The Painbearer Lily Mayel

[thriminak]

I am Lily Mayel - Ever bending; Never breaking

- 5'4", 135lbs.
- Pale skinned, silvery white hair, dark brown eyes.
- Features are predominantly Damaran.
- Has a faint hint of Mulan decent, most notable by shape of eyes.
- Paints her plush lips a blood red.
- Confident in stature yet gentle in speech.
- Continually carries herself with a calm demeanor.
- Delicate, often baring many dark bruises.
- Red ribbons wrapped around her wrists.

Art by Daniela-Uhlig
Click to download the in game portrait.
(Made available by Levedara)


They came and they were many,
Orcs with skins green and gray,
Tattered brown leathers and rusted chain,
Death found many that day.

Pale girl watched, eyes wide,
Hidden under mattress, tucked against wall behind bed,
Fearful to die as well as killers came
None could stop them, no matter how brave.

Storm finally passing,
Those few living tally dead and dying,
Here so far away,
Those wounded will have little aid.

Pale girl cried, eyes of pain,
She saw the harsh blows falling, while hidden away,
Fearful of the sound of bones breaking,
The slaughter of so many that day.

As village quiets into evening,
Small red ribbons dance upon the breeze,
They bend their backs now, life goes on
Simple people enduring cruel fate.

Pale girl knelt, eyes dull,
To take a ribbon pressed into mud,
A tingle raced along her spine,
Nosebleed unnoticed as she carefully twined.

Oh painbearer, she was made,
Shield them against the rain,
Wicked blows falling from above,
She will guard with care and love.

[thriminak]

Kneeling down by dying man
Whispered words for succor then
"You needent be in pain, be still,
Pray quietly with me if you will"

Tabbard wet with blood of men
The cruel put down with sword in hand.
Yet mercy still she offers to them
Upon their dying breaths.

"Know that he will sooth your ill
and take your burden to himself.
No judgment of your soul or heart,
simply comfort as you now depart."

She stays with them while they remain
Until death takes them to distant plane.
Rising then again she goes,
ever onward seeking those
that give hurt to other men,
that she may shield the weak again.

[thriminak]

Painbearer, Ribbon wearer,
we writhe in anguish and perish
bring us your shield and prayers!

Hearken not judgment
yet relieve us from torment,
we will take mercy and succor from you.

We shall ask you what wrongs make
how can the choice to life take
grant one still ease at their end?

Yet none are beyond it,
forgiving and tenderness,
A painbearers duty most true.

[thriminak]

Tenets of the Faithful

Be ever merciful.
Yet do not suffer not the wicked to do harm unto others.

Seek to give peace.
Yet do not stay your fist in the face of those that will not have it.

Offer succor.
The greatest evils will meet their end, yet at their end, they should not be left without comfort.

Give without asking.
There is no price bound to compassion. Grant to all equal care and tenderness no matter what they have or lack.

Do not take love.
For all to be equal in your care you must be without love. To love another is to welcome bias into your heart.

Seek out the cause of suffering.
Comfort those that hurt, but also seek those that would do harm and cease pain at its source.

Do not doubt.
The law of the land will bind you. Take to them, and offer what ease you can along side them.

Do not suffer.
When the tasks weight too heavily seek the plea of rest that you are not overburdened.

[thriminak]

"....We owe you our lives, not our judgment"

Fallen down,
upon the ground,
a shield strewn astray.

Yet walking proud,
amidst the crowd,
of faded faces gray.

Hear the call,
and turn about,
return the way you came.

Answer now,
that corpse be endowed,
to live another day.

"If ever I felt I was without comfort, surely I would speak to you..."

[thriminak]

"... What deeds have you accomplished?"

Give without asking.
Accomplish without credit.
Endure in your duty.
Be humble.

"...Most of what you may consider deeds I merely consider my Duty."

[thriminak]

Spoken in the square of Greatgaunt for all to hear

Ayami: I'm curious about you. Perhaps sometime, you'd like to tell me about yourself.

Lily Mayel: There would be little to tell madame Ayami. I have spent the majority of my life in service to the crying god in various northern nations, and now I do so here.

Ayami: That will depend on what you are willing to share.

Lily Mayel: *she offers a brief gentle smile* There is little more to me than that.

Ayami: There is a lot more to any person than a simple sentence.

Lily Mayel: Mayhaps Madame Ayami, and yet I live for my duty, and so my duty is my life.

Ayami: *she smiles happily* Indeed. But you have many motivations, and a past.

Lily Mayel: My motivation is simple enough. It pains me to see the suffering of others, and the Crying god grants me what is needed, in both blessings, and the strength to persevere, to give aid to them. As to my past, it is filled with monasteries, devotionals, tending to the sick and destitute. Teaching the impoverished so that they may learn to work, feeding and clothing the hungry. Soothing the wounds of the hurt, and listening to the torments of the suffering.

Ayami: It sounds emotionally devastating. Can you truly bear the suffering of so many people?

Lily Mayel: When the burden is to great we painbearers may take to the plea of rest. It grants us a time where we are free from our doctrine and able to tend to ourselves rather than others.

Ayami: How and when does this happen?

Lily Mayel: When we have need we may ask of it.

Ayami: Does that mean you would even be allowed to call me.. Ayamibuns?

Lily Mayel: As it is, I could do so regardless.

Ayami: You'd be the first.

Lily Mayel: The plea of rest is a ten day during which we are freed from the rules laid out by the faith, not the protocol ingrained in us by our teachings.

Ayami: I see. Have you taken the plea of rest before?

Lily Mayel: I have not madame. I am still quite young in my service.

Ayami: I thought youth would make you more vulnerable to the suffering of others.

Lily Mayel: *she smiles gently* It can often be the case, yes. As it is, painbearers are often initiated to the faith after times of great personal suffering or trial. Due to that, coupled with the duties we preform as initiates into the faith, we are often well learned to perseverance. Though many of the faithful become cynical through this.

Ayami: You are the only painbearer I've seen, but one of many priestesses to a deity. None of them display such restraint and discipline like you do.

Lily Mayel: I have had good teachers, and the Lord on the Rack has blessed me with some fortitude along the way I believe.

Ayami: It is remarkable to see you live by such a strict code. There seems to be little freedom in how you are allowed to operate. On top of that is the emotional strain of bearing other people's burdens. To endure something like that is impressive.. Though very harmful, don't you think?

Lily Mayel: Ah. I may have a fair deal more freedom than it seems. I find that maintaining a strong devotion to several sets of tenets aids me persevering.

Ayami: That's no doubt true. Faith can be very helpful with enduring pain. I imagine especially your deity. He suffers with you. He understands how you feel. No?

Lily Mayel: We are not all bound to follow the same oaths, and indeed I have chosen not to adhere to several. The order that I have been initiated into as well, is one that focuses on more than merely healing. The lord on the rack does indeed share our burden, as we share the burden of others. His strength, and mercy, guide us in all things.

Ayami: It isn't normal for me to agree to a faith that is quite structured like that.

Lily Mayel: *she offers a gentle smile* You needn't agree with my faith if it is not your wish to do so Madame Ayami.

Ayami: But you're no doubt able relieve people of their traumas and nightmares. Ailments caused by the pressure of civilization, or the cruelty of nature as a whole. This kind of behavior is very.. helpful to the world. I appreciate that.

Lily Mayel: We do what we can. The Broken God is ever caring, and we are but small extensions of his will.

[thriminak]

"...One thousand golden coins passed on by wealthy hands... "

She asks them gently
Won't you please?
Give to those that need,
To ease their suffering?

For restoration ... 25
For healing ... 5
Charitably given ... 50
By GoodMaster Thorn ... 500
By Everflame Merrick ... 200

Tithed in Full in the Healing House of Suzail

[thriminak]

"As a Noble Companion you must not stop at merely soothing wounds..."

Simple rhymes to teach of the task

Smile through the pain,
Enduring through rain,
Think not of gain,
Be sufferings bane.

Ribbon wrapped tight,
Binds mercy with might,
Against cruelty fight,
Setting wrong to right.

"...You must also seek to put a stop to those that seek to inflict them."

[thriminak]

"...Repeat after me"

In dedication to the people

Bound by oath,
Words tying intention
Stating cause to deed.
Be mercy. Be comfort. Be resolute.
Be peace - of mind - of body.

Sworn to defend,
Words tying cause
Binding action to intention.
That all be your people
In trust. In defense. In deliverance.
Be love - of heart - of soul.

Speak your Pledge,
Not to become one with the way,
But to make your way known
That this is your path.
In duty. In will. In passion.
Be true - never falter - never break.

"Hail Squire..."

[thriminak]

Humility

That ye shall speak with deference unto all others,
For all before you are your master,
And you a servant.
Be proud that you serve those in need,
Yet in that pride remember that their need is before you,
And you must bend to it.

[thriminak]

"... I prefer not to tell the story of my past for I am at peace with it."

Orcs slaughtering,
Plague spreading.
Of three hundred,
Twenty surviving.

Taken away
Ribbon in hand
To learn of faith
And comfort.

Years in passing
Seventeen served,
Across the lands
Learning soothing ways.

And then released
On personal path.
To find the depth of calling,
In serving the suffering.

"I believe the focus should be on those that suffer now ... "

Spoken for all to hear in the Wailing Wheel of Suzail.

Lily Mayel: *she takes a deep breath, looking away again* You're very insistent. If you truly wish to know, I shall tell you.

Baradin Silverhorn: Well...aye.

Lily Mayel: The village that I grew up in was, as I said, segregated. It had to fend for itself, for help was too far away.
Lily Mayel: An orc raid, a small army, came through. They slaughtered most of the village. We had few able to fight. Survivors were mostly people that hid, or were away for hunting or harvest.
Lily Mayel: There were a great deal of bodies, and not enough remaining to remove them.
Lily Mayel: Rats feeding on both corpses and untended grain, spread sickness, along with insects.
Lily Mayel: I found a red ribbon in the mud on the second day of burying bodies. I kept it, not knowing what it meant. Several days later I, along with many others, were ill. Incredibly so.
Lily Mayel: Of three hundred people, perhaps eighty had survived. Of those eighty, more than three quarters died of this disease.

Baradin Silverhorn: *he has an expectant but sorrowful look on his face*

Lily Mayel: It struck with a high fever, those afflicted couldn't eat well, and many actually died of starvation due to being unable to keep food down. Hair loss was a common symptom.
Lily Mayel: One of the villagers had gone for help, and returned, but it was a long way, and nearly a week after the first fell sick. Most were already well beyond help.

Banril Ristgar: *banril watches her intently, drinking from his mug, before smoothing his beard with his left hand*

Lily Mayel: With him returned several Ilmatari healers, as well as a number of other goodly folk with a mind to aid.
Lily Mayel: They had a small fighting unit, though the orcs were long moved on. They buried the dead while the healers tried to ease the pain of those dying.

Baradin Silverhorn: Praise The Forge an Hammer.

Lily Mayel: Of all the plague stricken, I was the only one to survive.

Banril Ristgar: *purses his lips*
Banril Ristgar: Being the survivor is, perhaps the worst outcome.

Lily Mayel: Others survived, ones that didn't get sick at all.
Lily Mayel: Though of the three hundred odd villagers, only twenty of us remained.
Lily Mayel: Mostly orphaned children, and woodsmen and women. The village no longer exists, they were all relocated as a relief effort by the Ilmatari.

Baradin Silverhorn: That is well.
Baradin Silverhorn: Me 'eart goes to yer folk...mine know well the loss o 'ome and 'old tae orcish marauders.

Lily Mayel: *she nods to baradin, and continues* They took me with them to Impiltur when the work was done. The ribbon I had taken, I had clung to through my sickness. My recovery they believed was a sign.
Lily Mayel: As such I was indoctrined to the faith of Ilmater, late in my seventh year.
Lily Mayel: I spent a great deal of time in grief, it was several years before I was actually able to join the faith as an actual member.

Baradin Silverhorn: *seems to nod in understanding*

Lily Mayel: My hair regrew, as you see it now. I became an exceptionally skilled healer, and in time I found my prayers were answered, rather than just given. I became an Adorned, a priestess. And so, since those days, I have been bound to my duty.

[thriminak]

"Seek ye to strengthen your arm, to raise your shield all the higher..."

Dew alights upon the flowers,
Footsteps soft in morning hours,
Split the wet and waking grass,
With purpose guiding true.

Bend knee to the field,
Where battle was fought,
The white hem now blood stained,
The dying now calmed.

"...and keep those that need not die from falling like this."

[thriminak]

"... a god devoted to feeling pain"

Mercy freely given,
Suffer not the innocent,
We sooth the pain and grant them ease,
To those that should endure no such misery.

"An interesting concept..."

[thriminak]

"I couldn't imagine you with black hair..."

I swear that I will take no single love,
Nor have care in my heart for any,
That is greater than the care for all others.

I shall not be swayed by compliment,
Nor shall I take to courtship,
For all must be equal before me.

And should I fear my heart to be touched,
I will remember that my love for all is without bias,
That my heart be open to all without the influence of affection.

"...The white is pretty."