The fellow known widely as Jon Chess had aching feet.
Jon had been hired by Deylania Whisperleaf, the Elvin proprietor of a bookstore in the Mage Quarter of Stormwind, where he had rented a book on the pronunciation of the Arakkoan language; Jon had taught himself to read the language so he could make use of rare Arakkoa books about the use and dangers of Shadow magic, but had been told that his pronunciation was atrocious, not having a beak. A certain child refugee named Korynna Starwind (but who was commonly called Kori) from Darnassus, who had taken to frequenting the bookstore had vanished, and Miss Whisperleaf, upon finding out that Jon was a Private Investigator, had hired him to locate the child so that she could be assured that the child was safe.
Jon had sketched the child from Deylania's description - pale lavender skin, sad eyes, a long forehead, long, deep blue straight hair parted in the center. Deylania had briefly confused the child for a Void Elf. Armed with the sketch, Jon had gone around the city and into the Stormwind park areas, canvassing the Kaldorei and Gilnean refugees displaced by the War of the Thorns. Jon was not unknown to the refugee population, as he often brought supplies of Gilnean White and Darnassian Blue cheeses to the camps, courtesy of Trias Cheeses.
He had found several refugees who had seen the child (or at any rate, thought they had, recognizing her from the sketch) but none of them had seen her lately. They had mentioned that the frail child seemed lonely, often observed playing by herself. Some commented that she was a strange child, always morose. Jon had refrained from pointing out that being an orphan would have that effect on most children - Jon would know, having himself been orphaned by the attack of Arugal's feral Worgen on his home of Pyrewood Village. One Gilnean refugee had turned on Jon with an angry glare, and said "Don't you have anything better to do than harass us? Darnassus was the second home we lost - you'd think that the Alliance would have better things to do. Instead of fighting over ruins, the Alliance should retake our homeland!"
Not having any leads, Jon went to the Stormwind City gates, where he pestered and cajoled every guard at the gate for three shifts straight, offering refreshments of cheese and beer and showing them the sketch. Finally, one of the guards thought she recognized the child. "Yeah, she looks familiar... I remember because it was kind of strange, you don't see many Night Elf children leaving the city," said the guard, a stocky muscular woman with short-cropped, copper-red hair named Emilia Monson. "There was a dwarf with her... not exactly a pair you see very often."
"When was that?" asked Jon.
"Maybe a week ago, I think?" answered the Stormwind City guard.
"Can you describe the dwarf?" Jon asked, refilling her tankard from the pony keg he had brought with him.
"Kind of short... yeah, I know, kind of helpful, neh? I mean, I already said he was a dwarf... tan skin, long black beard, shot with some grey. Bald except for a long top-knot. Kind of down-at-the-heels, wearing patched leather pants and thick double-buckled black boots. A couple of knives, but no axe... leather tunic, all greasy, like it hadn't been cleaned in a while," she said in a bored voice.
Jon did a quick sketch and showed her. "Yeah, that's the guy!" she confirmed.
"Keep the keg!" Jon said. From her description and confirmation, Jon had identified the dwarf as an Old Town resident named Dashel "Fist" Stonefist, a thug and enforcer who had once been associated with the Defias Brotherhood. Dashel had earned his nickname of "Fist" because the language of a beating was the only one he spoke fluently. Jon had thought that after the scandal associated with a Defias kidnapping, he had disappeared, but apparently, true to the nature of dwarves, he had merely gone "underground".
Jon wrote a quick report to his client:
"Madame Whisperleaf.
Questioned the refugee community, and while some remember seeing Kori, none had seen her recently. A Stormwind guard saw her leave in the company of a criminal, heading towards Goldshire. I am in pursuit. Will send an update as circumstances allow.
Respectfully,
Jon Chess"
Jon posted it and set off to Goldshire.
Jon had been hired by Deylania Whisperleaf, the Elvin proprietor of a bookstore in the Mage Quarter of Stormwind, where he had rented a book on the pronunciation of the Arakkoan language; Jon had taught himself to read the language so he could make use of rare Arakkoa books about the use and dangers of Shadow magic, but had been told that his pronunciation was atrocious, not having a beak. A certain child refugee named Korynna Starwind (but who was commonly called Kori) from Darnassus, who had taken to frequenting the bookstore had vanished, and Miss Whisperleaf, upon finding out that Jon was a Private Investigator, had hired him to locate the child so that she could be assured that the child was safe.
Jon had sketched the child from Deylania's description - pale lavender skin, sad eyes, a long forehead, long, deep blue straight hair parted in the center. Deylania had briefly confused the child for a Void Elf. Armed with the sketch, Jon had gone around the city and into the Stormwind park areas, canvassing the Kaldorei and Gilnean refugees displaced by the War of the Thorns. Jon was not unknown to the refugee population, as he often brought supplies of Gilnean White and Darnassian Blue cheeses to the camps, courtesy of Trias Cheeses.
 |
| Darnassus Refugee Camp |
He had found several refugees who had seen the child (or at any rate, thought they had, recognizing her from the sketch) but none of them had seen her lately. They had mentioned that the frail child seemed lonely, often observed playing by herself. Some commented that she was a strange child, always morose. Jon had refrained from pointing out that being an orphan would have that effect on most children - Jon would know, having himself been orphaned by the attack of Arugal's feral Worgen on his home of Pyrewood Village. One Gilnean refugee had turned on Jon with an angry glare, and said "Don't you have anything better to do than harass us? Darnassus was the second home we lost - you'd think that the Alliance would have better things to do. Instead of fighting over ruins, the Alliance should retake our homeland!"
Not having any leads, Jon went to the Stormwind City gates, where he pestered and cajoled every guard at the gate for three shifts straight, offering refreshments of cheese and beer and showing them the sketch. Finally, one of the guards thought she recognized the child. "Yeah, she looks familiar... I remember because it was kind of strange, you don't see many Night Elf children leaving the city," said the guard, a stocky muscular woman with short-cropped, copper-red hair named Emilia Monson. "There was a dwarf with her... not exactly a pair you see very often."
"When was that?" asked Jon.
"Maybe a week ago, I think?" answered the Stormwind City guard.
"Can you describe the dwarf?" Jon asked, refilling her tankard from the pony keg he had brought with him.
 |
| Dashel Stonefist |
Jon did a quick sketch and showed her. "Yeah, that's the guy!" she confirmed.
"Keep the keg!" Jon said. From her description and confirmation, Jon had identified the dwarf as an Old Town resident named Dashel "Fist" Stonefist, a thug and enforcer who had once been associated with the Defias Brotherhood. Dashel had earned his nickname of "Fist" because the language of a beating was the only one he spoke fluently. Jon had thought that after the scandal associated with a Defias kidnapping, he had disappeared, but apparently, true to the nature of dwarves, he had merely gone "underground".
Jon wrote a quick report to his client:
"Madame Whisperleaf.
Questioned the refugee community, and while some remember seeing Kori, none had seen her recently. A Stormwind guard saw her leave in the company of a criminal, heading towards Goldshire. I am in pursuit. Will send an update as circumstances allow.
Respectfully,
Jon Chess"
Jon posted it and set off to Goldshire.
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