Myrelle

A common girl who wishes to be a lady, with a little help from her fairy godmother

Myrelle Frazer is just about to turn 20, but with all of the excitement, she's likely to forget her birthday. She is a bit taller than an average woman, as most of her culture's women are, and she has a strong build, although the past few years of labor in her stepmother's service have made her a bit skinny.  She has long and naturally straight red-blond hair, which she usually keeps  down except for a few braids pulled back around the crown of her head.  Her eyes are the color of jade, and now that she's free of her stepmother's family, they've returned to always seeming to be curious and happy.

Although she can still have moments of disillusion and bitterness about the ways of the world, Myrelle is for the most part a generally content sort of girl. She is a quick learner, perhaps because she tends to stay quiet and observe things rather than jumping into a conversation or activity right at the start. Happy to make friends, she is not one to make a judgement quickly and gives new acquaintances all of her attention rather than picking and choosing who to get close to based on first appearances. She loves animals and had been known during her time in King Breannan's castle to save scraps of food for any wandering creature she happened upon, even the mice.

Myrelle's most precious possession is a gift her godmother gave her before sending her away -- a magnificent ballgown with the unusual ability to change into whatever clothing best suits her current situation.  As far as she can tell so far, Myrelle has no control over when and what it changes to, but so far it seems to know for itself very well what is most needed. It has been known to alter its color to reflect her moods, as well.

Because of her time spent with Princess Cienna, Myrelle has developed a vast amount of skill when it comes to social requirements -- etiquette, carriage, and the like.  One other skill, although not as developed and one that she much prefers not become known, is a minor bit of combat training. While she'd never be able to go hand-to-hand with a full knight, she would be able to defend herself if attacked by some common ruffian.

For the early part of Myrelle's life, she was extremely happy. She grew up for those first years on Telmere's royal grounds, as her father was the official head royal tailor and her mother provided beautiful embroidered embellishments to his work. Myrelle was only months younger than the King and Queen's youngest child, a daughter by the name of Cienna. It was inevitable that Myrelle and Cienna became very good friends, and as they got a little older, it became evident that Myrelle was becoming quite fond of Cienna's older brother -- the prince and next in line for the throne, Aodehn. Cienna was thrilled with the development, insisting to Myrelle that all she had to do was learn the proper airs and graces to become a princess, and thus become eligible to marry Prince Aodehn and become Cienna's real sister. Myrelle agreed to the plan, and Cienna began secret tutoring sessions to ensure that Myrelle would know everything a real princess needed to know about carrying herself, maneuvering in society, and following protocol.

Before the young girls' plan could come to complete fruition, though, Myrelle's mother became suddenly and violently ill. Within a matter of months, she had died. Her father, overcome with grief, couldn't bear to stay in the castle any longer, where memories of his beloved lingered, and so just as suddenly as her mother had passed, Myrelle found herself whisked away to a far province. Travel to the castle was nigh impossible, although the people of the village where her father settled to make his knew home knew from where he'd come. One woman in particular, Reakah, had her eyes set on him, as she assumed because he'd come from the city that he must have secret vast amounts of wealth.  Too tired to do any real seeking, but feeling that Myrelle still needed a mother, her father allowed himself to be wooed by the woman. Before long, they were married, and Reakah moved into their new home with her two daughters.

She tried to seduce Myrelle's father into signing over his possessions to her, but he would not relinquish his hold on them, insisting that all he had should go into the hands of his own daughter should anything ever happen to him. Frustrated and impatient, Reakah set about poisoning him anyway, figuring that she would--by law--gain his wealth anyway until Myrelle came of proper age, and she intended to see that the girl had died before then anyway. And so Myrelle found herself without a father, locked in the "care" of the woman who promptly made her as a slave in her own house.

As Myrelle's twentieth birthday approached--the age at which she would become an adult--Reakah realized that she had to finally put an end to the girl. While she slept one night, Reakah and her stepdaughters sneaked into Myrelle's room and bound her tightly before beginning to beat her relentlessly. Unable to move, Myrelle could only thrash about and scream in terror, but none of it did any good. Finally, Reakah ordered her daughters to drag the bloodied girl out back and to hide her away in the woods where the wolves would find her and finish her off. It would all look like some terrible and tragic accident.

Lying broken, bloody, and alone on the cool wooded earth, Myrelle felt as though she would slip away long before the wolves found her. She had not the strength nor the heart even to cry for herself. But then she found she was not alone in the woods, as her fairy godmother appeared to take pity on her. Myrelle mistook her for an angel come to escort her to her afterlife, so when her godmother asked what she would most desire in this world, Myrelle answered her honestly. She remembered her young dreams as a child in the castle and replied that she would be a princess, never having to lift a finger to do her own work again and with the power simply send away evil plotting women.  "My child, you are already a princess in your heart--you need only to look the part," the fairy godmother replied, and worked her magic. She promised Myrelle that she would go to a castle where her stepmother could never find her...

Telmere
Based on the area of Scotland and Ireland.
It is a very green and fertile land, with rolling hills and a few low mountains and crags. Often in the very early morning, the entire lowland area will be covered in a heavy fog-mist, helping to keep the land from drying out.
Except in the very warmest month, people of Telmere dress in heavy fabrics. The common people keep to dark and earthy colors, mostly greens and browns, while the nobility tend to brighten their clothing with bolder accents like red sashes or blue belts. Braids are the current trend among women, with the commoners wearing a practical single plait and the nobility sporting intricate weaves and styles of intermingled multiple smaller braids. Men wear their hair long and loose or in a braid as well, and the older men grow out their beards as a symbol of their wisdom.
Famous for their warriors -- bravery and strength are valued in both men and women; economically, Telmerens thrive in ranching and farming.
Currently ruled by King Breannan and his devoted wife, Queen Brìghde.