Author's note: I've sorted out the layout of chapter one so that it looks less like a wall of text, and will continue to use the same format, thanks to Demon-Something . Tto answer your question, the story starts off just before the Burning Crusade expansion, and ventures further into the actual expansion as the story progresses.
And to a certain reviewer: I can safely assure you there isn't going to be any yaoi in this story. Not even hinted yaoi. ^^
Happy reading! The Headquarters of the Azure Syndicate were one of those curiously constructed buildings that seemed far larger on the inside than it did on the outside. Nestled cosily in between two houses on the west side of the serene Falconwing Square, it was as mundanely inconspicuous as its neighbours; consisting of white stone walls, windows of translucent violet glass and a small, dark oak door edged with gold that made up a typical picture of Quel'Dorei architecture . When Savonyth stepped over the threshold, Selthiras striding purposefully ahead of him in absolute silence, he was quite surprised by what he saw. The building's interior looked very little like one would imagine the headquarters of a covert organisation to be, and instead upheld a far more homely feel. An array of cloaks hung from a stand to the left of the door, and the hallway was narrow, with two doorways leading from it to its left, and a sturdy varnished wooden staircase to its right. Savonyth gingerly followed Selthiras through the nearest door into what was presumably the kitchen, peering cautiously around the doorway before actually stepping through it. A young woman sat at the table in the centre of the room, pouring over a tattered book as a pot bubbled on the crackling fireplace. She didn't look up as they entered.
"Serrar, before you ask, Dendris cooked it, not me".
Selthiras responded with a slight grunt, flicking the cloth hood back from his face in one swift motion. Savonyth's eyes were immediately drawn to the vicious-looking scar that marred the skin stretching from midway down his right cheek, half covered by the straight, limp hair that fell onto his face, right the way down to beneath his leather tunic; a mix of dusky pink stain-like marks and melted, mangled-looking skin. Selthiras felt the boy's eyes on him, and flinched noticeably, an almost pained, humourless grin on his lips.
"No one would expect an Undead army to use siege engines, but believe me, they do. Hit me full force in the side of my face, even the Light couldn't take away the scarring. Not that it wasn't worth the pain, however. Falconwing still stands, does it not?" He chuckled darkly, turning his head to face the woman sat at the table. With her stocky frame, light olive skin tone and rounded button nose, Savonyth could have mistaken her for a human if it weren't for her obviously pointed, albeit wide and stubby Elven ears, and her softly glowing blue eyes.
"Did you say Dendris was cooking? Do eat up, then." Selthiras flashed the girl a sarcastic smirk as she looked up from her book to glower at him, flicking her messy braid of thick brown hair over her shoulder. She glanced towards Savonyth, wrinkling her nose slightly.
"New blood?" Selthiras gave her a curt nod in response, before turning out towards the hall, ushering Savonyth in front of him, and closing the door behind them. Once inside the hallway, Savonyth eyed him expectantly.
"Captain Morrigan Dawnsorrow. A half Elf, and your superior. So I'd advise you not to stare". Selthiras gestured to the second door of the hallway. "The drawing room, where the books are kept, and Order meetings are held. You shall be informed whenever such meetings will take place. In fact, I believe there is to be one tonight. I shall send for you later this evening ".
Savonyth made no response, but instead focused on thirstily drinking in any information he was given by his new Commander. The concept of this Syndicate and its place of residence was new and strange to him, but not undesirable in the slightest. It was more welcoming than his own cramped apartment above the tavern in Murder Row, at least. Properties, like much else since the invasion of the Scourge, had become impossibly expensive, forcing the boy of eighty-three years to unfortunately continue residing with his mother, who he hated with as much, if not more venom than he hated the nobles. He had often pondered murdering her, since a Murder Row whore would hardly be missed, but he never seemed to be quite able to put the idea into practise. Perhaps this would change.
The wooden staircase creaked as he and Selthiras ascended it into the airy landing of the first floor. Selthiras halted abruptly in front of yet another heavy wooden door, the violet tinted beams of light filtering through the window at the rear of the corridor giving his pallid complexion an even more ethereal look to it. He placed a hand on the wrought iron doorknob, allowing the door to creak open to reveal a basic, but comfortable-looking bedroom, with a small, sturdy bed pushed against one side of the wall, and a desk and wardrobe resting up against the other, a pleasant breeze drifting through the open window in between.
"This room is yours, if you choose to reside with the rest of us. But of course, if you are content with your current home, do not feel obliged to take it". He glanced over his shoulder at Savonyth, who snorted in amusement.
"I'll be taking it, all right. No way I'm staying in Murder Row". Selthiras perked a blonde brow.
"May I ask why not?"
" You really think I'm going to stay living in that cramped Fel-hole with a harlot who boots me out whenever she sees fit just because she's too nether-damned thick to earn a living any other way than doing the dirty with whoever pays her?" Savonyth snarled out his words contemptuously. It had been the same way ever since he could remember. When his mother was seeing one of her 'clients', he was swiftly ushered from the house and into the streets of Silvermoon to fend for himself. Whatever he did for the rest of the day, or night, was entirely up to him. Food was often a rarity during the day, unless Baelrynn, his current employer, was feeling particularly generous. Selthiras stifled a laugh- the boy's tongue was sharp indeed.
"And this harlot you speak of...is your mother?"
"Aye". Savonyth replied flatly.
"And your father...?"
"Could be Grand Magister bleedin' Rommath for all I know". Savonyth shrugged, an almost cringing grin on his lips. Selthiras nodded passively, although the boy's evident loathing for his parentage struck a familiar chord somewhere inside Selthiras' mind.
"In that case, you are welcome to make this your home. My personal quarters are just down the hallway, should you require anything. The armoury is also located down the hall, but that is something we shall become better acquainted with in the following weeks. I shall leave you to settle. Sun's grace". Selthiras strode down the hall, and disappeared into one of the doorways, leaving Savonyth to explore the fascinating new world that had just appeared in front of him.
* * *
Savonyth awoke to the sound of a jaunty, harsh knock on the door. He rose from his bed, stretching groggily, eyes wide as he surveyed his surroundings, the earlier events of the day flooding into his mind. He had no idea how he'd managed to fall asleep, or indeed how long he'd been there.
"Oi Savonyth. Or whatever your name is. Meeting's starting, and Serrar wants ya there. " The voice was low in pitch, and rough-sounding, but distinctly female. He hastily grabbed the scuffed, hole-peppered leather boots from the foot of the wardrobe opposite him, pulling them on quickly with one hand as he opened the door. The dark-haired half elf Savonyth recognised from the kitchen stood with her arms folded against the railings at the top of the stairs.
"Hurry up, or Serrar'll give ya a lashing for being late" Morrigan laughed with a tinge of cruelty as she descended the stairs, Savonyth in tow.
The meeting room was a large and dimly-lit room, comfortably furnished with a sizeable, battered wooden table and chairs in the centre of it. Various bookcases filled with colourful, ageing tomes and cabinets containing a multitude of curious artefacts lined the walls. A shield baring the crest of a hawk sat atop a hill hung above the unlit grey stone fireplace, and a weapon rack stood proudly baring a selection of finely crafted longswords stood next to the doorway that presumably lead to the house's rear grounds at the back of the room. Morrigan sauntered in, took a seat at the table, and gestured for Savonyth to sit next to her.
"Welcome." A raven-haired man across offered Savonyth a warm smile from across the table. The lines that creased around his typically blue eyes as he smiled gave his face a comforting softness. Savonyth responded with a nod, peering across to Selthiras, who stood at the head of the table, leaning over it, his hands spread wide on the scratched wooden top.
"The crystals", Selthiras announced, as though it were a title, abruptly hushing the assortment of conversations between those gathered around the table. "Are to be implemented in the city within the next two weeks. We do not know exactly when this is going to occur, so it will be nearly impossible to prevent". Savonyth's eyes drifted down to Selthiras' arms as he spoke. The sleeves of his leather tunic were rolled up to his elbows, and a strange, shiruken-like symbol etched in black onto Selthiras' left arm was visible, the words "Blood is the Price of Glory" inked below it, barely legible in the room's dim light. He remembered noticing the same symbol visible in the open neck of the dark-haired woman's shirt, just above her left breast. He guessed it must be the crest of the Order.
"But we are going to do something of course?" The raven haired man peered expectantly over to Selthiras, who nodded.
"Absolutely, Duskrunner. The question is indeed not that we are going to act, but how we will act".
"...Does Fel burn?" A robe-clad man seated next to Duskrunner grinned impishly, stroking the beard on his chin that, like the rest of his hair, was coloured an eccentric shade of bright orange that clashed garishly with his deep blue robes.
"Dendris, you know full well that when in crystallised form, it burns about as well as a wet rag" , a well-spoken woman baring the signet of the Thalassian Ranger Corps on her forest green surcoat chided him gently. Her voice carried a musical, soothing quality to it, but her hard, sharply angled face and icy eyes quite ruined the effect. Dendris laughed.
"Actually, I think Dendris could well be onto something". All eyes shot back to Selthiras. "We could simply destroy the crystals after they are introduced."
"Because they're gonna place them in areas that would make any attempt at destroying 'em go completely unnoticed, aren't they?" Morrigan snorted in sceptical disbelief.
"She has a point. " The Ranger woman spoke again, pausing to brush away a stray hair that escaped the tight blonde tail at the back of her head. " The Magisters will of course keep them closely guarded, most likely to prevent over indulgence than vandalism. The last thing they will want is a scandal of wretched running loose in the city". A smirk formed on her thin lips.
"Oh, I hardly doubt it, Amiria. They want us all to gorge ourselves on Fel until we can't feel our own nervous systems anymore. The mindless are easily controlled." Dendris scowled, plucking a curved pipe from the folds of his robe. It ignited with nothing more than a click of his fingers, swathes of blue smoke starting to shroud the room and its occupants.
"Taking a leaf outta the Scourge's book, then?" Savonyth piped up out of nowhere, grinning up at Dendris, who nodded in agreement, suckling pensively at the end of his pipe.
"It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if that was where they got their inspiration, but we digress".
"Then perhaps it would be a better idea to try and find out where the crystals are being placed before we plan any further" Duskrunner offered, in his placid, yet oddly authoritative tone.
"No." Selthiras replied flatly. "If we do not move quick enough, then the whole Thalassian population could become infected with this...magic", Selthiras waved a dismissive hand, straightening up and resting the other hand on the hilt of his dagger. "Before they've even realised what they are doing. We need to make people think, we need to make them realise that draining from demons is not the way forward. After all, did the Legion not create the Scourge that killed so many of us?" Selthiras raised his voice slightly, igniting a wave of antagonised hubbub among the gathering.
"Look". Morrigan said, rising from her seat and silencing the room once more. "We need information from the inside. Serrar. Why don'tcha send for Larrenos?".
This provoked a loud, obnoxious snort from Dendris.
"Larrenos? If that snake's actually on our side then I'm Anasterian's left bollock." Dendris remarked loudly, raising his voice in outrage.
"Oh, do be quiet Valkeran, you don't know that he isn't on our side. He's helped us in the past; he was the one who informed us of the Sun Prince's plans to embark for Draenor. Besides, it would be completely illogical for him to have done that if he was truly working for the Magesterium. ". Amiria sniffed in Dendris' general direction, her chin raised defiantly. It became clear to Savonyth that neither was particularly fond of the other.
"I agree with Amiria. I shall speak with Larrenos as soon as he is available tomorrow morning, and we will gather again when I have obtained the necessary information. We will make ourselves heard." Selthiras placed his palms on the table again, his eyes focused and glowing intensely through the smoky room, which had darkened considerably as afternoon gave way to night.