The Keep's Tale:

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Long ago, a lone Death Knight who was unsure of herself in the world desperately wanted a family. She befriended several odd characters that eventually aided her in forming a guild known as "Torn by Insanity".

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She had a sister of whom held a very deep grudge for various reasons. Vowing to rip the happy “sanctuary” her sister formed for herself, the woman created a faction that existed under the same name, that being “Torn by Insanity”, and labeled it the “Demented”. To counteract her sister, the Death Knight created a faction known as the \'Manic\'. From there, both factions grew--the Manic, on the basis of family and belonging. The Demented, on the basis of creating an army and seizing anything they wanted while annihilating anyone that got in their way. The Demented had a goal mostly to destroy the Manic, of course, as things progressed.

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More factions formed within the guild, further tearing it apart. The Revenant, eventually turning into the Blade, were mercenaries working for either side of the guild. That depended upon who provided the most coin. Then there were the Phobic--mostly uninvolved in the Manic vs. Demented conflict that ripped the guild apart for so long.

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The guild grew more complex, as a seemingly abandoned building was stumbled upon during an adventurous expedition by the Guild Master herself, for treasure of course. She had no idea she'd discover so much more. A hidden group of dangerous people within a place known as 'The Keep' gave way to even more conflict, until a group of Manic managed to make amends with the group and even form an alliance, which later would grow to be very strong. Little did they know, however, that old allies of the Keep would take offence to such a gesture and form an ever burning hatred that would lead The Torn into turmoil once more.

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As the guild continued to battle through the insanity of Azeroth, they attracted more and more shady groups, due to their mixed bag of people. Those who took advantage of others they saw as weaker, for example, jumped at the chance to worm into a group of  'misfits' and use them for their own selfish means.

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While due to the Legion threat, The Torn allied the historical factions into one group to work against the demons, the offshoot groups within the guild still stir up quite a bit of trouble for those within it that just seek peace or justice. All in all, The Torn is a guild that encompasses the battles of one versus another. I would say good versus evil, but the world isn't so black and white now is it?

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The Kingdom's Tale:

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 The death of Arthas came as a gift to the world of Azeroth, but their turmoils from the scourge were far from over. All lingering scourge in Northrend were ordered exterminated--including those of high intelligence. Most were killed off, and the few remaining were to be killed on sight. However, the heroes of Azeroth turned their attention to other threats to Azeroth, namely Deathwing, Garrosh, Time Rifts, and the Legion… The scattered scourge were left to wander aimlessly, an agony unbearable by those that had obtained their wills again. When Frostmorne shattered, many intelligent scourge, similar to the Forsaken, were left confused and wandered aimlessly. Among those were fragmented segments of the San’layn, their forces shattered and their minds very much darkened. These elves were changed from what they’d been before into monstrosities of extreme power.

 

A lot of power that had left them upon the death of the Blood Queen, of course. Still, they retained much of their control of blood magic and unfortunately needed to feed on the living to survive

A male Darkfallen prince known as ‘Sangrion’ gathered many of the refugees in the areas and made home in the Old Kingdom, which laid shattered from the forces of Azeroth. He sent a group led by Blood Prince Elias Cipher to the east, where they took root in Utguarde Keep to build up their forces once more and possibly establish a home for themselves in this newly awakened undeath. However, the personalities of the vampyr might have returned, but they were blackened to a crisp. That was prominent in none other more clearly than Prince Sangrion. He built up the forces of what he proclaimed was the ‘Kingdom of Blood’, and ruled with an iron fist. Two of his loyal subjects, lesser than princes however quite powerful, were known as Ambassador Goliath Heartstriker and Trapper Maxximus Foxsorrow. Max had the specific task of capturing blood slaves for the Kingdom, whereas Goliath was to be the key in communications between the Kingdom and the Keep, as well as manipulation when it came to other factions that could intersect with his Kingdom.

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Due to the shattering in the Cataclysm by Deathwing, the discovery of Pandaria, the invasion of the Warlords of Draenor, and finally the invasion of the Legion on Azeroth once more, these two forces lay dormant, their culture evolving. The Keep is a story for a different time; but the Kingdom formed hierarchies and nobilities just like that of the Sin’dorei society. On the lowest of this society were the slaves used for blood, treated like cattle, all depending on their masters. If they were not claimed, they were abused ruthlessly by many of the San’layn around them, often beaten to the brink of death and used in terrible ways. Above the slaves were the peasants, the San’layn considered lowborne and lesser than that of the nobility. Then there were the soldiers, who fought against any mortals that dared stand their ground against the Kingdom, should they discover it. Finally, those that the Kingdom proclaimed ‘princes’ and ‘princesses’. These were just titles in the Kingdom--none actually held such power.

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The Kingdom fancied themselves as the true, pure race. Undeath was a higher point of existence, to them, and the living were meant only to be used as food. On top of that, the Kingdom were made up of very fearful elves. They knew that the mortals would kill them on sight, and that unlike the Death Knights, they’d never be given a chance to acclimate. That, paired with the superiority complex, caused them to secretly plan out a conquest for a later time.

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During several years, King Sangrion faded into the background, the memories of his subjects manipulated to forget many facts about him. He was not one to put himself into harm\'s way, and anyway did not trust his Kingdom entirely. Therefore, he selected a few followers to carry out his wishes, and the rest of the San’layn would never see his face or hear his voice. His work would be from the shadows as a puppet master.

A few nobles rose to power by proving themselves exceptional soldiers, most notably a woman who proclaimed herself to be ‘Vio’thel’. Not much was known in the Kingdom about this particular San’layn, other than the fact that she was extremely ruthless and cold. She rose to power by cutting down those that opposed her, and Sangrion, who know proclaimed himself ‘King’, took interest in her.

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Vio’thel had no interest in the King’s greedy, hungry gaze. She had never taken upon a mate, and was raised as a noble when alive as well. With curt defiance she rejected his advances, unintentionally angering him. King Sangrion encouraged the more brutal assault of slaves, to which no one really was concerned about--until he began to allow the abuse of fellow San’layn. His breaking point was when their close allies in the east, the Keep, broke off from the Kingdom ideology. Abuse and exploitation ran rampant in the Kingdom, and King Sangrion dismissed, even at times encouraged, the consumption of blood from one unwilling San’layn to another. Vio’thel watched this from the shadows, growing ever wary of this proclaimed ‘King’. She appeared uncaring but truthfully hated seeing her people so tormented.

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The woman had little trust for several ‘nobles’, especially a woman known as Vanessa Heartfire. The princess pranced around, luring men in and ensnaring them, forcing them to beg for things they otherwise would turn down and playing their instincts in just the wrong manner. This became even more clear when the King ordered their traitorous ex-allies, the Keep, to be a target. The brother of Elias Cipher was captured, of whom at the time had been the mate of a high-ranking officer within the Keep. He’d been forced to submit to Vanessa against his will, causing a massive amount of guilt and shame. No, Vio’thel did not approve of this--nor did she approve of further orders by the King, of whom encouraged similar methods upon slaves. But the woman needed to bide her time and strike when the moment was right.

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This was no easy task. Vio’thel knew that the King fancied her, yet she did not seek to be anywhere near him, nevermind turn into his mate. However, sacrifices needed to be made, and she approached King Sangrion one day, proclaiming that the members of the Kingdom were becoming unruly and needed a cold, cruel figurehead to order them around. They were losing faith in this hidden ‘king’, especially after suffered losses from various battles with the traitorous Keep.Things were too dangerous for the King, she stated. If he wanted to lead the Kingdom to greater glory, he could not reveal himself, for he would put himself at too much risk.Therefore, she was willing to become his Queen and represent his interests. King Sangrion eagerly accepted this offer, frequently trying to coax the Queen into his room and failing due to her being quite busy.

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Such an excuse was not one pulled out of thin air. The Kingdom was under heavy siege from the Keep, ex-allies of whom saw them as a threat. Much more aggressive than anticipated, the Keep laid siege to the Kingdom’s location in Dragonblight, forcing them to flee to the caves of Icecrown. The time to rebuild what was before needed to be now, along with progression toward a true change in leadership.

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If the Queen wanted to overthrow this corrupted king, she needed allies. He was a Blood Prince who held very potent power, and delved into the craft of curses. She knew of a San’layn with less power but similar magics--Goliath Heartstriker. Obviously his last name wasn’t his given one, but his story is, like the Keep’s, fit for another time. The important part was that secretly the warlock was also troubled, quite like Vio’thel. Cautiously did the Queen approach Goliath, of whom was a loyalist to the Kingdom. She sat him down, discussing her concerns in private quarters, or so she thought. Secretly the King had a demonic eye follow her from the shadows to observe her every move.

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The Queen and the Ambassador came to the conclusion that Sangrion must be stopped if the Kingdom were to rise together as family rather than tools for one another’s use. They’d already had to deal with Arthas’s firm grasp on their mind not too long ago--eventually this would turn into something not all that different. Tensions between the Keep and Kingdom however would not rest, and with the King’s constant order for the Kingdom to lay waste to the Keep, Vio’thel and Goliath had little time to plan. They’d gathered a small group of followers that had indeed agreed that this King was taking things much too far.

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The night came when Goliath received an order that caused him to be sick to the stomach. Called upon by Vio’thel, she shakily told him that they had captives of the Keep imprisoned, and that the King required him to physically and mentally abuse the captives. The King had thought the torment of Elias’s brother was very amusing--and why not torment the mate of one of the high ranking Keep members. The goblin rogue known as Lebli had become well known to the Kingdom, as she’d been a thorn in their side like many of the Keep. Now, they had her mate in chains, and he wanted to mentally scar the both in order to slow them down. The Keep, he knew, were supportive of their members. Such weakness was not prevalent in the Kingdom, they were meant to be beings of war and torment. Therefore, Goliath was forced to feign happiness at this order, laughing as his succubus tormented a woman known as ‘Alyssa’. Other Keep members were also tormented, but none to the degree Aly had gone through. This caused a horrible, twisting rage within the woman.

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The Keep struck back during this, of course, eventually chasing the Kingdom members out of the caves Icecrown and dealing them a heavy blow. This had been intended, and all had followed according to plan--during the Keep’s siege on their Icecrown stronghold, the Kingdom were able to rebuild their old location in Dragonblight.

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Goliath sulked about after this event, heavy with regret but knowing that he had to obey orders to please the King. Little did Vio’thel and Goliath know that Sangrion knew exactly what they’d been planning, and had prepared for it. The night when his apparent death approached was a relatively quiet one for the Kingdom. The problem was, King Sangrion had set a trap for the unwary traitors. He called upon them for an important meeting, knowing that they’d be prepared to strike him down. However, the doors slammed shut and locked the two in. The prince stalked toward them, lunging for Vio’thel first and drinking her blood quite deeply. Goliath could only stand there in shock for a few moments before he burst into action, first ordering him off of the queen and then summoning a multitude of curses to weaken the prince. The body of Vio’thel was tossed aside--King Sangrion assumed her dead. He turned on Goliath, surprised to find that he proved to be a very tough opponent. King Sangrion eventually struck the warlock down as well, preparing to end his undeath right there had it not been for the queen.

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Vio’thel had no weapons on her--they had been stolen from her upon the king’s attack. However, the King was far to immersed in the death of Goliath. He wanted Goliath to be told how weak he was compared to the Blood Prince, and like the fate of many villains of whom delay, he would soon choke on his words. Vio’thel lunged for the pointy crown upon his head, weakly grabbing it and twisting it into his back. This moment of distraction caused the prince to whirl, blood flowing down his flesh. Goliath, severely weakened but still capable of casting spells, would notice the blood and begin chanting, eventually cursing the prince’s blood to rot away the rest of his flesh within. Such a powerful spell took a toll on Goliath, and he succumbed to weakness shortly after that, on the brink of death.

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Meanwhile, Vio’thel was being tormented by the King. He took no notice of his blood’s corruption until too late, however had ripped into the body of the woman and screamed obscenities at her face for quite some time. Old scars on Vio’thel’s face, left from life, would be reopened as an ironic reminder of what she’d been at some point. An exile with a flawed face due to jealous rage of another. This story and time was not far from the original, but Vio’thel would not relent. She stood against the King even at the assault, and when she noticed his strength dwindling, shoved him up against the wall. Sangrion had not bothered taking away the crown, for there was no way she could do anything with it. Or could she

Vio’thel was a brutal, battle-ridden soldier, and had no qualms with using what was on hand. Sangrion became paralyzed and in that moment Vio’thel knew she needed to strike. She stabbed and sawed with the jagged spikes of the crown, spilling blood everywhere. This process took a good half hour--but it ended with the Sangrion’s beheading. This wasn’t the typical execution style by any means, but perhaps one more fitting for this king. What Vio’thel did not know was that the powerful prince was able to muster enough strength up to curse her before he was slain. Suddenly she had a curse much similar to his own, though one that was even more potent. Her blood became something like acid due to the corruption, sending pain shooting through her entire being, burning her soul and sending her to the ground and writhing. The King was no more--but the heir to the throne, the queen, was in grave danger.

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A while later, Goliath awoke, still very weak but immediately catching on to the critical state of the Queen. He rushed her to the hospice within the Kingdom, and she was stabilized, along with he. However, the Queen could not be fully cured of this curse. She needed close aide at all times at this point. Now the new and true Queen of the Kingdom, she needed to push forward regardless of her ailment, however, and push forward she would do.