Ardvertan Melkarn

Lord Ardvertan Melkarn the Third, MD, Esq. (b. October 7, 588 L.C.) currently reigns over the Melkarn Estate, and is the last living member of House Melkarn. He is most known around Stormwind City for his expertise in modern medicine and surgical techniques over use of healing magics and potions, as well as being one of the only neurosurgeons within the realm. Lord Melkarn is known to personally fund various organizations whom attempt to revive or represent both the Crusade and parts of Lordaeron. He also possesses an abundance of land in Southern Lordaeron, as well as inherited land in Westfall, Duskwood, Wetlands and Redridge Mountains from his now deceased father and brothers. =Appearance=

Standing erect with good posture at roughly 6'3", Ardvertan isn't someone easily overlooked in a crowd, being taller than most Stormwind-born Humans. Like most Nobles of his age, Ardvertan doesn't look to weigh more than 225 pounds. The man isn't in pristine physical condition, but he most certainly looks adequate for his age. His skin adorns wrinkles in various places around his body, like the corner of his eyes and smile-lines on the corner of his lips, though this isn't usually seen as he sports a rather light red and well kept beard that runs up the sides of his face, covers his chin and connects to his mustache. His eyebrows are the same color as his facial hair, but unlike most men of his time, Ardvertan is known to get them waxed to clean them up and erase the bushy look they would show if left unkept for a few weeks. Under his brows are two brilliant emerald green, humanoid eyes.

He resembles his grandfather's features more than he does his own father, but had darker hair during his youth. Though, he did get his average sized, yet slightly more pointy nose from his mother.

Lightforge Plate
Very rare, and very expensive. Two words that are fit to perfectly describe Ardvertan's ornate plate set that was kept in nearly mint condition and worn exclusively during ceremonies or private events. The gold and silver plate appears, nearly at all times, to be polished to a point of where someone could see a dull reflection of themselves on certain parts of the suit, and studded with various diamond and square-cut gems around the chest-plate, shoulder-guards and crown pieces, and draping down to an inch above both of his heels rests the brim of his long, silky crimson-cloak, holding minor frays on the underside due to be occasionally dragged over steps when he ascends or descends them.

The jewel of the man's suit is the crown itself. Adorned with various gems cut to specific shapes and lengh are stubbed around the entire circular-dome and crown region of the helmet, backed with gold-plating atop the steel that made up the helmet. From the middle forehead down is a completely solid nose-guard piece for additional protection when riding on horseback in the event of him being dismounted. When the crown is worn, his hair is combed backwards to hide his bangs so he may see without incident.

Cullsgath, Sword of House Melkarn
  Cullsgath, otherwise known as,"Sword of Hope," to those in House Melkarn, is an extremely old longsword forged by Ardvertan's ancestors. The blade itself is estimated to be no younger than three hundred and fifty years old, and surprisingly, it has kept its shine throughout the years of use. It was forged mostly from silver and fragments of truesilver, however some copper was used in the hilt to add a weight-balance to the blade, despite the fact it wasn't used for anything else but ceremony. The blade accompanies a fine gold and red silk finish atop the boar leather grip bounded to the hilt.

=Upbringing=

Ardvertan was the eldest of triplets born during the waning years of the Age of Peace, to Lord Ardvertan Melkarn II, a wealthy banker and Lady Sarah Norton, a tolerable yet loving musician and teacher in the Lordaeronian provence of Darrowshire. His upbringing was normal for someone of his social status up until the First War, where his father left Lordaeron to assist the Kingdom of Stormwind leaving him without a promenant male figure while a toddler.

Early Life
The birth of the triplets not only took a heavy toll on Lady Norton, whom wasn't expected to survive through labor, but also surprised the Melkarn Estate and neighboring provinces due to the rarity of the circumstance. For the first month after his birth, Ardvertan was looked after by maidens to the estate while his mother recovered in a local hospital from labor. When she was finally able to see her children, she showed nothing but unconditioning love.

In the fall of 596 K.C. when they were old enough to wield a sword, each brother was sent to a respective farmstead to serve as a squire to a knight, and learn of both discipline and chivilary first hand. While his brothers were sent to more laxed homesteads, Ardvertan found himself under the guidance Sir Haddwick Gothard, of a retired Chief Warrant Officer of the Lordaeron Navy. Often when described, the term," Grizzley Bear," would find itself used during the conversation due to his short, stocky and hairy appearance.

When the school bells tolled, Ardvertan found himself digging trenches, plowing and sowing the fields or moving bales of hay while his classmates enjoyed running the hills playing games or enjoying sweet treats at the various of parlors neighboring the farm. For the first year under his apprenticeship, he was unable to write and thus failed his literature and writings class due to severe blisters on his palm.

Servitude to the Navy
Knowing of Ardvertan's great potential and using the outbreak of the First War to his advantage when teaching him a lesson, Haddwick offered him an ultimatum when he had discovered one of his core classes had been failed for the year: Receive a harsh beating and increased labor hours on the farmstead, or enlist temporarily as a boy-serveant in the Lordaeron Navy. Reluctant to escape the harsh discipline of Sir Haddwick, Ardvertan chose the latter and on January 4, 597 K.C. he had found himself aboard the HMS Lianne, a Alder-Class Frigate named after the beloved Queen of Lordaeron, whose main purpose was to bring supplies to the frontlines and the wounded back.

Due to his age, Ardvertan was placed under the guidance of the Surgeon's Assistant aboard the Lianne, and tasked with maintaining record of the wounded personnel and their property while undergoing treatment. While only 9 years old, he was exposed first-hand to the horrors of war as soldiers with missing limbs, scarred faces and often disfigured features were ushered aboard the ship from the Stormwind Harbor. This left Ardvertan feeling completely helpless- he had wanted to help mend their wounds but knew nothing other than to give conversation and show appreciation as they lay idle, dying in their cots. He would go on to serve up until the beginning stages of the Second War, and receive full credit for participation in both.

Homecoming and Education
On the 13th of May, 597 K.C. the HMS Lianne docked for the final time in the Lordaeron Harbor at the end of his contract, and Ardvertan was reunited with his family. He subsequently expressed to his father of his interests in becoming a doctor to help those like the wounded soldiers he saw and worked around in the future.

Because of his newfound drive for higher education, his father obliged and enrolled Ardvertan into a persteigeous boarding school in the Cathedral district of Stratholme, where he learned to read and write at an advanced level. By the age of twelve, he was writing prayer columns for the Sunday paper, and by fifteen he was reading whole encyclopedias from the school's library and writing reports on them for fun. When it was time for him to graduate in the spring of 606 K.C., he had to wade through several different offers to various universities and military academies.

Enrollment at Harrow Medical School
The only institute that caught Ardvertan's attention was Harrow Medical School, arguably one of the most perstegious medical institutes in Azeroth, where even he had to utilize the reccomendation he received from the Navy to get accepted into. From the first day of his first semester to the last day of the final semester, Ardvertan found himself with various medical tomes and textbooks towering about his dormitory, crowing his desk as he studied various medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, Old Lordaeronian and other various forms of biology.

In his four years at Harrow, Ardvertan was only able to return home three times, two of which were for Winter's Veil and the third for an emergency leave due to the sudden death of one of his uncles. The discipline Sir Haddock instilled into him at such a early age kept him firece and level-headed when some of his other colleagues dropped out or failed. =Graduation and Professional Practice=

Finally, in the spring of 610 K.C., after what seemed like an eternity for those at Harrow, Ardvertan was one of 34 students to graduate and receive their Doctor of Medicine degree and licenses. Having already dabbled in internships, he was quick to find occupation at a clinic in Brill where we worked as a resident doctor for the peaseants of King Terenas. He would continue to treat the people of Lordaeron up until 612 K.C., when the Scourge plagued and sacked the land.

Sacking of Lordaeron
Ardvertan and his colleagues began to worry when an influx of patients packed the clinic as people were reporting flu-like symptoms and dying mere days later. It was initially thought to be a typhoid fever pandemic, but this theorey was disgarded as the dead began to rise from their graves or emerging from the various body piles stationed outside of morgues. Ardvertan wrote to his brothers, both of whom were Knights of the Silver Hand, of the issue and hastily gathered his belongings before enruding a three day trek back to the Melkarn Estate.

Sheer chaos ensued as the newfound Plague was gaining momentum, and when Stratholme fell almost all hope had been lost. People en masse began to flee down south towards Alterac and Stromgarde x

A Gambit in Stratholme
WIP.

Escape to Homestead
WIP.

Birth of Crusaders
WIP.

The Fall of Three Kingdoms
WIP.

Take to the Skies
WIP.

Siege of Naxxramas
WIP. =To Stormwind=

WIP.

Into the Dark Portal
WIP.

Return to the Embassy
WIP. =The Sacking of Stormwind=

WIP.

Pilgrimage to Tyr's Hand
WIP.

Assault on Icecrown from Onslaught Harbor
WIP.

Defeat in Icecrown and Retreat to Stormwind
WIP.

Dissolution of the Embassy and Arrest
WIP.

Trial and Imprisonment
WIP. =Deathwing's Assault on the Kingdom=

WIP.

Surrender and Relocation
WIP. =The Pardon=

WIP.

Enlistment into the Marine Corps
WIP.

Transfer to the Stormwind Army and Commission
WIP.

Enrollment in the Dalaran Surgical College
WIP. =Iron Horde Invasion=

WIP.

Departure from Military Service
WIP. =Legion Invasion of Azeroth=

WIP.

Formation of the Saint Braidenbard's Burn Ward
WIP.

Formation and Dissolution of the Stormwind Medical Guild
WIP. =Military Awards=



WIP. =Interesting Facts=


 * Ardvertan is the eldest of three triplets, and the other two brothers were actual players who both stopped playing around early Burning Cruasde.
 * He is currently a licensed Barrister of the King's Courts when he took the Barrister's exam given to him by Magistrate Glycerious, and has served as a defense attorney for Bisrad Mason of the Rose Syndicate, and got him acquitted due to lack of evidence. He also is responsible for the release of Brother Siegmund from his imprisonment in Stormwind in the midst-of mass confusion when a fight broke out between two Stormwind agencies.
 * Ardvertan has been around since Vanilla, and participated in every expansion to some degree to-date.
 * Ardvertan is a virgin, having never been a part of any serious relationship.
 * He uses a cane to walk, but is gradually recovering after a failed suicide attempt where he injected an acidic poison in his left thigh right after departing from the Stormwind Army.
 * During the Alliance occupation in Draenor, he unofficially adopted a young, fellow Crusader- Lee Adams, as his son. He was brought up and coached by Ardvertan in hopes that one day, he would become a doctor. Lee ultimately met his demise at the hand of the Truthfuls.
 * Ardvertan has been RolePlayed since November of 2004, and has spanned from two servers: Argent Dawn_US (2004-2007) and Moon Guard_US (2007-Present).