The Ravens' Spoils

The grisly spectacle that is war

## Trophies

*... Are they all... dead?*
Hugo spots the bodies littering the battlefield

"**The Ravens' Spoils**" is the fifth chapter in *A Plague Tale: Innocence*. Gameplay here is more varied as one can choose to use either stealth to avoid or directly combat human enemies, which are in abundance.

## Plot

### Synopsis

> Laurentius told Amicia that an ancient evil lurks in Hugo's blood, and that this evil is awakening. Shortly before dying, the old alchemist entrusted Lucas, his apprentice, with the mission of helping the orphans reach Château d'Ombrage. There, they will finally be safe from the Inquisition...
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### Summary

The day is coming to an end over the French countryside and the mist is thick. Having escaped Laurentius' farm and been joined by Lucas, the doctor's apprentice, the children have been traveling down the river by boat all night and the following day to reach an old Roman aqueduct they can follow to reach the Château d'Ombrage, an old castle where they will find refuge from the rats and the Inquisition. Hugo rests, exhausted by the ordeal and his worsening condition, which Lucas explains is called the Prima Macula. It is an ancient curse that lies dormant in the bloodlines of certain families; however, in an event known as the Great Break, it awoke in Hugo's blood shortly after his birth. Amicia gloomily points out that her parents and even Laurentius failed to stop it, but Lucas tells her that they simply ran out of time and he will continue their work.

Reaching the aqueduct, they beach the boat and follow the structure, hoping to reach the castle before nightfall. Hugo joyfully chases frogs, briefly vanishing from sight and returning with a red heater shield, proclaiming himself a knight. Amicia notices that the object bears the golden lion of the English Army, telling Hugo to leave it. A stench becomes evident, and as the three crest a small hill they are greeted with a grisly sight. The field along the aqueduct is strewn with the corpses of countless French and English soldiers, as well as dead horses and abandoned siege equipment like trebuchets. Flocks of carrion birds such as ravens pick at the bodies in droves. Amicia, horrified, wishes to go around, but Lucas insists that they follow the aqueduct, so the three gingerly step over, and sometimes on, corpses, trying to ignore the smell.

The perished French and English soldiers prove to be the least of the children's problems, as rats arrive to gorge upon man and beast alike while well-armed English soldiers patrol the battlefield. Their steel kettle helmets protect their heads from Amicia's sling, but the lanterns they carry to ward off the rats can be destroyed by a well-placed stone, allowing the creatures to quickly devour them. A guard trapped in a toppled siege tower serves as an unfortunate distraction to let the children pass safely (alternatively Amicia can use the Ignifier to save the guard's life; causing him to be grateful and promises to not alert the soldiers). The further they go, the more the sheer scale of the recent battle is made apparent, while enemies become more numerous and harder to avoid. Many of the soldiers can be stealthily avoided, distracted with noise, or killed.

Hugo suffers another bout of his condition, but Amicia calms him by reminding him of how he enjoyed playing with the frogs, similar to how their mother would softly talk to him. They move through some English soldiers who are sorting through the dead, attempting to bury their fallen countrymen before the rats can eat or contaminate their corpses. As the children finally reach the edge of the battlefield, they spot an English soldier who has cornered two redheaded youngsters, having caught them looting corpses. The children attempt to sneak past, but one of the thieves, a girl, rats out Amicia to distract the soldier so she and her brother can knock him out and escape. Unfortunately, while the thieves and Lucas run away, two soldiers capture Hugo and knock Amicia unconscious with a rock as the scene fades to black.

Navigation

* I – The de Rune Legacy
* II – The Strangers
* III – Retribution
* IV – The Apprentice
* V – **The Ravens' Spoils**
* VI – Damaged Goods
* VII – The Path Before Us
* VIII – Our Home
* IX – In the Shadow of Ramparts
* X – The Way of Roses
* XI – Alive
* XII – All That Remains
* XIII – Penance
* XIV – Blood Ties
* XV – Remembrance
* XVI – Coronation
* XVII – For Each Other