MY ONE-SHOTS
Summary: This is a one-shot detailing my take on Mordremoth's motives. Why he did things - like leaving Eir where we could find her and making sure she died, etc. (Not why he decided to take over the world and enslave all the sylvari, my only explanation there is: He's an Elder Dragon. What do you expect.)
Chapter four: The Mastermind's Motives
So... I think this'll be from Mordremoth's perspective, and so please don't think I'm crazy if I sound cold and heartless where normally I'd begin ranting.
Okay, here's the story now:
The dragon stirrs in it's slumber, and lazily and negligently reaches its mind out over the vast reaches of it's domain, skipping lazily over many minds it could have influenced, looking for one that would be more... receptive of it's ideas. The Nightmare Court are an option, but no... they seek freedom, not domination.
Ah! Here it is. She's let her mind loose in the threads of time and space that make up the world's fabric. He latches on to her, and feels the wonder and crafty analyzing of the creature that will now bend to his will... if he is smart enough to outwit her will.
She identifies herself as a sylvari (sylvari? What kind of word is that for creations of an Elder Dragon?) secondborn (the second born from what?) named Ceara (what a soft and squishy name). She believes she is viewing the Eternal Alchemy, and as the dragon sees her view on what it is she's seeing (Eternal Alchemy) he snorts.
Still sleeping, of course, the dragon accidentally disengages from her mind, before startling back and grasping her once again. (Ceara is a soft name)
The... sylvari, the unamused dragon decides to call her, seems to agree with him.
"I will be Scarlet Briar," she decides. (Ooh, much better.)
The dragon sighs a dragony sigh and decides it's time to wake up (I don't want to wake up. I'm sleepy)... (I don't have enough energy.)
Unconsciously he projects his thoughts into the mind of the being he is unconsciously influencing, before drifting away on the currents of sleep once more.
Suddenly startling, he remembers the being he touched. A while ago. In between stirrings. He touches her again. She has decided she needs to wake him up. He quite agrees with her. It's time to wake. It's been millennia. (I'm too sleepy. Sleep brings energy, you know. Energy to try again and take over the world.)
Slumbering again... for a time...
The creature has encountered resistance. (That crazy Commander!)
What was that? The dragon wonders. Oh. I sent my thoughts to her... Scarlet Briar... and she can send her thoughts to me. I couldn't do that before... last time I woke...
The minion has it's own will! The dragon realizes, more awake than before to realize this. It's my creation. And it's not me. It's her. (Wait, I have to be crafty. I can't let her know she's mine.) That's right. Can't let her know she's mine. I'm not strong enough yet. (I need sleep.) No... I need energy. Magical energy. The patterns and conductiveness of matter... the dragon trails off thinking about other things. (I get distracted to easily. I need to wake.) Need to wake. Need energy. Magical energy can wake me up. (The flows of magical energy need disrupted.) Yes. That will make me wake. (Need energy from the flows.)
The dragon can feel the being's intent shift ever-so-slightly. (Yes. The ley-lines. There's one under Lion's Arch. And it will induce terror if I use that one. It's big.)
So not just thoughts then, he'd given her. (She shouldn't have known about that one there. Lion's Arch, hm?) Information, as well. (I can do the same.) I can, that's right. (Wonder what she knows.)
So the dragon delves into the sylvari's knowledge.
Destiny's Edge... the Pact... Commander... Destiny's Edge... Caithe... who's Snaff? Asuran companion... the Grove... Trahearne... Lion's Arch... Beigarth... Omadd... the Pact... Marshal... killed Zhaitan...
Killed Zhaitan? (Wasn't he the one with the undead?) How could anybody kill the Death dragon? (Does this mean nobody dies anymore?) How did they?
The Orders... the Pact... Trahearne... Tiffany Soulstrider... assisted by Destiny's Edge...
Who is this Destiny's Edge that keeps cropping up? The dragon wonders irritably. (Zhaitan dying seems to be linked to them.) That's right. What's Destiny's Edge.
Caithe... told stories... everyone knows about them... A friend died... blame is placed on people... animosity... anger... one of them died... split up for ages... the Pact... killed Zhaitan...
Who or what is this entity that killed Zhaitan? (It could kill us.) No way. I am unkillable. (That's right. I cannot be killed.) But who killed Zhaitan?
The Pact... the Orders came together... Marshal Trahearne... Commander Tiffany... airships... killed Zhaitan...
Orders? What Orders? (They didn't kill Zhaitan until they made this Pact) What do these ranks mean? (Marshal? Commander?)
Order of Whispers... Vigil... Priory... Pact... lead by Marshal... Commander struck down Zhaitan...
This Commander person seems dangerous (oh, most definitely.)
United Destiny's Edge again... formed the Pact on initiative... the races came to alliance because of her... struck down Zhaitan... former member of the Vigil... warmaster... suggested Trahearne be Marshal... spearheaded the invasion of Orr...
What's this Orr? (Wasn't it where Zhaitan made his domain?) Somehwere to the south and way west... (yes, Zhaitan took Orr.) This Commander seems dangerous. (Oh, yes. Very dangerous) What's her interest in this Pact and Destiny's Edge?
Thackeray is her friend... he is of Destiny's Edge... she disliked the division... like Caithe... tried to fix it... disliked division... brought the races together... formed the Pact...
This Pact again! (and Destiny's Edge) What is it?
The Pact... led by Marshal Trahearne... never before heard of unity between the Orders and races... led properly by Marshal and Commander... trying to get the rest of the dragons...
Oh. This is not good (not at alll...) the Commander seems to be the power of this unity.
The Commander is trying to stop me... routed my Molten Alliance...
Oh. I want to wake up (need to) this Commander is halting my efforts! (She's dangerous.) Oh, very. (How can I wake up if I don't get energy?) Need energy!
Should let my creation on her, I should. See how she deals with Miss Marionette, hmm?
The creature is getting more coherent. (the connection is intensifying.) Good. (I hate disjointed unconnected stray thoughts).
Should maybe wrest control? (She's been asking for help. She can't get it.) She knows? (Nightmares. Doesn't like them) That would be a good idea. Take control before she can realize.
Let's do that. Yes. Okay. Now proper information.
The memories of the sylvari flood into the dragon's half-awake consciousness. (No, no. Irrelevant) The dragon pushes the memories away frustratedly. (This Commander person. What about her.) The dragon is inundated with information. (This Commander is dangerous. Very. who is this Marshal?) The dragon basks in the influx of information. (Destiny's Edge. The Pact. These Orders. Zhaitan's death)
It is time to wake. (certainly) The ley-line underneath... (Lion's Arch) should do.
The dragon slips in and out of of a sleeping state as it directs Scarlet Briar to wake it. Even when she's not directly under the dragon's control she advances the campaign to wake him marvelously well.
Energy! (I need not sleep any more!) Oh look, the sylvari (sylvari... really...) is dead. Oh well. (I'm awake now!) Marvelous. (My trees should be safe.) One is missing! One of my tree-seeds is missing! (could it be the root of this Pale Tree the minion mentioned?) Perhaps. (Who got past my Mordrem!?)
Well, we might as well start cultivating my lovely jungle. Mordrem and more galore! (They used airships.) Right. What do I do about airships. (Punctures.) Vines, yes. Vines will crash them. Mordrem to take them. (Yes, that will work.)
Minions are resisting! They shouldn't do that! (Subdue them. They are mine.) Subdue. Yes. They are mine, they are me.
Destiny's Edge (some of them) and the Marshal person (he's a minion too! Take him!) are on those ships! (crash them. Take the sylvari and the Marshal person.) Yes. Yes - No! He won't subdue! He won't listen! (Make him) He won't listen! I made him, he's mine!
There's another one. (She has Glint's spawn with her!) Turn! Turn! Turn! (She won't listen either!) Send the Mordrem after her. (Can't see her!) Can feel her, though. Find her. (The Marshal person won't listen!) There are others that won't listen! (Kill them! Kill all of them!)
Bring the resisting ones to me. Bring Destiny's Edge and this Marshal person to me. (Where's the dangerous Commander?) Not here. (Not good. She's not a minion. She's not...)
He's still resisting (this is not good). Distrust has been sown (maybe to emphasize it?)
Some of the resisters turned (good. But the Marshal still won't). It'll be demoralizing if he does, though. (Turn him.)
The Commander is here! (Oh dear.) She's looking for the Marshal (he's mine, he's a minion.) She's worried. (Trying to find him) Doesn't want him to turn. (Oh. This is good.) If he did she'd be soo demoralized.
She's with the charr! (the one from Destiny's Edge) She's with another minion! (He's resisting too!) They're chasing the minion with Glint's egg. (She's of Destiny's Edge too) They split up because one of them died. And the tiny female was mad at the large female. (Who are these tiny people?) What if the norn died? (they could split again.) They could split again. (Delay them) They kill the Mordrem with ease. (what about me?) I am safe. The Commander person is not a minion. She cannot take my mind.
Leave the norn and ensure she dies. (The Commander will see it, oh yes.) I'll put her with the other resister - the one that used to be friends with the resister with Glint's egg.
Exalted-killer (they call them vinetooth) will kill the norn. Lie in wait and ambush.
Sneaky manipulation of the one that used to be friends with the resister with Glint's egg. She will stall her. Sneaky manipulation like the first. Scarlet.
The norn woman is dead! They will break and split and I will live.
They are broken with grief. (this is good) They are continuing!
The Commander has Glint's spawn! It chose her! (Not good). The dragon snarls and unleashes assault after assault on the Exalted city that holds Glint's egg. Somehow in the confusion the Commander deals a devastating blow to it's vines, the dragon's vines with power-centers in them. (They say octovines)
They have been diverted to the tiny-people city. (Asura. They call them asura.) who are these asura? I didn't see them last time I woke. (this is bad)
The dragon shifts uneasily. The tiny-people (asura) city is new. It wasn't there before. At least the dangerous (very dangerous) Commander is there now, instead of trying to kill the dragon.
(The female norn's son wants the used-to-be-resister that helped kill the female norn dead.) The dragon snarls. It's ploy, it's tactic, didn't create mass accusations at all. No, instead of that, focused drive and desire for vengeance are driving the team ever faster. The dragon snarls again.
They won't attack their own. Copies, yes. The two - the two of Destiny's Edge and the Marshal-minion I have I will copy, clone. They will be them, and they must fight, they will destroy their companions, yes.
The Marshal-minion is not turning! Very few minions resist this far. The dragon roars in frustration. (If they didn't get demoralized when one of their own died, they will anyway if one of their own turns.)
Many of their own have turned, they do not care. This is their leader... their leader. Certainly.
What if not? Ooh, but what if he turned willingly? Can't copy-clone and have him turn willingly. No copy-cloning, then.
No! They - no! They killed the copy-clones without a thought! (They knew the copy-clones weren't the real ones.) Yes. But they won't kill a one that is the real one.
The Marshal-minion still won't turn. Not willingly, and I can't take my mind off the Mordrem minions and Mordrem-Guard minions long enough to turn him. (And he'd probably reassert control. Even if I did.) Hmm.
The dragon roars in anger. Then, adopting a cunning plan, mixes the two. The Marshal-minion's consciousness with his, with his being dominant, and pushes the mix through the minion-link. The Marshal-minion's consciousness in it makes the Marshal-minion's guard drop, and the consciousness mix enters the heart of his mind. (I am so good at this.)
The Marshal-minion fights the dragon out once again. The dragon snarls, and tries to reassert control.
The used-to-be-resister that helped kill the norn is dead! The dragon swiftly whips the Marshal-minion out of the Commander's reach. (The other resister that is with the Commander-person is not happy.) (the norn-woman's son is happy the used-to-be-resister is dead)
The dragon decides on a plan of action, and temptingly leaves the path open, and roughly awakens the Marshal-minion. (Can't have him unconscious for this, no.)
Oh, the Commander-person and the norn-woman's-son and the other-resister are coming in! Guard, guard.
The norn-woman's son doesn't like that the norn-woman is dead. We'll see.
The other-resister doesn't want to come. We'll see.
They can't! They won't - I'll go fight them myself.
See what they think then. Ha. (What if I die? This is Commander-person.) (The consciousness-mix will keep me alive. Yes.)
The dragon confronts the three in it's mind. (See how they react to fighting their friends again.) They're killing them! Even the one already dead!
No!
The consciousness-mix saved me. Ahhaha. (The Marshal-minion still isn't turning!)
Full force. The other minions can't be helped now.
The Marshal-minion wants the Commander-person to kill him. Ha!
They killed the copy-clones. (Those weren't real.) They won't kill the ones that are real. Full force turning the Marshal-minion. (oo!) I'm close, he's near turning! Ha!
No! The Commander-person is doing it! (but I can't die!) She took the sword (we can't die) and -
no, I will not die, I have never died befo -
Author's Notes:
How do you like it?
I know it seems like the dragon is two people, with it talking to itself in and out of parentheses, but... it's just ideas popping in it's head and things.
I tried to keep the dragon in-character. Arrogant to the end (he named his minions his nickname, honestly. Mordrem serve Mordrem-oth.)
And it's a nice base for how I'll predict the dragon's motives in other fanfictions.
I hope it's in-character.
Now, the dragon-applied 'nicknames' so you know who is who and what.
Obviously, the first being he touches is Ceara/Scarlet Briar.
The 'other-resister' that is friends with the 'dangerous Commander-person' is Canach.
The 'resister that has Glint's egg' is Caithe.
The 'Marshal-minion' is Trahearne (obviously)
The 'used-to-be-resister' and 'the one that used to be friends with [Caithe]' is Faolain.
The 'female norn' is Eir. (obviously)
The 'female norn's son' is Braham. (obviously)
The 'charr that is of Destiny's Edge' is Rytlock.
'Miss Marionette' as Scarlet put it is the Twisted Marionette that appears in Lornar's Pass in LS1.
The 'vines with power-centers in them' are octovines in the meta event in Tarir. (Auric Basin)
The 'Exalted-killers' are the Vinetooth (tooths or teeth)
I am eventually going to write a fanfiction that is what if Mordremoth did not have the knowledge that minions had post-corruption, and what would he do if he didn't know that Commander had killed Zhaitan, or if he didn't know Destiny's Edge's past.
It's all garbled in this story, but... too bad. I'm terrible at writing from an Elder Dragon's perspective.
If you find a place where I diverted from canon, tell me and I'll fix it.