Research Report: The Raging Chasm

The Raging Chasm By: Zanbor Emerson

Submitted to: Grand Library of Dalran

Distribution: Kirin Tor, Stormwind Circle of Magi

Preface
The Raging Chasm first came to the attention of the Magus Senate of Dalaran when it gathered in Westfall to assist the forces of Stormwind to drive out the Blood Elves in Gold Coast Quarry. The elves were supposed to disperse the vortex which has ravaged Westfall since the Cataclysm. It has been almost a month since the Blood Elves failed to remove the vortex and in that time, I have been studying the votex and the surrounding area, in order to have more information availiable to those who wish to disperse the vortex, once and for all. I have also attached a few pictures I took with one of those new Gnomish cameras.

History
The Raging Vortex gets its name from the transients of Westfall. I was unable to find out who started calling it that originally. It appeared in the aftermath of the Cataclysm. It formed East of the Gold Coast Quarry directly on the Gold Coast Road between the Alexston Farmstead and the Molsen Farm. A giant beam of light erupted from the ground causing much of the surrounding earth to explode upwards with the light. This has caused the earth caught in the beam to remain suspending in the air floating around the beam. The chasm is also surrounded by 'Chasm Slimes',  again a name given by the transients. The chasm has remained, to the best of my knowledge, untouched since the cataclysm. There have been no real attempts to disperse it.

The Vortex
The most noticable part of the chasm is the beam of light shooting from its center. (See attached picture #1.) The vortex can be seen for miles around, from all the major settlements in Westfall, and during the day. The beam appears to have caught several large pieces of debris from the explosion in an gravity field around the beam. Some of the debris is in orbit flying at fast speeds around the beam and some remains in one part of the sky and spins around. I have observed none of the debris hitting each other in my time studying the chasm and everything does seem to have a strange order of where it is supposed to be and what it is supposed to be doing. I cannot determine what is causing the gravity distortion, as when I threw something into the beam it fell normally. I myself did not try to enter the beam for samples for where the beam meets the earth there is an incredibly bright, white glow. The slimes seem to be able to enter without harmful effect, but I was not willing to enter myself.

The Slimes
The only fauna found in the chasm are the slimes that appeared shortly after the explosion. (See atached picture #2.) For this reason I have seperated them into their own section rather then lump them in the Flora and Fauna section. I could not determine if the slimes were created by the chasm or were merely underground and happened to be released by the explosions. As the nearby Gold Coast Quarry extends underground for quite a ways and has never had problems with slimes before, I am inclined to believe they appeared with the light. The slimes have no interest in leaving the crater the chasm has created and are not hostile in anyway. That does not mean they won't defend themselves if threatened, in my attempts to gather part of a slime to study back at the labs in Dalaran, it formed itself into me. (See attached picture #3.) The slime then attacked. while in my form. It did not form a weapon and instead used fists to attack me. From this I have come to the conclusion that the slime mimicry only goes so far as appearance and not abilities. After taking a picture, I was forced to retreat away from the slime and out of the chasm, as I was not in any state for combat. Once I left the chasm the slime reverted back to its original form and seemed to forget about me. Getting nearer to the same slime did not cause it to get hostile again. I would recommend to anyone attempting to disperse the chasm to come ready for combat aganist the slimes, as I believe they will attack if their ecosystem is threatened.

Flora and Fauna
The flora and fauna that make their homes around the chasm appear to have been only slightly affected by the chasm. The native goretusks and vultures that make their homes around the northern parts of the chasm appear to avoid going to close to the edges of the crater. The only creature I observed any where near the edge of the crater was a common garden snake. The snake is not bothered by the vultures around the chasm as they will not go anywhere near it. As for the flora, the native trees and plants seem fine growing right on the edge of the crater. I sent sample to the lab and if anything comes up, I will ammend the report. As for within the crater itself, no flora grows. It is devoid of all plant life and I believe it will remain that way until the vortex is dispersed. I would suggest finding a couple of druids to assist with the regrowth of the chasm. On the south side of the crater, life is ore scarce. Fewer trees grow and no large fauna. This could be due to the fact that several hostile mechanical harvest reapers roam freely.

Unbound Cyclones
While the cyclones were seen in Westfall before the cataclysm, they were rare. (See attached picture #4.) Now they appear to be all over the plains of Westfall. Several cyclones appear to be centered near the chasm. I don't know if there is a connection between the two, but it could be worth following up on. A shaman would be best suited to the task, perhaps the native air elementals have a solution or wish to help.

Conclusions
The chasm is not going to heal over night. It will take a dedicated team several days to fully disperse the vortex. The team dispersing the vortex would need to be guarded by several people, so the slimes do not interrupt the spells. I would recommend bringing along several magi, shaman, and druids to assist in the dispersion. While magi could probably go it alone. It might take longer and the shaman and druids would speed things along. They would also be helpful in the healing of the land after the vortex is gone. The vortex and crater do not appear to be growing and the slimes do not move out into the greater Westfall plains. Time is not a factor in an decision to remove the vortex. The vortex does impede work at the Gold Coast Quarry. The more superstitious laborers won't go near it and those who do must go around the entire crater to get to the mine. This has caused some problems in the Kingdom of Stormwinds ore production and can have some serious economic effects in an area already in economic depression. I would recommend a team be sent out at the earliest convenience.