Arizhel the Orchammer

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=Personality=
Arizhel is not well liked, and that suits him just fine. He is direct to the point of insult and without regret for any offense he causes by speaking his mind. The younger Arizhel thirsted for personal glory; leaving a legacy of his deeds that would live on after his death. Conflict and age have tempered him into a man who believes in Stormwind and its authority. Honor and loyalty to the throne are what he prizes now. His hatred of all things Orcish is constant and unchanging since the days of his youth, and seeing a King who does not deal with the horde puts a smile on Arizhel’s face.
=History=
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Born the son of cooper on the outskirts of Sunnyglade, Arizhel spent his days working alongside his father and his evenings eschewing the books and lessons his mother had tasked him with in favor of mock battles with the other children of the prosperous town. The pleasant life was shattered with the opening of the Dark Portal and the coming of the Orcs. His father was called to serve the militia after the initial assault on Stormwind, but with the stunning victory over the Horde many did not take the threat seriously.
The day Blackhand the Destroyer led the Orcs from the Black Morass and into Sunnyvale will never be forgotten; especially by then 13 year old Arizhel. The town was sacked easily. Much of the populace was slaughtered, many more were enslaved, and the rest fled north as refugees. His father had been slain and he never knew what had become of his mother and younger sister. Carrying a spear too large for him Arizhel fled with his uncle, a sword for hire, to Stormwind itself.
Ever the survivor, Uncle Evard and Arizhel were some of the first to make the dangerous voyage by sea to the safety of Lordaeron. Arizhel would never forget nor forgive the sickly green skinned barbarians that wiped his family away as if they had never existed. Arizhel did not intend to simply survive like his uncle, or die ingloriously like his father: he would leave a legacy.
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For the next six years Arizhel grew from a boy to a strong young man under the tutelage of his mercenary uncle. Eventually Arizhel took his place among the Company of Blades. Being a simple sell sword did not suit Arizhel’s desires, and he entertained the thought of striking out on his own when the Second War broke out with a renewed Horde offensive. The Company of Blades was hired by the noble families of Alterac to serve with the Alliance of Lordaeron against the Horde. For Arizhel it was a dream come true. A chance to make a name for himself on the battlefield, and to once more face the beasts that had driven him from his homeland.
Serving with savage glee and distinction, Arizhel was utterly fearless on the field of battle and quickly rose through the ranks of his mercenary company. Even the likes of Turalyon took notice of the brash young warrior. When the betrayal of Alterac, of Perenolde, became known the distinction Arizhel had earned was torn from him. The Company of Blades was seen as having been hired by the Horde. Many were viewed as traitors and had to flee fearing retribution. Arizhel simply continued to fight, and allowed each Orc that fell to whatever weapon he was wielding at the time reveal where his allegiance lay.
Now a lowly private with the forces of Stromgarde he fought to break the siege of Lordaeron. With the Orcs seemingly fighting amongst themselves the Alliance pushed south, decimating the Horde and forcing them all the way to Blackrock. Arizhel was among the soldiers who fought namelessly and valiantly on the slopes of the fiery mountains. His sword and hammer and axe slew hundreds of Orcs, and though they had won a great victory and reclaimed the lands usurped by the Horde it all felt hollow to Arizhel. He had not found acclaim or glory. He was but one of nameless thousands who had bled on the front lines.
With the Dark Portal sealed and the war over for Arizhel he returned north to ancient capital of Arathor: Stromgarde. There he would spend more then a decade in the service of the weakening kingdom, and there he would meet the woman who would change Arizhel’s life: Amelynn Lynsey.
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Amelynn Lynsey, the niece of Thoras Throllbane, befriended the young soldier, though she was little more then a child herself. She took pity on the dedicated soldier and understood his strange need to leave something behind; to be immortal in a sense. So fond of Arizhel was the little princess that he was made her personal protector, much to his consternation. How could he achieve glory if he were little more then a royal bodyguard? His simple mission became much more difficult when the Prince of Lordaeron returned from Northrend as a servant of the Scourge.
The fall of Lordaeron devastated Stromgarde. Though the country managed to stave off the plague the entire region was destabilized by the loss of Lordaeron. The Syndicate grew in power along with the Boulderfist Ogres. The worst came when Thoras Trollbane was assassinated. The country fell apart. The ogres and the Syndicate stile away the lands of Stromgarde and Arizhel had to take Amelynn away as a refugee. Once more Arizhel found himself on the road to Stormwind with his home shattered behind him.
The young princess, along with her tinker friend Nilly Needlebottom, was taken to Northshire Abbey for her protection and to continue her studies and her service to the Light. When the word came that humans and orcs had banded together with elves to turn back another invasion of the world from the Burning Legion. Humans and Orcs. The very thought of it disgusted Arizhel. He would lead raiding parties into the Redridge Mountains to slay any orcs he cane across. For his tenacity Magistrate Solomon began to call Arizhel the Orchammer, and the name eventually stuck.
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Though no longer a hired bodyguard Arizhel felt obliged to accompany Amelynn and Nilly as they set out to help the locals around Goldshire and then into Westfall to help battle the Defias. As Arizhel toiled in obscurity to keep the priest and gnome safe word arrived that the ancient Qiraji were arising under the direction of one of the Old Gods. Arizhel wanted to follow the call to arms and perhaps find the destiny he so longed for; achieving immortality through his deeds.
In the blink of an eye the warrior found his power dwarfed by Amelynn’s. The proud soldier and protector found himself the second fiddle to the powerful priestess. When floating citadel of Naxxramas arrived in the Eastern Kingdoms and the Scourge renewed its assault Arizhel found himself left behind as the child he had once protected fought her way through burned out city of Stratholme and into the floating citadel of the Lich King.
In the course of his travels Arizhel befriended a young woman named Jen Tai who was a prisoner of the Orcs, sold into slavery and living her life as a gladiator for their bloodsport. After liberating her he took her under his wing to train her further in martial prowess while another young priestess introduced her to civilization.
Arizhel seemed fated to die a nobody; forgotten as his entire family had been. His fortune changed with the reopening of the Dark Portal.
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Arizhel was in Nethergarde Keep when the Dark Portal roared to life and monsters poured through. He was reunited with Amelynn and Nilly when the princess decided to form an order of soldiers to defend the beings of Azeroth from evil in all its guises: The Sovereign Sword. Amelynn named Arizhel the Knight Champion of her order and together they aided the Argent Dawn and the forces of Nethergarde in defeating Highlord Kruul and driving into the ruined world of Draenor. Through the Sovereign Sword Arizhel has met the associates and friends he continues to work with to this day; none more important then the mage Alluria. Beautiful and keen minded, the apprentice of the Kirin Tor has a flirtatious relationship with the older warrior who is more reserved and quite around her; a marked difference from his usual blunt and gruff behavior.
With Arizhel leading the way The Sovereign Sword worked tirelessly to aid the Aldor and Scryers across the Outlands to stem the tides of the Burning Legion. His efforts were concentrated on the Hellfire Peninsula, specifically the Hellfire Citadel. The warrior led many attacks on the citadel, fighting the warchief of the Fel Horde, Kargath Bladefist several times. His deeds earned him repute among the veterans of Honor Hold and among the Sha’tar. Among those in the Outlands the fame of the Orchammer started to grow. With the defeat of Prince Kael’thas at Tempest Keep and his retreat to the Isle of Quel’Danas Arizhel dedicated himself to the Shattered Sun Offensive. This dedication to rescue the Sunwell and prevent the arrival of Kil’jaeden prevented Arizhel from aiding the assault on the Black Temple and Illidan Stormrage.
With the Sunwell secured and the Burning Legion checked Arizhel was at last ready to return home, but he was disappointed in himself. Though his name was whispered here and there, and some would easily recognize the Orchammer he had not built the legacy he desired. No one would remember him when he was gone. It was princess Amelynn, who was nearly half Arizhel’s age, who turned his mind around. Everyone did remember Anduin Lothar and King Llane. Everyone remembered Uther Lightbringer, but it was those like Arizhel that toiled namelessly; that fought and bled and suffered without true reward or recognition that were the true heroes. Amelynn revealed that the legacy Arizhel cherished was already built. A free Stormwind. The Burning Legion defeated in Outland. She gave Arizhel much to consider; perhaps duty and law were more important then glory.
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The return of King Varian Wrynn to the throne of Stormwind was the biggest turning point in Arizhel’s life. The kingdom of Stormwind had been his home as a child, and now he had returned, but so had Varian Wrynn. The king had been a slave and had thrown off his chains and returned to his land with a hatred of the Horde, especially the Orcs. Arizhel swore his fealty to King Varian Wrynn and his loyalty was immediately put to the test when the Lich King launched his greatest assault yet on the living. After fending off the attack of the undead The Sovereign Sword and Arizhel along with them traveled to the northern wastes to do battle with the minions of the Lich King.
This service and dedication to the crown has led the king to declare Arizhel a Champion of Stormwind. Much to Alluria’s consternation he has all but abandoned her to her studies to battle the might of the Scourge under the banner of the Alliance. Alluria’s concerns lay more along the lines of stopping Malygos. Arizhel has ventured into the depths of the forgotten spider kingdom and is a veteran of the assault on the Wrathgate and King Varian’s attack on the Forsaken in the ruins of Lordaeron. Despite the fact that they are death knights and former servants of the Lich King Arizhel has made several allies and even friends among their number, notably Greagoir Steelhand, a fallen Paladin of the Silver Hand. Arizhel admires that his service to Silver Hand in the form of the Argent Crusade under Tirion Fodring has lasted beyond his death.
The death of Arthas and the sundering of Frostmourne has signaled the end of the war with the Scourge. Though the undead still pose a threat, leaderless they can be contained in Northrend. Arizhel has returned to Stormwind a hero and a champion. He serves as a stern instructor for new soldiers and knights entering the King’s service. The middle aged warrior remains ever vigilant to the threat of the Horde or anything else that could disturb the fragile peace.
=Friends & Associates=
* Amelynn Lynsey, Priestess and Princess of Stromgarde, founder of the Sovereign Sword
* Nilly Needlebottom, Gnome Engineer of the Sovereign Sword
* Alluria, Mage of the Kirin Tor, Grand Magistrix of the Sovereign Sword
* Greagoir Steelhand, Death Knight
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