Kelasande Raiwood

Kelasande Lynn Raiwood is a soldier, currently in service to the Stormwind Army. For now, she serves as a private in the First Regiment, under Duke Maxen Montclair. Kela is a loyal soldier and daughter of Stormwind who has a dream of rising high through service to the crown. Stubborn at times, loyal to her friends and countrymen, she sees herself rising to meet every challenge thrown in her path.

Description:

Kelasande Lynn Raiwood is rather short, standing only about five foot eight inches tall, but with a rather wiry frame that is slender but muscular. Her hair is long, black, and usually pulled back into a ponytail that can be stuffed up under her helmet, but occasionally for special occasions, she'll let it down.

Armor/Clothing

Most of the time, Kela wears the suit of plate that she was issued from the First Regiment. It's made of good Westridge steel, and lovingly cared for- glanced over at least once a day for obvious damage, and inspected at least once a week for faults. The protection of this style of plate armor has seen her through many battles, and she seems content to keep this kind, or even something heavier if needed.

When out of armor, Kelasande prefers simple, unadorned clothing that reflects her life growing up on the farm- clothes had to be durable and comfortable, and soft fabrics and delicate weaves would never hold up to the kind of abuse awaiting them in the fields. Simple shirts, vests, and pants made of hardy fabrics or leather fill her wardrobe, but she does have one or two nice dresses that she hemmed and hawwed over getting. These only seem to come out for events where she's expected to wear something nice, and even then, to much sjyness and embarassment. Kela isn't used to wearing such things all the time- even though she may have the curves to make it look rather good, she prefers to not put herself on display "like a prize cow, lamb, or pumpkin"- but for the right reasons, she'll try it.

Arms

If there's one kind of weapon that Kelasande always prefers to carry into battle, it's a two-handed claymore-style sword. Her current weapon is one that's been with her for years, and seen her through plenty of tough spots on both Azeroth and Draenor. Her "five feet of Westridge steel" keeps a fine edge when sharpened, and has bit through Horde, Iron Horde, bandit and traitor alike in her hands. There's not many other weapons that she'd rather wield- though she had the honor, upon a campaign in Draenor her first time with the Regiment, to be presented a crystalline two-handed sword for her own use (which currently sits in the armory at Westridge Garrison). She has minor skills, due to her time traveling, with longswords and daggers, and has rudimentary knowledge of shieldplay.

History

Kelsande Lynn Raiwood was born to a family of farmers, deep within the farming communities of the southwest Elwynn Forest, the second of three children. Growing up upon a farm instilled young Kela with a very solid work ethic- that you think of what you want for yourself, and then you keep working hard at it until you get it done- one that sticks with her even in her career in the military. It wasn't a glamorous life, or a dangerous one, except for one part about living in southwest Elwynn- your proximity to Westfall, and all the freeloaders within.

It seemed to be a nightly struggle- transients looking for free food would cross the river and raid farms, hoping to find anything they could to steal and eat, and the farmers would do thier damnedest to keep them from taking the results from their hard work. Though it was a necessary evil, Alec impressed one lesson on his children as they came of age to start doing thier part to defend the farm- that they never ought to kill unless it was completely necessary. Taking this knowledge to heart, Kela would pick up a long pole one night, and realize that it had just felt right in her hands as it sang through the air to leave welts and lumps over a number of transients- so much, that word was passed around for the transients to try to stay away from the Raiwood place because of her skill and reach with the pole (not to mention her strength- something plenty of farmwork seemed to help boost).

As she grew older, the local branch of the Stormwind Guard started offering lessons in weapons- to help the rural farmers defend themselves- and that is where Kela picked up her first claymore. Right from the start, she understood that this was her weapon, and she set out to learn as much from the guardsmen as she possibly could.

After several lessons, it was mentioned of her that her skill was obviously only scratching the surface of some raw talent, and that if she was really interested in putting her skills to work, then she should sign up for the Stormwind Army. After a week of thinking and talking it over with her family, Kela set out for Stormwind and signed up, becoming a raw recruit in the First Regiment.

With the Regiment, Kela would see plenty of action- seeing action her first day in the Regiment, seeing action in Duskwood before then heading off to Draenor later that year.

Years later, Kela would still talk of her experiences there, almost like a crucible, hammering and smelting out weakness, only to leave hard steel and the like behind. She may not tell anyone, but some nights she still has nightmares of the Regiment's treatment at the hands of the Blackrock Ogres and then the Horde in Frostfire. After the Draenor campaign, she followed the Regiment in pursuit of a traitorous Northwatch captain, and then to the Hinterlands for a campaign with the League of Lordaeron and the First Light against a tribe of trolls.

Then came the Kingsland campaign... one that she would suddenly be recalled from for reasons that required her to take an emergency leave of absence from her beloved Legion.

Adventuring

Kieran- Kela's younger brother- had been acting out. Spending time away from home, skimping on his chores, even being caught by his older brother on his way to somewhere with a blade belted to his waist and a sack of gold, it was quite obvious that -something- was going on with him; but by the time they figured out what, Kieran had already vanished into the wilds of Westfall. Seeing no other opportunities, Alec and Mellinale wrote a tearful letter to thier daughter, begging her to come home and find Kieran before anything could happen to him. To thier great surprise, Kela came home, though her mother would later admit, even as she packed away her Regiment armor and took up a looser, leather set, that she'd never seen Kela so mad at the world for all of this. Taking barely any time to rest after her journey, she was soon off into Westfall, leaving no stone unturned in the search for her brother.

After about a week of searching, she finally hit paydirt- and it was something that she'd not wanted to see. Kieran, swayed by a pretty face, had begun his induction into the Defias, slowly coming to believe that there was plenty of food, and that Stormwind was the problem because it allowed the farmer to hoard it- and there were plenty of hungry people in Westfall that could be useful if they just had enough to eat whenever they wished it!

Needless to say, when Kela confronted her brother and the group of Defias that he'd fallen in with, blood was shed, and soon she was dragging him back home to the farm, and making plans to head back to the regiment to claim her old position.

However... others had vastly different ideas. The farm's chicken coop burned to cinders, killing half the flock, with the only trace of evidence left behind a red bandana. This was an obvious sign to the family that the rest of the Brotherhood knew what had happened, and that they would do anything to get revenge on both the failed recruit and his older sister.

Seeing no other alternative, the both of them packed thier bags and started out on a journey southwards, through Duskwood, and then deep into the Stranglethorn Vale, before reaching Booty Bay, the lawless town at the southern rip of the Eastern Kingdoms. It was here that Kela left Kieran with a handful of gold coins and told him to get a job and to start making a living, because if he came home at this point, the Defias were going to kill either him, or the rest of the family- and mother, father and grandma couldn't defend themselves like they could.

It lead to a huge screaming match, in which Kieran accused Kela of losing her roots as a farmer to try and chase nobility, and Kela responded by accusing Kieran of only being concerned about himself, which allowed the Defias to manipulate him very easily. The gulf between the siblings has never been wider, at this point.

Needing some time to herself, Kela began to wander the back roads and trails of Azeroth, living off the road for most of eighteen months. During this time, however, she made sure to stay in shape- getting experience with her claymore and learning the rudimentary ways of fighting with a longsword and shield, as well as other two-handed weapons during her travels.

She wandered the length and breadth of the Eastern Kingdoms, heading as far north as Ironforge before returning to Stormwind long enough to catch a ship to Darnassus, where she based her wanderings out of for a few months in Kalimdor. During her wanderings, she was often accompanied by a young night elf and a female draenei, the three of them sticking together, until one night, where her companions finally managed to convince Kela that it was time to head back- that she'd lived her life for everyone else long enough; it was high time she decide if she was returning to the Regiment or staying a vagabond adventurer with no purpose than to see the sun rise.

In the end, however, Kela chose the Regiment. Bidding her friends farewell, she returned to Stormwind and then home, retrieving her armor from where it had been stored and giving it a cleaning. It was tighter in some places, looser in others, but it still fit where it counted. And after submitting her application again, she was welcomed back into the Regiment.

Faction

Kela is part of the First Regiment of the Stormwind Army, and is quite happy and honored to be serving the kingdom in such a place.

Title

Kela has no titles yet, at least not officially given.

Personality

It's often been said by friends that there are three faces to Kelasande Raiwood:  her happy face, which likes to make itself known during quiet days and relaxing with friends; her determined face, the one she wears in battle; and her berserk face, which is the rarest of the three, when she is injured and focusing on the mission to every other detriment to herself.

Kela also has a terrible habit of expecting perfection out of herself when it comes to training- she believes that even one little mistake means she's still not ready to pursue either of her dreams- to join the Westridge Brotherhood of the Horse as a squire, and to also join the Westridge Ducal Guard. She expects great results from herself, and is willing to put her shoulder to the plow as long as it is needed to get her to her dream.

Beliefs

Kela is a pretty devout follower of the Light, and is very loyal to her friends, her country, and her king.

Relationships

Not much is known about Kela love life, but as far as friendships, she counts two, so far- one very good friend and one she'd like to get to know better.

Eriza Hart - Kela met Eriza some time after she returned to the Regiment, and the both of them have apparently hit it off to the point where they're pretty solid friends, despite not having known each other that long.