Marilese was an apprentice priestess in a sacred order devoted to the Sun Goddess. Many of its members were famed for banishing demons. Marilese dreamed of joining their ranks, yet she was clumsy, often miscasting spells or summoning demons instead of driving them away. Treated as a failure, her peers surpassed her one by one. She had not yet been given the fabled Staff of Dawn to amplify her power. All that sustained her was the promise her grandmother whispered in childhood: [Within you lies a power yet unknown.]