Guide to the Pandarian Judiciary [Brochure]

Welcome to Pandaria's court system! If you are reading this, you are probably sitting a court session right now. The Pandaren population prides itself in its judiciary, delivering a fair and well-considered outcome for all.

The foundation on which Pandaria's justice system is built is the rule of law, that no one person is above justice. Pandaria thus takes due process seriously, and will do that necessary to uphold it. To help make sure you do not find yourself at the wrong side of dungeon bars, please read on.

N.B. Spoilers for World of Warcraft: War Crimes after the jump

Judge, jury and executioner
Pandaria acknowledges foreign court systems in which the one person, usually the head of state, ultimately decides the fate of the Accused (defendant). However, in keeping with the rule of law, Pandaria separates its roles:

Guide to the Siege of Orgrimmar Ending Cinematics

This is it; the Siege of Orgrimmar, as well as the (substantial) Mists of Pandaria expansion, concludes. The final cinematic may only be two or so minutes, yet it is steeped in context and prior lore.

Take it all at face value and much will be missed. However, armed with the right knowledge, not only can these events be fully appreciated, but insights into Azeroth's future can even be gained...

N.B. Spoilers for the Siege of Orgrimmar raid after the jump
N.B. Unless otherwise noted, references to "execution" refer to the execution of the death penalty

The (obligatory) synopsis
As is to be expected of any partisan affair, the Horde and Alliance each have their own version, although much of the experience is shared.

Eulogy at the Funeral of Kinndy Sparkshine [Eulogy]

As delivered by Archmage Jaina Proudmoore

Apprentice Kinndy Sparkshine… how so full of potential you held. To see your life – and living – cut short by a most heinous, brutal, and cowardly of ways to wage war… it shocks me, and no doubt all others of reason, down to the very essence of the being. Even though you have passed on, dearest Kinndy, your legacy yet lingers, one that may well herald peace in this world mired in conflict.

You had always showed a passion for your studies, Kinndy. Your youthful energy, unrestrained like the arcane itself, got you through your gruelling readings and lab sessions. It had fed the asking of endless questions on the most mundane. <Caesura for laughs> And, perhaps, it had galvanised your optimism for the future, one of quiet devotion to magic, innocent of the horrors of battle…

ARCANE EXPLOSION [News Article]

Horde razes Alliance-controlled Theramore Isle with both sides committing fully to War
Warchief Garrosh Hellscream questioned over tactics used

[Pguinto-Frostmourne-US], 17th day of 9(1) KC 621
N.B. Spoilers for Golden, C (2012) (World of Warcraft: Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War) after the jump

RUINS OF THERAMORE – The Horde attacked Theramore Isle today in the latest development of the Alliance-Horde War. Despite historical reluctance, this attack drew fully the Grand Alliance into it for the first time.

The razing was intended to weaken the morale of the Alliance; instead, the violation of sovereignty gave reason to fully commit.

Azeroth Mass Transit Network Map [Map], updated for Mists of Pandaria

Note: The omission of node Theramore Isle and route The Lady Mehley is tentative until further information is made available.

The following series of maps serves as a reference for mass transit services provided to citizens of the Alliance and Horde.

 

The style used in the map departs from traditional methods of accurately charting landmasses and routes; instead, it aims for simplicity. It has been inspired by the highly stylised representations of real-life transportation networks, characterised by straight lines, highly simplified geographic features and regularly spaced nodes.

Notices: Azeroth Transit Authorities

• Following the exit of the Alliance and Horde from the Convention, the remaining Sovereign States have resolved to terminate it. The Azeroth Transit Authorities will thus cease to exist.
• All regulation of travel now falls on the individual transit authorities. Please consult your own for enquiries, as well as any laws that may apply to you.

Notices: Transitalliance

• In response to the razing of Theramore Isle by the Horde, the Grand Alliance has exited any and all Treaties, Conventions and Protocols to which the Horde is party, including the United Azeroth Transit Authorities Convention. All enquiries on travel within the Alliance's territories must now be directed to Transitalliance.
• Theramore Isle: Following the razing of Theramore Isle by the Horde, The Lady Mehley service to there has ceased.

Notices: Horde Transit

• To further safeguard the sovereignty of the Horde, it has exited any and all Treaties, Conventions and Protocols to which the Alliance is party, including the United Azeroth Transit Authorities Convention. All enquiries on travel within the Horde's territories must now be directed to Horde Transit.

Definition of mass transit

Non-instantaneous methods of transportation carrying several concurrent commuters and provided without charge.

Note that:

• Walking and mounting do not fall under this definition because they have not been 'provided' to the person in question.
• Orbs of Translocation do fall under this definition because of the cast time involved in using one.

Bibliography

• Boat - Wowpedia - Your guide to the World of Warcraft, wiki article, Wowpedia, viewed 25 November 2010, <http://www.wowpedia.org/Boat>.
• Zeppelin - Wowpedia - Your guide to the World of Warcraft, wiki article, Wowpedia, viewed 25 November 2010, <http://www.wowpedia.org/Zeppelin>.

Appendix A: Coincidence of Alliance and Horde mass transit network maps

 

EDIT 31Aug12: Updated from <http://criticallyanalyse.blogspot.com/2010/11/azeroth-mass-transit-network-map-map.html>.

Sheet of Coal [Wallpaper]

Fancy a skeletal formula pattern on your computer desktop? This one, resembling a portion of coal, can be tiled to give a 'random enough' effect. All valencies have been adhered to, although I have not checked if all of the heteroatoms and functional groups can actually fit. Click through to access the full image.

As a 'Where's Wally?' game, see if you can find the following groups:

• Methyl (CH₃), valency 1
• Oxygen (O), valency 2
• The such as a ketone
• Nitrogen (N), valency 3
• The such as part of an aromatic system
• Sulphur (S), valency 2
• Alcohol (OH), valency 1
• Primary amine (NH₂), valency 1
• Secondary amine (NH), valency 2

Living in the Age of Innocence

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Skyrim), despite its liberal violence, does not allow depicted children to die, by fault of the player's character (or avatar), NPCs (non-player characters) or the environment. Because of this, a player going by the name of Kharmah published a mod, 'Killable Children', on the Steam Workshop that disposes of this restriction. Needless to say, this caused quite a controversy, with supporters of its release pointing out improved realism and freedom for the player, and others raising morals and ethics against it.

The ingame killing of children, with the special status their real-life counterparts enjoy, is a contentious issue for many computer game developers, who are well concerned about their business and social standing. In forming an opinion on it, two matters should be considered:

1. Whether the killing of real-life children is unethical
2. Whether the killing of ingame children raises material real-life consequences.

Especially heinous
Almost anyone of sound mind would agree that killing a fellow human being is immoral. In reaching that conclusion, it may be raised that life is sacred, that every human being has a natural right to it from birth, that every member of Homo sapiens has a duty to further the species, or that one's automatic dignity and self-worth is to be respected. Indeed, virtually all governments on Earth outlaw homicidal acts, be it murder, manslaughter or (in many cases) assisting in suicide. With unnatural adult death depicted so frequently in print, cinematographic film and computer games and that of children rather rare, one may wonder what makes the latter an exception.