Tarso Val'cari

Father-Dean Tarso Alatharion Valcari is a Quel'dorei who is an ordained priest of the Church of the Holy Light. He currently serves as the Duty Head Priest of the College of Canons (an order established under Bishop Johannes Moorwhelp). Father-Dean Valcari is known across both factions (particularly the Sin'dorei) for being very conservative, an avid supporter of aristocracy, a man who has something to voice whether detrimental or good-natured about every topic that may arise, and for his noble house.

Appearance
A snow white cassock and robe could often be found on his body. His shoulders, when donning the ceremonious and traditional stole, possessed rosaries of both elvish and human descent. Often could the scent of liturgical incense be detected around him. His waist was very seldom found without a golden sash around it. To the educated it would be obvious this attire was gifted to him by the Church of the Holy Light during pastoral ordination.

Aside from the commonly present smell when wearing liturgical clothes of sweet smelling incense, those who had studied extensively in the finer arts of magic could very possibly ascertain that this elf has or has had an extraordinarily amount of practice in the arcane arts, suggesting at a life outside of the priesthood.

Those not magically inclined could gather the same given the clothes he wore outside of the cathedral or when doing church-work. His clothes convey a prominent message of wealth, magistership (perhaps formal), and deep connection to the Quel'dorei culture.

He possessed the common musculature that each man of his race did, neither overly muscled nor terribly thin. Upon his back was etched a tattoo of the Quel'dorei crest. And given the race he was, were one to see it, it existed for alternative reasons than just for display. A single scar made its way down from his upper back, beginning to disappear as it reached his mid back, quite obviously the result of centuries of war. On his abdomen was a single gash that traveled horizontally across it, above this a slash that proceeded and faded away three inches above his left pectoral.

Childhood
Tarso Alatharion Valcari was born in the year of 192 of the King's Calendar in the Southern Province of Quel"Thalas (currently known as the Ghostlands) to Magister Amorlanthus Valcari and Priestess Syllorel Valcari. Being birthed when the prominent, powerful, and noble House of Valcari was in steady decline due only to the abundance of female family members being born, Tarso's birth was considered a blessing and an opportunistic time. This chance was not passed up by Amorlanthus, who quickly instilled the importance of achieving goals through whatever means, the importance of persuasion, and the importance of power. Being brought up in what may be considered the country-side of Quel'Thalas, Amorlanthus had retained the values that urban-elves who had been raised in Silvermooon City. Amorlanthus's tri-hourly sessions with his son would be the most prominent reason for the boy's profound interest and the discovery of his aptitude in the arcane arts and politics. Tarso was inducted into the Silvermoon City's Magisterial Academy.

Though, perhaps for the better, Amorlanthus was not the only one who had greatly influenced the young Tarso; Amorlanthus having a healthy abhorrence to religion. Syllorel Valcari was an independent priestess who had established her own parish very close to the Valcari Spire. Her daily trips to the chapel were not alone, accompanied by Tarso near everytime. It was at the chapel he learned the virtues of the Holy Light, and before the altar there that he accepted the Light.

Other than constant learning both of the divine and of the arcane, Tarso lived a relatively normal life that would belong to a young wealthy elf.

Adolescense
In Silvermoon City's Magisterial Academy, Tarso, contrary to many boy's adolescense, did not always develop new ways to obtain the attention of the opposite gender. He was studious, and focused primarily on the collection of new knowledge and magic. During his time at the academy, Elandir Dawnstrike proved to be one of his greatest friends; who also happened to be his cousin. Their friendship grew ever-increasingly healthy with each passing year of attending the academy. The acadamy was where he would meet his future wife.

Young-Adulthood
It was clear by the time of graduation that Elandir had exceeded Tarso's magical abilities. However, they retained their close friendship after graduation despite the jealousy that Tarso had of the man's knowledge of magic and its processes. The man's early years of being a magister consisted of politicking within the walls of Silvermoon City. Casually, he would visit the Valcari Spire to see his mother and father. While there, his father taught him various techniques within the world of politics; and on most occasions Tarso would put these techniques into action in his return to the city. At times, Amorlanthus would accompany his son, teaching him more effective ways to articulate political topics. During his early years a magister as well, Tarso became increasingly less religious and believed that religion and the idea of the divines were created as mental crutches for for the weak of mind, and saw these to be encumberances in achieving magical power. His quest for power drove him to become a better magister in the end.

First War and Second War
Tarso and the entirety of House Valcari remained subtly and relatively uninvolved in the war. Unlike many of the high elves, Tarso opted to not support the Grand Alliance. When the time came that the Horde invaded Quel'Thalas's borders; and by extension the Valcari Spire, Amorlanthus instructed the noble house to assist the Alliance in whatever means possible. Many Valcari elves, both men and women, joined the Alliance and lended sword, spell, and shield. Tarso among the Valcaris who had pledged to assist. He was tasked to patrols in the Hinterlands.

Upon the expatriation of the invaders from their lands, the King had declared that Quel'Thalas would no longer hold any allegiances to the Grand Alliance. This was to Tarso's liking, partially; he felt as though humans should keep to their own kind and elves their own. He happily returned to Silvermoon City and continued his studies, eventually marrying Celriel Sunwhisper.

Third War
Arthas Menethil had swept through Lordaeron, killing many of his own people and King. Tarso feared that Quel'Thalas was next in his invasions, the man's worries were confirmed when the initial battle between the elves and the scourge took place at the borders. His father, convinced that the elves quite possibly would be defeated by the scourge, took Tarso's family and relocated. The Valcari Spire was depleted of the noble houses's artifacts, relics, and currency coffers. Everything was relocated in another spire within the confines of the walls of Silvermoon City.

Left in the Prince's wake was a large trail of plagued soil and death, as the scourge made their final push on Silvermoon City, they eventually made their way passed the defenders. Amorlanthus in the struggle, whilst Tarso's mother and siblings survived. The Valcari Spire and the home that hosted the valuables were destroyed. The family mourned the death of their loved ones, and the world that they had come to know. Tarso clung to the teachings of the Light, and he found comfort within them. He eventually became more religious over time, perhaps even moreso than he was as a child.

Visilia, Tarso's sister, had been in Dalaran City at the time.

Kael'thas Sunstrider
As this man gathered the weary of heart surviving elves, many of the Valcaris refused to go with him on his quest to recreate the elven kingdom. However, Taellar, Tarso's brother, was among those that traveled with Kael'thas Sunstrider. This would eventually create a split within the noble house in the future.

The Argent Dawn
It came to pass that a schism between a group of former-members of the Scarlet Crusade and current members would lead to the creation of the holy order known as the Argent Dawn. Syllorel took the remainders of Tarso's family, and those who had not gone with Kael'thas Sunstrider, and found refuge at Light's Hope Chapel. Syllorel Valcari found truth in the words that were spoken in the sermons given by the priests of the Argent Dawn; and the Valcaris who had not yet accepted the religion invested their hope and faith into the Holy Light.

Syllorel Valcari, already a pious woman, was inducted into the Argent Dawn and quickly proved herself a holy woman. She described the chapel that she had oversaw during her years serving as a priestess before the fall of Quel'Thalas, and the priests of the Argent Dawn ordained her. Tarso, not yet a priest, joined the Argent Dawn and quickly rose through their ranks and became an officer; while not capable of harnessing the gifts bestowed upon people by the Holy Light just yet, he served as a professor and scholar for the holy order. Celriel worked alongside him.

The Alliance
As the Argent Dawn united with the Reformed Silver Hand Knights, Tarso elected to remove himself from the Argent Dawn. Learning of the things the Scarlet Crusade had done, he aborred the idea of an Argent Crusade; fearing that in the future it may fall to the same heresy that the Scarlet Crusade fell to. Migrating south despite the wishes of his mother, he found refuge in the human city of Stormwind City. He accepted many human apprentices while he was there, and worked closely alongside the Stormwind mages. Many mages came to the Light through him, or came to follow and respect the prime precepts of the Light: Respect, Tenacity, and Compassion.

Clergy of the Holy Light
Tarso severed his ties with the Stormwind mages and sought after religious life again. Feeling himself capable of professorly duties, he applied to join the Clergy of the Holy Light under Bishop Johannes Moorwhelp. Upon writing to the vocations director, his letter was accepted in the following days. Learning the mandatory curriculum that novices were expected to know under (at the time) Bishop Rennali Analisa Sunwhisper, he developed more of a love for the Light and the Church of the Holy Light. It was not before too long the elf was considered for the scholarly sect of the church, and he received an academic tenure serving as a scholar of Northshire Abbey. Eventually elevated to a professor alongside Ferenold Stormshend, the two professors quickly developed an unhealthy rivalship.

The mage had served under the scholarly sect of the Church of Light through its many reforms; from mere professors teaching complexed philosophical seminary in the confines of walls ligned with bookshelves, to more dangerous duties which belonged to the caretakers in the ossuaries of Stromgarde. It was during these reforms Tarso desired more, and painfully abandoned his position as magister and the duties that it all entailed. Possessing all of the knowledge that came with the sacred priesthood, infact; teaching it to aspiring priests, he was quickly ordained as a priest of the Church of the Holy Light. His ordination and becoming a priest of the Light brought controversy between his family, those who were not religious or despised Light-worship, and friends; and more importantly, his life long friend, Elandir Dawnstrike.

After years of being an ordained priest, Tarso has been elevated to high positions of authority within the church, that of Dean of Seminary. And then with the abolishment of seminary, Co-Duty Head Priest, where he works closely alongside Father-Dean Melchiz Tzedeck.

The Grand Alliance
Tarso delights in the protection that the Grand Alliance gives him. He feels that Quel'dorei are being more and more ostracised from human society and that many judicial cases were biased against Quel'dorei. The two most prevalent ones being that of Shaylien Ivenhart's assault, and the emprisoning (and then death) of Tendael Dawnlight. He would rather the Quel'dorei and Sin'dorei unite was one Thalassian faction, where they would not be bothered by the politics of the humans and the Grand Alliance and New Horde.

Politics
The aristocrat prefers an aristocratic society where the wealthy and the educated are at the top of command. If simpletons aren't intelligent enough to find their own homes or to feed themselves, why should they be entrusted to assist society or run functions?

Scarlet Crusade
Tarso sees the Scarlet Crusade as a heretical crusade whose crusaders are responsible for the deaths of innocents, among these the elderly, women, and children. The Scarlet Hammer tries to recreate the crusade under the original and demon-free leaders; but they are failing horrible and, if anything, are creating again the heretical Scarlet Crusade. Rumor might hold that he is working alongside Tiraus Voltain to destroy this organization.

Argent Crusade
Tarso may proclaim that the Argent Crusade is heretical aloud, however, he doesn't attest to this being true. He views the Argent Crusade on same the level of the church in terms of orthodoxy.

The Church of the Holy Light
He holds this to be the manifestation of the Light's Kingdom in the world. It is ranby the Council of Bishops (who are divinely appointed) in the absence of an archbishop, who is the successor of Alonsus Faol. Any doctrine released by this organization is to be considered divinely-inspired. The Church of the Holy Light is infallible. The bishops are vessels of the Light, any words spoken by them are the direct words of the Light.

Humans
Tarso views the humans as members of the Alliance and primarily the defenders of Stormwind City. He is not afraid to openly express disatisfaction about individual humans and the race in general. There are some humans who he has grown close to over his years of staying within the confines of the walls of Stormwind City. Humans, to him, are inferior to elves and are the most prevalent reason that Thalassian elves cannot unite under one banner with their wars against the Horde and their politicking. Not to mention the human's unfair judiciary system. Few humans have gained the respect of Tarso; despite the rarity, among them are Mellar Servus, and Chantale Stromheart prior to her marriage.

Tarso maintains a high adoration of Alonsus Faol and the other canonized saints of the Church of the Holy Light.

Sin'dorei
Knowing a good amount of Sin'dorei both casually and personally as a result of the Sin'dorei's former being a high elf, Tarso holds these people to be equal to the Quel'dorei. They are his brethren both by blood and by nationality, no matter how hard some of them try to ignore this. He will often remind them when he goes on diplomatic missions. Understanding that many lack a religion, or their religion involves the worshipping of themselves, he tries to demonstrate the tenets of the Light in hopes they will come back to the religion they invested hope in when they were high elves of Quel'Thalas. The Sin'dorei are terribly misuided and will always be marked by their fel green eyes; testiment to their lack of good choices when they ventured with Kael'thas Sunstrider. A race marked with hardships, these hardships molding their outlook on life, they are entirely redeemable and are deserving of this redemption.

Half-Elves
The half-elves are a product of a relationship between a human and a Quel'dorei or Sin'dorei. He is saddened that such a thought would have ever crossed the mind that a elf would have mated with a human, and much more saddened that they would be so despicable as to produce offspring. They are abominations with little no purpose in the world, and they are also abominations in the eyes of the Light. Elves and humans should stick to their own kind when it comes to marriage and the production of children. However, despite these very negative beliefs about half-elves, he has (reluctantly) accepted Lantos Swiftsong as family, something proven through a very long and complex family tree design, and is now a very loose mentor of half-elf Aurion Dawntreader.

Kaldorei
Kaldorei are heathen elunites who betrayed their own kind. They are not deserving of forgiveness in any capacity and should stay in Darnassus. They are masters (sometimes mistresses) of deceit and should not be trusted at all. While Tarso feels all of this towards the Kaldorei, without the Highborne exilation from the Night Elf lands the High Elves would have never come to be; and for that, he is partially thankful.

Dominion of the Sun
A thieving, deceitful, and heretical organization of Sin'dorei. He holds this organization partly reponsible for the Sin'dorei's lack of religion, many of the Sin'dorei believing the Light to be only another type of magic. The Dominion of the Sun have desecrated many holy sites of the Church of the Holy Light, as well as a chapel in Westfall. Once in his good graces, Tarso was proud of Tendael Dawnlight and had assisted indirectly him in a few attacks against the humans during the Dalaran Insurgency. This is not known knowledge to anyone. The Dominion of the Sun is now lead by a tyrant, Volanaro Ael'aran.