The Multiverse War, Part One

Interlude: Bellendore's Proposal

AN: Feel free to skip this little lore lesson here, it's a long one. The image here is known as Deadwind Pass, a region connecting Duskwood, which is south of Elwynn Forest, and the Swamp of Sorrows. The Swamp of Sorrows is adjacent to a region that was once the Black Morass, but is now known as the Blasted Lands. At the center of the Blasted Lands is the Dark Portal, where the Burning Legion launched their first invasion of Azeroth. Anyway, back to Deadwind Pass. The barren, lifeless region is home to ogres and vultures mostly, as well as the abandoned tower of Kharazan. Kharazan is a huge place, bigger on the inside than the outside, and was once home to Medivh, who is recognized as the greatest mage to ever live. His student, Khadgar, still lives, and wields his magical staff, Ashkandi. Now, Kharazan is taken over by demons of the Burning Legion and restless spirits. Near Kharazan is an underground prison, abandoned and repurposed as the main headquarters of the Dark Coven.

Bellendore flew through the skies on his fire-hawk, contemplating how he was going to approach his lieutenants with their tasks. One of them, his great-great-grandson, Maedric, would readily accept the mission and follow heartily into battle, taking his many death knight soldiers as support. His other, however... he was a wild card. He had no true affiliations, excepting the Twilight's Hammer, and Bellendore suspected a contempt between he and Kaldrun - not that he had ever seen much interaction between them.

He was a powerful warlock, to say the least. A blood elf, with fair skin rather than a hue of purple or silver. His hair, too, was long and black. His chaotic tendencies were almost a direct opposite of Kaldrun's calculated power. His name was Solmar. Bellendore only knew him by his first name, and his magic. The elf specialized in destruction, hurling cursed fire left and right and summoning all kinds of demons, filling them with his wanton lust for blood.

A wild card, indeed.

Bellendore had already contacted both of his lieutenants mentally, sending them some quick signals so they would be ready for his arrival. He would be expecting privacy and guards all over the perimeter. This subject was for their ears only. "Them" referring to Bellendore and his death knight lieutenant. He had, in fact, contacted both, but Solmar he had to send away under false pretenses so as to keep him unaware of their efforts against the Old Ones. After all, Solmar had deep roots in the Twilight's Hammer Cult.

Eventually the old warlock passed over Duskwood. Adjusting his course, he quickly arrived at the trademark jagged peaks of Deadwind Pass, where the nearest center of operations was hidden near the cursed tower, Kharazan.

Deadwind Pass was home to a powerful warlock long ago known as Sataiel. She was granted a scythe by the mad Titan, Sargeras, and wielded it in the same fashion that Earth's "grim reaper" legend does; as she slays her foes, her scythe absorbed their souls, and Sataiel used the power of those souls to increase her own dark magics. The warlock methodically killed every creature in the Deadwind Pass, creating a magical aura around the place that made it nearly impossible for any life to survive in the valley. Eventually, Sataiel fell, and upon her death was consumed within Ulthalesh, the Deadwind Harvester, her magical scythe. The scythe was found by other warlocks, and all were consumed inevitably by Ulthalesh and the scythe fell into another warlock's hands, on and on until it was found by one aspiring young warlock, Bellendore Lexailen. He wielded the weapon with true mastery, and even now, nearly a century later, he has yet to fall at the hands of a warlock seeking to usurp his power.

Finally Bellendore's fel mount alighted at the base of the accursed tower Kharazan, amongst the ruins of a long-forgotten town. The large bird faded away to ash, and the dark, grey-green ash blew away and ceased to exist, residing in the Twisting Nether until it was to be summoned again.