Larrendias Dawnwarder

**Grand Mistress Larrendias**, "**The Aphelion of Quel'Thalas**," was once a celebrated and decorated heroine of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas and the Alliance of Lordaeron. She was born to House Dawnwarder, a lesser noble house of High Elven origin that was famed for its exceptional military shipwrights, its naval defense of the High Kingdom's eastern shores, and its stewardship over vast stretches of hostile border territory shared between Quel'Thalas and the Amani Empire.

Larrendias presently serves as the Grand Mistress of the **Sacred Order of the Eternal Dawnlight**, which is colloquially known to most as "First Light." Arising independently from the peaceful separation of her "**Dawnwardens Chapter**" of the Argent Crusade, Larrendias works to precariously guide her Order along a course of political neutrality between the great factions of the New Horde and the Grand Alliance.

## Biographical Overview

Best known in her early years as a ruthless tactician and wartime strategist, Larrendias began her military career immediately following her graduation from the **Sue'sham-Belore Institute of Military Warfare** -- a private senior military college sponsored independently by the **Burnished Reach Covenant**. After receiving her commission and graduating, Larrendias was immediately appointed to her first command: the First Battalion of the **Sunwrath Vanguard**. She would later ascend through further command and senior staff positions until her appointment as the Vanguard's commanding officer.

Upon the day of her daughter's receipt of the command of the Sunwrath Vanguard, Grand Duchess Glacera Dawnwarder gifted Larrendias the southernmost tracts of land in the Sue'sham-Belore Principality, forging with it The March of Alah'setori. Larrendias was accordingly bestowed with a title fitting of her new holdings, and would henceforth be known as **The Margrave Dawnwarder**.

For many years, Larrendias executed the duties of her station, defending not only the borders of her mother's principality, but those of the unified provinces of the Burnished Reach Covenant. By extension, she maintained military oversight of a portion of the southern borders of Quel'Thalas itself, and cooperated frequently with other  Thalassian Military leaders to aid in the collective defense of the High Kingdom.

In addition to these contributions, positive trade relations and bonds of faith shared between the provinces of the covenant and many of the political powers to the south saw Larrendias and elements of her Sunwrath Vanguard deployed abroad, in the defense of allied nations. Over the course of her career, military support was offered most frequently to the  Human Kingdoms of  Stromgarde,  Lordaeron, Dalaran, as well as the  Dwarven Wildhammer Clan of Grim Batol (and later, Aerie Peak).

During the height of the Second War, Larrendias led multiple detachments of her regiment (in addition to several other allied forces) under the unified banner of The Raven Expedition. This task force of elves, dwarves, and humans was credited with multiple strategic victories over the course of the war against the Old Horde. Despite these triumphs, their successes were occasionally criticized for their swift brutality and ruthlessness in the pursuit of victory at almost any price.

In the weeks and days preceding the opening volleys of the Third War, Larrendias was again charged with rendering aid to the covenant's allies in the south. In the wake of receiving reports of increased  Blackrock Orc activity in the southern stretches of Lordaeron, the First Battalion of the Vanguard was deployed. Larrendias was tasked to liaise with a human Lieutenant Commander in the region -- a man named Alden Frost. After establishing a base camp for the battalion, Larrendias and a small accompaniment of senior staff traveled to the predetermined location where they were to meet with their human counterparts. The Margrave Dawnwarder would never return.

Amidst the chaos that erupted soon after the arrival of the  Undead Scourge in Lordaeron, a missive from Silvermoon was dispatched to the remaining Battalion Commander, Gaelatha Brightsong. Despite the Commander's reluctance to depart from theater without personally recovering Larrendias, word was spread that the Margrave's body had been discovered by an allied unit from Lordaeron. The Battalion was to be recalled immediately to aid in countering the Scourge encroachment upon Thalassian border provinces. With no choice but to obey the directive of the crown, Commander Brightsong broke camp and made haste to return to Quel'Thalas.