Chương 46: Chapter 46
"There is much to get through, so as the First Seat, I have decided to set an agenda to keep ourselves focused. If you'll open your folders, you'll see on the front page a list of topics for us to discuss." Varrus said, and pointed at the sheets of paper he had handed out.
Topics:
1) Actions to be taken after the immediate aftermath of the Troll War/Scourge invasion, and the severity of the Fel energy released into the world last night. How to secure Quel'Thalas.
2) Rebuilding efforts/supply issues.
3) Foreign policy regarding neighboring kingdoms.
4) Low population/birth rate issue.
5) Judicial considerations.
6) The Sunwell.
After everyone had a moment to digest the information that was to be discussed at the meeting, Varrus folded his hands in front of him, and met everyone in the eye to make sure they were prepared.
Unfolding a map of Quel'Thalas on the table, Varrus eyed it for a moment, then began the meeting proper.
"Good, we are ready. I believe we are all familiar with the betrayal of Dar'Khan Drathir, and the events leading up to the demise of our fair land, so I will not bore you with the details. However, we must decide on a course of action regarding the removal of Scourge forces from our land, and address the attack that happened upon us last night. Lor'Themar, what insight can you provide as to the state of the land?" Varrus opened up.
"My rangers report that the majority of the Eversong Woods remains untainted, however, the province of Tha'salah is a near total loss. The decayed land is so ever present, and the wails of banshees so commonplace, my people have dubbed it, the Ghostlands." Lor'Themar seriously intoned.
"I can second that report. My knights have been flying patrols, and rescuing any they come across. There are some pockets of resistance within these Ghostlands, however, they are dwindling fast. There is a sizable holdout in the town of Tranquillien-at least a few thousand-but they can't hold out for long." Koren said with worry.
"Hmm, I had taught some classes at Tranquillien in the past. If memory serves correct, the town sits in the center of Tha'salah, pardon, the Ghostlands. I'm no military expert, but this is a prime position to hold, no?" Tae'thelon clearly mocked Tha'salah's rebranded name, but provided decent insight at the same time.
"Yes, one could provide reinforcement to any corner of the Ghostlands from this location. I had taken part in Tranquillien's construction, it is designed as a fortress town for this very purpose." Telonicus claimed. He then pulled out a ruler, and showed that the town was nearly equidistant to the N S E and W of the province.
"Those poor people must feel abandoned, how cruel. I volunteer to lead a relief expedition." Liadran said, full of fiery passion.
"I also volunteer!" Koren was quick to follow up.
"The distance from Silvermoon to Tranquillien is a three day journey by foot, one and a half by hawkstrider, and 4 hours by dragonhawk." Telonicus recited like a machine as he stared up at the ceiling in thought.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is more than one theater of war, unfortunately." Lor'Themar intoned as he began to circle locations on the map.
"Within Eversong, a grove of Treants has been raised into undeath, and are currently assaulting Fair Breeze Village to the south-west. Amani survivors fled to the stronghold of Tor'Watha in our south-east, Murlocs and reports of strange tentacle monsters have been causing havoc to our sailors off Sunsail Anchorage in the west, and Kobolds have been making a ruckus near Duskwither Spire to the east. This does not even begin to detail the mess that is the Ghostlands. The only land passage between the two provinces is currently occupied by a standing army controlled by an intelligent Undead. A ground assault upon Tranquillien at this time is untenable." Lor'Themar denied Liadran as he laid out the many hot spots threatening the land.
Varrus nodded his head in appreciation towards Lor'Themar's forthrightness. Having a military mind sitting at the table was the right call.
"So we go by air! Each of my dragonhawks can carry two, maybe three people. Either we reinforce the town, or attempt an evacuation." Koren said in determination.
"If memory serves correctly, you claimed to field 183 dragonhawk knights before the Troll War, is that number constant?" Telonicus queried.
"Well, no, we lost some good people that day, and a few mounts, however, we recovered Amani dragonhawk's, and our number has tripled since then." Koren said in a mixture of sorrow and pride.
"Given Koren's numbers add up, he should have 549 dragonhawks under his command. Therefore, he can evacuate 1,098 individuals per mission." Telonicus said, whilst doing some quick math.
"Mmm, this is quite the conundrum we are facing. War is a numbers game, and 1,098 is not nearly enough. If there are 2,000 or more people within Tranquillien, than reducing the total number would weaken the defenders significantly. Is that a gamble we are willing to take? Think carefully young knight, lives are on the line." Tae'thelon cleaned his monocle as he spoke, and shook his head like Koren was making a bad decision.
"Some of our dragonhawks are well trained, and do not require a skilled rider to fly home to Silvermoon. I could free up some riders, leaving them behind for defense and increase the number rescued by a few hundred." Koren said hurriedly, as the room seemed to sour on the idea of an evacuation.
"Just go in and smash them, I say. Take me along with you boy, and we'll make the bastards wish for death." Thaladred slammed the table angrily.
Koren turned to Varrus, seemingly pleading with a puppy dog look in his eyes.
"Lady Liadran leading a strike force of…"
"1,647" Telonicus supplied.
"Yes, the strike force of 1,647 including the sub-commanders, Thaladred the Darkener, and Sky Marshal Koren shall relieve Tranquillien. Their mission is to evacuate the survivors, and/or depending on the assessment of the commanders, hold the town until such a time that reinforcements from Silvermoon can provide further support." Varrus suggested.
"And what of the other enemies plaguing our land? What of Fairbreeze? Of Sunsail Anchorage, or Dusk Spire?" Lor'Themar pressed.
"Ignore the Trolls, the Murlocs and Kobolds. The lesser races are nothing in the face of the Scourge." Tae'thelon scoffed as he munched on one of Syra's cookies.
"Ignoring these 'lesser races' is what led to the situation we are in, Headmaster. I say we send the Prince to put out these fires. His new army is untested in battle. Fighting against foes other than the endless tide of Undead will be a good method to bloody themselves." Varrus refuted Tae'thelon, whilst also championing his friend.
"Oh very well, Vandercross, I do say, keeping the Prince focused is a good idea. That speech of his was much too passionate for my taste. No, what we need is a rational hand to guide his actions, one that is systematic in eradicating our enemies." Tae'thelon nodded toward Varrus, seemingly flipping on his position at the flip of a coin.
Varrus glanced at Lor'Themar, and swore he saw the shadow of a grin, but it was probably just his eyes playing tricks on him. The old bastard only seemed to smile when he was inflicting punishment.
"It's settled then, Prince Kael'Thas will run the Sunfury (the official name of Kael'Thas' army) on a cleansing effort across Eversong, whilst our council shall shore up the defenses of Tranquillien. Before we move on to the next topic, let us discuss the emergence of Fel energies the other night. Tae'thelon, Telonicus, Liadran, your thoughts?" Varrus questioned those who were more magically attuned.
"I have studied history all my life, what we experienced last night was no freak Felstorm. Oh no, this pernicious energy heralds something much more dire!"
"Stop being so dramatic, and tell us your hypothesis, Tae'thelon." Telonicus grated out.
"This is an invasion, an invasion from the Burning Legion!" Tae'thelon ignored the engineer, and gestured grandly at the rest of the Convocation.
"I thought the Legion was driven from Azeroth 10,000 years ago during the Sundering. Don't we have standing stones spread throughout the kingdom designed to prevent their return?" Koren questioned.
"The rune stones lost the majority of their power with the destruction of the Sunwell. They feed upon the leylines for now, however, this is insufficient. Should the Legion attack, we are vulnerable. However, if i was given an ample power supply, the stones could generate anti-Fel manawaves once more, thoroughly handicapping any demonic invasion. Preventing portals and dampening the power of unauthorized magic users within Quel'Thalas is one of their key features." Telonicus said as he scribbled out some math on the document in front of him, and glanced up at Varrus.
"Yes, yes, we shall discuss Mana Stone distribution after the meeting. Each of you can send me a letter detailing your expenses, and I'll see what I can do." Varrus tiredly waved off Tae'thelon and Telonicus as they appeared ready to argue over the distribution of energy at the drop of a hat.
"The Fel energy was potent. Is there anything else we can do to prevent an invasion from the demons? Everyone looks so confident, but I am not so certain. If I am ignorant, please enlighten me." Liadran looked around the table in confusion at how blàse everyone was treating the Burning Legion.
"Look girly, we just took a surprise blow below the belt. Within a day of that, we murdered the Amani, and are united in our thirst for revenge. Nothing, and I mean nothing is standing in the way of our rise." Thaladred snarled.
"Whilst the delivery was, hmm, coarse, the Darkeners sentiment stands. The rune stones camouflage Quel'Thalas from scrying, and slowly sap the mana from our enemies. Demons, my dear Liadran, are beings of pure mana. The drain upon them is thrice or even quadruple what a corporeal being would experience. I may disparage Telonicus for his choice of magicraft, but the standing stones are a work of art. Trust in the wisdom of your elders." Tae'thelon gently admonished.
"How kind of you." Telonicus said dryly.
"Kindness is the quality of being kind, gracious or considerate. I speak none of that, only fact." Tae'thelon shook his head, and spoke sternly.
"Gentleman! I have more to add to the story. We need not worry about the Legion for now, as a source of mine within the ruins of Dalaran overheard the demonic leadership discuss their goal. Their target is upon the continent of Kalimdor." Varrus lied, and used his knowledge of Canon to diffuse any of his fellow councilors' worries.
He then unfurled a world map, and pointed at the continent westward, across the sea.
"If this information is to be trusted, this is good news indeed. However, I say we prioritize the restoration of the rune stones. If nothing else, they will help act as a deterrent against the Undead and other pests plaguing our land." Lor'Themar suggested.
"But can they remove the stain known as the Dead Scar? My fellow priests and paladins have given it our all, and cannot remove the necrotic taint from our land." Liadran said hopefully, towards Telonicus, clasping her hands.
"That remains to be seen, my Lady. I must run diagnostics, and many tests upon the diseased soil before I can even begin to design a formula for the mana frequency that might subvert the corruption." Telonicus rattled off.
"In plain Thalassian, Telonicus, the attention span of our peers is ephemeral." Tae'thelon mocked.
"Then, no, I do not know." Telonicus shook his head at the crestfallen, red headed beauty.
"Fortunately, I have a solution. I tested my magic earlier today before a meeting with the Prince, and discovered that I can cure our blighted land. However, it is a great financial burden, and is a costly drain on my coffers." Varrus managed to say with a straight face.
Heck, it's not like he was lying!
"Yes, yes, we all want a piece of the pie, dispense with the faux humility. If civic pride and responsibility will not move you, what is it that you desire for completing this meritorious action?" Tae'thelon saw through the bullshit, and tiredly waved Varrus off with the back of his hand.
"Highlord Vandercross would never-!" Koren bit out, and furiously stood from his chair, only to be interrupted by Varrus pulling him back down.
"I want nothing much, nothing but a gold coin for every acre of land I purify."
"Hmm, not so outrageously unreasonable. Telonicus, how many acres are within Quel'Thalas?" Tae'thelon queried.
"The entire country contains 30 million acres." Telonicus listed off a beat later.
The entire table-Lor'themar and Thaladred included-inhaled a collective hiss at the astronomically high figure.
"Yes, but perhaps only a tenth of Eversong is corrupted." Varrus shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal.
"As if we had forgotten about the, ugh, Ghostlands OR the island of Quel'Danas? That's practically 8 million gold coins!" Tae'thelon scoffed in derision.
"13 million." Telonicus corrected.
"That's quite the scam, boy, impressive." Thaladred said in shocked respect.
"What do you need so much coin for?" Lor'Themar asked in curiosity.
The rest of the Convocation looked on, just as curious.
"Whilst gold has significantly dropped in value with my introduction of Mana Stones into the market, it is still a valuable token of exchange between the other races. Perhaps one day, it will become the staple currency of Quel'Thalas once more. Regardless, I intend to secure as many advantages for our people as possible, and money is simply a means to an end. Besides, what do any of you care? You want my Mana Stones, and a plague free country, yeah?" Varrus shook his head, and stubbornly crossed his arms.
Stunned silence met Varrus, and no one seemed to know what to say, or kept their thoughts private.
"A vote then, on this topic, and the deployment of troops." Varrus said, and banged a gavel on the table.
A beat passed, and seven 'ayes' rang out, showing their approval.
Although Tae'thelon looked reluctant, Varrus figured he didn't want to disagree on the council's first official meeting.
"Then whilst Thaladred, Liadran, and Koren are reinforcing the town of Tranquillien, Telonicus is restoring the rune stones, Lor'Thenar is leading his rangers, and you are purifying the land, what would you have me do?" Tae'thelon spoke up.
"I'm resigning from the Ranger Generalship to devote myself to the Convocation full time." Lor'Themar interjected.
The table seemed to collectively hiss at Lor'Themar's statement. It was like a bomb had been dropped atop everyone's heads, as they grappled with this sudden influx of knowledge.
"And replace it with whom? I am sorry old sport, but you are the only one fit for the position!" Tae'thelon harshly disagreed.
"Please do not do this! The amount of lives you saved in the last few days are still grateful towards you, Lor'Themar. I have heard many prayers blessing you as their savior. Please, Ranger General!" Liadran said, and reached her fair hands out to grasp upon the elder Elf's forearm.
"There was a 65% chance the city would have fallen during the Scourge attack without your leadership." Telonicus added.
"I have served under the Ranger General, and seen her act as both a military figure, as well as a politician. It is a severe conflict of interest, to be beholden to the crown as an officer, yet hold political office competing in power with that same monarch. I am sorry, but I do not wish to be both." Lor'Themar shook his head, and looked askance towards Varrus.
For Varrus, he was in a sticky spot. On one hand, he truly believed Lor'Themar would excel as Ranger General. On the other hand, he had made promises to Halduron Brightwing, Commander of the Farstriders.
However Halduron was highly suspicious within the dungeon, and Varrus was uncertain as to where his loyalties lied. The fact that the Commander was willing to assassinate Lor'Themar sometime in the next decade to claim his spot did not speak highly of his character.
Lor'Themar may have made many mistakes, but he was a true patriot. However, perhaps in Halduron's eyes, the fuck up of trusting Drathir Dar'Khan was the straw that broke the camels back. Or perhaps Halduron was just power hungry. Varrus did not know.
What he did know, is that the people loved Lor'Themar. He was a Hero that the civilians had directly witnessed as he saved over 100,000 people. His popularity was no less than Kael's at the moment, and was the glue that Varrus needed to make the Convocation more palatable as a leading organization.
The fear tactics Varrus had enacted at the funeral rally when he shoehorned Jan'alai's acceptance amongst Elven ranks were not exactly inspiring.
Varrus had come to a conclusion. He had to keep Lor'Themar in both roles.
"At the request of His Majesty, I intend to name Halduron Brightwing, Commander of the Farstriders as my replacement." Lor'Themar said as he unfurled a fancy scroll containing the Prince's signature.
"Nonsense, Lor'Themar. You must remain as Ranger General, and as a member of this Convocation. The people trust you, and I fear that the rangers may disdain the commands of this body without you sitting upon it. Please. Reconsider." Varrus said imploringly.
Lor'Themar opened his mouth as if to disagree, however, Liadran's hand on his forearm tightened, and seeing the look of hope upon her face, the elder Elf could only tiredly sigh.
"Very well, this old Elf shall remain as Ranger General. But once all this nonsense has boiled over, and we are at peace once more, I will stick with one role or the other." Lor'Themar rubbed his forehead, and lightly chided Varrus.
"Thank you, and welcome back Ranger General. If it assuages your fears, I say we promote Halduron to Vice General so that when you 'retire', he can be in a better position to succeed you." Varrus suggested.
Whilst Halduron was a suspicious character, that didn't mean he wanted the Commander to know that he was on to him. If Varrus was questioned by the Commander as to why he never received his promotion to Ranger General, Varrus could claim he fought for him, but was rejected by a majority vote. He could, however, earn some trust by showing him this promotion.
"Alright then, on to the next topic. How to restore Silvermoon." Varrus said happily, knowing he had secured Lor'Themar.
"Ahem." Tae'thelon coughed lightly into his hand.
Varrus looked over in confusion.
Similarly, Liadran, and Koren appeared just as befuddled as Varrus.
The educator was turning red in the face, and looked like he was about to erupt, before calming himself, and lightly chuckling. He was about to say something now that he had regained his composure, only to be interrupted by his rival.
"Your skills would best be served by restoring the teleportation network. To justify the vast number of Mana Stones you'll be requesting from Vandercross, you must put in the work." Telonicus spoke up for Tae'thelon.
"It's settled then! We all have our missions. Next topic!" Varrus banged the gavel on the table in jubilation.
Tae'thelon was sour, but Varrus didn't care. He had money on his mind.
Money with which he could hire adventurers and mercenaries. Money used to bribe spies into his pocket, and buy enough adamantium to forge his wife a god-tier buster sword.
The shine of gold just around the corner set Varrus' inner loot Goblin ablaze.
What a glorious day!
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AN: Read 25 chapters ahead at: patreon.com/KarpQQ
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