World of Warcraft®

A rather important and official looking poster has been plastered all over the city of Stormwind; it may be the first of many such documents to be posted. It reads as followed:

ATTENTION CITIZENS OF STORMWIND:

The remains of three victims, nearly unidentifiable and partially devoured, were found in the city aqueducts.

Investigation has revealed the three to be:

Lady Cassandra Parris, a respected member of the House of Nobles. Listed missing 3 days ago.

Brother Fredrick Mathers, a priest visiting from Lakeshire. Listed missing 6 days ago.

Eliza Copperpot, a tavern worker. Listed missing 2 weeks ago.

The only pattern in these killings is the bestial methodology. While all victims are human they are of varying age, social status and gender.

At this point in the investigation we are treating all listed deaths as homicides. More importantly we believe that the suspect is likely Worgen-cursed and extremely dangerous.

We ask all citizens to be vigilant, to report all suspicious activity to Inspector Mercurius Nod of the Stormwind City Guard.

Once again, there is a dangerous murderer amongst us, likely Worgen-cursed and appears to target their victims at random. Take all necessary precautions:

-Lock your doors
-Avoid traveling at nightfall
-If one must travel at night, do not go alone. KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.

A rather important and official looking poster has been plastered all over the city of Stormwind; it may be the first of many such documents to be posted. It reads as followed:

ATTENTION CITIZENS OF STORMWIND:

Always the threat of assassination looms for the proud and honorable members of the House of Nobles and now the enemies of Stormwind have claimed three more victims. We cannot know if these murderers came from the ranks of the Defias, the Syndicate or the savage Horde.

With sadness we name those we have lost:

Jonathan Whitehall

Charles Dunhaldt

Bethany Rosemond

Make no mistake, citizens of Stormwind, murderers seek to undermine the very foundations of our civilization; a virulent disease of crime and mayhem afflicts us and must be cleansed by the righteous efforts of the law.

Know that we believe these murders are connected to recently reported slayings; know too that we will endeavor to bring these monsters to justice.

Stay secure:

-Lock your doors
-Avoid traveling at nightfall
-If one must travel at night, do not go alone.

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.

((Reposting the stuff I wrote a while back regarding the noble assassinations in order to cut down on confusion. We had originally planned to tie two separate plot lines together, but it didn't quite go through. So here it is again!))

As evening neared, Vectus sat high above Stormwind, perched atop the Cathedral's spire like a bird of prey scouring the ground below for its next meal. The chimes of the clock tower reverberated in his ears, with every building and surface contributing to the maddening cacophony.

Beneath him he watched as ships came to dock and as guards tended to their patrols and changed posts. Several squadrons of gryphon riders flew about in formation, all still many feet below. A young woman and her daughter stopped by the cemetery to pay their respects, and a couple clergymen exited the Cathedral, seemingly in the midst of a heated discussion.

Further away, laborers covered in soot and grime tended the forges. Ferries drifted across the canals carrying passengers and cargo to and fro. He watched as an old man was mugged by a pair of thugs in a dark alley, and as a mother scolded her children for wandering too far away.

On the other side of town, the Trade District was rife with traffic and commerce as always. From this distance, the merchants, buyers, beggars and peddlers appeared to be little more than ants frantically skittering around as they went about their business.

Fitting, he thought. Insects. Pathetic, insignificant, and completely unaware of their fates at the hands of powers they cannot hope to fathom.

Another round of chimes echoed from the clock tower.

As he sat biding his time, his mind drifted to the events of the previous night. He played each moment back to himself, savoring every gory detail. He relished every agonized scream and cry for help--every look of sheer terror in the eyes of his victims. As always, they begged for their lives at first, and then merely for a swift death.

It had been far too long since his blades tasted the blood of innocents. The tension had been building, and this release couldn't have come soon enough. It was as necessary to him as feeding or breathing, for it was the only way to find solace and to free himself from his inner demons. He shuttered to think what mindless, obsessive creature he might have become were he never to cross paths with the Modas, never to discover such an effective way of controlling his dark urges. For this he was thankful, for he knew now; it was by embracing the monster inside him, not repressing it, that he was able to find freedom... even if only momentarily.

More chimes, and then sunset.

It wouldn't be long now. Mentally, he went over the plans and his route, ensuring he could recall the minutest detail about where he would be and when. Earlier that day, he had gotten the information he needed from an agent within the city, and everything was in place. It had been quite some time since he set foot in the city, but an entire evening of studying the guard's patrol routes and mannerisms ensured he would encounter little to no resistance. No one would know he was there, and no one would know anything about what was to happen aside from what he wished them to see.

As the twilight slowly crept up on the city, its life slowed down to a crawl. He watched as merchants closed up shop and the denizens retired for the night to their homes or to the various taverns and inns. As more time passed, lights flickered out one by one and guard patrols became less frequent.

His heart raced as the moment neared. Steady, he thought. Any moment now. He poised himself and cleared his mind, focusing wholly on the task at hand. And then--finally--the signal fire.

Without missing a beat, Vectus lunged from the spire towards the pa%%#%ts across the near side of Stormwind Lake. Roughly a quarter into the descent, he deployed his parachute and glided silently onto a balcony. After quickly disposing of the parachute, he made his way towards the Keep along the rooftops and outer wall, making use of the shadows and timing to avoid sight of the guards. In less than a minute he found himself scaling a tower on the Keep's inner wall. Child's play.

He readied himself. In one fluid motion and with perfect timing, he flung himself up over the wall and into the guard on watch, knocked him off balance, and slid a hand over his mouth and a blade into his heart with surgical precision. He was limp in two and a half seconds and on his way towards the bottom of the lake in eight. With luck, he'd be eaten by a crocolisk. At the very least, he wouldn't be found for a couple days. Directly behind, a latch was left open to allow for easy entry into the keep. Conveniently, the guards stationed in this area would be preoccupied investigating a diversionary fire started mere moments ago.

From here it was a clear shot towards the Nobles' Quarters. Down a flight of stairs, through a door and across the hallway were his marks. Three nobles: Jonathan Whitehall, Charles Dunhaldt, and Bethany Rosemond--each of them key to passing a controversial piece of legislature which would severely limit trade rights of neutral parties traveling within Alliance-controlled areas. Not the most threatening legislature to be sure, but certainly one that could pose problems for the Undermarket if passed. Vectus figured that Lord V'Ghera, prudent as he is, sought to kill two birds with one stone and win a political victory on top of their real agenda by choosing these marks.

He entered the room without notice, and discreetly landed two throwing daggers into the backs of Jonathan and Bethany. They were not intended to kill, only to paralyze and deliver a fatal dose of a combination of the Red Death and Cold Fire Fever diseases provided to him by Argustus. The deaths needed to be gruesome in order to cause the level of concern they were aiming for.

Two soft thuds. Two gasps. Two louder thuds. Charles managed to turn around just in time to see Vectus lunging for him, dagger at the ready. He was able to yell "Guar---" before his voice faded and his mouth filled with blood. Slowly, he reached out and grabbed a low hanging beaded pendant around Vectus' neck. Yes, that's it. Perfect.

With the last ounce of his strength, Charles pulled and snapped the necklace, sending beads tumbling across the room. Vectus tossed him aside as his body went limp and gathered a handful of the beads to store away. He then withdrew a dark, mottled fabric from a side pouch and used it to soak up some of Lord Dunhaldt's blood. Condemning evidence, if ever there was any. It would undoubtedly be of use later.

He could faintly hear muffled groans of agony as he turned to leave the room. A pity I can't be around to watch them suffer, he thought. With that, he made his way to an open window and lept into the cold night, making his escape into the shadows.