Greetings, fellow druid. It pleases me to meet a fellow druid from among the Skyborne, and to be among the first to welcome you to Azeroth. I think you will find that my fellow druids of the Cenarion Circle have much wisdom to impart upon you, child of nature.

Ah I see that you have already mastered the form of the Bear. Good, good. You are well on your way, young druid.

Great timing! Caught a big one with my last bait. Great day so far. They're really biting out here! Tell you what, since you were kind enough to keep this old man in business how about a few fish for the road?

These Dark Irons may be our cousins but they ain't family, that's for sure. I shed no tears for any misfortune that befalls them that stray too far from that accursed mountain o' theirs. Hopefully this is enough to put 'em off of further incursions into these lands.

A Dark Iron incursion--right beneath our feet? Well, I'm relieved to hear that the Dark Iron commander has been dispatched. The guards will head in and clean up the rest of the rabble. We'll see to it that the breaches are sealed and the lower levels reinforced to ensure that no further incursions are possible. Thank ye for yer service to Ironforge, mage. Take this as a small token of my gratitude. Oh, and if ye see that old Wildhammer rockhugger Farsen again, tell 'em to pay me a proper visit.

Ah good, it's done then. I can't have the other keepers refusing to enter the hall to do their duties on account of "ghosts" and "angry dead", can I?

My... Thane... he... rests... yes... rest. Thank... you... I... rest...

Look at you, as brave as you are enterprising! I'm a gnome of my word, and your reward is well earned! Now, let me take a look at the haul--uh, I mean... the recovered heirlooms. I need to get started appraising--excuse me, 'cataloging' them so that they can be put back in their proper places as quickly as possible.

Thom appears to absentmindedly rub his hands together as he looks at you.

Greetings, friend. How are ya?

Having the skills needed to survive the outdoors is critical. A well-rested and well-prepared adventurer has a much higher chance of surviving this lifestyle.

Old Borgy sent you? Always looking out for me. We could certainly use another set of hands around here. Business has all but stopped with the recent tragedy, and I think you could help set things right.

Baros opens the letter and begins to read it, his smile fading.

I can smell the sea on you, friend! Baros laughs. What brings you to Stormwind?

Sad news indeed. Still, I thank you for making the journey. With neither Stormwind nor Darnassus coming to aid us, it seems that Auberdine's fate is our own to decide.

There you have it, you can now craft your very own Lodestone. Most folk don't care much for camps being set up in the center of town, so you'll need to head into the wilderness if you want to test it out. Oh, and just remember, no camp is complete without a campfire. You'll need one of those before you start up your camp. Most cooks can teach you to make a fire. If you haven't already, you might want to check in with someone who can train you in the culinary arts to learn the basics.

It is good to know that issue has been taken care of, but it saddens me that we could not find another way. Jai'vhanel had been somewhat of a guardian of this area for quite some time, and I am not sure what could have caused her descent into madness. Regardless, thank you for your service today, mage. The roads to Auberdine are safe for travel once again.

Greetings, mage - what may the Sentinels assist you with today? Perhaps you are here to inquire about the bounty on Jai'vhanel?

Thundris does not speak for some time. This bears the mark of an ancient evil, druid. I will see it brought to Darnassus at once for further study. Ande'thoras-ethil.

You look troubled. I am listening.

I thank you for your aid. Though I find peace in the daily rituals, it is nice to have a moment to reflect instead.

And so it continues, Father Cenarius. Dendrite makes a quick, invisible gesture in the air above him. A slight aura of power falls over him. Greetings again, adventurer. It is time for you to learn the next perspective of nature: the cat. I will put you on the path to understanding this aspect of druidic life, but much like the bear, it is you that must embrace this learning and propagate it.

Welcome back, adventurer. I can sense you have met with the Great Cat Spirit and have successfully completed the trial. All druids must pass a trial given by this spirit, though the trials vary by generation. I am proud you have passed and have heeded the wisdom of the Great Cat Spirit. It is an ancient spirit that is as deadly as it is playful, though I can sense you understand the spirit's nature already. I will now instruct you on how to take the shape of the cat.

Ah yes, my ancestor Madoran was the first Bronzebeard king of Ironforge following the great civil war between the Wildhammer, Bronzebeard, and Dark Iron clans. This treaty was drafted to codify the cessation of hostilities and terms of peace after the Bronzebeards won the mountain. As you can see, the Wildhammers and Bronzebeards signed it... and the Dark Irons did not. Thank you for recovering this and bringing it to me, mage.

Greetings, As a guest of the Alliance, you have been given leave to travel freely throughout Alliance lands. This document will serve as a guide to help you reach the other member cities of our alliance.

Your first stop should be Ironforge which can be reached via the technological marvel known as the Deeprun Tram. You can find the entrance to the tram in the Dwarven District here in Stormwind, just to the southwest of the keep. The tram will transport you safely to the heart of Ironforge City. Once you arrive, explore the city and locate High Tinker Mekkatorque and King Magni Bronzebeard in Tinker Town and the Great Forge, respectively. Introduce yourself as an agent of the Skyborne and they will show you their hospitality.

The city of Darnassus can be found across the sea, off the coast of northern Kalimdor. The city itself rests at the top of the great tree, Teldrassil. The safest route for you currently is via the harbor on the west side of Stormwind. Take the ship departing from the southernmost dock to the port of Auberdine. Upon arriving, proceed to the north side of the Auberdine docks and take the ship there to Ru'theran Village. This village contains a magical transporter that will take you into the city itself. Explore Darnassus and seek out Tyrande Whisperwind, the High Priestess of Elune.

Aegwynn, a fiery human girl, won the approbation of the Order and was given the mantle of Guardianship. Aegwynn vigorously worked to hunt down and eradicate demons wherever she found them, but she often questioned the authority of the male-dominated Council of Tirisfal.

She believed that the ancient elves and the elderly men who presided over the council were too rigid in their thinking and not farsighted enough to put a decisive end to the conflict against chaos. Impatient with lengthy discussion and debate, she yearned to prove herself worthy to her peers and superiors, and as a result frequently chose valor over wisdom in crucial situations.

As her mastery over the cosmic power of Tirisfal grew, Aegwynn became aware of a number of powerful demons that stalked the icy northern continent of Northrend. Traveling to the distant north, Aegwynn tracked the demons into the mountains. There, she found that the demons were hunting one of the last surviving dragonflights and draining the ancient creatures of their innate magic.

The mighty dragons, who had fled from the ever-advancing march of mortal societies, found themselves too evenly matched against the dark magics of the Legion. Aegwynn confronted the demons, and with help from the noble dragons, eradicated them. Yet, as the last demon was banished from the mortal world, a great storm erupted throughout the north.

An enormous dark visage appeared in the sky above Northrend. Sargeras, the demon king and lord of the Burning Legion, appeared before Aegwynn and bristled with hellish energy. He informed the young Guardian that the time of Tirisfal was about to come to an end and that the world would soon bow before the onslaught of the Legion.

The proud Aegwynn, believing herself to be a match for the menacing god, unleashed her powers against Sargeras' avatar. With disconcerting ease, Aegwynn battered the demonlord with her powers and succeeded in killing his physical shell. Fearing that Sargeras' spirit would linger on, Aegwynn locked the ruined husk of his body within one of the ancient halls of Kalimdor that had been blasted to the bottom of the sea when the Well of Eternity collapsed.

Aegwynn would never know that she had done exactly as Sargeras had planned. She had inadvertently sealed the fate of the mortal world, for Sargeras, at the time of his corporeal death, had transferred his spirit into Aegwynn's weakened body. Unbeknownst to the young Guardian, Sargeras would remain cloaked within the darkest recesses of her soul for many long years.

Though his powers were drained by the Lich King's weakness, Arthas had been involved in a civil war in Lordaeron. Half of the standing undead forces, led by the banshee Sylvanas Windrunner, staged a coup for control over the undead empire. Arthas, called by the Lich King, was forced to leave the Scourge in the hands of his lieutenant, Kel'Thuzad, as the war escalated throughout the Plaguelands.

Ultimately, Sylvanas and her rebel undead (known as the Forsaken) claimed the ruined capital city of Lordaeron as their own. Constructing their own bastion beneath the wrecked city, the Forsaken vowed to defeat the Scourge and drive Kel'Thuzad and his minions from the land.

Weakened, but determined to save his master, Arthas reached Northrend only to find Illidan's naga and blood elves waiting for him. He and his nerubian allies raced against Illidan's forces to reach the Icecrown Glacier and defend the Frozen Throne.

The power-hungry Gul'dan, obsessed with obtaining godhood itself, set out on a desperate search for the undersea Tomb of Sargeras that he believed held the secrets of ultimate power. Having already doomed his fellow orcs to become the slaves of the Burning Legion, Gul'dan thought nothing of his supposed duty to Doomhammer.

Backed by the Stormreaver and Twilight's Hammer clans, Gul'dan succeeded in raising the Tomb of Sargeras from the sea floor. However, when he opened the ancient, flooded vault, he found only crazed demons awaiting him.

Seeking to punish the wayward orcs for their costly betrayal, Doomhammer sent his forces to kill Gul'dan and bring the renegades back into the fold. For his recklessness, Gul'dan was torn apart by the maddened demons he had set loose. With their leader dead, the renegade clans quickly fell before Doomhammer's enraged legions.

Lord Lothar, seeing that the Horde was fracturing from within, gathered the last of his forces and pushed Doomhammer south, back into the shattered heartland of Stormwind. There, the Alliance forces trapped the retreating Horde within the volcanic fortress of Blackrock Spire. Though Lord Lothar fell in battle at the Spire's base, his lieutenant, Turalyon, rallied the Alliance forces at the eleventh hour and drove the Horde back into the abysmal Swamp of Sorrows.

Turalyon's forces succeeded in destroying the Dark Portal, the mystical gateway that connected the orcs to their homeworld of Draenor. Cut off from its reinforcements and fractured by infighting, the Horde finally buckled in upon itself and fell before the might of the Alliance.

The scattered orc clans were quickly rounded up and placed within guarded internment camps. Though it seemed that the Horde had been defeated for good, some remained highly skeptical that peace would last. Khadgar, now an Archmage of some renown, convinced the Alliance high command to build the fortress of Nethergarde that would watch over the ruins of the Dark Portal and ensure that there would be no further invasions from Draenor.

For the first time in nearly three thousand years, the disparate nations of Arathor were once again united under a common banner. Appointed as Supreme Commander of the Alliance forces, Lord Lothar prepared his armies for the coming of the Horde.

Aided by his lieutenants, Uther the Lightbringer, Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, and Turalyon, Lothar was able to convince Lordaeron's demi-human races of the impending threat as well. The Alliance succeeded in gaining the support of the stoic dwarves of Ironforge and a small number of high elves of Quel'Thalas.

The elves, led at that time by Anasterian Sunstrider, were largely uninterested in the coming conflict. However, they were duty-bound to aid Lothar because he was the last descendent of the Arathi bloodline, which had aided the elves in ages past.

The Horde, now led by Warchief Doomhammer, brought in ogres from its homeworld of Draenor and conscripted the disenfranchised Amani forest trolls into its fold. Setting out on a massive campaign to overrun the dwarf kingdom of Khaz Modan and the southern reaches of Lordaeron, the Horde effortlessly decimated all opposition.

The epic battles of the Second War ranged from large-scale naval skirmishes to massive aerial dogfights. Somehow the Horde had unearthed a powerful artifact known as the Demon Soul and used it to enslave the ancient Dragonqueen, Alexstrasza. Threatening to destroy her precious eggs, the Horde forced Alexstrasza to send her grown children to war. The noble red dragons were forced to fight for the Horde, and fight they did.

The war raged across the continents of Khaz Modan, Lordaeron, and Azeroth itself. As part of its northern campaign, the Horde succeeded in burning down the borderlands of Quel'Thalas, thereby ensuring the elves' final commitment to the Alliance's cause. The greater cities and townships of Lordaeron were razed and devastated by the conflict. Despite the absence of reinforcements and overwhelming odds, Lothar and his allies succeeded in holding their enemies at bay.

Cirrusflies aren't to be underestimated. They might not seem dangerous, but you have to watch out for the bigger ones. The bigger they are, the meaner!