Are there any philosophical references to the scarlet crusade, their beliefs and goals? any ingame books or references from the real books?
1 Like
Quite a bit from the Warcraft RPG, though it has since joined the long list of retconned and discarded lore.
The Scarlet Crusade was founded by a priest called Isillien and a paladin called Abbendis after the fall of Lordaeron. They intended to rally survivors and take a stand against the undead. They quickly became the only organised force in eastern Lordaeron (apart from the Scourge itself), to the point they were essentially leading all human survivors in what was becoming the Plaguelands.
At some point, Crusade leadership became obsessed with the undead plague and the possibility of infected survivors contaminating their own troops. This degenerated into full-blown paranoia, complete with rumors of undead infiltrators or betrayers within the ranks. A dreadlord serving the Legion had in fact managed to kill and impersonate a Scarlet general, but he escaped detection and happily made things worse.
Eventually, the Crusade became a military dictatorship at war with the Scourge, the Forsaken (because they were undead too), the Horde (undead sympathizers!), and as likely to slay refugees (better be safe with that plague!) as to shelter them.
Nevertheless, they were the strongest force opposing the Scourge in the Plaguelands and were protecting the last standing cities from the Undead, so most factions decided to avoid them rather than actively fight them.
It was one of the most, if not the most, interesting factions in WoW Classic.
5 Likes
thanks but what about philosophical references? i mean the way they perceive the Light and their understanding of moral. coz we know the scarlet crusade is quite a bit different than other paladins, in their ways and beliefs. they are extremists and more of retribution kind of paladins. so my question is, do they have any codex and virtues on their own?
Yes, but unfortunately we were never told what they were or the difference with regular Alliance beliefs.
In the RPG, the Light itself was a philosophy: if you followed these ideals and truly believed in them, you happened to gain powers. But it turns out that some variation of these ideals also âworkedâ and gave different powers. Both the Scarlet Crusade and the Forsaken managed to find one.
According to the RPG, priests and paladins who join the Scarlet Crusade actually lose their Light powers, and then replace them with the âScarletâ powers. The Crusaders are not necessarily aware of the difference, since it happens as part of an âinitiationâ and the new powers are quite similar to the old ones (also, Scarlet inquisitors donât like people asking questions).
But I canât tell how much of that lore is still valid.
1 Like
They believed in the Light fully however that became corrupted insights from the headless horseman tale.
Message from Dreadlord Balnazzar Host - Saidan Dathrohan to the Scarlet Troops.
The Plague was first spread through tainted wheat, but the lich king has since resorted toâŚother methods. NEW TRAITORS joining his forces with every passing year, drawn by the promise of immortality.
Many have lost their faith in the light. Many have chosen to save their lives by sacrificing their SOULS.
The enemy has grown in subtlety. so too MUST WE.
Now you have to remember a lot of people would of looked up to Saidan he was one of the main silverhand paladins.
His word most of been like it was coming for the Light itself if the light had a voice.
Besides that look at general Abbendis personal log on wowhead, It paints a pretty clear message just how these Crusaders became so corrupted overtime they really did believe they were doing what the Light wanted them to.
The headless horseman tale anyway I think is a great insight into just how a pure silverhand paladlin can fall into a twisted version of the light.
The Light is punishing us! or Testing us we are the lights chosen! etc
2 Likes
that sounds crazy! iâd say that scarlet powers are more of a fiery, retributional Light so thatâs why they are not just different in philosophy but in the powers of their Light. maybe thats why other priests and paladins say that scarlets arenât real Light wielders coz they separate themselfes. probably the scarlets donât see the other paladins and priests as real ones neither. whitemane has kinda no fingers which made me think that she must have been playing around with her Light on crazy fiery rates where madness steps in. so she just burned off her fingers. you know madness plays a major role in the lore and this might have been something in the scarlet world. since they are retributional.
do you have more knowledge for me? 
can you tell more on that story? and could you tell me what it means in your view to be a paladin and believer in the Light? like, are there references of paladin books or codexes you know of?
From the Scarlet perspective, their faith has been rewarded and they have unlocked powers reserved to the true champions of the Light. IIRC they think the âregularâ worshippers of the Light are a step behind them in their understanding. Heresy is not really a thing in Azeroth, because anything that lets you cast spells canât be altogether wrong, but if someone told the Crusaders they donât worship the real Light, they would quickly be executed for sapping morale or being an undead sympathiser.
The Church of the Light in Stormwind thinks the Crusaders are dangerous and/or insane fanatics. Its leaders warn against joining the Crusade but donât officially forbid it - if only because it would be awkward to tell people they canât go fight the Scourge.
Thatâs about it 
1 Like
Like what Telenil mentioned you would have to look at rpg stuff this may be what your looking for gamepedia.comScarlet_crusader (sry for some reason I can post links )
As for the rest of the story on the headless horseman better you find a copy yourself I wouldnât be able to do it justice I am sure you can dl a free pdf copy somewhere. Its a shame about the faction I truly believe blizzard missed out on some great story lines what could of been explored more with the crusade ah well.
2 Likes
As others said, Scarlet lore is basically all in the old RPGs which have ânon-canon until stated somewhere elseâ status. Itâs a waste, Scarlets could have given the Alliance the much needed darker themes from the start of the game.
yea i get it, older rpgâs. i asked for references not for the mere fact.
Seems you are right on the money. The Scarlet Crusade evolved from the original Silver Hand but they lost their way (or at least four fifthâs of it ba dum tsst). Tyrion was given the Libram of Retribution but he didnât ignore the other 4 teachings which is what sets the Scarlet Crusade apart. Retribution is defined as âpunishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a wrong or criminal actâ but you canât define criminality if you ignore the tenets of justice. You canât wield the light righteously if you pay no respect to itâs divine origin, or the values it exists to safeguard, and vengeance without compassion is a surefire path to evil.
Alonsus wanted each of the original members of the Silver Hand to focus on one of the tenets because he understood that only together could they truly be called the embodiment of the Light.
1 Like
you got some great references Cake
wow yes, you canât be retributive without being righteous. when youâre not acting out of a just heart, youâre bringing not retribution but terror and havoc. iâd say that thereâs a very fine line between retribution and madness, so thatâs why the scarlet crusade got corrupted maybe. through madness. after all, retribution requires one sort of hatred, doesnât it? righteous hatred. i myself believe that standing up against evil is the highest art of righteousness. without one recognizing evil + standing up against it, one has no righteousness in him. thus no Light, for only the paths of righteousness and retribution result in holiness.
is there more to know about the righteous ways of the scarlet crusade? iâm very interested in their own perspective about themselfes. more than that, i want their holy book of codex in my hands. not just theirs but that of all paladins is in my interest.
very beautifully put. where do you get this from? do you have more of such insights into the Light for me?
1 Like
Thankyou sir but i canât take credit for the refâs theyâre from wow(dot)gamepedia. The Silver Hand page is definitely a good start for the Scarlet stuff and thereâs a surprising amount of lore that isnât in the game (or at least doesnât have much prominence).
I like that the Light is a true cosmic force rather than a single sentient entity though and the unique ways the Scarlet Crusade are able to employ it- despite their questionable motivations - definitely seems to support the idea of them pursuing one aspect to the extreme and unlocking new abilities as a result. I read on one of the pages that they were the first to channel the light in a way that could simultaneously harm both the living and the dead. And who could forget Sally Whitemane and her magical ability to self ress? Shame theyâve been beaten to a pulp so many times.
1 Like
well the Light is a true cosmic force in real too 
but there is no righteous soul in the world that can bend it to its will. we need a Lightbringer ;D
yea thatâs what iâm thinking too. and their saying âyou shall witness a golden Light unlike any you have ever seenâ maybe supports that idea. i like their symbol of fire on their chests. symbolizing the burning, enlightened heart. just like jesusâ burning heart
1 Like
Anyone hope to see any scarlet members in shadowlands?
hell yea but more than that, i hope that blizz is gonna bring out a whole scarlet crusade expansion. where the crusade returns and threatens to take over the whole world as part of their vengeance 
1 Like
Sure, or maybe if blizzard add more story missions to Warcraft reforge down the line showing the early days of the crusade.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.