Lost Sun

The fat Rogue soon breathed his last. Taelan Fordring had Janice help Jaina over to the side to rest. Then he headed for the Gnolls' garbage pile and began rummaging through it.

There was quite a lot of stuff here: food and clothes stolen from passing humans, even wallets, along with several battered weapons. At the very bottom, Taelan finally found a magic letter tube. He quickly stowed it in his inventory.

As he passed Gogri's corpse, he picked up the dropped Crescent Staff and tucked it away. Then he hurried over to check on Jaina.

The girl was shaken. She had never witnessed such a bloody betrayal and slaughter. The fat Rogue had killed his own companion without hesitation, just to keep him from revealing their secret.

Taelan Fordring used Holy Bolt to heal Jaina's wounds. Then, hoping to cheer her up, he said, "Jaina! We have you to thank for this. We never would've caught him without you. I'll leave the looting to you, too."

As he spoke, he pressed the Crescent Staff he had just picked up into her hands. "Don't be sad. Look at this. Do you like it?"

To put it plainly, this staff was the best weapon a Mage could get before level 20. Even the great families only had a few treasured items, and they were all high-level gear. They couldn't meet the demand for quality low-level equipment. In the game, everyone could have one, but in the real world, there was only one to go around—unless it was standard-issue gear.

As soon as Jaina heard Taelan Fordring call her Jaina, she cheered right up. She wiped away her tears, gripped the Crescent Staff, and quietly felt its power. Her eyes curved into crescents. It really was a wonderful item! It improved all her attributes.

Still, she looked at Taelan Fordring and asked first, "Are you all right?"

Taelan Fordring had just gained a level, so his health had recovered. But his gear was in tatters, and he was covered in blood. He looked awful.

"I'm fine," Taelan Fordring said. "Now I need your lucky touch to help us check the loot!"

Jaina loved rummaging through bags. She really did have nerves of steel. Under Jandice's envious gaze, she slung the Crescent Staff over her back and went to search Gogri's pouch first. The first thing she pulled out was a hat:

Warlord's Cap of Gogri

Head

Cloth

Quality: Fine

+6 Stamina

+8 Intellect

Equip: Increases spell damage by 5.

Equip: Increases the radius of illumination by 3 yards.

Taelan Fordring was puzzled. Were there really magical items in this world that increased the radius of illumination?

Since Jaina had already gotten what might be the best loot from the battle, Taelan Fordring gave the item to Jandice.

Everyone was happy to hear they were going to loot the spoils. It was a reward after a major battle, after all!

Jandice put the hat on, and Taelan Fordring finally understood how it increased the radius of illumination. The thing was basically a Dwarven Miner Helmet. It came with a built-in headlamp! And it was made of cloth, of all things. What kind of twisted Tailor had made it?

Queen Togwaggle: Are you talking about me?

Jandice's good mood vanished in an instant! But the item's great stats made her reluctant to toss it aside. Fortunately, there was no one else around, so she decided to keep wearing it for now.

Actually, you'd hit the jackpot! Just imagine wearing it in the pitch-black Scholomance one day. Wouldn't you be able to see everything clearly?

Next, Jaina pulled out a wand. She sensibly handed it to Jandice, too. She already had a powerful Cat-Shifting Wand. Once she officially became a spellcaster, she'd be able to use its powerful cat-shifting effect.

Seeing Jaina pull out two Fine-quality items, Janice volunteered to search the skinny Rogue's corpse!

Taelan Fordring wanted to say, "Dear, you're too young. Given what happens to you later, I can tell you're a real schemer." But he didn't want to embarrass her, so he reluctantly agreed to let her search the Rogue's bag!

Jaina ignored her. Closing her eyes, she felt around Gogri's pockets again. To everyone's surprise, she pulled out a blue backpack:

Gogri's Large Pouch

24-slot Reagent Bag

It was a Druid's heirloom!

Every spellcaster needs one!-->I have one!-->I'm a spellcaster!

Are you trying to prove a theorem here?

Taelan Fordring took the pouch and examined it. The Gnoll was ugly and sleazy, but he had good taste! The sky-blue bag went perfectly with the little red one hanging from Jaina's waist.

"This couldn't have come at a better time," Taelan Fordring said. "You're about to start practicing spells. You can keep all the reagents you collect in here."

It was practically a must-have for Mages. How had a Gnoll living out in the wild gotten hold of such good gear as a Crescent Staff and a reagent bag? Taelan guessed it had scavenged them from a messenger of the Cenarion Circle or someone like that.

Taelan Fordring had thought Gogri's loot was already a rich haul, so he said, "Jaina, hurry up and check the fat Rogue's pockets."

But Jaina pulled another item from the Gnoll's pocket: a blue magical notebook. Written across it in neat, ancient Thalassian were the words:

Mathematical Principles of Natural Spells

Muddy Notes

This...

Taelan Fordring took the notebook and looked through it with Jaina. It was the diary and lecture notes of a Kaldorei Druid apprentice! It recorded how a Night Elf had studied the ways of the Druid with the Demigod Cenarius ten thousand years ago. It also contained spells used by Druids and ancient Night Elf Mages. Only when they reached the later entries did they learn that the apprentice was named Salas Feathermoon. She had fought against the Burning Legion. Her diary described a great battle between the Demigod Malorne and Archimonde.

There was also a secret legend recorded in the notebook, one Salas had heard from the Shu'halo. It told how the Earth Mother sacrificed herself to repel the Void. Her eyes became two deities who continued to protect the world in her place: her right eye became the Sun God An'she, and her left became the Moon Goddess Elune. Later, An'she sacrificed himself to fight the Old Gods summoned by the Primordial Gods! That sacrifice bought enough time for the Children of the Stars to descend upon Azeroth, and the Titan-forged buried part of An'she's remains beneath the Sanctuary of Light in the Eastern Weald.

Back when Taelan Fordring had read the chronicles, he'd learned about the six cosmic forces: Order Force, represented by the Titans; Disorder Force, represented by demons wielding Fel; Life Force, presumably represented by Eonar; Death Force, represented by the Jailer; Light, represented by the famous Naaru; and the most mysterious force of all, Void Force, represented by the never-before-seen Void Lords!

Later, he had also learned about the six forces from his mentor, Krasus. They had similarities, but they were different in their own ways!

From the later diary entries written by Gogri's grandfather, they learned that Gogri's ancestors had once worked as slave overseers for a Night Elf Mage. It must have learned Thalassian back then. Then came the War of the Ancients, and its ancestors found the notes of a Druid named Salas Feathermoon. After the Sundering, when the explosion split the continent into several pieces, this Gnoll had taken the notebook and lived in the mountains near Caer Darrow. Its descendants learned magic from the Druid's notes! Thalassian must have been passed down through the generations, too!

The legend in the notebook was fascinating. The Children of the Stars definitely weren't Night Elves; they must have meant the Titans. And the Shu'halo were Tauren! One of their tribes did call themselves Sunwalkers. Hearthstone even had a card called Sunwalker, a 6-cost 4/5 with Divine Shield and Taunt! That meant An'she must have wielded the powers of Holy Light and fire.

The Sanctuary of Light mentioned here was likely Light's Hope Chapel! Strange forces were at work there. The Lich King's army had been driven back by the spirits of the fallen. Yet the chronicles didn't go into detail about what had happened there!

"Ding! Quest discovered: Lost Sun!

"Find the whereabouts of the missing Sun God An'she.

"From the family notebook of an unknown Gnoll (Gogri), you have learned that the remains of the Sun God An'she may be buried beneath Light's Hope Chapel. Visit the chapel and follow the trail of the sun!"

Reward: You will gain 50 World Power.

Sunwalker reputation

Gain 10 levels!

Gain 5 additional skill points.

Your armor type will change to Holy! (Fight to the End!)"

Two chapters in one update. Thanks for your support, everyone! If you have votes to spare, please support me. Thanks.

I'll revise it when I get back tonight.