Eldric Valonforth

**Eldric Valonforth** is the eighth and youngest child of Luc Valonforth and Lillian Valonforth née Mereldar. Something of a black sheep in his family, Eldric did not delve into arms, the Light, or magic at a young age, but was instead deeply interested in the arts of strategy, scholarship, and history. Born just a year after his older sister Daniella in 7 BDP in the Manor Valonforth, Eldric left home quite young compared to his siblings, and as a result had little to do with his family following his departure, and he had no part in Marwynn's Betrayal aside from aiding the survivors in finding shelter in Stormwind.

## Eldric's youth: 7 BDP - 6 ADP

Eldric was often teased by his older brothers for his interests; something that he soon grew to spite. His father Luc -- known for being emotionally distant and highly demanding on his children -- was just as hard on Eldric, constantly pushing him to make something of himself and implanting him into various involuntary arcane and swordsmanship lessons in a futile attempt to find a vocation for his son. In his free time, Eldric read voraciously, and befriended likeminded nobles' sons and daughters, making a number of connections with scholars who eventually ended up in the present-day courts of Dalaran, Gilneas, and Stormwind.

Eldric soon grew to the age where his annoyance and frustration with his familial status quo led him to look elsewhere for opportunity and acceptance -- around the same time, the Second War was raging in the south and the Alliance of Lordaeron were soon set on retaking Stormwind, which had been lost six years prior. Eldric procured foe himself an apprenticeship from a travelling Alteraci cleric named Nelson Abbenolde who intended to move south and provide support in the war, and then travel across the Eastern Kingdoms to heal the veterans of the conflict and support in rebuilding their communities. Upon learning this, Luc was outraged and felt betrayed by his son after tirelessly working to help him find his calling -- from that day on, Luc and Eldric never interacted again.

## Eldric's adolescence: 6-9 ADP

Although not as deeply devoted to the Light as some of his brothers, Eldric took the opportunity and left home under Abbenolde's tutelage at age 13 in 6 ADP, just as Stormwind was in the final stages of reconstruction and the Kingdom of Azeroth had been restored to human rule. For the next three years, he traveled north from the Stormwind, going through Khaz Modan and the lands of Arathor; in the course of this journey, he was present when Alterac's territory was divvied up amongst the remnants of the Alliance of Lordaeron, and also witnessed firsthand the collapse and betrayal of the Alteraci government, the dissolution of its people, and the rise of the Syndicate. It was Eldric, in fact, who convinced Nelson to leave Alterac behind and continue the trek northward, as the problems facing Abbenolde's homeland were beyond their reach or ability to solve. Eldric made a silent promise that he would attempt to make things right in the future here -- whatever that meant.

In 9 ADP, while traveling through Corin's Crossing in what is now the Eastern Plaguelands, Eldric happened to run into his elder brother Trace -- notably, Eldric and Trace were often quite amicable growing up, as they shared similar temperaments and desires for the future. Trace had just recently left home to set off on his own and was seeking employment in the town, and spent time with Nelson and Eldric for a few days while catching up on their drastically different lifestyles. The topic of Eldric's apprenticeship came up, and Nelson was quick to excitedly inform Trace that he was willing to take on another ward in the journey around the Eastern Kingdoms. Trace was very receptive to this idea -- on the condition that the three of them travel to the Manor and inform the family of their plan, secretly harboring the desire for Eldric to rekindle his bond with the family. Eldric was reluctant on this regard, but ultimately gave in and decided to regroup with his family for the first time in three years.

After a few days' walk to Tirisfal, the imposing family manor greeted Eldric's sight -- a sight he had almost put out of his memory. His arrival spawned a frenzied response and clamor from his family; something that he found absolutely odd, considering his previous treatment from his siblings. In the dining hall, Eldric, Nelson, and Trace presented their plan to traverse the continent in five years -- an itinerary that included Quel'thalas, Stromgarde, Ironforge, and ultimately Stormwind. It would essentially be a retracing of Eldric and Nelson's steps from the past three years, but included stops in the heartlands of the elves and dwarves. All present family members endorsed their support, aside from their father Luc, who had not made himself present during Eldric's appearance. This was the only opportunity for Eldric and Luc to reconcile, and Nelson verbally expressed his disappointment with this state of affairs, which alienated the eldest child, Derek, who confronted Nelson for his insubordinance and chastised Eldric and Trace for associating with him. Despite pleas from his siblings to step down and allow the trio to leave peacefully, Derek cursed the names of his brothers and loudly proclaimed that Abbenolde was incompetent and leading them to their doom. The three left hurriedly, and Eldric caught a glimpse of his father looking down on him disapprovingly from the east wing of the manor. It was the last he ever saw of his father.

## Eldric's young adulthood: 9-15 ADP

### Quel'Thalas

The journey across the continent began the moment Nelson, Eldric, and Trace left the Valonforth Manor -- they traveled east, directly through the heart of Lordaeron, providing alms and healing to hundreds of Second War veterans along the way. Eldric was flirting with the idea of becoming a priest around this time and following in Nelson's footsteps, and convinced him to include a teaching aspect to their mission -- their pilgrimage process soon became a fusion of Abbenolde's clerical practices and Eldric's deep love for the arts and academia. Travelling through the lands of Quel'thalas, Abbenolde was greeted with some respect, which struck Trace and Eldric as an oddity. Notably, the three were not subject to the stringent procedures that humans travelling through elven lands were usually greeted with, and the brothers thought better than to ask Nelson the reasons for his appreciated status in the eyes of the Quel'dorei -- when conversation imminently shifted to the topic, Nelson dismissed it and urged the two to continue the trek. Trace was particularly taken aback by the austere beauty of the Eversong Forest, and the idyllic nature of its people -- upon entering Silvermoon, Eldric was awestruck by the alien beauty of the city and the sheer prevalence of scholarship among its citizens. A typical walk through the streets shed light on topics he had already spent years learning about, and gave him insight into concepts he had not even considered prior.

- Eldric Valonforth, 30 ADP

Trace also found himself eagerly engaged in Quel'thalas -- the brothers persuaded Nelson to remain in Silvermoon for a few days before they set off for the Sunwell, while they both independently explored the city on their own. Eldric, though slighted for his age and stereotyped for his race, proved himself as a bright mind as he engaged the magisters and merchants in conversation; in the meantime, Trace found himself drawn to the Farstriders, and learned elven insight about wilderness living that he had no means of acquiring in the southlands. After three days, Nelson rallied the brothers and boarded a ship to the Isle of Quel'danas, where they trekked to the Sunwell, intermingled with thousands of pilgrims and magic-seeking Quel'dorei. One such Quel'dorei was Vathurian Autumnsong, a ranger from the Quel'Lithien Lodge -- a settlement in the farthest southern extremes of elven territory. Appearing to possess a strength and litheness that stereotyped the elven ranger, Trace approached Vathurian and passively asked him about his status as a ranger, expecting that he would be shunned or ignored -- to Trace's surprise, Vathurian was eager to explain his vocation, even going so far as to cite his status at the Lodge and explaining the rangers' purpose in lands so close to human territory.

Trace and Vathurian continued to have a stimulating conversation about rangerhood, while Nelson and Eldric admired the raw and esoteric power of the Sunwell before them. Bathing in the light of the well, Eldric turned to Nelson and acknowledged his long-withheld desire to pursue the priesthood, and lamented that they would have to soon leave and travel south. Not long after, Trace and Vathurian joined them, and indicated that Trace wished to stay in Silvermoon and become a ward of Vathurian's. After some negotiation, it was decided that the four of them would travel together, especially when Vathurian became aware of the purpose of their journey -- Autumnsong was deeply affected by the harmony that the trio was attempting to bring across the continent, having been spared by an Amani early in his life. This event led to him having a total reconsideration of races he previously perceived as inferior, and now felt the same conviction that Eldric, Nelson, and Trace had carried in their journey to the Sunwell. Vathurian and Trace agreed to travel alongside the two, as long as Vathurian was allowed the time to train Trace as a ranger, much like their contemporary Nathanos Marris -- a comparison (often demeaning in practice) that Trace oft received while under the tutelage of Autumnsong.

### Gilneas

Before long, Eldric, Trace, Nelson, and Vathurian set off on the road, departing the Sunwell, Silvermoon, and the Valonforth brothers' newly beloved Quel'thalas -- they would only return once more before the events of the Third War caused the blood elves to join the Horde.

The four were well-received as they returned through familiar settlements in Lordaeron -- Vathurian's kind demeanor was a pleasant surprise to most humans, as many of them had seldom interacted with a high elf directly. The group considered returning to the Valonforth Manor once more before traveling south for good, in order to introduce Autumnsong to the rest of the family and share their experience in the elven heartland, but Nelson dissuaded the group from doing so -- inadvertently preventing Eldric and Trace from seeing their parents and their two eldest siblings before their death. Travel through Tirisfal and the Silverpine Forest was otherwise uneventful, which was aided in part by the diverse skill set that the group collectively possessed. The group encountered their first real conflict in Silverpine after having been confronted by a cadre of bandits calling themselves the Vardenac Society -- the ensuing battle was inconsequential for both parties, with a few well-placed arrows and the wrath of the Light resulting in several dead bandits and no casualties on the Valonforth side, but the Vardenac Society continued to track and follow the Valonforth brothers for years thereafter.

Upon reaching Gilneas, the four were greeted with the imposing Greymane Wall, which had just been finished to equal parts acclaim and outcry -- the autarkic Gilnean people were deeply distrustful of Lordaeronians owing to their national disagreements following the Second War, and Gilneas was about to face a new conflict as Lord Darius Crowley objected to the involuntary loss of his demesne beyond the wall, fueling what would become the Northgate Rebellion.

It became immediately clear that entrance into Gilneas was likely more trouble than it was worth; as such, the group endeavored to forfeit their original plans and instead were set on traveling to Stromgarde, spending the night in a tavern in Ambermill before embarking. Ambermill was a Gilnean town that represented the kingdom's northern holdings, and in wake of the Greymane Wall's construction, the populace felt alienated, and the group had unknowingly thrust themselves in the midst of the Crowley faction by stopping in Ambermill. Some hours after the group had settled into their quarters, the town hall of Ambermill was torched and its inhabitants publicly executed in the square, having been accused of being Greymane apologists. The organizer of this riot was Edward Rowely, a merchant and small-time entrepreneur who had almost exclusively had business enterprises in Gilneas that were now deemed inaccessible to him with the construction of the wall.

- Edward Rowely, 10 ADP

The ruckus was more than enough to stir Eldric and the others, who gathered in Trace's room to devise a contingency plan if they should get caught in the crossfire; beneath the room, the tavern soon became the site of some chaos, as violent brawls broke out between self-proclaimed rebels and loyalists. After the events of the town hall torching took place, the rebels came to the tavern and flanked the loyalists at the door, beating and detaining them to be tried by the populace in the morning; Eldric came to the first landing of the stairs, much to the chagrin of the rest of his group, and was soon spotted by the rebels, who clamored after him -- he locked himself in his own room and barricaded the door with its sparse furniture so as to prevent his entourage from being attacked for his mistake, and woke up leaning against the dresser he had moved in a daze some hours prior.

When Eldric woke and emerged from his room, he was alarmed to find that Vathurian, Trace, and Nelson were nowhere to be found. In fact, the entire tavern was desolate -- upon wandering outside some minutes later, a young woman immediately held him at gunpoint and prodded him along as he went to the town square; soon, he realized the same fate had befallen his brother, Nelson, and Vathurian, as they stood captive next to the bloodied loyalists who had been enchained in the feverish events of last night. Dread set in as the real possibility of being executed by the people of Ambermill crept ever closer.

WIP

## Present day

Eldric has since not returned home, as there is little to return to. For most of his life, he has been very distant from his family, and traveled south to Stormwind following the Third War's conclusion, where he has lived since 24 ADP.

In the meantime, Eldric has been researching the details of his house; what it truly means to be a member of House Valonforth. For two years, he has been shuffling back and forth between having a hand in the council of Darkshire, to advancing on the council of Stormwind City itself, and then finally settling down into a comfy position where he can support his kingdom, while at the same time pursuing his desires of furthering learning, administration, and researching his heraldry and his nobility. As of late, he has discovered and summoned Eldain Valonforth, the son of Lucas, and intends on teaching him more about his family, who was just as puzzled about his ancestry as Eldric was before he began his personal project to delve deeper into it.

Despite all this, however, Eldric has no idea what has happened to most of his family. Although he knows that Lordaeron has fallen and fears the worst, he harbors a shred of hope that most of his siblings (and, by extension, his nieces and nephews) still breathe.