Anub’arak shifted from a deep slumber to perfect clarity in an instant.

The High King of Azjol-Nerub immediately began searching his surroundings to find what had alerted him, only to relax once he did. As the ruler of the most powerful nation in the world, Anub’arak had many enchanted artifacts that served a variety of purposes, and one of them was alerting him that one of his advisors, Elder Nadox, was approaching his chamber.

Anub’arak telepathically directed the skitterers that were cleaning his carapace to leave his chambers as he waited for his advisor’s arrival. The past few years had been some of the busiest of his time as High King, and there was no reason to believe that things would change any time soon so he was not surprised to be awoken ahead of schedule. It was an occurrence that Anub’arak was growing more and more accustomed to in recent times.

As the Elder made his way through the complex system of wards and guards that made up Naxx’kalik, the largest ziggurat in Azjol-Nerub and the ancient home of its High Kings, Anub’rak decided to use the moment to consider recent events. This was a time in which his kingdom was undergoing drastic changes more quickly than ever before, so it was worth taking a moment to gather his thoughts and consider all that had happened.

It started innocently at first, with Anub’arak receiving a report from the Circle of Viziers that Kilah’kuk had begun trading with the surface races. While he had disapproved of such practices, it was not a serious enough matter for Anub’arak to feel compelled to tell an Underking what he should be doing in his own city.

There was no possibility of the tuskarr ever becoming a serious threat to Azjol-Nerub, so why would he be concerned if some strange Initiate decided they wanted to trade with the surface races? Such things had happened before, and it was likely that the Initiate would lose interest and the tuskarr would simply forget about them in a few centuries.

That was before the tuskarr’s shellfish became one of the most popular luxury foods among the higher castes. After that, Anub’arak realized that it was becoming unlikely that trade between Kilah’kuk and the tuskarr was going to cease anytime soon. There were even signs that En’kilah was interested in replicating the success of Kilah’kuk and had considered negotiating a similar agreement with the tuskarr near their own city.

At the time Anub’arak had considered trading with the surface races to be the most significant event to happen in Azjol-Nerb since the Seers began delivering portends of vague and unspecified doom in the kingdom’s future. He had believed that it would be the most important matter that he would have to deal with until their prophesied doom made itself known.

Anub’arak could only look back on his past self and envy his ignorance.

It wasn’t much longer after he first received reports of Kilah’kuk trading with the surface races that Azjol-Nerub learned of a fact that would send a political shockwave throughout the kingdom and would undoubtedly change things forever.

Their belief that the lands they occupied were the only ones to survive the Sundering was incorrect. There was an entire continent across the sea that contained multiple kingdoms, including one made by the long-assumed extinct elves, and two previously unknown sapient species, the so-called ‘gnomes’ and ‘dwarves.’ Reactions to this news had been intense and varied, from extreme curiosity about the new lands to a desire to avoid anything to do with them.

From there, matters began to develop at a speed that surpassed Anub’arak’s expectations. The Viziers had very quickly sent proposals to send a diplomatic delegation to the new continent, and several of his advisors made suggestions that they establish a settlement there as well. Anub’arak had agreed to the former with hopes that the delegation would gather additional information and started giving serious consideration to the latter.

He was correct to believe that the delegation would send back information that would change how Azjol-Nerub intended to interact with the ‘Eastern Kingdoms.’ In fact, it was beginning to feel like there wasn’t a month that went by where Anub’arak didn’t learn something new that changed his kingdom’s plans for the future.

The delegation sent their first report shortly after they arrived in Capital City, which was the aptly named capital city of the Kingdom of Lordaeron. That report had been filled with information about guns, a new form of magic that had captured the attention of Anub’arak’s most loyal Spiderlord, and an army of otherworldly invaders called the Horde. Under normal circumstances, any one of these discoveries would instantly become the center of the High King’s attention, but the times he lived in were anything but normal.

Debates had emerged among his advisors on the best ways to move forward, and orders had been given to the delegation to learn as much as they could so that they could make informed decisions. The Viziers in particular were extremely interested in gathering information and seemed to have become the main driving force pushing against Azjol-Nerub’s insular nature.

More than one Vizier had come to Anub’arak with urgent requests that the delegation send back knowledge about guns and the Light so that they might attempt to replicate them. Research into both was ongoing, but the High King was not expecting any results for several more months.

It wasn’t long after that before a portion of the delegation traveled to Dalaran, a city-state run by mages that seemed to serve as the center of magical learning for much of the Eastern Kingdoms. Then the delegation began making claims of advanced enchanting techniques that surpassed what Azjol-Nerub was capable of, and the rulers of Dalaran sent an offer that would have nerubians living and studying in their city.

After considering the matter and analyzing the security risks posed by a portal between Dalaran and En’kilah, Anub’arak eventually decided that the benefits outweighed the costs. The portal was extremely well-guarded from both sides, which was something that he had discovered after asking his advisors to evaluate what would happen if Azjol-Nerub tried to send their own soldiers through, either covertly or otherwise.

In the worst-case scenario, they could always close it whenever they wished.

It was around that same time that the kingdoms of Stormwind and Alterac sent offers to cede portions of their territory to Azjol-Nerub, for a price. Anub’arak had immediately called for a meeting with his advisors and they debated the wisdom of accepting each, both, or neither of the offers that had been presented to them.

It was easy to decide that ‘neither’ was not an option, given that the Seers were still giving warnings of calamity in Azjol-Nerub’s future. Many of the more powerful Seers had made claims that they could feel that the details of the ‘tide of death’ threatening to sweep over their kingdom were beginning to change, but that didn’t alter the fact that Azjol-Nerub would be well-served by having a settlement in the Eastern Kingdoms to flee to should the worse happen.

Anub’arak had eventually settled on only accepting the offer from Alterac. The land that they were offering was simply more valuable, as it was situated in a position that would allow Azjol-Nerub to extend its influence throughout the northern portion of the continent. Not to mention Alterac was merely asking for them to prevent their rival from entering the proposed settlement’s lands, thus making it impossible for Stromgarde to invade them.

From what Anub’arak could tell from the reports he’d received estimating Stromgarde’s strength, it was a simple matter. Truly, as long as Azjol-Nerub was given enough time to establish a permanent portal and fortify their location, the only nation in the Eastern Kingdoms that could hope to threaten them would be Quel’thalas.

Stormwind, on the other hand, was offering them land that they did not even currently own and was asking for Azjol-Nerub’s assistance in regaining it. It had not taken Anub’arak long to dismiss their offer, but depending on how the next meeting with his advisors went that might be a decision that he would need to revisit.

Anub’arak turned his focus back to the present as he felt Nadox pass through the last security checkpoint. Moments later, the Elder was walking into his private chambers while wearing a pensive expression.

“Your Majesty, I apologize for waking you, but I have news that I thought you should hear before the council meeting,” said Elder Nadox, speaking as soon as he entered the chambers.

“Your apologies are unnecessary. You would not wake me if it was not important,” said Anub’arak. “What news do you bring?”

“There are a few things, Your Majesty,” said Nadox, reaching into his spatial bag and retrieving a few documents. “The most recent report from the delegation to the Eastern Kingdoms has arrived. Please, take a look.”

Anub’arak directed one of his beetles to take the documents from his advisor and bring them to him. It had been several weeks since the humans had formed the ‘Alliance of Lordaeron,’ and since then they had been learning more about the Horde’s capabilities. The information contained in the report mostly concerned the Horde, and it didn’t take long for Anub’arak to pick out what had drawn his advisor’s attention.

“How credible are these reports of ‘Death Knights?’” asked Anub’arak, addressing the heart of the matter. “Is this something that our own necromancers are capable of?”

Anub’arak knew that the Circle of Viziers studied Death magic to a certain degree, but such research was highly regulated due to the adverse effects such magic had on the mentality of the practicing mages.

“Not at the scale reported,” Nadox admitted with some worry. “Each Death Knight seems to possess natural necromantic abilities, making them capable of raising dozens of corpses, controlling and maintaining them for long periods of time, while also being skilled in all manner of deadly magics. We are unfamiliar with such undead creatures, so it is difficult to determine what they are truly capable of. These Death Knights freely raise the corpses of their enemies, allies, beasts, and are extremely difficult to truly kill, making each one of them a considerable threat.”

Anub’arak hummed thoughtfully as he considered the information presented to him. He personally did not consider the Horde to be a significant threat to Azjol-Nerub itself, but he could see how many among the kingdom’s leadership would use this information to push for them to more directly involve themselves in the affairs of the Eastern Kingdoms.

Some would see this as a sign that the Horde was related to the prophesied ‘tide of death,’ especially considering these creatures were created through the use of Death magic, although Anub’arak had some doubts. It was impossible to know how literally the portents of Seers should be taken, so it was important to examine all options when dealing with such things.

Although the Death Knights could be a genuine threat if Azjol-Nerub was indeed forced to face them in great numbers. Many of their most powerful weapons would become counterproductive against an enemy that could raise them into undeath and use them against their former masters.

The next meeting of his council was scheduled to determine whether or not Azjol-Nerub would be selling their beasts to the Eastern Kingdoms to use as weapons of war. If they did decide to do so, then any proposal to more directly participate in the war would be emboldened. After all, if they began providing military aid, then they were one step closer to direct intervention.

Anub’arak was reluctant to agree to such proposals, but the benefits of doing so were beginning to look more and more attractive.

“Do we know how the Horde managed to accomplish this?” asked Anub’arak. His impression of the Horde was that they were a collective of unsophisticated creatures that were a danger only due to their numbers and natural strength. From where could they have gained such potent magic?

“Unfortunately, no. We have intelligence reports of their ‘warlocks’ and ‘necrolytes’ being used during the Horde’s war against Stormwind, but they seem to be absent in more recent reports, replaced instead by the death knights,” said Nadox, his mandibles clicking in irritation due to the lack of information. “The Alliance seems to believe that this discrepancy is due to a change in leadership, as according to reports the Horde used to be led by an orc named Blackhand, but has since been taken over by his former second in command, Orgrim Doomhammer.”

“Has Blackhand been slain?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” said Nadox, nodding grimly. “According to the Alliance, he was killed by Doomhammer shortly before Stormwind’s second siege and conquest, though the details as to why beyond ‘purging the Horde of dishonor’ are scarce.”

Though that did not answer the question about the orcs’ source of magical power, it did at least tell him that this Doomhammer was somehow responsible for the creation of the Death Knights. Still, there were too many questions about the orcs they were currently unable to answer.

Anub’arak found it frustrating how little they knew about the Horde, its internal workings, or the world that they came from. It made it difficult to properly evaluate what they might do and how much of a threat they were. This, coupled with seemingly ridiculous claims made by Stormwind that the Horde was responsible for destroying their own world, made gathering information about them increasingly vital.

“Very well,” said Anub’arak as he sent his beetle away. He would consider the matter further during the meeting with his council. “This was something that could have waited until the meeting. What other news do you bring me, Elder Nadox?”

Elder Nadox seemed to hesitate for a moment before again reaching into his spatial bag and retrieving a new set of documents and handing it to one of the High King’s beetles. “I’ve received results from our investigation, Your Majesty.”

Anub’arak could feel his attention focus as he processed his advisor's words and began reading through the results of his investigation. Results which left him feeling… confused.

Ever since the discovery of the Eastern Kingdoms, it had become clear to him that there was an excessively high degree of coordination among certain members of the Vizier caste. Anub’arak was born and bred to be a leader, he knew Azjol-Nerub better than anyone else, which meant that he knew without a doubt that the speed at which his kingdom had reached a consensus in regard to the Eastern Kingdoms was deeply unnatural.

There were more than a few occasions in which Underkings or Viziers who spouted isolationist rhetoric spontaneously changed their minds. Queens who he knew to be politically agnostic were suddenly incredibly interested in learning everything they could about the Eastern Kingdoms. Nearly every report that he received included pragmatic reasons for which Azjol-Nerub should become more involved in outside affairs. Viziers who he knew to hate each other cooperated without conflict.

Anub’arak did not have proof of a conspiracy, but there were too many small details that pointed to the fact that there was a highly influential and secretive organization pushing for Azjol-Nerub to involve itself in the Eastern Kingdoms. After determining that the majority of this unseen influence was coming from the Viziers, Anub’arak had immediately made orders for his most loyal supporters to investigate.

A part of him had expected to find that a secret organization of scheming Viziers had begun spreading their influence in preparation to overthrow him and take control of the kingdom. But according to the results of his investigations done by both his own supporters and the one done by Elder Nadox, there was no evidence to support anything of the sort.

Then… what do they want? What could drive so many Viziers to cooperate with one another in pursuit of a singular goal?

Anub’arak didn’t know, and that worried him.

“What should we do now, Your Majesty?” Elder Nadox said with concern. The fact that he had independently reached the same conclusion that Anub’arak had reached and come to him with his theories was one of the reasons that he trusted him.

Anub’arak considered the matter for several moments before responding, “For now, we wait and observe. Whatever their goals, they feel strongly enough about them that they are knowingly taking actions that risk their anonymity. No organization with this much influence is so foolish. They understand the risks that they are taking by acting so blatantly, yet they still do so regardless.”

If there was anything that Anub’arak had learned in his long life, it was patience. As long as the organization did not know that he was suspicious, he was certain that an opportunity would present itself.

Elder Nadox nodded, silently accepting the decision of his High King.

Anub’arak and Nadox discussed the upcoming meeting for nearly an hour before the two of them began making their way to the council room. Given the present circumstances, it was important that Anub’arak independently considered each proposal so that he could be sure the conclusions he was reaching were his own.

Walking into the large chamber that was artfully decorated with various tapestries, and finely woven webs, the High King was pleased to see that his entire council was already present and waiting for the meeting to begin. Seer Drannix and Queen Nezar’Azret were in quiet conversation while Vizier Yath’amon, Spiderlord Kal’rat, and Weaver Tuten’kash all stood quietly around the large desk filled with scattered documents in the center of the room.

Anub’arak walked past one of several Obsidian Destroyers that were placed in the room to protect the council and took his place at the head of the table. Several skitterers immediately brought all the relevant documents relating to the meeting before making themselves scarce.

Once he was certain that everything was in order, Anub’arak did not hesitate to begin the meeting. His time was precious and he had no intention of wasting it on pleasantries.

“We are here to discuss the details of Dalaran’s proposal in which we agree to supply the Alliance with our beasts for the purpose of using them to fight the Horde. In addition, we will discuss the contents of the most recent reports sent to us from our delegation to the Eastern Kingdoms. Begin.”

“Your Majesty, I believe it is Azjol-Nerub’s best interest to agree to Dalaran’s proposal,” Seer Drannix said immediately. “The magical reagents that they are offering are worth far more than what we would be giving them, and this is an excellent opportunity for us to test their worth in combat after millennia of improper testing conditions.”

“I do not necessarily disagree, Seer Drannix, but you must acknowledge that there are potential risks to such a decision,” said Vizier Yath’amon, playing his normal role as one of the council’s more cautious voices. “Although the artifacts we use to direct our beasts are not exceedingly advanced, the techniques we use to enchant them are rather unique. We do not know what the outsiders might learn from studying them.”

“Whatever they might learn, it is far less than the knowledge we would gain in return,” said Queen Nezar’Azret. “I and my fellow Queens have been preparing this kingdom for war since the Seers made their prophecy, but there is little we can do without testing the products of our efforts.”

“I agree,” said Spiderlord Yal’rat, one of Azjol-Nerubs oldest generals. “We have been at peace for a very long time. We need to know if it has made us weak.”

“We would also benefit greatly from the promised magical reagents,” said Weaver Tuten’kash. “Enchanted weapons are not cheap. A steady influx of reagents would help blunt the costs of our ongoing efforts to prepare the kingdom for the prophecy.”

Once again, his council was nearly in complete agreement, and Anub’arak hated the hint of suspicion that fact invoked in him. Still, he found himself agreeing with their arguments, and had reached similar conclusions on his own.

“Queen Nezar’Azret, is it feasible to render the beasts infertile before we send them?” asked Anub’arak. It was likely that the outsiders would be able to replicate the enchantments on the artifacts, so it was important that they maintain their control over their supply of the beasts themselves.

Queen Nezar’Azret scoffed lightly before replying, “That would be a simple matter.”

“For the best really. The last thing we would want is for the primitives to lose control over a few of the beasts and allow them to breed out of control in their wilds. They would no doubt throw their ecosystems out of balance, and then we would lose access to reagents and test subjects,” said Vizier Yath’amon.

“Very well, then we will agree to Dalaran’s proposal,” said Anub’arak. “Will there be any problems with the Jormungar? As I understand it, controlling them requires significant amounts of training in addition to the use of Nature magic.”

“Although they are not common, there are a few practitioners of Nature magic among the humans that I believe capable of learning our skills quickly,” said Seer Drannix. “The so-called Harvest-Witches of Gilneas and the Thornspeakers of Kul’Tiras.”

“Good. Then I will leave this matter in the hands of Queen Nezar’Azret. She would know best about which of our beasts we should offer the outsiders,” said Anub’arak.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I have been attempting to create a colossal spider similar in size to Maexxna. Although I have not succeeded, I’m sure the Alliance will be pleased to receive some of my failed attempts,” the Queen said enthusiastically. “I can’t wait to hear how they fare against the Horde.”

Maexxna, one of Azjol-Nerub’s most powerful weapons, was a massive spider larger than most Spiderlords. Any creatures created in her image would be truly formidable.

Anub’arak merely nodded before moving on to the next topic of discussion. “I assume that you have all already read the most recent reports coming from our delegation?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” said Seer Drannix. “And I must say, these Death Knights are highly concerning. If the reports about their capabilities are accurate, then the Horde may be responsible for the visions that have been plaguing our Seers.”

“How so, Seer Drannix? There is no indication that the Horde is powerful enough to threaten Azjol-Nerub. Have your visions suddenly become clear enough that you can perceive that the coming ‘tide of death’ refers to the undead?” Spiderlord Yal’rat said skeptically. “Was there not a time when the Seers were telling us the coming calamity was a plague? Where was this certainty before?”

“We have had this argument before, and I see no need to have it again, Spiderlord,” Seer Drannix said with exasperation. “But even if the Horde is not responsible for the visions, is it not wise to learn more about these Death Knights? Should we not seek to discover how the Horde managed to perform a feat of necromancy beyond what we are capable of? I believe we should send someone to discover the source of the Horde’s magic.”

“Who do you propose we send to do that? We hardly have any people in the Eastern Kingdoms, and those who are there are either students or diplomats,” said Weaver Tuten’kash.

“I’m sure the Alliance would be more than willing to allow a specialized capture team through the portal if we explained our intentions,” said Seer Drannix, waving one of his hands in a dismissive gesture. “And if not, we could always send Vizier Hadix.”

Vizier Hadix was a name that Anub’arak had become well acquainted with in recent times, and was a Vizier who was frequently on his mind, mostly because nothing about Hadix made any sense.

According to reports, Vizier Hadix was born in Azjol-Nerub’s capital city and was promptly taken in by one of the most influential Viziers in the city at the time, Elder Yel’rin, because of his genius. Ever since he was a hatchling, Hadix had shown a prodigious talent for arcane magic and was seen as a rising star within the Circle of Viziers.

That all changed one day when his mentor was discovered dead and Hadix claimed to have killed him in self-defense.

The records of what happened afterward were suspiciously vague, but an investigation was done, Elder Yel’rin was determined to have been practicing ‘dangerous magics,’ and Hadix had been exonerated. From there, Vizier Hadix traveled from city to city, staying for only a few decades at a time and despite being one of the most powerful mages in the kingdom, he barely had any political influence.

Anub’arak found the Vizier to be very suspicious.

It didn’t help that the Initiate who was said to be responsible for discovering the Eastern Kingdoms was his apprentice.

“Vizier Hadix is an important member of our diplomatic delegation,” said Vizier Yath’amon. “His time is better spent ensuring our deal with Alterac does not fall apart. We’ve received reports that they have seemingly become more reluctant to move forward with the deal recently for no apparent reason. Now is not the time to send one of our diplomats away from Capital City.”

“Of course, he would need to be sent after the negotiations with Alterac have been completed,” Seer Drannix agreed. “But changes to our diplomatic team need to be made eventually. Do we intend to leave powerful individuals such as Anub’rekhan and Vizier Hadix in Capital City indefinitely when their talents could be used elsewhere?”

“According to the reports, Vizier Krivax seems to be one of our more effective diplomats. Perhaps he could handle the diplomacy while we send Hadix and Anub’rekhan to investigate the Death Knights?”

“Vizier Krivax is practically a hatchling!”

“If we intend to supply the Eastern Kingdoms with beasts for their war, then perhaps we should reconsider the offer from Stormwind? They might consider ceding some of their lands for powerful enough beasts.”

The council meeting continued for several hours before reaching its conclusion. Anub’arak agreed that they should seek to learn more about the Horde and their magic and that it was worth reopening negotiations with Stormwind to see what they had to offer. The High King felt like it was only a matter of time before Azjol-Nerub would be intervening directly in the war.

Once it was done, Anub’arak bid his advisors farewell and left to continue his duties as High King.

One of the Viziers from the Technological Research Division wanted to present a proposal on beginning the construction of ships capable of traveling the sea. They had even sought advice from the tuskarrs on how to properly construct such a ship.

It was a good idea; portals were highly vulnerable to sabotage and had many limitations, so it would be in Azjol-Nerub’s interest to develop a way to travel to the Eastern Kingdoms by sea.

As Anub’arak walked through the hallways of Naxx’kalik, he couldn’t help but feel that his kingdom was changing far too quickly for him to adjust. Still, as High King, his duty was to do so and lead his kingdom to the best of his ability no matter what happened and he would do till the bitter end if need be.