Ismond Laldere

Ismond Laldere is the Lord of Blackhill, a small fief within the greater Duchy of Westridge in the Kingdom of Stormwind. He is a well-known knight of the Brotherhood of the Horse for his service in the First Regiment of the Stormwind Army, having conducted numerous campaigns in the various locales of Azeroth on its behalf.

"You must love honor more than you fear death."

Appearance
Clad in the raiment of the Stormwind Army, Ismond's figure makes for a monstrous sight. His leathery hide has been disfigured by myriad scars and designs that have been permanently painted into his flesh. A cold shell of polished steel insulated his monumental frame from peril while the barbaric Orcish bastard sword slung across his back was left readied to meet it. Strewn across his chest laid a bloodstained tabard. It, and the countless stitched patches affixed to it, marked his distinguished service as a knight of the brotherhood.

Those who addressed him were greeted by grimace composed of mix-matched teeth that snarled through the mottled mane that grew from his chin. Patches of gray and white hairs stood out in defiance of their natural sooty black color. In contrast to the tangled beard, the majority of his skull has been meticulously purged of undesirable hairs. Seething eyes scanned about above his squat, gnarled nose with a suspicious gaze.

A pair of silver chains dangle around the mans neck. The first, made from heavy links, is identifiable as his knights livery collar. The second is made from thinner material with a rounded rectangle of metal hanging from it that has been embossed with several rows of information. Though sometimes found on the same chain a golden ring encrusted with small sapphires, more often resides on his left hand.

History
Ismond Laldere was born on the 27th of March in the year 10 P.C. of the Lotharian Calendar. The day itself is not the actual day he was born, but rather the day he was found on the steps of the Stormwind Orphanage. Late in the night, an unknown woman left the newborn there, where the Mother Matron then found him and took him in. There was no information on the child, and thus he remained nameless for some time. Within a year, however, the young babe was taken in by the Laldere Family, composed of Boniface and Miriam (nee Montgomery) Laldere. The Laldere Family was a reputable, landowning family that resided in Grand Hamlet, what is now known as Darkshire. The boy was taken from Stormwind down to the southern provinces.

Ismond’s formative years were ones of trouble and erratic behavior. As he grew up, he was known to engage in petty theft and violent acts. He often held a rebellious attitude towards his adoptive family, running out from his home towards the town or the countryside to find some measure of escape. As he attended schooling in Grand Hamlet, he was known to embroil himself in fist-fights and stealing from local shop owners. The headmasters of the school informed Ismond’s parents of his behavior, and he was eventually suspended from schooling by age seven.

The boy’s tumultuous upbringing does not end there, however. In the year 3 P.C., tragedy struck the Laldere Family. Miriam Laldere came down with a severe case of the flu, a strain which had now spread throughout the realm. The death toll rose, and although this was a considerably mild outbreak, Miriam was counted among the dead. Ismond’s father took care of the boy from there on out. Boniface knew his son’s behavior would only bring further troubles, so he took to tutoring the boy privately instead. In a way, this private schooling combined with his mother’s passing helped temper the boy – allowing him to foster a closer relationship with his father.

Three years passed, and Ismond was now ten years of age. He had been tutored now by his father for three years, wherein he learned not only the basic concepts of mathematics, history, and grammar, but also some practical skills. Being a landowning family, Boniface had learned how to use a sword and crossbow need be to defend his property and family from bandits and wild animals. Ismond took to these lessons well, learning the rudimentary steps of how to wield a blade or operate a crossbow. However, it seemed that tumult was once more inevitable. The Age of Darkness had come. The Dark Portal had opened.

As reports flooded in that an unknown horde of green-skinned daemons had ravaged the countryside to the south-east, Ismond’s father was called forth to fulfill his duty in the King’s name. Before he left for the front, Boniface sent his son off to Stormwind City so that he may be safe. He knew that the orcish horde was far too close to Grand Hamlet, and he wouldn’t want his only son to perish. Even if they were not of the same blood, their familial bonds were strong in the wake of Miriam’s death. Thus, Ismond joined the flood of refugees heading north alone, while his father was sent to fight the orcs that tore through the realm with blood and terror.

When we arrived at Stormwind, Ismond was taken in once more by the Stormwind Orphanage. Once again, the boy returned to his usual ways – he was angered, saddened, confused, and frustrated at his loss. His mother was gone, and his father was off fighting for the Kingdom. He engaged in fights once more, shouted and tore his way through anyone who dared step in his way. Even as a youngling, Ismond had the ferocity of a wild animal caged against his will. The boy spent many nights in the cellars of the Orphanage, kept far away from the other children. Still, Ismond hoped that his father would return him. Eventually, such a day came. It was during the height of the war, and Ismond’s father was sent to Stormwind to rest and recover from wounds he had sustained during the campaign. Father and son reunited for a brief moment. The few days Boniface remained in Stormwind were the happiest respite Ismond could’ve hoped for. Before he left once more to the front, Boniface gave his son a token to remember him by – his mother’s opal necklace. With that, Ismond’s father returned to the fields of war.

Two more years passed, and Ismond was now nearing fourteen. The promise of his father’s return had managed to quell the savage spirits that lingered in his soul. He became hardened, training his body and mind to perhaps one day see his father again and make him proud. Ismond grew into a healthy, strong man. However, he would not have the chance to reunite with his father or do his part for the King. Tragedy struck the realm, as news of King Llane’s assassination spread like wildfire. Shortly thereafter, the tide of war turned. Stormwind was to fall. Sir Anduin Lothar, the Lion of Azeroth, gathered his people in the city and took to the sea. Ismond remained behind for some hours as the evacuations occurred, hoping to see his father among the many soldiers that returned with Sir Lothar from the front. He boarded the ships, hoping that perhaps he had missed him. It would not be until he set foot on the shores of Lordaeron that a list was placed on a board at the docks of Southshore. The list of the fallen that were not accounted for during the final evacuation. There it was.

Boniface Laldere. Chaplain. Killed in Action.

Enlistment & Knighthood

Ismond’s rage and sadness was akin to the very fires that burned Stormwind City to the ground. He let out maddening howls in the middle of the night, as he wandered the refugee camps established near the coast of Lordaeron. Yet, something had changed. He was no longer going to return to his old ways. He wasn’t going to become some petty thief or mindless brute that simply fought his way through everything and everyone. No. He was going to avenge his father, and he was going to find purpose in his life one way or another. With that, Ismond found the remnants of the Stormwind Army, asking for a chance to serve. He was fit, if young, but he had the spirit to fight. After a brief period of training in Southshore, where the Royal Army had set up camp after they made landfall, he was assigned to the First Regiment of Westridge.

After enlistment, Ismond was taken to the capital city of the Kingdom of Lordaeron to await deployment. There, he met his commanding officer – Sir Armand Durant. Durant was a knighted officer in the ranks of the First Regiment, and he was to lead the young Ismond into battle. The First Regiment, under the leadership of Duke Maxen Montclair, fought valiantly throughout the conflict. Ismond’s first task was to aid in the rescue of rangers hailing from Quel’Thalas. The high elves were asked to join the Alliance of Lordaeron, but they refused at first. After the Stromgardians claimed that the elves had a debt of blood to repay for their involvement during the Troll Wars many centuries ago, and the fact that their soldiers were rescued by Alliance forces, the government of Quel’Thalas yielded and joined the ranks of the Alliance. Ismond had become cautious of the elves because of this, seeing their aid as being given begrudgingly. Nevertheless, he tempered his own opinions and continued to fight on bravely.

From battles at the Thandol Span, to raids on the Dragonmaw Clan in Northeron, all the way to the battle at Blackrock Mountain, Ismond grew as a warrior and a man. Eventually, the First Regiment along with the remaining forces of Stormwind were given the honor of leading the vanguard to liberate the Kingdom of Azeroth from the orcish horde. When they arrived, both sides fought ferociously. In the end, however, it seemed that the Alliance now had the advantage and they were able to beat back their enemies. Ismond walked through the streets of the ruined capital, thinking only now of what his father would say to him now.

With the realm now secure, and the war coming to a close, Ismond’s skill, prowess, and loyalty was noted by his commander, Sir Durant. Durant approached Ismond in private, as they had already had some discussions before during the height of the war. Instead of idle chatter, however, Ismond proposed something to Durant. He wanted to be his squire. Durant was honored by having been chosen by Ismond – the man considered the young warrior a very capable soldier. With the fires of war fading away, Durant began to teach Ismond what it meant to be a knight of the realm: honor, loyalty, and service. The squire learned how to ride into battle on the back of a warhorse, how to maneuver and survive the ways of the court, how to wield and carry the heaviest and finest armor and armaments, how to show respect and compassion to others, and how to lead soldiers into battle – even in the face of adversity. Ismond believed and championed each of these beliefs without a second thought. He knew this is what he had desired, and he took well to the lessons. By the year 11 L.C., Ismond was prepared for knighthood. He was taken to Westridge Keep, where in Duke Montclair and Sir Durant held the ceremony.

As the final oath was taken, Sir Ismond Laldere rose to stand as a knight of the realm.

Interim of Service

For seventeen years, Ismond served his liege and the realm valiantly. While the Third War raged in the north, the Kingdom of Stormwind continued to solidify its hold in the south – prepared to return the favor Lordaeron had bestowed upon it during the First War. Refugees flooded towards the south, escaping the undead Scourge and the daemonic hordes of the Burning Legion. Ismond did his part, assisting the northern folk that came to the southern lands with only the clothes they wore and few meager trinkets and heirlooms they could save. Eventually, the Third War ended and the world experienced a tenuous peace. What had surprised Ismond was the inability of the Alliance to stop the orcish threat, for the man had always been a strong proponent of executing the remaining orcs – if not containing them until their people died off. His experiences in the Second War hardened him against their kind, and as he heard of the regional conflicts flaring up abroad between the Grand Alliance and Thrall’s Horde, he felt compelled to act.

Ismond fought sporadically in some of the conflicts abroad, but he was mostly kept in Westridge to tend to this charges. Eventually, the man took a leave of service. The reasons for this are only known to himself, and where he went is an ever greater kept secret. Rumors are abound that the man supposedly took leave and found himself under the banner of the Scarlet March. Here, it is said that his bold, valiant demeanor was further hardened by the extremist beliefs of the Scarlets. Ismond is known to hold little love for certain races, and it said that ideals of human purity and supremacy found their way into his heart and mind. Whether these beliefs remain with him to this day, it is evident that his experiences in the march changed him.

Return & Lordship

Rising to great affluence within the year of his joining the March, he served loyally until unexpected news arrived to him. In 29 L.C. Ismond received word that his old mentor and commander, Sir Armand Durant, had fallen in battle out in the Outlands. The second re-opening of the Dark Portal had embroiled the world once more in crisis. Ismond quickly took up the banner of the Kingdom of Stormwind, reenlisting with in His Majesty’s armies. Strangely enough, when he returned to Westridge to pledge his service to the realm once more, he was told that we left as Armand’s heir in his will. With this revelation, Ismond not only came upon Armand’s fortunes, but he was given the title of Lord of Blackhill. With newfound duties and a peerage gained, Sir Ismond now returned to the frontlines – fighting for King and Country once more. As the years passed and the threats to the realm came and went, Ismond experienced both hardship and great triumphs. For his service, Duke Maxen Montclair of Westridge bestowed upon him grand titles and privileges worthy of his successes. In 33 L.C. the man was given the title of Lord’s Hand, a testament to the bond Ismond and his lord had forged in the wake of Sir Armand’s death in the Outlands. In 35 L.C. his lands were expanded to include the barony of Rockhold as well as his territories in Blackhill, situated north of Wanduke. Although the man has never truly considered himself a noble, he accepts the responsibilities given to him with great pride and diligence. Above all, Ismond believes himself to be a man of battle, forged in the fires of war and hardened by the iron and steel which he carries into battle.