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Blood Knights, The Silver Hand, Rise up!!!
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Edited by Terin on 10/27/11 10:42 AM (PDT)
With Mists of Pandaria pushing the "Horde vs. Alliance" theme like never before, I think it's time to see these two factions splinter off from the Argent Dawn.
Here's the idea; some of the older Paladins from the Second and Third Wars are looking to Tirion Fordring for leadership in these dark times. When news that Theramore has fallen, however, one Paladin decides he's had enough. He's tried of waiting for Tirion's demand for "patience", hoping for peace while his allies in the Alliance are being killed. Arator the Redeemer revives the Order of the Silver Hand, and takes up the mantle of Highlord of the Silver Hand. Pledging themselves as allies, but not subjects, to King Varian Wrynn, these new Knights of the Silver Hand don the Judgement Armor, serving no longer as protectors of peace, but as the hand of retribution. No longer do they wait for Tirion's permission to fight and die for their people, they declare themselves at war with the Horde. Even the Draenei's Hand of Argus, though less zealous in their beliefs, are adamant in striking down any who might harm their new family on Azeroth. In the face of this reignited onslaught, Lady Liadrin has no choice; the Blood Knights must pledge themselves to the Horde, also splintering from the Argent Dawn. Together, they serve as the Sword of their faction, while the Sunwalkers aid as its Shield. But what of Tirion Fordring? Do the Blood KNights and the Silver Hand really command the Light's blessing in fighting one another? Has Arator, himself a part of the dying Blood Elf lineage, turned his back on his people? And what of Lady Liadin's conviction towards repentance? Not only would these factions possibly be *very* cool for Horde and Alliance Paladins, but it would raise the ante in the most epic of ways. While Tirion is struggling to maintain peace, both sides are declaring war, and with it, his most powerful and trusted Paladins are leaving his cause. In addition, there's some great hooks for character-development. Arator is a potentially fascinating character. yet nothing was ever done with him. Given that it is likely we will see Turalyon in a future expansion, this would be a great way to build him up during the course of Mists of Pandaria. As well, Lady Liadrin is a well-loved, but ultimately insignificant character now, giving her a chance to shine. And of course, what better way to re-introduce Draenei to the forefront of the Lore? I love the Horde vs. Alliance theme, and nothing is more "Alliance" than the Knights of the Silver Hand. As someone who was devastated they had become the "Argent Crusade", and sacrificed all their Paladin-heritage, this would really start things off with a BANG, and has endless possibilities to evolve with the storytelling. |
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I'd like to get the Stormwind's Mage's Guild up and running.
And don't forget about the Hand of Argus, I'd really like to see the Draenie do something. |
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Seeing more development for Paladin Orders that are NOT the Argent Crusade would be pretty good.
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Didn't Argent Dawn/Crusade devour most of the Silver Hand?
Hand of Argus isn't quite the same, it's not strictly a paladin order. It's the primary military force of The Exodar and supplements its ranks with warriors, trackers and scouts as well as vindicators. Essentially any able-body draenei fighting for Light and Prophet. |
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Didn't Argent Dawn/Crusade devour most of the Silver Hand? Correct, Argent Dawn *did* absorb the Silver Hand, forming the Argent Crusade. However, with the Horde and Alliance declaring open war amongst each other, surely many of those Paladins feel the need to defend their respective factions? In fact, I daresay it would go against everything they believe in if they *didn't*. Tirion is a visionary, but the Silver Hand's origins lie in defending the Alliance, which is what truly separates them from Priests. My thinking is several of these older Paladins are growing increasingly tires of Tirion's demand for patience, hoping that peace will come with time. When one Paladin rises up -- be it Arator, or someone completely new -- it draws from that same place of fear that spurred their order to be formed to begin with. And of course, Varian Wrynn would be all-to-happy to gain Paladin allies in this war against the Horde. He might even have a few of them in his court's Royal Guard, alongside his own oath-bound soldiers. I would make an important distinction, however, between the Silver Hand and Stormwind, in that they maybe be treated as two separate entities; allies, but neither server the other. As well, I like the thought of it forcing the Blood Knights back into action, sort of against their will. It creates a nice contrast, in which the Horde isn't just being painted as the villains (which is how many feel with the destruction of Theramore). Lady Liadrin is just begging to get some more attention, and what better way than this? As for the Hand of Argus... fair point. I simply mentioned them because, in the other thread I made, someone asked they maybe be represented in the same way the Sunwalkers are. They're not a Paladin-only faction, but Draenei need some love, so I'm willing to make some exceptions if it means giving them some spotlight. Anywho, my idea is very much painting this New Order of the Silver Hand has a more Inquisitor-like order, or at least teetering on the edge of becoming such. I wouldn't necessarily paint them a warmongering brutes, but very distrustful of anyone who isn't a Paladin; very no-nonsense individuals, with the exception of the Draenei Knights of the Silver Hand, who might be a little more on the side of reining them back a little bit. I just think it could introduce some very interesting dynamics, not only ins the "Horde vs Alliance" sense, but also in how the New Order of the Silver Hand interacts with the rest of the Alliance, versus how the Blood Knights might interact with the Horde. While the Silver Hand might be distrustful and guarded against the rest of the Alliance, perhaps the Blood Knights are the opposite, doing anything they can to win the support of the Horde's racial-leaders in their fight against the Silver Hand? Both factions would obviously still have ties to the Argent Dawn, but perhaps the Dawn would function as the only sort of "safe zone" between the two Paladin factions? |
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Not exactly. The original Order of the Silver Hand had members in Lordaeron, Stormwind and Ironforge. Many of Lordaeron's paladins were killed by Arthas Menethil. Those who remained fought back against the Scourge under the leadership of Saidan Dathrohan and Alexandros Mograine. After Mograine's death, most reorganized themselves into the Scarlet Crusade (while those who opposed the crusade's policies joined the Argent Dawn). When Tirion Fordring came out of exile, he vowed to create a new Order of the Silver Hand and named himself Highlord. It's unknown who else (if anyone) was actually part of his order, but it was that order that he merged with the Argent Dawn to form the Argent Crusade. The Knights of the Silver Hand based in Stormwind and Ironforge were unaffected by these events. They weren't disbanded and didn't fall under Tirion's authority. They actually remain members of the Alliance to this day - make a human or dwarven paladin, even post-Cataclysm, and you'll be welcomed to the Order of the Silver Hand by your trainer. Unfortunately, their presence in the world is pretty much nil beyond that. I'd very much like to see the Knights of the Silver Hand get more attention - and if we can flesh out Arator the Redeemer in the process, so much the better. |
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Terin, you seem to be a bit confused on Blood Knight lore.
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I like the idea, and especially the idea of splitting up some of these neutral factions that persist without any real reason for doing so anymore.
But I dont want it to be a big part of the story, only a side note. Im sick to death of all things paladin, and I dont think their Orders are all that relevant in the broader context of the war. Make it a footnote but not a central theme in the expansion. Bust up some of the other neutral factions as well. What about bringing the Scryers and Aldor into Azeroth? |
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I'll admit, I am; never having played a Blood Elf Paladin (or any other Class) very high, I'm kind of going on what little I know. Mind filling me in a bit more, and maybe expand on my idea with a more accurate depiction? :) |
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Edited by Velarin on 10/27/11 3:32 PM (PDT)
Okay, first of all, the Blood Knights never split from the Horde (or the Blood Elves as a whole) and joind the Argent Crusade. They did pledge to sever ties with House Sunstrider and retake the Sunwell from Kael'Thas, but every Blood Elf was doing that after his betrayal. That said, I do think they (and the Blood Elves as a whole) need much more in game presents. Ditto for the Draenei. Edit: http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/09/all-the-worlds-a-stage-plot-points-for-blood-knights/ Read that. |
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I like your idea, but I'm curious as to how Arator would become the new leader of the Order. Isn't he busy searching for Turalyon/Alleria?
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Arator is definitely the weakest link in this specific idea. My thinking is that, with the frustration of being unable to locate his father or mother, coupled with the Horde's obviously-hostile presence in Outland towards the Alliance, he comes back to Azeroth and sees the Horde and Alliance at war, and he's basically like "Wait, what?". Given that he's just come from Honor Hold, full of grizzled war-veterans that still hate the Horde, Arator would have this really old-school "For Llothar!" mentality, which I think would speak to a lot of the older generation of Paladins, which in turn would probably inspire some of the newer generation. I just really think it would be a great way to really revive these two seemingly-dead factions, and maybe even incorporating the Sunwalkers and Hand of Argus a bit (even though the Hand of Argus isn't explicitly Paladin-only). |
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Which barely have any distinction from each other, it would be more like one faction. Meanwhile the Alliance would get two very distinct factions.
I'm not saying I hate the idea, but it seems a tad unfair. |
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Which barely have any distinction from each other, it would be more like one faction. Meanwhile the Alliance would get two very distinct factions. In fairness, the Hang of Argus doesn't really have any more relevance than the Sunwalkers right now. The Hand of Argus perhaps slightly larger, since they incorporate any Draenei who wish to join, rather than being exclusively Paladin, but the idea is still that they would essentially play second-fiddle to the Silver Hand for the time being. My thinking is, while the Silver Hand and Blood Knights are fully waging war with one another,the Hand of Argus and Sunwalkers would essentially be the ones trying to end the conflict, while still serving their factions as protectors rather than provokers. You could even drop the Hand of Agus and Sunwalkers from the idea completely, I just thought it'd be nice to give them some love, too. I think Draenei really need a "moment" in the story, and Tauren Paladins still aren't taken very seriously in terms of lore. Even though I wasn't happy with the idea of Tauren Pallies to begin with, if they're going to exist, might as well make the best of it, right? |
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It would be cool to see a pally vs pally quest/scenerio.
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