Chương 25: Chapter 24

"Tyrande. I hope you have a good reason for calling me. I was in the process of tracking down several dark artifacts from the war." Maiev Shadowsong stated with a tone filled with acid. As usual, she was clad in armor that covered her from head to toe, not a single bit of skin showing through.

"I would certainly say that my matter is more important, and definitely more urgent." Tyrande replied, not rising to Maiev's bait. The two women generally disliked each other for several historic reasons.

"Are you aware that the Quel'dorei have formed an outpost in Azshara, with our permission?" Tyrande knew that news sometimes traveled slowly among the Kaldorei, and she had no idea how long Maiev had been out of touch.

"Somewhat. Generally, a bad idea, though I applaud their attempts to make something of themselves, which is more than I can say of our people." Maiev couldn't resist sniping. She'd always been a strong supporter of restoring their race to greatness. Ironically, in that the two women were aligned. That and very few other things.

"Well, then, could you speculate on why many of your watchers, along with an Ancient of War and one of Cenarius' offspring decided to attack the outpost?" Tyrande decided to just get Maiev's honest reaction, just to make sure she wasn't behind it.

"WHAT?!" Maiev didn't disappoint, her voice filled with outrage and incredulity.

"Tell me you are joking."

"No, I am unfortunately not. Shandris got a word of a potential attack on the outpost from one of the watchers not involved in the attack, though we've since lost contact with that person. Keeper Witherleaf did what they do best and sent the forces of Nature to attack the outpost, while the watchers and the Ancient provided support." Tyrande explained. Maiev was quiet for a moment while her mind worked to map all the possibilities.

"Two distinct directions this could go. Either the watchers detected some kind of activity they decided was worth the attack, or the possibility I'm loathe to even consider. Even the watchers are not incorruptible, and we handle a lot of dark materials. That said, for several of my watchers to go rogue like that requires orders. From someone they'd obey. That's not a long list. Assuming they didn't just start a cult without anyone noticing."

"That's a dangerous assumption to make." Tyrande pointed out, constantly keeping her tone carefully neutral.

"Among most people, yes. But among the watchers? More likely that someone they'd obey gave the order. That means druids on the Cenarion Circle, Cenarius, you, me, maybe one or two keepers, and Witherleaf is not on the list." Maiev refuted.

"Was. He isn't anymore." Tyrande corrected.

"Hold on. You didn't say how the attack went. Are you saying the Quel'dorei won?" Maiev was quite shocked at the news. Her watchers were well trained, and especially potent against users of the Arcane, which the Highborne favored. And keepers were not easy to kill. Even she would have to give serious effort to make that happen.

"They got destroyed. The Quel'dorei deployed thousands of defenders via teleportation within minutes, and the Autarch personally slew Witherleaf. It wasn't even close after the shock of surprise wore off. And now they're pissed off and looking for culprits. Which we're going to have to provide." Tyrande explained.

"Ah. That's why I'm here. You need my help to find the source of the orders, since you obviously came to the same conclusion. Or you assumed I might have been involved? Not entirely unreasonable." Maiev speculated, showing why she was in charge of the watchers.

"Considering it was your people who committed the attack, it would naturally be your responsibility to find the culprit, yes." Tyrande reframed it as responsibility instead of asking for help. It wasn't an unreasonable reframing either.

"That your skills also happen to work perfectly with this is quite fortunate, is it not?"

"I'll get on it. We only have some druids and a couple of keepers to consider. Which of the druids are awake?" Maiev asked.

"You're going to have to ask Fandral Staghelm." Tyrande pushed the responsibility on Maiev.

"That will not be necessary." A deep but warm voice suddenly interrupted the two.

"My love!" Tyrande exclaimed, recognizing Malfurion right away as the Arch Druid entered the temple they were within.

"Shan'do Stormrage." Maiev nodded deferentially. She respected the man, unlike Tyrande.

"Tyrande, my love. I have some grave news. Before I went asleep last, Fandral and some other druids planted some saplings from Nordrassil to stem the bleeding effect from one of the Old Gods. What you might not be aware of was that the corruption seeped into the trees, and recently Ysera has discovered that through the trees, the taint has seeped into the Emerald Dream as well.

This wouldn't have come to our attention for a long time, if not for the presence of a new source of light in the Dream, revealing some of the shadows, which has prompted them into acting." Malfurion, as was often his style, gave a very condensed explanation of important concepts in a single breath. Clear explanations, bless his soul, had never been his forte.

"And the practical implications are what?" Maiev asked sharply.

"Some working within the Dream have been compromised. I'm afraid the forces of the Void are on the move. This is just their latest scheme." Malfurion tried clarifying, with limited success.

"I believe I can pinpoint the source of the order you mentioned. Varethos, one of Cenarius' offspring, is among those compromised, and you both well know he is powerful enough to command the watchers. Especially if he had a plausible reason, and I suspect it doesn't take much to convince watchers of the evil intentions of the former Highborne."

"I suspect you are correct." Maiev admitted.

"We need to apprehend him then."

"That's going to be a problem. I already tried to locate him before coming here, and he has disappeared." Malfurion admitted.

"As one of the keepers, he can use the Emerald Dream to traverse the world. He could be anywhere."

"Well, at least I have something to give to the Quel'dorei, even if they're not going to be happy about it." Tyrande exhaled heavily. It was better than nothing.

"I will need to have a word with the Gold Dragon myself." Malfurion suddenly stated.

"There are issues we need to discuss."

"The Gold Dragon?" Maiev asked the obvious question.

"Yes. Ysera informed us that the person Tyrande is going to meet has recently become the first of a new Dragonflight. It would seem the Aspects have provisionally recognized her as a potential new Aspect in the making." Malfurion explained as if this was all obvious, somewhat ignorant of their incredulous reaction.

"Wait. The Quel'dorei now have their own Dragonflight?" Tyrande's voice finally cracked and became just a tad shrill.

"This is not going to go well, is it?" Maiev asked.

"I better join you two as well to take her measure. She might take the news better if it comes from all three of us."

"So, what you're telling me, is that you can now resurrect the dead." Anasterian commented through the communications orb, which projected an image of Selessa in front of him, Ron'vith, and Sapphiron, who was still the Grand Magister for now. Something Anasterian was planning to change eventually. The Quel'dorei deserved an elven Grand Magister.

"Essentially, yes." Her magical image projected in faded colors nodded.

"Anyone?" Ron'vith asked right away.

"No. By the Sunwell, no. Only recently dead, at least for now." Selessa responded.

"How recent?" Anasterian asked a clarifying question, playing with a wine goblet that was half full, trying to avoid spilling. These last couple weeks were enough to drive anyone to drinking. Yet he had to retain his faculties despite the oh so sweet allure of just drinking his worries away just for one night.

"I don't have an exact idea, but around a day or so." Selessa explained, her head making one of those motions she tended to make while thinking about something carefully. Not thinking about what to say, but collating all the information she had.

"Resurrecting someone is not exactly a simple and straightforward process. There are some preconditions that must be met and factors that influence the chance of success."

"I would imagine so." Sapphiron, whose real name Anasterian had finally learned, said with slight tinge of amusement.

"One of the most important ones is that the soul of the deceased must be available. Usually, the soul takes about a day to pass on, although there are individual differences, and I'm afraid there are magics that can effect the soul as well." Selessa revealed a concerning detail. Anasterian looks sharply at Sapphiron, who he recognized as the authority on obscure magic. The Blue Dragon sighed.

"This doesn't leave this room. There are some practices that the users of Fel can employ to trap souls. In fact, it is one of the first skills they learn as they often use souls as fuel for their spells. There are also ways that a soul can be…damaged. Even with other magic. Mainly with Death magic and Shadow magic in addition to Fel. There's a reason those three tend to get grouped together."

"I suppose it stands to reason on some cosmic balance scale that if a user of the Light can bring a dead person back, then other powers would have ways of preventing it." Anasterian muttered. He didn't approve of course.

"I'm also interested in what you said about souls passing on." Ron'vith commented.

"What did you mean?"

"I'm not really equipped to go into a metaphysical debate on what happens to the souls of the dead at current time." Selessa commented sharply. Anasterian only barely managed to suppress a small smile of amusement. If anyone was equipped for such a debate, it would be Selessa considering she'd experienced it.

"Any other conditions?" Sapphiron got the discussion back on track.

"Well, there's usually a reason why the person died in the first place. A reason that needs fixing. Light-based healing spells and corpses don't mix well, so the resurrection spell also needs to fix the cause of death. Some things are harder to fix than others. I can fix almost anything that can be fixed, so no healing old age, but someone with a lesser connection with the Light that tried to cast the spell might have issues with healing lesser injuries.

The spell is also horrendously taxing on mana, as well as both your mental and physical stamina. A regular High Priestess might be able to cast the spell once a day, maybe a few with practice. Of the paladins, I think only a handful could cast the spell at all, and they would certainly not be in any condition to fight afterwards." That could be somewhat remedied with training, and she'd seen perks that could ease the burden.

She hadn't taken them yet, but she had noted their existence, if for no other reason than to gain the information so she could teach it to others.

"According to Nallorath, you cast the spell a dozen times." Anasterian pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I did say the average High Priestess." The implication was obvious. She wasn't average. She moved towards something and turned the orb towards a room were two bodies of Sin'dorei still lay dead.

"Even I couldn't save everyone, and not for lack of trying. I cast the spell on these two as well, but it didn't work. And before you ask, I don't know why."

"Surely you can speculate." Ron'vith suggested.

"Well, the spell can't force anyone to come back, for one, but I don't think that was the issue. The Sin'dorei tend to be a bit on the loyal and eager to continue service side of things." Selessa suggested.

"A bit of an understatement that." Ron'vith muttered quietly enough that the communications orb didn't pick it up.

"I fixed the damage, and the spell was cast successfully, but they just didn't come back. I'm assuming there's a failure rate of some sort, or I'm missing some crucial detail. The latter is quite likely considering this is all new to me." She admitted openly.

"How's the situation more generally?" Anasterian questioned.

"Tense. I gave the Kaldorei an ultimatum, but also time to get their investigation in order. Waging war on them would not be advantageous for us as things are, not for this. But we can't let this slide either. There has to be a price to pay for an unprovoked attack on our embassy. I intend to exact that price. We're also moving our embassy to somewhere more defensible" She answered rather simply.

Malfurion did not have a very good view of the Highborne. He could freely admit this to himself and others. Part of it was his brother Illidan's addiction to the Arcane, and the way his brother had betrayed them all to create another Well of Eternity. He associated all users of the Arcane with his brother, and those like Queen Azshara, who had summoned the Burning Legion to their world. The association was perhaps an unfair one.

Not every user of the Arcane was like his brother, and it was true that Arcane was originally one of the pillars that helped build the Kaldorei Empire. The current Quel'dorei were also the descendants of those Highborne who had fought against the Queen and the Legion. They had also created a magical storm in Ashenvale, but as a protest against the wholesale ban on the use of Arcane, which until then had been their lifeblood.

Malfurion understood, even if he had been one of those most vociferously championing their exile. Seeing those same Highborne now wield a different kind of power was both concerning and elicited hope. Hope that they were not completely blind to their mistakes. It was also odd to see the changes in a people that used to be as resistant to change as his own. The outpost the Kaldorei had built in Azshara was in the process of being moved and enlarged rapidly.

Thousands of workers and mages, or as the Quel'dorei called them magisters, were erecting a proper fortified position on the southern side of the bay that took the center of the region. They'd likely chosen the southern side because the only active Kaldorei port village in the area, Nendis was on the northern side. Malfurion wasn't entirely sure what they were doing and why though.

"What exactly are they doing?" He decided to ask.

"Building fortifications." Maiev stated the obvious, also observing the work. Their arrival had already been noted by the Quel'dorei rangers, but nothing had been done about them yet. Apparently the Quel'dorei were content to wait them out considering they had not tried to hide their arrival.

"I can see that, but why are they doing it that way?" Malfurion asked with some amusement.

"You'd think walls made of solid stone would be more effective, but to me it looks like they're pouring in sand and gravel inside the wall."

"I'm not an expert in fortification." Maiev scoffed.

"The forest has always protected our people enough." Tyrande also shook her head.

"I can't claim to know the answer either. They have a good idea with the harbor though." She pointed at the elevator going down the side of the steep cliff to a dock floating in the water, attached to the cliff in some way that was not visible from their vantage point. They could see a large ocean vessel anchored at the dock.

"It neatly allows them to bypass the ruins of Eldarath."

"Shall we then?" Malfurion asked, not waiting for answer as he urged the deer he was riding forward, while most of their entourage rode on Nightsabers. The carnivorous felines knew better than to eye his mount as dinner. Their approach was noted, and word was sent somewhere by the sentries.

By the time they reached the wall, a welcoming committee was waiting for them at the gate, led by a younger elf in magister robes and a clear warrior male, both of whom epitomized the Quel'dorei stereotype of golden hair and slim features, although the warrior was significantly bulkier. Malfurion estimated that the warrior could put up a serious fight, even against Maiev or Tyrande. He'd more than likely lose, but it wouldn't be an easy fight.

"Greetings Highborne." Malfurion spoke in fluent Thalassian.

"I am Arch Druid Malfurion Stormrage. These are High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind and Warden Maiev Shadowsong. We are here to meet with the emissary, and carry news of the attack perpetrated on your previous embassy."

"Greetings to you esteemed guests." The younger of the two men spoke.

"I am Prince Nallorath, and I'm working as the acting emissary in my cousin's absence. She has been called away by some developments in the homeland. I sent word of your arrival when you were first spotted, but she has not returned yet. If you would like, I am authorized to deal with the matter until she returns, or I could offer you some refreshments while you wait." The prince explained.

His outward behavior was polite, and it was clear he didn't have the smug disdain the Quel'dorei often fell to in Malfurion's memories, but he also couldn't entirely hide his displeasure either. In fact, everywhere he looked, Malfurion spotted expressions not of disdain, but barely concealed anger, likely the result of the attack. That wasn't too shocking. Malfurion would admit that his people wouldn't take being attacked for no reason very lightly either.

He was more surprised by the lack of the better-than-you attitude that the Highborne used to exude in the past. It wasn't entirely gone, in that these Quel'dorei seemed to be confident in themselves, but they weren't looking at him or the other Kaldorei as lesser.

"I believe we can combine the two. Some refreshment would be fine, and we can discuss matters while we wait." Malfurion allowed. The warrior stepped forward next, clearly having expected the answer.

"In that case, and in the light of the recent events, I'm going to have to ask your entourage to wait outside. You can retain your arms, and your safety will be guaranteed by the Sin'dorei." He said with a no-nonsense voice. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. He glanced at Tyrande and Maiev, who both nodded. The three of them could fight their way out if things got difficult. Something the warrior had said caught Malfurion's attention though.

"Sin'dorei? Blood Elf?" The warrior simply nodded.

"Yes. In a manner similar to how the old magisters of the old Kaldorei Empire of the past took the moniker Quel'dorei as a name of rank and purpose, our new warriors have taken the name Sin'dorei as a sign of our dedication. Everyone carrying the name and one of these…" He pointed at the sigil of a drop of blood on the gorget around his neck.

"… has gone through specialized training to earn their title. We've dedicated ourselves to the protection of our people and the Autarch." Malfurion noted the phrasing, meaning their loyalty was to the Autarch first before the king. He also noted the symbology and naming, which was obviously designed to inspire dedication, camaraderie, and loyalty in a shared cause and struggle. The one who came up with the idea was clearly good.

Malfurion wasn't always great at these kinds of games, but he wasn't entirely blind either. The idea of dedicating a portion of the population to sacrificing themselves to protect the rest was a powerful one. As they stepped inside the walls, Malfurion realized what Tyrande had been talking about in her briefing. He'd clearly crossed some border that had previously hidden the magical activities inside the settlement.

Now he could feel the abundant magic being wielded by magisters and what he assumed to be users of this Light, as the two felt quite different even to his senses. He could tell that the number of Light users in the settlement was higher than magisters, but that there was less demand for their services currently. The insides of the settlement had been built in the typical Quel'dorei architecture with round greyish-white stone buildings with plenty of red and gold accents.

Nature was plentiful in the settlement, though he had noted that trees had been cleared both from outside the settlement and inside, which wasn't a huge shock considering the method used to attack them previously. There were several buildings already constructed, although most were still in the process of being built. In fact, most had nothing beyond foundations, as the workers seemed to be focusing on erecting the walls.

One particular building was isolated in a way similar that the whole outpost was, and he couldn't feel anything inside.

"I hope whatever is taking the emissary away isn't anything serious?" Tyrande made some conversation with the prince.

"Serious, perhaps, but not anything that can't be dealt with. She has a lot on her plate." The prince didn't go into further detail.

"Nothing to do with our current issue, I assume?" Maiev also asked, even if she'd been quiet so far.

"Tangentially, perhaps. The attack on our embassy isn't the only time we've been forced to deal with aggression, and there seems to be a common thread of hidden involvement, which we have some assumptions about, but we'll keep those assumptions to ourselves for now to avoid tainting your own impressions." The prince said, and his words made a lot of sense to Malfurion. They walked to one of the finished buildings, although finished was perhaps a bit generous.

The walls and roof were in place, but there were no decorations or much in the way of furniture in place. They were all seated around a simple large round table with Nallorath calling for refreshments.

"Now, could I ask you to enlighten me on what you've found out?" Malfurion glances at the other two before speaking.

"We found the one who gave the order. A keeper by the name of Varethos seems to have been tainted by the Void while in the Emerald Dream. We are not clear on his motivations, and unfortunately he has also escaped, but we are certain of his guilt." Nallorath sipped on a cup of tea they'd been brought as a way to buy time to consider his words.

"I see. I assume the Dream being a conduit for the Void is a rare phenomenon, or should we expect more betrayal?"

"It is a very new development." Malfurion admitted.

"Had Varethos not acted, we wouldn't even have noticed anything wrong, so in a certain sense something good came of it. We are trying to determine the extent of the corruption, but we do know where it came from. Ysera is taking action personally, and even Cenarius is working on containment. We'll have further details later on."

"The Autarch will not be pleased to hear the culprit being on the loose and disappeared." The prince stated.

"I'm not saying this to offend, but it is also awfully convenient that the culprit is in the wind."

"I agree." Maiev suddenly interjected.

"And I personally don't believe for a second he is the only one. The corruption of the Void and Fel run deep, and beings like the Satyrs are the perfect example of the insidious nature of such corruption. However, beyond those in this room, only a handful of beings can order keepers to do anything, and I don't think anyone suspects Cenarius. There may be other corrupted individuals, but I do not believe there is someone among the Kaldorei that can command Varethos.

If he is taking orders from someone, it's not from us. I will also be conducting a thorough cleansing among the watchers to make sure anything like this won't be repeated."

"My Sentinels are attempting to track Varethos, but it is likely he has moved through the Dream to escape pursuit." Tyrande added.

"Can he be tracked through the Dream?" Nallorath questioned.

"Maybe." Malfurion said carefully.

"It won't be easy or fast, but it is not entirely impossible. His passing should've left signs, but finding those signs is challenging to say the least. The keepers are among the most adept at moving through the Dream, and if they don't want to be found, there's very little we can do."

"What are…" Nallorath was about to speak when they all suddenly felt a change in the air. Malfurion noticed that even the servants suddenly stood straighter, even though they should've not been sensitive enough to notice the sudden presence in the outpost. Tyrande was already used to it, and had a slight knowing smile on her face, as both Maiev and Malfurion turned their heads at the same time towards the door. They could feel the activity outside changing in nature.

Even before this, the Quel'dorei had been working hard and had given the impression of being dedicated, but they could feel all the way from inside the building that all that had just doubled. Not the activity itself, as it felt as if everyone had halted for a moment and they were more than likely bowing to the new arrival, but the emotions they all but radiated had amplified greatly.

The presence walked up to the building, and they could follow as it made its way to the doorway, where they could finally get a good look. The woman was wearing golden armor similar to some of the users of the Light outside. She was quite tall, voluptuous in build, and undeniably beautiful. Her helmet was tucked under her arm, leaving her face bare, and also showed off the golden horns on her head, another sign that she wasn't quite like other elves, just like Malfurion had gone beyond the standard druid.

Malfurion couldn't help the comparison to Queen Azshara. Even though he had not been part of the court, nor even a noble, he had at least seen the queen in the past, and the similarities were unavoidable. Not in appearance, although both were without a doubt the two most beautiful women he'd ever seen, and he knew Tyrande would not begrudge him for saying so. It was their presence, the aura they exuded.

Both had their presence effortlessly fill the room as they entered and had this feeling of being above mere mortals. Azshara had been worshipped by many of the Kaldorei, and it wasn't just because of her looks. She'd been brilliant in anything she tried, and had led the empire to its glory, until her folly with the demons. He could see how this woman might receive similar worship to the old queen. There were also differences. Azshara, for all her advantages, also had her faults.

She had been obsessed with driving the improvement of herself and her people. From what he'd heard, that was something this woman also shared. The difference was, Azshara had done it because of selfish reasons and because she was obsessed with purity. Even when she'd done something good, it had been done with a selfish motive, even if that motive was just the need for adoration. Azshara had also practically radiated smugness and self-aggrandizement with every breath she took, assuming you knew what to look for.

She had driven the Kaldorei to improve and to expand, because she thought their shine and improvement would make them better decorations in her crown of deeds and majesty. The woman in front of them was self-assured as well, but that was only to be expected with their level of power. Malfurion was rather modest by nature, which was why he didn't show the same quality more, and even he had to admit that he sometimes fell into thinking he was always right.

Where Azshara had the beauty of a flower within an open palm, seducing you to her thorns, the woman in front of them had the beauty of an unsheathed blade. She was a warrior through and through, and Malfurion could tell. The reason she wanted her people to improve was to keep them safe. And to genuinely see them become more than they had been. She was going to force them to become better, whether they wanted to or not. It explained why everyone working under her had such reverence.

"My apologies for being late." Came the musical voice that tugged at something inside Malfurion, almost causing him to lean forward before he caught himself. This woman was really dangerous!

"As you might have surmised, I am the ambassador, Princess Selessa."

"Good timing, cousin." Nallorath nodded.

"It is no issue." Tyrande spoke, getting somewhat caught in the new arrival's pace. She had felt this presence before, but she didn't notice it had grown stronger since, and she hadn't really felt it without it being tinged with hostility.

"We can repeat what has been reported." Nallorath quickly summarized the main points.

"I see. I can sympathize with the difficulty of tracking someone moving around with such an unconventional method, and I would not presume to lecture you about matters of the Emerald Dream. However, you'll also need to see things from our point of view. This attack was perpetrated by your people, whether controlled or directed by traitors or not. And you have not succeeded in delivering those responsible, even if you claim to have identified them.

Now, note that I'm not suspecting that information partly as a gesture of good will and to offer a concession of our own, but you have to realize that it doesn't exactly look great. There must be a price paid in the absence of justice delivered. We cannot allow our holdings, a diplomatic base no less, to be attacked without repercussions." Her tone was sympathetic and eminently reasonable, and even though he knew it to be an act, Malfurion found it hard to argue with the points raised.

"What did you have in mind exactly?" Maiev interjected, noticing her fellow Kaldorei getting more affected than she was.

"That's up for negotiation. I have some suggestions on what we could use as a starting point, if you don't have something to suggest right away?" The emissary sat down at the table, laying her helmet in front of her. Malfurion's eyes were drawn to a single rebellious lock of nearly white hair that fell to her face, before he managed to shake off the effect. He wasn't being influenced by magic. He would've sensed that. Yet, he hadn't found himself this unstable since the days he'd been courting Tyrande.

Could it really be just sheer charisma and looks? He didn't think himself such a superficial person. Tyrande was beautiful without a doubt, and she'd drawn the attention of those beyond just Malfurion and his brother Illidan, but it was equally her personality and strong spirit that had drawn him in. Hadn't Tyrande mentioned that she saw a lot of similarities between herself and this Selessa? This line of thinking seemed dangerous as well.

"Go ahead. Make your suggestions." Maiev spoke, startling Malfurion out of his thoughts.

"Well, the obvious one is concerning land. We're planning on building a colony in Kalimdor, and your people have expressed that it would be preferable if we did it here in Azshara, where we can be monitored more easily. Having our land claim recognized would be a decent compensation." She suggested.

"The whole of Azshara for having your embassy attacked by traitors seems excessive." Maiev argued right away, causing both Tyrande and Malfurion to nod in agreement.

"It need not be the whole of Azshara. We could settle for the southern side of the bay. We've recently been made aware of your port city of Nendis, and a few others on the northern coast, and we wouldn't want to cause problems with those. Another possibility. There's a great tree just south of our territory. We require an explanation. In addition, we wouldn't mind if you could erect another one at the place of our choosing.

We have limited ability when it comes to manipulating plants, and these kinds of natural nexuses of power work great as possible anchors for our weather control magic." She offered another possibility.

"The explanation you can get anyway, though we're loathe to create more of the trees. The one you speak of, and a few others, were created in order to deal with corruption. A particular metal, tainted by the Void, called Saronite was found in several locations all over the world. The mineral is tainted with the blood of a dark being, and whispers at those nearby, tempting them into madness.

The trees managed to eradicate the material, but as the trees are connected to the Emerald Dream, we believe this is how the corruption was able to seep into the Dream as well. As you can imagine, we're not thrilled about introducing new avenues of potential corruption." Malfurion offered the explanation freely. Perhaps more freely than he would've done with someone else. Selessa crossed her arms and tapped her arm with a finger in thought.

"I'm going to need more information. Be aware, I was made privy to many secrets concerning the Void by the dragon Aspects."

"That makes things simpler." Malfurion exhaled. They didn't want to spread the information too widely.

"One of the Old Gods is imprisoned and sealed in the cold north, but his sealing is incomplete. Some of his influence is seeping out slowly. We believe Saronite is the manifestation of that influence."

"And nothing has been done about this?" The Quel'dorei princess asked incredulously.

"Nothing can really be done. The Old God was imprisoned by the Titans, and no one has the expertise to fix their work, even assuming we wanted to go through the defenses created by the Titans, which seems counterproductive as those defenses are also keeping the Old God imprisoned. Additionally, we don't exactly know where that prison is. We know it's in the north, but getting closer seems hazardous. Any scouts we've sent either haven't gotten close, or haven't returned." Malfurion revealed.

"Hmm, something to tackle down the line. Back to the price, if you would." Selessa directed the topic back to the part Malfurion had been hoping to distract from.

"I believe we can recognize your claim to southern Azshara, assuming you don't do something silly with it. There have to be some constraints." Malfurion conceded.

"We're not interested in completely transforming the area. We need a spot for a colony, and this spot does the job. It might become something of a military base if necessary, but our interests do not currently lie in Kalimdor. We just need a proper base that we can use if and when it becomes necessary." Nallorath allayed some of their fears, though the talk of military base was slightly concerning.

"What sort of military base?" Maiev asked, noting the same thing.

"Probably mainly a naval one. We want to keep an eye on the continent, and any ships we send need a place to anchor, repair, and re-supply. We'll have some forces present in case of attacks or emergencies, but we'd likely have most of our forces deploy here in a manner similar to the earlier attack. At least the attack proved to be a decent test. We might have a bit more forces here than before, since the outpost will no longer be just an embassy, but not radically so." Selessa responded.

It was obvious no one would be happy to have a potentially hostile force just outside their borders.

"With that settled, I'd like to issue a challenge." Maiev suddenly shifted topics. Malfurion suspected he knew what she was doing.

"I want to challenge you to a sparring match." She pointed at Selessa. Malfurion had a hunch that Maiev had noticed the effect Selessa's presence had on him and Tyrande, and wanted to take some of the shine off. She didn't need to have worried too much. He might have been affected, but he was still perfectly capable of keeping a cool head in important things.

"Sure." Selessa replied cheerily, to his surprise.

"It would be interesting to test my abilities against a worthy opponent. We'll need to go outside the walls though." With the agreement in place, they all went to a clearing not far from the developing outpost. A handful of the paladins and the blond warrior from before came along as well to both take care of any potential injuries, and to make sure their Autarch remained safe.

"Until one side yields?" Selessa asked, pulling the helmet on her head.

"I was about to suggest first blood, but this does make it more interesting." Maiev nodded.

This was going to be fun. She could feel her opponent was similar to the other two Kaldorei leaders in that she too had somehow reinforced her existence. Thus, appearances could be deceiving, and this was going to be an interesting fight. Because of that, she'd brought along a weapon she was confident in, a Wraithbone spear that fit the description of Executioner Spear. She'd heard the Quel'dorei call it both a glaive and a sword-staff before. Her opponent was surprisingly heavily armored for a Kaldorei.

She wore actual metal armor, including a metal chest plate and greaves. She wouldn't have called it quite plate armor, but it was close enough to count. Her weird circular weapon was also something Selessa wasn't used to. It looked entirely impractical, but there had to be a reason for the choice. As she was taking this relatively seriously, she cast the normal buffs on herself. A blessing and Power Word: Fortitude. Her blessings had evolved from the humble origins as well.

Instead of just improving her strength, the modestly named Blessing of Kings improved her in every way. Faster, stronger, more agile, more perceptive, more mana, and many others. The downside was that as the effects were spread wider, they weren't quite as strong. She also flooded herself and her weapon with the Light to further improve herself. She suddenly felt her opponent try to steal the spells even before the fight started. Of course the mage hunter specialist would have skills similar to a Spellbreaker.

Luckily she had her own abilities in that field, and Light obeyed her more than most, refusing to be moved with such a half-assed attempt. They settled on the opposite sides of the clearing, with a good twenty meters between them, keeping their eyes on their opponent as Tyrande raised a hand in preparation for the starting signal. As soon as the signal was given, they both crossed the paltry distance in a blink of an eye.

Selessa's spear thrust forward, changing direction mid-thrust to catch the dodging Maiev, who had to hastily deflect the blow with her circular weapon. Maiev attempted to catch the spear with the blades at the sides of the circle, but Selessa had expected it and made a whipping motion to the side to avoid the trap and both strike back at the side of the weapon as a small test of strength, which Maiev managed to deal with, though not entirely without trouble.

The two exchanged several lightning-fast strikes, during which two things became quite clear. Maiev was faster of the two, though only slightly, while Selessa was stronger of the two, by a much bigger margin. Maiev was focused on speed and agility, whereas Selessa was empowered both by the Light and her draconic heritage, meaning she was much stronger than any Quel'dorei that had reached the peak of their race's physical ability.

The Kaldorei seemed slightly stronger physically, and Maiev was on top of her race, but not enough to rival Selessa. Another thing they discovered was that Maiev liked to fight with misdirection and traps, but Selessa was much too experienced and skilled to be caught in any. While Selessa was the type to control the flow of the fight, Maiev absolutely refused to allow that to happen, and had enough skill and speed to do so.

Their two styles clashed in a myriad of ways, and it was refreshing for Selessa to fight an opponent she couldn't just bulldoze with pure skill. Just like her, the Kaldorei was thousands of years old, and even if she hadn't spent all that time in an eternal war, she'd had her share of fights. That's when the two started to get creative.

Maiev suddenly threw several throwing daggers from under her heavy cloak, while Selessa utilized the new Bladestorm perk to unleash several simultaneous attacks to swipe away every projectile. Bladestorm allowed her to unleash several attacks at once, though each attack was weaker than normal. The ability was designed to be used against multiple opponents, which meant the number of attacks unleashed against a single target was smaller. Still enough to swipe away the throwing daggers.

Maiev suddenly vanished, using her Blink ability to appear behind Selessa, but almost got skewered for the effort, as this wasn't the first time Selessa had fought teleporting opponents. Maiev had to make a hasty second Blink to safety, which placed quite a bit of strain on her body.

"Your teleportation is too obvious." Selessa commented.

"I can feel your exit point before you appear." She was glad the helmet was hiding her grin.

"Noted. You aren't quite the first to be able to react to it, but you are the only one to be able to turn that reaction into an actual danger for me." Maiev allowed, herself enjoying the bout. The two dived back in, exchanging dozens of blows to test each other out again. They were both ramping up, moving faster and striking harder, as they grew more certain the other party could take it. They didn't want to accidentally kill each other after all.

Their fight sped up to a point where even Tyrande and Malfurion found it challenging to follow. Suddenly both of them leapt back, taking distance.

"It would seem we have to agree to a tie for now." Maiev commented.

"I suppose so. To really resolve this, we would need to risk killing each other." Selessa agreed. She was rather confident she could win, but she wasn't certain what the Kaldorei Warden had in her back pocket.

"Though I wait for the day we can truly test each other."

"Let us hope for both our sakes it will not be soon." Maiev allowed. The bout had been short, but intense enough for the two to get a good read on each other. And Maiev had to admit she didn't dislike the other woman.

"What bothers me is that the enemy would reveal their hand like this for such nebulous gains." Queen Elessine said, leaning against her steepled fingers with her forehead, half in thought.

"They had to have known that an attack like this wouldn't be able to spark a war between us and the Kaldorei. Thinking that it would is wishful thinking at best. They had perfect secrecy in the Emerald Dream until this happened. The benefit-to-cost ratio is all off."

"You're assuming rational thought." Anasterian pointed out.

"You should always assume your opponent isn't stupid. Assuming otherwise might come back to bite you, while assuming they are competent usually won't." Selessa added something her people had learned the hard way.

"Either they sacrificed a pawn they thought was worth sacrificing just to test things out, or they might have less control over such things as we assume." Thelion suggested.

"We're assuming a unified enemy. We might not be facing one. It might be a case of a single operative taking action with what he had on hand."

"Still doesn't make sense. Even that single operative should've realized the benefits would not outweigh the cost. Unless they horribly underestimated our defenses and thought it would actually work?" Elessine speculated. They had gathered the most important individual to speculate on the enemy they were facing.

"I think Thelion is on to something. They wanted to test us. They got an answer from our reaction. How that answer might affect them going forward, I cannot say, but let's wargame it a little bit." Anasterian agreed with Thelion.

"Selessa. What would you do if you were a nebulous force in the shadows seeking our downfall?" Selessa didn't even need to hesitate. She'd thought this one through several times before.

"I would discredit us among the other races and incite wars with several opponents at the same time. I would subvert or assert control within Quel'thalas, mostly focusing among the nobles and maybe the Convocation. I would try to provoke division between the nobility and the normal people, maybe even instill rebellion. I would also attempt to set up a rivalry between myself, the nobles, and potentially Anasterian. Maybe foment a rivalry between Quel'thalas and Alah'thalas plus the colonies and outposts.

Something on the lines of the old families hoarding all the wealth of the new areas. Then I'd attack both Silvermoon and Isle of Quel'Danas from the sea. Foul the Sunwell if possible, but if not, at least sow as much chaos and damage as you can in Silvermoon."

"That's…worryingly detailed." Anasterian muttered. Elessine just grinned at Selessa.

"That's a good plan. I had a similar outline myself." Selessa nodded.

"Our vulnerabilities are obvious. Militarily we are stronger than our neighbors, something that will only grow more apparent with time. However, fomenting several wars and attacks on our colonies and outposts would stretch our forces thin. While our tactics work well for war of attrition, they're less usable when we're stuck on defense. We can't focus on skirmishing when we have several important locations we need to hold and defend. Additionally, Silvermoon is our most obvious military weakness.

The Amani were held back by Ban'dinoriel, but a naval attack would bypass that entirely. Additionally, rebellion and fostering division among classes are just basics of subversive tactics. Add strategic assassinations to the mix, and you have the basic playbook of a spy organization."

"Again, it's worrying that all that is just the basic playbook for you." Anasterian repeated.

"And to your wife." Selessa teased back, causing Elessine to laugh.

"We need to take measures." Thelion stated the obvious.

"Agreed. If we're assuming we're fighting the Void, then one of their main strengths is corruption and mental manipulation. We should institute regular checks for magical interference for any important personnel. That includes us by the way. The Spellbreakers can handle that with a bit of experimenting. Sister Seraphina's people have been trained in detecting Void energies.

Regular monitoring of the nobility for subversive actions and sudden changes in behavior, as well as some monitoring of the common people for potential rebellious spirit." Selessa looked towards Elessine.

"I believe you're better equipped to deal with the nobles, while the clergy can keep an eye on the commoners. Any proper rebellion of the commons would by necessity try to gain the church's support anyway."

"We'll need a bit of training on spotting the influence of the Void, but we can do the monitoring. We're used to being the secret police anyway." Thelion nodded.

"That leaves the military threat." Anasterian joined in.

"Admiral Goldleaf has been quite satisfied with the performance of his new vessel, so it shouldn't be an issue to start producing more and improving our maritime presence around Silvermoon. We can also construct defensive towers along the harbor. For the foreign threats, that's more Selessa's territory."

"Well, we can't really do much more than continue becoming stronger. Eventually we'll reach a point where we won't lose even against a combined attack, though making some potential allies might be a good idea. The Kaldorei seem somewhat receptive after the debacle with our embassy, although I don't think we'll be very strong allies anytime soon considering our past. The Mon'keigh… should be kept relatively sedate.

If they think we're strong and they get benefits from trade, they might not be as receptive to any approaches that would see them attack us. Either way, their military capabilities won't keep up with us at the current pace of things. The real issue is the troll empires uniting against us, but that seems unlikely, and they would have the problem of actually getting here. Distance is our best safety net against them. Even if they could transport a large enough force, they wouldn't be able to keep them supplied.

And a good navy, which we already mentioned, is a good way to stop them. They may have the motivation, but if we sink their ships, their motivation will sink as well."

"If only we had a flight of dragons to deal with any naval issues…" Elessine said wistfully, and clearly quite suggestively.

"We have, a dragon. I'll let you know if I figure out a way to turn you into one as well." Selessa retorted sarcastically. She was not planning on kids, and she certainly wasn't planning on eggs either.

STATUS: Level: 13 3000/13000 EXP 12 Base Points/2 Advanced Points/1 Mastery Points Mandatory Perks: Beauty Over Brawn Body: 11/15 (5 Unspent Perk Points) Athletics 10 Iron Lungs Strength of a Dragon Body of Eternal Dawn Unbreaking Stride Eternal Sunstrider Heavy Weapons 10 Cleaving Strikes Blade of the Rising Sun Unyielding Vigil Fury of the Chosen Bladestorm Durability 10 Immovable object Dragon's Fortitude Unageing Regeneration Healing Factor Reflexes: 10/15 (4 Unspent Perk Point) Light Weapons 10 (4 Unspent Perk Points) Swift Strikes Nervous System 10 Keen Eyes Keen Eye for Hidden Dragon's Perception Sentinel's Eye Danger Sense Dawn's Reflex Subtlety 5 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Arcane Shots Charisma: 18/18 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Politics 17 Competent Underlings Superior Subordinates Shared Vision Intelligent Improvisation Unleased Potential Unlimited Potential Above and Beyond Inspiring Loyalty Improved Resources Rare Resources Treasure Trove Fertile Land Esprit de Corps Conflux Endless Plenty Hardy Stock Social 5 (2 Unspent Perk Points) Pleasure 1 Crafting: 8/12 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Magical Crafting 8 Master of Disassembly Superior Runework Talented Enchanter Master of Efficiency Creation 1 Nature 2 Eye for Errors Eye for Improvement Bonesinging 8 Difference of Kind Amalgamation Amplification Grand Amplification Great Works Regeneration Stronger Than You Think Discipline: 7/12 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Commander 7 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Battlefield Awareness Ambush Expert Cavalry Tactics Squad Leader 5 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Sensei Soldier 6 (2 Unspent Perk Points) One With Your Steed One With Your Steed II Magic: 11/16 (4 Unspent Perk Points) Light 11 (2 Unspent Perk Points) Severe healing Baptism of Light I Baptism of Light II Draconic Magic: Light Arcane 8 (2 Unspent Perk Point) Massive Spells Master Conjurer Spellbreaker 5 Magic Sight Anti-Magic Zone Projected AMZ