Firala's Rites

[Eiada Clearbreeze]

Sister Firala, I present to you now your rites should you choose to accept them.

While turmoil grips the world and foes in other lands threaten to destroy everything we have worked to wards, we cannot ignore the problems closer to home. The Grimtotem tribe, while our kin are not known for acting for the good of our people as a whole. They have outposts in multiple regions around Kalimdor and work in secrecy. Rumors speak of foul deeds among their ilk.

I ask that you venture to the Thousand Needles, they have a camp there that has been openly hostile with the braves of Freewind Post. Infiltrate their camp through whatever means you deem necessary and look for evidence that would incriminate them. If they are up to no good, we need to know about it.

Winds be at your back, sister.

(( Pretty simple, I'm not sure if you've done the quests out there yet or not but I'm assuming yes. If your character would the type to assault the Grimtotem, you are free to do so. You're also free to act out in any other way your character would, even if it means trying to establish friendly relations with them. ))

[Firala Plainswind]

For a long while, Firala wasn't sure how to approach this task. Long did word of her rites lay dormant and for a while, she faded from contact with the tribe. Though she'd taken a couple trips down to Thousand Needles, she still couldn't find a way into the Grimtotem Stronghold. She'd tried to befriend them, and, being that she was a healer, she wasn't about to try and fight her way into their camps. She remained quite baffled... Though she had plenty of stories of their crimes against Freewind, she had no substantial proof. So... she thought up a plan.

She made a trip to Booty Bay and began asking around about mercenaries. Long did she seek before coming upon a hearty group of Dwarves, no less. They were small, but seemed kind enough. And, in broken common, she told them of what she needed. Because of the plans delicate nature, she finally decided on paying a goblin 50 copper to translate for her. It was agreed, and she paid the mercenaries half their sum up front: a mere 20 silver was all they required.

With the wind at her heels, she ran tirelessly back to The Thousand Needles, taking a boat to Ratchet and then running the rest of the way to the Needles themselves. By the time she got there, she looked quite travel-worn, dirty, and overall, in poor condition. But it was the perfect disguise for her plan. On the horizon, high up on the cliffs, she saw the Grimtotem's camps, the fires dancing like glittering jewels in the darkness of the cloudy night.

Slowly she approached the camp. She'd never been good at sneaking, but she'd only have to get so far. She'd heard of the Grimtotems kidnapping those that had fallen under the Needle's intense sun, and, crossing her fingers in hopes her plan would work, she lay down near the base of their plateau. Exhausted from travel, she closed her eyes and took a breath and fell into a quiet and fitful sleep.

She awoke to the sound of rustling branches and hushed voices. Perhaps her plan would work after all! She stirred slowly, hoping that the Grimtotem scouts would kidnap her, proving their ill intentions for her to report back to the Earthspear. She lifted her head just in time to feel a quick, blunt pain strike the back of her head, right where her skull joined her neck. All she could see was darkness, and the feeling of falling filled her senses.

Long she fell through a black void. Had they killed her? Where was she? Would she ever awake? Her mind filled with unanswerable questions as the blackness of unconciousness threatened to consume her. With a start, she sat straight up, opening her eyes to the light of a couple torches. She immediately regretted her quick motion, as a metal collar around her neck reached the end of the broad chain it was attached to and caused her to snap back to the ground, hitting her throbbing head on the earthen floor. Around her were several other Tauren prisoners, all in much worse shape than she herself was. It looked as if the majority hadn't been fed in a week or so, and the conditions in which they were living were even worse. By the door stood two overly large tauren males, both Black in fur-tone and both holding gruesome looking two-handed clubs. She rubbed the back of her neck... she had the proof she needed. The Grimtotem was most certainly behind the kidnappings. And what's worse, they were starving their prisoners to death.

Feeling slightly less courageous about her once flawless plan, she hoped the Dwarven mercenaries would arrive sooner than she'd asked them to...

Days passed, and Firala drifted in and out of conciousness. Knowing only her tiny cell, in which she couldn't even stand, and an insatiable hunger for anything... She saw very little from her cell, but to her, it was always too much. Prisoners, starved and left a thin shell of bone and flesh would keel over and die within the confines of their metal cages, only to be hauled out of the tent. Soon after, a new scared prisoner would be led to the cell, left to exist for the short rest of their lives in whatever the last prisoner had left behind. By now, she'd come to conclusion that her mercenaries weren't going to show up. It had been a week... they were supposed to have arrived two days after she had. The pain in her stomach grew sharper with every day, until, much to her fear, it ceased all together. Surely the end of the pain meant her body was shutting down. She closed her eyes for what she assumed would be the last time, going limp in her bindings.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The dwarves took to the tauren lass with friendship. The girl was enthusiastic, and rather adorable in a cow sort of way. When she told them of putting some evildoers to justice, they just couldn't tell the girl no! They told her she needn't even pay them, but she insisted. They finally settled on a sum of 40 silver for the entire venture. That would most likely be just enough to cover their traveling costs.

They were supposed to set out 2 days after she left, but, hearing her crazy plan about getting kidnapped, they didn't want to risk running late. They left a couple hours after she did, instead, looking to fly north to Stormwind, then take the Gnomish Tram to their hometown. From there, they would fly to the Harbor of Menethil, then sail across the sea to Kalimdor. After reaching Kalimdor, they would fly by way of Hippogryph over the Eastern mountain ranges and land right outside the Grimtotem camp. The total travel distance was much longer than Firala's journey, but they'd be flying and sailing most the way, so they estimated they'd get to the Needles about the same time that she did.

Traveling did not go as planned. The gryphons they were supposed to be riding tired before reaching Stormwind and set-down in Darkshire. This left the dwarves to travel the rest of the way to Stormwind by foot, adding a couple days to their time. Once in Stormwind, they found out the Gnomish Tram had been closed due to an unforeseen explosion occurring. They were forced to wait for the elvish ship The Bravery to arrive. Unlike the boat from Menethil, which sailed much faster and without stop, the Bravery only came once a week. This tacked on several days to their journey.

By now, they were worried about what could have happened to their employer due to their lateness. Fearing to take a hippogryph because of what had happened with the gryphons, they decided to traverse the Eastern mountains by foot. After a long journey, they finally made it to the Needles, a full week after when they'd been told to arrive. They were exhausted, weak, lethargic, and worst of all, sober. But they were not going to waste any more time. They quickly made their way to the Grimtotem Camp and began their stealthy assault-and-rescue mission.

~~~~~~~~~

Firala blinked her eyes open. The brightness of the sun greeted her and blinded her. She shifted softly, groaning in pain as her sore muscles moved for the first time in almost two weeks. Though she was blinded, her senses were greeting her with different sensations. The scent of incense and cooking meat filled her nostrils, making her mouth water in delight. Her ears overheard the happy sounds of children playing, along with the chiding and reprimanding of their parents. Her mouth tasted deliciously of milk, and, even more importantly, her stomach felt satiated for the first time in as long as she could remember. She opened her eyes to see another female tauren above her, greeting Firala with a soft, worried smile. Though Firala was as weak as she'd ever been, she managed to converse with the healer, who explained to Firala how a bunch of dwarves had traded the prisoners of the Grimtotem for a couple kegs of ale. Though she was slightly angry they'd arrived late, she was incredibly happy to be alive. She stayed with the healer for a week, regaining strength in her broken, weak muscles. She discovered a pile of letters to her from various friends that were worried about her, and one written in broken-orcish, with a couple strands of Dwarven beared tucked into the creases.

"Dear, Missus Firala

Sorry late, bad travelling and stupid lionbirds. Deepest sorries and get better soon!

Roknar"

She shook her head softly, unbelieving of her luck to be alive, yet slightly disappointed her rescue squad had not arrived sooner. She was just about to toss the envelope into the fire when something slid out. She leaned over and gasped at what she saw. With flesh still attached from an undoubtedly painful ripping, was the nose-ring of Arnak Grimtotem. She couldn't help but smirk, knowing that justice had been served to atleast one of the leaders of the Grimtotem...

Not only did she have proof the Grimtotem was kidnapping people, she WAS proof. Also, clutched in her hand, she held proof that justice had been dealt. After she had fully recovered, she caught a windrider back to Thunder Bluff, where she looked forward to sleeping in her own tent before reporting her findings to the Earthspear.

[Eiada Clearbreeze]

(( Sorry I ddn't reply sooner, been icky. Everything is gewd, come to Eiada IC and explain what happened and she'll promote you. ))

[E'lu / Pawene]

Rites completed, not sure when.

[Pishnek]

(( This thread was pending to be locked due to Firala probably leaving. However, her rites were completed on 5/8/2009. Congrats! ))