Silesse Dawngale

''The Quel'dorei studied her squire. He was much like her--eyes that held the light of arcane, elongated brows, elven ears and the insatiable desire to learn. Though she wouldn't tell him personally, it was spirits like his own that inspired her. Her gauntlet outstretched, resting atop his shoulder now. "We as paladins must not only battle the evil outside of the Alliance, Squire Dawnstrider. We must combat the evil within ourselves, and help the people to do the same."''

Silesse A. Dawngale is a Quel'dorei paladin, soldier and knight of the realm. To some, she is known by titles--Dame Silesse the Gracious, or The Dawn's Fang. A child of Lord Mordane Dawngale and Lady Helera Ambermorn, Silesse's birth brought her privilege that went beyond the comeliness bestowed by heritage. Not only had she been schooled in feminine graces and etiquette of both high elf and human aristocracy alike, but when she announced her interest in sword-play (much to her mother's dismay), her father more than happily afforded her a mentor.

Some laud her to be a woman of considerable morals, while a smaller handful criticize her ability to so-easily forgive. Her acceptance of other races unnerves many, regarding the reputation for pomposity of her kin. To this, Silesse replies that the Light has humbled her. Her sympathy for the Lordaeronian and Gilnean people is often expressed, and while her gratitude for the humans of Stormwind granting the acceptance of her people is eternal, she believes she will never feel as welcome as she did when surrounded by the splendor of Quel'thalas.

Though tales of war and the Orcs were spun by the mouths of gossips, Silesse had never truly faced combat until the Second War, save for small groups of trolls that had never left. When word first reached Quel'thalas of the Orcish Horde, Silesse was disappointed in the king's initial decision to send but a small sect of his forces to aid the Alliance of Lordaeron in battle. When Ranger Alleria Windrunner returned with the head of a troll in tow, the able-bodied of House Dawngale and elves alike took up arms at the word of their king. It was during The Second War that Silesse was widowed, but no one outside of House Dawngale knew of her marriage to begin with.

Silesse was one of the small few who refused to take leave from the Alliance, fighting alongside them to battle the threat of Arthas and his scourge armies, the Horde's onslaught and Hellscream's need to conquer, and at times, Sin'dorei.

Though she isn't as young as she once had been, Silesse is said by some to be a woman of chivalry and honor. She is regarded as a dutiful knight to the realm and has recently sworn allegiance to the Ranger Lady Aeriyth Dawnsorrow. Often, she can be found in the Cathedral ensuring the peace and sanctity is upheld, defending the pious in their worship at any cost. She has also taken it upon herself to every now and again serve as guardian to Bishop Lilith Olethos, as words of the Bishop's kind and motherly nature have brought Silesse to respect her a great deal.

Childhood
Silesse was born as one half of a twin pair to Lord Mordane Dawngale and Lady Helera Ambermorn. Both parents were thrilled, as not only had Lord Mordane lamented about his hopes for a son to pass his strength and knowledge of the sword, but Lady Helera hoped for a beautiful baby girl whom she would teach to sing, braid and proudly uphold the honor of both houses. Silesse Avalise Dawngale was born only moments after her elder brother, Tharaen Viserus Dawngale. As their mother once recalled, were the two to ever be separated, they would wail incessantly. From there, the two grew with a bond so strong that they could often tell when the other was in lower spirits with so much as a glance. It was at the very beginning of Silesse's adolescence and the ending of her childhood that she and her brother were already betrothed to elves of other houses; marriages of convenience that their families hoped love would find.

Adolescence
As Silesse and Tharaen grew, they began to understand their family's wishes for them and just how different they were--no doubt factors based on their sexes. To Silesse's disdain, while her mother taught her to sing and play elven tunes, Lord Mordane was teaching Tharaen the art of battle and how to effectively wield a blade and shield. For several years and with the intent to please her mother and house, Silesse continued her studies. Etiquette, embroidery, literacy and history each had its own mentor, though Silesse was particularly close to her mentor in singing. Unbeknownst to all, Silesse has a talent for the art but willfully chooses not to speak of it. Even though she'd pleased her parents and family, she still felt a void. She'd not yet met her husband, but found herself to be jealous of the bond Tharaen and his own soon-to-be bride began to share. No longer was she the important woman in his life, and feeling replaced, she began to internalize her resentment. Tharaen recognized Silesse's ire, but could not pinpoint the reasoning behind it, and he too began to resent her.

Adulthood
With Silesse's growth came the blossoming of features no doubt favored and preserved by the elves before her. Suitors were enamored with the young Lady Dawngale, but to the dismay of many, Silesse sought to preserve her maidenhead and swore a personal vow to keep it for the one she would wed, a vow to which she presently holds true. From afar, she watched as the promiscuity of other elven women her age earned them the sting of the community's ire and the judgemental eyes of a gossip. While others concerned with marriage and the like, Silesse set her eyes upon an opportunity she'd waited so many years for--the opportunity to learn sword-play. Despite Tharaen's mockery and her mother's anguish, Lord Mordane only laughed and bent to the wishes of his beloved daughter. Although at first her training began as a joke amongst the Dawngale family, her quick-learning and willingness to persevere eventually forced the men and women of her house to look upon her, rather than down on her. With the months that came, Silesse made little excuse to miss a day of her training, going so far as to blatantly disregard an evening spent with a suitor in favor of her lessons. The success of his younger sister made eyes of arcane green with envy, rather than fel, and Tharaen no longer mocked her. He instead ignored Silesse entirely.

As the young elf's training drew to its end, Silesse had yet another goal in mind: to obtain The Dawn's Fang, the blade wielded by only the finest swordsmen of House Dawngale. Reluctant at first having known her brother shared the same target, Silesse no longer felt spite towards Tharaen. She felt pity. No women of House Dawngale had inherited the blade, and she knew the elders would be less-than-willing to break tradition. Tharaen had bested nearly every swordsman in their house, but hadn't even bothered to consider Silesse an opponent worthy of those he'd defeated. Insulted as she was, she realized her brother simply feared to face her, knowing he would be forced to concede The Dawn's Fang if he did.

When the day came that the Dawn's Fang had been entrusted to Tharaen rather than Silesse, something within her sparked the confidence that brought her to cast her gauntlet at her brother's feet. Defiant to the wishes of family, rather than having her disowned, Tharaen seized what he thought would be the opportunity to remind the young Silesse of her place. In a stunning display of the younger Dawngale twin's combat prowess, Tharaen was defeated. Rather than further adding to the poisonous sibling rivalry that had been festering throughout the years, he'd come to have a newfound respect for his twin. From there, it was declared that both men and women were capable of inherting the Dawn's Fang, so long as they possessed the skills necessary to wield it.

Chance Encounters
Lady Helera felt it necessary to incite feelings of diplomacy between House Dawngale and the humans of Lordaeron, repeatedly sending her two children on missions to the human kingdom with the intent to learn the culture of its people. Begrudgingly, Silesse and Tharaen agreed. While at first the two incited suspicions and strange looks, Silesse came to learn of the Brotherhood of the Horse, and found she were intrigued. The stories of the ferocity of the Knights of Azeroth captivated Silesse, and she came to admire the chivalry displayed by the knights that remained. She began to ponder the possibility of becoming a knight of Quel'thalas.

While Tharaen continued to look upon the humans with a condescending air, Silesse instead began to share in stories with men and women fighters of Lordaeron alike. She was careful never to spend too much time with humanity, for her interest in them was earning the ire of her soon-to-be husband. Regarded as a woman of Thalassian peerage and taking into account her curiosity in the human knights, Silesse was often invited and encouraged to attend jousting tourneys and knightings alike--much to the reluctance of several humans who actually hadn't come to accept the high elves entirely. Although there were attempts to woo and court Lady Dawngale, Silesse was often reminded of her duties to her people and bloodline, shunning all romantic advances. Tharaen also saw fit to duel any who sought the hand of his younger sister.

The Maiden in Blue
Unbeknownst to Silesse, not all humans earned eyes of disdain from her brother. While Silesse enjoyed the excitement and social opportunities that the tournaments bred, Tharaen had spent his own time wandering the kingdom of humans with little interest. Although neither of the twins admitted it, Silesse's presence staked their diplomatic ties with the Kingdom of Lordaeron. As a jest, Silesse mentioned that Tharaen had forgotten his bride-to-be in his awe at the beauty present in the women of Lordaeron. He dismissed his sister's teasing without so much as a second thought.

In a peculiar turn of events and over the course of a few months, Tharaen began to rise earlier than Silesse and depart for Lordaeron without her. He would return later than she, and in higher spirits than when he'd left. Her parents were too pleased to question their son's gaiety regarding their human neighbors, but Silesse was a great deal more curious. To begin with, the young Dawngale minded herself and respected the privacy of her elder sibling. This dutiful respect was maintained for only a few days before Silesse made dealings in secret for Tharaen to be shadowed. Finding a willing party to do so was nearly impossible, being that he was known for his evasive behavior.

After days that felt like weeks in the wake of her waning patience, word finally had come back to Silesse considering her twin's queer change in mood--and she understood the need for such hole-and-corner behavior. Tharaen had indeed forgotten his soon-to-be-wife, captivated by a woman known only by as "the Maiden in Blue." In the beginning, Silesse believed her informant to be exaggerating tales of the maiden's beauty. This wasn't so much arrogance towards humans, moreso disbelief that there existed such a being of their people who could make even the dutiful Tharaen Dawngale forget himself. Rather than confronting her brother and sending her parents the incriminating details, Silesse herself traveled to see the Blue Maiden. Even now, Silesse has yet to forget the sight she beheld.

" She couldn't believe her to be a being of the mortal plane. Radiant and with eyes that dazzled, it almost brought Silesse unspeakable torment to grasp the maiden's fairness. The sun touched her spirals of blonde and brought them alive with light and splendor as they spilled in a golden cascade to the small of her back. Her eyes were a resplendent blue with irises bearing semblance to glacial shards. From her place hidden amongst the flock, her arcane stare darkened beneath a shroud, she continued to examine the so-called 'Maiden in Blue.' 

'' Her skin was no different than walls of marble--without flaw, polished and the purest form of white. Her cheekbones were exquisite and her chin being faint and feminine, undoubtedly born of families who married for duty and feigned love. Her cheeks were rosy and brought a sense of vitality to the woman's features. Her lips brought Silesse uncertainty of her own, being shapely and full to an extent that the elf was sure men couldn't help but to glance twice at her. But what baffled Silesse beyond all was the color. They were red, so red against her skin she'd first assumed them to be blood-soaked.''

'' It was all held and poised by a slender neck of elegant length. She was a woman formed by nature for the birthing of children; abundant in hips, long in her legs, full in her bust and pleasantly rounded in her thighs. Dressed over it all was a gown of the finest silks, dyed with flattering shades of blue and embellished with shimmering, teal embroidery. The fabrics of her sleeves draped down her supple skin without effort while the rest of her wear squeezed to flatter and emphasize yet someone still left one to their imagination. She was adorned with sapphire earrings and a sapphire pendant that drew the eyes to the groove between her breasts.''

'' 'Her alias is rightly-earned,' thought Silesse with unsettling jealousy. Patience kept the Quel'dorei from departing, remaining in her place of vigilance until she caught sight of him. The Maiden rushed to him, but with effortless grace she appearned to have glided. She was caught in the powerful arms of a man who dwarfed her by a head or so, twirled in the air with a joy Silesse had only recalled of him from their childhood. She continued her observance as the elf brought his lips beneath the peak of her hairline, and the maiden's eagerness to receive his affection.''

'' She wouldn't deny the sight of her brother's joy brought her own happiness, but there still remained the pledge to wed the elf-maiden from the House of Brightmorn. She then recalled words her own brother remarked to her only months before.''

'''Woe to men whom forsake duty on account of beauty.' Silesse repeated under her breath. "''

While at first Silesse despised the woman, the two oddly had become fond of one another. Silesse began to see her as the sister she'd never had, and the maiden found she were quite entranced by Silesse's own elven beauty. They became so close that on one such occasion, the maiden confessed she were a viscountess and as such, wedded to another. Her own husband considered bedding to be a sport of some kind and sired plenty of bastards with tavern wenches. Often stumbling home drunk, the Viscountess admitted that while she never actually took his seed when he bedded her, she found other methods to leave him satisfied.

Knighting
Coming Soon!

The Second War
Coming Soon!



Philosophy
Silesse strives to uphold the older codes of chivalry that was to be expected of a knight and/or dame. They serve as the basic foundations for her own philosophies and how she goes about her extended life. Several  that she especially attempts to hold true are--
 * (To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit) Silesse does not partake in gossip nor slander. Having been born into the class she was, she was witness to the rise and fall of many once-prestiged reputations. Plenty of these good names, as she recalls, were soiled by harmful rumors. At most, she is polite to those she doesn't view as "friend."
 * (To give succour to widows and orphans) Silesse herself is a widow, but she had never come to love her husband. She felt no such grief when he died in battle, but she herself has seen women who've mourned for the love they lost. She is also an orphan but she chose to silently grieve over the loss of her parents--her father especially. She had little time to mourn and immediately assumed her birthright as matriarch of the House of Dawngale. Ironically enough, she encourages those who have lost their loved ones to grieve first before taking on the stresses and duties required of them by their families. She often lends her ear to these women and children, sometimes even donating a reasonable portion of her own wealth to better sustain them.
 * (To protect the weak and defenceless) This is one aspect of knighthood Silesse takes far more seriously than the rest. She believes the ultimate dishonor and disgrace is to strike down one who is lame or incapable of self-defense. Her view on this matter differs where the Horde is considered, but when it comes to those within the Grand Alliance, she stands by the notion that anyone without the means to protect themselves should not be harmed.
 * (To refrain from the wanton giving of offence)