Melina/Lore
Some information may be incomplete or incorrect.
Please help report or correct any errors you may see, thank you! Click here to add more.
Story[edit]
Synopsis by u/TomAto314
Quest 1: Melina's Job[edit]
Melina and Aldo encounter a woman in Actuel who is concerned about her husband’s strange behaviour after a trip to Lake Tillian. Thinking she knows what the issue is, Melina goes and meets with the man but she finds Prai “the Zealous” already with him. Prai and Melina belong to the same congregation but in different sects, they have met each other often in the past.
Prai had been trying to cure the man, but to no avail. Melina recognizes an emblem on the man’s neck leading her to confirm that it is a soul-sucking monster known as the Hohle Fels. The group decides to disguise themselves as prey and head to Palsifal Palace for materials to imitate the scent that is left behind on the victims.
They follow the victims who are now in a trance-like state to the Hohle Fels. Melina defeats it with the power of her blue flames. She explains to Aldo she controls it with her magic and that, while she may be physically weak, her magic is what makes her so imposing.
With the monster defeated the victims return home. Melina explains to them that she is a missionary from the West. She braved the journey across the Crimson Vastsea to spread their teachings of compassion which includes charitable deeds such as fiend slaying.
Melina came over to try and understand the meaning of Core Creed—a teaching central to her faith. “The master of man lies not beneath the vast seas, but within the ocean of the soul.” She explains the West was a society riddled with violence and the citizens looked up to the heavens for salvation. The scriptures say their savior then vanished. Different groups in the church have different theories over what it means. Some believe that the physical location of the savior is on the Migleina Continent. Melina is determined to keep helping people as she searches for the true meaning of the scriptures and perhaps the savior itself.
Quest 2: Memento from Another Time[edit]
Walking on the streets of Rattle, Melina’s shoe breaks. Instead of buying a new pair, Melina wants to get her uncharacteristically “cute and dainty” shoes fixed as they are important to her. The shoemaker in town recognizes a similar pair that a man from the West once had. As per tradition, the shoemaker is out of materials to fix them and the group must travel to Man Eating Marsh to gather them. Rumor has it that a fearsome phantom is stalking the place though…
Arriving at the marsh they find the materials and then encounter the phantom. The phantom utters that “your wings must be protected.” Taken aback, Melina realizes she must purify the phantom however she lacks the powder to do so so they fall back.
Back in Actuel, Melina explains that the phantom is a human soul trapped in a lantern by a fiend known as the Nachtyl which then feeds on the soul’s final regrets for all of eternity.
While collecting the needed materials from Keruri Highroad, Melina reminisces about an expedition she was on to defeat a particularly large fiend when she was a child. Well, more of a child. Due to her inexperience she was captured and many of teammates' lives were sacrificed in her rescue. After this she resolved to study intensely to learn as much about monsters as she could and to never let her age hold her back.
With the needed powder in hand they return to the marsh to face off with the phantom again. Upon defeat, the trapped soul is revealed to be a priest who was killed during the rescue of Melina back in the West.
Before they forget they gather the materials needed to repair Melina’s shoes. Those shoes were given to her by her adoptive father--a bishop in the congregation. It was the bishop who believed that the savior in the Core Creed may be in Migleina and urged Melina to find out. Due to her immense magic powers many believe she will be the coming of the twelve-winged figure that welcomes the savior. These beliefs were once a burden on her but now she takes it as a sign of encouragement. These events have also created an alternative theory that maybe the savior was in our hearts all along.
Quest 3: The Sea Within[edit]
Monster attacks are on the rise in Acteul, Aldo and Melina just happen to be passing by and agree to exterminate a monster on Corinda Plains that is growing stronger by feeding off the spiritual residue of the Elementals. They defeat the monster but it’s revealed to be the product of a mysteriously robed man claiming to be a scientist who is using the power of the Elementals to make money.
The scientist claims one of his clients has dealings with Melina and invites her to the Tower of Stars. She obliges and upon reaching the Tower of Stars she finds the client is none other than the Bishop who raised her! The Bishop informs them that things in the West are dire and that the people are suffering without a savior. Thus he will use the power of the Elementals to create a ruler in the savior's place using his own twisted interpretation of the Core Creed. The monster initially fought was a test for augmentation using that power and the new ruler will be a human augmented with said power—a human that already has innate magical power—Melina!
Melina of course refuses, stating that in her travels she has learned that salvation is not handed down from a god but instead spread person to person. That the “ocean of the soul” is the heart of its people who hope for a better future against despair. The Bishop refutes this argument by turning into a monster.
After defeating Monster Bishop, they return to Acteul for the promised banquet reward. While Melina was saddened to have killed the Bishop, the man who raised her, she felt it was her duty as the closest thing to family to save him from himself. Melina is then determined to stay true to her theory of the Core Creed even if it does not align with the Western congregation.
