18th of Talusz, 6E219
Ivory Palace,Caer Endaris, Royal Rejionowa
~22:00
The gentle ocean breeze from the port kept the balcony cool. Endarius Teledor, his Royal Majesty, High King and Prime Trimarch of the Endarian Imperial Republic and Commonwealth Territories, stood upon the balcony, watching the moonlight glint across the Bay of Dalatar. The clean streets of the capital and the ocean air gave the city a clean atmosphere that appealed to all the senses. More than a hundred ships and boats in the massive bay was the proof that the city was healthy with trade. The magically charged Ley Crystals mounted intermittently along the streets of the city glowed a dull whitish blue, giving the city life even at night. Night owls and the occasional night worker can be seen meandering through the streets. Endarius sighs and smiles softly. This week was a slow one, but that was a relief after the ceaseless months of paperwork and statesmanship that were part and parcel of leading a massive empire.
"Come to bed, hun. The bed is cold without you." A female voice interrupts his thoughts. Endarius looks over his shoulder into the bedroom. His wife, a lovely, curvy lady with brown locks and deep sea green eyes was sitting on her side, looking at him from the bed. Endarius smiles.
"Of course. I was just admiring the sea and stars. Sorry to keep you waiting." He speaks softly and walks back inside, closing the doors and joining his wife.
Had he stayed outside a few moments longer, Endarius would have noticed a sudden change in the night sky, as if the night sky had become a wholly new night sky.
19th of Talusz, 6E219
Ivory Palace, Caer Endaris, Royal Rejionowa
~20:00
Endarius stood outside the palace, looking up at the night sky. Where once there had been a sky of sparse stars and three moons, now there were many more stars, and one moon.
"Any clue what's going on, Master Clausewitz?" Endarius asks the man beside him, one of the lead astronomers from the Royal Academy. The white haired, older man shakes his head.
"No, sir. It's like a completely new sky. I doubt our position has shifted that much though." Clausewitz responds, perplexed.
"That would also fail to explain how we went from three small moons to one larger moon." Endarius ponders as he watches the milk white satellite hover above.
"Aye… How do we intend to proceed sir?" Clausewitz inquires. Endarius chews his lip for a moment.
"Well, I don't want to declare a national emergency just yet, nothing wrong has happened. However, to prevent untoward distress from the public, I think I will have High King Formeri telling everyone not to worry in the morning though. Best to reassure the public while we figure out what the hell is happening here." Endarius replies after some time, scratching his beard. His brown beard was just beginning to show a couple grey hairs. He then looks at his guard.
"Captain Kabarov, tell the Citadel to assemble a full conference tomorrow at noon and that I will be in attendance." Endarius orders his guard. Captain Kabarov salutes and then rushes off to do as he is told. He then looks back at Clausewitz. "Though, best to be on guard."
"Sounds like the best you can do at present." Clausewitz agrees, nodding.
"I won't keep you, Master Clausewitz. Get back to the Academy." Endarius dismisses Clausewitz.
"Yes, sir. Have a nice night." Clausewitz bids his farewell and leaves. Endarius looks back up at the sky and sighs.
"Guess I won't get a lighter workload after all..." He mutters.
20th of Talusz, 6E219
The Citadel, Caer Endaris, Royal Rejionowa
~12:00
The room was massive. An enormous, oval room with a large oval table in the middle. Seated at it were various military men, most of them clearly middle aged or older. They talked quietly among themselves. Suddenly, the large, fortified oak doors at the end of the room swing open and High King Endarius Teledor strides in, his presence silencing the room. He is dressed in red and violet and silver livery, and a sword equally elegant as functional hung at his waist. While less decorated, the military men were dressed in uniforms of similar style, a double breasted coat that was long in back and short in front, with folded cuffs and a Mandarin collar.
Endarius takes his seat and looks around the table. He nods to each of the present members in greeting and sets a stack of papers on the table. Servants rush out and pour for each person at the table a glass of Whiskey and a glass of water.
"Well, as you all can probably guess, this meeting has been assembled to discuss how to proceed with the rather… perplexing situation that has become the sky." Endarius opens up, deciding to forgo formalities. He was never a fan of formalities. He was a soldier before he became a Trimarch and as such, preferred a direct procedure.
"The Republic of Canda contacted us early this morning, sir. Apparently they are experiencing a similar dilemma. They also informed us that the Tsardom of Noveia had contacted them the day before and that they too were experiencing this phenomenon." A younger uniformed man pipes up from a ways down the table. A name plate on the table labeled him as Brigadier General Ernst Voehlern and his position as General of Military Communications. Endarius nods.
"So we can presume that this is universal. What about the coalition states to the east?" Endarius inquires.
"Only a few have reported in, but it's affirmative across the board. So we can assume the whole continent is experiencing this. I also finished around midnight last night in getting reports from the island provinces, as well as Gdanzaw, Sugari Boshi, and Markesia. All are experiencing the same thing as well." General Voehlern reports.
"In that case, we can assume this can't be an attack from Canda, the Coalition, or the Noveians. However, just to be careful..." Endarius directs hi attention to an older man. "General Wolynic, I want you to put your 7th Army on standby." Endarius orders the man. His nameplate labels him as General Kasimir Wolynic of the 7th Army. General Wolynic nods and salutes in response. "Also, Admiral Sarraf, have your 12th Fleet on standby." Endarius continues. A grey haired, olive skinned man, labeled as Admiral Abbas Sarraf of the 12th Fleet bows his head.
"The Intelligence Department would also like to report that we have confirmed that the Ley readings have shifted. Not domestically, but long range scrying and tests confirm that Ley levels have increased in a number of locations overseas. For that reason, we wish to propose that an expedition be sent to investigate these changes." A middle aged man labeled Lieutenant General Andrei Komarovich, General of Intelligence, speaks up.
"Granted, General." Endarius replies simply. "Organize it as you see fit."
The conference continues for another hour and a half as details and information is traded. Finally, everyone is dismissed to go about their responsibilities.
14th of Rajiona, 6E219
ERS Equinas, High Seas
~15:00
Matou chews his lip as he watches the land approach. They were still a ways out, but he had excellent vision, and could make out the dense tree line. He sits on the bow of the ship, thinking on what may be there. This was new land, for sure. He looks down at the report in his hands. It was handed to him less than an hour before the ship set out from Mutsudo in the Sugari Boshi Commonwealth. It was a simple report. Apparently Canda and Noveia had also sent out expeditions and as the attached agent on this mission, it was his duty to keep an eye out for these expeditions. Of course, with new land, the expedition could get rather… interesting. New land meant the possibility of other people and that of course meant competition in diplomacy with the other expeditions. Perhaps even hostilities.
Matou eventually gets up and heads below deck. He dresses into some long, padded black leather armor. Best to be ready for the worst, and they would be landing in the next hour or two. He looks over across the way. The expedition leader, a tall, blond haired beast of a man seemed to have the same idea as him. He nods in greeting to Matou.
"Matou." He says simply in greeting, as he slings his 5 foot long greatsword across his back. Unlike Matou, he preferred the protection of a full set of plate mail.
"Leonhard." Matou responds. He straps a katana to his side and slings an all black short spear on his back, along with a set of arrows and a longbow.
"What do you think we will find ashore?" Leonhard asks.
"Doubtful that we will find much at first. It looked like a swamp, based on the squat trees and multiple sources of water feeding into the ocean. Also, the ocean is taking on that ugly green brown color characteristic of swamp mud." Matou voices his opinion.
"So you think we aren't in too much danger at landfall?" Leonhard inquires further.
"Well, maybe not from civilized sources, if there are any. But swamps are always dangerous. Easy to sink in mud, dangerous animals, poisonous animals, et cetera." Matou comments plainly. He grabs a green ribbon and ties his long hair into a short ponytail to make it harder to grab. Just as a precaution. Leonhard nods and watches him.
"You know, you should cut your hair. Short hair is even safer than tying it back." Leonhard comments, rubbing his head. His blond hair was no longer than half an inch on top, and fully trimmed to the roots on the sides. But, Matou simply shakes his head.
"Harder to grow hair than cut hair if you need a disguise." Matou replies plainly.
"Touche."
The both of them then head up. By now the ship was close enough that it was very clear that they were approaching a swamp. Leonhard goes to prepare the Royal Marines for landfall. Matou meanwhile goes to help out the sailors prepare the dinghies.
~17:00
Swamp, ?
Leonhard is the first off the boat. His greaves and armor have him sink about an inch in the mud. He curses. They should have rowed farther inland. The rest of the group gets off the dinghies and pulls the boats out of the water. Matou has already moved into the trees a little way to survey the area. Leonhard checks his men to make sure everyone is in good shape to go. There were four dinghies, each with six men. Matou was technically independent of his command, so he had 22 men under his command.
"Since the day is getting old already, let's just head inland a little ways and set up camp." Leonhard resolves, and so the group heads on. The marines keep the chatter to a minimum, in case orders have to be given quickly, as well as so they can keep their ears open for any dangers. They walk on for a little before sunset before stopping in a drier spot that Matou had found.
"Alright, Klein, Piotr, Hiroki, Hudak, go and get firewood if you can find it. The rest of you, get camp set up." Leonhard orders. They head about their tasks. Leonhard helps out and Matou keeps watch.
By nightfall, they have three fires set up, and two 6 legged crocodiles have been killed for food. The marines talk around the fires as the night grows late.
"Alright, shifts of four at a time. Standard drill. Let's get some rest so we can cover as much ground as possible tomorrow." Leonhard finally orders. The men obey. Matou goes to camp a little ways away, camouflaged. That way if the camp was attacked, he could ambush the attackers.
16th of Rajiona, 6E219
Swamp, ?
~14:00
Matou watches the fort from the trees. Having spotted the fort earlier, he had convinced Leonhard to stop a ways away. Matou now watched the fort to figure out the situation so he could give Leonhard proper intel. The fort itself was perhaps an hour away from the massive lake that they had passed a while ago. The white walls of the fort flew an azure flag with a gold lion emblazoned upon it. The soldiers wore standard, steel plate armor with died blue horse plumes on their helmets, and their surcoats were emblazoned with the gold lion. Formations of soldiers moved southward, as if heading to a battle. In which case, Matou figured there must be an opposing side. After getting a proper assessment of the fort, Matou doubles back to Leonhard.
"So, how does it look?" Leonhard asks, standing up from sitting on a tree stump.
"Well, they are clearly engaged with an enemy. But, they don't seem to be too hostile. I think we could parley." Matou informs Leonhard. Leonhard nods and thinks. He looks at his men.
"Jozef, bring me the white flag." Leonhard orders. A marine, presumably Jozef quickly comes forward with a white flag drawn from his pack. He hands it to Leonhard. "Alright, form up and follow me." Leonhard commands and then he begins moving, carrying the flag as they march in the direction of the fort. Matou meanwhile follows a little to the side of the formation.
Upon reaching the gates, the guards stop them.
"In the name of the Alliance, halt!" One of the guards commands. Matou raises an eyebrow. They could understand the language… interesting.
"We come under peace. We have marched from the east and mean no hostility. May I speak with your commander?" Leonhard responds calmly.
"Who are you? Your accent is not familiar." The second guard inquires.
"I am First Sergeant Leonhard Schuller of the Endarian Royal Marines, representing the Endarian Imperial Republic and Commonwealth Territories." Leonhard responds, bowing his head politely, respectfully.
"I don't recognize any of that…" The second guard responds. Him and the first guard then begin talking to each other. Finally, the second guard heads into the fort.
"The commander is being retrieved. Until then, don't try anything." The guard commands.
"You have my guarantee that we mean no harm." Leonhard promises.
Matou meanwhile is inspecting the defenses and assessing everything carefully. He is ready to respond to things going south at a moment's notice. He concludes the walls are in good shape, and paired with the guards' equipment, this 'Alliance' must be well equipped and funded.
Leonhard was just starting to wonder what was going on when the second guard returns with a blonde woman in plate armor.
"I am Commander Joanna Blueheart of Marshtide Watch. You are in Alliance Territory, what is your business here?" She asks.
"Well, I am not sure. We are an expeditionary group. We arrived here from the east. We represent to Endarian Empire." Leonhard replies. Joanna nods, but she is clearly confused.
"We know of no such land to the east." Joanna states.
"And we knew of no such land as this, nor any Alliance to the west. However, around a month ago, we noticed a change in the night sky as well as magical patterns. So we were sent to investigate. Now, here we are." Leonhard responds politely. Joanna nods and looks at Matou.
"Who is he?" She asks.
"I am Matou Takeda, Agent for the Endarian Royal Trimarchial Government. I'm an intelligence specialist." Matou speaks for himself. Joanna nods and mutters something about 'SI:7' and then looks at Leonhard.
"So are you here for diplomatic purposes?"
"Not specifically. We are an expeditionary group. We didn't know if there would be civilization. However, Matou is a technically a direct representative of the government and as I am a military leader, we can perform some diplomatic roles." Leonhard replies.
Joanna thinks for a bit, then sighs.
"Well, we're just a forward outpost. However, if what you say is true, this is a significant development. So, I'm going to send you with a detachment to Stormwind." Joanna informs.
"Stormwind is… your capital?" Leonhard asks.
"Correct."
"Very well. When should the detachment be ready?"
"A few hours, but since it is past noon already, you and your men can stay here and leave tomorrow. Just, leave your weapons with us." Joanna explains.
Leonhard nods. Matou frowns, but in the end, everyone hands over their weapons and is let inside.
17th of Rajiona, 6E219
Silvermoon City, Eversong Woods, The Horde
~12:00
Captain Sokolov nodded as he was led through the colorful city, a detachment of his soldiers in tow.
"Your city, Silvermoon, is very elegant." Sokolov says after a bit of silence, to the man leading him. The man in question was a pale skinned man with glowing green eyes, long pointed ears, blond hair, and a slender figure by the name of Kaelen Sunstrike.
"Thank you, Captain Sokolov. I will confess that the city has had its fair share of tragedies however." Kaelen responds.
"Regardless, it is quite a change from the matte colors of our winter homeland in Noveia."
"Ah yes, well, Silvermoon is the accomplishment of thousands of years of architecture."
"The work shows." Sokolov remarks. "This Lor'Themar Theron, I look forward to meeting him. It is my hope that him and Tsar Ivanovich III will be able to enjoy a most beneficial friendship." He continues, changing topics.
"That is my hope as well." Kaelen nods.
The group continues on in silence until they suddenly reach a series of bridges that lead to a large and elegant palace. Kaelen and Sokolov head inside while the rest of Sokolov's group is told to wait outside.
Inside, Sokolov was surprised to find that the main hall was rather small and quaint. However, the comforts were clearly top class. A trio of these 'blood elves' were talking among each other, but they fell silent when Sokolov walked in. They now all look at him.
"Greetings, on behalf of the Tsardom of Noveia and his Glorious Majesty, Tsar Ivanovich III." Sokolov bows.