Battle for Dalaran

On January 1, 623 K.C., the Grand Alliance was tasked with reinforcing the Magocracy of Dalaran from both civil unrest and an anticipated retaliatory assault by the New Horde, after Lady Jaina Proudmoore imprisoned, exiled, or executed every blood elf during the Purge of Dalaran.

The Voyage, A Spy
After receiving blessings from Mother Chantale Corinthal in the Cathedral of Holy Light, the first regiment of the Elwynn Brigade boarded the Westridge Fleet and set sail for Valiance Keep in Northrend. Soon after the fleet had departed from Stormwind Harbor, an agent of 7 hailed the flagship, HMS Logan, from a gyrocopter. After the agent was welcomed aboard the vessel, he informed Lord-Marshal Maxen Montclair that a blood elf being tracked by SI:7 went missing in the harbor hours before the fleet's departure.

After nearly tearing apart the ships' interiors looking for the blood elf, the spy was found concealed in a large chest aboard the HMS Logan. After being bound and gagged, the blood elven spy was taken by the SI:7 agent back to Stormwind City for interrogation.

Valiance Keep and the Long March
It wasn't long after arriving in Valiance Keep that the Lord-Marshal sought out the aid of his trusted officers. The King had tasked him in re-opening talks with the Sin'dorei in the hopes of joining with the Alliance. Maxen Montclair asked for a one of his officers to join him in the negotiations. Knight Lieutenant Olendir Fahennia stepped forward, and in a few days time, they set out to Silvermoon City to speak with the Sin'dorei leaders.

The negotiations however, turned sour. The Sin'dorei demanded that the remaining prisoners kept within the Violet Hold in Dalaran be set free. The Lord-Marshal denied their demands, stating that they would only be willing to let go the Sunreaver civilians that were held. If they wanted all of the combatants and dangerous Sunreaver prisoners, a deal would need to be struck first. Not in the mood for negotiation, but rather only offering ultimatums, the meeting ended abruptly. It seemed that battle would be inevitable.



Upon returning from enemy territory, the regiment marched on Dalaran. The frozen wasteland known as Dragonblight tested the soldiers, and many nights were spent huddled together in constant watch for enemy forces. As they approached the pass that led into Crystalsong Forest, a welcome sight appeared before them. Mages from the Senate of Dalaran appeared to welcome them, and offered their services to aid the regiment once they would arrive in the city. With a renewed vigor, the troops made for the Violet Stand, where upon arriving, they set up camp and prepared fortifications.

A couple of days passed at the Violet Stand where the regiment trained and sent patrols throughout the Crystalsong Forest. The men were mobilized before long to enter the City itself, but upon entering they were immediately made aware of the execution of Sunreavers at the Violet Hold. Lord-Marshal Maxen Montclair charged forward with the regiment and immediately called for the executions to cease.

With the help of the Senate Mages, the Alliance troops under command of Grand Marshal Ashamal Shalah'aman that had started the executions stayed their hands and departed after two of the blood elves had been executed.

Dangerous Streets
Talk of the interrupted executions spread like wildfire through the streets of Dalaran. The sides seemed split; either the First Regiment were heroes for stepping in and stopping the bloodshed or they were horde sympathizers guilty of treason. Encounters between the two sides grew increasingly tense, to the point where Alliance members on the side of the executioners threatened the lives of the officers of the First. Security measures were stepped up, and patrol activity increased to prevent those threats from escalating into all-out warfare.

On the evening of 13 January, the First Regiment set to work building up the defenses of their side of the city. Barricades against footsoldiers and mounted cavalry were erected to defend the Violet Citadel and the Silver Enclave, respectively. Sharpened logs were set as pikes, and sandbags were put into place to funnel the onslaughts into the waiting blades of the defenders. Sniper nests were set in the towers, on the walls... wherever a suitable line of sight was to be had. Stockpiles of supplies, both conventional and magical, were stored away in various secret locations throughout.

After curfew was called by Sergeant Major Carith Halfien, the First teamed up with a group of gnomish engineers to shut the sewer drain and prevent troops from gaining access to the city that way. The explosion that crumbled the pipe shook the whole of the city, doing little to calm the nerves of the residents.

The First then set to work assisting the citizens of Dalaran protect their homes and shops. Windows were boarded, doors blocked shut, locks installed and weapons readied.

The people were as ready as they would ever be.

War on the Coast
From the mists, a Horde fleet approached the coast of Venture Bay, a contested port held by the goblins of the Steamwheedle Cartel. The Alliance forces comprised of the League of Lordaeron, Dwarven Vanguard, 71st Legion, First Regiment, and various Dalaran militias gathered their forces in the Howling Fjord and launched an attack on the port as the Horde made landfall. The Horde forces, comprised of the Kor'kron Legion, Dominion of the Sun, Sunguard and Hand of Vengeance charged the port city from their ships after their naval artillery pummeled its structures.

Lieutenant Olendir Fahennia and Sergeant Carith Halfien led the First Regiment in the struggle. The battle that ensued was a complete rout of the Horde, their ships burned and their ranks scattered. Many of the Horde fled into the wilds of the Grizzly Hills, where they were pursued by the Alliance forces. The Alliance claimed victory that day, but many of the Horde's commanders and troops had slipped deep into Northrend - regrouping and preparing for their next attack.

Dalaran Insurgency and the Crystal Vice
Shortly after the Horde's rout on the coast, Horde insurgents under command of the Hand of Vengeance infiltrated Dalaran's sewers and began planting canisters of their Blackshade Plague throughout the city's substructure.

The First Regiment and forces of Dalaran delved into the sewers in patrols and captured several of the Forsaken insurgents, imprisoning them in the Violet Hold. Sergeant Carith Halfien led many of the patrols that captured Forsaken spies, and she was recognized by Lieutenant Mairaed O'Callaghan for her efforts with a promotion in rank. Despite the Alliance's efforts, however, a number of the canisters of plague remained in Dalaran's sewers.

On the ground, the massed Alliance army prepared for the Horde to make their counterattack after their losses on the coast. The remnants of the Horde converged in the Dragonblight, making camp before the gaping maw of the Crystal Vice - a perilous ice canyon that connected the frozen wastes to Crystalsong Forest. Not wishing to allow the Alliance to take advantage of the bottlenecked pass, the Horde charged into the vice and burst from its opening - but were too late to prevent the Alliance from reaching the exit. Torn apart when their funneled numbers could not rally swiftly enough in Crystalsong Forest, the Horde were forced to retreat back into the Crystal Vice.

Negotiations with the Horde
The leaders of the Horde and Alliance alike were summoned to neutral ground where a last effort could be made to avoid further bloodshed. It was here that the Alliance realized the Horde leaders would not be willing to step down from their advance on Dalaran. What was accomplished however was a trade. The Sin'dorei would see their captives in the Violet Hold returned to them in trade for the war criminal Tendael Dawnlight. The ceasefire ended the next morning when the Horde marched on the Violet Stand below Dalaran.

Siege of the Violet Stand
Unlike the previous battles, what ensued the day of the siege on the Violet Stand did little for Alliance morale. The Horde, seemingly out of nowhere, pushed forward and broke the line of defenders at the arcane shield. The Alliance did not give it up without a fight however, and fought tooth and nail against every inch the Horde took. The crystal was shattered before the Alliance retreated, sealing the Horde's opportunity to teleport their armies into the floating city. The mages in Dalaran worked tirelessly to move the giant floating wonder away from the fighting, when reports came in of the Alliance airship the Skybreaker being taken over by the Horde as well. As the gunship approached the city and began firing upon it, almost at the same time plague canisters erupted and spread their vile miasma throughout the streets. Though the casualties were astounding and the cleanup would take weeks, Dalaran successfully defended itself, firing cannons at the airship and warding it off. The airship was decimated in the process, but Dalaran continued to belong to the Alliance.

The Marshal's Pardon
On January 22, 623 K.C.,