Session Nineteen: The Man of Law's Tale

Defiling the Shrine

You Can Desecrate Chaos Shrines as Much as you Want!

Magnus takes one of the rust and blood-encrusted great swords for his own use. Sir Henri takes the banner and rolls it up around its support pole. The others tip the cauldron over, spilling blood and numerous human bones onto the floor. Pierre notices that at least two, and likely more, human beings contributed the remains to the cauldron. The company proceeds to dump oil on the spreading pool and ignite it, filling the shrine with foul, black smoke.

The company makes for the stairs. Magnus, in the lead, hears someone praying fervently out in the shrine of the Lady. He creeps out and discovers that the shrine’s occupant is Lady Josephine, who is dressed in riding leathers and armed with a saber. He interrupts her prayer and manages to convince her that she had missed seeing him when she first entered the shrine. Magnus also convinces her that he is both lost and afraid of the dark, and asks her to escort him back to his temporary chambers. She relents and accompanies him. Magnus thinks that she likes him a great deal.

Once the lady has been led away, the rest of the company enter the Lady’s shrine and seal the door behind them, but not before Sir Henri chips some stone off of the stairwell wall. Now that they know that the valley is secretly beset upon with ruinous dark forces, the company decides to gather allies. They plan to ride first for Saint Jacqueline’s shrine and then to Grandcamp, in the hopes that they can convince people to join with them.

Magnus, realizing that the company is leaving without him, quits his bedchamber and joins them in their journey.

A Rag-Tag War Host

The faithful at Saint Jacqueline’s shrine are easily swayed by the company’s words and by the sight of the banner of Khorne. They promise to march with the company and provide religious support to their deeds. The company also informs Constance that someone in the baroness’ household is not only a devotee of Khorne, but is also likely behind the poisoning of the knights. At this, Constance requests to be broken out of the wall so that she can lend her strength to the company’s.

Constance, Freed at Last!

The now much larger group travels north to Grandcamp, where they are admitted and escorted to the castle’s receiving hall. There, they meet with Baron Stephane, Lord Alexandre, and Lady Valerie. The company explains what they have discovered, show off the sigil of Khorne, and request Grandcamp’s aid. The baron savors the delicious irony of marching to Maisy as a liberator instead of a conqueror and accepts. He asks Alexandre and his knights to join him, but orders Lady Valerie to stay behind.

Andre, who is still convinced that the baron—or someone in his retinue—is a vampire, surreptitiously cuts himself with his knife just prior to entering the receiving hall. During the discussions, he reveals his injury, which surprises his companions and draws looks of concern from the baron and his household. Dismayed that none of the nobles show an unrelenting desire to feast upon his blood, Andre allows Pierre to bandage him. Baron Stephane, seeing the quality of Pierre’s surgeon’s bag, offers up one of his fine handkerchiefs to dress the wound. Pierre and Andre exchange glances when they realize that the baron’s handkerchief is bright red in color.

In the village of Grandcamp, Garnier and several others incite its people to action against Maisy. Realizing that a Chaos purge is imminent, many of the Grandcamp locals gather up pitchforks and torches to storm Maisy.

Those in the company who have no horse of their own are given one by Baron Stephane. Though they realize that this is likely temporary, the company (Renee and Magnus, specifically) hope that they can keep theirs for the duration of the pilgrimage.

The March on Maisy

With a host consisting of the priests of Saint Jacqueline’s shrine, the locals of Grandcamp, and the knights and leaders of Grandcamp, the company returns to Maisy. On the way, Magnus meets and befriends Sir Maximillian, seemingly the leader of the Grandcamp knights. Sir Maximillian is quite pleased at the chance to finally fight the knights of Maisy, and hopes that the imminent battle will give him the chance to get in, “a real good scrap.”

Word of the host reaches Maisy ahead of them, and the company finds the castle gates closed and guards swarming atop the walls. Baron Stephane levies the charges of Chaos worship against Maisy and demands that Baroness Louise be brought out to the parapets so that she may answer them. After much running back and forth, the guards of Maisy say that they must fetch Lady Josephine instead, as the baroness is, “currently indisposed.”

While this is going on, Andre, Sabina, and Garnier slip around to the back of Maisy and locate the culvert that allowed Constance to escape the castle. There they watch and wait, making sure that Maisy’s forces aren’t exiting the culvert in preparation of a sneak attack.

Lady Josephine does not take the accusations well. She loudly berates the company for pretending friendship, only to use the opportunity to betray Maisy and unite its enemies against it. Sir Henri attempts to reason with Lady Josephine, swearing to her that he has proof of his accusations. He asks that the company be let inside so that he can show her the truth.

After some back and forth, Lady Josephine relents. She permits Sir Henri, Magnus, Maurice, Pierre, Renee, Jim, Jules, Frieda, and several priests to enter the castle and deliver their proof while under heavy guard.

Lady Josephine, Appalled at the Accusations

Proof and Accusations

Sir Henri and his companions, under heavy guard, show the banner of Khorne to Lady Josephine. She is not convinced, however, which forces Sir Henri to lead her to the secret door in the castle’s shrine to the Lady. Here, Sir Henri takes the chip he had earlier struck from the staircase wall and replaces it, thereby proving that he has been in this area before. He then asks that the lady and her knights accompany him below.

The lady and her knights are horrified to see the shrine to Khorne, even in its defiled state. The priests who have accompanied Sir Henri begin to pray most fervently, asking the Lady to cleanse the baleful shrine of its Chaotic influence.

Lady Josephine quickly recovers from her shock and grows wroth. She says that her mother has much to answer for, and orders that her knights come with her while she seeks out the baroness. Magnus, absolutely lovestruck by Lady Josephine, accompanies her.

Meanwhile, out in the back of the castle, Sabina, Andre, and Garnier all hear unpleasant noises issuing up from the other end of the culvert. Creeping forward, they soon realize that what they hear is ritualistic chanting in an ugly, almost obscene language. The trio signal the army and order them to march to the rear of the castle and into the culvert. Those on horseback must dismount before they continue within.

As they progress into the lower levels of Castle Maisy, a frantic Josephine learns from one of her household guard that the baroness has holed herself up in the receiving hall. Josephine runs to the hall and, with Magnus and her knights in tow, throws open the doors and storms inside. There, she finds the Baroness Louise seated on the baronial throne.

Lady Josephine upbraids her mother, accusing her of serving the Ruinous Powers and for murdering ten of Maisy’s knights. The baroness listens to these accusations with seeming boredom before making a strange gesture with her hand. At this, the doors out of the receiving hall swing shut with loud and ominous booms.

Laughing, the baroness rises from her throne.

The Audience Hall of Castle Maisy