TTKT Prologue
Grounders10
Nine-Tailed Kitsune
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada, Mars
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ASOIAF/ Warcraft Crossover
The Tides of Kul Tiras
By: Grounders10
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Prologue: Jaina
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ASOIAF/ Warcraft Crossover
The Tides of Kul Tiras
By: Grounders10
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Prologue: Jaina
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Jaina Proudmore coughed, hacking as she expelled water from her lungs. Her head hurt, well everything hurt. Her arms, legs, chest, everything. That was to be expected when you had just been shipwrecked.
The surf lapped at her feet, though they couldn't make her boots anymore waterlogged than they already were. Still the water was cold so she tried to get to her feet, her eyes casting about her for her staff. She could feel the enchanted tool in the back of her mind as she stumbled upright. All she saw was the broken wood of her ship and the bodies of men and women less fortunate than her that had washed up onto the shore.
Her eyes rested on one man who lay nearby wearing the uniform of the Kul Tiran Marines. His eyes gazed emptily upwards at the dark cloudy sky above. She closed his eyes and muttered a prayer she remembered from the tidesages. By the light, she hoped this wasn't the fate of the rest of the fleet.
"Lady Proudmore!" She looked up as a familiar voice called her name. A man, dressed in the greens and browns of her family's guard walked around a particularly large part of what had been her ship, hopefully, it was just her ship. In his hands was her staff. A few others followed behind him, each of them appearing relieved as they caught sight of her. At the back was a man wearing the raiment of a Tidesage.
She smiled as she recognized him. "Captain Belisar. You're alive." She said, picking her way through the bodies and the wreckage.
"Not alone thankfully." The large, broad-shouldered sailor replied as he reached her. He held out her staff. "Found something of yours milady. Thought you might want it back."
"Thank you, captain." She said, taking it. As her hands wrapped about the blue cloth wrapping that formed its grip, she ran a hand over the blue crystal mounted at its tip, checking for damage. There was no physical damage, but something felt off to her.
Something of that must have shown since the Captain asked, "Is something wrong milady?"
She glanced up at him before turning her attention back to the staff. "Possibly." She said as she tried drawing in mana from her surroundings to make the crystal glow. A simple feat and a good test for issues. It barely flickered and she blinked in surprise. She had done this a thousand times so why- She tried again, but this time the issue was clear. She hadn't done anything wrong, there just wasn't enough power to work the spell.
She scowled and made a gesture out towards the sea. A few anemic snowflakes fluttered off her hand to melt upon the wet sand rather than the large glacial bolt of ice that should have arced out over the mist-shrouded water. "There is no magic here." She said. She heard several small gasps from the other marines.
"And there is something wrong with the spirits here as well your grace." The Tidesage said.
She turned to him. "How so?" She asked.
"I cannot hear the Tidemother anymore. Dark whispers flow from the depths around us and the spirits of this island are… dormant. I can feel something there, but it is as if everything is sleeping, or dead." The man said with his own frown.
"Or hibernating." Jaina mused. If a place was weak in arcane power there was no telling what else it might be weak in. It was entirely possible that any spirits native to the island were simply waiting out what might be a natural phenomenon in the area.
"Perhaps." The Tidesage allowed.
Jaina sighed. "Well, it would appear my own skills will be less than useful for now. Captain, report." She ordered.
Belisar straightened. "Ma'am, survivors from the crash have washed up all across the beach. I've gathered a few here and assigned others to help with the recovery. Other than a brisk wind, the storm that wrecked us appears to have vanished as suddenly as it appeared." He said.
"Numbers?"
"Fifteen active including yourself so far Ma'am. However, we've recovered at least ten more injured that I know of. Operations are still ongoing." He replied.
She nodded. "Local terrain?" She asked, looking inland. The beach ended in a rocky cliff that went vertical for at least two hundred feet. Her view up and down the beach was blocked by wreckage from her ship.
"The beach runs along the bottom of the cliffs for another thousand feet before giving way to a slow slope running to the east inland." Belisar said, pointing passed the wrecks. "No trees, very little in the way of greenery actually." He dug into his pockets and pulled out an oddly flat and shiny black stone. "A lot of this on the ground around here, however. One of other survivors is a blacksmith by trade. He says it's iron ore."
She took the stone with a raised eyebrow. It was definitely iron ore. "Interesting. Any sign of inhabitants?" She asked.
Her Captain shook his head. "Nothing yet ma'am. Not that we've been looking per se. Barely pulled ourselves out of the surf like half-drowned bilge rats." He said.
"Keep an eye out. I'd rather we not get jumped by Murlocs or something worse. This is a new land gentlemen, keep both eyes open and looking." She ordered. At their affirmatives she continued, "Good, Captain I assume we haven't set up a headquarters yet?"
"Not yet ma'am."
"Then that's what you and I shall do. Everyone else, find and help the survivors." She ordered, "Dismissed." The men behind the captain saluted and immediately headed off into the maze of wreckage.
"I spotted a cave a little way back your grace." The Tidesage suggested, not leaving like the rest.
"Above the high water mark?" She asked. The last thing they'd want is to get flooded out of their shelter when the tide turned.
"I believe we are currently at high tide." He replied.
"Your name sage?" She asked.
"Brother Starswift your grace." He bowed.
"Well then Brother Starswift, please, lead the way." She gestured for the man to lead with her staff and she and Captain Belisar fell in behind him as he led the way through the wreckage.
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Four hours later Jaina was in the process of helping dry materials recovered from the wreckage by the fire. She could have done so more quickly with her own magic, after all Mages did have personal reserves, but such things were supposed to be tapped for spells that went beyond a mage's ability to channel external forces and doing so tended to lead to exhaustion. Given the questionable availability of being able to draw on external sources to replenish using it to cast spells would be a waste.
She set aside a freshly dried blanket onto a nearby crate and grabbed another waterlogged blanket to hang by the fire. As she did so she groaned softly and rubbed her right shoulder. Most of the pain from their rough arrival had been subsiding to a dull ache, but her shoulder felt like she must have pulled something since the pain had barely faded.
"Lady Proudmore." She turned from the small stack of dry, if not necessarily clean, blankets to face her Captain. The man had a severe expression, one she had learned during their time at sea meant he was trying to not let his actual emotions show.
"What's wrong?" She asked, grabbing her staff from where it leaned against the cave wall.
"Movement on the cliffs above." He said, "More towards the way inland as well. Perimeter watch says 'they look human'."
"That still leaves quite a few options Captain." Jaina replied, walking passed the row of injured men being tended to by Brother Starswift She joined the Captain in the entrance of the cave. At some point in the last hour a little drizzle had started with the rain further shrouding the seas from view.
"Well my men can spot a murloc fairly well, so that's one thing off the list." Belisar replied. He leaned out of the cave then stepped back inside. "'Course even if they are human doesn't mean they'll be friendly."
She nodded. "I'm unfortunately aware of that Captain." She said as she watched her sailors pick through the wreckage of what had turned out to be not just her ship, but two others as well. Brother Starswift had come from one of those other ships. As it was they had accounted for over half of the people who had been aboard the three vessels. Only a third of them were able to walk, and of those who couldn't at least half weren't likely to survive their injuries without the presence of
"Orders?" He asked.
"No hostile actions Captain. Keep a watch, but I'd rather not make an enemy if we can avoid it." She said.
He sighed. "As you wish Milady. I'll go and-"
"Danger comes from the cliffs." The two of them turned around to face Brother Starswift. His eyes were glowing a bright blue. Those around him were backing away. "The tendrils of the kraken descend from a castle of white stone, reaching to grasp the cracked anchor. Death and worse comes to all who… touch.. It…" The man wavered, the glow of his eyes fading and he fell backwards into the arms of a young woman dressed much like himself. He looked directly at Jaina.
"So… speaks the tides…" He gasped before going limp, panicking the acolyte who was holding him. After a moment she sighed as she found his pulse.
"He's alive your grace. I'll take care of him." The acolyte said before waving over a couple of nervous guards to help her move him.
Jaina scowled, then sighed herself. "Prophecy." She said with a grimace.
"Prophecy led us here." Belisar reminded her.
She nodded. "It did, but that doesn't mean I like it. Call back everyone, we're fortifying here." She ordered.
"It will be done." The man saluted then turned to start barking orders. As he did she considered Brother Starswifts words.
"I hope 'kraken' is less than literal." She muttered, casting a wary eye at the sea. They were in no shape to deal with a monster of that scale. All of their cannons were either at the bottom of the sea, or in need of recovery from what parts of the ships had washed up.
Then, in the faint distance, she could hear the sound of steel on steel and the shouts of men and women.
"Milady!"
"I can hear it." She replied to the Captain with more calm than she felt. "Accompany me." She ordered, gesturing to a few of the nearby guards before striding out of the cave, her staff crunching a cadence from where it contacted the gravel beach.
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Their hurried run across the gravel beach, during which they were joined by another thirty of her Kul Tiran marines and sailors, came to an abrupt end as men in a ragged mixture of heavy cloth armour, chainmail, and leather wielding axes, swords and shields came charging around the beached form of half a Kul Tiran brigantine.
The men took one look at them before one of them, the only one in the group in plate armour, pointed at them and shouted, "More of these bastards. Cut them down! The White Cliffs Stand!"
"The White Cliffs Stand!" Shouted the men as they charged in, their axes and swords held high.
Jaina came to a halt, letting her soldiers run forward to engage the enemy. Gathering some of her power she bent reality with arcane force. Above her water, pulled from the air and conjured from nothing, gathered and froze into a half dozen icicles as long as a man's leg before firing off into the oncoming charge. She staggered as the magic left her. The act was a large drain on reserves that would only refill at a glacial pace in this land.
Their charge had come to a near halt on seeing her magic, with some men attempting to scramble back from the attack. Curses and shouts of horror coming from many even before the icicles shot forward, skewering through men with enough force to continue out the otherside, striking more men behind them.
"Magic, she's a sorceress!" Shouted someone in the ranks as the entire charge disintegrated into panic. Or cried of horror and fear, including invocations to gods Jaina had never heard of.
Then the Kul Tiran charge, numbering half their numbers, washed over them. Panicking men were cut down and what had been a potential problem shattered instantly. Amongst those who went down was the man in plate armour, one of her icicles having lodged inside his chest.
As her troops swept aside the resistance and moved on through the gap in the wreckage she stopped by the man in the plate armour. Lying next to him was his shield, on which was emblazoned a white cliff with a castle atop on a blue background. The armour and sigil suggested that this man was important somehow.
She scowled, hopefully she hadn't just scuppered any chance of peace. She glanced at the bodies lying around. Not that there had been much of that to begin with if she was honest. Attacking shipwreck survivors said unpleasant things about the locals.
She moved on, following her men through the gap onto the wide open stretch of beach beyond. Most of the debris that was washing up around here was shattered planks and the occasional crate. Now it was full of men in armour swinging sharpened slabs of metal at each other. To the right the beach gave way to scraggly grass and dirt as the land rose up through several crags.
Jaina's eyes raked the field of battle. Including the force they had just dealt with the attackers appeared to have brought nearly three hundred men. With part of their force wiped out that brought them closer to two hundred and ten, still more active bodies than they had unfortunately.
The perimeter guard and scavenging team up this way had numbered only twenty-five, a not inconsiderable percentage of their available troops. All she could see of them from her position was a small knot of what couldn't be more than a half-dozen left.
"Push through!" She shouted, "Relieve the guard! For the Alliance!"
"FOR THE ALLIANCE!" Her men thundered as they crashed headlong into the flank of the enemy. A flank that was hastily trying to reassemble a line after being disrupted by the fleeing remnants of the force they had just broken.
What little formation they had assembled simply shattered as the Kul Tiran marines crashed into them, the battle instantly dissolving into dozens of individual duels. Duels that made it clear that her sailors, most of whom were part of her personal guard were men and women bloodied in the second war and skirmishes with the orks and later undead, had a clear advantage in both experience and equipment.
As she watched one of her men deflected an axe with his shield, parried a sword with his own, and gutted a third man with the backswing. The fatally injured man fell with a scream of pain that was drowned out by the din of battle. No, experience was certainly in their favour, but even this group outnumbered their present forces at least three to one. Surprise had offset the numbers a bit, but without further support her men would probably be dragged down by numbers.
Dragging more power from her reserves, she recreated her strike from before. Icicles flashed into existence above her before shooting off into the crowd, striking those furthest back. A strike like this was too imprecise to risk interfering with the duels already underway, however she could prevent the enemies reserves from lending aid.
Much like before the display of arcane power seemed to send a shockwave through the enemies ranks, with shouts of 'Sorcery' and prayers to gods. Who was the 'Drowned God'? It sounded ominous.
Unlike before the men did not break and run. Some did, but several men in heavy plate and mail shouted them back in line. She spotted the white cliffs on a blue background on several of them.
Marking them in her mind she drew forth yet more power, enough that her hands and eyes began to glow. An arrow slapped the ground near her and she quickly diverted some power to a barrier just before several more landed. One of them bouncing of the barrier above her chest.
She tisked, but ignored the archers. She needed to break this attack, and killing a couple of archers wouldn't do that. Turning her attention back to what were either officers or lords she launched forth the magic she had already called up as a wave of glittering arcane missiles which flew over the heads of the men locked in melee and came down upon the heavily armoured soldiers.
Two of them failed to react in time, and the bolts crumpled their armour and sent them to the ground, thoroughly dead. One man attempted to strike one of the bolts from the air with his sword, only for it to shatter on contact and a second bolt to cave in his chest. Several men who had shields raised them. Their wooden shields shattered, but other than a broken arm and a sore back from where they were thrown into the ground they would live. The last was an older man on a horse who spotted the incoming spell just in time. He managed to swing himself off his mount and interpose the beast between him and the spell just in time. The horse died, he however lived.
Which was unfortunate since she would bet that he was the one in charge. The white cliffs sigil was enamelled onto his chest plate and the same could be said of the shield on his left arm. He gazed across the battlefield at her for a long moment before turning to those around him and shouting orders. Despite not being able to hear them from so far away she could guess what they were as he and his men began to disengage from the battle. Duelists either killing or throwing back their opponents before turning and running up the hill.
"LET THEM GO! DO NOT CHASE!" She shouted as the raiders fled. There were a few mutterings from some of the men, but none of them gave chase. In moments what had been a battlefield simply became a beach full of dead men and women.
A minute or so later Captain Belisar came charging through the wreckage behind them with reinforcements. He stopped as he realized the battle was over. "So you managed to show them off then." He said as he walked over to her after setting his men to tend the wounded and establish a proper perimeter again.
Jaina smiled thinly. "I'd love to know why they decided to attack." She said, "This entire thing was pointless."
The captain shrugged. "Hard to say. Could be any number of reasons. Could just be opportunists." He said.
"Could be." She sighed. By the light she hoped it wasn't something like that. Opportunists like this made bad neighbours.
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It was hours later, well after darkness had fallen, when Jaina finally had a chance to rest. Their attackers hadn't come again, however the possibility had led to them pulling back their perimeter to the half-beached brigantine, which had been reinforced with parts from a Kul Tiran Galleon. That, and taking care of the wounded, had taken the efforts of everyone still able to stand.
So it was that Jaina, utterly exhausted, finally sat down beside a fire at the edge of the cave they had taken over. The cave itself had been commandeered as a triage area and hospital. Many of the wounded were having to make do with minimal aid. Somehow, through whatever twisted luck they had, no priests of the light or paladins had either been on board their vessels or survived wreck. Not that she would expect a paladin to be able to swim in their heavy armour.
"Finally taking a moment to rest Lady Proudmoore?" She glanced up as Captain Belisar spoke from where he was tending a fish that was being cooked on the fire.
"Walls are up, guards are set, injured are in the hands of people more knowledgeable in that area than I am." She sighed.
The Captain prodded one of the fish with a knife and shook his head. "Well, at this point there isn't much we can do but wait for the morning."
She nodded. "I just wish there was something more I could do for the injured. Many of them aren't going to make it through the night. Quite a few of them have already died." She spared a glance to the spot down the beach were the bodies were being placed along the base of the cliff while graves were being dug. Night might have fallen, but there were still a few men working on the graves.
"We've done what we can." Belisar said, "Now all we can do is wait." He poked the fish with his knife again and nodded this time. "Fish looks done. Wish some of the spices had survived the wreck."
"There is a lot that we could have used Captain. Spices are quite a ways down that list." Jaina replied with some amusement.
He shrugged. "It's the small things in life you miss most."
She snorted. "And cliches rarely help." She replied.
The sailor chuckled and pulled the fish off the fire. As he went to bite in a shout was heard from closer to the water.
"SHIP HO!"
Jaina was on her feet immediately while the captain groaned before taking a bite of his fish and standing up. "I swear, things never happen at a good time." He muttered before taking another bite. He frowned and looked at the fish.
"Something wrong?" She asked as she looked out to see. A couple of hours earlier the mist had finally disappeared along with the rain. Well out to sea, she could just barely make out a few golden-red lights. She pulled her telescope from a pouch and raised it for a closer look.
"Fish is a bit bland." The Captain smacked his lips. "Bit oily as well. Eh, I've had worse. So, is there a ship out there?"
"Looks like it." She peered into the distance. The moonlight was weak that night, but she could make out a silhouette all the same. It was a shape she was well familiar with, and which brought a great deal of happiness to see. "Judging by the shape of the hull and the rigging it's an Elven Destroyer. Captain, fetch the flares. We're signalling for aid." She ordered.
"Yes ma'am." Belisar said, saluting with the partly eaten fish before running into the cave. He came out a few moments later brandishing one of their few recovered flare guns, a heavy wood and steel contraption of dwarvish origin. He aimed it high and fired. A brilliant red light bathed the beaches as it soared out over the water.
It was a breathless couple minutes while they waited for a response. Finally a brilliant purple flare of arcane light shot up from the vessel. Jaina smiled as she saw most of the sails being furled as the ship began to come about.
All around her the men on the beach cheered. Rescue was on its way.
"Alright!" She shouted, collapsing her telescope. "Enough! Captain, get the men organized. Prepare to receive guests."
"Yrs," The good Captain swallowed his mouthful of fish, "Yes Ma'am. ALRIGHT YOU SCUM. WE'VE GOT POINTY-EARED COMPANY COMING. GET YOUR ASSES SORTED AND THIS BEACH CLEARED FOR ARRIVALS!"
Men scrambled in every direction. As the elven vessel pulled closer large pieces of wreckage along the waterline was dragged aside by teams of sailors and marines to clear room for the dinghy's that would be making the journey from the elven destroyer to the island. It was a half hour before the elven destroyer dropped anchor and another ten minutes before three small rowboats were making their way from the ship towards them.
By the time they made it to the shore Jaina was waiting for them with Captain Belisar. And everyone else not on guard duty standing behind them. She would have preferred to have Brother Starswift along as well, but he was still resting from his sudden 'vision' or whatever it had been. As it was she smiled and stepped forward as the boats were run aground and their occupants hopped out into the shallow waters. Amongst them were several elves in the robes of the priesthood of the Church of the Light.
From the lead boat a handsome male elf leapt into the surf. He was dressed in the flowing robes of a trained Magister. His eyes glowed the soft blue most common to his people. "Lady Proudmoore! The fleet has been searching for you." He said.
"You've seen the fleet?" She asked.
"That I have. A day's sail northwest. We've been regrouping around a small atoll." He said before bowing to her. "Pardon my manners. I am Vythas Sunrider. What aid might my men and I be able to offer you Lady Proudmoore?"
"A lift would be welcome," She paused to glance out to the destroyer sitting off the coast. "However, I don't believe your vessel has enough room for all of us."
Vythas glanced about the beach. "It would be a tight fit with just the men I can see here. I assume there are more?" He asked.
"We number under five hundred, most here had some form of injury. Many won't make the night without aid." Jaina replied.
"My priests can hopefully do something about that." He turned to an older elf in priest's robes. "Halien, please take your people and see to the injured."
The older elf bowed. "As you wish my lord." He said.
"Captain, show them the way." Jaina ordered her Belisar.
"As you wish. They're this way." The Captain said, waving to the priests. Turning to lead them through the crowd he shouted to the gathered men, "OUT OF THE WAY! MOVE ASIDE! PRIESTS COMING THROUGH."
Jaina winced at the volume and saw Vythas do the same. "That man has a strong voice." The High Elf commented as he rubbed one of his ears. Letting his hand drop he glanced around again. "My priests should be able to save more than a few lives tonight. Unlike with arcane magic they seem to still have their full powers."
"The light is said to be everywhere." Jaina remarked.
"That it is. If only arcane magic was as easy to come across." The High Elf sighed. "Now, a lift. I assume you wish to return to the fleet?"
"The sooner we get reorganized the better." Jaina replied, looking the elf in the eye. "Now come with me and tell me everything you know about our situation." She ordered. The elf nodded and she turned to lead him back towards the cave. She had a feeling this would take quite a while.
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The afternoon sunlight was bright the next day as Elven Destroyer Vengeance of Stars rounded the cliffs of a small island and the atoll came into view. The atoll was a thin stretch of land just barely keeping itself above the black waters of the sea. A few trees could be seen on it, but most of it was just beach. Around it, however, was a far more impressive sight.
Hundreds of vessels; from small pudgy caravels to sleek Elven destroyers, from the grand wooden galleons of Kul Tiras to the small almost unspottable gnomish submarines; floated about the atoll. Swarms of rowboats filled the seas about them, transferring men and supplies between ships while griffons and dragonhawks filled the sky above, their riders taking an opportunity to stretch their mount's wings now that the storms were gone.
"A truly impressive sight. Wouldn't you agree Lady Proumoore?" Vythas asked from where he leaned against the railing of the upper deck.
Jaina nodded, lowering her telescope. "It is. I still can't believe so many people came." She said, sighing. "Take us in."
"Yes your grace. Helmsman, take us in." Vythas said to the elf on the tiller.
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A/N: May I introduce my idea for a Warcraft/ASOIAF crossover. The Exodus fleet under Jaina from Warcraft 3 finds itself in the Iron Islands of Westeros in 285 AC.