Mara Ardentlocke

Mara Ardentlocke is a Scarlet crusader primarily affiliated with the Army of the Truthful, serving as a personal guard to High Cleric Ostrick the Zealous and the chapter master of the Knights of Dathrohan.

She is a veteran of the Scarlet Crusade, serving as a Herald of Tyr in the Hand of the Unblinded.

History
After a rigorous training regimen as a squire of the Silver Hand, Mara was quickly thrust into her first armed conflict late in the Third War. It would not be long into Mara's paladin trials where she would be instilled with the fiercer methods employed by the Scarlet Crusade, learning to invoke the Light with a vengeful, spiteful rage.

The Unblinded
A young, fiery squire, Mara was eager to prove herself against the Light's sworn enemies. Having been taught cruel, nigh savage methods of combat by her father, her honor as knight was often questioned by her peers. With a temper that of a rabid dog, she often found herself in conflict with her comrades, leaving her to seek penance, as well as fight on her own.

New Avalon
Mara was among the Tirisfal Crusader regiments on the front of Havenshire, just before the twilight hours of New Avalon. However, upon deployment, she was ordered toward the evacuating fleets of the Crimson Dawn, leading her to join the Scarlet Onslaught in Northrend.

Unwitting Defection
Mara was recovered by the Argent Crusade in Icecrown from the Scourge's captivity. The paladin did not make her former allegiance to the Onslaught known immediately, though her physical brands and fanatical war-paint already suggested enough. The Argents were skeptical, though Ardentlocke remained compliant with her liberator's terms, vowing to aid their campaign against the Lich King eagerly. Whether amnesia or other psychological damage was at play during her sudden renouncement of her Scarlet ties remains to be determined.

Shadowtalon Company
Without any home to call her own of the battlefield, Ardentlocke was briefly recruited by Alexander Marogos, hoping to find steady income in the interim prior to the Burning Legion's third invasion.

The Truthful
During Chandan Ostrick's uprising within Tirisfal, Ardentlocke was swiftly swept under the High Cleric's proselytizing, where she eventually cut ties with her Stormwind affiliations and her associated comrades.

For those that knew Ardentlocke among the Scarlet Salvation, Mara's zealotry emerged to much surprise, as it contrasted heavily with the calm, empathetic demeanor she had among her former allies. None would believe the paladin would become a chief culprit in the Army of the Truthful's terrorism against the Alliance, Forsaken, and Argent Crusade, spurring the fanatical uprising.

Since then, Ardentlocke has personally guarded the High Cleric, serving at his side as one of the faction's senior members.

The Scarlet Assault and the Ebon Blade
A final stand against the Deathlord's march was all the Knight's of Dathrohan could muster in their desperate attempt to defend the monastery. Ardentlocke was steadfast against he tide of death, unfazed by the rampant slaughter around her, but the battle was taking its toll. Ebon Blade grunts were no match for the fiery wrath of the paladin, but the orders were given to leave no stone unturned. It was then that the glacial golem Blighthallow emerged to deal with the defiant crusader. A taxing battle ensued, ice meeting flame in a fierce clash, but the day had taken its toll. Ardentlocke's power waned, and the icy revenant claimed his victory. Respecting the tenacity of his opponent, and knowing the name well, Blighthallow spared the paladin, taking her prisoner instead in hopes to thoroughly crush her faith and twist her soul in service to the Lich King.

See: Martyr's Glory

Descent into Madness
Mara's continuous exposure to the depravity of guerrilla warfare plunged her mind into further savagery. When her father's lands of Ardentlocke were destroyed during the Truthful Purification Campaign, she inevitably grew further hatred for the Alliance and their affiliates, and now saw their evils as tantamount to even the Scourge.

Equipment
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Current Status
Mara was last seen in Raven Hill issuing a declaration of war against the Alliance, believing its corruption to have only grown, decrying the methods of the Crown to be ineffective, heretical, and blindly ignorant to the plight of its people.

Criminal Status
Mara is currently a wanted criminal, being guilty of most crimes of terrorism and murder, as well as treason. She is likely branded a heretic by the Church of the Holy Light and the Argent Dawn.