The Curse of the Warlock
Concerned at what they perceived to be the increasing threat
posed by daemonic magick, the Silvereye gathered in the Human
city of Stormwind to discuss the matter at length. To represent
the Warlocks and make their case, Silvereye Mistress, Niviel
Silvertree asked Taiev Shadowglade to make contact with a
Warlock who would be willing to attend. This she did, and
the powerful warlock Zarozinia came to the Silvereye meeting
to speak her case.
Predictably, the dicussion turned to the issue of control:
do the warlocks control daemons or are they in fact mere puppets
to their aweful masters in the Burning Legion. While Zarozinia
argued eloquently for the former, it became clear that the
gathered members of the Silvereye did not believe her. And
when Niviel, who had been showing increasing signs of discomfort
suddenly collapsed in a deathly faint, the warlock was told
to leave in no uncertain terms.
Working quickly to save Niviel from what was obviously a
life-threatening condition, the druids Nishma and Rueti managed
to transport her to Moonglade, hoping that the potent druidic
magick of that place would strengthen her.
The Search for a Cure
In the days that followed, the Silvereye
desparately sought out a cure for their mistress. Quickly
it became clear that the majority favoured bringing a powerful
priest of Elune to Moonglade, in the hopes that priestly faith
would be powerful enough to wake Niviel from her deathly state.
Fearing that this would be enough Taiev Shadowglade began
to make preparations of her own,seeking council with the Knight
of the Silver Hand Nightsorrow, and travelling in secret to
Dreadmist Peak in the Barrens to retrieve a powerful artefact.
She kept silent about her fears as her sisters, lead by the
resourceful Rueti sought out a priest willing to help Niviel.
The challenge before the Silvereye was now to bring the priest
through the Felwood to Moonglade far to the north. Gathering
their forces, and helped by Enigma and Anassara of the Amethyst
Shard, and escorted by the Paladin Nightsorrow, they set out
to brave the dangers of Felwood.
The Road turns North
As the road turned north into the twisted
Felwood, the group picked up speed, knowing that the journey
ahead of them would be a dangerous one - and that the corrupted
denizens of the Felwood would prove a great challenge. For
more than one of the Kaldorei making the journey, entering
Felwood was a painful experience. Many of them could remember
the glorious forests that had flanked the World Tree in ancient
times, and the sight of the same woods festering and corrupted
was a terrible one..
The Felwood
Before long, their fears were confirmed
and massive, corrupted bears and half-mad wolves beseiged
the coloumn of travellers, forcing them to fight every step
of the way up through the nigh-unrecognisable woodlands.
What had begun as a swift journey turned into a battle to
the death, as twisted animals circled the column, waiting
for a moment´s weakness before launching another blood-crazed
attack.
Soon every person in the coloumn was fighting for their lives,
and it seemed that even the combined strength of the entire
group would not be enough to fight off the maddenned attack.
Allies are found in the strangest of places, and even as
they were about to be overrun, a great Tauren entered the
fray, his courage, skill at arms and shamanic magick turning
the tide of a massive assault. Fighting alongside the Kaldorei
and their human ally, this paragon of Tauren virtue risked
his life in to help the group through the Felwood.
Moonglade
Finally, at the end of the road, their journey seemed in vain.
Blocking their path were the Timbermane Furbolg. This last
group of uncorrupted Furblog, suspicious of outsiders, refused
to stand aside and allow the group to pass, and though Taiev
considered it briefly, the Druids of the Silvereye would not
countenance an attack on the Timbermane Furbolg. To reach
Niviel, they would have to consider far more radical measures.
The presence of a warlock at Talonbranch Glade represented
such an opportunity, and regardless of her Sisters' disbelief,
Taiv negotiated with the Warlock to Summon her and the preistess
Anassara to Moonglade, to bring aid to the now desparately
weak Niviel.
Steeling herself for the ordeal of the Summoning, Taiev was
transported to Moonglade, hoping against hope that the Priestess
would be able to save Niviel, and that she would not have
to turn to darker alternatives.
Desparate Measures
But the Priestess magcik was not enough, though Anassara drew
upon every shred of her strength, her power was insufficient
to aid Niviel.
Rising in confusion at the Priestess' apparent
failure, Taiev was devastated, and afraid that the only way
to bring Niviel back was to make a terrible sacrifice. Turning
to the Paladin Nightsorrow, one of the few humans she truly
trusted, she posed him a question - hoping that his faith
could guide her through her dilemma. She had a cure that would
almost certainly save Niviel, but using it might cost her
soul. Should she make the sacrifice?
In her studies of the Arcane, Taiev had uncovered
a possible cure - one that combined ancient Q'uel Dorei arcana
with the raw power provided by daemonic magick. Raiding Dreadmist
Peak she had uncovered specific daemonic spells that could
be used to channel massive energy through a living soul into
a person on the brink of death. Fearing what this might mean
for whomever cast the spell, and yet knowing that it might
be the only way of saving her friend.
But even as Nightsorrow counselled her against endangering
her soul, Niviel let out a last death shriek and slipped into
the darkness... Taiev could wait no longer, and pushing her
way through the Kaldorei kneeling around Niviel´s deathbed,
she pulled the results of her forbidden studies from her pack:
the Light of Elune, infused with a tincture of crushed Infernal
Stone and empowered by a soulstone obtained by deceit from
the Warlock Zarozinia. As the shocked onlookers tried to stop
her, she poured the blasphemous liquid between Niviel´s
cold lips, even as Anassara unleashed the most powerful healing
spell in her repertoire.
And against all the odds, it worked. Niviel opened her eyes
and rose from her bed, even as a terrible cold fell upon Taiev.
Revalations
Leading the Silvereye across Moonglade
to the Shrine of Remulos, Niviel began to explain what had
happened, and more importantly, why.
Feeling a growing disquiet in her soul, Niviel
had sought out a powerful warlock, knowing that this would
provoke a powerful reaction in her - akin to an allergic reaction.
She realised that this reaction might very well be powerful
enough to kill her, she was determined to carry her idea through,
firmly believeing that if she survived she would be strengthened
and better able to resist the influence of Warlock magic in
the future.
What Niviel had not counted on, was the lengths
to which Taiev would be willing to go to save her - in the
end, Taiev´s feelings were so strong that she was willing
to risk her own soul to save Niviel.
As this realisation dawned on the assembled
Kaldorei, the Priestess Anassara enraged by the fact that
Taiev had used forbidden Q'uel Dorei arcana, swore vengeance
against her, and stormed off. As she withdrew, the truth of
what she had said dawned on Taiev´s compatriots in the
Silvereye.
She might have saved Niviel's life, but she
had broken one of the greatest Kaldorei taboos to do so. The
decision of what to do with her now lay in their hands...
Perhaps in the end, this was the true Curse
of the Warlock...
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