It turns out that there was still a few things I could help out with before I made my way to Goldshire. Deputy Willem told me more about the thieves that have been causing problems in the area. They call themselves the Defias Brotherhood and that they’ve occupied an area east of the river. He essentially placed a bounty on them asking that I return with the red bandannas they wear as proof of their deaths and I would be rewarded with a new weapon. Seeing as the weapon I’d been using is getting pretty dinged up, how could I refuse.

It seems the Defias keep a man guarding the eastern side of the bridge. I spotted him before he spotted me and was able to sneak up behind him, pick his pocket and backstab him. The fight ended very shortly after that. That’s pretty much what happened with each Defias I engaged in battle… Not very good thieves at all if you ask me. It wasn’t long before I had a dozen bandannas to bring back to Deputy Willem. True to his word I was rewarded not only a military issue dagger but a bit of coin as well.

Turns out Jorik heard about my exploits and decided I was ready for more training. He taught me not only how to improve my Sinister Strike but also an technique he called Gouge, which hurts your enemy and incapacitates them for a few seconds. And a few seconds is all I need to get behind them for a backstab! Fortunately the training didn’t take quite as long this time.

When my training was finished and Jorik deemed me fit to use my new techniques in battle I was approached by Deputy Willem asking if I could do him a favor.

“You’ve shown yourself to be a dependable rogue, Garrett” he said to me before asking me to talk with his “friend” Milly Osworth. She was having some sort of trouble but Willem didn’t go into detail, just asked that I go speak with her. Plausible deniability I guess? Either way I figured it wouldn’t hurt to talk to her.

Apparently the Defias had invaded her vineyard. She’d already informed the local guard but they had yet to do anything about it. Plus she was worried about her crop getting damaged as soldiers and thieves did battle amongst her fields. I can’t say I blame her… I’m pretty sure dozens of fully armored soldiers running through the vines and swinging swords isn’t good for the grapes. What she asked me next though seemed impossible… that I gather her crop and bring it to her. Really? An entire field of grapes by myself? She said she already collected most of the crops into buckets it still seemed too much work for one man but I told her I’d try.

Thankfully the Defias continued to be terrible thieves and I was able to sneak most of the crop right out from under their noses, only getting spotted a couple of times. And those Defias were quickly dispatched. Milly was so thankful she even referred to me as a hero… Definitely never been called that before!

Milly had one final favor to ask, that I take her grape manifest to Brother Neals. I guess he likes to spend most of his time up in the bell tower of the abbey boozing it up. I agreed, but I couldn’t help taking a peak at what she’d written before I did:

Brother Neals,

My grapes are saved! Garrett, the bearer of this manifest, braved my thug infested vineyard and gathered the grapes that I could not. Although the Defias still roam across the river, nearly my entire crop has been salvaged.

You may add a full load of grape bushell’s to your stores.

May the light protect us,

- Milly Osworth

I found Brother Neals exactly where she said he’d be, up in the bell tower, and it was clear he’d already tied a few on. I handed him the note (as it was no kind of manifest that I’d ever seen) and he read it over quickly.

“Oh my! Milly’s grapes have been saved! When she told me that brigands overran her vineyards I nearly despaired, but my faith in the light did not waver!”

Of course it was obvious he cared little about Milly’s vineyard, just that now he could make more wine. Clearly moderation means nothing to “Brother” Neals. Good to know they’ll let just about anyone into the clergy in case this rogue thing doesn’t pan out. Anyway, as thanks he did give me a nice cloak, even if it did have wine stains on it.

A short time later I was approached by Deputy Willem. They had discovered the location of the leader of the local Defias gang, Garrick Padfoot, and asked if I could bring  him the villain’s head. That seemed a little extreme as killing him would do the same purpose without my having to carry a head around in my backpack but… I told him I would do my best.

I found him outside an old shack near the vineyard, exactly where I was told he would be. Seeing as the rest of his gang were such poor thieves I tried my usual tactic of pick-pocketing then back stabbing. Unfortunately, it seems there was a reason he was the leader of this rabble as he discovered me. It was a tough fight, particularly because one of his Defias thugs heard the commotion and rushed to his aid. Fortunately I prevailed but there was a moment when I thought I was a goner. I bandaged my wounds, collected his head, and made my way back to Willem.

“Hah – you caught him! You’ve done Elwynn a great service, and earned a nice bounty!” Willem said when I showed him Garrick’s head.

I didn’t realize I would get a bounty but I guess I should have expected it, him being a wanted criminal and all. Not to mention there’s not a single task I’ve helped with where I didn’t receive something in exchange whether it be coin or something else I could use. Where I come from, that almost never happened! In any case, he gave me a new tunic to replace the somewhat ragged one I had been wearing.

After killing the gang leader there was little else for me to do in Northshire so, I said my goodbyes, and began a journey that would take me outside the walls for the first time. There was a big world to discover and Goldshire was to be my first stop.

Seriously Amazon, WTF?

Justin Timberlake, Andy Samberg, and the folks at SNL have outdone themselves. “Dick in a Box” has now taken the #2 spot for best skit ever.

It took much longer than I originally thought for Jorik to train me in those new skills but once he deemed me ready I couldn’t wait to try them out. I heard that Marshal McBride needed to see me so I went to see him at the Abbey. Turns out he had a letter for me, an encrypted letter, from Jorik:

Never been more proud to be part of the trade as I am in these last few years. The need for assassins, spies, and scouts has never been more prevalent. You’d think war-time would have had a higher demand, but surprisingly, war isn’t a time we flourish like we do now — the times after peace starts to deteriorate.

I was told you’d be in the area looking to learn a few things. When you have time, come see me by the stables in back of the abbey.

Jorik Kerridan, Rogue Trainer

I found it strange that Jorik would send me that letter through the Marshal when he could have just given it to me himself, or, better yet, saved the paper and ink since he’s already been training me for weeks. I went to see him about it and I guess it’s just something that goes out to all trainees. However he did tell me a few things I didn’t know, those being the names of several of the outfits that covet skills such as mine: other adventurers, SI:7, even the Defias Brotherhood.

“You remember this,” Jorik said to me. “You’re your own man. Don’t let nobody bully you into doing something you don’t wanna do! Besides, we hold all the cards… at least, we do before the game’s done. Know what I mean?”

I didn’t really but it seemed an odd thing to say anyways so…

After that weird exchange I went back to Marshal McBride to see if he had any assignments for me and fortunately he did. Apparently the kobolds are still causing problems and a group of them had camped near the Echo Ridge Mine. He said that his scouts had counted at least 10 of them and asked that I kill them, find out if there were any more and report back. Putting my new skills to work I would sneak up to each kobold, do a little pick pocketing, then stab them in the back. For the most part it went well but there were a few occasions where my pick pocketing wasn’t as unnoticeable as I would have liked. Needless to say however, these kobolds weren’t much of a challenge. After taking care of the ones at the camp I scouted around and found that there were quite a few more than then just the ones at the camp so I headed back to the Marshal to let him know.

Upon hearing the news he asked me to return and help clear the mine of kobolds, so after a brief rest I did. While killing kobolds and exploring the mine I managed to find some new equipment, a minor healing potion, and a couple of gems… malachite I think they’re called. The potion intrigues me, a vial of what looks like red cough syrup. Hopefully it doesn’t taste like it… I’d almost rather be stabbed than try to chug a bottle of Robitussin. Anyways, after killing as many kobolds as I could I once again returned to the Abbey. He thanked me for everything I’d done and then handed me a new belt to replace the old ragged one I’d been using.

“Garrett, you are a rogue with proven interest in the security of Northshire. You are now tasked with the protection of the surrounding Elwynn Forest,” he said to me while handing me some papers. If I decide to accept the duty then I’m to report to Marshal Dughan in Goldshire. At least he told me how to get there. I’m not sure if I was supposed to look at these papers or not but, nothing was sealed so…

Report: Kobolds

The activity of kobolds has increased in the vicinity of Northshire Valley. They camp north of the abbey and within the Echo Ridge Mine in alarming numbers. I have marshalled paladins, warriors and other local folk to aid me in ridding us of the vermin.

This progresses well. And I will update as needed.

Report: Thieves

More alarming than the kobolds, a human gang of thieves has emerged in the valley. They wear red bandanas and call themselves a brotherhood. This level of organization may lead to trouble, both here and in all of Elwynn Forest.

We have identified one of their leaders — one Garrick Padfoot — and hope to bring him to justice soon.

Report: Wolves

There has been an increase in reported animal attacks in Northshire. Eagan believes the wolves in the valley were scared here from Duskwood.

Although the wolves rarely hunt human prey, the sheer number of them has caused some incidents with farmers. And many livestock have gone missing.

COMMENDATION:

The bearer of these documents is to be awarded Deputy status with the Stormwind Army, having served Northshire with eagerness and distinction. I am confident you will find this person useful in Elwynn Forest.

signed:

Marshal Douglas McBride,

Stormwind Army, Northshire

It’s weird to think I’ve been on this world for a couple of months now and Northshire has been my home away from home for a couple of months now. I’m definitely excited to see more of this place but I decided not to leave right away. I wanted to at least take one last look around and say my goodbye’s.

As I was walking around the abbey I came across a man who called himself Eagan Peltskinner, the one mentioned in the report. A very odd fellow this one. Kept going on about hating wolves but how he loved eating wolf meat and how hungry he was. He asked if I would go gather wolf meat for him and promised to make it worth my while. If nothing else it would be a good test of my new skills… if I could sneak up on a wolf I could surely sneak up on anyone!

They certainly weren’t hard to find, the woods around the abbey were indeed practically teeming with them. Much to my surprise I was even able to sneak up on them! Also, much to my surprise, it wasn’t very difficult to take one down with nothing but a dagger. I guess the training I received was even better than I suspected. Eagan wanted quite a bit of meat and there wasn’t much decent meat on any of the creatures I came across so I had to kill several before I had enough. When I returned to him he was quite thrilled and gave me a pair of wolfskin bracers to use. Before I could even thank him he’d already started cooking up the meat. I guess he wasn’t kidding!

Soon I will make my way to Goldshire and see what more this world has to show me. Until then… Deputy in the Stormwind Army? That’s kinda cool.

I found this fun new site while browsing the Penny Arcade forums today. Type in a name to automatically generate a Brute, pick your colors and start fighting.

You can fight mine here: http://naturalchaos.mybrute.com.

Post yours in the comments so I can check them out and try to kick their asses!