Melvis was a fairly unremarkable kid, born to an Elven mother and a Human merchant, in the village of Woadenrise. This changed when the house was mysteriously burnt down, with just him surviving the inferno.
He insisted on it being caused by some sort of Fiend, but local authorities jotted it down as a tragic accident. The local Priest at the time, Taldolm Forestgem, adopted him at age 5, shortly before his promotion into the ranks of the Grand Archives. This was when Melvis moved to Scribetowers, where his adoptive father was closer to his workplace.
At 12 years old, Taldolm accidentally let slip that some old forbidden tomes made their way into the Archives, which awakened Melvis' interest. After incessant begging and discussion over the years, Forestgem would take Melvis along on his workdays in the Archives. There, he began swallowing up every bit of lore on Fiends he could find. It took him a few years, but Melvis soon found a drawing of what the creature responsible for his parents' demise looked like: A big sword for a hand, long stiletto-style fingernails and jagged dagger teeth.
Soon though (around age 20), the Grand Archivist Legold Faithsealed took larger interest in Melvis, judging him worthy of receiving combat training from the War Priests of Scribetowers. Melvis almost got through the training to become a Paladin of the Pact of the Sun Pantheon, but decided to leave at age 24 (shortly before his birthday) to join a group of friends, who decided to become adventurers. Although this displeased one of his church friends, the Tiefling Zeal, Melvis went off towards his first big adventure.
They were all killed in a cave fortified by Kobolds, with Melvis barely escaping outside the cave. There, he met the mysterious figure Ivankov, who, after hearing Melvis' story, offered him a trade: A few gold pieces for the weapon Atromarch, the deadly songblade possessed by a Slaughter-Fiend.
Melvis took the trade, not knowing the full consequences of the contract. After slaughtering the Kobolds, Melvis once again collapsed outside the cave. When he woke up as a woman, he was in a totally different spot. Not that he knew, since this case of amnesia was quite the heavy hitter.
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