User:Tseric Valamar/The Tale of Purgation Isle

The Tale of Purgation Isle


 * Years ago before the Third War, off the coast of Hillsbrad lay a small island. This island was called Purgation Isle, a small community of peasents, priests and paladins eked out a life of piety and discipline. Atop the hill overlooking the sea stood Purgation tower, from which the pious could find solace in overlooking the calm ocean. But the most unique and well known fact of Purgation Isle was the fact that one of the most devout paladins in the land lived there and was often sought to settle affairs. His name was Zeliek. He lived humbly and in a small house near the tower. His just and humbled ways had earned him followers, all of which who tried to be just as devout as he. That is, until one among their number turned to the darker path. Arados was a bumbling paladin, who had aspired to be just as devout as Zeliek, but whenever he tried, he always seemed to fumble and cause some catastrophe. He grew to hate the elder clergy as they always seemed to look down and pity him. He wanted to prove he was better than all of them! When he was sent to Southshore for some supplies, he met the man that would prove to be Zeliek's and the whole of Purgation Isle's doom. An old Bearded mage with the sign of Dalaran came up to him, asked where he had come from and took him to the tavern. The bearded man showed Arados what power he could wield if he only did something for him. It was a simple task, he'd said, all he wanted was that Arados place a jar containing something special for Zeliek by his home. Stung by this, Arados rowed back to Purgation Isle, venom in his thoughts. "Always, ALWAYS! Zeliek gets all the attention! I'll show him, I'll show them, I'll show them all!"
 * Upon returning, Arados hid the jar in his robes and delivered the supplies to the village storehouse. Once back in his own quarters, he himself opened the jar, out of which the plague of undeath engulfed him. For three days he remained in his quarters, answering in screams whenever a brother asked him if he could help. The dark commands of the Lich King swam around his decaying mind and the images of those he hated flitted through his eyes. Then, he suddenly became calm. His new Master had told him what to do. He could not touch the other brothers but could simply touch their food supplies. For two days he acted as though everything were normal and merely said he had been ill. But at night, he snuck around the town, plunging his plagued hands throughout the whole storehouse, and bringing more and more to the Lich King's power. Then the Paladin Watch became alert, five houses had been taken by some plague, and those inside were screaming, the lower part of the island was quarantined for safety. But still the sickness spread, the unlucky, but brave paladins that dared go into the lower isle never came back alive, but instead raving and rotting attacked their former friends. Zeliek was horrified. What in the world could have caused this!? He himself watched every night, and for every former brother killed, he buried and consecrated, forever banishing the evil.
 * Arados, the now corrupted and insane leader of the ghoulish brothers in the lower village, brooded over the problem that with Zeliek now leading the defense, what could he do? Zeliek was far more powerful than him. Then an idea struck him, not his of course but the Lich King's, they would not turn away a fleeing brother who had hid himself in the woods to save himself. So doing, he covered himself in briars and thistles and ran up the hill with his minions pretending to attack him. He cried for help and was answered by the blasts of light consuming his minions. He was taken in and Zeliek himself asked what had happened. Arados said he'd been wakened one night by the screams and ravings of his brothers in their quarters and fled when one had attempted to attack him. For days he'd hidden in the woods wondering if he was the last sane one, until the bell of the Tower had given him hope. He'd snuck as close to the hill-road as he could and then ran when the undead saw him. Zeliek, the kind and compassionate man he was, believed him, sealing his own fate. From his new vantage point at the tower's heights, where the infirmary was, he could see what was about him. The lower isle was in a haze of shadowy fog, but the hill was still shining with light. His dark Master gave him a command two days after he'd been "rescued". He must kill Zeliek's followers, and then the Paladin himself would fall.
 * And so, at night when the Watch was getting unnerved by the quiet of the undead, were overran by the sudden attack of nearly every zombie in the lower village. Only a small group of 15 made it to the Tower where the wounded and Zeliek stayed. Inwardly laughing with insane glee, outwardly horrified, Arados watched from his cot. Then he watched in growing suspicion as Zeliek ran to the steps of the tower and up, the paladins kept the monsters at bay at the tower's entrance, but what was Zeliek up to? Stealthily crawling after him, he watched as he sent a group of Paladins and Priests away down the hill to a hidden boat. He would have given the alert, but the Lich King told him not to. As it proved, in a few days, a report came from the tower, the returning party had brought back mages from Dalaran to help. But at this Arados ordered his minions to attack them, instead of the tower, only the paladins and 3 mages made it to the tower, the rest were ripped to shreds.
 * Zeliek was worried, how could the undead possibly have foreseen the attack from behind? Was their a spy in his midst? His defenders had retaken the hill with the arrival of the mages, but those mages that were killed had risen as necromancers. They were sure to be driven back with every fallen defender. But instead the Necromancer's seemed to be starting a ritual. To his horror, Zeliek realized they were going to call some great evil into their midst. The sky darkened and the sea turned a sickly green, and from the ritual markings, arose an abomination of terrible power. With a guttural cry the monstrosity raged forward to the tower. Once more, the Defenders were caught in a tight spot and as their friends fell, their enemies grew. Zeliek then showed his true might, light an avenging angel he drove through the undead the Light forging his path. He picked up a fallen priest's stave and filling it with righteous fury, drove it through the abomination's head. Arados watched from the tower ramparts in horror, his victory was falling away! The Lich King also realized this and with a great surge of Power, Arados leapt from the tower into the Defenders. Zeliek turned and faced this new danger, his staff smoking with holy fury.
 * "So it was you. After all this, it turned out to be the island's favorite monk..." Those were Zeliek's words. Arados stopped, even though his Master ordered him to. "What?!" The last vestige of Arados' human spirit stirred, he was the favorite? "We all thought you would make a fine paladin, you would come so far from your bumblings, and now... you've turned into our greatest enemy..." Zeliek said with sadness in his words. The Lich King urged Arados to finish what he'd started, but Arados' human spirit surged with hope and cried "NO!" Zeliek stepped back, a little surprised, as he watched Arados struggling with himself. "I..I.. can't control my body!" Arados cried, tears spilling from his now human face, "Flee! Flee! Zeliek! Forgive me!" And the figure of Arados charged at Zeliek, who, scrambling quickly, to the tower and up the steps. Arados' body was still struggling for it's purpose, The Lich King was bending all his might onto the weakened soul, but still Arados' fought. Those Defenders left, ran to Zeliek, who ordered them to quickly reach the boats and get two to Tower Hill.
 * Zeliek raced up the steps to the tower's parapet and called to the light to purge the Isle of this evil and to save the innocent. The Lich King was hit by a wave of pain as waves light rained down upon Purgation Isle, the undead were falling everywhere, yet Arados' was failing and his cursed body ran to the shelter of the tower. Everywhere the fallen brothers were coming to their final rest. But Zeliek had used much of his power to call out and end the torture, all would have succeeded if Arados had been able to take control for a little longer, the raving figure of Arados raced up the steps. Zeliek heard and cried out to his brethren in the boats to flee and leave him. Zeliek kicked Arados down the steps to gain some time and called out once more only to be cut short by the mad figure of Arados leaping up from the steps and hurling himself at the devout paladin. Arados' spear struck home and slew Zeliek before they hit the ground. The Lich King freed his grasp on Arados just so he could see what he'd wrought. Arados looked around in horror, all his brethren were dead, and without the lasting consecration of Zeliek were rising once more as cursed ghosts. Shadows began to fall over the isle and grey rain started to fall. Arados cried out in agony, took the nearest sword and stabbed himself through the chest, ending his life, bit not his torment. He himself rose as a ghost, damned forever to watch over the isle and its ghosts.