Conquest of the Horde

Through the dense forest of Ashenvale, silver hairs of moonlight thread between the openings braiding themselves into thick beams cutting through the darkness. Soft footfalls are heard and panting, the source of the voices pushes away ferns and branches looking behind them. The growling of Nightsabers call to them as the slightest rustle of leaves can be heard high above the trees as if something bigger than a bird is landing on a branch parallel to the running party. Sweat beads on the surface of their skin as the hairs of moonlight illuminate them. Humans, terrified humans running for their lives as blood trails from them dripping on the path.

An arrow soars from the leaves into the calf of a human. He screams and collapses. The others know better not to stop running, but one of the runners looks back to see the large warrior groaning in the middle of the path. His body slumped over leaking red fluid from his leg, he appears in the middle of a cone of moonlight; as if a divine spotlight was on him only. Seconds later a tall female sillouette jumps from above landing beside the human, her features indistinguishable besides her well developed shape and her long turquoise hair. She pulls a glaive out and stabs the human in the back. He screams to the others as they continue running. He screams and twitches by the movement then falls limp as she severs his spine. She looks to the others running, silver eyes burning ferociously. She jumps disappearing into the forest, idle leaves slowly rock to the ground.

The female closes her eyes shaking her head as she turns back to look into the direction she was running in. Her companion appears to be a mage as well both donned in purple robes, novice magi curious on Elven history. Warm tears flow down her face as she looks ahead, the other mage running with her stops. "I'm going to summon a portal. Turn invisible until I'm d-" An arrow punctures his neck and remains firm, as he's cut off. His eyes roll back as he gurgles blood over his hands clutching the arrow in his neck. He looks to the blonde horrified, he falls back convulsing. She turns up from where the arrow was coming from. Two silver eyes greet her high above in a nest of leaves before disappearing.

She backs up slowly as the back of her head bumps into something soft. She turns around as a tall elf female looks down to her angrily. She takes a step back as she hears the sound of wind flowing through linen sheets, as two more elven females appear behind her blocking her exit. Slow leaves glide to the ground as more hairs of moonlight fall to the path. "W-why are you doing this?! We-" She swallows excess saliva. "We're Allies!" The elves surround the small human, despite their surreal beauty they are all armed with some weapon and half covered in Kaldorei garb. One of the elves with light blue hair turns to the human smiling. Her lover's blood speckled on the elf's tattooed face, she tilts her head "It is the will of Elune, the arcane corrupts. It almost ended our world." She says nodding. The other elves remain silent. "No.. Not arcane, the search for power." Another elf with green hair shakes her head, a snarl growing on her face. "As long as arcane is practiced, the threat will always remain." The young human blinks looking to them confused. "So what?" She chuckles nervously. "You would have to kill -every- mag-" She's cut off as a blade sinks into her gut, it rises up slowly before hitting her ribs. Her intestines spill out quickly sloshing to her feet. "Exactly." The leader with violet hair says closely as she leans closer to the human's quivering body. She prays to Elune in Darnassian softly in the ear of the human as the mage looses the strength to support herself, the body slides off the knife unto the ground.

Lunacy

Lunacy:

intermittent insanity once believed to be related to phases of the moon

The moon was full glazing Darnassus in white light. The Kaldorei were all tending to usual business save for one elf preparing to head out for the evening. She applied her leather slowly, looking around the room marinating in its memories. She planned to be away for a long time, her white hair always seemed to glow in the full moonlight a quality that made it hard for her to hide in the shadows at times. She tied her hair up and headed for the doorway. The crickets and other animals called out as the elf was greeted by another outside her dwelling. "Chione, Where are you going?"

"For a hunt." She replied sternly, walking past the elf. Her visitor turned around watching Chione walk away. "Hmm." The elf's steps were hastened yet she tried to appear calm. She knew something was wrong and she had to check it out. After she left the city her walk became a jog that eventually turned into a full on sprint. Chione placed two fingers in her mouth whistling sharply, after moments a Nightsaber was by her side, she hopped on its back and rode on. What felt like hours of riding was abruptly stopped by a dead human body in the path. An arrow standing from his leg, and his spine severed. Chione rolled off the beast crouching low to the ground. She clicked her tongue as the tiger snorted, stopping and staying alert. She observed the human, with a stoic expression patted his body removing a satchel of coins. She slowly stood up looking around, all was quiet she knew she was alone. The moon's light boldly shining. She walked slowly to a pair of bodies further down the path.

One male, one female, both humans and both in purple robes. The human had an arrow coming from his neck, the blonde's insides were laid out beside her. Insects in the forest began feasting, she looked both ways before crouching beside the blonde. She patted down the blonde and heard wheezing as her finger's touched a book on the blonde's body. The Nightsaber growled approaching them, she turned extending a palm, barking a command in Darnassian to stop. Chione's gaze went from the tiger to the human he had tears running down his face. He couldn't move and was breathing shallow. "What happened?" Chione asks, her ears flicking to the sounds of the insects and night life around her. "Other elves..." He coughs, blood ran from his lips as he sputtered. "after magi..." he winces. "Leaving...Ashen-..." he twitches and stops speaking, his eyes still open staring at her from the beyond. She stands up. She exhales and walks to the Nightsaber. She speaks to it in Darnassian, they ride off.

Lunacy: Tears of the Moon

Loonies: Foolish or crazy people; Insane

Another life time ago, they were all fooled, persuaded by the power of arcane. A lesson they learned at a great cost, even those Highborne living among the world could never return to Darnassus. The Quel'dorei and Sin'dorei had evolved, morphed by arcane. It even appeared the Sin'dorei had become addicted to the power and even used the energies that almost ended the world years ago. A pity if their fate would only be their own. But their mistake could end up costing the world it's existence just as the mistakes of the Kaldorei almost did in the past. For some they atoned for their losses, working diligently through their shame. Others became bitter and resentful. This hatred boiled and festered over the years, spreading through some of the elves as they hid away for many centuries protecting their forests. As the human nations began picking up the skill from the Quel'dorei elves in the forests gritted their teeth. The foundation for their hatred growing stronger.

It wasn't until their ultimate sacrifice, giving up their immortality that some of the elves would stand for this insult no more. Far into the depths of the forest a group of Kaldorei stood in the rain, glowing eyes unwavering during the downpour. The elves are armed as if preparing for battle, three elves stood in front of them in the rain, one with Violet hair, one with dark green hair, and the other with turquoise. Two of the three elves stood tall like sentinels, the Green haired Kaldorei watching the others with a scowl, the turquoise elf watching with a smile as if proud of her fellow Kaldorei. The elf with violet hair paced back in forth. "They call us allies, yet they openly practice, arcane -and- demonology." She shakes her head as the rain falls, she makes eye contact with the other elves. "Do they care? How many of our kind will have to die before they realize the error of their ways. They ignore us, even think...It couldn't happen to them. The arrogance of these creatures, their lifespans too short to see the bigger picture. -We- protect this land as we always have. -We- make sure balance is kept." The others chant in unison. "Although..." She sighs. "We've failed before...Its why we must never forget our mistake, or let others make the same." She looks up to the rain as the water falls over her cheeks and runs down to her chin, and dripping off her long hair. "...You see, she loves us. The Moon Goddess mourns our pain..." She says as if in physical pain, crippled by emotional hurt. "Bathe in her tears my sisters, for our Goddess will not have reason to after we finish our conquest." The elves raise their blades. "Kill them all..." The violet haired elf says coldly. The elf with green hair licks her lips as she takes a deep breathe from excitement.

Lunacy: Lunar Phases

Lunar: of, relating to, or resembling the moon

The visions haunt the druid so lucidly he flinches and turns away, his moonlit hair swaying over his lavender skin. His sharp senses striking memory far stronger then sight, the smell of the burning forests, flesh and a medley of screams he will never forget. So quickly after they were awoken they were thrust into battle, the orcs had come beating drums and knocking down trees. The druids spread out as the two races clashed under the canopy of leaves. The taint of demons stung as they advanced in the forest, the taste of fel in the air was putrid. Eventually the demons were fought back, and the Orcs to a reasonable stand still but the nightmares out side of the dream were never easy to sleep with.

That was all behind him although it never felt that way, he sat with two elven huntresses around a camp fire. The light danced off of their faces and the area, the wind had been still for most of the day but slowly began to pick up. They were looking for his sister Chione who had left Ashenvale without word, as her younger brother he felt inclined to search despite their vast age difference. Bone wind chimes which hung from the tents and surrounding branches began to stir as the wildlife became more active. They were not alone. The young elf grabbed a dagger and its wooden scabbard which fit identical with the hilt and wore it like a necklace with the help of a vine. He nodded to the huntresses around him as flaming arrows began to rain down on their camp as four Orc raiders attacked riding worgs.

The elf dropped his staff morphing slowly into a sabre-toothed panther pouncing on one of the orc riders taking him to the ground, fire from the arrows begin spreading over the tents and supplies illuminating the area in an orange hue. One huntress was impaled after she let an arrow fly into the neck of an orc, she fell limp over the blade leaking to the ground below. The muzzle of the panther was matted with blood as it growled within the light of the erratic fire. The remaining huntress jumped after the orc who killed her sister sinking her blades hilt deep into green flesh. She snarled before being knocked back into the fire, her screams of revenge quickly turned to agony as she burned alive. "...Xenodiiir!!" The elf screamed as the panther transformed back into an elven form, standing in the middle of the burning campsite. Quickly he reaches for a wooden cylinder hanging from his neck a foot and a half long, he withdraws a blade and impales the remaining orc slashing upwards.

The orc howled as his blood splattered onto Xenodir's face, running down the contours of his cheeks. He stood there in shock surrounded by the burning worgs, orcs and elves reminding him of the smells and screams of that day. He didn't want to leave the forest, but needed to find his sister. He couldn't bring himself to move until one of the flames licked his palm. He shrunk down shrouding himself in green light and taking flight as a bird dripping dark feathers to the fire below.

Lunacy: Shards of the Moon

Lunacy:
intermittent insanity once believed to be related to phases of the moon

After the dragon ravaged the lands of Azeroth, its people were all in disarray. Nature and the elements themselves rejected the change throwing much of the world into chaos. It was in this hour the Highborne had returned to assist their people, and to spread their knowledge of arcane. This infuriated the sisters and those loyal to them, they left Ashenvale shortly after heading for the jungles of Feralas to the south. For a moment this halted Chione's search for them, she was originally highborne herself. She reminisced about mutual friends with acquaintances she had long forgot about. Hollow memories kissed her brain, but the warmth was fleeting and faint. She had expected to find her brother, but he had left years ago to search after her. She felt alone, she figured she would have everything she wanted. She no longer had to bear the shame and the guilt of the past silently by herself, she could resume her arcane practices openly, the killings had stopped, yet her brother was missing.


A Kaldorei with turquoise hair darted through the ferns of the Jungle barely rustling the large leaves with her movement. She was hunting something very large, her focus undisturbed as she closed in on her prey. She was definitely the 'friendliest' of her sisters, her emotional disposition gave her the nurturing role of the trio. She enjoyed the wild life, and wished to see to its preservation personally. She enjoyed life just as much as she enjoyed taking it from arcanists and those in their way. Her uncontrollable giggling caused by driving a blade upward through an abdomen let her victim know she was quite disturbed. "May the Moon Goddess watch over you." She whispered into the ear of the human mage. She kept her hand firm as the warm blood slowly began to cool down, small pumps of blood pouring over her fist became weaker. Her giggling had brought tears down her cheeks, she stared to the moon through blurred vision. She turned her wrist, as the body slid off the blade, and slumped to the ground. She looked down when she heard the human's dying shallow breaths. They had killed many arcanists, ever since the rally a few years ago. After the second sundering the trio decided to lay low with their sisters preparing for their return.

They decided to use the lesser races to their advantage, but did not wish mingle with them personally. However there were always exceptions to the rules. The trio only truly trusted one another, but they were also aware of who was truly loyal to them. A pack of worgen infatuated with the elves' power and beauty were also warped by their own
ties to the moon. Two worgen from the pack had left, they were brothers and this began to concern the three sisters. They had found out something the Highborne had created long ago, and wanted them destroyed. The younger brother didn't matter, but the older brother was among the best in the pack. He was a valuable tool, and was being sought after. The elf finally calmed her mad giggling and stepped over the mage's body.

It was dawn by the time she finished sending off the message to 'Release the hounds'. The messager would arrive in a few days, updating the remaining worgen on the current situation. The three sisters and their followers had other plans that needed their focus and attention. It had begun, and she was late. She decided to pick up her pace forcing herself to ignore the trees and flowers as she darted back to their den. After a few moments she realized she was being followed. She stopped abruptly, as another Kaldorei walked out in front of her. "....You.." She said cautiously.

Lunacy: Darkside of the Moon

Lunar Eclipse: An eclipse in which the moon appears darkened as it passes into the world's shadow.

The elf walked back an forth silently, save for the clicking of her boot heels on the stone floor. An idle breeze stirred her hair and the torch light, which caused her shadow to waver a bit. On a table before her displayed a row of crystal skulls from different races; Tauren, Troll, Human, and gnome. As the elf continued, her sisters remained kneeling down a few steps from the elevated platform that staged the pacing violet haired elf, and the four artifacts. "This family is getting in the way....Five of the remaining skulls are associated with them. We must find the one that belongs to our people. Then we rid the world of the rest, along with their accursed arcane..." With this her pacing stopped, she turned to her sisters grinning darkly. Bags and dark rings had started spreading from her glowing eyes. Her sisters noticed this but said nothing. Finally the elf with turquoise hair spoke up, "I have captured one of their elders, a Death Knight. I believe he knows a lot about the skulls, and the family." She said while she began to stand.

".....And I killed his son." An green haired elf appeared behind the two sisters, facing the third violet haired elf directly. The air twisted and popped by his sudden appearance, blinking from the shadows. He stood idly as arcane crackled over his body. "Your information was wrong, he didn't have the skull. His brother does." The green haired elf's hair was pulled back into a ponytail and the round glasses he wore reflected the torch light as if he wore two small full moons over his eyes. His expression remained smug and indifferent. "You have a lot of nerve using your cursed magics here, elder." He responded with a calming hand gester as if trying to coerce an audience to sit down. "Yes...Yes, I know you three loathe the Highborne. But you need my assistance, so I trust you will have a bit of self control despite what I do. The Kaldorei you're looking for is named, Therai Nightglade. unique philosophy, seems formidable and has allies. I have never met her myself so I am unsure how she will respond. The Quel'dorei skull, is in the posession of a Sin'dorei named..." The elf reached into his satchel removing a few sheets of parchment. The sisters all observed him curiously in the dim flickering light. "...Thalion Novalight. Yes. I saw him for a moment. He and another Novalight made short work of a few of her elves." He said pointing to the elf with turquoise hair. "Kapre, is the Draenei that has that artifact, and has a Novalight with him as well. Thalion's sister, Xanthe. This does not seem to be a coincidence. The Dwarven skull, like the human skull was aquired by the family. I don't know where it is. I believe at least one of them is connected to the same group the Highborne started to protect these in the first place. I also believe that is how the troll acquired his." He paused for a moment, to skim the text he had written on the parchment, when the sister with dark green hair asked a question severing the momentary silence. ".....What group?"

He slowly looked up to her, the glasses appearing as glowing voids covering his sockets. "....My mother was of the original 'courts'. As we are the children of the stars, this group of Highborne responsible for original two artifacts refered to themselves as the Kings of the Cosmos. Pretenious a bit?" He chuckles softly. "But they watched both civilizations grow after the Sundering in secret and created the artifacts, Therai Nightglade, and Thalion Novalight have now. Over time the others were made. Ten in all, nine from selected sentient races, and one usuable by any conscious being. It was the first one, and the rarest. It may be destoryed already."

"I've been keeping an eye on the Noble House Alexi has been sniffing around. The Thelwinds....If he disappears, I am sure he will be going there. The troll seems trusting us, because of you.." The dark-green haired sister says speaking candidly to the male. "I have ways to influence others. There is also another one....An Orc named...Maku Bonethunder. I believe he trained the Sin'dorei I killed. So he will be difficult to take down. It is best to kill him. However most of these people will be difficult to take down for the average soldier at your disposal and they also have allies on that level. Are you sure you want to do this?" The violet haired elf cradled the top of her head with her thin fingertips, submerging them between the valleys of her wavy hair. She shook her head, before looking to the male elf.

"Yes.... This is what she wants us to do. I hear her whispers clearly."

"Hear who clearly?"

"Elune..."

"Are you sure it is Elune?"

"What? Of course."

The turquoise-haired elf smiled, speaking softly. "We all hear her." He looked at them for a few moments before proceeding. "I suggest we begin making our move then, if we wait a few weeks I can have a serious number of qual-" The sister with dark green hair cut him off raising her hand commanding silence from her elder. Both of her sisters watched her surprised as she walked towards the Highborne male. "No...This is what Elune requires of us, we are not in the position to chose when to follow her orders. It is time we purge those against us. The Novalights, The Thelwinds, The Sunfires, all those in our way. In -her- way."

================= ==================

The small pitter pat or scurrying rats could be heard over the monotonous dripping of stale water. The air was stale and filled with the aroma of death, the kaldorei guards patrolled silently, without destraction. Moaning of dying and starving prisoners randomly called out throughout the night, something the death knight was already used to. His weapons had all be confiscated, they had left him in rags, chained in a cell like an animal. He was visited three times a day, asked about his family and the skulls while being tortured with light. If he could free his wrist he could make a rune to summon a weapon. But that would take a long time undisturbed. And with three visits it was impossible. After a battle with his superior officer, he was taken while beaten unable to defend himself. He worried for his family...and his daughter Alteryia who had been dealing with these elves under cover. He knew if he got his weapon fighting his way out would probably lead to his final death. If he left as soon as he could he wouldn't have the location of this place. So he decided to wait for an opportunity. The days had blended so well he hadn't remembered how long he was gone. He decided to find a way to break his hand, and pull it through the cuffs. Before he began he heard a thump, like the dropping of a body. It was followed by a few quick steps, and a slash, then a gurgle and another body drop. After moments the halls beyond his cage flashed with bright light, before darkening once more. A body flew passed his cage as a white-haired kaldorei casually walked towards him clutching an intense pulsing ball of arcane. Her long hair was pulled back in a braid, she was covered in sweat, soot and speckled blood. The death knight opened his mouth begining to speak echoed words.

"Who are you?"

".....My name is Chione, I'm going to get you out of he-"

"We don't have time for that, I can get out of here myself. If you want to help me
and take down these sisters, There is another way..."

"....Tell me."

"Look for these people: Sin'dorei Noble Matron, Reigen Sunfire. Sin'dorei Ebon Blade Dread Commander Itheros Blackheart, and Sin'dorei Noble Leader, Thalion Novalight. Tell them about this place. Whatever you know..."

"You don't have much time left, but I will find your allies."

"Find the Kaldorei Therai Nightglade....I'm sure they're looking for her."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to wait to leave, I have some people I want to say goodbye to during their next visit..."