City of Valor

Seeing Dak’ar life slip away under his care had taken much out of Rongar. The archer’s injuries had been quite severe, but nothing Rongar felt he couldn’t have handled. Under normal circumstances.

This was different. Ever since the Shattering, Rongar’s healing abilities had been diminished. Part of him had wanted to believe that being back on the battlefield would help him overcome whatever it was that was holding him back. Dak’ar’s demise was a stark reminder of exactly how much had become lost.

The shaman had requested a leave of absence from Warlord Gro’mar, who had been responsible for bringing Rongar back into the field of battle. Gro’mar had granted the request, believing that the real reason was the recent and violent demise of Rongar’s wife. The old shaman did not bother to correct that impression before leaving Mor'shan Rampart.

The question was: what now? There had to be others, Rongar reasoned, other shamans and healers who were struggling with their craft in the aftermath of the elemental corruption.

He needed answers or at least a clue on where to go from here. After days of reflection, Rongar had made the decision to travel to Silvermoon City, the distant capital city of the Blood Elves in the far northern parts of the Eastern Kingdoms. Rongar knew that the Blood Elves, while very gifted healers and warriors in their own right, had also struggled to overcome a corruption of their source of power. However, that is was all he knew.

During his travels, he had met the occasional Blood Elf. When caught in the right mood, they could be very entertaining and charming. But Rongar usually came to find out that certain subjects of the Sin’dorei would not discussed with outsiders. Until this point, that had never bothered the orc. Now he needed answers, and he was hoping that the libraries and archives at Silvermoon City would lead him to the right path.

When he finally arrived at the city gates after a long and arduous journey, the shaman was immediately struck by the beauty of the city. He was also struck by how subdued it was. Not every place could be abuzz with characters from all walks of life as Orgrimmar, but by comparison Silvermoon seemed almost like a city with a weak pulse.

As he walked down the main thoroughfare, he noticed that the ever present city guards kept their eyes firmly fixed on him. Rongar’s smile was often met with a cool glare, followed by a turn of the head. Only at one point did one of the Silvermoon citizens, a long and dark haired Si’dorei, return his greeting with a nod of her own, and perhaps a hint of a smile on her face. Rongar could not really blame them. The smile of an orc can take a while to get used to.

By the time he reached the library, it was already past visiting hours. Walking slowly across the near empty Bazaar, the shaman heard a voice coming from the action house: “What do you mean you are all out? When will you get more?” As he got closer, he heard the speaker abruptly turn and walk toward the exit. Straight toward the shaman.

It was the woman who had greeted him earlier, perhaps the only friendly face in the city.

“Uh, no luck at the Auction House?” mumbled Rongar. The dark-haired Sin’dorei stopped at the sight of the old orc. She looked the shaman up and down, eventually breaking into a smile, “No not today, I’m afraid.”

For a moment, she hesitated before continuing, “What brings you here? Pleasure? Or business?”

“A little bit of both, actually,” said the shaman, relaxing visibly. “Although for today it seems my business is all but concluded. If you wouldn’t mind, is there an inn you could recommend?”

The Blood Elf looked to the east side of the Bazaar. “Over there is the Wayfarer’s Rest tavern, perhaps the best place in this part of the city.” She gave the orc an encouraging smile. “You may want to inquire there.”

Rongar nodded, “Thank you, you have been very kind.”

As he turned to leave, the dark-haired Sin’dorei surprised the shaman yet one more time. “My name is Bellamuerte Boldvalor. If you find yourself in need of anything in this city, do let me know.”