Isaac Whitehart

"'We are not meant to understand what grace we are afforded. All we can do is endeavor to deserve it.'"

EXORDIUM
Serving the Light and the Alliance, Isaac Whitehart is an anointed Knight of the Silver Hand and the heir of the Whitehart legacy and estate. A stern, harsh woman with little time for anything beyond duty she fights for the Alliance, for the Alterac Silver Hand, and for the day that she can reclaim her home.

PERSONALITY
Isaac is every bit as waspish as she appears, a capricious woman prone to dark moods and cavalier indifference. She adheres strictly to formalities in most social settings, tempering her disposition and lending the mercurial woman an austere, arrogant quality.

At a more personal level, her patience wears quickly and her temper can be vitriolic. She is every bit as vainglorious as she seems at a distance, though it comes with an added twist of guilt. Tenacious to the point of myopia, her judgment is swift and almost cruel - and she does her utmost to disguise and outright hide her kindnesses.

Beneath the seeming endless well of rage and ambition, there is a deep melancholy in her. It is very hard to find, often times entirely lost in the mire of her arrogance and fury.

Ultimately, she is a brutal and confident woman with a moral compass that she tends to follow a bit too closely and a destructive, desperate pride.

APPEARANCE
Good blood graces Isaac with statuesque, striking features. Plate and violence suits her; lofty in her height and sturdy in her build she rises tall among many women and some men of her race, nearing six feet and three inches. While she possesses breadth enough to carry weight and strength she is well balanced and lean with an elegant, nearly elven build. Her legs are long and strong after years of riding and her hips are trim - she is by no means curvaceous, made muscular and lean by her profession.

She is a woman who deals in absolutes and looks the part, with a regal but broody brow and quick, intense eyes. She communicates much with those dark blue eyes, expressive and almond shaped, lined in thick dark lashes and always searching; her gaze is almost magnetic in the rare moments that she isn't seething with wolfish cunning or capricious arrogance. There is a pale scar that rips through her right brow, lending to the sternness of her marble-hewn countenance.

High and elegant cheekbones hearken back to her heritage, along with a strong jaw and a sharp chin. Her profile is elegant, yet keen with her long black-lace lashes and a refined nose. Her mouth is sharp and thin, suited most to brusque frowns and painful smirks. She is of a naturally pale complexion, but tanned just enough to hide the pale constellation of freckles that linger upon her cheekbones and over the bridge of her nose. Thick, voluminous raven hair scatters free about her shoulders; trimmed and gleaming and obviously well cared for. When she pulls it back from her face it lends to the severity of her cool, sculptured features. "VESTEMENTS"The wealth of the Whitehart family is reflected in Isaac's manner of dress. Un-armored she is extravagant and fashionable, her clothes are always tailored finely to her form and she is a woman very fond of jewelry. Her nails are often well manicured and even painted a warm ivory, naturally this is a frivolity she only indulges in during peace time or for celebrations. She has a penchant for tightly tailored vests and bodices, high collars and thigh high boots, as well as the colors of her family and of her kingdom.

Her plate armor is resplendent; enameled in a midnight black and gilded with intricate golden scrollwork coiling over and entwining across breastplate, greaves, and boots. Her gauntlets and pauldrons contrast however, milk white and pearlescent, inlaid with the same detailed golden scrollwork as well as moonstone and sapphires that shimmer. Though it is difficult to see unless one is nearly on top of the plate there are intricate etchings laid about the throat of the breastplate, holy sigils and symbols as well as the crest of the Whitehart house. The chain mail and leather she wears beneath the plate are sable and ivory respectively and the cloak she wears is milk-white and shimmers, lined in cloth-of-gold embroidery and so pristine that it is obviously enchanted to resist most wear and staining that might occur. She rarely lifts the heavy cowl that falls over her shoulders and it is easy to miss spilled against the pristine white. Around her throat and beneath the sapphire and moonstone laden gorget she wears a dark, dusty blue scarf that bears the pale sigil of Lordaeron at one corner, which the exceptionally observant might notice.

"PENANCE"Isaac carries an heirloom longsword called Penance. The scabbard the holy blade is carried in is a soot black leather with her family's name pressed into it, and both locket and chape are a brushed gold. A small, beautifully carved lumenstone sits within the chape, held aloft between the tines of the expertly engraved silhouette of an elk. Just as with her armor, there are very intricate holy sigils stamped down the back of the scabbard and along the rim of the chape - when drawn by Isaac, or any within the Whitehart lineage the sigils along the scabbard light softly as the Light traces through them.

The blade itself is old and of breathtaking quality, the pommel is heavy and ornate - white steel carved into the shape of a blooming rose and set with a thick, dark sapphire. The grip is wrapped in worn, sable leather and the crossgaurd is the same pale steel as the pommel, beaten into the shape of wings that spread back towards the wielder with a series of moonstone and sapphires laid into the feathers. Pearly pale steel seems to ripple and gleam from within, exuding a soft and holy shine down the length of the blade as the light strikes it and illuminates the etching of holy runes that run like milk down the fuller of the blade.

Penance's true power is only channeled through the blade when it is wielded by one of the two remaining in the Whitehart line - runes pulse and blaze a brilliant gold and the Light hums through the longsword like a song; a brutal and sacred hymn.

HISTORY
"EVERWHITE, UPON THE WATCHFUL ISLE"The Watchful Isle was a small, but prosperous island set off of the Whispering Shore in the north eastern region of Lordaeron. Settled in the early years of human migration into Lordaeron, it was first established in the immediate aftermath of Arathor's collapse. It is said that at one time the island was connected to the mainland by a tenuous land bridge, which eroded and eventually fell away completely in the rocky seas over time - leaving it vigilant and solitary in the North Sea.

The island saw a great deal of struggle and strife, as it was settled and abandoned, settled and captured or ravaged by storms over decades. It was eventually abandoned, left wild and distant until the first of the Whitehart family ventured onto the island - old family lore tells tale of a pale stag leading travelers from the stormy sea and inland where they took refuge between pale birch trees along the shore of a deep loch that nearly split the modest but idyllic island in two.

The pale castle Everwhite was settled upon the western edge of the loch, nestled into the rocky hills and pine forests overlooked by a small range of mountains later christened the Guardians. It was a hard place to live, farming, fishing, and logging until the mines were dug deep beneath the slumbering Guardians - they literally struck gold, and would provide much of Lordaeron's supply of the ore until the mines were emptied.

Additionally, the thick forestry provided a foundation for a lucrative lumber trade and on the north eastern end of the island quarries bearing ivory marble were opened. The open and flat lands of the foothills around the Guardians made for excellent farm land, and numerous and distinguished horse farms cropped up in the region.

Isaac was born in Everwhite, long after the island had been settled and the mines that built the Whitehart legacy emptied. The first born to Daire and Victoria Whitehart she was a fortunate child, borne into wealth, luxury and sacred responsibility not only to Everwhite but the Kingdom of Lordaeron. She grew into a headstrong and spirited girl on an island filled with horses to ride, ancient forests to explore, and an abundance of peace and prosperity.

"LEGACY AND RUIN"Daire Whitehart and Victoria Venault were both born defenders of Lordaeron. On the East, the Watchful Isle stood it's lonely guard and the Whitehart family were its watchers for generations, guarding against invaders from the sea while on the West, the line of Venault held their home of River Shore against the fury of the Zandalar, aiding in the safeguarding of not only Lordaeron but the elven kingdom of Quel'thalas. They were both old families, with story, heritance, and prestige.

Victoria was in Capital City often, with extended family settled there and by virtue of a particularly sharp mind and tongue she excelled in the politics of Lordaeron nobility. Daire, while duly capable in court, much preferred working to more tangible goals. Both of Isaac's parents were fearsome in the defense of the Kingdom, and Victoria was particularly gifted with the Light - when Lordaeron first founded the Silver Hand and began training paladins, both Victoria and Daire were among some of the first.

Naturally, there were high hopes for their first born daughter and Isaac was drawn to all the tales of heroism and glory not only of her parents and the family around her, but the people the Whitehart's chose to surround themselves with. She was schooled strictly, prepared both for the responsibility of Everwhite as well as the endowment of the Light. Much like her father, she was less interested in the politicking and management and proved to be a strong-willed and obstinate young lady. Despite the struggles that ensued, Victoria pressed on with the more practical lessons with full faith that Isaac would eventually find balance as both a Lady born of nobility and a warrior.

Isaac was thirteen when she was kicked in the stomach by her favorite horse, Valor. It put her in bed for a week, and she struggled with very intense pain despite the great attention paid to her by very skilled healers. The girl was not mortally wounded, and eventually she was on her feet again and quickly back to playing the same silly game that got her kicked in the first place but there were bouts of intense pain that would, from time to time put her out of commission for a few days at a time.

She was in Capital City for the wedding of a beloved cousin, Helen Venault, when a particularly fierce fit of stomach pain took her. Instead of forcing Isaac to attend the wedding, Victoria left the girl in the charge of her grandmother's caretakers there within the city. Isaac was miserable, understandably, cooped up and in bed while most of her family - both Whitehart and Venault alike - gathered to celebrate. Naturally feeling sorry for herself, alone and angry, Isaac laid in bed waiting for the celebration to move to the manor house again, and for the cake she'd been promised.

She was still in bed, waiting, when the city began to rip itself apart.

Arthas marched on his own people that day, slaughtering and burning and raising corpses as he went. The wedding party was decimated, and those who made it out did not make it far. Victoria escaped the carnage and went forth with other warriors and paladins in an attempt to fight against the onslaught of the betrayer prince and his scourge. Daire, out among the kingdom dealing first hand with the ravaging, rode his horse bloody to get to the Capital City. And Isaac hid in the guest room listening as the city fell.

Against great odds Daire found Isaac that day. A child bloody and half hysterical in the street, naturally the house she'd hidden within wasn't enough when the scourge started ripping through doors and walls. He found her amid the chaos and the ruin as defenders abandoned Lordaeron to the devils and the dead. She was the only one of their family he was able to locate, and while Capital City burned so too did Everwhite.

"EXODUS"Like most of the other battered survivors, Daire and Isaac fled south leaving the ashes of their life behind. Lordaeron was lost, Everwhite and River Shore with it. Victoria was gone, vanished in the destruction as well as most if not all the rest of their family. There was a place for them in Elwynn, however - a distant cousin in the Venault family - and Daire and Isaac only spent a few weeks in the hospitality of inns before they were welcomed to Seaward by the gravely ill Lord of the estate.

Daire was not in Stormwind or Seaward long, called away to combat the scourge in the north and then even further away, Northrend. Isaac remained in Seaward with strangers, left alone to cope with the loss of what seemed her entire life. Alisten Keen, the Lord of the estate, was kindly but he was dying and the news of Victoria's presumed death only worsened his health. The estate was melancholy and dark, filled with healers who spoke in low tones to one another and loyal staff who grieved before Lord Alisten was even gone.

Understandably, Isaac struggled in this environment. There was no evidence to suggest her mother was dead, and likewise no body had been located. The youth spent more time out in Elwynn, riding Valor and roving through the countryside around Seaward. Eventually she returned to her schooling and began working with the Clergy in Northshire - though she was an angry, depressed child often reluctant to learn and even aggressive with her peers at times. She instigated several fights with teenagers her age and even older, and Lord Alisten struggled in Daire's extended absence to deal with the disruptive, often times hateful, child.

Thankfully for all involved, a fellow survivor of Lordaeron and family friend who had been particularly close to Victoria stepped in. Anne Westmorn was a Knight among the Silver Hand, splitting her time between Northrend - combating the scourge - and Lordaeron - searching doggedly for Isaac's mother. She visited Stormwind more often than Daire, and even if her visits were sporadic she was quick to notice Isaac's shift in demeanor. Anne was stern and commanding, and she came down hard on the moody teenager - redirecting her fury and pain, focusing her upon the goal of Knighthood once more instead of allowing her to continue along what would have surely become a destructive path.

Though she began to perform admirably, Isaac was never quite the same as she had been before the fall of Lordaeron. She was still angry and hostile, earning her little love from her peers. But she took the rage she had once thrown at the people around her and focused it into her schoolwork, and when the time came her aspirancy - learning and excelling rapidly.

Lord Alisten eventually passed away, and with no heirs of his own he benevolently passed Seaward on to Daire. The estate was christened Hartward, and Isaac only spent a week in her father's company for the funeral before she traveled to Northrend.