Fay Enchantress

"She moved with unearthly grace, her every movement languid, her every gesture effortless. She carried herself like a queen, yet no queen of Bretonnia had ever wielded such power as was hers to command."

- Morgiana, the Fay Enchantress.

Morgiana le Fay, known more commonly as the Fay Enchantress is the personal representative of the Lady of the Lake, and as such is the most influential figure in all of Bretonnia.

History
Her will is that of the goddess, and even kings must bow to her wise council. The Grail Knights, having sworn their lives completely to the goddess, are bound by their sacred oaths to respond to any call or decree of the Fay Enchantress. Their vows ensure that this duty is paramount, coming even before loyalties to duke and king, for the Fay Enchantress and the Lady of the Lake represent more so than any mortal lord ever could. At times when the king has no clear heir, the Fay Enchantress alone has the power to instate a worthy replacement. Evidence of the Fay Enchantress' power over the realms can most forcefully be seen during the time of King Bellaume the Brave when she ordered the Grail Knights of the king's own court to forcefully expel him, stripping him of his title and honour before banishing him from the realm and installing his successor.

It is believed that through the centuries there have been many Enchantresses, and she has gone by many different names. The current Fay Enchantress is known as Morgiana. Some believe that the Fay Enchantress has lived through all the ages of Bretonnia, making her thousands of years old. Others speculate that when each Fay Enchantress passes from the world she is instantly reincarnated so she can continue her sacred duty.

Existing outside of the usual hierarchy of power within Bretonnia, the Fay Enchantress comes and goes as she pleases, guided by the will of the Lady of the Lake. It has been known for her to appear to Questing Knights, guiding them on their final journey to the Lady. As she travels the lands, slipping mysteriously between the sacred groves, she gathers to her side young children -- children that have intense latent power within them that is hidden to all but herself. These chosen youngsters are taken by the Fay Enchantress to a place beyond time and mortality, to the mysterious Otherworld. The girl-children occasionally return years later as Damsels of the Lady, blessed in spirit and heart. Of the male children, nothing is ever heard again.

On occasions of particular peril, the Fay Enchantress will rouse the dukes or even the king himself and ready them for war. She will sometimes ride alongside these armies, lending her unearthly powers toward the protection of those fighting in the name of the Lady. Her legendary fury is greatly feared, and her piercing eyes crackle with power, inspiring terror and awe in friend and foe alike. She has been known to draw lightning from the sky to strike her enemies, and slay with but a wrathful glance.

The Enchantress lives a reclusive life and usually difficult to find. An important task for many knights on the Grail Quest is to find her and ask for favours and advice as to where to look for the Grail. One of her abodes is the Isle de Lys in the middle of the Sacred Lake in Châlons, where the Lady first appeared to Gilles, but she has been found in other, equally remote places.

Favours of the Fay
At the start of a battle, a Bretonnian hero may beg a favour from the Fay Enchantress. She reserves her favours for brave and worthy knights, and is most likely to grant a favour to young, reckless knight whose courage and devotion burns most fiercely.

If a knight is granted a favour he will accept a token of his promise to the Fay, which will be tied to his lance or helm. This token may be a scarf or even a tress of her flowing hair. The knight makes his pledge of honour never to run from a fight - this is known as the Ban. If a knight breaks his ban, he will incur dire consequences for both him and the Fay Enchantress herself.

Magic Items

 * The Chalice of Potions - The Fay Enchantress's Chalice of Potions holds a magical potion distilled from lilies gathered by her on the eve of battle. The power of the chalice depends upon the lilies she selects and the spells she weaves over them, with the colour of the resultant vapours deciding the effects.


 * Red: The healing effects of the potion's vapours protect those around the Fay Enchantress.


 * Yellow: The potion vapours burn with a pure intensity that dazzles enemies touching the Fay Enchantress.


 * White: The chalice discharges an enveloping mist which completely surrounds the Fay Enchantress and any unit she is with, making attempts to fire projectile weapons at them impossible.


 * Violet: The chalice discharges a powerful violet coloured mist which coils around the Fay Enchantress like a serpent, choking any enemies in close range.


 * Blue: The chalice discharges a blue cloud which drifts over the battlefield and settles over one enemy war machine. The war machine cannot fire whilst it is under the cloud.


 * Morgiana's Mirror - Morgiana's Mirror enables her to peer into the hearts and minds of enemy wizards, so that she can discern their intentions and prepare herself against them.


 * Girdle of Gold - Woven with powerful magics of otherworldly protection, the Girdle defies the Enchantress' enemies efforts to strike at her. Thanks to its power she can accompany Knights into battle, and yet wear no armour, the power of the Girdle of Gold protecting her instead.


 * Power Familiar (Toad) - Said to have once been a wizard that displeased her, the Enchantress draws power from her toad familiar to strengthen her spells and weaken the magic of her enemies.

Spells

 * Spiteful Glance: It is unwise to annoy the Fay Enchantress of Bretonnia, for she may turn you into a frog! It is a widely held belief among Bretonnian peasants that many of the frogs lurking in the lakes and ponds around her abode are Questing Knights who failed to perform a task for her. The only way to save these unfortunates from languishing as frogs until eaten by a fish or a heron is for the fairest damsel in the village to kiss them. Needless to say few if any Knights have been saved in this way!


 * The Mist of Châlons: White mist, like that which rises from the places sacred to the Lady of the Lake, gathers around a unit in range from the Fay Enchantress. The mist enshrouds the unit so that it can barely be seen so long as it does not fire ranged weapons.


 * The Doom of Dol: The Fay Enchantress pronounces the doom of a single person or monster on the opposing side, and a Bretonnian on her own side who will slay the "doomed" target. So, for example, in the midst of battle, the Fay Encahntress may suddenly declare something like "Sir Jehan Maldemer! The Dwarf king is doomed to perish by your sword!" Naturally this inspires the named Knight to go all out to accomplish that very deed of valour and fulfill the prophecy.


 * The Beguilement of Blondel: The target unit is beguiled with visions of verdant meadows full of wild flowers and beautiful maidens, or whatever alternative paradise exists in their imagination! They may even believe they have already been slain in battle and gone to heaven.

Trivia

 * It was long speculated that the Fay Enchantress was secretly a Wood Elf representing the Lady of the Lake. This was eventually proven false during the End Times, where it was revealed that she was indeed human.