Pritchard: In Malinbois, at a shrine of Trianoma

Pritchard: In Malinbois, at a shrine of Trianoma

Quendalon 25 Mar 2026 19:45

After attending de Troeven's party, Pritchard Hood visited the Temple of Trianoma in Glantri City, hoping to spot his ex-wife Blanchfleur. Alas, she was not there.

Several days later, after his most recent delve into the Chateau d'Ambreville, Pritchard begins the long trek back to Glantri City to sell Chaos-cult relics to de Troeven. Passing through Malinbois that afternoon, he nostalgically decides to stay the night at the town's best inn, the Wolf and Roses, to dine well and sleep well before proceeding on the morrow.

Late that night, unable to sleep, Pritchard strolls through the silent town. He finds himself in Holy Grove, a patch of woodland beneath the Chateau de Marais' hill, where several shrines stand amid the trees. A familiar path leads him to a one-room stone structure with a single doorless archway, holding a statue of Trianoma in her aspect as adjudicator.

This was Blanchfleur's favorite shrine, that she would visit late at night in the darker parts of their marriage.

And indeed, perhaps by chance, Blanchfleur is there. She kneels prayerfully before the statue, wrapped in furs against the evening's chill.

Last edited on 25 Mar 2026 19:46 by Quendalon Show more

Re: Pritchard: In Malinbois, at a shrine of Trianoma

naraoia 29 Mar 2026 17:13

As much as Pritchard was hoping to find her, he hesitates now, tentative, unwilling to interrupt her at her devotions. Or, more likely, simply uncertain how to talk to her after everything that happened, and failed to happen, between them.

Yet he lingers, and this is his fatal mistake, because after a few moments, without looking up from the statue she speaks his name. Her tone is hard to read but he approaches and stands behind her. It is clear to him that it is best for them both if they appear to be simply two people come to pray.

She asks whats he wants and he tells her everything. The existence of a chaos cult in the city, De Troeven's offer for artifacts of chaos, the devil colony in the chateau, his new quasit familiar.

She barely reacts. She must have known all of this already. Well, of course! What was he thinking? She was always preternaturally aware of the hidden threats submerged just below the surface of Glantri's tranquility. She does glance over at him once, when he mentions the quasit has taught him secrets that opened up the tenth circle of magic to him. Is her look one of contempt, that he would succumb to the base seductions of power and curiosity, and risk his immortal soul? Or are the gears moving in her head, ticking away at a new plan that would make use of a powerful ally?

Pritchard realizes why he's come here. It was not simply to see an old friend. He wants guidance, if not command. He has come to trust Blanchefleur and he knows she will choose what is right for Glantri. After all, the health of the principalities is her own health, its security the security of her throne. Dangerous games are afoot and he remembers well how every game they played, she won. Even when it meant sacrificing a favorite piece.

Re: Pritchard: In Malinbois, at a shrine of Trianoma

Quendalon 31 Mar 2026 03:50

When it becomes clear that Pritchard has finished speaking, Blanchfleur rises and snuffs the guttering candle she'd set in a wall niche. She casts a spell, conjuring a small witchlight that hovers behind her shoulder. "Walk with me," she says. "I trust you'll let me ramble without interruption."

"During the civil war," she says, "my father turned against our liege lords, the Ambrevilles. Some said it was out of ambition, to claim the princedom of New Averoigne, and there's some truth in that. Some said he did what was right. I like to think that some small part of his choice was to rescue me from a most unwelcome second marriage that the Ambrevilles had prepared for me. But above all else, he did what he thought best for House Marais."

Leading Pritchard off the path, she cuts through the overgrowth toward the base of the Chateau de Marais's hill. "It was Fowler, captain of the Torchbearers, who first presumed to propose marriage into the house. We rebuffed him, of course. But after your successes in the Ambreville dungeons and in breaking the siege of Gantelet, my brother and I hoped to use the Company of Crossed Swords to clear the monsters out of the Ambreville lands and establish control over eastern New Averoigne.

"But then Gerard and his sons died in the wars." She leads Pritchard through a crevice hidden beneath a rocky overhang, into a cave scarcely larger than the Trianoma shrine. Amid moss and twining roots stands a black stone statue, its features blurred by time. A jagged crack zigzags across its face.

"Gerard's eldest grandson is but a child, and the family had no stomach for a prolonged regency. My accession changed the political calculus regarding our marriages, as you well know. I am in negotiation to marry one Sylaire or another, after which I must somehow provide a suitable heir. Thonerite, for her part — and here I stop rambling and come to the point — is in the process of courting Frédéric de Troeven."

She turns to Pritchard, her witchlight casting stark shadows across her face in the dark. "De Troeven's connections are an open secret. But he is rich and influential, and with his wife's passing he has a number of suitors. Fortunately, he is close to Mandore, who is helping Thonerite press her suit. He is ambitious, and doubtless sees this as one step on the path to a crown and a true seat on the council. My cousin and I must both be cautious. But we do what we must to secure our family's future."

She lowers her voice. "I do not truck with Chaos, for I am not willing to pay its price. But I am not a crusader. Your pact only troubles me insofar as it seems a lapse in judgment. Our vows are broken and we have no blood ties between us, but I am still happy to aid you and your your people, so long as you and your people continue to support House Marais."