Syla Merith

Syla Merith leads the Thorn Choir and hears changes in the forest before scouts can name them. She can soothe a frightened guest, mislead a hunting party, wake every warden within a league, or bury panic beneath a calm refrain. Her rooms smell of throat herbs, lamp smoke, rainwater, vellum, and leaves drying over warm stone. Syla's influence is subtle until silence itself begins obeying her. The old Choir masters taught that a song can be mercy, map, weapon, or funeral bell; Syla remembers all four when she opens her mouth.