The Last Dragon(Lord)

The Death of Westeros III

"A Pyrrhic Victory is no victory at all."
- Lord Mace Tyrell, to the Queen of Thorns during Robert's Rebellion.

"Why is it always the innocents who suffer most, when you high lords play your game of thrones?"
- Varys 'the Spider', to Lord Eddard Stark prior to the latter's execution.

"Perhaps none of our work meant anything in the end."
- Brynden Rivers, to Leaf following the death of Jon Snow.

"Let him be king over charred bones and cooked meat. Burn them all!"
- Aerys II Targaryen, to Rossart the Pyromancer.

"Well, if you just try hard enough, things will work out. Won't they?"
- Ash Ketchum.

Spoiler Alert: They didn't.

This is also Mewtwo writing and yes, I should have opened with that.

Prior to the Second Targaryen Conquest, most remaining kingdoms of Westeros still tentatively supported remaining united under the power of the Iron Throne (or replacement therefore, since the actual throne had been stolen by Hoopa two weeks prior). The exceptions were Dorne(os) which had once again claimed independence and the North which had succeeded following the crowning of the late Robb Stark and was now apparently ruled by his brother Rickon, aside from the parts under eldritch occupation. The Vale was also an exception, though that was less due to the opinions of its inhabitants and more due to the practicalities of having the slightly less temperamental member of the Weather Trio (otherwise known as Groudon) rampaging around the mountainous kingdom. The Reach, the Stormlands, the Westerlands and the Crownlands been divided between three candidates at the start of the War of Many Monarchs, those being Stannis Baratheon, his brother Renly and his nephew Joffrey. With all of the above dead as well as Joffrey's siblings Myrcella and Tommen, only Stannis' daughter Shireen remained as a heir to House Baratheon – and as far as anyone in Westeros knew, the Iron Throne.

Unlike her direct predecessors, Shireen had proven herself surprisingly competent at the art of war – quickly subjecting the Reach, Crownlands and Riverlands under her authority with precise and where necessary, brutal movement. No small amount of statecraft was involved as well, for even in a time of trial such as this some lords and ladies proved…unwilling to be led by a girl who had not yet bled. However, one must also give credit to the Legendary Xerneas, who for reasons I do not quite understand had elected to assist her in these conquests. According to rumour, he felt guilty of killing her father but in that case why was he not lending his aid likewise to the other orphans created by the Battle of Storm's End? He should not be credited alone however despite the temptation to do exactly that, for even a commander with the allegiance of a legendary requires a decent grasp of strategy to know when such power should be used or not used. The latter is often the more difficult.

I believe a phrase from Westerosi history explains this difficulty: "One can conquer a castle with a dragon, but One cannot garrison it." The same might be said to be true with Legendaries.

Approximately six months into the 301st Year following Aegon Targaryen's conquest (if we ignore the heavy timeline distortions inflicted on world history following 'The Arrival'), Miss Baratheon was preparing to expand her realm into the Westerlands which had been left floundering following the deaths of Lord Tywin Lannister, his children, grandchildren and several other relatives including his brother. The current lord – or rather the current lady of Casterly Rock and therefore the Westerlands de jure was Gemma Lannister, Tywin's sister who had been married to a Frey in a horrifically misguided decision by the pair's father. Thankfully, Ser Emmon Frey was not quite as distasteful as some other members of his family and was content to leave the ruling of his household to his wife – though his personal meekness compared to the formidable Lady Gemma no doubt played a role. Being seen as no more than a mild irritation was probably for the best anyway, since I doubt Lord Tywin would have hesitated long in arranging for his assassination otherwise. Unlike Gemma Lannister's husband however, the other lords of the Westerlands were not quite so weak-willed. While they might have been willing to accept her authority on paper, they did not fear her as they did her brother and so found convenient excuses to avoid sending most of their remaining resources or levies to her aid. Likewise, the Legendary Pokémon Rayquaza failed to provide any help. He claims that he needed the rest after dealing with Kyogre and Groudon. The fact that he would not be so tired, had he intervened earlier was lost on him.

So aside from a few less obnoxious bannermen (such as Houses Lefford and Swyft), Casterly Rock would have to face this storm alone.

I do find it worthwhile to note that a previous chapter noted that Gemma (Genna?) Lannister and her husband died in Suicune's forceful eviction of Rayquaza from Sky Pillar/Casterly Rock, being replaced by Daven Lannister in apparent ownership of the Westerlands. This was accurate to a prior state of history, however the timeline distortions inflicted predominantly by a certain 'Voice of the Forest' resolved to alter and change these events. In the current timeline, Daven Lannister had perished while Lady Gemma and her husband had survived. Other quirks throughout the known world included Samwell Tarly now being a girl, Jon Snow being a eunuch and the entirety of 2012 Germany finding themselves cast adrift through time and space. I would love to say this is unusual.

However…

Just as Shireen Baratheon was making the final preparations for assaulting the Golden Tooth (the castle that barred entrance into the northern Westerlands), she received dreadful news from the south: King's Landing had been taken by the forces of Queen Daenerys and King Aegon Targaryen, who were even now attacking deep into the heart of her kingdom. There are a few things worse for a kingdom than to lose its capital, particularly one as young and untested as Shireen's attempt to reunite Westeros. She could not afford to waste any time conquering the Westerlands, not with the likelihood of parts of the Reach defecting to the Targaryens and certainty Dorne would do the same (at least in Shireen's mind; in reality Dorne would remain uninvolved in the greater war ravaging Westeros for reasons unknown to her). Punishing the Lannisters for their actions was an impossibility, which certainly infuriated the young monarch, since aside from the deceased Renly they were more responsible than any other faction for her father's death. They were also a convenient scapegoat for the failings of the previous Baratheon regime, even if they were not responsible for problems such as the bankruptcy of the realm (though that issue had been solved somewhat with the removal of the various factions the throne owed money too, most prominently the Iron Bank of Braavos that was now underwater with the rest of the Free City). With the Targaryen invasion none of that was possible and so different measures would be required to bring the Westerlands under heal.

The following events once again prove the applicability of the above quote on the use of dragons and beasts in warfare.

Soldiers from the army of Queen Shireen did approach the castle of the Golden Tooth…but they did so under a banner of truce, with an offer of peace rather than a declaration of war. Shireen's terms were as follows:

'If House Lannister and the other Houses of the Westerlands accepted the right of Shireen of House Baratheon to the Iron Throne and pledge what forces they can to the campaign against House Targaryen, they will be accepted in turn back into the King's Peace with no punishments or fines being levelled for actions taken in the last seventeen years. Any existing hostages in Baratheon custody will be returned and no further hostages will be required. Any aid House Lannister requires to restore order in their lands will be provided as soon as possible once the greater threat is disposed of.'

Considering that the previous plan had been to put Lady Gemma's head on a spike, this was a remarkable turnaround. Still, the Matriarch of the Westerlands was cautious and would have likely been even more so, if the Targaryens had themselves been an option for the lions to swear fealty to (they were not due to the Targaryen opinion of House Lannister roughly translating as 'dragon-food'). She therefore had her own demands to make of the young Queen. Her assurance in this can be partly attributed to a (not ill-considered) opinion that House Baratheon needed her support at this time more than she did theirs. While Houses Baratheon and Targaryen were roughly equal in terms of the Legendaries they controlled (Shireen having the fealty of Xerneas and temporarily at least Suicune, while Daenerys and Aegon had Deoxys, the dragon Drogon and Mesprit), in terms of army the invaders had the notable advantage with the relatively unbloodied troops of the surviving Dothraki, Volantis, the forest formerly known as Myr, the surviving Slaver's Bay population and a bunch of Sellswords at their side. And that was before factoring in Dorne and defections from the Reach. Shireen had the very much bloodied and war-weary armies of the Stormlands, Reach, Crownlands and Riverlands at her back and to make matters worse they were spread out across her realm, dealing with the presumed aftermath of the War of Many Monarchs. With the Westerlands added to that number, parity might be reached…and so the bargaining began. The Lannisters asked for land; Shireen offered the currently leaderless island of Pyke. The Lannisters wished for a seat on the council, Shireen threw the Master of Coin position at them. The Lannisters wished for assurance of their new-found innocence; Shireen signed a long and boring document about legalism and repentance, overseen by her pet Septon and several Maesters that meant absolutely nothing in the end. One of the only things Gemma Lannister didn't ask for was a royal betrothal, probably realising that a Lannister consort was an unlikely possibility following Cersei Lannister's example. She also didn't ask for money, since this was House Lannister and they were already the richest people in the kingdom (and now had their own bank, thanks to Hoopa).

The entire process took approximately two weeks and would have taken longer if Suicune hadn't been acting as an intermediary (he claims that his presence with Shireen was merely a guise to keep an eye on Rayquaza). As such, while Shireen was hardly idle, she was unable to directly against the Targaryens for the time being. Queen Daenerys and King Aegon on the other hand had nothing holding them back and so marshalled their armies and moved forward to claim more territory for themselves. Some of this territory was gained with the willing submission of its inhabitants, the key example being Crackclaw Point whose Houses had always considered themselves Targaryen loyalists. Other parts were gained by force, such as the City of Maidenpool to the north of King's Landing. With the aid of two Legendary Pokémon and a dragon this was a quick process, though this was further helped by Shireen ordering her armies to withdraw from the Crownlands to safer regions. Aegon and Mesprit managed the submission of the northern Crownlands, while his apparent betrothed, Drogon and Deoxys dealt with the south – drawing a line of fire from Tarth in the Stormlands to Tumbleton in the Reach. One imagines the only reason for the two not conquering even further afield was the threat of Shireen moving against one of them while the other was occupied. There is also the possibility that Mesprit was worried about going too near to the God's Eye and therefore Uxie.

Since Uxie would probably try to kill her. For very good reasons.

By the time Shireen was finally able to move, the entirety of the Crownlands as well as parts of the Stormlands and Reach had fallen into her enemy's hands. Said enemy had failed to significantly damage her armies however, who for the most part had linked up with their new western allies at the ruins formerly known as Harrenhal. Morale was low, though kept steady by the news that Dorne and the Reach had chosen to stay neutral in the war despite Targaryen offers; the former was currently adjusting to being an island nation and the Lords of the latter were of the opinion that the rewards from helping either side were not worth it compared to the inherent danger. While the Baratheon loyalists would have preferred for the two kingdoms to directly support them, neutrality was acceptable considering the alternative. Shireen gathered her forces and moved south towards the capital. Unwilling to fight against Legendary Pokémon in a city and risk the resulting damage, Aegon and Daenerys gathered their own forces and marched northwest to meet her.

The two armies met at the town of Darry, a settlement ironically just southwest of the Trident where Rhaegar Targaryen and Robert Baratheon had once duelled to decide the fate of Westeros. The current lord of Darry, Lyman had stayed loyal to Shireen despite his House's prior loyalty to the Dragonlords – perhaps out of some respect for his liegelords that his father did not share? We may never know. Both armies were relatively equal in size, with the Baratheon perhaps having slightly more men. Without any clear advantage, both sides were unwilling to risk any daring moves and so began a relatively typical plan of battle – the infantry of both sides advanced while archers and slingers did the best to damage the opposing force. The cavalry hung back, side from the Dothraki who as horse-archers were employed to harass the enemy. All four Pokémon as well as the dragon joined them in waiting, hurling insults and outrageous remarks about events that happened 7,000 years prior at each other. Uxie sat on the side-lines and ate popcorn, along with King Robb's direwolf and a flock of Pidoves. Halfway through the battle, Hoopa and Giratina appeared out of portals to join them.

Despite several attempts to encircle their respective opponents, neither side was able to fully gain an advantage in the infantry battle. The archers of neither side were able to cause significant damage in fear of hitting their own troops, even the Dothraki who were scattered by a cunning cavalry charge at a moment when they were overstretched in an attempt to attack the enemy infantry's flanks. In response to the movement of Shireen's cavalry, the Targaryens sent out their own…only to call it back once the former retreated back to where Xerneas and Suicune sat jeering. And so the Targaryens did likewise, and the long wait continued.

In the end, it was Aegon Targaryen's frustration that boiled over first. Mounting his horse, he called for 'everyone' to follow him to "Take the bitch's head!" and charged off towards where the opposing queen stood with her cavalry. Faced with the prospect of losing their king/betrothed, his side acquiesced and as one charged – light horse, heavy horse and elephant streaming down from the hill on which they stood and across the plain. Queen Daenerys joined them, mounting her dragon and calling for Deoxys and Mesprit to join her. After a shared shrug, the two Pokémon did. On the opposite side of the plain, Shireen did likewise – mounting Xerneas and drawing her lance she ordered the advance of her own reserve – though she was sensible enough to stay towards the back unlike one of her opposite numbers. Suicune charged at the front, however.

This proved wise when Aegon was impaled with three arrows before the lines even met.

Moments after meeting, the two lines shattered beyond recognition. There was no order of battle, no formation or plan – all too often, men would find themselves striking down an opponent only to realise that their foe had been their ally all along. It did not take long for much of the cavalry to be forced to dismount, as their mounts were cut out from beneath them with lance and sword. That is, if they could not get extracted from their downed horse in time. In the meantime, the armies of infantry found themselves collapsing in turn after several of the elephants charged into and through them; the beasts being driven out of their mind with fear and panic. The Targaryen infantry suffered a major collapse after seeing the death of one of their monarchs, but their enemy were unable to capitalise the event due to the renewed attacks of the surviving Dothraki who sent streams of arrows into their back. In the meantime, the Pokémon fought each other. Shireen had been forced to dismount Xerneas for her own safety, a safety that proved short lived when she was cut down by a squad of Targaryen foot soldiers. Her last words are believed to have been a man's name. Daenerys survived long enough to see the girl's head raised on a pike, before being pounded into a cloud of dust along with her dragon by an enraged Xerneas (bringing his total of dead monarchs up to three, more than any other single Pokémon – which is rather ironic when one considers he embodies life). It is unknown what the Dragon Queen's last words were, since no one was close enough to hear. All that was found of her following the battle was a blackened foot.

One would think that the death of all the monarchs would likely signal the end of the battle. One would be wrong, since very few of the soldiers were able to realise that all their commanders numbered among the deceased and so continued fighting. This was probably helped by the indication that the Legendaries were hardly finished, with a (probably accidental) Zen Headbutt from Mesprit bringing a annoyed Uxie into the fray. Slowly, the sides began to fracture even further than they had already as men from different regions began to turn on one another without the leadership to demand otherwise. The Dothraki were the first, sending long shafts into the Unsullied who had agreed to serve Daenerys. The Rivermen were next, turning against the Westermen as punishment for the crimes committed nearly two years prior. Stormlander fought Reachman, Crownlander fought Myrish, Volatine fought inhabitant of Slaver's Bay. While the title of 'Orgy of Corpses' is rightly given to the Battle of Storm's End, I would suggest that a similar title could be granted to this slaughter – perhaps 'The Anarchy?'

By my reckoning it took a further three hours for the fighting to truly end. In that time, the forces of each kingdom involved were driven to extinction and the chance of any united Westeros rendered impossible. The survivors fled south, east, west and north carrying news of the destruction, causing more chaos in their wake. Much of the Crownlands, Riverlands and Stormlands fell to anarchy, some parts regressing to the state of barely being tribes. Many of the lords who managed to hold onto their diminished domains declared themselves kings in their own right, signalling the start of a new Century of Blood. House Tully was only one of them. Many of the larger settlements of Westeros fell into abandonment and ruin, devoid of the support and resources they needed to function. Among that number were King's Landing, Duskendale, Darry and Stoney Sept. Storm's End and many of the great fortresses were likewise abandoned, for no lord now had the men to control them (or the bravery to confront the ghosts that haunted them). Saltpans and Maidenpool merged to form their own nation state as an 'Eleventh' Free City, absorbing much of the surviving Vale and their home territory. Eventually Seaguard would join them, taking a chunk of the northern Riverlands for their own. The domain of House Lannister likewise transitioned into a 'Free City', with the surviving Lannisters renaming themselves 'First Citizens' who were nonetheless basically feudal lords. The domain itself shrunk, leaving themselves with little aside from Casterly Rock and Lannisport. The lands of House Tyrell survived better than their rivals, though they faced a rebellion that saw their eastern territory succeed into a Kingdom of the Stormreach under King Lorent Caswell of Greatbridge (formerly Bitterbridge, formerly Stonebridge). They also faced a general collapse in their economy due to the destruction of Oldtown and the devastation wrought by multiple Legendary Pokémon. The Iron Islands were abandoned almost in their entirety, since with not even enough men to carry out raids they were beyond sustainability. A Thrall Rebellion at the same time did not help. Dorne continued mostly as it always did, though the kingdom was crippled independently of the rest of Westeros by an outbreak of the Red Death that saw House Martell, Yronwood and Dalt driven to extinction.

On the cultural side of things, the south regressed away from the united Westeros culture. The Vale experienced an uprising in favour of foreign gods, with that of the Moonsingers eventually becoming dominant. This was no doubt caused by the migration of surviving Braavosi to the new Free City. Ironically many surviving Pentosi did the same to settlements in the coastal Crownlands, leading the lords of the region to become increasingly enamoured with slavery and the Red God of the east. The lands formerly belonging to Pentos would be settled in time by the survivors of White Harbour and Manaphy. The Westerlands and Reach stayed with the Faith of the Seven, though their opinions of what was correct when it came to doctrine varied wisely. Houses Lannister, Tyrell and Caswell each had their own 'pet' High Septon. The Riverlands were a mess when it came to religion and culture, with each basically every lord having a different religion and set of values fuelled by the travel of various groups (including the aforementioned Ironborn) into the region. Many of these gods were slightly inaccurate versions of the Legendary Pokémon: for example, the favoured 'god' in Seaguard was Kyogre, while Mew was favoured around the lands of Harrenhal. In Dorne worship of Mother Rhoyne rose again and this time there was no unified faith to ensure otherwise. Somehow the Arbor ended up worshipping the Black Goat of Qohor.

I shall blame…Jirachi. That seems plausible.

Over time, the various forests of Westeros became increasingly hostile to outside life, as various bandit groups or Pokémon moved in to claim the woods for themselves. This was the case for much of the Kingswood, as Xerneas withdrew there with the body of Shireen after the battle had concluded and henceforth refused to leave. Dialga and Palkia exercised control in the former Eyrie, meanwhile Groudon went back to sleep. Kyogre did likewise, returning to the Iron Islands where no one was stupid enough to disturb him (and considering this is humanity we are discussing, can I just say how terrifying that fact is!). Uxie remained on the Isle of Faces, leading the reform of the Green Men into a rival for the extinct Maester order. Grey Wind returned north to seek out the last of his siblings, Suicune followed him. Dittos took over the ruined castle of the Freys. Hoopa and Rayquaza remained where they were, providing aid and difficulty in equal measure for the humans living under their noses. Shaymin stayed at the court of House Tyrell and was only kept from being used as a tool of conquest by the (barely tolerated) presence of Victini at the court of House Caswell. Lunala flew south towards the Summer Islands, Zapdos in the meantime flew north and settled in the northern Westerlands. Regirock and Registeel went into slumber in deep cave systems, eventually their brother would join them. Latias and Latios would join the survivors of Braavos at Saltpans, where I am told they provided a great dead of assistance to the young state (or at least Latios did). Mesprit was thrown out of this dimension entirely, after even Giratina refused to put up with her. Where Deoxys went, I cannot say.

Of the Seven Kingdoms, one thing remains that even Pokémon and man together did not destroy. The roads. The Kingsroad, the Goldroad, the Ocean Road, the River Road and the Roseroad remain standing to this day, presenting one device by which people of different cultures and beliefs might meet, for better or for worse. Perhaps those same roads will one day be used to unite Westeros again.

Who can tell?

Omake: Shadowlands

Night.

All the world is silent as a yacht silently sails up the coastline, passing with nary a sound under two great bridges; one a tall and shining suspension bridge, the other a smaller arch construction. Aboard the yacht are sat four Pokémon; a Wigglytuff manning the helm, a Grovyle tending to the sails, a Skitty keeping lookout and a Bulbasaur sat brooding in a corner. Though the group seem to be on edge and suspicious of their surroundings, they appear to be alone in this land. No water types swim through the river around the yacht, nor do any normal or grass types wander the shores. There are not even any flying Pokémon soaring through the air above them, not even nocturnal varieties or those otherwise lured into a night-time flight. Nor are there any people to be seen and the few structures visible from the river appear overgrown and aged.

Yet the group of four are still cautious as they make for the north-eastern shore of the river.

The Bulbasaur is the first of the group ashore, vine whips and bullet seeds at the ready. The Skitty quickly follows behind him, it's eyes scanning into the dark forest surrounding them. While the two of them keep watch, the Grovyle and the Wigglytuff have a silent argument over how best to tie up the boat, with the result being a victory for the larger Pokémon and the grass type's irritation. With the yacht secured, the two of them re-join their companions and set off into the forest with distinct trepidation.

It takes several hours of walking, but the group eventually make it to the site of a broken airfield accompanied by a few houses that have seen better days. At the Wigglytuff's suggestion, the group take refuge in the least damaged of the houses – the one that still bears a roof and four walls. Here, with the door closed they feel safe enough to talk.

"How much further do we need to travel?" asks the Skitty, who has jumped onto a rotting sofa with the aim of peering out the least obscured window. To his relief, nothing appears to be moving outside except for a wind chime tied to a house across the street. It's faint clanging is unnerving in the silence.

"This is – was Lentimas Town" replies the Bulbasaur: "From here we need to head through Reverse Mountain – one of the Magma Lord's old haunts – and then head cross country to reach the Chasm. Going via Undella Town would allow us to save on time, but it also goes too close to the open ocean which I would rather avoid."

"Hush!" whisper-barks the Wigglytuff.

Something moves outside the window. The Skitty has shrunk down in response, keeping one eye pinned on the shadow on the other side of the street. As one, the other three in the group move themselves into the necessary positions to defend the door with as little sound as possible.

The group holds their positions, even as a voice began whispering from outside. "Two answers are needed to find the true path. Courageous ones, let me tell you the answer I know. The world is split into two: day and night...black and white..."

The whispers faded and with a nod from the Skitty, the three others relaxed.

"What did you say happened last time you were here?" asked the Grovyle, "Because that was weird – even by my standards."

"Last time" replied the Bulbasaur; "I only made it as far as the Skyarrow Bridge before I was forced to turn back. For reference the 'things' weren't saying that, but what they were saying made just as much sense. 'Our words shall remain here for the ages. We must learn to walk in harmony. We depart for their sakes.'"

"Regardless, we should get moving again" said the Wigglytuff, "We do not want to be here when dawn comes, and the nastier monsters come out to play."

With that reminder, the four Pokémon set out again with the Bulbasaur once again taking the lead. His ears were pinned back against his head and his eyes scanned the darkness around them. While the group reached Reverse Mountain with no substantial difficulty, at the ancient volcano they were forced to take a higher route due to the collapse of several tunnels. Thankfully, the magma appeared have vanished centuries ago from the mountain; as evidenced by the large lake now inhabiting the depths.

There were still no others to be seen, though occasionally an ear would prick up at the sound of a voice unfamiliar to it.

"We sealed it away, alone in the dark…"

"…inherit our will, aim to the sky…"

"The next world waits for you."

Once they were clear of the mountain, the group immediately turned north to avoid the larger ruin visible to the east. Much of Undella town had been swept into the ocean, though they could still spot the old Pokémon Centre tucked precariously against a cliff. The roof had collapsed however, and the old sign was hung with garlands of black seaweed. The ocean itself was calm, for the moment. Wisely, the four chose to stay as great a distance as possible away from it.

By the time they had reached their destination, the first specks of dawn could be seen on the misty peaks of the distant mountains. Far from being comforting, it spread throughout the waking world as a red shadow. Still, the Bulbasaur led his companions onwards into the cave before them. None of them had expected to make it home in the first place, nor was there any assurance that the island refuge would still be standing if they did. But what choice did they have, in a dying world?

They would succeed, or time would claim them as it had the rest.

As they had expected, the cave was devoid of any light, requiring the Wigglytuff to brighten up the place with Flash. They all tried not to look at the various signs and warnings painted, pinned and plastered over the walls, even as they stepped around barriers and police tape. The further they walked, the more damaged the signs became, revealing ancient paintings hidden behind them; paintings that depicted many pokémon, but one of them above all the rest. A cold dragon. A cruel dragon. Perhaps the only other creature left in this world, certainly the only legendary after the fall of Sinnoh.

The end of the cave opened to reveal the interior of the great chasm, which was covered in snow despite it being the middle of summer. In the distance, another entrance had been roughly cut into the side of the cliff, out of which an occasional stream of cold wind would flow. The group approached it, making sure to stay as low to the ground and as quiet as possible. Just before they reached the cliff, the group noticed a number of words cut into the base directly below the other cave. Since only the Bulbasaur could read the human language confidently, he whispered it to the rest.

'LONG AGO DID WE LIVE IN THIS WORLD. ALL THANKS TO OUR COURAGE, OUR WISDOM, OUR POWER AND THE STRENGTH OF OUR FRIENDS. YET, WE WERE FORCED TO SEAL OURSELVES AWAY, ALONE IN THE DARK. WE WERE FEARED. WE WERE HATED. WE WERE BETRAYED. IF YOU HAVE THE COURAGE, IF YOU STILL HOLD TO HOPE, OPEN THE DOOR. FOR BEYOND IT I WAIT.'

A roar shook the chasm.

Omake: The Other Shadowlands

Sylvanas Windrunner: This world is a prison and I shall set us free!

A Mysterious Voice from offstage: DEEEEEEAAAAATTTTHHHH!

Sylvanas: That...wasn't what I expected to happen?

'Enter Yvertal from stage-up'

Bolvar 'not my Lich King' Fordragon: Oh no.

Yvertal: DEATH?

Bolvar: Lightdammit.

Sylvanas:...are you one of the Jailer's servants?

Yvertal: DEEEEAAAATTTHHH!

Sylvanas: Can you say anything but death?

'Beat'

Yvertal: Marwolaeth.

Bolvar: That's just 'death' in Welsh.

Yvertal: ükhel?

Bolvar: Mongolian.

Yvertal: Bàs?

Bolvar: Scots Gaelic!

Sylvanas: What are all these words you're saying? Speak quickly, or the Jailer's wrath will look like a mercy!

Bolvar: You already smashed my hat, what else have I got to lose? My looks?

Yvertal: DEEEEEEAAAAATTTTHHHH!

Sylvanas: Stop saying that! What is this bird?!

Bolvar: I don't know! It just appeared one day and wouldn't leave!

Sylvanas: Why haven't you killed it then?

Bolvar: Do you think I didn't try, Sylvania!

Sylvanas: SLYVANAS!

Bolvar: Whatever!

Yvertal: DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHH!

Sylvania: RIGHT, THAT'S IT!

'Fires a beam of her nasty black magic at Yvertal, causing no noticable damage.'

'Beat'

'Exeunt Sylvania right, pursued by Angry Turkey'

There were no Survivors. Except Yvertal.

Three Chapters to go.