Oliviana Tate

OLIVIANA PUREHEART
Lady Oliviana Pureheart, nee Tate, (born April 17, 13 L.C) is the sole surviving member of the House of Tate and the 11th Baroness Riverwall. For several generations, her family held lands near the borders of Westfall and Elwynn, though after the fall of Raven Hill, the Tates relocated to Darkshire. She is a mage who specializes in pyromancy and transmutation, although her skills are not as great as other mages of her age due to her studies being hindered by her family. They were very traditional, and wished Oliviana to remain in Duskwood, devoting herself to a husband and family of her own. Her parents were also bitter and resentful of Stormwind and the Alliance, due to the perceived abandonment of Duskwood following the curse unleashed by the discovery of the Scythe of Elune. This lead to Lord Tate forbidding his daughter to travel to any of the major institutes of magical learning. While prone to bouts of resentment, Oliviana tries to see the bigger picture;  the Alliance has much bigger problems to deal with, and help will come to Duskwood. The people just need to stay strong and endure.

Oliviana's nobility shines through in her manner of speaking and in her attire, though on the whole she cares little for it. She appreciates and enjoys the relative freedom her title affords her, though she despises formality, and would much rather be called Livi than Lady Oliviana. Her unofficial motto is 'noblemen are not always noble men', and she would rather be judged on her merits, rather than her bloodline. She has little respect for those nobles who seek to improve their own station at the expense of the vulnerable.

Description
"A burst of flame in the darkness;  blood-red and bold."

Elegant: this is the word best used to describe Oliviana. Clad in the finest attire money can buy, or her own skill create, she is always dressed impeccably, favouring robes and dresses fortified by enchantments. She is not a very tall woman, but the tilt of her chin and the way she carries herself seem to lend her a few extra inches of height. Her hair, a vibrant shade of auburn, is swept up in a bun, her fringe framing a pale, heart-shaped face. Her brown eyes are expressive, sparkling with warmth and, more often than not, a hint of mischief.

Personality wise, Livi is bold and vibrant, the art of pyromancy well-suited to her. Lately she has developed the habit of acting reserved around new people until she feels more comfortable around them. She can be very stubborn and defiant, although this is becoming less apparent as she grows in life experience. She was very reckless in her youth, a trait that she is only now learning to keep in check. She is playful, but can be quick to anger, although she never stays mad for long. While angry, she can say or do things she later regrets, and be can be harsh or antagonistic. Her worst fault is a tendency to focus on her own problems or situation at the expense of those suffered by the people around her. Underneath it all, however, she is basically a decent woman who tries to do the right thing, and strives to act with kindness.

History
Oliviana Elizabeth Tate is the youngest child of Lord Geoffrey and Lady Marcena Tate. She has an elder brother, Darian. She was only a small child when Raven Hill and the surrounding areas fell to the undead, forcing her family to flee to the town now called Darkshire. She can still remember what Duskwood looked like before it was cursed to perpetual twilight, and she dreams of the day the curse is lifted.She was betrothed not long after her birth to James Penderghast, the son of one of her father's friends. Oliviana detested James as he was a dishonourable man who did little to improve the lives of anyone other than himself. James was killed by feral worgen the week before the wedding was scheduled to take place, something that Oliviana viewed as 'no great loss to anyone but his family'.

Growing up, she witnessed her family wasting gold on frivolous items while their people struggled to survive. Oliviana took it upon herself to make sure that at least some of her family's money went where it really needed to go - the poor, starving, and homeless. As she gained some knowledge of magic from her private instructors, she also ventured out to take care of some of the dangers constantly threatening Duskwood; the undead, feral worgen, and vicious wildlife. Although dangerous, she firmly believed that her people needed to see that they had someone fighting for them, that not all of the Tates were ignorant of their suffering. She was drawn to the art of pyromancy because she saw what something as simple as fire offered to her community - light, warmth, comfort. She grew up convinced that Duskwood could be reclaimed.

Oliviana desperately wanted to study at the Mage's Tower in Stormwind, but her father forbade it, forcing her to rely on private tutors and books. When Lord Geoffrey died, she saw an opportunity to leave, but her brother Darian also refused her requests. Taking a risk, she 'accidentally' set fire to Darian's study in order to demonstrate that she needed professional training. Her plan succeeded, and within weeks she was on her way to Stormwind, excited about forging a life that wasn't limited to marriage and motherhood.

She adored living in Stormwind, though she would often return home for visits. Her skill in magic improved dramatically, and she was close to the one family member she truly liked, her cousin Lady Isabel Ruxton. She made friends, had adventures, and fell in love. Sir Valemick Ceylon was to become the great love of Oliviana's life and they were blissfully happy together, announcing their engagement not long after meeting.

But the happiness was not to last. Her beloved Vale was deployed to Draenor, and Oliviana found herself in a very dangerous situation. Despite numerous warnings from Isabel and her friends, Oliviana became determined to defeat Giovoni Darkmoore, a man in the service of an Old God. He was determined to bend her to his will, in order to find a book that her father had kept hidden for years - a copy of the research conducted by the necromancer Morbent Fel.

During this time, Vale returned briefly, telling her that he had been held captive, and that many of his men had been killed. Oliviana warned him about Darkmoore, and Vale returned to Draenor worried about what she had gotten involved in. She was not to see him again for a long time. She also met a night elf druid who helped her defend Raven Hill from the undead, a man who fascinated her, and on whom she developed a crush, her feelings confusing her greatly. In order to obtain what he wanted, Darkmoore cast a spell on Oliviana, manipulating her memory so that she forgot Vale, and thought that Darkmoore was her beloved, not Vale. This spell was eventually broken, Isabel protecting Oliviana when Gio attempted to destroy her. To this day, she still has some problems with her memory, and is dangerously vulnerable to any type of mental manipulation or control. Feeling as if she had betrayed Vale, and that she was unworthy of his love, Oliviana broke the engagement, driven also by a feeling that he had not been there for her when she needed him most.

What followed was the darkest period of Oliviana's life; Darkmoore used the information he had gained

from her to track down Fel's research, killing her mother and brother, and half their household. She was now the head of her House, a responsibility she was unprepared for, especially when she discovered her family had been financially dependent on her uncle. She confessed her feelings to the druid, only to have them firmly rejected. She soon rebounded, far too quickly to be wise - a Light-Weaver, by the name of Adimus Thaymond grabbing her attention. Her cousin, Isabel, who had also developed feelings for Adimus, was believed to be dead after the ship she was on capsized just outside of Stormwind Harbour. Her friends, her support network, were called away to serve in Draenor, or simply disappeared.

The relationship between Oliviana and Adimus ended badly; her recent experiences causing her already bossy nature to become even more controlling, her way of trying to protect herself. She was also unable to shake the belief that Adimus was really in love with her cousin. Realizing what she was doing, Oliviana tried to end the relationship, effectively issuing Adimus an ulimatum; her love or his duty to the light. He chose her, but it was a choice he could not live with. Adimus left Oliviana with no more than a note; an act she could not forgive.

The end of that relationship was a breaking point for Oliviana. She was devastated, so overwhelmed with pain and anger that for days she could barely function. It was in this darkest hour that Oliviana saw with painful clarity all of the mistakes she had made in her life, and what she needed to do. Realizing that she was not cut out for the repsonsibility of leadership, she sold her lands and moved permanently to Stormwind. If she was to be any use to her homeland, she knew that she needed to improve her skills and become more powerful. She made attempts to repair her relationship with her cousin, even witnessing Isabel's marriage to Adimus. She began to rebuild her faith, seeking to better herself through service to others.

Oliviana felt as if she had survived a firestorm and ,like a phoenix, was reborn from the ashes...

She joined the Silver Hand for a short period of time before moving on to the Lightwardens, where she plans to pursue the path of Wardenship. Oliviana can, more often than not, be found within the walls of the Cathedral, offering a friendly face or shoulder to cry on to all who need it. Having regained her beloved Riverwall, she is doing her best to rebuild the town with the limited resources she has on hand. She later fell pregnant to her former fiance, Sir Valemick Ceylon, and upon learning about the baby, he asked her to renew the engagement that she had so foolishly thrown away. Oliviana was smart enough to accept and not long afterwards, Elaria Tate Ceylon was born, an event which brought her parents great happiness.

Oliviana and Valemick later married but it was not to last. Oliviana will never speak publically about the reasons why she ended things, but gossips speculate that it had something to do with his continued absences from their home, and the Lady's inability to cope well with being alone for such long periods of time.

Oliviana left the Lightwardens to focus her efforts on the reconstruction of her barony, something that has become more manageable since her marriage to long-time friend Glamonor Pureheart.

Currently:
Oliviana has taken her seat in the Stormwind House of Nobles, a decision that she often struggles with as it brings her into contact with a lot of the things she despises about her own class. Her motivation for doing so is purely practical - she needs allies and contacts to help rebuild and safeguard her people. She has recently finished reconstruction of the town of Riverwall and begun to plan the rebuilding of the village of Tamar.