Marisa Stormsong
 Marisa Stormsong
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| Gender | Female |
| Race | Miqo'te |
| Clan | House Fortemps |
| Citizenship | Ishgard |
| Age | 14 |
| Marital Status | "I'm not a sailor!" |
| Occupation | Guard |
| Height/Weight | 56 Ilms / 70 ponzes |
| Orientation | "I think we're facing West?" |
Some information presented below is written as it was told by Marisa Stormsong, and may require verification.
Contents
Basic Info
"No more tears, Ruru. We have to be brave now."
Marisa Stormsong, while not a very impressive adventurer, is perhaps one of the more inspiring. With no discernible skills and naught but a vague description of a lost relic to guide her, Marisa seeks to claim her family's legacy. Leading a band composed of her older sister, a disgraced Temple Knight, and her loyal canine companion, she searches across Eorzea for the mystical sword Ilyandra, Bane of Dragons, lost years ago. She hasn't even the slightest clue where it might be.
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Appearance & Personality
Biography
The Breed of Stormsong
In a dark age of eternal war, there lived a man of steel and valor, by the name of Barrett Stormsong. Hailing from the frigid Northlands of Coerthas, he served loyally as a knight of House Fortemps and a devout servant of God. With the glory of Ishgard driving his will, his divine greatsword Ilyandra carved sweeping symphonies of war, written in the blood of heretics and dragons. Thus had he become known as the Stormbringer.
Barrett’s epic tale began insignificantly. The Holy See had once again called upon House Fortemps to pledge sons to the armies of the Archbishop, a duty from which most never returned, but which few would dare refuse for fear of being branded a heretic. Young Barrett Stormsong took up the banner of his house and marched to Dravania, almost certain to never be seen again. At the edge of the world and surrounded by vile foes, Barrett’s company soon found itself overwhelmed by the never-ending Dravinian Horde, as so many had before them. Though their hearts were courageous and their will like iron, the sons of Fortemps could not hold out forever. Their lines broke, and all were slaughtered by the forces of hell. There, dying in the mud as the feeling of cold rain slowly turned to numbness, Barrett was spared the specter of death.
As he recounts the tale, the clouds parted and a herald of Halone came from the sky. Yet this Valkyrie was not here to take Barrett away to Valhalla. Halone yet had a purpose for him. The herald ordered Barrett to his feet, and entrusted to him the holy blade Ilyandra, whose light brought him back from the brink of death. To restore hope, and liberate his people from fear, he says, was his God-given task. Thus he cut a great path of righteous retribution back to his homeland, arriving once more in his home of Coerthas after three years of campaigning. The House celebrated his return, and though many have doubted his tale, none questioned his prowess in battle. For many years he led the charge in the battle, repelling countless assaults against the frontier and chasing darkness from its wretched hovels.
The legacy he forged with Ilyandra took him to the farthest reaches of the Northern wastes, and south across the woodland nation of Gridania, where he met the woman who would bear his children. It was a Miqo’te maiden whom he fell in love with, and though he had many long years left to wage war against Ishgard’s enemies, he realized that he must have a son to carry on his legacy. Barrett’s passion for his foreign lover would ultimately be his undoing. The comfort of domestic life had dulled his fury, and he had not even an heir to show for it. Miqo’te women are not wont to birth Hyur children, and though it seemed fate would smile upon them twice, his hopes were dashed both times as he was given daughters. Were they pureblooded Hyur, they might still have proved worthy heirs to the Stormbringer legend. Yet they were small of stature, weak, and unfit for war. Worse still, neither of them were particularly clever. Though still holding on for Halone to hear his prayers once more, Barrett fell into the routine of family life, and slaying dragons and heretics became an increasingly small part of his life. It was perhaps fitting that as he lost his edge, so too would Ilyandra become lost to him. The blade which had felled a dozen dragons and countless unbelievers was unceremoniously taken by a thief in the night.
Barrett searched for the blade for many long months. When he returned to Coerthas, he had the thief’s head as his trophy, but the blade had long changed hands and he was no closer to finding it than when he departed. No longer could he bear to leave his family to fend for themselves, and thus he returned home, his days as a holy crusader finally behind him. He swore that he would never reveal this grand chapter of his life to his children, nor drive them to become what he once was. The Stormbringer had died, and would fall into obscurity.
Yet the people of the Highlands did not forget. As the Dravanian threat grew ever greater, they became resentful of their former protector, and of the family he abandoned them for. For reasons they could not understand, the Stormsong daughters were spurned by some, and shunned by many more still. Marisa and Mishka were only welcome within the walls of House Fortemps, save for the few kind souls which could be found on the Frontier. It was one such soul, in the form of a holy scholar, who unknowingly revealed to them their father’s secret. Whenever the two would visit the Observatorium, he would read to them from historical texts and Eorzean literature. He thought it only fitting that, on the verge of adulthood and soon to find their own way in the world, they would be inspired by a retelling of their father’s great deeds. Yet these glorious tales had never before reached their ears.
The Before-Times
It was Marisa who decided that she and Mishka would find the mythical Ilyandra. All her life she had felt no sense of self-worth, and realized that she was unlikely to amount to anything. Yet, if she could return Ilyandra to the legendary Stormbringer, she’d be a hero! She and Mishka debated the subject for weeks, but in the end they committed to the journey. So it was that on an uneventful afternoon, the sisters informed their parents that they were going outside to play, and began their journey down the mountain. With no thought to bring Gil, or food, or even more than a single set of clothes, the Stormsongs set off into the world entirely unprepared.
Living off the land (but more accurately, stealing popotos from a lalafell farmer), Mishka and Marisa found themselves all the way in the Twelveswood. However, it soon dawned on them that they had absolutely no frame of reference for what Ilyandra looked like, or more importantly, where it might be. Yet not all was lost. They happened upon a travelling merchant along the road, and considered shaking him down for more popotos. They wisely chose, instead, to inquire where they might find a missing artifact. The merchant had no information of his own to share, but suggested that some of his connections might. He led them to the Tonberry’s Lantern, a tavern where tradesmen from across the realm met to make deals and discuss their wares. The Stormsongs found a wealth of information from the merchants, but needed a place to stay while they explored each lead. Thus it was that Mishka and Marisa came to live in the Utility Closet at the Tonberry’s Lantern.
Eight months they searched for that sword, always sure they were mere fulms away from it, yet always coming up short. They scoured La Noscea, Thanalan, and the Shroud, all without any luck. They journey was not without it's own rewards, however. The girls got to see the land beyond the mountains, and they met many fine folk along the way. They lived care-free, blissfully ignorant of the troubles of the world. For Mishka and Marisa, every day was a fun new adventure, waiting to greet them the moment they stepped outside of the utility closet. They never did find Ilyandra, but that was okay. It was a dream to chase, always keeping them running toward the horizon.
The Age of Conquest Begins
Happiness is not the legacy of the children of the North. When Ishgard gave her call to arms, Marisa felt compelled to answer. She found herself again in familiar lands, but there would be no time for a reunion. The High Houses were levying all able bodies for the coming invasion, and the Stormsong daughters stood among a peasant regiment number one hundred and sixty men. Lead by a handful of seasoned knights, they marched toward the city to provide reinforcement. They never did reach the capital, as they were cut off by an enemy patrol. The inexperienced peasant lines collapsed helplessly under fire and talons, as the Dravanian fiends slaughtered over ten dozen men in mere minutes. A lucky few broke for the forest, with Mishka and Marisa among them. They ran until they could run no longer, becoming separated from the other survivors in the process. While the world burned down around them, the sisters cowered in the woods, where they remained for the night. Unaware of Ishgard's grand victory, Mishka stood watch until dawn, while Marisa cried herself to sleep. She had never witnessed death before that day, and it was introduced to her through the massacre of her fellow countrymen.
It was shortly after sunrise when Marisa's loyal hound Ruru came upon the exhausted Stormsong daughters. Marisa had left him in Camp Dragonhead before the battle, but her companion had tracked her all the way to the woods. Following the dog through the wilderness, Marisa and Mishka emerged to the sounds of war horns and celebratory shouts. Columns of soldiers marched along the road from the capital, their numbers decimated but their spirits soaring. A passing young captain mistook the straggling miqo'te for Fortemps regular infantry, and beckoned them to join formation. They followed the soldiers homeward, and were lead to a tavern on the outskirts of Dragonhead. The establishment was filled almost beyond capacity with knights drinking to victory, and to the fallen. The sisters had flagon upon flagon of ale forced upon them, until Mishka, in her inebriated state, revealed that they weren't actually soldiers. The young captain, himself on the trailing end of a gallon of mead and still high on his victory at the gates, demanded enlistment contracts be produced for them. So it was, at the encouragement of a tavern of cheering knights, that Marisa and Mishka both signed on for a ten year enlistment.
As days passed, revelry from the victory over the wyrm Vishap died down and old feelings which had been put aside now returned. Marisa and Mishka's recruitment seemed a mistake to most. Marisa, however, was determined to prove herself, and to redeem herself for her cowardly retreat from the Dravanian Horde. She struggled for the opportunity, however, as she was assigned tasks ranging from menial to pointless, such as fire duty and guarding the latrines. In her innocence, Marisa legitimately believed she was fulfilling critical duties for Ishgard, and tried her hardest at every chore placed before her. Lord Haurchefant himself was quite amused by the young girl who so enthusiastically carried logs to the War Room's hearth, and saw to it that she was abused somewhat less. Under his orders, Marisa was given the task of greeting all travelers passing through Camp Dragonhead.
Miscellaneous
Some of these rumors are untrue or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumors under PC! ◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard)
◢ Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear)
◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard)
◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from the character's of other players)
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Footnotes
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