Lake Lordamere

The next day, Tirion and Taelan got up early. As usual, Taelan began practicing swordsmanship without fail. After breakfast, the two said their goodbyes and left. Janice saw them to the door, reminding Taelan to visit the farm again whenever he had time. She'd make him a feast!

As for the collar, it had indeed belonged to Fingal. The discovery left Mrs. Janice deeply saddened for a while. The two bid farewell to Felstone Farm, mounted their warhorses, and soon passed what would one day be known as the Bulwark. Then they went by Barny Farm and the famous town of Brill. What left the deepest impression on Taelan at Barny Farm was probably the hollowed-out grave and the saddle left behind. Some people had been tough even as kids. Before long, father and son caught sight of the towering, magnificent city of Lordaeron!

This was the political and economic heart of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, and one of the largest and most prosperous cities in the Eastern Kingdoms. Taelan remembered looking it up back when he played World of Warcraft in his previous life: Lordaeron had a population of about 1.5 million, and at least a tenth of them lived in Lordaeron City. It was a true metropolis! This was the pride of House Menethil.

However, the two didn't linger in Lordaeron City. Tirion Fordring took Taelan straight to visit Uther. The elderly Paladin had a stern expression and gave off an air of rigid authority. Tirion only mentioned the "Gentleman" matter in passing. After exchanging pleasantries with Tirion, Uther immediately set about summoning the city guard for a meeting. He seemed like the sort of man who acted as soon as he made up his mind.

The two registered their itinerary, then headed for the dock by Lake Lordamere, preparing to take a boat to Dalaran as quickly as possible. Tirion was a well-known Paladin and a Highlord, after all, so they didn't run into some ridiculous scene where the guards gave them trouble.

Father and son soon boarded the boat. Lake Lordamere lay south of Lordaeron City. Crossing it would take them to the magical kingdom of Dalaran, situated between Silverpine Forest and Alterac. Lake Lordamere was enormous, and at its center was an island called Fenris Isle.

In his previous life, Taelan had played an Undead Priest during the Vanilla Era and had once done a quest on that island. He thought it had been called Assault on Fenris Isle. The island had been crawling with monsters, especially Murlocs. At low levels, it was all too easy to pull a whole train of them.

There was no Scourge on Dream Bough yet, but there really were Murlocs! Those creatures had stubbornly survived in this dangerous world for ages, and they were everywhere. They were impossible to wipe out! But Lordaeron was at the height of its power, and its guards regularly cleared out the Murlocs.

Taelan sat on the boat, staring blankly at Lake Lordamere's blue waters as he turned things over in his mind. He would soon meet the Archmage Antonidas, the mighty Red Dragon Krasus, and that famous Prince: Kael'thas Sunstrider! His heart raced with excitement. Meeting the legendary heroes made it impossible for him to stay calm. If he got the chance to change their fates, he could gain a great deal of World Power. Then he would be able to unlock more of his Power of Nephalem. Only then would he have the strength to change those tragedies, save the people of Lordaeron, and redeem this world, so beset by calamities.

Tirion Fordring looked at his daydreaming son and reached out to pat him on the head. "Taelan, once you've recovered, we'll find a time to take a vacation in Caer Darrow. There's a great painter there named Refley. I'll ask her to paint a family portrait for us!"

"That'd be wonderful, Father! Mother will be so happy!"

"Yes, she loves afternoon tea in Caer Darrow!" Tirion Fordring took a small warhammer from his Magic Satchel. It had been modeled after Tirion Fordring's own weapon. The carving wasn't very good, but its surface gleamed, clearly well-worn from frequent handling.

Tirion placed the little warhammer in Taelan's hand. "My son, ever since you were little, you've wanted to become a Paladin like me and fight for Azeroth. I've wanted to give it to you as a birthday present for a long time!

"Back then, the Orcs were attacking Hillsbrad, and their warlocks had many vicious spells. People died every day. In one battle, I saved an Elf ranger, who gave me a small piece of hard wood. I didn't think much of it at the time. Later, Antonidas saw it and told me I'd gotten lucky. It was a branch of the World Tree. Not only was it exceptionally hard, it was also imbued with powerful magic. I didn't meet Brian Bronzebeard until later. He carved this little warhammer for me. Now I'm giving it to you!"

"You'll grow into a mighty Paladin! I hope you can grow up happy, marry, have children, and live a good life."

Taelan Fordring solemnly accepted the little warhammer. It was much smaller than the warhammer in the game from his previous life, more like an ornament. It felt smooth and warm in his hand. A gentle energy flowed into his body.

"Ding! Congratulations! You've changed fate and gained 25 points of World Power and 2 skill points! Your Power of Nephalem has awakened further."

Congratulations on awakening a racial ability:

Nephalem Affinity: Increases your charm, making it easier to earn the goodwill of Azeroth's native creatures.

Well, it's not because I think you were ugly before! And I'm not worried you'll end up alone. Really!

Your World Power has reached 30 points. A new talent has been unlocked.

Nephalem Retribution: Each time you attack, you deal additional true damage equal to one-tenth of your attack power!

Convince them with reason! (True damage affects every target except yourself!)

Congratulations! You've obtained:

Blessing of Tirion Fordring

Libram

Quality: Legendary

Unique, bound

+12 Stamina (increases your Stamina by 3 each time you level up)

Equip: Increases your chance to score a critical strike with attacks by 2%.

Equip: Each of your attacks has a chance to trigger the Blessing of the World Tree, increasing your attack accuracy. Once it has accumulated 7 stacks, it immediately activates, creating a magical blade that makes an additional attack against the target. (Before the effect triggers, each attack refreshes the duration of the accuracy buff.)

Use: Your attacks are guaranteed to hit. When they critically strike, they deal 300% weapon damage. Lasts 5 minutes. 2-hour cooldown.

There was also a line of crooked orange writing on the warhammer's handle:

Gungnir's little sister, the Rogue's old dad!

—Brian Bronzebeard

Congratulations on reaching level 5. You've gained 1 skill point. You have 5 points remaining.

Taelan Fordring was delighted. This had never existed in the original world. The warhammer was a birthday present Tirion Fordring had given his son. After Tirion was exiled, Taelan buried it in front of his father's grave.

"Thank you, Father!" Taelan said sincerely. As someone in his twenties who had crossed into another world, he found it hard to accept someone from another universe as his father. But war had taken its toll on Tirion, and though he was only just past his prime, his hair at the temples had already turned gray. Beyond the strength of a mighty warrior, his face also showed a trace of weariness. But above all, it showed his love for his child. Watching his own flesh and blood grow day by day filled him with happiness! He was beginning to accept this great father from the bottom of his heart.

If the years after the war, spent with his father and mother at his side, had been the happiest time of Taelan Fordring's life, then surely for Tirion Fordring, who had endured so much warfare, they had been the happiest years of his life as well. During that time, he and his wife watched their son grow. The painting was proof of their happy life. And yet, fate would eventually lead him to The Crossroads!