Merula was born in the outskirts of a village in the Kingdom of Norland. Her father left when she was 8 after the birth of her younger sister and as a result, has few memories of him, but her mother rarely discusses the topic. The family largely sustained itself by fishing in a nearby freshwater lake and growing most of their crop. The local grasslands were also ideal for grazing their flock of sheep of which they use the wool to make clothes and bedding. As a result, Merula spent the first 16 years of her life learning how to fish, farm, and sew her own clothes.
Her mother ensured she learned the history of the kingdom, and despite her mother's goal of creating a loyal citizen of Merula, her disdain for the monarchy and the nobles of the land only grew. The story was always the same, the kingdom would take from its people under the guise of providing security, only to continue taking. It dragged its people in and out of countless wars, it horded their wealth, and it stole their children to fight in fruitless conflicts. Merula tried to discuss this with her mother time and time again, but the conversation always ended in shouting matches, and eventually the two came to the conclusion that they had best stop discussing it all together.
While her mother couldn't teach her loyalism, she did pass on her maternal instinct. Merula was deeply caring of everyone around her, but especially of her little sister, Serenis.
Her life continued in monotony until the age of 16, when her mother finally agreed to let her leave the homestead. She travelled to Varhelm where she studied the geology of the earth to understand the land. While her interest in geology persisted, her interest in staying to study did not, and after three years she left to roam the kingdom. It was then that she realised she had no guidance in life, no direction to move in, and no aspiration. With no real goal in mind, she travelled from village to village, city to city and each time she witnessed the same thing. It was the poorest of the people that the kingdom exploited the most. What little they had was stolen from them, their families torn apart by countless wars. It was during her travels that Merula understood the severity of the situation, and decided it was time something be done. She set out to form a group of like-minded people who would eventually liberate the people of Norland.
In an effort to garner the power necessary to form the foundations of the liberation movement, she set out to study the art of magic. Magic to her was a means to an end. Having finally found her purpose, Merula became ambitious and driven, and she would do anything to achieve her ultimate liberation.
