Enoch Village is a dwindling town shadowed by the huge cliffs of a nearby mountain.[2]
Geography[]
The village is located on the banks of a large river, next to a pass between two mountains.[7] The village proper sits upon a small hill by the river, with another small section of farms and houses on the opposite bank, connected by a stone bridge. At the top of the mountain pass lies a small watchtower garrisoned by local militia.[2] The church, located at the center of town,[8] was once the site of a local shrine dedicated to a river spirit many years before the establishment of the Holy See.[9][10][11] Enoch Village is roughly an hour away from a spirit tree forest.[1] The Qliphoth manifests near the village after Griffith's Incarnation Ceremony,[11][12] and vanishes after Slan's forced advent and passing.[13]
Background[]
Once a burgeoning lodging place, Enoch Village saw a decline in trade and commerce when a new highway was built.[8] Heavy taxes were imposed on the people to fund the war against Kushan, worsening the already impoverished state of the town,[1] which had little fish to catch in the local river. Isidro notes that its geographical position means its fields are bereft of sunlight.[8]
For a long time, Enoch Village held legends of fairies, witches, and the like. Notably, there was a story of a witch living in the nearby forest, which kept adult villagers away. One winter, trolls began a series of raids on the town, kidnapping women and children, ruining fields, and stealing livestock.[1] They also raped and killed anyone who got in their way.[2] The villagers could not appeal to the town's lord as he had been dispatched to Vritannis.[1]
In the meantime, the village is led by a chief, and the Holy See maintains a strong hold through the local priest.[2]
Story[]
Following Femto's incarnation and the consequent blurring of physical and astral boundaries, Enoch Village finds itself under constant attack by trolls. Morgan and a party of four other villagers set out to seek the aid of a witch said to live deep in a forest in her mansion. During their travels, the group is attacked by trolls, leaving Morgan as the sole survivor. The Black Swordsman Party happens upon him, and Puck heals him. They decide to take him along with them. The traveling party unknowingly breaches an interstitial barrier and arrives at the mansion Morgan spoke of. After a brief engagement with the domain's defenses and becoming acquainted with the witch Flora and her pupil Schierke, the Black Swordsman Party is asked by Flora to assist Schierke in eliminating the troll threat in Enoch Village in exchange for magical talismans for Guts's and Casca's brands.[1]
Arriving at Enoch Village, the party is met by the villagers and priest, who express doubt in their ability to alleviate the troll problem. Guts convinces the villagers to allow them to stay for a night by lying that Casca is a journeying pilgrim in need of the church's charity.[2]
On a following day, a horde of trolls arrives and invades the village, causing the villagers to take refuge in the church.[9] The Black Swordsman Party confronts the trolls in battle.[3] Atop the church, Schierke invokes the power of the Four Kings of the World to manifest a magical barrier that vanquishes the nearby trolls and prevents further advances.[14] An ogre arrives and launches large wooden beams through the barrier to circumvent it. As Guts engages the ogre, a kelpie arrives and attacks him as well.[5] While Guts and Serpico battle the ogre and kelpie, respectively, Schierke aligns with the Lady of the Depths water spirit to summon a raging torrent that washes away all the malign astral creatures in one decisive surge.[6]
In the immediate aftermath of the invasion and the torrent, the village sustains extensive structural damage. Schierke is celebrated as the savior of the village and tells the villagers about the Lady of the Depths water spirit principally responsible for their salvation. Grateful villagers ask the priest to allow the building of a shrine to the Lady of the Depths, to which he agrees.[11]
Following the liberation of Enoch Village, its denizens begin rebuilding,[11] especially after the closure of the Qliphoth, from which the trolls came, and the return of those kidnapped by trolls.[13]
Trivia[]
- The church of Enoch Village shares the same general architectural structure as the out-of-universe Church of Saint Martin of Tours in Frómista, Spain — specifically, after its late 19th-century restoration.
References[]
- ^ a b c d e f Berserk :: Volume 24, "Mansion of the Spirit Tree (1)"
- ^ a b c d e f Berserk :: Volume 24, "Enoch Village"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 25, "Magic Sword"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 25, "Arcana of Invocation"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 25, "Evil Horde (1)"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 25, "Torrent"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 23, "Like a Baby"
- ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 24, "Desires and Memories"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 24, "Troll Invasion"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 25, "Evil Horde (2)"
- ^ a b c d Berserk :: Volume 25, "Qliphoth"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 26, "Whore Princess of the Uterine Sea"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 26, "Companions"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 25, "Magic"