Dawnforge

Physical Description
Arienne "Dawnforge" Songblade is of approximately average height for a blood elven female, but weighs a bit more than most due to the musculature she developed in the course of her Blood Knight training. Her features are angular to the point of being hawkish, although she tries to soften her appearance somewhat with makeup. Her black hair is glossy and hangs to about the middle of her back, though her bangs are trimmed and blunted. Its black colour stands in sharp contrast to her pale skin; coupled with the green glow of her eyes, she would almost look sickly if it weren't for the way she carried herself. Her posture is one of readiness and her graceful movements bely a disciplined attitude. She seems to be quite comfortable in plate mail; Arienne has several dress uniforms she occasions to wear, and it is unusual to find her wearing a gown or indeed cloth of any sort. She is left-handed, and so her sword hangs from her right hip. With her dress uniform, she can often be seen bearing Quel'Serrar, the High Blade. She has a pleasant enough voice; her Orcish has a slight Thalassian accent and her inflection and word choice speak to a high level of study more commonly found amongst magisters or city officials.

Mounts
Shekinah: Arienne's Thalassian charger mount and the traditional mount of the Blood Knights. Zaira: A white talbuk in war barding given to Arienne by the Mag'har in recognition for her efforts to help their people. She is Arienne's preferred non-flying mount. With her reassignment to Northrend, Arienne surrendered the care of Zaira to the Mag'har at Garadar, though she visits there often. The Frostwolf: Choosing a mount more suitable for the chill of Northrend, Arienne currently rides a white worg. The two do not always get along, and she has yet to name him. Zuriaku: A green netherdrake who agreed to carry Arienne on his back. She named him after a recently deceased friend, and he is her favourite of all her mounts. Arienne also has designs on building herself a Mechanohog in the near future. Until then, she happily rides in Belaris Delenada's sidecar.

Personality
To an outsider, Arienne might appear to project an aura of definiteness and an almost unshakable self-confidence. This conviction, often viewed as arrogance by some, is not sourced from a general feeling of pride, but from a particular cultivation of somewhat specialized skills. Dawnforge recognizes that she cannot do everything — but the things she can do, she does very well. When it comes to her own areas of expertise, Dawnforge is quick to know if she can be of help to someone, and if so, how. She is acutely aware of what she knows, and even more so what she doesn't. Not that a certain measure of pride isn't warranted: she has accomplished much, not least of all continuing to survive in trying times. Dawnforge is no stranger to adversity, and prefers to meet it head on. At the same time, she spent many of her formative years in relative luxury and comfort, sheltered away from the world's problems, and could speak little about the realities of the Second War. She makes up for it in modern times with a zeal for battle that, at its worst, borders on bloodlust. Dawnforge seems to have integrated well with the rest of the Horde as a general rule, acting with reserved discomfort around certain more extreme trolls and the majority of the Forsaken, though even they are treated with a measure of tact tempered by detachment. In times past, she was somewhat more peaceable toward the Alliance, but with the situation in Northrend threatening to turn their cold war into a military one, she seems less likely to stay her blade given the opportunity. Arienne detests and distrusts death knights more openly than any other group of individuals, save the Scourge — whom she is not convinced they have truly left — and the Legion. For all her prowess with a blade — or mace, or the Light itself — Arienne is much less skilled with people in terms of personal relationships. She does not easily sympathize with the problems of others, believing it to be better to suffer in silence and spare others the burden. She is somewhat reserved about her past, generally meeting most inquiries with "I was a priestess, and then I became a Blood Knight," and considers herself on a first-name basis with very few people, most often referring to them by their title, if they have one, or their family name.

Her preferred non-combat activities include tinkering, reading, and fishing — all hobbies she tends to pursue in solitude.

Background
Arienne Songblade was born to Nephele and Lothar Songblade, prominent members of Silvermoon's upper-class. Lothar was an esteemed Magister; his wife, Nephele, a courtier. Arienne was the youngest of three children; Archana, her sister, was her elder by 45 years, and her brother Valendar was 12 years her senior. Her father and sister spent most of the year in Dalaran, and with her mother often busy at court, Arienne and Valendar were often left in the care of their governess, a woman named Manon Riverspell. Manon helped groom Valendar for his position as a royal guard and taught Arienne the intricacies of being a member of the gentry. Once Valendar reached the age of majority, he bleached his dark hair and entered the service of the (traditionally blonde) Spellbreakers. Within a few years' time, Lothar had arranged for Valendar to marry the apprentice of a friend, a bright magistrix named Averill Duskvigil. Nephele bought her son a commission to keep him safe in Silvermoon City, and he came to serve in the Court of the Sun. Not long thereafter, the human Alliance became entangled with the Horde in the Second War. Lothar and Archana were sent to the lines and offered their magical support, although only Archana returned home after the war had ended. She was quickly married to a wealthy human nobleman upon her arrival, fulfilling an arrangement made soon after the girl's birth. The Songblade family mourned Lothar's loss, but quietly and with detachment from one another. Archana and her new husband Severin Sunfire moved back to Dalaran in order to advance Archana's position there; a few years later, their son Zaerin Sunfire was born. As for Arienne's future, her mother had long ago decided that the youngest child would enter the ranks of the priesthood, and she was sent to Hillsbrad to attend to the priests there. She showed some measure of proficiency in learning to wield the Light and a basic understanding of the Three Virtues, and seemed to take quite well to the life of a priestess. Time passed, Nephele remarried to Jareth Fairbreeze, of the town that bore his family's name, and reports slowly started to come down from Lordaeron of unrest and a growing, unknown threat. In the nearby town of Southshore, Alexandros Mograine was beginning to collect like-minded individuals to himself and swore himself to the defense of Lordaeron's borders with the aid of the Holy Light. Arienne followed his forces north to Tirisfal and came to make her home in the Scarlet Monastery. She continued her training there, too unrefined yet to be of much help out on the battlefield, and helped maintain a base of operations in the Scarlet Monastery while Abbendis, Mograine and the others moved toward the borderlands most ravaged by the plague. When Renault Mograine led his father and High Inquisitor Fairbanks to Stratholme and then returned alone, suspicion began to grow amongst the rank and file of the Scarlet Crusade. When the ghoul that Fairbanks had become appeared at the gates of the Monastery, Arienne was just one of the many members to flee the crusade's ranks, but continued her work under the banner of the Argent Dawn. After the loss of the Sunwell, Arienne walked the Dead Scar north toward the remains of Silvermoon. During her journey, Archimonde was summoned into Azeroth and commenced his destruction of Dalaran, resulting in the deaths of Archana and her husband and child. Arienne buried all three, along with her mother and stepfather, in her family's plot. Valendar was missing, but given his post in Silvermoon City, the priestess didn't hold much hope for him. During her journey, Arienne had been able to write off her growing fatigue as a consequence of her journey and the miasma that hung over the Dead Scar and the ruined forests in southern Quel'thalas. (( Work in progress. ))

Relations
Archana Songblade: High elf mage; eldest sister of the Songblade children. Apprenticed in Dalaran and died when it was destroyed by Archimonde. Valendar Songblade: Blood elf spellbreaker; only son and middle of the three Songblade children. Initially left with Prince Sunstrider for Outland as a member of the Royal Guard; defected to joined the Scryers' forces with Arienne's help. Averill Duskvigil: Blood elf ex-mage; betrothed to Valendar, but their arrangement was dissolved upon the fall of Quel'thalas due to Duskvigil's loss of lands and title. Ascilia Shadowhand: Blood elf warlock; Arienne's companion through most of her adventures in Azeroth over the past year. Defected to join the Sunfury elves, later became Felblood. Dead.  Logan Duskwhisper:  Blood elf rogue; Arienne's former retainer and presumed lover. Died in the battle of Warsong Gulch. <LI> Damien Duskwhisper: Forsaken warrior; Logan Duskwhisper's younger brother and a member of the Runespell Scryers' strike force. <LI> Zuriel Greenfeather: Tauren druid; a member of the Runespell Scryers and the namesake of Arienne's drake, Zuriaku. Died in the assault of Tempest Keep. <LI>Zaniya Liontree: Troll shaman; member of the Runespell Scryers and confidant. <LI>Nexic: Forsaken rogue; commander of the Runespell Scryers and thus Arienne's former commanding officer. <LI>Nuhwoti Mistrunner: Tauren druid; Arienne was stricken by his unusual choice in following the Holy Light, and has become curious about his guild, Kiss of the Betrayer. The two appear to be romantically linked. <LI>Belaris Delenada: Forsaken rogue; Deathstalker and Sergeant of the Shadarim. A recent acquaintance, but the Sergeant is quickly becoming thought of as a friend by a woman who has precious few of these — least of all among the Forsaken. </UL>

Adventures & Stories
Dawnforge's adventures can be found at Contranyms.