Hell Mel: Pirate, right?

[YoungDyne]

I was wandering around Meribia talking to the locals the other day when I noticed their stories about "Master Mel" were mixed. Some say that he was the founder of Meribia, and that the city was named after him (that doesn't make much sense itself because the two names really aren't that close at all), while another tells the story of how he met Jessica's mother. It says he was a pirate known as "Hell Mel" who fell in love Jessica's mother, who was the daughter of a chancellor (I think that was it) of Meribia. Obviously, the stories don't match up. Did anybody else notice this?

[Alunissage]

Yeah, I noticed the contradiction between Mel founding Meribia and marrying into its nobility long ago. I never thought of Mel and Meribia being close together in sound, but they probably are in Japanese, assuming neither name was changed in translation. It doesn't really seem likely that Mel founded Meribia (which is what TSS says, no mention of it being named for him); it's too big to have started just since he gave up pirating. I'm pretty sure his wife's family was just described as being noble, though, rather than holding a specific office. Does EBC really say all this about these characters? I don't remember it being that specific, but I haven't replayed it.

My own pet theory was that Mel took his wife's family name when they married and that his rulership of the city came from her. TSS I thought said that he abducted her or that she was on a ship he fought as a pirate. Ha, I'm right...

MASTER MEL'S DECEASED WIFE
WAS THE WIFE OF ROYALTY!
SHE WAS GORGEOUS!

THEY MET WHEN MASTER MEL
WAS TRYING TO OVERTAKE
THEIR SHIP AT SEA...

YOU SEE, HE WAS A PIRATE
CAPTAIN AT THE TIME...

but there's also this:

THE BIGGEST CITY ON THE
MAINLAND IS MERIBIA.

GOVERNOR MEL, ONE OF THE
FOUR HEROES, IS THE
ONE WHO FOUNDED IT.

Overall, I'm inclined to think that a) the Saith person is mistaken or b) it was just a small village with some other name before Mel married into the nobility and built it up. Although this doesn't really sound like it:

ON HIS WAY TO MERIBIA LONG
AGO, DYNE MET UP WITH
MASTER MEL,

WHO WAS THEN ONE OF THE
MOST FEARED PIRATES ON
THE HIGH SEAS.

AFTER FIGHTING FOR SEVEN
DAYS, THE TWO WERE
SO WORN OUT,

THEY DECLARED A DRAW.
AFTER THAT,

MASTER MEL SETTLED DOWN
TO A QUIET LIFE IN MERIBIA,

Oh, and in TSS his pirate nickname was Deadly Mel.

[Kizyr]

The theory I've come to from all the text (TSS, SSS, and the SSS novels) is that Mel is the one who turned Meribia around from a semi-anarchical state regularly plundered by pirates into an orderly city. In that way, he made Meribia what it is today and 'founded' it. It must've already been a large city with nobility and whatnot, but kind of like those port towns in the Caribbean during the 17th and 18th centuries. Periodically plundered by my men in Sid Meier's Pirates, while I installed Dutch governers and married the hottest woman in the West Indies.

But what do I know, I get my games confused. KF

[keele864]

L's and R's are often switched in Japanese-English or English-Japanese translations. Perhaps Meribia could have been translated Melibia? It wouldn't sound as good as Meribia, but it would make sense.

[YoungDyne]

The theory I've come to from all the text (TSS, SSS, and the SSS novels) is that Mel is the one who turned Meribia around from a semi-anarchical state regularly plundered by pirates into an orderly city. In that way, he made Meribia what it is today and 'founded' it.

Yeah, something like the thoughts I was having...WD wouldn't mess up on something like this. I guess I half-expected atleast one person to spell it out like that. My speculation is often misguided, anyway ^^

it's too big to have started just since he gave up pirating. I'm pretty sure his wife's family was just described as being noble, though, rather than holding a specific office. Does EBC really say all this about these characters? I don't remember it being that specific, but I haven't replayed it.

I was in Meribia just a couple hours in playtime(a couple days in real time) ago and I'm pretty sure they did get that specific. Chancellor or anything office related never crosses my mind without some kind of influence first. I'm sure I can go back to double-check, but I'm not sure they'll still be saying the same thing after the events of the Shadow Dragon Cult have passed.

I never thought of Mel and Meribia being close together in sound, but they probably are in Japanese, assuming neither name was changed in translation.

This is also something that got my attention. First, Mel's name in the japanese version would have to be "Mer" wouldn't it? While I'm not familiar with all the japanese names, this doesn't sound familiar. Second, even if this is the case and in the japanese version Meribia was named after Mel...then you'd think that WD would have caught that and had the name of the town be "Melibia". Which I think, despite what keele says, sounds good if you put an accent on the right part. Although be it a little conceited of "Deadly Mel" to do such a thing.

It's funny, was he really called Deadly Mel? I don't remember much from the original, the last time I had a Sega CD in my house was about 10 years ago. I think the SSS nickname is better, but that may only be because it ryhmes ^^;; Had his name been "Hell Dan" it probably wouldn't have my support.

L's and R's are often switched in Japanese-English or English-Japanese translations. Perhaps Meribia could have been translated Melibia?

And thanks for explaining that to those who aren't very familiar with the japanese language, and wouldn't really get what we're talking about...I don't think anyone else mentioned it.

[Alunissage]

I think he was only called Deadly Mel once or twice. I think Kizyr said that in Japanese it was more like "blood-soaked Mel" but I'll have to reread his notes on the Japanese game. Anyway, I would guess that Sega wouldn't have let them call him Hell Mel anyway; they required all the pentagrams in EB be removed, after all.

I think Mel's name in Japanese was Meru (but still romanized Mel). My understanding is that the last vowel is generally almost unarticulated. Since there's only one standalone consonant, n, most words end in vowels. If I'm right that it ended in 'ru' then the names would only share the first sound, 'me', since 'ru' and 'ri' would be different sounds. I don't know how significant that would be.

[ilovemyguitar]

I'm kinda hoping that Mel didn't actually found Meribia from the ground-up, because there's a part of me that wants the small port town Gien lives in in Lunar: DS to turn out to be Meribia in its early days. Or at least to see it in that game.

[Kizyr]

Mel and Meribia aren't related names. There's no possible way Meribia could've been named after Mel.

It might look like that if you're just giving a surface glance at the phonetics, and assuming that there's always an L-R mixup. Reality is, there's no possible way that the city name is derived from Mel's name. It just doesn't work like that phonetically. KF

[keele864]

I'll defer to you on that.

[Rune Lai]

I don't have the kana in front of me, but it's likely the names are Meru and Meribia in katakana, which is why it wouldn't work (if Meribia is still called Meribia in the Japanese).

[YoungDyne]

I think Kizyr said that in Japanese it was more like "blood-soaked Mel"

Sounds familiar, must be true? Plus, I forgot about the whole "silent letter" that occurs at times in japanese. I never knew that sega had all the pentagrams edited out of the game...how funny!

Mr.Guitar, while your idea would be fun (I always enjoy exploring it)...I doubt even the smallest traces of Meribia were around 1000 years before TSS. Though, it is only a game so it's always possible, huh?

Kizyr, Rune Lai...I don't know enough about that kind of stuff to comment on what you said...but if that's the case, then why did a local tell me Meribia is named after Mel? And does it say the same in the japanese versions? It's not making much sense to me.

[Alunissage]

If Meribia lasted a thousand years to the time of EB (and looked fairly unchanged) then it's not that unlikely that it existed a thousand years previous, too, at least in some form. Think about how old Rome is. There'd have to ba a port town on the mainland if Caldor Isle is inhabited, and there's no particular reason to think that it'd be located somewhere else. Of course, given how Lunar's geography changed between Lunar 1 and Lunar 2 one never knows.

I'm pretty sure Meribia is transcribed directly from Japanese; I looked at a Legend screenshot in which the name occurs earlier today. I didn't think about it that hard, though. I do have the I+II artbook right here, and Meru is correct. (Interesting, he's Mel de Alkirk, while Jessica is just Jessica Alkirk. I always thought that was a typo in TSS. I wonder if the Japanese games fixed it in the remakes? Not according to the guide I just pulled out; she's doesn't get the De. Hmph.) Okay, looking at the guide I see that Meribia looks the same, unless I'm misremembering what 'bi' is in katakana. I'm sure Kizyr would've told us if it's not, though.

The translation could be in error (in saying that the city is named for him), or it could just be confused history after 1000 years. Who knows. I really wish I had my 60 saves from that game now.

[Kizyr]

.but if that's the case, then why did a local tell me Meribia is named after Mel? And does it say the same in the japanese versions? It's not making much sense to me.

Can you tell me about where you remember that being said? That is, which game and by what person?

I can look back through if I get the time. I don't immediately recall anything like that. KF

[YoungDyne]

I can do that, it's the first time you visit Meribia is EBC. It may have been before you speak with Lunn, or maybe after...because I talked to every person multiple times before moving on in both occaisions. Which person, exactly? I can't remember, and it may have been more than one person who mentioned it...or maybe I came back and talked to the same person again later ^^;;

If Meribia lasted a thousand years to the time of EB (and looked fairly unchanged) then it's not that unlikely that it existed a thousand years previous, too, at least in some form.

Lol, I completely forgot to think of it like that...I don't know, I always kind of thought Meribia was fairly recently established in TSS and SSS and that it was so successful it somehow lasted up until EB. But, I never read many books or spoke to much of the locals in either one (TSS and SSS I mean) so I don't know a lot of the history.

[segaboy7]

wow this is intense, I thought i knew alot about Lunar but I have sadly been shown up lol

[YoungDyne]

Lol I don't know that much myself either(maybe you've noticed), it's just something I came across. Oh, and I found out who says Meribia was named after Mel. It's some white-haired lady on the southern side of town wandering aimlessly by a wooden bridge.

[Alunissage]

You know, we really ought to archive game saves at all sorts of points in the games, both US and Japanese, so stuff like this can be checked more easily. Then again, I don't know how many people have DexDrives now.

My Saturn EB save might be around there, if I can find it. Of course, I can't read Japanese (other than katakana) so it wouldn't help much unless I can get the info to Kiz somehow.

[Kizyr]

Ah, it's been a real long time since I played EBC for the Saturn.

I may get through the Japanese original EB for Sega CD (Mega CD) this summer. I'll see if it says anything there. KF

[Dark_Fairy]

I don't recall any lady saying that Mel founded Meribia...that means I have to check that out now...I'll see what my closest file is to Meribia and check it out later. I do have two memory cards full of Lunar 1 and 2 only...so I have to have a file some where close to this point in the game.

[Jenner]

I think they changed his name from "Hell Mel" to "Deadly Mel" because there is no Hell in Lunar.

You'd think with all the cult movie references they make in the games they'd pull a Princess Bride and call him "Dread Pirate Mel." That would earn much love.

L's and R's are often switched in Japanese-English or English-Japanese translations. Perhaps Meribia could have been translated Melibia? It wouldn't sound as good as Meribia, but it would make sense.

Hee hee hee hee heee.... he said "libia" [/immature]