Level 36: Web of Histories
A/N: Many, many thanks to the other sans, GamerGoddessDin, Checkmate, Housecarl of Clan Drops, Mister E, Kitsuja, PrinceUniversa, AdmiralPopeyesBeard, and EchoWing for commenting last chapter and showing your support! It really means a lot, especially since school has started again for me and I would be too buried in work to update if I was not aided by your support this past chapter. So thank you for the vigor you've afforded me for the time being!
On a meta note, I didn't want to, but this chapter is actually one piece in what was originally going to be a behemoth chapter. Rather than have it be too unwieldy I decided to split it into pieces, and it works well enough I think as a split one, but my apologies if the result is a slowed down pace...though part of the purpose for this and the coming chapters is specifically to slow down our pace and flesh things out a bit for everyone, so I guess that's not too bad.
I hope you all enjoy, and I thank you all for your continued support, since this chapter would be yet another week away if not for your enthusiasm and comments that inspired me to write it despite how busy life is right now!
"Hello, we are travelers who would be most grateful if you would allow us to stay in your humble abode this night."
While exhausted and ready to fall over, Trixie still tried to pay some respect to the maybe-thirty year old dark haired Human man who greeted her at the door of the inn their saw. He was a relaxed soul, not taking the sight of a group of beaten and bruised travelers with surprise at all and instead he appeared as if he was slightly embarrassed he did not have likely all the medical care they would need to be in perfect shape.
He rubbed the back of his head as he stepped aside and gestured with his other hand for them to come in, not minding at all the night-time visitors.
"Of course, come in," after having invited them in he looked inside and gently called out the name of someone his tone implied was someone familiar, either a friend, family member, or employee, "Julian, would you mind helping them settle in?"
A sandy haired boy that looked like he was in his mid teens, perhaps fifteen to seventeen at the oldest, came from a room in the back and worked on helping their new guests come inside, sit down in the case of the more wounded such as Karl, and find rooms and put their things down. Despite having finally come to a place where they could all sleep, no-one particularly wanted to go to bed just yet, least of all Trixie who felt utterly worn out while also not at all feeling as if she could sleep. Perhaps it was the exhilaration of the battle, but something else kept her mind wandering.
The innkeeper's face...Trixie felt as if she knew it, but could not explain why. Looking around at her group of assorted lost souls, she had a similar feeling, but she could not explain why it would be. She hadn't really had the feeling before some of her memories returned, but except for Kael she did not know why that would be.
After everyone had settled down in the main floor's large 'hall' of sorts where benches, tables, and very home-y things existed for the comfort of guests, the innkeeper returned to what he had been doing before they arrived: reading a book by the fireside, calmly spending his day even as the world around him shook with political turmoil.
"I guess you all likely had something to do with all the commotion in the region the past day or so?" the young, but still older, man asked Trixie, who was taken aback by his perception. Word couldn't have spread too far yet, so he had managed to piece together that conclusion just by looking at them. They did appear ragged, but to the untrained eye they would just look like a random motley crew of adventurers. Perhaps if Dirge had not cast aside his former Scarlet Crusade garb it would have been easier for one to guess their group was abnormal, beyond the mixture of opposed races it contained, but that had been done specifically to prevent backlash stemming from the Scarlet Crusade's poor reputation.
Kael, who had made himself comfortable laying across a long bench and laying his head down on Trixie's lap, was the one to mumble a response, "Perhaps."
Trixie played with her partner's hair in a caressing manner as she felt him nearly drifting to sleep, his body no doubt calling for a coma's worth of rest after how brutally he had been beaten in ways he could not even keep up with or see. While she comforted him, a thought crossed Trixie's mind about the location of this inn and how not long ago they had encountered Undead...who seemed less than friendly towards living Humans, "I am a bit curious, I am surprised that a normal Human settlement is on its own here. Don't the Undead pose a threat to you?"
This did not seem to really surprise the laid back innkeeper, who just shrugged as he smiled down at his history book, "Technically the Scarlet Crusade holds power over this area, and until just recently there was a Monastery in the way. Besides, I'm just a retiree who offers a roof for travelers and who spends his days reading history books. I don't have much in the way of money, so bandits and the like don't have much to gain from coming here anyways."
His response was less than pleasing to the survival-orientated Vanessa, who could read a mile away that personal safety was not the first concern of the man. She had been the only party member to continue standing since they arrived, partially because she wanted to be standoffish and brooding, and partially because she wanted to nurse her still sore arms away from the others so they couldn't see just how badly they still hurt after having been healed. She closed this distance from the others though to approach Trixie and lean over to whisper in the older woman's ear.
"This guy is an idiot. When we leave, we should rob him blind. Maybe then he'll pack what bags we leave and he'll go live somewhere safer."
It would actually benefit them, giving them supplies for the coming days, but also possibly force the lax man into doing something that could perhaps save his life. It was the pragmatic, smart thing to do in the criminal girl's mind, since her mind was one to think of the past, the present, and of a few steps forward...but not far into the future. Doing such an action could bite them later if it was revealed the party of Kael'thas Sunstrider plundered a poor man of his belongings, but in Vanessa's mind she wanted to get to that later point before quibbling over the consequences of her actions.
The innkeeper didn't hear Vanessa, but he had noticed something behind the Rogue that made him look up for a brief second before returning to his history book with a lackadaisical smile still on his face, "Julian, there's no need for that. Surely you can help Frederica in the back?"
Vanessa's eyes dashed wide open as she realized that someone was behind her, the girl twisting around and throwing herself diagonally back evasively. The teenaged boy had snuck up to the thief and had been ready to pull the trigger of a gun should she prove a threat with none of the party wary until he had been acknowledged by his guardian. The boy paused, eyeing Vanessa with deep distrust and near hatred before leaving the room to go help the person the innkeeper spoke of.
Even after he left Vanessa had trouble calming herself down, her body trembling...mostly in fear at how close she had been to death, but also in something she couldn't exactly explain beyond 'excitement'. The danger posed to her fed her like that of an adrenaline junkie, having lived her whole life on the edge and having been deprived of many truly close calls recently. Whereas once every day she was an inch from death, even with the battles against the Crusaders and Telonicus she was less in-danger than she had been.
She would never admit it, but the kind of danger just imposed on her person was something she enjoyed beyond her own understanding.
As Vanessa tried to calm herself down, Trixie snickered at the display. If things had escalated she wouldn't be happy, but now she didn't have to really play bad cop and demean Vanessa's brutal idea like Trixie had been about to. Instead she gave a joking mockery of it with a laugh, "That's karma for you. You need to stop having nasty thoughts, Vanessa."
The topic was diverted when Trixie felt something burying its head in her back, that being the blue haired little girl whose pigtails resembled the fins of her previous form. Nana was the most tired of the group and the least harmed, so she was just ready to actually go to sleep unlike the others.
"I'm tired."
Trixie brought a hand over her shoulder to pat Nana on the head, "Go find a bed Nana, little girls like you need their rest."
A woman with honey brown hair exited from the back where Julian had gone, bringing with her some light food for their patrons to snack on. As she came in Nana trudged across the room and dragged herself upstairs where their rooms were, and the sight of the young Elf gave an erroneous idea to the matron of the facility as she placed some bread down in front of Trixie and Kael.
"Is she yours?"
Trixie took a moment to understand what she meant, though she soon figured it out, "Oh no, we're not married. As for Nana...it's...it's a long story. Until this afternoon she was a Mana Wyrm, so I'll just leave it at that."
The woman gave a wry grin, seemingly amused by the revelation but not too surprised as if she were used to such oddities in Azeroth. Her close proximity to the guests revealed their bruised and harmed status far better than she could have noticed from afar since their wounds were for the most part fixed, while only the pains and aches remained, "You all look like you could use some medical care. Give me a moment, I'll be right back to help you."
"Let it not be said that the Undead don't pack a punch. I'm glad they're on our side..." Kael smirked as he realized that such a claim was not universally applicable in the room so he gestured to Trixie and himself, "Well, ours at least."
As the woman left the room to go get some things to help with the pain of the travelers she called back to them, "I have some leftovers of my husband's cooking and more serious food I can prepare for you all while we see to your wounds. Would that be alright?"
Trixie blushed as she felt embarrassed suddenly by how kindly they were being treated. They could have been turned away for being Elves, they could have been thrown out when it was made known that they were the cause of the area's activity recently, etc, etc, yet they were being offered food and treatment for what remained of their wounds after Dirge exhausted himself on healing despite it barely being something he could do on a whim.
"Thank you, Miss..."
The hostess returned with a first aid kit they kept in the house and began to tend to the closest members to the room's exit, those being Karl and Lavitz, who had been the ones looking after Nana before she left to go sleep, "You can call me Frederica. You've already met my husband Yang, and Julian."
With plenty of food and with their remaining wounds tended to by their three hosts, Trixie's party grew settled in to the serene inn. It seemed untouched by the war going on around it, and stood in welcome contrast to the excitement of the past few days for the group save the teenager-brooding Vanessa who was silently sulking in a corner. It was during this downtime that Trixie noted the presence of a small army of books just laying about the room on shelves, tables, and in some piles on the floor right around the innkeeper Yang.
Trixie still found herself fascinated for some inexplicable reason by the man, and so she watched him read calmly by the room's heat source for a short while before speaking up in a voice directed at him.
"You seem like the well read sort."
He looked up with a smile and shrugged, not seeming to really mind the interruption, "Perhaps. I find learning about history to be fascinating, especially when it has consequences or relation to what's going on in the world."
"I'm too tired to sleep yet, I know it sounds weird," Trixie smirked at the irony of her situation, then asked one of the things that had cropped up on her mind, "If you know a lot about history, mind if I ask you a bit about it?"
"What would you like to know? I don't know everything, but I can lend you what knowledge I do possess."
"Forgive me for my ignorance, I am amnesiac and have a lot to relearn," Trixie partially lied: she was amnesiac, but she wasn't really forgetting much of anything about this world she was guessing, "So, this world is named Azeroth, correct? I know this is only one continent of it, but I know little of the others."
"Well, to begin with this continent is known as the Eastern Kingdoms. To the west is an area known as the Broken Isles, a dangerous realm few visit for many reasons be it deadly waters or deadlier Vrykul who populate them according to some records," the innkeeper paused as he drew a small map on a piece of parchment nearby him to show Trixie, "To the west of them is Kalimdor, a region not as vastly populated as the Eastern Kingdoms at least not by the major powers that exist today. At the top of the world is Northrend, an icy land populated by the Scourge army of the Lich King, and finally to the south there is the rumored continent of Pandaria, but its location is hidden by thick mists that dissuade sailors from entering. Overall, the Eastern Kingdoms are home to the Alliance and the Horde's main settlement is located in Kalimdor."
That satisfied her geographic needs, so Trixie moved on to something else she had been wondering about: the war going on.
"What exactly is the Horde? And the Alliance for that matter?"
"Well, the Horde is an amalgamation of races that have banded together for their mutual survival. It stems from the Orc tendency to form a 'Horde', really an army based culture that seeks out war and crush opposing armies or 'Hordes', but in this case it is far more peaceful than other examples in recent history. While it is at war with the Alliance, it is more concerned with actually improving its internal structure and is not just a war machine."
Trixie could see the smile on the man's face and could see that he was in his zone at the moment. He likely was only an innkeeper to earn a little extra gold on the side as he lived in his quite home away from the main Human settlements, while these books were his passion and what he wanted to dedicate himself towards.
"Of the races comprising the Horde, the one that can be considered the body are Orcs. If you haven't seen one before, they are green skinned humanoids like you or myself that have in general a broader build and are a tad bit taller than Humans. While they certainly are not all like this, they are well known for their warlike nature and tendency to place value in honor and their warrior spirit rather than cunning and intellect. Power means a great deal to them, and they do not submit easily, the exception being if they recognize the strength of the ruling individual."
Kael slowly sat up from his relaxed position to sit right beside Trixie on the bench, his ears having perked up much like Trixie's long ones as they listened intently to the innkeeper.
"Currently they are led by Thrall, who actually leads the entire Horde and is the founder of its current iteration. He is a powerful Shaman who utilizes the elements of nature to lead his people, and is quite atypical of what one would expect of an Orc leader in that he is peaceful by nature. This likely stems from his youth, where he grew up as a slave to Humans and had brutality shown to him time and time again. While not as war mongering as one would expect though, he is more than willing to take part in the conflict when it is necessary, and despite certain efforts some time back he is not brokering peace at the present, possibly due to not having any receptive ears amongst the ears of the Alliance's leaders."
With no-one stopping him, Yang continued to give his history and politics lesson to the others in the room. The only one uninterested was Karl, who stabbed at some food offered to him so he could chew it better even though his jaw was sore from his earlier humiliation at Sylvanas's hands.
"Thrall made the Horde with the aid of a few others who still lead it today, such as Cairne Bloodhoof the Tauren and Vol'jin of the Darkspear Trolls. At the time there were many conflicts going on, be it yet another conflict between Humans and Orcs, an invasion of Demons, and in-fighting, so there was a strict need for working together where it did not exist before. By forming the Horde and leading them through the many hardships, he is the one the Horde now turns to for leadership even if his nature contrasts with some of the more conflict-orientated races."
Yang sipped some tea and cleared his throat silently before continuing his lecture for the others, quite happy to share his knowledge with someone else other than his family for once. Most visitors did not really care for long explanations about history or about political matters after all, leaving him to just think of the matters in his own head rather than deal with them more openly.
"In contrast, perhaps I should mention Thrall's old and now deceased friend Grommash Hellscream. A master of combat with his howling axe Gorehowl, he possessed more readily the warlike nature of the Orcish people. First to enter battle, first to win or lose, Grom was quick in both action and mind, rushing ever forward to satiate his need for battle. Part of this may be because of how he doomed the Orcish people to a blood curse by having them drink from the blood of a demon named Mannoroth to gain the power he offered them, a curse that turned them into tools of the demons seeking to rule Azeroth. After being the one to lead his people into the curse, almost all of the Orcish race suffering from it, Grom sought and found redemption in slaying the demon Mannoroth though it came at the cost of his life. He's survived by his son Garrosh, who while older than Thrall in age is far less seasoned by experience and is younger in mind than his father's closest friend."
Trixie tilted her head at his claim that Orcs were such a major part of the Horde, since she had not come across any except for those in Silvermoon yet...and they were not exactly a part of the same Horde as the one being spoken about, "Where are all these Orcs if they are such a major force then?"
"Well, as I mentioned, right now we are on the continent known as the Eastern Kingdoms where the Alliance mainly is situated, whereas the Horde and the Orcs in particular are mostly confined to the continent to the west known as Kalimdor. Exceptions exist of course such as the Blood Elves and the Forsaken, but one must remember that the Blood Elves used to be allies with the Humans and that the Forsaken are fallen Humans and Elves who have been risen from the dead, so their proximity to the Alliance is to be expected."
The answer made sense to Trixie and so she smiled, kind of looking forward to meeting one in real life when she would get the chance, "You mentioned Trolls and Tauren, but I don't think I have seen those races before. What are they like?"
Yang refilled his tea cup and began to slowly sip from it again, "Both are quite unlike the people you have likely met here in Kalimdor, for Trolls and Tauren alike are more inclined towards mysticism and magic concerning nature rather than technology and arcane magic like Humans or Elves. Trolls are extremely tall and possess lean bodies with firm muscles while their mouths have large tusks, while Tauren are are large in the same way as Orcs but even more so, being large cow-people if I were to simply describe them."
"Do they have top udders like Humans or bottom ones?"
Trixie's question caught Yang off guard, and he did not really understand what she meant, "Top udders?"
"Trixie..."
More understanding was Kael, who sighed as he realized Trixie meant 'breasts', but had likely forgotten the word from off the top of her head and just went back to her default: where four legged animals had nipples lower on their bodies, like cows and horses, unlike how humanoids tended to have them higher on the body. Despite sighing Kael found himself looking at her own chest, which he had grown semi-immune to after days of waking up with it on top of or touching him. Only semi though, for she still possessed a beauty he believed one could only craft, not be born into...which in a sudden thought he realized made sense.
Trixie wasn't naturally an Elf. However she came to be one, it might have something to do with her ability to transform. He wasn't sure, but it was completely possible that Trixie had purposefully chosen a body others might find appealing. After all, she possessed an ego and liked being the center of attention, so it would make sense if it was just one further symptom of her psychology. He certainly could not think of another Elven women they had come across yet who shared anywhere near the same attributes distributed across both chest and hips, and that would make sense if Trixie, ignorant of what Elves really were like when she transformed or outright aiming for an inaccurate depiction, had chosen to be like this.
Thinking further, Kael had another thought: Trixie had been appealing to him since the moment he laid his eyes on her. And while attractive enough to draw the attention of other men, she seemed to have features that were directly appealing to him. They had both waken up with amnesia in the same place at the same time, so was it possible that Suntrider Isle was not the beginning of their journey together?
If that were the case, beyond the obvious implications, did that mean that Trixie was subtly trying to attract him? She truly did seem clueless about matters such as personal space, nakedness, related privacy, and anything sexual, so how would that factor in? Hel, she just called breasts 'top udders' since the correct name wasn't readily available for her.
It may have been a silly question from Trixie, who was curious just based on how the Taurens were cow-humanoids which posed a weird mental image for her, but mixed with a small dose of innate lechery from Kael he actually came to discover a possible thread of information about the two of them.
The question at the end of his inquiry was one he had pondered even before though, but now with new reason: if she so obviously held some form of affection for him, why didn't she just come out and admit it?
Trixie eyed Kael with confusion after he said her name rebukingly, not getting what was wrong with her question but also not caring enough about the subject to argue over it. After a moment of looking at Kael looking contemplatively at her body up and down bit by bit, Trixie looked back to Yang and decided to get back to hearing stories that could remedy her lack of knowledge about the setting she found herself in, "Sorry, go on."
Yang rolled his eyes when he noticed where Kael'thas Sunstrider's eyes had gone, having sized the Elf up as the prince the moment he came in sight but was not going to bring it up if they weren't going to, "Well, for some more basic information on them, Trolls are longtime rivals of Elves and as such are less trustful of them, and the Tauren detest the supposed taint they feel off of Blood Elves whose arcane addiction contrasts with the more natural powers of the earth. Should either of you meet with them, I'd suggest you bring with you some accomplishments or gifts to make up for this distrust," he paused to think briefly before letting out a small sound of surprise as he remembered something he should mention too, "Oh, and as for their leaders, they are lead by the Shadow Hunter Vol'jin and Cairne Bloodhoof for the Trolls and Tauren respectively. Vol'jin has not been active in recent memory except as to serve as Thrall's highly competent right hand in the Orc capital Orgrimmar, while Cairne is elderly and not as disposed to taking direct action these days. It's expected that his son Baine will replace him in the coming years, but for now Cairne is a respectable leader and statesman so he remains as the leader of his tribe."
So, Trixie thought, if Kael were to reclaim his title as Prince Sunstrider, he would be allied with someone she decided to dub 'Green Jesus' from her limited recollection of Earth, a tusked huge guy, and a cow. Somehow, Trixie thought, she ended up with the most superior specimen of the lot in the form of a handsome prince who was noble like it sounded the others were, but also wasn't a cow...and Trixie didn't really care for the color green itself, which was why she found it fun to once upon a time make someone's hair that nasty color. She was neutral on tusks, since large tusks was a vague term and she was imagining anything between a few inches and a few feet.
"The Tauren live on a plains named Thunder Bluff southwest of Orgrimmar, which itself is on the eastern coast of Kalimdor on what amounts to a near mirror of where we are currently. The Trolls are currently inhabiting the same space as the Orcs for some reason or another that escapes me, but I believe it is because they have lost access to their old home. Since the Trolls and Orcs share much across their basic natures, they get along quite well compared to some of the other members of the Horde, making Orgrimmar a powerful consolidation of power within the Horde's structure."
Trixie decided to say something to feel smart as well, even if she knew she was hopelessly outclassed in terms of information, "The Undead are closer to the Elves though, right? Since Sylvanas was an Elf too?"
"That is correct, and their closer unity is what has allowed them to stand against the mostly Alliance dominated continent so far. If the Alliance were to wield its strength it could easily pick apart either, but they have their hands tangled with many other affairs at the present time, and their leaders do not seem capable of implementing such simple military strategy," the innkeeper nonchalantly suggested as if they were talking about the weather.
This seeming sureness about the easily conquerable nature of Silvermoon sent off warning signals in Kael's mind, and so he pushed the issue further with narrowed eyes and a frown, "If you were to invade, what would you do?"
Remembering again he was talking to a prince much like the one that was currently in Outland, yet was far more sane than that one, Yang shrugged again and laid out his plan while trying to not sound too offensive to the leader of the Blood Elves he was speaking about defeating, "The Forsaken and the Blood Elves are separated by a Scourge army to the south of Silvermoon and to the north east of Undercity, rendering direct travel time consuming and costly for large groups. While a device exists to allow instant transportation between the two cities, and flight can also be considered, there still is the matter of logistics. A teleportation device meant to be used by one person at a time is not ideal for funneling an army through, so the Alliance could with its combined might of Humans, Dwarves, and Gnomes focus its greater might against the diminished Blood Elves."
Lavitz, the second most military seasoned in the room, spoke up in curiosity after having tuned in a bit ago. He had been whispering with Karl about how Kael was literally undressing Trixie with his eyes, the two speaking of bets and the like, when the conversation caught his interest, "Why the Blood Elves and not the Undead? They're closer, aren't they, making supply lines shorter?"
This idea did not put Yang off at all as he basically swatted the suggestion aside with logic, "Either campaign would have a long supply line and would need to be accomplished swiftly to prevent either Horde faction from wiping out the supply lines to achieve an easy victory, both sharing the same weakness that could be just as easily exploited. As such, attacking the Blood Elves, even if they are a bit farther, by heading around the eastern side of the continent and bypassing the Undead entirely would allow the Alliance to force the Forsaken into a trying predicament: send their forces on foot to aid the Blood Elves, which could be too late due to Scourge interference, or try to enact the cumbersome tactic of sending their one by one through a teleportation device? A mixture could also be used, but to separate the army would make defeating each portion of it easier."
The room fell silent at this casual suggestion about how to completely overtake Silvermoon City, and no-one could really counter it since it made sense...sure there were hypothetical phenomena that could derail the idea, but Kael checked the map Reuenthal had given them and found that there was actually a way to just ignore the Forsaken settlements to head straight to Silvermoon, at the cost of encountering some other threats, but nothing that could likely match the combined might of the entire Alliance on the continent.
They just needed to do it, but they weren't, for which Kael was grateful...was the Alliance ignorant, stupid, or aware of something they were not?
Yang continued his thoughts further to solidify his argument, "So, in doing this, hypothetically, the Alliance could have the advantage. But to win even easier they could first draw the Forsaken down south with bait, or wait for their army to be committed to some other affair somewhat distant from Silvermoon or Undercity. This way no matter what decision the Forsaken make, they will be too late to effectively implement either plan to aid their comrades, and once Silvermoon falls they would be the only major Horde power on the continent. Surrounded entirely and not possessing direct aid except occasional blimp shipments from Orgrimmar, they would fall then to the three on one advantage the Alliance would possess."
Trixie flashed a pouty face at Lavitz, who had been taking in the strategic lesson with great interest. The man was not plotting against his allies, but rather thinking about how to use similar tactics when he would have need of them.
"Don't get any ideas," Trixie commented, receiving playful laughter in response from her friend.
"I don't plan to stab you all in the back. But still, I have to say that such a plan does make sense...it just would require the Alliance to deal with the third party threats on the eastern side of the continent as they move along, such as the Scarlet Crusade. But if they could muster all their armies, they could probably do such a thing. Neither Silvermoon nor Undercity could launch offensive campaigns of their own in this scenario, being strapped for resources and manpower as it is, but this would exacerbate the issue and render them offensively incapable since the moment they would step outside their gates to take advantage of the unguarded Stormwind or some other city, they would have more swiftly lost their own capital and lands. Sylvanas and Lor'themar have lost one city, I do not believe either wishes to do so again."
Trixie's ears perked up again as she heard mention of another thing on her mind, "Mind telling me a bit about Sylvanas? We may or may not have run into her earlier, and you know so much that I bet you know a thing or two."
"Well, to start with she is the former Ranger-General of the people who would become known as the Blood Elves. She died at the time they were defeated by the Scourge and so she herself is a former High Elf and not Blood Elf, not having been a part of that re-naming process or the fallout of the Scourge's attack," Yang sighed as he thought back to the fall of the High Elves, "While a capable and cunning leader, and an even better archer, she had a remarkably poor showing when the former Human prince Arthas came to attack them. What should have been relatively easy to repel was not, and she along with so many of her kind were slain back then."
This recollection of events gave pause to the speaker when he noticed Kael grow tense. It went unstated that Kael himself had not been present at the time of Sylvanas's defeat, of the massacre of his people...he only arrived just in time to see the ashes of the kingdom he had once called home. To see former allies rig everything against him in an attempt to finish off the job their enemies started.
After a moment Kael calmed himself down with a soundless sigh, prompting Yang to speak again about the subject at hand: Sylvanas, "Because she had personally defied Arthas during the invasion and traded words with him, he decided to raise her from the dead and force her to serve his army and the Scourge as a pawn in the further destruction of her own race and the world itself. Unfortunately for him, she would not linger as just a mere ghoul for him to direct, and using her natural trickery she would steal from his and the Lich King's control the minds of the Undead known as the Forsaken. Admittedly, while we live in close proximity to them, there is not much literature concerning their history and so I cannot say just how Sylvanas managed to achieve this, but it is for this reason that they are separate from the undead Scourge and capable of rational thought unlike the many mindless beings that comprise the Lich King's army."
Lavitz shook his head at the thought of being controlled in death, "If I were to die, I would wish to stay dead. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for Sylvanas to serve under the man who slew her."
Karl shrugged, having just had his brother brought back to life, albeit in a more wholesome manner thanks to the mercy of the Light, "Life is life."
"I wouldn't mind getting another chance at things, even if it meant suffering through humiliation and the destruction of my pride," Kael noted with some bitterness as he thought about the horrendous actions of his counterpart.
Not wanting the mood to keep souring, Trixie nudged Kael and shushed him, "Trixie is trying to listen to story time, so shhh."
Receiving a look from Trixie to continue, the innkeeper continued to humor her with information, "Likely as a form of mockery, the capital of the Forsaken is located in the ruins of the old Human kingdom's capital that fell when Arthas returned not as its wayward prince, but as an agent of the Scourge who callously murdered his own father just as he would later murder his own mentor Uther."
Trixie realized one part of the Horde hadn't been spoke of yet, so she inquired about the missing piece of information, "What do you think of Silvermoon and the Blood Elves right now?"
Yang gave a half embarrassed, half nervous look over at Kael, "With permission to speak freely..." Kael gave him a nod, not minding if the other man had any criticisms of his people: perhaps he could strive to fix them when he managed to reclaim his crown, "Well, Silvermoon has recovered from its near complete destruction back at the time of the 'third war' when so much of these events happened. In that capacity it is doing well and thriving given its circumstances, though it has mainly sat on the sidelines and remained neutral until recently when it joined the Horde. This is perhaps due to their grudge against Humans, but also bad relations with certain members of the Horde."
It was Kael who pressed for information next, his mind considering a rival to his power at present, "And the man who leads it? I believe his name is Lor'themar Theron or something along those lines."
"He is a capable warrior who served under Sylvanas in her time as Ranger-General, paving the way for their working relationship now, though if one were to observe it one could say that it is not a partnership so much as it is a master and servant relationship born of Sylvanas still treating him like he is just another one of her subordinates," Yang's voice was amused as he noted the odd relationship between the two leaders, though his voice grew disillusioned as he spoke of the man's track record, "While he is militarily accomplished, he is not really notable for his statesman qualities and his only real achievement on that front is keeping Silvermoon together these past years after Kael'thas Sunstrider appointed him the leader of Silvermoon."
The unpleased voice contrasted with what was said, drawing confusion from the others present, thus prompting the kind innkeeper to explain himself.
"Of course, this accomplishment is mitigated by the rumored brainwashing and force implemented by his regime, meaning the unity he has achieved could be shattered if these tools were to be removed. While he is most certainly doing what he is doing to preserve his people and keep them from falling apart, that is a similar path one might note to that of the now disgraced Kael'thas Sunstrider in Outland. He sacrificed everything for his people, but now he is the one posing a threat to them."
Trixie looked over to her partner, who was looking down at nothing as he thought over dark matters in his head. She took his hand reassuringly and smiled at him, showing her continued faith in the man she had traveled with for not even weeks at this point yet she trusted with wholly.
She knew something about him he didn't yet, but she still had not found the right moment to come out and say it.
The Kael she was traveling with was the same man as the one in Outland...the only difference was time, and Trixie believed with her heart that she possessed the later model. That was why that time traveling gnome-dragon had shown up before...the Kael Trixie had with her was an anachronism.
There was a lot in-between the insane madman in Outland and the lovely man who would do anything for her or his people she traveled with, and a part of her feared what might happen if he knew, thus her hesitation. He was both the same person and not, being the same soul and body, but not the same mind. She still was fuzzy on the transition between the two, or the exact circumstances, but she had come to that realization when she remembered her past...
She remembered a mana craving zombie fiend choking her almost to death to steal her magic who looked awfully like the man she slept next to at night.
"So if that's the Horde, what's the Alliance like?"
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You know, every time I read this I am more tempted to play World of Warcraft because well... I haven't played it like... at all. Ahaha...
I believe you meant "here in the Eastern Kingdoms," as they are definitely not in or have been in Kalimdor.
while Tauren are
arelarge in the same way as1. Extra Are.
Ahh, good old world building and with quite abit of accuracy on it too. Remembering the lore from then is actually quite refreshing to old players like me who only played for the story and not much of the competitiveness. I also have a feeling that if I try to answer any questions, Trixie would have already asked it (due to forward planning by the author writing her) so for now, I'll stick to listening. This has nothing to do with me going on a nostalgia trip and consequently making part of my mind numb. Nope, not at all.
As for the answers in WRE... Yeah, that hits hard at times when the dots are connected like that and makes me think that this instance is like a stable time loop since Trixie confirmed it. That would also explain why later in WRE that Sleep Near and Hela couldn't find their souls, because they were sent backwards in time relative to their deaths. Yeah, spoilers are there for a reason because I just feel like talking about it and it makes me giddy in a sense.
Ahh, good exposition chapter even though I know all of these things. Was enjoyable nonetheless.
7541931 Well if you did play it I'd always be willing to help you out
I mean, it's not exactly an easy game to get into without a gateway of sorts, so I can see why this story might be serving as such a catalyst...I myself got into it by reading the books at first, then playing Warcraft 3, then seriously getting into the account I made to play with a friend for a couple weeks.
The only real problem about the game is that it's expensive...however, trial accounts do exist, and if you were to be refer you leveling would be easier for you. Always an option, should you actually decide to play
7542088 Sorry, was running on only about 3 hours of sleep so I had to keep fixing things like that and guess I missed one.
7542347 I tried to aim for as close to accurate as I could while still remaining within the realm of what someone in-universe could know, versus us looking back at everything with wikias and the like for information and a near level of omniscience to their world.
I have always really played for the lore, so this is more my realm than spell rotations and raid mechanics, though I wouldn't say I'm bad at that. Just not what I play for.
As for the WRE stuff, I'll say you're about right on it, but I won't confirm how much
In the next couple chapters you'll get a bit more info that will help probably explain things more. And so I know, how does it hit hard? 
I like knowing so I can do things in the future.
7542621 Yeah, I understand the feeling, but I'm glad you enjoyed it all the same
twilightsheepish: I just don't want to totally lock out people who don't know Warcraft like the back of their hand after all.
7542935 Hmm... I think it hits hard for me due to your kind of foreshadowing so far and how it seamlessly connects so fluidly that it almost seems surreal. Assuming my mind isn't too muddled and I managed to explain properly. Something like what I said in the second spoiler bar and having it confirmed is like... Umm... the feeling of how the protagonist knows it's true bit when someone else says it confirmed it still hits hard.
7542939
Of course. As popular as WoW is, not everyone plays or even knows about it.
7543623 Well, I don't know if you've seen the most recent journal of mine, but World of Warcraft has done me a big favor by going more in-depth on its own Norse mythology connections...I've played through the new expansion specifically to chronicle such things and take note of them so I can make use of them here.
After all, it's easy to work in the "underworld" known as Helheim when there is legitimately Helheim in the game.
vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/wowwiki/images/1/1a/Helya.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160102125148
So expect what subtle foreshadowing I've had to be confronted in full force in the coming chapters on basically every front
7543651 Do you still play it by chance? I forget who is and isn't playing it here.
7543758 Oh I did and maybe that's what's adding to the gut feel. Heck, it could be a semi... parallel... wait... Trixie feeling familiar with some faces in recent chapter... thinking back to a couple Gaiden chapters back... son of a...!
Assuming I make sense, please feel free to laugh maniacally.
7543841 Well, don't even have to think back a couple Gaiden chapters ago: Trixie recognized someone from the most recent Gaiden chapter.
As in, a character who did not come to Equestria until after her death at the end of the story. Yet Trixie here STILL knows him. Yet at the same time I will state now that they are not exactly the same iteration of the same person but rather like how I have Rainbow Dash in both Meet the Family and Winging It...not the same exact character technically speaking, but the same person. Multiverse theory or something like that.
Say hi, Yang.
67.media.tumblr.com/dbb81d03862d4d6fb14a06efaebaf9dc/tumblr_n04gtqAmGq1t8vma9o4_500.gif
Notable for his love for history, unparalleled skill for warfare, his dislike of warfare, and dying despite being the protagonist only three quarters through his series tragically. Dying alone to a nameless assassin moments before his adopted son Julian could come and save him due to a shot through his leg's artery.
So, with that in mind, try solving the mystery: why is he familiar to Trixie?
I deeply appreciate color altering your author notes. Very easy to read.
7570344 I'm glad that someone appreciates it
I mean, I figure that if I leave it all the same color people may be more prone to jumping over parts of it, but if I color code it people might be more likely to look at each part.
The color changing is bugging me out.
And oddly enough, i have no questions on lore.
Breathers are good, world building is good.