Party Time!

So the world will Shatter soon, which I say is cause for a party! But not quite yet, there are some things to celebrate, such as:

Paths trod, sometimes lonely, sometimes with the company of good people who make me laugh and scream and hope. The first time I saw the sunset over the coastlands of Westfall I believed myself to be in a dream, a mirage before my eyes of indescribable lights, colors, known to me then first and visiting my dreams regularly afterward.

The crunch of the snow beneath my feat as I wade my way through the frostbite and cold of Winterspring is recalled to memory as I move forward on my current path toward descruction. White, soft and crisp, I thought I could see my breath, if I was breathing at all. But I don't see how I could have as my breath was taken away. So one, two, three more steps I take along the snow capped peak as I take in the winter beauty and the peaceful desolation.

Then I woke up on a new path, a place of continual autumn. The yellow of the sun born into the leaves of Eversong Woods. The orange of the first pumkin of the season, waiting patiently on the ground surrounded by the greens leaves and the hope and spring of a new day; the orange suddenly taken and reincarnated in the veins of the trees of the North, South, East and West. I'm filled with wonder, with awe, with the new heart of a child who first steps foot on the summit of a mountain, when scanning the heavens above and the earth beneath first learns that he/she is not alone, that a wide world awaits full of promise and potential, while signaling an eventual finality.

New paths, strange paths, lead me into dark caverns filled with enemies and spies. Terror shakes at my heart and my courage falters for a moment. Then lifted again by the roaring charge of valiant Warriors I take the plunge into battle, where blood is frozen and shadows terrorize my waking dreams. Then fire, fire, everywhere around me, engulfing me and taunting me. MOVE, the call rings out, but danger causes my heart to fail and the spirit world became my closest friend and most bitter enemy. Yet in the midst of chaos I hear the clear call of laughter, not remote but near to the heart. There is joy even in the deepest dungeons of the world, where brave adventurers joined forces to vanquish the most evil of demons and men. Rejoicing at the victories, and sometimes and the monumental collapses that demand the heart lightened.

Then there were strange paths, curious paths, that fill my memories with awe and wonder. The shoreline is steep, the water lurks, and beasts unknown swim in the depths thereof. I find places forgotten, strongholds long lost, and green grass to rest my weary legs and meditate. Alone, but happier for it, for in this place nobody will find me. My explorations have lead me to the remote seashores and mountain tops in all of Azeroth, found only by the wandering few who sought solitude in times of trouble and times where their adventurous heart pulled them thither. My place, my own, regardless of who trod there before me, this place, this hideout, has been claimed by my peace of mind and it shall not be relinquished.

But through all these paths I cannot, will not forget my first few steps. Green grass, tall trees, a small abby with simple vendors desiring to equip me for the dangers that lurked. One short step at a time I moved deeper into this world. Even upon leaving my first home fear was never so much that courage couldn't find its way through, pulling me inexorably through the darkness of nighttime of Elwynn Forest to adventures and lands of greater wonder.

Soaking my boots in the Swamps of Sorrows only to dry out and crack in the desolation that was the Blasted Lands. Swatting the bugs off my neck in the sulty jungles of Stranglethorn to crawling on all fours in search for even the appearance of water in Tanaris. Once I recall my eyes drawn to the sorrow that was Arthas' Tears, growing solemly on the slopes of a lonely hill in the midst of undead terrors. How I sorrowed too for the man, the Prince, the King. Cursed, overcome, evil spreading to his heart only to be rescued by death in the end in the frozen north of the world.

So many paths, so many people, so little time. And now it's all about to change, evolve, even darken. Those tears do not stall my heart, for it knows now where it wishes to be led. Changes, shattering changes, soon to befall on all of Azeroth point to the need for its inhabitants to either run or stand and fight. Finding a solitary spot to sit and ponder the meaning of all these adventures is welcome when done voluntarily, but to be forced from my home and made to find a cave to hide in hoping that it will all go away is not the life I choose. I'll stand, I'll shout, I'll tell all of Azeroth that this is a glorious time in the history of our world, it's about time for the biggest party ever, and it'll be a wonder to behold.

Bring on the Cataclysm, for me and my friends (see above picture) are ready and waiting!