Over the course of the next few hours, Doug became more comfortable with Harmony's guild members. While initially wary of joining any kind of organized group, he gradually warmed up to them. Their leader, Jenn, was friendly, welcoming, and very knowledgeable about survival tactics. More importantly though, she trusted him without question. That meant a lot to Doug. After all, he'd learned early on in the game that trusting others was difficult at best.
There were two other people who particularly impressed him. One was a short young man named Chad, whose bright smile and cheerful attitude instantly put him at ease. Another was a woman known as Kari, who possessed a quiet demeanor and wisdom beyond her years. Both were skilled warriors, capable fighters who fought alongside him whenever they went out scavenging for resources.
Despite his initial reservations, Doug immediately grew fond of Harmony's members and enjoyed spending time with them. As they traveled further into the forest, together they found useful materials to trade with various settlements that they had forged already alliances with. Eventually, they reached a small village of sorts, located far south of Harmony's base camp.
Here, they discovered a fortified tower standing atop a grassy mound. According to Jenn, the structure had belonged to some ancient civilization that predated humanity. Apparently, it had once served as a lookout post during the age of giants; however, its purpose had changed drastically after the fall of mankind. Now it had become the home of a mysterious group of nomadic tribesmen who lived in the wilderness.
For centuries, they had kept themselves isolated from the rest of the world. However, recently a handful of these tribal elders had begun venturing outwards, exploring the lands around their settlement. What they uncovered astounded them.
According to Jenn, the elder tribe leaders believed that something terrible was coming. Not only did they believe that a great evil lurked somewhere in the shadows, they also suspected that another race of beings existed elsewhere in the world. These races were supposedly older than humans yet younger than elves or dwarves, possessing powers that were unmatched by any mortal creature. These creatures they called the Malakhim, and they were feared throughout the land.
To combat the menace they saw looming ahead, the elder tribe leaders formed an alliance with the neighboring clans and agreed to wage war against the Malakhim. Together, they would travel across the continent in search of answers.
With Jenn's assistance, Doug joined the expeditionary force. Armed with weapons looted from fallen enemies and a sturdy wagon pulled by horses, they headed northward towards the borderlands. From there, they crossed the Great Plains and entered the vast forests of the Northern Frontier, searching for signs of the Malakhim.
Their journey lasted for several hours, taking them deep into the heart of the forest. Finally, they spotted something unusual near the edge of the trees: a strange stone circle surrounded by a ring of stones. Atop each of the circles sat a giant pillar, carved with intricate designs. There were dozens of pillars spread out among the rings, forming a complex webwork pattern.
Above the center of the formation stood a single tree, its branches stretching high into the air. Its trunk was twisted and gnarled, resembling nothing so much as a massive human spine. The bark on its upper reaches was gray, giving the impression of bone rather than wood.
From a distance, it almost looked like a gargantuan statue erected in honor of some forgotten god.
"That must be where we're going", Jenn said quietly, looking up at the towering spire. "Looks like the entrance is right up top."
After trekking for nearly half an hour, they finally arrived at the base of the pillar. Below them lay a circular hole dug into the ground, lined with smooth wooden steps leading downwards until they disappeared under the dirt.
"Wow..." Doug murmured, staring at the sight below him. "This place looks really old…"
"Yeah," Jenn replied, walking closer to inspect the area. "These ruins date back thousands of years, probably much farther back than anyone has ever guessed."
Below them, the chamber appeared to extend far beneath the ground, disappearing into darkness. Even though they were underground, Doug felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of what might lie within those walls. If this place truly dated back millennia, then who knew what dangers might await them inside?
Stolen story; please report.
He glanced up towards the top of the column again, noticing something odd. Something protruding from the sides of the central shaft. A series of thin metal bars, running vertically from the bottom of the pillar to the top.
"Hey!" Jenn exclaimed excitedly. She pointed upward, motioning for everyone else to follow. "Look! Those look like stairs."
Everyone gathered close, peering closely at the opening. Sure enough, it resembled a set of narrow metal railings extending upwards from the floor.
"It seems pretty solid," Chad observed. "Maybe if we climb up slowly and carefully, we won't break our legs or something."
A couple of other members chimed in, agreeing with him. With their approval, Doug led the charge towards the ladder.
The stairs ended abruptly after about ten feet, forcing them to step onto a flat platform. Here, they climbed higher, following the railing until they came to another landing. This one was wider and taller, allowing them room to stand upright without banging their heads against the ceiling.
Once they got used to the height, they moved onwards. Soon they reached a second set of staircases leading downward, continuing to descend further into the depths of the tower.
They descended for quite some time before emerging from the staircase into a wide hallway. To either side stretched rows of doors, each adorned with symbols etched into the wood. They weren't familiar markings, which meant they likely belonged to the elder tribe.
Jenn walked forward, inspecting the door nearest to them. When she opened it, light flooded into the corridor, illuminating a large room filled with shelves upon shelves of scrolls. On the opposite wall stood a huge desk covered in piles of papers, scrolls, and loose sheets of parchment. Nearby was an open bookcase containing countless volumes, many dating back hundreds of years.
"Woah!" Chad exclaimed, staring at the contents of the room. "Where are we?!"
Doug followed suit, moving towards the closest shelf and examining the scrolls. Most of them appeared to contain maps, charts, and diagrams. Others were written in foreign languages that none of them understood.
One of them caught his eye. Written across the front page were letters he didn't recognize, along with a drawing depicting a glowing red symbol. Beneath the image was the name 'Sylvanas,' written in block lettering.
He flipped it open curiously, scanning the pages until he found what he wanted. The text read:
> ─ Sylvanas Windrunner, High Priestess of the Night Elves. Born into nobility, she devoted herself to the study of magic. Her studies brought her to Northrend, where she met the enigmatic leader of the Alliance, Arthas Menethil. His charisma captivated her, and soon she fell in love with him. After witnessing his transformation into the Lich King, however, she turned away from him forever.
>
> Her hatred drove her to seek revenge against the Scourge. Driven mad by grief, Sylvanas became consumed with bloodlust and vengeance, vowing to destroy every last member of the Horde. Over the course of the next decade, she hunted down countless Forsaken, seeking to slay all of them. Only when her madness threatened to consume her entirely did Sylvanas learn the truth behind the creation of the Lich King. Through visions given to her by Illidan himself, she learned that Arthas had betrayed both her and the night elf race. For this treachery, she swore to kill him once more…and this time, permanently.
>
> When Sylvanas returned to Northrend, she found that Arthas had already fled, leaving her trapped on a hostile island known as Outland. Defeated, Sylvanas sought refuge amongst the orcs and worgen on the mainland. Eventually, she managed to convince the orc chieftain Gul'dan to ally with her against the Scourge. Using his army of undead warriors, Sylvanas invaded Icecrown Citadel and slew Arthas, avenging herself on the traitorous son of Lordaeron.
>
> However, Sylvanas' victory proved short lived. Upon returning to Northrend, she discovered that the Scourge had grown stronger than ever before. Now commanded by the ancient Archdemon Garrosh Hellscream, they laid siege to Dalaran and massacred the city's defenders. As word of these atrocities spread throughout Azeroth, Sylvanas rallied the surviving night elves and launched a counterattack, driving the Scourge from Northrend and reclaiming the city of Theramore.
>
> For decades, Sylvanas ruled as Queen Regent over the shattered remnants of the night elf nation, working tirelessly to rebuild their civilization. However, while the threat posed by the Scourge had subsided, others had risen to replace them. Amongst the most powerful of these was a mysterious group calling themselves the Dominion. Led by a charismatic figure named Malfurion Stormrage, this shadowy organization plotted to unify the various factions of humanity and use them against Sylvanas.
>
> While Sylvanas fought valiantly to defend her kingdom from the Dominion, she was forced to make hard decisions regarding how best to proceed. Ultimately, she decided to leave the bulk of her military force in Northrend, trusting that their combined efforts would prevent the Dominion from gaining control of the region.
>
> Instead, Sylvanas chose to travel northwards, journeying beyond the borders of Northrend into uncharted territory. There she hoped to discover answers to questions that plagued her mind since the end of the Third War. Questions such as: What happened during the events surrounding the destruction of Neltharion? Who is responsible for unleashing the Burning Legion upon Azeroth, and why have they not yet come for us again? And perhaps most importantly...why does my heart yearn to return home, despite knowing that I can never go back?
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