Although Lothar and his soldiers had never faced enemies like the Death Knights in direct combat before, just from the rumors spread by the Stromgarde defenders, they could already sense how powerful these wielders of death and shadow magic were—at least, they were not foes that ordinary Alliance warriors could handle.
They were unfortunate to be facing such enemies, but fortunately, they soon received reinforcements with extraordinary power.
From the Holy City of Stratholme, the first batch of newly trained recruits of the Silver Hand had completed their training.
Not long after Lothar led the main Alliance forces to the Thandol Span and set up camp, the paladins of the Silver Hand arrived.
Leading them were the remaining five of the Silver Six: Uther the Lightbringer, Gavinrad the Dire, Saidan Dathrohan, Tirion Fordring, and Liadrin.
Among them, Uther was the supreme leader, followed by Gavinrad, Saidan, and Tirion in order of rank.
Since Liadrin was brought into the Silver Hand through Alaric's connections, she formed her own faction within the order, leading all the High Elf paladins under the Silver Hand.
Because of this, while she was officially under the command of Sylvanas, the leader of the High Elf forces, in reality, she took orders from the one who introduced her—Alaric—who had also granted her the same divine seal power as the other five Silver Saints.
Her second-in-command was none other than Leilora, the elite warrior personally introduced by Alaric. Now that she had mastered the power of the Light, Leilora could truly live up to her title: the Dawn Slayer.
With the arrival of the Silver Hand, Supreme Commander Lothar immediately convened a war council to discuss their next move.
"Speak your minds," Lothar commanded, gesturing toward the two rows of Alliance officers seated on either side of the war table. "What should our next course of action be to deal with our opponents?"
"What other choice do we have?" The newly arrived commander of the Silver Hand, Uther, was the first to speak eagerly.
"We must immediately reinforce Stromgarde and rescue King Thoras! We cannot allow an Alliance king to perish here."
"A reckless move!" No sooner had Uther finished speaking than Sylvanas scoffed, immediately voicing her opposition.
"The Horde possesses the formidable power of Death Knights. They breached the defenses of the Thandol Span in a single clash.
We know nothing about this dark power. If we charge in recklessly, we would be irresponsibly throwing our soldiers' lives away."
"The Silver Hand will handle the Death Knights!" Uther declared loudly. "The power of the Light will dispel all darkness! With the paladins of the Silver Hand, Death Knights will not be an obstacle to the Alliance."
"The power of the Light… What a grandiose claim." Sylvanas sneered, her tone full of sarcasm.
"But who knows how your fresh recruits will fare on the battlefield? I refuse to gamble my soldiers' lives on an illusionary hope."
"Do not doubt the power of the paladins, Lady Windrunner." Uther's expression grew solemn in response to Sylvanas' skepticism.
"That's right! The power of the Light is invincible!" the other members of the Silver Hand chimed in support.
What had started as a strategic discussion quickly escalated into a tense argument.
Lothar shook his head. Just as he was about to speak, his adjutant, Turalyon, stepped forward and managed to calm both sides down.
Once the room was silent again, Lothar nodded and said, "The Silver Hand's position is to reinforce Stromgarde immediately, while Lady Sylvanas opposes this. What is your proposed alternative?"
"My suggestion is to hold the line at the Thandol Span, wait for the orcs to attack, and take advantage of our defensive position," Sylvanas said, pointing at the map.
"Look here. While the Horde successfully broke through the Thandol Span and entered Lordaeron, their path forward in Arathi Highlands is actually quite limited.
The east and west are bordered by the sea, and the north is blocked by the impassable Alterac Mountains.
Once they've taken Arathi, they have only two choices: either assault the Thandol Span to enter Hillsbrad Foothills or risk crossing the Alterac Mountains into Hinterlands."
Everyone examined the terrain map of Arathi Highlands and nodded in agreement.
"In my view, as long as we hold the Thandol Span, we maintain the advantage regardless of which route the orcs take.
In fact, their best option would be to break through the span and enter Hillsbrad Foothills, as it is a crossroads of warfare.
Once inside, the Horde would have many strategic choices.
They could pick off the weakest kingdom first, such as Alterac; they could strike directly at the heart of the Alliance by attacking Lordaeron; or they could attempt to cut off our flanks by crossing Silverpine Forest and attacking Gilneas in the west.
In that scenario, we in the Alliance would be forced into a difficult position. Either we split our forces to defend everywhere—only to be defeated piecemeal—or we concentrate our forces in one location, risking political discord among our allies.
Either choice would be a nightmare."
"Lady Sylvanas speaks the truth," Turalyon quickly voiced his agreement.
"Compared to controlling Arathi Highlands, ensuring the security of Hillsbrad Foothills is far more critical. Defending the Thandol Span is a necessity."
However, his eager agreement did not earn him any favor from Sylvanas. She even shot him a glare, as if irritated by his unsolicited approval.
Meanwhile, both Alaric and Uther cast Turalyon a strange look.
Alaric found it odd that Turalyon had so readily agreed with Sylvanas. Considering that, in the original timeline, this paladin developed feelings for Alleria, his reaction made sense—perhaps he truly was just the type to be completely captivated by elves.
But whether it was Alleria or Sylvanas, even if Turalyon eventually settled for Vereesa, Alaric could tell him one thing for sure: Keep dreaming.
As for Uther, he was likely displeased by Turalyon's opposition to his plan.
As first-generation paladins, both Turalyon and Uther were noble in character, but that didn't make them saints.
Compared to Turalyon, Uther's faith was more pure, but also more rigid. This rigidity made him a great warrior, but not a great leader.
In contrast, Turalyon was more pragmatic and had a better grasp of the realities of war—qualities that made him a true commander.
It was no coincidence that, in the original timeline, he eventually succeeded Lothar as the Alliance's Supreme Commander.
This fundamental difference was the root of their conflict.
More importantly, while Uther was virtuous, he was also the type who disliked being commanded.
Lothar and Archbishop Faol could direct him due to their seniority, but Turalyon? A young upstart contradicting him? That would not sit well at all.
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