The only child to a family of nobles within Aqua Regina's court, Miriel experienced a decadent but emotionally devoid childhood. Often left completely unsupervised when she wasn't attending her multitudinous lessons, young Miriel strayed far into the open ocean in her free time. At age 10 she discovered she could scarcely 'hear' the thoughts of the masses of schooling fish circling her homeland. After onset, her natural, innate druidic abilities developed rapidly as she mastered the art of communing with sea creatures. She eventually became able to mimic their shape, changing her form to resemble theirs. Consequently Miriel is capable of shapeshifting into and communicating with any water-dwelling creature, including those living in fresh water.

As an adult she was less obedient and less meek, to her parents dismay. She garnered a reputation for truancy and frequent intoxication (at which times she would indiscriminately seduce both men and women before growing bored of them mere days later). Nevertheless she was granted the office of ambassador by Aqua Regina personally and charged with the task of meeting with the fire primordian prince to renew the 100-year treaty.

At first blush, Miriel carries the hallmarks of her noble tutelage - well-spoken, fair-minded and moving with a sense of elegance. In reality, Miriel's true nature is that of a restless hedonist who abdicates her responsibilities in favor of drowning herself in substances, company and lovers. Born into a strata of society expected to rule and to project an ever-infallible, pristine image, she turned to various methods of escapism to cope. At her best, Miriel is an unflappable person with a very 'easy come, easy go' attitude towards life. At her worst she's avoidant, unreliable, lazy and spaced-out. She often forgets important things and loses her belongings.

At the 100-year treaty, she was confronted with a mural depicting her death (and that of her elf companion, Aelune). The universe had been stuck in an unerring loop of predetermined events for an incalculable length of time, and only a wildly random, profoundly magical event had any chance of breaking the cycle. After witnessing the many transgressions of Maxwell the lich and irrefutable proof of the imminent end of the world, Miriel accepted the grave necessity of actualizing this prophecy. Miriel and Aelune perished in the Heart, the planet's living, beating core. This action changed the predetermined course of events enough to break the loop, birthing a new universe in its wake. This had the consequences of completely changing the nature of magic in the world (leading to the events of Glade's Ascent), ascending Pepp to godhood, and enabling the continued existence of individuals like Stavroula Kyari (who normally died at age 10 when the end occurred and never reached adulthood).

In this world, the new incarnation of Miriel resides in the Oro Forest on the Northern continent. She never returned to her homeland after renewing the 100-year treaty, instead choosing to remain living with the orcs. She married Cork and they have a daughter together.

Blood and thunder, communion of whispers, barkskin, elemental mastery, doppleganger's dance, the druid sleep, chimera.

❤︎ After a lifetime lived in the weightlessness of water, Miriel is quite clumsy on dry land.
❤︎ Loathes shoes and socks and can't stand the feeling of anything on her feet. Has tolerated footwear on a few isolated occassions where necessary, such as traversing snowy land in winter.
❤︎ Difficult to determine how much of her "laziness" is psychological vs physiological. Either way, she is able to fall asleep almost anywhere with little effort, but prefers sleeping in a water-filled tub.
❤︎ Character inspirations: Sea Fairy Cookie from Cookie Run (if that isn't painfully and bluntly obvious) and mermaid aesthetics generally.