Baldrec Ashcroft

Baldrec Ashcroft was the Admiral of the Seventh Vanguard. Ashcroft is the Lord of Anchoridge, a county that has been within his family since the Arathorian Empire. He is a well-known as a naval hero throughout the Grand Alliance, and was a direct adviser of High Commander Halford Wyrmbane. Baldrec fell in battle against undead forces on the evening of Feburary 20th 625 K.C. in a joint battle with the League of Lordaeron and the First Regiment of the Stormwind Army.
==Appearance==
When you look at the face in front of you, the thing most would notice right away would be his Blue Naval hat signifying he is a man of the Sea. His facial hair is neatly trimmed which is surprising as most men of the water do not keep their self in such shape as does he. His blues eyes attract most attention towards him, other then his hat. When you take a deep look, pain and suffering can be noticed, but is quickly overcome by the grim look on his face. His hair was a dark brown and has greyed into a white color, from all the stress over the years.
==Early Childhood==
Baldrec Ashcroft was born to a noble family in Southern Lordaeron along with his now deceased sibling Ellrick Ashcroft. The two brothers grew up and were very close. The two siblings loved 'sword fighting' with branches they broke off of surrounding trees on the estate. Baldrec's father was an officer in the Lordaeron Navy, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral. After watching his father rise to such a position, Baldrec was inspired to attempt to do so as well.
After that revelation, instead of sword fighting with his brother, he would build rafts and 'sail' them along the coast of Lordaeron, pretending to command a fleet like his father. Eventually after continual begging, his father allowed him to enter into the Kul Tiran Naval Academy, to study formal naval command and tactics. While Baldrec was at the Naval Academy his brother, Ellrick, took a very different route. Instead he joined the Church of Light and trained as a priest under some of the greatest minds of the time.
==Kul Tiras and True Love==
When Baldrec arrived in Kul Tiras, he fell in love. Not in love with a person, but in love with the environment, the city, an the entire atmosphere of the nation. The young lad was escorted to the Royal Naval Academy of Kul Tiras, by some of the royal guards that served the Lord-Admiral himself. When Baldrec arrived and finally settled in, he was introduced to many of the noble residents his age. One in particular stood out to him, her name: Elizabeth Edinburgh. Elizabeth was the daughter of Lord Fredrick Edinburgh, Duke of Northcliff, Kul Tiras, and Admiral within their fleet.
Baldrec excelled in his studies, achieveing one of the highest grades in the Academy, and began to attract a lot of attention from the Naval High Command in Kul Tiras. High Command began to follow Baldrec's path and the work he did within the Naval Academy; Baldrec, however did not particularly care about that at the time, as he was on a different mission. The young man had fallen in love with Elizabeth Edinburgh and would stop at nothing to see her. He eventually convinced her, through a song sung by himself that the two should court one another. She finally agreed to the young sailor from Lordaeron and the two started their long and loving relationship from there. 
Many months later, and after a considerable amount of time spent together, Baldrec finally convinced Elizabeth's father to allow him to marry his daughter. The two wed outside of the Edinburgh estate in Northcliff, looking over the ocean. From that night on Baldrec knew he was only going to truly love one person in his life, and that was Elizabeth.
Later on in the year, Baldrec graduated from the Academy with honours. After the graduation he was offered a position in the Kul Tiran Naval Fleet, and he gladly accepted to remain within Kul Tiras with his wife who was pregnant at the time. Baldrec worked his way up to the rank of Lieutenant within a year's time and was given a small command patrolling the waters of Northern Kul Tiras. Through this experience, the young officer learned the ropes of command and leading small vessels into combat.
==Sailor on the High Seas==
Ashcroft served a few years within the Kul Tiran Navy, Baldrec was offered a position within the Lordaeron Fleet, and was assigned a position within his father's fleet as a Lieutenant. Many Naval battles, victories, and loses occurred as Baldrec continued with his career in the Navy, and worked his way up to being given a command post, on a vessel of his own. Baldrec Ashcroft, Captain of the Lordaeron Navy, and heir to House Ashcroft. Life was good and remained the same for many years. He would often visit his son in Kul Tiras and teach him the ropes of sailing when off-duty. Baldrec was then deployed on a deployment that would send his entire life in a different direction then thought because on that very deployment, Stormwind was attacked. The savages ransacked the city, killed all that stood in their way, and left death, and devastation to all. Baldrec's ship and a few others were sent south, to provide an escort for the fleeing ships of Stormwind. Once they arrived back in Lordaeron, he went back to his duties.
After a few months at sea Baldrec returned home once again, to find his brother awaiting him at the Ashcroft Estate, but he was not in the priestly robes that Baldrec expected, but instead, bright shining armor of this new order they called the Silver Hand. Ellrick had been trained as a Paladin of the Holy Light under this newly created order so he would be able to fight off the Orc invasion. The young Captain took note of this and then returned to his wife and two sons in Kul Tiras as he was on leave. After much discussion and deliberation with his wife, he had come to the decision that he would seek the training of the Silver Hand as well. That night the two slept together for the last time, little did the couple know, they had conceived another child as well. When Baldrec arose the next day, he said his farewells to his family in Kul Tiras and departed to Stratholme to be trained as a Knight of the Silver Hand.
The paladins were essential in winning the war, and the sight of them wielding their mighty war-hammers and holy powers gave others inspiration on the battlefield and the home front. The Silver Hand paladins were truly a sight to behold. After the Second War, Baldrec returned to active duty in the Lordaeron Navy. Eventually peril had once again come over the people of the Eastern Kingdoms, and a new phenomenon known as the Plague started hitting Cities with in Lordaeron. Once again the Knights of the Silver Hand were called in to try to stop the imminent threat over the people of Lordaeron.
The plague eventually took hold of the nation. The Prince of Lordaeron purged the city of Stratholme and betrayed the Silver Hand. Baldrec and his brother both fought the rising Scourge armies with the other members of the Order. Just before the fall of Lordaeron, Baldrec, and Ellrick convinced there aged father, to take one of his remaining ships to Stormwind, along with members of the Ashcroft Estate's staff. Baldrec then travelled back to Kul Tiras, only to discover that his wife was almost ready to give birth to their third child. As Baldrec was unaware of her pregnancy, many thoughts rushed to his mind about the possibilities of who the father was. A few days later his wife gave birth to a baby boy. A complication arose during the birth, and Elizabeth's heart gave out, causing her to pass away just after she caught a glimpse of her last child.
Baldrec, swelling with such emotions that he had never felt before, looked in the child's eyes and he instantly knew it was his. As his wife explained before, on the eve before Baldrec's departure to Stratholme, the two had conceived the child unknowingly. The middle-aged man, with tears running down his face, then smiled at his newly born child and stated aloud, "He shall take the name Aurthur." He then handed Aurthur over to the midwife and kneeled beside his wife, taking her hand in his own and holding it for several hours, praying, and sitting in quiet contemplation.
==The Scarlet Redemption==
Eventually Lordaeron fell to the undead armies that were under the Lich King's control. The two brothers then heard of the formation of former Silver Hand members, known as the 'Scarlet Crusade'. The pair were delighted of the news, and joined as fast as they could. Baldrec had the opportunity to join the Scarlet Fleet, while his brother took to the Inquisition. The zealous Scarlet Crusade purged everything undead, even people that weren't in un-death were sometimes killed off under suspicion. After a long time after its creation, the Crusade began to fall apart. High General Brigitte Abbendis was now in control as her father had sadly passed. When the Scourge Death Knight's took to destroying Tyr's Hand, and the Scarlet Enclave; Abbendis then reformed the Scarlet Crusade into the Scarlet Onslaught. Baldrec, now an Admiral in the Scarlet Fleet followed orders, and set sail for Northerend.
Once in Northerend the Scarlet's started to construct a new bastion named 'New Hearthglen'. Baldrec noticed something strange about Abbendis and the Grand Admiral Barean Westwind. A few days after the suspicious activity started, Baldrec got orders from General Abbendis to take the Scarlet fleet, on what seemed to be a suicide mission. Admiral Baldrec Ashcroft, of the Scarlet Onslaught; had now given up everything to fight the Scourge that destroyed his home land. The target of Abbendis’ orders was not even Scourge, but Alliance men and women. Ashcroft had enough of this. He set sail with his fleet, but not to the target destination that Abbendis had set, but instead the rebuilt city of Stormwind.
As they sailed into the Alliance cities' harbor, Baldrec and a few senior officers paddled onto shore. They then met with Alliance leaders to negotiate surrender with them. All ships and supplies were given to the Alliance in return for safe shelter for all men and women aboard. Baldrec stayed in Stormwind with his father in their new home that was built in Elwynn forest. Eventually the Scarlet Onslaught was defeated, along with the Lich King, and his Scourge armies.
There were still undead in his home of Lordaeron that had to be dealt with. Thus when he heard of a Scarlet reformation called the Scarlet Hammer; he joined as soon as he possibly could, once again, he joined the Scarlet Navy sect, as a captain. Baldrec served in the Hammer faithfully, commanding the few ships that the Hammer had, he was once again in his glory. The Scarlet Hammer then headed to Tirisfal, on a mission to defeat the Whitemane traitors. A night after the Hammer attacked the monastery; Baldrec received a letter offering him a position. The position was within one of the military forces of the Grand Alliance, namely the Seventh Legion. Baldrec was asked to take up the position of Admiral of the Seventh Vanguard. Seeing this as a great oppertunity, and a way to truly serve the Alliance, he gladly accepted. In the process he had to leave the Scarlet's once again.
==A Service to the King==
Baldrec met a man named Colin Taylor: the Marshal of the Seventh Vanguard. The two co-led the Vanguard into Gilneas to re-enforce the Seventh Legion there. When the orders arrived, they set off for Pandaria. The Seventh met with the First Regiment, and attempted to take Twinspire Keep. The Seventh and the First were defeated, and retreated to Paw'don Village. Once they had regrouped they then made their way back to Stormwind, as the time was not yet right to attack the Horde armies. The Seventh recruited men and allies in their time in Stormwind.
Eventually they returned to Pandaria, stronger than ever. Baldrec had then taken ill after sometime in Pandaria. Marshal Taylor returned the men to Stormwind after a number of devastating defeats, at the hands of the Horde. The High Commander called Taylor up north, and demanded that the Seventh Vanguard's leadership resign at once. Admiral Ashcroft was offered retirement and was granted a generous sum of gold. While a few other commanding officers took up positions within other forces in the Grand Alliance. Baldrec's illness left him in a disarrayed state, and leadership was not an option, thus he joined the First Regiment, under command of Lord-Marshal Maxen Montclair.
After a rigorous and straining recovery Baldrec sought out a meeting with the King and requested that the Seventh Vanguard of the Seventh Legion, be placed under his complete control once more, and demonstrated his ability to lead. After much discussion by the High Commander of the Legion and King Wrynn, the Lord Ashcroft was once more placed in command of the Vanguard. With Ashcroft commanding the Seventh Vanguard once more and the unit  was stronger than ever with enough man power to once again carry out operations on their own, without assistance from other units in the Legion. 
==The Southern Settlement==
The Grand Marshal led the Seventh Vanguard on many missions for the Alliance, with their main target being Garrosh Hellscream in Kalimdor. Baldrec participates in lots of politics within the City of Stormwind and it was formerly acting as the Stormwind Judicial Court's Lord-Magistrate. He is deadest on the reformation of the Courts to bring justice to all in the King's land until the stress of his military campaigns and civil life became too much. He resigned from the position of Lord-Magistrate and set his focus on the war against the Horde.
One day Baldrec's good friend Lord Erich Manstein approached him and the two began to talk about the current state of the Silver Hand and its members. They spoke of such events in the recent years that began to rebuild the holy order but failed. They then began to lay the foundations for what is known today as the Silver Hand Congregation. Baldrec was a founding member of the Silver Hand Congregation and Quartermaster to the order.
Baldrec married Lady Tamora Rolhelm, Duchess of Stonewatch. He was then coronated the Duke of Stonewatch and with his wife, ruled the Duchy of Stonewatch. Together they set many reforms in place, that resulted in the rebuilding of the old battle-worn keep, the resettlement of all displaced civilians, and many other things such as rebuilding the Seventh Regiment of the Redridge Brigade. 
The time then came once more when Baldrec and his men and women of the Seventh Vanguard were once more sent out to Kalimdor on their final deployment there. They were ordered to land on the shores and set up base within the abandoned Kul Tiran Keep of Tiragard. Baldrec and his Vanguard launched many successful attacks against the Horde forces that were instrumental to the plan that had been laid out when he was in Stormwind.
Eventually the day finally came when the Coalition forces arrived from the Alliance. Together, along with the Horde Rebels the Alliance forces began to engage Hellscream's Horde in many battles that would allow them to get closer to the final prize: Orgrimmar. Together the Coalition forces fought the Horde in a very bloody yet victorious front that resulted in the successful landing on the beaches of Kalimdor at Bladefist Bay.
The forces then began to march forth, achieving victory once more over the heinous Kor'kron Legion and making their way into the Underhold. Once the entrance to Garrosh's secret holdout was secure, the Grand Marshal ordered an immediate retreat of all Coalition forces so the King's Elite team could take over and finish the job of disposing the Orcish Tyrant Garrosh Hellscream.
==A Heroes Welcome and Fall==
After securing the Underhold and the front on Kalimdor, Baldrec ordered an immediate retreat of all coalition forces. Baldrec stayed behind for several days in order to oversee the retreat of the Alliance forces from the continent. On his final night in Durotar, he stopped by the forward base camp of the First Regiment and met with his longtime friend Lord Maxen Montclair, Lord-Marshal of the prestigious First Regiment of the Stormwind Army. The two men talked for a while and discussed the war and their plans after their deployments were complete. Baldrec mentioned that he was going to take leave from the Legion after the war in order to rest and focus on rebuilding his lost lands. The two began to talk in greater detail and eventually Baldrec was offered a position within the ranks of the First Regiment for when the war was over. Baldrec gladly accepted the offer and said farewell before continuing to his ship that was going to bring him back to Stormwind.
When Baldrec returned he was greeted by Royal Guards informing him of the King's requested presence. Baldrec gladly accepted the invitation and was promptly escorted to the Stormwind Castle. He entered the Keep and was greeted by high ranking military staff. Then the battered commander entered into a four hour long meeting which included his debrief from the campaign, giving the names of the fallen, and naming those who deserve merits and commendations of war. At the end of the meeting, Baldrec was given an unexpected ultimatum to retire from the Legion with all the benefits and glories that had been received as it was no longer believed that he was fit to lead after the Siege of Orgrimmar, and some of the various atrocities that occurred during the Siege.
The battered Marshal accepted the ultimatum and went into retirement from the Seventh Legion. For his success on the front lines, he was also granted a Knighthood in the Brotherhood of the Horse, Stormwind citizenship, and a large sum of gold to keep him comfortable in retirement. Baldrec joined Lord Montlcair within the First Regiment only for a short while before receiving a letter written by his youngest son, Aurthur, he promptly resigned from the First Regiment and the Stormwind Army and set sail for Anchoridge, not knowing exactly what it was his son was so distressed about.
==The Returned Son==
After four days at sea, Lord Ashcroft finally returned to Anchoridge after an entire year of being away. When he made it onto the docks, he was greeted by the frantic young Aurthur. Immediately Aurthur led Baldrec to the dungeon within the family's castle and before Baldrec's eyes he spotted another member of his family.
Malcem Ashcroft had returned to the Ashcroft estate, though he didn't return to his father and younger brother as expected. He had been raised from death by the Forsaken, and out of blind ignorance of his father's principles, returned to Anchoridge, expecting a warm welcome. Baldrec's brows furrowed and a deathly stare revealed its self on the Admiral's aged face. He turned to the Guard Captain and his son, dismissing them by a mere wave of his hand.
The elderly Lord sat down on a wooden chair in front of the cell and continued to glare at the undead being in his dungeon. Malcem, clearly frightened, reached out past the iron bars, trying to grasp his father's hand and cried in a soft, yet raspy voice, "Father..." Rage filled Baldrec's eyes. He calmly stood up and took the torch on the wall, the only source of light in the damp dungeon and dropped it in the barrel of water near him. He then began to walk towards the exit and before ascending the cold stone stairs, he looked back to the cell and said in a cold and emotionless voice, "You are no son of mine, Undead filth." The old sailor then climbed the stairs slowly, with his hands firmly grasped together behind his back.
==A Tale of Revenge==
After his retirement and the final death of his second son, Baldrec began to unwind within his estate in Anchoridge, partaking in various activities to keep his mind occupied, such as sailing, going to theatrical performances, and studying history. The elderly lord did all he could for his remaining son and the people who reside on Anchoridge, an island a few miles off of the coast of Kul Tiras. He kept well-fed and safe from the minor threats that often cause chaos within the island. He even went so far as to hire a special mercenary force to deal with some bandits that managed to make their way onto the island, and action which he was against due to his family traditionally having a force of Knights strong enough to deal with such threats on their own.
One evening Baldrec received an invitation to attend a ball within the mainland of Lordaeron. While in attendance, Aeriyth Dawnsorrow approached Baldrec and began speaking with him. The pair discussed many topics while in conversation until suddenly, out of nowhere appeared multiple Blood Elves. One swiftly hit Baldrec over the head, knocking him out, while Dawnsorrow narrowly escaped.
When Baldrec awoke, he discovered he was in a Blood Elven prison, and guarded by the forces of the Fireborn. Ashcroft was easily able to guess what this was about. He had defended the Blood Elf Tendeal Dawnlight a year earlier at a war crime trial. Ashcroft managed to get the sentence to life imprisonment, but that wasn't good enough for some radicals within the Alliance. They wanted him dead. As the First Regiment escorted Dawnlight out of the Courthouse an elven assassin shot Tendael, killing him. Baldrec did all he could for the elf, but in the end even that didn't prevent him from passing. His son, Tendael Dawnlight II, was out to get revenge, and Baldrec knew that's why he was sitting in this elven prison.
Eventually after he awoke, the face behind the operation appeared, and just as expected it was Tendael Dawnlight II. Blistering in rage, Baldrec demanded to know why he was assaulted and then kidnapped. Dawnlight II spoke with the typical elegance and arrogance of a powerful elf and confirmed Baldrec's suspicion that this was about revenge for the death of his father. The conversation between the two began to heat up, until they were full on yelling at one another and finally Baldrec demanded to know what the young elf wanted.
As Tendael II began telling him what he wanted from him, Baldrec's heart sank. The Blood Elf wanted Ashcroft to convince his longtime friend, Lord Maxen Montclair to give up his loyalty to the Alliance and declare another of Ashcroft's former friend, Erich Manstein a traitor to the Alliance. Baldrec told Tendael he wouldn't do such a thing, but the elf then informed him that if he didn't convince Montclair to take their deal then his wife and child would be brought into the matter as well. Baldrec eventually gave in and went and spoke with Montclair.
When he arrived upstairs to see his friend under heavy guard, stripped of his armor and dignity, he gave a heavy sigh and walked forward to the elderly marshal and gave a curt nod. The two spoke for a while, Baldrec informing Maxen of what the Elves threatened to do and after a while guards came through the door, informing Baldrec that his time was up. They escorted him back down to his own cell and interrogated him for a while before throwing him in a light-barren room and locking the doors.
Days, even weeks went by, yet Baldrec remained locked up in his cell alone, being fed one meal a day and deprived of human interaction. Finally, late one night, the doors swung open, and through them came Tendael II and a group of guards. They restrained Baldrec, put a blindfold over his eyes, and threw him on the back of a horse, and set off to an unknown area. When they stopped they took Baldrec down from the steed, removed his blindfold and Dawnlight began talking to him once more. Baldrec, even though exhausted, starved, and still squinting from the unfamiliar light began arguing with Dawnlight once more. Finally, the elf threw his pal onto the human's face and let out a bright flash of Light, blinding Baldrec and leaving him there to die on the ground, alone.
A while later Baldrec heard someone approaching. Close to death, and unable to see in the darkness around him, he called out. He heard a familiar voice in response. It was the voice of Ailarden Grenn, a former colleague of his back in the days of the Scarlet Crusade. Grenn took him in to Tyr's Hand and had his men and women take care of Baldrec until he was able to walk and see once more. Baldrec, after recovering for the most part then set off on his way to the city of Stormwind in the South in order to escape to the bastion of the Alliance once again.
==The Second chance on the Sea==
Once again weeks went by as Baldrec travelled south to Stormwind. He made many stops along the way to further his study of the original Alliance nations. Finally after making his way through, Gilneas, Alterac, Stromgarde, and Khaz Modan, he set off to Kul Tiras to visit his son, the Duke of Northcliff and finish the last bout of his recovery at his family's estate there.
Finally, fully rested and recovered he set off to Stormwind. He spent a week sailing onboard one of his families older, yet higher class transport ships and on May 30th 624 K.C. arrived within the capital of the Alliance. Baldrec was greeted by his family's estate's butler at the port and escorted to the mansion within the city for a good nights rest in the home was had lived in the past for many years.
The next morning he set out for prayers at the Cathedral of Light. After he had finished he promptly exited the temple and headed towards the lake before spotting a familiar face by the fountain. Thorband D. Fortindun, Brigadier General of the Fifth Fleet of the Kul Tiras Navy, and long time friend of Ashcroft was sitting there with one of his men from the Marines. The two greeted one another and began talking about the past and the current state of things within the Alliance. Baldrec confessed his distaste of retirement and commented on how he wished he was serving in Kul Tiras. Fortindun, knowing Ashcroft's past and experiences then offered the former admiral a place within the Marines. With great joy, Baldrec accepted the position and has been in service with them ever since.
Through the weeks with serving in the Kul Tiras Navy and the Kingdom of Kul Tiras itself, Baldrec noticed the lack of organization that the Knights of the Silver Hand were facing within the Island Kingdom. Determined to solve this problem he spoke with various members of the Navy and of the Church of the Holy Light in order to establish an organized order for the Tirissian Knights. After petitioning the Lord Chancellor of the Church of the Holy Light, Baldrec formed the Order of the Silver Anchor. The Silver Anchor is an organization devoted to the Silver Hand and organization and training of knights within Kul Tiras and its naval forces. Baldrec, determined to ensure that the Knights of Kul Tiras begin taking an active part in the activities of the Church and the Silver Hand, has begun reaching out to many paladins that hail from the naval state in order to build the order up.
==Dancing with the Dead==
In the months after the Siege of Orgrimmar, Ashcroft began receiving letters from an undead woman in the service of the Banshee Queen. The two continued to write hateful and taunting letters to one another over the next several months building up towards the event known as the Dance of the Dead. Directly before the actual event took place, Forsaken forces arrived off of the shore of Anchoridge.
==Sorrow of the South==
(New chapter to come.)
==Slaying of a Serpent==
(New chapter to come.)