Clothair Ravenot

Clothair Ravenot (pronounced /Clo-th-air/ /Ray-ven-ot/), called the True or the Discordant, is a paladin and the 3rd Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of the Golden Eagle. An austere and bold knight, Clothair oversaw the installment of the military order into Deadwind Pass to better facilitate its efforts against the diabolical and to investigate the curse present in Duskwood.

Initially a prebendary of the College of Canons and a Knight of the Silver Hand, Clothair came to denounce several teachings and practices of the Church of the Holy Light. He strongly opposed the sacerdotalism, idolatry, iconolatry, and vanity displayed by the Church. The realization of the methods employed by those of the clerics, the usage of what Clothair claims to be shadow magic further instigated the paladin to speak against the ecclesiastical organization.

Early Life
Clothair Ravenot is the only son of Dagobert Ravenot, a once respectable baron living in the proximity of the Grand Hamlet, in the region that is now known as Duskwood. No records of his known mother exist, nor has Dagobert ever wanted to marry at the time of Clothair's birth. Due to this, Clothair was recognized by his father and the public, as a legitimized bastard.

By the time of the First War, Dagobert served as steward in his liege's council, Count Theodoric Vuodi. While his father served Theodoric, Clothair was being tutored and groomed to follow in his father's footsteps into becoming a steward in a greater noble's court. The abrupt arrival of the orc invaders from the Dark Portal and the death of Count Theodoric obliged the family to flee into the vicinity of Stormwind. House Ravenot's castle was besieged and conquered shortly after the razing of the Grand Hamlet. The family had no other options but to follow Anduin Lothar alongside other survivors to settle in the Kingdom of Lordaeron while the old Kingdom of Azeroth crumbled.

With the loss of his home and fief, Dagobert fell under a great depression, neglecting his son's former tutoring and simply putting him into the care of an old knight of Lordaeron, Sir Dietmar Adler. Dietmar took the adolescent Clothair as his squire and was chosen to become a member of the Silver Hand during the time of the Second War. Clothair remained as Dietmar's squire for the duration of the war until the Assault on Blackrock Spire transpired, where Dietmar desperately had Clothair bear a flanged mace and heavy shield to fight along in the battle. The battle was won, and the unprepared Clothair managed to demonstrate his growing martial prowess.

Dietmar was surprised at Clothair's display but advised him to stay back in the next battle, considering him far too unprepared to fight in the battlefield. The final battle of the Second War ensued in the Blasted Lands, concluding with the destruction of the Dark Portal. The Alliance was victorious and Clothair followed the paladin back to Lordaeron where his squiring continued.

The young squire took Dietmar's words and lessons with interest, learning of the Three Virtues, the Holy Light and continued to master the usage of blunt weaponry. By the time Clothair was the age of twenty-two, Archbishop Alonsus Faol, had received Dietmar's word that Clothair was ready to become a Knight of the Silver Hand. Clothair passed his trials and was officially knighted by the Church of the Holy Light and regarded as a paladin. Unfortunately, Dietmar Adler died of natural causes a year after Clothair's accolade.

Paladinhood
Clothair's father Dagobert had recently returned to the now rebuilt Kingdom of Stormwind, where he ventured south to his former home. Clothair was saddened at his father's lack of communication in regards to his sudden departure. Despite sending him various letters, Dagobert never responded to Clothair's messages, bringing forth a mix of concern and despair to the young paladin. Clothair's faith in the light and his fellow knights were all that then remained at his side.

The beginning of the Third War and the fall of Lordaeron devastated Clothair even further, giving the man a rather grim perspective of the world around him, albeit still remaining faithful to the Three Virtues. Alongside his closest allies, Clothair joined Alexandros Mograine's forces until his unexpected demise. After Mograine's death, Clothair's loyalties remained with the newly formed Scarlet Crusade.

Clothair was stationed to Tyr's Hand, where he zealously served the Scarlet Crusade. The mentality of the Scarlets grew into Clothair's mind and eventually he became to embrace its philosophies. By the time that Acherus arrived in the skies above the Scarlet Enclave and laid waste to Havenshire, Clothair had joined High General Brigitte Abbendis in her flagship, the Sinner's Folly, and sailed for Northrend where she established the Scarlet Onslaught.

While serving in New Hearthglen, Clothair's loyalty to the Scarlet Onslaught wavered greatly as he noticed Brigitte Abbendis' disregard of the original Scarlet Crusade's goals. He boldly called out against the Onslaught, and despite any presented evidence, was hunted down for his insubordination. During a bloody battle in the Dragonblight, Clothair managed to kill three of his former comrades and immediately escaped to the Alliance base of Wintergarde Keep.

Clothair volunteered to assist the Seventh Legion to fight against the undead legions of Naxxramas and from there Clothair unofficially offered his assistance to Halford Wyrmbane in his future campaigns. After the Shattering and during the Invasion of Gilneas, Clothair assisted the Seventh Legion and the Gilneas Liberation Front in repelling the Forsaken army.

Once a great deal of Gilneas was reclaimed, Clothair held a desire to stay and further assist but instead he sailed off south to the Kingdom of Stormwind, to finally reunite with his father that he had not seen in many years. He ventured to Duskwood, a far more grim and darkened version of his childhood home. There he went to the front of his father's castle and as he requested entry, his father's chancellor informed Clothair of Dagobert's current condition. Dagobert had become an isolationist and wished to see no one but a select few in his home.

Despite the fact that he was his son, the chancellor told Clothair that Dagobert did not want to see him ever again. Clothair left the proximity of Castle Ravenot, greatly insulted by his father's supposed lack of trust and settled in the capital of Stormwind.

Prebendary
As Clothair remained in Stormwind, he sought the guidance of the Clergy of the Holy Light to achieve absolution and to serve under the banners of the Silver Hand as he did prior to the Third War. Accepted to serve under the College of Canons by Mother Superior Maeriann Cromwell, Clothair continued to practice and follow the honourable path of a knight as Aspirant of the Knights of Virtue. Through devoted demonstration of his faith and skill, the Archbishop and the College of Canons recognized Clothair as suitable to rise up and be reanointed as a Knight of the Silver Hand.

Clothair's long experience as a paladin had brought recognition to the Clergy to have him declared as an Exemplar and was rewarded a prebend, a rickety tower within the borders of Duskwood and Deadwind Pass.

Clothair's disdain of the Church of the Holy Light began to grow due to the lack of initiative from the Archbishop and his clergy. The neglection of the paladin orders became apparent with the appearance of the Congregation of the Silver Hand, due to the lack of a Grand Knight or paladin representative. Clothair also showed much disapproval towards the display of sacerdotalism that was often imposed by the priesthood and the Council of Bishops. Greater internal concerns appeared as Clothair caught realization of the methods employed by those of the cloth, the usage of what Clothair witnessed to be shadow magic in the Clergy of the Holy Light was a perception that began to stain his faith with the Church, constantly reminding him of the depraved leadership that was once done by the Scarlet Onslaught.

During the conflict against Count Robert Garnet, Clothair was appointed Commander of the Duskwood Offensive by Archbishop Alonsus II. Clothair led a series of diplomatic negotiations and operations against the Count and the numerous conspirators working against him, including supposed Church officials accusing Clothair of heresy. Clothair began to dedicate himself in bringing end to the mysterious Cult of the Silver Eagle that had an involvement in starting the conflict, and through a series of expeditions to Castle Eaglehold managed to bring end to the horrors and haunt that plagued its desolate county with the aid of a mysterious woman.

After Clothair returned from Castle Eaglehold, he held a gathering in Duskwood, where he suddenly denounced the Church, the Archbishop and the Council of Bishops. Accusations of deceit and an unrighteous need for power were thrown by Clothair. The same evening, Clothair denounced them once more before Archbishop Alonsus II in the Cathedral of Light. Clothair Ravenot and his lover Victoria Ashcroft were then arrested in the Cathedral's transept under charges of heresy and apostasy. The Archbishop dared to bring them back to his clergy, but his admittance of the Office of Inquiries' usage of magic to pry into the minds of others without consent brought further discomfort to the two paladins. Both Clothair and Victoria refused forgiveness from the Archbishop, unwilling to submit to the Church's devices.

After two days the charges were eventually dropped by the Archbishop and the oaths of both Clothair and Victoria to the College of Canons were relieved without punishment for reasons unclear.

Grand Master of the Golden Eagle
Clothair and Victoria still held the desire to combat against the malicious forces of the Silver Eagle, but their lack of support from the Church weakened them greatly. They searched Duskwood and even returned to Castle Eaglehold to locate the founder of the Sovereign Order of the Golden Eagle, Cassius Palenix, in order to have him reclaim the title of Grand Master.

Unfortunately, Cassius could not be found anywhere and the Order of the Golden Eagle was reduced to a puppet organization of the malicious cult due to its new Grand Master, Hermann Blankenberg, supporting it. Clothair came forth as a challenger to the title and managed to successfully slay Hermann in personal combat.

Clothair successfully usurped the title of Grand Master and became the third leader of the Sovereign Order of the Golden Eagle, aiming to restore it into a faithful path and to preserve its iconoclast philosophies. Clothair managed to establish Castle Eaglehold as the Sovereign Order’s main base of operations, despite its rotten and tainted nature. He believed that the location was strategic in order to counter and better observe the anomalies present in Deadwind Pass and that it permitted to Order to remain as a secular authority within the area.

The Order of the Golden Eagle, albeit small, managed to perform a series of successful assaults against various diabolical sects, such as the Silver Eagle and sympathizers of the Burning Legion.

Widower
Clothair's wife Victoria had mysteriously vanished, and the Sovereign Order began to search for her whereabouts in Redridge Mountains. Clues eventually led to a beautiful herbalist, who they discovered was a succubus responsible for abducting villagers. In the herbalist's hut there was only blood and gore. Nothing was recognizable, and Victoria was nowhere to be seen. The only thing Clothair could find in the hut was her wedding ring, implying that she was one of the demon's victims.

The Fall of Eaglehold
As the Burning Legion invasions began, the Golden Eagle found itself besieged by a demonic horde. The violence that enfolded had awakened the foul energies that lurked within the castle and isolated Clothair's host and the rest of his order from the rest of the battle. Shadow magic was used against him, and what occured after still remains a mystery to any as all who were present were either dead, missing or do not remember, the latter being the case with Clothair.

Clothair was washed away and badly injured in a river near Duskwood. Fortunately his body was recovered by a former cleric of the Church, Kateryn Wyllinds, who successfully tended to his wounds. Despite Kateryn's talent, a few scars remained on Clothair's person, mainly on his left cheek. As he recovered, he felt his own mind falling into madness, a side effect of the spell that was cast upon him during the siege. Once he was physically able, Clothair ventured back to the ruins of Eaglehold only to find no survivors.

Still troubled by the strange spell, the paladin isolated himself from others for the sake of meditation and reflection. When his condition improved, Clothair traveled alone throughout the Eastern Kingdoms and began investigating unusual cult activities that were occuring in remote settlements. During that time of his absence, many speculated that he had perished.

Reformation of the Golden Eagle
By the time the Legion invasion concluded, Clothair returned more rugged than he previously was. He dedicated his time in investigating those who had potentially survived the attack on Eaglehold and fortunately discovered Sir Lindolf Elton, an anointed knight of the order, was still alive and well. Clothair did not want the legacy of the Golden Eagle to end, so he organized a meeting with Lindolf to plan the Order's return.