reviews:

Guest 1: Thankyou I know the point is odd, but basically the issue here isn't necessarily a 1v1 in a sense, but despite the Alliance and Horde having individually pathetic factions. Literally without Dwarves and Gnomes Stormwind is BEHIND Bretonnia in independent tech, societal development, and population, but their dwarf and Gnome allies who always go hand in hand with them pretty much since WC2 in meta, and in lore since right before WC1. And unless Blizzard Devs do something, they might as well be a singular state with the Dwarf and Gnome leaders as little more than governors or even figureheads. In WHFB terms they've almost been reduced to Mootland narratively by Blizzard's staff. Which that makes this trio easily step above The Empire and at the same time...well The NE are such "Greater Good" Bleeding goody Goods that anyone who hasn't read the background stuff wouldn't put the 22 together to realize that between the NE and Draenei that's the Origin of about 70% of WoWs evil right there, and half the social conflicts are a result of them as well.

But that's just the Alliance which will sadly almost always come as one huge whole and as they sit at the lead of Basically everything, that's also 80% of Azeroth coming at you with them. Chaos needs to grow some braincells in their Norscan Monkies, or the Empire needs to get willing cooperation from people shown to absolutely look down upon them apathetically if not right disdainfully to actually win. And Warhammer Fantasy none of the kingdoms have any reason to blindly follow and trust one another in the same mindless, near self destructive manner as on Azeroth. Then military logistics and the loss is sufficient enough sadly that WoW eaks out the win...after all the morons running their military die out getting replaced with the actually intelligent military leaders...because I'm sorry but waiting for plot contrivances and basing your entire military strategy off "the plot wants me to win" doesn't make you a tactical genius... Cato Sicarious!

But on a "simplified" summery, the Zulus in the Zulus war had mobility, despite being the ones without Cavalry. And the Zulus had Mass, more soldiers at any one point...but they were obviously dramatically out tech'd by the British, but initially the Zulus with wood sticks and straw were beating the British...then the British used their global scale mobility to flood the area with troops closing the mass gap significantly and with their titanic tech gap crushed the Zulu. The Gap isn't as large and Mallus has mass, but Azeroth have edge on tech and mobility and the politics of both worlds, it doesn't bode well for either side. Azeroth because the failures of hyper-centralization, case and point the recent Scourge remnant invasion of Quel'Thalas where by the time the Blood Elves had gathered international adventurers, they still were stunned into inaction by the indecision of if they should depend on International leadership to take command or if they should protect themselves. And then WHFB well look to how the War of the Beard started to summarize the political issues.

Guest 2: It's at least a true fact for the DE and a somewhat truth for the Wood Elves. Wood Elves it's amplified by Athol Loren itself, the DE it was straight stated it was caused by Chaos. The Dwarves, eh probably not honestly since we have the Dawi-Zharr and their personality traits both have the Dawi default, plus their own corruptions, suggesting it's not that chaos amplified their traits. As for humanity, well we're sort of a failed product. We are preforming as designed, but our resistances weren't completed so we're susceptible to influence and corruption. But we were more or less meant to replace the Slann.

Guest 3: All very good points and all things to witness.

Guest 4: They have a presence, but well a presence isn't really enough on its own. Otherwise the argument could be made they Azeroth is fully corrupted.

Guest 5: YES Your Majesty!

Guest 6: Someone seems a little thirsty for excessive vengeance.

Jak23: Well obviously since Draenei are based if Sphess mahrines I am legally obligated by GW's lawyers to say nothing can possibly defeat a blue primary color with gold military force then go suck Guillaman off while signing the praises of Matt Ward.

Realistically well first you have to analyze the military doctrine behind the Army of the Light. Which as of the events of a incident made famous by the movie Black Hawk down, and multiple similarly fubar situations, the particular airborne assault doctrine that the Army of the Light is modified off of begins to already show its weaknesses.

Originally the airborne assault doctrines that is almost the basis on which most of WoW Azeroth seems to operate at least in WoW where the PC can observe, was of course the prospect of "drop a lot of guys behind enemy lines, rush tanks up to support and effectively meet in the middle or have the tanks reach the hunkered down air forces." On Azeroth this MIGHT still be a fairly effective tactic and against WHFB overall should still be one...except! Black Hawk Down, Vietnam, Iraq, the list rattles on and on, shows that if you pose a even marginal threat to the rear of a force then they have to dedicate resources to checking that threat and if you do as WoW's Alliance combat doctrine, and the Horde did in Ashenvale and countless other battlefields of just skipping past the majority of your enemy's forces then you are simply reducing your own power as you go, or dooming yourself to flanking and rear attacks on unguarded fronts.

Now the AoL they can exfil via teleportation so that particular issue is able to be ignored. Meanwhile WH40k the SM in narrative range from super soldiers in power armor and with the brains to work with limited resources and so will actually make a mental calculation over every round and grenade used vs just punching a dude...or as many writers do ignore resources and have SM be retards who are simply immune to cannon shells. Case and point the Cult of the Warmason where Iron Warriors stand out in the open without helmets during a sustained artillery bombardment landing in and among them and suffer zero casualties.

I mention that because the AoL try to have their cake and eat it, which that is kinda Ok. But as gameplay and everything else should show and suggest the AoL are super soldiers but not nearly as absurd as the bad writing for WH40k, they have magic healing readily available, and they can exfil but they DON'T have an immunity to the crucial flaws I brought up about their doctrine. So in a Ironic Twist the BEST races for countering the AoL are the Orks, Undead (of all WHFB flavors) but for very different reasons, Daemons of Slaanesh, and Beastmen, we can also possibly include Lizardmen but they're a little too centralized with a few too obvious of targets giving them less time to react. Though these factions are not in a direct "oh we can beast your assault" but because each of them in one way or another are resilient enough to soak a Raid or lightning assault while posing a multi-directional threat. Because with the severely limited numbers of the AoL and a focus on raid tactics, as well as "elite" focus eventually they start suffering losses they can't recoup, particularly when the factions i listed can hide their "vital" logistics/resources or just don't really maintain them and so raid tactics are already suffering against them anyways.

But generally each of those races are like a flypaper trap, the AoL jumps in, attacks, and then gets surrounded and starts suffering losses, and the Draenei in general can't afford to suffer losses where a foe that can recoup their losses and more importantly thin out the manpower of the already small Draenei even further would be devastating which puts my top race to counter the Draenei, particularly with the Alliances "we target the enemy army, not land acquisition or conquest" the Beastmen would be the MOST hard counter of a race for the Draenei since their TT mechanic is literally a "we attack from every angle" and in TWW they and Slaanesh have foot infantry who move as fast as Cavalry. Meaning encirclements and bypassing Draenei lines will be common even with literal space ships pulling "beam me up scotty" left and right.

AoS anyone, its AoS people riding lighting bolts across dimensions traveling between worlds in a instant and of course everyone has unlimited numbers of almost everything.

If your looking for a 1v1 "oh this guy will be better" then you'll need to snort some warp dust and hope some Exalted Daemons are saving your ass, because yeah your looking for a chaos champion or better, far better.

As for WHFB and population, its simple city area and representation vs the statistics and the flawed misuse of them. I say misuse because the lack of gap between WHFB represented towns and cities. Europe had a over saturation of cities compared to world wide and almost all of fantasy. The Southern most portion of the HRE, aka Northern Italy which is smaller than Northern Tilia had more city states each city roughly 10k in population than there are settlements in the Empire in TWW2. Which with the era the Empire was originally based off of any capital city can be established to be 65k in population and Paris was nearly 90k, 140k a century later.

But besides mislabeling cities for towns, the Empire also perhaps practices the inverse of the "Chinese method" instead of centralizing and then buffering with a multitude of tributary cities. The Empire has spread its population out into multiple overpopulated towns. but following European numbers and the land area the Empire uses the Empire is looking at somewhat over 100 million and since WHFB is a fantasy setting with actually good and widely spread magical healing and churches who actually care about helping the people , rather than covering up the sex affairs and satanic rituals of a papacy who doesn't even bother to read their own holy scripture.

If we're being generous the Empire is then looking at nearly 200 million due to exponential growth figures and a lack of Europe's child mortality rate, seriously that 30 year average lifespan figure came about simply because of how many people died before the age of ten, remove that and the average age of death was about 60.

But then it's WHFB with excess war, Beastmen and Nurgle so the 100 mil figure is probably more accurate but is the "stable" population estimate.

Dragon King of the West: I put a few flags in there you might catch who or what caused it.

micelzod: There's quite a few opportunities still to explore that's for sure. But If Bliz was behind the collapse i wonder how many expansions it would take before they go "oh yeah there was some sort of ice thing here."

Hakuryuu: Well the initial arc is winding down. But now to see what more is to come in my next stories.

As for the Brews, I am guessing your referencing brewfest, but the Pandarens so much of their stuff is about being magical and keeping emotions neutral for magical reasons...magic grass, magic farts, magic magic. Aaaand Dawi are highly resistant to magic I'm sure that the panda brew wouldn't be all that to the Dawi. And also remember the best most loved Dawi stuff can kill a man in less than one cup, and Brewfest has no fatalities...as a result of good Beer, violence and tainted beer on the other hand...

Azuremyst Blood, Emerald Flames

If there were a fair two words to be used to describe the Horde's march on Lor'danel Velbok would have had to use the word sanguine. Since the clash at the river the Kaldorei forces had refused to commit to any further battles instead skirmishing and staying constantly on the retreat. Thus far casualties for both forces had been light and the Horde was already bypassing the ruins of Auberdine. Once these last rivers were passed the army would make a straight shot for Lor'danel which based off what the Goblin heard was already under siege by the Horde's forces under Lord Saurfang. With the legendary Orc there and the threat of this army certainly the Kaldorei defeat was at most days away now, certainly by nightfall it could possibly be evident that the Horde has won this war.

Though the advance and the war thus far had left some of the participants far from content. Orgrimmar was still putting out the fires and collecting the dead, a unfortunate turn, though many of the Orcs the Goblin had seen seemed intent to repay that deed to the Alliance. And of course Velbok's charge and the Skaven people under Ikit seemed rather on edge and clearly upset. They clearly didn't like the current course of battle, and Velbok had heard many paranoid squeakings between many of the Rat leaders who were gradually refusing to go on patrols. And Ikit himself was frothing with rage, apparently the leader felt his brilliance was insulted and was looking for any possible outlet for his frustrations.

They had marched for most of the day simply hauling the Skaven War machines. The one time the Horde had stopped to rest the Ratmen piled atop each other into various heaps sleeping with the biggest of each group laying atop his clearly less comfortable companions. The Skaven only slept for a couple of hours and then, surprisingly they took off before the rest of the Horde, a tired and groggy Goblin following. Thanks to potions and a kafa brew Velbok was able to keep up as the Skaven now marched ahead of the Horde, a clan called Eshin apparently scouting ahead and guarding against Night Elf skirmishers. While the Skaven seemed opposed to the Night Elves preferred form of combat, the Eshin rats seemed to flock to the skirmishing battles the more incompetent seeming of them almost literally so.

Thus the Skaven and Velbok were already ahead of the Horde forces by some hours when they crossed the river and began passing Bashal'aran. It was then that the Kaldorei struck. As the dwindling Skaven forces, now nearly a thousand rather than the over two thousand who joined the Horde in Ashenvale, marched past the remains of the long abandoned Night Elf city long lost outposts and natural strongpoints revealed waiting Night Elves and their weapons arrows and massive glaives came down from the city into the Skaven ranks. Unable to see their attackers, the Skaven turned to the city where the attack came from unleashing battle cries.

The Hundreds of Ratmen, half the Skaven army, then rushed into Bashal'aran loud squeaks and shouts coming from their numbers as they charged. The Skaven, however, even as arrows landed among them, glaives cut through ranks and arrows struck down Clanrats, soon discovered that their foes were not a prepared army within the ruins and were instead scattered around the ruins now firing from all directions into the mass of Skaven. Swiftly the Clanrats attempted to recognize but from the sounds of shouting inside Velbok guessed that they were Swiftly failing and doomed. However Ikit just snarled and laughed at the battle as his few remaining war machines remained distant from the battle. The Chief Warlock's calm confounded Velbok. before he had been frothing with rage, now he looked on to his army's failure with near amusement.

Then the Goblin spotted the detail that must have been the cause of Ikit's calm. Climbing along the cliffs of the ruins and just now reaching the tops were many, cloak covered Skaven each with odd weapons and cruel blades just showing in the moonlight. Some of the Night Elves must have noticed the Skaven scaling the cliff edge as as some of the first crested the edge they were met with arrows lodged into their throats. However the initial response of the Night Elves wasn't enough as more of these stealthy Skaven got atop the cliffs and hills dodging retaliating with shuriken and their odd wrist blades. Velbok wasn't sure what transpired however after what seemed to be intense moments of close fighting the Night Elves blew a horn sounding their retreat while victory cries were screeched from the positions closest to where the Skaven had been marching.

The battle had then ended less than a hour than it began. The Clanrats and others returned, and by Velbok's best estimate nearly two hundred Skaven had passed for an uncertain number of Night Elves though Velbok was certain that it would have been fewer than a hundred. Still the Skaven seemed ecstatic over their victory, and eagerly threw themselves into the nor then march, while Velbok now worried, the Night Elves had to be baiting them into a trap, and even Ikit seemed to want to slow his troops but was struggling to control his army.

The Armored leader even shouted and threatened his leaders eventually forcing his troops into a compromise. Occupying the ruins first and then pressing north. It was then the Skaven's good fortune that as they were preparing to thrust north from the ruins that Sylvanas, and her honor guard of both the honorbound and Kor'kron, arrived making their presence known and visible to their Skaven allies. The presence of Sylvanas and her honor guards allowed Ikit to then bully his troops into submission.

Swiftly Sylvanas reorganized, coordinating her scouts with the Skaven, and much to Velbok's dread the Skaven soon set forth again. Surrounded by various Horde patrols, mainly of local Shatterspear Trolls, Darkspear Headhunters, and Orcish hunters, the Skaven marched north towards Lor'danel even as Night Elven raids and skirmishers lashed out time and time again, countered only by the remaining mass of the Skaven and the high skill and abilities of Sylvanas and her Honor Guards.

After nearly a day again of combating Night Elves the Skaven column with maybe over a hundred more casualties reached the outskirts of Lor'danel. Sylvanas and Ikit Claw both stopping their forces as they overlooked the brutal carnage before them. The forces under Varok Saurfang had rushed the town and engaged the Kaldorei within, only to find that the Night Elves had not only as anticipated fortified the town but had the Army of the Light and still disembarking Sentinels on the shores. Even from a distance the battle had evidently close into a near all out brawl with Sentinels struggling to stay far enough away from frenzied Orcs to fire their bows without fear of being cleaved apart in the process.

And from Sylvanas orders Velbok knew that somewhere in there must be Lord Saurfang while the Skaven would attack the Night Elven ships from afar to keep further reinforcements away and to keep Night Elf ships from providing support or escape to those already on the shore. If the battle here was successful, if the Horde forces hours behind the Skaven arrived in time, then this war could swiftly be brought to a close, and even the bulk of the Kaldorei army taken out. Though with the Night Elf numbers and presence Velbok just hoped they all lived long enough to make that a reality.

Tarei Von Carstein breathed the familiar air with a newfound sense of disgust. Azuremyst was a land tainted by a corruption that those who worshiped as blind slaves to the Naaru could not see. But her love, the shadow of her Night, her torturer and savior, had made her see and with sight the Lights cruelty burned her. If the Light can not control or corrupt it destroys, and so it's followers walk blind crushing the universe into their mold unable to comprehend the cool freedom of night, the liberation of the Grave. She would free them with their deaths.

"My night. Let us make our plans." The Vampress turned to Aleksandr, barely holding back her obsessive desire for her master. As she sauntered over to the vampire who was looking over the Forsaken Queen's guard who were busy talking and coordinating for the battle.

"Speak." Aleksandr ordered coolly, his voice sending a new thirst for blood through her. Aleksandr never failing to spark desire from his spawn.

"Yes my love, we will be taking the northern shore of Azuremyst, passing over Emberglade and disembarking by Stillpine Hold. The Furblogs in there are worthless, but should make for decent zombies for us to use. We should then strike south and take Azure Watch and Bristlelimb Village. If the Draenei are evacuating Azure Watch should only have resilient Draenei who will likely put up far more fierce resistance than I foolishly tried, and Bristlelimb Village has more Furblog that we can make use of to complete our encirclement of Exodar. I don't think we will be successful in taking Exodar, however Ammen Vale and Bloodmyst Isle which should have stragglers and relics for us to collect. Should we be successful we might get as many as fifty test subjects my love." As she spoke Tarei pressed herself into Aleksandr basking in his blood soaked presence.

And then cannon fire emerged from the Gunships of the Horde as crystalline bolts flew threw the air towards the air fleet. Swiftly the Forsaken began to prepare for battle while Aleksandr smirked cruelly calling upon his dark powers to awaken his laying and slumbering army. Where the Forsaken and the living of the Horde had thought they had the maximum number of troops they could pack into their Zeppelins, Aleksandr had pressed well beyond those numbers as lifeless bones, and corpses were packed into the Zeppelins with only special beasts taking any extra space. Indeed where the Horde estimated hundreds to fit abord this flotilla, Aleksandr pressed a couple thousand, still less than half his total force but more than enough as Tarei had assured him.

Now the Horde flotilla was battling the initial Draenei defenses. But Aleksandr cared little for the battle taking place as swarms of bats and hidden Fell Bats all stowed away in holds, or clinging to the balloons holding up the Horde's Zeppelins answered their master's call. The beasts then fell upon the Azuremyst defense stations, at first the Gunship gunners cautious to fire on the creatures as they harrased and bloddied the Draenei defenders. However hissed, low threats from the Vampires soon lead to both Gunships opening fire on the defenders again, irregardless of the casualties of the bats and soon the Draenei abandoned their attempts to stop the Horde Sky Flotilla.

Soon Zeppelins descended upon the lands south of Stillpine Hold. Even before the the ships had descended Zombies threw themselves from the ship decks falling one after another into a building pile of corpses which as the Zeppelins finally landed rose, or crawled away and now tides of undead threw themselves from each Zeppelin as the Forsaken watched on in a mixture of disgust and interest. Acting swiftly Aleksandr sent his Undead shambling as quickly as they could north into the entrance of Stillpine hold where Furblogs massed to defend their tribe, only for rotted flesh wielding crude weapons, followed by Skeletons in rusted wargear to swiftly overwhelm their few numbers, their dead swiftly joining the ranks of Aleksandr's forces.

Even as the Queen's guard bit back their own outrage witnessing the dead raised as mindless slaves, with little difference from the Scourge as far as they could tell, they resolved themselves to obey their queen as her elite guards. Even so the dull lifeless, blank eyes of the Furblogs who had tried to valiantly hold their line against the Vampire's slaves unnerved the Queen's guard who set about preparing the northern front against the Exodar.

Swiftly moving southward with ghosts about her and Skeletons and even more of the Queen's guard Tarei descended upon Azure Watch. The town's remaining occupants armed and ready to sell their lives dearly. Swiftly the Vampress had her minions descend upon the defenders the mass of Undead intended to disarm and capture all those possible as Tarei herself cruelly fell upon her former people beating those she could into submission, and unconscious those she couldn't. Of the Eighteen Draenei who stood against her forces and the Queen's guard, seven died, and four escaped.

But the Vampire did not stop there, while the Queensguard secured the captives Tarei and her Undead marched on Bristlelimb Village, Tide's Hollow, and Wrathscale Point. Naga in their dozens and nearly two hundred Furblog threw themselves into fighting the Undead Horde that threatened their homes. Their resistance delighted the Vampire, "Look at that! Look at them come to be killed!" She cried to her mindless servants about her. Aleksandr's Wights left behind to watch over the remnants of his army resting on Kalimdor.

Naga Sirens and Myrmidons opposed the Undead with magic and strength beyond even the Draenei, while the Furblogs attempted to ferally tear apart the Undead before them clearly unaware that nearly every casually they caused Tarei could easily repair or replace. The Naga clearly understood the dire threat they faced slowly retreating and clearly buying time for more of their race to escape, not that Tarei cared much for them outside what use she could derive from their corpses.

The Vampress then threw herself into the Furblog, they would be first of her foes to die out, but they were doing far more damage than the Naga. The Vampiric Shuk'tar tore into her Furblog counterparts with ease. Their pitiful race possessing no true match for the might of a Lord of the Night in its ranks, swiftly Tarei's twin maces smashed bones and bruised the flesh of Furblogs dooming them to death.

The battle ended within minutes of Tarei joining the fighting as the Bristlelimb Tribe died at the hands of the Vampire army and the Queen's guard behind them. And shortly after the Furblogs died the Naga either passed from life to death or successfully fled from the might of the Undead. Immediately Tarei began channel her power to raise the dead, unfortunately any semblance of their souls were long lost, thus magic would have to fill the void and the dead Furblogs and Naga would be little less than meat puppets.

The dead rose, their bodies moving to the will of the Vampires and the encirclement of Exodar was complete. With a sweep Tarei turned to the Queen's guard who had followed after her. "Storm to Ammen Vale, take Bloodmyst, Blood Watch will fall before you. Drag each and every prisoner to us, leave no Draenei unclaimed!"

Some miles north of Tarei Aleksandr stared towards the felled sky ship turned city of Exodar. While the massive crystalline structure was beyond Aleksandr's understanding, he knew enough. His prey would entrenched deep into the city, it's crystal spires and the mountain peak behind it allowing the defenders to contest armies many times their number. Well as fortunate would have it Aleksandr had such a army and power to spare. With a thought Aleksandr's thousands as one marched Exodar would be enveloped in battle by nightfall and these Draenei would either prove to be the warriors he hoped them to be, or he would crush their race beneath his heel. As his army marched Aleksandr ride on his barded Nightmare surrounded by a multitude of Black Knights , each ready to pierce Exodar's defenses and lay low any defender foolish enough to challenge his martial might.

The Vampire marched in the shade provided by hundreds of bats whose bodies blocked out the sun so Aleksandr wouldn't have to bother shielding himself from its light. Hours of marching and the dimming of the sun as it descended and even the bats could no longer shield Aleksandr from its weakening rays, marked the Vampiric army's arrival outside Exodar. In his mind, Aleksandr could hear Tarei crying for him to immediately launch the assault, to not allow the Draenei a chance to prepare any further.

"No damn it." Aleksandr growled to himself. "Even if I should face Manfred in the Night Court a failure, allowing my enemies to claim I need be purged. I will face Manfred as a Von Carstein, as a Von Carstein I am a Empire builder, a Conqueror!"

Aleksandr turned to his Flagbearer the Wight preparing a separate white flag then rode forth ahead of Aleksandr and his army. The Black Rider arrived just outside the ancient vessel and the short walls about it. Unchallenged the Wight shouted to those within, his voice a dry wind on a lifeless plain, his proclamation from his master bearing the decree Von Carstein mixed in to his demand. "People of Exodar. Surrender and you will survive, so proclaims Aleksandr Von Carstein, if not you shall die. Serve us in life, or slave for us in death!" The Wight proclaimed, it's empty eye-sockets staring at the city as no response came.

The Black Knight rode back to Aleksandr who already knew that the Draenei intended to resist. So before his Flagbearer returned Aleksandr delivered the Order and the Undead surged on Exodar. Zombies stumbled and pushed forward only to be met with crystalline bolts raining from Exodar and lances of light smashing into and exploding among the Undead. But even under the rain of destruction from the Exodar the Undead pushing forward unhindered. Soon the Gates of Exodar were slammed by Undead as Zombies scaled the hull of the ancient vessel.

As the Undead battered at their city the Draenei inside never emerged to battle, no strong battlelines or masses of magic casters and archers, instead their Ballistas continued to rake the undead thinning the Hordes but seldom in a manner Aleksandr could not remedy. As the exchange took place Bats swarmed which weapons they could as Ghosts sought a entry that they could slip past the otherworldly metal of the ship. Soon the Queen's guard provided a solution as a Horde Gunship braved the defenses of Exodar unleashing its cannons against the defensive points dismantling each one by one until eventually the spirit hosts commanded by Tarei flooded the city and a barrage of fire from the Gunship opened the gate allowing the dead to enter the Exodar.

As Aleksandr entered Exodar he found no resistance at first the Undead pressing forward unimpeded until an ambush by cloaked warriors and thrown fire and lightning tore into his Undead minions. Eagerly Aleksandr brought his Black Knights after Tarei who rushed into the battle and swiftly he found his spawn locked in combat so thus Aleksandr thrust himself into combat with these Draenei.

However as Black Lances found flesh as Aleksandr's own sword began to cleave away at the defenders preparing to seek out those worthy of capture, Tarei's voice hissed over the din of battle. "Worthless Broken! Where are the Draenei!?"

Momentarily confused Aleksandr looked over his foes as he struck one down. Cloven feet rather than hooves, three instead of five fingers, and smooth featureless faces glared at Aleksandr as he battled warriors entirely bereft of the resplendent armor and crystals he had seen at the place called the Ancients Grove. Indeed these Broken were a worthless subrace as he had been told by Tarei, unworthy of the Vampiric ascension she wished for her species. Still it wouldn't hurt to experiment on a few of them so Aleksandr would capture even a few of these creatures alive.

"Not here, Lost Child. Velen saw your dark intent and as the Vindicators battle the Horde on Darkshore we sent away what civilians we could." Just behind the Broken's line the Shaman Nobundo glared at Tarei.

"Bullshit, coward heard there was a war and chose to run away and hide letting others die in his place. Like Always!" Tarei howled in rage at the Shaman across from her.

"I'm sorry that it's become like this Emis, you were a decent student." The Broken Shaman stated before throwing a bolt of lightning into Tarei, who while blocking the the Lightning was thrown back and into the ground.

Aleksandr responded gathering power to pull the life power away from the Shaman but the Broken was already retreating away. Moments after Nobundo fled the scene the Broken's line also broke fleeing deeper into the Exodar. Aleksandr thrust his undead forces into the ship after the Broken but as they entered into the Seat of the Naaru sustained bolts of ballista fire, crossbows and shamanistic magic met Aleksandr's forces. As the costly battle for the Exodar raged, well defended hallways with far too few defenders meeting the inexhaustible press of the dead, Aleksandr watched Tarei rage.

The still young Vampress roamed the Exodar destroying icons of the Light and Naaru, shouting obsenities in the Draenei language as she went. But as she raged the battle with the spirit hosts, bat swarms and Zombies pressed the Broken back and soon the last Broken were fleeing out the portal to Stormwind. The Vampires controlled Stormwind with sixteen Broken captives captured, and none of the promised Draenei. Leaving the pair with just the Exodar's scraps to scavenge.
"Damn him! Damn THEM! Damn them all to the fucking MAW!" Aleksandr's spawn screamed as Aleksandr sensed his victory, as nearly hollow as it was.
"What is this?" Aleksandr demanded while admiring the interior of the Exodar, the halls empty, the floors covered in abandoned supplies and goods, evidence of a rushed evacuation, and the corpses of Broken surrounded by Skeletal remains and zombies.

"Velen, he always flees, abandoning others for the sake of his precious light. Always pretending his cowardice is somehow serving a greater vision! What puprose does leaving families to get slaughtered by ORCS serve you bastard! To feed their deaths into the righteous indignation of your light? To pretend their slaughter justifies your Light's corruption! Damn the Light and your lies you bastard!" The Vampress screamed as she began beating into the crystals in the seat of the Naaru. Crystal shards flying with each strike eventually followed by the head of one of her maces as the weapon broke under the abuse.

"Gather your senses. And stop wasting time, there are still Draenei to capture, where would any others be if they stayed on these islands?" Aleksandr demanded, his voice flat and allowing nothing other than obedience. However his spawn rather roared in rage continuing to claw at the Seat of the Naaru.
The Vampire Lord walked up to his spawn, then struck her across her face, punching her to the ground. "I asked, where would any Draenei be if they remained behind?" The Vampire Lord, his voice a low growl, demanded of his creation, he would not let her humors control his campaigns of conquest. His honor, the Von Carstein name, demanded success first and foremost before her attitudes.

Tarei huffed in air unmoving for several moments, eventually releasing her tension with a hiss. "Bloodmyst. Any who remained would stay on Bloodmyst to help the Kaldorei evacuation." The Vampiric former Draenei stated, with a cold calm settling in.

Aleksandr smirked. "A suiting name." Before forcing a kiss onto his spawn's lips. Already his army marching north. "We take Bloodmyst and anything of value you can find here. Now hurry." Immediately the Vampress began grabbing items and checking the various shops and remains of of the city for likely remains she could make use of.
So motivated the Vampires only used took a small portion of what was on the Exodar before taking flight to join their army in the march on Bloodmyst island. Within a short time the pair joined their forces and soon enough after they reached the bridge to march north into Bloodmyst.

There the pair met the Queen's guard. These Forsaken had encountered feirce resistance primarily from Kaldorei Sentinels, but reported that they had successfully captured some Draenei in Blood Watch before the Kaldorei and Vindicators launched their counter attack forcing them from the town, after intense back and forth skirmishing.
Aleksandr simply smirked in response to the report. "Well it looks like we have some good fortune. Tarei, we strike north." The Vampire cheered to his beloved creation as she smirked.

"Yes lets take them." The pair then prepared to push north only as a Queen's Guard runner arrived.

"The Alliance Air fleet is closing on us!" The Runner shouted entering the encampment.

Both Vampires turned on the runner. "What!" Tarei was the first to cry. Already she was holding the Queen's Guard off the ground by his collar.

"It's a small flotilla, but they have three Alliance Gunships, and a number of Zeppelins. We think that Sky-admiral Rogers is at the helm." The Forsaken reported while his legs dangled beneath him under the powerful grip of the Shuk'tar.

"We have forces, and our own Gunships, why should we fear this sky-admiral?" Aleksandr asked confused as the Forsaken about him already seemed ready to abandon the battle.

Tarei then looked over to Aleksandr. "No they're right, Rogers and even a single Gunship advantage over us means every second wasted here is a second we might no longer have to withdraw we might need to give this one up."

Jarod Shadowsong clashed with Saurfang again, the Orc's strength overwhelming the Elf's weaker physique. It had been a near day of the two clashing and Jarod pulling back finally to the Beaches. Another Axe stroke and Jarod moved to deflect it. It was then that the Elf's strength failed him, the blade didn't pierce his flesh but Jarod felt his bone snap and as the Orc's axe was pushed aside, Jarod dropped his blade. The Elven Hero stumbling back away from Orc veteran.

"Surrender Jarod Shadowsong and You will be a captive of the Horde, treated well until your release." Saurfang ordered now looming over the Kaldorei Elf.

"No." Jarod answered, a defiant spirit welling up in the hero of wars far more ancient than the entire life of the Orc before him. However Saurfang was undaunted by Jarod's spirit simply nodding and moving to strike the Night Elf. The Axe coming for Jarod's life the blade lobbing off his head and ending Jarod's long legacy.

But she appeared, and the blow never landed as instead a Umbra Crescent blocked the axe. "No you don't, you damned Orc." Maiev snarled at the Orc Lord, bringing her second Crescent to slash his armor forcing him back. "Not my brother. Not today."

While Varok was a skilled veteran and incredibly skilled and powerful as a Orc, Maiev was able to easily fend him off and already the fresh Warden was driving back the Orc Lord with her duel weapons. However Maiev was vastly outnumbered as she soon learned as a arrow peirced her armor punching through the Warden's bicep. "I'm sorry Shadowsong, what were you trying to say?" The voice of Sylvanas Windrunner mocked from the side of the fight, another arrow already nooked and ready to be launched.

For a moment desperation took hold, Maiev saying nothing as she slowly backed off only for arrows and Varok's strikes to pursue her. Then the Elder sister of the Shadowsong siblings as the battle worsened made her choice. Maiev dove to avoid Saurfang's next axe blow, only for a arrow to strike her in the spine, but Maiev as she fell collided with Jarod and then with a small flash both Shadowsongs disappeared. Swiftly Sylvanas scanned for them along with Lord Saurfang, but by the time they spotted the pair they were being dragged onto a departing Night Elf ship.

Behind Saurfang and Sylvanas the chattering of Ikit Claw confirmed what Sylvanas already understood to be true. Darkshore was now the Horde's. "Secure the Beach, Prepare to invade the tree." Sylvanas order was direct and simple, though from Ikit's confused and almost disgusted reaction the Rat seemed to take umbrage with the order.
Coughing grabbed the attention of Sylvanas, Saurfang, and Ikit. Swiftly the Rat rushed forward his Storm Daemon poised to thrust through the Elf barely sitting there. "Wait!" Sylvanas order barely prevented the Skaven from ending the Night Elf who had unexpectedly posed so much trouble for the Horde. "Delaryn Summermoon." The Warchief muttered under her breath as she walked towards the dying Elf. Ikit claw walked back from the Night Elf, an animalistic hiss and a glare of hate, though for herself or the Night Elf Sylvanas didn't know.

"Why? You have already won. Only Innocents remain in the tree." The Captain wheezed between coughs as she struggled to live just that much longer, simply to plead for a people already doomed to torment at Sylvanas hand. All for the sake of freedom from the damnable machine, or so Sylvanas reasoned to herself.

"This is War." She answered, simplifying for the captain.

"No, this ... is hatred, rage." The Night Elf tried to plead, pretending as though war was any different, attempting to use her righteousness to buy her people time. "Windrunner, you were... defender of your people. Do you remember?" As she spoke Ikit groaned in a impatient frustration.

Sylvanas leaned close to the Sentinel Captain. "I remember,... a fool." Sylvanas whispered into the ear of the dying captain. As Sylvanas painfully squeezed her Night Elven counterparts chest she continued. "Life is Pain. Hope fails. Now you understand." As Sylvanas spoke pained sobs came from Delaryn Summermoon and cruel chuckling from Ikit behind them. "Ah, Don't grieve... You'll soon join your loved ones." The Queen of the Forsaken's tone was filled with mockery, but in her heart she felt a sense of jealousy knowing the Night Elf would indeed likely see her family in the afterlife while she was Doomed to never see them again, no matter what actions she took.

"I grieve for you. You've made life your enemy. And that is a war you will never win. You can kill us, but you can not kill hope." The Captain stated her breaths fading, behind them Ikit was growing further impatient.

"Just Kill-kill!" But the rat was silenced with a glare, before Sylvanas looked to Teldrassil, then smirked back to Delaryn.

"Can't I?" Then Sylvanas took steps towards the tree. "Burn it." There, the order was given, the bargains and deals which would damn Azeroth but free them now were set in the stone reality of the past and their destiny unavailable. A eagerly surprised gasp emerged from behind her, but no movement, no obedience. Immediately she turned back to a motionless Varok, a shocked and freshly arrived Nathanos Blightcaller, while Ikit seemed eagerly look about. "Burn IT!"

Swiftly Nathanos began returning to the Horde forces to prepare mounting Catapults with flaming pitch and Shamans abord captured transport ships. As he did this, Ikit raced back to the Skaven lines where the last two of their Lightning Cannons waited with strange crystal generators hooked into the machines at their sides. As Catapults were being pushed towards the ships, a loud humm waved across the battlefield and then suddenly two streaks of green lightning arched across the straights one striking the trunk of the tree a small ring of green flames at the impact sight. The other shot impacted the mid-branches as it passed through the leaves and smaller branches igniting them all as it passed through before hitting a larger branch and detonating. The Skaven all cheered with these two shots while the Horde forces watched on in fascination.

The Skaven fired again, both shots hitting the trunk. And as the Cannons charged again the humms intensity dramatically increased as one cannon suddenly fired a constant and wildly arcing stream of power which eventually after passing through some unfortunate Horde Grunts, and through various ships traveled up the trunk of Teldrassil stopping with the lower branches of the tree, igniting everything as it went before the cannon suddenly detonated. Then as one cannon exploded taking itself and its crew to death the other fired as normal into Teldrassil's trunk. Then one more shot and the green flames started to be replaced with fires of more natural color as the fires began to spread over Teldrassil.

As the flames grow in intensity and a hot wind born of the fire swept over Darkshore, Varok Saurfang broke his silence. With cheering Skaven and the Grimm cries of Vengence fulfilled from the Horde, Saurfang cried out to Sylvanas, "This has no honor!" But the Warchief didn't respond just looking back to her subordinate, who growled at her silence. "They will come for us...ALL OF THEM!"

A insane cackling met the Orc Lord's complaint. "Yes-Yes, they come for you-us. And my-my machines will crush-kill them all! Prove that Ikit Claw is the greatest creator of weapons!" The Skaven answered from several yards away, not even bothering to look away from the flames that consumed Teldrassil, the rat still laughing at the sound of screams coming from the tree.

"Let them come. We will destroy them all if need be...For the Horde." Sylvanas answered simply before turning back to the death and destruction she had caused, satisfied with how low she had brought the wretchedly self righteous Kaldorei. But Sylvanas enjoyment was cut short by a cry from behind, as Hippogryphs and dragons crossed over Darkshore, dragon flames consuming ships, formations and the last Lightning Cannon as a flying formation with Tyrande at its head raced to Teldrassil. Their vain hope to save its people clear.

As the Dragons and Hippogryphs disappeared in the flames of Teldrassil Ikit returned to Sylvanas side. "The Council will be pleased with our win-win. I will-will report favorably to them for-for more agreement-schemes." Sylvanas nodded to the detestable beast, reminding herself that they were necessary for the Horde.

A great many Miles south Sky Admiral Rogers closed on the Azuremyst Islands. And as the Flotilla neared Anduin stood on the bridge staring towards the Islands, his hands gripping the railing of the ship. Behind him Volkmar prayed over the last survivors of the Imperial soldiers who had escaped through the portal with them.

"We're nearing Azuremyst your majesty!" Rogers shouted, making the Flotilla's approach on Azuremyst all the more evident.

As the Flotilla closed Volkmar stepped behind Anduin. "So what's the Importance of these islands that we abandoned using these ships against the warfront to save them?"
With a sigh Anduin turned to the Grand Theologist. "Azuremyst is home to the Draenei, the race that Avenah is one of. Also Azuremyst is where the Night Elves planned to fall back to should Teldrassil fall into the Horde's hands. If there is a threat like your world's Vampires waiting for them there then the death toll would be horrific."

As all this took place the Empire Captain Günther was looking off the side railing of the sky ship, both in awe of the flying vessel, and somewhat frightened by the long distance down. But as he looked toward the waves below a glow like the rising sun slowly came to light his face. However the sun was rising in the North.

Immediately the captain panicked, staring north in fear, had chaos unleashed some foul curse upon the world? Wait no he was on some other world...did the sun rise in the north here? Dazed the Captain quickly grabbed the attention of a nearby sailor. The sailor looked to the glow, his eyes widening in horror.

"Admiral! The North!" The Sailor shouted after a moment of shock and soon the entire vessel was staring to the North.

Anduin slowly walked to the railing of the ship staring north. All about the ship cries of, "By the Light", "Elune preserve me", and "That can't be statistically probable" were being uttered by the crew as Anduin dropped to his knees.

"Your majesty?" Rogers voice, confused, cut through the noise of the crew. "Your majesty, your orders."

Anduin did not answer, too shocked by what he was witnessing. Instead Volkmar answered, "Unless these vessels are far faster than what you've been doing there's no point, maintain course. Your king says these islands are important to you people, I think they just became even more important."