The Hornmantled
| Website | http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/5967337276 |
|---|---|
| Founding date | 04/05/11 || 17/11/12 |
| Goal | To restore the glory of the Kaldorei, through whatever means necessary. |
| Main area of operations | Kalimdor. Presently, around Ashenvale. |
| Faction | Alliance |
| Opposite faction attitude | Aggressively hostile. |
| Friends/Allies | Consider the Ashenleaf Sentinels to be potential allies. |
| Rivals/Enemies | Hold a vicious hatred of the Horde. |
| Guild status | Active and recruiting |
| Recruiting Officer(s) | Harbinger; Neveah Sylvaen. |
Background
"The time has come for our species to face the truth; we stand upon the brink of destruction. We must respond with a fury so bestial in nature that the Goddess herself will hear our battle cries.
Honour has no place in the halls of desperation."
Honour has no place in the halls of desperation."
It is impossible to define those that follow the entwined banners of the Warden and the Harbinger without speaking first of the Arbiters of Vengeance; as the broad branches of the tree are inseparable from its roots deep beneath the ground, so are the Hornmantled irretrievably connected to their controversial past.
A severe, cabalistic sect of Night Elves, the Arbiters were branded as dangerous dissidents when first they set foot within Astranaar. Diplomatic, they were not; nay, they spoke loudly and they spoke often against the perceived apathy of their race, with an antagonistic audacity seldom seen in the otherwise submissive community. In time, the Arbiters were called beyond the borders of the village by the then-Watcher Avarial Stormrunner, and they departed the comfortable forests of Ashenvale shortly afterwards. The details of the campaign remain shrouded in mystery; it is known only that the Arbiters eventually made for the Outlands in pursuit of a faceless nemesis they believed to be the cause of Azeroth's unrest. They would not prove successful.
In time, the Harbinger returned with but a handful of loyal followers, their numbers decimated and their morale crushed. Given the opportunity to pour salt onto a wound barely healed, the Arbiters returned to witness the true cause of the premonitions and the consequence of Xaxas' fury. With their culture crumbling around them and battle spanning the length of Kalimdor, the Harbinger sought the Warden’s service once more and formed a fresh banner.
As the heads of the fold, the Harbinger and the Warden, Stormrunner dictated the path of the Hornmantled and led two small-scale expeditions: one in the north to investigate alleged Twilight Hammer activity and another in Azshara, holding Talrendis Point and launching subversive attacks against goblin strongholds. Quickly, it became clear that their alliance was little more than one of convenience and Avarial disappeared from the fold in the dead of night, in circumstances that have never been fully explained. The Harbinger has vociferously branded the woman a wretched traitor, but says no more.
After a complicated campaign into the deserted wastelands of Silithus, the Hornmantled returned to Kaldorei territory - but conspicuously without their leader. Rumour had it that the Harbinger was critically wounded by one of her own in the cursed ruins of Ahn'Qiraj and lapsed into a dangerous fever for two weeks. Upon her return to Astranaar, the worst was confirmed: the wound had festered and the taint had become one with her blood. It is said that the Moonspeaker herself gave the Harbinger but two more moons to live, unless severe measures are taken. What these may be, it is not yet known.
"To those that would brand us 'untraditional', I ask - to what tradition should we pander? To that of the sapphist? of the craven? of the pacifist? We know pride. We know strength. We know the taste of Orc blood, and the scent of their fear. If they would brand that 'unconventional', I spit upon their convention.”
"While the realm lies shattered, you sit still upon your fleeting thrones. So busy with your own petty feuds, so lost in your own blissful worlds; of narcotic euphoria and fictitious golden crowns. Blunt and apathetic, stripped of all your ancient glory and bonds. Torpid, without a cause."
"A watchful eye cast down upon her children cringes upon the state of our lands, our kin. The very pestillience that threatens balance and harmony grows and spreads throughout the hearts of many, now tainted unknown. Blinded by the cries in pain, sheltered gaze hidden from all, my purity remains whilst others had suffered the fate that threatens us as a people, the light of Her eyes."
What is arrogance, but pride by another name? ‘tis pride that gifts us some small measure of understanding – that once, we were the greatest of empires! that we deserve better than to be subjugated by beasts and filthy heretics! And why should we be meek and humble? We are Her children, raised from the earth and born from the stars to impart the will of the Night Warrior; we are worth more than false modesty. A bizarre culture of pacifism has been nurtured, whereby cowardice is accepted and apathy encouraged; where determination and dignity are loathsome; where it is demanded that the strong lessen themselves to appease the wretched and weak.
We fly in the face of the fool’s convention, my brethren; better us than others, for we may weather their stones and arrows. Let them pour scorn upon our names. Let them titter amongst themselves, these infantile cubs and petty, bitter sapphists. Know that they prize apathy because they were proven apathetic, and they prize cowardice because they themselves were cowards.
Pity them, for they so despise and envy our strength that they must brand it weakness.
“Take up the mantle of the Warrior-Bear, for the drums of war are sounding! I ask only this of you, my brethren-... who amongst you dares to ride with us?”
- From the Arbiters' battle cry: C.R.
Myriad reasons may bring a Kaldorei into the fold and thus, the service of the Harbinger and her Keepers: admiration, curiosity, pride, a thirst for vengeance or acceptance or battle. One must merely seek them out and make clear their intention to be considered. However, the standards are high; the fold accepts no idlers, cowards, pacifists or fools, and dedication is demanded.
Without exception, all enter the fold as initiates. They must first prove their ability and their dedication to the fold, earning some small measure of trust from the Keepers and the Harbinger before participating in a private, cabalistic ritual. Oaths are sworn in blood, but little more is known of it. Only then is one named an Arbiter, and only then do they become a member of the fold in earnest.
Priestesses and acolytes of the Moon are welcomed and held in the highest regard. Their duties lie not merely in the healing of the wounded, but also in the leading of prayers, war cries and speeches. These holy servants represent the fold to the Temple and often, to other Kaldorei; as such, they must be wise, eloquent and quick of mind, eager to inspire hope in the loyal and subvert the hostility of the doubtful.
A select few – those proven strongest on the battlefield and most dedicated to the Harbinger – will in time be welcomed to the Hornsguard. These white-cloaked warriors swear oaths beyond those given at their initiation, and are duty-bound to protect the Harbinger against any that would see her harmed.
Those that have earned hard-won trust and respect through service may be gifted seniority and the title of ‘Keeper’. These Kaldorei have the ears of the Harbinger and are privy to more private discussions and plan-making. They aid in initiating others into the fold and are expected to lead in the Harbinger's absence. The budding Keeper must prove resourceful, devoted and proactive, both on the battlefield and off.
Although weakened by her sickness, the Harbinger continues to lead the fold, acting as the final word in contentious matters and giving direction to those that serve her. Yet with every day that passes, time trickles through her trembling fingers and it is said that the woman will only grow weaker if no cure is found. Will the fold serve her unto death, or will another dare to seize the reins?
"You grew complacent, my brethren. Devoured by apathy with little a struggle against it's hold. Even with Her guidance you remain blinded, deceived into false security of a world that descends into darkness."
- Cries from one of the Devoted
Many moons have passed since the fold's disappearance, questions unanswered and unrest throughout what remained of the treacherous cabalistic sect whose heretical minds aimed for a new dawn within a sea of apathy. Those who spoke the bitter truth without fear nor reluctance, truths that cut deep as a jagged, cruel blade. Their absence, their muted battle-cry, a relief to some and a question to others.
Sisters and Brothers you have strayed. Mindless, hopeless and cowardly, you are not - yet you act it. Children of the Stars; now is the time to rise. Now is the time to cast what binds you and reclaim what was stripped from you - pride, glory, passion, our lands and legacy. Rise to meet your fates or hide like the dubious cowering animals our foe wish you to be. Tremble, quiver, you shall be granted no mercy. I will only ask this of you, my brethren; once more we let fly the call, we rise and thunder through each bough and every spirit–... who dares to ride with us..?
Members
| Ashenai | Ashenai | Night elf |
| Avarial | Avarial Stormrunner | Night elf |
| Azshalnde | Azshalnde Stagcrest | Night elf |
| Bronsac | Bronsac Swiftfeather | Night elf |
| Cerelia | Cerelia Razorleaf | Night elf |
| Daryos | Daryos Vazj'tohar | Night elf |
| Dharra | Dharjanareth Stillblade | Night elf |
| Ellanaria | Priestess Ellanaria Oakfeather | Night elf |
| Gealai | Gealai Moonbough | Night elf |
| Ilendris | Ilendris | Night elf |
| Iltharus | Crowfather, Iltharus Dreamfall | Night elf |
| Isiltári | Isiltári Ravenstar | Night elf |
| Latharios | Latharios Dreamshear | Night elf |
| Laythe | Laythe "Beefy" Steelleaf | Night elf |
| Lisyra | Lisyra Shadowmist | Night elf |
| Marandir | Marandir | Night elf |
| Neveah | Neveah Sylvaen | Night elf |
| Orserron | Orserron, the Paletressed. | Night elf |
| Reneira | Reneira Raventhread | Night elf |
| Rhawen | Rhawen Mistfeather | Night elf |
| Thalaen | Thalaen Stormwood | Night elf |
| Vagalen | Vagalen Grovekeeper | Night elf |
| Vennim | Vennim Felwing | Night elf |
| Xaei | Lady Xaei Runesilver | Night elf |
| Zidira | Zidira Shadebough | Night elf |
Adventures by Members
| Dignity, Integrity, Casualties of War | Latharios | 3 weeks 6 days ago |
| A torn battle report, dated 6/2 | Cerelia | 1 year 18 weeks ago |
| Lakresmo's Diary I: Loyalty | Lakresmo | 1 year 19 weeks ago |
| Penance | Cerelia | 1 year 28 weeks ago |
| To Bury Your Grief | Orserron | 1 year 29 weeks ago |
| Of Highborne and History, a Poem. | Orserron | 1 year 33 weeks ago |
| Treatise upon the Seasons of Elvenkin. | Orserron | 1 year 35 weeks ago |
| Within the Fallen Kingdom | Daryos | 1 year 36 weeks ago |
| Mercy of the Dunes | Daryos | 1 year 36 weeks ago |
| A private letter to Cerelia Razorleaf, Harbinger of the fold. | Mystral | 1 year 36 weeks ago |
| Fragment of a prophecy | Daryos | 1 year 38 weeks ago |
| The Mandate of the Hornmantled | Cerelia | 1 year 49 weeks ago |
| Splintertree Post: Field Report | Reneira | 1 year 50 weeks ago |
| Tattered Remnants of a Darnassian Journal | Cerelia | 2 years 5 weeks ago |
| Of Hardship and Heresy: A History of the Arbiters | Cerelia | 2 years 5 weeks ago |
Snaps by Members
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