Army of the Truthful

The Army of the Truthful is an extremist splinter faction of the Scarlet Crusade lead by High Cleric Ostrick the Zealous. Comprised of a predominately younger generation of fanatics, with very few veterans sprinkled among their upper echelons, the Truthful to seek to not only destroy the Forsaken and remnants of the Scourge, but have declared a war driven by equal bitterness against the Argent Crusade and their allies.

"Know that the Light's will is absolute, and may not be compromised for the sake of pragmatism or any other earthly concerns for that matter. As servants of Its holy will, it is not our place to alter or change it for any reason, for what kind of servant disobeys their master?"

Ideology
See: Truth  Radicalized by a doctrine rooted in the intolerant beliefs of the Scarlet Crusade’s founders, the Truthful, to some degree, have become more extreme than the organization it branched off of. In addition to hating the undead, the Truthful also hate almost anybody that differs from them--both good and bad--from the Alliance to the Burning Legion, and most things in between.

Despite their xenophobia and paranoia, in some ways the Truthful's civil law is progressive, in that it encourages equality under the law, discourages nepotism, enables charity, and heavily disregards the idea of absolute authority of the "High Cleric". In practice, the High Cleric is more of a guiding hand than a ruler--at least in the kingly sense. The governance functions as a theocratic oligarchy.

Military
The military of the Army of the Truthful, also known as the Kingdom Defenders, is largely composed of armed irregulars and skirmishers, a far cry from the heavily armored formations of disciplined footmen that was emblematic of the Scarlet Crusade. While footmen and crusaders in the traditional sense still played a part, they were mostly an officer corps distributed among the regular militants and fighters, to both provide experience and training, as well as to inspire morale and some amount of discipline. The standard armor of the militiamen consists of standard or light armors, largely low-grade metals and materials arming them meagerly, yet efficiently enough. Most wore crimson jerkins or headbands to signify their allegiance over the standard tabard, and only their commanding officers reliably don a coherent crusader's ensemble. While most of the overseeing tactics and training are carried out by veteran and classically trained paladin-knights, the fighting style of the Truthful is far different than the conventional footman's. Even the more fundamental crusaders have adapted a hit-and-run strategy and granular attrition in the style of guerrilla warfare within their fields of operation, striking loud and fast before darting into the hills to recover. While few among the Truthful, surviving Scarlet veterans do number the upper ranks, many of them among a knightly unit commanded by Andric Raymore, known as the Knights of Dathrohan. These men are noted by their crimson-striped tabards, indicative of the Crimson Legion that once served as the vanguard for the Grand Crusader of the original Scarlet Crusade. Mostly trained in a paladin's arts, a Knight of Dathrohan boasts a deadly combat prowess. While they are now few in number, after facing a heavy defeat in the Scarlet Monastery at the hands of the Ebon Blade, those that remain face battle with a hardened vigor.

The High Cleric
The position of the High Cleric is the de-facto spiritual and to some extent military leader of the Truthful. His authority is theoretically extreme, but in reality his position is closer to a figurehead rather than an actual supreme leader.

The Council of Truth
The Council of Truth is the main governing body of the Truthful, and both keep the High Cleric in check by ensuring his adherence to the Codex of Flame, and control the various daily affairs of the Kingdom of the Light.

The Council of Truth is presided over by three chairs, each representing one of the three main sects of the Truthful:
 * Seat of Justice: Held by the High Inquisitor, Ella Holcomb.
 * Seat of Wisdom: Held by the High Scholar, currently unclaimed.
 * Seat of Might: Held by the High General, Benaiah IV

The Council of Might
The Council of Might is the collection of individuals that ultimately oversees the central military actions of the Kingdom of the Light, and is led by the High General, Benaiah IV, who has executive power over the actions of it.

In addition to leading military campaigns of the central military, the Council of Might is also in charge of ensuring that the High Cleric and the Council of Truth is fulfilling its duties in regards to the expansion of the Kingdom, maintaining of its borders, and to an extent, sufficient adherence to the aggressive nature of Truth.

The Council of Justice
The Council of Justice is the collection of individuals responsible for the inquisition wing of the Truthful, and the implementation of the Law of Flame throughout the Kingdom of the Light. It also serves as the intelligence arm of the Truthful. It is led by the High Inquisitor, Ella Holcomb.

Office of the Provinces
Due to the decentralized nature of the Kingdom of the Light, the Office of the Provinces is the body that controls and maintains the affairs of the individual provinces that compose the Kingdom of the Light, and indeed each leader of each province, known as a "Lord-Protector", is a member of the Office of the Provinces

Office of Bureaus
The Office of Bureaus is the governing body that oversees the affairs of the various bureaus that regulate various aspects of daily life, from trade, to health, to soldiery.

Kingdom Defenders
The central military force of the Truthful lead by the High General.

Knights of Dathrohan
A cadre of elite knights serving as a vanguard for the remnant Scarlet Crusade, of whom preserve the traditional conduct of a knightly order. They are lead by the Knight-Commander.

Inquisition
The religious tribunal and clerical order of the Truthful, lead by the High Inquisitor, that ensures the order's loyalty and adherence to command.

Scouting and Infiltration
The forward ranger and assassin force of the Truthful that is primarily commanded by the High Infiltrator.

Allied Forces and Militia
The allied forces and militias within surviving settlements are appointed with a Lord-Protector to govern the region in which they operate.

Current Holdings
The Truthful's foremost theater of expansion is within Lordaeron, where they seek to eradicate every other faction that inhabits it. The primary goal of the group is to establish their own nation; to build a bastion of purity for humanity, of which they have named the Kingdom of the Light.

Tirisfal Glades
Within Tirisfal, the primary command of the Truthful was once based in Scarlet Monastery; however, due to a recent siege by the Ebon Blade, most of the leadership had fled, leaving High Commander Goodchilde's forces and the Knights of Dathrohan to defend the Crusader's Chapel. While the defending Scarlet fighters were among the veteran ranks, they were eventually overrun, leaving most forces dead or pinned down within the monastery's military wing.

While the strongest forces of the Truthful were nearly wiped out, a large militia and group of holdouts operate within the Scarlet Palisade, where they oversee and guard a stretch of farmland nearby. The guerrilla Scarlet forces ensure that the farmhands and workers are not infiltrated and compromised by threats with a vigilant watch.

The Plaguelands and Hillsbrad
The territory of the Truthful's expeditionary force that is their Kingdom Defenders are scattered and tenuous, as settlements are often vulnerable or well hidden. The rag-tag forces are often found skirmishing with either Argent patrols, the Forsaken within Hillsbrad, or whatever lingering Scourge they find within the Eastern Plaguelands. What exists primarily of the Truthful's organized forces and relative stronghold within the Western Plaguelands is a provincial region north of the Forsaken territory of the Bulwark, referred colloquially as the Scarlet Encroach, otherwise known as 'New Andorhal.' This region is currently under siege by a coalition lead by the Knights of Solidarity.

The Truthful now use a large settlement of human refugees near the northern shores of Lordamere Lake as their primary recruitment grounds, with their inquisition stationed within Pyrebane Keep.

Northrend
The Truthful's operation within the garrison of New Hearthglen has dwindled significantly following the combat of the Dragonblight Offensive, and command has since been turned over to the Scarlet Onslaught.

The forces under the command of High General Marvin Hayes lost most, if not of their forward settlements within Dragonblight--Daion's Point being the first to be siezed, following with Fort Akkil and the vital supply line being used known as the Crimson Portcullis.

Tirisfal
The Army of the Truthful initially started out as one of the splinter organizations that formed when the leadership of the Scarlet Crusade either left for Northrend, or was destroyed. Without any real central leadership, divisions formed, and with time, so did ideology and convictions. Army of the Truthful was one of these organizations, and one of the larger factions at the time of its founding.

Focused heavily on guerrilla warfare and with a uniquely zealous religious message based on the teachings of Chandan Ostrick, it quickly grew from both the novelty of its message, the ability of its warfare to adapt to the changing situation, and by sheer ambition on the part of Chandan and its other leaders such as Marvin Hayes or Derek Truesteel. The group quickly absorbed other brigades like the nationalistic Bastion of Tirisfal, although despite that, did not change or compromise its ideology with the new additions.

It was during this time period that the group ventured to the Scarlet Monastery, then held by an outpost of the Scarlet Salvation, who after a lengthy confrontation allowed the party of militants and crusaders into the sacred library of the Scarlet Crusade. It was there that a few tomes important and relevant to the Truthful's ideology were discovered, the most notable and influential of which being the Book of Flame.

The group focused heavily on propaganda as well, the acquisition of a printing press being one of the first missions of the Army. After this was achieved, Ostrick penned multiple addresses to the Alliance, Stormwind, King Varian Wrynn, the Clergy, and to the Argent Crusade. Unflinchingly ideological and having a view of a singular "Truth", anybody who did not fall in line or followed different teachings were a target - which was most of Azeroth.

Taking advantage of the situation brewing in Hillsbrad between the humans and the Forsaken, Ostrick focused heavily on debasing the Argent Crusade's neutrality, and with that, gained a slew of very zealous converts and recruits from Hillsbrad, who had nothing to lose and had every reason to hate both the Forsaken and the Argents. With this, the Truthful grew and rose in prominence.

However, there was a major setback around this period - the main base of their operations, the Palisade, was taken by a party of Alliance-aligned actors, routing the Truthful to the mountains and hills surrounding Tirisfal. Dwelling in caves and descending down into the lowlands to raid only once in a while, this was an inglorious time for the Army.

Northrend
It was around this time that the then scholar Erice Mastragonde and Ostrick ventured to Northrend in search of what became of New Hearthglen; the impregnable fortress of the Scarlet Onslaught. They knew what the Truthful needed was glory, and such a fortress would surely provide them that. Upon arriving, they found the citadel empty, left almost as it was when it was deserted. After establishing a connection with the Ley Lines, they got to work with teleporting most of the Truthful's presence to the barren tundra of Dragonblight.

Around the same time as the capture of New Hearthglen, a tome known as the Book of Hope was discovered. It detailed the foundation of a "Kingdom of the Light", which the Truthful saw as themselves, and named their polity in Northrend accordingly. Slowly, the insurgent group made a transition to being a sovereign dominion, and with that, attracted various zealots from throughout Azeroth with their message.

This budding "Kingdom of the Light" expanded, gaining parts of Dragonblight and Grizzly Hills, and with these victories, grew in strength and prosperity. A city known as "Ostridan" was founded in the Grizzly Hills, and shortly after, Onslaught Harbor in Icecrown was taken as well, being dubbed "Ormania".

Terrorism
While terrorism against the Alliance was always part of the Truthful's operations, it was now that they could plot it in the relative safety of Dragonblight, due to its isolation. From here, they directed operations in Westfall, which took advantage of the lawlessness and hopelessness of the region and fed on it, brewing further discontent against Stormwind.

The bandit country was used as a base of operations against the Kingdom, and in this time, numerous bombings and other such activities took place, including the assassinations of high-value individuals. During this time was the announcement of Westfall as part of the domain of the Kingdom of the Light, a full-fledged province, although nobody recognized it outside of the Truthful.

To the Truthful, Stormwind was the epitome of what they hated; it was secular, it was ruled by a king, it did not believe in Truth, and it was opposed to the Scarlet Crusade during the time it existed. These major factors, along with some minor ones, like Ostrick's own personal dealings with the city, led them to justify their horrific actions against the city and its populace. Most of what they did was justified by the Book of Flame, particularly in the sections written during Balnazzar's possession of the Crusade..

Split of East and West
During this period of seeming stability and growth, discontent and tensions arose beneath the superficially calm surface. In the city of Ostridan, named after the High Cleric himself, a pretender known as Isabella Mastragonde began to rise, who was the sister of the then High Arcanist, Erice Mastragonde.

Taking advantage of the undercurrent of Lordaeronian nationalism and nostalgia, of which Ostrick was increasingly opposed to, she began to preach against the High Cleric and gained a following for herself, and before long the majority of the Eastern Crusade, most of Grizzly Hills, was in her grasp.

Ostrick saw this as evidence of the harmfulness of petty nationalism, which he saw as divisive and non-conducive to the uniting of humanity under the Kingdom of the Light, of which faith and faith alone was supposed to be the uniting factor. Because of this, he doubled down, and his rhetoric against the "Kingdom of New Lordaeron" began to intensify, further solidifying the divisions between the East and the West crusade.

Dragonblight Offensive
After multiple attacks and provocations, the Clergy of the Holy Light and its allies had their patience with the Truthful expended. After little deliberation, war was decided on, spearheaded by a declaration by the Stormwind Silver Hand's leader, Lord Ritchard Elric. The Kingdom of the Light was emboldened by this, and eagerly taunted their opponents, awaiting their arrival with baited breath.

Within their holy texts was assurance of victory written in form of prophecy, thus the Army of the Truthful remained without intimidation despite the growing number of organizations and banners that rise against them.

Reorganization
As the Dragonblight Offensive drew to a close, the Truthful licked their wounds, withdrawing the bulk of their forces and leadership to the Scarlet Monastery, where they now protect the legacy of the Scarlet Crusade with their lives.Most, if not all focus was to fortify their positions in Tirisfal, as it was paramount that they remain loyal and true to the Crusade's original dealings. Leadership shifted drastically, to which a new High General was appointed in Benaiah IV, and the rebirth of the inquisition itself, lead by High Inquisitor Ella Holcomb.

Truthful Purification Campaign
A coalition of Alliance-based forces begun to push forth into the Western Plaguelands, initiating an armed conflict against the Truthful within the region.

Current Status
With their hold on the Scarlet Monastery now crippled following an assault at the hands of the Ebon Blade, the Truthful now work to gain a holding within the Western Plaguelands, attempting to bolster what forces they have to liberate their sacred grounds.

Operation: Red Arrow
The Truthful seek to bolster their hold within Tirisfal, expanding from their foothold within Solliden Farms and the Scarlet Palisade in an effort to unite the splintered factions of crusader holdouts within the region to retake the Scarlet Monastery. They currently contend with the Forsaken and remnant Scourge forces within Agamand, as well as attempting to purge the undead remnants within the Scarlet Monastery.

External Resources

 * AOTT website