"Most think the Reliquary but simple archaeologists. The truth is far more complex, and to understand the Reliquary, one must understand Quel'Thalas. We secure the past to ensure the future. We claim the mantle of our people's arcane birthright, and the wisdom to forever seal off that which is not meant in this world.
Our Southern Chapter serves the principle goal of improving the tactical security of Quel'Thalas and Thalassian interests. The Reliquary is not a monolith, but a reflection of Thalassian society itself, an echo of the world when Anasterian still reigned. The Southern Chapter does our part to ensure our children's future, will you do yours?"
- Quel'medivh Entilzha Felo'aseasl, High Keeper of the Reliquary Southern Chapter.
The officially named Reliquary Southern Chapter (Horde Guild "Silvermoon Reliquary") is an actively expanding unit under the command of the Silvermoon Reliquary and High Examiner Tae'thelan Bloodwatcher, based at the Dawnstar Spire, and specifically charged with gathering items and knowledge which bolster Thalassian power, generally leading to operations with heavy resistance. The unit operates with a strong military support contingent, and many of its Senior Examiner's and Arcanist's themselves are also deft with combat magics, a necessity of such work.
Unlike other Reliquary sects, the mandate of the Southern Chapter is specifically to locate items and information that bolster Thalassian Power. The sect however will engage in more routine activities as exploring sites for historical purposes, as an educational tool for its younger members, often hired as combat support personnel without a research background, and following the High Examiner's teachings on the safe embrace of their arcane birthright, will readily seal away items too dangerous for this world, though the Southern Chapter's operations are firmly focused on bolstering the strength and defenses of Quel'Thalas.
The Thalassian nationalist agenda which the Reliquary's official mission only thinly veils is quite prominent among the southern chapter, whom welcome allies of all races enjoying friendly ties to Silvermoon, but their membership, consistent with much of the Reliquary, is largely Sin'dorei, holding deeply to their order's belief that only the expertise of the children of the Highborne is suited to possess the most powerful and dangerous of artifacts, if the notion of "safeguarding" them more often implies uses which expand Thalassian power, and the Southern Chapter is believed involved in a number of highly secret Reliquary projects with that aim.
The Reliquary seeks not only mages, scholars and archaeologists, but all sorts of personnel from Rangers to plate-wearing infantry and clerics, given the dangerous nature of so many excavation sites, and accept applications by mail or at the Reliquary's Silvermoon headquarters. Despite a strongly Sin'dorei membership, allies of other races are treated professionally, and judged by their skill and merit, as the work of the Reliquary ultimately seeks to strengthen the position of Silvermoon and of its allies.
Mission and Organization[]
The Reliquary Southern Chapter is to take on the task of seeking out an ancient Highborne arcane relic the Reliquary believes to be of great power, and somewhere beneath the Broken Isles, and the course of the war alone has yielded countless clues to follow, and known locations requiring proper excavation.
The unit is commanded directly by Lord Entilzha Firesong or Lady Israai Lightglow in his stead, and currently supports the digs of High Examiner Tae'thelan Bloodwatcher in Azsuna and Suramar, much of which remains focused on defending them from the recent series of Legion attacks.
The Reliquary Southern Chapter is keen to begin properly excavating and exploring the countless known sites of interest encountered during the course of the war, and delving deeper mysteries as the isles hopefully quiet in the war's aftermath.
Teams are currently deployed to support and defend existing Reliquary operations in Azsuna and Suramar, and seek to encourage some of the elves deployed to Suramar to remain and join their cause, and a project weighing heavily on Illidari knowledge seeks, through ambitious means, to secure time-forgotten artifacts of immense power believed to be in the hand's of the burning Legion.
With its leadership having been active in the Suramar, Azsuna and Stormheim theatres of the Third Legion War, Lord Examiner Firesong's list of digsites contains dozens of locations, including the sunken elven town of Lian'tril off Highmountain, the depths beneath the Narl'thalas Academy, the ancient Thal'dranath and islands further to the south and west of the primary Broken Isles complex.
With the decision making process within the Reliquary notoriously secretive and opaque, the influence and intent of the southern chapter grows unclear, but as their councils grow to represent a larger contingent of the Reliquary, so too does their influence in Silvermoon.
Headquarters & Residences[]
Chapter members are often present in and around the Reliquary headquarters in Silvermoon City, though frequently "welcome" a guest by opening a portal before them to a mysterious location in a remote part of Quel'Thalas, yet another of the Reliquary's many secrets. Nothing is known of the Southern Chapter's vaults or if their finds are stored in the mysterious Reliquary vaults, suspected of existing outside of the material plane in which Azeroth resides.
Most in the service of the Reliquary reside in rooms in the spires above the Royal Exchange headquarters, received as part of their compensation package. A few, either senior officials or those requiring space for various research needs, have been granted dwellings in Ashal'Thalas, the hereditary lands of Lord Examiner Entilzha Firesong.
Enlistment[]
The primary base of operations and barracks for the Southern Chapter is the Dawnstar Spire, which, in remarkably good condition, Reliquary and Magistry teams have been active in restoring the full function of the taboo structure. Barracks, checkpoints, and other such features are cropping up around the Spire.
Representatives of the Southern Chapter are often present in or about the vicinity of the Reliquary headquarters in Silvermoon, and given the diverse needs their upcoming work requires, is offering generous contracts not only to arcanists, researchers, and archaeologists, but to a range of scouts, clerics, and military personnel required to operate in what, even after the war, remain dangerous islands, moreso as its ancient secrets grow closer to revealing themselves.
Enlistment is not limited to Sin'dorei and all races on friendly terms with Silvermoon are welcome to join the effort. Applications can be mailed directed to the Reliquary Headquarters in Silvermoon, and a Reliquary representative will arrange to meet with you.
Operations[]
Operational details listed below are not inclusive of all Reliquary activity, and access to the information below is generally not available or known by non-Reliquary personnel, with exceptions as noted where events gained a degree of common knowledge.
Get Me Off This Rock[]
The Southern Chapter's initial buildup began during the Third Legion War, after the decisive liberation of Suramar. Lord Examiner Entilzha Firesong, a veteran of the conflict, returned to the Reliquary with a plethora of artifacts incidentally unearthed at Shal'elah as well as a number of promising sites. High Examiner Bloodwatcher had been active in the Suramar and Azsuna regions, though hadn't found the powerful Highborne relic, likely a sort of arcane foci, Entilzha believed, that he sought.
Lord Firesong was assigned command of the southern chapter, and assigned the long term task of following the High Examiner's work, combining it with his own, and finding the relic beneath the Broken Isles, and what else may lie there.
Initial actions involved defending a Reliquary site in Azsuna from Legion bombardment. The Legion vessel in question was destroyed, and a Reliquary team took prisoner a number of the ship's surviving Mo'arg crew, imprisoning them for the time in The Arshaz.
While focused on defending Reliquary positions against the bombardment, the chapter soon grew aware of the abduction of one of its senior arcanists, Kyera Dawnseeker by Legion forces. An extensive search was launched involving Ranger-Captain Calindra Lemoine, her Thera-dora and additional resources from Trueshot Lodge.
The Ranger activity combined with signals on an arcane beacon Kyera carried suggested a cavern in Suramar, and the noise suggested she wasn't alone. Ranger patrols narrowed the locations to caverns near Kel'balor, though the leyline feed was not impacted, and while arriving prisoners were freed, many were held among the Jailors, Inquisitors, and Felborne Shal'dorei inside.
Ranger harassment of the cavern entrance was used to draw the bulk of the Legion force to the front of the cavern, with tunneling equipment to be used to reach the depths, however heavy mining equipment designed for use in Quel'Thalas jammed on the leystone formations of Suramar, and the tunnelers had to be fitted with teeth made of a Shal'dorei ally to continue digging. There was much fear the delay would lead to the emptying of the cavern's cells for the soul forge, and the Rangers waited with suspense until the attack signal was given.
The Man'ari Nethercrystals[]
Ballistae and tactical mana bombs were launched on Calindra's order as Entilzha transmitted the tunneler, the miners whom cut much of the shaft through deep leystone formations were now replaced with inexperienced soldiers at the controls. Progress was slower, the back, intended for ore, sweltering with a dozen armed elves jammed in. At last they broke through into the northernmost chamber of the Kel'balor complex, Calindra's explosive attempting to mask the sound.
The back room was filled with cages, all filled and with more captives left standing, bound to one another in row. Two Jailers and an Interrogator remained in the chamber as the elves exited and engaged the demons while moving about the tunneler freeing prisoners and slipping weapon to those whom could fight.
Draenei Anchorite Kaidreva was among the captives, whom were mostly Nightborne but also included Tauren, Vyrkul, orcs and Kaldorei. A veteran of the Shattered Sun Offensive, the anchorite called out in Thalassian that she could mend injuries, and with the powerful priestess at their backs, the team was able to clear the back of Kel'balor of demons, and organize the captives, Kyera not among them, into a defense as the demons at the door recognized the ruse, a Man'ari deputy of Eredar Lord Niz'lunn was sent with a squad of felguards to reassert order.
Kaidreva and her Tauren friend spoke of others being missing, and the Draenei, whom apparently had a history with Niz'lunn, spoke of him taking her to a mysterious palace, seemingly in a world that was but a flat blue surface, an odd stone used to open a portal, and caged prisoners, as well as those walking free, now felsworn.
A retreat was nearly called ahead of the Legion reinforcements, though as an evacuation portal was opened, Kaidreva saw a similar stone as what Niz'lunn had used on the belt of his deputy. In fierce fighting, the former prisoners tangled with the felguard and other demons, while the elves and Kaidreva focused on the Eredar. As he eventually weakened, Morgane Devaux's time stop spell held him in place long enough to be finished off, the stone taken from his belt and secured.
A general retreat was called to a portal position just inside the tunnel their craft had dug, and with the Eredar slain, most of the former captives, 44 of 51, by Kaidreva's count reached safety, though Kyera was not seen or heard. Kaidreva worked closely with Entilzha and Morgane in deciphering the ancient script upon the crystal, which shimmered as if it was in many places at once, ripples running along its surface.
Investigation suggested the stone was linked to another similar but stronger object, clearly outside of the material plane and likely a pocket, artificial, or fragment dimension. After a time experimenting with various arcane polarity configurations, a stable portal tunnel was opened, scrying revealed soft, blue hills, seemingly a mimic of Argus' original terrain. Kaidreva would not be safe with the Eredar Lord chasing her, and gladly accepted an offer to join the team going through the portal, which also included two Tauren and a Nightborne whom were taken with others that were now missing.
Siege of Thutzuun Palace[]
Matters culminated in the dramatic Siege of Thutzzuun Palace, bastion of the Eredar Lord Niz'lunn was a battle between the combined forces of the Reliquary Southern Chapter and Thera-dora. It saw the liberation of approximately 50 captives from Azeroth, and the powerful Man'ari Nethercrystals taken into the possession of The Reliquary.
Kyera was extensively tortured during her ordeal, forced by Interrogator Demons to manipulate and enhance the nethercrystals, which magically are highly chaotic in most states, and the large lodestone is seemingly many places at once.
While she takes time to recover in Kaidreva's care, the chaotic energies of one of the medium sized stones were stabilized, leading to an empty realm, though with an appearance similar to that of a habitated world, a place Niz'lunn spoke of as Zarla'maech, and one The Reliquary eagerly plans to investigate.
Into the Nether[]
The Man'ari Nethercrystals were first able to be used to reach the ruins of a once advanced world, shattered by the Legion across the nether. Identified as Zarl'amarch, the Reliquary contents with ethereals and other dangers operating deep in the nether, seeking a powerful arcane source located within the fragment plane accessed, believed to be one of at least five such remnants of the once great world.
While their extremely chaotic form has led to a great deal of caution in exploring the remaining several dozen stones, four seem conjoined, and able to be jointly stabilized. Two smaller stones have been stabilized, leading to shattered fragments in the nether hardly large enough to stand on, which showed signs of Eredar habitation, as an outpost or possibly hideout, at some point, and the small locations were swept quite clean of anything useful or interesting.
The greatest minds in the Reliquary and Magisters have been drawn to the project, which the Reliquary has elected to not share with the Kirin Tor, though did with the Sunreavers and other Sin'dorei factions holding arcanists possibly qualified to work on on the highly advanced project.
Burning Shore[]
After time spent researching previously unexplored sections of Uldaman, the SIlvermoon Reliquary began coming under political pressure over its Quel'Thalas-first policy, seen as xenophobic by many. The order's leadership pointed to the disasters which befell their ancestors for failing to consider the world beyond the war, and protecting Quel'Thalas inherently means defeating the Legion and saving Azeroth.
While involved in the Suramar theatre for eight months, that operation was not publicized, as initially recovering artifact, and then establishing and supporting, developing ties with, the Shal'dorei resistance, few know of the role played by the sect's leadership in the formation of the Shal'dorei, Thalassian-Ranger trained Thera-dora, or their direct and indirect work leading to the deposition of Grand Magistrix Elisande.
As death tolls mounted on the Burning Shore to maintain passage into the Tomb of Sargeras, Lord Firesong ordered his commanders to draw up plans for strategic actions to take the pressure off the front lines, providing his officers knowledge of previously unknown Reliquary artifacts.
The chapter is not a full on military force, but wit their vast magical capacity and ability to land surgical strikes, the Illidari, Thera-dora, Farstriders and others identify high value targets such as soul forges and portals which the unique skills of the unit's forces and the items as their disposal offer.
Links[]
Silvermoon Reliquary's Armory Page
Notes and Attribution[]
This article initially appeared on the Moon Guard Wiki, generated principally by the same author, User Entilzha. The original article can be viewed here.