It was rather disturbing that Thrall had entrusted the leadership of the Horde to Garrosh Hellscream, of all orcs. Word that he was waging war in Ashenvale against the Night Elves had reached her only marginally sooner than it had reached the Alliance leaders in Darnassus. Nasorya had been the messenger in part because she could travel quickly and also because she was curious about the outcome of Malfurion and Tyrande's summit.
Thralls choice made little sense when Varok would have been the obvious choice when it came to stabilizing and uniting the Horde. Had Dranosh lived, he would have made the best Warchief the Horde had ever seen, but there was little good to be done casting wishes for things that couldn't be undone. Garrosh was rash and dangerous and he lacked the sense of self and care for all the different people of the Horde that was necessary for a Warchief.
The king of Stormwind and the king of Gilneas seemed to have somehow reconciled their differences and Gylledra was minorly disappointed not to have been a fly on the wall of those proceedings. All the visitors were scrambling to send messages and get their forces mustered when one of Varian's personal guards approached Gylledra while she watched the chaos unfolding. She knew him at once, he was one of her soldiers, Bren Swift, the recently reported deserter who had gone missing some weeks earlier. Nasorya opened her mouth to make comment but the wrath in Gylledra's eyes as she peered at the man made her think better of it. The human dropped to his knee, head bowed.
"Deserter." The word was barely more than a hiss. With the report of Bren Swift's abandonment came numerous tales from a variety of individuals in his unit about his dishonesty and manipulation of unspecified villagers in unspecified villages, amongst other much more heinous accusations that, if true, would most certainly cost him his life.
"I beg your forgiveness, General, there was no other way, I beseech you to hear me." There was a tremor of fear in his voice and the behavior didn't make sense for one who allegedly had committed crimes against Azeroth citizens and his fellow Nameless. She would not take the accusations made against him entirely at face value, she was a fair leader and of course required evidence of his treachery before he was condemned to die.
"No other way for what, soldier?" She growled through clenched teeth.
"To get the truth to you, my lady. I was being held but fled when my captors were drunk. The accusations that were reported to you are indeed true, but they are not true of me."
"Get to your feet." Her voice was a whip crack and he obeyed, wide gray eyes meeting hers. "Explain."
"The village of Thorne in the kingdom of Stormwind, we were moving through the area, mostly unnoticed. Captain Ouros decided to make that village an outpost of sorts, which obviously is forbidden and goes against your regular orders." He told her quickly. She didn't sense deception from him, but her eyes narrowed, watching every minute response he had to her scrutiny. "The captain and his lieutenants all changed to their armor and ordered the rest of us to do the same. We obeyed our commanding officer because there was no telling if there was some other order that he had received that was not for us to know."
"There were no special orders issued to Ouros." Gylledra interjected firmly.
"Yes, General, and many of us realized that when it was too late. The captain and lieutenants went in un-helmed, my lady, they showed their faces whilst in armor to the people of the town, he told them who we are and that we were there for their protection but that such protection came at a cost and…and they…" Bren Swift shook his head, disgusted. "They staged attacks at night made to look like Horde threats, they lied and manipulated gold and lodging from these townsfolk. There were varying degrees of dissent throughout all of us but no one had said anything to them, they were our commanding officers, but when I saw a girl being…mishandled…I held my silence no longer. It earned me a fierce beating and chains, my lady, and more beatings to follow to keep others from getting any similar ideas. They said you will kill us all, willingly involved or not. They struck fear into the villagers and then more fear still into the rest of us." Gylledra was trembling with rage, but had said nothing.
"What proof do you offer?" She whispered, her voice dangerously quiet.
"I have nothing tangible, only what I have seen and would have you peer into my mind if you must, see what I saw, General, I have nothing else to offer." His eyes were pleading, and she could see the fading bruises and barely healed cuts on his face. He was young and had an admirable amount of skill in the talents of subtlety to go from marching with Nameless to being amongst the King's own guards.
"How did you escape?"
"The girl's father had seen me attempt to intervene on her behalf…it was very late several nights later, and he freed me, he begged me to get whatever help I could." His face twisted then, sorrow etched deeper than a young face should have. "They killed him for it, and likely the girl too." Without warning, Gylledra grabbed the soldier by the neck, peering into his eyes. At once her mind plunged forward. He grit his teeth against the pain of his thoughts being rummaged through like a trunk of clothes but she saw what he said was true and released him, both of them breathing harder.
"You did the right thing, Swift, I will be sure the record of your desertion is determined false and will be wiped. Your standing will again be good with the Nameless."
"If you see fit to assign me punishment, I understand…" He started.
"I saw what happened. It is clear you bear no culpability. You had better resume your position in Varian's guard lest they…"
"Oi! Swift! What are you doing?" Another guard trudged up indignantly.
"Go away." Gylledra snapped. The guard blinked as a vacant look came across his face and he sort of stumbled off again, the last three minutes of his memory gone. "As I said, you'd better get back to your duties. This problem will be seen to, thank you for enlightening me."
"Thank you, General, I will remain with the Stormwind Guard until further orders are given." He put his fist over his heart in salute. Gylledra returned the salute and he hurried to rejoin the others. She turned to Nasorya who, wide-eyed, looked fit to burst.
"What…the hell?" She said at once. "How could they? After all you've done for…I suppose I give them all too much credit, thinking none could be capable of this…"
"It was only a matter of time. There is no perfect army, after all. I do not relish handing out executions to my own troops but that is exactly what I intend to do." Gylledra clenched and unclenched her teeth as her plan of action formulated.
"Will it be a private execution? To avoid fear-mongering amongst the ranks…"
"Absolutely not, it will be public and it will be witnessed by Nameless and the villagers who were wronged. They've gone and fucked the image I wish to portray and now I have to clean up the mess and attempt to convince these people such a thing will never happen again." Fury coursed like fire through Gylledra's veins, and the Void rose easily to it, though she held it back for now. "We leave at once, I will send dispatches and assemble a large company to march with. Go and gather our things, if you will."
"We'll be ready to go momentarily." Nasorya slapped Gylledra on the back as she trotted off.
"Who are you?" Growled a voice from behind, and Gylledra, having been distracted by the news she'd just gotten, whirled around. She found herself face to face with Varian who looked especially displeased.
"I told you who I am." She folded her arms, not in the mood for a confrontation with a king. Silently she berated herself for not noticing his presence sooner.
"Who are you that my guard salutes you and calls you General?" He loomed closer. "What is this army you have? What is your purpose? Explain to me exactly why I should not throw my guard in the stockades for treason."
"I believe I explained already that I do what I can to help Azeroth." She did not cower, she had no fear of any king, and while it was tempting to simply erase whatever he'd witnessed, she didn't know how much that was. "Your guard has not betrayed you, Varian, you are still his king but he is my soldier because of the love he has for his people…your people…and the world you live in."
"You expect me to simply accept that there is at least one, and who knows how many others, of my closest guards and whoever else…with loyalty to someone other than me?" There was the rage of betrayal in his eyes, an emotion Gylledra was currently embroiled with as well and she stepped even closer to him, unblinking, voice hushed.
"Tell me, Varian, who do you think it was that marched into Icecrown and held back the Scourge while the citadel was infiltrated and the Lich King was slain?" She hissed. His frown lessened just a little. "And from whence comes all the inexplicable aid your people are receiving as they rebuild their homes and bury their dead after the cataclysm annihilated so much?" His features smoothed more as he searched her eyes for a moment.
"That was you?" His tone was much quieter now. "The Nameless, they're calling you…"
"Yes." She gave a nod. "And I hope you can understand that we need the anonymity our moniker implies to remains intact."
"Who is in this army?"
"Everyone. No one." Gylledra shrugged and Varian backed off. "I have never asked anyone to betray their leaders, I have never given an order that benefitted one faction over the other."
"Had I not seen these works with my own eyes I would doubt you." The scowl twitched back onto his face. "I want to be furious that you have combined Alliance with Horde, but…" He just shook his head as he tried to come to terms with it.
"As we speak, Varian, there are orcs and trolls behind Nameless helms rebuilding villages in Stormwind; there are humans and dwarves rebuilding homes and towns in Durotar. We do what we do for the good of all people who live in this world. If we did not save all your lives, who would be left to squabble?" She gave a small smile.
"Who then, are you hunting down?" He asked simply.
"A number of my own have been extorting and abusing the residents of a human village. I will seek them out, determine their guilt and they will be dealt with." She let out a long breath and shook her head. "It is more disappointing than I have words for that it has come to this."
"What will you do?" Varian looked more curious than furious now.
"The guilty will die and I will do what I can to make it up to the villagers. After that, all I can do is hope the example is served and that the rest of my people understand that I am not to be trifled with." She told him, just as Nasorya returned with a leather bag, the strap slung over one shoulder. She looked skeptically from Varian to Gylledra.
"What is she? Your second in command?" He asked, some of the ice back in his voice.
"No, I'm a dragon." Nasorya replied straight-faced. His eyes widened in surprise.
"Are those things mutually exclusive?"
"I suppose not." She grinned.
"We have much to do, and you…" Gylledra turned to Varian. "…have a battle to take part in. Good luck." She grabbed Nasorya's arm and in an instant they were gone from Darnassus.
Gylledra had called five hundred Nameless to arms to go with her to the village of Thorne in a remote part of Elwynn Forest. What she knew of the town was that it was very small and that five hundred fully armed and armored soldiers would undoubtedly be far more intimidating than was necessary, but it wasn't the villagers who needed to fear. She'd brought her lieutenants as well as several commanders, enough soldiers that the story would be passed from soldier to soldier.
Portals were used to march her troops in around Thorne. In formation they closed in on the village, ensuring none of the guilty could escape. There were screams of terror, many people fled to their homes, faces in windows, watching what was happening. From the tavern, two drunk men in Nameless armor, without helms, stumbled out to see what the fuss was about. They blanched when they saw the center of town fully surrounded and Gylledra in the middle on horseback. She opened her mouth to speak but there was some commotion and shouting and she turned to see her soldiers pull out several bedraggled and beaten individuals without their armor that she recognized. They were likely the others who had stood up to Ouros.
They all raised their hands in surrender and came to the center of their own accord, getting to their knees. It was clear they'd been very badly treated but she trained strong soldiers, they were not broken and they all looked up at her with their heads held high.
"Find every one of them." Gylledra ordered, her voice sounding metallic and full of power as the Void pumped through her unchecked. Numerous soldiers all moved, making their way to search for the company that had been occupying the town. There would be twenty-nine in total since Swift had been given leave to continue serving Varian.
Her soldiers entered dwellings and businesses to seek them out, undoubtedly confusing the residents as they righted anything they disturbed in their search rather than leaving it trashed. One by one they were brought out, some of them looking relieved, many looking terrified as they spotted Gylledra. The guiltiest were obvious, Ouros bore no remorse, nor did his three lieutenants. Nevertheless, everyone remained perfectly silent.
"People of Thorne!" She cried, her voice echoing unnaturally loud. "I am the Nameless General and I have come today to mete out justice for what has been done to you."
Gylledra waited, knowing that everyone from the village no matter where they were hiding, had heard her. It got the desired result as a handful of doors opened and people emerged. Her soldiers stood aside, beckoning them to come forward. Some of the villagers still looked afraid, others angry and disgusted as they looked at those on their knees. Not many had come out, but enough had.
"What was done here is despicable and against everything we, the Nameless, stand for." She told them. "I assure you right now, those guilty of abusing you are also guilty of betraying me and for their crimes, they will die today." The attitude of Ouros and his lieutenants shifted at that point. It was those without fear, which trusted her to see the truth that she would free and allow to take their place in her army once more or retire if they wished.
The promise of justice drew many more people out of their homes and watching them, Gylledra dismounted, then, to the shock of her own army, removed her helm, giving her hair and ears a shake. Her eyes were black with white irises, skin pale, arcane markings pulsing with dark void energy. In this form, she looked different enough that her anonymity was still safe.
"Long have I fought to protect Azeroth." She began. "Every single one of you means something to me, every life matters to me, every face, every faction…everyone. Those who serve me make a vow to uphold the ideals that I hold myself to. I will not abide those who break their sworn oaths." Villagers continued emerging, coming farther forward as the Nameless courteously moved and offered kind words. "I want to know everything that happened and I want to know for how long. What they took, I will return to you."
"My father's life?" A haunted, but angry looking young woman asked. It was as if a fist squeezed Gylledra's heart in her chest. She was the woman Swift had stood up for, whose father had been killed for freeing him.
"Bringing back the dead is one thing I cannot do." She replied sadly. "There is no recompense for the loss of a loved one. I can offer you justice, though little it may ease your grief."
"Will they suffer?" The girl asked, her gaze hardened. Though Gylledra said and did nothing, she looked into her eyes and the girl understood, nodding, satisfied to know that there would be no peaceful end to those who committed violent offenses against the innocent.
All of the members of Ouros' company were bound and put under guard as Gylledra took the time to speak with every villager that volunteered to come forward to tell her what had been happening. They had taken gold, destroyed property, killed livestock, stolen from the tavern primarily, and terrorized the residents into giving up whatever they demanded. Those who were not guilty at first had made a show of participating but didn't harm the people themselves, giving them gold in secret for the damages to property. There had been many beatings, three women had been raped, and one man had been killed. These were the crimes that Gylledra could not undo with any amount of gold; listening to the victims pained her like an open wound.
Her twenty-nine prisoners' arms were bound behind their backs as they knelt, lined up. The ones who were not afraid were amongst the fourteen she knew to be innocent. It had been a company comprised of only humans, with orders originally to covertly assess the conditions and damage in the kingdom of Stormwind after the Cataclysm. On one hand, since they were all human, no blame could be thrown at any of the other races, but also, it was despicable, their willingness to take advantage of their own people…or any people, for that matter.
The whole village had come out and she had spoken with many of them one on one. Vorna, the one whose father had died, was no meek, broken woman by any means. She had helped greatly with encouraging others to speak truthfully to Gylledra. She saw her younger self in Vorna after her own family had been killed before her eyes. It was she, who stepped forward to address the citizens of Thorne before Gylledra could.
"There is no undoing what was done here." The square was silent, even birds weren't singing. "Some of us have had things taken from us that we can never get back, and I do not mean dead loved ones. I mean the abuse, being violated…things we will carry for us for as long as we live." Her emotion rose, tears nearly coming to her eyes but she held it back. "The Nameless, the true Nameless…offer us retribution, and we know well that such a thing is rare for the simple folk we are. What king, even ours who we love would do so much for us?"
"And so what? They go from town to town paying for silence after scum from their army comes in and wreaks havoc?" A man called. Gylledra turned toward the voice and though she couldn't see who had spoken, she addressed the people from that area of the crowd.
"I do not ask for your silence, in fact I believe I have demanded otherwise." She told them. "Speak out against those who wrong you. I mean to make amends by giving you back what I am able, and what I am not able to give back…well, you will see justice for it today. You may think death a kindness compared to what you might like done, but I assure you…what comes after will be far worse for them than anything the living can contrive."
"And you know who is guilty and who is not? What if they are all guilty?" The man asked, this time she saw him.
"I know where the guilt lies. If all were guilty, all would die…"
"This man…" Vorna began, approaching one of those kneeling. She pulled out a knife and a gasp went out across the townsfolk. But she reached down, cutting the ropes binding his wrists. "And this man…and this man." She cut the bindings of two more. "There was one other, but he is not here, my father released him to get us help, an act he paid for with his life. I would not see his death be in vain, for because of what he did, the guilty no longer can harm us." The three of them looked to Gylledra who gave a very small nod, and they rose to their feet. "They dragged me, all of them appearing drunk, into a room at the tavern, laughing. They kicked the door closed before they all dropped to their knees to beg my forgiveness. They said they would stay the night in the room with me and make sure that I saw the dawn without further molestation." She explained. "Of the rest here, fifteen are guilty."
"Any who wish to come forward may free the innocent." Gylledra called. After several long moments, a handful of people stepped out and one by one, cut the restraints from eleven more, leaving behind the fifteen condemned. "Are there any who contest either the releases or those who remain marked as guilty?" No one moved to make any refutes, so Gylledra nodded. She gestured toward the men and women deemed innocent, their armor appearing, helms in hand. "You are judged by these people as free from guilt. Get back into formation." They put on their helms, saluted and disappeared into the Nameless ranks, anonymous once more.
"You're going to believe the word of a bunch of peasants?" Ouros spat.
"Obviously you have all forgotten what I am." Gylledra hissed. The townsfolk who had come forward, wisely returned to their places. She motioned toward her captives and tall stakes emerged from the ground as each of them were strung up by some unseen force, their hands high over their heads, gags in their mouths, and ankles bound tightly.
Silence had fallen over the whole village as they waited.
"I serve Azeroth, which means all the people who live here, no matter who they are. The Nameless transcend factions and nations; we strive to help, without question, any who are in need of it. Those who serve me share these ideals and they swear an oath to uphold the laws of this army, to serve the people of this world and protect it from any who would threaten it." Gylledra's voice was loud and clear. "That these individuals willingly broke those oaths is unforgivable. They have intentionally caused harm, terrorized this village, committed murder, rape, theft, assault…I will not stand idly by or shield them from the justice you all deserve to see done." She turned then to the fifteen who had once been trusted members of the Nameless. "For your crimes you are condemned to die, but there will be no rest in death for you. Your souls will carry on to share the same fate as those of the demons I slay." They struggled against their bindings, to no avail. "It brings me no joy to carry out this sentence, my trust has been broken; you are traitors to the Nameless, and all of Azeroth."
Gylledra stepped back and raised her hand in front of her. From each individual, some ethereal substance seemed to pull from their chests. It took shape, the extracted souls she'd torn from their bodies and their gags disappeared as they stared in terrified shock into the eyes of their own essence. She stepped farther back, her eyes not leaving them as each physical body erupted in flame. It took only a second before their screams filled the ears of the spectators. Their consciousness remained both in their bodies and their spirits so they could experience their own deaths and observe simultaneously. Some might have found it unnecessarily cruel, and perhaps for any other crime it might have been, but in this, it was justified.
The souls watched, screaming in mute horror as the physical forms died, the pain of their immolation tied to them forever. Gylledra opened a rift to the dark place she put the souls of demons before she took them to the Twisting Nether to be destroyed. Though they fought with futility, the rift pulled them in and closed with a wisp of smoke when they were gone. She took a deep breath, the acrid stink of burning flesh filling her lungs. It was done.
When she looked over she saw Vorna watching, unflinchingly, grim determination and satisfaction in her eyes as she stood with her arms folded. Gylledra felt no satisfaction, only pain and remorse for what the condemned had done, and that by their action she was forced to take their lives. There was no good leader though, that did not face betrayal and that was not faced with delivering the consequences of it.