Coming right from EU Kirin Tor, I come here seeking an answer to a question I’m struggling with on my server, concerning the Light-oriented roleplay.
What I’m struggling with is the exact relationship between the Church of the Holy Light and Alliance-aligned paladins.
A friend of mine quoted a source mentioning that the Church of the Holy Light technically worked similarly to the Catholic Church, thus forbidding it to raise a military order. He added that any Alliance-related paladin, even if they associate themselves with the Church, are first and foremost affiliated with the Silver Hand.
Recently on my server, someone created an order of paladins purely affiliated with the Church. Wouldn’t that contradict the lore by ignoring the Silver Hand, and the in-game rules of the Church not supposed to own a military force ?
I may have to debate this with my Frenchie peers and prove my point, so I would greatly appreciate recieving sources to back up answers.
This would be your first problem, as this is only server lore. The Church has had it’s own military force since Warcraft 1, in the Clerics of Northshire.
Not all Paladins are of the Silver Hand either, the Silver Hand was technically disbanded during WC3 by Arthas Menethil, and found homes in the other kingdoms; and then was later absorbed into the Argent Crusade, only to be reformed again in Legion. Though the Silver Hand were the first Paladins on Azeroth, by no means are all Paladins of the Silver Hand, and there are new, tangent orders of it all over.
I don’t want to step on any toes here, especially not since some of my own progress as a paladin depends on the good grace of other, higher ranking paladins…
But.
I thought I’d just point out that a paladin is a trained “warrior” who firmly believes him- or herself worthy of wielding the Light.
Thus, I don’t think a paladin must be a member of the church nor The Silver Hand.
If you are aligned with the Alliance (or at least not known to oppose the Alliance) you should probably have a good answer ready for those who ask, “Why aren’t you a member of the church / Silver Hand?”
Yes and no, they can come at it from both angles, as you say, a Warrior, who comes to the faith of the Light, or equally a Priest or Priestess of the Light who trains in the more martial arts to become a melee fighter (Probably the most famous example of that is Liadrin)
I suppose it comes down to what you mean by a ‘member of the Church’ Do you mean just that they believe in the Holy Light? or that they actively take part in the workings of the Church? A Paladin could do the former without doing the latter, or could do both.
They don’t even have to belong to the Silver Hand, The Alliance had Paladins when the Silver Hand was dormant, it never stopped them then, so no reason it should now. Many will be, as the order has just undergone a resurgence, but they don’t -have- to be. They don’t need to be part of -anything- really…the concept of the Knight Errant is an enduring one, there is no reason why a Knight, following the tenets of the Light, but riding alone, righting wrongs, could not be a Paladin, like Don Quixote without the being mad bit!
A Paladin (As opposed to Vindicator, Blood Knight or Sunwalker) does not have to belong to the Church of the Holy Light. Belief and Will are what is important, not just belonging to the ‘good boys and girls club’. It is the same way a person can be a devout Christian, and yet not actually set foot in a Church (Obviously that’s not the same for all denominations of Christianity) . Its all about -how- you worship.
“Why aren’t you a member of the Church???”
“I find my prayer in rising up for the meek, against the wicked, though they exalt themselves in evil deeds, so too shall I bring them down, righteousness is my Church, and the thanks of those I uphold, my Congregation”
“Why are you not in the Silver Hand???” “My Brothers and Sisters of faith follow a noble calling, but I follow a different calling, a believe in the prophecy of the Army of the Light, and that Army knows no borders of race, it knows no distinction, and needs no other name, than what it is, the Light’s faithful, both in the Church, and Without it”
You can easily swing it to be a completely devout Paladin, without having to immure yourself in the ecclesiastical business…
Thanks for these precisions. However, my main question, which I may have overlooked when writing this topic, would be : would the Church of the Light be allowed to create and lead its own military force ?
Well… Although some Alliance paladins are… affiliated… with the WoW ‘Church’, I can’t really see them as a military force taking orders from the Church… That might just be my mind being narrow, though.
As an RPer, I myself would steer clear of claiming to be part of such a force, much like I would not clam to be a member of Anduin’s personal guards. It seems a little too close to “writing myself into” lore characters. The Church is not a character, of course, but it is an important WoW lore “institution”.
That’s what I think, but I am no High Lord of the Silver Hand, so I will not tell other paladins what to (not) do.
Heh, no. Neither Paladins or Priests are subject to a vow of Chastity, that is emphatically -not- part of the tenets of the Holy Light. In fact, thinking about it, that would be exactly -against- the tenets of the Light…
Please… what cool armor? Have you ever seen a human paladin? Like an orc, without the spikes and an extra bucket on the head!
Now, the Elven… or - and I can’ belive I’m saying this - the Troll paladins!
They are fabulous
They don’t need that vow of chasity… getting a girl (or guy… we are open minded) in that outfit is impossible
Okay, maybe if they are blind
Or desperate
Or both
