Scarlet Onslaught (Raven)

''This page is a WiP. It is being created separate from the Scarlet Onslaught page, as it will directly reference fanon from the Moon-Guard guild .''

The Scarlet Onslaught is a faction that splintered off the Scarlet Crusade, and that traveled to Dragonblight in Northrend in their hopes of defeating the Lich King. The Onslaught appears to care little about the original Crusade's wishes, as it employs shadow priests and even death knights into its ranks. Quotes from High General Abbendis in New Hearthglen imply that the Onslaught's goal is not just the destruction of the Scourge, but also of anyone that oppose them.

The Onslaught was crippled by the end of 30 LC by internal strife and a series of assassinations carried out by the Ebon Blade and the Forsaken. However, the Onslaught continues to operate out of New Hearthglen and Onslaught Harbor, biding its time; meanwhile, its festering heart in the so-called Pit of Revelation churns out more and more acolytes of its dark ideology, all in pursuit of a goal no longer entirely clear to outsiders.

History
The Scarlet Onslaught formally began in 29 LC by the proclamation of its then-leader, Brigitte Abbendis; however, it emerged almost entirely from within the extant Scarlet Crusade, namely its Eastweald wing, comprising the elites of Tyr's Hand and New Avalon. The central ideology of this splinter faction was known as the Crimson Dawn, a prophetic belief held by Abbendis and evangelized by the High Abbot of New Avalon, Landgren, that she was destined to lead a "cadre of the most faithful" to Northrend to put an end to the Lich King. She began gathering her forces for this expedition as early as 28 LC, against the wishes of several notables in the Crusade hierarchy.

Fall of New Avalon
Abbendis had gathered her elites at the city of New Avalon, as well as commissioned the construction of four warships at King's Harbor: the Dawnbreaker, the Terenas's Spear, the Light's Dominion, and her personal flagship the ''Sinner's Folly. ''However, such a concentration of Scarlet forces did not go unnoticed. The Lich King arrived in early 29 LC atop the dread necropolis Acherus to personally oversee the destruction of New Avalon by the Knights of the Ebon Blade. The local Scarlet commanders put up a valiant defense, and assisted by Abbendis's to-be Onslaught forces they held the line for a time; however, Abbendis ultimately chose to abandon the defensive line and instead use the local militia as cover to launch her ships from harbor. Without her support, New Avalon's defenses crumbled quickly, and the collapse of the Crusade's eastern wing became inevitable. The survivors of this massacre either traveled northward with Abbendis, were killed by the Scourge, or were assimilated into the Risen.

Landfall
The Onslaught fleet braved a long voyage made all the more treacherous by poor weather and marauding parties of Kvaldir. One of the four warships, the Dawnbreaker, was sunk approximately two weeks' journey from the shore, going down with all hands. The rest successfully landed on the Forgotten Shore, separated by Vrykul encampments but alive; they rendezvoused on the cliffside overlooking the inlet where Sinner's Folly had made landfall. This spot Abbendis dubbed New Hearthglen, and Onslaught workers, led by Foreman Kaleiki, hurriedly began the erection of a stone stronghold.

The Onslaught arrived in Northrend prior to many other factions from mainland Azeroth and Kalimdor, though both Horde and Alliance forces were soon to follow. According to Abbendis's diary, the Onslaught attempted to maintain neutral relations at least with the Valiance Expedition, but the Onslaught was actively hostile towards both the Forsaken outpost of Venomspite and the Warsong outpost of Agmar's Hammer, raiding supply lines and even preparing for a direct assault upon Venomspite. Meanwhile, it deployed scouting parties northward, establishing outposts near Valiance Keep and Frostmourne Cavern.

During this time, Barean Westwind, Grand Admiral of the Scarlet Fleet and leader of a prior expedition to Northrend, arrived at New Hearthglen, offering his support to the Onslaught leadership. Within a matter of months, his influence had eclipsed even Abbendis's, and his teachings laid the foundations for the Raven Conclave, a radical offshoot of the faith of the Holy Light that embraced the use of shadow magic and elevated Westwind to the status of messiah as the Raven. Many notable Crusaders, such as Landgren, converted, and the next generation of Onslaught leadership, such as Triana Brandt, also numbered amongst the early converts; Abbendis and her inner circle, however, remained wary, a distrust that would cost her.

In the waning months of 29 LC, Westwind gathered the main host of the Onslaught, including the entirety of the Raven Conclave, and began a perilous trek northward, leaving New Hearthglen in the hands of Abbendis and her last stalwarts. Abbendis would not see year's end. Horde forces, eager to end the Onslaught's attacks against Venomspite, began a siege of New Hearthglen, providing cover for a number of Forsaken assassins to infiltrate the city and assassinate the remaining Onslaught leadership. New Hearthglen was saved only by the attack on the Wrathgate, which ravaged the Horde's morale and resulted in their tactical retreat. New Hearthglen stood, but its fortifications were badly damaged, its leadership all killed, and many of its defenders slaughtered. For now, New Hearthglen would slip into obscurity.