Kaylienne Deschaine

Order of the Onyx Knights
Ellaren "Ellie" Deschaine Martins (Aunt, Deceased)
Unknown High Elf/Blood Elf (Father, Status Unknown)

Kaylienne Jeanette Deschaine, a paladin in the tradition of the Silver Hand and the Argent Dawn, returned to her Gilnean roots and joined the Blades in their efforts to reclaim her mother's homeland. When she's not busy fighting and protecting her brothers-in-arms, she is most often found training her newly-appointed squire, Chrys McCallan, or dabbling in jewelcrafting projects.

## Background

### Birth and Childhood

Kaylienne's mother, Kaylerine Deschaine, was a native of Gilneas city, daughter of a wealthy merchant family and a promising student of the arcane arts. Sent to Dalaran for her apprenticeship, Kaylierine's studies progressed well, until the pretty young redhead attracted the attention of one of Dalaran's many high elven visitors from Quel'thalas. The affair was brief, and how or indeed even if it ended is something Kaylerine kept a closely guarded secret from even her family. When she discovered she was pregnant - unmarried, and by an elf instead of a decent Gilnean man - most of her family cut off ties, leaving the disgraced young woman with only the one sister who hadn't abandoned her to turn to.

Ellie Deschaine Martins, a widowed priestess of the Holy Light, watched over her sister during her pregnancy, and in time, a healthy half-elven girl was born. However, both the physical and emotional stress of the intervening months were more than the fragile young mage-to-be could bear. Kaylierine contracted a fever while laboring to birth her daughter, and lived only three short weeks, long enough to see the child old enough to be christened Kaylienne in Southshore's small church, before succumbing to her illness. Kaylerine's last wish was that her childless sister raise little Kaylienne as her own.

Kaylie, as the child came to be known, grew up in Southshore under the stern but gentle teaching of her beloved Auntie Ellie. Surrounded as she was by the teachings of the Light, and her aunt's ever-present prayer and faith, it was only natural that Kaylie would someday pursue a religious vocation as well. It seemed, however, that Kaylie was possessed not of a priestess's gentle spirit, but rather the heart of a warrior - something inherited, perhaps, from her unknown father? By the time Kaylie was of age to choose a path and begin training, she'd set her sights on a lofty goal - to become a knight under the still relatively new order called the Argent Dawn.

### Adulthood

Clinging to her faith in the Light and her will to protect others, Kaylie trained and studied, and eventually earned her knighthood under the Argent Dawn. Working and training out of Light's Hope, she spent years fighting off the Scourge and maintaining an uneasy understanding with the nearby members of the Scarlet Crusade. She fought in the Battle for Light's Hope Chapel, and was among one of the fallen, defeated and close to death, but conscious enough to witness the Lich King's betrayal of his own forces and the formation of the new Argent Crusade.

As soon as her wounds from that battle were healed, Kaylie followed the Crusade forces into Northrend. Doing what she knew best - protecting her comrades and slaughtering the undead - she was among the vanguard that pushed across Northrend and into Icecrown. There she remained for some few years, until well after the fall of Icecrown Citadel, until her superiors deemed her service on the front lines of battle had lasted long enough.

A scarred and hardened veteran of the wars against the Scourge at the age of 27, she returned home, only to find that she had no home to which she could return. In her years in Northrend, the Forsaken had destroyed Southshore - and trying to shield the townspeople in the remains of the same tiny church where Kaylie had once been christened, Ellie was among the casualties, murdered by the Forsaken. With no home and no family, Kaylie soon devoted herself to the memory of her mother and aunt, and even to the family that had paid them both little mind. Joining up with the Blades, and with the newly-formed Gilnean paladins' Order of the Onyx Knights, she has devoted herself wholeheartedly to the Gilnean reclamation efforts and the war against the Forsaken.

## Appearance

Kaylienne stands about five and a half feet in height, with a slender build that most would mistake for fragile if not for the armor, shield, and weapon she carries with relative ease. Her eyes, while not the glowing blue of an elf, are a vivid shade of brilliant blue, and her hair is a muted dark-auburn color. Her hair often covers her pointed ears, though her delicate and fey features would betray her elven ancestry to those familiar with the appearance of a half-elf.

Out of armor, she bears many scars that attest to her history on the battlefield - most noticeable being her bruised and callused knuckles, and one deep, jagged scar from her right shoulder to her collarbone which serves as a souvenir of the Battle for Light's Hope Chapel.

In the field, she often still wears the worn and battle-tested armor from her days with the Crusade, albeit draped with the colors of the Blades, with a broad, heavy sword she calls Resolution that glows brightly with the blessing of the Holy Light and a simple dented and battered iron shield. On ceremonial occasions, she wears the full black of the Onyx Knights, with a stylized black shield, but still wears Resolution at her side.

## Personality

In most circumstances, and among strangers, Kaylie is resolved, reserved, and businesslike. It's only once she's gotten to know someone - or after a few drinks - that her knightly demeanor cracks, and she becomes prone to wicked humor and the occasional sly flirtation. Sober or otherwise, she shies away from discussing family aside from her beloved auntie, and can become contentious if pressed too hard - especially by an elf - about her unknown father. In battle, she takes the role of a protector, always on the front line to shield others, and as such may take on a harsh or commanding tone, placing more importance on the safety of her fellows than on their rank or position.

## Relationships

At present, Kaylie has very little in the way of non-working relationships. She still has friends, and even an old fling or two, among the Argents, but no long-term relationship and precious few friends so far outside that organization.