"Your kindred offended us at the tourney of Quenelles, now we demand this small recompense."
- —Aloys de Montjoie.[1]
Baron Aloys de Monjoie.[1]
Aloys de Montjoie was a fabled Grail Knight and Baron of Quenelles who led a vast pilgrimage into the heart of Athel Loren.
History[]
Aloys de Montjoie was known as a very arrogant and impetuous knight, but also as religious and brave, respected throughout Quenelles as a paragon of Bretonnian virtue. After successfully completing the Grail Quest, he returned having personally recaptured various sacred relics. He then made it his duty to guard the holy Grail Chapel of Quenelles. He was known to ride into battle upon a Barded Warhorse and wielded a massive two-handed broadsword, which he used to devastating effect.[1]
During the annual Quenelles tournament, a small army of Wood Elves had attended under the guise of peace in order to steal an ancient artifact, betraying the Bretonnians and unleashing a beast upon the crowd as a distraction. They were defeated in the resulting skirmish, but managed to escape with the holy artefact. A large meeting was called in response, with the gathered knights deciding that the Elves were to pay recompense. The Duke decided that a pilgrimage was to travel to the lost Challot Grail Chapel and demand permanent access, by force if necessary. Aloys de Montjoie was thus chosen to lead the expedition.[1]
Aloys and his small army marched to the border of Athel Loren. When they entered the forest, an Elven sorcerer, Yolath, stood in their way. Aloys demanded that the Elves pay recompense for their cowardly actions, and allow his men to make pilgrimage into the Chapel. When the sorcerer refused, Aloys simply pushed him aside. Ignoring the Yolath's prior warnings, Aloys lead his small army deeper into the forest.[1]
As they got closer to reaching the Grail Chapel, the pilgrimage was ambushed by hulking Tree Kin, accompanied by a horde of forest spirits and Elves. The resulting battle was costly, but reinforcements eventually arrived under the guidance of the Questing Knight, Agravain, helping to push back the Elven forces. Aloys then swore himself in service to Agravain, seeing that the young knight was both a worthy leader and had a destiny to fulfil.[1]
In the ensuing Battle of the Tree of Shields, Aloys led a sortie of five Grail Knights into the centre of the fighting. They would be greatly outnumbered by the Wood Elves' most elite units, but nonetheless charged into battle fearlessly. Agravain, meanwhile, was to lead his forces around the flanks to secure the sacred chapel. When Aloys saw the Elven general Athelwyn, the enraged Baron could not restrain himself and rode into the attack. He proved far deadlier than the Elf Prince, hewing the warrior down with several blows from his mighty sword.[1]
Despite this victory however, Aloys found that he was completely surrounded. Athelwyn's Highborn bodyguards and Glade Riders had encircled the Grail Knight during his duel, and were accompanied by the Elf sorcerer Yolath and his massive Warhawk. The Baron fought bravely against this fresh tide of warriors, but eventually fell.[1]
The Bretonnians would go on to win the battle, but the cost was great. Aloys and his five Grail Knights were found dead, surrounded by the corpses of slain Highborn and Glade Riders. They had fought against great odds to ensure victory for the Bretonnians, slaying all of the Elves' elite warriors and forcing their sorcerer to flee the battlefield upon his Warhawk. Aloys and the rest of these fallen heroes were buried around the very Grail Chapel they had fought to recapture.[1]
When Agravain finally supped from the Grail, as the Baron had long before, he chose to become the chapel's guardian, forever protecting Aloys' tomb...[1]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer: Perilous Quest