… so many Valiants join the Orders. Like you." Sieran shrugged. "At least he is happy where he is. And I'm happy where I am!"

"You are," he said admiringly. "How old are you?"

She grinned. "About a year! How about you?"

"A few months. Still pretty fresh."

"You joined the Priory younger than I did, so you're doing very well!"

"Come along!" Wegaff said, beckoning from a bend in the path ahead. "I don't know Trahearne besides that one time in the lich's tomb, but I do know we're going to be late for dinner if we don't pick up the pace."

"You fought a lich?" Sieran demanded as they set forth. "With Trahearne? You must tell me all about it!"

The dredge had indeed found the tomb, but after the three explorers had fought off the initial wave of mole-people, Wegaff put a hand to an ear. "There's more fighting further down this tunnel. Who do you think it might be?"

Sieran shrugged. "I haven't the faintest idea! Let's go find out!"

"I'm with you," Caoilfhionn said. They rounded a corner in the tunnel to find the cave opening out into a much larger area. And over to their left was a Norn with sword and shield and heavy armour, her back against the wall, fending off five or six dredge near a cage along the wall. "Come, then! Which of you wants to see the Mists first?" she yelled at the dredge. Her foes hesitated.

"Explorer Annhilda!" Sieran gasped, and jumped forward. "Quickly, novices! We must help her!"

With a burst of lightning, she flew at the dredge while Wegaff pulled an Earth elemental from the tunnel floor. The dredge needed little more convincing to turn and flee back into the depths. The Norn woman chuckled as she sheathed her sword, tossing back her long red hair. "Good to see you, Sieran. Your new novices?"

"Yes, indeed!" Sieran said. "This one is Caoilfhionn, and this one is Wegaff! Annhilda is another Explorer with the Priory. She's still pretty new too, but very dedicated! What brings you here, Annhilda?"

"Rescuing these Explorers," Annhilda said, opening the cage and releasing another Norn and a human, who stumbled out gratefully. "Gixx sent me. Did he send you too?"

"Uh… sure!" Sieran said glibly. "Gixx sent us. That's why we're here. Gixx. He sent us."

Annhilda raised a crimson eyebrow. "What, does he not trust my skills anymore? I appreciate your help, but I'm quite capable of dealing with a few moles on my own…"

"Well, we're not just here for that," Sieran confessed. "There's a dwarven tomb…"

"Raven's wings! Where?" Annhilda cried. "No matter, go on. I will catch up with you after I've made sure these two can walk on their own legs again."

After a slightly awkward interview back at the Priory, where Caoilfhionn learned that Sieran was not supposed to be dragging novice explorers about the Shiverpeaks without permission, no matter how urgent the quest, Annhilda cornered him in the hall. "New to the Priory, eh?"

He stammered a bit. "Er… yes, quite." She was tall, and fierce, with bold grey-blue eyes that matched the blue tattoos on her cheeks, and she carried her sword, almost as tall as he was, like it was a part of her – he already found himself in awe of her, and though he wished to shower her in praise and admiration, he found himself a bit tongue-tied instead. "What brought you to the Order?"

She gestured to the huge revolving pillar of light with its stone and holographic tablets. "Ah, there are more mysteries and riddles here, than even I could solve in a lifetime. But by Raven, if the Dragons have a weakness, I shall find it! And you?"

He laughed. "I joined to save innocents and destroy evil. I am charged with fighting Zhaitan, and the Priory seemed the best way to learn how to do that – and to see all of Tyria!"

"Worthy goals. I think you'll do well in them. You look small, and too colourful to survive alone in the snow, but you fight like Wolf, with your friends there."

He felt his luminescence flush with pride. "Thank you! That's very kind of you to say. Er… but would you tell me more of your Great Spirits? I have not met many Norn in my life yet."

"Aha!" Annhilda's eyes gleamed. "Let us to the mess and have a brew together, pup. As a shaman of Raven, I can tell you as much as you want to know and more!"

He jogged to keep up with her long, easy stride. "…Pup?"

Annhilda joined them while they hunted for the Sanguinary Blade, the deadly sword the dredge had stolen from the dwarven tomb; hunted for a sheath that would contain its power; hunted for the Norn who stole it from the dredge. Especially after it became apparent that the Sons of Svanir were involved, Annhilda seemed to consider it her bounden duty to see it safely in Priory hands, and Caoilfhionn was with her – though he did not have the personal connection that the Norn did. No matter. He'd seen enough to fight with conviction. A weapon this powerful in the hands of a servant of a dragon was not to be borne.

And recovering it was a fight and a half. The monstrous, transformed ice-Norn was fast and brutal, and seemed to shrug off the most powerful of attacks from all four of them. Only when Caoilfhionn blew his head entirely off with a stone spike did he stop, collapsing heavily to the ground, the blood-sword clanging to the stony mountainside before them.

"Good shot," Annhilda said, sheathing her sword. "Sieran, the scabbard?"

"Here you are!" panted Sieran, handing it over and then bending double to catch her breath. "My goodness, that was intense! I didn't expect it to be quite so exciting!"

"He really was all over the place," Wegaff said. "It was inevitable we'd get him, he had no strategy whatsoever."

Caoilfhionn stepped forward carefully, examining the headless corpse regretfully. "It's hard to believe that Steag was willing to see all his Norn friends die, just to keep the power of the Sanguinary Blade."

"That's not hard for me to believe at all," Sieran said, straightening up and holding up a lecturing finger. "It's typical of the idiots who serve Elder Dragons. The dragons are a blight. They don't care about anything but their hunger. Their followers are just… bad."

"Svanir," Annhilda said contemptuously. "They'd be a threat if they shared between them more than a lone Skritt's brain."

"Even if we find a way to save the world from the dragons, I sometimes wonder if we'll ever find a way to save us from ourselves," Sieran said. "But anyway, when Gixx told me I was going to be mentoring new Novices, I thought it would be an incredibly boring task. But you know what? I really like you two! You're willing to try new things, and – and Wegaff is clever, and Caoilfhionn is sensible, and you both have wonderful curiosity. I'm glad you've joined the Priory."

"Of course," Wegaff said. "It's what I've always wanted."

"Thanks, Sieran!" Caoilfhionn said. It was the first time that anyone had called him 'sensible', and even though the person saying so was Sieran, who was the opposite of sensible – not that he minded, she was a lot of fun – it made him very happy. "I've enjoyed this quest very much, and I look forward to the next one!"

Sieran clapped her hands. "Cherry! Come on, let's get the sword back to Gixx."

Annhilda nodded. "And then, we'll work on saving the world! After a good mug of ale, of course. I'm thirsty!"