[["Ambrose the Paladin" is a story that Vandrysse told at Bruuk's Corner - ADVENTURE STORY TIME on February 3rd.]]
Vandrysse starts: "Okay, well. A while back I was a cleric in the 7th Legion, stationed at Wintergarde Keep. My job was to tend to the wounded and dying, and as you can imagine I've heard quite a few stories ..."
One day a paladin was brought in, named Ambrose. He'd been hurt really bad, and the first night was ... well, it was bad. I was sitting with him that night and he told me what happened.
See, just north of the keep, up in the mountains, there's this small outpost. Except ... it's hardly used for that. I never knew of any patrol that regularly stopped by there, and nobody really seems to know much about it.
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- The outpost north of Wintergarde Keep
There's a small structure of the type you commonly find in Northrend, made of wood and a steep roof to keep the snow from building up and collapsing in. Strangely, there's a campfire out front, which always seems to be burning.
But the oddest thing is the boat. It's gnome-sized, complete with a crow's nest, but looks like it's been stocked by dwarves. There are several rifles scattered about, and the inside is loaded with various ordnance. There's also a stack of lumber to it, and a saw that looks like it hasn't been touched in ages.
Ambrose was returning to the keep and decided to investigate, certain someone would come by shortly. The fire was bright and warm - maybe he dozed off. He woke up to the sound of hammering, thinking the workers returned, but when he stepped outside no one was there.
Another noise caught his attention, this time from the boat. One of the ammunition boxes had tipped over, spilling shells everywhere. He just so happened to noticed that the rifle positioned at the bow was the only one purposely set up on a tripod.
Out of curiosity, he peered through the sights and noticed that it was aimed, more or less, in the direction of Frostmourne Cavern. He decided to survey Scarlet Point, when suddenly everything in view was blacked out, as if by shadows.
At the same time, an angry voice yelled out, "Wot did ya do that for?"
Startled, Ambrose stepped away from the rifle and nearly tripped over a heavy bomb that he swore was not there before. He thought to reposition the rifle, then decided against it. He felt a cold chill in his stomach, remembering the sight of darkness swallowing up the rifle sight.
Being alone at the outpost didn't seem like a good idea anymore, even with the Light on his side, so he flew back to the Keep. For the rest of that evening, he felt like he was being watched. Even when he visited the small chapel to meditate, it felt like the darkness was waiting.
The following day, the Scourge launched a massive assault. It wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last. They were coming in from everywhere. That was one of the few times I did fight.
Ambrose was brought in after we defended against the wave. He was broken and bleeding in several places, and part of his right arm had been blown off.
He'd been in the thick of it, and was trying to run across the field to a fortified position when one of the reconstructed frost wyrms swept down out of the sky and snatched him up. At first he thought he might be delivered to Naxxramas, then Ambrose thought the creature simply meant to drop him from a height in the hopes of killing him. What he didn't expect was for the thing to try to eat him mid-flight.
It began attacking his armor, the force behind its fearsome jaws so great that the heavy plate simply crushed in on itself and the attached body part, over and over again. Ambrose screamed and prayed.
Suddenly, he heard that voice again. "Ya messed up m' sights, boy, an' for that I shoulda killed ya. But this has been far more entertainin' to watch. Consider us even."
He'd just so happened to have his right arm positioned over his head, so that when the bomb went off, he was fortunate it only took off his arm. Ambrose plummeted to the ground below, but had enough presence of mind to call upon the Light to protect himself. But the damage had already been done.
Vandrysse finishes: "And that's my story. I don't know he survived beyond that, I never saw him again."