Fantasy Steamhaven: Land of the Lost

[Cartoonicat]

"Do not fret. It is officially Mother, now," Zenobia said. Sent her towards Father Julian with a smile.

Upon meeting Lianna, Father Julian dipped his head. He had a receding hairline of pure gray and white, mildly wrinkled skin, and wore a dark robe that reached the floor. A rosary or necklace of the Divine Light's symbol hung around his neck. "Good evening," he said. "Pardon my eavesdropping, but I heard some of your conversation with Mother Zenobia. May we speak more privately?" While there were not many common folks left chatting, the nuns did hover. Some looked curious, others uninterested. Father Julian gestured to the hallway. "Perhaps a walk."

- Walk with him
- Insist on speaking there
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Good evening, Father. I'm Lianna." She introduced herself politely and nodded at his question. "Of course." She said, following him out to the hallway. "Does this mean that you are able to help me out?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

Father Julian nodded. "That I am. In truth, we would never stop a Brother or Sister from going with you if they so chose, but I have served the Divine Light longer than any individual in this church," he led them down the hallway, away from curious onlookers. "I know each individual here as if they were my own blood."

The pair stepped out of a side door and into a quiet church garden alive with color and soft sunlight. There, a few men in robes pulled weeds and held watering cans. Since being in Steamhaven, Lianna had yet to see or hear of a monk until now.

- Accept his help
- Describe the mission
- Ask about the monks
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"What do the monks do, by the way?" Lianna asked, too curious to just pass it over. For some reason she thought that only nuns had served in the Church of the Divine Light and this sudden discovery was curious. After she got her answer, she would proceed with describing her mission to the Father.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"This church doubles as a public place for prayer and a monastery, so most tend the gardens and livestock behind this building," Father Julian said. "Aside from that, their roles here are not much different than their Sisters." He hummed thoughtfully, then added: "Except sing, though they could if they wanted. I don't quite understand the younger generations; music is one of the easiest ways to reach the Divine Light." He shrugged.

Father Julian listened quietly throughout Lianna's description, nodding once or twice to something she said. When she finished, he hummed.

"Sister Fiona is our kindest soul and works strictly in blessings of protection, which your team will surely need, but she is of the skittish variety. She fears the supernaturals more than anyone I have ever met."

"Brother Michael is... well, his connection to the Divine Light is rather prodigal, if not strange. He knows things Man should not. His insight would be helpful where enemies lurk in dark places, but he refuses to use his gifts for anything else. I do not know why."

"And then there is Sister Daisy, who has become quite the expert in prayers against evil. However, she is no master of subtlety... or following directions. She does not do well around others, so most of her work for the church is done off-site."

- Sister Fiona
- Brother Michael
- Sister Daisy
- Ask for Mother Zenobia
- Recruit Father Julian
- Nevermind
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna listened carefully, scrunching her nose. None of them sounded very pleasant to work with. It seemed like she will definitely not be taking any of the nuns or monks along with the team. But they could still use their blessings.

"Where can I find Sister Fiona? And do you know how long do the blessings last? When would we need to received them in order to have some protection against the supernatural?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

Father Julian's brows lifted, then settled as if then realizing Lianna would not be taking anyone with her. He smiled sympathetically. "Blessings do not... Well, let me show you how they work. Come." He gestured for her to follow him through the garden and towards another door.

- Follow him
- Do not follow
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

She raised an eyebrow questioningly, but still followed along. Did they not simply spray them with some holy water and read a few verses out of the book? Were the blessings more complicated than that?

 

[Cartoonicat]

​

The pair stepped into a stairwell and proceeds upwards. It opened to a short hallway and a room at the far end. Inside, a room lit brightly by stained glass windows and candlelit chandeliers awaited them. Several Sisters and Brothers filled the room, either interacting in some way or reading books from a small library on the corner. The balcony across the room overlooked the streets of Steamhaven.

"Welcome, Father," the nuns and monks stopped to greet him before returning to what they'd been doing.

Father Julian stood against the wall and pointed out a pair of nuns interacting with each other. "Watch." One of the women chanted a blessing so quick Lianna could hardly discern it. A gold light outlined the other woman like a halo. She then returned the gesture to her comrade, who also began to glow. After several minutes, the pair returned to normal.

"That is how blessings work," he said. "One is gifted with immunity to injury, but it is temporary and must be regiven after a certain amount of time. Blessings may dispel curses, too, such as the blight of vampirism, but only before the individual has been lost to the night. Once that has happened, our mission is to free their souls." Father Julian gestured to a monk who, upon chanting a prayer, swiped a glowing hand through the air. The glimmer sliced through the air like a knife and left a deep scratch in one of the stone pillars.

Father Julian huffed and called out to him: "The pillar is not your opponent!"

"Sorry, Father!"

- Recruit Sister Fiona
- Recruit Brother Michael
- Recruit Sister Daisy
- Don't recruit anyone
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna watched in disappointment as her worries were confirmed, "Well, that sucks." She said, not realising that it was out loud. Then quickly, she added. "Sorry, Father, but I really didn't want to expose any of your brothers or sisters to the dangers of the mission." She takes a deep breath then and turns to the potential recruits. "Is there any of them that would like to go on a intentionally deadly mission with a group strangers?" She asked, just in case. If she ended up taking one of them, she could not take a coward.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Father Julian simply quirked a brow at her outburst but said nothing. "I understand."

Of the potential recruits, none seemed too intrigued at the idea of a deadly mission, but one sister perusing the small collection of tomes did look over curiously. She chewed on her lip. A monk nudged her shoulder and whispered something to which she shook her head and looked at the floor.

"Give them a day to consider, perhaps," Father Julian said. "If anyone shows interest I will send them your way."

- Thank him and leave
- Plead the recruits
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Alright, well, if you change your mind, you'll probably be able to find me at the Hunters' Hub." Lianna said, not really surprised by their reaction. Of course they wouldn't want to go on a mission where death is possible and rewards are uncertain. She turned to the Father. "Thank you for your help. Don't force them, though, only if someone really expresses a desire to help. Only the future of the entire town depends on our mission." She made sure to say that last part louder, so that the monks and nuns would catch it.

 

[Cartoonicat]

The recruits grew restless at her last comment but, again, none had the bravery to volunteer. Father Julian nodded. "Of course. Now, the sun will be setting soon," he said, perhaps hinting that Lianna should leave soon. "Steamhaven is not safe after dark, even for a Hunter."

Despite his concern for her safety, Lianna had traveled the nights of Steamhaven several times now. She could go home and rest until Patrick returned or she could kill time by exploring the city. Perhaps a visit to the police department was in order, considering Lianna had not met with the Commissioner in a while, or a trip back to Todd's Whiskey, Poppy's workplace likely under frequent surveillance by the coven. She could also use what daylight she had left to meet with the scar lady Aunt Muriel recommended.

- Go home
- Visit the police department
- Visit Todd's Whiskey
- Visit Aunt Muriel's recommendation
- Somewhere else
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Scars never bothered Lianna, there was no time to waste on that. At least not at the moment. What she needed to do was to visit the police station and see if there were any strange happenings while she was out cold. Not that any day in Steamhaven was normal anyway. Also, there was something suspicious about the commissioner which she could not pinpoint at that exact moment, but she knew she had it before her undead accident. Perhaps she would be reminded that night.

 

[Cartoonicat]

By time Lianna reached the police department, sunset had come and nearly gone. Pink, purple, and red streaked across the sky overhead as she entered the dilapidated building. Surprisingly, the grouchy receptionist no longer sat at the front desk. Rather, a thin blonde lady with kinky curls and dimples greeted her almost immediately.

"Hello! What can we do for you today?"

- Ask for the Commissioner
- Ask about Detective Landon
- Ask about the old receptionist
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Hello." Lianna greeted with an answering smile, "Can I see the commissioner, please? Is he in?" As an after thought she added, "The other lady that worked on the reception, does she have a day off?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Oh, yes, of course! Commissioner Stratford is currently in a meeting but there are seats if you don't mind waiting." The blonde pointed to old chairs lining the wall. Upon being asked about the other receptionist, her smile faded. "The lady who worked before me went missing a few nights ago. Today is my first day working here."

- Ask about the old receptionist
- Sit and wait
- Demand to see the Commissioner
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Missing?" Lianna inquired, stepping to the reception desk instead of taking a seat, "Does the police have any clues? Are the supernaturals involved?" It was a stupid question, of course they were. Nothing bad happened in Steamhaven without one fraction or the other mixing their fingers in.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"I'm not supposed to..." The woman chewed on her lip and looked around. Lowered her voice. "I'm not supposed to gossip about the cases, but the meeting Commissioner Stratford is in right now involves her disappearance."

Lianna could continue questioning the lady or she could take matters into her own hands and eavesdrop on the meeting - if only she could make it past the receptionist.

- Ask more questions
- Demand to see Commissioner Stratford
- Wait patiently
- Try to eavesdrop
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Is that so?" Lianna hummed. For a moment she was tempted to slip past and try to listen in, but she knew she wasn't very stealthy, so she settled for waiting and asking questions, "Is detective Landon in the meeting?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

The receptionist tilted her head. "Detective Landon...? I don't- Oh, wait." Flipped through a book on her desk, mumbling the name all the while. Looked up and shook her head. "No. I am sorry, but Landon Payne no longer works here. I believe the person meeting with Commissioner Stratford is a scholar of sorts. Some sort of teacher, professor?" She twirled one of her curls around her forefinger, eyes lifting to the ceiling in thought. "Or was it a historian..."

- Ask more questions
- Demand to see Commissioner Stratford
- Wait patiently
- Try to eavesdrop
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Well, that didn't sound good. Landon has rejoined his vampire coven it seemed. Lianna might have a chance to meet him once they disrupt their meeting, but for now this thing with the commissioner was starting to sound more and more interesting.

"A scholar?" She mused, then moved from the desk and sat on a chair. She would wait for a while.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Oh, yes! Quite dreamy, though I only caught a glimpse of him," she said airily. "I've never seen such a beautiful man before. He-"

An officer poked his head out of one of the offices down the hall. "Mary, did you organize my case files yet?"

Startled, the receptionist nearly shot out of her seat. "I didn't! I am so sorry, I'll do that right away." Without a word further to Lianna, she hastily grabbed several pieces of paperwork and began sorting them into folders.

- Wait patiently
- Try to eavesdrop
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"I've seen plenty..." Lianna rolled her eyes, surely the woman was exaggerating. Out of nowhere, the opportunity presented itself. She waited only for the woman to focus her attention elsewhere, before trying to slip away toward the commissioner's doors.

 

[Cartoonicat]

About halfway towards the hallway, Mary looked up curiously. "Miss?"

- Demand to see the Commissioner
- Tell a lie
- Sit back down
- Buy her silence
- Other