Meridith

== Appearance ==
Meridith moves with a vitality and grace uncommon in her kind. Her once-beautiful face was not spared by death, but what's left is young and expressive. Her skin is missing in places, but she keeps what remains tidy and free of rot. While she disregards the upkeep of her hair, having considered it a loss after waking from the Lich King's control, she's very picky about her wardrobe. She tries to wear robes exclusively, both as an indicator of her class and to hide what's become of her body in death. As a fire mage she favors the color red, though she's started leaning more toward purple of late.
== In Life... ==
Lady Meridith Darrow was the precious only child of the noble Darrow family, and she lived a sheltered childhood on the family's estate in Darrowshire. From birth the task of raising her fell to a series of nannies and then tutors, all charged with making sure Meridith had a proper upbringing for one of her status. Her parents had little direct involvement with her apart from making sure her interests and studies were strictly controlled. At age 14 Meridith had a tutor who sensed in her a strong talent for the arcane arts, especially fire magic, and he taught her the beginnings of magecraft. When her parents found out about this they promptly fired the tutor and restricted Meridith from studying magic. The last thing they wanted was for their daughter to run off to learn with the mages of Dalaran, who were already being viewed with suspicion in respectable circles. But this restriction only caused Meridith to hate her family as she realized what slaves they all were to their status. Her talent for magic had made her feel like she was special on her own and not just because of her lineage, and cutting her off from it hurt her deeply. She studied what she could from forgotten books in the estate's library, but without proper guidance her magic was more harm than good. At 16 a marriage was arranged with another young noble once she came of age, and her parents tried desperately to force Meridith into being the proper lady they needed to continue the family line. She spent the two years until her 18th birthday miserable and rebellious.
Just after Meridith turned 18, the Scourge came to Darrowshire. 
== In Death... ==
The time when Meridith was under the control of the Scourge is currently only the vaguest of memories to her, though she started to remember a little more when an ill-advised astral projection revealed that she had been under the control of Baron Rivendare. When she was freed from the Lich King's control she found that her wishes had finally been granted in the most gruesome way possible. With herself and her family dead, she had been freed from her former life in the most literal sense. Suddenly given complete control over her own choices, she poured herself into the study of magic.
Meridith is happy with her lot in unlife and it shows. She is driven to use her second chance to experience as much as she can, and her childlike sense of wonder can catch more serious people off guard. She still retains the polite and educated manner of her upbringing and can often act a bit spoiled. Her proper speech sometimes seems to be at odds with her exuberant, outgoing personality, though even that has been tempered recently by the amount of responsibility that has been placed on her young shoulders. Though she rejected her title when she was first establishing her identity as one of the Forsaken, she started using it again after inheriting Curse, though she doesn't draw attention to any particular association with the nobility of Lordaeron. Whether this was in hopes of making others have more respect for her or in hopes of giving her a little more respect for herself is anyone's guess.
Meridith is fiercely loyal to her fellow Undead and makes friends quickly among "her people", often accepting and overlooking quirks that might put others off. While she is willing to make friends with the rest of the Horde, the living are slower to earn her trust. She is acutely aware of the distrust much of the Horde has for her people despite the support of some of their leaders. She has a great deal of appreciation for the support the Blood Elves have given the Forsaken, but she still considers them second to her own kind. 
== Currently... ==
After inheriting leadership of Curse with Overlord Ghrast's death Meridith has become more reclusive, focusing on her studies and her responsibilities to the guild instead of socializing like she used to. She has also poured herself into her work with the Royal Apothecary Society. Having worked her way up from an oft-ignored research assistant to a respected researcher in her own right, she has found her early research on the Scourge to be highly valued as the Forsaken approach the completion of a viable weapon against their most immediate foes. She has also been given primary jurisdiction over a project of Varimathras' own, an abomination she calls Orloc, which has earned her the hatred of his original creator. All of this has kept her out of the sort of trouble in which she used to regularly find herself, and one could fairly say that the responsibility has forced her to grow up.
All of her dedication to the guild led to Meridith spending a great deal of time with Curse's Executioner, Plagos Deathweaver, and a sweet if at times peculiarly morbid romance grew between the two. Concerned about the effect the tower of Karazhan was having on her, she asked him to store part of her soul and keep it safe for her, and he wears the crystal storing it at all times. For his part he cut out his blackened, shriveled heart and gave it to her, and she keeps it with her in a small vial filled with embalming fluid. His own Shadow magic has started to taint the crystal, however, and she has begun to manifest a bit of warlock Shadow magic, albeit weakly. She has promised to get proper training, though her work has kept her from developing it as she'd like. The pair were married in Beggar's Haunt on Hallow's End, and they currently reside in his family home in Brill. 
== Stories & Such ==
Meridith's Journal
Exquisite Dead Guy
The Morning After
Visions of Things to Come
Opposing Forces
Feigning Innocence
The Muck And The Mire
Involved in On Loyalties
Also appears in Vekkul's "Like Your Father"
Category:Horde
Category:Forsaken
Category:Mage
Category:Alchemist (H)
Category:Herbalist (H)