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Anastasia Zogstra[]
Race: Human
Age: 23
Birthplace: Stormwind
Class: Paladin
Professions: Miner/Blacksmith
Affiliations: Member of the Order of Tirisfal
Appearance: Zogstra is tall and broad-shouldered, with a powerful, muscular build. She is toned and tanned from long hours of hard and honest work. Her imposing build is offset by her kind face and easy, open smile. Her otherwise long coppery hair is tied into a tight, seemingly indestructible bun - regardless of battle, wheather, terrain or the like, it seems never to shift. She speaks with a thick Stormwind accent, and occaisionally comments on it that she's 'just a city gal.'
She is usually seen in heavy plate armour of solid and practical construction. Unlike many other such equipment, hers lacks ornamental flourishes. Her armour is always well cared-for and maintained, although she often bears smudges of coal dust, grease, or other marks of her profession. When not in armour, she can be seen in simple, common attire, although almost always wearing pants rather than a dress.
Zogstra is usually called by her surname, and is known more often simply by the nickname of 'Zog.'
Personality[]
Zogstra is honest, loyal and above all else, hard-working. She values honesty and decency in others and all her dealings. She is devoted to her work as an armoursmith, her duties to the alliance, and her alleigance to the Order of Tirisfal. This dedication is often percieved as shyness; and while she somewhat less than sociable at times, it is more from demands on her time than her own desires. She has a strong sense of justice, and will go out of her way to help the common folk of Azeroth, regardless of how minor their needs may be.
Zogstra sees herself as a soldier first, an armoursmith second, and a Paladin as a distant third. She would rather fight head-to-head than worry about religious doctrines and such, and finds her gruelling work over forge and anvil to be serene and relaxing. She has an almost casual approach to her duties and devotions as a Paladin of the Holy Light; while she does not deny or shirk them, she finds the day-to-day matters of the world to be more practical and important concerns than philisophical matters.
While proud of her work and a follower of recent developments in smithing, she is wary of more 'modern' technology and those who use and develop it. To her, the many 'advances' of both Goblins and Gnomes are impractical, tempermental and downright dangerous. She prefers a slower pace to progress and more practical developments such as Dwarvern firearms and the like. At times she feels the world is progressing too fast around her, and she simply cannot keep up with it.
She is equally wary of arcane magic and its practitioners, particularly warlocks and their demonic powers. While she will freely admit the many benefits granted by arcane magic, especially on the battlefield, she feels it is dangerous to put such power in the hands of people who are (to her mind) all too frequently young and irresponsible. The fact that many Gnomes are both practicioners of arcane magic and adherents of high technology makes her nervous. The sight of a pigtailed Gnome in robes and goggles has made her baulk more than once.
History[]
Early Life[]
Zogstra was born soon after the end of the second war, and grew up in an ever-changing world. Her parents, both priests of the Holy Light, provided the best education they could for both her and her younger sister Shiera. She grew up with the tenents of the Holy Light and the rebuilding of Stormwind, and knew from a young age that she would one day fight for her homeland. Her parents encouraged their daughter in this regard, and soon guided her to the Order of the Silver hand.
Zogstra flourished in the Order, rapidly growing into a powerfully built young woman. She trained extensively with all manner of weapons and armour. It was there that she developed her love for the honest art of the blacksmith, and apprenticed herself to a blacksmith in the Order as part of her grueling physical training. She took well to their philisophical training, though she always saw it as a secondary concern.
The Third War arrived before her training was complete. Though many of her superiors headed north to Lordaeron and soon west to Kalimdor, she remained in Stormwind. Her only exposure to the war was in the form of waves of refugees that made their way to the city. She threw herself into the care and healing of these poor folk, often working to exhaustion to tend to their needs. Her superiors in the order recognised her dedication, and by the time the war had passed, she was officially a Paladin.
Scarlet Crusade[]
As a semblance of peace settled over the world, Zogstra grew restless. She knew there was more to be done than defending Stormwind, and with the blessing of her parents and the remnants of the Order, she set out on the life of an adventurer. She quickly saw first-hand the work of the plague of undeath, and steeled herself against both the Scourge and the Forsaken. To her, there was little distinction between the two.
Her growing attitude eventually drew the attention of the Scarlet Crusade. Recruiters within Stormwind approached her and decided to test her dedication. She learned more about the organisation as she began peripheral work for them, fighting pockets of undead across the world. She soon believed that their goals matched hers, and was more than ready to join.
However, a chance encounter with a former Crusader sent her plans awry. He revealed to her the true nature of the Scarlet Crusade, describing their fanatical zeal and indiscriminate slaughter. Zogstra knew that she could have no part in such an organisation, yet still felt eager to fight the Scourge. She soon found her way to a member of the Argent Dawn, who had an intriguing proposition to her.
For the next few months, Zogstra served withing the Scarlet Crusade - but as an agent for the Argent Dawn. She was 'recruited' into the Crusade to observe their inner working and report - only when safe - back to the Argent Dawn. She laid low in monastery, avoiding detection and discovering much about their personnel and methods.
Her infiltration came to a crashing halt when the Scourge set on the move, attacking cities across the world as well as the monastery itself. While fighting in the plaguelands, Zogstra was separated from the other Crusaders. She had all but lost hope before she was rescued by an expedition from Chillwind Camp. From there, she quickly reached her contact within the Argent Dawn, and returned to Stormwind to fight the Scourge there.
Recent Times[]
By the time the Scourge Invasion had been beaten back, Zogstra was at a loss for what to do. Her friends had moved on, Stormwind was full of new faces, and even her kid sister was grown up and adventuring on her own. Zogstra continued her adventuring, but seemingly without purpose. However, her former Argent Dawn contact had a new idea for her.
Impressed by her dedication to battling the world's many evils, he directed her to a secret society he had dealings with. Zogstra soon came in contact with the Order of Tirisfal, and eagerly joined up. Now she adventures with a renewed vigour, working towards the day she can join their most dangerous expeditions and fight the greatest evils that pervade Azeroth.