The Siege of Alterac Valley

[Aellaura]

The Siege of Alterac Valleynn~Foreword~nThis is a Historical Record of the 18-day long Siege of the Alterac Valley by Stormpike Forces lead under the command of General Vanndar Stormpike against the Frostwolf Legion lead by Chieftain Drek'thar. It is a recount of events derived from eye-witness accounts and the after-action report of one Commander Aellaura Lae'nariel, field Commander of the Frostwolf Legion during this long and costly battle.nn~Part 1: A Desperate Gambit~nIt was the 17th day of the long and bitter siege of Dun Baldar, deep in the Alterac Valley. The Stormpike forces had grown confidant, and the Frostwolf Legion's moral was low. People were beginning to doubt that victory could ever be achieved. Many people were trying to take direct command of our forces, yelling for us all to make a blind charge to the enemy Commander, Vanndar Stormpike. Some were listening. Others looked to their superior Officers for advice. It was chaos. As I stood in the Frostwolf Keep cave, before the assembly of the remnant forces, my hopes were grim. Drek'thar had not yet given the order to attack. We were all on edge. In truth, the situation looked bleak. The Stormpike forces had several big advantages. Their base was located across yards of difficult, easily defended terrain. They outnumbered us. They held several of our Wing Commanders captive. Yet still, we stood in wicked anticipation of the battle to come. I stood before the remnant forces, and spoke.nn"My brothers and sisters of the Frostwolf Legion, hear me! This battle is not lost! We still have a chance! I beg you, raise your blades with me, and prepare. I have not fought in this hope-forsaken hole for this long, only to be defeated! Hear me! Our strategy is simple. I want you to split into two groups. The first group will be the Offensive Vanguard. The second will be the Defensive Line. Most of you will be a part of the Vanguard. Move into your groups according to what you think you will be better at."nnI waited patiently while the massive force before me moved into their respective groups. Some would yell abrupt remarks, questioning my ability to lead. Yet others refused outright to follow my orders, and ran off into the bleak valley to their inevitable deaths. But the majority of our forces complied, and soon enough, we had two groups. The Vanguard, at the forefront of the cave, the large of two, and the first which would leave. And the Line, who waited stalwartly at the back.nn"Now, our strategy is thus. Vanguard, made up of 6 battallions, is our main offensive. You will charge north into the Valley, break through their defenses and work to gain a foothold for which to assault Dun Baldar. Battallions 5 and 6 will break off during this charge to capture the Bunkers of Stonehearth and Icewing respectively. Said groups are then ordered to remain within those Bunkers, search them for any vital information, release our Wing Commanders being held prisoner within, and then burn them to the ground. You are then to rejoin the main force. Meanwhile, battallion 4 is to break off and assault the Bunker in which resides the Stormpike Captain Balinda Stonehearth. She is extremely important to the Stormpike forces as she will be acting as Field Commander for their offensive. She must be killed at all costs. This will give us an advantage and demoralize the enemy. Once a foothold is gained at the bridge into Dun Baldar, you are to regroup, and charge the base. During this siege, battallions 5 and 6 are again ordered to capture the Northern and Southern Bunkers respectively. Clear them out and burn them to the ground while the remainder of our forces eliminates all enemy forces within the main camp and secures the perimiter. You are to blockade the Keep, within which the enemy Commander Vanndar Stormpike and his most elite soldiers reside. You are then to regroup and assault the Bunker, and kill General Stormpike."nnThe Offensive Vanguard offered a tandem-salute and then raised their blades in affirmation to their orders, and then begun to prepare for their charge, the Officers assigning smaller tasks to each battallion.nn"As for the Defensive Line, your job is yet more important. Many of the Stormpike forces will have already taken up stations around the valley and will be attempting to assault and destroy our watchtowers. It is your job to protect them. We have vital intelligence documents within, as well as Stormpike captives. If those captives are freed and they make it back to their base, they will launch an airborne attack on our Offensive forces. We cannot afford this. Defend our watchtowers at all costs. It is up to your Officers to assign you to the watchtower you are to protect. Know this; the watchtowers in the Frostwolf camp are already somewhat protected, however, Iceblood Tower on the forefront, and Tower Point just south of it, are virtually defenseless aside from the terrain they are built on. Protect them, but do not try to be a hero. If the odds are too greatly stacked against you, you must make an orderly retreat to the nearest southward Tower and reinforce the lines there. If they manage to take our towers and break through our lines into the Frostwolf Keep, we will be forced to fall back. Hold your ground for as long as you can, and buy time for the Vanguard to complete their mission."nnThe Defensive Line remained silent. They knew what I was asking of them. They knew that most of them would fall. It was nearly suicide. But, reluctantly, each one nodded in affirmative of recieved orders. I closed my eyes and sighed with relief. Suddenly, the Frostwolf Battlehorn sounded, signalling our leave to attack. The thick, reinforced mithril gates were raised. I deftly leapt onto the saddle of my Frostwolf Howler, and rode again to the front of the line.nn"This is it! On this day, we end this long, and gruelling siege! On this day, we charge, holding our banners high, into the midst of the enemy, and with the power of our shamans coursing through us, we shall break the Stormpike apart, we will bring down the full fury of the Frostwolf Legion, and they will know true fear!nnI unsheathed my massive rune-etched blade, held it high, and signalled the charge.nn~Part 2: Arrogance Breeds Demise~nMy Frostwolf Charged leapt forward, running at breakneck speed, while the entire remnant of our forces followed closely behind, eyes burning with fierce determination, and weapons brandished at their sides. We made it to the Iceblood region before we met resistance. A large group of Stormpike cavalry and footsoldiers had set up a defensive bulwark. Long, thick rows of massive wooden spikes jutted out of the ground across most of the line, preventing our own cavalry from gaining access. Those of us who were not already on foot dismounted and charge straight through the wooden barrier, clashing with the waiting Stormpike blades. The fighting was brutal. I cleaved my way through wave after wave of enemy soldiers, but still more replaced the fallen. Many of our men were felled by the battle-hardened veterans of the Valley. Yet by some miracle, we gained ground. Inch by inch the Stormpike line was pushed back. Some of our soldiers had used their most powerful fire spells to disintigrate the wooden barriers, and our cavalry charged through the breaches, decimating the ground forces. We took control of the Iceblood region, yet did not stop to rest. We knew this was only the first victory of many we would need to win this war. We pressed on, our numbers only slightly reduced, through scores of dead Stormpike soldiers.nnMeanwhile, the Defensive Line had run into trouble of their own. Upon reaching Tower Point, they had immediately been assaulted by a large offensive force. Scantily having time to set up barricades, they were caught almost by surprise by the speed of which the enemy had advanced. In the distance, they saw the Frostwolf standard ripped down from it's place atop Iceblood Tower. Had they already failed? The Defensive Line focused on stopping the enemy dead in it's tracks. Many of them had set up shieldwalls across the holes in the barricades, using their own bodies and shields as makeshift barriers, their spears and long blades jutting from between the small gaps in the perimeter. The Stormpike charged blindly into these barriers, thinking them weak, and were slaughtered by the archers and spellcasters that had taken up footing on the ramparts of the tower. The enemy crashed onto the shieldwall barriers like water upon a cliff, pushing it back one meter, then another. By then, their own archers and spellcasters had taken up positions, using the nearby trees and rocks as cover, and begun to pick off ours in the tower. In a wild gambit of desperation, the Defensive Line lunged forward, shields bashing into the bulk of the enemy force, scattering them, while following closely behind, our infantry fanned out in a wedge-formation and crushed the stunned Stormpike offensive. After a skirmish lasting for nearly an hour, the offensive broke apart and retreated. Half of the remaining Defensive Line moved north to the slowly burning Iceblood Tower. Catching the few soldiers who had remained behind to burn it down off-guard, they quickly dispatched them and regained control of the Tower. They waited grimly for the inevitable renewed assault.nnBy this time, the Vanguard had made it into the Field of Strife, Dun Baldar's first, natural line of defense. Battallions 5 and 6 had broken off from the main force and captured the oddly undefended Stonehearth and Icewing Bunkers without incident. They freed our captured Wing Commanders, recovered the enemy intelligence, and set fire to the Bunkers. But they did not wait for them to burn. With renewed confidence, the battallions abandoned their duties as a wasted gesture. Nobody would come to reclaim these Bunkers, they thought. They wanted the glory of being the first to charge the lines of the main enemy camp. And so they charged blindly into the Valley, leaving the rest of the Vanguard behind as they worked to secure the Field of Strife and break through the massive iron door of the Bunker in which Captain Balinda Stonehearth stood in her War Room, issuing commands to the Stormpike forces via magical communication orbs. They charged through the Valley without incident, and reached the bridge into Dun Baldar. As they crossed the bridge, many of them started to get suspicious of the eerie silence. It was too quiet. One by one, they slowly came to the horrible realisation. They had blundered right into a trap. But it was too late. Suddenly, scores of hidden Stormpike soldiers emerged from both sides and bottlenecked the bridge. The two foolhardy battallions put up an extremely vicious fight, but in the end were crushed in lieu of the well-prepared ambush. Blood soaked into the wooden bridge as scores of Frostwolf infantry were decimated. General Vanndar Stormpike stood on a hill overlooking the Bridge, screaming a victory-cry as he hoisted his mighty dwarven axe high in the air. He smiled. This battle would be over soon.nn~Part 3: Breaking Through~nThe massive iron doors of the enemy Captain's Bunker broke apart after a long process of rigging heavy goblin sapper charges on the hinges and other weak points. I stormed the Bunker, at the head of the battallion. Waiting inside was a full regiment of elite soldiers, who stood between us and Balinda Stonehearth. She herself had erected several barriers of ice in an effort to slow our attack, behind which she flung deadly frost spells into the bulk of our forces as she taunted.nn"Filthy Frostwolf cowards! If you want a fight, you'll have to come to me!"nnThe Frostwolf battallion roared and charged directly into the waiting defenders. Steel clashed with shield and steel alike, as the two forces fought desperately to overpower the other in such small and confined conditions. The few spellcasters who were with us attempted to burn through the icy barricades that stood between us and our target. I bolted swiftly through the ranks, bringing down scores of foolish soldiers who attempted to bar my way. My rune-etched blade sapping the very life force of those it felled. I reached the barricades and smashed through at the point which had been weakened by the fire of our spellcasters, and charged toward Balinda. She reforged the barrier behind me almost immediately, leaving the two of us in the close confines of the war room, the rest of both forces fighting brutally on the other side of the barrier. Captain Balinda Stonehearth brandished her warstave and stood in a ready battle-stance.nn"Begone, uncouth scum! The Alliance shall prevail in Alterac Valley!" she screamed as she lunged forward, bringing her stave down in an overhead smash. I swiftly evaded the strike, bringing my runeblade around in a diagonal arc which she narrowly parried with the back end of the staff. She muttered a quick incantation, teleporting her several feet away, and attempted to cast a deadly bolt of Frost. But I am not so easily defeated. By instinct alone, I reached out with my hand and strangulated her throat, preventing her from completing the spell. Infuriated, she lunged at me, catching me by surprise with a quick jab with the forward end of her stave, which slammed into my shoulder and sent me spinning into the air onto the floor several feet away. Her strength was unbelievable for one so frail-looking. She attempted to slam her stave down on my prone figure, but I deflected the blow with my blade and rolled into a crouch. My hands flared with the glow of death magick as I blasted her with a frigid wind, momentarily stunning her and slowing her movements. I quickly stepped forward and swung my runeblade in an upward stroke, cutting her from her stomache up to her jaw. With a look of bewilderment, she dropped her warstave and collapsed onto the floor as the remainder of her defenders were slain and the barriers were broken through.nnCaptain Balinda Stonehearth muttered something inaudible, and then died as the last of her strength waned and her blood soaked the floor beneath her. We had lost most of the battallion in the brutal hand-to-hand combat, but we had prevailed. The War room was ours, Balinda Stonehearth had fallen, and we had secured vital intelligence documenting the strengths and weaknesses of the Dun Baldar camp. My shoulder had gone numb and I could barely move my left arm. Then, something caught my attention. One of Balinda's communication orbs, the most prevelant of the three, glowed brightly. I placed my hand reluctantly on the Orb, activating it. Throughout the war room, the voice of General Vanndar Stormpike boomed.nn"So ye've taken control of the forward base. A small victory for ye' to be sure. It'll take more than you rabble to break the defenses of MY camp. Ye may have killed Balinda, but I won't be goin' down so easily! Yer first pathetic strike fell without much of a fight, and so will the rest of yer rabble. We will not be swayed from our mission, not by the likes o' you. The Alliance will prevail here!"nnThe voice echoed, before fading away as the communication orb once again became dormant. "Your first strike?" I thought as I stalked out of the Bunker. "Perhaps he was trying to demoralize us with his lies. No matter, we press on. By now the rest of our forces should have taken control of the Valley." I said as I leapt into the saddle of my waiting Frostwolf Howler, and began to make my way north, with the remainder of the battallion, in the direction I hoped the rest of our forces had broken through and secured.nn~Part 4: Stormpike Battle-Tactics~nThe Defensive Line had been assaulted several times by reinforcements of the Stormpike offensive. Each time they had driven them back, and while the fighting was as fierce as ever, the enemy did not attack in numbers great enough to hope to prevail. Both Iceblood Tower and Tower Point were being held strong. Whatever the case, the Frostwolf Defensive would not falter; they would not give the enemy a foothold in which to flank our own Offensive.nnSuddenly, the battlehorns of the Frostwolf Keep rang out across the mountain. "Blast it all!" thought the commanding Officer of the Defensive Line. The weakened assaults on their position had been a distraction for the enemy to sneak past the towers and assault the Keep. And the Keep had only a few soldiers to defend it. "Fall back! Fall back to the Frostwolf camp!" yelled the Officer as the Line mounted up and abandoned the forefront Towers, rushing to the aid of the Keep. The journey seemed long and ardous, each soldier cursing and berating themselves for not realising the obvious sooner. Smoke billowed from the inside of the poorly defended Frostwolf camp as fire blazed across the battlements and caught on to the various buildings within the camp.nnThe Defensive Line reached the camp, immediately rushing through the gap in the wall where the main gate had once barred entry to the camp. A large force of Stormpike soldiers had taken control of the courtyard outside the Main Keep in which our own commander, Chieftain Drek'thar, resided with only his elite bodyguards to protect him. The Frostwolf forces tore headlong into the courtyard, straight into the surprised enemy flank, slashing wildly with their axes and blades. The Stormpike offensive was quick to overcome their initial surprise and react, screaming madly as they clashed with our forces. General Drek'thar and his Elite guard emerged from the Keep and rushed the exposed enemy. Drek'thar was knocked down by several infantry, but quickly threw the beleagered humans off his massive, muscular frame and blasted them apart with lightning. He ran straight into the bulk of the force, his massive dual-blades crashing with deadly force through scores of opponents barely able to bring up their weapons in time to defend. They were not prepared for such brute strength as was possessed by the Chieftain and Elder Shaman of the Frostwolf Clan. "For the Horde!" he yelled as the last of the Stormpike soldiers broke ranks and fled, only to be stopped dead in their tracks by the waiting Defensive Line. The Stormpike strike force tried to surrender, but were slaughtered in the act. There would be no prisoners in this brutal war. Only total annihilation.nnThe fires that plagued the camp were put out, and the Keep was resecured. As the Defensive Line moved to the front of the camp, they bore witness to a sight that made their hearts sink. While the Line had moved to intercept the stike force assaulting the Frostwolf camp, the forefront towers had been taken over and burned to the ground. Worse, the Defensive Line's 2 battallions had been reduced by more than half of their previous number. The few that remained decided they would best serve by preventing any further attacks on the Keep. It was up to the Offensive Vanguard now, to steal victory from the enemy's grasp.nn~Part 5: Realisation and Revenge~nMy battallion and I caught up with the rest of the main force, which had been stalled at a chokepoint in the main valley leading into the Dun Baldar fortress. The enemy had taken up positions along the top ridge of the valley and rained arrows and spells down onto our Offensive force while yet more travelled out from the underside of the valley, coming up at the rear flank and brutally rushing into our forces. We had arrived just in time.nnI and the remaining members of the 5th battallion charged forward into the bewildered Stormpike force assaulting the rear flank of our own, and quickly dispatched the small but lethally efficient strike team. "5th Battallion, fall back and rush the enemy position on the topside of the Valley, take out those archers and spellcasters or we'll all be destroyed!" I ordered as I ran to the head of the main force and lead the charge into the defensive position the Stormpike had created in front of us to keep us bottlenecked. Our forces clashed in unrelenting hand-to-hand combat with the battle-hardened Stormpike defense, soldiers on both sides laying waste to each other. Battle cries were yelled, men and women on both sides were rent asunder, all the while the Frostwolf Legion was battered by a constant barrage of projectiles from above. The 5th battallion broke through the flimsy wooden barricades at the base of the mountain and quickly rushed the unprepared archers and spellcasters, crushing them in a swift display of savage combat.nnOur own rangers and spellcasters in the 5th battallion took up position along the top ridge and turned the tides, raining their own arrows and spells down onto the Stormpike defense. All in a seemingly sudden surge, the line broke and the Offensive Vanguard took full advantage of the sudden opportunity, rushing through the opening and striking fast and hard into the bulk of the enemy force. Slowly but surely, we gained ground. I lunged from soldier to soldier, quickly dispatching the meager infantry with deadly death magicks and the wide-swung arcs of my runeblade. Many from both sides were forced over the edge of the cliffs and onto the jagged rocks below. After what seemed like an endless battle, at last we eradicated the remainder of the force.nnWe did not stop to rest. Enough time had been wasted, and we were eager to advance on the enemy camp. Swiftly we passed through the last stretches of the valley without incident, and came upon the bridge leading into the enemy camp. I gasped. The bridge was soaked in blood. Broken weapons and shards of armour covered the wooden pathway, along with several Frostwolf Legion corpses, in which the Stormpike banners had been impaled.nn~Part 6: Onslaught~n"What the hell happened here?" I yelled with fury as we approached the bridge. I looked down into the ravine below and felt rage building up inside me. Below, scattered across the jagged rocks and in the water under the bridge, were corpses. Hundreds of Orc, Tauren, Blood Elf, Forsaken and Troll corpses. The few corpses which were left on the bridge bore the insignia of the 5th and 6th battallions.nn"Fools! They thought to take all the glory for themselves? What hope did they think they stood alone against an enemy of this magnitude?" I screamed as I buried the tip of my runeblade into the hard, snow-covered stone ground. "We have lost so many... Yet this is the inevitable truth of war. We must press on, and take Dun Baldar once and for all, else all this will have been for nothing. To arms, brothers and sisters, the Frostwolf Legion will show these dogs the true might of the Horde!"nnAn entire legion of Stormpike infantry had created defensive positions within the camp. A line of spearmen spread out across the far end of the bridge stood stalwart in an effort to hinder our few remaining cavalry from passing through. The ramparts of the North and South Bunkers were lined with scores of enemy archers and spellcasters. The enemy were well prepared indeed.nnI yanked my massive runeblade from the ground and held it high in defiance. "We come for you, Vanndar Stormpike! Charge!" I yelled as I rode out across the bridge, the remainder of the Offensive Vanguard following close behind.nnI blasted the wall of spearmen with howling cold, knocking some over the edge of the bridge, and the rest backward onto the floor in a stunned wrack of pain. In this moment, the Frostwolf Legion rushed through and into the main camp, where it was met by the remnant of the Stormpike forces. Many soldiers on both sides screamed cries of battle at the top of their lungs, and it seemed as though the entire bulk of the two armies had gone mad in a frenzy of bloodlust. The hand-to-hand combat was brutal. Hundreds of battle-hardened veterans on both sides lost their lives every moment. But we were losing.nnThe Stormpike were driving us back. We were losing ground, and lives. Too many lives. The Bunkers had both been overrun and the spellcasters and archers within dispatched, yet still they managed to slaughter us. I recieved several wounds which would have been fatal to any but a Death Knight. Still I fought on. We could not afford to hesitate now. The Frostwolf Legion redoubled their efforts to break through the Stormpike forces, but were pushed back each time. It seemed as if victory was beyond our grasp.nnSuddenly, the battlehorns of Frostwolf Keep rang out through the Valley, echoing across the entire mountain.nn~Part 7: Storm, Earth and Fire~nThe raging battle stopped for a moment. The constant thudding of wardrums could be heard from the south end of the valley.. Powerful magicks seemed to flicker in and out of existence all around the confused soldiers of both sides, as all gazes trained toward the strange sight far below Dun Baldar. In the distance, I could make out a group of people standing in a circle in the middle of the Field of Strife.nn"Just a little longer! The ritual is nearly complete! Stay strong, my brothers and sisters of the Horde!" Bellowed Primalist Thurloga as she stood in the middle of a circle of the remaining Frostwolf Defensive Line, chanting an extremely long and complicated incantation within the distant Field of Strife.nnThe ground shook and the valleys echoed strong winds and the wails of a thousand screaming elementals. The soldiers in Dun Baldar grew a sudden sense of fear. As the particles of ice and snow and powerful magicks gathered in the middle of the strange circle, I realised what had happened. "Legion! Our Shaman have gathered enough resources for the ritual of summoning! Fight on, victory may still yet be ours!" I screamed as I struck out at the still horrified Stormpike forces. The Offensive Vanguard, while still beleagered by confusion, followed suite, quickly taking advantage of the lapse in concentration displayed by the enemy. And then all at once, a massive blast-wave of energy crackled in the middle of the Valley, and all that could be heard was the tearing of gale-force winds, and a sudden, shrieking bellow.nn"WHO DARES SUMMON LOK'HOLAR? The blood of a thousand Stormpike soldiers shall I spill...none may stand against the Ice Lord!" the voice boomed, the source, a collossal elemental of ice, seemingly conjured out of naught but the strong will of the Shamanistic Frostwolf Legion's will. The foreboding elemental charged with blinding speed toward the Dun Baldar camp, followed by the remaining Frostwolf Defensive Line. Lethal shards of ice and blasts of deadly wind buffeted and decimated hundreds of Stormpike troops within seconds. The Defensive Line of the Frostwolves crossed over the bridge and into the main camp to reinforce our severely-depleted forces, while the collossal ice elemental Lok'holar took up position on the west side of the camp, having easily scaled the cliffs unclimbable by mortal hands.nnThe battle became a frenzied panic of unbelievable proportions. The majority of the Stormpike forces broke ranks and fled, trying in vain to escape the combined wrath of the Ice Lord and the Frostwolf Legion. After several long moments, the camp lay quiet. Lok'holar, apparently having completed the task he was summoned for, crumbled into a pile of harmless snow and small shards of ice. All at once the remainder of the Frostwolf Legion held their bloodied weapons high above their heads and yelled cries of victory.nn~Part 8: The Last Stand of Vanndar Stormpike~nNow there was but one thing left to do. Goblin sapper charges were placed all along the massive, thickly spiked mithril gate which barred entrance to the Command Bunker in which General Vanndar Stormpike waited. The gate was destroyed, and I lead a small force of our most elite melee-trained warriors into the Bunker. We advanced through the Bunker, killing any Stormpike forces we encountered, until at last we reached the end of our long journey. The Command Center.nnThe doors were breached and we flooded in, taking up position before the fabled leader of the Stormpike forces, Vanndar Stormpike. He was a Dwarf of average height, with a massive, heavyset and muscular frame, covered in dozens of scars from various wounds he had recieved in many battles past. He looked to be roughly of middle-age, but this did not detract from his fearsome visage and demeanor that almost demanded respect. Aside him, four massive, hulking warriors stood in ready position to defend him at all costs.nnVanndar stepped forward and spoke in a gruff, booming voice.nn"Is that the best you can do? Why don't ya try again without yer cheap tactics, pansies! Or are ya' too chicken?" he goaded.nn"It is over, Vanndar. Lay down your arms and surrender, and I promise your death will be quick." I chided, ice creeping into my voice as I spoke.nn"The Stormpike Clan bows to no-one, especially the Horde! Soldiers of Stormpike, your General is under attack! Slay these mangry Frostwolf dogs!" he yelled as he signalled his four guards to attack.nnThey struck with blinding speed and unbelievable strength at the small group of warriors I had brought with me, killing several before they had time to react. The fighting was savage. The warriors fought with as much blind rage as any Orc could muster, and even though they greatly outnumbered the four guards, many of them were slain to bring them down. At the end of the fight, one guard remained, and all of my warriors had fallen. The guard lunged at me, hatred burning in his eyes. I swiftly stepped forward and stabbed my runeblade straight through his chest. His eyes grew wide as he slide back off the blade onto the floor, and went limp. I would not let this mere pawn get in the way of this.nnGeneral Vanndar Stormpike bellowed with fury and charged into me, knocking me across the room and into a nearby wall. I grunted as I collided, and let myself fall to avoid the sudden, lightning-speed smash of his massive hammer, which drove through the wall in the spot my head would have been just a moment ago. I rolled to the side and stood up, bring my runeblade to a defensive position. His charge came mercilessly, battering at my defenses as if possessed, swinging with all his strength, he drove me back and slipped past my guard, his axe swathing a deep gash in the side of my stomache before I could reel away.nn"Ugh.." I yelped as I realized the extent of the wound. Vanndar redoubled his efforts, seizing the opportunity of my sudden lapse in concentration to slam his hammer into my chest, knocking me into a nearby table and forcing the runeblade from my hand, skittering across the floor. Blood gushed from the deep wound in my stomache and my vision grew blurred. This wound was too great for even I to shrug off.nn"Is that the best ye' can do, li'l Elf?" Vanndar taunted as he walked toward me with sudden confidence. He raised his weapon high over his head, with the intent to bring it down onto my skull and end the fight. And then, without warning, a risen ghoul leaped onto him from across the room, followed by at least a dozen others. While he taunted me, his overconfidence blinded him to the magick I was casting to raise my fallen warriors from the dead. Vanndar launched himself backward and struggled for a moment before freeing himself from the grasping arms of the army of the dead, and then, focusing his rage and foregoing all semblance of defense, he spun into a great bladestorm, destroying the ghouls within seconds.nnUsing the last of my quickly waning strength, I stood up, retrieved a fallen sword from one of the dead soldiers, and lunged toward Vanndar. His bladestorm attack having been so effective against the ghouls, left him momentarily defenseless, and as my blade pierced his heart, I tackled him to the ground.nn"With my death... ye accomplish nothing... I will be replaced, have no doubt about that.. the Alliance will.... prevail...." he managed to say through his quiverring mouth, as blood seeped quickly from his mouth, clogging his throat."nn"Bash'a no falor talah, Vanndar Stormpike." I whispered in his ear before attempting to stand. At once my knees buckled and I collapsed onto the floor, my blood soaking the cold stone beneath me. My sight faltered. Was I finally given leave to rest? I thought as Frostwolf soldiers flooded into the Bunker. Darkness enveloped my vision, and I slept.nn~Epilogue~nThe Frostwolf Legion had succeeded in driving back the invading Stormpike Clan, and had almost completely decimated their forces. The Alterac Mountains once again belonged to the Horde. Dun Baldar was razed to the ground, and in it's place, a great memorial forged of stone and steel and imbued with Shamanistic magicks was built to commemorate the thousands of Frostwolf Legion soldiers who had fallen to retake their land. Commander Aellaura Lae'nariel awoke many weeks later in her bed, at her home in the city of Quel'thalas, accompanied by her eldest sister Vallaeria. The Restoration Shamans of the Frostwolf Legion had saved her life mere moments before she would have been lost forever. She was granted an honourable discharge, and given the Tabard of the Frostwolves to wear as a reminder of her distinguished service. And so this record was scribed, so that none will ever forget the hardships endured and overcome by Lady Aellaura Lae'nariel and the Frostwolf Legion.nnFOR THE HORDE!nn~Author's Word~nI wrote this after a hard night's fighting in the Alterac Valley Battleground. This is based on the true recollection of a specific battle I fought in and Field-Commanded on the 24th of February, 2010. Though much of it is fiction, the battle-specifics are very close to the truth. This story took me two hours to write, and has not been re-read or edited in any way as I wish it to remain raw for constructive criticism. And because i'm lazy. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!nn~Aellaura, 80 Blood Elf Death Knight, Emerald Dream(US) Battlegroup: Shadowburn