#fatesblades

hug sylvanas ( or die trying ) :: always accepting //

Valeera gently sat in petrified silence with her knees pressed against her chest, arms wrapped around her legs, eyes wide and fixed on the darkness that was the floor of the kitchen cupboard. She felt her heart against her ribs, the resonance of its beat akin to thunder in her ears. Her body was stiff, limbs quietly aching from how tightly she’d bound herself, eyes unable to do anything beyond stare downwards and blink only when she stung.

           Something was out there.

           She hadn’t seen it, no. She’d foolishly become separated from Sylvanas ( She’d blame it on the woman’s strides, that made the most sense. Sylvanas walked too fast and quietly, it WASN’T NATURAL ). She hadn’t thought herself in much danger at first, for she’d listened carefully and ensured where she wandered, the birds sung.

           But then they’d gone silent. And the forest around her had somehow felt as if it were closing in. Her skin crawled, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as panic set in. She didn’t know which way to run, she didn’t know her way back. She had thought she’d just sort of wander until Sylvanas found her ( because as much as it begrudge the girl to admit it, Sylvanas WAS a skilled ranger ).

           Only Sylvanas hadn’t come.

           Instead, she’d caught a waft of something FOUL. The scent of decay, of rotting eggs, sulfur, and burnt flesh. She’d heard the rattle of chains, and the crash of something marching through the woodland. Her ears had wilted when she heard something snort, deep, noxious inhales smelling the air for the scent.

           Her scent.

           So she’d ran, she ran back to a creek she’s found and followed the bank, until she found an abandoned cottage and darted inside.

           She felt so stupid, so small, so helpless. She still had her sword, useless as it was, uncomfortably pressed into her hip and side.

           Heavy thuds stomped next to the cabin, and then came another deep inhale. It – whatever it was – growled. She flinched the front door flew open, flying off the hinge.

           The floorboards groaned under the monster’s weight, Valeera pressed her eyes tightly shut. She shifted one arm so she could clasp a hand over her own mouth, keeping her breathing quiet.

            In the distance, there was a howl. A bear, badger, or wolverine, she didn’t know. It was in pain.

           The creature she’d yet to see ( and did not want to even GLIMPSE ) paused.

           A guttural noise escaped it, something close to a word or statement Valeera could not understand.

           The wounded animal bellowed again.

           Chains dragged along the cottage floor, the heavy foot falls crack the floor, but soon enough there is the sound of the massive fiend stalking off into the wilderness.

           Valeera doesn’t move, she doesn’t make a sound. She doesn’t know if she’s been there for seconds, minutes, or hours.

           The cupboard door opens, and she gasps, eyes snapping open, seeing nothing beyond a figure in the dark. Her heart feels as if it will escape her chest. Her hand falls away as she inhales to scream—

           A hand covers her mouth again, but not her own.

           Wide, green hued eyes meet quiet grey, and a familiar scarred face framed by silver-blonde locks come into proper focus.

           She can feel her lips tremble, terror still very much in control. She can see the concern on her savior’s face. Whatever is out there, it is something they cannot fight.

           The hand over her mouth falls away, and she finds herself gently tugged out of her hiding spot.

           In the fading light of late afternoon, she can see the woman who’s found her properly.

           Tall, lithe, a ranger, or that’s what she used to be. Sylvanas Windrunner stands before her, her expression not firm, nor shrouded by disciplined neutrality. There is fear in the woman’s eyes, but now Valeera can see that the nature of Sylvanas’ terror is different.

           It is not of the monster, whatever it might have been.

           It is simply for Valeera herself, Sylvanas had thought she lost the girl. Lost her little thief, who was often so quick of tongue.

           “Valeera—“

           Valeera doesn’t hesitate, she hurries forward and closes the small space between them. She wraps her arms around Windrunner, clinging to her with a desperation only a lost child could achieve.

           Sylvanas stares down at the top of Valeera’s hair, golden hair an utter mess that’s been bound back into a high tail.

           “I’m sorry,” Valeera murmurs in Thalassian, burying her face between her shoulder and Sylvanas’ midriff. She tries to hide the hiccups in her voice, hide that her eyes sting. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t keep up, and—“

           Sylvanas’ arms hold the girl in a protective hug, firm but reassuring. 

           “It’s alright,” Sylvanas murmurs, “are you alright? Are you injured?”

           There’s a quiet sniffle, and Valeera faintly nods.

           “My ankle,” she frowns, pulling away a bit to look down at her foot.

           It was throbbing, she’d run too hard and fast on it.

           In one smooth motion Sylvanas had hoisted the girl up. Valeera immediately wrapped her legs around her and hugged her once more, arms hooking around Sylvanas’ neck. Her eyes stung from her tears, tears that she stubbornly refused to permit the ranger from getting a good look at.

           Sylvanas moves in silence, carrying her away from the cabin, away from the terrifying prints in the dirt and mud of the riverbank.

           “Sylvanas,” Valeera mutters.

           “Hm?”

           “What was it?”

           Sylvanas says nothing for a moment, though Valeera swears she senses the woman’s pace increase at the mere thought of the monster.

           “There are precious few things that are worse than the Scourge,” Sylvanas finally answers, “and at times, it’s best to leave them unnamed.”

           Valeera glances at Sylvanas, “was it a demon?”

           Windrunner spares her a wary glance.

           Yes. Sylvanas doesn’t say, her gaze returning to the path ahead of them. It was wanton hunger, a thing that delights in agony and fear, a creature of gruesome depravity…

           She forces away a cold, and deep terror attempting to rise within her.

Valeera has no friends so should just admit she wants to be a blacktalon :^)

How does Wrathion recruit and treat his Blacktalons?

I mean the fact he’s still able to recruit them after what he did is a bit of a mystery all things considered. I assume what mostly happens is people either don’t think their factions are doing enough and have nowhere but him to turn as an alternative, or other Blacktalons sorta wink wink nudge nudge people into it at which point he’ll go through the motions of dealing with that person himself.

He’s, you know, he’s their boss. He treats them like an employer because that’s what he is. When he was younger he was probably a goddamn nightmare to work for given how volatile he was, but as he is now he’s not too bad. His Blacktalons are his, so whilst he’s an employer he’s also possessive and he will go out of his way to support them if he can and they need it. He does generally have their backs with things even if he doesn’t care for them on an individual personal level like you might a friend– he’s probably more empathetic with them than you’d think, which I think goes a long way to how he’s managed to retain his own lil faction and grow it despite the dumb shit he did.

How many are there?

Man, I dunno. A lot. Not as many as the Horde or Alliance obviously, but his network is vast and there’s going to be a hell of a lot of them spread out through the factions and other neutral groups.

Does he scout them, or do they come to him?

If he sees someone talented he’ll try and scout/headhunt them if he can, and like he does know talent when he sees it. However, if he realises he’s going to get nowhere (like with Valeera lmaooo) he won’t bother or push too hard. Likewise though I think people do also approach him, and I think that this tends to be the primary way people become Blacktalons other than existing Blacktalons generally being like ‘yo have you considered’.

What skills does he look for?

Anything that might be of benefit. I think the game only ever really shows him as having rogues but I think this is massively narrow-minded and not actually the case at all– he’d have people from all classes, and people who aren’t actually any class at all. Wrathion would hire a bar keeper in an area where having someone placed that centrally would be a boon, so it’s like not all Blacktalons are actually people who can fight or heal. Some are nobles, some are seemingly random civilians. If they can offer something of benefit to him he’ll take them. Being able to fight well is one of the last things he actually looks for because whilst useful you can train a farmhand to fight decently. He more looks for the things you can’t train.

What would make him fire or refuse to hire someone?

If you get ‘fired’ you’re dead. You don’t get fired from the Blacktalons, though you could quit or retire naturally. If you do something to the point you need to be fired though he’ll just fucking kill you, he’s really not about that life when actions like that have a lot of potential to shred his already shitty reputation. 

He’d refuse to hire someone if they were a genuine asshole, and like I know that probably sounds hypocritical but Wrathion does have his own moral code and if someone’s was too far removed from his own they wouldn’t be suitable and he wouldn’t hire them.

Criminals who’ve done things like petty theft or something in retaliation to something done to them are fine? If they’ve done something he can morally account for and deem acceptable they’re still fair game to him, so it really just depends on how he views them and their past as a whole.

Are certain races and classes overrepresented? Underrepresented?

Rogues and shamans are both pretty overrepresented, with druids also being higher in numbers. Rogues are the most abundant because, you know, he’s a rogue himself and ended up with quite a few to begin with from Ravenholdt so for a while that’d have been what he was known for.

Paladins and priests are probably the least represented, though he does have some. Ironically he’d probably have primarily shadow priests, though again there’d be some disc and holy in there too.

Race wise nothing is over or under represented. Wrathion doesn’t give a shit what you are, and I absolutely think he has individuals from none playable races in the Blacktalon ranks too including things like the mogu and arakoa etcetc.

Are the Blacktalons paid fairly and equally?

They’d be paid a set base salary, and like they’re well paid even in the basic lowest end salary a Blacktalon could have. Over and above this though bonuses are a pretty, uh, big thing. Skilled Blacktalons make fucking bank out of it, which I think is a very deliberate thing on his end because it’s way harder to convince someone to to betray an employer who’s already paying them very, very well and offering them benefits both financial and otherwise probably not generally found in Azeroth.

Everyone’s paid equally in relation to their position. Race and/or class mean nothing in relation to this.

Are there ranks?

There are. Left and Right are the highest ranked Blacktalons beyond himself, but under them there are individuals of higher and lower rank with more or less responsibility than others. It is possible to work up through ranks depending on what you’re bringing to the table and what you’re actively accomplishing for him.

Does he know all their names?

He does. He also knows basic information about all of them such as family ties and prior affiliations etc.

How much do they know about him?

Anything that’s public knowledge. Beyond that they really know little more than anyone else, until you get into higher ranked individuals like Left and Right who he’s personally close with. Even they though rarely know what he’s actually doing as we see in his journal questline.

Does he interact with them individually?

He’s met all of them at least once, but after that he doesn’t personally interact with them directly. What he actually uses, and what makes him and his network so fucking hard to find anything on, are things like the gems we see him give players in MoP which allowed him to directly talk with the player and see what they’re seeing. Every Blacktalon has one and this is an absolutely mandatory part of being a Blacktalon. They’re tied specifically to Wrathion and the Blacktalon in question. Killing the Blacktalon breaks the gem, and whilst someone particularly gifted might be able to essentially ‘hack’ one of them that hasn’t happened yet so. Shrug on that one I guess!

Wrathion does issue orders directly to his Blacktalons, but never really by meeting them face to face. I think this is part of what’s made his network so fucking effective despite being managed by one person even though it’s so spread out.

How does Wrathion assign them tasks?

It depends on the strengths of the person in question. As aforementioned a Blacktalon which is someone like a bar keep or a noble isn’t going to be given a combat mission, as their primary role as a Blacktalon is to gather information and/or use their influence as needed to the benefit of Wrathion and his goals.

MYTHICAL CREATURE ASKS// Accepting

DRAGON: How does your muse connect to fire? 

Arator has no meaningful connection to your typical fire (like the sort dragons would use) but a very good connection with holy fire. Normal fire is there for warmth and he has spent many nights around a campfire with the Highlord. It’s nice, and he has a talent at making perfectly golden toasted marshmallows. Is this important information to know? No. But now you have it.

Holy fire is his most potent magical weapon and a gift from the Light. It’s also incredibly draining, so he prefers to use his sword first and holy fire if he is in trouble or tactically it calls for it. He has a very good connection to the Light, perhaps it has some plan in store for him which is why it answers his calls so readily. I don’t know what but his mom is freaking out at the idea I bet he values it’s aid and does not overuse it.

So short answer...he connects with fire through prayer.

THUNDERBIRD: Does your muse value honor 

Arator does value honor but he’s not stupid enough to think it will keep him alive. He knows there are plenty of people who do not have honor and will take advantage of his own if it suits them. Paladins are holy warriors and they try to uphold a code that encourages them to defend and shepherd. Upholding ones honor is important, but saving those in need of help has a priority.

He is not afraid to flee so he may live and fight another day. He is not afraid to attack from behind if they’re going to kill someone who is innocent. Arator is willing to ignore honor for the sake of protecting those who need it. So he values it but he understands that honor exists in some shades of grey.

MINOTAUR: What secret does you muse keep hidden?

also tagging @fatesblades 

Oh boy

He has a couple and I’m trying to decide which one to talk about. I might give two.

He’s not prone to acts of cruelty but, deep down, he knows if he had ever come face to face with Garrosh, he would have tried to rip the orc's throat out with his bare teeth. He’s not proud of it, either. Arator does not like that side of himself (thank mom). Thankfully Garrosh is dead, so it will never happen, but he still keeps that depth of hatred close to the cuff.

Second secret is he still wonders why his parents never contacted him. The Army of the Light showed they had plenty of ways to either travel with ease or send a message if it is important enough. Arator completely accepts that his parents had matters more important than him to attend to, and these actions were done to keep him safe. But he also knows the Army of the Light has ships, and beacons, and numerous things they do to communicate over long distances and they never once used them to reach out to him.

Which, again, he gets it. War>Son. But it made him a little bitter to know the abilities were there but never utilized (especially over the thousand years they were gone). Couldn’t have shown up for just one birthday could you no sorry son the Aurobos is only for rescuing priests

MEMES // always accepting tbh

“Stealth is hardly the sole manner to strike fear on enemy’s hearts.” Oh, was an enemy you could not see more fearsome than that who marched to you in broad daylight, for it was confident it needed not the advantage of surprise? Was an unseen blade truly more frightening than seeing the blade one held towards you and imagining the bite of sharpened edge you gazed upon? True enough, an unseen enemy had the advantage of surprise, of  restlessness caused by the not knowing; yet the knowing, too, could be fearsome thing, when wielded not to give an enemy information but just enough to cause in apprehension.

send me a ship with a heart and i’ll tell you… // accepting.

❤: who is more affectionate in public? in private?

Tyrande is more affectionate in public, though not by much. Neither of them is probably very affectionate in public. I feel Tyrande is more affectionate in general, though. 

♡: who is the bigger romantic openly? secretly?

I think she could be considered to be the bigger romantic out of the two as well, but even then, that wouldn’t be saying much. 

❥: who is more likely to plan something big for valentine’s day?

Tyrande

ღ: who is more likely to initiate hand-holding in public?

Ysera

💕: who is more likely to make huge declarations of love in front of other people?

Tyrande, definitely

💘: who developed a crush on the other first?

Definitely Tyrande again because her crush has existed since forever

💝: who spends more time (possibly overthinking) what presents to get the other?

I feel like that would be Ysera, if only because Tyrande would find it easier to think of presents

💓: who initiates most physical contact?

Surprisingly, Ysera. Tyrande is more open with words, yeah, but I feel like when it comes to physical contact, Ysera would initiate it more often.

💌: who is more likely to send cutesy texts to the other?

Neither tbh

💟: who spends time reading their zodiac compatibilities?

Tyrande doesn’t care as much for what the stars have to say in comparison to the moon, so Ysera aksdjnfjkasdnf

💙: who is more protective?

Ysera probably. Tyrande can be protective, but I think she wouldn’t feel as protective of Ysera because? Look at her. She’s the Dragon Aspect of nature and she’s absolutely awesome and Tyrande wouldn’t really feel there’s much protection she can offer Ysera that Ysera wouldn’t be able to manage herself, flawlessly and with ease.

💚: who tends to get sick more often? who is better at taking care of the other?

Neither gets sick often, but the better caretaker is Tyrande.

💜: who said “i love you” first? or, if neither has said it yet, who is more likely to say it first?

Tyrande would say it first. She doesn’t really have a hard time making her feelings known.

💛: who believes in soulmates?

Her left hand rises to pinch at the bridge of her nose 

as a soft groan escapes from Raern's chest, eyes narrowing to slits as she peered back at the spy. When she had taken the elevator to the surface, she had anticipated a nice evening stroll among the mostly fresh air of the once shining Capital City, not an encounter that had potential to strain her sense of duty. Her lack of anticipation for events did not stop her from noticing the other elf, the barely perceptible sounds of another living soul that would have gone unnoticed if not for the location being one of deathly stillness.

How foolish of her to hope it was just another member of the Horde seeking refuge from the lingering scent of decay below.

She lowers her hand as Valeera spoke, fixing the other elf with a glare that spoke both of her exhaustion and slight disappointment. Her arms fold across her chest as she listens to the brief explanation, shaking her head. "She's not here, nor are the bulk of the Dark Rangers.” She narrows her eyes. “That doesn't mean I shouldn't report your presence immediately, however."

She eyes Valeera skeptically, considering the purpose for the 'neutral' rogue's presence. The Undercity was hardly a location for sightseeing, and with the Warchief's duties keeping her in Orgrimmar, there was little to be gained in the vein of marketable information. Her thoughts turn toward the translocation orb, though even that motivation seems highly suspect. She had noted during her time amongst the Uncrowned that Valeera had a few… heated encounters with one Blood Knight Matriarch, enough so to make her wonder if the younger rogue had found a connection to their homeland, but it seemed foolhardy to take a risk of materializing in the backroom of the council chambers. Valeera had a sense of anonymity, or at least, she would have, if Raern had not given a startlingly specific description of her to Lor'themar, Rommath and Halduron, but even the illusion of just another face in the crowd was not a strong enough disguise to constitute such a risk.

some ask meme

The comment should have surprised him, should have merited more than a quirk of his brow, and from any other it might have earnt a twisting frown that set ever grim features into a harder line. From her, though? From her it gets little more than a sharp snort, almost amused in a way he is not often, is not ever really as a man far too severe for such things. He knows her though, trusts her in a way he does so, so few, and so to her there is rare privilege that has fingers curling about tankard as he turned to face her in earnest.

Which poor sod had she been jumping on now? Truly, he almost doesn’t quite want to know. Almost.

There is an elekk in the room though, one that as a friend-- for they are-- he feels compelled to point out her least she lull herself into a false perception of such things. He was doing his duty as King, no doubt.