Post by Admin on Nov 6, 2007 22:39:29 GMT -5
Following the rescue of Lady Lucciana di Valderis from Brill, a secret trial was held in Northshire Abbey by a tribunal whose purpose it was to determine the veracity of Lucciana's story, and to decide whether she should be allowed to defect to the Alliance. The Viridian Shield was summoned to Northshire Abbey to give testimony at the trial, led by Lady Casteldra Andralis, who was a childhood friend of Lucciana's. Not all of the Shield was able to attend Northshire: toxins of the late Apothecary Fel, destroyed only a few weeks earlier by the Viridian Shield, found their way into the Darkshire water supply, and so Ularitharion and Lander, amongst others, were forced to heal the sick and attempt to purify the water.
Lady Casteldra reached Northshire only to find it in chaos. Father Ulfias, one of the members of the tribunal, had been found murdered, his corpse partially devoured. Suspicion fell upon Lucciana, due to the well-known habit of the undead to devour corpses, and only Briona Nielson of the Stormwind Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences seemed interesting in uncovering the truth. The Shield and Briona met the senile Abbot Cuthred, and acquired his permission to investigate.
The investigations quickly paid off, as it became apparent that Ulfias had been stabbed to death, and his corpse partially devoured by the wolves that roam the wilderness, before being dragged back. Realising that Lucciana had been framed, the investigators soon narrowed down the possible suspects to one of the other jurors: Vivielle, a self-righteous paladin; Egraine, a flustered priestess; Garoeis, a naive priest; and Roland, a lecherous and sleazy nobleman. All of the suspects appeared to have something to hide. Vivielle refused to cooperate with the investigation, Egraine was found to be a disgraced noblewoman from Hillsbrad who had been seduced by Roland, Garoeis was in love with a peasant woman, and Roland was slipping out of the monastery secretly to meet with someone.
Following an apparition by Ulfias' ghost, the Shield discovered that someone at the Abbey was in the employ of the Forsaken, and trying to stop Lucciana from defecting. Ulfias had discovered this, confronted the suspect, and been murdered. Vivielle accused Briona of being the murderess but was defeated in a duel. She fled into the wilderness, shocked that the Light had 'abandoned' her.
Meanwhile, the ancient Abbot died in his sleep. Much to everyone's surprise, his designated heir was Garoeis: Cuthred felt that Garoeis' love would teach him more about the Light than others would ever know. During the fuss, Roland returned to the Monastery and slipped out. He was followed by the Shield, who discovered he was meeting with members of the Defias Brotherhood. Believing that Roland had betrayed them, the Defias attacked and were defeated. Roland had in fact owed the Defias a sizeable gambling debt - he was not the murderer. However, he let slip the vital clue: when he had seduced Egraine, she had become pregnant. Had she left the baby in Tarren Mill when the Undead overran it?
Realising that this was the leverage by which the Forsaken controlled Egraine, the heroes raced back to the Monastery, where they were joined by Garoeis. They were just in time to confront Egraine, who had taken a knife to kill Lucciana in person. Garoeis tried to reason with her, saying that everyone deserved a chance, including Lucciana. He intervened when Egraine, in tears, attacked, and was accidentally stabbed by her knife, dying. The Viridian Shield subdued Egraine with ease, who was overcome with remorse when she saw she had killed Garoeis. Egraine was sent to trial for her crimes, but not before begging the heroes to rescue her baby from the Undercity - she had been told that it would be eaten by the Forsaken if she did not do as they say. Lucciana, who had given into despair about her undead nature and her worth as an individual, was remotivated by the sacrifice of Garoeis on her behalf, and was accepted into the Alliance as a spymaster. And Briona became a member of the Viridian Shield.
Lady Casteldra reached Northshire only to find it in chaos. Father Ulfias, one of the members of the tribunal, had been found murdered, his corpse partially devoured. Suspicion fell upon Lucciana, due to the well-known habit of the undead to devour corpses, and only Briona Nielson of the Stormwind Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences seemed interesting in uncovering the truth. The Shield and Briona met the senile Abbot Cuthred, and acquired his permission to investigate.
The investigations quickly paid off, as it became apparent that Ulfias had been stabbed to death, and his corpse partially devoured by the wolves that roam the wilderness, before being dragged back. Realising that Lucciana had been framed, the investigators soon narrowed down the possible suspects to one of the other jurors: Vivielle, a self-righteous paladin; Egraine, a flustered priestess; Garoeis, a naive priest; and Roland, a lecherous and sleazy nobleman. All of the suspects appeared to have something to hide. Vivielle refused to cooperate with the investigation, Egraine was found to be a disgraced noblewoman from Hillsbrad who had been seduced by Roland, Garoeis was in love with a peasant woman, and Roland was slipping out of the monastery secretly to meet with someone.
Following an apparition by Ulfias' ghost, the Shield discovered that someone at the Abbey was in the employ of the Forsaken, and trying to stop Lucciana from defecting. Ulfias had discovered this, confronted the suspect, and been murdered. Vivielle accused Briona of being the murderess but was defeated in a duel. She fled into the wilderness, shocked that the Light had 'abandoned' her.
Meanwhile, the ancient Abbot died in his sleep. Much to everyone's surprise, his designated heir was Garoeis: Cuthred felt that Garoeis' love would teach him more about the Light than others would ever know. During the fuss, Roland returned to the Monastery and slipped out. He was followed by the Shield, who discovered he was meeting with members of the Defias Brotherhood. Believing that Roland had betrayed them, the Defias attacked and were defeated. Roland had in fact owed the Defias a sizeable gambling debt - he was not the murderer. However, he let slip the vital clue: when he had seduced Egraine, she had become pregnant. Had she left the baby in Tarren Mill when the Undead overran it?
Realising that this was the leverage by which the Forsaken controlled Egraine, the heroes raced back to the Monastery, where they were joined by Garoeis. They were just in time to confront Egraine, who had taken a knife to kill Lucciana in person. Garoeis tried to reason with her, saying that everyone deserved a chance, including Lucciana. He intervened when Egraine, in tears, attacked, and was accidentally stabbed by her knife, dying. The Viridian Shield subdued Egraine with ease, who was overcome with remorse when she saw she had killed Garoeis. Egraine was sent to trial for her crimes, but not before begging the heroes to rescue her baby from the Undercity - she had been told that it would be eaten by the Forsaken if she did not do as they say. Lucciana, who had given into despair about her undead nature and her worth as an individual, was remotivated by the sacrifice of Garoeis on her behalf, and was accepted into the Alliance as a spymaster. And Briona became a member of the Viridian Shield.