Liftrasa Coalheart

Liftrasa

### Relatives

Muirdan Stonehammer (Spouse), Muirdan Stonehammer Jr. (Son),Thanaticus Stonebeard (Ex-Spouse), Kaspias Tinsmith (Maternal Uncle), Khaldin Coalheart (Father †), Britta Coalheart (Mother †)

### Affiliation

The Dawnforge, The Grand Alliance, Ironforge, The Broken Sword Crusade (Formerly), Order of the Silver Hand (Formerly), The Stormbolts (Formerly)

## Physical Description

### Other

She has two scars prominent scars on her body a puncture wound on her abdomen, and a long scar running down her left leg.

Liftrasa Coalheart (now known as "Liftrasa Stonehammer") is a proud member of the Bronzebeard clan of Ironforge. She is a veteran of numerous conflicts beginning with the Second War. She currently is a member of the Dawnforge, a paladin order dedicated to the defense of the Khaz Modan subcontinent as well as dwarven interests everywhere.

## Personality

> *"Ye might as well give up, me victory is assured..."* -Liftrasa, moments before losing a Moot Drinking Contest
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A sore loser, and an even worse winner, Liftrasa is notoriously ill-tempered, arrogant, and all-around spoiled. She harbors a deep-seated xenophobia against all but a select few species. While this xenophobia is seldom violent in nature, she has absolutely zero tolerance for the Horde or the races generally found with in. She will typically kill them on sight if able and it can be done legally. Coupled with extreme intolerance for people who do not worship the Holy Light, she tends to be generally insufferable unless one meets a very narrow set of criteria. However, this same overconfidence and wrathfulness leads her to usually be incredibly competent in her work, persevering though sheer arrogance and righteous fury where many others would simply falter.

However, like most people, she has redeeming qualities. She is absolutely loyal to her allies, even those she doesn't care for. To her, the right thing is done regardless of whether she feels a person deserves it or not. She is generally a courageous figure, unafraid to fight and risk her life for what she cares for. While she is often seemingly incapable of expressing it, she cares very deeply about her friends and family.

While she is seemingly an ice queen on the surface, she is a woman of strong passions and emotions, often to the point where they rule her.

### Quirks

* She is sensitive about her appearance, particularly her weight. She takes great strides to maintain both.
* She is easily flattered to the point where she might overlook things in people she would normally hate if they pay her particularly good compliments.
* While she dislikes most people, she has an irrational and extremely violent hatred of Orcs.

### Fighting Style

Her meticulous drive to remain at a particular weight keeps her from eating enough to build the hulking musculature of many other martial combatants, but she is of modest physical power. To compensate for her lack of overwhelming physical strength, she tends to be a tactical and defensive fighter, using her armor, shield, and lean physique to endure physically punishing blows that would crumple others.

Her primary role is as a front line battle cleric. She is a capable tank as well as a decent melee and ranged combatant, but she is not a master of any of these roles, instead usually supplementing others. Her strongest focus is on healing (as Lifty secretly hates seeing her allies hurt). As a healer, her specialization is "burst healing." She can rapidly bring her allies to full health but cannot sustain that degree of healing for long. She is not a very technical or creative spellcaster, but what she does know, she uses to the fullest extent of her abilities.

Her grating, annoying presence is hard to ignore which leads to her being able to inspire (or infuriate) her allies into correcting their behavior or following her orders.

## History

### Early Life (Pre-Second War)

> *"Only you can can make yourself into what you want to be, Lifty,"*- Kaspias Tinsmith to a young Liftrasa
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Liftrasa was born the only child of Khaldin and Britta Coalheart into a family of exceptional means. Her parents pampered their only daughter, effectively spoiling her rotten with their considerable fortune. Despite virtually getting whatever she wanted, she was not initially an unkind child, in fact she was vibrant and exceptionally cheerful even compared to other children. However, her lifestyle had led her to be a very overweight as she was allowed to eat whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it. When she came of age to finally start interacting with other kids, she ended up the target of relentless bullying as a result of her size. This bullying often resulted in her seeking out food for comfort, making the issue worse. This would lead her to develop a life-long paranoia about her weight and her general appearance as well as occasionally overeating when depressed.

As she entered adolescence, she resolved to change her looks. With the help of her uncle Kaspias Tinsmith, she began to diet and exercise regularly, eventually dropping to a weight she was satisfied with. It was during these years that she became obsessed with the idea of public service, a calling of sorts. When she told her parents that she wanted to join the military, they were surprised but supportive of the decision. When she entered her early adulthood, she tried and failed twice to make the cut. While she had lost weight and gotten into decent shape, she had no experience in roughing it or following commands and so on. On her third attempt, she made it in, her father having donated a considerable sum to the captain of the Kharanos watch (or rather their unit's funding) to give her a safe and cushy position there. To this day, Liftrasa is unaware this occurred. She would serve as a guard there for around three decades with her concerns usually being related to rambunctious children stealing things and vandalizing property. A poor investigator and a mediocre combatant at best, she would only receive a few minor promotions.

Still, she had a reputation for kindness and being able to deescalate situations. She very much became a part of the community in Kharanos. When her parents passed away in ~50 BDP, he role in the guard would become part time as her main focus shifted to managing her family's extremely profitable coal mine. The skills she developed in defusing and negotiation situations as a guard translates surprisingly well to her dealings with the various guilds of Ironforge. Her comfortable life seemed set in place at this point but that would all change.

### The Second War

As rumors of strange green monsters and war to the south hit Ironforge, Liftrasa would be called to full and active service again as precaution. She expected it would all blow over soon. Stormwind had weathered the Gnoll Wars In her lifetime, it would surely weather this. It wasn't until she heard word of Stormwind's fall that she realized this was not the same. The sub-continent of Azeroth had fallen and Khaz Modan was next. She would participate in the desperate bid to save Kharanos from the Old Horde and was badly injured in the process. She was taken back to Ironforge on a litter, among the last refugees to make it to the stronghold before they would be sealed inside. The fall of Kharanos and being trapped during the lengthy siege of Ironforge was a turning point in her life. It shattered her sense of world she'd known for over 100 years. She succumbed to melancholy and self-doubt, even after she recovered form her physical injuries. The experience of being trapped in Ironforge has led to her feeling safest when she is underground but also very uncomfortable with the idea of being trapped and powerless should such strongholds come under siege while she is in them.

Eventually, the siege would be lifted by Anduin Lothar and her spirits lifted some. She went with the army south to Blackrock Mountain and participated in the battle there. She witnessed Lothar fall Turalyon take up his blade, and with a brilliant display of the Holy Light's power, defeat Ogrim Doomhammer. This moment instilled in Lifty the desire to become strong and powerful, just like Turalyon was that day. She resolved to never be weak and helpless again and made up her mind to become a paladin.

### Interwar Period (Between the Second and Third Great Wars)

> *"There is no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher. Fortunately for you, I am the best teacher,"* -Zaralia Lightcloud to Liftrasa
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Liftrasa departed north to Lordaeron to join the growing Knights of the Silver Hand the year after Blackrock Mountain fell, leaving her uncle in charge of the family business. Her tryout was not stellar as she struggled to manifest even the smallest amount of Holy magic. She was set to be cut when Zaralia "Zara" Lightcloud, a centuries old high elf priestess-turned-paladin, elected to take Liftrasa on as her squire. The high elf set about learning the root of Liftrasa problem: crippling self doubt.

With rigorous training, Zara would help her overcome her self-doubt but would do too far in the other direction. Along with a number of positive attributes, Zara would pass on a great number of flaws to her apprentice among them being extreme zealotry, xenophobia, and absolute arrogance. However, as far as the Light was concerned, it would seem that all that mattered was that a strong conviction was better than a weak one. Liftrasa's power and competence grew tremendously during her five year tutelage till she was eventually knighted herself.

When not needed for her duties, she would return to Ironforge to manage her business affairs. When the orcs began to escape, she was called into service to try and help stop them. This would leave her in the area of Lordaeron when the plague struck. She rallied to Uther the Lightbringer's call to help, but turned away with him at Stratholme. She was sent to Ironforge along with a contingent of other dwarven Knights of the Silver Hand to try and petition King Magni Bronzebeard for more aid.

### The Third War

When Jaina Proudmoore sent out a call for aid to travel across the sea, Liftrasa would answer. She participated in that campaign all the way to the Battle of Mount Hyjal. When learned the full extent of what happened to Quel'Thalas, she sent several missives to her former mentor, Zara, to no avail. Liftrasa presumed the worst and went home at the end of the war.

### Rising Tensions

For a year or two after the Third War, Lifty returned home and firmly established herself as a ruthless business woman who knew how to get what she wanted. Even to this day, her ties to industries that rely on her coal are very strong. However, the tenuous truce between the Alliance and Horde began to fray. For her part, Liftrasa was eager to once again strike at the Horde and any action she could take against them, she did. She fought for a time in such places as Warsong Gulch, the Arathi Basin, and particularly Alterac Valley. Her commitment to fighting these campaigns against the Horde would earn her a number of honorifics later on such as "Justicar" and the coveted "Battlemaster." She hated the Horde and she made sure they knew it.

### Outlands Campaign

Liftrasa joined the Alliance expedition into the Outlands after the Dark Portal opened for the Third Time. She fought most of the campaign in Hellfire Peninsula, primarily over the fortresses to the west of the Citadel against the Horde (though she did her fair share of demon slaying in the region). It was here she would meet up with her former mentor, Zaralia Lightcloud, now a Sindorei Blood Knight. Lifty hesitated to kill her in the battle and tried to convince her to defect. The hesitation cost her dearly and her former mentor gravely wounded her before being forced to retreat by Ignaeus Thrum, a Knight of the Silver Hand and member of the Sons of Lothar. After a few weeks of recovery, Liftrasa, Ignaeus, and several other Knights of the Silver Hand set out to find Zaralia. They spent months searching, but eventually found her at a manaforge in Netherstorm, now in service to Kael'thas. They assaulted the manaforge and in the ensuing battle, Liftrasa killed Zaralia. Lifty does not talk about this event often and often avoids conversations about her mentor. The betrayal of Zara caused Lifty to harbor a deep-seated mistrust of high elves and their derivatives, the void and blood elves. This even extends to Night Elves to a lesser degree by sheer proximity of appearance.

The group returned to Hellfire and would finish the campaign out there as they had began.

### Northrend Campaign

In the immediate aftermath of the Outland Campaign, Liftrasa would help Ignaeus overthrow his ailing uncle who had seized his lands through betrayal as repayment for Ignaeus's aid against Zara. The two would part ways and Liftrasa would join in on the war against the Lich King. Initially, she helped fight the Scourge forces, but after the Wrath Gate, her efforts were almost exclusively on the Horde and the struggle for Winter Grasp. She joined with a band of dwarven and gnome adventurers called "Karglos Telremor" to help in this endeavor. It was in Winter Grasp that Liftrasa would befriend a powerful paladin of Lordaeron named Heimdel. He was a prominent member of a collective of displaced peoples from the northern part of the Eastern Kingdoms known as the "Kingship of the East." While not a true kingship, the group sought to reclaim the fallen lands of the Lordaeranian sub-continent. The leader of Karglos, a dwarf by the name of Ulfenguard Talonaxe, had even at one time been in this banner. They eventually merged into one again, with Karglos Telremor folding into the group's dwarven contingent known as the "Anvilmar Expeditionary Force" (colloquially called "Clan Anvilmar" by non-dwarves in the order, though it was unrelated to the actual clan of the same name). Liftrasa would meet Muirdan Stonehammer, the commander of the expedition, for the first time here.

### Campaign Against Deathwing: The Catalysm

> *"We shouldn't let them in because they're dirty, butt sniffin' woofers,"* -Liftrasa ineloquently arguing why the Kingship should not accept worgen.
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The Cataclysm proved a challenging time for Liftrasa, as she was not one to accept change so easily. Held prisoner in her own home during the Dark Iron Invasion of Ironforge, she was absolutely furious when Varian spared Magni's "traitorous, harlot daughter" and established the Council of Three Hammers. Muirdan and Liftrasa would become fast frenemies in their united front against their new 'allies.' Ultimately though, they lost out when their order permitted Dark Irons to join their ranks as well as worgen. While Liftrasa would take many years to eventually come to tolerate worgen, her passionate dislike of Dark Irons remains. Liftrasa would continued to focus on the Horde, particularly fighting them in the Twilight Highlands with her future husband, Thanaticus Stonebeard. They had many adventures in the Highlands, including accidently taking a portal to Orgrimmar and having to fight their way out.

#### Marriage to Thanticus Stonebeard

> *"I have tha' dress on! I'm marryin' someone today! Get up here, Thanaticus!"* -Liftrasa to Thanaticus after being left at the altar
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Liftrasa had spent much of her life alone when it came to romance. She began to grow concerned about the future of her family. She had also steadily become romantically interested in Muirdan Stonehammer. When he rebuffed her, she didn't take it well and retaliated angrily by spreading slanderous rumors about him. This caused a rift between them and Muirdan departed the order for a time (for unrelated reasons). For nearly a decade, Liftrasa has tried on and off again to win the affection of Muirdan, perhaps the first person she ever came to love.

When this failed Lifty turned elsewhere in desperation, her winning personality making it difficult to keep and attract any suitors. She asked Ulfenguard to arrange something and he reluctantly agreed to marry her to his oldest son. On the day of the wedding, when the priest asked the crowd for objections, Thanaticus swooped down and confessed that he loved Lifty. This prompted the groom to say: "You can have her" and he left her at the altar. Flustered and flattered all at once, Lifty instead married Thanaticus instead. Though a few months later, he would fake his own death to spare Lifty from a dangerous foe pursuing him, leaving Lifty to believe she was a widow for several years.

#### Founding of the Order of the Broken Sword

Discontent with Tirion Fordring's unwillingness to move against Sylvannas during the Battle of Andorhal, Lifty and a number of other staunchly anti-Horde Knights of the Silver Hand splintered off. They believed that Tirion Fordring was unfit to lead the Silver Hand due and proclaimed that Turalyon, wherever he maybe, was the true heir to the Silver Hand. In addition to the monumental task of finding the long missing general, the Broken Sword took struck out on crusade against the Horde. The Order of the Broken Sword would prove a small but formidable order on the Isle of Tol Barad. Prominent members of the Broken Sword included Thorlek (male human paladin), Aarten (male human paladin), and Marthonis (male human priest).

### Pandaria Campaign

Liftrasa along with the other members of the Broken Sword would battle across Pandaria in the wake of the destruction of Theramore. They primarily participated in Operation Shieldwall in Krasang, but would also participate in the assembled forces that sieged Orgrimmar. It was during this time that the zealous crusaders ended their association with the "Kingship of the East" for their tolerance of the 'impure' (Death Knights mainly).

### Alternate Draenor Campaign

The Iron Horde Invasion of Azeroth intrigued Liftrasa and her order. They would cross the Dark Portal hoping that they could perhaps find at least a version of Turalyon in that timeline. When that idea proved a bust, the group committed to the war against the Horde in Ashran.

### Third Invasion of the Burning Legion

During the Legion's Third and seemingly final invasion of Azeroth, the Broken Sword would at last complete its mission to find Turalyon. The campaign began like so many others, focused on the Horde strongholds across the Broken Isles. During this time, the merger of Horde orders into the Silver Hand further fueled the ideiological rift between the Broken Sword and the Silver Hand. However, when the route to Argus was open, the Broken Sword eagerly joined with the Army of the Light and waged war against the Legion more directly until the end of the conflict. The Order of the Broken Sword, quest completed, disbanded when Sargeras was imprisoned. Ultimately, Turalyon would be seen leading the Silver Hand into battle against the Horde during the Fourth War, which was the truest end they sought.

Notably, during this time, Liftrasa would briefly help against the demon invasion of the Twilight Highlands at the call of her friends Ally Ragewrench and Muirdan. It was the first time she would interact with the individuals who would later form the Dawnforge the following year.

### The Fourth War

Lifty returned home for sometime for a much needed break, settling into a life of routine and normalcy for the first time in a long time. It was not to last however. After the War of Thorn ended with the Burning of Teldrassil, the Liftrasa would join in with Ironforge's contribution to the Battle of Stromgarde fighting there for the majority of the campaign. Later on, when the conflict had begun to wind down, she would meet up with Muirdan who convinced her to join the Dawnforge, a group of dwarven followers of the Light committed to defending Khaz Modan. She would join just in time to participate in the battle against the a large group of Ragnaros cultists in the Firelands. She would continue to aid the Dawnforge in Uldum and in numerous other ventures across the world.

#### The Stormbolts and the Death of Ingmarus

In the wake of the Fourth War, with Alliance lands in disarray, a Stromic Knight named Ingmarus Thrum, nephew of Ignaeus Thrum, formed a martial guild to try and help restore order. Amongst their number was Liftrasa and Nenni "Bubblygum" Whistlebell. Soon an old foe by the name of Edrin Stillheart, who had forced Thanaticus into hiding years ago, resurfaced. The Forsaken Deathstalker and mage savant proved a formidable foe for the order. In the final battle, Ingmarus was slain but so was Stillheart. The order was bequeathed to Muirdan Stonehammer who assumed command of the guild. A team of assassins belonging to the Stormbolts played a prominent role in the initial Scourge Invasions after the sundering of the Helm of Domination (Skin-to-Bone Arc).

The Stormbolt Mercenaries disbanded a short time after death of Ingmarus.

#### Return of Thanaticus

Shortly after the end of the Stormbolts, Thanaticus at long last returned. While overjoyed to see Thanaticus alive, Lifty had decidedly moved on and remained widow. Thanaticus once more vanished.

#### Continuing Campaigns with the Dawnforge

For the remainder of the Fourth War, Liftrasa continued to support the Dawnforge. However, the larger scale operation soon faded. By the end of the Fourth War, the Dawnforge stood only as a small organization concerned with local matters in Khaz Modan.

### Shadowlands Campaign

#### Zaralia's End

Lifty led a small expedition into the Shadowlands to explore the realm beyond for the Dawnforge. A letter reached her from beyond the veil asking for Dawnforge assistance in dealing with her old mentor, Zaralia. After learning about Zaralia and LIfty's history, Lifty herself was brought to confront her old mentor in an effort to redeem her soul. In a climactic battle against the enemies of the Venthyr, Zaralia's soul was completely obliterated. The incident seemed to have rattled her and she soon withdrew from active service.

### Time-Skip (Shadowlands to Dragonflight)

Lifty spent a year in Revendreth learning from the Naaru Z'rali, working on herself and acquired some new tricks amongst the Venthyr. Upon returning to Azeroth, she married Muirdan Stonehammer and the pair had a son, Muirdan Stonehammer Jr. She has spend the past few years raising her son and managing Clan Stonehammer's business affairs from the Elementium Halls, the clans home in Loch Modan. She would not return to the battlefield until near the end of the Campaign on the Dragon Isles.