#Servitors of Lothar

[graceintheshadows]

A letter to Etharion Longsight - 19 November

The letter arrives sealed and spelled against tampering though not against travel-wear. It’s a bit darkened at the edges and where various hands must have held the outer envelope and seems too heavy for it to just be a letter within. The pages within, however, are relatively clean except for the occasional smudge of ink and the mark of Roiya’s own fingers at one point, seemingly covered in ash. Enclosed is what appears to be some kind of beacon, wafer-thin but sturdy, etched with arcane runes.

Eth,

I hope this finds you and yours well. As I imagine you can tell from the envelope, I’ve once again utterly failed at remaining retired. I suppose you’re wholly unsurprised. This of course assumes that you’re the one reading this and not some spy or otherwise somewhere. That ranger assured me that he had a safe method of ensuring that this letter made it safely and discretely to you, though, and given his association with a former apprentice of mine, I’m willing to take him at his word.

Keydyn and I—and Aekatrine, Nikus, Lyyn, and Quin as well—deployed with forces out of Stormwind after Dalaran fell. I know, I know. I said I was done and I repeated as much to Keydyn, but he was right when he said they might need us. We were recalled by the Argent Crusade to Stormwind from our posting in the north and one thing led to another. I don’t know what conversations have been had with SI:7–and that lack of knowledge is why I’ve sent this outside of the normal channels—about anything, but we’re in Hallowfall now. It’s shades of Icecrown back in those old days. I feel both younger and ancient all at once, being here.

Have you heard much of what’s been happening out there in Khaz Algar? I’m curious of what’s been leaking out, though I suppose given your location you may hear even less than the common folk on the streets in one of the cities or even in a village. I’ve half thought of writing to anyone who may still be at Aerie Peak, but I doubt any would care to hear from me, if they’re even still there.

It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? It seems it.

I’ve been remiss in coming to see you these past years. My own failing. I hope you and yours are well. Perhaps when I see you next—and I believe that I will, it’s just a matter of when—I’ll tell you how my son and his cousin pretended they were going to visit you and instead snuck off to Quel’thalas. It’s a long story, all of it, but I think it will make you worry and laugh at the same time.

Most of us have left them—the children—in Stormwind with the Earl of Ware and his wife. They’re older now, more responsible—but also quite apt to find fresh trouble. I worry about them because I know the sort of people they’ve come from. They’re too clever, but so are Lord Sam and Lady Mina. I’m sure it will be fine. There are only so many places they can sneak off to to find trouble, right?

Besides, we have problems enough here.

Nerubians, Eth. They called us here because between us all, we have a century and more of fighting nerubians under our belts. I don’t know what all of this means, not yet. It’s related to something far larger, I can feel it in my bones, but the Temple’s silent.

The Temple is silent on a great deal these days. Ten thousand years is a long time, I suppose, and at some point you would think I’d begin to trust my own counsel. And yet, sometimes I still look there—but I don’t have to, do I? Perhaps I never did.

It’s a strange place, this Hallowfall. The kind of place that makes you ask questions you’d not asked before. And yet, it reminds me of other places that have taught me important lessons over this long life of mine. I do wonder what it will teach me this time.

Be safe. I hope to hear from you soon, and to see you before this is over. Be well, my friend, my brother.

- Roiya.

[ @etharion ]

[lordaeronslost]

(( I am unfamiliar with your characters -- tell me a little about them, please!))

All four hailing, ultimately, from Lordaeron. All four formerly of the Retribution of Arathor, two of the Servitors of Lothar, one of the Golden Veil. All four currently in service of the Argent Crusade, stationed near the wall in Hallowfall with the 58th Argent Crusade.

Jude Auroran, Commander Frost, Viscountess Greymantle - eldest surviving child of Sam Auroran, Earl of Ware, and his wife, the half-elven Mina Greymantle. Mage of the Kirin Tor, raised between Dalaran and Lordaeron, she has given her service to the Alliance, the Kirin Tor, and the Argent Dawn and Argent Crusade throughout her adult life. These days, she leads a remnant of her former Alliance auxiliary command under the banner of the Argent Crusade—not a terribly far calling from the one her unit started with decades before her joining. Mother of three, wife of a man many would call a barbarian given his origin and upbringing, she is approaching middle age but no less sharp or spry as she was when she first entered Alliance service nearly twenty years ago.

Karinlyyn Auroran Steelshatter - youngest child of Sam Auroran, Earl of Ware, and his wife, the half-elven Mina Greymantle. Lyyn has spent most of her adult life in the service of SI:7, in part at the suggestion of her father. After the fall of Theramore, her friends and family thought her dead for years as she worked deep cover for the organization. She resurfaced after several years of the work and made herself known to a pair of old friends, who kept her secret until she was ready to reveal herself again to her family. She’s still an active agent for the organization, though up until recently made her home base in Dalaran, where she lived with her husband Anthus and their daughter, Sky. A warning from a distant cousin sent the family elsewhere just in time, leading both to fresh service in Hallowfall with the 58th Argent Crusade under Lyyn’s sister, Jude.

Quin Adama - one of the few survivors of an expedition sent in support of Prince Arthas’s mission, returning to the shores of the Eastern Kingdoms after years trapped in Northrend. A former mage turned paladin, Quin gave her service to the Argents after she began to physically recover from the suffering she’d experienced in Northrend before the fresh campaigns in the north. She was raised as part of the Earl of Ware’s household, trained as a mage by Lady Mina, and was the lover of the late Tanitharil Auroran, former heir to the title. She, Jude, and Lyyn are as close as sisters, and Quin was among those that kept Lyyn’s secret when she revealed herself but wasn’t yet ready to approach their family. She and her husband, Connar, have spent a great deal of time in Northrend working for the Argent Crusade in the years since the end of the war with the Lich King, mopping up remnant forces and investigating rumors of problems. Rumor has it she, like Lyyn, also works for SI:7, but she rarely admits such. She is also assigned to Hallowfall with the 58th Argent Crusade.

Arcavius Cavandar - paladin training as a mage, clerk, secretary, assistant and apprentice to the Viscountess Greymantle, Arcavius has served with the Argents almost since their founding. He was among those assigned to Northrend very early on, suffering a serious injury during his service there which ultimately led to his assignment to Jude’s command. A curious bookworm and researcher, he is well-suited to the role of clerk for first the Retribution and now for the 58th Argent Crusade.

[servitorsoflothar]

Another Lolthar update! Five months delayed due to M’s computer struggles but we’re here at last! The rest of the post is here.

@creekwhisper @josilverwright @vindicatorz

[tired-space-crow]

Join Servitors of Lothar: We got that good Dick content.

@servitorsoflothar

[josilverwright]

Funeral at Sea

2 August Starling's Gambit, Darkshore

Teldrassil is burning. Still burning. Likely it will burn for months. Years. There were precious few survivors to find on Darkshore. Few enough that could have fit on the By Fire and Blood, along with the Servitors that came. We hoped for more, I suppose. I hoped for more. The Gambit can carry thrice the people my warship could, plus supplies. So that is what we brought.

Not that a dozen more guns would have stopped the whole world from burning. Not two dozen, or a hundred. I can't buy into that sort of fantasy. Not now, now with the Horde intent on tearing down the whole world so that they don't have to share it.

My eyes burn from the smoke even at this distance. Ash falls like grim snow and it has only gotten worse. The shot and powder has been taken below deck and the sails are furled tight and covered. A stray ember could be the end of this ship too.

War is coming and Roiya's gone on a fool's errand into that blaze. Word is the Alliance will march on Lordaeron now, bringing it far too close to Aerie Peak. I don't believe the Keep would even be safe enough for Nia and Kixa now. I haven't discussed this with M, but I will bring it up, soon.

I don't know what's next -- for me or the Servitors. I imagine High Command will have something for us. But I look at that inferno and I feel that familiar stirring, in my mind, in my gut; like a snake's head rising, having sensed a weakness in its prey. This shadowy beast, this thing, will be held in check. I must pray it will be.

((Mentions: @graceintheshadows @mindspanner

[scrapironheart]

So I put together a song about Gnomeregan, and it ended up being kind of a vignette about @s-artec, gnomish peacekeeper turned death knight.

It’s the first song I’ve like, actually completed start to finish and I’m pretty happy with it!

[shadewhisper]

@vindicatorz works at Hooters?

[vindicatorz]

April 12th

I don't know what to do anymore.

We took on the fel reaver last night, and it went nearly as terribly as it possibly could have. So many were hurt in the process. Jo managed to finally take care of the reaver, but nearly all of those that were on the ground suffered heavy injury. No one is dead, but a few are teetering on the very edge. Was it really worth it all in the end? Maybe. I don't know. I suppose my opinion on it all doesn't really matter anyways at this point.

I've also come to the conclusion that I will do whatever I have to do to not be placed in the back lines again. I am not a ranged fighter, I never have been and I doubt I ever will be. It's not what I was trained for. While I can partially understand M's decision with my placement, I was still rendered near useless throughout the entirety of the fight because of it. Being unable to help is perhaps one of the things I hate the most, I've come to realize. I've been doing my best to assist with all of the healing needed, but I'll be the first to admit that it's not my forte.

After my conversation with M the other day, I used the Mark to try and contact the King. It appears as though the connection has been severed. There's simply nothing there now, despite the Mark remaining. I'm not sure what to make of it. My eyes have not gone back to normal either, yet, despite the loss of the connection, which only provides more confusion. Perhaps he has died again? I may speak to M about it, I haven't yet decided.

But I did test the weapon out, away from the others. It is still there, though the power seems to have faded some. It was more difficult to call upon this time. I had the intention of asking about it, but since the link was severed, I didn't get the chance. But I'm confident that it would still bring me back should I die, despite M's trepidation on the fact. I'm not sure how many times I have left for it to do so, but it's only been...four times that it has had to so far. Two of those I'm not sure if it would even count for, as they were unavoidable. There is still the occasional residual pain from them, but it is nothing that I can't live with.

I haven't had the chance to talk to Izarre and Folcan about all that's happened yet. Folcan asked me again before I left, but there was not time to explain then. I've yet to formally leave the Game, what with this 'hiatus' that it seems to be on, and I've not yet decided on whether or not to entirely do so yet, or if it's even possible for me to at this point now that I've become an actual player within the larger scale of it all. I need to speak with the King or the Architect at some point, probably. After the deployment.

All I know is that I don't want to disappoint either of them again. I've done enough of that with far too many people these past few months.

{ Mentions @mindspanner, @josilverwright, @fools-king }

[dexcrank-blog]

M and Dex working on their megarobot that most definitely won’t make an appearance any time soon but was a fun way to kill time before Kara last year.

@mindspanner

[etharion]

Ethjournal vol.4, April 4

((There's a significant time gap between entries.  About seven pages are covered with nothing but doodles, faces of Servitors past and present.  There are other images as well, the mind-memories of old friends, annoyances, and brief acquaintances who still managed to make enough of an impact to end up committed to paper.  Then, finally, some text.))

April 4

It's funny--I haven't touched this book in months, but today as I was cleaning out the Commander's office it fell off the shelf and whacked me in the head.  I took that as a sign.  

To be honest, the reason I haven't written anything is because I haven't really wanted to.  At first I was just busy, to the point of being overwhelmed.  But when the moments came when I was able to pause and breathe--the moments when I would normally write or draw or otherwise try to sort out the turmoil on paper--I had no desire.  There was no urge to do it.  

Now, I only feel an urge to end it.

My father lives on as Eledhron Felsight.  He fell at Hyjal, yes, but not to his death.  It's complicated.

In the initial months after this most recent Legion invasion, my thoughts took a dark turn, helped along by my mother's words.  The only way to finally live up to my Father's legacy would be to die fighting the Legion.  The only way to live up to Síla's sacrifice, Meri's sacrifice, and the sacrifices of other Servitors--Masana and Sky for example--would be to die fighting.  The only way to prove my commitment to the Servitors would be to die fighting.  I had no concrete plans to actively seek out my demise, but I was ready to throw myself at it when the opportunity came.  Not because I was tired of life, but because I didn't deserve it.  

Then Eledhron admitted the truth to me, and the whole edifice of what I thought was reality came crashing down.

In the months since, I've been sifting through the rubble, looking for whatever truths I can use to rebuild.  Here are a few--the ones pertaining to the Servitors of Lothar, at any rate:

I came to the Servitors looking for purpose, a young man unmoored.  With the Servitors, I found the purpose of duty, and the fulfillment of serving something greater than one own's pleasures.

I came looking for stability and a place where I could build a life for my child.  Essilte was nine then.  

She's seventeen now.  She is tall and slender as a reed, strong as steel.  She is both smarter and wiser than I will ever be, thank Elune.  She is sometimes stern and serious, sometimes gay and carefree.  She loves to experiment and learn.  She's already a budding businesswoman, with Merric Wines and Spirits, and a keen student of the arcane arts.  She loves to swim, just like her mother...my dear lost Taniwë.  She keeps Meri in her heart and still calls him An'da, yet she's been able to accept another--Thoran, and all his big-hearted loving bluster.  She is a kind and loving big sister to two young children, having accepted them as readily as if they were her own blood.  She's made terrible mistakes and paid a dreadful price for them, but she survives and grows, like the Greentree that Meri named her.

She's wonderful.  She's a miracle.  I love her and had a small hand in shaping her...and I don't think it would have been possible without the Servitors.

I didn't know it at the time, but I came to the Servitors looking for family.  And I found one.  A dysfunctional one, to be sure, but still family.

I never wanted to become Commander.  And in a way, I'm not cut out for it--not the way Mena is.  But I think perhaps I was the Commander the Servitors needed, these past few years.  Looking back I found the entry I made the day I became Commander.  This is what part of it says:

It’s official, but it still feels wrong.  When I joined the Servitors, all I wanted to do was prove myself useful and worthy.  I never wanted to lead.  Now it falls to me to keep our order alive in the lean times coming…or make something of whatever remains.  If I ever need to remember my duty, I just need to recall the look on Davvi’s face–the tears in her eyes–at the meeting today as I explained our financial situation.

The Servitors are her family.   Her home.  As we have always been the home for the lost, the orphaned and dispossessed, the loners and odd ones.  Swordsisters and swordbrothers come and go, but the Servitors will remain.  I do not need to ask myself “What if the center does not hold?” because I am the center now.  I will hold.  I will hold for myself, for Davvi, for Arydd, Nel, Seda, Dani, Lav, Shivs, and anyone else who might seek a home and a purpose with us.

I held.  I held the center, and now we are strong again, even in the face of the Legion.  I leave our legacy to Roiya, M, Bromm, and their chosen Adjutants, confident that they are the right people for the right time.

I leave the Servitors having done what I needed to do, and now it's time to move on.

[kiddowizard]

Mom and Mama are on a mission so I updated the weather board for them.

( @servitorsoflothar​ )

[graceintheshadows]

An ending

She stared at the paperwork for a last few moments.  The assignment, at this point, had come as no surprise—she had been in Nazjatar more often than hadn’t been of late.  Before the seas had opened up, she had been considering retirement again.  It had seemed time.

Elune—and the Alliance—had other plans, it seemed.

Either way, it was time.

She stacked the paperwork neatly on one corner of the desk.  It seemed so impersonal, now.  Cleaning had not taken all that long, all things considered.  Perhaps before she deployed she would swing out to Etharion and Thoran’s farm, just to see how things were.

To see how things were and tell him personally that she had been called up, that things had changed.

She folded the tabard neatly, smoothed a hand over the lion embroidered in gold.  Roiya smiled faintly, laying next to it her signet and aiglette.

It was time.

She slipped the key from her ring of them and laid it with the rest.  She walked to the door, pausing to whisper a prayer.  The protections on the office that she’d laid so long ago faded slowly, erased without a trace.  It would be up to the next occupant to lay new ones of their own.

Then, she stepped out, murmuring softly to no one and to all of them—though they weren’t there to hear it.

“Good-bye.”

[lordaeronslost]

A scribbled note to Tauzen Skyforge

Tauzen —

Steer the hell clear of Gulliver Chadwell. He put a knife in me for having pointed ears and the balls to do my job.

Report’s in to HQ already. Be careful.

— Ghost.

@zan-of-spades

[servitorsoflothar]

A HUGE thank you to @risrielthron for taking our guild photos! Check out the splash page on our website! Lookin’ good for another year.

[ordombogwater-blog]

Reaver Aftermath

As Ordom surveyed the three battered and burned forms of his comrades Beyarma, Skybrooke, and Frovelos, he could not help but utter, “Broken Shore. The name was never as fitting as it is now.”

[josilverwright]

It’s back!