Melwyn – Wrath of the Reach

As Renmaeth, daughter of Tharador and keeper of his body went to rest, she gave life to several souls within her slumber, dreaming protectors of Tharador that existed physically within her dreamscape, yet could project their spirits within Tharador. Melwyn and his sister Gwynevel were two such souls, born to watch over and grow forests from the great peak of Farlena, above the city of Unviel, to the ancient fallen kingdom of Baladir. Melwyn set to reign in the south and east, his sister to reign in the north and west, the siblings brought much prosperity to the region, growing the forests wide and dense with foliage and wildlife. The elves of Nan Thalias held much respect to the sibling spirits, bringing offerings in exchange for successful hunts, pickings from expeditions of fruit gatherings and any materials they would need in the construction of their homes, though ensuring never to fell a tree.

For millennia there was peace with this, though the arrival of the first men saw unbalance in this. Men settled in Baldur not long after their war against the Goliaths came to an end. They felt unrest in the forests of their northern born siblings, and it wasn’t long until the same unrest came to them. Relentless was man in his conquest of their forest. Cutting the forest in twine, splitting the domain of Melwyn and Gwynevel in two, with Melwyn’s swathe of forest turned into little more than a reserve, him completely isolated and trapped within human lands. His sister Gwynevel was fortunate enough to remain within Nan Thalias’ border, while Melwyn’s domain grew smaller and smaller.

Tormented and filled with anguish, Melwyn turned to slaying on site any man that entered his forest, with no chance for them to leave, using their corpses to fertilize the seedlings of the next trees that would grow. These acts saw Melwyn’s form twist and corrupt, becoming more vicious and fearsome in a bid to strike fear deep into the hearts of men, circulating terrible tales of the beast that dwelled within the forest they knew as The Reach. Feeling abandoned by his sister and the elves of Nan Thalias, he thus remained suspicious of even his sister’s warriors that would enter his woods, though never inflicting violence against them.

With the corruption encroaching on the Fey World, Melwyn like most Fey spirits sees Tharador’s physical world as the cause. Thus wishing to sever Renmaeth’s dreamscape from the physical world, he gives his aid to Erimila, the sorceress spurring the emancipation movement, seeing that his own warriors aid her in her destruction of the doorways within the Pillars of the Ten’gwaël and scattered throughout the continent.