MOVIE: The King of Rats

[Snowfeather]

Here is a little something I put together last night after our launch of a new "plot" by The Grim.

I will try to get Maledictus to post his story here as well.

The King of Rats (http://files.filefront.com/KingofRatsFinalwmv/;4536848;;/fileinfo.html)

Enjoy.

[Mortica]

yes..make sure Maledictus posts here *grin*

((very fun story! love the video...what was the first song on there? it was perfect))

[Maledictus]

The undead necromancer known as Maledictus detested Brackenwall Village. The Ogres who ran it were a disgrace to the Horde: guards guzzled ditch liquor from rusty mugs and staggered drunkenly along their patrol routes, burping and farting as they went.

They defecated wherever the mood struck, and took no measures to impress the superior races among their Horde allies. As he arrived, Maledictus muttered to himself, "Brackensqualor, you'll never change. This dung heap will one day be the sad tombstone of the Ogre race, when Sylvanas commands their destruction..."

Many Grims had gathered around the greasy fire in the center of the village. The dead priest had been carrying two wooden boxes and as he approached, two Grims -Frain and Thalevia- each took a box to ease his burden. Maledictus nodded his grudging thanks, then shuffled painfully to the front of the Grim assembly.

"Sister Frain, sister Thalevia, take care not to tamper with those boxes, or let any harm come to them. We Forsaken may be resistant to the contents, but the un-deceased among us would be at great risk," the dead priest sharply instructed.

Maledictus rapped his mace loudly on the ground once, then began to speak, "Good evening Grims. This may seem an unlikely place to discuss the Royal Apothecary Society, but I assure you, there is a reason.

"As most of you know, the RAS conducts ongoing research involving plague formation, which will be used against the Alliance in due time.

"These noble chemists -many of whom are Grims- are an integral part of the war against the hated Alliance, but there are naysayers even among the Horde. Some ignorant detractors claim the RAS inflicts needless suffering on the realm.

"I would remind them that although the RAS' methods are unconventional, the same could be said of The Grim. Are we not the most loyal of any Horde Order? None would dare question The Grim's loyalty to the Horde! So too does the RAS continue their research, paying no heed to fools who speak against plague research.

"We at the RAS have had much success so far, thanks to a steady supply of volunteer Alliance 'lab rats'. The carcass vats in Undercity are filled to the brim daily with the by-products of our super science! Our phase 3 plague virus trials require the use of live test subjects, which many of you have witnessed in our facilities.

"We strive to strike a balance between lethality and transmission efficiency. If a plague strain is too lethal, it kills the host before the virus can spread to others, which limits its global effectiveness. The plague must keep the host alive long enough to be shared among plentiful Alliance hosts, to quickly spread our beautiful toxins among as many of the hated enemy as possible.

"Our goal is to create a stable virus which infects the host slowly but lethally, is readily spread to nearby hosts, is very difficult to cure, and affects only Alliance races. This may be impossible, but the goal remains.

"The unfortunate news is that with our current stock of fragile "lab rats" we may have reached the limits of our plague research. Thus, we are compelled to seek out test subjects with hardier constitutions which may stand up to our newer, more aggressive viruses.

"Across the bay east of Dustwallow Marsh, an island rises from the mist. Ships give it a wide berth, and few that venture there return to tell of it. Alcaz Island. Colossal sea serpents known as Hydra roam the black water surrounding Alcaz, and have been known to swallow unsuspecting travelers in a single bite.

"Worse, a legion of fierce Naga have taken over the island itself, and they will butcher any trespassers.

"Rumors have circulated that these Naga are guarding a secret of great importance to the Alliance. It is speculated among the RAS that this terrible island may hold a key toward a quantum leap forward in plague research.

"Thats where The Grim comes in. Inside these wooden boxes are several jars of plague samples. We will transport them to the island, find a new source of "lab rats", and expose them to the plague samples.

"It is hoped that whatever species we discover will prove hardier than the pathetic Alliance vermin with which we've had limited success. If all goes well, Alcaz Island may become the breeding ground for a new strain of plague, the likes of which the Alliance races cannot cure.

"We Grims have never turned down a fight -no matter the odds- and today will be no different. If we remain united, we will survive this treacherous mission. Those who stray from the group will no doubt meet a quick demise."

Amidst cheers and warcries of the expedition force, The Grim marched east from Brackenwall, across the fetid swamp, eventually reaching the beach. From there they could see the outline of a dark island in the distance. At Maledictus' command, the group swam and waterwalked eastward, drawing ever closer to Alcaz Island.

A few dark and looming shapes greeted the raid party, and as the Hydra snapped at a potential meal, they were quickly slashed to a bloody mess by Grims. Soon all had reached the shore of Alcaz Island, most were gasping for breath but otherwise healthy.

"What's that hissing noise coming from the jungle?" asked a young hunter, scanning the trees with unabashed dread. At that moment, fierce elite Naga warriors and mystics sprang from the foliage and attacked the recovering Grim.

With the crew at nearly full strength they reassembled battle formation and, after a long and bloody standoff, killed the naga defenders. Maledictus glanced back at the docks and noticed the bloodshed had drawn the attention of more Hydras. "Head up the path, Grims! Get away from the water!" he ordered.

Up the worn path from the docks, the raid group spied several crude huts nestled among the island's mountainous landscape. As they made their way toward the buildings, many Naga assaulted the party, and each were killed in turn.

At an intersection of two jungle paths, Laughingcrow sniffed the wind and -pointing eastward through the jungle- yelled, "I smell a human. This way!"

The Grim approached a cluster of huts that surrounded several grated prison-pits embedded in the soil. More Naga fought against the party's encroachment, but after much bloodshed, the reptiles lay dismembered and dead on the sandy ground.

The rogue Licidion spied an opening in the ground amid the huts, and the raid party quickly gathered around it. Some of the tauren snorted at the ghastly smell rising from the hole, but one by one, the group moved to the slick steps, and down into the humid gloom.

The stone passageway beneath the jungle floor resembled a crude sewer, with fattened rodents scattering at every footstep. The crew huddled in the narrow passage, and slowly moved forward, until the floor gave way to a water filled passageway below.

"This way, we've found someone!" Grims ahead of the main group shouted, "Below the water is a tunnel!"
Eventually the entire party had traversed the underwater passage and stood, dripping and heaving from exertion.

There, in the dark and moist hell of vermin and feces, mixed with the bones and decay of his former fellow captives, stood the King of Stormwind -Varian Wrynn- with a rusted crown perched comically upon his dishevelled head, still wrapped in his filthy regal robe. He stood tall and silent as the Horde gathered around him.

A few of The Grim stared in surprise, but no one doubted that this gaunt figure was indeed King Varian Wrynn, not a mad imposter. The assembled heroes of the Horde glowered menacingly at King Wrynn, like wolves surrounding a lamb.

"Stay your hands, Grims. Lets do this properly," Maledictus said, barely concealing his sinister glee.

"As legend goes, the King of Stormwind was being escorted through Dustwallow Marsh for a diplomatic summit with Jaina Proudmoore in Theramore Keep. He was kidnapped along the way, and disappeared.

"Some say the Defias Brotherhood was involved. Varian's son Anduin acts as king now, in his stronghold at Stormwind, but this pathetic wretch is the true King!

"King Wrynn, you stand accused of crimes against the Horde, too numerous to mention. We assembled races of the Horde wish to give you a fair trial. If you have a statement in your defense, please speak up."

Wrynn stood silently, staring at a brick in the wall of his underground cell.

Maledictus listened with mock sincerity for a moment, then shouted the verdict into the King's face, "Thunder Bluff to the West finds you guilty! Orgrimmar to the North finds you guilty! Lordaeron to the East finds you...GUILTY! And I believe the unanimous decision is...death."

The Grim shouted in unison, "Death to the King of Rats!"

With that, the Horde forces set upon the defenseless King Wrynn. Afterward, a few of the hungry Forsaken kneeled at the King's mutilated corpse, greedily ripping large gobbets of flesh from it.

As the undead finished their quick snack, a strange thing happened. The blood from the walls and floor began to shimmer and move, slowly reuniting on the spot where King Wrynn had stood moments before. His bones rose and knitted together, and new flesh spread over his skeleton. The shattered skull reformed, as if an explosion in reverse.

The dead priest Maledictus watched in amazement, and then began to convulse with unaccustomed nausea. At once, he began to vomit up chunks of meat and blood, as the King's body claimed its missing portions.

"What deviltry is this! The King is alive again," Maledictus spat out the words as a curse. And then, with a spark of diabolical inspiration, he let out a low gutteral chuckle.

"This prison is diabolical indeed, Grims. Not even death itself can free the King. Someone wants this human to remain alive. Such a cruel enchantment that he must endure an unknown sentence, with no possibility of escape. I believe we have found our plague research subject. The King of the Lab Rats! We shall infect him with our viruses, and see how he fares."

The Grim attacked the King again, hacking the limbs from his body with gusto. Soon Vrynn lay "dead" again, his innards scattered around the cell.

"Thalevia and Frain, bring forth the plague jars from the boxes," Maledictus instructed. They carefully removed the small jars from their padded box and handed them to the dead priest. He opened a jar and began to sprinkle the black plague powder into the wounds of King Wrynn, then watched as the powder sank into the flesh, bubbling slightly.

Sure enough, the mangled corpse of King Wrynn began to reconstruct itself again, and soon he stood whole again, gazing dispassionately at the murderous assembly.

Maledictus spoke with derision, "How are you feeling, Wrynn? Anything...unusual?"

Wrynn did not answer, or even flinch. His ensorcelled prison stasis permitted no emotional reaction to the horrific fate that had befallen him.

Turning from Wrynn, Maledictus muttered, "Bah, we must give the plague virus time to incubate and fester. Six days should be sufficient time. We will return here next Sunday to examine our unkillable patient, collecting plague samples if he survives...and defiling his corpse if he succumbs. And if the Alliance sees fit to...relocate... our patient before we return, we must be prepared to track him down wherever he is held."

With a mocking bow, the necromancer bid farewell to the reassembling King. "You are now our Royal Plague Incubator, King Wrynn. And your father thought you'd never amount to anything!"

[Brakogar]

ooc:

Nice macabre story and another exelent SF Production for the Twisting Nether Network.

I knew the Grim were a "Dark" Guild but never realized how dark it was until I saw the video and read the story. Wow you guys realy kick butt in the Dark RP department.

[Caelyn]

(( Just finished watching the movie, read what Maledictus said first then watched and all I can think to say is 8O. Wonderful job, Snowfeather and Maledictus, I'm starting to think I should have rolled horde *shrug* Oh well ))

[Snowfeather]

((Thank you. :) The first song is Tom Waits, Little Drop of Poison.. it's from the Shrek 2 CD.. but it really reminds me of Maledictus every time I hear it.. which is A LOT with a 3 year old. :D

I am going to enter that movie in the Blizzard contest if I can figure out how. Even if it doesn't place.. being able to show the Moonkin bug to an audience is worth it.. and if we get some more RPers here.. all the better.

More to come.. I'm a frickin' FRAPS addict. I have so much footage of other things just waiting for the right little bit to finish them.))

[Snowfeather]

Lilliana from The Grim also made a short film of this event:

Right Click me and "save as" to download film (http://www.for-charity.com/Lilliana/2Compressionagain1.avi)

Hers is much better than mine!

[Rudrah]

Just viewed the short movie (mwahaha so twisted are the Grim, they stopped the cogs of the World!), I must say I am impressed by this fascinating story I read! Very good Roleplay, this is a unique genre to this server! ^^