Taelan Fordring

Taelan Fordring was a human paladin found in Hearthglen in the Western Plaguelands. Taelan was the son of Tirion Fordring and lord of Mardenholde Keep. A former member of the Silver Hand, become a high-ranking member of the Scarlet Crusade after the Third War, though he remained unaware of the true scale of the atrocities committed by the Crusade.

His father eventually helped him see the truth during the In Dreams questline. Though Taelan was killed by Grand Inquisitor Isillien, his death motivated his father to reorganize the Silver Hand, eventually leading to the creation of the Argent Crusade.

Of Blood and Honor
On his 7th birthday Taelan received a toy hammer from his father. When he was young, he and his parents would often visit Caer Darrow. Once, Artist Renfray painted a family portrait.

He was over joyed when his father awake from his slumber after his fight with the orc Eitrigg. After Tirion sought out the orc hermit Eitrigg and conversed with him he was convinced the orc knew honor, but his wife Karandra disagreed. The two then got into a fight when Tirion told their son Taelan that not all orcs were bad, and that the good ones were just harder to find. Karandra however was very stuck in the idea that orcs were evil and should all be killed, a very traditional and common view. When Tirion was eventually excommunicated and exiled for attacking Alliance soldiers and refusing to break the promise he made to the orc, Karandra didn't go with him for Taelan's sake. Tirion left him a note. She told their son that Tirion had died, and took him to a false grave at the Undercroft, where Taelan buried the toy warhammer his father had given him, and the memory of this father, forever.

Fifteen years later, Taelan had become a paladin and during this time frame was noted to have become good friends with Arden. He knew about his father's trial.

At some point, he fought in Northdale against the Scourge. It was there that he renounced the Order of the Silver Hand.

The Ashbringer
When the Scourge swept through Lordaeron he offered the rest of the Silver Hand's paladins shelter in Hearthglen and then joined the Scarlet Crusade to help fight back the undead, one of the target being Stratholme. Blind to the atrocities committed by the Crusade, Taelan rose through their ranks under the tutelage of Saidan Dathrohan. When Renault Mograine was killed, Taelan was appointed Commander at the Scarlet Monastery in his place.

World of Warcraft
Taelan later became Highlord and returned to Hearthglen.

Eventually, with the help of adventurers sent by his father, Taelan recognized the corruption that had befallen the Scarlet Crusade and defected. While escaping from Hearthglen, however, he was killed by Grand Inquisitor Isillien for his betrayal. Tirion Fordring was waiting nearby for his son and saw him cut down and, overcome with loss and outrage, avenged Taelan's death by killing Isillien. Grieving over his son's body, Tirion resolved to reform the Silver Hand to once more be a force of good in the world.

Taelan's legacy
After the Lich King's defeat, Highlord Tirion Fordring returned to the Western Plaguelands and established the Argent Crusade's base in Hearthglen. Down the road, the tower where Taelan was slain by Isillien has been christened Taelan's Tower in his memory. In addition, Crusade Commander Eligor Dawnbringer sends players into the Stratholme to reclaim a painting of Taelan and his family from the Scarlet Bastion.

Quests

 * Scarlet Subterfuge
 * In Dreams

Quotes

 * I want not to dream anymore. — TCG

Notes and trivia

 * Aside from the quests, Highlord Taelan Fordring could also be killed for loot, although he had no unique drops.
 * Players who travel to Old Hillsbrad Foothills via the Caverns of Time can spot Taelan as a boy in an upstairs room of the inn in Southshore. He is holding the replica of Tirion's hammer which he received from his father on his 7th birthday.
 * Here he has blond hair, whereas in the family portrait he has dark hair.
 * Taelan's age seems to have undergone a retcon, given that he is only five at the time of Of Blood and Honor, yet an epilogue shows him at the age of 20 being inducted into the Knights of the Silver Hand. However, given that less than a decade passes between Of Blood and Honor and World of Warcraft, exactly how Taelan could have aged 15 years in this time is a mystery. This is further compounded by Tirion stating in a quest line that he gave Taelan the toy hammer when he was seven, the circumstances of which indicate that Taelan was aware that his father was still alive.
 * Taelan Fording appears as a legendary minion in the 2021 Core Set of Hearthstone. His effect is drawing the highest cost minion in the player's deck upon death, referencing how his death served to bring Tirion back into service. Taelan's flavor text reads: After growing up with the Scarlet Crusade for most of his life, Taelan finally realized they were maybe not the nicest people. His introduction music is the theme of the Western Plaguelands.

Speculation
In the Ashbringer comic it is said that Taelan succeed Renault Mograine as a commander in the Scarlet Monastery, after his death. But in the ceremony no title was proclaimed. It is possible that Taelan became a Commander and sometime later, he rose in the ranks becoming a Highlord and returning to Hearthglen as seen in World of Warcraft.