The Truth of Southshore

The sun beat down warmly on the grass as Mariskka stood in the clearing off the side of the road, her warhorse grazing nearby. Hillsbrad was beautiful in the late summer, the fields giving way to small clusters of trees here and there where small animals made their homes. The shaman took a deep breath, savoring the scents and sounds of the wilderness around her as she prepared herself for what she had to do next. Although Chelody and others had warned her what to expect in Southshore, she had to see for herself, had to know for certain that it was not all an exaggeration or propaganda, although she knew in her heart that it wasn't.

The breath of fresh air having steadied her, the shaman closed her eyes, reaching out with the elements and allowing her mind's eye to wander far from where she stood. The spell, known as Farsight, let her see impossible distances and she used it now to focus her gaze on Southshore, which was to the west of her current position. Almost immediately her mind filled with the vision, as if she were standing there within the tiny town.

Or what was left of the town.

Mariskka gave a heartbroken gasp as she saw what had become of that tiny place where she'd spent so much time. The buildings were in ruins, many of them destroyed outright and the town itself was a poisoned, toxic place fit only for the slimes that crawled across the barren, dead ground. Everything was gone, everyone was dead and there was no undoing the truth of what she saw.

"No! Cannot be!" she whispered quietly, her vision still surveying the town. "All of them are being gone. Vhy is this happening to peaceful place?"

As she spoke the words in a choked voice, she let her vision move away from the wreckage, the images flying miles across the countryside of Hillsbrad. "Maybe finding more at farms, yes. Maybe are survivors?" she said to herself quietly.

It was not to be. The Hillsbrad farms were gone, and in their place an ominous Forsaken structure loomed over the once serene countryside. As Mariskka's magical sight traversed the walls, she cried out in horror at what she saw. The Forsaken were farming there, using human victims to feed ghouls, using the bodies of the deceased to create horrors. It was a complete abomination, an utter desecration of the land and the people who once lived upon it.

"No! Is not being true!" Mariskka said in a quiet voice, letting her vision fade. She was rational enough to understand that it WAS true, but she couldn't fathom why anyone would do such things, how it could be tolerated. Certainly she would not tolerate it a second longer than she had to. Her fists clenched in anger, a feeling she rarely experienced.

A sound made her head snap around and her eyes widen. There, on the road nearby she saw a Forsaken patrol herding a group of prisoners down the road towards the 'farms'. The group was composed of two guards on foot and a captain on an undead steed, and in front of them stumbled a small family of three; husband, wife and child.

They were taking a child to the 'farm'.

Mariskka shook her head, sending her pigtails bouncing. She would not allow it. She turned towards her horse, moving to undo its saddle and tack. It pawed at the ground anxiously, and she smiled and pat it as she worked.

"I must be going. You are knowing this, yes. In case is last time vee are talking I am setting free." She said quietly. "Spirit is commended to elements, am not fearing vhat must be done."

And then it was time. With her warhorse free to roam, Mariskka's form shimmered into that of a wolf, and in a flash of an eye she was dashing through the grass towards the distant figures.

**********************

There was little cover, and the Forsaken saw the wolf long before it reached them. They were always on alert after all, the humans who once owned these lands and their allies hated what had happened here, and revenge was never far from the thoughts of their foes. One of the two walking guards paused, reaching to his back and removing a crossbow. The Forsaken captain on horseback nodded, and the soldier pointed his weapon and let a bolt fly.

The wolf yelped as the bolt struck it, but it came on with determination that was unnatural to such a creature. With a frown, the captain watched as it dashed towards his horse, a sneer on his face as he braced himself for the tiny creature's impact with his undead mount. As he expected, the wolf leaped high into the air right towards him.

What he was NOT expecting was that it would shimmer and become a mail-armored draenei that would slam into him shield first.

Draenei, Forsaken, and undead steed all tumbled into a pile, the force of Mariskka's impact shattering bones on the mount and crushing the Forsaken beneath her as she landed on top. In a heartbeat she sprang to her feet, hands extended as a bolt of lightning lept from them to strike one of the two dismounted guards. His back arched and electricity played along his undead form as he stiffly toppled over, little after shocks of energy dancing in the air around him. The second Forsaken reeled back, making the mistake of turning his back on his prisoners. The man he had been herding immediately wrapped his chains around the undead's neck, pulling tight and trying to control him.

"Be fleeing vith family!" Mariskka shouted in encouragement, turning to see to the captain she had knocked over. As she spun around, his sword plunged into her side. He had risen from the wreckage of his steed and drawn his steel in the time it had taken her to finish off the enemies on foot. She gasped as he pulled the weapon free, her blue blood staining the blade and pattering onto the dirt of the road.

"Stupid wench," he snarled. "You aren't even from this place. Look at your foul blood; it's useless for our experiments and what's worse you've ruined my horse."

Mariskka heard him only dimly as he struck at her again. Wounded, she was only able to half-shield herself and his blade slipped off the metal disc protecting her arm and into her shoulder. She moaned and stumbled backwards, her vision darkening.

"I would eat your flesh, but it's not even good enough for eating," the forsaken snarled. He viciously kicked the shaman, toppling her to the dusty trail and stepping past her towards the prisoners. The man had finished off the second guard, but with nowhere to run he stood valiantly facing the forsaken, shielding his family from the blade that dripped with alien blood.

"You three however will make excellent additions to the Dark Lady's cause once you've been properly indoctrinated," the captain sneered. "You'll soon find that your precious flesh is not so important when compared to her glory. Your little would-be rescuer has met her destiny."

But the prisoner wasn't looking at the forsaken. Instead, his eyes widened as a little Ankh around Mariskka's neck glowed with an almost eye-searing light before it melted away. Almost instantly her mortal wounds partially closed, and her eyes snapped open. She rose quickly from the ground, still in a rather significant amount of pain.

"Is not being time yet, no." She said quietly.

The Forsaken spun around, just in time to see the heavy mace that Mariskka carried flying towards his face. As it connected with his head, it flared to life, the fiery enchantments on it calling the power of the elements to the head of the weapon. He perished in flames, his death mercifully quick.

Silence fell over the battlefield and the human prisoners looked at Mariskka with concern. She swayed on her hooves, but managed to focus enough to call forth some magic to heal the worst of her wounds. Steading herself, she brought a hand to her mouth and let out a sharp whistle. Moments later the clatter of hooves could be heard as her warhorse trotted from the nearby fields.

She looked at the humans and gave them a pained smile. "Be taking family on horse and going to Aerie Peak, yes. I vill follow later on. Are things I am doing still, yes."

The human looked at the warhorse and then back at the draenei, still not believing his family had been saved before they were brought to the farms of Hillsbrad. "I...thank you miss. You should be coming with us though, it's not safe here."

Mariskka shook her head, turning towards the fallen Forsaken. "No. Are being good men once, and are deserving to have spirits released. No matter vhat they are doing vith unlife, this is not being the people they once vere. You are understanding?"

The man shook his head, helping his wife onto the back of the horse and then lifting his child up. He didn't understand how anyone would even care about such creatures. "No, but I won't begrudge you whatever it is you must do. I will remain in Aerie Peak, and if you don't return, I'll send people to look for you."

He turned away, leading the horse and his family towards the safety of the distant mountain ranges and the dwarves who lived there. He stopped only once, turning to look back from a distant hill. From far away, he saw the draenei kneeling before the bodies of the fallen, a small totem on the ground before her.

For the briefest of moments, he saw the outline of a man, ghostly in appearance standing before her, a look of serenity on his face before the vision faded. Peace being granted to those who some would say should never be given quarter again after what they'd done.

He turned away, not knowing what to make of it or the Draenei. For the rest of his life he would keep an image of her in his mind, forever in that pose, her face peaceful as she sang to the spirits of the dead.