The Ransom Theory: Dead Redemption

"My my, the child of the Worldbreaker, proof that none are beyond redemption." -Chi-Ji, the Red Crane

The Ransom Theory is the name I give to the list of rules I have set myself when play RPGs and fantasy card games. One day I will explain the name. But not today.

I started playing World of Warcraft during the Cataclysm expansion, because the best time to start something is when everyone else is quitting. I gave myself the following rule: don't play a warlock or death knight. Both use magic that is evil in origin, which I'm not comfortable with.

Cataclysm saw the beginning of a fourth war between the Horde and the Alliance, instigated by the new Warchief Garrosh Hellscream and the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner. (To be fair to Garrosh, the Horde did need resources being held by the Alliance's night elves, who think that killing people because trees is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.) Whilst I really enjoyed Cataclysm overall, I was not very happy about quests constantly telling me to go kill the Horde when seriously, an evil dragon and a nihilistic cult were trying to destroy the world, and why aren't we putting aside our differences and fighting them instead?

And then something odd happened. I arrived at the city of Andorhal in the Plaguelands, one of the last bastions of the Scourge. An army of Alliance soldiers lead by the death knight Thassarian were attempting to wrest control of the city away from the Scourge, and also prevent it from falling to the Horde. On the other side of the city was a force of Horde soldiers led by another death knight, Koltira Deathweaver. In a climactic battle, myself and Thassarian ended up in the city square facing the necromancer controlling the city, just as Koltira arrived to do the same. After the leader of the Scourge was forced to retreat, the Alliance and Horde armies found themselves looking at each other. And then, the two commanders ordered their forces to pull back and regroup, with Thassarian ordering me not to tell anyone what had happened in the square. What on earth was going on here? Who were these guys? And why were two death knights the only faction members willing to turn around and walk away from the war?

But answers were not forthcoming. I was sent to assist the Argent Crusade in the east, and I would not see Thassarian again for quite some time. But it had started me thinking.

In Northrend, the paladin Highlord Tirion Fordring and the death knight Highlord Darion Mograine discuss tactics. Darion criticises Tirion when the latter refuses to fire on his own men to kill the Scourge. When Tirion claims that doing so would make him no better than the Scourge themselves, Darion's chilling reply is 'Then you have lost.'

And then there is the short story Silver Hand, Ebon Blade. It takes the above disgreement, and turns it into a much bigger argument culminating in a parting of ways over Darion's creation of the cursed axe Shadowmourne. But when Tirion's Argent Tournament is attacked, and Tirion is about to give up, Darion returns and throws his entire order of death knights behind Tirion's cause. Though he never actually admits it, the implication is clear - Darion has realised that Tirion was right.

And it was at this point I thought that maybe - just maybe - I was missing something. So I did some research. Darion's order of death knights - the Knights of the Ebon Blade - are sometimes referred to as the third wave of Death Knights. The first wave were the Shadow Council reanimated by Gul'dan, the most famous of them being Teron Gorefiend. These dudes were already evil before they even died. The second wave were created by the Lich King (Ner'zhul), and included Prince Arthas. Most of these knights, like Arthas, chose to become what they were. But the third wave was different. Created by the second Lich King (Arthas) these death knights had no choice in the matter. They were killed and brought back against their will. They didn't even want to be death knights. Now that was interesting.

So I decided to create a death knight character, to see how the story went. Of course, being me, I decided to specialise in frost instead of unholy. When I started out, my character was still under the control of the Lich King, along with Darion Mograine, Thassarian and the entire newly-created Ebon Blade. I was sent to completely wipe out an order of paladins known as the Scarlet Crusade. This is not particularly nice, but it's bearable because the Scarlet Crusade are secretly the army of the dreadlord Balnazzar, and are actually just as evil as the Scourge. But when the Scarlet Crusade was defeated, I was ordered to take on the other order of paladins, the Argent Crusade. Unlike the Scarlets, the Argent really are dedicated to everything that is righteous, good and holy. They are led by the aforementioned Highlord Tirion Fordring. I didn't want to fight him, and I was thinking that really, this death knight thing was not for me. But then everything changed.

They call it The Battle for Light's Hope Chapel. The Argent Crusade is surrounded by a Scourge army consisting of the Ebon Blade, lots of ordinary undead, and the Lich King himself. Their backs are literally against the wall. Until Tirion appears, and in a blinding flash of light he overpowers Darion and destroys every ordinary undead in the area, leaving only the Ebon Blade, the Lich King and a few others standing. At which point, the Lich King reveals that this was his plan all along.

He wanted Tirion out in the open, vulnerable to attack. And the only way to do that, was to force him to take the field. The Lich King knew that any army he sent against Light's Chapel would be decimated. Losing most of his second wave death knights was not desirable, not even if it resulted in the death of Tirion. So he needed cannon fodder. Powerful cannon fodder, but cannon fodder none the less. The Ebon Blade was created merely as a tool to that end.

But the Lich King made one mistake. A mistake villains all too often make. He gloated too much. And at that moment, the Knights of the Ebon Blade break free of his control. It is never definitively stated why. Is it because of their proximity to Light's Hope Chapel? The presence of Tirion? The Lich King's revelation that he created them to die? The vision that Darion has of his father? Or is it because the Ebon Blade never wanted to be death knights in the first place? We may never be sure.

But in that moment, the Ebon Blade suddenly regains free will, and with it, they choose to ally with the Argent Crusade. The Lich King realises he cannot stand against both orders, not on the holy ground of Light's Hope, and is forced to retreat.

Now this is a story worth my time. This is not the story of a fall. This is a story of redemption. It is not the story of the warlock or necromancer, whose lust for power leads them down the path of forbidden magic. This is not the story of Teron Gorefiend, who has returned from the dead because he wanted to. This is not the story of Prince Arthas, consumed by a desire for vengeance that twisted his very soul. This is the story of a person who was a slave to evil, but is now free. A person who still has the evil desire to inflict pain on others, but chooses instead to protect them. A person who is not asking the question 'Why am I here?' but the question 'What do I do now?' Have you heard that story? I have. I am that story.

Long ago, I asked why Thassarian walked away from a battle in Andorhal. I have my answer now. I only play two of my Warcraft characters a lot - and one of them is a death knight.