Merut Neramore

Merut Neramore is Maelstromyr from the Band of the Lion. A bard of creation (formerly swords) from the Fool's Crossroads, Merut is a devoted friend, with a paranoid streak, and a former follower of Arwayen, the ancient name for Aswain. Merut is the heart of the Band of the Lion, an occasionally moral base (though prone to chaotic mood swings) and cunning fighter. He used to wield two scimitars, as he was taught to juggle them, while travelling Dormani in a circus with his mentor Lucion, Gretin and Bigsy’s Carnival of Curious Creatures. Most of his work was based around Fool's Crossroads. Merut was very close with Cailin Maccailini before her death. Although previusly having a fierce rivalry with Setep Mewtril, with the two often butting heads, they have reconciled their differences, with Merut being a loyal member of the Band. Merut looks out for Nagrick Gangrick and cares for her a lot. After returning from the expedition to Majesty, Merut began dating Nifeemos, and the couple are now engaged. Merut can magically inspire their allies with bardic powers, bard spells and (formerly) warlock spells.

## Merut Neramore

### Relatives

Lucion (adoptive father), Lucy(child), Nifeemos (Wife)

### Occupation

Mercenary, Writer, Entertainer, Humanitarian Worker

## Appearances

### Appearance

Merut has youthful crimson skin, long black hair, golden eyes, low rear-facing horns, and an immaculate sense of style. Since traversing the Order, he has donned the Robes of Archmagi, a powerful artefact. Since the end of the Maelstrom Arc, Merut has grown facial hair, sporting a short pointed beard. He has also began to dress down more, but still maintains himself properly when not working.

### Before the Band

Being only a small child when the Infernal purges took place, Merut was taken in by another tiefling who had recently remerged, called Lucion Duskdew. The two would make their living in a travelling circus, performing various acrobatic acts and most notable sword juggling. One Festag Lucion would gift Merut two jewelled golden scimitars that he treasured dearly. A few weeks before fleeing to Westwood, the two would be robbed and left behind in a town. The two decided it would be best to part ways for now, and try to track down and recover whatever of their old possessions that they could.

### Between Lands

Merut was dug out the earth by Mumuk Ungart and was shown the magic of the Westwood demiplane by Flea. Merut befriended Samworthy Sandlewood in Westwood Manor. He also persuaded Gallith to let them leave the Westwood demiplane before realising that Merut was fated to act in opposition to her. At the arc's end, Merut lost Lucchi, Fiorre, and possible answers about Westwood, but after the battle, in the wastes, he met Cailin Maccailini.

### Stadium

Merut lead the way through the Whetgreen Goblin Tunnels, killing many, until seeing Mumuk Ungart get himself killed. Only Cailin was able to bring him back from shock and take him to the sun and Whetgreen. Merut later found an injured Nagrick Gangrick and nursed her back to health. Nagrick was traumatised by the genocide of her people, but Merut did not claim responsibility, and instead took gratitude from Nagrick, who lead him to the goblin treasure including long lost swords of Meruts', masterwork scimitars. In Whetgreen, Merut met Setep Mewtril, who promised purpose, bravado, and leadership. This was short lived when Stadium attacked, he met Fenfang Fang and Elu Brak, and Merut initially pushed for the party to runaway, but in the end boarded Stadium. In the orlop, he investigated strange gold artefacts and unintelligible instruction binders. In the quarters, Merut asked the Hexton about Stadium's purpose, to seal the tear, and it's origin, a convergence. In the compartments, Merut witnessed Fenfang's death and removed scalp, causing Merut immense trauma and shock. Again, Cailin was there for him, and took him with her under the returned Setep's lead. In the Freeboard, Merut found many dead lizardmen, and in one house, dresses, one of which he gave to Cailin. In the Alcazar, Merut faced off with Yoko Nox, but was seemingly unaffected by an illusionary terror image. After the battle in the astral sea, he spoke with Cailin and thanked her, even promising to look out for her, and hoping to spend more time working together. When he was the last standing in the astral sea, he was contacted by an extraplanar entity that bid him seek out the 'blue tides', Merut knew it must be Arwayen, who then transformed one of his masterwork scimitars into the wrathful tide. In Nox's hoard in Stadium, Merut took claim of a strange shield that Alcain could not hold.

### Maiden Festival

Having travelled to Forlonde, Merut shared a room in The Unwritten Fowl with Cailin. In the bar, Merut met a drunken Rankirk Khakira, lamenting on battles long lost. Later, when Setep tore the face off a vendor, Merut healed the injury before running away after Cailin to the Trove. On his was, he found Elu, and the two went looking down a dark alley; in a house, Merut found letters he did not understand, but what he could put together was dark. He then could not find Elu, so decided to find the others at the Trove. Before they entered, Merut was approached by another person with a purple band, Nifeemos. She very quickly latched onto Merut and the two spent the evening dancing together. She asked to go away with Merut, saying she had nowhere else to go, Merut said she could, but not for him, it had to be for her. The next morning Merut learned of Alcain's death and helped arrange the burial. After seeing Setep with Alcain's cape, Merut freaked out and took Elu, Flea, and Samworthy to investigate the notes he's found. It lead him to Jacob Mousewhite, Clarensteinia, and Antibell, who were sacrificing new-borns to Gallith. Merut realised he was back in the Butcher Shop before being pulled deeper into Gallith's demiplane. There she sent apparitions after him and appeared repeatedly in his shadow. She taunted him with her words of warning from Westwood, and laughed at him saying he was a thorn yet to lay in her side. Merut held his own but was shown the exit to the demiplane by an avatar from his shield. It told him he couldn't be in the material world, and wished there was more time to talk, but Merut was forced to leave. Afterwards Merut took the others and they fled Forlonde with Setep's new recruits for the Band of the Lion.

### The Advent

Although reluctant to join a Mercenary Band, Merut followed his friends and trusted their judgement. Upon Setep requesting audience with the Gaque General, the Band began formally became a Mercenary company under the Flameguard. Merut was one of those that oversaw Setep's interrogation, alongside Cailin, Elu, Nagrik, in order to see if they thought he was fit to lead them. Once the Band made their way to the Capital, they found their way to their new residence, where he came up with the name Lion's Den for the fledging band's keep. Although initially rejected, it would catch on later. Merut would begin building a repour with the Paladins of 'The Away Inn', where they told him more about his shield avatar. He also began writing for the Sunrise Gazette, writing extensively about the Band's escapades, albeit slightly embellished.

### Majesty

Sometime between the Advent and Majesty Arcs, Merut and Cabal began training together, teaching the other Common and Dwarvish respectively. It was during this period where the Setep gives Merut a letter from Tia Maccailini, Cailin's Mother, as she details her struggle to track down her daughter. A few days later, Flea would confide in Setep about the den of Goblins that were massacred just outside of Whetgreen. The two decided to share this information with Elu and Nagrik, the latter of whom used to live in the den before being saved by the party. Elu quickly brought her rage upon Merut as he keeps watch, ignoring his admissions of remorse, she threw him into the waters below the keep. Merut woke up on a beach, with waves splashing upon him. He sees the shield avatar sat next to him. The shield avatar identifies itself as Carl, an old crusader once known as Saldon. Merut asks how it all ended, to which the avatar responds - "Who says it ended?". Merut talks about his team. How he enjoyed it. How it had to end. How no matter what his good intentions always lead to hell. The avatar points to his sword arm, and explains that something is whispering to him through his hands. He looks to the sword he wields, and the icon on its hilt, and begins to pry it off with a dagger. As he begins, he feels burning heat and the environment around him darkens into a storm. The avatar speaks once more. "It's your choice. Just do what'll make you happy." Merut offers to pass on a message from the avatar too, to which it replies: "I'm sorry I couldn't keep Elia safe." Merut tries to shed the Wrathful Tide once more and the scene disappears. He is washed up by an estuary out of the city. A muddy and sandy Phoebe stands over him wielding manacles. She claims that the manacles are the only way out of 'this'. She was sent to retrieve him. Merut didn't resist, and he was brought back to the Lion's Den. Flea gave context, on the warfront, the caves, the goblins. They were armed - but the party were the invaders. The party killed them all, but one. After a discussion, it is decided that Nagrick will  choose Elu and Merut's  punishment. She decides that the punishment for both offenders is to become friends once again and look past their mistakes.

When the location of the Ki-rin that the party were contracted with Killing was found to be on Majesty, Flea, Pheobe, and Merut set sail on the Bitchy Devil's maiden voyage, they were attacked by a group of weresharks, and were relatively unharmed, aside from one biting Merut. This would have dire consequences, as Merut would transform into a wereshark unexpectedly at the next full moon, unable to control himself. Saldon scolds Merut, arguing that his chaos has endangered those closest to him. After this, a dishevelled Merut debates leaving the party, after having become a liabilty. However, Pheobe talks him out of this, arguing that his value to the party far outweighs any potential threats his lycanthropy has.Upon meeting the Ki-rin, the creature healed Merut's Lycanthropy. He asked the creature "What makes a person good?" The Ki-rin replies that the only answer to that question is within, and that there is no greater evil than allowing an action to go unquestioned.

After returning from Majesty, Merut decides to give up his swords, realising the damage his wrath had brought upon those he loved. He reunited with Lucion, his adoptive father, who was suffering from illness, having already lost a leg, and was destitute. Despite this, he was happier than ever. Although Merut offered to take him to Setep and spend his final days in comfort, he refused. He felt sorry that he couldn't leave behind a legacy for his son, but Merut argues back that the legacy he left is Merut himself, and that he wouldn't be who he was without Lucion. The two share their goodbyes with a jaunty step and finger guns. Later that night, Merut goes on his first proper date with Nifeemos.

### The Maelstrom

Having given up his swords, Merut found himself struggling to adapt to his new position in the Band. When contacted to fight a Kraken, he became frustrated with his lack of abilities to work underwater. It was from then on that he focused on his primary skill; creativity. With the help and support from Nifeemos, he was eventually able to create and animate any object that he could imagine. At the Siege of Berrins, Merut tested out his new powerful abilities, and created an animated powder keg that obliterated two gatehouses. After it was revealed that the Flameguard had made a contract with Sweetsong, Setep had the Setep Squad on secret contract to the Order. For the second time, Merut had say goodbye to Nifeemos in the name of the band.

In the Crypts, Elu offered Magic Mushrooms to the party, which Setep and Merut accepted. The latter two decided to sit out whatever tomb the rest of the party examined, which was a death tyrant. Setep and Merut were unable to help the rest of their friends, with Elu and Flea dying. Fortunately, Merut had enough Diamonds to quickly cast Revivify on the two. It was Setep's failure to rescue the two that led him to disclosing what they were looking for. Merut is horrified by this revelation, but maintains the secret with Setep.

When coming across the Ruins of Intum, Merut took great care to lay the bodies of the unfortunate Teflings who were trapped there to rest. With encouragement from Elu, the two asked the rest of the Band to help.

### Pride's End

After the second Yogoloth attack on the Lion's Den, Merut moved to Red Orchard with Nifeemos, Nagrik, and Flea to provide aid to the struggling settlement. During this period, Merut underwent significant changes from his experiences there, becoming much more humble, and wore less extravagant clothes. It was around this time that they found out that Nifeemos was pregnant. For the first time in his life, Merut was settled. However, their dreams of the future would have to wait, as when Nifeemos had been expecting for four months, the Band called upon Merut to return; the time had come. Before leaving, Merut proposed to Nifeemos, admitting how scared he was of committing to her when they first met, that she didn't ask for this life, and was mournful of having to leave her again at a such a pivotal moment in their lives. Nifeemos tearfully accepted his proposal, but told Merut that she knew what she was getting into before joining the band. The couple said their farewells, potentially for the last time, and Merut left with the Band, heading back to the Lion's Den.