Marieya’s Torment

(Content Warning: Death, threats of violence, brutal assault)

A few weeks had passed since Marieya Ebontide was banished from the Shadow Realm for her actions resulting in the deaths of her close friends. Stowing away on a transport vessel she ended up in the port of Courlandia, using her deft nature to evade guards and “requisition” any supplies needed to survive.

Work came quickly to the young shadow fey, finding odd jobs around town to bide her time and earn a modest living in the city, even managing to buy herself some defensive equipment after a while. Whilst other denizens had yet to present a threat to her some padded armour and a pair of daggers gave the now much more nervous individual some comfort.

Though as the weeks passed and work on the bounty boards dried up, she felt a spark of her old self come back. A yearning for adventure and new experiences took hold once more, gathering her belongings, paying off her inn tab, and looking for a ship to take her somewhere, asking captains around the port where they were going and how far away it was.

It was at this moment that an imposing individual approached her from behind, “Excuse me, miss?” he said, a deep foreboding voice catching her off guard, but a restrained tone stopping her from drawing weapons “You seem to be in search of something new, perhaps I may be of… assistance.”

Marieya spun on her heels to look at the mysterious stranger, an instinctual hand going down to her sheathed daggers. He was a blue dragonborn standing at around seven-foot, lighter blue fins surrounding piercing eyes contrasted by a reassuring grin, dressed in fine red-and-blue robes trimmed in gold with runic designs around the cuffs and clasps, a moderate stack of tomes and official looking papers in his hands.

“Assistance of what kind?” Marieya said, trying to suss out the intentions of the dragon in front of her.

“Allow me to introduce myself first, my name is Corvus” he said, giving a slight bow “I am an emissary of the esteemed Mharoti Empire, and I feel you would benefit from a similar experience”

Relaxing her muscles, the girl was able to respond, saying “My name is Marieya, good to meet you Corvus” before following up with more questions “What do you mean experience?”

Corvus gave a bigger smile, handing his papers off to a passing associate and approaching the shadow fey, dwarfing her even more than he was before “The Mharoti are a proud people, and our outreach work with communities and cities around the world is second to none” he said “the job of an emissary is to continue this work, travelling to new places and informing populations of our glorious vision!”

The idea of travel appealed to Marieya, having the resources to freely move from place to place would satisfy her craving for new adventures, and if she had to do a bit of missionary work on the side; so be it. Though the lack of conditions so far did raise further questions “Nothing in this life comes for free, what’s the catch here?”

“It is fairly simple, you inquisitive girl” he smiled warmly, and ruffled her white hair affectionately “For you specifically I would request that you swear fealty to the Empire and one of our gods, serving them as a cleric in our capital, The Golden City of Harkesh.”

Reassured, the shadow fey let her guard down, adopting a positive attitude and a more relaxed stance. “Alright then” she said “I agree to your conditions Corvus, when do we leave?”

“My vessel departs within the next hour, please, join me!”

Worries assuaged the pair departed for a medium-sized ship on the far end of the harbour. Befitting of Corvus’s status it was decorated in a similar manner to his robes, ornately carved wood painted in red and blue with gold detailing on runes, pristine white sails with the emblem of the Mharoti Empire, a rampant red dragon flanked by green stars and crowned by a red crescent, emblazoned upon them. Kobold attendants milled around the deck, carrying supplies, materials, or papers, a brass dragonborn manning the wheel.

“Malmouda my friend, we prepare for the journey home immediately!” the blue dragon bellowed “And I bring with me a recruit for the Empire!” Malmouda laughed, wisps of flame escaping his mouth as he did, barking orders to the kobolds causing more fire to manifest around his head.

Marieya was no stranger to fire. Her sorcerous blood boiled with the power of the phoenix, lying deep within her, and providing her the ability to cast multiple spells. But now, after everything that has happened, seeing fire evoked feelings of dread and guilt within her, suppressing any thoughts of ever using that kind of magic again.

“Come, join me in my cabin, we have much to discuss on the long trip ahead of us” Corvus said, leading Marieya away into the insides of the ship, having a long spirited discussion about the pantheon of the Empire and which god would be best suited to serve.

*****

“Come on Marieya… let it out. Let go of all the pain and suffering, and burn everything to the fucking ground.”

“You have no chance of going home, and wherever you end up can never become home, so give up now, embrace the monster you are.”

“There’s no way to get rid of this Marieya… I will always be a part of you. And when you give in to the rage, you’ll always be that little bit of conscious I have left.”

*****

After a couple of weeks, the journey had finally reached its conclusion, the Good Intentions docking in the Harbour of Hellor. During the voyage it was decided that Marieya would become a new servant of Seggotan, the draconic god of the ocean, partially due to the newly discovered phobia of fire as the god demands that his servants “light no fires”.

Where Marieya would be living for the foreseeable future was in the city’s “Old Harbour” district, where both the citadel and temple of Seggotan were located. On the way though, unease started to grow within the girl due to the behaviours of passing dragonborn, some directly turned their nose up at her, some shot death glares in her direction and some even went as far to verbally disparage her, with comments such as “Ugh, another non-scaly foreigner in our beautiful city. How uncouth.”

Concerns for her safety growing, she said to Corvus “Is it… strange to see a shadow fey around these parts?”

“Rather strange, but we have a number of foreigners within our city” Corvus said “Mostly merchants, but we tolerate others if they can present utility to us.”

“Utility?” Marieya thought to herself “What kind of terminology is that?”

“Such as yourself”, the dragon continued “Your disposition and general misdirection in the world made you a prime candidate for becoming useful to our greater purpose.”

The shadow fey paused, looking down at the ground sheepishly before speaking up “Uhm… I don’t think I want to do this anymore…”

Corvus spun on the spot, turning to look down on the now reluctant recruit “I’m sorry my dear, you will need to speak up, dragons aren’t used to such mumbling tones.”

“I think you’ve oversold the experience I’d be getting here… I don’t want to be an emissary for such a place.”

One deliberate step at a time Corvus approached Marieya, right up until he was in direct contact with her, leaning down to whisper. “You don’t have a choice anymore, you moronic child” he said, the previous soft tone gone in favour of acidic aggressive “You either serve the Empire loyally, doing what we ask of you, or we kill you, perhaps even turning you into lunch for a much bigger dragon. Understand?”

Heart sinking, and new fears growing, Marieya gulped and nodded. “Y-yes sir… whatever you say.”

“Good. Come now.”

A further walk and a rickety rowboat trip across Old Harbour lead to the temple of Seggotan, on its own isolated island. The insides of the temple were barely visible from the outside, lit only by a sparse number of magical lights, a green dragonborn waiting on the steps to greet both, dressed in fine ocean motif vestments.

“Welcome, Corvus. Is this the wayward one I have been informed of?” she said.

“Indeed, her name is Marieya.” Corvus said in response, giving the girl a shove forward “She is to be a servant of Seggotan and trained as an emissary. Do not disappoint me Alara.”

Alara nodded and took Marieya into the temple. Thanks to her heritage she was able to see more clearly once inside, seeing marble pillars supporting a vaulted ceiling, carvings depicting Seggotan fighting and taming creatures of the sea, a statue to the deity residing in prime position at the centre of the room.

“Please excuse the darkness, my lord would be displeased if we lit fires” Alara said, a more consistent, natural calm tone as opposed to Corvus’s manufactured one.

“It’s no worry, shadow fey can see in the dark naturally.” Marieya said in response, scanning the rest of the temple as she did “Can’t see colour but I know not to walk into things.”

This bit of information seemed to intrigue Alara, but she continued escorting Marieya through the temple, reaching a set of stairs “Initiates and temple inhabitants live in rooms set up in our catacombs, emissary initiates share a room together.”

“Great” Marieya thought, becoming more dejected by the moment “I’ve got to spend my nights shitting myself next to a dragon.”

The catacomb stairs were carved from a less luxurious, but still fancy grey granite, seeming to spiral down into the ground forever. About thirty steps down lead to a long corridor of wrought steel doors with the same dim magical lights as upstairs flanking each one. “Oh good” a sarcastic thought manifested in Marieya’s mind “It’s not enough to feel like a prisoner, I actually am one now!”

Three doors down would be her abode for the foreseeable future, no windows to the outside, only simple bedrolls to sleep on, and nowhere proper to store clothes and personal effects. Inside the room was a dwarf lying down, wearing a plain but dirty white robe, raising his head slightly as his new cellmate entered.

“Charak, this is your new roommate Marieya” Alara said, gently ushering the shadow fey in before closing the door, locking it “Please, take some time to familiarise her with the way things work around here.”

Shaking the door to ensure it was locked, the dragon cleric walked back down the corridor and up the stairs. For a while silence enveloped both Marieya and Charak, both acknowledging the existence of the other but neither choosing to engage with another, it was not until an hour or so later that the dwarf spoke up.

“Conquered, tricked, or volunteer?” he said, raising a ginger eyebrow in curiosity.

“Tricked I suppose” Marieya said in response lying down on the bedroll.

“Least you ain’t a volunteer, that would’ve made the next few moons unbearable for me.”

“Yourself?”

“Conquered, taken from my wife and child as tribute from a new dragon expansion campaign.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, you must miss them dearly.”

“Aye, don’t even know if I survive them right now.” Charak shifted on his bedroll, looking over to Marieya “How about you? Any family or friends you missing?”

Marieya rolled to look over, his face being a visage of discomfort and regret “Not anymore… the friends I had are long gone now.”

“Aye, I’m sorry for your loss lassie. I offer my sympathy.”

A scoff rung out “Sympathy?” Marieya said “Forgive the bluntness, but you don’t even understand what I’ve been through, how do you intend to sympathise?!”

Silence fell once more between them, a much more awkward and tense one than before, but also much shorter as Charak soon responded “Aye, you’re right. I don’t understand your grief. No one truly could.”

He stood up, and came to sit down next to Marieya, who had raised from her bedroll in response. “But I understand pain lassie” he said, his tone turning sullen “You don’t lose good friends in a war against dragons without knowing pain, you don’t get taken away from your wife and child without feeling pain.”

Marieya’s eyes shifted away, realising she had spoken out of turn “S-sorry… I didn’t mean to offend” she said.

“Didn’t offend at all, no harm done” Charak said, working to quickly reassure her “Grief is personal, and whilst we can explain, the true nature of grief is hidden. Pain, however, is an inexorable concept. Grief is unique, but the pains caused by it can overlap with another’s pain, leading to a level of understanding.”

“Wow…” Marieya said, intrigued by the wisdom just imparted to her, and smiling for the first time since she arrived in Harkesh “I wasn’t expecting to meet someone so worldly in a place like this.”

The dwarf let out a resounding laugh, echoing through the carved stone halls “I may be built like a bloody brick wall, but I was a scholar before I got called to the front!” he said “I spent my days poring over pages to learn about the world, in fact…”

Over the next few hours, the pair shared enlightening conversation. Charak sharing in great detail history of the surrounding area and the plane of Midgard as a whole, whilst Marieya informed him of the world of the Shadow Realm, her history there, and briefly divulging how she had actually came to be where she was now.

For most of her time in this world, Marieya had been alone. And whilst she was now in a strange place surrounded by people of a malicious nature, she felt a hope in knowing Charak, that she had both an ally, and more importantly, a friend in the making.

The conversation was interrupted by a harsh knock at the door which then opened before either had the chance to respond. Marieya’s heart sank as she saw Corvus enter the room, now in much more intimidating chain mail and carrying a large halberd. After him came a kobold attendant, carrying a singular, simple meal and placing it at the bottom of Marieya’s bedroll.

“Oi!” Charak shouted after the attendant “Where do you think you’re going?! I still need to eat too!”

Corvus gave a deep, menacing laugh “My friend, you don’t need to worry about food anymore…” he said, before grabbing the dwarf by the scruff of his neck and throwing him out in the corridor. Before he had a chance to react to what had just happened he cried out in pain as a sickening crack was heard, Corvus had slammed down the bottom of his halberd into Charak’s ankle, breaking it.

“Your wife is organising a little resistance movement within the pathetic hovel we picked you up from…” Corvus said, snarling as he walked around to face the dwarf “…and as punishment for her treasonous acts, we’re going to send her your head, as a lesson.”

“No, you can’t!” Marieya cried out as she tried to leave her cell to aid her new friend, only to be shoved back inside by Corvus.

“Sweet little shadow fey… how little you know of the world…” he said, leaning down to Charak and placing the axe part of the halberd onto his neck.

“Girl… don’t struggle… it’s up to you to live now…”

Echoes of Ancil haunted Marieya as the dwarf spoke those words, but before she could respond Corvus was already too far through the act, with a horrifying squelch and a crunch as the blade glided through flesh, muscle and bone severing his end and ending his life.

Tears of grief streamed down once more, raining onto the harsh floor as Corvus messily shoved the decapitated head into a sack and shouted to the kobold attendants “Leave the body there until dawn! Give this girl an impression of what happens if she strays out of line!” locking the door to the cell and departing.

Even as she tried to eat the meagre meal she had been provided with; all Marieya could do was cry. And as she cried, the suppression of her sorcerous blood weakened, sparks swirling around her hands providing an unintentional benefit of warming her food but worrying her intensely, trying to block out the voice in the back of her mind as she finished eating and tried to get to sleep…

*****

“Oh look, another who fell because of knowing you. Doesn’t that feel terrible Marieya? Doesn’t that just burn you up inside?!”

“I can see you’re carrying so many burdens, wouldn’t it be nice to just get rid of them all? You’re nothing but repressed rage and hatred Marieya, a person like you doesn’t need such burdens.”

*****

Dawn arrived with a gentle knocking against the door, this time belonging to Alara, a kobold attendant bringing breakfast and a set of fine clothes. “It is time to start your education wayward one, aren’t you lucky?” she said, smiling down at Marieya.

Not being one for mornings it took a while for the shadow fey to come around to what was going on “Lucky feels like the wrong word here…” she said, reaching for the breakfast of fruits and nuts.

“But you are lucky, we haven’t decided to kill you yet” Alara said in a disturbingly chipper tone “Unlike the treasonous wyrm whose body we just removed, you have the chance for redemption!”

Fruit tasted bittersweet as those words stung Marieya. She was tolerated here, constantly being reminded that at any moment at her captors’ discretion she could be killed, and no one would think anymore on it. All she could do was keep her head down, do what she is told, and hope to actually get out into the world.

“You’ll be spending today at the dragon emissaries and consulates” Alara said as she escorted Marieya back up into the temple and out to the rowboat “after night falls you will be permitted some free time to explore the city before returning here to perform some temple maintenance. Do you understand?”

Marieya nodded, before getting into the rowboat and rowing herself across. Taking a moment to catch her breath as she walked onto dry land, she headed to the dragon embassies to begin her lessons.

She was greeted by dragons dressed similarly to her, who took her into fairly official looking buildings to begin her education on both the history of the Mharoti Empire, which was presented to her as the “true, accurate” history of the world, and on how to operate as a Mharoti emissary. Deploying subterfuge and deceit to undermine local governments to bring the populace into favour with the empire, eventually aiding in later campaigns to claim towns and cities as their own.

Included in this training was extensive knowledge on recognising Mharoti signs and sigils to identify safehouses or base of operations within these cities, able to rely on other agents to achieve the ultimate goal. By the end of it all, Marieya was positively worn out and had barely picked up on any of the details explained to her by the dragons, she did however pick up the useful advice for lying through your teeth to get others to do what you want.

Upon leaving the embassy district night had fallen, and whilst there were still some people walking around with shopping or going to nearby taverns the city was remarkably quiet. Deciding to use her free time to relax and unwind rather than risk agitating the local populace; Marieya took a walk back to where she had first arrived: the Harbour of Hellor.

The harbour itself was as full as was expected to be, a variety of merchant ships docked for the night getting ready to move onto their next stop, transport ships for Mharoti soldiers to provide reinforcements to new fronts of expansion and a handful of emissary ships similar to one Marieya had arrived on, including the Good Intentions.

She wandered idly, just observing her surroundings, wondering what the merchants who traded with this empire were dealing in, and if they were even truly aware of what went on beneath the polished veneer of this “benevolent” empire. She also briefly wondered if she would be able to make it far enough to hijack a ship or stow away like she knew she could.

These thoughts were interrupted as she walked into someone, and they started shouting angrily at her “Oi, you fucking runt, watch where you’re walking!”

“Sorry…” Marieya said in response, looking up at who she had just walked into “I was lost in thou- “, and cut herself off as she realised who it was. It was in fact Malmouda, captain of the ship she had arrived on. “Have to hope he doesn’t recognise me” she thought to herself as she tried walking around him.

“Wait a minute… you’re that pathetic little shadow fey I brought in with Corvus!”

“Shit, he’s recognised me.”

Malmouda grabbed Marieya’s shoulder and forcefully spun her around to face him “I know what you’re doing here, you’re thinking of legging it aren’t you?” he said, leaning close to her face, close enough that she was able to see the fire starting to brew within the throat of her aggressor.

“N-no!” she said in response, starting to panic slightly at how strong Malmouda was, and how the fire whipping around inside him was starting to make her sweat with anxiety.

“You don’t need to be afraid of his fire Marieya… use yours… immolate him.”

“I was just taking a walk before going back to the temple of Seggotan, he has an affinity for water, so I figured this was a nice place to unwind!”

The brass dragonborn seemed unconvinced, and continued to press the girl “Likely story, we have no shortage of dissent when it comes to pressing foreigners into service” he said, releasing his grip and instead reaching down for a shortsword on his belt “You know… it’s been a while since I’ve got to rip a dissenter apart… oh this should be fun!”

“Show him how hot your blood runs, teach him what real fire is, become one with the flame!”

Marieya’s breathing quickened, realising now that she was in real danger. Her eyes darted around as she backed away from Malmouda, looking for either an escape or something to attack with, and just as the dragonborn was winding up to an attack she found something, a brick that had fallen from a delivery. It was not much, but it would have to do.

“If I’m faster than him, I have a chance” she thought as she moved in with her improvised weapon “I he’s faster than me… well, I can get to see everyone again, and say how sorry I am…”

Time slowed for her as she dodged to the side of the stab Malmouda had attempted to make, and as a counterattack, she raised the brick into the air and then slammed it down hard on the top of his skull, stunning him enough to follow up with hitting it into the more vulnerable part of a head; the temples.

Upon impact there was an audible crack, sending Malmouda crumpling to the ground, and it was clear that he had been knocked unconscious and would not be moving for quite some time. But the voice in the back of Marieya’s mind was not letting up.

“He deserves more, and I know a monster like you can give more. Keep going.”

Heart still pumping from the initial threats, her judgement was impaired, and so she listened to the voice. Strike after strike with the brick came down on the unmoving dragon, blood splattering across the wooden planks of the harbour as fragments of skull started to poke through the ruined scales atop the crumpling head.

“Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it! Let the rage consume you!!!”

Balls of fire manifested around Marieya’s hands as she continued her assault, eventually melting the brick until all she was doing was punching the now lifeless corpse of Malmouda with flaming fists. Marieya dragged his body across to the water, taking his shortsword in her hands as the voice began to laugh maniacally and slit his throat, letting what was left of his blood flow into the water.

“You’re a monster Marieya! And that’s all you ever…”

Suddenly, the voice was cut off. The fire around Marieya’s fists dissipated. And it began to rain.

“That’s enough of that.” A male voice sounded in Marieya’s head, it was gruff but fatherly.

“Who… who are you?” Marieya blearily asked, suddenly becoming aware of what she had done in her nervous rage. “Oh… oh god I killed him!”

“You did, and then you offered his blood unto me” the voice said “I, Seggotan, lord of the ocean, accept this sacrifice, and implore that you also offer the body to the waves.”

Wordlessly, Marieya complied, pushing the body into the water. As opposed to floating it sank instantaneously, disappearing into the depths without a trace as the rain washed the blood on the harbour away.

“You are but a new servant, and you have many challenges yet to face” Seggotan said, working to ease the girl down “And I see you have an all-consuming fire resting within you, perhaps with time and dedication, I can teach you to control it more properly.”

“I… don’t understand” Marieya said, her tone laced with confusion, her mind racing with more questions.

“It will all become clear eventually. For now, return to my temple, and I assure you, for as long as you prove your devotion to me, I shall do my utmost to protect you.”

The voice fell silent, and the rain stopped. A mix of emotions had washed over Marieya, horror at the murder she had just committed, confusion at why Seggotan had spoken to her in an supposed act of divine intervention, and mild relief that he had destroyed the evidence for her. Taking his advice to heart though, she returned to the temple where Alara instructed her to work on sweeping the main chamber.

Whilst she worked, she passed by the statue of Seggotan in the centre of the room. Placing a hand on the plinth it stood on, she expressed thanks and praise for protecting her, reemphasising the pledge of devotion to him, promising him to offer gold and drownings in the hopes of pleasing him.

Through the coming months Marieya’s life settled into a cycle, going to various classes to improve her skills as an emissary and working on maintaining the temple in the evenings. She kept her head down, and no one really bothered her, though the threats of death and dismemberment kept coming, along with being reminded with “how lucky she is” for not being killed or dismembered.

Eventually, her training had finished, and she was now ready to venture out into the world as a devoted emissary to the Mharoti Empire, spreading the good word.

“Yeah, right” Marieya thought to herself as she waved to Corvus and Alara as they saw her off on a merchant ship heading back to Courlandia “There’s no way I’m spreading their word properly.”

She settled into her cabin, finally feeling the joy of sleeping on a comfortable bed for a change, dressed in the fine clothes she had worn throughout her education. Her exile from the Shadow Realm and her time with the dragons had changed her though, she had grown more nervous, more skittish, and become painfully aware of what suppressing her sorcerous blood was doing to her.

However, she now had the ability to travel, equipment and money to afford a decent living and lifestyle in Courlandia, and a proper goal in mind.

“I’m going to go out into the world” she said out loud as she gazed across the ocean from her cabin window, “I’m going to get stronger, I’m going to meet new people, I’m going to make new friends and keep them safe.”

“And then, I’m going to come back here.”

“I’m going to have a face-to-face meeting with Corvus.”

“And I’m going to take his halberd.”

“And I’m very carefully going to stab it into his chest.”

“AND RIP OUT HIS FUCKING HEART!“

Inspiration

So… Marieya’s Screw Up was the longest piece of fiction I wrote in a long while… and now this one has comfortably overtaken that at 4778 words, coming close to twice the length of that and more importantly, forming one-tenth of a novel.

In what has become a never-ending trauma conga line for Marieya, her time with the dragons was rough. Imagine what Corvus said to her, and what Alara said to her, and to an extent what Malmouda said to her, amplify that over several months, and you basically get a full impression of what she has gone through.

Marieya’s character arc/focus has become clearer to me as I have played her more and explored her backstory, and the key theme of her character is a phrase I have used here and in the previous story.

“It’s up to you to live now.”

Ancil and Charak

I consider it a very real, and honestly rather dark, possibility that Marieya could have very well given up after her banishment. She came close to giving up as the fires raged around her in the Shadow Realm, and at several points after that, she had the opportunity to just give in to any number of fates.

But instead, she chooses to keep trying to live. She has survived everything up until now, what is to stop her surviving what else life can throw at her?

One of these fates is something alluded to in the italic text throughout the story, and is something that needs explaining her because I honestly struggled to find a way to organically explain it fully in the story, only alluding to it at certain points.

Marieya is a sorcerer, specifically, with help from my DM, she has the sorcerous bloodline of a phoenix soul fragment, meaning she is attuned with the fiery power of the phoenix. And in one conversation, we discussed the possibility of what it means that Marieya is suppressing this part of her, and whilst the disaster part of her lead to me saying “At some points she’ll just start farting fire”, it did lead to me thinking what this actually means.

And that lead to what is used in this story and what I am tentatively calling “Marieya’s Manifestation”. (Better name pending)

Marieya is carrying a lot of guilt and trauma from what happened in the Shadow Realm, her experiences with the dragons only worsening her trauma. This, in conjunction with suppressing her boiling blood, has led to an inner voice that manifests all three of these aspects. Marieya’s Manifestion is meant to be interpreted as an amalgamation of these three things, leading to Marieya to take a twisted view on what this manifestation means.

To Marieya, the manifestation is the idea that she can give into her rage, hatred, and sadness to unleash her fire magic properly once more, becoming the pariah she feels she is and choosing instead to be feared and loathed as opposed to accepted and loved. It is also what is the main cause behind her flaw of “Leans to brutality when nervous”, when she is nervous, she has less control over the manifestation, leading to more drastic action.

Accepting what has happened and trying to forgive what she has done are steps to banishing the manifestation, allowing Marieya to achieve her true potential.

Small note to finish off, the title went through a few changes during the writing of this. It started off as “Marieya’s Trial”, as the tasks of training to be an emissary were quite taxing on her, then it changed to “Marieya’s Hell”, as the experience is taxing and incredibly arduous (the remnants of this name are found in the name of Corvus’s ship, as “the road to hell is paved with Good Intentions”).

I eventually settled on “Marieya’s Torment”, as this encapsulates what she is going through in regard to her stay with the dragons and what the Manifestation is doing to her on a daily basis.

Constructive feedback, as always, is massively appreciated.