The Scarlet Crusade in the Cata beta

[sleekit]

Dont quote me

but I believe that was retconned to a later time.

which bit ?

[Sarog]

The Scarlet story is over. They are no longer relevant.

The entire Scarlet Crusade was a mirror of Arthas' journey. They began as loyal followers of the light, progressed to being murderous, extremist zealots, and finally ended up being lured to Northrend, where they lost touch with the light at least and fell into the shadow. There theme was so closely linked to Arthas that with him dead and WotLK over they have reached their narrative conclusion.

I loved the Scarlets in their time, but it is time for them to be put to bed. I'm glad that their presence seems nonexistent in WPL, and I'm hoping the only Scarlets we encounter in Cata are the scattered remnants.

[eLiTe_J_]

ending with frostmourne itself devouring arthas' soul

Arthas's soul was the first claimed by frostmourne actually in WC3 TFT.

[Deleted]

They are gone.

[Iselia]

The SC are one of my favorite villains in this game, and I'd hate for them to Vanish

Make a new quest for them to embark upon! Pretty please Blizz? :\

[Sarrior]

I think SM, eastern & western plaguelands, northrend will soon be merely setbacks...

[trulte]

Would be cool if in the last base of operation of the Scarlet, their new leader is Calia Menethil would be very very unlikely for her to ever join up with them and she could be dead for all we know, but it would be cool and after a chain they join up with the Argent Crusade or something

[Frumpy Frumpy Frak]

I'm terribly confused what happened to Mal'Ganis, he swore we wouldn't be able to defeat the Lich King without him, and then he he said he'd have revenge on us AND him.

Where was that revenge? We defeated him just fine without Mal'Ganis. Did they drop the ball on this? Or is there something more sinister going on? Could he be masquerading as someone we know? (I'm not suggesting Bolvar, that's overdone, and since he can take the form of a normal looking human, that would draw attention to himself.)

But we didn't kill the Lich King, we only killed Arthas /specu-wink

Or... it could just be that Tirion Fordring is Mal'ganis. It kind of explains a lot, he said he'd have his revenge on us and the Lich King, which is why Tirion didn't enter the fight until we were all dead.

[-Ethos-]

Yes, bringing in every hero ever to battle them wouldn't have been cheesy. Of course not.

Hey now! Maiev dropping those traps 40 yards away from Illidan really helped!

[nnelson54]

They began as loyal followers of the light, progressed to being murderous, extremist zealots, and finally ended up being lured to Northrend, where they lost touch with the light at least and fell into the shadow.

I nerd raged so hard when WotLK came out and there were Scarlet Crusader Death Knights in Dragonblight.

The same people who wouldn't even let new people who were still alive join their ranks because if they're not members of the Scarlet Crusade then they're likely(in their eyes) carrying the plague and soon to be Scourge now have undead former members of the Scourge in their ranks.

[Deleted]

someone said that their remainder joined forces with the argent dawn in EPL

[Daemaro]

But we didn't kill the Lich King, we only killed Arthas /specu-wink

Or... it could just be that Tirion Fordring is Mal'ganis. It kind of explains a lot, he said he'd have his revenge on us and the Lich King, which is why Tirion didn't enter the fight until we were all dead.

Sure would make "retaking" hearthglen awful easy if the SC was your puppets!

[XepNes]

Sure would make "retaking" hearthglen awful easy if the SC was your puppets!

Indeed... This makes too much sense! logic always leaves you with more questions then you got answers, so theres logic in this! Tirion... is Mal´Ganis! :O no wait how can that be...? I am Mal´Ganis /rawr

[Daemaro]

I don't know who it could be, it sure wouldn't be the first time a dreadlord took the form of a leader though.

Maybe he's Garrosh! I mean he DID help us defeat the LK with his buff! :O

[CaptainV]

As I recall, there is some sign of them returning, but probably under yet another name:

Apparently there is a questgiver named Joseph (I may be mistaken?) Who's title changes each time you complete a quest.

His quests are strongly assosiated with the Scarlet Monistary and each time you kill a member of the crusade he starts to sound more fanatical about it. Eventually I believe he becomes known as Joseph the Insane, implying that like Vanessa Vancleef, the Scarlets will return.

He is apparently an Exiled Crusader, along with a number of other exiled scarlet crusaders who are fanatically attempting to claim the monistary.

[Stormdash]

To borrow from "The Wrath of Khan" -- there won't be anybody behind. At the outset of "Wrath of the Lich King", when Arthas brought Archerus to lay waste to the Scarlet Crusade and Argent Dawn, the Crusade was at the beginning of sending a force to Northrend. In theory, one assumes, they expected to have a home to return to. As the Death Knight starting arc unfolds, you learn that they have in fact prepared to send their three ships north (I admit to being unclear if it was always going to be three, or if that's just all they had left after the player's industrious Death Knight managed to destroy much of their fleet). However, by the time that mission begins, the situation has changed considerably at home.

In short, there won't be anybody behind. The arc makes very clear, pretty much the full might of Scarlet forces in Hearthglen and Tirisfal (read: SM) are on their way to reinforce Tyr's Hand and New Avalon. However, because of the player's brilliantly executed scheme to intercept Abbendis' attempt to warn them away, they all march to their deaths at the hands of the Scourge. That mission on the frostwyrm is a mission to wipe out the reinforcements, not the Scarlets already there.

As far as I can tell, the turn-in on that quest, after which Arthas orders the assault on Light's Hope and the Argent Dawn, is the effective end of the Scarlet Crusade. Lorewise, all that should have been left in Hearthglen and SM were the very old, very young, or those unable to effectively fight (I won't say "women", since, if anything, the Scarlets seem disproportionately female in the Death Knight arc). In terms of military power, the force that reaches Northrend is sort of like an escape pod from a ship that then explodes -- there's nothing behind.

In Northrend, obviously the last of the Scarlet Onslaught's leadership is ultimately killed, but there's no lore event that indicates that most or all of their fighting force up there was killed -- they just became irrelevant. So it stands to reason that they might return to the Eastern Kingdoms, but really, you're talking, what, a tenth of their original strength?

I would actually roll my eyes if there was any sort of Scarlet Crusade/Onslaught presence in "Cataclysm" because it contradicts pretty much everything that happened to them in "Wrath of the Lich King". They'll at most be a pocket of zealotry that's either outcast or barely tolerated in the new Argent-run Hearthglen.

What I'm curious about is how Hearthglen NPCs, up to and including Tirion, will con to Horde players.

[Zonas]

With Mal'Ganis, I could see him showing up later maybe in the Legion xpac or so, he is mainly pissd with Ner not Arthas and since his power/spirit, is still in the helm he would just want to go after him. And when you think about it Bolvar would be pretty vulnerable just sitin up there trapd in ice block, maybe an event with an attack on him or he just breaks him out/kills him and takes the helm for its power.

With the Scarlets, even though we have killd their leaders twice already (who turnd out to be demons in disguise) there are still some high ranking members we have never seen who are unknown as to were they are or if theyr alive. I remember the line of statues in Armory it gives a discription and a few of them are unknown to be dead or alive.

[Falrinn]

While the Scarlet Crusade has been largely defeated, I believe they still have some strength left in Tristfal and possibly Tyr's Hand.

As for why, I say that the Forsaken's more recent tactics may have caused more people to join up.