Gwalchmai

Information

Player: ManDudely

Character Full Name: Gabriel Gwalchmai

Character In-Game Name: Gwalchmai

Nickname(s): None

Association(s): Brotherhood of Northshire, Church of the Holy Light.

Race: Human

Class: Paladin

Age: 23

Sex: Male

Hair: Golden blonde, wavy, shoulder length.

Eyes: Azure blue

Weight: 200

Height: 6'4

Alignment: Lawful Good

Appearance

Out of combat situations he will wear light, comfortable clothing, often with his armoured breastplate overtop. In combat, expect him to be decked out in mail, or plate.

Personality

Gwalchmai is kind and caring, friendly and approachable, generous and eager to help. Yet when needed he can be stern and disciplined. He lives by the Light and generally follows the laws of the land, and will step in as an enforcer if needed, disarming situations with words before drawing weapons. He deals mercilessly with the Scourge and Demons, and the Warlocks that associate with them. Forsaken and other Horde races will be 'tolerated', but under extremely close scrutiny for the first signs of malicious intent, what happens then is entirely dependant on circumstances. When he is assuming the role of a leader, he has a very militaristic no-nonsense attitude and would attempt to deal with problems in a very direct manner, and face whatever problems arise afterwards in the same way, resorting to deception only as a last resort.

History

Born the unwanted child of a Stormwind waitress and a traveller with roguish charm. His mother knew she could not keep the child, for she could barely support herself on her meager wage, and the charming traveller was not seen again after their brief tryst. She worked long hours in the first few months whilst she could still work safely, but found at least the customers were more generous with their tips once they realised her swollen belly was not fat, but a child. Months passed, her belly grew, and soon enough she was bed bound until the birth, with her few friends tending her needs. Then came that fateful day. She birthed a bright eyed babe, wailing as his lungs drew their first breath, but sadly the strain was too much for her. Like so many others, she perished in childbirth soon after naming her offspring, leaving her child alone in the world.

She had never spoken of her family, and none of her friends could afford to support the child themself, So, one dark and cloudy night, the babe was wrapped in a thick blanket and taken from the city by a friend of his mothers, and left at the doorway of the Northshire Abbey in a basket with only a note pinned to the front of his blanket.

"Please take care of Gabriel..."

And they did. The priests took him in, giving him food, shelter and a family of sorts. They raised him, taught the boy of the Light when he would sit still long enough, but always he fidgeted and remained forever restless. The boy was energetic, to say the least, and could not adequately concentrate on the lessons - they found his eyes often drawn to the warriors of the temple as they trained, watching with admiration. One day, during a break from studies, he ran to where the warriors trained and meekly hefted a wooden practise sword. Practically dragging the weapon, he approached a young Brother Samuel and asked if he could be taught to fight. Of course, Brother Samuel laughed at the sight - a boy barely at the height of his waist, and struggling to wield the wooden sword, wanted to learn the ways of a warrior. At first he refused, sent him back to the priests claiming the battlefield was no place for children. But Gwalchmai was not so easily dissuaded - he wanted to grow strong and protect people, not spend his days lost in libraries crammed with old dusty tomes and librarians that constantly shushed him.

Day after day he pestered Brother Samuel, until finally the Paladin gave in to the childs perseverance. He showed Gwalchmai the proper stance for wielding a blade, but noted how the boy lacked the strength in his youth, even if he was earnestly trying. A priest watched from the doorway as the young Gwalchmai, unaware he was being watched, was set to pushups. So enthalled by his acceptance, Gwalchmai did not return to his studies that day and was greeted with a stern scolding when he did finally return, aching all over and drenched with sweat, yet beaming brightly from ear to ear.

And so the priest sat down with Brother Samuel and discussed the boys future. In the years he had lived there, he had never shown as much interest in studies as he had for physical training, and so the boy was given into Samuels care. They both agreed that perhaps the boy was not meant to be a priest, but a warrior, and thus began his training.

He was shown how to muck stables, cook healthy food for those of the temple, and to sweep dusty floors. And he did so without question, completely trusting the word of his mentor. Between such chores he was set a strict training regime that only got harder as the boy grew and his body developed, and each night he welcomed the embrace of the simple hay mound that was his bed amongst the stables. Come morning, at the crack of dawn, he would be awake and would bathe in the nearby lake, then resume his chores for the day.

His adolescent years were spent caring for the temples horses, feeding and and washing them, and taught to ride them eventually under the guise of mere exercise. Weapons and armour became his bread and butter, polishing suits of platemail and keeping blades sharp with a dutiful sense of pride in his work. Yet his reward was often to be invited to the dinnertable with a dish of food before him, and not permitted to eat whilst others around him did so. They tested his discipline and resolve, finding he would retreat into meditation, forcing his focus away from the mouth watering scents that flooded his nostrils. What free time he had was spent with the warriors, and they certainly did not go easy on him. Thankfully priests were always at hand to tend injuries.

The years passed and he grew strong indeed, working hard for the upkeep of the temple, training passionately with the warriors, and even burying himself in study at night - learning diligently of the Light, and the world beyond the Northshire borders. The energetic child, now grown and calmed by near constant exertion, would now often be found by priests passed out in the library with his head buried in a tome under the dim light of a candle. His passion for combat was ever tempered by periods of study as he grew into maturity, chores occupying less and less of his time as his energies were increasingly devoted to study and combat training. Under close guidance by Brother Samuel and the priests, his bond with the Light was strengthened the day he first learned to command the powers of Ligt and channel a minor spell of healing. This affinity for commanding healing energies was further nurtered, until he would be found going toe to toe with his instructors in the sparring ring, then tending their injuries after, before his own.

He came to live his life by the Code of Paladins he was taught, and the many lessons of conducting himself socially, including the fine leadership skills impressed upon him from the many years of strict discipline and focus. The years rolled by and Gwalchmai grew into a young man, and on the day of his 21st year at the temple he was granted the title of Paladin, despite having spent several years more in training than most. He was gifted with arms and armour, and sent into the world to teach the Light to others through example, to protect the innocent and to face down the enemies of the Light with passion.

Since then, he has campaigned against the Scourge across the lands, starting in Duskwood and ending up in Northrend with his beloved, and mother of his child, Aubreigh.