Chapter 7 — The Long Way to the Charred Vale

I started the night underground, which is a strange place for a druid. The High Seat, the Great Forge, the Vault, the Mystic Ward, the Forlorn Cavern — I walked most of Ironforge with Rambleon, a hunter who stayed with me for the better part of the road. Somewhere in all that stone I finished "The Powers Below" and decided I had earned sky.

So: Darnassus. I took a picture going in, then circled the Craftsmen's Terrace more times than a sensible elf would, picked up "Twilight Falls," and carried on down to Rut'theran Village. From there it was the Veiled Sea, Darkshore at Mist's Edge, Auberdine, the Long Wash, Twilight Shore, then the Zoram Strand and out again until the coast handed me to the Stonetalon Mountains. I photographed each border crossing like a tourist who suspects he will not pass this way again.

At Stonetalon Peak I took "Reclaiming the Charred Vale," and then spent the rest of the night learning the route by heart: Mirkfallon Lake, Webwinder Path, a brief wrong turn into Windshear Crag, back again. The basilisks in the hills went first — blackened ones, thirteen of them, more than the job strictly required. Then the Vale itself, and the harpies: six Bloodfury Harpies counted off for the quest, with ambushers and windcallers besides, a few rogue flame spirits, two charred ancients. Arktalis and Falsila, both druids, appeared in the middle of it and stayed for a good long stretch of the work. I kept taking pictures. I am not sure the Charred Vale photographs well, but I tried.

We walked back to Darnassus together and parted there — Arktalis in the city proper, Falsila by the Warrior's Terrace. I went up to the Cenarion Enclave, took "The Great Cat Spirit," and found myself in Nighthaven. The cat business was handed back and given again, twice, which seems to be how these things go. "Trial of the Lake" and "The Principal Source" came with it.

I ended out on Lake Elune'ara with the barrow dens behind me and no level to show for any of it. Three quests done, thirty places walked. That will do.