An Introductory Note
Whitehand, in its original form, was a story entitled "Journey to Stormwind" that I began ages ago after first completing Reign of Chaos. The primary characters at the time were, of course, Malachai Whitehand and my villain, the dreadlord Tal'Jaran. After abandoning the original story, I began to work with the campaign editor of the game itself to try and tell the story of Whitehand in a campaign I entitled "Journey to Stormwind." However, as the engine lacked a lot of the abilities I needed without incredible amounts of invested energy (through modelling and programming inside the maps themselves) which I did not have the time to invest, it soon fell defunct as well. However, in July of 2005, I once again started into the campaign editor, intent on telling the story further.
I was far from the original Whitehand by this point. Malachai was no longer a paladin as he had once been, and no longer was he concerned simply with the defense of Lordaeron. He became something more, and that has lead to a more current incarnation of the story with a much larger cast of character. Once again, due to time and technology limits, I was unable to create the campaign as I wanted to. Instead, I began to draft this, the most current version of Whitehand which I feel has come along far enough to consider the final incarnation. That isn't to say, however, that I'm against the idea of revision, but the story as it sits is that of the most evolved aspects of the original story.
This is not a story of any character who has been seen before in the Warcraft universe; aside from brief cameo appearances by some of the characters who were presented to us in Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne, the cast is original. They are all heroes of the Alliance, but not in the traditional sentence; Whitehand himself served during the Second War as a footman, one of those anonymous soldiers that the players lorded over. His history and the true importance he, as an individual, plays are delved into within the story. We saw in the games themselves that each individual has their own ideas of saving their own people, and Whitehand is no different.
Following the death of King Terenas, Arthas virtually disappeared from the face of Lordaeron, reappearing months later as a fully corrupted death knight. However, during the long months before his return, the undead Scourge continued their menacing attacks against the nations of the North. It is at the end of this period, just before the reappearance of the Death Knight, Arthas, that this story occurs. The entire thing occurs within the confines of the Reign of Chaos, not spilling over into the extended war of The Frozen Throne, ending at roughly the same time as Illidan's summoning of the Naga at the onset of The Frozen Throne.
I have done my best to allow this story to fit into the overall timeline of the Warcraft universe, having read, meticuously, the information presented in Reign of Chaos, The Frozen Throne, World of Warcraft, the various novels and the manga Sunwell Trilogy. However, some points have been purposely modified to reflect the way certain characters, those presenting the information or whom we see it through, actually interpret what occured. I mention this now to avoid trouble in the long run from people who are as purist as I.
Unlike the Alliance we see presented in Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne, the forces that accompany Malachai are made up of the four races that comprised the Alliance and a force of mercenaries not unlike those presented in the Sunwell Trilogy. In essence, this means that a group of races usually associated with the Horde are featured as being on the 'good' side of the conflict presented here. But then again, good and bad are terms based on perspective...
Dramatis Personae: A Brief Listing
What do I mean by a brief listing? The characters presented below are those who play immediate importance to the story, within the first half dozen chapters or so. That isn't to say that these are the only important characters for, during a conflict on the scale that could affect a country, numerous individuals play roles of importance. As I finish and revise various chapters in this incarnation later, I will include lists of characters who are important to the upcoming section of the story. So, perhaps "A Brief Listing" is not the greatest title for this section but instead should be titled:
Dramatis Personae: Act One
Malachai's Expedition
Malachai Whitehand, Former Satrap of Stratholme
Barrin Goldhammer, Dwarven Rifleman
Erenatius, Elven Arcanist of Quel'thalas
The Alliance of Lordaeron
Antonidas, Archmage of the Kirin Tor
Baron Igniatis, Satrap of Southshore
Jaden Hillmanner, Mayor of Tarren Mill
William Baros, Elder of Windmere
The Scourge/Burning Legion
Prince Arthas Menethil of Lordaeron, Death Knight of the Lich King
Tichondrius, Dreadlord of the Burning Legion
Tal'Jaran, Dreadlord of the Burning Legion