Dark Raven Warband

After the battle by the sea, the Guard was severely understaffed. Aside from those killed in action, several soldiers had been badly wounded and could no longer serve on the front lines.

Roderick transferred all the wounded soldiers into the peacekeeping force and began recruiting again. This time, the requirements were relaxed somewhat. It was no longer just local young men signing up; news of Roderick's extermination of the Shatterfin Murlocs and the generous pensions had spread to other towns. Some young men even came from elsewhere, drawn by the excellent benefits.

In this chaotic world, every soldier who came to Southshore to enlist was promising material. Roderick kept them all, and the Guard soon returned to its former size, with its numbers continuing to grow. Its combat strength, however, did not improve much.

At the same time, some members of the Southshore Town Council voiced considerable dissatisfaction with Roderick maintaining such a large Guard. Since the Murlocs had been eliminated and the area around Southshore had become quite safe, they believed a small force would be enough to deal with Syndicate bandits. Even many soldiers had begun to slack off in their daily training now that their goal had been achieved. Roderick and the others had no choice but to reduce the intensity of training. His plan to rebuild the Dark Raven Warband had to be put on the agenda.

At night, a group of vigorous young officers filled the small garden outside Roderick's home. Many days ago, this was where they had held a banquet to celebrate Roderick's promotion to commander of the Guard. In the end, fueled by drink and excitement, they had successfully formed the new Guard at Roderick's suggestion and personally trained its soldiers, eventually claiming final victory after a bloody battle.

Now, even ordinary soldiers could make the girls of Southshore glance at them twice. These young knights had risen even higher in status.

Roderick looked at the people seated around him. Color had yet to return to Red's face, and Alwyn's bandages had not been fully removed. Yet the companions who had gone through battle were completely different from before. Warriors who had seen blood naturally carried an air of killing intent, and that was an indispensable part of an elite army.

"First, let me explain why I let the remaining Murlocs go instead of killing them all," Roderick began.

"That mysterious Murloc priest made it very clear to me. Humans cannot enter deep water, and Murlocs are no match for us on land. It was both a plea and its final threat. If the Murloc tribe is driven into a corner, they will constantly besiege Southshore's fishing boats and isolated townspeople. We do not have the ability to wipe them out in one stroke."

"Letting them leave may have been the best choice at the time." Roderick's explanation finally extinguished their desire to slaughter every last one of them.

"Next, about that ring." Roderick gestured to Albert.

Albert, who had returned from Dalaran, spoke fluently. "We initially believed this Fishbone Ring might have been used by a Murloc priest specializing in water magic. After appraisal by the Orlis Magical Item Appraisal Office in Dalaran, it was determined that this ring can enhance the power of certain water spells, improve a mage's meditation ability, and comes with a daily-charged Frost Shield as well as permanent underwater breathing."

To put it more plainly: the Fishbone Ring was a blue-quality magical item. It moderately increased intelligence and spirit attributes, and when struck, had a certain chance of activating a Frost Shield comparable to one cast by an intermediate mage.

Special effect: Wearing this ring prevented drowning underwater. A line of small yellow text read: Walla walla walla walla walla, walla!

"This ring will go to Albert, but Albert will automatically forfeit his share of this round's loot." Roderick looked around. No one objected. A bunch of rough physical fighters had no right to compete with a mage for equipment.

Next came the reward money for all the knights, distributed according to their rank at the time and their performance on the battlefield. These young Guard officers

received as little as a few gold coins, while some received more than ten. No matter how lofty one's ideals or how brilliant one's dreams, in the end, everything came down to profit. Although most of those present were either descendants of nobles or from wealthy merchant families, earning others' recognition through their own efforts, along with the corresponding material rewards, made them identify even more strongly with their cause and could quickly strengthen the group's cohesion. Besides, many knights were not particularly wealthy, and an average reward of nearly ten gold coins was no small fortune.

"The Town Council has granted me the land near the Hillsbrad River, and I will also forfeit my share of this reward distribution," Roderick continued.

Ignoring the astonishment around him, Roderick spoke of his purchase of the wasteland reclamation permit. Of course, it was no longer merely a permit—he had already become the lord of those lands.

"This was not an impulsive decision. Do you all remember the oath we swore here that day? Does anyone still remember it?"

"Uphold the way of the knight!"

"Drive out the Orcs!"

"Destroy the Scourge!"

"Protect Southshore and the people of the Kingdom!"

"We will fight shoulder to shoulder and never betray one another!"

Everyone spoke over one another, reciting the oath from that day. Knights took their oaths very seriously.

"Then have we achieved our goal? We have temporarily secured peace for Southshore, but the Undead of Tarren Mill are not far away, and so many refugees from Northrend who escaped the Scourge's claws still do not have a peaceful place to settle."

"I heard someone suggest disbanding the extra Guard soldiers. Such shortsighted people can probably see nothing but their own gold and coffins. When the Undead attack again, without a strong army, no matter how much wealth and food you have stored up, it will only benefit the Scourge. My apologies, I forgot—the Undead probably have no use for gold and do not need food either."

"We need not concern ourselves with such foolish villagers' talk. However, the Guard's training must be intensified, especially for the newly recruited men."

"The Kingdom has fallen, and people have lost faith in the future. The destruction of the Silver Hand has made even many steadfast knights begin to waver. But the spirit of knighthood cannot be destroyed. There are still people in Northrend resisting the Scourge. Our strength is currently too weak, but we will not be stingy with our faith."

"I have decided that we will first repair Eastwatch Tower and the Naisande Outpost, then begin comprehensive surveillance of the Undead forces in Tarren Mill. After repairing the Naisande Outpost, we will prioritize reclaiming the land there. Once we recruit Northrend refugees to build the outpost, we can begin full-scale reclamation."

"The Dwarf fortress at Dun Garok and the Stormpike Clan of Alterac are also willing to join our plan. They will provide a certain amount of funding and Dwarf craftsmen to assist us."

"Finally, I will establish an entirely new warband, unlike the traditional knightly orders of Northrend. Not only knights—anyone who shares our ideals may join. Knights, mages, warriors, rangers, priests, any combat profession is welcome. Whether they are citizens of Lordaeron, cavalrymen of Stromgarde, or infantrymen of the Kingdom of Stormwind, we welcome them all. Alliance Dwarves, Gnomes, and those proud pointy-eared folk—as long as they are willing to fight the Undead, they are our friends!"

"I am willing to join your warband, Lord Roderick." Yug spoke first. The bald man who had fled here from Northrend was trembling all over after hearing Roderick's speech.

"We refugees from Northrend have endured endless suffering. No one dares rise up against the Undead, and Hearthglen is far too distant from us. Only you are willing to fight for the Kingdom's survivors. As long as I can return to my estate in Tirisfal Glades, I, Yug, am willing to die for you." This man, who had endured countless hardships, fell to his knees and wept uncontrollably.

Albert was the second to join. Naturally, Roderick understood what was in his heart. Arnold and Adrian followed, while the wounded Red and Alwyn also joined without hesitation. In the end, only Darezzo did not state his position. Seeing the contemptuous looks around him, Darezzo's face reddened, but he said nothing.

Roderick had no intention of persuading Darezzo. A goal that might demand one's life and still remain unattainable was naturally not an easy thing to commit to. Still, these knights truly were hot-blooded youths who were easily stirred up.

"Our long-term goal is, of course, to advance into Northrend and reclaim all the Kingdom's former lands. But the most important matters before us are building the outposts and recruiting refugees." Roderick was about to continue assigning tasks when Arnold interrupted him. "Captain, what will our knightly order be called? We do not even have a name yet."

Seeing everyone's interest shift to this matter, Roderick took a small metal badge from his pocket. A white raven stood at the center of the design, stretching its wings as far as it could against a pitch-black background.

"Dark Raven. It will be called the Dark Raven Knights." Roderick seemed unwilling to say more. After taking out the badge, he fell silent. Though everyone found the abrupt name strange, since their captain had decided, that was what they would call it.

Having found new purpose in life, the knights were filled with fresh enthusiasm. They began discussing how to expand their ranks, recruit refugees, repair the road from Southshore to the area, and build houses at the Naisande Outpost to settle farmers. Many difficulties still lay ahead, but Roderick's plan to rebuild his warband had finally taken its most crucial first step.