All the World's a Stage: Plot points for Blood Knights
by Anne Stickney 
Oct 9th 2011 at 10:00PM
Many roleplay guilds run with a theme of some sort, whether it's a group of heroes all thrown together with a specific cause, a family or noble house, or even a rag-tag group of mercenaries. Those aren't the only themes available to play, however. World of Warcraft has several different organizations established in lore, and some players choose to place their characters in those organizations. It's a good way to root the character in the existing lore, but it's also an excellent way to help define the character you're playing. Due to popular request, over the next few weeks I'll be addressing some of Azeroth's major organizations and taking a closer look at each.
The Blood Knights of Silvermoon are a relatively new organization by Azeroth's standards, formed for one purpose and now practicing another. Though it could be stated that their story began and ended in The Burning Crusade, that's not exactly true. There are plenty of plot threads left hanging that Blood Knights can play with.
The Blood Knights
The Blood Knights are Blood Elf paladins. Not all paladins need to belong to the Blood Knight organization these days, but if you are a paladin and you are a Blood Elf, you were a Blood Knight at one point in time or another in your character's history.
When Silvermoon was ransacked by the Scourge and Kael'thas Sunstrider made his way to Outland in an attempt to find a cure for the Blood Elves' natural addiction to magic, those left behind were mostly Blood Elves who were unfit to travel through the portal and fight for Kael'thas in Outland. They also searched for a cure for the addiction but were largely unsuccessful. One day, a gift arrived from Kael'thas -- a Naaru who had been captured during Kael'thas' assault on Tempest Keep.
This Naaru, Mu'ru, was held prisoner in Silvermoon, and a Blood Elf magister named Astalor Bloodsworn discovered that by siphoning the Naaru's powers, the Blood Elves could wield the Light in the manner of a paladin. Lady Liadrin was the first to use this method and founded the order of Blood Elf paladins known as the Blood Knights. Countless Blood Elves trained under the watchful eye of Liadrin, learning how to master their control over the Light, all the while siphoning energy off the captured Naaru.
Over the course of The Burning Crusade, it was revealed that Kael'thas had pretty much gone stark, raving bonkers. He returned to Silvermoon and stole Mu'ru away for his own purposes, leaving the Blood Knights with nothing left to siphon. Liadrin traveled to Shattrath to speak with Ad'al and beg forgiveness for her actions, and Ad'al revealed that Mu'ru and A'dal knew all along that this would occur.
The prophet Velen foretold a prophecy, "Silvery moon, washed in blood, Led astray into the night, armed with the sword of broken Light. Broken, then betrayed by one, standing there bestride the sun. At darkest hour, redemption comes, in knightly lady sworn to blood." Liadrin, shocked, agreed to follow A'dal and the others down the true path of the Light, joining the order of the Shattered Sun and assaulting the Sunwell in an attempt to put down Kael'thas and whatever his plans might be for good.
The assault on the Sunwell included the defeat of Mu'ru, who had by now darkened to a void state. Once Mu'ru was defeated and Kil'jaeden banished back to the nether, the Sunwell lay dormant, the world saved. But the Naaru had one last trick up its sleeve -- Prophet Velen arrived at the Sunwell and used the heart of Mu'ru to reignite the font of power and imbue it with the Light. Liadrin witnessed it all.
Lady Liadrin says: My brothers and sisters, words cannot describe what I felt upon seeing the Sunwell rekindled. In that moment, the Light revealed to me the truth of the terrible things I had done. Our people had walked a dark path and mine was among the darkest of them all. But the Light showed me that I was not lost. It helped me to find the strength to survive in spite of all that had happened and all the evil I had wrought.And the Blood Knights are, to a degree. The Light that they practice is no longer siphoned from a naaru -- it radiates from the Sunwell itself.
It is a strength that we sin'dorei all share. It is a strength we will need to free ourselves of the addiction ravaging our people. It will be the most difficult battle we have ever faced, but our resolve and the power of the Sunwell will sustain us until we have been restored to our greatness.
Blood Elf Pilgrim says: Well said, my lady. We sin'dorei will be free and we shall be great again!
Blinded by Light
What happened Prior to the invasion of the Scourge, many High Elves were practitioners and members of the Church of Holy Light. After the destruction of the Sunwell and the complete lack of any kind of aid from the Alliance, many of these High Elves grew to view the Holy Light with a sense of contempt -- Liadrin included. With this contempt was a loss of faith, which led to their loss in power. That's why the Blood Knights needed Mu'ru, because the Light was no longer something that came to them naturally. With the reconstruction of the Sunwell, the Blood Knights are now properly wielding the Light, just as they had years before.
How this affects your character It depends on whether or not your Blood Knight was a paladin before the loss of the Sunwell. If he was, then the subsequent fall from grace, as it were, and the rediscovery of the Light is probably something that affected him greatly. If he wasn't, he may still be affected. After all, the Light is an active practice of virtue, and the way the Blood Knights originally got their powers was far from virtuous.
What to consider How did your Blood Knight react to the sudden change in how he wields his powers? Is he ashamed of how he abused the Light in the early days of The Burning Crusade, or is he secretly wishing he were still master over the Light in all ways? Is it easier for him to wield the Light, now that the Sunwell has been restored, or has it become far more difficult to handle?
What happened The Sunwell was originally a font of arcane power. Now it's a mix of arcane and Light, allowing the Blood Knights to properly practice their powers. But Lady Liadrin or any of the other Blood Knights didn't restore the Sunwell -- Prophet Velen, the leader of the Draenei, restored it. In addition, the Sunwell was ignited with the heart of a Naaru -- the same Naaru the Blood Knights originally siphoned their powers from.
How this affects your character It's an odd series of events, if anything, but it's an odd series of events ripe with points to ponder. The Sunwell originally had nothing to do with whether or not the High Elves could be paladins; they were simply followers of the Light. Now, the Sunwell radiates with the Light. Mu'ru essentially sacrificed himself to guide the Blood Knights back to the Light, and his heart ensures that they will continue to follow the correct path.
What to consider How does your Blood Knight feel about the Naaru? Does he view them as Light-giving gods? Does he view them as allies? What does he think of the Sunwell's restoration? How does he view the Prophet Velen? Is he willing to trust the Draenei leader's actions, or is he wary of hidden motives?
What happened The original Blood Knights in The Burning Crusade were remarkably arrogant and often looked down their noses at the other, "lesser" Blood Elves. They were masters of the Light, bending it to perform at their whim. But the revelation of Mu'ru's sacrifice and Kael'thas' corruption and treachery struck a blow to all Blood Elves, and the Blood Knights were left with the quiet realization that their actions were wrong, that their mastery over the Light wasn't the correct way to handle it.
How this affects your character Was your character one of the arrogant Blood Knights? Did he look down his nose at others or consider himself superior? The actions of Mu'ru and the subsequent actions of Liadrin suggest that most Blood Knights were at least in some part embarrassed by their past actions, if not humiliated.
What to consider Is your Blood Knight one of those who considered himself superior to the other Blood Elves? How does he view them now? Is he contrite for his actions, or is he still convinced that he is somehow better than his peers? Did he learn anything from the events of The Burning Crusade, or his he still as haughty and arrogant as ever?
The Blood Knights as an organization haven't been around for terribly long -- only two or three years at best, according to the Warcraft timeline. Yet the sheer amount of change that they've seen in those two or three years is enough to give any Blood Knight roleplayer pause. Don't let the sheer amount of story sway you from exploring what the organization has to offer.
All the World's a Stage is your source for roleplaying ideas, innovations and ironies. Let us help you imagine what it's like to sacrifice spells for the story, totally immerse yourself in your roleplaying or even RP on a non-RP realm!
Filed under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cobalt Oct 9th 2011 10:40PM
Blood DK here.
"Blood Knights" are smalltime!
Transit Oct 9th 2011 10:43PM
The sunwell patch really changed the story arc in Warcraft in so many ways. But I heard that sunwell was made basically to buy more time to finish WotLK. And that the BT was supposed to be the final raid of the xpac.
If this is true, it makes me wonder if these story lines for the sunwell were already planned, or did they come up with new lore "On the fly" so to speak.
Either way, great job Blizzard! (And you too as always Anne. :-D )
Molly Oct 9th 2011 10:58PM
This article could not have been more perfectly timed. I just rolled a Belf paladin on an RP server, and I was having the damnedest time figuring out who she is, even after reading the "Plot Points for Blood Elves" and Elven timeline articles. Now I know exactly who she is. Thanks, Anne!
Terrant Oct 9th 2011 11:03PM
I'd love to see these ideas brought to life in the game by Blizzard. The way I see it, the attitudes that made one a good "original recipe" Blood Knight don't make one a good Champion of the Light. While Liadrin, since turning over a new leaf, seems to think glory for Silvermoon will come from acting on the path of right and furthering the Light, the original Blood Knights were characterized by the exact opposite. They had a fanatical love for Silvermoon that justified wielding any weapon, by whatever means, to protect it, and so they respected drive, force of will, ambition. In essence, the Blood Knights have gone from an organization with a very narrow goal (use the Light to protect Silvermoon) to a very broad one (serve the Light which will protect Silvermoon).
Anyway, it'd be great if Blizzard showed a schism in the game between those who have become emboldened by Mu'ru's sacrifice to reform the Blood Knights, and those who value the founding principles of the organization and feel that Kael'thas's bigger crime was turning against Silvermoon, instead of going to the Legion. And it'd be nice for the "wrong" side NOT to be "explained" by Old God/demonic corruption or whatever. Yes, the Sunwell is re-ignited, but attitudes don't change overnight. I'd like to see perhaps some senior Blood Knights who disagree with Liadrin's new direction, although they are not so disloyal as to believe leaving the Blood Knights is any kind of solution. And the two groups work together whenever a quest-line, or a dungeon, or a raid calls for Blood Knight NPCs, but their differences are visible and meaningful.
Cephas Oct 10th 2011 8:26AM
If the BE starting zones ever get a Cata-style upgrade, I think you can bet on this stuff being featured heavily. Outside of those areas, though, I would imagine that the Blood Knights would try to present a unified front when interacting with the rest of the Horde and other neutral factions. Some divisions might bleed through enough to be visible to the outside, but primarily I would expect them to try to keep those divisions to private conversations only.
Chris Oct 9th 2011 11:23PM
Awesome
Redbeard Oct 9th 2011 11:50PM
One thing to consider is that the Quel'Delar quest line, if done by a Blood Knight, is pretty much the capstone on the current Blood Knight story line for the moment. Now, if Blizz can only figure out what to do with the BC races down the line....
OrangeGamer Oct 10th 2011 1:25AM
It was pretty entertaining to be there from the beginning to end of the drastic lore changes.:D
Astoreth Oct 10th 2011 1:29AM
"The Blood Knights as an organization haven't been around for terribly long -- only two or three years at best, according to the Warcraft timeline."
Can this be? We were told that three years passed between Wrath and Cataclysm; surely several years also passed between the end of BC and the start of Wrath. Certainly, 10 years still isn't very long by elven standards, but 2-3 just seems really short...!
Great article, though. I love the Blood Knights and their stories!
kylemyers Oct 10th 2011 2:26AM
I seem to remember it being said that no time had passed between the end of Wrath and the start of Cataclysm.
Matthew Oct 10th 2011 4:04AM
I hope the new expansion brings more Velen in. He's a very cool boss! As old as Kil'Jaeden, and honorable. He's like the Tauren of the Alliance - hard to dislike.
He is also interesting lore wise as he was there to witness the beginning of the orcs as we know them (that is, their pre-corrupted state -> corruption), and now has had a pivotal role in the Blood Elf peoples.
Whom else has he touched?
viciouspen Oct 10th 2011 4:19AM
So saved by the Dranaei themselves and the Naaru who they abused.
Seems like BE lore is just a continuous line of trying to teach them "hey, look what happens when you guys continue your arrogant ways, you get screwed by your own hubris and then other people have to pick you up and fix things for you".
You'd think BE would start to learn at some point and become incredibly humble. The idea that you owe your entire race/country's future to an "enemy" race and the naruu should make you want to put some serious effort into reforming.
Vai Oct 10th 2011 5:40AM
They could do, however another interpretation of events that an educated Blood Elf might take could be this:
Kil'jaeden created the Scourge that destroyed their homes, killed 90% of their race and left the rest crippled when the Sunwell was destroyed. Kil'jaeden corrupted Prince Kael'thas, their rightful ruler, and led to the deaths of even more Blood Elves.
Kil'Jaeden is the same race as the Draenei. He was Velen's co-ruler, almost his brother. Velen helping to reignite the Sunwell may just be seen as a small act of penance for the horrors his own people have inflicted on the sin'dorei.
Especially considering point two, which is that the Naaru knew exactly what was going to happen. Mu'ru let himself be captured, he let the Blood Knights syphon energy from him, because in the end that put him in the position to be used to reignite the Sunwell and infuse it with light. A Blood Elf paladin might think two things at this point, firstly that Mu'ru gave freely even though they didn't realise it, which could negate any feeling of guilt for the action of the Blood Knights. Secondly, that when the Sunwell was reignited by Velen it wasn't just infused with the essence of impersonal light. The source of the sin'dorei power and life is now intertwined with a Naaru, a being which had it's own personality and agenda.
Sin'dorei can be aristocratic and prideful, while some may feel humbled by Velen and the Naaru a lot of them may sit on any point of the curve, from grudging thanks and acceptance to outright suspicion of their motives.
Mperiolat Oct 10th 2011 4:32AM
Oh man... the timing for this is fantastic, Anne. Just got my first belf Blood Knight on Moon Guard to level 25. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
BTW, you have not really enjoyed the game until you have lore RPed The Lady's Necklace quest line with a friend and a forsaken rogue stalks you inside the throne room and even the ROGUE is wowed by what he sees.
World of Warcraft... addictive and fantastically fun.
Angus Oct 10th 2011 7:51AM
Every now and then I go to SIlvermoon just to /eye a Blood Elf Guard there with my Blood Knight. It always makes me giggle.
I think you have to be level 20 for this to work. Because then you can have the mount.
Doing those quests when BC first came out I was amazed at just how twisted the Blood Knights had become with their bitter resentment of the fate of their people. I also was under the impression that they NEEDED to be that way. Their people were in danger, they found a tool that made it possible for them to save their people and they were using it just for that purpose.
In the end, that tool did save their people. Not just in the physical sense, but in the spiritual one.
flosch Oct 13th 2011 8:25AM
Nice text, but it is M'uru, not Mu'ru. Though I haven't really found out what function the apostrophe has. As a language geek, I always found that troubling. Tolkien had it right: do the language first, the story will come naturally. ;-)