Escape
The loss of the battle, to some extent, confused Lorna Crowley. The fighting took quite some time to die out, but once the Imperials had broken, continuing the fight proved more and more impossible as rallying them to battle the Horde became harder as the Mag'har ignored the Imperial forces and began to march past. The Imperials gathered into blocks standing in formation with their weapons holstered or sheathed at their sides as they still stood proud and defiant yet still let the Mag'har go past them. The Orcs singing their tribal songs in victory while the Imperials voices rose in their own country songs in defiance.
The Mag'har were still cautious and most of their army surrounded the imperial position. But if these men attacked now there were plenty of Ogron and even some Gronn that the Horde was marching past them that they'd be able to kill alongside however many Orcs a sudden charge would now kill. No instead the Imperials remained and each knight no matter what Lorna said refused to 'break their honor' by attacking.
Eventually the Gilnean gave up on trying to rally the soldiers and joined them in watching this strange and tense truce. Already the Imperials were breaking down their camps and rushing to pack their supplies officers shouting orders to prepare for a southward march all while the Mag'har watched warily as their own significantly larger army marched past and through the ruined gates of Mulgore.
"So what now?" Lorna asked frustrated as she watched the knights as they allowed the Horde to march away.
"Now we march south and work to return home." A voice wheezed from behind Lorna causing the Gilnean general to turn spotting a blood soaked Hans Leitdorf slowly riding a limping horse back to the Imperial lines, at the man's side Eitrigg helped the Horse walk while Geya'rah watched the Imperials with hard eyes that promised great violence if anyone tried anything.
Eitrigg then turned to the human and saluted him. "Throm-Ka, Hans Leitdorf, may the spirits guide you home safely. You lost with honor today, and earned the respect of Eitrigg of the Blackrock Clan. If you ever wish to speak or seek my aid call upon my name and I shall see to it that we speak."
Hans nodded, looking weak and pale down at the much better off looking Orc. "And if you ever find yourself in the Empire and seek sanctuary. Call upon the Knights of Sigmar's Blood, we will give you audience."
Eitrigg smiled nodding and began to walk away. Behind the elder Orc Geya'rah kept her hand on her axe as all the knights kept their hands on the hilts of their bladea tensely watching the exchange. Once the pair of Orcs had left Hans turned to Lorna.
"Lorna, unless you have a better suggestion I need you to order the Army to march, we're heading south to the place called Theramor, from there we should be able to take ships back north and back home." The Grand Master then explained and ordered.
"What are you doing? Are you really abandoning your fellow Imperials? There's still men we're leaving behind!" The Gilnean protested, an indignant rage filling her.
"And what do you expect? That we fight to the last man for the sake of your Alliance? I am in charge of these men and their survival or their death is by my command. The men who have gone into Mulgore are now under Lady Elspeth and General Shandris' command. Even if we all die here, we would likely die for no reason because either the rest of the army is trapped or they are able to escape thanks to our warning. This is the path that brings the most men home to our glorious Empire, and the path that gives me the best future path for getting that damned Orc back." Hans stated back with a mixture of pain and good humor as he admonished Lorna.
For her part Lorna Crowley bristled at the statement, but given her circumstances she couldn't challenge or even fault the Knight Grand Master too much. "How do we already have a fleet ready for you there? Did Shandris prepare one?"
Hans shrugged. "No, I'll admit I'd mostly been relying on Aethalas up until now. With her dead, I'm not sure where would be next to go to."
Lorna balked for a moment. "Aethalas is dead?"
Hans then nodded solemnly. "She died trying to protect me. I owe her some of Eitrigg's blood next chance I have at him." The General of the Imperial Expedition explained.
"And you were acting so cordial with him just a moment ago." The Gilnean leader stated aloud.
"He's not a monster as hard as it is for me to believe. Good natured honor between foes is neccesary for the time being. But come next time we fight, I won't hesitate to kill him." Hans voice was good natured at first but then filled with a conviction that Lorna was certain Hans would kill Eitrigg if he was given the opportunity to do so in battle.
Lorna sighed. "I'll send messengers to the Alliance camps and forts along our path. If they can't get a transport fleet for us, then our next best bet is to go further south to Gadgetzan a port city run by the Steamwheedle Cartel, but if we are lucky We'll instead encounter Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge along the way and we might even be able to charter a transport fleet with them rather than having to deal with a Goblin Cartel."
This time Lorna got a slight chuckle seeing her human counterpart's shocked expression. "Right, someone told me your Goblins are really different. Our Goblins are a bunch of sleezebag merchents and criminals rather than... well whatever yours are. They won't sell us out unless there is a lot of profit involved and with how likely to overcharge for their services that they are, it'd cost the Horde a fortune worthy of your entite army to do so."
Hans seemed to relax and deflate. Even now with a Priestess of Elune tending to him the Grand Master seemed drained. "If that's how it is to be."
Lorna shrugged, almost feeling sorry for the man. "Still to be fair, it's best for us if the Alliance helps, far fewer risks and less expense in getting you all home."
Hans smiled weakly. "Then here's to hope for the Alliance and for the men we leave behind."
Elspeth von Draken bitterly shouldered Jubal Falk's weight while trying to lift the wounded man onto his horse. She couldn't rightly leave the man behind, he was still neccesary. However she had already given the retreat order and they had been forced to abandon and use the Horde's bomb they had meant to destroy her camp with to instead cover the fleeing Imperial forces and damage the Horde hopefully enough to ensure her forces escape.
Already men were running for the mountain paths, others were redoubling their efforts against Thunder Bluff either hoping to connect with the rest of the Imperial forces or at least sell their lives dearly. The mountain paths would be difficult enough to traverse even without the Horde in pursuit, fortunately the Pistolkorps and the Kaldorei had even been up to the task for finding routes the Imperials could use in the first place, Elspeth had no intent to make a final stand on this world, her work and her findings were too important.
"My, I'm sorry Lady Von Draken." Jubal wheezed from atop his horse.
"Save it, we don't have time for this. I need you to organize the men, we're going to have to make a forces march through the mountains. We'll see to your wounds after we make time and escape these Horde animals." The Graveyard Rose cut the apology short, giving clear and firm instructions to her fellow Wissenlander.
"Then, the battle is lost?" A simple question, but Elspeth didn't have the time to give a full answer to.
"Yes, the other camps are likely destroyed and the army is bound to be collapsing as we speak." She explained now leading both horses swiftly into the mountains.
"Will we make it?" A honest question but one Elspeth had no real answer for.
"Only if Ranald is with us." A terrible prospect to be sure, Gods were too unreliable for Elspeth's tastes and she disliked unnecessarily giving them more fuel for their egos. Still as the pair fled readying to reorganize their army, small groups remained to fight the Horde while the battle on the cliffs, in a twist that could only be the sick irony of the Gods finally broke in the attackers favor with Ironsides, Iron Company troops and their allies finally breaching the defenders lines and pushing in a frantic haste into the city.
For those fleeing this twist of fate was an additional god send as the Horde were forced to abandon their pursuit to rescue Thunder Bluff from the enemies still inside the city. For those within the city, the flight of von Draken and the Iron Companies was a invisible curse. Without the final Imperial camp to challenge them, the Horde were free to throw everything they had at the imperials who were throwing themselves into the city. Starting with the isolated crossbow and handgunners atop the Hunters Rise.
Erhard Derfflinger cursed as he aimed his crossbow down the cliffs firing again at the enemies who were casting magic or firing handguns or shooting their own crossbows back up. He, his unit of crossbows and a small block of quarrelers had taken roost on the hunters rise to try and support the advance on the city. Everyone here was noted for their accuracy and range, and they had been able to fire into the city striking down defenders and dropping volleys of bolts down on those further in.
Until the explosions, until the skyships came. Many of the men were guided by the Dawi into the tunnels towards the base of the rise where the collapse lay. But then the attackers charged the base of the rise forcing them back up the rise where they could lay down bolts upon their Horde foes.
Still Erhard hated this and now he knew he was going to die. But he would be damned if he couldn't take several of these bastards with him. So the crossbowman stepped to the edge overlooking to slope to the rise and fired a bolt which bounced off the helm of an rotting corpse who was trying to climb up the rise. While blow didn't kill the undead, it did send the thing staggering back, before it fell rolling down the slope somewhat before slowly and unsteadily getting back onto its feet.
"Yake that damned monster!" The Imperial human shouted while he began to load and prepare his crossbow again. Now he sighted a Orc who was leading up the hill and firing some sort of handgun back up at the defenders. Erhard loosed another bolt which crossed the gap in a instant soon burying itself deep into the Orc's bicep.
"Incoming!" A fellow man shouted and moments later men were scrambling as explosions raked across the surface of the rise tearing into men and Dwarfs with equal indifference. With the passing of the first spread of cannon fire the defenders swiftly collected themselves and returned to fighting off the Horde.
As Erhard unleashed more bolts into the oncoming wave of inhuman beasts a skyship flew overhead, low enough that crossbow bolts from the Quarrelers was even able to damage the vessel by striking already exposed areas or into holes that seemed to have been made by cannon fire. As the ship passed it's own cannons fired carefully aimed shots at the defenders and from a hatch below soldiers jumped from the ship as they allowed strange sheets to carefully lower them down.
Most of these were easy prey for the quarrelers but some made it to the surface where their blades or magic set into the Imperials. Erhard span in place as one, a massive Tauren beast landed with a roar, swiftly he launched a crossbow bolt into the monster the bolt punching through the monster's snout cutting off it's roar as it instead yelped in pain.
Erhard then began reloading his crossbow even as the beast rounded on him. He was so close to loading the weapon when he had to cast it aside instead drawing a sword and sidestepping a vicious overheaded blow from his enemy's hammer. He stabbed his blade in which went deep into the Tauren animal's hide, yet the monster did not stop thrusting its fist into Erhard's face with such force the man went flying back. Erhard's feet struck the ground first and the Crossbowman felt himself falling backwards all the way until his knees caught on the edge of the cliff and the horrible realization set in.
Erhard never had a chance to scream, his back struck the cliff knocking the air from his lungs before he could. Instead the crossbowman fell tumbling through the air just one of many who fell to their deaths that day battling for domination of Thunder Bluff.
Mayla Highmountain cursed these Mallus Dwarves. Thunder Bluff's defenses were broken and even if the airships brought plentiful reinforcements the damage was about to be done. The Mallus Dwarves, their fanatics and their grumbling armored warriors behind them had lead the charge at first but then the Alliance and the Imperial pikes followed them. And because she could not break those dwarves the humans were now pouring into the city, the Eastern cliff face was now almost entirely surrendered to the invaders.
"Chieftain!" One of her Highmountain braves had shouted while pointing to the sky as the clouds broke and beams of golden light peirced the heavens shining so bright as to hide the stars beyond.
The power of the beam of light broke the storm and signalled the change of the battle. Indeed it had only been a short time later that reports of Draenei inside of Thunder Bluff. Then minutes after that, reports of Aponi Brightmane giving up the Northern Cliffs pulling back towards the Spirit Rise. Then the final condemning message came, her own forces at the Lower Rise had begun to fold pulling back to the bridges for the Spirit Rise as well.
It pained Mayla, but now there was only one way to save her position, to keep holding the city deapite everything taking place, to hold out long enough for the forces outside to reinforce them and cleanse Thunder Bluff of these invaders. "Pull back, pull back to the central totem! We'll form a break against them there!"
Following the High Chieftain, or spreading her command to what was left of the Braves holding Thunder Bluff, the Braves began a fighting retreat. Their enemies would not allow them to break away, the Dwarves rushed forward refusing to stop fighting as the few orange haired members of their army that survived rushing blindly to continue the fight. Meanwhile the humans with their Halberds, pikes and spears would rush forward at once if given any chance to claim more ground. And of course the Worgen of Gilneas threw themselves at the Horde with all the ferocity that the curse of Goldrinn filled them with.
But as the Braves fell back several courageous members of their own fought to hold back the tides. Spells of ice and earth tried to deny the enemy any forward movement while Braves dueled foes as to block the enemy's forward movement. But all of this was only a stalling measure, the enemy outnumbered them drastically and whenever they could the Imperials unleashed volleys of fire from their guns to try and tear apart those unfortunate enough to be caught by the large caliber rounds of their weapons.
"Target their guns! Prevent them from firing!" And with Mayla's order the Mages and Shamans of the Horde changed their targets no longer focused on delaying the Imperials and Dwarves but on removing the threats of their handguns and thinning their immediate reserves.
It was then that one of the Imperials made himself present. A Imperial Wizard covered in jewelry and vials of potions of all kinds. With a yell a golden shard of light launched up high into the sky from the Wizard's forehead and then fell from Mayla's blindspot striking her shoulder and at that moment the Wizards pushed forward with the Imperials about him and those humans near him seemed to weild weapons that glowed and gleamed as if they were freshly forged and they endured strikes that should have easily felled them.
Mayla roared knowing that as her forces fell back it would be harder to hold these Imperials at least until they finally regrouped at the great totem where they would be able to limit the number of the Imperials they had to face. But until then courage would be needed to hold them long enough. Courage and sacrifice, something the Tauren were willing to give with more than enough to spare.
Still now Mayla knew that with this Wizard's presence, now was her time to struggle, to sacrifice for the sake of the Tauren. So Mayla roared and charged ahead her mace removing a head of the first of the enemy on her path, then a Dwarf stepped ahead to challenge her, his twin axes and his mohawk waving before her but Mayla's hoof caught the dwarf's chin breaking it before she steped back dodging his whirling blades until she could bring down a blow atop hos head shattering the barbaric skull of her foe.
Two pikes dug deep into Mayla's flesh punching into her hip and breast. Mayla grabbed the pike on her chest and pulled it out then pulled the man weilding it to her while the other pressed his weaper deeper twisting his pike into her hip. With a swift mace strike the first human was ended and then with a Forward lunge she struck the second. Even as she did so another human slashed her other hip while a Dwarven axe dug into her back.
With a bellow of rage and pain Mayla turned on the pair her fist toppling the man while her mace came down like a cannonball against the Dwarf's shield which held firm against the strike. Again Mayla struck and the shield held, and again and again. The human stood up and Mayla's mace broke against the Dwarf's shield and the Dwarf went to strike and Mayla's hand swiftly lashed out grabbing the axe by the shaft and with a tremendous pull she lifted the Dwarf as much as she could slamming him into his human counterpart. Mayla then spun around ready to rampage through her enemies more as the man and Dwarf untangled from one another.
A hand softly caressed her cheek and just infront of her stood the human Wizard. Enraged by the audacity Mayla used the Dwarven axe to carve the man in half...the man still stood, so Mayla choose to stomp the man into oblivion. Her leg never moved, her arm and the axe in her hand had never swung. Looking about in a panick Mayla watched as patches of gold began to spread across her flesh, her leg and arm already consumed entirely by the metal.
"Greif sie nicht an! Ketten Sie es an, dieser könnte sich für uns als wertvoll erweisen! (Don't attack her! Chain it down, this one could prove valuable to us!)" The Wizard began ordering the men about him many of whom started to bring forward ropes and chains moving towards Mayla.
The High Chieftain of Highmountain bellowed in rage just as the gold spresd over her head taking her breath and sight from her. And then the world was gone and Mayla only knew darkness. And then the world retuened, Mayla gasped and sight came back in a sudden unrush of information.
She was covered in ropes and chains that made it difficult for her to move, all across the street and densely packed were a multitude of Imperial soldiers, but having demolished several yurts and structures Baine and a whole force were striking the side of tbe Imperials who had been focused on pushing forward to where the Highmountain Tauren were throwing themselves ineffectually at the enemy lines attempting to reclaim their captured High Chieftain.
"Mayla, don't worry Mayla, were here to rescue you!" Baine voice shouted over the din of battle, about her some burning earth revealing that some sort of fireball had been launched to where she had been chained down.
The Highmountain High Chieftain looked about herself, the fight in this single street was costly. The humans had lost plenty and yet she could watch as Tauren were dying all around her. "No! Baine, save our people! We just need to hold on, minutes maybe an hour more and we've won! I'll be fine!"
As she spoke the Wizard slipped back into her view and as the sound of the clash and Baine's warcries and shouted orders faded Mayla could see a mixture of relief and frustration spread on his face. "Sie muss ihnen befohlen haben, sie zu verlassen. Eine weise Entscheidung, aber sie konnte unmöglich wissen, was das Schicksal für sie bereithält. Bring sie schnell zu Luthors Position, wir benutzen jeden Weg, den er gefunden hat, um aus dieser Stadt zu entkommen! (She must have ordered them to leave her. A wise decision, but she couldn't possibly know what fate has in store for her. Quickly bring her to Luthor's position we're using whatever path he found to escape this city!)"
Nervously the humans began to pull on the chains around Mayla starting to drag her away even as she struggled to resist but eventually her arms were pulled against her sides and as a dozen or so men dragged her others tied her kicking hooves together. As this indignity was happening a armored dwarf who looked down on her with some odd contraptions before speaking to those around him and joining the groups dragging her away and soon a dwarf with some odd mechanical arm yelled at the other dwarf before joining in on the task his strength alone adding considerably to the team of others who now were dragging her through the streets of Thunder Bluff.
Mayla could feel a sense of fear welling up inside of her, she knew what these Imperials did to prisoners having witnessed it for all to see. Yet for some reason she was both at peace and strangely doubted that her fears would come to pass. She only wished to know what the Imperials had planned for her.
Luthor Huss moved as if in a daze, trying to collect his thoughts difficult and yet the world around him was stark and clear. The Light worshipping heathens had loaded him into a room telling him to stand against a wall as they did before the room started shacking as if there was a earthquake, but at the same time he felt a sensation in his stomach as though he were falling. That had persisted for several minutes and then the room by some form of the heathens magic was atop Thunder Bluff.
They were deeper into the city than Luthor had expected and certainly even with his size and strength the sheer number of Tauren beastmen about him would have seen him swiftly overwhelmed. But the Light fanatics certainly made use of their size and strength as well as their magic weaponry. The twelve warriors were still impressive, each likely a match for an aspiring champion of the dark gods, and working together they not only held off the stunned and confused defenders, but began to press towards the Imperial Army.
Then as they had planned six of the twelve warriors with Luthor at their head approached the Imperial lines. Swiftly the Imperial troops raised their weapons ready to strike out against the Daemonic looking warriors but the Prophet of Sigmar spoke swiftly. "Halt! These are a species of the Alliance. Do not attack them, I know what they look like, but by Sigmar's will they must be spared for now."
The Imperial State Troops all stopped many looking as if they had just noticed Luthor despite him being at the head of the six blue skinned creatures. The State Troops despite the Warrior-priest's statements remained wary with their weapons ready. So Luthor took to another tactic.
"These inhuman creatures, have used magic to provide us a means to escape this city before the Horde's reprisal can catch up with us. Sigmar's will guided me to them, we must get everyone we can gathered so we can escape and return to the Empire." Luthor explained pointing to a beam of golden light that shot upwards into the sky. The beam of light that was connected to what these Lightforged explained as a magic portal for them to use to escape to the fortress in the sky.
While Luthor barely understood and the men under him clearly didn't fully comprehend but many of them seemed eager to go to the beam of light with a warrior priest encouraging them to go. However there was more that needed to be done than just tush for the portal. "I need each of you to fight in Sigmar's name to reach each of our forces. We are Sigmar's sons and heirs, We will not leave those behind of his loyal subjects that we can reach. Get me to my soldiers so we can bring all we can into this portal and bring Sigmar's gift of salvation to all of our army! Let us return home to our Empire to your families, to the riches and gold that had been promosed to you!"
Luthor disliked the temptation of money, but the motivation for these men was certainly enough. This battle was chaotic and coordinating all the Imperial forces, bringing them all back to the portal would be impossible, but if they all fought hard and spread the news then certainly a great many men would be saved to return back to Sigmar's Empire, and away from this twisted corrupted world.
For Luthor to save as many men as possible meant he would have to fight through roaming bands of Tauren and to the Imperial rearline on the cliffs where the Imperials fought desperately and futilely to keep the Horde from breaking into the city even as Horde warriors dropped from overhead, skyships fired cannon volleys into them, and the Horde's better positioned and coordinated warriors began pushing up the same routes the Imperials had used before to follow them into the city.
At each point the fighting was desperate and at many places men had already deapaired only to praise Sigmar when news of Luthor's rescue for them arrived. In other places the men remained to hold the line, or were already incapable of following and instead would sell their lives dearly.
As the fighting continued and as Luthor gathered the men the picture of the battle soon became ever more clear to the Warrior-Priest. To the North his army had suffered tremendous losses as few of their men could scale the cliffs before the Horde's forces overran them, however those that did found themselves relatively safe only needing to worry about pressing into the city were they swiftly discovered the main army trying to link up with them.
To the south the main army struggled forced to fight with enemies in every direction all without Elspeth's leadership and with their burning camp still easily visible. Thanks to the enemy's movements many of the men were forced into pockets where they held until Luthor or others could reconnect with them, or until they were slain. Still many chose to remain either to hold the Horde, or to try and push further into the city.
Across from the main army the Iron Companies and their forces had broken off from the siege with many of their men left on the cliffs of the city where they were left to push into the city with the Horde's forces following closely behind them. They were forced into a fighting retrear, reporting to the Warrior-priest that Lady Elspeth had already retired from the siege leaving Luthor to organize the Imperials resistance and retreat.
So it was as Luthor was near the portal, trying to arrange for the Imperial army to gradually fall back so they could successfully flee through the portal that the last remaining major contingent of the Dwarfs appeared both Burlok and Grimm dragging a Tauren along with several state troopers and a Gold Wizard, perhaps the last living wizard in tbe siege, walking alongside them.
"What is this?" Luthor demanded standing somewhat alarmed at what he was seeing.
Behind the Warrior Priests the Draenei started speaking in recognition though he didn't recognize their language. And the Dawi and the Wizard just gave their own proud smirks. "She's a rather important commander of these Horde beasts, we captured here thinking she might be worth at least some of our lives, or if what others are saying about you having found a blessed gate of Sigmar, then a good gift to the Alliance to end this siege with."
Luthor simply nodded his head. "Then get going, I plan to be among the last to leave. I fear far fewer of us shall escape than I hoped, but by Sigmar's will I will hold the line here for as long as possible. These Horde shall learn that their technological trickery has no might over the power of faith in Sigmar!"
Burlok nodded. "So be it Umgi. May the Ancestor Gods guide your actions so you can return to your people. I shall return to mine, there's shoddy, recklessness afoot in these lands, and I'll not be having any part in it any longer if iI can help it. If these Horde think they can get away with any of this back home, they'll find Dwarfen craftsmanship waiting to prove them wrong!"
Behind his father Grimm silently rolled his eyes before signalling for the others to continue for the portal. All the Dawi seemingly wary of the device but gradually using it. As more and more groups passed through the portal Luthor sighed, it was not the absolute destruction of the Imperial army, but they were now scattered and defeated. Even having completed the task they were assembled for, such a state may not sit well back home, and Luthor feared what that would mean for the people of the Empire going forward.
Reviews:
Guest 1: Well besides how diffrent they are still probably not the best.
Guest 2: it's sort of sad going from playing SC2 and the Nova Ops there then going to WoW seeing their heads in the sand as Blizzard tries to preach a "we're all fundamentally the exact same... so don't try anything else." WoW should be able to know barbarism, everyone on Azeroth should have dead people, not only from the past wars but from the Legion just "last year" yet we don't get any of that.
Guest 3: The standard way the light seems to treat anything. "We don't understand why you haven't conformed to our views, so we're just going to jump to assumptions that we know will turn out correct."
Ravenguard0009: lol yeah, though you can technically buy a modern Snakeman model from GW, he's a bloodbowl player but a easily converted model.
Shhhhh! Don't you know the Horde and Alliance are so super awesome amazing that they only ever need their elites (it isn't they pull a NATO member state and put almost nothing into their military expecting someone else to handle any problems) of course vast majority of any combat committed by anyone not of those two groups was either semi-to-non-canon PVP arenas and cliff notes going into said arenas.
Well Jubal is perhaps the best, if not then he's among the best, Marksmen the Empire has. On top of his skill as a field commander and Engineer. I mean technically, this far of the three camps he's the only one to successfully scale the cliff of Thunder Bluff conventionally.: her views wouldn't get her far no. But she'd at least survive.
Dragon King of the West: The siege is lost, but Elspeth and most her men yet still live. Now the thoughts are how to keep living.
And as for the Lightforged there's no way they can. They even said they can't, but they can try to save the Imperials.
ScruffinMcguffin: a little too late for Shandris, and Sylvanas...a couple decades too late there.
Ironwall: Just like that mechanic for determining your Lord for the army. Thus it all could go to shit by a dice roll.
deadliestfan: Engagements like this are a little more of what I aim for...I honestly am probably more suited or more used to writing gunfights, but I loved a good and brutal melee brawl.
How will the Empire fair...I'd say horrible they never really planned on it, and only even considered the option because Elspeth von Draken said so.
And we at least now have A feat for her...not a canon one but hey. better than the Nothing Bliz gives her. Why TF they respect her and Anduin more than even Valerian Mengsk is well and far beyond me but well ?girl power? or something.
So for the wonderful catch-22 I previously (idk if in PM or responces) brought up a mechanic from the original rome total war. In real history the manouver is pretty much impossible to pull, but the game had a "push a button for loose and tight formation" mechanic and depending on which culture set your unit is that could be shoulder to shoulder or spear length apart for a "tight" formation then out to more than a spear length to "i have to throw a rock to touch my ally" for "loose" formations. And if you were good you could advance in loose formation and go and have your men get into tight formation just as they're charging so they hit while in a tight formation but all the way up to it you were in the harder for artillery and archers to damage loose formation. Real world impossible due to trying to coordinate men like that and simply the weaknesses of communications on the battlefield back then. But why the humans of Azeroth who insist on a "shield to tank for allies" (the footman WC3 mechanic) ideal and would be facing the same issue wouldn't try and probably succeed at doing a similar tactic is a mystery to me... instead they seem to lovd running into moshpits where they're so spread out the healers given up and just leaving their retarded asses for dead as they quote Genji for the millionth time.
As for the Sword art Online and Overlord distinction i know... but they both pull that BS, it's even used for a joke about how stupid yet powerful Aqua is in Isekai Quartet and again but when they were going on about the Shield Hero when he got added to that show.
JiggyliFAP: "I just found it odd that the Guardians of Azeroth would leave the portal open like that" ... looks over at massive Dark Portal with evil statues built around it...yeaaaaah they definitely need to work on the whole "leaving evil portals open" thing. The most significant sealing they've done of a force that isn't basically themselves, was C'thun's Qiraji, and that required an army of Druids and four Dragonflights. Also cannot stand guard over a portal when you have no land to stand on.
Skipping to the Light bit, can you name a immortal peasent of the Light? It grants immortality to people who sell their souls and the souls of others to it. Makes it sound evil but I'm not saying that, but you have to note, it basically pulls the same BS as the Chaos Gods "but it's OK cuz wr good and any evil thing we do is someone else's fault" Light followers well besides the entirety of the Scarlett Crucade basically going full Battletech Jihad because the most basic of Tzeentch style tricks. The light is just as if not more maliable and corruptable, and you can justify being Adolf Hitler levels of genocidal and still be considered worthy, thus the problem with how the Light Operates with its lowest common denominator, no real tenents, approach. And Chaos doesn't want Gods, they want mortals, and the light mortals have proven to be (thanks to Blizzard's writers having always been shit) the dumbest examples of their respective Alliance races in Azeroth.
As for the Empire trusting their armor... When have they ever put that much stock in it? They give their men whats sufficient, they don't armoring up like they think their Bretonnians. They don't get magic bathwater for their Onlyfans subscription that gives them a free ward save for giving up first turn to pray.
OK am I just some Ancient Being from another dimension here? Overlord by Triumph studios, the lead writer chick ironically got every feminist of the era pissed at her by being all about hot women and tough masculine dudes in her stories, in the second game the Elves get pissed off at you for clubbing baby seals and wont let you into their commune on your quest to rebuild your father's dark Empire by enslaving or slaughtering everyone you meet. in the first game your killing the heroes that killed your predecessor, including a halfling hero who got so fat he'd make for a viable siege weapon to destroy Stormwind's gate just by rolling his fat self down a hill. My icon is litterally the Overlord from Game 1.
Kai might just earn a infamous spot in the history books, maybe.
Hakuryuu: The Dawi are fighting on the front lines of the city's breach...but what will happen to them is still unknown.
But Eekizz is just so much smarter than anyone, after all he's the smartest Gnome ever.
jweller12: It would be, but there's multipe factors...but generally with the "brilliant" tactics of some certain Horde members thats a guarantee... and then we have actually smart horde members who will clown on any cavalry force...to bad those guys get about 1/100th the screen time and battlefield representation. And this is almost right at the player campaign of BFA, already some of the earliest raids and quests have been referenced.