Stormwind.
What do you get if you mix a group of religious nutcases, a crowd of antagonising Stormwindians, two guard companies and a dozen vigilantes.
A-fucking-mess. Which is exactly what we got Wednesday night.
The last few nights a group of religious people have been taking up positions in Stormwind - shouting about injustice, unfairness and being oppressed.
With proclamations like:
"You may call us raving mad men. You judge us, but when you wake up in the morning to read the newspapers that we do. Do your eyes not fill with horror? This is the world?! This? This is the world we have built for our children? Communities being torn apart. Walls being erected. Because leaders are too impotent to act. Bullies are too addled to lead righteously." as well as
"No more, the Church needs a reform! The Church has earned its own place. We should become an autonomous, self-regulatin order without crown involvement at any level! We'll provide succor, safe harbour and salvation to all those in need without distinction! We'll expose the corruption and injustice!" they caught my interest long enough for me to try to get some answers about this alleged injustice and corruption.
Unfortunately, each time I tried to get details about this - they replied with lofty answer like
"We did not burn the tree! Yet, all the locusts in the garden claim we did." and never really got into any substance. A witness mentioned that the tree they talked about was an actual treant. They conveniently omitted that it was a sentient tree several witnesses saw them light on fire and hence got punished for by the authorities. Hardly injustice or corruption.
Last night they decided to take up position near the steps of the Cathedral - on a planter - where they started their shouting again and tried to collect donations. Shouts like
"The alms we collect are for the common people that seek succor and salvation! Not to fill the bellies of pampered but little regarded aristocrats and their sycophantic friends!" was uttered and as certain as you always find vicious murlocs by the shoreline a crowd soon gathered.
But this was only the main course of the meal so to speak, in the periphery of the whole thing was several other groups trying to use the situation for random acts of violence and antagonistic behaviour. From starting fights to random shouting for no other reason than stirring the soup already cooking.
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Between the orphanage and the Cathedral Square, a Dark Iron Dwarf was picking a fight with a human. A guard from Whiskey company had to deal with this and Whiskey Company also assisted the recently returned Echo Guard Company under the leadership of Lieutenant Commander Matthew Preston, by trying to keep a safe perimeter around the religious preachers as Echo company tried to deal with them.
On the steps of the Cathedral a woman - who seems to go by the name of
"Rhi" was trying to stir up trouble with shouts like
"The guards are with the union",
"The guards to be weak" and
"Keep your ground" but at the end of the day, then her and her partner was largely ignored by everyone.
A member of the West Harbor union was also trying to stir up trouble, this one - known as
"Strounk" was supporting the initial group of religious people - I imagine it was the whole notion of "an enemy of my enemy is my friend" since religion and unions rarely go hand in hand. But both groups seemed to have a hatred for nobles, so for now they seem allied and shared a planter as their yelling platform.
Echo Company eventually managed to convince the religious group to relocate inside the Cathedral, but alas the peace only lasted a few moments before the crowd which had gathered decided to follow into the Cathedral. The antagonising elements like aforementioned
"Strounk" and
"Rhi" followed as well and soon the place usually known for quiet contemplation, tranquillity and solemn healing was filled with more shouting and yelling.
After a while most of the antagonists got bored when they failed to provoke a reaction from the guards and left the Cathedral to attempt to stir up trouble in the streets of Stormwind.
But not everyone left.
"Rhi" started shouting again, a coin exchanged hands between a Tuskarr and a Dark Iron woman - one who has been wanted in the past for endangering people by throwing grenades in Lion's Rest - and suddenly the group of religious people were attacked, more shouting ensued. Guards who had left the Cathedral - thinking the situation defused - returned and the injured
"brother" was seen to and treated for his mild injuries.
At this point I was out of popcorn and coffee and left the scene. Luckily no one got severely injured.