Valley of the Four Winds/Krasarang Wilds: Part 8

About halfway down the hill to Liang’s Farm, a light shower of rain began. It was still warm enough that it didn’t bother me, even though evening was approaching – after the extreme humidity of Krasarang, I was not inclined to fuss about a small amount of water.

The virmen seemed to flee as the rain fell, and my path was opened quite easily to the Thunderfoot Ranch – a cattle farm owned by Pang’s nephew. Chen and Li Li had already made their way down there, and I took refuge in the comfortably-furnished farmhouse.

‘Ah, Chen and Li Li told me you were the one in charge of sending the supplies down from Uncle’s farm. Thank you – the stews will keep us fed until we can next go to market, and the crops are my animals’ favourite food.’ Liang busied himself in his own home like the rest of his family, working his farm with enthusiasm and vigour that was extremely rare in any of the downtrodden orcish peons. All Pandaren seemed incredibly satisfied with what life gave them – perhaps a necessity given the threat of the Sha, but it seemed genuine wherever I encountered it.

The rain continued overhead that night, and the jovial attitude of the family was only ever interrupted by the quiet pestering of Li Li towards her uncle: ‘But Uncle Cheeen.. We’ve barely gone anywhere….’

The night passed happily, and the next morning the rain continued unabated – as did the positive attitudes of all around me.

Liang spoke to me after breakfast. ‘I’ve heard rumours of your hunting prowess, Keliera. Would a kind elf such as yourself be able to help me? The Mushan beasts that roam this region are the only creatures my pigs will eat, and they need meat to keep their strength up. A single mushan beast could feed my farm for weeks, and though strong, they are slow. Could you help us out?’

I agreed, and pledged to bring back turtle meat (the next-best alternative) if I was unable to bring down a mushan. The great beasts dwelt to the west, and I had apparently already encountered a couple – Miss Fanny had been one, and I had seen one on the edge of the Valley’s bluffs back in the Jade Forest.

Though the lumbering creatures were indeed strong, they were peaceful, and I managed to isolate an adolescent one and bring it down without much trouble. Leaving it there for the moment, I killed a couple of turtles by a nearby pond, and noticed a trio of pigs frolicking in the lake. Perhaps they had escaped from the farm?

With a couple of intentionally-missing fireballs, I sent the pigs loosely off in the direction of the farm, and began to move the mushan back. Even with the magic of telekinesis, it proved immensely heavy, and it took a good half-hour to get back. The rain stopped shortly before I got back, and Liang awaited me with the three pigs in tow.

‘Keliera! I assume you sent these my way? Jian, Ling and Smelly are always running away, and with the virmen around I didn’t get the chance to go after them last time. It seems like they had an adventure. And is that- My, what a fine catch!’ Liang quickly herded the three runaways back into their sty, before examining the mushan. ‘You certainly have an eye for the best. The young ones are always more tender.’

Liang spent the morning cutting up some of the mushan, and the pigs troughed happily when it and the turtle were finally delivered.

‘Now, neighbour. The sheep from Francis’ farm are always wandering over here, and I’m beginning to wonder if he’s in trouble. You’ve proved such a help already, but this mushan will keep me busy all day and I can’t spare time to entertain you. This poor little thing will probably have him worried sick, and if you can spare the time, I’d appreciate if you can take it over and check how the boy’s doing.’ With that, Liang led me inside, where a little lost lamb was bounding around the rooms and crashing into things. Giving me an improvised leash, Liang helped me catch it and gave me directions to Francis’ farm, before waving me off.

As I headed south, I thought about the Valley. It was the breadbasket of Pandaria, from what I had already heard, but apparently Thunderfoot Fields were paltry compared to the huge agricultural community known as Halfhill, which lay in the centre of the region. From there, merchants traded food and distributed it across the entire continent – and the continent was not left wanting. I had already seen the size of the vegetables in Pandaria – easily twice as large as any grown elsewhere, and I had heard small snippets that indicated it was to do with the water in Pandaria. I did not know what – but Anduin had mentioned that the waters had some sort of extra healing properties.

I found Francis the Shepherd-Boy cowering behind a rock at his little sheep farm.

‘Uh… Hello? Why are you behind this rock?’ Suddenly, a great hawk swept down and grabbed the lamb in its jaws. It (and Francis) squealed in terror. I hurriedly brought the hawk down with a fireball, grabbed the lamb and the boy, and ran inside.

‘You really shouldn’t have brought this lamb back. He… he was safer in the pigsty than he is here. First the hawks came, and then the wolves. I’m not nearly as brave as Master Shang thought, and the beasts are… are stealing all the sheep! You have to get them back! I’m not strong enough to fight the big wolves and hawks. I’ve been thinking that if you kill the wolves’ pack leader, they’ll stay away, but the hawks are stealing for themselves. The pack leader is a big brown wolf called Lupello – he lives on the other side of the riverbank.’

Francis was shocked by another attack, and I hurried south to the Yan-Zhe River. Lupello was obvious from afar – the other wolves were grey or white, and years of mud had coloured his pelt a rich brown. He was twice the size of the others, and surrounded by half-eaten carcasses offered to him by the other wolves. I decided it best to stay at range, and summoned a couple of mirror images to help rain fire down upon him. However, I underestimated him, and he pounced right across the river towards us. A split-second before he was going to devour me I managed to strike him with an ice lance to the chest – he fell, and the wolves scattered. I was quite shaken, and spent a few minutes recovering my breath before returning to the farmstead to help against the hawks.

Though alone they were fierce and well-armed, when carrying the sheep slowly away the hawks were extremely vulnerable, and after a few fell to the Arcane they stayed away. I managed to coax Francis out of hiding so that we could recover the scattered sheep.

As we were finishing up, a figure appeared along the road.

‘Oh no! The master will have my hide!’

‘Francis, we need to talk!’ The master, who was Shang Thunderfoot, Pang’s brother, spoke quickly, but kindly to his apprentice. ‘You need to show more bravery, young Francis. You have everything it takes to become a great shepherd – you just need the courage to face your fears. And there is only one way to show you how to lose your fears.’ Shang grabbed a rope off the ground, spun it masterfully for a few seconds, and shot a lasso up into the sky – where it attached itself to one of the great white plainshawks common to the Valley.

‘Francis, Keliera, hold on tightly to this rope.’ Cautiously, we grabbed on as well. ‘Get ready for the ride of your lives.’ Shang tugged hard on the rope, and the angry plainshawk shot into the sky, carrying us with it. I screamed at first, as did Francis, but I soon quietened down, my fear replaced with adrenaline and exhilaration. The plainshawk recognised that we were no threat, and soared dramatically over the Valley, looping and spinning until we were dizzy with joy. It was truly amazing to see the Valley rotate around me.

‘See, Francis, how you can overcome your fears?’ Shang’s voice was distant as the air spun around us, and at Shang’s gentle tugging the hawk dropped us off at Shang’s Stead, a farmhouse nestled into some hills. Shang let Francis (who was on the verge of fainting) rest inside, leading me round the back to his garden, where an enormous prized melon was growing. Shang tended to it as we spoke.

‘You lack fear, Keliera. I sense it in your heart.’

‘It is hard to have time for fear, after what I have already been through on Pandaria, as well as that which came before.’

‘You will have to tell me of it some time. Francis is like a second son to me – he lacks bravery now, but he will learn it in time. My son Liang was weak once. So were Pang and I. But the Thunderfoot way is to learn.’

A burst of conversation from the front of the house indicated the arrival of Chen and Li Li. Something about smelly mugs.

‘Hail, Keliera! How are your travels?’

‘They have been entertaining, to say the least. Your own?’

‘BORING!’ Li Li interjected with a huff. Chen chuckled at her.

‘Pandaria has much to offer, that I have already seen. However… my keg is almost empty. And a brewmaster’s keg should never be empty. I have heard word from the Thunderfoots of a brewery to the southwest, and while it is not my own brew, it would be good to taste Pandaria’s. Would you care to join us? I am sure it will be most fun.’

‘Really? We’re going to a brewery? But the Valley is so big – why can’t we fight some Sha?’

‘Because, Li Li, sometimes you must rest. Endless travel makes for a weary soul.’

‘Whatever. As long as this gets you off your butt!’

We journeyed along the main road, Li Li always pushing Chen to walk faster, and Chen always slowing down in response. We soon spotted a pandaren off the side of the road, looking down a hill.

‘Haaaalloo, stranger! Do you know where we can find a brewer named Mudmug?’ The stranger turned round to face us.

‘I’m Mudmug. Who’s askin’?’

Chen bowed to the man. ‘I am Chen, and this is my niece, Li Li, and my friend Keliera.’

Mudmug nodded. ‘Y’all any good at fightin’ virmen? I got a bit of a situation at the brewery.’

Li Li leapt up and down. ‘Oh, well I’ve only beat up, like, a millllion virmen back on Shen-zin Su!’

‘We’d be glad to help you, Mudmug.’

Mudmug ran onto the path. ‘Well then, follow me and let’s get critter-whompin’! My place is just round the corner.’

‘He’s weird.’ Li Li whispered as we followed him down.

Valley of the Four Winds/Krasarang Wilds: Part 7

I made my way through the Wilds to where the Valley met it. The northern exits from the Ruins of Korja gave way to the Forbidden Jungle, a last outpost of some of the most dangerous creatures in the Wilds. Biting wasps and hundreds of spiders filled the air with noise as light guided my way out of the Wilds. The jungle became lighter and more visible, and the path rose up the hill until I encountered the ruins of the convoy that had been on its way to the Temple of the Red Crane. There, I was met by another envoy, Len, and Sunwalker Dezco.

‘Keliera! I am glad to see a familiar face again. I fought off as many of these ‘mantid’ as I could-‘ Dezco gestured to numerous beaten corpses surrounding him, ‘but I could not stop them dragging the rest of the pandaren into the jungle. They are only civilians, and we must aid them. Fortunately, I kept the healing remedies you and Kang gathered for my Leza, and they will be effective enough to keep the Pandaren alive while they get to safety. Find the envoys and heal them, and send them back my way. I will keep the way clear of any mantid that seek to hamper your efforts.’

The Deepwoods were filled with ancient spirits, and this part of the Wilds held its wisest and oldest trees. I found a few envoys under their shade, but it was not long before I came across the mantid.

Words could not have prepared me for the gruesome sight of them. More horrifying than any Qiraji or Nerubian I had seen in images, the mantid had great bug-eyes and made high-pitched chittering noises, using muddy, sharp wings to ferry them across the Wilds with unmatchable speed. They carried dark yellow weapons that looked as though they had been crafted from glass, and their thin insectoid limbs made sounds like crunching leaves as they moved.

Drawing their ire was even more unpleasant. With a horrific cry in a foul, scraping language I could not bear to listen to, and certainly could not contemplate understanding, they swept down with ferocious speed, using their four front limbs to cut and hack at their enemy. Though I was able to stay back, a single cut from their mystic weapons drew deep blood from my arm, and long after the cut it stung like I had been cut by the finest diamond.

As I travelled through the wilds, bringing them down by fire to their wings and limbs (which was fortunately effective) I saw the lush pastures of the Valley merge with the dark, hot grounds of the Wilds. There were not many envoys left, and the Mantid seemed fairly localised – they must have pursued the envoys from Stoneplow and leapt upon their chance when the mogu had scattered the convoy.

The convoy appeared to have mostly re-assembled by the time I returned. Ambassador Len spoke to me as the wounded were tended to by Dezco.

‘Thank you so much for your help, mage. Not many would go so far out of their way to aid so many – and I have not seen such prowess against mantid in combat aside from the Shado-Pan themselves.’

‘You give me more credit than I am due, Ambassador. Were it not for the monks of the forest, I would not be here, and were it not for Dezco I would not have been able to help heal your companions.’

‘Then perhaps modesty is your greatest strength.’ The Ambassador chuckled. ‘The civilians will all return in time now that the threat of the mantid here has been extinguished.’

‘And we will rally our troops to aid.’ Dezco’s voice chimed in. ‘Kor should be prepared to attack the Ruins of Korja now, and he will no doubt appreciate your aid against Groundbreaker Brojai, the Lord Reclaimer. Once all the civilians are accounted for, I will follow along with Kang, who is transporting the civilians from the outlying camps.’

I ran back to the ruins, making my way to the deeper command section – an isolated clearing, with a terrace surrounded by the same lion-like statues I had encountered in the Ruins of Dojan. In the centre of the circle lay Kor and, I assumed, the leader of the Kaldorei Sentinels in the area. Unfortunately, we were too late, and as we charged Brojai struck killing blows on them.

‘You fail to bend knee to our power? THEN DIE LIKE THE VERMIN YOU ARE!’

‘LYALIA!’

‘KOR!’

A Highborne charged Brojai at the same time I and Dezco did, and Kang joined us shortly after. Even with the statues on his side, he could not match our fury, and as Brojai fell an explosion shook the earth as the portals and structures among the ruins collapsed along with his magic.

Neither side wished to fight after all the losses of Krasarang, and the Highborne – a man named Vaeldrin – agreed with Dezco a truce while both sides recouped their losses and moved against the mantid. Kor in our possession, we moved back to the Retreat.

‘Thank you, Keliera, for helping me avenge my friends and my wife in these lands. I did not always see eye to eye with Kor, but he was my brother, just as I now call you my sister, and I will mourn him. We will move on shortly, but please know that you always have my gratitude – and should we fight together in the future, know that you can always rely on my aid.’

An air of hope and relief had come over the camp when we returned. Though there was sorrow, there was also the knowledge that our path through the Wilds might now be finished, and better times were ahead – the Tauren would move north, in search of the sacred location in their visions, and I would probably head back to the Valley for a rest. Kang met me on the second night, as the Tauren prepared to leave.

‘Keliera, I now only barely remember the path I set out on that led me here, but I know that for both of us it has been far more fulfilling. Perhaps the Hidden Master was simply mastery over what emotions the Sha here presented to us. If you are returning to the Valley, please inform Xiao that I will be staying here a bit longer under the tutelage of the Crane – there is much this place has taught me, and far more it can offer. The mogu, the mantid, the Sha – these are brave times for Pandaria, and dark times too. I would be prepared for whatever the Hidden Master may offer me, if he ever finds me. It has been a true honour to fight alongside you.’

With my paths in Krasarang now leading out of it, I made my way back to the Temple, which had been fully retaken and restored, and got a kite back up to the start of the Valley I had come from – perhaps a new start, in a way. I left maybe wet, tired and covered in cuts and bruises – but with new resolve, new hope for what lay beyond.

It did not take long for me to reach the Valley of the Four Winds, and after so long in Krasarang the wild expanses and bright sunshine almost seemed alien. Xiao still awaited me in peaceful meditation when I returned.

‘It seems both Ken-Ken and Kang learned thanks to your aid, Keliera. And from what we have heard, the Wilds owe you thanks. I would not be surprised to see Kang and Ken-Ken abandon their pursuit of the Hidden Master in search of greater knowledge… but we will see.’

I caught up with Pang after lunch. He continued to provide comfortable accomodation for those interested in helping out around the farm, and he seemed slightly troubled.

‘The virmen problem has decreased in the past weeks, Keliera, but they have not stopped troubling my farms. My son, Ang, runs the small farm down the road from here. He should have brought me some produce earlier today but I have yet to see him. Would you go and check in with him? I want to make sure everything is alright.’

I had no other pressing engagements, and the farm was not far. As I was setting off, Xiao spoke to me again.

‘Keliera, both Lin and Ashyo have yet to send word back on their progress finding the Hidden Master. Both are capable, but they may not wish to inform me if they are struggling. Ashyo headed north, and Lin headed west. If you meet them on your travels, do find out how they are doing.’

I headed across the fields towards Thunderfoot Farms, and soon found Ang’s residence.

‘Ah, a visitor! Please, come in!’ His warm and friendly face furrowed with frustration after I informed him about my purpose.

‘My father, always interfering. I can handle everything here just fine, he needn’t worry… Alright, maybe not everything is under control. A group of virmen took residence here a week ago, and I and Ana have been struggling to get rid of them. They’ve stolen the crops I was planning to deliver to my father and taken them to the riverside south of here. I need those crops back if my father wants them delivered today.’ I agreed to aid Ang, and shortly after his daughter Ana also requested my aid outside.

‘This place is full of marmots! You gotta help me get rid of these things before my father sees! You take them outside of the farm while I fill in their holes, and then I’ll show you the way the Virmen took our crops.” The marmots proved rather entertaining for morning work, and Ana enjoyed it too, dashing down through the farm to the path below.

‘They went that way, miss! I don’t know what they’re upto, but they’ve been coming and going from that river all day.’

I made my way past the hills beside the river, and fell into a hole.

It was a virmen nest! The thing was huge, and no doubt extended under the nearby farms. Stolen crops littered the floor, and around me huge numbers of virmen young squealed impatiently for food. The few adult virmen around were struggling to mush up the crops fast enough to feed them.

‘Turnips must gets punished!’ A virmen yelled beside me, and attacked the turnips. I was hopelessly confused. Had the turnips offended the virmen somehow? I made my way in and recovered as many turnips as I could, and continued along the river once I scrambled out of the nest. Not far down, a large group of virmen watched… watermelons? With flags?!

Were the Virmen racing watermelons? Really?

I again tried to ignore the utter nonsense that appeared to be first-nature to virmen, and carried as much salvaged produce as I could back to Ang’s farm.

‘What were they doing down there with all this? It may be bruised, but it’s all I can offer.’ Ang moved around his house swiftly, neatly boxing the produce so that it would not be damaged further. ‘I’ll take a look down at the river and see if I can get any seeds, and prevent this being a complete disaster. Please, take this back to my father.’ Ang wrang his hands and hurried outside, followed by Ana, and I made my way back to Pang’s Stead as the mid-afternoon sun moved across the sky.

‘Ho ho! Turnips! Now that’s what I like to see.’ Pang was certainly more enthusiastic than Ang had worried. ‘Now, some of these vegetables will be kept rather than sold, so that my family has enough food to feed themselves, especially with winter not far off. However, we have no option but to ask Miss Fanny to deliver them until the Snagtooth Virmen go away. So, if you would… please bring… these to Miss Fanny, and ask her – NICELY! – to deliver them to my nephew Liang’s ranch.’ Handing me a crate of produce, Pang looked over at the road nervously. ‘Ah… here she comes now…’ He half-pushed me towards one of the large kodo-like beings I had seen in the Jade Forest, which stopped roughly at the side of the house.

I was unsure how to ask a beast to deliver things. I placed the crate of produce on her (her?) back, and began to ask.

‘Uh… Hello, Miss Fanny! It’s very nice to meet you. Pang prepared these for his nephew, Liang, and I’ve come to ask you if you could please deliver for them. He’d be very grateful if you did, since-‘ The creature grabbed the crate with her tail, and threw it towards a nearby farmstead with a grunt. It landed perfectly.

I was speechless. With little else to do, I set off for the Farmstead to make sure that the food had arrived safely.

Valley of the Four Winds/Krasarang Wilds: Part 1

With the death of the Sha of Doubt the Jade Heart’s corruption lifted, and with it Yu’Lon’s strength returned. She moved to the courtyard as the survivors gathered, and addressed us.

‘Thanks to you the Temple is saved. A chain of events began when your people arrived in these lands, and it shows no sign of stopping. While these happenings have proven traumatic, there must be a larger purpose yet for you here. For now it is wisest for you to leave the Jade Forest, and explore the rest of Pandaria. It would be best if the natives did not see you here for a time.’

Yu’Lon moved to the front of the temple, where we clambered on to her and she gracefully leapt into the sky, ferrying us forth across the Forest, past the devastation and west towards the lands we had not yet seen.

‘The battles here have extracted a heavy toll. My rebirth will have to wait some years. I do not know why the Mists have opened, only that it was for a reason. Your war has exposed the darkness hidden in Pandaria – this you have seen for yourself. You are the reason for the opening of the Mists. You must find your purpose. The Valley of the Four Winds is a good place to start.

Another visitor is in the Valley, a Pandaren not native to Pandaria. His name is Chen Stormstout. Learn from him and make friends among the people. Farewell, strangers. I hope to call you friends when we meet again.’

With that, Yu’Lon set back off towards the Jade Forest, dropping us off on the border with the Valley.

‘Be wise, travellers. You must prove to the people here that your purpose extends beyond war and destruction.’

Sure enough, the fabled Chen Stormstout and his niece, Li Li, made camp on the main road not far from where I was.

‘Ha ha! Hello, stranger! My niece and I are new to Pandaria, probably like yourself. We’re visitors from the Wandering Isle. We’re not entirely sure where we’re going next, but the farm up ahead looks like a good place to stay. Would you like to accompany us?’

So Chen Stormstout, the mighty Pandaren brewmaster was from the Wandering Isle, the home of the Huojin Pandaren that had joined the Horde – and the Tushui Pandaren who had joined the Alliance.

I accompanied Chen and Li Li – a talkative pandaren girl who complained quite loudly about how slow Chen was going – to a nearby farmstead owned by a Pandaren named Pang. Though Chen offered ale in return for a place to sleep, Pang declined, perfectly happy for us to stay anyway.

Dawn was rising over the Valley of the Four Winds, and it was a sight to behold. The plains are majestic, far wider, greener and more sweeping than those of Nagrand or Mulgore, and yet nothing like them. Trees and fronds grew from bluffs and light winds made whole acres shimmer.

Pang Thunderfoot, who was providing us kindly with a place to stay, was a retired farmer. ‘The rest of my family runs the farms around here, and I am content to stay here and sell on what they send up. I have plenty of room for visitors. But things are quite troubled. The virmen – rabbit-like creatures around the hills here – have begun to invade the farms, eating our prized crops. Please, if you could spare the time, go take out some of the pests.’

Protecting this man’s livelihood was the least I could do, especially since he was such a benevolent host. I was starting out along the path into the farmland when I noticed a curious scroll propped against the side of the house.

‘Embracing the Passions

While some of the more tame forest hozen have chosen to intergrate with pandaren culture, they remain at their core a simple race driven by their passions. They love hunting and fishing, and often will assault anyone and everything in their hunting grounds. An unfortunate situation, since the hozen hunting ground seldom have consistent bordering or signage. Thankfully, most hozen are kept in check by pandaren monks.’

What a curious bit of information. I wondered if there were hozen in the Valley, and if they would be friendly after the destruction of their relatives in the Jade Forest. My confirmation was right behind me, as a hozen farmhand was busy shovelling hay. He beckoned me over.

‘Me Muno. You know Virmen, dumb little rabbit-things? They not just steal our food. They try start farms of their own. But they dumb. Last night, they break into tool shed, and we wakes up to find rakes and wheelbarrows planted in ground! They was trying to GROW WHEELBARROWS. Please unbury our stuff while you out there.’

I was not sure whether to be wary or amused by the virmen. I found out fairly quickly, as their rabbit-like appearance hid sharp teeth and fast claws. Cries of ‘you go away!’ as they guarded their ‘crops’ filled the air and alerted swarms of the things to me. I was forced to adopt a scorched earth policy more than once. By the time I got back to Pang’s Stead, I had a good collection of tools, and an extensive collection of bitemarks.

‘You’ve done pretty well. There’s still some bounding around, but I’d say they’re scared of you now. You’ve definitely more than earned your stay here.’

Leaving the house to ask about the Valley, I noticed a group of monks hanging around the house. They seemed familiar.

‘Keliera!’ One of the Pandaren in the collective ran over. It was Lin Tenderpaw, a pandaren woman I had become friends with in my time at the Xian Monastery.

‘Lin! What are you doing here?’

‘We graduated from the Tian Monastery not long after you left. We’re on a journey to find the Hidden Master here in the Valley.’

‘The- Hidden Master? What’s that?’

‘Lin, are you coming?’ One of the other monks yelled. Lin dragged me over. ‘You can listen in! It’ll be fun.’

‘Does anyone know where to find the hidden master?’ Asked Kang Bramblestaff.

‘No, silly. That’s why he’s hidden.’

After a long argument, it was decided that the monks there would split up and search for the hidden master through each of the Four Winds – north, east, south and west. After they had split up, I spoke to Xiao, who would remain waiting for the others at the Stead.

‘Ken-Ken and Kang have both gone to the Krasarang Wilds to try search for the hidden master. Their paths are dangerous enough, and I worry that with the lack of humility and brains between them, they may end up in a tight spot. Could you please go and check that they are alright?’

I had hoped to spend more time in the Valley, but it was always something I could come back to later. I agreed, and spent most of that afternoon on the silent paths of the Valley, heading south towards Krasarang. I had been told in Dawn’s Blossom that the Krasarang Wilds formed the densest jungle in Pandaria, and had once covered its entire southern tract, fought back only by the Pandaren, whose agricultural ways had kept the Wilds from spreading beyond the Yan-Zhe River that separated the Valley from the jungle.

The paths made me long for my hawkstrider once more. Velore had been left in Grookin Hill, and there was a good chance that he had made it unscathed through everything that had happened after I had left for Serpent’s Overlook. I passed Thunderfoot Fields, heading southwest until I reached Zhu’s Watch, a lookout post that kept the bridge between the Wilds and the Valley free of trouble.

Past the bridge is Zhu’s descent, and here the grounds become marshy and darker. The trees grow taller, and all you can see in the south is untamed jungle. I found Ken Ken, a hozen monk, in the grounds of the main Watch. Rain fell from the purple skies. Something seemed amiss. Ken-Ken was upset when I found him.

‘This place.. it so sad! Ken-Ken never see a place so sad!’ I asked him what was going on.

‘Pandaren usually welcome travellers with open arms – they always happy to see you even if they really sad! But this town full of jerks! They all so busy sulking that they don’t talk to Ken-Ken at all. Maybe normal Pandaren hiding. Can you find someone who will talk to us?’

Ken-Ken was right. Very few Pandaren were even willing to look at you in Zhu’s Watch, never mind talk. I wandered in to the inn, and it was quite. No merriment. Things were definitely wrong. This went against all of Pandaren culture I had experienced so far. I spoke to Mei Barrelbottom outside the inn.

‘My nephew has always had a pessimistic view of things. When this weird wave of despair hit the town, he took it harder than most. He sat for days and wouldn’t eat. Now he’s wandered off towards the cliffs northeast of here, where the Thunderbirds nest. They’ll eat him alive. Please, you have to find Yi-Mo!’ I agreed, but spoke to a few more people before I left town. The wardens of the town refused to speak at all, stuck in their malaise. A woman named Sunni mentioned that no one had wanted to do anything since the rain had begun, and others mentioned that they toiled pointlessly, and that I was another person come to disturb them.

This was all very confusing. I had certainly never encountered such despair on a wide scale. I headed northeast to search for Yi-Mo, feeling that further attempts to get past the villagers’ apathy would only result in me getting annoyed.

The large Thunderbirds dominate the trees of the Zhu province, huge buzzard-like birds that could eat an elk whole. Fortunately the rain provided cover. The buzzards didn’t seem all that interested, anyway.

I found Yi-Mo by the edge of the cliffs, where a cruel wind blew. He was on the floor, simply sighing. He seemed… darker than the usual pandaren, like his fur was grey.

‘Let me guess: my aunt sent you?’ Yi-Mo sighed again. ‘Ever since the rain began, I’ve felt exhausted. Not physically. Like my soul is worthless. Hopeless. I feel worthless to everyone. At least the thunderbirds will have a good meal from me.’

Yi-Mo didn’t seem in the mood to move anywhere, so I took the next best option and rolled him back to town. The thunderbirds did not take kindly at this, pecking at me as I stole their next meal, and Yi-Mo even encouraged them as I kept moving! When we finally got back to town he stalked off, leaving me alone. I spoke to Mei afterwards.

‘He was going to let himself get eaten by the thunderbirds? I can’t believe it.. this despair affecting the town is worse than I thought. I cannot thank you enough for saving him.’

Mei took a breath and explained the situation.

‘All of this started with our ponds. In a single day, all the water retreated into the earth. When there was none left, it began to fall from the sky. But the ponds do not fill. They are never quenched. Now they birth horrific manifestations of despair – elementals made from the water of the sky and the salt of the earth. The Tears of Pandaria.’

Ken-Ken joined us in the inn, seeking shelter from the rain.

‘Only one lady panda who not crazy? This worse than Ken-Ken thought, Keliera. But Ken-Ken have old hozen remedy that might do trick. Need to mix honey, fish oil and salt. Ken-Ken saw beehives around town, and fish in the dry ponds, but not sure where to fetch salt.’ Mei interjected. ‘The manifestations by the ponds are made of the salts there. If you defeat them, you should be able to extract the salt.’

It was getting quite dark, but I set out anyway, since the pools were not far. Not only were they close, but they were familiar.

The ground was black, and the outside blinding white with the energy being sapped from it. It was the same devastation that had befallen Serpent’s Heart after the Sha of Doubt broke free. The Sha must be around here somewhere, and fairly strong if they had affected a whole town.