Order of the Silver Hand

The Order of the Silver Hand is the order of paladins created after the First War by Uther the Lightbringer and Archbishop Alonsus Faol. The Order served the Alliance of Lordaeron faithfully during the Second War and much of the victory can be ascribed to their great tenacity and prowess upon the battlefields of the war. 
==History==
===Foundation and the Second War===
The Holy Order of Northshire Clerics, led by Archbishop Alonsus Faol, was devastated during the First War. Seeking to create an order that would suffer less attrition in battle, Faol recruited noble knights to train in the ways of the Light, and members of the priesthood to train in martial combat. In Alonsus Chapel in Stratholme, Uther the Lightbringer was appointed the first of the paladins. He was followed by Saidan Dathrohan, Tirion Fordring and Turalyon, as well as Gavinrad the Dire, a candidate proposed by Lord Anduin Lothar. The Order of the Silver Hand was thus born. 
The paladins were instrumental in winning the Second War, and the sight of them wielding their mighty warhammers and holy powers gave others inspiration on the battlefield and the home front. Uther and his paladins were truly a sight to behold. Even some of the Alliance's greatest knights and warriors were in awe when they saw them smashing orcs down while healing fallen allies at the same time. Uther was the first paladin known to have manifested his powers on the battlefield and was given the title of "the Lightbringer" by Turalyon. Turalyon himself did not master his powers until after Lothar's death during the Assault on Blackrock Spire, but once he did the orcish army cowered from his blinding light, which shone "brighter than the brightest day".
After the war, the Order of the Silver Hand began training new paladins in Stormwind and Ironforge. Arthas Menethil, Prince of Lordaeron, was sworn into the order in a ceremony performed in Stormwind's Cathedral of Light.
===The Excommunication of Tirion Fordring===
Several years later, Tirion Fordring's life was saved by the orc Eitrigg. When Eitrigg was later captured by the Alliance, Tirion felt he owed a debt of honor and fought to rescue him. For assaulting Alliance soldiers, Tirion was excommunicated from the Silver Hand and exiled from his lands. His son, Taelan, later joined the Silver Hand.
===The Third War===
Many years later, during the Third War the Order would be decimated by the corrupted Prince Arthas Menethil, with the murder of Uther, the destruction of their bastion in Stratholme, and the general fall of Lordaeron. It would be in the wake of the Third War that Tirion Fordring would claim to restore the order in Lordaeron and subsequently merge it with the Argent Dawn and its later form, the Argent Crusade. Fordring's claim, however, is hotly contested by many hard-line conservatives of the order. Those conservative knights cite Tirion's exile from the Silver Hand by Uther as fact enough to disqualify him from having the authority to restore the Order in Lordaeron, thus rendering Tirion's now disbanded chapter as having been a false branch of the Order.
Controversy regarding Tirion's Argent Crusade aside, the Silver Hand in Stormwind, and of the Alliance, was relatively unaffected by the events in Lordaeron. Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker serves as the de facto head of the Order in Stormwind, although the title of Grand Master remains vacant. Given that Tirion did not take the title of Grand Master when he "succeeded" Uther before forming the Argent Crusade, the title may have been reserved for the Lightbringer alone, or no man has felt themselves worthy enough to take up such a mantle.
With the lack a clear Grand Master since the death of Uther the Lightbringer the Order has fractured into several regionally based splinter organizations, from councils to chapters.
==Ranks within the Silver Hand==
The Silver Hand was conceptualized as a military organization of holy warriors willing to bring the light's will to the Horde. As a result, the initial organization of the Silver Hand was very basic. It had one leader, Uther the Lightbringer, and the leader gave the orders. Said leader took orders from the leader of the Alliance of Lordaeron, being Terenas Menethil II. Following the end of the Second War and the defeat of the Orcish Horde, the Silver Hand went under reformation to bring longevity to its cause in the aftermath. Though the various divisions may have other sorts of rankings amongst themselves, there are only three official ranks of the Silver Hand.
===Grand Master===
The Grand Master was the name given to the rank of the leader of the Silver Hand as a whole. Rather than lead just a single chapter or branch, the Grand Master had the authority to order all sects of the Silver Hand, whether it be in battle or organization. This position was held by Lord Uther the Lightbringer since its inception and was originally the only rank within the Silver Hand. Lord Uther, being seen as the model paladin, went unopposed in his assignment as Grand Master. He led the order for several decades following the end of the Second War from the Silver Hand's capitol within Stratholme, though it ultimately fell apart following his death at the hands of his apprentice, Arthas Menethil.
Since Uther's death, there has not been a new Grand Master appointed. Attempts to take the seat have been fervently rejected by various Highlords or paladins of the Silver Hand, as many believe there will never be a man able to fill what Uther had made. As a result, council based organizations have largely replaced the need for a central leader, as the remaining Highlords have banded together to organize their branches.
===Highlords or Lords===
Highlords/Lords are appointed to branches and chapters of the Silver Hand. They oversee the maintenance of the region they have been appointed to and typically have either many or at least several knights under them. The term Highlord is typically used within the Silver Hand to denote appointed Lords of the Silver Hand who also hold peerage. This is to prevent confusion amongst terms to call a Lord of the Silver Hand, though some ignore this and go by the title of Lord regardless. Highlords/Lords are below the Grand Master and are typically seen as representatives and leaders of their designated region or branch.
Many have noted that despite his claims to rebuild Lordaeron, Tirion Fordring did not declare himself Grand Master, rather he took up the mantle of a Highlord instead. Some have used this to denote that even he did not feel it was proper to claim dominion over the entirety of the Silver Hand.
===Knights===
Knights of the Silver Hand are the most common members of the order as all members of the Silver Hand are knighted upon their elevation from aspirant. It is customary amongst the paladins of the Silver Hand to also bestow upon a newly knighted paladin a title befitting their virtues. In the example of Sir Uther, he was named the Lightbringer to denote how he would lead the warriors of the Light to bring peace to the war torn lands of Humanity. Though it is typically avoided, paladins may be accidentally granted the same title as another. When in the case of a deceased paladin, this could be seen as a sign of respect and by carrying on the torch they left behind. The only title known to be forbidden to bestow is the Lightbringer, as that was reserved for Uther and bestowed by Turalyon himself.
Category:Church of the Holy Light
Category:Order of the Silver Hand
Category:Organizations