Name: Merrill
Race: Elf (Dalish)
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: 6 Haring 9:10
Occupation: Apostate, Wanderer, Historian
Companion(s): N/A
Merrill’s frame is willowy and for all her occasional clumsiness, she holds herself with dignity in people’s company. She steps lightly, nearly skipping at times as she ambles and snakes through crowds with a surprising ease although that just makes it easier for her to end up in the most unexpected of places. She is petite yet somehow manages a degree of tone in spite of the fact that she appears to eat very little.
Merrill has black hair of moderate luster, kept short and practical in length. Her deep hazel eyes are large even by elven standards and wander with curiosity at most times. Her face, ever expressive, cannot hide her emotions. She wears vallaslin of uncommon design, an older pattern dedicated to Falon’Din. Their black color boldly marks most of her face.
Class: Mage
Specialization: Keeper (Intermediate), Blood Mage (Novice)
Weapons & Armor: Vir Tasallan, an ironbark staff gifted to her by Keeper Marethari. Merrill wears fitted mail covered by faded green tabard, secured with a leather belt. She completes the ensemble with leather guards that extend above the knee, leaving her feet exposed to the ground.
Languages: Common (fluent spoken, written and writing), Elvhen (reading and moderate conversational speech.)
Non-Combat Skills:
Master: Natural Lore, Cultural Lore (Dalish), Historial Lore (Dalish)
Expert: Alchemy, Arcane Lore, Religious Lore (Dalish), Etiquette (Dalish)
Intermediate: Wilderness Survival, Animal Handling, Evaluation
Novice: Writing, Running, Musical Lore
Combat Skills:
Master: Death Cloud
Expert: Miasma, Staves, Arcane Lance
Intermediate: Thornblades, Paralyze, Death Magic, Stonefist
Novice: One With Nature, Drain Life, Weakness, Rock Armor, Blood Sacrifice, Blood Wound
Armor Proficiency: Light Armor
Although she is empathetic and often able to discern someone’s emotional state, Merrill struggles to read body language and vocal tone. A lack of contact with human society has left her considerably naive. She is too fast to trust others, unable to read motives, and rarely able to tell when someone is lying. It is easy to advantage of Merrill, although her good nature has earned her many friends. Among these are Varric Tethras, who she finds quite entertaining, and Marian Hawke, who she admires deeply.
If she has a major blemish on her personality, it is her pride. More often than not, she is convinced that her assessment of a situation is the correct one and will not easily be dissuaded. She knows what is right and will not easily broach correction from those she sees as unknowledgeable. At her worst, she can be supercilious and demanding although these mercurial moments are rare.
Merrill was born into the Alerion clan in the hills of Nevarra. She has little memory of her parents but recalls that her father was a craftsman skilled in carving ironbark. She spent little time with the Alerion clan, manifesting her magic at the age of four during a temper tantrum. Her wailing unleashed a small wave of entropic magic that wilted the plants around her. Being the third child of magical ability, she was sent to the Sabrae clan during the next Arlathvenn to become First to the clan’s Keeper, Marethari.
Clan Sabrae, while pleasant, was not a place where Merrill forged many friendships. Even in her youth, she was more eager to study with the Keeper and lose herself in stories of her people’s glory days rather than play with her peers. The exception was Lyna Mahariel, ward to Elder Ashalle. Mahariel treated Merrill much more kindly than the others and though Merrill was still prone to focus more on her lessons, the pair did have friendly chats from time to time.
Keeper Marethari was a skilled teacher who earned Merrill's deep affection and respect. From ancient history to trades skills, Marethari taught Merrill as much as she could. Many nights, the pair would stay up late to meditate on the will of the Creators. Sometimes, they would wander ever so slightly away from the aravels and spend extra hours in magical training. In many ways, Merrill did not need friends within the clan. She and the Keeper shared all, speaking frankly to each other and fostering a mutual respect. Merrill could be headstrong and stubborn but Marethari's persistence invariably won out.
For a long time, life in the clan was edifying and comfortable. This eventually ended in tragedy as she was sent by Keeper Marethari after the hunter Tamlen was lost in some nearby ruins along with Malarial. Tamlen could not be found and her friend Mahariel was struck with the Blight after encountering a strange mirror. The loss of her friend struck Merrill hard. She vowed to learn more about the relic at the heart of the matter
It was also during this time that Merrill turned to less conventional magic. Sneaking back into the ruins, she came across a magically sealed door on her way back to the eluvian that even her own considerable skill could not open. A desire demon whispered from across the Veil and offered her the power to open it in exchange for free reign to visit Merrill in her dreams. She accepted the deal and she stole a small shard of the mirror, hiding it from Keeper Marethari. Desperate to cleanse the shard and learn more about what had taken her friend, she turned to blood magic and successfully removed its corruption.
In the intervening years, clan Sabrae took up residence in the Free Marches and life continued much as it did before, although her relationship with Marethari took a turn when the Keeper discovered her use of dangerous magic and decision to keep the eluvian’s shard. It was the one thing they could not come to an agreement over and it shattered their relationship. Merrill found a defiant streak that had her question the Keeper's decisions more openly while Marethari countered with a direct, heavy handed approach to her teachings. Gone were the late nights and extended lessons. The distance between them could not be gapped, mostly thanks to Merrill's own stubbornness.
Day to days affairs maintained this uneasy equilibrium until Marian Hawke wandered into camp. Guiding her to the top of Sundermount, they encounter the fable Asha'bellanar and as Marian made to leave after this errand was completed, Merrill asked to tag along, seeing a chance to leave a clan that was turning increasingly hostile to her.
Kirkwall proved overwhelming in many ways and she found herself getting lost more often than lost. Focused on her restoration of the eluvian, Merrill only left her small hovel to gather essential supplies, meet with her few friends, or help Hawke with her adventures. She aided in the rescue of the lost Templar Keran and helped the apostate Feynriel make his way to the Dalish.
For now, Merrill spends her time in Kirkwall and continues her zealous restoration of the eluvian. That work has stalled, leaving her to consider returning to her clan to secure the necessary tools. Until then, she does her best to avoid trouble, although any friend of Marian Hawke invariably finds more than their fair share.
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