Episode 1: A Hero's Beginning

Dust and hunger, those were my first memories. I grew up in Westfall's fallen town of Moonbrook, where the Defias came and tore my world apart. Their enforcers would terrorize the farmsteads, and those who would not bend to their control were pillaged and murdered. My family was among those who tried to fight back, and I was forced to grow up as an orphan. My father had disappeared and my mother was slaughtered when the men and women in red masks came to take our home.

Hunting was nearly impossible, as the lands were infested with gnolls. They were fearsome lupine creatures with tufted ears and and yellow fangs that protruded from their gaping maws. They walked upright, and would stand as tall as a man and a half, if not for their hunched backs. The wiser of them could speak the common language of the people, and some of them could wield an archaic magic that controlled lightning and fire. However, the gnolls never said anything other than threats to eat us when they attacked what was left of our homes.

Fishing proved to be just as perilous as the shores were controlled by amphibious creatures that were referred to as murlocs. They had fish-like eyes and gills so that they could breathe under water and on land. Individually, they seemed frail and weak, but they always moved in a group. Unlike the gnolls, their speech could not be comprehended as they uttered gurgling screeches to one another. The tallest of them stood less than half of a man's height, but a swarm of them could strip a person to the bone with their razor sharp teeth in a matter of seconds. Some of their mystics could control the waters, which made them capable of fending off the gnolls if they attempted to encroach on their beaches.

There was little food for most families and the soil became too harsh after the Defias had salted the fields so no crops would grow without their consent. Once each week, Mrs. Saldean would deliver a batch of her famous Westfall Stew to the poor at Sentinel Hill, and Instructor Mistmantle who seemed overly fond of a friend of mine from the Schoolhouse, but the instructor and the girl's family had all gone missing. They say you eventually develop a taste for Mama Celeste's cooking, but I have yet to have a single one of her mud pies in over a decade without getting sick... No, I needed something real.

In the abandoned fields to the east of Moonbrook, the tribe of gnolls known as the Riverpaw had made camp. The enticing smell of the wild boars and vultures they hunted wafted through the air on the nights before they would attempt to raid Sentinel Hill. While their leader, Jango Spothide, pressed the attack, I thought I would sneak over and see what I could steal. As a small child, it was always easy to sneak in and take their left over jerky. But as I grew into my adolescence, it became more difficult to hide from Jango's second in command, Sergeant Brashclaw.

Almost a full grown woman, I crept through the bushes into the Riverpaw camp on the day of a big raid. There were only a handful of the mongrels left behind, and most were too busy sleeping or attuning their strange elemental magics to notice me. Brashclaw was nowhere in sight. I slinked my way behind the broken stone ruins of what used to be a house to find Jango's stashed meats. What a score! There was a pile of Vulture Jerky tucked away in the former chimney. I grabbed as much as I could carry before I heard a low growl behind me. I froze in place as the growling came closer. I was terrified. My young life seemed to be at an early end as the gnoll's hot breath made the hair on my neck stand on end. He was directly behind me now...

He was directly behind me! Instinct completely took over as I spun my bony elbow into the gnoll's snout. He let out a pained howl as I realized it was Brashclaw, holding a massive cleaver in one paw and clutching his face with the other. I ran as fast as my feet could carry me back toward Moonbrook, with the staccato cackle of the gnoll chasing behind me. As lithe as I was, Brashclaw's bestial nature proved to outmatch mine. I squeezed through the wooden fence, which was too narrow for his massive frame, granting me precious time while he charged his way around it. I could see the Defias thugs who guarded the town in the distance. They would never lift a finger to help one of the town's remaining denizens, but would surely defend their property if they thought gnolls were attacking. I dove into an old haystack and screamed "Gnoll!" as loud as I could. Sure enough, the thugs saw the charging man-beast and lunged into action.

"Kill the mongrel!" they cried, rallying against the supposed threat. With a single mighty swing of his cleaver, Brashclaw cut through two men and snapped his jaws deep into a woman's neck. More bandits joined the fight, and gave me a clean opening. I couldn't let them discover that I led the gnoll to us, so I hurried into a hidden entrance behind the barn that I assumed they used as their home. Attempting to remain out of sight, I snuck through a section of the wall that had been removed to expose an underground tunnel. Pained screams and howls echoed into the tunnel behind me, until they were followed by cheering as the humans had clearly been victorious.

I felt no remorse, as the gnolls and the Defias were both monsters to me. Instead, I took pride in what I had accomplished: a delicious meal, and a sure sign that my next trip into the gnoll camp would only become easier. I hid behind some empty crates and gorged myself on the tender and succulent meat. It wasn't long until I heard more sounds of battle outside.

Soon after, more shouting reverberated throughout the mine as another fight seemed to break out, but the fighting came to a halt as suddenly as it had begun. Had the gnolls struck back? My answer came when I heard footsteps approaching along with the clinking of mail and rustling of cloth and leather. Peering out from my hiding place, I could make out a few figures adventuring purposefully into the cavern.

The first among them was a tall man with purple skin and long, pointed ears. He had a focused look about him as his eyes scanned the surroundings of the cave. Beside him was a large cat, the likes of which I had never seen before. It had thick, black fur with a white pelt on its belly. The cat's ears were pulled back, clearly in pursuit of something as it advanced deeper into the mine. Behind them casually strolled a pair of humans. The first was a brown haired, bearded man in copper and bronze armor covered by a blue and yellow tabard with a lion's crest on the front. A blue and bronze shield that had a a similar crest was affixed to one arm while an axe hung from his waist. Beside him was a tall woman in white and black robes, threaded with gold. She carried a glowing book in her arms with an oddly gnarled stick tucked into her waistband. She wasn't quite human, having long ears similar to the first man, but with light skin like the average people of Westfall. Her hair and eyes both shined with gold.

When the woman spoke, a soothing calm seemed to fill me and comfort me in a way that I had never felt before. "Before we proceed too far into the mines, we should bolster each other with prayers and protective spells."

"Yeah, about that..." a squeaking voice came from behind her. A green haired girl so small that I would not have even noticed her followed in a tiny brown robe of her own. She was a child, but not a child. She scurried along behind them, about three tiny steps to her taller companions' strides. "I forgot to visit my trainer before we left." The man with the shield scoffed. "You mean we're about to enter the Defias stronghold and you thought Sister Lynette wouldn't need Arcane Intellect? I thought gnomes were supposed to be smart." "Its alright, Danivun. I'm sure Kaylee just made a simple mistake. But she brought a few potions and elixirs that will make up for it." "I can still make food and water once we get inside," the small girl they called Kaylee said, emphatically. "I learned that this morning!" The woman turned back to the man called she Danivun. "See? We'll be fine. I'm more worried about what traps might be set in here to keep us out." He then nodded in the direction of his purple friend. "That's what Tiernan and Tethyros are for right guys? In a quiet and stoic voice, the long-eared man replied "Shadowclaw only tracks our prey. She does not look for traps. I thought that's what you brought the drunkard for." The small girl looked around expectantly for a reply from some unseen person. "Hey, where is Tiernan anyway?" "Oh, you know," The man with the shield said with a sigh. "Doing Rogue things..."

Suddenly the stench of stale ale filled that air around me, and I felt a presence appear over my shoulder as if something had stepped through the shadows. I was sure that it was just my paranoia until a gruff voice hit my ear. "Wot'ya got there, lassie?" I spun my head to see a short but stout man with a long brown beard that seemed as if it were wearing his big round nose. He was only inches from my face, and I screamed in surprise. "What's that!? Who's there!?" Shouted the man with the shield as he drew his axe. The others drew their weapons and focused in my direction. Fearing for my life, I ran deeper into the mines, as fast as I could.

I could hear the woman call out to me, crying "Hey girl, wait!" But I was too afraid to stop. I ran as far as I could, following the abandoned mine carts and tracks until I found an open chasm within the mine. I ran upwards and into a darkened section in the hopes that I could remain unseen. I hurried up the incline but my foot snagged in the old mine cart tracks. I pitched forward and tumbled hard into some moldy planks, which sent rocks and debris crashing down around me. I had just a few small cuts, but felt the swell of bruising on the side of my knee. I glanced up to notice that I had knocked down some sort of barrier that closed off a hidden alcove. An odd blue light flickered from within and I retched as the stench of rot hit my nose like a rock. But it wasn't from the old wood...

Something had been alerted to my presence. I could hear the shuffle and shamble of creatures from deeper within the recessed wall. I sat in horror as clattering bone men and withered corpses hobbled into view. Desperate to run again, I tried to stand but my knee buckled under my weight. Tears welled in my eyes, partially from the rancid smell and partially from fear, as I panicked and dreaded ever coming into these damned mines just to eat stolen food. They advanced closer and closer until I was sure that I was about to be someone else's meal.

One of the ghoulish monstrosities drew near and reached out toward me. I closed my eyes, then heard a whistle in the air as something zipped over my head and then stopped with a sudden crunching sound. I opened my eyes to see an arrow sticking from the eye socket of the undead creature just before it collapsed before me. A booming echo resounded throughout the tunnels as the man called Danivun rushed in from behind me.

"CHARGE!" He shouted as he sprinted past me. With a swing of his axe, he lopped a ghoul's head clean off and then shattered a skeleton into splinters with the slam of his shield. Shadows swirled into existence as the smaller, bearded man appeared behind an undead and eviscerated it with his daggers. As quickly as he came, he vanished and reappeared behind another and another, quickly dispatching foes one by one.

The small girl shimmered beside me and raised her hands at the undead. A burst of cold snapped through the air, freezing them knee-high in ice which she followed up with a flash of fire to reduce them to ashes.

The white and black robed woman waved her arms through the air, causing her allies to sparkle and shine while golden streaks struck down weaker skeletons that overwhelmed the brown haired man with the axe and shield. She peered over toward me and the small one, and a look of fear washed over her face. "Kaylee, watch out!" Another wall came down beside us and more undead scrambled into the fray. The great cat then pounced onto a skeleton, clawing its limbs off as more arrows picked off its fellows. Then a massive figure with rotting flesh and bone white hair pushed its way through the rubble. It held a pickaxe in one hand and snatched up the girl they called Kaylee with the other. It raised the pickaxe back and began to swing it down to impale its prey. The terrified girl quickly threw fire and incinerated its hand, dropping the pickaxe on the ground in front of me. I frantically reached for it and tried to pull it from the dirt to help my small savior. Undaunted by the sudden loss of limb, the monster opened its gaping mouth and raised the girl toward it. An arrow streaked through the air and struck the monster in the side of the head. His tiny, would-be prey twisted free from its grip, and scrambled out of its reach. Tugging hard on the fallen pickaxe, the soil gave way and I fell backward with it in my hands as it swung upward, sinking into the monster's head and cleaving it in two. As the massive creature fell, so too did its minions. The battle was over.

"That crazy thing almost ate me!" squeaked the littlest one. "What the hell was that?" Their leader let out an exhausted breath, brushing dust from his tabard. "That was Thistlenettle, the old Foreman of these mines. He and his crew had been reported missing for years. Now we know what became of them."

"But what could have caused them to be raised as undead?" The taller woman wondered as she inspected the body. "Such a thing does not happen without cause."

"Aye, a myst'ry fer another time." the small man proposed. "Fer now, we have wounds needs fixin'.."

With a heavy sigh, the woman turned to me and inspected my cuts and bruises. "Her injuries aren't too bad, but it would be wiser if we set up a triage and prepared so that I can tend to everyone. If this is any indicator as to what the stronghold is like, I would much rather be fed and well rested before going any further."

"Agreed." The mail-clad man said in an authoritative tone which seemed to set the pace for the band of adventurers. "We can make camp behind the hill, facing the coast. We should be able to stay hidden back there. Tethyros and Tiernan, set up some traps around the camp so no one can sneak up on us. Kaylee, I want an ice wall placed right at that choke point so no one can go in or out. That way, we won't have to fight our way through again when the Defias realize we've been here."

The girl he called Kaylee stood in the narrowest section of the main tunnel and stood with her arm outstretched, palms directed at the floor. A chill filled the air as snowflakes formed from the sleeves of her robe and began to form together from one wall to the next. I watched in amazement as a dense barrier of frost formed before my eyes and blocked the passage. "Can you walk?" The leader asked me, noting the massive bruise covering my leg. I shook my head, and he knelt down beside me. "If you'd allow it, I can carry you out of here. I promise that we only mean to keep you safe."

Hesitantly, I nodded. He quickly and gently lifted me up in his arms, carrying me out of the caves with his allies in tow. Once we were out of sight, Kaylee produced a scroll from her satchel and flung it into the clearing. Strange green dust dust flooded from the page and solidified into a small tent, which impossibly seemed to be the size of a house from the inside. There was a whole room with three bunk beds and a table with stools sitting atop a purple rug. There was an odd symbol of an eye with three streaks under it. A smokeless fireplace roared in the corner, and a plate full of refreshments floated at about shoulder level. Well, shoulder level for the average person. the tiny girl had to stand on a chair and beckon it over to reach for a glass and a bun.

The long eared man and his cat kept watch by the entrance as the man in charge carried me over to one of the beds. He set me down softly, then began to introduced himself and his comrades.

"I'm Danivun. I serve as a Lieutenant for the People's Militia here in Westfall under command of Gryan Stoutmantle. " he stated. "I'm leader of this band in search of the wanted criminal known as VanCleef, the Kingpin of the Defias crime syndicate. This is Sister Lynette, she is a priestess from the elven town to the north called Quel'- ... uh, something, and is one of the most trustworthy and capable healers I know."

"Quel'Thalas." Sister Lynette corrected him as she opened her book and sung a soft hymn, waving her hand over me. My skin glittered with golden light, so warming and comforting that it seemed to heal my mind and my body. I gaped in awe when my cuts closed and my bruises shrank to nothingness as the sparkling light danced from my toes up to my head. The dirt seemed to flow away from my now purified skin and the tangles in my hair became untucked into soft curls.

Danivun aimed his thumb over his shoulder as he continued. "That's Tethyros. He and his sister Maevin Farmoon are among the best archers we have and train us on how to shoot like the night elves do. The ugly dwarf is Tiernan Anvilheart."

"Ack!" Tiernan spat. "Yer only jealous that ye cannae grow a beau'iful an' glorious beard like mine, lad. Yer stuck with that pathetic excuse fer peach fuzz. I'm the prettiest bastard in the entire Militia an' ye know it!"

"Hey! Don't forget me!" Kaylee's tiny voice called out with excitement.

Danivun rolled his eyes. "Right, our magical food making gnome."

"Don't be rude!" She squealed, glaring at Danivun. Kaylee turned to me and proudly stuck her chest out as if she were all-powerful. "I'm Kaylee Cogsprocket, I'm an apprentice at the Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences in Stormwind."

I gave my thanks to my new found friends for protecting me. We made camp up the hill atop the mine behind the trees so that no one would find us. It was the first time I had truly felt safe in all my life.

"So wot d'yeh call yerself, lass?" Tiernan, the dwarf asked me.

"I, um..." I stammered hesitantly. I had been alone for so long that I no longer knew my name. "I don't know."

Danivun and Lynette exchanged glances, then Lynette looked back down at me and inquisitively asked "Well, where is your family?" "The Defias killed them all." I told her. My heart had suddenly grown heavy with the realization. "I'm the only one left."

Sister Lynette leaned forward with sincerity. "So you have been on your own your whole life? No one raised you?"

I shook my head.

"Like an animal she is, eh?" Tiernan mused. "A wild child!"

Danivun regarded the dwarf's comment with his usual tone of seriousness. "A fitting expression, given her situation." "It would seem that we share the same enemy, young one." Tethyros stated. "Perhaps Elune saw fit for our stars to cross." "Bah!" Tiernan grunted. "She's just a wee lass, yeh daft elf. She cannae fight the likes o' th' Defias."

"I'm not a child," I blurted out. "I'm almost an grown woman."

"Its a half days' march back to Sentinel Hill." Tethyros continued on. "And the Defias has already ransacked many of the farms throughout Westfall, so I doubt anyone could afford to take her in now. With her share of the wealth from this quest, she could feed herself for a month without having to steal it. As it is her life that she has to either lose or gain, I suggest we let the woman decide."