Silesse Dawngale

Silesse A. Theristan is a Quel'dorei paladin, soldier and knight of the realm. To some, she is known by titles--Dame Silesse the Gracious, or The Dawn's Fang. A child of Lord Mordane Dawngale and Lady Helera Ambermorn, Silesse's birth brought her privilege that went beyond the comeliness bestowed by heritage. Not only had she been schooled in feminine graces and etiquette of both high elf and human aristocracy alike, but when she announced her interest in sword-play (much to her mother's dismay), her father more than happily afforded her a mentor.

Some laud her to be a woman of considerable morals, while a smaller handful criticize her ability to so-easily forgive. Her acceptance of other races unnerves many, regarding the reputation for pomposity of her kin. To this, Silesse replies that the Light has humbled her. Her sympathy for the Lordaeronian and Gilnean people is often expressed, and while her gratitude for the humans of Stormwind granting the acceptance of her people is eternal, she believes she will never feel as welcome as she did when surrounded by the splendor of Quel'thalas.

Though tales of war and the Orcs were spun by the mouths of gossips, Silesse had never truly faced combat until the Second War, save for small groups of trolls that had never left. When word first reached Quel'thalas of the Orcish Horde, Silesse was disappointed in the king's initial decision to send but a small sect of his forces to aid the Alliance of Lordaeron in battle. When Ranger Alleria Windrunner returned with the head of a troll in tow, the able-bodied of House Dawngale and elves alike took up arms at the word of their king.

Silesse was one of the small few who refused to take leave from the Grand Alliance, fighting alongside them to battle the Scourge threat and the Horde.

Though she isn't as young as she once had been, Silesse is said by some to be a woman of chivalry and honor. Often, she can be found in the Cathedral ensuring the peace and sanctity is upheld, defending the pious in their worship at any cost.

## History

### *Childhood*

Silesse was born as one half of a twin pair to Lord Mordane Dawngale and Lady Helera Ambermorn. Both parents were thrilled, as not only had Lord Mordane lamented about his hopes for a son to pass his strength and knowledge of the sword, but Lady Helera hoped for a beautiful baby girl whom she would teach to sing, braid and proudly uphold the honor of both houses. Silesse Avalise Dawngale was born only moments after her elder brother, Tharaen Viserus Dawngale. As their mother once recalled, were the two to ever be separated, they would wail incessantly. From there, the two grew with a bond so strong that they could often tell when the other was in lower spirits with so much as a glance. It was at the very beginning of Silesse's adolescence and the ending of her childhood that she and her brother were already betrothed to elves of other houses; marriages of convenience that their families hoped love would find.

### *Adolescence*

As Silesse and Tharaen grew, they began to understand their family's wishes for them and just how different they were--no doubt factors based on their sexes. To Silesse's disdain, while her mother taught her to sing and play elven tunes, Lord Mordane was teaching Tharaen the art of battle and how to effectively wield a blade and shield. For several years and with the intent to please her mother and house, Silesse continued her studies. Etiquette, embroidery, literacy and history each had its own mentor, though Silesse was particularly close to her mentor in singing. Unbeknownst to all, Silesse has a talent for the art but willfully chooses not to speak of it. Even though she'd pleased her parents and family, she still felt a void. She'd not yet met her husband, but found herself to be jealous of the bond Tharaen and his own soon-to-be bride began to share. No longer was she the important woman in his life, and feeling replaced, she began to internalize her resentment. Tharaen recognized Silesse's ire, but could not pinpoint the reasoning behind it, and he too began to resent her.

### *Adulthood*

With Silesse's growth came the blossoming of features no doubt favored and preserved by the elves before her. Suitors were enamored with the young Lady Dawngale, but to the dismay of many, Silesse sought to preserve her maidenhead and swore a personal vow to keep it for the one she would wed, a vow to which she presently holds true. From afar, she watched as the promiscuity of other elven women her age earned them the sting of the community's ire and the judgemental eyes of a gossip. While others concerned with marriage and the like, Silesse set her eyes upon an opportunity she'd waited so many years for--the opportunity to learn sword-play. Despite Tharaen's mockery and her mother's anguish, Lord Mordane only laughed and bent to the wishes of his beloved daughter. Although at first her training began as a joke amongst the Dawngale family, her quick-learning and willingness to persevere eventually forced the men and women of her house to look upon her, rather than down on her. With the months that came, Silesse made little excuse to miss a day of her training, going so far as to blatantly disregard an evening spent with a suitor in favor of her lessons. The success of his younger sister made eyes of arcane green with envy, rather than fel, and Tharaen no longer mocked her. He instead ignored Silesse entirely.

As the young elf's training drew to its end, Silesse had yet another goal in mind: to obtain The Dawn's Fang, the blade wielded by only the finest swordsmen of House Dawngale. Reluctant at first having known her brother shared the same target, Silesse no longer felt spite towards Tharaen. She felt pity. No women of House Dawngale had inherited the blade, and she knew the elders would be less-than-willing to break tradition. Tharaen had bested nearly every swordsman in their house, but hadn't even bothered to consider Silesse an opponent worthy of those he'd defeated. Insulted as she was, she realized her brother simply feared to face her, knowing he would be forced to concede The Dawn's Fang if he did.

When the day came that the Dawn's Fang had been entrusted to Tharaen rather than Silesse, something within her sparked the confidence that brought her to cast her gauntlet at her brother's feet. Defiant to the wishes of family, rather than having her disowned, Tharaen seized what he thought would be the opportunity to remind the young Silesse of her place. In a stunning display of the younger Dawngale twin's combat prowess, Tharaen was defeated. Rather than further adding to the poisonous sibling rivalry that had been festering throughout the years, he'd come to have a newfound respect for his twin. From there, it was declared that both men and women were capable of inherting the Dawn's Fang, so long as they possessed the skills necessary to wield it.

## Chance Encounters

Lady Helera felt it necessary to incite feelings of diplomacy between House Dawngale and the humans of Lordaeron, repeatedly sending her two children on missions to the human kingdom with the intent to learn the culture of its people. Begrudgingly, Silesse and Tharaen agreed. While at first the two incited suspicions and strange looks, Silesse came to learn of the Brotherhood of the Horse, and found she were intrigued. The stories of the ferocity of the Knights of Azeroth captivated Silesse, and she came to admire the chivalry displayed by the knights that remained. She began to ponder the possibility of becoming a knight of Quel'thalas.

While Tharaen continued to look upon the humans with a condescending air, Silesse instead began to share in stories with men and women fighters of Lordaeron alike. She was careful never to spend too much time with humanity, for her interest in them was earning the ire of her soon-to-be husband. Regarded as a woman of Thalassian peerage and taking into account her curiosity in the human knights, Silesse was often invited and encouraged to attend jousting tourneys and knightings alike--much to the reluctance of several humans who actually hadn't come to accept the high elves entirely. Although there were attempts to woo and court Lady Dawngale, Silesse was often reminded of her duties to her people and bloodline, shunning all romantic advances. Tharaen also saw fit to duel any who sought the hand of his younger sister.

## The Symphony of Steel and Hymn

Silesse was mentored by the reigning Knight-Champion of Quel'Thalas, Isaeleth Dawnwrath. Long had the Dawnwraths served Quel'Thalas and the Sunstrider Dynasty in ranks of prestige, some serving as honor guards to the families of the Convocation of Silvermoon and some as high commanders within the Thalassian armies. The Dawnwrath lineage is one of considerable pedigree, possessing both the usual aesthetic as all elves and talents in wielding the tools of war. For centuries, there was an unspoken rivalry between Dawnwrath and Dawngale elves alike, before it was "proven" that the House of Dawnwrath was of greater affluence and combat prowess. Silesse's father found the knight-champion's skill undeniable, and sought her out.

 File:Isaeleth Dawnwrath.jpg
At first incredulous, Isaeleth found herself amused by the young Dawngale's ambitions.There was little time for rest in her training and even less time to repeat a mistake. The threat to cease her training loomed over Silesse and served as the encouragement to train and spar even when her sessions with the knight-champion had long ended.

As her training neared its end, Silesse and Isaeleth realized they had grown close--Isaeleth was the sister Silesse had always wanted and Silesse reminded Isaeleth all too well of the younger sister she had lost. The end of her squireship under Isaeleth was marked by a final spar, with Isaeleth yielding. While they seldom saw one another following the end, the two continued to hold one another in fond respects.

Silesse still remembers her mentor in vivid detail, from her assertive demeanor and locks of a vibrant scarlet hue.

## A Severed Bond

It was sometime after the sacking of Quel'Thalas that Silesse found the cold body of her twin Tharaen in the Manor of Dawngale. She came to his room with the intent to bid him a good sleep, only to find he would never wake again. At the sight, Silesse fell to her knees in shock and grief. He had been poisoned, undo

 File:Loss of a brother.jpg  ubtedly by a woman, for the smell of her perfume lingered like a blight that further grasped Silesse's heart in grief. The dead Tharaen and grieving Silesse were discovered on the morrow, for the young fang sat in mournful silence with not a wink of sleep. She had not only lost one of her blood, but a brother and best friend.

## The Light That Mends

Silesse walks into battle with the Light, and it with her, as is seen in her healing. Word of her exceptional healing capabilities have spread quickly, even earning her a title -- "The Light of Ravenshield."

 File:Healing Touch.jpg
## Philosophy

Silesse strives to uphold the older codes of chivalry that was to be expected of a knight and/or dame. They serve as the basic foundations for her own philosophies and how she goes about her extended life. Several that she especially attempts to hold true are--

* (To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit) Silesse does not partake in gossip nor slander. Having been born into the class she was, she was witness to the rise and fall of many once-prestiged reputations. Plenty of these good names, as she recalls, were soiled by harmful rumors. At most, she is polite to those she doesn't view as "friend."
* (To give succour to widows and orphans) Silesse herself is a widow, but she had never come to love her husband. She felt no such grief when he died in battle, but she herself has seen women who've mourned for the love they lost. She is also an orphan but she chose to silently grieve over the loss of her parents--her father especially. She had little time to mourn and immediately assumed her birthright as matriarch of the House of Dawngale. Ironically enough, she encourages those who have lost their loved ones to grieve first before taking on the stresses and duties required of them by their families. She often lends her ear to these women and children, sometimes even donating a reasonable portion of her own wealth to better sustain them.
* (To protect the weak and defenceless) This is one aspect of knighthood Silesse takes far more seriously than the rest. She believes the ultimate dishonor and disgrace is to strike down one who is lame or incapable of self-defense. Her view on this matter differs where the Horde is considered, but when it comes to those within the Grand Alliance, she stands by the notion that ***anyone*** without the means to protect themselves should not be harmed.

The Sin'dorei

Silesse displays but a slither of remorse when slaughtering the elves who remain within the Horde. It's possible her disdain stems from the political turmoil that has fallen upon the House of Dawngale, created from the rift torn between her people. Her cousin Ansarrie refuses to name herself a high elf once more and also refuses to submit to the Alliance. Her views have likely changed since taking up the Highguard's banner.

Humanity

The dame sees much potential in her human allies, and has been impressed on occasion with their military tact displayed by a number of banners, their ability to adeptly wield magic and often how fluently the few of them speak her kind's language. Like the other races, she has no interest in their political agendas unless involving herself and a mass scale of the people. Their shorter lifespan has often been the subject of both her own pity and envy.

* **The Gilneans** - Silesse feels pity for the Gilnean people as a whole, as they're both people who have lost a home and kingdom. Her sympathy drew she and a Gilnean man together, though their short romance bore no fruits as she believes he fell to the Forsaken in the fight to re-claim his homeland.

## Character

Silesse's kindness is unnerving to some regarding the pomposity her people are known to display. She isn't always known to be social and prefers to be alone in such times as prayer and hardships. The centuries of loss and war have taught the elf how one is to survive while being alone, though this isn't to say she doesn't feel lonely. It isn't known to whom she confides these feelings, only that she speaks to no one else of them. Her temper is unusually serene, even despite insults or poisonous remarks directed at her personally. She believes it matters more to what one responds, rather than what they are called. On rare occasion, she has been known to retort with a very clever quip.

While she doesn't mind careless insults, she will readily take up arms in defense of her own honor or that of another. She will not court a man nor woman who cannot best her in combat.

Silesse has been described as having the souls of two very different women inhabiting her body. Her seemingly-unwavering compassion is forgotten when combatting the Horde legions and her magnanimity that strikes some as problematic is tempered by her often sound judgement. She lives by the saying "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."

### **Physical Appearance**

At first glance, Silesse strikes some as a woman more befit for resplendent gowns and ivory teapots rather than her bloodied-plate and bastard sword. Standing tall at her 5'11, Silesse's lifestyle of war has bestowed her the muscle necessary to not only lift the Dawn's Fang but to wield it with the deadly grace she has been known to display. Wisplike curls of blonde drape in a dazzling mass of gold to the small of the elf's back, on occasion drawn into a high bun.

A vision of Thalassian exquisiteness, the dame exudes grace in her strides with shoulders poised back and a posture that never slacked. Seldom would her head lower if not to dip in courteous greeting or to recognize one of higher station than herself; exhibiting a woman emboldened by the knowledge of her talents.

## The Phantom

It isn't known how these two came to know each other and they don't often speak of it. Silesse and the half-elf roguess known only as "the Phantom" share a very volatile relationship; Silesse prefers honesty and honor while the Phantom understands that sometimes deceit is required to best your foe. Although they are never seen in one another's company, they have a mutual respect for one another.

Silesse respects the Phantom regarding her abilities and her history as a very decorated Si:7 Captain while the Phantom respects Dame Dawngale's steadfast honesty and her willingness to defend the realm. The two speak not of their work, only how to protect those they love. Surprisingly, the Phantom and the elf's social circles aren't terribly exclusive. This isn't to say that they always respect whomever the other associates themselves with.

With Adela's death, as per her last request, Silesse has taken it upon herself to preserve the woman's namesake: her mask. Until such a time Adela's student has been deemed worthy by the Phantom's unnamed companion, it remains locked away.

## The Strongest Flame

*"I've half a mind to take him up on the offer." -* Silesse to a friend when asked if she would have dinner with the man who would come to be the source of love and warmth in her life, Marshal John Theristan.

Before meeting John, Silesse decided romantic love to be out of the question for her and believed the only love she would know in her life before finding her niece and nephew again was her love for the Light. Time and time again, her courtships had fallen through on account of duty or because the feelings withered away. With history being her greatest teacher, the dame believed a similar fate would come of her relationship with the Marshal. But fate had a different plan for them entirely.

Their relationship began with the Marshal coming forward and confessing to the elf that for a time, he'd been quietly admiring her from afar, but never quite had it in him to approach her until then. Silesse was flattered. Having heard stories of his prowess through others, Silesse couldn't deny she admired him in her own right. Somewhat hesistant, Silesse accepted the Marshal's offer for them to better know each other. Due to their duties as soldiers, they were only ever able to meet late in the evenings. Rumors came and went that much more than talking went on in John's office long before the two wed, but they were either dismissed or put down entirely.

The more they talked, the more they realized they had in common. Reluctantly, Silesse admitted to be falling in love with John. Despite his lack of lengthened ears and glowing eyes, he was all that she dreamed of in a companion and more. She was reminded that if the relationship became something more serious that she would likely outlive him. The prospect of living beyond his years weighed heavily on her mind, and for a time, Silesse grew distant as a means of protecting herself. After confiding in a priest of the Clergy, Silesse realized the importance of living for the present and was quick to return herself to John's arms. Things went on as though they never changed, and realizing how their lives as soldiers were possibly shortened, John took Silesse for his own and wed her. Though they have yet to have a ceremony, the marriage is recognized and legitimate.

Silesse gave birth to a half-elf child, a beautiful daughter with John's black hair and the glowing eyes of her mother. They also adopted a young boy whose parents had died in the Pandaria conflict. He's particularly close to John and already calls him "Papa." He hopes to be like him despite Silesse and her husband hoping their children never have to follow in their footsteps.

## Friendships to Last

* **Melariel Aeraloth** - Despite being a century Melariel's senior, a fiery temper and iron will have been Dame Aeraloth's aid in besting the Lady Fang in spars several times over. Dame Melariel hails from the House of Aeraloth, a Sister-House to the House of Dawngale. The two houses share twin bastard swords, the Fang of Dawn and Fang of Dusk. Dame Aeraloth wields the latter. Melariel does not share in her friend's love for humanity and abhors the idea of crossbreeding with mankind. However different their philosophies, timeand time again they have fought at one another's side, forging a bond that remains unbroken no matter their quarrels. File:The Final Walk.jpg
* **Velroth Sunwhisper** - Having met through her own cousin, Fae'Lise Highwind, Silesse's respects for the Sunwhisper knight have deepened throughout the many years they've known each other. Their kinship was solidified when Velroth learned Silesse to be courting his dearest friend, John Theristan, even going so far as to bless their marriage; believing their love to be true and everlasting. Silesse has her own hopes for Velroth and Fae'Lise.
* **Dilan Ravenshield** - Silesse has always and will always consider Dilan and those serving him friends and allies. He was the one to bestow her the alias "Light of Ravenshield."
* **Anna-Marie Debron -** When first they met, the young Silver Hand squire was sitting near the wedding gazebo and sobbing quietly. Silesse approached her, learnt the source of her woe, and the two became steadfast friends. Silesse has become an elder sister figure to Anna-Marie and has even been seen scolding her a time or two in public.
* **Gathrian "Justice" Rosewood** - They were encouraged to court one another, and while it didn't last, the two remain steadfast friends, with Gathrian even offering his full support in her marriage to John. Gathrian now serves as her captain within the Silver Lion division of the 117th.
* **Aurious Hightower** - A templar within the House of Ravenshield, Silesse and the old knight remain close friends despite having not spoken for sometime.

## Trivia

* Silesse's knightly vows are loosely based off of those mentioned in *The Song of Roland.*
* Silesse's favorite animal is the leopard.
* She loves strawberries!
* Silesse's name is pronounced: ( Sill - Less )
* If at any point within the city Silesse is having a conversation that is none-too-serious and she spots John, she will abruptly charge towards him and delightedly embrace him.
* Silesse and Zaraki / Theristan are best friends OOC despite him incessantly calling her "Silesseroni."