Salvina Ward

Salvina Ward is a fierce but kindhearted woman with nearly a decade and a half of experience in warfare. A commoner by blood, she has had to use her skills, her heart, and her mind to advance up in the world and carve her own destiny. A highly skilled soldier with an extensive career, Salvina now uses her experiences on and off the battlefield to aid the Duchy of Caerseren as well as the Kingdom of Gilneas, and presently sits as the Lady Commandment of the Duchy's Armed Forces, advising Duke Ashland Whiteraven on matters of military importance. Kind to her friends and merciless to her enemies, Sal now fights to ensure her children and her loved ones can see a brighter tomorrow, and won't let anything stand in the way of her goals and dreams.

## Salvina Ward

### Relatives

Significant Other: John ThyrayneMother: Mrs. Samantha Ward née Baker (Deceased)Father: Mr. Douglas Ward (Deceased)Brother: Harry Ward (Deceased)

### Occupation

Court Commandant (Privy Council), Lieutenant of the 3rd Special Forces Brigade

## Childhood

Salvina Ward was born in the town of Lakeshire, Redridge Mountains as the youngest child of Douglas Ward and Samantha Ward née Baker, a soldier from Alterac and a medic from Stromgarde respectively. After moving south to the kingdom of Stormwind, the happy couple raised their son and daughter in the shadow of the Redridge Mountains. Salvina grew up learning many skills that would serve her well in life, such as how to forge weapons from her father, how to dress wounds and be kind to the unfortunate from her mother, and how to fight and bear arms from her brother Harry, who would go on to serve in the Stormwind Army stationed in the region.

The Army certainly need stationing, for the Mountains were always occupied by bandits, gnoll gangs, and raiding parties of Blackrock Orcs from the Burning Steppes. The orcs would often come south to plunder farms and villages, and sometimes in such numbers as to threaten Lakeshire itself. Harry Ward was one such casualty, as when Salvina was young he was slain defending Stonewatch Keep from a war party of orcs. Her parents never got over such a tragedy and by the time Salvina had matured and nearly reached adulthood, they had passed as well, leaving the young Ms. Ward afraid and alone in the world.

## Early Adulthood

After her parent's deaths, Salvina Ward packed up what little possessions she had and walked out of Lakeshire, intending to make her own destiny. All she had to her name was a satchel her mother owned, the cloak of her late father, and the sword that Henry had fallen alongside. She wandered for many months on the road as a nomad until she was recruited into the Stormwind Army at the town of Goldshire. War had broken out between the Alliance and the Horde, and soldiers were needed at the front lines in Lordaeron and Kalimdor. Eager to be as far away from home as possible, she enlisted into His Majesty's 2nd Legion Infantry and was soon deployed to northern Lordaeron. Her first major engagement was at the Battle of Andorhal, where she distinguished herself in the twin conflicts, fighting heavily in the fallen urban sprawl against the Scourge and the Forsaken until being pushed back after several days of fighting.

Eventually the 2nd Legion was deployed to the islands of Tol Barad and the seas surrounding it, where even heavier fighting occurred against the Horde Navy. Nearly seventy percent of the 2nd Legion were killed or wounded in the brief campaign, and they were forced to absorb whatever forces they had left with the 7th-the toughest and most experienced group of soldiers Stormwind ever produced. Due to this, Salvina had fought heavily in the Gilnean Campaign against the invading Forsaken. She'd spend nearly a year fighting on the Peninsula in a series of quick, bloody, and decisive battles where the key to winning wasn't organization and shield-walls, but strategy and ambushes. Surprise attack after surprise attack until she was called back to the newly reformed 2nd Legion in Kalimdor. There she fought in dozens more battles, eventually rising to the rank of Sergeant thanks to her service in saving her General's life in the Battle of the Battlescar. Salvina also saw action at the Sacking of Taurajo, the Siege of Northwatch Keep, the Fall of Theramore, and eventually to a series of battles in the Pandaria Campaign. From the Jade Forest to Kun-Lai Summit and beyond she fought, and was there at the very end.

As with many other conflicts before, Salvina fought in the vanguard during the Siege of Orgrimmar, being some of the first boots on the ground when the gates had fallen. Most of her battalion was slain fighting the Iron Juggernaught-a massive Orcish war machine that was deployed during the initial phase of the battle-but she managed to survive its onslaught to go deep into the city, destroying the spirit of the enemy and helping to apprehend many war criminals in the process.

For her service to Stormwind and with the war over, Salvina was honorably discharged from the Army and thanked for the blood she had shed for King and Country. Yet for the young Ms. Ward, she wasn't done fighting yet.

## Mercenary Career

After the Siege of Orgrimmar and her discharge from service to the Military, Salvina returned back to Lakeshire only to see that too much had changed for her liking. More likely that she had changed too much and soon she was off on the road again. This time the only flag she had fought under was her own, and she traveled across the known world as a mercenary. Her prices varied depending on her clients, but her work was her bond and soon word of the ebony haired sellsword spread from the Eastern Plaguelands to as far as the Stranglethorn Vale. Her deeds became incredibly famous, with her usual work being hunting down San'layn who had escaped the Lich King's defeat, or slaying wild animals that had grown bold with less guards patrolling the wilderness. As peace reigned on Azeroth for a time and the King's armies shifted to other fronts, Salvina found her work to be in high demand and soon she couldn't get enough contracts-ranging from escorting merchant caravans through dangerous mountain passes to assassinating politicians or dangerous warlords. She worked often with the Ironforge Dwarves, and once recovered one of the most wanted murderers in Khaz Modan within a week of accepting the hunt, and received two thousand gold alone for his capture.

Her infamy and skill with a blade drew others to her, and soon she was the leader of a small band of equal minded sellswords. They sold themselves out to the highest bidder, often acting as the vanguard for different armies or being the shock troops used to break enemy formations. The Black Blade Huscarls, as they came to be known, soon found themselves being employed by multiple factions, kingdoms, gangs, cartels, and other organizations in the Broken Isles, having seen action at the First and Second Battles of the Broken Shore, and across other campaigns in Val'sharah and Suramar. Their tactics were ruthless and horrific-in one instance they slaughtered over a hundred Satyrs and left their bodies hanging from the trees for their allies to see. The Huscarls became the iron hand for many groups and were infamous in putting down rebellions in Suramar, the Borean Tundra, and Pandaria as well.

Eventually the Huscarls disbanded when the Legion War came to an end, and Salvina was forced to wander the world again. She would fight again for the Alliance in the War of the Thorns, the Siege of Lordaeron, the Battle of Stromgarde, the assault on Stormsong, and the Siege of Dazar'alor, but it was under her own flag sided with the Stormwind Lion. But the Fourth War soon came to an end as well, and with it she turned back to wandering the world as she had done so before.

A year after the Alliance and the Horde had made peace, Salvina was back in command of a sizable mercenary organization known as the Ebon Cloaks. A former criminal organization in Stormwind, Salvina seized control and adopted it into a sellsword cohort, but with a lot more muscle behind it. Soon their deeds became the stuff of legends, from sacking northern cities and carrying off fleets of jewels to venturing to Argus itself to uncover dangerously powerful artifacts. She even found love at the time, and had two small children named Henry and Saphyra. She considered retiring from the life, wanting to spend time with her loved ones in Kul Tiras and enjoy her days in peace. But it was not to be.

Her husband at the time took a large portion of the Ebon Cloaks and went north to fight in a civil war between three Nightborne Houses. When Salvina had heard of such, she gathered what troops she could and went out to put an end to the war, but it was too late. By the time the smoke cleared, the Ebon Cloaks were no more and the one she loved was dead. Killed by Fel magic, not even his ashes remained for her to spread. With the last of the Cloaks dead or missing, Salvina went back home to her kids, afraid of what would come next for her.

## Gilnean Military Career

Three years would pass with her often going through different jobs to help sustain her family, be it blacksmith, farmer, hunter, cart driving, and many other things. She always kept on the move, never staying in one place for very long as to avoid the rents each time, but she was running out of space to go. The world didn't seem to want sellswords in it anymore, and she was struggling for a place to go to. That was when fate gave her and her two children a blessing. The Baroness Kelsea Vorota was in Stormwind City, an old friend from Salvina's mercenary years, recruiting souls to aid the Kingdom of Gilneas and its expansion across a series of islands in the North Sea, with hopes to one day reclaim the mainland. Asking for a job to help and to have a cause once again, Salvina Ward was soon introduced into the Gilneas Brigade, 3rd Special Forces Regiment as a Private once again.

She would take part with the Brigade in a series of actions across the newly discovered Dragon Isles soon, helping the Brigade in their war against the Primalists and the hostile Nokhud Centaur. Her skills and her leadership skills with her allies, including her knowledge of the terrain and landscape of the Isles and other lands thanks to her travels earned her attention from many of the Gilnean Nobility, and soon she was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major-and would soon lead missions across Azeroth with the Gilnean Brigade at her side, ranging from allied scouting missions with the Kingdom of Stromgarde to defending the Howling Fjord from invasion by a rebellious baron. Everywhere she went, she was always one of the first to enter the fray and the last to leave the field. Soon she not only had received the loyalty of the Brigade and the people of Gilneas, but their love and admiration as well.

## Recent Years

Soon after joining up with the Gilneas Brigade Salvina ended up finding love once again, this time with a fellow soldier named John Thyrayne. The skilled warrior had been fascinated by her stories of riding dragons, venturing through Icecrown, and being able to trek across Kalimdor entirely on foot and see sights few had even dared to see. The two of them hit it off and set off on a trek across the world together, vowing to remain together through thick and thin-but it was in the Emerald Gardens of the Dragon Isles that the couple truly fell in love. The couple moved in together and soon John was a new father to the children too, who loved him immediately. They settled in Stormwind for a time while still fighting for the Brigade, fighting against the Primalists at the Battle of Uktulut and against the rebel forces of Baron Walton Thorn at the Battle of the Broken Bluffs-where Lady Ward received a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant in the Gilneas Brigade.

Impressed with her military skills, her tactical mind, and her willing heart for all those under or above her command, Salvina was approached by her friend, the new Duke Ashland Whiteraven with an offer. To join as the new Lady Commandment of Caerseren, with the duty of directing and building the armed forces of the Dutchy in times of conflict and organizing the banners of the Caerseren military. With the offer of a new home and aiding her good friend, Salvina told John and the two readily accepted the new appointment to aid the Duke of Caerseren.

Salvina Ward and John Thyrayne with their kids Henry and Saphyra soon moved north to the Dutchy and helped to renovate and build the new estate of Warden's Hearth, a country estate which they quickly turned into a new life for themselves-earning income from the tending of their fields, the manufacturing of blacksmith goods, and for fishing off the coasts themselves. As a member of the Duke's privy council, Salvina would be present to give Duke Ashland any military advice he had asked for, as well as to stand ready in the case that House Whiteraven-or any one of her allies or friends-would ever need her help again.