Light

This article is about the lore on. For the paladin ability, see [Holy Light]. For the Pet Battle ability, see [Light]. For the holy paladin specialization, see Paladin#Holy.

Vindicator Maraad wielding the powers of the Holy Light during The Burning Crusade cinematic trailer.

“No one feels he deserves it. And you know why? Because no one does. It’s grace, pure and simple. We are inherently unworthy, simply because we’re human, and all human beings—aye, and elves, and dwarves, and all the other races—are flawed. But the Light loves us anyway. It loves us for what we sometimes can rise to in rare moments. It loves us for what we can do to help others. And it loves us because we can help it share its message by striving daily to be worthy, even though we understand that we can’t ever truly become so.”

— Uther the Lightbringer to his apprentice Arthas Menethil

The Light (also known as the Holy Light, Holy Light of Creation and light of Creation) is an endless, shimmering sea of energy situated outside the barriers of reality and one of the two most fundamental forces in the Warcraft universe along with the Void, which was born from the absence of the former. The two cannot exist without the other. The Light is the source of all life in the cosmos, but not necessarily "good"; it is a primal force with its morality characterized by how it is wielded. The Light cannot fully see destiny, though neither can the Void, for neither are singularly responsible for creation. The Light seeks one path and shuns all others as lies.

Pure Light cannot exist within the physical universe but shades of it manifest as Holy magic (also called Light magic, holy energy, holy arts, and sometimes referred to as divine power or Divine magic). Summoned by emotions, willpower or faith in one's ability to do so, the powers of the Light can be harnessed to heal, cleanse, protect, or harm. Most of its practitioners are called priests or paladins, devoted to cleansing the universe of darkness. Learning to wield this healing force takes years of discipline, as it is necessary to learn to abnegate oneself through meditation, in order to become conduits for the Light.

Its positive energies, residing in every living being, in every heart and soul, is everywhere, binding all sentient beings together as one, as it pervades and shines through everything, resonating within all things in the universe. The naaru, enigmatic beings composed of shards of fractured Light, may be the purest expression of the Light in the physical universe. They taught the use of the Light to the draenei and other enlightened races, such as the humans, but others have come into the study and practice of Light-based magic of their own accord, such as the tauren who revere An'she, the sun god that gives them their holy powers.

Origins and characteristics

“Light is light, whatever its source.”

— Anduin Wrynn to Baine Bloodhoof.

King Anduin Wrynn using the Light to heal the wounded Alliance forces during the Battle for Lordaeron.

Before life began and before even the universe existed, there was only the Light. The Light existed as a boundless sea of living energy, swelling across all of existence, unfettered by time and space. Yet as the ever-shifting sea expanded, pockets of cold nothingness appeared, giving birth to a second, opposite force: the Void. The growing tension between the two opposing energies eventually ignited a series of cosmic explosions that gave birth to the physical universe, the Great Dark Beyond. The cataclysmic birth of the cosmos sent shards of fractured Light flying through the cosmos, suffusing the newly formed planets of the universe with the spark of life and giving birth to countless life forms, the most common of which were the primordial elementals. Occasionally, these shards of Light would gather and form clouds of Light from which powerful beings would emerge, among which the benevolent naaru. The most unstable energies created by the cosmic explosions coalesced into an astral dimension known as the Twisting Nether.

The Void and the Light, being opposite counterparts, have been locked in perpetual conflict since before time itself began, waging their massive battle across countless worlds and planets and affecting millions of lives, with the Light regarding the Void as "horrors to be resisted", while some of the Void's servants apparently regard the naaru as "beloved brethren that lost the true path" which will eventually return to their embrace. The forces of the Light have also been locked in a cosmic power struggle with the Burning Legion for thousands of years, with the Xenedar described as the Light's largest remaining refuge, and the only one capable of waging war against the demons. Sargeras allegedly believed he had already defeated the Light, instead focusing his efforts on the Void, although it was ironically the Army of the Light which ultimately helped end his Burning Crusade.

Most of the time, the Light manifests itself as a golden, shining light, though it has also appeared as a glowing white, silver light, especially when coming from Elune and her moonlight. Not all wielders of the Light follow the same path. For example, humans and dwarves follow the path and faith of the Church of the Holy Light, while the tauren Sunwalkers revere An'she, whose power can appear either as red flames or as golden magic similar to other divine magic. Among the blood elves, the Blood Knights embraced the renewed Sunwell, and through it they ask for the Light's blessing to wield their holy powers. It is a harmonious relationship, no longer one of discord caused by the blood elves' attempts to bend the Light to their will by draining the energy of the naaru M'uru, which will likely have a positive effect on blood elf society in the long run. In the Zandalari Empire, the Zandalari prelates once received their holy powers from the Loa of Kings Rezan, but since his death, it is their faith in his ideals that give them their powers, in order to stand as a beacon of light against the darkness.

Moonlight

Main articles: Moonlight, Elune

The moonlight is a type of holy magic that can be used by the followers of the moon goddess Elune, notably the night elves or the tauren (who revere her as Mu'sha in their mythology). The Priestesses of the Moon of the Sisterhood of Elune are dedicated to the worship of the mother moon, and can be found throughout the world, ready to heal the war-weary Azeroth with her light.

During a visit to Darnassus, Prophet Velen explained that the kaldorei's description of Elune, as well as the demonstrated powers of the goddess, matched his experiences with powerful naaru. However, while Tyrande thanked him for his opinion, she cordially requested that he refrain from making such outlandish claims when in Darnassus or in the presence of Elune's priesthood.

Sapiency

The Light is a fundamental force, but it has been personified many times by its followers and others, believing that it had a "will", or that it made deliberate choices, or that it was "good", while the Void was "evil", but such concepts do not apply to the Light and the Void, they are simply primal forces with their morality characterized by how they are wielded.

• The general belief was that mortals were chosen to act as vessels for the Light's will.
• Dansel Adams interpreted the disappearance of Naxxramas when it teleported as "a miracle of the Light".
• Tirion Fordring directly addressed the Light and asked it to grant him one last blessing in his battle against the Lich King.
• There are human sayings such as "Light be with you" and "Light willing", or draenei ones such as "May the Light embrace you", "Open your heart to the Light" and "Light protect us from this madness".
• Others such as Revil Kost and Ambrose also believed that the Light was some kind of abstract deity that guided mortals for some benign purpose and all actions and fates were all constructs of its design.
• High General Abbendis believed that the Light had called to her, and that it had taken notice of its believers' good deeds, works, and prayers. She stated that the force of its voice had clarity and sense of purpose. However, the entity that called her was actually something else far more sinister - as she said that it commanded her to abandon the Scarlet Crusade to its doom, an act she believed was dishonorable - the dreadlord Mal'Ganis.

Races of the Light

The naaru Mi'da in Hearthstone.

Though rarely seen, the creatures of the Light have been observed to be naturally orderly. They are a necessary part of the universe, much like their counterparts of the Void. And as the Light must keep the Void in check, it would follow that they must also be kept in check by the Void for there to be balance.

Similar to other cosmic forces, beings of the Light can normally only be permanently killed in the realm of Light. If killed in the mortal realm, their essence returns to the Light to reconstitute, though some exceptionally powerful forces can intervene in the process.

Naaru

The naaru are a race of living, sentient energy beings made up of scintillating holy energies from clouds of fractured Light gathered. Though born in the Great Dark Beyond, not within the Light, they are its purest known expression, and have vowed to bring peace and hope to all mortal civilizations and waylay the forces of the Void. They are known to travel through dimensions, and are the sworn enemies of the Burning Legion. However, the naaru themselves have different objectives; for example, A'dal sought Illidan's death, while Xe'ra apparently wanted to forge him into a Lightforged soldier capable of destroying the Legion and the Void. Some of them, such as Xe'ra and the Light Mother have even displayed blatant disregard for mortal creatures' free will, and despite likely doing what they believe is correct, have demonstrated borderline fanaticism, apparently believing the ends justify the means.

It is exceedingly rare for a naaru to fall into a void state, and even rarer for a fallen naaru to be brought back into the Light. A naaru's fall into the void represents a catastrophic loss for the naaru and for the forces of the Light, and it is the saddest, most heart-wrenching event for the naaru to witness. Conversely, a naaru being reborn into the Light brings renewed hope and sense of purpose to every naaru.

Lightspawn

Encountered only recently, Lightspawn appears to be the Light's counterpart to voidwalkers, and can always be found amongst the battlefields of the Light. At least one was seen to have acted on its own to attempt to stop a necromantic ritual on Exile's Reach, but it was captured instead, until he was freed by an adventurer and left Azeroth. A handful of others can be found in the Netherlight Temple, the order hall of the Conclave, at the service of the naaru Saa'ra. Some of them are also at the Ember Ward in Revendreth, at the site of the Light's assault upon the realm in the Shadowlands.

Effects

On living beings

A blood elf priestess resurrecting a orc warrior.

The Light is often said to bring about feelings of positive emotion—hope, courage, comfort—coming from the "heart", and brings a sense of peace and calmness whenever its blessings are placed on someone. The Light can cure sickness, remove aches, pains, and stiffness. It can also mend broken bones. Anduin Wrynn believes that restoring an old man's youth is not beyond the Light's power, but it is not in the healer's hands.

During the ritual that empowers the Knights of the Silver Hand, the Light shines down on them and through them with blinding radiance. It warms at first, then sears. The person feels scoured; emptied, scrubbed clean, then filled again. The Light swells inside and then fades away to a tolerable level. When Tirion Fordring was excommunicated by Uther the Lightbringer, he was stripped of his light-given powers but not his connection with the Light.

When Med'an used the Light to shield himself from the Old Gods, he described holy magic as similar to shamanic magic, but different, as it wraps around him like "a warm blanket".

Recent events have shown the Light can be just as dangerous as the Void to those who delve too deeply into it. Due to the Light's tendency towards only one path, it can lead the overly devout to closed-mindedness, adamantly refusing to acknowledge any other power or lifestyle other than the Light, such as the fanatical Scarlet Crusaders.

According to Farseer Nobundo, the Light did not forsake the Broken. It is in fact the fel energies that infused them, and degraded their bodies, that caused a break in their ability to be heard and to hear the Light.

On undead

A forsaken being healed by the Light.

The Light is agonizingly painful and destructive to the undead, but can also be used to heal undead, and while this is an efficient process, it is also very painful.

The souls of the undead (Forsaken, death knights, ghouls, etc.) are imperfectly attached to their bodies; the dark magic that sustains them is a buffer that prevents their souls from properly joining with their bodies. This is why undead feel only faint sensations of pain or discomfort from most physical stimuli, and why the Light is so painful to their existence. Turalyon for example used the Light for interrogating the death knight Gaz Soulripper, causing him excruciating pain.

When undead channel the Light, they do not disintegrate or explode from channeling the Light, though they may wish they would. Instead, it feels to them as if their entire bodies are being consumed in righteous fire. Forsaken healed by the Light (whether the healer is Forsaken or not) are effectively cauterized by the effect: the wound is healed, but the healing effect is cripplingly painful. Thus, Forsaken priests are beings of unwavering willpower. Forsaken and death knight tanks suffer nobly when they have priest or paladin healers in the group, and Sir Zeliek really hates himself.

There are reports that some Forsaken have slowly experienced a sharpening of their dulled senses of touch, smell, etc., as well as an increase in the flashes of positive emotions that have otherwise become so rare since their fall into undeath. Unfortunately, this may be the cause of the Forsaken priesthood's increased attempts at self-destruction; regaining these senses would force the priests to smell their own rotting flesh, taste the decay in their mouths and throats, and even feel the maggots burrowing within their bodies.

Despite all this, there exists at least one account of someone becoming undead through the power of the Light: Calia Menethil.

Others

The Light is seen in the Ember Ward in Revendreth, where their army retaliated against Sire Denathrius long ago for unknown experiments. They entered from Dawnkeep, among them the naaru Z'rali. The presence of the Light in Revendreth cause venthyr to turn into ash ghouls, and until the successful rebellion by Prince Renathal, this was used as punishment for any venthyr who went against Denathrius.

The Light can notably deal damage to the demons, and in the case of Lothraxion, can even alter them by infuse them with holy magic.

Uses

Anduin Wrynn using the Light to kill a nathrezim.

The powers of the Light allow its practitioners to heal wounds, mend broken bones, dispel mind control, and even restore life to the dead. Priest can smite their enemies, shield from damage, levitate themselves off the ground, cure ills and magical curses, and remove beneficial magical effects from their enemies. Paladins can augment their own martial prowess and those of their allies with their blessings and auras, but also stun, debilitate, and silence their foes. They can use holy magic to shield themselves mentally from the whispers of the Old Gods and their minions, although it takes energy and practice, especially through meditation. They can also help someone resist the whispers by channeling their holy powers through them, in order to calm and protect their spirit.

Power Words are holy spells used by priests to protect and strengthen allies, they have to say their names aloud to use them. Specific reagents may be used or needed by priest and paladins to cast certain holy spells.

Apotheosis in Hearthstone.

The Light is used to empower its practitioners. If they succeed in the trial of the Forge of Aeons, members of the Army of the Light are empowered to become Lightforged, immortal protectors of the creation. After their training, the Knights of the Silver Hand are empowered by clerics and paladins during their ceremony of induction, immunizing them to disease of any kind. Before the Sunwell's rebirth, the Blood Knights empowered themselves by sapping the energy from the captive naaru M'uru, after the Battle for Quel'Danas, they embraced the Light through the Sunwell in a healthier way. Following a sacred ritual of the Light, a Deathcharger can be redeemed as a Charger and serves as a steed for paladins.

Invigorating Sermon in Hearthstone.

Through the Light, its practitioners can feel a connection that is sometimes established between them, allowing them to know if they are still alive, to communicate words and thoughts, or to have visions concerning them through their dreams. It was the case between Darion Mograine and Fairbanks, between Zabra Hexx and Alexandros Mograine after the latter saved his life, and also between Alleria Windrunner and her son Arator. They can also use holy magic to practice divination, through an incantation described by books of priestly magic as a "holy vision" that can grant sight of distant objects and far-off locations. A paladin can also develop an empathic ability to sense deep emotions from others, such as sincerity, or the nature of their intentions.

The Light can be used for interrogation purposes. Turalyon marked the forehead of an orc prisoner with the Light, leaving a burn on his flesh, and forcing him to say everything he knew without being able to lie. Alexandros Mograine used the Light on the jungle troll Zabra Hexx to know if he was lying. Revil Kost used the Light on a worgen to force him to tell the truth and answer all his questions. The Light can also be manifested in the form of chains and handcuffs to hinder living and undead. When a nathrezim tried to assassinate him, Anduin used the Light in the form of a web to capture the demon. During their hunt for Sylvanas Windrunner, Turalyon restrained prisoners with the Light while Alleria used the Void to invade their minds for information. The Light is employed during an exorcism rite to extract a demon or an evil spirit from a possessed body, purifying the body and the soul from corruption.

A Warframe of the Grand Army of the Light.

The holy magic is employed in the creation of holy water, paladin symbols, artifacts, runes, and lightwells, but also to infuse weapons, armors, and librams with the power of the Light. Holy energy can be focused into the shape of a weapon and used to attack an enemy. The vindicators' weapons appear to be kept razor sharp by the holy power contained within it. Prayer beads are crucial to many holy rites, including the rite of exorcism. Anduin enchanted his father's compass, imbuing it with a memory of a conversation between him and Sylvanas.

The Light is also a source of technological development. On the alternate Draenor, the high arakkoa used the Light's power to create lasers and Apexis guardians. The Army of Light uses and develops advanced Light-based technology, including teleportation pylons, warframe, artillery battery, and holograms that Turalyon used to place a message inside the Light's Heart. Following the retaking of Gnomeregan, some gnomes were interested in the powers of the Light to save and purify irradiated gnomes. Their research led them to radical advances in Light-based technology. With arkonite and Light magic, the Lightforged draenei rogue Zuronar created a "flashbang" for his work.

The Light can be used to put the deceased to rest. The naaru A'dal sent Crusader Bridenbrad to the Light itself, bounding his soul to the realm of Light away from the Shadowlands. When Turalyon blessed the corpse of Anduin Lothar, his features were described as "relaxed slightly, growing calm, even quietly content". The Auchenai draenei, or "death priests", and the tauren Seers can also use the Light to contact the dead to ask for help, to question them, or to help them rest in peace.

The Light magnified Turalyon's voice so it carried to several hundred soldiers under his command, and made Arthas Menethil's hammer seem to weigh less in his hands.

Practitioners

“The Light, yes. But we should let it guide us, not command us. We also have our own minds and hearts. We should make use of those as well.”

— Turalyon to Anduin Wrynn

Anduin Wrynn, High King of the Alliance.

The Light is an important part of several races' cultures on Azeroth and many worlds across the Great Dark Beyond. Though overlap exists in themes and practices, several of the races have differing viewpoints and methods of wielding the Light. One thing is certain, wielding the Light takes intense focus and a very powerful belief. Chapels, churches, cathedrals and temples are places of worship where the devoted followers of the Holy Light can practice their faith and perform spiritual rituals.

Priests

After spending much of their lives in temples studying ancient doctrine, preaching the tenets of their faith, and pledging their full devotion to the divine powers they follow, the most adept priests leave their houses of worship to serve on the battlefield, as shepherd to flock. There, they use their holy powers to bless allies and mend wounds. And while most stay behind the frontlines to aid their comrades, these holy champions are also capable of smiting foes and carrying out sacred justice. They’re also morally opposed to the use of Shadow and Void magic—rather, they are exemplars of the incredible grace and power of the divine and the Light, and even death cannot fully stop their healing capabilities. However, some priests pride themselves on pragmatism. They understand that light casts a shadow, that darkness is defined by light, and that true discipline stems from one’s ability to balance these opposing powers in services of a greater cause. While these priests possess many holy virtues to aid their allies, they also dabble in the dark arts to debilitate their enemies—always exercising immense discipline to keep themselves away from the brink of insanity.

Paladins

Like priests who serve the Light, paladins are devout in their faith. To serve as instrument of the Light is to hold an unshakable faith. After spending much of their lives in hallowed halls studying divine doctrine, those who pledge themselves to a holy order become beacons of the Light for their allies in conflict, taking up the heavy armor and weaponry of justice. Stalwart and steadfast, these protectors are ardent defenders of the Light and all that it touches, and are rejuvenated by its radiance in return. So dedicated they are to their cause that they consecrate the very ground upon which they battle corruption. Holding the unwavering belief that any battle waged to eradicate evil in the world is righteous, these paladins stands on the frontlines in service to all others dedicated to the cause. The truth and virtue of the Light imbues these sacred knights with the power to revitalize their comrades. If necessary, they even lay down their own lives to serve as a martyr for the greater good. Oftentimes the most dedicated paladins become fanatical in their devotion, instruments of retribution against those who dare defy the laws of the divine. These vengeful guardians of the weak are crusaders judging and punishing the wicked. Their resolute conviction in the divine order of all things assures them that victory is inevitable—but they will fight to the end to ensure that the Light prevails.

Arakkoa

The Skettis Outcasts are arakkoa who shunned the teachings of the corrupted Anzu and embraced the Light taught by the naaru A'dal. Their leader Kirrik the Awakened and those like him found a great devotion in the Light, they left Skettis and found refuge within Shattrath City. Most of these arakkoa are affiliated with the Lower City.

This section concerns content related to Warlords of Draenor.

The high arakkoa of the alternate timeline Draenor worship Rukhmar and the sun, similar in ways to how the tauren worship An'she. Unlike the tauren, the Adherents of Rukhmar are fanatically devoted to showing how the sun and the Light favor them over all other races and are genocidal supremacists. The Arakkoa Outcasts are incapable of using the light due to the corruption in their bodies, similar to how draenei cannot wield the Light when they become Broken.

Draenei

Velen, the Prophet of the Naaru.

The draenei were introduced to the Light by the naaru while sailing across the cosmos aboard Oshu'gun. Fleeing from the Burning Legion that consumed their original home, Argus, the enigmatic holy beings taught them the ways of the Light, though they already had a certain experience with it through Velen and T'uure. The naaru explained that there were other forces in the cosmos that would stand against the Burning Legion, and that one day the naaru would forge them into a single unstoppable Army of the Light, a grand Light-based coalition of all manner of races and one of Prophet Velen's ultimate goals. Deeply affected by the naaru's words, the draenei vowed to honor the Light and uphold the naaru's altruistic ideals.

The naaru then blessed the draenei with Light-given knowledge and power, bestowing a blessing named the Gift of the Naaru upon them to signify their new connection to the Light. Thus, the Prophet's sigil being visible at all times. And to this day, the power of the Light is embedded in the draenei so deeply that all of them can call upon their gift, using its power to heal themselves and others.

Unlike the humans and dwarves, whose knowledge of the Light is related to the Church of the Holy Light, and the blood elves, who channel their powers through the Sunwell, the draenei have a more direct link to it through their relationship with the naaru. They serve the "Holy Light of Creation" as Vindicators or Anchorites, the most common profession choices for the draenei. The draenei prophet, Velen, is also a staunch practitioner of the Light, and the high vindicator has a seat as an Exarch. Lightforged draenei for example, infuse their bodies with the very essence of the Holy Light.

The draenei society has explicit priesthood such as the Omenai, or the Aldor, an ancient order of draenei priests and priestesses once led by Velen, calling themselves the "keepers of the Light" and in charge with the safeguarding of the draenei holy sites and altars. The Hand of Argus is also present in their society, as an organization of draenei paladins and vindicators that serve as the primary military and police force of the Exodar. The Light's Chosen are an elite order of draenei paladins commanded by Prophet Velen.

Notable draenei Light-wielders include Prophet Velen, Vindicator Maraad, Yrel, and High Priestess Ishanah.

Dwarves

Moira Thaurissan, Queen of the Dark Iron clan.

Among the races of Azeroth, dwarves and humans seem to have the most in common in their worship of the Light, with few (if any) notable differences in their approach, by the fact that humans are the ones who introduced the dwarves to the Holy Light. While some Ironforge dwarves worship the Pantheon, many follow the Church of the Holy Light, while dwarves paladins are also inducted into the Knights of the Silver Hand, and can also be seen in the Argent Crusade.

Just like the dwarves of Ironforge, a number of Dark Iron dwarves have adopted the values ​​and philosophy of the Holy Light. Their Queen, Moira Thaurissan, joined the Conclave with Betild Deepanvil and other Dark Iron priests. During the Fourth War, many Dark Iron dwarves were present in the ranks of the Church of the Holy Light as priests, and the ranks of the Silver Hand.

Notable dwarven Light-wielders include High Priest Rohan, Valgar Highforge, Moira Thaurissan, and Frida Ironbellows.

Gnomes

The gnomes have had an interest in the Light since they joined the Alliance, but they were so focused on technology and, later, the retaking of Gnomeregan that studying the Light didn't feel necessary to them; the dwarven priests and paladins of Ironforge served as the only connection to the Light they needed.

Now that the gnomes have reclaimed a foothold in Gnomeregan and begun rebuilding their culture outside of Ironforge, however, they've recognized the importance of having followers of the Light in their own ranks. In addition, researching new methods of purifying irradiated gnomes has led to radical advances in Light-based technology.

Notable gnome Light-wielders include "Doc" Cogspin and High Cleric Alphus.

High/Blood elves

Lady Liadrin, Matriarch of the Blood Knight order.

Before the Third War, despite their race's general seclusion in Quel'Thalas, many high elves were priests in the Church of the Holy Light, and some were even part of the original Order of the Silver Hand. The high elves also had their own priesthood chapters, though these were less prominent than their magic-users. At the time, Vandellor was known as the High priest of Quel'Thalas.

Many of the Light-wielding elves suffered a mass loss of faith during and after the Scourge invasion of Quel'Thalas, in which 90% of their people were slaughtered and their kingdom was sacked. Renaming themselves the blood elves, many of them swore off the Light, condemning it as a fickle thing that had faltered in the defense of their people during the undead onslaught.

Some high elven priests and paladins survived the Scourging of Quel'Thalas, or were not present during its destruction, and endure in the Alliance.

When Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider and his blood elves conquered Tempest Keep, they discovered a lone naaru who had stayed behind to maintain the keep's defenses. With some difficulty, Kael'thas subdued the M'uru and sent it to Quel'Thalas so that the magic-addicted blood elves could feed upon it. After long months of study and experimentation, Magister Astalor Bloodsworn and his fellow wizards learned how to manipulate and corrupt the naaru's luminous energies. In the end, the sorcerers devised a process by which the powers of the Light could be transferred to recipients who had not earned such abilities. Instead of feeding upon the naaru's magic, the blood elves would wield the naaru's Light-given powers themselves.

Lady Liadrin, formerly a priestess who also renounced her vows, volunteered to be the first to bend the powers stolen from M'uru to her will. With her decision, a new order was born: the Blood Knights. Most of the Blood Knights were once part of the Royal Guard – proud defenders of high elven society, and saw their appropriation of the captive naaru's powers as well-deserved justice.

Eventually, M'uru was abducted and defeated by adventurers, and his heart was used by Velen to purify and restore the Sunwell as a fount of both holy and arcane energy. The Blood Knights embraced the renewed Sunwell, and through it they ask for the Light's blessing to wield their holy powers. It is a harmonious relationship, no longer one of discord caused by attempting to bend the Light to their will. Although possible to "steal" the Light from the Sunwell in the same way they did from M'uru, Lady Liadrin has moved the blood knights away from that type of abuse.

Notable Thalassian Light-wielders include Lady Liadrin, High Priest Vandellor, Lord Solanar Bloodwrath, and Mehlar Dawnblade.

Humans

Uther the Lightbringer, First paladin and Supreme Commander of the Order of the Silver Hand.

In the early days of humanity and its civilization, many tribes of humans had primitive belief systems that incorporated simple nature magic. However, the rise of organized religion such as the Church of the Holy Light and the potent arcane magics introduced by the high elves quickly supplanted such traditions. Since this time, the Holy Light is a central part of civilized human society. It is the primary human religion and a staple of worship, respect, and honor in the Seven Kingdoms. In the Alliance, human paladins are members of the Order of the Silver Hand, seeking to do justice across Azeroth, while other humans join the Argent Crusade. The humans were the first race on Azeroth to utilize the Light in an offensive manner through the creation of paladins, employing them against the Old Horde forces and then the Scourge. These paladins must abide by a strict code of moral conduct and face the gradual loss of their powers should they knowingly commit acts of evil.

In the Kingdom of Gilneas, the Light's Dawn Cathedral is located in the center of Gilneas City and is where the Gilnean priests of the clergy are present and officiate. However, due to its relative isolation, the countryside of Gilneas has retained a degree of their ancient culture in the contemporary era, the religious leaders of what was in Gilneas referred to as the "old ways" eventually became "harvest-witches"; those who used their nature powers to augment Gilneas' agricultural output during and following its period of industrialization.

In the Admirality of Kul Tiras, the inhabitants of Drustvar also worship the Light. During the invasion of Durotar, the Kul Tiras navy deployed Light-wielding chaplains and elites, under the guidance of a superior officer. At least two members of the Order of Embers also wield the Light, and some Kul Tirans can be found among the Purified that defend Drustvar during the Faction Assaults.

Humans also founded the Scarlet Crusade, a branch of errant paladins and priests (among others) driven zealous in their war against the undead. Unlike the Silver Hand's emphasis on retribution through clarity and righteousness over vengeance, the Crusade is vicious, brutal, and indiscriminate in its cause: if one does not stand with the Scarlet Crusade, one is seen as a heretic. In spite of their attitude, the Scarlet Crusade genuinely believes that they are doing righteous work, and thus have not lost their connection to the Light.

Notable human Light-wielders include Uther the Lightbringer, High Exarch Turalyon, Highlord Tirion Fordring, Alexandros Mograine, Arthas Menethil, and Anduin Wrynn.

Notable worgen Light-wielders include Sister Almyra and Sister Elsington.

Orcs

The orc and Mag'har orc priests follow the Lok'osh, a path of healing and renewal introduced by Lok'osh Nakha.

Tauren

Sunwalker Dezco, chieftain of the Dawnchaser tribe.

During a series of theological discussions, Tahu Sagewind and Aponi Brightmane talked about the importance of balancing out the night elven focus on moon-worship through reverence of light as part of their worship of the Earth Mother. As such, they rediscovered the use of the Light through the power of An'she, the sun god in tauren mythology. Among the tauren and Highmountain tauren, the paladins known as the Sunwalkers are warriors who wield the power of An'she, while the priests known as the Seers revere "the wisdom of the Earthmother as illuminated by the Light".

In their faith, the Light is associated to An'she, which gives them their powers. It is important to note that they don't use solar magic, since it is associated to nature magic rather than holy magic. When they refer to the Light, they use the terms "An'she's light", "the light of the Sun", and "Sun's light".

Notable tauren Light-wielders include Aponi Brightmane, Sunwalker Dezco, Seer Shinetotem, and Tahu Sagewind.

Zandalari trolls

In the Zandalari Empire, the Zandalari prelates are Zandalari trolls paladins, also known as prelates, who served the Loa of Kings Rezan. They are the highest order of holy warriors to serve any loa, taking only those gifted from birth with prowess in battle and gifted by the loa, and crafting champions of light to defend their empire. After Rezan's death, the prelates were cut off from his power except for a handful of his followers.

However, even with the Loa of Kings gone, his ideals remained. The prelates chose to lead those who are lost, and through their faith for the loa, to stand as a beacon of light against the darkness. They are now dedicated to the service of Queen Talanji, who succeeded the late King Rastakhan, and was of great help to the holy warriors, reminding them of who they are and what they stand for.

Notable Zandalari Light-wielders include High Prelate Rata and Ra'wani Kanae.

Others

• The Keeper Odyn follows the Light, with his Val'kyr shieldmaidens being referred to as warriors of the Light.
• Goblins priests use willpower to wield the Light, driven by greed.
• Among the pandaren, some give the impression that the Light is a foreign concept to pandaren, notably in the case of Jojo Ironbrow when the Tushui arrived in Stormwind. However, some pandaren use the Light, like Yalia Sagewhisper who has found the Light and is actually a Champion of the Conclave, indicating that knowledge of the Light is already well established among some of the pandaren by the time of adventurers' arrival in Pandaria. One possibility is that the term is not used on the Wandering Isle (Jojo's home), but is used on Pandaria.
• Night elf paladins are very rare, with only a few being seen in the game. Delas Moonfang is a priestess who is learning the ways of a paladin, where her uncle Nerus Moonfang and Alynblaze are ancients, fully trained paladins.
• The undead, against their nature, also have access to priests, and at least one undead paladin exists. The act of channeling the Light is painful for the undead, but not impossible. Light-wielding Forsaken are fairly rare and are somewhat antithetical to the prime Forsaken religion: the Cult of Forgotten Shadow.
• In World of Warcraft, Mechagon mechagnomes, jungle trolls, nightborne and vulpera also have access to the priest class, though where they stand in relation to the Light is unclear.
• In War of the Ancients Trilogy: The Sundering, Alexstrasza uses healing magic that is suspiciously similar to the Light to Korialstrasz. It bathes the Aspect in a golden radiance and its effect are described as calming to Malfurion Stormrage and co., and eases their troubled minds. Krasus also conjures a golden energy shield to protect himself against Deathwing's magma breath in the same novel, which is not unlike [Power Word: Shield].

Organizations and worships

Army of the Light

The Vindicaar in the Great Dark Beyond.

The Grand Army of the Light is an army of enlightened races that the naaru said would one day combat the ravages of the Burning Legion. After the fall of Argus, the draenei's finest warriors followed the prime naaru Xe'ra across the cosmos in an eternal war to bring about the Legion's end.

The draenei most committed to their long crusade would undergo a ritual to become Lightforged, infusing their bodies with the very essence of the Holy Light. For untold millennia, these immortal crusaders waged war against the demons throughout the Twisting Nether. After finally achieving victory on Argus, the Lightforged draenei have undertaken a new mission: protecting Azeroth from rising threats, and helping their kin from the Alliance push back against Horde aggression.

Lightbound

The Lightbound are an army from alternate Draenor led by High Exarch Yrel in service of the naaru. Compelled by the Light Mother, so that one day they would march across the Great Dark Beyond and bring order to countless troubled worlds, they waged war against the unified orc clans known as the Mag'har for the safety of Draenor, and to convert them into servitors of the Light. They seem to be analogous, or related, to the main universe's Army of the Light, and the High Exarch's sermon also mentions the "Army of the Light" by name.

Light-Bearers

The Light-Bearers were an order of beings from the planet Fanlin'Deskor. They were practitioners of the Light like the paladins of Azeroth, and were dedicated to service and duty.

Church of the Holy Light

The Cathedral of Light in Stormwind City.

The Church of the Holy Light is the religious institution at the head of the predominant human religion, the worship of the Holy Light. Its clergy is renowned for spreading goodness, as its priests heal and restore in times of peace, protect in times of war, and are guiding the spiritual destiny of their people. They are devoted to the spiritual, and express their unwavering faith by serving the people. Among them, the Clerics of Northshire once claimed their mission was to achieve "everlasting peace". They believe that the Light shines on each and every being of Azeroth.

Knights of the Silver Hand

The Order of the Silver Hand are the martial branch of the Church of the Holy Light and seek to be an example of the Light's teachings as well as enforce its laws. Powerful holy knights, these crusaders are called to protect the weak, to bring justice to the unjust, and to vanquish evil from the darkest corners of the world. As the general ideology of the Light is to strive to be good in all actions, the paladins respect its teachings depicted in the Tome of Divinity and the Tome of Valor.

Blood Knights

The Blood Knights are an order of blood elven paladins formed in Quel'Thalas. Most of them were once members of the Royal Guard, proud defenders of high elven society, and priests of the Church of the Light. After the Third War, the destruction of Quel'Thalas led a great number of elves to lose their faith, believing that the Light had failed them. For a time, they sapped holy energy from the captive naaru M'uru. With the Sunwell's rebirth, the Blood Knights have chosen to embrace it and to forge for themselves a new identity as they lead their people into a more promising future.

Draenei's institutions

Main article: Draenei#Faith

The Aldor Rise in Shattrath City.

As the draenei were introduced to the Light by the naaru while sailing across the cosmos aboard Oshu'gun, their society is centered around the "Holy Light of Creation".

Blessed by the naaru with Light-given knowledge and power, one of them being the Gift of the Naaru to signify their new connection the Light, the draenei vowed to honor the Light and uphold the naaru's altruistic ideals. As a result, the draenei have their own religious institutions, their own holy places of worship, and explicit priesthoods such as the Omenai, or the Aldor, an ancient order of draenei priests and priestesses once led by Velen, calling themselves the "keepers of the Light" and in charge with the safeguarding of the draenei holy sites and altars. Thus, the draenei serve the Light as Vindicators or Anchorites, the most common profession choices for the pious draenei.

The Light's Chosen are an elite order of draenei paladins serving as personal agents to the Prophet Velen in his quest to preserve the Light.

Hand of Argus

The Hand of Argus is an organization of draenei paladins and vindicators that serve as the primary military and police force of the Exodar draenei. Even if their numbers have yet to fully recover from the slaughter in Draenor at the hands of bloodlusted orcs, they are considered elite among the draenei, and were once dedicated themselves to protect their people from the Burning Legion hunters.

Sunwalkers

The Sunwalkers are an order of tauren paladins, founded by Aponi Brightmane after theological discussions with Tahu Sagewind about the importance of balancing out the night elven focus on moon-worship through reverence of light as part of their worship of the Earth Mother. As such, they are warriors who wield the power of An'she, the sun in tauren mythology, as they did in the past. Although not as numerous as some of the more ancient paladin orders, the Sunwalkers' ways are no less powerful and their members are no less respected.

Seers

The Seers are an order of tauren priests who revere "the wisdom of the Earthmother as illuminated by the Light", and exist under the leadership of the Sunwalkers. As such, they rediscovered the use of the Light. The way of the priest is a new one for the tauren, but it draws on the ancient traditions of their seers, and they are not forging a new path so much as rediscovering old ways that we had forgotten.

In the RPG

This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

Followers of the Holy Light do not worship any gods or beings, the power comes from some benevolent force, known simply as the "Light".

Different cultures and organizations' reverence for the Light is collectively called the Faith of the Holy Light. Most humans, dwarves, and some high elves follow the path of the Holy Light. It is a faith that advocates purity, goodness, kindness, and compassion in the face of adversity. Those who belong to this faith are among the Burning Legion's greatest foes. Some organizations are heretics of the Holy Light — while they still follow the holy light, they have altered aspects of the philosophy.

Domains: Healing, Protection, War. Priests of the Holy Light who serve the Scarlet Crusade can gain access to the Crusader, Healing, and War domains (but not Protection).

Church of the Holy Light

Main article: Church of the Holy Light#In the RPG

Church of the Holy Light in the RPG.

No one knows how the Church was founded, and no one remembers when people first discovered the Holy Light - or were discovered by it. In a time prior to the First War, humans began preaching about the Holy Light; explaining that it is a great and benevolent force that sought out mortal spirits interested in helping others and protecting life. Because the philosophy involves a significant amount of study and contemplation, they likely built libraries before churches. As the organization grew, the places of teaching and study grew as well. Eventually, all of the individual churches began working together and formed the Church of the Holy Light.

The Church sends its people all over the world, spreading the wisdom and comfort of the Holy Light. They also do what they can to help people with more practical matters, from building homes to settling family disputes to scaring off enemies. It is all very noble, of course, but that fits with the Holy Light's teachings of making the world a better place and making oneself better by helping other people. The Church has everyone's best interests at heart, and the priest, paladins, and lay members do their best to help everyone. It is a religion that is all about making people truly happy, not to mention a religion whose practitioners show clear evidence of divine blessing.

For a long time, the Church was the dominant human religion. The followers of the Holy Light were everywhere, supporting civilizations, building cities, founding temples, and generally bringing light and hope and help to everyone. Then the First War began. And there were the members of the Church, right in the thick of things, using their Light-given gifts to hold back the Horde. It was impressive — awe-inspiring, really. Unfortunately (say some), most of the priests focused on defending people rather than taking the fight to the Horde. And there just weren’t enough priests to go around. The leader of the Holy Order of Northshire Clerics during the war was Archbishop Alonsus Faol, and his apprentice was a devout lad named Uther. After the First War, Uther knew that the Church needed to do more when the orcs came again — its people needed to stand up and fight instead of just healing and defending. They needed to go after the darkness and actively prevent it from harming anyone, rather than waiting for it to come to them. He issued a call to all the bravest knights to join his new order, the Knights of the Silver Hand, and thus the paladins were born. They saw their first battles in the Second War and were instrumental in the Alliance’s victory.

Notes and trivia

• In the older games, the Light was sometimes referred to as the "spirit of humanity", or the "spirit of mankind".
  • The clerics of Northshire Abbey used to call the Light "God", however, "God" has lost its usage since then.
• Solar magic is associated to nature magic rather than holy magic.
• Shu-Zen is said to be a holy gift from the Light, and provides faithful companionship to any that would defend Azeroth from the maddening whispers of the Old Gods.
• Crafted by the titans as gifts to their favored creations, the Celestial Orb of Souls channels the powers of the Light to bring back to life those who have recently fallen.
• Ner'zhul realized that the paladin Turalyon was not just a warrior, but akin to a shaman-except that the forces he tapped were somehow on a grander scale than a mere planet's.
• In a vision of what would happen if he accepted Sargeras' offer, Velen saw light radiate from him, but it was not the golden Holy Light, it was a sickly green.
• Uther's Tomb is sacred to followers of the Light.
• According to Bishop Farthing, items crafted from the Lightforge iron strike with holy truth.
• According to Mathias Shaw, many of those present in the Cathedral of Light for the induction of Arthas Menethil into the Order of the Silver Hand noted that the Light itself seemed uncertain whether to bless the young prince.
• Jaina Proudmoore referred to Khadgar as a practitioner of the divine magic, implying the arcane magic, rather than holy magic.
• The opposite of "holy" is often considered to be "dark" powers such as Shadow magic with shadow priests, demonic magic known as fel with warlocks, and necromantic with necromancers.
  • This good-evil concept is present both in lore and occasionally game mechanics.
• Reanimated Crusaders in Icecrown can cast the spell Unholy Light, which contrary to what the name implies is actually Shadow magic.
• The perspective of the practitioners of the Holy Light is closely linked to agathism in its philosophy, where the end result is good, even with the evil in between. It is also tied to holism, psychometrics (on oneself), humanistic psychology, transcendentalism, and theological over-optimism. The philosophy shows characteristics of real-world philosophies and religions, such as Transcendence, Pantheism, and the Society of Friends (Quakerism).
• The Light similarly exists in the Diablo universe.

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.

• The "will of the Light" may also be that of beings of Light, like the "Void's will" may be the will of the void lords'.
• It is likely that the "paradise eternal" that the Crusader Bridenbrad was sent to is the Light. The Light could, thus, be akin to heaven in the Warcraft universe.
• It is speculated by some that since the Void lords rule over the Void, there could be entities that rule over the Light as well, commonly referred to as "Light lords" by the fans. This is because of the opposite nature of the Void and the Light.

Gallery

Trading Card Game

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  Binding Heal

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  Blessed Defense

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  Blessing of the Just

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  Blessing of Trials

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  Blessing of Virtue

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  Bottled Light

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  Boundless Might

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  Chastise

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  Darkest Before the Light

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  Divine Redemption

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  Divine Spirit

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  Equal Opportunity

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  Essence of Mending

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  Hammer of Justice (Assault on Icecrown Citadel)

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  Hammer of Justice

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  Heroic Bulwark

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  Holy Light

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  Holy Light (Worldbreaker)

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  Holy Nova

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  Holy Shock

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  Holy Strike

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  Holy Wrath (War of the Elements)

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  Illumination

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  Lesson of the Divine

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  Light of Reckoning

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  Lightwell

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  Power Word: Restore

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  Power Word: Shield

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  Power Word: Barrier (Twilight of the Dragons)

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  Reckoning of the Light

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  Redemption (Assault on Icecrown Citadel)

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  Resurrection

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  Seal of Command

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  Seal of Purity

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  Shield of the Righteous

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  Seal of Sanctity

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  Seal of the Crusader

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  Seal of Wisdom

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  Timeless Light

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  Touched by Light

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  Vengeance of the Light

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  Woe or Grow

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  Wrath of Turalyon

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  Aeshia Moonstreak

Hearthstone

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  A Light in the Darkness

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  Bless

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  Condemn (Rank 3)

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  Conviction (Rank 3)

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  Deliverance

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  Devout Blessings

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  Forge in Light

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  Gift of Luminance

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  Gift of the Naaru

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  Heal

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  Holy Ripple

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  Holy Word: Salvation

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  Level Up!

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  Lightforged Blessing

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  Mass Resurrection

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  Never Surrender!

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  Power Infusion

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  Power Word: Fortitude

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  Purify

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  Pursuit of Justice

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  Radiance

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  Regenerate

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  Renew

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  Renounce Darkness

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  Righteousness

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  Seal of Blood

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  Shield of Honor

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  Subdue

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  Time Out!

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  Vitality Surge

See also

• Angel
• Divine
• Holy strider