Warcraft/Characters/The Light

The Light (also known as the Holy Light, Holy Light of Creation and light of Creation) is an endless, shimmering sea of energy situated outside the barriers of reality and one of the two most fundamental forces in the world of Warcraft along with the Void, which was born from the absence of the former. The two cannot exist without the other.

Pure Light cannot exist within the physical universe but shades of it manifest as holy magic, as the Light is the source of all life in the cosmos. Summoned by willpower or faith in one's ability to do so, the powers of the Light can be harnessed to heal, cleanse, protect, or harm. Most of its practitioners are called priests or paladins, devoted to cleansing the universe of darkness. Learning to wield the Light as a healing force takes years of discipline.

General Tropes

 * Because Destiny Says So
 * Big Good: Given its a higher power that nurtures life and has a single-minded plan, the Light is either this or the closest thing to it in the Warcraft setting.
 * Color-Coded for Your Convenience
 * Good Powers, Bad People
 * Healing Factor
 * Gold and White Are Divine
 * Holy Burns Evil
 * Knight Templar
 * Light Is Good
 * Light Is Not Good
 * Retcon: Much of the lore surrounding the Light has been changed across the games, with a unified lore in World of Warcraft: Chronicle, which included revelations/retcons such as:
 * The Light is a shimmering sea of energy with "Light Lords" potentially controlling it where it was a god, maybe even God prior to World of Warcraft.
 * Sliding Scale of Fate vs. Free Will: Since the Light sees one path as true and all others as lies, and like the Void lacks full knowledge of the future, if things do not go the way the Light thinks they should go, then the Light will make it happen.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist

The Naaru
The naaru are a race of sentient energy beings made up of shards of fractured Light. They are perhaps the purest expression of the Holy Light that exists in the Great Dark Beyond, and have vowed to bring peace and hope to all mortal civilizations and waylay the forces of the Void. They are known to travel through dimensions, and are the sworn enemies of the Burning Legion.

While they serve the Light, they have their own personalities and may not have the same motives or goals.

Army of the Light
The Grand Army of the Light, also called the Golden Army, the Army of Light, and the Lightforged, is a faction of enlightened races that follow the Light and are led by the Naaru to combat the ravages of the Burning Legion. Formed after the fall of Argus, the draenei's finest warriors followed the prime naaru Xe'ra across the cosmos in an eternal war to bring about the Legion's end. Since then, other survivors of the Burning Crusade have joined the ranks of the Lightforged.

Argent Crusade
The Argent Crusade is an order of holy warriors formed from the union of the reformed Order of the Silver Hand and the Argent Dawn. Founded and led by the paladin Tirion Fordring, the Argent Crusade was a major contributor to the successful campaign in Northrend that toppled the Lich King. After helping deal with the Cataclysm, they worked to restore the Plaguelands of northern Lordaeron, but rallying to fight of any threat to their world.

Church of the Holy Light
The Church of the Holy Light (or simply the Church of Light) is a religious organization affiliated with the Alliance and is dedicated to creating a world of honor and justice in service to the Light. Its members strive to aid others and be good in all actions. By embodying the tenets of their religion, the Church's skilled clergy can use the power of the Light in various ways.

"Lightbound"
An army of Light extremists consisting of draenei, Mag'har orcs, and ogres from alternate Draenor led by High Exarch Yrel in service of the naaru. They waged war against the unified orc clans known as the Mag'har for the safety of Draenor. The Mag'har who refused to join call them "Lightbound", and what, if any other, name they have for themselves is unknown.