Online:Meryline Barthel

Meryline Barthel
Location	South of Brokerock Mine, The Ancient Anchor Inn, Gonfalon Palace
Race	Breton	Gender	Female
Health	39,959
Reaction	Friendly

Meryline Barthel

Meryline Barthel is a Breton who can be found in the Amenos Jungle near Brokerock Mine. After the quest, she can be found in the Ancient Anchor Inn in Gonfalon Bay.

Maryline is a thaumavocalist; a gifted individual who channels magicka through song. She specialises in Illusion magic.

Related Quests

• A Father's Pride: Help Meryline Barthel save Brokerock Mine and her father.
• A Chance for Peace: Help salvage Lord Bacaro's peace talks.

Quest-Related Events

A Father's Pride

When approached she will say:

Meryline Barthel: "Maybe … maybe I should've waited for an escort at Amenos Station with mother."

Speak with Meryline to see what is going on:

"A dust-covered warrior. Finally! My father is the overseer at Brokerock Mine. He defends the prisoners laboring inside the mine from the gangs outside its camp.
He's struggling though. He thinks I can't help. I'm a thaumavocalist now!"

What's a thaumavocalist?

"I sing to cast spells. Father says I'm suited to be a court performer, but I want to help people!
Mother wrote that Hadolid sea-monsters attacked the mine. Father's sentries were supposed to escort me to the mine, but they never came."

There's a mine on the prison island?

"The prisoners aren't villains. They don't ask for much and House Mornard employs father to give them what they need.
Look, the mine's in trouble. Will you accompany me? I can pay and surely father can't say no—not with you there. What do you say?"

I'll go with you to Brokerock Mine and help you with the Hadolids there.

"The mine camp is just over that hill there. This is going to be fantastic! Can you imagine the look on father's face when I arrive with you to help? He'll be so impressed.
Maybe we don't mention that I left Amenos Station without an escort, though."

Asking for further questions:

What's Brokerock Mine? / What is Brokerock Mine?

"It's a place where the banished prisoners work in exchange for warm meals, clean water, and a little protection. They unearth ammonites for House Mornard.
Father never let me leave the camp. He said Amenos was no place for a child."

What are ammonites?

"You want to know about those boring old shells? They don't look like much to me. Father says mages use them to store magic … somehow.
I never listened when father talked about the ammonites."

Why would prisoners want the mine's protection?

"You know that the banished prisoners can never leave the jungle, right? Well, the jungle is dangerous. The mine gives them a place to work in exchange for a little bit of safety.
Father employs a lot of sentries at the mine to ensure that safety."

Why does the mine use prisoners?

"Who else would do it? They're the only ones here! Prison labor is plentiful and cheap. The mine offers them short contracts. Agree to work for three months, get room and board. A lot request to stay on longer, or leave and return later."

How does House Mornard have ties to Amenos?

"They control the whole island.
Father says the aristocrats on the other islands don't know anything about Amenos. But there are lots of House Mornard representatives at Amenos Station. Mother reports to them once a season."

Why do you need an escort?

"My magic can help people. But if father had his way, I'd be stuck conjuring butterflies for nobility my whole life.
Father never even let me leave the mine camp without three bodyguards!"

What are you doing on your own then?

"I've been away from Amenos for a while. Father allowed me to get a better education.
Magic. Music. No one masters those things without teachers. I was lucky to find mentors from both the Bard's College and the Mages Guild."

How does singing help you using magic?

"Most mages cast a spell with some arcane gestures and their innate mental power. That's how a friend explained it. I don't—well, I can't. My music focuses my magic. I had to train with many renowned mages and bards to get where I am now."

So you play music to cast spells?

"Sort of? My music is the spell. Once, as a child, I sang a little ditty and turned the cooking fire green!
One of my more eccentric tutors liked to babble about tonal architecture, but even he didn't understand it. I'm sure my songs are easier."

What more can you tell me about the Hadolids? / Can you tell me anything else about the Hadolids?

"Father never let me get close to one, so I've only seen them from a distance. They're covered in thick shells and have beady eyes. They seem to really like the shoreline and tide pools.
Honestly, they don't frighten me."

If Hadolids stay near the shore, what are they doing in the mine?

"I asked mother the same thing when I saw her!
She didn't have an answer for me. The Hadolids weren't in the mine one day. Then they were in the tunnels, attacking everyone who came near."

While you're making the journey to the mine:

Meryline Barthel: "I once hid from my escorts for three hours in that tree's hollow."

Meryline Barthel: "There it is. Brokerock Mine. I hope father is pleased to see me."

Meryline Barthel: "I always wanted to climb those guard towers. Father never let me."

When you arrive at the mine, you will find Meryline arguing with her father:

Overseer Barthel: "Did you leave your mother back at Amenos Station? No. Absolutely Not. I cannot have you getting underfoot. Go to your room."

Meryline Barthel: "I bring an adventurer to help—father—and you send me to my room? Ugh!"

<Meryline runs off to the nearby shack>

Overseer Barthel: "Why couldn't Meryline stay with her mother? I don't have any sentries to spare on her protection. Adventurer, since you're here anyway, we should speak. Come here!"

Speaking to her in the shack before her father:

"Father acts like he has the final say in what I do, but it's my life!"

While speaking to the Overseer, Meryline will sneak out of the camp and will meet up with you after you leave:

Meryline Barthel: "Your conversation distracted father long enough for me to escape out the front door!"

You have the option of speaking with her:

"See? Father acts like I'm a burden to be locked away and dealt with later. Not an adult who has some capacity to help!
He probably told you to see if I was in my room."

No, he didn't.

"Oh? Well, that means he can't yell at you if he catches me out here.
What did he ask you to do?"

He asked me to see what happened to a medical supply caravan.

"Hmm. I was hoping father needed us to battle the Hadolids. Recovering bandages and poultices is just as important. Right?
Ooh! Maybe there'll be resonance crystals. I haven't sung into one of those for a while."

Let's find the caravan.

Before you set out:

Meryline Barthel: "Finally! I get to help someone."

As you get near the road:

Meryline Barthel: "The trail the caravans use is just up ahead. Maybe we'll be able to see where they are from there."

Meryline using resonance crystals to repel Hadolids

When you arrive at the caravan, she will eventually find the sentries guarding the caravan dead:

Meryline Barthel: "Resonance crystals? The caravan? Where is everyone? "

Meryline Barthel: "Gisele? Darric? No no no no no."

Meryline mourns the fallen

Speaking to her:

"She—they're … gone. Dead. How could this happen?"

Is this the supply caravan?

"It was so close to the mine. What attacked them?
It looks like a beast tore them apart. But which one? Could—could it be the Hadolids?"

You think Hadolids did this?

"It couldn't have been the prisoner gangs. They left a lot of supplies behind.
Is this what adventuring is like? Seeing the people you grew up with … like this?"

The Hadolids might still be around here.

"I'm not going to leave without singing a song to honor my friends! These crystals will project my voice to the other carts.
Would you check for the supplies while I sing? I see the other carts to the left."

I'll look for the medical supplies.

She will mourn for the loss of her companions, with her song. While you search for the supplies, you will hear her song echo around you:

Meryline Barthel: "I hope this song brings your spirits peace."

Once you return with the supplies, Hadolids will spying on you both:

Meryline Barthel: "Oh good, you have the supplies. I'm nearly done here as well.

Meryline Barthel: "Aaaah! Look! On the ridge! There!"

Speaking to her once more:

"Monsters! Hadolids!
There was blood on their claws. Were they coming to kill me?"

Were those crystals glowing?

"Resonance crystals. The prisoners carry them to amplify the mine's sounds and help warn them of any collapses. But I used them to make my songs louder too.
Did the glow scare the Hadolids off? No. It was the music!"

Your music scared off the Hadolids?

"I think so. Or it calmed them enough that they left peacefully?
Pox! I never finished the song! I'll have to start from the beginning now."

What if the Hadolids come back?

"I'll find more resonance crystals. Their power and my song will keep me safe. And I'm going to honor my friends, monsters or not!
You should go back to the camp. Tell father what happened here."

I'll tell your father what we found.

When you go back to the mine, Merlyine will resume her song:

Meryline Barthel: "I'll catch up to you once the song is done."

As you arrive at the mine, Sentry Ennoc will approach with dire news:

Sentry Ennoc: "Merryline? The Hadolids. They attacked. Your father—"

Meryline Barthel: "The Hadolids attacked? What happened?"

Sentry Ennoc: "The Overseer … he was forced into the mine during the attack!"

Meryline Barthel: "They dragged him into the mine? No time to lose, friend!"

<Meryline runs in.>

Once in the mine, you can catch up to Meryline and talk to her:

"Ah, my trusty adventurer friend! I felt rather foolish the moment I ran in here without you."

Why didn't you wait for me?

"From what Ennoc told me, it sounded like the attack just happened.
Maybe if I'd been faster at the caravan, we could've rescued father."

Do you have a plan?

"No. I don't have your experience, but I am not going to twiddle my thumbs while father's fate is decided!
And if you don't think I can do this, I'll prove myself to both you and father!"

Do you know how to navigate the mine?

"I explored the tunnels a lot when I was younger. At night, of course. I didn't want to be caught.
Unless they dug new tunnels, I'll know where we are."

All right, let's go into the mine.

Speaking to her again:

"Let's look for father. But we should be careful, this place is overrun with those Hadolid creatures."

After walking a short distance, Meryline will comment she hears something behind a door leading to an abandoned mineshaft:

Sentry Yvelle: "Help! Someone help!"

Meryline Barthel: "Did you hear that? It sounded like it was coming from in here."

In the abandoned mineshaft she will recognize Sentry Yvelle:

Meryline Barthel: "Yvelle! Stendarr blind me. What happened?"

Sentry Yvelle: "Meryline? You can't be—the Hadolids, they're coming back for us!"

Sentry Yvelle: "Yvelle, you're in no state to fight. Adventurer, we need a plan."

Talk with Meryline about her plan:

"Yvelle and the others are too hurt to fend off the Hadolids outside.
I took some resonance crystals from the caravan, they should amplify my calming song. Do you still have the medical supplies?"

I still have the supplies.

"Good. Tend to them as best you can. I'll see if the song works on the Hadolids.
I think I know what happened before and how to re-create it."

What if the song doesn't work?

"I won't go too far. If the Hadolids keep coming, I'll run to you and we can make our stand. It'll be the two of us against … all of them.
No pressure, right?"

I'll use the medical supplies to heal the wounded.

She will try to keep the Hadolids away from the mine shaft while you patch up the survivors:

Meryline Barthel: "I'll keep the Hadolids at bay. Patch up Yvelle and the others."

Meryline will eventually repel a force of Hadolids without a fight with her singing.

Meryline Barthel: "The Hadolids are leaving!"

Sentry Yvelle: "Meryline? That song—the Hadolids aren't trying to get in anymore?"

Meryline Barthel: "It worked! Friend, check in with Yvelle. I need to catch my breath."

If you speak to Meryline before Yvelle, she will say:

"The song's done. Phew. That took more out of me than I was expecting. Talk to Yvelle there. See how she's feeling."

After speaking to Yvelle, she will encourage you to continue on by saying:

Meryline Barthel: "Father can't be far. Let's go!"

While searching for her father:

"I hope Yvelle and the others make it out of here safely.
We still need to find father. Who knows how long he's been in there fighting the Hadolids. He must be getting tired."

Once you find the Overseer's dagger in the mine, she will comment that she recognizes it:

Meryline Barthel: "That's father's dagger. He came this way!"

Shortly after you encounter a piece of her father's ripped off cloak, she will point it out to you:

Meryline Barthel: "That's a piece of father's cloak! We're definitely on the right path."

Next she will speak up after recognizing the body of a guard:

Meryline Barthel: "Achane? He—he was one of father's personal guards. We need to find father. Quickly."

She will then hear her father in the distance, just before reaching him:

Overseer Barthel: "Stay back, filthy beasts!"

Meryline Barthel: "That's father's voice!

Once in the mine supply room:

Meryline Barthel: "Father! Are you hurt? Where are the Hadolids?"

Overseer Barthel: "Meryline? You're supposed to be safely outside. Adventurer, come here."

Meryline Barthel: "I am safe! And you'd better be thanking my friend for seeing to that."

Speaking to her before her father:

"We come all this way into the mine to save him and all he does is yell at us? I don't know if you'll be able to talk to my father, but I certainly won't!
And he calls me childish!"

After speaking with her father, she will call you back over to her:

Meryline Barthel: "Oh! Friend! I have an idea!"

Hearing out her plan:

"Here, take these resonance crystals. These are the ones I took from the caravan site. They're the key to everything!"

How will the resonance crystals help?

"I can calm the Hadolids with my magic! With the resonance crystals amplifying the song, we can get more of the Hadolids to stop attacking us!
But, I think I can get them to do something else too."

What's your plan?

"My plan? I'm going to change the nature of the spell! Make it so the Hadolids aren't just calmer, but they don't want to be in the mine at all.
I'm sure I can convince some of them to leave!"

You can do that?

"I'm a thaumavocalist, remember? My music casts magic. If I change my lyrics, I can get the spell to change too!
We'd need to place a lot of resonance crystals. I know just the spots! And we'll need to find the entrance the Hadolids use."

Let's find some Hadolids.

She will then speak to her father:

Meryline Barthel: "Father, we're going in to deal with the Hadolids."

Overseer Barthel: "Leave the Hadolids in the hands of a capable adventurer. You're staying with me."

Meryline Barthel: "I won't let my friend face the Hadolids alone!"

Overseer Barthel: "Young lady, you will listen to your father!"

Meryline Barthel: "I fared better against the Hadolids than you or anyone else!

<She will run off to deal with the Hadolids>

Meryline Barthel: "I'm going deeper into the mine. You can make it out on your own."

Speaking to her in the next room:

"I have a good plan, a good friend, and a whole mine filled with monsters to get through.
A pox on everything father held me back from!"

Why did you push to accompany me?

"Despite what father thinks, I know what I can do. My magic is useful. I can help.
Besides, I wasn't going to let you go down there by yourself. I'm the reason you're in these tunnels. I won't abandon you."

Do you think the resonance crystals will really get the Hadolids to leave?

"Before today, I didn't even know that the resonance crystals—and my own magic—could keep monsters from attacking. Now look at where we are!"

What if it doesn't work?

"Chin up, friend!
We can't prepare for something we don't know about. Whatever happens deeper in the mines will happen. Let's deal with it then, yeah?"

As you progress through the path, she will make comments as you reach major points to leave resonance crystals:

Meryline Barthel: "Water? This tunnel must be the deepest one. Look for some loose dirt to place the crystals."

Meryline Barthel: "We're near the shore now. Maybe tunneling here angered the Hadolids? The entryway has to be close!"

After placing a crystal:

Meryline Barthel: "This smells like sea water. How close are we to the ocean?"

Meryline Barthel: "It doesn't seem like the Hadolids made homes here yet. Maybe they'll be more likely to leave."

After setting up the crystals"

Meryline Barthel: "These crystals are set. Let's look for the entryway. Maybe it's upstairs?"

Speaking to her at this point:

"Those crystals will carry my calming song down to the Hadolids in the bottom of the mine.
Now we just need to find where the Hadolids are coming from and see if we can keep them out."

After going up to a mine tunnel leading to an exit, she will climb up to a higher location to sing:

Meryline Barthel: "Up there! They have to be coming from those holes. Let me get a better view."

Meryline Barthel: "Yes! All right, place the crystals. I'll start the song."

Once her song works its magic, she will comment on the successful effort to drive out the Hadolids before leaving the mine:

Meryline Barthel: "The song's done, we did it! Some of the Hadolids left the mine!"

Meryline Barthel: "Father will be waiting for us at the camp. Use that door down there. That'll take you outside."

Once you leave, you will see Meryline having another discussion with her father back at the camp:

Overseer Barthel: "Meryline, you proved more capable than I thought. Your mother was right in sending for you."

Meryline Barthel: "I'm … capable? Does this mean you'll let me go on adventures?"

Overseer Barthel: "Ah, adventurer. Come over here, if you please."

Speaking to Meryline first will have her excitedly say:

"You heard what father said? He thinks I'm capable! He might let me go on more adventures! I'll be able to help people!
Talk to him please. I want to hear what else he has to say about me."

After discussing matters with her father, you can speak to her again to finish the quest.

"We did it! Once the prisoners and sentries recover, they'll be able to return to work. Without having to worry about being attacked too!"

The new song did what you thought it would?

"My plan worked! Or, it looks like it's working. You believed in me even though I know I wasn't entirely prepared for this adventure. At least I wasn't when we set off. Thank you.
Take this. It's from my father and I."

After the quest:

"I can't believe it. We did it. I did it!
I always knew I could use my magic to help people, but now we proved it! I can be an adventurer!"

Is that what you want to do in the future?

"The future? It's what I want to do now!
Look at all the good we did here. We saved the mine!"

Where do you think you'll go?

"Somewhere where no one knows who I am or who my father is. When I leave, I don't want to feel like I'm still proving myself to him. I'll be an adventurer in my own right.
Maybe Khefrem or—or Summerset? Ships sail to those shores all the time."

Do you think your father will let you go?

"I hope it doesn't come to that. We'll talk. Work through our disagreements. But if he goes back to being a stubborn mule, then I'll have no choice but to leave anyway.
The world needs my skills. I'm not going to be content here."

A Chance for Peace

If you completed her quest prior to the celebration in the Gonfalon Palace, Meryline will attend:

"You rescued the alliance leaders? I thought you were amazing when you helped me in Brokerock Mine. But, friend, you're incredible!"

What are you still doing here?

"Where better to find a ship then in Gonfalon Bay? I'll get passage on one of them. Until then, I'm helping people."

You're helping people?

"Yes! I started by singing rats off of a galley. It's a small start, but now folks are coming to me with their problems!
I'm making a name for myself. It might not be much—yet—but I crafted it myself. And it's my name, not my father's."

What will you do now?

"Me? I'm going to enjoy myself. Maybe try some new foods. It's nice being at a party and not having to worry about being called on to perform.
After that? I'm going to battle monsters. Solve real problems. Like you."

Speaking with Meryline after completing the quest:

"I don't want to help people just to make them grateful to me. But, if these are the sorts of parties adventurers get to attend, I definitely won't complain."

What are you still doing here?

(Rest of Dialogue is identical to above.)

Dialogue

Meryline as an adventurer

After helping her in Amenos, you have a chance of finding Meryline in The Ancient Anchor Inn in Gonfalon Bay on High Isle. She will be dressed in proper adventuring gear:

"Who knew that helping people would be this hard on the voice? I feel like I'm going to be drinking ginger tea for the rest of my life!"

Your father let you go on adventures? / Your father let you leave to go on adventures?

"After we saved the mine from those Hadolids, father relented and admitted that I was more capable than he thought.
I thought he understood. But, he only agreed to let me help around the mine. He wanted to use my voice to shift rubble and stones."

What happened then?

"I argued with him. Of course. I thought I could make him see that I wanted to spend my life on the road. Help people.
But, he said he'd let me do that if I took one of his sentries with me as a guardian. A guardian? Can you believe him?"

Where's your sentry?

"I left without one. I love father, but he doesn't get to order me about my whole life. I need to do this, and I need to do it without being coddled!
I started small on my way here. Helping anyone who needed it."

What are you doing in Gonfalon?

"Living the life I dreamed I'd have! I'm helping people. Figuring out how my magic can be used to solve actual problems.
And I'm doing it without having to sit in the feast hall conjuring flowers for the noblewomen!"

Are you going to leave the archipelago?

"Eventually. But right now there are people who want my help. No, they need it. I won't leave them to their distresses.
I'll go when it's the right time for me, but right now I'm just enjoying being useful!"