Warcrafting: elemental invasion, phase 3 and the Horde side
No sooner did I get the last post up than more stuff started in game. Also, I got curious to see how it all looked from the other faction's side, so I reactivated my often-idle troll shaman Vorluz and took her out for a spin to see sights on that side. Lots of screenshots and comments below the cut tag.
Phase 3, Alliance side
So there Lariko was, riding back to Stormwind to sell off some junk after an afternoon of poking at crazy troll cultists in Zul'Gurub, when she found Stormwind under lockdown! The guards weren't inclined to let anyone in, though recognized hero-type adventurers could pass.
Upon talking to the authorities, she learned that tensions with the cult were heating up and King Varian wasn't inclined to take it lying down. Thanks to her previous service, she got recruited for the effort, with a proclamation to read and searches to conduct:
The morality of this is, to me, pretty interesting. Defusing doomsday devices is unquestionably a good thing, and so is checking on cultists who turn out to have joined voluntarily, finding them unwilling to return home, and not dragging them back. This is a different kettle of fish. Your character discovers that at least some of the people she's searching have Twilight's Hammer literature or insignia, and they get escorted away by the guards. How just is that? Room for good argument.
(Personally, I think it's pretty clearly a bad idea, but I think there are cases to be made for alternatives that are smart, sensible, and decent.)
The searches and other evidence lead the guards to realize it's not over yet. There are cult infiltrators to detect and detain:
I do wish to note for the record my displeasure that not one of these people says "And I would have got away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids." Sloppy work, Blizzard. Anyway, they've got more rituals going, with more elaborate props, in different districts of the city:
Your character has instructions on how to disrupt these rituals, and it's entertaining. First, it's back into cultist robes and to the camp to get an instruction tome and practice the chant. For the Alliance side, that's "Ancients of wind and water, I have prepared the way for you. Come forth and raze Stormwind!" It's about the same with the other elements Horde side. The quest to perform the disruptions is called "I Said The Words...", and this is what happens when your character does the quest action to get the ritual wrong:
I was amused.
After all that, there's a final assignment, to go see an Earthen Ring emissary in Nagrand, at the Throne of Elements. This is where veteran characters are most likely to have dealt with the Earthen Ring before, and it's familiar ground. But in addition to all the expected people, including the Wildhammer dwarf characters talk to for a phase 1 quest, there's someone Lariko certainly never expected to be this close to on peaceable terms:
He's having quite the conversation:
Thrall says: Would I be here if this were not serious?
Aggra says: I have heard you before. You are here to save your world; to learn from ours. Greatmother Geyah has charged me with instructing you, and as such, you will listen to me, Go'el.
Thrall Says: I have told you to call me Thrall.
Aggra says: Yes I know, Go'el. Thrall is the leader of the Horde, but you are not here in that capacity. Look at you: At what you are wearing...
Aggra says: You say you have come to seek knowledge and understanding, but you are dressed for battle. That is why I question you and your willingness to do what must be done.
Thrall says: My clothing? Is that what this has come to now? We debate the merits of my clothing?
Gavan Grayfeather says: The clothing is merely a manifestation of a larger problem. I've no doubt that you are here to learn, but you must commit yourself both in spirit and in form.
Aggra says: The dwarf speaks the truth. If you wish to commune with the elements you must do so from the heart.
Aggra says: Your heart, your love for your land and your people is what has led you here. It was neither your armor nor your weapons.
Gavan Grayfeather says: Thrall, you must fully devote yourself to the cause.
Aggra shoots Gavan a disapproving look.
Aggra says: Go'el. You cannot continue to ride the line between Warchief and Shaman. The time will come when you must commit to one side fully. That time is fast approaching.
Thrall says: I hear what both of you are saying and am grateful for the counsel.
Thrall says: If I am to understand all that is transpiring, if I am to make a difference, then my devotion must be absolute. I must submit.
The quest itself (like its Horde counterpart) is inconclusive, with your character asked to keep an eye out for trouble. Presumably more trouble is on its way soon.
Phases 1-3, Horde side
For sanity's sake I'm not going to review everything I described about phases 1 and 2 in my previous post. So this'll be mostly just images.
Here's Vorluz after the fact, in Dalaran:
Earthen Ring emissaries in Thunder Bluff, the Tauren capital:
Protecting the Earthen Ring courier, who was ambushed as he got off the zeppelin from Warsong Hold, Borean Tundra:
The Orgrimmar authorities involved, including Earthmender Norsala of the Earthen Ring, and high-ranking military/police commander Blood Guard Torek:
Doomsayers addressing the crowd in the Drag, Orgrimmar's bad part of town, and inspiring reactions just like their Stormwind counterparts:
An Orgrimmar citizen reading one of the warning notices:
Ironforge had lil' agitated earth spirits to lay to rest. (I didn't get shots of that.) Orgrimmar has the same problem with fire spirits:
The cult camp is very similar:
The reactions of the missing people who've joined the cult are similar: fear, hope, desire for reconciliation without surrendering their new insights. Good stuff.
There are doomsday devices to defuse/prematurely detonate, and a chance to show that troll shamans have great totems:
It must have been a surprise to Vorluz to report to the palace and find that Thrall wasn't there! In his place, Garrosh is giving orders and passing out acknowledgements:
Vorluz wasn't there for the Horde counterpart to the Alliance leaders' meeting, but I have a transcript handy:
THRALL: Let us begin.
GARROSH: Are we not going to have more witnesses?
THRALL: I do not wish to make an event of this. Such frivolities are expensive and merely serve our vanity. But if you wish to have a celebration...
GARROSH: No, Warchief, this is enough.
THRALL: You know that these are troubling times for the Horde. Our supplies dwindle. Our lands are barren. Our warriors are in need of rest. These are tasks that must be addressed for the good of the Horde.
VOL'JIN: Da people be happy with our success in Northrend.
GARROSH: "Our" success? Troll, you played no part in the Horde's victories in Northrend. While I led our warriors against the Lich King, you merely took back a few scattered islands.
VOL'JIN: Watch yourself, young one. You don't-
EITRIGG: Garrosh! Vol'jin! Hold your tongues. There are larger issues at stake.
VOL'JIN: Forgive my outburst. Warchief, please, continue.
THRALL: Despite our success in Northrend, we face serious problems that cannot be solved simply by axe and sword. Earthquakes shake every region. Elementas ravage the countryside. I can hear our land, Azeroth, cry out in pain.
GARROSH: These are the reasons that you must leave.
THRALL: Yes. I leave for Nagrand to learn from the elements there. They have suffered and seen many of these same symptoms.
VOL'JIN: How long you gonna be gone?
THRALL: It may take time to learn what I must. I trust I will not be gone too long, but it could be weeks - even months.
THRALL: In my absence, I am instructing you, Garrosh Hellscream, to lead the Horde. You have the strength and courage that our people need to survive in these trying times.
GARROSH: I am honored, warchief. But I feel unprepared for the life of a ruler.
THRALL: You will not be alone. You will have advisors: Cairne, Eitrigg, Vol'jin. They will help guide you.
THRALL: And though I am leaving soon, I can also instruct you.
VOL'JIN: A good first test may be dealin' with dese cultists. Da people be scared. Dey aren't sure what's goin'on.
GARROSH: But even we are not sure of all that is happening. Should we capture these cultists and force their silence? But that may anger the rest of the people... Still, we cannot allow the cult to spread fear and lies...
EITRIGG: Now you are thinking like a ruler, Garrosh. You must look at all sides of a problem. Consult with your advisors and act with confidence.
THRALL: They will help you, Garrosh. And I will help you. I will find the answers that we need to assuage the fears of the people and soothe the elements.
GARROSH: I will not fail you, Warchief. I will lead as well as I can, and I will consult with the advisors you suggest. I know what a tremendous honor you do me, and I will strive to be worthy of it.
THRALL: Then it is done.
THRALL: Let everything you do be done for the Horde.
VOL'JIN: For da Horde!
EITRIGG: For the Horde!
GARROSH: For the Horde!
And here's that on Youtube, to make up for my own lack of screenshots.
Back in this afternoon, there were citizens stopped and some being taken into custody:
And as with Lariko, there's a chance to fly to and in Nagrand (and there's never a bad time for another look at Nagrand) and to speak briefly with the guy who remains the real Warchief as far as Vorluz is concerned:
And that's the state of things this evening. :) More updates when there's new stuff to show and tell!
Phase 3, Alliance side
So there Lariko was, riding back to Stormwind to sell off some junk after an afternoon of poking at crazy troll cultists in Zul'Gurub, when she found Stormwind under lockdown! The guards weren't inclined to let anyone in, though recognized hero-type adventurers could pass.
Upon talking to the authorities, she learned that tensions with the cult were heating up and King Varian wasn't inclined to take it lying down. Thanks to her previous service, she got recruited for the effort, with a proclamation to read and searches to conduct:
The morality of this is, to me, pretty interesting. Defusing doomsday devices is unquestionably a good thing, and so is checking on cultists who turn out to have joined voluntarily, finding them unwilling to return home, and not dragging them back. This is a different kettle of fish. Your character discovers that at least some of the people she's searching have Twilight's Hammer literature or insignia, and they get escorted away by the guards. How just is that? Room for good argument.
(Personally, I think it's pretty clearly a bad idea, but I think there are cases to be made for alternatives that are smart, sensible, and decent.)
The searches and other evidence lead the guards to realize it's not over yet. There are cult infiltrators to detect and detain:
I do wish to note for the record my displeasure that not one of these people says "And I would have got away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids." Sloppy work, Blizzard. Anyway, they've got more rituals going, with more elaborate props, in different districts of the city:
Your character has instructions on how to disrupt these rituals, and it's entertaining. First, it's back into cultist robes and to the camp to get an instruction tome and practice the chant. For the Alliance side, that's "Ancients of wind and water, I have prepared the way for you. Come forth and raze Stormwind!" It's about the same with the other elements Horde side. The quest to perform the disruptions is called "I Said The Words...", and this is what happens when your character does the quest action to get the ritual wrong:
I was amused.
After all that, there's a final assignment, to go see an Earthen Ring emissary in Nagrand, at the Throne of Elements. This is where veteran characters are most likely to have dealt with the Earthen Ring before, and it's familiar ground. But in addition to all the expected people, including the Wildhammer dwarf characters talk to for a phase 1 quest, there's someone Lariko certainly never expected to be this close to on peaceable terms:
He's having quite the conversation:
Thrall says: Would I be here if this were not serious?
Aggra says: I have heard you before. You are here to save your world; to learn from ours. Greatmother Geyah has charged me with instructing you, and as such, you will listen to me, Go'el.
Thrall Says: I have told you to call me Thrall.
Aggra says: Yes I know, Go'el. Thrall is the leader of the Horde, but you are not here in that capacity. Look at you: At what you are wearing...
Aggra says: You say you have come to seek knowledge and understanding, but you are dressed for battle. That is why I question you and your willingness to do what must be done.
Thrall says: My clothing? Is that what this has come to now? We debate the merits of my clothing?
Gavan Grayfeather says: The clothing is merely a manifestation of a larger problem. I've no doubt that you are here to learn, but you must commit yourself both in spirit and in form.
Aggra says: The dwarf speaks the truth. If you wish to commune with the elements you must do so from the heart.
Aggra says: Your heart, your love for your land and your people is what has led you here. It was neither your armor nor your weapons.
Gavan Grayfeather says: Thrall, you must fully devote yourself to the cause.
Aggra shoots Gavan a disapproving look.
Aggra says: Go'el. You cannot continue to ride the line between Warchief and Shaman. The time will come when you must commit to one side fully. That time is fast approaching.
Thrall says: I hear what both of you are saying and am grateful for the counsel.
Thrall says: If I am to understand all that is transpiring, if I am to make a difference, then my devotion must be absolute. I must submit.
The quest itself (like its Horde counterpart) is inconclusive, with your character asked to keep an eye out for trouble. Presumably more trouble is on its way soon.
Phases 1-3, Horde side
For sanity's sake I'm not going to review everything I described about phases 1 and 2 in my previous post. So this'll be mostly just images.
Here's Vorluz after the fact, in Dalaran:
Earthen Ring emissaries in Thunder Bluff, the Tauren capital:
Protecting the Earthen Ring courier, who was ambushed as he got off the zeppelin from Warsong Hold, Borean Tundra:
The Orgrimmar authorities involved, including Earthmender Norsala of the Earthen Ring, and high-ranking military/police commander Blood Guard Torek:
Doomsayers addressing the crowd in the Drag, Orgrimmar's bad part of town, and inspiring reactions just like their Stormwind counterparts:
An Orgrimmar citizen reading one of the warning notices:
Ironforge had lil' agitated earth spirits to lay to rest. (I didn't get shots of that.) Orgrimmar has the same problem with fire spirits:
The cult camp is very similar:
The reactions of the missing people who've joined the cult are similar: fear, hope, desire for reconciliation without surrendering their new insights. Good stuff.
There are doomsday devices to defuse/prematurely detonate, and a chance to show that troll shamans have great totems:
It must have been a surprise to Vorluz to report to the palace and find that Thrall wasn't there! In his place, Garrosh is giving orders and passing out acknowledgements:
Vorluz wasn't there for the Horde counterpart to the Alliance leaders' meeting, but I have a transcript handy:
THRALL: Let us begin.
GARROSH: Are we not going to have more witnesses?
THRALL: I do not wish to make an event of this. Such frivolities are expensive and merely serve our vanity. But if you wish to have a celebration...
GARROSH: No, Warchief, this is enough.
THRALL: You know that these are troubling times for the Horde. Our supplies dwindle. Our lands are barren. Our warriors are in need of rest. These are tasks that must be addressed for the good of the Horde.
VOL'JIN: Da people be happy with our success in Northrend.
GARROSH: "Our" success? Troll, you played no part in the Horde's victories in Northrend. While I led our warriors against the Lich King, you merely took back a few scattered islands.
VOL'JIN: Watch yourself, young one. You don't-
EITRIGG: Garrosh! Vol'jin! Hold your tongues. There are larger issues at stake.
VOL'JIN: Forgive my outburst. Warchief, please, continue.
THRALL: Despite our success in Northrend, we face serious problems that cannot be solved simply by axe and sword. Earthquakes shake every region. Elementas ravage the countryside. I can hear our land, Azeroth, cry out in pain.
GARROSH: These are the reasons that you must leave.
THRALL: Yes. I leave for Nagrand to learn from the elements there. They have suffered and seen many of these same symptoms.
VOL'JIN: How long you gonna be gone?
THRALL: It may take time to learn what I must. I trust I will not be gone too long, but it could be weeks - even months.
THRALL: In my absence, I am instructing you, Garrosh Hellscream, to lead the Horde. You have the strength and courage that our people need to survive in these trying times.
GARROSH: I am honored, warchief. But I feel unprepared for the life of a ruler.
THRALL: You will not be alone. You will have advisors: Cairne, Eitrigg, Vol'jin. They will help guide you.
THRALL: And though I am leaving soon, I can also instruct you.
VOL'JIN: A good first test may be dealin' with dese cultists. Da people be scared. Dey aren't sure what's goin'on.
GARROSH: But even we are not sure of all that is happening. Should we capture these cultists and force their silence? But that may anger the rest of the people... Still, we cannot allow the cult to spread fear and lies...
EITRIGG: Now you are thinking like a ruler, Garrosh. You must look at all sides of a problem. Consult with your advisors and act with confidence.
THRALL: They will help you, Garrosh. And I will help you. I will find the answers that we need to assuage the fears of the people and soothe the elements.
GARROSH: I will not fail you, Warchief. I will lead as well as I can, and I will consult with the advisors you suggest. I know what a tremendous honor you do me, and I will strive to be worthy of it.
THRALL: Then it is done.
THRALL: Let everything you do be done for the Horde.
VOL'JIN: For da Horde!
EITRIGG: For the Horde!
GARROSH: For the Horde!
And here's that on Youtube, to make up for my own lack of screenshots.
Back in this afternoon, there were citizens stopped and some being taken into custody:
And as with Lariko, there's a chance to fly to and in Nagrand (and there's never a bad time for another look at Nagrand) and to speak briefly with the guy who remains the real Warchief as far as Vorluz is concerned:
And that's the state of things this evening. :) More updates when there's new stuff to show and tell!