Melysa Marwyn

Lady Melysa 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 a paladin of the Order of the Silver Hand and the current head of the house of Ashvale.

Appearance
Taller than most women and just as strong as some men, Melysa seems quite fit for a life of combat as opposed to the life of luxury befitting a woman of high birth. Any trace of her womanly figure is usually hidden beneath layers of armor. Save for an ample bosom, her body is more muscle than curves and the long muscles in her arms seem better suited to swinging a greatsword at an enemy than practicing her needlepoint.

Never what one would consider a stunning depiction of Arathorian beauty, her sapphire eyes are perhaps her most memorable feature, though they reveal much sadness of late. Her hair is a wild, tangled mess of reddish curls, often unwashed and looking as though she'd cut it with her own belt knife when it grew too long for her liking.

Her ears are unpierced and she wears no jewelery of any kind, save for a silver chain around her neck. Hanging from it is her wedding band and a small pendant that bears the sigil of her house. Her armor is handsomely crafted and befitting a person of Noble blood, though upon closer inspection, the armor appears quite well-used.

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 likea 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. 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 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, well beyond the desirable age for marriage and 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.

Residences and Wealth
Though Melysa is the rightful Lady Ashfort after the deaths of her lord husband and their son, the forsaken currently occupy the Ashfort and its attended lands North of Ambermill. With no other personal residences, save for her family's Castle of Stonegarde in the Kingdom of Stromgarde, Melysa has resided in Ambermill and most recently, the city of Stormwind. She is known to have briefly visited Hearthglen after her husband's death, where she implored Tirion Fordring and his Argent Crusaders to join in the fight against the forsaken, but left just three days later, saddened by his refusal to do so.

What little wealth remains to her is what her husband managed to salvage from the vaults at the Ashfort, much of which was squandered on 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 has sold all of the fine jewelery her lord husband once adorned her with. 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.

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.