A Patrol

Tharion Greyseer can be found patrolling the less-safe parts of Boralus proper. He has been accosted a few times by thugs who don't quite appreciate an outsider encroaching upon their territory. The bodies that litter the streets indicate that none of them have been successful in persuading the demon hunter to leave just yet.

21:14:35 [Veldrinas]: Greyseer.
21:14:37 Greyseer nods at Veldrinas.
21:14:41 Veldrinas nods at you.
21:14:49 [Veldrinas]: Rephaia said I could find you here.
21:15:07 [Greyseer]: She was correct, indeed.

Veldrinas looks around at the bodies.

21:15:11 [Veldrinas]: Looks like you've been busy.
21:15:18 Veldrinas rubs the back of his head.
21:15:20 Greyseer grimaces and looks around.
21:15:28 [Greyseer]: Lawlessness throughout this city.
21:15:36 Greyseer motions for Veldrinas to walk with him.
21:15:40 Veldrinas nods at you.

The two resume the patrol.

21:15:46 Scrimshaw Footpad says: Wrong place at the wrong time, friend.
21:16:02 Scrimshaw Thug says: Last mistake you'll ever make.
21:16:18 You let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

Tharion and Veldrinas both put an end to the attempted assault. They resume walking once the thugs have been put down.

21:16:25 [Veldrinas]: I came to speak with you.
21:16:46 [Greyseer]: Indeed?
21:16:50 Veldrinas nods at you.
21:17:22 [Greyseer]: Over which topic?
21:17:39 [Veldrinas]: One that is fundamental.

They find themselves in a somewhat quieter part of Boralus, where citizens appear far less angry.

21:18:10 [Greyseer]: The citizenry of this area is far more calm.
21:18:20 [Veldrinas]: At least for now.
21:18:36 [Greyseer]: What is it you wish to speak on?
21:18:47 [Veldrinas]: I...
21:19:03 Veldrinas sighs.
21:19:19 [Veldrinas]: Ever since the Burning Legion was defeated.
21:19:35 [Veldrinas]: And Sraath put down.
21:19:59 [Veldrinas]: I have... struggled to find a purpose.
21:20:00 Streetside Hawker says: Gold plated compasses! Straight from the Admiralty's own personal supplier!
21:20:10 Greyseer raises an eyebrow.
21:20:13 [Greyseer]: A purpose?
21:20:22 Veldrinas holds a hand up.
21:20:26 [Veldrinas]: Let me elaborate.
21:20:47 Greyseer nods.
21:21:16 [Veldrinas]: Long ago, before the War of the Ancients, I was a soldier. I was the second son of an influential highborne family.
21:21:36 Streetside Hawker says: ... twelve silver less than any you'll find in Tradewinds!
21:22:06 [Veldrinas]: I knew I wanted to become a soldier even though the rest of my family, excluding my father, were practitioners of the arcane.
21:22:53 [Veldrinas]: My duty was to protect the people and safeguard my homeland.
21:22:54 Streetside Hawker says: Mariner pocket-watches! Some of these aren't being made anymore!
21:23:51 [Veldrinas]: That continued for many millennia, through the War of the Satyr, the War of the Shifting Sands and so on.
21:24:11 Streetside Hawker says: I've got something for everyone, folks!
21:24:18 [Veldrinas]: It all changed when the Burning Legion took my family away from me during the third war.
21:24:29 [Veldrinas]: I vowed revenge on the one responsible.
21:25:36 Streetside Hawker says: Gold plated compasses! Straight from the Admiralty's own personal supplier!
21:25:36 [Veldrinas]: Of course, that did not go as planned. But I still had a purpose: the defeat and downfall of the Burning Legion.
21:26:04 [Veldrinas]: But now that goal has been accomplished.
21:26:31 [Veldrinas]: And these petty... faction squabblings.
21:27:05 [Veldrinas]: What have you found to work towards? Now that Sraath is gone.
21:27:12 Streetside Hawker says: Mariner pocket-watches! Some of these aren't being made anymore!
21:27:24 Greyseer motions for Veldrinas to follow again.
21:27:29 Veldrinas nods at you.

The two demon hunters begin walking again, back towards the seedier parts of the city.

21:28:02 [Greyseer]: You say the squabbles are petty. Whyso?
21:28:18 Scrimshaw Thug says: Damn it all...
21:28:18 Scrimshaw Footpad says: Rats...

Another round of thugs interrupts their discussion, but are eliminated without much fuss. The two demon hunters eventually make their way to a waterside platform that seems quiet for the moment.

21:29:48 [Veldrinas]: The Alliance and Horde have banded together on multiple occasions to defeat a common foe. One would assume that would create enough camaraderie to wash away any prior amenity, or at least help.
21:30:50 [Greyseer]: You are not incorrect.
21:31:04 [Greyseer]: The Horde betrayed the trust we placed in them, yes?
21:31:05 Veldrinas frowns.
21:32:00 [Veldrinas]: I believe that wrongs were perpetuated on both sides.
21:32:15 [Greyseer]: Do you believe Teldrassil burned because of "both sides"?
21:32:32 [Greyseer]: That the innocents who perished on that tree had a hand on those wrongs?
21:33:00 [Veldrinas]: I believe that the leadership of the Horde and Alliance need to re-sort their priorities.
21:33:26 [Veldrinas]: But I doubt they will be willing to see reason.
21:33:35 [Greyseer]: And when one side decides that its priorities include the incineration of innocent children, what then?
21:33:36 Veldrinas sighs.
21:33:55 [Greyseer]: What did the Burning Legion do to your people, ten thousand years ago, Veldrinas?
21:34:23 Veldrinas looks down.
21:34:32 [Veldrinas]: So...
21:34:52 [Veldrinas]: You believe the Horde are no better than the Burning Legion?
21:35:49 [Greyseer]: The ones in charge? They are little different than Kil'jaeden and his genocide against Velen and the draenei. They could not allow a dissenting faction to remain on their world, and so they sought their extermination.
21:36:33 [Veldrinas]: I...
21:36:34 [Greyseer]: Just because they have yet to gain cosmic power and an infinite army does not mean they are not on that path; do you not agree?
21:36:57 [Veldrinas]: I am unsure.

Tharion points back down a few of the alleys they have just passed through.

21:37:24 [Greyseer]: We have been walking these streets for the past while, yes?
21:37:31 [Greyseer]: How many times have we been attacked?
21:37:47 [Veldrinas]: Many times. I had to fight through some ruffians to find you.
21:38:03 [Greyseer]: And what would have happened had you not fought back?
21:38:15 [Greyseer]: Not lifted a blade in defense?
21:38:23 [Veldrinas]: I would have been injured more than likely.
21:38:35 [Greyseer]: You believe injury would be the extent of it?
21:38:47 [Greyseer]: That they would have stopped to eventually let you heal and return
21:39:18 [Veldrinas]: Perhaps death would occur, if my injuries were greater than my regenerative metabolism.
21:39:30 [Veldrinas]: I see your point.
21:39:41 [Greyseer]: I do not wish this war, Veldrinas.
21:39:56 [Veldrinas]: You wish to defend those who cannot do so themselves.
21:39:57 [Greyseer]: But it is here, and the blades have been drawn. Blood has been spilled.
21:40:09 [Greyseer]: Innocents were burned on Teldrassil.
21:40:20 [Greyseer]: Mothers and children. Fathers and brothers. Merely living on that tree.
21:40:31 [Greyseer]: I was never a fan of its planting, but it became home to many.
21:40:40 [Veldrinas]: I am sorry.
21:40:50 [Veldrinas]: I was not at Teldrassil when it happened.
21:41:00 [Greyseer]: Those many will never wake up to an evening again, because of the decisions made by the Horde leadership.
21:41:28 [Greyseer]: They have attacked us. Our response is to defend ourselves.
21:41:43 Veldrinas turns to look out to sea.
21:41:58 [Greyseer]: How far have you traveled into these islands?
21:42:05 [Greyseer]: Have you...explored?
21:42:26 [Veldrinas]: I have not. My only experience with Kul Tiras has been the city.
21:42:56 Veldrinas removes his mask.
21:43:23 [Greyseer]: What are your thoughts of it so far? This city.
21:43:40 Veldrinas shrugs nonchalantly.
21:44:01 [Veldrinas]: I am not sure.
21:44:08 [Greyseer]: Initial reaction, then.
21:44:16 [Greyseer]: Your "gut", as the humans would say.
21:44:29 [Veldrinas]: I do not believe it is to my taste. I much prefer solitude to all this hustle and bustle.
21:45:02 [Greyseer]: Take a look around you and see. Truly see.
21:45:23 Veldrinas appraises his surroundings.
21:46:03 [Greyseer]: You have innocent citizens merely living their lives. You have lawless ruffians tending to their...business. You have guards stuck in between, and soldiers here in hopes of catching rest between battles.
21:46:28 [Greyseer]: Who has the right to wipe these people off the map? Do you? Do I?
21:46:51 Veldrinas remains silent.
21:47:15 [Greyseer]: What would happen here should a mana bomb fall from a Horde zeppelin?
21:47:27 [Veldrinas]: They all would cease to exist.
21:47:39 Veldrinas puts his mask back on.
21:48:07 [Greyseer]: The Horde is a threat to us, Veldrinas. Not the Horde as a whole, but the Horde who sits in control.
21:48:46 [Greyseer]: Do we fight back as we are now? Or do we follow Velen's example and flee this world, only to come back thousands of years from now and find it in ruin? Do we even have that as a choice?
21:48:54 [Veldrinas]: You truly believe that the Alliance cannot defeat them on their own?
21:49:20 [Greyseer]: You speak as if we are not part of the Alliance.
21:49:45 [Greyseer]: You speak as though the Site of Lessons was not attacked by the Horde during their assaults in Ashenvale.
21:50:02 [Greyseer]: I did not choose them to be our enemy. They chose that on their own.
21:50:19 [Greyseer]: Just as these ruffians here have been doing all evening.
21:51:44 [Veldrinas]: But did the Alliance come and help us when the Site was attacked?
21:51:58 [Veldrinas]: Did they send troops to repel the invaders?
21:52:02 [Greyseer]: Yes.
21:52:09 [Greyseer]: They arrived too late.
21:52:23 Veldrinas sighs deeply.
21:52:27 [Greyseer]: The draenei who have taken refuge at the site helped to defend as well.
21:52:34 [Greyseer]: Some of them died during the assault.
21:52:50 [Veldrinas]: They will be remembered for their courage.
21:52:55 [Greyseer]: Let me ask you this, Veldrinas.
21:53:00 [Greyseer]: Why do you resist the thought?
21:53:14 Greyseer tilts his head in curiosity.
21:57:11 [Veldrinas]: I have been a soldier all my life. I am not sure, perhaps I am tired of all this bickering and all this fighting. While I was in Dalaran I did some reading. I read about when the orcs first arrived on Azeroth and the war that followed. I read about their defeat at Blackrock Mountain and the destruction of the Dark Portal.
21:57:49 Greyseer nods.
21:58:16 [Veldrinas]: It seems like history is destined to repeat itself. There will always be something that the other side takes umbridge at and decides to go to war over.
21:58:49 [Veldrinas]: Perhaps it is the lethargy of my demon since the Burning Legion's defeat that is affecting me, but still.
21:59:00 [Veldrinas]: Yes, innocents have died--
21:59:07 [Greyseer]: When I first began to teach students without Eraelan's guidance, I brought them to a place in Ashenvale Forest. Demonfall canyon. Are you familiar with it?
21:59:34 [Veldrinas]: Demonfall Canyon? Yes, I have been there before.
21:59:50 Veldrinas rolls his shoulder.
22:00:05 [Greyseer]: The lesson was "Why we fight." I brought them there and showed them the efforts of the demons to summon Mannoroth back from the Twisting Nether.
22:00:23 [Greyseer]: I showed them the monument to Grom Hellscream, who died defeating the demon lord.
22:00:38 Veldrinas nods.
22:00:47 [Greyseer]: We, the mortals of Azeroth, lost a strong warrior during that battle. The Legion lost a part of their leadership.
22:01:09 [Greyseer]: However, their leadership could return. Speak a few words, waggle a few fingers, sacrifice a few woodland creatures...
22:01:22 [Greyseer]: Grom Hellscream's sacrifice was permanent.
22:01:42 [Greyseer]: We lost one. They could gain theirs back. The Legion, as we knew it, was infinite. It was an army that did not end.
22:02:06 [Greyseer]: They are still out there, yes? The demons. Their leadership is shattered, but the bulk of their forces lurk just beyond us.
22:02:29 Veldrinas nods again.
22:02:42 [Greyseer]: When I taught my students, I made sure they understood that this war would never end. It, just as the Legion, was infinite.
22:02:58 [Greyseer]: We could NEVER stop fighting, because to do so would be to let them win.
22:03:16 [Greyseer]: They were all willing to accept this truth.
22:03:51 [Greyseer]: You believe that war itself will never end. I do not disagree with this statement, Veldrinas.
22:04:22 [Greyseer]: Because I understand that, just as before, we must keep fighting. Our enemies may shift, but our fight does not end.
22:04:45 [Greyseer]: Do you remember Queen Azshara?
22:04:51 [Greyseer]: Before the War of the Ancients?
22:04:54 Veldrinas smirks.
22:05:07 [Veldrinas]: She is not someone one would forget easily.
22:05:54 [Veldrinas]: Indeed, I do remember the former queen of the Kaldorei.
22:06:05 [Veldrinas]: What of it?
22:06:17 [Greyseer]: Stay here in Kul Tiras for a few more weeks. Travel to Stormsong Valley. Speak to the...locals. You will understand soon enough.
22:06:54 [Greyseer]: If the war between the Horde and the Alliance is not large enough for you, then understand that she is not finished in her own machinations.
22:06:50 [Veldrinas]: You believe that she has influence here, in Kul Tiras?
22:06:58 Greyseer shakes his head.
22:07:03 [Greyseer]: I do not have to believe it, Veldrinas.
22:08:25 Veldrinas furrows his brows and rubs his chin thoughtfully.
22:11:19 [Greyseer]: Understand something, Veldrinas. And this is very important.
22:12:12 [Greyseer]: I do not fight for the Alliance due to some misguided loyalty to a government across the sea. I do not wear these colors because I am a thoughtless patriot to some cause that has been shoved down my throat.
22:14:13 [Greyseer]: I fight because they have become a threat to us. Not a theoretical threat, a proven threat. Their leadership, once again, has blood on their hands. That leadership needs to change.
22:14:22 [Greyseer]: If that happens, so be it. Until that happens, however...
22:14:30 Greyseer simply cracks his knuckles.
22:14:50 Veldrinas stands a little straighter and sets his jaw.
22:15:33 [Greyseer]: There are plenty of threats out there, Veldrinas. Azshara, The old gods. The void. The Outer Gates. We need to stand unified if we are to defeat them.
22:16:05 [Greyseer]: Burning the homes of former allies does not build unity, nor does it maintain trust.
22:16:19 [Veldrinas]: I applaud your stance Tharion. It is a noble cause. Though I am not convinced that this war between the Alliance and Horde is something I should get involved in, you can still count on my aid against those darker powers.
22:17:39 [Veldrinas]: Who knows? Perhaps one day I will see the merit in "convincing" the Horde to change their leadership.
22:17:00 [Greyseer]: When you travel to Stormsong, speak to the citizens of Brennadam. Then return to me.
22:18:21 [Greyseer]: We have tried words. It earned us fire.
22:18:31 [Greyseer]: Blades are all that remain.
22:18:57 Veldrinas grins.
22:20:21 [Veldrinas]: Very well Tharion, I wish you good hunting. Until we meet again. May Elune be with you.
22:20:26 Veldrinas bows before you.
22:20:42 You bow before Veldrinas.
22:20:49 [Greyseer]: May honor guide your path, Veldrinas.
22:20:58 [Greyseer]: There is far less of it these days.
22:21:14 [Veldrinas]: I believe I shall make my way to Stormsong. I do have alot to think about.
22:21:22 [Veldrinas]: Thank you.
22:21:46 [Greyseer]: Understand these people, and I believe it will fall into place.
22:22:20 Veldrinas grins again and nods. He then begins to make his way back to Boralus proper.