Trial of Resolve

The stories and lives of the Grim. ((Roleplaying Stories and In Character Interactions))
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Malanath
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Location: Bossier City, LA

Trial of Resolve

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Alathir Malanath blinked as the flames of his gateway flared to life, sending the words of his summons far out into the nether. Demons of all sorts would hear the call, but only one would answer. The tiny imp Quztip sighed and entered the gateway.

"Ah, there you are. The time has come for me to record my findings of these Grim that I have spoken with." declared Malanath as his small minion came into sight.

"Of course, Master." replied Quztip, clearly resigned to his never-ending task of service. The imp sat at the tiny desk in the corner of the room, picked up his quill, and nodded at the warlock.

Malanath clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace, while clearing his throat with a raspy cough.

"The High Inquisitor has tasked me with gathering the histories of several Grim and retelling their tales, along with whatever insight I can glean into their motivations for following the Mandate. I have now had the chance to speak to several of them. Their stories are varied, as are their motivations, but all knowledge is power, in the right hands.

Malanath pauses and considers the rogue, Syreena. Such a... quaint girl. She seemed a... simple one. Her speech and mannerisms were consistent with the lowborn humans, and her contempt for Elves was readily apparent. I had debated telling her of my true heritage, fearing that it would prevent her from sharing anything with me. But she seemed to approve of this broken body I now inhabit, and was only mildly disturbed by it. The reasons for her animosity towards elvenkind stem from our... condescending nature. It all seems quite... childish, but I expect no less from the lesser races, especially one that never truly got a chance to reach maturity before being struck down...

~Syreena~

A clever, if somewhat imbalanced, rogue. Syreena is one of the Forsaken, killed by Ner'zhul's plague and reanimated as one of his mindless slaves. Apparently stricken by the plague while rotting in a prison cell in Andorhal, she succumbed and was reborn. She chose not to disclose details regarding why she was in the jail cell that was the end of her mortal life, but given her lowborn upbringing, I would imagine some sort of street crime. Not long after her awakening, she encountered a former Grim by the name of Sammuel, at the Horde outpost of Crossroads in the Barrens. She joined him in battle, attempting to fend off an Alliance strike team, and was not long after recruited into the Grim. Her reasons for joining, and for following the Mandate, are unclear. She claims that it is simply a matter of being able to... stab people, but there must surely be more to it than that. Unless she really is a true sociopath. In which case, I am glad to have her on my side, than at my back.

The conversation I had with Valindria was... enlightening, to say the least. I had hoped to speak with an elf during my trial. Valindria seems to think quite highly of herself. Her outlook on the world seems at times a bit naive, but that is likely due more to her youth than any character flaw. Foolish notions of peace aside, her story was rather... interesting.

~Valindria~

A powerful priest, though she seems quite content to limit her power to the healing arts. She lived much of her life withing the walls of Silvermoon City, joining the priestly ranks and showing great aptitude both in the magic healing arts and in maintaining the discipline necessary to resist the magical addiction her race suffers from. She seems quite proud of her accomplishments, including fighting Keal'thas, the foolish betrayer of the Sin'dorei. She also seems very... idealistic, preaching about inner peace and finding her role in this world, having been sent to wander the lands and bring hope and healing to others that she met. Among those that she met was Anaie, who saw in her the potential for much more. She was invited into the Grim, and has served as a battle healer for just a short while, but her accomplishments are growing rapidly, including being named as one of the winners of the recent Scalp Hunt. Despite her obvious skill on the battlefield, however, she seems to question the will of the Mandate, desiring to find peace through more... mundane means than total annihilation. Only time will tell where her true loyalties lie, as I fear she may not yet possess the killer instinct that it will take to follow the Mandate through to the very end.


Malanath pauses and considers the next Grim he had spoken with. The druid Swifthoof was a elusive quarry to find, and getting him to speak was even more difficult. In the end, I do not know what caused him to speak with me. Perhaps it was simply his wish to be left alone. Whatever the case, his story was not what I expected from a primitive nature-worshipper.

~Swifthoof~

The druid known to us as Swifthoof has had a troubled past. His story does not seem to truly begin until he was already older than many live to see. He was a simple tradesman living i the Tauren village of Bloodhoof when the Alliance descended on them in fury. He lost his entire world that day, including his mate, ad would have himself died had it not bee for the intervention of some figure he calls "the Earthmother"... who apparently not only saved him from death, but bestowed the powers he now wields. He seems now to serve this Earthmother begrudgingly, only seeking death to reunite himself with his mate. He also claims a noble cause backing his desire to fight the Alliance, that being to prevent what happened to him from happening to any others, but I remain unconvinced. I have witnessed firsthand the passion with with he engages the Alliance, not hanging back like others of his calling, but rather plunging headlong into the fray, fearless of pain and death. He claims that what befell him was a great tragedy, but again, I disagree. If the eradication of a Tauren village is what it takes to create such an ally as Swifthoof, then so be it.


Ah, Khorvis. You were the most interesting of all those that I spoke with. Your history, and your past... dealing with fel magic, made you a rather colorful character to interact with. So many of the Grim hold great respect, even fear for you, but I am... disappointed. I see such great potential in what you could become... if only you had the will to embrace it. The Fel power you once reveled in could again be yours, only this time, I could help you master it, not the other way around. Imagine the possiblities of a reborn Khorvis Bloodstar! All that strength and rage, backed by demonic fury! But I digress... his story must be told.

~Khorvis~

My every attempt at speaking with Khorvis was met with grunts and poorly veiled threats. As such, I was forced to rely more upon speaking with others regarding this one. His history is like so many other orcs, though he is one of the rare few to have survived through all the wars. Fought in all the wars since the Orcs invaded Azeroth. Not hard to see why he distrusts magic-users, as he was betrayed by so many in the course of the Horde's history. His days since joining the Grim have seen constant bloodshed, and his misguided sense of honor amuses me. Still, he is quite the warrior, charging into battle with axe held high and a battle cry on his lips. The alliance will surely breathe easier when the day comes that the orc falls, but I do not think that time will come soon.


Malanath stops pacing and moves over to one of the many bookshelves in his quarters. Rummaging for a moments, he removes a dusty scroll and turns back towards the imp, motioning for him to continue writing.

" Finally, we arrive at the end of my task. The tale of one of the Grim's honored fallen. I had at first thought to research into Maledictus, his magical prowess being known to me from long ago. But during my other interviews, another name came up. Two names, actually, and as their tales seem intertwined, I will speak of what I know of the both of them, this Sammuel and Lascivious. Apparently, Lasvicious was once the harsh taskmistress of the Grim, and this Sammuel her devoted lover. So devoted, in fact, that he willingly gave up his mortal life for an eternity at her side. When I first heard of Sammuel's ascension into undeath, I was quite intrigued. Few mortals have the desire to achieve immortality in such a manner, and fewer still have the willpower to pursue it. This Sammuel had both, and something... else. He did it in the name of love. What a foolish notion. Still, if that is what brought him to the Mandate, which he apparently enforced with vigor, then I cannot wholly disapprove, even under such circumstances. Details regarding the disappearance of the two are... sketchy at best, but it would seem that there was a sort of falling-out of the two lovers, and their ways grew apart. Such is always the inevitable outcome of love, and further proof that such foolish notions are best set aside in the face of the will of the Mandate."

Malanth nods at the imp, who stops writing and rolls up the scroll. The imp shuffles over to the warlock, scroll in one hand while he reaches out with his other towards the undead. Malanath draws his athmae and with one deft motion, slices the imp's arm open. The imp reels slightly, then move his arm to drip the blood over the seam in the rolled-up scroll. Malanath nods again, imbuing his hand with fel fire, and presses his signet ring onto the scroll, the flames setting the seal in place.

"See to it that is delivered to the High Inquisitor at once. I will await your return. Do not keep me waiting, imp."

Cradling the scroll in his one good arm, the imp scurries back into the flames that summoned him and vanishes.
The endless embrace of death; such is ever the fate of fools and heroes.
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Awatu
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Re: Trial of Resolve

Unread post by Awatu »

Awatu looks up to see an imp hobbling over towards him with a scroll in tow. It hops up onto the desk and presents the scroll with a small half-hearted flourish and bow. The stance of the creature clearly shows that it would rather be elsewhere right now. Regarding the creature for a moment longer, Awatu takes the scroll from its grubby little claws, breaks the seal, and begins to read.

---

A scroll is given to the imp, sealed in a rather simple wax with a rune. Awatu sends the imp on its way and returns to his business. The little demon gives the Tauren a second look over his shoulder before scuttling away and disappearing in a spark of flame.

"Supplicant Malanath,

You have done well in learning from our members. Your words are sharp and your perception even more so. You have the potential to serve the Mandate well. Do not fall to arrogance.

Awatu, High Inquisitor."
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