Orlen Cloudhorn

250px Cloudhorn: Druid of the Talon, fugitive.	250px Cloudhorn: Druid of the Talon, fugitive.
Identity & statistics 	Identity & statistics
Aliases 	Orlen Cloudhorn
Race 	Tauren
Classification 	Male Druid
Associations 	The Horde, Thunder Bluff, the Skychaser clan, (formerly) the Cenarion Circle
Specialty 	Feral Druid - affinity for Cat and Eagle aspects: shapeshifting, rapid movement, 
infiltration, exfiltration, evasion, espionage, distraction, assassination, ambushing, 
close combat
Threat Level 	Medium; impressive intelligence gathering skills, capable - managed to infiltrate the 
Moonglade and foil Cenarion Circle activities on a regular basis
Status 	Fugitive; in hiding
Location 	Mobile
WARNING: Security Clearance level 5 or higher is required to access ANY of the following information, due to ally-sensitive data; All of these missives, collected in a single file, were intercepted as they were on-route to Darnassus. The sensitive matter of their acquisition requires that NONE of this will be shared with outside organizations.
The following is contextual information on the Druid Orlen Cloudhorn, provided by several series of letters procured from the Druids of the Cenarion Circle. Factual information has been provided by our own reports. 
The following correspondence was included with the files;
To his Eminence, the Archdruid
Lord Staghelm,
Eminence, I must once again formally object to this course of action. Wiping all trace of this reeks of a conspiracy, and will be all the proof a misguided individual needs to cause strife within the Circle, Night Elf society or even within the Alliance itself. 
With respect,
Rabine Saturna 
To Rabine Saturna, steward of Moonglade
Saturna,
Your objection is noted yet again. I see I will have to put your conscience at ease one last time. 
However suspicious this might seem, a conspiracy is not nearly as threatening to the public peace of mind as the truth would be; that a single, misguided man, from our own ranks no less, had us by the nose for months upon years while managing to evade us, was privy to more than our intelligence managed to collect in twice the time, and perhaps even managed to steer the course of both factions in the direction of Northrend. 
It could create a schism in our society, could turn the man into an icon, or a martyr if we ever caught or killed him. Our credibility would plummet, and our persecution of him would likely turn the public against us. We'd be tying our own hands, and that is unacceptable. 
This is what needs to be done.
- Staghelm
To his Eminence, the Archdruid
Lord Staghelm,
Inside this package you will find the last remaining copy of our complete files on Orlen Cloudhorn and any correspondence pertinent to his case, sent to you as requested.
I once again urge you to rethink this.
With respect,
Rabine Saturna
 Category: Characters 
 Category: Druid 
 Category: Tauren 
 Category: Horde 
==Administrative Notes==
From the archives of the Cenarion Circle, these are the complete records on the exiled Orlen Cloudhorn. The following is not to leave the circle of Elders, under any circumstance. Failure to comply will result in severe penances for the responsible parties. 
Urgent note: the complete file on this subject and its contents are to be scrubbed from the records immediately, under the Archdruid's express orders.
== Starblaze Correspondence ==
The following is a series of letters sent between Dendrite Starblaze and the Archdruid, Fandral Staghelm, over the course of the fourth year of Teldrassil.
Urgent note: the full correspondence and any record of it are to be destroyed immediately, by order of Fandral Staghelm himself!
===First Reply===
Honorable Archdruid,
Your request has reached me, and while I am flattered and humbled by the faith you show in me, I am unable to serve you in this matter. Souls more gracious than I have had far more contact with the subject of your inquest and while I do have dealings with the man on occasion, I could not possibly provide the same insight as they. 
The matter is further hindered by the ever-increasing amount of work being thrust upon me every day, making it impossible for me to take the time to travel to great Darnassus in order to provide you with the assistance you require. 
With heartfelt apologies and humbly yours,
Dendrite Starblaze.
===Second Reply===
Starblaze,
There appears to be a misunderstanding of the situation. The previous was not a request. 
I hope you are aware that the usual parlor trick glamors you use to get your way do not translate well by letter, and neither does your charm. You will provide me with the information and council I require, and you will do so immediately. 
Your presence in Darnassus is not required for this task. I require only your knowledge and observations on the subject, to be sent to me by letter. As a reminder, this letter will contain the summary of your knowledge and opinions on the late Mara Cloudhorn's son.
I expect your reply within the week,
- Staghelm
===Third Reply===
To his Lordship the Archdruid,
Eminence,
As ordered, I have included my thoughts on the Druid Orlen Cloudhorn, and humbly submit them for your perusal. As it happens, a helpful operative from Stormwind, on loan to us from SI:7 for the Silithus crisis, was so gracious as to send for the official records his organization has gathered on the man. You will find a copy of this fact sheet, which I have supplemented with our own records, enclosed in this letter. 
As for the man himself, Orlen Cloudhorn is difficult, in my opinion. He has been obstinate from the first, but as his power has grown, so have his passions and convictions. He is fickle and unpredictable, so these passions and convictions tend to change often; his talents lie in the Feral, and his personality reflects this. Whatever he pursues, though, he pursues with complete dedication. 
Sometimes this single mindedness is a great asset. Many other times, it poses an unfortunate risk to us, either as an organization or a people. 
Perhaps his contrary ways are a result of his inexperience; his is only the second generation of Tauren to pursue the druidic ways in millennia, after all, and one can only imagine what the various animal impulses would do to the undisciplined mind. 
Add to that his heritage - the great Mara Cloudhorn, descendant of the Tauren Druids of the Talon from ages past, one of the first of her race to walk the path again, and a passionate woman herself; and Bor Skychaser, son of a mighty Shaman tribe of the Tauren, killed in the founding of Thunder Bluff. Pride, passion, talent and determination. A potent mix, and volatile at that. 
These are my observations, and I will limit myself to them. It is not my place to judge, nor do I presume to council your Eminence on matters such as these.
Trusting this is sufficient and humbly yours,
Dendrite Starblaze
===Fourth Reply===
Starblaze,
You have failed in your task. No doubt you are aware of the recent incident with the Cenarion Expedition and their demands for expansion and autonomy. Their uprising has been quelled for the moment, but it appears the Cloudhorn child was intricately involved in the organization of this action, and responsible for their more martial efforts. 
Worst of all, the schism their actions caused is responsible for the loss of Morthis Whisperwing, a venerable member of the Druids of the Talon, to the Expedition. 
Your prattle about the boy's personality was redundant - information on specific areas that he felt strong about would have been invaluable and could have prevented these problems. 
Your task now is to apprehend the boy the moment he re-enters the Moonglade and put him in custody for questioning. If you value your position, you will perform this task tactfully. You will not contact me about this, you will not leave the Moonglade, for any reason, until the Cloudhorn child is contained.
And you will not fail me again,
- Staghelm
===Fifth Reply===
To his Lordship the Archdruid,
Eminence,
A thousand pardons for disregarding your orders, but this could not be relegated to a runner. 
The Cloudhorn child has attacked us.
He has penetrated the Moonglade's defenses undetected, incapacitated a dozen guards and fatally injured a fellow druid. The druid, our archiver, has been given proper burial, but the library itself is in chaos, and clerks are still trying to identify what the boy was after.
After making off with whatever prize he found, he escaped our perimeter. The furbolgs claim to have seen no one in their barrows, but the Rabine is not certain and believes they may have aided Orlen. Another likely possibility is aid from the Shatterspear trolls, close by in the mountains. 
Our seekers were able to track him to Horde territory, where we presumed he made for a zeppelin transport. We lost the trail utterly near the Blasted Lands in the Eastern Kingdoms, and concluded he had escaped to Outland. 
We sent several seekers after him, myself among them, but were unable to capture him - he has gained much familiarity with the broken world of Draenor and his prowess in the air is staggering. 
Whatever he sought, he has it and evaded capture.
However, I have left an operative active in Outland. Amythiel Mistwalker will monitor the situation, infiltrate the Expedition and report back on matters pertaining to the Expedition or Orlen.
Offering his sincere apologies and remaining humbly yours,
Dendrite Starblaze
===Sixth Reply===
Starblaze,
The promptness of your confession is the only thing keeping you in the Circle. Your incompetence has been noted. 
Orlen Cloudhorn has been labeled an exile of the Circle. Apprehending him is irrelevant - he is to be slain on sight. Your guard captain has been informed to do so. No word is to reach the Tauren emissary. The state of affairs is too sensitive for Thunder Bluff to get wind of this. I trust this is understood.
I have spoken with Rabine Saturna. He informs me that you have been given an increasingly prominent role in day to day affairs, ever since the Silithus crisis began. 
No more.
You will report back for duty at the House of Initiates to tend to their training exclusively. The more important matters will be relegated to more competent souls. Amythiel Mistwalker will report directly to me, and has been informed of this. 
Your request for reassignment in Darnassus has been rejected. As has your request for a vacation this year. 
You will not reply.
- Staghelm
== Saturna Correspondence ==
The following is a series of letters sent between Rabine Saturna and the Archdruid, Fandral Staghelm, over the course of the fifth year of Teldrassil.
===First Missive===
To his Eminence, the Archdruid,
Lord Staghelm,
Pardon my unfortunate timing, but I felt this should be brought to your attention immediately.
Several days ago, I received word from Keeper Remulos about an injured Druid. The son of Cenarius placed our comrade off the northern coast of the Eastern Kingdoms, heading straight for Quel'thalas. 
Let me stress that point - the Druid was in flight over the Ocean, unassisted, and coming from the high north. 
We have no operations there, so needless to say, I dispatched a group of wardens immediately. When my seekers arrived, they found no one, but did locate the site of a crash landing, found traces of medical supplies and could confirm the Druid had passed through the area recently. Upon finding discarded bandages, they were able to identify the subject by scent. It is the outcast Cloudhorn.
The return of the boy, some six months after last known contact, happened less than a day before this latest crisis with the Sunwell. 
I have seen wonders, but I do not believe in miracles, or coincidence. I will defer to your wisdom.
With respect,
Rabine Saturna
===First Reply===
Saturna,
Darnassus Intelligence has confirmed your news, but not before the boy managed to slip into the city itself. I've put in a complaint about their incompetence.
The Cloudhorn child assaulted the temple with a band of Horde rabble, who managed to distract its guardians long enough for him to perform some kind of cleansing ritual on Elune's Fountain. 
Whatever perceived threat they were targeting was gone when our scholars had the chance to investigate, or never existed to begin with. They tell me it was nothing harmful. I'll have a Druid confirm this.
The rabble pushed back out of the city and fled off the island with minimal losses. The boy is still at large. 
Getting this menace in a cell is of the highest priority, Rabine. Since he has reappeared, it is inevitable he will return to the Moonglade as well. Shore up security, sharpen the guard. Send for outside help - discreetly - if you have to. 
Get it done,
- Staghelm
===Second Reply===
To his Eminence, the Archdruid,
Lord Staghelm,
The Circle's healers have been crippled by constant requests to cure a persistent disease. I assume you are aware of the situation. Nonetheless, this matter bears bringing to your attention again. 
The infection has grown in aggressiveness over the course of a mere two days, and is spreading like fire in the underbrush. Our brothers have tracked the source of the infection to Booty Bay. When this information came to light, our Intelligence came forward with a disturbing set of facts. Facts that pertain to the Cloudhorn boy.
The first is that Cloudhorn had been spotted near Booty Bay, several days before the infection hit. This is more sinister than it first appears, when taking the second fact into account.
The seekers that found the site of the boy's alleged crash landing, several months ago, had the refuse of the site brought back for study. The bandages that had the boy's scent were among them, and our healers found from them that the boy was infected - by the same disease that's spreading to epidemic proportions as we speak. 
I would advise you not to jump to conclusions, however. Cloudhorn's presence in Booty Bay at the time of discovery of the infected grain may imply he is responsible, but on the other hand, his having contracted the illness months before and surviving to this day with no ill effects to the population puts matters in another light. The disease is highly contagious, yet we haven't encountered it until now. 
Consider too, where the boy was coming from when he fell from the sky, likely from fever. 
Deferring to your wisdom, with respect,
Rabine Saturna
===Third Reply===
Saturna,
It seems this disease is unholy in nature. I have just been informed that I'm to leave this matter to Tyrande and the priesthood of the Alliance. They seem to be making better progress with the epidemic, so I'm having the Cenarion Circle focus on other matters.
Normally, I'd have the seekers dispatched in force to track down Cloudhorn, but we can't risk so many, certainly not with their reliance on scent - the disease was just confirmed to be airborne. 
That is why I'm recalling all of the Circle to the glade and instating quarantine while the illness burns itself out. I will be joining you within the week. While our members are inbound, I want our best minds assembled and working on tracking the path of the infection. If the boy is a carrier, we can pinpoint his movements to a degree - it should keep us from being completely useless in the meantime.
You have your orders,
- Staghelm
===Fourth Reply===
To his Eminence, the Archdruid,
Lord Staghelm,
Judging by your absence from the glade, the news must have reached you of the vaccine. I hope this missive finds you in due time. 
We have broken off the quarantine order to offer assistance where we can. Our seekers are flocking into the field as I write this, and already I have been given news on our investigation from within the archives. 
The spread of the infection was so rapid and vast that nothing could be interpreted by its path. Either Orlen Cloudhorn was completely isolated, or he was one of the first to die. In all honesty, we should assume the latter. 
I have dispatched agents to search the bodies near the pyres and mass graves, and erase anything that can be traced back to us. 
May the Goddess forgive us,
Rabine Saturna
==Dalaran Incident==
Note: the following was liberated from the Dalaran citizenry archives; the appropriate security procedures must be observed, level 5 clearance restrictions are in effect.
The First year of Dalaran, ALO (After Lift-Off); Constable Phillius Frostnozzle reporting,
My dear ladies and gentlesirs,
It was a dark and stormy night. Fortunately Dalaran is situated comfortably above the clouds in a suspension pocket, so all was quiet. This stout gnome had just finished his rounds of the Exchange when he stumbled upon a member of the opposite gender who, might I add, looked quite lovely. The madam in question was eager to make the acquaintance of yours truly, although perhaps that was because she was panicking and raving, and not because of this gnome's dashing good looks. Upon reaching this stout gnome and going on for an entire minute (this is no exaggeration; I of course timed it) about a ghost in an alley, without taking a single breath (quite a feat, actually), the madam fainted. Upon doing my patriotic duty of resuscitating her with all due diligence, I found, by the color of her cheeks and the smell of her breath, that she was quite drunk; indeed, smashed as a dwarven Mountaineer on Brewfest, one might say. Still, being a stout gnome, once she had regained a semblance of consciousness, I of course did her the service of checking the alley. 
That was when I saw it.
It was a Tauren, and no mistake. Dressed in the ritual armor of the Druids (as a reference, consult the book Garments of the Tribes, chapter III, section 9, page 47 for further details), the man was heading towards me, bearing arms. 
To be precise, he was armed with a fishing pole. 
I of course turned with all due haste to take the unfortunate woman, still lying incapacitated on the street, to rescue, irrespective of my own safety. This would take me out of the zone of danger and into the comfort of the warm Hero's Welcome tavern, and might allow the skulking cad a chance to escape, but this could not be helped. My duties as a protector of the people must come before personal honor, you understand!
After settling the woman at the Inn and taking the time to prepare myself properly, I once more ventured out onto the street, only to find it empty. As unfortunate as this was, I took it well and made to head back to the Hero's Welcome - to ensure the madam's safety, you see. 
When I turned, I was eye to hoof with the specter once more. 
As before, it closed in, utterly calm and at a relaxed canter. I let out a battle cry (please disregard any reports of a woman's scream - a gnome's battle cry is at quite a high pitch) and attempted to arm myself in time, but the apparition was already upon me. It brought down a hoof the size of a small mountain before I could react. 
As I prepared to meet an untimely death at the hooves of a phantasmal attacker at night--it passed through me. And as it did, there was not the familiar tingle of ectoplasm or any other spiritual residue. 
At the time, I happened to be looking, purely by chance, at the Gnomish Chronometer situated strategically on my belt, and noticed that its readings were off the scale! Only after reporting this incident to my superiors did I hear of other incidents like this one, some even in broad daylight, and combined with the fact that the figure never responded to the presence of myself or the unfortunate madam, I deduced that it might not be a ghost, but a temporal after-image of some sort.
This is, of course, pure conjecture on my part, but I have included the readings of my Chronometer at the time of the incidents in my report, for your perusal. Note the high TT(TicToc)Flux coefficient at the exact moment of the incident. 
I shall, however, leave the conclusion to your wisdom.
Clerk's Note: In the days following these events, more citizens have reported encounters with our transparent friend, who is apparently going through the motions of every day life - shopping, fishing, conducting business and relaxing - albeit slightly out of sink with us - the Tauren has been reported sitting in mid-air, walking through walls and speaking (soundlessly) to no one in particular. The apparition tends to appear and disappear at random, often in the middle of an action, and does not seem to pose any particular threat, nor have we received any complaints about our ghostly guest, besides incidents of fright and surprise upon an appearance at night. The council has therefore decided to take no action regarding this, until further notice.
==Archdruid's Journal==
From the journal of Fandral Staghelm;
The boy broke in here last night. The Cloudhorn boy. He broke in and he snuck up on me.
Snuck up. On me. 
For someone I've never met, he is an insufferable thorn in my sole. Just like his mother.
I've seen sketches, heard descriptions. He looks nothing like them anymore. And still, I couldn't mistake him, because he is just like his mother. In the pictures, I saw a strong boy, built like a tree and planting himself like a bear. 
When I turned and faced him in person, I was eye to eye with a strong man, built like a hill and moving like a great cat. He couldn't have seen more than five winters since the sketches were made, but he had outgrown them as if a decade had gone by. 
And his hair had gone as gray as Darkshore's beach. 
His mane, his horns and his hooves had all lost color, and his face was gaunt. He looked old. Maybe it was the disease. More likely, it was something he saw. I know veterans when I see them.
He faced me without saying a word. I stood my ground until I had sized him up and made sure he was alone. Then I told him - let's have it. 
"I want the Circle called off," he said. "They're wasting their time." 
I told him the truth - that they were already called off, and that he should know this. 
"But they're still wasting their time. They still hunt me if they see me, and that time is better spent preparing for Northrend."
I asked him what made him think he was still important enough to be hunted.
"The fact that I broke in here," he said.
Absolutely true. I couldn't afford to suffer an indignity like that, not with Tyrande breathing down my neck. 
So I asked him what made him think he would ever leave.
"Because of the way I broke in here," he said. And then the other one snuck up on me.
Snuck up. On me. Again.
I knew before I set eyes on his face that he was a Bronze. Flying the colors, and grinning the grin, cloaked in that disgusting air of arrogance they have. I cursed him with the oldest words I knew, but the dragon just smiled.
I forgot myself. I screamed at him, "Take your form, Dragon, and face me for this trespass".
"But Lord Staghelm," he answered, "I would break your tree house." And the two of them vanished.
None can know of this. It can't be known, to anyone, that they did it to me again - snubbed their noses at me, made a fool of me. Again. Even now, as I write this, I see myself reaching for the swill and drinking myself bold enough to burn this page - this whole blasted journal - because it is the only think I can do about it. I cursed them for centuries - millennia - and never have I managed to so much as lay a hand on them. 
So I drink. And I seethe in silence. And I burn journals.
Because none can know.
Category:Male
Category:Archive