 |
I know what it is to be left alone in the world, although your loss is much greater. But with God's help the pain will ease in time - and it can help to talk about it; if you feel like it. |  | |
| - Stephanie to Henry of Skalitz | |||
Lady Stephanie of Talmberg (Czech: Štěpánka z Talmberka) is a supporting character in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. She was the wife of Sir Divish, the Lord of Talmberg.
Stats[]
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5 | 8 |
Biography[]
Stephanie was married to Lord Divish when she was eighteen years old, arranged by her father. Although he was kind to her, they had only been shortly married before he was captured by Sir Havel Medek of Valdek, who imprisoned Divish and occupied Talmberg. Stephanie appealed to King Wenceslas IV of Bohemia, but he did not interfere. It took seven years for Stephanie to raise the ransom and be reunited with her husband.
By that time, he was old and frail, and even five years later, the two have not succeeded in having a child and have grown distant. Now thirty, and with Divish even older, Stephanie is concerned that she will never be able to give him an heir, which causes her a great deal of grief.
Lady Stephanie takes care of Henry
Stephanie is present at the castle when, in 1403, a young man named Henry rides into Talmberg in Run!, with an arrow in his leg and Cumans at his heels. He warns Sir Divish that Skalitz has been razed to the ground by the mercenary army of King Sigismund of Hungary and Croatia, and that Talmberg might be next. Divish orders the castle be prepared for battle, and Stephanie ensures that Henry is fed and given a bed to rest.
That evening, she comes to Henry's room with some wine, asking him if he wanted to talk about what had happened that day, sensing the loss of his home and family was weighing hard upon him. She sits with him awhile and might even be able to convince him to confide in her, and she will tell him about her life with Divish. Both seem to take solace in the others company.
The next morning, King Sigismund brings his army to Talmberg, but Divish is able to defuse the situation with Sigismund's general, Sir Markvart von Aulitz, and they move on without incident. Stephanie praises God for their deliverance, but can't help but confess to Henry that she feels the worst is still to come. She offers to help Henry escape the castle to get back to Skalitz in Homecoming by telling him where to find armour to fool the guards, suggesting a cover story, and even providing him with a bit of Groschen to use.
Stephanie cries as Henry tries to console her
In the mission, At Your Service, My Lady, Stephanie asks Henry to collect three items she has ordered for her cousin's wedding. Once these items have been retrieved, Stephanie will offer Henry a very fine and valuable shirt, telling him that if he leaves, she would like him to have something to remember her by. Henry protests that he could never forget her, and she asks him to try the shirt on, assuring him that Divish will not come in - implying their relationship no longer involves intimacy.
If Henry turns down the gift, he will complete the quest and go on his way. However, if he accepts and puts it on, she will tell him about how happy she was as a child, surrounded by merriness and joy. Now she is lonely and sad, living in a castle with old men and soldiers. More than that, she has suffered two miscarriages, leading her to fear that she is barren. She bursts into tears, and Henry tries to comfort her with a hug, then kisses her. When he steps back, apologizing for being too familiar, she says "I don't mind", and the two make love.
Stephanie and Henry kiss
During the quest The Sport of Kings, Henry can ask Stephanie to wish him luck in the upcoming race. Afterwards, if he asks her what she thought, she will praise his skill and coyly says that his sweetheart is very lucky. When Henry is unable to stutter a reply, she says he must come back and see her so they can have a talk.
Some time later, Henry comes to Talmberg as part of Payback to ask for Divish's assistance to attack the bandit camp of Vranik. Divish leaves a small guard to take care of his hamlet and marches out. While he is away, Sir Istvan Toth and three of his men arrive, claiming to have been ambushed. Although Stephanie's guard is apprehensive, she agrees to let them in to the city, only to look on in horror seconds later as Istvan murders her men and calls in his reinforcements to capture the castle.
Sir Istvan Toth captures Lady Stephanie
As Henry and the Lords rush to her rescue in Out of the Frying Pan, Istvan drags her out to to the drawbridge, holding a knife to her throat to make them back down. Using Stephanie and Sir Radzig Kobyla as hostages, he forces Divish and his men to withdraw as he retreats with Stephanie into the inner castle, ordering his men to burn the outer bailey down.
Inventory[]
Quests[]
Notes[]
- Henry can give the bouquet to Lady Stephanie at some point (definitely after At Your Service, My Lady).
- The player is thrust into a moral dilemma during Thick as Thieves - Woyzeck, as Henry is asked to steal jewellery out of her room. Since it is not an essential quest and Woyzeck is a very minor character, many players with an eye for immersion will probably prefer to steer clear of this side-quest.
Theories[]
- Although Stephanie remarks that she and Divish have no children, and suffered two miscarriages in the five years since he was released from prison, we know from the Codex that in 1418 (15 years after the events of the game), Divish's son Oldřich took over governing Talmberg, meaning that (in-game), he would have to be conceived relatively soon to be of an age to do so. Given that sleeping with Stephanie is an option, this may be a subtle hint that Henry is the father of Oldřich. Although as the Codex also names two other sons, Vilém and Mikuláš, this seems unlikely.