The tale of Merril the Murderer
In Gildar, the only external defeat the nation has ever known was at the hands of their northern neighbours, [Merellion].
As part of the aftermath of the Merilese revolution, the parents of Gildar began telling the tale of Merril the Murderer. One who went to kill the next generation of Gildarian youth in order to maintain their vaunted "freedom".
Summary
The story begins in the darkened north, where good men turn sour from lack of sun and joy. One of these, Merril, joined the army early and learned to kill well.
When he returned from the army, it was loaded with medals (as the north had always been corrupt, even before the revolution). To celebrate the end of his soldiering, he decided to start a fight and killed two men. Here he learned that, vile though the north is, it didn't accept random murders. To jail he went, to rot out the rest of his days.
In the dark, his thoughts turned inwards, and he remembered how he was celebrated for killing as a soldier, and thought to himself "what if I made it a good thing to kill certain people?
He bargained with his jailers till he was allowed a second meeting with the judges that put him in jail.
Merril stood before them and told of his realization: That none of them could be free with the rules of old on them. He asked them to give him a year to prove his idea to them after which he would return home.
Intrigued, the judges let him go. Off he went to the east, where he visited the dwarves, learned their crafts, then sabotaged the dams that keep the Leibod river from flooding.
Then he began to stalk south of the river, while the judges and their ilk turned against the High King of Gildar.
Once again, Merril became a hero, killing guards and recruiters, hampering Gildar in their war for justice and unity.
They say that he died when Gildar first landed in their old lands, but that his ghost now haunts the cities and villages, looking for those who do not have faith in Gildar, in truth, and don't have the protection of the High King.
Historical Basis
Merril is less of a fact, and more of a legend him or herself. It was the title given to a freedom fighter during the Revolution, and then taken as a title by the leader of saboteurs in every single conflict since then.
Spread
The myth is common in Gildar and Merellion, used as a tale of caution and inspiration respectively.
Variations & Mutation
As the tale became more accepted by the Gildarian commoners, it was picked up by the nobility and used as a tool of propaganda.
At the end of two centuries, the undying Merril now runs the town of [Sacrifice], where the modern Republic of Merellion runs its weapons and magic developement.
In Literature
The myth is propagated through rhyme, nursery tales, plays and songs. On both sides of the river.
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