Merrin Vernith, The Plight of the Dunmer

Character: Merrin Vernith. Age: 63, Dunmer live between 200 to 300 years. Gender: Female. Race: Dunmer: Sexuality: Bisexual.

Appearance: Merrin is 5'7" (170cm) tall. She has ashen grey skin and shoulder length black hair. Merrin has red eyes and sclera. Merrin has a scar on her left cheek below her eye. She has an athletic build and pointy ears.

Clothing: Merrin is usually seen wearing a light leather armor of an adventurer. Sometimes she is wearing more casual clothing when not going out on another task.

Combat Syle: Merrin is a spellsword and usually wields one Dunmeri long sword in one hand and a spell in another hand. She is both capable with a blade and also fire magic. She has an additional blade sheathed just in case, her old Imperial gladius. Sometimes she is dual wielding her weapons.

Background: Merrin was born in Balmora, the first daughter to a family alligned with House Hlaalu. Her father Ernlin was responsible for the trade with the Empire and was importing and selling Imperial goods in Balmora. Merrin's mother, Melvara, was helping her husband run his business and supported his allegiance to one of the Five Great Houses of Morrowind.

Melvara and Ernlin wanted to provide the best education they could for their daughter, wanting her to inherit the family business in the future, yet their daughter had different plans for her future. Merrin was never paying attention during the lectures and trading didn't interest her, instead she was often sneaking out to the Fighter's Guild training grounds, watching the different warriors practicing with their weapons. She wanted to be just like them and during her late teenage years managed to convince her parents to hire some trainers for her. Merrin soon after that started training to become a spellsword in the future. She was also not the only child of her parents at that point, they had another daughter, Sovala, who wanted to be the one working at their parents' store.

Some years later, Merrin's parents had a third daughter, Idessa, she wanted to live a simple life when compared to her parents and sisters. In time Idessa started working as a baker in Balmora, wanting to open her own bakery one day.

One day after a bad argument with Melvara and Ernlin, Merrin decided to enlist in the Imperial Legion, she wasn't admitted by the Fighter's Guild and she didn't want to get work at the store, but at the same time wanted to support her family financially and she was struggling to get work as an adventurer. She served in the Legion for ten years, including the time of the Oblivion Crisis. She was among the few remaining Legionaires who remained to protect Morrowind. During that time the distrust towards the Empire was reaching a boiling point, the Dunmer felt abandoned and had to create their own army to protect their lands from the Daedra. House Hlaalu was losing its position. After the Crisis ended, Merrin decided to return home.

Merrin's parents were glad to see her again after ten years, they immediately accepted her home again and admitted that if not for her financial help they possibly could have lost their store, not many wanted to buy Imperial products after the Oblivion Crisis. Merrin later found work as an adventurer after the Legion left Morrowind. Everything was going fine until the eruption of the Red Mountain, most of Vvardenfell was destroyed and made uninhabitable. The Vernith family tried to escape, Ernlin died before they reached a ship out of the island. He wanted his family to find Gaius Marcus, his business partner in Cheydinhal, saying that he would help the family.

As the only family member with combat experience it was up to Merrin to lead her sisters and mother to Cyrodill, looking for a better life after their home was destroyed. On the way to Cyrodiil the family was ambushed by a group of bandits. Merrin managed to repell them, but Sovala was hit by an arrow, there was nothing they could do for her, she died soon after that. Merrin managed to lead the rest of her family in Cheydinhal, the help from Gaius Marcus turned out to be a single room, but the family had no choice. Currently Merrin is trying to earn enough money so her family could survive.

Personality Traits: Independent, Merrin never likes being told what to do or people dictating her life, she also doesn't like when people try to control her. She also hates owing anything to others and would accept help only when necessary because of her pride.

Family oriented, Merrin's current priority is the safety of her family, her sister and mother are struggling to find work in Cheydinhal and it's up to Merrin to earn money to pay for the room the family is living in as well as food. She is willing to accept more dangerous jobs if it means that her family will get some more money.

Enjoys an adventuring life, Merrin always had an adventuring spirit in her and loved travelling and also getting out of trouble whenever she inevitably gets in some. She likes her work as a mercenary in Cyrodiil, but sometimes she wishes that she would find a more stable employment instead of relying on occasional bounties.

Merrin started to dislike the Empire after it decided to leave Morrowind during the Oblivion Crisis, only a few Legionaires remained, including Merrin herself, to protect the homeland of the Dunmer from the Daedric invasion. She would have preferred to stay in Morrowind, but believed that her family would be safer in Cyrodiil after the Argonians invaded Morrowind to have revenge for the centuries of slavery the Dunmer inflicted upon them.

Merrin is never afraid to speak her mind and argue about things she believes are right. She often opposed authority when she believed that her choice would be better.

Merrin is a caring woman deep inside, she tries to never show her more vulnerable side, believing that she has to be strong for her family, especially now that she is the only provider as her mother and sister are struggling to find work. Sometimes Merrin gets overwhelmed by emotions, especially grief, she deeply misses Sovala and her father. She also blames herself for the death of her middle sister for being unable to protect her that day. She feels like she is on the verge of a breakdown.

Merrin tends to be snarky towards people she doesn't know or trust. She becomes kinder once the trust develops

Merrin wants her family to build a new life for itself after losing their home in Balmorra, she hopes that one day they will be happy in Cyrodiil and will get a home of their own instead of sharing the room in someone else's home.

Merrin is a very stubborn woman, especially when it comes to family matters, it's not easy to change her mind once she gets determined to do something. She rarely gives up.

Merrin enjoys reading stories in her free time, she often goes to the Library in Cheydinhal to borrow books from there, not wanting to spend the scarce money on buying them. Sometimes when she finds books during her travels she donates them to the library.

Side Characters:

Melvara Vernith: 97 years old Dunmer woman and Merrin's mother. Melvara is overwhelmed by grief after losing her husband and middle child. She is struggling to find work as a shopkeeper in Cheydinhal.

Idessa Vernith: The youngest sister of Merrin. Idessa always wears her hair in a long braid. She is 33 and is trying to find work as a baker. Baking is one of her greatest interests and she dreams of opening a bakery of her own one day.

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