Interlude 14: Tragedy of Shamas Goodson
A Legend of the Chantry
Even the holy and righteous are not immune from temptations offered by spirits of the Fade. Their good intentions can be manipulated to serve the purposes of the envious children of the Maker. Heed the warning of this tale and be wary.
During a time of great tribulation the Veil became thin in distant parts of Thedas. Tales spread of the dead not resting and walking among the living in the land. The Divine Hortensia III received a vision from the Maker through a dream, revealing that this thinning had caused six troubled spirits to escape from the Fade and pass into the world of men. These spirits had the ability to possess the bodies of the newly dead or those that invited their presence and become Revenants, powerful foes that killed without mercy and haunted the living. If left to their devices, these spirits would wander in the forms of men and sap the lives of those unfortunate enough to fall into their paths.
In response to the vision, Hortensia III chose a group of six Templars by lot to carry out the holy mission of exorcising the abominations that walked in the world of men and preyed on the faithful. These men were Maurice Herenden, Aubrey Chowring, Herlewin Payne, Savaric Kynton, Giles Nash and Shamas Goodson.
In their quest these men became closer than brothers, relying on each other in both strength and weakness. In their journeys they travelled across Thedas and even into the deep places in order to trace their quarry. Savaric had been touched by Andraste herself and guided his brethren, discovering where the demons roamed. As each spirit was exorcised, the Templars joined in a ritual of prayer and sanctified blood, binding the essence of the spirit, trapping it within a vial and a scrap of paper, binding the spirit with the true name of the host. Herlewin was chosen as guardian of the vials, with the intention of bringing them before the Divine herself to destroy with the aid of the Maker.
During their time of travel, after the first four spirits had been found and contained, the six Templars received word that the family of Shamas Goodson had perished in a fire and he was called home to lay them to rest. Shamas became despondent in his grief and his brethren accompanied him to the lands where his family dwelled to offer comfort.
In the time of the journey, the fifth spirit, a cunning apparition, whispered within Shamas' dreams for five nights. Each night the spirit promised that if Shamas became his host and freed the other spirits that the brethren had captured, he would provide Shamas with unimaginable power. Valiantly Shamas resisted.
On the first night, the spirit came to Shamas in the form of his father. The spirit whispered to Shamas of the strength of arms that the spirit could provide. Shamas would be invincible to injury and impervious to pain. He could overcome any opponent and win glory for his name.
Shamas was not fooled, however, and answered that Andraste had conquered the hearts of men, not with the power of arms but with the word of the Maker. In the face of his resistance, the spirit fled before morning.
On the second night, the spirit came to Shamas in the form of his mother. The spirit whispered to Shamas of the allure of land. The spirit promised him land from horizon to horizon, so far that it could not be ridden across in a day. With this land Shamas could be the king of his own country, answerable to no man's whim.
Shamas was not fooled, however, and answered that Maferath had betrayed Andraste in a bid to retain the land that they had conquered from the Imperium. In the end, Maferath was executed by his own sons and had brought shame upon his name, denied the face of the Maker in his time of death. In the face of his resistance, the spirit fled before morning.
On the third night, the spirit came to Shamas in the form of his revered brother. The spirit whispered to Shamas of the allure of youth. The spirit promised that with his help Shamas would never grow old, he would never experience the outrage of infirmity. Forever would he be a paragon of magnificence. All would be awed by him and he would be loved by many.
Shamas was not fooled, however, and answered that the Maker had taken Andraste as his bride, not for her physical beauty, but for the purity of her spirit as it flew to him through her prayerful hymns. She did not fall prey to vanity and her spirit is what lives on with the Maker, free of the mortal trappings of the body. In the face of his resistance, the spirit fled before morning.
On the fourth night, the spirit came to Shamas in the form of his wise grandfather. The spirit whispered to Shamas of the allure of fame. The spirit promised that all of the known world would hear of him. He would be remembered through the ages and people would sing his praises. He would even be revered by the Divine herself.
Shamas was not fooled, however, and answered that Andraste had sought no fame for herself. She was content to spread the word of the Maker and honor him above all. Even after victory she bended knee and humbled herself before the Maker's sight, offering him all glory and claiming none for herself. It is for this that she was remembered and honored. In the face of his resistance, the spirit fled before morning.
On the fifth and final night, the spirit came to Shamas in the form of his beloved younger sister, her hair golden and the blush of youth barely coloring her cheeks. The spirit whispered of the power to restore the dead to life. He promised that if Shamas agreed to be his host and freed the other spirits trapped in the vials then he could possess the power to bring his family back to life.
Shamas' heart was heavy with the loss of his family. Faced by the guise of his sister, his resistance crumbled into dust. Giving in to despair, Shamas accepted the spirit's offer. The spirit howled with glee as he took possession of Shamas' body and tainted his soul.
The other five Templars were awakened by the sound of thunder and watched in awestruck horror as their brother in arms rose from his bed as a Revenant. With heavy hearts they drew their swords and repelled their former comrade, now a dark fiend. Shamas tossed Savaric into the air, impaling him on the dark blade, barely short of skewering his heart. Herlewin's thigh was near crushed with a sweep of the Revenant's gauntlet. The injured Templars fought on until the pale of morning, their bodies flagging and their hearts filled with sorrow.
As the light of the Maker enveloped them in the dawn, they were renewed. They received the power necessary to defeat the Revenant and bound him to a vial, inscribing true name of Shamas Goodson and sealing it with their blood, flowing from open wounds received in battle. They collapsed to the ground and mourned the loss of their friend, one who fell before the eyes of the Maker.
It became apparent to the remaining five that with the loss of their comrade, they might not be able to bind the final spirit with two of them sustaining dire injuries. Also there was concern that the binding of the fifth spirit might not hold with only the five remaining Templars to perform the rite, causing the vial to be fragile and weakening the hold of the remaining vials. It became doubtful even that the Divine would be able to contain the restless spirits or destroy them simultaneously. They prayed for guidance from the Maker and his bride, requesting succor in their injuries and aid in the form of a holy champion.
Before the year was out, the Maker spoke to each in dream visions, guiding them to the final place of battle and enabling them to seal the final rogue spirit in a vial, but that is a tale for another night.