>>714508221
Messmer is so great, I can never take anyone who hates the DLC seriously just because he's in it. There's a lot to cover with him so I'll keep it simple:

>Why was he left behind?
I believe Marika's reasons were both personal and political. We know she did love him and tended to him, but it was also apparent she feared his true nature and tried her best to snuff it out. Once it became clear there was no "fixing" him, and owing to how unpopular he was in Leyndell (We're told he "fled" it, apparently), she left him behind after he made himself the figurehead of the crusade she wanted against the Hornsent, so she could kill two birds with one stone.

This is where I feel the political aspect comes in - not only did Messmer commit genocide on Marika's behalf, he was also responsible for planting the sealing tree that hid away the Tower. I feel this must have been on Marika's orders in order to hide away her means of ascension, another way for her to maintain her foothold of power.

>Is he Melina's brother? Why the giant demon blood serpent?
Yup, and if you look closely their faces do share a bit in common. Both are associated with flames too, especially if you buy into the possible GEQ/Melina connection, but that is another story. As for the abyssal serpent, it seems to be tied to either Eiglay, Rykard's serpent god, or even the Fell God which the Hornsent feared and Marika defeated. A recurring trend is that many of Marika's children are cursed, and Messmer was dealt the worst of it.

I'll address the Miquella stuff in the next post.