Dead Hand Protocol

**Dead Hand Protocol** refers to a concerted effort by rogue death knights to bring about a terrible fate.

## Background

In May of 37 L.C., Jeremaias Auromere traveled to Lakeshire in the Redridge Mountains to address reports of grave robbery and necromancy in the area and lend assistance if he could. After uncovering the culprit--Edial Redblade--he defeated the death knight and drove him out of the region and into hiding.

However, during the Dark Dreams Incident, evidence surfaced that Redblade might not have stayed in hiding, and recently re-emerged to wreak even greater havoc.

## Phase One

### **Bone to Pick (Sept. 26)**

Commander Opalarie D'Ath of the Unbroken had collected a discarded runeblade at Beggar's Haunt during the Dark Dreams Incident, and brought it to Acherus for identification.

In September, she received a reply that the runeblade belonged to Edial Redblade and that he was wanted by the Ebon Blade; they requested that she inspect Beggar's Haunt further, and provided a runed orb that would awaken the spirits of whoever might have been slain there.

After examining the site, Opalarie activated the orb, and the ghost of a necromancer rose and began to play out his last moments. He appeared to be carrying out some sort of surgical procedure on an unseen subject. Once he had finished, he was soul-drained by a warlock, and then death-gripped, his neck crushed. The body that had lain there, unburied, was his.

The ghosts of past victims then rose and, angered at their disturbed slumber, attacked the Unbroken's party. The party fought them off, and would later purge and cleanse the area. Opalarie took the skull of the late necromancer to be examined by Acherus for more information.

Later, the extent of the necromancer's work would be revealed: plating and even replacing Redblade's bones with saronite, and implanting several gemstones in his body to enhance his strength, resilience, and magical skill.

### **Plus Ca Change (Sept. 27)**

The next incident involved the Blacktide Brethren, led by Lord Vlad von Wraith. On their way to a raid on an outpost in the Howling Fjord, their path took them through the Ember Clutch, where they discovered a dead Guardian, its body hewn and gnawed.

Upon investigating, they discovered a tauren death knight directing a gaggle of ghouls in taking down a proto-drake. The Brethren, who hate the undead more than they love treasure, attacked the enemy and swiftly pulled them down. The tauren, wounded, made her escape while they were busy with her ghouls and the dying, frenzied drake.

The party soon discovered that something much more than hunting was going on here. Wagons full of proto-drake bones were being shipped out, and a great pit full of discarded meat and scales lay open and rotting. Scrying the remaining wagon seemed to point the party to Zul'Drak...

### **Shoot the Messenger (Sept. 28)**

The Knights of Ashfall arrived at Dun Modr on reports of a death knight they had been hunting. Mitchell Elderson had appeared on the Thandol Span, and when challenged to identify himself, killed a group of mountaineers and taken refuge in an alcove below the bridge.

The Knights carried out a plan to drive him out from the room: invade from three doorways, forcing him out through the fourth and into the waiting armaments of the rest of the party. Encircled and beset, Elderson used life-draining abilities to fight them and sustain himself--though these proved grossly inadequate. He was slain, and his crumbling body fell from the bridge into the inlet.

Upon searching the alcove where he had sheltered, the Knights discovered a letter detailing something about Edial Redblade exercising control over other death knights, including Harold Nelson, another rogue Ebon the Knights were sworn to pursue.

Upon discovering this, Jeremaias published a notice of a Town Hall meeting to gather information.

### **Bad Tactics, Bad Targets (Oct. 1)**

The Knights of Solidarity, shortly thereafter, had their own distress call to answer. A village contacted them, complaining of something stalking their streets at night, and robbed graves. The Knights, under Johnathan Beredric, made their best haste, but arrived too late.

The village was completely depopulated, except for a half-elven death knight who identified himself as Erthan the Rejected. In conversation, he spoke of purging weakness, of having been mistreated due to his heritage, and finally agreed to "return" the children of the village to the Knights.

The children were no longer children, but had been slain and raised to undeath. Erthan presented them to the Knights, saying that the weak had now been made strong, and that Illidan's acts had taught him that there were no sacrifices too great to make for the Greater Good.

Erthan was defeated, and escaped through a hastily-constructed portal; upon his departure, the undead once again became inanimate.

Later investigation would link Erthan with Edial Redblade.

### **Routine Maintenance (Oct. 2)**

The Greyshields, still weary after their battle on Argus, took what should have been a fairly straightforward contract: to escort a group of Explorer's League archaeologists to Uldaman, in the Badlands, for a routine examination of the site.

However, when they arrived, the mercenary company discovered that the digsite was overrun not by Reliquary personnel or Dark Iron dwarves, as had been the case in the past, but by mechanically-enhanced ghouls and geists. These did not move or interact unless provoked, it was discovered. They appeared to be guarding a structure forged of saronite, resembling a large lotus, that was connected to a cable that ran into Uldaman.

The Greyshields engaged and cleared the site of the undead, with the assistance of their Explorer's League clients; in the depths, however, they discovered a very disturbing variety of flesh giant, resembling the infamous Grobbulus from Naxxramas.

The flesh giant was destroyed, and the Explorer's League sent to Ironforge for military guard to secure the site. Later investigation would reveal that the lotus construct was designed to transfer power from the Titan energy source in the depths of Uldaman, to something else...

### **Betrayed (Oct. 3)**

Viscount Phineas Townesende, unaccountably afraid for his life, hired the Wolves of Dawn to serve as bodyguards, to supplement his town guards. Renualt Shadow deployed his finest to the house, and all was quiet.

However, during their assignment, Townesende abruptly emerged from his bedchamber and ordered them out of the house. Not long after, there were the sound of someone moving around upstairs, and then a bloodcurdling scream of death.

The Wolves discovered that Townesende was dead, impaled through the chest by a wide blade, and there was frost around the edges of the wound. Gemstones had been planted around the house, which summoned wraiths to attack the party.

The Wolves fought off the wraiths, and turned over the case to the local guard. But they were now out a contract, and a death knight would have to pay...

### **Special Delivery (Oct. 4)**

The Storm Glaive, the crew of the *Skylance* airship, agreed to take a shipment of "enhancement gems" to the soldiers at Westguard Keep in the Howling Fjord. The client, a Harold Nelson, was said to be a high-ranking member of the Stormwind Army.

However, as the *Skylance* crossed a specific ley line under the sea between the Broken Isles and Northrend, the gemstones seemed to empower--and activate, summoning wraiths. Captain Aldorae Starseeker and Captain Tyrnathera led the crew to defend themselves.

During the fight, the ship abruptly changed course to angle more eastward; the crew arrived on the bridge to discover that the bridge crew had been transformed into a single hideous mass of flesh, which was using tentacles to control the wheel.

The mass was burnt out, and, intent on finding out who was responsible for this, the *Skylance* followed this new course...to discover an active necropolis. Kolramas, in Zul'Drak, had been repaired, and was airborne.

### **Hole in the Wall (Oct. 5)**

*See also "Hole in the Wall scene"*

The Valorborne, whose holdings are in the Redridge Mountains, answered the call of the local populace. The people had noticed strange phenomena taking place around an old, abandoned mine. When questioned regarding it, they spoke of hauntings around it, being beckoned to the mine.  But those who followed the lead and approached the mine abruptly announced that “I turned back”--and even when questioned, they agitatedly repeated over and over that they turned back.

The Valorborne began to approach the mine, and swiftly encountered one of the apparitions: a young man, dressed in ordinary clothes, beckoning them to follow him before disappearing. It led them to the mine in question, where they were immediately affected by a strong fear and revulsion of the mine.

However, they brought their will to bear, and managed to overcome the compulsion to flee. In the mouth of the cave, they found a construct of bones and other dead matter, which was emanating this magic; they destroyed it, and the compulsion stopped. The apparition appeared again, and led them into the mine.

Deep within, they encountered a memory, a scene playing itself out, that told of one Edial Redblade, a death knight, and his plan to bring all people under his banner through undeath. The apparition, after the memory concluded, moved to one of the piles of bones, and disappeared in the Light.

### **In Bad Faith (Oct. 6)**

The Melrony Crime Family had an interest in Viscount Townesende, and after word of his sensational death got out, they decided to settle an old debt by self-help.

After several relatively unnecessary murders, they entered Townesende's manor in Saren's Verge, which had been sealed as a crime scene, and began to plunder the building. They missed a fair amount of value, but discovered among his effects his signet ring, and a large and clearly valuable gold statuette of a lion. These they took, and blew out the front wall of the house in an effort to cover their escape.

They took a portal to the men's club owned by the Melrony family, only to suddenly find that some of their treasures had been enchanted with a trap. The food within the kitchen reformed itself into terrible monsters of undeath, and attacked them and the guests.

After the undead golems were destroyed, a vision appeared and told them that they surely had been defeated, but not to worry; he would come to raise them soon, and add them to his army of the undead. He referenced some magical trinket that he felt he was owed by Townesende.

## Town Hall Meeting

On October 7, those who had encountered Redblade's machinations gathered in Lakeshire to piece together what they knew. Each group shared their knowledge, and soon, it became clear: This Edial Redblade meant to carry out an operation against the world that could potentially lead to the end of life on Azeroth.

Jeremaias Auromere moderated the meeting, and by acclamation, was appointed commander of the coalition force that would oppose Redblade.

## Interim (Oct. 7-8)

Pursuant to his appointment, Auromere proceeded to rent an office space in Dalaran through his investment company, Northlight Enterprises. There, the coalition coordinated their efforts, scouting, striking, and culling the enemy over the next week.

## War of Attrition

### **October 8 - Scouting Kolramas**

The first order of business was to confirm reports from the town hall meeting. A party was dispatched, led by Auromere, to investigate the situation on the ground at Kolramas.

The party discovered that the necropolis had indeed been repaired, and was active, with a teleporter at its base. The area around said teleporter was saturated with mur'ghouls--undead murlocs--and flooded with plague-ridden waters. In the distance, Sesshen Stalewater, a jinyu death knight, was spotted.

One portion of the party accidentally alerted the nearby mur'ghouls, and a second, led by Johnathan Beredric, attempted to use the ongoing skirmish as a diversion while they moved for the teleporter. However, Beredric's party encountered heavy resistance--and attracted the attention of Stalewater, who moved to intercept them. It was necessary for the rest of the scouting party to move to aid Beredric's group, and the *Skylance* arrived in time to teleport them to safety.

### **October 9 - Scouting Mogu'shan Terrace**

On the next day, reports arrived from the Shado-Pan of undead creatures. A scouting party arrived at the mountains above the Terrace's balcony, and noted the presence of *Jiang-shi* (mogu ghosts) and gargoyles, as well as another of the saronite devices the Greyshields had captured.

Some of the undead were alerted, and swiftly put down, but most remained at the site, immobile and impassive.

### **October 9 - Scouting Talramas**

Fizzcrank Airstrip in the Borean Tundra reported a heavy increase of undead activity around Talramas, a necropolis that had crashed during the Lich King's War. Commander Opalarie D'Ath took a scouting party out to look around.

There, they discovered that this necropolis was also aloft and under repair, and a fresh horror: constructs of flesh and sinew and bone, joined together to create mockeries of plant life. These creatures, dubbed "gutlashers" and "mandra-gore-a", swarmed about the teleporter that granted entry to Talramas, and fought against the still-living magnataur and kobolds in the area.

The party attempted to get closer, but failed several times to evade detection. Finally, a reanimated magnataur, its body swarming with terrible fungal strands, struck at the party; they threw it down, severed its head, and brought samples back to Dalaran for inspection and testing.

The presence of these horrible, druid-like necromantic constructs confirmed that Tora Rothoof was the death knight in command of the necropolis.

### **October 10 - Superiority: Mogu'shan Terrace**

The time had arrived to strike at the power uplink and its guardians. A strike team formed and traveled to the location.

From hot-air balloons, the party dropped to the terrace balcony, using Goblin Glider Kits to descend at a safe velocity. Upon landing, they were immediately assaulted by *jiang-shi,* but after some coordinated effort, put the creatures back to their slumber.

The party, led by Auromere, approached the entrance, where stood the power uplink and its dozens of gargoyle and *jiang-shi* guardians. Despite Auromere's directions to the contrary, Mikellus and Barlenn Swordbane drew the attention of the gargoyles, and the entire remainder of the undead guardians attacked.

The party was very nearly slaughtered, but managed to pull out a victory thanks to a bombardment from the *Skylance*. Auromere then used spirium to destroy the power uplink, superheating and then cooling it rapidly.

Two of the uplinks were now disabled.

### **October 11 - Scouting Zeramas and Culling Kolramas**

Two parties were dispatched on the night of October 11: one to cull mur'ghouls at Kolramas, and one to scout the area around Zeramas, a necropolis to its northwest.

The scouting party set out from Ebon Watch and moved east, taking up posts around the site to observe. It was swiftly determined that Erthan the Rejected was present, and the region around the necropolis was dedicated to creating unholy mergers of undeath and machine not unlike the creature the Greyshields fought at Uldaman.

But before the scouting party could take action, a distress call went up from Kolramas; the culling party had been swarmed, and required assistance. The scouting party charged to the rescue, relieved the culling party, put down the remaining mur'ghouls that were attacking, and withdrew before Stalewater could move to intercept them.

The missions were, overall, a success, cutting back the mur'ghoul population.

### **October 12 - Superiority: Obelisk of the Moon**

Tol'vir scouts confirmed the location of another power uplink at the Obelisk of the Moon, in Uldum. A strike team formed to make its move.

At the site, more of Rothoof's constructs were discovered. The area teemed with gutlashers and mandra-gore-a, which the party swiftly put down. However, a portion of the party hung back, claiming to be "reserves", and leaving the front line to bear the entire burden of the fight.

The exterior was quickly cleared due to the prowess of the front line, leaving only the forces within. The long corridor into the Titan obelisk was crowded with hostiles, but two grenades from Renualt Shadow neutralized most of them. The rest of the targets, weakened, rushed outward to be caught in a box formation by the party and destroyed.

Within, two mandra-gore-a of particularly tough construction and many gutlashers guarded the uplink. The party formed a wedge just inside the door, allowing maximum range of attack on the enemy but protecting the casters behind them from direct assault.

Successful, the party deployed the spirium charges and melted down the power uplink. Three were now destroyed, with one left to go.

### **October 13 - Superiority: Halls of Stone**

A group of mountain climbers had recklessly attempted to scale the cliff at Ulduar. Though they were successful, they were stunned to find that there were undead waiting for them. They fled, and contacted the Explorer's League, who passed the word on to Auromere.

Based upon the signs at the previous sites, Auromere conjectured that this one, at the Halls of Stone, was maintained by Harold Nelson, a particularly sadistic death knight who specialized in traps and who had control over Naxxanar. Between this probability and the low population of undead at the site, the assault team assembled was much smaller.

The Wolves of Dawn attempted to summon a sky golem to take point and protect the party from having to risk them; however, a ghoul caused damage enough to make the golem run haywire and attack the party instead.

The team lured various undead down the bridge to the Halls, which turned out to be the best idea; the path was a gauntlet of traps, which the ghouls triggered on themselves. More ghouls emerged from the snow and attacked their compatriots, mindlessly answering their directive to kill whatever set off their trap. Most of the enemy were dispatched in like manner.

Finally, the party put down the remaining undead at the uplink itself, with only minor fire damage to the fur of Ianros. However, Nelson's cruelty went further; as Auromere used the spirium charge on the uplink, two steel rods fired, at chest level, from the uplink and impaled him.

Auromere was saved by Bastet's timely magical intervention, but he would be unable to join assault teams for some time due to the loss of two ribs.

The power uplinks were now all destroyed, and it was time to make a move against the necropoleis themselves.

### **October 14 - Culling Talramas**

The burden of command fell to Opalarie D'ath. Given her connections with the gnomes at Fizzcrank Airstrip, she opted to assault Talramas, and attempt to rout the enemy at that location.

The assault began with a bombardment on the enemies in the vicinity. Under the cover of that bombardment, a smaller strike team moved toward the teleporter, slaying what enemies crossed their path. Rothoof had deployed almost all of her creations.

The teleporter could not be breached; it was sealed. However, a massive culling had been carried out successfully, and caused Redblade to panic.

He ordered all four necropoleis to launch. At this point, they began their long flight to their intended destinations on the four continents of Azeroth, there to carry out their terrible work of destruction...

*See also The Necropoleis' Launch (DHP)*

## The Tables Turned

*Also known as Phase Two.*

Each of the necropoleis was now in flight, and would be intercepted by the coalition forces. Because of the toxic nature of the undead in general, and the unknown cargo and crew of each structure, it was not desirable to shoot the necropoleis down, even over open water.

The standard method of approach was to overtake the necropolis in flight using two airships belonging to the coalition: the *Skylance* of the Storm Glaive company, and the *Silverwing* of the Knights of Solidarity. As they approached, one ship would take point and fire on the gargoyles and other small targets circling the necropolis, while the second delivered the boarding party.

While within the necropolis, the party set up resonance modifiers on the four crystals that powered and piloted the structure, slowing and then halting its advance and opening the path to its command center up top. There, the party confronted the lieutenant and defeated him or her.

### **Talramas (October 15)**

*Commander: Johnathan Beredric*

Auromere being temporarily disabled, command of the strike teams was assigned to Duke Johnathan Beredric. Due to the catastrophic damage that was done to Rothoof's forces, there were very few of her gutlashers and mandragore-a to resist the party. The coalition force swiftly advanced to Rothoof's command center, and battle was joined in earnest.

Rothoof made use of toxic spores. She also continued to command her blasphemous "plants", using necrotic tendrils to grasp her enemies and drain them of life until the tendrils were severed.

Despite her prowess, she was the first to fall, and the coalition then moved on to their next target.

### **Kolramas (October 16-18)**

*Commander: Sauldrik Thelenmore*

Kolramas' path took it over Westguard Keep, where the cannon batteries fired upon the swarms of gargoyles around it, terminating most of them. From that point, Kolramas had moved out over the seat and along the eastern coast of Highmountain before it was intercepted.

The crystals within the necropolis were guarded by swarms of mur'ghouls, which were fierce but strangely unwilling to move away from frozen orbs placed around the area. The party swiftly realized that, like the puddles at its previous location, these orbs were providing needed hydration and cold for the mur'ghouls to remain intact, and concentrated on destroying the orbs before finishing off the monsters.

Stalewater himself, when confronted, had four of these orbs that maintained his bodily structure and function to the point of healing his wounds as rapidly as they were inflicted. They also fueled his ice-spike attacks, which were nearly devastating to the party. However, after the orbs were destroyed, Stalewater expired swiftly.

### **Zeramas (October 19-22)**

*Commander: Vindicator Phystalla*

Zeramas, the domain of Erthan the Rejected, passed over the southeastern point of the Howling Fjord, and along the eastern coast of Highmountain and Stormheim before plotting a course for Tirisfal Glades. The strike team intercepted it over the ocean.

Zeramas was guarded and defended not by swarms of ghouls and other such, as the previous necropoleis; each propulsion crystal was guarded instead by two of the large flesh giants, similar to the one encountered in Uldaman. Attempts were made to stealth past, but the giants were not deceived, and the team was divided and forced to fight on two fronts.

The first attempt only neutralized one crystal; a second was required to finish the remainder. On the third night, the assault on Erthan himself took place. Erthan utilized mind-control magics, turning the team members on one another. In one final attempt to take revenge for his defeat, Erthan attempted to take control of Raaxine's mind, and force her to commit suicide. But in a show of unbreakable will, Raaxine struck not against herself, but against him, and finished the lieutenant off.

### **Naxxanar (October 23)**

*Commander: Jeremaias Auromere*

Naxxanar was the last to fall, though it had the shortest route. Its path carried it from the Borean Tundra, over Agmar's Hammer, where the Horde fired upon it; and past the Wyrmrest Temple, where the combined might of the dragons intercepted and slowed its progress.

The strike team, commanded by a newly-recovered Auromere, moved with great caution into the necropolis. There were no hostiles within, only suspicious silence. Upon investigation, each of the propulsion crystals was discovered to be trapped--in keeping with Nelson's modus operandi. Each trap was carefully disarmed or otherwise evaded.

Nelson's own lair was itself heavily equipped with traps and security measures. He moved from point to point around the room, pursued by the team, enabling different spells and snares, then moving on to the next. Nelson finally fell, though the team was significantly wounded.

### **Memories of the Fallen**

Thanks to Opalarie's diligence, the remains of the four fallen lieutenants were forwarded to Acherus for inspection. The memories of some of the death knights were recovered--not only filling in details of their histories, but also of what remained of Edial's plot and forces.

In summary, there were three frostwyrms, each of them imbued with some power that Edial once wielded. If they were destroyed far enough away from him, those powers would be lost to him.

Each frostwyrm was tracked down, bound, and attacked. In order to keep them from fleeing back to Edial, they were held in place by magical runes. When the strike team arrived, the magi maintaining the runes withdrew; the teams then had to stagger the use of their runes.

### Blightwing

Blightwing, the frostwyrm of Unholiness, was the first to be destroyed. It placed Marks of Pestilence on its victims, which it then activated as it neared destruction. Those Marks resulted in serious, near-death illness to those marked.

### Gorefang

Gorefang was the frostwyrm of Blood, and second to fall. It used life-draining magics, and as it neared its end, made a last-ditch effort to drain everyone around it of life.

### Hoarfrost

Hoarfrost, the frostwyrm of Ice, was the last to fall, and the toughest. The party ran out of binding runes, and it nearly fled to its master before it was put down. It used a "frostbite" spell, which made its victims clumsy and less able to defend themselves.

## Gone to Ground (October 29)

With the destruction of his three frostwyrms, and the powers with which he had imbued them, Edial Redblade was on his own. The scouting and search parties found him swiftly, and at some cost, drove him to take shelter in a cave near Ulduar.

It was there that the coalition met him once more in battle, led by Auromere.

Edial demonstrated that, even without the powers with which he imbued his frostwyrms, he was a formidable enough enemy that a full war party was warranted. He used the powers of his late lieutenants with some skill, from ice spikes to drain spells to mind control. He summoned wave after wave of ghouls, reconstituting them even after they were destroyed. But though his powers seemed limitless, he was defeated.

At the extremity of his life, he seized Auromere and triggered a mass destruction spell. Auromere got free by severing the arm that held him, and the party fled to avoid destruction.

When they returned, they found only a few saronite bones...and a gemstone that had lain within Edial's body.

## Aftermath

The necropoleis were towed back to their original locations, and between the damage done to the structures and the efforts of local forces to clear up the few remaining undead minions, it was as if nothing had ever happened there.

The coalition now stood stronger than ever, an alliance forged in fire and teamwork. They would remain fast friends, with an increased respect and honor for one another. Only time would tell if it would last...

The gemstone found in Edial's few remains was examined by Dalaran magi. Dubbed "the Heart of Dominion", it is cut in such a way as to reinforce the will of the user on reality itself. A second gemstone to be discovered by the coalition forces, some began to speculate that this and the Dark Dreams Incident were not unconnected...

*See the End Credits for further repercussions...*