[Alliance] Chapter One: Session One - Crossing Over
Appearing Characters: Arator Windrunner, Arthas Menethil, Ashwynn Menethil, Bryce, Calvin Cross, Elissa Cross, Falric, Gilveradin Windrunner, Jaina Proudmoore-Menethil, Krennan Aranas, Lianne Menethil II, Marwyn, Mia Greymane, Refia Karver, Relhana Blaque, Rowan Greywolf, Testament Greymane, Turalyon, Uther Menethil, Velameestra Windrunner, Zap Rusthammer
Monday, January 30, 2017
The session opened with Uther Menethil standing in front of a mirror mentally preparing himself for the ceremony that was yet to come. His father entered the room, and they shared a few words during which Uther asked how Arthas felt when he was being inducted into the Knights of the Silver Hand.
Arthas admitted he was probably just as nervous as Uther was now, and he recalled some of the words that Uther the Lightbringer - Uther’s namesake - shared about how he would never be ready, but it was a matter of
(Need names/chapter for the ceremony)
After the ceremony, Velameestra hastily changed out of her formal attire and back into the clothing she was more comfortable in when her brother made it clear he was not going to force her to stay in it. Outside the church there was a wide variety of games and other festival activities as the entire town had burst into festivities for the celebration of the induction of Prince Uther.
There was some time before Uther and the rest of the royal entourage were due to start their tour of the kingdom, and as a result, the Prince and his family and friends had set out to have some fun. Velameestra and Gilveradin were riding on the cart with Uther, and several young woman attempted to get Uther’s attention and he flashed them his princely smile.
However, a raven-haired half elf seemed to be more interested in Gilveradin, and when he noticed her he cast her a wink that got her clearly excited.
When they stopped, Gil immediately set off to try his luck at one of the games and chose a darts game where he did incredibly well - as would have been expected of a Farstrider - and managed to win a stuffed, teal raptor.
Uther, likewise, had set off to play a game or two with his youngest sister Lianne, and he chose to try his luck at a strength-based game that involved swinging a large hammer to ring a bell using the force of a weight. His first swing was a failure, which Uther apologized to his sister for, though she loudly proclaimed he was just getting warmed up and she was more than willing to let him try again. The second time, he successfully won a stuffed warhorse, and Lianne was quick to name it Radiant after her brother’s own horse.
After he was done with darts, Gil managed to find his twin sister. Velameestra had gotten completely engrossed in a book in lieu of enjoying the festivities, and after he realized she had not noticed his approach, he threw his stuffed raptor at her face and successfully startled her.
She quickly caught her book before it hit the ground, but she expressed her irritation at being interrupted. Gil, however, did not seem to notice and asked if she had played any of the carnival games. Vel, of course, stated she did not.
Upon seeing that his sister had no intention of changing that, Gil decided to goad her and asked if she wanted him to win her something if she was unsure she could do it herself. Vel said she was fully capable of winning something on her own, but Gil continued to say it was absolutely no trouble if she wanted him to do it for her. Finally, Vel relented to prove that she was capable and paid for a round of a memory game headed by a short carnie woman who had her hair in cornrows. The point was to correctly point out which shell held a seed after the woman rapidly reordered them.
As she watched, Vel was able to notice the woman slip the seed off the table as she moved the shells, and she quickly offered a smug smirk and asked if the seed was in the woman’s pocket. The woman grinned and congratulated her, and then offered the prize of two silver pieces which Vel flashed in Gil’s direction.
The siblings met back up with Uther, his sister, and Marwyn. Lianne mentioned that Velameestra’s dress had been very pretty, and the wizard countered that it had been nothing compared to Lianne’s own. Gilveradin also made a big deal about kissing Lianne’s hand and other such formalities, and the young girl ate up the attention. Marwynn, Uther, and Lianne had opted to get large turkey legs from one of the vendors. While they did so, Marwyn had immediately started to flirt with the woman stationed at the stall, and mentioned that that technically he was a ‘’commander’’ instead of a ‘’captain’’ when she referred to him as the latter, but then he also asked who was counting. The woman stated that he could have the leg on her after the exchange was finished.
Velameestra, however, commended that technically no one was counting in the situation as they left, because you did not count when you moved up in rank. Marwyn burst out laughing as he thought it was some sort of joke, but it quickly became evident the elven mage had meant the statement quite literally.
Marwyn still thought it was funny.
When they met up again with the rest of the royal family, Arthas had just received a letter from King Daval Prestor of Alterac (Uther’s uncle) which called for a meeting within the next few days. Arthas was clearly irritated by the situation as they would have returned to Lordaeron within two months, and Prestor had fully known that Arthas had intended on being involved in the tour of the kingdom with his son.
Some unkingly language slipped, but Jaina hastily calmed her husband, and Arthas relented that it would likely be best for them to see what was going on. Jaina started to prepare a teleportation circle while some good-byes were exchanged.
Originally, Arthas requested that Falric stay behind with Uther and Marwyn accompany him, however, Marwyn made it clear that he would have very much preferred to stay with Uther. Falric insisted that Arthas had given an order, though the king ultimately decided that Uther should decide who should remain behind with him. Uther said that Marwyn could remain behind.
Much to Velameestra’s chagrin.
Turalyon ultimately approached his niece and nephew first and expressed that he wished there had been more time to get caught up. He also asked Gilveradin if, if he happened to see his wife, he would tell her that her husband loves her. Gilveradin stated that Alleria would have probably just responded with “I know” if he said anything, and Turalyon offered a chuckle in agreement.
Arator made it known that he would accompany Uther and his cousins, and he exchanged a farewell with his father before Turalyon also gave his regards to Uther.
Uther’s sister Ashwynn also decided to remain behind, though their youngest sister Lianne seemed to want to stay as well. Jaina made it clear that Lianne would be accompanying them back to Lordaeron, and there was some pouting. However, Velameestra hissed that Prince Anduin may be present at the meeting as well, and immediately she her countenance seemed to shift.
Rowan - the enchanted armor that had dedicated himself to Jaina’s service - also said farewell to the group. However, as he turned to leave, Velameestra called after him and tossed a small parcel in his direction. Rowan picked it up, and the elven magister simply stated, “Try that deck” to explain what it contained.
Rowan was quickly able to gather that it was a Hearthstone deck seeing Velameestra had been the one that had taught him how to play the game in the first place.
After the good-byes were complete, Jaina, Arthas, Lianne, Falric, and Rowan teleported away, and the rest of the group prepared to set off for Uther’s tour of the kingdom.
After they set off, they passed through several towns that seemed to have expected the group, and at one a young girl had brought out several of her old toys as gifts for the group. Gilveradin ended up gift her the stuffed raptor he had won in return, and she was overjoyed by the present as it was far better made than anything she had ever owned.
Gilveradin also realized that the half-elf he had caught sight of at the festival had joined up with the camp followers, and it didn’t take him long to woo her. Velameestra, meanwhile, was insistent that Uther continue his lessons given how far to the wayside they had fallen during his training to become a Knight of the Silver Hand, and he relented the majority of his evenings after dinner to her.
A week after the royal entourage left, the scene shifted to another group who had just arrived in the small village of Last Crossing. Tess, her mother Mia, her “grandfather” Krennan, and her “aunt” Refia had come across the village after traveling for some time, and it was quite uncharacteristically busy. A guard who was posted on the outskirts of the village informed them that the royal entourage of Prince Uther Menethil was to be arriving any day as he had just recently been sworn into the Order of the Silver Hand.
The small group spoke midst themselves, and there was some concern that they may be recognized by a member of the royal entourage, but it was ultimately decided that they may also potentially have been able to find help among their number. Given the chaos of the celebration, it was unlikely that anyone would pay them much heed.
They ultimately went to book rooms at the trading post - the largest building in Last Crossing - located at the center of the village before they all filled up, and as they entered the three-story structure they took notice of a blonde half-elf who nearly bumped into someone while she carried a crate.
Inside the trading post, a dwarf was talking to the shopkeeper. He seemed to be looking for an oil or fuel of some sort, and was quite perturbed that the trading post only offered lantern oil - which did not suit his purposes in the least. Krennen was intrigued by the presence of a dwarf so far from the mountains when he overheard the conversation, and he ultimately mentioned to the dwarf that - given he was a sort of traveling apothecary - it was possibly that he had something that would have been of use.
The dwarf, who had introduced himself as Zap Rusthammer when Krennan introduced his “daughters” and “granddaughter,” was more than interested in what the elderly man had to say and they immediately started to make a deal. The shopkeep called his daughter Elissa over - who turned out to be the half-elf from earlier - and had her tend to some things in the shop.
While Krennan and Zap were talking, a young boy pushed past Tess and when she instinctively checked her pockets she realized that her signet ring had gone missing. She immediately charged after the boy with a loud shout of “Stop! Pickpocket!” which alerted Elissa who cried “Oh! Not again!” before she also ran to join the chase.
Zap had also heard the cry and he immediately pulled out a gun and aimed it at the fleeing boy. Some of the other individuals in the street screamed and ducked to the side as they thought it was actually an armed weapon, but when he fired it the boy was met with one a thick, sticky substance that quickly stuck him in place.
Elissa seemed to have known the boy as she called him by the name Bryce while she scolded him. She profusely apologized to Tess for the trouble, and the dark-haired woman expressed that she was just glad she hadn’t lost her ring. As Tess took the ring back, Zap happened to notice the signet on the ring and, while he didn’t recognize it immediately, he knew it had to do with humans and, for some reason, he felt like he should have known it as it looked incredibly familiar.
Zap undid the “glue” with a solvent he had on her person, and Elissa quickly dragged Bryce back to the trading post. The group followed, and the shopkeeper - Calvin - offered a room for the night for all the trouble that Bryce had caused. Zap quickly moved in to get in on the hand-outs as, after all, ‘’he’’ had been the one to stop Bryce in the first place.
Krennan ended up giving Zap a vial of what they had been discussing in return for his trouble, and ultimately Zap and the group ate dinner together during which the dwarf pressed about the ring. Tess’s mother, however, intervened and stated it was simply an family engagement ring.
Zap chose not to push further for the time being.
However, later that night, it became very obvious that the dwarf was not a quiet sleeper by any means as he snored loudly. Tess was eventually able to get to sleep after she turned the noise into a sort of mantra, but she was awoken soon after by the distinct scent of fire and a loud scream from her mother’s room. She immediately jumped from her bed and ran in just in time to witness something that had started to shamble toward Mia.
Zap and the other members of the group were also alerted by the noise, and they burst in, though Tess had fortunately been able to handle the zombie with little trouble. Zap and Tess ran to the entrance of the trading post to see what was going on. Elissa had ran outside, but when they moved to follow her they completely lost sight of where she had gone, and ultimately they chose to try and defend the trading post as Tess’s family were all staying there.
Meanwhile, back at the camp, Uther and the others had been notified of the fire and the chaos that had broken out in Last Crossing. Uther quickly took charge and ordered the first several people that could get ready to ride with him, and the others were to come as quickly as they were able. Velameestra quickly cast ‘’frost armor’’ on herself to prepare, and Uther, the Windrunner twins, and Marwyn quickly rode off.
At the gates to Last Crossing they were beset upon by skeletons and zombies. Gilveradin quickly jumped onto the roof of one of the lower buildings so he could pick off enemies from a better vantage point while Marwyn, Uther, and Velameestra took up a position on the ground. Marwyn and Uther attacked them with sword and hammer, but she was promptly distracted by a skeletal archer that had managed to embed an arrow deep in her brother’s arm after he shot from the roof top.
Spurred on by the attack on her brother, Velameestra quickly fired a brilliant orb of ice energy at the skeleton archer and the extreme cold from the spell caused its bones to constrict and then shatter. Without stopping, the elven magister also fired a sharp knife of ice into the gut of another undead and it promptly exploded and managed to take out another undead while Marwyn was also hit by the ice shards. However, the fighter hardly seemed to notice as he continued to blow through undead with his sword, and Uther quickly shattered multiple skeletons with his warhammer.
After he reassured his sister he was fine, Gilveradin ripped the arrow from his arm and cast ‘’cure wounds’’ on himself while Uther and Marwyn charged through the remaining undead. However, the last zombie was struck down by Velameestra right as Uther raised his hammer to flatten it, and an arrow from Gilveradin also whizzed through the air and stuck heavily in the decayed body.
Marwyn charged at the gates to Last Crossing as if it break them down, but as he did so he sailed right through the gate as they were opened from the other side. It seemed the guards had managed to clear the way enough to open the gates for the aide provided by the party, and Marwyn shouted that he would remain behind to finish the stragglers outside the town.
Velameestra hurriedly told the undead’s weaknesses to the fighter as she ran by, and the party glimpsed Marwyn rip one of the arm bones off a skeleton so that he could use it as a club against its fellows.
As Uther, Gilveradin, and Velameestra ran into the town, they saw Arator surrounded by undead.
