Chapter 494: Raising the Flagpole
"We'll leave tomorrow at sunrise," Garrosh declared confidently, despite the fact that he had apparently only just arrived, and that he had been laboriously travelling all the way. "My first plan for the Night Elves of Greyvale has worked! Their connection with Darnassus has been severed, and they can only be speculated and dealt with based on the experience of past wars!" He pointed to the cages. "By the time they found out how stupid they were, they were already doomed......"
The nearest beast roared again, this time in a cheerful tone with the Great Chief. Brinnin grinned. He will be rewarded with the Night Elves for his efforts to live and see them. He will live to see himself making a great contribution to the tribe.
And he will live to see the birth of a new worldβa world made by tribes, not alliances......
Tyrande and Malfurion chose to host their summit outdoors, a place that was often used for important events. They could have chosen the temple, where their wedding would have taken place. But the reason for the final choice was partly for the sake of the people of Gilneis. The two agreed that the ceremony of introducing Jean's people to the League would best take place outdoors, so as to avoid those who were unhappy with the appearance of the Gilnes from feeling in trouble.
At the moment, with the exception of the entrance and exit on the east side, the seats for the summit are arranged in a circle. The highest-ranking Night Elves are seated in advance and wait for the guests to enter in turn. All but one of the members of the alliance came. Only the Kenrito Council, which ruled Dalaran, refused to send representatives, and they wanted to continue to exist as a bridge between the two opposing sides. Mages who work for both the Horde and the Alliance are equally popular in Dalaran.
The main seats of Tyrande and Malfurion are opposite the entrance. Sentinels who act as Guardians of Honor are dressed to stand beside the High Priestess and the Grand Druid, while others flank the visiting mission as they enter.
But this is not just the official opening ceremony of the summit. The culmination of the entrance ceremony was a joining ceremony. New members are voted to join the Alliance. If a member is admitted. Its representatives should be seated and engaged in the rest of the agenda right away. It's ridiculous to have them wait until the meeting is nearing its end.
And if the application is denied...... It should also be allowed to leave the mission as soon as possible to avoid further humiliation.
On the surface. Darnassus was calm. But the two had received information - though the details were not clear - that Mavi's brother had been in trouble during the investigation. Malfurion and Tyrande only knew that Garrod was bedridden due to his injuries, but the two leaders wanted to talk to Mavi's brother as soon as the situation allowed.
Archmage Mordant also promised that the High Elves would remain silent about the investigation during this time, despite statements to the contrary from Valdin. These spellcasters don't have a seat at the summit, and their situation is strictly a matter for the Night Elves and has nothing to do with the Alliance as a whole.
Once the hosts were in place, Tyrande signaled to the trumpeters.
The horn sounded, and the division of the members of the alliance began.
The order of entry was determined by the draw, so there were no quarrels. And led by Gilbin Mecatok, who rode a mechanical chocobo. The gnomes were lucky enough to be the first delegation to enter. They were followed by the representatives of Theramore.
Each delegation wanted to demonstrate the best possible ability at their disposal. The gnomes carry amazingly terrifying machines with them. The dwarves, on the other hand, demonstrated their skill with warhammers, as well as their swiftness and agility disproportionate to their stubby frames.
Every time a faction walks into the entrance, their national anthem is played. The Night Elves stood in respect at the first sound, and remained so as delegations entered the room one by one.
Around the venue, the flags of the delegations fluttered, although the participants did not feel the slightest breeze. This purposeful wind is the work of the Great Druid.
Each team paused slightly in front of the High Priestess and the Grand Druid. The two Night Elves nodded to the faction leader or chief representative. It was another way for the duo to thank the attendees β and they hoped it would keep the guests in a good mood before the meeting began.
Stormwind was one of the last teams to play, but it was also one of the most impressive. Varian led a lean army of his finest soldiers, while the king himself wore a set of finely polished armor that shone like the sun. His breastplate was adorned with an ornate lion's head emblem, and his legendary sword hung from his waist. Walking beside him was Prince Anduin. Wears a blue and gold royal dress instead of armor.
As he walked up to Tyrande and Malfurion, Varian bowed to them. This dramatic exaggeration did not match his aloof attitude. But it didn't take for Malfurion or the High Priestess to figure out what it meant. The King of Stormwind has left.
Once all the members of the alliance were seated, Tyrande looked around and saw that everyone was waiting for the next process. She exchanged a hopeful look with the Grand Druid, and then stood up.
"Brothers and sisters of the Alliance, comrades, friends, I request that the voting congress begin!"
Delegates voted in the order in which they entered. The proposal was merely a formality, so it was passed without any controversy.
"My friends," Tyrande continued. "It is with great gratitude that the Grand Druids and I welcome you to this summit in these difficult times! β
Whispers of approval were heard in some delegations.
"We have many important issues to discuss," the High Priestess continued. "Many nations have suffered heavy losses since the madness of Deathwing tore Azeroth apart, and you should be rightly concerned about whether the Alliance will demand more from your people until the land is restored. I can't guarantee that. β
Now all the people cast wary eyes. But they respected Tyrande and her husband, so neither of them expressed their concerns about the subject...... At least not yet.
Malfurion touched her hand. Tyrande looked towards the entrance. Although she saw nothing, the Great Druid clearly saw some signals.
"But before we start talking about these issues formally, we have to make sure that every important member is there......!
The trumpet sounded...... Immediately afterwards, the national anthem of Gilneth was played.
People turned their heads to the entrance expectantly. Tyrande and Malfurion glanced at King Varian, but he remained unmoved.
When the first figure appeared, the whole venue fell silent. Jean Greymane, who walked into the hall with the flag of Gilnes, a red badge on a gray background, with three vertical lines resembling spears and a thin line running across the arc, walked into the hall with pride and strength, looking much younger. In contrast to the flamboyant attire of many of the attendees, Jean wore the simple, voluminous coat worn by the banquet. And when his people followed him into the venue, they were seen to be dressed equally simply.
Although he didn't have many retinues with him when he attended the banquet, Jean now had enough men to match the ranks of Stormwind. Jean clearly wanted to show others that he could be a formidable ally.
Yet, despite the seeming sturdy men and women of Gilneth and their fighting spirit, they were clearly unarmed. Even their flagpole does not have a spear tip on top of it, indicating that it cannot be used as any weapon. As if Gilneth wanted to prove to other countries that they didn't need such a thing at all.
Jean paused in front of the leaders of the Night Elves and saluted them as he had done before. Then, unlike other countries' entrance ceremonies, he raised the flagpole and slammed it into the ground. (To be continued......)