NationStates Jolt Archive

The Scourge were ever seeking to expand, to new worlds, new civilisations, all to be corrupted to the absolute service of Ner'zhul; the eternal and immortal Lich King. It was, however, when certain artifact worlds were discovered, oft devoid of life and scoured clean of sentience, that the Scourge began to wonder as to the secrets lieing dormant here.

Mail chinked against itself as a certain Death Knight by the foul name of Lord Plaguehollow, began his explorations into the history of the world they sat upon. His very presence seemed to disturb the slumbering orb, his footsteps echoing about the dark circle he found himself in, making his way towards the centre.

Rumblings. Deep.

He whirled, watching as obelisks and other structures began to rise about the perimeter; the centre seemed to rise, a pedastal forming before his eyes, a hand mark engraved into it. Cautiously, he advanced.

"What in the name of the Lich King?" He whispered, awestruck by whatever he had disturbed; a whispering seemed to flit about the air as he raised his gauntleted hand and let it drift to the mark. Energy danced across runes, life crackling into the ancient construct, as he turned, his mind reeling; his thoughts leading the Frostmourne class Cruiser sitting above them to call for support; a Lich would be contacted; more troops would be deployed, and he would fathom the entirety of the seemingly magickal ruins that dotted the surface.

A power that was now awake and broadcasting, and ready to be eternally enslaved by the Scourge. The hand to wipe mortality from the face of the universe

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Something behind the Death Knight suddenly spoke out, mockingly, with a cold, twisted voice.

"What do you think you are doing?"

As the Death Knight would notice once he has turned, that something was a being of some sort clad in pitch black powered armor, with sickly green flames spewing forth from the seams of the armor - which were located upon the joints of its arms, legs and the like. A torn, red cape was hanging loosely behind him, and he had a quite large, machinegun-like weapon in his right hand.

"You are not of the Ashen Empire," he said, and pointed his weapon at the Knight.

".. Is this the Lord's will? It cannot be. You are... Something else. As the Lich Queen predicted."

"The Lich Queen? Is this some joke? I am of the Scourge; we serve the true and eternal Lich King, Ner'zhul. I know nothing of this 'Ashen Empire'." The Death Knight paused, taking in the strangers appearance, wrinkling his nose somewhat. "You have the look of a Demon about you...Explain yourself and the travesty of your assertions. I have aid on the way, and we shall fathom your origin and intent."

"A demon?"

He shook his head bemusedly.

"Heh. For something that attempts to mimic those of the Underworld, and the proud citizenry of the Empire, you have odd ideas on what a demon should look like."

"As for your 'Lich King'... Considering that we have never heard of him, and that the Lord of the Underworld is the one true proprietor of the undead... It is painfully obvious that you are not by His will. We have only one policy for those who do not follow the laws of death."

He paused for a second, looking around a little.

"Ah yes, did you think I had come alone? That isn't how we go about our... Business."

"The Lich King is the source of the plague, the propagator of Undeath; we serve his will, his power; you have no power over us. You seem demonic, but evidently you are only of your 'underworld'. What business shall you go about? What do you have planned? You can't truly thijnk that I will go unnoticed or unavenged into death" He chuckled wryly, fingers playing through his own pale hair

"there is no reason why we cannot cooperate"

"But there are reasons why we could not cooperate. But I do not blame you. It is not you who is a rogue - it is your king. Your leader. It is highly probable that you even see him as a god. And I can already see you denying everything I say, but that is how strong the influence of those who once stood by Him is to those who follow them."

The being sighed boredly, his face obstructed by the power armor's helmet.

"You have simply been tricked by his powers. That could also explain why you would think that I am a demon. If our Queen had become what your king did, not one of the Empire would doubt her being the source and the maker, the power behind undeath. But that would not make it true - she and the entrity of the Empire would be subject to His undying wrath. Of course your king would seek more power, as the true servants of the Underworld are always searching for him and his kind. Those who failed Him. Those who thought they could break free from His will."

"But it does not work that way," he said as his eyes bursted with green flames, "The dead of this realm are His."

The being lowered his weapon.

"As it is my duty... I, one of the Censors of the Ashen Empire, am to give you a message on this day. A proposition, an ultimatum, a threat, whatever you wish to call it. Surrender to the Ashen Empire, to the will of the Lord of the Underworld, be brought back to the fold and go unpunished for the previous actions of your leader... Or be removed from this realm and be punished by Him most severely for your insolence."

"Then we shall leave; but we shall not surrender. The servants of the Lich King are not those to be intimidated by words; we are not those to surrender to those who think themselves superior. You may possess might beyond us; but we have done nothing to you. It is you, who in your prideful arrogance think yourselves the true source of undeath. There had been Undeath long before the Lich King ascended; but now, he is the instrument. He guides the plague in it's scourging path. He forces the Scourge forth; to cleanse the hated Living. My will is free; I serve because I choose to. I serve because he gave me everything when I had nothing."

He sighs softly, laying his blade to his side.

"We need not be enemies. We need not see each others as rivals; let us have talk, parley; let us speak as friends and brothers in Undeath, not as foes ready to start a war for damned ambition"

"He is the instrument, you say? Hmph. The Ashen Empire knows not of you... Or maybe we do. It is possible that your king is known to us by another name. If what you say is true, we should know soon enough. That would still mean that he is consciously leaving those who follow him without an understanding of what drives him. Oh yes, and it is not our ambition which would bring us into a war..."

He then paused for a moment and cackled.

"But what is this talk of 'free will'? It is not free will that makes us kill - the dead and the living wage war. That is their nature. Both wish to eradicate the other. We serve because we must, not because we willed thus. Free will is nonextant."

"Perhaps there are truths amongst your words, but we still need not be Enemies. The Lich King is a being of might and ponderous power. Our entire culture reveres him as though he were a living God. Allow us to have parley, allow us to learn more of each other, that we might prove our strength and our determination to undoing the living."

He sighed, a flash of frozen breath staining the sky as he idled backwards, hand still resting upon the ornamental hilt of his Runeblade.

"Could you not, for but a moment, consider that there might be other strains or compulsions of undeath? Some beyond your grasp or understanding? That you might not be the only corpulent anomaly?"

"Yes. And such strains must be removed from existence," he said, with the green flames coming forth from his eyes intensifying for a moment, "We shall not suffer competition over a limited resource - the Lord will not allow us to let other creatures to control parts of what is to be part of His realm. As it is..."

He suddenly stopped talking momentarily, as though disrupted by some invisible force. Odd, almost silent whispers came forth behind him.

He growled as he nodded shallowly.

"Hmph. It seems that the Empire wishes to see if there is actually something behind your words... But this does not mean that we will suffer your existence forever... If it turns out that you are what I think you are."

He wrinkled his brow, as though surprised and annoyed. "While I'm glad you've decided to see some sense, I'd be happy to know what it is exactly that you think we are, save strains of the same condition. Varying forms of Undeath, each aligned to potent masters."

He sighed softly.

"I take it you have your own conveyance? We shall not have to bring you with us upon our own vessels as we travel the long way back to-" He pauses. "A simple curiosity...You found us here...What is this place?"

"Varying forms of undeath indeed... But different forms of undeath also have different goals - thus they are competition. This is why too different strands must be purged, unless they proclaim their fealty to the Lord of the Underworld."

As the Death Knight continued and stopped speaking, he shrugged.

"I am but a simple Censor, one of the many followers of the Lich Queen and the Lord. I do not know of ancient artifacts, which this site is. The Dusk Elders should know. And yes, we do have our own... Transportation. We shall follow your vessels through the darkness of space."