Concept Artwork: Abbess Hélène

"By the Dragon, the Maid, and the Sword! In the name of the Triune, I smite thee!"

The Abbey of the Triune is the dominant faith in the Continent, with adherents even on the distant Isles. It centers around the legendary tale of the Maid of the North, Claire Sigurdsdottir, namesake of our own Claire Emmelaine.

It is said that millennia ago, when monsters lorded over mankind, the Maid climbed a lofty mountain and sought an audience with the Dragon King, Jörmunlofir, and so impressed him that he gifted her the holy golden sword, Gyldenbrand, with which the Maid ended the tyranny of monsterkind. When the Maid perished in her final battle, Gyldenbrand disappeared; since then, it has appeared time and again in mankind's greatest hour of need, in the hands of its greatest crusading heroes. The Abbey fervently believes that the prayer and faith of the devout is what lends the sword its mythical, magical prowess.

In these dark, renewed times of strife, the Abbey and its battle-clerics are roused to action. In such an era of chaos, they feel it is their solemn duty to defend the commonfolk from the transgressions of monsterkind, and above all, to seek out Gyldenbrand, or the hero meant to find it.

Fighting in a close-knit, phalanx formation, wielding brass-tipped polearms in tribute to Gyldenbrand, the clerics are a formidable force on the field, able to tie up hordes of monsters in numbers far greater than theirs, especially if they hold strategic chokepoints. They are led by their fervent, doughty leaders of both faith and martial merit, their Abbots and Abbesses of War, one such example being Abbess Helene, pictured above.

Throughout Claire's story, she will meet with many members of the Abbey - and more than a few of them will remark on her name with great interest - or downright scorn.