Darrowmere was the collective name for the area around Stratholme. In fact, it was a large human settlement made up of fifty-four villages and farms scattered throughout the Darrowmere Region, along with seven cities. It could be considered the rear heartland of the mighty human kingdom of Lordaeron.
Lake Darrowmere, the largest freshwater lake in Lordaeron, divided the Darrowmere Region into eastern and western halves. West Darrowmere was a renowned grain-producing region of the Empire, with many farms and major cities such as Andorhal.
Eastweald paled somewhat in comparison. Its hilly terrain was unsuitable for growing crops, but its proximity to the High Elf kingdom of Quel'Thalas meant that trade flourished there. The border city of Stratholme was also one of the Empire's foremost commercial cities.
Darrowshire was one of the most prosperous villages in Eastweald. Its proximity to Light's Hope Chapel had drawn many followers of the Holy Light to settle there. All in all, the village was a very suitable place to stay for the long term, with a peaceful and harmonious way of life.
The entire Northern Frontier had seen little peace over the past two years. Word had it that those savage Orcs had nearly breached Lordaeron's royal capital, but the army had later hemmed them in and driven them south again. Only then had the Northern Frontier, dominated by war for several years, barely regained a measure of peace.
But truthfully, none of this had much to do with the people of Darrowshire. Even at the height of their advance, the Orcs had failed to break through the defenses at Andorhal, let alone attack Eastweald.
Another morning came. As warm sunlight streamed through the barracks windows, Dick opened his eyes right on time. He rolled over and sat up on his hard plank bed, washed quickly, then put on a very worn suit of leather armor, strapped on his longsword, and left the barracks to begin his day's work: patrolling.
"Oh, good morning, Sheriff! Would you like to try my grapes? They were just picked at Marris Stead!"
"Mr. Dick, thank you for bringing my child back from Andorhal the other day. I hear there's a plague going around there now. How terrible!"
"Sheriff, someone stole from my house! It must have been Timmy and those little brats. Hurry up and arrest them!"
Dick smiled and greeted familiar faces along the way, while others tried to strike up a friendly conversation with the sheriff who had arrived in Darrowshire three years ago. Though the young man was not much of a talker, everyone in Darrowshire knew he was kindhearted and often helped the common people with various tasks, unlike the previous sheriffs, who had done nothing but extort money.
Dick was already used to this "enthusiastic" treatment. He declined the grapes the vendor offered, exchanged a few words with the small-time merchant who had come running to thank him, and soothed the irritable, down-and-out nobleman whose belongings had been stolen. Only then did he emerge from the surrounding crowd and patrol the rather narrow streets with a hand on his sword hilt.
"Uncle Dick! Uncle Dick! Father wants you to come see him!"
A little girl carrying a doll ran up behind him and tugged at the hem of his clothes. He glanced back, crouched down with a broad smile, and rubbed the top of her head, thoroughly mussing her once-smooth hair. Only then did he take a piece of candy from his pocket and place it in the hand of the little girl, whose lips had puckered as she was about to cry.
"Has Little Pamela been good today?"
Dick took the little girl's hand and walked toward her home. At his question, she chewed the sweet candy and swung her doll by its leg, replying indignantly,
"Pamela is good every day! Uncle Dawi even said he'd give me a new doll, but I like my old one."
"Well, as long as you like it. Make sure you take good care of it."
Dick narrowed his eyes and brushed a finger against the little girl's nose before letting go of her hand and turning into Darrowshire's sheriff's office. Yes, this was Little Pamela's home. Her father was Darrowshire's chief sheriff and Dick's immediate superior,
Joseph Redpath, a renowned hunter and warrior. Dick made his way into Joseph's office with practiced familiarity, snapped off a crisp military salute, and declared loudly,
"Chief Joseph, Sheriff Dick reporting for duty!"
His voice startled Joseph, who had been writing and drawing with his head lowered. He looked up, revealing the face of a middle-aged man with a small mustache. Joseph was not particularly striking in appearance, but the two scars on his face gave him a fierce look. An Orc warrior had left those scars on Joseph, and they were also proof of his valor.
"You're here, Dick."
Joseph rose from behind his desk and invited Dick to sit in a chair in the office. This was only a small town, after all, so there was little reason to expect lavish furnishings. But Dick did not care about any of that. He only cared why Joseph had summoned him this time.
"Here's the situation, Dick. Timmy, that troublesome boy, came running to me this morning and said his friends had been captured by a pack of Gnolls. He was the only one who escaped. Though the boy has a long record of misdeeds, at least he has no history of lying, so I'd like you to take the militia over and have a look."
Just as Joseph finished speaking, a clear chime rang in Dick's ears.
"Beep... Quest triggered: Timmy's Predicament." "Description: Help Timmy find his young friends."
Dick let out a breath and nodded.
"All right, Captain, but this time I'd like to take more hunters. If there really are Gnolls lurking near Darrowshire, I'll wipe them out while I'm at it!"
Dick's words brimmed with killing intent, but they were exactly to Joseph's liking. The veteran, who had once served as a sergeant, laughed and patted Dick on the shoulder.
"Good! Just what I'd expect from the soldier who crossed Silverpine Forest alone back then. Go on. I'll have Dawi bring the hunters to help you. Go calm that little troublemaker down first. The poor fellow is so scared he's about to wet himself!"
"Yes, sir!"
Dick answered and left the office. He immediately spotted the older boy crying in a corner and beckoned him over.
"Timmy, come here!"
The boy turned at once when he heard someone call him, but when he saw Dick, he shrank back, afraid to approach. Only when Dick's smile turned cold did Timmy hurry over like a frightened rabbit. Head lowered, not daring to speak, he followed Dick out of the sheriff's office.
"Tell me, where did you run into the Gnolls?"
"By Blackwood Lake, Mr. Dick. Aruf and I and the others were planning to fish there, but a pack of Gnolls rushed out and took Aruf and the others away. I only escaped because I hid in the grass."
Though Timmy was notorious far and wide as a troublemaker, he was still only a boy in his teens. After encountering something so terrifying, he naturally did not dare conceal anything further. His words, however, made Dick narrow his eyes. Dick glanced around, and after making sure no one was nearby, turned and fixed Timmy with a cold stare.
"Are you leaving something out?"
"No, sir, I'm not!"
Dick's smile did not change at Timmy's denial, but his eyes had already turned cold. He remembered very clearly that, in the game, Timmy's companions had been taken by a group of Murlocs.
"Don't blame me for not warning you, Timmy. If Dawi and I find anything other than Gnolls there, I'll turn around and leave. You can explain it to those children's parents yourself."
"...All right, sir, I'll tell you. Besides the Gnolls, there are Murlocs too-the Murloc Raiders from Blackwood Lake."
Under Dick's threat, Timmy hung his head and reluctantly revealed the truth.
His words finally dispelled some of the gloom on Dick's face. Good, the plot hasn't changed.
Dick reached out, clenched his hand into a fist, and gave Timmy a hard rap on the head.
"So you deliberately kept that from us because you were worried Chief Redpath would be scared out of his wits by those Murlocs?"
Timmy clutched his head and crouched down, his face contorted in pain. Yet at Dick's mockery, the little brat found courage from somewhere and shouted at him, waving his arms wildly.
"Of course! It's not like you didn't see the last chief sheriff nearly wet himself when he heard the Murlocs were attacking! Redpath may be famous, but hasn't he also let those Murlocs live at Blackwood Lake? You lot only know how to bully us commoners. You pick on the weak and fear the strong!"
Thump!
Dick rapped Timmy on the forehead again. "Quiet! Go. You have ten minutes to pack your things, then take us to Blackwood Lake. If you hurry, we might still make it back for dinner."
At Dick's words, Timmy lowered the hands clutching his head. His eyes widened as he asked in delighted surprise,
"Sheriff, are you really willing to save my friends? Those are Murlocs-more than two hundred Murlocs!"
Dick shrugged, his smiling expression returning.
"You only have ten minutes. If you're not back in ten minutes, I'm not going!"
Timmy sprang up at once and raced toward home like a little car with its motor running. After a few steps, however, he turned back and shouted to Dick,
"Thank you, Mr. Dick! You're a good man!"
Dick gestured "ten" at him, and the little brat turned and sprinted off again.
As he watched Timmy disappear around the street corner, Dick narrowed his eyes once more.
Ah, I don't want to risk my life fighting Murlocs either, but since this kid triggered the quest, I'll have to take a chance. Come to think of it, this counts as the prelude to the Scourge invasion, doesn't it?
Dick turned to look at the people coming and going along Darrowshire's rather narrow streets. Who could have imagined that, in less than a year, this place would become a sinister ghost town? Then there were the tragic fates of Little Pamela and Chief Redpath, and even Dawi and those militiamen. After the Undead Scourge destroyed their homes and took their lives, not even their souls would be allowed to rest in peace.
Dick rubbed his slightly stubbled chin and secured the longsword at his waist again. A question echoed through his mind.
Did Heaven send me to this world and arrange for me to live in this little town for three years because it wanted me to change this human tragedy?