Embracing the Hour of Twilight

by Hinote Kirase

The title of this alone is undoubtedly going to get me some sharp looks and narrowed eyes, but I get enough of those already, so whatever. I don’t care. Nevertheless, I’ll preface this by saying it isn’t what you think; I’m not writing in defense of the Twilight’s Hammer, Deathwing, their goals, their motives, or the end of the world. I think by this point even the deepest of Twilight’s Hammer sleeper agents have revealed themselves, because their final goal, the Hour of Twilight – the end of Azeroth – is at hand. The chips are all down, we know who the bad guys are and who the good guys are, and everyone’s going all in. If you’re getting the impression that I’m trying to hard to convince you that I’m on your side, it’s because previous events have left me with little faith left in the wisdom and judgment of the masses.

But that’s another story.

Twilight’s Hammer beaten back

by Betria Eilyn Tallrock

The Twilight’s Hammer is not a new enemy. Originally an invading orc clan in the Second War, it came under the sway of the eldritch abominations long buried under the surface by the Titans, and quickly grew in the shadows. The insane doomsday cult took both Alliance and Horde by surprise in the wake of Deathwing’s return, claiming vast swaths of territory and quickly fortifying their positions with summoned elementium bulwarks. Their early victories; however, quickly crumbled as the defenders of Azeroth reacted and pushed back.

Nefarian, also known as Blackwing, and Onyxia, two of Deathwing’s dead spawn that had been reanimated as rotten abominations by the Aspect of Death, have been destroyed for good in Blackwing Descent, along with a host of Nefarian’s twisted experiments and abominations. The monstrously mutated two-headed ogre Cho’gall, the official leader of the Twilight’s Hammer, was also defeated and killed in a daring battle at the Twilight Citadel, and the upper echelons of his twisted cult died with him. Even Al’akir, the Elemental Lord of air who had sided with Deathwing and Ragnaros in trying to usher the end of the world as we know it, had his own plane of existence invaded through a breach in the skies of Uldum, and was then defeated. A similar fate awaits Ragnaros.

Bayonet sales on the rise as hunters change tactics

Wolfslayer Sniper Rifle, a classical bayonet design

by Betria Eilyn Tallrock

Blacksmiths all over Azeroth have been reported a substantial increase in bayonet sales in the past few weeks. Gunsmiths and engineers have also seen a similar increase in requests for mounting blades and spikes on the end of blunderbusses, shotguns, muskets and rifles of all kinds.

Johann Goodiron, head of the Ironmongers blacksmithing guild and former sharpshooter in the Alliance Expedition in Northrend , postulates that rangers, marksmen and other ranged combatants without magical aptitude are adapting to an evolving, more vicious and shorter- ranged battlefield. “In the past”, says Mr. Goodiron, “we could get around with a backup sword or axe or two, depending on your style and race. More recently, practical rangers and hunters started carrying bigger, more powerful staffs and spears to finish off or at least keep enemies away.”

Look to the Sea

The Stormwind shipyards, hard at work.

by Betria Eilyn Tallrock

Even the most cursory glance at Stormwind Harbor reveals something the population at large has so far ignored. The war against the Horde is not being fought only on the bloody battlefields of Kalimdor and Lordaeron, but also at sea. The Forsaken assault on Gilneas was spearheaded by undead destroyers dredged up from wrecks from the First and Second Wars, bloodthirsty troll destroyers and orcish juggernauts prowl the high seas, and pirates scour the shores, causing untold damage as they loot and pillage coastal areas. More recently, the catastrophic battle in Vashj’ir, where both Alliance and Horde forces came under brutal attack by the Naga, was fought extremely close to the shores of Elwynn and Westfall.

Duerma’s Void Storage Preview!

by Duerma Whistlescrew-Coilbrush

Hi guys! I’m totally excited to tell you about this new crazy thing!

So, earlier this month I was totally at a business conference with Pizmo at the Stormspire! You remember those ethereal Consortium guys, all bandages with energy inside? They’ve totally just been chilling in Outland, maybe because moving in on goblin business markets is tough or something. I dunno! But they have come up with a couple new services that are totally unlike anything the gobbos can give us! One is transmogrification, which I can discuss in a later post! The other, though, is…

EXTRA! The Rose Ball ’11 Photo Album!

Late Night Update: we at the Bloomin’ Paper have been receiving pictures taken by other people at the Ball! Send yours in to be published by putting up a link to them in the comments section just below or send an e-mail to holtzmanneffect on GMail!

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Our hired cameramage has just sent us freshly-developed pictures from the Rose Ball ’11, so this will be an Extra edition of the Bloomin’ Paper, in special glossy paper and full-color images all over!

As a note: our photographer had just arrived from Outlands and had no idea of who was who at the ball, so if you didn’t show up in any of the pictures, rest assured it wasn’t personal. Also, he was forced to wear earphones throughout most of the event, meaning that if you tried to say something and was ignored, it also also completely not personal.

Anyway, flip the page and enjoy some of the highlights from the event!

ANNOUNCEMENT: the Rose Ball ’11!

Events:

Storytelling!
Tell original stories for the delight of the Rose Ball attendees! With a theme to be announced at the time of the event, let’s see how good you guys are at making up stories on the spot!

Pet Show!
Think your pet is awesome enough to impress our judges? Let your scaly, furry, feathery friends strut their stuff at the Rose Pet Show II!
From your trusty steed to pet pug, all are welcome!

Fishing Contest!
20 minutes to fish up as much as you can from the delta right next to Mar’at. All rods/equipment/enchants are okay. Rarity of the fish determines the points they are worth, whoever has the most points wins a fabulous prize! Runners-up will also receive a trophy of some kind!

Dueling Tournament!
A perennial favorite, warriors from all across Azeroth come to test their mettle against the finest each faction has to offer! Do you have what it takes to stand at the end and wave your banner of choice?
(Medical assistance will be provided in case of missing spleens or other combat injuries.)

Larkspur Girls Concert!
The lovely buskers of Stormwind serenade party goers with an extra special live concert!

Riddles!
A battle of wits and cunning, put your intelligence to the test!

Quiz Show!
How much do you know about your world? Prove it!

Fireworks!
What ball isn’t complete without an explosive farewell?

Lottery!
The big “Thank you!” from all the Rose members for attending our party.
First prize this year is the Vial of the Sands!

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Note to attendees: the Rose Ball is being recorded for posterity! If you see an Order of the Rose member carrying a Gnomecorder or a Super Snapper FX and /pointing at you, remember to look fancy and say “cheese”! A selection of the best pictures and/or footage will be made available to the public following the Ball!