#ace warcraft

Hellfire Citadel felt unseasonably cold.

Darkrider Phurreos and his remaining fel raven riders touched down on the landing platform. He could see the shadowy form of his Master and her entourage. He braced himself for the berating that awaited him the moment he dismounted.

“So, not only did you lose your helmet, and your spear, and your very own camp - but you lost Stonehand, as well.” The woman made of shadows, ‘Master Raveneye’ (as she was to be called), chastised him. “I was right, after all. You are getting sloppy, Darkrider. I thought we prepared you better than this.”

Phurreos gripped the reins of his fel raven tightly, frustration welling up inside him. He had almost thought to hold his tongue - yet the rage bit deeply into his mind, sharper and faster than even he was prepared for. Abruptly, he snapped back. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this! We had agreed that Enigma was to remain with me, and then you took her away! With her power, the intruders would have never-”

“Spare me your excuses, Phurreos!” Master Raveneye interrupted the Darkrider’s rant. “I told you, the Legion isn’t satisfied with half-measures. All shall serve - one way or another. Enigma serves the Legion - with greater strength than you ever allowed.”

Phurreos exhaled sharply, his grip loosening. It was futile to argue the point over a failed mission. With the overwhelming numbers they faced, even Phurreos could be certain that another rider would have defeated the joint Horde and Alliance attack on Stonehand. All that concerned him was the well-being of his absent sister. “Where is she now?”

“That isn’t your concern anymore.” Raveneye answered, coolly.

He bargained. “Send me to her. Have me be her guardian. Have someone else lead the other darkriders - I can protect her.”

Then, it was Raveneye’s turn swell with rage. “You dare to think you can be responsible for yourself? For anyone else?”  It boiled slowly within, her voice rising with every word. “That is not your place either, Darkrider! You will go where you are told to go, you will kill who you are told to kill, and you will serve as you are commanded to serve!”

Phurreos did not flinch, staring the shadowy woman down, his fel-tainted eyes penetrating the darkness of her shroud. “Do you want your daughter to survive this war, or not?” He hissed.

Raveneye drew a breath, her jaw set with anger. “You dare question me; after such spectacular failures, after such pathetic displays of weakness and ineptitude?” She rasped. “Felguard, escort the Darkrider inside, for re-education.” With that, two felguard emerged from her entourage, moving to flank the Darkrider. Raveneye turned back toward Phurreos, the icy rage ringing in her voice. “Clearly, you need to re-learn who your loyalties, and your fate, belong to.”

Phurreos glared at the two hulking demons. He snorted derisively at their grip, snubbing them as he pushed forward, at the behest of his master.

The baby was with Xaphias. Krastos was out again, dammit. He would be fairly perfect for this.

Maeorra had been at their feet, in her hands, before she was ripped away again, through the portal. After examining the trace magics left from the portal, it was determined that she was taken to Gogrond. Lena sent the Shadows back to the garrison, to avoid any ambush, to avoid losing anyone else in that Light-forsaken jungle. Lena's nose wrinkled as she thought "Might as well be Tanaan."

Pascaa was probably out of commission, and Vastania may have pushed the tail end of her recovery from the last adventure too far. Tallgeez, Lena admitted quietly to herself, had surprised her. She had gotten used to his bombastic nature, explosions and shouting. He really was an excellent tracker, and had done fine work - it was just the group's effort falling through. Finally pulling out the chair at her desk, Lena sat down, retrieving a pen and starting to scribble. The dwarf death knight, Braeval had a good point. They'd need help searching Gorgrond.

To our friends on both sides of the lines: Our beloved Prelate Maeorra has been taken hostage by the Legion, as are others who have served alongside us. We believe we have tracked their whereabouts to Gorgrond. I believe them to be gravely injured and at imminent risk of being used to further the Legion's war machines, their souls drained to power their efforts.   This must not happen. We plan to depart for Gorgrond as soon as possible, but we will need assistance. Please send word back with my courier, and we will coordinate our search, if you are willing. -Glyllena Archon, Shadows of Argus

Lena pushed back from the desk and hurried back to Xaph's house, knocking lightly and beckoning for Eladea.

A disgruntled Cat gave up playing with the children and took the letter from Lena's hands and sauntered out the door, Lena scurrying after her. As Eladea changed into her flight form, Lena gave her instructions: Find First Light. Get this in the hands of their leaders. Wait for a response. The druid cawed impatiently, waiting for Lena to adjust the letter attached to her leg as she hovered in the air.

And then she was off.

As their allies hung in chains.

As their Vindicator’s soul awaited in danger.

As their world fell under the lingering shadow of the Burning Legion.

Not all eyes were blind to the rising danger; not all hands were idle in the face of impending doom.

Their Archon had suited up and prepared for a mission of justice and vengeance. Their flight lead prepared mounts and weapons for the next sortie against the Buring Legion. Their ‘Mighty Hunter’ was on the trail of the Legion’s most-hidden camp, and its captives.

And he had just found them, in the Lost Veil Anzu.

The Sargerei used their technology well, hiding the camp using a shroud crystal among the soggy ruins, towering mushrooms, and hostile denizens of the swamp.

When Tallgeez and Defender Pascaa passed through the shroud disguising the cave, they could see that the forward camp was in operation for some time. The ground at the entrance was densely-packed dirt, with traces of Sargerei hoofprints. Giant resonating violet crystals stood, like towers, outside the cave - devices likely made to dissuade the swamp’s wildlife from getting too close.

It was the stench of fel magic, though, that gave the location away.

“Pascaa.” Tallgeez began, watching the cave entrance from hiding, behind a fallen boulder he and the Defender had found. “You must get hearthstone. Move outside shroud - to avoid detection. Contact Archon Glyllena. Tell her this location.”

Pascaa looked at Tallgeez askance. Surely this was a ploy. “What about your hearthstone?”

“Mine? No, it is compromised.” Tallgeez replied, his usual cheer notably absent.

“H-How is it compromised?” Pascaa’s suspicion turned to concern.

“Because it is broken.” Tallgeez explained simply, pulling the cracked stone from his pack. It was clear that it had been bashed very hard against a rock. “You must go, quickly. Tallgeez will wait.”

Pascaa stared at the broken hearthstone in disbelief. Collecting her thoughts, she shook her head and looked to Tallgeez. “You promise to wait here, and not attack anything?”

“Of course!” Like that, Tallgeez’s confident cheer returned, grinning at the Defender happily. “Tallgeez is Mighty Hunter, not Mighty Rescuer! Prelate Maeorra, and others, are still alive in cave. It is best to have allies, to free them.”

Pascaa blinked a few times. "O- Okay, that’s-  that’s actually a good idea, I suppose.”  She admitted, retrieving her hearthstone from her own belt. “I’ll contact the Archon immediately. Please, don’t blow anything up.”

“Of course.” He responded cheerfully, before producing a bag of gemstones. He plucked one out, showing a diamond-shaped purple crystal to Pascaa, with a silver fastener at one end, allowing it to clip to her hair or clothes. “Here, crystals will protect you from cognitors. Creatures latch to skull and feed on brains. Many unpleasant!”

“Oh, thanks...” Pascaa said, tentatively, as the hunter proceeded to abruptly clip the crystal to the bangs of her hair. “...Do they really work?”

“Of course!” Tallgeez grinned, turning his head to reveal a similar device, clipped to his hair behind the angular horns of his crest. “Tallgeez designs these. Many effective!” He stated, proudly.

Pascaa swallowed hard, touching the one on her hair. “They don’t explode, do they?”

The hunter shrugged. “After wearing too long, perhaps? Maybe a few days. or a few hours. Not less than a few hours, though. They have at least three, maybe two hours before exploding, for Tallgeez.” He shrugged, grinning happily again. “But! Keeps cognitor creatures from attaching to brains, either way!”

Pascaa drew a long, tired breath. Her dwindling patience dueled with the sense of fear swelling in her gut. Ultimately, though, both were subdued by her sense of duty. Immediately, she snatched the bag of crystals from the hunter. “These count as restricted ordnance, as well, in that case.” She told him. Without another word, she moved away, taking the crystals and hearthstone.

“Of course. Good luck, Defender.”

Tallgeez watched her depart through the veil, then promptly engaged a thermo-active cloaking device on his wrist. The Beast of Tanaan’s form faded into his surroundings, and within a blink of the eye, Tallgeez had completely vanished. Hidden, he moved ahead, into the Sargerei caves.

For the hunter, ‘wait here’ was a relative term.

(( A scene from RP with @kildarren​. Dare has been taken prisoner following a raid on Socrethar’s Rise. While meteors from the sky and traps within the temple pulverized and trapped respective allies in the air and sky, Dare made it out of the temple just in time to witness a dark, armored rider on a Fel Raven, who promptly subdued the young draenei with a blast of fel magic. This scene follows his capture at the hands of the Dark Rider))

"Awaken, child."

Dare’s senses were assaulted by the stench of sulfur, the sound of chains, a cold, humid draft - and a persistent, piercing pain in the vacant, gem-studded socket where his left arm used to be.

A dual sensation of weightlessness and incredible burden claimed the prisoner. He was suspended in air by fel magic, yet his single arm and both legs were bound in heavy shackles. Each shackle was anchored by chains to a pair of obsidian pillarson either side of him. He could move his limbs only so much until the resistance overwhelmed his physical strength.

From the clammy atmosphere and dim candle light, he could make out that he was in the depths of a cave somewhere. Before him stood the figure of an immense Sargerei, clad in black, heavy plate armor.

It was the dark rider who captured him, at Socrethar’s Rise.

Dare managed to wake without screaming, but only because he felt it wouldn't help him now. Everything hurt, especially the now-damaged socket of his left arm, nerve imitation gems left open to the air. He opened his eyes slowly, mostly unsure as to what horrors he might see and seemed relieved that it was only the dark rider, alone and not threatening him this time. "Yes...?" He drew the word out slowly, natural drawl and fear making words take longer.

The dark rider's face was obscured, but his gaze was no less unmistakable, scanning Dare from head to toe, lingering on the exposed gems, where his prosthetic arm would otherwise be. "Your pain is most potent..." The rider stated enigmatically. "...Yet, you know it well. This is...” A gauntlet reached out to touch the exposed gem “...familiar to you. A part of you.".

The pain through the gems outweighed the pain of the shackles as Dare tried in vain to swing himself away from the rider. He hissed a breath through his teeth, his face contorted in a snarl not for aggression but to hopefully prevent him screaming. "Well I hoped I'd never be familiar with it again. Do you -know- how much work you've ruined!" Perhaps not the correct thing to focus on, but Dare was impressed with his arm. "It's hard to not be familiar with something you've grown up with!"

"I had your arm removed." The rider answered, dryly, his fingers idly testing the sensitivity of Dare's gems, measuring his reactions with curiosity. "You will likely never see it again."

"I hadn't noticed," Dare sneered, still vainly trying to pull away regardless of the fact he wasn't moving at all. He squeezed his eyes shut as they watered, the sensation now on par with the actual loss of his arm. He'd been knocked unconscious as that pain had started and he found himself thinking fondly of the stories where people passed out from pain. That would be nice right about now. "Oh, did you need extra height? Now you can reach things off the top shelf?" He's close to sobbing and he's using all his wit to not let that happen.

"It is a trophy of our victory at Socrethar's Rise, now." The rider told him, humorlessly. He let his fingers linger near the gems for a moment longer, witnessing the very limits of Dare's tolerance for pain, and seeming to drink it up with his very being. "Along with the pieces of the rest of your allies."

With that, he pulled his hand away and turns, allowing the youth to process that information.

Dare couldn't hide the sigh of relief that fell from him, as the burning sensation in his left shoulder dulled to a slightly more tolerable throb. He was so enveloped in the sensation, it took him a few moments to process what that rider had said. "Pieces? What?" He paused,trying to think back. No one had been too injured before the temple had collapsed and he couldn't remember any screaming or moans of pain. "Why would there be pieces?!"

"Because, your allies were defeated, and slain. Brutally." The dark rider answered him. "And you are the only survivor who had been left... 'intact'." There was a pause, before the rider snapper his fingers.

With that, another dark, armored Sargerei, carrying a chest, stepped into Dare's field of view. The Dark Rider reached over to the chest, opening it. Inside, Dare could see a number of things - a paladin's shield. Scraps of armor. A spear. A charred hand. A bloody horn. The rider took each item from the chest, and tossed it to the ground, for the prisoner to see.

Dare took a moment to process this, blood slowly draining from his face as what the rider said registered. "They... Dead?" He shook his head as he looked over the 'trophies', wincing as each piece hit the floor. "Why... Why would you?" He blinked at the rider, tears finally starting to trickle down his face. He barely knew these people but...dead? "Why kill them?"

"Why?" He shook his head. "Because they were our enemies. And they were weak." He turned toward the young draenei.

"Then why am I still here?" The question is cautiously asked, Dare not really sure he wanted to know the answer.

"You are here to serve the Burning Legion." The rider told him, slowly at first. "Whatever life you knew before now - it is over, child." The dark rider stared at Dare through his visor, letting those words hang in the air. "First, you will be taken to Hellfire Citadel. There, you are fated to either live, or die. If you die, your body and soul will fuel the Legion's war machines. If you live..." He paused, shaking his head slightly. "...There are fates worse than death. Either way, you will serve the Legion."

"Why not them?! They were stronger, better! What need do you have of me. You even call me a child!" Dare struggled against the restraints, terror flooding through him.

"Because you survived..." The dark rider told him. "...and they did not." The rider snapped his fingers again, and the other sargerei collected the pieces of the other adventurers, rangari, and their allies, stashing them away again in the chest.

"But you killed them! Why not me!"

The dark rider pauseD at this, turning toward Dare sharply. Suddenly, Dare could see a large black spear pointed at his throat. The barbed tip glowed a subtle fel green. "Do you wish to join them?" The rider asked. "Are you afraid to face the fate before you?"

"The fate of being enslaved in the Legion's warmachine? No. I just don't -want- to be part of your inability to be good people." Dare tried not to flinch as the spear leaned near his throat. "I'm also not afraid to die. I just don't -want- to yet."

"'Yet'.” The rider repeated, with a scoff. He withdrew the spear. "Your denial is... understandable. But your pain is not deniable.”

With that, he swung the haft end of the spear into Dare's exposed nerve gems. "Regardless of what you may 'want', child. There is no Light to save you. There is no prophet to guide you. Your friends are dead. Your allies are defeated. Your life, as you knew it, is over..." With each word, he pressed the spear harder and harder against Dare’s nerve-gems, before he finally removed the spear from them. His voice seemed almost resigned, as if there were foregone certainty in his words.

"...Pray to the naaru if you must. They will not answer. 'Want' for better things as much as you choose. They will not come to pass."

Dare barely heard the words because the moment the spear hit his arm, he screamed. He didn't even mean to, but it hurt too much, especially combined with the rider's comments. After the spear was removed, he panted for several seconds, trying to keep his head up through the haze of tears. "You LIE! They won't leave me here and let you keep me. Someone -will- come!" Bravodo less impressive as it's said through sobs, but Dare wasn't willing to believe the rider that this was where he would die. "Just because no one wanted to save you doesn't mean we're all alone."

The rider cocked his head slightly as he paced away, listening to Dare’s words, before posing his response.  "Who will come? The rangari we have slain? The vindicators we have infiltrated? Or perhaps the mercenaries, we have in our control." The rider shook his head once more. "Weep, child. If there were any one left to rescue you - you will merely watch them die. "

Dare opened his mouth to answer, but some sense came over him and he realized that giving this man names may end up hurting more people. "Someone will." He repeated firmly. "I believe there are many who want you and your legion dead."

"Hm. Let them come." The dark rider stated, before departing the room.

Xaphias took a step back as Lena roared, and she moved in closer. She took a breath and ground her teeth and hitched Aussie up on her hip, her smaller frame seeming to tower over Xaph. Her voice was deadly calm when she next spoke.

"Take the baby."

Xaph quailed a bit, shuffling backwards again. "Lena, I don't think you need to..." He was cut off by the blaze in her eyes. Didn't he tell Kudrelke? Lena would set the damn sky on fire when she heard about this.

"Xaphias. Take. The. Baby. And I will consider... Not setting you on fire right now." Oh, she was pissed. Beyond pissed.

The barman reached out and grabbed Aussie from his mother, nearly ripping half her hair with him, as his tiny fingers were clenched in it. She clearly barely felt it. She spun on a hoof and stormed off. Aussie gurgled up at Xaphias, looking a little bewildered, but thankfully not upset. "Mama's fixin' to lose her mind, little man. Let's go find Ela and Lila." He retreated, cautiously, stealing glances at Lena's property as they went.

Lena slammed the door of her little house behind her, the entire structure shuddering, then took two steps into the living room and stopped dead, digging her nails into her palms. She closed her eyes, her mouth drawn into a deep, puckered frown.  Get your shit together, Lena.  She stood stock still, her body stiff, the blood and magic vibrating through her veins. To an outside observer, she might appear to shimmer. A mirage of sorts, as the magic nearly twisted her inside out, into another plane, into the Nether.

She took a deep breath, unclenching her hands and opening her eyes, unfocused as they were. She turned a palm upward, appearing to concentrate on it. Slowly, a sphere of orange fire and purple arcane twisted and flickered there. Her fingers flexed, nursing the ball of flame, allowing it to grow in potency. They took Maeorra. Again. AGAIN.  Lena allowed herself one moment of bottoming-out despair before she retreated into anger again, the flame flickering ominously, hovering in her palm.

With sudden forcefulness, she hurled the purple and orange sphere into the fireplace. As it caught the kindling there, her eyes finally focused.  We won't lose her this time.

She stood and watched the fire for some time, then broke herself out of her reverie, suddenly in a flurry of activity. She stripped out of her every day robes, the ones covered in various toddler-related stains and smudges, then rummaged through her desk for something. Lena yanked the purple headband she always wore from her hair, her lip curled as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.

Her stark white hair was snarled and knotted from lack of caring or time to be devoted to caring, as well as Aussie's new habit of grabbing everything he could reach and yanking it to him. The mage looked down at the shears she'd pulled from her desk, then swiftly cut off the majority of her long locks. After dunking her head under the faucet, she ran her fingers through the new bob cut. Krastos would hate it. She shrugged at herself in the mirror.

Stalking to her wardrobe, Lena flicked through her dress robes with a purpose. She'd go find Maeorra herself if she had to. Her eyes were drawn to the white robe in the back, the one she never wore, because she was too easily singed, soiled, or otherwise dingy and dirty, even without knowing how. The Sargerei operatives would see her coming a mile away. Good. She pulled the robe off it's hanger and slid into it, impressed with herself that it still fit, post-baby.  

Once dressed, she focused, standing in the center of the living room, taking many long, deep breaths to calm herself before teleporting silently out of the house and onto a cliff in Shadowmoon Valley that looked across to Socrethar's Rise. The idea of the place made her skin crawl as she stood there, eyes narrowed as if searching for any sign of Maeorra.

She never heard the footfalls behind her. Kudrelke slid from his jeweled panther construct with some difficulty, considering his injuries.

"If you're going to go all... nuclear... on us, or all... suicide mission-y, or whatever this is..." His deep voice startled her out of her concentration. She whirled on him, staff at the ready. He smiled tentatively, holding up his hands in surrender, his left wrist in a cast. "Then you should probably not wear your communicator." Relke flicked his fingers in the direction of the comm unit she had unknowingly clipped on to her belt. "Tracking signals, remember?"

Lena remained silent, but flicked the unit off in irritation. She turned back toward the Rise and nearly growled. "Xaph..." Relke started. "Sent you," she finished. "I know. He assumes I'll do something stupid to get her back."

Relke took another step closer behind her. "Maeorra won't go out with out a fight. She'll take out as many as she can on the way down, knowing her." Lena flinched, then wrapped her arms around her midsection. Her words were almost a whisper against the wind.

"I won't lose her again."

(( @maeorra @glaucophane​ @tallgeezwow​ @butcanihuntit​ based on the RP that Tallgeez and Sevda (and their respective characters) did with us last Saturday, ramifications of which are still coming out but the start of which can be found here, and by the way YOU SHOULD COME DO WITH US. ))

(( Also, Lena has fun with transmog. ))

(( ♪ Reprisal ♪ ))

Operation Reprisal was underway.

The offensive against Socrethar’s Rise began with a display of overwhelming force. Alliance squadrons from Stormsheld joined with Draenei riders form Karabor in the skies north of the Rise. Together, the engaged the Sargerei air forces - fel-empowered Demonlords and their succubi wing-mates.

An independent detachment of mercenaries from the Draakorium joined the fray, escorting a squadron of gryphon riders as they carried Rangari commandos to the battle. After clearing the landing zone, the Rangari breached the Temple of Socrethar in search of the Sargerei command center. In the air, the mercenaries split into two squadrons: Alpha and Bravo. Alpha Squadron engaged the Sargerei air forces in the sky. Bravo Squadron took on the Sargerei stables, where foul Void Elekk monstrosities were created.

Alpha Team dispatched a flight of demons that had broken off from the main force, taking only minor injuries in the process. Despite the power and speed of the winged demonlord and his succubi accomplices, none could maintain direct confrontation with the mercenary riders. In the end, a skilled stroke of shamanic lightning - and a brutal application of the Light’s magic - was all that was needed to bring the flying demons down to earth.

Bravo Team attacked the stables with bombs and rockets, purging the terrible ritual circles that converted wild elekk into eldritch war machines. Only one structure, retaining three elekk in the midst of conversion, was spared (if momentarily). A brave healer from the Shadows of Argus descended to heal the innocent beasts and release them from the void tendrils that bound them, successfully breaking them free, before the stables were razed.

Inside the temple, Rangari Team “Charlie” commandos encountered fierce resistance from summoned felhounds and imps that littered the halls. As a pair of brave adventurers drew the vicious demons out, the commandos put the creatures down with well-placed arrows. Eventually, the party made their way to the central command room, locating the Sargerei intelligence kept within.

Operation Reprisal appeared to be an overwhelming success. The mission to take Socrethar’s Rise moved swiftly. Everything seemed to be going well.

That is, until the sky exploded.

Meteors arced across the sky, bursting mid-air. Each burst caused massive shockwaves, flares of intense heat, and a barrage of stony debris, scattering in all directions. Some of the Alliance forces caught in the blast were obliterated outright - those were the fortunate. Others had their mounts shot out beneath them, or were thrown from their seats by the intense pressure, sent plummeting helplessly to the hard ground.

In the temple, the Rangari commandos discovered too-late that the command center was trapped with explosive runes. Even as they tried to disarm the traps and escape, though, their gryphon rider transports were unable to reach them, as shockwaves from the exploding meteors prevented any from getting close enough.

All the while, a mysterious voice of a Sargerei operative broke through the secure communication channels of the riders - mocking them for the futility of their actions, and for the apparent impotence of the ‘Light’.

Havoc filled the sky. With every second, another burst took the sky, claiming lives and injuring the riders caught in the blast. With the Rangari trapped and beyond contact, all hope on the ground dwindled away. A meteor strukc the temple, partially collapsing it. As the casualties in the air mounted, the order was given to evacuate the Rise immediately - leaving whatever remained of the ground forces behind.

An escape route was plotted through the Blademoon Bloom. Reluctantly, the mercenary riders pitched their mounts into a dive, and raced through the overgrown canopy of the Bloom. They eventually arrived safely back at the Draakorium, but without the allies they had escorted into battle.

As the allied forces fled from the Rise, and the bombardment abated, a squadron of Fel Ravens descended on the broken temple. Sargerei riders surrounded the surviving commandos, taking the unconscious and incapacitated draenei prisoner.

Operation Reprisal ended with high casualties and disturbing revelation. The Legion’s influence was stronger than first realized. Alliance forces had been betrayed, and strategically out-maneuvered. The battle for the skies were in greater jeopardy now, than they had ever been before.

A grim spectre loomed over Shadowmoon Valley - both for the fate of the captive draenei, and for the fate of Draenor itself.

PILOT NAME: Tallgeez the Mighty Hunter (of Draenor)

CALLSIGN: “Disaster”

MOUNT: Infinite Timereaver “Kurosoruk the Indentured”

TYPE: MULTIROLE (Balanced Air and Ground Capability)

LORE: “Fickle and savage, these drakes slip in and out of time until they find a worthy rider.”

WEAPONS: Claws, Teeth, Spiked Tail (Onboard); Iron Horde Arbalest, Throwing Axes, Ravager Hunting Lance, Mecha-Blast Rockets (Carried by Tallgeez)

SP. WEAPONS: Sand Breath, Temporal Distortion, Explosive Crystals

It means little to say that the Infinite Dragonflight have always been bitter foes of their temporal counterparts, the Bronze Dragonflight. Such is their existence, as former Bronze Dragons driven to madness or as paradoxical creations of countless infinite universes, to unmake the many realities that the multiverse makes possible. In the vast ocean of temporal existence, it is impossible to precisely say where history begins and where it ends for these creatures, other than “it exists”.

The Cataclysm changed much of that - or, more specifically, the destruction of Deathwing changed that. Neither the Bronze nor Infinite Dragonflights were the same afterward, and many of the Infinite Dragonflight drakes seemed to vanish into the ether. 

However, the creatures have not disappeared - they merely became shrouded in their own phased existence. One drake emerged momentarily, while Tallgeez hunted through a time-warped realm in Northrend. It could not speak and Its actions were erratic, but Tallgeez knew enough to find the creature... and to tear it, violently, from the temporal limbo in which it had become ensnared. 

Pulled from endless eternities of conscious non-existence, the creature was spared a fate worse than death... only to be taken into another, more explode-y fate worse than death. Tallgeez the Mighty Hunter tamed the weakened drake like a common beast and captured it, so that it might serve as a really fancy-looking mount. The once-powerful Infinite Timereaver became Kurosoruk, the Indentured Drake.

To add insult to injury, Kurosoruk was later stolen from Tallgeez the Mighty Hunter (of Azeroth) by Tallgeez the Mighty Hunter (of Draenor). Kurosoruk was not merely indentured to serve a time-travelling draenei, but was instead ALSO taken to serve the time-travelling draenei’s paradoxical down-timed alternate universe past self (who also time-travels, himself, on occasion). 

In Infinite Dragonflight terms, this is extremely troublesome. It’s enough to make them want to freeze all time for everyone, forever. Or maybe abrade the flesh of troublesome mortals, with a belch of white-hot sand. Or maybe just crawl back into their inescapable prison of time.

But they can’t, because they’re indentured to serve Tallgeez. And Tallgeez.