The Church of the Holy Family's main temple was a large, round building in a walled compound just across the square from the British Museum. Orla, Sandor, Doctor Holmes, and Artimis Swain stood in front of the main door, which was open. Within they could see a large fire pit in the center of the of the building, and four priests tending the flame. They hesitated before entering.
"How are we going to locate this Altamaic fellow?" Sandor asked Orla.
"I'm not sure. There must be dozens of priests in this place," she replied. "Where do we start?"
"We start with the acolytes of the Raven," Nigel said, arriving slightly late on the scene. "Altamaic is a young man, of below average height."
Artimis turned and raised an eyebrow. "Alright, I get that he's below average height. We knew that. But how do you figure that he's an acolyte?"
Nigel grinned and held up a newspaper. "I've been asking all the news vendors in the square here if they remember someone from the Church getting mugged sometime in the past week. As it turns out, our boy Altamaic was mugged about five days ago. An acolyte of the Raven, as confirmed by that fine credit to the British broadsheet industry just over there."
He pointed and waved to one of the news vendors, who waved back.
"I'd say less than half actually read the papers they sell, but that one there remembered the story. Sadly, there isn't much beyond that. I suggest we go in."
The five investigators entered the Church and spread out, asking questions and delving into the Church and it's beliefs. None of them were particularly familiar with the Holy Family, and luckily the priests were all too happy to explain their faith. Soe quick questions confirmed that the Church here was of the Quintarian sect, holding all five of the Family in reverance.
A young acolyte named Cyril ended up being all too happy to lead them to Altamaic. He was in the acolytes' dormitory on the Church grounds, and aquiesced to show them the scene of the crime. Altamaic was a short, young man of about sixteen, and his replacement robe was not nearly as nice as his old one must have been.
The shrine ot the Raven was in a separate building, a squat stone structure known as the Bastard's Tower. It was windowless, and illuminated only by a central fire pit and candles arrayed all about the place. There were no paintings, only carvings. The most prominent of these was a carving of the Bastard himself, a tall, horned figure. Behind him appeared to be an army of demons, and his arms were outstretched, though whether to hold them back or command them was an open question.
Doctor Holmes opened the questioning. "When were you attacked?"
Altamaic held his head low. "It was around the beginning of my vigil. Two in the morning, about."
"What do you remember about the incident?"
"A fellow entered, and said a few words. I didn't understand what he said, but all of a sudden I couldn't move a muscle. He came up to me and struck me across the back of the head with his cane."
"Do you remember anything else?"
The boy shook his head.
"No."
"How about the man who attacked you? What did he look like?"
"He was dressed very nicely. Tailored clothes, dark suit. Overcoat. He had a hat and cane. Maybe thirty? Dark hair, dark eyes."
"Human?"
"Oh, yes."
Nigel approached a priest of the Raven tending the shrine. "We're investigating the attack that took place here last week," he explained. "Do you mind if we ask some questions?"
"Not at all," replied the priest, whose name was Sebastien. "Anything we can do to help."
"I know that priests can sometimes have very unusual powers, and this is a big Church," Nigel said. "Have you or the other priest done any sorts of readings or divinations to discover who is responsible?"
Sebastien paused, and looked first at Nigel, and then at Orla, Artimis, Sandor, and Doctor Holmes, who were still questioning Altamaic.
"Our Oracle did just what you are asking about," he replied. "In fact she had a terrible premonition just the day before the attack. She felt that the Church was under a terrible threat of danger…" His voice tailed off.
"And there is something more, I take it?"
"Yes."
"She said that people would come to our aid. Five of them, one for each of the five members of the family. She said they would come to the aid of one of our own."
Nigel swallowed hard. "Oh, dear."