Leonidon

Leonidon Theodopilian was an Arch-Mage of Quel'Thalas and the Northern Territories. He is widely remembered for being one of the greatest High Elven mages within the nobility hailing from the North, as well as for his service in helping establish several small-provinces and their systems of government.

Leonidon was deified by the House of Britannicus, a house contained within the D'lanastion Monarchy, after his death in 22 A.F by natural causes.

Birth and Early Youth
Leonidon was born on the 2nd of July in the year 3,343 B.F in the Highborne forests of Ashenvale to a mother and father whose names have been lost to the annals of history. Records from the period leave many to presume that his mother had been a seamstress and his father a labourer, making Leonidon's upbringing a rural and simplistic one. Many historians, writers, and lorekeepers have taken advantage of this, each of their speculating opinions brought to life in the form of epics and mythos. One of the more-particularly interesting theories is that he had been born of the constellation which the skies above Ashenvale harboured, having fallen from the cosmos to earth in a meteor shower which occurred the very night before he was recorded as having been born.

What is known of his factual upbringing is mostly scarce, especially considering that a large portion of Highborne lore was destroyed by the hands of the Kaldorei following the Exile of the High Elves. Leonidon may have attended a small school in the area which his parents had settled, or been home schooled by his mother who would have had the time to teach him basic curriculum such as maths, reading, and writnig. It is recorded that he spent a large portion of his childhood at home or with his father, helping him gather and work to finish projects.

Pre-Adolescence
Following the presumed death of his father a few days following his 11th birthday, Leonidon's demeanour was said to have shifted from a jovial and ambitious young man to a somewhat brooding and self-hating lad. For years, it was said that he had contracted Major Chronic Depression which did not cease until later in his teenage years. His mother might have sold their property, or had issues maintaining it due to her inexperience with working in the field of hard labour.

Adolescence
It is widely understood that during Leonidon's adolescence, a new sort of ambition was reigniting upon the embers of the last. At the age of 17, having recovered from his depressive episodes, he went on to begin practicing the arts of druidry, apprenticing under his later lorekeep, Mafaet the Wise. Through Mafaet, Leonidon learned the art of mending, and how to control some aspects of nature through meditation and balance. He would continue to study under his master for several decades, all leading up to the conflicts which would ravage the temporary era of Night Elven tranquility and peace.

He was educated only by Mafaet, learning more-scholarly subjects such as critical thinking and philosophy by joining like-minded young men who would form fraternities around the area.

Adulthood
Thousands of years passed in peace following the Great Sundering. Leonidon prospered in the fields which he took upon himself to study, passing the centuries by building for himself a large empire of knowledge and a bountiful amount of wealth given to him by patrons among the community who were so kind as to help fund his research and the medicinal practices which he had been looking into for some time. For a large portion of his adulthood, Leonidon tapped into herbalism, becoming a local doctor for his small town and the neighbouring villages who required him. He became a teacher for a few years in the art of druidry, but later abandoned that post for unexplained reasons.

The Arcane
When came time for the Exile of the High Elves, Leonidon had had a considerable amount of practice with Arcane. Several theories exist surrounding on how he first began to get educated on the matter; one of the more-believable and well-stated theories is that Mafaet introduced him to the art after a rallying cry given by Dath'remar Sunstrider a few days before the Sunstriders ravaged Ashenvale. Inspired by the will of the Sunstrider soon-to-be Prince who promised to deliver his followers into a realm where birthright was rule and the elves would rise to levels of power which belonged to them in all respects, Leonidon self-enlisted into Sunstrider's army of the Highborne, willingly setting blaze to his own home by the use of a magical spell.

The Death of Mafaet
All throughout the duration of the ravishing of Ashenvale which Leonidon took part in, Mafaet shared his protests with him despite fighting alongside him. Finally, three days into the attack, Leonidon slayed Mafaet in the quarters which they shared by suffocating him whilst he slept. This action would haunt Leonidon with guilt for many years, only leaving him when at last he had become convinced that all that was done to form Quel'Thalas and establish it as the magical realm of the world was done with good intentions and could be justified.

Establishment in the New World
Following the High Elven exile from the realm of the Kaldorei into the Eastern Kingdoms, as well as a ship-ride which Leonidon was recorded having gotten nearly deathly-ill throughout the duration of, the High Elves came to what was known as Tirisfal Glades. Becoming known as one of the local doctors for his previous practice in traditional medicine, he became a popular man throughout the settlers. He married once to an unnamed woman, yet any further record of her other than the certificate stating that he was indeed married at all does not exist.

Following the incidents of Tirisfal Glades, as the High Elves moved eastward into the Plaguelands, Leonidon continued to hone his magical ability, teaching several young men throughout the colonies how to properly wield some of the more-advanced spells of magic which he himself had mastered at a surprisingly fast rate.

Quel'Thalas and the Northern Territories
Settling into Quel'Thalas at last, Leonidon found himself in the Northern Territories, a huge portion of land which is contained in the areas forward of Silvermoon City and Sunstrider Isle. In the unnamed territory, he claimed and settled a small plot of land near the mountains and rivers there, creating a school for all children to come and learn the art of the Arcane. Whilst he was not teaching, he found a particular interest in helping set up affairs with government. Later, Leonidon would become one of the advisers to the Sunstrider Monarchy, and for the remaining portion of his life would give advice on how to establish noble houses and lineage, as well as dividing up territory fairly so that each individual could remain in good standing with his neighbours.

Becoming an Arch-Mage
Leonidon was officially crowned to be an Arch-Mage following a trial hosted by one of the leaders of the largest settlement of High Elves in Quel'Thalas which was not Silvermoon City. Through a tournament of wits, rehearsal, and overall combative prowess, he was Sired by the royal family and made an official paragon of magistry alongside two other individuals who placed after him. Continuing his studies, he left his teaching career once more to pursue his political career, advocating for higher standards and formal institutions of education abroad and within Quel'Thalas.

Schools
Throughout his lifetime and the years before his death, Leonidon's affinity for teaching carried on for the span of many decades. Before his death in 22 A.F, he opened three separate schools, each of which stand today in the province of Augustaminca: the Juliahni School of Wizardry, the Sunstrider School of Magical Arts, and Mafaet Academy. The first school, Juliahni, may have been named after his mother, though there are no records which prove this theory to be completely true.

Death
Leonidon died on December 4th, 22 A.F, following a long period of illness which had struck him after a journey to the northernmost peaks of the Northern Territories to study the growth of the area, as well as the sedimentary foundations of the mountains and to test whether or not a building could be built without a huge risk upon them. After a lifetime of teaching, healing, helping, and establishing Quel'Thalas, building it up to be one of the greatest nations in the world, he passed in his sleep, surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues.

At his funeral, several major noblemen attended, as well as the two other Arch-Magi who were granted the honour with him. Though more Arch-Magi would come, Leonidon is remembered in the North by the House of Britannicus, and was deified for his work during his lifetime, and his extreme displays of patriotism.