Although not every High Priestess was personally handpicked by Elune, a prerequisite for their selection—setting personal strength aside—was that their devotion to the Moon Goddess had to be among the most pious in the world.
Dejahna had held the position of High Priestess of the Sisterhood for centuries. She had personally witnessed Queen Azshara, out of respect for Elune, oversee the construction of the Seat of the Sky, Lath'elazar—a massive temple city.
Yet, at the same time, she had watched the Queen use the Well of Eternity to open portals to the Twisting Nether, bringing the demons of the Burning Legion into the peaceful world of Azeroth.
Dejahna was well aware of her own character flaws. As the goddess' highest-ranking proxy in the material world during peacetime, her style leaned toward the conservative—or, to put it bluntly, she was indecisive.
Given her status as High Priestess of Elune, had she firmly opposed Queen Azshara's opening of the portals back then, even the Queen—hailed as the Light of Lights—could not have completely ignored her counsel.
Although Dejahna had blamed herself countless times in the dead of night since the Burning Legion revealed its true face, what had happened could not be undone.
In recent years, the whispers within the Sisterhood calling for Maiev to succeed as High Priestess had grown increasingly loud.
Dejahna was fully aware of this and had even actively cooperated, deliberately arranging for Maiev to carry out missions that would help expand her connections and enhance her prestige.
However, a sudden oracle from Elune several years ago had placed her in a dilemma.
The successor she had personally groomed was not chosen by Elune. Instead, an obscure priestess from the countryside was handpicked by the goddess to be the next High Priestess.
Although Dejahna had subtly promoted that favored priestess' rank over the years, her prestige and currently demonstrated personal abilities still trailed significantly behind Maiev's.
These complex thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. As Dejahna poured her full strength into the artifact, a pale blue, translucent aura erupted around her. The gentle force pushed Shandris, who was closest to her, outward.
The pitch-black woods of late night were illuminated by a hazy, gentle light that resembled moonlight itself. Tichondrius, who had been lazily drooping his eyelids, felt this soft yet formidable power. His brow twitched as he immediately shifted his focus toward the small grove.
At that moment, Dejahna hovered in mid-air under the influence of the artifact's power. As she raised her hands, countless silver-white "stars" manifested in the sky.
These shimmering stars seemed to possess precision guidance, raining down in swaths upon every demon within a radius of several kilometers.
"Behold the majesty of Elune! Prayer of the Moon Goddess!"
...
"Uh..."
Seeing this spectacular scene, Andreas couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth in amazement.
Although there was an insurmountable gap between "2D characters on a screen" and witnessing a live broadcast in reality, if Andreas remembered correctly, the wide-area spell High Priestess Dejahna was using had a much more common name among the Warcraft player base.
The Moon Goddess Orbital Cannon—and an enhanced version at that.
Countless meteors of pure energy fell from the sky like rain. Smoke, as if from high-heat searing, rose from the demons who were struck.
The Felguards shrieked, swinging their massive weapons wildly at the sky in a futile attempt to reduce their chances of being hit.
Andreas was quite surprised by this situation. In his impression, the "Orbital Cannon" was supposed to be a massive-scale Arcane divine spell.
But judging by the demons' reactions after being hit, these energy meteors—shimmering with a faint silver light like moonbeams—didn't seem to be what he thought. Instead, they appeared to be a form of power that specifically countered demons.
Recalling certain clues from his previous interaction with Elune, a realization struck Andreas. "The power of Light?"
Though this silver energy commonly used by the Sisterhood's priestesses differed significantly from the golden Holy Light in Andreas' memory, looking at it from another perspective—who said the power of Light could only manifest as golden Holy Light?
"Interesting."
Andreas thoughtfully stroked his beard. He had new conjectures regarding Elune's authority and the form of her power.
This true deity, given the title of "Moon Goddess" by the Night Elves, was likely not as simple as the players had imagined.
After the possibility of her being Azeroth's World-Soul was officially debunked, Elune's existence remained shrouded in mystery even as of the latest 8.0 expansion.
Light and Shadow as two sides of the same coin? If combined with the insider info leaked from the 'Heart of Light' quest in the 7.0 expansion, could it be...
While he desperately wanted to delve deeper into this research, now was clearly not the time. Andreas was quickly pulled back to reality by Maiev's shouting.
All the demons within sight were being hammered by the falling meteors, their once-orderly formation completely shattered by the high-intensity area-of-effect bombardment.
Tichondrius, however, had raised a sickly green protective barrier to block most of the energy meteors aimed at him, though he seemed to have no intention of helping his subordinates.
Maiev seized the opportunity to lead her troops through the gaps in the defense. Under the rapid gallop of the Nightsabers, the combat priestesses finally breached the perimeter and rendezvoused with the main force in the small grove.
Dejahna's short few minutes of continuous casting had reduced the number of Felguards under Tichondrius by sixty percent. The remaining demons were all wounded, their overall combat effectiveness severely compromised.
However, such an "illegal" large-scale spell did not come without a price. Upon ending the spell, Dejahna's face was deathly pale. Had it not been for Shandris quickly stepping forward to catch her, the High Priestess—whose steps were unsteady upon landing—would have collapsed directly to the ground.
When Andreas saw the deep blue, lozenge-shaped gemstone hanging from Dejahna's chest, his eyes narrowed involuntarily.
That pendant... could it be the Tears of Elune?
The Tears of Elune—one of the powerful artifacts known as the Pillars of Creation. Because its manifestations were so rare, its exact effects remained unclear to this day.
However, since it was ranked alongside the Tidestone of Golganneth, the Aegis of Aggramar, the Hammer of Khaz'goroth, and the Eye of Aman'Thul left behind by the Titans, Andreas believed this seemingly unremarkable gemstone must possess incredibly potent abilities.
With the amplification of the artifact's power, Dejahna had used a wide-area divine spell that far exceeded her natural limits. The High Priestess, now barely able to stand even with Shandris' support, appeared extremely frail.
After catching her breath, Dejahna struggled to lift her head and look at Maiev. "Maiev... while the demons haven't recovered yet, lead the sisters and evacuate immediately... do not hesitate..."
Before she could finish the sentence, the High Priestess fainted amidst the cries of alarm from the surrounding priestesses.
Andreas' peripheral vision never left Tichondrius in the distance. He solemnly reminded the chaotic crowd of the Sisterhood, "The High Priestess is right. We aren't completely out of danger yet. Hurry..."
Under Andreas' watchful eye, the corner of Tichondrius' mouth suddenly curled into a predatory sneer.
"Screech!"
The Dreadlord leader once again transformed into a swarm of small bats. In the blink of an eye, he had surged over the small grove where Andreas and the others were hiding.
"Heh... just as Lord Kil'jaeden expected. That irrational fever of 'faith' poses a significant obstacle to the Legion's conquest of Azeroth. We cannot allow you fanatics to reach the front lines and bolster the morale of the resistance."
Clasping his hands, Tichondrius unleashed a massive wave of sickly green light toward the group of priestesses below. The radiance was infested with a swarm of revolting black insects. High Priestess Dejahna, whom he judged to be the greatest threat, was at the very center of the impact.
"Carrion Swarm!"