<strong>Cera Proudmoore</strong><br/><br/>Duskwood was a dark place, even at a bright sunny day. In the evening, it was hard to see anything at all, the moonlight mostly blocked by the canopy of the trees. It wasn't a place for the faint hearted, even though the walking dead and the ogres usually stayed at their graveyards and caves. The wolfmen in the west though, they sometimes roamed the roads at night, desperate for prey and food. Cera didn't fear them though. They were feral, ravenous monsters and the Proudmoore decendant was more than capable of dealing with them. She had made a small camp off the road and was preparing the small crab she found when she crossed the bridge from Westfall. Cera travelled light, just her armour, her weapons and a water pouch and a bunch of tools that could come in handy. Most of her stuff was safely stored away in a lockbox in her small house in one of Stormwind's narrow alley's. This morning when she left Stormwind, she had brushed her mistsaber and had set off for the two day journey to the mansion of the mysterious nobleman who put up the quest on the board in Dalaran. Cera had a good relation with the Kaldorei and had opted for the Mistsaber because it was a million times quieter than a horse. The big cats were as stealthy as she was, even on paved roads where a horse would herald her arrival long before she even got there.<br/><br/>Her initial plan was to travel directly from Dalaran but those damned mage portals always made her nauseous. Besides, this little camping was relaxing. She prepared some thistle tea in the water pouch, roasted the crab and tucked in, lying against her furry mount for warmth and comfort.<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://orig00.deviantart.net/1f60/f/2016/015/2/4/rouge_world_of_warcraft_by_sayta0-d9o33at.jpg)</div>The next morning she was up at the crack of dawn, packed what little she had and mounted the big cat before heading down the path again. Before noon, the dark and thick forest of the Duskwood slowly made way for the lush and humid jungle of the Stranglethorn Vale. All the way from Stormwind down to here, she had nothing to fear. Nobody knew who she was except for a bunch of friends. Down here though, the Goblins would certainly remember her. Those filthy little greenskin never forget. That damned Greybeard should have bombed Booty Bay off the face of the map that day when she made her harrow escape, instead he bombed just enough to give her enough time to escape with the Prince's precious diamond. Twelve dead guards and a very angry Goblin prince. What a glorious day that was. As if that wasn't bad enough though, those nasty critters then pledged allegiance to the Horde, meaning she was now a wanted criminal and any Horde guard would arrest her and bring her to justice. As far as the Horde knew justice of course. They'd probably kill her on sight. Or at least try to.<br/><br/>As she got deeper into the rainforest jungle, the signs of it's early inhabitants became more and more obvious. The Gurubashi were long gone but the marvels of their civilisation where still everywhere in this jungle. Cera had not been in the north often and had only seen most of Stranglethorn from patrolling the coastline on Greybeard's ship, in search of Goblin plunder.<br/><br/>She stopped and checked her map, trying to locate Zul'Kunda. To the east, she could hear the Goblin's oil drills and as much as it infuriated her, she oppressed the urge to go there and kill every single Goblin there was. They probably had armed guards anyway and there was no need to get injured or killed over it. She steered her mistsaber off the path and headed into the jungle towards the coast, keeping the mountains to her right. Apart from some skittish wildlife and raptors, the jungle was quiet and hot and because of the undergrowth, progress was slow.<br/><br/>Eventually the foliage gave way and Cera was at the beach and the coast. She inhaled the salty air and exhaled loudly. Looking north, she could see the mansion in the distance. As she got closer she noticed that the house was build on the site of a Troll ruin and that it was built in the style of the Trolls as well. Outside, a bunch of kids were playing in the sand but only as she got closer could Cera see them better. Trolls? This was a troll family?<br/>On full alert she got closer and saw two females sitting outside, one of them calling inside as the white haired rogue approached. Then she heard a rustle behind her. Immediately she unsheated one of the rapiers and pointed it at the bushes. A terrified troll boy appeared and ran away towards the house.<br/><br/>"Miss Proudmoore? Dis be a nice surprise."<br/><br/>Cera gritted her teeth and looked back at the house. An aging troll stood outside, leaning on a walking stick. The application form for the quest had been anonymous, meaning this Troll recognised who she was.<br/><br/>"Don't you worry mon. We won't be killing you today. We have more important issues. Please, come inside while we wait for the others."<br/><br/>Cera dismounted and followed the Troll into the house. He led her outside to a balcony that had a view over the sea and in the north east, Cera could just about make out the dock doors of the VanCleef mine.<br/><br/>"Dere be food and drinks on the table. Please help yourself."<br/><br/>Then the old Troll walked away again, probably to wait for the other adventurers. Just before he left the room though, he stopped, looked at Cera and got a very wicked, almost evil smile on his old face.<br/><br/>"Don't be stealing from me Proudmoore, or I deliver you to Revilgaz myself."<br/><br/>Cera cringed again. If she wanted to steal something, this old fool would never notice but she had already inspected the house as she got through it, there was nothing of any value that she could easily fence and thus the risk was way greater than the rewards. She sat down on one of the wicker chairs, taking off her gloves and loosening her armour a little while she waited for her fellow adventurers to go and collect this lost heirloom from a bunch of Ogres. How hard could that be?