Spooncraft

The first lore figure we’re looking at is Tirion Fordring. A man of great honor, a devout follower of the Light, and one of the original paladins of the Silver Hand; we explore his beginning, downfall and rising. You’ll see this amazing paladin in Valgarde (Howling Fjord) if you are starting Northrend there, or the Death Knight quest  series. You might also remember him from a little known quest line in Eastern Plaguelands, where he resides in a shack on the western edge of the map, up the river aways. There he presents a few fetch and kill quests that lead into an epic questline that ends with the reforging of the Silver Hand. Let’s start with a look at what made him the way he is today.
Tirion started out as the governor of Mardenholde Keep, the real heart of Hearthglen in the Plaguelands. He was an earnest man with a great belief in personal honor, with a very strong moral code to match. While he was out investigating an abandoned tower, he found an old orc, hereupon seeing  him drew his blade. Orc and human fought mercilessly, until the tower collapsed on them. Tirion was knocked unconcious, and the orc saved him and brought him back to Hearthglen.

Tirion was so deeply affected by the enemy’s actions that he swore a debt of life to the orc and set out to find him to give thanks. Tirion’s second in command had a party follow the paladin to the woods. Barthilas’s men saw Tirion conversing with an orc named Eitrigg, and immediately reported Tirion as a traitor to the Alliance. Eitrigg was also captured and set to be executed. In the trial, Tirion refused to renounce his oath to Eitrigg and was striped of his powers of the Light, and turned away from human society forever. Fufilling his oath to Eitrigg, Tirion did return to free the orc from prison with aide from Warchief Thrall’s forces before returning to banishment.

Tirion enlists the help of adventurers and heroes to help him speak to Taelan to convince him that the Scarlet Crusade is wrong. Eventually, Tirion meets his son, Taelan Fordring, outside of Hearthglen, and convinces him to trust in the Light more fervently, only to see him die by the hands of the Scarlet Crusade. This spurs Tirion to recreate an order of justice, honor, and chivalry; to bring back the Order of the Silver Hand. He slays the Scarlets where they stand, and declares his return from exile. Tirion journeys to Light’s Hope Chapel, the bastion of the Argent Dawn, to negotiate with their forces to lead them into Northrend under one banner. He then merges the Dawn with the Silver Hand to establish the Argent Crusade, one of the new groups you will see in Northrend.

We won’t spoil the tales you’ll find of Tirion up in the frozen wastes, but we will say he is full of Righteous Fury, ready to slay some undead, and he’s going to do it in style with one of the most famous blades in Azeroth, the Ashbringer. Glad we’re on his side!