Gregory
- This article is about the human character. For his Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos appearance, see Sage Truthbearer (Warcraft III). For his World Editor version, see Sir Gregory Edmunson. For the tauren, see Sage Truthseeker.
 Gregory | |
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| Title | <Truthbearer> |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Human (Humanoid) |
| Level | 45 Elite |
| Class | Death knight (formerly paladin) |
| Reaction | Alliance Horde |
| Affiliation(s) | Scourge |
| Former affiliation(s) | Champions of Truth, Knights of the Silver Hand, Kingdom of Lordaeron, Alliance of Lordaeron |
| Occupation | Leader of the Champions of Truth, Paladin of the Silver Hand |
| Location | Bloodvenom Falls, Felwood |
| Status | Deceased |
Sir Gregory Edmunson, also known by his paladin name of Sage Truthbearer, is a human death knight found above Bloodvenom Falls in Felwood. Once a member of the Order of the Silver Hand, he served the Lich King of his own free will.
History
In life, Gregory was a paladin in the Order of the Silver Hand, where he earned the title "Truthbearer" and became close friends with his fellow paladin Aeonas. As the leader of the Champions of Truth, he fought under Uther the Lightbringer in the Third War and ultimately died protecting King Terenas's urn alongside his commander and Ballador the Bright in Andorhal.[1] He was subsequently raised as a death knight of the Scourge, and like most of the undead mindlessly obeyed the Lich King's commands. He regained his free will after the Lich King was weakened by Illidan, but the knowledge he had gained from serving convinced him that against the myriad cosmic forces that threatened Azeroth, only undeath offered a path to victory. Though he could not forgive Arthas Menethil for his crimes, he nevertheless freely pledged his service to his former prince.
His travels eventually brought him back to his old friend Aeonas, whose help he sought to destroy weapons of the Burning Legion. Aeonas agreed to aid him, rationalizing that the Legion was their mutual foe and hoping that he could find a way to bring his friend back to the Light. Together they recovered an orb from the Mannoroc Coven in Desolace but required the aid of a paladin adventurer to obtain the materials needed to destroy it.[2] As Gregory performed the ritual, he revealed that the adventurer's death was to be the final component, considering it a necessary sacrifice to destroy the orb. Aeonas, lamenting that he had let himself be blinded by hope, struck Gregory down with the Light.[3]
Quests
Quotes
- "Light have mercy on you! Your betrayal has broken Uther's heart, boy. He would have given his life for yours in a second, and this is how you repay his loyalty?"[1]
- Gossip
My word, <name>. You look nearly as pale as I am. You'd think you'd spoken to the dead. <Gregory chuckles to himself>
I've no time for games, undead. I need you to make this make sense to me.
- Very well, very well.
- It is as Aeonas said. I was once a paladin, just like yourself. I believed fiercely in Lordaeron, in the Silver Hand, in my oath. My heart broke when Arthas plunged his blade into my King's heart and I fought until my last ounce of strength was gone on the day he killed my lord The Lightbringer in Andorhal.
- Yet here you stand, under the banner of the Lich King.
- Yet here I stand. At first my soul railed against what was done to me, to my homeland, to my friends and family. As time passed in death however, I was able to find perspective. Yes at first I was what Aeonas initially feared me to be. A mindless thrall. But just as the[sic] Arthas threw off the chains of the legion and freed himself, the dominating grip of the Lich King slackened in the minds of his minions and I was able to free myself as well.
- After what you've seen, what he made you do... how could you serve him still?
- In life, my brothers called me "Truthbearer" and I was hailed for my introspection and sage wisdom. As I rediscovered the parts of myself that were lost, my eyes were open, and I began to feel the burden of the knowledge that I was able to glean from the mind of the Lich King while under his domination. There is part of me that will never forgive Arthas for what he did, but I cannot ignore the cold, hard truth.
- What is that truth?
- That our world is but a tiny spec[sic] in the grand cosmic game. There are forces far beyond our ken lurking in the darkness. Titans, Demons... the Void. They are all deadly beyond anything we've known, and they are all hungrily devouring world after world in pursuit of their own ends. What hope do the mortals of Azeroth have against such forces? We need to be stronger, we need to be more than we are to be able to stand against that. We need to be undying.
- This is delusion. The only thing that undeath brings is oblivion.
- Does it? Or is that what you tell yourself to maintain your righteousness and clarity of purpose, <name>. In death, we can be all we are, and so much more. And we need to be more to fight against what is coming. But it is not my place here today to sway you to my perspective. My mission is simple: find and destroy the orbs. For that, I need allies.
- Not every problem is a rock that requires a hammer to break. For some things, the slender, sharper blade is the better tool. This mission requires guile and subterfuge as much as it requires strength of arms, and there are some places that someone like me and mine cannot go.
- Okay, let's say I agree to help you. What is next?
- What is next is to continue our mission. Thanks to your efforts, the first orb has been destroyed, and we must find a way to destroy the one that Aeonas and I recovered from the Mannoroc Coven. We must do this before we begin the search for the others. Having more than one in close proximity could be incredibly dangerous.
- Very well, for now we work together, but the moment you turn against us I will destroy you.
- I'm sure you would try, paladin.
Notes
- In Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, the unit Sage Truthbearer was referred to internally in the files as "Gregory Edmunson." There was also a unit in the Editor that shared the same model named Sir Gregory Edmunson. Given Gregory's title of "Truthbearer" and references to his "sage wisdom," it is clear they are intended to be one and the same.
- He doesn't appear in the novel Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, but his quotes are said by Gavinrad the Dire.
Patch changes
Patch 1.15.2 (2024-04-02): Added.
References
- ^ a b Digging up the Dead (WC3 Undead)
- ^
[50] Materials of Significance
- ^ [50] The Ritual