To find once again the Scarlet Crusade a target of those that should stand with them. Ask yourself this: Why do the ranks of the Crusade continue to swell? Why is it not possible to completely eradicate it? The answer is obvious. The Crusade, unlike the silver hand or other groups that portend to stand against evil, take up arms against the undead and take the battle to them. Yet here we are again. Another attempt to eradicate them.
Let us not forget that after the undead ravaged the land, the Crusade was the first army of the common man to take up arms to try and reclaim Lordaeron. While the alliance continued to battle against the Lich King, so to did the Crusade. Why did the Alliance turn their back on them? Because the Crusade was unlike any other army before it. It did not stand on rank and title at first. The common farmer could rise to the rank General. The armies of the Alliance have their hierarchy based on class and privilege. Any excuse would have been used to try and kill them off. Unfortunately for the Crusade, the leadership was taken over by demonic forces that saw their zeal as a weapon against the renegade Arthas. Although the leadership went astray, the soldiers still believed and continue to believe the enemy must be eradicated.
When the Lich King continued to ravage the land, the alliance abandoned the Crusade and tried to kill them off. Afterwards when Arthas went off to Northrend, who followed? The Crusade gathered up what it could and instead of returning to their homes, they boarded ships and continued their glorious and righteous cause to bring justice to the Lich King. Now called the Scarlet Onslaught, the alliance still saw no reason to assist them or enter into an alliance of sorts. Instead the Alliance made a pact with Death Knights! The very Knights that spear headed much of the wonton destruction on all that stood against the Lich King.
why would the alliance not want to enter into an agreement with such a formidable army. Ask yourself why. any competent commander would realize in an instant, that in the god forsaken land of Northrend, ALL allies must work together for the common good. but no, not the alliance. Wrynn instead instructs his armies to fight not only the undead, but the Horde AND the Crusade with the aid of the Death Knights!
Once again we find the Crusade under the sway of the same demonic forces that once used them to fight Arthas. the leadership is killed and STILL no hand is extended by the alliance to the Crusade. No assistance is given in rebuilding their leadership. What a missed opportunity by the alliance and Wrynn. This would lead to future conflict. The Crusade would never trust the alliance again. Crusaders are hunted and killed as if they were undead creatures. Did Azeroth forget who the enemy is?
The undead have zero empathy for anyone standing in their way. Responsible for the destruction of Lordaeron, the forsaken continued to thrive in Lordaeron, and the alliance giving excuses on why they could not eject them.
There is also a political reason why the alliance never extended a hand. For you see the forsaken are allies of the Horde. And had the alliance entered into an agreement with the crusade, they knew full well the first order of business would have been to recapture Lordaeron. That couldn’t happen because the alliance was spread thin fighting multiple wars, and doing so would have started yet another war with the Horde. the Horde, with all their heretical and bestial ways, are loyal to their own. They would have raised the banner of war to defend the forsaken. Wrynn knew there was no way to drive a wedge between them , so he opted to let the Crusade be destroyed.
And what a great ally the forsaken are. Even at the gates of Arthas’ tower, when the orcs and alliance finally combined forces even for a brief moment, the forsaken, allies of the horde, attempted to kill all those below their ramparts. What was the battle cry? ‘death to the living’? Wonderful beings indeed.
Battered, the Crusade was almost extinguished after the great war in Northrend. The few left sent out emissaries throughout Azeroth looking for allies and assistance. You can even see the emissary for Dalaran walking the streets. But there is no solace for any member of the Crusade. No outstretched hands. The alliance propaganda against the order has done its’ job well.
Now we come to the latest chapter in the bloody history of the Scarlets. A chapter you only see thru the eyes of those who would have you believe they are victims of aggression by the Order. Calia and Voss, both undead abominations, tell the King of the Worgen they have vacated Gilneas but the Crusade took their place. Does this sound believable?? I ask that you consider the following.
The undead, reeling from the treasonous actions of Sylvanas and weakend during the battle for azeroth, have little appetite for any future conflict. The Scarlet Crusade, few in numbers, no resources to speak of, and nothing but their faith in the Light, rallied those who would hear the call of righteousness. They attacked and ejected a much larger professional army of the undead from Gilneas.
The undead, as is evidenced by their actions throughout their history, had no intention of releasing Gilneas. They only did so once the Crusade chased them off. Voss sees an opportunity to exact revenge on the Crusade by telling the King the Crusaders have taken over and are willing to wage war against anyone who comes near them. Had the king followed his own instincts and not trust the undead, things could have turned out differently. Greymane could have extended a hand and negotiated with the Order, explaining to the more zealous of the leadership that the worgen pose no threat. but instead he let Voss and Calia fool him into entering yet another alliance to kill humans.
what will become of the Crusade now? it will endure. it will endure far longer than the alliance or horde. There will be a reckoning one day, and all of azeroth will finally come to realize the true enemy are the ones that do not sleep, or eat, or die…the abominations summoned by the Lich King. The Forsaken.
Fidelium Protector et Lucis lator
Rulfdaran of the Holy Crusaders
