The eponymous Saint Jasper was a somewhat mild friar of the Order of Saint Benedict in humble Frogswallow until a freak accident with a stepladder and the wrong concoction by the abbey apothecary resulted in what appeared to be a fatal and all-consuming poisoning. Granted reprieve to be with his family in Frogswallow Under, the Saint may have retired to his deathbed and into obscurity, had it not been for his run in with an escaped werewolf.

A miracle was declaimed when Friar Jasper returned to the Order of Saint Benedict hale and full of life. Indeed, it was remarked upon by the Abbot that the man, formerly bald, now seemed younger and much more full of hair than previous to his accident.

It became quickly apparent that no miracle had transpired. Though banned from meat, Jasper was seen to eye the animals he cared for with distinct hunger. Soon, when chickens began to vanish, he was called to accounting before the abbey. It became quickly apparent that the man was suffering from a curse, and he was recused into the care of a solitary cell, there to starve on a steady vegetarian diet and be commended to the Lord by the Inquisitors.

However, despite numerous letters to the Archbishopry, no Inquisitors were forthcoming. This may be a direct result of the Sirily-Gravemount engagements during the Uprising; no records were found by the Church attesting to a reception of the request from Frogswallow. Thus, Jasper remained within his cell, quiet but for the full moon, and took to a devotion of the Rosary and contemplation of the Bible.

Word quickly spread of the captive werewolf, with both demands for his release into the care of a proper scientist and demands for his destruction being put forwards. Being unwilling to simply murder their brother, and unwilling to release him into the general populace, the Order was put into the unusual position of housing and feeding Jasper. Soon, he began to attend Mass with the general populace, and was discovered to be quite docile.

Letters began to circulate shortly thereafter, finding their way into the pockets of nobles and priests alike. It began to be claimed that God had sent a wolf to Jasper's side to see His will spread amongst the flock, which was seen to need thinning from the corruption of sin. As the seasons of the Sirily-Gravemount engagements wore on and no word was received from the Archbishopry, Jasper began to obtain a following who took wereing as a sacrament and a sacrifice in order to serve the Lord.

Thus, an epidemic of werewolves was brought to Frogswallow. Jasper was freed by two partisans, and took to preaching from the front steps of City Hall, where the Council was obliged to open their doors under pressure from the more influential Jasperites. By mid-spring in the year 1765, the city of Frogswallow was wholly Jasperite, and pilgrims were in strong attendance.

Finally, the Archbishopry reacted. Summoned by word of the heretic sect, the Inquisitors hired hunters to reinforce their ranks, and set upon Frogswallow. Under the cover of wolfsbane, silver, and the Phosphene Magery Guild, the city was purged within two months. Saint Jasper vanished, leaving behind a voluminous body of correspondence, the banned Gospel of Saint Jasper, and a fragmented body of followers.

One century on, the Jasperite movement remains with a new purpose: to stamp out and replace the Church that cast down Frogswallow with their own members. Unsurprisingly, Jasperites are banned within the Western Reaches, and hunted by the Church. This is complicated further by the relative wealth of the remaining Jasperites, many of whom enriched their own pockets during the fall of Frogswallow.



An utterly true accounting of a fake event.
Written for LiarQuest2012
Actual size. No refunds..

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.