"Beau Quest! That is the title I shall bestow upon you! Agravain de Beau Quest, you bring honour and blessings upon us all!"
- —Agravain receives his noble title.[1]
Agravain de Beau Quest, Grail Knight of Bretonnia.[1]
Agravain de Beau Quest was a powerful Bretonnian Grail Knight. He was famed for his daring quest into the heart of Athel Loren, and his ensuing victory against the Wood Elves.
History[]
Agravain was raised in the Castle of Beaumarchais in Quenelles. When he turned old enough to bear arms as a Knight Errant, he was placed in charge of his father's castle while the Baron was away on campaign against the Skaven. Sometimes he felt angry at being left behind, but he understood the trust invested in him: to hold his father's domain and protect his mother, sister and all the people of the village. Several months after his father had left to battle the Skaven, a group of wounded men rode into the village. They were all that remained of the Baron's retinue of Squires. The Baron was not among them, but one of the Squires bore the Baron's battered shield. With the death of Agravain's father, the land of Beaumarchais was left without a leader. Tormented by grief, Agravain's mother died only a few days later, and was buried alongside her husband's shield in Beaumarchais' holy chapel.[1]
Since only a full Knight of the Realm could be Baron, Agravain could not inherit the legacy, instead having to face a task of his sister's choosing. His sister, however, was in love: the former shepherd, Jaques, had been raised to knighthood for heroic deeds and was said to be of noble blood. Agravain had to compete with this young knight for his birthright. Horrified and disheartened, he finally accepted his sister's decision. She informed him that the great Drogo le Mal had to be slain, and his head brought before the village as a trophy. It was a very traditional errand of knighthood. Drogo le Mal was a persistent scourge on Beaumarchais and the neighbouring domains: a fearsome Dragon who swooped over the fields and plucked ploughmen and milkmaids from their work to feed his ravenous appetite. Knights Errant from neighbouring domains had attempted this task many times before, but the Dragon was still alive and they were not...[1]
Hunting Drogo[]
Later that day the two Knights Errant set off together. Soon they reached a fork in the road that led from Beaumarchais to the neighbouring villages. Jaques spurred his horse on towards the path that led to the village of Dinan, while Agravain took the road towards the villages of Payens and Bellay. As Agravain rode through the villages, he questioned the peasants working in their fields. At Payens he was given hospitality at the castle. At Bellay, he slept in the forest under his shield because the domain was discovered to be deserted. On the third day, Agravain turned towards Dinan. There, he discovered the locals had recently fallen victim to Drogo le Mal.[1]
The surviving villagers pointed Agravain to some distant crags, indicating where the Dragon had flown. The crags were within the wild heath that surrounded the mysterious Forest of Loren, beyond the fairy stones which no man would pass. Agravain realised then why no one had tracked Drogo to his lair before, at least no one who had ever returned. The peasants informed him that they had seen another knight riding in the same direction only a day before, but they had not seen him ride back again. Hearing this, Agravain made haste towards the crags.[1]
Soon they were looming before him, rising out of a thick, clammy mist that covered the hillside. It was then that Agravain heard a horse neigh somewhere ahead of him. He spurred on his own steed and soon found himself before the gaping mouth of a huge cave. There was a great mass of bones scattered around the mouth of the cave, and the air was heavy with the stench of rotting carcasses. Jacques had also reached the cave and stood before the entrance, and the two knights greeted each other as both allies and rivals. Suddenly a deafening roar came as the Dragon approached. The knights' warhorses began to shy away in fear as Drogo descended out of the mist and landed directly in front of them. Both knights levelled their lances, shouted the war cry of Bretonnia and charged.[1]
As Drogo opened his great jaws to unleash his fiery breath, Agravain rammed his lance deep into the throat of the great monster. The lance snapped in two as the Dragon reeled up, mortally wounded. At the same time, Jacques managed to pierce Drogo's heart with his own lance. Drogo's great carcass tumbled down the craggy hillside, watched by Agravain and Jaques. Honour-bound as a knight, Agravain recognised the victory of his rival. Jaques, however, felt the same way about Agravain.[1]
Isabelle welcomed the two heroes back to the city. As both knights were of the opinion that their rival had killed the dragon, both would have had to resolve the dispute in single combat. The shocked Isabelle however, used her right as lady of the land and declared her lover Jacques the winner, who later married her and became the new Baron of Beaumarchais. Agravain accepted his defeat chivalrously, but also with great sadness.[1]
The Quest[]
Agravain's time as a full Knight of the Realm was very short. Together with Jacques he was knighted within the Grail Chapel of Beaumarchais, only to take the Questing Vow for the Grail shortly thereafter. The population of the city took this decision with enthusiasm, and from then on, he was known as Agravain de Beau Quest. He spent the following night in silent vigil at the Grail Chapel, seeking inspiration for his quest. He received a vision of beautiful lady with a look of sorrowful despair on her lovely face, casting a magnificent golden chalice into a deep river.[1]
Inspired by the vision, Agravain set off for the famed Tournament of Quenelles. As he left the village, he encountered Jasper the jester and the bard Blondel. They begged the knight to let them accompany him on the quest as his retainers. Agravain finally agreed on the condition that Blondel would compose a chanson to record his feats of arms, and that Jasper looked after his warhorse.[1]
Castle Quenelles was only a few days ride to the south east, but Agravain had never been there before. As he rode through the great gate and into the bustling streets, he encountered the first test of his quest: resisting the temptations of Quenelles. The city was in a state of great festivity as a a great tourney was about to begin. Knights had come from the far corners of the dukedom and beyond to attend, among them were Knights Errant who had come to win their spurs on the jousting field, and other Questing knights like Agravain, perhaps drawn by the mysterious will of the Lady.[1]
The prize of the tourney was a richly ornamented chalice, unsurpassed in its craftsmanship. Local fishermen had taken the relic from the River Brienne, close to the bounds of the Forest of Loren. In truth, it was the mystical Chalice of Chanterelle, held by the young woman from him Agravain's vision. Like the other Knights at the tournament, he also secretly hoped that the sacred chalice was perhaps the Holy Grail itself.[1]
The Tournament[]
On the eve of the tourney, there was a great commotion in Quenelles. The cause of this was a retinue of Elven Princes from the realm of Athel Loren, who had ridden into the city to enter the tourney. Such a thing was only ever heard of in legends and no one could remember it ever happening in their own lifetime.[1]
Agravain listened with great interest to the rumours and gossip concerning the Wood Elves. It was said that they belonged to the Kindred of the Willows and claimed that the chalice and other prizes belonged to their kindred since they had been found within the boundaries of Athel Loren. Whether or not this was true did not make any difference in Bretonnian eyes. They were used to seeing off dubious Elf and Dwarf adventurers hunting for treasure. The custom was to settle such disputes by honourable combat. Such a chalice was thus a worthy prize for the climax of the tourney. Agravain believed that should be won by whosoever could prove himself worthy of it by valour and feat of arms. It was fitting that the Elves do battle according to the rules of chivalry, and it seemed that they intended to.[1]
The Castellan of Quenelles Guillaume de Grenouille, was honour-bound to accept the Elves' challenge. The conditions were tightened: six duels for life and death. At the request of the duke, Agravain also took part. It was customary before that the fair Lady Melisande gave favour to the valiant knights. To this she gave her clothes to the fighters as tokens of her affection. Agravain was the last one. When he faced the now half-naked and perplexed Melisande, Agravain renounced chivalry to her favour, unwilling to embarrass her further. She cut a curl from her hair and gave it as a gift, hoping Agravain would survive. The tournament began, and the the Wood Elves proved worthy opponents, before Agravain two knights lost their lives. But the skilled knight was superior to his own opponents and proved victorious. Meanwhile, however, the Elves had started an attack on the prize tents, unnoticed by the distracted tournament members, they overwhelmed the guards and stole the grand prizes. By the time news reached the knights, it was too late.[1]
In the evening, while the high-ranking knights counselled what was to be done, Agravain retreated to the Grail Chapel of Quenelles. All night long he waited for another vision, but in vain. The next morning he awoke early and went down to the banks of the River Brienne. As he bent down to the water, the river suddenly fell. Agravain looked up and saw in the mists, a small boat with a beautiful young woman appeared. The vision passed as quickly as it had come. For a long time Agravain thought about what to do. But at last he went back to the Grail Chapel. Here, however, there was a crowd of people. The Duke had decided to send a pilgrimage into the forest of Athel Loren to claim the lost Challotte Chapel as recompense from the cowardly Elves. The Duke and his daughter, the beautiful Damsel, Eleanor asked Agravain whether he wanted to accompany the pilgrims. He did not want to be deterred from his personal quest however, and humbly rejected their offer.[1]
Facing the Elves[]
Agravain looked for his bard Blondel, whom he finally found lying drunk in a gutter. He asked the bard to sing the "Damoiselle de Challotte". The ballad was about the lady Chanterelle, who was ambushed by Wood Elves. Her companions were killed, except for a single bard, who composed the now famous song, Chanterelle was never seen again. Now Agravain was sure: he was supposed to save the lady. It had been her cup, which now led him to the Chaldean Chapel. He had to hurry to reach the pilgrims in time.[1]
Along with some of the other knights who had missed the departure of the pilgrims, he set off for the forest of Loren. In the meantime the pilgrims had been attacked by the huntsmen of the forest and had probably only survived thanks to Eleanor's healing. Their losses were numerous, but the reinforcements which they had now received allowed them to push further on. Together they continued the journey. Baron Aloys de Montjoie, leader of the pilgrimage and a mighty Grail Knight, placed himself in service to Agravain. He saw that the young knight had a destiny to fulfil... the eyes of the Lady were upon him.[1]
When they had to camp overnight, Agravain again had a vision. He saw the woman of his previous dreams in the boat. She threw the chalice and her jewellery into the river, and afterwards drank a small vial. She lay down, closed her eyes, and died. Elves came cautiously and saw the dead woman. They enveloped her with leaves and carried her gently back to the Grail chapel where they laid her body down. Then they closed the entrance, and soon there was no sign of the chapel. He woke up worried. Was she dead? Or only in a deep sleep? Would he still be able to save her?[1]
The army moved on. Before the island of Challotte, where the Grail chapel stood, they encountered the Wood Elves, led by a Highborn known as Athelwyn. The Elf Prince explained to the Bretonnians that the great Tree of Shields had overgrown the ruins of the chapel and was now a holy place for the elves. He then took the chalice of Chanterelle and threw it at the bretons. It landed in the swamp and sank before the eyes of both armies. Agravain observed the tree and saw countless shields of Questing Knights who had died there. One particular shield he recognised was that of the long lost hero, Fragonnarde de Montecannes. Their shields were hung as both a sign of warning and as trophies. Agravain tried to control his rage, but the other knights could not. Both sides clashed, the Battle of the Tree of Shields had begun.[1].[2a]
While Aloys de Montjoie fought aside his five Grail Knight companions at the centre of the battle, Agravain rode over the flank with his Questing Knights and Eleanor. They reached the island and carried out a successful attack against the elves defending it. Within the mist blanketing the island, there remained but a single, deadly Wood Elf hero, Gyferth. Agravain himself fought man to man with the brave and doomed Elf Prince. Gyferth was in every way a worthy adversary, but nonetheless fell to Agravain's lance.[1]
The battle proved costly, for Bretonnian and Elf alike. It ended after Aloys had slain Athelwyn, sacrificing himself to the Prince's Highborn bodyguard. Upon seeing their leader fall, the Wood Elves turned to escape, incapable of defeating the Bretonnians. It was then, in this moment of respite, that Agravain pulled the helmet from his head. He discovered a silver arrow entangled within the tress he wore around it. The lock of Melisande, which he still wore, had saved his life.[1]
Destiny[]
The Tree of Shields was torn down to reveal the ruins of the Grail Chapel. Agravain and Eleanor stepped down into the ancient crypt of the chapel and immediately fell to their knees in awe at the sight they beheld. An ethereal figure stood before them: the beautiful woman from Agravain's visions, the Lady of the Lake. She held out a chalice to Agravain, which looked eerily like the Chalice of the Chanterelle, and brimmed with an otherworldly vapour. Agravain drank from the chalice. The Lady slowly melted away before his eyes until there was no trace of her. Agravain was left feeling invigorated, indeed blessed. He was no longer a mere mortal, he was a Grail Knight.[1]
He turned to Eleanor, who had witnessed the fulfilment of his Quest. Only then did he realise that she seemed so much like the young woman from his visions, Chanterelle. It was as if she was the living image of the mythical woman. For her part, Eleanor was inspired by the Lady's appearance and decided to become the Damsel of the reclaimed chapel. From that day on Agravain remained within the midst of the forest, serving as her only, devoted protector.[1]
Meanwhile, Blondel had chronicled the adventures of his master. He christened the ballad "Chanson de Challotte". Agravain released the bard of his commitments so that the he could travel throughout the realm, singing of the heroic feats of honour, faith and chivalry that had been performed that day. This Blondel did, immortalising Agravain for all posterity. The Chanson would go on to become legendary within the courts of Bretonnia, seen a symbol of knightly perfection.[1]
Wargear & Abilities[]
Agravain was a deadly warrior, capable of slaying both a Dragon and a Wood Elf Prince whilst still a mortal warrior.
- The "Tress of Melisande" was gifted to Agravain after his deadly performance at the Grand Tourney. A mystical favour, it was able to disregard the first attack any opponent made against him.