the war council

Add a reply
100 Human Paladin
Pia Presidium
11395
The war council had decided two things: there would be another attack, and there was at least one traitor in their midst. The traitor had been there from the beginning. The only attack where the horde hadn't been waiting for them was Sepulcher and that attack had been kept from the troops until the summon.

Fingers quickly pointed at the reporter, but no reporter had been at the first meetings. The blame then shifted to AAMS, but Gentyl pointed out again, they hadn't been there for the fights or the meetings. AAMS had no reason to be present for either, particularly not the fights. She had an idea who the gutless wonder was, but without proof there was no sense in making accusations.

One of her most trusted fighters had said Bilgewater felt like a cavalry officer looking at their 200 men and then looking down the hill at the enemy's 2,000 men and saying, Sir, I don't think this is wise," only to have it drowned out by a commander yelling, "For the glory!"

They had to fight smarter. Plugging the leak would be a start. They also needed to stop wrangling among themselves, but that wasn't going to happen. There were too many people anxious to prove something and any platform would suffice. Rage had his work cut out for him.
#1
3/7/2012
Reply Quote
100 Worgen Death Knight
10235
Gondorin frowned as he sat in a foyer awaiting an audience with Highlord Mograine. He considered the previous night's council meeting, growling lowly as he thought about the factionalism already threatening to tear apart the war effort.

It wasn't that he didn't expect personal goals to become involved. He was frustrated that people were letting personal goals get in the way of the harsh reality: the Horde would continue committing war crime after atrocious war crime as long as Garrosh Hellscream sat his throne in Orgrimmar, and as long as the Horde turned a blind eye to the abominations shambling out of Sylvanas Windrunner's festering hive of necromantic atrocity. Thrall had been one who at least made a nominal front of seeking peace, even going so far as to meet with the King of Stormwind prior to the King's kidnapping by yet another faction, one now lying in shambles.

With the leak in place, and no particular place to start looking, it had seemed sensible to seek out a group to start simple investigations so efforts could be more directed. The Council was largely ineffective if no information could be openly discussed there. He didn't object to the press; they seemed to have no goals of leaking military information to the Horde. If properly directed, they could in fact be highly useful to the war effort.

But the factionalism was what angered him most as he slammed his fist down on a stone outcropping, startling a servant geist into skittering away. People were complaining about the internal motivations of someone working to insure the most lives could be saved by plugging a leak into the war's planning! The Stormwind Guard thumped their lion-emblazoned shields and prattled on about their authority in Stormwind's boundaries, while others refused to be investigated altogether.

There were too many distractions for Gondorin's taste. War was messy: lives would be lost on both sides, and the winner would set the terms of peace. But peace was the goal, including peace for the peoples who would be left of the Horde's individual sovereignties.

Gondorin was a soldier, not an administrator. If secrecy was necessary to maintain military advantage, then secrecy he would practice. The walls of Acherus held much darker secrets with much less effort. And if it came down to soldiers refusing to fight because they weren't told where they were going days in advance, he would let it reach that point, so they had to consider the consequences and weigh which was less desirable: ferreting out a leak to the Horde so openness could again be practiced, or greater slaughter as the Alliance threw insufficient numbers at mighty Horde fortifications.

The war would continue if he had to be the only one fighting it. If he went down for good, he would go to whatever darkness awaited ex-Scourge knowing he had done his best for peace for the Alliance and the Horde.
#2
3/7/2012
Reply Quote
100 Human Paladin
The Chimaera
9650
Jeremy Slater hadn't slept well Tuesday night.

Of course, that tended to happen when you had four or five Fizzy Faire Drinks late at night, but it wasn't the sole or even the primary contributing factor. He was wrestling with memories, very unpleasant memories that were threatening to become present experience again.

He had better control of his mind when his body was in motion. Thus, at four in the morning, he was standing in Ironforge in shirt and trousers, delivering a barefisted beatdown to a training dummy that, because of the persistent memories, he had draped with his old Scarlet Crusade tabard.

Using a different style of fighting was therapeutic in a way, reminding him that he must remain a very flexible thinker, and allowing him to shift gears not only physically but mentally.

The Vigilant Times had been most generous in their characterization of the events in Bilgewater Harbor. He had to give Silverquill credit; she did her job well. But it was a rout that shouldn't have happened--not just because of the (at least one) traitor in their midst, but because of overreaching without proper planning.

Bilgewater Harbor was inevitable, traitor or not. But it seemed some of the others on the Council would rather focus on the "leak" than on the real problem. That was annoying.

Yes, instead of facing the real causes, they wanted to talk about turning over suspects to be tortured and brutalized. Mustn't talk about the unpleasant truths like how nobody often suspects the real culprit, like the former Archbishop, so you can't always see them coming; that might make someone uncomfortable.

And as we all know, we have to coddle the hypersensitive in times of war. He smirked, punched the left "ribs" of the training dummy, then ducked under the sword as it swung around.

On the other hand, Slater just couldn't wrap his head around how so many people could be so sensitive about words alone, but speak lightly of the use of torture and other immoral methods in the pursuit of an allegedly "higher" goal. Or characterize living, breathing souls as "cannon fodder". That still stuck in his craw. It's not that he necessarily cared about other people so much as he cared about the principle of recognizing the personhood and rights of those people. After all, he'd himself struggled with being considered a nonperson by an overzealous parent...

He jabbed squarely at the stylized flame on the dummy's tabard. He'd quit his first Crusade over this. They'd started grudgingly doing wicked acts at the insistence of the leadership, then grew in eagerness until refusing to torture and sacrifice innocents became a crime itself. He wasn't going to see this mainstreamed. There was no point in this war if nothing of value was left afterward, and if the only people to survive it had become the enemy they had fought.

He dodged back from the dummy's wild spin, stopped its limbs carefully, and then began to towel himself off.

Jeremy Slater could help to save the Alliance from the Horde, but how could he help save it from its own people?

He frowned as he began unlacing the tabard from the dummy. Abandoning principle was a form of abandoning hope, and one thing he had learned in his ten-years' war against the Scourge was that abandoning hope was the last thing you should consider doing on the edge of the abyss. The abyss has its abrupt drops, but it also has slippery slopes...
Edited by Jeremias on 3/8/2012 4:00 PM PST
#3
3/7/2012
Reply Quote
85 Human Paladin
Conclave
9725
Lahkin had heard about the war council, and what he had heard wasn't making his day any less headache-free.

The ambush on Thelinna had been slapshod, and he knew it. Not only was he down a man, he had also missed an important meeting in the same breath. Or maybe not so important...

He had assigned Celandine to keep her eye on the goings-on while Lahkin was in Eversong, and the reports she passed to him over the hearthstone weren't very encouraging. The council was fragmenting, chasing each other's tails searching for a leak Lahkin doubted existed. The claim was that Bilgewater Harbor would have been taken if only someone hadn't been spying on them. Lahkin had to keep from laughing. With Ogrimmar looming just a stone's throw away from the Harbor, how could they expect that the rest of the Horde wouldn't respond with such strength? There didn't need to be a leak.

But now the council was going on a witch-hunt, while they would be much better served coming together and showing that leaks didn't matter in the light of their own power. Lahkin's laugh turned into a sigh. The head-hunting would only encourage more fragmenting as leaders accused other leaders of nonsense, gathered thug support, created schisms. And meanwhile, the Horde wasn't going to wait for them to sort out their differences.

Lahkin's thoughts turned again to his own role in the council. In some ways, he felt like Erelyn's shadow wolf. Maybe she was rubbing off on him. The urge was there, to nip the whole lot of them on the heels until they were brought back into line. And maybe that's just what they needed, too.

Still, he wondered. For one, the council itself was not a popular move among his allies. As far as the Terrans were concerned, the best Ragefang could be was a means to an end. At worst, he was a danger to what the Terrans were trying to do. If Lahkin did his part to bring unity to the council...would that really be such a good thing?

Would he be to blame for more innocent deaths among the Horde? For the Modas drawing their violent noose ever tighter around the all of them while they wasted time with petty divides?

The obvious answer was no. The war council should be allowed to fragment. But the more Lahkin thought about it, the more he felt he was missing something...

And that's why he worried.
Edited by Lahkin on 3/7/2012 10:11 PM PST
#4
3/7/2012
Reply Quote
100 Human Paladin
The Chimaera
6600
((A letter to Ragefang regarding the council))

Sir Ragefang:

We are both very busy so I will be blunt in this note. There is one group at fault for the premature withdrawal at Bilgewater and for the counterproductive council meeting. That group is us, the council.

It doesn’t matter if we have a traitor among us; we need to adjust our tactics to compensate for what we all knew; the meetings are open and information would be leaked by someone eventually. Essentially, in entertaining the thought of a significant traitor and pursuing a disruptive investigation, we have given him a higher status than he deserves. A hunting dog does not stop to scratch the flea that bites him while he is near to his prey. Nor should we be distracted by these allegations of a traitor. There are many Horde sympathizers in the Alliance that would gladly step in even if we do find this “flea” among us. Granted, there are likely several of them already. Let us move on and give him the attention the traitor deserves: none at all.

For the sake of getting these counterproductive events behind us and back to our true purpose of fighting the Horde armies, I propose the following for consideration by the council:

Regarding our targets:

To continue getting input and approval from the council on this subject we should have each organization propose three targets that they consider of strategic value. The council voting members will be given the ability to veto any target they don’t agree with. This should result in ten to fifteen targets remaining. We shall set a time and place to meet, then choose a target from the list and travel to the location for the attack. Or, perhaps even randomly choose a target and have a small group summon us to the location as we are planning to this week. Yes, the Horde may still know when we will attack, but if we have our act together, we should be able to achieve our objective and either withdraw or fortify ourselves before the response arrives.

Regarding our tactics:

We need some. Our attack on Bilgewater harbor failed because we were sloppy, not because of an insignificant bug that kisses the feet of the Horde. We could have carried that battle if we had been better prepared, organized, and focused. Regardless if we were betrayed or not, we must always be prepared for a defensive force. We need to become an elite force to reckon with. We can do this, but we need practice to know each other's strengths and to bring them all to bear upon the Horde's armies in unified action.

Regarding investigations:

Suspend and stop them all immediately. These needless interrogations will only lead to more distrust, confusion, and pointless headaches. When any substantial evidence of a traitor is presented (which I have not seen any yet), it should be turned over to the King for investigation. Our council does not have the authority, nor is it part of its purpose, to investigate treason. All we are doing is disrupting our cohesion and wasting resources.

Regarding the council:

I propose the following charter to be ratified by consensus of the voting members:

This War Council of the Alliance is hereby being formed for the purpose of uniting members of the Grand Alliance to support the war effort against the Horde. This council is a group of volunteers that are coordinating efforts to defeat the illegal and unjust encroachment of the Horde on our rightful possessions and our people.

This council is not being formed for the purposes of being or influencing a governing body. This council is not responsible for the acts of its members but will report misconduct of its members to the appropriate authorities. This council is not a police force nor does it involve itself in investigating or prosecuting other members of the alliance.

No individual member of this council is bound by the decisions of the council beyond what is freely committed to by that member. Any member or member organization represented is free to withdraw from the council at any time.

Let the Horde tremble at the voice of this council. Let their armies cower as they prepare for battle and impending defeat. Let their leaders beware, for justice will soon unleash its wrath upon their heads. Let this council unite to this purpose and make it so.

It is a draft and I’m sure could be improved upon by the members of the council, but having something like this to clarify our purpose can help tremendously in deflecting distraction and keeping us true to our path.

Thanks for your time to read this letter,

Adinas Barthalomew
#5
3/8/2012
Reply Quote
85 Human Priest
Conclave
8705
The dessicated priestess sighed as she sat within the Westfall Graveyard, casually patting her raptor hatchling. The minuscule creature nuzzled her hand comfortingly, releasing his tiny roar in an effort to ally her fears. But Nynra was terrified.

She highly doubted there was a traitor within the council. She knew Bilgewater was normally undefended, but that report was from a few months ago, before she hid within the Alliance. The times change quickly, and what was once light can quickly become blackened by shadow if one isn't observant. Perhaps that's what happened, then, as Nynra could find no other explanation as to how the Horde was so well prepared for an attack upon Bilgewater.

She frowned in thought, rotted muscles showing the grayed jawbone underneath what remained of her lips. In retrospect, the attack may not have been a wise idea; sure, the Horde cared little for their goblin allies and believed they could handle themselves, but it was only recently that Garrosh had commisioned an entire aerial armada from Bilgewater, successfully as well. Her boned digits traced in the dirt around her, carving out holy runes as she pondered.

"Did I send them to their deaths...?"

And that was another fear of hers.

She was no friendly image to the Alliance; the mark of death was about her, though expertly hidden by her enchantments and blessed garb to hide her features. Still, she could not help but fear for herself. After all, if anyone were to investigate her and force the mask to be removed... well she wasn't entirely sure how long her enchantments would hold before the truth came out. Even with them, she knew there were some things that could not be hidden; the scent of death that poured from her yellowing skin, the dim eyes that stared out from under her hood. Not to mention that if she looked afraid or panicked, it would only cast suspicion further her way.

Nynra looked across the sea of Westfall, in the general direction of Durotar. She had died and hid among the Horde when raised, but returning to the Alliance... had she inadvertently caused the failure of the mission? Was the mere presence of her being enough to tear apart the council?

She shook her head and stood, holding her raptor hatchling gently. Whether she was alive or undead mattered not to her; she was Alliance, through and through. She just hoped that, were she ever found out, the others agreed.
#6
3/9/2012
Reply Quote
87 Worgen Mage
Stormwind City Watch
7430
Emma sat quietly by herself, idly stirring her tea. This whole situation was a bit worrisome to her. With the witch hunt going on for the supposed traitor, it was probably but a matter of time until someone came to question her. She had been at the meetings, but never involved in the battles. Of course, unless someone was kind enough to physically carry her around a battlefield, with her mangled leg there was no way she could keep up-but that was a bit of logic that was possibly over their heads. She wasn't actually concerned for herself however. She was a professional, her tradecraft was taught by the best at the academy in Gilneas. No, it was her contact . Well meaning, and dedicated, but an amateur in the ways of espionage. She sighed and sipped her tea, this could end badly.
#7
3/15/2012
Reply Quote
100 Human Paladin
Pia Presidium
11395
The Commander looked at the sword still laying on the table after the death knight had thrown it down and stalked out because no one would listen to her. Everyone was gone now except Gentyl and her husband.

"I wonder how much that will bring at auction?" he pondered and took another sip of whiskey.

Gentyl had decided to remain quiet at this meeting. She'd spoken to Ragefang earlier and expressed her views. An investigation into the leak would only fracture the council. It didn't matter if the locations were kept confidential.

She watched the wrangling over the possible strike locations, but still held her tongue. At last they had a list of possible strike locations. Ragefang had mostly kept the rancor to a minimum even though three had stalked out and now it was over.

There would be no investigation. There was a list of possible strike locations. It was forward progress.

"You're uncommon close with the skin tonight, Commander."

He kissed her on the cheek and handed the whiskey over. "You know anything that's mine is yours, m'dear. Little as that is."

She took a sip and handed the skin back. It was enough.
Edited by Gentyl on 3/15/2012 1:12 PM PDT
#8
3/15/2012
Reply Quote
10 Gnome Rogue
Vigilant Publications
9650
((*sigh* Sounds like something exciting happened at the meeting the other night, and our star reporter's on a leave of absence! Can I harass someone in-game for the details OOC? Really, we would have had someone perched there if we'd had someone to perch. :( ))
#9
3/15/2012
Reply Quote
100 Worgen Death Knight
10235
((We discussed, we argued, a few people walked out in IC disgust, and potential targets were chosen, from which I shall secretly choose for our next assault, to be revealed at the time of said assault.

All in all it was quite productive. :D ))
#10
3/15/2012
Reply Quote
Add a reply

Please report any Code of Conduct violations, including:

Threats of violence. We take these seriously and will alert the proper authorities.

Posts containing personal information about other players. This includes physical addresses, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and inappropriate photos and/or videos.

Harassing or discriminatory language. This will not be tolerated.

Forums Code of Conduct

Report Post # written by

Reason
Explain (256 characters max)
Submit Cancel

Reported!

[Close]