Cartres Portiave

Cartres Portiave is a Paladin of the Kingdom of Lordaeron's chapter of the Order of the Silver Hand, former Major of the League of Lordaeron and a disciple of Sir Uther Lightbringer.

History
Born into the time period that preempted the Third War, Cartres Portiave was well educated when it came to loss and grief. The love child of Reginald Portiave, a Knight of the Order of the Silver Hand, and Sylviania Brightmore, a High-Elven priestess on assignment to Lordaeron, he was quick to realize that he was unlike the rest of those he lived with. Their romance came as quick as it went, and after Cartres’ birth, Sylviania abandoned the boy and his father, returning to Silvermoon to submit to the judgment of her people for mating with a human. Neither Cartres, nor his Father, was ever able to discovere her fate.

Born and raised in the City of Stratholme, Cartres was a mischief maker, and typically loved to argue. Cartres avoided the church like a disease, seeing the devout as ignorant fools who desired nothing more but to yield their lives to something that was not real. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), Reginald thought it a necessity to teach his son the ways of the light.



Introduction to the Silver Hand
After his growth as a wielder of the light (something he had a particular knack for, due to his parents), Reginald saw fit to have his son begin training as a Knight of the Silver Hand. Cartres jumped from mentor to mentor, finding it finally suitable to align himself with one Uther Lightbringer, who became Cartres’ model and tutor as he grew alongside his father. In his latter teenage years, Cartres became well versed in the light and its history, surpassing some students that were quite a few years older, though angering all students with his arrogance and tendency toward misconduct. In particular, his best friend at the time, Charles Ives, joined him often when he skipped lessons or services.

[TBC]

 The Culling of Stratholme



The Stormwind Guard Upon his subsequent arrival in Stormwind after treking the length of the Eastern Kingdoms from Tyr's Hand, Cartres arrived at the Cathedral of Light with several others. Inside, Stormwind Chapter of the Silver Hand was handling refugee operations for those that left Lordaeron before it was too late. Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker would later inform them that they were unable to contact Uther Lightbringer, but word had come down that King Terenas and he had met to discuss Stratholme. With Lordaeron's Silver Hand chapter nearly completely dissolved and most citizens of Lordaeron lost and indisposed, Cartres found himself wandering the streets aimlessly with little to no direction. He found himself soon recruited into the Stormwind Guard by Aliaes Lamente, who had held the position of Corporal at that time.

Thankful for his assistance, and eager to begin serving the Alliance again, Cartres became a close friend of Aliaes, who became his mentor in the absence of those he worked with in the Silver Hand. The young and inexperienced Paladin learned the more brusque ideals of warfare and battle from Aliaes, whose martial arts were only matched by his own aptitude with a sword. Cartres learned quickly from him, after months of service alongside Aliaes, would eventually be promoted to Sergeant. Rank and file was what he knew now, and the unique combination of a Paladin's discipline and respect, and with his sense of duty and pride, helped create the foundation for his ability to lead and command soldiers. Cartres stood with the Guard through many of their engagements against the Cult of Ner'zhul and Orcs in Redridge, and helped thwart the constant attacks from criminal gangs that have all but since dissolved in the streets of Stormwind.

The League of Lordaeron
After his service with the Guard became something he grew to enjoy, Cartres' life was interrupted once more during a ride into the town of Goldshire. Coming across two knights in the streets was not particularly unusual, however, they donned the colors and banners of Lordaeron. After approaching the Paladin Vlademar Von Gunhildur and the Ebon Knight Elrobelm (by this time, the Ebon Knights had been freed from the clutches of The Lich King, and the war in Northrend had just recently began), he was swiftly offered a position in what they called the League of Lordaeron, a band of farmers, knights, soldiers, archers -- anyone, who was willing to fight for Lordaeron's freedom. After very little thought, and a conversation with Aliaes and his superior officers, Cartres resigned his commission to join the League, and began his first return to his home, accompanied by his own kin.



Cartres' initial time in the League was far from fruitful, however. During a joint battle in the Burning Steppe Region with the First Regiment, Cartres found himself under attack by several enemies at once, and lost his eye to the delight of an ogre, which soon after met its demise. He was assigned by Vlademar to be Elrobelm's squire -- To be forced to serve a Death Knight that was undoubtedly corrupt (in his eyes) was more like an atrocity. Cartres' opinion was met with swift opposition by Sarlain, another Death Knight that held an officer position at Vlademar's side. After several months of butting heads during battles, in meetings and otherwise, Cartres saw fit to separate himself from the League to search for answers in the Plaguelands himself.

Upon a trek through Andorhal, Cartres was captured by Scarlet mages, who then used telepathy via an orb and arcane magicks to infiltrate his mind, and identify key information about League of Lordaeron leadership. After identifying the information, Cartres was then mind-controlled by a master-magi to commit an assassination on Sarlain. The attempt would inevitably fail, and after an attempt to escape, Cartres was found and stripped of his position in the League. He was exiled from Lordaeron by Vlademar, and sentenced to permenant removal from the Kingdom.

Exile
Cartres returned to Stormwind and retook a position in the Guard. His refusal to tell anyone - including Aliaes - about his exile, led to suspiciousness from other guards, but nonetheless allowed a reinstatement of his commission.

Cartres worked with apathy during his second term with the Guard. Now under Adroby Relindor (he worked under Lemartes formerly), and with many different faces, he felt out of place and uncomfortable.

Despite being awarded Command over a new Templar sect of the Guard, responsible specifically for wielding the light, he felt as though he was not where he needed to be. It had come to his attention, however, that the League of Lordaeron had been disbanded due in part to controversy over his exile. Ashamed, but not detered, he endeavored to create a new order of knights to travel to Lordaeron.

While none of these endeavors were successful, his time outside of the Guard let to his reconnecting with the light. It could be speculated that this is when Cartres made the most breakthroughs as a Paladin.

Return to Lordaeron
After several years, the League was eventually reformed. By now, Cartres - at the age of forty-two - had now experienced quite a bit in his life. He had spent nearly three years in Lordaeron now - on his own - searching and seeking for answers relating to the freedom of Lordaeron. It was during one trip to Southshore that he encountered, once more, the League of Lordaeron.



Under Vlademar's command once more, but with entirely different leadership, Cartres' exile was lifted and his commission was reinstated. More experienced and truly a Paladin of distingushed merit, Cartres soon rose through the ranks quickly and found himself placed as a Knight-Errant under Wilhilm Grayson, who became an honorable comrade and friend.

The Coup D'etat and Captainship
Peace in the League soon disintigrated as the Cataclysm came, and Vlademar handed command of the League over to Pyrosite, a Gilnean man who had found himself allied to the League very early on. Pyrosite led a coup d'etat of the League's forces, taking a good portion of men and women with him to Gilneas's front as they threw down the banners of what they considered to be a lost cause and a dead kingdom. Leadership fell to Darvian von Guthir now, and the League struggled to maintain its hold on many different fronts. Pyrosite's rebels would soon what is now known as the Blades of Greymane under Berenal's leadership, an organization of Gilneans and like-minded associates who's goal lies more specifically in Gilneas's reclamation and protection.

As Darvian took over, he immediately appointed Cartres and Wilhilm to the positions of Captain. It was obvious that Darvian was unable to fulfill all the duties that nearly eight men and women oversaw under Pyrosite, and Cartres became the League's largest proponent. From the ground up, the coallition's ranks rose from forty to nearly one-hundred and twenty in under two months. This new blood was strong and possessed some of the best talent that Cartres had seen. Among them was indeed Kerdic Lothinil, who would eventually rise to the position of High-Commander; Hozak Smokeyday, Demitria Lothinil and countless others.

Cartres considers this unofficial reclamation of the League one of his biggest accomplishments.

Deployment in Silverpine
As the League built up its ranks, it also gained the attention of other formal (and informal) coallitions in the North. Approached by Berenal, the Blades of Greymane asked the League's assistance in its struggle to break free of the stalemate that held them inside the walls of Gilneas.

Cartres agreed and pledged the League's assistance. Within weeks, the League had settled into ruins of Pyrewood, the desolate and forgotten town that suffered the brunt of the Forsaken attacks, which was continuously used as a staging point for the Forsaken.

The League's presence began an immediate boost of morale for all those involved, and with the fresh blood in the League ready to face their first bout against the enemy, the general attitude was something along the lines of 'unstoppable'.

Battle for Pyrewood
The League's eurphoric optimism was matched by its initial successes in the town. During the inevitable siege of Pyrewood village by the forsaken, Cartres and Berenal led the League and Blades to an unthinkable victory, holding the town's gates as well as the Shadowfang Keep upon the hill. Suffering from few friendly losses and an unthinkable amount of enemy casualities, the League and Blades celebrated.

The Eastern Vanguard
Convinced that the League of Lordaeron was capable of retaking Lordaeron with its new power, Cartres immediately called for a meeting of the Grand Alliance in Pyrewood. There, he discussed the creation of the Eastern Vanguard, a coalition of forces that would see Lordaeron to freedom. Headed by the League's new Diplomatic Chancellor Dimitra, the Eastern Vanguard was created with full support from all parties, which included the College of Canons, The First Regiment, Crows of a Murder, the Blades of Greymane and the Stormwind Guard, along with the League of Lordaeron.

The March to the Capital City
With the Eastern Coallition founded and organized, the time came to march upon the Capital City in what would undoubtedly be the crowning accomplishment of the League and its allies. Nearly over two-hundred of the Alliance's finest officers, along with nearly five-hundred conscripts, met in Pyrewood and marched upon the Capital.



Their March was cut short, however. The Alliance was met by the full force of the Hand of Vengeance, which single-handedly routed the Alliance forces in a trampelling defeat.

Demoralized and terrified by the loss, the League of Lordaeron retreated to Hearthglen. Cartres felt great shame in this loss, which could also be noted as the largest contributing factor to his equal, Kerdic Lothinil, ascending to the leadership of the League.