Zaala

Zaala is a noble paladin on Shandalar, daugher of lord Alcinore. She and her father are famous for having slain the dragon known as the <c>Scourge of Valkas</c>. Her hair has been cut short to fit in a knight's helmet, and she wears a full set of armor and a lance when she charges into battle. 
==History==
Zaala and her father Lord Alcinore strapped on their armor, as he told her of their quest. It would be one that would transform her from a warrior to a paladin. Zaala listened as her father told her that their mission was to slay the <c>Scourge of Valkas</c>, a great dragon that had been terrorizing the people of Valkas. It had been spotted near Telfer Peak, and survivors of its carnage would be Zaala's and Alcinore's allies. 
As they prepared, her father taught Zaala that pure bravery and uniting the heart and the mind against their foes is what separates a knight from a simple warrior or a barbarian. That is what the paladin's <c>Divine Favor</c> - purity of heart and purity of purpose would grant them celestial boons in battle. 
Zaala and her father rode across the plains and saw the devastation left by the dragon. Entire villages had been burned to the ground, reduced to mere scorch marks. They continued into Valkas and came to a blackened keep, where thirty surviving warriors met them. As she met with the survivors, Zaala felt something rise within her, and she gave them a rousing speech. The warriors' morale was lifted, and though they had never met before, they were struck by her charisma and followed her eagerly on towards Telfer Peak and the dragon.
The dragon's silhouette could be seen as it descended through the smoke, with great gouts of flame spraying from its jaws that illuminated the sky like lightning in a thunderstorm. Zaala raised her lance as the band of warriors chanted a war song passed down from generation to generation. Zaala urged her horse forward and she focused only on the dragon and the song. Zaala's horse broke into a gallop as the dragon came through the haze. Immense, terrifying, impossible to defeat. This was her <c>Path to Bravery</c>. 
Zaala dug in her spurs and lowered her lance. She felt a spiritual energy run through her body as she came within a few jousting lengths of the dragon. White mist formed around her, and her lance burst into white fire. As if forced by an invisible hand, the dragon was pulled from the sky onto the ground. As Zaala charged in, the dragon unleashed a plume of blazing fire that engulfed Zaala and her horse, but a path of light stretched before her. Even within the dragon fire, its light was a brilliance of a higher order.
As the fire washed over her, unable to touch her, Zaala's lance plunged deep into the dragon's heart. The dragon above her sprayed fire and blood, and her band of warriors swarmed over its writhing body, their swords and spears stabbing at it as it collapsed in a thunder of flesh and scales. 
Zaala's quest was done, and her pride helped her to her feet. She was a paladin now, like him, and her quest to clear Shandalar of evil had only just begun.
==Story appearances==
Title 	Author 	Publishing date	Set 	Setting (plane)	Featuring
The Path of Bravery	Adam Lee	2013-07-10 	Magic 2014	Shandalar 	Zaala, Alcinore
==In-game references==
==References==
Category:Humans
Category:Knights
Category:Nobles