King of the Mushan 33 Posted January 8, 2018 The Azeroth Times Edition I By Trix Paperwrench, Editor-In-Chief, and T&P Publishing Main Story: Terror in Ironforge following Deadly Bombing By Tothus Brewgut - The City of Ironforge is in chaos this week following a bombing in the Great Forge that killed Seven and wounded Three more. Witnesses told Azeroth Times Reporters that at approximately 9:30 PM this past Sunday, a loud blast "like a volley of cannons" echoed through the city. According to an official statement posted by the Ironforge Guard, it was the Ironforge Records Hall that was the intended target of the attack, and according to independent investigators on the scene, the bomb was likely delivered to the Records Hall in a locked box, and set to trigger when the box was opened. Investigators are keeping specifics of their findings away from the media, but they have issued a formal notice that anyone with information about the whereabouts of Cornelius Wabbajack and his Company of Adventurers should bring it to the Ironforge Guard immediately. The bombing took the lives of Seven Records Hall workers. Only four names have been confirmed and released, including Thaedan Koolm, Rongas Talnor, Moliban Firegirdle, and Hoffstad Elkshorn. The City has announced its sorrow in the losses, especially Koolm, who had served as the city's High Record Keeper for 13 years. "This is a traumatic loss", reads the official statement from the Council, "and one we will not soon recover completely from. We've lost several upstanding and dedicated civil servants, and our hearts grieve in particular for the devout High Record Keeper Thaedan Koolm." The remaining three victims have not yet been identified. The city has entered a state of grieving, underlines by an anxiety that this may happen again. The Ironforge Guard has sworn to increase its security, especially when it comes to delicate packages like those delivered to the Records Hall. Many citizens are claiming this to be an attack by the Ironbraid Rebels in Coldridge Valley, but such claims have little evidence and the Council has maintained its stance that it will not escalate relations with the Ironbraid. Upon being asked about the subject by Azeroth Times reporter, Falstad Wildhammer, Councilor of the Wildhammer Dwarves, said, "This is something nobody expected, and so it's taken all of us off guard. Ironforge hasn't experienced an attack like this since the Second War, and many of us just aren't sure how to handle it. All that we know now is that this mountain cannot save us from everything. We're not invincible, that's been made shockingly obvious to us. All we can do now is grieve for the fallen, and do everything in our power to make sure nothing like this happens again." The Azeroth Times will keep readers updated about any developments in this story. News from the Alliance: Rhino MilTech Signs Five-Year Contract with Alliance, Receives New Patent Grant By David S. Long - Rhino MilTech, famous developers of Military Technology and Combat Innovations, has just signed a 5-Year contract with Alliance Leaders to distinguish their Company as the sole military producer and innovator of the Alliance. This news comes following the expiration of the 2-Year contract the Alliance previously held with "Synadigm Solutions", which yielded mixed results. Rhino, who have held a total of three contracts with the Alliance over the past two decades, have been chosen again by a board of Military advisers who credit Rhino's past work for the Alliance as their reason for proposing the contract. Rhino MilTech has spent nearly 30 years in the Military Technology Industry, and have since provided the Alliance - and the rest of Azeroth - with technology that continues to be used to this day. Almost all modern firearms use triggering systems developed by Rhino, who also pioneered modern Steam Engine technology, used in Steam Tanks and Gyrocopters to this day. However, perhaps Rhino's greatest contribution to Military Technology is the Thunderbird-Class Gunship, used in almost every major Alliance campaign since Northrend. Perhaps the most interesting detail to this development is that while also offering a 5-Year contract, the Alliance gave Rhino a New Patent Grant, allowing them to develop a brand new blueprint. Whether it's for a handheld weapon, a war machine, or a new, more efficient engine design, we'll have to wait and see, but the last time Rhino received this kind of Grant, they developed the Alliance's Lothar-Class Battleship, which has been used since the Siege of Orgrimmar. All in all, an exciting development in the military world, and one that will surely pay off well for the Alliance. News from the Horde: Silvermoon Magistrates Race May Decide Fate of the Nightborn By Aethalius Sunreaver - Politics in the Eversong Woods are heating up as questions begin to arise concerning the fate of the Nightborn of Suramar. Since liberating them from the Grand Magistrix Elisande, leaders in the Sin'Dorei Government have been throwing around the question of offering them induction into the Horde. While these rumors have never been confirmed by Sin'Dorei leaders or Horde Officials, questions have begun surfacing about Nightborn Opinions, directed towards the candidates for Silvermoon's three open Magistrate seats. After hearing testimony from all thirteen Magistrate candidates, the Azeroth Times has assembled a collective opinion on the Nightborn in the political circle. While many of the election's frontrunners, such as Liandar Oberon and Sulthania Firehawk, have vouched their support of a collected Horde focused on making its existing power more efficient as opposed to gathering more from other races, many of the candidates believe that the Nightborn deserve a place among the Horde. Magistrate Candidate Alanor Ben'Dalil told the Azeroth Times, "It's a matter of kinship. Of sticking together. The Sin'Dorei and Shal'Dorei have very similar backgrounds, and we have both shaken the Legion's grasp from areas we hold dear. Suramar's new leaders are very open to our own leadership, and I do not believe it would be an enormous challenge to persuade them to join our cause. The Horde can use all the help it can get, especially in the Eastern Kingdoms, a territory long controlled by Alliance forces." On the other side of the coin, Candidate Ontuas Tenarr told reporters, "It's all about priorities. We shouldn't be worrying about inducting new races into the Horde right now, we should be worrying about getting stable leadership and a stronger unity between our races. Perhaps when we can all live in harmony with each other, then we can worry about expanding ourselves outward. But until then... We've bigger fish to fry, honestly." The Lord Regent has expressed conflict on this issue that cannot be readily solved by his advisers, and will likely turn to his Magistrates to make a decision. While the Magistrate Court is not held while elections are underway, we will have to see who wins the open seats before we can know for certain the fate of this groundbreaking question. News from the World: Acting General in Hot Water After Publishing Controversial Book By Leonard Freeman - An Acting General of Stormwind, Karl Dogg, has landed himself in hot water among his peers following the publishing of his controversial book, entitled "The Dogg of War". Dogg, who has served as Commanding Officer of nearly half of Stormwind's forces for four years, recently published his book, which he refers to as "An unedited, uncensored telling of [his] time in the military and in the Alliance", a decision that came as a surprise to many of his colleagues, who did not know that Dogg had the intent to even write such a book. However, it is the book's contents that seem to shroud General Dogg in controversy. In fact, in the first chapter of the literature, Dogg refers to the Alliance as "The single greatest force of war in the world.", and calls Stormwind "The Crowning Jewel of Azeroth", going on to devalue the contributions and cultural state of the other members of the Alliance. That being said, the book's seventh chapter, entitled "War: The Global Constant" has been the most quoted piece of the work, used by everyone from anti-war activists to arms dealers. The chapter includes several controversial statements, including "We as a race cannot survive without war, because war and conflict drive us to evolve. The countless souls who gave their lives bravely paved the path to a new and better world", "The Invasion of the Krasarang Wilds is the single greatest operation devised by Alliance Command", and the line that is becoming quoted more and more, "War with the Horde is not only inevitable, it should be encouraged! Strike down those brutal savages wherever they hide! Help them evolve into something the Alliance wouldn't be disgusted to call an ally." The General's current status with the Alliance remains unchanged, as Alliance Command has yet to take any action for or against the author, but more and more anti-war groups are calling for Dogg's discharge and release of command as soon as possible. Battle Ball Winter Season Kicks Off With Unexpected Results By Chet Gordon - Yes, folks, it's that time of year again: Time for the first Battle-Ball Season of the Year! In a Week 1 that it sure to go down in people's memories, and surely didn't fail in shaking up the competition, every league showed their fair share of unexpected results. First up, the rundown of all of this week's scores: Stormwind Lions beat Auremyst Exarchs 27 to 8 Gnomeregan Tinkers beat Darnassus Sentinels 38 to 21 Greymane Pack beat Ironforge Rams 35 to 17 Bloodmyst Elekk beat Kharanos Mountaineers 23 to 17 Tinker Town Leopards beat Ashenvale Nightsabers 40 to 13 Westfall Pilgrims beat Northgate Rebels 30 to 12 Kezan Princes beat Thunder Bluff Braves 34 to 7 Silvermoon Dragonhawks beat Darkspear Raptors 19 to 14 Lordaeron Executors beat Orgrimmar Worgs 14 to 6 Taurajo Kodos beat Bilgewater Goons 30 to 14 Quel'Thalas Avengers beat Razor Hill Boars 48 to 13 Sen'Jin Witch Doctors beat Silverpine Phantoms 24 to 0 Now, let's get into the analysis of some of the more noteworthy games: Lions @ Exarchs This game threw together the best and worst of last season: The Alliance Premier League Champions in the Azuremyst Exarchs versus the 1-4 worst season record Stormwind Lions. Maybe these expectations gave the Exarchs too big of a head, because as soon as they stepped onto Argus Field, it was one mistake after the other. First, a turnover to the Lions resulted in their opponents making the first score of the game. Then, a slacking defense opened up a total of 3 sacks by the Lions against Lukhemos. But really, the game was decided as soon as Arthur Proudmane and the Lions offense stepped on the field. With one brilliant move after another, the Lions managed to secure a demanding lead over the Exarchs, and finished the game 27 to 8. Dragonhawks @ Raptors In an oddly similar game, Horde Grand League Champions Darkspear Raptors faced off against the Silvermoon Dragonhawks, and met a surprising downfall. For every move the Raptors made, it seemed like the Dragonhawks were one step ahead. While both sides had formidable offensive powers, the really hard moments of the game were fought by either side on defense. The Dragonhawks have always seemed to struggle at stopping the opposing team before they can score, but this game, they were able to lock down the Raptors. This game, much like Lions @ Exarchs goes to show that just because you're a League Champion, doesn't mean you're invincible. Phantoms @ Witch Doctors In an embarrassing game for Horde Minor League runner-up Silverpine Phantoms, the Sen'Jin Witch Doctors demonstrated their new and improved offense under the leadership of Kozma Kal, and their impressive defense under Lez'hek Tunaju. The Phantoms came into the game expecting an easy win, and were given much more than their money's worth when the Witch Doctors kept Silverpine in their own territory for 6 of their 7 drives. The Phantoms focused so much into putting points on the board that they just couldn't stop the Witch Doctors from earning a 14-point lead by the end of the first half. A lead which extended to 24 in the second half before the game ended, the Phantoms unable to get their name on the scoreboard. That does it for this week's noteworthy games. The Schedule for next Friday, the 12th, is as follows: Lions @ Sentinels Tinkers @ Pack Exarchs @ Rams Elekk @ Pilgrims Rebels @ Nightsabers Mountaineers @ Leopards Worgs @ Princes Braves @ Dragonhawks Executors @ Raptors Phantoms @ Boars Avengers @ Goons Witch Doctors @ Kodos See you next week! The Traveller's Spotlight: Light's Harbor By Trix Paperwrench - The City of Light's Harbor has become somewhat of a phenomenon lately. From its humble beginnings to its prosperous future, it seems everyone is talking about this beautiful Harbor city. So I decided to take a look for myself. The first thing I noticed as soon as I got off the boat was hospitality. The first few townspeople I came across greeted me warmly, and nobody during my entire stay made me feel like I was unwanted or even unappreciated. The people in this city are second to none, that's for sure, and they were even kind enough to explain to me some of Light's Harbor's history, and what it can look forward to in the future. Humble Beginnings: Light's Harbor was founded as an Argent Crusade Garrison off the coast of Northrend to deal with stray Scourge after the Fall of the Lich King, but soon enough, word of mouth and the area's unique charm began enticing more and more people, and the settlement grew from there. It now includes an extended Barracks, a delightfully quaint inn, a booming market district, a looming Mage Tower, a packed dock, a sizable housing district, and an aesthetic atmosphere like none other. The Island: The Island on which Light's Harbor was founded is awash in excitement and danger, from the ancient Elven Ruins of Haruma, which promise to break brand new ground in the archaeological world, to the mysterious Blightforge, a dangerous collection of dark buildings and even darker potential. The Island also consists of a vast wilderness that serves an ideal grounds for anyone with a passion for the hunt, and a small camp that is to become the base of operations for an Adventuring Company. The Future: The people of the city seem quite content with their lives, and they are eager to see what comes next. There's never a dull day in Light's Harbor, or so I'm told. From my short time there, I met a wonderful collection of people, learned an exciting history, and enjoyed some of the finest tea and bread I've ever tasted. Yes, Light's Harbor is up on the rise, and for good reason. I would recommend visiting the next time you're in the neighborhood. Do You Want Featured in The Azeroth Times? Maybe you've got a News Story that no one else has seen. Or maybe your town could use with some extra exposure. Or maybe you're just looking for some extra money to get you through between jobs. Well, The Azeroth Times is willing to pay! Our reporters will visit your city and write about it for no cost, and we will pay top dollar for any groundbreaking News Stories or extra hands looking for work. If you're interested, send mail to T&P Publishing under the name "Paperwrench", and we will sort everything out for you! (Credit for Rhino MilTech Logo goes to "Trick Daley" at Behance.net) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rogan 158 Posted January 8, 2018 Well written, a shame most of the events didn't actually happen - though I can see the spark of something good here! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Xeslite 36 Posted January 8, 2018 This is a interesting concept. Keep it up! EpsilonWoW Connection Guide Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Romeo 320 Posted January 10, 2018 Very nice. Why the hell didn't the Silverpine Phantoms destroy the trolls thought? Seems like those motherfucking darkspears were cheating. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites