The Main Character- A History, Part V: Change

The Monastery in the Tirisfal Glades (image from www.toomanyannas.com)

UPDATE: Change Nikolas' last name (and that of his family) to Gavalan. Altus Galavan, Naya Galavan, Katia Galavan, and Nikolas Galavan. Why Galavan? Two reasons: a) it's a mix of the words gallant, valor and valiant, words that describe the family; and b) Nikolas will use the name "Tien" as a nom de usage/alias later on. Okay, back to the back story action.

As I traveled north toward the Tirisfal Glades, I learned at taverns and inns much about what had happened since Stratholme and Darrowshire. In his quest against the Scourge and its leaders, Arthas followed a demon named Mal'Ganis to Northrend, a frozen wasteland continent at the roof of the world. It turned out the Scourge had been created by demons not of this world. There, in Northrend, something happened to the prince that made him lose his mind and actually side with the Scourge. He returned, murdered his father, and disappeared as quickly as he had returned, leaving his people to watch the kingdom to which Arthas had been heir fell apart.

Uther Lightbringer, Arthas' teacher and friend, had parted ways with the prince at Stratholme, refusing to slaughter innocent people. Much of Lordaeron's army followed Uther, including Arthas' close friend, a sorceress named Jaina Proudmoore. When Arthas reappeared following his father's murder, he somehow had allied himself with the Scourge. Commanding its agents, he confronted Uther at Andorhal and slew his former teacher. That left Jaina in command of the Lordaeron armies. Reports are that she followed the advice of some mystical advisor and took the armies west, across the sea, to Kalimdor. The Scourge, led by its demon masters, followed them to that distant land.

Reports came back to the Eastern Kingdoms that the Scourge met a major defeat at a place called Mount Hyjal, and that somehow the spirits of the earth itself had risen up and vanquished the Undead masters. It was evident, though, that the Scourge was far from finished. They still held much of Lordaeron; they had all but decimated the high elves that lived north of Lordaeron; and rumors spread that Arthas had survived and taken command of the Undead. What his plan was, no one exactly knew. But the Scourge fought on, continuing their attempts to wipe out the living.

The remnants of Lordaeron's armies had rallied behind leaders from the Silver Hand, great warriors like Alexandros Mograine and Taelan Fordring. They renamed their forces the Scarlet Crusade, and concentrated their defenses in and around major cities and locations that hadn't fallen to the Scourge: Tyr's Hand, Hearthglen, Northridge, the Monastery, New Avalon and Havenshire served as the main bases of operations. Other large cities, like Andorhal and Stratholme had fallen under Scourge control. Outside of Lordaeron, the Scourge had begun to push eastward into the vast forests of Silverpine; beyond that, it appeared that the Scourge had little or no presence. That gave me comfort, knowing that my mother would be safe far to the south in Stormwind, and that my friends in the Hinterlands were safe for the moment.

From Southshore, I made my way north to the Tirisfal Glades, which I found had also been overrun by the Scourge. It took time, staying hidden and avoiding roads, but I finally reached the Monastery (now called the Scarlet Monastery in honor of the Scarlet Crusade). Staunch defense by Alliance soldiers had kept the sanctuary safe, and as I approached I felt heartened. That feeling quickly left, though, as I came upon the guards watching the path to the Monastery. From the onset, I felt they were treating me with suspicion, as though I were an enemy. I told them I wanted to see Katia Tien, and they recognized the name, but wouldn't let me pass. Instead, they sent a runner to fetch my sister and bring her to us.

It had been some years since we'd seen each other, but with Father's death, our reunion was bittersweet. We embraced, happy to see each other well. Katia told the guards I was to be trusted, and took me on into the Monastery. She introduced me to her mentor, a priestess named Sally Whitemane. Katia was one of Whitemane's better students, and was quickly becoming a talented priestess whose ability to use the Light's power would soon match Father's own skill. Whitemane immediately struck me as a strong and determined woman- she had a fierce but cold beauty; her gaze seemed to me as it were ice. I met in her the same distant quality, the same suspicion as the guards. She was cordial, but my welcome was anything but warm.

Honoring Father's wish, I tried to convince Katia to leave for the south. But true to the stubbornness she got from Father, Katia refused. She told me of all that the Scourge had done: how they had taken over the overwhelming majority of Lordaeron, how the capital city was an empty shell, and how the Scourge had somehow managed to destroy the entire wizard city of Dalaran. She said the remaining armies of Lordaeron were determined to hold on to that which they still had, and try and reclaim the land from the Scourge. Nothing I said dissuaded her from her intention to stay and fight. Feeling responsible for her safety, I decided to stay and keep an eye on her. I offered my scouting services to Renault Mograine, leader of the martial forces at the Monastery. Katia vouched for my intergrity and trustworthiness, and Mograine reluctantly agreed.

While Katia and the other clerics at the Monastery worked on new ways to fight the Scourge, my time was spent scouting Undead positions in the Tirisfal Glades. My job was to report their movements, numbers, and any arming or building up of defenses. I also worked as a messenger of sorts, taking messages and news from the Monastery through the mountains to Hearthglen and back. It was somewhat mundane work most of the time, but it allowed me to keep an eye on Katia.

The more I spent time among the Crusade soldiers, the more I became concerned at what the armies of Lordaeron ws becoming. I can find no better description than to say that a kind of darkness or gloominess was evident in their very countenances, as if a blackness lay within, hidden by their proclaimed devotion to the Light. This was most evident in the leadership, people like Whitemane and Mograine.

As I listened to soldiers' conversations and sermons from Crusade priests, I began to gather what had happened to Lordaeron's armies. Their intent of driving the Scourge from the land, even from existence, had been firm from the beginning. But the Scourge never seemed to weaken, and despair began to settle in the hearts and minds of the Crusaders. Despair turned to fear, fear turned to paranoia, paranoia turned to fanaticism.

That paranoia began to consume the Crusade- where at first they viewed the Scourge as their primary enemy, they soon began to distrust those of all different races. Even long-time allies, like the dwarves or high elves, were viewed with suspicion. The Crusade had essentially isolated themselves from everyone that wasn't human.

But I soon learned the problem didn't stop there.

As the weeks wore on, the Crusade's suspicion began to spread to everyone who wasn't part of the Crusade. Outsiders, human or otherwise, were treated as hostile unless they could prove their loyalty. The effect was that those outside the Crusade began to view the Crusaders as fanatics, zealots and extremists. Some began to publicly question the motives and actions of the Crusade and its leaders. These were imprisoned, if possible, by the Crusade, deemed to be a danger to both morale and security. I began to have my doubts, but was careful to keep them to only myself. Even my sister was unaware of my growing concern; if confronted, I would blame grief for Father's death.

As it is, I must now tread lightly on a daily basis. I am glad that my only work lies in scouting and reporting Scourge locations and numbers. I thank the Light that I am outside the Scarlet bastions most of the time, for despite the constant presence of the Undead in Lordaeron, I still feel peace in the forests.

I do not know, however, that I can stay too much longer, if the Crusade continues to fall further into paranoia and despair, even madness. For now, I will watch and wait, hoping things get better before they become worse. For now, Katia is safe; Mother is safe; and I am alive. That is enough.

High Inquisitor Isillien, leader in the Scarlet Crusade (image from www.wowwiki.com)