[Horde] Chapter Three: Session Fourteen

Appearing Characters: Arthak Saurfang, Azgadaan, Blackhand, Caria Felsoul, Eitrigg, Gel'nok, Halno, Kaza, Lantresor, Nyxxa, Rehgar Earthfury, Sadras, Sagaz, Samaara, Throkta, Thura Saurfang, Vaerux, Zokk

Appearing Locations: Silvermoon City

Appearing Enemies: Skarvyn

December 5th

The Summerfall begins to weigh anchor to take off to Quel’danas, leaving Nyxxa and Azgadaan on the mainland with Rehgar. After seeing Levia off, Nyxxa goes to meet up with Caria.

Caria was waiting, ambling around. She turns to Nyxxa as she approaches, and Nyxxa waves. Caria smiles and makes her way over.

They head off together, and Caria takes her to the roof of one of the buildings near the docks. She starts to hop from one building to the next, and she casts a glance back to Nyxxa to ensure that she is able to keep up. Nyxxa is able to, only having to utilize her step of the wind once.

Eventually, they end up back in the richer districts of the city. Caria flips into an alley, and hops back and forth up the walls before she winds up at the top of another lower building, looking down at Nyxxa expectantly. Nyxxa gets a sense of deja vu for a moment, but she shakes it off and tries to follow. Unfortunately, she slips and tumbles back down.

Caria glides back down and smirks, extending a hand. Nyxxa takes it, and they swoop up and land on a field of grass on an open balcony. The grass is overgrown, but the architecture is not unfamiliar… but not in a way that Nyxxa is able to pin down.

A memory comes unbidden, of a time when Nyxxa was younger, and with someone else. There was a similar font of power. A well. There was a shrine built into it, one to Elune. She recalls the name of the “moonwell,” and the memory fades.

Her head snaps to Caria, as if expecting someone else, and there is the faintest sense of disappointment upon seeing her.

Caria looks around.

Caria looks up for a moment, and her brow furrows. Nyxxa follows her gaze, and Caria glances back at Nyxxa.

Caria looks down for a moment.

Caria moves closer and takes Nyxxa’s hands.

Caria chuckles.

Nyxxa brushes some hair out of Caria’s face. Caria chuckles.

Caria’s mouth flaps for a moment.

She shakes her head.

Caria kneels down at the water’s edge and runs a claw-like fingernail through it.

She stretches her arms and wings toward the sky.

Caria trots back over to Nyxxa.

Caria laughs and turns and gestures toward the east.

Caria looks shocked, then remembers again.

Nyxxa thinks for a moment.

Caria pauses for a moment.

Caria smiles and offers Nyxxa her hand again. Nyxxa takes it, and Caria slowly backs up toward the edge, and then steps off the edge. She carries them both on her wings, flying toward the western regions of the city. They land again, and they continue to spend some time just exploring the ruins of the city.

Nyxxa gets another weird sense of deja vu, but this time, Nyxxa gets the sense it was actually with Caria before. Scaling a mountain, climbing, laughing--but they weren’t alone. There are faint, distant memories… but they’re there.

Decently into the morning, Caria asks Nyxxa if she wants to find somewhere to rest. Nyxxa agrees, though she does not sleep, and is quite exhausted when Caria wakes the next morning.

Azgadaan spends some time reading the book on burial rites he found in the academy. Rehgar picked a plot of land to bed down in the byway, sleeping on nothing but his wolf pelt.

Rehgar laughs.

Azgadaan unrolls his bedroll and places one of his blankets on top of it. Rehgar casts a small ritual, and a spirit wolf appears for the briefest of moments, but then there’s nothing.

Azgadaan asks about it.

Their night is relatively uneventful. Azgadaan stays up reading for a bit, but does get some rest eventually.

December 6th

Arthak and Halno are to arrive at Gramgun’kur around midday. Halno had started working on a 4th level spell scroll.

Arthak had been quiet most of the travel. Sadras had been dozing next to him, covered in nothing but furs on the bed. But her eyes flickers to Arthak.

Arthak sighs.

Arthak laughs.

Sadras is visibly thinking in silence.

Sadras smiles and she crawls over across the bed and nestles her chin on his shoulder.

She offers a grin, and upon Arthak’s agreement, she pulls him in.

Khadgar had tried to contact Nyxxa, but she didn’t respond because she was with Caria. He didn’t touch base again, and Nyxxa hopes that if something happened, it was just Samaara finding him.

It begins to rain in the morning, but it doesn’t storm. Caria stretches as she awakens.

Nyxxa nods.

Nyxxa raises an eyebrow.

As Caria turns away, there’s a fleeting look on her face. It’s one that seems a bit more measuring toward Nyxxa than her normal demeanor. One that’s more… concerned. But it lingers for barely a moment. The flicker of uncertainty.

When Azgadaan awakens, Rehgar is already awake and is preparing a meal of the rations he has on his person.

Azgadaan mentions moving to cover given the rain, and Rehgar agrees, though he mentions it was rather refreshing. Azgadaan mentions he hasn’t had a shower in a while, and Rehgar looks confused at the term, as he thought it was something the sky did.

Azgadaan then proceeds to try and explain the concept of an indoor shower.

Nyxxa then returns to them, a very soggy satyr. She shakes herself out, and Vaerux mentally laughs at her. Azgadaan offers to prestidigitation the rainwater away, which she accepts.

Azgadaan agrees, and Rehgar spends some time sharing his history. He was born to two orcish slaves under the ogres, and he learned to fight and survive after his parents died. He made his first kill around 4 or 5. The ogres were so impressed that he was used to train young ogres to fight, and he never held back, so he was eventually sold to orcs, and he earned his freedom when his orcish master passed away. The experience had shaped his viewpoints on slavery.

Azgadaan uses mold earth to show Nyxxa the impression of a marsuul in the ground.

Nyxxa puts her hands on her cheeks, quite enamored with it.

He holds his hands out quite large.

She puts her fingers up to her teeth to show saber teeth.

At that exact moment, Nyxxa hears a small meow from up above. She looks up and sees an orange cat. It has thick, kind of matted fur, and it’s pretty thin and lean. It’s about 10 feet up, and it is staring down at the group with big, orange eyes.

She points, and Azgadaan also looks up. Nyxxa takes out some rations to try and lure it down, while Azgadaan tries to help by making the scent of fish with prestidigitation. Rehgar backs up, watching curiously.

The cat cautiously looks down at them, then hops down. It moves closer toward the food, it’s body low.

The cat looks at Nyxxa, looks at the food, then its head looks at the image of the marsuul, and its ears go up, but then its attention goes back to Nyxxa. It reaches a paw out to bat at the food. Nyxxa lets it take it.

It quickly snatches the food, then runs back up on top of the building, where it eats its food still looking at the group. Nyxxa is silently squeeing.

Then there’s a sound, and the cat’s head perks up, and it darts off with the food.

He offers a grin.

The two demons thank him. Nyxxa dubs the cats are likely called “mini-sabers”.

The small group heads to where they were going to try and find the Warsong orc, Throkta, and Samaara reconvenes with them there as well.

The Summerfall drops anchor in the port of Gramgun’kur, and they can see the Sunwell Plateau in the distance. The town has started to bustle. Arthak kisses Sadras goodbye, then heaves the corpse over his shoulder to bring to Blackhand. Halno chooses to accompany him.

Arthak sees the elder, Zokk, and tells him to seek him out when he returns, as he has work for him.

He then collects Lantresor, and the trio starts to head toward the Sunwell Plateau. The Plateau has changed a great deal since the Dark Portal first opened. Some walls still stand, but many have been reinforced with palisades of wood, and the rotted skulls and helmets of dead elves are mounted across them. As Arthak glances across the morbid trophies, he heads into the courtyard where his first fight had taken place.

Arthak had filled Lantresor in.

Lantresor’s brow raises.

He hands Arthak a simple knife, and Arthak thanks him. Blacktooth Grin and Blackrock clan orcs watch with a mixture of concern, confusion, and anger. Finally, they reach one of the higher chambers in the building. He leaves his entourage, and weapons, outside. He asked Halno to stay behind as well, who is disappointed, and goes off to do his own thing.

It seems to be a room that was once an observatory or balcony over the Sunwell.

There are a number of ranking orcs in the room that are speaking amongst themselves or speaking to the warchief. None of them are a rank lower than Stoneguard.

On a table at the center is a map that is pinned with orcish blades. It seems to be of the northern section of the Eastern Kingdoms, and there are battle plans and ideas for the war to come. Arthak sees his banner, but it’s not on the map.

The murmuring and speaking silences as they notice Arthak. The individual of note there, other than Blackhand, is Eitrigg. His brow raises as he looks at the body.

Blackhand is sitting in a deep, iron chair that appears to have been made of weapons recovered from the siege. Arthak lays the body on the table, and makes eye contact with Blackhand.

Blackhand moves forward, and his armor seems to smolder slightly more as his eyes flicker from Arthak, to the dead orc on the table.

The other orcs back away, but remain in the room.

Blackhand stares at Arthak, his eyes smoldering with anger.

Blackhand laughs grimly.

They both know there was no mistake in regards to someone being sent to spy on Arthak. Blackhand leans back, straightening his shoulders and lowering his furrowed brow at Arthak.

Very carefully and cautiously, Arthak pulls out the knife.

He keeps his eyes on Blackhand, and then heats the knife on a candle, before plunging the knife into his left eye, and pries it free. He walks around the table, and then lays the eye in Blackhand’s hand.

There is silence. Not a single orc is saying anything. Blackhand looks up at Arthak, still sitting. Then he stands up, his full height a few inches taller than Arthak, and he’s making sure that few inches is obvious.

He then takes a deep breath.

He raises the gauntlet that is holding Arthak’s eye, and heat begins to flow through the gauntlet, and the eyeball starts to boil until it pops, leaving the fluid leaking down his hand.

As Arthak turns around, he catches Eitrigg’s eye, who nods. A few other orcs, impressed by the show, put fists on their chests. As Arthak leaves, his boots are the only sound.

As Lantresor sees him, there’s a wave of equal parts surprise and not surprise as he notes the burned, eyeless socket.

Arthak laughs, somewhat delirious.

Lantresor helps steady Arthak on the way back to Gramgun’kur, and Halno nonchalantly follows along.

Sadras and Thura were awaiting their return. Sadras was pacing with her frostwolf pacing behind her. As she sees Arthak, she immediately runs to him.

Instinctively, Sadras summons her healing magics as she touches Arthak’s face, beginning the process to knit the wounds.

Sadras hugs Arthak.

Sadras grabs Arthak’s hand, which is missing two fingers, and her other hand brushes beneath his missing eye.

Sadras grits her teeth, and she pusher her forehead against his.

She starts barking orders to get Arthak food as she takes him to the tent Mother Kaza normally has set aside for resting. Thura gives Arthak a nod, and a salute. Once Arthak is brought into the tent, he falls into unconsciousness rather quickly. Mother Kaza tends to him in the meanwhile.

He wakes up sometime later in the evening. Thura is sitting close by. She seems to be resting, her eyes closed and her breathing even.

Thura starts awake.

She smiles and nods and she reaches over to hand him a large hind of meat.

Thura takes a deep breath.

At that moment, the mok’nathal enters through the flap of the tent, barely able to stand to his full height.

Thura looks at Arthak, and he nods at her, and then leaves, promising to get some rest herself.

Gel’nok smiles, looking down at Arthak.

Gel’nok smiles again, and holds out his hand--the one that’s just a hammer attached to a stump.

Gel’nok stands.

Gel’nok turns, and then departs the tent, leaving Arthak with his roiling thoughts.

During the day, Halno had been experimenting with Sylvos. Specifically, he was trying to do a sort of lucid dreaming without fully vacating his body in the hopes that Sylvos could take control again.

He erects the private sanctum spell, and starts to meditate with his scepter in his lap, effectively trying to remove himself.

He sits there for hours. A few times Sagaz comes in to check on him, but doesn’t bother him. Finally, in the middle of the night, he is able to project his consciousness into the scepter for a brief moment.

Everything starts to fade. It’s similar to the first time it happened, but it’s more muted. He can sense himself moving, and he attempts to project his voice, but there’s nothing.

Arthak tries to leave soon after speaking with Gel’nok, but Thura is unwilling to allow it. Arthak tries to wrestle her aside.

Reluctantly, Thura gets her boar suited up, and they ride to the Frostwolves.

Back on the mainland, Azgadaan, Rehgar, Nyxxa, and Samaara head toward the gate where the Warsong clan is. They are looking around for Throkta.

Some of the Warsong return with Throkta, and he greets them.

Azgadaan takes a moment to confer with Samaara about the burial rites he had read about.

They meet Throkta, who is now clad in his Warsong steel pauldrons and long blade. He asks if they are ready, and everyone confirms.

He takes the group through Falconwing Square and starts to head through the Bleeding Hollow territory. They don’t bother them as they skirt around the grand gate that surrounds the city, and they head to Skulker’s Row, the territory of Kargath’s clan.

They arrive at a park that is now overgrown with weeds. There are two hunters from the bleeding Hollow in the area, who stand as they note the group.

One of the hunters moves back and pulls some shrubs away, revealing a small wooden grate that was thrown over a very small hole. It’s about 2-2.5 feet in diameter, so many of the group will have to squeeze in.

It takes Azgadaan and Rehgar much longer than they are proud to say as they attempt to squeeze in. Rehgar laughs a bit, as they were a bit louder than wanted.

Throkta draws a torch and lights it once they get inside. Nyxxa casts detect good and evil. Azgadaan offers to put up more light.

Everyone stares at her for a second, and Azgadaan lights a few more torches. Throkta looks quite nervous as they start to move through the tunnels. They are keeping an eye out.

The water down a shallow drop below a bridge of wooden planks is moving very slowly.

Azgadaan changes his dancing lights into the rough form of a person and walks it across the planks. Seeing nothing stirred by the movement, the others start to move over it as well.

However, Nyxxa hears something coming from the walls. It’s a chittering noise.

At that moment, there is a plunking sound. And another one. Several grates come loose from the ceiling and plunge into the darkness, and there’s a low growling sound.

Azgadaan throws his dancing lights at the grate openings, and a large claw reaches for it. They are very meaty, scaled hands.

Large, meaty forms then heave themselves out, followed by the more lithe, slender skarvyn. It seems the massive creatures are larger versions of their much smaller cousins.

The first of the large skarvyn roars, and Nyxxa attempts to jump across to meet it. However, her glaive glances off its scales. Her second blow connects, but the creature seems unphased and Nyxxa drops into a defensive posture.

Rehgar looks toward one of the other abominations, using his magic to successfully charm it.

He looks to Rehgar for a moment, then looks at the skarvyn piling out behind it. The skarvyn says something back.

It sounds like broken orcish mixed with draconic.

Samaara fires a shot at one of the other skarvyn, and the skarvyn abomination that Nyxxa engaged attempts to grab Nyxxa. However, she ducks out of the way, and he goes for her again, but he once more misses.

Throkta hucks a javelin at one of the other skarvyn, but it misses. A skarvyn abomination lurches at him, slamming into the ground at his feet, and another goes for Samaara, narrowly missing her.

Azgadaan twin spells banishment on two of the abominations. He pushes the spell to ensure they both vanish. His eyes flare green, and the two abominations disappear.

The charmed abomination attempts to grapple the skarvyn next to him, and it protests loudly in draconic.

December 7th

Suddenly, Halno comes back to, and he feels a bit weaker. There’s a main deep within himself. He had taken damage, but he isn’t sure from what. His scepter is on the table, and he’s also standing--which he wasn’t before.

The pain is like the pain he feels when he gets too far from his scepter, and the sun is now up.

As he takes stock of his surroundings, his foot slips on something on the ground. There appears to be a few pieces of parchment on the ground. There’s a spilled inkwell on the table. Halno goes through and picks the parchment up.

There’s writing on it. Writing he both does and doesn’t recognize.

It’s hasty.

“I have no memory of how I got here, or what I’m doing here. Where am I? Why has this happened? Why am I alive here?”

There are more scrawlings.

“What is this scepter? My body is… am I dead? What did you do to me?”

There are even more scrawlings, and sometimes the letters drop off, or they interrupt themselves. It looks incomplete, as if it was interrupted frequently.

Halno goes to fetch Sagaz. He finds him in town.

Sagaz puffs his chest up slightly.

As Halno walks away, he pauses.

This page was last edited on November 22, 2020, at 01:07 PM

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