The Shattering

[Vaelitha Skysong]

Vinamaen grabbed my hand and I tore it away. I didn't want to play with him, he was too young and he always got in the way. He sat and whined as I moved away and toyed with my dolls. I didn't mean to make him cry, but he was so annoying. Such a little baby. I wonder when Mother will be back... I press a hand to my head, it feels so painful. Everything is tight and hot, and Vin will not stop crying. He feels something too, I am sure. The earth starts to shake and the noise, it grows so loud I can hardly bear it. I squeeze my eyes shut as dust and mortar fall all around me. The house trembles and cracks and starts to shudder, and parts of the roof drop to the floor. I open my eyes and look for Vin, but the dust... the dust is everywhere. I shout for him, but he's not crying. He's not crying... I see him curled up in the corner and I grab his hand, to pull him up, pull him out to safety. He won't move. Why won't he move? Vin... Vin... Why won't you move? VIN!


Vaelitha awoke with a start. It had been a while since she had had nightmares of the Great Sundering. This evenings talk and all the groanings of the earth around them had sparked off memories she had tried to put aside. She touched the earth as it trembled once more, shaking her head. Such a worry. Surely it would not be the same...
Something was wrong. The trembling had not stopped, and it was growing. The ground was moving so much now, she could barely stand. Vaelitha groped for stability and looked for Aldrannath. Where was he?

[Kaylaneh]

Ilaana's eyes darted open as she heard the sound of cracking earth and fire engulf the nearby. She jumped from her bed and quickly grabbed a dress to conceal herself. As she walked downstairs into the tavern she could see the wounded Sentinels being brought in and..the ground was split open. Ilaana gasped loudly: 'By the goddess, no this cannot be! Not again!'

With no delay, she gathered her equipment and set to administer first aid to the Sentinels, keeping her own sword close for anything vile.

[Vaelitha Skysong]

Vaelitha fought to keep upright as the ground heaved and roiled beneath her feet. She could not see the others nor hear them, the air was filled with the rumble of cracking earth and crumbling rocks. The trees were tipping and swaying and shouts of alarm and distress could be heard from the dwellings nearby.
As Vaelitha sought to calm herself, the ground erupted before and something pushed it's way out of the soil. A tentacle, dripping and undulating, writhed from the broken land. It quested through the grasses and dirt, as if sensing her close-by. Vaelitha stilled and looked on in horror as the enormous tendril rose high in the air and then flailed in her direction...

[Vaelitha Skysong]

Divine power coursed through Vaelitha as she shouted a prayer to Elune. As the malevolent tendril reached out to her, it flinched away as if burned. She whispered another fervent prayer to her Goddess as she moved out of reach. The vile abomination twisting out from the earth lurched in search of other living beings and as Vaelitha moved away she saw that there were more of the tentacles breaking from the soil. Letting out a steady breath, she steeled herself and headed out to find her companions, watching the questing arms warily. She held Elune's blessings in her heart and mind, ready to use. She feared they would be exhausted before the day was through.

[sveraes]

Deliaris looks at the hollow log a content smile shows on her face. Ahh a what a perfect place to sleep.
....
rrrkrkrkrrrrrr. kraRRRRUMMMM.
It lasted but a few heartbeats but it felt like an eternity.
The log bounced up and down.

Arruch. That was a big one.

Deliaris lies still in the log, is this it? Were they all right, will the world be broken now.
She would see elune. If elune would live past the end. You will survive this, won't you elune.

[Amplisa]

Amplisa passed around the tree, and leaned against it. She could never stand it when the Elders started jabbering. Not only where they never right, but much valuable time was lost on thinking rather then act. She sighed and closed her right eye as of habit. The moon should be rising over the peaks soon.

She stepped out from the shadow and into the moonlight. The stars invigorated her. She would not be able to sleep, she thought. Suddenly the ground cracked, and a monstrous tendril of a bluish-purple hue burst forth and threw her off her feet. She managed to get up on her knee, but she saw a blurred barb racing towards her, and she was forced to throw herself backward, avoiding the tendril's razor sharp barbs by the inches.

Losing her balance, she fell and landed on her back. Rolling down a slope, the ground trembled and shook beneath her. She felt something hard strike the back of her head, and a thousand stars was strewn across her mind before everything turned black.

[Aldrannath]

The rising darkness -
Cancers blossom in the earth.
A Druid crumbles.


For an instant, as the earth twitched and leapt like a frightened fawn, Aldrannath had a memory of peace. After months, years soaked in black ichor and the blood of his kin, surviving for no reason as scores or thousands died all around him, there had long ago been a moment - where the earth flung aside demon and Kaldorei alike, ragged and tumbling, and the wind screamed and strewed them hither and thither - a moment of peace, knowing that his fate, the fate of his world, was out of his hands, that there was nothing to do but await the last embrace of Elune.

But then he felt it, probing, rising from below, tendrils insinuating themselves through the crevices of the broken earth: the Enemy. Patient He may be, the Druid realised, but swift and terrible is the unfolding of His plan. Had He brought them here - was this the work of Vez'kha, in service of his still more terrible Masters? Had he made them his pawns once again?

Aldrannath stumbled clear of the tentacle that suddenly thrust itself from the earth nearby. Retching with terror, half-blind from the things that assailed his mind, he staggered through a place between sleep and waking, dreaming open-eyed an ever-darkening dream.

[Salabadon Starfire]

Salabadon walked through Darkshore as the earth began to tremble. He sighed and kept on walking through the lamp lit road towards Auberdine. As he got further up the road he got knocked off his feet by a large quake. He looked up, the earth was still shaking beneath him, more violent than the last couple of weeks.

"By Elune.." Was all he could muster as he saw the village of Auberdine being torn apart in front him before something hit him on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

[sveraes]

Sveraes story.

Sveraes sat still on a large branch overlooking Ashenvale.
Thoughts flowed through his mind. Should he continue for the dark portal and outland behind it?
Or just stay, and. Live with it?
Not live, die, if what all the doomsayers tell is true.
Or maybe it would blow over, but if it would blow over, then Teldrasil should be safe. Teldrasil, blessed be Staghelm.
Staghelm, what has truely transpired with you. Did Malfurion cast you aside out of envy?

Sveraes shakes his head and slowly climbs down from the tree.
He had stopped in his journey, why go there. Maybe there would be some other kaldorei left on that shattered world.
Maybe they could put life into a small corner of it, their own little tranquil grove.

And then it occurred to him, outland would also break. Of course everyone knew that bits were breaking off. That he could see himself.

What had occurred to him was that even if it didn't he would still die. There was no world tree, no immortality. Only an ever grinding mass of demons and nether. No hope.

To be continued

[sveraes]

Then he heard a voice. A calm and benevolent voice. Calling out to him. Come to me.

Get out of my head, beast. You'll only add some entertainment.

Calm down, let us talk about this like civilized people, you've sensed it. You've felt it. Yes, what is born must die. Noone is above the circle,

Sveraes thought for a moment. What about the orcs, they thing not. They'll go on keep on advancing death further.

Well, then let them be the first to die, and let them suffer. Let them all scream in their death, let them not embrace their death, with their honor.
I can teach you...

He felt the world tremble gently, as it was torn apart. As he listened, to the wisdom of this demigod, was Malfurion not also train by Cenarion. What was this, so much promise. Time went by.

And a piercing scream echoed the vale, the voice stopped talking and before him Aldrannath and some followers of the way of malorne were standing.