Pirris Starshifter

*"YOU GUESSED IT! IT'S ME! YA MAIN GAL AND EVIL GENIUS EXTRAORDINAIRE! PIRRIS 'P.S. I LOVE YA BABE' STARSHIFTER!"*

-Pirris Starshifter

## Pirris Starshifter

### Relatives

Tyuri Starshifter (mother) (deceased)Dynus Starshifter (father) (deceased)

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Multiple unnamed relatives
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Suri Clutchheart (Ex-wife)

### Affiliation

Steamwheedle Cartel, Shen'dralar (former), Gordunni

### Occupation

Engineer/Entertainer, Queen of the Gordunni

## Description

Pirris is a member of the Steamwheedle Cartel, as an agent and engineer working for Marin Noggenfogger. Her background is that of a Shen'dralar refugee, and understands 4 different languages (Darnassian, Common, Orcish and Goblin) as well as evocation and illusion. Her penchant for the scholarly proved to accelerate her pool of knowledge in the space of 3 years after the fall of Dire Maul.

## Personality

Pirris is drawn to themes of rebellion and freedom, and as such considers herself an 'evil genius'. This is somewhat of a misnomer however, as most of her work winds up being used for a productive or progressive purpose. Her behaviour is gaudy, narcissistic and loud, with a combined history of upbringing from delusional noble parents and the 'razzle dazzle' of Goblin society. This often makes her off to be a figure of slapstick when her plans come crashing down, or the mildest slight damages her enlarged ego. Despite this, Pirris may not be evil, but her genius is unquestioned, and will switch her personality off when devising complex contraptions to a highly professional degree or formulating tactics in dangerous situations. In defiance of the kal'dorei people, she has since abandoned her mannerisms as a night elf, and instead speaks in goblin lingo, often utilising very odd slang that changes rapidly over the years as trends rise and fall.

She also possesses pyromaniacal tendencies, with an unhealthy obsession with fire and explosives. This is because she sees fire as a tool for purging the corruption of the world, leaving only honesty and renewal. This mindset means she has a respect for the Red Dragonflight.

## Background

###### Childhood

Pirris was born in the destroyed city of Eldre'thalas, otherwise known as Dire Maul. Her parents Tyuri and Dynus were high-ranking figures of Highborne society before the Sundering, and quite delusional in the modern perspective of the place of the Highborne people and the Shen'dralar. She was raised like nobility despite the dire circumstances, which caused her ego to inflate. This all came crashing when her partnering was arranged to another member of the Shen'dralar in an attempt to gain clout and influence in the faction. This turned out to be a common tactic among her family, as she had a surprisingly diverse range of relatives as a result. Rather than joining the plot, Pirris plotted something far more sinister...

###### Parenticide

As she approached 300, she played upon the emotions of her siblings, their partners and further along the chain of Shen'dralar society to begin a line of gossip. There were rumours, words in the shadows that Tyuri and Dynus were using their flesh and blood to overturn the Highborne to overthrow the reigning Prince. As tensions heated, she came before the Prince and explained in detail using the various rumours to conceive a false complex plot to see Eldre'thalas under new leadership, and earned the status of a loyalist to Prince Tortheldrin. She watched by the sides of the other loyalists without so much as a tear as Tyuri and Dynus Starshifter were sacrificed to Immol'thar to ensure the continued immortality of the Highborne. Her time was later spent studying, expanding on her skills as an evoker and illusionist, with a separate focus into non-combat enchantment.

She used her skills as an illusionist, the magic of liars, to root out dishonesty and dissent within the Shen'dralar, and her pyromancy to burn it out. This pattern caused her to develop pyromania, with a grandiose image that fire is purity, a means to cleanse the world of its darkness. Within her own faction, she was generally despised as a sycophant, oppressor and a villain, though attempts on her life often fell short due to her being the superior trickster.

###### New Home

When Dire Maul fell, Pirris' presence was nowhere to be felt or seen shortly after. It is unknown if she fled or even aided in Tortheldrin's death, but her evacuation was done in very swift order. As the fresh air of Feralas hit her, she felt regained hope, only to lose it in the realisation that her people were hated by the rest of her kin. Restrictions on magical practice and racism for crimes committed by the capital city of Zin-Azshari 10,000 years prior made Pirris and every one of the Shen'dralar a pariah among the kal'dorei. The vast majority of the Shen'dralar sought redemption in the eyes of her kin, but all she felt was spite, and left to consider her options.

Some time after, she arrived in the Thousand Needles, where the Mirage Racetrack caught her eye. The fascinating display of speed and showmanship inspired her to take up engineering, though she did not understand any language but that of the elves. Instead, she ventured further south to Tanaris, conversing with those who understood Darnassian in order to acquire knowledge on the Common, Orcish and Goblin languages. Her money-making methods involved exotic dancing and magician shows, where she came into the company of a woman called Xanthe Grendiel, with whom she gained an understanding of Common needed to gain a foothold in Steamwheedle society, and taught her illusion and pyromancy in return. Eventually, she scraped together the money to learn the appropriate languages and began combining her knowledge of the arcane with that of goblin engineering taught to her by Buzzek Bracketswing and Nixx Sprocketspring, and became a techno-mage under the Steamwheedle Cartel. As an agent of the Cartel, her time was dedicated to acquiring wealth and fame in order to elevate herself as a celebrity, and started her search for would-be threats to the Cartel to eradicate.

###### Before the Cataclysm

**The Evil Genius Marches**

While discussing gaining further blueprints from Buzzek Bracketswing in Gadgetzan, she is met by a gnome called Suri Clutchheart. After comparing notes and future projects, they later meet up to do capture a goblin called Fronkle the Disturbed. They were joined by Lana, a blood elf warlock, and Tetserro, a kaldorei monk. As they made their way through Tanaris, they reached the end and confronted the deranged goblin before capturing and bringing him in to be arrested. Thrilled with events, Pirris formed an adventuring duo with Suri and began to move around the world in search of wealth and fame. While working with the fellow engineer, Pirris and Suri created a variety of different devices for other adventurers around the world, and grew closer over time. Before long, Pirris stated her desire to remain with Suri on a much closer level, and developed a budding romance. Upon reaching Ironforge, High Tinker Mekkatorque makes her experience the viewpoint of Glazlo Quickbit, a defender of Gnomeregan just before its fall. She later learns that he is the nephew of his partner, after a mental breakdown from the shared experience. With a steady recovery, she makes her way back to Kalimdor, and spends a week's vacation at the Steam Pools in Feralas before plotting a heist to end all heists...

**The Dire Maul Job**

Pirris amasses a happenstance group of adventurers to plot a raiding of Dire Maul in order to obtain its secrets and valuables. Before she starts the job, she takes some time with her partner, Suri, in order to meet her family in Ironforge. While it was an awkward encounter, she felt a degree of satisfaction and proclaimed herself her wife and changed her name from Starshifter to Clutchheart. Upon returning to Feralas, passes leadership to a sailor mage called Angie as they head for Capital Gardens. With spirits warning them away to the best of their ability, they continue onward, and meet a group of enraged ghosts led by Zaver Brewster, a Shen'dralar warrior who was slain gruesomely by the Horde. She works with the party and sees to his exorcism. When delving further, they find that the laws of time and space are disrupted, with an old Shen'dralar kinsman to blame by the name of Raelomon Ravenbloom. His objective was to revive Immol'thar using chronomancy, an effort that resurfaced Pirris' trauma. In a frantic battle, Raelomon sacrificed his body to serve as a vessel for Immol'thar, rendering the demon weak enough for her and the party to diminish Immol'thar enough to be contained by Telrathan of the Watchers. She assisted Angie in acquiring books and loot from Capital Gardens, but soon entered a state of insomnia for several weeks.

The initial reason for coming to Dire Maul was put into action soon after, to sneak into Gordok Commons, slay King Gordok and become Queen in order to loot Feralas using the ogres. Using illusions, meat and alcohol to trick the ogres on the way, they made their way to King Gordok, where their illusion was dispelled by Cho'Rush the Observer. Despite this, Telrathan held Cho'Rush hostage to watch Pirris' party slay King Gordok. The King's head was removed by Zohindra Stoutheart, and the crown passed to Pirris, making her the Queen of the Gordunni.

###### The Shattering

As Deathwing flew over the skies, Pirris saw the silhouette of destruction itself. Panic was set in by the ogres as earthquakes unlike anything felt before caused mass flooding. Ogres poured to the higher reaches of the ruins while she looked on with a twitch in her eye. Shamans were called up, who then stated that the elements were in severe imbalance, and the world was screaming out in pain. Even as a mage, she understood the ramifications, even from an ogre. She called for an end to all the raids, and forced a temporary cooperation with all non-hostile factions. Throughout all the chaos, she realised she wouldn't find peace just yet. She wouldn't find proper cause to embrace a happy life, home and family until she gets through the chaos within and around her, and separated from her partner. With a glare to the burning clouds, she knew that Deathwing had to die.

## Abilities

**Evocation - Pyromancy**

Pirris excels in evocation as a primary study of magic. This is further focused in the form of pyromancy, where she can create and control fire. What sets her apart is that she has developed the ability to maintain a connection to her flames from a distance, allowing her to remotely manipulate and expand on already burning targets or objects or even explode without the need for fuel. Her flames also persist in non-flammable environments, such as on metal or underwater until such time that her focus is broken.

**Illusion**

Pirris' abilities as an illusionist allow her to shroud herself, alter her appearance, create fake images or change the appearance of her surroundings. This is often used for entertainment purposes, but has been used for strategically felling foes of superior strength, speed and/or power in the past. She has since combined her illusions with her evocation to turn her illusionary mirror images into explosives.

**One-handed Sword Specialist**

Pirris is a trained duelist with one-handed swords, however she has grown a fondness for less sleek weapons and more jagged weapons intended for ripping and bleeding a target dishonourably. As such, she may intentionally alter or even damage a sword to fit her tastes.

**Unarmed Combatant**

As a one-handed weapon wielder, she tends to use her free hand for casting, but also grabs and grapples to catch her target off-guard. Despite her noble roots, her combat style is nothing short of brutish and honourless, often utilising throws, dirty fighting and kicks in very uncomfortable places.

**Engineering - Goblin Techno-mage**

Her knowledge of the arcane has since been combined with the ingenuity of the goblins. Using runic frameworks to empower devices and give unique effects, the scientific aspect of goblin engineering allows her to further expand on this. This can include making unique weaponry, gadgets and machines with effects usually unobtainable using traditional metallurgy and alchemy. An example would be a flintlock that shoots fireball projectiles.

**Enchanting**

Pirris has a modicum of knowledge on the production of runes and enchantments, albeit at a lesser degree to her other two magic schools. She primarily uses enchantment for crafting purposes, such as making magical items or devices.

## Notable Items

Restricted Items
 Runic-Powered Chainblade (Minor)

## Relationships (factions)

###### **Friendly**

**Steamwheedle Cartel**

Pirris' relationship with the Steamwheedle Cartel is mutually-beneficial, and joined because those who prosper are the talented and connected. This appeals to Pirris' desire to strike out from kal'dorei society and use her magical talents and scholarly nature to climb the ranks within Steamwheedle society. As a result, she will be willing to return the favour by manipulating and betraying people for the sake of its continued prosperity.

**Red Dragonflight**

As a pyromaniac, Pirris has a strong respect for Alexstrazsa and her brood, due to their practice of purging the world through flames. She considers them honest and respectable, even if she may not be seen in the same light in their eyes.

###### **Neutral**

**Alliance**

While Pirris has an unfavourable relationship with Darnassus, her views on humanity and dwarvenkind is fairly standard, albeit with a distaste for their royalty system. She does however have a secret respect for Gnomeregan, as much as she will avidly refuse to admit as a member of the Cartel.

**Horde**

If given the choice, Pirris would have joined the Horde in avid and hostile defiance of the Kal'dorei and aided in the destruction of Ashenvale. However, her race is barred from entry, and merely does business with its members in neutral territory. Her views on the races of the Horde are all neutral, although she does not appreciate the pompous attitudes of the Sin'dorei.

**Kirin'tor**

Her attitude towards the Kirin'tor is with some small admiration, as the advancement of the arcane is a point of interest. However, the inability to bypass rules and restrictions, even with forms of bribery lose her interest in ever joining the faction.

###### **Unfriendly**

**Darnassus**

Pirris has an overt hatred for Kal'dorei society and that of Darnassus. With the Shen'dralar joining their ranks and being made to regulate their magics, she views her own kin as 'neutered' and cowardly. Her hatred stems from the grudges from the War of the Ancients, a time she was not born in. When doing deals with the Alliance, she will avoid Night Elves where possible.

###### **Hostile**

**Nazjatar Empire**

As twisted servants of Azshara, Pirris sees it a step towards destroying the ancient monarchy of the Highborne by eradicating her servants.

*The following factions are considered hostile out of obligation, practicality and/or common sense:*

Farraki Tribe

Southsea Freebooters

Dunemaul Clan

Wastewander

Burning Legion

Scourge

Twilight's Hammer

## Companions

Pirris' Mechs (Buddies)

* (Digger Buddy) Extractor

## Relationships (PCs)

Friendly

**Xanthe Grendiel**

Pirris met with Xanthe shortly after arriving in Tanaris, and exchanged information on the arcane for knowledge on how to speak fluent Common. The pair spent several years doing illusion-enhanced performances together to make the money needed to afford a comfortable living, and is one of the few people Pirris has a genuine loyalty towards.

**Suri Clutchheart**

Pirris formed a mutual respect for Suri's ability to advance upon the existing works of previous pieces of engineering. After a joint hunt for Fronkle the Disturbed, she offered to join up as an adventuring partner on a quest for fame, wealth and glory. She sees the gnome's wholesome persona as refreshing, albeit lacking in self-confidence, something she finds herself wanting to aid with. Over time, their partnership blossomed into a full-blown (if not dysfunctional) romance, where she broke into gaudy displays of affection, much to Suri's chagrin. Unfortunately, the relationship would not remain as Pirris did not feel her own mentality was fit for a relationship in a time of internal and external strife. While her first love came crashing down, she did so of her own accord, with Suri to thank for her understanding her own emotional flaws.

**Zohindra Stoutheart**

Seeing a kinship in the orc's rebellion against her own, Pirris opted to test the orc in a spar to see her determination to her ego. Satisfied with the exchange of blows, she took Zohindra on as a travelling companion, offering the strongest for the orc to claim glory against, though naturally for Pirris' own personal gain.

**Cedrick Greyborn**

A fellow student of engineering from Gadgetzan. While studying as a techno-mage, she compared notes with the Kul Tiran over the course of a year in order to develop her craft, forming a rare friendly connection with him.

Neutral

**Tetserro Ironbranch**

A rare case of finding a night elf that Pirris doesn't have distaste for, the pair worked together to hunt down Fronkle. Rather than killing the deranged goblin, she instead non-lethally incapacitated him at the behest of Tetserro in exchange for acting as a guide through the dunes of Tanaris. She does not agree with his sentimental views, although she knows their dichotomy is presently not harmful.

**Lana Darksorrow**

Pirris' perspective of the warlock is that she is a hedonist with dangerous tendencies. However, these traits she finds to be endearing in a strange fashion, albeit worth maintaining some caution around.

**Sythrivum**

Pirris sees it as sport to tease and torment Sythrivum whenever possible. This is due to her more sadistic nature combined with the mercenary's fear of women, and uses her illusions to aid in closing the distance to aid in her personal amusement.

Unfriendly

Hostile

## Relationships (NPCs)

Friendly

**Marin Noggenfogger**

Pirris has a strong respect for Noggenfogger, as she believes in Steamwheedle's ideals of the talented and connected being those who rise to the top. As such, she is an active advocate of his agenda, and a known sycophant for Gadgetzan.

**Buzzek Bracketswing + Nixx Sprocketspring**

As a student of the two Goblin Engineers, Pirris has a positive relationship and a promise not to divulge their techniques to random parties.

Neutral

Unfriendly

**Tyrande Whisperwind**

Pirris blames Tyrande for either failing to protect the Shen'dralar from their restraints, or advocating for it. As such, she has a strong disdain for the Priestess and her faction, though not presently to the point of active hostility.

Hostile

**Queen Azshara**

From her parents' delusions to the ruinous rule of Prince Tortheldrin, Pirris blames nearly all of her suffering ultimately upon Queen Azshara. She believes if any party was to fulfil their grudge upon her, it would be that of the Shen'dralar, who were not involved in the War of the Ancients, yet still forced to live in squallor and confinement. As such, she desires to be the one to kill her own queen above all else, and has made it a life goal before she can achieve any form of true peace.

## Quotes

* "A pyromaniac? Maybe, maybe. Though consider the world around us: we are all blanketed in shadow, unable to see past that which the smallest glimmers of light can show us. Even then, we are restricted by walls of flesh, steel and ill intent. Fire is purity. It's a means to cleanse, to wash away the inconsistencies of the world to leave only ash for something new and innocent to be born from under. What's not to love about fire? About destruction? I merely offer a service few do...to keep the cycle of life going."
* "Oh hey, my coat can catch fire! Oh wait....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
* "As ya can see, the laws o' reality are a wonderful thing to shape and alter to one's choosin'! Reality was initially SEEN as a law...I see 'em as guidelines I can choose to agree with."
* "True mastery is a myth. Perfection deserves nothin' but contempt. If there's anythin' I despise, it's perfection. Once you get it, that's. It."

## Crafted Items

A list of Pirris' crafted items can be found here.

## Notes and Trivia

* Pirris was originally created in 2011 in Argent Dawn - EU. Her various incarnations differ in personality, preferred magic type, whether she prefers sweets or cigars and even faction choice, but her status as a non-Alliance engineer persists in all of them.
* Pirris is Cagi's first character on Chronicles.