## Overview **Elder Merel Tathwyn**, often called **Moonwake** by the people of **Brighthoof**, is the village’s spiritual leader and most revered elder. A devoted follower of **[[Perserphina]]** and **[[Laurel]]**, Merel has spent decades guiding the cycles of nature, spirit, and healing in the Talon Grasslands. She is seen not only as a wise seer but as a living link to the land’s ancient rhythms and divine presence. - **Name:** Merel Tathwyn ("Moonwake") - **Race:** Half-Elf - **Age:** 94 - **Class/Role:** Druidic Elder, Village Seer, Priestess of [[Perserphina]] and [[Laurel]] - **Current Location:** Brighthoof --- ## Role in the Campaign Elder Merel is one of the few mortals in South Angoria with both the spiritual authority and emotional presence to rally people after tragedy. She serves as a calming, healing force to those who have fled [[Talonalton]]. Through ritual, wisdom, and prayer, she offers sanctuary, foresight, and strength. - **Key Function:** Spiritual anchor and divine advisor - **Party Connection:** May guide players through visions, grant divine blessings, or share ancient lore --- ## Personality - **Disposition:** Calm, poetic, firm when needed - **Speech Style:** Speaks in metaphor, often referencing moon phases, seasonal cycles, or natural metaphors - **Beliefs:** Believes all suffering is a shadow of imbalance; healing begins with remembrance and stillness - **Flaws:** Can be slow to act; prone to riddles when clarity is needed --- ## Affiliations - Respected voice among the **Talon Grassland’s spiritual elders** - Recognized by the **[[Green Palace]]**, though not formally a councilor - Closely connected to **[[Lessa Fernlight]]**, herbalist and midwife - Advisor to **[[Yarrow Halbrook]]** in times of crisis --- ## Ritual Practices - Hosts **moonlight dances** and **seasonal blessing rites** in the shrine-grove of Brighthoof - Maintains **woven vine totems** and **memory rings**, where townsfolk place tokens for lost loved ones - Believes in the union of [[Perserphina]]’s strength and [[Laurel]]’s serenity - Uses rituals that channel divine intuition, including dream interpretation and communion with wild spirits --- ## Lore and Knowledge - Holds memories of old border wars, divine omens, and the Age of Silence following the disappearance of undead - May possess insight into **why the undead have returned**, sensing a shift in spiritual balance - Knows sacred paths to old shrines hidden in the Talon Grasslands --- ## Campaign Utility - Can: - Offer divination, dreamwalking, or lunar guidance - Perform **sacred rites** to calm trauma or cleanse corrupted spaces - Act as a **moral compass** in choices involving death, justice, or retribution - Bind wounds of the spirit—not just the body --- ## Future Development - May awaken ancient divine protections over Brighthoof - Could collapse from overexertion or divine strain if too many rituals are demanded too quickly - Might serve as a guide to ancient ruins or divine visions for the PCs if they earn her trust --- ## Quotes - _“The moon doesn’t rise to be seen. It rises because it must.”_ - _“You are wounded in ways no healer can see. But the land remembers.”_ - _“Justice is the breath of [[Perserphina]]. Mercy is the heartbeat of [[Laurel]].”_ --- **Elder Merel "Moonwake" Tathwyn** _Medium humanoid (half-elf), neutral good_ **Armor Class** 18 (natural armor, divine ward) **Hit Points** 210 (28d8 + 84) **Speed** 30 ft. --- **STR** 10 (+0) **DEX** 14 (+2) **CON** 16 (+3) **INT** 18 (+4) **WIS** 24 (+7) **CHA** 18 (+4) --- **Saving Throws** Wis +13, Cha +10, Int +10 **Skills** Insight +13, Nature +10, Religion +10, Medicine +13, Arcana +10, History +10 **Damage Resistances** necrotic, radiant **Condition Immunities** charmed, frightened **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 22 **Languages** Common, Elvish, Druidic, Sylvan, Celestial **Challenge** 17 (18,000 XP) **Proficiency Bonus** +6 --- ### **Divine Wisdom.** Merel has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects. She always knows when someone lies in her presence (as _zone of truth_, no save). ### **Spirit-Touched.** Merel can see into the Ethereal Plane and sense undead and fiends within 120 feet, even through walls. ### **Nature’s Sanctuary.** Beasts and fey will not willingly attack Merel unless magically compelled or provoked. ### **Moonwake’s Aura (Recharge 5–6).** As a bonus action, Merel can activate an aura of serenity in a 30-foot radius for 1 minute. Allies in the area gain advantage on Wisdom saving throws and death saving throws, and cannot be frightened or charmed. Undead creatures in the aura have disadvantage on saving throws against her spells. --- ### **Spellcasting.** Merel is a 20th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 21, +13 to hit with spell attacks). She prepares her druid spells from the full list and favors spells from the **moon, dreams, nature, and healing**. **Cantrips (at will):** [spell]guidance[/spell], [spell]druidcraft[/spell], [spell]produce flame[/spell], [spell]spare the dying[/spell], [spell]thaumaturgy[/spell] **1st (4 slots):** [spell]bless[/spell], [spell]cure wounds[/spell], [spell]entangle[/spell], [spell]detect magic[/spell] **2nd (3 slots):** [spell]lesser restoration[/spell], [spell]moonbeam[/spell], [spell]pass without trace[/spell] **3rd (3 slots):** [spell]beacon of hope[/spell], [spell]plant growth[/spell], [spell]spirit guardians[/spell] **4th (3 slots):** [spell]divination[/spell], [spell]guardian of nature[/spell], [spell]grasping vine[/spell] **5th (2 slots):** [spell]greater restoration[/spell], [spell]commune[/spell], [spell]wrath of nature[/spell] **6th (1 slot):** [spell]heroes’ feast[/spell], [spell]wall of thorns[/spell] **7th (1 slot):** [spell]fire storm[/spell], [spell]dream of the blue veil[/spell] **8th (1 slot):** [spell]sunburst[/spell], [spell]animal shapes[/spell] **9th (1 slot):** [spell]foresight[/spell] --- ### **Actions** **Staff of Memory and Moonlight (Melee Spell Attack).** _Melee Weapon Attack:_ +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. _Hit:_ 12 (2d6 + 5) radiant damage. The target must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed until the end of its next turn. Undead have disadvantage on the save. --- ### **Legendary Actions** _(3/turn)_ Elder Merel can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. - **Dream Whisper.** Target one creature within 60 ft. It must succeed a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the start of its next turn as it is overwhelmed by visions. - **Blessing of the Grove.** An ally Merel can see regains 3d8 + 5 hit points. - **Sanctify Ground (Costs 2 Actions).** The ground in a 10-ft. radius around her becomes hallowed for 1 minute. Undead entering the area take 3d10 radiant damage, and all allies in the zone have advantage on death saves. --- ### **Lair Actions (if in Brighthoof Shrine-Grove)** On initiative count 20 (losing ties), Merel can use one of the following effects in her shrine-grove: - **Moonlight Ward.** Allies in the grove heal 10 hit points and are cured of one condition. - **Vinebind.** Roots burst from the earth in a 20-foot radius, forcing enemies to make a DC 21 Strength saving throw or be restrained until the end of their next turn. - **Echo of the Lost.** The whispers of loved ones lost fill the grove. All enemies must make a DC 18 Charisma saving throw or be frightened for 1 round. ## **Elder Merel & Gregor – Shared Timeline (Adjusted for Undead Lore)** **10,029 A.P.** – Merel is born in a small half-elven settlement near the Talon Grasslands. Raised in a druidic tradition, she learns the ways of balance, healing, and spiritual guidance under the teachings of **Laurel** and **[[Perserphina]]**. **10,050 A.P. (Age 21)** – Completes her druidic initiation. Spends decades as a traveling seer and healer, aiding isolated settlements in times of famine, drought, or natural imbalance. **10,072 A.P. (Age 43)** – Meets **Gregor Molef**, age 20, in the market town of Brighthoof. - Gregor is newly out of apprenticeship, seeking work along the Emberwind River routes. - They meet when Gregor helps Merel defuse a violent encounter with a magically-corrupted beast threatening traders outside town. - Impressed by his courage and curious nature, Merel advises him on safe routes through the Talon Grasslands, eventually pointing him toward Talonalton—a meeting that indirectly sets the stage for the **[[Iron Reed Company]]**. **10,073 A.P.** – The [[Iron Reed Company]] is founded. While Merel is never a member, she maintains friendly contact with Gregor, occasionally exchanging letters or magical messages about omens, strange natural events, and local rumors. **10,078 A.P. (Age 49)** – After the company’s success in the **Ruins of Irunhollow**, Gregor visits Brighthoof to share news and seek Merel’s thoughts on a shard of ancient fey stone they recovered. Merel warns that relics tied to the Feywild often have unpredictable effects on mortals. **10,081 A.P.** – The **Valley of Hollow Eyes** disaster occurs. Gregor’s strike team is wiped out by shadow creatures—rare planar predators thought only to exist in legend. The other half of the company survives elsewhere in the valley. Gregor returns to Brighthoof afterward, where Merel tends to his recovery and guides him through rituals to restore his shaken spirit. **10,089–10,097 A.P. (Ages 60–68)** – Merel continues to serve as an occasional advisor to the [[Iron Reed Company]]. She warns Gregor not to venture into the **[[Deadwood Glades]]** without a fey guide, knowing the danger of losing oneself in its shifting paths. The warning is unheeded, and the expedition ends with Alira’s disappearance. **10,097–10,123 A.P. (Ages 68–94)** – After the company’s decline, Gregor drifts between towns. Merel becomes one of the few people who understands the weight of what he’s lost. - During this time, undead remain nothing more than folklore, and Merel teaches the younger villagers of Brighthoof about them as cautionary tales—until the recent rise of [[Anam]] and the reappearance of the undead make those stories real again.