Uldaman

Lorne Songweaver slowly materialized. He briefly examined the surrounding terrain to determine where he had teleported.

"Chief, I've established our bearings. We're near Flame Crest now. My friends, the dwarf Prospector Redul and Prospector Thelsamar, are at Dustwind Dig. Let's settle in at Flame Crest first, then wait for my friends to arrive and exchange information about Uldaman before deciding what to do."

Confirming that they were near Flame Crest meant the deviation in the teleportation coordinates was small and within acceptable limits.

An adventurer by background, Lorne Songweaver was very professional, and his arrangements were sensible. Patrick and Alleria both agreed.

Lorne Songweaver led the way. Flame Crest stood above Dustwind Gorge. Patrick had been here more than once before. Although the entire landscape had expanded after his transmigration, he imagined the terrain was roughly the same.

Patrick and Alleria followed Lorne Songweaver. The sky here was blue, but the land was red. Bare red rocky hills rose from the red desert, and the soil was barren, with only scattered patches of wild grass struggling to survive.

A vast expanse of red in the distance met my eyes. Farther away lay rolling hills, also formed entirely of red sandstone. This was a world of red sandstone, an ocean of red sandstone. Endless red sandstone stretched to the horizon, making it impossible to imagine where all that red sand ended!

The barren desert stretched on and on, boundless and unbroken. Hot winds blew through from time to time, caressing this desolate land. Their howling seemed to mourn the wounds of the Badlands. This had once been a lush valley rich in natural resources, with verdant trees and grasslands everywhere. Now the Firelord Ragnaros had destroyed its former beauty and turned it into a barren wasteland.

They entered the inn in Flame Crest.

"Time is money, honored guests. I'm sure I have what you want here. I'm the owner, and I'm delighted to do business with you." A female goblin in a blue dress came forward to greet them. Whenever an opportunity to make money appeared, these little greenskins worked harder than any other race.

"Give me several of your best rooms, and make it quick." Lorne Songweaver tossed a pouch of coins onto the female goblin's desk.

The clinking of gold could make goblins forget their very souls.

"Oh, my old friends, you'll receive the finest treatment in all of Flame Crest. I'm Sally Gearwheel, your best business partner." Guests she had only just met had become old friends in the blink of an eye. Yes, that was very much the goblin way.

Lorne Songweaver went out to find a way to contact his dwarf friends, Prospector Redul and Prospector Thelsamar. Patrick asked no further questions. Everything would wait until they arrived.

"Are you confident about this expedition?" Left alone with Patrick, the female elf spoke.

"Uldaman is a ruin left behind by the Titans. As the creators of our world, everything the Titans possessed is worth exploring. The Well of Eternity in ancient times was also a facility left behind by the Titans. That's why I want to go inside and investigate." Patrick did not answer directly, instead explaining that this ruin might be a remnant of the creators.

Of course, this was also because Patrick could not readily answer. He could hardly say, I ran this dungeon in my previous life, and the Discs of Norgannon really are inside, could he?

"The enemies here aren't particularly strong in combat. Unless something unexpected happens, we'll be able to handle them with ease. There won't be any safety issues."

After hearing this, the female elf agreed with his assessment. From her observations along the way, neither the wild monsters of the Badlands nor the goblin residents here were of particularly high rank. There were no real safety concerns.

Lorne Songweaver met the two dwarves, Prospector Redul and Prospector Thelsamar. Having received word, they had already arrived in Flame Crest.

"Long time no see, my elf friend." The dwarf's rough voice arrived before he did.

"How about a bottle of liquor later? I didn't expect you to come so soon. How strong are the teammates joining us this time?" the other dwarf added.

"Chief, Marshal, this is just how dwarves express their warmth. I hope neither of you minds," Lorne Songweaver said.

"It's fine, but please don't reveal our real names to them." Patrick casually indicated that he did not mind.

"..." Alleria merely nodded in silence. Still, Lorne Songweaver could tell that she was somewhat displeased with those crude oafs. As a member of one of the aristocratic Great Clans of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, she naturally had little liking for the rough, unrestrained adventurers outside.

The two dwarves entered and were startled at the sight of Alleria and Patrick, losing their earlier boisterousness. Why would professionals of such high rank become adventurers?

"These... two... are... our new teammates?" Prospector Redul even stammered a little.

Lorne Songweaver said, "Yes. This is Arcanist Pat and Ranger Alli. They're both high-ranking professionals from our High Elf kingdom, and they're willing to explore Uldaman with us."

"Do the two of you have any special requirements?" Prospector Thelsamar asked cautiously, afraid of angering Patrick and Alleria.

Lorne Songweaver answered again. "No. They've agreed to our original arrangement for dividing the spoils. Arcanist Pat is very interested in this Titans' ruin and has no special demands regarding the distribution."

Only after hearing this did the two dwarves look a little more at ease. Together, they settled on a time to act, planning to slip inside at first light the next day, when the Dark Iron Dwarves' guards changed shifts.

The next day.

Lorne Songweaver's party set out under cover of darkness, heading northwest from Flame Crest and slowly approaching the creators' ruins along the mountain path. Not far south of Uldaman stood Pain Fortress, which was controlled by the Dark Iron Dwarves. Ragnaros's Fire Element agent, Ambassador Infernus, had been stationed here to oversee the Dark Iron Dwarves working for Ragnaros.

The dwarves in the fortress were concentrating on their new excavation site in Uldaman. They believed that secrets of the ancient Titans lay buried deep within Uldaman, secrets that could help their ill-tempered Fire Element lord wage his war. The Dark Iron Dwarves had become Ragnaros's slaves.

Unwilling to alert the dwarves stationed in Sorrowhold, Lorne Songweaver chose to enter the excavation center at night while the Dark Iron Dwarves changed guards, then proceed deeper into Excavation Site One, where the entrance to the Titans' ruin of Uldaman lay.

Relying on the Fade spell Patrick had cast on the party, the five slipped past while the workers at Excavation Site One were not paying attention and finally reached the Hall of the Keepers, the entrance to the Titans' ruin of Uldaman.

... scene break ...

I'm truly sorry. Because of Singles' Day (it was definitely Singles' Day's fault), I misread the name of the author who submitted the cameo character, "Deep Moon Clear Blue." I'd like to apologize here, and I hope reader "Deep Moon Clear Blue" can forgive my utter muddleheadedness. This mistake has left me feeling guilty for a long time.