Grimnir stood before the stone-hewed chamber that held Conquest Hold's leadership. Flanked by Hoober and Vulcaen, the aged shaman had come to assess Conquest's defenses and judge its suitability for the Blacktooth Grin.
"Lok'tar, Conquerer." Grimnir bowed low before Krenna, the settlement's commander and well-known firebrand. "Thank you for receiving us."
Krenna nodded, curtly. "You are welcome here, orcs. What business does the Grin bring to the Grizzly Hills?"
Grimnir knew his delegation was in a delicate position. The Warsong Offensive's position vis-a-vis a semi-fringe group like the Blacktooth Grin was nebulous at best. Garrosh and his commanders were certainly to be more receptive to the Grin's philosophy than Thrall, but the young Hellscream still owed his ultimate loyalty to the Horde Expeditionary Forces, commanded from Orgrimmar. So it was confusing.
But Grimnir was willing to wager that Garrosh had been fairly flexible in his orders to his various regional commanders. The old shaman had heard rumors that Hellscream had begun to clash with both Thrall and Saurfang over strategy and tactics, with the young Mag'har favoring a more aggressive and bloodthirsty approach. A Blacktooth approach.
All of this lent import to the seemingly innocuous conversation that would occur between Grimnir and Krenna. Grimnir would seek the Conqueror's tacit approval for a Grin presence in the Grizzly Hills, if not a stated one. Which brought him back to the question...what brought the Grin to Conquest Hold?
"We have travelled long and hard, across the Dragonblight, to show our commitment to all true Horde forces on Northrend," Grimnir explain. Did Krenna catch the slight emphasis he'd put on the world "true"? No matter. "We're to analyze our defensive positions and make preparations for a continent-wide tactical response plan."
Krenna narrowed her eyes. "Are you suggesting that we might need your assistance, shaman? I assure you, we have things well in hand here."
"No, no." Grimnir held up a placating hand. "The might of this fortress and the Warsong Offensive are clear for all to see. But the balance of power on this continent has not even begun to establish itself. The various factions continue to establish their positions and see to their fortifications. But soon enough, total war will ravage these forsaken Northlands, and when such a time comes, we all would do well to know where our allies stand." His voice was heavy with double meaning.
Krenna nodded, relaxing slightly. "Well spoken, shaman. I grant that both myself and my second, Gorgonna" - Krenna gestured with a gloved hand to a female orc warrior standing nearby - "have been most impressed with the exploits of your Clan as of late. News of your strike at the Alliance airstrip on the tundra has reached us even here."
"Ah, yes." Grimnir nodded. "We have established ourselves at Bor'gorak, and there we seek to deny the Alliance the benefits of free passage from Valliance to their other strongholds. But it is only the beginning. We must now look to expansion."
"You wish to ask me for something?" Krenna inquired.
"Hurr. You might say that," Grimnir responded, pausing to consider his words. "We ask that you allow us to establish a presence here, in the Hills, based out of Conquest Hold. We'd especially like to bring some of our younglings here, for training and resource gathering."
Krenna's nostrils flared. "Resource gathering? You plan to deprive us of lumber, and stone, and meat?"
"No, Conquerer." Grimnir grinned. "Everything we take will be subtracted from the Alliance's resource total, not your own."
Krenna reluctantly grinned herself, before casting her eyes towards Gorgonna's. The other orc paused, then nodded briefly.
Krenna turned back to Grimnir, Hoober, and Vulcaen. "Very well. Establish your presence. Just...keep it quiet."