Alessandrea Sunblaze is a Blood Knight of Quel'Thalas and an ardent supporter of her order. A Paladin of the Holy Light as a high elf, she lost her powers after the destruction of the Sunwell and was among the first sin'dorei to volunteer to tap the powers of M'uru. Since Lady Liadrin swore the Order to the service of the Naaru and, ostensibly, the Holy Light once more, she's had something of a crisis of faith about her place in the world.
History[]
Alessandrea was born in the verdant forests of what would become the Ghostlands long before the First War. Her parents, miners living in Tranquilien, were among the poorer high elves, but had little difficulty providing a humble existence for themselves and their two sons and daughter. This bucolic life with loving parents was ideal for her siblings, who had no greater ambitions than to own a farm of their own, but Sasha consistently felt the desire to explore -- and to fight. She preferred to go hunting with her father than to stay at home doing housework with her mother, and found she had considerable aptitude with a bow and knife. In occasional scraps with other children, she also found she had a wicked left hook.
Growing older, Sasha never left behind her tomboyish ways, and her parents began to worry that she'd never settle down and, with her brothers, establish a family farm -- preferably after marrying some nice, respectable man. Their fears were realized when she enlisted with the Silvermoon army. Wishing her family the best of luck, she traveled to the great city to train as a pikeman. She took to military life with ease and rose through the enlisted ranks, thanks to her talents in melee and tactics against the Amani trolls. During this time, she grew close to a chaplain of the Light assigned to her regiment named Tali'selir Solanian. The friendship between the two had grown as they'd served together, and he eventually convinced her to follow the teachings of the Church of the Holy Light. After years of contemplation and meditation with his guidance, she one day felt the Light flow through her, with its infinite warmth and love. "Protect the meek and helpless," it said, and she found herself blessed with the power of the Paladin.
Shortly after, the First War broke out. Word came to the elves of the devastation through the dwarves, and shortly thereafter came the call of Anduin Lothar. A small force was sent to aid the Alliance of Lordaeron, while the rest (including Alessandrea) remained behind. This soon changed as the orcs struck at the south of elven lands. The full force of the high elven army was pledged to the war, and Sasha's regiment joined the battle. As a Paladin, she served with distinction, often acting as a combat medic but sometimes standing at the forefront of offensives against the Horde's forces. A field commission during the war granted her an officer rank, despite her humble background.
After the Second War ended, Sasha returned to Silvermoon along with the other veterans. Luckily, her family had been spared from harm during the war, and she took the leave she was granted upon her return to reunite with them and return to something approximating a normal life. She retained her commission, however, and remained in the reserve. Years passed before Tali'selir resigned from the army and proposed to her. Sasha accepted, and the two were wed mere days before the elves left the Alliance. Her new orders arrived before the two could begin their new life in earnest. The elven army required her aid in investigating strange occurrences on their border with Lordaeron. Giving her husband a kiss goodbye, she rode south and was shocked by what she saw.
The plague of undeath had been released upon the citizens, turning them into mindless killing machines. After tearing through some of the Scourge's warriors, she encountered the Scarlet Crusade and Ranger-Captain Fellari Swiftarrow. After receiving a briefing on the situation, Sasha swore to fight against the menace using the powers of the Light, and quickly found a place in the Crusade's military. Like many of the Crusaders, she was so driven by a desire to stop the plague that she committed several atrocities, all in the name of "stopping the Scourge." Nagging doubts about her new allies began to gnaw at her mind with each new battle, though she quickly pushed them aside. After all, there was a war to be won.
The breaking point came when the Lich King destroyed the Sunwell. The sudden disconnection from her magical lifeline, combined with her growing doubts, crushed her spirit -- and she felt that the Light had left her. She slipped out of the barracks in the middle of the night and wandered back to Silvermoon, only to see her beloved city in ruins and her family dead -- ripped apart by the Scourge forces. After swearing loyalty to Prince Kael'thas, she aided in the rebuilding as best she could, but she felt that she was useless; what good was a Paladin without the Light? When the Prince offered M'uru to Lady Liadrin to form the Order of Blood Knights, Sasha immediately volunteered. What the Light took away from her and her people, she would retake by force.
As a Blood Knight, Alessandrea has brought devastation to the enemies of Silvermoon and the Horde. She takes her role as a protector of the sin'dorei quite seriously, even if she rarely feels comfortable among her own people -- many of whom are the nobility who hid or otherwise shielded themselves from the Scourge assault. Now that Lady Liadrin has pledged the Order to serve the Naaru and the Light, however, she's not exactly sure what to do next. She's not sure if, without M'uru, her powers over the Light will disappear one day, and she certainly has no idea of what the Order is to do now.
Appearance[]
Sasha's snowy bangs are held back from her face by a golden hairpin housing a ruby and inlaid with small diamonds. A filigree pattern engraved in the metal is reminiscent of the art of Lordaeron before the Third War; the pin itself was a gift from a fellow soldier in the Second War. Her skin is relatively pale, but generally rather grimy, and despite her herb bag, she almost always smells of earth and battle. Her preference is to wear her armor as much as possible, but she is sometimes seen in Silvermoon in a set of red and black robes -- though always with a short sword at her side.
No matter what she's wearing, she keeps a crimson steel phoenix on her belt, indicating her affiliation to anyone who cares to look.
Personality[]
The first impression of Alessandrea is often that of an icy sin'dorei woman. That's only somewhat of a disguise; she feels she has much to atone for in her past (and even in her present) and rarely feels worthy to speak to others in domains outside of matters of war. Additionally, her military history has left her with little interest in the various pleasantries of elven society. Her responses to those she's not met before are often quite brusque, and even those who she has are often on the receiving end of curt commands. To her superiors, she's quiet, respectful, and well-disciplined, performing even the most mundane of tasks without a hint of dissent. In many ways, she has difficulty escaping her past, and often treats those around her as if they were fellow soldiers -- or opponents, if they seem to be a threat to Silvermoon or the Order of Blood Knights. Between her standoffish mannerisms and caustic sense of humour, many citizens of the Horde give her a wide berth.
Beneath her exterior, however, Sasha has a surprisingly warm side -- muted, certainly, by the horrors in her past, but still present. Those who break through her shell and can get past her caustic sense of humour find her almost approachable, somewhat like an older sister. While she's not the type to offer advice, she's always willing to provide a sympathetic ear and, perhaps, a raunchy joke or war story. To those she considers friends, she's fiercely protective and a reliable source of aid. Such displays of kindness are generally offered with an almost awkward shyness, especially if they involve money. This daughter of miners avoids ostentatious displays of wealth and status and prefers not to be renowned -- and if she must be, she'd rather it be for her skill with a blade than for her money.
Even amongst her friends, inquiries into her hairpin, her wedding ring, or any of her past that she's not disclosed are met with an icy gaze and stony silence.
Abilities[]
As a Blood Knight Master, Alessandrea has mastered most of the abilities of the paladin and can summon the Thalassian Charger. Her preferred weapons are axes and polearms, those she has been known to wield a sword from time to time. Her expertise lies in using the Light as a weapon; while she was once a competent healer and protector, she's let these skills atrophy as she's sought to avenge those who died to the many enemies of the Horde.
Affiliations[]
Alessandrea aiding a kaldorei against the Shadow Council
Alessandrea holds the rank of Master in the Order of Blood Knights and is a strong supporter of Silvermoon's allegiance with the Horde. She currently is not a member of any guild, having not yet found a group of fellow heroes with whom she feels comfortable.
Friends and Allies[]
Sasha considers Anndais Sunjewel something of an acquaintance, as they both worked together in the ill-fated and short-lived Silvermoon Imports Company. The other members of that business were at the time her associates, but she's lost contact with them and has no particular feelings towards them.
Enemies[]
All enemies of the Horde and the blood elves are her enemies, as far as she's concerned. She dislikes the Alliance, but only considers herself a foe of those who break the tenuous "truce" between the two sides. She has no strong negative feelings to those who don't, and has been known to assist them (especially kaldorei) if they're clearly in need. She considers the Scourge and the Burning Legion top priorities for destruction, and is unfriendly if not outright hostile to Death Knights.