Twentieth day of the seventh month one year after the great Shattering

Quel’Thalas.

My home and pride, often debauched as Silvermoon by the callous foreigners who do not believe in its original and rightful language, whose ever-increasing slip into madness and weakness, continues.

Teithio Glimmerglade walked slowly home through Silvermoon, his gaze fixed mostly on the flagstones passing steadily beneath his boots. In his hand was an envelope, and in that envelope, neatly inked on good quality parchment, was his future. He was neither pleased nor morose, not excited nor apprehensive. He simply was. Living in the moment, he reflected briefly, had somehow become his norm.

In the wake of the recent changes in the government, copies of the following poster appear around the Silvermoon City…
((image and further explanation below the cut))

Sebastien recieved the last memo with a sigh. 

"No word from the others, eh?" he asked, looking to the apprentices around the room.  No one dared respond until one of the younger, bolder fire students spoke.

"They're calling it extended leave to attend to duties in the field, sir.  Convocate-General Firatril's tendered a formal resignation, same with Featherfax and Prideux.  No word whatsoever from LaMont."

Kerwin closed his eyes solemnly, taking a long, patient breath.  "Then the situation has become as we feared.  Gentlemen and ladies, inform your superiors.  Operation Al'ar is now in effect."

Posted in the Silvermoon Gazette, the Silvermoon Sentinel, and near every paper of repute.  In response to an Anonymous letter ( http://www.rp-haven.com/story/silentfox/anonymous_letter )

Unto the Citizens of the Blackened Woods and people of Quel'Thalas -

I feel your suffering more keenly than you may believe.  For centuries I have myself fought against the Amani, from the initial troll wars that brought about our first meetings with the base Humans, through the wars of our more recent age.  I fought the Scourge as they advanced through our lands, and it was only after being rendered unconscious from a near fatal injury that my own brother dragged me from the front.  I suspect I will fight the Amani and study the craft of War as a reality of our times until the day I die. 

Good evening Silvermoon, it's lovely to see you all again.  We've had us an interesting series of months here, and you know that yours truly has been keeping close eyes on the doings of the Convocation as a whole and the course our city's been waiting to take.

That course, as I'm sure many of you know, is now guarded by the man himself, the iron-clad patriot, Hamlen Prideux, the newly-anointed Convocate of Regulation.  An intimidating sight if ever you saw one, just know that any time a lawbreaker, criminal or other kind of miscreant threatens our fair city it's into that searing gaze that they'll fall. 

Good morning Silvermoon, the Dawn is at hand.

By Risael Salvius

Good evening Silvermoon, it's wonderful to see you all again here, reading my column.  And yes, I can see you all, it's called Scrying, I love what you've done with your hair. 

By Risael Salvius

Silvermoon, if you've been seeing what I have, you've gotta be pretty damn annoyed right now.  Since the changing of the guard in the Convocation, we've had us a real winner of an autumn and, as some might think, a questionable future going into winter.  All I have to say is simply: Bollocks. 

A lot of things can happen in one day...

Ixidos Quel'Rama sputtered and gesticulated nervously as he fell into step behind Sebastien, the young Arcanist struggling to find words to comprehend this action.

"Sir, this is unprecedented, there's no way of knowing anything for certain about this!  Even the Bronze Dragonflight can only make situational and temporary measures like this...this..."

"Experiment?" Sebastien offered, not breaking stride. "One would posit that I've had a number of experimental practices in my history."  He smiled faintly upon remembering his re-emergence from the crystal Ixidos had recovered all those years ago, striding forth nude before the assembled archmagi.  The respective gazes of fear and astonisment from the male and female magisters was a sight Sebastien had grown quite fond of in his many years.

The next morning…

Ariel began the process of packing various belongings she thought she might need while staying at Calanaar Manor, just enough to fill a small sack which included a few garments and personal items.  The majority of her belongings were left at her camp on her mother’s land.  The vixen had been sitting and watching her from her nook.  Mama Fox came out of her nook and sat near Ariel, cocking her head curiously.  The animal had become adapted to her presence and allowed the elf to rub her hand through its fur.

“Well, looks like this is farewell…”  Ariel said while rubbing between the animal’s ears and then added, “…for now.”  She realized the arrangement she made with the lord may not work out as well as she hoped.  As much as she wanted to make it work, something inside her kept nagging that it was all a very bad idea and the look on the Vixen’s face when Ariel stood in the doorway of their little den, ready to leave suggested concern and caution.  “No worries, Denmother…I’ll be back again.”  She smiles knowing this to be true rather she lasted long at Calanaar Manor or not. 

Approaching Calanaar Manor in Falconwing Square, Ariel could smell the scent of fresh lumber and saw the stables were almost completely rebuilt from the fire which had occurred a few weeks earlier.  Several armed guards surrounded her as she made her way to the front gates.  She raised up her hands to show them that she was unarmed.  “I’m here to speak with Lord Huor.”  She made her intentions clear and they escorted her to the upstairs parlor room where she waited for quite some time before he finally decided to greet her.

“Well, look at what the dragonhawk has dragged in.  Tis the urchin, Ariel Foxglove.  How kind of you to drop by and save me the trouble of sending out a hunting party to drag you back.”  He boasted with triumph prematurely as he pushed the elegant silk curtains aside and entered the room with his smirking body guard following behind him.  Huor settled into a seat near the hearth, an elegant, royal red upholstered high-back chair which came as close to resembling a throne without actually being one while Saa’lom stood military-poised on the other side of the massive marble fireplace, his hand resting gently on his weapons at his side.  The shattering glare he gave her made her feel vulnerable and indeed, here she was completely at their mercy.  Lord Huor leaned his elbow on the arm of the chair and crossed his legs.  “What brings you to Calanaar Manor this fine day?”

After satisfying her hunger with the roasted meat of a dragonhawk, Ariel made her way down the road towards the wharf, forgetting the bath.  Most of the mud she had awoken to this morning has dried and rubbed off since anyways, leaving gray blotches on her skin.  Coming down the trail, a familiar scene unfolded before her, a barricade similar to the one set up at the entrance to Fairbreeze Village except this one has a small encampment of sailors and rangers.

The next morning…

Ariel awoke to something cold, wet and rough licking her face.  Morning had come too soon for her but she smiled at the fox kits that looked on with curiosity.  She found that she could see better, but whether it was due to her vision being accustomed to the darkness or if daylight had something to do with it, she was uncertain.  Mama Fox wasn’t any where to be seen and two of the kits were batting around a small rodent. 

Ariel yawned and her stomach growled reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since the previous afternoon.  The kits backed away quickly, unsure of whether they trusted her or not, as she stood up and gathered her bow and quiver.  While she was counting, mama fox came back into the den with a white hare between her jaws.  She stared for a moment at the elf while her kits jumped around excitedly for breakfast.

One morning two weeks later…

“Ariel, I apologize, but …”

“Forget it!”  Ariel interrupted the Farstrider Ranger from what she knew the woman was trying to say.  “I’ve heard this kodoshit before.”

“Lord Huor has great influence in our people’s politics.  I don’t know what you did to piss him off, but he’s not the type of Sin’dorei to let bygones be bygones.  He’ll make sure you suffer.”

“For such legendary rangers of our great city, you’re all a bunch of spineless cowards!”  Ariel knew she was speaking out of place, but what else did she have to lose at this point.

*SLAP*

Early the next morning...

The fox family had been delivered as planned to the ruins of her old homestead near Fairbreeze Village.  It had been a long while she had been back here…since the war.  A lot of new growth had taken place over the years, covering the debris of her old home with vines, shrubs and tree saplings.  She walked towards the crate which sat in front of the collapse entrance of her mother’s cottage.

When she opened the wooden crate, she discovered one of the vixen’s gray infant-like kits did not survive the journey.  She had three others still breathing and were feeding off her as Ariel examined the rest.  Two of the other four orphaned kits were also feeding off the surrogate mother’s milk.  The red fur which is typical of the species was beginning to show on their legs and face. These babes were a bit older and probably should be weaned, but they’ve had nothing to eat since the previous night.  The vixen didn’t seem to mind much to Ariel’s relief.  She must have been used to them by now since she shared living space with the other mother for quite some time.

I sit here today, watching the sunrise. I don't know if I slept, I just sat and watched the day begin that some did not live the night through to see. There is still blood on the other shore, dark and crusty now. They must have taken his body away, for there are no signs besides the blood. I should go back to the City ... but does anyone know what happened? Will anyone care that they will never see a certain face again?

I loved him ... maybe not in a way that would have made us lovers, but I cared for him deeper than anyone would know. His last smile was to me at the waterfall ... the last words I heard were blurred by me running away from the scene. I didn't want to watch, yet I came back. I ... I will miss him, even if I despised many things about him. I will miss him.

It was a beautiful start to a sunny weekend and Ariel found herself peering around the quiet marketplace in Silvermoon City from an alley.  The bazaar was usually packed full of citizens busily trying to auction off their goods or services or lifting those things off from others, but not today and not for some time she predicted.  Arthas has one of the biggest bounties on his head in the history of Azeroth, what with ten kingdoms wanting him put down like a rabid wolf.  The first wave of zeppelins from the Horde left yesterday for Northrend bringing many brave and foolish souls alike.

Sunwing on the loose - Two guards murdered - Blood Knight implicated in escape

Silvermoon Correctional -

The city was rocked today to hear of the sudden and brazen escape of Rivanne Sunwing, the implicated suspect of multiple counts of torture and kidnapping as well as an attack upon the pregnant Convocate-General Aramalia Solisbane during Sunwing's capture by the city authorities.