Aldis

Information

Player: Zenethen

Character Full Name: Aldis Tannen

Character In-Game Name: Aldis

Nickname(s): Tannen

Association(s): Alliance Army (former), Stromgarde Defenders, Stormwind Society of Concerned Citizens (loose), Guardians of Hyjal (recent)

Race: Human

Class: Soldier

Age: 62

Sex: Male

Hair: Sun-bleached brown highlighted by streaks of gray. Also, his finely shaven beard is salted very well.

Eye: A greenish hue to a medium blue.

Scale: 1.0

Weight: 216 lbs

Skills and Abilities

He has a good mind for anything troll or ogre, and has learned through the wily ways of fighting the Syndicate how to disarm certain types of crude bombs or mines, but he is in no way an expert in other aspects of engineering. He has also gained an aptitude for first aid and treatment of wounds, such as removal of projectiles and advanced procedures of bandaging and cleansing of wounds, all of which are skills he has picked up over the years of fighting and tending for troops.

Also, due to his right eye being torn out, he lacks a right-side peripheral, giving him a large blind side in combat. On the subject of combat, Aldis has a variety of skills, those being not only the traditional human tactics of fighting but also the adopted fighting styles of the trolls he gained from his days as a Troll Hunter. What type of fighting style he uses depends on the armor he wears, light or heavy.

Appearance

Usual Garments/Armor: Being a simple man, you can often find him in medium-quality commoner's clothing, though occasionally one might find him in his armor of when he's fighting for the Stromgarde Defenders.

Personality

Aldis Tannen is an honorable, strong-hearted Arathorian. Having been fighting in Arathi against trolls, giant wildlife, kobolds, and whatever else for countless years, he has adopted a very dire outlook on combat and war in general. He considers any that call war a game and play with lives like they're nothing to be fools, or misguided children. However, he will be accepting and very protective of those he sees have true hearts for camaraderie.

Off the battlefield, he is a calm, but sometimes wild old man that sometimes forgets a name or two. He tends to treat everyone with respect, but has a gained inclination to have initial distaste towards any member of the Horde, with an absolute hate for anything or anyone Troll. However, he has been known to occasionally lighten up on account of the Darkspear Tribe alone, but all other trolls should beware.

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

History

The son of a Stromgarde Cavalryman and a maid of Stromgarde Keep, Aldis grew up as most all Arathorian children did. With a warrior's view on life and a fairly decent upbringing, Aldis was taught how to wield a sword from the day he could pick one up. He learned his kind, homely manners and household tasks from his mother, while from his father he learned the art of battle in the glorious armies of Arathor. His childhood was that of a future soldier, and he had no siblings to speak with.

When he reached his teen years, he had a massive growth spurt. Those around him called him a giant, but he was truly only several inches above most everyone else. However, his muscles followed suit with his height, giving him the ability to wield a greatsword and use it with deadly efficiency. When the young Aldis turned sixteen, he was eager to follow in his father's footsteps and join the Army of Stromgarde.

What he did not expect was what awaited him on the battlefield. He was placed in the same battle formations as all other cadets, shield-to-shield and slowly advancing against the vile trolls that continually desecrated the lands of Strom. These trolls were unlike anything he had trained for. All of his opponents beforehand had been human: predictable, and slow in their strikes. These trolls were quick on their feet and leaped in all directions in an attempt to break the shield wall and begin their initial feasting on those unlucky enough to be trapped in a troll's jaw.

Aldis learned quick over the next six years to expect the unexpected from these trolls, and adapted his own tactics, as his father had before him, to fight the trolls accordingly. His fellow cadets continued on to become part of the main infantry line, but Aldis and a few of his closer friends were put into a special position. They were to be inserted into the ranks of Stromgarde's elite troll-fighting force. The Troll Hunters.

For sixteen years, Aldis and his comrades swept through the Arathi Highlands, annihilating any trolls that dared get in their paths. But it was the dawn of a new age, now, with a new enemy rising from the south. The Orcish Horde. Aldis and the Troll Hunters were elite fighters, yes, but their specialty was against trolls and their ilk. These encroaching orcs were different, sinisterly organized and rank with filth. As the Army of Stromgarde tried desperately to hold the orcs back, the Troll Hunters were forced to adapt to this new enemy.

Aldis received word that his father and mother were successfully evacuated to Stromgarde Keep, and for that he was glad. He followed along with Stromgarde's men as Thoras Trollbane pledged the men and women of Stromgarde to the cause of the Alliance of Lordaeron. In Lordaeron, a new, forested land to him, he met many future friends and comrades. In the hills of Silverpine and on the shores of Lordamere Lake, Aldis and his fellow Arathorians fought with the Alliance of Lordaeron to push the Orcish Horde back.

When the tides finally did turn, Aldis led his comrades to battle after battle as they gave chase to the Orcish Horde. Despite his better wishes, however, he was among those that were chosen to help fight back the remnants of the Horde's troll allies in the Highlands while his comrades pushed south.

Hearing only tales of glory from the south, his comrades returned victorious, and they continued their fight against the trolls of the Arathi Highlands. Not caring for politics or any such things, Aldis and the Troll Hunters were always at the front lines, even as their beloved homeland began to crumble around them to rebellion and war. While the Third War raged in Lordaeron and across the sea, Aldis and his men were busy trying to make sure the damage to Stromgarde was minimized.

Taking advantage of the frenzied state of the north, the Alteracian Syndicate had invaded from the north, breaking the tide of Stromgarde's defense and allowing the ogres also to advance from the north, laying siege to Stromgarde Keep itself. The majority of the city fell, much to Aldis's dismay, and he led what refugees he could to Refuge Pointe before calling on what comrades of his still lived to continue their hunt against the trolls that frequently harassed their camp.

For the next seven years, Aldis and his comrades continued their relentless struggle against the trolls. Aldis' deeds made him somewhat of a legend in the Stromgarde Defenders. Aldis Tannen the Giant, they called him. Given, however, how small their forces were, his title and 'legend' was short-lived and now is known only to a few who truly think about it.

Thirty-eight years of experience within the Troll Hunters rested on Aldis' shoulders, his uniform and armor bloodied and his sword red with the blood of his foes. In one of his last missions in the Troll Hunters, his squad was captured by the trolls. They planned to sacrifice him and his comrades to their gods. When Aldis struggled, one of them tore out his right eye with a knife, then left the bleeding 'giant' to rot. Luckily, a second squad of troll hunters arrived with a force of Stromgarde Defenders, and while Aldis was being tended to, the Stromgarde forces descended mercilessly on the trolls.

Having lost his right eye, and on the brink of mentally snapping, Aldis decided it was time for him to retire from killing. He said his farewells to his friends and allies in Stromgarde and took all of his possessions and trophies with him to Stormwind City, where he hoped to find peace.

For a time, he did have peace there. He enjoyed long walks through the city's parks, and began to befriend many of the city-goers. He became somewhat of a local celebrity, as he often invited complete strangers into his humble two-story home to enjoy famous Arathorian hospitality. This practice of his continued for a while until Deathwing came down upon the city and struck Stormwind's park into the sea.

Shortly afterward, news came from all over the world of this Cataclysm, the supposed prelude to the end of the world. Deathwing's armies were on the march, and there was no single force that could stop them. Aldis, feeling he would only be a burden if he took up sword and shield again, decided to wait it out from the comfort of his home and walks in Stormwind.

But the troubles followed him. On one of his nightly walks, he discovered a sigil belonging to a member of the Twilight's Hammer. What emerged was something he did not wish to become involved in. But, feeling it was his duty, he began a silent investigation of the matter. The Twilight's Hammer Cult had set up a base within Stormwind City, and was planning something drastic. In a quick act, Aldis gathered some adventurers and a few of his former war comrades and unraveled the conspiracy, closing down the Cult's base and killing or arresting all those involved.

After those fateful weeks, Aldis finally had peace again. He was content with knowing he had done well to protect Stormwind City. But then a new call rang out across Stormwind's heralds. The end of the world was truly coming near, for the armies of Deathwing were slowly marching on the famed World Tree, Nordrassil. He decided that he was not yet too old to fight, and so put on his armor and gripped his sword and then made his way for the portal to Hyjal. There, he would help the Guardians of Hyjal defend the World Tree from whatever threatened it.