Much of the world still bore the mark of the Cataclysm. In few places were the scars of the world-shaking event more apparent than Mount Hyjal. About a third of what should have a pure, lush forest, nurtured by the roots of the world tree, had been consumed by lakes of magma when the cultists of the old gods had brought the Firelands as close to this realm as possible.
Of these massive lakes, many had long since cooled into carpets of crackled black. Gradually, they had been reclaimed by nature, but the recent war had shifted the reclamation efforts of the night elves away from their ancestral homeland. First because they had to escape Sylvanas, then because they had found a new home at the feet of their human masters.
Nordrassil, the world tree, and Hyjal as a whole still had two significant roles to play. For one, it was this very tree that granted the night elves their immortality. Granted, the magic in the air of Stormwind could have taken over this task, but it did not need to because this tree existed. Secondly, Hyjal was the centre of druidic learning on the entirety of Azeroth and thus where night elves and tauren, primarily, held meetings.
On the cultural front, Hyjal also remained of immense importance. To reclaim it would have been another showcase, for the night elves of the empire of life, that their emperor and his people were indeed the masters to follow. When the battle for Azeroth began, it had effectively split the world into the Horde, on Kalimdor, and the Alliance, on the Eastern Kingdoms.
For these many reasons, Anduin casually stepping out of a portal and into the temple underneath the world tree's great trunk was a moment of significance. The night elven building covered a shore that oversaw a silver sparkling pond. The second Well of Eternity, a fond of immense power that many wars had been fought over.
"The air in this place still agrees with me most favourably," Ysera stated, as she followed her Master through the portal.
"I agree, sister. Our blessing has matured nicely," Alexstrasza stated.
"Well, I didn't personally have a hand in any of this, but I'd say I could tap into what Nozdormu did," Chromie babbled. "Just a little bit of tweaking and then..."
"Keep moving already," Onyxia demanded, shoving the shortstack along before moving her own attractive form through the portal. She raised her nose and inhaled several times. "The power here is pleasing. It's not as potent as Master's domain, but it has matured nicely."
"I concur," Stellagosa hummed, the last of the dragons to step through. "This is the centre of the leylines in the western hemisphere. Perhaps it would be appropriate to erect a summer residence here?"
"What a splendid idea." Azshara was next through the portal. "It would be proper for me to have a house at the well that is rightfully my property. I would see it returned to its former glory."
"I would warn you not to invite any demons again," Tyrande said drily, "but I think you know your place now, sister slave."
"Well, of course, high priestess. I swear upon Elune, the moon, and the life in my belly that I shall do nothing that harms our Master's goals." Azshara put both of her left hands on her medium sized chest, to portray the offense she felt. "I merely state that this tree you erected to protect the second well has shackled its true potential. Although... I am willing to work with it to create something a little more... friendly to Master's many subjects."
"Good to hear," Shandris added.
"There's no greater trust to be had then between loyal cocksleeves," Maiev stated the words in her deep, female voice.
Anduin rubbed his chin, listening to what his harem was discussing. "This would be an appropriate place for a second residence."
Immediately the gathered haremettes began planning things in earnest. "I can have the foundations shaped within a week," Onyxia declared. "Raw earth, levelled for constructions. Lava and stone smoothed."
"The tree itself shall be reshaped to support whatever structure you wish to house in," Ysera stated.
"Blessings of all five flights, to complete its power," Stellagosa promised.
While the various women explained how they would turn the entirety of Hyjal into one massive palace for their Master, they got closer. Anduin soon had his arms around Alexstrasza and Ysera. Onyxia and Stellagosa pushed against his back together. Chromie cheated a little, hovering in the air in front of him with effortless magic. Azshara, Tyrande, Maiev and Shandris simply shared the grass to his feet. There was nothing demeaning for any of them about the pose.
Anduin looked over his shoulder, where the rest of his harem was waving goodbye. Those haremettes accompanying him were the either the night elves that wished to see the world tree again or the dragon aspects here to help him with his task to enter the Firelands. They would remain ready to, at the signal of a Master's Image left in Stormwind, send the naga elementalists through. That was, if Anduin at all needed them.
"We'll discuss what we do with this place in detail another time," the Emperor of Life decided. "For now..."
"Anduin? Is that really you?" A deep voice echoed over the open space.
The Emperor of Life looked up from his beloved harems to find a small crowd of tauren and furbolg that had gathered around them. They had, in the absence of the night elves, been the primary keepers of this place. The one that had spoken was who truly was in charge of the operation though.