Part 7: Blade's Fall10th of December
The time to exact retribution upon the Burning Blade had finally come. Since the very first day the orcs came together, they were hunted by the sleeper cell's assassins and conspirators. Now, having uncovered their lair in Tiragarde Keep, it was their turn to become the hunted. The orcs set out in full force, led by the now fully-recovered Kozgugore Feraleye. To none of their surprise, however, the keep was as deserted as it was ruined. Scavengers had long plucked the old Kul Tirasian keep bare, leaving little but personal effects from the soldiers who once called the keep their home behind but had little value to be sold by any looters. The silence within almost seemed haunting, especially so when the orcs happened upon the old commanding officer's room. There were only few objects left to be found here, none of which appeared of particular importance... Until the orcs recalled one of the pieces of information they had gathered during their expedition to Orgrimmar. "king, queen, priest and riders"... they reminded an awful lot of the chess board and its scattered pieces that still remained in the room. The solution suddenly became surprisingly simply as a result. As the last piece clicked into place, a previously hidden door opened up behind them. The winding staircase behind it led into pitch black darkness...
Venturing down the staircase, it quickly became clear that his was without a doubt the underground place the orcs were looking for. At the bottom of it, the walls were indeed made out of fine stone, as per the clues they were given. It appeared to be an underground crypt, made to harbour those marines who fell during their time of service in Tiragarde Keep... and they were a great number, following the numerous Horde attacks and the subsequent tidal wave that spelled ultimate doom for the keep. A sealed door briefly warded their way forward, but rearranging the cryptic letters on the stone slab beside the door into the name of "Proudmoore" ensured the door quickly gave way for them. It was in the next room that it became clear they were unwelcome guests, however.
The chamber ahead was surrounded by sarcophagi, marking it as the final resting place of those who died in the service of Kul Tiras. The dead, it seemed, were restless however... and they burst from their sarcophagi once the first was stirred. Skeletal warriors emerged in plate armour, as did a particularly decorated one, clearly its commanding officer in better times. Though there may have been a brief moment to parley with the human dead, the confrontation quickly escalated into battle. The skeletons proved to be hardly a challenge in the end, being cut down easily by the overwhelming number of orcs. Strangely enough, however, the skeletons referred to a long-term disturbance in their crypt, wrongfully accusing the orcs of it as they only just arrived... Clearly there was more to it here than meets the eye. Investigation of the chamber quickly revealed a newly made passageway in one of the walls, hacked open to reveal an underground tunnel. It was clearly no part of the original layout of the crypts.
The tunnel was long and narrow, but it led to a light at the end of it eventually. It was there that the orcs finally met with the foe they long sought to put down. A gruesome hall opened up before them, laden with crude and unnatural experiments by those who inhabited. The worst offender of it all, however, was a ritual circle that channeled dark and corrupting power. Tubes of blood streamed towards it, fuelling it for lifeblood. The same kind of blood the Burning Blade sought to take from the Red Blades and the orcs accompanying them for whatever strange reason...
The head summoner, an orc by the name of Marrokkar the Unburnt, scolded them for their unwelcome intrusion, but was clearly awaiting their arrival as a large host of warriors, among which skillful blademasters, were gathered in front of him, ready to give their lives for his cause. There was little need to mince words for long, as even though the Unburnt one spoke of a great power the orcs were ignorant of, he was clearly not going to provide them with any answers. Battle ensued, and the echoing halls began to howl with the violent sounds of battle. Though the battle was long and arduous indeed, some enterprising orcs took whatever opportunities they could to channel their energies to interrupting the foul ritual Marrokkar was performing while the battle lasted, hoping to unleash its power during the course of it. Through their combined strength, however, they managed to foil his ritual before it was too late. With a violent burst of flames, the ritual eventually collapsed, burning he whole called himself the Unburnt in it. As the last of the blademasters fell, the other warriors were quick to be dispatched as they began to break rank. At long last, the Red Blade had triumphed over the Burning Blade.
The strangest thing happened when the battle had died down, however... where once the vile ritual circle stood, there was still a lingering spiritual essence. Likely that which was held captive within the dark energies of the ritual. From it emerged a large entity, revealing itself to the orcs... a giant, spectral wolf. It posed no threat to the surrounding orcs, however. Instead, it began to speak to them all. It provided them with all the answers they had so long sought. It was he, a wolf who referred to himself as Akashok, whom the Burning Blade cell attempted to corrupt. They sought to do this by feeding it blood... The blood of his own children. The children of Redblade. As it turned out, all those who were hunted down for their blood had a connection to the bloodline of Redblade in them. Some of them may well be far removed, as the old clan and war band of the Red Blade once consisted of orcs from many different clans, or eventually moved on to other clans themselves, but they had traces of the old blood in them nonetheless. Even the most far removed ties with the old clan was enough for the Burning Blade to harvest it, as they required as much of it as possible to fuel their foul experiment. Thanks to the orcs' intervention and a little help from the spirits, however, these plans had been foiled.
But who were these mysterious spirits? As it turned out, Akashok and his pack of offspring had long stood vigilant over the Red Blade and its children. Since the dawn of the war band itself did they watch over them, silently guiding the hand of fate whenever it was required of them or when its orcs prayed for boons and guidance. Even the tribe that once rose from the old clan's ashes many years ago was under Akashok's protection, even if they themselves never knew it. In fact, it was only when Akashok was captured one year ago that he could not longer protect the tribe, ensuring their eventual downfall during their costly foray into the Broken Isles to fight the Burning Legion whom the Burning Blade served, ultimately severing their spiritual link and causing the orcs underneath its banner to drift apart. With Akashok freed, however, he could once more resume his vigil over the orcs that, however far removed, still belonged to the blood of Redblade. He would not be alone in this, however. One by one, his family revealed themselves. Akala, his mate and companion to the moon. Kavara, the huntress. Vrull, the ferocious son of strife. And Magor, the wise traveler. It was them who blessed the orcs with their boons whenever they were in need of them most during the past several conflicts with the Burning Blade, subtly guiding their hands wherever they could. And ultimately seeing them persevere.
All the orcs present were offered to return under Akashok's protection and blessing if they so chose to. Nearly all of those present did exactly that, swearing in their oath to the Great Wolf Akashok anew in order to become part of a new order. A new pack. A clan. A family. With the Great Spirits' blessing, the Red Blade clan was founded anew and entered a new age. An age of strength and unity, promising glorious times to come.