Meriel

**Meriel** is a fire-eyes girl from the Village in Redesca. Born to the Berylblood as a daughter of Jelestal Egéna, she was taken to the Village at birth and raised by her father.

## Biography

Meriel was born in the year 668 BA, the firstborn daughter of Princess Jelestal Egéna of Dael. Although nominally the heir to the throne, Meriel was taken away as a child owing to her status as a chimera - which would have threatened her life had she remained in Tarhanen. She was raised in a remote Village in northern Redesca, where the locals did not know what a chimera was. During her life in the Village, she became friendly with Cad Mathe, Helicent Loghire and Ancie Bayren, all of whom were of an age with her, and Telis Heddorel, a woman not from the Village who lived on the edge of town. Her days as a young woman were generally spent doing household chores and running errands around the Village. Growing up, she was forbidden from going down to the river Jale. Instead, she would often sit with Helicent beneath an old oak tree a short distance from the riverbank.

As a condition of being excused from helping her father with his farm work, Meriel was expected to prepare his evening meal every day. This led to a decline in her friendship with Helicent, albeit not a terminal one - Meriel avoided the inns and dice-tables where Helicent spent much of her time, out of fear of what her father might think.

When she learnt that Telis had left the Village, towards the end of autumn in 684 BA, Meriel went to her house to investigate. There she found a book, A Treatise on the Sidereal Portents, which she returned the following day to take home. When retrieving the book, she happened upon a red-stone necklace. Upon touching the stone she had a vision of a woman. Unsure what to make of the necklace, she took it with her. She was still wearing the necklace when her father returned home for dinner. From it, he knew straight away that she'd been to Telis' house. Concerned that Meriel had figured out the secret of her birth, her father attempted to kill her with a sword. Meriel distracted him by throwing a pot of boiling stew over his head, then stabbed him in the stomach when he attempted to charge her and take his sword back. She was found by Telis the next day, still sat beside her father's body. Telis escorted Meriel away from the Village.

While travelling northwards towards Camistane, Telis explained to Meriel that she was a Magus - demonstrating the use of magic - and revealed that Meriel was the Daughter of Prophecy. Telis asked Meriel to link with her on the Chain of the Hummingbird. When they arrived at Camistane, Telis had Meriel wear a blindfold to conceal her chimeric status. Masquerading as a bereaved farmer's wife and her blind daughter, the pair took rooms in an inn in the city. While Meriel slept, Telis left the room, returning with Cad and Helicent, who had followed them out of the Village. She informed the three of them that Meriel was the daughter of Queen Jelestal Egéna, and therefore heir to the Berylblood. The group had been betrayed by the innkeeper, Howel Tomarty, who had been threatened to give information on Magi staying in his inn. They were forced to depart quickly. In doing so they witnessed Tomarty, cradling the body of his wife; Tomarty confessed his guilt before slitting his throat, to Meriel's distaste.

Bound for Falien, the group passed through a small strip of land that was part of the Salted Lands. Upon reaching the Falien border, however, they discovered that it was sealed off by a protective ward, forcing them to go deeper into the Salted Lands instead. While sheltering in a cave just inside the Salted Lands, Meriel defended Telis from the aspersions of Cad, who suggested that her father had only attacked her because the Magus had bewitched him. She took the opportunity to ask Telis about the book, and Telis explained that it contained all the ancient knowledge of the sidereal magic.

Deeper in the Salted Lands, the four came upon the ruins of an old village, which made Meriel think of home. She realised that she no longer thought of the Village as home - she wanted to go to the Octal Tower and become a Magus, and had no interest in returning. The group were set upon by an abomination, which left Helicent and Cad separated, and Meriel with a broken leg, before Telis drove it back. The unconscious Meriel was carried north by Telis.

## Personality

Meriel was never at ease living in the Village. As a young girl she found herself drawn to the stories her father read to her of knights and princesses. She even hoped she might one day become a Magus. Upon the discovery that she was the heir to the Beryl Throne, Meriel found herself ill at ease with the prospect.

She was particularly comfortable with Helicent. While she found the idea of settling down to marry a man repulsive, she considered Helicent to be the sort of person she would be happy to marry. She sought comfort in the presence of her friend. In childhood, she sometimes wished that she was a boy so that she could kiss Helicent without her father judging her for it.

Although quiet on the surface, Meriel had a sense of honour towards those she felt worthy, and would happily defend them verbally. She disliked upsetting people. Despite her misgivings about eating burrbacks, she was polite about the meal when talking to Telis, who had cooked it.

## Appearances

* The Forge of the Magus
	+ 2. A Village Without A Name
	+ 3. A Stone of Red
	+ 5. A Ride With A Magus
	+ 6. Camistane
	+ 10. Midnight Flight
	+ 11. Heading For Falien
	+ 12. A Shadow in the Salted Lands

## References

1. ↑ https://www.booksoflightness.com/meriel
2. ↑ https://www.scribblehub.com/read/521121-the-forge-of-the-magus/chapter/539088/
3. ↑ https://www.scribblehub.com/read/521121-the-forge-of-the-magus/chapter/554251/
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.scribblehub.com/read/521121-the-forge-of-the-magus/chapter/554253/

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