Ah I was under the impression it was due to the unique infernals produced there. Let me change that. As to additional events in interlude, it could be for the worse as well. Keep that in mind.
Thoughts on Fel Immolation? We might need personal defense, since I'm assuming we're leading from the front.
Assaulting now is not an ideal idea when we can still amass far more strength by just waiting on more turn. The destroyed gates are just not worth the advantage the additional firepower the bonechewers, the Allerian Stronghold, Gorefiend and the Shadowmoon clan, A'lar as well as any possible support troops Akama and Lady Vash migth send.
By comparison
Attacking this turn:
+ The Outer Gates are down
Attacking next turn:
+ Additional reinforcements
+ Teron Gorefiend joins the fight
+ A'lar is available
+ Increased chance of success ( and thus greater effect for the same roll) for Reenchant Legion Hold Golems
+ More Dragonhawk Riders ( More usages of Cloud, thus disabling even more of the enemy's defense)
If we manage to assassinate the Pit Lord, we'd weaken them even further. Not just by killing a powerful fighter, but a possible commander as well. The action even implies that it's going to have an effect on the fel orc garrison. At least they will be weakened as the blood pact is broken ( Grom Hellscream and Thrall vs Mannoroth), at best their loyalty might be in doubt.
For the research action I highly recommend something that blocks decay or gives us surplus. We're already slightly below stable, and if we don't research something to counteract it, it's only going to drop further.
[ ] Distribute Magic to the Commoners 1D100+8.5 => 92.5 Great Success! (Magic Addiction Status decay blocked! Commoners' happiness in Black Temple Summit increased!)
Martial:
[LOCKED] Ancient Shadowmoon Spirit: While traveling to the south of the Sanctum of Stars, your blood mages have identified some sort of altar, attended by a ghostly apparition of some sort, vaguely orcish in visage. The ghost tried to speak with your servants, telling his story. Apparently, he is an ancestor spirit of the Shadowmoon Clan orcs, trapped in the material plane (as material as the current state of Outland is) due to the mistakes and crimes of his clansmen. He laments being unable to see them, and asks for your help. According to the spirit, the most egregious offender to the honor of the Shadowmoon Clan is Teron Gorefiend, a terrible warlock and a death knight.
Time: Will Complete This Turn. Chance of Success: 100%. Reward: ???. Increased relations with ???. Friends with ???. [ ] Summon Phoenix : Increases chances of Martial options for 5%.
1D100+7.5+5 => 88.5 Great Success!
Thinking of this whole affair as getting too cryptic and suspicious for your blood mages to handle alone, you decide to personally intervene in their "negotiations" with the Shadowmoon Spirit. The Spirit seems incredibly fixated on badmouthing Teron Gorefiend, calling him "a bastard, and an unmitigated terror". Trying a bit too hard to distance itself from the infamous death knight… It's not something you could blame any orc for doing, but the Spirit sounds as if he expects to appease you with this information. Of course, to him you are probably random aliens at best, Alliance members at worst. And the Alliance wouldn't want to cooperate with a friend of Gorefiend, right? In fact, even if one theorizes the possibility for orcish ancestor spirits to observe the events on the material plane beyond their grave, such a tactic of attacking the death knight specifically seems odd.
What if this spirit is not as old as he implies, and as far from Gorefiend as he declares to be?
His words certainly suggest some intricate knowledge: "To the southeast you will find Netherwing Ledge. What was once part of the mainland of Shadowmoon is now a floating island in the sky. Vhel'kur, spawn of Deathwing, once called it his home, but now knows it as his grave. He flies an endless circle above the island, seething at his defeat to Gorefiend. If you are to recover the Gorefiend's armor, it is Vhel'kur that you must defeat. I must have all of the pieces before I am able to divine the fate of Gorefiend…"
Or, perhaps, intricate lies.
But you will bite. If the ghost thinks that it will manipulate you or your mages, he's up for a surprise. After all, they have perfected the art of ghost-slaying while hunting for all those trinkets of Gorefiend, hadn't they?
Riding dragonhawks into battle, you and the blood mages indeed manage to locate the dragon's ghost exactly where the spirit thought him to be, although the great wyrm seems somewhat reluctant to actually battle you. As your team races him in the black "sky" of Shadowmoon Valley, you wonder whether a Banishing spell would affect something like a ghost. As your dragonhawk closes the distance between yourself and Vhel'kur's ghostly form, you release a beam of green energy at the wyrm, thinking of it as a chain to yank at the creature… The Banishing spell acts exactly like that, proving once again that imagination and thought projection is something vital when dealing with such fluent forms of magic like fel and arcane. A spell that is supposed to warp existence into a spirit form seems to cause an "existence error" for the ghost, as the wraith stops in its tracks. Vhel'kur turns his head towards you, his eyes somber. The "chain" still under your control, you press it on, looking the dragon directly into his eyes, wordlessly sending a command. Vhel'kur releases a somber roar, then, seemingly, tears his own chest with his two arms, releasing a black energy sphere. Your mages instantly prepare their spells, but for no need – the hole at the ghost's body disappears, as if it never existed, and the black sphere floats slowly to you, materializing as an exquisite black-and-red armor piece. The spirit nods, as you release it from the Banishing curse, slowly dissipating in the air around you. Must be your cue to leave.
You return to the orcish spirit and present him with what you've found: "Was this the armor you spoke of, orc of the Shadowmoon?"
He nods. "Indeed, it feels exactly like the trinket of the fallen death knight. With Gorefiend's items restored, there is but one last piece to this puzzle: breaking hold of this sorry existence. For that, however, my own will isn't enough, so I will have to borrow yours."
You were ready for this betrayal and are ready to throw a well-prepared spell, but you never get a chance to do so. None of your muscles move as a purple mist surrounds you and your blood mage colleagues. You can't even move your eyes to look at them, as the orc spirit's dark form is the only thing you can see.
"Surely you did not believe the fairy tale that I told you." – the spirit speaks, as pieces of Gorefiend's regalia circle around him, coming together in place of an ink-black voidmist that the orc's previous silhouette turned into. – "Slaughtering my own knights? Losing an artifact to the spirits of draenei, of all people? Preposterous. When the Paladin's gaze fell upon me, I had little time for such antics. The Altar of Shadows is my prison, kept by a draenei vindicator, as cursed as myself with its shackles. Without your help, I would have been stuck here for all eternity. Now, with our wills bound as one, we shall destroy my captors and break these bonds. Refuse and we will both be stuck here forever."
You have to resurrect him. Resurrect Teron Gorefiend.
This thought sounds loud and clear in your hand, as if it was fully logical and rationalized. You try to drive it away, but your own mind warns of getting "stuck here forever", and, finally, you agree.
A flash.
You feel as your consciousness is moved forward with incredible speed, as if you have jumped into the Altar. You turn your gaze back, to see if that is indeed the case, only to find your body, as well as those of your companions still stranded, unmoving, in the purple mist. Then you finally hear a voice:
"Lord Kael'thas! What is happening to us?" – Kelen, one of the senior members of your blood mage cadre speaks out from… nowhere. You realize that you hear this voice inside your head. Gazing down, you see your hands merely starting to materialize into gloves of black. In a moment you gain a posture, and can identify your dark-red chestpiece and a great cloak of yellow around you. You are Teron Gorefiend.
"Stay focused," – the voice that belongs to the Shadowmoon spirit, nay, Teron, speaks out, – "I will materialize my body, and open my array of powers for you to use, but my mind will be able to sustain just that. Your task is to use those powers to defeat the jailor. This, I bind you to do, high elves!"
Another flash.
A great, heavily armored blue-skinned creature, its posture straight and gaze judgmental materializes before you, a great warhammer of some sort of purple stone in its arms.
"You cannot win, Teron." – the guardian says, his voice loud, yet emotionless. – "Cease this foolish attempt to escape, and return to your eternal slumber."
"Fight him, elf! Destroy the jailor, or both our spirits will be buried at this Altar! Now, we are one!" – you hear Teron's voice, as memories, false memories of eldritch knowledge you never had fill your mind. These… these must be the powers that the death knight commanded. As the blue guardian rises his warhammer, preparing to bring it down on your ghostly form, you instinctively stop at one particular spell, raising your hand to block the attack. The hammer falls upon your apparition, leaving but a yellow flash upon its surface – the death knight's Unholy Armor spell absorbs its damage.
The guardian pulls back, grimacing at your attempt to defend yourself. "You, whoever is helping him, cease immediately. You have been fooled by Gorefiend into binding your wills together, and the sin of releasing him lies entirely on you. I am sorry for your mistake, but letting the death knight come back is too big of a risk to let you survive. Stop this foolishness and help me put this dark spirit back into grave."
Well, that settles it.
You throw another death knight spell, a skull-shaped Death Coil towards the jailor. The coil's flight is swift and deadly, as it hits the great warrior square in stomach and throws him away a few yards. Not letting the... draenei, of course, the draenei recover, you rise your hand skyward, right as Gorefiend's Jeweled Truncheon materializes in it. You concentrate on the truncheon's green jewel, turning your thoughts towards grave worms and insects, rotting flesh and broken bones, void and entropy... Death and Decay. A cloud of dark purple energy falls upon your foe, much like the one that Teron used to bind you in place, if only much, much more potent. For a few minutes, you continue to project the very Concept of Death, as you understand it, with memories of charred remains of those burned to evade the Lich King's curse; of civilians and children from the Tranquillien countryside, gnawed by the ghouls; of your own father's severed head and the awful smell when his body was finally cremated. All the death you've ever seen in your life feeds the void's insatiable hunger, as it turns upon the very spirit of Gorefiend's jailor.
When you finally stop the dark thoughts from coming, the purple cloud disappears, revealing no draenei upon it. You hear a buzz coming from under you, as you look down at the Altar of Shadows. It pulsates with green substance, reminding you of something the alchemists call 'ectoplasm', as it pours out and threatens to swallow your body whole.
Or... Not your body. The spirit's. Teron's.
You let out a long breath as you find yourself as, well, yourself, Kael'thas Sunstrider. Your mind… is still dizzy, as memories of eldritch knowledge once again fly before you, as if trying to escape. Keeping Hold on Memories 1D100 => 100 Critical Success! Natural 100!
"No." – you state, to no one in particular. Knowledge is power, and you would never let any knowledge just escape you. Whether Teron intended it or not, his powers are now yours too. If anything, you'd like to have something out of this bargain.
Maybe something more.
The figure that, that was you just a moment ago now rises above you, mounted on a great undead steed, its skull exposed and decorated with horns. The red-armored, yellow-cloaked figure, its face shrouded in blackness, turns to you, as its steed rears up with a shriek. "You have done well, for one of the living. You have fought for your freedom, as well as mine, and for that, I will let you live, elf. Now, only the master of Fortress Shadowmoon deserves my fealty, and I am going to give it to them. For too long did I watch from sidelines, but no more." – the dark rider turns away, as his undead mount carries him away to the north, its speed greater than any horse of elven or human breed. "Death incarnate has been released upon the world once again! Teron Gorefiend has returned!"
Master of Fortress Shadowmoon… It is what the orcs commonly call the Black Citadel, just like the draenei now know it as the "Black Temple".
Well, Teron Gorefiend is up for another surprise…
It did not take long for the death knight's immortal stallion to carry his master to the darkened ruins of Karabor, formerly Ner'zhul's greatest citadel under the name of Fortress Shadowmoon. For a long time has Teron watched over the Shadowmoon Valley, watched as his clansmen have been reduced to pawns, nay, mindless slaves of the Burning Legion, as Magtheridon, the Lord of Outland, have turned Shadowmoon Valley into even more of a hellhole. But a challenger has risen, a powerful dark warrior who has freed the orcs from Magtheridon, and challenged the Burning Legion itself. Whoever this... demon hunter is, his is the cause worthy of pursuit, as his forces of orcs, elves and warped snake creatures seem to be winning a victory after victory against Kil'jaeden's best. Joining such a force, reclaiming the leadership of his old Shadowmoon Clan, – all of it would benefit Gorefiends's goals in the long run, goals of restoring the Horde, as a force to guarantee the safety and prosperity of orcishkind, mighty and unchallenged by any foe.
And the Master of Shadowmoon will surely recognize an ally as powerful as Teron Gorefiend!
"Guards of the Black Citadel! Open thy gates, for a great power has come to enter this domain, and its name is Teron Gorefiend, First of the Death Knights of the Horde, Champion of the Shadowmoon Clan, Keeper of Knowledge! I demand to see the lord of this fortress and recognize my allegiance!"
A blue teleportation circle appears before the dark rider and, in a burst of arcane energy, the commander of Fortress Shadowmoon does appear indeed.
"You have summoned me, and here I am," – you answer the bewildered death knight's call, – "I believe we have already met, dark sorcerer."
"Back off, elf mage," – Gorefiend spits out, indignant, – "I am here to meet the warrior who has defeated the Burning Legion, not his servants. Away, or you shall face the darkest depths of a warlock's sorcery."
"That's something you usually ought to start with." – you say as the green ray of Banishment beams from your left hand, hitting the death knight's 'face'. – "This, for example, I practiced on the unfortunate spirit that bore your, uh, phylactery, I suppose? Now, unless you wish to share his sorry fate, you will stay awhile and listen."
Of course, the dark rider has little choice, as his undead visage is held in place with your channeling spell. He tries to say something, but all that comes out is but a soft "Bzzzz" – probably a release of some sort of a spell at the spiritual chains that bind him. Unfortunately for Gorefiend, it has no effect. Feels like payback, after his spirit managed to bind yours at the Altar of Shadows.
"The warrior you seek is Lord Illidan, who is a bit… not well at the moment." – Stormrage could have been dead already, if you and Vashj didn't rush to his help immediately, back at the slopes of the Frozen Throne. – "I am Kael'thas Sunstrider, his second in all things, and a regent at this Black Citadel."
Gorefiend's red orbs pierce at you through the green shade of Banishment, no response from him but another "Bzzz".
"For saving your spirit and granting you freedom, you've hoped to reward me with a threat of death. You thought me a fool, playing with something I do not understand," – you continue, still holding the dark knight with the Banishing beam as you start to pull his form closer. – "I am no fool, Teron Gorefiend. I know not only of the master you swore to serve in your new cycle of existence, but also of the Orcish Law, of your customs of honor, that bound you to your Horde in life and undeath. As the current Master of Fortress Shadowmoon, I bind you with geis to repay your debt serving me as a Chieftain of Shadowmoon Clan under my orders. This, I command you, Teron Gorefiend." Commanding Gorefiend 1D100 => 89 Great Success!
You finally release the dark rider from one spell, only to engulf him with another one, a spell on a whole different level. The death knight falls from his steed and on his knees, dropping the enchanted scepter. He does not dare to look at you again, yet still he speaks in defiance: "You are neither a spirit, nor a demon – a mere mortal. For me, the wheel of death has spun many times, and the dead do not suffer the living to command them."
"You will suffer me, Teron Gorefiend." – with a touch of magic, you breathe unlife into the death knight, just like any dark wizard would animate a random undead construct. – "By the laws of the living, and the dead, I summon you to fulfill your oath."
Animated with the magic you imprinted upon him, Gorefiend rises, as the jeweled truncheon flies back into his armored hand. The dead one bows his head as you hear a dark whisper at the corner of your mind: "So be it, Kael'thas Sunstrider."
Results: Chieftain Teron Gorefiend of the Shadowmoon Clan is now a vassal of Lord Kael'thas Sunstirder of the Blood Elves. Chieftain Teron Gorefiend now owns: Shadowmoon Clan (d), Gorefiend's Vigil (c). Opinion of You: Teron Gorefiend (+100). "Friends" with Teron Gorefiend. Kael'thas Sunstrider has learned Unholy Death Knight Expert Mastery
[ ] Siege of Legion Hold: The great orcish stronghold that Kil'jaeden's demons use as their main foothold in the Shadowmoon Valley is a grand prize to conquer. If ignored, this great fortress will continue sending great demon hordes against you and your followers. But the demons guard it quite well… But, what are demons for you and your allies?
Reward: Start of the Siege of Legion Hold interlude.
With Teron Gorefiend now under your command and the northern Legion holdings still under siege by Akama and Vashj, you decide to capitalize on these successes and finally assault the Legion's remaining great fortress in the Shadowmoon Valley region. With Legion Hold's fall, you will be free to finally give some more attention to what lies beyond the darkest corners of Outland and seek more answers to the question of your people's addiction to magic. You cannot leave such a threat in your "back yard", else the Illidari will overexert themselves and fall under attacks from multiple fronts.
Anxious, you write messages to all of your allies and vassals that are able to come and fight the demonic menace. Thinking a little bit, you decide to drop the Illidari Demons from your line-up of forces, mostly because of the threat of betrayal and possible confusion in battle. As your messengers receive their tasks and rush to complete them you call for Lord Sanguinar and Grand Magister Rommath to assist you with the battle plans for the blood elven forces and your own retinue in particular.
But on thought does not leave your mind, even with all the other important matters to worry about: "Where did A'lar go?" Results: Will continue in the interlude.
[ ] Train Legionaries: The ranks of the Thalassian armies have never been truly replenished since the devastating battles of the Third War. Trained in the arts of swordsmanship, the Sunfury Legionaries serve as Kael'thas's first line of defense. Equiped with basic physical armor and weaponry, the legionaries act as protection of the main elven powerhouse – their powerful mages.
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: 100%. Reward: 1000 Reserves converted into Legionaries. [ ] Summon Phoenix : Increases chances of Martial options for 5%.
1D100+7.5+5 => 38.5 Success
Your reserves – both volunteer civilians and re-commissioned veterans of Dalaran and Icecrown – have received additional training with sword, shield and the peculiarities of wearing basic heavy armor in the battle. Hah! Basic for the elves, of course, for other peoples would probably marvel at its exquisite design, steel gilded with gold, helmets fully clothed and decorated with wings. During better times, Lordaeron, Kul Tiras and Dalaran all tried to buy and copy these famous suits of armor, replicating only enough to arm the most decorated captains, marines and royal guardsmen of theirs. Meanwhile, both you and your father ordered the craftsmen to work on fitting every swordsman of the crown with such equipment, with strong shields and long blades to compliment them.
In your new army, divided into legions, swordsmen no longer join melee in an orderless bunch, but march to war organized into units of a hundred soldiers, commanded by a centurion each. With numbers being against you on Draenor, you'll have to win through quality, professionalism and unquestionable loyalty of your forces. Some Illidari Demons agree to humor themselves with training your warriors, acting as some sort of advanced training dummies. Taking this idea further, Lord Sanguinar organizes intricate war games in the Fields of Karabor, as your legionaries see what tactics different kinds of demons prefer to use and how even basic equipment can help survive a fiend's vicious attack.
All in all, you consider expanding your retinue with swordsmen a worthy investment. Results: 1000 Reserves converted into Legionaries.
Diplomacy:
[ ] Approach Allerian Stronghold: Allerian Stronghold is one of the settlements of the Alliance Expedition that Kurdran has told you about. And, it looks like Solarian's voidwalkers has found this hidden stronghold of the elusive rangers of House Windrunner. Establishing relations with them as equal partners will allows you to expand your network of contacts within the Sons of Lothar.
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: ???. Reward: Established relations with Allerian Stronghold. Locks Command Allerian Stronghold. 1D100+11 => 63 Bare Success
With the siege of Legion Hold nearby, your attention is overtaken by the matters of Shadowmoon Valley as you analyze what armies, resources and allies you can muster to gain any sort of prevalence against the demonic forces. Because of that, you have no time to travel into Terokkar personally, ordering Rommath to organize a diplomatic mission to Allerian Stronghold. Discussing this matter with your councilors, you've decided to abandon Lord Sanguinar's suggestion of ordering Auric Sunchaser directly, instead deciding to agree with Rommath regarding treating the Allerian elves as a yet another faction on Outland, sending a group of ambassadors to the stronghold.
One day, as you are looking over the defenses of the Sanctum of Stars, a hurrying elf, obviously exhausted from his travels is escorted by the Royal Guard spellbreakers and thrown before you. While you but start to wonder at who could this be, Rommath recognizes the person as one of the emissaries sent to Terokkar. Heh, something's definitely went wrong. You give the orders give the messenger a bath, a rest and a change of clothes, then look up your schedule to spare a meeting with him. The meetings sees both you and Rommath attending, as the now well-groomed emissary, wearing the black and brown garb traditional for his profession in both Quel'Thalas and Lordaeron, bows before you and tells his story.
According to the emissary, the Allerian Stronghold, hidden under the canopy of great trees of Terokkar, is a much larger complex than previously thought. It is mostly ran by high elves, with a sizeable human contingent and a few dwarves. He describes great walls, a bridge guarded by the lions of stone, and exquisite elven towers, emanating an aura of magic all over the stronghold. The ambassador tells that he'd happily describe what he has seen with a set of pictures, although the accuracy of such would not be the best due to the fact that most of the time in the Allerian Stronghold was spent by your emissaries in prison.
"The humans have imprisoned them for being 'suspicious elves' haven't they? I thought we should have learned not to trust them by now," – you say, somberly, as if already knowing what caused the plight of your people, – "I suppose we should shield all of elves from ever working under the command of their Alliance ever again."
"Not humans, my liege," – the emissary shakes his head, – "Allerian elves were the ones to brand us suspicious."
Rommath's brows furrow at this: "Surely Auric Sunchaser would not dare to imprison the prince's own messengers?"
"At first," – the brown-garbed elf continues, – "I guess he thought that we were his own. The human guard didn't even notice anything strange about us and believed us to be reinforcements from the Kirin Tor village far in the north, um, Kirin'Var it was called, I think? But then Captain Sunchaser comes down to greet us, notices the… green in our eyes, and declares us possessed by demons."
"And of course, trying to tell him that you escaped to Draenor, of all places, from Azeroth, and were commanded by Prince Kael'thas to negotiate a ceasefire with the orcs probably made him think that you've been driven mad, didn't it?" – you conclude with an exasperated sigh, as your palm covers your face in frustration
"At first…" – the emissary repeats. – "Later he concluded that us going crazy in exactly the same way in a group of five is a bit far-fetched, and said that he will keep the four of my colleagues in his prison as an 'embassy' of yours, and ordered to bring Your Highness before him if there is any truth in the claims of ours. The royal-signed papers were dismissed, as a fabrication, and Captain Sunchaser claimed that no high elf in his sane mind would ever make peace with an orc. And so, I took my journey back here, to our lands…"
"This is troubling news," – you conclude, thanking the emissary with a bow of your head, and now turning your attention to Rommath, – "I suppose Lord Sanguinar was right after all. We should have acted more aggressively, with both my personal appearance and a direct order to Sunchaser as an officer of the Thalassian Military, then worrying about explaining everything that has happened with our people, Azeroth, and the Alliance, slowly."
"Look at the bright side, my liege!" – Rommath allows himself a shrug. "At least no we have another embassy!"
Who knew annoyance and the wish to get as far away as possible could help one so much with the practice of teleportation magic?
Reward: Established relations with Allerian Stronghold (-10).
[ ] Shadowmoon Village: The orcish village in the north is populated by greenskins, but they do not seem affiliated with the Shadow Council, as your voidwalkers witnessed the local green orcs fighting off Legion's infernal golems. Contacting the orcs of this village, you could find more information about their plight, and potentially add them to your cause.
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: 80%. Reward: Established relations with Shadowmoon Village. 1D100+11 => 65 Success
With the Shadowmoon Village, you know what to bring to the table to start off positive with its inhabitants – and that's a fighting force capable of destroying the infernal golems. A cadre of frost-specialist mages, protected with a thousand legionaries and some Scryer priests as support. This force overwhelms the infernals – probably remnants of what was produced by the Deathforge, – providing more training for your troops before facing the Legion Hold. As the green fire goes down and the golems turn into piles of cursed stone, your host approaches the spikey wooden walls of the settlement, quite large and well-defended for a mountain village, as you see orcish spear-throwers looking at your people with questions plainly written on their green boar-like faces, still not letting go of their weapons.
"Who be you to come here?" – a heavyset orcish grunt asks in accented Common.
"Hail, clansmen of the Shadowmoon Clan." – you rise your arm in a greeting, riding on an elven steed, armored in gold. – "I am Kael'thas Sunstrider, Lord of the Blood Elves. My soldiers and I have destroyed the birthplace of golems that, I suppose, were used by the Legion to assault your settlement's walls. If I could see your chieftain, warriors?"
The spear-throwers talk among themselves, not letting you out of their sight. After a brief discussion, the same grunt shouts: "There be no chieftains here. But you come to talk, you talk."
He then barks out some orders in Orcish, as a pair of orcs rush down from the defense tower. In two minutes, the wooden gates open. "Come in", – an Orcish phrase you recognize is dropped by the gatekeeper, as you ride into Shadowmoon Village together with your Scryer entourage.
The village consists of an assorted mess of small pig farms, populated by some still-uncorrupted swine; orc burrows, bunker-like fortifications that, as you have learned, are used to grow mushrooms, vegetables and edible roots; granaries and butcher shops. In better times for the orcs this would have been the breadbasket of Shadowmoon Clan. The combined smell of roasted pork, boiling soups, some new type of hay and pig manure would probably horrify you in your younger years as a vain Prince of Silvermoon, but you are well used to grotesque and unpleasant parts of life by now, after everything that happened to Silvermoon, Quel'Thalas… to everything, really.
Your party is led to a red-roofed circular building, the orcish great hall, its interior as shabby-looking as its exterior, with walls of wood and stone, some bone-made furniture and bowls of flame keeping light and warmth, all the while threatening to overwhelm the very much flammable structure. But orcs pay it little to no mind – they know how to play with fire, or at least they think they do. The guide leads you to impromptu seats in form of animal pelts, with hot towels brought on small plates, a local hand-cleaning tradition, perhaps? One hunched, small and especially piglike orc, probably a peon, brings clay plates, filled with raw meat, pounded thin and served with some lemon-like sauce. Giving a low head bow, recognizing the orcish hospitality, you take seats on the pelts as the master of the house strides into the great hall and takes a seat on a rug opposite of you, with only the earthenware plates between you. He is a bulky, somewhat corpulent orc, his hair and beard a toxic purple, of all colors. The big orc wields a decorated small mace, signifying authority, yet his clothes seem simple, generic even, for a person of leadership.
The rugged face of the orc sharpens with wrinkles as a big, toothy smile comes to his lips: "A pleasure to meet you, strangers. My name is Darg Bloodclaw, and I am the keeper of this… community. Our defenders came back from the battlefront with a tale of how your warriors managed to destroy the Shadow Council's infernals without so much as breaking a sweat. A warrior would ask: 'how?', yet my question is: 'why?'. Why risk your lives for a village of orcs?"
"Your current Warchief didn't take it upon himself to protect this settlement," – you reply, taking a small bite of raw meat, – "I think, that's just the way things are, for the Horde? And, the Deathforge facility, where all those golems were coming from, – that was also destroyed by our forces, and cleaning up the roaming infernals just means finishing the job, I suppose."
"I don't think that answers my question, elf chief." – Darg shakes his head and sighs. "You want something from us, don't you?"
"Actually, I believe you are the ones who'd benefit from my support," – you steeple your fingers and look deep into the orc's eyes, – "We Illidari are expanding our rule throughout Outland, and we protect our own. From all threats, even those of demonic nature. Warchief Bladefist claimed that you lack warriors, and this food-gathering operation of yours would benefit from getting guardians."
"And in return, we'd provide you Illidari with supplies, correct?" – Darg looks down, deep in thought. "I suppose it could benefit us, true. But, if the fel orc Warchief continues to think us 'unworthy'… Bowing before an elf chief is not something our people will like. Even if I were to agree to this union, I could not order the whole village to."
"If it would sweeten the deal, they would not serve me directly," – a slithery smile crosses your face, – "Teron Gorefiend, a champion of the Shadowmoon Clan, has risen once again to lead it into a new age of prosperity. Coincidentally, he has pledged allegiance to me."
"Master Gorefiend still lives?" – Bloodclaw mutters incredulously. "This… this does change our situation, Chieftain Sunstrider. Mind if ask… the details of this miracle?"
"You may do just that," – with a bow of your head, you rise from your 'seat', as your entourage follows suit, – "When the death knight himself comes to claim your fealty."
Darg Bloodclaw is visibly shaken by these words, his back hunched and expression unreadable. He still looks down, gazing at the general direction of the pottery that his village's peons have served you food in. Meanwhile, you finish the incantation for a teleportation spell, as arcane circles form at the ground under the feet of your group. You give a condescending smile to the orc: "I hope you'll inform the rest of the villagers of these developments. Make sure that Gorefiend's welcome goes without delay."
You teleport your group back to your main force outside Shadowmoon Village and command to march south, back to the Deathforge. Hopefully, Gorefiend will play his part well.
The next day, a green circle of summoning appears right before the entrance to your office in the Black Citadel, as the nether energies it emanates bring forth the new Chieftain of Shadowmoon. Teron Gorefiend dismounts his steed, bowing to you and reporting his own progress with the negotiations. According to the death knight, all went without a hitch, as the Shadowmoon Village has, too, accepted him as the rightful ruler (or, at least, the 'most rightful' of all remaining), pledging their resources to the Shadowmoon Clan under his command, now uniting both green orcs and fel orcs. Teron mentions the defenses of the Shadowmoon Village as peculiar, since they were able to survive the demonic attacks for all this time, and mentions wanting to improve them even further, perhaps building another orcish citadel around the complex. He also comments on Kargath's assessment of the village's green orcs as 'weaklings' being quite harsh: orcs are still orcs, and in Gorefiend's opinion, after all the fighting they had with the infernals that have been trying to destroy their fortifications for so long, the veteran grunts from this village could even join your fighting force at Legion Hold's.
As you dismiss the death knight and go back to overlooking the work process over the restoration of the Black Citadel's walls, you think of the orcs of Shadowmoon Village, peaceful and independent for such a long time, almost abandoned by their own kin, free from the Shadow Council, – they should have probably been fiercely independent of anyone, especially other orcs. Many of them have probably witnessed Draenor's shattering, its descent into darkness as the result of the Horde's own folly. And yet, as soon as they saw someone classified in their culture as a "hero", they have thrown away their independence, their refusal to choose one chieftain, their neutrality – thrown it all to follow the being who was Ner'zhul's second, who was behind a great lot of those mistakes that has driven the orcs into unwitting destruction of their homeworld. Not to mention, one of the original warlocks of the Shadow Council. And yet, even the peons and farmers, those orcs who would never have a reason to buy into the "might makes right" philosophy, even they would cling to this idea of a hero, as you would have later found out from your brief talks with Black Citadel's guardians. They would remember the "good old times" when ogres, or monsters, or, later, humans would try to bring down their farms, and their mines, and their workshops in some desperate attack on a Shadowmoon base, and then Gorefiend, the Slayer of Shadowmoon, would come back to save them. You would then point out how Gorefiend's own hunt for the dark artifacts fueled the ritual that shattered Draenor, only for an orc peon to respond with "Well, at least he wanted to do the good thing for the Horde, right?"
Never mind that it included opening portals to find worlds that would be easier for the orcs to conquer than the old Azeroth.
It's interesting how orcish morality strives with the concept of a cultural hero, even if said hero is recent memory. A hero can subvert something that orcs would consider 'moral' just like any other race, like slaughtering almost an entire species indiscriminately, or consorting with powers beyond their understanding, or letting their own blood die in the name of an abstract concept like "will" or "honor". A hero's mistakes are always forgiven, as long as their goals, their agenda is about helping the general cause of the orcs and their Horde. It was probably different back when there was no Horde, when each clan would have heroes of their own, but the general line of thinking regarding the concept must have existed back then. You have seen it in Kargath, rationalizing his own service on Gul'dan's Council as part of a greater plan, and you see it now with how empowered the Shadowmoon Clan orcs are with Gorefiend's presence.
You, too, are a hero for the blood elves, and, whether you like it or not, they idolize you now. Would they continue to do so if you descended down in common morality, while still having Quel'Thalas's best interests in mind? Would they continue to follow you, or call you traitor, if the latest plan of yours ended up being too dark and cryptic for the majority of elves to stomach, much less understand? Would they keep believing in you no matter what?
…
There is also a concept of a "great traitor" in orcish culture. For the orcs on Azeroth, it's Gul'dan. For these ones, it is also Ner'zhul. Ner'zhul abandoned the orcs that trusted him, Shadowmoon, Shattered Hand, Bleeding Hollow, Dragonmaw, – abandoned them all to escape into one portal with only a few other followers, his old goal of taking world for the Horde all but forgotten, as he has imagined himself as the supreme, most powerful being in existence, able to dominate all dimensions with its will alone. Then there is Gul'dan, who, for all intents and purposes, has created the Horde, shaped it into a machine of death and destruction, yet has always mistreated this Horde, and all of orcs, grunts and chieftains alike, who have genuinely believed in the idea of Horde, as for the Grand Warlock they were but disposable pawns, swept aside in pursuit of supreme magical power.
If Gul'dan only knew how much raw magic he could get by plunging Draenor into the Twisting Nether, turning it into Outland…
He'd probably destroy the planet himself. Reward: Chieftain Teron Gorefiend of Shadowmoon Clan now owns Shadowmoon Village (c). New resources spread across the Illidari (e).
[ ] Approach Zuluhed the Whacked: The Dragonmaw Chieftain is quite elusive. But now that you are Lord Illidan's regent, he'll have to answer to your missives and requests. Organizing a meeting with the Dragonmaw Chieftain would allow you to know more about that… colleague of yours, and perhaps also allow you to bargain those wonderful nether-like dragons for your cause.
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: 70%. Reward: Increased relations with Chieftain Zuluhed the Whacked of the Dragonmaw Clan. Gain 1d100 nether drakes. 1D100+11 => 71 Good Success
1D100 => 84 Nether Drakes (resource)
It took a while for the Dragonmaw Chieftain to register the fact that an elven prince is requesting his arrival to the Black Citadel. For extra effectiveness, you have seen it fit to send messengers directly to the floating island south of the citadel complex, covered with resonating crystals, much like those that the Dragonmaw traders has already been providing to the artisans in Sanctum of Stars and other settlements. Alarmed by someone's arrival to this floating island, the local dragon riders are quick to turn them back to the Dragonmaw Fortress on the mainland, revealing that Zuluhed was hiding there all along. Ignoring you. With his operations all but compromised, the chieftain has no other choice but to come and face you himself.
You have heard tales of Zuluhed being the bone-clad shaman during the Second War, known mainly for his "invisible" ways of waging war in the Wetlands of Khaz Modan, as well as for keeping the Horde remnant's Khaz Modan front for years before the great Alextrasza has finally managed to escape her orcish captors and wrecked chaos upon the Dragonmaw and Bleeding Hollow orcs that still resided in the region. Afterwards, Zuluhed disappeared without a trace, presumed dead in either dragon fire, or in the belly of a Wetlands crocolisk.
Seeing him now, an ancient, brown-eyed orc with yellowish skin clad in exquisite warlock robes adorned with Illidari markings, makes for a change of perspective. Of course nobody could find Zuluhed when he disappeared without a trace – he has probably escaped through a shimmering portal, just like the ones Illidan summoned to get here, to Outland. However, that also means Zuluhed is no shaman – at least, not anymore.
As the Chieftain of Dragonmaw enters your chosen meeting room, your gaze rises from the papers you were reading, as you stand up and, taking a small bow, motion him to take a seat at a throne opposite of yours. As both of you sit down, you allow yourself a courteous smile: "Chieftain Zuluhed, I presume? Have to admit, I was waiting to meet you for some time."
"What for, Chief-Regent?" – Zuluhed asks, cold and not amused. "The Dragonmaw have served Lord Illidan's cause faithfully ever since Magtheridon's fall. Are you dissatisfied with our dragons?"
"Can't comment on those, since the last time I've seen them in battle, they were guarding Magtheridon's Dimensional Gates," – you shrug, as a smile disappears from your face, – "I think it's a pity, as my forces could have benefitted from such creatures back in Northrend. Yet, you sent no dragons to help us."
"Nobody asked me for dragons back then," – he answers with a mock shrug of his own, – "I bring seven dozens drakes with me today, as condolences. They will need proper training though."
And here you expected you'd have to bargain for those. "I… thank you for this gift, Chieftain Zuluhed. But I did not summon you here for gifts. See those papers at the table? Those are reports. Reports from all around Outland. But not from the Dragonmaw Clan. I wonder why?"
He snarls: "We have been sending reports, as well as dragons, to Kargath Bladefist, Warchief of the Orcish Horde. I must have missed the part where all orcish clans were ordered to report only to elves now."
"Strange that you speak of Warchief Kargath, who commented, in depth, on your… independence, so to speak. Regardless, if you do report to Hellfire Citadel, you might as well send a copy to Fortress Shadowmoon." Using the orcish name for the structure should make your point clear.
"Fine." – Zuluhed spits the word out in irritation. "I'll send you reports on our operations, if nobody interrupts them. Anything else, or may I return to my clan, Chief-Regent?"
"There is also a matter of the siege of the Legion Hold. When time comes, I will call upon your or the Dragonmaw warlords of your choice to prepare and enact an attack on the Legion's main base on Outland."
The shaman-turned-warlock contemplates this, deep in thought, as if already counting the potential losses in dragonforce in case of such an attack. After a pause he answers: "Understood. As long as our dragon-breeding operation continues uninterrupted, the Dragonmaw will commit to your cause with all our might."
As long as the operation continues… "Then it is settled. You can start the preparations for war right now. Hopefully, the Legion won't know what hit them." Reward: Opinion of You: Chieftain Zuluhed the Whacked of the Dragonmaw Clan (+50). Gained 84 Nether Drakes.
Stewardship:
[ ] Shadowmoon Waygate: As the study on portals continues, you think about ways to use it right now. While you don't have the means to teleport to other regions right now, you could start with constructing a waygate in Shadowmoon Valley, which will become a nexus point for the future portals in other regions of Draenor. This is not the easiest project to construct, and will require cooperation from both your magisters and engineers.
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: 70%. Reward: A waygate is constructed in Shadowmoon Valley. 1D100+10.5 => 84.5 Great Success!
With the help of the Eye of Quel'Thalas, the project is easy after all. The structure ends up being incredibly sturdy and virtually unbreakable, allowing for a protected nexus of energy to be installed into it, and even providing a user-friendly interface in form of an arcane projection! Right now, it doesn't lead anywhere, but this is a start, isn't it?
Developing the interface, Solarian's research team comes onto a new discovery regarding Outland's leylines: as expected from a "destroyed" world, they are completely broken, instead of being orderly intervened like Azeroth's. The leylines' loose ends fall down into the Twisting Nether, or even upon the material form of Outland itself, spilling the residue arcane like a mortal's arteries would spew blood. Interestingly, the Twisting Nether's fel energies do not directly mesh with the arcane, but instead coexist in from of a similar web of "arteries", located so close to arcane ones that their coexistence may, in fact, be parasitic or symbiotic in nature. This development disproves the theories that are based on understanding fel as "lower arcane" or "corrupted arcane". In fact, while the two substances can mesh together, they retain their base structure even in a mixture, which could possibly hint about them representing different (if not opposite) primordial substances of the universe altogether. Results: Buildings in Sanctum of Stars (c): Shadowmoon Waygate. New insights on Arcane and Fel research?
[ ] Work, Work: The peons at your disposal have some knowledge of mining. There is already a large set of caverns they spread under the Deathforge, and expanding it would lead to new discoveries of precious stones and metals under the Shadowmoon Valley. The most interesting of which is, of course, the precious focusing crystals located here.
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: 80%. Reward: Mining operations restarted, random resources located. 1D100+10.5 => 31.5 Minor Success
The most your peons were able to do for now is restore the old mines from ruin, clearing the cavern system from some definitely unneeded rocks and rebuilding the wooden support systems all over them. Because of that, they didn't find anything new, like the focusing crystals, but provided your engineers with felstone and fel iron, of which they report great quantities in the ground around the Hand of Gul'dan. The heat from that volcano's fiery veins, however, stops peons from advancing further under the unnatural mountain. Perhaps magic wards is the key? This should be investigated further, preferably with Magisters overseeing the peons' work. Reward: Buildings in Deathforge (c): Basic Mining System. Resources available: Fel Iron, Fel Stone.
[ ] Need More Lumber: Harvested from the abundant forests that inhabit all but a few regions in the realm, the uses for lumber are nearly infinite. Once a tree has been felled and returned to the community, it is processed and made ready for use as lumber. Craftsman then use this material to build many different structures and ships, as well as certain weapons and machines of war. In Outland, lumber can be harvested from large mushrooms, and orcish peons are very much proficient in downing these great "trees" of Draenor.
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: 80%. Reward: Lumber operations restarted, Lumber Mills constructed, allows building Elven Ballistae. 1D100+10.5 => 98.5 Great Success!
The great mushrooms of Draenor are rapidly decreasing in their number as time progresses, as easy 'lumber' one gets from harvesting these great fungi is sought by many of its denizens. Shadowmoon Valley has only a few of those, compared to the likes of Zangarmarsh and Hellfire Peninsula, while Terokkar is covered with gigantic trees. Luckily, orcish peons know not only how to chop wood, but also how to make sure new "trees" will grow in the future. You use their expertise in constructing the "lumber mills" all across your domain, which also double as centers for the restoration of fungi. Elven engineers overview the kinds of lumber that the orcs are able to produce on these mills from the great mushrooms and give their verdict: it is certainly possible to construct the traditional Thalassian ballistae from "mushroom wood". Results: Buildings in All Holdings: Lumber Mill. Resources available: wood. Unit Unlocked: Elven Ballista.
Intrigue:
[ ] Reenchant Legion Hold Golems: The infernals and some… other, much bigger golems described by voidwalkers lie in the Legion Hold in thousands, most of them not yet activated. Some very sneaky and brave blood elves could try to enter the Hold and activate them with their own magic, available if only for a little while, because of your mages' lack of research into the specifics of infernal golems.
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: 40%. Reward: Many of Legion Hold's golems turned against their masters. 1D100+4 => 75 Success
The operation goes without a hitch, with the clever use of warlock summoning techniques allowing the blood mage team to teleport their members in and out of the danger zone, ignoring the demons' heightened security against invisibility spells. Then, a bit of magical ingenuity takes place, with a combination of an Inferno spell and a Control Demon incantation, warping together into a "homebrew" activation spell, which binds the Legion's golems to your agents' will, but only for a little time before imminent deactivation. Infernals turn upon the gan'arg, the shivarra and other Legion agents, while the, um, bigger, metal-made golems duke it out among themselves. Chaos is spread in the Legion Hold, while your agents make their lucky escape. Results: Massive Losses for the Legion Hold Infernals, Gan'arg Engineers, Shivarra Priestesses. Halved the number of Fel Reavers in the Legion Hold.
Learning:
[ ] Infernal Golem Technology: Although the blood elven researchers expected to get to it after the matter of the Legion's fortresses is dealt with, they see some chance for progress using the knowledge of Shadow Council's peons and whatever equipment is still left in Deathforge. While Pathaleon is sure that you need to review the workings of Arcane Golems first, before moving to Infernals, it can't hurt to try, can it?
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: 50%. Rewards: Allows to produce and summon Infernal Golems. 1D100+12.5 => 77.5 Success
With your peons' findings of felstone, you reckon that the production of your own Infernals is a matter of finding enough containable fel to sustain a golem's energy core. You leave Pathaleon to work that out on his own, relaying to him the reports from your blood mage team's espionage mission regarding their "homebrew" Infernal activation spell. Meanwhile, you and Capernian concentrate on teaching your Magisters the Inferno spell. Most of them show… lackluster results. Not surprising, since both the Dalaranese and the Thalassian school of thought condemned the summoning of demonic creatures, or even basic fel energies, and consumption of fel for the necessity of survival cannot just turn one into a master of fel magic. Not after warding themselves from this kind of power their whole life. The concept of will, of desire, the feeling of having the right to command this or that form of magic – all of it is integral to the philosophy behind spellcraft, which is as much important to a wizard as a well-crafted formula, or a timey incantation.
Deciding that quantity can be abandoned for quality, the two of you manage to choose around five hundred hopefuls among the mages to try and train them in the art of Infernal summoning. Technically, this is a high-end spell for any aspiring warlock, but you hope that your own expertise with Demonology will be enough to teach it even to novices. Results: Can now produce Infernal Golems. Can now switch 500 Magisters for 500 Infernals for a short time.
[ ] Reach to the Light: Personally, you've never been very religious. However, you understand that the loss of faith in the Holy Light that overtook many of your society after the undead marched through the eternal lands of Quel'Thalas ultimately led them to despair. Some of the priests among you ranks, like the famed and ancient Voren'thal the Seer still think that the Light has not forgotten elvenkind, and you only need to reach out to take it.
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: 10% (Improves by 10% with each failure). Reward: Increased effectiveness of Priests. A glimmer of hope rises in the hearts of the faithful among your people. ???. ???. 1D100+12.5 => 45.5 Failure
You agree to support Voren'thal's "aspirations", providing him and his priests with a building for their prayers in the Chapel of Stars, as well as assistants to conjure food and water for the priests when needed. However, by the time you ask for results, Voren'thal apologetically replies that the Light cannot just be "ordered" to come around in a particular timeframe. It is something that should be achieved through a great amount of thought, feeling and meditation.
Thinking more about it, he suggests that trying to reach the Light in a group of priests is but a minor goal, and suggests spreading their meditation methods among other elves, civilians in personnel, in hopes that their prayers would be heard by the Light when uttered in unison. Voren'thal comments that he could commit the Scryers to helping the people find the faith in themselves – and the Light – once again, but says that he wouldn't start such massive spread of techniques without your approval.
It just… annoys you that there are no results here right now to see. If Light, or any divine magic, is so fickle that it can't be measured by neither mathematical nor humanitarian approach to the theory of magic, if it is allowed to have such "setbacks" as not being around when you need it in the worst time possible, should you even spread this nonsense amongst your troops and subjects? Your response for now is "I'll think about it". Results: Try Again!
[ ] Study the Wretched: The Wretched are, ultimately, elves. There must be something of their old selves in these insane creatures still. What exactly is this "something" only experiments can say. While before you would never think of experimenting on live sentient creatures, you see little other choice to save at least some of them. Currently, the blood elven town guard is still capable enough to subdue the Wretched and bring them for your research team to experiment on.
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: 65%. Reward: Large Wretched Band will no longer cause malus to your country. Research of the Wretched. Locks Slay the Wretched. 1D100+12.5 => 108.5 Critical Success!
This time your guards manage to capture all of the Wretched, rounding up the whole crazed band in arcane cages, eerily reminiscent of the ones you and your people were thrown into in the dungeons of Dalaran. Of course, now it falls upon the researchers to review and research all methods of curing these suffering elves.
Elves.
The Wretched are, ultimately, elves.
And you are now experimenting on elves, like lab a student would experiment on rats, pigs or sheep.
Potentially ending their life, in the name of a good cause. This is a matter for distraught for you, as you try to think of there is any other way.
Unlikely.
The only way you can help them is figuring out a way to cure them before they start dying during unsuccessful attempts. You hear voices, movements, some general feeling of rush around you. It is probably coming from the members of the research team, brainstorming ideas. With all due respect for their academic success, you "tune the voices out", concentrating on your thoughts. The Wretched suffer from arcane magic drawback. Something that can be described as the acute form of the disease all of the blood elves have experienced. Chronic, too, feeding on the body and the mind. And, for that, you must find a cure. A cure for an even worse form of a disease that you still haven't found a cure for.
A cure.
"There is no cure, young one. But there are ways to feed the hunger. Follow me, and I will grant your people more magic than they can imagine."
Hmm.
"Do not fear the demons, Kael. In time, they will call you master!"
Demons.
No cure.
Sate the hunger.
Of course. "I believe I figured it out, my friends!" – you declare, ending any and all conversation around you. "We've been thinking of curing the disease that is, for now, incurable even on the basic level it exists among us all. We have to help a group of, what, a thousand elves, yet here we are, trying to discern one of the greatest mysteries of our current existence. Finding a cure for the hunger for magic like that is almost impossible. Luckily, we have been shown how to substitute a true cure with something else, something to sate hunger, greatly. And it worked so far."
"You can't be thinking about filling them with fel, can you?" – Rommath asks you, aghast.
"I am thinking about just that, Grand Magister."
"Absolutely not!" – Rommath exclaims, looking at you like at a madman. "We have seen firsthand that fel is even more addictive, even if it leaves a greater feeling of sating hunger. Need I remind you that this was the reason we had to introduce it to the population in carefully measured doses in a mixture with other energies? And yet, some STILL managed to overfeed and turn into the Wretched?"
"Try thinking with a razor in your mind, to shave off the unneeded commentaries." – you reply with a sigh. "We've been seeking a cure for this predicament – one. We have found none – two. In place of a cure, we have found the next best thing to keep the hunger close to non-existant – three. If fel was able to help those with a 'normal' form of the illness, we have to try prescribing it to those with a worse one."
"I agree with Rommath." – Capernian shakes her head sadly. "Fel is still new territory for us, and even if we abandon the cultural taboo and stigma connected to it, we still remain with a force known to be both sating and highly addictive, pleasant for a spellcaster yet incredibly dangerous. Feeding it to the Wretched might turn them into something worse."
Let's approach it from another angle. "The Wretched themselves are a paradox, my friends. We have seen the same type of creature form up in two radically different cases: from siphoning too much magical energy, and from not getting enough magic in time. The only difference between the resulting conditions is that the Wretched born from the loss of magic end up much weaker physically, frail even."
"What are you getting at?" – Solarian ponders, confused.
"One way or another, the Wretched state is tied to our addiction to arcane, formed through being connected to Sunwell for generations. You could say that a part of our organism consisted of, or at least was filled with the unending flow of arcane energy. In our latest work on leylines, we found out that the arcane is connected to the force of, if not the concept of Order. If the Order in our arcane-connected bodies is destroyed – either through not consuming enough magic, or consuming too much, they just 'break', as our brain atrophies and siphoning mana becomes the organism's only reason for continued existence. The paradox, as I mentioned, is that breaking the established Order in different ways brings the same result to the surface, which, in a way, may not be a paradox at all, if we consider that the reason for the Wretched state lies not so much in the measure of arcane in our bodies, but in how weaved the 'optimal level of arcane residue' in the Orderly state of our bodies."
Capernian shakes her head. "I believe you are entwining physics with metaphysics here, my liege. The idea of Concepts is central to the philosophy of magic, yes, but calculating the laws of our own existence without preliminary experiments is just baseless speculation. The example with the leylines might end up a unique occurrence, rather than a revelation for the essence of the arcane."
It really is hard to explain. "Now, let's go back to the paradox factor. Fel energy, for reasons you should all know by now, is a paradox in itself. We have seen how it both sates our hunger effectively, yet also incorporates itself into the addiction process. I am sure all of us have had thoughts to go and consume a much, much greater dose of fel than prescribed, as our hunger was slowly raising its ugly head once again. The doses of fel entwine with, if not substitute, the parts of our organism that demand arcane, requiring fel instead. Too much of it – and we still get the Wretched, trying to consume everything that contains mana around them. Now, allow me another leap of logic. If, for the sake of argument, we suppose that arcane represents Order, could fel – a paradox substitute of it that causes both hunger and sating, both pleasure and suffering, represents Disorder, or, say, Chaos? What if, to reshape the imperfect Order of our bodies, shaped by the generations of reliance on the Sunwell, we break said order completely, and fill the body with fel energy to a brink?"
Rommath winces in disbelief. "Oh, you know what's going to happen – they will die."
"Tell that to the fel orcs!" – you point to the window, in the general direction of where the Black Citadel's fel orc garrison resides. "True, there are great drawbacks to their form of existence, but a great lot still retain at least some form of sanity – which is more than what can be said about the Wretched!"
"We do not know how exactly the demon blood ritual worked, Kael," – Rommath doesn't give up, putting his fist upon the stonework table in irritation. "Fel is chaotic yes, it is unpredictable. You've seen what felfire does to demon souls – and they are pretty much lifeforms born out of fel energy itself!"
You are starting to shake in irritation. "Obviously I won't burn our test subjects with felfire. We've been working with demon blood for a long time. We can do this, safely."
"And if we don't?" – Rommath cuts you off, almost ready to shout. "Their very souls might end up tortured by the touch of fel magic, suffering and, in the end, dying. You want to risk it? Or maybe you'll see reason and start with less dangerous methods of healing them?"
"What for? To find out that those methods don't work, and come back to the dangerous one? To try all those mixtures and potions that we know did not work on standard diseased, much less the Wretched? No, I will not allow it, as your liege, when there's an obvious solution," – you reply coldly, turning away from your advisors and leaving the room in haste, your exquisite robes flowing behind your form. – "I know what at is, and all I need to do is… get a Wretched, a tube, and a good amount of sedatives and felblood. Until tomorrow, everybody."
This project finds you in the laboratories, trying to analyze the specifics of transformation. With a sedated Wretched placed into a large alchemical capsule, its breath filtered through the Unending Breath charm, as its surroundings are getting filled with the green watery substance. Right according to your expectations, as time passes, the vibrant fel green of the substance starts sipping away, transferring itself into the Wretched body, leaving only clean water behind it. The Wretched, it… no, he, siphons the fel unconsciously, siphons so much that his body starts… undergoing changes, indeed. At first it looks like the body is restoring its original elven form, with proper structure of the face, skin color visualizing upon it. Then you realize that the skin is growing much, much redder than usual, as the test subject grows horns… and sharp incisors… and malformed black-leathered wings?
So… This is what a "felblood elf" looks like.
After the hoses pump water out of the capsule, you remove the test subject from it, letting him on a warm mat and putting a warm lantern nearby. He lies there for about twenty minutes, before waking up and trying to get on his knees. Although he does not show signs of aggression, you prepare a spell just in case, while the fel elf, disoriented and confused, manages to rise one knee on the ground. He looks quite pitiful, kneeing here, broken, malformed, yet clinging to life. Ultimately, he looks like a sad, ill blood elf, with wings and horns adorning him. But, looks can be deceiving, as a beast can feel friendly, yet never be truly sapient.
It is all or nothing now. "What is your name?"
He doesn't react.
You repeat the question, your voice stern and loud: "What is your name, son of Quel'Thalas?"
"Selin," – he mutters, shielding his face with his hands as a defense mechanism, – "Selin Fireheart… Where am I?"
Of course it worked.
"In the Black Citadel." – you answer with a nod. "You are safe here."
"W-what happened to me..? Last thing I remember was… falling down… bereft of magic. But, I feel so… whole now. Why… Why am I red? My blood veins, green? What..?"
"You, Selin, are the first blood elf in history to have reversed the curse of the Wretched. I have reshaped the Order of your physique, removing the inherent imperfection through radical means. You were running amok, your mind lost, attacking civilians for the smallest flask of mana, unable to sate the addiction that turned on you. You were thought a lost cause, and yet I've found the way to cure you."
"You… saved me. You are…"
"Kael'thas Sunstrider. Lord of the Blood Elves. Your example, Selin, shows that it is possible to save even the worst cases of Wretched converts. To lift our people's curse completely, even. You might feel very different now, but with exercise and continued moderation in the consumption of magic, your mind will stay your own. And that is all that matters: you will remain alive, and free."
"Free…" – Selin contemplates your words. "Freedom… is foolish. You… you saved our whole people. And you saved me, one, insignificant Selin Fireheart, to live a life, again. Immortal, not free, is what I'd rather be, my master."
The felblood's voice croaks at his last voice, as it takes upon an almost unnatural frequency. His eyes burn with green light even as the his lids close and he kneels before you, in the gesture of complete servitude, something you could fell only from summoned and controlled demons before…
"Then rise, my servant. Rise and live once more."
Is this a miracle? It might as well be. Once again, you just shut up and do the impossible. Saving the Wretched from something neither Light, nor Arcane, nor Nature could fix. Saving them by delving deep into something long since considered forbidden lore, antagonistic to life itself. You broke the Order, and let Chaos reshape a lost cause into a different form of life, and you can repeat the operation with all the other Wretched. You feel incredible pride and fascination with all the possible answers this solution gives you, as Selin rises high and proud, his figure a mix of red, black and green given a strong, living physical form.
With a smile of hope, Seling finally stands up tall.
Fresh out of the tube.
"You, uh, might want to take some pants from the wardrobe." Results: Large Wretched Band will no longer cause malus to your country. 1000 Population are now Felblood Elves. Cure for Magic Addiction Found?
[FREE] Contact With Azeroth: While you don't exactly have that much to show them just yet, you are sure that establishing contact with Azeroth as soon as possible will be definitely beneficial in the long run. Grand Magister Rommath and Grand Astromancer Capernian have been looking into this problem of their own volition and claim to understand the principles behind Illidan's Shimmering Gates. You feel like that problem requires personal touch…
Value Needed: 229.5/500. Reward: Rewards depend on value researched. Ultimate reward: ability to create stable portals from Outland to Quel'Thalas and the other way around. Modificator: Lor'themar interested in wireless communication (+1.5). 1D100+12.5+1.5 => 103
Current Value: 332.5
Well, it's done.
The main part of your portal research, that is.
Capernian's team has managed to create a one-way portal, attuned directly to Quel'Thalas.
Unfortunately, it is roughly the size of a large pie, similar to the ones baked in human lands on Hallow's End.
Unlike you team's earlier discoveries, it cannot transfer sound, but you could probably fit something useful for the blood elves in Quel'Thalas to use in their struggles, along with messages from their friends and family, supplies and whatnot. The work will continue on expanding the Shimmering Gates to proper size and greater stability, which Capernian describes as the greatest issue to solve, as increasing the size of a portal screen currently leads to it getting ripped apart by the energies of the Twisting Nether that lie between the so-called "astral locations" of Azeroth and Draenor. Luckily, since the two planets are relatively close to each other, this should be fixed sooner or later. Results: See the end of the post for details.
[LOCKED] Arcane Golem Magitek: Pathaleon thinks all those Dalaranese musings of yours lack pure Thalassian efficiency. He devised a plan that allows you to create less bulky, but more stable golems of pure arcane, armed with technological armaments made of enchanted metals. You understand the mechanism, but still wonder about getting the power sources for those golems…
Time: 1/2. Chance of Success: 90%. Reward: Allows to produce Arcane Golems. 1D100+12.5 => 65.5 Success
Despite having a lot of work on his hands with both the Infernal and the Arcane Golem projects, Pathaleon is too proud to admit that he can't handle the pressure, and literally closes himself in his lab with two inactive golems, four perky lab assistants, and a handful of bottles of Dalaran Noir. However the research process was progressing, it ended at the twilight of the next day, when a red-cored Arcane Golem, its advanced parts connected through a "skeleton" of pure arcane, smashed the closed door, allowing the miserable research group to finally go home. Pathaleon, as nonchalant as ever, only crosses his hands, leaning against the Arcane Golem, and, with a smile on his face, says: "The Infernal Golem is ready too, but he was too grumpy to stay for the celebration. Uh, Fel Armaments? You gotta work with the Shadow Council's peons on this. Here's my rrreport, signed – Pathaleon!"
He is then picked up by the golem, who lifts the Calculator and walks away, presumably to his chambers.
You enter the lab to find a warm, green Infernal Golem inside.
Its stony face is grumpy indeed. Results: Can now produce Arcane Golems.
[LOCKED] Enchant the Colossi: You wonder about the great blue crystals buried in the stone backs of the Colossi. Obvious easy magical equalizer and channeling point. Perhaps using the technology of enchanting and conjuration proposed by Pathaleon to take control of Colossi will be wiser than just destroying them.
Will complete this turn. Chance of Success: 60%. Reward: The Colossi subdued. Western Path of Conquest and Southern Path of Conquest get the modificator "Guarded by Colossi". Allows options involving the Colossi in different regions of Outland. 1D100+12.5 => 84.5 Great Success!
The Colossi crystals are the channeling points.
Yet whatever spells Pathaleon's team slung to control them, it didn't work.
Increasing the quality of those spells could be one solution.
But why not increase the quantity of the crystals instead?
With resonating crystals traded from the Dragonmaw, it is but a matter of arcane jewelcrafting to install them upon the slow, unsuspecting colossi. Then, fill the incredibly enlarged crystal complex on their back with raw energy. Which ends up being fel energy, mixed with the essence of elemental fire. The resulting giant brutes are a terrible sight indeed, their eyes burning red in warning. You and Pathaleon manage to "install" the standard golem procedure log into the crystals, turning these unique elementals into glorified constructs. With all their strength, unfortunately, they are too slow to be an effective asset in your campaigns: moving them from one region to another would incredibly slow your army. Still, they can be effective guardians of the Shadowmoon Valley, and you hope to use some in the siege of Legion Hold. Results: The Colossi subdued. Can now use the Colossis in the Legion Hold Interlude. Western Path of Conquest and Southern Path of Conquest get the modificator "Guarded by Colossi". Allows options involving the Colossi in different regions of Outland.
Personal Options:
[LOCKED] FREE!Write a Grimoire: Fel Fire Augmentation: In your many years as a practicer of magical arts, you have grown proficient in many schools of magic. It would be a shame to let it all go to waster. You would like to follow in the footsteps of Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver and write down your knowledge for future generations.
Time: 2/5 Turns. Chance of Success: 100%. Reward: A Grimoire on Fel Fire Augmentation is recorded for the use of other mages. Locks other Grimoire options while being written down. 1D100 => 1 Natural One!
…Actually, with all the other issues on the table, you decide to leave writing until a better time. Results: Time is now 2/6 Turns…
[ ] Shards of Felo'melorn: Felo'melorn is an ancient Highborne runeblade once wielded by Dath'Remar Sunstrider. Felo'melorn was eventually passed down to Dath'Remar's great-grandson, Anasterian Sunstrider. During the Scourge invasion of Quel'Thalas, Anasterian wielded the sword in battle against Arthas Menethil, and grievously wounded the death knight's steed Invincible with it. Towards the end of their battle, Felo'melorn and Frostmourne clashed, but the former was severed in two on collision. Although Anasterian fought on with his broken blade, burying it deep in Arthas' thigh, he was ultimately defeated, his blade shattered. Will you reforge the shards of this great blade, restoring your family's heirloom?
Value Needed: 0/300. Reward: Kael'thas Sunstrider loses trait "Shards of Felo'melorn". Kael'thas Sunstrider receives trait "Felo'melorn". 1D100 => 66
Like with any project, you start by getting literature on the subject. You have expertise with enchanting weapons, but enchanting and working in the smithy isn't exactly the same. A part of you wants to just find an artisan to reshape the sword for you, but you reject those lazy thoughts. Felo'melorn is connected to the very soul of a Sunstrider, it symbolizes the apex of both their control of magic and their reign over those with the Blood of the Highborne. Ultimately, only a Sunstrider can reforge the blade with its true essence – perhaps you'll have to sacrifice a part of yourself to make it a true artifact.
For now, just focus on learning more about the fine art of metalsmithing. Current Value: 66
[ ] Practice Arcane Ice: Pure arcane manifests as white, blue or violet glow. However, when used to bend other types of energy, it takes on the characteristics and appearance of those energies. Examples of this can be seen with element-based abilities used by mages, such as the ice spells preferred by the Kirin Tor.
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: ??? Reward: Arcane Ice Mastery advanced further. 1D100 => 17 Great Failure!
Your practice with the Blizzard spell, so favored by Jaina Proudmoore, as you remember her from Dalaran, and the practice goes well, until Pathaleon decides it is time for an unexpected teleportation to you, with a showcase of freshly produced Infernal Golems.
Those Infernals instantly get blasted by the great spears of ice and turn upon you in rage. Together with Pathaleon, you manage to pacify the mortal-made demonic constructs, noting on their poor temper, uncharacteristic of the usual golem. Seems like felfire is even more upredictable than previously thought. Results: Try Again!
[ ] Study Applied Magic: Spending your free time on research of the technicalities of magic is very important. It is said that the blue dragons apply mathematic principles for their incantation, establishing them as Azeroth's supreme arcane-wielding creatures. Maybe there's merit in that?
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: 50%. Reward: +1 Apply Magic Option. 1D100 => 49 Barely a Failure
You work, and work, and work on advancing in the practical use of magic, but between the death knight powers you managed to absorb, the potential new discovering concerning the very nature of arcane and fel, all the baggage of information regarding the transformation of the Wretched into felblood elves, – between all that, your end up getting distracted on the matters of theory of magic, rather than on reviewing the already known practical methods. Results: Try Again!
[ ] Practice Demonology: Warlocks are the eternal masters of dark magic a practice still in dire need of perfection. While they excel in the manipulalation of demons, their true power lies in their own hands.
Time: 1 Turn. Chance of Success: ??? Reward: Demonology Warlock Mastery advanced further. 1D100 => 24 Failure
You know about all the different kinds of demons. It is easy to summon imps and felstalkers, Infernals are a bit of a hassle, but doable, and voidwalkers, why not actually demons, can be binded with the same ritualistic means. You could try summoning a thousand imps for practice, but why do that when there are demonlords swarming the Twisting Nether and ripe for capture? Deciding to concentrate on achieving something greater than a usual demonologist in your practice, you choose to try and bring forth a pit lord to your service.
Sitting in a dark room of the Black Citadel, you start the summoning ritual. Your astral calligraphy is flawless. The energies of the Twisting Nether flow around you, as you envision the monster of the Burning Legion you wish to summon. Suddenly, the room goes pitch black, and you can see nothing but your souls and the white, almost bone-like lines of paint around you.
You called for the great demonic servant.
But nobody came.
Results: I knew you had it in you!
Apply Magic:
Summon Phoenix : Increases chances of Martial options for 5%. Allows additional events during the interlude. Magic Mastery: Arcane Fire: Already Maxed
Enslave Demons : Allows additional events during the interlude. Magic Mastery: Demonology Warlock ½ => Demonology Warlock Advanced Mastery
Teron Gorefiend Mind Control Event: Absorbed Teron's knowledge. Magic Mastery: Unholy Death Knight Expert Mastery
Magic Addiction:
Blocked!
Surplus: 0
Portal to Azeroth Event:
What will you send to Quel'Thalas through a minor portal?
[ ] Weapons and general supplies that the local community, lacking in mages, will need.
[ ] Plans and schematics for golems, buildings and devices.
[ ] Items created to deal with the issue of your hunger for magic.
[ ] Write-in?
Regarding the messages to Thalassian elves:
[ ] Send messages from their friends and families.
[ ] Also send your own message to the elves (Write-in!)
GAH! I think I've been working the whole week, if not more, for this update. So much content!
I might have lost some of my old notes when moving to a new apartment, and although I think I remember everything regarding this guest, feel free to remind me of a plot point or anything, if you think I have indeed forgotten something.
To anyone who's been waiting for this, sorry for taking so long to write it up. I kind of lost interest with Warcraft for a while, but some good friends of mine from Scrolls of Lore have brought me back into the community, so thanks for their support. J Next post will be the start of the Legion Hold event, rather than a regular turn. I have some IRL projects to tackle on ASAP before the end of the month, so it will probably be out somewhere in April, since there's quite a lot of work to do for me on different subjects.
Please, support my other quest, Life of a Stormtrooper. It DESPERATELY needs some voting magic!
Apologies for any grammatical mistakes or mistypes (I've been hunting for those, but in my sleepy state, I could have missed some). Feel free to correct me, and let my English improve.
So I think we can all agree that the Fel Blood Elf cure is only going to be used on those who go Wretched until we have a better method. Also we should probably have the Fel elves specialize in Fel magic since they should be at least highly resistant to the negative aspects of it.
Great turn all around! Only the personal magic study actions failed, but that's not too bad.
The Allerian situation isn't ideal, but a personal visit from Kael and perhaps our Dwarf-bro should clear things up. At the very least dropping words of our portal should guarantee atleast a strained alliance. Nobody wants to stay on this dead Rock forever, after all.
Allright, the attack is happening. Would have prefered getting more Flyers first (due to the "Cloud" abillity) and wait for A'lar, but maybe it's for the best to capitalize on the chaos our black-op caused.
The only thing that worries me is the Demonology Study action. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but seeing "I knew you had it in you!" makes me suspicious.
As for Quel'thalas, the greatest bottleneck is mana. Without mana our warriors can't fight, out craftsmen can't work, and we lose more people to the addiction than to our enemies.
That was very fun. I also liked how Kael was pretty distracted with many things. :lol And also that our sabotage and building of forces continues very well!
I like the idea of both Kael'thas and Kurdran dropping into the Stronghold, as I feel like that might be the best way to win them over. I would almost say bring a Naga as well, cloaked in more finery than usual, but I feel like the Humans might react badly to an unusual creature such as them.
Letter.
Ways of preventing mana exhaustion. - absorb mana from other sources and how.
Ways of curing wretchedness. - fill vessel with other magic sources and how
And what we plan to do. Like helping to expand the portal from their side.
Assuming that we can only send one thing through, then we should definitely send items to deal with the addiction. That's their greatest bottleneck. As long as the addiction is distracting them their warriors can't fight and their craftsmen can't work. Remember, we have pretty much the entire army with us, but very little in actual civilians, so most of our craftsmen and artisans are still back in Quel'thalas. Once they don't have the addiction clouding their minds, they should be able to start working on a simple production chain of their own.
"Yes, Your Highness. We currently struggle to survive in the northern areas of Quel'Thalas, with spellbreakers investigating any signs of the side effects of the Sunwell's destruction on Quel'Danas. We've managed to reconstruct some settlements in the northern part of Eversong Woods. The Sunstrider Isle have been untainted by the Scourge, and is still full of healthy wildlife to hunt and land to grow vegetables in, but Silvermoon is in ruins, with a few vestigal undead fighting off our guardians of the city here and there. The coasts of the Eversong region are also mostly free of undead, who keep to the south, to Ghostlands, and to the Dead Scar you have seen during your… last visit. Their main base is Deathholme, Arthas's first citadel constructed during his invasion. Food levels are… at status quo. The civilians survive. But, the magic… some have gone mad, both from consuming too much magic, or after being withdrawn from it for a long time. Their skin turned green, their eyes lost color, and they became incredibly aggressive, recognizing none of their comrades and trying to wrestle their mana potions for themselves…"
…So, it is mostly the same as what you have seen during your visit. Except with less undead, and more wretched. At least, Lor'themar managed to restore some settlements. Well, he and Halduron do make a good team, surely better than Windrunner and her pet human ranger lord…
So no need for weapons, because the Undead tend towards the Ghostlands and what little pockets remain don't give our soldiers and rangers much trouble.
Plans and schematic could most certainly help a lot, but most of it is magitech and requires both mages and a source of mana. Both things that they lack.
Items to deal with the addiction is our best bet. As Kael summerized it on these last two lines, less undead, and more wretched. Send mana supplies and we'll prevent more people from turning into them.
Our personal actions' rolls suck so hard, it becomes funny.
Nice update. I liked the part with Teron, I still remember the time this ghost backstabbed me in WoW.
Fel magic + Wretched ? Kael likes mad science, does he? Felblood elves surprised me, but it offers a lot of opportunities. We should groom several of them into badasses/heroes so we can lobby their mutation as something which isn't horrifying. Learning that wretchedness isn't incurable should be heartwarming for the common blood elf.
And vote : What will you send to Quel'Thalas through a minor portal?
[X] Items created to deal with the issue of your hunger for magic.
Regarding the messages to Thalassian elves:
[X] Send messages from their friends and families.
+
[X] Warn them that you have made a breakthrough into curing wretchedness
