Strolling casually through the streets of Nexus, I find myself wondering why the streets seem so bare of late. Is it simply the trying times that cause people to seek refuge in their homes? Or is it something more? Lost in my own thoughts, I stumble slightly and run headlong into a rather large and, shall I say, unique smelling orc. Mumbling my forgiveness, I push my way past him and hurry quickly down the street.

 "Oi! Ye!"

 I sigh quietly, screwing my face into a plesant expression, I turn to face him. "Is there something I can do for you?"

 The man's displeasure is quite apparent from his rather... disgruntled features, which made his visage even harder to look at while keeping a kind face.

 "Ya, der is sumthin' ye ken do fer meh, apol'ergize fer slammin inter meh lik' dat, yeh great animal."

 I felt my smile immedietly melt from my face, "I will as soon as you do so for calling me an animal. I made no slanderous comment about your race."

 Obviously such formal speech offended him, for next I knew, he had a fistful of my robes and was breathing his noxious breath down my throat. "Wut else could ye be, wit all dat fur. L'il better den a wulf."

 "I will have to politely ask you to remove your hands from my robes, they were just washed," I began, my voice strained. All of my energy was now focusing on not ridding the City of this... creature, and staying as civil as possible. "Before I do something that I do not wish to do."

 The man let out a mocking scoff, "Oh ya? Wut do ye thin' ye ken do abou' it?"

 Without thinking, I placed my right hand into a fist, the thumb inside, and mumbled the spellchant, "Fire, flicker, ignite!". Almost immedietly after finishing the chant, the man's tunic began to smolder, and then catch fire. With a anguished cry he released my robes, patting his rapidly burning tunic with furious energy.

 He looks to me, his face showing his panic. "I didn' mean it! Pu' it out!"

 "So, I'm no longer an animal am I?"

 "Nah! I apol'ergize, jus' pu' it out!"

 Satisfied that the man had learned his lesson, I began to chant "Arise stinging mists, strike my foe!", and manipulating the energies into pure wind, aimed them directly at the burning tunic, and in a matter of seconds, the flames were extinguished. Without a look back, I turn northwards, making my way towards the Ivory Tower, and a well earned rest.

-Enclosed in a tome of black leather, with bindings of the finest silver, lie the writings of the magus Daeron Dal'viira, a devoted member of the Ivory Tower within the City of All Races. All of his entries are penned in an immaculately neat yet flourishing script, while the pages are free of any ink splotches or smudges that might mar their perfect surface-

Malkur, 1st of Dragon, 1,666 after the Godswar, 1,249 of the Empire

 I have finally made a decision on what to construct the stave from. A relatively rare type of wood, called Heartwood I am told, will work absolutely beautifully with the rest of my components. The design is fairly well set as well, I simply need to find a good smith to help me set the head-piece and a skilled carpenter for the base, for my plans for both pieces are somewhat elaborate in comparison to most.

 The stave itself is to be roughly eight feet tall, made of highly polished heartwood, and hopefully, the carpenter will have the skill to carve markings around the base. My plan is to have a carving of ivy coiling about the staff,  but I have yet to decide if I truly desire any carving at all. I already have a sketch made for the head of the staff, and have already began to procure the silver, of finest elvish make, to smith into a three clawed hand, in which I will place the black pearl that I have found. Hopefully, once the construction is complete, I will be able to use the staff to channel my spells, but I have little experience in such matters, so it will be some time before I find out.

 My studies call me away from the parchment, perhaps I will continue at a later date.

-Daeron Dal'viira, Wizard of the Tower

-Enclosed in a tome of black leather, with bindings of the finest silver, lie the writings of the magus Daeron Dal'viira, a devoted member of the Ivory Tower within the City of All Races. All of his entries are penned in an immaculately neat yet flourishing script, while the pages are free of any ink splotches or smudges that might mar their perfect surface-

Tilur, 28th of Phoenix, 1,666 after the Godswar, 1,249 of the Empire

  It has been a good day. The moons are just passing their peaks in the sky, and even though fog begins to cloud the city, their light is much better than the flickering candles. Experimentation is going along in an excellent fashion, much better than I had expected. However, I have yet to procure enough mithril to produce a suitable prototype, but all in due time. Woods of the Elm and Yew trees are also of suitable conductivity, though they lack a certain... style that is necessary. Mahogany trees would also be more than suitable, though those are slightly more rare in the surrounding forests.

  A common reagent is darksilver, though most drow can attune to its channeling better than Renis. It has been suggested to try a crytsal of some sort, and to strengthen it by magick, but I am hesitant. That is both an expensive and dangerous proposition, should it fail, the materials are completely wasted. Such a conundrum. It is now simply the task of choosing the base material for the stave itself, and deciding between a large crystal to mount on the top, or the black pearl I gleaned from the Oysters off the shores of Falcion.

  These matters are rather trivial, however, in the great scheme of things, and I would do better dwelling on more important matters. I have heard little news of what happens in Taeviral, and the lack of news disturbs me. I had just arrived on the Isle when the two strikes were co-ordinated, but after the slaughter of the second one, I have heard nothing whatsoever of the Horde's movements in the North. This does not bode well for the City. It would do well for the Ranger's guild to keep a closer eye on the pass through the Crystal Mountains for any sign of Goblin movement, for since Taeviral's fall, there is nothing to impede their passage south.

  I have seen few others of the Tower recently, save the Arch-Wizard Solmur Damodred, though he tells me that this is not unusual. I find that hardly reassuring. That an establishment as powerful and large as the Tower can have so few active members is disturbing, to say the very least. However, I digress, I must leave these writings for later, I have much more study to complete.

-Daeron Dal'viira, Wizard of the Ivory Tower