Scarlet Civil War

Scarlet Civil War
Conflict: Alliance-Horde War
Place: Scarlet Monastery, Tirisfal Glades
Outcome: Minor Scarlet Renegade victory. The Scarlet Monastery is wrested from the hands of the loyalists after the heavy losses they incurred at the hands of the simultaneous Renegade rebellion and Forsaken incursion. The Monastery is sacked as a result of the Forsaken incursion. High Inquisitor Whitemane is later resurrected and rallies Commander Durand's forces to put down the weakened Renegades. The chaotic upheaval of the Scarlet philosophy results in a greater divergence between puritan and redeemed Scarlet chapters.
Belligerents:
Grand Alliance	Scarlet Crusade	New Horde Forsaken
Commanders and Leaders:
Crusader Joseph	High Inquisitor Sally Whitemane†	Dark Ranger Velonara
Strength:
Scarlet Renegades Alliance Adventurers	Scarlet Loyalists	Dark Rangers Horde Adventurers
Casualties and Losses:
Light.	Heavy.	Light.

The Scarlet Civil War refers to a series of conflicts that erupted within the Scarlet Monastery after the Cataclysm, coinciding with a Forsaken incursion within the Monastery. The war began when Joseph the Awakened decided to rebel against the crusade's main leadership, forming the Scarlet Renegade movement while Dark Ranger Velonara infiltrated the Monastery. The Scarlet Renegades wished to restore the Scarlet Crusade to its 'noble roots' and intended to find redemption via the Grand Alliance, while the Forsaken sought to destroy the Monastery and stamp out the Scarlet Crusade.

The Scarlet Renegade movement got the attention of Captain Nials of Stromgarde. She saw them as a good opportunity to regain a training ground for Stromic paladins and so tasked a group of Alliance adventurers with assisting the renegades. Furthermore, papers were attached to Alliance mission boards under decree of King Varian Wyrnn in hopes of gaining more reinforcements for the Renegade movement.

As a result of the twin attacks on the Monastery, the Scarlet Loyalists were forced out of the graveyard, the armory and the library, with the Cathedral itself being their last holdout against the Renegades and Forsaken. However as the adventurers progressed through the wings, Joseph began to show increasing signs of insanity from the guilt of slaying his comrades.

Near the end of the Scarlet Civil War, Shandris Feathermoon pledged her support to the cause which greatly boosted Joseph's morale. He was astounded that such a prestigious commander recognized his cause. In actuality, Shandris only supported the movement because she saw control over the Scarlet Monastery as an extreme tactical advantage over the Forsaken.

In the climax of the civil war, the Scarlet Loyalists were ousted and High Inquisitor Whitemane laid dead. The Forsaken took advantage of the chaos to sack the Monastery and Joseph, utterly insane by the end, bid farewell to the adventurers with a promise to turn the Undercity into a 'Scarlet Paradise'.

Joseph's renegades, weakened by the continued fighting against Velonara's forces, were unable to hold on to the Monastery following High Inquisitor Whitemane's resurrection during the campaign in Pandaria. Rallying forces under Commander Durand, the High Inquisitor made an example of Crusader Joseph the Insane and his followers, and restored order within the Monastery.

The Scarlet Civil War led to an upheaval in Scarlet philosophy. Several new chapters of the Scarlet Crusade formed in support of the Grand Alliance, though this caused a greater divide in the growing divergence between the traditional, strict and puritan Saidanite orders and the more flexible and compromising Abbendite and Taelanite orders.