How to Catch a Netherdrake

(Hearken back to the "Burning Crusade" expansion, where you could pick a Netherdrake mount after reaching exalted with the Netherwing faction at max level; corresponding pics on my Facebook account).

Irean directed her gryphon through the pass of Shadowmoon Valley, aiming for the floating island beyond. Ensuring she had her Dragonmaw disguise donned, she descended to the orc camp, having been instructed to seek out an Overseer Mog’hor by name. The brown-skinned orc received her service papers without quibble, sending her out to kill overmine flayers, mine nethercite ore, gather nether crystals, poison non-cooperative peons, and gather netherwing relics. Despite misgivings about poisoning peons, and taking out dragonmaw transporters for relics, the gnome got to work, quite sure the overseer would not tolerate lack of action. Her greatest joy was mining the nethercite ore, or any ore really. Proving her worth to Mog’hor, she was further tasked with quelling a Murkblood uprising in the mines, as well as killing creatures in the same mine that were interfering with production, recovering lost cargo also within the mine, and disciplining disobedient peons with a booterang that she herself had made under the tutelage of Chief Overseer Mudlump. She felt rather bad about using the booterang on peons, but it was fun throwing it. Having impressed Mudlump and Mog’hor with all the various skills she demonstrated while completing the tasks they gave her, Mog’hor decided to step up the pace of her training. He sent her and her mount off to test her flying skills against masters of flight under his command; she was to learn how to stay on her mount whilst dodging various things being thrown at her as she stayed on each master’s tail. It was hard work, but well worth it in the long run. There were all kinds of rocks and other debris floating around the island, so the flight masters she was supposed to be following never had a shortage of things to throw at her, so she could dodge them. She also got a request from an Illidari Lord Balthas to go gather materials to make a machine called a soul cannon, which he used to destroy his brother (Irean surmised that his brother must be awfully nasty for him to want to do that). Mog’hor sent her out to kill death shadow agents, thereby disrupting the twilight portal. Things got dicey after that: Mog’hor tasked her with attacking the Sha’tar outpost—her allies in Shadowmoon! She agreed under the pretense of telling the Sha’tar outpost leader when she got there; Mog’hor seemed only too happy to see her go, and she wondered if he suspected. She went straight to Anchorite Ceyla as soon as she got back to the outpost, quickly detailing to her what had transpired. The anchorite went to gather forces to fight the Dragonmaw Skybreakers that would arrive when Irean used the flare gun; she also tasked Irean with gathering allies to help. Irean sent message after message to her allies, hoping for a swift response, which she got. Ceyla gave the word, and Irean set off a flare to call the Skybreakers. They arrived, and the battle began. The first wave arrived, and was dealt with just before the second wave arrived; wave after wave, until suddenly there were no more. Irean sighed in relief that her allies were safe once more, but she still had trepidation about going back to Mog’hor. She headed back to the island, talked to Taskmaster Varkule, and was sent to talk to Mog’hor. Mog’hor proceeded to tell her that she would be promoted by Lord Illidan Stormrage, and they proceeded to where Illidan was. Unfortunately, Illidan saw through her disguise, and verbally berated Mog’hor for even thinking of letting her into the ranks of his orcs, nevermind letting her ascend to the current position she held. Mog’hor turned on her, but fortunately a dragon, by the name of Netheralku, snatched her from her fate, and flew off. The dragon, disguised as the orc Yarzil the Merc, flew back to the capital city Shattrath, where she met a dragon in elf from by the name of Barthamas. He thanked her profusely for saving his race, the Netherwing, and offered her a gift: she could pick one of the Netherwing, and it would bond with her, and carry her on further journeys. She was given the choice of onyx, azure, veridian, purple, violet, or cobalt, and she chose onyx… the onyx Netherwing bowed its head to her, before allowing her to mount and fly away on its back.