An Owl knight held five years at the Citadel of Gazra — polished, educated, unsentimental about her own order, daughter of the man who now commands the Order of the Swan, and the best swordsman the party has ever crossed blades with.
What We Know (all S6)
- Mid thirties. Her face is burn-scarred, and she has a limp.
- Daughter of Comte Charles de Tarrand, the current Knight Commander of the Order of the Swan — which also means her father holds the Swan’s seat on the Divine Council.
- The Tarrand family supported Guillaume de Fausseflammes during the war — the losing claimant, the man who publicly accused Michel d’Envers of the assassinations.
- The house gift of Tarrand is Skill at Arms. In sparring she is incredibly good — far better than Titus, burns and limp notwithstanding.
- The older of the two captives, and takes the lead in conversation. Obviously polished and educated.
- Jehan specifically chose the escort — she and the other three were picked for that mission, not assigned to it at random. (Aaron)
- Still angry that a peaceful escort mission ended in a street battle.
- Did not blink at Ari — an elf in a Hazadi noble’s retinue is apparently unremarkable to her, where it visibly bothered Isabel.
(Naming: the GM’s corrected notes give de Tarrand for her and her father, and Tarrand for the family — though one line in the same passage writes the house gift as “Tarand.” The wiki uses Tarrand throughout. The player’s original notes had “d’Tarand,” kept as an alias.)
Speculation
Where did the burns come from? The fight that took her burned a whole city block of Halwa (S4). A knight who came out of that with a scarred face and a permanent limp is the most likely reading — and it means the party has been talking to someone visibly, permanently marked by an Eagle operation, in an Eagle country, for five years. It would explain the anger she is still harbouring about a peaceful trip turning violent. Unconfirmed: nobody asked, and the scars could predate 1734 entirely.
Speculation
What she told the party
- Neither she nor Isabel knows anything about the Owl’s first visit to Halwa (the Summer 1733 sanctum expedition). Their trip was a separate errand entirely.
- The mission was to escort Isabel d’Allais to Hazad, because Isabel’s gift is heretical in the west.
- Jean-Marie, slain in the capture, is the one who would have known more. She was closest to Jehan Dalet.
- Constanza Bethlen — never met her, but knows of her: she appealed to Owl knights for help, was taken from Morrschatten to Averoigne, charged with witchcraft, and taken by the Order of the Phoenix. An independent, in-world confirmation of the GM timeline.
- The Night in the Royal Castle: when Marc Abayante was declared regent, he gathered Owl knights to him in anticipation of potential issues. He knew something was coming. She rates Marc a powerful and wise Knight Commander.
- Madeline Foussard: rumored to have been Marc Abayante’s paramour — and she tutored Marie-Celeste when she was legitimized.
- Privately, on Jehanne: she respected him and what he did to restore the order — but hiding his daughter from the Church was itself somewhat heretical. (The player’s original notes said “Marc” here; the GM’s corrected copy says “Jehanne.“)
- He chose the four of them himself for that mission. (Aaron)
Her party at the capture (Fall 1734)
| Knight | Fate |
|---|---|
| Jean-Marie — the leader | Slain in Halwa |
| Marin of Clan Aggadum — a dwarf | Slain in Halwa |
| Elysant Peppin | Slain in Halwa |
| Visenne de Tarrand | Captive |
| Isabel d’Allais | Captive |
Every one of them was a woman, and Jehan chose them personally. (Aaron) Four hand-picked knights and the girl. Why he picked these four — and whether he told them what the risk was — is still open. See Order of the Owl.
The “dwarf and a big human” a Halwa source remembered from the earlier expedition (S5) is a different group — a “rather motley crew,” and a differently shaped one — but note that both Owl parties to reach Halwa had a dwarf in them.
Why She Matters
She is the first Owl knight the party has ever spoken to, and she is not what the papers describe. She is measured about her own commander, willing to call her order’s last act heretical, and entirely uninterested in defending the Owl’s reputation — which makes what she does affirm (Marc was wise; Marc saw it coming) worth more.
She is also politically loaded. Her father commands the Swan under Rincon d’Envers, whose father the Tarrands fought for four years. She has been a hostage on the far side of the sea for the whole of that reconciliation, and nobody has told the party whether she knows.
Speculation
“Marc gathered the knights in anticipation of potential issues.” That is not hindsight — that is the Owl’s commander concentrating his order in Vyones because he expected an attempt. Two weeks later a large, well-equipped band killed him, the heir, and a fifth of his knights in one place. Either he called them into the trap, or someone waited until the Owl was conveniently gathered. See The Night in the Royal Castle.
Speculation
Nobody asked her about the sanctums. That was the reason the party wanted these two. She may genuinely know nothing — but she was in the order for years, and “we knew nothing of the first visit” is an answer about a trip, not about what the order knew.
Speculation
She is a Swan family in an Owl tabard. A daughter of the order that protects Averoigne, serving in the small order that ended up dead — and her father survived the war on the losing side and rose to command anyway. Somebody in that family is good at politics. Worth knowing whether her captivity is an inconvenience to Charles de Tarrand or a convenience.
Open Questions
- What did the Owl know about the sanctums? Ask her directly.
- Why did Jehan pick these four, and what did he tell them the danger was? He chose them; nobody has asked what he said.
- Are the burn scars and the limp from the Halwa fight? Five years, and nobody has asked.
- Does she know her father commands the Swan now, and what she thinks of the settlement that let him?
- What does she make of the dissolution — she was in Hazadi custody when it happened.
- Would she take service, or a parole extension, with the party? Ismad’s release offer is still open.
- What happened to the Owl knights the party hasn’t found — is she certain she and Isabel are the last?
Relationships
- Charles de Tarrand — her father, Knight Commander of the Swan
- Isabel d’Allais — her fellow captive and charge
- Jean-Marie · Marin of Clan Aggadum · Elysant Peppin — her dead companions
- Captain Faqir — her jailor · Sister Alia — her spiritual advisor
Appearances
- Session 6 — met at the Citadel of Gazra; two days of conversation and sparring.