Recudor: Southern District

"This is better than nothing. A time, hmm? Perhaps... well..."
The two of them begin making their way over to the church just down the street from them as they continue to brainstorm about the note. "...I see. So if we were to go based on that it seems that the time would have to be... six? Six hours, based on the tolling of the bells. Well- Wait." She stops briefly and looks at the note. "Oh so I see. It's eight chimes past six.... that's..."

"14." she concludes as they arrive at the Church. "Now... whether its 14, which is in an hour, or 4, which is at night, I don't know."

She frowns at the two large doors that give way to the unnecessarily extravagant churches interior.
"If greed is a sin..." she quotes with a nonchalant shrug and pushes open the smaller door inlaid into one of the larger ones.

The inside of the church is just as brilliantly decorated as the outside, typical spendings to worship the god. Bright blue tapestries hang on each side between beautifully stained glass windows, both of which depict the journeys and trials that mankind has overcome in its holy service. Many rows of stone benches line the sides and middle of the room, with three pathways running between them. The church is completely empty, which is customary for the most part. Unless a service is being held, early in the mornings and late at night, the church acts as a place of prayer and worship.

"Fourteen" Richard replies in concert to her own. He nods at her conclusion that the allotted time is either in the next hour or later that night. "Well hopefully its soon..." RD mutters aloud as he stares blankly at the grandiose door, unimpressed at how over the top it looks and expecting much of the same within. "Heh '...what a gloriously elegant palace hell must be... don't you think?'" He replies to her quote grins as he holds the door open for her, in no way surprised at how lavish the inner workings of the church were as well.

He follows her in  a moment later, looking for anything that stands out... "So... whats the plan ma'm? We just gonna wait or what?"

"I'm unsure myself." Feli replies to him as she strides across the hall. Keeping her voice a little low, so that no possible listeners may hear her speak she continues; "I was here a few nights ago. I noticed a few hooded figures hiding in the shadows of back-alleys and behind the corners of buildings. I followed one of them here a while ago, after noticing him staring at me from the shadows. When I went inside I was stopped by a rather straightforward fellow with a nervous boy with him. They were asking me for information about-"

She stops for a moment, considering, and instinctively reaches for the spot under her arm where she would normally carry her bag. 

"Well... I'm getting a little sidetracked. In either case, I wasn't able to take a good look around, and they close the doors just around two or three in the morning until daytime."

Aside from being well maintained the large hall that made up most of the church was very disinteresting. There were benches, and a few pillars holding up the tall ceiling, as well as a few walkways overhead. A giant organ piano was built into the far wall but it looks mostly unused.

On each end corner of the hall there are doors, presumably leading to a hallway or back room of sorts.

"Well THATS not suspicious at all..." Richard mutters at a tone matching Feli's as he smirks a bit, though he has a feeling he knows who the 'straightforward fellow' and 'nervous boy' were, as well as what they were asking about; but the 'hooded figures' were a different story. Cookie-cutter B-list villainous types... He couldn't help but roll his eyes at how obvious it was that they were up to something less-than-reputable.

Feli reaches for something that's not there yet again and RD can't help but feel more and more irritated. Not guilty mind you, no. He did what was needed to be done to save Clarent's life, but the fact that it seemed to be terribly inconveniencing this investigation wasn't doing anything to assuage his sense of responsibility. He raises an eyebrow as she reaches for that empty spot for the umpteenth time then slowly averts his gaze back to the church, seeking a place to start searching for anything suspicious.

"I'mma head to the restroom, be right back." Richard mentions offhand as he walks towards one of the end corners of the hall seeking to get a better look at the rest of the church...

Feli simply nods to him as RD makes his way to the far end of the hall. She turns her attention to looking for any details she might have missed previously.

RD arrives at the left corner, opening the door. It seems to lead down a hallfway, to yet another door; this time with a glass window to look inside or out of. From where he stands he can barely make out the head of someone in the room. Some clean pulled back brown hair is the only dinstinction he can make out without coming any closer though it doesn't seem like the person inside has noticed him.

He then checks the other side where another similar hallway is located. Just across from him is a modest small washroom and down the hall are two sets of small stairs, one leading down and the other up, presumably to the upper catwalk.

Richard makes a note of the washroom and staircases before heading back to the main hall,  "Feli!" He exclaims in as low as tone as possible as he attempts to walk as swiftly as he can to her without actually breaking into a dash,   "Left hallway, behind a closed, windowed,  door, there's someone within; listen in and see if they're of some importance or know something... better yet, both. Down the right hall is... a washroom... which i have yet to use... but besides that are stair cases, i'll check downstairs, if nothing comes of the person behind the door check the upper area, i'll meet you up there in 15 minutes."

Leaving her with that game plan, RD heads down the right corner's hallway, straight into the restroom, relieving himself  (and yes washing his hands), before heading down the small set of stairs.

After finishing his business, RD makes his way down the stairs. It's a small and modest staircase, given that there isn't much horizontal room to the church, that folds at the half and runs back under next to it. At the end is a reasonably short and basic looking hallway, accented only by the wooden door at the end. Wary of the possibility that the door may be locked RD makes down the hall to confirm his suspicions. Sure enough, a turn of the handle reveals the defying clicking sound of the lock setting. He takes a moment to read the small sign at the door; 'Crypta' the old world word for a tomb or catacombs.

Richard can't help but stare at the door for a few moments, considering whether or not it would be a good idea to break in. Unfortunately, with no real leads dragging his attention to the depths of this burial ground, he can't think of a good reason to investigate further. He takes a moment to think back to Feli's hastily written note and decides that if he does decide to delve deeper, he'd do so with back up.

RD heads back upstairs deciding to instead wait for Feli in the upper area.

RD makes his way up the other set of stairs. In a similar fashion they fold back and forth until reaching to the top of the tall main hall. The upstairs is a lot less glamorous, likely because it is not generally intended to receive visitors. There are a few cosmetics here and there but for the most part the upper walkways look plain with a basic stone railing on the inside. Right next to the entrance is a small raised platform with a chair and a very peculiar circular sheet of metal with various holes and shapes cut into it, almost like a very flat gear; An instrument. In fact, he recognizes it from some of the churches up near teyness and global, acting as the keyboard for the organ, just designed for magic use. On said disc he notices a small wooden Lockbox and a Tiny Brass Key with a red ribbon around it. Someone probably forgot it after or before playing.

RD is suddenly distracted as he hears the main door close. He leans over the walkway to check, but doesn't see anyone inside. Either they were in a hurry or someone left.

A few minutes later the door opens again and Jericho steps inside the church. RD peers over the Walkway above again and notices Sharpe step in behind him followed by- The Doll.

[Jericho, Sharpe & Aura join Recudor: Southern District (i2)]
RD -> Doc -> Sharpe

Aura takes in the brilliant scenary, noting; "It is like the old days." to the general design of the church. She steps past Sharpe and brushes her hand along the stone benches that line up rows alongside each side of the carpet. "The person you seek was here recently it seems. There is a certain scent, an aroma... a pull... it's all around the atmosphere, etched deep into the stone and bound tightly into the wood. There are visitors here, as well..." she notes as she spies a man walk out of one of the far rooms.

The man has short brown hair, pulled back across the scalp, wide glasses, and wears the robe of the church. A classic dark blue that falls to the knees, giving way to a likely uncomforterable pair of pants and polished shoes. He gestures welcomingly to the group, not having noticed RD up above on the walkway. 
"Welcome my Children." he greets as he approaches the group with a friendly but elderly smile. The man was easily 50 years old based on how he carried himself and the tone of his voice though he barely looked older than 40. Everything about him gleams with the image of a devoted priest.

"Wait a tic..." Richard mutters in reaction to the presence of his fellow group members entering the building. He finds himself a bit surprised, especially by the appearance of Jericho; knowing that unlike RD who merely disliked churches, Doc, and to the same extent Jericho, might as well have been allergic to places of holy energy. His eyes track them for a moment before he notices the third presence, that of The Doll.

Richard sucks his teeth and rolls his eyes in obvious disapproval of The Doll's presence as he notices the way it moves... elegantly... "They must have placed the amulet on it after all..." he mumbles "... guessin' they're using her as some kinda 'bloodhound' to track the magic the doll was being controlled by before she took occupancy in the thing... At least that's what i woulda done." RD continues, slowly piecing together his own conclusions based on the situation presented to him. Richard watches the older man come out to greet the group. Taking note of the man's hair as the same that he spotted earlier down the left hall. "Guessing he's head priest here... Looks pretty relaxed so i'm guessing he either didn't run into Feli, or he has one hell of a poker-face... Has me wondering where the girl disappeared to tho... Only one way to find out i suppose..." As he turns to head back down the stairs he remembers the tiny lock box and the key with the red ribbon...

His insatiable curiosity biting the back of his mind, he attempts to open the box.

As Jericho fallows the newly dressed Aura, he finds himself growing more worried when he sees that they are heading for a church. He hopes that they will pass by the fancy building but Aura climbs the steps. Jericho stops at the first step, looking at the building. He puts his left foot on the first step, as if to test it. He is shocked to feel that there is very little pain. He does a quick spell to look at wards and to his shock, there are none. This church is unprotected and what holy energy is left is small and roting away.

Jericho quickly walks up the steps to catch up to Sharpe and Aura. He opens the door for them and is rather shocked to see RD in the church. He starts to wince in pain. A small amount of smoke starts coming off of Jericho's body. "Looks like there are more holy energy in spots. I hope people don't notice..." He mutters to himself.

Jericho turns to the elder man and sighs. This man is a priest and being that he will be able to tell that something is wrong with him. Not wanting to talk to the man, he turns to Aura.

"I am sorry to take you away from enjoying this buildings...charm, but are you able to feel where the person is still? Are they in this room or down below?"

Sharpe enters into the church through the archway, and looking back at Jericho can't help but sense something is amiss with him. He looks forward into the church and sees RD mucking about, but he can't tell what he's doing or what purpose he is there, so he simply puts up a hand. As the priest comes in, Sharpe performs a slight bow.

"Good day, Father." He says, though unsure if "Father" would be appropriate, it was how clergymen of the level of priesthood were referred to where he was from. He looks down at Aura, being a bit shorter than him.

"I concur, are they still here somewhere or have they seemed to have moved on?"

RD turns his attention from the others, briefly, as he attempts to open the small lockbox. The key seems to fit into the lock but doesn't turn. It must be for an equally small keyhole somewhere else.


The priest eyes the group with friendly but cautious eyes. Based on the expression on his face he seems a little uncomfortable, perhaps because of Aura, or Jericho, or something else entirely. It's hard to properly read the mans face. He continues; "Can I help you with anything?" asking a little nervously.

Aura turns to the man, attempting to speak to the priest directly, asking "Where do you keep the others?" in a curious but not threatening tone.

Richard sucks his teeth mildly frustrated with the box and the key, "Yanno, normally you'd think a key near a lock-box would mean the two belong together, as luck would have it, this would be the rare occurrence where an exception is found." He rolls his eyes and looks back down at the pair, who seemed to have gained some kinda clairvoyance and noticed him above them, acknowledging their existence with a nod before stuffing both the lock-box and key into his pockets and descending the steps with keyboard in hand. He walks out before the group, catching only what the doll says before slowly walking towards the priest and resting a hand on his shoulder, as he notices his clear discomfort with the situation.

RD taps the device on his own shoulder before asking, "Actually there's a few things you could help me with too... Firstly, i'm a bit curious as to where this goes," He waves the board slightly, "...I'm interested as to how it works... call me a bit of a music aficionado, and... You wouldn't have happened to see a young girl with a bit of a rugged look and something rather big wrapped up and tied to her back would you? She was with me earlier, and i seem to have lost track of her... oh, but i'm being a bit rude aren't I..." Richard turns and analyzes the form of Aura with a rather critical eye, before referring back to the clergyman with a slightly darker tone, "Why don't you answer her question first?" He then steps aside crossing his arms as he leans against one of the many pews lining the church. "Go ahead, i can wait. I've got plenty of time." He says with a rather false grin that barely contains his current irritation with the situation.

Jericho is about to take action when he suddenly feels a little dizzy. He takes a moment to sit down on the bench and recover, as being in the church puts some minor strain on his body.

Aura turns her attention to him, seeming a little distressed, although she does not make any attempts to help him as she understands it is nothing serious.

[Skipped: Jericho]

Sharpe looks back to Aura, doing a double take between her and the priest.

"Uh, What exactly do you mean by 'the others'?" As RD walks over to join them, urging the priest to answer Aura first, he points casually to RD while looking at the priest.

"Yeah let's go with that, I'm getting confused here."

The priest gives the Doll a look of confusion. "I'm not sure I know what you mean. Are you referring to the service? We don't hold service today. Only on weekends early mornings and late at night, sorry." he says apologetic and is just about to note the instrument but is quickly interrupted by Aura. "No." she states and waves her hand about the air a little as if feeling for some kind of energy. "This body is just a shell. There was once a soul inside of here. Where are the other souls?" she asks and then stares at RD briefly, noting a sense of casual aggression, before moving on. The Priest stammers for a moment "Hwhat? Souls?" his dememanor suddenly changed and he seems a lot less confident than before. "I don't know what you mean." he says and also looks between each of the group's members as Aura steps past him and moves to the back of of the church.

Richard glances at Jericho as he takes a seat, concern flashing across his face for a moment before turning back to the priest and nodding at Sharpe.

He turns his gaze towards 'Aura' as she notes the presence of other 'souls' once again which she meets and he promptly breaks, looking back towards Jericho. The Priest seems somewhat perturbed by her mention of words as he looks towards each of the gentlemen gathered by the pews and 'Aura' begins making her way towards the back of the church. "Well, she seems to have a general idea of what she's looking for, why don't we go see what she's on about?" He shoots the 'Father' a rather roguish grin before patting the man on the back and following the doll towards the end of the church.

Jericho sits in the seat and just listens while he lets his head clear up a bit. He then hears Aura mention something about souls and he perks up. He sees the the priest isn't very happy and is more then a bit off guard by her bringing it up. He quickly gets up and gets right behind her and fallows.

"Are they keeping souls here? How are you able to sense that?"

Jericho doesn't think she will answer him, but hopes she does. If he could sense soul, maybe he could use that to help him in his field of work.

Sharpe gets lost in thought, thinking about all the new information thrown at him. He zones out to the point where he doesn't seem to notice the group has moved on further down the church.

[Skipped: Sharpe]


"I really don't understand what you're on about." the priest protests. Aura turns to Jericho who has by now caught up with her to explain. "These bodies are unusual. They are a vessel. This used to be a man." she looks between the two doors and then decides to start moving towards the one with the staircases leading up to the catwalk and down to the basement. She gestures at the stairs leading down. "This man was once here. I sense distress. He fell down the stairs... there is a darkness and the fleeting remnants of a sharp pain. His former body still rests beneath the stone yet his soul was trapped in this very body of mine"

The priests face then seems to contort in anger as he continues to protest. "You're lying. There is no one here. This is a place of worship!" his hands tense up as he gives the group a stern look. "Now, I must ask you to leave. You are disrupting the peace." he insists.

Richard looks back to Point-man, an eyebrow raised as he catches the man deep in thought. "Catch up when you've recovered." He says offhandedly as he follows aura and the priest towards the staircases, having a feeling he knows exactly where she's headed.

He listens to the priest and smirks a bit, whether he's blowing smoke or seriously doesn't know what seems to be taking place here, it would be amusing to find out. Just about as much as it would be to see exactly what IS being performed behind the scenes here. 'Aura' had essentially confirmed it, and indeed, RD had an idea of what might be... but he couldn't shake the feeling that his expectations were falling a bit short.

'Aura' goes on to explain that her current body was once occupied by a man who perished upon the steps before them. Richard can't help but feel a bit disturbed due to the fact that they had forced another soul out of the body she currently occupied and grimaces somewhat, his teeth gritted, but his disdain is soon interrupted by the angry ranting of the nearby priest.  Richard stares at the man for a few seconds, trying to get a good read on him, before responding. "Lying eh? Father, are you trying to say there's no way anyone could've perished here just because its a church? Aren't you the least bit curious as to if there's any truth behind these claims? Or are you just worried we may stumble across some sin you're attempting to hide from the eyes of god? In fact if her claims are true... tis a rather ironic place for a man to meet his end in a 'place of worship'... Right in front of the door to it's crypt." he mutters the last words as he turns his gaze towards the bottom of the lower stair case, lowering his free hand to just above the sheath of a trench-knife as he began to descend the steps. "You wouldn't happen to have an estimated time of death on this mystery man would you?" He mentions to 'Aura' without turning to face her.

Jericho listens to what Aura say, he cant help but find it confusing that there was a male soul inside a female looking doll. He will have to ask her about that later. He then turns around and listens to what the priest has to say. He then can't help but start laughing.

"You see, you are ether the worst priest I have ever seen, or you are lying."

Jericho stops and turns to the old man.

"I want you to take a good long look at me. If you were a good priest, then you would be able to tell that I do not belong inside this building. Also, if you were a good priest, you would be checking on your holy wards and enchantments. This place is as holy as the ruined church that i just outside town. So tell me "Father", What do you do at this church? His tone is cool and collect, not at all threating. He is just stating facts.

Jericho has his right hand charging a spell just in case the old priest decided to get hostel.

Sharpe took in the possibilities that would lead to the state of that dead man's soul, as well as the implications that arise from the questions posed. It seemed similar to old lore from some musty old tomes he had seen once. He looked up; he had become entranced with his thoughts, but nothing major had happened, the situation had not escalated. The priest doesn't seem to be taking what Aura said very well, and it looks as though the other two are readying themselves in case something goes down. Sharpe takes not and moves to stand beside Rich, but not seeming overly hostile, he doesn't rest his hands near his weapon - his reflexes are fast enough that he could draw it in about the same amount of time. He looks around the church, seeing several doors where reinforcements could arrive but he isn't exactly too worried at the moment. Should they appear they will be dealt with.

He keeps walking and follows Aura, retaining a few meters' distance away from her.

The priest stammers at Jericho's explaination and counters saying "You are trying to bewitch me. You are disturbing the peace, please leave!" he finally raises his voice, seemingly losing his temper or perhaps becoming increasingly more nervous. 

Aura stops, waiting for a moment, then turns around to face RD. "I'm not sure... his memories are shattered. Missing somehow..." she is about to descend further down the stairs as the Priest finally springs into action, taking a few stern steps towards her and gripping her wrist. "Listen you! You can't just-" but he stops; Staring at her as she whips her head around to stare at him. Her expression is very neutral but a tense feeling arises all throughout the church. The priest continues to stammer, then looking around. He lets go of Aura's arm and looks at the others in the group. "Please, listen." he begins to beg, taking a step towards RD. "You have to understand." he walks up to Sharpe, resting his hands on Sharpe's shoulders. "It wasn't supposed to be like this." 

Aura descends down the stairs and begins walking down the small corridor to the locked door. Still the tense feeling rises and Jericho notices what little holy energy was left in the building begins to subside- as if it were being sucked out or destroyed. 

The priest's eyes widen as he looks past Sharpe at the main entrance, where a masked figure is peeking through the smallest opening in the door which it had stealthily opened. 

The door closes.

"No!" the 'priest' yells and attempts to run towards the entrance to exit the building.

The tangy taste and rotting smell of necromantic magic begins to build in the room, easily noticed even by those without magic aptitude.