Blood Knights.
When “The Burning Crusade” was released, those two words were enough to send countless Alliance players into rabid frenzy.
Hit squads were formed.
No joke. For those of you newer to WoW, when “The Burning Crusade” was released, there were literally groups of Alliance players roaming as packs searching for Blood Elf Paladins to gank.
…And there were Horde players cheering them on.
When I posted “The People of Lordaeron” article, I was reminded by one of Loregy’s readers of another pet-peeve misnomer…
And it has to do with the Blood Knights.
To get through this, I’ll need to recap some lore. But I’ll do it fast. For those of you who want more: WoWWiki is that way ——>
Alright, for the newer WoW players: In “The Burning Crusade” the Blood Elves captured a Naaru named M’uru and forcibly syphoned its powers to create a new faction of Paladins with a much darker tint known as the “Blood Knights”.
Obviously these Blood Knights were seen as remarkably evil. The Naaru are beings of light, WoW’s equivalent of Angels. The Blood Elves were effectively torturing one.
The Blood Elves themselves, of course, are High Elves who became addicted to fel energy after the Sunwell was destroyed.
So– this is all old news. Why does it matter?
Because for most, it seems, this is where their Blood Elf knowledge stops. But even with this tidbit, there is a seed that should be noticed.
The Naaru are beings of light.
The Blood Elves are fel addicts.
By feeding off of M’uru, the Blood Knights were effectively drug addicts breaking into a health food store every night to gorge on healthy snacks.
The light is the light, whether stolen or not. Angelic beings are selfless. And… as it turned out, M’uru allowed himself to be captured so his essence could help purify the Blood Elves.
Alright, cut to the end of Burning Crusade. (Stick with me, we’re going someplace.)
M’uru is captured again, taken from the Blood Knights.
Lady Liadrin, leader of the Blood Knights, approaches the leader of the Naaru, A’dal, a veritable god.
A’dal forgives her. Admits that this was the plan all along, and…
*Lady Liadrin pledges the Blood Knights’ allegiance to A’dal’s forces and the restoration of Silvermoon.*
A battle is fought. M’uru dies, his sacrifice fully playing out. And in one final piece to bring the story full circle, M’uru’s life force reignites the Sunwell.
NOW….
Cut to present day WoW. The most recent WotLK patch.
The Battered Hilt quest-line to reclaim Quel’Delar.
Minor spoiler… you end up seeing the restored Sunwell.
And who is there in the background? Lady Liadrin, preaching salvation and the hard work the Blood Elves now have ahead of them breaking their fel addiction. And how do the Blood Elf NPC’s react to her speech?
They cheer.
Long time readers will know I tend to point to answers somewhere in the gray area…
But in this case? No. At this point, the idea that the Blood Knights (and by extension, all Blood Elves) are evil is completely absurd.
Their power once again stems from the Sunwell. Their paladins are sanctioned by the Naaru, who also sanction the Draenei.
Sure, you can claim they’re former bad-guys now doing community service–
But consider this… in literature some of the most driven heroes are former villains desperate to prove their redemption.
The Blood Elves and their Blood Knights are not evil. Anyone who says otherwise is basing their point of view on out-dated lore.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Ah, but where does this all factor in with my unwavering belief that the Naaru are truly evil beings playing the peoples of Azeroth and Draenor for fools? Were the Blood Knights once visionaries, now dupes like the rest of the races?
I’m telling you… the Light is too bright. Go Elune or go home.
Oi Cocles, long time ;).
As to Dangablad saying go Elune or go home
[SPOILERS]
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turns out Elune is actually E’lune, a Naaru. More of that will be revealed in the Cataclysm.
Liadrin reformed. Not the entirety of the blood knight ranks. The Blood Knights were perfectly happy with torturing a naaru and various other unsavory acts. They, like most of the blood elves, are a vindictive people who abuse their power.
Just because one individual’s mentality changes does not mean the entire organization does. The Blood Elves are still a haughty people, and now that they have a sunwell, that doesn’t mean that they’re going to be happy and peppy all of a sudden. Liadrin works for the SSO now, it seems, but the Blood Knights still answer to the blood elf state, and there’s no signs of any reform on that front. While I don’t believe in absolute evil, I will say that blood knights are not “traditional” paladins, they’re still haughty, vengeful, vindictive, violent and sociopathic. Liadrin’s an anomaly.
Dangablad, I share that exact belief. Just reading Khadgar’s account of how he reached out with his mind and “found” the Naaru sends chills down my spine. Oh he found something, alright. I just don’t think it’s what he thinks he found. And that something, in turn, found US.
I have zero trust of the Naaru. That doesn’t vindicate the Blood Knights, though, since they think the Naaru are good and holy and were perfectly happy to do what they did. The Naaru being captured on purpose doesn’t make it fine, and some individuals repenting, as Omacron says, doesn’t absolve the entire collective.
Humans are more haughty than the Blood Elves. Ask Arthas, a paladin.
Oh and by the way, aren’t two (Archimonde and Kil’jaeden; both of whom, by the looks of them, are paladins themselves) of the main bosses in TBC are Draenie?
Omacron sounds too good to be true.
Kil’Jaeden and Archimonde weren’t paladins (or as the Draenei called them, Vindicators). Kil’Jaeden and Archimonde joined the burning legion before the Naaru introduced the Velen to the light. No light, no paladins.
As to Arthas, he wasn’t so much “haughty”- which implies CULTURAL posturing- as a “douchebag” which implies SELF posturing.