Virtual Dust

Warning: This Post Contains Character Background Only
If you aren't interested in character, world, and story stuff, you might as well just look at the pretty doll and go home. It's all Sarah's fault. If she can talk about her epics, so can I.

(Base by Xandorra)

Merliss is an incredibly minor character in my Second Great Epic Story (That Seriously Needs Help). The storyline sprung off of a few phrases about her younger sister, Lindriel. It's one of those Epic Storys that involves the passing of the world from one race to another. (Such as Middle Earth passing to men in LotR, or, well, it usually is men getting the world to themselves.) Never fear, it is the only one that I have like this, and there is even a twist. Although the story takes place around the shift to men as the dominant race, something similar once happened to the elves (oddly enough, I don't know anything about modern elves... I suppose I'll have to go into that).

The people and events before the Severing are all spoken of in epic, poetic, legendary terms. Merliss, and her sisters Dreyva the Golden and Lindriel the Fair, are the three daughters of the Sky King (presumably he has a name, but mere mortals don't know these things). Their people once ruled the world, and a place of their own that is essentially another plane. They'd wanted to simply fade out, but there was a rather violent conflict as one of their ancient enemies thought this would be a good occassion to take over. In order to prevent the mortal world from falling into chaos, the two worlds were completely severed, in a feat of magic and will that involved the efforts of all three sisters—Dreyva in the Sky Kingdom, Lindriel on the Earth, and Merliss in the Star Paths in between. Trapped in the mortal world, Lindriel gives up most of her power and her royal status, but she can't change her nature. Thus, she's around thousands of years later to prod people into action.

But I'm supposed to be talking about Merliss. She isn't technically stuck on the so-called Star Paths (they're typically described as black and starry), but she has become their guardian. Legend has it that she rides the Paths astride a great black dragon, who is, in fact, Dragon Lord Laryn. (The are levels of dragons, like there are of peoples: the Dragon Lords can change shape at will, and Laryn is at least as powerful as Merliss.) If one could find the Star Paths—and one couldn't, at least not physically—one wouldn't get far before being eaten, skewered, or otherwise taken out of commission. Even before the Severing, Merliss was described as having "eyes like diamonds," and her "Dragon Lady" title comes more from her nature than her companion.

Merliss doesn't have any weapons here because Merliss doesn't need weapons. (She does have some wicked-looking spears and swords, but they're typically attached to the dragon.) She actually wears her hair in a long braid, but it falls perfectly straight down her back, and it just wouldn't be in character for it to be visible.

Merliss is perhaps more commonly know as "the Guardian," but I decided not to use that title here, because it can apply to other characters. In "modern" times, she is typically considered to be some sort of (possibly mythical) semi-deity associated with the night, while Dreya is associated with the day.

The fun thing about this story is that I can write all sorts of really sappy, epic stuff, and it's all perfectly appropriate.

~Erin, 11:43 PM