Part 2 of my Dustwallow Marsh scenario continues! Again, I will point out that this is far from perfect, so there is always a chance I’ve made a mistake in some fashion. It’s also just meant as a hypothetical scenario of how the Stonemaul Ogres could be put back in the current story as a lead-in to them being playable on the Horde.
We last left off with Brackenwall Village having been defended from an organized attack from the dragonkin that have temporarily stopped. While the rest of the main NPC’s in the area go to fill each other in on the situation and plan, our attention is sought by an Orc that gave a few quests in Cataclysm’s Dustwallow Marsh:
Krog: Champion! A moment of your time, if I may. If you happen to be traveling out, I’d like to ask you to check on the witch, Tabetha. Despite being a human, we have made peace with her and promised to respect her property. I fear with the increased attacks that she may be in danger. If you collect some of those overgrown lizards’ weapons, take them to her to see if she can make sense of what they are.
Rexxar: If you’re going out there, Misha and I will come with you. There are likely patrols out there, and you could use someone use to the wilds to aid you.
Brogg: Ooo! Ooo! Brogg come too! Brogg want help magic hooman who taught Brogg magics! Brogg want learn wut magic in leezard weapons!
–Brogg is the two-headed Ogre mage that sat in Mudsprocket, giving you some quests. Something I may not have mentioned before was that not only do the weapons the dragonkin are wielding foreign, but they’ve been magically enchanted in a way that makes them more powerful than they normally are.–
As our group reaches Tabetha’s house, they see a giant red sphere being assaulted by the dragonkin mobs.
Rexxar: What is that sphere?
Brogg: Dats ah magic shell for protects! Tab-Tab be in dere!
Rexxar: Theres a house in there?! Then we better help her out before it fails!
A brief battle later…
Brogg: Tab-Tab! Yoo ok in dere?! We bashed da leezards!
The magic shell dissipates.
Tabetha: Is that you Brogg, dear? You came just in time!
Rexxar: We were sent to check on you and make sure you were ok.
Tabetha: Krog set you, right? He’s thoughtful as always. Those horrid dragon things are worse than the Grimtotem! When I saw the commotion towards Brackenwall Village, I wanted to help, but I was stuck here with those fire lizards at my door.
Rexxar: We brought some of their weapons. Krog asked us if you could examine them. They seem to be magically enchanted.
Tabetha: Bring them inside and I’ll take a look. Now, let’s see here. (she examines them and casts an identifying spell) Hmm, interesting…first of all, the designs appear to be similar to that of naga weapons.
(Brogg ducks and manages to squeeze through the doorway)
Rexxar: Naga? What could they possibly get from aiding that brood?
Tabetha: What is even weirder is that the magic they’ve enchanted on these weapons is very similar to the remnants of Theramore…from that mana bomb.
Rexxar: That mana bomb left that much residue?
Brogg: Hoomy city went boom from bomb. Made da place dangerous ta be in since da boom.
Tabetha: Yes, the mana bomb’s effects still lingered long after it went off and destroyed Theramore. The traces in these weapons are very similar to it.
Rexxar: I have a very bad feeling about this. Champion, we should report back at Brackenwall Village. Tabetha, thank you for your help, but I fear the attacks may continue. If you want, we could escort you-
Tabetha: Oh, that won’t be necessary. We’re more than capable of handling them from here. Besides, I have more work to do in studying these weapons. I’ll make sure to send a message with my findings.
Brogg: Brogg stay. Make sure Tab-Tab safe un help with magic shell.
Rexxar: Very well, but if things take a turn for the worse, head to Brackenwall Village.
Tabetha: (nods) Good luck, and safe travels!
–A thing to note about the mana bomb is that I found, on WoWhead, something that seemed like a worldquest for both Horde and Alliance. You were sent there to explore the ruined of Theramore as a potential place to build a base, and the mana bomb’s effects are still active and damaging if you stay in them long enough. As far as I know, this has not been implemented on live and it seems like it could’ve been related to the rumored Barrens Warfront, in that the Barrens could have been changed to an updated area with world quests and such…which, if I’m right, would be interesting to see if Blizzard put the Stonemaul Clan in the story that way. If anyone knows about this quest I mentioned, please feel free to mention it and describe it some more. As it is, all I can do is speculate.–
Back to the story, we then head back to Brackenwall Village to fill in Thrall and the rest and fill them in with Tabetha’s findings.
Thrall: I doubt that brood took those naga weapons by force…so what would the naga gain from giving them weapons?
Draz’zilb: I’m not comfortable with the essence of that mana bomb in these weapons, either. It’s no wonder they managed to get the advantage on us.
–Something to note is that Draz’zilb is that smart Ogre mage that offers some quests in Cataclysm’s Dustwallow Marsh—
Rexxar: Perhaps we should investigate the ruins of Theramore to see what exactly is being done to gather the essence, then.
Thrall: Yes…
Rexxar: You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Thrall.
Thrall: No, I should. We don’t know what dangers are there, and we shouldn’t go with too few people. Even if we just scout it out. I’ll…be ok.
Megs: If it’s bomb related, I should come too! I know a thing or two about mana bombs and I can scan the area for radiation and make sure it won’t hurt us!
Thrall: It was powerful enough to still be dangerous?
Megs: Oh yeah! The whole land area was dangerous ever since that city went kablooey!
Thrall: (winces)
Megs: Err, wrong choice of words?
Thrall: Let’s just head there.
And thus, you, Thrall, Rexxar, Misha, and Megs fight your way to the ruins of Theramore.
Rexxar: The ruins should be close.
Megs: Wait a sec! Don’t get too close. That stuff is still a hot area.
Thrall: Wait a minute, I see some naga there. They’re holding orbs of some sort.
Megs: Seriously? (climbs on top of Rexxar and peers in the distance) Yeah, yeah I see them too. Just a sec. (whips out a scanning devices and fiddles with it) Hmm, that’s odd. This is saying theres barely any of that radiation thing from the mana bomb.
Rexxar: Could you ask bef-
Thrall: Wait, they’re moving away.
(The naga slither into the nearby water)
Megs: Hmm…now it’s saying theres no radiation whatsoever.
Thrall: Then they must have tapped it of that essence completely.
Megs: (climbs down Rexxar)
Rexxar: You could’ve climbed the bear, you know.
Megs: Yeah, but you were less likely to eat me after the fact. Anyways, tread carefully boys. That mana bomb was nasty stuff.
–After seeing the area clear, the group walks up to the ruins, looking out for any signs of naga nearby.–
Thrall: (sighs) Jaina…I should have been there. I should never have left the…
Rexxar: It’s not your fault, Thrall. You weren’t the one who ordered the bomb to be used here.
Thrall: Yes, but…
Rexxar: Even if you had never left, something likely would’ve happened that would have pushed us into war again. At any rate, there will be time for regret later. We need to think of the people that we’ll save, not those that have already perished.
Thrall: You’re right. Let’s continue.
Megs: Hold up, fellas! (fiddles with her scanner again) Hmm, this scanner is detecting some movement east of us.
Rexxar: The naga must be doing something down below the depths. Drat, if only we had members of The Unshackled here.
Megs: Hold up a sec. (digs around in her bag) Let’s see…aha! I got three underwater breathing masks right here!
Rexxar: Then two of us will have to wait up here.
Thrall: I’ll wait up here. I feel that my lightning magic may work better when not surrounded by water.
Rexxar: Will you be alright?
Megs: Don’t worry, I’ll stay here with him. Now, let me see if I can get this to the right size for our bear friend here.
Misha: (roars loudly)
Megs: And that’s why I don’t climb bears.
Rexxar: Here, I’ll put that on her.
Megs: I’ll give you a radio also, so we can talk to each other. Here ya go, champ! (hands a radio and breathing mask to the player character)
Thrall: Stay sharp down there. Naga are formidable in their home turf.
Rexxar: They haven’t met Misha yet, then.
Megs: (starts looking around the area muttering to herself) Hmm…ya know, this might actually work…(starts measuring different spots of ground)
With this part, we go underwater and perform a few quests. We slaughter a lot of naga, collect the orbs mentioned previously, gather up some important looking plans, a few weapons, and likely fight a giant sea monster that the naga have as a guard as well. I’ll leave this part to the imagination so I can finish this part sooner, but ultimately, the underwater naga camp is destroyed and the group comes back up to find…
Thrall: Are you insane?!
Megs: Well, you kinda have to be in this business.
Thrall: Why would you want to build a base here of all places?!
Megs: Look around! It’d be perfect for a shipyard! Those Ogres know how to make ships, and it’d be a great spot to make sure the naga don’t come back!
Thrall: Yes, but…that’s just…
Rexxar: Thrall. The Alliance has changed since you were last warchief.
Thrall: This would just incite them towards war!
Rexxar: They’re already at war with us! Theres no turning back. The Jaina you knew died a long time ago. Nothing is going to change it. They’re going to seek us out on some delusional genocide until all of us are no more.
Thrall: …
Rexxar: We have to stop worrying about their people and start worrying about ours.
Thrall: I…I see the wisdom, much as I don’t like it.
Megs: I’ll get my people on it as soon as we take care of the area. Now, you got those plans you found?
Rexxar: Here. I can’t make heads or tails of it, myself.
Megs: (flips through the different plans) Hmm…well, this one is how they’re enchanting the weapons with that mana bomb essence…this one seems to be how to get the essence in and out of those orb thingies…huh. This one looks like plans for their own mana bomb.
Rexxar: They were going to make their own mana bombs?!
Megs: Looks like it. Though, they lack the items that made this one so powerful…still, I’d hate to see what they would’ve come up with given enough time and research.
Thrall: We should get back to Brackenwall Village. Maybe some of the Ogre mages there can do something with those plans to give us the upper hand. Also see if Tabetha sent a report on her findings.
Megs: I’m sure I can whip up a disenchanting device of some sort also. Something that wouldn’t affect us, of course.
Rexxar: Or blow us up.
Megs: Yeah, blowing up the people keeping me alive is rather low on my list of fun, happy, and healthy activities.
And so the group goes back to Brackenwall Village, where part 3 will start in the near future.
This just adds a bit more to the storyline using different elements of what people may be familiar with in Cataclysm’s Dustwallow Marsh. In this scenario, the naga had a presence since they are in the upcoming 8.2 patch. Them giving enchanted weapons to the dragonkin serves as a distraction to the Horde forces in the area, along with any Theramore survivors still in the area, and they were off research their own mana bomb to likely be launched at Orgimmar, given that it isn’t too far away. The dragonkin the area have their own agenda, however, which I’ll work on in the near future.
That said, hope anyone who read this enjoyed it. ^^