Another Nazi Found, But It Will never Be Enough

Massive TW for holocaust stuff.

As you probably know, another former KZ guard was finally deported to Germany earlier this week.


 I'm glad to see the sscumbag being sent to where people might at least pretend to care about what he's done. Of course, the best justice would to be to build a #FascismProofWorld, which takes some more doing!

Today, I'm thinking about the music of holocaust survivor Ernst Busch, a Gay Communist from Kiel who was caught in 43, and was tortured and blinded by the Nazis, and by the grace of the Red Army, survived to sing again.

This is one of his, called "As long as the murderers live in the world". it's a song promising vengeance on surviving Nazis, sung in character as the ghosts of the dead. I don't think it's a particularly strong piece, largely because of the almost gleeful, melodramatic tone he's using. The thing is, I KNOW he could do sad songs better- listen to Suliko, Martyred in a Dungeon, Peat Bog Soldiers, or Wait for Me and you'll hear it too.

I was kind of baffled why this virtuoso didn't bring his a-game to this piece, arguably one of the most important of his post-war career. And that's when it hits me- this man who went through so much, expressed so much felt by so many, who fought his entire life for a better world, who stared down his country's bombs and sang for the people. this voice of us all, had to turn a switch and sing this as if it were a joke. He could express pain and rage just fine, but he couldn't here. Maybe, as Lin Manuel-Miranda wrote, this was a time when the words didnt reach, or they did and he had to put up some walls. He could express the suffering of billions, he could make his Prussian officer's voice low and wracked, and go from the gleam of a sabre to a slow outpouring of dark wine. I have always felt that he sings for me and for so many others, whether about lost love or about surviving fashy or marching to certain death in the struggle. And sometimes about winning in the cause of the workers and oppressed peoples, too.

What does it say that these words were too much for him to open up? How terrible must have his experiences been to blunt him like this?

I think we already know.

Anyway here's the song, I don't know who wrote it. The translation is mine, going for meaning, not rhyme or meter. Do listen to it- "not one of Ernst Busch's best" is still a long way from a bad song.

"Some night when the flames slither
And the conveyor belt stirs my ashes
I rise as maddened smoke from Dachau's chimneys
Down I fly and through the hall I dash
I want to avenge myself, come up behind
on those who think i'm nought but ash
How can I lie in peace in the earth,
So long as the murderers live in this world?
For hell is already full of sinners
Yet it's empty of certain architects
so my song chases down each devil
and brings them to face their crimes
Following them through the crowded masses
to punish swiftly by the light of our hatred
How can you appear so peaceful, o blue sky
As long as the murderers still live in this world?
Arise, oh murdered children of years past
the hangman's goons who slew you stand right there
Throttle them in their fine robes
in the name of all children yet to come!
And those who still survive, haunted by their nightmares
in Warsaw, minsk, Paris, on the Rhein and on the Danish Belt
As long as the murderers live in this world


In jenen Nächten da die Flammen lohten,
und Ofenzug durch meine Asche fuhr,
stieg ich als Rauch empor aus Dachaus Schloten
und sank herab lebendig auf die Flur.
Ich wollt mich rächen meinem Tod entstiegen
an manchem der mich noch für Asche hält
wie kann ich ruhig in der Erde liegen:
Solang die Mörder leben auf der Welt,
Solang die Mörder lebena uf der Welt.
Die Hölle ist schon vollgepfercht mit Sündern
doch fehlt dort manche zünftige Figur.
Da ruft mein Lied die Opfer jener Schinder
und bringt sie den Verbrechern auf die Spur.
Geht fahnden durch Gedränge und Gewimmel,
geht ahnden rasch vom heißen Haß erhellt.
Wie kannst du ruhig leuchten blauer Himmel
Solang die Mörder leben auf der Welt,
Solang die Mörder leben auf der Welt.
Steht auf ihr Kinder die ihr schon vor Jahern,
von Henkersknechten totgemartert seid.
Ergreift die Mörder richtet in Talaren,
im Namen alller Kinder künftger Zeit.
Und ihr die ihr noch lebt aus diesen Tagen,
in Warschau, Minsk, Paris, am Rhein, am Belt:
Erinnerung soll aus dem Schlaf euch jagen:
Solang die Mörder leben auf der Welt,
Solang die Mörder leben auf der Welt.

#ErnstBusch #NaziHunting #RotFront #NoPasaran


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6IYRYNQ0lY

The Fool and the Rose. Shakespeare's "As You Like It" as Political Propaganda, Economic Treatise and Cultural Phenomenon

As You Like It, by William Shakespeare. It's one of those plays where many words are said, but not very much actually happens. He has three of these: the others being Love's Labours Lost and Much Ado About Nothing.  What could I possibly have to say about this play? A good chunk of the dialogue is barely intelligible, being as it is said by the lovably pompous court jester Touchstone. But within the play's premise itself is embedded something interesting. This play is actually about female leaders, maturity, legitimacy, and tyranny. It is also yes, a play whose main characters are a butch bisexual and a femme lesbian but that is not why it's a feminist work. It is a feminist work because of how it updates a classic story to be about a female ruler: and indeed supports a specific female ruler.  It is about a girl becoming a duchess, a child becoming a leader. It is a rewriting of one of the oldest stories ever created by humans which is still around today: Jason and the Argonauts. First written down by Hesiod in the 8th Century BCE, it is likely much older than that. Much older. Very likely, this story is about that same mysterious civilization that predated the rise of Mycenae: that was, and yet was not, Greek. Perhaps it originated in Mycenaean times: or just perhaps, the half-burnt male figure found at a temple on Crete represents Jason. We cannot say for sure. What we can say: is what this story is about. It is about what it means to be a good ruler, and how to make a child into a good ruler.

Rosalind, the main character of As You Like It, is the daughter of a Duke. She will one day have a position of leadership. However, she cannot simply become a leader overnight. She must be taught how to lead. In order to learn how to lead, Rosalind needs to enter the forest. The forest in Shakespeare is never simply a place. The forest always has a magical property: it removes illusions. Everyone in the forest has no choice but to be who they really are. Rosalind believes that she is disguised, but in a very real sense she is not. How can we tell? well, in the court Rosalind was afraid to speak to Orlando (because she is attracted to him). She didn't know what to say or do. This tells us that Rosalind is putting on a show of being a "good girl".  She doesn't know how to act in this situation because it wasn't one she has been taught to be in. Likewise, Orlando is tongue-tied. Again, because he is putting on an act: in his case of an athlete and manly man. But in the forest, Rosalind can speak to Orlando the way she would speak to anyone else: and Orlando can declare his affection for her to anyone who will listen (including the trees).  In the forest, the duke cannot distinguish himself with fancy clothes and a big palace. He sleeps and eats with his followers, works and hunts with them too. In the forest, it is his quality which makes him a duke, his nobility that makes him a nobleman. He deescalates conflict, shares generously, models good conduct for his followers, practices solidarity with those who are physically or mentally left behind, and seeks to build relationships with everyone. He is wise enough to see desperation behind violence, fear behind a false show of anger. He knows that men do not simply hold other men at knife-point because it is fun. He is a duke in the forest, because that is his true self. He is a man who leads other men: a dux in the truest sense of the word.

But, so often we think of our identities as being innate: something we are born with. This is only half true. While we are born with certain traits and desires, our perspective shifts as we enter new states of being. This can be a new stage of life, a new socio-economic class, a new emotional state, or just a new place. Taking medication for anxiety or depression can entirely cure the problem because the medication changes your brain chemistry such that your perspective shifts. The pressures you face are the same, the challenges you need to get through are the same, your life is just as bad as it was before: but your perspective on it has changed. Shakespeare's forest has a similar effect for his characters. Oliver, Orlando's elder brother, enters the forest. He goes there to find and kill his brother, whom he is paranoid about. He believes strongly that his brother is plotting against him, to take his share of their father's land and wealth. But when he enters the forest his perspective shifts: because the economics of the forest are different from the economics of the court. The court enforces the economics of scarcity: hoarding resources and always seeking to obtain more resources is what everyone is expected to do. Oliver believes Orlando has bad intentions because he is in an environment where having bad intentions is expected. The forest however enforces the economics of abundance: hoarding resources doesn't get you anywhere. Only by pulling together and sharing resources with a group can you survive in the forest, because it's resources are harder to get.  

A deer is capable of killing you with a single kick, hunting it alone would be foolish. You can't manage a farm or a flock of sheep alone, these tasks require more skills than one person could possibly ever have. In this environment, Oliver can see that his beliefs about Orlando were patently false. Orlando never asked for anything except what was promised to him by their father, and protested his treatment only because it was oppressive. Rather than killing Orlando, Oliver makes up with him. Everyone always has enough, no more and no less, in the forest because they share their skills and resources to make the most of their situation. They waste nothing, no one has extra but no one is lacking.

If you really hate spoilers, stop reading now. But it isn't really a spoiler, because all Shakespeare's comedies end the same way: everyone gets married. As You Like It is no different: all the major characters pair off.  But this brings me to something that can make a modern audience uncomfortable: the way that the character of Phoebe is seemingly forced to settle for second-best. However, I would suggest there is something else going on here: Phoebe has unrealistic expectations and is looking for the wrong things in a relationship. Like most women, she has been taught to expect a particular type of man by literature.  "Ganymede", Rosalind's alter ego, more closely fits that type than Silvius does. When Rosalind reveals that she is female, Phoebe realizes that what she was looking for in a man doesn't exist: but that the man who will truly make her happy is right in front of her. Silvius does in fact love her, he makes this clear by helping her to court Ganymede. He puts her wishes above his own desires, and that is what true love is. He may not be wealthy, he may not be handsome: but he will do whatever it takes to make her happy. Like many women, Phoebe has been taught that high status will make her happy. The obviously high status Ganymede, therefore attracts her attention.

It is Rosalind's task to bring the people from the court and the people from the forest together. 

However, the play does not end with her receiving a title at court. It ends with a marriage in the forest. There is no return journey here, because Rosalind cannot return. The person Rosalind is, cannot exist in the court. Nor can she, in the court, be married to Orlando. Oliver cannot return to the court either: he has changed his thinking and his behavior and is now incapable of functioning at court. Having realized how his abusive behavior harmed both himself and his brother he cannot go back to it. Even Touchstone cannot return, although he seems utterly oblivious to the evils of the court. Even he has changed, because he has come to appreciate the ways in which the forest society is honest. The Exiled Duke has no plans to return, after all the type of society he has created in the forest is still impossible in the court. The tyrant cannot simply be overthrown: the people must move from the tyrant's court into the forest. Of course: the court and the forest are states of mind, not really geographical places. In today's parlance, we might say the people need to get woke. The community in the forest will take in anyone who comes: but they cannot venture beyond the forest. The tyrannical system will remain until there aren't enough people left to prop it up.

Now, it is important to realize one thing: Rosalind's name was not chosen by accident. Nor is it an accident that this one of only two non-history plays that Shakespeare wrote, which is set in England. It is also set in a specific forest, not just the general forest of A Midsummer Night's Dream: the Forest of Arden. That is not simply a euphemism, this is a very real place near Shakespeare's childhood home in Stratford-upon-Avon. Indeed, Shakespeare's mother was Mary Arden, a descendant of the family who once owned the local manor house and the forest. But the name Rosalind refers to a person who would have been in Shakespeare's original audience: Queen Elizabeth I. The German name Rosalind means "gentle rose": Queen Elizabeth Tudor's insignia was, of course, a five-petaled rose. This is a play about the Queen. Except this monarch is only called a "Queen" in retrospect. She signed her letters Elisabetta Rex, Elizabeth the King. Until Queen Victoria: the role of the Queen was entirely separate to that of the King in English society. This goes back to the Anglo-Saxon (pre-Norman) idea of a Cyning and Cyninga: two equally important rulers with distinct roles. Elizabeth Tudor was not a Queen by the description of her own people: she was a female King. Shakespeare is walking on eggshells here, putting a blatant representation of the reigning monarch into his comedy of morals. But that is the reason that Rosalind's masculine attire and demeanor are portrayed so lovingly. Elizabeth is a woman doing a man's job, so she must look and act the part. He's making a statement about what gender means. To Shakespeare: a person's social role is not defined by their gender, their gender is defined by their social role. Perhaps a response to others who felt that 

Elizabeth would be too weak to handle power because of her femininity.

Elizabeth Tudor rewarded Shakespeare for his daring implicit support of her unconventional behavior. He became her favorite playwright, shoving out his college-educated colleagues Ben Johnson and Christopher Marlowe. Eventually she chose him to lead and write for her personal troupe. In the end, William Shakespeare, the son of a glover from sleepy Stratford-upon-Avon became a gentleman. Although never exactly rich, he was able to keep his family comfortably: and more importantly, he had a coat of arms.  Much ink has been spilled about the meteoric rise of William Shakespeare. Indeed he is the subject of one of the oldest conspiracy theories still in existence: with many people claiming that Shakespeare is not the author of the plays we attribute to him. But a more critical examination turns up a more likely truth: that Shakespeare succeeded not on wit alone, but also on the strength of ideology. The ideas he espoused were in some ways old-fashioned, hearkening back to a medieval era that was barely remembered and already romanticized. But in other ways his ideas were far ahead of his time, particularly his attitude towards women as reflected by the stories he tells about women. These attitudes however, far from getting him in trouble: helped him succeed in a country where a ruler was setting out to change notions of female leadership. 

Together, the indomitable Virgin Queen and the mischievous playwright redefined the idea of female leadership, and indeed the idea of what it meant to be a woman. Shakespeare wrote in the 1600s, only a half-century after Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for the sin of dressing like a man. Granted, in her case, this was simply an excuse (the real "crime" was supporting the French King): but it is still telling that it was considered a valid excuse. In that context, Shakespeare's characterization of Rosalind which seems so tame to a modern audience is incredibly radical. It is of course a blow softened by the fact that a boy is playing Rosalind: and so you have the hilarity of man playing a woman pretending to be a man. Still, we have a cross-dressing woman as the hero of our story. Indeed she isn't just a cross-dressing woman, she's a sexually (or at least romantically) deviant woman. It doesn't get less subtle than "close beyond the natural bond of sisters" for circumlocutions: it's a stretch to even call that a euphemism.  Rosalind's actions towards Orlando are not precisely what one would call loving, but may indicate genuine desire. However, it is certain that Celia shows no sign of desire or love towards Oliver (beyond simply not disliking him). Thus, what I said at the beginning: our heroines are a butch bisexual and a femme lesbian, in today's terminology. It seems more than a little probable that Orlando and Oliver are basically beards for Rosalind and Celia.

Long before the novelists of the 19th century popularized stories of quasi-romantic friendships between preteen girls: Shakespeare gave us the words to speak about such relationships, to speak about women behaving in unfeminine ways, and to speak about women taking the lead whether in a romantic or political relationship. After all, the two overlap more than people usually admit (a "marriage of convenience" usually denotes a political alliance not an actual marriage for example). Indeed, while this kind of relationship was common in English literature in the 19th century: it was generally not found in the same period in works produced in other languages. The notable exception of course being Russian works, understandable given Russia's almost totally distinct history vis a vis western Europe.  It would take until the 1920s for German and French writers to start talking about such relationships in books and plays. It was largely Shakespeare who allowed that to happen by creating literature that simply could not be ignored and could not really be censored either. While the relationship can of course be downplayed by cutting certain lines: it is not possible to truly remove the homoerotic content. As You Like It was too popular and had too much merit to be shunted aside even to please the morality police. Besides, they were too busy laughing their silk stockings off.

Tirion Fordring-Writing Neutral Characters

World of Warcraft is a game defined by factions with different philosophies, and various reasons for existing. It is a world in constant turmoil, with different people all struggling to get what they want or need. There are the two player factions, the Horde and the Alliance. There are others too. There was one character who was almost universally revered by all living things. He wasn't some kind of superhero, or all-powerful overlord. He was a simple old man. Tirion Fordring.

Well, perhaps not so simple. Tirion was a man, committed first and foremost to principles. His principles were hardly unusual, they were the standard teachings of the Church of the Light (a fictional religion followed by the humans in Warcraft).  He was a paladin, a warrior of the church, so this makes sense. But the Church was a part of human society, and human society was firmly connected to the Alliance. It was the humans after all who had first been threatened by the invading orcs.  Indeed it was in the wars against the orcs that the first human paladins came to be. But in the aftermath of the two wars against the orcs, a decision was made that did not sit well with some in the church. The defeated orcs were put into internment camps, which later devolved into outright slavery. The humans were increasingly brutal and savage to their captives. Tirion was one of those who was dissatisfied. When he saw an orc named Eitrigg who was about to be executed for participating in a rebellion, he intervened and saved the orc's life: risking his own. Lord Uther, the leader of the paladin order, ostracized him and conducted a ritual to try to cut him off from the Light. The Alliance leaders also considered his actions criminal. Tirion fled his manor, Mardenholde, and barely escaped with his life. He hid in the mountains south of Quel'thalas, perhaps with the help of the elves or the trolls, for many years.

Even though this area was dangerous, he braved it: so he could be near his son Thaelan. As he watched Thaelan however, he began to realize something was wrong with the Scarlet Crusade: an Alliance organization founded amid the third war (the events of Warcraft III) of which Thaelan was a high-ranking member. In particular he began to notice that there was something disturbing about the relationship between Thaelan and his superior in the organization: High Inquisitor Isilien. Isilien seemed to increasingly control Thaelan, and was forcing him to commit acts that were increasingly brutal. Eventually he learned that the Argent Dawn had hired a team of adventurers (the players of World of Warcraft), to help them deal with the Scourge forces that remained in what was now called the Plaguelands. He left clues to where he was hiding, hoping one of them would find him. It was time to confront Isilien and find out what was really going on in the Scarlet Crusade. One of the adventurers found him, and agreed to go with him to confront High Inquisitor Isilien.  They confronted the Inquisitor and Thaelan at a tower near Mardenholde. In the ensuing argument, Thaelan started to rebel against Isilien. Rather than see Thaelan be turned against him, Isilien pushed him from the tower killing him.  Tirion went into a rage and killed Isilien. In his rage, he reconnected to the Light despite Lord Uther's ritual.

The Scarlet Crusade had enemies: and taking out the High Inquisitor was a blow to them. Darion Mograine, leader of the Argent Dawn, was one enemy of the Scarlet Crusade.  He had once been a high-ranking member of the organization himself: in fact at the very highest rank. His father, Alexandros Mograine, was the founder. But Darion, because he was so close to the top, had seen what was wrong much more easily. He had seen it take hold of his own brother and lead him to betraying their father. It was evil, insidious, and not from the world of Azeroth: it was the Legion. The Legion which had created the Scourge: the enemy that the Scarlet Crusade had been created to fight. Now Tirion and Darion were kindred spirits: having both lost loved ones to the evil that was eating the Crusade. Somehow Darion found Lord Uther's armor, and now he gave it to Tirion as a way to show that all was forgiven. Darion was subsequently killed.

In his absence, Tirion was the obvious choice to lead the Argent Dawn. In the mean time, the elves of Quel'thalas had joined the Horde: having been insulted and abandoned in their time of need by the Alliance. Many elves had been members of the Argent Dawn before this decision, and Tirion decided to let them stay. But more than that, members of the Scourge were starting to free themselves from the Lich King's control: and they had banded together as the Forsaken, and also joined the Horde because the Alliance wanted to kill them all. Some of these were priests, and they learned how to wield the Light despite their undead state. These were people that Tirion and the others had known in life: who were committed to fighting the Scourge now more than ever thanks to their treatment at the Lich King's hands. Tirion made the controversial choice to let them into the Argent Dawn. The Argent Dawn was no longer an Alliance organization. Furthermore, even the most distrustful among them could see the point in working with the Horde as well as the Alliance to take down the Lich King.  After all, the Horde had reason to hate the Lich King as well. Tirion signed a pact with the leaders of the Horde recognizing the Forsaken's right to the land. He promised he would not aid Alliance forces that were attempting to claim the area. This made sense, the Forsaken were citizens of the former Lordaeron just like Tirion was. It was in his interest to recognize their right to the land so that they would recognize his right to Mardenholde. Which they did. With that however, Tirion had made the Argent Dawn officially a neutral player on the political stage. Darion Mograine had hired mercenaries regardless of race: but Tirion would accept full members from both factions. He later renamed the group to the "Argent Crusade".

Thus the stage was set for Tirion to take a peculiar place in the Warcraft story: a place set above the faction conflict, and blurring the line between character and force of nature. You see, Darion was killed, but death in Warcraft is not always the end of a person's story.  Under the control of the Lich King, Darion Mograine assaulted the last stronghold of the Argent Dawn: Light's Hope Chapel. However, having become a paladin after the end of the Third War: Darion lacked essential knowledge of this place. It was here that the Paladins of the Silver Hand had once been invested, before an ancient artifact. It was this artifact, called the Altar of Ancient Kings, which had so far kept the Scourge at bay. Now, the Death Knights of the Ebon Blade, tried to assault it. They failed. The weapon that Darion wielded, the Ashbringer, responded to the power inside the Altar. It turned on him, and without it he could not fight well. He halted the assault, and knelt before Tirion. An image of the Lich King appeared, to cast a very real spell that might have ended it all. However, the Lich King was distracted and in that moment of distraction: Darion was free to act completely on his own. He seized his chance and threw the Ashbringer to Tirion. Tirion channeled the power of the Altar through his body and into the blade: purifying it and making it a weapon of the Light. This was a feat which had been thought impossible, the Altar was not designed to be used by humans or even elves. It had been designed for the Titanforged, the creatures created from stone and metal by the Titans.  But in a crucial way, Tirion had become like them: his motives were pure, and his will was iron. Tirion had no wish to destroy Darion, they were friends and kindred spirits. Darion had valuable skills and knowledge, passed down to him by his father. It was hardly his fault he'd been pressed into the service of the Scourge. The powers of the death knights were valuable too, Tirion had fought against them in the First and Second wars. So, when Darion declared his intention to destroy the Lich King, Tirion accepted him as a partner.

The assault on the Lich King took place soon after. Here Tirion played a crucial role: breaking Frostmourne with the purified Ashbringer. And so, it was done. The Lich King was defeated, and the Scourge destroyed. But there was no turning back for Tirion. He could not simply return to the Alliance, as if nothing had happened. Now he stood between two factions on the brink of war, between two leaders whose hearts boiled with hatred for each other.

And in this position, Tirion could exert a unique power on both the Alliance and the Horde. He represented a constant reminder of what the two factions shared: even after the defeat of their common enemy. Not enough of an influence to stop the two factions from going to war, or even to stop atrocities from being committed in that war. But enough of an influence so that the factions could make peace when the need arose.  So that, for the first time in Azeroth's history, a war criminal could be tried in court rather than simply hunted down and slaughtered. So that the cycle of reprisal and aggression could be ended, even if it was doomed to begin anew immediately. Tirion didn't have to do anything in particular to make this happen, except continue to be present and run the Argent Crusade. This was not the first neutral faction: indeed there were many in the world. But none of them were lead by someone so revered by the leaders of both factions. Tirion exerted this influence because of his dedication to his own principles above loyalty to any faction or nation: changing the world not by using force or strong language, but simply by refusing to change his behavior to fit popular notions of propriety. We typically think of neutral characters as being weak-willed or uninterested, perhaps mercenary types. But Tirion represents a different kind of neutral character, a kind of character who can have a profound influence on the plot of a story: a character who is principled and engaged with the world in a meaningful way, but marching to the beat of a different drummer.

Turalyon & Alleria: Growing Apart Together

It started as so many romances do, with a war. Alleria Windrunner, Ranger General of Quel'thalas answered the call from the Kingdom's human allies to provide troops to fight the Horde. Turalyon was the youngest member of the brand new Order of the Silver Hand. In the First War, the Alliance  had been badly beaten by the Horde: the city of Stormwind had been burned, and the survivors fled north to Lordaeron. The government in exile of Stormwind, was technically headed by seven year old Varian Wrynn. In reality though, it was the knight Anduin Lothar who had shouldered the burden of leadership and he was determined to get revenge. So, he started another war.

This is how Turalyon met Lothar, and Lothar took an interest in the young paladin. Turalyon reminded him of himself when he was younger and less experienced: so Lothar figured that with a little experience he could make a good successor. Lothar had no sons, or at least none that he knew of. The first war with the Horde had distracted him from finding a wife, not that he was the sort of man who would have ever settled down with a single woman. In that way, Turalyon was different. The other way that Turalyon was different was his commitment to the Church of the Light's doctrine. One of the doctrines of the church, was that the Light shone on all creatures. Turalyon reasoned, that ought to include orcs. They might be political opponents, but why should the Light take sides in a war between mere mortals? His doubts made him unable to use the Light well, at least in an offensive manner. Unlike many of the other soldiers, Turalyon couldn't bring himself to hate the orcs although he would acknowledge they were distasteful and strange.

Alleria was the first to learn to hate the orcs. Partway through the war, they snuck around the Alliance army and struck a deal with the age-old enemy of the elves, the Amani trolls. They killed her father and brother, and many other elves. They broke one of the Runestones which kept Quel'thalas safe. Although this event caused King Anasterian to give Alleria more troops, it was hardly enough to make up for the harm they had caused. She slaughtered hundreds of orcs and trolls by herself, and pushed the rest into traps laid by her sister Sylvanas and the Rangers. When she could find no more enemies, she finally allowed herself to grieve. In her misery she wandered without thought, and her body took her to Turalyon's tent. He cared for her, and shared in her pain. That was when she truly started to notice him: his calm demeanor, his caring heart, and his good looks.

Not long after, Lothar and Turalyon were fighting side-by-side. Lothar faced off against none other than the Warchief, the leader, of the Horde: the one they called Blackhand. He was big and strong and a good fighter, and he overwhelmed Lothar. He struck Lothar down and broke his massive sword as if it were a twig. Turalyon had just finished healing a comrade, and turned to see his friend dead. It was at that moment that he realized: it wasn't necessary to hate the enemy, it was enough to love his comrades. The Light came to the aid of the paladins because they loved the Alliance, not because they hated the Horde. He flew into a rage, and the Light came to him as it never had before. Wings like an eagle's made of golden light appeared on his back and turned his brown eyes golden, and with Lothar's broken blade he struck down Blackhand. The Horde lines collapsed, and the Alliance army routed them. Those who surrendered, they put in internment camps. Those who did not surrender remained hunted. The whole of the Alliance army saw Turalyon's fury, including Alleria. Alleria looked on it with joy. Turalyon formed the Sons of Lothar, a group dedicated to exacting revenge for Lothar's death. Alleria volunteered, so did Kurdran Wildhammer, Lord Danath Trollbane, and Khadgar the wizard. They made preparations to go through the Dark Portal to the world of the orcs.

Meanwhile, Alleria finally confessed her feelings to Turalyon. She had realized on that night when she went to him for comfort, that he was utterly awestruck by her. This was not surprising of course. Like all elves she was beautiful, graceful, and had the wisdom of a long life. But when he replied she learned that it was not simply those qualities which had attracted his attention. She had shown up to support the Alliance, even when the rest of her people were reluctant. That showed commitment and generosity that were unusual for her kind. He valued those qualities far more than an elf would have. It was not long before they no longer had words to express their desire for each other. Not long before Turalyon gave himself to her, and she carried a half-elven child in her womb. It was also not long before they needed to leave to go through the Dark Portal. They waited until the child was born, knowing that the homeland of the orcs was no place for a child. They named her son Arator, and left him in the care of Alleria's sister Vereesa. Then they went through the portal and were greeted with a world on the brink of death. The only thing to do was jump through one of the other portals and hope it didn't lead to a Legion prison planet. Alleria and Turalyon watched as Draenor exploded on the other side of the portal. But the Draenor they were standing on remained. They had found an alternate timeline.

Alleria and Turalyon received a visit from X'era, the Prime Naaru. She told them of her plan to destroy the Burning Legion and they agreed to help her. Turalyon even agreed to become Lightforged through a holy ritual. This would grant him even greater power, power he would need in order to command the older and abler Draenei (fantasy race of blue goat people, no nobody knows what Blizzard were smoking). That was why X'era had chosen him, he had the ability to command well.  Alleria did not agree to become Lightforged, preferring to rely on her bow and her own skills. This was fine, her skills never failed her. She was perfectly able to support Turalyon and the Army of the Light as they became known. She certainly had no trouble taking down the demons that made up the Burning Legion. From their own perspective, Turalyon and Alleria fought the Legion for a thousand years (time-travel shenanigans happened). Turalyon's transformation into a Lightforged made him as immortal as his wife, able to be killed with weapons but not by old age. They began to stop counting the years.

Then Alleria had some encounters with the void, an enemy of the Light or so it was claimed. X'era got mad at her, imposing penalties on her as she began to experiment with the void. Alleria did not understand why, and X'era's explanations made no sense. Turalyon didn't quite know why either, but he trusted X'era's judgement more than Alleria did. Things came to a head when Alleria used void powers under the instruction of an ethereal.  X'era locked her in the ship's prison. Turalyon however, did not get mad at her and begged X'era for her release. His practical command instincts kicked in, and prevented him from being as blind as X'era. He saw the use of these powers, the ways in which they covered the weaknesses of the Light. He supported Alleria in her quest to learn more about the void, even as he cautioned her to be careful of her sanity. Eventually Alleria learned how to anchor herself so that the void could not take over her mind: her love for her son Arator allowed her to see what visions were real and which were fake. Even though he could no longer touch her without agonizing pain, Turalyon still loved her. She did grow in her void powers, eventually absorbing the power of a dying Naaru which had gone dark in it's torment. Yet even as she heard the whispers of the void, her heart remained true to her shining husband and beloved son. She saw Arator again, when the heroes of Azeroth finally came to defeat the Legion once and for all. He challenged her decision to leave him, but was willing to reconnect with her. He had grown into a great paladin, with the help of the Highlord of the Silver Hand (the paladin player). Together, Turalyon and Alleria led the charge to defeat the Legion: and Alleria started to fight to keep the void in check as well.

Together, they rejoined the Alliance: as the leaders of two different racial factions. Turalyon leads his fellow Lightforged, even though they are mostly draenei while he is a human. He has largely left behind the man he was during the Second War, and identifies himself more strongly with these people now: besides which they need his leadership, he's the only leader they have ever known. Alleria leads a group of Thalassian elves dissatisfied with the current leadership and their peoples' superstitions about the void. Alleria's reputation allows them to be brought into the Alliance, which otherwise would not have accepted them as members because of their connection to a Horde society. The idea of this power couple ever divorcing is ludicrous: it's not even clear that divorce is possible under the laws of the Alliance. Yet they have grown apart. They have taken their own paths towards different destinies: becoming father and mother to different nations, and embracing what seem to be opposing cosmic forces.

This is not something I ever remember seeing in a story before. Indeed it is an idea that our society still finds very hard to accept: the idea that a woman and a man can have totally distinct passions and still be happily married. The idea that you can sacrifice your own comfort or pleasure, to allow someone you love to pursue their passion when you don't share that passion. Turalyon is content with the Light, and his relationship to it. Yet he sacrifices the pleasure of physical intimacy, no small thing, for her advancement. He does not share her interest in the void, but he loves her. What does that mean? it means he wants her to succeed: regardless of her chosen path. It means he puts her happiness over his own, regardless of what she defines as happiness. That is what love is.

Indeed the lore and mechanics of the game question the very dichotomy our culture likes to set up in these cases. We ask the woman in a marriage to sacrifice for her man: to move to better accommodate his job, to cut her hours to provide childcare while he spends the time advancing himself, to see to the household's food even when he's the one who drives by the store on the way home. Yet, society in no way advances a woman who does this. Quite aside from feminists getting angry at her (which is a whole different topic), this woman doesn't really receive the honor she should get from her husband or society at large. If a man does the same thing, society is even harsher: ostracizing and bullying him endlessly. But for Turalyon, his sacrifice is actively empowering. His will to sacrifice for those he loves, whether Alleria, the Alliance, his son, or the Lightforged, is what enables him to use the Light in the first place. X'era's disagreement notwithstanding, for Turalyon supporting Alleria is as much a part of his chosen path as fighting the Legion. Love leads people to be willing to sacrifice for each other. There is nothing wrong with that. One might even say, that's the point. People who are willing to make sacrifices out of love should be advanced by society. Otherwise we have a society that teaches people not to love.