Alterac 10
[X] Attend to the Stormpikes
While Drek'thar was important, whether alive or dead, you could almost already see the Stormpike cannons blazing, sending bolts of enchanted iron down into the village.
"I go to the Stormpikes!" you called, "Scorn, keep getting everyone together."
"You can't attack them alone, we must assemble a force-"
"I'm not going to attack them!"
But you were already away, with a burst of power you leapt over the collapsed buildings, running with great steps from each one as you raced across the ruins of the Frostwolf homes.
The Earth still gave you strength. It was weak now, the Elements, but you could still feel them, and you could also feel the security of stone as you jumped between the rocks which poked out from the fresh snow.
The Stormpikes were rapidly getting closer, they were advancing through the valley, rams pulling their cannons, though you saw doughty Dwarves carrying them at points over the rocks to find a good vantage point on the heights.
Was this an aggressive deployment? Or were they merely trying to secure their own position? You didn't know much about artillery, but the cannons at their elevation now would easily be able to lob down shot into the valley.
You skidded to a halt fifty feet away from the Dwarves. They were short. You knew that of course, you'd seen them before, but it simply seemed unusual to have such a host of different heights, and you were uncomfortably aware that you knew a song about flaying them. It brought your mind back to nights of signing by the fire with the Shattered Hand in the Cleft of Shadow. But that was far away now…
There were axebearers among them, Dwarves in armour and bright mail. There were ram-riders, riflemen, and a few taller figures you couldn't quite make out further away, perhaps Kal'dorei?
You approached slowly. They had seen you and while their weapons were raised, they weren't pointing at you at least. They could see the banner on your back, see your sword.
"Bring me to your commander." you said simply, approaching the lines, and with a slightly pause, a sergeant gave orders and the formation opened.
You were guarded, twenty Dwarves around you, and you could feel the lead shot of the rifles behind you. You thought you could dodge them though, you'd leap and then… Well, hopefully it didn't come to that.
Vanndar Stormpike was a stout example of his kind. You hadn't met many Dwarves after all, but Vanndar was tall, and bore both hammer and axe at his belt, a broad tabard over his chest writ with the hammer and peak sigil of his company. You guessed his gear must be mithril, for the way it shone, and could feel the magic on it.
"You've done out work for us." Stormpike said gruffly in the Tirassian tongue as you came up. "And I thank ye fer it."
"That was not my intent." you reply. It has all proceeded so quickly, from the initial arrival, to the sudden betrayal, to the great battle in the valley.
"Well… Perhaps I cen see that." Stormpike said, still not offering any hospitality other than simply not killing you, "Well, I've heard of ye, what would ye have of meh?"
"Ceasefire at first, my company is down there and the Frostwolves have no more fight left in them. I would have your healers if you have them, supplies, and then reinforcements if you can spare them."
Vanndar nodded slowly. "Aye…" he remarked, still looking down at the valley, "I had word of you from the north, and you've seen to my foe here, I might as well see to these layabouts before they're recalled!"
There were good natured grumbles from the Stormpike retainers, but you had no heart for jokes.
"What happened here?" Vanndar asked you, "I saw your approach, thought it might be an attack before your banner became clearer. I'd already ordered my folk to rally in case it was an attack, but you turned toward these mangy dogs instead." the Stormpike concluded with a vague motion to the buried village.
You wondered why Vanndar had set out then. Presumably the Dwarves had heard the battle, or followed your column. Had he planned to hit you in the back? Perhaps he feared you planned to join the Frostwolves and combine your forces. You supposed it was irrelevant now, whether the Stormpikes had planned to attack you, they'd aided you against Lokholar…
"Then we saw these… creatures…" Stormpike said, "My wizards said they were great elemental spirits, did the Frostwolves call them up?"
In the situation you could do little but be honest, and you began to narrate the whole sorry story. From the initial lure by Drek'thar to your duel against him, the slaying of his son and the brawl that ensued.
"Drek'thar was ever beset by visions, that was the cause of our conflict, for though they had no right to the land, we needn't have quarrelled in truth." Vanndar murmured, "He- Drek'thar, said his visions told him conflict was inevitable, that's why they struck first…"
The truth of the conflict between the Stormpike and Frostwolves was complex, and you had little interest in interceding between them. But if Drek'thar truly thought his future was conflict, he might not have thought an attack treacherous. Was that what he'd thought with you? That he'd already seen that you would lead to the Horde's downfall, so it was simply inevitable that conflict erupt.
With the logic of prescience and foresight, Drek'thar's attack had been justified, at least in his own eyes. But that still didn't justify it to the Horde, it had been treacherous, against every principle of honour.
"Drek'thar made a sacrifice." you explained, "An obscene one, hideous to my people. If he justified it under the same reasoning he attacked your force then perhaps it seemed right to him. They fell on us and while we were fighting he summoned the first elemental, and I brought my own bound one to bear against it."
"Aye." Stormpike said, "You wear more Elementium on your wrist than exists in the Bronzebeard vaults, I know that at least."
"Their battle and your cannons brought them down, but they'll reform in the Elemental Plane." you replied, "The Frostwolf Elemental may trouble you in future, it spoke of being promised Stormpike blood."
"That is an evil thing." remarked one of Vanndar's attendants, "We must watch this valley carefully in that case. I will send word to Aerie Peak for their elementalists."
"That will wait. We have other matters to see to now." Vanndar replied, turning back to you. "Well, 'Breaker', we've heard of you, and in quieter times I might invite you to Dun Baldar to view the relics of our people. I had word from the Explorer's League that there might be some connection between our peoples, strange as that is, but for now the Frostwolves must be dealt with. I give you two choices, for though you hold a writ from Dathrohan, I hold seniority of command here, and besides that I have the greater force I judge. I will slay and Frostwolf left in this valley, they've acted treacherously in the past, and I'll not tolerate their presence here any longer. Two choices then. They must either go with you, or they must go entirely."
You'd been thinking much the same, but it was still difficult. If you brought the Frostwolves with you, you couldn't be entirely secure with them at their back. They'd have to be guarded, coached, prodded to obey, for there was now a great deal of bad blood between your own force and the Frostwolves. On the other hand, they could make their way east toward Hammerfall, you knew they'd be able to get through the mountains, and perhaps simply sending them away would be best.
No doubt in either choice some of the Frostwolves might choose the other option. Not all would want to join you or leave, but still, you thought most would accept it. Besides that, Drek'thar's status was still unknown. If you knew anything about shaman you knew that he'd likely be either dead or exhausted now, but you suspected he at least would follow his own counsel, or that of his maddened visions.
Choose 1:
[ ] The Frostwolf remnants will join you in your campaign against the Syndicate
[ ] The remains of the clan will be banished, commanded to leave Alterac and likely travel to Hammerfall instead.
