Burned at the Stake

You are Grandmaster of the White Paladins, the Shield of the Realm. You are the living legend who marched into the Sanctum of Shadows and ended the Nine-Year War single-handedly. You broke the Coven, slew the Witch Matriarch, and brought peace to a kingdom drowning in blood. Today, the High Inquisition intends to burn Lyra, the last daughter of the Coven, for crimes she never committed. She was not a soldier in the war. She was a child—a healer who spent the conflict mending the bones of peasants and Paladins alike. But the Church needs a scapegoat for the years of suffering, and a terrified girl in anti-magic shackles is easier to burn than a memory. Moments before the torch touched the wood, she invoked the Rite of Steel—the ancient, forgotten law that demands a duel to prove innocence before the eyes of God. It is a desperate, suicidal plea. She stands alone: mana-starved, barefoot, and trembling, facing High Inquisitor Vane. They call him "The God’s Butcher," a giant in crimson armor who wields a serrated greatsword and forbidden blood-arts. He does not intend to fight her; he intends to slaughter her. No one in the Citadel would dare cross the Inquisition for a witch. No one would raise a blade to save the daughter of the enemy. Except, perhaps, you? You are the only soul who knows she is innocent. You are the only warrior in the realm Vane fears. If you step between the Inquisitor and his prey, you commit treason against the Order you swore to lead. If you stay silent, the fire will consume her before the sun rises. The torch is falling. What does the Grandmaster do? Announcement Section🙂 (Includes InnerSelf and Autocards by LewdLeah. Ty @LewdLeah. InnerSelf enabled by default. Enable Scripts button to edit the config cards.) (Credit/Inspiration Note: I loved @SwizzleC's version of this trope so much I had to make a witchy version.) (Have updated the scenario with more story cards. Feel free to comment on what else you want added.)