Since Hadven now is finally and irreversibly dead, I thought about writing a story about how he died and what happened to him. So sit back, relax and enjoy or vomit while you read this.
8 months ago.
Hadven had asked to be stationed in the Hinterlands. His excuse was research on the tribe of enemy forest trolls in the area and if they could be turned to the Forsakens cause, willingly or forcibly. Professor Nightdragon had ignored his pleas for some weeks but finally gave in. Her last words to hadven was "Results or I will have you disciplined for wasting my time!". He was relieved to finally have permission to leave the Sludge fields. He never mentioned it to anyone but his speciality was Magic, not apothecary work.
2 days later, he was loading cargo onboard a carriage. His skeleton horse, Whitewind was stomping his hoof, impatiently, while his master and a few Deathguards stationed at the Sludge fields loaded the last boxes onboard the carriage. With the last crates onboard, he got onto the carriage and a Deathguard walked over to him. "The professor will expect results, you know that. Should you fail, we have been instructed to find you and return you to Undercity", the Deathguard said with a grinning smile. Hadven looked down at him and said with a smirk on his face:" The professor will get results, as will The Dark Lady herself". Hadven took the reins and got the carriage moving out from the Sludge fields and down the road.
In the middle of the night, Hadven approached Hiri`watha research station in the Hinterlands. He saw the lights from the camp from afar but his goal was not the research station. He steered the carriage away from the road leading to the station and took the road leading to Revantusk village. He was on edge now. Nervous about being spotted by Dwarf scouts or local Trolls. He had risked too much to be stopped now. He kept looking over his shoulder, expecting to find someone sneaking up on him. Howls from wolves had him on edge the entire time. He did not fear wolves but if The Spine found out about his project, he would either have his head placed on the block or be praised. He feared professor Black and Nightdragon and their punishment, most likely carried out by High Executor Anthraxius.
After a while in the forest, he took a map out of his bag and studied it. He should be close now. He took a left turn into the forest, away from the road and continued into the darkness. He was sure he was on the right track. In the distance, he heard what sounded like drums. A troll camp had to be close so he hurried up. Not long after he came to a small river. Looking up and down the river he saw a bridge in the distance and headed for it. The bridge was old and made awful sounds as Hadven crossed it with the carriage, he was sure the bridge would collapse and all the boxes with their precious cargo would be lost in the river but the bridge luckily held together. He scouted his surroundings and saw a faint green, glimmering light in the distance. That had to be it. He headed for it and finally found what he was looking for. The portal to the Emerald Dream in the Hinterlands!
Early in the morning he had unloaded the boxes from his carriage and carried them up to the portal. As he placed the last box on the ground, he approached the portal. He touched the portal with his hand, a tingling sensation rushed up his arm. He looked at his hand, a skeleton hand with dry, gray skin covering it. As he studied his hand, he felt something distant his his mind. A feeling? A memory? He could not grasp what it was. He waved it off and looked at the arch which held the portal. A stone arch, with ornate carvings on it. Beautiful to watch but Hadven was not here for an archeological survey. He marched over to the boxes, opened one up and took out a large crystal lense. Crafted to perfection. Arcane emerald, a rare gemstone which held arcane properties. Usually used by mages to store mana in but this lense was to be used for something else. He placed it inside the box and opened another one. A flexible metallic tube was stored inside. Made of leafthin Mithril and coated with Arcanite on the inside. This would reflect Arcane energy if used correctly, however, it was untested and was still theoretical. Another box opened. A large crystal glass container, used by kael`Thas Sunstrider in Tempest Keep. He used these to store Arcane power. Now Hadven had several of these in his possesion. He started to assemble them, one by one and by the end of the day, he had 6 Arcane energy collector compressors finished.
When evening came, Hadven was ready to see if his experiment would succeed. He carried one of the Arcane collectors over to the portal, put in down near the portal and pointed the collector tube with the lens into the portal. Nothing happened. Hadven grew uneasy as nothing seemed to happened. He walked back and forth nervously. 30 minutes went by and still nothing. In anger, Hadven grabbed one of the empty boxes with his telekinesis, threw it away and followed up with a fireball directly to it, incinerating it and leaving nothing but a cloud of ash behind. He sat down on the stone tiles near the portal, disappointed and angry. He stared into the distance, thinking how he could fail. This should be working! Why did it not work? As he sat there, he noticed a blue glow from behind him. He stood up and saw the Arcane energy collector glowing faint blue. He approached the container carefully and placed his right hand on it and immediately felt the same sensation he felt when he touched the portal, only this time it was much stronger. He placed his other hand on the right hand and tried to pinch his own dry skin. To his sensation, he felt something that reminded of pain! Hadven laughed as he felt it. It worked! It actually worked! Maybe the decomposing that all Forsaken experienced could be reversed and they could live forever instead of becoming mindless, stumbling zombies at all Forsaken would become eventually? He quickly carried the rest of the Arcane collectors over to the portal and placed the collector tubes into the portal. When he was done, he sat down and started writing down his findings as detailed as he possibly could, now and then he would look over at the Arcane collectors and see that they slowly started glowing faint blue.
The next morning, Hadven was still studying the collectors, seeing that their blue color had become more intense. He estimated that he would need at least half a day more before they would be fully charged. But he thought that he was gone for so long, maybe someone at Hiri`watha would send out a search party for him. He would have to go there and report in. He saddled up Whitewind and rode off into the forest and headed for the research station.
As he arrived there after a uneventful ride, he reported in to the Forsaken apothecary in charge. Being yelled at for being late, he excused himself by telling that he had some trouble with the local trolls and that they stole some of his cargo and that he was hunting them down. The apothecary nodded and mumbled something about using the blight on them before returning to work. Hadven then requested parchment and a quill to write a report to The Spine.
To: Professor Black and Professor Nightdragon.
From: Junior apothecary hadven Calder.
I have arrived in the Hinterlands, but have been hindered by the local trolls. I have however, discovered something that, if successful, could be a great boon for the Forsaken. A discovery of magic that could very well ensure The Spine as The Dark Ladys greatest subjects. I am still in the process of researching this magical phenomenon and will use myself as a testsubject once the process is finished. I will send a more detailed report in a day or two.
May The Dark Lady watch over you.
Junior apothecary Hadven Calder.
Hadven signed the letter with his name and asked an apothecary to be sure that the letter would be sent with the next bat to The Spines headquarters in Brill. He then mounted his horse and rode back to the portal in Seradane.
Evening came and the Arcane containers glowed bright and intense blue. Each time Hadven placed his hand on a container, sparks would fly from the container and to his hand. The sensation was so intense to him now that he hardly could wait. He walked over to the final box and opened it. He lifted out the item inside. A large metallic chestplate made of Arcanite with circular holes placed on it. Two on the back, two on the chest. There was also 2 Arcanite gauntles which he would wear, they had a hole on the palm of each gauntlet. He moved the Arcane collectors away from the portal and placed them around himself. He then connected the metallic tubes from the collectors to the chestplate, 2 tubes on the back and 2 onto the chest. Then he attached the 2 remaining tubes on the palms of the gauntlets. He stepped back and looked at the contraption. It hummed with energy and sparks flew from the connection points. He then proceeded to strap the chestplate to himself and donned the 2 gauntlets. He stood ready. It was so heavy he couldn`t move much but it would have to do. Hadven looked around to see if everything was in order, then he grabbed a large lever on his chest, the main energy release valve from the boxes to the tubes. He stood for a moment hoping it would work, then turned the lever. An incredible rush of energy flowed from the Arcane energy collectors, through the tubes and into Hadven. Arcane energy entered his body through his chest, his back and his hands. He stood still for a moment but then felt something was wrong, he looked down at his chest and saw that he was engulfed in energy, he felt every fiber of his being, which had been dead for many years come to life and react at the same time. His entire body was in a pain few have felt! His ravaged body convulsed and he struggled to stand upright! Enormous amounts of Arcane energy shot out through his eyes and he felt like he was struck by lightning! Hadven bit his teeth together to weather the energy but it was too late. He saw that the Arcane magic he had tried to tame was out of control. He felt his eyes burn away and his skin being on fire, his bones breaking and all the pain that followed. To himself, his screams of agony and pain seemed to be that of not only himself but someone else. Then he saw that his arms were disintegrating into the air rapidly, he knew that he had failed. He let out a final scream that echoed through the Hinterlands with an unnatural force. Hadven Calder was no more. Not even remains. Only a few boxes with the Forsaken emblem was left and Whitewind, his trusty skeletal horse.
Hadven felt himself carried away by a mightly flow of energy, there was no up or down, no right or left, no sense of direction at all, no sense of time. He just existed. Then a voice called out to him in the flow. "Mage, you have discovered a great secret known only to few mortals. Open your eyes, because now you can see". Hadven opened his eyes slowly and faced a being without form, a swirling daze of energy hovered in front of him. A multitude of colors, like gazing through a diamond in sunlight, it reminded him of the crystal figurine he once gave as a present to his teacher in Dalaran as a young boy. Hadven looked down at his hands and saw hands of flesh, like those of a young man. He touched his face and felt soft skin, not dry, dead skin like he usually was. The form of energy hovered in front of him. "Yes, you are what you are. You have your original mortal form. This was a choice you made the moment you died". Hadven looked at the glowing form amazed and tried to speak but before he could ask, a reply was given. "I am the living form of magic on Azeroth. I travel the ley lines of this world endlessly, ever since Norgannon gave this world magic millenia ago. I have watched this world since its creation, I still watch it and I will forever more." Hadven was shocked to hear what the energy told him. He tried to understand and was about to ask again and before he could speak, an answer was given. "I know what you will ask because at the moment we are one, you and I. I will tell you what you want to know. You think about your actions in life and undeath. Evil deeds and good deeds. They were meant to happen. Power can easily corrupt those who believe themselves powerful and that was the reason for your actions. The story of your life was woven long ago. You were destined to die old and be reanimated by a Val`kyr. Do not fear this, because it is what you call destiny. There is free will, you are not being controlled. If you see this as living your life, you have. There is life and death and death is not the end, it is a new beginning. A new beginning that does not end. Your memories is the next step of your journey. Remember and you will go on, mage." Hadvens face change from shock to a calm that he had never felt before. He felt himself lifted out of the magic flow and to another place in his memories. He recognized the place immediatly. Beautiful green forests, green grass, a small stream with fish in it. The Sun in the sky, a warm summerwind on his face, birds singing in the sky. His heart filled with joy. He knew all of this from before. Then he heard someone behind him. Hadven, the 25 year old man, felt his heart skip a beat as he turned around and saw who it was. He smiled.
"Mother, father..."
The End.
So, this is the story of Hadven and his death and how the new beginning in death was. tell me what you think. Any feedback is constructive feedback. I thought this song would be perfect for the final part.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pShp8Liffa4
Subject: Hadvens final hours. 
Wed Aug 08, 2012 5:28 am
