Kessanella H.B. Prismspark

Order of the Seekers

Council of Gnomeregan

Stormwind House of Nobles

> *"Let not one bone from one finger of the least of their households remain to be remembered. Let the dust of Azeroth come to forget that their bones, ground into it by the righteous boots of the holy faithful, were once made a part of it. " - Purgamenta Reluctamur*
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Kessanella Prismspark was a Gnomish Statesman and Bishop of the Holy Light who served at various times as Bishop of the Diocese of Dalaran, Bishop of Shalewind, Lord Chamberlain of the Stormwind House of Nobles, 'Lord-Bishop' of the County of Hope, Pearls, and Waves, Diocesan Administrator of the Diocese of Hope, Pearls, and Waves, Holy Patroness of Annebury, The Holy Patroness of The Order of the Seekers, Overseer of the Council of Gnomeregan, Chaplain to the House of Nobles, and Archdeacon of the See of Stormwind.

## Appearance

A gnome of no prodigious stature -- Bishop Prismspark was once a gnome of jolly figure, having lived a life of scholarly ease since her transfer from an Elwynn Cure into a respected Confessor. In her later years she had begun to lose even the rounder figure that a scholarly life had led to. Grey had become more prominent in her once soft blonde hair, and lines had begun to appear more prominently about her face and figure.

Indeed - for all the bravado and noise she made with words, the Bishop cut a rather frail figure by 634KY. Trembling hands, squinting eyes, and a noted difficulty in matters and terms of mobility. None of this stopped her habit of dressing in ornate, ostentatious, and thoroughly outdated garments and vestments, and often one or two attendants were required to help her maneuver in the heavy, ornate robes.

By the year of her death in 637KY, Bishop Prismspark was a shadow of her former self. As frail as a bit of old parchment, she had become blind - eyes clouded to the world she had once enjoyed. Signs of mental decline which had begun to show in 634KY had by now become very evident, displayed not only in rambling and incoherent speeches before the House - but in the splotchy mottling along her arms and legs.

## History

Throughout her life Kessanella had devoted herself to the service of the Church of the Holy Light. From her time as a simple Curate and Confessor in Elwynn, to her post as Confessor and Patroness during the time of exile after the Fall of Stormwind, to her eventual return and elevation to the Episcopate once the city was reclaimed and rebuilt.

### The Curé of Elwynn

Kessanella was midway through her third century when Stormwind fell. When her entire life was shaken to its very core, all she had built for herself over the decades stripped away in a matter of months.

The child of gnomish merchants taken from life in her youth, Kessanella grew up in the care of the Church of the Holy Light - Her formative years spent about the Cathedral Square with other orphans of the city. She was always the pious sort, moreso than one might have thought for a gnome - And thus it was a foregone conclusion when she came of age that she would enter the priesthood.

And so it was, the task unhindered by her gnomish sensibilities (Though for many years after she left her formative monastery there was spoken in hushed tones memories of the disastrous Auto-Aspergillum 100) and sometimes over-excited nature.

It was not long after her ordination that - due to her bright and friendly manner - She was given the post as a curate within the Diocese of Elwynn. There she made the rounds of the countryside, her journies usually lasting days at a time, and often carried out in the back of a cart surrounded by produce or sitting up by farmer's making their way to market - She loved every moment of it.

She became a familiar face at harvest festivals, and even helped served as a 'Quality Control' judge for the pumpkin competitions (This was thought to be fair, as the requirement for entrance we her being unable to lift the pumpkin over her head - Which meant most pumpkins qualified).

##### Mother Bethany

Speculation has arisen that the famous poet *Mother Bethany*, who wrote throughout the 500's, was merely a pseudonym used by Kesanella. Many contemporaries of the Bishop deny that such could be the case, citing the optimism, informality, and softness of Mother Bethany's poetry in comparison to the Bishop's own suspicion, formality, and firmness.

##### Gnoll Wars

It was during the Gnoll Wars that Kessanella seemed to change. Having been caught in a small village soon come under attack by the Gnolls, few details ever emerged about what happened that day. Yet Kessanella's kindly, sweet, and bubbly demeanour died that day. She changed almost in an instant, from a soft and kindly Cure who was happy to play with the children in the field and laugh - to a formal cleric who was as stiff and formal as the most finely polished marble.

### To Lordaeron

Confessor Prismspark was away in Redridge when it happened - When Stormwind fell. Cut off from the Cathedral, the Confessor found herself and the other clergy stranded in Redridge, helping the people and refugees who fled. When finally Redridge itself looked to be about to fall the Confessor and the lucky number who were able to made their escape, joining with the Stormwind Refugess heading to Lordaeron - The place that would become the Confessor's new home.

Arriving in Lordaeron with the refugees of Stormwind, Confessor Prismspark quickly immersed herself in her holy duties - She had to, she couldn't bare to think about what had happened in these past few years.

With the formation of the Clerics of Northshire and, later, the Knights of the Silver Hand - There arose a greater need for simple priests and prelates, not desirous of combat, who could tend to the people. Thus it was that Confessor Prismspark found herself no longer a simple curate and confessor, but a vicar in her own right. The Confessor began to flourish once more...

...Then the plague came. Came to threaten the new place she had come to call home. Fifteen years after she had come and begun her new life there - Confessor Prismspark would find it all slipping away once more.

### A Return

When Lordaeron fell, the Confessor once again found herself without a home. For a time she remained in the north, helping to tend to the refugees and the lost -- but soon enough she found herself being called to Stormwind once more. The Church was in need of more servants, and the number of Clergy serving in and around Stormwind had decreased markedly.

Thus it was that the Confessor found herself in the once-familiar forests and lands of Elwynn once more. Soon enough her duties were transferred almost exclusively to Stormwind City -- though she insisted on making trips now and then to Elwynn, Westfall, and the surrounding areas to offer confession and services to their peoples.

### Elevation to the Episcopacy

The Confessor found her fortunes lifting upon her return to Stormwind. Soon enough she had been asked to take the role as 'Holy Patroness' of the Order of the Seekers, helping to oversee and tend to the spiritual health of its members. This was soon joined by an appointment to be chaplain of one of the city's guard regiments.

During the Campaigns in Northrend she was finally called upon to ascend to the Episcopacy, and was named Bishop of Shalewind. This post she held for two years, sitting in the House of Nobles and serving as its Chaplain. Changes within the Council of Bishops soon saw her reassigned to the See of Dalaran, made Metropolitan Bishop of the Magocracy.

### Vidame Pearls

It came as a shock then when the news and rumours began to float about - Bishop Prismspark had added yet another title to her collection, and this time it was a secular one. Why Lord Aurélion Graves decided to grant the Barony of the Pearls to Bishop Prismspark was a matter of debate - though the Bishop herself stated it was a transitory measure done to ensure a firm hand would guide the construction of a new Abbey on the land, which would eventually be given to the Church.

Upon her elevation, Bishop Prismspark was granted additional honours by the local churches and made Vidame of the Pearls.

### Lord High Chamberlain

In 634 KY, Bishop Prismspark ceased her bid for the office of Lord High Chamberlain, and instead accepted the position of Deputy Lord High Chamberlain under Lady Remona Thane. Ascending to the office on Lady Thane's resignation, she successfully sought the position once more in the second elections of 634 KY, becoming Lord High Chamberlain of the Kingdom of Stormwind. She maintained this position successfully until the year 637 KY, dying in office.

### 'Lord-Bishop' of Hope, Pearls, and Waves

In 634 KY, Kessanella was elected Diocesan Administrator for the Dioceses of Annebury, Hope's Hill, and Pearls. After consolidating the Dioceses into the singular Diocese of Hope, Pearls, and Waves she was further granted stewardship over the County of Hope, Pearls, and Waves, styling herself as 'Lord-Bishop.'

## Trivia

* Kessanella seemed to have a love for floppy hats.
* The Bishop loved dumplings to an unhealthy extent.
* The Bishop seemed to have great difficulty in turning down tea.
* It was said her eyebrows would rise and fall so often that they have to be sentient.
* When it came to peering at people, she was peerless.
* She was known for her long-winded prayers and speeches, often used to subtly make a political point.
* Despite claiming to despise politicians - many thought her to be the prime example of one.