Arramar


 * "Together, we drove back the trolls for a millennia. Together, we stood against the tides of darkness when the orcs came to claim our kingdom. Together, we shared the pain and the horror as the undead Scourge destroyed our homeland and decimated our people. Together, we persevered when our greatest hope betrayed us and all that we had worked hard to restore seemed lost. Now, I ask of you my loyal allies, will you stand by my side once more as our enemies conspire against us to snuff out the light of fair Quel'Thalas? By King Anasterian. By noble Val'thalan and all of House Oakwarden, it shall not be so!"
 * -- Arramar Oakwarden

Lord Arramar Oakwarden was a blood elf warrior of noble birth during the war against the Lich King. Born into wealth and prosperity, the eldest son of Galath'arn Oakwarden was a confident and charismatic warrior; his life shaped by the prestige bestowed upon him by the reputation of the great House. He became a notable face for warding away the attacks of the ever-vengeful Amani trolls and he would eventually marry his wife-to-be, Cersei.

Arramar participated in the war against the orcish Horde and again when the Scourge marched into Quel'Thalas. Although a capable warrior, he remained in Quel'Thalas during the conflicts that would follow in a partially-successful bid to protect the devastated region outlying the capital. Plagued by the over-idealistic nature of his uncle and the quarrelling of the Regent Lord and his advisors, Arramar began setting down plans to form an officially recognised replacement for his uncle's poorly organised followers.

He would soon come to lead The Suncrown Order.

Appearance
Tall in stature and regal in bearing, the ageing Lord Oakwarden is commonly seen as a haughty aristocrat. His greying shoulder-length hair is finely groomed and parted, presenting an air of confidence and vanity. Sickly green-glowing eyes and a pale skin tone possessed by all blood elves are evident signs of past fel consumption. Always well-presented, Arramar rarely appears without achieving a radiant appearance that he maintains even through battle. He is an athletic figure and has forged his body into a blend of fitness and strength through personal exercise, swordplay drills and various skirmishes against the Amani.

An old scar tarnishes the clean-shaven chin of an otherwise pristinely untouched face only just beginning to wear with age. His nose is an oddity, upturned and aloof, giving him a constant stern and arrogant appearance. His bearing portrays patience and decisiveness, even arrogance, befitting an elf of age and experience.

Class/Skills/Attributes
Arramar is a swordsman, and has been for less than one millennia. He is an agile warrior whose hips are well-suited to the rigors and much needed mobility of wielding a two-handed sword. In wielding such a blade, Arramar puts his infamous rage to good use in a honed series of punishing strikes against his foes.

He speaks thalassian with a distinctive haughty air, precise and elegant. His understanding of the common human tongue is sketchy but sufficient enough to converse with the orcs where his grasp of orcish is almost non-existant.

Duties

 * "My word is final!" -- Arramar Oakwarden

As patriarch, Lord Oakwarden is the undisputed leader of the Order. The patriarch oversees all operations undertaken by the Order and has the final word on key decisions regarding administrative details, matters of the Horde, and military engagements. The patriarch is often the first and last to greet officials from the Regent Lord and the other races

Arramar's Journal:

Equipment/Apparel

 * "One would never guess that he was anything other than a flamboyant noble amongst a flamboyant people." -- Cersei Oakwarden

Arramar is most commonly found in his exquisite formal robe comprised of red dye and golden embroidery in a manner that suggests flaunted wealth and status. He favours its comfortable fitting which, while giving him a statesman-like air, allows him the movability of someone who prefers to be on his feet. Upon the inside of the robe sits a tight pocket for storing parchment.

For formal military occassions and even in battle itself, Lord Oakwarden dons an extravagant set of elven plate armour similar in design to those of the lords in pre-Troll war times. Designed for the elven physique, the armour maximises flexibility while providing enough protection to make it viable for the often unclear melee resulting from the wielding of a two-handed sword. Much like most crafts from the hands of the denizens of Quel'Thalas, the armour is not as heavy as most plate and sits upon a red under-shirt of durable cloth. A scarlet cloak, enchanted by magi from Silvermoon to withstand clumsy swipes from a blade, adorns his shoulders and back.

Arramar's blade, Belore'melorn or 'Sunstrike', is a display of true thalassian craftsmanship. Two blades intertwine to form one magnificent sword stemming from a hilt currently designed in the typical symbolic mimicry of the wings of a phoenix to reflect the rebirth of the high elves into blood elves. It bears powerful enchantments which strengthen the blade. Supposedly created as one of few at the behest of King Dath'remar Sunstrider for the loyal lords who supported his ascension to the throne and the founding of Quel'Thalas, the blade would have descended from the possession of Denerith Oakwarden if this were true. Arramar has not been able to affirm the blade's origins as a result of his father's death, but nonetheless places great emphasis on the fact that it might be true.

Personality/Traits

 * "I fully intend to leave fair Quel'Thalas a little tidier than I found it." -- Arramar Oakwarden

A proud and cultured warrior, Arramar is an individual who balances passion with strict discipline. Steriotypical of nobility, he views the lack of proper etiquette and manner in a blood elf to be disdainful. He describes himself as a traditionalist and holds such practices as the respect of ancestry and the mockery of other races to be admirable signs of loyalty to the blood elven people; who are afterall, the high race. Nonetheless he is no fool and, tempered also by his politically-minded wife, will conceal his true feelings in order to keep relations with the Horde at a tolerable level for the good of Quel'Thalas. The Horde are a malleable tool, but a potentially dangerous one and Arramar only trusts that the Forsaken will in the end cause their own doom, and possibly that of the blood elves.

A keen military strategist with an eye built for the battlefield, Arramar is a competant leader and understands the pressures of combat. He claims a sense of excitement from the execution of a flawless strategy, however in his long life has dulled the eagerness to shed blood for the glory he sees as pointless. A heritage of heroes and great warriors has inspired Arramar to add his own chapter to the legacy of House Oakwarden. As a result he practices a firm hand cooled with justice and patience in his leadership of the Order; in an effort to be remembered as a leader who inspired loyalty rather than demanded it.

Arramar adheres to a strict doctrine of the Holy Light, shaped to the blood elven ideologies of discipline and resolve. Not quite as pious as the devout Lady Liadrin, still stung from the undead invasion of Quel'Thalas, Arramar nonetheless describes its teachings as "useful". His recent deal with the old blood knight Shiraiyas Lightwhisper has earned his Order the aid of their warriors and healers. Gradually, his respect for their tenacity grows.

Although he despises the mental rigor and indirectness of politics, he has proved to have a subtle aptness for the "art of the possible" possessed by his ancestry. His manipulation of Shiraiyas Lightwhisper's sense of duty earned him the blood knight master's service, further bolstered by his prediction that the old master would be elevated to champion of the Blood Knight Order for his diligence and suggestion to support Arramar with the blood knight's aid. He has been able to dance around the ire of the Horde and remain in the good graces of the Suncrown Order's allies; General Kalmore and General Bloodrain.

He possesses an extreme and almost fanatical love for his daughter; his only child and prodigy. His affections and utmost care have been remarked upon in careful whispers to be smothering and a great hinderence, though if she believes this herself she has not said so to his face. Although a sleek, agile and talented warrior she has become, Arramar nonetheless constantly forbids her to risk her life, even in the most trivial of quests. Potential suitors he has warded away and all efforts from his wife to find their child a mate he has sabotaged in shameful secrecy. Arramar's attentive daughter lies at the core of why he continues to wield a blade when all sense of excitement and honour has vanished. His position as protector continues to slide, however, as he ages. If ever there were a weakness aside from his great pride, it would be his beloved daughter.

Early Life
Born almost two millennia before the First War, to Galath'arn and Laretha Oakwarden, Arramar was introduced to life within the sheltered Kingdom of Quel'thalas during the golden reign of King Anasterian. He spent his first eighteen years within the care of his mother and father before being seen as fit to be enrolled into a private academy for the most wealthy of merchants and those of noble blood. He would study literature, the history of the highborne, philosophy and the politics of the kingdom. He would share most of these classes with his love-to-be, Cersei Frostwing.

Wrath Of The Lich King

 * "This day we do not seek to honour the dead who fell to the accursed blade of the traitor Arthas! We do not sail to bring justice to a tyrant and a murderer! We sail into these frozen wastelands to bring a vengeance so great as to make Arthas tremble at the knowledge we will repay him tenfold for the blood he spilled upon the revered soil of Quel'Thalas. Our fallen kin look to us to avenge them, and we shall not be found wanting!" -- Arramar Oakwarden aboard the Memory of Anasterian

As the war to vanquish the Lich King began to unfold after an assault upon Orgrimmar stirred the mighty Horde to unleash its vengeance upon Northrend, Aethas Sunreaver presented Quel'Thalas with the news that the long struggle to bring the blood elves into the affairs of Dalaran had succeeded. Sunreaver bolstered his followers with warriors and ships from Silvermoon as the Horde made way to storm the frozen wastes. Lord Oakwarden, emboldened with the opportunity to strike at the Lich King in his own domain, sailed with the Sunreavers aboard the Memory of Anasterian; one of the many elven destroyers emerging with the growth of Silvermoon's strength since the Ghostlands were reclaimed. The fleet passed the northeast shores of Northrend, halting far below the Icecrown Glacier. Arramar made us of dragonhawks dispatched from Dalaran to fly to Sunreaver's Command, the staging ground below the floating city. Few battles took place against the encroaching Scourge on the borders of Crystalsong Forest as they were pressed into a dire conquest of the Drakkari Empire. A tense and unstable non-aggression pact between the Sunreavers and Silver Covenant prevented any expansion to utilise this advantage; the two sides constantly wary of the other's movements. Arramar participated in the early stages of the Argent Tournament on behalf of Silvermoon City, competing for the position of faction champion. His initial success against fellow valiants was finally met with a humiliating defeat as he was unseated by one powerful thrust of an Orgrimmar champion. Nursing his pride, Arramar returned to the Memory in the cold waters below. ---

Returning from the shadowy fringes of society with a surprising coordination and awareness, the Wretched emerged from the infested ruins of western Silvermoon to spread havoc as a mean of looting to sate their thirst for magic. Responding in typical dutiful manner, Arramar led a small group of retainers to dispatch the stragglers of the recent pillaging. The Wretched responded with an ambush the likes of which had never been observed to come from the single-minded and desperate degenerates. Although unarmoured and bearing unwieldy tools of stone and jagged metal, the Wretched's advantage allowed them to overwhelm and slay two of Lord Oakwarden's escort before forcing them into retreat. Arramar returned to Silvermoon with a battered breastplate, various wounds and a deeply stung pride.

He soon dispatched Emissary Kalrissa Dawnfire as the Order's representative to the Beastmaw Warband in an effort to coordinate closer with the Horde and avoid the clutching web of the undead's treachey. Arramar attended the council between the two generals, Kalmore and Bloodrain, and himself to discuss the implications of the Ashenvale campaign and the possibilities of an even stronger alliance between the three military sub-factions. Expressing distaste at the merest hint of fighting beside mercenaries and savage troll fanatics, Arramar nonetheless swore an oath to pledge the Suncrown Order to the council.

On the following week, Arramar led the Order across the sea to unite with the forces of the Beastmaw Warband.

House Oakwarden
House Oakwarden's history is a deep and extensive one that reaches back over ten thousand years ago to the time of the ancient kaldorei civilisation and the reign of the higborne caste. Ruling lands in the central-southwesterly regions of the great landmass of Kalimdor, House Oakwarden was a wealthy and influencial noble family. Each generation was sworn to the protection of their realm from the primitive tauren, the savage furbolg, greedy earthen and vile trolls. But the less evident threats came from the political world as tempers clashed between the kaldorei and the seclusionist attitudes of the highborne. Dath'remar Sunstrider began an effort to unite many of the highborne in rebellion against Azshara for the dark deeds she had committed by bringing the Burning Legion to Azeroth. Lord Val'thalan, widely credited as the esteemed paragon and hero of House Oakwarden, slew the loyalist, Lethis Dusktalon, and jonied the rebellion as it burst from the palace of Zin-Azshari and joined the great host that marched on the Well of Eternity. Claiming victory, though at the cost of the Well of Eternity's destruction, the kaldorei found peace. House Dusktalon swore themselves to House Oakwarden as payment for the great misdeed of their lord. They renamed themselves Suntalon, in a small effort to cleanse themselves of the stain upon their line. Forever would that line strive to perfection and absoloute righteousness to atone for the treachery of ages past.

Short-lived as the peace was, it ended when the highborne struggled under the new laws of land forbidding the arcane under penalty of death. Swearing a judgement, Dath'remar Sunstrider led the highborne across the great sea to found their own kingdom; eventually leading to the creation of Quel'thalas. House Oakwarden, then under the guidance of Lord Denerith, was quick to recognise Dath'remar as the first king of Quel'thalas.

During the Troll Wars, Lord Theroth'arn Oakwarden participated in the human/high elf coalition's victory in driving the Amani from their great city of Tor'Watha. However, entangled in hidden political intrigue, Theroth'arn shamefully relinquished his power and prestige during the War's end, resulting in a blur in the history of the House. His eldest son Faroth'arn, who was interested in sorcery and study rather than politics, followed his father's example. Theroth'arn's second son, Galath'arn, did no such thing himself however, and retained his own wealth and title. After his death during the Scourge advance upon the Sunwell, Galath'arn's first son would take up his position as the head of House Oakwarden.

It was later discovered by Arramar Oakwarden that history was not quite as it was percieved to be. Pouring over ancient records in the ruins of Eldre'thalas, he found conflicting sources relating to the incident involving House Oakwarden in the rebellion against Azshara. Official scribes documented Lord Val'thalan's valiant duel against the treacherous Lord Lethis of House Dusktalon, who had chosen to side with Azshara. However, from Val'thalan's own personal scribe's journal, a different story was told. Lethis had been one of the main instigators of the rebellion alongside Dath'remar, and had been attempting for several days to sway Val'thalan to join them. He refused and slew Lethis for his betrayal. The rebels discovered this and mistakenly believed Lethis had sold them out, after hearing the end of their despute and the invocation of Azshara's name. Unwilling to engage so many rebels, Val'thalan supported their belief and demanded that the remainder of House Dusktalon pledge themselves to him. Before he himself could sell the rebels out, the war had effectively began to end as Dath'remar lead the highborne rebellion from Zin-Azshari to join with the kaldorei host.

Arramar later burned the journal to rid anyone else of the knowledge he had learned.

Cersei Oakwarden

 * "As sharp as ten of the finest thalassian blades and almost as beautiful."
 * "Almost, my love?"
 * "A mere slip of the tongue, beloved."
 * --Arramar and Cersei Oakwarden