User:Gollum/Humans and Religions

A Fragment of Arathor
When the humans and the elves defeated the Amani Empire, a hundred men learned the elven arcane magic. Those human fled from the great city-state of Strom to found Dalaran, the magic beacon for all praticcioners of the new magic. Years later, the Arathor Empire began to fragment: more humans fled from the capital and founded the kingdons of Gilneas, Kul Tiras and Alterac.

A group of humans in Strom was tired of all the stress generated by the constants battle with local trolls. Those men also fled from Strom, but they went to the nothern forests in search of spiritual guidance.

The Lost Creature
In the woodlands that would be called Tirisfal Glades, the humans started building the city of Spirit Hold. However, some days later, they found a wandering, lost creature in forest. The good-hearted humans helped the creature, providing it shelter. After all, it couldn't be a real threat, since it was only one creature.

The creature told that it's ship wrecked in the land and it got separated. The humans offered help: they would locate the missing ship, even the creature saying it wasn't a ship as the humans were used to know.

During the time the scouts looked for the ship, the creature started to talk with the humans. It told it's name was Lor'Aeron and it was a naaru. After learning that those humans were in search of spiritual guidance, the naaru explained that it was a creature in tune with the universe and it could teach the tenets of the Holy Light to them.

Three days later, the naaru's ship was found; however, he only left the world when he was done teaching his religion to the citzens. Then he left, but his teachings changed the humans forever. Grateful for Lor'Aeron's spiritual help, the humans changed the name of their city to Lordaeron in honor of the naaru.

A Tale of Two Faiths
After some time, two religions arose between Lordaeron's humans: the Holy Light as the naaru explained to them (and as we know it today) and the faith in a superior benevolent creature, known as God, that would have sent the naaru to help them. Both faiths were very influent; however, over the years, the Holy Light proved to be more accepted as it tenet's spread to Stromgarde (at this time, Strom already became Stromgarde), Kul Tiras, Gilneas, Alterac, Dalaran, the elven kingdom of Quel'Thalas and the dwarven kingdom of Khaz Modan.

The clerics of God did not aprove the situation. Only in Lordaeron's capital city, there were around four followers of the Light for one God's follower. Not counting other kingdom's churches. They decided, then, to reunite and go to distant lands, where the Holy Light were unknow.

Months later, they founded Northshire and spread their faith to the nearby kingdom of Azeroth. The citzens of Azeroth soon began to worship God, and Northshire was anexed to the kingom's domains. This religion would exist until the darkest day of humanity.

The Fall of the Clerics
The Dark Portal was opened and the orcs ravaged the kingdom of Azeroth. Northshire was utterly destroyed, with only few survivors.

When Lord Anduin Lothar ralied the remaining population and fled to Lordaeron, only few clerics existed. Many of them turned on their religion, believing that God had betrayed them, and started following the Holy Light (as it would prove to be useful in the Alliance of the Second War). The minority that were still loyal to God realized that they couldn't create a new Church for lack of followers. Thus, they decided to abandon the last spark of this religion and also turned to the Holy Light.

Even with Stormwind Keep and Northshire rebuilt, the humans of Azeroth still follow the Holy Light to this day on. The faith of God now is only remembered in myths.

Author's Note
I created this story because it always felt strange to me how such a complex religion (the Holy Light) could be natural to both the humans of Azeroth and the naaru. Unlike shamanism, a primitive religion that could exist in many world (eg: the Taurens of Azeroth and the Orcs of Draenor), the Holy Light, IMO, should have only one planet of origin. This story will imply that the Holy Light comes only from the naaru, who spreads it into many worlds for the sake of creating their so-mentioned Army Of The Light.

This story also brings informations about the misteryous faith of God found in the Clerics of Azeroth in the First War (as told by the Warcraft I Manual), and why this religion does not exist anymore.

Finally, this story doesn't make any alteration in the canon lore. It just create some facts in "blank pages" to explain things up. I hope you enjoy it.