When fans talk about the lore and characters involved in World of Warcraft, many tried and ture names come to mind. The big names in WoW that everybody thinks of are exciting and play the most visible roles in the ever-unfolding events of this game, such as Profit Velen, Sylvanas Windrunner, and Varian Wrynn to name a few. What about the unsung heroes though? Those characters that quietly work in the background to keep the gears turning. That is a fairly good way to describe Alonsus Faol, a name I’m sure not many WoW players are familiar with but who played a surprisingly big role in the events of the early days of Azeroth.
Faol goes way back in Azeroth’s history, all the way back before the First War, at which time he was the leader of the Holy Order of Northshire Clerics. By all accounts he was a generous man that was well liked by most people he met, even those who didn’t know him long seemed to gravitate toward the Priest. He was very dedicated to his post at Northshire Valley, and generous with those that served under him and the people they served. One of the big goals of the Clerics of Northshire was to spread word of the Light to the people of the Kingdom of Azeroth. All was not to remain well though. Sadly, the First War began, a major conflict between Orcs and Humans after the Orcs came to Azeroth through the dark portal. The Clerics of Northshire marched to war alongside the other Humans of Azeroth, but they were woefully underprepared and suffered heavy losses. This ultimately ended in the loss of Northshire and Stormwind, at which time Faol and the surviving humans fled to Lordaeron.
After the war, Faol, along with his apprentice Uther Lightbringer, founded the Knights of the Silver Hand. The members of this new order were taught the ways of the Light and were also equipped with the armaments of war. This was the founding of the first order of paladins, warriors that use the Light to fortify their fighting abilities. It was at Alonsus Chapel in Stratholme where Faol anointed Uther Lightbringer as the first paladin. The founding of the order was no doubt in reaction to the great losses the church suffered during the war. Realizing that Azeroth was no longer going to be as peaceful as it once was before the Orcs came, I’m sure Faol wanted to be able to provide better protection for the Humans, as well as leaving the church better prepared for the realities of war.
Throughout the rest of his life Faol played an important role in the Alliance. From helping to guide the paladins in their early days to raising massive funds to rebuild Stormwind, he was always doing what he could for the good of his people and to spread the Light. As is bound to happen to any mortal, Faol died. The manor and timing of his death is unknown, though it is my guess he died of old age. Faol must have died before the coming of the Scourge because he revealed that he had been brought back from the grave as a mindless minion of the Scourge during the war in Nothrend. After the defeat of the Lich King he freed himself from the Scourge, no easy task I’m sure.
Faol’s allegiance after freeing himself is a little nebulous. Being an undead he would have a hard time being accepted by the Alliance, who had a poor track record when it came to working with the Forsaken. His past may have made him less than willing to throw his lot in fully with the Horde. By his actions he seems to have taken a more neutral stance than his undead brethren. He spent a lot of time out of the spot light, but he did spend time helping Moira Thaurissan fighting the Twilight’s Hammer. During that time, he focused on stopping Bishop Farthing from continuing his work with the cult. The next we see of Faol he, along with Moira and Velen, travel to Netherlight Temple, the prison for Saraka the Lighteater, a fallen Naaru, and cleanses the Naaru with the help of the player. After the cleansing, Faol changed the prison into the priest order hall.
While we don’t know exactly what he will be up to in the Battle for Azeroth expansion, we do know that at some point Faol started working with Anduin Wrynn to try and make bridges and inroads between the Horde and the Alliance. The goal of which is undoubtedly lasting peace between the two factions. We know he plans to play a big role in the day of peace that Anduin proposes to Sylvanas in his letter to her. I expect that we will see more from Alonsus Faol in the future and I’m excited about this back bencher playing a bigger role in the main story of Azeroth.
