'Nother Nerubian story

The Nerubians were originally a mere oddity, created for amusement by the magic-wielding night elves before the first invasion of Chaos. They resembled a cross of arachnid and humanoid; and embodied the most advantageous traits of both. They could think complex thoughts, albeit with a cold, calculating, arachnid mind. They could manipulate objects with their strong, dexterous hands, and could move amazingly quickly with their four arthropod legs. They were protected by a chitinous shell, covered with bristly hairs. Although they were used mainly for arena combat and heavy manual labor, they were extremely intelligent. They hid this trait lest their creators find out. For hundreds of years, they bided their time, knowing that too few of them existed for any sort of uprising. Escapees from bondage eventual found their way into subterranean caves and tunnels, where they were most comfortable, and could hide from their former masters. When the first invasion of Chaos came they continued to hide from the thunderous clash of battle until it was safe to emerge.

In the splitting of the continent lay their chance to rise to greatness. While most were crushed in their tunnels or swept away by seething oceans as Kalimdor broke and split, some were lucky enough to survive. Some emerged into night elf lands and were quickly slaughtered as the spawn of magic. A lucky few came out of hiding and found themselves in the frozen wastelands of Northrend.

The survivors congregated and began to build a crude civilization in the larger caverns. They preyed on the numerous life forms of the arctic continent, and dominated the land without dispute. Their empire grew in size and power until it stretched out beneath Northrend like a great web, and they discovered a magic of their own, based mainly on the use and manipulation of biology. Their society was extremely stratified, and governed ruthlessly by a ruling caste of queens, who spawned the rest of the Nerubians. They controlled their subjects through a mixture of racial telepathy and savage force, using terror squads of elite warriors and monstrous biological creations. Thus, their hunger for violence and suffering was sated. It wasn’t until thousands of years had passed that these abilities would truly be put to the test.

The arrival of the Lich King in Northrend marked the downfall of most of the Nerubian Empire. Sensing that this mysterious new force was a threat to their power, the Queens sent numerous spies scuttling across and below the glacial ice to investigate. Most did not return, and those that did reported an enormous army of cold, silent warriors centered around an icy citadel above Icecrown. Resolved to eliminate the rival power in their land, they expanded their empire west and created thousands of new tunnels through which to lead their vast armies. Soon, waves of chittering warriors and terrible beasts of destruction poured through them and began what were initially fairly successful attacks on the Lich King’s holdings. However, with every death the Nerubian forces suffered, the undead ranks grew. Hit and run tactics that would have defeated any other army were simply not enough to destroy an enemy that could not be killed. The queens, becoming frantic, sent their elite-guard in one final assault against the undead citadel. The deadly Nerubian warriors cut a swath of destruction through the undead ranks and gained access to the central chamber- only to encounter an empty throne of ice. Unsure of what to do, they searched every corridor of the citadel to no avail. Eventually, without supplies or reinforcements, they were overrun and slaughtered by hundreds of their own race, now undead and controlled by the Lich King. The Queens, without any other options, attempted to make a treaty with the undead army, but every ambassador they sent was killed. Soon the ranks of zombie warriors slaughtered their way to the central Nerubian city of Azjol-Nerub, or “Web-Center of Nerub”, killed every inhabitant, and remade the city in their image. A few queens fled successfully into the wilds of Northrend with small groups of favored servants to eke out a meager existence until the wave of undeath found them again. Fewer still fled deeper into their tunnels, covering the entrances and disguising their passage as they went. Most died in the darkness, unable to find prey or devoured by deadlier creatures better adapted to the environment.

Three Queens, against all odds, survived, along with a small force of warriors and slaves. The group made their way through the darkness for months, subsisting on whatever small things they could catch. Finally, they saw a light at the end of the tunnel. They emerged into sunlight in a small clearing in the forest, and immediately fell upon and devoured a group of deer. In the mouth of the tunnel they began to rebuild their once-glorious civilization. In a land called Lordaeron.

I had thought of most of this before i read PencilGod's post, except for the part about them manipulating genes and such. I hope you don't mind me borrowing that idea.

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What happens next! Good story, btw.

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A rash of disappearances had been plaguing Lordaeron for some time. This in addition to the rampant rumours of a plage in the north was causing the rulers of the beleaguered land to become quite uneasy. As the plague had already generated quite enough hysteria for their taste, they decided to deal with the disappearances through unofficial channels. Either way, they assumed, it was probably just some orc warband hunting for slaves. For their task, they hired Cirana Grimhill, half elf rogue, assasin, and mercenary extraordinaire.
With a small group of thugs whom she probably picked up in some shady inn, Cirana traveled south, following hints and rumors as to the disappearances. Finally, she discovered a town that was all but deserted save for one mangey dog. Her elven senses erupted, and she knew that this was the source of the strangeness. She and her band searched around the site and finally found a deep well, from which the sense of wrongness emanated.

Cautiously, they entered the well, only to find themselves in a long, dark tunnel. Periodically the way was lit by grotesque runes on the walls as they walked, as quietly as possible, along the path. Eventually they emerged into an enourmous central cavern....

yeah, so... my next thought is that she will find a fugitive orc warband enslaved by the spiders. She'll free them in some stealth mission, then in the next level she'll have a base and clobber the spiders.

Cirana Grimhill "the woman" you ask? Well, she's terse and sarcastic. A complete cynic. To the orcs who pledge their lives to her, she might say, "Meh, do whatever you want." Probably she'll agree to do a freeby and help the orcs take out the spider base, "for a share of the loot".

Later, as rumors have spread that Cirana has been operating with the orcs against the spiders, (fraternity with wanted demi-humans being a felony) the Lordaeron government will send a Marshall and some troops to arrest her. He'll get attacked by spiders, Cirana's gonna have to rescue him, one thing leads to another, humpty dump, and you have an inseperable fighting force! Whoosh, step on spiders!