Sunstrider Isle to the Ghostlands

[MongoJerry]

THE ADVENTURES OF NERIAD: Silvermoon

Silvermoon. Glorious capital city of the Blood Elves!



But, wait! Who is this hiding under the bridge? Some guy named Jore'me who is designated as "Mor'rrisroe's Minion" hangs out under the entrance bridge to the city. If you talk to him, he says:

Finally, someone came down to talk to me! Want to hear some of my rhymes?

If you answer "YES!" he replies:

Walking down the street! Looking at my feet! Watching the leaves, fall off of the trees!

(Answering "NO!" just closes the dialogue box). Swoosh! This reference flew right past me. Time to go into the city itself.



Silvermoon is cut in half by the Dead Scar, the yawning path of destruction the Scourge took as they hacked and burned their way through Quel'Thelas. On the left side are the Ruins of Silvermoon which are haunted by the wretched, blood elves who have gone insane in their unquenchable addiction for magic. On the right is the side of the city that had been preserved or rebuilt.

And now for the grand tour...



The Walk of Elders, the first section of the city, has the sights that you would see in any entrance area of a city -- the guild registrar, an inn, and a few shops and trainers -- fishing, leatherworking, and a druid trainer (a tauren, of course). The Arcane Guardians such as the one pictured here patrol the city and offer encouraging words designed to boost blood elf morale such as, "Happiness is mandatory, citizen."



Also in the Walk of Elders is Worker Mo'rrisroe, who we find out is part of the Silvermoon Builders Association. So, at least we know who Mo'rrisroe is. I assume that this is a pop culture reference of some kind, but the reference is totally escaping me.



On crossing into the Royal Exchange, Neriad ran into Ambassador Kelemar, who is leading Horde representatives on a tour of the city. At the time that you join the game, the Blood Elves are not yet official members of the Horde, and the Blood Elves are still trying to convince the different factions of the Horde that they would be valuable allies, despite how much their civilization had been devastated. Here, Ambassador Kelemar is trying to reassure the troll representative, while admitting that it will take time for the blood elves to accept the trolls as allies. The blood elves have long been in conflict with the trolls of Zul'Aman, you see. I later followed them around the city to overhear their conversations. Here are some snippets:

Ambassador Kelemar: I'm afraid your ancestry is the cause, troll. Decades of fighting with your green-skinned brethren have hardened their hearts against your kind. Keep your chin up. Perhaps with time, our people will see you as the ally you are, rather than the enemy you appear to be.
Cheneta (orc): You should be used to those looks, Tatai. Do you remember the reason you were drafted into this job?
Tatai (troll): Don't ja start...
Cheneta (orc): I'm not happier about being your babysitter than you are about being watched. Just remember... it could have been worse.

Dela Runetotem (tauren): This city is very... expansive, but it seems to be lacking something. I can't put my finger on what...
Ambassador Kelemar says: We lost many of our kin in the war... so yes, the city is not perhaps as lively as it once was. We will endure, however.
Kristine Denny (undead): You're not the only victims of the Scourge. Our lady Sylvanas sympathizes with your plight.

Dela Runetotem (tauren): Tell us, Ambassador Kelemar... how do the blood elves plan to aid us, exactly?
Ambassador Kelemar says: I realize we have had somewhat differing loyalties in the past, but put your suspicions aside. Our considerable power has been pledged to your leaders in good faith.
Kristine Denny (undead): Truly an advantageous alliance.

Talai (troll): Dis place be huge. Why ja be needin' all dis space?
Ambassador Kelemar says: We lost many of our kin in the war... so yes, the city is not perhaps as lively as it once was. We will endure, however.
Talai (troll): Dis be a big waste, if ja be askin' me.
Cheneta (orc): Well, no one asked you, Tatai.
Tatai grumbles under his breath.


And so on. The Forsaken representative, Kristine Denny, is always an enthusiastic supporter of the blood elves, while the other three representatives are more reserved.



The Royal Exchange itself is gorgeous, with amber trees, towering statues, and picturesque fountains.



In the first building, Neriad found a Blood Elf Magister siphoning energy from a blood crystal. In this same building was also found the new jewelcrafting trainer. Neriad went ahead and took up jewelcrafting as her second profession, having already picked up mining in Falconwing Square. It's a neat profession to start off with. It starts you off by letting you make some simple rings along with these statuettes you put on the ground that heal you for a few seconds before disintegrating.



Also in the Royal Exchange was the city's auction house.



Along with the bank. A mailbox was also conveniently placed just outside. In fact, mailboxes seemed to be conveniently interspersed in locations throughout the city.

[MongoJerry]

Before leaving the Royal Exchange, Neriad received another morale boosting message from an Arcane Guardian.



Next up was Farstriders' Square, which hosts the city's smithy. This places the forge and anvil closer to the bank and/or auction house than in any other Horde city. (It is perhaps tied with Ironforge). It looks like Blizzard is figuring out what players want out of their cities.



This section of the city also houses the trainers for the Blood Knights, aka blood elf paladins. The Knight-Lord Bloodvalor welcomes visitors with this missive:

Welcome to the headquarters of the Blood Knights, the defenders of Quel'Thalas, the faithful servants of Prince Kael'thas, and the true masters of the Light.

As you can see, in the mind of the blood elves, the Light is not something to be worshipped but a source of power to be bent to one's will.



This building also houses the city's battlemasters.



Under the feet of the Blood Knight trainers is a shocking scene. Taking a side passage down into the building's basement, you find a group of magisters tapping in to the power of an alien being.



The being's name is M'uru. The conversations going on in this scene are like this:

[I]Initiate Emeline says: It's incredible, isn't it? Tapping the very source of the Light we once revered...
Initiate Colin says: The others cannot possibly fathom the power at our command.[I]

When you talk to Lady Liadrin, Blood Knight Matriarch, she says, "May the Light bend to your will in all endeavors."



It was a little creepy to see this sight (and very fun to discover it, too), so Neriad went back upstairs and headed toward the Court of the Sun.

UP NEXT: The Court of the Sun and Beyond!

[M0rmegil]

Next up was Farstriders' Square, which hosts the city's smithy. This places the forge and anvil closer to the bank and/or auction house than in any other Horde city. (It is perhaps tied with Ironforge). It looks like Blizzard is figuring out what players want out of their cities.

If you ask me, the forge and anvil in Thunder Bluff are placed closer to the bank and AH than those in IF.

ETA: Absolutely love this report, btw, as well as the previous Neriad stories.

[Artega]

If you ask me, the forge and anvil in Thunder Bluff are placed closer to the bank and AH than those in IF.

ETA: Absolutely love this report, btw, as well as the previous Neriad stories.

Yeah, it doesn't get much better than Thunder Bluff as far as cities go. Forge, anvil, and even fishing pond are all crammed together with the bank, mailbox, and Auction House. Vastly superior to Orgrimmar, at any rate:)

[Watto44]

Yeah, it doesn't get much better than Thunder Bluff as far as cities go. Forge, anvil, and even fishing pond are all crammed together with the bank, mailbox, and Auction House. Vastly superior to Orgrimmar, at any rate:)

Much easier on my framerate as well. :D It's just a shame that TB is one step removed from the zepplins, otherwise it would be the perfect city.

[Icebird]

I have a (mostly abandoned) Horde alt hearthed to Thunder Bluff for exactly that reason. Of the current cities in the game, TB has the most convenient layout by far.

The downside is the lengthy trip to Orgimmar if you want to do any Eastern Kingdom instances. The city is perfect for a mage though.

Does anyone else think that the "Happiness is mandatory" line from the Arcane Guardian is a reference to the Paranoia role-playing game?

Chris

[MongoJerry]

If you ask me, the forge and anvil in Thunder Bluff are placed closer to the bank and AH than those in IF.

Ah, duh. I had a synapse misfire. For some reason, I thought it was on one of the rises on the side. Oh, well. The anvil and forge in Silvermoon are still in a good location.

[MongoJerry]

THE ADVENTURES OF NERIAD: Silvermoon, Part II

The Court of the Sun is a beautiful fountain area in front of the Sunfury Spire. It doesn't have much in the way of practical amenities, but it's beautiful to gawk at.



Beyond it lies the Sunfury Spire, the massive tower that holds the royal court in Silvermoon.



Inside is found Lor'themar Theron, the Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas, who is holding council with Grand Magister Rommath (on the right) and Halduron Brightwing, the Ranger General (on the left).



Inside the Sunfury Spire is found the priest trainers. In other cities, those who study for the priesthood are usually found in grand temples dedicated to the Light -- or in the case of Orgrimmar, a humble meditative hut in a reflecting pool. But not in Silvermoon. Here, those who study the Light work in a dark laboratory full of books and instruments. They study the Light for its power and properties; they do not worship it.

The mage trainers can be found on the opposite side of the tower in a similar looking room.



Up the ramp behind the Regent Lord is a bright glowing orb called an Orb of Translocation. As I clicked on it, it reminded me of the teleporters seen in the mage tower of Stormwind. I figured Neriad would be teleported to the top of the Sunfury Spire.



What the heck?! This looked like...



Oh, my God. This was Undercity! These Orbs of Translocation are direct instantaneous links between Silvermoon and Undercity. Take that, Underground Tram! Man, that sure beats the boat link to Auberdine that the Draenei get.

[MongoJerry]

Back in Silvermoon, Neriad headed back out of the Sunfury Spire to continue her circle of the city. The next stop was Murder Row. Hm, let's see if the name holds up or ends up being like the empty "Cutthroat Alley" in Stormwind. (Notice that the brooms make appearances in Silvermoon City as well).



Ah, yes, the requisite rogue trainers. That alone doesn't make something Murder Row, however.



Then come the warlock trainers, of course.



Woohoo! Yes! An actual murder in Murder Row! Here, a Blood Knight Adept stands over the dead body of another Blood Knight in the upstairs of an inn. When you talk to the Adept she says, "There is nothing to see here. Move along." and "This does not concern you. Be on your way."

[MongoJerry]

Last, but certainly not least, comes The Bazaar. The Bazaar is massive, and as its name implies, it holds a lot of shops.



Inside the tailoring shop lies the Mana Loom, which is something that is supposed to be of some importance. City guards will even tell visitors where the Mana Loom is. I assume its something one has to use to cleanse or create some special kind of cloth. Under the tailoring shop is what looks to be a gnome sweatshop. (*chuckle*)



In the center of The Bazaar comes a small surprise. There's another auction house!



And just to the side of it lies another bank! Blizzard is finally figuring out what it is that players want out of their cities. This is just awesome. I just hope the geography of the game doesn't make Silvermoon as dead as Darnassus. Otherwise, I'd make Silvermoon my home city all the time!



But the best part of The Bazaar is the scene played out in the corner of the square. Two speakers try to convince an unwilling crowd to give up magic and live as the Night Elves do. Here is the entire conversation:

Speaker #1: Can you not see what is happening? Open your eyes. It is laid bare for all to see. What is this new alliance? Why have we betrayed our allies of old, only to take up with the enemies of all that live?
Crowdmember #1: No, you're wrong! We were the ones betrayed!
Crowdmember #2: When have the dwarves ever been our friends?
Crowdmember #3: The humans abandoned us in our darkest hour! Their prince himself led the assault on our lands.

Speaker #2: You fool! The prince's minions were the very Forsaken we have now allied ourselves with.
Crowdmember #1: The Ranger-General of Silvermoon will be a loyal ally!
Speaker #1: You speak of her as a friend? You are a fool. This "Dark Lady" is not Sylvanas.
Crowdmember #1: Blood will be true. We can trust in none but our own!
Speaker #1: Blood? And these orcs, these fair weather friends? They will aid us?

Speaker #2: A great blight lies across our land! It grows every day. Our need for magic weakens us, and will bring us to destruction, just as it has before!
Crowdmember #3: How are we to live without magic?
Crowdmember #4: Look at the wonders of this city! This is magic.
Speaker #2: But at what cost? You've all been blinded. We have all been blinded.
Crowdmember #1: You call us traitors?
Speaker #1: The magisters are the traitors! They have sealed our doom.
Crowdmember #3: Idealistic blather. Go back to your forests!
Crowdmember #4: You would have us live like the savages!
Speaker #2: No, not savagery! Conscience. The excesses of our people will destroy us, and all that we have struggled to build.
Speaker #1: We have not struggled so hard to survive, only to bring about the true destruction.
Speaker #2: We stand on the brink of destruction. We must reconsider this rash course of action.



At this point, one of the magisters in the crowd begins opening a summoning portal.

Speaker #1: If we speak as one, we cannot be ignored!



Two other magisters in the crowd touch the portal.

Lend us your voices! Now is the time we must act to save our people.



A priest appears and casts Mind Control on the two speakers.

Speaker #2: Do you not see how magic has made our city great?
Speaker #1: The magisters will guide us back to glory.
Magister priest: That should take care of that. Summon me if you have further need of my services.



Speaker #2: How can you say our lives are not better now? How can you deny the betterment of our lives?

UP NEXT: Back to the Wilderness

[Tuftears]

A priest appears and casts Mind Control on the two speakers.

Speaker #2: Do you not see how magic has made our city great?
Speaker #1: The magisters will guide us back to glory.
Magister priest: That should take care of that. Summon me if you have further need of my services.

...

Bwahahaha.

[NiteFox]

The being's name is M'uru.

'tis a Naaru, a magical race which were responsible for saving the group of Eredar that became the Draenei. M'uru was captured by the Blood Elves to act as a font of power from which to fuel the magics of the Blood Knights. The Naaru are actually a force of good in the universe, working against Saregas and the Burning Legion.

[Artega]

'tis a Naaru, a magical race which were responsible for saving the group of Eredar that became the Draenei. M'uru was captured by the Blood Elves to act as a font of power from which to fuel the magics of the Blood Knights. The Naaru are actually a force of good in the universe, working against Saregas and the Burning Legion.

I want to buy some of Metzen's pot. It must be some seriously good stuff. And I don't even like smoking.

[Quark]

scene in the city

Awesome. Obviously the two speakers were stupid if they tried to change their own kind, rather than just joining the High Elves that still lived.

[NiteFox]

I just hope the geography of the game doesn't make Silvermoon as dead as Darnassus. Otherwise, I'd make Silvermoon my home city all the time!

Y'know, I think it's entirely dependant on whether the Orb of Translocation remains in the game or not.

Consider what has already been said about Thunder Bluff, and it boils down to this: Excellent city, everything is conveniently placed, but one step removed from the zeppellin to the Eastern Kingdom.

Now, if the Orb of Translocation remains, it'll be Silvermoon City and not the Undercity that will be closer to the zep to Kalimdor. Travellers from Silvermoon will appear in the courtyard of Lordaeron Castle, a short jog away from the tower, whereas bat travellers have to deal with the elevators, running through the throneroom area, and then out into Tirisfal.

As it stands, it's there to help newbies travel from Silvermoon to the Undercity without having to go through the Plaguelands, so I'd bet that Blizzard makes it so that it can only help newbies.

Two ways I can think of:
1) Level lock it, like Meeting Stones, so that it can only be used by characters under a certain level (Maybe 30 or 40), after that, you're screwed unless you've (sensibly) activated a flight path from Silvermoon or ballsy enough to slog your way through the Plaguelands. I'd say this is the most likely of the two.
2) Make it a one-shot device both ways, meaning that it's disabled to the player once they've activated a flight path from Silvermoon to UC, if so: Kill the orb to the player. They ought to shell out for the bat fare. Since the Deeprun Tram is still accessible to all whether or not they have the Stormwind/Ironforge path active, this is the least likely of the two solutions.

Of course, there's always:
3) Charge a sliding scale to use it. Free for lowbies, half the price of your mount for highbies. Each time.

[Xanthix]

Personally, I wouldn't see a problem with having teleporters to/from all of a faction's capital cities. That way, you can conveniently get from one continent to another without a 15 minute delay, but to get to a dungeon or far-off zone you still have to travel, so Blizzard can preserve their "It's not a small world after all" argument (which I don't quite buy).

Actually, I would be fine with each zone having a waypoint like the good old days in Diablo 2, but I think we're never going to get that level of convenience!:D

[Warlock]

Thunder Bluff isn't perfect - moving between rises knocks you off you mount.

I imagine post 60 characters won't care greatly about access to Azeroth or Kalimdor other than the couple of new instances.

[MongoJerry]

2) Make it a one-shot device both ways, meaning that it's disabled to the player once they've activated a flight path from Silvermoon to UC, if so: Kill the orb to the player. They ought to shell out for the bat fare. Since the Deeprun Tram is still accessible to all whether or not they have the Stormwind/Ironforge path active, this is the least likely of the two solutions.

I don't think there will ever be a flight between them, because the whole idea is that you can't access blood elf lands if you don't own the expansion. There's also a portal looking gate between blood elf lands and the plaguelands. Obviously, it's there to stop anyone who doesn't have the expansion from crossing over into blood elf lands.

Sorry that I haven't gotten further with the tour. Work has been murder this week. 70 hours now and climbing.

[MongoJerry]

THE ADVENTURES OF NERIAD: Back to Eversong Woods

Sorry, everybody. I had to work 70+ hours this week, so I didn't get to write up everything in the way I wanted to before the Expansion comes out. However, I figure I can at least show you some of the highlights.

After touring Silvermoon, Neriad left the city and traveled southwest to the next small blood elf town called Fairbreeze Village. There, she learned that there was some trouble at the Sunsail Anchorage to the west and also at the West Sanctum, one of the pylons from which blood elves draw magical energy.



You can also purchase Dragonhawk Hatchlings as pets at Fairbreeze Village. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good screenshot of one. They're neat, though.



At the West Sanctum, Neriad battled some arcane elemental looking mobs that were the result of the West Sanctum's malfunction. However, Neriad also found the reason for the malfunction in the first place. Darnassian Scouts were sneaking around the West Sanctum and trying to sabotage it! Filthy night elves!



The first Darnassian Scout dropped a set of Incriminating Documents (I assume it's a 100% drop) that started a quest. When turned in to the leader at Falconwing Square, you learn that the documents incriminate a dwarf who had been acting as a friend to the blood elves but who was in fact a spy working in concert with the night elves. The leader asked Neriad to quietly take Prospector Anvilward inside and dispatch him away from prying eyes. He didn't want the blood elf population to be spooked about having had a spy in their midst.



Out at Sunsail Anchorage, a ship and its crew had been waylaid by a group of wretched, and there were cargo, armaments, and rudders to recover.



And, oh, yes, there were murlocs to kill, including a boss whose name I think was Mmmgggrrrggglll.



The most fun part was The Party Never Ends quest. Lord Saltheril loves to throw parties, you see. Lavish parties. Parties that never end. The Scourge came through Quel'Thelas and tore everything asunder? It appears to have barely registered a blip on Lord Saltheril's radar screen. All he cares about is getting more drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and fireworks for his never ending party, and he's quite annoyed about how long it's taken the folks at Fairbreeze Village to deliver them.



When you talk to the partygoers at first, they say rude things like, "And you would be?" and "Sorry, I don't speak with the help."



However, when you return with all of the party supplies, you get an invitation to the party. Suddenly, all the partygoers act like they are your best friends and say all kinds of gossip such as:

Can you believe the nerve of that Elisara Sunstriker? Thinking that she can catch the eye of Lord Saltheril? And did you see what she's wearing? So last season. It's sad, really.

You should try the springpaw appetizers, they're to die for!

Hey, everyone, it's Neriad!

I heard a rumor that we're all going to go watch the battle with the scourge at the border tonight. How delightfully wicked!



When you have a party invitation, you can pick up all of the low level food and drinks you want for free. Plus, most importantly, you can pick up Bloodthistle Petal, which increases your +damage/healing by 10 for 10 minutes. Not bad for free, right? But I should warn you that after the 10 minutes is up, you go through Bloodthistle Withdrawal that saps your spirit by 5 for 20 minutes -- that is, unless you consume another Bloodthistle Petal. I totally felt like a drug addict as Neriad kept consuming the Bloodthistle Petals and running back to the party to replenish her supplies when she ran low.

[MongoJerry]

Neriad helped Apprentice Mirveda study the properties of the Dead Scar to try to find out if the taint of the Scar was reversible. The results showed that the taint wasn't reversible, however.



When one of the runestones along the border between the Eversong Woods and the Ghostlands was destroyed, the blood elves found it necessary to burn all the trees in the area to prevent the spread of the taint from the Ghostlands. However, the blood elves hadn't been able to convince the local treants, who had been friends for years, to not foster the regrowth of the Scortched Grove. Larianna Riverwind reluctantly asked Neriad to kill 10 treants to stop them from reseeding the grove.



At this point, there was only a little bit left of Eversong Woods for Neriad to uncover. It was time to head east and see what was out there before heading off to the Ghostlands.



Duskwither Spire to the far east had been overrun by strange magical creatures. Apprentice Loralthalis was sent to deactivate its power crystals, but she couldn't do it and instead asked Neriad to do it for her.



She also asked Neriad to try to find Groudskeeper Wyllithen, who apparently had not been told to evacuate. She found him safe and sound and killed some Mana Serpents and Ether Fiends for him so that he could continue to maintain the grounds. One neat thing that happened here was that Neriad and her partymate found a raw spawn boss, Eldinarcus. He dropped only a simple white cloak, but it was better than what Neriad had been wearing.



Neriad now headed southeast into troll country. The High Elves / Blood Elves had been at war with the Amani trolls for hundreds of years.



Neriad killed some trolls, recovered a quest blacksmith hammer, and then found Ven'Jashi, a captured Darkspear troll. He asked Neriad to kill a local troll boss, and for the first time, one of the quest rewards was a wand -- a major upgrade for Neriad who had had to made do with one-handed maces up until this time. (The nearest staff trainer to blood elf lands is in Orgrimmar).



Before heading off to kill the boss, however, Neriad explored around and found the massive walled structure of Tor'Watha. The structure was massive, but there was no way to get through the gate and there didn't seem to be anything around related to it. Will this perhaps become an instance at some point?



After turning in some quests and picking up a new robe (Hey! That other priest is wearing my dress!), Neriad swam across the small lake to battle and kill Chieftain Zul'Marosh, the local Amani troll chieftain. In the process, she captured the Amani troll battle plans, which showed an intricate plan involving a small attack on Farstrider Retreat to distract the blood elves combined with a large attack on the relatively undefended Fairbreeze Village. It's a good thing Neriad was there to save the day and foil these plans.