Gnome is Where the Heart Is (behind the ribcage)

Meandered on the fringes of Duskwood, finishing up a few collection quests, slaughtered the local fauna, and sent more than a few soulless abominations back to the grave from whence they spawned, hitting level 22 in the process. Along the way, I collected some ingredients for the local tavernkeep so that he could brew up some zombie juice for my old friend, The Hermit. The bartender warned me it was strong enough to raise the dead. I laughed and gave it to the old man, who promptly thanked me for my "fooli--, I mean kindness" and then sent me off to collect undead parts so he could build a scareghoul to keep the undead away from his rickety cabin.
After gathering a bagful of that rot (literally), I wandered back just to find out he'd lost his tools near an ogre mound. Hmph. The ghouls had already tested the limits of my ability to kite effectively, so I was somewhat loathe to place myself in an even more precarious situation. I told the hermit I'd be right back...just had to run to the store for cigarettes... and hopped on a gryphon and flapped my merry way to a different zone. I'll revisit Duskwood when I've got a little more experience under my robes.

In time, I found my way to Menethil Harbor-- a small walled port city on the edge of a large marsh, known affectionately as "The Wetlands." Over the past *cough* years, I've leveled up a few characters, but some zones I'd avoided like the plague. The Wetlands was one of them, not for any particularly good reason other than running around a swamp for an extended period is a little depressing. Since I'm playing this character with a side goal of seeing more content than my usual "must grind to live" mindset, I took a few quests, found they were right at and slightly below my level, so I figured I'd give them a go.

The rewards were as mediocre as I expected and not overly challenging, with the exception of falling face-first into a pit of velociraptors, costing me more dignity than time. If nothing else, it was my sole "oopsie" on the way to level 23. I'll continue to explore this area a bit longer before returning to Duskwood. I'd hate to keep Mr. Hermit waiting too long.