Only 4 more days until the gathering requested by the Kirin Tor!
[A short story]
Magister Axiann Sungazer, leader of a unit of followers of the Archmage, had just left a meeting with the latter within the always impressive shimmering halls of the Violet Citadel. He exited, nodding to the two guardians that stood watch at the top of the stairway that lead back down to the street, and began his walk to the Tower at the center of the city that he and his people called home.
The Kirin Tor, it would seem, had gotten a tad more nervous about the movements of this new scourge that seemed to be encroaching near the capitals of both the Alliance and the Horde. They had summoned as many as would heed the call, both current allied champions and new ones willing to take up the cause, to the Citadel for an important meeting at the end of the current week to discuss current events.
Axiann knew the Kirin Tor were always careful to act. In his past experience, the simple fact that they had called this meeting meant they were apprehensive. Necromancy tended to bring that reaction out of them.
As he walked down the street, he was surprised at how normal street life was in Dalaran. Dalaran, which had been attacked by the scourge months ago, hadnât seen so much as an attempt at a new incursion since their last invasion was repelled by the creation of the necrotic tissue disintegrating mana field. A complex and dangerous endeavour, which had very much panned out.
Axiann continued to walk by vendors selling their wares, citizens out for a stroll and children playing in the streets of one of the last safe sanctuary cities in the world. Yet he was worried. He knew the allied forces were not enough. And he knew the Kirin Tor were stretched thin.
They had recently sent mages to every city, port and fortification they could reach on both Kalimdor and in the Eastern Kingdoms, to allow for the most massive portal network ever maintained. Most cities had sealed their gates to the outside world, and portals became an essential method of travel.
As he reached the Tower of the Guardians and materialized on the third floor the Sunreavers called home, the Magister made his way to his office. Sitting at this desk, he reached for enchanted quill and parchment, and began writing a letter to an old friend and respected contemporary.
Dear Magister Lothlorien,
I am writing to precipitate our meeting for wine. I regret we will not be merely exchanging pleasantries. The current situation with the scourge is dire. I am afraid we shall need your aid in the coming weeks.
Might others from the Tirisgard be available for a briefing in the Purple Parlour this Saturday?
He signed and sealed the parchment, and tied it with an enchanted ribbon. Laying it on a particular sigil on his desk, he snapped his fingers and the letter vanished in a puff of purple smoke.
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[A short story]
It was a quiet afternoon at the Thalassian Pass.
Ranger-Captain Everdawn and his men were joined by two other units in patrolling the only terrestrial passage into QuelâThalas. They were there to offer respite to the units that usually stood watch, 24/7, for days and sometimes weeks on end. Those brave souls had returned to the Enclave for a few days of rest and relaxation, while others took their place on the front lines.
Quiet was, of course, a relative term. Before them, a winding pass that vanished between two mountains, which often howled with a passing breeze. Behind them, the Ghostlands, home to tainted creatures and ghostly shades of slain citizens. You had to have a thick skin and a steady hand to be stationed here, at the end of the High Home of the elves.
âIt will be time to rustle up some dinner soon, Captain.â It was one of his lieutenants. He had come to stand near Everdawn, at the top of the stairs that lead down to the path that eventually vanished into the mountains. âSpider again tonight?â
Everdawn suppressed a burp as his insides churned at the thought. âIf I eat another one of those foul beasts, there may be an extra voice howling in these woods. Mine.â
The lieutenant chuckled and headed down the steps, heading towards the mouth of the pass. Everdawn turned and looked at the Thalassian gate, usually open for commerce, traders and other travellers, now sealed shut. He headed to the structure and found the secret brick which, when pressed, opened a concealed door for the Farstriders to access the fortification. There, he climbed the narrow stairs and headed high above the building, on the ramparts above, for a birdâs eye view.
Birds. Perhaps he could shoot a few down for dinner.
âMovement!â came a yell from his lieutenant. As quick as his training permitted it, Everdawn drew his bow and arrow and pointed it toward the pass. He squinted and tried to see past his subordinate. He held his breath, and remained as motionless as he could.
Down below, the lieutenant went quiet as well. Standing his ground, he drew his own arrow and pointed it at the pass, at whatever was approaching. And he stood there. Did he really see something move? Did he hear anything at all? Or was the mind playing tricks on him.
Several minutes seemed to pass, and nothing came. The lieutenant eventually relaxed his grap and lowered his bow. âNothing, sir. Sorry!â
âBetter safe than sorry,â Everdawn cried back. âBut we should probably go investigate a few hundred yards, just to be sure.â
âAye, sir.â He turned and looked back up at his captain. âAll good, it will give us something to -â But before he could finish the sentence, hurried footsteps made themselves known. An undead woman, as hagard looking as could be, appeared from around a shrub and lunged at the lieutenant. He turned and quickly raised his bow as the scourge closed the gap between them at a remarquable pace.
The lieutenant raised his arrow, took aim and let loose, the arrow flying towards its target and hitting her square in the heart, just as another arrow landed into her skull. She dropped, motionless, her unlife ended.
The lieutenant turned, white as a ghost, and looked up at his captain, who had shot the second arrow from high above the ramparts. âAre you alright?â Everdawn called out. The lieutenant merely nodded, and turned back toward the corpse.
âAnother one of those lost, wandering scourge that scoures the Plaguelands aimlessly. I doubt she is accompanied.â Everdawn secured his bow to his shoulder. âAdd her corpse to the pile, with the others.â
âThatâs three rogue scourge in three days,â the lieutenant stated. âBy the Sun, I hope thatâs the last of them.â
âThe threat is not ended, lieutenant.â Everdawn looked at the Thalassian Pass. âWe must continue our watch to ensure that these rogues scourge do not lead to a second full invasion of QuelâThalas.â
Two days until the gathering in Dalaran!!
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Just one more day until we welcome allied forces, old and new, to join us for our Chapter 3 prologue as we recap whats happened so far, where the scourge currently stand, and what the steps moving forward are.
Meet in Northrend (WotLK) Dalaran at 5pm server time and look up pre-made group YOTS: Dalaran for invite.
Canât wait to see everyone today!
Two hours, everyone!
Donât forget to look for pre-made custom group YOTS: DALARAN on both Horde and Alliance side to join our raid groups, allowing for Cross-RP addon to work at its best!
5 minutes, everyone!
Chapter 3
World Update
Last night, Archmage Cain of the Kirin Tor facilitated a meeting of the Allied Forces on the current state of the conflict with the renewed scourge. She began by informing those assembled that major cities, towns and settlements in both Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms have sealed their gates to protect citizens within from roaming undead. The Kirin Tor have sent magi to those cities and towns to provide a stable portal network for essential travel.
Magister Axiann Sungazer, of the Sunreavers of Dalaran, then explained how the scourge have been spotted, encountered or are feared to be in many locations close to both the Horde and Alliance capitals. While there has been little to no movement from the enemy since the battle in Ashenvale weeks ago, they are still suspected as being present in Ashenvale, Aszhara, The Barrrens and Durorar, as well as in Westfall, Stranglethorn and Elwynn Forest.
Sir Beloran Autumnwing, of the Argents, then gave a detailed briefing on the scourgeâs apparent leadership, naming three known enemies who seem to be leading this conflict. It was mentioned that Lady Damnedfate, a lich, is essentially immortal at the present time, and that it is a priority to find her philactery.
Commander Vadinnar, also of the Argents, then went continued with a detailed review of the scourgeâs strategy. He spoke of the tainted grain and good supplies and the new plague that seems to act more slowly in turning the minds, and we believe eventually the bodies of those afflicted, who may become susceptible to the mind-control on the part of Cultists of the Damned. He also spoke of the soul crystals discovered in Ashenvale and the attempt to turn the ancient forest into a new plaguelands.
Unexpectedly, an unexpected guest arrived and asked to speak. His name was Zhiko Thunderpaw, and he came to ask for aid for Pandaria, which now finds itself theatened by the scourge as well. He has come from Kun-lai province, where he reports the following activity: Heâll be coming from Kun-Lai and reporting: a mysterious illness spreading south of the Vale, with the sick gathering in Halfhill and Temple of Jade Serpent getting assistance, disappearances in these regions, a sudden attack of Undead, Cultists, and Mogu brandishing Necromancy on Firebough Nook and Peak of Serenity.
Furthermore, he explained that The Ancient Passage has been cut off at roughly the same time, that Binan Village has been trying to investigate but their people who enter the passage donât return, and finally, that Binan Village also seems to have a number of sick, and some that just go missing in the dead of night.
A lively debate ensued, and it was decided that Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms would be watched over by the many Kirin Tor magi who had been dispatched to cities and towns there. The Allied Forces will travel to Pandaria to investigate the scourge presence there.
Next event: Saturday July 24th in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, Pandaria.
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Come help reinforce Binan before it Binanexistent!
Hah hah.
Man, that was a stretch.
Anyways, Iâll see you guys on the 24th to officially start Chapter 3!
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Just a couple more days until our event in Binan Village!
Just your friendly neighborhood Pandaren Warlord demanding that you respect my backyard ^_~
Hope your event goes well!
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Should the Pandaren warlord see an opportunity to RP with the allied forces in the area t fight off the scourge, they are invited to reach out to us! 
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Iâll ask the guild see if we can get a face to pop up or two. Currently Iâm âgaming pc disabledâ until the end of this month.
But after that you got it.
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The portal had been opened.
The Allied Forces, comprised of many champions of both the Horde, the Alliance, and those mercenaries whose allegiances shifted like the winds, were setting off for Pandaria to answer a desperate cry for help from a proud and noble people.
The Sunreavers had offered to open a portal to continent for anyone who chose to travel there that way. Magister Axiann Sungazer, and several of his Guardian magi, had worked together on a portal large enough to translocate what needed to be translocated.
At noon, on Friday, they had opened the portal within the lobby of the Tower of the Guardian, at the center of Dalaran, floating high above Suramar Bay. All those champions still in Dalaran, or traveling there using the Kirin Torâs impressive, if not temporary, portal network, would easily be able to find the Sunreaver portal.
And the lineup formed. Humans and Elves, living and forsaken, all arrived with their bags backed, their mounts harnessed and in some cases, trunks and carts full of supplies. One by one, group by group, the heroes walked or rode through the large portal, and were instantaneously transported thousands of miles to a continent far, far away, materializing in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
There, a few Sunreaver Guardians ushered the newly arrived champions to move quickly out of the way of those who would no doubt follow moments later. They were shown to a spot at the base of the stairs to the Palace, between the Shrines of the Two Moons and that of the Seven Stars, where they would gather, form a caravan, and begin their ride north to Binan Village.
Is your character part of the caravan? Feel free to continue this little story of the journey from the Vale to Binan Village, from your characterâs perspective. Just a little fun to have until tomorrowâs event!
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This event is happening today, everyone! Look for pre-made custom group YOTS: BINAN on both Alliance and Horde starting around 15 minutes before event start, which is 5pm WrA time.
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Chapter 3, Event 1 starts tonight in 5 minutes! Meet us in Binan Village in the Kunlai Summit of Pandaria! You can message Beloran-WyrmrestAccord (Horde) or Vadinnar-WyrmrestAccord (Alliance), or search for YotS: Binan in the group finder for an invite!
Chapter 3
World Update
Allied Forces arrived in the province of Kun Lai, and sent a few token commanders/members ahead to Binan Village to meet with the mayor. He met them outside the townâs inn and described a situation that was all too familiar.: the residents had had their food shipments cut off, and the neighboring village of Inkgill Mere had broken down their half of the bridge connecting the towns. Their crops were dying, and many of the residents - save the children - were sick with symptoms resembling malnutrition. It almost exactly like they found Ratchet just before the undead plague spread there.
While some heroes ventured to tend to the ill, others headed for the nearby cave. A river ran through the cave, providing the town with supplies from the south, from which they were then distributed throughout the summit. Many people had gone missing in the cave, and no shipments had arrived.
The heroes ventured forward to investigate. In the tunnels, they found a unit of undead thralls - Pandaren, Yaungol, Saurok, Jinyu, Hozen, and Goblins. The undead, or infected, were simply standing in the center of the cave, not acting. The group decided to retreat before they earned their ire. It was time to prepare the townâs defenses!
Infirmary Investigation: There were many sick inhabitants, presenting as malnourished despite eating; with possible faint necrotic energies around them (but this was unclear). Townsfolk also complained of crops not growing and having to rely increasingly on shipments from outside to feed everyone. They discovered musty grain and rice. In the townâs stockpile, there were two piles: a shipment from Halfhill which was older and running low, and a newer shipment mysteriously marked âNQAâ, of which there was not much information beyond a serial number Z3017.
The mayor has given permission for all members of the Allied Forces to enter Binan Village and make it their home base for the time being. The Sunreavers have since erected an Arcane Perimeter Ward around the village, which will alert them to any magical force or presence that might approach.
**Next, larger-scale event: **
Friday July 30th at 6pm! (edited)
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I sadly will not be able to this weekend. I have to move IRL. Have fun and see everyone at the next event!
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Our next YOTS event will be this Friday, July 30th at 6pm (we have moved it one hour later so that more of our regulars could attend).
Starting location will be Binan Village. Look for pre-made group YOTS: BINAN to join our raid groups. Cross-RP addon is highly recommended, and donât forget your Elixir of Tongues potions!
Tonight! Year of the Scourge continues our investigation into Binan village at 6PM! Please message Avannaril-WyrmrestAccord (Alliance) or Selowyn-WyrmrestAccord (Horde) for an invite!
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