Server:Feathermoon US/Azhandris

Azhandris Summerwind
Pronounced: (a'zh-an-drIs)

Past Aliases: Azhandris Sandslayer, Queen of C'thun

Age: approx. 10,400 years old

Birthplace: Suramar

Nickname: "Azh" (a'zh)

Religious Affiliation: Elune

Height: 7 feet 9 inches

Weight: 250 lb.

Ear Length: 23.5 inches

Status: Retired Sentinel Huntress, mated to Nictus Vael'Kyn. Deceased (unconfirmed).

The Stories and History of Azhandris Summerwind
Thanks to Drinlana of Guild:Shardracona (Feathermoon US), three chapters of Azhandris' history have been kept on the guild's website. They include A Certain Point of View, about Azhandris' first encounter with the Alliance and the Horde; The Greenskins, which recounts a racial fued during the Battle of Mount Hyjal; and A Sentinel's Task, recalling the time when the Ancients of Felwood sent Azhandris on a dangerous mission to Silithus.

Though by nature a reserved woman, a Timeline of Azhandris Summerwind has been recorded as she shares more details concerning her history.

Personality
Azhandris Summerwind is one of the oldest living Night Elves to survive The Sundering, the War of the Shifting Sands, and the Battle of Mount Hyjal; as such, her personality was once cold and unfeeling toward those she believed to be "lesser" and "simple". Her attitude toward the other races of Azeroth once begin with prejudices and misgivings, which slowly eroded or worsened as relationships develop. Her ethnocentric beliefs were not uncommon among the Night Elf population, but many argued against that her views were outdated and obsolete. Those who embraced the change of the new world contested her beliefs concerning humans, gnomes, and even orcs.

Like in all things, however, change is inevitable, and Azhandris developed an appreciation for her allies. From her change to mortality, and during her travels through the shattered realm of Outland, a more mature and cautious night elf emerged; less eger to be a contestant and more willing to be an observer. While she continues to maintain a strong emotional barrier, she is more likely to share personal feelings and thoughts with those she feels are trustworthy.

Like many Night Elf women of her generation, Azhandris prides herself in three things: her agile combat prowless, her powerful physical beauty, and her bond with nature. Built for swiftness and mobility, Azhandris' body is tone and lithe with strong muscles hidden under her smooth skin. Though she has the strength to choke an orc to death with her bare hands, Azhandris, like so many night elf warriors, prefers to use quick and deady attacks. A short, efficient fight (where she is the victor) is prefered over a long slug-fest; additionally, she will use whatever tactic she deems necessary to win, even if its considered dishonorable and "cheap" by the other races.

But while Azhandris has a fortified demeanor, hidden deep in her heart she has passions, desires and secrets. She chooses not to share them least she be mocked and her reputation as a skillful huntress be discredited. Secretly, she wants to be accepting of other races, she wants to find love (or at least a lover), and she wants to be social. She is a military officer who has become a civilian, and it is difficult to fit in; which is why she continues her adventures in the worlds of Azeroth and Outland.

Her personality is prone to the same moods and responses her feral companions share in the wild. While this is not uncommon among Night Elves, it is a rare thing to display it in the mist of outside cultures.

Role as a Leader
Azhandris is a reluctant leader. Her centuries of experience in the service of her people and their fight against all types of enemies are numerous and more than qualify her as a capable leader; but her distrust and inexperience with other races and classes prevent her from accepting leadership responsibilities. Nevertheless, when the absolute need arises, she is quick to step up and take charge of the situation. True to her style, her commands are often short and concise and her battle cries are loud and strong – the latter usually in praise to her Goddess, Elune.

Animal Friends
In the course of her life, Azhandris has had many close relationships with animals, like almost all night elves do. They have been her best friends and guardians throughout many parts of her life. They have ranged from mighty hippogryphs to timid faerie sprites.

Aelgos - the white wolf - Azhandris' most constant companion, Aeglos was found as a young adult who had just left his pack to start his own. He was located east of Astranaar, near the Horde outpost of Splintertree. He has a cheary disposition, often "smiling" and wagging his tail for friendly strangers. His personality is an opposite reflection of his Night Elf mistress'; creating an emotional balance between them.

Before The Sundering
Azhandris Summerwind was a citizen of Suramar and a devout subject to Queen Azshara, like so many other night elves in her time. Though her family was not of Highborne linage, they owned a great estate; located on the west side of the city. The Summerwind house was known to host parties for Highborne and other nobles and moonguards from Zin-Azshari, Black Rook Hold, and The Temple of the Moon. When she neared her social adult age, Azhandris was given the task to play host to these galas. She organized the invitations, the cooking, the decor, and the entertainment. It was during one of these events that she met a younger night elf dancer named Drinlana Nightwhisper, who was hired by the Summerwinds to dance in honor of a Lunar Festival.

The Summerwind family breed warmounts for the night elf armies, with an affinity for hippogryphs. Their family tree included many airborne heroes, such as Arctanius Summerwind, a "larger than life" general who was renowed for his prowless against the troll empire, and Tres'lanis Summerwind, a vigilant sorceress who could summon air elementals to fight for her.

The Featherwinds
The Featherwind family were close friends and heirs to the Summerwinds, both sharing a fondness for hippogryphs and nightsabers. With both families being quite large, intermarrying between them was not uncommon and served to strengthen the two households. Many commonalities are shared between the Summerwinds and the Featherwinds, such as facial tattoos, hair color (ranging from light blue to teal), and skin tone (ranging from light to dark purple, but never blue or green). Few Featherwinds survived the War of the Ancients; many were caught up in the initial slaughter of the demoic invasion. As such, few descendants can be found today in modern Darnassus and Nighthaven.

Priestess Ari'nala Featherwind is one of the few survivors of her house and spends most of her time living and serving in the Temple of the Moon in Darnassus. She serves as Azhandris' closest spiritual advisor and enchantress. The two often refer to the other as "sister", their bloodlines being closely related and sharing many of the same relatives. Ari'nala bares a striking resemblance to Azhandris, having many of the same physical appearances - even the same markings on her face.

Flight from Suramar
When Queen Azshara unleashed her demonic army to "purge" the world of those unworthy of her newfound god, Sargeras, the first city to fall victim was Suramar. Because of the suddenness of the demonic attack, most of the citizens were slain while doing their nightly chores. Azhandris, with her family and many others were managed to escape the slaughter, were able to flee into the woods, but were hunted day and night by felhounds and eredar. The survivors of Suramar eventually were saved by the advancing army of Lord Ravencrest, as he marched with Malfurion Stormrage and the Sisters of Elune to take back Zin-Azshari. Unfortunately, being nocturnal creatures and forced to run from tireless demons during the day, majorities of the survivors died during the exodus or were greatly ill when their rescuers found them. Azhandris' parents fell along the way from fatique, and there was no time to give them a proper funeral with the Burning Legion literally on her heels. Azhandris regrets this dishonor - even centuries later.

The flight from Suramar and the relentless journey did much to change Azhandris' demeanor and identity. She was forced to adapt a survivalist instinct by using clever traps to slow or halt her demonic predators' advancements. She relied more upon her gifts from the Goddess Elune, which strengthened her testimony and faith in the Moon deity. Her use of Shadowmeld and prayer helped her to avoid many dangers as she pressed forward in hope of finding help. Her identity would be forever changed from the high-class kaldorei to an unpretentious night elf.

Sellian Summerwind, Blood Elf Lineage
Night Elves and the newly named "Blood Elves" have a very common history: The elves of Quel'thalas are descendants of the exiled Highborne, who were forced out of Kalimdor by the druidic Night Elves because of their use of forbidden arcane magics. Many families were split by this seperation of the elves. Some changed their surnames in rebellion of their "foolish cousins", while others retained it pridefully. Among those who retained their surname where a few relatives of Azhandris' noble family. Many generations have passed since those first elves settled in mystical Quel'thalas, and few have surived the many conflicts that followed. Among the remnants of the Summerwind Royal Estate is Sellian Summerwind, a coy, smart-aleck actor who dabbles in the darker arts of magic, seeks to regain his family fortune lost to the Scourge, and makes use of his free time fraternizing with women and performing on demand – particularly for an elfwoman named Cassanara, a lady of the Kaelenar House.

The Long Vigil
After the War of the Ancients, the imprisonment of Illidan Stormrage, the founding of the druids, and the growth of Nordrassil, the night elf culture changed a great deal, and Azhandris was eager to be at the forefront of this new life. The Sisters of the Moon had taken it upon themselves to uphold the laws and defense of Kalimdor and formed the Sentinel army. The druids, in honor of Ysera, kept their promise and entered a deep sleep into the Emerald Dream, leaving most of the women to live out their immortal lives protecting Kalimdor from another invasion. This time period in night elf history is referred to as The Long Vigil.

Azhandris became a huntress in the Sentinels, trained to fight with a Moonglaive and a bow while riding a nightsaber. She fought and served in many tours of duty under the command of several famous military leaders, including Tyrande Whisperwind, Raene Wolfrunner, and Shandris Feathermoon. She met and befriended another huntress named Vanya Winterbreeze, and they bonded quickly - able to predict and react to the other's actions and thoughts and working together as one unit. Vanya and Azhandris became inseparable, and traveled together most of the time during the Long Vigil as they protected the sleeping druids and Kalimdor. In time, both were promoted to higher ranks within the night elf military and were assigned to dangerous posts, most notably in Felwood.

The War of the Shifting Sands
The sands of Silithus.

For many years, wandering adventurers would pass by this region of southern Kalimdor, avoiding the giant insect creatures and elemental monsters that spotted the land. Few inquired about the land; fewer still had the answers. Those who did know, those who remembered, spoke in whispers – while others pretended to forget.

When the Old Gods awoke in this arid landscape 1,000 years before the Battle of Mount Hyjal, the sons of Cenarius and the daughters of Elune arose and marched against legions of insects and giants. Azhandris and Vanya were reassigned from their post in Felwood and rode to Silithus. Placed under Fandral Staghelm's command, they fought endlessly on the ground against swarms of Silithid.

When the Bronze dragonflight arrived to offer their aid high in the air, along with a few representatives from the other three flights, the night elves employed the use of hippogryphs as escorts to the flying behemoths. Both Azhandris and Vanya were reassigned to the skies and flew alongside the red dragon Vorzuguul. After the shocking demise of the bronze dragon Grakkarond, at the hands of Ossirian, Vorzuguul’s night elf escorts endeavored ten fold to keep their leviathan safe from harm.

They were successful; although Azhandris suffered a heavy blow from an Anubisath construct as she passed too close to distract the monster away from the dragon. The swing of the construct's hand killed her mount and left her critically injured. Vanya pleaded with the red dragon to heal her, and, with power over life and death, Vorzuguul restored the night elf's broken body. Moved by Vanya’s compassion for her friend, Vorzuguul offered the woman a portion of his power to heal, which he shared with her in private.

1,000 years later, Azhandris returned to the sands of Silithus to fight the Old God, C'thun, and the Silithid once and for all, under the banner of the Cenarion Circle.

The Alliance and Horde Invasion
The Burning Legion's return to Kalimdor was the day every Sentinel had looked forward to and feared the most. What they didn't expect was to meet two new races of mortals: the Orcs, under the leadership of Thrall, and the Humans, lead by Jaina Proudmoore. Unfortunately, first contact between the Night Elves and these new races was not a pleasant one.

Horde and Alliance armies, in order to fortify themselves against the pursuing wave of demons (and undead), established lumber mills and mines within the misty realm of Ashenvale, the sacred forest of the Kaldorei. The Sentinels reacted quickly to the threat and attempted to push back the brutish orcs. Cenarius lead the attacks initially, but was slain by chaotic orcs, who had succumb once again to fel influences. Tyrande Whisperwind continued to command the Sentinels to drive the "heathen mongrels" out of their lands.

Among the first to be called to the front lines were Azhandris and Vanya, who rode their nightsabers from Felwood to meet with Tyrande in Ashenvale. Their first target was a joint Orc and Human lumber colony, deep within the borders of Ashenvale. The peons and peasants were unable to defend against the glaives of the Sentinel army, but were able to take the lives of a few sisters. Among them was Azhandris' dearest friend, Vanya, who was slain by a Paladin's flying warhammer. The Sentinel was lifted off her mount and her chest was crushed by the weight of the weapon. She died instantly.

Azhandris was spared the paladin's holy wrath when the High Priestess herself intervened, but was left with the pleasure and duty of beheading the knight herself. Since that time, even when the Night Elves officially joined the Alliance, the bitter memories of that first representative of The Holy Light has stayed and tormented Azhandris.

Mortality, Again
With the collapse of Nordrassil's blessing of immortality, many night elves sought answers to living in a moral existence. They turned to the "younger races" of Azeroth and begain to relearn their own mortality.

Azhandris, having had similar issues and struggles with mortality, began to feel constrained in the Sentinel army, and requested an honorable discharge and retirement. She was granted her request and moved to newfound Darnassus, where she collected some meager belongings and began her new "tour of duty" by helping the local villagers in Shadowglen and Dolanaar.

As contacts with the other races became more frequent, Azhandris' feelings of age began to stress her mind and spirit. To this day, she is often reminded of the rapid changes that come from integration with humans, gnomes, and dwarves. She resist them, clinging to the "old ways" of a generation that has endured the Long Vigil. Refusal to adapt to new technologies, new relationships, and new lands has given some the impression that she is unfriendly and unfeeling. It often comes as a surprise when Azhandris does "open up" and speak in friendly tones or gestures.

It is clear to many that Azhandris feels dated. Often, she will slip into depression, believing that she has lived beyond her time. Yet dispite this, the presence of countless evils that threaten Kalimdor and Azeroth drive her to go the second mile and accomplish more. She has vanquished the Firelords of the Molten Core, besieged Onyxia's Lair, charged into Blackwing Lair, toppled the citadel of Ahn'Qiraj, and infiltrated the floating necropolis of Naxxramas. She carried, with great pride, Rhok'delar, Longbow of the Ancient Keepers.

For a period of time, Azhandris took up residence in Stormwind, near the Cathedral Square, where she spent some time with two human orphans named Ariel and Brian. When the matron approached her with the offer to adopt the two children, Azhandris refused, stating that her life would not permit younglings while she battles the Burning Legion.

The Burning Crusade
Over the course of a few months, unusual activities all over Azeroth and Kalimdor raised suspicions that new threats loomed on the horizon. Azhandris, like many night elves, sensed these changes immediately. She made frequent visits to the Blasted Lands and the northern boarder of the Eastern Plaguelands in an effort to discover what caused her anxiety.

The Dark Portal Anomaly
Prior to The Dark Portal’s reopening, Netherguard Analysts were sure of unusual anomalies in the ley arcane, and fel, energies surrounding the portal and alerted the Kirin Tor magistrates; who began making necessary preparations to guard the portal from another (all be it speculated) invasion.

Azhandris, having felt these same anomalies with her kaldorei empathy to the earth, made several journeys to the Blasted Lands and studied the demons and the demonic effects in the region. Her observations of the elite felguards and felhounds led her to the conclusion that the demons were also aware of a change, and showed signs of reformed order and strength among their ranks. On several occasions, felcreatures demonstrated aggressive rites for leadership roles. Felguards cleaved their rivals in twain, felhounds leeched the life out of an alpha or beta, and succubi tortured their sisters. Azhandris felt that the demons knew their masters were getting closer, and they were preparing to meet them in glory.

While she was away sleeping in Stormwind City, Lord Kazzak stormed out of the Tainted Scar and departed through the Dark Portal. In his wake came legions of demons and Kazzak's replacement, Highlord Kruul. Kruul's mission, to seed fear and terror in Kazzak's absence, begain in the Eastern Plaguelands. A call to arms by the Argent Dawn came quickly and Azhandris responded. She, along with many of her allies, were the first to halt Lord Kruul's rampage.

Quel'talas Invasion
When rumors of the elves of Quel'Thalas (now calling themselves the Blood Elves) reached Darnassus, plans to launch an infiltration mission into sin’dorei controlled territory immediately went into action. The Sentinels called upon their most reliable strategists, trackers, and infiltrators to map out locations where the night elves could place scrying devices to spy on the Blood Elves and launch sabotage campaigns against their fallen-from-grace kin.

A ship, full of Sentinels, druids, and supplies, launched from Auberdine and set sail across The Great Sea to northern Lorderan and landed off the eastern shores of Quel’thalas – just outside the Ghostlands. Moonwells were constructed immediately to feed the night elves, and towers were grown out of the earth to shelter them. Shortly thereafter, groups of Sentinels slipped to the mainland and established three scrying camps throughout the Scourge infested lands.



The Kaldorei managed to evade the Blood Elf detection for some time, until recently, when an arcane pylon saboteur in Eversong Forest was detected and slain by a Blood Elf investigating the pylon’s “malfunction”. Alerted to the night elf presence so close to their capital city, the Blood Elves launched scouting parties to locate other kaldorei in their realm, and caught the Sentinels unprepared.

Having been one of the strategists and advisors employed by the Sentinels to plan the invasion, Azhandris became disturbed by the Quel’talas Sentinels’ abrupt lack of communiqués and trekked back through the Dark Portal to Quel’talas to investigate. She arrived to find the smoldering ruins of one of the three scrying camps. In the mist of the charred remains of her fallen sisters and brothers she found a blood elf magister and his two Forsaken escorts. In a fit of blind rage, she massacred the guards, captured the elf mage, and then publicly executed him outside nearby Tranquillien.

Two weeks later, Azhandris returned, alone, to Quel’talas and launched a series of assassination and terrorist attacks within the walls of Silvermoon City and in the surrounding areas. Blood Knights responded quickly to the night elf threat, and the Forsaken rallied to aid their “brethren”; nevertheless, Azhandris managed to complete her objectives and quench her thirst for vengence on the sin’dorei before returning to Outland.

Arena Rival
After less than a year in Outland, Azhandris was approched by the goblins of Area 52 to join their gladiatorial competitions. The arenas were gaining popularity throughout Outland and Azeroth as one of the greatest challenges in sword and spell combat, and offering the finest rewards to those who manage to walk, crawl, limp, or be carried out alive. After inspecting the prizes, Azhandris was all too eager to sign the charter – realizing that such armor and weapons would give her the advantage she sought to overcome the Horde.

In the months that followed, she teamed with various allies and friends, and won many victories, as well as learned from many defeats. Her armor improved, making her more resilient to critical blows and increasing her endurance in combat while allowing her to strike harder, which eventually earned her the title of Rival.

On the battlefield, she showed no fear when facing down warriors and duelists. She mocked their blows and attacks with animalistic fury, which made her unstoppable while she was enraged.

Dry humor, though, was her best defense and cooping method and she was often smiling or laughing to herself at the blunders or misfortunes of others in combat. Her favorite was to see a magister encase himself in a block of ice, which allowed her the chance to admire the fear in their eyes and set up a powerful aimed shot for the exact moment when the ice broke. Her second and third favorite blunders were when warlocks and mages attempted to fear, freeze or transform her into a tiny creature while she was clearly enraged, relishing their incompetence for her amusement.

Often times she would fall back on her lifelong training as a markswoman and deliver devastating shots that rivaled most spells. During these times, however, she focused entirely on her aim and in consequence became vulnerable in melee. A few tricks afforded her some room for escape, however, and her armor protected nearly all of her body, save for her head (she prefered not wear a helm in favor of clear, peripheral vision).

Rest For a Heroine
While serving the Bronze Dragonflight, Azhandris went into labor and gave birth to twins, Annalaya and Arctanius, but the premature birth took its toll on the age-old Night Elf mother. In a desperate attempt to save the mother's life, the Bronze Dragons entombed her within a large hourglass and shrouded her within a temporal stasis spell (the effect appearing like swirling sand).

She rests there to this day while her mate, Nictus, raises their younglings.

Sometime after her "death" (though the Bronze Dragons regard time as relative) stories have spread among mortal agents of the temporal dragonflight who claim to see "ghosts" of the former Sentinel throughout Azeroth and Kalimdor's history. Witnesses claim to see the Night Elf dressed in traditional Sentinel armor and donning a purple cloak, sometimes wearing a hood over her head. A few have vouched that the illusion has aided them on their quests in a variety of ways. The dragons have, thus far, disregarded all claims to the former, and some conspiracy theorists believe that the spell protecting Azhandris' body also allows her to project herself through time.

Meanwhile, her daughter Annalaya and her son Arctanius carry on her legacy...

Quotes
"I said a bow string, not a g-...Ugh, nevermind."

"I'm not some plucky girl you can string along."

"This is my netherdrake. There are many like him, but this one's mine." (refering to Koreth'etheyl, her mount.)

"Naga stole my bow!"

"Shoot." (When asked if she can be questioned.)