14 DAY TRIAL // 
Oh, it was terrible! Terrible, I tell you! We crashed! Once again everything has been destroyed! Bad luck seems to follow us everywhere? And just when we were again only one little step away from escaping the demonic threat of the Burning Legion and their demon lords. You don?t know the story of my people, do you? Well, let me share with you our history.
Draenei History Long ago we lived in the world of Argus. We didn?t call ourselves draenei back then. The eredar race they called us. Everybody considered us one of the most brilliant and magically gifted races. Our leaders ? Kil?jaeden, Archimonde and Velen ? made sure we lived in peace and harmony. But at some point Sargeras, the Destroyer of the Worlds, caught news of our thriving society. He offered our leaders untold power in exchange for their unquestioning loyalty. Velen, our prophet, had horrifying visions of eredars turned into foul demons that grow to immense size and decimate all life forms. But the others considered him mad. They went on and accept Sargeras? offer and provided this way the first sentient members of the Burning Legion.
Velen?s prayers for help were only answered (unexpectedly I may add) by the benevolent naaru. These energy beings offered to guide the prophet and as many followers as he considers necessary to safety. Those trustworthy of our people were gathered quietly and prepared for the escape. It?s breaking my heart every time I tell this story ? we needed to escape from our own homeworld. By the time we fled Argus, Sargeras already began to turn the willing eredars to demons. We could no longer find ourselves in the new believes of the eredar so we were dubbed draenei ? the ?exiled ones?.
Of course Kil?jaeden quickly decided that Velen and his followers were nothing more than traitors and vowed to chase them down to the end of creation. The draenei were very lucky to be guided across the cosmos by the illuminated naaru. Though the Burning Legion was tracking our every move, the naaru found the time to instruct us in the way of the Light. We embraced these ideals as our own and swore to uphold them and honor the Light.
As the demons lost track of us for a moment, we settled on a remote world inhabited by orcs. We called this world Draenor ? ?Exiles? Refugee?. For a while we lived in peace with the shamanistic race, but news of our idyllic world traveled to Kil?jaeden?s ears. He didn?t have the power to destroy us on his own so he turned his dark face towards our neighbors. Working through the shaman Ner?zhul he began corrupting the orc race. Beyond a certain point Ner?zhul refused to comply with the demon?s demands, so Kil?jaeden turned to the shaman?s apprentice, Gul?dan. Under his guidance the orcs got to know a never before seen bloodlust and begun slaughtering our peaceful people.
The newly formed Horde succeeded in destroying more than eighty percent of the draenei in their frenzy campaign. Only a small group managed to escape the cruel fate, including the noble Velen. They lived in the wilderness, hiding as rebels do and planning how to get away again. In this time the Horde went on to invade Azeroth through Medivh?s Dark Portal. In their rage and lust for more and more bloodbaths the orcs summoned too many portals and Draenor was torn to pieces.
Fortunately Velen and the survivors gained control of one of Tempest Keep?s satellite structures (Exodar) and escaped once more ? another homeland that was no longer a refugee but a prison. This is how we got to Azeroth. We were always a peaceful race and we tried to guide our lives so that our home is a harmonious place. But the Burning Legion seems to follow us no matter where we go.
Affected by the energies that the orchish warlocks used, some of our people suffered genetic mutations. The Broken, led by the great sage Akama settled to the Outland to serve the betrayer Illidan Stormrage and his allies the naga. The Lost Ones hold almost no physical resemblance to the draenei anymore. They inhabited the Swamp of Sorrows in Azeroth and swore eternal vengeance to the Horde. The great vessel Exodar crumbled in the Azuremyst Isles and this were we set our new home.
We weren?t powerful enough to cast them away from Argus and we couldn?t save Draenor either. We can just hope that we can find help on Azeroth to send these demons back where they belong. I hear there are forces here that formed a strong Alliance in this world and they have already charged the Horde. Maybe we could be of some use to them. I feel like doing everything I can so my people are free from this menace. Maybe it?s time for the draenei to fight back.
Azuremyst Isle Still dizzy from the crush, I get up, grab my crossbow and my sword and head on the narrow path before me. There are some survivors around here. Megelon tells me Proenitus wants to see me. I wonder what he needs. What do you know? He has the same idea as I did. It is time for the draenei to fight. Of course I am still a long way from actually being able to pose as a threat for the orcs, not to mention even the dark demons. I need training ? an intense one, but maybe there are some helpful small things I can do for now at least.
Whaaat?!?! Kill? moths? I may not be that skilled, but how could the poor little things be any challenge for me? Ups, I think I?ll take all that back, these things are huge! And they?re just the practice targets I needed to increase my skills both with archery and melee fighting (?cause boy, are they fast). Ok. I promise I won?t complain anymore about any quest that I get. After all, the elder ones are sure to have more experience in warcraft than I do.
My first jobs were pretty much to wander through the small island and gather different things to help the wounded ones. You know, I never imagined so many things can be used from these native creatures ? like the blood of the vale moths to replenish our healing crystals ? and, well I never expected to come across an immense irritated flower, but hey, who am I to judge this world? Oh? It looks like our power crystals somehow contaminated these lands so we?re pretty much responsible for the crazed creatures going around here. Fortunately The Gift of Naaru enables me to heal some of the wounds of my friends (I knew all that magic legacy could be of use at some point).
I?ve rapidly gained a few levels and my skills get better and better with every new fight that I engage to. Seeing my promising accomplishments the vindicators decided to give me even more quests and they even sent me to meet some locals ? the Owlkin. These weren?t exactly friendly, but at least I got some money from them. I can now purchase some equipment. I already feel like I slowly turn into a real hunter. In no time I?ll be able to wear better armor and use stronger weapons. Maybe I?ll even get myself an animal companion. I?m eager to see what else is there about this job.
It just hit me. I haven?t introduced myself, have I? Well, I?m the cutest draenei there is. My skin tone is delightedly light blue (as the sunny summer day skies), just like our best wise men and our greatest warriors. I have athletic body (unlike those skinny elves), yet I am as gracious as they are. You should see me hopping around ? I use the eagle landing technique so my arms rise to the sides and I do this stylish gesture with my hands as I?ve seen the elegant ballerinas do. Besides, I do know how to dance, and roar and so much more as you?ll see on the chat menu, under emotes. My voice doesn?t really go with my joyful nature, but it?s all right, I only use it for very serious, important things like telling you I can?t go somewhere or do a specific thing. You?ll absolutely adore my small spiraled horns and my blue swinging tail. No, I?m not a demon! What came over you?! I am lovely, remember that!
Huge crystal fragments are scattered all around this island. Their purple color seems to have affected the entire environment and the whole atmosphere here looks a little mauve to me. Now, I?m no exterior (or interior for that matter of a fact) decorator, but it looks like this is a one shade world. It?s still great to wander through these fields ? they give my blue tone skin an extra ?je ne sais quois?.
We?re not away from trouble even on this small island though. The blood elves are on to us. Oh, these skinny beings are strong! Illidan must have promised them a great deal of magical power that they accepted on destroying every last one of us. I?m getting a little better at this fighting so I?m on to them. I?m sure other draenei attend to lots of tasks, but I?m just that good: I managed to recover some of the plans the fiery blood elves have in stored for us. I?m definitely set on the path to become the next national hero.
Now this is a troubled world. I?m actually being used to more peace and harmony. I?m not even a level 10 apprentice yet and everybody seems to have something for me to do. Our new allies the Stillpine Furbolg seem to have tons of problems with the Owlkin and the corrupted Venture Co. There are also some sailors in big trouble on a shore near one of our camps. The cruel naga creatures overrun the local ruins and cause all sort of problems. Oh, I have so many quests I can?t decide on what to do next.
Exodar I proudly present myself: Draenei level 10 Hunter. There are no words to describe my happiness. I can now discover and improve my talents (you know, in terms of Beast Mastery, Marksmanship and Survival) and the trainer thinks I should head to Exodar and seek out counsel on training a pet. Now this is what I call a wonderful day: talents and an animal companion. Not to mention that more hunting skills are available for me to learn and I can finally wear that nice green armor that I found the other day.
Exodar is a gigantic city-ship. It?s actually the most impressing structure I?ve seen thus far (I can?t really imagine why I never had the curiosity of visiting it while we were still in the air). The leaders did a very good job of dividing it into specific districts. There?s the Seat of the Naaru (you might say it?s in the middle) and it connects to all three other districts. Trader?s Tier is the place to go if you plan on learning new things about any of your professions. It?s also the place to stock up on supplies. The Vault of Lights is like a historical museum. Here are displayed feared warrior champions and the highest ranked draenei dwell. It?s also the place to find our wise prophet Velen. The Crystal Hall is where all the magic trainers are.
Just outside the main entrance you can purchase mounts (our specific Elkks that look like your own elephants), get the boat to Kalimdor or grab a quick ride on a hippogryph in case you discover other flight destinations. The flight system looked pretty interesting to me and useful, although it?s a little too expensive for me at the moment. Nevertheless I decided to spend a fairly big amount of my so hard earned money and enjoy the cruise. I must say I don?t regret a thing. The sights were absolutely astonishing and besides there were a few places that I failed to notice while I was on foot.
Gotta make a gold Practice time is over. I finally got the recognition that I?m sure I deserve. The quests I get now are much more challenging. I can no longer rely on my strengths alone. I did train myself a nice bear, but missions that seem impossible start to show up. Sometimes I even feel like it?s safer to just kill around medium level mob to gain a little experience and level up before I take on my real tasks.
Since my people were always good with Jewelcrafting, I decided it would be a real asset to learn this profession myself. As I?m gonna need fresh supplies of gems and different ore to fashion the jewels taking on the mining profession too seemed like the smartest thing to do. The crush site area proved to be a great place to practice my mining skills. I started creating rings in no time. I was extremely pleased to see that each ring gave me a bonus to some attributes. Some added some extra points to stamina, some to intellect or agility. Not until later, as I discovered a way to smelt bronze bars, I got to the really interesting jewels ? rings that increased my armor, necklaces and gemmed items that besides being utterly fashionable were offering even more bonuses. I chose two rings and a necklace for myself according to my Hunter abilities and I sold the rest of them to local merchants. I can tell you this is a pretty good way to make a small fortune (the easiest rings to make Woven Copper Ring and Braided Copper Ring get each me the welcomed sum of 2.50 silver and I don?t even have to own a Jeweler?s Kit). A Solid Bronze Ring (that gives +30 to the armor and requires level 17) turned out to be worth 3 whole silvers while the gemmed items brought me 7.50 silver for a Thick Bronze Necklace (+3 to stamina level 17) and 10.64 for a Simple Pearl Ring (+4 to spell hit rating). I could be a millionaire soon if I stick to this job. The only problem is that I haven?t found yet a trader that sells any ore or smelted metal bars for me to concentrate only on the Jewelcrafting, so I need to roam the wilderness in search of mines. And boy, are they hard to find! Besides, even if I find a mine (I have this tricky ability to notice them on the minimap if I?m close enough) they get depleted rather quickly and the search starts all over again.
Aside from ore and precious gems I also find sometimes stones. They kept coming and I kept storing them in my inventory. When I got to carrying up to 8 stones around in my poor backpacks I thought to myself I may be able to carve something nice of them. That?s how I got into carving Statues. While I don?t make much out of selling these, it turns out I can use them a lot better in combat as they have healing abilities. Since I can only use the Gift of the Naaru ability to heal in battle or make use of healing potions, the statues are of immense help.
Seeing how I get bruises all the time I engage in a battle, the First Aid lessons paid off. And if there are just too many bandages in my inventory I can gain a few silvers for selling them. Well, the fishing and cooking lessons didn?t prove just as useful. While I had the bear puppy, feeding him the fish was a good investment, but since I got a little tired with him and signed up for a spider that has only meat on his diet the fishing pole was just talking up space. And the cooking? well, I was never good at that and paying for some extra ingredients that I couldn?t gather just to make a lousy dish wasn?t really my kind of deal. There were some stakes on the menu, yet there were no such animals in the surroundings so I light heartedly gave up all hopes on ever improving my cooking skills.
Bloodmyst Isle North of Azuremyst Isle lays the Bloodmyst Isle. Now this is an island that challenges a 15 level Hunter such as me. Ruins overrun with Wrathscale Naga, demonic creatures camps and blood elves big encampment. My, oh my! What a guilty conscience awaits! Again everybody has various tasks for me, from searching for special items, to uncover the fate of other draenei, deliver all sort of things and kill a lot of creatures. I can?t give you all the details, but I can tell you that I looked the vicious blood elves right in the face and got them to share some of their secrets with me. It was astonishing ? just like in a James Bond movie. Better even!
These treacherous elves are absolutely insane. They really want to destroy this entire world and make it the playground for the Burning Legion?s minions. The vindicator?s gain more faith in my powers with each day passing by. I came to the conclusion that I?m probably this race?s greatest hope. Is there really no one to side with me in the war for survival?
Finally some help! There was an elite quest out. There could be no better time for another bold adventurer to show up. We ruined together some of the red skinned plans and then celebrated our victory. We were recognized by heroes and greeted accordingly in the draenei camp at Blood Watch. I was extremely surprised as the great prophet Velen showed up and handed me a symbol of the Hand (our elite soldiers? organization). That was really the moment I decided to devout my life to turning the fate of this ever lasting war to our favor. At that exact moment a guild asked me to join in their ranks. The name for the guild was perfect so I accepted right away and became a member of The Order of The Naaru. A guild is extremely helpful especially in instances as I was to discover a little later.
Life in a guild As soon as we were told that there is a boat headed to Kalimdor we quickly packed up and headed for new adventures. First we set on an ad-hoc marathon to gather as many flight plans as possible on the new continent. It is pretty much as the other friendly races described it ? mountains, hills, forests, sea shores, red dust atmosphere and desert in the enemy territory. Once the overview flight was over a quick instancing followed, just so we can get better acquainted. We former a strategic party of two warriors, a hunter (me) and a priest and we set off to the first big group challenge. The experience we all gathered here was most satisfactory and we decided to do this again soon, if nothing else than just for training.
Reaching Kalimdor The boat ended its journey to the elven harbor of Auberdine. So I finally get a close-up view on the races that form the Alliance. It took me 20 levels to get here. Of course this is the starting point for the elf heroes so the quests I was offered were really of a low value to me. Well, I headed a little south and finally got to the interesting tasks. Some of the quests I got in Ashenvale were actually graded as too hard for my level. I decided to wander around for a bit. I got a glimpse at the elven great forests and their ruins and even made a quick visit to the enemy territory (Stenetalon Mountains). Unfortunately the soldiers of the Horde attacked me on sight and I was bound to head back to my missions. This short overview a long with a bunch of quests that seemed appropriate for me brought me another welcomed five levels of experience and the blue items began to appear my way.
My Burning Crusade is far from being over. As a matter of a fact it just began. I am sure that pretty soon I will approach my destiny. I know the fate of my people hangs on its heroes to manage to close the Dark Portal leading to the Outland. We don?t know what Illidan Stormrage and his naga allies have in stored for us, but it will definitely be a bloody battle. I?ll keep you posted with any news.
To be continued?
