Shinayne
Information
Player: Nightharrow
Character Full Name: Shinayne Mourningstar
Character In-Game Name: Shinayne
Nickname(s): Shy, Shin, Sunshine
Association(s): Silvermoon City, Undercity, Cult of the Forgotten Shadow
Race: Blood Elf
Class: Shadow Priest
Age: 837
Sex: Female
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Fel-Green
Weight: 108 lbs
Height: 5'5
Appearance
Shinayne is an alarmingly slim elf of modest height with narrow and abrupt features. She has a plain face with deep set eyes that angle upward in addition to a small nose and mouth. Her long wavy hair adds a much needed fullness to her waif-like frame.
Personality
Alignment:
A complicated creature, Shinayne can be both open and withdrawn. There was a time when she was described as bubbly, but like the color of her eyes that changed after the fall of Quel'thalas. Now she can be described as morbidly optimistic, macabre yet still friendly. In truth, despite being called Shy she has no social phobias. She is confident, direct and quite comfortable around strangers. However, motivated by the path of the Shadow and her own pain she can be selfish and manipulative too.
At all times she attempts to live her life in accordance with how she interprets three main virtues of the Cult of Forgotten Shadow.
Respect: Shinayne knows her place and appreciates the effort it requires to gain a position of power. Even if she does not agree with those currently in power, she shows due diligence (at least to their face). She also believes that the weak should not be looked down upon until after they fail to prove themselves.
Tenacity: Even before the Light abandoned the priestess she was stubborn and driven. In her mind she has survived all of her life's greatest ordeals through her own resolve and will continue to do so. Cowardice is not an option and neither is surrender.
Power: Independence, confidence and a strong self-awareness make Shinayne a natural leader. She enjoys controlling situations even from the sidelines and knows the path to power is walked with subtle steps. It is rare she advertises her greatest strengths.
History
Before the fall of Quel'Thalas, Shinayne and her younger brother Nearin were born to a family of mages in what is now known as the Ghostlands. At the time their surname was Morningstar and it would remain so until Arthas' Scourge decimated their elven homeland. In honor of their fallen kin the siblings chose to change their family name to Mourningstar.
Due to her mother over working herself and becoming magically drained during her pregnancy, Shinayne was born with a weak constitution. As a child she suffered from injuries and ailments often; how much of that was to blame on being over protected can be debated. However, within the safety of her home and classrooms she excelled at learning magic. Despite her frailty it was assumed she would some day become an honored magus.
When the high elves had a close alliance with the humans, the Morningstar family adopted the tenants of the Light. With the use of holy magic her weaknesses waned thus bringing the inflated hope that she would bring honor to the non-noble house with her mastery of the arcane to fruition. She was a practicing enchantress for multiple centuries often experimenting and hunting new ways to bend magic to her benefit. She even made a career out of tracking magical artifacts only to sell them for a high profit after studying them. However, after the First War she lost interest in the arcana when she found a romantic interest in a young elven cleric. Given her attention, he taught her how to wield the Light that she worshiped as holy magic. After the Second War, her lover became a Knight of the Silver Hand and she officially adopted the mantle of priest. Together they fought alongside his order and the Alliance against the orcs. After that victory the pair returned to Quel'Thalas, married and within a year had a son.
The small family lived a simple life, revering the Light up until the onslaught of the Third War. After Arthas' Scourge attacked Quel'Thalas, thus murdering her spouse, child and parents she readily accepted Prince Sunstrider's remedy to her grief and magic withdrawals. The cost however, was her ability to wield holy spells. As her brother pledged his sword to the Blood Knights, Shinayne sunk into a deep depression, essentially becoming a burden upon her younger sibling. Before deploying to Outland he suggested that she focus regaining her arcane abilities and in a way she took his advice.
When the blood elves rose up as an independent race and joined the Horde, Shinayne found comfort in the company of their Forsaken allies. In the halls of Undercity they taught her about an alternative to the Light, its sister, Shadow. She found that the link between the arcane and Shadow magic was easy for her to cross. The independent nature of Shadow appealed to the grieving elf and she found herself revering it in the same manner she did the Light; if not more. She also enjoyed the attention of the Shadow revering undead. Therefore when she was approached in secret by the Cult of Forgotten Shadow she eagerly joined. In their ranks she was a priestess again and one to be respected.
When word reached her that the Shattered Sun Offensive was intent on destroying Kael'thas and purifying the Sunwell she found herself oddly apathetic to the ordeal. Despite her brother's noble dedication to the cause, she remained in Undercity. At the time her main focus was perfecting her understanding of the Shadow and studying the Forsaken. She was innately curious about what empowered their sentient unlife; a curiosity she kept to herself. Deep down she desired to find out if there was a way to raise her son back to the living and if so, if she'd be willing to pay the cost.
Shinayne's time with the Dark Lady's army not only re-purposed her life, but also took her to Northrend to face the one made that transformation necessary. There she assisted the Hand of Vengeance in Dragonblight. She placed her faith in Lady Sylvanas' ability to defeat the Lich King and when Putress betrayed his queen, Shinayne found she had misplaced her trust. Biding her time, she kept a pensive breath until Arthas was finally destroyed by the alliance of the Ashen Verdict.
Once she left Northrend, she did not return to the ruins of Lordaeron. Instead she attempted to rejoin her own people in Silvermoon City. Her re-acclimation into Sindorei society has not been easy and it has brought out her more mischievous nature. However, she misses the dark embrace of Undercity's secretive catacombs and the rumors of the necromantic powers of the Val'kyr has her eager to be among the undead again. To aid her mutual interest in the blood elves and forsaken, she has joined a regiment of Blood Knights intent on helping claim Lordaeron for the Horde.
Skills and Abilities
[Shadow Word: Tenacity]: Like other priests Shinayne has the ability to inspire her comrades, however given her adherence to the virtues of Shadow she appreciates more independent values such as persistence in adversity. This buff is to be traded for Power Word: Fortitude and the courage it elicits.
[Shadow Armament]: The spell Power Word: Shield imbued with the talent Reflective Shield is replaced by a protective aura of shadow. Attacks against her person while the aura is active have a chance to be countered with a split second mind numbing headache against her attacker. Due to the selfish nature of shadow, Shinayne can only cast this aura on herself.
[It's Just a Flesh Wound]: A modified version of Pain Suppression and Power Word: Fortitude Shinayne's healing spells only temporarily numb the target's senses to pain as well as increase their determination to keep fighting. The target will still be afflicted and need true healing or first aid, however for a time they will be able to ignore their injury. If let untreated for too long, it can negatively effect the target by inadvertently causing the target more injuries.
[Shadowmancy]: Using natural shadows created by the presence of darkness and light, Shinayne can manipulate them to her benefit. This includes puppetry and fading into them briefly for her own safety.
