[Horde] Chapter Four: Session Five

Appearing Characters: Arthak Saurfang, Azgadaan, Azuka Stormbreaker, Halno, Kalec, Kaylaan, Kaza, Khadgar, Kroll Gravenight, Lantresor, Levia Blackflight, Loramus Thalipedes, Mahka, Mankrik, Nyxxa, Oronok Torn-heart, Sadras, Sagaz, Sylvos Windrunner, Tyri, Vaerux, Veena

Outland Day 1

Before settling in to rest, Nyxxa gathers Sadras, Halno and Lantresor after the group’s brief meeting.

Nyxxa nods.

Nyxxa looks at Lantresor.

Lantresor smirks.

She’s not looking at Halno. Largely because she has no eyes.

She gestures at Halno.

Sadras grins, because Halno is in fact wearing bandages.

Lantresor nods.

Nyxxa nods.

She follows up with Azzy and he states he doesn’t want to hide himself and some other ideas he had.

Azgadaan chuckles.

Arthak also grabs Sadras while they are tending to the people in the village before heading to rest.

Sadras nods.

Sadras grabs Arthak’s hands and pushes her forehead against his.

Sadras chuckles. However, Arthak can tell that Sadras has a lot on her mind. But then again, who amongst them didn’t?

Nyxxa, later on, approaches Sadras with Mischief in hand.

Mischief squirms and Nyxxa sets her down. Sadras laughs.

Sadras crouches down and centers herself as she casts speak with animals.

As she finishes ritual casting, Sadras’s eyes get a cat-like look as she starts to talk to Mischief. The cat meows back and purrs as they converse. Sadras gets a sad look on her face.

She looks down at Mischief.

Sadras turns to Mischief.

The cat hisses back. Sadras looks back to Nyxxa.

Mischief turns and looks up at Nyxxa. Nyxxa cocks her head down at the cat, and the cat walks to the base of her hooves. Mischief looks serious. Nyxca gets the sense that Mischief wants to hear something from her, not via the third-party translator.

Nyxxa gets down to her knees. She considers, then opts to try in eredun.

Mischief’s eyes search Nyxxa’s face, and there is a sense of hurt, and a little sense of anger. As if she wants to get an apology.

Mischief growls, and Sadras translates.

Mischief stares at her, and then lashes out and slashes at her cheek. Nyxxa winces back, and a drop of blood hits the ground and fizzles. Nyxxa reaches up to pat the injury, and it seems to be gone.

Nyxxa doesn’t really know what’s going on, and as she’s thinking, her vision goes blank for a brief second, and she finds herself blinking. Then she sees herself from Mischief’s viewpoint. Nyxxa blinks again, and she’s back in her own vision.

Nyxxa grips her head.

She looks down at Mischief. The cat doesn’t answer, but she rubs against Nyxxa’s knee, then climbs up on top of her back.

Mischief just curls up on Nyxxa’s shoulder and bumps Nyxxa’s head in affirmation.

Mischief stretches, digging her claws into Nyxxa’s shoulder, and then disappears in a burst of green smoke. She had seen Azgadaan do that with Ini before as well.

At that moment, Mischief reappears and bites Sadras’s foot.

Sadras wiggles her foot, which Mischief was trying to disembowel, and the cat disappears into green smoke again.

Nyxxa and Sadras bid farewell, and part ways as Sadras wanted to try and catch some time with Arthak before they split.

That night, before he goes to bed, Azgadaan messes with Spiritsong and the crystal chronicle. The snippets he is able to get from the chronicle are refreshing, and the visuals are interesting--including in seeing how Akama was before he turned into the man he is now.

He puts the items away, and then drifts into a dream spell targeting Kroll. It’s the same dreamscape he normally summons, the black sand beach. Before too long, Kroll appears, walking at a slow pace.

He approaches Azgadaan and clasps his wrist.

Kroll holds his hand out to Azgadaan.

The sand they are walking on turns into a map of Draenor.

Kroll points out an area in northeastern Nagrand.

Kroll laughs.

Kroll disappears as the dream begins to fade.

As Azgadaan leaves the first dream, he conjures another, this time reaching out to Kaylaan. He waits for a bit, making some things in the sand. After the better part of the time passes, he hears the familiar crunching of hoofprints on the sand. As Azgadaan turns, he sees Kaylaan strolling, a smirk on his face.

Kalyaan stops about twenty paces away.

He laughs, raising his shoulder with the missing arm.

Kalyaan smiles.

Kaylaan smiles, and then walks away, and the dream fades away.

Halno spent a good majority of the night communicating with Sagaz to inform him how he will be in contact with him.

Outland Day 2

The group’s rest goes fairly well, and they wake up refreshed and ready to help with the evacuation of any of the orcs that want to return to Azeroth. Azgadaan shoots a sending to Shaspira, and she informs him that she will send him just before she opens the gate.

Nyxxa gives a note to Mahka to deliver to Gramgun about the cat situation.

The portal appears in the midst of Varokmar, and in an organized fashion, orcs move both ways through the portal: some returning to Azeroth while others come to Outland to be reunited with family that perhaps chose to stay. Kaza effectively had taken over leadership of the settlement, as Mahka and Mankrik had chosen to leave.

After the portal closes, supplies had been moved to Outland, and everyone seemed to be able to get to the side they wanted to be on.

The group then finishes preparations for their travels, Arthak and Azuka headed for Hellfire, while the rest prepare to take off to meet Khadgar.

At some point, Arthak approached Azgadaan.

Azgadaan gives Arthak a good side hug with a double back pat.

Sadras also gives Arthak one last hug.

She gestures to Summerpaw, and Summerpaw comes up to Arthak with her tongue lolling out, completely innocent. Sadras goes to Azuka next.

Azuka nods stoically.

Sadras then goes to Summerpaw.

Summerpaw immediately flops over for belly rubs. Veena is zooping around the area, just watching as people make their preparations. Arthak looks to Sadras.

Sadras punches him in the shoulder affectionately, and Lantresor gives Arthak a brief bow.

Lantresor gives a small smirk as he looks at Arthak’s eyepatch, and Arthak grumbles.

Lantresor gives a slight flick of his tail as he turns to return to the group. Levia waves Arthak and Azuka off. Arthak tosses Levia a cigarette.

She lights the smoke, and Sadras groans and goes to the other side of the group.

Nyxxa also exchanges a brief goodbye with Arthak, and promises she won’t get into trouble, and she’ll keep his mate safe. Sadras pipes up, overhearing that.

Nyxxa leans forward, out of Azuka’s earshot.

She pats Arthak on the shoulder.

Arthak and Azuka mount up on Summerpaw, and she whines a bit as the second orc gets on, but she’ll be fine. They then start to ride off while the rest of the group loads into Azgadaan’s summoned vehicle.

Kaza is also seeing them off, and she’s looking up at the sky. The sky is different, seemingly filled with storm clouds made of smoke. Azgadaan looks into the distance with his spyglass.

Azgadaan is familiar with the phenomenon. Thunderheads of soot and fire can form in the sky and make localized flame showers that drop small droplets of liquid fire. Azuka, however, seems to be able to predict the weather using druidcraft, and she assures Arthak they can try to predict the passage of the storm.

As Arthak, Veena, and Azuka ride across Outland, they can see the bones of the shattered world spreading out around them. However, it’s harder to see Hellfire Citadel than it was before. It seems the area immediately around Hellfire is partially collapsed, and it looks like there is a basin with rivers of boiling fel fire around it. It looks even more impenetrable. Arthak sees that the steel doesn’t seem to be Blackrock iron. There’s no small amount of Legion architecture that has been added, including fel cannons. Hellfire Citadel is far from abandoned.

After the first day of travel, they settle down to make camp. Veena also seems to sleep, in a sense, rootlike growths reaching into the soil as she enters some sort of trance. Arthak had observed it, and he is far from an expert of agriculture, but the area around where Veena was resting seemed a bit less fel corrupted than the rest of the area around them.

With the rest of the group, they are heading towards Honor Hold--specifically the ravine that Khadgar had referenced. They are able to arrive the same day, and they fortunately manage to not get attacked. They encounter some scorching storms, but the vehicle is immune to the firefall. They slow down as they draw closer.

They opt to get to the rendezvous point but wait a sleep cycle before arranging the meeting, just in case they wound up followed. They keep a low profile as best as they can, using the terrain as they drop low to the ground. They emerge right along the edge of the cliffside that leads up to Honor Hold, and they find themselves in a deep valley to the southeast of the hold.

It appears this is the location that had been described by Khadgar. The terrain is littered by countless bones. They land the vehicle and plan their next move. They set up watches to rest before the next day.

The first watch, with Azgadaan and Levia, is uneventful.

Halno and Sadras take second watch, and once more, things are uneventful. Sadras is pacing a bit, seemingly concerned, but is mostly keeping herself busy.

Nyxxa and Lantresor take third watch, and most of their watch is uneventful, as Lantresor is meditating. However, Nyxxa feels like she’s being watched. She could have sworn she heard something behind one of the larger skeletons. Nyxxa narrows her eyes.

Lantresor opens a single eye.

Nyxxa nods, and then goes to investigate. Lantresor steps behind her, and illuminates his blade, and then disappears from sight.

Nyxxa ventures forward, slowly and quietly. She doesn’t see anything. She uses see invisibility, and once more, there’s nothing.

Then she hears the softest sound of rapid foot movement, and the gleaming of steel across steel. Suddenly, there is the warmth of a blade on her throat.

She looks at the other individual.

Lantresor lowers his blade, and a hand clasps around Nyxxa’s blindfold and pulls it off.

The scrim is placed back in Nyxxa’s hand, and then he pulls Nyxxa close to whisper in her ear.

Halno had also come to investigate, and they see a tall, lean, and dangerous night elf man. A blood red scrim is over his eyes, and there are two steel blades at his waist that seem to be almost permanently stained with the blood of demons.

The demon hunter glances in direction of camp.

Beneath Loramus’s belt, there are four or five daggers, which is strange, but noteworthy. Each of them seems to be uniquely made with eredic script on some of them.

Loramus leaves, and Nyxxa exhales, and then apologizes to Lantresor and Halno.

She puts the scrim back on.

They return to camp to finish their rest.

Outland Day 3

The next day, as Arthak wakes, he regards Veena after noting what he had seen last night.

Azuka thinks for a moment, then nods.

She turns to Veena.

Veena nods. It seems that whenever she speaks words Arthak can understand, it’s directly into his mind, but in her own language, she seems to speak by rubbing various parts of her body and wings together. It’s almost harmonic.

Veena looks to Arthak, then to Azuka, and does a small backflip in the air and nods affirmatively.

They continue on, and they start to get rather close to Hellfire. Periodically, Azuka will check the weather with druidcraft, and a few miles outside Hellfire, Azuka curses.

In that moment, the thunderhead above them starts to open up, flames raining down from above. Arthak activates his giant’s might, and he grabs Summerpaw and Azuka and starts to book it. Summerpaw yelps and begins to paddle as she is lifted, and Arthak chugs a fire resistance potion and runs.

They manage to find shelter that Veena points to, and a deluge of fire starts to rain down. Veena is buzzing wildly, the sound her wings make almost sounding like her name.

The flames that hit the ground make spontaneous bursts of fire. After about four minutes, it begins to slow, and the clouds are still overhead, but it seems like the fire itself has subsided. However, that’s when Arthak sees something else. Up ahead, he sees something on the upper part of the southern side of the canyon.

It’s a cowled figure, who seems to be looking down at the group from a rather high precipice. The silhouette looks orcish, and he is carrying a staff, which seems to be a spike made of Blackrock metal that is pierced through an orcish skull.

The figure raises the staff in the air, and the fire in the skull’s eyes begins to seep out. Then the fire is launched down to the group in erratic, purple-white patterns. None of them hit the small group, but the wind starts to pick up into localized twisters. Bones, scorched from the rain, get drawn into the storms, and there is a warcry from the east.

Arthak sees clouds of dust, as five orcs are riding mangey worgs, wielding all manner of sharpened blades. Their skin is various hues of bright red and dusty orange.

One of the swirling twisters of bones slams into Summerpaw, but she is able to smash some of the bones out of the air as she darts around it.

One of the worgs rushes into Arthak’s face, and the fel orc on its back swings at Arthak with his great axe. It clips into his armor, and another twister hones in on Summerpaw, blasting shrapnel at the frostwolf.

Arthak enters a rage, and swings at the worg closest to him. There is a hissing, yelping roar as a gaping wound opens up in the worg. He brings his blade around once more, bisecting the worg and sending the fel orc rider flying. He lands on his feet, but is winded, and seemingly Arthak’s blade had caught his leg.

Veena flies into the air and uses bless on her allies, rubbing her wrists together as she closes all five of her eyes. There is a soft purple glow around her.

One of the twisters rolls into Arthak, the bones inside attempting to cage him, but he is able to get out of the way just in time.

Another worg closes on Arthak, and a twister tries to restrain Azuka. The bones clatter around her, and she is lifted off the ground, bones battering and bashing her.

Another twister closes on Summerpaw, but she is effortlessly jumping between them.

Azuka activates her crimson rite, and the vines grow up her arm. She strikes at the bones that have her restrained, but she is unable to land a hit.

Summerpaw snarls and tries to wrestle out of the twisters, nipping at the bones.A fel orc hurls a javelin at Summerpaw, who dodges around it. A fel orc swings at Arthak with his axe, which connects, and two more javelins are hurled.

The group of fel orcs has now closed on the small group.

A barrage of attacks is assailing the group--bites from the rabid worgs and weapons from the fel orcs alike. The twister in Arthak’s space lifts him up into the whirling bones.

Azuka recovers with second wind, and she is able to land a hit on the storm she’s trapped in. Lightning courses around her weapon, but it doesn’t seem to be as effective as she would have liked.

A worg starts to wrestle with Summerpaw, attempting to pull her to the ground, but she remains standing. She then disengages and leaps over the worgs, howling before she starts to run away--drawing some of the aggression from her allies.

Arthak gets giant once more, and bones go flying in every direction as the twister is unable to keep restraining him. Arthak drives his blade into the nearest worg, and he hears bones break. Then he swings his blade on another worg, ripping a large wound in the beast. One of the fel orcs is bucked from his mount.

He rounds back on the first worg as he uses action surge. The worg slams to the ground, and he swings his blade around, killing a second worg, and then dropping the wounded fel orc to the ground--who just barely managed to stay up.

Arthak then closes on one of the last worgs, ripping a bleeding wound open in its side.

The fel orc on the worg that was on Summerpaw dismounts and swings at Arthak, but he is unable to land a hit.

Veena floats up and holds a hand out. Thorns begin to launch from her arm, which float next to her, and then shoot downward. Unfortunately, neither of the thorns manage to hit the severely wounded orc.

Azuka, however, is able to clip the fel orc with her sword, and the orc drops down, dead. She then downs a potion.

Summerpaw sinks her fangs into the injured worg and tears its throat out. She then backs up to try and draw more attention.

Sparks fly as fel orcs clank against Arthak’s armor, and Azuka continues to get battered by bones.

Another of the storm fires its shards of bones at Arthak. Veena is able to pull Azuka out of the storm.

Arthak swings his sword at one of the other orcs, and it is able to dodge, but his second swing lands true. The fel orc survives, laughing maniacally, but Arthak then activates his fire rune, and the flaming chains erupt around him, burning the orc alive.

He then rounds on the other fel orc. The fel orc tries to stand after the blow, but he falters and dies.

Arthak then goes to one of the last fel orcs.

The twisters--the Storms of Glory--continue to fire shrapnel at Arthak, but they fail to connect. The fel orc tries to strike him, but is unable to land an attack. The other remaining fel orc throws a javelin at Azuka, but she is able to dodge aside. The worg snaps at her, and the fel orc atop it swings down, his axe clashing into the rock.

The storms of glory swarm around Arthak, trying and failing to lift him.

Azuka tries to dart beneath the worg’s legs, but she is unable to get an opening. She growls and jumps onto the worg, kicking the fel orc in the face and sending him flying off the worg’s back and into the nearby storm of glory.

The fel orc engaged with Arthak tries to disarm him, but fails horribly.

Summerpaw tries to intercept another storm of glory going for Arthak.

Veena channels her energy, and a translucent barrier of pollen appears around Azuka.

The storm of glory the fel orc was thrown into tries to restrain it, and the orc is lifted into the air.

Arthak decapitates the fel orc in front of him, and then closes on the remaining worg and fel orc. Arthak severely injures the worg while the fel orc curses about the warlock magic that was restraining him. Arthak puts down the worg, and swings his sword around into one of the storms or glory.

Azuka goes off on the retrained fel orc, killing him with a twist of her blade and a blast of lightning. She then runs from the storm of glory that was closed in on her.

He continues to slam into the twisters with his blade. One of the storms dissolve, and another is smashed into splinters.

Veena fires a thorn at one of the remaining storms.

Summerpaw takes another hit of shrapnel, and snarls, but then dashes after Azuka and out of harms way, as she is heavily injured. All the storms coalesce on Arthak. Azuka holds out her hand, and thorny vines shoot from it, but it is unable to land a direct hit as the vines wrap around a solitary bone and snaps it.

Arthak continues to decimate the twisters, and Azuka brings down her thorn whip on the last one that remains, smashing it into shrapnel.

Arthak sees the warlock retreating over the ledge, and Azuka says she’s good at climbing. Arthak nods, and throws her a potion to feed to Summerpaw. Then Azuka and Arthak begin to climb up the ledge, while Veena stays with Summerpaw.

Arthak maintains his giant form, and they heave themselves over the edge. They see the cowled figure sitting next to a hellboar. The boar’s greyish flesh is poxed with bright green.

The warlock gets up on the hellboar, and Arthak starts to charge at him. The warlock flees, but Arthak is gaining on him. They are both getting winded, but the boar is getting more winded.

The warlock turns around as Arthak closes, and he blasts a shadowbolt at Arthak. It strikes him right in the chest, but Arthak keeps running. The warlock’s hood drops, and Arthak sees an older orc with white orc. He looks concerned, baffled, and angry.

Then a black skull appears in the warlock’s hand and he uses fear on Arthak, but it takes no effect. Arthak is grumbling angrily as he continues to gain.

And then three green orbs slam into Arthak. He sees his body continue to run, and his soul is seemingly chained by these orbs, as if they were being blasted apart, but he succeeds against the banishment. Arthak lurches at the old orc, and he pulls him to the ground, off the boar.

The warlock looks over at Azuka as she is catching up.

The warlock crosses his arms.

Arthak grunts.

Arthak doesn’t sense any deception, but it’s hard to tell if that’s just because he’s a good liar.

The warlock looks to Arthak expectantly.

Oronok nods.

Azuka catches up at this point and Oronok looks to her with a smile.

Arthak growls.

Oronok turns and heads to the hellboar, which is panting. He smiles and hushes it with a pat, and he sets some mushrooms next to it, which it quickly gobbles down. He then mounts up on the boar.

Azuka is panting, and nods as Arthak approaches the warlock again.

Oronok locks eyes with Arthak.

Oronok smiles.

He reaches into a pouch and pulls some mushrooms out and tosses them to Arthak.

Arthak looks at the mushrooms and grunts.

The orc turns on his boar and trots off.

Azuka looks at the mushrooms.

Arthak takes a bite from one, and they are not good, but they are restorative.

They head back to where Summerpaw and Veena are resting, and they take a moment to rest before they continue their trek to Hellfire Citadel.

The next morning, with Nyxxa’s crew, they prepare breakfast, and Nyxxa informs them there are demon hunters in the area.

There are nods in agreement.

At that moment, Nyxxa gets a sending from Khadgar.

Before long, something flies overhead, and Nyxxa recognizes the unmistakably raven that Khadgar takes the shape of. He clearly is scoping around for a bit before he flies low and heads toward the group.

The raven stops 60 or so feet from the camp, and he hops, and then transforms in a cloud of violet dust into the form of Khadgar. He’s alone. He smiles and raises a hand in greeting.

Khadgar steps forward slowly and looks about.

Nyxxa points to Lantresor.

Nyxxa relays and Lantresor looks at Nyxxa, and then the tiny man, and nods.

Khadgar’s eyes glow, and the glow emanates around Lantresor.

He looks at Azgadaan.

Khadgar tells him that formalities aren’t needed with a laugh, joking that if those involved in his archmage business knew he was here, they would have his head. Azgadaan returns that if people in the Legion knew he was here, they would have his own head as well.

Khadgar looks at Levia for a moment, lingering, but nods. Lantresor also introduces himself.

Halno pops his mask off, and Khadgar studies him for a moment.

Khdagar’s eyes search.

His eyes light up as he casts detect magic.

Halno summons Sylvos.

Khadgar looks incredulous, and then looks at Nyxxa.

Khadgar’s mouth flaps.

There is a series of nods.

Khadgar claps his staff and he casts see invisibility. He glances around.

There’s a small, dainty sneeze from behind them. It’s not from any of the group. Nyxxa turns around.

There’s some movement, and there are footsteps, but no one is visible.

The magic disappears from the pair, and there is recognition in Khadgar’s face. He crosses his arms, a bit perturbed. One of the individuals that appears is a half elven man, and the other an elven woman. The man is dressed simply with a spellbook on his hip, and there is a stripe of bright sapphire blue hair. The woman is comparatively dainty. She’s wearing a fancy silken skirt and a tight corset and bodice with a far-dipping v neck. Her hair is dark purple and tied back in intricate braids and ponytails.

This page was last edited on September 23, 2021, at 03:12 PM

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