Fall From Grace
Chapter 3
The air was already thick with the stench of death as the group of friends arrived at Crusaders' Pinnacle. The scene before them was one of chaos. Bodies of the scourge and forces of the Horde and the Argent Crusade were strewn about the incline leading up to the Pinnacle. Ghouls of all sizes were attacking the small Argent Crusade base on the border of Icecrown, with more lined up ready to attack at the bottom of the hill. And by the looks of things, the scourge had an unlimited supply, because they just kept coming. There was a large force already working to prevent the scourge from reaching the top of the hill. All of them looked exhausted and battle worn.
A stone tower dominated the small ledge that overlooked a valley crawling with scourge of all kinds. The valley looked like some kind of outpost for the Lich King, though the buildings had the look of the Nerubians about them. There were several small tents beside the tower, this was definitely a small foothold, but from the looks of things, a necessary one for the Argent Crusade. The familiar banners of white, trimmed in black, with the glowing, gold circle framed by a black star were prominently displayed on the tower and standards surrounding the area.
Anowene dismounted and pulled out her staff; it was her favorite for what she intended to do, two smaller marbled staves held together in the middle with divine enchantments, topped with a white hooded figurehead, golden wings and an enchanted halo. She took a quick glance at Caryn, knowing full well that this choice of weapon would speak volumes about what she intended to do here today. Tirion Fordring's bellow rang out as Anowene and her friends prepared themselves to join the fray, "Put your faith in the Light, and all is possible!" and she felt a surge of emotion rise inside her.
Most of her friends rushed forward, to meet the scourge toe-to-toe, Caryn included. As Anowene looked around at who was left, she noted the pretty blonde Blood Elf close by already healing the wounded from behind the lines. Vndetta glanced her way and smiled, "Glad you're helping keep everyone alive today, Anowene. We definitely need you." Anowene returned Vndetta's smile and went to work healing her friends and comrades. The two of them worked together with the other healers to cover everyone as best they could, shouting to each other over the din of fighting, helping redirect where more heals were needed and offering each other much needed breaks for mana.
After what felt like hours, Tirion Fordring called an end to the battle; the scourge had given up for now, most of them retreating into the Nerubian buildings below. Anowene's head was pounding in pain from the effort needed to maintain holy spells for so much time, but with it came a sense of deep satisfaction and feeling of camaraderie. She and the other healers made their way through the fighters, healing those who still needed help. When they finished, they found their own place to rest, off to the side of the rest of the group. There were only four of them, though it felt like they had done the work of twenty or more. Nyda passed a bag of apples around, grinning, "I picked them from myself while I was healing! They should be pretty good." Pipsqueaks snorted into her moonberry juice and then said laughingly, "That's the worst one yet, Nyda."
The four of them made an unlikely group; Nyda, a tauren druid, could often be found standing next to Applebough in Dalaran, trying to sell her wares in tree form. As silly as she could be, she was also an excellent healer. Her face had a gentle look, only her eyes betraying how much she had already been through before coming to Northrend.
Pipsqueaks was a sassy little goblin shaman, her pleasant, green face framed by black pigtails that stuck straight out from the sides of her head. Her eyes twinkled with curiosity, and lacked the hardness found in most of her race. Her giggles were infectious and healing made her laugh the most. She found the idea of healing by dumping water on someone's head with Riptide very amusing indeed, and you could often hear her giggles in middle of a fight as a result.
Vndetta, the blood elf paladin, on the other hand, was very serious. She had the delicate frame of most blood elves and always seemed to keep her composure, regardless of the circumstances. Her perfectly cut and styled blonde hair, along with her pale complexion, was a sharp contrast to the dark, heavy plate armor and Blood Knight tabard she wore. She was a warrior for the Light and member of the Blood Knights, fiercely loyal to Silvermoon and friend of Lady Liadrin. A hint of a smile played around her mouth, giving away a hearty sense of humor if one looked closely enough.
And finally, there was Anowene, awkward and hunched over, dangerously thin and characteristically skeletal. Her face, however, was almost untouched by her death; it was clear from the blemishes and rot that many of her kind experienced. Her eyes were clear, bright, and kind.
It was into this group that Caryn wandered and found a place to sit. "Anu belore dela'na", she said in greeting. Nyda and Pipsqueaks looked at her with wide eyes, while Vndetta responded with a slight nod of her head and, "Anar'alah." Anowene just waited, she had an idea of what was coming next.
From the personal journal of Anowene Amatarsu
It only took a few minutes before Caryn launched into me about using spells of the holy light after the battle at the Pinnacle. I thought she was my friend, but she seems adamant that I join the Cult. She seems too eager and focused on the amount of power the cult will be able to give me. I feel like there's something else at play there. She doesn't seem at all concerned that I don't want to do this.
It was otherwise a pretty good day. We took out a good number of the Lich King's army and I got to spend the day with my healer friends. They didn't question my ability and seemed like they were really happy to see me there. After Caryn left, Nyda asked me about the headache I had from healing. When I told her that using holy spells caused me some pain and that the headache was a result of that, she gave me a dreamless sleep potion. She said she wasn't sure if it would help, but that I should try it and let her know.