Marsella

Marsella (a.k.a. Ella, Singer of the Return)

One of The Twelve who helped free people from their elven oppressors and helped found the Kingdom of Caresnas.

A striking woman of slightly greater than average height, Marsella could command attention just by entering a room. Her poise and control of her movements let her create whatever impression she wanted people to have of her, even before she started to speak. When she spoke, it was with a voice pitched to reach the hearts of her listeners, and when she sang it was as if a choir had joined her such was the depth of her tone.

— From Legacies of the Twelve.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

As a part of The Twelve Marsella appeared during the period shortly after the end of the years of darkness. Like with the rest of her companions her early life is something of a mystery, but unlike most of the rest of the Twelve there are also relatively few stories about her after the group started freeing people. This can largely be explained by the fact that she was the one telling the stories about the others.
What we do know about her is from the lesser stories told by those that were rescued or inspired by the group, and the stories where she included herself as a contrast to the more obviously heroic members of the Twelve.

Education

Though mostly remembered for skill at singing and storytelling, Marsella's greatest legacy may be the lore she imparted as she travelled. Clearly educated to a standard beyond what even an old world noble might have achieved, Marsella's knowledge of a wide range of subjects and her willingness to share that information was a major part in lifting us out of the ignorance the elves had kept us in. Though the rest of the Twelve were no slouches when it came to knowledge it was Marsella who truly started the return of knowledge.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Aside from the not so many feats of helping remove the shackles of elven dominion and founding the Kingdom of Caresnas, Marsella had more than a few achievements of her own. She wrote most of the songs and stories about the Twelve, and more often than not it was her voice that rose above the din of the battlefield to raise the spirits with songs of valour. Her work laid the foundations for the creation of the College of Lore, and the impact of her sharing techniques on the crafting of instruments cannot be underestimated.

Personality Characteristics

Savvies & Ineptitudes

While quite skilled at teaching history and musical theory, Marsella was less talented at teaching others to sing or play instruments. A perfectionist of the highest order her harsh criticism and demanding standards drove away coountless students, many of whom never touched an instrument again. However, the few who did survive her training were later acknowledged as some of the greatest composers and performers of their time.

Species

Human

Sex

Female

Eyes

Green

Hair

long, braided, reddish brown

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Lightly tanned

Height

5'8''

Related Myths

• The Twelve

As the author of many of the twelve's legends it is entirely possible that some of the descriptions of Marsella may be touch misleading. The opening to her entry in Legacies of the Twelve is a perfect example, and the extravegance of some of her descriptions of other members of the twelve show more than a little bias.
The occasions that her descriptions of the Twelve verge on the critical appear reserved for Durston and Illishandra, with the former having his mistakes frequently laid bare and the later receiving Marsella's ire for her unforgiving personality. Her depiction of Durston has at least had the effect of rendering him as more relatable then the rest of the Twelve and this approach has been followed by later bards in depicting heroes like Cal and Gus.