Thuriel opens an ancient oaken door that leads into a 30-ft-square vault, with rows of human skulls (presumably monks and priests of the past) covering the walls from floor to ceiling....
Inside the vault, sitting at a mahogany desk, is an elderly gentleman the FOs recognize from TV and magazines as Pope Francis....
He rises as the door opens and the angels usher in the FOs....
Your Holiness.... I present The Fierce Ones....
Pope Francis bows his head and holds out his ringed hand in case any of the FOs are inclined to kiss his holy ring....
Hail, mighty Fierce Ones! And let me say that I thank our Almighty Father that you exist, and fight the good but perilous fight against the Beasts of the Apocalypse! Those who kiss my ring often are granted blessings by The Lord Jesus Christ....
Daisy kneels before the Pope and kisses his ring....
This bestows a 25% chance of receiving some kind of divine boon....
01-25 on d% .... Nope....
Hell--I mean, gosh, I'll kiss the ring!
MJ shuffles over to the Pope, kneels before him, and kisses the Papal Signet Ring....
Divine boon chance .... Nope....
Derrik steps forward and kneels before the Pope, and kisses the Papal Signet Ring....
Boon chance .... Nay....
"why not."
Koran stoops to kiss the ring.
… Thor smiles upon Koran… and Jesus apparently.
Al'Torac shrugs and follows Daisy, MJ, and Derrik to kiss the ring....
Boon chance .... Yes! Al'Torac is granted a wish by I Am....
Koran is granted a wish....by Jesus!
Radsworth watches the procession of ring kissing with some scrutiny.
He casts Arcane Sight and watches as the others receive naught or a blessing. He doubts all is as it seems.
Radsworth's arcane sight notes the aura of potent universal magic when Koran and al'Torac kiss the Papal Signet Ring, but nothing much when Derrik and MJ kiss the ring....
Yingzen slides on down to the ring-kissin-for-wishes-from-Jesus line and pays homage with a beaky peck on the Papal Signet Ring....
....and The Lord Christ responds by granting him a wish!
When Yingzen kisses the Papal Ring, Radsworth can see the flare of powerful universal magic as a brilliant aura....
In English: The Archangel Gabriel told me that you would be coming for the Grail soon.... And here you are. Let me get the Grail out for you....
Pope Francis removes a small silver key from his pocket, walks from the desk to the west wall of the vault, and unlocks a secret compartment, from whence he takes a chalice of fired clay.
This, my friends, is The Holy Grail, the cup which Joseph of Aramathea used to catch the blood of Christ on the cross.... Use it well.... And please, please....please, if you can....return it in one piece when you are done using it.
The Pope hands the Holy Grail to Daisy, with a wink.
Be careful with that, miss.
Thank you, Your Holiness!
Daisy hugs Pope Francis, eliciting a broad smile from the Pontiff....
As the FOs link hands for Radsworth's teleport, Pope Francis blesses them:
May God bless you, in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.... May He keep you safe in your travels and grant you victory over the Enemy.... Amen....
Pope Francis casts bless on the FOs....
Thanks, Padre!
Where to next? Paris for the Philosopher's Stone?
The Holy Grail
At will--cure critical wounds, gentle repose, restoration
3/day--heal, greater restoration
1/day--breath of life, resurrection
1/week--true resurrection
To give u reading material when u get back! ;)
Allison follows suit assuming it would be rude not to kiss the ring...
and is granted a wish!
Congrats, Dr Jones! ;)
Marcus approaches the Pope, trying very hard not to ask his burning question.
Wonder if he'd let me try on his hat?
He leans down and kisses the ring.
Nothin'. Guess I need Jesus...
Sieg approaches him, finally.
He nods his head in respect and steps back.
Derrik did not seem fully into battle nor in prostrating himself to the pope. He was never fully Christian nor Jewish nor Catholic, and believed that religion had values and stories to tell. The presence of Angels and Demons were very much a reminder of its real application. Recently however he had not gotten much sleep as if a foreboding aura invaded his very soul. His change slowly from defeating evil creatures was a sign of that as well.
" Then let us depart with the blessings of the Pope.. for what I require.. I would like to earn with my hands rather than be blessed. I have been blessed enough. "
Well, when in Rome....
Grimm kisses the Ring....
Woah.... I really just felt something when I smooched the Pope's ring.... Like I've been granted a favor or something....
Radsworth seems to consider the ring, then shakes his head.
"No way."
The sound of space ripping apart is heard, and Radsworth opens a portal.
"Where to, Fierce Ones?"
Koran chuckles aloud at Radsworth's refusal to kiss the ring. Paris, I Believe. Let's get out of here. The ceiling's too low and I want to kill something.
To Paris, Professor!
The other side of Radsworth's rift in space is in the Place Charles du Gaulle in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe.... At the west end of the Champs-Élysées....
This wasn't here when I was Flamel.... But I think I know exactly where to go.... Follow me, Fierce Ones....
Dr Grimm twitches spasmodically for a second, then strides off to the east, down the Champs-Élysées, toward the heart of Paris....
Derrik feels the aura pressing down on hi more, turning his head, as if to check if something rested upon his shoulders. When they came to Paris, it was quite a wonder some of the important figures still laid standing. " If this were a better time I'm sure Jewels would have loved to see it.. Save for the smell. " Grasping his weapons tight, surely even Paris was not a place to feel too safe.
Ah, gay Paris! Last time I was here, I was in my twenties, with hair halfway to my ass, a backpack on my back, hash from Amsterdam tucked within.... My little bro was eighteen, and we were here with my buddy Scott.... I wonder if Andy and Scott are still alive....
MJ smiles as he looks around at the disturbingly quiet city of Paris....
Derrik noticeably turns his head to Mikey as he speaks of fonder ties. [b]" It's best not to think on that, as the truth might break you once more. We humans are fragile in that way, very few of us can handle such loss. Those who do are never quite the same. Let's just say that, either way, we will fix this world and then.. after.. may meet them all again. Stay vigilant, Mikey. " Turning his head to Dr. Grimm once more.
The FOs follow Grimm's meandering, sometimes erratic lead through the streets and allies of central Paris, past abandoned bakeries, delicatessens, spas, a cinema advertising the films Django Unchained, Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, The Hobbit, and The Dark Knight: Rise, a bank, several cafés, a fine jeweler (long ago looted), Metro stations, and the abandoned carts of street vendors strewn among the occasional abandoned automobile....
Yeah, you're right about that, Derrik.... Can't start thinking about friends and family right now.... Not conducive to kicking monsters' asses....
After half an hour of following Grimm around, MJ begins to suspect the doctor of not knowing where he's going....
We still on track, Doc? The Philosopher's Stone, right? Hehehee....
Huh? Oh, yeah.... Yeah, of course.... The Philosopher's Stone....
S*$!! Where have I been leading them the last ten minutes?.... Gotta get my head on straight.... Wish I'd filled my flask up with some blood of Christ or something before we left The Vatican....
"Wish I'd had the chance to travel more before all this s~@~ went down. Not really the same traveling through a RUINED Paris. Was hoping to take a second honeymoon here but..." he trails off.
Finally, after about an hour of roaming the labyrinthine streets and allies of Paris, Grimm brings the FOs to a dark, dank stairway in the office of a Metro station that leads to a padlocked door....
Koran, if you'd be so kind as to hammer that lock offa there....
Grimm points at the padlock....
" Exactly, you seem to be.. distracted. I am sure I do not have to mention this.. but it seems that Paris is deserted. No people, No monsters. This is ore than odd, this is impossible. Unless... everything is underground and waits for the night. " Derrik gestured to some of the sewage caps and grates as they moved.
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DC 18 Perception checks to notice a wolf at a distance of about 100 ft....
Perception
Um.... Guys? At least eight different wolves are keeping pace with us at about a hundred feet out....
Perception
I count eighteen wolves....
MJ shrugs nonchalantly....
" I count a little over Thirty.. that is more than odd, they might not be simple wolves.. especially in Paris. "
Derrik seems to easily point them out or at least of the direction with no effort.
They are definitely stalking us....