Turalyon

For Turalyon's Warcraft II statistics, see Turalyon (Warcraft II).

Turalyon
Title	High Exarch of the Grand Army of the Light, High General of the Sons of Lothar, General, Lieutenant to Lord Anduin Lothar
Gender	Male
Race	Human
Class	Priest, Paladin
Affiliation(s)	Grand Army of the Light, Knights of the Silver Hand, Alliance Expedition, Sons of Lothar
Former affiliation(s)	Alliance of Lordaeron, Kingdom of Lordaeron
Occupation	High Exarch of the Grand Army of the Light, Knight of the Silver Hand (currently); Supreme Allied Commander, High General of the Alliance Expedition (formerly)
Status	Alive
Relative(s)	Arator (son), Alleria Windrunner (lover)
Mentor(s)	Alonsus Faol, Uther the Lightbringer, Anduin Lothar
Companion(s)	Khadgar, Malgor Devidicus (close friends)

"This world is ours, and by the Holy Light we will keep it safe, now and forever."

High General Turalyon is a famous paladin who served the Alliance army with distinction during and immediately after the Second War. He was second in command to Lord Anduin Lothar, the Supreme Allied Commander. During the assault on Blackrock Spire, Lord Lothar was struck down in combat with Orgrim Doomhammer. It was General Turalyon that picked up Lothar's battle standard and broken sword, and rallied the army of the Alliance to victory over the Horde, capturing Doomhammer and driving the orcs back to the Dark Portal. As the Lion's lieutenant, Turalyon was named Lothar's successor as Supreme Commander by the monarchs of the Alliance.

After the war ended, Turalyon led the Alliance Expedition to Draenor. Despite a series of military victories, the Alliance was unable to stop Ner'zhul from opening the portals which tore the planet apart. Turalyon and his lover, Alleria Windrunner, disappeared some time after that battle and have not been heard from for many years.

Biography

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

The Second War

Turalyon rallies the Council of Seven Nations to form the Alliance.

Initially a priest, Turalyon was handpicked as one of the first five Knights of the Silver Hand by Alonsus Faol. He, along with his mentor, Uther the Lightbringer, and the other Knights: Tirion Fordring, Saidan Dathrohan and Gavinrad the Dire, were tasked with assisting Lord Anduin Lothar and Khadgar in organizing the defense of Capital City against the advancing Horde. Lothar chose Turalyon as his lieutenant, a decision that made an already uncertain Turalyon question his worth even more. The young Turalyon developed a rapport with Khadgar, who despite his aged appearance, was roughly the same age as the paladin. Turalyon was also introduced to Alleria Windrunner, the leader of a cadre of elven rangers who had been sent to assess the situation by the Council of Silvermoon.

Turalyon fought at Lothar's side for the first skirmishes at Hillsbrad and Southshore. After forcing the Horde from their initial beach landing, the Alliances forces followed the Horde northeast to the mountain pass leading to the Wildhammer dwarves' keep of Aerie Peak. Unknown to the trailing Alliance forces, the Horde's goal was not the dwarven stronghold there. It was merely a feint to lure the bulk of their pursuers into a cat-and-mouse diversion in the mountains and forests of the Hinterlands, while the main body of the Horde marched on the elven homeland of Quel'Thalas. From this location, the Horde could launch an assault on either Silvermoon or Stromgarde. Lothar sent Turalyon, Khadgar, and Alleria to intercept the Horde before Quel'Thalas burned. Turalyon led his forces east and then north through the pass now known as Plaguemist Ravine, but they were too late — the Horde had already seized Caer Darrow, taken the runestone and moved further east into the forests surrounding Stratholme. The Horde proceeded to decimate Stratholme as well as the outlying town of Tyr's Hand before moving north and setting fire to Eversong Forest in southern Quel'Thalas.

The Allied forces managed to halt the Horde's advance into inner Quel'Thalas, but at the cost of many lives and a sizable portion of the Eversong Forest being destroyed. A distraught Alleria sought comfort in Turalyon's arms However, the brutal assault on their home convinced the elves to throw their full support behind the Alliance, and when Turalyon left Quel'Thalas, it was at the head of an elven armada. They arrived at the Capital City, after passing through the mountainous region of Alterac, just in time to turn back Doomhammer's siege, and then chased the orcs back to the beaches of Southshore.

The Lion's lieutenant

Turalyon at Lothar's grave.

Turalyon and his comrades rejoined the rest of the Alliance army after the liberation of Ironforge, forcing the Horde to retreat to Blackrock Spire itself. The battle proved to be devastating for both sides. In the mist of the battle, Turalyon saw Lothar fighting against the orc warchief, Orgrim Doomhammer, in single combat. Turalyon desperately fought his way towards them, but he was barred by orc warriors and could do nothing more but watch as Doomhammer shattered the Great Royal Sword and brought his hammer down on Lothar's helm with a sickening crunch. Turalyon shoved his way through the crowd and knelt by the body of his hero as the warchief laughed and proclaimed victory.

Doomhammer's words - "I have conquered! And so shall all our foes die, until your world belongs to us!" - brought Turalyon to a revelation. For months he had been struggling with his faith and had been unable to wield the Light like Uther and the other paladins could. He did not understand how to reconcile the notion of the Light uniting all creatures while beings as cruel and monstrous as the orcs walked the world, but Orgrim's comment reminded him that the orcs were not of his world. Turalyon reasoned that the Light only united the creatures of Azeroth, and that creatures who did not belong there - like the orcs - could be struck down with impunity. Now confident in his faith, Turalyon began to shine with a brilliant glow that forced onlookers to shield their eyes.

Taking up Lothar's shattered sword, Turalyon disarmed Doomhammer and struck him unconscious. Other orcs cowered from him as the light around him grew blinding, and the black rock on which he stood was blanched white by its power. Turalyon and the other paladins rallied the Alliance forces, while many of the orcs began to panic. Some stood and fought, some surrendered, and others fled. After the battle, control over the Alliance army fell to Turalyon - as he was Lothar's lieutenant and sub-commander, no one questioned his right to lead. Uther expressed his happiness at seeing Turalyon's faith finally emerge, and Turalyon bestowed the title of "the Lightbringer" upon the older paladin.

With the battle lost, the Horde retreated towards the Swamp of Sorrows and the Dark Portal. Under Turalyon's command, the Alliance succeeded in destroying the Dark Portal, the mystical gateway that connected the orcs to their homeworld of Draenor. Cut off from reinforcements and fractured by infighting, the Horde finally buckled in upon itself and fell before the might of the Alliance. With the ending of the Horde menace, the Alliance rounded up the scattered orc clans within guarded internment camps and began rebuilding their devastated kingdoms. Turalyon also led his men to the destroyed Stormwind. Some months later, he and Khadgar happened to be in Burning Steppes watching the statue of Lothar.

Expedition to Draenor

Turalyon in the Warcraft II manual.

Turalyon in Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal.

Only two few years later, General Turalyon was handpicked by King Terenas Menethil II to lead an expeditionary force, later renamed the Sons of Lothar, through the reformed Dark Portal and into Draenor. There it was discovered that an orc shaman was planning to use a number of powerful artifacts to open more portals, allowing the Horde to escape and plunder other worlds. Upon arriving, Turalyon renewed his relationship with Alleria Windrunner and lay siege to the Hellfire Citadel. Unfortunately, Ner'zhul had already escaped. While they were determined to go after the mad shaman with the Skull of Gul'dan, Deathwing was in a different direction. The Skull was needed to close the portal so the Alliance forces split up: Khadgar, Turalyon, and Alleria going after the black dragon while Danath Trollbane, Alleria's rangers and the Wildhammer dwarves followed Ner'zhul.

Turalyon and his friends met a tribe of gronn and ogres on the way, whom he tried to aid in their assault on Deathwing. After a fierce battle against the black dragonflight, they managed to gain the skull and rejoined Danath's forces in a final attempt to lay siege on the Black Temple.

However, the Alliance forces ultimately failed to stop Ner'zhul from opening and escaping into his portals, and the subsequent chaotic energy the portals released began to destroy the planet. Rather than risk Azeroth being damaged by Draenor's destruction, the brave paladin selflessly assisted Archmage Khadgar in destroying the Dark Portal on Draenor.

As Draenor tore apart around them, Turalyon led the forces of the Alliance Expedition that were with him through a portal to yet another world, one they could barely make sense of. After the set of cataclysmic events that changed Draenor into Outland were over, Turalyon, Alleria, Khadgar, Danath and the other Alliance troops all returned to Draenor. After briefly surveying the damage, Turalyon led his friends back to Honor Hold, which had remained standing through the chaos Draenor had just undergone. Turalyon has a massive stone statue in the Valley of Heroes in Stormwind, alongside the other leaders of the Alliance Expedition. The broken sword in his hand is most likely Lothar's, as he took up the shattered blade in combat against the Horde when Lothar fell.

Disappearance

Eighteen years later, the Dark Portal to Outland was reopened. Khadgar, Danath Trollbane, and a few other heroes from the Alliance Expedition were found alive, but neither Alleria nor Turaylon were anywhere to be found, leaving their current whereabouts a mystery. It is insinuated by Malgor Devidicus and Danath Trollbane that Turalyon disappeared after a lost battle, three years after the portal closed.

Turalyon's disappearance was not taken lightly by Danath, his brother in arms and successor as expedition leader. Trollbane exerted his full authority as the leader of the Sons of Lothar, and they would search from Hellfire Peninsula to Nagrand, but found no leads. Eventually, Danath could do nothing more than call off the search and presume that Turalyon was dead.

Legion

This section concerns content related to Legion.

Message from Turalyon appears in front of Khadgar.

High Exarch Turalyon in Legion.

During the Burning Legion's third invasion of Azeroth,  [Light's Heart], the sentience core of the naaru Xe'ra, fell out of the sky and was delivered to Archmage Khadgar. When Khadgar investigated Light's Heart, an image of Turalyon appeared from it with a message: the final plea of the Army of the Light. Turalyon explained that Light's Heart represented the army's ultimate sacrifice and must reach Velen.

Later, Light's Heart reached out to the Knights of the Silver Hand who received another message from Turalyon, known as High Exarch, to his son, Arator the Redeemer. He revealed that for him it had been "ages" that he and Alleria had fought the Burning Legion across the stars, and now the Legion was coming to Azeroth, with Balnazzar being ordered to destroy everything Turalyon held dear. Turalyon told Arator that Azeroth was the last light of hope, and that he must fight or all would be lost.

When Balnazzar attacked Netherlight Temple, the Silver Hand were sent to help the priests. Lothraxion, High Commander of the Grand Army of the Light, was sent as reinforcements by Turalyon to help defeat the demons.

Personality

Turalyon is a kind and gentle soul who only wishes the world to be at peace. His innocence and understanding personality allow him to see through people for who they truly are. An example would be his friendship with Khadgar, as wizards were often discriminated against by holy orders. He has no special hatred for his enemies either and is very merciful: he refused to kill Doomhammer even when the warchief killed Lothar whom Turalyon admired very much. However, when innocent lives were threatened Turalyon's passive nature changed to that of a determined avenger willing to do what was necessary, setting aside his own well being, and putting the lives of the endangered as the top priority. It was these traits that drew Alleria Windrunner to fall in love with him.^{[citation needed]} 

Although Turalyon is a firm believer that order can be maintained only through extreme martial discipline, he is honored by his friends and foes alike. Turalyon secretly harbors a deep regret of his inability to save Anduin Lothar.

Combat

Although he was initially a priest, Turalyon is a skilled and fearsome warrior and can fight as well as any knight. Like Lothar, he was usually seen leading contingents of knights, smashing aside foes with his warhammer and his aura, spreading encouragement to his own troops and fear into the hearts of his enemies. His determination and faith gave him enough strength to fight dozens of much larger orcs. A skilled tactician, Turalyon is known for his tactics of surprising enemy forces with fearsome charges of knights and foot soldiers while supporting them with arrow and magic.^{[citation needed]} 

Monuments

The statue of Turalyon in Stormwind's Valley of Heroes.

• A statue of Turalyon stands in the Valley of Heroes in Stormwind:

General Turalyon

Former Lieutenant to Lord Anduin Lothar. Knight of the Silver Hand. High General of the Alliance Expedition that marched into the orc homeworld of Draenor. Presumed deceased.

Esarus thar no'Darador' - By Blood and Honor We Serve.
You were the right hand of justice and virtue, old friend. Your name will be honored in our halls always.

- Lord Uther the Lightbringer - Knight of the Silver Hand

• An additional statue stands in the Mage Quarter, though it bears no plaque.
• A different statue of Turalyon stands in the Sanctum of Light beneath Light's Hope Chapel. Its plaque says:

General Turalyon

None sacrificed more than the High General. May we always walk in his path, so we, too, might safeguard the innocent as he did. By Blood and Honor We Serve.

Status prior to Legion

• At BlizzCon 2010, a question was asked in the Lore panel about the status of Turalyon. Chris Metzen and Alex Afrasiabi responded they had every intention of dealing with Turalyon in an epic manner, but nothing had been set in stone as of yet. It then became a running gag in the lore Q&A that his plot would be expanded along with the three Windrunner sisters being reunited (which they also have no plans to visit at this current time), with Med'an (who they do not know how to leverage in the game yet), two years ago (referencing the timeline discrepancy between revamped Azeroth and Outland), in Stromgarde (whose story will not be resolved yet), and Atiesh would be there (which will not be attainable again).
• In Ask CDev Round 2, Bashiok said the "missing" characters of the Warcraft universe (Calia Menethil, Turalyon, Alleria Windrunner, Med'an, Gallywix, etc.) have not been forgotten. "While we'd love to talk about these characters, doing so would spoil a number of the plots we have for Cataclysm and beyond. Believe us when we say that you will definitely hear about these characters when we're ready to talk about them!"
• Turalyon is mentioned in one of the loading screen tips: "Nobody has seen Alleria or Turalyon in years". During Warlords of Draenor alpha (which followed through into beta and into Patch 6.0.2), this tip was supplemented: "Nobody has seen Alleria or Turalyon in years. Still."
• Recent interviews have revealed that Turalyon's story will continue: not in Mists of Pandaria, but in the expansion after it. It was later said during Blizzcon 2013 Q&A that they will not appear in Warlords of Draenor, but the expansion after that. Finally, at Gamescom 2015, it was announced that Turalyon and Alleria would return in World of Warcraft: Legion.

Memorable quotes

Second War

For Turalyon's Warcraft II quotes, see Quotes of Warcraft II#Turalyon.

• By the Light, your time here has ended! You are not of this world, not of the Holy Light. You do not belong here! Begone!
• You will stand trial for your crimes. You will stand in Capital City, in chains as the leaders of the Alliance decide your fate, and there you will acknowledge your full defeat. But you will not be so lucky. You will die here, with the rest of your kind, and this world will be rid of your taint forever!
• I hope you are wrong. But if you are right, we will be here waiting for them when they return. And we will drive them back again, just as we did this time. This world is ours, and by the Holy Light we will keep it safe, now and forever.
• We knew when we came through we might not be returning. Light, we expected to die—but we didn't. The portal's closed. We did what we came here to do. What we do now—that's up to us. There are others still out there—we need to find them, bring them back. We'll explore. Make new allies. Keep fighting the Horde, whatever's left of it here, so they don't ever try to do something like this again. The Light is still with us. We still have a job to do. This world will be what we choose to make of it.

World of Warcraft

Main article: Quest:A Falling Star#Notes

Main article: Quest:The Scion's Legacy#Notes

Trivia

• Turalyon was originally described as having been a knight instead of a priest before becoming a paladin.
• The Valley of Heroes statue is the only depiction of him with long hair. In many new and old artworks Turalyon appears with a cropped hair, and he is also described in Beyond the Dark Portal as having short blond hair. Chronicle Volume 2 depicts him with short hair.
• Turalyon is voiced by an unknown actor in Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal and by Travis Willingham in World of Warcraft: Legion.
• There is the constellation on Draenor, which Khadgar dubbed Turalyon's Hammer.
• On the eve of the Alliance Expedition's departure, Turalyon was given a book called  [Mysteries of the Light] by Father Malgor Devidicus. During the campaign and the ensuing years, the paladin never forgot to read his daily passage to the men, though he later gave the book back to Malgor once he left again.
• Turalyon was mentioned on Durnholde Keep's bulletin board in the canceled game Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans. He was depicted using Kurdran Wildhammer's artwork.
• In Dalaran, one can find  [Khadgar's Silver Coin] which reads, "Turalyon and Alleria, wherever you are, may you be well."
• The Tier 9 Alliance paladin set is named Turalyon's Battlegear.
• The ships Turalyon's Might and Turalyon's Hope are named after him.
• Turalyon is one of four famous paladins mentioned in the [Empowered Seals] spell along with Uther the Lightbringer, Vindicator Maraad and Lady Liadrin. If a paladin uses [Seal of Justice], Turalyon's Justice will be the name of their judgement's proc effect.
• In his Beyond the Dark Portal depiction his eyes were glowing golden with the Light, like those of the paladins during the same game. In her Hearthstone artwork Lady Liadrin now has the same feature.

Speculation

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

• Turalyon was possibly meant to be the "other son" in Outland mentioned at the end of the Corrupted Ashbringer Event by High Inquisitor Fairbanks. This would mean he could have been originally intended to be the son of Alexandros Mograine and brother of Renault Mograine, and also be the one to restore the Ashbringer. The role as the other son of Highlord Mograine and the new Ashbringer seems to have been recycled into Darion Mograine and Tirion Fordring, respectively.
  • David Wayne could also be a remnant of that scrapped Ashbringer storyline.

Gallery

• 

  Turalyon's statue, as seen in the opening cinematic of Cataclysm.

• General turalyon tcg.jpg

  General Turalyon, with the Great Royal Sword, from Betrayal of the Guardian.

• 

  High General Turalyon and the Alliance Expedition.

• 

  Turalyon's placeholder model at Sanctum of Light.

Videos

• The Story of Alleria
• Bringer of the Light

References

Preceded by: Lord Anduin Lothar

Position: Supreme Allied Commander

Succeeded by: Invasion ended

Preceded by: None

Position: Leader of the Sons of Lothar

Succeeded by: Danath Trollbane