Alisannara Morcane
{{Character|
fgcolor=#fff|
bgcolor=#000|
| image=
| name=Alisannara Morcane
| aliases=
| gender=Female
| race=Drow
| parents=Angraszja, Matron Morcane
| dob=1172 (age 206)
| pob=Szith Morcane
| occupation=Priestess
| affiliations=Church of Lolth, House Morcane
| spouse=None
| children=2, deceased
| class=Priest
| alignment=?
}}
Alisannara Morcane was the high priestess of the Fane of Lolth, and heir apparent to the Matron Mothership of House Morcane. Her position in the clergy gave her supreme power over the spiritual matters of Szith Morcane, and inheriting the throne of her house would have given her supreme temporal power over the city.
Alisannara was born to be her mother's heir, but showed such obstinate disregard for her mother's attempts to groom her that she earned herself a hundred-year exile in her own house. There, she had two daughters by her own brother Duroth, both favored by her mother. The eldest daughter, Narasj, named for her great-grandmother, was a natural for the job of matron mother; she was more ambitious and wicked than any who had come before. Her younger sister, Zirahdi, was smarter and more physically powerful, but mild-mannered and pensive.
At the tender age of 25, Angraszja bade her daughters to duel to the death to once and for all settle the matter of their succession. Zirahdi chose not to fight, despite her being favored to win, and chose to spirit herself out of the city and out of the underdark altogether. Narasj was now the undisputed heir.
After over 100 years of exile in her own house, Alisannara was finally given a chance to redeem herself in service to Lolth. She took what freedom she could, starting from the lowest possible echelon of priesthood, and working her way slowly and painfully through the ranks. When she ascended to the position of high priestess, as decreed by the Goddess herself, none could claim she had not earned back her honor tenfold, even her bitter mother and daughter.
Narasj made all but open plans to destroy her mother, to remove any contest to the seat of House Morcane, but her efforts were futile, as Alisanarra was not only favored of Lolth but of the whole city. The young girl whittled away her favor with the matron mother, for her repeated and ever less-convincing denunciations of the high priestess. Their common annoyance allowed an uneasy bond between Angraszja and her estranged daughter. Though Alisannara stated many times that she did not wish for any secular power, most expected the succession to fall to her, not her daughter, when the time came.
Of course, the time never came. When Dorina T'sarran attacked Szith Morcane, all of their history was rendered meaningless, as House Morcane was gutted and destroyed. All members of the house were slain; only Alisannara was spared utter defilement and servitude as undead, as she was slain on holy ground and preserved as a ghost by the power of Lolth.
She has since been resurrected by adventurers, who have bound her into service against the traitorous T'sarrans. She has pawned off her house's remaining treasures, and abandoned her ruined city to whatever chaos may come. She now hopes only to discover Lolth's true intent in abandoning her, yet preserving her, and perhaps to learn what became of her daughter Zirahdi.
Lineage
Alisannara is the sixth matron mother of House Morcane. She inherited the title directly from her mother, Angraszja Morcane.
Angraszja is the direct daughter of Narasj Morcane. She was born in 966 and reigned from 1056 to 1378. In that time, she bore only two children: the twins Alisanarra and Duroth.
Narasj Morcane was matron mother of House Morcane during the founding of Szith Morcane in 804 DR. Her reign was long, from 772 to 1056, though she was young when her greatest deeds were accomplished. It was her brother, Olidurz, who struck down the lich Vournoth and pacified the caverns that would become the grounds of the city. Prior to relocating, Morcane was a minor house of Maerimydra, on par with the heretic T'sarrans. The acquisition of a new city became the house's best opportunity to elevate itself, so they proceeded to do so, at great financial and physical risk.
Narasj was the granddaughter of Halla Morcane, who reigned from from 698 to 772.
Halla was the daughter of Gurzid Morcane, the brother of matron mother Drathia, whose reign lasted from 651 to 698. Drathia had poor luck with daughters, but bore many sons. As Gurzid bore a daughter with his cousin, not too far separated from the Morcane noble line, it is considered a valid succession.
Drathia was the granddaughter of Eliszad Morcane, whose long reign began the noble house.
Eliszad, born in -46 DR and reigning from 96 to 698, was an ambitious woman, born from the ranks of the peasant class. She earned great wealth and prestige as a mercenary, and fought and bought her way into a noble house of her own. It took centuries to earn the respect and recognition of the other noble houses of Maerimydra, but eventually they earned it, thanks in no small part to their alliance with the T'sarran clan.
With the collapse of House Vel'Droth and other competing clans, Alisannara has a technical, if far-fetched claim to lordship over the whole of Maerimydra, as meaningless as it might be given its current situation.
Description
Alisannara is, in her second life, much as she was in her first. She is pensive, thoughtful, and deeply intuitive. She spent much of her life in solitude, contemplating her miserable existence. Her only companions were spiders, who defied all attempts of Morcane architects to seal her chambers from their access. In her exile from her drow kin, she learned to speak the language of spiders, and gained their trust.
Since she reentered the world of drow, she has been distant from everyone, friend and foe alike. She is without fear, brazenly speaking her mind, but rarely with undue malice or arrogance. She was profoundly humbled by her experience, but also elevated to a zen-like level of self-awareness most drow cannot comprehend. Though she frustrated many around her with this attitude, she easily bore the brunt of their frustrations, responding little to pain or intimidation. She never cared if she lived or died, but she never considered taking her own life, for she believed Lolth had a purpose for her.
Amongst the clergy of Lolth, she became known as many things: a spider-lover, a mad woman, but none so damning as a True Believer. Paradoxically, despite the absolute and uncompromising loyalty to Lolth demanded by the clergy, few can truly profess, in their deepest minds, utter faith and trust in Lolth. After all, they live their lives in fear of the Goddess, not love--in terror, not reverence.
Alisannara always showed true love, awe, and wonder toward the Goddess and all her works, surrendering herself completely to her will. She never showed any enthusiasm for the other pleasures of Lolth worship--demonic rituals, torture, sacrifices--only those precious few moments where she truly felt the Goddess' presence. Her degree of devotion shamed and frightened her superiors, though they could think of no acceptable reason to block her progress.
When she inherited the position of High Priestess, she changed little; everyone knew what to expect under her dominion. The Church of Lolth in Szith Morcane was a tight ship, with no excess or misstep that might displease the Goddess. Increasingly, she called on the lower clergy to spend time in deep meditation, beseeching the Goddess for glimpses into her divine wisdom, for guidance and direction in their lives. She was seen as all work and no play, and many of her lessers resented her for it, though not nearly as they resented previous masters, who inflicted far worse and more arbitrary things upon them.
As High Priestess, Alisannara worked to restore her church's strained relations with their fellow priestesses in distant Maerimydra. She traveled there often, impressing herself upon her peers in the larger church, and earning their respect and love. It was there she met the only mortal drow she could ever have been said to love: Quinrissa, daughter of and second to the Matron Mother and High Priestess Xahdrin Sa'arweyn. With Quinrissa's love came the recognition and respect of her house, an important asset should Alisannara ever seek greater political power than her one-horse town could provide.
It was in Maerimydra that she learned of the heresies and blasphemies committed by the T'sarrans, and of the ill will it had earned their long-separated allies, House Morcane. With her consummate diplomatic abilities, Alisannara did much to mend fences and distance herself from the heretical house, even as she became more informed of their horrible ambitions. It was this experience that led her to suspect a grand betrayal from that house, though her warnings went unheeded in Szith Morcane.
In the later years of her first life, Alisannara became ever more active. She became almost "normal" for a woman of her stature, occasionally enjoying the lavish entertainments her house could afford, and outfitting herself with a few well-chosen fineries, mostly gifts from her lover in Maerimydra. Never did she afford even the slightest conceit in the temple, or in her duties as high priestess; that remained ever a solemn post and true calling.
