Reviews:
Guest 1: Well the poor guy just missed his chance to do so. After all its not like he's got the ability to just teleport wherever he wants...he's not a PC in WoW.
Guest 2: Not anytime soon IRL, but in plot progression maybe a few more months. But Teclis isn't in a spot to be that powerful on Azeroth...yet... His magic is dependent on the Winds, and as High Magic, Winds of all kinds, and Azeroth isn't getting that much from Mallus so the effective range of their magic casters before their power starts dropping (something the other half of events which i was am to write second would go into more detail with). But the High Elves themselves of course once they get going, their right up there with the Lizardmen on being a problem for people on Azeroth.
JiggyliFAP: I have more faith in GW executives writing a coherent story that doesn't need to writing team to entirely soft retcon out (glares at Age of Shitmar aka 1st ed AoS, and "Primarus Marines are vastly better marines with no weaknesses") than I do Blizzard in raising their standards. I recently got into it with some people over the game Tempest Rising and the hope for a new age of RTS. They legit claimed that Blizzard not only should be credited with the return of RTS, but denied Blizzard's hand in the "Competitive RTS" craze that killed RTS games. So i had to pull up the publicly exposed corporate memos, company wide letters, and the old early 2000's video game channels footage just to show that Blizzard is probably on a company vs company manner more shady and abusive and underhanded than EA. Like those guys litterally poisoned the RTS well in the middle of the Golden age of RTS games just to kill competing titles and to make sure that they didn't have to raise their standards. Even brought out the entire UI of SC2 and how it's designed to push microtransactions and the Competitive scene and well the "game's" sales model, thing is three freaking games in price for the same amount of content at the same quality as any ot game does with the core game and a DLC.
Blizzard as a company I despise, right along with EA. They are both responsible for the death of RTS, but at least EA had the sense to hire people who actually care in order to do their remaster of the CnC title rather than what Blizzard did. Blizzard's best bet with current WoW is either a full reboot, entirely unlikely, as for one that means they can't use it as their piggy bank for all their other half hearted "projects" that inevitably fail. Or soft retconning and praying that everyone just forgets BFA and Shadowlands and that their MMO competition just somehow magically all die rather than continuing to develop defenses both culturally and corporately against Blizzard's attempts to poison the market again.
But WoW is also built off a mix of themes and mechanics that sadly don't work that well together, they can from a marketing/development side i can confirm that any mix of themes when quality effort is put in can be made to work. But Blizzard long ago gave up on that quality, all the way back in Wrath.
Dragon King of the West: A very good summery of the end result of the chapter. Thumbs up!
Ironwall: The Kaldorei are friendlier and more prominent. Definitely a marked improvement over the Wood Elves, even if their Gods and what support they provide are less useful than Yamcha was when fighting Sayans and Saibamen.
Hakuryuu: your statement about the End Times makes no sense. GW could have just made the models...but that would have cost them noney, and They wanted to make millions upon millions of Euros...for pocket change. With how seldom Fantasy updated its model line, well the Imperial Guard got updated more than the most updated Warhammer Fantasty faction's models, and 40k fans bitch that the Imperial Guard aren't updated enough.
Garrosh, indeed those are issues and thats how he SHOULD have been, rather than a strawman Americanized "waccism bwad guys, stoooop it" which i mean just the year before Eiichiro Oda the creator of One Piece released probably one of the best and more neuanced stories tackling racism...and that was considered one of his lesser works by fans of One Piece. Blizzard did Garrosh dirty by making him more shallow than Hordy Jones by tossing away his layers of characterization for "Orcish supremacy! Me find big evil thing to do evil thing because me so evil!"
Varien would have had the Empire seriously considering an affiliation, or some sort of independent treaty with the Alliance pretty quickly. Guy was boss and even when i was a Horde player going "oh I'm the strawman badguy again" there was at least him being a realistic King who i knew if his good friends and family weren't keeping his good intentions in check he'd finally have lived to see himself the villain.
As for Ghozul's alliance...meet any alliance between CD and WoC. But still better to use some influence to direct the lunatics rather than let them rampage.
I'm guessing your next statement is about the exchange between Alyzz and the Warboss. Yeah i had fun writing that whole part.
As for Kyn'ra and Eekizz, they're in Troll Country, technically part of both Kislev and Norsca depending on which map you consult. But Wulfrik's home is actually in that region. So Norscan towns and coastal settlements there aren't uncommon. Typically TWW3 puts Troll Country as Kislevitte land, but between Trolls, Norscans and other horrors thats a unstable claim. But if Eekizz can escape, he'd certainly head for those places, I mean he was already planning on just that, leaving his 'comrades' for dead, but that was before the body horror started.
What a Wonderful World
The forest of Ashenvale once again was uniquely shaded in green as the sun shone through the canopy of leaves overhead. From both the sounds and general knowledge the Kaldorei were already attacking the town that was on the army's path. However that meant little to Hans as he keep his eyes peeled for signs of any Horde forces, already he spotted some minor signs of soldiers passing on the path though he didn't see the enemy soldiers themselves.
Suddenly Aethalas perked up next to Hans and the Kaldorei spoke softly but quickly with a Sentinel next to her before turning to Hans himself. "Shhhh, they are just ahead. Looks like something about the battle has caused them to stop." The Sentinel Captain pointed ahead to somewhere just beyond the the Grand Master's sight.
"Can you see them?" The Leader of the Imperial Army asked, hand resting on one of the pistol grips in his brace.
"No, but one of the Huntresses has spotted them without being detected just now, and we can see small signs that suggest that they stopped and set up some basic campfires." The Captain explained to Hans, her eyes coldly looking ahead and her grip on her bow showing a eagerness for battle.
Aethalas looked back to Hans again her eyes searching for an answer to an as of yet unspoken question. "So do you want to charge them?" And there it was, Hans Leitdorf had honestly for a brief second considered doing just that, charing directly into the enemy and swiftly doing away with their force. But something in his blood had stopped him, and while not nearly the lunatic his brother was Hans still had insights much like his insane brother occasionally had.
Instead the Grand Master pointed to the forest to the side. "How well can you guide some master riders through this forest with any stealth?" The question stalled Aethalas for a moment before thr Captain returned a smile to the Grand Master.
"If you're Knights are 'master riders' like you claim with my guidance you could move though there as if the trees weren't even there. But your charge isn't going to be the way your people like to do it, you might even have a bit of a disadvantage." Aethalas with confidence answered her human counterpart.
Hans already was turning to his aids and squires. "Get the Outriders, tell them to prepare to ride." Immediately those around the Grand Master moved to obey his orders. With the pulling and raising of his sword Hans Leitdorf gathered the attention of those following him then pointed to the forest to the right of the Knights and after several minutes nearly two hundred Knights had departed into the forest following the guidence of the Kaldorei Huntresses.
The Outriders rode, eyes peeled and guns at the ready. Their pistoliers at the flanks as they proceeded as a gallop had drawn their own short swords knowing that they could be close to a melee fight. Still the Marksman leading the entite force cared little for the ticks and nervousness of those riding alongside him. Most of his fellow outriders had their repeater handguns at the ready. But he, no, he still kept his treasured weapon stowed waiting and pristine for once they finally began their assault.
And then the enemy, this Horde, came into sight. They were trulya vile group, the Marksman's keep eyes spotted Minotaur, Ork, Goblins, and even what looked like Zombies all set up in a camp, their scouts now raising an alarm but just slightly too late. While the enemy formed into three, loose and bowing lines with three straight lines intersecting each the Pistoliers rushed ahead.
Meanwhile the Outriders rode into range and began sighting targets, the constant bangs of repeater handguns to anyone else would have been rather impressive. Formations of rebellious soldiers and greenskins and cultists had all before been scythed down by these particular guns. The relatively new process of rifling had been added to each of the barrels and breach-loading meant that each of the outriders could put out the fire of five handgunners all by themselves. But with the Outrider's skills and the rifling of their repeater Handguns, the Marksman could proudly boast that his few men were far more effective than than even twenty times their number in State-Troop Handgunners. Yet to the Marksman was still more proud of the gun he had inherited from his now long dead Uncle. And while the enemy in the din and confusion of the Pistolier's charge their lack of awe for his men's skill meant nothing to him as he leveled his prized Hotchland Long Rifle and fired his first round from the well cared for and long prepared weapon.
It took maybe seconds at most for the Marksman to sight the head of a crossbow weilding Zombie and to pull his trigger. The head of the Undead collapsed, the face destroyed by the bullet of of thr Long Rifle and their skull caving in on itself. Next to the Undead a Ork with a handgun looked to his side in suprise before shouting and then raising his gun to fire back. Next to the Marksman one of the outriders released a pained breath slumping in his saddle as the Ork's bullet slammed into his armor denting it and wounding the man despite not penetrating the armor.
Acting quickly the Marksman finished reloading snapped his sight to the Ork's neck and fired, the round ripped open the Ork's neck and the savage greenskin collapsed with a fountain of blood spraying out of his neck. Still as leader of the Imperial Outrider forces the Marksman needed to watch over the battle. The warriors of the enemy army who had formed the three columns now had rushed forward pushing past Pistoliers or pushing through them and now because of these three thin prongs nearly half his outriders found themselves facing magic, bows, crossbows and handguns to the front, and enemy warriors many weilding great weapons or polearms to their flanks.
While the Marksman's own outriders were pouring their gunfire into the foward more elements of the enemy's thrusts heavily armored Knights who seemed to magically heal as they fought, once even raising some sort of Undead beast, lead the points and refused to die even if the Minotaurs and savages about them did drop dead. The Marksman prepared his Long Rifle, only for a sudden instinct to tell him to lay back, causing a crossbow bolt to scrape off his armor failing to find purchase.
Thr Marksman snaped his score to the source of the bolt, then scowled. Somehow the Zombie he first killed had gotten back up, their face even now was magically recovering. Another shot from the Long Rifle and the Zombie's head was completely removed from its shoulders. With the situation quickly turning, and an arrow striking one of his outriders in the shoulder the Marksman made his decision. Pulling out his whistle he played three notes, then repeated the notes while scoping his rifle. Then after playing and hearing his trumpeter pick up the signal, the tune of retreat, he released his breath and pulled back on his trigger, his round taking some lanky blue creature with tusks dressed like some sort of hedge wizard. The hedge wizard dropped, the bullet shattering its jaw, and the Marksman slung his long rifle, wrapping it again for safety, before joining his men and the frantic retreat of the outriders.
Chasing after several of the greenskin brutes shouted challenge while their wizards and own marksmen fired at the retreating outriders. Still the Pistoliers rode hard and their Horses made good speed and the Marksman knew his men would be out of these 'Horde' savages reach in just moments.
Gorg Lonebrass let loose a growl of frustration as these humans fled. The scouts alerted them to the arrival of the cavalry and the Captain had ordered the troops into a Horde's Bow formation, but then he modified the formation so instead of one large bow like formation, the formation was broken into three. Gorg thought this would weaken them, but somehow it had proven effective against the humans.
Rather than breaking off for individual duels, or stopping their horses to start shooting or to dismount these humans continued forward. Their horses rushed towards the lines of the Horde pistols only firing once they got close, many these lightly armored, human raiders had sabers drawn. Thus Gorg Lonebrass had raised a shout, sending the melee combatants rushing to follow him to meet these humans.
However the Humans rather than meeting the Grunts and Warriors with their swords these humans swirved to avoid fighting Gorg and stayed back firing their pistols. Still to his right and his left, a huge portion of the horse mounted humans were trapped on three sides and if he had been able to complete the encriclement, from what he had seen, these humans would be easy to fell in combat. But then as he pushed past the charing humans Gorg witnessed a line of the humans aiming larger guns at he and his men. Mass volleys, ones less penetrating and all around different than what he was used to, tore into the Deathknight and his men.
Still Gorg remained as he had been both a Deathknight and at one time a healer of his clan. But those details didn't save those closest to him as they fell to the impactful and damage dealing rounds of the enemy. Still if he held, Gorg knew that all the enemies behind him would die...and then the enemy's trumpets played and the Horsemen started retreating on mass prompting his outraged roar.
Enraged at the fleeing foes the Deathknight summoned his Deathcharger to his side. Swiftly the Mount came up by magic bearing Gorg off his feet. The Deathknight would not let these foes escape and following after him many of the soldiers and Warriors of the Horde charged forward or took to their own mounts. While these foes were swift, they had no chance of escaping the might of the Horde.
But then everything slowed or stopped for several seconds. Trumpets blared a uptune song from the forest to Gorg's left and a new clanking and thundering sound came from that direction. The Horde's warriors stopped in shocked silence. And then to the rear of the Horde's backlines a staggered tide of cavalry, mounted Human soldiers in heavier armor than even what Stormwind typically equipped, emerged from the woods clashing with the Hunters, mages and Shamans of the the Battalion.
Gorg moved to respond, but then realized as he rode at full speed that he could still hear galloping from the woods to his side, and then more of the Knights emerged from the woods charging at full force into the side of the Grunts. A gunshot, and then a impact on his shoulder followed by Trumpets next alerted Gorg that the mounted gunmen that he and the warriors had pursued had somehow already wheeled their horses about and were again closing on the Horde's forces, guns firing all the while.
How, how could this be? Gorg knew for a fact that not only was it supposed to be standard procedure to set out watchmen while in Ashenvale, but he had even watched the Captain do just that! So why hadn't the watchmen alerted them of these Knights, or done anything to combat these Humans as they approached, or done anything that would have given away these loud clumbsy idiots? As if to cruelly answer Gorg's question Night Elven Huntresses emerged from the treeline opposite of their Allies firing arrows into the Horde's exposed flank.
Gorg roared again. He had already died before, and he had no intention of dying again, at least not here. He would damn well make sure these fools suffered for thinking they could ambush the Horde and live to get away with it!
The trees broke and sight changed from what little was allowed between the branched to a full view of the battle. To his right over sixty Knights poured into the rear of the Horde forces, to his left more Knights were breaking from the cover of the trees only a dozen horse lengths away from the first, disorganized, line of the Horde soldiers. And further beyond Pistoliers and Outriders were rearing back on their mounts preparing to turn to clash once again with the foe.
Hans celebrated the success of his Knights by drawing his pistol with his off hand, aiming at a Orc as he passed and putting the bullet right into the brute's eye. Then a few paces past one of the blue Azerothean creatures called a Troll was retreating from the Grand Master, magical green flames covered the creature's hand and he moved with the clear intent to try and throw the fire. Instead the speed of Hans' steed and the strength of Hans' sword arm brought the Knight's blade down with neck crushing force. The Troll wasn't beheaded, and supposedly they possessed great regenerative abilities, but if he wasn't trampled to death likely by the time this Troll recovered they would already be executing the prisoners.
The Knights alongside Hans easily pushed through the first line of the Horde's soldiers. From what he could see the Horde leader had effectively bled the Outriders and Pistoliers, likely more so than even Aethalas had estimated, but in doing so and with a clear loss of command over his engaged soldiers they had put themselves into the perfect position for the Knights to overwhelm them.
Hans and the first of his Knights then collided with the loose second rank of the enemy. Here the foe had braced better for the charge and some of their own mounted warriors moved to meet the Knights headlong. Hans first had his horse collide with a Elf wearing Horde colors and armor who was trying to brace a lance against the Grand Master. But Horse and Rider were both too experienced for the Elf slipping around the weapon tip, as his horse's armored chest met Elven face, the steed also kicked the Elf's shin, this was followed by Hans own foot to the Elf's mouth as he fell back, the feeling afterwards suggested to Hans that his horse also kicked off the Elf as they passed.
Then Hans charge was stopped a horrific steed with a heavily armored rider, like an attempt to make an Ork into a Knight was before Hans a large, cruel looking two handed blade waving ready to clash and draw blood. Hans saluted the foe, experience telling the Grand Master that this beast wanted to face him in a one on one duel.
With the Horde's forces already collapsing under the guns of the outriders to Hans left, to his knights rolling the flank on his right and Night Elven arrows to their rear, Hans had no reason to deny this creature the noble duel it sought-after. The Orc Knight spurred its steed on first charging at Hans, and in response the Grand Master's steed moved to put the Knight's swordarm to face against the Orc.
The Orc swung it's massive blade first. A power blow, either Hans opponent wasn't as skilled as the Knight thought, or the Orc had misjudged him and wanted to end this duel quickly to move on to the next. Hans would dissuade the Orc of that notion, first his own blade caught the flat of the Orc's own nudging the power blow meant to seperate the Grand Master's torso from his legs up and to the left. From there his kiteshield took over, as the Knight lay back in his saddle he used his shield, the forward movement of his steed, and all his strength to force the blow up. As the blade trimmed hairs from his mustache before moving on to strike empty air, Hans thrust his sword, the blade finding purchase in the armpit of his opponent for a moment.
And then the Orc and Hans were past one another. The Knight breathing steady, deep breaths to recover after fending off the blow as his opponent and he circled. The battle raged about them but the Orc was solely focused on Hans, either rage, arrogance, or inexpensive preventing it from seeing the battle as Hans could, though many young Knights even those with a few years of experience in battle were guilty of much the same. Though eyeing his opponent Hans felt frustrated, his stab seemed to do nothing to his foe, the Orc even showed no sign of discomfort or even bleeding. Hans prepared, he raised his shield close to his chest and experimentally swung his sword a couple times to ensure he was ready for another clash.
Then the Orc Knight swung their blade and a round of green light flew at Hans. The Grand Master attempted to dodge but the impact struck his shield and a sizzling sound errupted from the metal while pain enough to force him to release a involuntary gasp of agony spread across his skin. Hans eyes closed for a second, but that was all his opponent needed, the blade lashed out with a red glow swinging in from Hans' left. Instinct kicked in and the Knight of Sigmar's Blood acted doing four things at once. First His shield raised intercepting the blow, second the pistol he had secreted from the brace on his chest at the moment it leveled with the Orc's suprised face fired. Third Hans own blade began its journey to slip past the Orc's armor and into the leg of the Orc severing veins and muscle tissue. Fourth as the blade met the Grand Master's shield and even before then Hans threw himself from his saddle half in the hope to dodge the coming blow, half to get a better angle for his blow, and both driven by pure unconscious instinct.
As Hans was thrown from his saddle his shield crumpled around the other Knight's blade, and a new red energy washed over the human. But Hans cut, the blade still in the Orc's leg pulling on him, and the suprise bullet to the Orc's armored head resulted that when Hans was dismounted so to in a clumbsy manner was his foe. His heart thobbed with a unusual sting as Hans scrambled to his feet, yet his now clearly magical opponent did not. Instead the Orc reached out and suddenly Hans was surrounded by three arrows of red blood that each then stabbed into him, followed by the Knight stepping forward reading his sword once again.
As soon as the arrows of blood struck Hans veins lit up in burning pain. Every shuddering breath was enough to force a pained wail out from the Knight, his eyes watered against his will blurring his vision. But he was no stranger to pain, Hans brought his left arm again to his chest, the arm flared in more pain to move, brused and damaged but not broken. He couldn't hide that he drew yet another pistol, and he couldn't suprise his foe again...or maybe he could.
Hans tested his sword arm seeing it was still good and on the edge of his vision he could see that while damaged his shield was also still intact enough to be of use. So Hans boldly stepped forward fighting through the pain and with a simple plan in mind. The Orc swung his sword single handed an overhead power strike. Hans made to raise his shield while swinging his own sword to cut up into the Orc. Predictably the Orc moved its gauntleted arm to try and block the sword stroke. It was then Hans acted, the Knight released his sword the blade flung at the Orc, his left hand tossed his pistol up and his right caught the weapon as the Knight lunged forward inside the Orc's sword swing just as it caught Hans sword mid-air. The Knight threw himself onto his opponent and jammed his pistol into the collar of his opponent. The Orc shallowly tried to stab Hans with his own blade, but the cut was only enough to draw blood and more importantly Hans aligned his pistol the way he wanted. The Orc could have its stab, because Hans now took the Orc's heart with a single pull of the trigger.
A shocked gasp escapped Hans foe after the single gunshot. The Orc then dropped to its knees and Hans forced his blade out of the brute's grasp. He then started to walk away, eyes watching the battle all the while. The Horde forces were broken up Knights scatter among them or surrounding them while Pistoliers fired in on them killing any Horde who tired to break out or were not locked in a struggle against the Knights. Then three arrows flew past Hans head, far too close for the Grand Master's comfort, swiftly his eyes locked onto the source of the three arrows, Aethalas. He then considered her traget and turned to face the object of the Captain's agression. The Orcish Knight stood now with his sword raised over his head, but with a arrow in each eye and a third arrow piercing through his neck entirely, after a brief moment the Orc's body collapsed and Hans sighed a breath of relief.
While mentally chiding himself for getting distracted by the wider battle rather than confirming his kill, Hans smiled and saluted his Night Elf counterpart. He then turned back to observe the battle around him. Already the Horde were in a panicked collapse, a total route. With Night Elves behind them and Pistoliers slipped into any open space they can fire onto the Horde's soldiers from their defeat and complete annihilation must have become apparent to the Horde and unlike daemons, undead, or fanatics the Horde's troops instead focused in on escape. Perhaps they realized that the wider Horde needed a warning of the coming Imperial forces, but Hans suspected that instead they were simply seeking escape. It took a hour but finally the killing ended, every body was beheaded, and a row of twenty Horde were chained and lay out before Hans and Aethalas.
The Grand Master returned to the back of his horse while Aethalas sat on hers watching him. Before him these last twenty survivors kneeled with Knights at their sides ready to punish any resistance. These creatures spoke but Hans couldn't comprehend a word they said. "Execute them." Hans order was swift and simple.
Steel ringing on the sheaths of blades immediately answered the Grand Master's order. Each Knight immediately drew their blades ready into the air to strike, less than a second after the command had been given each of the Knights standing over a prisoner had their blades ready to strike. Their arms tensed readied to strike.
"Wait!" A cry interjected, the Knights stopped their blades and all turned their eyes to the Night Elf Aethalas whose voice they had grown accustomed to over the last several days. "What are you doing?!" The Night Elf Captain demanded her voice filled with a incredulous tone.
Without even looking away from the now weeping and profusely sweating captives the Grand Master delivered his cold and simple answer. "Executing the captives. Proceed."
"No!" Aethalas cried, but this time the Knights didn't stop, twenty swords dropped and twenty heads hit the ground just before their severed bodies. Immediately the Kaldorei Captain reared onnher counterpart. "They surrendered, we had them captive!"
"And we don't have the necessary means to care for them while on this campaign. Nor can I trust your enemies the same way you seem to." Hans responded his eyes still locked on his Knights, simple gestures leading them to proceed with cleaning up after the deceased.
"Trust? They were unarmed!" Aethalas complained, collecting herself before continuing on. "The more we execute unarmed prisoners the more the Horde will be able to escalate the conflict!"
Hans focused on his men as they worked unaswering. The Knights began to collect the bodies, stripping them of their possessions and then digging a trench while others began to collect kindling. As the Grand Master refused to answer Aethalas frustration mounted.
"When the Horde doesn't hear back from their men they'll have quearions, and without anyone held captive we cannot tell them that, we the Kaldorei defeated and captured them." The Captain ranted at the silent Knight.
"And I have to ensure my army reaches our destination. There's no assurance of them not escaping and informing the Horde of our movements. Also if your Night Elves are fighting as your General told us they should be then there should still be enough to distract the Horde. I am sorry that I took this action without your consultation, but as the Man put in command of these Imperial forces I must do what I think is necessary for the safety of the Imperial soldiers and to complete the mission given to us." Hans apologized, though his own stern expression met Aethalas' own.
The Grand Master then turned back to the Knights and Pistoliers as they worked. "No slacking off! I want us riding again within the hour. If any Skaven are putting up resistance ahead we need to slaughter them all. If not we need to move on!" Hans orders were met by a increased pace by all the Knights despite their clear exhaustion. Next the Grand Master turned to a nearby Outrider. "You get a rider to inform the rest of the Knights to push ahead of us, and get messengers back to the other detachments. We will need to pick up the pace."
Aethalas however wasn't finished. "You think you can give some half asses apology, My people are supposed to be in ultimate command. I can't just let you completely ignore me on an whim."
"You're right, but ultimately right now we need speed above all else, it will possibly take weeks for us to reach Mulgore even if the Horde does not contest our route. We can reorganize and determine command once we are on the move again." Hans hadn't intended to start this battle with his Kaldorei counterparts, he had however intended full well to entirely wipe out the Horde forces regardless. He needed his men prepared to see and kill and bury this enemy, to prepare them in heart and mind for the battles ahead.
They needed the experience against these foes, to know first hand that they could kill them and win on this odd alien world. And then there were the concerns of keeping the army a secret from the Horde for as long as possible. Those who are dead and missing have few tales to tell, but prisoners and escapees they always have more to tell than simple survivors, and so his men killed them, left no survivors to tell any tale other than the one their absence would. And in return, his men had an absolute victory and a firet hand experience killing these Horde from Azeroth, Hans considered that a perfect reward in exhange for the Nobility and Honor of tending to captured prisoners.
Night on Azeroth belonged to the Kaldorei. Darkness shielded them from the eyes of those who wished them harm, while Elune's light gave them strength and energy. Thus while humans slept the Kaldorei with their very diffrent relationship with sleep kept watch, stalking to woods for foes. Unlike other simple races who clung to the sun's excessive light like a drawning sailor would cling to a floating log, the Kaldorei, ancient as the trees and then some, did not look for signs of movement or anything living. They knew every creature to dwell within their forest sometimes they even knew the names of each creature like one would know the names of a neighbor or friend. The Kaldorei watched then for that which was out of place, unnatural.
Sadly there was much out of place as of late, and far too much that went against the nature of their realm. Infact the paradox of how out of place their own allies were kept drawing Kaldorei scouts back towards the Empire camps. The corruption of the Skaven though had already scarred the land, their crude tunnel was a open gash on Mount Hyjal and when the rains fell hard it looked like a weeping sore to the Kaldorei. Elsewhere crude attempts and mining and logging marred the land. While the Horde often fought the Kaldorei to log the forest in their own selfish and destructive manner, the Horde still approached the Kaldorei's homes with a level of appreciation and respect, even if it was from the standpoint of a conquerer appraising their prize.
The Skaven had instead deliberately destroyed the Kaldorei's homes before attempting to replace them with their own ramshackle creations. And when the Knights and Huntresses had passed through the liberated village, finding the foilage stripped for poorly conceived meals, and the trees cut and abused, many wasted their bark stripped and doomed to a slow painful death out of cruelty, while family heirlooms and memento's of those who once lived here lay piled and burnt in the center of town, Aethalas and the Huntresses had wept.
However while the Kaldorei ruled the Night it did not mean they were alone in it. First were their Owl allies who watched from the trees for the Kaldorei, the birds noting anything unusual and viciously feeding on any small rat they happened upon. Second was Hans Leitdorf and the Outriders, these humans by experience, training and potion had cut down on the sleep they needed for the night and stayed up watching and ready should a foe come too close.
No such foe came that night. The Sentinels who had attacked and liberated the Village when the Empire Knights and Huntresses passed through had decided to enact further revenge upon the Skaven and Horde pushing further with the intent to try and push the Horde as far back as Splintertree Post. Those Sentinels would fail, and possibly die with their assaults, but Aethalas couldn't stop them, even if her tactical sense told her that they would fail and die, even if her heart told her to save her kin. The Sentinels pushing thr Horde back and making the Horde bleed for every inch they retake was what Shandris' plan required. The Horde needed not only to fail to notice the large army of humans marching on Mulgore, but they also needed to divert even more troops to Ashenvale, every lost soldier they could possibly be forced to deploy.
But beaides upholding her General's will, Aethalas had other tactical considerations. As well as her own concerns for the moral future of the Kaldorei. While certainly not against unleashing a foe like the Empire against the Tauren, particularly after the Horde unleashed Vampires, and Skaven against them and burned Teldrassil while countless innocents were trapped, she couldn't turn a blind eye to any further escalation, she couldn't allow her people to spiral into barbarism. Shandris wouldn't accept it, and neither should she.
So the Captain walked up to the Grand Master as he cook himself a meal over a small basic campfire. While he was preparing some sort of stew the Knight was also maintaining his sword with some small papers, perhaps reports laying next to him. "Would now be a good time for us to talk?" The Captain asked cautiously while moving to potentially sit across from the Grand Master.
The Imperial Knight, man who relinquished his claim to the throne of Averland to serve as a Knight of Sigmar's Blood, nodded his ascent. Immediately Aethalas took her place across from the Knight. "Today was unacceptable. I should nor have countermanded you the way I did. Not in the open and infront of our enemies like that. But as the Kaldorei assigned as liason and co-commander I need reassurance. I need to know you will consult me on any of these decisions from here on out."
Hans Leitdorf nodded to his counterpart. "Yes, the other night you shared with me some of this world's story. But obviously you didn't convey your command priorities adequately and I failed to understand your intent. I'm not so proud as to find a single challenge to my command offensive enough for outrage."
Aethalas raised a eyebrow at that. It was the duty of a good officer to challenge bad decisions, not at the expense of command and whatever urgency is needed, but certainly to save lives and ensure a greater victory. Did the Empire not have this? "Yes well clearly we need to rectify this and make sure it's less likely something like this happens again."
Hans leveled himself with Aethalas looking dead into the Night Elf's eyes. "Then to start, what is it that you want out of this campaign?"
Aethalas frowned there was always a slightly different meaning to the Mallus people's questions, their reasoning was slightly different. So she answered as honestly as she could. "I want to see the Horde driven off my people's lands, I want the Alliance to still exist after the war has concluded and I want the safety of Azeroth assured. I am here to protect my people and my world."
Hans closed his eyes, as if trying to comprehend Aethalas words. He then opened his eyes catching her with a cold hard stare. "I want to invade Mulgore, force starvation upon the Horde's people by denying them their crops. I want to keep the Soldiers and Knights under my care alive so they can return home and recieve the pay promised to them. And I want this to result in the Alliance's trumph over the Horde so that I don't have to return here as part of a military campaign again in my lifetime. And I intend to use every skill and tool at my disposal to make it such."
Aethalas nodded keeping the gaze of the Grand Master, the man who had indirectly admitted that he would resort to genocide if promted to. "I think I understand, we both want the best possible result, but we both have... differing priorities when it comes to that result. I'll see to it that you do not go beyond what we need for our jointly desired result, and I'll support you in every step of getting that result. Agreed." The Grand Master nodded.
Aethalas sighed. "Ok then I think we both need to go over some of the recent history of the Horde itself, rather than its member races. Particularly I think we need to cover their Warchiefs from Thrall to Sylvanas and the leaders surrounding them." Again Hans Leitdorf nodded in agreement with Aethalas.
Aethalas then went into the tail of the Horde, how Thrall liberated the Orcs from Alliance Internment Camps to the creation of Durotar and how Thrall helped hold back the Legion during the third war for Azeroth. She then explained Garrosh Hellscream, how he was found on the remains of yet another world called Draenor and how he took over the Horde only to commit grievous warcrimes leading to the High King of the Alliance defeating Him and then later sparing the Horde when he was in a position to end them. She explained Vol'jin and his short time as Warchief how he had tried to lead with Honor both for the Horde's historic foes and for his people while meeting the needs of the Horde and how that lead to his unfortunate demise at the hands of Demonic invaders. And she explained Sylvanas, the hate she had harbored, her denied revenge, her paranoia and the current Warchief's lust for violence.
A owl's cry distracted the pair as Aethalas began to go into unfortunate and horrific detail about Sylvanas Windrunner. Aethalas considered stopping, sparing Hans of any more horrid details only to hear some words that made her feel suddenly cold, words without sarcasm, malice or envy. "You world sounds wonderful, I'm glad I got to live to see such a place."