A Wife in Mourning.

Minor Quest in Fallonsway

Spoilers
Stop reading if you are a player. There are heavy spoilers below and it may damage your game experience.

Overview

Lady Melisende d’Aubré — known in whispers as the Serpent Bride — has arrived in Fallonsway under the guise of mourning nobility, seeking to marry into the De Cosse Barony. Her beauty and charm conceal a bloody trail: three dead husbands, multiple aliases, and fortunes left mysteriously in her keeping. Officially, she is wanted across Tarsus for fraud, forgery, and murder, but in Fallonsway she is a guest — and perhaps soon, a bride.

This quest is smaller in scale compared to the grand intrigues of the Assembly, but its consequences could alter the fate of the De Cosse Barony and the Ascendant Carrion. Should Melisende ensnare Baron Jehan, or even his heir Estienne, the ambitions of the family could collapse into scandal — or sharpen into something even more dangerous.

Primary Factions in Play

• The De Cosse Barony (Baron Jehan, Estienne, Isabeau, Cateline, Amée)
  The family stands at the center of the storm. Jehan views Melisende as a potential tool or a threat; Estienne is vulnerable to her allure; and the daughters each react differently, ranging from Isabeau’s suspicion to Amée’s reckless fascination.

• Lady Melisende d’Aubré
  Her goal is simple: marry into the Barony, inherit its wealth, and slip away if discovery looms. Every smile and every secret is a step closer to her next conquest.

• Father Christopher of the Twelvefold Covenant
  Deeply wary of Melisende, Father Christopher sees her as a spiritual corruption and moral threat. Yet without proof, he cannot openly denounce her without risking the Barony’s wrath.

• House Carverson, Bragrash, and Halcrist (Indirect Influence)
  All three great houses seek her capture. If players aid them, Melisende becomes a bounty — but betraying the De Cosse risks shattering alliances.

• Garosh-Mak Howlers & Mother Carrion Cxtoxia (Escalation with the Ascendant Carrion)
  The gnoll chieftain Kargath Maw‑Gorger and the rot-priestess Cxtoxia see in Melisende a mask for their own schemes — and she may see in them the perfect escape.

Branch Outcomes

Marriage Secured (Melisende Triumphs):

• Melisende weds Jehan or Estienne.

• Soon after, death strikes — perhaps poisoning, perhaps a “tragic accident.”

• The De Cosse Barony’s wealth risks falling into her hands, unless exposed.

Exposed and Captured (Crown Justice):

• Melisende is unmasked before the Barony.

• Arrested for murder and fraud, she is claimed by the authorities.

• The De Cosse reputation suffers humiliation, but survives intact.

Driven to Flight (Players Intervene):

• Melisende flees Fallonsway, abandoning her schemes.

• The Barony is humiliated; Jehan rages at the failure to secure proof.

• She may return later under yet another name.

Secret Pact (Twist Outcome):

• Melisende strikes a private bargain with Jehan or Isabeau.

• Instead of marrying, she becomes an asset — a dagger in the dark, her skills turned toward the Barony’s enemies.

• Dangerous, but grants the De Cosse a fearsome ally.

Carrion Bargain (Gnoll Alliance):

• Melisende turns to the Garosh-Mak Howlers and Mother Carrion Cxtoxia for protection.

• She supplies wealth, poisons, and intelligence, strengthening raids into Fallonsway.

• Rumors spread of a veiled woman beside Kargath Maw‑Gorger's throne, whispering in his ear.

• The De Cosse Barony suffers scandal and invasion, blamed for harboring her treachery.

• Later arcs may feature Melisende commanding raids herself, or attempting to ensnare a De Cosse heir into captivity, or the expansion of the outcast Ascendant Carrion faith further into Tarsus.

Player Hooks & Sub-Branches

• Investigative: Gather evidence of Melisende’s past murders or identities. Letters, poisoned rings, or servant testimony can shift the outcome.

• Diplomatic: Influence Jehan or Estienne directly — convince them of her danger, or protect her for their own advantage.

• Moral Dilemma: Allow a known killer to be condemned — or use her cunning as a weapon against rival houses.

Secret Paths:

• If captured: Melisende may escape, reappearing under a new name.

• If married: She becomes mistress of the Barony — and perhaps a recurring villain.

• If bargained with: The De Cosse gain a dangerous edge, but at great moral cost.

• If allied with gnolls: Fallonsway itself begins to unravel — a minor intrigue becomes a frontier war.

Tone for the GM

Play Melisende as a subtle predator — never overt, never monstrous, always one step from plausible innocence. The intrigue lies not in her guilt (which is certain), but in whether the De Cosse and the players will see it before it is too late. Keep her dangerous by implication, not exposure: a laugh too sweet, a goblet left untasted, a servant gone missing.

The Carrion Bargain offers an escalation hook: what begins as a salon intrigue can spiral into gnoll raids, carrion magic, and a noble scandal that stains all of Fallonsway.

This minor quest is designed to show that in Tarsus, love is never safe, beauty is never free, and marriage can be as deadly as any battlefield.