[Alliance] Chapter Five: Session Sixty-Eight

Appearing Characters: Atal'arion, Calia Prestor, Elfyra, Elissa Cross, Eranikus, Gilveradin Windrunner, Hazzriss, Itharius, Kala, Liiraluma, Morphius, Motah Tallhorn, Remnii, Riff, Sahdi, Scyther, Seria, Teemo Manabrake, Uther Menethil, Velameestra Windrunner, Victor Prestor, Weavra, Wrathion, Zanzil, Zul'Lor

November 12th

They flipped off Eranikus as the fingers of their arm detached and hovered to release a beam of super-heated plasma at Eranikus, Hazzriss, and Zul’Lor. The [Web of Fire] scorched them, and Zul’Lor was reduced to nothing more than ash as his body deteriorated in the flames. One of their turrets refreshed the shield it was projecting while the other fired a series of force bolts at Hazzriss.

Eranikus lashed his tail out at Vel, though she raised her sword and the massive appendage crashed into an arcane [Shield]. He roared and slammed his claw into the stone. Blackened vines curled up in a circle around Uther, Teemo, and Seria as he used [Horrid Wilting]. Gil harnessed the ground and shot an arrow at Eranikus as he attempted an [Earth Shock] to interrupt him. The dragon flexed his claw and tore through, but then Luma used [Counterspell] and activated a small disc that they launched at the dragon. Erankius beat his wings to send it off course, but Elissa used [Guidance] to conjure a small vine to smack the device back on course. It sprayed a pesticide that withered the vines before they could try to drain their vitality.

Eranikus brought his massive maw down on Seria, but she was just barely able to twist her body out of the way.

Uther hefted his hammer, which sang with a surge of radiant energy as he swung it twice into Eranikus’s flank. The dragon roared as corrupted blood seeped from his wounds. Atal’arion continued to try and tear his claws into Eranikus, but was shoved back. He beat his wings to try and knock everyone away, but Seria and Riff countered the buffet and set him off balance.

Vel held up a voidal hand and icy magic started to wreathe around it as spectral chains manifested on Eranikus’s limbs. The dragon roared and broke the [Slow], shattering the chains, but Vel took the opportunity to drive her blade into his side.

Eranikus continued to flail as Gil shot an arrow at Hazzriss, wounding her severely. The massive prime consort almost seemed to be fighting against his impulses, and they heard him shout “No!” as an abrupt jerk of his body sent his tail off course, missing Uther completely.

Riff extended his wings and ripped the corrupted blood from Hazzriss, who fell unconscious, and he then looked at Eranikus. Again, he flared his wings out and tried to take the corrupted blood, but he started to struggle.

Seria dropped out of her animal form and dropped to her knees to start to pray to Riff, and she drew the blood bone daggers from its sheath. She cut the dagger into the palm of her hand.

She called upon Riff, the new blood god of healing, to cure Eranikus of the affliction that had maddened him. She called out that she offered her own blood in aid to him, the same blood that brought Riff into the world.

Her magic started to radiate around her as it bonded with Riff’s magic and strengthened it. His power surged, and he shouted. The massive dragon started to weep corrupted blood as it was ripped from him and was absorbed into Riff’s magic.

The Prime Consort released a load, but weary roar, and he staggered back and fell to the ground unconscious. His breathing was slow, but steady.

As they looked up at Riff, blood was still swirling around him. He was floating in the air, a metamorphosis actively happening.

Members of the party rushed over to Motah to try and resurrect him as Riff slowly floated back down to the ground. His form had lengthened, his wings broad and strong, and the last of the blood seeped into him. He looked over at Seria, and then at Eranikus.

She raced over to hug Riff and push her forehead against his.

He swirled back through the air, and blood started to seep from his eyes and between his scales.

He started to cough.

He writhed as his wings started to grow mottled, his feathers caked in blood as his bone cracked, and parts of chest started to roil and splinter. Pieces of his rib cage pierced through his chest.

He lashed out violently, and Elissa was momentarily interrupted, magic wreathing her hands.

Gil funneled a [Heal] spell into Riff, who was still writhing on the ground. Luma lined up Titanstrike and took aim, ready to fire if it went south.

Uther hurried over to Riff and tried to push as much cleansing energy into him as he could, but the depths of the bleeding corruption was very fast.

Vel grit her teeth and shot a look at Zanzil. She told him to explain what was going on, and he said it was the corruption of Hakkar’s blood and there was no way to stop its virulence. He didn’t know how they had stripped it from the dragons.

But she sensed a train of connections. The Emerald Nightmare. The madness. The voices. It was very similar to the influence of the void, and she knew that undead were resistant to it.

She held out her hand and used [Life Transference], channeling her undead essence into Riff to try and buffer him with it.

Seria rushed at Riff as he contorted. She heard his bones break, but wrapped her arms around him. She felt him both crying out for help and terrified what would happen if anyone got too close, but she broke through it and held the side of his head.

Their eyes locked, and the connection between them was revitalized. Seria felt a hand on her’s as the spectral form of Kala materialized.

The spirit took the hand that held the blood bone dagger and guided it to hold the blade above Seria.

She plunged the dagger into her chest. She felt undeniable pain as the ravenous blade struck into her, but this time it was an act of love, not hatred and sycophancy. The blade plunged through the tattoo that marked their love, and her blood pooled down and mingled around Riff. It started to glow. It was bright and beautiful. A scarlet war fought between healing and corruption.

Riff wrapped his wings around her as they sobbed blood, forever bound as the loa of blood had chosen a new High Prophet.

Seria felt herself pulled to a liminal space. She felt refreshed and renewed. Before her floated a familiar egg. The egg started to crack, and she knew nothing would be the same when it opened. Nothing could ever be the same again.

Riff had always been her everything since she met him, since she decided to dedicate her life to protect him, and it had now led to this. It had grown bigger than mother and child, and it would grow bigger still, but she knew she would be there.

She felt a mix of so many emotions, because being a mother was ultimately a mix of every emotion she could have.

At that moment, in the material realm, everyone saw a bright, prismatic light break through the blood and started to surge. It formed a cocoon around Riff and Seria, and the light started to glow from the center of it, chasing away the murk and shadow.

As the light faded, they saw Riff back in his humanoid form. His long technicolor hair. His long tail, rimmed by feathers, and his fingers ending in talons. He held a second figure. It was Seria, with patches of scales, and a tail just like Riffs, and feathers the same color as Riff’s in her hair and her arms. Her fingers ended in black claws.

Seria still had the dagger in her chest, but her eyes opened. She saw Riff back in the form he had sculpted around her, but she looked down and saw her form had also sculpted around him.

Elissa’s eyes were trained on the dagger in her chest, and Seria grabbed it and pulled it free. As it slipped from the wound painlessly, she saw the wound bled for a moment, but it didn’t hurt, and it instead formed into the shape of her mother and son tattoo.

The dagger itself had also changed appearances. Instead of its former twin-fanged appearance, it was a beautiful and radiant weapon. Seria then looked over at Motah and suddenly remembered what had happened.

She rushed over to Motah and tried to revive him. Her body almost moved on its own, and she slid her palm on the dagger. She wove her magic into the blood and held it out toward Motah.

As the blood swirled around Motah, it entered the wounds and started to seal them. Then he jerked up with a gasp and a cough.

He sat up, but then saw Eranikus.

Motah shivered.

Gil cast his own healing magic over Motah to help bolster him more. But then they heard a deep voice.

He groaned as his muscles strained to move.

He started to move with a grunt.

He raised his wings with a sudden rush of magic, and his form shifted down to that of a kaldorei man. He leaned heavily on a scythe made of frigid yew wood.

His eyes moved over to Teemo.

He looked at Vel.

Vel chuffed.

Eranikus laughed.

He looked at Seria.

Seria nodded. Eranikus’s eyes fell on the staff Seria carried, and he seemed to recognize it.

He sensed movement and then looked at Atal’arion and Zanzil.

Zanzil crept out of the shadows and cast a cautious glance over at Vel, who informed Eranikus the two were the only survivors.

Eranikus scowled.

Zanzil looked over at Vel again, seeking permission.

He reached into his pouch and pulled out a potion, which he immediately quaffed. His body turned invisible.

Gil loudly sighed, but they didn’t hear any movement. It seemed the troll had remained right where he was.

He shook his head and the invisibility disappeared.

Vel sighed quietly, though her expression was one of clearly sympathetic exasperation.

Zanzil went into a description of the man he had spoken to and explained he was a troll with green hair and a skull-shaped rush’kah mask. It seemed he was an important witch doctor and was a gurubashi adorned with a bunch of gold. Vel considered the description, but it wasn’t familiar outside her belief that the gold may have implied he was someone important from Zandalar.

Before she went off on her musings, she asked the troll his name, and he introduced himself as Zanzil.

Gil asked what his experiments were, and he said he was an alchemist.

Vel blinked.

Zanzil thought for a moment and then shook his head.

Vel nodded.

Vel considered, trying to simplify such an answer into something that was easily understandable.

He pointed at Gil.

Zanzil put both hands on his head with a soft groan of frustration, as if he was taking in too much difficult information at once. Vel sighed to herself and spoke over the telepathic bond.

Zanzil had removed his mask as he lowered his hands, and it was clear he was not a young troll. He wasn’t old, but he was older than Seria’s mother would have been. He shook his head.

Vel sighed again.

Eranikus furrowed his brow and sighed heavily.

Vel looked over at Riff and Seria as Eranikus continued to interrogate Zanzil. He asked if Zanzil had shared the tonic with anyone, and Zanzil said the masked man in gold knew it. Eranikus frowned and asked if he could counteract his own potions, and the troll confirmed he could render some inert. He gestured at Atal’arion and fed the large dire troll a potion. He immediately fell to the ground dead, his functional undeath stripped from him.

Riff stepped forward.

Zanzil shook his head.

Riff looked sad and conflicted.

Gil asked Eranikus if Zanzil could stay in the temple under the eyes of Eranikus, and the dragon considered, though he was worried others would come to the temple and ultimately the Dreamer had need of her consort and he could not stay there.

Zanzil furrowed his brow.

Riff looked up at Seria.

He looked at Seria.

He looked at Motah.

He smiled, but it then faded.

Motah looked at Gil.

They were able to gather up the drakes, and Eranikus told the group to inform Itharius he took the others to the Eye to rest, and to thank him for sending such capable heroes so he could be there for his beloved.

He raised his scythe, and with a simple motion, he carved open a small gateway into the Dream. He and Motah carried the slumbering drakes through it. Teemo approached Motah to apologize about what happened.

She hugged him and he patted her on the head.

Seria blinked and looked down, just then realizing she had a tail.

The portal closed behind them. The rest of the party went with Zanzil to collect his belongings. They emerged from the sunken temple, and then hopped onto the boat. Zanzil squinted up at the sun.

She cast a [Protective Penumbra] over Zanzil.

Itharius swept down next to the ship and called out in a deep voice.

Itharius looked at Zanzil.

Vel informed him that she could just teleport them back to Karazhan and there was no sense in Itharius delaying meeting up with Eranikus.

Itharius banked and took off into the air.

Elissa blinked and started to laugh, as did Riff.

He looked to Seria.

They embraced.

Riff looked over at the temple, and Vel announced everyone there did an exquisite job before she enacted the teleportation circle to carry them back to Karazhan. A moment later, the boat folded in on itself and disappeared.

November 13th - November 16th

Vel had sought out Wrathion the following day, and she was able to track him down without too much issue. He greeted her with a wide smile and asked how things had gone with the ambassador as he had ensured he remained out of sight, and she said it had gone better than they could have hoped for and Itharius had promised them the green dragonflight’s full strength when it came time to take the fight to Deathwing.

He offered a joking smirk and Vel chuffed.

Wrathion frowned and thought for a moment.

Wrathion looked down.

Wrathion sighed heavily.

Vel regarded him for a moment.

Wrathion froze.

His expression was dark and angry, though not directed at Vel.

Wrathion smiled at her.

She regarded the young dragon with a tilted head.

Wrathion blinked.

Wrathion looked away from her.

Vel smiled faintly and conjured a mage hand that lightly squeezed his shoulder.

She turned to leave, and Wrathion had a somewhat bewildered look, as if he was trying to assess if Vel was being patronizing, but she obviously was not. After Vel left he brushed his shoulder off out of habit, but went to return to his business.

Seria reached out via a Dream to Sahdi after she magically traveled to her cave in the Alterac mountains

She stood up.

She slapped her cheeks twice and disappeared. Seria woke up herself back in Sahdi’s cave. She saw Sahdi’s eyes open beneath the ice, and the ice cracked and split open. The ice troll yawned and stretched, and got to her feet.

She was fairly short for a frost troll, only slightly taller than Seria. She had fluffy white hair and black hair. She smiled.

Kala manifested for a moment in Seria’s field of vision, and at that moment, Sahdi sneezed and mentioned it had suddenly gotten a bit colder in there, but she commented Kala really loved Seria and she was glad she was looking out for her.

Sahdi returned to Karazhan with Seria where she also formally met the rest of the group.

Seria also went to speak with Elfyra and offered to take her to meet the Darkspear when the immediate danger was gone. Elfyra admitted that was a big decision, but she would think on it, and she was ultimately excited by the idea of seeing how the rest of her lineage lived.

Elfyra also added she didn’t really have many friends her age and she was glad to have met her, and she hoped Seria would take care of herself. She offered a potion to help her out, and Seria accepted it and requested she take care of herself as well.

Remnii was trying to reach Calia, but every attempt she made there was a pall of darkness that enshrouded her from the Light of the Naaru.

Vel noted the fact she had reached out to Arlethal before using telepathy magics, though there had been a backlash when she had made it. She advised if Remnii were to try, to ensure her own mind is shielded, and Remnii acknowledged the advice as she reached out to Calia with the mental magics.

It was like navigating a stormy sea in the fragmented mindscape that was a sea of broken glass, sobs, and fear.

As the words danced through Calia’s consciousness, Remnii could see the words bouncing off the glass and mirrors. Victor’s face, images of him as a child, played upon them as her unconscious body responded to him.

Vel used [Enhance Ability] to help Remnii, and Remnii saw the lights on the mirrors, which led her through the torrents of despair. At the center, curled up in a ball, was Calia. She had waves of despair and guilt crashing upon her.

Remnii called to her, and Calia gasped and looked up at her. It was a younger Calia. She looked to be in her 20s, likely right around the age she was when she had Victor. Calia’s eyes were filled with darkness and tears.

Remnii sat down a foot away from Calia. The waves of guilt and darkness washed around them.

Remnii saw Calia holding a child in the fragments of glass, and she saw her screaming as the child was taken away. She was at an altar hugging her brother, and then stabbing her brother. She was praying to the Light for guidance, and also committing terrible acts of sin and shadow.

She saw Calia. Her own visage cracked and splintered like a broken mask.

Other voices called out: A daughter. A wife. The Twilight Mother. A failure.

Calia clamped her hands over her head.

Remnii grit her teeth.

The glass showed figments of treachery, betrayal, Xal’atath, the knife, killing Natalia, finding the dagger, talking to it, the eye looking back.

The rambling continued for a while, and Remnii projected a small illusion of a dark orb orb and a light one.

Calia looked up at her, and more of her face was cracked. In each segment was another piece of her. Young, old, frightened, angry.

Remnii told Victor to call to Calia again.

Calia looked up, and a few more cracks appeared in her face.

Calia appeared to be torn. Her mind was pulled. A part over her right eye illuminated with purpose.

The one fragment, the anchor in the storm, was there. The fractured fragments of glass all revolved around them. He had always been at the heart of everything she had done.

But the Light crumbled and cracked as the other layers of guilt and sorrow and self-loathing washed over that spark of defiance. The weight of everything else dragged it deeper in the shadow.

The fragment slipped into the recesses of her mind again. Remnii used her magic to create an imprint of herself in the liminal space, like a bulwark formed with her magic to at least give a temporary reprieve. She also took an imprint of the defiance that could be isolated in a small shard as a thought strand.

Remnii took Victor’s hand and nodded with a quiet thought. She explained what she saw and the complexities and complications of her psyche.

Remnii set the thought strand in Victor’s hands.

He looked at his mother.

This page was last edited on January 16, 2025, at 06:13 PM

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