- For his appearance in Warcraft III, see Gavinrad the Dire (Warcraft III).
 Gavinrad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title |
The Dire, the Cruel |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Human (Undead / Humanoid) |
| Class | Paladin, Knight |
| Resource | Mana |
| Former affiliation(s) | Knights of the Silver Hand, Kingdom of Stormwind, Alliance of Lordaeron |
| Former occupation(s) | Leader of the Champions of Peace, Paladin of the Silver Hand, Knight of Stormwind |
| Location | Spirit in Icecrown Citadel |
| Status | Deceased |
| Mentor(s) | Alonsus Faol |
| Companion(s) | Uther the Lightbringer, Turalyon, Tirion Fordring, Saidan Dathrohan |
“I can't believe that we ever called you brother! I knew it was a mistake to accept a spoiled prince into our order! You've made a mockery of the Silver Hand!”
- — Gavinrad the Dire to Arthas Menethil[1]
Gavinrad the Dire was the leader of the Champions of Peace, and one of the first five paladins of the Knights of the Silver Hand along with Uther the Lightbringer, Turalyon, Saidan Dathrohan, and Tirion Fordring. Once a loyal knight of the Kingdom of Stormwind, he fought the orcs of the Old Horde and defended Stormwind City during the First War. Following the exodus to Lordaeron, he was chosen by the Supreme Commander Anduin Lothar and Archbishop Alonsus Faol to become the last founding member of the Order of the Silver Hand.
A hero of the Alliance of Lordaeron, and a respected paladin, he protected Lordaeron for years. However, at the time of the Third War, he was killed by the death knight Arthas Menethil during the Scourging of Lordaeron, while he and his paladins were in charge of guarding the buried remains of the necromancer Kel'Thuzad at Andorhal.
For years, his soul was imprisoned and tortured inside Frostmourne, until he was freed by Tirion Fordring and the Ashbringer during the Scourgewar. As a wandering soul in Icecrown Citadel, he finally found eternal rest after being freed by the Deathlord of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, during the third invasion of the Burning Legion.
Biography[]
The First War[]
At the beginning of the First War, between the human Kingdom of Stormwind and the orcish Horde, Sir Anduin Lothar decided to use the orcs' mobility against them and placed large numbers of human troops under the command of the loyal knight Gavinrad the Dire. In some cases, small units of human knights were able to bring down entire orc raiding parties without any casualties.[2]
Near the end of the war, when Lothar led a war party to Karazhan to confront Medivh, he charged Gavinrad with commanding Stormwind City's defenses in his absence.[3] Shortly thereafter, the Horde began laying siege to Stormwind, and King Llane Wrynn I was assassinated by Garona Halforcen. When Lothar returned, he ordered a mass evacuation of the city. He, Gavinrad, Khadgar and the remaining soldiers gathered Prince Varian, Queen Taria and any other citizens they could find and led them toward the harbor to escape on the remaining ships. They fought street by street, losing many along the way, including Taria.[4]
The Second War[]
Gavinrad (right) during Uther's ceremony as the first of the paladins, in Alonsus Chapel.
Gavinrad in Alonsus Chapel, as seen in Uther's memory.
During the exodus to Lordaeron, Gavinrad accompanied Lothar and the other refugees. The battle-hardened knight was considered one of the most pious of Lothar's troops, and Lothar recommended to Archbishop Alonsus Faol that Gavinrad join Uther, Turalyon, Tirion Fordring and Saidan Dathrohan as one of the first members of the Knights of the Silver Hand, and the Archbishop agreed.[5][6]
While traveling with Anduin Lothar's army, Gavinrad and the others were trained vigorously day and night by Faol, who taught them how to use the Light to comfort their allies, to smite their enemies and how to lead by example, as they would be more than weapons but beacons of hope to guide the Alliance of Lordaeron. As their training progressed, Faol presented each of the paladins with enchanted librams that were among the church's most ancient relics. Each libram represented a core trait of the Silver Hand that Faol challenged his students to become the living embodiment of, and Gavinrad was given the Libram of Compassion.[6]
During the Battle of Hillsbrad Foothills, Gavinrad accompanied Uther to fight the death knights of Gul'dan. One of them managed to get close enough to the paladin to grab his arm, with darkness radiating from the grip, but Gavinrad's holy aura shone brighter and drove the darkness away, causing his attacker to shrink back and duck a blow from his hammer.[7] Thereafter, Gavinrad fought on many other battlefields until the end of the war.
Following the Second War, he, Uther, Saidan, and Tirion were present during the introduction ceremony in the order of Prince Arthas Menethil, at the Cathedral of Light of Stormwind City. It was the first time they had all been together after many years, and Gavinrad was the one who gave Arthas the hammer known as Light's Vengeance.[8]
Scourging of Lordaeron[]
Gavinrad in Warcraft III: Reforged.
In the beginnings of the Third War, while the Plague of Undeath turned the citizens of Lordaeron into undead, Uther the Lightbringer thought it would be wise to ensure that the necromancer Kel'Thuzad, killed by Arthas Menethil, would never be allowed to walk again. Consequently, he stationed Gavinrad and his Champions of Peace to guard the cemetery near Andorhal, where the necromancer was buried.[9]
However, during the Scourging of Lordaeron, the dreadlord Tichondrius ordered the Scourge to retrieve and resurrect the remains of Kel'Thuzad, and so Gavinrad ended up face to face with the treacherous prince, now a death knight, who advised the paladin to step aside. When Gavinrad refused and asked where was the holy hammer he once gave him, Arthas unleashed his undead forces upon him and his paladins, and personally killed the paladin to feed his soul to Frostmourne.[1]
Though Arthas threatened to raise Gavinrad from the dead, the paladin's body was simply left where he fell.
Cataclysm[]
At the time of the Cataclysm, Korfax of the Brotherhood of the Light ordered adventurers to retrieve 
[Gavinrad's Sigil], one of the holy artifacts of the Silver Hand kept by the Scarlet Crusade forces in the barracks of Tyr's Hand. He mentioned that it belonged in the hands of the righteous, then delivered it to Maxwell Tyrosus at Light's Hope Chapel.[10]
Legion[]
Gavinrad's spirit in Icecrown Citadel.
After Frostmourne was shattered by Tirion Fordring and the Ashbringer, Gavinrad's spirit was freed, but his soul began to wander Icecrown Citadel as Gavinrad the Cruel. Having been driven mad by the cursed blade, he also attacked anyone who came near him, considering them as blights to be removed from this world.[11]
At the time of the third invasion of the Burning Legion, a Frost death knight of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, seeking to reforge the shards of Frostmourne into two new swords, was forced to grant Gavinrad's spirit a final death to claim the shard that he was guarding.[11]
His last words were a relief to finally be free from his torment.
Shadowlands[]
A missing fragment of Gavinrad's soul, crystallized as "The Champion of Peace", came into Zovaal the Jailer's possession after Frostmourne's shattering.[12] When Uther had to delve into his memories, in order to face his past and accept his mistakes, the ghost of Gavinrad appeared among the victims of Arthas whom he could not stop.[13]
Locations[]
Ghost of Gavinrad (on the left) in Uther's memory.
| Location | Level range | Reaction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Icecrown Citadel[52, 50] | 10-45 | Alliance Horde | As part of   [10-45] The Call of Icecrown.
|
| Cathedral of Light, Stormwind City | - | Alliance Horde | Memory as part of [60] He Was My Student.
|
| Alonsus Chapel & Elders' Square, Stratholme | 60 Elite | Alliance Horde | Memory as part of [60] Step Into the Light. |
Abilities[]
Divine Storm — An instant weapon attack that causes Holy damage to up to 4 enemies within 8 yards.- Hammer of Wrath — Hurls a hammer that strikes an enemy for Holy damage.
- Retribution Aura — Causes Holy damage to any creature that strikes the caster.
Quotes[]
Warcraft III[]
- Main article: Gavinrad the Dire (Warcraft III) § Quotes
Gavinrad the Dire in Warcraft III.
World of Warcraft[]
- Aggro
- The Silver Hand will remove your blight from this world!
- Death
- The pain... is over...
Notes and trivia[]
- According to Bolvar Fordragon, he was once hailed by Arthas Menethil as a brother.[14]
- In the novel Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, he speaks not only his own lines from Warcraft III, but also the lines of Ballador the Bright and Sage Truthbearer.
- Gavinrad could also be a random hero on other Warcraft III multiplayer or campaign maps. The in-game files refer to him as Lord Nicholas Buzan.
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.
|
Considering that he was a Stormwindian knight before becoming a paladin, Gavinrad was likely originally a member of the Brotherhood of the Horse.
Gallery[]
- Fan art
The Silver Hand, as featured in World of Warcraft Chronicle Tribute: Hourglass of Time.
Patch changes[]
- Patch 9.1.0 (2021-06-29): Seen in a memory during [60] Step Into the Light.
- Patch 7.0.3 (2016-07-19): Added.
References[]
- ^ a b "Path of the Damned: Digging up the Dead", Warcraft III. Blizzard Entertainment.
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 124
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 134
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 136
- ^ Tides of Darkness, pg. 86, 87
- ^ a b World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 154
- ^ Tides of Darkness, chapter 8
- ^ Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, part 1, chapter 5
- ^ Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, part 2, chapter 17
- ^ [15-30] Scarlet Salvage
- ^ a b [10-45] The Call of Icecrown
- ^ [60] A Paladin's Soul
- ^ [60] He Was My Student
- ^ The Call of Icecrown#Stage 3: Seek the Fragments
External links[]
| Icecrown Citadel | Stratholme | Stratholme | Stormwind City |
|---|---|---|---|