tormwind has seen its fair share of crime and corruption over the
years. However, it seems that now a veritable crime wave is gripping
the streets. Some people might blame the increases in taxation, others
criminal groups and shadowy fraternities. However, it seems that the
blame is more often than not laid at the doors of Archerus and the Ebon
Blade.
So, are the Death Knights truly to blame for this
situation? They certainly do not seem shy or humble anymore, and walk
the streets in large groups. A swift sample of opinions from local
traders and community members revealed that despite the decree made by
King Varian that these once-proud members of the Alliance are still
seen as utterly untrustworthy. As one anonymous member of the public
put it “Who knows what they’re thinkin’ when they’re all hangin’ about
by the orphanage?” Stories abound about ten-foot-tall undead ‘freaks’
striding about in daylight, and at least one tavernkeeper mentioned a
desire to form a ‘neighbourhood watch’ to deal with these undesirables.
“With torches,” as he put it. Vigilante over-reactions aside, the
general consensus is that the Ebon Blade’s knights are necromancers who
practice unlawful magics, with a scant handful of those interviewed
voicing a different opinion.
While no doubt the arrival of the
Death Knights has brought some problems with it, it is only after a
visit to the command centre of the Stormwind City Guard that things
become clearer. Reports of crimes involving necromancy are down in
comparison to the first months after the acceptance of the Ebon Blade
into the Alliance, though one Guardsman said, on condition of
anonymity, that as much as four out of five arrested criminals were
Death Knights. Even if taken as an exaggeration, this figure does give
cause for concern.
Officer Maxous of the City Guard was available for comment and stated
that the figures quoted by his subordinate and the general opinions of
the public were dangerously skewed. “Things between ourselves and the
Death Knights are not as bad as they were when they first arrived,” he
said, “during those first two months we were inundated by them.” This
situation however is considered to have reversed. Officer Maxous also
pointed out that the Guard are currently reshuffling their ranks and
have previously functioned below full strength. This situation is now
entirely in hand, so other reasons must be, as far as the Guard are
concerned, responsible for this opinion among the citizenry. There has
also been a rise in petty theft, robbery and burglary in the city; in
the Guard’s eyes it is not impossible that some of these crimes are
being mistakenly attributed to Death Knights as they make a convenient
scapegoat. Maxous stressed however that the population need not be
concerned, as “the Stormwind City Guard is always alert, defending the
good citizens of the city. [They] will make the streets safe for all
races come what may.”
A factor in this could be the very
citizenry of Stormwind itself. Considering the move to temporarily bar
Death Knights from the Cathedral last month that almost resulted in a
riot, and the fact that numerous businesses including tradesmen,
smithies, taverns and saddlers are uncomfortable with the patronage of
Death Knights, some even going as far as to refuse to serve them, some
radical thinkers have posited that many Death Knights are driven to
crime by the reactions of the public; of a nation they have literally
lain their lives down for.
Archmage Numenoria of the Violet Conclave and the Dalaran council chambers suggests that while the letter of the King’s decree of acceptance has been embraced, the spirit of it has not. Numenoria sees a possible stumbling block in the illegality of dangerous runic weapons in Alliance cities. Stating that it has “branded them as undesirables [since] the moment they arrived,” Numenoria is proposing a licensing agreement with the Stormwind City Guard that would require registration of runic weapons and the possession of a licence for their ownership. The liaison to the Alliance for Acherus, Ambassador Menkhar Varr, was present during my conversation with the Archmage and agreed that such a scheme could indeed aid in the integration of the Death Knights into normal society.
While it is almost certain that the association between Death Knights and city crime may be influenced by poor information, some of it, however, is not. An evening of conversations in taverns revealed to me that some Death Knights are attempting to return to their previous careers, which in that case of one member of the Ebon Blade I spoke to was as an assassin. Some of them were no doubt morally-dubious degenerates in life.
While there may be a need for balance and ability for society to attempt to make accommodations for the Ebon Blade in our cities, some of the street level rumours are too disturbing to ignore. During my tour of the city’s inns I heard one story of a necromancer operating within the city that proved too much for the Guard to handle; his apprehension required possibly-illegal action by several Death Knights. There were several other tales of Death Knights being forced to defend themselves in disputes and even one tale of group of them patrolling the city at night looking for ‘criminals’. While the city applauds its normal citizens when they act for the good of others, this kind of reckless and often ruthless action, frequently without concern for collateral damage, could potentially sway opinion in the other direction. Officer Maxous did confirm that a small cadre of Death Knights did occasionally assist the Guard with crimes and lawbreakers that were beyond the scope of the average militiaman, though their leader does seem to have a reputation for heavy-handedness. Maxous did though stress that despite this ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with these knights, any laws broken by them would be investigated and punished duly.
While the situation continues to develop, one can only hope that the citizens of the Alliance begin to understand that the more they push against these beings that have chosen to ally themselves with us, the more they push them to question their choices and perhaps slip back into the shadows some of us think they belong in. We could in all likelihood be the ones in control of this potential timebomb of necromancy; the question all citizens should ask themselves is should they snip at wires blindly hoping to get the right one, or leave it to the experts?
