"A small matter. The brainwashing of those few night elves is already done. With their help, it should be easy to find the hidden Satyr. Besides, Thalorien has also gone to Suramar… When the time comes, hehe~" A hoarse female voice came from beneath the Shadow Weaver's red robe.
What she said was exactly the second step of their planned strategy: Unleash the Satyr imprisoned by the druids, and push the nightborne of Suramar to strike at the night elves.
The Satyr were elves from the War of the Ancients, corrupted and twisted by demons.
And Xavius, once second only to Azshara herself, was the very first Satyr—and the god of all Satyr who followed.
At the end of that war, Xavius was shot with an arrow by Shandris Feathermoon, and Malfurion used it to bind him, transforming him into a tree that sank beneath the sea.
But the Satyr King did not die. After being trapped for thousands of years, with the help of N'Zoth—the most secretive of the Old Gods—he became the Nightmare Lord. He invaded the Emerald Dream and created the Emerald Nightmare, corrupting it further and further.
Yet contacting this Nightmare Lord was no easy task. With the Burning Legion's second invasion not yet underway, and the Satyr clans still lurking in the shadows, even Josh could provide little information about them to Abbendis.
But in Val'sharah, a group of Satyr truly did exist. These Satyr were once Xavius's loyal followers during the War of the Ancients, but were captured by the druids.
Normally, such beings should have been executed without hesitation. Malfurion and some druids agreed. But many others in the Cenarion Circle objected—because these Satyr were once their kin and friends. Though they hated their corruption, they could not bring themselves to kill them.
So, the Satyr were placed into slumber beneath the roots of Shaladrassil, the first World Tree in Val'sharah.
From Josh and Abbendis's perspective, this decision was foolish. But for Abbendis now, it was a blessing.
If those Satyr could be freed and then linked to the Nightmare Lord, all of Val'sharah's night elves would suffer.
As for whether Abbendis risked being harmed by the Nightmare Lord? That was no concern.
The Ancient One had already defeated C'Thun—why would she fear Xavius, who was nothing more than N'Zoth's pawn? And though N'Zoth was the last Old God to show his hand on Azeroth, he was also the weakest of them all.
So when Xavius pressed the night elves to the brink of despair, that would be the moment for the Ancient One to strike—against the Nightmare Lord, and the Old God behind him.
In truth, Suramar was the real hard bone to crack.
"In that case, I leave it to you," Abbendis said with a nod to the Shadow Weaver.
The Shadow Weaver bent slightly in return, then departed with the brainwashed night elves who had landed with her.
But among the night elves setting out, Maiev was nowhere to be seen. The reason was simple—shortly after being captured, Abbendis had traded her away to Josh.
Marching with them was also a human envoy under Abbendis's banner, within which Bresta was hidden. Alongside them came another envoy, this one led by Baine Bloodhoof and made up of tauren.
Abbendis surely had his own hidden plans, but helping the tauren search for their kin and draw in the Highmountain tribe was not a lie either.
After half a day's march, this mixed host arrived at the outskirts of the Temple of the Moon.
The brainwashed night elves in the group raised signals, following memories of their past.
Soon, scouts of the night elves emerged from the nearby jungle. "Who are you?" the scout captain demanded warily, staring at this odd and uneven group.
"I am Nasha. We were sent by Lady Tyrande and Commander Maiev to help these tauren reach Highmountain. I believe the high priestess within the temple has already received word," said one female night elf, stepping forward from the Shadow Weaver's ranks and showing her token.
Nasha had been Maiev's lieutenant in Warcraft III, her most trusted follower. Among the night elves who had sailed with Abbendis's fleet, only Maiev herself outranked her.
"I know of you. But from what I've been told, your landing site should have been the northern border, not the south. And your leader should be Lady Shadowsong, not you!" The scout captain's surprise quickly turned to suspicion.
"We were attacked by the naga at sea. This human fleet was badly damaged, forcing us to change course and land at the southern Dusk Reefs. Lady Maiev went to Watcher's Isle to call for reinforcements, leaving me her token so that I could lead these humans and tauren to Highmountain. Of course, for safety, she instructed that scouts must be sent to 'escort' us." Nasha leaned closer and explained in a low voice.
Though the night elves' current capital was Mount Hyjal, their three main forces—the Sentinels (Sisters of Elune), the druids, and the Watchers—had their roots not in Kalimdor, but here on the Broken Isles. The ancient Temple of the Moon, Shaladrassil, and the Watchers' base in southern Azsuna all stood here.
Before the Sundering, this had been the very heart of elven civilization. That was one reason Maiev had set aside other tasks to come with Abbendis's fleet—the Isles were truly her home ground.
Nasha, therefore, feared no one exposing her lie. Of the three powers, the Watchers were the most independent. Aside from Maiev herself, it was Nasha who had the closest ties to the other two groups.
So the high priestesses of Val'sharah's Temple of the Moon all knew her. With Maiev away, they would have little reason to doubt her word.
"I see… but I must still report this matter to the priestess first," the scout captain answered after some hesitation.
"Of course," Nasha nodded calmly.