Profile
Intro
Imps have a bad reputation in Abirelle due to their necromancy abilities. Many mortals assume Imps to be evil people simply because of this fact. Due to this stigma, many Imps such as Merle prefer keeping to themself and out of the public's eye whenever possible.
Despite the negativity surrounding her heritage, Merle is an upbeat and playful person. Some may even say mischievous on occasion. She is extremely intelligent, knowledgeable on multiple ancient languages, forms of magic, and naturally, necromancy.
Although she is friendly, Merle is quite introverted aswell. She prefers staying in her cozy home within Indigo Hollow, accompanied by her loyal undead companion-- a jiang shi lovingly referrd to as Qīn.
Appearance
Voice HC: "Blood? That's my most important component part." (CN)
Imps in Abirelle hardly differ from humans, save for specific identifying features; Imps are characterized by their wings, horns, or pointed tails. It is rare for an Imp to display all of these features, typically only possessing one or two. Imps commonly hide these features of themselves to prevent identification and avoid the judgement of others.
Merle herself displays only two of an Imp's signature features; in addition to her pointed tail, Merle sports a pair of large bat-like wings. Merle's dark hair is typically tied into twin buns.
Much of Merle's wardrobe consists of ties, blazers, and pencil skirts. Her favorite color, purple, is often a component in her outfit choices. In order to properly traverse the heavily wooded areas near her home, Merle often opts for lace-up trooper boots.
Merle is Abirelle's equivalent of Chinese.
Design Notes
- The skull on Merle's tie is actually a lapel pin with a metal backing.
- Merle can be drawn in a pencil skirt or a pleated skirt.
Reference Sheet
About
History
Much of Merle's youth was spent in isolation; though she hated feeling as though she should've been ashamed of her natural abilities, she hid her identity to concede with her parents' wishes. They strictly forbad use of necromancy and disallowed Merle from learning about their ancestors' history. Whether to protect their daughter from the harsh world or due to their own shame, Merle is still uncertain.
Merle decided early in life that she did not want to hide her Imp heritage, and instead embraced it. Behind her parents' backs, Merle began to pour over books detailing the history of Imps and their abilities. She quickly discovered that much of what she read was heavily biased, presenting Imps as evil beings that used their necromancy magic to cause undue harm to others.
Merle left the care of her parents early, given that they did not support her desire to embrace her nature. Merle spent time traveling before settling in Indigo Hollow, a section of Redwater Forest situated by Everton. Here Merle met Penelope, a scribe willing to enchant her talismans and spellbooks despite her Imp ancestory. The two became fast friends, with Penelope showing genuine interest in Merle's abilities. Merle was grateful, as not many thus far had been willing to reciprocate her kindness.
Word spread about Everton quickly, and soon Merle found herself visited on a frequent basis, not only by folks coming to harrass her, but also by those seeking a loved one's resurrection. In accordance to her own morals, Merle would always turn these individuals away, but she enjoyed the company anyway as it sated her loneliness if only a little. She'd even have tea and biscuits on standby just in case.
Merle lived contentedly this way for some time, until a discovery changed her life for the better; whilst on an routine herb run, Merle stumbled across the hastily discarded remains of a young girl, her limbs severed at the joint. The sight broke Merle's heart-- perhaps if she resurrected this unfortunate stranger, she'd be giving her a second chance? Though it went against her morals, and she understood the repercussions of doing so, she had yet to put the true extent of her necromancy to the test. Merle's sympathy and loneliness got the better of her and, using her less-than-stellar stitching skills, Merle reattached Qīn's limbs. She employed the use a fulu talisman to allow the zombie's limbs to function despite the shoddy sewing job.
Given that her new zombie servant had no identification, Merle had little to go off of regarding her name or origins. Merle opted to refer to her as Qīn, a term of endearment commonly used by her parents.
Despite the guilt she feels, Merle loves Qīn very dearly and treats her as such. Merle does not leave home without her servant, both for protection's sake and the fact that Merle genuinely enjoys Qīn's company. Merle prepares special meals for Qīn each night, primarily consisting of traditional Chinese dishes.
Merle's enjoyment of Qīn's company has led to the two connecting in strange ways. Although zombies typically lose most traces of their former personality, Qīn still displays quirks once belonging to her in life. Merle has learned to work around these.
Personality
Merle is a playful witch in every sense, speaking with a singsong cadence and delighting in riddles. She walks with a pep in her step. Merle is quick to offer tea and cookies to anyone who knocks on her door, and is mroe than happy to share knowledge with anyone interested-- she'd like to set the record straight on Imps in any way she can.
Merle is extremely intelligent and spends much of her free time studying the various books she's accumulated over the years. Her decication to learning her craft had made her a quite skilled necromancer, though she will readily admit that there is always new discoveries to be made. Even when not further researching magic, Merle finds herself enjoying poetry, fantasy fiction, and cookbooks.
The company of Qīn is what motivates Merle to continue her work each day. Merle loves Qīn dearly, and finds a way to allow her to particpate in whichever activity planned for the day; Qīn accompanies Merle on herb runs, trips to the market, and to Everton's library to visit with Penelope. Merle is not bothered by any odd looks she recieves from others; she loves Qīn far too much, and is quite proud of her heritage despite the stigma.
Trivia
- Imps often prefer to be called by pseudonyms and generally do not reveal their surnames. This is true for Merle, who has never revealed her real first name. Merle's name is a French word meaning black bird. Of course, Merle chose this name for herself.
- Merle's closest friend (besides Qīn!!) is Heather. Heather's clairvoyance combined with Merle's familiarity with death make for a good combination.
- For some reason, Qīn finds Merle's friend Cole to be untrustworthy.
- Merle enjoys tea. Her favorite flavor is Oolong tea.
- Imps are one of the few living mortal species that can speak Death's Whisper. This language is usually reserved for ghosts and spirits. Imps typically give commands to their servants in Death's Whisper, rather than their primary language.
- Penelope, Everton's scribe, finds magic of all sorts intriguing and certainly does not discriminate against Merle's Imp heritage. Merle visits the scribe to enchant her talismans.
- Merle is highly fascinated by the tales of the immortal Imp Magpie.
- Magpie is a foil to Merle.
Magic and Abilities
Necromancy
Imps are reclusive creatures in Abirelle, often shamed and looked down upon due to their abilities to reanimate dead matter. Many mortals, including other magic users, find this ability to be rather taboo. Imps are often assumed to be bad people, commonly accused of crimes simply due to their heritage. Imps have also been the villains of many popular children's books in Abirelle, further stigmatizing the species.
Imps are the only magicians in Abirelle capable of necromancy, often done through the use of grimoires. This ability is viewed as taboo for many reasons, one being the fact that the soul of the reanimated person has likely passed on by the time they are resurrected. The soul of the once living individual is ripped from their current plane of existence, be it Heaven or Hell, to reaccompany their former body. As a result, this soul is essentially lost in a purgatory until they are dismissed by their Imp master. This also poses an issue for Abirelle's spiritual guides, as they are unable to retrieve the soul until it has been properly dismissed.
Imps are also capable of creating talismans; Merle's function very similarly to real-world fulu. These special talismans have multiple uses depending on what is written on them. Some Imps use them to keep the magic of their servants in check; this is typically done for undead that were powerful in life, and thus have strong magical energy which can be potentially damaging to the Imp.
Additionally, a zombie can function in the presence of his Imp master regardless of any physical injuries recieved prior to reanimation. Many Imps take it upon themselves to repair wounds of their servants shortly after they are resurrected, be it simply so they can remain productive longer or otherwise. However, should a zombie servant wander too far from his master, this magic will wear off; any magical energy used to hold limbs together or provide function to broken bones will wear off, and the zombie will be left waiting to be retrieved. This is true of Qīn as well, whose fulu talismans allow her once-severed limbs to function properly.
Despite their reputation, Imps in Abirelle are highly sought after. Many mortals seek necromancers to resurrect departed loved ones in a desperate attempt to hang onto the past. Word gets around quickly when an Imp has been spotted in the area, often leading to visits from invidiuals begging for their family member, friend, or even pet to be revived.
One of the many repercussions of zombification is the absolute loss of most prior personality traits. While its not uncommon for a zombie to exhibit old habits, their personality in general is reduced down majorly. Imps such as Merle generally turn away mortals seeking revival for their loved ones due to this fact, although some Imps agree simply so they will be left alone.
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