Valencia Whitmore

== Biography == Valencia was born in the relative tranquility of Elwynn Forest. She spent much of her childhood visiting the abbey in Northshire, finding comfort and enjoyment in the teachings of the Priesthood there.

This time quickly came to an end, however, when the first invasion of the orcs occured. Barely fifteen years old she and other refugees left Stormwind behind, fleeing to the north as the great city burned, most of her family lost in the chaos. Under the leadership of Lothar the displaced people arrived in Lordaeron, finding kinship amongst the people there.

Her beloved abbey was one of the places hit hardest in the assault, and the surviving members of the order realized they were poor suited to the rigors of combat. In the five years after Stormwinds fall the Order of the Silver Hand was formed, members of the Priesthood donning heavy armor and warmaces, while those who were already knights or warriors were trained to augment themselves with the Holy Light.

Though Valencia was still young she proved her worth to the Order, and was allowed to train and eventually fully join the Order. She accompanied them as the Alliance of Lordaeron met the Horde in combat, slowly but surely driving them back and reclaiming their former homeland. Though Stormwind was theirs once more, the Horde threat still remained.

After the Hordes sudden excursion to gather powerful artifacts, and Terenas' subsequent order, she joined the expedition led by the Sons of Lothar to take the fight to the orcs homeworld of Draenor. It is there they contended with the orcish hordes, but they proved too late; Ner'zhul had opened his portals to new worlds.

The world was unable to handle the chaotic energies of Ner'zhuls magic. A grim realization set in; the destruction of Draenor risked the destruction of Azeroth. Though it meant their lives, the expedition dug in, destroying the portal and sealing the rift between worlds, sparing Azeroth the backlash of Draenors destruction.

Unbeknownst to Azeroth, a small piece of Draenor remained, and the Expedition survived in the hellish lands of their new home. It would be over twenty five years before the portal was re-opened by Lord Kazzak, the sudden threat of a new invasion prompting both Alliance and Horde forces to journey forth and see what remained of the shattered world.

Though she was given the opportunity to return to the homeland she sacrificed everything for, still she stayed, joining the fight against Illidan. It was only after the crazed elf finally fell that she returned home, the majority of her life having been spent on a world that was not her own.

On her return, for her exceptional service during the campaign to Draenor she was given the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Alliance Military. She spent the next several years, fighting a new Horde, still vying to protect her home and her people from those who would seek to end their way of life.

Having heard of the womans distinguished and decorated career, a man approached the battle-hardened Paladin, offering her rank amongst his guild. She can be seen today, still holding key Alliance interests with the command of her own unit, bringing glory to Alliance and guild both.

Descriptions
Even though she was barely five and a half feet tall, the presence the woman commanded made her stick out in a crowd. Wisps of white hair gently swayed across her face, an interesting contrast to the dark tan of her skin. Careful, attentive eyes surveyed the scene around her, no detail seeming to go unnoticed by the Paladin. Every step she took seemed to have importance, the woman always seeming to be busy going one place or another.

Despite the heavy plate armor she wears, she carries herself with grace. This in of itself is a testament to her strength; the armor not seeming to hinder her in any aspect. Indeed it seems to just be another extension of her, something that had been apart of her her entire life.

She is prepared, perhaps overly so. She is a master of all aspects of combat as a Paladin, be it defending her allies, healing them, or striking out at her enemies. Each role she has found a set of armor and weapons appropriate to the task, each one distinct to anyone familiar with her.

Protection Description
Her armor is ornate, imposing even on her small frame. Heavy pauldrons rest on her shoulders, a small ornamental tome on each one with a sword down the middle of the pages. Several purity seals are stamped firmly on the metal pages, their scriptures gently swaying in the wind. Her chest plate is covered by the tabard of Arathor, given to her in recognition of a long, distinguished career fighting on their behalf. Falling down from there is a heavy kilt, strips of leather and plate lightly clanking together as she moves.

On her back is a tower shield as large as she is, and in combat she is known to wield it as if it was weightless. On more than one occasion she has been witnessed to actually use it as a projectile, striking her opponents and dazing them while she closes the distance. It is elven in design, the edges a cold grey steel while the bulk of it is a dark red. A golden cross breaks up the monotony, with fel green gems at the base point of the shield, and a large glowing one resting at the very top.

At her hip is an elegant sword, a gold hilt that flows into a dragons head. Horns come back to serve as the guard, dark red rubies glowing faintly in the dragons eyes. From its open maw the blade emerges, the flat of the blade decorated with golden runes and similar red rubies.

Steed Description
The Paladins steed, Conviction, is a horse bred and adorned for the rigors of war. A fine black coat covers the majority of the horses body, though little is seen underneath the wide array of armor strapped to him. His horseshoes are kept in constant pristine condition, through diligent care or magic however is unable to be seen. Through small slits in his armor he peers out with glowing yellow eyes, always alert and aware of his surroundings.

His armor is a bold declaration of Alliance Might, blue steel trimmed with gold covering the vast majority of his body. His front lower legs are encased in plates, joints at the fetlock providing no loss of mobility, nor protection while red cloth is wrapped around the remainder of his legs. Shields hang off of his shoulders, bearing the gold lion standard of the Alliance while a layered plate rests across his breast, three spikes jutting out adding a grim end to anyone foolish enough to remain in the way of the horses charge.

From his muzzle up to his forehead is a single plate, with three more interlocked plates falling down his crest, leather straps keeping them attached to fully protect the steeds head. Six more spikes protrude here, the three largest on the main headplate while each subsequent piece has one smaller spike each. More red cloth in decorate strips line the three crestplates, ending in an ornamental gold button near the plates edge.

A large saddle sat on the steeds back, thick leather straps wrapping underneath the beast to keep it mounted. The actual seat provides great comfort, red cushion you would expect to see on a nobles chair present while a high back offers the rider something to relax against. An alliance banner is also strapped to the back, along with several grisly reminders of its masters abilities in combat. No less than four heads are strapped to the back, an undead and goblins head hanging off one side while an orc adorns the other, a trolls head strapped directly at the base of the flag.

Two strands of red cloth keep his tail bound up neatly, while the armor on his hind legs is much like the rest. Large plates cover his thighs to the back of his legs, separate, jointly attached plates covering his hocks. More red cloth is wrapped around his legs to provide some comfort from the plates, while his last bit of armor is identical the the ones on his front legs; jointed pieces that wrap around the base of his legs with joints to allow him to keep his mobility.