The Martyrdom of Elze

Many years ago, during a time when Marraberg and the Rilea Principate were at war, a small force of Marran soldiers were separated from their army during a battle in which they were routed. Fleeing deep into Belfimbre Plateau, lost and with no way home, the soldiers took refuge in a cave in the mountains, which has come to be known as the Martyr's Refuge.
Wounded, exhausted and leaderless, the group was low on supplies and many had lost their weapons or armour in the rout. Outside the cave, Prince Morimont, the Rilean ruler of the land they were in, was in pursuit of the remains of the Marran army, and had been rooting other small groups out of the area. Among the group were some camp followers - soldier's wives, various hangers-on and the specialists that an army relies on such as smiths.
Of these civilians, it was the wife of one of the common soldiers who took charge. Hailing from lands on the border, Elze had experience in dealing with wounded men, and set to organising the able-bodied to bind and clean wounds, set watches and organising a group to forage for what food could be found in the area.
When the foragers returned, with a meagre collection of berries and plants, the situation quickly deteriorated. The foragers had unknowingly been seen and followed by Rilean scouts, who quickly returned as part of a Rilean warband. Cornered, those who could took up weapons to fight - though outnimbered, the narrow cave made a perfect defensive chokepoint and it would be hard for the Rileans to force the entrance. At this point, there are two divergent tellings of the story. In the most common, all who could fight, joined the line, including Elze who stood in the front line despite the objections of the soldiers around her. In others, Elze stayed with the civilians in the back of the cave while the soldiers prepared to make their final stand defending them. Of these stories, the first has more supporting evidence but the latter is more promoted by the Marran Church, and in either case definitive truth is impossible to find.
The defenders were badly outnumbered, and the attackers had better equipment besides, but the location made the battle long and hard fought. The Marrans were pushed back from the entrance, but held the cave at such a cost to the Rilean force that their leader, Ser Jean de Yves, decided the cave could not be taken by force of arms and ordered that fires be set within the cave mouth. The thick, choking smoke of the fires forced the Marrans out into the waiting blades of the Rileans, or else they hid deep within the cave and prayed. Elze was among the latter, but she realised that there would be no hope if they remained inside. At this point, both versions agree, all those who could fight took up weapons and joined an attempt to force their way past the cave entrance. Ser Jean allowed the Marrans to exit the cave, but they were immediately surrounded and looked set to be wiped out.
Fighting with the courage of those with no escape, the Marrans were nonetheless cut down relentlessly. As only a handful remained, Elze herself was struck down by Ser Jean, most tellings having her impaled through the heart. As the knight moved on to the next opponent, Elze, wound still bleeding, serenely rose to her feet. Both sides hesitated, in shock at the miracle transpiring before them, until Elz, with a fierce warcry, launched herself back into the fight. The story here often tells that angels or the spirits of the fallen fought by her side, though Rilean versions sometimes claim it was demons, but whatever the case the survivors and the Risen Martyr fought their way through the Marrans, breaking out into the countryside and escaping to the north.
The events of Elze's second life are better recorded, but her part in the history of Martyr's Refuge was done. The cave has become a shrine to the Martyr, though not many go so far out of their way as to visit it. To this day, when it rains, the water in the cave runs rust red down the walls, which legend says is the blood of the Martyr, spilled at her first death and marking the cave as sacred, and some say that the wailing of the wind through the cave carries the voices of those who sheltered there, and who, called back from death by the Martyr to aid her, have never been able to rest easy.

Historical Notes

• Although the Martyr Elze was a historical figure, little is known about her life before she was martyred. The story holds that she was the wife of a soldier, but there is no actual evidence to support this or any other theory. Nonetheless, speculation runs rampant among those interested in such things. It is also unclear where exactly it happened,
• Ser Jean de Yves, though a real historical figure, was known to be part of the Princeps' army in the north, and as far as records tell never set foot in Belfimbre. His prescence in the story has no good explanation, with the two most prominent theories being that he was simply confused with another knight, or that he (and perhaps his force) was impersonated by a faerie from the nearby Schiefwald.

Date of First Recording

c. 797

Date of Setting

795