Melysa Marwyn

Lady Melysa Marwyn-Ashvale is the widow of Ethan Ashvale, lord of Ashfort in Lordaeron. Born and raised in the Kingdom of Stromgarde, Melysa is the eldest daughter of Joren and Lizabet Marwyn. Like many descendants of Stromgarde, Melysa is no stranger to combat and well-trained in the art of warfare, having fought in numerous conflicts against the horde. She is also a paladin of the Order of the Silver Hand and following the deaths of her father and elder brother, she has become head of house Marwyn.

Appearance
A striking woman in her late-thirties, she has the figure of a woman matured, well-endowed and aged like a fine wine. Her sapphire eyes are perhaps her most memorable feature, though they reveal much sadness of late. Her hair is quite long, cascading in soft, reddish curls and accenting a somewhat pale complexion, common to most highlanders.

She tends to wear gowns of silk and samite, tailored to accentuate her figure while leaving just enough to the imagination. They are often a season or more out of fashion and unlike many women of Noble birth, Melysa is seldom seen wearing fine jewelery. Though seldom seen in it, she does own a handsomely crafted suit of armor, befitting a woman of her station. Upon closer inspection, the armor is well-worn and showing various nicks and scrapes from many years of use.

On her sword belt, Melysa carries a fine, castle-forged longsword and on the opposite hip rests a libram that once belonged to her late husband. The leather on its cover is well-worn, but the sigil of the Order of the Silver Hand is still evident.

Background
Born at Stonegarde in the Kingdom of Stromgarde, Melysa was the second child of Lord Joren and Lady Lizabet Marwyn. She was afforded the very finest in education and trained in the arts of combat and warfare like all Stromgarde's high born children. Melysa showed a distinct lack of interest in all things befitting a proper young lady, but took to swordplay like a moth to a flame, much to her lady mother's dismay. Her favorite books were those that told the tales of Stromgarde's gallant Knights and during a conversation at a feast held by her father, Lord Joren was quoted as having said "It would seem I have two sons."

It was her father who decided to put an end to her swordplay and insisted she become a proper lady, but Melysa defied him and continued to practice with their master at arms while her father tended to matters of state. By the time she was thirteen, offers for her hand in marriage came from a handful of Stromgarde's Noble houses, but Lord Joren had other plans for his only daughter and after the second war ended, he was certain of the proper course.

Marriage and Children
Desiring a stronger alliance with Lordaeron after Stromgarde's unfortunate departure from the Alliance of Lordaeron, Joren arranged a marriage pact between Melysa and the new lord Ashfort, Ethan Ashvale. The pair were married in Melysa's sixteenth year and a son was born to them just nine months later. Melysa was not pleased by the prospect of leaving Stromgarde, but in time, she grew to love Lordaeron and her husband.

Her marriage joined the house of Marwyn to the house of Ashvale and while the couple hardly knew one another, theirs was not an unhappy union in its beginning. The ceremony took place in Lordaeron and just nine months later, their son was born, James Ashvale. Times of war made it difficult for the couple to conceive more children and Lord Ethan's many affairs during their son's younger years put a great deal of strain on their marriage. Despite her husband's indiscretions, Melysa remained faithful and dedicated herself to raising their son in a manner that would ensure he grew up to be a man of honor.

Paladin Defender of Lordaeron
At the age of eighteen, she was formally inducted into the Order of the Silver Hand beside her husband and would serve the order faithfully until it was suspended in Lordaeron by Prince Arthas. Melysa still carries the libram given to her by her husband.

Tragedy
Melysa's later years were marked by tragedy in many forms, beginning with the fall of the Royal house of Menethil and the undead scourge that swept over her husband's land like locusts, destroying everything in their path. Despite repeated attempts to retake the Ashfort, the household was forced to retreat to Ambermill, where they would remain for several years. Lord Ethan was later slain in battle during the assault on Icecrown Citadel and Melysa had his remains laid to rest in the crypts beneath the Undercroft.

During a recent attempt to retake the Ashfort, Melysa's son, James Ashvale was slain during a battle just within the walls of the Keep. Like his father, James refused to wait while the forsaken held his seat of power and with less than a hundred men at arms, he stormed the battered castle and was pierced by more than a dozen arrows. Melysa was forced to lead what remained of their household guard on a raid that many considered to be suicide in order to recover his remains. During the raid, Melysa was wounded once by arrow and once by blade, though she continued to fight in spite of her wounds. After recovering her son's remains, Melysa laid him to rest beside his father in the crypts beneath the Undercroft and spent the next few months recovering from her wounds and mourning the loss of her only child.

Having lost everything, save for what meager wealth was salvaged from the Ashfort, Melysa began a long journey on horseback to the Southern Kingdom of Stormwind. She plans to return to her ancestral home at Stonegarde, though not before acquiring enough swords to guarantee safe passage through Stromgarde.

Relationships
Now a widow, approaching seven-and-thirty and well beyond the desirable age for marriage--possessing neither land nor wealth to secure another favorable match, Lady Melysa had all but resigned herself to the simple pursuit of revenge. Revenge against the forsaken who slew her son, and revenge against the Syndicate that slew her parents at Stonegarde. A woman who values honour and oaths sworn upon it, she treats what few sworn swords and retainers she still has as if they were family.

Though she loved and respected her lord husband, Lord Ethan was not always faithful to her and was known to have fathered a bastard boy with one of his mistresses during a vist to the South. When Ethan returned from Stormwind with another woman's child, Melysa's initial reaction was rage and she is said to have knocked out one of her husband's teeth during the heated argument that followed. The couple eventually reconciled and put the matter behind them, but in Melysa's eyes, the bastard boy would never be a son to her and his very existence served as a painful reminder of her husband's indiscretion.

Since Lord Ethan's death during the assault on Icecrown Citadel, Melysa is not known to have had other lovers, though rumors of a brief affair with one of her Knights began to circulate among those who felt that the widow had no right to bear her husband's arms. Whether or not there is any truth to such rumors remains a mystery.

Since her arrival in Stormwind, Melysa seems to have found a new hope, sparked by a friendship with Hendrek Westfield of Alterac and the events which followed their meeting. Westfield made a solemn promise to accompany her on a journey to her ancestral home in Stromgarde and in return, Melysa pledged her support in their mutual goal of seeing the battered remnants of the Northern Kingdoms united in common purpose against their enemies.

No longer fueled entirely by the prospect of revenge and having been formally reinstated as a paladin of the Order of the Silver Hand, Melysa has renewed her vows and made the acquaintance of some of its members within the Kingdom of Stormwind.

Personality
Once a woman of unconditional kindness, devotion and faith in the Holy Light, her husband's infidelities and the many tragedies she has endured during the last two decades have hardened her heart. After her son's death in battle, Melysa's desire for revenge might have destroyed her, had she not heeded the counsel of those closest to her.

Despite many tragedies and the precarious position in which she now finds herself, Melysa still believes that it is the sacred duty of the nobility to guide and protect the commonwealth and to that end, she continues to live modestly while using what little wealth she possesses to resettle both her late husband's people and those left leaderless after her brother's death.

Loyalty is of paramount importance to her and those who have earned her trust will find no more loyal an ally than Melysa. Contrarily, those who have proven themselves to be disloyal and dishonorable are treated with nothing short of contempt and will rarely be given a chance to redeem themselves.

A woman of grace and dignity with a good mind for politics and diplomacy, she often attended King Terenas' Court in Lordaeron and handled matters of her late husband's estate. She seeks to put those skills to use in restoring the Kingdom of Stromgarde to some semblance of peace and while her vision for the people of the highlands working together to rid the land of both the syndicate and the forsaken is optimistic, she possesses little real influence and must now work to ingratiate herself with the various powers that have risen up in Trollbane's absence.

Politically, she is very much a classist, believing that it is the sacred duty of the Nobility to guide and protect the commonwealth. Melysa believes that the appointment of those not born into Nobility to positions of government presents a threat to the stability of any realm as those men and women lack the qualities present in those bred for such responsibilities. While she does believe that change is a positive thing, she is cautious, insisting that such change must happen slowly and over a period of many years so as not to upset the balance of power and invite chaos.

Residences and Wealth
Though Melysa was the rightful Lady Ashfort after the deaths of her lord husband and their son, the forsaken currently occupy the Ashfort and its attended lands. With no other personal residences, save for her family's Castle at Stonegarde in the Kingdom of Stromgarde, Melysa has resided in many places since the Ashfort was taken, including Ambermill and most recently, the city of Stormwind.

In addition to Stonegarde Keep, Melysa often stays within Stormwind Keep when her presence is required in the Southern Kingdom. Though the chambers she was given are small and sparsely furnished, she much prefers them to the busy Cathedral disctrict and can often be found in the gardens adjacent to the Royal Library.

What little wealth remains to her is what she and her husband managed to salvage from the vaults at the Ashfort, much of which was squandered in his many attempts to retake the Castle and the sellswords he hired to do so. Melysa chooses to live modestly and avoid squandering what coin remains, often wearing gowns that are a season or more out of fashion and traveling with a small retinue. She has recently sold all of the fine jewelery her lord husband once adorned her with, using the coin to assist in the daunting task of resettling Stonegarde and rebuilding the village. Whether or not the gold they were unable to carry from the vaults after their departure from Ashfort has been plundered remains unknown.

Recent Developments
Shortly after her arrival in Stormwind, Melysa met Sir Hendrek Westfield and the two spoke of their mutual losses and hopes for the future of their broken Kingdoms. After introducing herself to the Duke of Rockvale, Tenevus Stromheart, at a small ceremony in Stormwind's Cathedral, Melysa renewed her vows and was formally reinstated as a paladin of the Order of the Silver Hand.

Upon learning of the recent occupation of Stromgarde by what amounts to little more than a small army of thieves, Melysa fears for her brother's safety more than ever and has received no word of his current whereabouts. Having spoken at length with Ferenold Stormshend and Sir Vesran Rand, she plans to make the journey to Stromgarde, regardless of the danger posed by those who have occupied it by force. Sir Vesran proved himself to be a gallant Knight, offering to provide the widow with an escort.

Return To Stromgarde
After arriving safely in Stromgarde, Melysa learned that the syndicate had slain her brother and what few soldiers remained under his command during a raid on Stonegarde. Saddened by the news and feeling more hopeless than ever, she visited the crypt where Liam Marwyn was laid to rest and said her final farewell to the brother she had not seen in nearly twenty years.

Her grief would have to wait as later than evening, she learned of the wedding that was to take place at the Sanctum of Stromgarde between the Duke of Rockvale and his new bride. It was Sir Hendrek that convinced her to attend, certain that time spent among friends would ease the woman's grief. Though she had intended to leave after the ceremony, Sir Hendrek managed to convince her to attend the reception at Rockvale and after a few glasses of wine, even managed to get her to dance.

A New Beginning
Following the resolution of the conflict in Stromgarde, Melysa has renounced all claims to her late husband's land, name and title in Lordaeron and with a renewed sense of purpose, has begun the daunting task of resettling her ancestral home in the Kingdom of Stromgarde. With a team of masons and unskilled laborers, the reconstruction of Stonegarde Keep has begun and is expected to take three or more years to complete. During this process, the lady intends to rename the holdings and design a new coat of arms.

Trade Agreements
With lumber in short supply due to the constant fighting in the Arathi basin, Melysa has begun negotiations with foreign suppliers to bring in the necessary materials to rebuild her village. Located beside the sea, Stonegarde has the advantage of its own port, which was the first of many things the lady ordered rebuilt. With four new piers constructed, Stonegarde's docks will accomodate even the largest of merchant vessels. The cost of this improvement has been catastrophic to the lady's coffers, but she is confident that the funds will be restored once Stonegarde's sea trade resumes.

Sworn Swords
Since her return to the highlands, Melysa has taken new men into her service in an effort to protect her holdings during the reconstruction. Eric Stone, a bastard son of the lord of Greystone who was slain just two years past has sworn an oath of service to the widow after learning of her support for Duchess Brisby's new council. A young man of barely eighteen years, Eric impressed the widow with both his courage and skill at arms when he defended her from a small band of syndicate rogues who had followed her beyond Stonegarde's quarry with the intent to assassinate her.

Though the syndicate men slew her sworn shield, Sir Jon Hastings, Stone fought valiantly to defend the lady and despite being wounded, slew three of the six assailants before the others fled. For saving her life, the widow ordered that a suit of armor, a new longsword and a suitable mount be gifted to the young man. Hastings had been like a second father to Melysa since her marriage to the lord of the Ashfort at sixteen and his death has saddened her greatly. She plans to honor him with a ceremony and burial befitting a Knight of his quality, though a date for the ceremony has not yet been set.

Stromgarde's House of Nobles
Known for her desire to weed out corruption and see the highlands ushered into the future under leadership whose primary concern is the people of the land, rather than the gold that fills their coffers, Melysa has dedicated much of her time to speaking with the other Nobles of the highlands, meeting with various Stormwind Nobles and working with the Lady-Regent to establish the new house of Nobles. Despite the limited power the council will possess, she feels as though it is the best course of action to ensure the Kingdom's survival during Lord Danath Trollbane's absence.

The Spectre Of Rebellion
What began with the distribution of a series of treasonous pamphlets known as The Freedom Papers, written by Ranves Darn has become a tenuous situation for those who would see order maintained during times of war. Having learned of the author's efforts to see the contents of the pamphlets preached across the Eastern Kingdoms to those workers who are unable to read them, Melysa has done all that she can to silence the spread of his message on her own lands and has recently urged the Lady-Regent, whose name was invoked by the author to publicly denounce the contents of the publication. During her meeting with the Lady-Regent, Melysa learned that someone from the house of Ravenshadow had already issued a public statement regarding the pamphlets.

Countess of Seastone
For her work in establishing the new house of Nobles and all the effort she has made to provide work for the displaced citizens of the highlands, by the command of the Lady-Regent, Melysa was recently raised to the rank of Countess and also granted the neighboring village of Alden's Rise, which has been annexed into her holdings. The combined holdings will henceforth be known as Seastone and with funding from the Lady-Regent, both villages will soon be rebuilt, providing homes and work for more than four hundred people.

Currently
Having finally completed the reconstruction of her holdings, Lady Melysa plans to journey south to Stormwind once more, this time to join and show her support for the newly-created Congregation of the Silver Hand. The Lady is expected to travel with only a smell retinue.

Trivia

 * During a heated argument in the early years of their marriage, Melysa struck her lord husband, knocking out one of his teeth. Lord Ethan told his men that he'd lost the tooth in a melee.
 * Despite her stoic facade, when under the influence of spirits, Lady Melysa can be quite bitter and resentful.
 * Her hatred of the forsaken is rivaled only by her hatred of those who have profited from the devastation of the Northern Kingdoms.
 * Though it is seldom seen, Melysa bears a scar just below her left collar bone, where she was pierced by an arrow during the raid she led to recover her son's remains.