The man many knew as Jonathan Chess stood at the bonfire at the Argent Tournament site located just north of the frozen hell of Icecrown, wearing the tabard of the Argent Crusade once more.
Visiting Northrend again had raised spectres of Jon's past, reminding him how fragile his sanity had been in those days; after the destruction of Theramore, Jon had turned strongly to the Shadow, and enlisted in the Alliance armed forces that were fighting the Scourge and thee Cult of the Damned. He had been attached to an infantry company as a reconassaince scout, but was unofficially out the chain of command when SI:7 needed someone who fit their criteria for a mission of being both highly skilled at assassination and entirely expendable. Years before, Jon had rejected the recruitment efforts of Mathias Shaw, and instead had begun an affair with the woman he wanted. Shaw had (in Jon's opinion, at least) sought revenge by assigning increasingly dangerous missions to Chess in an attempt to get him killed. Jon's survival vexed Shaw, but as it also meant the missions were accomplished, so Shaw didn't complain too much - he just found another mission to send Chess on.
Eventually, the Lich King was defeated and Jon was sent home, scarred in mind and body. Eventually his mind was healed, and his body scarred even more. He opened the doors of a private detective agency, and began using his skills to help people. It felt good to help people instead of kill them, although being a private investigator was not without it's own health hazards. Jon worked as part of the Kul Tiras secret service as part of the Azeroth Ale Society until they vanished during the Cataclysm. SI:7 and Mathias Shaw continued to send him on missions, although as clients. Jon met the woman Alia Atherton, and the two of them became entangled romantically. Jon Chess began accepting missions from Genn Graymane via his daughter, Tess... who also was his compatriot in the Hall of Shadows, as part of the Uncrowned.
Then Jaina came back, and sent to Kul Tiras as an emissary to pull them back into the Alliance. Graymane sent Chess as part of per entourage under his cover identity as an Agent of Cheese, charged by them to build a network of informants - and specifically, to safeguard Jaina. Ultimately Jaina, with Jon's help, routed out the vipers in the Kul Tiras government and helped install Jaina as the Lord Admiral. Jon worked once more for both Jaina and the Kul Tiras secret service.
Until the Mawsworn, minion who serve the Jailer, ruler of the Maw, destination for the damned in the afterlife, had swept through both the Horde and Alliance, capturing Thrall, Baine Bloodhoof, Jaina Proudmoore, and Anduin Wrynn. The Mawsworn also attempted to capture Tyrande Whisperwind, but she slew her attackers.
Genn Graymane had once more reached out to Jon, and sent him to Northrend to combat the resurgance of the Scourge and the Cult of the Damned, both of which now served the Jailer and are commanded by the Mawsworn. Jon found that the same things he had learned were effective in the battle against the Lich King were just as effective still. Jon chuckled to himself - the F.R.I.E.D high-explisves he had become so fond of in fighting the Horde in the defense of Darnassus were even more effective against the Scourge. Chess also had a weapon now he had not had in the "bad old days".
He had a wife. A wife raised by the Kirin Tor, and who had taken service with Jaina Proudmoore when the naga had opened a hole in the ocean and wrecked much of the Kul Tiran naval forces. A wife who was as coldly beautiful as the storms of ice and cold she used to great effect against anyone who stood in her way. A wife named Alia Atherton Chess.
So long as Alia stood beside him, the blizzards of Northrend were like a summer breeze to Jon. Together, they would fight their way into the Shadowlands and recover Lady Jaina, and bring her back - or make her abductor pay dearly.
Jon was not very good at being a hero - but he was very, very adept at vengeance.
