Character Profile – Melea Entius

Unlike most cautionary tales, Pandora’s box doesn’t end on a downer. Yes, Pandora’s curiosity got the better of her, and yes, she released all the evils of the world, but despite the horrors she unleashed, the parable ends with mankind gaining the Spirit of Hope.

And that’s precisely how you feel at the end. Hopeful. It’s an emotional onomatopoeia. This, of course, doesn’t change the fact that opening the box was by any objective measurement a shitty thing to do. If Pandora had a do over, she would be a fool not to exercise it, even at the risk of losing hope. Which, if you think about it, is hardly a risk at all. In a utopia, hope is an unthinkable concept. If you have everything, there’s no need to worry about anything. In a just and moral universe, you don’t hope for the best, you get what you deserve.

Hope isn’t a cure for the evils of the world. It’s a symptom.

Melea Entius believes the Divines have a plan for Henrietta. It’s how she makes sense of her impending death and the loss of Indara’s daughter. It’s the only explanation that will suffice, because the alternative – that the world can be a cruel and unjust place – would mean she could never die in peace.

When it comes to Henrietta’s future, Melea doesn’t cling to hope. Not when she has faith.

Unlike hope, faith isn’t a byproduct of despair. If you believe in a divine, infallible architect, what you’re saying is that the “evils of the world” are more or less intended as opposed to an accident. It could be a test of one’s character or resolve, or something so abstruse we can’t comprehend the reasons. Regardless, the belief is that whatever the methodology, those who abide by the plan will be rewarded. Fulfilling one’s hopes is often about taking control. Maintaining one’s faith is about sacrificing it.

This is conflicting for Melea. Her anxiety has shifted from being separated from her daughter in a physical sense – which she now accepts – to losing her identity as Henrietta’s mother. As the years pass on, it’s possible the young child may not remember much of her biological parents. It may even be the will of the Divines that she forget. While Melea knows giving the child away is the right thing to do, she realizes that the more influential Indara is, the less Henrietta will remember her, and struggles with the notion that these feelings are inherently selfish.

Melea has faith that Indara will be a good mother – but in thirty years, will Henrietta feel the same about her biological one? She can only hope.

7 thoughts on “Character Profile – Melea Entius

  1. Please don´t make me cry so early in the morning.

    Btw, are you a professional writer? Did you ever write anything? If yes, share a link, I so want to check it out. :)

    1. ha, it’s bedtime where i live.

      as for your other question, the only things i’ve been paid to write are like brochures and advertisements. you wouldn’t want to read that shit.

      1. Considering you talent… I´m hesitating, maybe I´d like those brochures. And if they let you free hand, I´d definitely like those ads :3

        Did you write anything “non-professionally”? Fanfiction, original works?

  2. I had not realised this woman and her story was an addition from this mod – no wonder it was so touching and memorable. How lovely!

    1. Haha, I love comments like these. That was exactly my reaction when I first installed this mod – first “How have I missed you, my precious, interesting NPC? Wait, interesting? Oh.” and then I realised that pretty much every interesting character I met in Skyrim was added by Interesting NPCs. A fitting name…

      I was laughing so hard, when MxR from Skyrim Mods Weekly reviewed a mod that added or allowed acces to original content that was cut out of the game. He met Orondil and wondered why was this guy wasn´t added in the final release of Skyrim. After all, he´s just so interesting… and then he realised Orondil was added by 3DNPCs. :D Priceless.

      This just shows the quality of the mod, IMO. ;)

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