Lavernius Jur

Lavernius Jur is one of the top ambassadors between the Alliance and Horde and an exile of the kaldorei people.

Cast out from his own people for a terrible mistake, he was then discovered by the Alliance survivors during the Third War and acted as mediator between the Alliance, Horde, and kaldorei while they did battle against the Burning Legion.

Throughout the years and different conflicts, Jur has risen to the highest ranks, earning the respect of those on both factions in his quest to protect Azeroth and all its people as well as keep the peace between them. Having faced adversity from his own as well as the threat of demonic, undead, and Old God invasions, the druid has proven his dedication to his position and his cause, willing to put his life on the line if necessary.

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Youth
No one knows where Jur came from or who is family was, including Jur himself. His earliest memory was wandering around the gardens of Suramar as a child ten thousand years ago, where a young Malfurion Stormrage stumbled upon him. Sensing great prowess in the boy, he took him to Cenarius who believed the boy should be trained as a druid. As such, Malfurion trained him along with many others. Jur had two major teachers in his youth: Malfurion and Fandral Staghelm. Staghelm was not a Shan’do but excelled through the ranks quick enough to help Malfurion and Cenarius teach others. He was quite harsh and overbearing in his tutelage. Kaldorei children were rare in those days, which caused him to be bullied by others. Despite this, Jur found acceptance in his teacher Malfurion along with his twin brother Illidan and Tyrande Whisperwind. They were the only family Jur came to recognize, a relationship which would be strained and perhaps even falter over time. Other kaldorei, such as Jarod Shadowsong and Shandris Feathermoon, let the young boy tag along. Years passed, and Jur would eventually enter his teenage years, which caused him to be more aloof, egotistical, and brooding. It would also cause him to make the biggest mistake of his life.

War of the Ancients
The Highborne had brought the Burning Legion to the planet and would destroy it. The kaldorei were at war with the demonic invaders, fighting for their very existence. Everyone that could needed to fight. News had come that an army of demons was making its way through a valley that would leave them particularly vulnerable to attack. Jur argued with Malfurion that they should send a force to meet them on, but his teacher refused, having received a vision from the Emerald Dream of great death under fire if they proceeded. Jur felt contempt at his teacher’s reluctance. In an act of great defiance, Jur forged a document while Malfurion was away to give the army the go ahead. By the time the document was discovered to be a fake, it was far too late.

The kaldorei army clashed against the demons and were actually winning until a certain black dragon flew over the valley and torched them all. Jur survived, but his actions brought great shame to the kaldorei people. After the Legion was defeated and the kaldorei were able to reestablish some sort of society, punishment was dispensed. Staghelm and a greatly disgrunted Maiev Shadowsong demanded his execution, but Malfurion and Tyrande were more lenient. Jur was punished with exile, stripped of his status as a kaldorei, his name stricken from the history books, and banished from kaldorei lands indefinitely. He was provided a boat and told to sail across the ocean, never to return. Jur made camp in a cave under what would eventually become Dustwallow Marsh, preparing for his journey. However, before he could leave, he was cornered by an order of priestesses (later revealed to have been directed in a coup d’etat between Staghelm and Maiev) that used their magics to entomb him in emeralds forever. A prison was built in secret and hidden away with druidic magic, hidden away for ten thousand years. The magic of the enchanted emeralds prevented him from the threats of starvation or dehydration, keeping him satiated and comatose while inside. They also magically decelerated his aging process.

The Third War
Jur was eventually freed by powerful sorcerers after having been dug up by peasants looking for gold. It was then that Jur met a young Jaina Proudmoore and the Alliance survivors. The two learned much about one another’s cultures, forming a close friendship. Jur had been told about the barbaric Horde and the atrocities they had committed, but his whole worldview was challenged when he encountered warchief Thrall by chance, hunting spiders in the Marsh in order to retrieve medical supplies for his Horde soldiers. Jur sat among these Horde races, meeting the likes of Varok Saurfang, Cairne Bloodhoof, and others. They told their history, and Jur did not see the monsters Jaina had described. He saw exiles, which struck a cord with him. At Stonetalon Mountain, where the Alliance and Horde did battle until being halted by the mysterious prophet later revealed to be Medivh, it was there that Jur helped facilitate cooperation between the two factions. It all came together at the Battle of Mount Hyjal, where Jur stood alongside his former people and his newfound allies. Against overwhelming odds, Archimonde was defeated, and the Legion had been pushed back. The kaldorei entered talks with the Alliance to broker a union but only under the condition that Jur leave. Jaina, not wanting to abandon the person that helped them, kept Jur at Theramore in secret so that he help winning over the kaldorei. Pained was sworn into secret about his presence, something she would not reveal even after her death years later.

The Founding of Durotar
As time passed, Jur began to explore the new Kalimdor in secret, taking great care to hide himself from the kaldorei. By chance, he stumbled upon the Mok’Nathal beastmaster Rexxar, also a stranger to these lands. Strange human activity caught the attention of warchief Thrall, who requested that Rexxar and a shadow hunter Darkspear troll named Rokhan investigate. Hoping that negotiations could occur, Thrall asked for Jur to attend, which he agreed to. During their investigation, they encountered the Pandaren brewmaster Chen Stormstout, who tagged alongside them. The Alliance began attacking the Horde, seemingly an act of betrayal. However, it was revealed that Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, father of Jaina, was behind it all and wished to engage in an act of ethnic cleansing to remove the orcs from Kalimdor. After the dust settled, the kaldorei came to investigate the commotion. With little time to spare, Jaina stowed Jur away on a boat and sailed back to the Eastern Kingdoms.

World of Warcraft
For four years, Jur studied the Alliance and Horde history, language, and culture, wanting to continue what he helped do during the Third War. After helping the Alliance deal with the Defias Brotherhood issue out in Westfall, Jur was given the chance to become the ambassador between the Alliance and Horde. While Highlord Bolvar Fordragon felt it to be sudden, he was coerced into it by the eager Lady Katrana Prestor, who had much need for Jur. She had informed him of the danger a man named Victor Nefarius presented to both the Alliance and Horde and urged him to organize a group of Alliance and Horde soldiers to fight him. Jur was more than willing to comply and set to work doing as she requested, and his mission only escalated from there.