#year 1499

The nuns at Whitewood Monastery were not the only ones altering their behaviour in anticipation of the new year. The dawn of 1499 had brought about a renewal of faith for all the people of Illyria. Like much of Christendom, this was motivated less by the Spirit of the Lord and more by the fear of what was to come. The year 1500, “half time after the time” in the Book of Revelation, was now dawning, and many were certain that the end was nigh. 

As the year 1500 approached, many of the faithful lived in increasing fear for what such a portentous year would bring. At Whitewood, the nuns spent more time than usual at prayer, often many hours a day. 

Having recently been removed from her position as abbess - at the insistence of Duchess Elysabet - Lilla is particularly penitent. The behaviour at the monastery had become scandalous in recent years, even in the context of its questionable history and the general laxity of Illyrian morality. Lilla had taken the brunt of the blame, and was even rumoured to have engaged in some debauchery herself.