Author Topic: [3.5 Base Class] The Quixotic Knight  (Read 5101 times)

Offline DonQuixote

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[3.5 Base Class] The Quixotic Knight
« on: November 07, 2011, 04:43:06 PM »
Quixotic Knight
"Hear me now, o thou bleak and unbearable world: thou art base and debauched as can be--and a knight with his banner all bravely unfurl'd now hurls down his gauntlet to thee!"
--Don Quixote de la Mancha, Knight of the Woeful Countenance

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Oftentimes, middle-aged nobles will amuse themselves by reading chivalric romances: tales of knights and princesses, of honor and glory, and of right and wrong.  Most of the time, these nobles are unaffected by these readings, treating them as mere escapism.  However, some individuals become more and more engrossed with these books.  In short, they so immerse themselves in those romances that they spend whole days and nights over their books; and thus with little sleeping and much reading, their brains dry up to such a degree that they lose the use of their reason.
   These men and women, having abandoned their reason, take up weapons and armor--despite having never wielded either--and start out on quests to better the world.  Some take horses that they cannot ride, some adopt random peasants as squires, but all have on thing in common: complete and total delusion.

Making a Quixotic Knight
Though a quixotic knight has no knightly training, he manages to surprise everyone who knows him by actually surviving battles.  Not only does he survive, he often manages to somehow vanquish his foes.  Moreover, his childish innocence and supreme dedication give him a strange sort of charm that inspires those around him to excel.

   Abilities: Charisma is important to a quixotic knight, as it governs how often he can use his mad knight's challenge abilities, how long they last, and how hard they are to resist.  Later on, it will also grant him increased offensive and defensive capabilities.  In addition, Strength is very valuable, as he is primarily a melee combatant.  Finally, as a front-line fighter, a quixotic knight needs a good Constitution score so that he can survive his foes' attacks.

   Races: Most quixotic knights are human, as that race is most prone to the sort of whimsical insanity necessary for the class.  While some half-elves will find themselves in quixotic delusions, few non-humans posses the right spark.

   Alignment: A quixotic knight's principles adhere strictly to the laws of chivalry, so he must be a lawful character.  In addition, the focus on bettering the world and helping others means that most quixotic knights are good-aligned.

   Starting Gold: 6d4x10 gp (150 gp).
   Starting Age: As wizard.
   Hit Die: d12

LevelBAB    Fort   Ref   Will   Special
1st+1 +2+0+2Fighting challenge +1, mad knight's challenge, knight's code
2nd+2 +3+0+3Lunatic grace, shield block +1
3rd+3 +3+1+3Glorious madness (madness), improbable luck 1/day
4th+4 +4+1+4Mad defender, test of mettle
5th+5 +4+1+4Strike of the righteous madman
6th+6/+1 +5+2+5Shield ally, glorious madness (immune to fear)
7th+7/+2 +5+2+5Fighting challenge +2, improbable luck 2/day
8th+8/+3 +6+2+6Call to glory
9th+9/+4 +6+3+6Glorious madness (slippery mind), armor mastery (medium)
10th+10/+5 +7+3+7Body of a knight errant, DR 5/-
11th+11/+6/+1 +7+3+7Shield block +2, improbable luck 3/day
12th+12/+7/+2 +8+4+8Glorious madness (immune to energy drain and negative levels), madman's challenge, DR 6/-
13th+13/+8/+3 +8+4+8Bulwark of lunacy, fighting challenge +3
14th+14/+9/+4 +9+4+9Improved shield ally, armor mastery (heavy), DR 7/-
15th+15/+10/+5 +9+5+9Glorious madness (delusions), improbable luck 4/day
16th+16/+11/+6/+1 +10+5+10Dream the impossible dream, DR 8/-
17th+17/+12/+7/+2 +10+5+10Insane endurance, force of will
18th+18/+13/+8/+3 +11+6+11Glorious madness (mind blank), DR 9/-
19th+19/+14/+9/+4 +11+6+11Fighting challenge +4, improbable luck 5/day
20th+20/+15/+10/+5 +12+6+12Loyal beyond death, shield block +3, DR 10/-

Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, x4 at 1st level): Balance, Bluff, Concentration, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (nobility and royalty), Knowledge (religion), Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Swim, Tumble

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the quixotic knight.

   Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As a quixotic knight, you are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, medium, and light) and all shields (except tower shields).

   Mad Knight's Challenge: Your dauntless belief in glory and greatness plays a major role in your fighting style, as important as the strength of your arm or the sharpness of your blade.  In battle, you use the force of your deranged personality to challenge enemies.  You can call out a foe, shouting a challenge that drives him to attack you in order to shut you up, or shout a nonsense battle cry that baffles nearby enemies to the point of confusion.  By never questioning your course and continuing your mad path, you can manipulate your foes in various ways.
   You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to your class level + your Charisma modifier (minimum once per day).  As you gain levels, you gain a number of options that you can use in conjunction with this ability.
   Even if you and your foes lack a shared language, you can still effectively communicate through body language, tone, and certain nonsense phrases that you believe to be oaths and challenges in their tongue.

   Fighting Challenge (Ex): As a swift action, you can issue a challenge against a single opponent, swearing an oath to bring him down in punishment for the wrongs he may have committed and several that he most probably did not.  You and all allies that can see you gain a +1 morale bonus on Will saves and a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls against the target of this ability.  You fight with renewed vigor and energy by placing your imagined honor and nonexistent reputation on the line.  If one of your chosen foes reduces you to 0 or fewer hit points, you lose two uses of your knight's challenge ability for the day because of the blow to your ego and confidence from the defeat.
   The effect of a fighting challenge lasts for a number of rounds equal to 5 + your Charisma modifier (if any).
   If you are capable of issuing a knight's challenge more than once per day, you can use this ability more than once in a single encounter.  You can issue a new challenge as often as you like, though the effects of multiple challenges against the same enemy do not stack.
   At 7th level, the bonus you gain from this ability increases to +2.  At 13th level, it rises to +3.  At 19th level, it increases to +4.

   Test of Mettle (Ex): Starting at 4th level, you can shout a challenge to all enemies, calling out for the mightiest among them to face you in honorable combat.  You must have line of sight and line of effect to the targets of this ability.
   As a swift action, you can expend one use of your mad knight's challenge ability to cause all of your enemies within 100 feet to make Will saves (DC 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Charisma modifier).  Creatures that fail this save are forced to attack you with their ranged or melee attacks in preference over other available targets.  If a foe attacks by casting a spell or using a supernatural ability, he must target you with the attack or include you in the effect's area.  Mindless creatures do not get a saving throw against this ability and must act as though they failed the save.
   An opponent compelled to act in this manner is not thrown into a mindless rage and does not have to move to attack you in melee if doing so would provoke attacks of opportunity against him.  In such a case, he can use ranged attacks against you or attack any opponents he threatens as normal.  If anyone other than you attacks the target, the effect of the test of mettle ends for that specific target.
   If you are reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by an opponent forced to attack you due to this ability, you gain one additional use of your mad knight's challenge ability for that day.  This additional use comes from increased confidence and the belief that you have proven your mettle as a knight against your enemies by calling out foes even against overwhelming odds (no matter the circumstance, you always believe the odds to be overwhelming).  This additional use disappears if you have not used it by the start of the next day.
   The effect of a test of mettle lasts for a number of rounds equal to 5 + your Charisma modifier (if any).  Whether a creature fails or succeeds on its save against your test of mettle, it can only be targeted by this ability once every ten rounds.

   Call to Glory (Ex): Starting at 8th level, you become an inspiring figure on the battlefield.  When all seems lost, your insane devotion to chivalry and your belief in the goodness of man inspires your allies, even in the face of the most daunting foes.
   As a swift action, you can expend one use of your mad knight's challenge ability to drive yourself or an ally into battle with renewed vigor.  The target gains 2 bonus Hit Dice (d10s), the commensurate number of temporary hit points (apply his Constitution modifier, if any, to these bonus Hit Dice), a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls, and a +1 competence bonus on Fortitude saves.  The bonus Hit Dice count as regular Hit Dice for determining the effect of spells such as sleep.
   In addition, if your target is currently subject to a fear effect, this ability grant him another save against it.  The target gains a bonus on this save equal to your Charisma modifier (if any).  If the target succeeds on this save, he gains the benefit for a successful save against the attack or spell. 
   The effect of a call to glory lasts for a number of rounds equal to 5 + your Charisma modifier (if any).

   Madman's Challenge (Ex): Starting at 12th level, you can call out opponents, baffling them into complete confusion.  Though you believe you are striking fear into the hearts of your foes, your wildly inapplicable threats and challenges actually disorient them to the point that they do not know how to act.
   As a swift action, you can expend one use of your mad knight's challenge ability to issue a madman's challenge.  This ability affects all enemies within 100 feet of you.  Targets must be able to hear you and speak or understand a language of some sort.  All targets who meet these conditions must make Will saves (DC 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Charisma modifier) or become confused.  The effect of your madman's challenge lasts for a number of rounds equal to 5 + your Charisma modifier (if any).  Whether a creature fails or succeeds on its save against your madman's challenge, it can only be targeted by this effect once every ten rounds.

   Dream the Impossible Dream (Ex): Starting at 16th level, you have such unshakeable belief in your quest and the glory of battle that you can inspire true heroism in those around you.
   As a swift action, you can expend one use of your mad knight's challenge ability to inspire yourself or one of your allies to fight like a hero.  The target gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws and a +4 dodge bonus to AC.
   The effect of dreaming the impossible dream lasts for a number of rounds equal to 5 + your Charisma modifier (if any).

   Loyal Beyond Death (Ex): At 20th level, if you are reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by an effect that otherwise leaves your body intact, you can expend one use of your mad knight's challenge ability to remain conscious and continue to act for 1 more round before dying.  You can use this ability even if your hit point total is -10 or lower.  If your body is somehow destroyed before your next action (such as by disintegrate), then you cannot act.  You can continue to expend uses of your mad knight's challenge ability to survive from round to round until you run out of uses.  If you receive healing that leaves you with more than -10 hit points, you survive (or fall unconscious, as appropriate to your new hit point total) when you stop using this ability.  Otherwise, death overtakes you when you run out of uses of your mad knight's challenge ability.

   The Knight's Code: You fight not only to defeat your foes, but to prove your honor, demonstrate your fighting ability, and win renown across the land.  The stories that you believe to arise from your deeds are just as important to you as the deeds themselves.
   The knight's code focuses on fair play: One should accord one's foes the same respect that one accords oneself.  After all, there are rules of chivalry to be followed.

  • You do not gain a bonus on attack rolls when flanking.  You still confer the benefit of a flanking position to your ally, but you forgo your own +2 bonus on attack rolls.  You can choose to keep the +2 bonus, but doing so violates your code of honor (see below).
  • You must never strike a flat-footed opponent.  Instead, you allow your foe to ready himself before attacking.
  • You must never deal lethal damage against a helpless foe.  You can strike such a foe, but only with attacks that deal nonlethal damage.

   If you violate any part of this code, you lose one use of your mad knight's challenge ability for the day.  If your mad knight's challenge ability is not available when you violate the code (for example, if you have exhausted your uses for the day), you take a -2 penalty on attack rolls and saves for the rest of that day.  Your betrayal of your code of conduct undermines the delusion and sense of honor that drive you forward.
   While you cleave to your view of honor, chivalry, and pursuit of glory, you do not force your views on others.  You might chide a rogue for sneaking around a battlefield, but you recognize the reality that not everyone is fit to follow the knight's path.

   Lunatic Grace (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, you draw upon the power of your deluded faith in honor and chivalry to steel yourself against the enemies you face.  Your personality, energy, and lunacy combine to create a willpower so strong that almost nothing can harm you.
   You add your Charisma modifier (if any) as a bonus on all saving throws.  This bonus does not stack with that from a paladin's divine grace ability or similar effects.

   Shield Block (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, you learn to flail about with your shield in a surprisingly effective way that frustrates your enemy's attacks.  During your action, you can designate a single opponent as the target of this ability.  Your shield bonus to AC against that foe increases by 1, as you wave your shield at them in a way that, against all reason, manages to deflect incoming blows, possibly providing just enough protection to turn a telling swing into a near miss.
   This shield bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 20th level.

   Glorious Madness (Ex): By the standards of society, you are quite, quite insane.  You believe in chivalry and decent behavior, acting as a champion of right and justice in a world of evil.  Of course, you also believe windmills to be giants and innkeepers to be kings.  Your madness, however, has several beneficial effects that can defend you on your quest.
   Starting at 3rd level, anyone targeting you with thought detection, mind control, or telepathic ability makes direct contact with your deluded mind and takes 1d4 points of Wisdom damage from the strain of attempting to comprehend your thought processes.
   Beginning at 6th level, your insane conviction to glory and honor grants you immunity to fear effects.
   At 9th level, you gain the slippery mind ability, which allows you to escape from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel you.  If you fail your saving throw against an enchantment spell or effect, you can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC.  You only get this one extra chance to succeed on your saving throw.
   At 12th level, your dedication to your quest allows you to simply ignore debilitating effects that would target your soul, granting you immunity to energy drain and negative levels.
   At 15th level, your delusions grow so powerful that you simply see the world the way that you think it should be, no matter how strongly others try to convince you otherwise.  You automatically see through all illusions.
   When you attain 18th level, your madness completely protects your mind, granting you immunity to all mind-affecting spells and abilities.

   Improbable Luck (Ex): Despite everything that happens to you on your mad quest, you seem to have an unusual amount of luck keeping you alive.  Beginning at 3rd level, you may reroll any failed attack roll, skill check, ability check, or saving throw once per day.  You must take the result of the reroll, even if it's worse than the original roll.
   At 7th level, and at every four levels thereafter, you may call upon your improbable luck one additional time per day, to a maximum of five times per day at 19th level.

   Mad Defender (Ex): When you reach 4th level, your elaborate speeches and deranged behavior create a presence on the battlefield that enemies cannot safely ignore.  Any creature that you threaten takes a -4 penalty on attack rolls against your allies.  This penalty does not apply to attacks made against you.  An enemy incurring this penalty is aware of the effect.
   In addition, an opponent that begins its turn in your threatened area treats all the squares you threaten as difficult terrain.  Your unpredictable movements and wild swings force your opponents to move with care.

   Strike of the Righteous Madman (Ex): Beginning at 5th level, the strength of your lunacy is so great that even a weak blow lands with great force.  You apply your Charisma modifier (if any) as a bonus on weapon damage rolls, in addition to any Strength bonus you might have.

   Shield Ally (Ex): Starting at 6th level, as an immediate action you can opt to absorb part of the damage dealt to an adjacent ally.  Each time this ally takes damage from a physical attack before your next turn, you can take half of this damage on yourself.  The target takes the other half as normal.  You can only absorb damage from physical melee attacks and ranged attacks, such as an incoming arrow or a blow from a sword, not from spells and other effects.  You can decide to use this ability after an attacker determines that an attack has succeeded, but must use it before he rolls damage.

   Armor Mastery (Ex): Starting at 9th level, you are able to wear your armor like a second skin and ignore the standard speed reduction for wearing medium armor.  Starting at 14th level, you ignore the speed reduction imposed by heavy armor as well.

   Body of a Knight Errant (Ex): At 10th level, your faith in your delusion becomes so strong that mere sickness or wounds cannot bother you.  You gain immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical disease (such as mummy rot and lycanthropy), and poisons of all kinds.
   In addition, your steadfast refusal to acknowledge physical wounds actually causes them to heal more quickly.  Each day, you can heal yourself of a number of hit points of damage equal to twice your class level.  You may choose to divide this healing among several uses.

   Damage Reduction (Ex): Starting at 10th level, your faith in your mad cause grants you the ability to shrug off some amount of injury from each blow that strikes you.  You gain damage reduction 5/-.
   At every even-numbered level after 10th, this damage reduction increases by 1.

   Bulwark of Lunacy (Ex): At 13th level, your deluded belief in your skills as a combatant grants you a level of defense that strains credibility almost to its breaking point.  You can add your Charisma modifier as a bonus to Armor Class.  This bonus to AC applies even against touch attacks or when you are flat-footed.  However, you lose this bonus when you are immobilized or helpless.

   Improved Shield Ally (Ex): At 14th level, your ability to absorb attack directed at your allies.  Once per round, you can absorb all the damage from a single attack directed against an ally that you are defending with your shield ally ability.  After using this ability, you continue to absorb half the damage from other physical attacks on that ally.  You must decide whether to use this ability after the attacker determines that an attack has succeeded but before he rolls damage.

   Insane Endurance (Ex): Starting at 17th level, your intense self-delusion allows you to push your body beyond the normal limits of endurance.  You no longer automatically fail a saving throw on a roll of 1.  You might still fail the save if your result fails to equal or beat the DC.

   Force of Will (Ex): At 17th level and higher, your unshakeable belief in your impossible dream allows you to resist magical attacks with greater effectiveness than other warriors.  By drawing on your boundless energy and lunatic dedication, you can shrug off effects that would hinder even the toughest warrior.  If you succeed on a saving throw against an attack that would normally produce a lesser effect on a successful save (such as a spell with a saving throw entry of Reflex half or Fortitude partial), you instead negate the effect.  You do not gain the benefit of force of will when you are unconscious or sleeping.

Playing a Quixotic Knight
To you, the most important thing in the world is your quest.  You fight for the right, without question or pause, and are willing to march into Hell for a heavenly cause.  You know that, if you are true to this glorious quest, that your heart will lie peaceful and calm when you're laid to your rest.  And the world will be better for this: that one man, scorned and covered with scars, still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars.
   The fact of the matter, however, is that this takes place mostly inside your head.  Your head is a wondrous place, filled with glory to be won and giants to be fought.  The real world, however, is a different place, and you often seem crazy to those without your conviction.  What else could they think when you ride a tired old mare full-tilt into a windmill, claiming that it is a foul giant sent by your archenemy?
   Despite your somewhat eccentric behavior, however, your lunacy gives you an undeniable edge in combat.  For whatever reason, your madness resonates with the chaos of the battlefield in a way that, inexplicably, allows you to triumph over your foes.

Religion
While religion is not quite as important to you as your quest, you almost certainly revere a god, such as Heironeous or St. Cuthbert.  After every glorious victory, you offer thanks to your lord for guiding you through battle.  Those who witness this thankful prayer sometimes wonder if you are touched by the gods--a circumstance that would certainly explain your bizarre ability to triumph in battle.  On the other hand, you might just be a very lucky old man.

Other Classes
You respect paladins and crusaders as fellow members of a glorious cause, though you are somewhat confused by their attitudes towards you.  You tend to view wizards and other arcane spellcasters with suspicion, as enchanters like that might well try to confound your senses.  Clerics, on the other hand, receive your full respect as men of god--though it is worth noting that you do not believe in evil clerics, instead seeing them as dark magic-users who espouse false values.  Members of other classes can receive varied reactions, as you are prone to see what you want to see.

Combat
In combat, your primary goal is to triumph over evil, winning glory for yourself and peace for the world.  The ways in which you do this, however, have nothing to do with any rhyme or reason.  While a true knight might call out his enemies in a terrifying manner, you shout such confusing and strange remarks--such as referring to a red dragon as a "foul troll, disguised as a virtuous elf"--that enemies are left completely confounded.  Your allies, however, view you with a warmth and tolerance that allows you to, however briefly, convince them that the world could be the place you think it is, filled with glory and goodness.  In those moments, you inspire them to greatness in much the way that a bard might.
   When your enemies attack you, you demonstrate an uncanny ability to dodge their attacks.  When they do connect, you again display remarkable resilience that surprises those who know you.

Advancement
When looking at feats to select as you gain levels, you have two basic paths.  You can either advance your skills in combat so that you are not just wildly flailing about, or you can try to expand your capabilities to serve as the party's spokesman, with undoubtedly hilarious results.  The former option is best when you are the group's primary melee combat "specialist," though that term implies training.  If the party includes anyone more skilled with a blade, you can afford to dabble in feats that improve your Charisma-based skills.  Something about your determined eccentricity gives you an air of respectability, and you can easily sweep others into your delusions of grandeur with a little Diplomacy.
   When it comes to combat feats, look to ones that improve your ability to deal damage.  Your class features already enhance your defense--the only reason that you're alive at all, really--so feats such as Power Attack, Weapon Focus, and so forth present excellent options to bolster your offense.  You could also take Mounted Combat and Weapon Focus (lance) and charge at windmills all day--and, really, what could be more fun?

Quixotic Knights in the World
"He spoke to me, and everything was...different.  He spoke of a dream, and of a quest"
--Aldonza "Dulcinea" Lorenzo, farm girl

The concept of the knight, of a steadfast warrior dedicated to the code of chivalry, has arisen in almost every culture.  A quixotic knight is not one of these men, though he would like to be.  He adheres to the laws of chivalry, attempts to fight with honor and glory, and seeks the favor of fair maidens.  His view of knighthood--and of himself--is highly romanticized.  Thus, rather than being employed by wealthy nobles, quixotic knights tend to wander far from their landholdings, dispensing justice where they go.

Daily Life
A quixotic knight adventures to earn glory and follow his "quest"--a never-quite-defined goal to improve the world and achieve legendary status.  He rides forth from his library on a tired old mare to right wrongs, quest in the name of his true love, and prove himself worthy of knighthood.  By actively seeking fame, glory, and acclaim, the quixotic knight earns baffled looks and accusations of madness from those he defends.

Notables
The first quixotic knight, and the individual for whom the affliction has been named, was one Alonso Quijano, a wealthy landowner of La Mancha.  At the age of fifty, Quijano became obsessed with books of chivalry, renamed himself "Don Quixote," and rode forth with a long-suffering peasant named Sancho.  Designating a neighboring farm girl the love of his life, Quixote's misadventures were only the beginning of the deluge of quixotic knights that were to follow.

Organizations
Quixotic knights, though they adhere to the code of chivalry, barely possess the coordination to ride horses, much less form orders.  Though there are occasional attempts at organization, most quixotic knights are too impatient and driven to settle down for long enough to do so.

NPC Reactions
Individuals initially react to quixotic knights in the same manner that they would react to true knights, but this reaction soon melts into puzzled bafflement.  Even in hostile lands, the average peasant is more likely to be confused by a quixotic knight than he is to be actively suspicious.

Quixotic Knight Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (nobility and royalty) can research quixotic knights to learn more about them.  When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs.
   DC 10: Knights are skilled mounted fighters who specialize in defensive combat.  Quixotic knights are deluded souls who think that they are skilled mounted fighters who specialize in defensive combat.
   DC 15: Quixotic knights are combat-oriented characters that have gone off the deep end.  Originally bookish nobles, these men and women become obsessed with chivalry and become convinced that they are adept at protecting their companions.  They follow a strict code of honor that nobody else even thinks about any more.
   DC 20: Quixotic knights are actually a threat on the battlefield.  For some inexplicable reason, their insanity gives them a sort of strength that, coupled with ludicrous amounts of luck, can let them walk away victorious.  Seriously, what the hell?

Quixotic Knights in the Game
Quixotic knights fit well into any campaign that does not take itself too seriously.  They can fit into deathly-serious campaign settings, but really only as tragic characters.  When you introduce a quixotic knight into a campaign, be warned: shenanigans lie ahead.  A quixotic knight is likely to deputize one of the party members as his squire, or possibly declare a female character in the group to be the love of his life.  Either way, he will be dedicated to the survival of the party, aiding them in any way that he can.
   In the case of a quixotic knight player character, it is just as likely that one of the party members will be deputized as squire or that a party member will find herself the object of chivalrous affection.  This class is a good match for players who want to excel at melee combat while playing a quirky and fun character.

Adaptation
Peter O'Toole.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2012, 05:36:15 PM by DonQuixote »
“Hast thou not felt in forest gloom, as gloaming falls on dark-some dells, when comes a whisper, hum and hiss; savage growling sounds a-near, dazzling flashes around thee flicker, whirring waxes and fills thine ears: has thou not felt then grisly horrors that grip thee and hold thee?”