Mel the Kobold Necromancer
"We black-scale kobolds are the masters of Necromancy. It's so much fun!" ~ Mel
Mel is a black-scale kobold Necromancer and former member of the Underbelly. By her own account, she was kicked out from her original clutch in the Underdark, possibly for her unusually cheery attitude. She traveled with a group of humans before coming to Alivast.
Mel, and her companion, Merchant, were frequent residents of the Underbelly in Alivast. Despite her attitude, the Underbelly seemed to be the perfect setting for her, as every person killed in a bar fight, victim of a stray arrow, or person who broke Avryman's rules became another corpse for her to add to her collection.
She met The Unexpectables for the first time in the Underbelly, coming to their table and offering the newcomers drinks, which were not-so-subtly poisoned. Despite not convincing anyone to drink and allow her to collect a new corpse, she remained upbeat and was happy to see a new kobold and share some information regarding her travels.
Mel is currently in the unlawful possession of a Bead of Hoketh, a powerful artifact that has direct links to the world of the dead. She asked The Unexpectables for their assistance in the heist, but she still was able to obtain it despite their refusal. This act has had a tremendous amount of fallout; Mel was exiled from the Underbelly as the heist broke their agreement with the counsil and the entire Hoketh Clergy in Alivast is hunting her down. She sent Somalisks to kill Avryman and the Unexpectables, but was unsuccessful in both attempts and accidentally gave Aila a lead on her whereabouts. She also appears to have ties to a creature known as the Dancing Death, a boogeyman known to terrorize the material plane.
Personality
Mel is odd for a necromancer; she's cheerful, upbeat, and always on the lookout for new bodies. Mel also tends to act very excited when someone dies in the Underbelly because of her craft. Despite her rather cheerful disposition and friendly interactions with The Unexpectables, Mel is still a necromancer, and has no problems betraying and attempting to kill her friends and acquaintances to cover her tracks.
Relations
Avryman
Mel is employed by Avryman to reanimate corpses as security for the Underbelly. Despite this, Avryman claims that Mel is not entirely under their control due to her excitable nature. This loose control was severed entirely when Mel stole the Bead of Hoketh without Avryman's ok, resulting in her losing her protection in the underbelly. Her attempt to kill Avryman via Somalisk assassin resulted in a death warrant on her head.
Merchant
Mel has a friendly relationship with Merchant, even though the two have contrasting personalities. Mel is outgoing and chipper while Merchant tends to keep to himself outside of business. When Mel was exiled from the Underbelly, Merchant also disappeared, much to the anoyance of Avryman.
Task
Task has stated in the past that he would have an interest in learning magic from Mel. Mel is also the first kobold that Task encountered since he came to the city and he's contemplated visiting Mel and Merchant on occasion so he can spend time with his own species. Despite apprehension from the rest of the group, they agreed to follow Task to ask about a job offered by Mel based on a coin flip. Upon learning she intended to steal from the Hoketh clergy, all declined, citing their desire to keep a positive reputation on the surface as their reason. After stealing the Bead of Hoketh, she sent a Somalisk to kill Task and his friends, but they were able to defeat it. Upon learning that Mel was the one that sent the creature, Task completely changed tune, seeing Mel as a traitor who he intends to repay with death. His companions have also echoed this sentiment.
Trivia
- Mel is missing two fingers on her right hand. She finds this appealing due to the tradition among black-scale kobolds that treats wounds and lost body parts as marks of honor.
- Mel created John from dead bodies
- Mel is also "wanted" by Hoketh clerics because of her necromancy
- Mel also tends to act very excited when someone dies in the Underbelly. As the Unexpectables were fighting in the pit, two people were killed by stray weaponry and one in a fight about a bet, to which Mel yelled out "Thank you!".
- As the Unexpectables were fighting in the pit, two people were killed by stray weaponry and one in a fight about a bet, to which Mel yelled out "Thank you!".
- Mel currently has a bounty of 25,000 gold on her, set by the authorities of Alivast. Her crimes include graverobbing, leading an evil cult, and other acts related to necromancy.
