Lord Uland Ashfort quietly seethed in anger as he stalked through the hallways of his family’s ancestral manor with his guard captain and the merchant boy following behind him.

When one of his town guards came running into the dining hall yelling about the Sea Cutter sailing toward the town while being covered in strange creatures, Lord Ashfort had not known what to think.

He had promptly sent some guards to take his family somewhere safe and then gathered his men and formed a makeshift militia as quickly as possible, expecting to fight off some kind of invasion, but those expectations proved false.

Instead, he found himself astounded when he learned that the merchant ship he’d sent to Northrend had brought these spider creatures willingly to his shores and that they were some kind of diplomatic delegation!

It certainly didn’t help things that the creatures were from some kind of kingdom of giant spider people, and that they looked like the kind of monsters he would expect to find eating a peasant.

Forcing the monsters to stay on the ship was as much for their benefit as it was for his. There would almost certainly be an uncontrollable panic among the townspeople if those things were to go strolling through the streets.

A part of him wanted to turn around immediately and pull the full story out of the weasely little merchant, but he just knew that this story was one that his advisors would need to hear as well. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for them to reach his council’s meeting room, and Lord Ashfort was pleased to see his advisors already waiting for him.

Father Elric, a white-haired man in his older years of life, immediately ceased the conversation that he was having with House Ashfort’s seneschal, Warren Claridge.

Lord Ashfort stormed into the room without acknowledging the both of them and quickly made his way to take his seat at the end of the long table that sat in the middle of the room. As he sat down, he could see the merchant boy, Oscar, and guard captain, Gunar, follow in behind him and stand behind one of the chairs around the long table, waiting patiently for him to give them permission to sit.

Lord Ashfort glared silently at the merchant for several moments, watching him squirm, before giving everyone permission to sit in their respective seats. Seeing no reason to delay the meeting while his docks were infested with monstrous spider people, Lord Ashfort decided to start speaking immediately after everyone was seated.

“Explain to me now, in detail, what those creatures are and why you decided it would be a good idea to bring them to my lands without permission,” said Lord Ashfort, his voice steely as he directed his question to the merchant.

“Well, you see, it’s a bit of a long story,” Oscar said nervously, cringing back from his gaze.

“Under most circumstances, I would tell you to take a deep breath and take as much time as you need, but I’m afraid these are not most circumstances,” said Father Elric, his voice kind yet firm. “Please explain the situation as best as you are able so that we might make the best decisions we can for the people of Fairwater.”

“Right, of course,” said Oscar, calming down slightly. “Well, I suppose it started when we arrived at Moa’ki Harbor and greeted the tuskarr chieftain…”

What followed was an unbelievable tale that Lord Ashfort would expect to hear from a bard with an overactive imagination.

A giant underground kingdom that spanned half of Northrend? Wealth and resources that rivaled that of Quel'Thalas? Silk strong enough to lift buildings? A race of spiderlike creatures with a variety of different shapes and sizes? Fully trained warriors that were only four years old?

Any one of these things was enough for Lord Ashfort to scoff in disbelief, if not for the fact that he had seen both the creatures and the spatial bag filled to the brim with gold and gems with his own eyes.

First, there are rumors that Stormwind has been destroyed by an army of otherwordly creatures, and now a group of spider monsters have sailed into my port. What is the world coming to?

“This is quite concerning,” said Father Elric. “Especially if the news of Stormwind’s destruction at the hands of unknown creatures proves to be true. These are already chaotic times for the Eastern Kingdoms, even without the introduction of these ‘nerubians.’”

“Stormwind has been destroyed? What happened?!” Oscar said in shock. “I thought they were dealing with a rebellion at most.”

“Bit more than that, and now we are dealing with this,” said Guard Captain Gunar gruffly. “And if these creatures prove to be hostile, we ain’t got anything that can deal with a mage strong enough to flat-out stop a volley of bullets with a wave of his hands.”

Lord Ashfort’s expression darkened at the reminder.

House Ashfort had sent a request to Dalaran through Lordaeron’s House of Lords for a mage to advise them on matters of magic, but they were apparently ‘low priority’ for such things.

Ever since the War of the Seven Thrones that resulted in the official dissolution of the Arathorian Empire and the complete destruction of House Ashfort’s lands, and the fort that was once their namesake, their House had been much diminished. They had tried many times throughout the years to rebuild their House to its former glory, but they had not had much luck.

Lord Ashfort dearly wished that he had someone by his side who could give him council, but the only mage who was affiliated with their House was his second son who was currently studying in Dalaran.

“If Oscar’s claims in regards to the vast wealth of these people are accurate, then this could be a great boon for your House, my lord,” said Warren, his expression thoughtful.

“Trading with the walruspeople is one thing,” said Guard Captain Gunar, a hint of disgust in his tone. “But I ain’t really interested in watching these bug people skitter in and out of town.”

“The Light can be found in all creatures of this world,” said Father Elric reproachingly. “And these people have shown that they are willing to be diplomatic, which is better than the troll-like beings who brought ruin to Stormwind. It would behoove us to treat them with kindness until they prove themselves unworthy of our trust, despite their… unfortunate appearances.”

“If I may,” Oscar said hesitantly, interrupting the discussion. “I should make it clear that their diplomatic delegation has only come here with the intention of establishing diplomatic contact with the Eastern Kingdoms. Their kingdom is quite isolationist and I doubt that they would be willing to agree to any long-term trade agreement until after they meet with House Menethil.”

“Then why should I entertain allowing them to travel freely through my lands?” asked Lord Ashfort irritably. If he couldn’t make some gold by playing nice with the monsters, then why would he risk the safety of his people by letting them off the ship?

“There are a few reasons, my lord, beyond the fact they are already paying us quite the sum in gold and goods just for bringing them here,” said Oscar, sounding more confident now that he was now speaking on more familiar ground. “Firstly, just because they are not willing to sign a trade agreement with us now, does not mean that will always remain the case. It may happen that the relationship between the Crown and Azjol-Nerub develops in a favorable direction, with your name attached due to that success, and if that is the case then both Fairwater and your House will be in an incredibly advantageous position to benefit.”

That was certainly true. House Ashfort was in the best position to benefit from trade with a large kingdom from Northrend given that they already had experience sending ships there. The only other town that might benefit as much was Stratholme and they were located much further away.

“Secondly,” Oscar continued. “The nerubians intend to travel to Capital City as quickly as possible, and have no desire to stay in the town for very long.”

That was a good point as well. The idea of sending the monsters on their way and making them somebody else's problem was an appealing idea.

“And finally,” said the merchant, his tone becoming more hesitant. “I should point out that… I do not believe that you have much choice in the matter, my lord. The nerubian delegation includes multiple powerful mages as well as a powerful being known as a Spiderlord. Having had the opportunity to get to know these people… I do not think they would react well if you attempted to stop them.”

Lord Ashfort bristled at the idea that his lands were too weak to prevent the monsters from doing as they pleased, but he forced down his indignation and accepted the reality of the situation.

He glanced at his Guard Captain, but the man just shook his head indicating that he also thought that they had poor odds.

From there, the meeting mostly resolved around matters of logistics and how they could get the creatures out of their town as quickly as possible. They decided to send one of their fastest riders to Capital City in order to warn the crown about the situation. At the insistence of Father Elric, they even decided to send an escort with them that would act to make certain that nothing unfortunate happened along the way.

It’ll also be wise to make certain that the things don’t go running off into the countryside and start eating peasants, Lord Ashfort thought cynically. I don’t envy House Menethil right now. Things in Capital City are about to reach a boiling point given that the creatures will arrive around the same time that the rulers of the other human kingdoms do.

He was suddenly pulled out of his musings by the sound of someone knocking on the door to the meeting room.

“Enter,” Lord Ashfort called out immediately, worried that the monsters had done something that required his attention.

As soon as he called out, the door opened and one of his guards walked through.

“My Lord! The militia has been thrown into a panic by some kind of massive monster on the ship!”

Massive monster? He must be talking about the so-called ‘Spiderlord.’

Lord Ashfort had looked at the ship through a spyglass and seen some of the monsters infesting it, but he had not gotten a good look at the Spiderlord. According to Oscar, the thing was a confidant of the ruler of their kingdom and had been sleeping in a giant silk cocoon throughout the trip.

Lord Ashfort immediately got up, strode out of the room, and started making his way to the docks with his advisors following close behind him. If something tragic happened because the militia was panicking and they did something stupid, then the consequences for his people could be catastrophic.

When he reached the docks, the first thing he saw was a bunch of panicked men yelling and pointing their weapons toward the docks.

“Calm down you fools! Are you men? Or are you a bunch of cowardly children who lose your discipline the moment you see something that frightens you?!” yelled Lord Ashfort, his voice carrying over the crowd and causing the men to cease their hysteria.

It took several more moments for Lord Ashfort to finish calming down his men, but he eventually managed it and decided to turn his attention to the creature that had caused them to panic. He could immediately understand why the mere sight of the creature, and the thought that they might have to fight it, would strike fear into the heart of men.

Upon the deck of the ship was a massive monster that stood at a height greater than three fully grown men and looked like some kind of disgusting combination of a beetle and a spider.

It possessed a thick scarab-like carapace that was predominantly blue but held a gold color around its edges. Instead of having hands like the others of its kind, the Spiderlord seemed to only have two scythe-shaped arms as if to make clear that the monster's only purpose was the application of violence. It also had a single large horn protruding from its forehead that he was sure was more than capable of skewering a fully grown man, and its four eyes were calmly staring at him with a disturbing amount of intelligence.

“By the Light,” whispered Father Elric in awe.

The rest of his advisors were not doing much better.

Lord Ashfort ruthlessly pushed down the shudder than wanted to flow through his body and wrenched his gaze away from the creature and turned it to the man he had left in charge, demanding a report on what had happened while he was gone.

Apparently, after he had left, the ship had been safely docked and the monsters began freeing the Spiderlord from its cocoon. His men followed his instructions and escorted the ship’s captain and all of the sailors off of the ship and then interrogated them about what happened while they were in Northrend. Their stories were consistent with what Oscar had told him and there was no evidence of any of the men being harmed.

The two members of the Explorer’s League that had paid him to travel along with his ship had been a wealth of information, in particular.

After he was finished receiving the report, Lord Ashfort made his way over to the two spider mages that he had spoken to earlier while deliberately ignoring the gaze of the Spiderlord who turned to follow his movements.

“I have finished consulting with my advisors,” said Lord Ashfort, directing his statement to the one that Oscar had identified as the more friendly of the two. Despite technically being in charge of the delegation’s diplomacy, the one Oscar referred to as Vizier Hadix was apparently not particularly interested in talking to them. “We will finish speaking on this matter at my manor. The rest of your people will continue to remain on the ship until we reach an agreement.”

The two of them immediately broke out into conversation, speaking some kind of strange chittering language. Lord Ashfort was not able to read the expressions of the hideous creatures, but he was certain that he could sense an arrogant disdain radiating from the taller of the two. The Spiderlord also joined the conversation with a voice that sent a wave of dread running down his spine.

Fortunately, the other one was indeed as diplomatic as Oscar had claimed.

“Of course, Lord Ashfort,” said the monster that was named Krivax. “The two of us would be more than willing to discuss this matter with you so that we might reach an accord.”

It’s Common was strangely accented and a bit rough around the edges, but disturbingly good given the amount of time that it had been learning it at sea according to reports.

After giving the creature a stoic nod, Lord Ashfort turned and began leading his council and the two mages back to his manor, painfully aware of the gaze of the Spiderlord on his back the entire time.

Krivax was extremely glad that the ceilings of noble manors in Azeroth were apparently built high enough for him to fit inside, although just barely. He doubted that he would fit inside one of the houses that belonged to the normal townspeople, but it seemed that rich people loving large houses was a multiversal concept.

Though he had been forced to bend down through a few doors. Vizier Hadix simply cast a short ranged teleportation whenever he reached an inconvenient doorway.

They started the meeting through a round of introductions, each of them stating their various positions. Vizier Hadix showed an expression of interest once the kind-looking older man was introduced as a priest of the Church of the Holy Light, but he otherwise seemed bored and indifferent to the humans.

“I have been told by Oscar that you wish to travel to Capital City in order to meet King Terenas, correct?” asked Lord Ashfort as soon as everyone was properly introduced.

“Yes, Lord Ashfort, that is correct,” said Krivax.

In his past life, Lord Ashfort was the kind of man that Krivax would have found intimidating, but it was hard to be afraid of a person when they were just… so much smaller than you.

That and the fact Krivax could throw magic at people now.

“Good, then I will organize some of my men to escort you and your people to Capital City,” Lord Ashfort said decisively.

If Krivax still had eyelids, then he would have blinked in confusion.

Well… that was easy? Maybe Oscar got through to them and they are feeling more friendly toward us, thought Krivax, feeling hopeful.

“That way you can… make due haste through my lands as quickly as possible,” said Lord Ashfort, crushing Krivax’s growing optimism.

Oh…

Vizier Hadix let out a derisive chuckle but otherwise did not comment.

Krivax had hoped to form some kind of friendly relationship with House Ashfort given that their port was one of the most convenient for travel between the Northrend and the Eastern Kingdoms, but he doubted Lord Ashfort was interested in such a thing at this time.

Maybe later when the shock of their sudden arrival wore off he would be more open-minded.

“We understand, Lord Ashfort,” said Krivax politely. “We will leave for Capital City as quickly as circumstances allow. Thank you for allowing us passage through your lands.”

“If I may, I would like to join your escort,” said Father Elric amiably. “I believe I could help smooth over any difficulties in your initial meeting with Capital City’s authorities, and I would enjoy the opportunity to learn more about your people.”

Krivax was a bit surprised by the priest’s offer, but he did not have any problem with it.

“Vizier Hadix, should we take him up on his offer?” asked Krivax while speaking nerubian.

“Yes,” Hadix said immediately. “I would like the opportunity to study the magic that these humans refer to as the ‘Light.’”

“We accept your offer,” said Krivax, earning a smile from the priest.

“Excellent,” said Father Elric warmly. “I look forward to it. I am worried that the guards of Capital City are likely quite on edge given the current circumstances, so I am pleased that I will have the chance to smooth over any ruffled feathers.”

“Current circumstances?” asked Krivax, feeling a sense of foreboding.

“Oh, please excuse me. I forgot that you are new to these lands,” said Father Elric, his tone apologetic. “People are saying that Stormwind, a human kingdom far to the south, has been destroyed by an army of strange creatures and its remaining people fled here to Lordaeron not long ago. King Terenas has called for a meeting with the other human kingdoms to figure out how to respond to such a threat.”

“Oh? How convenient,” said Vizier Hadix, speaking in nerubian. “It significantly will streamline our efforts to have all of the human rulers in one city.”

“Just be sure not to say that in Common where the humans might hear you, Vizier,” Krivax hurriedly pointed out. “They might take offense.”

Vizier Hadix scoffed but did not refute him.

It did not need to be said that they were also ‘strange creatures’ as well and the guards of Capital City would be tense given their state of heightened security due to having so many foreign rulers visiting.

Vizier Hadix suddenly seemed much more interested in the meeting and began asking questions about Stormwind and what they knew about the creatures that had destroyed it.

Krivax tried his best to listen to the conversation, but it was hard when his attention was consumed with the news that he had just heard. Ever since Oscar had told him that King Llane was the current king of Stormwind, he had believed that he would arrive in the Eastern Kingdoms during the First War, but he now knew that the First War had just ended.

Now, the Second War was about to begin, and the Lich King would be created shortly afterward.