[Alliance] Chapter Four: Session Thirty

Appearing Characters: Aramar Thorne, Arthas Menethil, Elissa Cross, Istaria Staghelm, Kel'Thuzad, Kor'vas Bloodthorn, Maiev Shadowsong, Makasa Flintwill, Morra Starbreeze, Naisha, Remnii, Riff, Samaara, Seria, Sira Moonwarden, Tae'shara Sunwatcher, Tol'vas Moonshadow, Tyrande Whisperwind (Memory), Uther Menethil, Velameestra Windrunner

July 8th

The group is escorted by a group of five Wardens--including Istaria Staghelm--through the Sentinels’ base and military grove that is woven beneath the roots of Nordrassil. The Wardens hover in a loose formation around the group, and many Sentinels stop and stare at the peculiar group--especially at Remnii.

One of the trees moves, identifying it clearly as one of the ancients.

The party travels for about 20 minutes, seeing roosting hippogriffs overhead once more, and eventually they reach a series of caves with a large stone doorway. The head Warden holds up a disk, and the runes in the stones glow as the door opens, and the group is led into the depths of the Barrow Deeps.

It’s quite dark at first, but a few Wardens raise their fists to summon lights around their gauntlets or umbral blades. The caverns beneath seem to be a marriage between architecture and natural caves, with bioluminescent fungi shedding dim light. The first thing they see is a massive root that crawls into a large pond. There are multiple levels built into the natural-forming cave formations.

They head over a bridge of stone that crosses over faintly glowing water, and they are led into a chamber that is more crafted stonework than natural cavern. There are a few other night elven women there, which seem to be wearing a variant of the Sentinels’ uniforms which has a darker color scheme that is likely representative of their position as Watchers. Two Wardens break off, but two others and Istaria remain.

There is a very large night elven woman present--an inch or two taller than Tol’vas and much broader, and her armor depicts a reasonably high rank. She does not have a full helmet, but has a visor that she removes as she offers a disarmingly kind smile.

She has dark, blackish green hair that is partially shaved with a long ponytail.

Various Watchers and Wardens approach to go through the group’s belongings and record their names.

She looks at the hilt of the diamond blade that she had brought as she glances at him.

The Warden nods.

Another Watcher going through Remnii’s bag seems to grimace as she pulls the seed pod out.

The other Watchers shrug, and then ask Remnii.

They continue going through her gems, and then get to the hoof cream.

They then look at Remnii’s hooves and realize that makes sense.

Naisha goes on to explain that the cells are magically protected so no one can use magic within them, and sleep is ultimately not required nor is eating or relieving themselves.

Another Watcher looks over Elissa’s painting supplies and expresses in darnassian that she is quite talented.

A Warden shrugs and relents as long as Elissa doesn’t get into trouble with it.

They also concede to the sketchbook.

Other Watchers just keep going through Makasa’s alcohol and Makasa just grins.

The Watchers don’t note anything particular in Seria’s belongings, and they leave her mother’s tusk necklace, but they request that she removes her mother’s ring.

They take Tae’shara’s spellbook, and she pulls a dagger out of her boot. A Warden scowls at her and she apologizes because she forgot.

The Watchers did not expect to find a mining pick in Uther’s belongings, and one of them pulls out a crate. They open it, and the crate promptly expands into an entire boat. A few of them back up and grab weapons, but upon seeing it’s a boat, there is a combination of irritation, shock, and some chuckling. They spend the next few minutes trying to cram it into the box.

They also take the librum and chat with each other in Darnassian, observing the book.

As they get to Vel’s belongings, they look in the vial case.

A Warden is called over and looks down at Vel and then at the vial case and then back at her again.

One of the watchers behind the warden snickers, though the Warden does not seem to be particularly amused. They continue going through her things, and Vel cooperates, but when she gets to her mother’s spellbook, she hesitates.

The warden considers for a moment, and then furrows her brow.

The Warden looks down at the spellbook, and there is another pause, but she pushes it back to her.

The warden nods, and then Vel starts to pull off her ring after a brief apology to Kel'Thuzad.

They also relent that Vel can keep her journal, but they give her one of their own quills that functions endlessly as long as they are in the cells.

She and a few other Watchers and another Warden lead them into the facility and they find themselves walking through the multiple rows of inlaid caverns. They get to the second floor and Sira points at Remnii and then Vel and says something in Darnassian.

Two Watchers lead Remnii and Vel down a tunnel.

A bit further, Seria and Elissa are taken into another alcove--but Riff is not stopped at the same place.

Riff looks after Seria, but a Watcher guides him further away. Another chunk of the group is directed--Makasa, Aramar, and Arthas.

Then there is another section where Tol’vas and Uther are directed.

Riff, Tae’shara, and Samaara keep moving.

As Tol’vas and Uther are escorted down a narrow tunnel, they can see metal bars that seem to fuse in with the stonework. They can see other people in some of the cells they pass, but they get a group of four cells that are unoccupied.

The Warden holds up her disk, and the bars sink into the stone.

Each of the cells have a wooden desk and a pond of water that smells fresh. There is no bed, but there is a long bedroll that has a rough-hewn leather blanket. There are also some chains in the room, but the Warden makes no effort to use them--they are short and are a part of the far wall next to the water.

They opt for cells across from each other, the Warden summons the bars back into place. Magic washes over them that seems to interfere with their own magic. The Warden then turns and walks away.

A Warden or Watcher seems to come through the cells once per day. The third Warden that comes by is wearing armor that is a bit different. It’s more ornate, and she has a mantle of glowing blades behind her head that frames her long, deep purple ponytail.

She makes her presence quite known, and she speaks in a serious, raspy voice.

She stops a few feet away from the intersection of the bars, and she looks in at Uther. Uther waves politely.

The woman steps closer and puts a gauntlet hand around one of the bars. She glares down at him.

The Warden’s gauntlet tightens.

Maeiv scowls.

She turns away.

The Warden then looks over at Tol’vas.

There is a glint in the woman’s eye and she turns away.

She walks away. After a bit, Uther speaks up.

They are pretty sure the woman was Maiev, going by Jarod’s description.

After a few more days, Tol’vas opts to just go to sleep.

As Seria and Elissa are led away, the Watcher directs them down another passage.

Her umbral crescent flares.

They continue on, and they are led to their own quartet of cell that the Watcher opens. They also get cells across from each other, the bars come down as the Watcher leaves.

Seria sighs heavily.

A few days go by, and Elissa starts asking Seria if there’s anything she wants her to paint. Elissa makes multiple things, and there are many paintings sprawled out around her cell as she just paints most of the time. Seria experiments with her wildshaping, and she at least realizes that Riff hadn’t been shunted out of his disguised form.

The fourth patrol that comes through seems to be Maiev--as had been the case with Tol’vas and Uther. She looks about, and then to Seria.

Seria lifts up her foot.

Maiev sighs.

She then looks at Elissa.

Elissa is sitting up, looking at Seria. Maiev makes a sound of disgust.

She looks at the paintings.

Elissa blushes, and Maiev turns to leave.

She continues walking out of the passage, and the pair hear chuckling from down the hall.

Elissa looks over at Seria and smiles.

Elissa smiles.

A few days later, Elissa gets Seria’s attention, and she reaches her arm through the cage bars with a piece of parchment. Seria reaches out and takes it, and she sees an adorable portrait of Riff.

She glances down at Seria’s necklace, but doesn’t say anything.

She spends some time asking Seria about her mom, and Elissa shares stories of her dad and what vague memories she has of her own mom.

Remnii and Vel are also led down a narrow passage, but one of the Watchers stops Remnii.

Remnii looks back at Vel for a moment, but then steps in.

Vel is pushed further down to a quartet of cells that are all unoccupied. She picks one and starts to set up her things on the desk.

In Remnii’s cell, she wryly remembers that the Vitiator was more comfortable than this. But she sits, and opts to spend a lot of time in prayer.

Vel spends time poking around her chamber over the next few days, and she looks at the desk closer. She finds something carved into the side. She looks, and she sees something written in draenic. She copies it, and she’s not an expert, but it seems to be instructions of a sort--like schematics of some sort.

She hears the sounds of talking down the way, and she pulls herself out to look down the hall.

It seems Maiev had appeared at Remnii’s cell.

Inside the cell, Remnii is sitting on her bedroll. She opens her eyes and inclines her head.

Remnii considers for a moment.

She jabs her clawed gauntlet into the bar and drags it scraping down the side.

Remnii can tell there is a great deal of pain where Maiev is talking from, and thus she remains silent as Maiev turns and heads further down to Vel’s cell. She looks around the cells, and then her eyes fall on Vel.

Vel’s ears go back slightly, and her tone becomes slightly clipped.

Maiev smirks.

She turns and strides away, turning only to glare at Remnii briefly through the small window as she passes before she disappears.

As the days go on, though the cell’s magic makes it so Vel doesn’t need to eat, it doesn’t remove the desire to feed. One week passes. Then a second week. Then 18 days. The Hunger is getting bad.

Tol’vas spends his time lucid dreaming. One of the dreams he had was vibrant, running under twin moons--both full--and a massive white shape runs beside him. It’s Goldrinn. But then the dream gets more hazy, as he had slept through a full moon.

Seria spends a good deal of time meditating and bonding with Elissa.

Uther is wrangling the fact his mother was a time-traveling war hero.

After nearly two weeks in the cell, Vel opts to finally read the final entry in her mother’s spellbook. The handwriting had started to deteriorate in quality the further back she had read, and there had always been a degree of apprehension about turning that final page.

As the shock and finality of the final entry settles in, Vel starts to cry. Her bloody tears splatter onto the pages, but as they touch the paper--they evaporate, the stain going with it. She knew it was an enduring spellbook, but that reaction was different. There was something more to it.

She runs a finger over where the tears had fallen, and there’s a familiar, magical spark. She puts her full hand on the page, and she feels the same sensation, but it seems to be diminishing now.

She’s still in some amount of shock, her eyes searching the passage for some sort of answer, but upon reading the final paragraph again and again, she tries to sing the lullaby her mother had always used to. The pages start to lift slightly, like they were blown by a wind--as if reacting to her voice.

Remnii hears her from down the hall. Vel has a beautiful singing voice, but it’s strained, and interrupted with sobs. Remnii cracks her eyes open, listening.

Eventually, the pages start to die down as well. And then Vel’s voice cracks, the sound causing a small rise of incredulous, stressed laughter to rise from her throat at the situation she had found herself in.

Remnii’s voice calls down the hall, and Vel starts to respond, but is immediately distracted as the pages of the book flap and spark, and the words begin to glow. And then the magic fades. There are words that are strange and blurred--the formerly blank pages also filled with flickering text. Vel touches the pages, and they feel normal, but the words are so hard to read--as if they are being looked at from the wrong perspective.

She continues to examine the book, going through typical cypher techniques, until finally she flips the book upside down. The words aren’t difficult to read anymore, but they are not in Nirenn’s handwriting anymore--the writing is stern and firm, and written in Thalassian. It seems to be speaking of some sort of curse or disease.

Vel closes the book and opens it, and she realizes the back is now the front, and there is a title: The Arcanist’s Guide to Rare Diseases, penned by Ariella Silverwood. She starts to thumb through it, and she reads a forward that speaks of a woman--a high ranking member of the Kirin Tor and a companion member of the Council of Tirisfal. She seems to be an expert on diseases and curses, and there are notations made by her mother’s handwriting throughout the entire thing.

There is a lot of information. On diseases. On curses. On the healing properties of the Sunwell. This copy was likely the one that was supposed to be in Dalaran--there is a Kirin Tor eye on it, and the most recent marking was over 60-70 years ago, but her mother’s name is not on it.

About an hour later, Remnii calls down to Vel again, and Vel responds, but she seems very disjointed and unfocused.

Remnii had spent a lot of time praying to the Naaru, trying to find a way to bring Asha’lah back to Tyrande. Then she finds guidance.

The chance to bring back Asha’lah had not failed, because resurrection had never actually failed her.

A bit over a week later, Remnii looks for guidance on the elves that had started to die unexplained. As she fades into unconsciousness, she finds herself in a place far from where she is, in a place full of draenei. The details are hard to see. About a dozen of them are standing around, and one old, deceased draenei is laying out in the draenic equivalent of a casket.

She recognizes three faces in the back: Exarch Maladar, the former leader of the Auchenai, but he is very young. He gives a sermon, and he appears to be an acolyte in the vision. Velen is also there, also young. And there is another older draenei there--Velen’s mentor. Velen is listening closely as he watches the auchenai help the families grieve.

Something clicks as Remnii’s eyes open. The night elves were dying of natural causes.

Remnii sits with that information for a while.

July 27th

Vel had started to get good at predicting the Wardens’ patrols, but one day she hears a voice grossly outside the pattern she had started to recognize.

Remnii hadn’t heard them as they approached, but a voice had snapped Remnii’s focus to them. There is a soft, but stern voice.

Remnii sees no one as she looks around.

Something flickers in front of Remnii, and two hands appears as invisibility drops from the individual. It’s a short night elf woman. She pulls her hood off, and her entire body appears. She has bright golden eyes, and silvery hair, with pinkish skin and reddish purple markings beneath her eyes.

There is a hum, and the stone wall in front of Remnii opens.

She gestures for Remnii to follow and starts to head in Vel’s direction. Remnii stops at the door.

The woman looks back to Remnii.

She places a necklace in Remnii’s hands.

Remnii notes the symbol.

She continues down to Vel.

Vel nods.

She holds the warden crest up and the bars open. Vel does her best to focus on her belongings, gathering them up quickly--and leaving the Watchers’ quill behind--before she exits the cell.

Remnii shakes her head.

She reaches out and puts her hands on Remnii and Vel’s shoulders as she casts an [Invisibility] spell, but notably, Vel doesn’t sense any sort of blood flow. It’s like she isn’t physically there. She then turns and starts to power walk out of the corridor.

They hear soldiers running, and they see Watchers running by, but the woman guides them out of the way of the Watchers.

A figure also approaches Tol’vas and Uther in a similar situation.

She shows her warden crest, and the bars open.

Uther can tell the woman is quite practiced at concealing her presence, but she doesn’t seem to mean him any harm whatsoever.

She reaches forward and casts [Invisibility] on Uther and Tol’vas.

She looks at Tol’vas.

Tol’vas looks at her blankly, and the woman rolls her eyes in frustration. She starts to move, and when they don’t follow, she turns back again.

Tol’vas looks at the now invisible Uther.

There is a long pause before something suddenly clicks for Tol’vas.

They immediately run to follow. A Warden and a small contingent of Watchers stops in front of her.

The Warden runs by with the Watchers and Morra looks back.

Before long, walking in the opposite direction, they see another figure. It’s the same woman that is leading them, and Remnii and Vel see the same as they approach. Without missing a beat, the two Morras step into each other and turn down the hallway towards the alcove where they meet.

Remnii bumps into Tol’vas, and he hears the eep of Remnii. Vel is bumped into by Uther, his chest dangerously close to her ear. Immediately, Vel shoves him away from her and runs down the corridor as she clamps her mouth shut, followed by the others.

A figure steps before Seria.

She holds up the Warden crest, and Elissa and Seria’s cells are open. And with another wave, the invisibility all fades.

She looks at Remnii.

She weaves some magic over her head and whispers a few words in darnassian, and pulls out luminous strands of moonlit energy. It’s the [Encode Thoughts] spell. She hands it to Remnii.

Remnii falters.

She hands it to Vel.

Tol’vas looks at Elissa.

Morra looks at her as well, making eye contact. The woman’s cool exterior splinters slightly.

The word pierces Morra’s heart, and the smallest smile comes to her mouth.

She reaches down and pulls the strap on the hilt of the longsword at her hip, and she gives the sword to Elissa as she brushes hair from Elissa’s face.

It’s a beautiful longsword with an intricate and ancient design.

Morra turns away and starts to hurry away. She turns one last time, and her eyes linger on Elissa for a moment, before she pulls her hood up and disappears.

Elissa is white-knuckling her mother’s sword and is seemingly trying really hard not to cry.

Remnii quickly uses [Encode Thoughts] as people start to move, and she sees Morra with a night elf sentinel. The Sentinel’s eyes are glazed over, and Morra has a hand on the other woman’s forehead. From her perspective, she can hear Tyrande’s voice.

There is silence.

The vision pulls out.

The Sentinel blinks.

And the memory ends as the rest of the group starts to run, and they hear a voice.

Remnii stops and looks in the small window. She sees a woman chained to the wall with her arms up. She is mostly nude save for some hempen trousers. The only piece of clothing she’s wearing over her breasts is a thin band of jet-black leather. She’s a night elf, and there are tattoos all over her skin. She looks tired, and in pain.

The woman looks surprised.

Vel uses the warden stone, and the wall recedes, as do the chains.

She stands up and does some stretches.

Kor’vas rolls her eyes and starts to bicker back.

There is an edge of a snarl to her voice.

Vel casts [Seeming], placing disguises of night elf Watchers over all of them. Right now, the prisons are quiet, but they know it won’t last, and they start to head out.

Vel takes the lead, opting to try a guided rush given the rest of the Watchers are mobilizing. They take a brief moment and Tol’vas uses [Conjure Fey]. There is a quiet burst of flower petals and dust, revealing a small, furry creature with wide moth wings on its back.

Tol’vas smiles.

She claps her hands together and flies off in an opposite direction. She points at some roots with a chuckle, causing a bunch of flowers to grow and start walking around and causing chaos.

A few patrols halt the group, but they are able to deflect well enough. They make it to the wing where they could find their items.

There are a few Sentinels and Watchers equipping themselves, and one is of a higher rank.

The Overseer then looks to the group.

The group seems to comply, and they quickly note that this is--in fact--where their gear is. Remnii sees her staff, and she catches sight of another thing: another draenic staff. It’s Velen’s staff.

Another Watcher comes running in.

She squints at the group abruptly.

This page was last edited on April 26, 2023, at 08:14 PM

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