Warcraft/Characters/The Light

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


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: Downplayed. Recent lore has given the Light a ruthless side, but given its a higher power that nurtures life and is the only higher power to assert a definitive moral stance, the Light is either this or the closest thing to it in the Warcraft setting.
  • Color-Coded for Your Convenience
  • Good Powers, Bad People: Using the Light relies on one's faith in their ability to use it (plus the user can't draw on any other powers except Arcane and maybe the Void for discipline priests).
  • Healing Factor: The Light grants great healing abilities, to the point of limited resurrection.
  • Gold and White Are Divine: The Light manifests as a golden light or yellow-white crystals.
  • Holy Burns Evil: Undead are naturally weak against the Light, as are the Venthyr in Revendreth; something Denathrius used to punish wayward Venthyr and got turned back against Denathrius himself by Ren'thal and Z'rali after Denathrius' defeat.
  • Knight Templar: Has a faction equivalent in the Army of the Light. Also, followers of the Light at their worst end up as this.
  • 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.
  • Time Abyss: The oldest of Warcraft's six fundamental forces (and predated perhaps only by the First Ones).
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist

The Naaru

The naaru are a race of 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, methods or goals.

Named Naaru

A'dal

The leader and most powerful of the Sha'tar naaru, A'dal uses its power to protect Shattrath City from various threats. Like all naaru, A'dal is sworn to defeat the Burning Legion. It was ultimately responsible for persuading the Blood Knights (the blood elf order of paladins) to renounce Kael'thas's rule. Not much else is known about it.

In Wrath of the Lich King, it aids adventurers in helping a paladin infected with the Scourge plague by sending him to a better place via the powers of the light.

A'dal hits Fel Reaver for 114952.

Fel Reaver dies.

K'ara

Ku're

K'ure was the pilot of the Genedar, the ship that rescued the Draenei from Argus and also brought them to Draenor. The ship itself becoming known as Oshu'gun to the orcs. Like D'ore and K'ara, K'ure fell ill during the ship's descent onto Draenor and crashed in the region of Nagrand. Stuck within the ruined craft, K'ure slowly turned to a void state and called on the ghosts of orc ancestors for their energies to nurse him back to health.

In Warlords of Draenor, Gul'dan sent Cho'gall to Oshu'gun to subjugate K'ure, but Cho'gall instead killed K'ure by draining his Void energies and transformed K'ure into a full-blown void god named Decimatus, much like how M'uru became Entropius. Using Decimatus's power, Cho'gall turns on Gul'dan.

  • Casting a Shadow: In Warlords of Draenor as a darkened Naaru, and especially after becoming a Void God.
  • Dark Is Evil: As Decimatus.
  • Killed Off For Real: By Cho'gall in Warlords of Draenor.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: Ku're was the Naaru who warned Velen what would become of his people if they accepted Sargeras' offer and he's the one who piloted the Draenei

Lu'ra

When the Draenei fled from Argus via the Genedar, L'ura stayed behind to hold back the Burning Legion. She was, however, captured by an enraged Kil'jaeden in the Seat of the Triumvirate. In the 25,000 years since the Draenei's exile, she has fallen into darkness, acting as a beacon for the Void.

L'ura is the final boss in the Seat of the Triumvirate 5-man dungeon in Mac'Aree, which is where the final part of the Crown of the Triumvirate is kept.

  • Admiring the Abomination: On the receiving end of this from Locus-Walker. Locus-Walker is intrigued because all the cases he knew of where naaru fell into darkened states only fell into that because of mortal intervention. He set his curiosity aside, though, as Lu'ra was too dangerous to leave alive.
  • Casting a Shadow: She only uses Void powers when fought in the Seat of the Triumvirate.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: The threat is not L'ura herself, but the Void energy she radiates, which lures the real threats to Mac'Aree.
  • Final Boss: Of the Seat of the Triumvirate dungeon and the Argus campaign overall.
  • Go Mad From the Isolation: She was captured by Kil'jaeden and kept wounded as prisoner in the Seat of the Triumvirate from shortly after the Draenei left Argus. 25,000 years later, her voice, once full of hope, now emanates despair.
  • Hold the Line: L'ura did this against the Burning Legion to aid the fleeing draenei. While they successfully escaped, this only made her victim of Kil'jaeden's anger.
  • Killed Off for Real: After being defeated by the adventurers, her essence is absorbed by Alleria Windrunner.
  • Power Incontinence: Unlike other darkened naaru, Lu'ra is not deliberately using her power to lure agents and creatures of the Void to her. It's a by-product of her mental instability and altered state.
  • Tragic Villain: Lu'ra neither a villain by choice or evil, but the harm caused by her despair-induced power incontinence makes her a threat that needs to be stopped.

M'uru

O'ros

Saa'ra

Ti'or

Xe'ra

A Prime Naaru, one of the first naaru to be made, and founder and leader of the Army of the Light. Her core, known as Light's Heart, was sent to Azeroth by Turalyon as a last-ditch effort to get help. After being awakened by the Tears of Elune, she directs the player through major turning points in Illidan's life, and serves as a vessel for his soul prior to his resurrection.

  • Action Mom
  • Arch Angel: All but stated to be this as a Prime Naaru.
  • Because Destiny Says So: A firm believer in destiny, to the point she tried to Lightforge Illidan by force in order to lead him down the path she had planned for him. though Illidan violently rejected her offer.
  • Chooser of the Chosen One: Invoked. She proclaimed Illidan is the "Child of Light and Shadow", destined to defeat the Burning Legion. While she was right about Illidan being a "Child of Light and Shadow" and him playing a role in the Legion's defeat, he disagreed with her "Champion of the Light" role.
  • Fantastic Racism: She hate the Void and anyone who draws on its power (including Alleria when she starts doing so). However, her hatred of the Void is justified, as its the Always Chaotic Evil arch nemesis of the Light (even if some who draw on its powers aren't) and its leaders' endgame is worse than the Burning Legion's.
  • The Fundamentalist: Subverted. She is completely incapable of seeing any power besides the Light as good. According to Velen, she withheld the existence of Dark Naaru from the Army of the Light. Subverted because she allowed Lightforged Draenei to be mages (who use Arcane power more than the Light), such as Archmage Y'mera, and was talked out of killing Alleria for using the Void by Turalyon and Lothraxion.
  • Hero of Another Story: She has been travelling the universe since it was formed, rallying the survivors of worlds the Burning Legion has destroyed into an army to defeat them. She also saved Illidan from Kil'jaeden in the titular novel, and Turalyon and Alleria from the destruction of Draenor.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Downplayed, as "sacrifice" is not the right word since she wasn't dead, she still takes her core away from the rest of her body to get reinforcements from Azeroth leaving her in a vulnerable state.
  • Killed Off For Real: Killed by Illidan when he rejects her attempt to forcibly replace his demonic powers with holy magic.
  • Mama Bear: Xe'ra has several motifs of motherhood, her title is "Light Mother" after all.
    • While they weren't birthed by her, Xe'ra's adoration for her Army of the Light has been compared to a mother's adoration for her children.
    • Her forcefulness with Illidan could be seen as akin to an overbearing mother; believing that she's protecting her children by making decisions for them and that she knows best.
    • Her hostility towards any outsiders who threaten or attack the Army of the Light rings of this trope.
    • Also among Naaru, as Xe'ra did make at least two other Naaru (Velen refers to the Naaru O'ros as the last of Xe'ra's line).
  • The Needs of the Many: While Xe'ra loves entire races as if they are her own children, she can be aloof towards the feelings and desires of individuals. She tends to make blasé statements towards people unless they have a role of vital importance. She has been at the frontline of millennia of war against the Burning Legion, so between timespan and stakes her view is oriented on the big picture.
  • Not Quite Dead: The adventurers find her core inert, and even upon recognition Velen treats her as a MacGuffin, but contact with the Tear of Elune allows her to communicate with the player character.
  • Pet the Dog: She either allowed Turalyon to communicate with his son Arator via her core, or personally passed along his message to Arator.
  • Time Abyss: Xe'ra said she was made during "the Great Ordering of the Cosmos" following the Warcraft universe's Big Bang. This would make Xe'ra and any other Prime Naaru at least as old as the Titans.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: While she is a Naaru and trying to save creation from the Burning Legion and the Void, she has a pretty dim view on anyone using evil powers whether or not they are evil themselves, judging by her treatment of Alleria. However she does give some leeway where the arcane is concerned, judging by Archmage Y'mera.

Z'rali

  • Badass in Distress: Z'rali is first encountered as a prisoner in Denathrius' dungeon, the Sanguine Depths. Even in the form of an essence core, she also helps protect the dungeon group.
  • Broken Angel: She was subject to experiments on Denathrius' orders. What was done to her was unknown, but it somehow altered her nature.
  • Determinator: Despite being alone and imprisoned for millennia, Z'rali still held her fortitude and loyalty. She also resolves to maintain the Light's influence in Revendreth despite knowing the other Naaru will shun her. Also, where Lu'ra fell to the Void on Argus, Z'rali kept herself in the Light state.
  • Laser-Guided Karma: Delivers this to Denathrius after the Castle Nathria raid. After being imprisoned and experimented on Denathrius by millennia, Z'rali uses her powers to help imprison Denathrius and works with Ren'thal to purge his sins. As a bonus, the cutscene involves literal amplified beams of light.
  • Time Abyss: Is millennia old.
  • You Can't Go Home Again: Denathrius' experiments altered her in a way that other Naaru would consider her an abomination, as a result Z'rali can never return to the Light home plane of other Naaru. According to Draven, her experiences have also left her too weak to make the journey.

Forces of the Light

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.

Lothraxion

A Lightforged Nathrezim who is a high-ranking officer in the Army of the Light, and came to help Azeroth in the seige of Netherlight Temple.

  • Ambiguous Situation: A missive in Castle Nathria states that all Nathrezim are spies/moles serving Denathrius and the Shadowlands who ingratiated themselves with the various cosmic forces and report back to him. This raises a big question regarding Lothraxion's true loyalties. Did he genuinely Heel Face Turn to the Light? Was he a spy for Denathrius all along? Is he a potential sleeper agent to activate at the right time to cripple the cause of the Light? While his original loyalties are now known, whether it changed from Denathrius or survived his Lightforging is a different question entirely.
  • Ascended Demon: Formerly a Nathrezim of the Burning Legion, Lothraxion was purified with the Light, becoming a holy crusader against his demon brethren.
  • Bald of Awesome: Unique amongst Nathrezim, Lothraxion has no horns, but instead his head has scars there they used to be, indicating they were removed.
  • Bling of War: Clad nearly head-to-hoof in golden armor.
  • Commanding Coolness: The High Commander of the Army of the Light under Turalyon and Xe'ra.
  • Eye Beams: He is able to shoot beams of Light out of his eyes.
  • Good Wings, Evil Wings: He has bat-like wings, and fit evil as a member of the Burning Legion, but now his wings shimmer with the Light after his Lightforging.
  • Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Despite being able to wear a helmet with his horns removed, Lothraxion never does.
  • Light Is Good: He has been fighting alongside the Army of the Light since before Turalyon and Alleria joined, and they have fought with the Army of the Light for a millennium.
  • Shout-Out: Lothraxion is a demon who was turned from evil, had his horns sheared off and dedicates his life to helping a military group protecting people even though it makes him a Hunter of His Own Kind because they're stopping cosmic destruction. Are talking about Lothraxion or Hellboy?
  • Token Heroic Orc: Normally, dreadlords are cunning, evil vampires that hold high rank in the Burning Legion; he's not, seemingly.
  • Touched by Vorlons: Like Lightforged Draenei, he was transformed by Xe'ra. Its unknown whether this was willing or not, with evidence leaning towards willing; he is remembered his time serving the Burning Legion with regret, in the Warcraft universe at least some demons are aliens corrupted by dark magic, her persuaded Xe'ra not to kill Alleria for her Void use and then there's the possibility he's a mole for the forces of death.

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.

  • Arch Enemy: To the Scourge, as the order was created to fight against it.
  • Defector From Decadence: The original Argent Dawn was this to the remnants of the Silver Hand, as most of them joined the Scarlet Crusade. The Argent Crusade itself includes undead members who left the Forsaken because they were unhappy with their brethren's progressively morally questionable actions.
  • Equal Opportunity Evil: Inverted; despite being an unambiguously good faction, they are notably open-minded about who they recruit, and accept both Alliance and Horde species in their ranks.
  • Good Counterpart: To the Scarlet Crusade, as the Argent Crusade are heroic and noble unlike the heavily racist Knight Templar Scarlets. On a character basis, there is Argent Confessor Paletress, a nice equivalent of Inquisitor Whitemane, even wearing a similar stripperific outfit, though she is genuinely kind and caring.
  • Good Is Not Soft: Though noble and heroic, they fight fiercely and fearlessly against the Scourge and the Burning Legion. Also, while not unreasonable, they don't take kindly to people abusing their trust, including their allies.
  • Jousting Lance
  • Light Is Good: They are followers of the Church of the Light, and unlike their Scarlet Crusade counterpart, they are genuinely noble and heroic plus equal opportunity employers.
  • The Order
  • Order Reborn
  • Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Their relationship with the Knights of the Ebon Blade is strained, since they disapprove of the more morally questionable actions their Death Knight allies do. This came to a head during Legion when the Knights broke into Light's Hope Chapel to raise Tirion Fordring as a Death Knight against the Legion, but this was resolve as the Light itself rebuffed the Death Knights and the Argent Crusade later called in the favor. Unlike the Alliance and the Horde, though, the two groups do safely work together against common enemies.
  • The Tournament: They organized the Argent Tournament during the war in Northrend. This included jousting competitions and battles against monsters and other competitors to select the champions who will besiege Icecrown Citadel and was later disrupted when the Lich King himself attacked the tournament.

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.

  • Saintly Church: The Church of the Holy Light, which most of the human kingdoms and the dwarves of Khaz Modan belong to. It does have its number of corrupt members and offshoots, but remains for the most part a Saintly Church.
  • Corrupt Church: A rogue offshoot of the Church of the Holy Light, the Scarlet Crusade, is one of the best examples of this in the franchise.

Draenor

On the world of Draenor, the Light is touched through the goddess Rukhmar and her followers.

Rukhmar

Rukhmar the Sun Goddess

One of Draenor's Wild Gods, the high Sun Goddess of the Arakkoa, she aided Anzu the Raven God in battling the demigod Sethe and slaying him. Rukhmar is the creator of the arakkoa, making them to embody her grace and Anzu's cunning. Rukhmar fears and hates the arakkoa cursed by Sethe, and her followers have engaged war on them in her name...at least that last part is what the Adherents would like everyone to believe. In truth, she was a largely benevolent deity who died long before the cursed arakkoa came to be.

Rukhmar's Adherents

The Adherents of Rukhmar are the brutal and oppressive ruling class of the Spires of Arak, homeland of the arakkoa.

Army of the Light/The "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.

  • Appropriated Appellation: At the meta level. "Lightbound" is the Mag'har's name for Orcs who turned against them by joining the Draenei and helping spread the Light. What, if any, name Yrel's faction have for themselves is unknown, but since the units use the nameplate "Lightbound" that's the name they're known by.
  • Equal Opportunity Evil: They are the antagonists of the scenario and will enlist anybody into their ranks.
  • I Fight for the Strongest Side: The reason the Ogres joined the Lightbound. While they had beef with both sides, the Ogres respect strength and didn't think the Orcs could fend off the new Draenei offensive.
  • Join or Die: The main (perhaps only) reason the Lightbound can be considered antagonists. Everyone they encounter is given three choices; join the Light willingly, be forced to join, or die.
  • Kick the Son of a Bitch: Many of the Mag'har they seek to conquer and enslave were once members of the Iron Horde who tried to enslave or genocide the Draenei without provocation. In fact their leader, Yrel, is a former Iron Horde slave whose sister Saamara was killed for Grom's plans, and one of the highest-ranking Mag'har is alternate universe Grom, the former leader of the Iron Horde whose war crimes while leading it went unpunished.
  • Knight Templar: They have good goals, but will use horrible means as readily as good ones to accomplish them including at least cultural genocide.
  • Shadow Archetype: Serve as this to the Army of the Light, showing what they could be like as antagonists.
  • To Be Lawful or Good: Firmly on the side of Lawful with Good being secondary.
  • Totalitarian Utilitarian: They want to bring peace and order to alt-Draenor along with spreading the Light. They also don't fight among themselves and treat each other well. They're the bad guys.
  • Villain Has A Point: Despite their villainous status and extremism, they make several valid points. They have good reason to call the Mag'har "savage" due to their their past experiences at the hands of the Iron Horde (see Kick the Son of a Bitch above) and the Laughing Skulls clan (who were violently xenophobic and never joined the Iron Horde; even the Frostwolves were reluctant to ally with them at first). A recurring criticism from the Lightbound is that alt-Draenor is dangerously divided... which is absolutely correct because alt-Draenor is a Death World gigantic aggressive wildlife, the Forever War between its Elmental Embodiments - the Breakers and the Botani, and aggressive civilizations such as the Ogre Gorian Empire and Arrakoa raiders.
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