World of Warcraft®

Jay continued, ignoring the elves as they struggled silently in their frozen prisons.

“Another reason I wanted this book attuned to this world was so I could find my way back. Like a hearthstone. I, rather, five people, have helped me attune this book to this world. You see, I'm leaving soon. I have to continue my studies elsewhere, in places like Outland.”

“The idea I keep pushing among my fellow arcanists is that much like our world and the people on it, I believe that every world is connected to each other in a way very similar to ley lines, if they aren't exactly ley lines. You can see it in the very skies of Nagrand. Threads of energy floating around in the Twisting Nether. But how far do such lines go? Or are those simply the shattered ley lines from Draenor? Do the lines extend deep into the Great Dark Beyond?”

“I don't know. But I intend to find out. And Karazhan is the key. Much like how the demons that once inhabited this tower used this area,” Jay gestured around himself, “the Netherspace, as a point of entry, I will use it as a point of exit.”

“Everything is connected.”

The ley walker paused.

“I'll repeat: Everything is connected. Including every world in existence. In some way or another, we all share the same sky in the Great Dark Beyond. Same sky, same destiny. And much like I strive for here, on Azeroth, I believe we should strive to reach out and form bonds with denizens of other planets we might stumble across. We're all in this together, in some way or another.”

“I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that this can't possibly be real. These bonds can't exist. They're ridiculous. An idealist's dream.”

“Don't you understand? Things don't have to be real. Things have to be true.”

The layer of ice creeped over their heads, encasing the entirety of their bodies.

Jay snapped his fingers.

And they shattered into pieces.

Jay reopened Notes from Brookslandia and set pen to paper, right in front of the frozen shards that once made up two of the three Duskweave brothers. Minutes later, he snapped the book shut, and it vanished.

A quick spellcast later, and so did Jay.

Somewhere in a tavern deep in Booty Bay lie a familiar journal. It's a recently repaired, leather-bound book, with glowing, pulsating runes carved into its spine. On the back cover is a circle filled with a mess of interwoven lines and black dots. Every black dot was connected to another black dot by thick, bold lines, and each thick line was connected by countless smaller lines. Small yet strong chains, used to attach the book to its owner's waist were securely wrapped around the journal. A small layer of ash and small water stains dotted the front cover, but the words “Notes from Brookslandia,” were clearly emblazoned across the top in a fanciful script.

When one opens the book, after a rather out of place table of contents with the word “Connections,” recently penned beside the number 2, there's a page solely devoted to a rather cartoonish drawing of two blood elves chasing a Forsaken with one eye who's chasing a Sin'dorei priestess, complete with a fish in his rotten hand. As one continues to flip through the pages, memories of the first time this journal saw the light of day flow back to you.

However, memory is the key. And your attention is drawn to the talk of sweet rolls, goddesses, whale huntings and social experiments. You relish in the oddity of the story, enjoying the eccentricity of the one constant writer, Jay Brooks. Eventually, your attention is drawn to the increasing mania evident on every page. Pages upon pages are devoted to the sickening experiments going on in the Undercity, complete with recounts of the effects of the New Plague. Diagrams of bodies of the various races of Azeroth are just as at home among the tales of Alliance and Horde members used for experiments ranging from alchemy to magic. As the pages go on, the experiments are more focused on the worgen, specifically the affect of the Plague on both of their forms.

More alarmingly, however, is the sudden, almost fanatical fascination with ley lines. The experiments vanish as quickly as they appeared, replaced with a large map of the charted parts of Azeroth. Similar to the back cover, there are large black dots drawn onto various known ley lines nexus points such as the Sunwell or the Nexus in Northrend. Each nexus is connected in some way or another, with various arrows and notes pointing toward Karazhan.

With each flip of the page, the map's focused is narrowed. First Northrend, then Kalimdor, the charted areas of the Maelstrom, and then the Eastern Kingdoms. Another flip of the page is a closer look into the landmass, a closer look at the kingdom of Azeroth. The maps grow more and more specific, more and more detailed, until they settle on Deadwind Pass and the lonely tower of Karazhan. An entire page is devoted to the tower specifically, filled with almost illegible notes. The only words one could make out appear in Common. They are “ley lines,” “connected,” and “point of entry.”

Another flip of a page and the maps are gone. What follows is the section titled “Connections,” with another rather well-done diagram of the map of ley lines. Interestingly, members of various races are drawn on or near their capital cities or major settlements. For example, an orc is drawn on Orgrimmar, a human on Stormwind, and so on. Odder characters exist, such as a white-haired ranger and white-furred wolf near Feralas. The thickest, most powerful lines connect the capitals to eachother, while the smaller lines that form spiderwebs branch off to almost every settlement and corner of the map. You smile. As one continues to flip through the pages, memories of the last time this journal saw the light of day flow back to you.

What follows is one simple entry:

March 23rd,

You belong in this universe, no less than any other race or being you may come across; you have a right to be here, along with everyone else, whether or not it is clear to you.

Remember, dear reader. Everything is connected.

- Jay Brooks

And there, on a table in Booty Bay, the book sat, waiting for its next reader.

((I want to thank everyone who participated. If you've ever had a chance to discuss the first Notes from Brookslandia with me, you'd know that it's not exactly my favorite thing I've ever done with Jay. I wasn't happy with it, mostly because of my own actions and lack of dedication to the thread. I'm much happier with the way this one turned out.

Again, I'd just like to thank everyone who participated. I literally can't do Notes without you guys, and I know it wouldn't be as good without you guys.

So, thanks. I hope you enjoy the ending. Feel free to post OOCly in the thread now.))

((First:
YAY! \o/

Second:
Thank you, Jay/Lec! I think this came at a rather fitting time. Bravo for an awesome idea you were willing to share with anyone who wanted to partake badly enough that they'd pen a line or two.

Third:
Thank you to all who participated. We had no clue where it was going, but it was fun getting there.

After all, it's not always about the destination; it's mostly about the trip. ;) ))

((First:
Second:
Thank you, Jay/Lec! I think this came at a rather fitting time. Bravo for an awesome idea you were willing to share with anyone who wanted to partake badly enough that they'd pen a line or two. ))

((I second the second. I enjoyed trying to come up with pieces for it, I also enjoyed waiting to see who would write next and how they'd contribute.

Thank you for letting us take part!))

((Thank you for the opportunity to share my own take on the "interconnectedness" theme with my own odd couple.))

Axelpyre still doesn't trust Jay.

((Thank you for the opportunity to share my own take on the "interconnectedness" theme with my own odd couple.))

Axelpyre still doesn't trust Jay.

((I don't blame him.))