Dirge of Teldrassil
A Song of Sorrow and Suffering
The Dirge of Teldrassil is a unit of the Army of the Black Moon, specialising is subterfuge and counter-subterfuge. Made up of warriors, mourners and even extremists, the Dirge utilise radical and brutal tactics to bring those guilty of aiding in the massacres of the Kaldorei and Worgen people to justice. Following with High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind's defiance of the High King, and a string of recent victories in the ash-blasted forests of Darkshore, the Dirge care little for calls for peace or armistices from either the Horde or the Alliance, following only the High Priestess to the bitter end. Led by the Warden Vashava Nightsong and her seconds, Karinar Bloodmane and Ilistria Moonglow, the Dirge will go to any lengths to see their dark justice delivered onto their foes, willing to slaughter Horde, Loyalist, or otherwise..."The witch gave the order, but what of those who cheered as the flames rose? What about those who cut a bloody path through our sacred forests? What about those who loaded the demolishers, who pulled the levers? They are all complicit. All collaborators. Never forget that." - Falathim of Darnassus
A History of the Dirge of Teldrassil
Born in Blood
The origins of the Dirge are found in ash and anger, a band of Kaldorei and Worgen extremists dedicated to revenge came together as a lose paramilitary unit. Commanded by Dirgemaster Falathim of Darnassus, and led on the ground by Darkcrests Crowton Blakemore and Turanil Fangstorm, they struck out at their foes wherever they could, seeking bloody justice for the crimes committed in the War of the Thorns. The first strike was an attack on a convoy of meat wagons, travelling between Warsong Lumber Camp and Splintertree Post, at the height of the Fourth War. This was followed by other small attacks as the Dirge built momentum; goblins murdered and their heads mounted by the roads in Ashenvale, the slaughter of a Saurfang-alligned Tauren supply caravan (cleverly disguised as an attack by Dark Rangers, to sow further dissent in the fracturing Horde), and other merciless attacks. But this period was not to last.Siege and Slaughter
With the Second Siege of Orgrimmar, the political situation changed. The Fourth War had halted, at least, for most of the fighters. But the Dirge continued their struggle, uncaring for any wheeling and dealing by the Alliance and Horde, bound to the cause of vengeance as they were. Alongside them in this struggle were the Assemblage of Uld, and shortly after the Second Siege of Orgrimmar, these two orders worked together to deliver and detonate a bomb in Bilgewater Harbour. This attack was successful, and caused great turmoil, but the Dirge and Assemblage were pursued by the Hand of Conquest, and many skirmishes were fought in the border area of Azsahra and Ashenvale. This opening slavo was followed by the Skirmish at Cliffwalker Post, where the Dirge engaged the Highblood Myrmidons, shortly followed by an attack on an Goblin Oil Rig in Stonetalon, where they fought the Bilgewater Battalion once more. But the constant fighting would take it's toll. During this time, Turanil Fangstorm left the Dirge, returning to the wilds to focus on his mastering of the druidic arts, and Crowton Blakemore (later to become Sir Blakemore), was left in charge. He led the Dirge alone for a brief while, commanding them and winning a great victory when they fought once more with the Assemblage of Uld in Tanaris against the Hand of Conquest and the Highblood Myrmidons. But he too would step down from his commanding role, as the Dirge made their way to the Eastern Kingdoms, on the trail of Banshee Loyalists.Conflict and Change
The trail ultimately led the Dirge to Pyrewood Village, and it was here that Archmage Vashava Nethersong was appointed Darkcrest by Falathim of Darnassus to lead the Dirge, along with Priestess Llylene Duskmoon. The swift hunt for the loyalists ended with a brutal, three day battle over the swamps between Pyrewood and the Graymane wall, and this fight claimed the life of a newly returned Turnail Fangstorm, slain by Baron Morsteth Blightreek. With causalities mounting and a great many wounded, as well as many of their human 'allies' leaving the fight already, the Dirge withdrew from the battle on the third day, returning to Kalimdor using a portal. As they recovered from their losses and defeat, the Dirge hunted cultists in Astranaar, the remains of a former Legion-aligned group now commanded by a mysterious 'Netherlord', a self-titled megalomaniac with a far reaching agenda. Whilst defeated, she would go on to become a thorn in the side of the Dirge for a long time to come. Following this, the Dirge returned to the Eastern Kingdoms to look to avenging Turnail Fangstorm, and engaged in running battles with the Hand of Conquest in Arathi. This would then escalate into another large conflict, with the Dirge joined by the Assemblage of Uld once more, and several groups of humans, whilst the Hand were re-enforced by the Ronin and the Painted Shields, Pandaren mercenaries and Zandalari warriors respectively. The conflict was bloody and severe, with skirmishes occurring from the Thandol Span to Scholomance, but the Dirge remained fixed on hunting down the Banshee Loyalists. Yet when they finally arrived at Death's Breach with the Assemblage, they found... nothing. The Banshee's minions had already departed, leaving nothing but an empty shoreline. The Dirge returned to Stormwind via a portal after this discovery, once the Archmage had finished setting fire to trees in anger. It was in this time that Priestess Duskmoon left the Dirge, recalled to Darkshore, leaving Archmage Vashava as the lone Darkcrest. She came to rely heavily on Sir Crowton Blakemore as her second, and the Dirge spent much time in Stormwind hunting down an arms dealer that had sold to both the Horde and Alliance during the Fourth War, whilst slowly formulating their plans to pursue the Banshee Loyalists.Northrend and Necropoli
Eventually, after several weeks, the Banshee Loyalists were found. They had made camp on the frozen continent of Northrend, and the Dirge joined with the Assemblage of Uld and the Order of Oronaar to hunt them down. Upon arrival upon the continent, the triumvirate of forces set about bringing the nefarious plans of the High Executor to ruin, for the Banshee Loyalists intended to raise a great weapon: a necropolis. In a brutal and painful battle, the Order and parts of the Assemblage and Dirge engaged in a frontal assault on the crashed necropolis the Loyalists wished to raise, whilst a strike team brought Archmagis Fiddlepuff and Nethersong into the heart of the necropolis, where they overloaded the magical core of the construct. The triumvirate of forces withdrew, and the Loyalists began to raise their necropolis and fly away, ignorant of the damage done in the heart of their vessel, This, coupled with a missile designed and fired by the Assemblage of Uld into the flank of the foul flying fortress, sent the newly raised necropolis crashing back down to Azeroth. With this great victory secured, the triumvirate dispersed after celebrating, whilst scouts hunted down the remains of the Loyalist forces. The Dirge returned to Stormwind, and continued their work hunting down a double-dealing arms dealer, one whos books proving guilt had been 'acquired' by the Dirge just before the attack on the necropolis. Whilst they had little luck in brining him to justice, the Dirge did manage to dissuade him from further attacks, as they had the evidence any Stormwind official would need to bring him down. Less than a week later, the Dirge were called back to Northrend, this time to the Grizzly Hills. The Loyalists had been found. Like the Dirge, the Loyalists had not been idle. Whilst their necropolis had crashed in Zul'Drak and been badly damaged, they had turned their entire, unsleeping will to getting it flight-worthy once more. And they neared success. Once more the Dirge, the Order and the Assemblage joined forces to crush this threat. But they were not the only ones out to end the Loyalists, for the Saurfang Legion had come to Northrend as well. They too attacked the Loyalists, but also attacked the Alliance forces, and a violent three-way fight erupted under the shadow of the crashed necropolis. By the time a truce was agreed between the Horde and Alliance forces, it was too late. The final preparations were underway, and even in a last desperate strike into the very heart of the necropolis could not stop the inevitable. In the central chamber of the Necropolis, the High Executor himself stood, empowered by a vast swathe of dark energies, and surrounded by his loyal forces, the necrotic energies renewing and invigorating them. Beaten and bloodied, the Alliance and Horde could not make headway against them, and they were ultimately defeated crushingly. The Dirgemaster himself had come to this fight, but had been laid low by the High Executor, his ribcage crushed with a foul curse that rendered him near death, and unlikely to ever again return to the field of battle. The Dirge, Order and Assemblage escaped the necropolis via a short-range portal, and Sylvarus, the Stygian Star, rose triumphantly into the sky.Peace and Pollution
The Dirge returned to Ashenvale to recover from their wounds, and once recovered, they hunted both the 'Netherlord' and her Cult of the New Flame, as well as killing newly active Old God cultists, that had returned to mar the land with N'zoth's rising. From the Zoram Strand to Stonetalon peak, the Dirge fought these foul zealots. When this work was done, the Dirge headed back to the Eastern Kingdoms, and aided Greenwarder's Grove in defeating a band of void-corrupted Dragonmaw, and slew their corrupted 'pet' drake, the blood of which they had been drinking to gain power. Upon returning to Ashenvale, the Dirge were joined by a new commander, sent by the recovering Dirgemaster to aid Darkcrest Nethersong. He was Enoch of Stormglen, a worgen Harvest Witch of great skill. But before this reformation could occur, more brutal fighting erupted between the Dirge and the Highblood Myrmidons. Both forces sought to recover a relic, the Idol of Devouring Roots. It was ancient, dating back to the War of the Satyr, and in the wrong hands it would be a devastating. Located at the bottom of a lake near Satyrnaar, both the Dirge and the Highblood fought on the shoreline to seize the relic, with the Highblood prevailing. The following day, the Dirge went to the Moonwell of Purity, seeking Elune's blessing before they went on the hunt for the Sin'dorei, but fate had other plans. The Highblood attacked the very same moonwell, seeking it's power for themselves. But to fight Kaldorei by a moonwell is a dangerous gambit, one that did not pay off. Where the Highblood had driven the Dirge off the day before, now the roles were reversed, the Sin'dorei forced to flee into the forests of Ashenvale, heading south to the supposed safety of the Barrens. Yet the Dirge did not give up the hunt at the borders between Ashenvale and the Barrens. They pursued the Sin'dorei to the Forgotten Pools, and in a bloody fight, one of the Sin'dorei mages attempted to drain the idol for power, destabilising it. The resultant rupturing summoned vast thorny tendrils, that struck out at both the Highblood and the Dirge. Escaping using a dimensional ripper, the Dirge left the Highblood to deal with the aftermath of their own hunger, retreating to Everlook. Whilst they did not have the idol, the Dirge took solace in the fact that the Highblood didn't have it either, and turned their attention to healing their wounds, and the future. Once they returned to Ashenvale, they took their lingering anger out on a trade caravan, one belonging to the Vulperan Trademark. They burned their wares and vanished into the forests in a quick strike, leaving the Vulpera to deal with the resultant loss of profits.Rage and Reformation
Whilst the Dirge had been fighting in Kalimdor since the raising of Sylvarus, a reformation had been planned, and was now made real. An armistice had been signed between the Horde and Alliance, one that the High Priestess refused to sign. As such, it placed a paramilitary group like the Dirge in danger of being attacked by the Alliance as well as the Horde, for their continued attacks. The commanders of the Dirge decided to take steps to ensure this did not happen, and so joined up with the Army of the Black Moon formally. No longer were they a simple band of Kaldorei and Worgen out for revenge, now they were a formal unit, dedicated to subterfuge and counter-subterfuge, and thus secure from Alliance reprisals for 'truce-breaking'. After all, their leader had not signed the truce. Further reformations were made to the command structure of the Dirge. Archmage Nethersong would command alone, as the Harbinger of the Dirge, whilst Enoch of Stormglen would be her second, her Haruspex, whilst the rank of Darkcrest was lowered in importance and replaced the rank of Ashsaber. Whilst the paperwork for the reformed Dirge was being filed, the Dirge continued their work, this time heading back to the Eastern Kingdoms to hunt the Loyalists once more, and in this time they recruited Kai Steele, a Worgen druid who would go on to become an Ashsaber a. They had had great success in sending them 'gifts', bombs of varying types created by the Dirge, and delivered to the Loyalists using varying methods, including sneaking the packages into a shipment of letters and parcels to the Loyalists in Tarren Mill that had been organised by Loyalist sympathsiers. It was also around this time that the Dirge, the Assemblage and the Order formed the organisation known as the Concordat, a military alliance between the three to fight greater threats, although the Order refused to attack the Horde, something neither the Assemblage or the Dirge found agreeable. The Dirge then joined up, once again, with the Assemblage of Uld and the Order of Oronaar, to bring the fight to the Loyalists directly. In Alterac, the two sides fought a series of running battles and skirmishes, ultimately clashing for a final time in Strahnbrad. Whilst the triumvirate was once again victorious, it was a narrow victory at best, and the Dirge lost the druid Taneri Stillbranch to Lilly Blazepest, known to the Dirge as Lilly 'the Coward', the nickname told to them by Cog Captain Railcraft. The Dirge's rage had been growing for some time, and now, it was near boiling point. And soon, it would all come to a head.Fungus and Fractures
The sight of the next conflict was not Azeroth, but Zangermarsh, in Outland. A vile and twisted place, Enoch of Stormglen had had a vision that a holy relic, the Brazier of Elune, was located there, in the hands of the Naga, who were plotting something nefarious. Joined now by the Sunnyglade Ratters, the Dirge moved with the Order of Oronaar and the Assemblage of Uld (who both had their own motives for moving on Zangermarsh) via a teleporter to Toshley's Station, in the Blade's Edge Mountains, then marched south to Zangarmarsh. It was a simple, even pleasant journey, one that belied the harsh and difficult campaign that the Concordat ahead. The enemies faced by the Dirge were many, from the Disassemblage of Uld, to Naga, to the Horde, and the Loyalists, as well as spore-infested creatures, all on top of the local fauna and flora. The fighting was continuous, brutal, and were it not for the Moonwell at the Cenarion Refuge, likely would have seen the Dirge wiped out. As it was, they took significant casualties in the fighting. The worgen Alchemist, Arinah Redmane, was gunned down by a leper gnome, and her research into the blight ended with her death. Enoch of Stormglen was mortally wounded by a spore infestation, and would not be long for the world. All the while, tensions rose between the forces of the Alliance. The Order and the Dirge repeatedly came close to open violence due to the Order's support for the truce, and Harbinger Nethersong and Cog Captain Railcraft were often at loggerheads, although this was not due to any philosophical difference, and was more likely due to their similar (and some would say vast) egotistical natures clashing. Between recriminations, accusations and bloody fights with the Horde and the Loyalists, the Dirge took a severe beating. Whilst the two great foes, the leper gnomes and the naga, were defeated, the Dirge had the Brazier stolen from under their noses by the Eternal Sisterhood. Furthermore, the Moonwell at the Cenarion Refuge had been unintentionally polluted by the Assemblage of Uld, trying to cure Cog-Captain Railcraft of his leperous infection. This after the fraught campaign, this had almost led to violence between the two sides, but the Assemblage handed over a de-irradiating chemical, which cleansed the Moonwell, and after a long conversation between then-Antiquarian Ryder and Harbinger Nethersong, peace returned between the two sides. They then, along with then-Designate Cranklink, worked on improving the cryostasis tube Cog Captain Railcraft was contained in. And so, even at the end of a bitter and difficult campaign, that had seen great losses and a fracturing of the Concordat, the Dirge remained hopeful. They had remained friends with the Assemblage, a friendship that had tested to the limit and endured, and they also knew that the Eternal Sisterhood held the sacred brazier. They had friends, and a new target. With that in mind, they headed back to Azeroth, to the Blackwald, to lay to rest Arinah Redmane and Enoch of Stormglen, who knew his death was fast approaching.Secrets and Shadows
After the first funeral, that of Arinah Redmane, and whilst waiting for Enoch of Stormglen to succumb to his mortal wounds, that Sir Crowton Blakemore passed. Few now live who remember how or why he died, but the official histories record his death as the result of an orcish blade, another tragic loss in the aftermath of Zangermarsh. But secrets are closely held, and in truth he died at the hands of Nymrii Bloomtender, after Sir Blakemore had betrayed the Dirge and attempted to assassinate the Harbinger at the behest of his SI:7 handlers. Yet, his body would be returned to Stormwind for burial, and by all appearances he died a hero's death. But he had betrayed his loyalties to SI:7 before his death, another secret to be kept for an appropriate juncture. In due time, Enoch of Stormglen did indeed pass, and was buried next to Arinah Redmane. But even in death, he would be remembered. For during the Zangarmarsh campaign, the Dirge had taken an interest in the very same spores that would end up killing Enoch. Samples had been taken, and after the three funerals, the Dirge returned to Kalimdor, where even more varieties of fungus were rounded up at the order of the Harbinger. She began, in secret, Project: ENOCH, the development of a vile spore-based weapon, to use upon the Dirge's living foes, and potentially, even their undead ones. With this project just beginning, the vector of attack and distribution had to be tested, using a simple mixture of spores, as the cross-breeding program had not yet begun. The experimental target was the Eternal Sisterhood and their temple at Fal'adora. These Shal'dorei had stolen the Brazier of Elune from the Dirge, and so it would be recovered with the aid of the new weapon. Joined now by Captain Titus Felmoss, the replacement of Enoch of Stormglen (the title of Haruspex died with Enoch), the Dirge struck hard and fast, deploying the spore weaponry successfully and ultimately re-acquiring the Brazier of Elune. The Dirge spent time after this dealing with local issues, more cultists and other strange things that required their attention on the home front, after safely securing the Brazier of Elune in their headquarters. It was during this time that the relic known as the Cosmic Crown of Terror became a central worry for the Dirge's efforts, and they recruited Fenaeth Briarheart, who would later rise to the rank of Ashsaber. At this time, it was not known by this name, but many of the gems that made up part of the Crown had ended up in the hands of Alliance organisations. These gems bestowed great power, but at a terrible cost, soaked in the void as they were. As if this were not enough, fate once more played the Dirge a dud hand, with the loss of Captain Titus Felmoss. Whilst no body was ever found, trails of fel blood were found on the shores of Bloodmyst, his last known location. It is unknown if he succumbed to the inner demon and yet lingers, or died, but his loss was yet another in the history of the Dirge's commanders. To replace him, the Dirgemaster sent two, rather than one, new Captains, Aserynn Ravenblade and Kelidria Forestsong, a Warden and a Druid respectively, to replace Captain Felmoss. The ongoing hunt for the Loyalists, and the realisation of the gravity of this new threat, led the Concordat to meet on the Exodar, and discuss moving against the Loyalists to attempt to neutralise their potential use of the Crown, for the Grim Gest were the most well known void users to the Concordat, and the ones who likely stood to gain the most from acquiring these relics. Along with the Sunnyglade Ratters, hired once more to aid the Dirge and the Assemblage, the four organisations would soon descend upon the ruined kingdom of Lordaeron, in what would come to be called the Hinterlands Campaign.Victory and Vengeance
With the decision made to advance on the Hinterlands, the Dirge quickly moved to the Eastern Kingdoms, and battle was joined. Not only were the Loyalists present in the region, but so to were the Horde. Almost the entire Saurfang Legion had been drawn, like the Concordat and Ratters, into the growing maelstrom of bloodshed in the region. The Concordat elected to establish a base at Aerie Peak, the most well defended location for them in the area, and soon battle was joined. It began with a Battle at the base of the Greymane wall, a place of painful memories for the Dirge, where the Loyalists and the Horde joined forces to attack the Alliance. Whilst this alliance eventually broke down towards the end of the battle, this exposure of the Horde's true nature would give oxygen to the already raging fire within the Dirge's hearts, and to some extent vindicated their pro-war rhetoric. There would be no peace in this campaign. Following this near defeat, the methods of war changed. Having gotten the lay of the land, the Concordat and Ratters began a campaign of total war. They travelled far and wide across Lordaeron, engaging in small surgical strikes against hostile targets. The Dirge in particular engaged the Highblood Myrmidons again, this time in Tirisfal, after the Dirge and the Ratters set fire to Forsaken supplies. However, the Loyalists struck at Seradane, where a portal to the Emerald Dream was located, and whilst they could never have hoped to breach it, they did inflict heavy damage and severe wounds on the defending forces of the Dirge and the Assemblage, which some suspected was their goal in the first place. After a week's heavy fighting, and the locus of conflict having skewed more and more towards the Hinterlands, the Loyalist forces sought to summon a vast void creature at Skulk Rock. Unable to allow this to occur, the Concordat and Ratters, under the command of Harbinger Nethersong, moved forwards to end this threat, once and for all. They already knew the Horde was moving to engage the Loyalists as well, and prepared accordingly. It was a difficult, trying fight, and even though the Loyalists successfully summoned the void creature, both they and the Horde were routed. The defeats and deaths in Zangermarsh had been avenged, and from the ashes of near collapse, the Concordat and Ratters had risen like a phoenix and shown their strength. With their foes defeated and driven off, the Dirge celebrated along with the rest of the Concordat, and turned their attention once more to the home front. Going from strength to strength, the Dirge fought and defeated a powerful Satyr, who had corrupted the Ogres of Dire Maul in an attempt to break into an ancient vault. Whilst the satyr himself fled, his purpose remained unknown to the Dirge, for now. This was followed by attacks on a Horde supply caravan, slaughtering the guards and stealing what was useful, before burning the rest. It was at this time Captain Forestsong returned to the Cenarion Circle. After her departure, the Dirge once more found themselves fighting the so-called 'Netherlord'. She had established herself in Felwood, and gathered many agents and acolytes around herself, preparing for some vast ritual or scheme. Amongst her agents were two in particular, a felsworn Illidari, and the very same Satyr from Dire Maul. They were the Netherlord's seconds, and in the ensuing three-day conflict, both ended up dead. The former died at the hands of Ayleris Greenshadow, the other at the hands of Fenaeth Briarheart, both of whom would be promoted to help command the Dirge in due time. Shortly after this victory, Greenshadow's time came. Captain Ravenblade resigned from the Dirge, returning to his duties with the Wardens. The Harbinger, after consulting with the Dirgemaster, opted to promote internally, and raised the veteran Ilistria Moonglow, who had severed with the Dirge even longer than the Harbinger herself had, and Ayleris Greenshadow, to be her Darkcrests, replacing the rank of Captain with one 'more suited to our peoples and culture'. Upon the Dirge's return to Kalimdor, they investigated a disturbance in Felwood. The Timbermaw furblog had been attacked, and spirits in Winterspring were disturbed by dark magic. A grand conspiracy was uncovered, alongside the Order of Oronaar and a surprising new ally, the Eternal Sisterhood. The Harbinger had given the order not to attack them, some scheme of her own ticking along no doubt. The three forces combined helped end the demonic threat that had attacked the furbolg and stolen a powerful relic from Winterspring, thus disturbing the local spirits. The Dirge then moved south again, to Stonetalon, where they engaged a gang of goblins and assorted hangers-on, and another shadowy deal was made. These trespassing criminals, who would later evolve into the Coppersail Corsairs, were permitted to leave Stonetalon alive, sans hats and a goblin shredder. After this, the Dirge returned to Stormwind, where a great gathering of the Concordat and other alliance forces had been called. The Grizzly Hills were quickly becoming a battleground, reports of skirmishes between the Horde and Alliance were rampant, and now the two forces marched to war...Blood and Brutality
In Stormwind, the forces heading to the battleground and met, and the Harbinger was elected Commander of the Expeditionary Force, and in turn named Cog Captain Ryder Razorfuze her second in command. This was then followed with a campaign plan, centered on securing the heartland of the Grizzly Hills, whilst denying the Horde resources. The Order were to offer the Horde terms, which were in due course violently rejected, whilst the Assemblage of Uld and the newly formed League of Modimus were to utilise overwhelming firepower and technical expertise to crush major targets. The Dirge and Ratters took a roving brief, instructed to sow bloodshed and chaos wherever they could. The Dirge also took time to befriend the Grizzlemaw Furbolg, and made them fast allies, something massively helped when the Horde repeatedly attacked them. But hopes of an easy victory were soon lost. Whilst the tactics worked, the Horde's numbers were greater than the Alliance's forces, and Loyalists had entered the battleground as well, resulting in a two-front war for the Alliance forces. This resulted in a pivot towards a form of warfare dubbed by the Harbinger, "Absolute War". Under this doctrine, anything, and anywhere, was a fair target if it helped win the fight, and any method was permissible. The resultant carnage left the Grizzly Hills in ruins, and some of the Alliance forces who had come with the Concordat left in protest to these new methods. Towers were burned and toppled, lodges and camps sundered, and by the end of the campaign, it would be hard to say if anyone had truly won, rather that they had all lost to varying degrees. After a long and strange conflict, it all came to a crushing crescendo with the Second Battle of Grizzlemaw. Whilst it had earlier been the site of a Battle between the Hand of Conquest, the Highblood Myrmidons and other Horde forces, and the core Concordat forces, the second battle tore through the tree, and nearly every force in the land crashed upon the Alliance forces who defended Grizzlemaw and her people. The entire Horde force, the Loyalists, the Ebon Blade, the Swords of Orman (who would go on to reform into the Blood of Martyrs) and even a Drust Witch came forth to unleash hell. But, bloodied, beaten and battered, the Alliance held. The Horde may control more geographical area, but the ruined state of it left any value questionable. But the Alliance merely holding Grizzlemaw did not make up for the beating they'd taken over the campaign. Stormwind sent a missive to the Alliance forces, demanding an end to hostilities. The damage done, coupled with questionable tactics from both sides, had led to a re-opening of diplomatic talks. With that, the conflict came to a close. In assessing the outcome, the Loyalists seemed to be the true victors. They had no real motive to take any land, but had acquired a great many parts of the Cosmic Crown before departing, and had inflicted painful and deep damage on their foes. In Stormwind, the Harbinger herself met with the Senior SI:7 Agent who had overseen the Grizzlemaw Camapign, and recalled the Alliance, privately. Neither the Harbinger nor Sara Bluepath, the agent in qestuion, saw eye to eye, but halfway through discussions both were attacked by a Sin'dorei assassin, although the Spire would disavow most forcefully that they had anything to do with the matter, using a poison resistant to druidic healing. Agent Bluepath was killed, and the Harbinger gravely wounded, one final act of violence in a long and bloody campaign.Spores and Slaughter
The Dirge returned to Kalimdor following this poor outcome, and threw themselves into their work on the home front. In Ashenvale and Felwood, the Dirge hunted foes and looked for advantages, and were beset by a traitor from their own ranks, Beryos Moonclaw. He had left following the deployment of the prototype spore weapon, and now came back to specifically target the Harbinger. She responded by issuing a standing order to kill him on sight. Once he had been chased off, Darkcrest Greenshadow presented to the Harbinger a plan for causing massive disruption in the Ghostlands. By using an Ash'ari Crystal, the sort found in Ziggurats, the Dirge could fashion a make-shift manabomb, and use it to cause massive mayhem in the area. The Harbinger decided to focus the strike on a Sanctum, where a layline nexus lay, and the Dirge would cover their efforts with a strike against a Sin'dorei who had been at Teldrassil when it burned. Whilst the strike against this Sin'dorei failed, the manabomb plan succeeded. The Dirge managed to charge, and detonate, the make-shift device, and the resultant financial stress caused by ley-line damage was significant. This strike into the Ghostlands was followed by further strikes and defenses in Kalimdor, in particular, fighting the now hostile Copper Street Solutions, who sought to steal a demonic orb long since lost in Blackfathom Deeps. Whilst the criminals managed to escape with the orb, the Harbinger's good friend, Soul-Trader Faadhm, managed to re-aquire the Orb from the thieves, and it was later quietly destroyed by Darkcrest Greenshadow. Thus it could be said, that the Dirge's, rather than just the Harbinger's, relationship with the Etheral Faadhm, began. During this time, Fenaeth Briarheart continued to work on deciphering strange communications he had uncovered, and located a strange cult of Twilight's Hammer remnants in the Twilight Highlands. These same cultists had shown themselves to be a threat to the Dirge and to Kalimdor, so it was resolved to hunt down and obliterate this threat at the source. After finishing up a few more tasks in Ashenvale, mostly revolving around killing Horde, the Dirge moved back to the Eastern Kingdoms, and to what would become a dragon hunt. Once in the Twilight Highlands, vicious and violent fighting between the Dirge and cultists errupted as the followed the trail left behind, until they finally managed to pin down the cult leader and their corrupt dragon. Brutal, difficult fighting came about, during which a new member of the Dirge, Alastrine, showed his skills and abilities in fighting the Dragon. With his quick thinking and near fatal sacrifice, the Dirge managed to bring down the beast and it's master, ending the threat of these void addled cultists. A job well done, they returned to Kalimdor, for the Harbinger had a new plan. The fruits of Project: ENOCH has bloomed, and magnificently so. Several variants of cross-bred spores had been created, and the form to be deployed this time were code named 'YELLOW'. These were incredibly toxic spores, and the resultant mushrooms that grew quickly from them were also incredibly toxic to eat, and would generate a large explosion when provoked, releasing more spores. Symptons of spore inhalation include: respiratory difficulty, dizzyness, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, coma, death, in that order, over a week. The speed of the effect was dependent on the size of the dose. A drawback of these spores only grow in damp, warm places, such as swamps and lungs, another was the ease of cleansing, providing the healer in question knew what they were doing. The Dirge and the Assemblage of Uld, their oldest and most trusted friends, combined their forces to enact a strike against a Horde military harbour in Tanaris. They began by stealing a Horde ship, on it's way out of Bladefist Bay, via strategic air strike using flying machines and hippogryphs. Then, they slowly sailed south, engaging in a fishing competition along the way, and enduring a storm. Once they arrived at their destination, they donned masks, and rammed the stolen ship into the dock at full speed, unleashing clouds of spores, coupled with hand-held spore grenades. The defending forces, the Red Venturers and the Hand of Conquest, were routed once the Assemblage deployed ULDTRON, in addition to the spores. With the Horde defenders fleeing, the Dirge and Assemblage proceeded to obliterate the harbour, stealing anything of value, and burning everything else to ash. What followed was a spree of violence to follow up on the success of the harbour strike. Several high value targets, including a Tauren commander and a Forsaken administrator, were slain in hit-and-run attacks by the Dirge, leaving the trademark Kaldorei runes for Justice and Vengeance carved into the ground as symbols of their presence. Constant movement and bloodshed were the hallmarks of this time, but it took its toll. Some of the Dirge questioned the ethics, or the efficacy, of these attacks, but the Harbinger's growing egomania ensured the Dirge continued on the path, along with the occasional manipulation. But this success was not to last, for Stranglethorn called...Jungles and Judges
The Dirge once more returned to the Eastern Kingdoms, this time to fight the Horde in the steaming jungles of Stranglethorn Vale. However, there was now a clear split in the Alliance. The Order of Oronaar, and the newcomers, the Stormwind City Sentry, had formed bonds with other human and truce-aligned members of the Alliance, and stood in opposition to the Concordat and it's advocation of war. The resultant campaign was confusing and chaotic, with the Horde sundering into two sides as well, the Pridesworn Pact and the Autumnal Aegis. Some of the Horde even fought with the Loyalist forces, present once more for their own nefarious reasons, against the Concordat. Whilst the main threat of the Stranglethorn campaign was destroyed, foul troll necromancers seeking a frisson of their old power from the times of the Gurubashi Empire, the fallout for the Dirge was massive, and included the offical ending of the Concordat, although some might think unofficial friendships endure. One of their stalwart allies, and close friend, Gelris Tosselspark, was arrested in the dying days of the campaign, and his trial would soon approach in Ironforge. The Dirge decided to be present at the event, for they did not trust the Alliance to dispense true justice. Following the giving of evidence, the judges ruled that Tosselspark would be sentenced to death. The Dirge took offense to this, seeing it as a massive perversion of justice, and sought to seize Tosselspark from the trial and take him to safety. Whilst their first attempt failed, following a subtle second try, the gnome was extracted from Ironforge, and his freedom ensured. Whilst this was a great success for the Dirge, it caused a massive disruption with their relations with some of the other Alliance factions, and earned the ire of the Dirgemaster for endangering their cause. The Dirge retreated to the safety of Kalimdor, lurking and continuing their work, a trip to Zin-Azshari to recover the Brazier of Elune, lost during the Stranglethorn Campaign, attacks on Horde operations in Stonetalon (once more fighting the Bilgewater Battalion and now their new allies, the Gom'kar Advance, who would later be known as the Chosen of Draenor), a brutal murder of a tauren just south of Sun Rock Retreat, and other actions both cruel and shocking. Whilst this campaign of violence was underway, the drums of war sounded once again, this time, in Dragonblight...Cold and Change
The Dirge joined the fight in Dragonblight, away from the main Alliance forces, in Star's Rest. From this base, they attacked any and all targets they could in what some historians consider a continuation of the earlier conflict in Grizzly Hills. From deploying spore bombs against Agmar's Hammer, to fighting with the Order against the Bilgewater Battalion, to then fighting the Order due to a conflict between Fenaeth Briarheart and the Draenei Polemus, there were few that the Dirge did not fight, the exceptions were their old friends in the Assemblage of Uld and the League of Modimus. This continuing spiral of violence eventually moved the Dirgemaster to consider drastic steps, and a Warden was dispatched post haste. However, events moved quickly, far quicker than many could have anticipated. After the Dirge fought with a lich by the name of 'Ahn'karet', The Harbinger was herself brought low by a foul necrotic poison, and resigned her command of the Dirge, retiring to live out her life far from the maddening crowd. So too did Darkcrest Greenshadow fade into the history books, taking off to hunt down Dreadlords that had troubled the Dirge since their arrival in Northrend. They were replaced directly with Warden Vashava Nightsong (the granddaughter of the previous Harbinger, and one who specialised in hunting mages), and Karinar Bloodmane (a former Champion of the Ebon Blade), as Harbinger and Darkcrest respectively. The new Harbinger began investigating the chaos that had engulfed the Dirge in the last few months since the trial, but found that her work was hard pressed. The new Harbinger was kidnapped by Dark Rangers, and whilst she was absent, the sky itself was torn apart by Sylvanas Windrunner, former Banshee Queen of the Forsaken and Warchief of the Horde. In the resulting chaos, witnesses and evidence for the varying crimes of the Dirge went missing, or died, and the Warden's work has so far been stymied by this loss of material and statements. Coupled with the invasion of the undead following the Sky-Shatter, any investigation has been postponed. However, not all is bleak for the Dirge. Following the change in command, bonds with the Alliance have been renewed and strengthened, and the Dirge currently remain in the Eastern Kingdoms, aiding the whole Alliance, including the Order and Sentry, with their fight against the undead. But old enemies and long shadows linger. Who can say what the former Harbinger plots and plans, or where Ayleris Greenshadow is? What has become of Fenaeth Briarheart, who is now MIA? Will the investigation into the past bear bitter or sweet fruit? Is the Netherlord once more growing in power? And what of this lich, 'Ahn'karet', who has now resurfaced in the Scourge invasion? Which master does it serve, and what does it seek?Revenge! Revenge for Teldrassil!
Training Level
Professional
Veterancy Level
Veteran
- Harbinger Yier Shatterstring
- Darkcrest Sax Lander
- Darkcrest Illistria Moonglow
- Ashsaber Ivan Blueberry
- Ashsaber Jesaminne Thistleworth
HQ: Starbreeze Village, Winterspring
Allies
Whilst not seeing eye to eye on all matters, the Oronaari recognize the plight of the Kal'dorei and Worgen of the Dirge and will assist them whenever possible.
Friendly
The Dirge consider the Assemblage their oldest and greatest allies, having worked together through thick and thin from the strike on Bilgewater Harbour, to the present day.
Mutual Disinterest
The Martyrs have fought alongside the Dirge on several occasions, and whilst there is no love lost between the two, neither care about the politics of the other parties homelands, so mutual self-interest results in the occasional alliance, provided both sides benifit.
Neutral
The Dirge is driven by vengeance, and that does not always bode well with the Sentry.
Neutral
The Seventh and Dirge have cooperated amicably in multiple deployments.
Neutral
There is a shared animosity between the two sides, but each is capable of putting aside such grudges when dealing with a mutual foe such as the Loyalists.
Unfriendly
The Dirge forces prevented the Requiem and Highblood Myrmidons from the eradication of the Scarlet Crusade by their apperance. While not part of the direct conflict between the Crusade and the Forsaken, their hatered for the undead makes them and the Requiem stand on an unfriendly relations.
Hatred
Constant conflict in Azshara and Ashenvale has resulted in a mutual loathing between the Dirge and the Battalion, not helped by further costly clashes across Azeroth.
Hatred
Mutual betrayals and being on opposing sides in war has resulted in a lack of mercy between these two parties'.
Hostile
The Highblood Myrmidons and The Dirge of Teldrassil have never seen eye to eye. The battle between these two factions has been ongoing for many years and will continue until the end of time. As Kaldorei, the Dirge of Teldrassil are the sworn enemy of the Highblood Myrmidons and the kingdoms they work for.
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