From The Publisher: Story Goal: Discover the heretic, who is secretly murdering his rivals in the Church with dark magick. Main Villain: Baron Guy du Condé, High Sheriff, who is secretly a heretic. Villain’s Allies: Constance du Foncé (an earth elemental), Soldiers under command of the Sheriff, Gargoyles (used as assassins). Genre, Time, Setting & Mood Genre: Mystery Time Period: 1559 A.D. Setting: Orléans, France. Mood: Gothic horror/mystery. Backstory As the religious wars began to spread throughout France, Orléans began to splinter into two powerful groups, one led by the Catholic Guise family, and the other led by the Protestant Condé family. Baron Guy du Condé is the Sheriff of Orléans, and he also supports the Protestant cause, but he has chosen to fight the war on a much more subtle level. He has long studied the forbidden arts and has learned how to control the stone guardians adorning many of the buildings and churches in town. Most of the gargoyles have come under his control, and he has decided to assassinate important Catholic religious figures with these stone creatures. He hopes to discredit the Church by conducting these assassinations, since the stone guardians are supposed to protect the Church. Along the way, he has managed to accidentally energize an earth elemental, and this creature has taken human form. Constance du Foncé is an earth elemental, and she will use her influence to assist Guy in his endeavors. Constance appears to be an extremely beautiful woman, but she is a creature of nature. Guy is not aware of the attachment, but has gained unusual strength and he seems to be more attractive too. He has also managed to build a network of friends and allies among the Protestants, and he hopes to use them at the right moment to win the coming war in the town. Inscription at Fleury Abbey: "These that are learned shall shine as the brightness of the firmament: and they that instruct many to justice, as stars to all eternity"