Disclaimer - I do not own Warcraft
Ulduar
Illidan and Maiev were continuing their observations of the bodies, being incredibly thorough as to what they are. They duo heard more noises belonging to the tentacle creatures from earlier. Illidan fired his eye beam on the roof on the corridor they passed through and created a rubble from the debris. Maiev quickly froze the rubble to ensure that they wouldn't be able to pass through
"That won't hold them for long." Maiev said while listening to the creatures trying to break the ice
"These creatures seem to be similar to the titans." Illidan commented after further investigations of the dead bodies
"How do you even know that?" Maiev asked curiously
"When Sargeras was burning my eyes, I got a glimpse of him and these bodies looked similar to his own, except much smaller and not demonic." Illidan answered
Maiev thought about this for a few more seconds, putting together some of the clues they have had thus far. "That creature we saw earlier. I don't think it's the only one." she said eventually
The demon hunter narrowed his eyes at this revelation. "Why do you say that?"
"About a thousand years ago, there was a war in southern Kalimdor and it was called the 'War of Shifting Sands'. I didn't partake in that war personally but I did make some first hand observations." Maiev answered and Illidan frowned at the reminder at how obsessed the warden was at imprisoning him. "We were fighting creatures who looked similar to these ones and were also located in a temple. The creatures were called 'Qiraji' and the temple was called 'Ahn'Qiraj'." she finished explaining
Illidan grew silent and decided to plan his next course of action. If this 'god of death' was not alone, that made things a lot more complicated. Kalimdor was where all the mortals and night elves were. There was no doubt in his mind that they would all cross paths and when they did, it could end up in a three way war. There were also other factors to consider such as aside from these tentacle creatures and the Qiraji, what else are the servants of these creatures. His biggest concern was if Deathwing was under these creatures' control, which was something to consider since just like with Sargeras, Illidan did not believe the dragon went mad just for the fun of it. The same goes for Sargeras on a crusade to destroy all life. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the ice crack
"We don't have much time left. Whatever you plan on doing, Illidan, do it quick." Maiev warned. Illidan understood her words and tried to see if the observatory contains any records. After a few minutes of casting his magic, he found that he couldn't access anything and that he wouldn't be able to find anything useful in this room. The tentacle creatures then manage to break through the ice and got both former night elves' attention
"Damn it. It seems like we won't be able to find out what these creatures are now." Illidan said and shot a jet of flames at the tentacle creatures, keeping them at bay. "Let's retreat. At least we now know what we are facing." he said and went down towards another hallway. On the other side, there were a lot more of the tentacle creatures waiting for them. They quickly dispatched them all with a combination of fel fire and frost magics
"The path to the entrance we made would be blocked. We need another exit." Maiev said as they managed to find another empty room. "Can't you create a portal out of here?" she asked
"I don't want to risk it. The creatures might be able to reopen it. I am not certain if that is even possible but we know next to nothing about these creatures." Illidan explained before they decided to scan the room
"Up there." Maiev said and pointed to a certain part of the wall. "It's cracked." and as if on cue, both of them used their powers to create another hole, this time aiming it straight to the roof. When they blew off a part of the giant roof, revealing that there was still another blizzard
Before Maiev can create another staircase of ice, Illidan suddenly carried her by her arms up towards the hole. "We don't have time to waste." he explained as he flew them up. He released her when they found a small area where they could stand and noticed they were on the side of the complex. Down below, they could see a lot more tentacles waiting for them in the ice and they could also here that the creatures were planning to climb up the wall
"Now what?" Maiev asked, preparing herself to fight their way out. Suddenly, her attention was diverted when he heard something land on a nearby roof, noticing a frost wyrm has landed
"Let's get out of here." Illidan said and the undead dragon let them climb on her back and flew them back to Icecrown. Much to their surprise, nobody bothered on chasing them. The demon hunter figured that they must have some kind of way to initiate pursuit but wondered why they didn't bother
After about an hour of flying, they eventually came down in the glacier. "What were those things?" Maiev asked when they got off the dragon's back
"I genuinely don't know but for now, we'll only hold Icecrown only to keep an eye on the continent. We will have to discuss this with the others first. Maybe the Nerubians will have an idea on this." Illidan answered
Stratholme
Altruis was still helping the humans and high elves prepare their supplies. He really didn't have anything else to do since his job was simply to watch over the city while they rebuilt the fortress in Quel'thalas. Suddenly, he saw multiple frost wyrms, including Galakrond, fly from the direction of Kalimdor and headed towards Quel'thalas
'Illidan has brought back to life the dragons that have fallen over the millenia. How long before the dragon aspects confronts him about it?' Altruis wondered to himself. He figured that if the frost wyrms were back, then that means they have scavenged the ocean between Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms for the rest of the demons that were still on the Kul'tiran ships
"They're finally back." a voice called from behind him. Altruis recognized who owned the voice and noticed Kor'vas approach him. She signalled for the nearby humans to give the two of them some time alone and they reluctantly agreed. "It's rather surprising how the humans seem to be behaving. I would have thought they would be more trouble than this." she commented when they were alone
"To be fair, we haven't really done anything to warrant them to be aggressive, aside from the Legion controlling the undead." Altruis pointed out and Kor'vas merely raised her eyebrow in disagreement. "I guess being completely outnumbered adds to that."
"Better. I honestly thought these humans would be far more or at least as zealotic as the undead." Kor'vas responded
"So, what did you come see me for? Are you here to convince me to take in a demon's power?" Altruis asked suspiciously
"I still don't understand why you would be here and not join us." Kor'vas pointed out
"You forced me here, didn't you?" Altruis argued back
"No, we didn't. Illysanna, Drak'thul and myself all joined up with Illidan on our own free will. As far as I can recall, we never threatened you and you chose to come with us to Lordaeron the first time around." Kor'vas stated in a matter of fact voice
"Bringing people back from the dead is still wrong." Altruis argued after being silenced by her previous statement
"Perhaps, but ask yourself, you want to be better than your enemies but do your enemies also want to be better? Remember, we are not fighting enemies who are our equals. We are fighting enemies who have more resources and are more powerful than us. If we lose, we will suffer far worse. More importantly, if you prove to yourself to be better than you're enemies, would it be worth it if you lose everything in the process?" Kor'vas said in a voice that was completely devoid of judgment and more in the tone of honest advice
"Is that why you are so committed to Illidan's cause?" Altruis asked curiously
"Partly. I did it mainly because of the Legion. You already know, I want vengeance against the Legion for what they did but as we are aware, the other Night Elves won't tolerate something like that. They will never understand someone like me where my parents and my home were taken from me. They will instead just try to help me move on. While I appreciate those kinds of gestures, I wouldn't want to lose it again to the Burning Legion so I would rather fight them first before settling down, assuming I make it out alive." Kor'vas answered. Again, Altruis took her words to heart. Like her, he also lost his sister in the war but he never mentioned that to anyone and as such, he can somewhat relate to Kor'vas. While he was thinking about what he would do, his thoughts were interrupted. "If you're still torn, then go with the humans to Kalimdor."
"You're kicking me out?" Altruis asked in complete surprise
"Yes." Kor'vas said sternly. "Having someone who is not committed to the cause will only end up dragging everyone down. If you're really not willing to commit, then it is better for all of us that you don't be here but you will be free to join us once you are certain breaking your moral code is something you won't hesitate to do and not before." she explained
Before Altruis could respond, Illidan's voice suddenly entered their minds. 'Meet me in Silvermoon, now. All of us need to talk about something.' the demon hunter's voice said in what was probably the most serious tone they ever heard from him
Silvermoon
As expected, Altruis and Kor'vas were the last ones to arrive. Kel'thuzad and Drak'thul were already there as they were building the fortress. Illysanna arrived first since the stronghold in Dalaran was the second most heavily defended and the only other one under construction. Two were the only ones they could build due to the Scourge still not at its peak strength after the losses in driving out the Burning Legion. Anub'arak was also already there, being the first one Illidan brought back after Maiev. There were also a few human death knights that Kel'thuzad reanimated and they were significant figures in the human army in life. Some Val'kyr were also present in the room and it was a wonder to Altruis at how Illidan managed to recruit these creatures or where he found them
"You're late." Maiev said in a reprimanding tone when Kor'vas and Altruis entered the building the Scourge built on the Sunwell Isle
"Don't be so critical, Maiev. It's not like Stratholme is next door to the Capital City." Illysanna said
"It doesn't matter. Is that everyone you have summoned?" Rivendare asked, looking at Illidan
"Yes, that is everyone." Illidan said and created a fel hologram at what he and Maiev found in Ulduar
To say that they were shocked would be an understatement. Out of everyone in the room, only a few handful knew what they were seeing
"It can't be. A faceless one." Anub'arak said, instantly recognizing the creature
"We found this creature inside the complex of Ulduar, northeast of the Icecrown Glacier. The complex was swarmed with these creatures." Maiev explained
"And I assume that you ran into a creature that is a huge mass with multiple eyes on its sides and a maw on the top?" Anub'arak inquired and both former night elves nodded. "That creature is called a 'Forgotten One'." he said and murmurs of questioning were thrown around at such a name. "The name is not what it is called. It is what we Nerubians called them." he explained
"So, you've encountered these creatures before?" Maiev asked as Illidan brought up an image of the forgotten one that he and Maiev easily dispatched
"Not necessarily. Many years ago when the Lich King first came to Northrend, we Nerubians immediately waged war against him but as we were losing ground in the surface war, we decided to dig deeper underground in order to buy more space for us and by accident, we awakened the Faceless Ones from their slumber and we were defeated with the undead on one side and the Faceless Ones on the other." Anub'arak explained but avoided answering the question yet. "These Forgotten Ones however, were a different story. We only caught a few glimpes of it but it wasn't fully awakened during that war." he finished
"What else do you know about them?" Illidan asked
"That, my king, I do not know. All I know is that they serve a dark master." Anu'barak answered
Silence took over as the obvious answer was simply to investigate Ahn'Qiraj and Ulduar themselves. The problem was, they have little clue on what they were going to face and it could prove to be disastrous. No one in the room had any idea who these creatures serve except for one
"Their masters call themselves the 'Old Gods'." a Val'kyr said. Since she was slightly different color than the others, everyone who wasn't aware of her identity figured she was her kind's leader
"Um, excuse me, I don't think we have been formally introduced." Rivendare pointed out and surprisingly, no one berated him for it
"I am Agatha, one of the Vrykul. Millenia ago, the leader of the Titanforged, Odyn, turned me into a this where I have powers over death." she introduced herself. "Back to what I was saying, the Old Gods were creatures that landed on Azeroth from the great dark." she said before explaining the history of Azeroth, from the Old Gods' Black Empire, the arrival of the Titans, the creation of the Titanforged, Aman'thul ripping off Y'Shaarj and the imprisoning of the other Old gods
"Wait, you said Azeroth was bleeding after Y'Shaarj was ripped out?" Illidan asked and Agatha confirmed it. "Then that wound is the Well of Eternity, right?"
"Indeed." Agatha confirmed
Illidan thought about this for a few moments before putting together some clues. "That makes sense. Sargeras is, without a doubt, aware that our world has a titan and he wants Azeroth's power for himself. That's why the Legion doesn't open more than one gateway. The Dark Titan wants this world as intact as possible." he said in realization before looking at Agatha. "If we destroy the other Old Gods, it will injure Azeroth, will it not? And more importantly, where is the last one imprisoned?"
"Yes, it will. The Old Gods have buried themselves so deep into our world that destroying them will have major consequences. However, that was millenia ago even before the Night Elves came into existence. It may be possible that their hold on Azeroth has weakened over the years." Agatha answered and made Illidan frown at this complication. "As for the other Old Gods, the one you saw in Ulduar was Yogg Saron. The one in Kalimdor is C'thun and the last one, N'zoth is imprisoned underwater. It was originally accessible by foot but the Sundering sunk most of the world and his prison. However, the power used to imprison him still held strong and he is still trapped. This underwater location is southeast of the Maelstrom."
"Then that means we will have to leave N'zoth for last. We'll have to go after C'thun and Yogg Saron first." Illysanna concluded, realizing that they didn't have the means to go underwater, yet. Nobody seemed to argue with her because she did have a point
"Which reminds me, why exactly are you allying yourselves with us, Agatha?" Anub'arak asked the Val'kyr suspiciously, voicing the curiosity that everyone present, minus the demon hunter, had
"Earlier, I mentioned I was forced into this by Odyn, I was not alone. Many of us were transformed into this and we were sealed away in incorporeal forms, where we would be unable to interact with this world at all, when we refused to be Odyn's slaves." Agatha started to explain
"But Illidan managed to find you and broke your seal." Kel'thuzad said as he realized where Illidan had gone. The demon hunter had gone missing after bringing Maiev back but his presence was still felt by the Scourge and he only ordered them to build a fortress in Silvermoon
In response, Agatha merely nodded her head as everyone understood why she was joining their cause. "Lord Illidan, there is something else you might want to consider..." she said
Theramore Isle
Ever since the end the Legion's invasion at Mount Hyjal, the Alliance have built their settlement east of Dustwallow Marsh while the Horde built theirs in Eastern Kalimdor, calling the settlements 'Theramore' and 'Durotar' respectively. While building Durotar was more taxing, Theramore was easier because the Alliance expedition to Kalimdor was not as large as the Horde. As such, Theramore was almost fully finished
On top of the towers watching over the sea, Arthas stood in complete anxiety. It had been months since the Burning Legion was defeated yet, he still has not heard anything from his father or the other Alliance leaders for that matter. Something told Arthas that things went horribly wrong
"Arthas." a voice called out. Said person turned around and noticed Kael come up to the roof
"What is it, Kael?" Arthas asked
Kael surprisingly took no offense from that. He knew that Arthas was greatly worried about what happened. He was worried as well but chose not to show it. "They're here." he answered
"What do you think this is about?" Arthas wondered
"I do not know but whatever it is, it must be important if the Night Elves also want the Horde to be aware of it." Kael concluded and led the way down, Arthas following him
The princes walked towards a meeting room and found Thrall, Cairne, Sylvanas and Jaina in the room. As a sign of non aggression, Thrall agreed not to bring more than one companion, trusting the Alliance not to do anything to them during the visit and not wanting to risk reopening old wounds. For one reason or another, the Night Elves had requested a meeting for all three factions, stressing that this was important. Theramore was chosen as the meeting place as much of Ashenvale is still corrupted while Durotar was not ready to hold something like this
"We're all here." Kael said as Arthas closed the door. "Malfurion, what is so important you had to call a meeting for all of us?"
"Is this what you warned us about Illidan?" Sylvanas asked with a narrowed eyes
Malfurion and Tyrande grimaced at this as the high elf ranger completely read their minds
"Yes..." Tyrande trailed off. "He has taken control of the undead and used them to drive out the Burning Legion from the Eastern Kingdoms." she said, completely surprising them. This was not what they expected but in hindsight, they should have. Illidan did absorb the powers of a demonic artifact after all
"Wait, the Burning Legion were still there?" Jaina asked. In her state of shock, she asked something completely obvious
"Yes. I had a nightmare where a battle took place between creatures that I've never seen before and demons, red skinned orcs and undead. The orcs, undead and demons were all under Illidan's control." Malfurion explained. Just how insane was Illidan to take control of even demons
"These red skinned Orcs, they are the same as us when we are fully corrupted by the Burning Legion." Thrall explained, clarifying Malfurion's doubts
"That begs the question, where would Illidan find more Orcs to recruit?" Kael asked
"That's not all. This was still a nightmare and it was a possibility that it was just that so I decided to use my powers over nature to check the Eastern Kingdoms." Malfurion began to explain
"What else did you see?" Jaina wondered. At the moment, she was hoping that Illidan had found where her parents and the others were and more importantly, that the demon hunter had let them live
Malfurion spared a glance at the two high elves in the room and they both grimaced, knowing that what Illidan was doing had something to do with them. "Illidan and the undead are constructing a fortress in Quel'thalas. From what I saw, it towered into the sky and can be seen even from areas far to the south of it. How much of it is finished, I do not know." he explained
As expected, Kael and Sylvanas frowned at this, which did not go unnoticed by everyone in the room. Both high elves would have loved to return home, along with the rest of the Alliance but now the problem is their homes are under someone else's control and it was doubtful the demon hunter would just give it back
Trying to remain optimistic, Jaina addressed the two night elves in the room. "Malfurion, what are the chances that Illidan would return our lands to us?" she asked, hoping to avoid a bloodshed. They all witnessed how powerful Illidan was when he defeated a pit lord on his own and if he took control of the undead, who knows just how powerful he has become
"Close to none. Illidan is a hunter after all. That title wasn't just for show. He enjoys hunting his enemies and killing them. It was actually the Legion that gave him that moniker because he was known to target commanders of Legion troops and killing them." Tyrande explained and made an apologetic face. "From the looks of things, there is something Illidan knows that we don't."
"Hold on a second." Thrall said, finally deciding to voice his own thoughts. "I can agree with Jaina. I do not necessarily think that we are Illidan's enemies otherwise he would have come for us by now." he said, making a very good point
"That's not the problem." Tyrande said, making the others somewhat relieved at the thought that they were not the demon hunter's targets. "Part of the reason why Illidan was imrpisoned was his utter lack of regard for life. We never fully understood why but he has been known to sacrifice lives, both civilian and military, to defeat his enemies even if he could have saved them."
"Which means that Illidan won't hesitate to kill us all if that means he can finish off whatever he has his sights on." Arthas concluded with a frown, getting affirmative nods from the night elves
"So, what do we do? Our top priority has to be finding out what Illidan is after." Sylvanas said, looking at Kael and Arthas for decision. "I don't really think we can afford a war against Illidan especially not when he can simply replenish whatever losses he was by simply winning a battle."
"That is something we cannot make now. We have to consult the other Horde leaders so they're up to date." Cairne said before Thrall could say anything
"Cairne is right. This will need some major deliberation especially for us but Sylvanas makes a very good point." Kael said, pointing out the fact that the undead drove them out in the first place
"If we are certain that Illidan is not our enemy, do you think he would respond if we sent a message to him about what happened ever since the Legion arrived?" Arthas asked
"It may be possible but it isn't guaranteed." Malfurion answered. At this point, he really hoped that he and his brother could find some common grounds
The meeting soon ended not long after that and they all agreed that they had to consult the other high ranking members first for their opinions on this matter. This was not a decision where the leaders can make on their own
Two Days Later
Stratholme
The Alliance survivors gathered around. Instead of giving them a ship, they were instead given two zeppelins. They were some that the Legion manage to capture from some random goblins but decided to keep in storage. The Scourge found them but since they had no need for them, they gave it to the humans
It took the humans a couple days of finding anything that they could use to sustain themselves. This was also partly the reason why the undead gave them the zeppelins, so that they would gather less supplies. It became clear that the undead were serious when they said that the Alliance was no longer their enemy but it was also clear that they wanted the humans out of the Eastern Kingdoms
Rather than just immediately accepting, the humans and high elves decided to thoroughly check the zeppelins for any traps. Surprisingly, there were none although they did have to make some slight adjustments
"So, get out of here before our king changes his mind." Rivendare said to the gathered Alliance survivors
"I still don't trust that you would just let us go." Nathanos said suspiciously
"Yeah well, you don't have much choice, unless you want to join us." Rivendare commented. "Now, get your asses out of here and give my regards to Sylvanas." he said before leaving
"One day, you will pay for this, Rivendare." Nathanos threatened before boarding the zeppelin
The death knight heard what he said and didn't bother acknowleding his words. Rivendare was more curious if the rest of the Alliance would actually dare to try and he wanted them to just so he can finish the job. He walked towards the top of a nearby building and found Kor'vas observing them
"So, is everything in place?" Kor'vas asked when the death knight approached
"Yes." Rivendare said as he stood beside her. "I must say, that was really clever. Letting the humans live just so we could possess a few and send a bunch of shades along with them. You were planning to spy on them from the very beginning, weren't you?" he asked
"I was." Kor'vas answered. "We need some eyes and ears in Kalimdor. Illysanna and I were already planning on sending some shades there but this is a much better way and easier. We won't just be spying on Kalimdor, we will be spying deep into the Alliance itself."
Silvermoon
In the Sunwell Isle, Drak'thul was casting a ritual using the energies of the corrupted Sunwell. The recipient of the ritual screamed in pain as his body was imbued with fel while arcane tattoos appeared to help keep such power under control. During the ritual, the man's body transformed into something similar to Illidan's, his body turned darker, tattoos glowed, horns came out of his heads and large wings protruded from his back. When his transformation was complete, the ritual ended. This new demon was none other than Altruis, who finally decided to follow the lead of Illysanna and Kor'vas
"So, how do you feel?" Drak'thul asked
Altruis slowly got up, not yet used to having spectral sight. He received the spectral sight two days ago when he took Kor'vas' advice. However, he didn't let it bother him that much as he knew that eventually, he will get used to the spectral sight. "I feel... different." he answered and tried to feel his new appendages. He flapped his wings for a few seconds. "I thought that it would be much more different than this." he commented. Altruis then began to walk and it seemed normal. He was a bit wobbly but nothing too serious
"Don't get too comfortable about it." a voice said. Drak'thul and Altruis noticed Illysanna joining them in the Sunwell room. "Most of the major changes won't be noticeable until a few days or maybe weeks after the transformation. Now, come. I'll train you so you will know what to expect when the changes finally happen." she offered. Not having any reason to refuse, Altruis accepted. Illysanna then nodded to Drak'thul, who understood, and opened a portal to Dalaran. She then walked through the portal and Altruis followed so he can begin training
Nothing too interesting in this chapter. It just rounds up the aftermath of Illidan becoming the Lich King. Spoilers, there will be another time skip in the next few chapters because I really don't want this to be that long as I have a whole lot to write about and Warcraft has a shit ton of lore to consider
I changed the origins of the Val'kyrs a bit. I wasn't able to find that much information on them so I decided to change their lore completely. I kept the part of how they were forcibly transformed but I decided to have them sealed away because it would take up too much of my time to research. More importantly, the only leader of the Val'kyr I could find was Helya and I didn't think she would be a good fit for this story so instead, I decided to have it be Agatha, which I believe was the Val'kyr that brought back Sylvanas in the canon
Lastly, I have written Illidan to someone who is far more powerful than the Alliance or Horde. That isn't far from the truth considering that Arthas wiped out the raid in WotLK before some Fordring nonsense happened. If a death knight becomes that powerful, how powerful would be a night elf sorcerer trained by the most powerful sorceress, became a half demon and absorbed the Lich King's powers, be. Also, this would also be around the time of the Founding of Durotar campaign so there is no way Thrall or Jaina would be remotely as powerful as Illidan during this time even if he wasn't the Lich King