[Horde] Chapter Four: Session One

Appearing Characters: Aracyra, Arthak Saurfang, Azgadaan, Eralaz, Gramgun Laughingeye, Gul'dan, Halno, Kazra'jin, Lantresor, Levia Blackflight, Loryx, Nyxxa, Sagaz, Selin Fireheart, Solion, Sylvos Windrunner, Zul'jin

Prologue: January 7th - July 1st

As the war against the Alliance begins and the sieges of Stratholme and Fort Crossing begin in earnest, and the raiders of the Warsong burn swathes of destruction across the countryside, it becomes evident there is another force at play--one independent of the elves or humans. The Amani trolls, an indigenous force and former empire of Zul’Aman, who once controlled an empire that dominated most of the northern section of Lordaeron. It had been on the rise in the waning of the elven power after the invasion of the Horde. The orcish borders had started to clash with trolls, and it became evident that something had to be done: destroying them, or forging an alliance.

Elder Gul’dan was put on this task, and he recruited Arthak Saurfang to pursue this goal.

As Arthak focused on rebuilding and consolidating power, he took time from his efforts to speak with the felblood elves and acquire tutelage in the tongue of the trolls, as well as some history of the feud between the elves and the trolls.

End of January

Halno was working on switching his specialization as he had been looking at ways to reach out to Sylvos further. After some time, he was able to get to the point where he can truly experiment with connecting his apexis crystal and the backup scepter he had. It sort of works, but Halno gets the sense that it would work better if he tried it with his own scepter.

Thus, he tries.

By drawing runic circles of chalk, ink, and blood, Halno prepares, and then sends Sagaz to fetch Nyxx and Levia to kill Halno if he’s not himself.

Sagaz stops, and Levia snort laughs, but they go to watch the door that Halno had locked after Sagaz left.

Meanwhile, inside, the runic circle starts to glow. The scepter starts to vibrate, and the apexis crystal starts to shake violently, and then suddenly, it shatters. Shadowy lightning shoots from the scepter, and it blasts into a cloud of arcane dust before striking Halno in the chest.

Everything fades, and Halno hears a noise as the scepter hits the ground. However, floating in the air where the apexis crystal was a translucent, pseudo-spectral face with long, blonde-silver white hair. Halno immediately recognizes the face as Sylvos’s.

Halno is looking between him and the apexis crystal.

He starts to float around the room.

He tries to pass through a wall, but thumps into it instead.

His eyes widened.

Halno is unsure and calls for Nyxxa.

Halno opens the door and Levia looks from Halno to the head.

Nyxxa jumps back.

They head back inside.

Nyxxa looks at Levia.

Halno scribbles on a piece of paper.

Sylvos’s essence swoops down into a quill on the desk, and disappears.

Levia pats Nyxxa’s shoulder.

Levia tries to sense undead but doesn’t pick up any other undead presences but Halno.

Later on, Halno goes to seek out Arthak. He finds him with Azgadaan.

Arthak grunts, and there is a shitty grin on Halno’s face.

Halno does ta-da fingers, and Sylvos’s head manifests.

Azgadaan is watching the situation, also intrigued.

Azgadaan recounts the tale.

Halno makes a retching face.

Nyxxa walks by at this point with Levia.

Azgadaan shoots a sending to Aracyra to ask if she has any idea, and Aracyra is curious as to why he wants it back.

Azgadaan is musing on this.

Nyxxa is looking a bit better now that she has rationalized Sylvos is maybe just a wisp.

The group heads to Sylvos’s manor, and Nyxxa opts to take point. She goes and knocks on the door. The door opens, and it’s Solion--the same felblood elf Azgadaan had dealt with before.

Solion glances to the group behind Nyxxa, his eyes settling on Arthak.

Nyxxa translates, and Arthak confirms.

Nyxxa continues translating for Arthak.

Solion is sensing that he’s being backed into a corner.

Solion flickers back and forth between Nyxx and Arthak.

He looks at Arthak.

He moves his eyes to Azgadaan.

Nyxxa nods.

Nyxxa hadn't translated the insult, but Arthak was able to put enough together from who the felblood elf had glanced at and his tone.

Nyxxa translates to Solion, and he smirks and mutters something in Thalassian.

He turns away.

The door closes and the group turns to leave them be. Arthak mentions he’ll make inquiries with Selin as Solion seems potentially expendable. Nyxxa says there are other things they can collectively expend their time on than being petty to an ass.

Over the next several days after the Shadowsword leave, Halno is able to repair the telescope with help from Sylvos. Sylvos explains he was an astrologer, though many of his writings had been taken or destroyed.

The telescope seems to also function as a focus for scrying.

Arthak had dropped a line to Selin about Solion, and Selin explains he was a capable mage, but he was also one of the personal students of the Grand Magister Orican Runesight, so he benefits from a fair amount of nepotism. Selin isn’t a fan of him, but he does have magical might, and he and his folk have been doing a lot of work on the tree and roots, and also did assist in the Clipped Wing and others have gone to the front lines. On top of that, Solion was integral to sabotaging the arcane sanctums during the invasion.

Mid-March

In the midst of the settlement once known as Tranquilien, which has been transformed into a forward operating outpost of the Horde, Arthak arrives with Gul’dan and a handful of warlock advisors as well as Lantresor and Gramgrun.

The group heads southeast to the southern lands of the Eversong Woods. It’s many days travel into the lands that were less controlled by the elves. There is unmelted snow kissing some of the trees, but much of it has started to melt with the coming spring. Between the heavy springs and general, overcast nature of the weather, it’s rather dark even during the mid-day.

There are less ruins of elven cities, and more wilderness and much older ruins. There are also signs of bloody, uneven skirmishes. There were some between elves and orcs, and others that are between elves and trolls, and also trolls and orcs.

There is the distinctive feeling that they are being watched as they settle down to camp. However, Gul’dan shows no fear, as this meeting was planned. Gramgun, however, seems increasingly nervous the further away from the water he gets.

Gramgrun looks at Gul’dan and swallows.

Gul’dan chuckles.

He pats Gramgun on the shoulder and moves forward.

As the group camps one evening, Gramgun asks if there is any idea of where they are going.

Gramgun nods.

The next morning, the group awakens to find they had been surrounded by four Amani trolls. One is perched on a tree branch several feet up, looking down at Arthak. There is another on a low wall of some ruins, and a third crouched nearby, also watching.

The troll on the tree branch, with deep viridian skin and bright red hair, hops down and stands to his full height.

Wordlessly, the trolls nod.

Two of the trolls disappear, but the third joins the apparent leader and start to lead the group towards a small lake.

At some point, there became more than four trolls, though it’s unclear when the number shifted. There were now easily over a dozen.

The group passes through more thick trees. The day is muggy with heavy rain, but the tree cover is so thick barely any gets beyond the canopy and instead hammers on the leaves overhead. Stone structures that resemble claws jut out of the ruins, and old abandoned temples are strewn into disrepair.

Many of the trolls start to reveal themselves to watch. There are trolls of every vocation. Some wear brightly painted wooden masks in all sorts of colors. Shrunken heads and skulls jingle on their outfits. There are warriors with pauldrons and trophies hanging from their person.

They are making a show of force. Some of them are hunched over, speaking in their native dialect. It is plain that these trolls are a bit bigger than the average orc. Some clearly recognize Quel’delar at Arthak’s hip.

Corpses are bound overhead, rich with the scent of blood. There are elves, felblood elves, and orcs, as well as trolls among the bodies.

They come to the foot of a ziggurat. Over a hundred steps lead to an altar, and another figure is moving down the steps. Arthak recognizes him from the images he saw: it’s Zul’jin.

He’s easily over 8 feet tall and has bulging muscles and a broad chest. There is a violet scarf around the bottom of his face, as well as around his missing left arm. Gilded axes are jingling at his hip.

He stops four steps from the bottom.

Gul’dan had cast a spell on himself as he moves forward.

He also introduces the others before continuing.

Arthak grunts.

Zul’jin steps down the last few stairs.

Zul’jin’s eyebrow raises as he recognizes his native tongue.

Zul’jin’s cheeks crease in a hidden smile.

Arthak pulls out the arm he had forged.

Zul’jin looks at Arthak’s eyepatch, and there is the crinkle of a smile behind his scarf. He starts to laugh.

He reaches out and takes the arm, and he examines it.

He rolls the wrist of the weapon and a blade shoots out.

Zul’jin turns away and holds the arm for a second.

He gestures with the mechanical arm toward one of the flayed felblood elf corpses.

Zul’jin furrows his brow.

But Zul’jin raises his hand with the mechanical arm.

Zul’jin throws the arm up the air and he hurls an axe, which buries it in the forehead of the felblood corpse. He then catches the arm.

Zul’jin points at Arthak with the arm.

Arthak chuckles.

Zul’jin turns and several of the Amani shout in agreement. Arthak and the others are invited to join in a celebratory meal. The meat is of an unknown type, but Arthak partakes. Gramgun is fortunately blissfully unaware that this meat may be potentially from a sapient being.

The group is then escorted out of the Amani lands, and before long, Amani forces will be along to assist.

Within the next few months, the Amani trolls join in allegiance with the Horde.

Sometime in April through June

Nyxxa had been spending some time around the tree meditating. While she was doing so, she could have sworn she heard something. She opens her eyes and looks around, picking up the location of the sound. It’s a small rumbling sound from somewhere above her.

Nyxxa hops up to the upper branches, and she sees a small figure. There’s the sound of a small cat, somewhere between a meow and a hiss. Its claws dig into the tree, and it looks down at Nyxxa with two bright, green eyes.

Nyxxa tries to coax the small creature, and it starts hissing, but she climbs up to its branch.

She starts to shimmy closer to the cat, and it remains frozen. Nyxxa pulls out some dried meat rations and offers it to the cat. It swipes at her, but doesn’t connect, and slowly it starts to retrieve the food and shimmies back again to eat.

Nyxxa continues to try and coax the cat, and over time, it starts to creep closer. Nyxxa notices it has a collar. As she looks closer, it seems the writing is in Thalassian, but she is able to piece enough of it together to determine its name seems to be “Mischief”.

The cat looks up, but then settles itself lower again.

Nyxxa continues to lure the cat closer to the trunk of the tree with food so its footing is more secure. She examines the cat closer, and she is able to detect the cat seems to be a fiend.

The cat’s ears perk up.

Mischief seems hesitant, but settles in to watch Nyxxa. Nyxxa grabs her water skin and pours some water out for the cat. Immediately, Mischief goes to drink the water out of the divet. After she drinks it all, Mischief looks up at Nyxxa expectantly, and Nyxxa pours more out.

Nyxxa reaches out a hand slowly and the cat bristles, but Mischief allows Nyxxa to touch her. Nyxxa hangs out for a bit, and Mischief falls asleep. Nyxxa slowly lifts up Mischief after a bit to move her, and the cat’s eyes open and she latches onto Nyxxa’s arm, but allows Nyxxa to carry her down the tree.

As soon as Nyxxa hits the ground, Mischief wiggles out of her arms and sprints off.

Nyxxa sighs.

Nyxxa haphazardly waves good-bye to the cat and then opts to head back to the house she was staying at with Levia after leaving some food and water at the base of the tree.

The next day, Nyxxa tells Levia about the cat, and then goes to check the food. It’s gone.

She puts more out, and every day it's gone.

About four days later, when Nyxxa goes to leave, she sees Mischief sitting on the ground in front of her door. There is an empty bowl drug to the door from the base of the tree.

Nyxxa laughs as the cat meows expectantly, and goes to get more food and water for Mischief.

Throughout the course of the time skip, Mischief does not come into the house until one of the last days of June where Mischief had darted inside when the door was opened and immediately jumped onto a counter.

Nyxxa is unable to find out who owns the cat, and her best guess was that it was a familiar whose master may have died.

In a similar sense, Azgadaan had purchased a scroll of find familiar. He begins the ritual, trying to summon his mother’s former familiar, Ini. The scroll burns up as he finishes the casting, and the magical embers form a very small, localized portal.

A creature appears, its paws out, and his tail straight up It’s a marsuul. It doesn’t look the same as it used to. It looks a bit more haggard and it has a few more scars than it did before. It seems to be panicking, but then it sees Azgadaan.

Almost immediately, the marsuul relaxes and chirps.

The marsuul trots over to Azgadaan and sniffs at him. It then bites his finger, but then licks the blood and its eyes widen. It looks up at Azgadaan and jumps into his arms.

The marsuul chirps happily and buries itself in Azgadaan’s hair to start nibbling on his tentacles.

He goes to get some water, and Nyxxa happens to be passing by and sees his new little friend. She stares, eyes wide and awkward as Azgadaan walks by.

However, as Ini sees Nyxxa, it starts to hiss and growl at her, getting protective of Azgadaan as he digs his claws into him.

Ini seems to have started to calm down.

Nyxxa is looking intently at the small creature. Because Azgadaan seems to be fine with Nyxxa, after some time, Ini also runs up Nyxxa’s leg to investigate her as well.

Following the reuniting with Ini, one of the Broken Blade orcs found Azgadaan and Nyxxa and informed him that they had been unable to find any sign of the ooze shark creature Azgadaan had been searching for in Kilnar’s manor.

The orc leads Azgadaan and Nyxxa to one of the pumping rooms. There appears to be a grate, and there are two things of interest. The first thing is a large, fat, rat skeleton that’s completely devoid of flesh. The second thing is, next to the grate, there seems to be a smear of blood.

Azgadaan looks at the blood, and the consistency is off. It’s thicker than blood should be. Azgadaan collects some of it with his harvesting kit and Azgadaan summons Ini to investigate, but stops Ini from trying to lick the substance. However the mental communication seems to imply the marsuul thinks it’s blood. However, there’s something else there. Azgadaan asks for Nyxxa’s opinion, and she picks up that it seems to smell like wine.

Azgadaan prys the grate off, and he can tell it goes down fairly deep. However, it’s too small to fit any of them. Azgadaan has Ini climb down so he can see through the marsuul’s eyes, and one of his paws hits some goo, which it goes around. He continues to investigate, and he finds a narrow passage that seems to open up.

Nyxxa was examining the rat skeleton, but she could find nothing of note. Levia also arrives, as they had sent her.

Levia nods.

Azgadaan upcasts dimension door to take Azgadaan and Levia down to the room Ini had found. They find themselves in the sewers, and Azgadaan gestures for Ini to come out. The marsuul appears to walk through an illusory wall that Ini didn’t seem to see, and clambers back on Azgadaan’s shoulder.

They light a torch that Nyxxa pulls out of her bag of holding.

As they search around, after about an hour, Nyxxa finds a shark tooth. However, it seems the tooth is malleable and soft like jelly. She immediately drops it in disgust.

Nyxxa draws her glaives, and as Levia holds up the torch, they see the flash of eyes around them. Azgadaan dismisses Ini.

There are figures of about a dozen or more skarvyn looking at them.

Immediately, Nyxxa dims the glaives.

There is some chittering amongst the skarvyn, and then a figure steps into the light. He is more well equipped than the others, but all his equipment is definitely scavenged.

Nyxxa translates.

The skarvyn nods.

The skarvyn sniffs the air.

The skarvyn spits into the water.

There are whispers and hisses and fear through all the skarvyn.

She whispers to Azgadaan.

The skarvyn hiss at the name again.

Azgadaan muses to himself.

The skarvyn reluctantly nods.

The skarvyn holds up a hand.

The skarvyn looks to Azgadaan and Levia, and he briefly discusses with his fellows. Finally, the skarvyn nods.

Azgadaan puts away his weapon, as does Levia.

There’s a snicker.

Nyxxa offers a description of the ooze and there are several hisses of “The Crimson”.

The trio follows Loryx through the sewers to a heavily collapsed area.

It seems like a building has almost collapsed into the sewers, which is absurd, but Loryx leads them into a large, winding chamber. It’s completely pitch black, and seems to be a cavern.

There are dozens of skarvyn, and Loryx clinks his weapon to get their attention and alert them that it isn’t an attack.

Their hooves (and feet) brush on charred grass, and when they look down, they see ashen, crushed grass. And in the distance is an ashen, burnt tree, and there is a coating of burned leaves around it. In front of the tree is another skarvyn kneeling before the tree.

All around this tree, there are skarvyn just living and existing.

Loryx tells the group to stop, and he approaches Eralaz and the two of them embrace and nuzzle snouts against each other, and then he steps behind the other skarvyn as Eralaz starts to speak.

The trio introduces themselves.

He gestures to the solitary leaf.

He glances to the other skarvyn behind him.

Many of the skarvyn echo the mantra in draconic.

Loryx speaks to Eralaz quietly in draconic.

Nyxxa and Azgadaan speak briefly.

They reveal several skarvyn frozen in what appears to be red crystal.

Eralaz approaches and smiles, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Nyxxa smiles, her lip quivering slightly. She then turns to Azgadaan and says they should maybe try to reach Rehgar, as Rehgar wanted to help the skarvyn where he could.

The trio is lead back to the surface and Nyxxa contacts Arthak via sending stone to inform him that they have some things to talk about.

This page was last edited on June 30, 2023, at 01:27 PM

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