A Brief History of the Church of the Holy Light and Its Sects
Approx. 2800 Years Before the Dark Portal Opens
A human warrior named Mereldar begins having visions of beings made of the Light. They teach her and a select few others about the wisdom of virtues such as protection, justice, retribution, holiness, and compassion. Enlightened, Mereldar and the others set out to write down the beings’ teachings in a series of books that eventually inspire the formation of the Church of the Holy Light [World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume II, pg. 126].
?? Years Before the Dark Portal Opens
The Church of the Holy Light is formally established in Lordaeron [World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume II, pg. 126].
?? Years Before the Dark Portal Opens
Some members of the Church move south and found the Holy Order of Northshire Clerics on the outskirts of Stormwind City [World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume II, pg. 125].
The orcs invade Azeroth, beginning the First War.
1 Year After the Dark Portal Opens
The Northshire Clerics – unarmed, untrained, and unable to defend themselves – are killed when the orcish horde razes Stormwind City, though some survive and flee to Southshore with other refugees [World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume II, pg. 125-126].
4 Years After the Dark Portal Opens
5 Years After the Dark Portal Opens
Distraught at what had happened to the Northshire clerics during the First War, Archbishop Alonsus Faol proposes the idea of training a small group of priests and knights to wield the Light in battle. They become known as the Order of the Knights of the Silver Hand [Tides of Darkness, Chapter Five].
7 Years After the Dark Portal Opens
Archbishop Faol re-establishes the mostly defunct Holy Order of Northshire Clerics under the new name the Brotherhood of Northshire [Plaque: Archbishop Alonsus Faol].
20 Years After the Dark Portal Opens
Prince Arthas attempts to suspend the Knights of the Silver Hand from service after Uther refuses to join him in culling the infected civilians of Stratholme. Though this does not hold, a rift begins opening up between the members of the order over who should and should not be allowed to join their vaunted ranks [NPC: Arthas Dialogue, Ashbringer: Death is Contagious, Ashes to Ashes].
21 Years After the Dark Portal Opens
Alexandros Mograine, the Ashbringer, dies at the hand of one of his sons during battle [Ashbringer: Ashes to Ashes].
21 Years After the Dark Portal Opens
Maxwell Tyrosus, disgusted at his comrades’ refusal to allow any non-humans in the Knights of the Silver Hand, leaves and forms his own organization that would not only continue to preach the values of the Holy Light, but also accept all races. This new religious group is called the Argent Dawn [World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume III, pg. 103, Ashbringer: Ashes to Ashes].
21 Years After the Dark Portal Opens
The remaining members of the Knights of the Silver Hand officially rebrand themselves the Scarlet Crusade and take up residence in the Scarlet Monastery [Ashbringer: Ashes to Ashes].
Approx. 23 – 24 Years After the Dark Portal Opens
A select few who shirk the Argent Dawn’s strict code of morals break off from the order and form the Brotherhood of the Light [NPC: Crusade Commander Korfax Dialogue].
25 Years After the Dark Portal Opens
The Knights of the Silver Hand are reformed by Tirion Fordring [Quest: In Dreams].
26-27 Years After the Dark Portal Opens
After the events at Light’s Hope Chapel that culminates in many death knights gaining independence from the Lich King, Tirion Fordring takes it upon himself to merge the Argent Dawn and the second iteration of the Knights of the Silver Hand into a new organization known as the Argent Crusade [Quest: The Light of Dawn].
27 Years After the Dark Portal Opens
The idea of a “Scarlet revival” made from an elite cadre of the Crusade’s most faithful emerges. It is not until the Scarlet Crusaders leave the Eastern Plaguelands arrive in Dragonblight that their leader, High General Brigitte Abbendis, officially sanctions the Scarlet Onslaught [Item: The Diary of High General Abbendis, NPC: Lord-Commander Arete Dialogue].
32 Years After the Dark Portal Opens
The Knights of the Silver Hand are revived for a third and final time following Tirion Fordring’s death at the Broken Shore [Quest: A United Force].