TrialMan Challenge – Day 9

I am nearly finished with the 10 day TrialMan Challenge! Obviously, I am taking much longer than 10 actual days to complete it. That’s ok, because the rules allow for that.

You can even play your other WoW characters while you do this challenge. Just keep track of the one that is involved in TrialMan. Here is the holiday flavored adventures of Nazuga, the Orc Mage, for Day 9 of TrialMan.

Nazuga started Day 9 at the top of a tower at Far Watch Post, still disgruntled over the prospect of spending another day in gold, shiny, pants. He hoped to find a nice robe to cover them up with.

He was quite surprised to find that someone put a very decorated tree at the bottom of the ladder. Nazuga scratched his head and wondered about it. “What’s this?”

Nazuga was unable to come up with a good reason why someone would take the time to decorate a tree like this. He was curious, though. “What does it mean?” he questioned. “Maybe more information can be found in Razor Hill. That place is magical!” Nazuga used his hearthstone to travel to Razor Hill. “Every time I go there, the place looks different”.

As soon as he arrived, Nazuga noticed a string of giant lights that had been placed across the Inn’s doorway. There were many decorated trees. “There is a very strange magic in this town”, Nazuga thought. As he explored the new changes to Razor Hill, he noted that the military was still in town. “The magic must only affect buildings and other inanimate objects”, Nazuga concluded.

The Orcs who lived in Razor Hill tried to explain the strange decorations to Nazuga. They directed him to go see Great-father Winter in Orgrimmar. They urged him to hurry, because Great-father Winter would only be around for a limited time. Flying was the fastest way to get there.

Shortly after disembarking, Nazuga came upon a bizarre looking contraption. The Goblin in front of it had advice for him. “I hear Great-father Winter – with the generous support of Smokeywood Pastures – has put presents for everyone under the tree in Orgrimmar”, said the Goblin. “You should definitely check it out. I’m sure Great-Father Winter has some presents with your name on them.”

“But, I have never met Great-Father Winter. He doesn’t know that I’ve come here to speak with him. It doesn’t make sense that he would have presents for me,” Nazuga responded.

“Oh c’mon, buddy!” the Goblin said, in a disapproving tone of voice, “Are you seriously going to question free gifts? Who does that? They’re free! Just go get them.”

Shrugging, Nazuga attempted to find his way to Great-Father Winter. He always found it difficult to navigate his way through this giant city. It didn’t help that he was lost in thought. “Could this Great-Father Winter, and all the decorations, be some sort of Goblin tradition? I hear they do like playing around with electricity….”

Suddenly, Nazuga noticed that his energy was very low. It now took all of his effort to put one foot in front of the other. He could hear other people complaining about this strange, sudden, illness. It was called “lag”, and there wasn’t anything that would cure it, other than time.

Despite this, Nazuga did, eventually, manage to locate Great-Father Winter. Just talking with him made Nazuga feel happy, and excited, as though he were a small Orc again. There was magic here that went beyond whatever contraptions the Goblins were making.

Nazuga gleefully began opening his presents. He got a Crashin’ Thrashin’ Flyer, and a strange looking wand that had a star on the top of it. There were also gifts of food: cookies shaped like the decorated trees, and a nice ham. Everything an Orc Mage could want (well, except for a robe, that is).

“Thanks, Great-Father Winter!” Nazuga yelled over to him. Great Father-Winter had a quest for him, if he would take it. “Could you go make some cookies for me? I’ve been standing here for hours, and I’m starving!”, growled Great-Father Winter. Nazuga nodded, and set off to complete this task. It was the least he could do in return for all the nice presents.

Nazuga had never tried to cook anything before, so this was a challenge. He was able to buy the recipe from the holiday vendors. Struggling to read it, he managed to figure out that it required eggs and milk. But, the vendors weren’t selling either of those things. The vendor suggested he buy some holiday spices, so he did.

“Maybe my friend Gryshka will know where to find what I need.” Nazuga had one friend in Orgrimmar, and she was an Innkeeper. He knew she would try to help him.

“Yes, I can sell you some ice cold milk“, Inkeeper Gryshka told Nazuga. “I get a lot of people asking for milk at this time of year, for some reason”. Gryshka shrugged. She didn’t have any eggs, though, and couldn’t suggest where to get them from.

Nazuga sat and rested in Gryshka’s Inn for a moment. “Hmm… who else might sell eggs? I know! Maybe the Cooking Trainer has them. I’m sure he uses a lot of eggs.” Waving goodbye to Gryshka, Nazuga left the Inn and attempted to find the Cooking Trainer.

“Please help me learn this recipe.” Nazuga asked Marogg, the Infantry Chef as he handed him the scroll that the recipe was written on. Marogg took it, unrolled it, and squinted at it for a minute.

“Oh, this is an easy one! Even beginning cooks can figure this one out.” And just like that, the words on the page made sense to Nazuga. It was amazing!

“This is wonderful!” Nazuga exclaimed. “Now, if you could sell me some eggs….”

“Nope. Can’t do it. I don’t sell them”. Marogg interrupted. “Getting a lot of people asking for eggs today. You’re just going to have to go out in the world and find them – just like everybody else.” Without another word, Marogg went back to cooking something.

Nazuga scowled as he walked away from Marogg. “Where on Azeroth am I going to find eggs?” he wondered. He was getting frustrated, so he decided to take a moment, calm down, and play with one of his presents. That helped!

“I wonder what this wand does…..” Nazuga decided to try out the Wand of Holiday Cheer that he got as a present. Looking around for someone to try it on, he noticed an Undead guy who was standing nearby. “It must be horrible to be in that condition. Maybe this will cheer him up.”

Nazuga held the wand in his hand, took aim, and sent some Holiday Cheer at the unfortunate decaying man. The Undead started laughing. It sounded like the squeak of a door with rusty hinges. Nazuga was stunned by this unexpected effect. “That is DISTURBING!” He put the wand back into his bag.

It was definitely time to leave Orgrimmar and go find some eggs. Nazuga wandered around for a while, wondering where to go. He came across a field that was filled with elementals who were locked in battle with each other.

“This is perfect!” Nazuga thought, as he dug the Wand of Holiday Cheer out of his bag. “They obviously could use some Holiday Cheer”. He stood still, focused, and took aim at the nearest pair of fighting elementals. Would this work?

Nope. The spell was cast, the aim was true, but the elementals were just too darned angry. No Holiday Cheer for them. Nazuga shook his head and put the wand back into his bag again.

Not far beyond that field, Nazuga came upon a festively decorated building. Peering in, Nazuga could see two Orcs inside. They looked important. I will try asking them if they know where to find eggs, Nazuga thought, as he walked in.

“Lok’Tar Ogar, soldier,” Gor the Enforcer called out. Nazuga felt a bit proud of being recognized as a soldier. It was not a job that came easy to him. For a while, he felt like an absolute failure as a soldier and considered leaving the military. But then, he gained confidence and completed his quests.

“You’re the one who handled the Burning Blade to the south? I’ve got ears in all kinds of places, boy, and word travels fast,” Gor the Enforcer continued. Before Nazuga could ask about eggs, Gor the Enforcer started giving him some quests.

“Fizzle Darkclaw possessed an orb that the Horde needs. Who knows why?” Gor the Enforcer shrugged. “All I know is that I need that orb”. Nazuga squinted his eyes, trying to figure out what the Horde needed that orb for. What does it do? Is it magical? His thoughts were soon interrupted by Gor the Enforcer.

“While you are at it,” Gor continued, “The army needs water!” Gor went on to explain that some thunder lizards were in the water, and that their electrical charges were making it hard to collect the water. Nazuga nodded, wondering what happened to the giant lizards. Did something in the water kill them?

Suddenly, all was quiet. Nazuga froze for a moment, wondering if Gor the Enforcer noticed that he wasn’t really listening. Gor had a big grin on his face. Nazuga relaxed for a second, relieved.

That relief was short lived, as Nazuga realized that Gor the Enforcer believed that Nazuga had accepted both of his quests! It was as though Gor the Enforcer was waiting around for a soldier, any soldier, to drop by so he could assign those tasks. Nazuga didn’t feel so special anymore.

Somewhat discombobulated, Nazuga turned his head and noticed the other Orc in the room. He admired the robe that Shin Stonepillar was wearing. Nazuga opened his mouth, ready to ask about where the robe was purchased, when he was interrupted.

“My ‘associate’ here has some plans for you that I don’t agree with. His actions are hasty, uncontrolled, and irresponsible, and you may end up paying for them with your life!” Shin Stonepillar warned. The Orc offered to tell Nazuga a story called “The Wolf and the Kodo”. Nazuga shrugged, and waited to hear it.

“Pay close attention to the meaning behind my words, child.” Shin Stonepillar instructed. Suddenly, Nazuga found himself transformed into a large wolf! There is powerful magic here, Nazuga thought to himself, I must learn how to do this!

“One day, The Wolf was very hungry, so he ran east to look for some food.” Nazuga could feel his stomach growling. He felt compelled to leave the building and run towards the east.

“The Wolf ran and ran, looking for an easy meal.” Nazuga was amazed that he could somehow hear Shin’s voice. The large swine ahead of him looked incredibly tasty, so he galloped towards it.

“The more he ran, the more his stomach growled.” Nazuga tried to open his jaws to grab the Swine, but found he could not. He was now absolutely famished! Where was there food he could eat?

“He happened upon a pair of battling kudos. Clever as he was, The Wolf decided to wait for one to defeat the other.”

“When the weaker Kodo died, The Wolf approached and tried to eat it. The remaining Kodo, angry at The Wolf’s impetuousness, swiftly killed The Wolf before he had a chance to eat.”

Nazuga could feel a surge of pain as the Kodo bit him. He started to black out.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in front of Shin Stonepillar, as if he’d never left. How could this be?

“The moral of the story: Hasty, lazy actions have ruinous results. We musn’t take shortcuts… we must work for our rewards”. Shin Stonepillar glanced over at Gor the Enforcer. “Ive been trying to tell this story to the ‘Enforcer’, but I fear his Hellscream-worshipping skull is a little bit too thick.”

“Ignore the shaman, soldier!” Gor retorted. “Certain powers-that-be within the Horde demand that I keep him with me, but I assure you, that Thrall-loving far seer truly sees no farther than the borders of his hut!”

This was when Nazuga realized he’d been drawn into the middle of a battle between two Orcs who were in favor of opposing political parties. It was time to leave. Before he could start backing away, Gor called him over. He had one more quest for “soldier” Nazuga. It involved destroying some of the warring elementals he passed on the way here.

Nazuga tried, once again, to extricate himself from the room. After he finally got outside, he walked away, pondering what to do next. Should I do what Gor wants, and kill elementals? Or, should I first go seek out the thunder lizards in the water, and try to sort that out?, Nazuga questioned. What if Shin is right, and Gor’s plans will get me killed?

It was a difficult decision, but ultimately, Nazuga figured out his best course of action. He was off to fight some harpies, in the hopes of collecting the eggs he needed for Great-Father Winter’s cookies!

Unfortunately, the harpies only dropped cracked egg shells. Those were useless! Nazuga was starting to feel frustrated. All that walking to get here, and these darned harpies don’t even have what I’m looking for!

He angrily tried to stuff the cracked egg shells into his bag anyway. His bags were full. Nazuga smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand and growled. This was not his day! Out of habit, he dug around for something he could drop, so he could fit the cracked egg shells into the bag.

Wait a moment, what’s this?, Nazuga wondered. Opening his bag a bit wider, he realized that there were ten eggs in his bag. If only I had known, I could have saved so much time! Not wanting to waste a minute more, Nazuga used his hearthstone and returned to Razor Hill.

Immediately after arriving, he dashed towards the nearest heat source. Ok, I’ve got some Holiday Spices, some milk, and plenty of eggs. It won’t be long before I have some freshly baked cookies for Great-Father Winter. Nazuga opened the recipe that he recently learned, and tried it. Things were not working, and he didn’t know why.

Nazuga scratched his head and tried to read over the recipe once again. Let’s see… milk? Check! Holiday Spices? Check! Small Eggs? Check…… wait a minute! It was then Nazuga realized that the eggs he’d been carrying around with him, the entire time, were not small eggs. They were raptor eggs! The rotten little raptors had caused him problems once again!

Rubbing his forehead with his hand, closing his eyes, and fighting off a headache, Nazuga tried to think. Where else can I find creatures that produce eggs? Eventually, Nazuga remembered Zen Ta’ji, and the big, dumb, birds that the Troll wanted Nazuga to help. Perhaps those birds will drop some eggs for him!

Walking all the way out to where those birds hang out took time. A very tired Nazuga dragged himself to where he needed to be and searched for a bird. He spooked the first one he found, and it ran away, out of range of his magic. With much effort, he managed to find one, and kill it. This was when he learned that the Great Plainstriders don’t drop eggs.

Disappointed and exhausted, Nazuga stood still for a while. Was it worth it to try and collect the eggs he needed for the cookie recipe? He was too tired to even consider walking somewhere else, in the hope of finding birds. A Barrens Vulture caught his eye as the bird flew past. Impulsively, Nazuga threw a Frostfire Bolt at it.

Success! Nazuga’s joy about finally locating the correct eggs was short lived. He realized that he was going to have to spend time hunting down several more of these birds. They seemed to be quite scarce!

The instant he had enough small eggs, Nazuga used his hearthstone to return to Razor Hill.

Nazuga dashed over to the heat source, as fast as he could, and opened up the recipe. He took things slowly and made absolutely certain that he had everything before trying to bake. He was delighted to discover that this time, the cookies were a success!

One more flight to Orgrimmar! It was the only option. Nazuga was way too tired to walk there.

Once again, Nazuga struggled to find his way around Orgrimmar. This place was confusing! He tried to remember where the giant, decorated, tree was located, remembering that Great-Father Winter was standing near it. Nazuga was tired, and just wanted to complete this quest. Everything seems harder when one is exhausted.

“Great-Father Winter,” Nazuga’s voice sounded as tired as he felt. “I have returned after a long, arduous, journey, to bring you the cookies you requested.” This news brought a smile to Great-Father Winter’s face. He reached out and accepted the cookies.

“You’re quite the helper to ol’ Great-Father Winter there, Nazuga. Have a great Feast of Winter Veil. Here’s a little something… you know, for the effort.” Great-Father Winter handed Nazuga a brightly wrapped gift. A very sleepy Nazuga smiled. It was so nice to be appreciated!

Taking his leave from Great-Father Winter, Nazuga slouched over to his favorite Inn. He put the gift into his bag to open later. The only thing on Nazuga’s mind now was a nice, long, well deserved rest!

Here are Nazuga’s stats at the end of Day 9 of the TrialMan Challenge.