Cyonna shivered, and pulled her cloak more snugly around her body. The nights on Mount Hyjal had been cold, but this icy chill was like nothing she had ever experienced. She felt as if her very spirit was being frozen out of her bones. "Actually," she thought, "that might not be too far from the truth of the matter." She shivered again, more of a shudder this time.

"Steady, Gwen. Tonight we shall begin our climb under the cover of darkness."

The elven Priestess and her companion, a white tiger, remained hidden in the last forested land of Northrend. The remaining section of their journey was above the timberline, and was far too risky to be attempted in the daylight. Besides, there would be a full moon tonight, and with it would come Elune's blessing.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder if her quest was mere folly. She had come a great distance, but how could any one person be successful in defeating Ner'zhul? Cyonna thought back to the atrocities that she had already seen on her journey. The Human city of Irvine, once a thriving center of technology, lay in ruin, its inhabitants doomed to an eternity of undeath. She had barely escaped with her life after being attacked by a terrifying Reziarfg! Ghouls and gargoyles were now common, even in the south. If she did not act soon, she suspected that her sacred forests would soon be only a memory in a desolate wasteland.

If anyone was still around to remember.

She had no choice. Ner'zhul must be defeated, and she was the one who must defeat him.

A rank smell startled her to awareness. The plants around Gwen's feet had begun to turn brown and decay, right before her eyes! The stench grew stronger, and she had to stifle the urge to vomit as she urged Gwen forward, away from the corrupted cloud. She had been discovered! That instantaneous decay could mean only one thing- a Lich!

As she urged her mount forward, the sun finally sank below the horizon. "For the Goddess!" she shouted, and charged…

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