Abelinde Hart

Classic

Battle for Azeroth

Shadowlands

Abelinde Hart
Render by Keremos.
Race: Nationality:	Human Lordaeron
Birth:	Abelinde Violetta Hart December 24th, 6 L.C. (34) Darrowshire, Lordaeron
Titles:	None
Occupation:	Monster Hunter Paladin
Faction:	Grand Alliance
Affiliations:	Scarlet Crusade Hand of the Unblinded (Formerly) Alliance of Lordaeron (Formerly)
Relatives:	Calder Hart (Father) Marilena Hart (Mother) Violetta Hart (Grandmother)
Alignment:	Lawful Evil
Status:	Alive

"I don't wear the colors because we lost. We're on the wrong side of history, and the Alliance and the Argents took advantage of their victories to demonize us. Were we as successful, we'd be welcomed by the world as heroes." - Abelinde revealing her affiliations to Samael Undercomb III.

Abelinde Hart (Born Abelinde Violetta Hart, December 24^th, 6 L.C.) is a former Knight of the Scarlet Crusade and the Hand of the Unblinded who operates primarily in the Eastern Kingdoms.

A rigid and pious woman, Abelinde is one who rarely elects to compromise her beliefs, in favor of swift and decisive action against what she believes to be wrong in the world. Though she masks her zealous alignment with the Scarlet Crusade, her intolerance often bleeds through in her line of work.

Background

Youth and Priesthood

Abelinde was born in the town of Darrowshire in what was originally known as the Eastweald. From the day of her birth Abelinde was surrounded by her family's love and faith, raised to uphold the virtues of the Holy Light. Encouraged by her family, Abelinde was brought to Tyr's Hand to be brought up under the teachings of a priest.

Within the walls of Tyr's Hand, Abelinde survived the fall of Lordaeron that came at the hands of the Undead Scourge. Though she frequently sought to return to her family in Darrowshire, she was forbidden to leave the fortified city. For years she would remain kept within Tyr's Hand, dutifully training.

The Scarlet Crusade

Abelinde as a squire of the Scarlet Crusade. (Model by Elf)

As the years passed, Abelinde lived with a constant anxiety over what fate befell her family and the town of Darrowshire. Tales of the Scourge's atrocities were all she seemed to know of the undead, and Abelinde became desperate to know the fate of her family following the Scourging. Abelinde offered herself to the Scarlet Crusade that had eventually occupied Tyr's Hand, with the goal of training to become a paladin out of a naive desire to fight the undead.

She was trained, transitioning from a priest to a paladin under the zealous teachings of the Scarlet Crusade. The Crusade's zeal was quick to spread to Abelinde, merging with her original goal to find her family. The revelation of Darrowshire's destruction came not by witnessing the aftermath firsthand, but instead by news from her fellows. Though heartbroken, Abelinde was spurred on to continue her mission for the Crusade.

While she was a member of the Crusade, Abelinde served under Koraline Undercomb in the Tirisfal Monastery. At one point, while training with Koraline, the pair of Crusaders were drawn into a peculiar situation involving a scalped corpse that was hung from a tree outside the Monastery, accompanied only by a mysterious man who would periodically appear and observe.

What ensued was Abelinde's first battle against the risen dead. During the fight, Abelinde was wounded by a zombie's claw across the left side of her face as well as several other wounds to the rest of her body. Despite her injuries, she fought on and was able to assist in the capture of the mysterious man to bring him to the Purifiers. Unfortunately the infected wound of the ghoul's scratch would linger with Abelinde, disfiguring the squire for life, but also serving as an ever-present reminder to instill tenacity within her.

Over the years Abelinde served the Unblinded faithfully with devotion to the greater Crusade that only grew as she aged. Though she held the Virtues ever close to her heart, she incorporated the Scarlets' zealotry as well, developing into a rigid woman who saw no compromise with the evils of the world, and no mercy for the impurities of humanity. Only righteous cleansing.

Assault on New Avalon

Koraline Undercomb surveys the Scourge necropolis and the battle raging just outside the Enclave.

Abelinde continued to dutifully serve under Koraline as her squire, even years after some of the Crusade's greatest defeats. It was some time after the fall of the Scarlet Monastery that she would eventually return to her old home within Tyr's Hand, behind the walls of what was now the Scarlet Enclave. She and her captain remained here dutifully, where they later faced off against the invasion of the Scourge from Acherus.

As the Scourge forces marched from Acherus, the Knight ordered her men to protect those who where retreating back to the relative safety of the Enclave's walls. Forming a shield wall at one of the Enclave's many gates, the Scarlet shieldbearers held back the tide of undead for several minutes before needing to be reinforced, and continued to turn the undead back with the Holy Light and the might of their steel. Their line was soon shattered by the appearance of frostwyrms and the Death Knights of Acherus.

Koraline soon sounded the retreat in order to protect what Scarlets she had left within her regiment, thus abandoning the defense of the Enclave and allowing the Scourge in. Watching as the Death Knights slaughtered her men with ease, the Knight knew what she had to do. Turning to Abelinde, she tore her Knight Captain sigil from her cloak and gave it to the young paladin. Ordering her to abandon her side and flee to Tyr's Hand to warn them of the coming tide of undead, the Knight expressed her regrets on not being able to formally Knight the young squire, and granted her the title of Knight of the Scarlet Crusade. Encouraging the young Knight to go, Koraline turned and charged the Death Knight, sword held high.

Abelinde did escape, and led innocents out with her in her flight from Tyr's Hand. She was joined by a child, Kerrigan Krauss, the two of them fleeing from the havoc wrought by Acherus and the Scourge's onslaught. As they left, Abelinde looked back upon the Enclave, and had an epiphany that led her to realize that the last hope for Lordaeron had truly failed - though the crusade would never end, Lordaeron would never rise from the ashes, for the Crusade - as an order and a power in the land - had died this day. None remained to cultivate what was once lost.

One Woman's Crusade

Abelinde years after the Enclave's fall.

After the Scarlet Crusade suffered one failure after another, they were crippled to the point that they ceased to hold any semblance of power, reduced to senseless infighting and many of their fallen becoming Balnazzar's Risen. After the fall of the Scarlet Enclave, Abelinde lost faith in what was left of its remnants and could not justify answering to them as she had to Undercomb, the Unblinded, or the true leaders of the Crusade.

Regardless of her pride, she knew the Crusade's name would be one that was condemned, and she shed her tabard and anything that showed her alignment with the Crusade. She led Kerrigan to Stormwind, assuring her to keep her faith strong, and the two attempt to integrate into Alliance society with not a word of their past lives. Despite this, in Abelinde's heart the crusade was not finished, nor would it ever be. She believed it was her duty, her destiny even, to continue crusading against the forces of evil that ran amok.

After a time, Abelinde became independent, parting ways with Kerrigan on a personal crusade of her own, and over time her Light-willed duty to cleanse the undead began to expand. Warlocks and Death Knights of the world earned her scorn, and she was quick to condemn the Worgen as aberrations of humanity, not loved by the Light. Her intolerance grew, and soon Abelinde's agenda shifted away from the affairs of undead to hunting and exterminating anything she deemed "monstrous" for the greater good.

Abelinde interrogates local homeless in Westfall.

Years after the Scarlet Crusade's fall, a peculiar crime arose that caught her interest, allegedly claiming that four local thugs were killed in the region of Westfall. More interesting, however, was that she was directed to meet up with a would-be partner at the bridge near Westbrook Garrison. Her partner was a paladin of the Order of the Silver Hand, Samael Undercomb. The two investigated the local farms and the Moonbrook graveyard, receiving eyewitness explanation that clearly described the two culprits as a human Death Knight and a San'layn. Inspecting the bodies of the deceased proved this as well, and investigating the Moonbrook graveyard revealed that they had left to Acherus.

Abelinde and Samael discussed their options on how to approach the matter. Given the San'layn's evident extinction in Northrend, it was curious that even one would spontaneously make a return, though reports confirmed that San'layn were active during a skirmish over Blackrock Mountain, aligned with the Horde specifically. The two decided to focus on the Death Knight, who was potentially part of the Alliance and far more of an immediate threat.

Having heard of a similar incident occurring in the north through his associate, Kaina, Samael suggested that he and Abelinde get the word out on searching for their potentially rogue Death Knight while the two of them traveled north to investigate Kaina's concerns.

Mirstone Hunt

Main Article: Mirstone Hunt

WIP

In Memory

WIP

Appearance

Abelinde is a fair-skinned woman of athletic build, standing at a height of 5'9". Her eyes are grey in coloration, with tints of blue. Her light blond hair is often kept short, chin-length at most, typically parted towards the right. The left side of her hair is typically pushed behind her ear, revealing a single silver earring. On the left side of her face, she carries a large scar that has faded slightly with time, becoming a shade or two pinker than the surrounding flesh.

The paladin is often seen sporting his silvered bronze armor, durable plates over a suit of chain mail, the combination typically announcing her presence and making it difficult for her to attempt stealth. A scabbard is frequently strapped to her back, carrying her blessed silver sword. A belt around her waist carries several tools, namely a hand crossbow and a quiver of bolts on her left hand side, a holy sigil on her right. On the back of her belt is a large pouch to carry assorted items as needed.

Personality

Abelinde is a rigid woman who is heavily devoted to whatever cause she binds herself to. A devout follower of the Church of the Holy Light, Abelinde is a religious woman who acts on what she considers to be an "unspoken crusade" in which she continues to fulfill the mission of the Scarlet Crusade in all but name. Her determination to carry out a mission can almost be considered lawless in nature, as she has no qualms with committing a crime if it facilitates achieving her goal.

She has a deep-rooted resentment for the practice and creations of taboo magics such as necromancy, refusing to integrate with the Grand Alliance due to permitting the likes of Death Knights and warlocks to operate freely within the faction. Abelinde is also somewhat intolerant, harboring an aversion to any sect of Light worship outside of the Church, and a great disdain not only for undead and warlocks, but also cursed beings such as worgen. If a curse can be removed, she may attempt to do so, but if the curse poses a threat she is content to simply kill its victim.

Something Abelinde prizes heavily is integrity. She despises Scarlet sects who attempt to redeem themselves, believing them to lack pride in their noble work and beholden to lesser powers, and loathes the fact that she must hide her true affiliations from others. Furthermore, believing her work to be nothing more than the fulfillment of her crusade, she rarely ever deals in payment for her services, though she may accept if she feels it is needed.

Beliefs

Abelinde is a Scarlet at heart, and carries their penchant for zealotry as well. She has an extremely dichotomous view on the products of black magic and curses, such as undead or worgen, in that they are evil and must be exterminated, without negotiation or compromise. A habit retained from her days in the Unblinded, Abelinde prays daily.

However, she also remains an adherent to the Church of the Holy Light, including the Three Virtues, which are often at odds with Scarlet ideology. Despite this, Abelinde often practices these virtues with strict reservation only for circumstances that deserve it; she would not show respect even to the most honorable Forsaken. Despite this, Abelinde believes in respect and compassion for those who are not "blasphemous" able to demonstrate a softer, kinder side to civilians who do not impede her path.

It is Abelinde's belief that the Argent Crusade, and those before them, are betrayers of life and all that is sacred, due to their acceptance of undead such as the Forsaken and their tolerance of the Knights of the Ebon Blade. Where Abelinde can practice minimal tolerance for the Alliance, she is overtly hateful towards the Argent Crusade.