Alliance War Campaign Part 2: Blood on the Sand

Posted 2018/05/13 at 1:51 PM by Neryssa

Click here to see Part 1 of the Alliance War Campaign: Establishing Footholds

Part 1: Establishing Footholds

Part 2: Blood on the Sand

Part 3: Chasing Darkness

Part 4: A Golden Opportunity

Part 5: Blood in the Water

Part 6: The Strike on Zuldazar

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Uniting Kul Tiras

Tiragarde Sound: Proudmoore Admiralty - Masters of the sea and commanders of Azeroth's finest navy, the distinguished Proudmoore family has led Kul Tiras for decades from their seat of power in Boralus.

Drustvar: Order of Embers - An ancient Kul Tiran order resurrected to battle the threat of witchcraft, the Order of Embers fight with knowledge guiding their blades.

Stormsong Valley: Storm's Wake - Home to farmers, craftsmen, soldiers, and the mysterious tidesages, the Storm's Wake seeks to reclaim Stormsong Valley and affirm their place in Kul Tiras.

Flight Master's WhistleVol'dunThe Vol'dun PlanShandris FeathermoonThe Vol'dun PlanThe Vol'dun Plan

Halford Wyrmbane says: Sunwatcher is, as a member of the Reliquary, here on an archaeological mission.
Shandris Feathermoon says: Archaeology?
Halford Wyrmbane says: Yes. Our intel suggests at least three excavations.
Halford Wyrmbane says: I'd like to execute a synchronized incendiary attack on all of their excavation sites.
Shandris Feathermoon says: You want to... set off a bunch of bombs at once.
Halford Wyrmbane says: Affirmative! Consequently, I've enlisted a crack team of commandos with the technical expertise to do so.
Kelsey Steelspark says: Hey hey!
Halford Wyrmbane says: The Gnomeregan Covert Ops team will plant bombs to draw out Sunwatcher, and then we will assault them in the confusion.

Shandris Feathermoon says: My strategy?
Shandris Feathermoon says: Find Sunwatcher, then fill him with arrows.

Comb the DesertComb the DesertDirty WorkReliquary OrdersClassic ReliquaryClassic ReliquaryElisa VeilsongDaxx BombhandReliquary Map: Vol'dunNever Stop CombingImprovised SurvivalImprovised SurvivalA Message to the ZandalariThey Have Alpacas HereThe Big BoomArlethal SunwatcherFull of ArrowsDelayed DeathificationThe Big BoomBlood and Sand

Kelsey Steelspark says: G-Guzzy's dead?
Halford Wyrmbane says: What you're describing sounds like one of the san'layn... a blood prince.
Halford Wyrmbane says: Is the Horde really employing those vampiric elves? How far they've fallen.
Halford Wyrmbane says: King Anduin must be informed at once. Our task is complete here, but our mission has only just begun.
Halford Wyrmbane says: I'll call for you again when you are needed. For the Alliance.

Next Steps: NazmirSan'layn Horde datamining

Rokhan: Princess, thank ya for comin' down from Zandalar. We be hard at work here keepin' back da blood trolls and Alliance invaders.
Talanji: Apologies for my delay, Rokhan. Tell me of your status here. Has dis Captain Areiel been useful?
Rokhan: Areiel be killin' both da Alliance and blood troll forces and helped us establish a base in da Necropolis.
Talanji: And yet she is not here. Is she too busy to give a simple status report?
Dreven: Captain Areiel is not coming because she is slain, Talanji.
Talanji: Princess Talanji to you, Prince Dreven. And how do you know dat?
Dreven: Call it one of my special traits. The Alliance have disrupted the Horde forces in the Necropolis and killed Areiel in the process.
Talanji or Rokhan: Sylvanas ain't gonna like dat. We need ta be movin' fast on our plan ta stop da Alliance, Prince Dreven.
Talanji or Rokhan: Dere is a collapsed tunnel to de south of here dat connects Nazmir and Vol'dun. Clear it, and de Horde will be able to strike de main Alliance base in Vol'dun with ease.
Talanji or Rokhan: Dere be a collapsed tunnel dat connects Nazmir ta Vol'dun. Take ya followers, use ya powers ta clear da rubble, den we be attackin' da main Alliance forces.
Dreven: You want us to use our abilities... to move rocks. And why should I follow you, troll?
Talanji or Rokhan: Because part of ya agreement with Sylvanas was respectin' da hierarchy of authority within da Horde, and brudda, I be outrankin' ya.
Dreven: ... I shall do as you ask, for now. We will clear this tunnel and send word when your forces can move out.
Talanji: I do not trust dis Dreven, Rokhan. It is not wise to involve san'layn, of all things, in dis conflict.
Rokhan: Sylvanas wants ta give 'em a chance. Dey got no home left. If dey can work with us, den dey got a home with da Horde. If not, dey be gone.
Talanji: I see. I shall return to Zuldazar. Keep me informed of de Horde operations in Nazmir. And be careful, Rokhan.
Rokhan: Always, princess.

Blood Prince Dreven

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Comment by 1857003If this is the extent of how "dark" the Alliance are supposed to get colour me unimpressed. Attacking Scourge-aligned archaeologists after the Lich Queen has declared total war doesn't even begin to match MoP, let alone the atrocities of BfA.
And of course it's immediately followed up by an appearance of the San'layn in case you somehow forgot the Horde is evil and deserving of severe punishment. Can't have Alliance players begin to question their righteousness.

But I'm sure there will be some desperate enough to try and play the equivalency card here.Comment by MGoblin256Call the San'layn dark and evil all you want, but Guzzy exploding into a skeleton after being exsanguinated and slam-dunked is probably one of the best and hilariously over the top deaths in WoW I've seen period..Comment by MPaBkaTaHow are the san'layn more morally bankrupt than your standard Forsaken, they're both former Scourge. Even the game acknowledges that it isn't anything special and DKs on both sides use the same powers. That and the guy is only deployed after you already nuke the archaelogists.

inb4 muh Lich Queen, muh Blizzard ruined the lightComment by 1857003How are the san'layn more morally bankrupt than your standard Forsaken, they're both former Scourge. Even the game acknowledges that it isn't anything special and DKs on both sides use the same powers. That and the guy is only deployed after you already nuke the archaelogists.

inb4 muh Lich Queen, muh Blizzard ruined the lightwantComment by PerothviusHow are the san'layn more morally bankrupt than your standard Forsaken, they're both former Scourge. Even the game acknowledges that it isn't anything special and DKs on both sides use the same powers. That and the guy is only deployed after you already nuke the archaelogists.

inb4 muh Lich Queen, muh Blizzard ruined the lightwantComment by MPaBkaTaHysteria aside, that still doesn't make them any different than death knights who have to inflict suffering to stay sane and are members of both factions and are also past Scourge recruits. As are the val'kyr. The only thing they do have is a different look, but there's no appreciable difference between a san'layn and a blood dk blood elf in temperament or skillset. Them joining the Horde is no different than the forsaken joining the Horde, as the chat with Rokhan and Talanji makes clear and they don't have any special privileges.Comment by 1857003Hysteria aside, that still doesn't make them any different than death knights who have to inflict suffering to stay saneenjoyand are members of both factions and are also past Scourge recruits.As are the val'kyr. The only thing they do have is a different look, but there's no appreciable difference between a san'layn and a blood dk blood elf in temperament or skillset. Them joining the Horde is no different than the forsaken joining the Horde,as the chat with Rokhan and Talanji makes clear and they don't have any special privileges.Comment by MPaBkaTaThere's no inference that the San'layn are uniquely eager to inflict suffering, considering our one scene thus far is this guy killing an enemy combatant and enjoying it, something all races have done in quests. As for the DKs, both Alliance and Horde accept that they will kill enemy combatants for that purpose and they also openly raise the dead. The skillset and end result is the same, and the attitude is not conclusively different.

As for the Forsaken, they weren't morally upstanding even in Vanilla, given the plague experiments or possibly WC3 itself since they're already declaring they'll off whoever's not on their side. They are in the Horde for realpolitik reasons of accepting a people who would otherwise be wiped out and had already been rejected violently by the Alliance, and that's the same reasoning that brings in the DKs, Val'kyr and San'layn, both of which do basically the same things to different degrees.Comment by QuadramNot even an hour in and some have already posted their views on the Horde on a thread about the Alliance war campaign...Comment by krusher100Synea, I agree with you, the Horde are the bad guys and the Alliance are clearly not taking darker paths this expac like the Devs said. Oh well, that's the story they wrote and we'll have to accept it as cannon. I mean it is their world right? I guess if you don't like it you could just step away from it for a while, idk...I do enjoy you stirring up arguments and trouble in every new post though.Comment by MightylorddkThe hypocrite is back with his biased comments. His long absence made me believe he got a well deserved banComment by XanderFloydHmm... a Scourge species that just so happens to be "helping" the Horde, despite clearly not wanting to? He's under orders, alright, but I don't believe for a second that they're Sylvannas'... as least not directly. Sure, they might help her out here and there... but beings like that don't forget where their loyalties lie, especially when their new boss is partially responsible for their homelessness.Comment by Camio3495False. They have to fight and kill to stay without pain. Anything counts. Scourge, demons, etc.
They do not specifically have to inflict suffering, and nothing says the San'layn have to inflict suffering. They just enjoy doing so, whereas a Death Knight must kill whether they like it or not.doDarkfallen AdvisorLich SlapComment by RankkorDo I really have to do this on EVERY.SINGLE.THREAD?

Guys, behave.

No jabs, no personal attacks, no hysteria, stay on topic, and don't bring discussions of other threads into this one.Comment by GhoulsI wish someone could come explain to me what makes the San’layn “evil”. Yeah the NPCs say so but they haven’t shown the San’layn doing anything bad since Wrath when they were under the Lich King’s control.

The best I’ve heard is “They drink blood” which isn’t a very good argument since literally every race in this game eats flesh. What’s the ethical difference between eating flesh and drinking blood? They were going to kill their opponent either way because you know, WAR maybe?

P.S. There needs to be a quest where we play as a San’layn and just go around dunking GnomesComment by ArrayaOh dear another Edge'dorei race, i think i'm bleeding now just by looking at it.Comment by 1857003There's no inference that the San'layn are uniquely eager to inflict suffering, considering our one scene thus far is this guy killing an enemy combatant and enjoying it, something all races have done in quests. As for the DKs, both Alliance and Horde accept that they will kill enemy combatants for that purpose and they also openly raise the dead. The skillset and end result is the same, and the attitude is not conclusively different.As for the Forsaken, they weren't morally upstanding even in Vanilla, given the plague experiments or possibly WC3 itself since they're already declaring they'll off whoever's not on their side. They are in the Horde for realpolitik reasons of accepting a people who would otherwise be wiped out and had already been rejected violently by the Alliance, and that's the same reasoning that brings in the DKs, Val'kyr and San'layn, both of which do basically the same things to different degrees.I wish someone could come explain to me what makes the San’layn “evil”. Yeah the NPCs say so but they haven’t shown the San’layn doing anything bad since Wrath when they were under the Lich King’s control.

The best I’ve heard is “They drink blood” which isn’t a very good argument since literally every race in this game eats flesh. What’s the ethical difference between eating flesh and drinking blood? They were going to kill their opponent either way because you know, WAR maybe?

P.S. There needs to be a quest where we play as a San’layn and just go around dunking GnomesComment by RankkorOh dear another Edge'dorei race, i think i'm bleeding now just by looking at it.Comment by MPaBkaTaUh yes there is, it's been part of their backstory since they were first introduced.
"DKs raising the dead" isn't really an excuse for others doing it nor is that said to be generally accepted with the factions. In any case, the Ebon Blade self-justifies what they do for the greater good.
Whether that's true or not is up for debate, but they are clearly not as selfish as the San'layn.The Forsaken always had dark elements but again always claimed to be different than the Scourge. They claimed to have free will and want free will for all undead. The Horde wasn't aware of their blight experiments, nor was it entirely clear that all Forsaken themselves were.
They were in the Horde because they were another pariah race who needed a chance to prove they were more than what they looked like.
They have entirely failed at this, and now openly recruit other unrepentant Scourge like them. That the Horde is allowing them to do this and Horde races are just fine with it is, again, bad writing.Comment by 1857003Elder Scrolls has 4 elf variant races who are playable and about 10 more overall in lore. There are dark elves, wood elves, high elves, sea elves, ancient elves, ice elves, not quite high elves, half dark half light elves, orcs are elves, dwarves are elves, some sub-races of Khajiit are elves.

D&D tends to have elf variants for literally every shade under the sun. As does Pathfinder.

Never heard anyone ever complain about that. This incessant irritation over elves daring to exist is something unique to WoW players.

This is completely moot. Whatever they claim, they both raise the dead and inflict suffering to the opposing faction and due to undeath have reduced empathy and emotion. You're once again confusing claims with reality and allowing your salt at the new expansion obscure a very consistent characterization of both Sylvanas and the Forsaken. In Warcraft 3, they betray Garithos and Sylvanas states their mission statement as making a place for themselves in the world and slaughtering anyone who gets in their way. In Vanilla, they experiment on a tauren visitor, develop a new plague tested on dwarven captives, stitch together abominations and in Hillsbrad and Tirisfal you kill farmers and steal their land. The only difference between this and what they later do in Cataclysm is scale, had they the tools they had back then at that point they would have done so. The other thing you ignore is the passage of time. The second reason the Forsaken were initially allowed by Thrall, which was to establish a foothold in the Eastern Kingdoms which they did and then succeeded at again when Garrosh commanded the same. That they're former Scourge becomes moot because they later defend the Ghostlands and help the blood elves take back their lands. Your argument about blood elves opposing the San'layn joining is especially stupid because the San'layn were Kael's expeditionary forces and their crimes against their own people A) Never take place on-screen B) Are not of their own free will. Returning to serving Quel'thalas even in death is likely to be seen positively, not negatively, in the same way as the DKs who are also gleeful at slaughter.As for the attitude towards them, Talanji is mistrustful, and it's been years since the DKs were in, and the Forsaken have been the most powerful part of the Horde since late Mists. They no longer follow the rules, they make them, yet the San'layn are still not given special treatment but integrated into the regular chain of command and made subordinate to one of the 'classic' races. The thing about the Horde being a betrayal is only if you still think the Horde is what it was very briefly in WC3 before Thrall let the forsaken and original blood elves, both morally questionable factions joined, and not the more militant group it has been since at latest Wrath and at earliest Vanilla.

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