Dexter's Data-Log

17 June, Ironforge

I have brought my gyro into the central aviation workshop in Ironforge. 

I have completed some modifications and upgrades on its arsenal and repaired some of the damage it sustained while on the mission to that island off the coast of the Wetlands where we were shelled by sea priest cultists.

The yeti maw and green striping has been touched up and I will be proud to showcase my gyro at the air show tomorrow. I will fly out early in the morning, and I hope the dust and sand out there does not chip away at the paint too much.

Ironforge's taverns have been acceptable but they are not as lively as those in Stormwind. And being in these deep underground halls brings back too many ill memories of Gnomeregan and the years after. I will welcome the fresh air again tomorrow.

19 June, Badlands

I made it out to the Badlands yesterday around mid-day.

The flight here from Ironforge was smooth and largely uneventful. I was slightly worried with how well the gyro would handle the transition from the frigid airs of Dun Morogh to the dry, hot air of the Badlands but it performed without flaw.

It has been some time since I flew over the Scar rent across the mountain between Dun Morogh and the Badlands by Deathwing. I doubt it will heal for a very long time. It is as black and charred as ever.

Oddly enough, the scar across the Badlands made a somewhat picturesque backdrop to all of the air show festivities. It was held at the goblin settlement of Fuselight.

Normally I cannot abide goblins but their town here is fairly small and with the influx of the man air enthusiasts, it was not as noticeable. The town actually made a good location for such a show, nestled high atop one of the pinnacles with a clear view across the open plains.

The show was hosted and attended by the Air Combat Enthusiasts (ACE) of Azeroth. It is a cross-factional society that meets and shares interest in various aerial transport. Everything from gnomish gyrocopters, to troll wyverns, to Kaldorei hippogryphs were present.

It was a fantastic day yesterday with feasts and vendors and the showing off of aerial transports. I received some compliments on my gyro paint job. There were many custom-built craft and specially bred flying creatures to behold. It was wonderful.

Today there were aerial maneuver showcases with people showing off their flying skills. It was wonderful to watch the skill and dexterity with which so many pilots fly. 

There were also some informal races across the dusty landscape. The Fuselight goblins have a track set up between the main village and their small harbor on the coast. They often race with rocket vehicles but the ACE members all raced with their own craft and creatures. 

I was most surprised when a Forsaken bat-rider took first in the field. She flew very courageously and deftly, flying close to the ground and utilizing the air currents rolling up from the sea over the cliffs to carry her to victory.

It has all been quit fun and I will take some of what I have seen and hopefully adapt it to my own skillset. I even made some fellow gnomish contacts and we may collaborate on modifications to our craft in the future.

All in all and excellent pair of days.

21 June, Stormspire

After my time at the air show, I decided to make a trip to Netherstorm and meet with some Consortium traders.

They seem to have fared well in the strange purple rock, and business must be good for them despite lack of any major activity in the region for over a decade. I believe they are extracting resources but I dare not ask.

I have some interest in utilizing some of the crystals they sell, both from Outland and from the other planets they inhabit and trade from.

I am hoping that modifying some of the Azeroth crystals I have used may result in more efficient power generation in my exo-suit and possibly in my gyro and strider.

The ethereals are a strange people and not easy to barter with but I was successful in making a sale with them for three types of crystals in exchange for a few of my technology inventions they seem interested in.

Being so far from familiarity is a strange experience but I am glad these ethereal are not hostile. Nevertheless, I do not wish to out-stay my welcome and will be venturing to Toshley's Station tonight for sleep before returning to Ironforge tomorrow morning.

25 April, Aerie Peak

I accompanied Commander Shadowpaw to the Isle of Quel’Danas last night, along with Soldier DelUrlar and Soldier Artec. A small company for a small task.

This was in response to recent… paranormal events occurring at the Keep in the Hinterlands. Strange appearances by banshees and mysterious threats. This led us to a tomb of an apparently very old house of Quel’dorei. 

We met at the staging grounds where the Shattered Sun Offensive once amassed their forces. Last night, the staging grounds were as a ghost town compared to the stories I heard of the place during the attack on the Sunwell. The tall monument to the fallen still stands in all its glory commemorating the many losses of that campaign. As I waited to meet with the others, my mind wondered how many souls had been lost since that statue was erected: far too many than I am sure those who helped build and carve its stone features would have wished to know then.

The last time I saw this place was before we risked venturing into the Magister’s Terrace, nearly seven years ago. My memory of it was vivid, given that the outcome of that excursion was the damage to A.R.T.I.E. and the recognition of a need for the creation of his combat replacement, C.H.I.P. The Sin’dorei are supposedly working to restore their once beautiful isle to its former glory but from the little I saw, they have not made it far. Unsurprising given their status as the remaining Horde stronghold in the eastern kingdoms. They have likely shifted most of their efforts into fortifying Silvermoon.

I joined with the others at the others and we rode from the staging grounds down to a more reclusive cove of the isle, outside the walls of the plateau and out of the region where the wretched once roamed. The ruins of the plateau rested nearby but the tomb that we sought was hardly perturbed and miraculously spared the horrors of two separate invasions just decades ago. For an eternal resting place of physical remains, they had chosen well apparently.

The tomb was simple, by elven standards, we were told. A white marble veined in gold and silver. Likely worth more than any gnome I have ever met could dream of owning. The door was cracked and a statue with a water basin guarded its entry. We sensed there was a heavy layer of magical wards protecting the tomb. One of which was the Commander’s (though she neglected to share that until dismissing it right before opening the tomb), which she revealed was due to her millenia-old connection with the tomb’s inhabitants.

It was cold, dark, and dusty inside. We found a disturbance - the oldest crypt within the tomb was shattered and the corpse within missing. Commander Shadowpaw believed the theft to have taken place over six thousand years prior. Curious how no one had noticed until now? 

Nonetheless, a bad omen. Combined with the strange ethereal whisper I heard, saying “She will have justice.” The same phrase was echoed by the banshees that appeared in the Keep. One could have been inside the tomb with us and failed to reveal herself - a thought that crossed all of our minds silently and for which we agreed we should leave.

We sealed the tomb and portaled back to the Keep, having only gained the knowledge that a long-dead high elf had been secretly exhumed by someone, or something, that may be in league with the mysterious banshees. It is a vexing situation, one which I do not understand fully, nor why our people should be involved. I fear for Roiya’s safety more than any other - she appears to be the one with knowledge of these people and events, and whom was targeted by the banshees before.

23 August, Rustbolt

Advisor Silverwright, Seda, and myself went out on an assignment at Mechagon this evening.

As part of our continuing effort to aid the beleaguered and newly tenuous allies, the Rustbolt Resistance, we have been serving as hired guards.

In recent days, Advisor Silverwright told us, there have been a series of small raids by nothing stranger than mechanized murlocs. Something this outlandish required an investigation as well as possible extermination.

We set out from our small camp on the hill heading north. On an open field of ground lay the disabled remanants of dozens of mechospiders (these mechanizations appear to be a consistent thorn in the side of the mechagnomes). But even stranger, we saw a mechanized murloc scavenging parts from the mechospiders and even had two of them with it as guards.

Not knowing how this would end up, we approached the murloc and spiders with reluctance and tried to shut them down quickly. The two spiders made short work aside from launching an electro-net that shocked all of us, but the murloc proved surprisingly agile. It took us a fair amount of time to finally stop it.

We discovered upon investigation that the murloc was like the mechagnomes - biological but heavily mechanically enhanced. This raised further questions that pushed us towards the coast in search of answers.

We finally came across an eerie sight: three mechanized murlocs, heavily rusted and appearing to be non-operational, frozen around a curious mechanical box in the shallows. As we investigated, one of the murlocs fell to disgusting pieces while I slipped and accidentally set off an alarm on the box!

Shortly after, a whole bunch of murlocs showed up out of nowhere and bashed the living daylights out of the box! Thankfully they were not hostile towards us and appeared to be aggressive towards whatever technology the box represented and appeared to be infecting their kind.

One of the murlocs recognized Advisor Silverwright and could even partially speak. It and its tribe seem to have been the same ones that were encountered in the Wetlands and were common foes with the naga. Mercifully they left us unharassed and returned to the sea.

We made our way back to Rustbolt after salvaging what useful parts we could from the box. (Seda seemed to obtain the only significantly interesting piece of equipment.) I have just returned from selling off the spare parts I salvaged to one of the mechagnomes in exchange for some schematics.

Another evening and another strange adventure in this curious land of rusted, wild technology. We continue to make progress and seem to be earning the trust of the local mechagnomes, which is promising. Tomorrow I believe I will take a look at these schemata and see if there is anything useful I can build.

14 September, Ironforge

The Servitors gathered tonight to celebrate the Harvest Festival together at the feast tables outside Ironforge.

I decided to go even though I rarely ever "celebrate" the occasion. It's strange, celebrating sadness. I suppose it is useful and needful, but it makes for an awkward gathering of people whom you are not overly well acquainted with.

Discussion throughout the evening was anything but reflective, except perhaps on some old friends who showed up like Miss Shivs and Miss Baenura.

We mostly shared what we were doing and engineering schematics and the like.

Baenura had some awful feathered creature that she just pulled out of her bag. Is that even allowed? Can one carry living creatures inside backpacks?

Anyway, it emerged and apparently was attracted to the color hair that Commander Mindspanner and I have so it tried to mate with me. It was shades of Miss Jennalyn and her dreadful poultry once again.

It was not what I was expecting for a memorial feast, but I guess the memories we did share were at least pleasant ones of friends. Perhaps that was adequate?

Note to self: never buy fruit from Outland ever again.