Florian Messiner

> "I do not care if he's a fiery bastard, Marshal. Forgive me, but when the Scourge marched across Lordaeron, it's this boy who had rallied whatever's left of the broken kingdom and the Order and lead them a thousand leagues here, against the might of an entire undead army. Were it not for him, the Order would stay permanently a lament in the books of historians. Lord Grayson trusts him enough to hand him the position, so do I."
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> — Lord **Bolvar Fordragon**, Lord Regent of Stormwind
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Syr **Florian Messiner de Alper-Dassaur yst Bachbarth, Thon'dori Falor'zaram** (Thalassian: The Chilling Blade of Verdant Fury), also known as the **Knight of Doves** for his familial crest, the **Dandy Knight**, or the **Greenwood Rider**, is a knight of Kaslain origin and the current Grand Master of the Stormwind Chapter of the Knights of the Silver Hand, the youngest in the line.

Known for his pompous character, elvish good-looks and undeniable skill in mounted warfare, the young knight was well-known amongst the human courts for his successes in jousting tournaments, and now sought out as few of the last skilled paladins left.

## Appearance and Character

> "That boy is as vain as an elf and as stubborn as a dwarf, but I know the lad, unlike his father, he has the guts of a lion and a heart of gold."
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> — Syr **Uther the Lightbringer**, Lord Commander of the Silver Hand
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Florian is well known for his exceptionally refined features, and is often speculated to be of elven blood. He keeps his flowing brown hair in a braid and his goatee neatly trimmed. He has slender, blue eyes inherited from his Aemaenian mother. He is slim and lithe compared to many members of the Order, and much more graceful in his mannerisms. King Terenas remarks the young knight's speech is better conducted than many of his courtly advisors and Calia Minethil thinks that he is beautiful and very attractive.

Despite his youth and slim build, Florian is a skilled warrior and especially proficient with polearms, but can also wield swords, maces and flails to deadly effect. He is also brave and courageous in battle. Arthas Minethil recounted how he fought shieldless with a broken sword five against one without flinching during the Battle of Strahnbrad. Muradin Bronzebeard commented on his expertise with polearms, as he was once defeated wielding close-quarter weapons by Florian armed with a spear during sparring training.

In spite of his many accolades, Florian was proud and arrogant, refusing to mingle with the lower classes and did not allow commoners to speak to him. He was also vain and narcissistic, always admiring himself at any possible chance. It is said that a small mirror is installed on the inner side of his shield so he could see himself in battle. Marcus Jonathan also thinks that he is childishly impulsive and rash, but praises him for his sense of honor and valor.

In combat the young knight is clad in an ornate white suit of plate armor, with the dove of House Messiner decorated in sapphire on its breastplate, complete with a flowing blue cape. His helmet is shaped in the likeliness of a dove and adorned with feathers of blue, yellow and green. He wields Lightseeker, a long and slender glaive forged by dwarven blacksmiths and engraved with runes.

## History

### Early Life

Florian was born in the Twin Cities in 7 BDP as the second son to Lord Claudius Messiner and Lady Mariene of Aemaen. His older brother Christoph served as a squire to General Turalyon during the Second War and disappeared with him into the Dark Portal.

Florian showed a propensity towards martial practices since youth, and was taken in as a squire to Syr Uther at the age of fifteen and trained in the arts of mounted warfare, combat and wielding the Light with Prince Arthas, who was three years his elder. Florian had established a close friendship with the young prince during this time. He and Prince Arthas, along with many of the young paladins-in-training, were hastily knighted and admitted into the Order of the Silver Hand to participate in the ongoing war. At the age of eighteen, he was amongst the youngest knights of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, but saw little action during the war as it ended soon after he was knighted.

He defeated the Blackfield Knight during the King's Tourney of 12, winning the championship and earning his monicker as Knight of Doves. Afterwards, he subsequently won the Summerward Tourney of 14, the Tourney at Dalaran of 16, the King's Tourney of 17, but was defeated by Syr Jorad Mace in the Kul'Tiras Tourney of 18. Nevertheless, the young knight had already gained sufficient renown amongst the human courts by the beginning of the Third War.

### The Third War

In the Third War he mainly served under the young prince and had distinguished himself during the Battle of Strahnbrad, where, surrounded by orcs and outnumbered five to one, he fought his way to his prince with only a broken sword and decapitated Zugrish the Brutal with one strike.

Later on he followed the prince as he convened with Jaina Proudmoore and fought to Andorrhal, but was stranded and lost with a band of soldiers when they were ambushed by a Scourge patrol. The young knight led a daring ride into the Greenwood, fighting stranded orcs and scattered undead, cutting one day's travel to the nearest town of Hearthglen, which he correctly predicted the prince would travel to and the next target of the Scourge. In the heat of battle, when the defensive was nearly broken, Florian rode out with what's left of his unit and relieved the prince's forces, buying crucial time for Uther's reinforcements to arrive and repel the Scourge onslaught, thus earning his name as the Greenwood Rider.

Florian were amongst the forces that refused to participate in the Culling of Stratholme, dreaded by the prince's decision and realized that he was no longer the friend he recognized. He returned with Uther to the Capital City, where they were deployed to defend the eastern perimeter against the remaining undead. Jaina visited him after meeting with the Prophet, trying to convince him to follow her to Kalimdor, but the young knight refused on the grounds that he will stand with his comrades and live or die with them.

Florian was deployed in Hearthglen during the prince's momentous betrayal. When Corvia was besieged by the Scourge, Florian lead a small force to relieve his hometown, but was too late as he witnessed the Twin Cities set ablaze by the time he had arrived. The keep was entirely reduced to rubble when he arrived fighting through leagues of undead warriors, his family buried beneath. From that day on he vowed not to rest until the day he killed his former friend.

News of Uther's death had already arrived when he returned to Hearthglen. With the kingdom lost and them in the crossfire of the greatest war ever to reach the continent, Florian rallied what's left of the remaining eastern line and led them southward across Lordaeron to the Kingdom of Stormwind, relatively untouched by the ravages of the Third War and widely regarded as the last bastion of humanity.

Because of his early realization, Florian and his troops had not encountered the main Scourge onslaught, and had suffered minimal casualties caused by minor skirmishes against the undead. Although many of the former Lordaeronians, including the majority of the Forsaken, regard such an act as cowardice, the young knight was able to preserve the bulk of the younger generation of paladins who were willing to follow him, bringing along most of the Lordaeronian east line, many of whom served as military advisers and active fighting forces for Stormwind and kept the Lordaeronian culture alive.