Warcraft: Shaladrassil
Year 25, Day 5
To say that Ysondre was concerned by my words would be a gross understatement. In the span of thirty seconds she went from relatively relaxed from the afternoon spent lounging among Shaladrassil’s branches to pacing back and forth, her muscles taut and her knuckles white as she mumbled to herself in her draconic tongue.
Eventually she paused, whirling around to face me. “This…with this, I can not wait. To think that Shaladrassil itself may be at risk…I must investigate this. Today. I apologize, but our tour must wait.” She ran a hand through her hair in clear agitation, “I can make other arrangements for your accommodations, or perhaps escort you to Darnassus and then return here? Or perhaps––”
I raised a hand, foretelling any further words from the ancient dragon. “I completely understand. This is clearly a higher priority. Don’t worry about my companions and I, we’ll accompany you.”
She frowned. “I would be loath to ask such of you. You have already aided me greatly and this investigation could prove dangerous.”
“All the more reason for us to be there, then. If this is the same thing that was affecting you then Kent’s Order magic has already proven to be effective against it, and the rest of us are far from defenseless.” Ysondre had previously mentioned more potential for rewards for further services to her Flight, and this sounded like just the thing. Furthermore, I was very interested in seeing what was going on with my newly bonded land in more detail. What would happen to my land bond if we managed to deal with the issue plaguing the World Tree? I had no idea, but I would like to find out.
Ysondre considered my words for a moment, then nodded. “Well said. In that case, I would welcome your aid. I must make haste to speak with the local druids. Will you be able to return to the Dreamgrove on your own?”
I nodded. “It won’t be an issue.” The Dreamgrove had some sort of very powerful wards around it, but there was nothing stopping us from portkeying to just outside and then finishing out the journey on foot. I’d made sure to memorize the area before heading up to here for that very reason,
“Good. Then we shall meet again shortly.” She bowed her head, turned away, and, just as Nythendra had done earlier, took several steps and then leapt from the branch, transforming back into her acid-green draconic form in mid air and soaring off into the distance.
I took a deep breath and looked out towards the setting sun. It was a good thing I’d had a rather restful day, because it was looking like it would be a rather long and busy night. Okay, let everyone know what’s happening first, portkey second,
It took a little over two hours for everything to be arranged. By the time Ysondre, the people she’d gathered, and my own companions were ready to set out from the Dreamgrove, the sun had long since set and only the pale light of the moon and the sparkling stars were left to illuminate the forest.
The druids had taken Ysondre’s, and by extension my own, words very seriously. The formerly relaxed Dreamgrove was abuzz with activity and most of the druids I could see moving around were frowning in concern or discussing the topic in hushed voices.
The initial plan had been to send a large expedition down into Shaladrassil’s roots to investigate, but that had ultimately been shot down. Some of the areas down there were apparently rather cramped and if there really was an issue, the journey could prove dangerous. Furthermore, a larger group would only move slower and take longer to prepare, and this was something that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.
Thus, a small but elite group was chosen instead. I also ended up leaving several of my summons––the ones I doubted would be all that useful––behind. In the end, there were eight of us going. I was bringing Kent, Peach, and Glynda with me, regretfully leaving Cinder and Amber behind since their elemental magics would be a risk to all of us and our surroundings. Then there was Ysondre, two senior druids from the Dreamgrove, and a priestess of Elune from the nearby temple to round out the group and provide support.
Initially, the plan had also called for Nythendra to join us. She was the guardian of Shaladrassil, after all, and a powerful and ancient dragon in her own right, but Ysondre swiftly vetoed that idea. Nythendra was a capable combatant, but primarily in her draconic form which would struggle to fit in many of the places we were going. Her other abilities––a mix of traditional druidic magic and a small smattering of elemental magics reminiscent of what I’d seen from Amber––were comparably underdeveloped. Furthermore, if Ysondre herself had fallen under the sway of this corruption, if only temporarily, her younger, weaker, and less prepared fellow dragon would be at even greater risk.
The dragon in question had really not liked that, but had fallen inline after a sharp exchange in draconic that boiled down to ‘this is an order’ and Nythendra unhappily accepting her senior’s command. Ysondre eventually decided to send her to update the rest of their dragonflight about what was going on, and she quickly vanished back into the Emerald Dream.
Our journey started off well enough. Apparently the plan had been to walk, but Kent was able to greatly accelerate our journey with a flight bubble. Meanwhile, I recounted what I’d seen to the druids and, with a bit of help from Ysondre, was able to acquire Blueprints from all three of our companions.
The priestess ended up providing another generic Blueprint, but that was fine, especially since both of the druids seemed like valuable additions to my growing collection. Ysondre had told me that she still intended to bring me to Darnassus––our next planned destination––where I’d be able to meet some of the powerful senior priestesses who’d spent millenia honing their magical abilities. If nothing else, they would make adequate servants, emergency healers, or something of that nature. I had a sneaking suspicion that Zatanna would appreciate their exotic looks and the gauzy white robes they wore.
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The two druids were Lea Stonepaw, the leader of the local ‘Druids of the Claw’ who focused on shapeshifting magic, and Rensar Greathoof, another local leader who’d been honing his craft and guarding this forest since before Shaladrassil had been planted. Both were extremely familiar with the area, powerful enough to hopefully resist whatever corruption was plaguing the world tree––at least for a time––and would hopefully be able to figure out what was wrong with the world tree and potentially even come up with a solution.
At Rensar’s directions we landed on a colossal root near the base of Shaladrassil’s towering trunk and proceeded on foot. I was very glad for my aura because there was no way I would have been able to safely navigate the treacherous, barely-lit terrain without the physical enhancements it provided to me. Even with it, there were a few times I needed to catch myself with a bit of remnant-style flight magic.
Kent didn’t even bother trying, simply floating after us surrounded by a pale nimbus of golden light. Peach and Glynda both subtly cheated with their semblance, while Ysondre and the trio of night elves didn’t seem to have any trouble as we made our way down the root.
Eventually, we reached the mouth of what looked like a small cave. However, according to Rensar this was actually an entrance to the vast array of tunnels and caverns large and small that crisscrossed the earth beneath the world tree. There were a number of such entrances scattered amongst the tree’s roots, but this was the one with the most direct access to the true depths. I’d felt some of those tunnels––many of them were formed where the earth had been pushed aside by vast roots––and agreed that this seemed like the best way to reach the affected area.
At first, everything seemed normal enough. Despite being underground, the earth beneath Shaladrassil was lush with growth. Soft green moss grew along the walls and ground, luminescent shrubs and mushrooms poked out from the earth in places, and small animals scurried through a variety of plants thriving in the sunless passageways. Peach seemed absolutely delighted by it all, though I’d ordered her to limit herself to a small number of samples. Seeing her interest, the two druids and Ysondre were happy to tell her all about the various greenery we passed, something that went a long way towards easing her frustration at not being able to stop and examine it all in detail.
And then, in a small, innocuous looking tunnel deep beneath the earth, we came across the first sign that something was very wrong. We had been traveling for quite some time and I estimated that it was well into the night. Unlike in some of the higher tunnels, there were no signs of people down this deep. This was not a place that sapient beings frequented.
There was a root poking free of the ground in the center of the tunnel––not an unusual sight––but even I could tell at a glance that something was wrong with it. It was the wrong color, the wood tinted an unhealthy-looking shade of reddish brown that reminded me vaguely of dried blood. The soil around the root also looked off, the pale light of the priestess’s staff showing it to be gray and lifeless instead of the rich brown that surrounded it.
Beyond the visible, the magic flowing through it was all wrong as well. There was the nature magic of course, gleaming with the same verdant shade of green as the two druids and the dragon accompanying me, but along with it there was something else. A black shadow flecked with red and brown slowly intermingling with the green. It made up only a tiny fraction of the magic in the root, but I was not naive enough to assume that meant it was harmless.
Rensar took one look at the root and his already pale skin, washed out further by the dim light, gained an almost deathlike pallor. “Cenarius protect us,” he murmured.
Lea, who was standing beside him, nodded slowly, seemingly lost for words.
Ysondre leaned heavily against the wall, a hand rising to rest over her heart. “I had hoped you were wrong,” she confided to me softly. “But it was not to be.”
Kent and the three elves clustered around the root, examining it from all sides and casting a number of spells. Unfortunately, while clearly corrupted, the concentration of the taint in the root was minor, so we decided to continue deeper and see how far it had spread.
We continued deeper. The further we went, the graver their expressions became. In places, it was not just the root that was corrupted, but the other plants as well. We passed a patch of nearly black moss glowing with shimmering points of red light, and some of the mushrooms looked decidedly unnatural.
Eventually, we reached a larger cavern where one of Shaladrassil’s roots had grown into some manner of natural spring. I imagined that once it had been a stunning place, the murmur of flowing water filling air heavy with the smell of growth and the perfume of underground dwelling flowers.
Now, it was far from that. Ysondre’s raised arm stopped us from entering the cavern, instead observing the clear signs of unnatural corruption from our tunnel. The air, which had been heavy with nature magic for much of our descent, felt rancid and pressed against my aura like wet mud. This was not the cool, soothing touch of dark magic, but something far nastier. The sort of thing that even my family avoided whenever possible.
Rensar exhaled heavily, hunching forward and leaning heavily against the wall beside him. “It is even worse than I feared,” he whispered, his voice hoarse.
Ysondre lay an arm on his shoulder. “Aye.”
Lea looked confused and thoroughly disgusted. “I don’t understand. What could possibly do something like this to a World Tree?”
Rensar sighed. “Few things. I thought this infection dealt with long ago. Shattered along with Andrassil.”
Lea and the priestess both gasped, seeming to understand whatever reference Resnar was making. “No…”
“I fear he is right,” Ysondre said softly, a faint tremor in her voice. “I remember its smell far too clearly. This stinks of the Old Gods.” Well, that certainly didn’t clear anything up for me, though at least I now had a name I could look into. Hopefully Ysondre or someone else would be willing to elaborate more later.
Lea covered her mouth with her hand. “Then…Shaladrassil…we will need to…” she couldn’t finish the sentence, seemingly too horrified by the prospect of what she was saying to speak.
“Let us hope not,” Ysondre said firmly. “That must be an option of last resort.”
We spent another hour down in the depths beneath Shaladrassil. Rensar, Kent, and Ysondre each risked briefly venturing into the small cavern, though Kent insisted on shielding both of the locals with his own protective spells before they went in, something they were happy to accept. They collected a number of samples, tested spells against the roots, and then agreed to withdraw for the time being.
By the end of it, I was utterly exhausted. It was nearly morning and I’d been on my feet for hours. Instead of trekking all the way back up, I dug out a portkey I’d prepared ahead of time and the eight of us used it to return to the surface. At Rensar’s request, I groggily agreed to make a few more for him tomorrow, then all but fell into the bed I’d been provided. The sun was already starting to rise, but I couldn’t care less about the damage this would do to my sleep schedule. That was a tomorrow-Hydrys problem.