(2022-06-04) The Invasion of Draenor

Details

Author:	Alli
Summary:	The third meeting of Sil's Book Club, covering "The Invasion of Draenor". Also, includes some post-club conversation.
Rating:	T for Teen

Chain: Sil's Book Club

Elohad, Ben, Sil, and Oranna sit in HQ, with Alaisa over in a corner. Sil is sitting in Elohad's usual chair.
Elohad salutes Bennarin with respect.
Bennarin grins at Elohad.
Elohad greets Bennarin with a hearty hello!
Elohad greets everyone with a hearty hello!
Sil waves.
[Bennarin]: Hey, Sil. Miz Oranna! Ain't seen you in a bit.
Bennarin smiles at Oranna.
[Elohad]: All right, I suppose you can have my chair, son. This is your show. *He winks.*
[Bennarin]: I like your blou— oh, hey, miss.
Bennarin nods past Oranna to Alaisa.
[Elohad]: How's everybody doing?
Oranna looks up from what seems to be a very small stack of paperwork she's hurriedly bunching together. "Hullo! Ah, thank ye, lad. It's good ta see ya!"
Alaisa leans against the table in the back, a book tucked under her arm and a clipboard in her hand. She gives a little finger-wave to Ben. "Hello…"
[Silvestre]: Oh, am I in your chair? *Sil looks around nervously*
[Elohad]: Well, it used to be. *He smiles crookedly.*
[Elohad]: Forgot to carve my name in it, though.
Bennarin smiles and nods again respectfully at Alaisa. To Oranna, he says, "How's Mr Flintspark? I ain't been by the shop in a bit neither, sorry for that."
Oranna mutters something about the disappointing tensile strength of paperclips, and leans over to set the little stack of papers on top of the filing cabinet. She smiles warmly at Ben. "Oh, Bargrimm's doin' well. Bit on pause while he coordinates war efforts. He's still up in the Hinterlands, tryin' ta work things out there."
Bennarin 's smile fades slightly and he nods again, respectful.
[Bennarin]: Well, if y'all still need a hand with anythin', I am around a bit more regular now. Since my brother.
Bennarin glances at Elohad and beams, maybe inadvertently.
Silvestre grins at Ben and Lord Ference. "I still need to meet the little guy. You know, once he's takin' visitors."
[Oranna]: Oh, aye! *Oranna grins at Elo and Ben.* He did send more baby proofin' along! I should ha' the wiring up 'round the cabinets soon.
[Bennarin]: Wirin' the cabinets?
Silvestre blinks at Oranna.
Oranna nods, beaming a little. "Dinna worry, it's verra sturdy. Neither chicken nor babe's getting through ta it."
Oranna pats the filing cabinet in demonstration of how easy it is to get to it now. BUT NOT SOON.
[Silvestre]: I don't… um… okay. On that note maybe we ought to get started with the book club. *Sil smiles brightly*
[Bennarin]: So … you are wirin' — oh, okay. Yeah, the book.
Bennarin sits up a little. Time for Academia.
There is something on the table where food ordinarily lies, covered in what looks like a sheet.
Elohad peers at Sil searchingly.
Silvestre clears his throat and beams at the people in HQ. "Hi, everyone! Thanks for coming to my book club! Today, we're going to talk about "The Invasion of Draenor". "
Bennarin nods solemnly.
[Silvestre]: This one's kinda unusual, because it's one of the books Jo brought back from the Scholomance. It wasn't evil or nothin', I guess they also just study history. Anyway, Jo made copies with some mage trick, so I hope all you who wanted to read in advance got one?
Oranna nods enthusiastically.
Bennarin nods again. He did Homework.
Silvestre looks over at Alaisa, and then the empty chair. "And you can come sit, if you like, you know."
[Alaisa]: Oh, um. I-I guess so.
[Silvestre]: I mean, you don't -have- to. If you don't want to.
Alaisa has a lot of papers with her and not a lot of places to put them.
Silvestre claps his hands together. "Alright, let's get on into the book. I figure I can talk us through the main points, and we can discuss as we go. And like, they got the ending kinda wrong, we know now. So we can talk about that too."
Bennarin leans over to Alaisa and suggests low-voiced, "We can switch, if you wanna be close to the table?"
Alaisa starts trying to rearrange her book and her clipboard setup to be able to access the book, her notes, and a new space for note-taking at the same time. "Oh - are you sure? Thank you."
[Bennarin]: Yes'm.
Ben and Alaisa switch seats.
[Silvestre]: The story starts just after the Second War. So this is when the Alliance was making internment camps and locking up all the orcs they caught.
Elohad rubs his hands together eagerly, but says nothing. He's been oddly silent this whole time, in fact, for Elo. He seems happy, though. Just weirdly lacking in rambling interjections.
[Silvestre]: They got paladins and veterans to run 'em, and it was pretty good at keeping things from getting back to war again. I think they're not around anymore, but there's still one of the old places in Durnholde Keep, up in Hillsbrad.
Alaisa settles some of her things on the chair and begins taking notes in some sort of shorthand. She writes very quickly, whatever it is she's writing.
Silvestre laughs a little nervously. "Though I mean, I wasn't there firsthand of course. Not like some people."
Oranna nods and looks to the right for a moment. "Dane mighta been one o' them there. Meant ta ask. I know he was…part o' one of them, fer a time. Dinna know which one, though."
Bennarin raises his eyebrows.
Elohad frowns slightly.
[Silvestre]: Like guardin' one?
Oranna nods again. "Aye. Had a friend there tha' felt different 'bout th' orcs an' Dane had tried ta…" Oranna shifts uncomfortably in her chair and grimaces. "Anyway, ah, no' entirely pleasant stories there. Seemed rough."
[Silvestre]: Okay, yeah. Maybe I won't bring it up with him. Anyway, that's the setting, but the real story's about the orcs that stayed over on Draenor. Ner'zhul was still around, and he gathered up the Shadowmoons and the other orcs that weren't dead yet.
[Silvestre]: Weird thing was, I guess he was not actually plannin' on invading Azeroth again. They'd got beat in Azeroth, I guess, so they wanted to try out some other worlds. To do that, though, they needed some artifacts from Azeroth to power some more portals.
Bennarin raises his hand.
[Elohad]: …Huh.
[Silvestre]: Yeah Ben?
[Bennarin]: Do we know what artifacts? Because the book did not say.
[Silvestre]: I do not know, myself. *Sil looks around at the assembled* Anybody got any idea?
[Elohad]: Bet Medivh's spellbook, one of 'em at leaast.
Oranna shrugs and makes the classic iono sound.
Bennarin nods respectfully to Elohad. "Makes sense, I guess."
[Elohad]: There was some kind of to-do about it back in the day. My memory's vague though, because I'd retired from the army by then.
[Bennarin]: I mean there is a !@#$ton of relic-huntin' goin' on out there right now, I just was wonderin' when I read it whether some of those Shadow Councils and Ethereals are after those ones in particular. If they even are still over there.
[Silvestre]: Maybe. We could try and ask around in Shattrath? Probably Khadgar or somebody knows, right?
[Bennarin]: … he don't seem real chatty. Maybe Gerhold knows.
[Oranna]: Huh. Orbs? It's always orbs. Or glowin' rocks, sometimes, but those are just natural orbs.
[Silvestre]: But yeah, if we see some Medivh book, I think we can for sure know it's bad news.
Bennarin makes discreet survey of Oranna's outfit again.
[Silvestre]: So, they come in after that book and a few other things. Orbs or whatever.
Bennarin nods gravely at Sil.
[Silvestre]: They came back over to Azeroth, ran through real quick and got the artifacts they needed. They were led by Warsong and Bleeding Hollow folks, Grom Hellscream and Kilrogg Deadeye.
[Bennarin]: Orcs got some amazin' names.
[Bennarin]: They are like the opposite of paladin names.
Oranna looks to the right and goes a little pale, before she offers a wobbly sort of smile at Sil. "Aye. One o' th' ones tha'…kept us in here, durin' the Siege. Killrogg Deadeye."
Silvestre nods at Ben with a grin that slides off when he hears Oranna's voice.
Bennarin 's smile also fades, and he casts an apologetic look at Oranna.
[Elohad]: Was he Bleeding Hollow? I feel like he was.
[Silvestre]: Yeah. The Bleeding Hollow. *Sil says almost apologetically.*
Silvestre shrugs. "I am learnin' a bit about the orc clans, just so we recognize 'em when we see 'em. So far, I think we fought some Bleeding Hollow in the south of Hellfire? I don't think I've seen any Shadowmoon or Warsong over there yet."
[Oranna]: He was…th' one who stopped fightin' fer real. Verra….*Oranna's voice wavers and she clears her throat.* Tactical. Drew out th' fight. Smart. In tha' way.
[Silvestre]: The one who decided to do the siege?
[Elohad]: Just as with humans, it seems that some of them are very patient and tactical and some of them are… not.
Bennarin knits his brow.
Oranna shakes her head. "No, took over after…." Oranna looks to the right again. "After Orgrim Doomhammer…left. Fer th' North. They'd been beatin' against our walls, and we were slowin' winnin'. D-deadeye. Stopped tha'."
[Silvestre]: I would guess the guy named Hellscream is not the most patient and tactical, yeah.
Elohad lets out a soft snort.
Silvestre nods at Oranna. "Oh, saw it was not winnin' and went for a different idea. But that ended okay, right? Lord Ference, you and some other people came through and all, and the dwarves and the gnomes and the humans all fought, right?"
Oranna nods, her lips tight, as she tries to force a smile. "Aye."
[Elohad]: Yep. I was with the group that broke the siege. It's how Jo and I met. We passed notes back and forth, she fed my unit information.
Silvestre smiles. "I remember that story, what bits she told me."
Elohad smiles, too.
Silvestre sits back and says, "Alright, so back to the artifacts and the portals and stuff. That was all on the orcs side, but on our side… The Alliance was real nervous this was leadin' up to another invasion. So they took action! King Terenas put together a team to go over and make everybody safe again."
Oranna 's smiles goes a little more genuine at Elo, and she looks back at Sil.
[Silvestre]: We know 'em now as the "Sons of Lothar", named in honor of Anduin Lothar, cause he was the bravest and most selfless person ever.
Bennarin nods solemnly.
Elohad touches a fist to his heart silently.
[Bennarin]: Mr Atley known him.
[Silvestre]: I mean, I have not met all people ever, or even him, but I heard the stories. Seriously? Anduin Lothar? *Sil's eyes are wide*
[Elohad]: We were both there when he died. But… very far apart. Atley and I.
Bennarin nods, proud by association. "S'right. He told me."
Oranna looks at Ben with a bright sort of smile.
[Silvestre]: Wow, that is amazing. Did you and Atley know each other yet?
[Elohad]: We'd met. But I wouldn't say we knew each other.
[Silvestre]: Right, you never know what people are gonna end up being important when you meet 'em. *Sil looks around at the people gathered in HQ with a warm smile*
[Silvestre]: So I guess some of you all know all the Sons, but that's part of the story so I'll go over it and what we know about where they ended up. You all know Archmage Khadgar is over in Shattrath, hangin' out with the Naaru.
Elohad smiles warmly.
Bennarin mutters something about dickheads.
[Silvestre]: Also, there was Danath Trollbane, one of the most respected soldiers out of Stromgarde. And also, you know, a royal, though Stromgarde kinda fell. Maybe it will be back again someday! Anyhow, he's over in Honor Hold, keepin' things together.
Elohad smiles even more warmly.
Bennarin sits up again and nods firmly. Trollbane, awesome dude.
[Silvestre]: Then there's some as we haven't met yet. Kurdran Wildhammer I've not heard anything about, so maybe he's still out there somewhere?
Silvestre looks over at Oranna. "You or Bargrimm heard any news about him from Outland side?"
[Bennarin]: Oh, I remember Mr Atley askin' after him, when we first got there.
Bennarin looks to Oranna also.
[Silvestre]: I mean nobody I heard said he'd died, so he might still be someplace over there.
[Elohad]: I hope he's out there. Amazing fella. I still remember him from the fighting outside Silvermoon.
[Bennarin]: Yeah the fellow said he was.
Oranna shakes her head. "No, but, well. If a Wildhammer doesna wanta be found, or if he's jus' takin' a twenty year breather, he's no' goin' ta be easy ta stumble 'cross."
[Elohad]: Great news!
[Bennarin]: That mage fellow, blond one outside the barracks in Honor Hold. Said he's — uh. In a valley, someplace? Maybe?
Silvestre laughs. "Maybe he's off on a gryphon flyin' around Nagrand or somewhere then."
[Silvestre]: A valley… hm.
Oranna shrugs her shoulders. Sometimes you just take twenty years off in the mountains. It's a thing.
[Elohad]: Fantastic. Hope we can find him one day.
[Silvestre]: Yeah, that'll be cool to meet another hero.
[Elohad]: One of us has to tell him all about Sharpbeak.
[Silvestre]: Oh yeah! I bet we'll be fast friends if we lead with that song.
[Elohad]: Turns out I know the gal who wrote that song? Small world.
[Bennarin]: … oh !@#$, I wonder if I could get 'em — the ones we find — to autograph in my journal? Bet posterity would like the hell out of that.
Elohad grins.
[Silvestre]: Really? That's awesome. It's pretty catchy too.
[Elohad]: Heh heh.
Oranna looks at Elo with a warm grin. "Oh aye? I heard them singin' tha' one up north. Felt verra strange ta recognize wha' they were singin' about."
[Elohad]: Shoulda known it was Chuck.
[Bennarin]: That was the song got Mizz all flustered about bein' famous.
Bennarin laughs.
[Silvestre]: If they want to write songs about the stuff we've been doin' now, I am happy to give details. *Sil chuckles at Ben* And maybe leave Mizzy out, for her sake.
[Silvestre]: Mizterious Priest
Elohad chuckles.
Oranna snorts a little laugh at the name.
[Silvestre]: Maybe she could get like a pen name for being sung about.
[Elohad]: Just don't ask Niris for one or you could end up Abelard.
[Bennarin]: Nothin' wrong with Abelard, sir. With the name, I mean.
[Elohad]: It has lard in it.
Silvestre gives Elohad a puzzled look, and shrugs. "I never heard anyone call you Abelard, sir."
Oranna's chair makes a rumbly sort of complainy cat noise. Oranna sighs, and delves into a nearby pouch for a fish, and holds it out. A shadow eats it and stops making the noise.
[Elohad]: Good.
[Bennarin]: Lot of great things got lard in 'em. Pie crust?
[Elohad]: Speaking of pieholes, maybe we should let the boy talk. *He gestures to Sil.*
Bennarin shuts his piehole.
Elohad grins.
[Silvestre]: Haha, okay, so we still got two Sons of Lothar left to talk about.
[Oranna]: Oh, I think I was prouncin' tha' name wrong. Abelaird.
[Silvestre]: General Turalyon was one of the first paladins of the Silver Hand and Alleria Windrunner was a ranger-captain of Silvermoon.
Elohad 's expression goes very solemn, and he touches his fist to his heart again.
Bennarin sits up gravely. Important Stuff Ahead.
Oranna mutters to herself the name abeLARD a few times as she nods at Sil's recounting.
[Silvestre]: So we do know they had a kid, Arator, who's in Honor Hold looking for them. I did not even know humans and elves could have kids together.
[Bennarin]: Looks like an elf mostly, *Ben adds helpfully.*
[Elohad]: Very rare. Only ever happened with Windrunners that I know of.
[Silvestre]: But the rough thing is he's looking for them 'cause they disappeared through a rift and weren't seen again.
[Elohad]: Those Windrunner girls and their humans…
[Silvestre]: Wait, there's more of 'em in love with humans?
[Elohad]: They — is that so?
Oranna frowns in thought, and looks over at Elo. "Oh, aye?"
[Silvestre]: One of 'em's a banshee, right?
[Elohad]: Oh yeah, all the Windrunner girls. Even that one. She had some ranger boy pet. Human ranger, I think the only one? Or something.
Bennarin raises his eyebrows again.
Silvestre also raises his eyebrows. If only hot elvish kidnappers were Windrunners.
[Elohad]: Anyway, sorry, didn't mean to divert.
Bennarin thinks Sil already failed to take advantage of the hot elvish kidnapping situation, why waste a Windrunner?
[Silvestre]: Okay, so yeah, that's really all we know about where they went. Which is really not much. But Hexera disappeared kinda like that, right? And the Captain's on her trail now. Maybe they're just off somewhere else?
Oranna seems to be seriously considering the words 'ranger boy pet' and wondering exactly how much of a 'pet' that was.
Oranna does not have any answers, so she mutters something about training, and looks over at Sil. "Oh, is tha' th' same then? A sort o' rift?"
[Silvestre]: Maybe? I am not an expert on rifts and stuff. But maybe they're just off in Ethereal world or something, right?
[Elohad]: Hex disappeared through the dark portal. Not a… random rift. She just ended up… where everybody else is. We had no way of knowing that at the time, of course, or even that there was an "everybody else."
[Silvestre]: That doesn't mean they're not out there somewhere, though.
Elohad shrugs morosely.
[Silvestre]: Maybe there's another "everybody else".
[Elohad]: Maybe.
[Bennarin]: Oh, %^&*, I did not think about the Ethereal world. Cos — yeah, the Ethereals come from … some place weird. So maybe that is what happen? Turalyon went to Ethereal world?
Oranna looks thoughtful at that. "Oh, aye…tha's a good point, lad."
[Silvestre]: Maybe? There's got to be other worlds too, 'cause… okay, maybe I ought to get back to the story.
Elohad continues to look glum. Pining for his paladad.
Alaisa says quietly, "There are many other worlds."
[Silvestre]: The Sons of Lothar were super heroic, but they could not stop Ner'zhul from openin' a bunch of portals. And I had Jo make a kind of demonstration of that today, which I hope is pretty and not too sad.
Bennarin glances at Alaisa, intrigued.
Silvestre walks over to the cloth-covered table.
Silvestre pulls the cloth away from the table, revealing what appears to be a solid piece of stone, relatively thin and oblong and wide enough to cover the table.
Elohad bandages his Turalyon-pining soul.
[Bennarin]: Should we come over there? Or should we … stand back?
Bennarin is wary of book club explosions.
[Silvestre]: Oh um, it's not going to explode real big. You can come closer.
[Elohad]: I'll uh, I'll stay here. I'm good.
Alaisa brings her clipboard over.
[Oranna]: Ah, how big is no' real big?
Bennarin moves like halfway across the room and ventures no farther.
Elohad pats the chair next to him and smiles at Oranna.
[Silvestre]: It won't singe your eyebrows if you don't lean real close over it.
Silvestre takes out some kind of a device with several buttons on it, and looks at the crowd nervously.
[Silvestre]: Okay, so this is a one-time thing so you got to watch. But as you all know by now, the portals Ner'zhul opened didn't just lead to new exciting worlds, they tore Draenor apart.
Oranna stands up and walks to Elo. She stays standing so she can see better. "Aye, well. Keep in mind, they do grow back if ye do. Eyebrows, I mean."
Bennarin can't decide whether he should be worried or this is gonna be AWESOME.
Silvestre hits a first button, and there are a series of popping sounds. Flares of green flame erupt from the block of rock, reminiscent of the Dark Portal and of fel fire.
Oranna claps delightedly.
Bennarin 's eyes widen. AWESOME so far.
[Elohad]: Daaaaamn, son.
[Silvestre]: Jo says to point out this ain't fel, it's just some chemical makes the fire green. She said it was copper sulfur or somethin' like that.
[Oranna]: Like a firework, aye.
Silvestre nods. "Like a firework."
[Silvestre]: So this is symbolizing the portals Ner'zhul opened up.
There's a cracking sound as the flames shear the rock into multiple pieces. Some break off, and some crash into each other.
[Elohad]: Ouch.
Alaisa takes a half-step back, riveted by the display.
Oranna makes tiny sort of sound effect noises like peeewww ssppcchhhhh along with it.
Bennarin reacts excitedly to the display.
Silvestre grins at the reception.
[Silvestre]: So I reckon that's more or less what happened to Draenor, and why it's Outland and looks like it does now.
Elohad chuckles at Oranna.
[Silvestre]: There's still a bit more to the story! And more explosions! At this point, Hellscream and Deadeye realized Ner'zhul was really not a man of bright ideas, so they got together all the orcs they could and ran back to Azeroth for safety.
Elohad mutters to himself.
[Silvestre]: Turalyon and Khadgar, on the other hand, wanted to make sure Azeroth stayed safe, so they tried to destroy the Dark Portal from the Outland side. That locked all the Sons of Lothar over in Outland, but it protected us.
Oranna 's eyes dart to the right for a moment, but she forces her attention back to the potential small explosions.
Elohad touches his fist to his heart again at the Sons' sacrifice.
[Silvestre]: And also, I guess the orcs who ran back over.
Elohad grumbles.
[Silvestre]: Ner'zhul and his people, on the other hand, left through one of them other portals. So they might still be out there. Then, according to the book, there was boiling seas and volcanos…
[Bennarin]: Hope they fell right into a boilin' sea on another world.
Silvestre hits a second button, and small gouts of orange flame burst out of the shattered rock at various points.
[Silvestre]: Jo says this one's cal-see-um-cloride. Or somethin' like that. I dunno, she wanted you all to know how the flames were set up, she seemed real pleased with it.
[Elohad]: How did the author know, I wonder, if they got locked on this side of the portal with the rest of us?
[Bennarin]: … oh.
Oranna mutters something about improper volcanic ventilation and techniques, but drops off at the new pretty little explosion.
[Silvestre]: It was in Scholomance, so maybe… they got information somehow?
[Bennarin]: Maybe they was speculatin', past the closin'-the-Dark-Portal part? And that is how come the endin' is kind of wrong?
[Elohad]: That's my thought.
[Silvestre]: Okay, yeah, or maybe they made it all up.
[Oranna]: Aye. Could ha' been jus' a close enough guess.
[Elohad]: Can't write a book without an ending.
[Bennarin]: I mean they could've been there for it all right up till comin' back over here, knowin' what the Sons was gonna try to do, and then just decided how it must've gone.
[Elohad]: Yeah.
[Bennarin]: And figured no one was gonna turn up to argue about it.
[Silvestre]: Yeah, the book says at the end Draenor was destroyed in an apocalyptic explosion. But -now-, we know that ain't true.
[Elohad]: Maybe seas started boiling as they were leaving, or whatever. And they… extrapolated.
Oranna nods at Ben. "Aye."
[Alaisa]: Speculation would have been the best the author could do once the Dark Portal was closed, yes.
[Silvestre]: Yeah, that makes sense.
[Bennarin]: But now we get to argue about it, which is pretty amazin' when you think on it.
[Elohad]: But if you're fleeing a place that seems to be exploding, it's a safe guess that it… exploded.
[Bennarin]: … oh, !@#$, we are posterity!
[Bennarin]: For this, I mean.
[Elohad]: We are.
[Silvestre]: Haha, yes, they wrote this for posterity and we're readin' it!
[Silvestre]: And I think they did get it right, up to a point.
Bennarin looks like this has never occurred to him before. He grins like a doof.
[Elohad]: I am old enough to be my own posterity.
Silvestre walks over to the table, where the fires are dying down, and gesstures at some of the blocks of rock that have melted together.
Oranna looks like she had no idea she was going to be Posterity, but that it makes sense when you think about it.
[Silvestre]: Some bits of it stuck together, right? Like, it's not a proper world anymore, maybe. You can see the edges of it, which is fu— really weird. But I guess world's are more resilient than people think.
[Elohad]: Draenor the Enduring.
[Silvestre]: Exactly! It might just be a fragment of a world, but it's still hangin' on. And the Sons are not dead, and now we've met the Draenei over there and we know the orcs are not the only people over there.
Oranna snort laughs a little at Elo, and tries, very unsuccesfully to suppress it. She looks over at him a little sheepishly.
Elohad winks at her.
Oranna winks back, properly, with just one eye.
Elohad boggles!
Oranna laughs louder and tries to stop, to not interrupt Sil. She's grinning ear to ear.
[Silvestre]: And on account of all them portals Ner'zhul opened, there's all sorts of folks there we never saw before. Sure there's Legion and naga and all, but also allies, maybe. Like the Ethereals, who seem… complicated. But I bet other folks are there too, people we haven't even met yet!
[Elohad]: I'm really glad you shared this, son. There were parts of that story I didn't know. I was so busy with my new baby girl.
[Alaisa]: Baby… girl?
Silvestre beams at the approval.
[Elohad]: Yeah, my daughter was born after the second war. Before the portal reopened and all that.
[Alaisa]: Oh, I-I see.
[Elohad]: From my first marriage.
[Oranna]: Oh, aye, yer young lass.
[Bennarin]: Elly.
[Elohad]: That's right. *He smiles.* Eighteen now and off doing who knows what, having adventures.
Oranna frowns a little in thought. Wait. Are humans allowed to go have adventures at 18? Is that close enough to adult? Does Oranna know? No.
[Silvestre]: I guess that's the end of the book story, but thanks for coming everybody!
Bennarin leans forward to peruse the model more closely, now that no more explosions seem imminent. "Sil, that was amazin'."
[Bennarin]: I mean, as usual.
Oranna claps excitedly for Sil.
[Elohad]: Very nicely done. Thanks for doing this.
[Silvestre]: Thanks, Ben. *Sil grins*
Alaisa gathers her things up from the side table and moves them back to her usual table.
[Oranna]: Still th' best book club I've been ta, an' I can say that more definitively now tha' I've tried two. *Oranna grins warmly at Sil.*
[Silvestre]: I was thinking I could do this a bit more regular. I got all sidetracked, last winter, what with squad and the portal and all that.
[Bennarin]: I mean, this was a hell of a good one.
[Silvestre]: Thanks, Oranna! What was the other one?
Oranna snorts. "I tried one up north. Wanted ta learn a bit more 'bout th' books up there? All they did was argue in a circle about a metaphor o' grass bein' a symbol fer 'yearnin' or 'growth.'" Oranna shrugs.
Alaisa looks down at her notes. "Would you like a transcript of your summary for distribution, Sil?"
[Oranna]: No' e'en one explosion. Just a spilled coffee mug a' one point when it got heated.
Silvestre chuckles at Oranna, "Why not both?"
[Bennarin]: … okay I can see grass bein' a metaphor for growth, but how's it yearnin'? Does grass yearn?
Bennarin frowns.
[Silvestre]: Oh sure, is that what you were writin' over there?
Oranna points at Ben. "Exactly! Who thinks grass yearns?"
Oranna was clearly not on the Yearning Team.
[Silvestre]: For the sun, maybe?
[Alaisa]: Was, um, the grass dehydrated?
Oranna sighs at Sil. "No, dinna get me started. It was bad enough th' first time."
Bennarin nods firmly at Oranna. He will go to this book club next and set those people straight.
Silvestre chuckles again, "Okay, let's just go with growth then."
[Alaisa]: What was the name of the book, Oranna?
Oranna mumbles something about grass doesn't even have feelings and are we even sure it was a metaphor maybe it was just GRASS for the SCENE. She looks over at Alaisa. "Further And Farther Afield by Sheran Coldmountain."
Alaisa nods. She makes a note on her clipboard.
[Oranna]: Wildhammer author. It was a book about gryphons and mountains. It was sort of funny, but I'm no'…sure it was supposed ta be?
[Bennarin]: 'Further an' Farther …' what kind of title is that?
Oranna makes a slight grimace face and blushes. "I-I mean, I'm sure it was…fine?"
[Elohad]: That title is one I would definitely pass over, yes.
Oranna shrugs helplessly. "It was fair long, an' it was somethin' ta read?" Glowing review.
[Bennarin]: It wasn't, like … poetry, was it? *Ben looks wary. Poetry, man. Never know what that %^&*'s up to.*
[Elohad]: I like books with titles like ASSAULT ON SUNSET and THE ROGUE AND THE RAKE.
Oranna looks thoughtful for a moment, and then makes a huh sort of sound. "Ye know. I dinna think it was, but if tha' was wha' she was tryin' fer….it would explain the punctuation. Lot o' commas."
Bennarin nods firmly at Elohad. "Hell yes."
[Silvestre]: Maybe I'll stick to the history ones, for this book club.
Oranna laughs at you.
[Bennarin]: Sir, you read THE SCOUNDREL AN' THE SIRE— uh. Piratey one?
[Elohad]: Yes, no Elanor Steelbloom critiques, please.
[Silvestre]: I dunno what we should read about next. More old Azeroth stuff? Stuff about the Legion?
[Elohad]: Of course I have read it, Bennarin.
Oranna's chair makes another disgrunted cat noise. Oranna sighs, and gestures for Befound. "Just come o'er lass," she says, as she digs for another fish. Befound walks out the shadows for Feesh.
Bennarin is definitely reading a book about pirates, not about scantily-clad sirens and their seafaring scoundrels.
[Elohad]: I was reading Elanor Steelbloom before you were born, Bennarin.
[Elohad]: There is not one Elanor Steelbloom book I have not read.
[Bennarin]: Yessir, 'course you have. 'Course you we- wait, no you wasn't. The math ain't check out there.
Bennarin makes Hazan Eyebrows, Jr. at Elohad.
[Silvestre]: I mean, we could, uh… read Elanor Steelbloom if you all really want?
[Elohad]: Well, you were very small, at least.
[Elohad]: No, no, we will not be discussing Elanor Steelbloom.
Oranna looks up at Sil. "I would like ta read more o' Th' Legion, myself. I still dinna know as much about it as I'd prefer."
[Bennarin]: Oh yeah, the Legion would be good. Also this Betrayer everyone is on about out there. Illidan?
[Elohad]: Yes, I wouldn't mind learning more about the Legion myself. I've taken the Exodar tour, but it really just raised more questions.
[Oranna]: No' a lot o' books on the Legion in th'…th' library here, an' th' Keep is still givin' me stink eyes fer askin' about so many cults.
Elohad chuckles at Oranna.
[Silvestre]: Oh yeah, Illidan Stormrage. So him and the Legion. I'll look around for books!
[Silvestre]: I bet the Draenei have some stashed away.
Oranna looks over at Elo, big pleading sort of eyes on her face. "I swear, Elo, ye ask jus' a few times about cults and how ta build trams an' cities, an' they start actin' like yer thinkin' o' makin' one. I tried ta explain th' tabard is no' th' same thing!"
Elohad sighs at Oranna.
Oranna has definitely tried to explain the difference between matching tabards and matching robes. It was not successful, clearly.
[Elohad]: I suppose I can't blame people for being cautious, but they do not seem to be being cautious about the RIGHT PEOPLE, given last year's shenanigans.
Silvestre nods.
Oranna nods vigorously at Elo. "Righ'? Anyway. I start askin' about Th' Legion, an' I'm fair certain Ivri's brother will ha' ta vouch fer me again. Er, or another brother. One o' them. Tha' I can definitely tell apart."
Oranna cannot tell them apart.
Elohad grins to himself.
You chuckle at Oranna.
[Silvestre]: I think we got a clear reason to ask, now, what with all the stuff goin' on in Outland.
Oranna looks over at Ben curiously. "Aye, an'…who was tha' ye mentioned lad? Illidan?"
[Bennarin]: Illidan the BETRAYer.
[Bennarin]: Elf fellow.
[Silvestre]: Yeah, the night elves hate him.
[Elohad]: That's his job, basically. Betraying. Full time betrayer.
[Bennarin]: Everyone over in Outland is really het up about him.
[Bennarin]: He got his finger in a lot of bad pies.
[Oranna]: Well. With a name like, tha', aye.
[Silvestre]: But somehow still gettin' allies. The blood elves are with him, and some orcs.
[Elohad]: I have bad news for them.
Bennarin laughs.
Silvestre grins. "I don't mind if our enemies get betrayed."
Oranna grins at Elo. She cannot pull of a straight face to save her life as she says, "Is it…tha' he's gonna betray them?"
[Elohad]: If a man is known as Ben the Blacksmith, you don't act all surprised when he makes you some horseshoes.
[Bennarin]: Damn fine horseshoes.
Bennarin nods.
Elohad winks slyly at Bennarin.
Oranna looks over at Ben. She does not seem surprised he could make horseshoes, and she laughs a little. "Oh, aye, an' no' expectin' our Sil here ta ha' loud footsteps."
[Silvestre]: I do sometimes! To not sneak up on people for politeness.
[Elohad]: Or me to give up on anything, ever.
[Bennarin]: … oh, what if I put horseshoes on Sil? *Ben feigns a speculative look.*
Paluuva 's hooves lightly tap on the stone steps as she descends into the Cobalt Company headquarters.
Silvestre smiles at Elohad, and then turns a startled look to Ben.
Bennarin flashes a grin at Sil.
You wave at Paluuva.
[Bennarin]: Oh, hey, ma'am.
Oranna looks at Sil's feet and then looks up at the hoofed Draenei coming in. She looks mildly guilty for absolutely no reason.
Paluuva smiles and inclines her head politely. "Archenon poros, friends."
[Silvestre]: Archenon poros!
Elohad rises as the newcomer enters.
[Elohad]: Archenon poros! I don't think we've met! I'm Elohad Ference.
Oranna clears her throat, and gives Paluuva a little wave. Befound grumbles again. Oranna sighs louder. She turns to wave to the others. "I'm sorry, I really should feed her proper. I'll see ye later."
[Silvestre]: If you uh… came for the book club, we just finished… *he gestures to a large charred and broken rock on the table nearby*
Elohad chuckles.
[Bennarin]: I, uh, hate to meet a lady an' run, but I really got to hightail it down to Stormwind now. Appointment at the Cathedral.
[Silvestre]: Okay, see you later, Oranna!
[Silvestre]: And you, Ben!
Elohad waves goodbye to Bennarin. Farewell!
[Bennarin]: Bye, y'all. Ma'am.
[Paluuva]: Ahh, I feared I might have been too late. I was held up in class at the Exodar.
Bennarin nods respectfully to Paluuva.
[Silvestre]: Class? Teaching or student…ing?
[Elohad]: You speak Common beautifully!
Paluuva smiles at Elohad. "Thank you, Sir Elohad. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Paluuva of Nalador."
Elohad bows before Paluuva.
[Elohad]: So you've heard of me! Glad they didn't all forget.
Elohad grins.
Paluuva chuckles. "They certainly did not…and I have done my research."
[Elohad]: Nice.
Paluuva turns to Silvestre.
[Paluuva]: To answer your question, teaching.
Silvestre nods at Paluuva. "What subject?"
Paluuva exhales slowly, her gaze drifting in thought. "Let me think now. History, cultural studies, mathematics, physical sciences, art, language…and of course we make time for teaching the children about the ways of the Light as well."
[Elohad]: You teach… all those things? Personally?
[Silvestre]: Wow, I can see how you got caught up over there.
[Silvestre]: We were mostly talkin' about Draenor, from like twenty years ago history to now.
Paluuva nods to Elohad. "With help, of course. I am not the only teacher, naturally. And these are merely basic courses for very young children. For more advanced lessons for older students, I tend to focus on history and culture where my specialty is."
Elohad nods, eyes alight with interest.
Paluuva lifts her brow to Sil. "Oh? A pity I missed it."
[Elohad]: It was really something. There were… pyrotechnics. Of a sort.
[Silvestre]: Maybe next time — I bet you'd have a real interesting perspective.
Paluuva blinks rapidly. "Pyrotechnics…? For a book club?"
[Elohad]: It's a… very special sort of book club
Paluuva lets out a hearty chuckle.
Silvestre grins.
[Paluuva]: So it would seem.
Elohad grins wickedly at Paluuva.
[Elohad]: Mr. Silentstep here has a way of making everything special.
Silvestre beams at Elohad. "I try to, anyway."
[Paluuva]: Then I must make a point to attend the next gathering.
[Elohad]: There are usually flyers around HQ here, when there are events. Just swing by now and then and check in! Are you a member of our fine company? I haven't kept up with all the applications since I've been away.
Paluuva nods. "I saw them this time. I truly hoped to be here. I love a meeting of the minds with those who appreciate the written word."
[Paluuva]: I am, Sir Elohad. I joined Cobalt Company several weeks ago.
[Elohad]: Congratulations!
[Paluuva]: Thank you. I am honored to be a part of it.
[Elohad]: Now that my wife and son are safely settled in I expect to be back doing… something, but I have to talk to the Captain about what.
[Paluuva]: My belated congratulations on your nuptials and the birth of your son.
Silvestre grins at Elohad. "We'd be so happy to have you back!"
[Elohad]: Thanks. Feels good to be here.
Silvestre adds to Paluuva. "And it's great we're getting more Draenei in the company, too."
Paluuva smiles. "Perhaps one day I will be teaching him as well."
[Elohad]: What a wonderful thought. Initially Jo stepped up just to cover for me, but she's doing a fantastic job. I'm happy having her run things. At the same time, I do want to have -some- sort of a place here. We'll figure it out.
Paluuva smiles gratefully to Sil's comment about draenei.
[Silvestre]: Yeah, she's not going out with the squads anymore. For a while, she said. But still handling stuff from Telredor.
[Paluuva]: I have no doubt you will find your role.
[Elohad]: Maybe I can… handle stuff on this side? I dunno. We'll talk. I need a better idea of who's doing what, who's happy, who's tired, and so on. Is there any kind of office or HQ on the Outland side?
[Paluuva]: I, myself, worried there might not be a place for someone like me in a mercenary company. But I have come to see that I let my assumptions get the better of me. This company is something special.
Elohad beams at Paluuva.
Silvestre smiles at Paluuva.
[Elohad]: That does my heart good to hear. I knew Jo would keep things true.
[Silvestre]: Not really, yet. Everything over on that side's real crowded.
[Elohad]: Mostly I've only glimpsed some kind of wild areas, a couple of druid outposts.
[Silvestre]: Honor Hold's got the regular demon rains, Shattrath is full of refugees… we haven't found a solid place yet, I don't think.
[Elohad]: Genuinely amazed how fast the druids have set up there.
[Silvestre]: Oh, yeah, we did some work with them. That was before I was squad. But they got Outposts everywhere it seems.
[Paluuva]: Much of Draenor is…unstable now, yes. I can understand why it would be difficult to establish a headquarters there.
[Silvestre]: Do you think people will ever figure out a way to… restabilize it?
[Paluuva]: I suppose that depends what you mean by restabilizing it.
[Elohad]: I don't think anyone has that much power. If we're talking about, putting the pieces back the way it was. But they could find a new balance, with what's left, maybe.
[Silvestre]: Find a way for it to keep hangin' on forever, not fall apart.
[Elohad]: Hm, I don't know. I don't have a good grasp of how bad it is. The parts I saw were… honestly fairly normal.
Paluuva nods solemnly. "Draenor itself…the world…is destroyed. There is no rebuilding it physically. But preventing it further deterioriating…maybe."
[Elohad]: Kicking the demons out would be a start. They bring chaotic energy with them wherever they are.
Paluuva nods. "The social and political situation is far more unstable and a much greater threat, in my opinion."
[Elohad]: You have a point. Those things can melt down much faster than planets.
[Paluuva]: At least…it was headed that direction when we left. I have not returned since then. But I have heard reports confirming my predictions.
[Silvestre]: You get the newsletters, right?
[Elohad]: Shattrath seems to be a peaceful zone, and they're holding to that pretty well. But outside it, it does seem like a mess.
Paluuva nods to Sil. "I do now, yes."
[Paluuva]: Shattrath may seem peaceful…but do not be deceived, Sir Elohad. Nonviolence is not the same thing as peace.
[Elohad]: What's the situation there? I only passed through. I was stunned enough to see orcs and humans and draenei and blood elves all not killing each other.
[Paluuva]: Shattrath has always been a sanctuary for all seeking it. But that comes with many risks. Animosities do not vanish at the gates.
[Elohad]: I imagine not. The sight of an orc still makes my stomach turn.
[Silvestre]: Yeah, I figured it was worse for you all who fought 'em before.
[Elohad]: I can't even imagine what it's like for the draenei.
[Paluuva]: I have been told of the situation with the Aldor and the Scryers…and it worries me. It is a powderkeg.The orcs…
Paluuva sighs softly.
[Paluuva]: Many of my people are undoubtedly disturbed by their presence now.
[Silvestre]: The Aldor and the Scryers… I wish they didn't make us choose sides…
[Elohad]: I don't know about the Aldor and Scryers. Fill me in on that.
[Silvestre]: Two groups in Shattrath, set up on opposite sides of the city. Draenei and blood elves.
[Elohad]: Hmm.
[Silvestre]: When you get there, they ask you to choose who you want to associate with.
[Elohad]: Well, the draenei, obviously, right?
Silvestre looks down at his shoes.
[Silvestre]: I mean, the Scryers got a whole lotta books up in their tier.
[Paluuva]: The Aldor are an ancient order of anchorites. I, myself, am associated with them. Apparently…my order is quite displeased that the Sha'tar have allowed these blood elves into the city.
[Silvestre]: But yeah, Ben and Mizzy are over with the Aldors. If A'dal says they're okay, though, they must be alright?
[Elohad]: The blood elves are Horde, right?
Elohad boggles at Sil.
[Silvestre]: Not… not really these ones. I mean, maybe? But they're the ones who've been over on Draenor for a while. They were all about Sunstrider and Illidan Stormrage, till they defected.
Paluuva nods.
[Elohad]: Huh.
[Silvestre]: I don't even know how up to date they are on Azeroth politics.
[Paluuva]: I do not know all of the details yet. Perhaps…when I return I will learn more.
[Elohad]: I don't - I honestly have no idea of the timeline of the elves, and how they ended up throwing in with the orcs and all. I've been more concerned about learning about the people who chose to ally with us. So I've been reading everything I could find about draenei while I was away, and talking with Vaaria and all. She's uh, kind of one of Nir's healer's, or has been, Before the baby. She's a specialist.
[Silvestre]: I got the Draenor side from Az… a friend I got over there. They went over sometime near the end of the Third War, so they've been gone a while.
Elohad nods at you.
[Silvestre]: She's the one who said Lady Ference was gonna be alright, yeah?
Paluuva muses softly, "Vaaria…"
[Elohad]: I uh, don't want to assume you know her, but… honestly you do seem… a tight knit sort of…
Elohad shifts his weight.
[Elohad]: But yes, she's the one who told us we were having a healthy boy. And she was right!
Paluuva smiles. "It is not an unfair assumption. I know a great many of our people. More of them than I can count have sat at my knee as my pupils."
Elohad smiles at Paluuva.
[Elohad]: Being a teacher must be so rewarding.
Paluuva lights up with a smile of pure joy. "I have no words in any language to describe how right you are."
[Elohad]: I do tend to be right a lot. *He winks.*
Paluuva laughs.
[Paluuva]: I will remember that.
Silvestre looks around. "I guess I better get this cleaned up. Great to see you again Lord Ference, and to meet you, Paluuva."
Elohad bows before you.
Silvestre waves to the other two, and then busies himself trying to figure out how to clean up a hunk of half-burned rock.
[Elohad]: Hey Sil.
[Silvestre]: Yeah?
[Elohad]: Are you gonna tell the nice lady who you are?
[Paluuva]: A pleasure to meet you as well…Sil.
Elohad chuckles at Paluuva.
Paluuva smiles gratefully to Elohad.
[Silvestre]: OH! I… um… yeah, I'm Sil Silentstep. Pleasure to meet you. *Sil makes an elaborate bow*
[Silvestre]: Sorry, the conversation just sort of went from one place to the next, and I didn't think.
Elohad winks slyly at you.
You wave at Paluuva.
Paluuva dips in a graceful curtsey. "It is quite alright."
Paluuva curtsies.