Chapter 105: Chapter 105
Returning to the meeting room, Varrus took his seat at the center of the table, and nodded at everyone present.
"Good, now that everyone is here, we can discuss our plans for the future. For the agenda today, I have 4 things in mind.
Sunwell Restoration & the Legion Securing The Ghostlands Darkfallen Advancing South
If anyone has anything else to add, now is the time to speak up." Varrus said, opening the meeting by setting an agenda.
"Are we still on track for reconstruction? I hate to see our beautiful nation remain in such decrepit squalor." Tae'thelon huffed.
"A good question, Headmaster. Silvermoon is cleansed of corruption, as is the isle of Quel'Danas. The capitol will take time to rebuild, but with our diminished population, it might be more worth our tike to focus on reconstructing other places first." Varrus nodded his head in agreement, but also spoke in a cautioning tone.
"And leave the crown jewel of Quel'Thalas barren? Silvermoon is a symbol of Highborn supremacy. A subtle reminder of power cloaked in elegance. I do not care for our new path, allying ourselves with the lesser races. But if we are to control them, then we must instill upon them the majesty of the Highborn. I have helped set up the teleportation gates in Sunstrider Square, should you wish our fair city to serve as the new hub for an empire, it must be presentable." Tae'thelon all but demanded in a haughty tone.
Glancing around the table, Varrus saw that a good 80% of the population was nodding along in agreement.
Even Koren, Varrus's number one fan seemed to be in favor of Tae'thelon's plan.
Varrus was also partially in agreement. People judged you based upon the state of your house. Appearances mattered. What kind of message would Varrus be sending to his new vassals if they visited Silvermoon, but saw that half the city was in a wreck?
"Silvermoon is a priority, but let us not forget the walled fortress of Tranquillien, the walls of Deatholme, and the Elf Gates separating us from the Human lands. The Scourge are still a threat, and not only them, but my scouts have reported sightings of Undead Trolls roaming the Amani city-state of Zul'Aman." Lor'Themar-cleaned of any paint-piped up from the side.
At the same time, he unfurled a map, and pointed to the south-eastern corner of the Ghostlands. Circled in red was the infamous capital city of the Amani people.
"Crush them before they can mobilize. We must be swift and end this menace once and for all." Thaladred snarled, and directed a look of hostility at Jan'alai whilst doing so.
"What are the numbers, do they pose a serious threat?" Liadran's soft voice questioned.
All eyes turned to Lor'Themar, curious as to the danger that the remnant Amani might be capable of.
"I do not have a specific number, but my scouts estimate somewhere between 40-80,000 have been risen. More join their ranks every day." Lor'Themar explained.
"The Sunfury will handle this." Kael's voice spoke with authority, and brooked no disagreement.
His stern expression seemed to dare Nightsong to contradict him.
However, the General seemed aloof, and wasn't forthcoming with a response.
Kael seemed satisfied, and leaned back into his seat, content that he had flexed his authority.
Varrus wanted to slap his own forehead at the general stupidity taking place between his friend and mother, but Zul'Aman did need to be secured.
If they advanced into the Plaguelands to the south without securing their flanks, them they were practically begging for an ass whooping.
"My knights will assist in this endeavor!" Koren loudly proclaimed.
"I would be happy to aid our brothers and sisters in the Light." Liadran clasped her hands, and innocently smiled at Kael.
"There are still kin and lesser tribes under their yoke, I know it. Please, Kael, let me speak to them and reach an understanding." Jan'alai reached a hand down, and said in an almost pleading voice.
Kael wore a conflicted look upon his face as more than half the Elves present looked at Jan'alai in silent condemnation.
"We will give them a chance." Kael slightly inclined his head.
"That is all I ask." Jan'alai exhaled heavily in relief.
Varrus raised a brow at their interplay. He felt bad that his friend had to balance romance and politics. It was not easy to make love or peace with a mortal enemy. But if there was anything that solved years of conflict back on Earth, it was marriage alliances.
Hopefully Jan'alai could be the link that snapped in this long chain of hatred.
"Very good, then if that is settled, let us discuss the renewal of the Sunwell." Varrus clapped his hands to draw attention to himself, and move on to a topic that all Highborn held near and dear to their hearts.
"Yes, yes, you said it will be done once Telonicus has set the Rune Stones in place. We don't want any big scary demons knowing about its restoration." Tae'thelon tiredly sloshed the contents of his drink in a bored manner.
"True, I do not wish to rehash old talking points. However, there is another development we should be aware of. Someone bring in Valanar, I have a question for him." Varrus looked over his shoulder, to which Rho'dan nodded, and left the room.
A minute later, the silver haired Prince was escorted inside by several Crossguard holding him at sword point.
"Valanar, you were in contact with the Legion, yes? When was the last time they messaged you or your mother?" Varrus questioned the whimsical Prince who was standing off to the side and was busy glancing aimlessly at a tiny flower growing from a crack in the wall.
"Mmm? About 2 weeks give or take?" Valanar responded without bothering to look towards Quel'Thalas's most important Elves.
Varrus withheld a chuckle as he noticed Tae'thelon balk at the disrespect.
"Thank you, Valanar, you can go now." Varrus shooed the Prince off.
"Ah!" Valanar gestured towards the flower in surprise before he was hauled off by the guards.
'One must be touched in the head to be truly talented as a druid. The Emerald Dream was no joke!' Varrus shook his head, then returned his attention to the meeting.
"And this is relevant how, exactly? Don't tell me you brought the flower sniffer here to say less than a sentence?" Tae'thelon raised an eyebrow and scoffed.
"A sentence is all I needed for confirmation." Varrus smirked at Tae'thelon knowingly.
"Enough with the theatrics, Varrus." Lor'Themar plainly stated.
"Sure sure. Anyway, some time ago, I saw the attack on our kin through my spies."
"Faedra's spies." Nightsong spoke up for the first time since the meeting began.
"Faedra's spies." Varrus inclined his head.
"But the point remains, I saw the Legion Commander, Archimonde, begin his assault. Now, there is no word? I find it difficult to imagine that a Demon of his caliber would remain silent all this time. I believe he is defeated. We should capitalize on this knowledge, and perhaps advance the time table of the Sunwell's restoration." Varrus eagerly turned to Telonicus, and proposed his plan.
"...three months at the earliest. I cannot guarantee anything more. Plan for six, but three is not impossible." Telonicus frowned as he completed a few calculations.
"I'll take it. Now as to the security of the Ghostlands-"
"I shall end the remaining threats in the Ghostlands. Many of our people who have chosen to follow me seek a purpose. Do not deny them this." Nightsong spoke up, her voice strong, and carrying a hint of challenge in it.
"The Light calls for forgiveness and acceptance. Please, fellow council members, and Royal Advisors. Allow them this mercy." Liadran raised her soft voice to be heard over the mutterings of the crowd.
"Just so long as they are kept out of Silvermoon and Eversong. The ash-skin may say they are for us, but can we trust that they won't hunger after our flesh? Or that their master, the Lich King, won't assert his control over them once more? I do not like this." Thaladred voiced his concerns.
"I admit, General Nightsong is an inspiration, but I sort of agree with Thaladred…" Koren ducked his head low, evading Liadran's frown.
"You can trust General Nightsong to do what is best for Quel'Thalas. She has done so before, she will do so again.' Lor'Themar spoke up in her defense.
Kael had a sour expression on his face, and looked like he was moments away from disagreement.
"30,000+ isn't a small number. They would do well to secure your flank against the Trolls, my King. In fact, they would make for a most excellent decoy. Any Scourge forces that might want to advance from the south would encounter Nightsong first. She could simply tell them that Quel'Thalas is secured, and that there is no need to go any further north." Varrus detailed the usefulness of the friendly Darkfallen in the hopes that Kael wouldn't blow up on them.
"...We welcome and value your support in securing Quel'Thalas. Thank you, General Nightsong." Kael eventually bit out, and managed to keep a neutral expression whilst saying so.
"We appreciate the trust you have placed upon us, King Sunstrider." Nightsong replied in kind, her voice just as formal as Kael's.
Varrus ground his teeth, hating every second of BS politics playing out in front of him.
His mother and best friend were going at it with such passive-agressivism, that he's wished he could slap both of them, and tell them to get along.
"Very good! Then since we're already discussing the role of the Darkfallen, perhaps we can station them at the Elf Gates, and here in Deatholme until we can research a cure?" Varrus suggested to the council.
Nightsong looked like she might disagree, however, she remained silent as everyone else voiced their approval of the plan.
Varrus gave her an apologetic shrug of the shoulders.
Maybe Nightsong wanted to reintegrate the Darkfallen into society. Maybe that would be best for their mental health.
But Varrus was concerned that they might have a blood addiction, just like how normal Highborn had a mana addiction.
For now, he didn't want to risk the larger population of living Elves, nor did he think the majority would be happy to live next door to some zombies.
The Scourging of Quel'Thalas had just happened, and a small sense of normalcy was returning to the average citizens life. If Varrus suddenly introduced a large influx of Undead into Silvermoon, then that fragile peace might snap.
"I am sorry Nightsong, but as you said, once the Darkfallen prove themselves, perhaps the rest of Highborn society might be more willing to accept them. Until we have proven without a shadow of a doubt that they are capable of reintegration, it is for everyone's best interest that the border with the Humans remains secured." Varrus raised his hands, and spoke soothingly towards his mother.
"We will prove ourselves. You can count on that." Nightsong spoke with a firm tone of voice, and projected confidence that belied a strong will.
Looking at her, Varrus believed every word she said. Nightsong truly was a General for the ages.
Varrus unconsciously found himself grinning at his mother. It was hard not to like such a strong woman. She had spunk, and was willing to stand up against the King of a nation.
If only she had been around when he first transmigrated.
Shaking his head, Varrus clapped his hands once more, and moved the meeting along.
"On to the last topic. Our plans for invading the south, and eliminating the Scourge presence upon the Eastern Kingdoms. I'll be the first to say it, with our current numbers, victory almost seems impossible, even with the help of the Sunwell. Even if we did win, we would possibly face catastrophic losses." Varrus seriously intoned as he met everyone in the eye.
"Build more golems. They will tear through the weak willed Undead with ease." Thaladred exclaimed.
"That is part of the plan, yes. However, there are tens of millions of Humans in Lordaeron alone, not to mention the other Human nations. On top of that, there are generations of dead resting in crypts and graveyards. Telonicus, Pathaleon, how many Undead could we possibly be fighting against?" Varrus questioned.
"Well, there were roughly 70~ million living Humans in total, as far as my estimates go. 25 in Lordaeron, 18 in Stromgarde, 2 in Alterac, 15 in Gilneas, 9 million in Kul'Tiras, and a few tens of thousands within the city state of Dalaran." Telonicus listed out.
"Assuming they have a loss rate similar to ours of about 69%, then the remaining living Humans should number around 21,700,000.
As for Undead, that would be 48,300,000. By taking into account the thousands of years of habitation, and the decay of said corpses, there is a potential for 100-230 million Undead." Pathaleon added on in a grim tone.
The entire table looked on in stunned silence. Necromancy was an incredibly fearsome magic. Amongst those Humans, there was sure to be some Heroes and Elites too. It was an absolute nightmare going up against such a daunting foe.
"Surely you jest." Magister Governor Allatrocx licked his lips, and nervously tugged at the collar on his robe.
"He speaks the truth." Telonicus supplied. "However, that is only half of the equation. It is true that this is what the Scourge is capable of, but they do not possess unlimited mana." Telonicus added on.
Relief flooded the meeting room, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the good news.
"That is not to say that they are toothless. Death magic is self feeding. The more Undead that gather, the more ambient energy the necromancers have to draw upon. Like a snowball rolling down a hill to form an avalanche, the Scourge is growing rapidly. They should already have 8-10 million at the least, with a number growing by 10,000+ every day." Telonicus busily explained whilst he scratched out some numbers and continued to calculate.
Varrus nodded along. If they were to win, they needed to out tech the enemy, and put more boots on the ground. The golems were a good start, but he had been inspired by Telonicus's invention during the battle for Deatholme.
"So what we need are new weapons of war, and allies to match. While we hide and wait to restore the Sunwell, we need to make more floating platforms to house our mages, airforce, and canons." Varrus glanced at Telonicus and Tae'thelon.
"I have just finished setting up the portals across Quel'Thalas…I suppose it can be done." Tae'thelon spoke in an irked tone of voice.
"Supply the Mana Stones, and I will build what is required." Telonicus curtly replied.
"Good, good. I have Helios supplying the Human resistance under Garithos at the moment, and have been sending weapons, food, and clothing to other holdouts. Lastly, there is a civil war taking place in the nation of Gilneas. I intend to lead House Vandercross inside, and install a new leader. One loyal to Quel'Thalas." Varrus grinned at the other members of the Convocation.
"A serious undertaking, indeed. But the First Seat has a proven track record for negotiation given the Kobolds. I agree, we need allies if we are to destroy the Scourge. All in favor?" Lor'Themar queried the rest of the table.
A resounding number of "ayes" rang out.
Varrus nodded in appreciation at Lor'Themar.
"Meeting adjourned. May we bring victory and peace to the Eastern Kingdoms." Varrus raised his drink in salute.
"To victory and peace!"
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