User:Vraul/Ruinous Vanguard



The Ruinous Vanguard is a sub-organization of Twilight's Hammer cultists that specialize in melee prowess and brute strength over all else. Their main hub is located deep within the woods of the south-western section of Ashenvale, within Fire Scar Shrine.

They were directly led by Moxrath the Merciless, an orc void knight who was known to be intolerant of failure. Few within the Vanguard were made aware of the existence of their true leader, Darthok the Voidmonger, who commanded several similar sub-factions of the Twilight's Hammer within Ashenvale.



History
Assembled by Darthok the Voidmonger at an uncertain time, the Ruinous Vanguard was established to group up the most impressive physical specimens of the Twilight's Hammer. Fully aware that his followers each offered their own unique capabilities, he carefully established numerous varying sub-sections and then placed them in different locations within Ashenvale. The Ruinous Vanguard was one of the first such groups made, and the very first to complete the construction of their home base.

After their garrison was completed, Darthok appointed his most valuable battle strategist, Moxrath, to lead the Ruinous Vanguard in the name of N'Zoth. Since the corruption of Uldum and the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, Moxrath and his minions had come out of hiding and proceeded to spread pestilence and terror amongst the Kaldorei of the region. Astranaar in particular, a Night Elven town which had still been mending the wounds of the The Horde's siege, had become the focal point of the Vanguard's attacks.

The Vanguard had been unable to conquer the town completely, though the reason for this was known only to Moxrath and Darthok themselves. In truth, it was rumored that Darthok had held restraint with such activities in order to avoid drawing the ire of the greater Horde forces, particularly the orcish Ironwolf clan, which still lingered in the area.

Ascension
As members ascended the ranks of the Vanguard, they were given more powerful equipment crafted in Adamantine, an extremely durable and enchantable metal. The most astute of these members seeked members of their cousin factions to acquire powerful enchantments on their equipment. Many of these empowerments included the ability to drain the lifeforce of their attackers, while others granted them greater mental aptitude and focus when applying their melee attacks.

Those who failed to ascend to a greater rank within a fixed period of time were given remedial training. If they failed these tests, they were forced into combat with another Vanguard member with similar issues, and the two fought until only one survived. The victor was granted rest for one week before they were once again sent out on a mission to prove themselves worthy of not only remaining with the Vanguard, but worthy of remaining alive.

Military tactics
In Ashenvale specifically, the Ruinous Vanguard stood as a terrible force against the Night Elves and the Horde. Contrary to what one might expect, the faction rarely defended any given location; rather it remained mobile, attempting to strike where it was least expected. Moxrath, under the command of the Voidmonger, had been given direction to cause chaos within the woodlands and bury the resolve of its people.

At random times in the night, members within often struck at the natural fortifications of the Kaldorei, hoping to catch them when their most powerful of druids were slumbering within the Emerald Dream.

Location
The Ruinous Vanguard were mainly held within a southwestern point of Ashenvale, specifically in a place where agents of the Burning Legion once held ground. A terrible altar, once dedicated to the power of Sargeras, had become twisted into a vile monument fitting of praying to the terrible Old God, N'Zoth.

Numerous odd structures had been raised within the area as of late, including many sigils resembling orange eyeballs -- these were rumored to be connected to the Old God himself, granting him vision within the area, which he could use to view the unworthy and traitorous member of the Vanguard and direct the leaders to take care of these problematic individuals.

Recruitment
In order to join the Ruinous Vanguard, an individual must swear absolute fealty to both the Void, as well as to N'Zoth and his commander in the region, Darthok the Voidmonger. From there, they would prove themselves willing and able to prove valuable as physical assets to the faction. It was mainly heavily-armored warriors that had succeeded in joining, although a few assassins and cuttthroats had also found themselves useful if they possess the proper abilities to defend themselves against other members without the use of their tools and shadowy capabilities.

Above all, the credo of the Vanguard dictated that, "might is right", which meant that only the physically strongest of their kind were allowed to survive. A spellcaster or fighter who relied on other means to conquer their enemies would've been wise to look elsewhere if they wished to serve the Void properly, although they would not be wholly rejected.