Bathildis Ironstout

"Nothin' is impossible. Some challenges are jus' more difficult than others."(Art by Erik Dolphin)

### Relatives

Delkas Ironstout (Grandfather), Baerra Firestein (Grandmother - Deceased), Alberich Ironstout (Father - Deceased), Helja Stormpike (Mother - Deceased), Altheirus Ironstout (Uncle)

### Affiliation

Clan Ironstout,Battlestein Company (Founder), Brewfest, Steelgrasp Brigade (Former Officer), Ironforge Craft Fest (Founder),Alliance Brewer's Guild (Founder),Ironforge Military, Alliance, Argent Dawn

## Physical description

### Eye color

Slate Gray

Bathildis Ironstout is a Bronzebeard Dwarf Brewmaster born into Clan Ironstout under a Bronzebeard father and a Stormpike mother. She has lived nearly her entire life in the city of Ironforge, training under her father and grandfather at her clan's brewery. Aside from her mastery in brewing traditional Dwarven beers, she is also an trained war cleric with specialties in mounted combat and healing.

## Characteristics

### Physical Appearance

Bathildis is patient and kind, and it shows in her expression. Her demeanor is often warm and inviting.

Bathildis stands only a few centimeters under what is considered average for her kind. Her dark blonde hair frames her round face with traditional Dwarven plaits. Freckles pepper her cheeks. Her skin is pale from years spent under the mountains, but her muscles are tone from constant work in the brewery and the forge.

### Personality Traits

Bathildis is curious, caring, passionate, and hardworking. She's a bit of contradiction as she tends to favor tradition, but is also very pragmatic and open minded.

She is trusting to a fault, often making her appear gullible, She also tends to be stubborn, but dislikes stubbornness in others. Despite all of her prudent virtue; however, she has a fiery spirit, and is always down for an adventure.

### Typical Equipment - Cleric

When armored, she favored a mix of plate, chain, and leather armor. She once carried a bearded greataxe called Fiend Reaver that she had forged for herself from moderate experience in Blacksmithing, however, she lost it over the side of a ship in a rough storm. Now she carries a shield, and a hand-axe that she forged called the Edge of Mercy. The blade is well balanced, is socketed with topaz gems to enhance her healing magic, and is enchanted to return to her hand if lost or thrown.
She prefers unassuming and humble armor. Previously, she gained small additions of ornamentation as she has slowly ascended the ranks of the Steelgrasp Brigade, but as she split from that organization, she returned to her aesthetic roots.

Around her neck once hung a truesteel holy-symbol with a large sunburst-cut topaz in the center. This holy symbol, though not dissimilar from one she had given to her friend Tyrman Bladebreaker as a token of good fortune, was actually her mother's. She wore it as a constant reminder of the importance of family, then years later buried it with her young friend Burly Darkdraft after his passing.
### Typical Equipment - Brewmaiden1

***(Warning, this is heavily head-cannoned content based off of the mystical Brewmaidens and Alementals seen during the Brewfest Holiday. If you do not wish to acknowledge this content, please ignore it, and all associated story development.)***
Currently, Bathildis sports simple rust-colored plate and chain armor inherited from her late father. It is rumored to have been bestowed to him in his ale-soaked adventures by one of the Brewmaidens themselves. It is inscribed with Titan runes that light up when she utilizes her magic.

Resting around her neck is a black choker with an onyx and gold, beer stein pendant. This amulet grants her the power of a Brightbrew Brewmaiden, allowing her to bend the Alements and heal with restorative beer.

Her Clan's brewing journal - a large black leather tome - is worn with a large traveler's backpack full of vials and bottles, and contains every recipe and brewing note recorded by the Ironstout clan throughout their brief history.

Lastly, she carries two artifact beer steins. Both are massive and heavy metal steins with further Titan engravings around the rim. The first of which is The Smitestein which can be hurled with deadly force. It returns to her hand when summoned. The second container is The Flagon of Endless Ale - an enchanted source of endless beer, rumored to contain a portal straight from the halls of Brewhalla.
## History

### Early Years

Bathildis comes from a small, yet notable Dwarven brewing family with a long history of the craft. She spent most of her youth as many Dwarves do, apprenticing in their chosen profession. However, as is expected in her culture, she undertook military training in the Ironforge Infantry. Her interests strayed away from combat, and instead landed in the realm of helping the wounded. With that her course was set, and with basic paladin and first aid training, she served for four years as a home-front battlefield cleric.
Bath's mother, Helja Stormpike, thought it was important that her daughter learn the coveted Stormpike tradition of mounted combat. She took riding lessons twice-weekly for two years after her stent in the infantry. Her actual time spent in the military didn't have her seeing much action, so at the end of her tour, she retired back to the brewery to continue her apprenticeship under the tutelage of her father, Alberich, and her grandfather, the clan's founder, Delkas. Her interest in the clan's noble profession only grew during this time, and her mother's militaristic interruptions would become fewer and fewer as the years passed.

Bathildis was able to complete her full apprenticeship at her clan's brewery at the age of 50, just before being called to arms to protect Azeroth.
### The Second Scourge Invasion and The Argent Dawn

When the Scourge resurfaced in the Eastern Kingdoms invading the major cities of the Alliance, Bath was forced out of her comfort zone. She donned her axe and her shield once again in service of the Alliance. At first she worked with the Ironforge Guard to keep the city clean of infection. After the initial invasions were staved off, she traveled North to the Plaguelands in an attempt to aide her people's efforts against the undead forces of Naxxramas.
Though never present in the actual raid against the Undead necropolis, she spent several years on the ground traveling with other clerics to purge the hordes of ghouls and abominations running rampant through the former kingdom of Lordaeron. While she stuck mostly to healing, it was during one of these raids where she developed her distaste for war. She witnessed a horrible atrocity committed by a former paladin-turned-deathkinght that caused her to hang up her Holy Symbol and retire for a while.

### Return to the Brewery, the Steelgrasp Brigade, and the Steel Pub

She much preferred life as a craftswoman, and returned home to find the brewery in bad shape. Her father had gone missing before the war had ended, and her much more militaristic mother was having to run the facilities by her lonesome all whilst juggling her actual cavalry duties. Bathildis took it upon herself to discover new recipes and bring her family's brewery back into the spotlight, allowing her mother to return to the front-lines in Alterac full time. She struggled for a while, but eventually gained some much needed attention.

Her talents were recognized one day by Thane Furgas Steelgrasp of Clan Steelgrasp. The Thane adopted her into his clan, and placed her in charge of Clan Steelgrasp's brewery, Steelgrasp Brew Works. From that spawned the humble taproom known as the Steel Pub, which she ran consistently for just under eight years.

### Brewing Success

After hitting her stride within Steelgrasp, the Clan Ironstout Brewery soared in popularity, serving finely crafted Dwarven beers all over Azeroth. All in the span of one year, Bathildis founded the Ironforge Craft Festival, The Alliance Brewer's Guild, and was promoted to Thane Steelgrasp's personal Council. She even represented her own clan for their first ever Brewfest tent in the year 31. All of these endeavors were roaring successes. She currently spends most of her time pursuing her passion as a brewer; however, will still lend her talents as a cleric when called to action.

### Azeroth Invasion of the Burning Legion

After the Legion assaulted her homeland of Dun Morogh in the year 32, Bath's Thane, Furgas Steelgrasp disappeared on the battle for the Broken Shore. With Steelgrasp's forces spread thin, she was promoted by her peers to reside as Steel Regent over the clan's Council, assuming control of the Steelgrasp Brigade.
While the forces of the Mead Hall were spread all throughout Khaz Modan dealing with guerrilla combat from various Legion forces, Bathildis lead the Brigade in a campaign to defend Dun Morogh from further Legion incursion. This included one major battle - the battle for the Ironforge Airfield.

Though Thane Steelgrasp returned toward the end of the war, Bathildis still presided over the Steel Council until the end of the war. During the campaign to retake Northeron for the scattered Wildhammer clans, Bathildis and the Steelgrasp Brigade entered into an allegiance named the Stormhammer Covenant with the other clans of the Mead Hall. They entered the cursed halls of Grim Batol, and cleansed it of the Legion's presence. Soon after, the Legion was defeated, and the war over.
### Formation of The Battlestein Company

After the war against the burning Legion, the Dark Titan, Sargeras himself, plunged his blade deep into Azeroth, causing the valuable resource Azerite to gush from the wounds of the titan world. The Steelgrasp Brigade sent forces to investigate in southern Kalimdor, and were engaged in combat by Goblins. As it turned out, Horde forces were present in Silithis and Un'goro to mine this newly discovered ore for it's magical properties.
On a mission to rescue prisoners - Dwarven prisoners - from a camp in the area, Thane Steelgrasp ordered the execution of one of the prisoners for having spoken to a known traitor. Normally this wouldn't have bothered Bathildis, but this was a fellow Dwarf who had not yet been tried. Merely speaking to the traitor did not warrant such a severe punishment in her mind, not without evidence of intent to do harm.

Upon returning home from this particular mission, Bathildis had a lot of thinking to do. She resigned to the fact that Furgas had returned, and had his own way of running things, most likely influenced by his time spent away. His continued displays of blood-thirst and zealotry did not sit well in her mind. Her Oath was to Khaz Modan first, and her Thane, second. There was a need to rebuild - to stabilize the economy back home. That plus her distaste for senseless war helped motivate her to make the hardest choice she has had to make. She turned in her badge, and resigned from the Brigade. She still loved her kinsmen, but couldn't stand to have anymore blood on her hands.

With this newfound freedom, she and several former Brigade members who followed suit, formed the Battlestein Company. This group chose to focus their professional talents on rebuilding some form of normal life back home. Brewers, blacksmiths, alchemists, hunters, blades-for-hire, and more signed on to this conglomerate, and Bathildis stepped up to act as Director for the Company.

Note: With the split, the Steel Pub followed the Company, and was renamed to the Battlestein Brewpub. Aside from the name, nothing else changed.

### The Fourth War

When Horde Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner declared war against the Alliance, Bathildis traveled to Kul Tiras along with the rest of the Alliance. In an effort to setup a reliable source of Dwarven imports, as Director of Battlestein, she helped establish Battlestein Imports. For a majority of the war, this is where she remained, traveling back and forth between Ironforge and Boralus to ensure the proper operation of the guild. Aside from her duties as Director, she squeezed in her Brewfest tent every year, and still managed to keep the brewery's operations going to some capacity.
### Scars of Arathi

After the end of the 4th War, Bathildis and the growing Battlestein Company sought out ways to help rebuild the crippled infrastructure in Khaz Modan. After some deliberation, they found that the Arathi Highlands were ravaged by constant battle. As opportunists, Horde remnants, and bandits began to attack trade routes on the ground, Bath struck out with the Company to establish some semblance of security. They then spent the next year establishing a fortified outpost called Ironhearth situated in the central crossroads of the area.
Next, they networked a community of militia, peaceful Horde remnants, and farmers to help protect the roads reconnecting trade between the Wildhammers of Aerie Peak and their Southern Dwarven neighbors. Sadly, after having just completed their mission, the skies over Icecrown shattered, and the emboldened forces of the Scourge surged southward, making the area once-again unsafe. Having to abandon Ironhearth to an eternal flood of ghouls, the Battlestein Company retreated back to Ironforge.

### Temporary Dissolution of the Battlestein Company, the Mithril Mug, and a Year-long Walkabout

During the Scars of Arathi conflict, a corrupt rival of the Company weeded his way into Stromgarde and found a way to levy penalties against Battlestein for claiming property in Arathi in the name of Khaz Modan. Because of a mix-up in paperwork, Ironforge was unable to defend the Company's interests, and thus forced it to disband. Bathildis took this personally, and it broke her spirits.
With Battlestein dead in the water, she attempted to keep the Battlestein Brewpub operational under a new name - the Mithril Mug - however the tavern saw a significant drop in attendance, and she handed ownership over to one of her bartenders. Completely dejected, she also hung up the key to her Brewery, letting her Grandfather take over whilst she embarked on a walk-about much like the Ale-soaked Adventures of her father.

She spent nearly a year traveling Azeroth - even adventuring into the Shadowlands - on a quest to learn as much as she could about her craft. With her clan's brewing journal in tow she spent the entire time devoted to opening her mind and educating herself. Brewing was her comfort, and knowing that there was nothing she could do about Battlestein for the moment, she became resolute to heal her soul through personal growth.

### The power of the Brewmaidens and the Ale-Soaked Adventures1

***(Warning, this is heavily head-cannoned content based off of the mystical Brewmaidens and Alementals seen during the Brewfest Holiday. If you do not wish to acknowledge this content, please ignore it, and all associated story development.)***
About halfway through the life of the Battlestein Company, and after the death of her father, Bathildis was left clues as to the nature of Alberich's secretive Ale-soaked Adventures. Alberich wished for his daughter to continue his life's work uncovering myths and legends of brewing on Azeroth and beyond. During his years of wandering, he had traveled the taverns of Azeroth hunting for recipes, brewing artifacts, and gossip from the various cultures he would encounter.

During these adventures, he would discover similar stories from each and every culture he visited. There were the proven stories of Brewmaidens - often encountered around Brewfest - and elemental beer creatures known as Alementals. However, for as many stories as he could find about these, he found twice the number of tall tales of mysterious lands far from Azeroth, and endless fonts of heavenly beer. The Alemental Plane, Brewhalla, Khaz'Goroth's Beer Hall, the fields of Aleysium: all local legends describing the same place from where these tales all originate.

Alberich assembled a group of adventurers from the Mead Hall and embarked upon a massive series of quests to seek out the truth of Brewhalla. They had quelled monstrous elemental creatures, procured the steins of ancient kings, and brewed a brew worthy of legends itself. In the final moments of the herculean endeavor, it is believed that his band of ale-soaked adventurers had actually accessed the mystical realm; however, they all woke up in a strange place with hangovers and hazy memories of the events. Was it just a drunken night gone awry, or had they actually done it? Unfortunately, it was this very event that lead to Alberich's demise. His body was taken to Bathildis, and it was then that she inherited the Clan Ironstout Brewing Journal along with all of its coveted secrets.

Along with the journal, she had also inherited his armor and 'enchanted' beer stein. These items were rumored to have come from an actual Brewmaiden in Alberich's final adventure in Brewhalla. With a few of her most trusted friends, she set out on a series of short expeditions to find out more about these items. Along the way she actually met a pair of former Dwarven Brewmaidens, learning much about their powers and retrieving artifacts of their former lives.

Through a mix of shamanism - tapping into a sliver of Wildhammer heritage passed down to her from her Grandfather Delkas - alchemy, and a Brightbrew Brewmaiden's magical amulet, Bathildis learned the ways of manipulating water for restorative purposes. Through this, she managed to bend the water in beer to her will, and thus picked up several unique talents.

Years later, after the discovery of the Shadowlands and the dissolution of Battlestein Company, Bathildis set out on her own, following in her father's footsteps. This trip took her around Azeroth, and eventually to the Shadowlands themselves. It was there that she had discovered among the infinite worlds of the Shadowlands, that Aleysium was a real place and that Brewhalla was its capital city. She eventually discovered her way there, reuniting with the spirit of of her father in the process.

She learned much during her visit - mostly about the Brewmaidens who served as the Val'kyr of the realm - protecting and spiriting souls and anima-imbued beer wherever they were needed. She also learned that Aleysium was a realm meant to reward the souls of artisans who spent their lives working in service to their communities. It was intended as a place of relaxation and hedonism - an eternal after-party in a beautiful land rich with vibrant crops and landmarks.

After spending many months in Brewhalla, Bathildis became homesick. She had experienced a vigorous rejuvenation of spirit. Her motivation to get back to brewing had become so intense, that she returned to Ironforge immediately. Elsewhere, as the villainous Jailor of the Shadowlands had been defeated by heroes of Azeroth, the Dwarven brewmaiden was working on her Magnum Opus brew. She was back to her old self, and was preparing something big.

### Reviving Battlestein Company

This story has yet to unfold. Will it come to be? Find out later!

## Notes

*1 Alberich's Ale-soaked Adventures was a tongue-in-cheek mini-series that evolved into two huge campaigns over the span of six years. As the author of these series, much research was done into the lore of Warcraft and its worlds. Though some of this content is lore-bending it does not actually break the lore of the game, and conforms with the storytelling evolution of World of Warcraft.*

Art by PlanktonHereticArt by https://www.instagram.com/qostus/Art by Raynelle-WyrmrestAccordArt by Raynelle-WyrmrestAccordArt by Entalinval-MoonguardArt by Aigna-WyrmrestAccordArt by Bathildis-WyrmrestAccord