Records: Dominus Exorcus

## **Unlike Anything Ever Seen**

The situation with Dauphin Charles was unique. He wasn't possessed, per se, he was haunted. Not by a single ghost, but a city of ghosts.

In the two days it took for Prince Richard to virtually fly to Paris, the Jesuit priests had stablized Charles' mind, as well as healing the actual, physical damage the SA – and Prince Edward – were taking from the ghosts.

King Edward had initially forbidden Prince Edward from joining in the human defense. It was too much to bear: witnessing the pain, the agony, the risk of losing his son a third time. In the end, he relented if only because the Prince wasn't taking "no" for an answer. And seeing his son wracked with pain, and the son of Charles become a focus point for spiritual energy in the capital of France. King Charles, Edward's foe, stood in the shield line to defend his son.

It became too much to bear to *not* stand in the line.

For two days, all the agony of the dead, the pain, the regret, the fear and rage and disappointment of Paris and France itself seemed to surge through Dauphin Charles, filtered by the human chain.

### **The Moments Between**

No one man, not even the SA or the spiritual warrior Jesuits could remain standing the entire time.

In the moments that the exhausted, beaten kings took respite from the line to heal and prepare, diplomacy was grunted between them. Charles asked Edward if the tactic was true: would he have razed Paris? Edward took a long time to answer, but finally conceded that he prayed it wouldn't come to that. Ultimately, though, he would sacrifice Paris to save France.

Prince Edward, it was determined, would sacrifice himself to save everybody.

Dauphin Charles was much the same way. Afflicted with a mental instability seen on his mother's side of the family, he was passionate to a fault. The Jesuits overheard and started formulating a plan for Prince Richard...

## **Soul Nova**

Prince Richard arrived just as human shields were beginning to crumble under the weight of the damage. Even outside, in a torus around the hospital, there was a swirling glow of energy that gave off radiation felt as much in *emotion* as heat or light.

With a quick counsel from the Jesuits, Wizards and doctors, Rick entered the hospital.

The Prince was able to isolate the Dauphin's mind long enough to affect a healing of the instability. Once the instability was healed, theat was the anchor point the haunting had used to hook into his mind. With the anchor gone, in a group effort, Prince Rick broke the bond the spirits had created.

The break itself cracked windows for miles around, the psychic blast felt for miles. The fear and anxiety of the pending attack was nothing in comparison to the pants-soiling terror of the *Soul Nova*.

### **The Aftermath**

Dauphin Charles was the first to wake from the healing.

Magically-trained Doctors and spiritually-trained Jesuits tended the wounded, and gave rights to the ghosts – bringing peace to the angry spirits (a process they'd tried and failed at earlier).

Prince Rick was the last to wake, and some were surprised he woke at all: *he had taken the full brunt of the blast*. King Edward was beside himself until Prince Richard managed "some unkind words of pain and frustration." It was, however, the assurance the king needed that the prince would survive.

Now, after a spiritual battle that the city itself had felt, Paris was left with two armies and an armistice.