Gloria e Flamae Solei

[tyrlaan]

Andeus Kilishar

"It would be a blessing if we could simply convince Father Cilain to not betray his faith, but we should be prepared for the worst scenario. I agree with Pious Judge Elohim - we should gather what information we can on his companions, should the need arise for us to combat them."

Andeus pauses for a moment, struggling with a thought.

"There is a concern I have. If fortune smiles upon us and we are able to convince the Father that his path has strayed, how are we to guarantee that he will not at some point betray the Flame anyway? What assurance will we have of his silence?"

 

[LogicsFate]

"There is a concern I have. If fortune smiles upon us and we are able to convince the Father that his path has strayed, how are we to guarantee that he will not at some point betray the Flame anyway? What assurance will we have of his silence?"

True, but there still must be a better way

I can't just sit around all day.
Lhulan, is there anyway I can assist you? I am quite proficient in the stealthier skills, as you probably already know.

Ivan takes the last bite of breakfast.

 

[Someone]

Agral Orte, cleric and archer

"There is a concern I have. If fortune smiles upon us and we are able to convince the Father that his path has strayed, how are we to guarantee that he will not at some point betray the Flame anyway? What assurance will we have of his silence?"

"We´ll ask for whatever evidence he has and will destroy it, of course" says Agral. "But notice I´m not advocating to confront him directly and reveal our identities". The archer looks around to check nobody is listening. "Instead, we should act at first with subtetly, tying to find out how much he does know and what he plans to do. If then we can´t make change his mind, other options should be considered. Notice I´m also advocating to gather more information, for it´s little what we know yet: it´s only that we could do it in more than one way, and while some of us investigate, the others skilled in rhetoric and reading intentions can probe him."

 

[GreatLemur]

Lhulan Ceth

"We will be taking all his notes and evidence back to Flamekeep," Lhulan replies to Andeus "That is a certainty. And I imagine the Lodge will continue to observe him for the rest of his life."

The young friar removes his glasses and polishes them theatrically. "Of course, that would be easiest if the Father were to join us." He pauses to observe the faction's response. "If he could detect the Lodge's activities, I imagine he could easily root out true corruption within the Church, if only he could be led back to the light of the Flame."

Lhulan replaces his glasses, sitting back from his meal with eloquent nonchalance. "Of course, this all depends on what we discover here in Sigilstar. Ivan, your talents for intrusion will definitely be needed.

"But, as Agral suggests, infiltration might be the best way to start. After initial investigation, I intend to disguise myself, and approach the Father or one of his acolytes. Hopefully, I can find out where his does his work, and when the place will be vulnerable to intrusion. Having examined the Father himself and his research, we should be able to decide how to proceed."

Satisfied with his suggestions, Lhulan looks to the Pious for a response.

 

[GreatLemur]

OOC: No problem! This seems like a good time to further comment on pace. I would love to see everyone post 5-6 times a week, but I completely understand if that drops down to just a couple if things get busy.

OOC: Yeah, I've actually found that the most enduring play-by-post games are the ones where people often go a while between posts, and nobody involved thinks that it means the whole game is over. We've all got lives; we'll all end up taking a while to post from time to time.

 

[Ferrix]

"Remember to show great discretion in this matter, we must not reveal more than we gain. It would be well served to speak with the father and his disciples with arousing suspicion to learn of his methods and those in his church more intimately." Elohim's gaze is quieted, they show much ambition in this affair, let us hope that their skills and faith match. Turning to Lhulan, "the initial investigation is yours to perform, Seneschal." Spinning on his heel, Elohim approaches the bar and orders a plate of fruits and after plucking a batch of berries, points at Lhulan and has it delivered to the table at which the rest of the members remain. Lhulan hears a quiet whisper, "I expect you to keep me informed," the Pious heads off to his room for the moment.

OOC: Casts Message with the target being Lhulan.

 

[Verbatim]

Judge Dathen

Returning his attention to the others, "there is still more to be looked into now that we are in closer proximity, Lhulan, I leave that to your discretion. The rest of you, I would not make your presence here too overt." This last remark is punctuated by a look between the two more conspicuous members of the group, Dathen and Andeus.

Dathen looked at his fellow judge with open amazement, although his mask kept his emotions from being displayed to the world.

~He wishes me to hide...wishes me to mask my presence from those around me...am I hearing his words correctly?~

In all of his years of serving the Flame, Dathen had never hidden his visits from a church where he was going. If there was a rat in the celler, Dathen wanted it to know the cat was coming for him. He wanted his target, sometimes targets, to know that their days of dishonoring the Flame were coming to an end. He would be damned if he would suddenly begin to hide now.

However, this disagreement was between the Pious and himself alone, as Dathen knew that creating tension among the group at this stage would do more harm than good. Listening to the others speak on how to deal with the fallen priest, Dathen knew that there was truly only two options. Either he returned to the fold with all of his heart, or he would be consumed by the same flames he once prayed to.

As the Pious dismissed the others to preform their duties, Dathen approached him and waited for him to conclude his business with the innkeeper before speaking. As the halfling left to prepare the Pious' room, Dathen's raspy voice escaped once more from the depths of his cloak and mask.

"I have served as a Judge for over a decade Pious, and there has never been a day that I have shirked from those duties. Now, I am asked to wait biding my time in the shadows hoping that the fallen does not learn of our arrival? Let him know brother. Let him be afraid that we come for him. Let him call upon the Flame for salvation in the hopes that we are summoned back and told to let him live. Otherwise, let us bring the cleansing fire to him and to those who would walk the path of the weak and fallen. I mean you no disrespect Pious, and I will speak of this with none of the others, but we have sworn to judge those who are weak, and you have said it yourself, this man is. Leave the thoughts of compassion to those who can afford that luxury."

 

[Bobitron]

Upon arriving at the inn, Elohim smiles at Felis, "indeed, two out of the way rooms, if you'd be so kind."

Felis blinks rapidly at the cleric and bows deeply. "We would be honored, my lord." He turns, raising a finger towards his mouth thoughtfully. "There are those rooms we were holding for that delegation of wool traders. I could put them up at Folar's in the meantime..." he says, thinking aloud as he leaves to prepare for your stay.

The other members of the faction get a similar greeting. Felis extends the same courtesy to each of the gathered men, bumping less important guests to other establishments. Kondith’s has developed a reputation as a fine place for traveling members of the clergy to stay, and he never turns away a follower of the Silver Flame looking for accomodations.

 

[Bobitron]

Everyone is now gathered at the inn, and a light breakfast has been eaten. Felis comes to the table along with a few servants who clear off the cutlery and dishes.

"Sirs" he says with a deep bow, "Your rooms are prepared. The entirety of the third floor is yours; that is seven rooms. I assumed you would like the degree of privacy that might offer. I have reserved the rooms for your use for 10 days. Will that be sufficient?"

He bows again, backing away. "House Ghallanda's resources are yours to command. You have only to ask if there is anything you require."

OOC: Next step, folks? Lhulan has been tasked with further investigating Father Cilain and his acolytes, and Elohim seems willing to leave the methods up to him.

 

[GreatLemur]

Lhulan Ceth

Still hoping to remain unrecognized by the innkeep, Lhulan forgoes his usual ingratiating politeness and takes his room key with minimal interaction.

All the way up to the third floor, he sweeps and checks his surroundings, listening for furtive footsteps and watching for shadows around corners in the way that hard experience has taught him. There must be something more to this mission, some unspoken threat.

He enters his room carefully, and gives it a cursory examination before proceeding to other matters. He checks under the bed and under its covers, and in each drawer of the nightstand. He smells the oil in the lamp. He looks out each window for potential avenues of entry or escape. He doesn't expect opposition this early in his investigation, but he's learned to prepare for it all the same.

Satisfied

OOC: --presumably--

OOC:

, Lhulan sets his leather satchel down on the ruffled bedclothes, opens its age-blackened clasp, and reaches an arm impossibly deep into its lightless depths. He pulls out his blue-and-gray clerical vestments, and a bulky, brass-inlaid wooden case. The disguise kit.

When the friar leaves the room, he has gained a few years, a few pounds, a darker skintone, and a riotous mane and beard of curly black hair. He has exchanged his glamered armor for the priestly robe, and stowed both the armor and his rapier in the bottomless satchel. Continuing to carry the bag with him is something of a risk, but it's fairly nondescript as arcane devices go, and extremely useful.

For a moment, he considers heading out immediately. He thinks better of it, and decides to check in with Elohim for final approval. If possible, he'll attempt to approach the Pious while alone, and see how quickly he's recognized.

OOC: I hope the rest of the team won't be lacking for something to do while Lhulan is doing his recon bit. I'll try and get this done as quickly as possible for everybody else's sake. Bobitron, can I assume that Elohim and Lhulan found some information on where Father Cilain can be found, or should I be making with the Gather Information checks?