"The Horde was once mighty and powerful. My parents told me of how we once numbered more than blades of grass. That even from a mountain top, the numbers of our people would stretch out as far as the eye could see. That our enemies in our old dying world was crushed under the weight of our might and numbers.
But still, our world was dying, and so we sought out new worlds and found one rich in life. Our leadership then had all but guaranteed we would conquer this new world. We marched into this new world and initially routed the humans.
But then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked."
-Go'el, Shaman of the Frostwolf Clan, Oral History of the Frostwolf Clan, 25 ADP, Alterac Mountains
***
"Codex: Imperial Dogma of Excellence
Imperials respect strength and skill above all things, and the only way to remain strong is to be constantly tested. They relish the opportunity to compete with one another, since to not be challenged is to grow weak, and even those at the peak of power must always seek new ways to challenge themselves... or they will not remain in power for long. It is not just physical or martial strength that Imperials admire - those who demonstrate expertise in politics, craftsmanship, trade, and Magic all help to create a stronger Empire.
Anyone can prosper in the Sacred Phoenix Empire, no matter their background, so long as they have the strength of will and the drive to succeed. The Empire also has its own Aristocracy established by the Aenarion Septim, which is divided into the Great Houses and Lesser Houses.
Contrary to the traditional nobility, the members of the Great Houses and Lesser Houses are the best of the best, often tasked with the most essential duties, and they were the first to lead the charge on the battlefield or fight against the powerful foes of the Empire.
As the Empire expands and defeats neighboring cultures and cities, it offers the conquered people a choice: swear loyalty to the Ruby Throne and be judged solely on your worth, or be destroyed. This is not subterfuge or any kind of ruse; the Imperials are as good as their word, and many who have embraced their conquerors' way of life find their prospects greatly improved. But those who refuse to bend the knee are crushed without mercy.
Whether a city is taken by force or willingly swears fealty to the Empire, its Warmasons immediately set to work in stamping the Empire's authority upon the newly acquired territory. Gateways of dark stone quarried from the mountains surrounding the capital are raised on every road leading to the city. Known throughout Azeroth as Orb-Gates, these towering structures leave approaching travelers in no doubt as to who holds the reins of power.
Every city conquered has an assigned Steward to govern and uphold Imperial law and authority.
The newly assimilated territories are brought to the standards of the Empire, and generally speaking, the ones who are benefiting most from the changes of the regime are typically commoners and talented people who could rise to higher social status through the Imperial Dogma of Excellence."
- Dogma of the Imperial Excellence
***
Azeroth, Military Camp of Fire-Storm Army Group, Stranglethorn Vale, 30 kilometers of Zul'Gurub
Aenarion was rather surprised that someone on the Legendary Level appeared in the Swamps of Sorrows, and judging by the name Irene Belserion, he knew that this was someone from the World of Warcraft.
It meant that this was someone from a different world than Azeroth, yet it was also someone of considerable power, which was rather disturbing at one point. Beings at the Legendary Level were very rare, and in the current Azeroth, one could even count them on one hand.
Right now, Aenarion was awaiting the arrival of the Legendary Level Archmage while also thinking over the mission that his wife, Esdeath, was undertaking in the Zul'Gurub. Fortunately enough, due to the fact that Hakkar the Soulflayer lost two Avatars that were destroyed, their mission instantly became much easier.
The loss of the Divine Power for Hakkar the Soulflayer was no joke, and with Guardian of Tirisfal on their side, it would be possible for them to assassinate the Loa of Blood. Either that, or even if they failed, at least they would be able to banish the Loa of Blood somewhere else from Azeroth.
Aenarion wanted to recruit the Legendary Level Archmage for the Fire Nation, because they would gain another layer of protection and someone who would be able to help them properly develop their Magic Foundation without being overly reliant on the High Elves of the Quel'Thalas.
Even though the Fire Nation enjoyed a close and good relationship with the High Elves of Quel'Thalas, Aenarion knew that it could be dangerous if the High Elven Kingdom was the sole source of their Magical knowledge and advancements.
They needed alternative sources.
And even though he was sure that Irene Belserion was someone from a different world and most probably practiced an entirely different Magic System, Aenarion saw this as another added value and advantage that the Fire Nation would have over the other nations of Azeroth.
He was sure that whoever managed to rise to such heights in their native Magic System was bound to reach the same heights in the Azerothian Magic Systems. So Aenarion needed to work very fast so he could secure her loyalties or at least her services for the time being.
Aenarion knew that in terms of the magical knowledge, he had no way of competing, even with some more powerful Noble Families in Stormwind that were hoarding Magical knowledge for generations, even though June was working very hard to remedy that.
Soon enough, he saw a smaller airship descending from the skies to one of the landing zones that were constructed by the Fire Army in cooperation with Stormwind's Royal Army.
This airship was carrying the Legendary Level Mage, Irene Belserion.
Not to mention, the presence of someone like Irene Belserion in Azeroth was proof that there were other worlds here, some that were highly magical and pretty powerful at that...
Nevertheless, maybe that would be a good opportunity for the Fire Nation in their further and future development. It didn't take long for the airship to land as the procession was made for Legendary Level Mage Irene Belserion.
As this meeting was the personal meeting of the Fire Lord, nobody from the side of Stormwind was notified of this. Primarily because he didn't want anyone to know about this meeting so that he could have the conversation with the Archmage Belserion in private.
And he felt that, as the two foreigners in a world that was new to them, they would come to some sort of mutual understanding between them. The army of the Fire Nation and Stormwind was already laying siege on the outskirts of Zul'Gurub, and Azula was personally taking charge of the battlefront.
The Jungle Troll Tribal Alliance made rather smart decisions, as they decided to withstand most of their forces in the Zul'Gurub because their capital city could be defended far better than the rest of the ordinary settlements.
This would prolong the siege of the Zul'Gurub by a good degree, but there wasn't really much that they could do about it. Once the Jungle Trolls started cooping up in their caves and holes, it was hard to flush them out.
In the end, they were right now fighting them on their home ground.
Which was something that Aenarion considered as highly problematic, because they had the advantage of the terrain and were also conducting guerrilla warfare against the forces of Fire Nation and Stormwind.
Right now, the overall forces of the Fire Nation and Stormwind were sustaining rather sizeable losses due to the guerrilla warfare that the Jungle Trolls were waging on them. If not for the Chi Masters among the troops who were rather apt at sensing the presence of the others, the losses would be much higher than they were right now.
With the overwhelming firepower of the Fire Nation's Airships and Stormwind's Magic Corps Regiment, they were destroying the entire areas of the Stranglethorn Valley once they found a presence of the Junge Trolls.
As he turned his sight on Irene Belserion, there were two things that were running through his mind when he saw the woman for the first time.
Beautiful and dangerous.
She was simply breathtaking, that much he had to admit, and she had such a regal air around her that commanded sheer respect, power, and authority. At the same time, all of the senses that he had were literally screaming at him to escape from here as fast as possible.
Irene Belserion was powerful...
The sheer might of her Magic was something else, even though it was a bit unstable. Most probably from the transition from her original world to her current world, but she was still more powerful than anyone he had met till now.
He didn't count in the Grand Magister of the Quel'Thalas, because the High Elves were connected to the Sunwell, so technically speaking, they could draw an infinite amount of Magic from the Sunwell, and the sole thing that they were limited by was the capacity of their body.
It was the imaginary line of what they could body could handle during the time when the body was acting as the conduit for the Magic in the Sunwell. And for the obvious reasons, he wasn't counting the Guardian, because the power that was sleeping within Medivh was...
Terrifying.
"It is my utmost honor to welcome you to this humble encampment of the Fire Army, Lady Belserion."
Aenarion stated politely as he came ot the Archmage Belserion because the strength was the most important factor in everything. Legendary Level Mage, like Irene Belsserion on Azeroth, could obliterate the entire army with little to no effort.
"I thank you for the warm welcome, Fire Lord Septim."
Irene Belsersion stated as she looked at the man in front of her with mild curiosity. She could sense the Divine Power of some God in the Fire Lord Aenarion Septim, which was rather clear to her senses and due to her personal experiences with the Gods in her old world...
She knew how to differentiate the champions of the Gods?
"On behalf of the Fire Nation, I must thank you for your help with the Jungle Trolls. Vice Commander of the Imperial Bending Legion during the siege of the Temple of Atal'Hakkar and the destruction of Avatar of the Hakkar the Soulflayer. The Fire Nation won't forget the help that you gave to the Fire Nation in times of need."
Aenarion thanked Irene Belserion because her help during the siege of the Temple of Atal'Hakar was invaluable, and they managed to destroy another avatar of the Loa of Blood, which would prove to be extremely useful right now.
During the time, when the decaptitation team led by Anduin Lothar on the Loa of Blood, where Medivh would finish the work. With the two destroyed avatars of the Loa of Blood, the combat prowess of Hakkar the Soulflayer would be much lower, and the success rate of the decapitation strike would be much higher.
So, indirectly, Irene Belserion helped them a lot.
Like, really, really a lot.
"If there is anything that the Fire Nation could do for Your Excellency, don't hesitate to ask, even though right now, we are still fighting the war against the Jungle Trolls. If Lady Irene IS willing, I would also like to invite you to the trip to the capital of the Fire Nation."
Aenarion wanted to bring Irene to the Fire Nation territory and slowly work on the idea of recruiting her to the Fire Nation. Right now, he needed to compete with Dalaran and perhaps with Stormwind, as he knew that Quel'Thalas was already out of the game.
"So, shall we go?"
The Fire Lord motioned for the Archmage Belserion to follow him into his makeshift tent, that was big enough in the entire area. Aenarion and Irene went to his tent, where the servants were already preparing the things for dinner.
He wanted to make a good impression and also express his thanks for helping the troops of the Fire Nation with the situation in the Temple of Atal'Hakkar. The fact that Hakkar the Soulflayer had another Avatar was a huge surprise, and if not for Irene's help, then the entire army group would have been annihilated by the Avatar.
Though Aenarion was confident that with the sheer firepower of the Air Fleet, they would be able to injure the Avatar at least so much that it would retreat, but that wouldn't remedy the losses that they would suffer for sure.
That would be a tremendous loss for the Fire Nation, because the Air Fleet was something that was giving them a sharp edge over the rest of Azeroth. Not to mention the resources that they have used to construct so many Airships would be a staggering strain on the logistics of the Fire Nation.
One could even say that they had enormous luck in this one.
"One would say that you aren't even in the middle of a military expedition... considering this amount of luxury."
Irene Belserion commented once she sat down and looked at the trails of drinks, foods, and pastries that were served.
"Most of this was prepared specifically for you, Lady Irene, or would you prefer Archmage Belserion?"
Aenarion asked as he wanted to know the correct term for how to address her. It was a matter of courtesy and also respect for the power that she wielded. The only one Legendary Level being that he had met was the Grand Magister of Quel'Thalas.
The High Elves boasted of the highest number of Legendary Levels, especially Mages, but there was also the fact that most of them were classified as such because of the Sunwell. That thing was supplying them with an infinite amount of Magic.
As much as they needed.
"The first one is alright."
Aenarion nodded as they then proceeded to end.
"Well, then, Lady Irene, let me get straight to the matter so as not to waste our time."
Fire Lord stated as Irene showed a grateful smile on her face, as she wasn't keen on the useless small talk.
"I would like to extend an invitation to remain some time in the Fire Nation. As you were informed, the Fire Nation is lacking in the department of the magical foundation, and we are working very hard on remedying this small obstacle. But currently, we lack someone who could guide the first generation of the Mages of the Fire Nation."
Aenarion said straight away, as his first goal was to get Irene to stay within the Fire Nation at least temporarily. He believed that sooner or later, she would join in full because, in his opinion, there were not many places where she could go to obtain higher mysteries of the Arcane.
Even though the Fire Nation lacked the foundation in Magic, they obtained a lot of knowledge from the Quel'Thalas that was traded for the Orbal Tech as the High Elves took a liking to the Orbal Innovations.
There were many things that the Fire Nation was exporting to the Quel'Thalas, and the only requirement of the Fire Nation was payment in terms of knowledge. Which, surprisingly, wasn't a big deal for High Elves, as they just gave them what they wanted.
Everyone in the Elder Council knew that the High Elves were giving them just some common knowledge that was publicly taught in Dalaran and something that humanity already knew, though...
From the reports that he had received, Quel'Thalas was open to trade, even some more advanced topics.
"That's a rather tempting offer, but from what I have gathered, other forces in this world have acess to much deeper lore... especially that magocratic nation, Dalaran."
Aenarion slowly nodded when he heard her words.
"That's certainly true... but Dalaran is rather a closed institution, especially when it concerns some really advanced knowledge or something that would be considered forbidden. In the Fire Nation, you would have access to everything and all, which isn't possible within Dalaran if you are not a member of Kirin Tor, and Quel'Thalas is exchanging even some advanced lore on the Arcane with the Fire Nation."
Fire Lord knew the reason why Quel'Thalas decided to do something like this. It wasn't just because they wanted Orbal Technology from the Fire Nation, but also because they wanted to create another rival for Dalaran.
Everything that the Fire Nation traded with the Quel'Thalas was something that was already known in Dalaran or Karazhan. For the High Elves, they wanted to lower the influence that Dalaran had in the human nations in the area of Magic.
"What does that 'everything' include?"
Irene asked as she was aware that Dalaran was a long-established magic institution that was reminiscent of her weird mixture between the Magic Council and the Alvarez Empire of Earth Land.
"Complete access to the Lore of Magic that we have, and also complete access to the Grand National Archives of the Fire Nation."
This was more than enough to tempt Irene into agreeing. She weighed her options carefully, because, during the very short time, she managed to gather some information about Azeroth, various powers, and factions in the world.
Joining Dalaran was also a good option for her, though she doubted that she would be named as one of the Kirin Tor or the Council of Six that ruled the Kirin Tor. Vice Commander Yan was rather forthcoming with the information on Azeroth.
She knew that within Kirin Tor, only the Council of Six and their core members had acess to all knowledge of Dalaran, and only the Council of Six had acess to their Forbidden Lore. Before Irene was Queen, she was also an enthusiastic Magic Researcher and loved Magic.
"Anything else? With my power, it would be easy to procure what I need... including the lore, artifacts, and books."
What she said was indeed the truth.
She was a Legendary Level Archmage. If she maintained an amiable relationship with Dalaran, she would be able to obtain a lot.
"That's indeed a truth. But if you decide to join the Fire Nation, you would be named as Grand Patriarch of the Psijic Order and also have acess to the complete lore on Bending and Spirit Arts from our former world."
Irene raised her eyebrow, hearing that, because it caught her attention. She appreciated the fact that the ruler in front of her was so forthcoming about everything, as she couldn't find a lie in his words.
Bending and Spirit Arts, Chi-based Martial Arts, and Chi Manipulation.
All of these were something that was exclusively belonging to the Fire Nation, and nobody in Azeroth had anything like this. Aenarion knew that from a few decades hence, when the Mists of Pandaria dispersed, Azeroth would be introduced to the genius Chi Manipulation Arts that were native to Azeroth.
But that was several decades away.
For the time being, it would be only the Fire Nation with a monopoly on the knowledge like this, and Aenarion knew that he needed to make use of it as much as he could. He knew that it would be a tempting proposal for Irene Belserion, on top of everything.
"I will think about it."
Irene said as they started eating the food that was served to them.
"Would you be open to participating in the siege of the Zul'Gurub?"
Aenarion asked as he was keen on obtaining her assistance for the siege of the Zul'Gurub.
The Jungle Troll Tribal Alliance has already holed up within the Zul'Gurub while the Artillery Regiments of the Fire Nation were bombarding hell out of them together with the Magic Corps Regiment of Stormwind.
The bombardment had already lasted for several hours, but the barrier enveloping the Zul'Gurub. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the city of Zul'Gurub was built on several ley lines, and they were also being powered by the Divine Energy generated through the faith in Loas.
This allowed the Zul'Gurub to withstand the intense firepower of the forces of both Fire Nation and Stormwind for some time. Fortunately enough, the decapitation team that consisted of Anduin Lothar, Medivh, and Esdeath managed to sneak into the Zul'Gurub before the barrier was activated.
They were going to assassinate Hakkar the Soulflayer, once the barrier was breached, because the breach of the barrier would send out a pretty powerful backlash on the Loa of Blood, which would be awakened again, and it would be the perfect opportunity to carry out the assassination.
Aenarion already wanted to end this entire endeavor and put this behind them, because the war was straining their resources and manpower that was desperately needed somewhere else.
The Fire Nation wanted to rebuild their armies and integrate the new technologies into the Fire Nation, especially the Orbal Technology that needed to be integrated into the wider Fire Nation, and there was also a lot of work on the overall industrialization efforts.
Which would take a lot of time, and now they were wasting resources against the Jungle Troll. Even thoguh this was soemthign that Aenarion palnned to happen, he was rather pissed off, buecae the entire endeavor was taking much longer than he had initially antiicpated.
For the past few days, the Fire Army was spending a lot of Orbment Batteries in the siege of the Zul'Gurub and or other resources that couldn't be replenished. While the Orbment Batteries could be recharged, it took time.
A lot of time.
Sometimes, even a few months.
What was worse, some of the Orbment Batteries were even destroyed by overcharging or other problems, as the technology was relatively young. This military campaign has brought a lot of problems and hidden costs in them and Aenarion didn't like the costs.
Hopefully, the Zul'Gurub would have some riches for them to plunder to cover the losses that they have suffered. The materials that were needed for the construction of the Orbment Batteries were something that was procured rather hard, even for the Fire Nation.
Originally, Aenarion didn't count on the possibility of a prolonged siege, or at least, the siege where the Jungle Trolls would be able to resist for so long due ot the barrier that was right now protecting the entirety of the Zul'Gurub.
***
Three Days Later, Siege of the Zul'Gurub
For the past three days, the firepower that was being used on the barrier protecting the Zul'Gurub was intensifying, and right now, the Fire Nation was bombarding the barrier with everything that they had.
Even though technically Irene Belserion has volunteered herself to break the barrier, Aenarion decided against it, and King Wrynn agreed with him. Her presence at the battlefield was a trump card against the Jungle Trolls.
Even though the Loa of Blood was aware that a powerful Archmage had destroyed one of his avatars at the Temple of Atal'Hakkar some weeks ago, the Soulflayer wasn't aware of her presence within the siege of Zul'Gurub.
Aenarion thought that if Irene's presence was revealed to Hakkar the Soulfinder, he didn't doubt that the Loa of Blood would sacrifice all of the Jungle Trolls in the Zul'Gurub, extract their Lifeforce and Souls to boost up his combat prowess to a ridiculous degree.
Which would put the lives of the decapitation team at stake, especially considering the fact that one of his wives was part of the team, was absolutely unacceptable. At the same time, the entire fight would be very dangerous, because fighting an overpowered Demigod wasn't the best idea around.
Even though this way, they would be spending a lot of ammunition, destroying a few Orbal Weapons and Orbment Batteries for the said weapons and artillery pieces, it was better than potentially losing the entire army and perhaps even their own lives.
If the Orbal Weaponry of the Fire Nation wasn't bombarding the Zul'Gurub, then the Magic Corps Regiment was casting their War Magics on the barrier and right now, the barrier protecting the city, the last stronghold of the Jungle Trolls in Azeroth, was already on the verge of destruction.
The barrier itself was already cracked in several places, and it was clearly already falling apart, and it wasn't far from the fall. Once the barrier was destroyed, the decaptitation team that was hiding in the Zul'Gurub would kill Hakkar the Soulflayer, which was the task entrusted to the Guardian, and the army of Fire Nation and Stormwind would launch the final offensive.
Aenarion was already impatiently waiting for it, together with Azula, who was on the other side of the battlefield, as each of them was eagerly awaiting the fall of the barrier. During the past three days, Aenarion was often communicating with Irene about the possibility of joining the Fire Nation.
In the end, he managed to get a deal with her.
She would serve as the Grand Patriarch of the Psijic Order for the next five years, and afterwards, they would revise their agreement and decide on the next steps. He knew that this was the best that he could get out of her.
Aenarion could see that she was mainly undecided about what to do, and he realyl wantd ot have Legendary Level Archmage on board. Aenarion knew that even if she decided to leave after the five years, she would leave behind a proper working organization and a newly trained generation of Fire Nation Mages.
This was the binding agreement that they had, under the gaze of the Gods of the Aeldari Pantheon, and breaching it would result in severe punishment.
Perhaps even death.
As Aenarion pondered over the matter and their next steps, suddenly an enormous explosion shook through the entire area to the point where the shockwave knocked down countless objects, and chaos ensued in the camp of the Fire Nation and Stormwind.
The barrier that was protecting the city of Zul'Gurub could stand it any more and cracked down, as the aftermath destroyed a large swath of territory around Zul'Gurub, and the shockwave also damaged large parts of their encampment and even some equipment.
Fortunately enough, the Airships that were hovering in the skies managed to withstand the shockwave because once the captains of the airships saw that the barrier was cracking down, they gave out orders to retreat.
So the Air Fleet was mostly intact.
"Your Majesty!"
Aenarion was woken up from his stupor when he heard the voice of Captain-General of the Crownsguard, who was already before him, helping him to stand on his feet, as the shockwave had knocked Aenarion down.
"Start the march onto the Zul'Gurub! Full force and take no prisoners!"
Aenarion barked out orders as several people immediately went to relay them down the lines as, upon the command of their Fire Lord, the entire machinery of the Fire Nation started marching onto the city of Zul'Gurub.
The orders were clear.
Conquest of the Zul'Gurub.
No survivors taken.
And Aenarion planned something even more on top of that.
"Send out orders to King Wrynn that I agree to his proposal. After we take everything from there, blow it up."
King Barathen Wrynn, after seeing the firepower of the Fire Nation's contraption, suggested something that seemed to be rather...
Outlandish at times.
He wanted to raze the entire city of Zul'Gurub to the ground.
Meaning...
Not a single stone should remain after they were done with the city.
Certainly, Zul'Gurub was a majestic city, and its strategic location was undeniable. It was located in a place that could be easily defended within the Stranglethorn Valley, and initially, Aenarion wanted to occupy the city.
But King Wrynn proposed to destroy it.
Not even a single brick should remain.
Aenarion understood the reason.
One could say that for the trollkind of Eastern Kingdoms, the city of Zul'Gurub was their most holy and sacred site. It wasn't just a place of enormous religious and shamanistic importance, but it was also the personification of their history and culture in the Eastern Kingdoms.
Destroying the city would be essentially erasing their part in history and breaking them as a race.
Initially, Aenarion was against, but now, seeing everything and the losses of lives that for the past several days the Fire Nation suffered, as they already had several hundred dead due to the surprise raids of trolls, he decided to go with the proposal.
Zul'Gurub would become part of history.
The place would be bombed to oblivion and then sprayed with salt so nothing will grow in this place ever, and be a reminder to their enemies once and for all.
Aenarion went to don his armor as he would be leading the charge personally.
If the King doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?
He always led the charges and led his troops to victory, which earned him the respect and unwavering loyalty of the Fire Nation's Military.
And together with it, it also earned him the Throne.
Meanwhile, Aenarion was preparing for the charge, the Air Fleet had already flown onto the city of Zul'Gurub and unleashed the barrage from their cannons. Now that the barrier was down, the Air Fleet and Artillery of the Fire Nation had free hands on what targets to attack.
At the same time, every single mage felt the overwhelming Magic being radiated from the depths of the Zul'Gurub. Everyone who was more knowledgeable about the treason behind, knew that the decapitation team was already engaging Hakkar the Soulflayer.
Soon enough, the armies of the Fire Nation and Stormwind entered the outskirts of the city, which was now half-destroyed from the combined firepower of the Magic Corps Regiment of Stormwind and Orbal Artillery of the Fire Nation.
As the soldiers of the two kingdoms entered the Zul'Gurub, a fierce fight started between the combined human forces and the Jungle Trolls that fought for every single centimeter of ground beneath them.