There is no place for the Alliance in Medivh's vision for the future.
All of this required the approval of King Varian, the mobilization of the Alliance's massive war machine, and a voluntary march towards destruction.
"But I couldn't convince Varian," Maraad said regretfully. "I think I messed things up."
Khadgar smiled and shook his head, "It's alright, you've done very well. Varian wavered and refused the Scourge's help, and that's enough."
In no sense was Varian a qualified King.
A qualified King should be cunning, treacherous, adept at playing both sides, skilled at disguise, and neither easily compromise with any party nor casually offend any party.
Varian is essentially a hothead, easily led astray.
By refusing the goodwill of the New Lich King, Duke Bolvar, Varian has driven himself into a dead end, a situation he sadly remains unaware of.
The next morning, as Varian entered Stormwind Keep, Khadgar and Maraad arrived uninvited. They righted the fallen Draenor sand table and patiently redrawn it, correcting the errors on it.
Varian was very uncomfortable; the two men's intrusion was extremely impolite and an offense to the King's dignity.
However, Khadgar was Medivh's disciple and one of the world's top Archmages, with the right to freely enter and leave the royal court, so Varian had no choice but to treat him with courtesy.
Khadgar, beaming with excitement, began with measured inflection, "Maraad, please continue to tell His Majesty the King about the Seven Heroes of Draenor."
Maraad, brimming with confidence, pointed to the location of Shadowmoon Valley on the sand table:
"Shadowmoon Valley is one of the Draenei settlements, yet on this very land, one Orcs single-handedly Pain Suppression all the Draenei, causing us to live in fear and dare not leave our cities. He is Ner'zhul, chieftain of the Shadowmoon Clan. Ner'zhul did not have the dramatic life of other Orcs chieftains, simply because he was too powerful, never experiencing any setbacks, his life was always smooth sailing. Cruelty and ruthlessness, unwavering will—none of these apply to Ner'zhul, for he is a Blasphemer."
Khadgar was slightly moved, stroking his chin as he said, "I am somewhat bothered by this form of address."
Maraad gripped the edge of the sand table with both hands, trembling uncontrollably. "Among the seven heroes of Draenor, Ner'zhul is an extremely powerful and deeply hidden figure. If he wanted to, he could destroy Draenor at any time. In fact, we all know the future of Draenor; the devastation of Outland is all thanks to Ner'zhul."
Khadgar was naturally aware of that history, and now, thinking about it carefully, Ner'zhul did indeed almost destroy a world.
Maraad's voice trembled as he said, "Shadowmoon Valley is shrouded in a dark power. We Draenei know best that it is the fallen Naaru K'ara, Orcs call the Dark Star. The Naaru are the Draenei's faith; though fallen, they remain our sacred deities. However, Ner'zhul has successfully awakened the Ancient Beast Emperor and taken control of the Dark Star."
Khadgar's expression changed; he had only intended to persuade Varian, but he had unexpectedly gained something from this.
Although he was familiar with this history, he didn't know it in as much detail as Maraad, who was directly involved. He asked with a puzzled expression:
Who is the Ancient Beast Emperor?
Maraad turned pale at the mention of this name:
"The Ancient Beast Emperor was the first emperor of the Orcs. Hundreds of years ago, our Draenei entered the Draenor World, aboard hundreds of large and small ships, numbering in the millions. The Ancient Beast Emperor, single-handedly, shot down most of the Draenei's ships, killed thousands of Naaru, and caused the deaths of over a million Draenei. Although the Ancient Beast Emperor perished, his spirit still protects the Orcs. For hundreds of years, we Draenei have hidden in our cities, out of fear of the Ancient Beast Emperor."
The once composed Khadgar was now bewildered. "I crossed the Dark Portal to conquer Draenor, how come I've never heard of the Ancient Beast Emperor?"
Maraad whispered, "That's because Sargeras intervened, tearing the soul of the Ancient Beast Emperor apart with unparalleled power."
Varian slammed his fist on the sand table and roared angrily:
"So we are facing the Ancient Beast Emperor from thirty-five years ago. Which of us is Sargeras? Khadgar, is it you?"
Khadgar hung his head and remained silent, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. The Ancient Beast Emperor could defeat thousands of Naaru, even if he was reduced to a mere remnant soul, could kill him with a single finger.
Shadowmoon Valley.
Grimak walked briskly, glancing occasionally at the shadowy sky, and said with feigned interest:
"We are going to visit a remarkable fellow, a hidden gem though he may be buried in the dust, his name is Ner'zhul."
Garrosh secretly breathed a sigh of relief; at least one of the Seven Heroes of Draenor was normal.
"I know Ner'zhul, he's the chieftain of the Shadowmoon Clan," Garrosh blurted out.
Grimak turned and glanced at him:
"I think you've misunderstood something. Ner'zhul is just a nobody now, a good-for-nothing despised by his people, a madman who's trying to control the Dark Star."
"A madman?" Garrosh gave another bitter smile.
Grimak said as he walked:
"The history of Shadowmoon Valley is fascinating, and those untold secrets will likely never see the light of day again. Hundreds of years ago, the Draenei arrived in Draenor in spaceships. At that time, the Draenei numbered in the millions, with hundreds of spaceships and warships, a complete range of industries and agriculture, magical technology, a well-developed manufacturing industry, and my favorite biological laboratory. However, due to Velen's mistake, which happened to be his birthday, the fleet stayed in space for a day to celebrate. Unfortunately, they encountered a spacetime turbulence, most of the spaceships were destroyed, and more than a million Draenei died."
"To shirk responsibility, the Prophet Velen, in collusion with the Naaru, secretly executed those who knew the truth and fabricated a powerful Orcs named the Ancient Beast Emperor, pinning the fleet's destruction on him. The Ancient Beast Emperor was a real person, but he was an Orcs wizard carrying Clefthoof thigh bone and with his head covered in bright feathers, whose specialty was using poisonous mushrooms to harm his people. The surviving Draenei believed him wholeheartedly, and their fear of the Ancient Beast Emperor even surpassed that of Sargeras; to this day, they dare not step out of the city."
Grimak walked along, sighing as he came to an Orcs village.
The two walked straight into a cave deep in the village, oblivious to everyone else. Some Orcs tried to ask them something, but were either frightened away by Grimak's appearance or were rudely pushed away by Garrosh.
From a cave whose entrance was covered by tattered animal hides, the shrill complaints of a female Orcs could be heard in the distance.
"Back in my youth, I was beautiful and radiant. I was so blind to have fallen for a good-for-nothing like you, a useless coward. Look at you! While other men are out hunting Talbuk or Draenei, you spend your days hiding in caves fiddling with these useless things, relying on women to support the family. I wish I could strangle you."
A hesitant Orcs voice rang out. "Rulkan, please give me some time. I'm almost there. Look, I've successfully communicated with the Ancestral Spirit."
The female Orcs roared, "You told me it would be over soon thirty years ago! You liar, coward! I can't stand you anymore! Get out!"