Vellcinda Benton

Vellcinda "Elsie" Benton was the wife of Wyll Benton and former Prime Governor of the Desolate Council which she founded to take care of the city in Sylvanas' absence.Before the Storm, chapter 12 She was once a servant in a kitchen.
==Biography==
Elsie apparently married Wyll Benton, a manservant of the kings and princes of House Wrynn, when they were young adults, and remained happily together for many years. Their social circles revolved around the royal families and the servants, as they themselves were.
She was in Lordaeron, visiting family in the castle and working in the kitchen, when Arthas killed King Terenas Menethil II. By this time Elsie was 60 years old, or as she liked to put it, "a young sixty."
She was raised into undeath and became Forsaken in service of Sylvanas Windrunner, but glad that Wyll had been spared from experiencing that. Her first compulsion was to seek him out, but others told her that attempts to contact him would only lead to heartbreak for them both. She eventually came to accept that it was better that her husband believed her dead as she saw him as a good man who deserved to find closure from her death, and a chance to find love again with a living woman. She nevertheless kept wearing her wedding ring until her fingers no longer allowed her to and instead kept it safe in her lodgings.
At first, while getting used to her new existence, she went back to doing what she knew, namely serving. She assisted those newly raised into undeath who were terrified and disoriented with kindness and patience and helped rebury those who had refused to exist that way, which a part of her understood.
Over the years though, she developed a desire to put her mind to use to learn and achieve new things. She assisted the Forsaken by attending to and mending the delicate flesh of her fellow Forsaken, and later studied with the apothecaries on ways to keep the Forsaken active and healthy, mentally and physically.
She considered Parqual Fintallas a friend. She began questioning the reason for being of the Forsaken's existence after a conversation with the blacksmith Tevan Whitfield.
Sometime after Sylvanas's sudden ascension to Warchief of the Horde, Vellcinda took it upon herself to create the Desolate Council to serve as interim organization in order to lead the Undercity in the absence of the Dark Lady, as her Warchief duties brought her out of homeland. Though she led the Desolate Council as its Prime Governor, and thus the Undercity, during this time, Vellcinda merely viewed herself as a caretaker and would gladly step down in order for Sylvanas to resume her rule.Before the Storm, chapter 19
Following the Argus Campaign and the Orgrimmar parade, Vellcinda held a ceremony for the Forsaken who experienced the Last Death during the war against the Burning Legion. She implored Nathanos Blightcaller to urge Sylvanas to attend the ceremony, but her Warchief duties preoccupied her. She and the other members of the Council met in the throne room of the Royal Quarter and led the ceremony where she remembered her friend Tevan. Representatives of all the Horde races were present. After the ceremony was over, Nathanos approached her and apologized for Sylvanas's absence that day. Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Archbishop Alonsus Faol who delivered two missives, one for Warchief Sylvanas and the second for Elsie Benton. Vellcinda was surprised because she hadn't heard the name for quite some time. As she read the letter from King Anduin about her husband Wyll passing away, she was moved and hoped that Sylvanas would agree with Anduin's plan about the meeting between humans and the Forsaken. She also decided to start using her previous name again. Some time after, she was present in a meeting with Sylvanas who specified the rules of the meeting. She closed the meeting by thanking her for permitting the reunion. Sylvanas then wanted to talk to her.Before the Storm, chapter 22 Later on, Sylvanas had tasked Elsie with leading the Desolate Council in organizing the Gathering event from the Forsaken's side.
The day before the Gathering, she met with Parqual at Galen's Fall. Even though she had no one to meet, she wanted to witness the reunions of the others. They noticed Annie Lansing giving scarves and sachets. She then listened to Sylvanas as she repeated the rules of the meeting. Elsie felt very proud to be a Forsaken now.Before the Storm, chapter 29 During the meeting, she watched the reunions and witnessed one of Archbishop Faol's priestesses (who was secretly Calia Menethil) heal Ol' Emma from heatstroke. Seeing she was alone at the reunion, Calia approached Elsie and struck up a conversation. They talked about how wonderful the Gathering was for both their peoples and Calia pointed out Anduin, who could be seen at Stromgarde Keep's ramparts, and waved to him. She showed Calia her wedding ring that she'd put on a chain, and that she intended to leave it with the Alliance so it could be buried at Wyll's grave. However, when Parqual saw Calia and initiated a defection of several Forsaken participants, chaos erupted as Sylvanas signaled the recall of all Forsaken participants and later sent her dark rangers to execute all the Forsaken on the field.
She was killed by Sylvanas's rangers as Calia Menethil attempted to convince her to defect into the Alliance, though she had not moved to follow Calia and was actively encouraging the other Forsaken participants to obey Sylvanas' recall.Before the Storm, chapter 34 She was later buried by the human attendees that lost friends and family during the bloodshed.
==Memorial==
Her tombstone at the Gathering graves in the Arathi Highlands carries the epitaph:
==Anduin and Elsie's letters==
==Notes==
*Elsie was 60 years old when she died in year 20 ADP, and therefore was born in year 40 BDP.
*As a Forsaken, she lived in an inn room.
*She had friends in Brill.
*Wyll described her as having "fiery red hair" when she was alive.
==References==
==External links==
Category:Forsaken characters
Category:Medics
Category:Politicians
Category:Before the Storm characters
Category:Deceased characters
Category:Lore characters