Monday (17 Sep) - Dress Rehearsal

Monday (17 Sep) - Dress Rehearsal

Naithipe came for Jocey late Monday night, waking her up just shy of midnight. Naithipe was restless, pacing about the small room overcrowded with bags, satchels, and traveling gear Jocey didn't trust to leave at the inn's stable with the pack animals.

Jocey had hastily gotten out of bed when Naithipe made her unannounced arrival. Wearing nothing but her undergarments, Jocey glanced hopefully at the pile of plate armor arranged carefully in a corner of the room, but Naithipe practically pounced on her. "Is everything ready?" Naithipe demanded. Jocey hesitated.

"Well?" Not waiting for an answer, Naithipe swept around the room, opening everything and laying out each and every item. Before Naithipe could say anything more, Jocey managed to stammer out, "I haven't received the last two pieces!" Naithipe rounded on her and Jocey took two quick sidewise steps toward her gear. Jocey knew she would never reach her mace in time.

"Stop." Naithipe spoke the word softly. Jocey froze where she stood. Naithipe regarded Jocey with a critical eye. Jocey's slender frame beneath her undergarments could not hide finely honed muscles and an easy strength from long practice in her heavy plate gear. The continued scrutiny frayed Jocey's nerves, but she held silent and poised, waiting for - whatever came. "You have grown strong before my eyes," Naithipe finally said, with something that might have been appreciation. Jocey allowed herself a small breath.

Both were still for another heartbeat. Naithipe then gave herself a little shake. "Get dressed," Naithipe said brusquely, but not unkindly. "No need for worry. I have the last of the items with me. I want to get all of this" - an arm swept around the room - "to it's destination. Tonight."

The journey took two hours. The few locals about at that time of night stayed well out of sight of the forbidding Naithipe. If there were bandits about, they sought easier prey.

Naithipe was unusually cordial and talkative during the ride. Mostly, Jocey thought, Naithipe seemed to be speaking more to herself than to her. Jocey didn't mind that at all. For some reason, Naithipe being nice to her was far more frightening than Naithipe angry at her. An angry Naithipe she understood, but Naithipe's mood under the depthless night sky of Sunstrider Isle confused her greatly.

Naithipe told Jocey that she had tried to confront Warlord Garrosh when she learned she would not be allowed to participate in the attack on Theremore. Not enough experience, Garrosh's lieutenants had told her. More than one paid for that assessment, first with curses and then with cracked heads. But the number of guards grew and Naithipe started drawing too much attention from onlookers. She cast baleful stares at the nervous guards, all of which were bleeding, but had to retire from the fight before she jeopardized her other plans.

"What are you going to do?" Jocey asked Naithipe, when Naithipe seemed to run out of words. Jocey watched Naithipe's silhouette, unable to read what she could see of her face. "The fleet sails with the dawn."

"So it does," Naithipe answered, still lost in her own thoughts. "I will be sailing, too." Naithipe then told Jocey of the plan she had put together with Gamon. Gamon was a deadly fighter, but was no friend of Garrosh. Gamon was too unruly for the Warlord's army, and in any event had no interest in furthering Garrosh's goals. But Gamon loved a good fight, and Naithipe could provide one. I stole a ship, Naithipe told Jocey. There was pain in that telling that Jocey did not understand. Naithipe spoke on. Gamon had enlisted a pirate captain to recruit a crew and Gamon was bringing his own gang of cutthroats.

Jocey tried to put this all together. "So, are you going to join the Warlord's fleet with your own ship?" She asked, not sure how that could work out in Naithipe's favor.

Naithipe laughed. Jocey almost fell off her mount. "Of course not," Naithipe replied. "Theremore will certainly have their own fleet guarding the harbor. We will take our pick of them." Jocey was still absorbing that when Naithipe continued. "And if one of Garrosh's dunder headed captains blunders into our path, we'll pay his ship a visit as well." That would be treason, Jocey immediately thought. Naithipe mirrored the thought. "Treason, it would be ... if I much cared about Garrosh's leadership of the horde." Naithipe seemed to realize that Jocey was hearing all this. Naithipe gave Jocey another smile, one of Naithipe's nastiest. "I don't plan to ever fall into his hands." Pause. "Should Garrosh manage to survive the battle." That truly was treasonous words, Jocey thought. That thought followed others. The simple act of arriving with a pirate ship at the battle would net Naithipe a death sentence. Therefore, Naithipe doesn't intend for Garrosh to survive. And if he does, Naithipe will not allow herself to be captured. Which means she'll be dead.

With those sobering thoughts bouncing about in her head, the two travelers arrived at their destination. No matter what happened now, Jocey did not expect to see Naithipe again. Ever.

On the other side of the world, the down to the second timing of the attack on Theremore suddenly changed. Instead of a morning launch on Tuesday, an impatient Warlord Garrosh set sail a day early. By mid-afternoon on Monday the Alliance and Horde were at war off the coast of Theremore. Word from the battlefield was uncertain, with few details.

[Note: Blizz pulled a fast one and launched the Theremore Falls scenario on Monday! instead of Tuesday. The scenario is found by opening the Looking For Dungeon (LFD) tab, which now handles dungeons, raids, and scenarios. Sin, JB, and friend Dm got a first taste of it Monday night. More to follow.]