Guild Plot Starter Story: Korresh's Memoirs

This is the story I wrote to kick off our next guild-wide plot, enjoy.

Genavie groaned into her rotten palms, then rubbed her empty eye sockets with her fists. Finding a stray peppermint candy stuck behind where her tear ducts used to be, she plucked it out and flicked it across the wooden table in front of her irritably. The wax candle in front of her flickered, the melted wax oozing down its outside making her think of sand falling slowly through an hourglass.

After watching the candy skitter off the edge of the table Genavie levelled her gaze the small, leather-bound notebook resting on the table in front of her and heaved her chest in her best undead imitation of an exasperated sigh. Until recently the notebook had belonged to Korresh, her former Lieutenant in the Scythe, upon his execution for treason Genavie had taken possession of the book in the hopes it would contain vital intelligence about the schemes Korresh was most certainly involved in.

Reaching forward, Genavie began flipping through the pages. The small size of the notebook belied the volume of its contents; however, since even after several minutes of just glancing over pages Genavie had yet to reach the back cover. Geavie marvelled at the seemingly unlimited insight the book offered into the entirety of Korresh's unlife; all his research, thoughts, desires and secrets were laid bare before her.


Driven by self preservation, and a sense that Korresh's machinations were about to be the source of eminent danger for herself and the Scythe, Genavie was eager to make her way through the notebook. However, she had yet to find the time to read through the small library of pages the enchanted book seemed to contain. And, even though she had been scouring its pages with every spare moment she had, she still couldn't overcome the thought that time was running out.

Korresh had thrown his lot in with the Scythe years ago during the relatively peaceful time after the death of the Lich King and before the aspect of death had shattered the world and the Val'kyr had moved in. When she had first met him, he didn't seem particularly noteworthy to her. His bow was low, his hood was deep, his voice quiet and his demeanour that of a scholar. A stark contrast to Genavie herself as she always maintained that she was a very physical being, and openly suspected that her brain was the first thing to die. She judged Korresh to be a learned Forsaken who would be useful to have around, and left it at that.

It wasn't until weeks later, when Korresh asked to speak with her regarding the task he had been set in order to advance in the Scythe, that she'd even spared him a second thought. The Reaper who had taken Korresh as an Underling instructed that he give the leaders of the Scythe an in-depth lecture on the uses of fel magic along with a small demonstration. Deep in the woods of Silverpine, Korresh spoke with Genavie at length of the fel, how he used it, and what effects it caused. She was impressed with his knowledge, and even offered him a round of applause when he summoned a small, dog-like demon afterwards.

Korresh advanced to Reaper and, after the Shattering, Genavie promoted him to Lieutenant. It was a purely political move, and Genavie had no illusions about that. Korresh was smart, and devoted to 'understanding and speeding up the process of death' which is why he said he always scribbled into that notebook of his. He was a longstanding member of the Royal Apothecary Society, and she had wanted to send the message that years after the Wrathgate the Scythe wasn't ashamed of the Society, and by extension, it's work.

Azgrimm, the leader of the Scythe in name, but not in spirit, had understandable objections. He snarled when Genavie proposed Korresh's promotion, saying: “I consider Korresh to be an incompetent coward more wrapped up in his own survival than that of the unit. He is quick to retreat and slow to press any advantage we may have if it does not benefit him. You are well aware of my thoughts towards fel-tainted idiots and the treachery bound demons they employ. I would trust him more as ammunition for a plaguebringer than as a Lieutenant.”

“I agree Azgrimm.” Genavie countered, “He's not built for combat like you or I, but Korresh waits, watches and studies his foes. As a Deathstalker, I can appreciate this. I think with time, he'll challenge us and present us with new ways to kill things; if not, he's a symbol for the apothecaries.”

Begrudgingly, Azgrimm agreed as she knew he would.

Now, staring down at Korresh's notebook, she wanted to contact the Bronze Dragonflight to see if it was possible to go back in time to throttle her past-self with her own brainstem for being so foolish. After all, in retrospect, Korresh's treachery had been so obvious.

Genavie recalled vividly one of the first times she had conversed with Korresh in an environment the Forsaken might call 'social'. They had been walking slowly through Tirisfall, the two of them abreast on a path leading to a small scarlet outpost (such outposts were, even then, becoming a rare sight given the weakening of the red crusade). The scattered Scarlets, naturally, had a problem with two Forsaken walking quietly down the path in plain sight. But no sooner had they drawn their weapons and started to charge then they dropped dead, and neither Korresh or Genavie had lifted a finger against them.

“Your new Underling shows promise,” Korresh noted as a Scarlet feel to his knees near them, clutching vainly at a fatal knife wound across his neck. Genavie chuckled in response. Trevor, her Deathstalker in training, was busying himself in the shadows while the two of them walked quietly towards the outpost, providing the perfect distraction.

“That one Scarlet had a jawline much like yours, Korresh. For all I know he might have even more features that resemble yours, but your jawline is all I ever see with that hood.” She toed the body as they passed it. “Perhaps he was your wayward son from life? He was young.” She cast him a sidelong glace, curious as to his response. “Did you sire children when you lived?”

“I have no idea,” Korresh remarked impassively. “I don't recall my living years.”

“Much the same for me. However, if I knew of living sons and daughters of mine I would seek them out and bring their bodies before the Val'kyr. My only wish would be for them to serve the Dark Lady.” She shifted her focus, watching her underling chase Scarlet with a kidney wound across the field with the glee and enthusiasm of a dog chasing a ball.

Korresh turned his gaze as well, shaking his head as Trevor threw the eyeballs of Scarlet at the feet of another to distract them before garoting him silently. “My wish would be for them to be deeply loyal.” He remarked quietly.

“To the Dark Lady, you mean?” Genavie raised an eyebrow at Korresh.

“No, to whatever cause they deemed worthy.” He walked ahead of her then, and the conversation ended.

Genavie was pulled from her thoughts as a passage in Korresh's notebook leapt off the page at her, she read the passage in his notebook carefully.

“Am I surrounded by the worst of the brain rot? Perhaps many do not remember human behaviour, but it is as if the circumstances are openly rolling with irony. Oh yes, Azgrimm, the superficial head of the Scythe who cannot think two words beyond militant behaviour. He must have been a human father before undeath, the way his mind, or lack of one, works. It seems his only purpose is to keep everyone in line with useless regulations and missions that leave the Scythe no better off than it was before. Like a father who is enlisted in the military and gone across the world, I wish he would never come back with his bigotry and belligerence. If Azgrimm is a father, though, then Genavie is most certainly the mother. Oh how they loath one another, though I seem to be the only who can see it. They cannot operate without one another, but together they seem to staple their uselessness together into something impressively pointless.”

Genavie let out a hiss of anger, Korresh had been gracious enough about his promotion for an organization he thought was 'pointless' – though she knew she shouldn't be surprised. She was amused, however, that Korresh had thought she and Azgrimm loathed each other. He couldn't have been further from the truth, there was a great deal of trust between the two of them. Her curiosity piqued, she read on.

“Indeed I do believe the rumours that she is the one quietly in charge of the Scythe, manipulating that fool Azgrimm's decisions. A scheming mother indeed, but one with no backbone! She stands at the front and attempts to give orders with such frailty that practically pleads someone to come up and stamp her out of her position. I don't know why Azgrimm defends her the way he does. At least he has power, whereas Genavie is merely a bumbling, blind embarrassment, incapable of fighting, much less standing up to those who oppose her even in spirit.”

Genavie frowned, turning over the book to read the cover again. Was this Rasmorden's notebook? She had suspected Korresh knew she was the one leading the Scythe, though once again he had it all wrong because Azgrimm was involved. She was not a manipulator, pulling strings while Azgrimm remained unaware, though she didn't deny that was in her power. She and Azgrimm had purposefully set out with the intention of having her to lead from the shadows, because she believed that demonstrating power means having to defend it. Quietly, she was pleased Korresh thought her incapable as a fighter. Hopefully the others did as well.

She flipped back a few pages, reading the passages before the one that had drawn her attention back to the book. It expressed a legitimate fear:

“There can be little doubt for the reasoning behind my recent elevation in opportunity amongst the Scythe. The Dark Lady has always taught the Forsaken that it will be knowledge that wins this war, and as unintelligent as my 'overseers' are amidst the Scythe, even they must understand the penalty of not dealing with our greatest weapons: the Society. I have served faithfully in the Society since I was risen, and my knowledge cannot be missed, much less my purpose as liaison with them. The politics are all present, though it seems those Kor'kron have already indoctrinated even the Forsaken into a new belief system. It has always been and always will be "Death to the Living." There are no two ways about this. Even our 'allies' in the Horde have not forgotten this, but our own race has failed to. Do they not understand why the other races even commune with us at all? We are tireless, sleepless, slaves for the Horde. Should we be subdued, it would be better off to be underneath the Lich King's reign once more. Now we are helping with the Horde war effort, but what next? Are we to build their cities to grandness as we did our Undercity for our Queen? Judging by how easily we bend knee to the Orcs, the thought of being the new labor force in Orgrimmar is not far off.”

Genavie rubbed her chin. As a Deflier, she seldom bore witness to the oppression her Apothecaries claimed. She was serving the Dark Lady openly in the Basin, unhindered. Flipping forward through the pages again, she caught sight of a passage that made her skeletal fingers clench the book tightly:

“Things are going well, but what else could be expected when surrounded by these likes? My absences have been longer and longer, and the coffer funds grow smaller and smaller. For months a mirror fooled Genavie. A mirror! With the gold that the Scythe has so generously offered to me, I have been able to double my research. It is only a matter of time before I rise in position in the Society with this type of progress, and then I will no longer need the Scythe. They are so ambivalent to my presence that I fully expect to be able to simply take this artifact they are currently searching for. In their own brutish ways, Genavie and Azgrimm chide me for my distaste in physical combat, but have they forgotten that I was tasked for over three years to study demonology? I dislike communing with demons as much as ever, but the power I have gained between that and the Society are the likes that would rival anything a single Scythe member would bring my way. I am doing it for their own good, anyway. For the good of the Forsaken. Their stupidity rivals that of the Kor'kron, so those with a clear head must resort to working around such barriers. The first to die will be those disgusting brutes 'guarding' our city, and then any traitors who would disagree with such an action. The Banshee Queen's power will be absolute once we have thrown off our chains.”

And there it was, everything that Korresh had revealed weeks earlier when the Scythe had found the 'artifact' they were searching for in an attempt to refill the coffers that Korresh himself had stolen from! Genavie shook her head. Much like Putress, Korresh played his hand too soon. He had tired to steal the vial of the sands, the artifact they had been searching for, and failed. When the Scythe probed him, he snapped.

A closet Putress supporter, Korresh foolishly laid all his plans and allegiances bare. He must have believed it was all over, and in many ways it was. Genavie had thought his mad rant about 'funding his project' was bravado, a lie to buy him more time in the form of an interrogation. Even still, given his recent betrayal Genavie was not about to take any chances; and so, before the angry mob - safe from the prying eyes of any guards - had ripped Korresh apart like a cloth puppet, she took his notebook, thinking that at the very least it was insurance - a way to prove whether his rant was more than a ploy.

Now, sitting at her table, she knew it was so much more and the book in her hands was the only thing that would be able to tell her more about whatever it was Korresh had been planning, and whether it was actually powerful or complete enough to threaten the Kor'kron in the Undercity. Panic flooded Genavie's mind, not out of concern for the Orcish lives that might be lost, but for the repercussions the Forsaken would face if it happened. Or what would happen to her and the Scythe if they were caught with the blueprints to a mad Forsaken's doomsday device.

Anxiously, she read on.

If you want to read Korresh's full, unabridged journal entry you can read it here.