Omegahugger
Inattentive Idiot
For a brief second, I thought it was going to say "for no other city still stands".
... In my defense, it's Kalimdor. It wouldn't be entirely out of the question.
Sympathy for the Forsaken: A Warcraft-AU CK2 Quest
- Thread starter mcclay
- Start date
- Fantasy
... In my defense, it's Kalimdor. It wouldn't be entirely out of the question.
- Location
- alphen aan den rijn
-[x] Garrock's Hall, Valley of Strength
sounds about right i think.
sounds about right i think.
- Location
- Somewhere in the area
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
[x] Garrock's Hall, Valley of Strength
I don't want to focus on "how things used to be" for this meeting, and I'd prefer if Veressa's initial experiences with Forsaken was with our pretty face, rather than those who are more...decayed.
I don't want to focus on "how things used to be" for this meeting, and I'd prefer if Veressa's initial experiences with Forsaken was with our pretty face, rather than those who are more...decayed.
[X] Garrock's Hall, Valley of Strength
- Location
- Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[x] Garrock's Hall, Valley of Strength
This fantastic. Great to see this back again and we reach Kalimdor and Orgrimmar.
I have to say, I love this version of Orgrimmar. Puts Canon to shame and it's Fantasy Manhattan with it syncretism and unity between Alliance and Horde into the AoK.
Maybe one day Undercity can rival Orgrimmar. That is a goal we gotta reach one day.
[X] Garrock's Hall, Valley of Strength.
I have to say, I love this version of Orgrimmar. Puts Canon to shame and it's Fantasy Manhattan with it syncretism and unity between Alliance and Horde into the AoK.
Maybe one day Undercity can rival Orgrimmar. That is a goal we gotta reach one day.
[X] Garrock's Hall, Valley of Strength.
As much as I'd like to go for Fox and Cock Pub, as Sylvanas is a guest here and we would probably go where Vareesa is most comfortable. I'd prefer Daelin's Defeat Tavern, (I dislike the name though,) but we're not here as only a sister or an elf ranger-general of Quel'Thalas, we're here as The Dark Lady of Undercity and the Forsaken.
-[X]Daelin's Defeat Tavern, Bladefist District
Also, get a private room. We don't want anything to be public.
-[X]Daelin's Defeat Tavern, Bladefist District
Also, get a private room. We don't want anything to be public.
- Location
- USA
I thought we actually were here just as a sister?
Varder
Tired Cultist
- Location
- Hell
Considering that Thrall specifically reached out to see the place we pick and that all votes have a political statement attached - no, as of this moment we're not here as Veressa's sister only.
- Location
- California
[X] Garrock's Hall, Valley of Strength.
I like the message this one sends of cultural mixing. It shows a desire to bind ties between the old and the new rather than prioritize either.
I like the message this one sends of cultural mixing. It shows a desire to bind ties between the old and the new rather than prioritize either.
- Location
- France
[X]Daelin's Defeat Tavern, Bladefist District: Situated along the steep cliffs that overlook Ogrimmar's docks, the Bladefist District is one of the most cosmopolitan areas of the city. Far from the halls of power and without a racial majority, meeting here would keep up a certain distance from the politics of the Alliance. Its also the only tavern to have some Forsaken as common customers, which may help acclimatize Veressa to your people. Or give her a chance to really become disgusted with them.
- Location
- United States
[x] Garrock's Hall, Valley of Strength
- Location
- USA
-[X]Daelin's Defeat Tavern, Bladefist District: Situated along the steep cliffs that overlook Ogrimmar's docks, the Bladefist District is one of the most cosmopolitan areas of the city. Far from the halls of power and without a racial majority, meeting here would keep up a certain distance from the politics of the Alliance. Its also the only tavern to have some Forsaken as common customers, which may help acclimatize Veressa to your people. Or give her a chance to really become disgusted with them.
Sisters Part 2
- Location
- Reno
- Pronouns
- They/Them
As the stories went, Garrock had been a warrior of the Blackrock Clan, serving under Doomhammer during the First War. Skilled with an axe and loyal to a fault, the orc quickly became a trusted member of Ogrim's warband and had been trusted to watch over one of the warlocks Gul'dan had seconded to the Blackrock. When the news came the Doomhammer had declared Warlocks vile monsters and that the time had come to throw off Gul'dan's command, Garrock had cut said warlock's head from his shoulders in a second. In time the orc gained a minor legend about him, a symbol of loyalty to the old Orcish ways and steadfast rejection of the Fel. One of his many descendants had opened up Garrock's Hall in his name, wanting the place to serve as a touchstone for the new Alliance in the same way his antecedent's story had been for the Orcs in Kalimdor.
Sylvanas wondered how the warlocks of the Alliance, sequestered just a fifteen minute walk or short Kodo-cart ride away in the Cleft of Shadow, felt about a popular restaurant being named after someone who had brutally killed one of their own. The Hall itself was laid out in a very traditional Orcish style. One large room, filled with row upon row of long tables stacked with food. You paid by time spent, rather than by dish, and sat anywhere there was room. Servers constantly hurried back and forth from the great fire pits and cooking stations near the front of the hall to the tables, making sure that the supply of well made meals never ran out.
Thankfully for her purposes there were private seating areas. Along the sides of the Hall were elevated balconies with smaller tables on them. There parties who desired a bit of privacy could pay a large sum upfront to use these tables. There Sylvanas sat, idly tapping her fingers on the table and trying not to feel too incredibly nervous. Shadow, due to the damned Curse not even food would be a respite for her nerves.
The Hall is located close to Grommash Hold, almost across the street from the beating heart of the Alliance, and Sylvanas did not have to wait long before she heard movement from the stairs leading up to her table. The Banshee-Queen sits up and quietly waits until she sees the familiar silver hair of her sister.
The Forsaken do not breathe, and yet Sylvanas feels a breath catch in her throat as she catches sight of Vereesa. Her little sister had not changed, still looking almost the same as when Sylvanas had last saw her. Though, that was not entirely true. There was more age to her face, a weariness to her eyes and a wariness to her movements that were foreign to Sylvanas. This was not the same yong elven woman who Sylvanas had hugged one last time so many years ago, before they each left to help repel the Scourge from Quel'Thalas. This was not little Ver, who had trailed after her older sister Syl with dogged admiration.
The two sisters, one living and one dead, stare at each other for a long moment, the air thick with silence. The noise from the Hall below seemed to fade away to nothingness as the two Windrunners just looked at each other.
Finally Vereesa takes a few cautious steps forwards and sits down at the table across from Sylvanas. The living High Elf takes a few seconds to study her sister's face before she breaks the silence. "You're...looking well, Sylvanas."
Her voice is strained, loss mixed with pain mixed with shock. Sylvanas is sure that hers sounds almost equally as strange, though deadened slightly due to the damned Curse, as she replies. "You look well as well, Vereesa." She forces a smile. "Still not as tall as me, though."
Vereesa lets out a shaky little laugh before shaking her head. "You still talk like her." She blinks a few tears out of her eyes. "It is still you in there, right Syl? Arthas didn't hollow you out and put some monster in your place?"
Even through the emotional numbness Sylvanas feels her heart crack with pain. She raises one hand and puts it on her chest, right above her motionless heart. "Its still me Ver. Always was and always will be. Arthas failed in that, at least."
Vereesa takes a moment before she starts to sob, holding her head in her hands as tears flow freely. "Light above Syl, you fucking died! If only I had been there! If only I had done anything useful at all! How could this happen to us? How could this happen to our family!"
Sylvanas, surprising herself with a deep pool of strength that she thought her emotionally exhausted body wouldn't be capable of reaching, bounds over the table and pulls her sister into a tight hug. The two stay like that for a while, Vereesa shaking and sobbing as Sylvanas holds her tight. "It wasn't your fault Ver. I got sloppy and desperate and Menethil got lucky. You kept yourself alive, you helped our people escape his grasp. Thats the important part." She gently pushes her sister's head up and gives her a small smile. "And I got to see you, even if Arthas got lucky. It worked out in the end, right?"
Vereesa nods and steps back, face a little flushed from her outburst. "I...Yes. I just feel like I should've been there. It was bad enough with Alleria and Lirath, but when you died I thought I was the last one. The last Windrunner. I'm just…." she searches for the right words, "I just thought I'd never see you again."
Syl spreads her arms. "Well, I'm here. And I'm not going to go anywhere. We can start to be a family again Ver. We can get retribution for Alleria and Lirath and ever elf who died when Menethil came. We can rebuild again, better than before."
"I….Yes, we can. We'll need to talk about everything, but we can come back from this." Vereesa smiles for the first time since they had both gone off to face the Scourge. "Let's eat before that though. I haven't had anything since I arrived in the city."
The two sit down once more and Vereesa starts to eat, digging into the spread of Orcish meats and Troll inspired skewers and elvish salad. After a few seconds she looks up and notices Sylvanas's lack of consumption. "I hope I didn't put you off your appetite too much Syl?"
Sylvanas coughs awkwardly and shakes her head. "No no, my body just….doesn't really need food much anymore. Most things taste like ash to me. Means more for you though."
Vereesa spends a while staring at Sylvanas before sighing. "So you really are, well, dead then." She grimaces. "Does...Does it hurt?"
"No, not really." Sylvanas replies. "I honestly have a hard time feeling anything very strongly now." She notices her sister's expression. "I'm fine, Ver. It is not my favorite thing in the world, but it's who I am now. It's who my people are. And there are some benefits too."
The youngest Windrunner shakes her head. "What kind of benefits would be worth this, Syl? Your soul is dead, if what the priest's say is true. We'll….we'll find some way to fix this, we'll find some way to bring you back." Determination, steely and cold, seeps into Ver's voice now."
Sylvanas shifts awkwardly in her seat. "There are some elements of my condition that I wouldn't mind improving, but I've accepted that I'm Forsaken. Its who I am, it connects me to my subjects and it reminds me of what I need to do for them. At this point, it feels like to abandon that would be to abandon being Quel'Dorei for you. Its a part of who I am."
Vereesa looks quite dubious but just sighs and shakes her head. "I...I don't know if I understand Syl, but if its what you want then I'll at least think about it." She perks up, moving the conversation along past that rough spot. "Oh! I should probably tell you that I'm married."
Sylvanas had been bringing up a glass of orcish mead, some of the Forsaken working with the Earthen Ring claimed that it had a nice burning sensation, when the word marriage smacks into her frontal lobe. The shock makes her keep on pouring without thinking, sending a good portion of the mug's contents onto the floor in front of her. Cursing under her breath Sylvanas hastily puts the mug down on the table while silently thanking Varian or Thrall or whoever for agreeing to pay for this meal. "Married! To who!? Please not Voren'thal. I know he was trying for years but hes a fucking weirdo Ver!"
Vereesa puts up both hands. "No, Light no! Its actually to Rhonin. Redhair."
Sylvanas mentally goes through her list of important names. Rhonin, Rhonin….It rang a couple bells. Human? A mage of some sort……."The head of the Kirin Tor?" At Vereesa's nod Sylvanas's eyebrows shoot up. "Hes still alive? I thought the Kirirn Tor were wiped out when Arthas smashed up Dalaran."
Vereesa shakes her head. "No, hes alive and well. He and I met on the Demon Soul mission, at the end of the Second War. We had started dating aftewards but didn't tell anyone to keep out of the Quel'thalas gossip scene. After what happened with you and Nathanso I decided to just not deal with that." Both sisters grimace at the memory. "Anyways, he escaped Dalaran and we both met up in Stromgarde as Lady Jania was gathering refugees. We married shortly after arriving in Kalimdor."
Sylvanas groans and puts her head in her hands. "I can't believe I missed your wedding. Shadows, I'm a terrible sister. What was I even doing then? Probably throttling Orthmar in Lordaeron or something equally violent." She sighs and shakes her head. "You have children then, I suppose."
Vereesa smiles. "Yes, two boys. Giramar and Galadin. They have their father's hair and knack for magic but our features otherwise. They're good boys, down in Theramore with their father. You'll have to come visit them someday." Vereesa shakes her head. "Oh! We also took Alleria's boy with us over sea."
Sylvanas nods. "Arator is safe then? Thank fuck. With all the rumors coming out of Stormwind, I had been worried that something had happened to him." She gives her sister a small smile. "Next time I cross the ocean I'll visit you all, I promise. Tirisfal is also safe now, and the Upper and Under Cities are much more habitable than before. If you wanted to bring the children over I can promise that they'd be safe."
Vereesa shifts uncomfortably at this. "I...I love the offer Syl, but I need to go there first. I know you're fine, and my mind knows that your people, these Forskaen, are fine as well. But my heart still remembers Quel'thalas and Arthas." She notices a frown growing on Sylvanas's face and reaches out to take her sister's hands in a tight squeeze. "This isn't your fault, or the fault of your people. I just need to take the land's measure myself before my family comes."
Sylvanas stifles her unease and nods. "That is...reasonable. One day we will cast out the Scourge and restore our home." The Windrunner squeezes her sister's hands back. "We will get to go back home, back to the Spire. I swear it Ver, we'll see mother and brother's graves again."
They part ways with a long hug shortly afterwards, Ver giving Lirath a pat and commenting on his "damn good name". As Sylvanas takes off from Ogrimmar, ready to cross the ocean, she feels lighter than she had in a long time. Her family, at least what was left, was safe and still loved her. Arthas could not take that away.
Reward: Sylvanas and Vereesa reunited, Sylvanas and the Forsaken associated with the Alliance and its cultural mixing pot ideals. Some stronger emotions have started to return
((That took...far longer than I thought to get back to. A lot of very wacky things happened to me between this update and the last one, including a lot of moving of living situations. However I hope to start semi-regularly updating both this quest and my other quest now that I'm settled in back at home again. Also, if you want to talk about this quest, or just bullshit in general, I have created a Discord for both of my quests))
Sylvanas wondered how the warlocks of the Alliance, sequestered just a fifteen minute walk or short Kodo-cart ride away in the Cleft of Shadow, felt about a popular restaurant being named after someone who had brutally killed one of their own. The Hall itself was laid out in a very traditional Orcish style. One large room, filled with row upon row of long tables stacked with food. You paid by time spent, rather than by dish, and sat anywhere there was room. Servers constantly hurried back and forth from the great fire pits and cooking stations near the front of the hall to the tables, making sure that the supply of well made meals never ran out.
Thankfully for her purposes there were private seating areas. Along the sides of the Hall were elevated balconies with smaller tables on them. There parties who desired a bit of privacy could pay a large sum upfront to use these tables. There Sylvanas sat, idly tapping her fingers on the table and trying not to feel too incredibly nervous. Shadow, due to the damned Curse not even food would be a respite for her nerves.
The Hall is located close to Grommash Hold, almost across the street from the beating heart of the Alliance, and Sylvanas did not have to wait long before she heard movement from the stairs leading up to her table. The Banshee-Queen sits up and quietly waits until she sees the familiar silver hair of her sister.
The Forsaken do not breathe, and yet Sylvanas feels a breath catch in her throat as she catches sight of Vereesa. Her little sister had not changed, still looking almost the same as when Sylvanas had last saw her. Though, that was not entirely true. There was more age to her face, a weariness to her eyes and a wariness to her movements that were foreign to Sylvanas. This was not the same yong elven woman who Sylvanas had hugged one last time so many years ago, before they each left to help repel the Scourge from Quel'Thalas. This was not little Ver, who had trailed after her older sister Syl with dogged admiration.
The two sisters, one living and one dead, stare at each other for a long moment, the air thick with silence. The noise from the Hall below seemed to fade away to nothingness as the two Windrunners just looked at each other.
Finally Vereesa takes a few cautious steps forwards and sits down at the table across from Sylvanas. The living High Elf takes a few seconds to study her sister's face before she breaks the silence. "You're...looking well, Sylvanas."
Her voice is strained, loss mixed with pain mixed with shock. Sylvanas is sure that hers sounds almost equally as strange, though deadened slightly due to the damned Curse, as she replies. "You look well as well, Vereesa." She forces a smile. "Still not as tall as me, though."
Vereesa lets out a shaky little laugh before shaking her head. "You still talk like her." She blinks a few tears out of her eyes. "It is still you in there, right Syl? Arthas didn't hollow you out and put some monster in your place?"
Even through the emotional numbness Sylvanas feels her heart crack with pain. She raises one hand and puts it on her chest, right above her motionless heart. "Its still me Ver. Always was and always will be. Arthas failed in that, at least."
Vereesa takes a moment before she starts to sob, holding her head in her hands as tears flow freely. "Light above Syl, you fucking died! If only I had been there! If only I had done anything useful at all! How could this happen to us? How could this happen to our family!"
Sylvanas, surprising herself with a deep pool of strength that she thought her emotionally exhausted body wouldn't be capable of reaching, bounds over the table and pulls her sister into a tight hug. The two stay like that for a while, Vereesa shaking and sobbing as Sylvanas holds her tight. "It wasn't your fault Ver. I got sloppy and desperate and Menethil got lucky. You kept yourself alive, you helped our people escape his grasp. Thats the important part." She gently pushes her sister's head up and gives her a small smile. "And I got to see you, even if Arthas got lucky. It worked out in the end, right?"
Vereesa nods and steps back, face a little flushed from her outburst. "I...Yes. I just feel like I should've been there. It was bad enough with Alleria and Lirath, but when you died I thought I was the last one. The last Windrunner. I'm just…." she searches for the right words, "I just thought I'd never see you again."
Syl spreads her arms. "Well, I'm here. And I'm not going to go anywhere. We can start to be a family again Ver. We can get retribution for Alleria and Lirath and ever elf who died when Menethil came. We can rebuild again, better than before."
"I….Yes, we can. We'll need to talk about everything, but we can come back from this." Vereesa smiles for the first time since they had both gone off to face the Scourge. "Let's eat before that though. I haven't had anything since I arrived in the city."
The two sit down once more and Vereesa starts to eat, digging into the spread of Orcish meats and Troll inspired skewers and elvish salad. After a few seconds she looks up and notices Sylvanas's lack of consumption. "I hope I didn't put you off your appetite too much Syl?"
Sylvanas coughs awkwardly and shakes her head. "No no, my body just….doesn't really need food much anymore. Most things taste like ash to me. Means more for you though."
Vereesa spends a while staring at Sylvanas before sighing. "So you really are, well, dead then." She grimaces. "Does...Does it hurt?"
"No, not really." Sylvanas replies. "I honestly have a hard time feeling anything very strongly now." She notices her sister's expression. "I'm fine, Ver. It is not my favorite thing in the world, but it's who I am now. It's who my people are. And there are some benefits too."
The youngest Windrunner shakes her head. "What kind of benefits would be worth this, Syl? Your soul is dead, if what the priest's say is true. We'll….we'll find some way to fix this, we'll find some way to bring you back." Determination, steely and cold, seeps into Ver's voice now."
Sylvanas shifts awkwardly in her seat. "There are some elements of my condition that I wouldn't mind improving, but I've accepted that I'm Forsaken. Its who I am, it connects me to my subjects and it reminds me of what I need to do for them. At this point, it feels like to abandon that would be to abandon being Quel'Dorei for you. Its a part of who I am."
Vereesa looks quite dubious but just sighs and shakes her head. "I...I don't know if I understand Syl, but if its what you want then I'll at least think about it." She perks up, moving the conversation along past that rough spot. "Oh! I should probably tell you that I'm married."
Sylvanas had been bringing up a glass of orcish mead, some of the Forsaken working with the Earthen Ring claimed that it had a nice burning sensation, when the word marriage smacks into her frontal lobe. The shock makes her keep on pouring without thinking, sending a good portion of the mug's contents onto the floor in front of her. Cursing under her breath Sylvanas hastily puts the mug down on the table while silently thanking Varian or Thrall or whoever for agreeing to pay for this meal. "Married! To who!? Please not Voren'thal. I know he was trying for years but hes a fucking weirdo Ver!"
Vereesa puts up both hands. "No, Light no! Its actually to Rhonin. Redhair."
Sylvanas mentally goes through her list of important names. Rhonin, Rhonin….It rang a couple bells. Human? A mage of some sort……."The head of the Kirin Tor?" At Vereesa's nod Sylvanas's eyebrows shoot up. "Hes still alive? I thought the Kirirn Tor were wiped out when Arthas smashed up Dalaran."
Vereesa shakes her head. "No, hes alive and well. He and I met on the Demon Soul mission, at the end of the Second War. We had started dating aftewards but didn't tell anyone to keep out of the Quel'thalas gossip scene. After what happened with you and Nathanso I decided to just not deal with that." Both sisters grimace at the memory. "Anyways, he escaped Dalaran and we both met up in Stromgarde as Lady Jania was gathering refugees. We married shortly after arriving in Kalimdor."
Sylvanas groans and puts her head in her hands. "I can't believe I missed your wedding. Shadows, I'm a terrible sister. What was I even doing then? Probably throttling Orthmar in Lordaeron or something equally violent." She sighs and shakes her head. "You have children then, I suppose."
Vereesa smiles. "Yes, two boys. Giramar and Galadin. They have their father's hair and knack for magic but our features otherwise. They're good boys, down in Theramore with their father. You'll have to come visit them someday." Vereesa shakes her head. "Oh! We also took Alleria's boy with us over sea."
Sylvanas nods. "Arator is safe then? Thank fuck. With all the rumors coming out of Stormwind, I had been worried that something had happened to him." She gives her sister a small smile. "Next time I cross the ocean I'll visit you all, I promise. Tirisfal is also safe now, and the Upper and Under Cities are much more habitable than before. If you wanted to bring the children over I can promise that they'd be safe."
Vereesa shifts uncomfortably at this. "I...I love the offer Syl, but I need to go there first. I know you're fine, and my mind knows that your people, these Forskaen, are fine as well. But my heart still remembers Quel'thalas and Arthas." She notices a frown growing on Sylvanas's face and reaches out to take her sister's hands in a tight squeeze. "This isn't your fault, or the fault of your people. I just need to take the land's measure myself before my family comes."
Sylvanas stifles her unease and nods. "That is...reasonable. One day we will cast out the Scourge and restore our home." The Windrunner squeezes her sister's hands back. "We will get to go back home, back to the Spire. I swear it Ver, we'll see mother and brother's graves again."
They part ways with a long hug shortly afterwards, Ver giving Lirath a pat and commenting on his "damn good name". As Sylvanas takes off from Ogrimmar, ready to cross the ocean, she feels lighter than she had in a long time. Her family, at least what was left, was safe and still loved her. Arthas could not take that away.
Reward: Sylvanas and Vereesa reunited, Sylvanas and the Forsaken associated with the Alliance and its cultural mixing pot ideals. Some stronger emotions have started to return
((That took...far longer than I thought to get back to. A lot of very wacky things happened to me between this update and the last one, including a lot of moving of living situations. However I hope to start semi-regularly updating both this quest and my other quest now that I'm settled in back at home again. Also, if you want to talk about this quest, or just bullshit in general, I have created a Discord for both of my quests))