The Way of Malorne (faith)

[Aldrannath]

Beliefs

Followers of the Way of Malorne have essentially the same beliefs as all the Kaldorei who serve Elune, the White Lady. They revere Elune as their mother, creator and protector; they worship Her as first and greatest of the Ancients of the Kaldorei pantheon. Among the other Ancients, they first honour Her consort, Malorne, the Waywatcher, whom they revere as the first, best, divine servant and lover of Elune, the guide to all Kaldorei, who opened for them the way to union with their Mother, and watches over their paths as they follow Her.

The followers of the Way of Malorne have a distinctive reverence for the Balance, which they identify with the unknowable will of Elune. They see Her reflected in the Balance, to the point that the Balance itself is almost personified, occasionally even being referred to as Mother. They believe that through the Balance, Elune acts in the world, and that by offering their whole lives to the Balance, they can become true servants of Elune. Unlike Elune and Malorne, the Balance is seen as naturally violent, bloodthirsty and occasionally wrathful; for followers of the Way, this violence reflects a natural and healthy yearning of the Balance for perfection and union with the Mother of all, the White Lady.

The Way

The Way of Malorne is a way of life - to its followers, it is the true calling of all Kaldorei. Nonetheless, they do not proselytise, believing it sufficient that a dedicated few devote themselves utterly to the Way. The Way of Malorne is also called the Hunt - this refers not only to hunting as such, but also to roaming the wild, and to the whole mission and calling of every follower of the Way. This mission is inspired by Tranquility and the Kill, and is enacted in Balance and in Sacrifice.

• Tranquility
  

  If you cling to your life, and turn your back on death as if it were a fiend come to destroy you, what peace then can you find? For even the Dragons can die. You, too, are a creature of the Balance - and like all of Elune's creatures, you shall live and die like a ripple in Her calm ocean, whether you will or no. Let go, then - let the waves carry you whither they will - and you will know the tranquility of Malorne. The tranquility He, too, knew - and embraced.

  
  For followers of the Way of Malorne, tranquility comes from fully accepting and embracing one's own natural mortality as a creature of the Balance. A true Kaldorei neither fears nor flees from death, but embraces it calmly and willingly when she knows her time is come. Of course, this does not imply actually neglecting one's own health or survival; living and surviving are part of the Way, and suicide is regarded as a rebellion against the Balance. But death is recognised and accepted as a friend who will come, sooner or later, to take every Kaldorei home. This acceptance is seen as a necessary element of proper humility, and a bulwark against the fatal hubris of the Kaldorei. The death of Malorne Himself is seen as the perfect example of willing and tranquil self-sacrifice in honour and service of the Balance.
  
  
• The Kill
  

  The Hunt ends with the Kill. The tranquil victim meets his end and gives himself wholly to the Balance. The hunter, then, blesses the beast, and anoints herself in his blood that she, too, may be given to the Balance.
  Then, as the blood flows onto your face, ask yourself, Ranger of the Way of Malorne: Who, in truth, is the Hunter? And who is the Kill?

  
  The Way of Malorne began with the hunt, whose climax and culmination comes with the kill. The Kaldorei are seen as natural predators, for whom the hunt and the kill are as normal and healthy as breathing air or drinking water. Every kill is a sacred act, carried out with respect for the victim, prayers for the creature and for the Balance, and reverence for the will of Malorne. Every hunt's victim is seen as a sacrifice, which feeds the Balance and honours Elune in accordance with the wisdom of Malorne. In the mysticism of the Way, the hunter is killed even as she kills, and sacrifices herself even as she makes the sacrifice; herself, her life and her hunt are laid together at the feet of the Goddess.
  
  
• Balance
  

  Aye, the Balance is an ocean, with storms and tides that lash the surface, and a deep, dark calm far beneath. We, then, we Kaldorei are swimmers in that ocean; like the dolphin, we do not fight the seas about us, but ride them, race with them, embrace them as part of ourselves. And we are the salt of the ocean of Balance. Without that salt, the sea creatures could not live. Yet, if salt should cease to be salt, if it should become sand, or worse, some deadly poison, it would be fit for nothing, fit only for sealing up in the deep places of the earth. Ride, then, the ocean of the Balance - but keep yourself salt, and swim like the dolphin.

  
  According to the Way of Malorne, the Kaldorei are precious, perhaps essential tools in the hands of Elune as she watches over and protects Her Balance. But they are also part of that Balance, and for the sake of all that they are charged with preserving, they must live exactly as Elune made them, exactly as She meant them to live, keeping their right place, so that the Balance should not be disturbed. Uncompromising fidelity to this calling of the Kaldorei is seen as the sine qua non of the Way. As such, followers of the Way of Malorne utterly renounce and reject arcane magic, technology, and all things that have no place or role in the Balance, devoting themselves entirely to a life at one with the forests and the living things they guard. They live apart from the other races, fighting against or alongside them when they must, but otherwise living separately to devote themselves to the unique calling of the children of Elune. They strive to offer their whole selves, their whole lives, to the Balance, so that they may become the Balance in microcosm, and serve Her perfectly.
  
  
• Sacrifice
  

  The Balance is also a mighty beast, with enemies that would poison or utterly destroy Her. And so, the beast fights Her enemy, and we, the Kaldorei, are Her blood-soaked claws. Rejoice, then, though She bathes you in blood! It is by your hand that She rends her enemies; it is by your skill that She turns the poisoned darts away from Her hide. Aye, and your Way at last must end in death. What better fate, than to die in combat for the Balance? Malorne Himself, His Way, leads us to such an end. And in that death, at the end of the Way, the ranger finds union with her Mother, at last becoming one with Elune.

  
  The War of the Ancients introduced a new concept to the Kaldorei: the implacable enemy of the Balance, who must be destroyed at all costs - unlike the Trolls, who were merely enemies of the Kaldorei and competitors for land and resources. The ancient Elders of the Way of Malorne declared that warfare against the foes of the Balance was the highest form of sacrifice - the Kaldorei, if they fell, fell in honour of Elune, and the enemy, if destroyed, could harm the Balance no more. The Kaldorei who fight for the Balance may live or die in the battle, but even for the survivors, every battle is another step along the Way that will lead in the end to their death, the consummation of their long journey in the footsteps of Malorne towards union with his beloved, Elune. Followers of the Way of Malorne therefore cultivate a religious approach to fighting for the Balance; they do not see only a noble duty in protecting the Balance, nor only a grim necessity of self-defence, but above all, a way to move closer to their final union with their Goddess.

[Aldrannath]

Other groups

The Cenarion Circle is aware of the Way of Malorne, whose leading Druids (Theronth and Aldrannath) are Circle members in reasonably good standing. The other Druids of the Circle regard them as dreadfully old-fashioned, and may not have very much respect for them. However, their practices and beliefs are considered acceptable, and compatible with what the Circle stands for, so the existence of the group is tolerated. Most Druids, if they are aware of the Way of Malorne, are inclined to ignore it.

The Sisterhood of Elune have never needed to reach any official view on the status of this tiny fringe group. Any priestess taking an interest may well be shocked by the continuing existence of blood sacrifice "in honour of Elune" - a practice the sisterhood never sanctioned in their own temples. They might also consider the theology of "Balance-worship", elevating the Balance almost to the status of a divinity alongside Elune and the rest of the Pantheon, to be misguided. However, the Way of Malorne does conform to the fundamental beliefs about Elune propagated by the Sisterhood, so although their practices have a shockingly different "flavour," the fringe group might be considered just about acceptable to the mainstream.

The Sentinels are largely indifferent to the existence of the Way of Malorne, at least on the organisational level. However, historically the majority of followers of the Way have been Sentinels, so among Sentinels it may still be possible to find individuals who know of the Way of Malorne, or even practice it themselves.