And here's the view of Kalimdor. I hope you like it, dear readers! As always, please do review - it is not enough to merely read the chapter and not let me know what your opinions and thoughts on the content are. YOur pointers are needed to move the story ahead!
Part 2 Chapter II
Bloody Monsoon
"For the memory of Durotan, of Doomhammer! Let these filthy Night Elven barbarians know the meaning of fear! For Hellscream! For the Horde!"
The cry was heard several times over the course of that fateful first day, and for many days to come. Approximately one hour after the beginning of the Durotan Offensive in the Eastern Kingdoms, the Kalmidor front opened up, from the Stonetalon Mountains and via the Barrens and Azshara into Ashenvale. The Horde forces, mostly Warsong Clan warriors, acheived near total surprise against the Night Elves, who were wholly unprepared for the magnitude of the assault they went under. Almost immediately after the advance began, much of the Silverwing Sentinel deployment in the area was wiped out, save for a small battalion which had been deployed near Astranaar to foil the assaults from Hellscream's Reach.
The Sentinels, those few who survived the initial assault, had little or no inkling of what they were up against, but to their credit, they quickly reorganised and fled deeper into Ashenvale, waiting to regroup. Unlike in the Eastern Kingdoms, Night Elven command was inherently flexible, allowing local commanders to react as they thought best. Casualties were severe, however, with most of their forward garrisons (two infantry and two armored divisons under the Sentinels) being completely destroyed in the intitial wave of Orc assaults, which came directly from the Mor'Shan ramparts and, in lesser magnitude, from Splintertree Outpost. By mid-morning, the Sentinels had lost half of their troops (roughly 5,000 troops) in the massive waves that overran most of their garrisons and dugouts.
The Horde Offensive in Kalimdor was almost the same as in the Eastern Kingdoms, save that they relied more on their Infantry, rather than their bulky Seige Engines, which were admittedly quite useless in the dense forest. However, in Stonetalon, the lone Siege Division was put to exceptional use. This was particularly due to the fact that the Night Elves had only one, the 9th Huntress division, in the area, which was quite understrength, and a weak Gnomish Army Corps, who were wholly useless without their Reavers, which weer undergoing repairs after the prolonged battles of Stonetalon. While a variety of reasons have been given, the primary cause for the weakness of the night elves in Stonetalon has been attributed to the fact (rather ironically) that most of them were training the new batches of their army in Feralas. Also, the Gnomes had been exhausted after months of bitter fighting in Stonetalon Pass, and most of them were still not fully acclamatised to the weather in Kalimdor. The result of this sorry state was that nearly all the gains made by the Alliance Coalition in Stonetalon were reversed within just five hours by a force of mostly Tauren units and the supporting Siege Division under Gorlach, who were all mostly reservists - to add insult to injury, the Gnomes lost two-thirds of their Reavers, most being destroyed and some being captured and used against them by the Horde Goblin Engineers, a small Company of which had followed the Tauren into Stonetalon. They were pushed back right up to the narrow pass leading into Ashenvale, before the advance halted, ostensibly owing to heat exhaustion.
In Ashenvale, things were slowly disintegrating. Despite the hardest efforts, and some have said because of it, the Night Elves were simply outclassed. They were up against nearly 7 fresh divisions of Orcish and Trollish troops, while the night elves had a mere four understrength divisions and no siege equipement save for one badly damaged and depleted Armored Unit in Astranaar, also understrength due to losses suffered while attempting to clear out Maestra's Post and Hellscream's Reach. By the end of the third day's fighting, the Elves had been pushed back as far as Astranaar itself, with Silverwind Refuge as the forward base for the KO. The Horde received another two corps, roughly 2,000 troops, from Silverwind Refuge and Hellscream's Reach, as well as an advance force from Raynewood Retreat, which was the farthest zone under Night Elven control. However, the Horde forces near Maestra's Post were completely obliterated, but at considerable losses to the Night Elves.
In truth, the KO advance had been terribly risky. As Saurfang has said, it was a damned close run thing. For in spite of superior Infantry, which had proven it's salt that day, they had committed all their fighting divisions into battle simultaneously. There was virtually no reserve. Seven had been sent north into Ashenvale, out of which a mere five were in the forest itself. Two were sent to Stonetalon, with the lone Siege Division. The remaining seven had been sent south, to assault Fort Triumph, Northwatch Hold, and destroy both. This second group succeded in taking half of Northwatch hold before ceasing operations for the day. Casualties on the Alliance side here too were severe, with the 12th Infantry (Human) being completely wiped from existence and sending another two, the 5th Night Elven (Sentinel) and 2nd Rifle (Dwarven) into a full rout after heavy losses. Fortunately, the Night Elves, under the leadership of their Commander-Sentinel Skysong, regrouped and stubbornly held on to the remaining half of Northwatch until the Horde ceased operations, and General Hawthorne sounded a retreat.
By the end of the first week, the Alliance in Kalimdor lost Northwatch Hold and Astranaar. The last was particularly gruesome, as the hapless Night Elves were violently attacked from three directions. One pincer was from the Splintertree Road, one from the south along Stonetalon Pass, and a third surprise strike from the direction of the sea. This last strike was from the Zoram'Gar Outpost, which had recieved reinforcements in the form of Troll Raptor Strike Units, which had been dropped there in Goblin Zeppelins as well as ships of the Horde Navy (nearly a third of their fleet). So it was a full Seven divisions, all almost at full strength, against five Night Elven units, three of which were understrength, and only one depleted armored division in. At the end of the the week, just two staggered back to Maestra's Post, which was fortified to try and delay the Horde Advance. The armor was lost, as were the bulk of trained troops. The ones left defending the outpost were all half-trained units, mostly huntresses. A lone Sentinel Corps, less than one-third of a division, was left as the only fully-trained and ready unit. And by ready it must be emphasised that they were ready to fight, not to win, as most of them were already fatigued after a week of incessant combat.
However, the Horde was finding it particularly hard to ford through Ashenvale. Aside from being harassed by lightning fast strikes by the last few Sentinels, the very forest seemed to be against them. One Orc in the 1st Warsong Division had remarked as to how he felt he was "always being watched, like some creepy hellhole from Zangarmarsh, and how everything, even the trees, seem to be out for your blood." One mightn't expect it, but the Orcs were particularly afraid of Ashenvale forest. The memory of Grom Hellscream's misadventures were still fresh in several minds, and no one wanted a repeat of it. With the result that the Warsong Clan needlessly lost momentum in the very first week of the assault. Had they not slackened, it is very possible that not a single Night Elf would have left the forest alive. As it turned out, despite heavy casualties, the Alliance Coalition in Ashenvale (Mostly remnants of the Gnomish deployment in Stonetalon and the battered Night Elven army) remained more or less intact, inasmuch as it's command and control structure is concerned. Ther was no repeat of the Hillsbrad fiasco.
The Trolls, in comparison to the normally fearless (but apprehensive now) Orcs, showed little or no fear, and were amongst the most exemplary units, winning several mentions-in-despatches to and by Saurfang, and several Marks of Valor. Even the night elven garrisons have admitted that the best warriors they'd seen on the field throughout the week had been mostly Trolls, save for in that brutal assault from Stonetalon and Zoram'Gar.
Saurfang's troops were faring better in the Southern Barrens, however. Much as Fort Triumph and Northwatch Hold attempted to hold on, it was simply too much for their already overextended and exhausted Alliance garrisons to hold on. To make matters worse, some of the corps had criminals within them - a cheap tactic for filling in the recruitment spaces, during the army enlistment drive promoted by King Wrynn - and whose indiscipline had reached near intolerable levels. Also, some men had taken to less-than-pleasant pursuits in the Overgrowth, the garrsion there being almost always in a moonshine-induced haze. Added to that was the unfortunate timing of the climate, which was currently at the peak of the rainy season in Kalimdor, with days alternating between rain-soaked and miserable, to a scorching heat and discomforting humidity a day after. With such factors, it was no surprise that the Alliance Forces fared very poorly.
Saurfang himself led the assault on the Southern Barrens. Three days after the beginning of the invasion, Fort Triumph was violently attacked by Warlord Gar'Dul's forces from Desolation Hold, having received fresh troops from Saurfang's Kor'Kron Elite Corps as well as a Troll Druid Corps. In contrast. Fort Triumph had the considerably denuded 5th Battalion (Theramore) and the routed 2nd Rifle (Dwarven) Division (in reality after the rout, they were little more than 1/3rd of their actual strength, just a Corps in size) - a numerical disadvantage of nearly six-to-one. Much of the 5th Battalion was lost, with the survivors numbering just over 40 men out of a roster of 300. The Dwarven unit, was completely destroyed, with not even a single survivor. Rather than lose all his forces, General Hawthorne sounded a retreat from Southern Barrens exactly twelve hours after the destruction of Fort Triumph. This was a most sordid affair, with the complete evacuation (and loss) of much of the soil for which rivers of blood had been spilled already over the past ten months. Also, Saurfang was determined not to let the Alliance Expeditionary Force escape without heavy casualties, and continuously had his troops assault the fleeing columns of Alliance units, which spread panic and disorder and turned a retreat into a full-blown rout into Dustwallow Marsh. Roughly a day after the fall of Astranaar, the Southern Barrens once again passed into Horde control, with the Alliance having lost three out of five division-sized units in the region. Also, the action put Theramore at considerable risk, it being the next most inviting target for the Horde forces.
The only division with any coherent phase was the 5th Night Elven (Sentinel). They successfully fell back from Northwatch Hold, and into Dustwallow Marsh without significant casualties.
While Saurfang's elite Kor'Kron would ride upto the very valley leading into Dustwallow Marsh, they would not enter for another three days, owing to supply problems due to the incessant rains. This problem of short munitions supply would plague the Horde throughout the campaign, with the situation in the Eastern Kingdoms being only marginally better. Ther reasons for this shall be amplified in the next chapter, in which the logistical issues the Goblin Supply Corps faced, are dealt with in detail.
After the fall of Astranaar, there was considerable uproar in Darnassus and the Exodar. A desperate message went out to Stormwind, only to be replied that there was a similar, if not worse, predicament facing the Eastern Kingdoms and that, essentially, Kalimdor was on it's own for the moment. Another message to Feralas had a more positive result, with General Shandris Feathermoon replying that seven fresh and fully equipped Night Elven division, nearly two-thirds of the NIght Elven Army, was ready to move and would arrive in Darkshore in one week. Things also improved slightly with the Draenei committing their entire army, some five divisions, all Infantry, being ready for immediate deployment. The lack of Siege equipment was troubling, but extensive refit had been done of the surviving units, and it was presumed that they would be more than enough to deal with the one Siege Unit under Gorlach.
However, the Alliance in Kalimdor received a much welcome respite from - of all things - the weather itself. It has already been stated that it was the rainy season. In the Barrens, it was beneficial to the Horde, who were used to the squalls. In Ashenvale and Stonetalon however, the rain proved a considerable nuisance. Tracks and paths, already fragile thanks to the incessant warfare and wildlife, were completely flooded, submerged or muck-filled. The mud made going extremely difficult for the Horde armies, whereas the Night Elves, born and brought up in such lands, enjoyed relatively superior terrain control. Saurfang remarks -
"It was frustrating, if not for the gravity of the situation I would have called any sort of assault in such weather madness. To see my advance forces halted across nearly twenty miles of this rain-soaked, clingy, humid, dense and detestable rainforest. The rain would turn most of the paths into a slimy morass, which would often swallow whole platoons of grunts. And once the sun came out, the mud would dry up swiftly, making the going tortuous in the extreme. It was maddening to see a line of Horde soldiers stretching twenty miles, all stuck until either the sun or the rain was a little merciful, or the mad Goblins with their unreliable machinery came to release them from the mud and filth. Disease and intestinal disorders due to the muck and unclean water, not to mention poisoned food and poisonous plants set up by those infernal elven druids, made my forces suffer evn more in the rains."
The Horde certainly suffered a great deal in the rainy season in Ashenvale and Stonetalon. Night Elven druids, with their mastery over plant life and nature, made the going extremely hard. There were simply too many, or they were simply too well hidden, or some combination of both, that contributed to a very bad attrition rate suffered by the Durotan Offensive. The death on being caught by Horde soldiers, however, was painful in the extreme, with most of the captives being killed slowly over a time-period of days. And signififcantly worse for female captives. Hence, it was mostly sentinels or Druids of the Claw who worked these dangerous tasks. The delays caused by all this, however, was to prove to be the night elves salvation, as the Horde Offensive in Ashenvale ground to a halt after a week of bitter fighting. The next phase would begin some four or five days later, by which time significant changes would have occurred.
Meanwhile, on Azuremyst Island, the Draenei were gearing up to go to war. Although they had no siege equipment, they were perfectly suited for combat in the dense Darkshore and Ashenvale regions. However, the slow pace of their remobilisation meant that they would only arrive in Darkshore at the end of the second week. While perilous, it was assumed that there would be sufficient time - and a great deal of it depended on the weather - to delay the Horde long enough to deploy and start retaking the lost regions.
Among all the Alliancers, none were more willing to fight the Horde than the Draenei (with the probable exception of the Gilnean Worgen). While it is natural to assume that Humans would have the greatest desire to wreck Orgrimmar, it was the Draenei who showed the most eagerness. This has been attributed to one very simple truth - the betrayal on Draenor. Prophet Velen's peaceful nature aside, there was not a single Draenei who wouldn't pick up on the chance to impale an Orc through the heart. All of them had lost friends and family to the slaughter of Shattrath, and they were in no mood to relent even marginally.
This ferocity was to prove decisive in the weeks to come, though the lack of siege equipment would mean that they would be locked in as an Anivil to the Hammer of Alliance retaliation, until relief arrived.
Towards the end of the second week, two events were to occur that would set into motion the chain of events that would bring about the greatest changes of Azeroth's history.
The First:-
In Stormwind, Wrynn called an emergency meet with every major senior army commander in the Alliance (those who could not physically attend were given Scrying Orbs) as well as representatives from the major neutral organisations of Azeroth, to decide upon a course of action. It became obvious that the Forsaken would not be stopped with mere force alone. At least, not with the forces they had alone. There was the question of the neutrals. The Argent Crusade, The Knights of The Ebon Blade, The Cenarion Circle and The Earthen Ring were all petitioned for support. It is on record that all except the Ebon Blade refused to take sides.
The Ebon Blade's decision was most surprising. It had been assumed that, given it's overwhelmingly cosmopolitan nature, it would be the most vehement in it's objection to taking sides. However, the reason was soon revealed. As it turned out, Sylvanas had, with implicit support from Hellscream, forcibly taken Koltira Deathweaver, a prominent Ebon Blade Officer, and as per reports, had mercilessly tortured him in the Undercity. It was believed that he was still alive, and being tortured - though the exact reasons were not made clear. The general belief was that the Horde disliked Death Knight Deathweaver's cosmopolitan outlook, and of his close friendship with Death Knight Thassarian of the Ebon Blade, and this was probably why he was so mercilessly treated. This violation of the neutral freedom and dignity of a member of this organisation had incensed every Death Knight on Azeroth, and all had, without exception, left the Horde, irrespective of their race.
The Second:-
The Farstriders commaned, Neriah Dawnchaser, was recalled to Silvermoon. With her was a guest - and a more unusual guest could not have been imagined. For it was Valeera Sanguinar.
Her exact circumstances of capture are unknown, but it is known that she was deployed behind enemy lines to extract some information on Forsaken Troop Movements. Her deployment had been on the orders of Darius Crowley, who wanted some concrete information on Forsaken suplpy lines and troop deployments, so that he could let loose his GLF specialists on them. Also, in a secret briefing by Wrynn, she was given further instructions, the nature of which, even today, are unclear. However, it seems that her being detected and caught by Horde counter-intelligence was planned, since instead of being handed over to the Royal APothecary Society, as would have been common for P.O.W.s taken by the EKEF, she was given to Commander Dawnchaser to take back to Silvermoon.
On her arrival in Silvermoon, she was immediately taken into custody, but records show that she was granted just three hours later, a private audience with Lor'Themar Theron, Halduron Brightwing, Rommath and Liadrin. What transpired in that meeting, which lasted six long hours, has never been known. But it is also recorded that within an hour of the meeting's adjournment, Valeera Sanguinar was on a Dragonhawk, flying back to Stormwind, and a recall order was being prepared for the remainder of the Blood Elven units deployed, to be replaced with "reeducated units" from Outland, those who had survived Kael'Thas Sunstrider's misadventures and had returned to Silvermoon. That such substandard troops were deployed seems to indicate the disgust which Lor'Themar and his council had developed towards Sylvanas, which had only increased after the reports of Plague Spewer usage were circulated within Horde Command. Sylvanas, though unaware of the meeting with Sanguinar, was understandably annoyed, but the arrial of several more Blood Elven units, mostly Mages, placated her somewhat. The deployment of these new units was exactly the same as that of the old divisions which were being withdrawn.
Another two additions to the Alliance Coalitions would also come, but from the most unusual of sources. Also, the decision to withdraw the Blood Knights and Farstriders had been unexpected, but it did not overly concern the Horde. Also, it was assumed by many in the Horde, when they heard of the Ebon Blade's decision, that it was but a minor hiccup in their plans, and which could be smoothed out subsequently.
In reality, these decisions was to prove fatal in a way none could have even imagined. A terrible loss had been inflicted on the Horde, though none could see it then, and it's impact on the overall situation of the Durotan Offensive could hardly even be imagined.