World of Warcraft®

For the first time in several years, a familiar author's name appears beneath the imprint of Salazar Bloch's publishing house, this time gracing a series of short pamphlets...

((OOC Note: These were written as an entertaining look at some of the Horde-side RP guilds, filtered through the lens of Arjah's unabashed bias. They are meant to be helpful, but she has certainly added a bit of personal color here and there. Feel free to respond in kind...

The four guilds I've started with are all ones I've been in and been an officer of at one point or another. I will be nosing about the Horde for officers of other RP guilds so that Arjah can write about them in detail soon! If you're interested, do let me know. Or, y'know, just write your own; Arjah won't mind. Much.))

POLITICAL PHILOSOPHIES OF THE HORDE: A SERIES BY ARJAH

Epigram: A Farewell to Poetry, by a Politician

She cannot feel, who ever thinks too much,
Nor write who in her thinking cannot feel.
Dear Poetry! Still aching for thy touch,
Thy lady begs thee hear her sad appeal:
Mourn not thy erstwhile lover's weeping flight,
Nor seek to woo her coyly back to thee
With reminisces of thy sweet delights-
Be kind, my gentle god, and let me flee!
No honor could I do thee in my state,
Who unkind times hath turned to politic-
I am by my own art made apostate;
Transformed by unjust need to heretic.
My words I'll henceforth bend to policy,
But oh! The longing of my heart for poetry!

~

INTRODUCTION

The loose confederation of alliances and races collectively known as "The Horde" is not a monolithic body.

A great many political philosophies give it life, beginning but by no means stopping with the nominal leaders of its component "races" -- orc, troll, tauren, elf, and Forsaken. Even those are fragments at best of the actual races from which they take their names; tell a Zandalari or a Highborne that he or she belongs to the Horde and disbelieving laughter is the very best reaction you could hope for.

But within that population which does consciously believe itself to be "the Horde" there exist further subdivisions: the guilds, orders, and other associations of choice acknowledged (or at least tolerated) by what passes for the Warchief's official government. Nominally these guilds all share a fundamental political agreement that they are "Horde."

How radically different that understanding can be from guild to guild, and some of the practical forms and consequences of these competing interpretations, is the subject of this latest series of pamphlets. I hope it will be of interest both within the Horde and to those reading in translation.

- Arjah

I. HOMELAND

Motto: "No purpose greater; no people humbler."

Organization: Family structure

Leadership: A loose number of "Greatmothers" and "Housemasters," in no particular order or seniority.

Homeland (often called "the Homeland," though the name refers more to the philosophy and its adherents than to an established membership) is fundamentally anarcho-cooperativist.

It lacks rank, structure, rules, and to some degree goals. Members (a loosely-defined concept) face no expectations. What leadership there is exists to provide a home, safe haven, and support system for any member of the Horde who desires it. Needs are met by the effort of whomever chooses to exert him or herself on behalf of the others.

Homeland's historic interests are rooted in the Northrend campaign: at a time of devastation at home (following the Scourge Invasion), the loose group came together to provide support for families and businesses as other protectors left for war overseas. The focus remains on aiding and assisting the Horde in its home territories more than abroad.

The lack of structure or expectation makes it impossible to characterize a "typical" Homelander. They range from the saintly to the vile, with most falling comfortably in between. None are representative of the group as a whole. In many ways it offers a useful microcosm of Horde society at large, especially the civilian core that gives us our shopkeepers, tradesmen, and yes, writers.

II. DA DOCTAS

Motto: "Somebody call dey Docta?"

Organization: Twin-track academic school: "Doctas" (healers and medics) and "Protectas" (guards and non-medical academics)

Leadership: A "Head Docta" and "Head Protecta" assisted by various Deans and Professors/Professoras.

"Da Doctas" is the universal and well-loved shorthand for "The Doctors' School of Medicine." Almost no one uses the full name, and the school still clings firmly to the trollish pronunciation (and spelling) of the institution and its various divisions.

Da Doctas are one of the Horde's major public/private institutions. The school retains its own campus and training, but has always focused on graduating students out into the larger Horde. Many remain a part of the school in some way and continue to wear their colors, but the focus turns outward after a short academic or training career.

Politically speaking the school changes somewhat from administrator to administrator; historically (and especially in the time of its founder, Head Docta Hrookhzin) it has leaned hawkish on war and progressive on social policy.

Most Doctas provide a loyal and conscientious backbone to what we can consider the mainstream of the Horde. Few are dissidents or outspoken radicals, and the program overall exists to provide trained healers and soldiers for the Horde's armies.

III. Modas il Toralar

Motto: "Order through atrocity. Peace through fear. Faith in the Modas il Toralar."

Organization: A tiered mystic order with progressive ascension from one "circle" or rank to the next

Leadership: Absolute control by one High Karcist, administrated by a closely-held group of "Claviger."

The Modas il Toralar (demonic for "Order of Shadows") is a true totalitarian order. Dissent is literally forbidden; an order from a Claviger or the High Karcist is to be obeyed no matter how nonsensical or suicidal it may seem. Disobedience is punished harshly. The only way to rise beyond arbitrary rule is to claw your own way into the rare, coveted seats of honor.

Politically, the order holds a fascinating position: they are relatively frank about their intent to replace not only the Alliance but the Horde, and indeed all other structures, with their own absolute rule -- someday. Until then, however, they serve the Horde because its purposes align with theirs (or so they say).

The Modas il Toralar has never formally broken with or rebelled against the Horde. Disputes with other guilds are settled privately, without recourse to what little official mediation the Warchief's government offers. Typically, the Modas il Toralar is quite good at pushing the limits of acceptable behavior, though conflicts have occasionally flared to the point of lethal duels and brawls with other Horde guilds.

The practical side of the Toralite philosophy is not actually uncommon among the Horde's more militaristic wing. The Order's more esoteric demands escape the average member of the Horde, but no small number can agree on the basic principle of "hurt, kill, or intimidate those that disagree with you," and the Modas caters eagerly to that niche.

Experienced Toralites are usually among the Horde's darkest figures. Personal styles can vary widely, but most are comfortable with murder, blackmail, slave trafficking, and a whole range of lesser offenses. The leadership keeps the majority of depredations focused on Alliance or neutral targets, and exercises considerable subtlety when their plans do touch on Horde citizens, leaving most people with the impression of a loose but powerful cannon that can be tolerated so long as it points the other way.

AAMS (HORDE BRANCH)

Motto: "Peace, by any means."

Organization: Corporate business office

Leadership: One CEO to oversee both the Horde and Alliance Branches, assisted by a Branch Manager for each office

It might give the Anytime & Anywhere Messaging Service pause to reflect on how closely they resemble the Modas il Toralar in philosophy, if not principle: both see Horde and Alliance as insoluble failures of governance and seek to ultimately replace them, though through very different means and to very different ends.

The philosophy of the AAMS has always been that business and communication between the warring factions will eventually make open combat unprofitable or undesirable, or both. Their focus is therefore on fostering interfaction commerce and diplomacy, and most of their not-inconsiderable organizational effort is expended on convincing the Horde and the Alliance to "play nice" for brief, situational stretches.

As a practical side effect, the AAMS has become quite rich. Goods and raw cash flow freely between the two branches. Horde loyalists tend to see this as cynical profiteering at best and downright treasonous at worst, but the Warchief's official rule tolerates -- barely -- the trade, and is assumed to take a tax from whatever profits the neutral company isn't offshoring.

Typical AAMS couriers are unlikely to openly support the Horde or care much for its formal leadership. Many still have sentimental attachments to their homes and will fight to defend them; others may be entirely pacifist. Nearly all of them are savvy and intelligent politicians or businessmen.

((Ha! This is great))

((This is so well done, Arjah. Love it! :3 ))

((Noice! I like. I would be interested, but I don't guess she'd care to write about an Alliance guild. :) ))

((I don't think she could say anything about us we haven't already said, heh.))

07/30/2012 12:01 AMPosted by Lahkin

((Noice! I like. I would be interested, but I don't guess she'd care to write about an Alliance guild. :) ))

((Write her! Arjah is notoriously willing to talk to anyone who will pay attention to her and her writing. And from an OOC standpoint I'd love to include Alliance in these as well; I figure a little extra free publicity never hurt any RP guild.))

((Nice work! And if you want to include Alliance, all you have to do is change one word and you'd have an entry for AAMS Alliance Branch! That's one down, right?))

((Amazing work, Arjah. I love it. So glad you're back again.))

((I love it! I'd love to chat with you about the Rising Sun Fellowship, if you're interested))

07/30/2012 01:22 PMPosted by Derscha

((Nice work! And if you want to include Alliance, all you have to do is change one word and you'd have an entry for AAMS Alliance Branch! That's one down, right?))

((Actually, I think the public reaction to the AAMS is very different between the two factions. Most people seem happy to hear about their business whenever we stop by the Recluse, while mentioning the name in the Horde-side /hearthstone channel almost always starts an argument of some kind. And I don't think it's a difference in staff, given that we're almost all alts played by the same people on both sides!))

08/01/2012 05:06 AMPosted by Kellatira

((I love it! I'd love to chat with you about the Rising Sun Fellowship, if you're interested))

((I'll keep an eye out for you in the /hordeooc and /hearthstone channels -- any other characters Arj should try and get in touch with?))

08/01/2012 02:01 PMPosted by Arjah

((I'll keep an eye out for you in the /hordeooc and /hearthstone channels -- any other characters Arj should try and get in touch with?))

((From our guild? Karamia or Cyaer could be helpful, too. I'll give them a heads-up))

(( Not quite so much anymore, actually.

A year ago, maybe, but Derscha and Yotingo have done wonders for the overall Horde opinion of the AAMS. I haven't seen an argument over it, Horde-side, for quite some time.

Infact, the last time the AAMS held a meeting over guild policies with the public, it was a couple Alliance folk that walked out in rage. The Horde was amiable and downright helpful! ))

((They were! It was good to see. Yotingo even promised Oskor he would no longer be delivered dead bodies...<cough> ))

((Yup, I feel like the AAMS public image has improved dramatically Horde side in the past six months or so.))