"Desperate times call for desperate measures."
Surely, no time could be more desperate. Mere weeks ago, both the Alliance and the Horde sent a great army to a small landmass stranded in the void surrounding the shattered realm of Outland. Word of an attempted incursion by the demonic forces of the Burning Legion had made its way to both the Warchief and the leaders of the Alliance, and both had moved immediately to prevent such an incursion from succeeding.
However, even as the two armies formed their encampments on opposite sides of the rocky land and prepared to track down the secret lair of the cult, they immediately began to fight each other, attempting to drive their rivals from the field. Soon, the efforts of the cultists had been forgotten as old hatreds boiled over and drove each side into madness. Special interest was given to the old fortress in the centre of the 'island', an old orcish stronghold known as Fangblade Keep.
It was not the machinations of demon-worshippers, nor the fell magics of the Burning Legion itself that made the opening of the portal successful. It was nothing more than petty hatred as two armies that might have fought together to end the threat instead occupied one another. The portal opened, with demon-worshippers bringing forth two powerful demons, a dreadlord and a pit lord, who aided them in bringing forth more of the unholy powers that the Burning Legion commanded. Infernals rained upon the southern plains, and packs of felhounds followed by companies of doomguards rose from the black pit that had not dug through the earth, but through the fabric of the world itself.
For the first time since the two expeditions had landed, the hatred was set aside as demonic forces tore into both encampments, slaughtering all in their wake. After the first assault, less than a tenth of either force remained, and those numbers were cut in half during the desperate fighting retreat made by both sides until they met at Fangblade Keep, demons attacking from both sides. Knowing that doom waited outside, both forces entered the Keep together, and barely managed to fight off the demonic forces; the strongest of both sides, the only ones who could survive what they faced, nearly died as they made safe their one refuge, while the demonic armies erected a dark temple around their gateway into Outland.
Only with death hanging over their heads could the two sides possibly find shelter together, and with the demons finally driven back, those tensions could rise to the surface again. Locked in a stony prison together, what will happen to the two armies as they fight both the demons of the world and the demons of their minds for survival?
There's the concept for the roleplay that I have in mind. It was the best way I could think of to bring every possible race and class together without a bloodbath ensuing. It sets a conflict, intrique and drama, and it even gives a wonderful excuse for the most delicious activities, as any number of movies with soldiers locked up with the enemy outside can show you.
I'm just looking for interest right now, but I have a map in the works, and a basic character sheet/ability system in mind. I plan on my character being the senior leader of the Horde forces inside the Keep, but other leadership positions are quite free to be asked for by other players (as the people who made it are among the strongest in each force, it mades sense that any number of them would have at least been mid-range commanders on their respective sides).
Where things are going to go are hazy, at best. I'll somewhat guide the direction that the military matters take by using my character's command position to give him significant say on what offensives and plans the two forces might come up with. As well, I'll take a GM-ish role by creating random attacks of some sort or another by the Legion. One option that players can consider, but would take more work to figure out, would be them taking the role of the pit lord or the dreadlord (I left their descriptions vague to make this possible). Players in such a position would have to work with me closely in order to keep things moving slowly, as would any other main commanders in the Keep.
However, the specifics are by no means planned, and even if a peace is going to be maintained within the Keep itself is not something I'm locking in stone. Depending on how play works out, coups by one or both sides, or even outright battle, are not going to be ruled out (though if the sides are quite balanced, I'd like that avoided so full-on PvP doesn't become a dividing issue).
