[Horde] Chapter Five: Session Thirty-Two
Appearing Characters: Arthak Saurfang, Dargrul, Digby, Dugmore, Dugmore Jr, Ebonhorn, Jale Rivermane, Harlowe, Levia Blackflight, Mayla Highmountain, Navarrogg, Nyxxa Murkthorn, Oakin Ironbull, Oro Highmountain, Rak'Symma, Rexxar, Rigby, Smelanie, Smelinda, Smelodie, Snoot, Sol'chi, Ularogg Cragshaper, Zar'Kaa, Zekhan
November 26th
Following the meeting with the druids, Nyxxa found Arthak and asked him to smoke with her. She explained that she wanted people close to her to call her Nhemai sometimes, and she would like it if Arthak did that too. Arthak said he would, and Nyxxa said that it was a bit of an experiment, as she didn’t want it completely associated with uncomfortable things.
Arthak agreed he understood, and he asked if, after she broke the curse, if she would go back to being Nhemai, and Nyxxa said she likely wouldn’t. She considered going by another name eventually, but she was a bit tired of new names, and she believed she could be fine with being both. She didn’t want to lose who she was entirely, and all parts of her deserved to be part of her story.
Arthak said that having multiple names was as appropriate as taking up a new one, and Nyxxa was glad he thought so, but there was another thing she wanted to talk about given they would be seeing Lantresor again. She had missed him a lot.
Her tone had clearly shifted, and Arthak agreed.
Nyxxa chewed on her lip.
Nyxxa explained it was a combination of things, but the conversation they had prior on the boat didn’t sit right with her. Arthak had never had control over how his family was memorialized, especially recently.
Nyxxa said she understood.
Nyxxa repeated that she understood, and Arthak said that was good. He asked if that was all, and Nyxxa nodded. There was an apologetic look in Nyxxa’s expression, as she knew it wasn’t going to go over well, but she had wanted to ask regardless.
Especially because it was likely Lantresor was going to try and involve him anyway.
There was seriousness in her voice, as she understood it had always been a hard topic for Arthak to breach. Arthak assured her he was fine.
Arthak left, and Nyxxa took a puff of her pipe, musing what it felt like to be on the other side. Vaerux chuckled that it was nice to see Arthak squirm for once, and Nyxxa retorted that it was fucked up.
November 27th
Rak’Symma’s mood for the last few days had been distant, and she hadn’t been interacting with much of anyone. She sidled up to Arthak, and she looked haunted and apprehensive as she approached. Arthak greeted her, and asked if there was something bothering her.
Rak’Symma almost looked guilty. He asked what was bothering her.
Symma said that she couldn’t thank him enough for what he had so far done. However, she learned something, and she needed to know more about it. Arthak told her to ask.
Arthak said that, at that point, they were at war. It will ultimately be determined by Mayla, but Dargrul would have to be dealt with. The Horde would simply be allies. The tone of the conflict would be set by Mayla. Rak’Symma asked if Arthak himself had a contingency planned, and Arthak requested Rak’Symma be direct and just tell him what was bothering her, because the contingency was that war would unfurl.
Again, Rak’Symma looked guilty.
Rak’Symma nodded.
Rak’Symma said the discussion could wait, but what troubled her was the way that it was brought up to her. The way Zar’Kaa spoke betrayed a lack of security in the people she was trying to trust. She said she wasn’t used to graveling in a group, and she didn’t know how inter-party relations were meant to be, but she knew she had to trust them, and if a group was meant to work together, she needed to know they could.
Arthak said that he couldn’t give her that. He could speak for himself and his warriors, and he had done much in his past and he could assure her that she could trust him, but that was a choice Rak’Symma had to make, as he had also done many things he wasn’t proud of, including things he couldn’t personally forgive. However, he could speak to the captain’s words, and Zar’Kaa hadn’t been present for the Mist. But Arthak wasn’t sure what he could offer Rak’Symma at the current juncture beyond answering questions and the truth in what ways he could offer.
Rak’Symma nodded.
Arthak said he was glad and grateful for that.
Rak’Symma offered a small, thin smile, and agreed that was something they all had to do.
Arthak and Zar’Kaa ended up encountering each other as one went to seek out the other. Zar’Kaa greeted Arthak and said he was looking for him. He wanted to touch base as they had not talked much strategy since Skytotem. Arthak agreed it was as good a time as any, and he had some things he wanted to discuss as well. Zar’Kaa had signed out the lantern from Sol for the purpose of the discussion.
Zar’Kaa took a seat and asked who should go first, and Arthak told Zar’Kaa he had the floor. Zar’Kaa said he wanted to know how Arthak felt about the upcoming negotiations. Arthak said he was as confident as he could be, as the bulk of the work was on Mayla, and they were just there as assistance as needed. He had a few security issues that he was going to pay attention to, but by and large the situation seemed satisfactory.
Zar’Kaa agreed that it wasn’t really in their hands, but he had to admit that taking the first step with Dargrul was a good play, and he wished he had thought of it. He admitted he was a bit nervous himself, but that was likely largely because he’d never done it before.
Arthak admitted he never had either.
Zar’Kaa said they’d keep their eyes open then, and if it came to blows, they’d be ready. The other thing he wanted to bring up was where they were going from there. He suspected they were heading to Aszuna to confront the Legion more directly, and Arthak said that was a possibility.
Zar’Kaa said that, assuming they did, he wanted to ask Arthak a favor. Arthak asked what it was. Zar’Kaa was wondering if he could head the operations of the Darkspear and the Ironmarch, as it was within his skill set and he believed he could do it. He was asking Arthak because the Ironmarch were not his warriors, and he couldn’t expect to lead them without Arthak’s permission, but he was confident he could do it and it was something he wanted to do to help out more. He felt he didn’t do enough in Highmountain and he made some mistakes, so it was a way he felt he could rectify the errors he had made.
Zar’Kaa’s eyes narrowed and he rose from where he was sitting.
Arthak’s voice had risen well beyond what it normally was.
Arthak told him to tell him. Zar’Kaa rolled his eyes.
Zar’Kaa clenched his fist, and then unclenched it. He exhaled.
Arthak sighed heavily.
Arthak walked past Zar’Kaa, and as soon as Arthak left, Zar’Kaa grabbed one of his flasks and smashed it against the wall in anger and recognition of the fact there is truth of what Arthak said, and he hated that.
He felt heat boil up inside himself, and he glanced over at Rokul Kaz. Bru’kan was silent, and did not say anything, and that was deafening at that moment.
Sol was able to catch Arthak as he stormed away. The eredar greeted him, and Arthak returned the greeting with a resigned sigh. Sol said he seemed tense, and asked if he was alright. Arthak said he had been busy that particular day.
Sol said he wanted to talk about some of the things he’d been doing.
Arthak agreed.
Sol produced his lantern and ensured that no one was watching. Sol suggested that they walk around the mansion.
Arthak explained he had been trying to understand how the world works. The Titans seemingly put a lot of work into safeguarding and managing the world, and he wanted to know why. Then something had reached out to him. He had found something infinitely old, and very young. He believed that the world was either a nascent Titan, or it contained a nascent Titan, or perhaps it was simply a fine line, but either way, she had reached out to him. The crystal seemed to be her blood, in a sense.
Sol considered what Arthak was saying, and he didn’t know anything about the Titans. The only thing he knew was what they had been able to discover recently. However, one of the titles Sargeras was known as was the Dark Titan. He didn’t know if there was a direct connection, but it was not a stretch of the imagination to suspect there may be one. The premise of planets being involved was nothing he knew anything about.
The Legion, however, seemed very intent on claiming the world. If the Titans were enemies of the Dark Titan, it stood to reason that if they were protecting something, the Dark Titan would want it.
Sol said he still wanted Arthak to talk to the world about the blood he wanted to use in his machine, but he knew the language of the titans and he suggested that maybe he could help in communicating in some way. However, he was unsure if that was a good idea given he had the attention of the Dark Titan on him, but he wondered if the entity could maybe remove that attention.
Arthak’s best guess was that the entity was an infant in the context of what she was, and Sol said that, for now, he was hoping for a talk, because he was very curious as to what might happen. Arthak said he wanted to be careful about the situation, and beyond the people he had spoken directly to, he didn’t want anyone else to know. He didn’t understand the circumstance yet and he didn’t want the Legion to get any concept of it.
Sol assured him that his secret would be kept.
Arthak asked Sol if he could learn the tongue of the titans, because if the entity knew it, Arthak could maybe ask Sol’s questions for him. Sol told him he had some time, as he had just finished his luck stone.
Sol also mused he had concerns about the dark places of the earth, and Arthak agreed. They were both in agreement that it was probably very important to know, as whatever entity Arthak was speaking with might have just been as much a part of it.
November 28th
The warband gathered early in the morning to travel to Marl. Mayla, Ebonhorn, Oro, and a small contingent of representatives from other tribes were also accompanying them.
Arthak suggested everyone stay on alert, as the situation was ultimately tenuous. However, the goal was to ensure things didn’t escalate into battle. Rak’Symma took a deep breath, and Ebonhorn put a hand on Rak’Symma’s shoulder and assured her that they would likely be in and out of the caverns quickly. However, it was clear he didn’t believe the notion, even if he was trying to manifest the idea by saying it.
Zar’Kaa was uncharacteristically quiet while discussions were going on. Rak’Symma was staying closer with the Highmountain than the warband. Nyxxa was able to pick up a lot of strong emotions that weren’t being talked about.
They traveled for most of the day. They headed to Riverbend first to pick up the Rivermane representative, and from there Navarrogg was able to guide them to an entry that would lead them to Marl. The journey was quiet, and Mayla seemed to be deep in her thoughts. She mouthed words to herself on a few occasions as she practiced what she was going to say.
Jale Rivermane was at Riverbend to greet Mayla and see them off. She was grateful they had arrived when they did, as it was starting to get late (it wasn’t) and she wouldn’t have been up much longer. Jale introduced them to her ambassador, who was a very small, but not young, shu’halo. He said it was wonderful to meet everyone, and he introduced himself as Oakin Ironbull.
Navarrogg was wearing the snail cloak pin that Nyxxa had made for her. She said she would bring the group to the city of Marl, as there was an underground passage down river. She was confident she could bring them close to the city from there.
As they entered into the underground, they found writing in the tauren and drogbar languages as well as crystals marking the direction to navigate to Marl. There was bioluminescent fungus all around, and the raft they were riding came to a stop on an underground shore.
There was magic all around them, but the deeper they descended, they felt the magic get stronger and stronger. The crystals were similar to the ones that were at the Azurewing Repose, and Sol was able to surmise that the passage was likely built on a leyline.
Levia was audibly amazed as she looked around.
Eventually they came to an outcropping that plunged downward. There didn’t seem to be any way to descend, but in the center of the chasm was a beautiful, blue-violet crystal that was pulsing with magic. They could sense ambient magic all throughout the chamber.
Zekhan looked around in awe.
Navarrogg shook her head.
Sol sensed a similarity between the crystal and the shard of ice when they encountered Zar’jira. In some ways, it might have been a cousin of that.
Navarrogg extended her hands and then brought them together, which caused a shard of crystal to erupt into a platform. She stepped on top of it, and gestured to the others to follow her. As the last person stepped on it, she swirled her hands around, and the crystal broke off and began to levitate down on the aura of magic she was controlling. Sol observed that Navarrogg seemed to be tapping into both Order and Primal magics.
There were also chalk marks etched into the earth and crystal that seemed to be a cousin of a teleportation circle of sorts. However, it was different, and it seemed that using it like a normal teleportation circle would have likely been rocky, as they were used to connect to other similar places. The crystals also seemed to be more attuned to planes than anything else, and it was more akin to planar travel than teleportation.
Arthak reached up and placed a hand on the crystal. As he closed his eyes, he saw somewhere much more open than the cavern. It was an endless subterranean expanse that was full of stalagmites and stalactites that had similar crystals jutting from them. There was a connection there.
Navarrogg started to commune with the crystal and drew a circle of powdered gemstone around them. The powder started to crystalize, and it felt as if they were moving directly through the crystal. The crystal around them shattered, and they found themselves in a completely different chamber.
Navarrogg asked how everyone’s stomach was, as not everyone has a good reaction to the travel. Rak’Symma’s talons were digging into Ebonhorn’s arm, as she was very overwhelmed by how deep they were. Sol asked if she was alright, and she looked at him with a drawn expression, but gave a hesitant thumb up. She requested no one tell her how deep they were.
Navarrogg told them Marl wasn’t a far hike. They would reach the town before too long.
The cavern opened up into an even larger underground cavern. There was a huge underground lake with a lot of natural light from bioluminescent fungi and crystals. They saw mounds and stones and rocks, but then they realized they were homes of varying sizes.
And they sensed something coming, but it was deep in the earth coming for them. Then the ground beneath them erupted in a small diameter. In the hole was a small, diminutive creature. They had pale skin and bright beady red eyes with a black nose and freckle-like patches of stone on their chin. They appeared to be wearing a leather cap that had twin decorated with charms, beads, and other trinkets.
The creature looked around, sniffing the air. Symma screamed, quite started.
The niffen hopped out of the ground and brushed off her arms. She had a long coat over his clothing, and she said she didn’t mean to startle anyone. She quickly apologized and said it was nice to meet everyone.
She introduced herself as Harlowe, and she wanted to give everyone a warm Marl welcome. Symma had taken a few steps away and crouched against the ground, her wings around her knees as she tried to get her bearings.
Nyxxa used magic to translate for the group.
Navarrogg said that Harlow didn’t need to come and meet everyone, as Navarrogg knew where the kith was, and then introduced Harlowe as the daughter of the leader of Marl. Arthak bowed and introduced himself as Warchief Arthak, and Harlow sniffed at the air and mentioned he smelled like warm rock, ash, and a smattering of other things. Harlowe also said he was a blacksmith, and Arthak confirmed, which Harlow said she thought she smelled a bit of slag in there.
Mayla also bowed and introduced herself. Harlowe said that everyone was super excited to be hosting things, as ma and pa already had games and food and Effervescence was playing at the Diggindome. Arthak said it was nice they were establishing a good atmosphere, and Harlowe agreed it was good to have some festivities.
Harlowe said they all smelled like an interesting bunch, and explained her people didn’t see very well, so they tended to experience the world through scent and sound more than anything else. She suggested they walk and talk, and she could take them to the festivities. She called for them to mind their step.
They were headed to the largest hut, and Harlowe made some small talk as she asked about the topside. She mentioned she heard about a big ball of light that was always out, and Ebonhorn chuckled and explained it was called the sun or An’she. Harlowe asked if the big balls of light worried them, and Nyxxa said they watched over them. Harlowe said whenever the caverns start to move around, that’s when they start to worry!
Arthak felt a deep and alarming fear deep in his gut. It was almost like something was following them. Arthak kneeled on the ground and put his hand on it to try and connect to something. He just got the same feeling. Arthak warned the group over the telepathic link. He placed some few droplets of blood on the ground, and he felt some sort of heartbeat that wasn’t one he was familiar with.
Nyxxa, meanwhile, asked Harlowe what the group smelled like. She said they all smelled pretty different. Nyxxa smelled like a lot of green stuff, sulfur, and a bit of alcohol. As they walked, they heard a screech, and they saw some strange reptilian creatures flying overhead called shalewings. Harlowe said that Sol smelled fancy like he just took a bath, and there was something that tickled her nose like it was fizzy water. Symma smelled like a fresh breeze an ozone. Rak’Symma extended a wing so that Harlowe could feel, and she began to sniff at Symma’s feathers. Symma took a feather and gave it to her, and Harlowe happily put it in her pouch to make a trinket later.
Harlowe said that the topsiders seemed nice, and Zar’Kaa retorted some of them were. Arthak looked at Zar’Kaa, but he wasn’t going to start anything there.
Zar’Kaa smelled like medicine, weapon polish, and a hint of sulfur. Harlowe mused that the topsiders were weird for carrying sulfur around.
Mayla smelled like earthen musk, paper, and a unique smell that identified her as a shu’halo. Ebonhorn smelled really different, and Ebonhorn said that he carried various implements as a spirit walker to commune with the earth.
As they entered Marl proper, they didn’t see any writing at all, but instead there were clay pots that had a different incense in them. It seemed that that was how the niffen were able to tell what each building was.
As they walked around, they saw various games, and there also appeared to be snails racing around a rock to the cheers of some niffen and drogbar. Many niffen were carrying scent pouches, and some of them had ten gallon hats that had powerful scents on them that acted like name tags and badges.
There were also kobolds in Marl that were tending a stall that were selling various candles. There were small stones and gemstones being exchanged instead of coin.
A few niffen flanked by some guards made their way over to them. One of them was a heavyset niffen with a beautiful bioluminescent mushroom banded to her head. She had a similar skin tone to Harlowe, and she hurried over to welcome the group. She introduced herself as Smelinda, one of the leaders of Marl.
The other niffen, who had a huge hat on his head, introduced himself as Dugmore. He eagerly offered a tour of the town and the Dugmore Diggindome, which was the place where the peace talks were taking place. He was the owner of the Diggindome.
Smelinda kindly shushed her mate, and then hastily introduced her other children. As she sounded off the names, increasingly younger niffen started to appeared: Rigby, Digby, Smelodie, Smelanie, Dugmore Jr., and Snoot. Smelinda then shooed them off to play and stay out of trouble as she returned to her hosting duties. After a brief discussion over the telepathic link, Arthak spoke up.
Smelinda’s eyes opened a bit, revealing they were completely blind.
Smelinda nodded.
Smelinda assured him that she would have her Sniffenseekers look around, and there was a shift in her demeanor that Arthak registered for a brief moment. She put a claw on Arthak’s armor, and Arthak noticed her claws were very sharp, and there was also a network of scars hidden by some of her clothing.
Her blind eyes were likely not just from natural blindness.
Arthak bowed to her, and Smelinda headed over to her daughter. She gave Harlowe an order, and immediately headed off to scout out the area.
She then bowed and headed off.
Zar’Kaa suggested it might be worth helping the niffen out and showing some acts of service if they had time, as the read he got on them was that they really appreciated and respected kindness in Marl.
Zar’Kaa shot Arthak a look that said “you didn’t need to tell me that” but said nothing.
Levia asked if eating the food and drinking the booze was best behavior, and Arthak said that was likely part of it.
Rexxar was looking around in awe of the wildlife, and Symma whistled up to some of the shalewings that seemed to be domesticated. One of them flew down curiously and crooned. Rexxar reached out a hand to pet it, and the shalewing eagerly accepted the affection. Rexxar was beaming.
They made their way to the Diggindome, where Dugmore eagerly greeted them. Inside the structure was a massive amphitheater. It was easily over 100 feet high with tiers of seats and walkways.
Standing, and pacing, at the center of the Diggindome was Dargrul, the Underking, and his honor guard. They were standing with their weapons at the ready, but not fully drawn. The hammer of Khaz’goroth was strapped to his back.
A niffen cryer called out that the parties were all present, and they could start to get ready for the peace talk proceedings. Arthak asked Mayla if it was wise to warn Dargrul, and Mayla was hesitant as the drogbar tended to take offense if they were spoken to before the grievances were aired. She felt it best to air on the side of caution.
Arthak gave Mayla a pep talk while Nyxxa tried to eavesdrop on the drogbar.
Rak’Symma had cast [Commune with Nature] with Sol’s help to expand the radius, and she sensed the presence of a gathering of beasts, and they were large ones. Symma reported to the group over the telepathic link. Sol suggested that she try to sense their handlers, and there appeared to be a group of drogbar with the beasts. However, there were some in other areas as well, and they were moving.
She also felt something under the ground. It wasn’t a creature, but it was a spiderweb of tunnels. They were massive, far larger than whatever the other beasts were that she sensed. However, they didn’t get close to Marl, and they were not actively expanding. They were just there.
Rak’Symma stood up and shook her feathers out as she relayed what she found to the group. Arthak suggested that the High Rendolence be informed, and Rak’Symma saw one of the crystal mice and she used [Animal Messenger] to transmit the message to Smelinda.
Sol used [Divination] asking what dangers was coming to Marl. A few clumps of earth hit the ground, and as each one hit the ground, the resounding thrum as each hit shook Sol to his core. Arthak was worried about the potential of an earthquake or a cave in, but Ebonhorn was reminded of the drums the drogbar used to command their worms.
Zar’Kaa tried to get a read on Dargrul. Dargrul was fuming, and he was mentally giving himself a pep talk about how he wasn’t going to let anyone push him around. He then looked at Navarrogg and her face was stoic and stony, and she was clearly focused on ensuring the war ended, no matter what it took.
They used the wisdomball to sense if Ularogg Cragshaper, the shaman, might be the one to release the danger, but the wisdomball was unable to give a direct answer.
Nyxxa was eavesdropping on the drogbar, and she heard them talking about if they thought things were gonna turn into a bloodbath if things went south. One of them mused that it was unlikely with how the Underking was talking, as they were supposed to go back to base first if things went back.
Nyxxa shifted her focus to another group of drogbar, and one of the honor guard was talking about how they needed to keep an eye on the topsiders and ensure they didn’t get ground. The guard asked if the drogbar he was speaking to heard from the others, but the drogbar said no.
At that moment, the drogbar started to stomp and chant as the meeting opened. They declared that they would not be forgotten. They were strong, and they were the stone. And they repeated the chant of affirmation and strength. But then they turned the chant toward the topsiders and accused them of believing they were better than them, but they were not, and Highmountain was not better than their mountain.
Several weights were then brought out and placed on the ground before them. Ularogg and Dargrul stepped forward. Dargrul picked up two of them and lifted them above his head. Ularogg likewise benched a single one and then slammed it down.
They looked pointedly at the party at that point, a clear challenge of those present to prove they were worthy to speak.
