of blood and honor

there was a story within the world of warcraft game that touched more than many books i've read. in the north of the desolated plaguelands, between a river and the mountains, there is a small cottage where an old man dwells, his only company being his noble horse. the man was tirion fordring, and he had been in a time long since forgotten in those dark days, one of the first paladins of the order of the silver hand. but we don't know this from the start, for he keeps his reclusive way until we prove we're trustworth. and then, tirion asks for help in a personal quest - to retreave some mementos of his old life, which include a portrait of himself with his wife and son, taelan, a symbol of lost honor, and a warhammer toy he crafted for his son when he was a child. then, tirion asks us to meet his son - who is now the highlord of the scarlet crusade, a fanatical horder that vowed to destroy the undead presence in the lands of lordaeron and everyone that carries the slightest ressemblance of a plague. we manage to get to taelan and show him the artifacts which make him renounce his rank and sets off to meet his father. but he faces the inquisitor isilien in the way out of the city of heartglen, and is murdered, which sends tirion into a killing spree towards the inquisitor. after isilien's fall, the aged paladin weeps on his son's dead body and vows to rebuid the order of the silver hand, so his death was not in vain.

but unanswared was the origin of the tale - why was tirion fordring alone? how could he and his son gone to such separete ways? what happened to tirion for him to leave the paladin ways? these questions are all answered in the of blood and honor book (more a shortstory if you ask me). the story takes place after the second war, when tirion fordring was the lord of mardenholde keep and ruler of heartglen. but an unexpected encounter with a weathered orc exile changes his life forever.

the story was written by chris metzen, the creative brain behind all blizzard entertainment's works. it's about honor and duty, and how the others must not be judged by what they seem to be. truly remarkable, the tale.