Diplomatic matters

As one can probably guess, things have been busy in Silvermoon. This week we had a state visit from Archmage Aethas Sunreaver and Rhonin. Rhonin wanted to visit a city and land whose very essence was imbued with magic. I think he also wanted to visit his wife's homeland, but she did not join him. This was probably a good thing, as the atmosphere in Sunfury Spire was tense enough. I hear she's none too fond of the path our people have taken, and I'm sure that Halduron and I would have ended up "having words" with her. Sylvanas's sister has a harpy's tongue when she wishes to express her opinion. It's a good thing that only Rhonin came.

Of course, since Rhonin was here, Sunreaver had to accompany him. This, too, was probably a good thing. I trust any potential assassins stayed their blades and magic with the Archmagus by Rhonin's side at all times. Neutral or not, Rhonin is only a human, and there are many still bitter toward the entire race. Plus, Sunreaver is aware of the need to keep many aspects of the city, particularly the magical ones, secret. So he could give Rhonin some information without divulging anything important.

The downside is that three high-ranking mages in the same room makes for a volatile situation. At one point, Halduron defused it with a large bucket of cold water. I was caught in the splash, but it was certainly worth getting soaked to see those three sputter a bit. Halduron's lucky he's got that "good-looking boyish innocence and charm" thing going on. Somehow he can do things like that and get away with it.

My best friend is a lucky bastard.

The Lady After Dark

For some reason, no one had the foresight to tell me that the Boss Lady had a blog of her own. I found it after Googling my own name to see what PR atrocities might need to be resolved these days.

(Trust me, when you're in a position of leadership, you must do this every so often to find out who is making claims like you're their father. Funny...THAT one believes that her mother is Sylvanas. Hey, Boss Lady, is that a night YOU remember?)

To address some of Sylvanas's criticisms, I must say this: I was comfortable leading the Rangers. We were the land's military presence, and those good people would gladly lay down their lives without question if it was in defense of their homeland. Compare that to leading the rest of the citizenship, who would sooner die than get dirty. It's an entirely new challenge, and while I'm handling it fairly well (as far as I can tell), it takes vastly different methods than what we did in the Farstriders.

So yes, I get fussy when it comes to matters of state. There are a lot of people who resent no longer having a monarchy, and they cling to the "old ways." Due to this stubbornness against change, I am under constant criticism when it comes to government protocol. When Lady Sylvanas visits, I'd like to greet her as a friend and former boss. I'd like her to have the freedom to walk around the city as she pleases. I'd like to treat her with the pleasant familiarity we once had, rather than the awkwardness that has grown between us.

What the remaining nobles wish to see is a grand display of state, including the escorts, formal banquets, and celebrations in her honor because she is the leader of the Forsaken. To not treat her as a Queen is an insult, making Silvermoon and our new government look (or so they assume) disrespectful to the rest of the Horde. Such an affront is what my critics look for so they can promote someone with a noble title (and without a lick of experience) into my position.

Imagine, if you will, some flouncy ponce with a title of nobility and no real experience leading Silvermoon. You know the ones who survived were the ones who hid while Sylvanas fought to the bitter end. Would anyone want one of those in the position of authority? Some people do, and they are the ones whose game I must play for the good of the city. It may be enough to tell the Forsaken that following orders will lead to Arthas's downfall, but with the general Sin'dorei population one must use a silver-tongued approach.

My dear Sylvanas, understand this is why I must act as I do when you arrive in Silvermoon unannounced. The bowing and scraping and fussiness is for their comfort as much as it is for yours. Not having to deal with such fussiness is why when I need a break I go camping or fishing or hunting or get laid. With the exception of the latter, Thrall is often willing to join. You might want to try it some time. Hence, offers to go hunting still stand.

Finally, I totally believe that Rommath sent that picture to everyone you know. But knowing him, he probably received it as a chain letter email that told him to forward it to all of his contacts or his ears would fall off again. He may be a master mage (or so we're told) but when it comes to anything outside his area of expertise (whatever that is) he's not too bright.

A Day in the Life...

There's no such thing as a "typical day" when you're leader of the Sin'dorei. But if there was, it would probably go something like this:

6 am-6:30 am: Wake up. Mana tap whoever woke me up. Sleep for 15 more minutes. Finally get up and get ready.
6:30 am-7:30 am: Morning workout. I might be a government pencil-pusher, but I need to stay in shape for when the Alliance come calling.
7:30 am-8 am: Shower, get dressed, get to the "office." Dispatch couriers if there's anything to report to the other leaders.
8 am-8:30 am: Breakfast while getting the latest news from the couriers arriving from the Undercity, Orgrimmar, and Thunder Bluff (usually in that order).
8:30 am-9 am: Respond and dispatch further couriers.
9 am-11 am: Attend to business.
Note: Around 11 am, Halduron usually cracks from his normal calm state and discussions with Rommath begin to accelerate to argument level. We have about a 30-minute enrage timer before he starts throwing fists.
11:30 am-noon: Short break, visit to the priests to attend to bloody noses, time to stretch and calm down.
Noon-1 pm: Lunch, and receiving more couriers from the other Horde cities.
1 pm-3 pm: Receiving citizens and adventurers, checking in on Twitteroth.
3 pm-5 pm: Back to business with Rommath and Halduron.
5 pm-6 pm: Stopping another fight between those two. Receiving and dispatching more couriers to the other cities.
6 pm-8 pm: Paperwork. Dinner is usually taken at my desk. Check in on Twitteroth as I can.
8 pm-9 pm: Clean up from any Alliance raids that might have come through during the day. At this point, they're usually raiding Naxxramas or Ulduar.
9 pm-midnight: This is my "me time." However, it usually involves people running in around 10:30 with documents they need me to review and sign (approval or rejection) before midnight. From time to time I grab Thrall and/or Cairne to escape our duties for a bit. Doesn't always happen. And sometimes I end up crashing out at 8:59, only to wake up at 6:31 the next morning.

The most common topic of debate lately has been the recent influx of Blood Elf Death Knights and where to house them. When the Scourge invaded and Silvermoon was razed, we lost the majority of our people. Rommath did help rebuild the city to house our significantly smaller numbers, with some room for growth. Little did we expect that so many of our people would be raised as Death Knights, and then break free of the Lich King. We probably should have expected it...after all, he was there to turn our people into a meat market for his own purposes. Clearly he didn't understand the will of the Sin'dorei.

Well, now we suddenly have these Death Knights returning home, and we have no place to house them. This is a major contributing factor to Halduron's temper toward Rommath of late...and admittedly, my own.

This all said, again, there's no such thing as a "regular day."

I need a vacation.