Duchess Amarae de Lordamere, the Devout 

Background

Little is known of Amarae's early life. She is said to have been raised in Stormwind by a wealthy family amongst many siblings, but anything more is subject to rumour. She left her family at some point in her teenage years, instead joining the Templar Order at the behest of a passing Knight, realising the young woman's potential.

Eager to prove herself more than a spoiled noble's daughter, Amarae proved a fast learner and a talented soldier, if an unruly one. She strived for the approval of her superiors, at the increasing expense of her peers. A year later, named a Knight Templar, she came to blows with another of the order, disputing who most deserved a rare suit of armour. Amarae was victorious, but was expelled from the order for her hot-headedness.

Left with few opportunities and even fewer friends, Amarae turned to the Stormwind military, determined to prove herself superior to what she viewed as an antiquated, restricted order. While her fiery personality put her in dire straits in the Templar Order, she thrived in the army. Rigid discipline and an unstoppable dedication led officers to notice the relentless young woman.

Commander Laenas Faemoor, a legend amongst the beleagured Alliance army of the time, chose Amarae for his personal battallion. Promoted to Lieutenant Commander, Amarae earned respect from the elite unit of veterans, many older than she. Alongside Faemoor, the battallion turned the tide of countless skirmishes, their fame gradually making Amarae's name known throughout the army.

Unexpectedly, however, Faemoor disappeared, and the unit disbanded.

A long time passed in which Amarae returned to the frontlines within Alterac, Ashenvale and Arathi, having contact with little other than the soldiers she fought with. She returned promoted to Field Marshal, adorned with her now characteristic gold armour and battle-hammer, to the Cathedral of Stormwind, hoping to impress Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker enough with her progress to be granted the title of Paladin. While the exact motives to her ascension are unknown to many except Amarae and Lord Shadowbreaker himself, she was nonetheless given "The Devout" as her traditional Paladin moniker, in respect to her dedication.

She happened across the reformation of Arthurion Greymantle's company, The Stormguard, some time later. Aerandul Nightwarden requested that Amarae act as her Lieutenant, but by a strange twist of fate, the elven captain disappeared. Left with a new batch of recruits in disarray, Amarae took command of the infamous company.

When Amarae's close friend and second-in-command, Maerwynn, left the Stormguard and later joined the Argent Dawn, Amarae's resentment grew as her only true friend was lost to her grudge and political confrontration. Amarae was once more left bitter and alone, and once more she cast the blame elsewhere, becoming more detached from others and more focused on enforcing the law.

With increasing amounts of unrest in Stormwind, the Stormguard was deployed to restore order. However, despite the best (and sometimes brutal) efforts of Amarae and her men, Stormwind had become beset by riots and criminal activity. This did not deter Amarae from her mission, and she lead the Stormguard against any opposition. It has, however, earned both herself and her men a reputation for harshness and brutality against anyone who stands in their way.

With a sudden wave of assassinations aimed at members of nobility and the City Watch, Amarae lead her men to the streets of Stormwind in order to combat The Common Cause. A short-lived cold war resulted, with each trying to combat the other despite very few actual engagements. Amarae's frustration with her posting in Stormwind grew as she found herself chasing shadows all over Stormwind for little gain.

It was at this point that a powerful man by the name of Duke de Lordamere entered Amarae's life, seemingly out of nowhere. Giving her the opportunity to march north with the Duke's personal army, the Sons of Thoradin, Amarae was all too relieved to ally herself with the charming nobleman, and the two militaries established a firm (if somewhat unpredictable) combined force to retake the lands of Lordaeron.

Rumours soon began to spread between the soldiers that Amarae fancied herself as more than just the Duke's ally. Granting the Duke invaluable support in political influence and the force of her Stormguard, she worked herself high into the Duke's good graces, becoming one of the enigmatic man's closest allies as they fought for months to reclaim the lands of Lordaeron.

When it at last seemed their (and her) hard work was about to come to fruition, disaster suddenly struck, as Eward de Lordamere was slain moments from retrieving the crown of Terenas Menethil, the prize they needed to bring about the full retaking of Lordaeron, before Amarae's very eyes. The normally cold-shouldered woman was visibly distraught by Duke Lordamere's death, and the failure of their campaign.

In Lordamere's will, the Duke wrote of his love for Amarae, and how he would have wished to marry her, to the silent audience of soldiers. To honour this, he gave the name and seat of Lordamere to Amarae even in death, making Amarae the Duchess of Lordamere in absence of an heir.

This would seem to have been a bitter acquisition for the Field Marshal. Though she took on the Lordamere name and title proudly, her mind suffered over the coming months as she struggled with the responsibilities of leading a hated military company, and clashed with the Sons of Thoradin over the rightful ownership of the Lordamere name. She became cold and irritable, imparting harsh punishments upon her own men at the slightest mistake, shouting down any insult to her name, slowly but surely denying herself all allies in her precious home city.

Eventually the Stormguard and the Sons of Thoradin clashed in battle on the streets of Stormwind, the two rival factions pulling many others into a short, but heated conflict. The melee came to an end when Aeagor Blackriver, bastard son of Eward de Lordamere and Son of Thoradin officer, was killed amidst the chaos, struck by a crossbow bolt. Amarae was left as the only claimant to the Lordamere name, but not without cost.

Though the Stormguard seemed victorious, Amarae's actions seemed to finally tip the political scales of Stormwind too far. The Watch prosecuted Amarae and her men for both the death of Blackriver and the many more breaches of law both leader and soldier were responsible for. In a high profile trial, Amarae and her men were sentenced to three months of exile.

They returned to Stormwind three months later, with less than half the number they set out with, and Amarae set about restoring her company to glory once more.