The Bones of Saint Vaquelin Item in Leveus | World Anvil
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The Bones of Saint Vaquelin

The Ilé de Pelerins is a sacred site in the Belfimbre Plateau, drawing pilgrims from across the south of the region, and from the west of Rilea. The island is home to a shrine supposedly hosting the remains of Saint Vaquelin, a knight errant who features prominently in local legends, overcoming obstacles with the aid of his guile and charm rather than purely martial skill. The knight was said to be favoured by the god Saptue, the Defender, and there are stories of such things as his dealing with bandits on the high road (whom he befriended and travelled with), being captured by a dragon in the mountains (which he tricked into knocking in the roof of its lair, and knocking itself out as the knight scrambled to safety) and convincing a lady of the sidhe to leave a village (usually Flavigny is the village in question) alone, by amusing her with his outrageous stories.   Ser Vaquelin died in 744MC, venturing into Herbstlichwald to root out a faerie cursing the crops so that they would scream defeningly during the harvest. The curse was broken, but the knight never returned. When a human skeleton washed up on the shores of what is today known as the Pilgrim's Island, it was assumed to be Vaquelin's remains and buried there, under a shrine.   Some years later, stories about people praying at the shrine being healed began to circulate and caught the attention of the priests in nearby Talence. As they investigated, these stories became more common and widespread and descriptions of manifestations of a figure armoured as a knight began to spread. Not long after, pilgrims began to arrive, seeking out the knight's assistance. The shrine became a temple dedicated to Saptue, and eventually its priest claimed to have been visited by the spirit of a knight, who led him into the temple and there he found, laid out on the altar, the bones that had washed up on the shore. Despite skepticism from some priests (who considered this "hard to confirm", "dubious", or "blatant graverobbery"), it was not long until Vaquelin was being called a saint, and a year later he was recognised as such by the Marran priesthood.   Miracles associated with the relic include healing the sick, and that is indeed what is most commonly sought by pilgrims in need, but the Saint is also said to have the power to protect a person from supernatural threats or curses. A steady trickle of locals seeking help with some Faerie spell, or trying to escape a bothersome spirit, arrives at the shrine each year. It is quite rare for a miracle to actually occur, but a few are recorded annually. Rumors abound about the reasons why some are chosen while others are not.   When pilgrims come to the shrine, they are expected to leave an offering - as with any meaningful prayer - as payment for asking the Saint to intercede with the gods on their behalf. In addition, the shrine charges a small fee to enter, which is used for the its upkeep. Many people tell the pilgrims stories of which offerings are most likely to be accepted, or which worked for them - the rate of miracles has not increased despite this. Genuine faith and a virtuous life are commonly accepted to make one more likely to catch the Saint's attention.   The shrine has a Divine aura.

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