Pat yourselves on the back, as we've made it at last to the next arc of the story! There isn't an official subtitle for the arcs, so to say, but I would probably label this next arc as "Finding Meaning," or something thereupon, and it covers... well... I ought not to spoil the timeline as of yet, maybe in the next chapter when it becomes apparent, if I survive the potential backlash that is... still, until then, enjoy! ~F
Chapter Fifty Two
A Span of Years
Kel'Thuzad, Lich Lord of the Scourge, leader of the Cult of the Damned, and Majordomo of Arthas, the Lich King, pondered what had befallen their world over the course of only a few short years.
The Legion invasion, caused by his own hand, had been crushed when Archimonde had fallen by the near destruction of the World Tree, and the Legion's advance had been broken, along with their control over the undead not many months later. The former Ranger General turned banshee, Sylvanas Windrunner, had seen to the defeat and killing of the Dreadlords that had remained to monitor the Scourge in Lordaeron, and while that made the self-styled Banshee Queen's rise to power occur, it had also made things simple for Kel'Thuzad to sweep the rest of the undead in the northern kingdom under his sway.
But still, in the quiet moments of his time, secluded in his chambers of the floating fortress of Naxxramas, Kel'Thuzad often thought of his life before the gift of undeath took him, back when he had been just a simple Archmage of the Kirin Tor, a life that included the most gifted child he had ever met, and when the same boy had come under his sway for such a short time.
Tobias Banu, the boy had named himself. Kel'Thuzad had long since convinced himself that it had been an alias that the child had concocted with his true master, the orc warlock Gul'dan, but nevertheless Kel'Thuzad had fallen for the boy's charm and trusting attitude over all things magical.
In all his studies of life and death, all his experiments in the solitude of his chambers, never had the Lich had any success in summoning the boy's spirit from beyond the grave, and while he was an immensely powerful spell caster in the realms of the living and the dead, Kel'Thuzad had to admit to himself that perhaps even he was outmatched to summon the banished spirit of his long absent apprentice.
He didn't dare hope for the other option, that the boy was in fact still alive somewhere, and couldn't be brought spiritually to a place where he couldn't go physically, as that would lead to many complicated matters that the Lich was unwilling to consider.
Still, there was never enough time for him to think and dream of such matters, as the work of spreading their gift of undeath throughout the Eastern Kingdoms was ever present, and the attacks from both the Argent Dawn and the Scarlet Crusade, as well as the ever present threat of the Forsaken were constantly weighting upon the Lich's great mind.
If only things had played out differently, he often mused, thinking how great a servant of the Lich King his former apprentice could have been.
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Nobu'tan, now approaching his thirtieth year of life, looked at the portal before him and his gathered forces with trepidation. For so long they had been delayed by the whispered promises of Mephistroth, telling them that their time would be soon to enter Azeroth and prepare it for another Legion invasion, but time and again they were disappointed.
After Archimonde had departed their world to attack the planet Nobu'tan had feared that he was too late to find his old master, but was overjoyed, in secret, when he learned that the forces of Azeroth had defeated the mighty Eredar and pushed back the invasion.
Now, at long last, the Legion had found a group sufficient enough to provide a portal large enough for his mortal forces to cross over to Azeroth. From what the warlock had learned, a Doomguard by the name of Kazzak in the region near to the Dark Portal had been contacted at last and had material enough to open such a portal, and under Legion commands had done so.
It was finally time to go home.
Around him, the Council of the Black Harvest was assembled, as well as the sufficiently renewed Rockfang Ogre clan, with Teg'Ramm as their chieftain and chief warlock. The Centaur and Goblins had flourished as well, and they had numbers and to spare in going through the portal to their new destiny.
"Now remember our bargain, young warlock…" Mephistroth said, as he stood by and watched the assembled mortals prepared for their departure, "The Legion has many eyes and hands in Azeroth, and you are to do whatsoever you can to aid them in ushering in our coming; however, Kil'jaeden wants you to primarily establish a base on both continents for our forces to occupy once we return, so that our occupation cannot be halted once again, like it had before."
"Yes, Lord Mephistroth," Nobu'tan replied, already more than sick of the Dreadlord, as well as his demands and lies.
He would do as they commanded, but even as he agreed, Nobu'tan was unsure what he truly desired. Foremost he wanted to see if the Horde had succeeded in their designs. The records of the Legion regarding the world of Azeroth had not been granted to him, which was a terrible sore spot in which they were effectively going into this world blind of what had occurred, aside from the fact that there were demons abroad in the world, which Nobu'tan knew hadn't been the case before.
He hoped to find Gul'dan with little effort, and from where he guessed the Portal was located the best place to start would be to see Blackrock Mountain, which as far as he remembered was the greatest stronghold of the Horde in this land.
The fact that another continent even existed was news to him, but it served only to heighten his distrust of the Legion all the more. Morgan had been right, and they were planning on using him to his uttermost at every turn, keeping him as unaware as possible along the way, before almost abandoning him to his own world.
From the last he had heard, the survivors of the initial waves of attacks from the Legion had gathered together into a large defense, and managed to often hold off the Legion's advances, especially when their attack on Azeroth took precedence over even other worlds. But that had been shortly before they were summoned to Argus to pass through on their way to Azeroth, so Nobu'tan couldn't be sure of details or specific survivors.
"The world of Azeroth awaits you, young warlock. Now go and claim your reward from the Legion…" the Dreadlord said as part of a farewell, and disappeared into a cloud of Fel bats that scattered away across the charred remains of the planet.
Returning his attention to the swirling vortex before him, Nobu'tan took a deep breath, preparing himself emotionally for whatever changes had occurred on the world he had called home, and striven for so long to return to. Draco placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, silently signaling that not only were the rest of those assembled prepared for the journey, but that those of the Order were with him, understanding his plight and acknowledging his need for such mental preparation.
One step was all it took, the swirling current of the Nether whisking him through space to his destination, and he could sense the others following immediately, but his senses were torn away as he emerged from a gateway on the other side.
When he had learned that they would be emerging somewhere near to the Dark Portal's location, Nobu'tan presumed that it would be in the swampy area known as the Black Morass, but the view that he was greeted with: rocky barren soil and red ringed cliffs as far as the eye could see, was not even close to what he had expected to find.
"What is this place?" he asked aloud in orcish, much to the surprise of the figures powering the gateway, who had finally taken notice that figures had started to emerge. Clearly they had expected demons of some sort, and not a human to come from the world of the Legion.
But Nobu'tan didn't care what these underlings thought, and instead strode away, even as his followers started to emerge after him. The orc-raised human was bent on finding the one in charge, this Lord Kazzak, and getting some answers.
The Doomguard was not difficult to find. Towering over the other demons and Legion servants in the area, the colossal figure turned and peered down at Nobu'tan as the warlock approached. "Hail, mighty Kazzak, leader of this faction of the Legion's might," Nobu'tan said respectfully, acknowledging that this demon had strength enough to slaughter him in an instant if he so chose to, "I come on orders from our master, Kil'jaeden, and I require information of you."
"Speak, tiny human, while I am yet amused, for there is much to be done and it won't be long before the Mages of Nethergarde sense the distortions that our portal is creating." The Doomguard replied, somewhat angrily at the thought of answering to a mortal.
Nobu'tan recognized this, and made his questions brief and pointed, waiting for his forces to finish crossing the portal at the same time by keeping track of what signatures appeared from well behind him.
The Doomguard had much information to be sure. A near equal amount of time had passed on Azeroth from when Nobu'tan had left, and this area, now known as the Blasted Lands, was once the Black Morass, all vegetation and life sucked away and killed by the Nether powers of the Dark Portal, which stood vacant and empty in a crater beyond their location, known by the demon as the Dread Scar.
What was more, the Alliance of Lordaeron had succeeded over the Horde of Doomhammer, and the orcs were now spread throughout the continent, as well as gathered primarily on the other landmass known as Kalimdor. The fact that the Doomguard spat the name of the race led Nobu'tan to believe that their loss had been something substantial. Kazzak would only laugh if the name of Gul'dan was mentioned, and refused to say anything regarding the orc warlock.
"So where would you say is the best location nearby to hide my forces?" Nobu'tan asked of the demonic commander, who turned to gaze over the startling number of goblins, ogres, humans, centaur and Veela that had come with Nobu'tan.
"Nothing nearby, that is for certain," Kazzak replied, the anger fading from his voice as he took note of the Fel corruption and strength that some of the races sported. It was almost as though he was seeing Nobu'tan in a new light, as one that might be worthy of respect, rather than derision.
"North of here the Swamps of Sorrows might keep them hidden for a time, but there are both Horde and Alliance encampments that would fight you in an instant. Better to push further north to the Burning Steppes, where the last remnants of the Blackrock clan, and your old Horde, remain." He finally advised, before looking back out across the desolate landscape.
"I'd move out quickly, before the Mages start to send adventurers to investigate our workings here." he added, and Nobu'tan quite agreed.
Turning to Lucius and Draco, both of whom could have been almost mistaken for brothers now, due to the longevity of Wizards and their strong claim to youthfulness until their century mark approached. "Get everyone ready to move out, we have a long march ahead of us until we can safely camp for a time, we go north towards the Swamps of Sorrow, and west through the ruins of the Kingdom of Stormwind…"
"They are ruins no more, young warlock," Kazzak said from far over his shoulder, "the Kingdom of Azeroth is the last bastion of Alliance humans on the continent, you way will be potentially perilous unless you take a very exact route, which I will graciously provide to you… If…" the demon added.
"If what?" Nobu'tan said, bored at the near irritating foils of working with demons. Every single one would give you what you wanted, at a price.
"Attack Nethergarde along your way out of the Blasted Lands, as it will not only distract them from our doings here in the Scar, but it will also hinder the power of the Humans. I have found… something, of great worth, and it would do well that your arrival didn't spoil the knowledge of what I have discovered. It may lead to great things for the Legion soon if I am able to work with it unmolested by these mortals." The Doomguard explained.
"I can agree to that, Lord Kazzak," Nobu'tan said, already planning what they would need to do to disguise their forces. It wouldn't do for the Humans to learn that their own kind was behind the attack. Better for them to think it was orcs or another race instead.
"Good, then I will prepare a map especially for your use, while you ready a strike force and prepare to move you other troops through to the swamps in the confusion." The demon stated, walking away.
"Just when you think you've escaped the conniving ways of demons, there's always another one right around the corner," Lucius said softly next to Nobu'tan, and the warlock smirked.
"Yes, but it gains us a great deal of what I desire, as we can test our mettle against the forces of this world, as well as gain a safe route to get to a better location to build up a settlement for our people. Well fully decide how to proceed when we have this map and are safely hidden within the swamps. There ought to be a bit of time that we can plan out how we travel after that."
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Draco was somewhat distracted from the activities that Lord Nobu'tan had with his father, as he experienced the powerful magic of the world that Nobu'tan called home. It was irrefutably glorious to sense, Arcane power ripe and pulsing through the earth beneath their feet, with a strong sense of Fel from an area to the northeast, which he presumed was this 'Dark Portal' that Nobu'tan mentioned a few times.
Soon enough they were on the move, heading out of the dark canyon that the demons had infested, and away from the source of Fel magic, toward the west around a large outcropping of mountains.
Walking in the front with the rest of the Council, Draco noticed the scampering of life ahead of them before they physically spotted the creatures. Ogres, and quite a large number of them, were situated in a valley between several caves, going about what passed for ordinary life for the typically unintelligent breed of monster.
Teg'Ramm looked rather pleased to see more of his race, and Nobu'tan had to restrain him with a shake of the head before the ogre mage started to approach, "These are not likely to be friendly to you or your kind Teg'Ramm," he stated, and the ogre mage frowned, realizing that it would indeed appear as a rival clan trying to take their home if he or any other approached so armed and with a strong company of mixed creatures.
"What shall we do about them then?" the two eyed head responded, follow closely by its twin, who only sported one orb, "They do lie in our pathway and we will need to cross through them to proceed."
"Let the Fel Centaur drive them away for a time." Nobu'tan said after thinking for a long moment, "The other residence of this place would take note if the ogres were to disappear or mysteriously die off…"
Edgran reared back in pleasure, bellowing out a war cry to summon the warriors of his herd. The ogres down in the valley turned to look up stupidly as the centaur charged down, bows firing and long spears jabbing at the naked hides of the ogres, while the speed of the Fel Centaur allowed them to outmaneuver the wild swings of the ogre clan.
Soon enough the brutes had realized that they couldn't win, especially when they spotted the extra forces slowly approaching, and started to flee in all directions. Draco could only scoff at the ridiculousness of the setup of their encampment.
"Search the caves, take anything of value," Teg'Ramm ordered his ogres, even while Nobu'tan led the main contingent straight through and past the village. Soon enough the rest rejoined them, the ogres carrying treasure that they had pillaged from the caves, and while Lucius and Draco disapproved of the brutish act, they acknowledged that in this scenario, they had little options of they wanted to have something when they established a stronghold for themselves.
The pass through the mountains beyond was more or less vacant, with the ogres having fled for their lives for a time, and started to cross the front entrance to a large fortress filled with more ogres, presumable where those from the village had fled.
It was a large force that they were moving through the area, but Draco was surprised that they were more or less unobserved as they marched, turning directly north and heading up a small rise toward a tiny pass in the surrounding mountains, where the terrain gave way to a lush and almost overgrown green, along with the stink of standing water.
That direction must lead to the Swamps of Sorrows that was mentioned before, and Draco almost wondered if Nobu'tan would just go straight for the safety of the overgrown trees in that lowland, and forget about the request that the Demon had asked of them.
But no, while the majority of their forces did turn toward the swamps, with instructions to find a close area to seclude themselves for a short time until the rest joined them, Nobu'tan turned their ogre magi and the Order of the Black Harvest toward the east once more, where a fortress rose up over the cliff-like rise, the walls glowing slightly with vague purple arcane energy.
"Teg'Ramm, now is the time for your people to strike, so that the humans and mages here believe that the ogres we chased away are the ones behind the anomaly of magic and spike of movement in the area, rather than them starting to wonder about the demons." Nobu'tan ordered, and the twin headed ogre warlock smirked.
"As you command Lord Nobu'tan," the ogre chieftain stated, taking the lead and sending in his warrior to accost the out defenses of the human stronghold.
Nobu'tan remained for a short time, just watching as the humans swarmed to try and fend off the ogre attack. "No knights," he commented, more to himself than any of the others, and Draco wondered at what the warlock meant. Nobu'tan was by far the most familiar with what was normal for this world.
"Our forces will have the advantage until their mages come fully into play, and Teg'Ramm is intelligent enough to know to withdraw when they start to become outnumbered. I will remain for a short time, go and catch up with the rest of our group and send me an eye with their location so we can follow." Nobu'tan said, dismissing them, "when we regroup we will decide how best to proceed to the north."
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Teg'Ramm was overjoyed to be given such a task as engaging the humans of this new world. His clan had been chomping at the bit for some combat, especially now that they knew other ogres existed to challenge for dominance here, but the humans were a good start.
The defenders seemed to have been on edge, probably from their wizards sensing pulses of magic that heralded their arrival on this world, but their small armored forms were not nearly powerful enough to resist the smashing blows of the ogre's weapons.
The humans had some archers, as well as other allies, but there was little that could contend with the strength of Teg'Ramm's forces, until the mages arrived, heralded when one brutish warrior transformed into a docile sheep, which was frightened and bolted back toward where Lord Nobu'tan watched over the entire battle.
Roaring in their language, Teg'Ramm sounded for them to withdraw; their task was done now that the fortress was stirred up in anger to the ogres that had attacked them. Naturally the humans wouldn't be able to tell that the forces that attacked them were not the same as those ogres that were already present in these lands, which would play to their advantage.
The humans did not pursue them, and Teg'Ramm and Nobu'tan made sure that their mages were unable to spy upon them with magic as they withdrew to the north, exiting these Blasted Lands and quickly following the directions that the others had sent back to guide them to the small clearing where their forces had gathered, out in the swampland away from the settlements that were nearby.
Nobu'tan paused before they left the road to enter the swamp properly and rejoin their forces, gazing from their small crossroad toward the east, where a makeshift settlement was established, and Teg'Ramm could barely make out figures slightly larger than humans guarding the gate.
"That is Stonard, an orc fortress…" the human warlock said with a small measure of longing, as though he wanted to go and try to investigate, but the Ogre Mage placed a massive hand on his master's shoulder, silently reminding him of their pressing task and that they could not afford to be distracted at this time.
With clear effort, Nobu'tan tore his eyes away and nodded, following them through the shallow water to where the other had halted for a rest in their march.
The rest of council was waiting there, and looked eagerly on as Nobu'tan unrolled the map that the Doomguard Kazzak had given to them. "It seems, that, instead of the path that I would have taken through Deadwind Pass and up through the valleys to the north," Nobu'tan stated, following the marked path with his finger, "Kazzak wants us to go straight north through the swamps and up the mountains through a tiny, little known pass that will take us straight into the valley in the midst of the Redridge mountains beyond."
"We will need to take time for a short rest beforehand," Lucius said, gazing about at the many people that they had lingering in the small isles of land in the swamp. Teg'Ramm felt fine, even after the small skirmish along with the forced march, but he understood that the smaller creatures were likely far easier to tire than he and his fellow ogres.
"If that is the case, there was an orc settlement a short ways back that I wish to investigate, I shall return soon and we will push on then." Nobu'tan said, shifting easily into the form of an old grizzled orc.
"I do not feel secure allowing you to go on your own, Lord Nobu'tan…" Lucius countered, but Teg'Ramm, who was also interested in the strange new races that his master longed to see, stepped forward.
"I will attend to him during this trip," the ogre mage stated, to which Lucius could only nod, still clearly unhappy about the sudden desire of their guide and leader, but he had no standpoint to argue with the hulking ogre accompanying their leader.
Nobu'tan also agreed, but encouraged the ogre to be as least threatening as possible, as there were very different things going on and he was unsure what the current standpoint of the various races of the Horde he remembered.
Slowly the pair backtracked to the road, and made their way toward the stronghold of Stonard. The guards at the entrance were clearly agitated by the presence of the ogre, but the fact that Teg'Ramm accompanied one of their own kind, seemingly, was enough for them to not attack.
Nobu'tan seemed confused by the lack of open welcome, especially as he was still clearly dressed as a grand warlock, but the orcs seemed to regard him with far less than complete awe or fear.
It was a rather small encampment, not nearly as large as what Teg'Ramm had been led to believe, and Nobu'tan slowly wandered toward what looked like a lead command building, or at least the largest building of the small handful that were within the walled area.
The two guards to that building however weren't as confused by Teg'Ramm's appearance than the last, and moved to block Nobu'tan's way into the building. "You shall not see the Commander with that beast in tow," one of the pair said.
"And why ever not?" Nobu'tan countered, his voice the gravely drawl that he always chose to portray of his old master, and the orcs before him shuddered slightly at the sound of it, "The ogres are an ever-present member of the Horde, and should be allowed to sit in on my business with your leader…"
The guards laughed, despite the fact that they were still rather unnerved by the voice that Nobu'tan used, "Ogres are no longer part of the Horde; they are their own mindless rabble that deal in the waste parts of the world."
"I see there is much that I have missed while I have been away," Nobu'tan said icily, "Teg'Ramm, wait here and keep these two company while I speak with and gain information from their… Commander you say?"
The guard who had spoken nodded, "Yes, Commander Ruag will be there, but only you may enter to speak with him, warlock…"
And so Teg'Ramm waited, while the two guards shifted nervously under the baleful watch of the Ogre Mage, even as Nobu'tan entered the building and was directed up a spiral staircase at the rear of the building's main room.
There was several minutes of silence, before an almost strangled shriek rocked through the building, and the guards leapt into action, charging to the rear along with half a dozen other and flying up the stairs, leaving Teg'Ramm to wonder what had occurred.
It was highly unlikely that Nobu'tan would intentionally cause such a ruckus so soon after arriving on Azeroth, but curiosity eventually overwhelmed his desire to obey the commands of his master, and he ducked low to enter the building.
Up the stairs the guards were fanned out in a rough semicircle, weapons drawn and caution on their faces as Nobu'tan stood before the leader, who looked positive frightened at the appearance of the warlock.
"It cannot be!" the leader shouted, his own sword drawn and pointing at Nobu'tan, "You are dead, you died at the hands of the demons you sought to betray the Horde to so long ago!"
"I do not know what you are talking about, old one," Nobu'tan replied calmly, almost unfazed by the sheer number of hostile weapons pointed at him, "I am only seeking information regarding the current state of things, as I have been out of contact from the Horde for a number of years."
"A couple of years… Ha!" the orc spat, "You do not frighten me Gul'dan, you were dead over a decade ago, and your ghost cannot haunt these lands any longer."
Nobu'tan went rigid, even as Teg'Ramm mounted the rather small landing, smaller now that he was crowded in with the half dozen orcs. "What happened to Gul'dan?" he demanded coldly, stepping forward toward the leader, "Answer me! What happened to Gul'dan the Warlock!"
Teg'Ramm could see that the stalemate was about to break into a fully fledged battle if the warlock did not bid a hasty retreat, so the Ogre Mage stepped forward. Pushing aside the grunts and taking hold of his master, Teg'Ramm departed just as swiftly as he arrived, long before the commander or his grunts could react. He half carried, half dragged the protesting Nobu'tan out of the building and toward the exit of the stronghold altogether.
The guards at the entrance almost tried to halt him, but a charging ogre is something that even these creatures were hesitant to try and stop, and Teg'Ramm barreled past them and into the swamp proper, before any of the guards could raise the alarm or exit the main complex.
Unsure if they would be pursued, Teg'Ramm didn't stop until they had returned to the temporary rest stop of the rest of Nobu'tan forces, and deposited the warlock amid the other Council leaders. Lucius was furious at what had happened, but the man seemed to silently understand why Nobu'tan had reacted thusly, as did the majority of the inner circle of warlocks.
Together they all agreed that moving out was the most important thing to do, and get well away from the orcish encampment and further to the north toward the line of mountains where the secret pass was located on their map.
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It took several hours, but under Lucius stern guidance, the entire group made it to the northern mountains without incident, aside from a small bout with some strange, half-deranged creatures that lived in huts on the northern edge of the swamps, which were easily routed and driven away by the Fel Centaur.
Nobu'tan remained rather silent and standoffish throughout the time they marched through the swamps, but most everyone who was actually close to their leader understood what the Ogre Mage had reported, and gave the grieving warlock the space he needed. Their leader would recover from this, he had to if they were to survive, but they had time to allow him his moment to sulk before they needed him to arise and move on.
The pass was narrow, easy to overlook and rather windy as it led it the steep slopes of the mountains, so the group took their time, guiding those with their provisions to go on ahead after a small vanguard to protect their decent on the opposite side, while the others kept watch for any possible trackers from the orc encampment. They had passed near to a few towers that were stationed on the outskirts of the swamps, along roads that wound through the islands, but they stayed in the shelter of the low trees and kept themselves out of as much line of sight as they could.
Narcissa was having some difficulty adjusting to the excessive amount of walking, along with many of the other Purebloods from their old world, but Lucius could tell that his wife was trying to be strong, and push through even her aching feet as they marched along.
She would need to stop and rest for quite a while soon, and Lucius could tell that many of their human allies were in the same shape. Grasping her hand as he guided her up to the first switchback on the narrow pass, he whispered in her ear, "not much farther now, we'll rest on the other side of the mountains, then I think we'll try to find a place where you and some of the others can take shelter while we scout ahead with our magic."
She smiled at him, the look of pure love bolstering his heart, and Lucius took courage. They were going to make a new life in this world, once they found somewhere decent and proper to lay a claim to and plant new roots for their family.
Glancing back at his son, Lucius couldn't help but feel the swell of pride engulf him as the young man aided some of their more weary travelers ascend from the mountain's base, guiding them along with great care and consideration, like the noble wizard that he was born as. Even with all his training in the deadly arts of the Fel and those other skills of the Dark Arts that Lucius had instructed their younger members in over the years they waited to come to this place, his son had always been an example of the regal bearing that they still held to, even in these difficult times.
It was also interesting to note that his son was finally starting to dote upon the Parkinson's daughter, another of the children from Hogwarts that had joined the ranks of the Black Harvest. She was nowhere near Draco's level of skill, but she was a good proper Pureblood girl, and clearly was infatuated with Lucius' son, so he would gladly condone their union. The times as they had been, there had been little urging from any party to making such things permanent, but he expected that as soon as they settled down in a single area it wouldn't take long before they were properly courting and discussing marriage.
Once Lucius and Narcissa rose over the last part of the ridge, they looked down toward the destination, the Redridge Mountain valley, which spread out before them like a rough forest from their own world. A massive lake stood in the center of the area, and beyond that a settlement stretched along the western side. From the looks of the building Lucius would have guessed human, but in this place there was no way of knowing.
Still, if it was civilized he would greatly desire to allow his wife, and many of the others to rest there comfortably in an inn or some other place, while their more stout and strong members paved the way ahead to the north, where massive black iron gates could be seen flanking the dark soil of a volcanic strewn land.
"That black land is our destination, isn't it…?" Narcissa said, still slightly winded from the climb, but regaining her strength quickly.
"It is, for most of us," Lucius stated, already forming a plan in his mind. They had brought much of their world's gold and jewels, supplied and repurposed by the goblins that had joined them to appear rough and unprocessed to the eyes of others, rather than the standard quality of Gringotts mint, as they would stand out as highly unusual and beg many questions as to their origin otherwise.
"I will put it to the council when we gather at the base of the mountains if it would be possible to send some of us to that settlement, not only to rest but to establish some lines of communication, perhaps forwarding some more toward the larger cities that may be somewhere near here." Lucius suggested, knowing that his wife would greatly desire a large place to settle down in rather than camping out in the wastes of this world, even for a single night longer.
Nobu'tan appeared at the top of the rise of mountains, and Lucius turned to him, noticing that the young warlock was gazing toward the north with a wistful look of foreboding of what they might find.
"We will uncover the truth, my Lord," Lucius said, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder, snapping Nobu'tan from his thoughts, "but while we proceed onward to the darker land, what would you say to sending some of our people, namely those who lack the Fel and are human to the nearest settlements, to start creating a communication network within the nearby human civilization?"
The sharp eyes of the warlock did not mistake the tightening of Lucius' other hand on his wife's shoulder, but the face softened as he heeding the silent plea in his ally's request. "Yes, it would serve many purposes to allow such a network to begin. But I would recommend that they quickly make their way toward Stormwind, which apparently has been rebuilt since I was here last." He said. "It would be good for us to start infiltrating our potential enemies as quickly as possible."
"Thank you, Lord Nobu'tan, I will confer with the others and lead those who will proceed to the settlement, making sure they are supplied with a portion of our gold to get themselves situated and on their way to the capital." Lucius said quickly, even as Nobu'tan started down the far side of the mountains, and both of the elder Malfoys had to follow quickly to free space for those that were still climbing behind them.
Once Lucius had helped his wife to the ground within the redwood forest of the mountain valley, he started to circulate through the other Ex-Death Eater followers of Nobu'tan, Gathering the wives of those who were married, as well as the handful of children that had not taken on the powers of the Fel, and with the permission of their husbands and fathers, started as a group toward the settlement, which turned out to be primarily human in origin when they drew nearer.
Their approach was not unnoticed, and the people were speaking to each other in their strange language, but thanks to Nobu'tan's foresight of the language barrier, he had trained them all in the charm that translated languages, tailored specifically for the primary languages of Azeroth.
Therefore, they were well aware of what these commoners thought of the strange noble-born people that had come to their town, and even the speculation that they were elves, which while Nobu'tan had explained that elves were something completely different in this world, was still a strange concept to Lucius personally.
Unafraid of these people, especially with their medieval style of weapons and armor, Lucius approached an armored foot soldier, which stood at attention when he noticed Lucius. "I require directions to the nearest inn. My people are tired and need a clean place to stay for a time." Lucius requested, thinking that he might need to grease the man's hand with gold, but the guard immediately responded without further need of Lucius to provide incentive.
"Of course my Lord, Lakeshire sports a large and well established inn, and I am sure you will find all that you need for the right price, it's just across the bridge and to the left; the building with the large red roof is the one you seek." The guard said helpfully, gesturing across the river feeding into the massive lake that dominated most of the area.
Lucius nodded, grateful for the notion of assistance that did not require him to flex his power or influence, and made his way in the lead of the women and children across the wide, and slightly damaged, bridge that led into the town properly.
Lucius was pleasantly surprised that the settlement was relatively large, and he would estimate that at least one thousand people or more lived in the many homes and works that various businesses that he could see. Most were commoner class people, fisherman and farmers, with some merchants and other professionals. But then there were other things that stood out drastically from their home world, such as dwarves and even smaller creatures that Lucius almost mistook for House Elves, but corrected himself before allowing the concept to sink in.
There were also mages wandering about from time to time, freely using their magic in their day-to-day lives without fear of scrutiny or retribution from those who lacked such skills. It was a wonder and a delight to many of their people, many of who would think of how much their magic would make life easier now that they could use it openly.
Lucius arrived at the inn, and having only his wife enter with him, quickly navigated the tavern-like ground floor in search of the innkeeper. It turned out that the proprietor was a woman, introduced herself as Brianna. "Greetings Milord, how can I be of assistance to you?" she asked respectfully, and Lucius once again thanked the expensiveness of his robes, as it almost immediately made certain that he was treated better than some normal rabble that arrived begging for assistance.
"Yes," Lucius said with a smile, "I am leading a group of people away from the south, and we are in need of somewhere to rest for a short time before we push on to the west and the capital."
"Of course, we have plenty of available rooms for any number of guests, so long as you have funds to afford keep for a few nights, and I could recommend several places for convenient transportation to the capital, depending on how much you're willing to spend." The innkeeper mentioned.
In response, as he had known that eventually their story would have to be backed up by gold, Lucius produced a bag of the raw coins that their goblin allies had rendered for them, placing a neat stack upon the bar for the woman to see. From the bulge of her eyes at the sight of the money, it was significantly more than she had anticipated or would have charged for her facilities or assistance.
"I trust that that will be sufficient for our time and needs," Lucius said, smirking slightly at the woman's inability to regain control of herself. Then turning to his wife, Lucius gave her the instructions that she would need for him to find her once the business in the Burning Steppes was completed, and handed her the sack of gold for the needs of their people. "Take whatever means you deem most effective to get to Stormwind; I will be with you again soon," he said, kissing her fiercely, shortly before taking his leave, departing to rejoin the rest of their group heading north.
