Sorry it's so long. This is several weeks of gaming condensed into a brief format!
***
Our story begins in the year 1478. In the kingdom of Lan Xang (modern day Laos), a white elephant is spotted and brought to the king. White elephants are very rare and having one in your kingdom is considered a very fortunate omen. When the king of Vietnam heard of the elephant, he asked the Laotian king (Thengkham) to send the elephant to his kingdom as he had never seen one before. Thengkham's response was to send an ornate box filled with elephant dung. This insult lead to a brief and savage war which ended with Vietnam conquering Lan Xang.
In 1483, two princes and one of the Thengkham’s many queens were hiding in the ruins of Ankor Wat, a massive temple in Cambodia. The princes were the only sons which that queen produced and were thought of as a liability during war time. The war had been over for a year, but the peace was still fragile and occasionally bloody.
The two princes were Nhuang Pha, who was selfless, and Ling who was certainly not.
During their studies, a bored Ling looked out onto the courtyard of the temple and saw his mother walking with a saffron robed monk. She waved. Then, an arrow pierced her chest. Ling follows the arrow’s path and sees a man jump out of a tree holding a small crossbow. Both Ling and Nhuang Pha follow. The assassin leaps from tree to tree and eventually to rooftop. Ling is able to keep up and is the first to catch up to him. A scuffle ensues and Ling repeatedly stabs the assassin calling him “Vietnam swine”. Nhuang Pha yells at Ling as they now don’t know who sent him, why he was using a Chinese crossbow, or why he was able to leap as high and wide as he did.
When they return, the monks have removed the bolt from the queen and have frozen her body in time by reciting an incantation to a huge stone Buddha statue consumed by the branches of a fichus tree. When they examined the bolt, they saw strange symbols on it. Even the local mystics are unsure what the etchings means However, the effect of the bolt was almost instantly deadly so they assumed some sort of foreign poison. The monks tell the princes that her death is only a few seconds away and will die almost instantly if she is taken away from the statue.
Sometime later their father, King Thengkham, arrives. One of his mystics recognizes the symbols on the bolt as “Western”, specifically from the Portuguese who had just visited them. It was theorized that they wanted Lan Xang to continue their war with Vietnam in the hopes that they would be more willing to trade Laos goods cheaply to fund their war and would be more willing to accept their strange faiths.
After an I-Ching reading, it was decided that Ling, Nhuang Pha, and a band of experts would go to Portugal to seek a cure and get revenge. Nhuang Pha hoped to retrieve a cure and that Buddha would destroy the Portuguese through karma. Ling went along because he heard that the Portuguese religion promised immortality.
As they crossed the countryside of Laos & Burma, they encountered a Manananggal and slew it. When they entered Rangoon, Nhuang Pha was disgusted by a slave auction and asked his brother to help him stop it. His brother noticed some attractive women he could buy and just as he was about to make a bid, Nhuang Pha began speaking out and tried to incite a riot. He was ignored and mocked and some local town guards tried to stifle him. As they did, Ling decided to get involved and caused one guard to accidentally kill another. Then a riot ensued where Nhuang Pha freed some slaves and Ling got to use his sword. The two brothers then fled to Shwedagon Pagoda and waited there until the tide came in and they could flee to India.
***
In 1484, Isabella Florentina De Lorenzo watched the tall boats glide across the sparkling waters of the Atlantic Ocean from her bedroom in Cadiz, Spain. She had just been told that her father worked out a deal with the Habsburgs of Austria and that she was to marry Price Albert whom she had never met before. She begged her father not to do this but he said the deal was already made and that she would bring him many grandchildren. As his only daughter, she had no choice.
In the room with her are Anna Livia Saragossa (her nanny, an old, disc shaped woman) and Dulcinea Reyos (a tall beanpole of a girl who is Isabella’s friend and a few years younger than her). They have spent most of the morning squeezing her into a complicated dress and find that there is little need to apply make up for as Anna says “God has taken the monkey face you had as a child and replaced it with an angel’s.”
Isabella waited in a parlor with a fan covering her face but not her eyes. Then, Albert enters and Isabella sees her future husband for the first time. He is short, drags a crooked foot, has a huge neck and chin reminiscent of a toad's, one of his eyes are crossed and he has a horrible lisp. When he kisses her hand, she feels can feel fine hairs growing on his fingertips. She does not flinch and maintains her charm despite being a squeamish person.
She suggests they walk on the grounds of her estate. She wants to show him the gardens and the ocean. When they do, Albert admires the overwhelming beauty of the garden that Isabella worked on and mentions that they can’t have exotic plants in Austria. As they walk, they approach an apple tree. Isabella plucks an apple down and offers him one. He finds the biblical reference humorous. When he eats it, Isabella plucks an apple for herself and pretends that the apple she is holding is Albert’s heart. She grips the apple as strongly as she can. Suddenly, Albert falls to the ground clutching his chest. His bodyguards run over to find him dead. As they carry the body out, the Austrians blame Isabella’s witchcraft for his death and not the fact that Albert is hopelessly inbred. Her father tries to convince them otherwise but they state that they will “Have their revenge.”
Later that night, Isabella is awoken by the sound of a torch wielding mob outside her house and the sound of men running up to her room. Suddenly, they bash in and grab her arms. She is then branded with a hot iron as a man in a Dominican monk’s robe states the charges of witchcraft brought against her. Within moments, they have her in the town square and the villagers are preparing a bonfire. Then, the Inquisitor tells the crowd that she bears the mark of the devil on her shoulder. When they reveal it to the crowd, her flesh is pure and the mark branded on her is gone. However, many townspeople start making up wild stories about her (mostly workers from her father’s competing fisheries). The town enters a frenzy and begin to chant “Quemada! Quemada! Quemada!”
Just as she is about to be thrown on the fire and held down with pikes, she slips out of her chains. Suddenly, she sprouts large white wings and resembles an angel. Then, the Inquisitor falls to the ground and watches as his arms turn into serpents and his tongue becomes forked.
She flies up to the steeple of a cathedral, the cross behind her and folds her wings. She yells “This town is cursed. Your children will be deformed, your fields will grow dust and your husbands will be swallowed by the sea!” Then, the leaves on a tree near the church turned to maggots. She flew away leaving a pit of hysteria that must have genuinely looked like hell from above.
Isabella had to take a moment and decide what to do next, she landed on a cliff overlooking the ocean and began to cry. Some time later, she heard Anna & Dulcinea calling her name. They found her. Anna knew this was a spot where Isabella would come to day dream and thanked God she was found. Anna was riding a donkey that she had taken from the estate. She then said that she caught Dulcinea trying to steal Isabella’s guitar and some clothing. Anna believed in forcing someone to pay for their sins on the spot when priests are not available and she forced Dulcinea along to help her friend. Anna said that Isabella could never return to Cadiz and to begin her life again elsewhere. She suggested Marseilles as she had a brother with a small farm there.
***
Later, as Isabella rode the donkey down a dark road, she was surprised by a monster jumping out from the shadowy forest. It was a large, glowing sky blue wolf. Its nose was covered in blood and in its jaws was a still twitching rabbit. She gasped in terror, and then the beast leapt away and vanished. Neither Anna nor Dulcinea saw the wolf and said that Isabella had just simply fallen asleep and had a nightmare.
***
At around the same time, a young Scotsman named Colin Gordon was drinking at a tavern. Many avoided him because he was around 17 and barely had a beard as well as having been rumored to be in love with his father’s newest wife, the young Eleanor. As he sat by himself, a man approached him, obscuring his face with a hood. He angrily accused Colin of bizarre sexual proclivities and tried to start a fight. Just as Gordon stood up, the man pulled the cowl back and revealed himself as Etienne Marshcal, a friend of Gordon. The two of them had worked on successful several raids against the English.
Etienne told Colin about a large army gathering to rescue the kidnapped Scottish King, James III, who was locked in Edinburgh Castle. The idea was that if he was rescued, he could bring the clans together and the French armies would be more willing to invade. According to Etienne, the English were weaker at this point due to a civil war. He said that if rescued, the king would be more than generous with a reward and would grant once English lands to the Scots.
Etinenne then asked Colin to ask his father to join. When he did, Colin was essentially laughed out of his father’s hall. The next day, the only member of Clan Gordon was Colin. Etienne was surprised and expected to see no one.
A few miles away from Edinburgh, Gordon sees the army. It’s about 40 thousand men strong. Many of them French, some are Scots, and the rest mercenaries. As Gordon rests, he develops a painful headache and essentially passes out as the army settles in for the night.
He has a dream of the area he’s in. He looks back in time and sees an army of about three hundred on horseback riding towards Edinburgh Castle. The army is from the poem Y Gododdin. The army of 300 is going to fight ten thousand at Edinburgh and every one of the 300 will die in battle.
The next morning, a little shaken by the dream, Colin sharpens his sword and tightens his armor. As he marches, some scouts report back that the English are waiting for them and their numbers are superior. They French army can’t stop now, so they keep marching. When they arrive, they see about 90 thousand English all ready and waiting for the French to move. Colin enters formation along with his comrades and says a prayer. Pikes line up, Colin unsheathes his sword and they march.
Then the British cavalry charges; their numbers overwhelm the front line. Immediately, the pikes are brushed aside and horses charge their way through the army like they rode through a wheat field. Colin fends off some of the onslaught, but gets knocked down by a lance. He gets up and starts swinging at anything British. Three soldiers find him. He slays one, but injures his arm trying to keep his shield. Then, from behind, he gets struck with an axe to his head. The wielder accidentally hit Colin with the flat of the axe and Colin falls to the ground unconscious instead of dying.
He wakes up feeling refreshed and surrounded by mist. Standing over him is a woman with squinty eyes, holding a jug in one hand and a willow branch in another. She makes a deal with Colin, “Either stay here in this land of death or come with me under the condition that you learn mercy and compassion.” Colin decides to go with her. As they leave, Colin watches the bodies of the recently dead rise through the fog. He hears the cannons of Edinburgh fire like long thunderclaps and watches men slowly get torn apart by sword and axe.
He is lead around a hill and finds Etienne who is soaked in his own blood. He is going to die and asks Colin to fulfill a deed that he could not. Colin is given a gold cross and some money and is told to go to Marseilles and deliver the crucifix to Etienne's wife. Colin agrees and leaves the battlefield without seeing a single British soldier.
***
In northern France there is a monastery dedicated to St. Jean. Within the array of buildings lives a man who is alive seemingly by God’s grace. His name is “Jean”. He does not know his age, or where he came from. He was abandoned at the monastery, though anyone else would have left the infant to die by the side of the road.
If Jean were alive today, he would have been diagnosed with severe Down’s syndrome and hyper kyphosis. In 1484, he is seen as an abomination of God. He has strange white spots in his eyes, a huge hump in his back, and he talks like a child in an adult's body. If he had not been left at the monastery, he would have spent his entire life abused and eventually violently killed. Here though, he is treated gently and is given simple tasks to do which he fulfills with vigor and enthusiasm.
He has spent his entire life at Sts. Jean's and knows nothing else but the buildings and grounds. He knows when to plant crops, how to unload supplies, and how to groom a horse. The monks have spoken to him about God quite a lot. He can barely remember any prayers but he does know that God is good, his kingdom is in heaven, and that his son died for our sins (whatever those were).
One Sunday, as he heard the monks chanting in a language he couldn’t identify and as they prayed on their beads, he saw something beautiful. Floating out from within a statue carved in the cathedral was a man wearing a white robe and had wings of gold. He flew over to Jean and introduced himself as Gabriel and said that Jean special purpose on Earth. As Jean spoke to Gabriel, he found that the words flowed easily from his mind. He could speak at the same pace as everyone else does. He could express his ideas as complex sentences. When Jean asked what God had in store for him, Gabriel responded by saying that God would not allow him to say. But he did say Jean’s faith would be tested and to never waver in his beliefs. Gabriel left.
Some monks noticed Jean was talking out loud during mass and that he mentioned God. When they asked Jean why he spoke, Jean said that an angel named Gabriel visited him and spoke of his purpose. Many of the monks smirked and simply thought that the simpleton made the story up.
However, Gabriel visited Jean often, reminding him of his purpose and to keep his faith. More monks noticed. Eventually, some men in different robes who wore large, gold crosses arrived. Soon afterwards, they asked Jean to come before them. Jean was asked a few questions, many of which he didn’t understand. After more questions were asked, Gabriel appeared. Jean began to speak to him during the interview. When they asked who he was speaking to, Jean answered honestly and told the Inquisitors that he had a purpose. The Inquisitors took it as an insult. God would never choose a simpleton to do His bidding.
The next day, they asked Jean to renounce his story and to state that he made it up. Jean said that he told them the truth and swore on the Bible. They threatened him with pain, and he still did not recant. He was then locked in stocks and whipped. As he was, he watched as Gabriel wept. During the interview, Jean admitted to some things, then later would change his story. He seemed confused and didn’t seem to understand why he was there. The questions were also too complicated for him. Eventually, the Inquisitors felt that Jean did not lie, but because he was so simple, he didn’t understand what he was even saying and was repeating and confusing things he heard. Then they left, and Jean returned to his duties.
A few months passed and Jean did not see Gabriel. He missed the angel, but decided that he was bad because bad things happened to him when he was around. Then, one night, Jean woke up and looked into the courtyard. He saw Gabriel there. When Jean went out to talk to him, Gabriel drifted around a corner of the church. Jean followed. When he went around a corner, he saw the road that lead to town. He stared into the darkness and saw some movement. He slowly crept toward the road and called for Gabriel. Suddenly he heard the thumping sound of hooves. He saw dozens of metal men on horses charging towards the monastery. One of them raised a sword over his head and swung at Jean. Jean reflexively held his hand up to stop the sword and watched his own fingers fly away. He ran, not knowing what the warm fluid was dripping out of his hand. He ran towards the cathedral and prayed to Jesus for help. He saw the flickering lights of buildings on fire outside the stained glass windows and screams of everyone he knew dying under the blade of these horsemen. Jean heard the doors to the cathedral slam open and he saw two men in armor with weapons in their hands run towards him. Jean ran back behind the altar and into a hallway that lead down to the catacombs. He knew the catacombs well, and hoped the men would not see him in the darkness. As he ran, he saw the men with a torch in hand chasing him. He grabbed a skeleton and pulled it off the stone table, dragging his bloody stump of a hand across the dust and small jagged rocks of a stone table, and threw it at the men. Soon, he reached a dead end, and the knights approached. He asked Gabriel to help. Gabriel asked him to see into the heavens and call his request. When he did, he saw the spirits of the dead entombed in the catacombs. Then he saw the men approach with axes in their hands. Jean then shouted “HELP ME!” The spirits quickly floated towards the armored men and consumed their bodies.
Jean asked if the spirits could help his hand. They responded by laughing and saying “There are many fingers to choose from here. Take your pick.”
Jean then wandered the countryside, his hand still bleeding. In the morning, he turned around and saw a large plume of black smoke where his monastery once stood. He asked for guidance, and saw a single shaft of light beam down on a road. Jean followed.
***
Nobody ever understood Anjay.
As a child growing up in the wretched poverty of Warangal, in Eastern India he seemed no different than any of the other children scavenging the streets for whatever they could eat or sell. But, one day the monkey man told him how to dance. When he did, people would laugh and cheer. Some would even throw money at him just to watch him tumble for it. When he would come home, his father would take the money and then beat him because he didn’t do his chores.
One day, while doing the monkey man’s dance, a man came by and told him that he wanted Anjay to perform the dance in front of the Rajah along with many other dancers. The boy asked if he would be beaten and was told that he would be only if he fell. He went for the less painful option. The man had a troupe of wandering entertainers that went from town to town performing for both the wealthy and impoverished. Here, Anjay studied under a fakir who taught him the ways of sleight of hand and deception. Anjay excelled at this skill and began to study under different masters. He was taught to meditate and yoga. He was taught how to fight with the Urumi.
As he grew older, the monkey man was harder to please. At one time, simply doing a flip made him laugh. He found he would have to do larger and more complex tricks to bring up even the slightest interest. This intense pursuit made his career flourish and he received a reputation as a master fakir and guru. However, there were still many who could easily out craft him. He told the monkey man one day that he wanted to give up. He felt that he couldn’t go any further. The monkey man was not going to let him. He taught Anjay the secrets of the universe which he had learned from the Lord of Light himself. Soon, Anjay was able to perform spectacular tricks and amaze audiences. However, people kept expecting more and more from him. He then decided to be dramatic in his presentation. All that did was bore the audience.
Then, one day, he farted stars.
He had made an instant connection to the audience and once again he was heralded as a genius. Even the monkey man thought he was amazing. As his craft progressed, he found his act was stale and needed a new direction. He packed up his entire show and strapped it to his back. He had heard that in the west there were magicians there that were far more skilled than he was. That and he had also heard of their many conquests of the Islamic areas that the Europeans were wealthy beyond their own dreams.
On his path, the monkey man told him where to go. One day, he traveled with some French merchants whom he befriended in the Balkans. They allowed him to travel within their caravan. The monkey man told him to leave one day and head to a town known as Besançon. As he did one morning, he saw an army marching towards him. He ran a bit quicker but found it difficult with the 60 pounds of items on his back. When he arrived in the town, he found himself surrounded by soldiers. Immediately, he was given a long spear and told to fight for his life.
***
“God hates the poor!”
René Jeunes said that once and has never been proven wrong.
As a child, he watched as his family died slowly from the plague and starvation. He watched his friends die by arrows and swords both as soldiers and as bystanders. One day, a red mark on his face grew larger and larger until it drained into his eye, consuming it. Once it was satisfied by causing misery, it left as quickly as it came. By the time René was a young adult, he had seen enough death to satisfy a thousand lifetimes of sorrow. He often wondered why he was still alive.
One day, he decided to exclude himself from the circle of decay that had surrounded his life. He would not learn a trade that could contribute to death, or farm and die of starvation or be a priest as every time he prayed, something tragic would happen to himself or to something he loves. The best way to do this was to ask for charity and let God decide if he lives or dies. He set his expectations low, and found them easier to reach and therefore more satisfying.
He settled in the town of Besançon. The clergy was generous and the nobles had tiny stomachs. Here, he lived day to day relying on charity. He found that many people seemed to like him and that they would just give him food or whatever they could as if he commanded them to. He also found that if he looked with what would be his “ghost eye”, that he could see far away and even through walls. Then, as life was meeting his expectations, a man appeared in his head. He claimed his name was Arthur and spoke loudly and with an annoying Anglo-Saxon accent. He would say over and over again that his destiny is on the battlefield. Glory and honor await him.
René ignored him. He preferred begging as it was less effort and has a less likely chance of dying with something sharp in his chest.
No matter how much this Arthur carried on, René went about his day asking for alms. This infuriated Arthur who then told René how to not only see through the walls, but to walk through them. He showed how opening holes in the fabric of the world could take him anywhere. René used this skill to steal food and to put the empty plates back where he got them. Arthur had, in essence, taught him how to be even lazier. This infuriated Arthur even more and he taught him how to call down the elements and strike his enemy with God’s fury. René laughed and said that he had seen enough of God’s wrath directed on him and what would be the point to re-direct to someone who really just wants to live his life.
Arthur left, stating that when he was needed, he wouldn’t be there. René, with a stomach full of holiday food sad that he really didn’t care.
A few weeks later, René was awakened by the sound of horses and war at Besançon. Some man in armor with blue feathers in his helmet said the Swiss were invading. A large army was coming in from the east and two more armies would be crossing bridges on the other side of town. Immediately, René was handed a rusty, nicked sword and told to defend himself and that if he tried to run, he would die with an arrow in his back. René held the sword and swung it around a few times unenthusiastically. Arthur appeared and told him how to properly hold it. René ignored him. Arthur then said that the man who was to lead this charge was drunk and was going to get René killed with his incompetence. “I shall not have my prodigy killed by these Swiss Army pikes!” Arthur said, attempting to incite René. René decided that if this was his last day on Earth he would make a few more friends and spoke to different members of town drafted into the King’s service. They began to take an instant liking to him and thought that he, a one eyed beggar, should lead them. In fact, many troops thought that René was a military mastermind. René gave an inspirational speech and many of his comrades cheered shouting “Vive La France!” much to the surprise of the commanders there. One very enthusiastic young boy was named Guillaume. He followed Rene around everywhere he went and watched him in awe.
Feeling proud and smug, René fell to the back of the line. There, he met a small Saracen looking man with a large orange turban and a beard dyed in many bright colors. He giggled and said to René “The god within me greets the god within you! My name is Anjay and I am pleased to find one such as yourself.”
***
From the east, everyone heard the thumping sound of troops marching. Anjay giggled and said to René “My friend! We are going to die now, yes?”
The morning mist began to thicken somehow and caused some obscurity on the battlefield. Then René heard the sound of distant thunder. He recognized the sights and sounds as unnatural. He looked over to Anjay who giggled and nodded pointing to the sky then to himself. René then noticed the strange man was wearing makeup and rolled his eye.
The Swiss army steadied their pikes at face height while another row with shields dropped theirs to chest height. René looked with his ghost eye and saw a few dozen men with loaded crossbows crawling behind the rows of pikes. Arthur told them that the front row would open their shields long enough for the crossbows to fire and damage the front line. Further away, cannons were being loaded, and would be firing at the French front line as well. He and everyone else who fed him and showed him mercy were doomed to die today.
Just then, a man on horseback came over and said to Captain Philippe (who was in charge of the French Army) “Sir, they’re coming over the bridges!”
René said to the little giggling man, “Follow my lead.” The little man nodded, and giggled. “Stop doing that, it’s annoying!” René said.
René stopped marching toward his death and with his ghost eye opened one location in front of the cannons and opened another location behind the cannons. The tops of the cannons fired and spwered smoke and then, at the exact second the cannons fired from the front end, the back ends all spontaneously exploded. Shards of iron erupted and tore through the artillerists.
Then, René used his ghost eye and moved the many barrels of black powder behind the rows of Swiss pikes. “What can you do with those?” René asked Anjay. Anjay snapped his fingers and a small and subtle arc of electricity crackled from the sky. All the barrels exploded at once, propelling bodies into the sky and devastating the tight Swiss lines.
“Charge!” Captain Philippe yelled as his army of farmers and guildsmen ran screaming and defeated the best army in the known world. Today, hubris won.
Anjay did not charge, but instead noticed that while the one army held their own at one bridge, the other army was faltering. Anjay leapt into the sky and landed on top of a thatched roof. The monkey man told him how to destroy a bridge by removing the proper stones. The Swiss knights began to pour over only to find themselves in the water covered with the collapsed bridge. Some of them drowned, held down under the six feet of water by their own armor.
Sometime in the afternoon, the French are celebrating their victory and say they are leaving to go back to Dijon. Guillaume tells Captain Philippe that René wishes to join the army. This is news to René. Anjay sees the army as a source of food and money. So, the both of them juggle Guillaume and are immediately liked by the troops. They are hired to entertain the troops and all leave to go to Dijon.
***
Isabella rode throughout the night and the rest of the morning. The next night, exhausted, they find a tavern and rent a room. Isabella fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.
The next morning, she awoke to see a gutted rabbit in her bed. She shrieked and vomited into a bowl. Dulcinea leaves, claiming she’s going to be sick as well. Anna undressed Isabella and finds that the only clothing Dulcinea grabbed was some overly fancy dresses. Just then, Dulcinea comes back stating that the Inquisitors who were looking at her were in the center of town asking everyone to look for three women. The man whose arms were turned into serpents was there, hiding his hands into his robe. He is surrounded by a few dozen armored knights on horseback with black shields.
***
Isabella waited for the Inquisitors to finish her list of imaginary sins and then re-sculpted her and her companions flesh like clay, disguising them. Outside, she raised some questions and felt secure but started to walk quickly, then began to run. Anna suggested they make their way through the rocky hills to hide while Dulcinea suggested they stay to the road. Isabella sided with Dulcinea. However, as they traveled, she heard the sounds of horses behind her on the road. The horses got closer and closer. The wolf appeared and began to bark at the road behind them. They started running as fast as they could.
As they went over a hill, they came across about sixty soldiers from the Spanish army. Seeing two beautiful women, they all began to cheer and whistle. Anna drapes a veil over Isabella and Dulcinea. Dulcinea peeks out from under the veil and blows kisses at them. Their commander swaggers over. He introduces himself as Commander Enrique Del Corte. He tells the women that the troops are supposed to fight the Moors in Malaga. But the battle there is all but won and an additional sixty men will mean nothing. He offers to escort the women to the convent that they claimed they were going to. The soldiers place the women on their horses and they leave.
After half a day of travel, Del Corte suggests a shortcut through a field. About halfway through, the women are pushed off their horses and the soldiers leave. The women look up to see the Inquisitor there with his army of horsemen approaching. They knights draw their swords and begin a slow march towards Isabella.
Isabella raises her arms and thorny vines begin to grow around the horses. The knights begin to chop their way through. Isabella then creates some thick roots under the horses’ hooves and collapses them, causing some of the horses to fall. The Inquisitor is yelling at the knights, but it’s hard to understand as he now has a strange lisp. The women leave, find their donkey, and head towards the hills.
***
Colin arrived in Calais. He hadn’t had a drink in a while, so he went looking for a tavern. The woman who led him off the battlefield appeared and introduced herself as Guan Yin. Colin ignored her. She asked if he wanted to learn about compassion and he said that he would after a few drinks. After she yelled at Colin in a strange dissonant language she vanished.
As Colin entered the town’s center, he saw a bunch of children beating on a large hunch-backed man. He seemed to be missing a few fingers and his hand were still somewhat bleeding. The man kept yelling “Stop! Why are you doing this?” and did not fight back. Colin scared the children away and helped the man up.
The hunchback thanked him profusely and said “May God bless you!” a lot. The hunchback said his name was Jean. Colin looked at the hunchback’s injury and showed a sort of false compassion and took Jean to a doctor to look at his hand. The doctor said there was not much he could do. He didn’t know Jean’s birthday and couldn’t do an astrological reading on him. Then, he examined Jean’s back and saw his many lashes and told Colin that he was being duped by a heretic. Colin stormed out of the Doctor’s and Jean followed. “Well, I tried big boy” he said.
Colin then noticed a tavern across the street and said that he would help Jean there. While inside, Colin poured some whiskey into a bowl and told Jean to stick his hand in it. Jean howled in pain and knocked Colin across the room. Embarrassed by Jean’s behavior, he told Jean to stop crying and to wait outside.
As Colin drank, Jean wandered around the center of town. He heard the sound of many horses on cobblestone and hid behind a barrel. He then saw many knights with black shields ride into town and recognized them as the same men who destroyed his monastery. He ran in to tell Colin who immediately told Jean to go away. Jean stepped back out and used the vision that Gabriel told him to use. Jean saw that hovering over the knights were black, man shaped forms. Surrounding their bodies were thorny vines made of iron. Across each of their chests was a bright, white cross. Jean then wished the vines away and on one of them they did. He then saw the free knight look around, confusedly. Then, a knight next to him drew his sword and decapitated him in a single stroke. Then he charged towards Jean.
At that time, Colin staggered out wondering what the noise was about. He didn’t even notice the sword. Jean then wished the sword to avoid Colin and it did. As the confused knight approached Jean, he tackled the knight and with his massive strength pulled the knight off his horse. Colin then cursed and drew his Claymore. As another knight approached, Colin swung his huge sword and it tore right through the hip of a nearby knight. Colin then dragged the half dead knight off his horse and hopped on. He ordered Jean to ride away from the knights. Jean climbed on, but didn’t know what to do as he had never ridden a horse before. Colin grabbed Jean’s reigns and they sped out of town. The black shield knights however were right behind them.
The two rode as quickly as the horses could go. They were hampered by Colin leading the two horses and Jean’s screaming. A few miles outside of town, the trees around them became pines. Colin then noticed some sort of bear near the road. He turned around and saw men wearing bear skins and carrying huge axes jump out from the trees and completely slaughter the knights in a matter of moments.
They saw the knights chests open bare by these men and watched as their flesh was peeled off their bodies with large knives and their hearts pulled out like fruit and eaten. They did notice that all the knights had a single Cross of Lorraine burned into their chests. None of them screamed but did continue to fight despite missing limbs and organs.
“You vill come mit us!” one of the bear men said in a German accent.
***
Anjay & René spent their day planning jokes, eating, and being admired by the troops going to Dijon. René was so well liked, that they gave him an actual rank in the military and he was accepted as one of their own. Arthur was proud and René really did not want anything to do with it.
That night, René is approached by three of his comrades. They said that they had plans on killing the lieutenant who was drunk at Besançon and was also drunk during most of the battles. They would be willing to pay René if he could do it for them. They were afraid that he made too many mistakes and one day he would get everyone killed. He agreed. Arthur agreed. That night, he saw the lieutenant drunk and slowly approached him from behind with a knife in his hand. René knocked the lieutenant on the head with the handle of the knife and he fell unconscious. He took the knife and dragged the blade across the lieutenant’s neck. However, his conscious got to him and he barely scratched the skin. Arthur started to yell at René, saying that the man was a danger. René then used his ghost eye to look for the men who paid him. They were telling the town’s watch that they saw a man get murdered and pointed where René was. He saw it was a setup and portaled the knife away. When the guards arrived, he said that he saw someone try to kill the lieutenant and fought the man off. He ran into the darkness. His comrades said to look for a knife. They didn’t see blood on his hands and could not find a knife so they believed René.
Later that night, René asked Anjay to help him look for the men who set him up. When they did, it was very violent.
Next day, René was promoted and given a palace guard position. “Good thing I wasn’t a woman or else the Inquisition would hound me till the day I died at their hands!” he said.
***
Winding their way through the hills of southern Spain, Isabella ran out of food and couldn’t find any. Eventually, they reached the top of a hill and could see to the horizon in all directions. There, she found a rundown building which was consumed by creeping vines and had looked like it was on fire once. As she entered, she saw the tall columns of the ancient buildings, and some artwork of the Moors. For some reason, the sun seemed more vivid here and the plants more vibrant. She felt at ease and happy for the first time in a few days. They suspected that the original building was from the time of Jesus and was converted into a mosque perhaps a hundred years ago. They did not know why it was burnt.
Here Isabella found she could do her effects quickly and easily. So she summoned a whole chicken, some vegetables, and herbs and ate well for the first time in a long time. Happy and complacent, she fell asleep.
She awoke to a bright light in her eyes. It was perhaps a little before dawn and the most powerful storm she had ever felt in her life crashed outside and blew all the debris and dust into their faces. As the three women huddled together, hoping the building would not collapse the storm left as quickly as it arrived.
When they stepped outside, the sun was beginning to rise and a morning fog enveloped the hill. At the entrance of the mosque was a basket. Isabella stepped over the basket and walked towards some shadows in the fog she had seen. Dulcinea opened the basket and found food and a sack of money. She shrieked when she held the bag of money as it was soaked in blood. It belonged to Del Corte.
They also found a bit of parchment with a drawing of El Cid’s shield and the Virgin Mary. On the side of the building three fresh and saddled horses were tied to a tree.
Isabella wandered off and in the shadows saw the bodies of the men who betrayed them. Some of them were burnt by lightning, others had fallen off a cliff during a small mudslide and many of them had trees growing through them. The branches grew up from legs and through the hips and out the chest and mouth. They were all frozen in macabre positions. She then heard a hissing noise. Hanging upside down from a tree, akin to the tarot card, was the Inquisitor. He was nude, but his body had become almost completely serpent scales. The branches wrapped around his legs, pinning him to the trunk and a few small branches grew through his chest and resembled arrows.
The black shields were not there.
He cursed her existence and stuck his long forked tongue out at her. He lisped that he was only doing what he thought was right and that she is still a witch, born of Satan, no matter what he was told to the contrary. He felt that even if he spent eternity in hell that he will smile because he knew he did God’s work and that he would see her down there with him.
Isabella simply walked away. Eventually the hissing screams stopped.
They decided to leave and go to Valencia, where the church of St. Mary is.
***
Colin & Jean were lead to a cave on top of a craggy cliff. They could smell water as they entered. Inside, a very old man introduced himself collectively as the “Sons of Beowulf”. He said that the black shields had been trying to attack them for months, but the Sons are strong. Wotan has blessed them with mushrooms (red with white spots) in the cave that made them as strong as ten men and the waters in the cave heal them. The old man then noticed the pus from the wounds on Jean’s hand. He held his hand over Jean’s and a snake slithered out of his palm and bit Jean’s. He said that the serpent’s poison would clear the infection. As they walk around the cave, they see other men eating the mushrooms and carving runes into their arms.
They are then led to a pool in the cave. Colin sees only the water, but Jean sees three women playing. He waves to them.
***
Ling fell out of his hammock and onto the floor. The boat he was on was in heavy storms and he heard screaming on the deck. He ran out to see his brother and one of his men trying to run to the cabin. They had just pulled the sails down. Behind them, a black funnel stretched from the clouds to the sea. Lightning flashed and Ling felt the storm suck his breath out of his lungs. As the two ran towards the cabin, a wave crashed onto the deck. Nhuang Pha was gone. As he pulled the other man into the cabin, Ling yelled for his brother. He heard soft cries for help on the side of the boat, but couldn’t get out to the side of the ship. Just then, another wave crashed and the cries fell silent. In the chaos, Ling couldn’t sense his brother.
The next morning, Nhuang Pha stood over Ling. He was pale and his eyes had sunken. Ling yelled in surprise. His men asked what it was and didn’t see Nhuang Pha. Only Ling could see him.
“I am now a ghost, Ling. You are very powerful, but equally misguided. I will guide you to the proper spiritual path.”
Ling ignored him and went back to sleep.
Later, as they approached Sri-Lanka, pirates pursued their ship. Ling’s men grabbed their spears, ready to fight. Nhuang Pha insisted that Ling use his words and not his weapons. Ling agreed if only to silence his brother. He yelled to the pirates and asked them to leave and to re-consider their lives. They laughed. Ling then said that if they didn’t leave a curse would befall them. They continued to laugh. Then their main sail fell off. They stopped laughing. Ling then noticed a huge gold Buddha on the deck, presumably stolen. Ling then said that he was karma come to life and that everything bad they had ever done in their lives would come back to destroy them. When they seemed not to believe him, Ling caused the heavy Buddha to fall through the top deck and right through the hull causing a huge leak. The pirates then begged for forgiveness and Ling agreed only if they accompany them until Ling became bored. They agreed and treated Ling as if he were a god.
***
The Duke of Dijon was celebrating his 12th birthday, and a large party was planned. René was in full regalia and spent the evening announcing the names of the dignitaries that arrived. Anjay was of course entertaining the crowds and farting stars.
The evening went along smoothly. But then, a bolt of lightning shattered the stone and wood of the banquet halls. Everyone ran to safety. As the Duke fled, Anjay gave him a talisman from India, hoping it would protect him. When Anjay & René ran outside, they saw the Duke’s soldiers running inside for safety.
Flying in the sky was a dragon’s skeleton. Its wings were made of leather and it breathed a very powerful bolt of lightning into the Duke’s castle. Then, it flew off into a cloud which flashed with electricity. René used his ghost eye to see into the cloud and there was a large balloon with rotating propellers on the basket. In the basket was a strange looking man with feathers in his black hair who was chanting to the clouds. There was also a second man with a red beard who was pulling leavers. When the dragon approached, a small arc of electricity leapt from the red bearded man’s machine followed by another bolt from the cloud jumping into the dragon’s mouth. It then swooped down back to the castle. The man with the feathers then looked René’s ghost eye and closed it.
Anjay jumped into the air and flew towards the balloon. René then tried to redirect the dragon’s lightning by controlling it as Arthur taught him to do. He was successful and redirected the lightning close to the balloon.
Anjay landed on the deck of the balloon’s basket. The red bearded man apologized in Hindi to Anjay. He said that he should have realized that there could be ascended there and should have considered that. The red bearded man introduced himself as “Dr. Rose”. He also said that the Duke is being manipulated by demonic forces and that he is too powerful to stop. Anjay felt that the Doctor was too powerful for both him and René to stop. So he left asking Dr. Rose to not come back. The doctor said “No” but flew away.
***
In the cave, Jean slept very comfortably. It was probably the best night he ever had since the monastery. Both Jean and Colin had dreams. In Jean’s, he was in heaven. He had a perfect body and could think like everyone else. The skies were gold and everything was beautiful. Gabriel appeared and asked Jean to spread his message of what he had seen.
Colin on the other hand was visited by Guan Yin. She questioned Colin’s motives and wondered exactly why he wanted to be merciful. Was it to pursue power? Was it to win a love? Colin didn’t know. He was told that one day, he would be tested.
He awoke to Jean yelling his name. Jean muttered something about danger. Colin ran out with his sword and some of the Sons followed. They saw nothing. Then, one after another, the Sons grabbed their chests and fell over, including the old man. Colin ran back towards the cave. He peered into Jean’s mind and saw what he saw.
Black spirits with white crosses on their chests were approaching them. The spirits grabbed the hearts of the living and killed them. Jean panicked and started yelling at them to leave. Colin calmed him down and controlled Jean’s mind and commanded the spirits to leave. Colin felt the voice of Gabriel yell with him and the spirits flew away.
Sometime later, as they packed their belongings and prepped the horses, they heard explosions outside the cave. Mercenaries were firing canons at the cave in some sort of an attempt to destroy it. There was only one way out of the cave and it was where the cannons were firing at. As they were ready to charge out, Jean heard the cries of the women in the water. They begged Jean to save them. Colin of course had no idea what they were talking about. Jean then asked for a large jug and they found one that was a foot and a half tall. Colin kept yelling at Jean to leave. Jean then showed the jug to the women, but was scared because he is afraid of water. Colin helps (though I really don’t know why he is even listening to someone who is profoundly retarded) and holds the jug at the water. The water jumps in.
With each explosion, the cave cracks a little bit. Jean covers the jug with his body and holds onto the horse’s neck. Colin grabbed the reigns of both horses and they charged down the cliff. Amazingly, they make it.
Once they reach safety, Colin releases the spirits into a river and is blessed.
A few days later, they enter Paris. Jean immediately goes to Notre Dame.
***
Isabella entered Jaen and found the Inquisition there. She had nowhere to go and stood, frozen. However, the Inquisitor went past and many of the troops smiled at the pretty women.
In Jaen, a wedding was about to begin. The bride and groom were both very happy & Isabella wondered if she would ever be that happy again. Anna says that nobody is to join the wedding party. They will find a room and stay there until the morning.
In the room, Anna asks Isabella some questions:
Did you kill Albert? Yes.
Where does your power come from? I don’t know.
Is it from Satan? I don’t think so.
Did he make you lie to me? No.
Are you ashamed of what you did? I don’t know.
Later, Isabella helps Dulcinea escape to the party. Dulcinea begins singing and that wakes the whole village up. Dulcinea is then pulled back to the room by Anna. Dulcinea then says that a short, hairy, mole covered and creepy man kept talking to her and that it was a good thing she left.
In the middle of the night, the blue wolf appeared and physically pulled Isabella out of bed. She looked out of the open shutters and sees that the moon is full and the wolf’s eyes are glowing white. She tried to hush the dog, but the dog jumped on her arm and tried to pull her night shirt off. It began to bark and eventually she disrobed. The wolf then put its paw on Isabella’s hand and showed her its claws. Isabella grew claws on her fingers. Soon, she turned herself into a large, semi-bipedal wolf. The blue wolf jumped to a nearby rooftop and Isabella followed. The two of them then ran into the woods.
A short run later, Isabella came to a forest glen. In the center were several wolves the likes of which she had never seen before. She saw a wolf with multiple tails, a wolf with fur like fire and a few others. Suddenly, all the wolves began to howl. Then a tall, muscular man appeared. He stood around seven feet tall and wore a stag’s antlers on his head. His eyes glowed green and darkness obscured his face. The wolves howled again and their eyes glowed green as well.
The man held out his arms as if holding an apple. Then, a vision appeared. Isabella saw the man Dulcinea mentioned earlier. He was short, hairy, obese, and his head was covered in moles. He was burying a hole. In the hole, Isabella saw the pallid arm of a dead child. As it was covered in dirt, she saw the man yell to a husband a wife “No, I haven’t seen her. You should keep a better eye on your children!”
The vision vanished and the tall man pointed west. Her senses were filled with a strange craving. Her body was hungry for something not physical. The other wolves all seemed to be consumed by the same need and they ran as a pack in the direction the man pointed.
Isabella kept up with the wolves and the craving became more powerful. Soon, she saw him in the moonlight, staggering home from the wedding. The other wolves stepped back, letting her go first. The man turned around and saw the giant wolf woman with eyes glowing eerily.
“No! I couldn’t control myself! Show mercy!” he shouted. When he said the word “mercy” it reflected the sounds the child made when it was alive. He turned to run. Isabella jumped onto his back knocking him over. He got up and swung at her. He was a very unathletic man and his swing was very slow. Isabella grabbed his arm and knocked him on his back. She then jumped on to his chest and plunged her fangs into his fat neck. He screams were drowned in his own blood as Isabella pulled his Adam’s Apple and trachea out of his neck. She smelled his blood and felt it pour into her mouth and down her throat and on her fur. She then stepped back and the other wolves jumped in. Within moments, they tore him apart and fought for his limbs and pulled at his intestines. The wolves spent some time enjoying their kill.
Then, Isabella felt the rage leave her heart. The wolves began to leave with their trophies in their mouths. Her blue wolf began to walk back towards the village and Isabella followed. As they did, the blue wolf began to fade and she became a human again.
She arrived in the village nude, her mouth, neck and chest covered in blood. There was a well in the center of town and she quietly poured water over herself. Then she hopped up to her open shutters and quietly crawled back to bed.
The next morning, Isabella awoke to see Anna gone. She quickly dressed and went to the stables. The boy there said that the old woman left a few hours ago. Isabella jumped on her horse and was able to track her scent.
Soon, she saw Anna talking to a large group of knights with black shields. Isabella pointed her ears and tried to listen in. Anna said that she was afraid for the poor girl’s soul and hoped the knights would get her to a church for a confession. Isabella rode back to town and violently woke the very sleepy Dulcinea up. Within a few minutes, they were both in the hills of Spain listening as vigilantly as possible.
The rode for a full day and eventually Dulcinea asked where exactly they were. Isabella admitted that she was lost. Shortly after sunset, they came across a band of pilgrims. They said they were going to Valencia and the girls going to the nunnery were welcome to join them.
The next day, they slowly rode to Valencia smelling incense and hearing prayers uttered over and over again. It was so noisy that Isabella didn’t hear the horse galloping towards her from behind. Her wolf began to bark. As the rider passed, they noticed that he wore the clothing of a Moor. Just then, Isabella’s wolf chased after him. When the wolf caught up to him he immediately saw the wolf that only Isabella could see and they raced down the road together. The pilgrims continued their prayers well into the night.
***
On Sunday, René wore his full regalia and attended mass. He was able to make out some of the Latin. The Duke, though was in the building but did not sit with everyone else. He had a private room where he could convene with God. René stood outside that room, halberd in hand with ruffled neck and the crest of Dijon on his chest.
Arthur appeared and commented on the church. He told René that if he kept following orders that there would be a reward for him. René ignored him and found the mass to be much more compelling.
Suddenly, one of the Duke’s advisors bolted out of the room holding something small in his hands. He came back some time later with a piece of paper and re-entered the room. A few moments later, the Duke and his advisors left. The advisor told René to fetch the sheriff from his pew. Then, the sheriff was told to capture and execute Anjay the magician as soon as possible.
***
Sundays, of course, meant nothing to Anjay. As he stretched, Doctor Rose appeared from thin air.
He told Anjay that his life was in great danger. They both looked into a puddle in the street and saw what the Duke was doing. He was speaking to some sort of black form. The Duke kept saying “Yes I will” and “It shall be done”. Just then, the black form hissed. The Duke removed the talisman Anjay gave him from his pocket and gave it to his advisor who promptly threw it into the street. The advisor then went to a scribe who wrote out an execution order and he returned it to the Duke who signed it. Anjay turned to speak to Dr. Rose, but he left.
Just then, a voice called out to Anjay. It was René telling him to leave town as soon as possible. Anjay had to pack all his equipment up and by the time he began his turtle like crawl out of the city, he was surrounded by the town’s constables. He was then kicked, beaten, and his equipment, puppets, clothing were thrown all over the street. René watched and did nothing.
As church was letting out, Anjay was in the town’s center chained up and his head near a stump. Behind him, was a large hooded man with a huge sword and René standing at attention. As the charges against Anjay are spoken to the crowd, René came up with a plan to correspond the blade around Anjay’s neck. It would zip through him without any damage. There is a drum roll, and the blade zips through his neck and Anjay is alive. The town panics and claims the devil is there. The swordsman attempts to strike Anjay again, but finds René’s halberd in his shoulder. It does not penetrate the leather armor he has, but it is stuck and makes it hard to swing the big sword.
Just then, thunderous explosions occur in the sky. A large flying object is firing a row of small cannons near the crowd. A rope ladder rolls down. René and Anjay escape. Arthur asks “You disobeyed your superior officer. Why did you do that?” René responded with “Because I hate you!” Arthur laughed and granted René more powers. As they were flying away, René looked down and saw that Guillaume bundled all of Anjay’s equipment and tried to get on board. Anjay floated him up to the craft.
Dr. Rosenkreuz flew his ship into the clouds. He then asked René and Anjay to help him slay the demon controlling the Duke. They agreed. To do this, they would have to enter the Deadlands. As a reward, the doctor re-forged Anjays Urumi to affect things in the real and spirit world. He then gave René a four barreled musket. Four shots would affect spirits.
They attacked the monster and won. Anjay as granted another level of power. However, something goes wrong, and they are told they can not return the same way they came in. As such, they had to take an alternate path. As they ran back, they entered what they thought was a portal and ended up in a field of grapes. They spotted a road and walked towards the smell of the ocean.
***
Ling arrived in Avaris in Egypt. He saw so many wonderful things such as camels and strange ancient items. The entire time, his brother kept nagging him to help beggars and to keep his thoughts clean. Eventually they csme across a merchant who sells them some stone beetles (one of which makes Nhuang Pha louder) a parchment and what they thought was some fabric for their mother. However in the process they end up buying a young and beautiful woman. Nhuang Pha is outraged at what Ling is thinking and leaves.
The woman follows Ling around dutifully. She then leads Ling somewhere and speaks to a man who makes Ling a meal. After he’s done, some armed men attack Ling. He runs with the woman behind him. They enter a narrow alley and Ling makes a brick drop on top of the head of the man in the lead. Nhuang Pha starts telling him what direction to go. He seems less of a nag then usual, yet Ling goes along with it. Eventually, Ling steals a camel. He learns that a camel is similar in operation to an elephant and they head out into the desert.
After a short trip, they arrive at a half buried pyramid. Nhuang Pha tells him to get in. He argues and asks if this is really his brother. Nhuang Pha nags him almost violently and Ling decides it’s him. In the main chamber of the pyramid, he is told to give the scroll to the woman he brought. He does so. She begins to chant, but a dozen armed men enter. Ling draws his sword and using Laotian fencing easily takes out most of them and the rest retreat. While fighting, the woman completes her chanting and vanishes in a cloud of smoke. Nhuang Pha returns asking his brother if he has changed his wicked ways yet. Ling climbs outside to see his group waiting for him. They claim that they are not going to Italy because of war but instead will be stopping off at France next. They manage to persuade a boat of monks to let them travel on their ship.
***
Within moments of arriving in Paris, Colin is harassed by other Scottish clansmen. They call him names, insinuate that Jean is his wife and so on. Eventually, they draw swords on Colin who doesn’t react. He dodges a few swings, but eventually gives in and starts blocking with his sword. A few punches later, Colin is stabbed, but does not seek to kill them. He breaks their arms with a few wrestling moves and leaves them to groan in the street.
Jean excitedly knocks on Notre Dame’s doors and is let in. The priests feel pity on him and say that he can stay for as long as he wishes. Just as Jean wished Colin farewell, there was a knock on the door and about 20 Scotsmen were outside wanting to “talk” to Colin. The priests locked the door, but could not keep out the yelling and the insults.
A few moments later, a priest looked out a slit in the door and said “Good, some troops to handle these foul men”. They all heard the sound of horsemen and saw about sixty knights with black shields surround the church.
One of the Scots started insulting the knights who ignored them and stared at the church. When one of the Scots grabbed a knight, he was instantly cut in half. Colin and Jean were stuck. Jean prayed to Gabriel for guidance. “Through me, all things are possible” he said. His vision was broken as the Scots began banging at the door with a large stone. Just as the door was cracking open and the black shields approached, Jean found a statue of Gabriel and touched his heart. When he did, the heavens opened up in the cathedral. Jean and Colin walked through and found themselves in the center of a strange town. They smelled water and walked towards it.
***
Isabella arrived with the pilgrims in Valencia. Entering the courtyard to the church, Isabella and Dulcinea found themselves surrounded by black shield carrying knights. Anna appeared and said that it was all right. They were safe. However, the knights surrounded Dulcinea, Anna and Isabella and moved them towards the church. They held Dulcinea and Anna back and dragged Isabella by the hand into the church. Anna and Dulcinea started fighting and Isabella heard screaming as the door to the church closed behind her.
She waited in a small room with two knights staring at her in the hallway. Eventually, a monk in a brown robe said that “He was ready”. He approached Isabella and pointed in the direction she was to go.
Down a long hallway was a large ornate room overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Seated between two palm trees growing from the floor was a very old man in a cardinal’s robe. He asked if she had spoken to God or any angels. She said no. He asked if she knew how to use a sword. She said no. She was asked if she knew what the Cross of Lorraine meant. She didn’t know but had seen it on the knights.
The Cardinal laughed and said that the Vatican was delusional. He said that he would send her there, but that he would send a letter doubting her importance to the church. She asked if Anna and Dulcinea would go and was told that they were not important but would be let go.
Suddenly, the Moor who rode past her to Valencia appeared. “No!” he shouts. “She comes with to Istanbul!” He says that the wolf that follows her is the wolf mother of Turkey, Ansea. When he rode past her and the wolf followed, she stood by him and with her help he lead a small army of Turks to defeat an army three times their size in Granada. If the Turks are to win, Isabella is to come with him. Ansea then arrives and sits next to Isabella.
The cardinal laughs and says that there is nothing the Moor can do. He has no army while the church is surrounded by knights. The Moor’s eyes glow as do their own. They peer into the Deadlands. They see the black form of the knights with glowing crosses. However, pouring from the mists came hundreds of men in black with rattan shields and long spears. They wore tall hats and their faces are covered in darkness. They overwhelm the knights.
Isabella fled. She followed the knights that guarded her out and saw them all fighting invisible enemies. Dulcinea’s shrieking voice pierced her confusion. Anna and her were locked up in a stable. Isabella granted herself a bull’s strength and tore the door off. They took the horses and fled. As they did, Anna said that her cousin is a fisherman and they will pay him to take her to Marseilles.
They arrive and see fjords with hundreds of strange pink birds flying about.
Anjay and René see a small hill that over looks the endless blue of sea and sky.
A few moments later, Colin and Jean arrive at a hill and see Anjay and René.
Anna’s brother can not afford to pay the taxes in Marseilles. He drops the women off near the town. Dulcinea, Anna, and Isabella ride to a hill over looking the town and meet some strangers. One of which she heals and grows fingers back for.
Ling arrives with the monks and sees a beautiful woman and a few strange men on a hill. He walks over to greet them.
All our players have arrived at their first destination. We pick this up in a few days. Thanks, all.
