Arineme

=Physical Description= Arineme is a young woman with fiery hair, and clear blue eyes. She is polite and subdued in most situations, and perpetually bears a sort of worried smile- The kind a mother might have when seeing her child wield a sword for the first time. Arineme walks with quiet confidence, and has a sword strapped to her side at all times. The young paladin wears what armor she can find, which currently entails platemail drudged up from the bogs of Zangarmarsh, and arms recovered from Auchindoun. Past are the days when Arineme would spend hours sorting through the attractive wares of the Stormwind auction house (Though it is always, always tempting). That said, Arineme will sometimes walk the streets of Old Town in a red gown or simple woolen shirt, enjoying the peaceful sights and sounds of her chosen residence. =Personality= Arineme is quiet at first- It takes her a little time to open up to strangers, but she is never rude or cold to them. The paladin is humble, generous, and happy to help, at best. At worst, mostly when she has drunk a dwarven brew too many, she can be self-deprecating or downright antisocial.

Quirks
It is noteworthy that any mention of the Scarlet Crusade immediately worsens Arineme's mood. She will usually bite her lip out of nervous habit, and become irritable if the topic persists. She is normally too polite to outright change the subject.

The Horde
Arineme is not friendly toward any of the races of the Horde, though she views the Blood Elves with some pity, and sees Tauren as being more or less innocent, compared to their warlike allies. She does not differentiate between Forsaken and the undead scourge, and she has no tolerance for either. =History= Arineme's life began in Tirisfal, in what was once a quaint village to the North of Lordaeron's capital. Her father, Kaldrin Serisfal, was a paladin within the ranks of the Silver hand, and her older sister a priestess-in-training. The Light was said to be strong with the Serisfal family, and Arineme was expected to become an apt vessel to the holy powers. With the plague came horrifying changes- Particularly for a girl of Arineme's age. During the chaos of the Third war, her mother was slain, and her sister disappeared. It was all her father could do to hope that she escaped to Hillsbrad, and take little Arineme into hiding. The Scarlet Crusade came to offer the aging paladin protection and retribution against his bitter enemies: The undead.

Life in the Scarlet Monestary
Thus Arineme was inducted as a trainee of the Crusade at the age of sixteen. As predicted, she became a talented warrior of the Light, and was met with great approval by her superiors. Yet, even then, Kaldrin began to notice the Crusade's harsh policies, and began to doubt his decision. Most of all, he worried that his daughter would be made into a mindless tool for war. She had slain several of the roaming undead within Tirisfal, and with furious abandon. When Kaldrin was ordered to make an example of a tainted invader- Another human paladin bearing the colors of Lordaeron, he knew that his greatest fears were confirmed. Disobeying a direct order, Kaldrin let the man free, but only after he promised to take Arineme with him. He agreed. With a rushed, tear-filled embrace, Kaldrin Serisfal said goodbye to his youngest daughter, knowing that she would be taken somewhere safe. Though she did not know it, this would be the last time Arineme saw her father.

Training and Return to Tirisfal
Arineme trekked with the older paladin through Hillsbrad, Arathi, and the Wetlands, learning of the changes the world had undergone and subsequently gaining a pessimistic outlook of the world around her. By the time the pair reached Loch Modan, it was all the girl could do to keep from crying herself to sleep. There was no word of her sister in Southshore or Hillsbrad, and human lands across Azeroth were now destroyed or in the hands of the "new" Horde. As the gates of Ironforge loomed before them, however, she could feel hope welling up from within. It was there that she first tasted Dwarven mead, and felt the comforting heat of an open forge. It was also there that she first attempted to kiss her companion after imbibing too much of said Dwarven mead. He put the girl to bed, and hoped she would be sober by the morning. Upon reaching Stormwind and Northshire Abbey, Arineme was more or less back to her old self. She trained there day and night, until finally becoming disciplined enough to wield the light in the way her teachers suggested. From there, it was only a matter of time before she would make the long trip back to her former home, and attempt to save her father. With the help of her paladin mentor, and two Night Elves whom she had met in her travels, Arineme stood before the doors of her old training grounds, confident that they would crush the zealots within. However, she could find no trace of her father. It was not until the team reached the Scarlet Library that they discovered a book of records. Toward the end of the book, dating back several years, was written a simple line:

"Kaldrin Serisfal, executed by hanging. Treason, four counts."

With an anguished scream, Arineme tore into the remainder of the library, challenging Doan, Herod, and any others who could hear to show their faces. She killed many of her former allies, but eventually dropped her sword and shield, and fell to her knees in tears. The older paladin, Night Elven priestess and rogue dragged her from the monestary.

Aftermath
Arineme took to drinking for some time within the bars of Stormwind, spending her gold on mead at night, and equipment during the day. After recieving a new package from the auction house, passers-by could hear her mumbling something about 'using these for good' or 'for vengeance'. Yet, her only real efforts consisted of brief forays into Westfall or Duskwood, battling rogue Defias or risen corpses. This did nothing to ease her pain. Finally, after reaching a penultimate low, Arineme flung herself into a scourge-infested crypt, perhaps hoping to end her life in battle against her sworn enemy. She fought until her arms were numb, her sword blunt. The world went dark.

Redemption
When Arineme awoke, she was in Southshore. How she had managed to go so far North was a mystery, but a note laid on her chest shed some light on this. It was written in a delicate, curving script, and said,

"If you wish to slay the undead, travel North. You will do more good there. When you have had your fill of that, meet me in Shattrath."

Knowing the note to be from Alyea, one of the Night Elves from what seemed like so long ago, Arineme accepted the advice, and traveled to Chillwind Camp. There she battled the scourge, and gained renown with the Argent Dawn. At the age of 25, full of hope and holy power once more, Arineme stood upon the threshold of the Dark Portal, smiled, and stepped through.