Herman Aranas led the Azure Church of Gilneas during the Great War and the Gilnean Civil War. Corwin Hartengard was one of his bodyguards.
Early Life[]
Great War[]
Was High Priest of the Azure church - divided from the Hareveim sect and longtime foe of the Malachite Hand. Wasn't a big pal of a weird guy named Odohild.
Aranas became involved with the Great War due to Mordred Baldanes' Azure Revolution. He assisted Baldanes in becoming the vessel for D'vorjakque, not knowing that the spirit was heretical.
Aranas then led a summit (which might have been a ploy to shake loose the Scroll? Something like that, maybe) to reunite the Azure Church and the Hareveim, though Xalmor arrived and turned into it all-Faiths-uniting. Aranas pledged the legendary Templar his support. Baldanes had second thoughts and imparts this to Aranas before he is killed in Zanzifos, which Arinre takes over.
Aranas is tired of bloodshed and joins Arinre for peacing the realm; realpolitik some might say, but Arinre is religiously tolerant. She comes to rely on his Legion under Hartengard, even arming it, causing some stir. However, when Stormwind comes to Gilneas, she orders the Azures away to deal with Braent. At the change-of-watch over Sorsbrent, Becta come to take over, the Malachites attempt an assassination, and Aranas goes underground. Possibly a decision stewed over for some time, a reaction to Baldanes' loss of faith and hearing of the Vision.
Arinre calls for Aranas to come back, especially as the Shadow spreads from Ginchar, but he goes to Zul'dare to find Xalmor. He may have been captured by the Keepers, Ephraim/Men'heva's agents on the island, and held in Grinwillow or Ythan'alai, or somewhere.
(After D'vorjakque's heresy was revealed, and Baldanes defeated, Aranas disappeared. He had gone searching for Xalmor Windrunner, and was captured by The Keepers.)
Eventually the Malefactors took over the island - newly-formed after the Vision at Boralus and coasting on Xalmor's influence from his previous visit to the island - and he joined their command structure. He seems to have accepted the notion that D'vorjakque had abandoned the true faith of Zinine, and that he and Men'heva were the enemies of all. He met up with Xalmor shortly before Ephraim Marsh's return (following the split-up of the Esoteric-Stormwind-Benefactor alliance, following the second Battle for Silvermoon). Anyways, he participated in the battle.
Following the Tron homage, the Stormwinders made Zul'dare more inhospitable - and people were tracking them; so Aranas joined the relocation to Pellerno and the Box. The Malachites eventually sort of joined with the Malefactors, and Aranas made peace on behalf of the Azure Church with Lord Havalanio.
Following the Battle of the Box, Aranas wished to return to Zanzifos and heal his Church. Xalmor nerdraged him, but eventually decided that a pure-of-faith Church was better than a heretical one - though all faiths must eventually die. So he sent Aranas along with the Ivory Templar to establish a foothold in Zanzifos, making it the new Malefactor base. Plenty of refugees to perform humanitarian work on there.
A weird tree grew up in Edhellond and sent the old dead High Priest Kieron Kleese to Zanzifos, demanding they all renounce their religion. He got offed, and turned out to have weird insides.
Alfred Greymane arrived next to Zanzifos. Aranas said he supported the Queen, but was summoned to Greymane City nonetheless to answer for his absence, and what the heck he and the Ivory Templar was up to.