Role

Chapter 5

Chapter Four: Melirene, the Fourth
Added Thu Jan 27 12:46:56 2022 at level 3:

Tisus hadn't taken the news of Melirene's departure well at all. With nothing
to lose, he screamed at Father and blamed him for the schism. Mother was too
high on pipeweed and alcohol to argue, and Father lashed out at Tisus, landing
a solid punch to his youngest son's shoulder. Their rage echoed through the
stables as they came to blows. ______ was finally able to pull Tisus away,
though she received an elbow to her right eye for the effort, causing her
vision to blur as she collapsed into the hay. At the sound of her pained
screams, Father stepped away, ordering Tisus to fix 'another one of his
messes'.

Fainting spells became common for _____, and the Healer's Guild had no easy
answers. It was clear that the barn scuffle had caused the trauma, but there
was no amount of prayer that kept her from slipping into unconsciousness at
the drop of hat.


A year of relative peace passed, and _____ started to believe that the twins
had each found a path that worked. She had started writing letters to them
both, assuring them that Mother and Father were... fine. _____ brought up
Serith too - a healer of Azorinne that she had met while trying to find a cure
for her fainting spells.

The family found out about Tisus' passing from a beleaguered Provincial
magistrate that had wandered to the Drunken Efreeti. The owner had directed
the man to 'the other Inn' with haste, and ______ answered the door to receive
a linen-wrapped bundle. Tisus' journal, favorite coat, and a dried juniper
bough were carefully stacked within the package. ______ dropped it, screaming,
as the magistrate anxiously explained a raid on the Outlanders that had gone
awry.

The magistrate said that Tisus had spied Melirene through the trees and
hesitated. An arrow pinned his shoulder to a nearby oak tree, and Reavers had
descended upon him in an instant, calling down a typhoon and lightning to
destroy the promising young thief. Melirene had rushed to his side, barely
coherent as she tried to save a corpse with freshly picked herbs. Disgusted by
her weakness and love for a magistrate, she had been expelled from the Tree.

Two days later, Melirene had returned under the light of a full moon to the
Inn's garden. With a withered collection of plants at her feet, Melirene
plunged a shark tooth dagger into her wrist, waking up the family with a final
scream of her brother's name as she collapsed to the earth. ______ ran to her
window in time to see Melirene collapse and breathe her last agonized breath.