Chronicles of Convergence

by deadliestfan

In the year of the Imperial Calendar 2510, the Daemon Prince Be'lakor subverts the destiny of a planet and, in doing so, inadvertently opened up a path to a new world: Azeroth, fresh from its victory over Archimonde and the Iron Horde.

18. The Siege of Life

Since the Pre-battle breakdown proved so popular last time, I am doing another one! Hope you all enjoy it! And Woohoo, finally on the main battle!

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THE SIEGE OF LIFE

THE KALDOREI

JARROD SHADOWSONG-Ten thousand years ago Jarod had led a coalition of clandestine allies, wild gods, and the disparate Kaldorei resistance into a battle that would determine the fate of the world. In the end, despite all the sacrifice of many tens of thousands, it had only been the actions of an elite force of champions that saved the world...a theme that had been repeated with depressing frequency over the millennia since.

The pattern would break, here, Jarrod vowed. He had orchestrated his strategies so that the presence of Tyrande, Jaina et all was necessary to none but nevertheless beneficial. He fully believed he could win with his non-champion arsenal alone, for the enemy looked greatly tactically limited in their options, limiting what he had to plan for. Just in case, however, he had still had contingencies in reserve.

TYRANDE WHISPERWIND- For all her disagreements with the commander, Tyrande recognized three things- that he was sincerely dedicated to Elune, that believed he was doing best by the Kaldorei people, and that he was the single greatest commander in the province. For those reasons she had not yet acted upon what she knew.

However willing she was to put up with Jarod's eccentricities and let him direct the allied force- for she freely recognized him as her better, there- one area existed where she was immovable and that was her own independence. Only the goddess could command her, she had once proclaimed to her husband, and that statement still applied here. And Elune had given commands of a sort in the form of visions- some of which flowed perfectly with Jarod's plans while others did not.

The Purifying Glaive

The Archers of Eons-The solid majority of any Sentinel army are its archers, heirs to a tradition founded fifteen thousand years ago. It is said that the Night Elves take to the bow before they can walk and certainly the majority have decades if not centuries of experience- even before joining the Sentinels. Yet the doctrine of the Sentinels has always ambushed tactics of mobility- ambush, the fighting retreat, skirmishes. They were unsuited to holding ground or fighting hand to hand in massed settings and would need to rely on others for such things.

The Unerring Eyes-Even amongst people said to begin learning the bow before they could walk, and which have had entire millennia to practice their craft, there are a few legends the rest stand in awe of. These ("Rakhdris') - The Archers of the Unerring Eye- are rumored to have taken their craft to an eon long obsession, to have bows that can shoot farther and faster than any other, and possess specialized arrows for any situation. More spectacularly, they were said to never miss a shot. (1)

The Glaive-Guardians-The Glaive-Guardians or are one of the newest branches of the Sentinel armies, created just almost fifteen years prior in response to the Second Burning Legion invasion. That conflict, both against the servants of Sargeras and the Grommash Horde, illustrated the failures of the standard Sentinel doctrine, as no amount of ambushes, assassinations or skirmishes could deter the enemy from marching on their sacred groves. The Glaive Guardian is built for that defensive role, armored in mail and a thin layer of plate. While not as durable as a Stormwind footman or powerful as an orc grunt, they make up for it with greater agility, speed, and an extra throwing glaive to break up incoming charges. (2)

The Moonblessed Batteries-Jarrod recognized the role of artillery may well be as decisive as that of magic, and hand spent significant energies into improving their effectiveness. He had put the shaman of the Dark Irons and Draenei to work at creating Barbettes- raised artillery platforms- for both the Kaldorei's glaive throwers and allied cannon. Further, the Sisterhood has anointed the devices in their sacred oils that would enable their glaives to burn tainted flesh.

The Temple Guard

The Divine Guard-While the Sisterhood is neither part of the formal Sentinels nor has its own military force, it does have a large guard composed of world-weary or particularly devoted souls who have, over the millennia, settled down either on the Temple grounds or informal villages that came to surround them. Many of them brought their prior experiences with them, and in the guard could be found former adventurers, mercenaries, Sentinels, veterans of the First Legion invasion, and even a handful of individuals who claimed to have fought in the Azsharan conquests. Such is the prestige of this complex, that numbers have swelled to be comparable to an entire regiment, armed and armored in custom-crafted equipment blessed by the goddess's servants.

The Sisterhood-The Kaldorei believe Elune to be as much a goddess of war as of peace, a duality that was akin to the moon form that she took, possessing both a light and dark side. As a result, it would be a mistake (and likely a fatal one) to assume even a novice of the Sisterhood to be harmless and a few individuals even choose to mostly forgo the healing arts to focus on combat, becoming combat professionals equal- or even superior- to any paladin. The overwhelming majority, of course, chose to be healers and as one of the largest and oldest temples in all the Kaldorei lands, the Val'sharan temple had hundreds of such priestesses present. (3)

The Kindred of Elune-Unlike all the other major druid orders, the Druids of the Moon- or Elunari, as they are sometimes called- universally made a decision to stay. An unsurprising decision, given the order, was first founded through the efforts of clever and passionate male devotees of Elune who sought a discrepancy between the previous gender divides that dominated Kaldorei society. While they knew only basic invocations taught by the secreted order, the Elunari have since developed their own teachings regarding the moon (s) and the effect they had on living creatures.

The WildKin- The primitive WIldkin have always had a deep, if a mysterious relationship with Elune, one that apparently predates even Kaldorei worship. The gentle owlbears have been known to show up at Elunite temples unbidden when they sense danger and, during peacetime, engaged in cordial trade. Now they arrived in their hundreds led by three scores of their oldest, wisest, and most magically inclined.

The Prophet's Judgement

Vindicator Kuros- The presence of the second-in-command of the Hand of Argus was meant to reassure their allies of the Draenei's commitment, for all of the Draenei leaders he was the most belligerent and vigilant when it came to the destruction of the obscene. His was one the loudest calls at the Draenei council for a return to Argus, and in his duties to the Alliance had prosecuted the war against the Horde in Stonetalon with particular zeal.
Unbeknownst to them all, Vindicator Kuros's mission was not merely to provide protection, but also investigation. For Prophet Velen was troubled by the presence of a world that the Light seemingly didn't shine on, and his vision was as dark as if he was gazing into the abyss. What visions he did receive were confused and chaotic, enough to convince the Prophet that a more hand's on investigation was needed.

The EverlightBulwark- It is spoken that where the Draenei stood the shadows turned back and the blight of the corrupt broke like water against the cliff. As with many flowery claims, it was an exaggeration, but not by much. Each and every draenei vindicator was armored in the crystalline plate every bit as protective as a Stormwind human's and gifted with a modicum of lore when it came to personal healing and protection spells- magic further enhanced by their armor's very crystal.

The Loyalty of Wolves

Lorna Crowley-Lorna Crowley, daughter of Darius, served uneasily still under Greymane's overall command, for all that recent events had forced reconciliation of sorts between the two families. After all, it was only a few years ago that she had watched her father lead a rebellion against his King's decision to abandon the Alliance at its time of need and be locked in prison for his efforts. For the sake of Gilneas, she had put that family animosity aside and served dutifully in the main Gilnean army, earning accolades across the spectrum of the Alliance during her tour of duty.

The Iron Wolves- The Worgen that served in the GIlnean and allied armies were not the slavering beasts of the Pack or the maddened things of Arugal, but creatures that possessed the full consciousness of a man, if a bit tainted by the rage of a wolf. Calling themselves the "Iron Wolves' these warriors wore loose-fitting armor that would rapidly fit in upon transformation and wielded massive broadswords, axes, and mauls that would have been difficult to carry in human form, but now as light as a wooden blade in Worgen.

Gilnean Guard- Not every GIlnean gave themselves to the wolf or were cursed with its bite. Many still fought as humans, a solid guard of soldiers dressed similar to the Footman that still held dominance in human armies, but with considerably more powder in their sleaves, the Gilnean blunderbuss being a particularly fearsome device. And of course, they brought their cannon by the score which, while dated to Dwarf or Gnomish designs, still had proven themselves again and again.

Bradensbrook militia- The town of Bradensbrook had been formed early in the aftermath of the Cataclysm, created from refugees who had left even while Gilneans engaged in its short-lived war with the Forsaken for the province. While they did not possess the training or savagery of their countrymen, the couple hundred militiamen possessed above-average accuracy with their rifles and were led by a champion markswoman named 'Grandma' Marl.

The Aid of Allies

The Ancients-The Temple of Elune had stood so long that saplings had progressed into treants and then into ancients in its eternal shade- a process that normally took thousands of years without magic. Several of these ancients had vowed to fight in defense of their home, being unable or unwilling to make it to the Emerald Dream to participate in the battle there. Even so, many quietly expressed dismay as to how many druids made the same choice.

The Divided Kindreds- The decision to stay or leave had been a deeply personal decision for every druid in the province. Most had left for the Emerald Dream, yet those who stayed comprised the majority of their youngest and newest. For all that they worried their elders, their presence showed the Kaldorei, not of the kindreds that the wilds had not abandoned them.

Moonguard- Ten thousand years had passed since the Moonguard had mustered together with their kindred against a force bent on corruption and destruction. Though saddened by the loss of their citadel, many of the guards took cautious hope from the gratitude their estranged kin had offered and the comradery of the shared struggle. Were they to prove themselves on the battlefield, they may well thrive again. The Moonguard were confident they could do this, for they were masters of the art of channeled magic which could turn sorcerers into artillery. (4)

The Gnarlsprung Tribe- Contrary to the beliefs of outsiders, the relationship between Kaldorei and Furbolgs was generally far from warm, barring a few tribes. In fact, small conflicts had erupted in the past between the two, for the Kaldorei viewed themselves as the 'protectors & guardians" of the bearman race and, in their minds, sometimes what the Furbolgs needed protection from was themselves. For the time being, the warriors of the mighty Gnarlspring tribe had put aside this animosity to battle against the literal plague threatening their homes. (5)

Jaina Proudmoore- Without a doubt, the exiled Daughter of Kul Tiras was one of the greatest sorceresses of her age, rivaled only by Khadgar amongst her race and by a handful of immortals elsewhere. Feeling partially responsible for the catastrophe at hand, she had vowed to use her considerable magical talents to deny the enemy any sort of magical advantage on the battlefield.

The Defenders of Dalaran- Jaina Proudmoore's mastery of Transmutation was sublime and renowned across the world for her feats in Theramore and the Undercity- and she had only gotten stronger since then. As it was, most of the six hundred strong Dalaran defense force had 'jumped' alongside her, with only a few handfuls arriving later on. To a mixture of wry amusement and pity, these human wizards quickly came to notice that the Kaldorei trusted and preferred interacting with them than the sorcerors of their own kind. (6)

The aid of the West- The Western Alliance had not managed to provide substantial aid by the battle of the Temple, courtesy of difficulties with geography, However, the King had sent mage couriers to all Stormwind bases on the path of the reinforcing armada, ordering their commanders to lend what they could spare. In total, between that and what had been portalled in during the conflict, the West had a battalion-sized presence on the battlefield. Notable additions include eighty SI:7 agents, three steam tanks, and almost two score Dwarf or Gnomish cannon (7).

The Champions of the Alliance –Much has been said about the class of so-called Adventurer, for more than any other group, institution or class their work their presence had impacted Azeroth…and beyond. However, there was little in common amongst the group other than their independent nature and call to glory. Of the hundreds that had come to aid the Kaldorei some had come to the pay and thrill, while others came for the righteousness of defending their own people or that of an ally. For some this was their very first actual battle while others had the experience of dozens of battles across three worlds.

-Maesera Lunarseeker - The Denier of Doubt, Radiance Between Worlds, Reaper of the Wicked –

All Priestesses were expected to learn the blade and the bow, but Maesera had come to love both so much that she was restless when she returned to nominal duties, seized by an intense calling that left her unable to focus. It was in such a state that she had an epiphany, believing that the dissatisfaction was a sign given by her goddess that she would live a different path from the rest of her sisters and bring Elune's justice to the forsaken lands.

As of this writing, she has fulfilled her province across multiple continents and all three planets. Master of the bow and glaive, wielder of purifying magics as potent as any master of the light, she can honestly claim to have felled a thousand foes by her hands alone. Indeed, her name is spoken often in the halls of the Elunite temples, though in a strained undertone. She is controversial, in most quarters, for her defiance of Tyrande's edict regarding the other races. Maesera believes that the goddess's faith must spread to make right in the world and though the Kaldorei alone, as Elune's children, are fit to guide the other races.

-Halford Ramsay- Master of the Wolf, Wielder of Elune's Scythe, Gilneas' Greatest Detective

Only two things could have convinced Belysra Starbreeze to bequeath the cursed Scythe of Elune to someone else- the orders of Tyrande herself, and the identity of the one who it was to be bequeathed too; Halford Ramsay. Even before taking the Ritual of Balance, the former Gilnean investigator had managed to exert a degree of self-control over his bestial Worgen state- something not even Malfurion had managed, during his brief exploration of the pack form. He had imposed his cold order onto the mind of the beast and later, with the ritual's help, banished it completely.

Since his pivotal but mostly out of the limelight role in the initial War for GIlneas, Halford has continued his service across three continents and two worlds, solving murders, foiling Horde espionage and, on occasion, physically taking down his quarry. The man himself was deeply ambivalent about this current situation- he was not a worshipper of the moon goddess and was a passive follower of the Druids of the Moon at best, having studied briefly simply to learn better control over his own form. Yet Tyrande was insistent- her visions demanded that this man in particular take up the most deadly weapon the druids had ever crafted.

-Maruuk Doombane- The Doomslayer, the Gloom Groom, Harbinger of the Light's Redemption

It is said that the Draenei hated daemons and their followers more than any other race, for in the face of each and every corrupted they could faintly see their own twisted visage staring back at them, or perhaps that of a loved one. To Maruuk, the face that reflected back was his wife, and the former Draenei jewelcrafter devoted his entire being to fulfilling an oath to strike her down. Tools used for peace were molded into instruments of war, and the various magical jewels were socketed throughout a suit of armor as ornate as any of the Prophet's elite guards.

He had put that armament to use across three decades of conflicts. Ever at the front-line, Maruuk has survived the Ogre arenas, battled multiple iterations of Horde, and a dozen other threats to Azeroth. However, his greatest feats were earned on that strange time-wrung version of Draenor, wherein a single holding action towards the war's end he carved through dozens of fel-corrupted orcs without aid, before marching through to the Fel Forge to slay another dozen Doomguards, earning his epitaph.

He remains haunted, however, by an unspecified incident that occurred when he attempted to visit the version of himself that existed in that world, along with his still uncorrupted wife. Whatever occurred brought him no closure, just pain, and his determination to find his daemonic bride has only grown.

-Eyalana Progressbringer- The Sticker of Needles, the Lifeworker, the Mad
Even her own friends and students publically state that Eyalana is a bit unhinged and that she should calm down. Over the course of two frantic years, she has been banned from all Kaldorei lands, the Exodar, the Darkmoon Faire, and almost Stormwind itself, by far the most cosmopolitan of all cities of the Alliance. It is rumored that only a last-minute intervention by the SI:7 prevented the latter, and if so that would certainly explain the presence of grim-faced, dark-clothed humans around the Wetlands compound of her order.

None of this deterred her- indeed, it only emboldened the self-proclaimed 'Chief Tinkerdruid of the Genome", the leader of an order that held radical young Kaldorei like herself and, of all things, gnomes. The SI:7 themselves had taken an interest in her and through them, she would show those senile old fuddy-duddies back in Moonglaive that the building blocks of life were not some vague ideal to be respected, but a concrete concept to be directed, for the good of all. So too, did the upcoming battle bring anticipation rather than trepidation, for she had many surprises to show ally and enemy alike.

-Sohelia Stalkblade, The Shadow of Pain, the Survivor-A mixture of a rogue with a modest background in archery, Sohelia revels in the thrill of the hunt but had long grown tired of hunting game by the time of the first Horde invasion. Given the opportunity to stalk and hunt more intelligent prey, Sohelia took to it like a fish to water, some (such as her superiors and fellow Kaldorei) might say too well. Rather than deal with her squeamish kinsmen, Sohelia set out on her own into the world, traveling far and wide, staking from the shadows bringing her prey low. On these travels, she has faced death countless times but has always survived. Sohelia believes that such experiences have made her stronger, are proof that she is a predator in a world of prey. Often alone due to her abrasive nature, this mindset has evolved into something nearing contempt for the citizenry of the lands she crosses, believing that those who choose not to stand and fight, who choose to allow others to fight and risk their lives for them, are little better than prey for a predator.

Now she has returned to elven lands, not for any love of her people or nature, but because she knows such battles often offer new opportunities for prey. Unlike other Kaldorei, Sohelia prefers the crossbow to the longbow, and has picked up a wide variety of trick or magical effects for her shots, be it poisonous, exploding, or (her favorite), barbed.

-Caiyden Brimblebom, The Dancing Drunkard, Swashbuckler Extraordinary! -A Dwarf with a thirst for adventure as big as his thirst for booze. Caiyden has traveled the world sampling its many delights, from food to drink to love. Caiyden has long ago learned that doing good, felt good, and that spreading good felt even better. Thus he did his best to push back against the darkness of a world ever increasingly at war where he could. Though initially little more then a (drunken) brawler flailing a sword, time and experience (particularly time spent in Pandara mastering the ways of certain martial arts) have made him into a legend worthy of any tavern on Azeroth! Now with new darkness descending on the temple of the moon, Caiyden is more than happy to lend his good cheer to the morale, and his sword and fists to the cause.

-Grrrmph, The Hound Huntress-Not much of a name, true, but this growl/grunt is all that is given if one were to ask the strange and dirty gnome what she was called, if she bothered to respond at all. Little to nothing is know about her before she was found, perhaps her parents died in some tragedy while traveling in the woods of Drustvar, perhaps she was abandoned. Whatever the case, wherever other gnomes may be known for its aptitude for technology, Grrrmph has little interest. Instead, she has chosen the forest and its denizens as her people and has learned the ways of the animals in ways only thought druids could achieve. Grrrmph has little interest in people, so long as they don't bother her, she won't bother them. But for animals, her heart is always open.

She has traveled the woods of the world collecting and rescuing animals, breaking traps, and slaughtering hunters who would bind and break animals to their will. How exactly she heard of the plight in Val'shara is also unclear, though some suspect the animals themselves passed the message along. Now she rides, sitting atop a truly massive warhound, a veritable menagerie at her back. She has no interest in the temple (it's possible she doesn't even know what that big building everyone is standing around is) but she does know this: "They hurt the animals. So I'll hurt them worse."

By the Numbers (and mostly rounded)

Tyrande Whisperwind
Jarrod Shadowsong
Jaina Proudmoore

The Sentinels -16,400: Archers: 11,000, 120 of which count as "Rokhdris', 4,200 Sentinel Guardians and 800 Huntresses. 180 Glaive Throwers for artillery and another two hundred for Hippogrypth Riders. To round it out there are numerous specialists, including 60 Shal'serrar and dozens of those rugged individuals who would be loosely recognized as 'hunters' (8)There are also two score Highborne magi reluctantly incorporated inside their ranks. (9)(10)

The Gilneans- 4,600: Roughly 1,800 Worgen, 400 Militiamen and the remainder forming the normal Gilnean Guard. Interspersed throughout these regiments are smatterings of magic user that number anywhere between 1/8-1/15, depending on the investment of the individual regiments and squads. Seventy Cannon (14), many of which were dragged from the transport ships

Temple Defenders ~2,525- ~ 1000 Temple Guard, 500 Priestesses (including eleven High Priestesses other than Tyrande), ~700 Druids of Elune (including five archdruids) , 300 Moonkin (with 30 shamans), 25 Ancients

Draenei- 1,450 : 1200 Vindicators with roughly eighty Elekks and two dozen repeating ballista. Several Score of Anchorite and Shaman support are also present and mostly incorporated in the Vindicator ranks.

Western Alliance(Combined) - 1,000. Includes twenty Dwarf/Gnomish cannon, eighty SI:7 and three siege engines. A handful of odd inventions by the Gnomes are also present, a half dozen griffon riders and almost a hundred varied magic users total

MISC

-600 Kirin Tor(1/3 which are non-magical Defenders)

-700 Furbolg Warriors, with a sixty Shaman

-1200 Druids of Various Kindreds, split up within the Sentinel army. Only two archdruids amongst them however, if these druids wished, they had the all-told capacity to summon hundreds or even thousands of treants. All in all they represent somewhere between ¼ and 1/3rd of the druids previously available to Jarrod

-100 Moonguard

-~350 Champions including Elayana ("Archdruid' of the Genome), , Maruuuk (Paladin champion), Ramsay (Gilnean detective/ Scythe of Elune) and Maesera (Priestess/Paladin hybrid), Sohelia ( Assassin-Rogue primarily), Caiyden (Brewmaster Monk) and Grrrmph (Gnome Hunter) (11)

Total: 29,000 (Rounded)

KALDOREI NOTES

1.A professional human archer can spend years perfecting their craft while an Asrai or Asur, who can live up to a millennium, decades, or centuries. These tend to make even human experts look like amateurs, thanks to both their untold experience and superior reflexes. So carrying on this line of thought, how well do you imagine Night Elves who have spent entire millennia with the bow? That is my inspiration behind the Rokhdrisi

2. In my verse (and I think hinted in the game) the Sentinels are a force still in the midst of a doctrine shift. Until the Second Legion Invasion, the Kaldorei had little need for a line infantry type unit, as most of the conflicts they fought during the Long Vigil were skirmishes, lightning ambushes, or other methods of melee warfare. Certainly, I would bet on the Sentinels being trained in case of melee, but the objective was not to hold ground, rather wear the enemy down far beyond Kaldorei holdings. It was only when they met forces who had the stubborn tenacity and durability(the Horde) or numbers(Scourge) to ignore these irritations and push through that the Sentinels were forced to reassess.

3. From their very first incarnation in Warcraft 3 Night Elven priestesses were shown firing arrows and calling down spells upon their enemies in the form of the Priestesses of the Moon and while Knaack's novels are unpopular among the fanbase for certain reasons, he does take the time to show the Sisterhood as a martial order. I think it's silly to force all priestesses of elune into the standard priest archetype shown in WOW, for they never were quite that.

4. The ability to channel arcane magic into a singular form or spell has many appearances in Warcraft lore, ranging from the Knaak account of the First Burning Legion to the Alodi comic all the way to the Legion Illidan flashback questline and Chronicles 1. I intend to expand upon its abilities, range, and weaknesses but outside of my fic it's established in lore this ability makes mages and spells much more powerful.

5. In fairness to the Kaldorei, Furbolg *ARE* ridiculously easy to corrupt in canon, a trait that extends all the back to their Wild God, Ursoc (a tendency Xalathath made fun of in Legion). That said, it was also hinted in canon (by a rather bitter Furbolg quest giver in Ashenvale) that the Kaldorei carried attitudes towards the race that were imperialistic, and this is certainly something I want to write about in my fic. (SHADOWLANDS EDIT- RIP MIGHTY BEAR)

6. Teleportation in Warcraft canon is remarkably inconsistent and plot-based with the most despicable example occurring in the War of the Thorns where the Kaldorei were genocided because the portal system wouldn't allow them to flee in time vs. Undercity, where all Forsaken citizens fled via portals and the Horde army was teleported in. However, Jaina Proudmoore's prowess with teleportation is consistent across all sources. I would imagine she could hypothetically boost the reinforcements and logistics of Jarrod's forces alone by teleporting to and from Stormwind, but doing so would exhaust her so not a priority on the eve of battle.

7. I have a whole essay on Warcraft cannons to share at one point however, a cornerstone of it is that there is significant evidence for breech or even autoloading instruments amongst the higher-tech races of the Alliance and Horde. The Gnomish/Dwarf devices shown in battle will serve as an introduction to that. That said, the majority in the setting are still muzzle-loading...for now. Unlike Blizzard(or Games Workshop, for that matter), I find it logically irresponsible to force medieval stasis for the sake of atmosphere and will show technology gradually evolving as the years go by for my fic.

8. Per Warfronts, Warcraft classes are shown to be incorporated in the regular army to some degree. I intend to showcase more of that while emphasizing the difference between these 'professionalized' classes and the roving bands that we call adventurers.

9. Warcraft is a universe where learning at least one branch of magic is an option available to pretty much anyone in theory. While there are limitations, they are not bound to genetics as are Warhammer magi and thus more common (as well as being over-represented in the military). The limitations seem to primarily be personality traits, like having a really strong faith in the light, a spiritual connection with the elements, etc.

A point to consider - in today's world, one of the major incentives behind joining the army (at least in the United States) is the prospect of tuition being paid for. The military knows this and thus a portion of their budget is allocated to educational expenses. Now imagine if a soldier's education wasn't just a benefit to recruiting or for the honor of veterans, but an actual battlefield bonus.

10. An additional two thousand archers were sent on ahead, to create a fallback position at the river ford between the Temple and Shaldrassil.

11. Four of these are my creations, three are those of my infinitely more talented editor. I will leave you to guess which :P

I am sure many of you are looking at Maesera and Elayana and asking "What the fuck?". This is the part where I point out this fic is going AU and I am creating new additions to expand on where I think canon is lackluster….such as forcing every race into the same template and taking away what makes them unique. Maesera is my attempt to highlight the old Priestess of the Moon Warcraft 3 connections, and by WOW terms she would be a mixture of Hunter, Paladin, and Priest. Elayana represents some of the more 'radical of the radical' shifts that are occurring in the Kaldorei youth, who are finding freedom from the stifling confines of mainstream Kaldorei culture while being overly radicalized by elements of others. She leads a so-called 'outcast order' of druids, groups that may have unique parts to play in the future.

Also, I am doing my own unique interpretation with adventurers, to eventually be the subject of a whole codex.

12. My 'official' magical ratio for Warcraft is 1/10. That is for every ten soldiers, one unit can be claimed as magical (such as a mage) or 'vaguely' magical (Forsaken Alchemist blighthrower). My ratios come from averaging a combination of showings such as the Warfront squads (which shows formations of normal soldiers and non), in-game appearances, some showings in books/novellas, and what is generally known about the fighters of certain races, like Draeneis using lots of Vindicators.

That said this is the averaged whole of all races- some might have higher ratios, some lower.

As it stands discounting the adventurers and forces I consider 'foreign armies of a primarily magical nature" my ratio stands at between 10-13%. Including them (meaning 2/3rd Kirin Tor, The lion's share Vindicators, Moonguard etc) bumps it up to about 18-19%. I believe these numbers are justifiable with the all three of those factions present plus the Temple headquarters complex, which results in an outsized presence of priestesses.

Regarding artillery, the highest pre-modern ratio of guns to infantry for major battles was Napoleon's Grand Armee with 5 guns per 1000 troops, which would mean 145 pieces for the Alliance if we assume that generous rate for them (which I think we should, given their portrayal in games). I have 297. I believe this number is justifiable by the fact that Jarrod both has a defensive position (meaning he doesn't need to commit to moving vast amounts of artillery) and the fact he had his ship's cannons/glaive throwers dredged from the seas to back up his forces.

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Maggot Host

Tamurkhan- The Maggot Lord could feel himself standing on the precipice of destiny, his patron's attention fixed squarely on him. If he succeeded in the battle ahead, he was confident that, at long last, he could ascend to his grandfather's infernal ranks. There was nothing he would not sacrifice to achieve this objective, and he has plenty of new tricks in case his fodder proved insufficient.
Orthbal Vipergut-Unlike the others who followed Nurgle, Orthbal was not so entranced by the Maggot Lord as to follow his orders without private questions. He suspected, for example, that Tamurkhan no doubt intended to sacrifice him and his remaining dragon riders to hold off the more numerous enemy riders. The Vipergut's ambitions burned as hot as his dragon's fire, and the champion vowed he would not be treated as mere chattel. (1)
Khazzyk the Befouled- In contrast to the Vipergut, the loyalty of Khazzyk the Befouled was considered ironclad amongst the standards of the North...which, of course, meant less than the chaos champion was personally loyal to Tamurkhan, rather that he believed his chance of Ascension would occur under Tamurkhan's command. It had been known to happen, after all, that a particularly talented underling could ascend alongside his master...or even independent of. To pursue that goal Khazzyk would ride to the ends of any mortal land for the Maggot Lord...beyond that, however, Tamurkhan was on his own.

The Rot Knights- Relatively few horsemen had survived the vicious guerilla campaigning of the previous months as they were either lured into the hidden trap into the forest, poisoned by arrows, or simply eaten by hungry Northmen. However, even the hungriest, the most frothing soldier would be wary of consuming the mounts of one of Khazzyk's so-called Rot Knights for so violent, so plague-tainted and daemonic corrupted were these beasts that they more often than not dined on man-flesh than the opposite.

By the battle of the temple, all remaining Chaos Knights had been forced into this sole remaining force, willingly or not.

The Pestilent Sons-Tamurkhan had mustered more tribes of Nurgle than any other warlord in age and with them came their mighty chieftains, each carrying far more potent blessings than their warriors. Dozens had already spent their lives in combat from the Mountains of Mourn to Lorathil and though by now only two scores and less than a half remained, each was worth dozens of lesser men.

The Pox-Spreaders- Thanks to the studious and dedicated efforts of the SI:7 and other Alliance assassins, just six Nurgle sorcerers were left to take the field. Moreover, their effectiveness was further reduced by their Lord's ritual, with nearly all of it being funneled into the Dream to maintain the Pox Mother's presence. However, they all had the sort of doomed cheerfulness so common among the Nurglites, for with their lord Tamurkhan counted they numbered seven, the most sacred number of Nurgle. Yet suspiciously the number of Nurgle aligned Chaos leaders also numbered exactly forty-seven- 7x7 and surely that was enough to prove it wasn't a coincidence? Moreover, they did have a second, more concrete reason for optimism- each had a few magical trinkets about their person that might be drained to power a spell or two.

The Plague Host- The core of the Host of Tamurkhan was, from the beginning, Nurgle's,. and at the Battle of the Temple, they alone numbered nearly forty thousand northern tribesmen, and the greater whole of the nine or so thousand Chaos Warriors was also of the Grandfather. Though as a rule, Tamurkhan cared little for his troops, he did recognize that the fellow scions of Nurgle were more useful to his plans, and had taken care to 'refill' their ranks- usually be 'accidentally' unleashing a plague upon the allied tribes, driving hundreds into Nurgle's all-accepting arms.

The Pestilent Hunger (Ogres & Trolls)- Of all the segments of Tamurkhan's army, it had been the Ogres and Trolls that had proven the most troublesome element, for they demanded far more food than even their prodigious weight should allow for. Worse, they were far too slow and cumbersome to be much use in forest combat, a fact that made the creatures themselves all the more bellicose and temperamental. Tamurkhan believed that at long last all the hardship endured to maintain such a force would prove its worth. (2)

The Dolgan & Distrusting Allies

Sayl the Faithless- Sane or not, virtually no one put much stock in the words or actions of one Sayl the Faithless, who had earned his moniker a thousand times over. Yet by magical acumen, accursed foresight, and just unnatural fortune, Sayl had emerged as the leader of all non-aligned tribes, much to everyone else's chagrin. The scheming mind delighted in these new tools and, together with the knowledge gleaned from his native sponsor (as much as the warlord hated the creature), Sayl believed he could secure the ruin of the Kaldorei and Plague Lord both.

Yet, it was ever a failing of the cunning and clever that, in the midst of their cunning and clever machinations, they all too often made fatal assumptions regarding the wit of their rivals. Sayl acknowledged Tamurkhan was smarter in this form than in his Ogre and assumed and guessed at two specific plans the Plaguelord had crafted to snuff him out. Sayl was contemptuous and mocking of both these so-called 'schemes', allowing a third to remain hidden like a buried seed.

The Ill-Fated Chiefs- Accursed are those who step in Sayl's shadow, for the Faithless one feels no gratitude towards his underlings while the enemies of Sayl all mark his so-called 'allies'. Indeed, Sayl had already had his Dolgan strip these chieftains of everything of worth, with particular emphasis on the shaman Ydib's magical talisman and paraphernalia- every one of them taken for fuel of his own spells. (3)

The Mammoth Masters- Sayl had one ace in the hole that had prevented the Plague Lord from moving against him even in his most wrathful moments- the mammoths. Not only the prospect of losses that would inevitably be taken in subduing them but also of the loss the eighteen mammoths themselves would incur, for it was long rumored that the treacherous Dolgan chieftain had inscribed vile curses upon the mammoth's heart that would silence them if his own stopped. (4).

The coalition of the Non-Aligned - The sum-total of the allied tribes had refilled Dolgan losses and then some, but represented the total of all pawns that Sayl could draw from lest he tries his hand manipulating the Dawi Zharr. As the latter was a prospect even Sayl was reluctant to undertake in an overt manner (as he would then have to ensure 100% of the Chaos Dwarf force was wiped out to prevent the eternal grudges from reaching the Greater Zharrdom), the Dolgan warlord actually slightly valued their lives more than the Plague Lord did his, if only for to fulfill goals of a longer-term than Tamurkhan. Yet it was a commander's sorrowful duty that he must choose some to sacrifice and Sayl told his newly assembled sub-chieftains that he had made his decision with great sorrow.

And thus every remaining member of the Allied troops found itself in the front, with the Dolgans securing the rear.

The Legion of Azghorth

Drazhoath the Unclean-Drazhoath's cold analytical mind ran dozens of different scenarios out to their conclusion and positioned his forces to benefit from the breadth of them. Under the worst-case scenario, the majority of his force would be able to retreat as the human rabble died behind him. In the best case, Tamurkhan's horde would be exhausted even as the elves were annihilated. In such a future, with the letter of Drazhoath's loathsome deal at last fulfilled, the extra debt the Plaguelord had incurred could at last be settled.

The Petty Tyrants- As typical of a Chaos Dwarf society, a thousand plus laws governed the circumstances where a subordinate might betray a superior, and another thousand plus laws dictated when superior may execute or send an inferior off to their certain death, followed by yet hundreds more for when someone could be forced to join the faceless ranks of the Infernal Guard. As was typical of a Chaos Dwarf society, they all nodded along to the words while in their black hearts seeking to game them all. The rivalry between Drazhoath and his half-dozen (remaining) subordinates, though bound by seven thousand years of decorum and a cold-blooded, cautious Dawi Zharr mindset, was no less heated than that of Sayl and Tamurkhan

The Infernal Legion- It was ironic that of Drazhoath's entire force the only part of his army he was reluctant to sacrifice was the portion whose entire purpose was to be sacrificed! Drazhoath felt that the Infernal legion alone could be relied upon, for the path to redemption lay through his approval alone- a gift he gave very sparingly, but enough. Yet the elves of this land had incurred the wrath of the Zharr and Drazhoath personally, persuading him to break with former policy and commit the hellforged legions to the front.

Hobgoblin Chattel- The presence of the Hobgoblins was a source of dark amusement for Drazhoath, for he knew that no matter the outcome of the battle, a permanent malaise had been unleashed upon this new world. That didn't mean he held any affection for the creatures themselves and, indeed, alone of his force Drazhoath had commanded them to be shoveled into the fire that surely would be the front. After all, they were easily replaceable...

Arsenal of the Damned- The Kaldorei had plied their efforts from the beginning to destroy or damage the war machines of the Zharr. It had been the objective of every raid, every bombing run, every waylay or SI:7 sabotage to hit these machines and, much to the Dawi Zharr's eternal hatred, they had done significant damage. Barely two score machines remained for the Battle of the Temple, and a full fourth of those bore significant damage. Yet these were hellforged machines nevertheless and their terrible arsenal would unleash great sorrow before the battle was over.

The Iron Giants- That the Chaos Dwarfs placed a greater measure of (monetary) value on the giants in their command did not mean their lot was any better. Indeed, better to be beneath the notice of the Chaos Dwarfs than the object of their greed, for the chaos giants were subject to countless experiments. Arms had been removed and replaced with enormous cleavers, enormous trailing flails had their clubs stitched into flesh, suits of armor was permanently affixed with fire and other stranger and more horrible experiments.. One even had its entire jawline removed and replaced by daemon-possessed steaming metal, which dug maliciously into flesh and had actually bit the behemoth's tongue clean off (though fast-thinking hobgoblin attendants cauterized the wound to present bleed out). Small wonder the remaining fifty giants were pain delirious, broken things, as eager to be killed as to kill.

Others

The Last Gors-Tens of thousands of Beasts once marched alongside the Plague Lord, but by the time of the final battle this number had whittled down to a mere three hundred. They alone could track the scent of elves in the forest and, recognizing as such, the Kaldorei had hunted them brutally during those early weeks. However, it was not the elves who were most responsible for the Brayherd's woes- no, that would be Sayl, who spent the lives of over half of them fruitlessly assaulting the Cathayan Tower of Ashshair to merely test its defenses. Bestial hearts still raged at the folly, and Tamurkhan's order for them to 'patrol the rear' was seen as an opportunity by the sole remaining wargor, Darzig...just as the Plague Lord intended.

Champions of the Wastes-
-Gaaargurl, The Bogwalker, The One-eyed- Gaaargurl was unique among all of the Maggot Lord's horde, for he was not of the race of man nor its bestial derivative, but something older and far more embittered. The Balefiend had appeared without preamble as the horde navigated the fogs of the Ghost Fens , speaking not at all to the Northmen and using fel magics to immolate those who challenged it further. When Tamurkhan himself arrived, however, the creature had bowed low wordlessly, and the fogs around began to visibly clear, with some of the men swearing that they could see faint outlines fading away with the mists.

Since then the Fimir had fought the Plague Lord's villains- Northmen and strange elf alike, but always staying apart from the rest of the host, and never speaking of its mysterious purpose. The Balefiend wielded strange and potent magics almost forgotten even in the Chaotic North, and completely separate from the spellcraft of any other in Tamurkhan's host. Most ominously, its magic was unaffected by Tamurkhan's dream ritual…. (5)

-Uggtech the Ugly, The Unhappily-Blessed, The Lord of Flies- Nurgle loved the little ones that formed the components of his diseases- everything from the smallest cancerous cell to the tower sized gangrenous ticks of the Southern Borderlands. Yet though the Grandfather loudly proclaimed to love all his little ones equally, in truth he holds a special place in his heart for the humble fly. And so it was when a young, obese and crying Uggtech the Ugly tearfully begged some whatever deity was listening to make him the most beautiful thing in the world Looking upon the lad with a smile that was both sad and gleeful, shedding acidic tears of both sorrow and sadistic joy, the Grandfather honored his request and broke the boy's mind, forever.

Of course, the Grandfather did not completely change his form- Nurgle believed all things could be beautiful in their own unique way. What emerged from the accidental invocation was a terrible combination of child and insect- comprised of a man's upright form and overall stature, but with thousand-lens eyes, multiple stabbing arms, even a pair of winds, capable of lifting Uggtech brief bounds. Most horrifying of all though is a bloated and maggot-infested stomach that erupts, every seventh hour, into a waterfall swarm of flies before reknitting once more. These follow him around loyally.

-Kunibald Stockhausen, Bringer of Misery, Student of the Reaper, The Spiteful Man- Not all of those of Nurgle exuded a sort of jolly fatalism that their kind had become renowned for, for a mortal's reaction to a disease was as diverse as the diseases themselves. Most of them had been wracked low by delusion, but never give Kunibald that credit, for he was worth none of it. The corrupt former scholar of the Empire knew exactly the pain and misery Nurgle brought to all, accepted that Chaos was cancer on the universe rather than a boon, and believed that the whole Path to Glory followed so religiously by the scions of Chaos was a great, big cosmic joke- even for the 'winners', chosen into an eternal game that possessed no conclusion nor purpose.

He just didn't care. He saw no joy in anything save in the act of bringing the same grey listlessness to others. And armed with his satchels of poisons, gaseous compounds and magical knowledge, that is what he did.

-Aarazamos Scrymad, The Almost-Taken, the Doomed- Nurgle's rot was by far the most infectious, most incurable and terrifying plague the Grandfather had ever devised. Yet even here there existed one very faint hope for the afflicted- that the direct intervention of a rival divine might slow or even nullify the powers of Nurgle. Such an act almost never occurred, for the Rot was so pervasive that even rival gods felt deterred, for the amount of effort required to scrounge the super-virus was hardly worth the effort in their eyes.

Yet it did occur and, so Aarazamos Scrymad, begged his master Tzeentch without pause, for it was the only hope he had. His former allies had abandoned him and threatened to kill him if he came near, the Nurglites mocked him and threw stones at him, and his own body was slowly morphing into the obscene caricature of pus and bile. And so he bargained and he pleaded for his soul even as his body collapsed around him, stating that he would carry out any task, no matter how demeaning or impossible, in exchange for the gift of Change upon his body once more.

And Tzeentch was listening.

-Sir Bartholomew "Beetle" Bailey, The Beetle Knight, The Chitinous Killer- Once a crew and vicious lord of Bretonnia, Lord Bartholomew's lands were wracked by a vicious plague which infected everyone from the peasants all the way to Bartholomew himself. Rather then heal him, the priestess of the Lady said this was a punishment for falling from her ways. In a fury, Bart killed the priestess and offered her as a sacrifice to Nurgle if he would heal him. Nurgle blessed the demented lord, who attempted to martial his troops for conquest, but was quickly turned on by his horrified court for what he had done. He was forced to flee upon his trusty hippogryph, each day fending off knights and priestesses who sought to slay him for his crimes. With each death, he grew stronger, and his mutations grew, until at last he crossed into the northern lands and was thought lost.

How he ended up in the service to Tamurkhan is a story for another day, if the bitter lord would share it at all. Instead of a proud and noble face, his head is that beetle, while his skin has taken on the pallor of a garden worm. His prized hippogryph died soon after entering the wastes, but from its corpse was birthed a truly massive stag beetle, which he rides into battle. In one hand he holds a lance, that with a scrape induces shiver and chills, and in the other a sword that causes fevers and sweats.

Beetle Bailey has never quite accepted his loss in station, and attempts to direct the savages around him as though he were still conducting court at Bretonnia. Most ignore him when out of sight, but when under his mad gaze at least feign courtly demeanor less they suffer as a meal for his mount.

-Urglock the Pus Monger, The Hostile Healer-Those who know the tale of Urglock would weep at the cruel tragedy. Once a medicine man (or what passes for one up north), Urglock worked diligently to develop and provide for his tribe, developing cures for the aches and allies that battered them in the hostile north. His dream, his goal, was to develop a panacea, a combination of magical herbs and potions that would prevent a body from ever getting sick, ever-growing tired… perhaps of ever-growing old at all. After years of backbreaking labor and service, he was sure he had done it. He was wrong.

It is unclear if he was sabotaged, be it by a mortal rival or otherworldly enemy, or if the good doctor simply wasn't as clever as he thought. But when he drank his potion, his soul burned and his body was consumed, and Nurgle claimed him before the dawn rose. When the tribe came to check on him in the morning, they were struck with horror: The man's skin fell in great lumps, burning the ground. His blood has transformed into hissing, odious pus, and his body moved as though his bones were stiff as rubber. The creature escaped, killing all in its way, making its way north.

Urglock does not see the world for what it is. In his mind, his potion worked, and his body is a shining beacon that holds the cure for the worst sicknesses in the world. To him, it is the rest of us, those not bound or blessed by Nurgle, who are the sick ones. His touch brings healing and life… to himself and his allies. To those not blessed, it brings only a painful burning death… at best. At worst it can claim the soul with Nurgle's rot, adding another successful patient to the Maggot Horde.

-The Medicine Man, The Mind's Shadow- Nurgle is a master of ALL disease, and though the most prevalent are those that afflict the body, he has just as many diseases that affect the mind. These horrors are embodied, at least in this battle, by the Medicine Man. Among the others of Nurgle he would certainly stand out, as he bares no outward sign of infection. He appears rather plain, ordinary, his clothing not even that dirty. He carries himself not like a frothing madman or a ranting megalomaniac, but as a simple traveling doctor, travel bag and all. But to underestimate him, to write him off, would be a terrible, terrible mistake.

Unlike others of Nurgle, he does not offer things that claw or things that bite. He does not bring coughing fits or painful vomiting. Instead, he brings paranoia, hallucinations, forgetfulness, and a thousand woes that have no name. He turns the mind against itself until it can no longer function, and the body offers no resistance as the rest of Nurgle's servants do their bloody work.

By the Numbers

The Maggot Host-49,150

Tamurkhan, Maggot Lord

Orbaal Vipergut & Three Additional Dragon Riders.

Khazzyk the Befouled

The Pestilent Sons- Thirty-One Chaos Chieftains, Fifteen Chaos Lords, All of Nurgle

Pox Spreaders- Six Sorcerers of Nurgle

The Plague Host- Forty Thousand Northern Marauders, 250 Chaos Spawn(6) and Forsaken, 7,000 Chaos Warriors, 500 Chosen and 150 Rot Knights. Twelve War alters are present.

Pestilent Hunger- Roughly 1000 Plague Ogres, 200 Plague Trolls

The Dolgan & Distrustful Allies- 10,030

Sayl The Faithless

The Ill-Fated Chiefs- 10 Chaos Chieftains (various alignments), 2 Chaos Lords. At least two of their number classify as sorcerers, but since Sayl is a dick they have no real way of spellcasting.

War Mammoths- Eighteen with Howdah crews

Coalition of the Non-Aligned- Roughly 10,000 with 1,500 being Chaos Warriors and maybe 100 of that being Chosen. Two Dozen Chaos Spawn also available and there are three War Alters left, one to each god.

The Legion of Azghorth-14,092

Drazhoath the Ashen

Petty Tyrants- Five Chaos Dwarf Tyrants, One Daemonsmith

Hobgoblin Chattel- 10,000. Most of them are melee, however, almost two thousand have been equipped with a bow. Led by Three Hobgoblin Khans on the only remaining wolves.

Infernal Legions- 4,000 Infernal Guard, enhanced by 200 Infernal Ironsworn and led altogether by a dozen Castilians. Furthermore, there are specialist units attached composed of eighty Bull Centaurs led by a mighty Tau'ruk

Arsenal of the Damned- 41 Chaos Dwarf machines- 18 Deathshriekers, 8 Magma cannons, Six Dreadquakers and the remainder being Hellcannons. In addition, the Chaos Dwarfs also have eleven Iron Daemon that were used to pull some of these around, and which could be used further in combat. (7)

The Iron Giants- ~50 Giants plus one crippled dragon. Finally, the Chaos Dwarfs do have one last surprise and may, at the command and magical ritual of Drazhoath, activate their K'daia which were kept in storage. This would create three scores Fireborn and one massive Destroyer.

Others-~500

The Last Gors: 300, with a Wargor leader

-~140 Chaos champions, including a few sorcerers. This includes Gaaargurl (Fimir Balefiend), Uggtech the Ugly (Champion of Nurgle), Kunibald (corrupted alchemist/sorceror) ,Aarazamos (Chaos Sorcerer of Tzeentch), Beetle Bailey (Chaos Knight/Champion Hybrid), Urglock & The Medicine Man (corrupted doctors) (8)

Total: 73,800 (rounded)

1. Chaos forces distrust and hate each other, a point hammered into canon in every single major Chaos invasion. Even Archaon the Everchosen had to deal with periodic overambitious Chaos-Lords in the End Times- after he had secured the favor of all the gods. That said, this hatred and distrust is balanced with a desire to claim glory for themselves, and the fact that to bring ruin to the god's designs is a one-way ticket to an eternity of suffering.

2. So I know I implied there was only 500 Plague Ogres fighting alongside Tamurkhan in a previous chapter. This was my error, as the original codex states 'whole regiments" of them- a point I overlooked accidentally in the several hundred thousand word tome. As a regiment typically signifies at least a thousand, this meant multiple thousands of plague ogres. So my calculations were re-adjusted.

That said, this revision is a double-sided bonus. Plague Ogres are ogres meaning that they have a massive caloric need, both for physical requirements and spiritual- the eternal tug the Great Maw has on their soul which gives them a hunger that can never be filled. Tamurkhan almost certainly could not afford to maintain their impeccable diet and hungry ogres would eventually turn on the Northmen. And if several thousand hungry ogres did that, all at once, that would result in the havoc of his army, either through infighting or consumption.

So I think Tamurkhan with these revised numbers would have carefully tried to preserve the most valuable and skilled core of the Plague Ogres while subtly spending the rest. Some I am sure he 'let go into the wilderness" where the could cause some havoc before invariably being pinned down by a Sentinel force. Others had probably been sacrificed to keep up the Ogre's food needs and some more probably fell in battles- either on the way to Azeroth in the Chaos Wastes, the skirmishes that occurred in the month since, or the brief mini-civil war that occurred after Tamurkhan changed his form.

As an aside, this is probably why all but the largest Ogre tribes number in the hundreds (of ogres) at best from the codex. There may be a handful of exceptions, but even those I would imagine would not be very many thousands. Logistics stops them.

3. In Warhammer, all magic users pretty much draw from the same finite external power source- the Winds of Magic, though some magical pedants or artifacts can be drained for some slight power boosts. This can allow for great feats of magic, depending on the amounts of Aethyric magics available. By contrast, Warcraft mages primarily use internal sources, with external as a secondary. As a result having more Warhammer mages do stomp on each other's toes a bit, as drawing from the same source uses it up faster. Warcraft mages (with some powerhouse exceptions) have a far smaller pool resulting in much weaker spells but don't magically get in one another's way.

4. To be clear, since my editor mentioned this, the Draenei Elekk stands by my measure smaller than a real-world elephant yet bigger than a horse. By contrast, the Chaos Wastes mammoth stands many times higher than an elephant (or real-world mammoth), is far more bellicose and aggressive, and has howdahs on their back throwing spears and arrows.

5. Not to spoil anything, but I am doing something unique with the Fimir as a faction. Just know that they are cheaters, that Gaaargurl is cheating in particular, and you should shun them.

6. One side effect of the lack of Winds? Less/more sporadic chaos blessings, meaning fewer opportunities for spawn/Forsaken.

7. From my research, the ratio of magic users to normal people in Warhammer is roughly 1 per several thousand soldiers. There are a score of sources I use to get this measure, so feel free to ask if you wish. This would mean in theory mean 15 if we divided 75,000 by 5,000 or 25 if we went by 3k. By my count there are 13 in the regular main sections and perhaps as much thirty altogether including the Chaos champions. I am sure there was once over double this, as an invasion force such as Tamurkhan would likely have the prominence to attract an outsized number of notables. However, a couple of months of targeted assassinations and the fact that the winds are limited (hurting their abilities to fend off said assassinations) have lowered their numbers.

Likewise, with Chaos Dwarf artillery I think initially there was a far higher than average proportion, given that the leader of a major Chaos Dwarf fortress is here and likely would have brought along more than normal for a major expedition (at the time planned for the Empire- later for Azeroth). I realize I probably have been still generous with Chaos Dwarf cannon numbers but A. I am reciprocating generosity given to the Kaldorei/Allies and B. The machinery is kind of the Chaos Dwarf's whole shtick, which would probably result in a greater emphasis than normal.

8. Gotrek and Felix "Road of Skulls" establishes a ratio of 64 champions per 8000 Chaos Warriors (the unit) Between that, and other examples, I have decided on a '10/10/10/10" rule for the Chaos assortment. That is for every 10 Marauders, there is 1 Chaos Warrior. For every 10 Chaos Warriors, there is a Chosen or Knight. For every 10 Chosen or Knight, there is 1 Champion/Exalted Hero. And for every 10 of those, there is a Chaos Lord/Sorcerer Lord.

That said this is a general rule. Some leaders of such fame and obvious power are likely to screw around with the ratios a bit. Archaon is one, the four brothers are some other. So between that and the fact that the Chaos Warriors (and their upgrades) did better during the long attrition stage than everyone else means there is a higher percentage than normal in the Chaos armies.

Now there may be more adventurers than them but its worth noting adventurer power levels….fluctuate more. While a Chaos champion is guaranteed to be a very skilled fighter.

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TAMURKHAN FINAL BATTLE BREAKDOWN

T-Khan's Plan-

What he knows(thanks to Broll): The abilities of druidism (near-total), the abilities of the Sisterhood, powers of the Forest Allies, the personalities of all three Kaldorei leaders, the equipment of the Sentinels . He also has second-hand knowledge of the Sentinel tactics and methods (relatively in-depth), armament, and generalized abilities of Draenei/Worgen (lesser Depth), some generalized knowledge of additional allies (equivalent to rumor and what can be surmised from a glance). He has knowledge of the land around the temple.

He is also aware, through the efforts of his sorcerers, of a rough approximation of enemy numbers, though the unit types of the allies are not all known. He is aware of the so-called "Adventurers" by reputation and eager to test his own Chaos Champions against them.

What he does not know:

Tamurkhan's limitations are based both around the circumstance of the allied forces arriving after Broll's possession as well as the biases and lack of specific knowledge that Broll himself possessed.

-Allied Troop Composition: In regards to the allied reinforcements, he knew that they were coming, and roughly what groups were part of the relief force, but not the exact composition. He has suspicions and has boosted those suspicions with what scrying his sorcerers have been able to do however a complication has arisen. The Kaldorei have begun to suspect some magical means of spying and are putting up both their own and Kirin Tor countermeasures. Finally, he is totally unaware of Jaina Proudmoore's presence, though as Broll has encountered the sorceress on his travels Tamurkhan will recognize her power once she makes an appearance.

-Alliance Technology: Tamurkhan possesses only a very layman's knowledge of Alliance technology, as Broll was never particularly interested in studying it. Moreover, his Kurgan side- being from a technology primitive civilization- has little care or understanding of it. In fact, the Kurgan background is more likely to view it with disdain than even the Kaldorei. Technology is the crutch that allows Cathay & The Empire to compete, and that this new world also makes heavy use of artifice is just more proof of their weakness.

Magical Bias- In life Broll held biases towards certain magic types he considered 'unnatural' such as the arcane, fel, and shadow magic (he held some respect for the Light). While Broll possessed some knowledge of their destructive capability, he did not have any great knowledge of their utilitarian capabilities, barring widespread applications (an example is arcane and portal magic). He does not have any in-depth or theoretical knowledge.

In total Tamurkhan inherited a great deal of generalized knowledge regarding his foe which can be defined here as 'how one typically acts'. He gambled hard that Malfurion would leave to defend the Emerald Dream and he was correct. What he lacks, compared to Jarrod, is specific knowledge regarding exact enemy composition, numbers (Tamurkhan believes he outnumbers the Kaldorei 4-1 when its closer to 3-1), the full range of abilities available to them, technology and champions available to them.

What he has : Somewhere between over 70,000 warriors spoiling for a fight. The infantry is almost entirely melee-based, barring some huntsmen or the Chaos Dwarf Contingent. He still has almost 100 giant monsters (Mammoths and Giants and a handful of other things) and a couple of dozen sorcerers. Beastmen at this stage is largely depleted barring a couple of hundred bitter survivors and his cavalry more or less had their mounts eaten to handle the horde's food requirements, if they weren't taken out during the various skirmishes.

However, and no one else knows this (not even his benefactor), Tamurkhan has been delving into the memories and knowledge of Broll and combined it with what scraps he could recall from his past lives as a Warhammer sorcerer, he believes he might be able to summon daemons from the ED to Azeroth. These won't last long, they will start fading away immediately, but they might be able to inflict some casualties and cause some havoc while their manifestation lasts.

What he wants: To Ascend into Daemonhood, Honor Nurgle and Achieve Victory for his Horde. In that order.

What his gameplan is-

Every chaotic force in the setting, whether they are Skaven, Chaos Dwarfs, or Chaos proper, makes use of some variation of wave tactics. They will assault an enemy position first and en masse with their more expendable troops, exhausting enemy missile fire and use that as a screen to guide in their more powerful and potent units. Ultimately Chaos leaders are almost invariably concerned with personal power and glory first, and to them, every soldier at their command is expendable (though some more so than others...).

Tamurkhan knows his force is heavily outperformed in distance combat, perhaps to a greater extent than he has experienced before. He knows he can't rely on his sorcerers- both because of the dearth of Aethyric magic present and the fact that much of what is on Azeroth is maintaining his plague-mother. He knows that the Chaos Dwarfs cannot hope to make up the deficit, regardless of their boasts. He knows that the longer his force fails to close the greater the damage the elves can inflict. Thus, the first part of his plan is simple - close the distance.

His first, massed wave is going to consist of much of the horde's marauders- multiple tens of thousands of leather or barely clad chaos tribesmen all spoiling for blood. This ill-disciplined lot could hardly be held back anyway (as shown by the first assault on the Moonguard Stronghold) as culture, ego, and yearning for glory leads them to throw themselves into truly horrendous situations in lore, so long as they feel their gods are watching. With zeal and sheer weight of numbers, Tamurkhan knows that enough of them will get past the unending deluge of spells and projectiles to mob the enemy front lines. And, when that happens, he will send his warbeasts in- right through his own lines at their thinnest sections.

Now I know what you are saying- "Deadliestfan that is the height of stupidity. The Momentum of the great beasts is going to be slowed by Tamurkhan's own force, reducing the impact of the charge by the time they reach Kaldorei lines. Moreover, many of his own force is going to be reduced to a pulp through the process."

To which I say yes, undoubtedly all that is true- but the point is to get the great beasts into melee. Because, right now, Tamurkhan knows that if he sent his beasts in first, the greater whole of them would die from massive magical and physical forces (mages, air units, and artillery) leveled against them and only them. As his own losses….

Each and every warrior is ultimately expendable to Tamurkhan, so long as he achieves glory and advancement by the end of it. From Broll's memories, Tamurkhan knows that the hopes of the enemy mustering another major army to fight him before the World Tree is slim, and has no particular reason to work to save the 'dregs' of his army. In fact, for the maximum effect, he plans to have the Chaos Dwarfs bombard the frontlines shortly before the giant/mammoths charge. Following these mammoths through the shattered field of broken enemies & allies alike will be the Chaos Warrior elite, who will doubtless move through the path of crushed bodies like water pouring into a new opening.

With Kaldorei/Alliance lines reeling from the shock of the monster's charge and the unyielding heated iron of the Chaos Warriors being pressed in hot, Tamurkhan believes that his enemy will have no choice but to deploy their most powerful reserve- Tyrande- in the hopes that her moral and magical might will turn the tides. It is then that Tamurkhan plans to commit himself and some of his greatest champions in the hopes of taking her down. Though the Plague Lord knows this is no doubt anticipated, and that Tyrande is a powerful combatant, Tamurkhan has never lacked for confidence and believes victory is certain between his stolen druidic might (second only to Malfurion and Cenarius), the Grandfather's gifts, and his millennia of combat experience. And if he claimed the head of the avatar of this world's greatest deity, Tamurkhan believes he will have earned daemonhood at last. In fact just to be absolutely clear on this point from an authorial standpoint, if he does kill Tyrande then yes, he becomes a daemon prince.

---

The J-Man's Plan

What He knows- The total force composition of the enemy, including armament and methodology, a reasonably accurate assessment of the enemy's psychology born from over a month of fighting, rough identities of most of the leaders of the Plague Host (thanks to their tendency to be either sorcerer or wear unique getup). He has gotten a sense of the other force's impeccable zeal and knows, from the reports of the druids leaving for the Emerald Dream, that they have some otherworldly backing. Finally, he believes that the enemy's main plan will doubtlessly involve a series of assaults designed to occupy his artillery & ranged units energies and exhaust them before the main push.

He also knows about diseases, which have been spreading throughout the forest and have continued to do so in the weeks since they were unleashed. However, with Malfurion gone, Jarrod has ordered all magical healers to concentrate on his own force to ensure their healthiness. To his pleased surprise, he got away with this, as Tyrande made no move to counteract the order. As a result, his forces are mostly disease free, due to a combination of Warcraft having far more magical healers than Warhammer plus the weakened warp presence on Azeroth.

What he does not know-

The inverse of Tamurkhan, Jarrod knows a lot about the specifics of the enemy Horde- he knows the size of their foraging patrols, how many metal-coated warriors there are, the dearth of enemy Calvary due to having to sacrifice much of it for logistical needs. What he does not understand, however, is general knowledge regarding the background of these units.

For example, he knows from limited encounters with patrols that the plate armored chaos warriors are more skilled than ordinary chaos tribesmen- he just doesn't understand how much more skilled. He has only seen them act in highly unique situations outside of their norm- the hit and run raids, mainly, where the Kaldorei were not seeking to engage in pitched combat.

-The internal rivalries- He may have some vague suspicions of a lack of unity, but he has no idea of the specific rivalries that motivate Tamurkhan's horde, much less how to take advantage of it.

What Jarrod has- Almost 30,000 to his name, with the solid core being Kaldorei sentinels along with significant minorities of Gilneans and Draenei and a smattering of Western allies to top it all off. Nearly a tenth of his force would qualify as a magic-user of some kind (boosted higher than normal thanks to the presence of the Draenei, whose vindicators almost all count as Paladins), he has almost three hundred now fabled champions, a thousand Calvary of various sorts and three hundred and fifty artillery pieces.

However, the core of his army are still troops predominately used to ranged warfare and, though trained with the glaive and sword, are unsuited for pitched combat in both doctrine and armament. To that end, he is incredibly reliant on allied troops to fill the key role, a source of much personal regret and embarrassment.

What Jarrod Wants- To Defend his people, Elune, and the province in that order. I will note that while Jarrod professes extreme skepticism towards the teachings of Malfurion, he is a diehard supporter of Elune thanks to both his deceased wife Shalasyr being a priestess in life and the incident in Wolfheart where the goddess allowed Jarrod to achieve brief communion with Shalasyr's spirit after death.

What his gameplan is-

Like Tamurkhan, Jarrod knows that his force has heavy domination in ranged combat thanks to the almost complete dearth of missile weaponry among the infantry. Only the corrupted Dwarfs possess any sort of guns and Jarrod is doubtful that he will see much of them at the front- they are better served with their strange and ominously malevolent artillery.

The role of the Kaldorei has switched to a reactive stance, rather than proactive, as the defender often is during sieges. While the fastest and sneakiest might continue to be used to bleed the enemy, for the most part, the Kaldorei are awaiting in prepared positions. As the Night Elves are not a race accustomed to strongly fortified positions, most of their defense consists of nasty traps designed to bleed and slow. Poisonous fields of flowers set to bloom as soon as disturbed, pit traps included a ten-foot trench, even the imported mines of gnomish and goblin make.

The Kaldorei army is akin to a crab's shell- hard on the outside, where Jarrod has by necessity placed much of his melee-focused infantry, and soft on the inside, where most of his archer troops are. The commander knows it will be the goal of his enemy to break that shell. Jarrod's belief is that the enemies' assault will begin with the giant warbeasts placed in the front as the front of wedges to shatter his lines with the regular infantry following up and providing a further screen from when the plate armored elites show up.

Conversely, Jarrod knows the longer he can hold off the enemy, the greater the damage his masses of ranged infantry and artillery can inflict. To that end, he has geared his tactics around both buffeting his front line and improving the lethality of his ranged troops. Just as he had so many millennia past in the War of the Ancients, the commander has broken out many of his magical specialists and spread them apart into both his and the allied armies.

Interspersed through the sections were armored druids of the claw ready to reinforce faltering portions of the line while priests and other healers have been placed in the rear of the front-ranks to restore and rejuvenate those upfront. Shortly behind the melee infantry but before the ranged bands of champions roamed, having been given orders to plug up the most endangered sections.

At the same time, his ranged potential had been bolstered by techniques new and old. Squads of Moon Guard and Kirin Tor stood situated throughout his rear ranks in great circles of power with the strongest of their number in the middle. At a command the outer ranks would channel raw arcane into the solitary selection, amplifying their spellcraft tenfold. A little-used technique, this 'arca-transfusion', with a hundred possible complications to boot, but one which bloodied the troll empires of the past. Leading this will be Jaina Proudmoore herself and Jarrod reckons if even half of the rumors regarding her are correct, then she may well outdo the efforts most of all the other mages combined.

Likewise, he has turned his hippogryph fighters into bombers. While he may be limited in the explosive bombs of the Western allies or the delicate, strange yet quite deadly bundles that certain Talon druids craft, he has found a simple solution to that issue- rocks, tied in great bundles underneath the beast and untied over the enemy by the Kaldorei pilot. In our world, simple rocks have long been used by defenders during sieges as weight+ distance turns them into deadly projectiles- and the hippogryphs will be dropping them from a higher height than any real-world wall.

With these factors in mind, Jarrod's entire strategy is built around the neutralization of one enemy element after another. From their elevated Barbettes he has ordered them to prioritize the incoming monsters first and between the legendary accuracy of his people and the firepower of their allies, he hopes to bring most of them down before they can reach his front lines. From those same elevated positions will sit SI:7 snipers armed with the newest and latest gnomish rifles will be tasked to seek out and eliminate what sorcerer's dare use their craft. Lastly, for the skies, his foe had a handful of dragons left and once that deed was done, once the dragons are out of the skies, their objectives were to target the enemy artillery.

He has issued special orders for Tyrande. The priestess is to maintain a position a respectable distance in the middle of the Kaldorei army whereupon she will call upon the light of Elune to interfere with enemy artillery, just as she did before in a previous battle of Ashenvale. Following this, she is to move to close magical support, and in this service as the key bait for his trap. From their previous battle, Jarrod believes he has a measure of the enemy commander, and that the invader will risk himself over the prospect of glory. At some point, he believes Tamurkhan will rush forward to try to both break the stalemate and claim Tyrande or his own head. When that occurs he will be met not only by the High Priestess and her guards but Jarrod, Jaina, and some of Azeroth's mightiest champions.

Once those objectives are complete, all his front lines have to do is hold until the unrelenting fire of the allied armies whittles away the enemy into a rout at best hope or dissolution.

---

Conclusion:

Now I know what you are thinking "DeadliestFan, What the Hell? Why would you spoil the battle so thoroughly in this strange mini-segment like this?"

To which I say, I certainly did not. The above only constitutes what Jarrod and Tamurkhan think will happen. As the famous adage goes, no plan ever fully survives contact with the enemy. Both Tamurkhan and Jarrod have significant gaps within their plans- Tamurkhan unaware of Jaina being there, for instance, while Jarrod underestimates just how willing his opposite is when it comes sacrificing his troops for glory. Moreover, there are so many other factors to consider beyond both of them, for the lieutenants and champions of both armies are not unthinking automatons, and have their own motivations and individual ideas to act out. Beyond them is the conflict in the Emerald Dream, the glancing eyes of different divinities and even mundanities such as time of day!

Regarding both of their plans, I think I have made both in keeping with their established characters or in-keeping with the adjustments I have made in the story (such as "Brollkhan"'s newfound knowledge). Jarrod has made a lot of adjustments to his force composition and mixed unit incorporation, just as he did in the War of the Ancients, but with a lot of moving parts around and a far more complicated battleplan than Tamurkhan (even if he does have some unmentioned backups). Tamurkhan meanwhile is far more limited in his options and thus his plan is less detailed however there is a brilliance to simplicity, with fewer chances for mistakes.

So why am I posting it? Because the battle is not totally set in stone, even if I am leaning aside. Because I would like to hear your ideas, including potential criticism or just miscellaneous thoughts.

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REVIEW RESPONSE

First, thank you all for the reviews
The Happy Vampire

Certainly, what theKaldorei build is going to be both aesthetically pleasing, intricate, and structurally sound.. Even the stuff they build fast is going to be almost flawless, the result of decades/centuries/millennia of refinement. In fact, I suspect this is a general trait with the 'older' races who in general have superior craftsmanship, design, and reliability than the tech of the younger, with more resources too.

However, as a cost, the younger ones, in general, are more technologically innovative, industrious, and radical. They are far more willing to experiment with new designs, rather than perfect their own. They are more willing to invest in potentially environmentally ruinous resources, create dangerous conditions in their factories, and of course try to rush through the societal nightmare that is industrialization.

This affects technological development, which ill detail in another post one day. As a preview, I will say that thanks to the presence of magic, cultural and racial traits, and general mindsets, no one advances in the Western manner found in history. In fact, I think that is often a great limitation of Fantasy, that we all expect technology to develop along the lines of "Matchlock-Wheelock-Flintlock-repeaters/breechloading-automatic" gunpowder and firearm technology. Its a limitation of creativity, in my view.

Why would the Kaldorei do that, for instance? They have a history and mastery of the bow that I think beats out any other Warcraft faction and if they gave that up, for a technology that they are not certain is better than the bow (as of flintlocks) they would throw that all away to at most gain temporary parity of the other races, not dominance.

I think the natural path of the Kaldorei is to invest in bow technology further. They could use all those strange materials to invest in bows that are far lighter and yet have the draw strength offered by steel, allowing them to hit harder, longer, and get less drained in the process. They could use the return of the Arcane mages to enchant their arrows with armor piercing points, target seeking, or other variety of effects. And perhaps they could even create new bows, like a Fantasy version of the Gears of War Torque bow or that goofy-looking 'automatic bow' invented a few years ago (in real life) that can apparently shoot 140 bolts a minute. While that particular weapon would be weak and range-limited, I see no reason why with actual serious R/D behind it it couldn't be crafted into a serious weapon eventually.

In the end, this path may or may not be better than ours, but it will be one thematic to the Kaldorei (amongst other technological changes). I plan a lot of technological development, but not one race (even the Empire, Stormwind) will match ours exactly.

Regarding religious competition...yes that is a can of worms. Like I think it would be a serious factor in the Alliance/Empire relations in regards to possible Proselytism between worlds. Amusingly I think the Empire's religions would at first be the one actively trying to Proselytizing while the Light/Elune pretty much don't, and still start losing followers given the undeniable existence of the Light as an active force, while Sigmar's influence is lesser (thanks to chaos) and more subtle. It might get worse if a Naaru intervenes and decides the Light needs a more active spread into Mallus...

As for cohesion, If I remember correctly I think the Ulric/Sigmar divide was caused by Chaos a while ago. Chaos might attempt the same thing with the Light/Elune but...with an active Elune and the weirdness of the Light religion (they worship a faceless universal concept, rather than a god with a personality) I am not sure of their success.

JigglyFap
I will need to do some serious research before doing a definitive statement about how prevalent hobgoblin spores will be, or if they are completely impossible to remove. As I mentioned, the Greenskins are probably the race I have done the least amount of research on and, though I have an overview, it is not in-depth.

I do believe that there was a High Elf who made some infamy amongst the orcs for magically destroying the spores. For that matter, it might be worth looking into if spores still exist on Ulthuan or portions of Lustria where they conducted massive invasions. Some limitations probably do exist even without magic, as we don't hear about major orc invasions springing up directly inside Altdorf or major Dwarf holds (the ones not taken) despite those places being the subject of major orc incursions in the past.

My impression is that it is possible to strip areas of orc spores, but it is incredibly difficult and certain environmental factors do provide limitations. I have a lot more to look up though before giving a conclusion.

Regarding Horde allies, I am reluctant to change the fate of allied races that canonically joined up, so you can expect Nightborne joining Horde, Lightforged Alliance etc. That said circumstances will be...different, then in canon and possibly with more controversy for some. In regards to Mallus allies absolutely no one would be happy allying with the Dark Elgi and with a couple of possible exceptions, the Vampire Counts might be considered too malevolent for the Horde ...at least Vol'jin's- Sylvannas's horde would happily accept even the Necrarchs. That said, its possible one Vampire Count character can make a case even to Vol'jin.

Tomb Kings and Araby not speaking about just yet. I certainly see Vol'jin 'doubling down' on Azeroth and doing such things as trying to unite more of the troll tribes, potentially the goblins, enlist some of the 'bestial' races, etc.

Voskeran/Guest

Indeed. This fic starts right after Warlords of Draenor ends, with the difference being Gul'dan's attempt to make a portal to Argus is subverted by someone on Mallus.

Spartan Commander

Jarrod has a reputation as a great general, not as a debator or orator. Furthermore, From our conversations through reviews and PMs, I think you should not only look upon an event from the view of your protagonist. While I admittedly suck at dialogue, I fully believe that Malfurion/Tyrande have their own beliefs that have been honed over millennia, have engaged in these debates before (and with Jarrod) and are not particularly likely to be moved by him, much less stunned speechless. Moreover, they do have their own reasonings that might not be 100% wrong nor right. It is possible that the Kaldorei do derive a benefit from Malfurion's decision, even if a lot has gone wrong.

Jarrod has certainly prepared for the body-swap move now. He probably hopes Tamurkhan tries it on Tyrande- not because he wishes her dead but for the humorous and horrible death that would come to the Chaos warlord.

Carre

Thank you!

Hakuryuu
As I wanted to keep the focus on the Battle of the Temple, I didn't showcase the units in the Emerald Dream but rest assured, they are there and will be a focus of the upcoming chapters, alongside the battle in material space.

Indeed! with AzazelI think there are some limitations- TT has it only apply to those in the daemon's immediate presence and it can wear off but it is still a devastating weapon. In canon, Sigmar was the only known one to throw it off entirely. I think a few Warcraft characters would be able to throw it off entirely like Sigmar, but the only one introduced so far that I would bet on is Tyrande. Though some might manage lesser degrees.

Oh for certain! I am the one who asked many of those questions of Josh Reynolds, after all! Though I am also planning some unique concepts with those lands, so not all of Reynold's answers will apply.

Random Nerd

Well, thank you for the kind words! I do truly wish I could write and post faster but, alas, it has always been difficult- especially with real-life involved. I am continually trying to work on a faster process, though.

Regarding your questions

1. At this time, the Winds of Magic are very, very limited on Azeroth. As in, maybe the entire ambient magic in the immediate would allow for one of those superspells and that is after some significant channeling. Oh, and it can't be done at current thanks to all those Winds of Magic going to the Emerald Dream to (barely) sustain the daemons there.

Now there is a second method and that is by using the magic from certain trinkets or items, but those are not going to be the most powerful spells and mostly going to have a one time effect. It is also possible there might be a small 'cheat code' that Tamurkhan could do, but doing it would instantly piss off a whole lot of daemons and runs the risk of drawing Nurgle's ire.

2. A lot of these are spoiler questions, so I am reluctant to answer. Regarding your first yes, IF the portal remains open then the WOM magics would increase, but since it isn't a direct connection to the Warp like Mallus, it could never achieve Mallus's heights(unless Mallus itself got sucked into the Warp, in which case the connection is direct).

Basically imagine the Warp Gate as a '10' in Warp presence out of 10 and Araby as a 3 most of the time, thanks to the distance. The best I think the Broken Shore could get out of our arbitrary number scale (again barring the total annihilation of Mallus into the Aethyr) is a 7 or maybe 8, since its connected just north of Norsca, which would mean far-flung places in Azeroth would barely feel even the faintest ripple of the Winds.

Essentially if Broken Shore was an 8 then the Swamp of Sorrows would likely have as much Aethyr magic as Val'sharah has now (1) and would be significantly more 'parched 'than Araby.

There is a subtle effect on Mallus at this time, which has drawn the curious gaze of a few loremasters and slann. None have figured out what happened though.

Regarding Chaos cults and chaos corruption in general I am going to copy + paste what I said in two other answers about Chaos corruption in Warcraft and cults. I will note that I haven't made a full post on cults yet which will probably do after Tamurkhan's battle is over

" It will take some time for Chaos cults to start as those would-be instigators have no idea where to start, where cities are located, the areas which might be receptive to a new teaching, what discontent to prey on etc. I have a rather large list of tactics that cults use and motivations they prey on and analysis would need to be conducted to see how they would apply to Warcraft.

And then, once that is located they will run into a host of other problems. Competition, for not every personality, is receptive to cultist propaganda and those that are already being polysized by followers of the Burning Legion, the Scourge, the Old Gods, and probably a couple of other odd sources. Competition with the state-sponsored religions of the Light and Elune who, as I already stated, can pretty much apply miracles whenever asked, surpassing the rates that Old World religons ( even Chaos) can do. In other words, Tzeentch doesn't answer every time something is asked of him by a devoted acolyte while the Light pretty much does.
Suppression, for Warcraft does have several spy and counter-espionage agencies like the SI:7, Dreadstalkers and, of course, those roving champions-adventurers (lore names for PCs) who break another power every year. It's a myth that the people of Warcraft are overly naïve – more liberal by far than Warhammer factions yes, but also bound by shared civilizational ethics that frown on traits that lead to Chaos cults. "- Codex Val'sharah, Chapter 10, Response to Harukuyu

" Spiritual Corruption
Well there is a lot to unpack there since spiritual corruption (basically choosing to choose Chaos willingly) basically depends on three factors: Mechanical, personal and societal.

Mechanical factors is the ability for the lure of Chaos to affect your soul. The best description I have seen of this occurs not in a Warhammer Fantasy novel, but in the Horus Heresy novel Master of Makind, which features heavily the Emperor. In this we can corruption from the viewpoint of the Emperor, where he executes a priest-king who had been twisted by Chaos, whose talons reached into his soul. According to the God-Emperor (who is as a reliable narrator as you believe he is) this priest's faith and self-delusion brought him closer to the Warp, which runs on such things, and allowed the friends of the Warp to dig their claws deeper into his soul.

Second is personal factors while have an incredible wide range of sub-categories. These include personality traits, such as greed, lust, wrath etc as well as mental states such as insanity or addiction. However, though these traits make one more suceptable to Chaos, they do not guarantee Chaos corruption. One can be extremely greedy and not be a thrall of Slaanesh, for instance. Examples of this include flagellants who are insane or addicts that zealously fight for Sigmar, with their religious faith helping them maintain independence. However, not even religious faith is necessary to maintain independence, even if you are screwed up. In Legend of Sigmar two of Sigmar's chieftains (Markus and Otwin) were extremely greedy and given to hulking out on the battlefield respectively. Neither gave into Chaos, despite being forced to directly confront scions of Slaanesh/Khorne in the novella.

The third is societal and that basically refers to how screwed up things are at a civilizational level. From End Times Nagash "As the millennia passed, great nations arose from amidst the strife, bastions of order in a worlcl awash with chaos. However, though these realms were strong without, they were hollow within, for they were maintained by hatred and distrust; ruled through pride and fear. Such emotions were as meat and drink to the gods, and they feasted in defeat almost as greedily as they did in victory. The mortals unknowingly crafted their own downfall. For even their triumphs hastened their inevitable doom."

So…how would this play out with Warcraft? Well, on a mechanical level Warcraft souls don't go to nor are tied to the Warp/Realm of Souls, they are tied to Shadowlands/Emerald Dream/etc. That removes a easy ability to manipulate off the bat however, and I should note this, in Warcraft soul destinations can be 'moved' around through various means and interventions. I would consider it possible for this to happen with a Warcraft soul into the Warp however it is an extra step that Chaos doesn't normally have to take.

On the personal level I should emphasize that Warcraft humans/races are generally portrayed to be less screwed up than Warhammer races. They are less given to petty racism, can actually form coalitions (even if the main two coalitions hate each other), and generally their society is nicer than Warhammer's . I know some Warhammer fans like to say "Well that grimdarkness makes them less suceptable to Chaos" and that isn't strictly true. The oppression can just as easily lead people to Chaos as it scares people away and in Sigmar's more noblebright time there appears to be far less falling to Chaos in said novels. However, Warcraft individuals do have emotional extremes that may be able to be played upon.
On a societal level both the Alliance and Horde rely heavily on a strict set of ideals. For the Alliance it is honor, justice, nobility and idealism while the Horde is about scrappy pragmatism and honor. Many of these traits (justice, Honor) are antithetical to Chaos. Moreover, the Alliance/Horde are still new like Sigmar's Empire was in his novels and the rot hasn't set in yet.
Now whether Chaos can manipulate the Alliance/Horde is another question but as of yet, based on what I know of their personality, I cannot see ANY Alliance/Horde major character falling to Chaos. Individuals of the Alliance/Horde can and certainly will, just like they do with Old God and Legion, but I would have to rewrite canon personality for Alliance/Horde leaders in order to justify them falling to it.

So to sum up Chaos corruption effect on Azeroth I think it would do damage but would have less, rather than more, effect on Azeroth's mortals. "-Response to Rommr, Chapter 5

To sum it all up Chaos cults will occur, but will, at least for the immediate future, be far less devastating for many reasons including the fact that Warcraft souls are tied to a separate dimension (Shadowlands), competition with other evil forces (BL, Old Gods etc), less societal/racial corruption/extremes, the fact that Warcraft religions almost always answer prayers with power (something the Warhammer gods can't afford to do) etc.

True Skull

Forgive me, but the High Elf storyline is still up in air. I have been wavering on some premises, so I cannot comment on this yet.

Guest/JT

*Sigh* yea, Fear to Tread is, unfortunately, getting trolled. To those reading this, please don't harass other Warcraft/Warhammer writers . I realize that I may have started it with Pieper's Pipers but A. I never insulted all the readers of said fic or compared the writer's work to excrement and B. Most of my reviews were intended to be genial and constructive.

To provide an explanation, when I engaged in my many critiques of Pipers I took it as an invitation to an intellectual debate as his premise was "this is what Warcraft would look like with actual tactics involved" in the same vein that "If Rome met Han China, they would win and annex the latter". I would disagree with the latter statement, I did disagree with the former so over a series of debates I explained myself in a cordial tone, praising what I liked but doing long write-ups (in the style of the above responses) to which I added sources advocating for my position. I did and do continue to believe those line formations and other aspects of pre-modern warfare would be as harmful as helpful in Warcraft, points that I can explain in the fic if wished. Others elsewhere came to agree with my points, and so they were repeated in other places across the web.

I still believe analysis has its place in fanfiction but creativity has just as great, if not greater part. I will note that not only does the fanfic author writer I admire most, Mass Effect's LogicalPremise, goes so heavily into the AU in his ME fanfic but that I myself intend to do so. Scroll back up to the unit listings and see how many new units there are without representation in the main lore. I assure you this tendency will continue with both Warcraft and Warhammer.

So in other words I myself won't be sticking to canon, so I don't have much a write to lecture others for not doing it. Moreover, the irony of having this harassment happen to ImperatorMortifex(the author) is especially strange given that, from my PMs with him, we agree probably more than we disagree on (including about formations), he strives to be as unbiased as possible (something we can never fully achieve, but must always reach for) and is inquisitive about both fics.

To repeat what I said on the fic's review page "I consider this a good fic, the author a pleasant person from my PM's with him and I think the reaction is kneejerk and overblown."