Audio only. May have been edited in the scribing process.
~~
SYREENA: Can everyone hear me? Grog, can you hear me way back there?
GROGKOR: YUG! Grog oks!
SYREENA: Hold your blessings, we're not going anywhere just yet.
At the last meeting, Abric had a list of people who have served The Grim for a long, long time. Not all of those people were present, so not all received recognition. Some of them are here tonight.
Mohan. Mohan and Ohoye have been Grims longer than I have, and have always been reliable killers.
MOHAN: You honor me, little sister.
SYREENA: Kiaralansee. Kiaralansee is also a valuable killer, and also one of our best cooks!
I don't think any of the others are here tonight. Bloodscream, Duranor, Gex...Gex is here!
Gex. Another who has served the Mandate for a very long time, and in many, many different forms!
AQUIZIT: Always helpful, this one.
SYREENA: And...Malstrom, Sammuel, Yichimet, Guduk, Kharzak, Skash, Grolish, and Regnanetah. I don't think any of them are here tonight?
Tonight, I'd like to hear updates from Nymare, Aquizit, and Cristok, and then we will hear from Qabian before we go in search of blood. Nymare, an update on your minions?
NYMARE: There is perhaps not much to update in regard to our minions. So far, we have done what we have set out to do - find them a place among us and introduce them to The Grim, the Mandate, and all we stand for...
Sylvea, step forward. Sylvea, how have you found your time among The Grim?
SYLVEA: Hmm.. I've found it.. peaceful, in a sort of.. ..slaughtering way.
NYMARE: Sylvea's shown over her time as Minion that she is as capable as any Grim to wear our tabard. Without prompting, I often find her defending our cities, or out... causing trouble. Where she goes, she takes the Mandate with her. By accepting this tabard, you are agreeing to continue to do as you have done and ever more. This is not the end of the road or your tests, not by far. Do you accept it?
*script in the margin* "She nodded."
NYMARE: Then well done. You've earned it.
Lythande... I'm afraid I have nothing so ceremonious to tell you except... You're mine. I hope you're looking forward to the next several months.
LYTHANDE: Of course!
CALESTRA: It's not bad at all, Lythande.
NYMARE: Then you may return to the group unharmed. For now~
As a final note, Grim. We will be working with the Blood Moon to ... take in and educate ... potential Grim once more. I encourage you all to work with and guide those as you would any Minion among us. Their doors... will be opening soon.
MOHAN: *quiet* If she can survive being beaten on by the Titans' guardians, she can survive Nymare.
KHORSHAH: *also quiet* I've taken those same beatings. I'll stand up to them a thousand times before risking the High Inquisitor's wrath.
SYREENA: Thank you, High Inquisitor. Aquizit. An update on Grim progress in Ulduar.
AQUIZIT: Well, sure. As many of you are aware, since you fight with us, progress has been, slow.
KHORSHAH: Can we call it 'painful' before anything else?
KIARALANSEE: *quiet* It won't be di' firs' pain ye take for di' mandate, an not di' last.. I admire ye strength... an will take a beatin' wit' ye anytime.
CALESTRA: We're fighting god-like creatures. Can you blame us for being mortal?
AQUIZIT: However, in the recent weeks I'm sure you've all noticed an acceleration in our success. Hm, and yes.. yes I can. Ragnaros, C'thun, Kil'jaeden... all more than mortal, wouldn't you agree? Yet they have all fallen under out banner.. so Yogg-Saron is no different.. an obstacle to the Peace we all desire."
CALESTRA: Well. I guess. But we just shooed Kil'jaeden, so we can't really count him.
AQUIZIT: In any case.. we have begun to ... 'awaken' the Keepers from their slumber. While they might not have the same goal as we, they are not directly in our way. To that end.. we fight on.. seeking the truth within his prison, to protect the Horde from his madness.. for Peace. But most of you know this, so that is all, Shadowblade.
SYREENA: Our progress rate has increased, and I expect it to continue at that pace.
AQUIZIT: Of course.
SYREENA: As many of you know, there is a Coliseum being built at the tournament grounds. I expect Ulduar to be destroyed before construction there is complete. Can you do that?
AQUIZIT: Absolutely.
SYREENA: Good. Don't disappoint me.
AQUIZIT: Of course, boss.
SYREENA: Cristok. An update on the war against the Alliance.
CRISTOK: Yes Syreena! Of course... The fight..against the Allliance...
AQUIZIT: Grim, don't follow Qabian and Nymare just yet.. they'll let us know if they need us.
[Recording interrupted by sounds of combat.]
CRISTOK: He is quite the force... Why even young Vynnce here lead an assault on Stormwind itself. I um...the War is dragging on and our efforts are not what they should be...but I um..well there is THIS.
CALESTRA: Fluffy.
CRISTOK: I have MASTERED the art of the Moon. The Alliance are in terror at my presence now.
SYREENA: Uh huh...
CALESTRA: As a FLUFFY creature?
ARAUN: It's a ruse, they snuggle in for a good nap, and BAM - stung by a swarm of bees.
CRISTOK: So I am sure surrender papers are enroute
SYLVEA: Hm.
GUDUK: Can I kill the messenger?
MARDAKAR: Dey got lost in der mail surely.
SYREENA: Cristok. That is not enough. Not nearly enough!
CRISTOK: What do you mean? Did you not see my new form?
MARDAKAR: Terrifying.
SYREENA: Even now, Alliance invade our cities and towns for the trivial purpose of stamping out our fires. They do not fear us.
CRISTOK: Local security IS a problem true...
SYREENA: What do you intend to do about that?
CRISTOK: The... Well... We'll keep fighting as we can Sy... When we can...
SYREENA: Not. Enough. Lascivious.
LASCIVIOUS: Yes?
SYREENA: You will assist Cristok in leading our efforts against the Alliance.
LASCIVIOUS: If that is what you deem my service should be.
NYMARE: Well, he IS a father now. I'm sure he can use a hand.
GUDUK: Father?
CALESTRA: Cristok's a daddy?!
AQUIZIT: ... More incentive, I think.. to protect a child, hm?
SYREENA: I'm sure you don't have a problem with that, Hand?
CRISTOK: Problem?
SYREENA: Good!
CRISTOK: How could I, I mean why would I have such a problem?
LASCIVIOUS: Thank you, sister.
GEX: I expect results with that kind of promotion!
CRISTOK: Of course the help is MUCH appreciated.
CALESTRA: I want to see a baby tauren!
MARDAKAR: So cute!
LASCIVIOUS: Would this be a bad time to mention your child's mother is an elf?
CALESTRA: ... It's adopted, right?
KRINATHALASA: Excuse me?
SYREENA: Qabian. You have something for us tonight, I believe.
QABIAN: Mm. Words as usual. This mountain has a great deal of history attached to it, Grim. You should know it, but some of you need more teaching than I can give in one evening.
More than twenty years ago, before the fall of Lordaeron, it was on these fields that Orgrim Doomhammer, despite his Orcish Horde having been decimated by betrayal from within, defeated Anduin Lothar of Stormwind. The loser in that conflict has a statue that stands here still, preserving the memory of his failure.
CAEDUR: I remember the story slightly differently...
QABIAN: But victory was won no more that day than it is today when the leader is cut down. Despite the humans losing their leader, the orcs were forced back to the portal. Come into the mountain.
Above you can see the black dragonflight circling, and the Blackrock orcs who have fought the humans since the First War can be found as their allies just around that corner to our right. Below, we have the Dark Iron dwarves who first carved their city here, and the reason this mountain is volcanic, the reason I chose this place: Ragnaros the Firelord.
GUDUK: We dealt with him many times.
QABIAN: I have spent less time in the Core than those who have been Grim for many years, but it is said that the Firelord was once a servant of the Old Gods and fought against the Titans. Like the Old Gods we fight now, Ragnaros was imprisoned. And like the Old Gods we fight now, the Titans failed to keep him there. What threat he poses to the Horde seems minimal at this distance in time, even with the Twilight's games at this season. But he exists as a snapshot of history, the threats that have been the same since Azeroth was born, the threats we must destroy, we must ultimately annihilate in their entirety in order to find the Peace of the Grim.
Another thing Ragnaros presents to us is an emblem, an emblem seen all around us this time of year. He is Fire. He is a symbol of chaos, destruction, war. The Grim are harbingers of chaos. We are Peace through Annihilation. We bring end to conflicts at the end of our weapons, not with handshakes and quiet contemplation. But we must control our chaos, our Fire, as the shaman do, as the mages do. We cannot let the chaos that we bring to the world consume us completely.
We must set our Fire free to destroy our enemies, but rein it in just enough to ensure that it suits our ends and not its own, as the festival fires do not spread and can be admired without burning their admirers. Ragnaros' freedom was not given to him intentionally, but by the accident of the Dark Irons' lust for power.
The Grim can be Fire. We can ruin all obstacles, melt away everything in our path, with time, practice, cohesion, and ambition, but our Fire must be our Fire and ours alone, not an entity to destroy at its own whim. Our Fire must be our chaos to bring about the order we desire, our Mandate.
So today... we take their fire from them. Starting with Ironforge.
SYREENA: Grims! One of the ones I spoke of earlier has arrived. Guduk has long been one of our protectors, and has always served the Mandate well. He also will be known as Harbinger.
GUDUK: Honest. It is not the snowballs I have been bribing her with!
KIARALANSEE: See ye ole' wall. Ye be noticed for ye talents yet..