SCA Government Timeline

The **Stormwind Crown Administration (SCA) Government Timeline** refers to the timeline in which the Stormwind Assembly of Representatives and all ministries and sub-ministries thereof were established, constituting the new government of the Kingdom of Stormwind. This timeline is, of course, entirely fanon, though it is recognized as lore within SCA and serves as the official explanation behind the state of government in SCA as players RP it. This page serves as an out-of-character (OOC) reference source for RPers in our community to help provide context and background for the current political structure of SCA.

## History of Government in Stormwind

### Government Prior to the Stormwind Crown Administration

Prior to the establishment of the Stormwind Assembly of Representatives, nearly all, if not all, authorities of the government were purely vested to the monarch of the Kingdom of Stormwind with the Stormwind House of Nobles having limited influence over regions wherein their members held land. In addition to the monarchy and noble houses, certain regional governments were established, such as the Stormwind City Council and the Darkshire City Council or the elected magistrate in Lakeshire. Prior to King Anduin Wrynn's kidnapping into the Shadowlands, he met with a group of noble advisors, including Lady Rose, who advocated for the expansion of a centralized democratic government similar to the regional city councils and mayorships. Anduin supported the idea, speaking favorably of democratization efforts in other lands. During the exploration of the Shadowlands, when Anduin was kidnapped during the Mawsworn attack, Turalyon, as the regent in Anduin's place, formalized the transition of the government in the Stormwind Crown Administration in May 2021.

When determining how long ago the government reformations occurred, one should take into account the three year time skip during the Dragonflight expansion, which places the reformations in 2021 + 3 years (Dragonflight expansion) + the difference between 2021 and the current year. For example, in 2023, the reformations would have occurred five years ago (2021 + 3 years (Dragonflight timeskip) + 2023 (2 years from 2021) = 5 years).

### Transition into the Stormwind Crown Administration

With the transition of government into a centralized elected democracy wherein the monarchy still held absolute control, making the model of government something akin to a constitutional monarchy, the Stormwind Assembly of Representatives was established in May 2021, granting each geographic region in the Kingdom of Stormwind the ability to elect a singular representative. This transition did away with the regional governments, such as the Stormwind City Council and Darkshire City Council as well as the elected magistrate in Lakeshire, in favor of a centralized elected government. In the SCA timeline, regional city councils, mayors / magistrates, etc. do not exist as they were phased out upon the transition into the Stormwind Crown Administration. The transition also abolished non-centralized elements of government, such as the Night Watch in Duskwood and the Westfall Brigade in Westfall, replacing any local law enforcement with the Ministry of the Guard and its regional administration divisions.

This transition away from regional elected government bodies and officials also extended to nobles and those appointed by the nobility to preside over regions. Nobles who once held exclusive control over regions had their power entirely stripped, except in cases wherein the land itself was owned by a noble, e.g. Gryan Stoutmantle no longer rules over the entirety of Westfall as the noble-appointed marshal but would still maintain control over any personal property that he owned. Any appointed marshal or other leader would have been retired from their position.

All former government officials are all assumed to have done this willingly as there was no bloodshed or anything akin to a civil war to achieve the new government, merely a royal order. Those NPCs do, however, still exist for the purpose of SCA RP. They are free to be referenced in their previous positions and can be interacted with, though they no longer hold any authority recognized by the government outside of any military positions which they may hold given the military remains exclusively under the control of the King of Stormwind; however, it is important to note that the military is not recognized as having control over any region within Stormwind and that the military is not responsible for law enforcement within Stormwind under the SCA timeline.

### Canonicity in SCA

#### Presence of Mobs

Even though Blizzard does not often update in-game locations, including Stormwind's geographic regions, to reflect changes over time, SCA assumes that most goals achieved through player quests are meant to be canon in Blizzard's main timeline. For example, the quest to defeat murlocs in Longshore, Unincorporated Westfall suggests that, even though the murlocs will respawn in-game, murlocs no longer have a significant presence in Longshore in the lore. The same is true for kobolds in the Fargodeep Mines and rogue wizards at Stone Carin Lake in Unincorporated Elwynn, ettin in Unincorporated Redridge, orc spies in Northshire, zombies in Raven Hill, Defias rebels in Moonbrook, ogres in the Vul'Gore Ogre Mound in Unincorporated Duskwood, or demons in Karazhan, ogres in Deadwind Pass, or Horde outposts in the Swamp of Sorrows in the Stormwind Territories. Despite there being mobs present at these in-game locations, SCA does not currently consider Longshore to be overrun with murlocs, Fargodeep Mine to have a kobold infestation, Northshire to have a presence of orc spies, Raven Hill to have zombies roaming through it, Defias rebels posing a threat to Moonbrook, ogres to be ruling over Vol'Gore, or other similar examples. Any significant population of in-game mobs, like kobolds, murlocs, ogres, naga, zombies, orcs, etc., especially if their presence is prohibited or restricted by the Legal Designation of Races Act, is not an accurate representation of SCA's canon, though it is fair to say that there are still **small** populations of mobs like kobolds, murlocs, or gnolls in areas historically infested with them. This is not to say that any of these aforementioned threats did not once pose challenges, but they were resolved several years ago, prior to the reformation of the government. They should not, therefore, be modern day political issues, except when designated otherwise by the SCA Moderation Staff.

This logic likewise applies to areas which are infested with rats or similar critter mobs, like The Golden Keg in the Dwarven District. Given it is a functioning tavern, rats would be dealt with swiftly and not be a constant issue. However, mobs which are native fauna to areas within Stormwind, such as the wild wolves in Goldshire, the bears surrounding Eastvale, the spiders in Unincorporated Duskwood, or the aggressive coyotes in Unincorporated Westfall, are considered to still be present and pose challenges to their regions. The understanding of "fauna" in this sense can be expanded to include the dust devils, air elementals which wander through Unincorporated Westfall, and other similar examples.

Mobs and NPCs which were present within the Kingdom of Stormwind for a set period of time as part of a storyline event being told by Blizzard are considered canon, though they no longer pose a threat. For example, the Third Scourge Invasion of Stormwind City during the Shadowlands pre-patch is considered canon in SCA's timeline. The Third Scourge Invasion is considered a historical event but not a present day threat, much like the residents of Stormwind City shunning death knights of the Ebon Blade prior to completing their quest to join the Grand Alliance. Whereas that shunning was part of a historical event, it would not be occurring decades after death knights joined the Alliance, even though NPCs react in that way as players complete the quest in the modern day. Likewise, the Blue Dragonflight does not regularly descend upon Stormwind City, even though it is a regular occurrence when players complete the The Stuff of Legends quest. The Shade Horseman does not descend upon Goldshire every Hallow's End to attack the residents of the town; however, legends and stories about the horseman are still prevalent given it did once happen. Hoggar and his Riverpaw Pack have long since been exterminated, but stories about his rebellion in the Stockades are still told.

#### Implied Developments

Developments that are implied or assumed to have happened, such as the feral worgen rampaging through Unincorporated Duskwood undergoing the Ritual of Balance and no longer being feral, are considered canon in SCA. Other examples include Moonbrook being rebuilt into a functioning town rather than remaining in ruin; the head of Deathwing, which would long since be decayed, no longer hanging over the Valley of Heroes in the Trade District; the portal to Gorgrond, Draenor that sits behind the Mage Quarter being closed; the nearby camp of Illidari stationed outside of The Slaughtered Lamb tavern in the Mage Quarter being disbanded or relocating to the Stormwind Embassy; the portal to the Shadowlands in the Mage Quarter's Wizard's Sanctum being closed following the restoration of order in the realm; the Darnassian refugees living in Unincorporated Stormwind City finding new homes and are no longer residing in refugee camps, though many of them found homes in that region; and the Northshire Vineyard being replanted and not in a constant state of burning.

#### Insufficient Canon

There are some areas of lore that Blizzard, either intentionally or not, has left so underdeveloped that it would be impossible to reasonably incorporate them into SCA RP. For example, the island of Balor is said to be part of Stormwind's territories, though its location has never been definitively stated nor has Blizzard ever developed the history of it beyond saying that it fell to the Old Horde in the First War.

The Scarlet Crusade NPC Brother Crowley is present in the Cathedral of Light in Cathedral Square as part of Cataclysm pre-patch that was released in 2010. In over an IRL decade, Crowley's NPC has not been removed nor has any explanation of his presence been provided despite the Scarlet Crusade coming in direct conflict with the Alliance in the following expansion, Mists of Pandaria, which made it clear that the Alliance, including Stormwind, was hostile towards the Crusade. This is enhanced further in Battle for Azeroth, which features the Scarlet Brotherhood directly slandering Stormwind. Most substantially, in January 2024, the Reclaiming Gilneas questline revolves around Alliance forces riding Gilneas of Scarlet invaders who are openly hostile to both Stormwind and Gilneas. In the Cataclysm pre-patch quest chain upon which Crowley embarks the player, the ultimate goal evolves into killing the Crusade's leadership. It is never stated whether or not Crowley decided to reject the Crusade following the revelations in his quest chain or if he remained with the Crusade and departed Stormwind City following the Alliance's conflicts with the Crusade. For the purposes of Blizzard's lore, Crowley is little more than a throwaway quest giver, so it is unlikely any lore developments will explain his presence in the cathedral more than a decade after his original purpose. For these reasons, SCA does not consider Crowley to remain present at the cathedral.

Examples such as these are so underdeveloped that it is not possible to incorporate them into SCA's lore. In the SCA lore, Balor does not exist and Brother Crowley is no longer present in the Cathedral of Light. It should be noted that the application of insufficient canon only becomes relevant in the SCA timeline when it poses a direct challenge to SCA's own storytelling. If Balor were to exist as part of Stormwind, it would need to be represented in the Assembly of Representatives, though that would be an impossible task given the complete absence of lore on the region; therefore, it is discounted. The presence of Brother Crowley in the Cathedral of Light undermines a player-driven public referendum hosted by SCA that resulted in the Scarlet Crusade being banned from the Kingdom of Stormwind. In instances wherein lore is underdeveloped but it does not negatively impact SCA, the lore remains accepted. An example would be the settlement of krokul present in Harborage, Stormwind Territories. Though the krokul have been left ignored by lore since Cataclysm, their presence does not impede SCA's RP; therefore, the krokul settlement of Harborage is considered canon in SCA. Likewise considered canon by SCA is the closing of Bizmo's Brawlpub in the Dwarven District's Deeprun Tram, which was closed for renovations in a 2018 Battle for Azeroth patch and was never reopened.

The Breadbasket Guild which operates throughout Westfall is not a government organization but is rather a civil society organization led by civilian leaders. They appear to be doing work which has already been undertaking by the Assembly of Representatives, such as taking measures to improve economic conditions in Westfall. Given all actions undertaken by the guild are already being fulfilled by other entities in SCA, whether the Assembly of Representatives, the Druidic Affairs Committee, the Chamber of Commerce, etc., the guild can be referenced in SCA RP, though it is not a government entity and is not fulfilling any responsibilities not otherwise being fulfilled by the government.

In instances wherein Blizzard's canon is not developed to the extent it is needed for RP, SCA may, through the appropriate channels, develop its own "fanon", though this is regulated by the SCA Code of Conduct. Examples include the Stormwind Ministry of Education's Public Health Commission developing upon the medicinal qualities of canon herbs in the Stormwind Journal of Medical Science, the data in the SCA Population Statistics, the Stormwind Embassy building being large enough to host individual offices and conference rooms for the ambassadors and attaches it hosts through the Stormwind Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the recognition of fanon noble holdings represented in the Stormwind House of Nobles, and the recognition of fanon foreign governments in the Recognition of Foreign Nations Act or the lore developments of SCA partner communities defined therein.

#### Lore Realignment

This section notes situations in which SCA previously assumed the development of lore or in which there was previously insufficient lore but which Blizzard has since corrected or expanded upon to a point where it now realigns with SCA's lore.

For several years, Gilnean refugees lined the walls of the Cathedral of Light in Cathedral Square as they healed from the Fall of Gilneas. The refugees were added to the cathedral in Cataclysm (2010) and remained there until a 2023 patch during Dragonflight. Even though it took Blizzard 13 years to update the cathedral, in SCA's lore the refugees would not have remained in the cathedral in need of healing for that long. They would have been treated within weeks and began new lives in Stormwind City or elsewhere.

## Time Skips

### Dragonflight Time Skip

   With the release of the Dragonflight expansion in October 2022, Blizzard announced a lore time skip in the World of Warcraft universe.  Per Blizzard, the Shadowlands expansion occurred over the span of two years and Dragonflight began three years after the conclusion of Shadowlands, meaning a total of five lore years have passed between the launch of Shadowlands and the beginning of Dragonflight.  On the IRL calendar, however, only two years have passed between the release of Dragonflight and Shadowlands, which launched in November 2020.   SCA uses the IRL calendar and is a player-driven community.   When such time skips occur, it can create disparities between the SCA timeline and Blizzard’s official lore timeline.   SCA’s goal is always to be as respectful to the lore as we can whilst still affording ourselves enough liberty to exist as a player-driven community.  We strive to achieve a balance between adhering to the lore timeline and maintaining the reality that our community is driven by real time events led by real players.   To that end, the SCA moderation staff published the SCA Approach to Dragonflight Time Skip document to regulate how the time skip can be utilized in SCA.

## OOC Stormwind Multiverse

In RP environments, there are oftentimes groups who have their own, different standards and approaches to RP. The information on this page outlines how Stormwind is approached from SCA's perspective. Other communities may have other approaches to political RP in Stormwind. Other Stormwind political communities, like the Stormwind Law Project (SLP), have a different approach to Stormwind's laws, politics, and government. There are communities such as Joint Operation Command (JOC) who have approaches to these issues which are different from both SCA and SLP. There are also several unaffiliated groups who recognize off-screen governments of Stormwind that are not tied to any specific RP community. This leads to a multiverse phenomenon, which is when multiple realities exist simultaneously for different individuals. These different approaches to RP are critical to note on an out-of-character (OOC) level in order to coordinate RP.

It is important to note that the multiverse is **not** an in-character (IC) approach to RP. In SCA RP, there is only one government of Stormwind, the one outlined on this page, and there are not alternate universes in which other groups, like SLP, JOC, and off-screen Stormwind governments exist. Characters should not, therefore, refer to the concept of a multiverse in an IC sense. This is not, however, to say that characters should not participate in RP in both SCA and other, different Stormwind political RP communities. Those who choose to do so are still welcome to participate in SCA RP, though some additional restrictions may be applied; any such restriction is outlined in SCA's Code of Conduct. When one character interacts with multiple iterations of Stormwind's government, it is important to keep those RPs distinct and separate from one another. For example, if a character is arrested by an SCA law enforcement agency, like the Stormwind City Guard, said character does not have to reference that arrest outside of SCA, though they are welcome to do so. Conversely, if a character is arrested by a law enforcement agency outside of SCA, their arrest won't be acknowledged in SCA as the character will not have committed a crime in the SCA timeline. Another example is that a government official in SCA would not be recognized as a government official in any other Stormwind political community outside of SCA nor would other communities' Stormwind officials be recognized in SCA; however, there are exceptions to this rule for foreign ambassadors from partner communities, which is also outlined in the Code of Conduct.

Approaching and navigating the OOC political communities on Moon Guard can be challenging. Those in SCA should always feel free to reach out to a member of SCA's Moderation Staff to seek clarity, guidance, or help in working with SCA on any RP.