Saidan Dathrohan

Grand Crusader Saidan Dathrohan was one of the first five paladins of the Knights of the Silver Hand along with Uther the Lightbringer, Turalyon, Tirion Fordring, and Gavinrad the Dire. Once a loyal knight of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, he was chosen by Archbishop Alonsus Faol to become one of the founding members of the Order of the Silver Hand.

A hero of the Alliance of Lordaeron during the Second War, he became the Lord Commander of the Silver Hand and protected the lands of Lordaeron for years. When the Plague of Undeath began to spread, he fought the undead, and following the suspension of the order by Prince Arthas Menethil, he joined forces with High General Abbendis and the priest Isillien to keep the fight against the Scourge.

Following the Scourging of Lordaeron, and the murder of Uther the Lightbringer and King Terenas Menethil II, Saidan and Alexandros Mograine worked together to reform their ranks in their war against the Lich King. However, during a mission in the burning Stratholme, he was captured and killed by the dreadlord Balnazzar, who possessed his body in order to manipulate the order from within. Now a corpse doll serving the interests of the Burning Legion, his identity was used by the demon to form the Scarlet Crusade, a fanatical, corrupt and extremist sect dedicated to the destruction of the undead and, after the manipulations of Balnazzar, to the slaughter of anyone who opposes their doctrines.

It was only after years of manipulation that Saidan's body was destroyed, after adventurers pushed the nathrezim to his limits in an attempt to eliminate him.

Second War
Originally a knight of Lordaeron, Saidan Dathrohan was nearly six and a half feet tall. He eventually found faith and got closer to the Church of the Light, studying with Archbishop Alonsus Faol.

At the beginning of the Second War, he was chosen by the Archbishop as one of the four candidates from Lordaeron to start the order of the Knights of the Silver Hand, along with Uther, Tirion Fordring, Turalyon and Gavinrad. While traveling with Anduin Lothar's army, Saidan and the others were trained vigorously day and night by Faol, who taught them how to use the Light to comfort their allies, to smite their enemies and how to lead by example, as they would be more than weapons but beacons of hope to guide the Alliance of Lordaeron. As their training progressed, Faol presented each of the paladins with enchanted librams that were among the church's most ancient relics. Each libram represented a core trait of the Silver Hand that Faol challenged his students to become the living embodiment of, and Saidan was given the Libram of Holiness.

During Tirion's ceremony of induction into the Order of the Silver Hand, Saidan, who was one of his closest friends, was in charge of placing the silver plates upon Tirion's shoulders.

Following the Second War, he, Uther, Saidan, and Tirion were present during the introduction ceremony in the order of Prince Arthas Menethil, at the Cathedral of Light of Stormwind City. It was the first time they had all been together after many years.

Of Blood and Honor
A few years before the Third War, Saidan, then Lord Commander of the order, established himself in Stratholme. He was the direct superior of his friend Tirion Fordring, who lived in Mardenholde Keep and ruled over the province of Hearthglen. Contacted by the paladin Barthilas, who was suspicious of Tirion's intentions towards an orc that had been found in the area, Saidan traveled with an escort to Hearthglen to meet his old friend. After a warm reunion, a meeting took place in Mardenholde Keep where Saidan questioned Tirion about the presence of orcs on his lands. Despite Tirion's attempts to assure him that the situation was under control, Saidan explained that a new Warchief had just manifested, and that he had started the liberation of the internment camps in order to create a new Horde.

Facing this terrible threat, he ordered Tirion Fordring to escort them to the ruined tower where he fought the old orc, in order to ensure the death of the latter or to hunt him down if not. Hours later, they reached the ruined tower in Hearthglen Woods, and after discovering Eitrigg, Saidan ordered the orc's capture. However, Tirion tried to stop his men, and Saidan was forced to capture Tirion. He tried to bring Tirion back to his senses and asked him to stop opposing them, but faced with the latter's refusal, he had no other choice than to accuse him of treason and to send him to Stratholme to stand trial.

During the trial, Saidan gave his testimony to the jury, consisting of Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, Arch-Mage Antonidas, Archbishop Alonsus Faol, and Prince Arthas Menethil. After being dismissed by Uther the Lightbringer, he was disgruntled by Barthilas’ lack of respect for his former master, being against the latter's attempts to try to impress him by treating Tirion with cruelty as a traitor. When Tirion was asked to reject his vow of honor for Eitrigg, in order to put it all behind him, Saidan implored his friend to accept this pardon from Uther and the jury. But when he refused, Dathrohan sat down heavily on his chair, shaking his head in dismay.

Following Tirion's trial and banishment, Saidan was present at Stratholme when was organized the execution of the orc Eitrigg. He talked for a few moments with the crowd and Barthilas, before withdrawing, as he had no interest in watching the vulgar spectacle so soon after his friend's trial. When Tirion intervened to save the orc, Saidan reappeared and stared at his former friend with grief and revulsion, but could not intervene due to the Horde's attack on the city.

The Ashbringer
At the time of the Third War, after the purification of the dark crystal brought by Alexandros Mograine, Saidan arrived to announce that Prince Arthas Menethil suspended the paladins of the Order of the Silver Hand from service. Soon after Alexandros Mograine went to Ironforge to forge a new weapon against the Scourge, Sir Thomas reported to Saidan, Isillien, and Abbendis that Baron Rivendare was a traitor working with the Scourge and the Cult of the Damned. Although Thomas wanted to aid him and the knights, Saidan reminded him that he has a family to take care of and that no one in the order would blame him for spending some time with them in these dark times. As his superior, he ordered the paladin to return home to rest and see his family.

A few days after the death of King Terenas Menethil II and Uther the Lightbringer, Thomas returned to Saidan to serve him. Learning that his wife did not want to go to Kalimdor, Saidan comforted Sir Thomas, and explained that he needed to fight more than ever to protect them from the undead.

Following the Scourging of Lordaeron, Saidan and Alexandros led the remaining members of the order to Hearthglen, where they were welcomed by Taelan Fordring to make plans in their fight against the undead. After the Third War, during an assault on the Scourge-held city of Stratholme, Saidan was separated from the others and captured by the dreadlord Balnazzar. The demon slew him and possessed his body, which he prevented from decaying with his magic. In the guise of such a respected holy warrior, the dreadlord was confident that he could twist most of the remaining paladins into his service. However, Alexandros Mograine was beyond his reach, and the sooner he was gone, the sooner the other paladins would fall under Balnazzar's influence.

Now a corpse doll serving the interests of the Burning Legion, the identity of Saidan Dathrohan was used to manipulate Renault Mograine, he then turned the young human to darkness and forced him to commit one of the gravest of acts, to murder his own father with the Ashbringer. Once the Highlord was killed, and the Ashbringer lost to Kel'Thuzad, Saidan became the leader and Grand Crusader of his newly created order: the Scarlet Crusade. He was later present during the introduction ceremony of Renault as a paladin and blessed him as Commander of the Scarlet Crusade, he also promoted Isillien and the Abbendises to positions of authority in the new organization.

Among the paladin, some of the suspected that a dark force had taken hold of Saidan and his closest followers, but they could not prove it. Only Fairbanks, who managed to survive the ambush at Stratholme, blamed Saidan for sending him and Alexandros to their deaths. Pretending to be innocent, the possessed paladin accused the priest of being infected and had him executed.

For years, Balnazzar used Saidan's body to slowly transform the Crusade into a fanatical sect dedicated to the destruction of the undead and to the slaughter of anyone who opposes them.

A Cleansing Fire
At some point after the creation of the Scarlet Crusade, the possessed Saidan recruited Sir Thomas in their ranks. When Thomas was ordered to kill a "plagued" village, he mistakenly killed his own family and went mad from grief. After being knocked out and forced into confinement by his fellow Crusaders, his insanity steadily grew worse and he began muttering demented little rhymes in different pitches and tones. Consequently, Saidan came up with a plan on how to help him - while the nathrezim was in fact responsible - and sent him to fight the undead on the upcoming Hallow's End. However, this only made Thomas' insanity intensify as he slew both friend and foe alike, and the Crusaders were forced to behead him.

Afterward, Saidan proposed to prepare the body himself for cremation, once alone Balnazzar emerged from Saidan's corpse, and using his own blood, infused Thomas' body with fel energies to raise the paladin as the Headless Horseman, in order to spread fear and chaos during the holiday that is meant for giving peace of mind and hope for the future.

World of Warcraft
Years later, from the Scarlet Bastion in the ruins of Stratholme, the possessed Saidan led a group of elite Crusade warriors known as the Crimson Legion, and continued to manipulate the leaders of the Scarlet Crusade, Grand Inquisitor Isillien, Taelan Fordring, and High General Brigitte Abbendis to accomplish his goals.

When Taelan was convinced by his father Tirion Fordring to leave the Scarlet Crusade, the Grand Crusader heard the news of his betrayal and sent Isillien with assassins to kill the Fordrings.

Upon the disbanding of the Veiled Blade, Jarien and Sothos decided to join the Scarlet Crusade, but they were slain by Dathrohan for failing the knighthood initiation rites inside his chamber.

At some point, adventurers attacked the Scarlet Bastion and faced the Grand Crusader. During the fight, the dreadlord Balnazzar revealed his true form, thus destroying Saidan's human remains. They then brought the head of the demon to Duke Nicholas Zverenhoff at Light's Hope Chapel, revealing that the Scarlet Crusade was used by the demon as the pawns to a greater evil.

Cataclysm
By the time of the Cataclysm, Balnazzar released the possessed body of Grand Crusader Dathrohan and slaughtered all the Scarlet Crusaders in Stratholme and used his necromantic powers to resurrect their corpses as the Risen.

Of Blood and Honor

 * I have ordered that it remain alive, Barthilas. Your wounded pride is not nearly as important as the information the creature may have. Restrain the beast.
 * Tirion, what in the Light’s name has come over you? Your actions are treasonous! Tell me you have some explanation for all of this! Tell me you didn’t just try to free this creature!

The Ashbringer

 * Officially we are to do nothing; we must wait while Uther seeks council with King Terenas. Unofficially, we will explore all available options to wipe out the Scourge entirely.
 * You are an agent of shadow, and that is all I need to know. Make your peace, demon!

A Cleansing Fire

 * Think, my brother: your family still lives. No one here begrudges you the time it takes to watch over your loved ones. So many have died. We must find joy where we can. Rejoice in your good fortune. It is a luxury few among us know.


 * Have you not thought of your fallen brethren and been filled with holy wrath? Wouldn't any man react with righteous fury to an evil that threatened his loved ones? We fight hardest to protect what we love the most.

In the RPG
To fight back against the undead they saw as having corrupted Arthas and destroyed their order, Isillien, Abbendis, Saidan Dathrohan, Scarlet Commander Morgraine, and Taelan Fordring founded the Scarlet Crusade. Not long after, the paladin Saidan Dathrohan became Grand Commander Dathrohan. He took command of the organization, while Abbendis and Isillien took control of the troops.

As the head of the Scarlet Crusade, the Grand Crusader Saidan Dathrohan is served beneath him by the Scarlet Oracle Demetria; High General Abbendis; Grand Inquisitor Isillien; Highlord Taelan Fordring; and Crusader Lord Valdelmar. The grand crusader handles the grisly, prolonged siege of Stratholme, but struggles to hold a small outpost known as the Scarlet Bastion in the undead-infested city of Stratholme, the Scarlet Crusade’s holiest site.

Grand Crusader Saidan Dathrohan masquerades as a pious paladin of the Holy Light, but in reality he is the dreadlord Balnazzar. Balnazzar, an agent of the Burning Legion, manipulates the Scarlet Crusade to war against the Lich King, former pawn of the Burning Legion. The heroes may inadvertently intercept missives to Dathrohan that imply he is loyal to a force other than the Scarlet Crusade.

No one in the crusade is aware that Dathrohan is a demon — they simply believe him to be a holy knight obsessed with the destruction of the undead. Balnazzar possessed the body of the paladin Saidan Dathrohan, who then helped found the Scarlet Crusade, an order of knights focused on the singular goal of defeating the Scourge in all its forms, and he uses this fact to his advantage as much as possible, intending not only to defeat the undead but one day to secure his hold on Lordaeron.

Items
When he was under the guise of Saidan Dathrohan, Balnazzar kept on him the greatsword Demonshear and the Hammer of the Grand Crusader. After the fight, the weapons were recovered, along with other demonic artifacts, and sealed by sacred wards in the Sanctum of Light under the watch of the Knights of the Silver Hand.

Several items that dropped within Naxxramas bore the title "Grand Crusader" such as Belt of the Grand Crusader, Leggings of the Grand Crusader, and Spaulders of the Grand Crusader.

The Grand Crusader's Helm also drops from Balnazzar, there is an artifact relic named Dathrohan's Signet rewarded by Mr. Shackle in A Favor for Mr. Shackle, Dathrohan's Ceremonial Hammer drops from Captain Skarloc in Old Hillsbrad Foothills, and Crusade Commander Eligor Dawnbringer rewards Dathrohan's Mace in The Dreadlord Balnazzar.

Notes and trivia

 * He was the only Silver Hand paladin to have had a red Lordaeron tabard instead of blue.
 * Saidan appears as a legendary Paladin minion in the Fractured in Alterac Valley expansion for Hearthstone. His flavor text reads: "An orc mage accidentally kited him all the way from Stratholme."