Liadrin

Lady Liadrin (pronounced /liːɑːdrin/, "lee-AH-drihn") is the matriarch of the Blood Knights, Silvermoon's order of blood elf paladins. Once a high priestess of the Light, Liadrin became disillusioned with her faith after the Scourge invasion of Quel'Thalas, and spent the following years honing her martial prowess against the undead occupying the Ghostlands. When M'uru was shipped to Silvermoon by Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider, Liadrin was summoned by Grand Magister Rommath to partake in a radical idea the magi had devised: the empowerment of Light-wielding warriors by siphoning the captive naaru's holy energies. Contemptuous of the Light's failure to protect her homeland in its hour of greatest need, Liadrin volunteered herself for this notion, and thus became the first of the Blood Knights, an order she rules to this day. Following Kael'thas' betrayal, Liadrin sought redemption for her people; and with the revitalization of the Sunwell, she has rekindled a far more harmonious relationship with the Light. Liadrin, though called zealous, arrogant, and short-tempered by some, has always led her order with strength and conviction; and after fighting to rid Quel'Thalas of the Scourge, Liadrin now seeks the utter destruction of its progenitor, the Burning Legion. In her eyes, the Legion's downfall is all that matters. Liadrin's parents were slain by Amani trolls, creatures the high priestess developed a particular distaste for during her earlier life. She was raised by High Priest Vandellor, whose tutelage first inspired her passion for the Light. During a troll attack against the elves, Liadrin accompanied Magister Dar'Khan Drathir to investigate malfunctioning runestones, along with her apprentice Galell. The group was ambushed and captured by an Amani raiding party, and interrogated by Chieftain Zul'jin himself in a troll sacrificial chamber, who was eager to find further weaknesses in the runestones protecting the land. The ranger Lor'themar Theron had also been captured. By assaulting Zul'jin with a Light-based attack—transferring the pain she had endured in the last few minutes back at Zul'jin—Liadrin was able to create an opening for the group to escape, Dar'Khan mustering the energy to teleport them to safety. Liadrin was briefly enthralled by a tiki mask which granted her three disturbing visions of her companions: Dar'Khan as an animate corpse, Galell in a twisted and deformed state, and Lor'themar writhing in flame. In time, each vision would become a reality. She attended several Thalassian ceremonial occasions, including the promotion of Lor'themar Theron to ranger captain and, later, ranger lord.