Melfi was the son of the cooper in Ellander. For a time, he attended the temple school along with Jarre, but a mere six months into his studies, his father removed him from the school saying he was only fit to be a cooper. He laboured there for a time and managed to teach himself to read and write.
Later, he traveled with Jarre, Milton, Ograbek, Klaproth, Okultich and Pike to Vizima to join the army. As a soldier in the "PFI" (Poor Fucking Infantry), he was killed at the Battle of Brenna.