#grand apothecary putress

[civilizedlava]

This is the hour of the Forsaken.

[celenacallaghan]

The fight for control of the Undercity begins.

I'm so damn happy that I finished this before the end of January. This month marks two years since I posted the first chapter of this fic :D It's been slow, and sometimes painful, but I'm thankful for everyone who's stuck with it (and me) for this long.

Please enjoy part 1 of this most epic of battles, stay safe and sane, and I'll see you next time.

[doxolove]



reincarnating my Lordaeron priest as a Y'sarj speaker for dragonflight - Grand Apothecary Manekk!

In my headcanon he is the direct 'appointed successor' of Putress... But defects from the cause after the siege of the Wrathgate. He rejoins horde efforts after Bane takes charge but is held accountable for assisting in the creation of the destructive blight.

Manekk can't remember his past or how he died, or even that he survived the fall of Lordaeron and did not meet his end until much later. But within his isolation from the Horde and the apothecarium, he embraces the shadow completely and finds a way to commune directly with Y'sarj. Old ones whisper to him incessantly-- but he doesn't really give a shit. ♥

[sekhisadventures]

Edwood Vargas, Forsaken Darkcaster

Important Stories:

Broken Wands: Edwood is present in Dalaran when it falls under siege during the Third War. It ends badly for him.

Dead Men, and the Tales They Tell: Years later, Edwood reconnects with his friend Nelen Fullmoon in the Shadowlands... but they've both changed.

The Warlock of Dark Waters: After the defeat of Zovaal and the loss of one of their members, Edwood approaches Grimo to ask if Savage United is still hiring.

Race: Undead Human

Class: Warlock, Destruction School

Age: 43 (died at 21)

Eye Color: Fel green

Birthplace: Drustvar, Kul'Tiras

Residence: Orgrimmar, the Cleft of Shadow (until the Undercity is habitable again.)

Abilities:

Fel Magic: Edwood is a warlock of the Destruction School, specializing in channeling felfire in various ways. He can summon infernals, but only for short periods of time. He has honed these skills over years of working with the Forsaken, and has used them in the past in their defense in ways he refuses to speak of...

Guzzle: Edwood is almost always accompanied by a Fel Imp named Guzzle, whom he affectionately refers to as his First Mate. Guzzle happily wears the title and often parrots his master's habit of taking with nautical slang. He is capable of backing Edwood up with felfire bolts himself and is able to turn invisible, which he's used to great effect when his 'Captain' needed him to perform tasks away from him (such as sending a message to the Desolate Council when he and Mola'raum became trapped in the Undercity with plague-warped Abominations following their return from the Shadowlands.)

Maritime Knowledge: In life Edwood was a citizen of Kul'Tiras and is knowledgeable about the sea and it's ways. He knows how to read the winds and recognizes the earliest signs of oncoming storms, he is able to treat seasickness in a variety of ways (which are also useful for nausea from other sources as well,) and knows his way around sailing vessels. He isn't quite as knowledgeable as a Kul'Tirian sailor, having grown up in Drustvar specifically, but all Kul'Tirians know at least the basics.

Member of the Grand Apothecary Society: Edwood always had a knack for brewing and potion making as a student in Old Dalaran. He imagined he might open a bar back in Drustvar once he left the school, but fate had another use in mind it seems. After he broke free from the Scourge and joined the Forsaken he became a regular fixture in the Grand Apothecary Society as a potion maker. Mostly he'd focus on making preservatives or other useful things for his Forsaken allies, leaving the darker work to the likes of Putress and his cronies.

History

Born in the Drustvar region of Kul'Tiras, Edwood showed a talent for magic at a young age when he almost set his sister's bed on fire after a fight with her over some long-forgotten slight. He was sent to Dalaran to learn to control his connection to the Arcane Energies of the world, where he befrended a young Nelen Fullmoon. While Edwood had a cunning and a knack for certain magical tricks, he had no head for studying and was easily distracted. Nelen was a very analytical thinker and excellent with writing and notekeeping, and the two learned to work together. Edwood would show Nelen all the little tricks he found for remembering how to use cantrips and spells on the fly, Nelen would help him master the more esoteric and unusual aspects of the art of magic.

This all fell apart when they were in their early twenties… and the Scourge invaded. Edwood was on the battlements of the city as the undead army was held at bay by the magic of Antonidas and the other Archmages and, upon seeing an armor clad figure on a skeletal steed trying to ride forward, he attempted to take a pot shot at them with his wand.

Unfortunately for Edwood, this figure was none other than Arthas Menethil, the future Lich King.

Arthas responded by firing off a Death Coil that struck Edwood full in the face, necrotizing his flesh! Blinded by pain, he stumbled backwards off the battlements and fell to his death.

… but the Scourge is not one to leave people to that mercy for long.

Edwood doesn't remember what happened the next several years, save in a few flashes, and those flashes he dearly wishes he didn't remember… but some years afterwards he awoke near Andorhol, remembered who and what he was, and fled in a blind panic.

This may have been the true death of Edwood Vargas, but he lucked out and ran into a patrol of Deathguards of the newly formed faction of rebel undead, the Forsaken. They brought him back to the Undercity and taught him of what had happened over the years. He realized that he could never return to Kul'Tiras now, or any Alliance held lands. Scourge or Forsaken didn't matter, they saw only an undead monster.

Of course, his new home came with new problems. The woods of Tirisfal Glades and Silverpine Forest were not only infested with feral undead, but also with the demonic minions of the Legion who had stayed behind when their masters fled after Sylvannas Windrunner claimed the ruined city as her capital. Edwood was a talented fire mage, but he'd only just finished his basic training before his untimely demise. Desperate to prove himself ot his new home, he volunteered to undergo a ritual to bind himself to a demon, becoming one of the city's Darkcasters.

Thus he met his first and only demon, a fel imp by the name of Guzzle. His fiery magics now infused with the power of fel energies thanks to his bond with the demon, he became much more powerful than he had been before, and used these powers in the defense of the Forsaken and the Horde for many years to come.

Eventually however, Sylvannas betrayed them to Zovaal and fled to the Shadowlands, and while pursuing his former Queen he had a chance encounter with a goblin named Grimo Blamstick where he discovered that his friend Nelen Fullmoon had survived the fall of Dalaran and was in the Shadowlands currently… and after re-establishing contact with his friend and their attempted murder at the hands of Dissonantia, he formally joined Grimo's mercenary company, Savage United.

[katieskarlette]

Top 10 Betrayals in Warcraft Lore

A lighthearted look at some pivotal lore moments

[seaguanaisland]

Every so often I remember that this video exists, and that fact brings me the utmost joy 😊

[general-grey]

“Keh heh heh heh heh, did you think we had FORGOTTEN?”

“Did you think we had FORGIVEN?”

....

or alternatively some generic Spanish Inquisition quote that NOBODY EXPECTS eh? Eh? Amirite? Amirite!

[iceafterdeath]

Sylvanas and Jaina never talked to each other in game. My digging for my planned fic revealed that there was a quest named “Fate, Up Against Your Will” back in Wrath of the Lich King where they talked, but Blizzard removed it.

[x]  [x]

Lady Jaina Proudmoore says: Thrall, what has happened? The King is preparing for war... Thrall says: Jaina, what happened at the Wrath Gate. It was a betrayal from within... Lady Sylvanas Windrunner says: Lady Proudmoore, the Warchief speaks the truth. This subterfuge was set in motion by Varimathras and Grand Apothecary Putress. It was not the Horde's doing. Lady Sylvanas Windrunner says: As the combined Horde and Alliance forces began their assault upon the Wrath Gate, an uprising broke out in the Undercity. Varimathras and hordes of his demonic brethren attacked. Hundreds of my people were slain in the coup. l barely managed to escape with my life.

[hordebreaker]

LoreCraft: Is Theramore alliance on neutral?

I've been playing Warcraft since 1999, and Tides of Darkness was my first game. I never really cared about gameplay, but I was always interested in lore (and I am always annoyed with retcones or unspoken parts that are left as such on purpose or because of laziness). In Warcraft 3, my favorite heroes and even races appeared, the development of which I was further pleased with. I often fought on the forums, but over time I got tired + many of them are now dead. Although I am not playing for some reason now, I would like to tell / clarify some parts of the lore, based on official sources. For example, in the near future I want to do 3 parts dedicated to Theramore before MoP. I am always glad to receive feedback, and also I ask you to forgive my not very good English😅

part 1.

Theramore, as a kingdom, was never neutral. Jaina made the city a neutral territory for negotiations of an official treaty between the Horde and the Alliance, which she and Thrall began to discuss in "The Circle of Hatred", disarming everyone: both guests and their guards. Before and after that, the city remained a significant part of the Alliance in Kalimdor.

Game:

Vanilla. to get to Theramore (and Darnassus), you had to board a ship in Menethil Harbor, which is owned by the Alliance. Further, when flights appear, Theramore is a flight point for the Alliance only. Also Horde can "kill" Jaina. Sometimes she killed you. sometimes she teleported you into the sea. Also Jaina helps you to find out what happend to Varian.

Wrath Gate and Trial of the Crusaders. In the tournament, Jaina takes a place next to Varian, among the banners of the Alliance, and neutral factions - in the middle.

A Fate, Up Against Your Will: At the behest of Lady Proudmoore, I will allow a diplomatic mission to Orgrimmar to question the Horde's Warchief, Thrall. You will assist her in this journey and keep her safe from harm. Return to me with news from Orgrimmar.

Thrall says: Know this, Jaina: War with the Alliance is not in our best interests. If we are forced into a conflict, the Lich King will destroy our divided forces in Northrend. Thrall says: We will make this right, Jaina. Tell your king all that you have learned here. Lady Jaina Proudmoore says: l will deliver this information to King Wrynn, Thrall, but... Lady Jaina Proudmoore says: Bolvar was like a brother to him. In the King's absence, Bolvar kept the Alliance united. He found strength for our people in our darkest hours. He watched over Anduin, raising him as his own. Lady Jaina Proudmoore says: l fear that the rage will consume him, Thrall. l remain hopeful that reason will prevail, but we must prepare for the worst... for war. Lady Jaina Proudmoore says: Farewell, Warchief. l pray that the next time we meet it will be as allies.

The Battle For The Undercity: Assist King Varian Wrynn and Lady Jaina Proudmoore in bringing Grand Apothecary Putress to justice! Report to King Varian Wrynn should you succeed.

Dungeons. Jaina goes along with the Alliance hero to find a way to end the scourge and the Lich King (or - who knows - may be to find a redemption for him):

Lady Jaina Proudmoore says: Free any Alliance slaves that you come across. We will most certainly need their assistance in battling Tyrannus. I will gather reinforcements and join you on the other side of the quarry.

The Shattering. Varian Wrynn's stance against our people is becoming increasingly militaristic." He did not add, thanks to you, because he knew Garrosh would hear the unspoken words. "Jaina Proudmoore is his friend and is sympathetic to our cause."

"She is still Alliance scum!"

"She is still Alliance, yes,"Thrall said, his voice deepening and growing louder, "but anyone who has served with me or who has bothered to read a single historical scroll over the last few years knows that she is a human with integrity and wisdom. Do you think Cairne Bloodhoof disloyal?"

Garrosh seemed taken aback by the abrupt change of subject. His eyes darted to Cairne, who sat up straighter and snorted.

"I – of course not. No one here questions his devotion and service to the Horde." He spoke carefully, looking for the trap. Thrall nodded. Although his tone was defensive, Garrosh's words did seem sincere to him.

"They would be a fool to do so. Jaina's loyalty to the Alliance does not preclude her working toward peace and prosperity for all who dwell in Azeroth. Nor does Cairne's loyalty to the Horde. His proposition is a sound one. It costs us little and could gain us much. If the night elves agree to open negotiations, well and good. If not, then we pursue other avenues."

Cataclysm Pre-patct. A gathering of the Alliance leaders dealing with disaster issues, where Jaina is present among the rest of the rulers, she is also marked as a PvP.

Varian Wrynn: Blood of Our Fathers/ As the leader of Theramore Isle, Jaina was part of the Honor Delegation selected to stand behind the king today as he gave his memorial speech. With the Alliance pressed on ever more dangerous fronts, many had come to see what the great leader of Stormwind planned to do about the recent world crisis.

WolfHeart. Theramore was the first member of the alliance to reach Teldrassil.

He almost pitied the night elves and their ilk. They fought bravely but without a chance. They acted as if there were hope, when it was obvious that there was not. Garrosh had used the very summit intended to bring his enemies together in order to catch them most off guard. The other factions of the Alliance had provided the night elf force with the handful of supporters that he had calculated. By the time Theramore and the others were able to send greater numbers, the Horde would have Ashenvale secured.

Tides of War. "We are the most martial Alliance presence on the continent"

“I ask you again, Jaina Proudmoore,” Rhonin said quietly, “what does this have to do with me?”

“The Kirin Tor does not take sides; I know that,” Jaina said. “But even Kalecgos thought you might be willing to come to our aid.”

“Protect an Alliance city from an attack by the Horde?”

She nodded mutely. He looked off to the side for a long moment, his eyes not focused, then said, “I cannot make such a decision alone. You’re going to have to convince others besides me. Dalaran is lovely this time of year.”

Part 2 will be about the treaty between the Horde and the Alliance. Thanks!

[breadknight-likes-things]

Bread’s Game Journal 06/01/20: Wrath In The Frozen North: A Northrend Retrospective, Part 3: Dragonblight

I remember the early buzz around Wrath Of The Lich King, and the worry that any expansion pack set in Northrend would just be a collection of snow covered zones with little to no variety.  Dragonblight serves as both a confirmation of those early fears, alongside a complete and utter refutation of those same worries.  Is this a zone covered in snow?  Yes.  Does that define it?  No.  Nor does snow cover define the other zones it’s present in around the rest of the continent.  The snow covered wastes of Dragonblight also served as the first time in the leveling experience of Wrath of The Lich King that everyone was crowding into one zone, as opposed to having the choice between two.  What followed is such an abundance of content there’s absolutely no way i’ll be able to cover it all in this post.

I think that aforementioned convergence explains why this zone is so unbelievably massive.  Even among the bigger than normal zones present in WotLK, Dragonblight is really big.  I honestly think the breadth of content, story-lines, and sheer landmass in this zone would comprise something more akin to three zones in a modern expansion pack.  The design is just as varied as well, though most of the zone is indeed covered in snow, the various dragon sanctums scattered around the area give us everything from a thick green forest, a peaceful glade (albeit, kind of on fire at the moment), lava flow caves and even a sandy desert.  Even on top of that variety there’s the coastal woodlands, the (literally) haunted seashores and the large, flat tundra plains where, in this universe, Dragons to go die.

Dragon bones litter much of the area north of Wyrmrest Temple, and given that we know full well the scourge can bring back to life....it’s something to worry about.

Dragons, are of course, the biggest story line present here.  Much of the questing revolves around visiting the various sanctums and completing tasks there, and while nobody really thinks about the dragon storylines in Wrath at this point, all of them were extremely engaging.  From the central hub of Wyrmrest Temple you were given all sorts of hands on experience dealing with these hugely powerful immortal beings.  There’s some standard “Horde Vs. Alliance” stuff off to the side, and a couple of Scourge storylines, but the vast majority of the focus in this zone was on the dragons and it lent a lot of weight to the, frankly distressingly undeveloped as a whole, blue dragon storyline that always seemed to get shunted off to the side during this expansion.

Just seeing this old thing brings back some good memories...

I mentioned before some Scourge storylines though, and hoo-boy did Dragonblight have one of the biggest ones, and one that absolutely blew my mind in 2008.  I’m talking of course about The Wrathgate, the disastrous assault on Icecrown Citadel, and subsequent attack on the Undercity that followed.  At the time this whole quest chain felt like the single most epic thing World of Warcraft had ever done.  Helped along quite a bit by the presence of the first in-game cutscene, the Wrathgate told the story of the Horde and Alliance briefly teaming up to tear down the front gate of the Lich King’s fortress, only to both be betrayed by Grand Apothecary Putress launching a chemical attack on all three parties to gain his revenge.  This was huge because, at the time, it was the culmination of quite a few different story threads that a lot of people had long since assumed had stalled out.

Finally, we had some solid information for what exactly the Apothecaries of the Undercity had been doing,  We finally understood what Varimathras had been plotting this entire time, instead of just standing next to Sylvanas acting casual, and this was the first time we actually saw a lot of the bigger characters in the lore suffer an actual loss.  The Wrathgate is still thought of, in fiction, as one of the greatest failures in the history of both The Horde and Alliance, and set back relations between the two factions almost to zero.  It was a huge moment at the time, I remember a lot of forum debate over the whole thing, some people loved it like me, others hated it and thought it made no sense (they were wrong).  In the sixteen year history of World of Warcraft, it still stands out as one of the coolest moments they ever put in the game, and it’s still a damn shame you can’t actually do the questline anymore.  I hope maybe, one day they add it back in and we get to re-live it, if only because it’s a piece of Warcraft History that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Bread’s Coveted Best Town Award: Wyrmrest Temple

It was always gonna be Wyrmrest Temple, while the Horde and Alliance settlements in this part of the game don’t do much of note, this huge imposing structure has been so enduring with the game and the lore that it’s constantly brought up and re-used and nobody even complains about it!

Random Screenshot Of The Day:

Just as a little lore treat, Dragonblight is also where you can find this iconic sight to all the people who had played and loved Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos as much as I had.

Stray Notes:

- Can you even believe how much I didn’t even write about in this long as hell post?  Naxxramas?  The Venomspite questlines?  The re-introduction of the Scarlet Crusade?  Dragonblight is ridiculously stacked with content and it would take multiple posts just to talk about half of it.

- I didn’t even mention the Azjol Nerub dungeons either!  Those are some of the absolute best in Wrath of the Lich King, and, imo, WoW as a whole!  Help, I can’t hold all this extremely good content!

[swampgallows]

I've been rereading War Crimes and been wondering if Christie Golden had other hopes/plans for Sylv's character arc or if her current predicament just represents the logical conclusion of what we see of her in the novels and post-WoD WoW. What are your thoughts/care to reiterate current stance on Sylv as a fellow horde player?

This has been in my ask box a long time because I’ve wanted to reply to this properly and possibly reread War Crimes again in order to have a more fleshed-out answer, but as far as Golden’s characterization in War Crimes all I remember is the weird incest vibe going on with her sister. As a younger sister myself, I would balk out of my MIND if my sister started clutching my hands and “Little Moon”-ing me the way Sylvanas did to Vereesa. It’s like literally all I remember about her in that book, lmao. I’m also an older sister as well, but to a younger brother, and though he has many childhood nicknames there’s no way I’d be cooing at him with those as an adult, especially if I were trying to console him mourning over his murdered spouse. 

As far as Sylvanas’ current arc: I know Garrosh 2.0 is a tired argument, but both now suffer a drastic character shift with extremely flimsy or obfuscated motivation. When things were slowly percolating up to the Siege of Orgrimmar, the fanbase (allegedly, as I was not playing during MoP) was still left scratching their heads over Garrosh’s character shift. Even with all the books, comics, cinematics, and questlines, there was still no explicit cut-and-dry understanding of how Garrosh went from celebrated war hero to chaotic evil villain.

I haven’t conducted the same amount of research on Sylvanas that I have on Garrosh, but my point is that it really shouldn’t be required to understand why self-destruction is Sylvanas’ “logical conclusion”. If there’s any major gripe that I have with any of Blizzard’s writing, it’s the fact that, up until Legion, character—and even campaign—motivations have been extremely vague, sacrificed in favor of comic book action sequences or pulpy one-liners (”What a king must do.”). I’m not saying everything should be spelled out, but that basic questions of “What are we doing and why?” shouldn’t need to be hunted down through five different types of media (and even then, the source material is vague). 

Blizzard assured players that the burning of Teldrassil was not what it seemed, that Sylvanas would be cemented in a “morally gray” area, and that all of our questions would be answered with the Warbringers short. And what motives did we glean from that animatic?

“Can’t I?”

BUT GALLOWS, THE FLASHBACK— you know what’s not a reaction to trauma and feeling like you couldn’t save your own people? Killing them. You know what completely goes against all of Sylvanas’ legitimately morally gray actions—conscripting the val’kyr, using the blight, the search to preserve her people (even seeking the aid of Helya and attempting to enslave Eyir)? KILLING HER OWN PEOPLE. And to be perfectly clear, I am referring not to Teldrassil but to the Battle of Lordaeron where Sylvanas is using her people, the Forsaken, as ammo and meatshields. How is this her “logical conclusion”? Not pointing fingers at you, necessarily, but what is Sylvanas’ goal if not to save her people?

When someone asks the question, “Why did Sylvanas burn Teldrassil?” it shouldn’t require a Pepe Silvia paper trail to answer. It shouldn’t require a Bible-level citation of one line of a psalm in the seventh Book of Christie which says it was actually Saurfang’s idea. The real answer, which she reveals in a very-skippable dialog box of the time-sensitive War of Thorns event and also in the delayed-release online novellas Elegy / A Good War, is that she was cutting off the Alliance’s route to azerite. Darnassus and Teldrassil as a whole are the largest territories the Alliance has claimed on Kalimdor; with Theramore already rubble and Teldrassil in flames, the Alliance has virtually no way of getting azerite to their larger territories on the Eastern Kingdoms. 

Now, to me, a nuclear arms race like that is morally gray. There is no easy answer. But even a line like “now the azerite is ours”, or something to that effect, isn’t present in the more substantial media (like the short), which might make it a better standalone piece but suffers an actual connection to the events of the game. 

So how does stymieing the war for azerite translate into raising your already twice-dead people as skeletons to keep fighting? Using the Blight? Blighting your own capital, evacuated or not? Forcibly turning the deceased? When you create a new Forsaken, the val’kyr gives you the option to embrace your new life or to be returned to your grave. It it a heavy and intimate interaction that asks consent; raising your soldiers again as blighted skeletons mid-battle is not.

For where things are in the story now, I have absolutely NO idea what Sylvanas is thinking or what her motives are. I feel like a lot of this is intentionally (hopefully, hopefully) left up to speculation and possibly culminating later down the line as BFA unfolds. She did all of those questionable things in the past for the sake of going to great lengths to get her revenge on Arthas and end the Scourge while also avenging her people, the Forsaken, and ensuring that they do not die out. This is most certainly “morally gray”, and in my opinion one of the most stirring and provocative threads of controversy in Warcraft’s entire lore: is it ethical to perpetuate the Forsaken people?

I have mained a Forsaken since 2005, but even as a wee little Andorhal plaguelet neither me nor my character have ever trusted Sylvanas. I understood that she was among the more powerful of the Forsaken, and without her taking advantage of Arthas when he was weak and rallying us initially there may not have even been the Forsaken. However, I always found it unnerving that there was no once-human Lordaeronian representation for the Forsaken. Under Sylvanas and Varimathras it felt a lot like me and my fellow farmer peasant buddies were getting screwed out of something.

Enter Putress, who has a sick fucking plague doctor mask but materialized from nothing, and all of a sudden we were doing favors for this previously-unheard of Grand Apothecary. I was skeptical and so were many of my Forsaken peers, and it turns out our intuition hadn’t fully rotted away, as then the Wrathgate ensued. Lilian Voss seems somewhat promising as an actual Forsaken figurehead, but it’s taken her five expansions to steadily climb the ranks of importance. 

But why would anyone follow Sylvanas now? What’s in it for them? At least among the goblins and the orcs following Garrosh they gained an illusion of supremacy and a promise of conquest and power; what’s in it for Sylvanas’ followers? Just obeying orders? A slice of the azerite pie? Fear that there is no choice? Is it an honor to sacrifice our lives for the Dark Lady, as it was Ishi and the Kor’kron’s honor to allow Garrosh to experiment on them with the Divine Bell? 

Vol’jin had “never trusted” Sylvanas, and we still don’t know the loa that told him to name her his successor. Saurfang says that “There is no honor in this.” So… what is up? Why do we give Sylvanas or Nathanos the time of day? I don’t datamine and I’ve only completed up to the current war campaign once so maybe I’m missing something, but I seriously have no idea what Sylvanas’ plans are. 

Sayge’s Fortune #19: The Forsaken are up to something. 

This time, we Forsaken don’t even know what it is.

[warchief-ofthe-horde]

Banter Between Old Friends

Even now, the gilded walls of Silvermoon with its illustrious streets and constant tinge of magic made Sylvanas fill ill. Not that she detested any of it. Silvermoon was her home. It was what she pledged her life to protect. Rather, whenever she sees the Sin’dorei walking around the streets, she sees her failure. Whenever she sees an arcane enchanted broom pass by, she is reminded of betrayal. Whenever she hears a child cry, she is reminded of her own wails.

“Sylvanas! I had heard you were coming to visit. It’s been some time since you last set foot in Silvermoon, hasn’t it?” Lor’themar Theron. Formerly Sylvanas’ second-in-command during her time as Ranger General, and current Regent Lord of Silvermoon. Whenever she set eyes upon him, her dead heart sank. An other reminder of her failures. If their defenses, her defenses, hadn’t failed, she wouldn’t be talking to him now, at least not in this in context.

“Yes, it’s been a long time. I’ve had my reasons.” Sylvanas told him, trying to keep her eyes trained on him. His dead, pale left eye. Yet more reminders of that bastard Prince and what he had taken from her. Now was not a time for crying. She hasn’t cried out of pain since she saw her own corpse below her.

“I’m certain you do, but a child of Silvermoon is always welcome home. All Sin’dorei are-”

“I am not a Sin’dorei, Regent Lord. I died before I was given the honor.” Sylvanas was quick to remind, her words almost paralyzing to hear. Lor’themar left his mouth agape for but a moment, but slowly closed it. His gaze looks a tad scornful for a moment, but tries to appear cheery once again. This was meant to be a meeting between old friends, not filled with bitterness of current events.

“But of course Sylvanas, I apologize. A slip of my tongue. All the same, you are more than welcome to visit when you so please.” Lor’themar responded, half-bowing to show respect. She was still his superior, and was his superior once in life. He motioned with his head for Sylvanas to follow him into a more private room. Something she appreciated. “So what brings you to Silvermoon this day?”

“I was hoping I could hear your opinions on some of my more recent decisions as Warchief.” Sylvanas responded. So much for avoiding current events.

“Do you mean-”

“Baine. I want to know how you think I handled it.” Lor’themar’s soft smile slowly began to fade as Sylvanas stared down at him.

“How would you like me to answer that.” Lor’themar’s voice was low, Sylvanas’ eyes continued to stare the Regent Lord’s presence down. Even though he was taller, her presence was larger, and far more imposing.

“Honestly.” Sylvanas replied, awaiting his response. “And don’t lie, you’re a terrible liar.” Lor’themar steadied himself, picked his head up, and nodded.

“I thought it would be better if the other leaders of the Horde had a say. Where we decided if punishment should be dealt, if any.”

“And how did that go over when Garrosh betrayed the Horde?” Sylvanas replied, her eyes squinting. Lor’themar returned the stare, starting to feel a heartbeat in his chest. For a moment he thought he could hear two, but the only other person in the room was Sylvanas. And her heart stopped long, long ago.

“If I have permission to speak freely, there are some who believe that you are betraying the Horde as well, Sylvanas.” Lor’themar remained as calm as a breeze in spring. Sylvanas’ anger only grew, however.

“Oh? So I’m betraying the fundamentals of unity? Our fundamentals of banding together in a world against us? The fundamentals of fighting for a homeland? The fundamentals of-”

“Of honor, Sylvanas.” Lor’themar responded. It was Sylvanas’ turn to go silent, slowly straightening her back. Lor’themar’s one green eye stared her down, as if trying to read what she was going to say before she said it.

“When Kael’thas Sunstrider was stormed, did we give him a fair trial, or did we execute him for his crimes?” Sylvanas pressed, but Lor’themar was silent. “When Grand Apothecary Putress spread his blight upon the Alliance and Horde, did we take him in for questioning, or did we cut off his head?” Again, Lor’themar was silent, but Sylvanas was furious.

“An ally to our people betrayed us in a time of war. We had one thing on our side that held us up. One thing that was used to hold up the enemy. One thing that gave us the advantage. Then he betrayed us. He took that advantage away. Tell me, Lor’themar, who do I speak of?” Sylvanas pressed him, even dared to place a finger on him and shove him. But he stood firm.

“The obvious answer is Baine, but I feel as though this is not who you’re discussing.” Lor’themar responded, his voice still quiet and settled.

“Dar’Khan Drathir.” Sylvanas spat the name out. Hearing it sent a shiver down the Regent Lord’s spine. His breathing stopped for a moment as he composed himself.

“Him and Baine are nothing-”

“Aren’t they?!” Sylvanas shouted, her voice almost echoing in the room. “They betrayed their people, took the only thing their faction had to save them, and cared not for the consequences! And you dare tell me they had nothing in common?!”

“Baine did what he did for honor, Dar’Khan did it as a lust for power!” Lor’themar responded, losing his composure and shooting his arm out to the side. “Baine wants what he thinks is best for the entirety of the Horde! Dar’khan wanted only what would make him stronger!”

“The Horde is mine to lead! It is mine to decide how it will be made stronger!”

“Then how are you any better than Garrosh?!”

“Because everything I do will make all of the Horde stronger, not just one group! Because I won’t allow my name to be written in slander! Because I was chosen to be the Warchief that the Horde needed!” Sylvanas continued to shout, her wails getting louder and louder with each yell. The two were left assessing each other, as if waiting for one to strike the other. But when no attempt came, the two rangers of Silvermoon began to settle. Sylvanas turned away preparing herself to lead. Clearly, this was an unsuccessful attempt to convert Lor’themar to her point of view. Lor’themar turned his gaze away, concentrating on his thoughts more than anything else.

“... Will you have me arrested for traitorous speech, Sylvanas?” The Regent Lord asked, already prepared to have to stand against his former Ranger-General. Sylvanas glanced behind her before shaking her head.

“No. So long as you don’t act on those words. We all have visions of how the Horde should be run. My only request is that one speaks to me before acting on their thoughts, Lor’themar. And to understand that, at the end of the day, my word is law.” Sylvanas started the first few steps to leave, stopping at the door frame. “And Lor’themar?” Lor’themar turned his gaze to look at Sylvanas. Part of him was almost expecting a thanks, or even an apology.

“Try not to die. You’re a valuable asset, and I’d do anything to keep you as part of the Horde.”

[lesbiskammerat]

wrathgate cinematic but it’s ideology

arthas and the scourge: fascists

fordragon and the alliance: marxists

saurfang and the horde: anarchists

grand apothecary putress: primitivist

dragons: idfk. the spectre of communism

[undercitytwerkteam]

i just straight up don’t have time for people who don’t acknowledge grand apothecary putress’ incredibly sexy voice

[official-alan-dabiri]

Me, at the new hero development meeting: So, as you can see on this slide, when it comes to World of Warcraft player race representation we've got 4.75 orcs, 4 Humans, 3 Night Elves, 2 Dwarves, 2 Pandaren, and one each of Tauren, Blood Elf, Worgen, and Goblin.

Some guy: So what about Maiev? I know a lot of people want her in the game.

Me, skipping over slides for Prophet Velen, Gelbin Mekkatorque, Grand Apothecary Putress, and Vol'jin to get to "end of slide show" black screen: Yeah, that's exactly the representation we need to appease the player base.

[theemeraldcourt]

The two elves entered the Apothecarium, lazily grinning eartip to eartip. Everything they carried was covered in greenish-blue and golden spores. They both carried bags full of mushrooms from Zangarmarsh, if what Feloth was eating was any indication. They strolled into R.A.S. headquarters, and one of the undead staff members nearby ran at the sight of them.

Before too long, Putress arrived and took a good look at the dopey duo. "Incompetent, useless," he muttered in Gutterspeak, knowing full well that if they were in their right minds they'd understand him, but it was quite apparent that they weren't.

Bella, with a dazed and excited grin, handed over the bag she was carrying. Feloth shoved the rest of his snack in his mouth in an attempt to hide it. Upon seeing this, Putress let out an exasperated sigh and peered inside the sack he was given. He threw the bag onto the ground. "These aren't even the right fungi..." The elves just looked at each one another with a cheeky grin. "Amarette!" Putress hailed down an assistant. "Get these two cleaned up, then send them to my office."

The Forsaken woman saluted Putress and grabbed each of them by the wrist, gently tugging them along. Amarette carefully led them into the chemical showers and closed the gate. They stared at her with sad expressions as she gave them a little smile and a wave before she turned them on, drenching the pair. The faint spore cloud around them dissipated, and the spores were washed from their armour. After a little while, Amarette turned it off and let them out.

Feloth still looked quite high as he stared blankly at Bella. The shorter woman seemed better off, however, and she looked to the undead for answers. "What happened?"

Amarette pointed over behind them, and they followed her gaze. "He said to meet up with him. The Grand Apothecary, anyway." Her voice was rough and hoarse, but Bella could easily imagine what it would have sounded like in her prime.

The knight looked back to her and gave her a nod, looking up to her lanky companion, who definitely wasn't paying attention. With a smirk, she started to walk away and put up a hand. "See ya, kid," Bella said in a terrible Feloth impression.

Feloth blankly watched her for a dozen paces, then blinked. He, just then, realised she was leaving him, and he hastily strode over to her. "H-hey, wait for me!"

Bella, who didn't speak a lick of the Darnassian that came out of his mouth, turned on her heel to find him literally an inch from her nose. She half expected this, having heard his half-hazard footsteps. She put her hands on her hips and looked up. "The fuck did you just call me?" Her face wasn't serious- a large grin and a raised eyebrow said otherwise.

Feloth stood there with a blush heating up his entire face. He didn't move, stammering and jabbering like an idiot before his partner took hold of his arm and started pulling him along. "C'mon, lazy bones! Let's go see what Putress wants," Bella said as they brought themselves to his office.

After two heavy-handed knocks with no immediate answer the knight threw open the door to see Putress sitting at his desk with a Forsaken in a dressy lavender vest. They both turned to the elves and stared for a moment, but they didn't seem to phase her. "What'cha got for us, doc?"

The Grand Apothecary didn't seem as annoyed, but there was still a hint of irritation in his voice. "You'll be on standby for a day. After your most recent failure-"

"Failure?!" Bella cut him off. "What do you mean, 'failure'?! We got you a half-stone of mushrooms!"

Putress motioned for Feloth to give him the bag, and the elf handed it over with no issue. He stuck his hand inside and grabbed a good, plump specimen. Then, he grabbed a small book from a drawer in his desk. He set the fungi down and opened the book to a well-illustrated rendition of what they were supposed to have gotten. The round, yellow lumps in the ones they'd retrieved didn't have the black flecks as shown in the drawing, and the gills were a paler red than they should have been.

"Ooooh... alright. Sorry about that," Bella said after inspecting the two for a good while. "We'll head out and try again tomorrow for you." Her genuine smile lit up her face and her round cheeks were nice and rosy.

"Very well. I look forward to seeing your results." Putress put the book back and tossed the mushroom into the rubbish bin. He kept an eye on Feloth, who had followed the trajectory of the fungus very closely. "Don't even think about it, Cloudstrider."

The undead that was present had been listening quietly up until this point, where he took his dark handkerchief from his pocket and coughed into it, trying to be as polite as one can be when metaphorically coughing up a lung. Putress looked at him, then back to Bella. "The Dark Lady has asked of me to extend to you an option, Miss Rosalie," Putress said, and the other undead folded his kerchief back into his vest's breast pocket.

"And what's that?" Bella's ears perked. She seemed excited that Sylvanas was taking note of her.

"So long as you stay loyal: If you should fall, we would send out a retrieval team and bring you back here to remake you as Forsaken."

Bella's eyes widened and they twinkled as her closed smile turned to an open mouthed grin. She balled her hands into fists and bounced up and down, turning to Feloth who looked like he was coming off of his high. "Did you hear that?" His face clearly showed that he didn't, but she turned back to Putress anyway. The well-dressed Forsaken was smiling, too.

"...I take that as a yes?"

The short elf nodded frantically. "Yes! Yes! Of course, yes!" She paused for but a moment, thinking. "Does that mean I get to be a Plaguebringer?!" Bella was practically screaming at this point.

Putress pulled out some important-looking papers while Feloth gave a worried and sceptical look down at his partner. "You're joking, right? You can't be seriously going through with this," he said. He'd been offered the same thing a few years back and declined, though there was more than just becoming undead that made him make his mind up.

Bella pretended to ignore him and she sat down on one of the chairs at Putress' desk. The man at the side of the table finally spoke up, his monotone and bland vocal texture allowing Bella to tune it out as she looked over the papers.

"You are to serve the Forsaken faction so long as you live, and continuing into undeath. The Forsaken faction is defined as any one of authority higher than your current standing who claims themselves Undercity residency or Lordaeric citizenship and refers to themselves as either Undead or Forsaken. Life is defined by the following qualities: a need for food and rest, consciousness, a pulse, a functioning motor system, a body partially made up of organic materials, and free agency. A retrieval team will be sent immediately for you once we hear of your passing."

The knight had long finished signing the papers, not having read over anything in her haste. Feloth looked disappointed, but he didn't try to convince her otherwise, respecting her wishes.

Putress looked the papers over and clipped them together once he was satisfied, handing them over to the other Forsaken. "Good. Miss Rosalie, this is Excedris Bartlett. He's been assigned by the Banshee Queen to be your lawyer until your retrieval."

Excedris bowed his head slightly and held out his hand, which Bella joyously shook. "A pleasure to work with you, Miss Rosalie. I'll be contacting you within the week to start the work on your will," he said.

"You can call me Bella, Mister Bartlett. No need to be so formal!"

"Now," Putress grabbed her attention. "I believe you two need to get ready for the expedition tomorrow." He made sure to turn his head to her partner. "Be sure to use those sharp eyes of yours, this time."

"Yes. Understood," the ranger responded dutifully. He watched as Bella rose from her seat and gave a goodbye wave to the two, which gave raised hands in return. As they left the office, he took a good look at the knight. The biggest smile he'd ever seen was plastered on her face, and though he had believed she had sold her soul, he couldn't help but smile, too.