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| Details |
| Author: | Alli |
| Summary: | Almeiria, Florande, Kyris and Niksi head down to Baradin Hold to help the Wardens regain control of some of the outer cell blocks. One could argue that they are bad at prison, but really, who expects Deathwing? ~4400 words. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Florande sits on a crate on a cart, as the team assembles.
Almeiria lurks nearby in shadowform. It's hard to tell her mood.
Kyris approaches, nodding to Florande.
Florande nods back, and then hops down, staying in elf form for now. "Things calm here? When we're ready, we report to Commander Stevens on the south island."
Niksi emerges once again from the depths, gripping some sort of sled-like device with handles. She leaves it on the shore and scurries up to the camp, dripping wet.
Florande waves to Niksi. "Sea-gnome emerges!"
Almeiria steps away from her, in case she decides to shake off the water.
Niksi giggles at Florande.
"Knockfathom," Kyris greets, nodding to her. And Almeiria. "Fey."
"Indeed, I am the most gnautical of gnomes!" Niksi says.
Florande giggles.
"Everyone ready to report in?" Florande asks cheerfully. "We will be helping with the Hold today."
"Aye aye!" Niksi gives a sharp salute.
Kyris fetches his horse.
Florande fetches her frost saber.
The peninsula does seem quieter today — the mages and paladins must have been doing their follow up work in the week previous. The team crosses a rusted metal bridge far over the water below, crossing to the island where Baradin Hold waits. They pass into a rainstorm.
Florande doesn't seem to mind the water at all.
Kyris pulls his hair into a quick twist and tucks it underneath his hood.
Florande smoothly dismounts from her frost saber, which slinks into the shadows, and heads over to the Commander.
"Cobalt Company, reporting in," Florande says with a reasonably practiced salute.
Kyris salutes Commander Stevens smartly. "Sir."
“Cobalts!” Commander Stevens says gruffly. “Glad you’re here. I’ve consulted with Commander Johnson, and it sounds like you have things moving in the right track on the peninsula.”
Florande smiles.
“Now mages are burning out the Darkwood, Farson Hold is in the Warden’s control, and paladins are permanently sending the spirits on their way,” Stevens says, a note of approval in his voice.
"That's great news, sir." Niksi smiles.
Stevens nods, acknowledging Niksi.
“Johnson also mentioned requesting to build a functional lighthouse at the Cape of Lost Hope, to warn ships from the rocks,” Stevens adds, “and to set up a regular patrol to handle the pirate problem.”
"Oh, I bet that would help," Florande says, her ears twitching upwards.
"If you can get the people for it," Almeiria agrees. "It seems as though that has been the problem."
Stevens nods seriously to Almeiria. “We’ll see how that goes over,” Stevens says, with a touch of skepticism, “because you and I both know the navy is stressed as it is, what with the fighting in Kalimdor and the Highlands.”
“Anyway, there are still pockets of Horde here, but they’re on the retreat,” Stevens says. “Keep your eyes out for possible conflict, but you’re mostly here to see if you can help us get the Hold moving in a positive direction.”
Kyris stands like a wet, dripping statue, waiting for their orders.
"By clearing out the demons in it?" Almeiria asks.
"Clearing out the most powerful might be difficult," Stevens says, “What mages have been deployed here are busy bolstering the containment on the central Hold, but the quakes have damaged the outlying cell blocks as well.”
Florande straightens. This sounds like it is moving towards a mission.
“There’s several problem areas that I’d ask you to put back in order,” Stevens says. “First, I’ll send you into the Cursed Depths. This one doesn’t house prisoners anymore. We are honestly not sure what happened there.”
"Oh, good," Almeiria mutters.
"What do we expect to find down there, sir?" Kyris asks.
"Cursed… Depths…" Florande repeats quietly.
“After the cataclysm and the Horde attack, when we finally got the cell block back under control, all that remained were ghosts,” Stevens says. “Well, ghosts and the reanimated skeleton of one of the former prisoners, Archmage Galus."
“That Archmage is a serious problem,” Stevens says, leveling his gaze at the team. “Between him and the ghosts, every force we’ve sent in there has been repelled. That’s where you come in.”
Florande nods. "Cobalt has dealt with ghosts and powerful undead mages before."
“I want you to clear out the ghosts and put down the reanimated Archmage,” Stevens says. “Bring back his staff, just in case it might empower some other wandering spirit.”
Niksi salutes the Commander. "Aye aye, sir!"
"Yessir," Kyris says crisply.
“One more thing,” Stevens says, before we turn to go. “If you find any writings, or prisoner’s journals, can you bring those back? We really do want to find out what happened to the place.”
"Can do, sir." Niksi nods.
Florande nods. "Yes, sir!"
"The prisoners kept journals?" Almeiria asks.
"Yessir," Kyris repeats, and salutes.
"Am I the only one that finds that weird?" Almeiria asks.
Before they head out, Kyris ties his horse up in a place of relative shelter from the rain.
"Maybe these were like… low security prisons?" Florande suggests. "Not the big scary central Hold."
"No," Kyris says. "These were not low-security prisons."
Florande does not answer, because she has turned into a bear.
Almeirie wrinkles her nose at the green blob that attacks them. "That's not a ghost it's an ooze," she says.
"Giving them journals to vent their frustrations might relieve the urge to vent them on guards, or each other," Niksi muses.
Ghosts mill around at the entrance to the block.
Kyris's magical sword cuts through them just as cleanly as it would through flesh.
"This will be my first undead mage," Niksi says. "This should be interesting!"
Florande trundles down the winding staircase into the cell-block as a bear.
Almeiria examines the lanterns, glowing with a blue flame. "A reminder that even the dead light fires?"
"Go for the jaw," Kyris recommends to Niksi, regardless of her height.
Florande looks at the blue flames and gives a whuff of concerned breath.
Niksi nods to Kyris. Her trident makes the task much easier!
Florande's claws and teeth seem fine for slicing through ectoplasm.
"Oh, a ghost with a knife, how cute," Almeiria says, gazing at one of the slain ghosts.
Around one corner of the cell-block stands a much more solid undead creature. The skeleton holds a staff and wears the decayed remnants of mage's robes.
Kyris leaps forward towards the archmage, aiming a kneecap-shattering strike at the back of Archmage Galus's knees.
What if he were more Niksi-sized.
Florande charges in right after him.
Niksi goes for the jaw!
Almeiria targets whatever is left of the creature's mind.
It's unclear how much is left, as the Archmage does not waste any words on the attackers. He falls forward as Kyris strikes his knees, right into the waiting teeth and trident of Florande and Niksi. Archmage Galus is no more.
Florande shakes the bones a little in her teeth, just to make sure.
"Undead mages aren't so tough, it seems." Niksi comments. "At least not this one!"
"One can only hope he was more powerful in life, to earn his title," Almeiria says.
Kyris collects the mage's staff and secures it to his back.
Florande shifts to elvish form. "I think if they intend to be undead, they become more powerful. Maybe he died here, and just was raised."
"Well you would think whoever raised him expected more from him than that," Almeiria says. "A waste of reanimation magic."
Florande nods to Almeiria.
Florande kicks something on the floor, and then looks down in surprise. "Oh! It is a little book. Maybe they did have journals." She picks it up without hesitations and starts to flip through. "It's in Common! Shall I read it?"
Kyris takes up a ready stance, guarding Florande as she reads.
"Please do," Almeiria says.
"I’m out of my cell now, but the quake also sealed the entrance. Some of the other prisoners are free. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, many of the people in here have done far worse than I have." Florande reads slowly. Florande flips the page, scanning over the next words.
"It almost makes one feel sorry for them," Niksi says. "I wonder what they did to end up here."
"I do not know," Florande says. "Some are dangerous and arcane, but some of these ghosts just look like… bandits?"
"I don’t know how long I can write, we only have so many candles. Galus says he was an Archmage, and we should all trust him. I’m not sure I should trust an Archmage that ended up in this prison." Florande continues.
"How long ago was — no, never mind, I suppose something could have eaten them." Almeiria eyes the prison rats.
"Galus can’t get us out, thanks to some kind of magic ward. Are the Wardens even looking for us? I thought I heard voices through the rubble, but I didn’t recognize the language. Something guttural, harsh." Florande reads the next page.
Kyris makes a noise of disgust as an ooze seeps up through the cracks in the floor, and cuts it into pieces.
Florande frowns. "That might be Orcish? Guttural, harsh."
"Or Eredun," Kyris says. "Demonic."
"There is only one page left…" Florande flips to it. "The handwriting is sloppy. Maybe he wrote it in the dark."
"It’s so dark. So cold. I regret everything. If I could go back, I’d never sign on that pirate ship. And if I did, I’d never kill that Warden. If anyone ever finds this, I’m sorry." Florande reads.
"What, that's it? He was in here for one little murder?" Almeiria asks.
"Mmm, that explains it," Niksi says. "Not just bandits. Pirates."
"I guess… if he was on Tol Barad, and they caught him," Florande considers. "It makes sense, they would imprison local criminals in the prison they have."
"Tch." Kyris does not look particularly sympathetic. "Put that somewhere dry, Florande. We should leave before the oozes reconstitute."
"Together with the Archmages…" Florande says, glancing back down the hallway.
Florande nods at Kyris. She wraps it in leather and tucks it in her bag.
"I have a waterproof case if you'd like me to carry it," Niksi says, patting her satchel.
"Oh! Yours is waterproof? Maybe better," Florande takes it out and offers it to Niksi.
Niksi nods, taking the journal. "It's pretty much a requirement of the job."
"I am not waterproof, but I do not mind being wet," Florande says. "But for papers, I can see that's not good."
"It still didn't tell us what got them though, did it? It's rare for a person to reanimate themselves," Almeiria says.
"But then…" Florande considers. "The people on the peninsula, they said it was magic leaking from the Hold. Maybe the same thing happened here."
"Galus's staff, sir," Kyris says, offering it to Commander Stevens. "An enchanter can probably get some good reagents out of that."
"Thank you, Lysander," Stevens says, taking the staff. "I'll get it to the mages."
"Oh! And we found a journal," Florande gestures to Niksi.
Kyris nods.
Stevens turns to Niksi with interest.
Niksi unlatches her case with a little 'pop' as the airtight seal breaks, and she takes out the journal to hand over.
"Thank you, let's see what happened in there…" Stevens quickly reads through the few legible pages.
Commander Stevens lowers his head sadly. “It sounds like they were blocked in by an earthquake, back when the Horde came in control for a time. The orcs wouldn’t have known they were even there.”
“Someone cleared the entrance, it seems, but too late,” Commander Stevens sighs. “They were all dangerous criminals, but this was not an intended punishment. This was just a tragic accident.”
Florande nods, a little sadly.
Almeiria keeps her opinion on what is and is not dangerous to herself.
“Well, I suppose we’ll need to see that the ghosts don’t re-form, but that’s not a task for you. Next, I’d ask you to consult with 2nd Lieutenant Wansworth, about D-block,” Commander Stevens gestures.
Florande salutes, and then heads over to the Lieutenant.
Kyris salutes and follows Florande.
“Cobalts, well met,” Lieutenant Wansworth says. “D-block is my responsibility and… I need help. It was a cell block where we had many demons imprisoned. And, well, they broke out in the chaos and took over.”
"So that's where the demons came from." Niksi nods, rubbing her chin.
Florande raises her long eyebrows. "I'm afraid so," Wansworth confirms.
Kyris scoffs.
Almeiria drops her shadowform just to stare very pointedly at the Lieutenant.
“I’ve sent people in to clear them out, but they seem to keep coming back,” Wansworth says in frustration. “I think I’ve found the problem – their spirits, or whatever it is demons have, are connected to the shackles that once bound them.” Wansworth sort of avoids Almeiria's gaze. He's embarrassed.
When it seems like he's had enough, Almeiria calls her shadowform back up.
“That’s what I want you to try this time – clear out the demons, and bring the shackles back to me,” Wansworth says. “I’ll have the mages ensure they’re properly destroyed.”
“Oh, and while you’re in there, a core hound by the name of Svarnos also roams the cell-block,” Farnsworth adds. “He was never shackled, exactly, so… when you kill him, bring back his collar. Just in case.”
"That's the problem with these prisons, isn't it? Why imprison them at all if you'll just have to kill them later?" Almeiria sighs.
"I guess they thought they could…" Florande frowns. "No, I don't know why you would not just kill demons."
"It wasn't my decision," Wansworth says, a flush creeping up his neck. "But you have a good point. I'll pass on your complaints."
"A Deathwing-induced cataclysm isn't the sort of thing one can prepare for when building a prison," Niksi says.
Kyris looks at Florande. "Because then they return to the Twisting Nether," he says like that should be obvious.
"Imagine attempting to jail every demon," Almeiria says.
"Oh, really?" Florande asks. "So they're like elementals."
Kyris nods. "Precisely. And then they just manifest again."
"That would be a very big prison," Wansworth nods.
"It's simply not realistic," Almeiria says. "Besides, they can't come back immediately. Unless you bind them to shackles for… some reason."
"So you imprison them to keep them away forever, only then angry Aspects erupt from the earth and…" Florande makes a kind of explosion sound.
Wansworth shrugs. "That would've been the work of… wow, probably the last generation of Wardens. I do wish they kept better documentation."
"We can deal with it now," Florande says firmly.
Kyris salutes Wansworth and follows Florande.
There are demons roaming around outside of the cell block already.
"Imps, really? They're jailing imps?" Almeiria shakes her head.
"Is that bad?" Florande asks.
Kyris looks similarly unimpressed.
"It's pathetic," Almeiria says.
"Yeah. Shocking how people do things you wouldn't do," Niksi says, rolling her eyes.
"Imps are the weakest of the Burning Legion's forces," Kyris explains.
"Oh, so you mean… making this big mage prison fortress… they should be spending their time imprisoning meaner demons?" Florande asks.
"If they're bothering to do it at all," Almeiria says.
"Never underestimate the little guy," Niksi smirks.
"Who would you imprison in a magic fortress, then?" Florande asks. "If not demons."
"I would prioritize imprisoning demons who have gained access to military intelligence," Kyris says. "That way they cannot return to the Twisting Nether and share that information with their peers."
"That is smart," Florande says. "You have good ideas about strategy and stuff."
"Better than these Wardens," Almeiria agrees.
"Unrealistic ideas," Niksi comments. "Even if you could tell which demons had such intelligence, there's no way to know for sure that they haven't already shared it with other demons here."
"Who would you imprison, Niksi?" Florande asks.
Florande turns into a bear for the moment, heading down into the cell-block, but she glances at Niksi to show she's still listening.
"Every demon we're able to," Niksi says. "It seems to me the wardens are doing the best thing possible in an impossible situation."
Kyris goes quiet as they enter D-Block, which is full of demons for them to kill.
"Oh, yes, so when another, unrelated disaster inevitably strikes, we can be overrun all at once with all the demons we failed to keep imprisoned," Almeiria mutters.
An imp starts laughing mockingly at them.
Florande makes a kind of growly sound, but she is a bear. Florande growls louder, and tilts her muzzle towards a core hound ahead.
"Statistically speaking, the chances of such disasters are so far from inevitable as to be inconsequential," Niksi explains.
Kyris beheads the imp.
Florande shifts back briefly to elf form to say, "Svarnos ahead."
The giant two-headed dog-like creature glows with fel fire.
Soon, it is dead, and its collar is taken.
Almeiria looks around at the rotting meat on the ground. "What was it eating?"
Florande shifts back to elf. "Maybe other demons? They eat each other?"
"Crocolisks, perhaps," Kyris says dismissively. "They were outside."
"If I could improve on the current situation, my thought would be to diversify," Niksi considers. "Build many more, smaller prisons rather than relying on singular, large ones. That would further mitigate any cataclysm-related risks."
"Of course, such a plan is a logistical nightmare…" Niksi drifts off into thought.
Florande nods at Niksi. "You have good ideas too!"
Niksi blinks out of her musings and smiles at Florande. "Of course!"
Florande smiles back.
"I think in general, if we could get rid of demons, it would be good," Florande says. "They made me not immortal."
Niksi nods, "On that, I think we all agree."
"I was… fifteen," Florande says, pausing to turn into a bear and maul a demon.
Kyris collects shackles. They're starting to weigh him down somewhat.
Florande just mauls demons.
Eventually, they end up back at the entrance. "That is all of them?" Florande asks.
"That I saw." Kyris follows Florande out.
On their way back to the central camp, Florande pauses. "I smell something not good… let's go investigate."
Kyris scowls. He is carrying a lot of heavy shackles and it is raining. He follows Florande.
"Ilanya was sent this way, I believe," Almeiria says, glancing around the abandoned Slagworks. There are bodies of both Alliance and Horde present, strewn over the garrison.
"Oh, no," Florande says, looking over the dead. "We must… look for her."
From the state of the bodies, the skirmish seems to have taken place several weeks ago. The smell is not good.
Kyris grimaces, looking around the battlefield. "How has this not been reported?"
"Maybe no one survived," Florande says in a small voice. "They are trying to get all the island under control, and there is so much…"
"Was there anyone left to do the report?" Almeiria is probably scowling beneath her shadowform.
"Do you see your Ilanya?" Florande asks.
"Scouts and patrols should be—" Kyris makes a noise of frustration.
"We can take a count, I suppose…" Almeiria says, and begins counting bodies.
Kyris does not remove dog tags this time. He starts patrolling, looking for Horde ambushers.
"Six Alliance… twelve Horde? Possible surprise attack," Almeiria says eventually.
"We will report this," Florande says.
"Their bodies can be recovered and sent home," Kyris says, nodding.
There are no more Horde ambushers present, at least.
"And none of them was your friend?" Florande asks again.
"I did not see Ilanya. Unless a Forsaken ate her." Almeiria shrugs.
Florande gasps. "I hope not."
Kyris goes directly to Commander Stevens to report, "Slagworks is unsecured, sir. Six dead Alliance, twelve Horde."
Commander Stevens says something foul enough that I would not repeat it here. "Thank you for the report, Lysander. How this slipped through the cracks…"
"They've been dead too long for resurrection," Kyris reports. He sounds angry. "But their bodies can be recovered."
Stevens takes a breath. "Incompetence somewhere in the lines or treachery, but I will find out which. In the meantime, I'll send forces to secure the area and recover the dead."
"Do check for more holdouts," Almeiria says. "We looked around, but you will surely do a more thorough search." Surely.
Stevens nods. "And thanks to you, we'll have a few more cells ready, in case we find any."
Florande tilts her head — she may not have considered that use for the cleared out cell-blocks.
Stevens turns to start giving orders.
Kyris salutes Commander Stevens and turns to go report to Wansworth. Which involves dumping a bunch of shackles at the man's feet.
Florande heads over to 2nd Lieutenant Wansworth.
"We have killed the core hound, and the other demons," Florande reports. "And we brought…" she looks over to Kyris.
"I hope you are very aware of how much time you have before the demons return to their shackles," Almeiria says. "I would hate to have to clean them up again."
Kyris gestures to the pile of shackles with an irritated look.
"Yes, have no fear on that count," Wansworth says. "We've cleared them enough times we know how quickly they return. I'll get these to the mages immediately, to see to their destruction."
Kyris nods.
"In the meantime, you can check with Marshal Fallows," Wansworth says. "He was in charge of the last lost cell block."
Florande salutes, and then turns to the Marshal.
“Cobalts, good to have you,” Marshal Fallows says. “I’d like to send you into the block we’re calling The Hole. We have a less magical problem there – rebellion.”
"From your Wardens?" Kyris asks, narrowing his eyes.
“Exactly. One of ours, Warden Silva, has gone rogue and taken over the cell block with the prisoners,” Fallows says, a touch of incredulity in his voice. “They’ve been holding out against us since we retook the island.”
"Did you make them mad, or did something else make them mad?" Almeiria asks.
"It could be either, these days," Fallows wipes a hand across his face. "All I know is Silva's turned on us, for one reason or another."
“We can’t just leave them, because that block claims access to both a bank of food supplies and the island’s only freshwater source,” Fallows says, wincing. “They could hold out indefinitely, and our people need those supplies.”
"Wait, you store your food and water in a prison?" Almeiria asks.
"Have you ever heard of something called inertia?" Fallows asks. "Sometimes people do a thing because it's the way it's always been done, and all of us inherited all these ways. In any case, we can’t control where the freshwater spring is."
“Anyway, I want you to slay Warden Silva and bring us his keys,” Fallows continues, “That will allow us deeper in the block to secure the water source. Also, pick up any rations you come across, and slay any prisoners that fight against you.”
Florande salutes. "Yes, sir."
Kyris salutes and follows Florande.
"They do seem to have a problem with traitors," Florande observes.
Some of the rebel prisoners are hard at work with mining picks at the entrance to the cell-block.
"What are they mining?" Almeiria asks.
Florande looks over, curiously. She has no idea.
"Might be stone to fortify the place," Niksi opines.
Kyris carries out his orders with cold efficiency.
Florande does not hesitate to fight the rebelling prisoners. "I can see why Stevens thought treachery," Florande says quietly.
It is not just Warden Silva who has sided with the prisoners - there are more wardens present.
Florande looks around the sturdy, clean walls. "This place is in better repair than the others, too."
"Still the blue fire, though," Almeiria says, observing the blue as well as the normal orange flames.
"I wonder if that is a Warden mage thing," Florande says, looking at the flame.
Niksi shrugs, "It might just be the oil they're using."
Warden Silva waits at the end of a hallway, in a kind of office area, with bookcases and chairs. Looking more closely, the room might also be used for sentencing. Lives of chairs face an empty central area.
"Oh and there are books in here," Almeiria says as they arrive where Warden Silva is holding out.
Florande, already now a bear, whuffs and nods.
The Warden Silva attacks with a club.
Very soon, Warden Silva is no more.
Kyris takes the keys from the dead Warden's body.
"This place is secure now," Florande says, "Once they send in good Wardens. In case they need a place for more prisoners."
Florande salutes Marshal Fallows when they return.
Kyris passes off the keys to Marshal Fallows.
"We have slain Warden Silva and many of the rebels," Florande reports.
Marshal Fallows takes the keys gratefully. “Thanks Cobalts,” Fallows nods. “This will really help the Wardens to secure their hold on the island.”
"I think that comes to the end of the work for today," Fallows continues. "I'm sure Stevens will call on you if more assistance is needed."
Florande salutes. "Happy to help, sir!"
"They were mining ominously," Almeiria says. "If I were you, I would make sure none of them were trying to tunnel under the main Hold."
Kyris salutes and looks to see if Stevens has anything else for them.
"Mining ominously," Fallows says, raising an eyebrow. "I'll have a look at that. We can't have someone undermining the main Hold, it's far too dangerous. The consequences would be far-reaching, not just local."
Florande nods, and steps back.
"I am glad I was able to work with you all again today," Florande says to the other three. "I think… we have made things much safer here."
Kyris grunts.
Florande does not seem discouraged by his lack of optimism. Maybe she's used to it by now.
"I plan to stay, conduct an independent search for Ilanya. She may even be alive somewhere," Almeiria says. "Good luck with your future endeavors, I suppose."
"Do you need backup?" Kyris offers, looking at Almeiria.
Nikis gives everyone a thumbs-up. "Look after yourselves. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the ocean!"
"I wouldn't decline," Almeiria says.
"You too," Florande says. "And if you need me to help, let me know as well. But for right now, I need to get back to Stormwind."
"I'll accompany you, then," Kyris says to Almeiria.
The team splits up to go their various ways.