Pondering in the Shadows.

The man named Jon Chess stood on the balcony at Ravenholdt.  From the outside, Ravenholdt was a fortified manor from another era, from when the kingdom of Alterac was a proud, strong member of the Alliance. Once upon a time, before the orc migration from another world, Alterac and Stromgarde were fierce rivals. The borders between the two kingdoms were always vague, as the mountains were never the kind of terrain where borders could be clearly marked and enforced.  Skirmish after skirmish ranged over both sides of the mountains.  Perhaps this antipathy foreshadowed the betrayal of the Alliance; Stromgarde was devoted to the success of the Alliance, after all.

King Aiden Perenolde had always been a reluctant member of the Alliance, evading confrontations he did not think himself capable of winning and avoiding a military confrontation with the Horde whenever possible. During the Second War, the Horde was in the ascendency, and King Perenolde supplied the Horde with information in exchange for the survival of the kingdom. Perenolde arranged for a convoy of high elves passing through Tarren Mill to be ambushed by forest trolls, organized a peasant revolt in Tyr's Hand to cover mining operations there, and attempted to assassinate Uther the Lightbringer by employing pirates to tamper with the Order of the Silver Hand.  The Horde passed through his kingdom unopposed when he garrisoned the northern mountain passes and left the southern passes undefended. The Alterac forces fought alongside with the Horde in open treason.

Stromgarde destroyed Alterac.

During the Second War, Ravenholdt and its league of assassins remained true to the Alliance, spying and fighting a covert war in the Shadows. They were condemned by the other Alteraci nobles.  After the destruction of their kingdom, the nobles of Alterac became base, unsubtle criminals called the Syndicate, seeking to take from the Alliance in general and their old enemy Stromgarde, in particular, where could by assassination and brigandage.

Ravenholdt has stood alone since then - the destruction of both Alterac and Stromgarde, and the proliferation of the Forsaken and ogres in the region had left them an island in the middle of chaos.  Goblin, troll, orc, sin'dorei were just as welcome as the races of the Alliance in its halls, devoted to their shared craft, Horde and Alliance conflicts not forgotten but suspended for the survival of Ravenholdt and it's devotees. Ravenholdt was the foundation and the power behind the Uncrowned, and their secret Hall of Shadows.

Jon Chess was a card-carrying member of the Uncrowned and occasionally employed by both Princess Tess Greymane and the Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras, Jaina Proudmoor. He had been trained for service at the behest of Elling Trias by Ravenholdt to help the fledgling city-state with a covert operative that Jaina could trust as she trusted Trias, who had served the Alliance as spymaster before he retired from what some called "the Great Game". After the destruction of Theramore, Jon had spent years killing the Horde in revenge for the death of his city, his home, the woman he loved, and the family-of-choice they had built as operatives under the cover merchant company called Universal Exports. When Jaina had returned to Kul Tiras, Jon had returned to her wrist like the bird of prey - the Rook - that had been his alias for so long.

During the years when his fingers ran red with Horde blood, he had focused on two specific factions within the Horde he held responsible. First, had been the Bilgewater Cartel and the pirates which had laughed with glee as they had dropped the destructive mana bomb.  The second had been any orc with loyalty to Garrosh Hellscream, who had ordered the destruction. Thrall had killed  Garrosh Hellscream, and the Bilgewater Cartel had been deserted by Jastor Gallywix and had been replaced by Gazlowe, former mayor of Ratchet.

There was only one person remaining on Jon's long list of targets - the Sin'dorei archmage and traitor to the Kirin Tor, Thalen Songweaver. Thalen had been the architect of the mana bomb which had destroyed Theramore, and had even been part of the delegation dispatched by Dalaran to magically strengthen the northern gate. He had appeared to be a loyal member of the Kirin Tor, but instead weakened the gate. He was captured but freed by the Horde. 

Thalen returned to Silvermoon , and was approached by Warlord Zaela, who was gathering a raid of True Horde loyalists to free Hellscream during his trail for war crimes.  Thalen and the other loyalists served as a distraction during the trial, leading to Garrosh's rescue at the hands of Kairoz and Wrathion. That was the last Jon could trace his whereabouts; it was as if he had fallen from the face of Azeroth.

But Jon would find him, even if he had to storm the gates of the afterlife.  One more act of justice for the dead of Theramore. 

Cheese Monograph (by Elling Trias)

"The making of cheese is a multi-step alchemical process, and takes weeks, months, or even years to produce the desired product. There are several common steps to the crafting of cheese; culturing, coagulation, draining, scalding, and ripening.

The beginning of the cheesemaking process is to culture the cheese. The cheesemaker brings milk in the cheese vat to a temperature required to promote the growth of the culture, which may be the native culture of the cheese, or an additive of starter stock from various herb extracts, such as Peacebloom. When the fermentation of the culture is at an appropriate level, the cheesemaker adds rennet, which is produced my extraction from the fourth stomach of baby cows, lambs, or goats (the age of the calf will determine the strength of the rennet, which in turn will widely affect the flavor of the cheese). This is the coagulation of the cheese, and the fermenting milk will form into cheese curds. These curds are drained through cheesecloth, and the dehydrated curds are then scalded. Scalding involves cutting the curds into small cubes (the process called "cheddaring", where the curds are cut, turned, and stacked) and then heated to about 100 degrees. The scalding the cheese produces whey, which is drained from the curds, which are then milled into ribbon shapes and mixed with salt. The salted 'green cheese' curd is put into cheese moulds lined with cheese cloths and pressed overnight to allow the curds to meld. The pressed blocks of cheese are then removed from the cheese moulds and are waxed. The cheeses are then stored for maturation, which may take varying times in accord with the type of cheese.

Common types of cheese made throughout Azeroth include:

Darnassian Blue - Darnassian Blue cheese is made from a mixture of sheep and nightsaber's milk. The final product is spotted or veined throughout with blue or blue-green mold, and aged in the caves east of Auberdine. The characteristic flavor of Darnassian Blue tends to be sharp and a bit salty. The smell of this food is widely considered to be pungent, even compared to other cheeses. It can eaten by itself or can be crumbled or melted over foods.

Dalaran Sharp - Dalaran Sharp is produced primarily in the areas around Ambermill area, although some does come through Southport from Pyrewood by merchants whose sense of timing is precise. This cheese is colored a deep orange by annatto, an extract made from the silverleaf plant, and often packaged in black wax.

Dwarven Mild - Dwarven Mild is produced from goat's milk, and like all chesese made from goat's milk, has a slightly tart flavor. It is usually packagewd in red-wax encased wheels of great size.

Stormwind Brie - Stormwind Brie is a soft, cows' milk cheese. It is pale in colour with a slight greyish tinge under crusty white mould; very soft and savoury with a hint of ammonia. The white mouldy rind is moderately tasteful and edible, and is not intended to be separated from the cheese during consumption.

Fine Aged Cheddar - This cheese is made from cow's milk, and matured longer than most, giving it a delicate, subtle taste.

Alterac Swiss - This cheese has a distinctive appearance, as the blocks of the cheese are riddled with holes known as "eyes". Alterac Swiss is known for its nutty, bittersweet taste. Since the destruction of Alterac, most of this type of cheese is produced in the Southport region in Hillsbrad.

Garadar Sharp and Mag'har Mild Cheese - These two cheeses were first produced by the Mag'har orc tribes in northern Nagrand, and much of its production comes via the black market activities around Halaa.

Spiced Onion Cheese - This cheese is produced almost exclusively for Brewfest by Ironforge clans, and is flavored with herbs, spices, and onions. Many dwarven clans have their own jealously-guarded recipe for this seasonal delicacy."