Over the years I have come to think of Old Town in Stormwind as I do the ocean. It has a very cyclic life. Ebb and flow if you will.
In the last few months Old Town has been on an incline in activity - more people on the streets, more activity in the Pig and Whistle - and despite my very curious and investigative nature then the only thing shady I found going on was an impromptu brawl in the ally on a rainy evening. That is a bit strange, but not exactly illegal.
In fact, despite hiding behind crates, roughing up (that really just means talking to and offering coins) informants then the only thing suspicious I have been able to discover in Old Town as of late is why the coffee in the Pig is so damn good, and why the first cup is free. Not that I am complaining, but it is a bit suspect!
Despite all this someone (we will get into that later) decided a local man needed to be arrested based on allegations of ranging from weapons smuggling to attempted murder and domestic terrorism.
Weapon smuggling? What even is that? What weapons are illegal enough that they need smuggling? Is there a tax on sword sales now? Are we dealing with tariff evasion? I’m stumped on that one, but I suppose in the grand scheme of things (attempted murder and terrorism) then it may not matter much.
The man, Sid Howler - has some ties with the Pig and Whistle and the people who wanted him arrested apparently decided to also raid the Pig and Whistle as part of arresting him. It did not go down well with Sid - or the locals.
So what actually happened?
Here is what I have been able to piece together based on eye witness accounts and my usual network of informants and anonymous sources.
Someone within the law enforcement community - reportedly a branch of SI:7 - was looking to get Sid Howler arrested. This was communicated to several law enforcement divisions and some military branches.
One of these branches started searching Old Town Sunday night, trying to locate Sid Howler. Some witnesses say this was done by heavily armed masked operatives and very heavy handed. I did recognise a couple of usual suspects in this group and their reputation does precede them, I am not surprised things quickly got out of hand.
At some point local guard units got involved and things did not get less chaotic from there.
No one seems to really know who instigated it all, or who was in charge of the operation and there is even questions about the legality and authenticity of the paperwork associated with the raid on the Pig and Whistle. What is not in question, however, is that communication between the various guard units, military branches, and clandestine organisations broke down completely and several witnesses saw guards arguing about the legality of the whole thing with people of the military branches.
A brawl broke out in the Pig and Whistle but it quickly escalated beyond a mere brawl as a member of the military - a Bella Reed - was shot with a firearm inside the tavern. That gunshot triggered a full tavern-wide skirmish involving firearms, blades, magic, worgen maulings, arcane shackles, ice magic, and eventually what can only honestly be described as a complete free-for-all with no canapes being served.
There were a very large number of wounded. Multiple improvised first-aid stations were established outside the tavern. Healers, priests, druids, and medics worked overtime stabilising people, but there appear to have been no fatalities and the last I saw, Sid Howler was still a free man.
The warrant which apparently started it all was almost comically mishandled as it was passed around, given to the wrong people, lost, copied, and no one really knew what happened to it, or who had it made to begin with and according to Sid himself then it was all a personal vendetta tied to a person in the 7th Legion and that “his people” were just defending themselves.
According to several witnesses, however, the soldiers and law enforcement forces were not the ones who threw the first punch, fired the first shot, or started the whole mess. Well, besides bad communication and mishandling paperwork.
Stormwind has seen its share of tavern brawls before. Usually they end with bruises, broken furniture, and someone waking up in the canals without trousers. Twice. What happened Sunday night was something else entirely.
When armed masked operatives, military personnel, local guards, and civilians all end up fighting each other inside a crowded tavern while arguing over whether the arrest itself was lawful, then perhaps it is time to remember the city’s past.
Is it possible Sid Howler is guilty of attempted murder and terrorism? I genuinely do not know. (Though if you are reading this, Sid, lets have coffee!)
Is it possible SI:7 operatives are once again operating inside Stormwind on questionable legal foundations while sowing chaos in civilian districts? It would not be the first time. I still have the claw marks on my back from the last time rogue agents decided accountability was optional.
And is it possible that one or more members of the Seventh Legion acted beyond their authority due to personal vendettas? Frankly, experience tells me that is also possible. Stormwind has seen enough over the years to know that not every uniform guarantees restraint, discipline, or concern for civilians caught in the middle.
I will keep looking for answers. That, after all, is what The Lion’s Roar does.