Raleigh Sternbridge

Bound by his duties as a Paladin and his Engineering-born embrace of practical, cost-cutting, time-saving efficiency, Raleigh Sternbridge is a man of devotion. Born in the Chillwind River Valley and sent to Stormwind with his brothers by their father from foolishly running off to join the military in the event of an apparent outbreak of war, Raleigh has spent most of his adult life in service to Stormwind. The recent surge of Alteraci restoration has spurred him to leave behind the mantle of blue to raise the banner of orange. He currently is a member of the Weisserose faction wtihin the Dominion of Alterac, serving as a Retainer & Oathsworn to Lord Reynalden Weisserose.

Appearance & Personality
A male human with a life spent as a Paladin on the frontlines & his spare time spent mining the riches from the rocky faces of Azeroth, Raleigh stands at 6'4" with thick arms & a thicker chest. The bluntness of his life has not dissuaded him from engaging in the often meticulous tasks that are presented to one who is trained in the arts of the Engineer. When the goggles, oil, and soot are removed from his face, you'll find a pair of green eyes, a nose that's been broken more than a few times, an expression of general disinterest & apathy, and a thick, brown goatee on his chin to complement his flowing ponytail. Despite the dour expression, he stands tall, never slouching and never with his head held low outside of bowing his head in prayer. His goggles are often wrapped around his neck if not wrapped around his head (he rarely, if ever, pulls them up around his forehead, the image of which is the common stereotype for engineers).

Early Life & Family
Raleigh was born in the Chillwind River Valley, a territory disputed between the Kingdoms of Lordaeron & Alterac over ownership. Citizens of both nations lived & thrived here for generations. As the area was a prime spot for illegal distillation and 'moonshiners' in the early years of human expansion across Lordaeron, Raleigh's family can trace their origins back to some of these backwoods bootleggers. The oldest of five children, Raleigh took it on himself to watch out for them, especially his sisters (his siblings affectionately called him 'Stern' for his disposition & because of the family name). When they were not engaged in chores or taking turns on the road with their father while he traveled for his mercantile efforts, Stern would watch his family like a hawk. Whether it was swimming, playing on the troll ruins in the region, or hiking in the mountains, he developed a keen ear to listen on what his siblings were saying so he could stop them before they ran off. As his mother died giving birth to his twin sisters, he did his best to be 'softer' with them than he was with his brothers, although the influences of the brothers seemed to overwhelm this attempted gentle attitude & made them just as rowdy as their brothers. The family also spent some years living in the Hinterlands following a great flood that overwhelmed their home. The generosity of the Wildhammer & the peculiar but friendly High Elves had an impact on his perception of these two allies of humanity, one that would follow & drive certain actions in the years to come.

In The Waves of Fate
When Stern was 16, word of the plague, rumor of the growing New Horde, & impending civil unrest spurred his father to send himself and his brothers south to their relatives living in Elwynn Forest, within the protection of Stormwind. As Stern was nearing conscription age, his father did not want to his sons to lie about their age & join the military to fight in a coming war. On a cart bound for Hearthglen was the last time he saw his father & his sisters, having not seen or heard from them since. Crossing half a continent & an ocean, the three brothers arrived in the Port of Stormwind & were went by horseback to Elwynn Forest. The Third War came and went & word of Lordaeron's fall only brought on mental despair & sleepless nights, thinking only of the horrors that rumors spoke of. The confirmation of Lord Uther's fall was the boiling point. Stern enlisted to be trained in Northshire immediately.

The Defias had become a problem in Elwynn Forest, ravaging farms & assailing citizens to reclaim a debt they believed were owed. It was in battle against them that Stern found his path; the Light shone onto his strikes against the thieves & among the vines the masked bandits fell against his attacks. He had held faith in the Light since youth, but in that vinyard he felt for the first time the touch of its warmth. His battles with the Defias would have a lasting impact on Stern. In the Deadmines he found his true love, one that has continued to serve him to this day. Littered among the broken pickaxes, shovels, looted treasures, and bandit corpses were devices. Fascinated by these little trinkets & machines, he sought to further his knowledge in hopes of helping him better combat more powerful adversaries. His early days as an Engineer were trial & error, but mostly error. He sought a teacher in the arts of explosives & word of mouth urged him to head south, through the maw of a shark and into a city of plunder; Booty Bay was calling his name.

Goblins: All The Friends You Need
Well beyond the banners of blue & gold, Booty Bay was a place of vice & a place without need of a men of virtue. However, Stern had come for training as a man of technology, not a man of faith. Against pirates, trolls, even some sea giants, Stern harnessed a greater hold on his technological prowess, impressing the Steamwheedle Cartel enough that they felt he should be sent to Gadgetzan for further training. On a pirate ship with thugs & brawlers, he felt like a fish out of water. His voyage gave him a good gauge on sea fishing, another passion he would pursue at a later point. Across barren savannah and salt flats he traveled, reaching a sandy, desert oasis with even less bearing on a moral compass than Booty Bay. Here, combat was encouraged, if solely in the ring. But the familiar comfort of assaulting trolls on orders from Goblins helped put these thoughts aside. His stint as a soldier of the Steamwheedle sharpened his skills & soon Stern was sent north, to the distant slopes of Winterspring and the Goblin town of Everlook.

It was in Everlook the call to arms he had hoped for came; war against the Lich King. His arrival in the wintry valley coincided with the Scourge assaults on the capital cities of the world. Informed by Argent agents working in Everlook, he took it upon himself to head for Stormwind as soon as he could. The confusion of the conflict, the attack on Light's Hope, and his distant location rendered his short employ with the Argent Dawn a short one. Ultimately one of the few regrets he would have came from this era, the lack of acquiring a tabard of the Argent Dawn to drape over his armor.

War in Northrend: Revelations & The Silver Covenant
((WIP))

A Broken World
((WIP))

Companions
In time in Everlook brought him two companions. One is a Frostsaber who served him valiantly throughout the entirety of his tenure in Northrend. His name was Whelest, the only child of a mother who died after giving birth. Whelest ultimately died young, his wounds too severe to heal from an attack of Scourge riders in Icecrown. Rather than have his own friend turned against him, Stern engulfed Whelest's body in holy fire, the bones being left as ash in the harsh winds atop the glacier.

His second companion is a blue dragon whelpling, a female who he named Aquamaria as her real name (Astramagosa) was too difficult for him to remember, sounding too harsh. Aqua was found and nursed back to health by Stern & has remained with him for many years. She often will perch on his shoulder while in a whelp form. As a blue dragon, her flight has an innate connection with magics & she has often used it for playful tricks and quick getaways from him. Stern does not know if she is capable of transforming yet & has often wondered what kind of form she will take when she does. Stern is well aware of dragon aging processes and does his best not to think of her as a child, as she may very well likely be older than he is.

A third companion is another blue dragon, a gruff male drake who calls himself Zure. Bound by a personal code of honor, Zure has pledged his service to Stern so long as he is alive, often threatening to eat the little whelp when she tries her tricks on him.

Political Affiliations & Other Notes

 * Is a strong proponent of the restoration of Alterac, being a Chillwind River Valley native. He believes the people have suffered greatly at the hands of corrupt nobility, especially the vile Syndicate. He has pledged himself to the House of Weisserose, believing the White Rose of Alterac will be able to bloom new life into the fallen nation, both defending & uplifting the people.
 * A champion of the cause of the High Elves. While intitially a supporter of Blood Elven reconciliation, recent events have pushed him into an anti-Blood Elven stance. His tenure as a recruit for the Silver Covenant & these actions have strengthened his support for Vereesa Windrunner & other High Elven organizations working within the Alliance. This was reinforced a belief of anti-human/high elf couplings for the sake of preserving the remainder of the High Elf race.
 * Has a fascination with Night Elven & Highborne artifacts, architecture, & products.
 * Feels Dark Iron engineering & jewelry is shoddy. However, he feels their smithing techniques are superior to anything humanity or the dwarves of Ironforge generally craft.
 * Has a distant bloodline connection to House Amberstorm that dates back almost 300 years.
 * His life was once spared by the Undercity Nexus.
 * Has terrible aim with firearms, bows, and crossbows. He is far more competent with cannons & Gyro copter missile pods.
 * Owns a Golem that he has nicknamed 'Uncle Fester'.