Niklos Adamant

Niklos Adamant was a Lordaeronian priest serving in Lordaeron City until the Third War.

Childhood
Niklos was born Rivens Blackwood. Adopted son of Rivenos Blackwood and Aria Cladwell. Rivenos Blackwood was an accomplished mage in Dalaran, but secretly dabbled in the fel arts. His mother, a priestess serving in Dalaran, was seduced by a southern noble and subsequently casted out by her order. An in attempt to save his honor, the father entrusted the child to a then-magus, Rivenos Blackwood. The then-mage married the ex-priestess and the two settled in his home in Dalaran. Aria suffered complications during childbirth and perished, leaving an infant Rivens in the care of Riveno's apprentice - a young elf named Valtiael Naviar. With the death of his wife, Rivenos delved into the fel arts and was then prosecuted by the Dalaran magi.

With his 'son' and his apprentice in tow. Rivenos fled to a rundown village by Lordamere Lake. He continued his studies until the magi finally cornered him in his home. Left with little options, Rivenos poured his power into his son and sent Valtieal off before dying a fiery, graveless death. The shadows within his son coalesced until it stained the infant's right eye pitch black, leaving only the pupil an unearthly yellow. Valtiael, dazed and confused from fleeing, left her Master's child at the doorstep on the local orphanage before disappearing into Eversong.

Rivens, nameless, was raised by the matron of the orphanage. Seen as a stain in the superstitious village, the boy was often chased and beaten down for sport. At the age of six, he fled the orphanage to escape the abuse. He eked out a living upon scraps and rare kindness of women, and fled from the men of the village who saw him as nothing more than an ill omen. The boy often sought refuge in the graveyard of the village, a place where the superstitious folk steered cleared of. There, he discovered he was able to see and hear the spirits of the deceased. In their company, the boy found solace from the often unbearable conditions of living.

Cathedral Life
Rivens was later discovered by two priests - a high elf, Loth'eal Exilus, and one human Nicholas Adamant. Nicholas discovered the boy in a state of near-death, unable to find refuge from the ice and snow. Taking the boy into his arms, Rivens was quickly brought back to the cathedral of Lordaeron. Months of rehabilitation followed, and the boy was nursed back to health. He was given a name: Niklos, and inherited his adoptive father's name as well. For the line for Adamants was in truth a line of orphans, and Niklos was another continuation to the line.

Niklos grew into an accomplished priest under the tutelage of Loth’eal. He (“very unfortunately,” said the elf) inherited Nicholas’ eccentricity and certain disregard for rules. Loth'eal, who was also able to see spirits of the deceased, taught the boy to separate the living from dead (“You simply cannot poke someone to see if they are solid or not as a test!”). The disfigured eye was enchanted, and the boy was able to lead a relatively normal life in the cathedral halls. He excelled at Holy magic, and possessed a strong affinity for all things regarding souls.

Despite his growth, certain things remained with him: he was still pale and slim. He was untrusting of most if not all people. When not attending sermons or lectures (both of which he attended with great reluctance), the priest would hide away in the library and later when Nicholas passed on, his study.

To Loth'eal's delight, Niklos exceeded his fathers’ station and was appointed bishop. Yet the boy's passion was in the study of the Light instead of the spreading of it, treating it almost like an art than one of faith. He contributed tremendously in the ways of mending, the practice of the Light, its many uses, but did little in the actual spreading of faith. As he would often say, "there are those who spread the faith through repeating the same words over and over...and then there are those who demonstrates its brilliance through action." Most would remember Bishop Adamant as cold and unsociable with impossibly high standards and an almost bi-polar adherence to temple law. He was pretty to look at with his pale boyish face, quiet demeanor and calm eyes, but was cold and insufferable when approached.

The few that knew Adamant on a personal level would later say that beneath the ice that covered his heart, the young Adamant was a kind - if lonely - soul. He treated those who were close to him with warmth, and was very protective of those he had been charged with the care of.

The Third War and After
With the fall of Lordaeron, as did most of its clergy. Niklos supposedly died, perished with his brothers.

Current
Fifteen years after the fall of Lordaeron, the former bishop appeared in Stormwind as a member of the Argent Crusade. Paler and thinner and looking no older than he did since the fall, he quickly fell between the crosshairs of the local clergymen. Swayed by the words of Archbishop Columban V, he rejoined the clergy of Light and now serves the Light once more with renewed purpose.

Trivia
- Niklos speaks little about his time between the fall of Lordaeron and his return to Stormwind, often refering to them as "his darker years".

- Has a frost wyrm for a companion, roosting in the hills behind Tyr's Hand. Claimes he received it during his servitude with the Crusade and dealings with the Ebon Knights.

- Deathly afraid of milk after an accident during his childhood.

- While Niklos is quite capable at combat, he will more often than not shirk away at the slightest hint of conflict.