Jen Farran

Jenna Farran (usually called Jen) is a key character throughout the Melodies of Realms series.

Biography
Prior the events of the books, Jen was a student in the Allandra Academy, studying the lore of magick along with her fellow pupils. Originally the daughter of two minor nobles in Kaeren County, she was orphaned on a visit to Brightpoint, where her parents vanished without a trace. Unbeknownst to Jen, this was due to Boddin's influence, and the man was also responsible for leaving her on the doorstep of the Allandra Academy, where she lived and studied for the next thirteen years of her life.

Scherzo
Archibald first encounters Jen when he visits the Allandra Academy for the last time before it is closed by the Clerical Order. She demonstrates her untapped magickal potential to him and, impressed, he takes her as his apprentice. She assists him as he tries to uncover the Clerical Order's plans for the Greatwyn, while her magickal power grows under his tutelage.

When Archibald receives a message requesting his presence at the Laboratories, Jen tags along and reecounters Boddin, although she does not recognise him. She also meets Clarence for the first time, but the boy does not stop for long.

On Boddin's cryptic advice, Archibald decides to venture into the Allandra family tomb, and Jen accompanies him to learn of the Grand Mage's history. Archibald uses a weak Necromantic spell to briefly awaken Marrin Allandra's ghost, and Jen is intrigued by this use of magick to interact with the dead. Archibald explains that Necromancy is frowned upon, but before the pair can get anything coherent from Marrin, they are chased from the tomb by an unknown force.

Preparing to leave Brightpoint, Jen is sent to meet Boddin and arrange their departure. However, the Clerics have no intention of letting the pair leave the capital and ambush her on the way to the Laboratories. With the help of Clarence, Jen is able to escape her attackers and is taken to the Underways, where she learns about the resistance movement from Bertrand.

Mazurka
Having now joined the Resistance, Jen and Clarence are paired up in order to spy on Drann and the other Clerics. She discovers they know where Archibald has fled to, and requests that she be allowed to pursue him. Reluctantly, Bertrand arranges a small ship to be arranged so that Jen can reach the Lawless Waters, with Clarence and a small Resistance party coming too.

The vessel arrives in the Lawless Waters the night before the Aethean Movement's assault on Castle Carran. The crew moor at Orell and meet Alyssa Allandra, who is fortune telling in the harbourside inn. She does not reveal the true nature of her relationship with Archibald but agrees to take Jen to Archibald, on the condition she does it alone. Promising to return to Clarence and the other Resistance members, Jen and Alyssa travel to the Aethean camp on the outskirts of Carran.

However they are too late, as Jaymes and Archibald have already left for the assault, taking the majority of the Movement's members with them. Alyssa is unperturbed and assures Jen Archibald will return the next day. However Jen is less certain and sneaks out of the camp later that night, headed for Carran Castle.

Jen arrives at the castle just as the Movement realise their betrayal, and witnesses their slaughter. Desperate to reunite with Archibald, she stealthily makes her way towards the castle, making extensive use of magick as she does so. As she enters the central courtyard she overhears Archibald's confrontation with Jaymes, and so is present when the latter fatally wounds her mentor.

Overcome with rage, Jen inadvertently taps into her latent Necronomic powers and uses Archibald's fading life source to destroy Jaymes utterly, erasing him from existence. Although she cannot save Archibald, her dark magick has inadvertently revived his soul in ghost form, although Jen does not witness this as it quickly dissipates.

Requiem
Jen returns to the Aethean camp, which is now deserted thanks to their final loss at Carran Castle. She tries to find Alyssa but the mage has already fled the camp, and has hijacked the resistance party remaining in Orell to return to Brightpoint in order to take her revenge.

Now apparently stranded in the Lawless Waters with no friends or help, Jen stows aboard a trading vessel headed for Durn, as she hopes she can make a new life in the Raglands, where nobody is pursuing her. Although she is quickly discovered, her magickal powers are enough to convince the captain to keep her onboard, as he fears she will burn his ship to a crisp.

When she arrives in Durn, Jen is quickly overwhelmed by all that is going on in the capital of the Raglands. Stumbling into a back alley, she is attacked by petty theieves interested in her jewellery. Much has passed since her last day in Brightpoint and now Jen can defend herself with ease, but not without rousing the City Guard. Before she can be captured Jen is rescued by Ellarina al'Fez, who detected the magick with her warlock abilities. Ellarina, whose husband Delabon was a friend of Archibald's, knows of Jen and takes her to her home, where Oliver Padora and Beth Weston are also staying.

Quickly befriending the two Raglandian scribes and their eccentric host, Jen decides to settle into life in Durn. She takes some lessons from Ellarina, herself a competent warlock, and learns how to excercise greater control on her already flourishing powers.

One day however, Jen meets Boddin in a local tavern. The man gives no explanation as to how he has arrived there, but tells Jen of Aelryn's arrival in Brightpoint and the fall of the Clerical Order, and how the Hero of Brightpoint would certainly admire the apprentice of the famed Grand Magus Archibald Allandra. Believing her home to be safe once more, Jen explains to her new Raglandian friends that she must return to the Greatwyn, and the two scribes decide to join her.

On the voyage back Beth becomes severely ill, and Jen's command over healing magicks is not enough to cure her. However, Jen is confident that the physicians back in the Greatwyn capital will be able to cure Beth when they arrive.

After arriving back in Brightpoint, Jen leaves Oliver and Beth in one of the city's best inns and returns to the Underways in order to reunite with the Resistance. But she finds the Underways empty and abandoned, and falls foul of a trap set by the Hero's acolytes. She is taken before Aelryn, who is, as Boddin said, delighted to meet with Archibald's apprentice, although for sinister reasons. He is initially very happy to help cure Beth, but when he learns Jen's friends are Raglanders he retracts his offer and casts Jen out, disgusted that she could associate with such savages.

Jen returns, crestfallen, to Oliver and Beth, only to watch in anguish as Beth finally gives into her illness and passes away. Furious with Aelryn's betrayal and remembering how she used Archibald's life force, she tells Oliver that she will bring Beth back to life, despite all she has ever been taught about Necromancy.

At the dead of midnight, Jen taps into her well of power deeper than ever before, remembering all she has been taught and more, reaching deep into Beth's vacant body. While Oliver watches in horror, Jen brings back Beth from death, while releasing an enormous beacon of dark energy that is felt throughout all the Realms.

Nocturne
The dark beacon has caused Jen's presence in Brightpoint to become known to several unwelcome parties, including the Raglandian Necromantics. Despite the trio's best efforts to stay hidden, Jen is tracked down and the Necromantic scouts spirit her away to their hideout in the ruined city of Old Nox. There she meets their leader, Yarin, who explains that they believe her to be a reincarnation of a character of Necromantic legend: the Night Maiden. The elderly necromancer attempts to persuade Jen to embrace this role and lead them to domination of the Raglands, restoring the Necromantics to their former glory. Jen refuses and attempts to escape the city, but only succeeds in creating a magickal anomaly which is detected by Delabon al'Fez

Yarin and the Necromantic nobles trick Jen into consuming a poultice that sends her into a deep slumber, one that resembles death. While in this condition Jen encounters a strange man in her dreams, a man she eventually realises is a representation of Death itself, a foe she has vanquished once already. As she struggles to escape the grips of the sleep, she does battle with Death once more face to face.

At last she strikes the man down, defeating Death itself. The man is not angered by his defeat, and instead grants Jen the ultimate hidden powers of the Necromantics, sending her power level skyrocketing but also consuming her with dark magicks, causing her to become the Night Maiden. She immediately awakens from the poultice and strikes down Yarin, gruesomely tearing him apart with the aid of the spirits that now obey her every command. The Night Maiden takes control of the Necromantics and rallies them for an attack on the nearby Nogua.

Toccata
The Night Maiden and her loyal followers fall on Nogua in the night, effortlessly removing the council and taking control of the city. Although the Necromantics' power is not weak, it pales in comparison to their new leader's, who plays the darkness like an instrument, using it both to aid her and eliminate her foes. Not content with Nogua, she sets her eyes on Durn itself.

Unaware that Delabon al'Fez is pursuing the party, the Night Maiden razes Nogua to the ground and creates a portal that will allow the Necromantics to strike Durn from within, eliminating the need to pass the city walls. However, she is not the only one to have access to spatial powers, as Delabon has already made a spatial jump to Durn, where he warns the city of the coming attack.

The Necromantics, expecting no resistance, are taken by surprise. However, the Night Maiden is unperturbed by this change to her plans, and continues to mount an attack, effortlessly slaughtering the guards that attempt to block her path to the palace. As she moves to enter the House of Durn, she is intercepted by Delabon and Ellarina, who recognises her as the girl she met some months ago. The warlocks, channeling their power together, are a match for the Night Maiden, and the three do battle across Durn, causing much damage to the city. Meanwhile, without their leader's powers focused on the main battle, the Necromantics are suddenly at a disadvantage.

As she and Delabon hold off the Night Maiden's attacks, Ellarina attempts to rescue the real Jen from deep within this dark facade. As she messes with the darkness' grip on her, the Dark Maiden becomes frantic, teleporting the trio all across the realms, first to Acrylion where they are seen by Vergen and Derrik, then to the skies above Greca, then to Brightpoint above the battle between Oliver's army and that of the Trickster. Oliver sees the Night Maiden and also recognises Jen, calling her name. Elsewhere, Beth feels Jen's presence and sets out in search of her. The Dark Maiden finally gets the upper hand when Delabon hesitates in delivering a fatal blow, and the two warlocks are sent plumetting to the ground.

Victorious at last but severely wounded, the Night Maiden attempts to return to the Raglands, but is interrupted by Oliver and Beth, who desperately plead for the true Jen to return. From within the Night Maiden's mental clutches, Jen awakes and attempts to retake her body. Oliver distracts the Night Maiden while Beth uses her mental link with Jen to build on her strength. After a fierce struggle Jen triumphantly regains her body, banishing the Night Maiden to beyond the Abyss. However her ordeal has not been in vain: Jen's dormant potential has been unlocked and now she can use the Night Maiden's huge magickal powers for the good of the Realms.

Rhapsody
Reunited with her two Raglandian friends, Jen is intrigued in the developments in Brightpoint while she was away. She is delighted to hear of Aelryn's death at the hands of Oliver, and how the latter is in fact the true Hero of Brightpoint. She is also distressed to hear of the Trickster, and how it is entirely possible he has had a hand in most of the events from Drann's ascent to power. Elected by Oliver as the first of a new line of Brightpoint Grand Magi, she returns to the Obelisk for the first time after her departure during Drann's pursuit.

Jen meets with the new High Council of Brightpoint, led by Oliver, where she meets Clarence once again. Although she is still somewhat peeved that he left her in Orrell, she is nonetheless happy to see him again, even though he is significantly more subdued than when she last met him, having taken part in battles against both Aelryn and the Trickster. The Council discuss the troubles that face the Greatwyn and all of the Realms, and Jen explains the situation in the Raglands. Although it is apparent that the Necromantics are now scattered and defeated following the loss of both of their leaders, Jen believes that if the Trickster were to rally them under his command they would be a force to deal with. To combat this force she offers to travel to Acrylion and gain the aid of the mages there.

With a small delegate provided by the Underground, Jen makes the jump to Canvar, where she meets with the new Chancellor, Vergen Nalatyr, and his associate Derrik Darkstone. The pair recognise her from their observation of the battle between the Dark Maiden and the two warlocks, and while Derrik is suspicious, Vergen is impressed by the raw magickal power she now possesses. Having also been the victim of the Trickster's nefarious plans for the Realms, Vergen agrees to support the Greatwyn however he can, although he notes that such a scheme has gone undiscovered for many years and therefore it will not be easy to uproot it now.