Marissa Shimmersong[]
- Age: 57-60
- Class: Warlock
- Race: Sin'dorei
- Alignment: Chaotic neutral, mostly lawful (accidents happen)
- Physical Description: Marissa stands at 5'1, with long straw-colored hair that falls just beneath her shoulder blades. She wears a turquoise and ruby inlaid headband, and her eyes are typical of most Sin'dorei - vibrant, glowing green. Her body is slender, almost too slender (at least that is what an orc has told her) and she is rather fragile in combat.
Marissa Shimmersong
Known family members: Orlia Shimmersong (sister), Septina Shimmersong (mother), Clayre Winder (father, presumed deceased), Jessalyn Shimmersong (adopted sister, deceased)
- Personality: Marissa is a kaleidoscope of different colors and wears many different hats. Not much about her remains the same for too long other than her fierce loyalty towards those of her own kind, her homeland, guild mates and friends. She can be brash and does not always think things through before acting upon them. She is always under the impression that "as long as I don't die, things will be all right," making her sometimes reckless and overly bold.
"I am quite...the brave...knave. See? I told you I sucked at rhyming!"
--To Dissonanse and Peredhel, after being mortally stabbed by a gnome during a raid against Silvermoon City
While she can be reckless and sometimes labeled as a "pest" by her enemies, Marissa is strong willed and has a jovial sense of humor. She literally will laugh in the face of danger, and will never think twice about putting herself out on the front lines for her friends and her people. A large pet peeve of hers that goes beyond simple irritation is when other sin'dorei refuse to take arms against the alliance when they infiltrate the city.
"The alliance betrayed us! I am hated by the alliance, just for the fact that I was born a Sin'dorei. Do they think that we would be treated with respect if we were to walk into Stormwind City!?"
--Marissa to Peredhel
Being only fifty-seven years old, Marissa is still considered young by sin'dorei standards. Taking her rambunctious attitude and personality into consideration, one may assume that it is because of her age and just needs time to "mellow out" a bit.
Her Nickname[]
Her nickname Aphid comes dates back to when her younger sister, Orlia Shimmersong would tease her incessantly about being such a "pest."
Aphids are small, white bugs that eat crops and other plants. They are a hearty source of nourishment for ladybugs. Over the years the nickname nearly replaced her real name, to Marissa's irritation. Nowadays guild mates respectfully call her by her true first name except for Peredhel Raincry, whom she allows to use the nickname. "Aphid" is still used derogatorily in some cases, but these situations are rare.
"Ugh, I know. She is such a pest..."
--Claudia "Claw" speaks about Marissa to Seana
Romantic Ties and Relationships[]
Marissa has been tied romantically to Amiak, Davan and Mirokai. Unfortunately none of these flirtations saw to fruition as Amiak was found out to be the embodiment of a lich, Davan disappeared suddenly and Mirokai proved to be far too immature for her. There was even a time when Marissa was rumored to be romantically tied to a flamewaker, but the rumors proved to be false. When it comes to romance, Marissa seems to be left out of the loop. Despite her age, she has never fallen in love or even kissed another man or woman. Not feeling the urge to rush through her life, Marissa seldom brings up her feelings of loneliness even to her closest friends. Marissa has been found displaying interest in both sexes and all races, especially orc women and other Sin'dorei males. Unfortunately for her, those who usually show romantic and sexual interest in Marissa are either demons, monsters or evil, ancient beings.
Amiak: Took the appearance of a Sin'dorei male, but with a few exceptions. Noticeable decaying and rotting odor eventually led to his discovery that he was not a Sin'dorei afterall, but rather a semi-powerful lich with ill intent. Marissa often abused him verbally, and as a result they constantly fought. Marissa was resistant to his passes and obvious lust, but when he was killed abruptly by a being much more powerful, she wept quietly and privately.
Davan: A Sin'dorei priest that was once married to Marissa's adopted warlock sister, Jessalyn. The two had an unusual, quiet relationship though it was short lived when Jessalyn was kidnapped. She was never heard from again. Davan mourned the loss of Jessalyn and sought comfort in Marissa. To her surprise, Davan attempted to become sexually intimate with Marissa. While she did not immediately shun him or push him away, she was never comfortable with becoming intimate with her missing/deceased sister's husband.
Mirokai: Mirokai was a Sin'dorei ranger whose mother used to follow him around everywhere. Their first meeting was a rather memorable one, turning to Marissa in the inn in Silvermoon City to ask her what she thought about his hair.
"You there, woman. Isn't my hair great?
--Mirokai
Mirokai was self-involved and obnoxious, leading Marissa to find many reasons to not date him. She was constantly plagued by his childish behavior and his doting, over bearing mother until he finally gave up and disappeared, never to be seen again.
Sathel Sunstriker: Marissa found love and compassion from an unlikely match - a Kirin Tor mage named Sathel. He is the cousin of the De'Uden brothers, and at first Marissa didn't think he liked her all that much. After being pulled in two different directions by Ter'thelas Baelion and Sathel, she wound up choosing the mage in the end. The rest of the Symphony members approve greatly of their relationship (which seems to be the opposite for her sister and Sathel's young cousin, Mordagen) and eagerly awaits their engagement. Marissa is still very shy around Sathel but appreciates his patience and understanding while she works herself out.
Drusona: Marissa's succubus. Most warlocks fall victim to their own succubus at one point or another, and Marissa was no exception. Her only true sexual experiences have been with her succubus, to Sathel's ignorance. Drusona is incredibly protective of her master and will stop at nothing to ensure her safety. The two are affectionate towards one another, and while Marissa is no longer at the mercy of her demon, the two still exchange romantic gestures from time to time.
Mar'naros: A flamewaker from the Firelands. There is not much information on Mar'naros, other than from what Orlia recounts. Mar'naros was apparently well educated and resistant to the ideas of his violent brethren. It is unknown if Marissa and Mar'naros' relationship was a romantic one, but they were at least exceptionally good friends. His death came swiftly at the hands of three other Flamewakers, much to Marissa's dismay and heartbreak.
Jessalyn, Rosalyn and the Sporelings[]
There are three defining characters in Marissa's life that have led her to question right and wrong. Jessalyn Shimmersong, her adopted warlock sister was one of them. Being slightly older than Marissa, Jessalyn was not born into the Shimmersong family. Instead, she was adopted into the family by Marissa and Orlia's mother, Septina, when she was just a very small child. Later Jessalyn went on to marry a man named Davan, an extremely powerful priest. Jessalyn was snooty, dark and a bit self-involved but also extremely protective of Marissa. She did not like Marissa putting herself in danger, and if it was necessary, Jessalyn insisted on being there.
Jessalyn had a biological sister named Rosalyn, who also happened to be a priestess. Rosalyn did not approve of Jessalyn's usage of magic and therefore did not seem to acknowledge her craft with respect. It was later revealed that Jessalyn did indeed have living parents, but she was outcast due to becoming a demonologist. Rosalyn later befriended Marissa, whose will was bent when she came to a moral crossroads. Rosalyn used Marissa as a way of getting inside a warlock's brain, using her mind vision ability. These experiments were consensual, although Marissa always felt as though she was simply being used and that Rosalyn did not care about her. For one reason or another, Marissa had always been envious of priestesses and their ability to heal the wounded and sick.
Marissa later experienced a deep form of friendship when she met the sporelings while traveling through Zangarmarsh to reach Shattrath City.
Stopping to allow her dreadsteed to rest, a sporeling approached her for aid. Feeling sympathetic towards the sporelings she later became very close friends with their people. It was because of the sporelings that Marissa learned what compassion and friendship truly meant.
Nova[]
Nova is a very important part in Marissa's life as well as career. As a dreadsteed, Nova can seem intimidating to those who do not approve of/feel comfortable in the presence of demons. Nova, however, can be as harmless as a kitten unless provoked. Marissa often has difficulty controlling Nova's actions, although she does admit they are "great friends." She often loves to boast about stealing Nova away from Xoroth, and can almost always be seen riding him. She has other mounts, but none of them are named or as important to her. Nova has several bad habits: Laying down in the middle of roads (while Marissa is riding him), nibbling on people's clothing and overall just being a "plain ol' pain in the ass." He snorts when he disapproves of something, and shares the same unyielding appetite as his master. He understands everything that Marissa says to him, but has selective hearing. Though the two act as though they are a pain in each other's side, they really do feel strongly about each other.
Life & Supposed Death[]
Having a strong desire to find her mother (who, unbeknownst to her is forsaken and recently risen), Marissa set off to the Plaguelands for a second time. She has been missing for approximately for three weeks, around the same time her father Clayre made a triumphant return to Silvermoon. Sathel found a rather large shard from Marissa's staff within the Caverns of Time. It is strongly suggested that she had a violent scuffle with the Infinite Dragonflight (again) and somehow Orlia was also involved (since she is missing as well). It is unknown whether she is dead or alive, though her cousin Beatrize Shimmersong had mentioned her current whereabouts being located in Northrend.
OOC Notes[]
Okay, so this is what's going on for those who have to know where Aephid went off to. Aephid will become my death knight (sorry for spoilers but oh well) in the expansion, and so the warlock Aephid will cease to exist (at least on Sentinels). Orlia is also being rerolled. I have very large plans for my girls in the expansion, but for now they are pretty much retired and collecting dust while I incorporate more depth and background with the rest of the Shimmersong clan (Beatrize, Bertholde, Septina and Clayre).