Xavier Gregor

Lord-Commander Xavier Gregor was one of the commanders of the Gilnean re-establishment order, The Blades of Greymane. A veteran of the Second War and a Knight of the Silver Hand, Lord Xavier was a paragon in the region of the Ashen Coast of the Kingdom of Gilneas.

A large burly man with a large bushy beard, Xavier lead the people of Gregor's Crossing for decades, striking up what would eventually be one of the most beneficial alliances in the area with the House of Grayblade. Lord Xavier lead his people through many hardships, including the outbreak of the Curse of the Worgen and the fall of Gilneas, where the men and women of Gregor's Crossing stood defiantly against the Horde and wolf men that attempted to destroy their way of life.

Lord Xavier pledged his and his house's allegiance to Lord Berenal Grayblade and led the Blades of Greymane's Sons of the Ashen Coast division for years before his death to poor health. He was succeeded by his son and heir Lord Adrian Gregor who took up his family's blade, The Gryphon, in his name.

In his honor, Xavier's Shield was named after the brave man who kept the spirits of his men high and their lives safe.

History
Lord Xavier's history spanned many years, as the man lived until he was near sixty years old, a rather venerable age for a man who had experienced many wars.

Younger Years
Xavier Gregor was born to Lord Kalen Gregor and Lady Cecilia Gregor as the second son of the family. From his early days, he was groomed by his parents to be a combatant and knight to serve in the mighty army of the Kingdom of Gilneas. As a child, Xavier was known to be a kind yet wild and free spirited boy, oft adventuring across the hills and forests nearby Gregor's Crossing and wandering the town on his own, much to the discomfort of his mother. Yet his father encouraged his courageous young son, as he felt these virtues would serve him well later on in life.

Xavier was always very close with his family, his best friend being his brother Veric, a lanky young lad who's interests were that of reading and the arts rather than fighting, fitting for a boy whose life would be made in the political world. The two were near inseparable despite their drastically different interests, oft found playing and chasing each other around in the manor of the House of Gregor.

Even at a young age, Xavier was fascinated with swordplay, having begun his training with swords around the age of fourteen, and was known for being quite skilled from each of the different teachers his father employed to ensure Xavier had the finest training in swordplay.

Adult Years
At around the age of about thirty, Xavier was sent out in the name of Gilneas to serve alongside the men and women of the Alliance of Lordaeron against the Orcish Horde. The young knight left with a great gift from his beloved brother, the ancestral family sword, The Gryphon. Normally given from father to son, Veric believed the enchanted sword would bring his brother home safely and ensure that he had the finest weapon for the alien menace that had destroyed the southern Kingdom of Azeroth. Xavier promised he would return home and return the blade, but fate would have other plans.

Xavier fought alongside the Alliance valiantly through nearly every engagement of the Second War, and was eventually put forward as one of the many knight candidates to become a member of the Order of the Silver Hand. Though not one of the first paladins, Xavier would eventually be consecrated as one of the members prior to the siege of the Capital City. With The Falcon at his side and the light bolstering his strength, Xavier was known to be a force to be reckoned with on the field, instilling pride and fervor within his fellow soldiers.

Though he was originally to accompany the Sons of Lothar into the Dark Portal to the world of Draenor, Xavier returned to Gilneas towards the end of the Second War after disastrous news had reached him. His brother Veric had been involved in a fatal carriage accident while riding back to Gregor's Crossing from a feast in Brandon's Stead. One of the wheels on his carriage had come loose on the ride home and the vehicle swayed off the road after the wheel fell off and startled the driving horses, causing the carriage to crash off a small cliff. Though the fall it's self was not long, the carriage tipped and Veric was crushed. With no heirs to take his place, Xavier was called back to lead the men and women of Gregor's Crossing, something he did in honor of his beloved brother.

Shortly after Xavier's return to Gregor's Crossing, the destruction of the House of Cobalstant came about, resulting in the rise of the House of Grayblade. House Gregor and House Grayblade had ancestral connections, and the ambitious Lord Haverin held large plots of land that could be used to benefit all of the Ashen Coast. Striking up what was possibly one of the most beneficial alliances in the Ashen Coast of Gilneas, the two houses worked alongside one another to revolutionize and revive the struggling economy of the Ashen Coast. During this time, the Gregors and the House of Greyfield swore themselves to the Grayblades, confident with their leadership.

Aside from his economic successes, Xavier also took it upon himself to carry out several other changes to the area. Xavier had returned with two other paladins of the Silver Hand, men who had served alongside him faithfully, and they established within the churches of Gregor's Crossing a small sanctum for the Silver Hand. While not an official chapter of the Silver Hand, it was here where aspiring young warriors of Gilneas could seek out training in the light and take up the vows of the Order, something his own son would eventually do. When Gilneas walled off from the rest of the world, this became even more valuable, as it was one of the few things preserving the order within the now enclosed nation.

During his time as Lord, he also met a woman by the name of Maria Fairfield, a woman of common birth. Struck with love at first sight, Xavier courted Maria as he would any noble woman or woman of high stature within society and treated her with the utmost respect. Maria had returned his affection, and in time the two wed within the chapel of Gregor's Crossing, and within a few years Maria gave birth to Xavier's first son, Adrian Gregor. However, not all was peaceful within the Ashen Coast.

A group of bandits by the name of the Seventh Skull Legion destroyed the city of Bannhurst and it was believed that the House of Grayblade was made defunct. Lord Xavier held a memorial for his friend Haverin and his family, as well as a vigil for those who died in the destruction of the city.

Later Years
As Xavier aged and eventually reached his late fifties, unrest had been rampant across the kingdom. With the Northgate Rebellion and talks of underhanded trickery by the House of Darkoak that had replaced the Grayblades, things were not peaceful. When the young man Berenal Grayblade was released from Stoneward Prison after charges for his murder of the Darkoak family being dropped based on him being framed, Xavier sought him out. Though Berenal had turned away from his newly re-acquired lands, Xavier urged him to continue his father's lineage. Calling upon the oaths of fealty that the Gregors and Greyfields had sworn the Grayblades long ago under Haverin, Berenal was influenced to appoint Xavier to oversee his lands in his absence as well as the Greyfields.

Xavier was convinced that Berenal would eventually work past his trauma and return to the Ashen Coast, and he saw much of the same ambition of Haverin in Berenal and worked diligently to keep the area preserved for the return of his friend's prodigal son. However, this unfortunately did not come in the ways expected. The Kingdom was eventually beset by feral wolvine beasts known only as the Worgen.

When word reached the Ashen Coast that Gilneas City had been lost to the feral creatures, Xavier ensured that the bridge that connected the Ashen Coast to the mainlands would be severed and began to lead excursions into the various areas of the Ashen Coast hunting down the bestial creatures. When the Second Shattering destroyed the Greymane Wall, Xavier remained steadfast and led the Ashen Coast through the difficult times, eventually clearing out most of the Worgen infestation in the area, however they were soon replaced with an even worse threat.

While the kingdom fought for survival against the Forsaken, the Ashen Coast were unaware of the undead invasion, and when the Orcs arrived to reinforce the undead, they were caught off guard. The towns of Cobal's Hold, Karnsburg and Rosefield quickly fell under the might of the Horde. Xavier gathered as many men as he could and rode out for the town of Brandon's Stead in a desperate attempt to rescue the last of the Greyfield family. The aging lord and his men battled their way through the war torn town and saved the last member of the Greyfield family, Lady Greyfield, from the orcish invaders who were attempting to kill her as they had her brother.

Returning to Gregor's Crossing, Xavier held out against the Horde as Gilneas was evacuated, leading what remained of the forces there alongside the newly arrived armed forces, and the returning lord Berenal. It was during this time that Xavier found that Berenal had begun to take up the mantle of his father, and he pledged himself and his men to the nearly dead order of The Blades of Greymane that Berenal sought to revive to protect Gilneas. For his dedication, Berenal named Xavier Lord-Commander of the Blades of Greymane and was given the Sons of the Ashen Coast division, a division who's sole purpose was to defend Gilneas and preserve the Ashen Coast while Berenal was away in Stormwind City gathering new members for the order.

Lord Xavier funded much of the Blades' efforts by way of the silver mine in Gregor's Crossing. He led the rebuilding of the town and remained stalwart in his pursuit to keep the Ashen Coast safe.

Final years and Death
The aged Lord-Commander continued his vigil in the Ashen Coast while Lord Grayblade was off with the rest of the Blades representing Gilneas' might where they could, however his days were coming to an end. Though he longed to bring justice to the Horde, Xavier suffered a crippling injury towards the end of the invasion of Gilneas by the orcs that made it difficult for him to walk, let alone fight on the fields of battle. Alas, the old Lord was best suited to remain in the confines of his keep and issue orders to preserve the land.

Lord Xavier breathed his last after he was poisoned shortly before The Battle of the Bite. Believing him to be too much of a threat to their plans, the Forsaken hired mercenaries to poison the lord's food and ensure his demise before they invaded the region. Though Xavier died on that night, he would return. Following the raid of Gregor's Crossing, Xavier's restless spirit rose from the dead, reanimating his body as well as raising up the spirits of those who had fallen to the mercenary band.

The ghastly group slaughtered the mercenaries within the keep of Gregor's Crossing and began living out as though they were still alive and had held the keep while the town fell. In this ghostly scenario, Lord Xavier did not die before the town was taken, and they were preparing to launch an assault to retake the town under his leadership. Unfortunately, the ghosts were also unable to differentiate friend from foe, and the arriving Blades reinforcements were forced to put down their ghostly brothers. As fate would have it, Lord Xavier was eventually struck down by his own son, Adrian, at the apex of the battle of the keep. When his son delivered the final blow, the hate that had hazed Xavier's mind cleared and allowed him to speak to his son one final time before passing from this plane. With his passing, the spirits too dissipated, allowing the Blades to use the keep as a staging point to retake Gregor's Crossing, just as Xavier would have wanted.

Legacy
Xavier's life was one of many examples for those that followed him to follow. His compassion for his people and devotion to the light were legendary in the area, and his refusal to give up was inspiring for his men. His son, Adrian Gregor, has been said to carry many of his father's virtues, and even now carries the family blade, The Gryphon into battle in his father's name.

Xavier's impact on the Blades was substantial, as Lord Grayblade has been quoted saying that the Blades would never have made it this far without his counsel and contributions to the war funds. In his honor, the Blades named a Gryphon-class Destroyer after him, Xavier's Shield.