Pugnacious Priest's Warcraft Blog

I found most of Northrend sad, now that I’m 80 I can reflect back on some of my questing, and to be honest some of the storys in the quests almost brought a tear to my eye.  Betrayal, torture, loyalty, honor,  I agree with the concensus that alot of work when into those quest lines and just from the variety of things to do  – see  – listen – understand. It was a very ‘dark’ experience. They were sucessful because there were so many that got an emotional response out of me. More for the sadder/happy quests then the collecting ones..

There’s already been discussion on the morality of some of the quests in northrend. Namely the torture Quest The Art of Persuasion at Amber Ledge in the Borean Tundra where you get to poke a guy with a rod for information – and given the quest doesn’t auto complete you can keep on poking him untill you get bored.  There is also the Tormenting the Softknuckles Quest from Frenzyheart Hill in Sholazar Basin where you also poke these adorable little baby monkey type creatures and they run around feared to bring out the Hardnuckle Matriach.

( Image from Petopia Softknuckle)

I felt like such a big meany! – but it was interesting to do… and kind of funny watching them run around the compound screaming.  Yes there is a massive difference between playing a game and reanacting that on real animals. Still it was with mixed feelings of regret and glee that I performed the necessary actions to complete the quests.

 Another thing I found sad was the freeing the Trapped Mammoth Calves in the quest Help those that cannot help themselves.  There was alot of competition for the spawns when I first did the quest to find and free the poor calves, but riding back through the area, I took this screenshot as a reminder because the poor calf was making some disturbing noises in its distress, and I had a moment of regret that I had finished the quest and did not have the right hammer to save him.  I had to ride past the poor thing wishing I could have helped ( after I did the touristy thing by taking a ss)

Another quest which sparked an emotional response from me was the quest Planning for the Future in Dragon Blight.  You needs to  steal Collect 12 Snowfall Glade pups  because the quest giver fears “However, I worry that in our zeal, too many of them will be slain. ” You kill the den mothers who ( because its a daily) barely have given birth to another pup before you kill them and steal the pup.”   I am part of that zeal that is depriving these poor pups of their parents. I am being used!

The story played out in the quest The Truth shall set us free  was also a sad scene where you redeem the forgotten sailors, who had followed Prince Arthas – and he in response to an order to return back to Lordaeron says “Uther had my troops recalled? Damn it! If my warriors abandon me, I’ll never defeat Mal’Ganis. The ships must be burned before the men reach the shore”

What struck me was words said by the Captain in the ghostly scene you see acted out before you –  before we find out that Arathas will have revenge at the cost of his men

“Forgotten Captain says: Look alive, lads! Today might be the day we leave this cursed land! O’ sweet Ironforge, how I missed ya! ”  He just wanted to go home.

The expansion quest lines have been a sucess for me – because I have gotten emotionaly involved, or had a reaction  to the stories  – and It wasn’t just the sucessful feeling of completing a challange.

Having said that – while wandering round Grizzly Hills I found some familar characters. ( Names changed of course)

What did I do?

Killed them.