Herald of Madness (comic story)

 was a comic story published in Doctor Who Magazine in 2019, starring the Thirteenth Doctor.

Part one
In the forests of Bohemia, 1601, two men are seen riding on horseback. They discuss a party they are heading to when they hear a strange grinding noise nearby. A few seconds later they come face to face with the Thirteenth Doctor, Graham, Ryan and Yaz. The Doctor asks where they are, having aimed for the Ninth Moon of Quezzeltrax, and is informed they are actually in Kokorin forest. The Doctor remarks she will never trust her celestial sat-nav again and the two men introduce themselves as world-famous astronomer Tycho Brahe, accompanied by Johannes Kepler. The Doctor is far more enthusiastic about Johannes' future achievements, much to Tycho's disapproval. Bluffing that her group is looking for the same party that they are going to, the Doctor says that they will tag along with the duo. On the way, the Doctor and her friends whisper about Johannes, with the Doctor explaining that he is still just Tycho's student at this point in time. They arrive at Castle Houska, which looks more like a prison, in which the new Baroness, Dagmar Ruskovitch, is practising archery. When she is informed that Galileo Galilei and John Dee will not attend she is furious as she "needed those men", while a monk called Dominik remarks that a new mind is coming which will suit their needs. The Doctor's group arrives at a huge celebration full of astronomers from around the world, and the Doctor tells her friends to mingle.

Ryan walks past two people arguing about viewpoints, while Graham finds Tycho signing autographs, and the two head off to talk. Ryan finds the Doctor, who says she does not remember this meeting from history, which may be very bad news. As Yaz chats to Johannes, Tycho tells Graham how he got into astrology, and the two end up bonding over a drink. Eventually, Ruskovitch arrives to greet the party. The Doctor asks her why everyone there can suddenly understand each other, and Ruskovitch makes her excuses and leaves. The Doctor tells Yaz that she and Ryan will go snooping. Entering the underground corridors of the castle, the Doctor and Ryan discover a hidden passage, in which they find hooded figures with sword-patterned masks. Ryan asks the Doctor what is going on when Dominik arrives. With his eyes glowing, he tells them to perish in the fires of his mind while the Doctor and Ryan scream in pain.

Part two
Graham and Tycho continue to chat as Tycho explains one of the legends of Castle Houska. Apparently, over three hundred years prior, a seemingly bottomless pit was discovered in the forest, and as rumours spread, King Ottokar II sent a prisoner into it to find out what was inside. When he arose, he had aged thirty years and had been driven mad, before immediately dying, so the pit was sealed and the castle was built on top. However, Tycho laughs the rumours off as "absurd superstitions".

As the Doctor and Ryan get attacked, the Doctor manages to use her telepathic powers to protect Ryan and turn the tide back on Dominik, eventually overthrowing him and knocking him out. However, the two notice that the rest of the mysterious figures have not moved in the slightest, and they wonder what is going on. Back in the main hall, Ruskovitch meets Johannes and invites him to see her personal collection. Yaz, attempting to keep an eye on him, tries to come along as well but is quickly shrugged off. Annoyed, she interrupts Graham and Tycho's conversation to tell them, and while Graham is concerned about Johannes' wellbeing, Tycho is most angry about not being visited by the Baroness himself, and the three decide to track them down.

Underneath the castle, Ruskovitch leads Johannes to her enormous collection, full of documents long thought lost. As Graham, Yaz, and Tycho attempt to navigate the maze of corridors, a mysterious laundry woman points out the correct direction to them. They find the Baroness' study as she promises to share some inspiring new facts about the universe with Johannes, showing him a glowing orb that, when held, transforms the room into a view of the cosmos. As Graham and Yaz worry about Johannes potentially learning information from the future and accidentally changing history, Tycho barges in to interrupt. Ruskovitch finally learns that the Doctor's friends are not from 1601, and as Dominik psychically tells her where the Doctor is, she promises to kill both her and her friends, grabbing a sword and transforming into a huge centaur-like creature as she does so.

Characters

 * Thirteenth Doctor
 * Graham O'Brien
 * Ryan Sinclair
 * Yasmin Khan
 * Tycho Brahe
 * Johannes Kepler
 * Dagmar Ruskovitch
 * Dominik
 * Olaf

The Doctor

 * The Doctor probes Baroness Dagmar Ruskovitch for being an alien by claiming to have obtained a doctorate from the University of Gallifrey.

People

 * Tycho Brahe is the court astronomer to Emperor Rudolf II.
 * Brahe lost his nose in a duel with his cousin, that began from an argument over an equation.
 * Johannes Kepler went on to have a satellite, a moon crater, a star system, and an ice lolly named after him.
 * Kepler has a wife. They had two children who died: Heinrich and Susanna.
 * Dagmar Ruskovitch practices archery.
 * Galileo Galilei and John Dee refused Ruskovitch's invitation.

Locations

 * The Doctor and Team TARDIS got lost on their way to the Ninth Moon of Quezzeltrax.
 * Team TARDIS run into Brahe and Kepler in Kokorin Forest.
 * Astronomers from Europe, Persia, India, Turkey and Nigeria attend the gathering.

Technology

 * The Doctor used a celestial sat nav.
 * The telescope had not been invented yet.

Cultural references from the real world

 * Yaz likens the bustling entrance hall inside Castle Houska to Hogwarts. Ryan likens the dark hallways to Resident Evil.
 * Ryan hopes he and the Doctor don't run into Dracula when entering the secret passage.

Foods and beverages

 * Tycho and Graham drink ale.

Astronomy

 * A man at the gathering believes the whole universe revolves around the Earth.

Miscellaneous

 * Tycho gives out autographs at the gathering.

Original print details

 * (Publication with page count and closing captions)


 * 1) DWM 535 (8 pages) Next: The Pit of Hell!
 * 2) DWM 536 (6 pages) Next: Countdown to Madness!

Continuity

 * The Third Doctor previously unearthed Tycho Brahe's body in the 24th century while searching for the Tipping Device. (PROSE: Midnight in the Café of the Black Madonna)
 * Graham reminds the Doctor of their track record with "big names in history". (TV: Rosa, The Witchfinders, PROSE: Combat Magicks)