Since I have arrived in WESTCROWN I have heard many STRANGE CONFUSIONS about the GOOD GODS, by those whose SPIRITS and KNOWLEDGE had been wholly CRUSHED by the ASMODEANS. But the people of LIÓ have never FORGOTTEN the GODS of GOOD, nor their TEACHINGS, and it is from there that I hail. It is said in LIÓ that we are BLESSED by IOMEDAE HERSELF, and I will share that story with you now, that all may find AID from SENYALFORT, the BLESSED HOUND of IOMEDAE herself.

More than a HUNDRED YEARS ago, there lived a LANDED KNIGHT in a CASTLE atop a hillside near LIÓ, near the monastery at Vilanòva, who was a VALIANT SERVANT of HOLY IOMEDAE. The KNIGHT'S most treasured companion was a COURAGEOUS GREYHOUND called by the name of SENYALFORT, whose LOYALTY and BRAVERY rivalled that of even the best SOLDIER.

One day the KNIGHT went out HUNTING, leaving SENYALFORT to watch over his INFANT SON. The child's MOTHER and NURSE too were absent, leaving only the INFANT and SENYALFORT. But when they RETURNED, the NURSE entered the room and saw a HIDEOUS SIGHT: the child's CRADLE had been OVERTURNED, SENYALFORT'S TEETH had been BLOODIED, and the INFANT was nowhere to be found. The nurse let out a PIERCING SCREAM, which the child's MOTHER heard, and when she saw the HIDEOUS SIGHT she cried out for her HUSBAND. The HUSBAND ran to the room, and seeing what had happened he took his SWORD and struck SENYALFORT DEAD on the spot.

But as they stood TREMBLING in DESPAIR at the death of their SON, they heard the CRY of an INFANT from beneath the CRADLE. When they righted it, they found their infant son UNHARMED. In their CONFUSION they searched the rest of the room, and discovered the body of a VENOMOUS SNAKE, which had been TORN TO BITS by SENYALFORT'S STRONG TEETH. It was then that they realized that the SNAKE had nearly KILLED their child, and SENYALFORT had been HEROICALLY PROTECTING him even to the last.

They DESPAIRED to have done such a GREAT EVIL in their IGNORANCE, and dug an HONORABLE GRAVE for SENYALFORT, as if he were a WARRIOR slain in BATTLE. They piled the grave high with STONES, and planted a grove of OLIVE TREES around it. And IOMEDAE saw how they treated SENYALFORT as a TRUE WARRIOR, and although he was only a HOUND she brought him into HEAVEN and welcomed her among the ranks of her WARRIORS, setting him at her RIGHT HAND.

In LIÓ, the ordinary people heard of the COURAGE of SENYALFORT in defending a CHILD, and began to pray to SENYALFORT to aid their own children. And though IOMEDAE was too busy with GREATER EVILS to hear their prayers, SENYALFORT heard us, and granted HEALING to many SICK CHILDREN, until people came from MILES AROUND to pray at the grave of SENYALFORT. The ASMODEANS tried to DESTROY this custom, at first with FINES and WHIPPINGS, later with DESECRATION of the GRAVE, still later by pronouncing all those who cried out for SENYALFORT'S aid to be HERETICS. But they could not erase the knowledge passed down from PARENT to CHILD, and so even today we have not forgotten SENYALFORT'S courageous SACRIFICE.