[RP: Storyline] "Into Madness" (The Sunreavers)

Wyrmrest Accord
1

Greetings, realm!

I had asked about doing this very thing on the forums not very long ago, and no one seemed opposed to it. As a matter of fact, while those who responded were favorable to it, they even mentioned another guild who did this very sort of thing. So we thought: what the heck.

This thread will be a weekly summary of the current storyline campaign being explored by .

The point is not to brag or to impose. Nor is it to recruit (although if some are drawn to us because of what they see here, I encourage them to seek out an officer and inquire within!

Should anyone want to take some of these plot points and incorporate them into their own personal RPs or guilds storylines, have at it!

If anyone reading this would like to get in touch and talk about joining the guild, you can send a message, in-game, to:
Axiann - GM
Alival - Officer
Sylas - Officer
Kaeril - Officer

Otherwise, enjoy the read and have a great day!

Axiann Sungazer
Magister
The Sunreavers

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Our new campaign launches this week with the posting of the following short story:

HOME

Aeneris Sunbreeze never tired of the sight of Quel’Thalas, and eventually Sunsail Anchorage, coming into view as the “Blazing Sun” returned home from another successful voyage. He and his crew, members of the Blazing Sunhawks, were returning home briefly after a month-long trek through the largely unexplored South Seas.

Their ship’s cargo hold was full to the brim with treasures, artifacts and relics discovered during many an island expedition or successful encounter with enemy Alliance crews. This is what he and his comrades did: exploring uncharted or contested lands for any and all souvenirs or treasures they could find.

Of course, treasure was often a strong term for the junk one often came across on the beaches of some sun-forsaken land. But to the citizens of Silvermoon, often too comfortable to ever leave the walls of their city, let alone the frontiers of the Kingdom… these strange looking relics told stories of strange landscapes, stranger peoples and tales of heroism and bravery. They were also one-of-a-kind, if one made sure to never sell two of an item in the same village, and so they could fetch quite a few gold if the right story was spun.

Once docked, Anchorage workers would help to unload the many crates of cargo from the vessel, and the crew would begin the short journey to the marvelous Shepherd’s Gate. Along the way, notices would be posted on sign-posts near the villages and towns informing their citizens of a sale of items from the South Seas in the Grand Bazaar of Silvermoon City on the next day.

After a night of ales and tall tales in the many inns of Silvermoon, the Sun rose and the crew of the “Blazing Sun” set up several kiosks around the perimeter of the Bazaar. By mid-morning, the market was abuzz with revelers of all sorts, perusing, negotiating and sometimes, almost coming to blows over the smallest little knick-knack. It was interesting how one could distinguish between the better-dressed nobles purchasing artifacts and the more common out-of-towners who, while they showed up, often prefered to peruse from a distance and take in the show of those above their class arguing over a few gold. The latter tended to wait until the end of the day, and buy what was left, spending what they could.

By mid-afternoon, the kiosks were being dismantled as the tables were bare. The Sunhawks had made a small fortune, making even more gold than they thought they would. The locals really seemed to go particularly crazy this month, over the wares they had managed to plunder.

Aeneris and his fellow shipmates took notes of those items that sold the fastest, and decided to return to the sites where they had found those, in hopes of repeating this successful day.

For the rest of the week, the crew would try and spend some time with family and friends, seeing whom they could and bidding them again farewell. All but Aeneris, who spent the week drinking and taking in all the luxuries Silvermoon City had to offer. The following week, the magnificent ship would once again set sail for the South Seas, where they would continue their expeditions to unknown islands, in the search for treasure, fame and most importantly, fortune.

3

Magister’s Weekly Report

Our unit was asked to accompany Archmage Aethas Sunreaver on his official travels to Silvermoon City this week. We traveled via portal from the Sunreaver’s Portal Courtyard in Dalaran, and travelled directly to Sunfury Spire.

For a few days, while off-duty, our people were able to enjoy the treasures of home: visiting family, friends, and partaking in local seasonal activities. I do think it did everyone a world of good to escape the bitter, cold winds of winter in the Broken Isles and enjoy the warmer, springtime conditions of Quel’Thalas.

With the approval and blessing of the archmage, I held a ceremony on Saturday, to promote certain deserving individuals. One who had recently rejoined the order was giving back his rank of Sunreaver Scout. While Guardians Dawnstride, Shar’falas and Dawnstar were promotted to the officer rank of Dawnkeeper. May the Eternal Sun guide them.

Several of our people went out to celebrate over drinks at the local Wayfarer’s Rest. They tell me they ran into an old Farstrider friend, Ranger Everdawn, who entertained them with the story of a bar brawl there the night before.

Tomorrow, we travel back to Dalaran and return to our duties.

Ever vigilant,
Magister Axiann Sungazer
Sunfury Spire

4

Alleri’Ella read the weekly report that magically had made its way to her desk in Silvermoon:

The Sunreavers met this week for a briefing in the Chamber of the Guardians, Dalaran.

They had come back from a quick trip to Silvermoon City, where they held a promotion ceremony: three Guardians were promoted to the officer rank of Dawnkeeper, while one returning Sunreaver regained his rank of Sunreaver Scout.

After the ceremony, they went to the Wayfarer’s Rest, where they met with a Farstrider who entertained them with stories of a bar brawl there the night before.

Now, they are being sent to Pandaria to represent the Archmage at a gathering of some kind. We Sunreavers depart via portal tomorrow.

She made a mental note of the information, and returned to her duties.

5

Axiann Sungazer emerged from the portal with the others, and found himself standing on a large terrace at the Shrine of the Two Moons, a temple the Horde had claimed as their base in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, in the realm of Pandaria.

The first thing he noticed was the air: sweet and dewey, warm as a tropical breeze. He had seen some of Pandaria on his first journey here with the Archmage and Regent Lord, but the islands they were stationed on were far from paradise: rainy and dark, with the constant roar of thunder interrupting one’s sleep, one’s very thinking.

This was a much different place. A beautiful place, the beauty of which was hard to describe and even harder to find elsewhere on Azeroth. It was tranquil, peaceful… yes Axiann could easily see someone retiring here at the end of a long, busy life.

He admired the magnificent architecture. The rich colours and fabrics. And most of all, feeling and representation of balance. The search for balance being what defined Pandaren culture, and explained why their people were divided when it came to allegiances. Some factions aligned with the Horde. Others still, across the Valley in the Shrine of the Seven Stars, aligned with the Alliance. And others still… chose to remain neutral.

This is why the Sunreavers were here. Although sin’dorei and loyal to Quel’Thalas as a nation, they were allies of the Kirin Tor, and as such, would remain neutral in this war. And now, the Archmage had received word that there were others who had chosen neutrality. And they were gathering in the Jade Forest.

He had ordered the Magister and his unit travel to Pandaria and represent him and his order at this gathering. And here they were. Dragonhawks in tow, they would set off into the skies and begin their day-long flight to the Jade Forest.

Axiann had told his people to be prepared for anything. They had come for peace, but should be prepared for war. Alliance humans, dwarves and gnomes could still be present in this realm, and would probably not hesitate to fire on a unit of crimson-wearing sin’dorei.

The Sunreavers would defend themselves, if they had to. But they were not to fire first. This was a mission of diplomacy. And, in a time of war, this was a mission of hope. And he would make sure that they did not let the Archmage down.

6

Alleri’ella stood in the portal room of Sunfury Spire, and waited. Any moment, she knew, her compatriots from Dalaran would materialize in the room, traversing huge spatial distances in the matter of moments. She herself had traveled via mage-portals only a handful of times, and had experienced significant nausea on each occasion. She thought of this as she watched the party appear before her, apparently so used to this method of translocation that it didn’t phase them one bit.

She saluted the Magister and the rest of his unit, and escorted him to the makeshift office and desk he used when in Silvermoon. She always had a meeting with Sunreaver Magisters when they visited, informing them of any new recruits she had met, and discussing current events and missions.

“We’re here on behalf of the Kirin Tor, this time”, he informed her. “They want us to investigate happenings in the Ghostlands. Disturbing events which may be magical in nature.” He paused, taking a sip from the cup of coffee she always had waiting for this particular Magister. “Although I am not sure why the Magisters of Silvermoon could not investigate this themselves.”

“Magister Sungazer,” she spoke up. “The Grand Magister and the other members of the Magisters are extremely busy with the war. It has not been going well for the Horde, and word has arrived that the Alliance and Kul Tirans have landed in Dazar’alor.”

Sungazer stopped mid-sip, glaring at her. She continued.

“Every Horde member nation has been asked to send reinforcements, poste haste. The Magisters are busy preparing enchantements and spells, prepping mages for war, and generally doing all they can.”

Sungazer lowered his cup and swallowed. “I see. Well, then, I can see why they might have asked the Kirin Tor for help. They knew we would be the ones sent, as now would not be the time for any humans to be seen walking around within our borders.”

Alleri’ella nodded. “What do you think is going on down there, in the Ghostlands, sir?”

Magister Sungazer shook his head. “I am not sure. But I will be sending my unit to find out.”

7

Axiann Sungazer read his officer’s report for their disturbing mission to the secluded Goldendawn Village, in the Ghostlands.

It seems the village guardians had sent up a distress flare a few days ago. The Farstriders in Tranquillen, having seen the flare, sent a regiment to investigate and to help. They got to the village to find utter chaos: violence in the streets, homes on fire and not a single guard who was not dead or insane. Outnumbered and overwhelmed by the very villagers they had come to help, most of the rangers were able to escape the village and erect a barrier around the perimeter, quarantining the inhabitants.

The Sunreavers arrived and were greeted by an old friend, Ranger Ethan’tolas Everdawn. Everdawn briefed them and used a rune stone to escort them through the barrier and into the now quiet village.

In her report, Dawnkeeper Alival Dawnstar explained that during their investigation, they were frequently rushed at by mad villagers. While they were able to stop most of them easily, one in particular proved more threatening, wielding an arcane-powered dagger. He was finally caught, but managed to end his own life, but not before spouting mostly gibberish.

The unit then found one sane woman, by the name of Mallora Duskrunner. She recounted the last several days and the worsening maddening in the village. In the midst of her interrogation, the unit was suddenly ambushed by dozens of insane villagers, and the party just barely escaped through a conjured portal.

Sungazer decided the matter was indeed alarming, and quite probably magical in nature. Sunfury Spire being in a frenzy of activity related to preparations for war, he decided to command his unit back to Dalaran to report to the Archmage and the Kirin Tor, and to continue their research into these events.

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Time for an update…

9

Upon their return to Dalaran, the Sunreavers quickly met within the Chamber of the Guardians to discuss the matter at hand, both what they knew, and what they needed to find out. Several priorities were identified and agreed on, and there was much work to be done.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Guardians, Sentinels and Scouts gathered to work over coffee, provided and replenished by initiates as the morning went on. The Chambers were a veritable frenzy of activity as each brought their expertise to the discussion.

It was decided that another trip to Quel’Thalas needed, and that the madness might very well be caused by artifacts from the South Seas that had been sold at the Bazaar week ago, by a crew of merchants known as the Blazing Sunhawks.

In the longer term, the Sunhawks would have to be found, and questioned. This would be no easy task, as all out war had erruped off the coasts of Zandalar, and the Sunhawks would have no doubt found a safe port to ride out the storm.

In the shorter term, however, any other artifacts sold by the Sunhawks would need to be tracked down and secured, before the madness reached to other villages, towns, and Sun forbid, Silvermoon City itself.

Meanwhile, another unit of Sunreavers would be sent to Kalimdor, where their mission would be twofold: investigate the ruins in Winterspring to see if the madness that had afflicted the area in years past might be connected to the current issue, and investigate whether said madness had spread to other areas of the Horde.

For now, preparations continued, and the Sunreavers worked well past the daylight hours.

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Axiann sat at his desk, within the Chamber of the Guardians, with a hot cup of coffee. He opened a report, sent by one of his groups who had just returned from Kalimdor.

I, Initiate Morningstar, along with Initiate Serenfall and Sentinel Angrin began out study into the ruins of Winterspring in an attempt to find any connection between the crazed crystal that once lingered here and this new rising madness.

While some new information on Highborne customs and a few fragments of relics were found, our research was ultimately unable to find a connection between the maddening crystal of the ruins past and our current situation with the artifacts.

Upon setting up our camp we set to checking for residual energies from the now gone crystal ; We found nothing.

Next we compared the history of its effects to our current situation and how the ruins in particular may have kept the energy from spreading to the rest of Winterspring ; While we did find that one of the ancient highborn enchanted the stones to keep the corruption inside the ruins, there was one again no found connection to the madness we face. A sample of the stone temples has been taken to study the charms placed upon them for potential future recreation and use.

Our study continued into the upper parts of the ruins in the upper section of the area, Officer Angrin providing safety checks as myself and Initiate Serenfall investigated. Here we found two abandoned tomes which described the Highborne’s attempts to bind the magic to the ruins. While the spells to do so were not included the effects of the crystal were. We found that while both caused madness and withering the crystal did not cause as much hysteria. Instead casuing effects more akin to the mind altering corruption of the void or an old god. Our team has been checked for corruption to be safe. None was found.

The tomes, samples, and artifact fragments have been included in the box under this report for the Magister’s review and examination of at your leisure.

- Initiate Morningstar

Supplemental: During the collection of the ruin samples one of the ruins collapsed onto Officer Angrin who was directly below. She has been sent to medical and been sent on Medical Leave. I take full responsibility for not checking Ruin Stability.

13

Axiann put down the report from the mission to Kalimdor. Sentinel Angrin was a good Sunreaver. It was a shame she had to go on extended medical leave, but he understood. She had been hurt in the line of duty, and he would never forget that.

He sighed and picked up another report, one from his group in Quel’Thalas.

Mission report artifact acquisition, Quel’Thalas.

The Sunreavers, lead by myself Dawnkeeper Alival Dawnstar. Met up for a official briefing within the Sunfury spire, every attending Sunreaver outfitted with a magically infused necklace meant to protect them from the effect of the artifacts, to prevent us falling victim to the madness which plagues Quel’Thalas.

We started our search first within Silvermoon city, moving as a group from door to door. Most civillians we encountered had yet to be afflicted with the madness, a lone father and his son. The Father had acquired a mask, of Zandalari origin, it had an eerie atmosphere to it, and despite the wards created to protect ourselves from the madness, some of us upon coming into contact with the mask, felt surges of anger, a desire to cut down our friends. The man cooperated willingly yet had many questions, only the bare minimum was offered as a explanation and he too witnessed the spark of anger it induced.

The mask was safely placed in a enchanted bag of holding, enchanted with a strong negating ward prepared for the purpose. With that we moved on to a house across the very street, the father having mentioned that the married couple within had not been seen for days. We knocked upon the door, yet there was no response but listening closely we were able to hear rustling, wood cracking, pottery breaking from within. We applied force to break open the door and the sight that greeted us within was utter destruction, furniture knocked over, torn and shredded paper littering the floor, and blood upon the floor in a pool. The couple was located and subdued, brought back to Dalaran for confinement, as we hope to find a way to negate the effect cure people of this madness.

The couple too had an artifact, a stone tablet of Kul Tiran origin, a tidesage tablet. It’s writing faded, making it almost impossible to read. It was also written in the language native to the Kul Tirans.

The Sunreavers proceeded through the city, meeting little opposition and acquired several more artifacts, storing them safely within the enchanted bag of holding until they could be safely stored away back in Dalaran, for processing and we took a days pause to recuperate from the days work, having taken longer then anticipated.

We then proceeded to the outlying villages, starting at Fairbreeze village. For this part of the acquisition mission, we received outside aid from one of the Scions a man named Shol. I accepted the help offered as the villages were more open, surrounded by vast open areas. Shol proved instrumental in our success, working well in tandem with The Sunreavers.

A young elven man, carrying an artifact was chased through most of the area surrounding the village, escaping our clutches again and again. Madness having taken a strong hold on his mind, and he met his untimely end at his own hands, fading into dark dust before our very eyes leaving behind the artifact he had clutched in his arms.

A dreamcatcher/fetish like object, decorated with a animal skull and bones, dark raven feathers tied to it with thin dark strings, potentially drust in origin. We further also located crates of a variety of the artifacts sold by the Sunhawks, ornate daggers, masks and so forth.

All artifacts/objects have been seized and brought back to Dalaran, kept safely stored away for processing and study.

  • Dawnkeeper Dawnstar
15

Archmage Sunreaver,

Today, myself, accompanied by Dawnkeeper Alival and two initiates, traveled to Sunsail Anchorage to find out anything we could about the Blazing Sunhawks and their last trip to Quel’Thalas. The port was bustling with activity, with ships being unloaded and resupplied for the war effort.

Our initial contact was the Chief Cargo Inspector. He wasn’t able to provide much information, save that he had not seen the Sunhawks in some time. He directed us to a custodian/groundskeeper like fellow.

This new man described the Sunhawks as being ‘irritable’ upon their last debarkation at Sunsail. They had quite a few crates of cargo, presumably the artifacts and relics they sold all over Silvermoon and the rest of the kingdom. He also directed us to the dockmaster, whom we found on the uppermost floor.

The dockmaster was quite busy, but did locate a map, left by the Sunhawks, of their next journey. They had plotted several courses, with three different ports where they could avoid any naval battles: Gadgetstan, Shaterstone Harbour and Booty Bay.

We have returned now to Dalaran, where we will use the scroll obtained from the dockmaster to perform a locator spell on the scroll’s scribe. We will use maps of the three locations mentioned, and hope the arcane dust will show us where these merchants are.

Regards,
Magister Axiann Sungazer
Chamber of the Guardians

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Ethan’tolas Everdawn reported for his briefing, outside the makeshift Farstrider outpost along the road near Fairbreeze Village. The sun was just coming up over the north-western horizon, and the woods were waking up with the sounds of birds singing away.

Three more villages were under quarantine. With Goldendawn Village, that now made four: two in the Ghostlands, and two in Eversong Woods. This Madness, whatever it was that was driving people to crazed fits of illogical anger, was spreading.

The Ranger-Captain spoke of strategy, of barriers and of sending parties to search other villages for signs of the madness. They were getting better at arriving on the scene early, and evacuating those not yet affected, before putting up a force-field and locking the crazy ones inside.

“What’s being done to end this?” One Ranger asked.

“The Magisters are aware of the threat, and are actively working on a cure for the mad ones. The Kirin Tor of Dalaran are also looking into it. We know the Sunreavers are actively working to solve this mystery.”

“But they’ve left!” The Ranger retorted. “They aren’t even here anymore!”

“We must have faith that the powers at be know what they are doing. And we will continue to do what we do best: protect and defend out people from immediate physical danger.”

The Ranger quickly fell in line. The collective will of the Farstriders was strong. They saluted their Captain and reported for duty.

Ethan only hoped those Sunreavers were onto something.

17

Booty Bay.

It was a condensed, small little down, with houses - shacks, really - and public buildings built close to or on top of each other, held together by stilts and rope, along the cliffs bordering a tropical bay.

And it was full of goblins. But the Sunreavers weren’t looking for a goblin. They were in Booty Bay searching for the crew of the Blazing Sunhawk.

As the Sunreavers’ ship, the Crimson Dawn, pulled into the port of Booty Bay, the other Sin’dorei ship was easy to spot. The Blazing Sunhawk was there, in crimson and gold, moored to the dock of the small trading town. The locator spell had worked, and the Sunreavers had found their ship. Now they needed to find a member of the crew.

A troll woman on the docks was helpful in pointing them to the tavern at the end of the boardwalk. They spotted a Sin’dorei woman drinking alone as soon as they walked in. They sat with her and began asking questions.

The woman wasn’t as forthcoming as they would have liked, but her lack of drink provided an opportunity. Initiate Morningstar ordered a round of drinks, and as the ale went down, lips seemed to get looser.

The Sunhawk eventually told them of the crew’s island expeditions to find artifacts and treasures to bring home to Quel’Thalas and sell to aristocrats wanting a piece of the Horde’s current adventures. For a price, the woman offers up a copy of a map, leading to one island in particular where the Sunhawks found a rather large quantity of the artifacts they had recently sold in Silvermoon City.

The Sunreavers knew what their next destination was. At first light, they would set sail for this one island. It was a few days sail away, and they would try and avoid any Horde-Alliance naval battles along the way.

Hopefully, they would find the cause, and cure, to the spreading madness.

19

The Crimson Dawn, the Sunreavers flagship, sailed swiftly through the open waters of the South Seas. They had left behind Booty Bay and the coastline of the Eastern Kingdoms three days ago, and after the landmass fell behind and below the horizon, all anyone could see for as far as one could, was the ocean.

Until today. Suddenly, the Seas were littered with with islands… many, many islands. The passengers and crew had spotted no less than a few dozen of them since sunrise. No ships, though. Not yet. But lots of islands, scattered about.

The Sunreavers were, of course, heading for one in particular. The map they had acquired would lead them to the island where the Blazing Sunhawks had found the large supply of artifacts they had recently sold in the Bazaar of Silvermoon City. The very artifacts that seemed to be causing the spread of madness from village to village, encroaching closer and closer to Silvermoon itself.

What they would find on that island was a mystery. Friend or foe, treasure or trash, they simply had to continue their investigation there. The Sunreavers were determined to find the cause, and ultimately the solution to the madness that threatened peace in Quel’Thalas.

At this rate, they should make landfall by week’s end.

21

Archmage Sunreaver.

As you know, the Crimson Dawn recently set sail from Booty Bay in direction of the island our contact within the Sunhawks told us about. The same island where that crew discovered most of the artifacts that were recently sold in the Bazaar and caused the initial spread of this Madness that seems to be gripping several villages in Quel’Thalas.

We believed to be alone on the island, since we saw no other ships as we sailed to the coast and disembarked. Preliminary senses detected no presence of magics in the vicinity, and so we began our exploration.

We first discovered remnants of a campfire, indicative of the recent presence of someone else. We continued our search, following a set of footprints in the sand, but we triggered a magical booby-trap. A rune, concealed on the ground, released a barrage of arcane missiles in our direction. We handled the situation quickly and efficiently.

We continued on foot, only to somehow activate a magical barrier preventing us from moving forward. It was clear to us at this point that there were things ahead that were not meant to be seen. Officer Alival was able to overload the barrier, taking it down.

Past the barrier, we were accosted by three humans, speaking in an interesting dialect of Common. They attacked with sword, daggers and magic. Two of us suffered minor cuts, but the battle was won and all three assailants felled.

Finally, we happened upon a sight: an old, hagard looking human woman, in brown linen robes and a brown sac, placing items on the beach. Behind her, a portal, seemed to lead to three human constructed ships, at sea, bearing no Alliance standards.

The crone attacked us with magic: first, calling forth vines to try and entrap us, and then, summoning black ravens to swoop down from above. Both situations were handled valiantly by your followers. But then, two more humans - one younger woman and one disheveled man, emerged from the portal. The three cast another spell before vanishing through the portal.

Black and red magical energies appeared and surrounded us, forming a circle getting smaller and smaller, causing all vegetation and flora to die upon contact. The entire party felt the life draining from us as the circle grew closer and closer.

Thankfully, the entire party was able to help channel some of their personal mana into my spell, as I wove a portal and returned us to Dalaran.

Archmage, please use your astral abilities and visit the Crimson Dawn. Tell them of what has transpired, and order them back. I will order our people to take a few days, and rest and replenish.

We will get to the bottom of this. I swear by the Sun.

Magister A. Sungazer
Chamber of the Guardians

23

Archmage Sunreaver,

Yesterday, Dawnseeker Dawnstar, a few of our initiates and myself wandered down to the Underbelly to investigate the [N-Event] Brightmoon Night Market Mar 17th - #24 by Kunbo-wyrmrest-accord . We had heard of this underground market and wanted to ensure that none of the cursed artifacts were being sold to citizens of Dalaran.

I am pleased to report no such artifacts were found. It is reassuring to know that the Madness doesn’t seem to be present here.

We will keep you appraised of the situation as it unfolds. It is now time to begin putting together the pieces of his puzzle.

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25

Archmage Sunreaver,

I have shared your news with member of my unit: that cases of madness have been reported by archmagi of the Kirin Tor in various villages and port towns in Horde, Alliance and neutral territories. It is unsettling to know that not only is Quel’thalas being targetted, but people all over the known world.

We understand the orders from the Kirin Tor (that of securing Dalaran and limiting visitors entry to but a few well-guarded gates) and your decision to lockdown the portals we maintain within the Tower of the Guardians. Today, we will follow your orders and seal every portal leading to faction capitals, save the one to Orgrimmar. It is our understanding the Kirin Tor will do the same in the Alliance district.

Putting our heads together, a group of us have begun sifting through the various clues we have uncovered in this crisis. We believe we have some leads: humans, non-alliance aligned human vessels, witchcraft, mentions of a coven, enchanted objects. We will be conducting research into all of these areas, as quickly as we can.

Now that rumours are beginning to filter through to the populous of the Horde and Alliance, it is, we understand, imperative to find a solution quickly before citizens begin to panic.

Magister Axiann Sungazer
Chamber of the Guardians
Dalaran

27

Magister Sungazer stood before his gathered Guardians, Sentinels, Scouts and initiates. He waited for their attention and gave them a salute, receiving theirs in return. All their eyes were on him, wondering what this briefing would be about. After they listened to the Dawnkeeper explain her findings of recent discovery of practitioners of dark druid magic in Drustvar, the Magister took the center of the room:

"Sunreavers. The Archmage projected astrally today, and visited Captain Sunrunner on the Crimson Dawn. It seems that after our escape from the coven of witches several days ago, the Dawn was able to track and follow the enemy vessels. Today they realized they were on a direct course, and only two days away from, Kul Tiran waters.

"An encounter with the enemy must happen before they reach enemy waters if it has any chance of success. We must capture the witches, or druids… and force them to remove the hex causing villagers from all over the Horde and Alliance territories to fall to madness.

"In just under 48 hours, I, and a Portal-master on the deck of the Dawn, will cast our spells at the same time, connecting the two locations and creating a portal to get on onto the deck of that ship. Two more Sunreaver vessels are also en route, to more evenly match the three enemy ships.

"Sunreavers. Do all that you must to ready yourselves for battle. Ready your spells, enchant your weapons and charge your trinkets. We must capture the enemy without letting them touch us with their dark, death magics. Go, now. In two days, we make our move.

“Dismissed.”

28

Alleri’Ella couldnt believe the report she was reading, delivered to her from a messenger who had just arrived from Dalaran.

Three Sunreaver vessels destroyed in a confrontation with the enemy vessels, off the coast of Kul Tiras. The vessels crews had mostly been evacuated, via portal to Dalaran, except for Captain Sunrunner of the Crimson Dawn, and the rest of Magister Sungazer’s unit.

In addition, the Magister himself, whom had been in Dalaran and not on the mission, going through the portal before it collapsed, to attempt to retrieve his people, now missing as well.

One could hope that the Sunreavers had been close enough to shore to swim to land. Nevertheless, this would still mean they are stranded in enemy territory, in Kul Tiras. She knew that if this had happened, they had enough magi to conjure a portal back to Dalaran and return home, so she tried not to dwell on the fact that this had not yet happened.

Alleri’Ella would remain positive and optimistic. She knew the Sunreavers had been in tight spots before, and had always managed to get out alive. She also knew how much depended on their mission, as reports of villages and outposts being quarantined all over the Horde, and now in some Alliance lands as well, kept coming in.