December 23rd
Dear Journal,
I will willingly admit that neither Kae nor I wanted to make this trip to Draenor, however, duty calls and there was no way that we could justify not serving. A Sentinel is always a Sentinel and a Scout with the aforementioned Sentinel has no excuse not to go with them either.
I think that we had everything pretty much taken care of in Pandaria for the most part and I hope that Jogu will take care of the farm while we are gone too. I have no great expectations on his abilities, however, he was the only one left that we could ask since the majority of our neighbors are also in the same situation of having to leave that pleasant lifestyle behind and we have to move forward with the rest. Oh well, I am sure that we will be going back there for visits when we can and that first visit back will definitely be one that the two of us will definitely look forward too.
This whole Draenor thing is hard for me to wrap my head around and I am not going to worry about it because I will just go where we are ordered and do the job that I am supposed to do and be done with it eventually. Oh, I understand all of the supposed reasons that we are here and will just have to accept that at face value because I have no other choice in the matter. I guess that sums that up, right?
Kae and I did survive the initial onslaught into this strange land and we didn’t get injured too badly other than a few nicks here and there and a couple of interesting bruises that can come from just getting into close contact with someone, didn’t even have to be friend or foe either – it was as if we had joined in a full on mob assault and that’s just how it had to be in order for us to drive back the Iron Horde and to start our adventure in saving this land from itself. Not as bad as all of the Sha influence in Pandaria but I honestly can’t tell that much difference – we’re here to right a wrong and that’s just the whole gist of what I understand. It’s not for me to reason why, I’m here to do a job.
I will have to admit that after the initial shock and the landing on Draenor proper, we were pleasantly surprised by ending up in Shadowmoon Valley. Oh, we had the family name long before we even knew of the existence of Shadowmoon, however, it always gives me a chuckle when I think about it. One of these days I will have to ask my grandparents where the name actually came from, it definitely didn’t come from Outland, or maybe it did and I would almost believe that it didn’t come from this land either.
Shadowmoon Valley is so totally different from what I am used to in Azeroth, however, it is still somewhat familiar at the same time. I don’t know how to explain that feeling of déjà vu that I have here. Where the Shadowmoon Valley in Azeroth is full of demons, lava and other dangerous things, this Shadowmoon Valley has a different appearance as well as a whole new set of dangers. Some of the mountains look familiar in so far as their location, however the rest of the landscape is totally alien to me.
This Shadowmoon Valley is rolling hills, mountains and very lush plains. A lot of elekk roam the area as well as I’ve seen more Draeni here than I think I ever did even while I was living in Shattrath. The Draeni that are native here on Draenor are similar to the Azeroth Draeni with the exception that there are more of them here than there was at home. The ones here don’t seem to be as aloof as the Draeni that I grew up with in Shattrath.
It’s a beautiful and yet dangerous territory that we have ventured into and I will have to admit that I do like it. There is so much to see and so much to take in that it is really hard for me to explain the mixed emotions that I have about it. Of course, Pandaria was my first military adventure and my first real time away from the family and the company, however, this even feels like it might be a step above that.
I know that Kae is constantly telling me to close my mouth because I am constantly amazed by all of the things that I am seeing here and my mouth usually drops open making me look like an imbecile sometimes – things familiar and yet different from what I grew up with in our Outland. How could a place so horrible and deadly in my home world be so beautiful and alluring as this Shadowmoon Valley currently is. I guess what I am trying to say that I know that the things that Legion did before I was ever even born totally devastated the area and the people that were living in it. While the old place is one that I never willingly spent much time in, this one just might be hard for me to pull myself away from it all at the same time.
Oh yes, the Iron Horde have left their mark on the area and we are still chasing after them as well as getting into the occasional skirmish with them when we chance upon them on our patrols. It does remind me very much of the activity that we faced when we first hit Pandaria and the opposition that we had to overcome in the Jade Forest. I know that there are a few strongholds here in the valley that the Iron Horde have built up, however, they are definitely a temporary roadblock for us, I’m sure. I am proud to say that the Alliance is definitely showing their abilities to our advantage here – maybe all of those months in Pandaria have taught us all how to take this sort of thing in our stride.
At least Kae and I have a decent little house to stay in and it really kind of reminds me of some of the places that are on the outskirts of Stormwind. Same kind of structures although they still smell very new – the smell of the freshly carpentered wood that was used to make the house is still very aromatic. Yes, we do have to share the house with another couple, however, it is much better for us rather than being stuck in the barracks or the tents. At least we have some privacy here and it is greatly appreciated.
Kae and I both miss our little house in Pandaria where we could be lazy and sit around in our robes if we felt like it and not have to be embarrassed by doing so. I know that the couple we are sharing the place with are usually on opposite schedules than we are and we actually don’t spend that much time in their company, however, the time that we have spent with them has been very pleasant.
I know that my Father is up here in Draenor someplace however, I did hear that their landing area was a lot less inviting than where we ended up. I know that my Dad probably isn’t too keen on spending all of this time in an icy cold area that almost looks like Northrend. He always complained when we were in Northrend, not in Dalaran, that there wasn’t any way that you could ever get warm enough there on the coast and I have to agree with him on that matter.
At least I don’t have too many people looking at me as strangely as they did in Pandaria because we are all too busy staying alive. I think that there must be some reason when they are so willing to accept a person of my heritage in this land than they were before in Azeroth. I have to laugh because they may not have noticed it either because the green in my eyes could very easily be a reflection from the surroundings and not a genetic thing after all, right?
At least our patrols aren’t as long as they were in Pandaria due to the vastness and the newness of the area. It isn’t easy to stay on your toes for days on end when you’re patrolling the surrounding areas from our base. We’ve just barely started getting into the interior of the land now and those patrols are pretty dangerous and have been given over to some of the more experienced Sentinels and Scouts. It’s okay, I can accept that too because I think that Kae and I fall in the middle there somewhere on the experience level. At least we didn’t get assigned to that idiot commander that we had in Pandaria this time because that would have been the final straw to break our backs after having to leave our happy little farm behind. We’re with a totally different group that came out of Feathermoon in Kalimdor, they seem to be more about what we’re supposed to be doing and not willing to spend so much of the off time worrying about how people are living their lives when they aren’t on duty. It’s a nice change and the kind of thing that I had always expected from the Sentinels.
Well, I am getting that look from my lovely lady that I need to put my things away and get ready to head back out on yet another patrol. I wonder how long we will be in Draenor? No one has actually said anything about that either. I know that we still have forces stationed in and around Pandaria even after all of this time, however, I think that the hostilities may be of lesser importance there than they are here. Well, we’re still chasing after that Horde Warchief that went insane and escaped after his capture – that’s why we’re here. He did his level best to destroy Azeroth and I don’t think that he is going to have much of an opportunity to destroy this land too.
Kaldor Shadowmoon
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
