Marianne

Appearance
Marianne is an average height girl at five feet and seven inches, weighing 133 lb. Her flowing red hair dangles straightly from her head, resting on her shoulders. Her face always has big, bright, and curious blue eyes and she only seems to display two moods most of the time in public, happy and sad, so she is usually only smiling or frowning. She has a tiny scar on her cheek, caused by a man named Thaneth who tried to force Marianne to love him, but when she refused, he cut her. She has a modest figure and takes good care of her body. Her skin is a dark olive tone, significantly different from many of the paler faces of Stormwind.

Personality
Marianne is a very kind-hearted girl, being called sweet and sympathetic among other things by those who engage her in conversation. Though she appears a bit reserved or anti-social at times, she is just shy and timid around people she does not know very well. When she is with friends, she is very talkative and loves to try and make them laugh and smile. Marianne typically puts the needs of others ahead of her own, and she gets a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment whenever she assists those in need. Sometimes she tries too hard though, and it causes conflict and sometimes does harm rather than good, which results in Marianne feeling like a failure. Due to her upbringing, Marianne always tries to be kind and considerate of those around her, and will likely be more hurt over unintentionally offensive things she says than the people her words are directed at. With all the violence in the world, Marianne has lately become slightly depressed and at one point even became suicidal, wishing to escape from all the pain and suffering in Azeroth. Fortunately, she has since gotten over that terrible stage of depression and is now trying to find something to truly cure her of her depression. Training for several years at the Cathedral of Light and then joining several military organizations (Brethren of War, Scarlet Crusade, Silver Knights, etc.) has strengthed Marianne's heart and willingness to help others, but it has damaged other necessary aspects of her, which has resulted in Marianne being too forgiving of people and also not being able to grasp love or truly understand it even though she desires to have relationships more than anything else because she feels being emotionally attached to people will bring her all the happiness she will ever need in life. Unfortunately, she has never been very good at realizing when someone is interested in her or flirting with her. She instead relies on spending time with people, hoping that they will simply be blunt with her and reveal how they feel rather than playing, as she puts it, mind games. Because of Marianne's recent changes, which have seen her leave and return to the Church while working for the underground organization The Society of Shadows, it is hard to tell what type of person she is now. Though she is still an admirable Priestess of the Light, her almost aggressive dismissal towards resolving problems normally requiring diplomacy and non-violence hint that she may now work outside the law when she feels the need to, while also honing her control over the Shadow make it difficult to determine if Marianne is still a kind and gentle peacekeeper, or if she has succumbed to the shadier going-ons of Azeroth.

I. Defias Brotherhood & Westfall
Forced to leave her home in Moonbrook due to the encroaching Defias threat in which she saw all but her sister perish, Marianne fled to Stormwind where she began her life as a priestess under the care and guidance of High Priestess Laurena whom she had been studying under before the Defias attack.

Marianne grew up in the town of Moonbrook. Her family owned a small farm, dwarfed by many others in the countryside. It was enough to satisfy them, and Marianne loved to help her parents in the gardens. When she was not at school learning from Mr. Stalvan, Marianne could be found out playing with her pet pig Rutherford or down hear the beach with her siblings (sister Adelphe and brother Anthony) or her friends.

When Marianne was fifteen, she expressed interest in joining the Church, because she wanted to do something different with her life since most people seemed to grow up to be farmers. She expressed her feelings to her parents who thought that it was a good idea and contacted the Cathedral. They took Marianne in and began training her to become a priestess.

A few years ago, the Defias seizes Westfall. When they attacked Moonbrook, Marianne was visiting her family at the time. They tried to escape as Marianne's father stayed behind to defend the town. Her brother saw this and went to help his father, even though Marianne, her mother, and her sister all opposed it. Marianne watched both of them get struck down by bandits. She tried to flee with her mother and sister, but an archer saw them nearing the edge of town and began shooting arrows. They all missed until Marianne's mother was hit in the neck. She immediately stopped, giving the archer more opportunities to fire arrows into her. Marianne and Adelphe cried out in horror as their mother was hit repeatedly. Several bandits ran to them, past their mother and towards the two sisters. They each tried to run, Marianne managing to run a little faster than Adelphe, who was caught by the bandits. Marianne turned back to see this and was about to try to help her sister, but she saw the look in her eyes which told Marianne to save herself, and she did. She ran as fast as she could, away from Moonbrook. She ended up at the bridge crossing into Duskwood, which she crawled under and cried herself to sleep.

Marianne returned to the Cathedral the next day, sharing what happened. Nearby warriors urged her to seek vengeance and to fight against the Defias, but their voices were drowned out as Marianne focused on High Priestess Laurena, who recommended Marianne to train hard to become a good priestess so that she will be able to protect the people she loves. Still trying to cope with her loses, Marianne agreed, knowing that it was all that she could really do.

II. Two Shades of Scarlet
After studying for a long while, Marianne emerged from the Cathedral as a true priestess. She sought out a new life, which led her to the Scarlet Crusade. She was enticed by their stand on the Scourge, eagerly wanting to help rid the world of the undead. She was recruited by a member at Nijel's Point in Desolace who directed her to the Scarlet Monastery. Here, Marianne set to work at trying to become an admirable Crusader. However, as time passed, Marianne began to realize that the Scarlets were mostly pretty strange. When she learned that she had joined an organization full of mad zealots, she snuck away, returning to Stormwind.

She continued to wear the Scarlet Crusade tabard, indicating that she believed in the original meaning their message, but not in the ways they delivered it. This caught the eye of a splinter sect of the Scarlet Crusade, run by a man named Jagged Fel. Marianne was relieved to find that they were not zealots at all and were actually quite honourable. She spent a few months with them, trying to endure the public ridicule she received for wearing the Scarlet tabard. Eventually, the splinter sect reformed as the Silver Knights. Marianne was very pleased by this move, but she found the reformed group to be very faulty and she began to become depressed when her concerns were not listened to.

Her depression took root and many events in her life began to contribute to it, making it worse until she attempted to leap off of the Stormwind gates. Jagged Fel stopped her, however. This act made her feel love for the first time, but she was unsure of how to handle it. After a few days, she decided to tell Jagged how she felt, but she found him with a priestess named Geisha, who Marianne learned he had just started dating. This upset her, though she did not show it.

III. Amyren and the Hand of Lothar
While the Knights were in Goldshire attempting to get information on a group they were fighting called the Hand of Tyranny, Marianne met a Night Elf druidess named Amyren Autumnlight who was apparently a friend of Jagged. She quickly took to the druidess, enjoying her company. A friendship quickly formed, and Marianne found herself confiding in Amyren often from that point on, the two often going to Crystal Lake together to share and discuss their problems.

Eventually, Marianne decided that the Silver Knights was not the right group for her, and she left to form her own organization called the Hand of Lothar. Managed by herself, Saxonluce Marshall, and Pape Shadowbreaker, the group flourished and became a recognizable presence in Stormwind. After Saxonluce left to pursue forming an organization with the priestess Geisha, which upset Marianne, her fiance Pape became second in charge to only herself. While being in the Hand of Lothar, Marianne married Pape. They were married by Geisha with Amyren being the maid of honour and Bobbkyl being the best man. Marianne was also pregnant with Pape's child and, when she was in the process of giving birth, an assassin named Ameviel emerged from the shadows and stabbed the baby as it was being born. Pape, who was absent for the actual event, swore to kill Ameviel. This event caused Marianne much stress, and it has affected her in a way that she still has not yet recovered from. Afterwards, she was comforted frequently by Amyren in place of Pape, who did not seem to pay much attention to the event after it happened.

When Marianne found herself being called away for a week, her return was met with almost everyone in her organization having left for the Hand of Tyranny. Through the grapevine, she learned that Pape had been kissing Geisha and sleeping with the assassin Ameviel, and that he had been solely responsible for most of her friends and members leaving the Hand of Lothar ((Screw you for doing that, Pape!)). Pape offered several stories about how these events happened, making his case very difficult to believe. Marianne ended up leaving him, taking him back briefly but divorcing him for good after he did not appear to be around her much.

Upon learning that Marianne was now single, her at-the-time bodyguard, Thaneth, tried to make her love him. When she outright refused, he threatened to kill her. Instead of doing that, he merely cut her cheek with his dagger. As a result, she has been left with a small scar. After these events, Marianne decided that it was best to remove the Hand of Lothar from existance, feeling as if she failed.

IV. The Engagement Breaker
After disbanding the Hand of Lothar, Marianne was drawn into a group called Nocturnal Legacy by her long time friend Saxonluce Marshall. Marianne did not find herself enjoying the group, especially with it revolving around family problems involving the guild leader, her husband, and her daughter. She decided to mostly ignore them, spending time with Saxonluce who began to date a girl named Abrielle. As in the past, Marianne had began to have feelings for him just before his relationship with Abrielle began. She found it difficult to be around him as his relationship with Abrielle grew, but when Saxonluce started spending lots of time aroun Marianne, whom he called his best friend, Abrielle became jealous and paranoid, frequently lashing out angrily. Her brother, Archimedes, also made several threats to Marianne, telling her that if she tried anything, she would regret it.

Marianne's depression returned as she battled her emotions again. She attempted to kill herself again, but this time she did not listen to anyone trying to talk her out of it, despite Saxonluce standing behind her the entire time urging her to reconsider her actions. Marianne sucessfully jumped from Teldrassil, but only landed about a hundred feet below. Saxonluce Marshall had jumped with her, attempting to save her. He did manage to save her life as he took the fall, but when they landed, his sword pierced her chest and killed her. She was later resurrected at the Temple of the Moon in Darnassus. After that event, Marianne swore to never let her depression get that bad again.

After becoming engaged to Abrielle, Marianne could no longer contain herself as she let Saxonluce know how she felt about him. He was quite surprised by this, but his relationship with Abrielle continued on, despite her growing even more paranoid. Even though Marianne refused to do anything with him since he was engaged, Abrielle believed that something would happen and she demanded that Marianne and Saxonluce meet with her in private in Darnassus. At the meeting, Marianne stressed that she had never touched Saxon, which was true, and she never would with him being in a relationship. Saxonluce echoed her words, but the words fell on deaf words as Abrielle condemned both of them before storming off. The two did not know how to react, so they went out to one of Teldrassil's many branches where they discussed what had happened. Saxonluce then shocked Marianne by revealing to her that his relationship with Abrielle had been a mistake and that he wanted to end it to be with Marianne, and he did.

V. Back to Square One
Marianne and Saxonluce began seeing each other, but she could not help but feel that he was not as interested in her now that they were together. They rarely spent time together, even though Saxonluce insisted that they had a strong relationship. The rare times that Marianne would see Saxonluce, she treasured greatly due to how infrequent they had become.

Eventually, she voiced her concerns to him, saying that she felt neglected. He told her that he was busy fighting battles in Alterac, which she right through when she would spy on him in Stormwind, spending time with his friend Tanedas. Things continued on like this, and Saxonluce even proposed. Despite their problems, Marianne accepted and they became engaged. However, she began to feel even more neglected as Saxonluce said that he was through with his battles and would spend more time with her now that he was able to, yet he never did. Feeling that meeting with him to discuss the issues would probably not happen due to how rarely he was showing his face around her, she mailed the engagement ring back to him and walked off.

As in the past, she met with Amyren at Crystal Lake. Marianne discussing how poorly things had gone with Saxon, and Amyren getting upset with her worsening relationship with Jagged Fel. A strange feeling came over Marianne as she realized that she had come full circle, feeling as if she was back where she started.

Amyren realized that Marianne's life had became emptier and offered her a position in an organization that she was recruited into called the Society of Shadows. Marianne knew them from the past and actually hated the group. However, by this point in time Marianne had developed a soft spot for Marianne as she began to accept her own bisexuality. Desiring to get closer to Amyren, she accepted the invitation.

Marianne felt very uncomfortable in the Society of Shadows. The leader of the group, Mesphala, intimidated her, and many of the members seemed very shady to her. She eventually decided to leave the Society after being in it for approximately a month. This decision seemed to sadden Amyren a little, but agreed that it was probably better for Marianne to be in a more positive environment.

For a few weeks, Marianne leaped between several organizations including Modan Co, the Kingdom Guard, and the Argent Inquisition. None of them felt right for her and she realized, deep down inside, that she probably did belong in the Society of Shadows. As she met with Amyren to return, she learned of something surprising. Mesphala was stepping down as the leader of the Society, and he had chosen Amyren to fill his position. Amyren recruited Marianne again into the Society, but instead of being an overseer, she was now the leader. Marianne felt strange at the idea of taking orders from her best friend, but she remembered why she joined the Society in the first place - to get closer to Amyren. After having her friend hint that she was not heterosexual herself, Marianne decided to commit herself to the Society.

VI. Rise in the Society of Shadows
Marianne enjoyed her return to the Society, finding several newer members who she found to be very approachable and fun to be around. She also began to contemplate how she would approach Amyren about how she felt. She put this off more and more, growing afraid of letting her friend know how she felt. When Marianne began to felt the same feelings that made her burst out and tell Saxon how he she had loved him, Marianne knew that she couldn't wait much longer.

Her terrible luck with telling her feelings to people continued. As she was preparing to reveal her emotions, the warlock Darsha, who Marianne had long hated and had actually wished dead, told Amyren that he liked her and the two began seeing each other. Marianne became deeply and visibly depressed afterwards, but did not let anyone know why. She continued to watch the relationship develop, feeling bitter and sad at the sight of it. All while this was happening, Marianne found her rank in the Society increasing, until she reached the rank of commander, sharing it with Aelondra and answering only to Amyren and Relly. She enjoyed her advacement in the Society, but her depression became unbearable when she learned that Darsha had held a private wedding ceremony, with only a small handful of people in attendance. Marianne felt devastated by this for two reasons. One being how she had not attended the wedding. Two, she realized that everything she had desired was finally out of reach. Her depression came back in full force after this.

Distraught, Marianne felt like a relationship would never work for her and she remained alone for a few more months before, out of desperation, she reached out to a fellow Society member named Relly. The two of them became romantically involved despite Relly being an alcoholic, womanizer, and constant law breaker. Relly's bad habits began to make Marianne depressed and, when she tried to confront him about the problems in an effort to ease her mind and improve their relationship, they broke up.

About a week after the incident with Relly, Marianne confessed how she felt to Amyren who was very surprised but said that she should have seen it coming. She informed Marianne that there was nothing she could do for Marianne's feelings. Marianne was well aware of this, since Amyren now happened to be married to Darsha, she decided that she would use the feeling she had for Amyren to try and be the best friend that she could possibly be. Though she still has those same feelings, she refuses to let them out again.

Several more weeks passed with Marianne being sure that she wanted to experience a same sex relationship. While searching for someone to take her mind off of Amyren, Marianne had to deny advances from Denath, Pape, Saxonluce, and Sheramato. Marianne had never felt like she had more guys interested at her at the same time, and it bothered her that it seemed so easy for her to get a guy, but not a girl.

It wasn't until after she made it obvious what she was out for over the Society's communicator system that Aelondra, who Marianne thought did not care for her much, approached her outside of the Cathedral and began talking to her. After Marianne expressed a desire to get out of the city for a change, and with Aelondra wanting to come long with her, the two ended up at a beach in Marianne's home, Westfall, where the two enjoyed a swim before Aelondra asked Marianne how she felt about her. Believing that Aelondra was still married, Marianne was hesitant to say much. However, when she learned that Aelondra was divorced, she informed her how she had felt for her before. The two expressed their feelings for each other verbally before enjoying the beach together for over two hours afterwards. This marked the start of Marianne's first same sex relationship.

((More to come later when storylines progress!)

Friendships/Relationships
Marianne used to have many friends, but most have vanished over time. Today, she considers Aelondra, Amyren, Denath, Relly, Saxonluce, and Sheramato to be her closest friends. Amyren Autumnlight is, without contest, Marianne's best friend. Without any family to turn to, no relationships, and fewer friends than she is used to, Amyren has become the most important figure in Marianne's life.

Ziran Ramsdale was once a friend of Marianne's, but after becoming a death knight and making her fiance at the time, Pape Shadowbreaker, hold a knife to her throat, Marianne cut off all relations with Ziran and now deems him a heretic. To this day, she would still like to see Ziran killed. She is still on good terms with Ziran's brother, Neros Ramsdale, since he resents Ziran and wants to lead a normal life.

Marianne married Pape Shadowbreaker on February 10, 2008, but divorced March 20 2008 after Marianne returned from unscheduled Church work in Silithus to find out that Pape had violated their vows. The divorce was short lived however, as Marianne and Pape reconciled their differences on March 26. The two entered a strange new phase of their marriage; since Pape was a Paladin of the Holy Light while Marianne was a Shadow Priestess.

Marianne's baby, which she conceived while with Pape, was killed by an assassin named Ameviel when she was giving birth. This had a very negative effect on Marianne's emotions and mind, and she has never fully recovered. She was recently criticized by the warlock Darsha over this, with him calling her a 'bitch who is unfit to raise a child' which angered Marianne. After taking several death threats from Darsha, Marianne almost pulled her dagger on the man but forced herself not too, fearful of what could have happened if she did.

On April 2, Marianne decided to break things off for good, as she and Pape were barely even involved in each other's lives any longer, and Marianne had become aware that Pape was in love with another woman named Geisha.

It is also well known that Marianne led the Hand of Lothar, which disbanded immediately after her return from her missionary work in Silithus as many people had left in her absence. It is rumoured that Pape Shadowbreaker initiated a chain of mass departures which saw approximately seventy percent of the Hand of Lothar's members abandon the group. This shattered her confidence as a leader and, since the incident, she has never attempted to lead a group due to being afraid that she will be abandoned.

Afterwards, she became involved with Saxonluce Marshal. Marianne had feelings for him for the longest while and had trouble containing them. She kept them private until Saxon had informed her of his engagement to a girl named Abrielle. This caused Marianne to break down and tell Saxon everything. This created tension between all three which lasted a little over a week when Saxon called off his engagement and told Marianne that everything had just been a big misunderstanding with Abrielle and that he would rather be with Marianne. However, after becoming romantically involved, Marianne felt that Saxon had seemed to enjoy her company more before they were involved. After things reached a point in which she did not see him for weeks at a time after becoming engaged, Marianne called things off. Believing that meeting him to break off their relationship probably wouldn't happen due to him never being around, she mailed the engagement ring back to him.

Marianne remained single for quite a long time afterwards until she started to feel things for her friend Amyren. Marianne also learned, while talking to her friend in the Stormwind park, that Amyren had a similar sexual orientation. This prompted her to join the Society of Shadows in an effort to get closer. However, Marianne remained silent for too long about her intentions, and the warlock Darsha, a man who Marianne has always hated very much, became involved with Amyren. Distraught, Marianne felt like a relationship would never work for her and she remained alone for a few more months before, out of desperation, she reached out to a fellow Society member named Relly. The two of them became romantically involved despite Relly being an alcoholic, womanizer, and constant law breaker. Relly's bad habits began to make Marianne depressed and, when she tried to confront him about the problems in an effort to ease her mind and improve their relationship, they broke up.

About a week after the incident with Relly, Marianne confessed how she felt to Amyren who was very surprised but said that she should have seen it coming. She informed Marianne that there was nothing she could do for Marianne's feelings. Marianne was well aware of this, since Amyren now happened to be married to Darsha, she decided that she would use the feeling she had for Amyren to try and be the best friend that she could possibly be. Though she still has those same feelings, she refuses to let them out again.

On the 1st of May, 2009, Marianne took Aelondra out to a beach in Westfall where the two enjoyed a swim before Aelondra asked Marianne how she felt about her. Believing that Aelondra was still married, Marianne was hesitant to say much. However, when she learned that Aelondra was divorced, she informed her how she had felt for her before. The two expressed their feelings for each other verbally before enjoying the beach together for over two hours afterwards. This marked the start of Marianne's first same sex relationship.

Idiosyncrasies

 * Enjoys drinking cherry grog often. She prefers this drink because of its unique fruity taste.
 * Refuses to engage in conflicts of any sort within Stormwind City, but considers anywhere outside to be free ground.
 * Noticeably shy at first sight, but can be quite chatty when spoken to or provoked.
 * Strangely oblivious when someone flirts with her or tries to drop hints for her.

Public Knowledge and Rumors

 * Marianne tends to keep to herself most of the time, but there are several things which people know about her. For instance, she visits the Lion's Pride Tavern most nights for a few drinks, usually of cherry grog.
 * Some are aware of Marianne's admirable cooking abilities. It is also common knowledge that Marianne held several jobs in Theramore for a brief period of time and that she spearheaded the second effort to increase tourism in the coastal city.
 * Many are also aware that Marianne's baby was killed by an assassin named Ameviel when she was giving birth.
 * It is also well known that Marianne led the Hand of Lothar, which disbanded immediately after her return from missionary work in Silithus as many people had left in her absence. It is rumoured that Pape Shadowbreaker initiated the chain of mass departures.