London, 1536. King Henry VIII has just recently executed his second wife, Anne Boleyn, whom was executed on charges including adultery, incest and conspiracy after being the Queen of England for only 1000 days. This is a time of great religious and political upheaval, a time in which the public fears giving their opinion for fear of execution, for fear of being labeled a Papist.

In many ways, Leon fears this as well. He is after all a lawyer working on behalf of Lord Cromwell, while he may not necessarily agree with every point Cromwell makes, he cannot go against these points, he is but a servant for the King and Lord Cromwell, two of the most powerful men in England. Since King Henry VIII broke with Rome, things have changed, and maybe not for the best. In 1534, Henry pushed through the Act of Supremacy. The Act made him, and all of his heirs, Supreme Head of the Church of England. This meant that the Pope no longer held religious authority in England, and Henry was free to divorce Catherine. The break with Rome eventually triggered England's transition to being a Protestant country. The Reformation had major repercussions, including the Dissolution of the Monasteries and many rebellions.

Leon himself had had to be the voice of reason on many cases involving these rebellions, he would only take on cases where he believed the individual was innocent. A few hours ago Leon had been called to a meeting with Lord Cromwell, an acquaintance of Leon, a Lord Singleton, had been brutally murdered in St Donatus, a Benedictine monastery in Scarnsea, which is a port town. This is a monastery that King Henry VIII and Lord Cromwell are attempting to close.

Before Leon's departure to St Donatus, Cromwell has said something to him. “The house must fall,” Cromwell told Leon with a thinly veiled menace, referring to St Donatus. Leon is to go to St Donatus immediately, with the aid of a servant to Lord Cromwell.