"It was only when I died myself... When I became a free willed undead that I realised the extent of my crimes. Seeing that there was a nation of free willed Lordaeronians who fought for their place in the world, as I had done in life... There was no choice for me. I pledged myself to the Forsaken, and to the Kingdom of Lordaeron, above all else."
- Sarestha Ravelle
Sarestha Ravelle, Knight of Lordaeron, is the leader of the small Forsaken Order of "Knights" known as Lordaeron Unbound. A mere teenager when Lordaeron fell, she spent a good portion of her childhood and early adulthood in the lands of the Scarlet Crusade, briefly becoming a Paladin, before being killed by the Scourge, and raised as a Knight of the Ebon Blade
Firmly believing, even in death, that Lordaeron should be restored, and the Scourge should be destroyed, Sarestha found her people in the Forsaken, and found a hero in the "visionary" Banshee Queen, who gave her people free will again.
This loyalty was broken when Sylvanas Windrunner attempted to manipulate the free will of Derek Proudmoore, during the Fourth War. Seeing free will as the primary difference between the Scourge and the Forsaken, Sarestha was forced to rediscover exactly what she stood for... and ultimately decided to stand with Saurfang's rebellion, and form the Knights of Lordaeron Unbound - to forever serve and protect the Forsaken, standing against any who would try to replicate the Scourge.
Physical Description[]
The first thing one might notice about Sarestha is that, while clearly an undead, she is one who was risen not long after her death. Her face is largely intact, albeit a bit gaunt and very pale.. but there does not seem to be any visible rot. Unlike many Forsaken, there is not even a hint of bone showing through her skin - she is entirely intact.
Sarestha has pale brown hair, that sits at shoulder-length. Her eyes are an eerie Lichfire blue.
Sarestha wears a blue, white and gold suit of plate armour, which is inscribed with symbols of Lordaeron and curiously the Order of the Silver Hand. The armour looks very freshly-painted and well cared for. She carries a death knight's runeblade, which emits a soft blue glow.
Personality[]
Sarestha is at heart a very loyal idealist. She tends to gravitate towards those she sees as heroes, or good leaders, and follow them unquestionably. While she has been learning that this is a bad idea in some cases, she still has a strong loyalty complex and will do almost anything for those she considers to be friends.
Sarestha has a very political view of the world, sometimes to a fault. She tends to ignore larger issues in favour of international politics, which she approaches with a very biased perspective. This leads to a strong patriotism however, and Sarestha tends to give idealistic speeches about the path of the Forsaken and the Horde, to anyone who will listen.
Sarestha has the capacity to be ruthless, only augmented by the fact that she is a death knight. Despite this, she has a kind side, and genuinely does care for others, particularly Forsaken.
History[]
Your text goes here. Feel free to organize this into subsections if you want.
Before the Scourge[]
Sarestha was born to Charlesh and Elisabette Ravelle of Lordaeron, in the capital city of the nation, during the Second War. Charlesh was a priest of the Holy Light, and a healer. Elisabette once was as well, but trained as a Paladin during the Second War. As such, from a very young age, Sarestha was surrounded by the Light and its worship.
The Scarlet Exodus[]
When Sarestha was 13 years of age, she excitedly begged her mother to take her to see a grand procession, to celebrate the return of Prince Arthas, from his war against the dreaded Scourge. This moment marked one of the greatest regrets of her life. Mere minutes after throwing rose petals down upon the returning Prince in celebration, Sarestha was running for her life! King Terenas had been assassinated, and Arthas, the Prince, had been the one to do it! He had let loose his undead in the city, and left the place in chaos. Among the casualties, suffering a wound as she dove to protect her daughter, was Elisabette Ravelle. Sarestha, still a child, saw it with her own eyes.
With Lordaeron's Capital no longer safe, the Scourge stronger than ever, and the government in shambles, Sarestha's father took her to the eastern city Tyr's Hand, which had always held fast against the Undead. Here, many Lordaeronians sought safety under the protection of Legendary Paladins, Alexandros Mograine and Saidan Dathrohan.
In time however, the noble purpose of the stronghold gave way to fear, and paranoia. The remnants of Lordaeron became the Scarlet Crusade, a band of fanatical zealots, who destroyed anyone they suspected of undeath - and they suspected most people. The Scarlet Crusade was insular and untrusting, even of its own members. But it remained a power in the Eastern parts of Lordaeron.
During this time, Sarestha dedicated herself to training as a Paladin. Grieving for the home and family she had lost, she swore to restore Lordaeron to its former glory at all costs, and to destroy the undead.
At the age of 18, she was ordained as a Paladin - a Knight of the Scarlet Crusade. She fought for the Crusade with relentless zeal, believing very strongly that all undead must be destroyed, and that she would restore all of Lordaeron to its former glory.
Alas, it was not to be.
Despite fighting hard for three years, the Crusade only lost ground during Sarestha's time as a Paladin. Both the Alliance and Horde assaulted some of its key bases, and the finally blow was struck by the Scourge itself, when Acherus: the Ebon Hold, appeared over the Scarlet Enclave... the last safe bastion of Lordaeron, held by the Scarlets. The Scourge's numbers were overwhelming, and the Lich King himself co-ordinated the assault. The Scarlets stood no chance. The last leader of the Crusade - High General Brigitte Abbendis, claimed to receive a vision from the Light, and took some of her most elite Crusaders with her to Northrend. The rest were left behind, to die in the vain hope of protecting what was left. Sarestha's father, Charlesh, was chosen to go to Northrend. Sarestha herself was not. Blinded by his own zeal and hatred, Charlesh abandoned his daughter to die.
Ultimately, Sarestha was felled on the field of battle, defending the gates of New Avalon, but did not go down easily. Impressed by the bravery of the Paladin, a Death Knight of Acherus took her body back to the dread citadel, so that she herself could be risen as a Death Knight.
Lessons from the Grave[]
Sarestha was risen by the Scourge in Acherus, though lingered in their service for ultimately a short while. Upon forging her runeblade, she was almost immediately sent off to battle, to fight the Argent Dawn at Light's Hope. Her free-will taken from her, she did so contentedly, the Lich King's voice guiding her. But then, thanks to the actions of Tirion Fordring and the power of the Light, the Death Knights of Acherus had their wills freed from that of the Lich King, and Light's Hope was spared.
But free will did not immediately bring comfort to Sarestha. At first it brought disgust. She was undead. An abomination. The very thing she had sworn to destroy in order to restore her Kingdom. But at the same time... she was still herself. She was still the same Sarestha, with the same thoughts and ambitions.
Then, the confusion gave way to fear, and guilt. What if the Forsaken, who had always claimed to be free-willed, but had been disbelieved by the Crusaders... what if they were free-willed after all? What if they felt like Sarestha did? Scared? Confused? Alone? Monstrous? What if they were just trying to find their way in the world? The idea frightened her... because she was faced with the prospect that in order to restore her Kingdom, she had been killing innocents whose only crime was to die. Innocents who had been fighting to prove themselves different from the Scourge.
As such, she came to an unusual conclusion. While still a Knight of the Ebon Blade, and despite the acceptance of Death Knights into the ranks of the Alliance, Sarestha sought to join the Forsaken, who she perceived as her people. She grew to hate the Alliance as they did, seeing them as traitors who abandoned their own people, despite her own previous actions in the crusade. Perhaps more importantly, she also grew to have a fanatically loyal devotion towards Sylvanas Windrunner, the new "Queen of Lordaeron", who had been the first to see the potential in free-willed undead. In Sarestha's eyes, she was more than just a hero, she was a saviour. And so Sarestha's loyalty to her was absolute, unquestioning, and unyielding. Styling herself as a Knight of Lordaeron, despite only really being a Deathguard, Sarestha sought to help the Forsaken in any and every way she could. In this time, while initially skeptical, she also grew to have an appreciation for the other races of the Horde. Her priority was Lordaeron however, and she did not make any effort to engage with the other Horde races unless necessary.
Sarestha fought alongside the Forsaken in Northrend, and even in the lower levels of Icecrown Citadel. Upon defeating the Lich King, she returned to Lordaeron and aided her people during the Cataclysm, restoring their claim over much of Lordaeron, as far as Andorhal in the east, and all the way to the southern coast of Hillsbrad. She was delighted with these developments! In her mind, it proved that she was wrong to follow the Scarlet Crusade, but that her devotion to the Forsaken was what the Light wanted. After all, as a Scarlet, all her fighting was for nothing. As a Forsaken, the greatest evil to walk the earth was defeated, and Lordaeron became a formidable political force again! She truly believed that the Forsaken were her destiny, and this only strengthened her loyalty towards her Queen.
Because of this, she conveniently ignored the things that bothered her about the Forsaken. The Apothecaries. The experiments. The Blight. She believed they were all present because they needed to be - a small sacrifice for a greater good.
Sarestha participated in the Siege of Orgrimmar, as part of Sylvanas' forces, and again in Stormheim during the Legion Campaign. Other than that, she rarely left Lordaeron, and spent much of her free time helping the people there with day-to-day unlife. She was happy and content. Until a new war loomed on the horizon, and everything she worked for was lost.
The Paladin's Choice[]
The Burning of Teldrassil was a key moment for Sarestha, in that she knew how wrong it was, and yet still went ahead with it, out of fanatical devotion to Sylvanas, and belief that Sylvanas was striving for a greater good. Despite her moral misgivings, Sarestha urged people to celebrate the victory, seeing it as a great military triumph. Her apparent elation was quickly quashed, however, when thge Undercity fell under attack. Devastated and angry, she swore revenge at all costs, and swore once more to restore her Kingdom. Despite her and her people's exile to Orgrimmar, she remained faithful in Sylvanas, believing that the Forsaken would yet return to their Kingdom as victors, and that Sylvanas would lead them well, as she had always done.
Then, everything changed when Sylvanas raised Derek Proudmoore from the dead.
Sarestha had heard of Derek Proudmoore - a hero of the Second War who died bravely at sea. She was delighted by the news he may join the Forsaken. But before long, she was horrified. It became clear that Sylvanas never intended to welcome him into the Forsaken. Instead, she sought to enslave his will, bend his mind, and use him as a weapon against her enemies.
This was one line Sarestha was not willing to cross. Free will defined the Forsaken. Without it, it seemed as if Sylvanas was acting like the Scourge. Hoping, praying, and sending anonymous letters, Sarestha hoped Sylvanas would change her course of action... But it was not to be. Before long, Baine Bloodhoof secretly rescued Derek Proudmoore from Sylvanas with the help of a Forsaken man, but was found out. In broad daylight, in a very public meeting, the Forsaken was executed and Baine was arrested, all for defending the free-will of an innocent man. It was at this point, that Sarestha's loyalty to Sylvanas broke, and she began to regard her beloved queen as a fallen hero, a new Lich Queen.
This led, once more, to Sarestha needing to re-examine her life. In the end, she drew inspiration from the deeds of her childhood hero, Uther the Lightbringer. Uther had refused to go against his conscience, even for Prince Arthas, when he was asked to purge Stratholme. Sarestha resolved to live her life as a Paladin once more - to love and serve her Kingdom, but to always put morality ahead of any leader's will, no matter how brilliant that leader is.
She chose to side with High Overlord Saurfang, and ultimately stood against her former Queen at the gates of Orgrimmar. Seeing King Anduin Wrynn stand at Saurfang's side, despite having nothing to gain for himself, softened Sarestha's perceptions of the Alliance somewhat... and she began to believe peace was possible.
The Order of Lordaeron Unbound[]
Following Saurfang's death, Sylvanas' exodus, Sarestha worked with two of her close friends, Otielle van Zinzer, Knight of the Ebon Blade, and Cadias Crane, Priest of the Holy Light, to think of ways to help the Forsaken, maybe even inspire a new direction for them. For this reason, she decided to found the Order of Lordaeron Unbound, an order akin to the Knights of Old Lordaeron, who would wander the nation, serving the people and upholding the values of Respect, Tenacity, and Compassion - the Three Virtues of the Light. While the Forsaken would likely never have true "Paladins" again, Sarestha believed that people willing to fight for those values, no matter the powers they used, had the right to be known as Knights of Lordaeron.
The Order has proven a great challenge for Sarestha, who is far more comfortable being a follower than a leader. However, she has strived to do the best she can to compromise the values of the Forsaken and the Three Virtues, and perhaps promote a positive change for her ruined Kingdom. Serving Forsaken remnants of Lordaeron, and doing what they can to protect them from threats, the Order of Lordaeron Unbound has had a positive, if small, impact on the Kingdom of Forsaken Lordaeron.
Recently, Otielle van Zinzer departed the Order, due to ideological differences and a loss of faith in the Forsaken's ability to truly reform, stepped away from the Order. Sarestha has mourned the departure of her friend, but is still resolved to continue the good fight, appointing Order member Cyethal Nightfury as her new deputy.
Quotes[]
"Warchief Sylvanas gives you the freedom to dissent about her in this very tavern. She cares for you and will protect you, no matter what you say, no matter who you are. She has always looked out for my people, and our best interests. She led the Forsaken from cowering in human ruins to creating one of the most powerful nations on Azeroth, and reuniting Western Lordaeron in its entirety. In her capacity as Warchief of the Horde... I guarantee she'll do the same for you. She will improve your situation, and she will do it with your free will in mind... She will be the best Warchief in the history of the Horde, mark my words." - Sarestha during the Legion Campaign
"Teldrassil was... extreme, I agree. But we must have faith that the Queen, the Warchief, is doing what is right for the people of the Horde. She has always looked out for us and protected us. Perhaps there was a greater threat from the Kaldorei than we knew" - Sarestha, talking to Ankessa before defecting from Sylvanas' side.
"Our free will is being compromised, brothers and sisters. If the Dark Lady is willing to force any of us, even ONE of us, to be a weapon - to be forced into servitude against our will, then it's a problem. Because free will is what made us unique. That's what makes the Forsaken special, it's what makes us strong. If she betrays that tenant, she is betraying us all, and becoming no better than the Lich King himself." - Sarestha in a speech at an anti-Sylvanas rally.
"Respect. Tenacity. Compassin. The Three Virtues of the Light are, I believe, essential to a functional society, to a functional world. Azeroth's people would not have endured if not for those three things." - Sarestha at the Light of All meeting.
"We are not called the Forsaken for no reason. We were Forsaken and abandoned by our living family. Our friends. Our former allies. We were cast aside, with nothing left but our free will, facing death at the hands of the living remnants of Lordaeron, and the Scourge. And now, despite all we've accomplished, we are even forsaken by our once beloved Queen, one who many saw as a hero, a saviour... and who is now a traitor. In the process of her treachery, we have lost our home - it lies in ruins. We now exist at all only thanks to the acceptance of the Horde. The Horde saved my people, more than once. And for that, I am eternally grateful. I am eternally Horde." - Sarestha at a meeting to honour the fallen.
Trivia[]
Sarestha was originally supposed to be a Sylvanas Loyalist. That didn't work out.
External Links[]
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/wyrmrest-accord/sarestha