Chapter 13 – History Lessons
"There are things you children should know. Things about your world and your past that are not taught in schools. I know these things, because I am a Night Elf, and a member of the Cenarion Circle. For more than ten thousand years my order has worked to protect this world from those who would seek to control or harm it. We have stood against the tides of darkness since long before your Kingdoms were founded. And we will continue to stand until the end of all things.
"Among the druids of the Cenarion Circle, there are those of us who have the power of the dreaming. We can enter the Emerald Dream, a place that exists in parallel with this reality. From that place we can watch and learn many things. Sometimes we see events that occurred long ago, or may yet occur. It was in the dreaming that our story begins. Here, one of my order discovered a new threat to Azeroth.
"As you are undoubtedly aware, a vast a powerful force known as the Burning Legion has set its sights on dominating our world. Thousands of years ago they attempted to invade Kalimdor, but they were repulsed by the Night Elves of old. Since then, they have worked in secret to establish a foothold and an army to overwhelm all the peoples of this planet.
"It was the demons of the Burning Legion that corrupted the orcs of Draenor, turning them from their shamanistic ways. They gave the orcish warriors fel energies on the battlefields, and they gave the spell-weavers the powers of warlocks and necromancers, to command armies of demons and deathknights. And finally, it was the Burning Legion that created a line of communication between Gul'dan and the guardian Medivh.
"Medivh was a guardian, born human, and the most powerful weapon this world had against invasion. How did he fall into the enemy's hands? For decades your historians wondered at this question. And so it was that several of our druids entered the dreaming to attempt to scry the answer. In this way did my people learn of Balba'yorn, a demoness of great power and cunning. She was the consort of Kel'Jaden, and commanded vast magics to manipulate and corrupt the wills of others. Her ability to travel within the dream rivaled that of Malfurion himself. She had whispered to Gul'dan and his mentor Ner'zhul while they slept. She sent them visions of power, and an unspoiled world ready for conquest. We know also that she encountered Medivh, but there is some disagreement as to weather she was corrupting the human, or if perhaps it was Medivh who was instructing her. There is a dark secret there, one I am not privy to…
"And so it came to pass that Balba'yorn worked and shaped the destiny of two worlds. She guided the orcs of Draenor as well as the humans of Azeroth, to build a bridge. A dark portal, that would span the gap between their worlds, and allow for the passage of the Legion's newest army. She directed the engineers of the portal towards the knowledge they would need to craft this black gate. For it could only be fashioned at a particular location on each world, and at a particular conjunction of heavenly bodies and mystical energies. And so the orcs began to build on the Hellfire Peninsula, and the human side was crafted in a great swamp that was once known as the Black Morass.
"Once the gate was opened, the war between the orcs and humans began. Balba'yorn found that her abilities on the battlefield were limited from within the dream. She needed to manifest physically on Azeroth to bring her power to bare. And so she had Ner'zhul fashion an artifact that would serve as her avatar upon the mortal plane. But Ner'zhul was craftier and more intelligent that she expected. Instead of forging her a body, he made for her a prison. A codex, sealed in bronze and silver, that would harness the demon's powers towards his own ends. This is how the demon came to reside within the book.
"There is much uncertainty about what happened next. The fury and confusion of warfare is difficult to pierce. What we have discovered is that during the war, the prison was damaged. The majority of the book was lost. Most likely taken as a trophy by a human, or perhaps coming to rest in the hoard of one of the few remaining ogre-magi. No one knew exactly where it went. But a piece of the prison was found. It was taken by a warlock of the Blackrock orcs, who followed Rend Blackhand when he led his clan to declare independence from the horde and seek a home atop the great fortress of Blackrock Spire.
"For nearly three decades, this shard of the prison lay unnoticed among other artifacts of magic within the mountain. Then it came to pass that the dwarves who resided in the fiery depths below attempted to reclaim their lost fortress. They attacked the Blackrock orcs, and succeeded in liberating certain mystical artifacts. These dwarves, known as the Dark Irons, carried it back to their city beneath the mountain. There they began to study and experiment on it. And it is here that my own portion of the tale begins.
"Nearly two years ago my mentor Isop, of the Cenarion Circle, was asked to enter the dream. He began his investigations of the Dark Portal, so that he could learn the secrets of its construction. It was he that uncovered all that I have told you, and more. He saw the Dark Irons researching Balba'yorn's prison, using the shard they had found. Isop knew that, with the right magics, he could use the shard to find Balba'yorn, and destroy her.
"And so an expedition was founded. Our mission was to infiltrate the depths of the Dark Iron city and find the shard. I was chosen, along with several other druids, to assist in the endeavor. Our team set out from Kalimdor three months ago. We traveled to Ironforge Mountain, to elicit the aid of the Dark Iron clan's enemies. From Ironforge we traveled south, to the Blackrock Spire.
"The Dark Irons had few mages within their own race, so they had enlisted the aid of their allies, the cultists of the Twilight Hammer. The followers of the cult had discovered that, should they gain control of the shard, the might free Balba'yorn from her prison and unleash her power against their enemies. My friends and I managed to steal the artifact, but we were ambushed as we tried to escape. Our enemies were powerful and the odds of our successful escape grew slim. In desperation, Isop gave me the prison fragment and bid me flee south, towards the human lands. He remained behind with the others, to hold the line against our foes. I do not know their fate, but it was unlikely that any of them survived.
"I fled the mountain and crossed the Searing Gorge. Luck and Elune conspired to spare me from death and capture, at least for a while. I crossed the mountains into Elwynn Forest, and sought refuge in the first house I came across: the Crownguard manor.
"The rest of my tale you know. The Twilight Hammer pursued me across the mountains, and seems to have enlisted the aid of the local bandits in an attempt to capture me. They attacked your home and killed everyone except for Brogan and Myrista. I escaped and found Edwynn. I directed him towards where he would find the bandits, but I chose not to accompany him. My mission was too important to risk allowing the prison's shard to fall back into the enemy's grasp. So I continued south, towards Stormwind.
"But sometime after midnight I felt it: The forest shuddered, for something evil and loathsome had awoken in the eastern wood. I realized that it was no mere coincidence that I happened across that house this day. It seems that the goddess guided me to you for more than dinner and shelter. Logic would suggest that Myrista's uncle, who was present at the battle of Blackrock Spire thirty years ago, most likely recovered the main body of the codex. He brought the prison home to his house in Northshire, where it rested until tonight.
"And now you have seen with your own eyes children, the evil that Balba'yorn is capable of. She has already seduced one of your number, and will likely attempt to draw all of you further into her fold. She also possesses a most terrible knowledge: the means of constructing a new Dark Portal. This is a great and terrible power, and there are many who will exercise all their might to possess it. They think that they can use Balba'yorn for their own ends, but they will underestimate her cunning. She will trick them into releasing her from her bonds. And should she succeed, the demoness will not rest until all life on our world has been burned to ash."
The three children sat blinking in their room at the Lion's Pride Inn, listening to Mythril finish her tale. At last the Night Elf stopped speaking, and a cold silence fell across the room.
"Wow." Edwynn stated stupidly. "That's… pretty nuts."
"Yeah." Brogan rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted, they all were. But adrenaline and the terrors of the night had kept sleep from them.
"How did they know where to find you?" Myrista asked. "You had just arrived at my house only a couple of hours before the attack."
"The whole abbey knew she was there." Edwynn answered for her. "When I went there before dinner, everyone was talking about her. 'A Night Elf in Northshire'. One of the farmhands must've spread the word."
"So what now?" Myrista asked.
"Can I see it?" Brogan looked at Mythril. "Can I see this prison fragment?"
Mythril stared at the warlock warily. After a moment's pause, she reached into her backpack and pulled out an oddly shaped piece of bronze. Brogan reached for it, but Mythril immediately pulled it back. "You will forgive my insult, but too many of my friends have died to allow you to risk looking any closer. You must understand, you are sworn to them now. To the demons."
Brogan merely frowned. Reaching into his own knapsack, he removed the bronze and green tome. It seemed so normal and harmless that for a moment Edwynn was certain he had dreamed the entire night's events. Unfortunately it only took a glance at Brogan's black skin to realize that this wasn't true.
Turning the book over in his hands, Brogan examined it closely. Indeed, on the back was a area where the bronze engraving had been damaged, and part of the corner was torn away.
"So this demon, she can visit people in their dreams?"
"Yes." Mythril placed her prison fragment into her knapsack. "Her powers are limited while the book is closed and locked. But she may have strength enough to reach out and visit our minds while we sleep. We must be guarded."
Brogan glanced at Myrista, then back at Mythril. "How do we destroy her?"
"I am not completely certain. We should travel as quickly as possible to Stormwind. There is a small enclave of my order stationed there, as ambassadors to the alliance. They should be able to shelter us, and allow us to rest and plan our next move."
Myrista spoke up then. "I think we should…"
"Not now." Mythril cut her off. "It is late, and we are all very tired. We need to rest and replenish ourselves. We will talk more in the morning." And with that the Night Elf waved her hand and all three children's eyes grew heavy and closed.