[Horde] Chapter Three: Session One
Appearing Characters: Aracyra, Arthak Saurfang, Azgadaan, Balnazzar, Detheroc, Gramgun Laughingeye, Gul’dan, Halno, Hatock the Gronnmaster, Jubei'thos, Lantresor, Mankrik, Sadras, Samaara, Teron’gor, Thura Saurfang, Varimathras
Appearing Creatures: Gronn, Nathrezim, Tothrezim
Appearing Locations: Gramgun'kur
Introduction
The Great War. The conquest of a new world. The birth of a new empire. But when did the great war begin, really? Did it begin when the dark portal opened when our people spilled into the heart of a thriving nation. Did it begin when the tributaries ran with blue draenic blood? Did it begin when Hellscream took the first step to the font and drank that cursed bile? Did it begin when Gul’dan rose to power when he brought the desperate clans together to unite on a dying world? When Blackhand led us on a conquest?
No, the answer is much simpler.
I never was a man of learning, but I did pick up a few things. Through the campaigns of glory, and the honorless defeats. I learned.
The great war never truly began. It never had a beginning. We all just learned that we’ve always been fighting it.
On the dusk of the 18th day of the 9th month of the 632nd year of the King’s Calendar, the Sunwell, a font of magic thousands of years old, a mecha of arcane magic, and the civilization of the high elves of Quel'Thalas was rent asunder and transformed into a fel portal.
From the dark depths of this portal spilled an army of green skinned warriors known as orcs. The orcish Horde washed over the city of QuelT'halas, and even though they were prepared to defend themselves, they were not prepared for what came next. Forced to flee, they fled their ancestral home, and some escaped to the city limits, and other through magic portals.
But others still were found beneath the Ban’dinoriel. The shimmer shield served as a pen for the orcish Horde as long as it could, but nothing lasts forever, and the elves and orcs both knew that.
The masks of shadow, the Burning Legion, who moved their pieces across the board as the orcs descended on the city, knew perhaps more than any.
It has been two lunar cycles since the day that the Great War began, that the kingdom of Quel'Thalas had fallen, and the orcs began their reign of chaos.
Over those two months the Horde became entrenched within their city as the elves fled, licking their wounds and preparing to strike back. As beyond the shimmering Gatekeeper, the Alliance prepared for the inevitable when the barrier would fall.
But within the city, the Horde amassed its strength, consolidated its power and territory, and prepared in what ways they could to conquer this new world.
But our story focuses on the lives of a select few among this growing storm.
In the northern reaches of Quel'Thalas, some 50-100 miles away from the port of the city, lies the Isle of Quel'danas, the location of the ancient Sunwell and the Dark Portal. Located on this isle, we find the Broken Blade Clan.
Arthak, the chieftain of the Broken Blade, had carved his own piece of this Isle. The only port on the furthest reach from Silvermoon City. This was the location of one of his first victories--a port once known as Sun’s Reach, but now was Gramgun’kur.
The port town was transformed into the home of the Broken Blade.
It was once a sprawling merchant town where the stylized sails of merchant and war vessels alike could be found. But now, it had shifted. There were the beginnings of what is likely becoming a hub of production of materials for the war. The bulk of the work was taken up by the shipyards and docks to create the beginnings of a naval presence.
Spreading out from the docks are sprawling sites of construction efforts, smithies, and other crafting sites, as well as many barracks where most of the clan resides.
In the outskirts there are the beginnings of defensive measures: watchtowers, walls, and other such means.
The Broken Blade has seen a great deal of success. Its numbers had nearly doubled. Nearly 50 orcs from other smaller clans, the clanless, and the like, had come to join the clan of their own volition. Another 50 or more had been recruited by Admiral Gramgun Laughingeye, the quartermaster and leader of the fleet.
October 12th
While Arthak was taking care of some of his chieftain duties, his eyes darted over towards the entrance that lead towards the Dark Portal. He sees the familiar hunched, yet imposing, form of the elder Gul’dan. His gauntlet that Arthak had crafted still in place and wrapped around his staff.
He is alone as he enters.
Gul'dan bows, and then hobbles his way back out the gate.
Arthak goes and informs Thura, as well as Mother Kaza, who had since been given the title of Hearthmaster, and the responsibility to look after the non-combatants. He asked Lantresor to accompany him, and also attempted to find Azuka as well.
However, he is unable to find the orcling--though she had been seen around in the past, and seemed to be making herself at home.
Arthak also asks Mankrik to come with him. Thura and Kaza are left in charge, as well as Sadras.
The three orcs head out and find Gul'dan waiting on the road. There is an exhale from Lantresor as he sees Gul’dan, clearly not the biggest fan, but he holds his tongue.
Gul’dan takes a step forward and holds out his gauntleted hand. He wraps a small mote of green energy in his hand, and then crushes it. The energy falls into the sheaths of the metal, and there’s a pulse of green energy as a hellish sigil appears.
The group then disappears, being teleported.
They reappear, and they hear the sounds of orcs and tools moving in the city. Lantresor is not used to teleporting, and takes a moment to get his bearings. Mankrik seems to have done alright.
As they look about, they see the massive statue of one of the ancient elvish rulers, and the massive head of the red dragon is still hanging there by chains--still preserved. The sea is behind them.
As they turn, they see three vessels immediately behind them. Though their sails are still folded, it is obvious they are the same shade of black that makes up Arthak’s banner. The sigil of the Broken Blade is crafted into the frames of the vessels.
The one in the very center is a massive warship.
The other two are longships and a bit smaller.
Gul’dan gestures with a smile, and they can see Gramgun already on the dock, barking orders and preparing to take off. They are already crewed with orcs that Arthak had never seen before, but they were likely those that Gramgrun had started to assemble.
Gramgun hails them, expressing how beautiful the ships are. Arthak says its up to Gramgun to ensure they remain that way.
Gul’dan muses that the warship is his flag ship, and deserves a fitting name.
Gul’dan nods.
Gul’dan turns and departs. They hear a horn blowing from the Summerfall, and Gramgun calls out for Arthak and them to board. They take off, heading back to Quel’danas.
In the month or two that followed, the Broken Blade focused on training their troops as well as production and increasing the defenses of Gramgun’kur.
However, at one point, one of the longships was proved to be involved in smuggling stolen goods from a Warsong camp, and the ship was impounded and the crew was imprisoned. It was one of the captains that Gramgun had hired.
The crew claimed they weren’t involved, but Grom stated that he would return the crew for the cost of stolen goods plus two iron coins per member of the crew. Or he could simply take the captain’s head and the heads of the officers, and the rest would go free.
When they spoke to the crew, almost all of them insisted they were not involved. Arthak and Gramgun couldn’t tell if they are lying or not.
Arthak decides to pay the price, and takes the crew back into his custody. The entire process took about a week of negotiating.
The crew continues to insist they were framed. But the crew will remember Arthak’s mercy.
While the Broken Blade clan has been growing, Azgadaan, meanwhile, had found himself having to make his own way. He had sold many of the gems that he had managed to scrounge up, and also a potion of cold resistance. He also tried his hand at looting. He is moderately successful at that.
While at his manor, he was focusing on the ata'mal crystal whenever he could. Hidden safely beneath several layers of blankets.
However, one night, he hears a voice.
Samaara quietly laughs to herself.
Samaara shakes her head.
Azgadaan agrees to hand it over and places it in her hand, but doesn’t release it, asking for her to answer a question to prove her identity.
Samaara laughs as she slips an arrow that Azgadaan had given her from her quiver.
She puts the arrow back.
She places the ata’mal crystal back in his hand, and smiles.
Azgadaan nods.
Samaara places a tentative hand on Azgadaan’s arm.
Azgadaan repeats it, and Samaara puts a finger on her lips, before disappearing into the shadows.
During the time that followed, Aracyra does help Azgadaan get the manor into a better state so he could rent it out to the Shadowsword, and he proceeds to start bouncing between staying at the Magister’s Terrace near Aracyra and staying at the barracks with the Broken Blade.
The meetings that Azgadaan attended with Aracyra meeting with the Shadowsword involved a lot of posturing.
At some point, a peculiar device also rolls its way down the road toward Azgadaan while he is awaiting Aracyra. It’s a strange, angular black transport--a strange Nathrezim carriage. It opens almost like a blossoming flower. Inside, and cloaked in its large draping wings, is a Tothrezim.
It seems the carriage is being pulled by two large felhounds, but their muscles are much larger, and their bodies are covered in thick metal plates.
The Tothrezim greets Azgadaan, and expresses it’s wonderful to meet him. She clasps Azgadaan’s hands and shakes them fervently. She states that he likely expected her arrival, and Azgadaan confirms, then asks for her name. She simply says she is a “friend” as her name and title are not important. She is simply one of the many Bankers.
She then goes to business. With interest and the like, the new total on his loan is 1733 rezzi--from a 1000 rezzi loan. Azgadaan pays off 1300 of it.
Azgadaan expresses that he hopes that it’s her that returns the next lunar cycle, and she expresses she’s flattered and she will endeavor that it is her in the future.
With that, she leaves.
That same day is the day that Azgadaan is to meet Aracyra as she is meeting with the representatives from the council of Nathreza.
Azgadaan expresses he is as well, as he had only met with the Tothrezim a few times.
Azgadaan nods, and then grabs her arm as he twin spells his enhance ability spell. Aracyra smiles up at him.
She offers to link arms with him, and Azgadaan takes her arm. They stride in. They wait there for some time, making a small amount of nervous conversation. Then the door opens, and stepping in is not one, not two, but three members of the Nathrezim--specifically the ruling council.
Azgadaan takes a close look at each of them. None of them are their direct leader, but he has only seen one of presenting ones before. He was there at the execution of Azgadaan’s mother, and was one of the tallest, but not the most physically opposing.
His name was Detheroc. Aracyra greets the others as Varimathras and Balnazzar.
They exchange pleasantries.
Detheroc expresses that Aracyra’s beauty is certainly comparable to Shaspira’s. Aracyra thanks him, and Varimathras then steps forward, putting an end to the pleasantries. They have an important artifact to track down.
Aracyra offers refreshments, but Balnazzar scoffs, saying that mortal refreshments wouldn’t suffice. Aracyra glances at Azgadaan, but offers to fetch something more suitable, and her shadow expands, slipping beneath the door.
Detheroc said that some of their people would be assigned to the unit seeking the Dreadblade.
Varimathras glances at Azgadaan, and he smiles.
Varimathras simply smirks, acknowledging it.
As the meeting continues, it does go rather well. As things start to get into the deeper aspects of the agreement, a member of the Shadowsword returns, along with three elves who are not felbloods. They are in chains.
She gestured at the elves. Who ultimately did not leave the room at the conclusion of the meeting. Their souls were exsanguinated by the dreadlords in front of the two eredar.
After the meeting, Aracyra’s hands were clearly shaking, as she was shaken by the sight. The dreadlords were trying to intimidate her, and it worked. She retired to her chambers soon after.
Azgadaan attempted to go after her to console her, and she thanks him a great deal, but refuses to accept his company. She gives him a brief kiss on his cheek before departing.
He felt some moisture near his neck. It appeared she had started to cry right before she closed the door.
Via the message spell, Azgadaan tells her that if she needs him, she knows where to find him. Aracyra thanks him, clearly trying to hide the fact she is sobbing in fear.
Mid-Late October
Arthak spent some time gathering info on the Thunderlords. It appears the gronnmaster, Hatock, was supposedly responsible for killing the former chieftain, Fenris.
Further stories implied that a one-eyed, female Dragonmaw orc had killed the former champion of Fenris for making some lewd comments in her direction. Fenris had not retaliated, and after some words by Garrosh that could be taken in a couple different ways, the gronnmaster took it as an opportunity to usurp his father as he displayed a sign of weakness.
But everything was quite muddled, and it seemed there were some disagreements. Hatock’s brothers, Grotan the Herald and Skal the Trapper, went their separate ways.
Arthak chose to take all his officers, sans Gramgun, with him, and a good chunk of his fighting force to engage with Hatock. They met up with Azgadaan.
The Thunderlords would meet their end that night.
As they arrived, they saw general chaos. There is evidence of orcish destruction, just as much as elvish arrows--as the Blood Shrike had also been using the chaos for her forces to attack.
The Thunderlord banners were far across a bridge, and Jubei’thos was standing on top of a statue, watching Arthak curiously. His Burning Blade forces were also nearby.
One of the Thunderlords posted called out that it was good to see the Broken Blade come out of the water they were playing in. Arthak said he wanted to see their master. One of the other orcs commented that such a puny clan didn’t have a right to see their leader.
There were some hoots and hollers behind Arthak, and the orc sneered, but relented to let him through.
They passed through, and there are more and more Thunderlord encampments. Elf and orc heads alike were posted on wooden spikes and gronn teeth. At the center, wrapped in chains, was the massive gronn ripping into a clefthoof. The chain is firmly grasped in one of Hatock’s hands.
Hatock starts to laugh.
Hatock spits a bone and some phlegm from his mouth. He pulls a spear from the ground and puts it with the others. The gronn moves, his eye now centered on Arthak.
Hatock looks to his people as they hesitate. There is some whispering.
The crowd seems to be on Arthak’s side.
He gestures back to Azgadaan.
Weapons are put down as the group gathers to watch the fight. Lantresor whispers to Arthak.
Arthak and Azgadaan enter the ring of orcs that had appeared, and Hatock proclaims that Azgadaan is free to use whatever cowardly magic he has at his disposal as well. Hatock then snarls, and orders his gronn, Grulloc, to attack. He smacks the gronn on the cheek with a whip, encouraging him to rush forward.
Azgadaan quickly casts haste on both himself and Arthak.
The gronn slams down with his fist at Arthak. It goes wide, but the second swipe connects. Arthak blocks some of the brunt of the blow with his sword, but is sent sliding back.
Azgadaan runs in, swinging with his warhammer multiple times. However, the gronn doesn’t seem to even shrug at the blows. Arthak follows up, covering the distance and swinging in with Quel’Delar. After two hits, Arthak lands a fearsome third blow, and then leaps up and buries his weapon into the gronn’s arm, dragging it through its flesh as he climbs onto its back.
He continues stabbing into it, driving his sword into its eye with another strong blow. The blows keep coming, leaving the creature lumbering, wounded, and desperate. It’s already at critical health, blinded by a slice over its eye.
Hatock’s eyes are wide, his jaw agape, as Arthak had just carved through his pet. He rushes to the base of the gronn, and then yanks out one of his spears and hurls it at Arthak.
The first one misses completely, and then he hurls a second, and it misses.
Arthak continues slicing into the gronn, slicing through its chain in the process. The gronn is not looking good. At all. It’s staggering around, clearly on its last leg. Hatock is trying to grab the chain that Arthak broke, but is failing, and a fist swings around and narrowly misses Hatock--the creature still blinded by the blood in its eye.
Azgadaan shifts around to the other side of Hatock, and lightning crackles around his warhammer as he surges lightning through the master and the gronn. The gronn releases one last roar, his eye socket smoking, before it starts to fall. Azgadaan then rounds on Hatock, swinging with his warhammer, striking all three blows. The blows blast Hatock back beneath the gronn, and it falls directly on top of him.
Arthak lands on the ground, ripping the sword from the gronn’s skull.
There is silence for a solid minute.
And suddenly there is a shifting beneath the gronn, and Hatock crawls himself out from beneath the giant creature. He isn’t looking good at all.
His leg is smashed, his eyes swollen shut.
Arthak grunts, swiping the blood from his blade, and then walks over to the gronnmaster. Arthak’s clan is all huge smiles. Everyone else is flabbergasted.
Arthak looks down at Hatock, then kneels, and pulls Hatock’s head up.
He stands up, and shouts to the gathered crowd.
No one takes a step forward.
There’s murmuring among the crowd. Arthak draws it out, but still, no one steps forward. One of Arthak’s warriors cries out for Arthak to finish him. Arthak then turns, nods to the warrior, then looks down at Hatock.
He then cleaves through the gronnmaster’s neck. The Broken Blade releases a war cry behind him, and the rest of the Thunderlords nod as they are watching. Several hands raise to chests in respect.
At that moment, a high-pitched, screaming, cackling battle cry erupts in the distance--a clear sign of the Laughing Skull.
Thura unfurls the banner of the Broken Blade and plants it in the ground next to Arthak. Fires start to light up the areas in the distance. Some of those at the fringes turn and leave, running or walking carefully into the foliage to flee.
However, most of those in the immediate area stay, and take a step forward. Many of them reach up and rip off any sigils of the Thunderlords on their person, and hurl them at the dead gronn.
The Broken Blade also pry out the gronn’s eye as a trophy.
About 40% of the total number of the Thunderlords assembled is accompanying Arthak. The others fled. Some are fighting. Some are not fighting.
The Laughing Skull come racing through, take note of Arthak’s banner, and one peels their masks up. It’s someone that Arthak recognizes, and he shoots a gout of fire into the air with a battle cry. They then turn away from Arthak and those under his banner. Some of the Burning Blade are also hungrily eyeing up Arthak’s group, but they do not attack. Jubei’thos gives Arthak a nod, and the Burning Blade turns to find other prey.
The Broken Blade flee the scene.
At some point, Sadras grabs Arthak by the back of the neck and gives him a very passionate kiss.
Arthak pushes his forehead against her’s.
Sadras blinks.
As they board the new members of the clan on the ships, Arthak remains behind. Messengers come from the other two brothers, and they inform Arthak that the rest of the Thunderlords would be reformed under joint leadership, and much of the territory was relinquished to the Burning Blade and the Laughing Skull.
But the Thunderlords recognize his strength. And the Thunderlords themselves would also survive.
Arthak returns that the new chieftains were welcome in Gramgun’kur, and the messenger informs much the same of Arthak with the Thunderlords.
Late October
About a week or so before the ceremony of union with Sadras, Arthak is summoned to the Stormreaver Spire once more. The warlock known as Teron’gor is there to greet him, along with Gul’dan.
Gul’dan taps a stone, and a door opens. Teron’gor says nothing, just looking on. A figure steps forward. They are much smaller than a typical orc, and cowled in a great deal of shrouds. They have a bone plaguebringer mask obscuring their face.
It’s a tall-standing, but frail-looking figure hidden in the robes. At his side is a small scepter, which has a gemstone that glows with a powerful magic and is dark, shadowy, and green.
The figure has an almost sweet, herbal scent intermingled with the unmistakable smell of death. Arthak bows to the three warlocks.
Halno chuckles.
Halno chuckles again.
They leave together, and as they exit the spire, a contingent of warriors join them that are beyond Arthak’s own ken. They are elven skeletons covered in cloaks, but their bones are clearly visible.
He looks over his shoulder, seeing no one following them, and then immediately relaxes and hunches over.
He chuckles again.
Arthak just offers a raised eyebrow.
Halno tilts his head.
Halno stops in his tracks.
He starts laughing. Mankrik and some of the other members of Arthak's group exchange looks, seeing, as far as they are concerned, Halno is one of the strangest orcs they've met.
Arthak asks if there is anything Halno would like to further discuss, and he would be sure to arrange for a work space and the like.
Halno taps his mask.
He imitates a stabbing motion with his scepter. Arthak raises an eyebrow, and expresses that would be quite useful. Halno agrees it should be quite amusing.
He stops and taps his mask.
He points at all the dead things following him, which the other orcs are keeping a wide berth of.
The next morning, Mankrik speaks with Arthak on the ship. He expresses the newcomer, Halno, did not sleep at all. He was doing his mage work the entire time. It was something they felt it wise their chieftain know.
The next few days pass with the vastly expanded force of Gramgun’kur. Just in time for Nyxxa to come back, and observe that the clan is huge, and Arthak now has a mate. And she’s just in time for the party.
