Paulton

Information

Player: Vladdy

Character Full Name: Paulton Elliot Cooper

Character In-Game Name: Paulton

Nickname(s): Paul, Priest, Brother

Association(s): Church of The Holy Light, The Alliance, Rosehaven

Race: Worgen

Class: Priest

Age: 36

Sex: Male

Hair: Red/Ginger; When in Worgen form, his fur is largely a dark grey, with a slight reddish tinge.

Eyes: Sea green/Purple when in Worgen form

Weight: 173 lbs

Scale/Height: 1.01

Appearance

Usual Garments/Armor: Coarse brown and white robes, a brown hood and mask. When leading a church service, he wears a white robe with purple trimming. When feeling casual, he sometimes dresses in a sweater; though not often.

Personality

Paulton's personality is one that is at first very legalistic, and many would say abrasive. When facing matters of religion or philosophy, he can become involved very quickly, quoting from documents and well known people alike to get his point across. While he tries to understand other people's opinions, it can still be a challenge for him. He is a Know-it-all at heart, and he is well aware of it. Though despite his seemingly grating personality, Paulton has been known to be very kind, and even charming to those he gets close to. Though this is rare, as few want to talk to a man who frequently quotes tomes and holy books.

He fosters a feeling of pity and dislike of the Undead, and wants their souls to be 'freed' as soon as possible. In part due to him considering it unnatural, and another reason being that he considers walking corpses to be contrary to the Light's teachings. He views other religious groups based on the Light as heretics, and views the word as a technical one, and really doesn't understand all of the fuss that people give about it. However, he recognizes that they tend to worship the same power, so he tries to offer at least a smidgen of respect.

History

Paulton was born into a family of five in Lakeshire. The first few years of his life were easygoing and required very little activity on his part. He learned to read when he was very young, and started to progress rapidly from there. He would often sit at the table with some form of a book in his hands, asking his parents what certain words meant, or when he would fully understand the contexts of all of the different books. However, as he got older he started to neglect his reading in favor of another hobby; fishing. Living relatively close to the docks, he his younger brother, and older sister would head out to the docks to play with the other children or fish.

On one particular day, his younger brother fell into the water and nearly drowned. For awhile, Paulton wouldn't go near water, and wouldn't get on a boat for years. When the first war broke out, his family fled to Stormwind city, hoping to seek refuge from the Horde. Halfway there, his father lost both of his legs to an Orcish grunt. A novice priest sacrificed the last of his energy to stop the bleeding and heal his father. The Grunt drew closer, hoping to finish the job. Instead, he saw a priest on the brink of passing out, and the family nowhere to be found. Paulton saw this in the distance as his family fled from the scene. For a brief time, the family rested in Stormwind. It didn't last long, and soon enough, his family became a part of the large exodus heading towards Lordaeron.

Paulton spent another six years of his life in Lordaeron, until the second war was won. Not long afterwards, his family returned to Lakeshire to rebuild. It was around this time that his piety grew even more. While walking with his siblings to the general store, he saw a procession of priests in brown and white robes, hoods, and masks walk by. They were chanting praises of the Light, and deliberately hindered themselves as a form of penance. Almost all had small iron chains wrapped around their fingers, and tightened robes to make everything as uncomfortable as possible.

He was fascinated, awestruck, and immediately went to talk to one of the priests. The priest responded by waving, smiling, and going along with the procession. The priests did this procession for another few days, with it ending in blessings and chanting. While Paulton didn't get a chance to talk with any of those in the procession, he instead asked his parents. "The Order of Blessed Leofrick. Founded by some fellow called Leofrick Belmis." They told him. "They reside near the border between Redridge and Darkshore." Paulton, already being a pious young man, talked to his parents about becoming a priest in the order. They expected him to take over the family business, and as such they told him it wasn't an option for him.

After weeks of arguing with his parents, he left them a note and just left. Asking directions as he went, he became lost. In the end, it took him three weeks to get to the monastery. Surviving purely on scraps of food and spare change, he was ecstatic to have finally made his way there. He knocked on the door; seeing the desperate situation he was in, the priests took him in. He asked to be trained in the ways of the Light. Although reluctant at first, the priests allowed him to talk with the abbot about becoming an acolyte. After a lengthy and frightening interview with the abbot, he was accepted; provided he looked after the books in the library.

Like most of the acolytes, he was trained in the Light by the abbot. Over time, the abbot became like a second father to him; and although he stumbled, the abbot was always there to help him. Halfway through his training, it was decided that the new monastery in Gilneas needed more priests. Paulton was assigned to this particular monastery. Compared to the one he came from, this monastery was small, not very ornate, and located near a hamlet in the western Blackwald. The hamlet was divided by those who followed the old ways, and those few who followed the Light. Squabbles and debates happened often, though Paulton resided in the Library, looking after tomes and ensuring their good condition.

Paulton read many stories about his small order; the founder's relics and the mysteries surrounding them, in addition to his resting place. While he was not reading, he was taking care of chores, or fixing barrels. It was hardly a glamorous job, but Paulton was content for quite some time. Until news reached the monastery about the wall being built. His reaction was one of regret that he had never sent any mail to his family, and how even a chance for such was gone. He eventually resigned himself to his fate; dying of old age in the monastery.

During the Northgate rebellion, the monastery accepted all those who were wounded, despite alignment. Following Darius Crowley's imprisonment after his march on Gilneas, Paulton went back to his normal duties. Years later, the feral Worgen ran amok throughout the wilds. With the monastery being rural and largely unprotected, what happened next was inevitable. After hearing of the curse, the monastery became busier than usual. Priests scrambled to save their tomes, pack food, and find transportation. A pack of Worgen attacked soon after.

While stuffing books into his robes and as many containers as he could find, Paulton was bitten by a Worgen. The abbot of the Gilnean monastery rallied the frightened priests into fending the Worgen off, but quite a few priests had already been killed by then. Paulton and the other priests who had been bitten were left behind by their colleagues, as they couldn't bring themselves to kill their own. Paulton huddled together with his friends and waited for the curse to consume them, all the while praying for some form of intervention. He ran among the wilds with his turned friends until he was caught and given Krennan's cure. Most of his friends hadn't been so lucky. Some had died, and still others remained feral.

The Forsaken invaded Gilneas, and Paulton witnessed horrors he would never forget. Soon enough, the Kaldorei arrived bringing much needed help. Paulton drank from the pool of Tal'doren. He felt uncomfortable with the ritual, but the prospect of gaining his humanity back was too great an offer. For some time, he would feel that he betrayed his own faith and disgraced his order. Though this feeling eventually passed when he realized he could finally return home and see his family.

Like most refugees, he headed towards Darnassus, sometimes arguing with the Kaldorei about religion while on the boat. When he reached Darnassus, he and his colleagues set out for Stormwind, where most would head their own ways. Paulton traveled to the former Monastery to find that it was still intact. The order of Blessed Leofrick however had shrunken even more, becoming more obscure than before. After the rest at the Monastery, he asked the abbot who taught him so long ago for permission to travel. He agreed, provided Paulton did some public preaching and spread the word of the order and the church as a whole.

Paulton's first stop was Lakeshire. He visited his family. Though he had aged, and at first they didn't believe him. So he brought up old stories, and told them how to make a barrel, and a number of other things he was taught. When they finally accepted that this was the man who was their son, his parents told him that what he had done was selfish, and that he should have accepted his job as a cooper, as so many of his ancestors had done before. Paulton just nodded, though silently disagreed. In a rare occurrence, he kept his mouth shut and agreed with what they said.

He found out that his sister had taken over the family business, while his brother had become a fisherman. Paulton stayed for some time, and then continued to travel and take orders from the abbot. He had work to do, and he wouldn't be kept from it.

Skills and Abilities

He's got some legs! - Paulton, despite wearing a robe at nearly all times, can run pretty fast provided he has enough momentum.

Know-it-all - Paulton almost always feels he has to comment on a situation in which he believes an opposing viewpoint is wrong. While his knowledge can be considered useful at times, it can also be grating in the way he expresses it.

Snap and Heal - Paulton has learned much about holy healing through the years. To the point where he's developed a system of fixing broken bones by snapping them into place, and mending them the best he can. Such a thing however, can prove exhausting, so he does it only rarely or if needed.

I'm Really a Cooper! - Paulton knows how to make barrels, wooden tubs, and of course, repair such items.