The Deadly Dinner

Deep in the great woods in England’s heart stands a small village of Eldenmoore. In the 16th century it was ruled by the great Baron Armstrong. He was a tyrant of a man known for little more than cruelty and greed. Few who lived under his rule had kind words and well wishes for the man. He had only 3 great loves, his wealth, his great stores of wine and wife. The baroness was the light to his darkness. She was a selfless yet timid woman who was loved by all. She was said to be very beautiful however no one truly saw her face. She always wore a thick white veil for only the Baron was permitted to look upon her.

However there were those who would dare to defy this rule. For there was one who loved her more than the baron himself. This was his most trusted servant, Thomas. Thomas had fallen madly in love with the baroness and she mirrored the feelings. Thomas wanted them to run away together however she resisted. The baroness was a very devout Christian and despite the abuse inflicted upon her, she refused to leave her husband.

Thomas was unwilling to part with his great jewel and so he devised a devious plot. A plot that would see the baroness freed from her vows with a clear conscience. He convinced the baron to hold a dinner with the fellow lords of neighboring lands, all of which were enemies to the man. The baron agreed feeling an olive branch may improve his standing.

The night of the dinner Thomas went down to the kitchen and spiked the baron’s wine with poison. With so many enemies in attendance, no one would think to blame the humble servant. He would have his prize. The baron however was not blind, nor was he a fool. He was aware that Thomas had desired his wife and also used the dinner as a way to remove his romantic rival. He too had snuck into the kitchen with poison. Unknown to all of them however was that great minds thought alike. The other lords saw this opportunity to wipe out the competition. Many people visited that kitchen that night and all had nefarious motives.

At the beginning of dinner the baron raised a toast to the good health and longevity to all in attendance. All the guests mirrored the toast and took a drink, smirking the whole way. The smiles were short lived as the poisons worked fast. Within minutes the men were choking and screaming. Each assumed they were outsmarted and given the wrong goblet. Before the hour was up all the men were dead. There was only one goblet that remained as pure as its owner. The baroness watched in horror as everyone died around her. She let out a shriek that all within the village swore they could hear.

Now ordinarily this would be the end of the story. A tragic end with perhaps a drop or two of ironic comedy. However this was only the beginning of the horror. At the sight of the two men she loved so dearly dying, the baronesses mind shattered. Without a word she dragged all the bodies down to the cellar and placed them into her husband’s wine barrels. There they fermented with the wine.

For the next year the baroness ruled with a quiet dignity and grace. She had swapped her ivory veil for an obsidian one. No one truly knew what had happened to her husband and most did not care. They were happy to have a fair and just ruler.

The lady’s grief unfortunately did not wane. On the anniversary of the deadly dinner she poured a glass of wine that contained her dead husband, hoping that the poison would remain and she could leave this tragic world. Fate, it would seem, had much worse plans for her. The wine did not contain poison but the cursed consciousness of the baron himself. He poured through her system like a virus, infecting her with his sense of cruelty and malice.

Decades passed and the baroness flourished. For not only did she consume the soul of the deceased, she would gain their remaining years as well. Over time she began to drink the rest of the barrels, increasing her life but also her madness. Villagers who walked through the woods at night would sometimes say they saw a black veiled woman inviting them for a drink. Those who followed her would get a peak under the veil and the echo of their screams would be their only remains.

One night a young maiden walked through the woods trying to find food for her family. She encountered the phantom who then tried to entice her. The maiden nearly fell for the woman’s spell but a touch to the cross on her chest cleared her mind. She thrust the cross and the veiled creature stepped back in horror. The maiden asked who the woman was. The only reply was dozens of voices speaking in unison. “We are Legion, for we are many.”

Credit: Tenac