Lordaeron. Once the proud capital of the Alliance, now nothing more than a crumbling ruin. In times past, trumpets sounded into the air, announcing the arrival of visiting Lords and nobility. In the present, the only sound that pierced the silent, stagnant air was the harsh cry of the ravens that perpetually circled the desolate kingdom. Where once the standard of Lordaeron flew proudly in the sky, a new flag hung limply, marking this land as belonging to the Forsaken. The path that lead to the main gates once proudly bore the weight of mighty Paladins and wise Mages now seemed to cringe at the being they must bear now. Kuelleur, Warlock of the Forsaken, walked silently through the gates, his mind lost in the past. How long ago was it that he walked through these gates, not as a walking abomination, but as a human? How long had it been since he had been looked upon with awe as a powerful mage, and now enduring the stares of either hostility or fear as a loathsome Warlock? None of that mattered now, and he had left that life behind him long ago. He is Kuelleur now, and he has a job to do. Walking through the courtyards, Kuelleur made his way into the throne room where once King Terenas had sat. The throne sat empty, showing the completeness in which the kingdom of Lordaeron fell. The faint bloodstain of the King, murdered by his own son, still marked the floor, forever declaring Arthas' treachery. Ignoring the room that once represented the entire nation of humanity, Kuelleur continued down one of the side hallways, passing the tomb of Terenas himself along the way. Out of place from the rest of the city, the tomb itself appeared untouched by the decay that was so prevalent around it. A few mages theorized that it was magic that held it together, but no efforts were made to find out. The Horde had more important things to worry about, and Kuelleur brought news of the worst of them. Continuing his pace, Kuelleur walked further and further down the hallway, until coming to a pair of abominations guarding a door. The city guard, the abominations were horrific to look at. Piece together from dead bodies garnered from the battlefields, the abominations were ghastly creatures. Their open stomachs revealed a churning mass of innards, spewed forth a horrendous stench that, if Kuelleur had not lost his sense of smell in death, would have been violently sick. The abominations turned ponderously to Kuelleur as he approached, and saluted him with respect. Kuelleur nodded to the guards and continued his way to the door. With a huge fist, the abomination pounded on the door, and it silently slid open. Inside, an elevator sat waiting, with a lone Forsaken standing motionless. Kuelleur smiled to himself.
"Hello Maleface, good to see you." Maleface nodded silently and stood to one side, allowing him to enter the elevator. Kuelleur stepped into the elevator, and the door shut. As they traveled down, Kuelleur casually glanced at his companion and chuckled slightly. Maleface, as always, was clad head to toe in black plate mail. Spikes in seemingly random places jutted out, giving him an almost beetle like appearance. His entire head was covered by a helm that was simple, yet functional. The only part in fact that one could see of Maleface was his yellow eyes that glowed from a small slit in his helmet. In typical Maleface fashion, he carried in each hand his weapons of choice. His right carried a wickedly curved axed that was completely unidentifiable to any known blacksmith in both style and metal. In his left he carried a large machete, extremely old in appearance and completely out of place with the rest of his outfit. Maleface, feeling Kuelleur's gaze, turned and faced him, fixing his eyes on Kuelleur in silent question.
"It was as I feared. And I believe it's going to get worse." Kuelleur sighed. Maleface cocked his head slightly, and clashed his weapons together. Kuelleur sighed again. "Yes. I am positive there is going to be some fighting in our future." Nodding in satisfaction, Maleface turned and faced the door, silent as always. Kuelleur grunted to himself. If only life could be that uncomplicated for himself.
A short while later, Kuelleur found himself walking through the corridors of the Undercity, the Forsaken capital, towards the Throne Room. All around him, the bustle of everyday activities filled the air with a buzz. Orcs, Tauren, and Trolls alike walked beside the Forsaken, going about their business. However, unlike most days, it seemed that there was an electric current in the air. Something was going on. Kuelleur turned questioningly towards Maleface, who only nodded his head towards the Throne Room. Making their way through the masses, Kuelleur strode through the archway, and down the winding hallway that lead to his Queen. Once inside the Throne Room itself, Kuelleur was curious to find a small contingent of what looked like elves standing before Lady Sylvannas. Kuelleur instantly recognized Lor'themar Theron, the second in command to Prince Kaelthas, leader of the remaining elves on Azeroth, who now called themselves Blood Elves. He seemed to be in deep conversation with Lady Sylvannas. Off to the side, Lady Sylvannas' Major Domo Varimathras stood silently, casting his baleful eyes on everyone in the room, until resting upon Kuelleur. Varimathras beckoned him forward, walking slightly away from his Queen.
" This is an interesting development. The Blood Elves signed a treaty and are now part of the Horde. Theron is here now to negotiate for aid in retaking the Ghost Lands." Kuelleur shrugged and replied. "That was not unexpected. The Blood Elves have few friends these days, especially with the disappearance of Prince Kaelthas." Varimathras turned to Kuelleur with a slight smile on his face. "So you haven't heard? The Dark Portal opened again recently." Kuelleur nodded. "Yes I felt that."
"Did you also know that Illidan has claimed the Outlands for himself, with Prince Kaelthas standing beside him as an ally?" At this Kuelleur snorted. Of course Kael would do that. Their race is dying because they don't have the Sunwell to curb sate their addiction anymore. Who else could they turn to? As regards to Illidan, his arrogance was legendary, as well as his power.
"There are also reports of a large explosion in Kalimdor. Eye witnesses say that something large fell from the sky, but not of demonic origin." Continued Varimathras.
"Any idea what it was?" Kuelleur asked absently, still pondering Kael's decision. Varimathras shook his head, "It fell close to an Alliance expedition, and with tension as high as it is, Thrall doesn't want to potentially start a bigger conflict." Kuelleur nodded. Another war was the last thing anyone at this point wanted. They had just barely begun to recover from the last one, and they only succeeded due to collaboration. But it seemed that war was about to come anyways, and this time victory might be too difficult, and too costly, to achieve. From his left, Kuelleur felt Maleface shift in place, trying to get his attention. Looking up, he saw the Blood Elves bow to Lady Sylvannas and depart from the room. Seeing Kuelleur, Lady Sylvannas beckoned him over with a slight smile.
"Welcome back Kuelleur. I hope you have some good news for me."
"I'm afraid not, my lady. The reports are true. This Ebon Order or whatever they call themselves, are attempting a summoning." Lady Sylvannas nodded. "Any idea what they are trying to summon?" Kuelleur nodded his head slowly. "Yes. They are trying to bring back Mannoroth." At the mention of this name, Varimathras hissed, while Lady Sylvannas just looked confused. "Wasn't it reported that that demon was killed in battle with Grom Hellscream? Can he be brought back from the dead?" Varimathras scowled and replied. " The Annihilan are incredibly difficult to destroy completely, which is why they made such wonderful machines of destruction. It is possible his essence still remains.
"So what does the Ebon Order intend to do with him? He was defeated before, it can be done again." Lady Sylvannas asked.
"If Mannoroth is brought into this world again, the will exert his will over the Orcs, and they will fall under the bloodlust again. They will either tear themselves apart in a brutal civil, or attack the Alliance and plunge us into another war." Kuelleur explained. Lady Sylvannas shook her head. "How would this benefit them? What good would it do?" Kuelleur looked down at the floor, pondering this question. "I do not know my lady. By all accounts, the Ebon Order has no interest in the conflict between the Horde and Alliance, and have no loyalties towards either as well."
"We are going to have to find out. Thrall needs to hear of this, and from there we will decide what to do. I need you to go to Ogrimmar and report what you have found." Kuelleur bowed, and started to head for the door.
"One more thing Kuelleur." Lady Sylvannas said behind him. "Take your pet with you. He's been wandering around the city scaring our "allies" because he has nothing better to do. Perhaps he can find some entertainment on your trip." Kuelleur glanced at Maleface, who was staring intently at his weapons. If Kuelleur could have seen his face, he would've sworn that at that moment, Maleface was smiling with excitement.