Enrik

==General Information==
Full Name: Enrik Hannigan
Race: Human 
Gender: Male 
Class: Paladin
Professions: Mining and Blacksmithing
Age: 21
Birthplace: Tirisfal, near the border of Silverpine Forest
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 200 lbs.
Eyes: Hazel 
Hair: Dark Brown 
Alignment: Neutral Good 
Affiliations: Officer of the Argent Dawn.
Most Used Quote: "I have a big sword." 
==Physical Description==
Standing at a mere 5'7", Enrik is shorter than many of his peers. However, despite his height he is still quite strong and his body is well-built and muscular from a childhood full of chopping timber.
Enrik has recently re-enlisted with the Argent Dawn and can almost always be seen armored in heavy, dark purple armor with a battleworn Tabard of the Protector draped across his chest and back.
Thick shoulder-length hair colored a deep brown flows down on either side of his head, parted in the middle and covering his ears. His face, though youthful and handsome, has a scar that cuts diagonally down his right cheek as a lasting testament to his terrible experiences in the Writhing Deep of Feralas. He recently shaved off his facial hair, as well, after deciding to try something new and get rid of the itchiness of his moustache and beard. His torso has a long, jagged scar cutting across it as well. Along with the more prominent scars, his body is covered in many smaller ones from all the warfare he's seen in the past five years.
He is a blacksmith by profession and, because of this, he can sometimes be seen with soot or grime on his hands, clothes, and face while unarmored.
==Personality==
Enrik's one major flaw is his lack of education, and his natural density/naivety. He is "slow" with some things and frequently takes things too literally, causing his friends and peers to become frustrated with him at times. However, he does try to understand things as best he can and eventually he might even pick up some education from one of his more scholarly comrades.
Enrik isn't as brash or uptight as he was when he was enrolled in the military. In most cases Enrik is laid back and open with people, always glad to have a friendly chat with someone while drinking his favorite booze; Dwarven Stout. However, there are times when he can become quite angry or agitated. This typically occurs when he feels pressured by his peers, or as if he is being patronized. Probably the only major conflict that has been born from this is the ongoing hatred between him and Vortice Harridance, a "spoiled rich bitch" in his eyes that likes to tell other people how to act so that they might seem 'dignified' in her eyes. 
Enrik is strongly against racism, and he will not hesitate to step in if he catches wind of racial insults. He is especially keen on elves talking down to humans and frequently turns into a hothead whenever he hears such things. He has also been working on coming to terms with his distrust of the Draenei through experience with his Draenei guildmates.
He has a ways to go before he can fully rebuild his personality after spending the majority of his life as a soldier, but with good friends on his side he is on the right track.
When all is said and done, Enrik is an overall nice guy if he is treated with similar friendliness and courtesy. He isn't one to roll over and let people nitpick at his flaws, and Vortice has had to bear the brunt of this trait many times. He isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's strong and has a good heart which has earned him much respect and made him many longtime friendships.
==History==
===Before the Scourge===
Enrik was born in the beautiful hills of Tirisfal, in a small cottage nestled near the border of Silverpine Forest. His father, Askari Hannigan, was a high-ranking officer in the Lordaeron guard and was commonly on-duty and away from home. Carissa Aerington, his mother, stayed at home with him and together the two of them kept the house orderly and in good shape. The first years of Enrik's life were dangerous and challenging ones, for at the age of one Enrik's father was called away to war in hopes of pushing back the orcish Horde. Meanwhile, Carissa and Enrik were evacuated from their cottage and sent to the safety of Lordaeron's capital city. The Second War lasted two years, though they seemed to Carissa and her growing child like eternities. Finally, when Carissa could bear heartache and worry no more, Askari came home. Enrik was three years old, still too young to fully understand what had been going on around him, but he could tell that his mother and father were overjoyed to be together again; not to mention his father's excitement upon seeing Enrik healthy and safe.
Having fought his fair share in the Second War, Askari and his family were finally allowed to take up residence in their cottage once more. It is here that they began to settle back into their peaceful lives as a family, though Askari was still on-duty quite often. Upon reaching the age of ten, Enrik's father taught him how to use an axe to chop lumber. Enrik's family was not well-off, and made their living mainly from Askari's work as a guardsman and the occasional bundle of lumber they sold to nearby townsfolk. Therefore, learning to be a lumberjack was the only opportunity he had at the time, much to the disappointment of his father who would've loved for him to receive a real education. From that day forward Enrik was enthralled by the work and became the unofficial 'lumberjack' of the household, chopping and hauling in firewood every night.
Another six years passed, mercifully uneventful. However, unbeknownst to the people of Lordaeron, the hourglass was running out for their great kingdom...
===The Scourge Invades===
Word had spread of a deadly Plague that was quickly making its way through the human lands, laying waste to anything in its path. Enrik's father was called to duty more often in case of emergency, but Enrik wasn't afraid. Having grown six years since taking up the job of family lumberjack, Enrik had developed a suitable amount of muscle and physical strength. He was proud of himself, and thought he would definitely be there to protect Lordaeron and his family from some stupid disease. That sense of security and brash pride soon faded, however, as days passed. The "Scourge" as the plague had come to be called, was spreading rapidly towards Lordaeron. His father wasn't even able to come home some nights, and Enrik and his mother were growing worried that something grave was about to happen.
The day Arthas returned was the nail in the coffin for Askari and his family. Upon hearing of Arthas' murder of his own father, King Terenas Menethil III, the city burst into chaos. Askari and his regiment gathered as many refugees as they could and formed a caravan, hoping to reach Aerie Peak and the protection of the Wildhammer Dwarves.
The trip was full of nerve wracking fear and anxiety, many women and children bursting into tears as the men nervously flanked the wagons, their battlehardened expressions serious and concentrated. The caravan reached Hillsbrad and managed its way towards the pass into the Hinterlands with little trouble. However, once they had reached the pass disaster struck from all sides. The caravan was ambushed by a regiment of Scourge minions, consisting of ghouls and skeleton archers. Screams littered the air as the caravan tried desperately to move themselves towards Aerie Peak, but the undead forces were simply too numerous to leave alone. It was then that Askari and his men decided to commit the ultimate sacrifice, not only in the name of duty but in order to save their loved ones from the fates they were about to endure. Askari and his loyal soldiers turned and rushed the enemies head on, buying the caravan full of women, children, and elderly the time they needed to reach Dwarven support forces.
Enrik, nearly hysterical from the sights around him, turned and by some unlucky turn of fate saw his father get shot through the chest by five skeletal arrows. The man fell to his knees, but was soon hidden by the masses of rending claws of the ghouls, his body torn to pieces before his son's eyes. If that wasn't enough, a stray arrow careened through the air towards him, ultimately being deflected by his mother as she jumped in front of him. The arrow impaled through her heart and killed her quickly, her limp and bloodied body falling into her son's arms. At that point, Enrik went into shock. With the help of his father's good friend, a veteran paladin named Artran, Enrik was able to escape with the rest of the caravan though the boy was struggling like mad to charge the mob of undead tearing apart the remaining guardsmen behind him.
That night, Enrik was haunted by the images he'd seen earlier. It was that night, in the midst of mental chaos, sorrow, and anger, that Enrik decided to become a paladin; a soldier. There would be no turning back, he had no choice but to make his father's sacrifice worthwhile.
At the mere age of sixteen, Enrik joined the order of paladins at Stormwind Cathedral and immediately went into combat training. He would be trained in combat for the next two years of his life, developing the strength and determination to kill in the name of justice and protect those in need.
===Rini Dieb===
For a time Enrik fought on his own, working as a freelance paladin and going to small towns in need, helping where he could along the way. However, one fine day in Stormwind he met a beautiful young woman named Gelles Magain. She was around his age, attractive, and a paladin like himself. The two of them instantly felt an attraction and Enrik began to court her, much to the chagrine of Gelles' best friend, Farahl. After some time, Gelles asked Enrik to join Farahl's organization, Rini Dieb, a group of explorers focused on finding the greatest discoveries and treasures Azeroth had to offer. Enrik, being a soldier, didn't feel a connection with the group, but he tried to fit in as best he could and eventually made a few friends within their ranks. Farahl, on the other hand, was a different story.
Enrik endured great amounts of insults and derogatory remarks from Farahl, and eventually it was revealed that Farahl loved Gelles in a romantic fashion. In the end, and after many hardships, Enrik was chosen over Farahl. He subsequently decided to resign from Rini Dieb on the grounds that he'd joined for Gelles, and knew for a long time that he didn't fit in with them or their goals. This act served him well in earning the respect and friendship of Farahl, finally, after so many months of bickering and hatred.
===The Runeblade===
After leaving Rini Dieb behind and dedicating himself completely to the war effort in the Plaguelands, eventually joining the Argent Dawn, Enrik recovered a runeblade from one of the few Deathknights that resided in the ruined city of Stratholme. The sword was severely tainted in darkness, and Enrik felt himself being pulled towards the path Arthas had taken so long ago. Eventually, the voice in his head finally became too much to bear and he went to his lover, Gelles, for help. 
Upon studying deeply into the situation, Gelles came up with a means of sealing the sword for good. Enrik had no idea that it would lead to her death, but she coaxed him into taking her to the hiding place he'd stored the tainted weapon. Deep in Duskwood, near a waterfall, Enrik had stored the sword in a thick chest and stuffed the chest into a rotting log. Gelles asked to see it and Enrik hesitantly obliged, nervous but having enough faith in his lover to go through with the plan. However, any feeling of his soon faded as Enrik gripped the hilt of the sword. The weapon's darkness quickly overtook his senses and mind, possessing him and sending him into an unholy frenzy aimed at destroying Gelles, the one thing he loved most. Gelles, however, had known this was going to happen and let herself be cut down, the fabrics of her power over the Light enveloping the sword and purging it of the darkness it had held for so long.
After Gelles' sacrifice had been revealed to Enrik, he consecrated the sword with the holy power of Crusader and vowed to fight in her name, using the once-cursed blade against the very foe that it had been forged to serve. He dubbed the blade 'Soul Redeemer' and went about his business as a soldier, his mind bent on making Gelles' sacrifice worthwhile on top of his father's.
===Rebirth, Marriage, and Betrayal===
Enrik had steadily been gaining rank in the Argent Dawn since Gelles' death, and he was proud of his work as a soldier. However, his heart still felt torn from losing his lover and he constantly thought about her, hoping her spirit was in a heavenly place away from Azeroth and the horrors that befell it. Understandably, the young man was shocked when he, during a requested patrol of the southern homestead in Westfall, discovered Gelles alive and well. The shock didn't last long, however, as realization dawned on him. He'd been given a second chance with her, and he wasn't about to waste it. Soon after their reunion the two lovers were married in Stormwind Cathedral, their happiness appearing to be nothing short of a miracle.
That happiness didn't last long, though. A month or so into their marriage Enrik was severely injured on one of his routine patrols in the Plaguelands, causing him to be bedridden for a month afterwards. Unbeknownst to him, his wife had been pondering cheating on him with a young female rogue in her friend's organization, the Emerald Mosaic. After recovering fully from his wound, Enrik discovered this betrayal and was struck with growing depression, only a small amount of trust and hope remaining. Gelles, though claiming she had no intention of leaving him, grew cold and irritable towards Enrik. After being indirectly blamed for her betrayal by the very woman who'd done it in the first place, he removed his ring for good and divorced Gelles, hoping to never see her again lest she betray him once more.
===Post-Marriage Turmoil===
After the divorce Enrik went into a state of mental turmoil, falling further and further into the life of a soldier and even beginning to enjoy the slaughter of his enemies. He soon rose to officer status in the Argent Dawn and frequently headed small parties of soldiers into the city of Stratholme, staging assaults on the Scourge and trying his best to keep them at bay. During this time a young woman named Treyelle, a friend of his close friend Kadja, asked him to join her organization known as the Comrades of Destiny and help tutor her in the ways of being a paladin. Enrik accepted and joined the Comrades, fitting in almost immediately and trying his best to juggle his guild responsibilities along with his duty to the Argent Dawn.
This feeling of psuedo-happiness would soon escape him, though, as the atrocities he committed began to grow more frequent. His means of dealing with war and his enemies became more bloody, more inhuman, and more ghastly as days passed. Finally, after hearing Trey had been kidnapped by the guards in Sunrock Retreat after attempting to uncover a prominent drug ring, Enrik fled Outland immediately, leaving his commanding officer and close friend, Alastar Belmondo, and the Argent Dawn sortie they'd been on behind. Upon reaching Sunrock Enrik went into a furious rage, slaughtering any Horde that moved. Not even civilians were spared as Enrik gave them no mercy, cutting them down without remorse or moral conscience.
After the grisly deed had been done the young paladin broke down, asking himself why he'd committed such a sinful act in the name of 'justice.' Alastar spoke in seething tones, saying he had forgotten his path as a paladin of the Light and needed to find a way to repent and rediscover his true duty.
Enrik brooded over Alastar's words for many nights before deciding to visit Aerie Peak and meditate at the pass his father had been slaughtered in five years ago. The young man's silent reverie was interrupted when Vortice showed up, the two of them soon becoming embroiled in yet another argument regarding Enrik's actions and attitude. Her words meant little to the young man, as he'd begun to ignore her and her patronizing attitude towards him. Her points were only struck home when his own father appeared from the shadows behind him, standing in the exact place he'd died. His body was half-rotten, and stitched together meticulously so as to resemble his former appearance as much as possible. His filthy, rusted Lordaeron Guard armor still covered his decaying features as he spoke to Enrik with a raspy voice brought on by death.
Askari showed great distaste and bitterness upon learning that his son was indeed the young man standing on the cobblestones before him. The rotting warrior beat Enrik down, breaking his jaw and sending him crashing to the road in shock. The warrior's last words to his son were surprisingly heartfelt and conveyed the undead man's true feelings on what Enrik had become.
"I was torn apart by ghouls and have had peaceful rest stolen from me by the Plague....don't make me lose my only son, as well."
With those parting words, Enrik's undead father trundled off into the darkness where he'd appeared from, leaving Enrik in shocked tears. The young man thought hard that night, his mind spinning from all that had happened earlier. After deep, meaningful thought Enrik finally came to the conclusion that he'd been going about his life all wrong, and had indeed been falling victim to the thing his father loathed so much; War. The next morning Enrik resigned from the Argent Dawn for good and tossed aside his old plate armor in favor of new gear and a new life.
===Crix and Second Marriage===
After Gelles' betrayal Enrik became an emotional wreck. He could barely do anything due to his mind being focused on the pain in his heart. One night, however, everything changed for him. Crix Tanner, one of his best friends and someone he considered to be his non-blood sister, approached him and told him she loved him dearly. But the love she had for him transcended mere friendship, and Enrik reciprocated her feelings. Soon they were entwined in a happy, though secret, relationship that they kept to themselves for fear that their other close friends wouldn't approve of it.
After nearly two months of courting eachother in secret, Enrik and Crix finally got engaged and informed everyone they knew at the time about their relationship. To their pleasant surprise, their friends were overjoyed at the prospect of them getting married. Their happiness was doomed to be shortlived, however, as Aure and Kadja were soon forced to enter the Emerald Dream in search of a mad druidic cult that Crix had once worked for in the past.
Both Crix and Enrik were devastated, but they went through with the marriage and were married on the docks of Steamwheedle Port amongst loud cheering and applause from their small audience of friends that had showed up. It was a couple months after this happy day that disaster struck for Enrik.
Crix had begrudgingly left him in order to enter the Emerald Dream and find Aure and Kadja wherever they had disappeared. Enrik was distraught and heartbroken once again, though this time he understood Crix's reasons and knew she still loved him; she just had her duties to her closest friends. Knowledge of her reasons only quelled a small portion of his sorrow, however. For months he remained mournful and lonely, staying inside so as to avoid others, though he did re-enlist with the Argent Dawn in order to keep himself busy and make him useful against the Scourge threat once again. It wouldn't be too long before Enrik's happiness was restored, however, for better times were indeed in the future.
The key to unlocking Enrik's happiness again came in the form of one of his closest friends, a young rogue named Kiah Silvergaze.
===A New Future===
For some time, Kiah had been a close friend of Enrik. They had met months earlier, back during the days of the Order of Lordaeron. Enrik had always found her an interesting and attractive young woman, though he hadn't gotten along with Kerix Falco, Kiah's lover, very well at all. Unbeknownst to anyone, however, Kiah had taken to Enrik almost immediately after meeting him. As time passed and the two of them grew closer, Kiah's feelings for him blossomed further while Enrik remained oblivious and lived a pleasant life with Crix.
It wasn't until much later that Kiah finally got her chance to express her love for Enrik, and win him over. A few weeks after Enrik returned from his home in Theramore, Enrik discovered that Kiah had cheated on Kerix and Kerix had been arrested for supposedly raping a Draenei woman and murdering her husband. After learning more of the story, Enrik told Kiah to tell Kerix the truth and leave him for good. It was advice he had been giving her for months, and he was irritated that she still let him walk all over her. Unfortunately, it was Enrik who ended up explaining the situation to Kerix. Kerix's reaction was everything he had expected, and Enrik was instantly worried that Kerix would try to murder Arkides if he didn't do something to stop him. In order to redirect Kerix's rage at himself, Enrik lied (Though he later found out it was the truth) and told Kerix that Kiah had wanted -him- all along. Kerix, hearing this, became distraught and charged out of he and Kiah's house, his trip culminating in a suicidal charge into the ranks of the Legion Army just inside the Dark Portal.
After Kerix was reported dead by military officials, Enrik and Kiah pulled together even closer; Enrik feeling guilty because of his hand in Kerix's fate and Kiah feeling guilty for her own mistakes. However, now that they were both single, Kiah finally took the chance to confess to Enrik after some poking and prodding from Enrik himself. Once again, Enrik felt an attraction to her that transcended mere physical boundaries. Due to the fact that he had since decided to move on and accept Crix's decision, Enrik reciprocated her feelings and offered to become her partner. The two of them have since come together and are trying to build a future together, though their relationship is still quite young and they have a -long- way to go.
(( In progress... ))
==Known Family==
Askari Hannigan - Enrik's father, and a former Knight-Lieutenant in the Lordaeron Guard. He was also a veteran of the Second War, and an exceptional fighter. Enrik looks up to him, describing him as a hero; strong, righteous, and caring. He was killed while escorting a refugee caravan away from the ravaged capital city of Lordaeron, when the caravan was ambushed by a large legion of Scourge infantry. He died at the age of 43.
Carissa Aerington - Not much is known about Enrik's mother, and Enrik rarely speaks of her. It isn't because Enrik hated his mother, for she was kind, loving, and loyal; both as a mother and a wife. She died in Enrik's arms when she leapt forward to shield her son from an oncoming arrow. Due to the following trauma Enrik experienced, he only vaguely remembers how his mother died. However, Enrik will gladly recall as much as he can about her to those who ask. She died at the age of 37.
Category:Alliance
Category:Human
Category:Blacksmith (A)
Category:Miner (A)
Category:Paladin