Last article we went over the facts of the history surrounding the fall of Gnomeregan, and while I did pepper the article with a few quotes then it was not an article about personal stories. This one is.
Disclaimer warning is warranted here, I think. This article deals with loss, deaths, maiming, personal horror, and related topics. If this sounds like something you don't need more of in your life, then please stop reading now, and if you are generally struggling with mental health then please seek help, whether that is in the form of talking to friends, family or a spiritual counsellor.
That out of the way, lets dig into the personal stories. We talked to a few gnomes about their experiences during the fall of Gnomeregan, and I will try to do their stories justice in the following extracts from these interviews.
Hardhy Lester: "I'm doing a series of articles about gnomes and the fall of Gnomeregan. Part of that is talking and interviewing some gnomes about their experiences - where you present when it all happened?"
Glinda Greensprocket: "I was, yeah..."
Hardhy Lester: "I know it can be... very emotional, but would you be okay with talking about it?"
Glinda Greensprocket: "I... guess, yeah."
Hardhy Lester: "Want a mug of coffee? tea? hot cocoa?"
Glinda Greensprocket: "Hot cocoa sounds good, yeah, please."
In hindsight it seems like such a lame thing to offer hot cocoa to someone right before asking them to remember some of the most horrible experiences of their life, and while I know this might upset some people - having it all brought back - then I think the stories are too important to just let fade with time. So, with the initial pleasantries done with, I moved on to the meat of the conversation. The day it all happened.
Hardhy Lester: "Could you tell me about that day? when Mekkatorque decided to try to use radiation to kill the troggs in the lower parts of the city? What were you doing at the time? how did you learn about it?"
Glinda Greensprocket: "I... was on my way home, I'd just finished work and... I saw commotion, people running. I rushed to get home, and I found out what was going on. I helped evacuate my family, but... we didn't all make it. Some of my brothers got trapped behind a door that sealed itself shut and couldn't escape... It was... horrible, truly horrible."
Hardhy Lester: "I'm sorry for your loss. Does it impact your day-to-day life much?"
Glinda Greensprocket: "It... did for a long time, yeah. After we got out, I sort of... couldn't cope with all the loss, so... I sort of turned to bad things, drink and that, and... I must have fallen through every shit-hole tavern in Azeroth at some point or another, but... yeah, nowadays I'm better, I've... made amends, grieved. Some days I wake up missing my brothers, but... not a lot can be done, huh?"Article continues after the ad.
Hardhy Lester: "No, the past is the past, none of us can change that. Well, unless you are one of them time dragons I suppose."
I do wonder what the rules are for those time-altering dragons and mages, surely there must be some rules or it would happen all the time... or who knows, maybe it does, how would we know?
Anyway - this is a strong story Glinda is sharing. The loss of family members in such a tragic event. Alcoholism, a trip to the more grim parts of not only Azeroth taverns, but also her own mental well-being. Her story is not unique, a lot of gnomes lost family and friends that day. An estimate puts the number of gnomes lost upwards to 83% of the gnomish population. It is nearly statistically impossible for anyone with family or friends in Gnomeregan to not have suffered extreme losses and as a result, had to deal with that and the despair following.
Hardhy Lester: "Do you play any role in the reclamation of the city? donations? helping out? or is it more something you don't think much about now?"
Glinda Greensprocket: "I... don't, no. I've not been back since then, and... I just know going back I'd be a mess. I've sent a bit of money though, but I know that isn't much really. Just can't open up those wounds again, y'know?"
Hardhy Lester: "I totally understand that. Reason I ask is that a lot of people - races - have had some sort of defining catastrophe happen, but it seems Gnome are less.. angry than most. "
Glinda Greensprocket: "Yeah... I can only speak for myself, but... believe me, if I could, I'd go back and slap whatever moronic bellend thought releasing radiation would help."
Hardhy Lester: "That would be Mekkatorque himself - although not his idea I think."
I am aware that High-Tinkerer, now King, Mekkatorque himself was not the one who came up with the idea of venting radiation into the lower levels of Gnomeregan. But he was the one giving the order, traitorous advisor or not.
There is more to Glinda's story, but it is about the future and gnomish culture. We will tackle that in a later article. For now, this is the end of Glinda's story and this article. Next one is the story of Wizzlesprigg Fortimus Crossington Endeltire.