Scarlet Crusade

The Scarlet Crusade is a militant order of human zealots who fight to wipe out every trace of undeath in Lordaeron. Built from survivors of the Third War and former paladins of the Knights of the Silver Hand, it treats the Scourge, the Forsaken and anyone who will not join its cause as enemies. In Classic the Crusade is one of the most common foes in the northern Eastern Kingdoms, from the starting area of Tirisfal Glades to the gates of Stratholme.

History

Origins

When Arthas Menethil returned to Lordaeron as a death knight and the kingdom fell to the Scourge, the surviving paladins and soldiers were left without a king or a home. Saidan Dathrohan, one of the original members of the Silver Hand, gathered them into a new order dedicated to purging the plague. The Crusade took the color scarlet and swore that no undead would survive.

What began as a desperate resistance quickly turned into fanaticism. Inquisitors questioned members for any sign of the plague, and civilians who showed symptoms were often executed. The Crusade made no distinction between the mindless Scourge and the free-willed Forsaken, and it treated outsiders as suspects.

The dreadlord behind the Grand Crusader

The Crusade's leader is not who he appears to be. The dreadlord Balnazzar killed and took the place of Saidan Dathrohan, and from the top of the order he steered the Crusade's hatred to serve the demons' own goals. Players uncover this deception in Stratholme, where the Grand Crusader reveals his true form.

Leaders

The Crusade is split among several powerful figures:

In World of Warcraft

Tirisfal Glades

Undead players meet the Crusade within minutes of rising in Deathknell. The quest The Scarlet Crusade sends them after converts and initiates near the starting area, and the chain that starts with At War With The Scarlet Crusade in Brill sends players against Scarlet patrols and then the ruined towers that the Crusade uses as raiding posts, held by the captains Captain Perrine, Captain Vachon and Captain Melrache. Scarlet Zealot and Scarlet Missionary patrol the roads around Brill.

Scarlet Monastery

The Crusade's best-known stronghold is Scarlet Monastery, a dungeon complex in northeastern Tirisfal with four wings for players around levels 30 to 42:

• Graveyard: Interrogator Vishas and Bloodmage Thalnos
• Library: Houndmaster Loksey and Arcanist Doan
• Armory: Herod, who drops [Ravager]
• Cathedral: High Inquisitor Fairbanks, then Mograine and Whitemane, who fight together. Whitemane resurrects Mograine partway through the battle.

Horde players are sent by Varimathras with Into The Scarlet Monastery, which rewards the [Sword of Omen], while Alliance players get In the Name of the Light from Raleigh the Devout in Southshore. Notable drops include [Mograine's Might], [Aegis of the Scarlet Commander], [Whitemane's Chapeau] and [Scarlet Leggings].

Western Plaguelands

At level 50 and above the Crusade holds the fortified town of Hearthglen and the Northridge Lumber Camp in Western Plaguelands. The Crusade also camps in the fields between Hearthglen and Andorhal. In Scarlet Diversions, players destroy the command tent of that camp and plant a Scourge banner to set the Crusade and the Scourge against each other. Hearthglen is also where the Tirion Fordring chain reaches its end: in In Dreams, Taelan Fordring leaves the town with the player and is killed by Isillien.

Eastern Plaguelands and Stratholme

The Crusade's main army sits at Tyr's Hand on the coast of Eastern Plaguelands, where The Scarlet Basilica holds the order's highest officers. Demetria, the Scarlet Oracle and advisor to the Grand Crusader, travels the road between Tyr's Hand and Stratholme and is the target of The Scarlet Oracle, Demetria from Nathanos Blightcaller.

Inside Stratholme, the eastern half of the city (often called the "live" side) is held by the Crimson Legion, the Crusade's elite. Players fight through Archivist Galford, Cannon Master Willey and Malor the Zealous to reach the Grand Crusader. After he reveals himself as Balnazzar and dies, the quest The Truth Comes Crashing Down carries the dreadlord's head back to the Argent Dawn. His drops include [Shroud of the Nathrezim] and [Hammer of the Grand Crusader].

Later history

In Wrath of the Lich King, High General Abbendis led part of the Crusade to Northrend as the Scarlet Onslaught, and the Scarlet Enclave in the Eastern Plaguelands became the starting area for death knights. In Mists of Pandaria, Scarlet Monastery was rebuilt as two shorter dungeons, Scarlet Halls and Scarlet Monastery. Later expansions brought Whitemane back as a recurring villain.

Sources

• Scarlet Crusade (Warcraft Wiki)
• Balnazzar (Warcraft Wiki)
• Scarlet Monastery (Warcraft Wiki)