Hoarfroast now graces treetops and open fields alike, and an icy chill blown from the Tirbidus Ocean in the North blankets the land. All of Ergoth's creatures begin to settle in for a long winter. The setting sun bathes the full winter coat of every wolf in a foreboding scarlet glow. Hunters can now spread the word that the red wolves are back on the prowl
Immediately after the Assault on the Holy Mausoleum and reporting to Lady Rhea, Krynn's Vanguard stood in on the sentencing for those who were involved in the attack. It was fairly quick as it was a matter of the Church and not a criminal case to be handled in the courts of Gwynned. Those involved in the attack, presumably connected to the Western Church and Those Who Slither in the Dark. Although those accusations were denied, they were ultimately sentenced to death by execution. A somewhat extreme and harsh punishment rather than life in a prison sanctioned by the Church.
However, Krynn's Vanguard and the students of the Black Eagle house carried on as after only a few days, along with the cold air, another chill swept across the monastery. An important and well known girl, Flayn, had gone missing. Flayn is Seteth's younger sister only about 12-13 years of age and is not known as a troublemaker.
She had been missing for about 3 days and the Knights of Seiros had no luck finding her in either the Monastery or in Gwynned and the surrounding areas. Continuing to send out search parties, but not wishing to spread their resources too thin, Rhea enlisted the help of Krynn's Vanguard asking them to search the Monastery once more.
After only a few days, Caspar came running telling everyone he heard a scream coming from Professor Jeritza's room. Jeritza, the mysterious, yet capable, combat professor not many people knew much about. In Jeritza's room, they found Manuela unconscious. Professor Hanneman showed up a few minutes later asking about the commotion before elisting Edelgard's help to take Manuela to the infirmary. Caspar found a secret passageway leading below the Monastery.
Down in the depths of the Monastery, the group found two unconscious individuals, a student they didn't recognize, and Flayn. The Death Knight approached them challenging them to battle. He led them to a much more wide open part of the underground where a number of other combatants awaited and battle began.