User:Joshmaul/Saavedro of Stratholme/Confronting the Legions of Illidan



Saavedro of Stratholme has been able to enter Karazhan and learn its secrets, and also has destroyed the gronn's hold on the ogre clans. But can he confront the innumerable legions of Illidan Stormrage, the insane half-demon night elf who rules Outland?

The Fall of Blitzkrieg
The master of the Order of the Blitzkrieg declared the dissolution of the guild so that he could join the organization known as Hegira. As a result, the Blitzkrieg fell apart and its members, including Saavedro, were forced to find alternative means of bettering themselves.

Saavedro came across a fellow paladin by the name of Melkalas - the master of the Eternal Order, an organization that has battled Illidan's forces in Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep, and is familiar with the layout of the city of Zul'Aman. While Saavedro was not quite on par with the healers who ensured the survival of their war parties, Melkalas and Kreya - also a paladin - offered him a position within their organization. Saavedro readily accepted. Within six months, Saavedro had been appointed Loremaster of the Eternal Order, in charge of maintaining the knowledge of the world and making it available to his comrades.

The Eye: Dealing With Kael'thas' Treachery


Saavedro had heard much of the treachery of Prince Kael'thas, both against Illidan and against all sentient life. The self-styled Sun King, whose legions Saavedro had battled during his sojourn in Outland, sought to gain a place for his people and ensure their survival; it is not surprising that the magic-addicted Kael'thas would turn to the proverbial devil (in this case, the Burning Legion) to satiate that hunger. While Saavedro knew that Kael'thas was a great threat - the most powerful of Illidan's lieutenants - it was not until he conducted missions against the manaforges in Netherstorm that he realized how far the Prince had fallen. To that end, Saavedro and a group of joint Aldor-Scryer forces met outside Cosmowrench, a small outpost near Kael'thas' fortress of Tempest Keep. There they planned to enter the fortress' inner palace, the Eye, to battle Kael'thas' most elite soldiers...and possibly even do battle with the power-mad Prince himself.

Confronting a Phoenix God
Entering the front foyer of the palace, known as the Phoenix Hall, Saavedro was surprised at how much darker-hued the colors were inside the center palace; while the satellites (all of which Saavedro had cleaned out months earlier) had blueish-tinged lighting, the Eye favored more of a reddish-brown coloration.

Entering the main chamber of the Phoenix Hall, battling Kael'thas' guards as well as falconers and their phoenix-hawks (subspecies of dragonhawks), the war party came into contact with the Phoenix God, Al'ar, the pet of Prince Kael'thas that guarded the main chamber into his palace. Though the party proved strong enough to defeat him, Al'ar rose from the ashes and attacked once more, forcing a tactical withdrawal.

The High Astromancer
Realizing that this battle would be more difficult than first thought, the war party decided to take a side room out of the Phoenix Hall and into the Solarium. There awaited a sorcerer named High Astromancer Solarian, surrounded by apprentice astromancers, squires and star scryers.

Solarian was the first true test of Saavedro's mettle, and she proved to be the most difficult opponent the paladin had ever faced - summoning legions of agents to attack the war party, priests to ensure her survival, and unleashing her arcane wrath upon select members of the party. As she neared death, the High Astromancer tapped into the Nether itself and transformed into a creature of the void. However, this act of desperation proved too little, too late, as Solarian was destroyed by the onslaught. From her shattered form was taken a belt that boosted Saavedro's powers immensely.

Battle in the Crucible


Traversing on the other side of the Phoenix Hall from the Solarium, Saavedro and his party entered the area known as the Crucible. Here, Kael'thas kept mechanical sentries, and their engineers - blood elf and demon alike - were tasked with maintaining them. Traversing the halls - noting a sealed hallway which he believed led to Kael'thas' inner sanctum - Saavedro and his comrades entered another large, circular room with a huge Legion-forged mechanism called the Void Reaver. Launching orbs at the war party that caused arcane explosions that affected anyone that came too close to the target, the Void Reaver smashed its fists into the ground and cut a swath of destruction through the attackers, including Saavedro himself - badly wounded by an arcane explosion. But in the end, the ingenuity of Saavedro's comrades proved more than enough for Kael'thas' fel reaver guardian, and the machine fell apart after its "consciousness" terminated due to the massive damage.

Al'ar Defeated
Returning to the Phoenix Hall after destroying the Void Reaver and Solarian, the Eternal Order returned to the Phoenix Hall to finish off their old adversary. Severely wounded by the fiery phoenix's descent, Saavedro watched as Al'ar was eventually defeated, yielding items for his comrades. With Al'ar down, only Kael'thas remained in Tempest Keep - and his reckoning would come...

Magtheridon: Ending the Fel Orc Menace


After defeating Solarian and the Void Reaver, the Eternal Order travelled to Hellfire Peninsula and assaulted the underground lair at the base of the Hellfire Citadel. Through his investigations in the Hellfire Ramparts and the Blood Furnace, Saavedro knew that there was a Pit Lord being imprisoned in the bowels of Hellfire Citadel and his blood was being used to create fel orcs to serve in Illidan's army. Now, as the battle against Illidan continued, Saavedro entered the bowels of Hellfire Citadel...where he prepared to face the most powerful demon he had ever seen: The former Lord of Outland, Magtheridon.



Breaking into the lair where Magtheridon was held, Saavedro and his allies travelled into the huge room and slaughtered the warders left there by Illidan and Kargath Bladefist (whom Saavedro had killed months earlier) to keep Magtheridon imprisoned, and attempted to manipulate the Manticron Cubes that kept Magtheridon banished. But Magtheridon proved to be stronger than anticipated - not surprising for a being that once ruled Outland - and the EO called for a tactical withdrawal.

The EO's Revenge
Two months later, with Master Melkalas taking charge, the Eternal Order returned to Hellfire Citadel with a vengeance - its members now far more powerful, organized and experienced than they had been prior to their previous assault. Saavedro and his brother paladins, including Melkalas, were tasked with manipulating the Manticron Cubes that kept Magtheridon chained; in the event that he prepared to unleash a blast nova, the cubes could be used to banish him. The fight was gruelling and many valiant soldiers lost their lives. But the rewards were far greater, as Magtheridon was destroyed once and for all.

Serpentshrine: The Lair of Vashj
After destroying Al'ar, the Eternal Order left Tempest Keep and travelled south, to Zangarmarsh. Having obtained access upon giving Skar'this the Heretic the signets for the Cudgel of Kar'desh, Saavedro entered the lair of Illidan's trusted lieutenant, Lady Vashj - Serpentshrine Cavern.

Saavedro had learned, through his efforts for the Cenarion Expedition, that the naga had begun draining the lakes of Zangarmarsh into what is known as Coilfang Reservoir, located beneath the waters of Serpent Lake. For what purpose, no one was sure, but it was believed to provide a fortified home base for Outland's naga. The naga had to be defeated in order to liberate Outland from Illidan's forces.

Collapsing the torrential waterfall that blocked the way inside, the Eternal Order entered the huge cavern and took the elevators deep into the naga's hidden lair. Battling through the Coilfang naga tribe - including the Vashj'ir, the honor guards of Lady Vashj herself - the EO force reached a pool of scalding water near the bridge controls to Vashj's inner sanctum. One of the Eternal Order's warriors carefully fished the waters, and Saavedro was momentarily confused - until he saw the huge krakken-like figure, known as the Lurker Below, emerge from the depths and blast out with great spouts of water - forcing the war party to leap into the scalding water to avoid being blown across the room. Saavedro suffered severe burns to his unarmored face and fingers, but a priest was able to heal his burn wounds. Though some had fallen in the battle, Saavedro managed to remain on his feet long enough to defeat the huge beast. Among his relics was a breastplate that Saavedro took as his own.

Falling back to the beginning, the Eternal Order confronted the chained elemental Hydross the Unstable, who became poisoned whenever he passed a certain point in the room in which he was held. Surrounded by elementals - pure and poisoned - and wielding powers of both frost and poison, Hydross presented a challenge easily overcome by the Eternal Order. Once he was destroyed, they went deeper into the Serpentshrine to confront a powerful being who had enslaved a legion of murlocs - Morogrim Tidewalker, a sea giant. This was the EO's first true attempt to destroy the Tidewalker, and it was a long and brutal fight. Consigning several members of the EO into watery graves and summoning murlocs with powerful earthquakes, the Tidewalker threatened to end the Order's assault. But they perservered, and the Tidewalker was defeated.

Turning Back the Clock: Return to the Caverns


Nearly a year had gone by since Saavedro left the Eternal Order and enlisted in Stormwind's First Fleet. He had become a powerful paladin and maintained a vast library of knowledge, and had earned many trophies - including the destruction of several Scourge leaders in Northrend. But the bronze dragonflight's machinations were subtle, and he found himself drawn back to the Caverns of Time...to the one cavern he had never set foot inside.

There was one item of unfinished business that Saavedro had never been able to take the dragonflight up on: Going back in time to participate in the Battle of Mount Hyjal. Soridormi, consort to Nozdormu, had kept the offer open for months, but until well after the war in Northrend had begun, Saavedro was never able to do so. With relics he had obtained in Ulduar, Saavedro returned to Tanaris and went back in time nearly a decade, to what was to be the final battle of the Third War.

By the time Saavedro arrived, the Alliance base of Jaina Proudmoore had already been overrun, and he found himself in the middle of Thrall's encampment west of Nordrassil, the great World Tree. Archimonde was in the process of making his ascent, and Saavedro and company first faced two great demons, preceded by legions of Scourge: The doomguard Kaz'rogal and the pit lord Azgalor, the successor to Mannoroth. With those demons out of the way, Archimonde cried out from his place near the roots of Nordrassil. The time of reckoning was at hand.

Awestruck by the clashing energies, Saavedro watched as the combined forces of the night elves and the raiding party battled the powerful demon, and the skies flashed with energy as he was defeated. The spirits of the forest converged on the eredar demonlord, and the primal fury of Nordrassil itself unleashed. When the blinding light dimmed, Archimonde was little more than skeletal remains and armor lying on the ground. It was a memory Saavedro doubted he would ever forget.

After Saavedro emerged from the Caverns, Soridormi made him a generous offer. Realizing that he had missed part of the greatest battles for Outland, the Timeless One's consort offered him the chance to witness the battle against Illidan and the fight for the Sunwell whenever he wished. This also applied to his companions.