Nessima D'argentine

Kaylla Domino and Nessima D'argentine by Litaniya

### Summary

Nessima, Lady of Twilight, is a character who tries her best to do good but ultimately fails. In her time before death she would try to heal people as the village healer. Her half-elf blood made her more susceptible to the Light and her mother taught her the Shadow in secret. While a fun loving, generally cheerful forsaken outwardly, she harbors a dark past that she hide away from. Her sister, Tessera, met with a fate caused by Nessima's attempts at "doing good" during the horrors that occurred when the plague first started spreading in Lordaeron.

## Appearance

Nessima stands at a hunched 5'8" and appears to be incredibly Lithe as she had been starving before she died. She used to have a crude hunk of metal for her lower jaw, but since has gotten the jaw replaced by a smith friend of hers, Nyxsis who crafted her a fancy articulated Dark Iron jaw. She has lightless eyes that spill shadows when she gets emotional or angry. She often dresses in finely crafted dresses as she believes that a good dress can be more effective in combat then some suits of armor. She wears a wedding band crafted by her wife, Triffy, that matches their relationship, A Ring of Twilight Shadows. She has burn marks on her cheeks in the shape of a handprint, as if someone grabbed her by the jaw and burned her. She has short pointy ears that she routinely ties back beneath her hair to hide her part elvish heritage. Her fingers on her left hand are poorly attached and often are targets for prankster trolls who like removing an undead's finger and tossing it in a fire. She looks younger and more lively if she uses the shadow more, whereas the Light drains her to a husk.

## History

#### Life Before Undeath

Nessima and her twin sister, Tessera, were born in a small farm on the outskirts of the farming community of Northdale near the gates to Quel'Thalas. The farm barely ran, the disheveled farm mainly had cattle and small feed crops grown and barely held itself afloat. Tessera was treated as the younger sister by both Nessima and her father as Tessera would follow Nessima wherever she went. Their crops were constantly taken by the local aristocracy and shipped to Stratholme against the families requests. Food was scarce before the plague hit due to this mistreatment. Nessima believed the mistreatment was due to her Elvish heritage since the kids in town often mocked Nessima for her pointy ears. The twins mother rarely visited, and when she did, she taught the two sisters in magic. Nessima was taught how to use the Light and was told about a taboo form of magic called the shadow, where Tessera was taught how to use the Arcane schools. The mother was a high ranking wizard from the Elvish capital, Silvermoon, though she kept her identity a secret whenever she visited.

Before the plague struck, food shortages began to ravage the land and even more was taken from their Farm. The intense hunger caused from the shortages and the demanding theft of their crops weighted heavily on Nessima. These shortages led to their father being taken to the capital to answer why they couldn't produce enough to meet their quota, the last time the sisters saw their father. With no answer as to when their father would return from the capital and not enough food to keep the cattle alive. Nessima and Tessera proceeded to eat their whole herd and Nessima shared the food with the people who came to her for healing from Northdale. Eventually everyone was seeking food from the twins and Nessima had ran out of food. The plague had started to go through the land and Nessima didn't know what to do, the plague wasn't being cured by her ability to control the Light so she tried the mysterious other school that her mother had taught her. The Shadows quickly corrupted Nessima, she would heal the people of Northdale for a price, and that price would be a life for a life. Family members sacrificed themselves to ensure their young ones would live as the Shadow was able to remove the Plague from the villagers. Nessima still had a food shortage to handle though as the people who came to her small farm sought that too. The Plague had corrupted the land and nothing would grow. So Nessima consulted with Tessera and they both came up with a horrid plan. (**Content Warning**: Cannibalism) They would feed the families the meat from those who sacrificed themselves to those who were still living. Suddenly the larder was full again, people came from all the surrounding farms to get healed and fed. The plague ravaged the land and eventually everyone of Northdale was dead and the dead started to rise again.

Nessima and Tessera fled their farm, the bones of those they killed were restless and sought to attack them. They first tried to approach the great gate leading to the Ghostlands but were turned away. The elves had closed off their gates to humans and halfbreeds like Nessima and Tessera. The two sisters opted to hide in the woods and trees close to the lands of Zul'Mashar foraging what they could of empty supply caravans and rotten fruits. Tessera consulted with Nessima and asked her a horrid question, she asked if the Light could heal, could it also provide food. Nessima thought about this and both the sisters stomachs churned as they tried to survive in the barren lands and hide from the ravaging undead. (**Content Warning**: Cannibalism) Nessima had been practicing the Shadows and their whispers gave her a horrible idea, what if they fed using the healing power of the Light. The land was afflicted by the Plague and Nessima's Light wasn't strong enough to cure it of it's disease, but she did know it was strong enough to heal mortal wounds as she had done that in the past. Nessima asked Tessera if she wanted to survive and the firey sister agreed. Nessima cut the flesh off of Tessera and proceeded to heal the wound with the Light afterwards. The sisters now had an endless supply of meat, the toll was the pain of Tessera. The food created was just enough to survive as the Light had already begun to hurt Nessima in comparison to using the Shadow.

They persisted in the trees and forests for nearly a month, the amount of trauma and pain delivered to Tessera was immense. One day, after cutting Tessera's flesh for a meal, Nessima couldn't heal her. The Light had abandoned Nessima, she was forsaken in her time of need. The wound was large and Nessima did her best to heal it using conventional means, but she didn't have the same herbs and tinctures since they had lost their farm. Tessera fell ill, incredibly ill. Nessima ventured into dangerous territory and found some plagued grain on the outskirts of Corin's Crossing, she brought it back to her ill sister and fed it to her. The grain wasn't enough and Tessera felt first death take her shortly after. Nessima didn't know what to do, she was now alone, abandoned by all she knew. Rage and fear and horror all at once, the Shadows whispered to her and told her to live. So Nessima, proceeded to eat, eat her sister's corpse. Over the course of a few days, Tessera's flesh had mostly been picked away by the distraught Nessima. Tessera was afflicted though and as Nessima went to her corpse for another bite, Tessera came back from the grave and with unholy strength lashed out at Nessima's jaw. The instinctual actions weren't the Lich King's influence, Tessera was enacting a form of justice. Nessima's weapon against her corpse was torn off her body and Nessima died but rose again the next day to become a Thrall with her sister in the Lich King's army.

#### Awakening

What seemed like an eternity of being a mindless ghoul passed until she was awakened. With the help of the Dark Lady and the wavering power of the Lich King, Nessima returned. Motivated by her hatred of her past, she sought to carve a plot of this world for her own. Nessima sought to never again be a victim of fate, which she had rationalized the horrors she had committed to be, simply acts of fate. Embracing the shadows became her way of taking revenge against the world that had been so cruel to her. Nessima became so entwined with the shadow that her eyes eventually lost all their glow. However she did not wholly abandon the light, the pain that filled her body each time she used it helped remind her of the places she used to be. Each time the pain of the light renewed her desire to help those who are the casualties of fate. She used this motivation to travel the Eastern Kingdoms and help those who sought vengeance on those who have wronged them.

#### Growing Pains

While adventuring Nessima came across a Tribe that she could call home for a short while. Loktra Tribe became a means for Nessima to meet various types of people she would have otherwise never came into contact with. One of these people was a strange troll named Mizu'jin. Despite Nessima's desires to remain hidden in the shadows, Mizu'jin helped Nessima leave the Shadows more frequently than ever before. Eventually Mizu'jin and Nessima left Loktra Tribe as Mizu'jin had found another organization that could perhaps help Nessima more. That is when Nessima joined the Hand of Lordaeron and was induced into the Black Mass. She was surrounded by people who helped her grow and not be as afraid of leaving the Shadows that she once was. However, the mock murder of her good friend, Lyle Brooks struck. Nessima felt lost, like the world she had grown comfortable in had now become a place of torture and pain once again. So she petitioned Okwaho, the Seer of Redwood Tribes to see if she could do something never done before in the Tribes and join them despite being a forsaken. They held a council and a vote and let in both Nessima and Kaylla as their home among the Hand of Lordaeron had become an unsafe place for both of them. The council let them join as Oshkibi, which is a special role for those who are not of the three tribes but are still among them. The Sage told her that Oshkibi meant Ambassador, and the title stuck. Nessima found herself comfortable in a tribe again. After all, she had joined a tribe when she first arose and it made sense for her to return to one.

#### **Homecoming**

The scourge was being pushed back slowly and slowly. The old lands of the Forsaken people were able to be visited again. During Nessima's time in the Hand of Lordaeron, she encountered an evil that didn't respond to her attempts to cleanse it with her Light. She had lost her connection to the Light once more and she didn't understand then why. She resolved to solve things by returning to the place of her trauma, returning to Northdale. She got together a group of some of her good friends to push into the scourge infested lands and eventually arrived in her old home town of Northdale. All of the inhabitants rather than turning into ghouls or skeletons, were ghosts and angry spirits. Nessima didn't know what the effects of her attempting to cure the plague by using the shadow was until then. The spirits whispered things about Nessima's past to those that were with her, about the cannibalism, about the healing through sacrifice, about her sister and the horrors she endured. The group was only stopped for a moment, most of them not believing what the spirits said to be true, they thought the spirits malevolent despite speaking truths. The group proceeded onwards to the old farmhouse to see what laid in store for them.

Inside the Farmhouse there appeared to be recent activity inside, the building appeared to be warm but there was no fire inside the hearth. Around the room were bundles of wildflowers and Elvishly crafted Cat Figurines that the twins mother used to give Nessima and Tessera to play with as kids. Someone touched one of the figurines and a burst of magic was released. The Spirits were all disturbed and they all congregated around Nessima, the tormentor of their pasts. Nessima began to panic and shadows swirled around her but despite her best efforts, she fell faint from the mental assault of the spirits. Nessima laid in the Farmhouse unconscious and the spirits swirled around her crying out things like, "She killed her Sister" "Don't trust her, we did and now look at us!" "Kill her like she killed us." After a short while the spirits all spoke in unison, "Take her from this place" and they proceeded to perform some sort of ritual and pulled Nessima into the Shadows, her body disappeared.

As soon as Nessima vanished, a cackling could be heard outside the Farmhouse and the smell of burning undead flesh filled the air. Tessera cried out from behind the house, impressed that Nessima finally returned home. She had lit fire in her hands and triggered a trap that ignited the house and attacked those who were outside of it. Eventually her throat was slit and Tessera gave up, the fires got under control as Branharak handily culled the flames. Tessera's twisted revenge plot was a failure, but Nessima was still not back. Through her cut throat, Tessera offered a trade, she knew how to bring Nessima back, in exchange, she just wanted to be free. They reluctantly obliged Tessera's request and Tessera pointed to a journal page that was under one of the cat figurines. It was a letter from their mother, written in Thalassian. Tessera escaped and left promptly once they got the excerpt despite the efforts of some of the more skeptical in the group.

Upon reading of the Thalassian journal entry, the shadows that had been circling the room began to congregate and Nessima took form again. Something wasn't right with her and the spirits around her seemed to be calm or not present. Behind Nessima's eyes was a strange light, and when Nessima spoke, it was as if a crowd of people was speaking. She had been possessed by all those who she had cannibalized before she died. It took the combined might of all who were present to assist Nessima in banishing the spirits within her but eventually Nessima returned and the Light that was behind her shadow filled eyes burned out. Once again, only shadow remained.

#### A Tale of Light and Shadow

During Nessima's time in the Hand of Lordaeron, she had met an undead paladin by the name of Triffy D'argentine in the Gallows' End Inn. Most of the time Nessima was drinking away her problems while Triffy was wearing heavy golden plate mail and sipping a glass of milk. They became unlikely friends, Triffy was stalwart in her convictions towards the Light and Nessima was skeptical of all of it. At the Masquerade of the Wild Gods, Nessima convinced Triffy to try on a dress for the first time ever. The lady of Light took off her armor and adorned another form of Armor, a pretty red and white dress. They shared a mutual friendship for quite some time after that. With time, Nessima even got Triffy to try out drinking with her.

Triffy had been in many relationships with many different men at that time, it was only until Triffy began a relationship with the hardy Shonte Daud that Nessima realized that she had feelings for Triffy. She didn't know how to manifest them so for a few weeks, Nessima spent her time stewing in the Shadows as she watched from afar. The Pride March happened and it ended in the beaches of the Isle of Dread at a swimming contest. During this time Nessima and Triffy were practically conjoined at the hip. After the festivities, Triffy and Nessima played around in the water, racing eachother again and again. Nessima swam up behind Triffy in one of these races and pulled out her Ears, something she rarely did, and pretended to attack Triffy like she was a Naga. Pulling Triffy under, they both sank to the bottom of the beach and as they both started to run out of air, Nessima pretended she was a Naga and gave Triffy some of her air through a kiss. They both arose and swam to a small nearby rock and Nessima explained her feelings. Triffy had much to think about and left without much word.

The following day Triffy spoke with Nessima, she was currently in a relationship but was willing to open her heart to more then just a monogamous relationship with Shonte. They became a 'Thruple' (a triple couple) and things were good for a while. Shonte however had enemies, it was a few weeks later when Shonte was assassinated by a Mueh'zala worshipping troll. Nessima and Triffy both mourned his death and a funeral service was held for him. The 'Thruple' had been broken down to simply a couple. Time passed as they recovered from the death of someone they were close with.

Triffy had left the Hand of Lordaeron and founded the Lighthouse and Nessima by this time had already been with the Redwood Tribes for quite some time. During one of the Lighthouses Serenity Circles, a few of the Lighthouse members started insinuating that Triffy and Nessima were planning on getting married. Flustered and confused, Nessima pulled Triffy to the side and asked her about it. They decided that they should do it, they practically were already a married couple so why not? It was at a tour through Westfall on one of the Lighthouses Compassion Field Trips that Triffy officially proposed on a hill overlooking Westfall. Nessima of course said yes.

It took months for them to actually set a date, but eventually they got married in a twilit grove in Ashenvale. It was officiated by Okthraw who had the brides choose a champion to show they were strong enough to care for eachother. Triffy chose Shonte (who had returned from another timeline, long story) and Nessima chose Branharak. Triffy defeated Bran in the fight and Nessima was defeated by Shonte. Despite losing, Triffy still accepted Nessima's marriage. They celebrated with a reception at the Redwood Roadhouse and ever since then they have been happily married as both of them became Ladies of Twilight.

To be cont.