The Great Thief

After recovering, Fordring returned alone to the place where he was hurt. Surely enough, he met the Orc once again by the abandoned tower.

The Orc used human language to tell Fordring that his name was Eitrigg.

Later that night, Eitrigg told Fordring his story by a fire. He still remembered when the Horde were noble people who believed in Shamanism.

After the war, Eitrigg realized how far they had fallen under the influence of the Burning Legion and escaped with his family to live a life of seclusion.

This shook Fordring’s beliefs – not all Orcs were bloodthirsty or cruel.

The words of the Orc broke through hatred and prejudice, winning the respect of the Paladin. This was especially important for someone who regarded respect as one of the highest honors a person could have.

Before the two parted ways, Fordring vowed to never reveal Eitrigg’s whereabouts.

When he returned to the city, Fordring announced to his people that there was no threat of Orcs within the territory and that his previous incident had been resolved.

However, his deputy – a Paladin named Barthras – was a man who had a deep hatred for Orcs because his parents had died in the First World War.

He launched a raid with the help of a team of hunters.

Fordring silently prayed for his friend in his heart as he watched. However, as the prisoners were being taken away, the Orcs who tried to break out of their cages were attacked by dozens of guards. This angered the noble paladin!

Fordring then started furiously attacking his own men.

Tirion Fordring, a former war hero, was accused of treason and sent to Strathholme for trial.

Many of his friends, including his loving wife Calendra, pleaded with Fordring to lay down his sense of honor so he could blame the Orcs and defend himself before the jury.

However, as he stood in court and looked at the Silver Hand’s banner, Fordring thought of his son – Tyran Fordring. He had always wanted to become a paladin.

As a Paladin, Fordring knew that his life was far from over, but as a Paladin, he wanted to use this last chance to set an example with his words and actions. The Paladin puffed his chest nobly and told the whole story.

He didn’t think he had done anything wrong and had always stood by the Paladin’s creed.

The deeply-touched jury could not give a reason to charge Fordring with treason, but the facts of the attack were unavoidable and he was promptly dismissed from the Silver Hand.

Fordring’s old friend Uther personally took charge of the ceremony to extinguish his Holy Light.

Despite Fordring’s argument, the court did not change its ruling. However, when the exiled Fordring learned that Eitrigg was about to be sentenced to death, he decided to save him, even if he had to pay for it with his life.

He no longer had the power of the Holy Light and was overwhelmed by the sheer number of guards on Stratholme’s execution grounds.

Suddenly, the Orc force pushed in and released all of the Orc prisoners. Fordring and Eitrigg scrambled out and fled away from the city. However, Eitrigg had taken a blow from Barthras and was already dying. Seeing that his Orc friend was about to die, the desperate Paladin held him in his hands and shouted at the sky. In that moment, a miracle unfolded – a holy light descended from heaven and shrouded Eitrigg. The light saved him from his impending death.

The force that had rescued the Orc prisoners came before them and the Horde’s new Chief, Saar, invited Eitrigg to return to the Horde.

Before leaving, Saar solemnly presented Fordring with the Horde Warrior’s salute.

It was in that moment that he uttered his famous words that were now written on the hearts of many Paladin players.

”Ethnicity does not determine nobility. I have seen the noblest Orcs and the worst humans. I know some Orcs to be respectable like the noblest paladins. And I know some humans who have the cruelest souls – they are as evil as the undead!”

In his following days, the exiled Fordring lived a life of seclusion. It was only when his son Tyran joined the Silver Hand Paladins that he secretly returned to his hometown.

When more players journeyed to the Plaguelands, Paladins would be able to receive a quest from Fordring.

Players of other professions could also rest here. Old Fordring provided some resources and a clean source of water. He would also heal players that were seriously injured.

This exiled Paladin had long since regained his strength.

The holy light of a Paladin was a wonderful thing. It existed in a Paladin’s innermost heart and changed depending on their faith. This explained why Fordring could go from having his holy light extinguished to regaining his old strength.

The players respected him very much and kindly called him old Ford.

”Excuse me, can I rest here?” Lu Li politely asked the Paladin who was chopping wood as he looked away from the huge waterfall.

It was a blunt axe, but he still had a large pile of logs. Anyone who saw him would assume that he was a strong man.

”Of course! You seem a little hurt,” Fordring said as he immediately dropped his axe. He went back into the hut behind him and came out quickly with a bandage.

Old Fordring’s bandages had helped countless players.

Players could use potions to heal their injuries in the Wild, but ever since the last patch, they could only heal after returning to the city. The city’s Priest and Paladin NPCs knew skills that the players didn’t, and this was a way to get the players to spend more gold.

As for Instance Dungeons, it was better to just die and let a healer Revive you, since there was no penalty for dying. After being revived, all of your stats would be restored.

Lu Li’s leg had been slashed by a Plaguelands dog and he was limping. This somewhat affected his ability to practice his Stealth and was one of the reasons he was visiting Tirion Fordring.

”You’re well protected,” old Fordring commented as he knelt beside Lu Li and saw the scratches on his leather armor.

”But I still got hurt in the end, and by an ordinary plaguelands dog,” Lu Li said in annoyance.

Old Fordring helped Lu Li tie on the bandage and got a wooden stool for Lu Li to sit on.

”It’ll get better after a while. My bandages work very well for rebuilding muscle.”

”Thank you for your help, how much should I pay you?” Lu Li asked casually.

”Oh, gold? Do you think an old man living in a place like this has any use for gold?”

”You are a noble person. If there is anything you need, I am happy to help,” Lu Li offered sincerely. He truly admired the character of the old paladin.

”Now that you mention it, there is something you can help with,” old Fordring said as he picked up his axe and continued chopping wood.

”There are some Carrion Bugs nearby; can you help me kill some? I need their mucus to make my bandages.”

Lu Li stood up and his complexion suddenly changed.

This couldn’t be right. Wasn’t ”Love and Family” a quest that could only be triggered by Paladins?