Aza and the Green Fire: Chapter I

Az spent the first day of patch getting his green fire.  He said it was such hard work getting it that it should be a feat of strength.  So I thought I would write him a story about him and the quest line.

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"Tell me a story, Zepsy," said Azadelta, as she lazed on the grass on this hills above the Shrine of Two Moons, watching Alani as she flew high above her.   She threw an Incinerate half-heartedly at her, knowing full well Alani's shield would repel it and she wouldn't even give Aza a backward's glance.

"Master, what do you wish to know?" asked the fel imp, his head cocked inquiringly to one side.

Aza shrugged.  "I dunno.  Anything?  I'm bored."

Zepsy paused a moment, in thought.  Then his eyes lit up and glowed in excitement, and he bounced from side to side as he often did when he was thrilled about something.  "The secret of Fel Fire!  Has Zepsy told you this story, master?"

"Fel fire?" asked Azadelta.  "What about it?  It hurts!"

"I have heard whisperings in the Nether that the Sealed Tome of the Lost Legion has been found by the minions of the Thunder King."

Aza sat up.  "The Sealed Tome?  What is in this tome?"

"Secrets of the Fel flames.  Secrets that have been lost for a long time.  Yes! Yes! I have heard some say that it is on Azeroth."

Aza lowered her face to stare into her minion's glowing eyes.  "Zepsy, are you telling me, that the secrets to Fel fire can be found HERE?  NOW?"

Zepsy jumped excitedly.  "Yes, yes master!  Zepsy did good?  We going to Isle of Thunder and find it?"

Aza summoned her Fel Drake and jumped on his back.  "Zepsy, you did really good.  Let's go, we've got some champions to kill!"

.......................................

Al'tabim the All-seeing roared as the engulfing flames extinguished his own life's flame.  Azadelta searched the scorched remains and found a Tome of Valor but not much else.  She sighed and she kicked the dirt in frustration, extinguishing some of the glowing embers on the ground.

She summoned Zepsy again.  "Yes, master?"

"Are you SURE it's here?  I've killed a BILLION of these champions and they haven't dropped ANYTHING!"

Zepsy looked a little frightened.  "Master, Zepsy only know what Zepsy heard.  Zepsy wouldn't LIE!  Please, master no...."

Zepsy vanished back as a dark vortex winked him back into the nether, as Aza used her Grimoire of Sacrifice.  Aza clenched her fists as she felt the extra power coursing through her veins.  She called her Spectral Tiger and vaulted onto her back, and headed for the southern part of the island, where she'd heard that a Haywire Sunreaver Sentinel had been spotted.

Aza arrived to find a a group had already engaged the Sentinel.  A few chaos bolts and the mechanical robot collapsed with a resounding crash, the metal clattering on the stones on the sand.  A Blood elf Warrior that Aza recognised but couldn't quite place waved to her and Aza returned to her Spectral Tiger to ride off to find the next champion when a shout from the Blood Elf stopped him.

"Hey, does anyone see this book here?  I can't seem to pick it up, it burns me when I touch it."

Aza's mouth went dry as she leapt off her tiger and ran to the corpse.  Underneath the scraps of heated metal she saw a book, sealed closed with a chain and a socket.

"Oh my god, this is it," she whispered, as she picked up the Sealed Tome of the Lost Legion. "Zepsy was telling the truth."

"What is that?" asked the warrior, peering over Aza's shoulder.  "Why you can touch it without getting burned?"

"This book contains the secrets to untapped demonic energies," said Azadelta, brushing the dirt off it gingerly.  "I think only a warlock can handle the energies that have sealed this book, because of the taint in our blood."

The warrior recoiled a little from Aza, eyeing the book and the warlock warily.  "Well, congrats," he said, as he edged back to his mount.  "I hope you find whatever extra powers you were looking for."  He rode off up the hill without a backwards glance.

The fallen Sunreaver Sentinel was emitting strange sounds, and Aza took a step back as the arm twitched.  A  miniature version of the Sunreaver Sentinel wandered out and began to make repairs to the fallen robot.  Aza scooped it up, beaming.  What a score, two items from one sunreaver!

She looked at the book, wondering how to open it.  Maybe she could ask Bragmek, her observer minion.  Zepsy was probably still sulking about being sacrificed and sent back to the Nether.

Bragmek appeared, eyes looking hungrily around for something to eat.  Aza waved the book in front of it.  "Bragmek, what do you make of this?"

Bragmek turned its many eyes onto the dirty Tome.  "Master, the book needs a soul or a life to activate it.  Perhaps a healthstone?"

Aza created a healthstone and pushed it against the socket.  The book seeemed to soak it up and exploded in green fire, and the chains fell off it, dissolving like snowflakes on the ground.  Aza was thrown back, her ears ringing, and her skin burned and stinging like crazy.  Bragmek had disappeared - perhaps the explosion had killed it and sent it back to the nether. Aza went back to the book and stared at it in amazement.  It was an unusual tome, and appeared to be written in an ornate, sprawling script that seemed to rise off the pages. It vaguely resembled Demonic, but the symbols were far more elaborate than any he'd ever seen.  Aza decided to ask her demons if they could read it.  

First, she summoned Kupyap, her trusty imp, whom had no idea.  Aza's voidwalker was not much better.  

Her succubus stared at her incredulously.  "What?  You just want me to look at some dirty old tome?  Ugh, how disappointing."  and walked away from Aza in a huff.  Aza sacrificed her in disgust and using Grimoire of Supremacy, she summoned Azranix, her voidlord.

It was a bit more helpful than the others.  "I cannot read the words... but the magic points to a world that exists no longer. It was destroyed by the Legion."  It was a start.  He decided to call his Shivan.

Delrylin appeared, and looked her up and down in distaste and said "What do YOU want, you miserable excuse for a troll?"  Aza sighed.  She held up the tome.  "What do you make of this?"

Delrylin glared at her.  "No. I won't help your kind read an ancient Nathrezim text. Now, release me!"  Aza wasn't sure she heard her correctly.  Did she say Nathrezim? She dismissed her and asked  Kaz-Amal, her Wrathguard, who confirmed Delrylin's comment. "Hmm... I recall seeing such a script on the Nathrezim homeworld. I cannot read it and I doubt any of your kind could either." Aza was excited yet filled with a tinge of fear. Nathrezim or Dreadlords, were masters of trickery, deceit, and guile, and took pride in the fiendish destruction they wrought on Azeroth. Affiliated with the Burning Legion for centuries, the Nathrezim acted as commanders of undead legions during the Burning Legion’s second invasion. They lost much power when several of their most influential members fell to the Forsaken armies under Sylvanas banner. Now the dreadlords seem almost a myth, a story told to frighten children. Many people thought the dreadlords a remote tale, even thinking that the great Varimathras was the only surviving dreadlord. However, some people, and especially warlocks, knew evil never truly dies and all demons killed merely return to the Nether.

It was Bragmek, whom when summoned again, yielded the most informaton. "Of course! This codex is written in the ancient Nathrezim tongue. Nathrezim, or the Dreadlords, as you call them, were once an enlightened and powerful race. Their skill in summoning and gateway magic was unsurpassed by any in the Great Dark Beyond. This particular tome contains instruction to open a gateway to another world. Sadly, I fear that world no longer exists. It was destroyed as a show of power during the enslavement of Xoroth. The tome is useless, I'm afraid. No troll warlock could open such a gateway alone."

Aza was impressed. "I had no idea you were so well informed."

"It is the way of the Observer to bear witness to all things that come to pass. So many delicious magics have I tasted at your side, master."

Aza knew who would know.  She hearthed to the Shrine and took the portal to Orgrimmar, to show the text to Zevrost, who trained her in the warlock arts.  He surely would be a reader for the dead tongue.

Zevrost stared at the tome in amazement.  He held it reverently as he turned the pages.  "What... where in the great dark did you find this?"

"From the Isle of the Thunder King," said Aza. He wished he had saved time and just brought the tome to Zevrost in the first place.

"This book may be just the leverage we've been seeking... How familiar are you with the Council of the Black Harvest, Azadelta?"

Aza shook her head.  "I don't konw that much about the Council, Zevrost."

"After Deathwing was defeated, six of the greatest Warlocks gathered together to teach all Warlocks advanced forms of magic stolen from our defeated foes.  Take a look at the tome beside me..."  Zevrost began to read from the book, which he said was named The Codex of Xerrath.

Read, pupil, and know that I am called Jubeka Shadowbreaker, and it is my duty to share some of the wisdom of our order with those who have the skill to read this document.

After the fall of Deathwing, it was clear that the sorcery of the warlocks was sorely lacking in bite when compared to the threats facing Azeroth. So our council of six warlocks gathered to discuss how best to investigate the new magics witnessed by these threats.

At first, the six of us refused to cooperate, tossing blame and bickering as easily as shadowbolts and curses. Finally, after several nights, the human Kanrethad spoke out:

"In the wake of the Cataclysm, the rising tensions between the Horde and Alliance have driven the greatest heroes of Azeroth to train for war. Warriors have readied their war banners, the Death Knights of Acherus have learned to control the undead and it is even said the Mages are researching ways to undo time itself."

"The relentless darkness which bathed Azeroth has been pushed back. Cho'gall is slain and the remnants of the Twilight's Hammer cult have been scattered. Ragnaros is defeated and his armies forced back into the Firelands. Deathwing lies torn apart and his Twilight drakes obliterated. However, the powers they commanded are not so easily forgotten... powers untapped and ripe for the taking."

In fact, among us now stands several who have faced their power firsthand," he said, pointing at a hooded figure across the room. A deep, sinister laugh echoed from the hood as it burst into flames and burned away to reveal the orc enchanter, Ritssyn.

"It is true, pink skin, I was there when the Firelord was vanquished. The intensity of his flame was unlike anything you can imagine." The burning glow of Ritssyn's eyes cast eerie shadows over his burn-scarred face and thick-tusked grin.

"Untrue," spat a sharp, feminine voice. Shinfel, a Blood Elf adorned with sharp spikes of Twilight elementium, glared across the table, "Until you've been a prisoner within your own mind, you know nothing of horror." Shinfel's blood had been corrupted during the fight with Cho'gall and her arms were now covered in black marks left behind by the corruption that had erupted from her skin. The experience had only served to increase the intensity of her sadism.

Shinfel continued, "Even the Firelord's flames were overshadowed by the raw chaos unleashed by the Destroyer." She paused a moment and glanced to the worgen who remained eerily silent. Zinnin had been present when Deathwing was unmade and had not spoken a word since. Zinnin's eyes narrowed for a moment, then snarled at Ritssyn.

Kanrethad stood up from the table and took a deep breath. "This is exactly why we are here. I have no love for any of you, but we each bore witness to pieces of even greater power. Imagine - if we fused the molten fury of the Firelands with the unstoppable chaos of Deathwing. Even the powers of the burning legion could not hold a candle to our flames!

Ritssyn kicked his boots upon the table and snickered, "And just who would do this? You?" he spat. "I think not. You haven't been seen in battle since the siege of the Black Temple. If it weren't for having shared the secrets of Illidan's transformation with this council, I would kill you just for having the audacity of summoning me."

Kanrethad's lips pursed for a moment, but he relaxed and continued. "No. The scope of this task exceeds the capabilities of any single member here. I propose this council split into pairs. Ritssyn and Zinnin would lead a group into Sulfuras. Similarly, Shinfel and Zelfrax would hunt down the remaining members of the Twilight's Hammer cult and ... persuade them to share what they learned.

The pock-faced gnome applauded with mirthful glee.

Kanrethad continued, "Then we return... one year from now and take the results of our expeditions back to our own sects, more powerful than we would have been alone."

Ritssyn frowned as he saw the greed drawn out in the human's words dance across the council's faces. "And what would keep us from simply killing our partner in their sleep once it was a success?"

Kanrethad's brow furrowed and he growled, "Which is why we swear that if any member of this council breaks the contract and fails to return or returns alone, the others shall strike them down and banish their soul forever. We either succeed together or die alone.

Ritssyn was a powerful warlock, and could probably defeat Kanrethad by himself. But against all five of us? We all saw his hesitation. We all let our hands drift toward our scrolls and weapons.

"Fine," Ritssyn reluctantly agreed. "I can play along with your fool's errand, but first I must know, where will you and that miserable forsaken, Jubeka, be going?"

"Me?" spoke Kanrethad with a wicked grin. "Why I'm returning... to Outland."

Zevrost closed the book and turned to Aza, a smirk on his face.  "You know what you must do now, Azadelta."

Aza nodded.  "I will follow Jubeka's trail.  I'm going to Outland."