World of Warcraft

It had been only a few years since the Alliance and the Horde had stood side by side against a common enemy. The Burning Legion had cut a dark swathe across the lands and the Scourge had damaged the world deeper still. The civilisations of Lordaeron had fared the worst, being all but eradicated, the vast city lay in ruins. The mortal races had lost much in the struggle to drive evil from their homelands. Thousands had been displaced, tribes had been separated and in many places the smell of death still hung in the air and on still nights the cries of the valiant could still be heard.

What was once green was no longer emerald and fields which once held crops were barren wastelands. As winds whistled over ground where forests had once stood lush and green, it was as if the very land itself cried out in pain. The war had been won, but at an almost fatal cost to life in Azeroth. Alliance and Horde had stood side by side, putting aside thousands of years of conflict to face and to vanquish the forces that meant death for them all.

Time had passed, however, and old prejudices were beginning to stir once again. As each race had begun to re-establish itself in the far flung corners of the lands, so each had begun to forget the promises made. In the absence of regular contact the races had become insular and concerned with their own betterment. The Gnomes, Dwarves, Humans and Elves of the Alliance remained true to each other and the Orc, Troll, Tauren and Undead Horde co-existed easily enough, but the two groups had now distanced themselves.

As the forests began to re-establish themselves and the crops had begun to grow again, little by little the land began to mend itself. Towns and cities had welcomed back war heroes and had lamented the dead. Families, still blighted by grief, were now beginning to embrace new lives among their numbers. New towns and cities had been built and were bustling with every day life, shop keepers traded, craftsmen crafted and taught their trade to those who wanted to learn. In each of the cities orphanages remained as sad reminders, but every now and then a hero would appear to take an orphan out for they day and treats and sweets would be given to them. No orphan was forgotten. Sadly, the same could not be said for the war itself.

The bonds that were forged were becoming ever more tenuous and although the majority simply did not interact battlegrounds were beginning to be utilized by those seeking old revenges and creating new ones. The hurts of the longer past, it seemed, were more powerful than the newer ones left by the Scourge and the Burning Legion. Perhaps because the crisis had been averted and the harbingers of Doom had been, apparently, banished as each race had rebuilt itself successfully, it was easy to forget that once they had bled together, that human had fought to save Tauren, Orc had helped Elf as if they had been brothers.

Whilst the populous were blinded by these skirmishes the dark forces which once held such power over the world were beginning to stir and make their presence felt. Not all was well in Azeroth. It was at this time that a small band of friends came to it's shores. Led by an elf warrior, Phase, they began to hear word of the trouble brewing and felt moved to investigate. As they travelled through the Alliance strongholds they had heard stories and whispers of darkness beginning to spread throughout the continents.

Phase sighed, the friends had fought many battles in other lands and had hoped that Kalimdor held some respite for them, but, as with all heroes, peace rarely lasts long before they are called to arms again. The friends met in the Dwarven throne room of Ironforge and each of them opened their backpacks and pulled out the thing which had bound them in battle for many a long year. It seemed innocuous enough, but the silks they held in their hands had been weaved long ago and in each tabard was held the deep magic that binds those who have fought as one and lived to tell the tales.

So it was that the promise they had made once before was once again uttered by all and The Ambassadors of Truth donned the blue and gold tabards, which were their badges of honour.

The cry went up – ALL HAIL THE ALMIGHTY AMBASSADORS OF TRUTH!!

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Originally written by Kiaana