Lady Olynder – Mortarch of Grief

Lady Mylenia Olynder was once a mortal woman, and was rumoured to be the most
beautiful lady of Bretonnia, an especially great achievement coming from the cursed land of
Mousillon. As she grew the rumours about her being swapped by the fay folk in the crib
grew with her, and had perhaps some merit as she became a considerably talented sorceress.
Although visited by the Fay Enchantress herself to ask her father to allow Mylenia become a
Damsel, being his only child Baron Olynder refused the the request, and instead sought to
arrange a match. Eventually, in 1373 (IC 2351), one was found, to the son of Lord de
Pisieux of Brionne, Willeme, a Knight Errant that was renowned across the land for the
strength of his lance arm, his singing voice and his handsomeness. The wedding would be
postponed however until the young man had won his spurs. Three years later, having hunted
and killing a cockatrice, thus earning his status as a Knight of the Realm the wedding was
finally planned to take place, as was tradition, at the castle of the bride's father in Mousillon.
Coming so soon after the Affair of the Red Grail this wedding was the to be a greatest in the
region's history, for it was to restore the pride of the entire cursed Dukedom. Even the king
was to attend, the first time a king of Bretonnia had set foot in the Dukedom since the civil
war following Maldred's corruption.

Long was the road from Brionne to Mousillon, and as he came closer to his
betrothed's castle and his nuptials, so did Willeme's mood darken. He would seek any
opportunity to help the villagers as he passed through, even if it meant a delay to his
journey. While the peasants and local nobles were all too grateful for his help, Willeme saw
it as a way to put off the wedding. For while he had no quarrel with Mylenia herself, his
heart was already promised to another, the daughter of an Imperial merchant back in his
home town who although rich, was lowborn, and a foreigner. There could be no way his
family would agree to their relationship. But, even after taking a long detour through
Bastonne, he drew to within sight of Castle Olynder, perched as it was overlooking the bay,
but he was still some day's ride away. By now the King was growing impatient, the wedding
had already been put back a week, and he had affairs of state to look to. For his part, the cost
of feeding, stabling and housing the royal court for an extra week was bankrupting Baron
Olynder. But he knew that once Willeme became the Duke of Brionne, and his daughter the
duchess, such concerns would drift away like floatsom on the tide.

Finally, the morning of the wedding day dawned and Castle Olynder was abuzz with
activity. Mylenia's two handmaidens fussed about her, fixing the wedding gown perfectly
and draping garlands of roses around her. Servants piled the tables with meats, cheeses,
wines and all sorts of foods. The royal party staged a final hunt, with the king bringing
down a huge boar saved for this reason with a single lance thrust to the heart.

Meanwhile, having stayed in a village at the foot of the cliffs, Willeme donned his
finest armour, gleaming in the weak Mousillon sun, he made to mount his horse and begin
the ride up to the castle for the ceremony. He looked around, at the squalid, corrupted land.
The filthy peasants, rotten, collapsing shacks they called home. The stink of filth seemed to
cling to him. In his mind's eye her, his Imperial love, Anni. He saw their mornings together
in the dockside tavern rooms, feather beds and warm fireplaces. He thought of how her dark
hair fell on her shoulders and he felt he would drown in her brown eyes.

The appointed hour arrived at the castle. And Lady Mylenia Olynder waited
nervously with her father. The main chapel was packed with all the great and the good of
Bretonnia. The hour for the ceremony came and went, and the wedding party waited, and
waited. After half an hour, Lord Olynder sent a page to find Willeme, but he came back
blank. The great knight was nowhere to be found. After an hour he sent another page, but
nothing. By this time, the guests were restless, and when the king got up to leave, so did the
court. The chapel which had been full to bursting was now empty and cold. Seeing the end
of her life's goal, Mylenia let out a piercing scream that the stories say shattered the chapel's
stained glass window. Two hours after the time for the wedding had passed,the Baron sent a
third page. This one, slightly bolder than the other two had the sense to enquire in the
village. The inn keep said he'd seen a knight, the most impressive he'd ever laid his eyes on,
but after leaving in the morning instead of going to the castle, he turned his horse around
and headed south.

There was to be no great wedding, no wedding feast and no redemption for

Mousillon. The feasting hall sat heavy with mounds of food and drink in silent mockery at
the plans of house Olynder. The Baron was distraught, the cost of putting on the wedding,
and hosting the king for the extended period had bankrupted him, and now without the
chance to recoup the money from a lucrative marriage he, despairing, threw himself from
the castle onto the jagged rocks below. Mylenia's reaction was different though. She didn't
give into despair. Instead a cold, hard rage formed in her that knew no limits. It mixed with
the shame of her betrayal, and grief at the death of her father. She forbade any servants to
clear away the food and she refused to take off her wedding dress. Her handmaidens
pleaded, begged her to change, stating that he wasn't coming. This sent her into a rage
beyond reckoning and she killed the two women with a knife, cursing them beyond death
for their treason. Hearing the screams of the women during the frenzied attack, the rest of
the servants fled the castle never to return.

For over sixty years Mylenia Olynder lived alone in that castle, with only the
dessicated corpses of her former handmaidens for company. Soon spiders and darker
creatures moved in, covering the abandoned halls and still heaped platters in cobwebs and
other foulness, the castle rotting around her. As she lay dying, breathing her last, in the
tattered, filthy remains of a once beautiful wedding dress, she cursed that knight. She cursed
all knights. And all mankind. She vowed that she would seek Willeme di Pisieux of Brienne
in the afterlife, then she would return to wreak her revenge on the lands of men. And so she
can been seen today, accompanied by the two former handmaidens. She moves across the
mortal realm her malice surrounding her like an aura. Wherever she travels, mortals feel a
shiver run up their spine, feel a sense of bitterness where only love and camaraderie lived,
and for those with even the slightest sense of betrayal, this burns into an all consuming hate.
If this is not enough, she can lift her veil and expose the true face of bitter anger and hate,
releasing it all in a scream of anguish that can tear a man's very soul from his body.
 M WS BS S T W I A Ld
Lady Mylenia Olynder 6 3 3 3 3 4 3 4 8
Banshee Handmaiden - 3 3 3 3 - 3 1 -

Troop Type: Monstrous Infantry, (Special Character, Spectre), 2 x Banshee

Handmaidens

Magic: Lady Olynder is a level 2 Wizard. She may take spells from either the
Lore of the Veil or the Lore of Death.

Special Rules: Spectre, Terror, Incorporeal, Hover, Aura of Despair, Veil of

Misery, Wail of the Damned.

Aura of Despair: All enemy units within 12” may not use Hold Your Ground or
Inspiring Presence. Units that are immune to psychology do not suffer this
penalty.

Wail of the Damned: Lady Olynder has a Hellshriek. She adds 2 to her roll for her
Banshee Handmaidens. Note this will be effected by Mother of Banshees.

Magic Items:

Veil of Misery: Enchanted Item. This

gives Lady Olynder a 5+ ward save.
Additionally, all enemy units within 12”
minus 1 from the Ld value.

Staff of Midnight: Magic Weapon. A

flawless obsidian shard brought back
from Morr's realm decorates the head of
her staff, that absorbs hostile magicks. If
attempting to dispel an enemy spell cast
on a unit within 24” of Lady Olynder
gains +2 to her dispel attempts (for a
usual total of +4). In addition, the Staff
give Lady Olynder Magic Resistance 2.