Venost Manor

Venost Manor is part of the fief of Minilaous, though is actually in Horkand hundred, almost a hundred miles to the northeast of Minilaous. It has a population of about 170 people, and is ruled by the Bailiff Sir Thestal Brocksly, a 52 year old knight, who has long grown too old to fight.

Who Rules

The Bailiff, Sir Thestal Brocksly, lives here in his fortified manor house, with his wife, Lady Rysia, and their youngest daughter Falditia (19). Sir Thestal is an old man, who has lost much of the fire and enthusiasm of his youth.

Sir Thestal had three sons, but lost two of them when they went to fight Rethem, and the youngest was lost to illness.

Religion

The primary religion here is of Peoni. The priestess of Peoni is Kathrine, a 60 year old woman who is half blind, but devout in her faith and refusing to retire.

Kathrine has a small wooden chapel. There used to be an abbey here for the Balm of Joy, but it burnt down in 707 TR after a series of horrific murders. The events were hushed up in order to avoid a scandal, and though word did reach the rest of the order, and also the Church of Larani, it did not become common knowledge.

Kathrine came here in 710, so does not have first hand knowledge of the events which transpired.

The Balm of Joy

The abbey of "Our Lady Yselde the Trothmaker" was a small abbey at the edge of the manor's fields. The priestesses helped in the fields, and took care of the sick of the manor. They were well loved and respected by the commonors.

In the first month of 705, a badly injured knight and his lady turned up at the abbey, asking for aid and shelter. The woman had been heavily beaten, and possibly raped. The man was injured also, though his injuries were older, though were open and festering.

The knight, who never gave his name, and asked that his arms be kept here and not shown to anyone, died a few days later. The woman died 9 months later in child birth, though the child survived. All the time she was there, she rarely spoke, other than to give her name - Ulia. Of her knight, she refused to say anything, or of where she came from or why.

They had little property with them, save for the knights arms and armour, and a book, which Ulia kept with her until her death. She never let anyone else look at it, and spent much time studying it intently.

Within the Uttermost Dream

Ulia was buried next to her knight in the abbey's graveyard, in a grave marked only with her name. Her son was named Torelin, and was given to the care of the Irreproachable Order in Aleath.

The book was to be sent on to Aleath as well, but one of the sisters, Elia, kept it to herself, and secretely began reading it. The spirit within the book corrupted her, turning her towards darkness.

The first to die was one of the commoners. Elia came across him in the woods, and tried to persuade him to sleep with her. He refused, but she became angry and raped him. Afterwards, fearful of what would happen to her if anyone found it, she slew him, and left his body to be found in the woods.

Demons were blamed on the death. A sermon which followed given by the abbess made Elia feel guilty, so she murdered her. By this time the influence of the book had spread, and others began finding that what they read became corrupted.

Several of the sisters ran riot, attacking others and performing acts of debauchery which shocked everyone. As it happens, the Shek-Pvar Seldon was in the village at the time, and he contacted the Chuch of Larani, who sent in priests to put right the problem.

The abbey was burnt - whether by accident, arson or design of the priests is not known. The sisters were sent elsewhere, though Elia died in the fire, locking herself in the cellars with her book.

Since then, it has been said that the place is haunted, and no-one goes there.

The Haunted Ruins

Not much is left of the abbey now, save for some blackened walls and the graveyard, which is still used. The villagers will refuse to approach unless a priest is with them, and even then they will not go near the rear of the abbey, where the cellars are located. They believe these are haunted, and claim that on some nights the wailing of spirits can be heard. Things are especially bad on the night of the new moon.