Renault Mograine was one of the first paladins of the Silver Hand and the eldest son of Alexandros Mograine. He was the final boss of Scarlet Monastery, one of the most famous dungeons in World of Warcraft, and the "dog and bitch" in the eyes of the Million Lords!
In the eyes of the people of Lordaeron, Renault was a lucky man. He was born into a noble family, and his father was the renowned lord of the Silver Hand paladins, Alexandros Mograine.
Old Mograine was a brave and skilled warrior, the strongest paladin in the Silver Hand. The only one who could match him in strength was Turalyon, who had led an expedition to Draenor.
On a somewhat unrelated note, Blizzard has retconned things yet again! In the latest lore, Alexandros had always been a steadfast paladin of the Silver Hand. The Scarlet Crusade was founded only after his death, by the Silver Hand's commander, Saidan Dathrohan, General Abbendis, Inquisitor Isillien, and others.
If anyone told Renault that he was lucky to have been born into such a family, or that having such a father was something to be proud of, he would tell them to get lost.
Every second he spent at home was torture. Old Mograine was a good man, a fine warrior, and a capable commander—but he was anything but a good father. He was quick-tempered and treated his home like a military camp, and his family like subordinates. As a result, Renault's life was full of criticism and reprimands.
If Old Mograine had treated every member of the family equally, perhaps Renault could have made peace with it. After all, if everyone got yelled at, then more or less everyone was in the same boat.
The real source of pain was unfairness. China's greatest thinker, Laozi, once said, "People don't fear having too little, but having things distributed unfairly!" Mograine was harsh with his wife, his eldest son, his subordinates, and even himself. But he doted on his younger son, Dalian, and that infuriated Renault, who had inherited Old Mograine's fiery temper.
What was even harder to bear was that Old Mograine used the excuse that it would interfere with training to forbid Renault from seeing his best playmate, Sally Whitemane.
Renault's life was already miserable enough. But somehow, it only got worse! A while ago, he had gone to Hearthglen for training, where he got into a fight with Taelan, Tirion Fordring's son, over some trivial matter. He and his little friend Bridget together couldn't beat Taelan. That brat had beaten them both black and blue.
Sally Whitemane had been standing nearby. Not only had she failed to help him, she'd actually cheered Taelan on! It had really hurt Renault. Fortunately, the instructor who happened to be passing by, Archbishop Iris Havinfar, had stepped in to settle things and healed them both.
Old Mograine heard about it from Sally Whitemane's father, Old Whitemane. In front of his subordinates, he gave Renault a merciless lecture, then threw him into a special training camp to fight Trolls. Renault didn't get to see Sally even once for a whole month.
That month of combat training had been remarkably effective! Renault's talent was actually quite good; otherwise, he never could have become the Scarlet Crusade's first commander. He had mastered many Warrior skills in battle, and none of the children around his age could beat him—not even Bridget. He had come to Hearthglen this time in the first place to prove himself!
After arriving, he hadn't seen Taelan Fordring in the chapel. The soldiers there said Taelan meditated in the chapel every day! Hearing the warmth and affection in their voices whenever they mentioned Taelan Fordring only stoked Renault's anger.
Iris Havinfar praised Taelan Fordring to the skies, too. She was a Priest from Stratholme who served as a recruit instructor and Archbishop in Hearthglen, while also working as a field medic. In Renault's eyes, though, she was Taelan Fordring's accomplice!
According to Sally Whitemane, the first thing this instructor did when she was on duty was go to the chapel and teach Taelan Fordring about the path of Holy Light. She taught him the techniques for wielding the Holy Light that she'd learned over many years of war, and trained him rigorously.
Renault thought Havinfar either wanted to use Taelan Fordring to climb the ranks or was after a much younger man! Taelan Fordring was handsome, after all. Even the High Elves, who were famous for their good looks, couldn't find a flaw in his appearance.
Later, he finally learned from one of Tirion Fordring's apprentices that Taelan Fordring had a guest at home. His friend, Princess Jaina Proudmoore, had come from Kul Tiras to visit Hearthglen, and he had to keep her company.
Fine. Out of sight, out of mind. He could get some good training in.
At that moment, a crowd had gathered to watch Renault and Bridget face off.
Renault had the match in the bag! But the cheers around him seemed to be dying down. He defeated Bridget with an Intercept followed by a Heroic Strike. Scattered applause rang out. Renault looked around and saw that the whole group had moved toward the training ground's entrance.
Then he saw his "lifelong enemy," Taelan Fordring, appear there. A pretty little girl in a dress stood beside him, holding his hand. The kid then respectfully greeted Iris.
He had to admit he was jealous! Taelan seemed born to lead. There was something about him that was hard to explain, something that made people want to gather around him. But whenever Renault saw him, his anger spiraled out of control. Then he saw Whitemane and Bridget head over to Taelan, too. Bridget even reached out to shake Taelan's hand, and Whitemane greeted him affectionately. Renault nearly lost it.
Unable to stand being upstaged any longer, Renault shouted, "Taelan Fordring, I challenge you to a duel!"
Taelan Fordring greatly admired Instructor Iris Havinfar. She had guided him along the path of Holy Light, and her understanding of it was closer to his own than anyone else's. The Holy Light came from one's own strong will and reverence for life. It had nothing to do with a god; it was simply a form of energy. Good people used it for good, and evil people used it for evil! His father's path of Holy Light, on the other hand, came largely from devout faith.
In World of Warcraft, Havinfar was actually the NPC for the Priest epic weapon Benediction quest. She died while protecting refugees fleeing Stratholme! She was a noble person!
Taelan Fordring knew Renault wouldn't let the matter rest unless he fought him today. Besides, many people had come to Hearthglen that day. It was the perfect stage to show what he could do. It was time the paladins of the Silver Hand learned how strong he was.
So Taelan Fordring slipped his hand out of Jaina's chubby little hand and replied calmly, "All right, Renault. Rest a little while; I need to change into my gear."
Then he went into the changing room. He picked out a blue-and-white set of Silver Hand recruit armor, a standard-issue longsword, and a standard-issue shield. After putting on his helmet, he walked out of the changing room.
By then, everyone had stopped training and gathered in the middle of the practice yard to watch the two fight.
Taelan Fordring didn't yet know that Alton, Tirion's captain of the guard, had already informed Old Fordring. He, his wife Karandra, and the Daelin couple had entered the training yard.
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