Vanity and the Beast

[Van'nal]

((Sequel to Forever Forsaken! I need to update on this site as well))

~~~Intro: Dreams and Nightmares

His eyes were like two wondrous pools that reflected the sky. Each showing a love only for her, a love that could never be expressed in words, for it just was. He had medium length black hair that came down to just above his collar, his skin was fairly pale with a rim of freckles that ran from cheek to cheek and looked like a smile. The two would be in love till death do they part… she a priest and he a paladin.

Their wedding would be in spring, under the beautiful boughs of the Tirisfal Glades, where the birds sang their harmonious chorus, and children would laugh and play games of hide and seek. As winter shed its icy mantle, and the green of the grass, the scent of the flowers, grew strong she knew it would soon be time for hers and his union to be made.

Nothing could break this splendid dream…

“Melissa! Melissa! Let me in! You don’t even want to give your fiancé a kiss?” The cruel, cold, voice echoed from just outside the chapel doors as a heavy armored fist smashed against the sturdy oak. A cowering young girl with long red locks was pressed tight into a corner, staring at the door. The pounding stopped and a deathly figure glared through the window at the young priest. The black hair, once lustrous, was now muted. The freckles which once smiled seemed to glower instead, and those eyes which once were beautiful pools of the sky now looked like the icy depths of the North Sea.

“Come now Melissa, it’s been so long since we were together.” He said with that cruel laugh, “Don’t you want to be held in my arms?” The death knight sneered.

The young priestess pulled a dagger with her shaking fingers from the folds of her robe and whispered a prayer to the Holy Light as she drowned out the words of her former love. She took the dagger and drew it across her throat.

~~

Ilaina sat up with a start, she was breathing heavily before stopping and realizing she didn’t breathe anymore. She shook her head and ran one of her skeletal hands through her long red locks. She hated it when these memories came to her, especially that last one. She wiped at her eyes even though she knew tears no longer shed from her cold dead body. “Why, oh generous and great Light, must you be so cruel to those who follow you?” She spat silently. “I showed nothing but faith and you curse me with this!? Why!” She hissed, glaring up ward.

A rustling caused her to turn toward the other in the room. He had long dark brown hair, no longer dirty and disgusting. Her Sircis, “is this why?” She whispered softly, running a skeletal hand gently down her love’s face. But would I give him up for a chance to be human again?

~~

“So, did you know that Donias has apparently slain forty orcs today and saved his whole platoon from destruction?” Arvaus commented before stuffing a fork of pork into his mouth and chewing. “And what do you do? You just read books endlessly or go visit that strange man in the city. Bet I won’t even have grandchildren from you, it’ll all be on Donias or Jesse, and she isn’t even seven winter’s old yet!”

Ardin said nothing as he ate his meal quietly, glaring down at the food. He’d show that old fool soon, Godrick Farsan said he had completed training as a warlock, and at an age of only sixteen! He had indeed taken to the art quickly, and had a natural affinity for it. He gave a small smirk as he continued eating.

“I have an idea, how about we send Ardin to Dalaran? I am sure they could use some new potential, and if he has a talent for it he can join the war soon as one of its mages!” Linette said with a smile, his mother always had a love for her youngest son.

“That sounds like a splendid idea,” Arvaus said, nearly causing Ardin to choke at those words. “He can stand in the back like the rest of that cowardly ilk while good, strong, able men put their lives on the line! Bah, mages…” Arvaus growled, going back to his meal.

Ardin’s fist clenched, no matter what his mother said his father always found a way to twist it to hurt his younger son.

Arvaus looked askance at Ardin and gave a frown, I know what I say is hurtful to ya lad, but I just want ya to live to your potential. He looked back to his meal, giving a small grunt.

~~

Sircis opened his eyes as he felt a gentle hand move down his face and gave a small smile as he sat up and looked over at Ilaina. His dream forgotten just like so many other memories he forced away. “Ah my dear, you came out of your meditation early I see,” he said softly, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. How does a monster like me deserve a beauty like her? He wondered idly as she smiled and kissed him on the lips.

How does someone as vain as me deserve such a wonderful person like Sircis? Ilaina wondered as she slowly pulled from him, both dressing and exiting the cabins of the ship they sailed on and onto the deck. The bleak continent of Northrend looming ahead as the Forsaken Destiny continued on her speedy course for the end of the Scourge to begin.

[Van'nal]

~~~Chapter 1: The Cold North

"Ready for landing!" The lookout called from up ahead in the crow's nest. The scarred undead having four of the infamous black birds perched around him, pecking at the remains of a rat that had been caught. "Ground in two minutes!" He barked downward where the deck was a crawl with activity.

Forsaken sailors scrambled across the deck of Forsaken Destiny. Rigging and mooring lines were cast down to waiting hands as the ship lurched unsteadily onto the shore of what was known as the Howling Fjord, and what Sylvanas' army would call Vengeance Landing.

Sailors leapt from the decks, coming into a roll onto the shore and tugging to ground the ship. A heavy thundering shake sent vibrations down the lines as two hulking abominations walked across the deck and leapt down onto the ground with a loud boom. The two hulking amalgams of different body parts gripped two massive mooring lines with their three arms and tugged alongside the other sailors, the ship visibly moving from the combined effort.

As the ship was grounded so it would not be ripped back by a tide the heavy anchor came swinging down to smash into the ground and hook there. "Lower the gang plank! And get those beasts moving!" Nathanos Blightcaller growled as he stalked along the decks. Technical Captain of the fine ship which Sircis and Ilaina rode upon, as well as the overseer of the beginning of their base camp.

As the plank crashed into the ground below, the hatch doors of the hold opened up and a second plank was lowered inside. From below an echoing stomp filtered above, slightly muted by the deck. Then, from the cloying darkness below a skeletal mule pulled its way up the first gang plank, its heavy hooves crashing against the wood as it heaved along a cart filled with hay and boxes containing some form of cargo that was marked with three letters; R.A.S. Behind the mule two Forsaken drovers stalked, unneeded whips clutched in hands for these purely unthinking undead beasts of burden.

"So help you, if one of those crates smashes I will personally see to your permanent death!" Nathanos growled, his two Blighthounds snarling and yipping beside their master. Turning his attention away for only a moment he looked to his Second-in-Command. "Lanali! See the third plank lowered for our troops to get off, and then pair up their battalions. We only have a limited number of troops aboard, so each battalion is restrained to seven fighters." With that the Champion of Sylvanas turned back to the careful overseeing of each cart.

"Alright, you heard the Captain! Lower the plank and get down to shore." In her skeletal fingers she clutched a board tightly, yellowed paper resting atop it. She exited first, fiftieth of the normal strength of the 501st following behind her. The other Forsaken followed behind her and her group.

As the sound of sand and snow crunched beneath foot reached all the ears of the amassed army she looked them over. From her own 501st to the 801st they had near three thousand troops, a sizeable force on its own but paired to the point it would be, slim. Giving a slow nod she began to bark out the names of the Captain and Lieutenant of each squad, then the soldiers who would be joining them.

"709th. Dark Lord Sircis Darkener, Captain. Archbishop Ilaina Everhope, Lieutenant. Robrick Gattamore, Gretta Gattamore, Lissa Hargrav, Mattheus Jilles, and Nesses Schadowscythe."

Sircis and Ilaina turned to see their own squad and were slightly shocked.

Robrick and Gretta Gattamore both looked to be walking suits of armor. No place of flesh left to be seen as heavy metal encased both their bodies, even the end of the arms ending in a sword and axe. Both Sircis and Ilaina thought them to be a golem of some sort until they saw the keen flash of intelligent yellow eyes beneath the armor. Clearly both were Forsaken, though why they looked so would be a question asked later.

Lissa Hargrav walked with an eerie grace; the apparently young Forsaken woman having long golden locks with blew behind her in an unfelt breeze. Leather armor hugged tight to her body to show off her slim body, and help accentuate other features of her as well. Bandoliers of daggers, crossbow bolts, and even the loaded crossbow were pressed tight against her body. The pallor of death was apparent to the extreme upon her where the black veins of the Forsaken were clearly seen.

"Sircis if I catch you staring at her I will rip out whatever is left of your eyes." Ilaina whispered fiercely, giving her husbands arm a small wrench to snap him out of his admiration of the young rogue.

"Ah, yes dear."

Mattheus Jilles came next; a large haversack was swept over one slouching shoulder. While dark black and green robes hang from his lanky form. More bone than flesh clung and sagged on him, heavy leather bands and bolts helped keep his body from seemingly falling apart. A pair of strange lenses were worn over his dark eye sockets, and where a lower jaw would be only his wagging tongue remained. Small clumps of blonde hair still sprouted from his mostly skeletal head, defiant patches of his slowly ebbing fleshiness. From a symbol upon his satchel it was clear he was a low-ranking acolyte of the RAS.

Finally, Nesses Shadowscythe hovered toward them. A keen malevolent cruelty poured from the liches' body. Yet there was something different about him, he seemed to have a quality about him other liches did not have. An almost human side in that that cold, jagged, intelligence was softened by a warm and gentle emotion, as if he wished to regain his lost humanity. The skeletal mage floated nearer, the prevalent aura of frost even serving to chill the bodies of the Forsaken.

Sircis and Ilaina looked between one another before back at this unusual assortment of fighters. "Well," Sircis said, clearing his throat. "Welcome to the 709th," he murmured to the others who all gave him a look that said "this is our Captain?”

[Van'nal]

~~~Chapter 2: Might be a Mutiny

Sircis took a deep breath to just steady himself before giving his best smile. “Now, I know I don’t look like much. But, Ilaina and I were two of the five adventurers that helped put an end to the threat of the Scarlets in Tirisfal!” Please, Shadow, let this win them over.

”Didn’t you have the help of the entire 501st to defeat the last three, and strongest, of their leaders, as well as most of their forces?” The steel voice from the larger of the two Gattamore’s, Robrick most likely going off the more masculine tone.

“Err, well, yes we did. But if we had not, the Scarlet threat would have been eliminated.” He gave an uneasy smile at that.

”Or a more skilled group could have swooped in and destroyed them all rather stealthily.” Gretta said in her own steel voice, a slight haughtiness tingeing it, a wicked flash crossed those glowing points of her eyes, a smile.

“Well, you see-“ Sircis began.

”Yes, or maybe had taken along more experienced spell casters to just decimate the entire compound from the outside.” Nesses said in that eerily cold voice, which sounded like the faint whisper of death.

“That would have destroyed countless tomes of magical lore and knowledge!” Sircis said, a little annoyed that he was being challenged on decisions already made.

“Yes it would have! Now all of you hush and let Sircis lead us, after all he does look to be a simply… great leader.” Lissa Hargrav said softly, walking over to the side opposite of Ilaina and leaning close to Sircis, wrapping her hands around his arm and giving a large smile to him; and a quick, dark, glance to Ilaina that only the priestess would see.

“Ah, well thank you Lissa.” Sircis said with a small smile down at the rogue, he gave a small jump of pain as he looked over at Ilaina who was practically ripping off a piece of flesh. Sircis quickly pulled his arm from Lissa’s grasp who gave a small pout but stuck by his side.

Sircis looked back to the others, and realized the only person who had said nothing was Mattheus. “Uh, Mattheus, do you have any complaints to my leadership? Or anything of the matter whatsoever?”

The Apothecary looked to Sircis quietly and gave a small shake of his head, his tongue waggling as he did. With a snail like gait, he walked over to stand beside Ilaina, Sircis and Lissa. “Well, it looks like Sircis is in charge.” He said in a strange, wet, voice.

The Gattamores and Nesses gave uneasy looks between the three before giving what looked to be resigned shrugs. They moved over and joined Sircis. “It seems majority rules. *Ne vrum.” Nesses murmured in gutterspeak.

“Right then, well, lets kill some Scourge!” Sircis said with his best winning smile and walked off, Ilaina and Lissa following close behind, Lissa trying to get closer than Ilaina. Mattheus walked along at a steady pace, while Nesses floated behind at the rear. Both the Gattamores running off to scout ahead.

This is going to be a long trip, Sircis thought a little uneasily as they headed deeper into Northrend.

((First off:

*Oh well

Second off:

It is short yes, but it is already bringing to the front conflict between Lissa and Ilaina. As well as Sircis with most of his troops.))

[Van'nal]

~~~Chapter 3: The Gattamores

”Ha! These are supposed to be tough opponents?” Robrick laughed as his boot caught a ghoul in the chest, crunching the decayed bone to cave it in. A swift chop from his axe split the undead’s head open from crown to chest. “The orcs were tougher than these!”

Robrick was a very well muscled man, with short brown hair that was graying around the edges, just barely seen beneath his helm.. He stood taller than most humans, being 6’5’’, and weighed 250 pounds, most of it being muscle. He had fought in the latter half of the First War and then all of the Second War. Both times right beside his future wife, Gretta. But the tall human had a few wounds of his own, mostly superficial but still present from the undead onslaught.

“I know dear! This is almost a joke!” His wife, Gretta, laughed as her sword slashed a zombie in two. Destroying the necromantic energy sustaining it. Like her husband Gretta was also very muscular. She had long black hair that was plastered to her face from sweat, blood, and the undead ichor of the enemy, also barely seen beneath her helm.. She stood at about 6’3’’ and weighed almost as much as her husband at 235 pounds. “We’ve killed at least a dozen of them, and they’ve only scratched us! Pathetic!” She laughed again, her other weapon, an axe, swinging in to decapitate a lunging ghoul.

Both wore heavy plate armor not fully covering their bodies to allow for better movement. They looked like they could fight for hours.

~~

“Lord Kormok, these humans seems stronger than others!” A young acolyte said, looking through a spyglass to aid her in watching the battle. “They’re killing our creations and it doesn’t seem like their wearing down too fast.”

“Gimme dat!” The second, one-eyed, head growled. Snatching the spyglass in one meaty paw and peering through to watch the battle.

“Looks like our minions alone cannot handle them,” the first head said, clearly the smarter of the two. “Brother, how bout a little bit of our own magical force to handle them?” It questioned, turning to face the second head.

“Make dem go boom?” the second head said, turning to face his brother with a big grin on his face.

“Yes, make them go boom.” The other spoke, the spyglass getting flung to the acolyte. “Hold this up to my brother’s eye so we can cast better.” He ordered in a growled tone, the small human woman nodding quickly and rushing over. She stood on her tip-toes so the second head could look through to see the fight.

As the ogre necromancer aimed its attack to where both Gattamores’ fought, the spyglass enabling them to cast farther than normal. The necromancer began to shape his spell, calling on a modified version of a spell he once had known. A way to make sure these two would die and still serve.

With a mighty roar the ogre finished the spell. A Plague-infused Flamestrike.

~~

Both heard the roar and only had a moment to realize it was the ending to a spell. They had encountered enemy casters in their fighting in the wars of course. Both threw down visors, hoping it would shield them. Green-black fire erupted beneath them. Their screams of pain were drowned out by the explosion, the sounds of cooking flesh, and metal infusing to body.

~~

Robrick looked across the way at his wife, both giving a nod. The way ahead was clear of traps, and ambushes. Both moved into the open and waved their sword arm to show the way was clear.

Both had been robbed of their humanity in a far more cruel way than all others of the Forsaken and Scourge, save maybe the abominations. And both had a simmering vendetta to kill as many of the undead as they could, along with every other necromancer of the Scourge.

((The next three chapters will be mainly about the group and fleshing out their pasts. Once again, sorry for this short a story post!))

[Van'nal]

~~~Chapter 4: Lissa Hargrav

”Now, Lord Valeth, if you just finish signing this little piece of paper we can get started.” A slim young woman purred gently. She looked to be in her late teens with long blonde hair that streamed across beautiful pale skin, practically flawless. Ruby red lips glittered against her pallor, complimenting her glistening blue eyes. She wore a thin shift of white, clearly there to entice her current victim even more. Lissa leaned forward, her lips right by Valeth’s ear. “Just one little signature.”

Lord Valeth nodded his head vigorously and signed the piece of paper which would transfer all of his funds, estates, and everything else under his name from his wife and children to Lissa. The man was large, ugly, wrinkled and bald with a great big mustache that made him look like a Tuskarr. He was sweating profusely, whether nervous or excited it was unclear; with a shaking hand he signed the parchment. “There, it is done!”

As he dropped the pen he made a grab for the slim girl next to him but she moved aside, reading over the paper. A smile formed across her face and she nodded, setting it down. “You did well milord,” she whispered leaning close and giving him a long kiss on the lips. She kept kissing him even as he began to convulse and writhe, as his eyes bulged and the veins across his body become dark with poison.

Lissa pulled away slowly, a dark smile on her lips. “I almost considered to leave you be Valeth, but then I thought it would be a crime to this world to let someone as hideous as you to live.” She whispered softly, running a finger down one of his cheeks. She watched as the veins, so dark before slowly turned normal, she loved the poison Rot Blossom could make, it left no smell, nor trace in the corpse. And she had built up immunity to the stuff.

Lissa took the new will, walking over to his desk she opened the top left drawer and switched out the old will with the new one. Tucking the old one down the front of her shift she wrapped a robe around herself and gave a small smile. She walked out the back of the lord’s summer home, and headed off for her own small cottage.

Her next step suddenly made her freeze and her eyes widen as she grew cold. An icy lump formed in the pit of her gut, before rushing through all of her veins. She knew what it was as the convulsions ripped through her body, as her eyes bulged wide. She looked down and saw the veins on one of her hands turn black. “But I was immune.” She gritted out before collapsing to the ground. Cold dew collecting on her body as the sun rose, though she did not see its glistening glory, nor the countless shade’s of former victims that slowly grabbed her and dragged her away. The plague would soon waken her to mindlessness.

~~

Lissa looked between Sircis and Ilaina quietly, I need a way to draw him from that rotting priestess and into my waiting arms. Then I can have enough power by just being able to control him. A small smile quirked her lips as she looked both over still, though her eyes roamed across Sircis. Besides, he is more attractive than those I killed when I lived, so why not try to have him for more than just a pawn to further my power?

Sircis looked over at her and she gave her a sly wink and blew him a small kiss. He stiffened a little and looked ahead, “Uh, ah, it looks like it’s clear up ahead!” He said, walking forward quickly.

Ilaina watched him go before looking over at Lissa, she moved over close and whispered softly to her. “Listen you little tramp, if you try anything that could possibly harm Sircis or break us apart. I will personally rip you to shreds and reform you with the Shadow daily. Understand?”

Lissa gave her a sweet smile, “if he grows tired of an old worn-out bag of bones like yourself, and comes to a young and beautiful girl like me, well that’s his choice is it not?” She said with a wicked grin, “besides, I could cut you to bits.” She tossed her hair to the side and walked after Sircis, “oh Captain Sircis! Wait up!” She said in a giggly schoolgirl voice.

Ilaina glared after her, shadow twisting from her eyes.

”I believe, good apothecary, we have the makings of something akin to a cat fight soon to be on our hands.” Nesses whispered to Mattheus.

The apothecary looked over to the lich and gave a shrug, “hopefully someone will be able to put them back together afterward.” He mumbled.

”Quite.” Was all Nesses said as he watched Lissa hanging onto Sircis’ arm and giggling and talking while he looked down at her with something of embarrassment, while Ilaina smoldered behind them.

((So yes, here is Lissa's backstory kinda thing.

I honestly have no idea if Rot Blossom was used in the making of the plague, but it works for this imo! >.>))