Allisandra Nightsong

Countess Allisandra Nightsong, also known as Allisa Nightsong was a twisted Quel'dorei Priestess who abandoned her people at the fall of Quel'thalas. The withdrawals following the destruction of the Sunwell drove her to hedonism, indulging in dangerous substances with a small group of like-minded elves. Their dark path ultimately lead them to vampirism by means of Voodoo, and the establishment of the Nightsong Coven.

=History=

After the destruction of the Sunwell
The destruction of the Sunwell and the loss of all she knew marked the beginning of Allisa's descent into madness. The withdrawals from the font of magic proved impossible for her to tolerate. She turned to mind-altering substances which gravitated her towards a small amount of elves who were also self-medicating. It was not long before she grew resistant to the effects of the substances and she became desperate. She persuaded most of the group to abandon their dying people with her in search of something more.

The band of seven crazed elves followed Allisa without question across the lands. They tried to siphon energy from wanderers and hermits alike, but their efforts brought them little relief. After some time they came across the Gurubashi fortress of Zul'Gurub in Stranglethorn Vale. Knowing their people's long history with Trolls they did not approach them. However, she knew of a strange kind of power that the Trolls used – Voodoo. She hypothesised that it may be the answer she was searching for.

In several meticulously planned missions, the elves stole multiple items and tomes which explained the dark art in great detail. After their final mission, the elf Aluriel Sunspell did not return. Instead, his head was found on a pike outside the gates of Zul'Gurub. The remaining elves fled with the artifacts and tomes. Unfortunately, none of them knew how to read Zandalari at a functional level. Desire and desperation had clouded Allisa's foresight on the matter, and it angered her greatly. It seemed impossible to overcome this obstacle, as amongst themselves they believed their only way of translating would be joining the Troll society to learn the entire language – this was not an option in any sense.

The group of six elves wandered without direction for months on end, stealing mind-altering substances when they could find it. While searching through a farm in Hillsbrad Foothills they came across a small water-poppy farm, a herb known by some for its painkilling and euphoric effects when prepared in a salve. They stole the entire supply and all of the seeds before escaping into the darkness. With this enormous supply they indulged excessively and did not truly regain lucidity until they had reached Silverpine Forest. They suddenly came to realise the elf Thaladras Dayseeker was no longer with them. He was never seen again. It was at Silverpine Forest that they took an abandoned building deep in the woods for themselves. The building was large but it was dilapidated without even a door to keep the cold out. The elves barely noticed as they grew and consumed their newfound herb of dependence.

Some time passed before a Darkspear Troll appeared at their door. It was such an unexpected sight that Alissa did not react with hostility. He spoke first - in Thalassian. She welcomed the Troll inside the doorframe and let him speak. His name was Pon'Zugah, and he'd been exiled from the Horde as he was discovered practising particularly heinous forms of Voodoo which had been forbidden. He claimed that he approached the house because he could sense the juju within - the artifacts that the elves had stolen from Zul'Gurub. With great wariness, the elves allowed Pon'Zugah to examine the items. Alissa asked him to teach her Zandalari and the ways of the Voodoo in exchange for protection and a new place to call home. He agreed.

Allisa dedicated as much time as possible to learning the Zandalari language, which slowly lead to the teaching of Voodoo. Pon'Zugah excitedly encouraged her to hear about his knowledge of Void, and how one could learn to wield it as Shadow. Allisa knew of the Void but had considered it as an antithesis to her Light - something that she could wield in the same way but with wildly different effects. As a Priestess it was forbidden to practice such darkness, but without the High Elven society and culture to bind her, it was not a lengthy decision. The Shadow came to Alissa much more easily than Voodoo, accelerated by her Priestly skills and her insatiable desire for power.

It had been two years since they left Quel'thalas. Alissa's primary scout Enore Cloudstrider had faithfully brought her news and goods from around the world with each of her missions. This fateful night, she returned with news from the Northern continent. Among other things, she claimed there were undead Sin'dorei under the command of the Lich King. Known as San'layn, they consumed and gained power from blood. Allisandra likened this to vampire tales of old and had a resurgence of motivation. Perhaps with the Voodoo she could learn to gain power from blood like the undead San'layn, but walk the earth as a living mortal. Pon'Zugah assured her that it would be entirely possible. Alissa was driven by selfish desires of power, immortality and vanity.

At last, there was a breakthrough when Alissa successfully completed a complex dark ritual with four Human sacrifices. She slit the womens' throats and drank their blood. The resurgence of power within Alissa was blissful and entirely satisfying. She had designed the ritual specifically to curse herself with what she called "Voodoo Vampirism". It granted her unnatural beauty, fanglike canines, long life, incredible speed and strength. In addition to this she was able to take the form of wild creatures for short periods of time, disappear in plain sight, and step from one shadow to another in the blink of an eye. It turned her blood black as night while her skin lost its peachy hue, pale as a ghost. She acquired a near insatiable thirst for blood - drinking it increased her powers. The longer she went without consuming blood, the weaker she felt. She discovered that walking in the daylight became uncomfortable at best, and agonising at worst depending on how recently she'd consumed blood.

Once she'd become adept at her practice of vampirism, the Nightsong Coven was established and she titled herself “Countess”. Over time, she taught the remaining five elves her dark magics, though they never achieved as great a power as her. The house in Silverpine was restored and extended, eventually filled with riches and luxuries thanks to their work as highly efficient mercenaries, bards and other specialties which had been enhanced with the dark magics. Allisa's love for the arts was resurrected as the coven enacted plays and songs in their house of debauchery. Allisa ensured that all the coven remained below her and served all her selfish needs. Despite her selfishness, however, she went to any length necessary to protect her people from danger.

At the appearance of the Darkmoon Faire, Allisa and her coven found they were welcomed. Some folk who worked there had sensed the nature of their condition and approached them. Some of the Troll workers had seen very similar practices, and were interested to hear of the coven's Troll member. They were given permission to feed on the island within certain guidelines. In exchange, the coven was asked to perform on occasion, ranging from dramatic plays to acapella songs under the guise of 'stage makeup' to hide their true nature from the general public.

The scout Enore Cloudstrider eventually brought word that a new branch of elf, the Ren'dorei had joined the Grand Alliance. Allisa saw this as a prime opportunity to return to Alliance cities, now able to blend in with the new elves...