Lord Haverin Grayblade | |
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Gender: |
Male |
Race: |
Human |
Nationality: |
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House: |
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Titles: |
Marcher Lord of the Bite |
Affiliations: |
Alliance of Lordaeron |
Status: |
Deceased |
Family: |
Jonathan Grayblade†, father |
Lord Haverin Grayblade was the first of the Grayblade Marcher Lords of the Bite and the father of the current Duke, Berenal Grayblade. Said to be an ambitious yet loyal man with a fair amount of charisma and drive, Haverin became the Marcher Lord of the Bite after the death of the House of Cobalstant due to his mother, Jessabel Cobalstant. Through Haverin, the Grayblades gain their legitimacy to the region as they carry the closest living blood tie to the now defunct Cobalstant line.
Markedly different from his predecessor's rule, Haverin ruled with a fair hand and was a just man. Serving alongside the other lords of the Ashen Coast in the Second War, Haverin reached the rank of major. During the Second War, Haverin lost his two brothers, Fredreich and James Grayblade, and returned home to having been appointed as the new Lord marcher of The Bite. Overwhelmed at first, Haverin was aided by his native Coastlander wife, Erleia Darkoak. Through his war experience, he became fast partners with Xavier Greydon and later Cail Greyfield, friends of his from his earlier years. The three then formed the first Triumvirate of the Ashen Coast, a combination of the three regions that acted as a method of conjoined ruling in lieu of the dismissed Duchy of the Ashen Coast, some hundreds of years prior.
History[]
Early Years and the First War[]
Haverin was born to Lord Jonathan Grayblade of the Fallow Crest and Lady Jesabel Cobalstant of the Ashen Coast in 1086 F.A.. The first of three children, Haverin was known to be a quarelsome child when he was younger, often acting standoffish to his fellows and getting into quite a few fights. Such things changed as he grew older and the sense of responsibility began to become apparent to him, especially when he was given his brothers, Fredreich and James. Forming a sibling rivalry with his brother Fredreich and a protective one with his brother James, Haverin grew into a man of his family towards his teen and young adult years. His final bond came in the form of his sister, Tess, who he became the closest with.
As Haverin was raised by Jonathan and his mother Jesabel, he formed very few connections outside of his immediate circle. As Jesabel had strained ties with her own family, Haverin only truly built ties with his father's branch of the family. While there were several Grayblade cousins, Haverin built a strong connection with the House of DeWitt, which had been sworn to his own for generations. Building extremely close ties with Tybalt DeWitt, the two were nigh inseparable in their youth.
During his teenage years, Haverin became the lone confidant for his sister Tess as she struggled with her sexuality. A promising finance manager and a beauty in her own right, Tess was distraught with the idea of being married off when she had come to terms with her own desire for other women. Though initially apprehensive of the idea of his sister going against their father's wishes, he encouraged her to follow her heart behind closed doors. On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Tess was betrothed to one of the many Fallow Crest lords. Wracked with conflict as she'd been in a relationship in secret with a local marketwoman of her age, she came to her brother. Once more, Haverin encouraged she tell their father and follow her heart. Despite his advice, Tess left in the middle of the night with her lover and eloped with her. With their father setting a hunt for his daughter, Haverin revealed what he knew to protect his sister's happiness, driving their father to disenfranchise her as a member of their family. With an aching heart, Haverin sacrificed the relationship he had with his sister and the ability to see her again for her own personal happiness. The last correspondence he would hear from her is after his return from the First War, with the knowledge that she was happy and married to her lover.
During the onset of the First War, Haverin signed up with the Gilnean foreign legion that would go to aid Azeroth against the strange orcish threat. Believing the tales of orcs to be little more than a wives' tale or pomped up, Haverin took the opportunity to make shore leave calls on women before leaving. One of these dalliances led to the conception of a bastard, who would later grow to be Aeydan Wald. This incident, after learning about it through letters during the war, led to a more serious personality for the young Haverin. A father at only twenty eight, Tybalt suggested Aeydan's existence be kept a secret rather than be made publicly known. Agreeing with his friend, Aeydan's mother was sent payments of money periodically to care for the child.
Haverin returned early from the loss of the First War with Tybalt shocked by the horrors of the Orcish Horde. Having only served a year before their regiment was horribly maimed and forced to recall back to Gileas, the memories of the war stayed with Haverin for his remaining years.
A Name Made and the Second War[]
In the year that came to follow, Haverin was posed by his father to the lords of the Ashen Coast across the river from them. Believing it important to foster better relations with their region, as Jesabel caused much strain in terms of trade, Haverin began to make himself known among the various lords. While on a visit to The Reach, Haverin met with the ruling Lord Darkoak. Smitten with his daughter, Erleia Darkoak, he made many an effort to court her but was rebuffed. Finding that she was betrothed to Lord Ethan Frostvine, Erleia was to secure an alliance between the two strained families.
Relentless in his pursuit, Haverin began to visit and make himself known among the Lady Darkoak's peers. With little else to do about it, Erleia began to allow the Grayblade heir to become acquainted with her. Finding themselves to be a rather secure match for each other, Erleia's inital apprehension turned into turmoil at the idea of her arranged marriage. Declaring to Lord Ethan his intention to wed Erleia, Ethan declared a duel of honor for the Lady Darkoak's hand. With no desire to see the fair Erleia married to a Fallow Crest lord, Darkoak bannermen cornered and beat Haverin the eve before his duel with lord Frostvine. Too injured to fight, it fell upon the friends that Haverin had made during his stay. Having become familiar with the knight Xavier Greydon and the young lord Cail Greyfield during his time, the two lords were able to see to Haverin quickly enough to mend his wounds that he had accrued, though not enough to get him in fighting condition. Come the day of the duel, Haverin took the field adorned in full body armor, crested with wolves and his family's colors. Shocked at Haverin's quick recovery, Lord Ethan made battle with Haverin but was ultimately defeated. Securing his desire's hand, Haverin was married to Erleia. In secret to all but the immediate friends of Haverin, it was in truth Tybalt who fought in his friend's name.
Haverin married Erleia quickly, consummating and having a child with the woman just barely before the onset of 1117. Naming his child Berenal, he had his legitimate heir and second son. Just as the First War came to a close, he would father yet another son by the name of Eredin Grayblade and take the lordship of Wulfhaven with his father's passing.
The devastation wrought upon the south was enough to motivate Haverin to join with the Gilnean Military during the onset of the Second War. This time joined by his two brothers, his friends in the Ashen Coast and Tybalt, Haverin became the leader of his own regiment. Early on into the war, Haverin suffered one of the biggest losses he had ever faced in his life, that of his youngest brother. Cornered and slain during a failed charge, James was killed during a skirmish in Hillsbrad. Rather than be disheartened, the death of his brother drove Haverin further and further, eventually seeing him rise to the position of Major. As the war raged on and Gilneas alongside the Alliance pushed the Horde further and further back, Haverin suffered the loss of his second brother Fredreich. While dealing with the traitors in Alterac, Fredreich went missing alongside his dwarven companion. Despite spending nearly a week scouring for his brother, for at least the body, Haverin was forced to continue forward. With both brothers lost, by the end of the war a drastic shift was seen.
Upon his return home, the Riot of Bannhurst occurred, placing him within lordship of The Bite. Alongside this, Xavier Greydon became lord of The Range with the death of his brother. To make matters worse for the Grayblade lord, King Genn Greymane anounced the erection of the Greymane Wall and the closing of Gilnean borders. Unwilling to be cemented in Gilneas forever, his dear friend Tybalt began to make plans to leave Gilneas. Despite Tybalt having a daughter of his own, Fleur DeWitt and having taken control of the House of DeWitt by the time of this occurrence, Tybalt assured Haverin he would do well without him and they would meet again when Greymane's head came down from the clouds. Despite his pleas otherwise, Tybalt departed with his daughter, his wife refusing to follow, and the two never met again.
Forming the original Triumvirate of the Ashen Coast, Haverin took on a heavy burden without most of his childhood supportive figures to aid him.
The Seventh Skull and Legacy[]
Ruling over the Bite for some time, Haverin revitalized the region after the poor House of Cobalstant rule, namely Bannhurst. Even with the fastest progress, it was still slow despite Haverin's strives. Seeking to gain advantage on this, Haverin was approached by a mercenary group by the name of the Seventh Skull Legion. Threatening the lord's rule by dictating he was to give half of the profits of the rebuilding city to their legion rather than the people or the Bite, Haverin refused. Believing that it would be best to fight them off or call their bluff, such a move was one of the last he would ever make.
Haverin and Erleia were beset in their manor in the dead of night. Despite several DeWitt guardsmen aiding them, they were overpowered. Slaughtering most of the attackers, Haverin's manor was lit ablaze in an effort to rally the Seventh Skull and kill the Grayblades. While rushing to escape and save his children with his wife, Haverin was pinned under a falling pillar. Despite his begging to leave him, Erleia tried in vain to free him and ultimately perished with him. The last thing Haverin saw was that his children's room was empty, dying with the thoughts that his children might yet have survived.
True to his belief, Berenal and Eredin would survive the Burning of Bannhurst. While Eredin would eventually fall to the forces of demons, Berenal would go on to restore the Bite and eventually the Duchy of the Ashen Coast as Duke. A great inspiration for the Duke as he went through his years, Haverin's rest in death was only disturbed once during the Second Range Rebellion by Hiram Westcott.
Witnessing his son's leadership until Berenal was striken immobile when they clashed, Haverin was eventually struck down by his son. With pride, Haverin's last words to his son was how he had grown before his connection to Azeroth waned and he once more departed to the other realm; resting easy with the thoughts of his son's ability to continue on despite his father not being there for him.