"Would you rather I put a light on your armor instead?" Celeste offers.
"Would you rather I put a light on your armor instead?" Celeste offers.
'On my armor? Would it be safe against my skin? wouldn't it burn?' Elek, looks at the torch, and then the axe, asking. "Can you put za light on za axe? Zen I can hold it out like za torch."
"As you wish." Celeste flicks her fingers and Elek's axe glows like a torch. "You make a very obvious target, though the torch wasn't any better."
Using the lighted axe to illuminate this crypt, Elek finds a smear of blood leading into one of the far corners.
A ragged man, sitting in a pool of blood, glares at you -- the same man you fought earlier.
Spitting out blood, "So you've found me, now what?"
'At least it wasn't a gang of thieves in the crypt. I don't have any magic left for the day.' Celeste heaves a mental sigh of relief.
"We'd like to ask you a few questions. Like why you did it. Or who made you do it." Celeste answers.
'Or maybe I should let the Cardinal do the talking - it was his house that was broken into. What are we going to do after? Turn him over to the authorities?' She wonders.
Elek nods his head in agreement with Celeste, Ja, I vill be za bait, It is vat za breastplate is for." Elek then heads down the stairs into the crypt.
Is he alone?' Seeing the wounded man, Elek, staying between his team and the assassin, moves the axe/torch to look around the crypt. Not seeing anyone else, Elek calls up, "Za vay is clear, vat shall vee do vit our prisoner?"
Spitting toward Celeste, "Like I'd answer that question, you're pretty pathetic as far as last hopes go, hah," his laugh ends in a coughing fit, the crossbow bolt from Elek still lodged in his gut.
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Lucius, hearing no immediate violence, enters the crypt and surveys the scene.
"Father, grant your mercy to this man, and cleanse his soul of sin."
A, by now familiar, wave of warmth and light bursts from the Cardinal.
"Now my son," he continues, his tone avuncular and sincere. "I am a priest, tell me of your sins that you might be absolved in the eyes of God and of men."
'The Cardinal is wise, we need to let him handle this.' Elek gives a quick glance to the witch to see if she is going to interrupt. He then nods his head in agreement with the Cardinal. "Yes you should listen to the Cardinal. As you can see, he is a Saint gifted with healing. You should not doubt him." Elek then steps back placing the axes handle end on the floor holding the lit axehead in both hands.
Celeste looks dubiously at the Cardinal, and keeps a sharp eye on the man, as if expecting him to bolt or attack them at any moment. 'The Cardinal would grant absolution and mercy to his enemies? The only thing I'd grant this b@stard I'd is a quick trip to the inquisitors so they could extract every bit of information out of him.' However, she remains silent.
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Standing quietly in the back and observing the interactions of her companions and the thief, Maud says a quick prayer that he will cooperate.
Speaking up at the thief's snide remarks Maud chimes in, "well at least we are trying to do something about the mess the city is in? What about you? You still haven't answered our questions. I don't think trying to break into rooms of the Vatican is going to help get rid of the evil here." Getting worked up and frustrated Maud positions her long spear towards him.
His eyes heave with a heavy sadness at the kindness the good cardinal has shown him, "I wish I could tell you Father, I do but I promised for the good of man kind, if any of us wish to survive this ordeal, you have to die. You can't be allowed to anger the demons any further, if you just leave them alone they'll leave us alone!"
He shakily draws a dagger holding it out to try and keep you guys at bay. "Just do us all a favor and give up your madness! You can't save us, no one can! Let's just pray the demons will let us live here,"
"And who told you those lies?" Celeste stares at the man distrustfully. "And you believed them?" Celeste questions the man incredulously, shaking her head.
"There's no place for humans so long as the demons live. Yes, they try to make you think that they'll live you alone. They're lying." Celeste's eyes flash with anger. "It's their very nature to thrive on lies and deceit, malice and betrayal. It is their nature to destroy and corrupt all living things. They bring out the worst in our natures. Yet stand against them we must, or humanity has NO FUTURE!"
"They offer you power, whisper temptation in your ears. Yet there is only one end - being corrupted to their will. I've seen too many go down that path, to know it as true."
'The witch is right, there is no living with them.' Elek's eyes shift from the assassin to the witch, nodding his head in agreement, he then looks to the assassin. "Zere is no life as slaves und toys to za demons. All zat vould be left of humanity vould be zose like za Tiefling ve saw killed. Is zat vat you vant for your vife und daughters. To be ze play toy of za demons?"
'He will turn that dagger on himself if we are not careful.' Elek shakes his head turning to the Cardinal. "Do ve take him prisoner or let him go. It disturbs me zat ve are fighting your fellow Catholics instead of za demons. Does ze Pope agree vit zis? Can not he command ze cardinals to support his cause? I thought he vas Gods representative on earth to zem."
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Lucius grimaces and speaks swiftly in a low voice, "The Pope is God's representative on earth, but it is a popular theory in cannon law that his appoint comes through the Holy Spirit inspiring the college of Cardinals - therefore it is the College, not the Pope that hold the right of election and therefore they are not to be commanded. As with most such theories it gets trotted out when the College disagrees with the Pope, and quietly forgotten when the Pope is more amenable."
Turning back to the desperate assassin Lucius shakes his head sadly. "I would see you saved friend. Better to live here on earth and do God's will than to take your own life and be condemned to the torments of Hell. The work we do here we do at the behest of His Holiness - God's representative here on earth. I swear to you upon the blood of our saviour Jesus Christ - I will do nothing to endanger the Holy City, or the people within it." Lucius crosses himself and then stretches out his hand towards the man. "Give me the blade, my son."
'A pity to take his own life.' Elek shakes his head, "Ze priest is correct, your life should not be forfeit. Vee only vant to end za demons."
"It starts small, the corruption. You think, as a wizard, you have the power over everything. You summon a minor imp to help you run errands, fetch books. Then it tells you, when you're most vulnerable, things don't have to be that way...you can change things. And he has a trusted contact... that could grant you power, if you'd just do him a small favour." Celeste's dark eyes bore into the would be assassin. "At first the favours are small ones, and you revel in your new powers...then they become bigger, but you still think, it's just a little more. And one day...someone you care for is in danger. And you'll say you'll pay any price to save them..and that's when they claim your soul as their own."
"I've seen too many have gone down that dark Road. Do not be another. "
He screams, "NOOOOO, No if this Earth is Hell, I choose whatever awaits me after this!"
And with that he stabs himself, driving his dagger into his own heart!
Elek moves quickly to the body, drawing out the dagger. "Vat a vaist, und ve have no more knowledge of his employers zan before." He looks at the Cardinal. "I know zat you healed za people, but can you rais za dead like our lord und savior did for Lazarus?"
Check to see if the assassin is dead, Elek then searches him for any other useful information.
He then asks the team. 'Do you suppose he picked zis crypt for a reason? Maybe vee should check it, ya?"
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"No Elek." Lucius responds. "To raise the dead is a great power, which God bestows only on a select few. Perhaps two members of the College are capable of it, along with sundry hermits and living saints. I have not the strength for such things."
He kneels by the body and begins folding the mans hands. "Search it if you wish, but show respect. We are better than the demons." With that he methodically removes anything of use from the body before reclining it into as peaceful a position as possible and starts praying. "Our Father, who art in Heaven..."
"It's a pity. He would rather kill himself then stand against the demons." Celeste looks at the body with a sigh.
She tries to remember who's crypt this is, and if the owners will object.
"I guess you could just call it making sure no one else was in the crypt uninvited." She answers Elek dubiously.
'Great power indeed, perchance in time. Einar bows his head with the Cardinal, saying the words in his own tongue. "Heilig bist du nennen, dein Königreich kommst, dein Wille ... " when the prayer is open Elek nods to the cardinal and moves to search the crypt.
'What do they think I want? to raid a crypt? how disrespectful.' Elek give Celeste a dubious look, "I vas wondering if zis crypt had significance. A secret tunnel for possibly meeting somevone here, zat's all."
He then looks around the crypt searching for any secret passageways or any other information, like which family or individuals were buried here.
As you guys take your time examining the crypt and the mis-guided assassin you find a letter on his body as well as a bag of gold.
You have no doubt heard of the failing Pope's so called chosen ones, the blessed hero's to bring light and justice back to our hell-torn world. Why anyone would trust a senile old man who is at any moment a breath away from death is beyond me.
You will follow these heroes to where they sleep, sneak in and kill them while they sleep. If they wake, use the poisoned bolts to knock them out. Be wary and don't get caught.
-P
The assassin, has on him a masterwork leather vest, masterwork dagger, masterwork thieves tool, disguise kit, healer's kit, a bag with 100 gold pieces, and a separate bag with 29 gold pieces in it.
Examining the rest of the crypt, you guys find this crypt belong to Saint Bononio, a lesser known saint that was just barely remarkable enough to get buried here.
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Still in a bit of shock after watching the man take his life she also beings to look around.
" St. Bononio...I wonder lost in her own thoughts she looks over the crypt trying to remember anything about this particular saint.
"I don't seem to remember anything about this saint Bononio, maybe Cardinal Lucius, you might have a better recollection ?
"I wonder who is this guy P is...could it be Cardinal Piccolomini? He certainly didn't like us." Celeste stares at the letter, growing more suspicious by the moment.
"The Church spends too much time with infighting when there are more important matters at stake," She chides Lucius."Sometimes I wonder how any of you get ANYTHING done with all that politcking going on."
"Nah, probably not anyone of importance. Or I'd have heard about him." Celeste declares.
"Lucius - is the letter written by Cardinal Piccolomini, and do you have samples of Cardinal Piccolomini's handwriting so I can make a comparison?" She asks Lucius.
'Compare to other writing, that's a good idea.' After checking the body for clues and while searching the crypt for any hidden entrances, Elek listens to the others talk about the letter and the crypt's occupants.
'I think he was truly alone in this place.' Satisfied with his search. Elek asks. "Pater is zere somevone you vould trust vit und investigation ven vee are out in za city?" He then nods to the assassin. "May I assume zat der mörderer's gear is forfeit? But vat shall ve do vit za body or za money. Do vee return za body to za officials? Zat vould make it public knowledge, und may cause zis 'P' to reveal himself. Or do vee cover it up. So zat 'P' does not know vat has become of his operative?"
He looks at he body, shaking his head, "Either vay, a holy burial is forfeit. Es ist eine Schande, dass."
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"I do not have a sample of his writing to hand, but acquiring it is a simple matter." Lucius responds. "As to his equipment it should put to use defending the city. I would prefer not to draw out 'P' yet. If provoked into the open he is liable to do something rash and if it is the cardinal, then we do not want to compromise the Pope at such a time. Now is not the time to compromise the faith of the people. I propose we return to my apartments - there should be no more attacks tonight, until this man reports in. Tomorrow I will secure the handwriting and we must put some pieces into play."
Lucuius leads the way out of the crypt, glancing at and then dismissing the 'Saint' buried inside.
Elek begins to follow the Cardinal, then looking at the body, he calls, "Do vee bring za body or shall vee just tell za city vatch vere it is?"
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"Leave him. I have given him what peace he could receive. Alerting the guards will only advertise our role in this. At the moment nothing ties us to him, and perception in this case will be everything." Lucius doesn't mean to sound cold but he is already calculating, planning the next moves in the labyrinthian world of papal politics.
Elek gathered the gear worth keeping, and follows the Cardinal back to the apartment.
Heading back the cardinal's apartment to rest for the night, you guys find that not much is as you left it, the two guards that had been knocked unconscious are missing--hopefully being tended to, while your Lucius' apartment door stands open.
Of particular note is that many of Lucius' religious notes and writings are missing.
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Lucius immediately notices the telltale signs, particularly on his meticulously arranged desk. "Someone has been here... They've removed a number of my writings." He browses for a moment. "My treatise on the Council of Chalcedon has vanished. I wish them luck - it was a difficult piece of research. They won't find much without entry into the Medici library in Florence. The question is why? Why take my writings, on an obscure subject... unless they want a copy of my handwriting..."
He paces for a short time, frowning, before coming to a decision. "I must go out again. Please feel free to stay and catch up on your sleep."
'I should not let him go alone.' Elek, standing near the door watching the Cardinal search his room, doesn't move from the door as the Cardinal nears. "You should not go alone, Pater, I vill go vit you as a guard."
"Yes, we're all coming along. If you can get @ssasins coming to your room, God knows what you'll get going around the city alone." Celeste agrees.
Heading out to as a group, you presumably take some time to hide any valuables before heading out and ensuring the door is at least locked this time.
Its pretty late now, around 2 am, a chill has set at this point but the stars are out and bright.
Its a short walk to the palazzo, two vatican guards in their pompous striped blue, red and gold uniforms and carrying halberds as their traditional weapons standing at the ready.
One of them, stares at you intently, confused and then hesitant when he notices how well armed you are, he nudges his partner, startled, "Halt, who are you!"
"His escorts," Celeste drawls. "Cardinal Lucius had an @ssasin attempting to gain access to his bedchambers this very night. We wouldn't be letting him wander around the city unescorted after the incident, would we?"
"If you should wish, I am perfectly happy to leave all my weapons here."
'Leave all my weapons, why did she say that?' Elek looks at Celeste, his eyes wide. "I'm sure that won't be necessary Celeste, they know the Cardinal needs guarded during these troubled times."
turning to the guards, "What she says is true, he was attacked, and we must get him to his destination safely, thus the weapons and the hurry."
They look to Lucius who gives them the okay and they relent, one of them leading you inside the gates of the Palazzo.
Its an ornate and remarkable for lack of a better word, palace. Its all the gaudy gold filigree that the Catholic church was known for and despised for just a couple hundred years ago.
You guys are ushered inside, marveling at the grand entryway, where you wait for a bit, left alone until a Brother is able to attend you, his eyes seem sleepy. "Lucius it is good to see you, I take it you're here to see the Vice-Chancellor? I will wake him, follow me up, your companions, noble as they may be will have to wait here,"
As he takes Lucius up the stairs and out of sight, the rest of you are left to wonder what to do while you wait. The Brother returns quickly, "I can show you to some guest bedrooms we have here in the Palazzo where you can rest for the night,"
Elek nods his head in agreement. "Ve must rest eventually, ya." Looking to the others he asks, "Shall ve sleep a little late, say till two hours after sunrise?"
He then follow one of the brothers to the room asking the brother to wake him up a couple hours after sunrise.
"Finally something sensible." Celeste points out with some asperity. "If it should be possible, I would wish to use the bathhouse," and she gives the rest of her companions sharp looks, "And if I were you, I would avail ourselves to the bathing facilities here."
"We've had a long night, and the guest bedrooms would be much appreciated, AFTER the bath." Celeste answers the Brother. 'Let the Cardinal reveal how much he wants to about our midnight...misadventure'She thinks to herself.'We don't know who can or cannot be trusted now...'
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Maud, who will never get over the ornate and beautiful artwork of the Vatican City, looks around in awe. At the mention of a guest room and a bath she smiles softly to herself. Ah a bath and a good rest, finally... " Yes, I would also like to see where the bathhouse is, be nice to wash up before resting for the night and another full day of helping save the city!"
As the Brother escorts them to the Bathhouse and guest rooms Maud, takes a moment to notice their path and mark her surrounds with a mental map.
Celeste and Maud take to the bathhouse and spend some time washing up while Elek heads on to the room to prepare for sleep.
You guys finally have an uneventful night of sleep, going to sleep around 3 am and waking around 11 am, rested and a bit sore from the fighting from the night before.
A servant has prepared a rather luxurious breakfast for you guys considering the apocalyptic conditions the world is in. Containing a nice perch, with olives, some oranges and figs. Speaking up while you sit to eat, "Cardinal Lucius and the Vice-Chancellor will be in meetings all day while they try and unravel this mystery, Lucius apologized for not being able to include you but he has a few leads he thinks you could follow up on in the mean time,"
He hands you over a paper with some of his writing on it.
Friends,
I am sorry I can not be there, Rodrigo and I are working to understand what is happening and who was responsible for the attack. If you don't mind, I'd ask that you help investigate a lead for me.
If you guys could look into the current Pope and find out who his living relative's are within the city
-Lucius
Celeste helps herself to the figs, enthusiastically. "These are really good. Nothing like something sweet to start your day!" She mumbles, her mouth half full of figs. She breaks a fig into smaller pieces to feed Flutter.
After satiating her appetite, she starts looking at the letter. "The Pope's living relatives, could they be in danger as well?" She shows the letter to the rest.'Now who are the pope's living relatives...'She thinks to herself.
"Sorry, sir, do you know where the library is so we can work on the task the cardinal set us?"She asks the servant.
'So much for a couple of hours after sunrise. I guess it doesn't matter, not like we are going to save the world today.' Elek frowns slightly at the monk who woke him, then follows the man to breakfast.
Focusing on the perch and the olives, he tries the oranges and figs for the first time. Nodding in agreement with Celeste, he points at the figs. "Za tan vones are better zan za orange vones, zay taste sour to me."
After breakfast he reads the note and passes it on, shrugging his shoulders. "I vill not be much help vit zee information, but I vill go to za library vit you und try to be of assistance."
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Feeling well rested and clean after a bath and a good nights rest Maud heads to breakfast. Upon seeing the spread a slight smile goes across her face as she picks up an orange. fresh fruit in times like these...how wonderful.. Maud enjoys the fruit at breakfast and looks over the note from the Cardinal. I think going to the library is a great place to start as I too don't know who his living relatives are.
Heading to the library, its connected to the palace and was only recently added to the compound. It was a major undertaking that was started some 50-60 years ago.
Its not a crowded place, especially this afternoon. You guys are met by an apostolic brother, his hair cut in such a way as to leave his crown bald. His arms folded into his robes, "what service do you require?"
"We're looking for books on the Pope's lineage and his relatives. Cardinal Lucius asks us to assist in that matter."Celeste answers.
Celeste was almost tempted to say church business, with a smirk. but decided it might not be too good to give the man the snub.