(2025-09-30) News from the Highlands

Details

Author:	Alli
Summary:	Maisha sends a letter on behalf of her, Arric and Corvin to sum up the latest information about the brewing crisis in Stromgarde Keep of the Arathi Highlands for Atley, Ionala, Shun, and Velrin.
Rating:	T for Teen

Arc: Struggles of Stromgarde

Letters from Maisha arrive for Shun and Dane in Pandaria, Ionala in Outland, and Velrin in Stromgarde Keep. It is sent with top security magic.

Dear Everybody,

First off, thanks for the report from the interrogation, Nala and Shun. Arric, Corvin and I’ve got more news now from the Highlands, and some of it ties in with what you’ve got from them. I spent most of my time circling Northfold Manor – you remember the place, Nala, that’s where we found what happened to the ‘cargo’ during the Heron mission before. I’ve not seen any sign of an impending Syndicate attack, and maybe what Arric and Corvin found explains why.

Arric and Corvin were scouting around the Syndicate area of Stromgarde Keep when Arric brought down a messenger bird. It was from somebody out at Northfold Manor, I think, and was to be delivered to a warlock skulking in the Keep ruins. It was part in code and part in plain speech, sounding like a fragment of a conversation.

Shun and Nala, there was a note regarding your two captured would-be assassins. It said somebody called ‘Windward’ was there to clear up loose ends, but only got one of the two. Sounds like the loose end’s that fellow you lost to the poisoned stew, and maybe they can’t get to the one you flipped. And Nala, Corvin read a bit of coded message that says they might know about you, if you know what I mean. Be careful.

Velrin, I know you’ve been splitting time between Stromgarde Keep and Felwood, keeping the Trollbane niece safe. You might want to look at people in the Keep a little harder, since the message also said there were one or more Syndicate people inside Stromgarde Keep, arranging things.

This ties into what Shun wrote in his report, about how the Syndicate were trying to take over Stromgarde Keep, and also how they've not got a lot of strength after all that happened in Hillsbrad. Seems like they’re planning to do the takeover with assassinations and politics instead of force of arms, so that might mean things are going to get dangerous pretty soon. Makes sense, then, why they’d want to get rid of Danath Trollbane, on the off-chance he’d come back to claim his throne. Since even that didn’t bring him back to the Highlands, might be they’ll leave him be.

Sir Atley, I know you got pulled away to handle things in Pandaria, but I’ll defer to you on what we ought to do next. Sounds like whatever the Syndicate’s next move is, it’ll be something inside Stromgarde Keep.

Best,
Maisha, Arric, and Corvin

P.S. While I was circling back to Refuge Pointe to mail these, I went by the Forsaken camp again. Seems like they’re not flying the Banshee Queen banner anymore. No clue what that means, but I thought I’d mention.