Blood of the Highborne (blood elf novella) spoilers

[Mace]

the story gets more rubbish tbh, this should have been told 7 years ago anyway, when TBC was released. It's severely average. Nothing imaginative, the harsh blood elf origin/initial development totally mellowed out.

I think it could have been much better, and used to launch a far more interesting future for the Elven kin saga.

[Deleted]

Liadrin fell through the same hole as the Draenei, character-development wise. :\

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the story gets more rubbish tbh, this should have been told 7 years ago anyway, when TBC was released. It's severely average. Nothing imaginative, the harsh blood elf origin/initial development totally mellowed out.

I think it could have been much better, and used to launch a far more interesting future for the Elven kin saga.

It was supposed to come out 7 years ago (it was already written), but Blizz never managed to do it.

[Rhlor]

Yeah I doubt the scourge could have taken Quel'thalas, if Arthas had no way to bypass their defences. Dar'khan seems to be the high elven equivalent of Gul'dan if you ask me and cutting the link means it is possible to do the same to the high elves nowadays, should relations continue to spiral downward.

elves believed their magic shield would protect them as neither red dragons could pass in the second war.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

the story gets more rubbish tbh, this should have been told 7 years ago anyway, when TBC was released. It's severely average. Nothing imaginative, the harsh blood elf origin/initial development totally mellowed out.

I think it could have been much better, and used to launch a far more interesting future for the Elven kin saga.

but the Blood Elf/High Elf lore interests me because of the High Elf connection. Apart from Orcs, and Tauren Blood Elves are mostly the only Horde Race I can totally get into. Even if they do act a bit selfish frequently.

[Rhlor]

thanks Nazja from Scrolls of Lore for translating the German version

Chapter 1
Liadrin, her apprentice Galell and Dar'khan wake up, hanging upside down, in a troll sacrificial chamber. They had been on their way to fix a malfunctioning Runestone, with a mall escort of archers. She could have asked for a larger escort, but she didn't do so because the trolls hadn't attacked in a while.

They start arguing about how useful the others were during the attack, with Dar'khan calling priests unsuited for combat and Liadrin telling him that he'll be grateful for their powers when he's dying on the battlefield. She also tells both of her companions to remain quiet so they won't attract the trolls' attention because they'll put them to sleep again.

Whatever put them to sleep also seems to have made them unable to concentrate, so they can't cast spells. (Liadrin seems to be very faithful, talking about the Light's splendor and things like that.)

Two trolls enter with Lor'themar in tow and hang him in the middle of the chamber. Liadrin muses about having more reasons to hate trolls than other elves because they killed her parents. A witchdoctor enters and prepares the fumes that'll put them to sleep. He magically creates fire by saying Dazdooga, which might mean fire. The three trolls exit, not wanting to fall asleep too.

Lor'themar introduces himself and tells them that, if he manages to free himself, he won't leave anyone behind. The others agree, but Dar'khan seems somewhat less enthusiastic. They fall asleep and Liadrin has hallucinations in which Dar'khan turns up as an undead elf, Lor'themar is burned alive and Galell dies. The whole time, tiki masks tell her that they've been found guilty.

Liadrin wakes up and sees three trolls, who were the ones chanting about the elves being guilty. One of them, she presumes, is Zul'jin. He tells them that the trolls are like a nightmare that won't go away, and that, since they won't go away, they'll fight to the last toll. He wants to find out how to damage the Runestones, so he can get rid of the Sunwell and weaken the elves. He was, therefore, not responsible for the Runestone not working, like she had feared. To do so, he plans to kill Lor'themar, knowing that he won't say anything, so the others start talking.

Galell frees himself and kills one of Zul'jin's friends with a spear, but not before Lor has gone through Zul'jin's ministrations... Liadrin manges to save Galell from Zul'jin by making the troll feel all the pain she had felt in the last hours. She tries to heal Lor, but her connection to the Light seems to be fading, and the more desperate she tries to use the Light the more it fades.

Zul'jin fakes still being under her spell's effects and manages to grab Dalell. Liadrin feels a pull, which I thought meant that Dar'khan was using them to cast magic, but he just managed to concentrate, and the pull was him teleporting them. Zul'jin is obviously not amused, but what can he do?

Chapter 2
Liadrin are at the Suntower, a location to the north of Silvermoon but south of Quel'Danas. (Probably in the 1-5 zone.) The reader gets told about the importance of the Sunwell, the fact that the high elves' ancesotrs had to leave Ashenvale because of their predisposition towards the arcane and that Liadrin can feel and see the Sunwell's light even at this distance.

Liadrin starts remembering the ceremony where Sylvanas elevated Lor'Themar to Alar'annalas, which means Ranger Lord, and gave him the ceremonial Fora'nal cloth, which seems to be worn as a cape. Sylvanas ends he speech with "belono sil'aru, belore'dorei", which means "shoulder your burdens well, child of the sun"".

Ladrin's mentor and the one who raised her, Highpriest Vandellor, wouldn't mind her hooking up with Lor'themar and his friend, Grandmaster Belo'vir tells him to stop trying to get her to date just because he never had any interest in doing so himself. Liadrin thinks that they act like an old married couple, that never fails to make her laugh.

Anasterian appears to congratulate the new Ranger Lord, and he seems content, despite his waning health. Anyways, he disappears as soon as he finished congratulatign Lor, together with his advisors. They seem to have brought bad news because he seems preocupied, now.

This isn't the first time she was able to see how Lor'themar rose amongst the ranks. She and the other members were there, when Lor'themar was amde Ranger Captain. This ceremony is special, though, just like Lor'themar.

During the Second War, a conflict they didn't want to get involved in, he fought valiantly against the Horde, which Zul'jin had joined. The Horde somehow managed to control red dragons and the diabolical orc necromancers managed to make the Runestones harmless and to harness their energies. Despite all this, the Horde was still unable to break the magical shield, maintained with the Sunwell's power, that surrounded Silvermoon.

When the Horde left Quel'thalas, to strike against Lordaeron, Sylvanas remained in Quel'thalas while Alleria and Lor'themar pursued the orcs, with the Alliance.

The trolls, and some orcs who had been cut of from the main group by the fire, remained, and Anasterian, seeing a chance to rid himself of the trolls forever, sent mages and priests to help the Farstriders get rid of them. Liadrin was in Halduron's group and they came across Zul'jin, whose small band of fighters had been unable to reach the shore, and safety, due to the fire. The elves moved his companions down, captured him and beat him the whole day because he'd been responsible for the death's of many relatives of theirs. When the night set, one of the elves stabbed him in the eye, and Liadrin went to talk with Halduron so he'd stop the needless torture. If Zul'jin has to die, he should just kill him.

Halduron tells her that the decision is not in his hands, and while she's thinking about the fact that he seems to have other reasons besides this one, he gets hit by a troll spear. A small group of Amani reinforcements managed to cross the lake. The elves dispatch the trolls, but when they return to the ruins where Zul'jin had been held captive, the spear, that had hit Halduron, had disappeared as had most of Zul'jin's body. Only his arm and the chains remained. This act made him even more legendary, amongst the trolls, and in the years to come, all trolls, especially the Amani, would cry "for Zul'jin". He disappeared soon afterwards, though, and hasn't been seen in the last 10 years.
Liadrin stops reminiscing about the past and starts thinking about the present. How Galall has turned into a fine priest, who is infatuated with ehr although she only sees him as a younger brother. She also thinks about the human plague ,and how it was a good decision to distance themselves from the humans since the elves are living a tranquil and prosperous life, unlike the humans.

Lor'themar and Dar'khan arrive and they start talking about Silvermoon's defenses and that the Horde's attack (and Zul'jin's plan to destroy the Runtestones) showed them that they can't be complacent. Lor'themar has shown Dar'khan all the defenses, so he could find weaknesses they have to cover.

Dalell mentions that Dar'khan will use his meeting with the council, in which he plans to tell them about the weaknesses, to rise to the position of Grandmaster of the Magisters, and Dar'khan has trouble controlling himself. According the Liadrin, Dar'khan has become a really jealous person, after all his friends rose in rank while he stayed a simple Magister. Liadrin became a Highpriestess, Galell a priest, Lor'themar a Ranger Lord and Dar'khan got passed over, due to his egoistic and aggressive nature.

The meeting ends with Liadrin praising the Light, the Sunweel, Lor'themar and unity. If they hadn't cooperated when they were held captive by the trolls, they would all have died. They all say "everyone or nobody" but Dar'khan doesn't seem to have been touched by the words. His expression doesn't change, at all. He also seems to be happy for private reasons, more than anything.

Some time, possibly weeks or months later, Liadrin is standing on the causeway of Silvermoon looking down upon the host of corpses making their way towards Silvermoon. She sees the Nerubians and wonders if some Aqir might have survived, in remote parts of Azeroth. The Scourge became too much for the humans to handle, and if rumors are to be believed, Menethil was killed by his own son! (As if we didn't know that. )

Of course, the elves are safe in Silvermoon. Not even the red dragons were able to breach it's shield, so the Scourge will obviously also not be able to do so. Despite this, Galell gathered the children for a possible evacuation of Silvermoon, as a safety measure.

A horse rider, with white hair, tells them to open the doors of Silvermoon. He'll reward them with eternal servitude, if they do so, or kill all their loved ones, if they don't. With Anasterian and the Sunwell at their side, the elves can't lose, so they don't. (Yep, that was Arthas.)

Lor'themar and his rangers were patrolling around Zul'aman, when small vibrations warned him that an army was marching against Silvermoon. They moved north, but when they arrived at An'telas something was wrong. An'telas was visible, which meant that the magic keeping it concealed had failed. He told his lieutenant Ry'el to tell the men to scout the perimeter and look for the guards. There's no sign of either the guards of the attackers or the guards, but the ground seems to be singed, devoid of life. The mooncrystal, the emerald Eye of Jennala. He wonders what the invaders could want with the crystals. Although they help bing the magic into the shield that keeps Silvermoon safe and prevent anyone, but the elves, from casting spells, taking the crystals isn't enough to make Ban'dinoriel - gatekeeper/gatewatcher - fail. The magi can keep the shield working, but the crystals are simply more convenient. The only way to make the shield fail would be to make it overload, but you'd need a really great source of arcane energy.

(The other crystals are the amethyst Stone of Hannalee and sapphire Body of Enulaia at An'owyn and An'daroth.)

The rangers march to An'daroth because moving south, to An'owyn, is something they can't afford, with the enemies in the north.

Back to Liadrin.

The stench of the undead is becoming unbearable and the fact that they chew on their own severed limbs is making Liadrin feel sick. The ground the army marched through has turned purple, and nothing in it's path is immune, not even the stones. Meanwhile, the scourge is using the extra time it has to move the catapults into position.

Arthas tells the elves to submit, telling them that he suffered far worse nightmares than them and that he's a messenger of the apocalypse. Belo'vir tells him that countless armies have stood in the same place, before Silvermoon, and failed to take it. Arthas uses this opportunity to present Sylvanas, the Banshee Queen. She tells her people to submit, and that Arthas will be merciful if they do so. (She seems to be corporeal. A banshee wouldn't be recognized as "a woman, one of their own..." would she?)

Back to Lor'themar.

He and his group have arrived at An'daroth only to find it in ruins too. This time, the defenders are found. All of them are dead. Suddenly, he senses movement from the forest. It's the missing guardians of An'telas who, through some miracle, have managed to make it to An'daroth despite their grievous wounds. There's something strange about them, though. They show no expression even though they should feel relief. Lor'themar thinks that it may be a result of the shock, but Ry'el, who had gone to greet them, gets decapitated and the battle ensues. The guardians of An'daroth, who had eben dead just moments ago suddenly also rise and start attacking the rangers.
Liadrin and Vandellos are trying to cope with what they just saw (undead Sylvanas), but Liadrin is starting to lose faith. If Sylvanas fell to the enemy, what other atrocities could the enemy be capable of?

Suddenly, a flash of light is seen in the sky, in the north where the Sunwell is, and Arthas starts the attack. Some undead try to overcome the wall by tunnelling, others by climbing and the abominations simply batter the gates. Arthas says the speech from Warcraft 3, and the gargoyles fight against the dragonhak riders, for air supremacy. Unfortunately, there are too many gargoyles and they can become invulnerable by turning into stone. The other len troops aren't faring much better. The arrows hardly do any damage and only the mages and priests seem useful, although Liadrin almost fails to heal Belo'vir.

A young archmage arrives, asking what to do, and Belo'vir tells him to evacuate the city and teleport all the troops to Quel'danas, to protect the Sunwell. Silvermoon has fallen. The young archmage is Rommath. Before Belo'vir teleports Liadrin and Vandellor, Vandelllor asks him for a favor.

Back to Lor'themar.
Only one of his soldiers is still alive, but he gets killed too. He manages to stab one of the undead in the heart before dying, but it doesn't do anyhing. Lor'themar learns that only decpitation seems to work. Despie knowing this he still gets overwhelmed and loses his left eye to the undead.

He gets saved by Halduron and his ranges, who had ventured north after seeing An'owyn and An'telas in ruins. Lor'themar sees movement and shoots the necromancers that had animated the elves, without being hindered by the loss of his eye. He would have closed it anyways.

Back to Galell
Galell is on the ship Fellovar. Besides the Fellovar, there are two other ships, the Morn'danel and Varillian, that are also filled with children. In total, there are about 100 children in the small ship convoy, three healers (one per ship) and some guardians. The destination seems to be Aerie or the TH. They are going to seek sanctuary with the Wildhammers.

A small elven boy, An'dorvel is afraid and asks when he'll be able to go home, and Galell calms him down and tells him to go back to the other children. The boy is wearing his best clothes and his hair combed very neatly.

After the boy has gone, gargoyles attack the Varillian, and Galell warns the crew. They get overwhelmed, Galell gets caught by a gargoyle and the Morn'danel crashes into the Fellovar. Galell kills the gargoyle and as both fall he tries to stop thinking about the children and poor An'dorvel.

Dar'khan

Dar'khan thinking about the secrets he told his master (mooncrystals), the fact hat the master already knew bout them, the spells the invisible advisor has taught him and hat fool Lor'themar.

He's been busy killing the most powerful mages, who'd be able to find out that he bound the energies of the Sunwell, and although the first kill was difficult, he's started to enjoy sinking his sword into the soft flesh.

The flash of light Liadrin saw was a fireball, cast by Dar'khan, telling Arthas that his part of the plan was done. With the Sunwell bound, only Dar'khan can access it's power, and he can't keep himself from tasting it's energies.

Back to Liadrin

Belo'vir is commanding the elven defenders, in the southern shore of Quel'danas. Smoke is rising from the city, and Liadrin wonders how the undead will cross the sea. Her doubts remain and she fears that everyone will die.

Arthas and Sylvanas get some screentime
The undead are looking for corpses they can gnaw on, and Sylvanas tells Arthas that he won't be able to cross the sea by filling it with cadavers, not even the entirety of Silvermoon's corpses ould be enough for that.

Arthas tortures her and tells her that he has a plan. Crossing the sea would have been a problem when he was a human but not now. Arthas throws Frostmourne, it embeds itself in the sand and starts freezing the water. The Scourge marches on.

Sylvanas is no longer allowed to call him by his old name. Master is good enough.

Back to Liadrin

Belo'vir and his mages try to taw the icebridge, but their fire is not hot enough. He ha to akbowledge defeat, and the mages retreat, leaving the archers in the front.

Belo'vir gets shot by an undead elf.He tries to pull it out and both Highpriests try to heal him, with Liadrin failing to concentrate, but Arthas cuts his right hand off and the corpses overrun him. Vandellor goes to save his friend nd oesn't head Liadrin's warning not to do so.

Anasterian arrives to meet the fallen prince head on. He's wearing the ancient armor Lu'minellia, forged during his great-grandfather's reign, and dual wielding his great-grandfather's sword Felo'melorn and a staff with a Kaldorei crystal on it.

He cracks the ice, and his feet are surrounded circular flames which burn the undead. Liadrin uses the opportunity to go see how her mentor and hs friend are faring. The undead are clearing the way for him. (Yep, he's one powerful priest. )

Arthas and Anasterian start duelling. Anasterian's style seems to be to evade by teleporting for short distances and then striking his foe. He manages to cut Invincible's legs, which enrages Arthas. Arthas freezes everything around himself with a shockwave created by Frostmourne, but Anasterian manages to unfreeze himself just in time to block Frostmourne. Felo'melorn breaks in two and Arthas kills he old king, but not before being wounded by him.

During all of this, Sylvanas is forced to watch but is unable to do anything to hlp her people. When her king dies, the only thing she's cpable of doing is crying, which doesn't really help anyone but the Scourge...

Vandellor wasn't able to heal his friend, only being able to keep him alive for little while longer. An abomination kills him with it's hook, and Belo'vir makes good on his promise. He teleports Liadrin.

Back to Dar'khan
Arthas revives Kel'thuzad and taints the Sunwell, which Dar'khan senses more than others due to having drawn on it's energies. Arthas kills him, and the last thing he hears is Kel'thuzad mocking laugther.
Chapter 3:
Lor'themar, Halduron and the other farstriders looked for all the survivors they could find, which included unconscious Galell, and they barricaded in the Bazaar. Some Quel'Danas survivors arrive, including the aforementioned brothers with Anasterian's corpse. Galell is alive and wakes up after some days, but he seems to be in a vegetative state.

Rommath, who has become one of Kael's avisors, teleports to the Falconwing Square, IIRC, looks for survivors while battling against the Scourge troops that Arthas left behind and informs Lor'themar that Kael is on his way to meet the survivors. He doesn't say when Kael is going to arrive because he fears that there are traitors amongst them. Rommath makes Lor'themar feel uncomfortable, but he acknowledges that the mage is capable. Kael'thas could have teleported himself, but he wants to see the full extend of the devastation.

The survivors aren't to happy with Kael, saying that he'll just leave them again nd arrived too late, and demand food. Kael doesn't know what to say and goes to pay his last respects to his father. He asks where all the other fallen are, and Lor'themar tells him that they had to be burned. Kael and his advisors remain reclusive in the next few days, furthering the crowd's discontent, and then just disappear without saying where they are going. When they return, they have some veiled items with them.

Kael'thas addresses the crowd and tells them that he went to the Sunwell with his retinue, including the two magisters Rommath and Astalor. According to him, if the Sunwell continues existing in it's corrupted state, it would corrupt the land. Even settling somewhere else wouldn't save the elves because they are linked to it. Liadrin arrives and tells everyone that there is a more immediate threat. The Amani are amassing for war against the Scourge, so they can take the Sunwell Zul'jin was so interested in.

Kael plans to make the well explode, using the recovered mooncrystals, which would solve both their problems, as the explosion would also kill the trolls and undead near the well. To do so, he needs volunteers that'll keep their foes at bay while he and his two mages channel the well's power. Liadrin is one of these, but she doesn't want to use the Light anymore. Instead, she uses a mace and asks Lor'themar to tell one of his men to train her. Lor, Halduron, Falon, Solanar and Galell, who has regained his connection to the Light and therefore come out of his stupor, also join Kael.

The Amani destroyers have already begun their attack, when the group teleports to the well. Solanar was supposed to be in the defending group, but his older brother insists that he should stay with the mages (both brothers seem to be priests). The plan doesn't work as intended and the Scourge isn't enough to stop the Amani from reaching the defenders. Falon saves Lor'themar from a berserker, but gets killed in the process. Solanar, despite being unable to see this, can feel that his brother died. Galell seems to not be as capable to wield the Light again as he thought. Liadrin smashes heads, including the head of risen Vandellor. (Liadrin, SMASH!?)

While Kael is channeling, Lor'themar believes that he saw Kael's appearance change into what would later be known as a wretched elf, for a brief moment. Once the mages are done, all the elves teleport out and their enemies die. The three mooncrystals have turned into verdant spheres, which Kael'thas keeps. This is also the occasion where he changes his people's name and says that Anasterian was the last king of the high elves.

Krasus is at the location of the Sunwell, but the blast doesn't harm him. He thinks he arrived too late, but some of the energies are still left...

Chapter 4
Liadrin is plagued by guilt for letting fear control her, failing her brethren, allowing Vandellor to die and for not having died with the rest, despite 5 years having passed since the day Arthas attacked Quel'Danas. She's feeling a dull pain, her body is weak and she's sweaty. She hasn't feasted for too long. Liadrin stands up, while a pack of rats runs through the rubble filled room, and goes into the anteroom, where a green crystal lies amongst the weapons she's collected in her last fights. It's another gift from her anonymous benefactor, but she's got a hunch who it is. She sates her hunger, one of the unforeseen consequences of destroying the Sunwell. In the beginning, nobody understood the lethargy, the sickness that killed the old and young.

Kael, Astalor and Rommath studied the problem until they found the answer. Even when it had been corrupted, the well had filled the elves with magic. Now that it had been destroyed, they felt empty and had nothing to fill the void. The prince vowed to find a cure for his people and allied with the night elf Illidan, after he and his volunteers had been ostracized and ridiculed by their "ally" Garithos. Illidan taught Kael'thas how to drain magic who taught others and the knowledge spread to all blood elves. Liadrin is worried that Illidan's influence may not be beneficial for Kael because the lord of Outland made use of fel, dark and tainted magic.

She's been living in an abandoned manor, in the Ghostlands, dealing with her guilt and killing all the undead that cross her path. Since Arthas is out of reach, she's been hunting Dar'Khan (I always thought that Dar'Khan was his given name, but it turns out that it was his surname...) She believes that he's still out there, despite Lor'themar and Halduron having killed him with the aid of two blue dragons.

She hears something outside and takes one of the maces lying around to strike the invader. It turns out that it's Halduron, who came to visit her and to tell her that the Regent would like to see her. Despite initially not wanting to leave, she agrees after he assures her that his farstriders will be on the lookout for the traitor.

Halduron takes her to the Sunfury Spire and she's amassed at the progress. Unlike the other elves, she hadn't been content with just reclaiming Eversong, so she hadn't been to Silvermoon in a long time, choosing to remain in the Ghostlands instead. When they arrive at Lor'themar's office, he tells her that Rommath has an offer for her, but he also indicates that he's wary about it. Rommath interrupts and the two leave to discuss whatever business he has with her. He allows her to sate her hunger for magic, but stops her before she takes too much in. He tells her that the blood elves need to find balance, and that her life is marked by the extremes. First a devout priestess and then a warrior. He hands her a Blood-Tempered Ranseur, a weapon that symbolizes the balance between her two paths. His proposition for her is to use the Light without having to fear that it'll abandon her again.

He teleports her to the chamber where Mu'ru was contained and tells her that it was a gift from Kael. Kael had sent it so they'd drain it until it was empty, but Rommath and Astalor had another purpose in mind for it. After many attempts, they had managed to bind Mu'ru to their will and force it to server as a for the Light. Astalor and Rommath help her connect to Mu'ru, and she feels as if it was trying to talk with her. When she channels the Light through Mu'ru's aid, she gets headaches and there's no warmth. Instead it feels as if she's being torn into pieces, like a lightning bolt straight to the soul. And... that's how she became the Blood Knight Matriarch.

Someone is knocking on the door of Galell's home while he lies on the floor, trying to keep his shivering fits in check. He has trouble thinking clearly, but that's nothing new to him. When the elves discovered their magic addiction, he soon found out that a big dose of magic could induce an emotionless state, something the former priest found comforting.

The person knocking on the door does so again, and says "Wake up, your worthless pile of scum!" Galell has developed a resistance to magic, which means that he needs more magic each time. This has forced him to look for dubious sources to get the quantity of magic he needs, but even in this state, he knows that he's at a crossroad in life. If he continues on this path, he'll turn into a wretched. He'd like to feel the Light again, but his current state impedes him from doing so, and he doesn't know how to find the way back to it.

The person breaks in. It's Orovinn, Galell's dealer, who's looking for his money. Galell assures him that he'll get work soon, and Orovinn gives him one more week to pay him. If he doesn't pay, Orovinn 'll hang his corpse from the Shepherd's Gate. The work Galell is interested in is becoming a Blood Knight. Most elves are disgusted by them because it's said that the Blood Knights steal the Light form a creature from the beyond.

He saw a Blood Knight procession and was surprised that the new order was lead by none other than his old friend Liadrin, but seeing her and knowing about this order makes him believe that there's a chance he may feel the Light again. He's stopped his intake of magic, despite getting sick due to the withdrawal, so that he'll be able to convey his request to Liadrin with a clear mind, in a persuasive and factual way.

Liadrin, riding her purebred Thalassian Horse, is on a cliff, overlooking her knights' training. They have much to learn, but she's still impressed by their progress. She wonders how anyone could hope to go back to the old ways and why one would do so. Why should one be a servant of the Light if being a Master of it is possible? She wants t go back to the Ghostlands, eventually, but for now she's content doing what's within her reach, having her knights train by fighting against the wretched, at the Sunsail Anchorage.

One of Liadrin's men cries for help, and she reminds herself that even the Wretched shouldn't be taken too lightly. She rides towards the Anchorage, and sees that Vranesh is surrounded by 6 wretched, atop of one of the few intact ships. Even for an elf, Vranesh is extremely arrogant and conceited, calling his peers plebeians, but he's an dedicated and capable fighter. He uses a lance resembling the Ranseur he'll get once he becomes and adept.

Solanar, who's on top of the watchtower, tells him that the others are busy and kicks a wretched down from the tower. The wretched falls onto one of the broken ship masts and gets impaled. Solanar is one of the first who joined the order and also one of the many blood elves that changed their surname to honor the fallen. Liadrin thinks that his new surname, Bloodwrath, suits him. Solanar gets attacked by two more adversaries, but Cyssa has reached the top too and attacks the two attackers. She beheads one of them with fervor bordering on joy.

Mehlar Dawnblade, one of Uther's men, rushes to aid Vranesh, but Vranesh tells him "Never mind" and that he'll deal with it. Mehlar is very righteous, and although she doesn't necessarily agree with his theories, Liadrin admires his conviction.

Bachi and Bloodvalor, who hates being called by his given name and doesn't even tell it to most, are returning from the shore, having cleared it of wretched. Bloodvalor informs Liadrin that the shore is clear, while Bachi goes to aid Vranesh. Bachi is known for his fearlessness, but he's somewhat jumpy.

Liadrin hears steps behind her, feels the Light rising up inside of her and channels it into the wretched trying to attack her, through her Ranseur. He gets tossed into the tree he'd been hiding behind. Mehlar asks if she's alright and whether there are more of them, and she assures him that nothing is wrong and that it was the last wretched.

All the knights return to her and she tells Vranesh that he should have checked the cargo hold of the ship. She also chastises Solanar for not having waited for Cyssa. She tells them that they should act more like a team and less like individuals. They're now part of something greater.

Despite their services, the Blood Knights are still despised by the other elves. Liadrin had hoped that the citizens would overcome their initial doubt once they saw the good her team could do or, at least, accept the knights, but the people in the Bazaar looked at them with contempt, when she and her knights were returning to the Hall of Blood. The reception in the Farstrider's Square wasn't much better, and Cyssas asks the people "What is wrong with all of you? Don't you understand that we fight so you are safe?" Liadrin tells her to give them time.

Once inside, she hears a familiar voice. It's Galell who's come to tell her how he managed to set himself free, when the four friends had been captured by the Amani, and to ask to be allowed to join the Blood Knights. As a child, he used to play a game called caught/trapped with his friends where they'd all tie each other up and the one to free himself the quickest would win. He says that now there are no secrets between them, and she asks about the crystals he left on her doorstep. He doesn't know what she's talking about, but she just thinks he's trying to fool her and doesn't get that he really has no idea what she means.

She asks him where he's been all this time, and he answers that, honestly, he hasn't been himself for a long time, that he felt alone and lost. She tells him that he was never alone and heals a hematoma on his cheek. (Probably a result of stopping his magic consumption.) He tells her that he wants to feel the warmth of the Light again and that he thought that doing so would be impossible for him under his own steam. She tells him that the way the Blood Knights use the Light there's no warmth to be felt, that it's a constant fight. He still thinks that it's his best shot to turn into the man he was again. He believes that the Light will guide him, even if he has to force it to do so.

She has doubts and wonders how deep the scars run. (Relating to the day where all the kids died.) She asks him whether he'll be able to handle being looked at with contempt by the other elves, do everything she says and be disciplined enough to complete the training, and he answers yes to all her questions. He tells her that he needs this chance and reminds her about the promise they made in the trolls' hideout, everyone or nobody. She replies by saying "yes, everyone or nobody" and takes him to Astalor, so he can show him everything he has to know. (M'uru.)

(Sating their thirst for magic makes their eyes shine more intensely, and the green crystals turn into black stones, once they are empty.)

Liadrin is back in the Ghostlands with Solanar, Bachi, Vranesh, Cyssa and Galell. Solanar is a knight while Vranesh, Cyssa and Bachi are still just adepts, but they're going to turn into knights soon. They still haven't learned to work more like a team. Galell has shown his determination, but he doesn't make any attempts to integrate himself into the group. He stays by himself most of the time and is always silent while training. She's not sure whether her decision to accept him was right, but tells herself to give him time to adapt.

Mehlar and Bloodvalor join the group. They'd been scouting the area, and tell Liadrin that everything is clear. No Scourge troops or trolls have been sighted. According to reports, the trolls seem to be amassing in Zul'Aman. The group is near the Dawnstar Spire, Dar'Khan's home and place where he grew up, because the farstriders had seen an increased Scourge presence in the area, in the past days.

The Spire is near to the Eversong Woods and the plant life seems to be recovering in this area. Despite being on the border of a dead land and being abandoned, the Spire looks almost pristine.

The group enters the Spire and starts looking for anything that would explain why the Scourge was so interested in the place. Like the exterior, the interior looks pristine. The furniture, carpets and banners, showing Silvermoon's creast, are all in a good state. Galell goes outside because of the headache that comes with suing the Light the way Blod Knights used to. For some reason, the headaches seem to be far worse for him than for others.

Cyssa find a small trapdoor. Beneath it, in the small cavity, the group finds a diary white a white parchment, unlike the yellow parchments found in diaries, with strange symbols written on it stuck between it's pages. They take it with them, believing that it could be a hint.

When Liadrin entered Lor'themar's office, he was busy fletching. Now, the forgotten arrow lies on his desk, while he transcribes the message on the parchment onto another. While he does so, Liadrin looks around the room and sees a letter bearing the Horde's seal. After he's done, Lor'themar returns the parchment and diary to Liadrin, so she can be return it to it's original place beneath the trapdoor. The new parchment will be sent to a scribe so it's message can be deciphered.

Lor'themar tells Liadrin that he had concerns regarding the new order (Blood Knights), but that, in light of recent events, creating it may have been for the better. She asks about these events he mentioned, and he mentions having communicated with Thrall and Sylvanas with the goal of having the Sin'dorei join the Horde. Liadrin mentions that their cousins in Kalimdor might not like this, to which Lor'themar responds by saying that times change. She responds with the phrase "people change". According to Lor'themar, the Blood Knights may make the Horde more willing to accept the blood elves into the fold. That, one day, the Blood Knights will accomplish something remarkable that could be enough to make Thrall change his opinion. (It seems like Thrall didn't want them in his Horde. ) She says "Dar'Khan", and he doesn't understand what she means. She elaborates, "Dar'Khan will die - one way or another, and if his death makes our worth in the eyes of potential allies increase the better." (My translation. Likely looks different in the English version. )

Both talk about Galell joining the Blood Knights, and she tells him that he's adapting, when he asks how Galell is faring. Afterwards, she leaves the room.

Lor'themar takes a few arcane crystals out of a drawer. For some reason, Lor'themar and the other Farstriders don't seem to need magic as much as other elves, but he has no idea why. He knows that other elves have it worse, though. He's the one who's been providing Liadrin with crystals. He asked Halduron to leave crystals where Liadrin would find them, while she was still alone in the Ghostlands. Despite times changing, his admiration and affection for Liadrin remain unchanged.

Galell is in his room feeding one some crystals he took in Dawnstar Spire. He's found another use for magic consumption. It can relieve the headache that comes with being a Blood Knight, but the amount needed once again increases with each dose. Another drawback are the blackouts.

He got what he wanted, the Light, but the Light can't expel the bitterness from his heart. He wants to keep trying, though, and to him, the crystals seem to be only solution, for the time being.

Orovinn is back for his money, and Galell uses the Light to seize him by the throat, despite the other elf being larger. Galell gives him enough money to pay his debt and to finance more crystals. Crystals of the highest quality, that is.

Edit: Forgot to mention that Liadrin doesn't trust Sylvanas and wants to see what kidn of person Sylvanas is now, before she can trust her.

The next afternoon, Solanar and Liadrin ride to the Ghostlands to relieve Galell, Vranesh and Mehlar who were keeping watch over Dar'Khan's home. Nothing noteworthy has happened during their watch, but Galell is missing. Liadrin asks where he is, and Vranesh says that he'd been following the urges of mother nature, as an excuse for not knwing where Galell is. Mehlar says that Galell had left a few times and was behaving strangely, which according to Vranesh, seems to be the norm with Galell. They consider him a weirdo.

The group go search for Galell, and Liadrin finds blood. She tells the knights to come to her and continues following the blood trail, which leads to humanoid body parts. She can't tell whether they belong to a human, elf or some other species. Finally, they find Galell, drenched in entrails and blood, near a troll skull. Mehlar repeatedly asks for forgiveness and says that he didn't know, but Liadrin doesn't answer him. She asks Galell whether he did this and then says that she'll take him to Silvermoon, after it is clear that he won't answer.
Some time later, Lor'themar and Liadrin are talking about Galell. He asks her how Galell is doing and whether he's told her what happened. She answers that he's resting and that Galell told her that a troll scout had surprised him while he was thinking about the past. Galell didn't explain why he made such a mess, though.

The conversation shifts to another theme. Astalor has managed to decipher the code and found out that an individual called Thadirr will leave the Stone of Light, Stone of Flame and the fragments of the Stone of Sparks in the place where she found the diary, the next day. (This stone doesn't exist in the game, so the name may not be 100% accurate.) These stones were created by Belo'vir during the Troll Wars and are imbued with energies of the Sunwell. The Stone of Sparks broke back then, but Belo'vir kept it's fragments. With the aid of these stones the Scourge could be beaten back, and if Dar'Khan knows this, he probably wants to keep them out of the elves' hands.

Halduron enters the room, and Liadrin and Lor'themar conclude their conversation with her saying that her Blood Knights will lay a trap for Thadirr, before allowing Halduron to state his business. Liadrin wants to leave, but Halduron tells her that she should hear what he has to say too. A group of Alliance treasure seekers entered Zul'Aman, and the lone survivor revealed that Zul'jin is back and that the Amani are performing sacrifices to their animal gods, before succumbing to his injuries.

Liadrin leaves, and Halduron asks whether Lor'themar misses the life as a ranger. Lor'themar replies that he misses it more and more each day and that, some times, it feel as if the room were getting smaller. Halduron tells Lor'themar that he's at fault for Zul'jin's return. He had the chance to kill him, but left him alive because he wanted Lor'themar to decide what to do with the troll. Lor'themar tells him that he feels guilty for Silvermoon's fall. Halduron interjects that Lor'themar couldn't have known that Dar'Khan was a traitor, and Lor says that that is his point. That guilt, remorse and despair gnaw at you each day, if you allow them. Lor says hat he deals with it by hoping that blood elves' suffering unites them, that their land will not only regain it's old splendour but also become even more magnificent, that the elves will learn from their errors. True leadership does not mean that you are infallible. It means that you won't give up, even when you've made a wrong choice. He also says that Halduron is his most loyal and trustworthy companion. Halduron is visibly relieved.

That night, Liadrin gets woken up by Vranesh. There's something she has to see. They go to the Shepherd's Gate, where a crowd has gathered, and see the bloody corpse of Orovinn. According to the rumors one of the Blood Knights is responsible. One of Silvermoon's guardians makes his way through the crowd and tells Liadrin that Rommath wants to see her.

Rommath tells Liadrin that Galell had been seen hanging Orovinn. Liadrin says that it could've been self-defence and that Galell is no murderer. Rommath tells her that someone who kills in self-defence wouldn't have showcased his action. He has to inform Kael about the status of the negotiations with the Horde/QT Alliance and expects her to deal with this matter before he returns, the next day.

She tells him that there are other pressing matters, but he tells her that he demands that she deal with Galell. He tells her to do what is necessary, quickly and without attracting attention. He asks her whether he can leave this matter in her hands, and she says yes.

The Blood Knights, sans Liadrin and Galell, are waiting for Thadirr, to apprehend him. Bachi assures Vranesh that he's not his type, and Solanar tells them to be quiet. They've ll wondered why Galell took a turn to the worse. Some believe that it was a magic intake imbalance, others that M'uru's voice drove him mad. Either way, his change has taken it's toll on the group. Cyssa has become introverted and is no longer lively, like she used to be.

A hooded person, surrounded by an aura of arcane magic, arrives at the spire. They believe this person to be Thadirr and the aura to be fuelled by the stones. As soon as man enters the spire, the Blood Knights commence their attack.

Lor'themar is unable to understand what happened with Galell. Galell a murderer? He wonders whether he could have changed something, if he had had the time to visit his friend more often. He also wonders how Liadrin is coping. She's the one who admitted Galell into the order, after all.

Astalor enters. He says that the stones have been found in Silvermoon's ruins, so Thadirr must be laying a trap for Dar'Khan. Lor'themar realises that Thadirr is an anagram for Drathir, which he would have found out sooner had he not been busy negotiating with the Horde, and comes to the conclusion that it's a trap for the elves, not Dar'Khan.

Dar'Khan congratulates himself for the perfectly executed plan. When the master heard of the Blood Knights, he ordered Dar'Khan to integrate them into the ranks of the Scourge. Thanks to his spies, Dar'Khan knew that the stones hadn't been recovered yet, so using them as bait was no problem. He smiled while thinking about the surprised faces of the knights when they'd find out that he wasn't an easy target like they had thought. Instead of a lone individual, they'd find Dar'Khan and his undead minions. The battle commences, but it's sounds lead to the knights getting reinforcements. Thankfully, Halduron and a squad of rangers had been nearby, repairing a ruin so it could be used as their new headquarters in the Ghostlands. (Farstrider Enclave.) If they hadn't arrived, the Blood Knights would have died.

Despite the blood elven reinforcements, Dar'Khan was sure that he'd win and lamented that Liadrin hadn't showed up. He still hoped that she'd do so. He'd have loved having her lead her undead knights against Silvermoon. Just as he is salivating at the thought, Astalor, Lor'themar and a group of guardians teleport to the battlefield. Astalor holds a small box, presumably with the the stones inside it, in his hands. Lor'themar greets Thadirr and takes a look at his former friend. Just like in life, the mage still likes wearing pompous clothes, but the silk robe doesn't conceal the fact that the body beneath it is little more than skin and bones. Dar'Khan's body is also covered by swarms of carrion eating insects.

The elves are starting to gain the upper hand, but Dar'Khan sets Lor'themar aflame before he can attack the traitor. At once, all the knights start healing the Regent, putting their own lives in peril. Even Solanar, who had been weakened by the teleportation does so. Bloodvalor sees that Solanar's life is in danger and protects his fellow knight with a holy shield. Lor'themar's feeling of burning alive quickly goes aways, and Astalor enters the Spire with both intact stones floating at his sides. Dar'Khan feels the magic that keeps him alive losing power, and Lor'Themar shoots him with his sole arrow. A little something he prepared before the journey. It is an arrow that has a fragment of the Stone of Sparks as it's arrowhead. Dar'Khan tries to cast his last spell, but the power of the stones keeps him in check, and his body quickly turns into dust once the arrow hits him.

Galell is in the ruins of the troll hideout where he and his four friends had been kept captive long ago, sticking arcane crystals into his body. It is the price he has to pay, to suppress M'uru's voice. He wants to look for Orovinn to get more crystals, but then remembers that he had killed him. At first, he considers the thought that he could've killed Orovinn ludicrous, but after a convulsion, he stops thinking rationally and decides that Orovinn deserved dying, just like all the other elves do. He starts giggling but doesn't know why he considers Orovinn's death funny.

Liadrin enters the sacrificial chamber, just as Galell is singing about Orovinn's death. He looks like a wretched, almost ghoullike even. She feels powerless and doesn't know what she could do or could have done to help him. Suddenly, Galell regains lucidity. He tells Laidrin that they were fated to die. That they shouldn't have survived that day. She tells him that he should come with her, that she will help him, but he replies by saying: "Our fate was to die, as punishment for the sins of the past. That is what he is trying to tell me when he SHOUTS AT ME!" Galell takes his lance and starts attacking Liadrin. Liadrin desperately tries to counter his strikes without inflicting a deadly wound. She implores him to stop, to come to his senses, and he says: "When it talks to me, it sounds like splintering glass. I feel as if a piece of me, the one I want to hold on, had been separated from my being and were drifting away - a ship lost amidst-". He starts mumbling, and Liadrin tries to calm him down. Galell shouts, asking An'dorvel for forgiveness and telling Liadrin that, some times, M'uru's voice sound like crying children, instead of splintering glass.

He attacks her again, and she is unable to counter one of his attacks without killing him. Instinctively, she knows that he won't be able to block her attack in time and starts crying as her strike splits his head open, cutting off the upper part of his cranium. Hours later, as she burns Galell's body, Lor'themar arrives and tells her that she did what was necessary. She asks him: "what has become of us?", and he answers saying that times change. She counters saying: "people change". As the two embrace, Liadrin asks herself whether what she is doing is right, whether the other paladins and priests are right... whether the Light should remain out of reach.

The End

[Immitis]

any idea how long this novel is and when it will be released?

[Rhlor]

Lorthemar and Liadrin hug!!!

[checking facts]

Lorthemar and Liadrin hug!!!

ZOMAGAWDZ, THEY HUG?

until they kiss, I'm holding my ships lol

[Rhlor]

ZOMAGAWDZ, THEY HUG?

until they kiss, I'm holding my ships lol

and what is your ship?

[checking facts]

and what is your ship?

none, atm. that's why I said I was holding my ships until I saw some kissing. I hate it when I start thinking that two characters look good together and than the authors go and hook those characters up with completely different characters. urgh.

[Rhlor]

as a human and dragon of thousands of years?

[checking facts]

as a human and dragon of thousands of years?

exactly. who would ever imagine that would happen?

[Rhlor]

I wonder if Jaina lay an egg

[Mgann-Morzz]

Yeah, she's been criminally underused since BC IMO.

Yeah, I feel the Isle of Thunder was a wasted oppertunity to use her.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I wonder if Jaina lay an egg

Shut up shut up. STOP. I WILL SUMMON THE FLAMES OF XOROTH ONTO BLIZZ HQ FOR SUCH BLASTPHEMY!!!!


OT: I'm glad Lor'themar and Liadrin are getting together. Get a Blood Elf Romance out there. I just hope maybe either Lor'themar is soothed by Liadrin(Cause women seem to be more nice then the men >_> or vice versa).

Also

[checking facts]

I wonder if Jaina lay an egg

that's gotta hurt.

you know, that's why bunnies have red eyes. have you ever seen the size of an easter egg?

[Rhlor]

it is interesting that the cannon is Lor'themar who kills darkhan

[checking facts]

it is interesting that the cannon is Lor'themar who kills darkhan

I don't know about that. if I read it right, than this novel happens before tBC starts.

that means dar'khan died (and turned into dust) twice before the player killed him. not to mention he was killed and raised by arthas before that.

so he was:

killed by arthas and raised as undead;
killed by his own stupidity and turned into dust;
killed by lorthemar and turned into dust again;
killed by the player, without turning into dust;

onyxia and sylvanas just got a new rival lol

[Deleted]

I don't know about that. if I read it right, than this novel happens before tBC starts.

that means dar'khan died (and turned into dust) twice before the player killed him. not to mention he was killed and raised by arthas before that.

so he was:

killed by arthas and raised as undead;
killed by his own stupidity and turned into dust;
killed by lorthemar and turned into dust again;
killed by the player, without turning into dust;

onyxia and sylvanas just got a new rival lol

So he holds the record of dying four times. Talk about die-hard.

[Rhlor]

I don't know about that. if I read it right, than this novel happens before tBC starts.

that means dar'khan died (and turned into dust) twice before the player killed him. not to mention he was killed and raised by arthas before that.

so he was:

killed by arthas and raised as undead;
killed by his own stupidity and turned into dust;
killed by lorthemar and turned into dust again;
killed by the player, without turning into dust;

onyxia and sylvanas just got a new rival lol

in the novella lorthemar talk that is already in negotiations with the horde in the game after the death of darkhan Elves join the Horde