A Meeting in Tuurem

[Blakie13]

"It's a brew called Everspring. Hard to make, and the ingredients are rare and usually expensive. It was often seen as a symbol of status to have it at parties and the like, before our nobility and royalty ceased to be major powers. Despite it being the land of eternal spring, finding an Everblossom tree actually in bloom is irksome, and even more so after the corruption of the southern half of the kingdom. And then finding perfectly ripe fruits, extracting the nectar... Dalaran's supply is surely running low after the Purge and the subsequent embargoes, you might have had one of the similar Silvermoon brews, much easier to recreate those out of Quel'thalas" Corec listed, seeming lost in thought. "My apologies. Nostalgia often gets me off topic," he grinned almost sheepishly.


The elf watched as the draenei fiddled with her cup, eyes full of mischief. "I don't plan on underestimating a foe such as them, even their lackluster descendants have proven trouble in the past. Their leadership will not survive this assault, if we wish to defeat the Iron Horde," he said, his eyes going cold. "At most the Reliquary will want a few prisoners to question over relics and magics, but the Imperator is facing certain death for his crimes. He is no longer deserving of his crown, and his dying empire will not be allowed to recover in its aid to the Iron Horde. Highmaul will fall," the elf finished, before finishing off his cup.

 

[Zazkiel]

Namuraan smiled tightly as Corec finished his speech about Highmaul. "I just worry about those who haven't lived in Draenor. There's so much in this world that Azeroth's men and women aren't used to; from the Botani to the magic. Even we hadn't completely finished uncovering it's secrets before the Burning Legion forced us to flee."


Namuraan thoughtfully tapped her fingers (claws by most races' definition, but the worgen had lessened the alliance's misgivings towards her "strange" hands) against the sparkling taladite embedded in her poleyn. "To be honest, tea is often too bitter for me. Or at least the teas that are frequently found in Stormwind. Darnassus has some nice teas that taste like fruit, though. Have you ever had apple tea?"

 

[Blakie13]

Corec's eyes lit up. "The Botani are so fascinating,I hope to study them in the near future. But yes, I shall keep my soldiers in line about underestimating the enemy. It helps to have Soulbinder Tuulani staying with us in Frostwall, her guidance is well appreciated. The natives are a great help, and I believe my soldiers will be up to conquering Highmaul soon enough..."


The elf's hands played with the medallion hanging from his neck as he spoke. "Humans, I swear they've never gotten tea right. Either too bitter or enough sugar in it to rot every tooth. And their wines are subpar. Better than most of the beverages the orcs have, at the very least... Apple tea is refreshing, I'll give my western cousins that much. I prefer their wines to their teas, but their tea is more than satisfying. There was one brew that tasted like liquid starlight, and I cannot for the life of me remember the name. If only there was an easier trade between Darnassus and Silvermoon besides goblins, I swear the cretins cause shortages on purpose..." he finished, his fingers still grazing over the golden sun around his neck.

 

[Zazkiel]

Namuraan turned in her chair and spoke to Thorn and Kaernen. "I think we're done talking business for the time being. This meeting was just to finalize if we can get along long enough to defeat the Iron Tide, after all. Agent Kearnen, you're free to take the rest of the day off. Thorn, if Commander Duskwhisper and Warmaster Zog are amenable you can start talking about separating out Talador." The Draenei was absolutely sure Kearnen was be doing anything other than taking a break, but she could try.


She then turned to Rulkan, "You're dismissed. Vandaam, you're at ease, but stay nearby."


Then she turned back and picked her up her teacup, finishing off the rest of the now-lukewarm liquid.

 

[Blakie13]

Corec followed the draenei's example, dismissing all but Krelas, who ended up conjuring up his own chair nearby, pulling out a book. The Commander turned back to Namuraan, his pose relaxing. He unclasped his broach, letting his cloak fall to the back of his chair. "Hope you don't mind, the climate is too warm for such apparel, but there is ceremony to parley after all," the elf said apologetically.


With the cloak gone, his gold tinted armour glinted in the sun, the detailing more obvious. "I'm glad business is out of the way, Frostwall is full of work as is, and being on the field can hardly be considered relaxing."

 

[Zazkiel]

"Oh I don't know, I much prefer being on the field to sitting in Lunarfall." Namuraan unclasped her gauntlets and set them down beside her chair, grimacing at the faint blue bruises on her wrists. She would never be able to wear plate on the battlefield.


"And I don't mind, I hear Eversong is a much cooler climate than Talador. Light knows I spent most of my first year in Stormwind freezing my hooves off." She spent most of her time before Azeroth in Shadowmoon Valley and the Spires, the two warmest areas of Draenor, discounting some of Gorgrond's artificial warmth caused by the Botani.

 

[Blakie13]

Corec chuckled. "I have nothing against fieldwork, it's just not the most relaxing thing to do. Although hunting down Iron Horde orcs and ogres is its own entertainment, I suppose," the elf grinned. Like the draenei, he removed his gauntlets. His hands were tan and calloused, clearly used to long stints in plate and holding a sword.


"Cool is relative, in regards to Eversong. I had never experienced snow until my first visit to Lordaeron, yet Eversong's eternal spring is quite cool after seeing the rest of Azeroth's climates. Stormwind was almost insufferable in its heat to me, I can't imagine how you'd react to the temperature of Quel'Thalas," the elf teased.

 

[Zazkiel]

"It was the middle of winter! If you think a winter in Stormwind is insufferably warm I fear you'll barely last in the Spires, Commander." Namuraan made sure her tone was as warm as Corec's as she gestured vaguely south towards the Spires.


And then a thought occured, "Did you never visit Shadowmoon in the Outlands?"

 

[Blakie13]

"I never said I visited Stormwind in winter, travel to the south during winter is rather challenging. A Lordaeron winter is something to behold, let me tell you. I've only ever been to Stormwind in spring and summer, and it has of course been many years since I've been," the Commander stated. "I will be fine in the Spires, I should think. Plus I simply have to witness how the Arakkoa worship, their idea on worshiping the sun seems odd. Nothing like back home," Corec said, a glint of curiosity in his eyes as he grasped his solar pendant.


Corec paused before answering the question. "I visited, yes. As part of the Blood Knights, I helped secure entrance to the Black Temple. Regretfully, I did not join in on the assault into the Temple. It would have been a story to tell, had I been there for the fight against Illidan Stormrage. Can't say it was a zone I much enjoyed. Too warm, and the air reeked of sulphur. If I'm honest, I did not like being in the Outlands. Nagrand and Terrokar excluded.Although Zangarmarsh was rather gorgeous...too humid, though."

 

[Zazkiel]

Namuraan lit up, happy to share knowledge. "The Adherents are the only ones that worship Rukhmar. The Outcasts worship Anzu, the Raven God of the Arrakoa. And even the Adherants don't really worship the sun itself." She paused, cocking her head. "How much do you know about the Arrakoa, actually? The Adherents, not the Outcasts. They didn't survive the Burning Legion's assault so you wouldn't have met any in Shattrath or Terrokar."


She had made contact with the Arrakoa several times in her past, but all of them had been negative. Something about living in a land of eternal night just seemed to put the Rukhmar worshippers on edge, and the Outcasts were too scared of anyone to open up without a damned good reason.

 

[Blakie13]

Corec's eyes darkened slightly, his smile no longer as warm. "I... see. Is Rukhmar not representative of the sun of this world itself, much in the way Elune is the White Lady for Azeroth? Light, Rukhmar could be an extension of the Eternal Sun, for what I know of her. Anzu, I am well aware of. I spent a great deal of time among the Outcasts within Shattrath, as well as fighting those outside city limits," the elf stated. His eyes were calculating. Had the Draenei meant offense? He toyed with his pendant.


"I have learned a good deal of the Adherents both from the Outcasts of the Outlands as well as through scouting. We've even recovered a few of their artifacts. Their relics and tools using energy directly from the sun are fascinating. The Solar Orbs are especially prized in one of Frostewall's construction projects...." Corec continued. His smile had returned to some semblance of warm, but his eyes were watchful.

 

[Zazkiel]

Namuraan realised her mistake far too late. She cursed under her breath in Eredun, worried that he might understand the other language of the Draenei. In Common, she spoke apologetically. "I misspoke, ser. We sometimes forget that the Draenei's relationship with the naaru is the exception, not the rule. I didn't mean to cause offense." She shifted uncomfortably, looking to the side at her bodyguard. Vandaam was looking away, but he drew a finger across his throat in a gesture that mimicked Namuraan's feelings perfectly.


"How does sin'dorei religion work?"

 

[Blakie13]

The elf smirked. He hadn't been overly offended, per se. But it was enough to rouse some irritation. "No offense taken, Commander. It was a comment made with good intentions, I'm sure," he said.


"Religion among the Sin'dorei is... Interesting. When we split from our Kalimdore cousins, we abandoned the ancient worship of Elune. Seeing as we embraced the day, it only made sense to venerate another deity; one not often mentioned by the Kal'Dorei. Whereas Elune is the Moon, Belore is the sun," Corec intoned. His expression grew thoughtful. "That is what became known as the Old Faith. It translated into the worship of the Light upon prolonged contact with the Alliance of old. The Eternal Sun became the beacon of the Light, and then was usurped by the Light completely. The old ways were kept by some, but not by most. Then with the Scourge... Faiths of all kind were abandoned..." He trailed off. Before the silence lasted too long, he spoke again. "There was a renaissance of Light worship a few years later, soon after the Blood Knights swore loyalty in Shattrath. Worship of Belore has since become rather popular, and is likely to overtake human-esque Light worship."

 

[Zazkiel]

Namuraan tilted her head, expression thoughtful. "And how are Belore and Elune related? Do the night elves still acknowledge the sun god? They've never made mention of them, in my memory." She gave a sheepish smile. "I'll admit though, I don't pay too much attention to the worship practices of the other races, I'm not exactly a priestess."


And the comment about the human-esque Light worship made Namuraan curious. Perhaps the sin'dorei had more in common with the alliance races than Namuraan had thought.

 

[Blakie13]

"By our mythos and that of the Tauren, Elune and Belore would be siblings. The kal'dorei acknowledge Belore in ancient texts, but they've all but abandoned him by this point in time.Even where a sun god is mentioned, they do not use Belore. Belore in Darnassian means 'to uncover something hidden.' The night elves I've spoken with know of him, but worship is unheard of, and reverence rare among their society." Corec said somewhat excitedly. "Light worship is so varied, really. The humans used to worship the Light as a God or Creator, in the old days. I'm not familiar with the hows and whys of the shift to their modern view, although it still holds most of the themes...."


Corec grinned somewhat sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Religion is fascinating, my apologies. I'm quite a fan of the Old Faith myself, my family was one of its defenders in the time before the Scourge. Anar'alah Belore dela'na, and all that..." The elf grinned.

 

[Zazkiel]

"Don't apologise, you look gorgeous when you're excited! Like a completely different person from the tired commander I met earlier today. No offense intended, of course. I'm sure I was different when I was working, and not getting my hooves stuck on every topic we mention." Namuraan enjoyed seeing people talk about their passion, and she had clearly found one of Corec's. She could sit there for hours and watch Kearnen rant about her current favourite novel, or Aethales discuss magic with Rulkan.


"But please, continue. What did that phrase mean? Anar'alah Belore something..."

 

[Blakie13]

Corec chuckled, bowing his head slightly. "I wouldn't say gorgeous is a term I would apply, but my thanks," the elf said, grinning. "I guess I am quite different when in a mood for business and warfare. It is... nice to talk about interests."


"Anar'alah Belore dela'nah. It's rough translation in Common is 'By the Light of the Eternal Sun that guides us.' Belore is a guiding light, the harbinger of the Light, if you will. To the practitioners of the Old Faith, he is an aspect of the Light, as is Elune. It has been a while since her name has been used in reverence in Silvermoon, but respect is returning with the Old Faith, but it will never be worship," the elf said thoughtfully. "Her shrine in Frostwall will not experience a great many visitors, that much is certain."

 

[Zazkiel]

Namuraan shrugged, gesturing around her. "You are forming a city, no? It may be a horde city, but merchants come from all races. I have trolls, orcs, and even blood elves in my garrison. You might find more night elves visiting the larger your city grows." She grinned, leaning back.


"Two of Lieutenant Thorn's assets have a sister that has allied herself with the Steamwheedle Cartel in order to visit cities all over the globe, but Ms. Morningray is a devout night elf. Perhaps when travel between worlds opens up she'll visit." Talindri's travels annoyed Aethales and Syl to no end, but Namuraan knew that if she ever made it to Draenor Frostfall would be one of the first places she visited.


The number of times Aethales, a usually excitable young druid, had stomped into her room demanding that they drink their sibling-related sorrows away, was almost beyond count. And the death knight of the family was certainly upset whenever news from Azeroth came, bearing new stories of the youngest kal'dorei and her exploits. Namuraan wasn't trying to air dirty family laundry, though.

 

[Blakie13]

"A fair point. Should you ever get the chance to send an envoy, you simply must visit Frostwall if for nothing else than to see the temple complex upon its completion. We already have a decent amount of foreigners, both from Azeroth and natives.... Three resident night elves have been a great aid in the nature magic we require for parks and greenery in a harsh environment like Frostfire," the elf stated, eyes lighting up in mirth.


"I must say I'm overjoyed that you know a Morningray. I do believe I know their cousins. Magistrix Rivena Morningray is even here on Draenor. It gives me hope for meeting some of my own relatives. I've been doing some digging into the family tree, and it's fascinating." Corec's face lit up with mischief and slight joy at the prospect. He had recently discovered that one of his cousins was a priestess at the Temple of Elune, and he had been struggling for weeks with a way to get in contact with her.


"I'm glad that many families did not change their surnames when leaving Kalimdore. Although Duskwhisper is incredibly... kal'dorei. I'm never certain as to how I should take my ancestors refusal to change such a night elven name."

 

[Zazkiel]

"I knew the elven races were related, but that closely? I can't imagine a woman as tied to the Alliance as Aethales would appreciate having Horde relatives...Although Lady Syl is closer to the Ebon Blade than her people, and I already mentioned that Talindri was a neutral party." Namuraan politely didn't mention that Syl's separation from her people was more on their end than hers, or that the Draenei viewed those abominations in much the same way as the Kal'dorei.


"And perhaps some of your relatives are on Draenor? I can't make any promises, but I could ask my Magistrate to look into the surnames of our night elves if you'd like."

 

[Blakie13]

"Ah, I suspect the night elves are as hesitant to bring up our close relations as we are," Corec shrugged, not surprised. "For the Sin'dorei, only three generations of royalty have passed in the time since we have been separated from our cousins. As a whole, I'd be surprised if more than five or six generations have passed for any sin'dorei family. Procreation was never a big deal for a race that lived for a millennium, maybe less, on average. For the night elves, even fewer generations have passed. My living relatives I've looked into are the children of elves who were there for my people's banishment. I would rather enjoy a connection with family of any kind, even over opposing sides..." the elf trailed off, voice somber.


"I must admit, it took me a moment to realise what you meant. I do have family here on Draenor. Most of what's left, actually. I wonder if my brother Reynon is familiar with this Syl... He does not speak of the Ebon Blade all that often," Corec stated, gritting his teeth in frustration. It was a lie of course, as very few people ever kept things from the elf. Best not to show all of his cards, of course.


"Would you truly grant such a favour? That would be wonderful, and I couldn't thank you enough. Kallira Duskwhisper is the one I'm most hopeful about being easy to find. She's a priestess for the Temple of Elune. If I'm in luck, she is part of whatever retinue the High Priestess sent to Draenor," Corec hoped it was that simple, as he grinned sheepishly.

 

[Zazkiel]

After a quick search through the bag strapped to her belt, Namuraan triumphantly brought out a scrap of paper and a shard of charcoal. She didn't know how to spell the name so she just wrote it phonetically in Eredun, adding in a short 'Priestess + Elune' to the end.


"I'll look into it right away! And I don't know how the night elven death knights are viewed by their peers, I haven't met a sane one yet." She frowned, looking over at Corec. "Apparently they have the same problems our own...knights have. Immortality and a close connection to the Light makes for a poor champion of the unholy."

 

[Blakie13]

The elf watched the Alliance Commander's paper and charcoal almost hungrily. "I don't know how I can thank you for this favour... You are a kind woman, Namuraan," he said graciously.


Then Corec grimaced. "The Ebon Blade is a touchy subject in many circles. With my people and the humans being the prime losses caused by the Scourge, death knights are a common sight in Silvermoon. Not entirely welcomed by the masses, if I'm honest. But with our population, we aren't exactly at liberty to turn away skilled fighters. My brother seems rather sane, in my experience. I don't leave him to his own devices of course, especially near our younger siblings, but he's mostly there."

 

[Zazkiel]

Namuraan tucked away the paper scrap, rubbing her fingers together to lighten the charcoal stain. "Death Knights aren't allowed on the Exodar, no matter their race. I don't think that's very practical for a war situation, however, and they're allowed in Lunarfall."


A brief pause, and she looked away. "I don't know how I would react if one of my siblings was turned into a death knight, but you have my condolences."

 

[Blakie13]

Corec tilted his head in curiosity. "Truly? They're simply banned? Strange... Though I suppose undeath is complete and utter anathema to your people, so it makes sense. Not to sound rude, but had your people been around for the Third War and its ramifications, I daresay the Exodar would take more pity on the dead trying to return to them. They came around for the Broken, last I heard, did they not?"


The elf thought carefully about his next words. "My brother returned to us after missing in the Plaguelands for more than a year. Our civilisation, a prosperous and ancient kingdom, older than humans have existed as a race, was nearly wiped out completely in an attack that barely lasted a few days. What was left of our people fractured, and much of the surviving population was chipped away at by the undead, humans, infighting, and a mad sect of the night elves. For any of us we had thought dead to return to us in any capacity should be a joy for us," Corec said softly, fingers brushing his pendant. He seemed to be seeking comfort in the familiar feeling of his medallion. "Yet... none of us still living know whether we would have preferred our brethren to have remained dead. It is likely we will never be sure..."