Estelia tensed up as she took a spoonful of the soup, and found herself relieved to not be gagging. She found it, like the food stall's fare it was not the spare, healthful food she was used to from the convent, but it was pleasant enough. She ate silently and listened to the conversation, waiting for Inata's response.

As she got further into the bowl, a memory surfaced. Her and Ariel were out in a market for some reason, back when they had been together at the schola. They had been given? bought? some sort of greasy steamed bun that this reminded her of. Or maybe she had been there alone because Ariel had refused to follow her in running off. It was all really fuzzy.

To his surprise, Balthazar finds the soup tastes like the porridge he ate back home on Thaur. He can't see any of the oats he would recognize, but every spoonful carries a bit of that same earthy flavor that is so familiar.

(Scrutiny test failed) He does notice that the visitors are hesitant to return his greetings, but isn't sure what to make of it. It could be something nefarious, but it is likely they are just tired from their downtrodden existence.

On 8/28/2020 at 9:43 PM, Lynata said:

((Awareness: Per 35 = Roll 46 for 2 DoF ))

Ariel nodded slowly, her eyes still traversing their surroundings. Fortunately enough, their stated purpose here was to take a look, so staring like this was not likely to arouse suspicion. Unfortunately, however, she failed to notice anything but the conspicuous absence of Imperial paraphernalia. In her defense, cooking wasn't exactly her strong suit.

"That is well said", she agreed truthfully, fighting back the urge to cite a proverb from the Church's canon. "So you have branches further down in the hive? Or Missionaries?"

She perks up at Ariel's interest in the specifics of the work, "There are eight other alms houses elsewhere in the mid and lower hives. But the Underhive or the Dark are too...tenuous to keep anything permanent in place from what Baranthas tells me. He goes on...pilgrimages, I believe is an apt term, with some of the more stalwart followers to pull more to the flock." She ponders, "I suppose the only interactions we have with the Upper hive are fine nobles like you or members of the Consortium who give us fiscal backing, but with the great shrine in place it'd be sacrilegious to propose a place like this deserves to be in the Apex."

On 8/28/2020 at 11:53 PM, Servant of Dante said:

As she got further into the bowl, a memory surfaced. Her and Ariel were out in a market for some reason, back when they had been together at the schola. They had been given? bought? some sort of greasy steamed bun that this reminded her of. Or maybe she had been there alone because Ariel had refused to follow her in running off. It was all really fuzzy.

On 9/6/2020 at 2:19 PM, Covered in Weasels said:

To his surprise, Balthazar finds the soup tastes like the porridge he ate back home on Thaur. He can't see any of the oats he would recognize, but every spoonful carries a bit of that same earthy flavor that is so familiar.

(Scrutiny test failed) He does notice that the visitors are hesitant to return his greetings, but isn't sure what to make of it. It could be something nefarious, but it is likely they are just tired from their downtrodden existence.

Intias waits for you both to finish your quick meal, the bowls aren't too large, or maybe there wasn't that much soup in them, and then mentions, "Now that I've shown you the kitchen and dining hall I'll show you where we keep some of the members of the hive with nowhere else to go, and who would choose to stay here."

She leads you through a bit of the actual backing of the house itself, and here it appears is what makes up the bulk of the place, there are levels of housing that have beds laid out in them and having small areas of recreation. She shows you one level, explaining the nine others are alike. There are nine beds on this level, a surprising amount of space, and you hear running around all the area seemingly of children too factually young to do any actual work, the rest either too destitute from positions to have a hab apartment or too impaired (physical or otherwise) to have a place of their own and choosing not to live on the street.

"While there are of course some who only come for the meal, there are others who would choose to stay somewhere they'd consider safe from the threats of the day-to-day life in the hive. Right now the house is about a third full."

You all having eyes, can note that the general colour scheme is a...muted (through use or light exposure) goldenrod or turquoise.

Though, currently at least, none of this seems like it relates to the information Balthazar heard the scum mention previously about a place for "faith meetings" however one may access those.

Estelia tilted her head as Intias explains their work in the lower levels, "You have to go looking below for more people to eat here? It seems to me a testament to the Consortium if there are truly so few in need at this level of the hive. Or are you saying there are no priests there?"

The Novice wonders if there isn't something more nefarious going on with Baranthas's trips downward, or if the people they recruited went elsewhere. If it was so bad down there, why was it so much effort to collect the number of people required to come up to this alms house if all they wanted was to feed them and maybe have them do a bit of work? Maybe she was just missing something obvious.

Already primed to suspect something afoul thanks to their briefing and this facility's connection to the handkerchief trail, Ariel would certainly share her sister-novice's concerns, trying hard to disguise her interest in the house's underhive activities as innocent curiosity. She is thankful as Estelia voices a question to the same direction, especially as such innocent queries are even more fitting to the role her fair-skinned companion has donned.

"Indeed", she accentuates Estelia's words with a more stern, somewhat more sceptical tone suitable for her own alter ego of a grounded commoner in service to these alleged nobles: "You'd think people would flock to an offer like this. There is no strange reputation attached to this house that my mistress should be aware of, is there?"

Balthazar dearly wants to know more about these "faith meetings," but cannot currently think of a way to bring them up in a circumspect manner. So instead he asks about Brother Baranthas. "You mean he goes into... the Underhive? Isn't that place full of gangs and worse? I mean, the darkest places are those that most require the Emperor's Light, but isn't he worried for his safety?

On 9/11/2020 at 11:03 PM, Servant of Dante said:

Estelia tilted her head as Intias explains their work in the lower levels, "You have to go looking below for more people to eat here? It seems to me a testament to the Consortium if there are truly so few in need at this level of the hive. Or are you saying there are no priests there?"

Intias considers Estelia's wording very exactly for a moment confused, you can see it in her face, but she realizes what she meant and shakes her head, "The mid-hive is...relatively safer than lower parts. Many people here are satisfied with their lifestyles and simply have no desire to change, and in that way the Consortium does succeed at their oath system. It takes a lot to become oathless, but once you do...you may as well no longer exist. Baranthas travels lower to those so destitute that they would embrace salvation at the first light of a new path. As for an official priest of the Ministorum, no, there are currently none that serve in the house. There is a street preacher down the ways, but Brother Baranthas is a man deep of his own faith, he's just never had any official tutelage nor sanction.

On 9/12/2020 at 2:47 AM, Lynata said:

"Indeed", she accentuates Estelia's words with a more stern, somewhat more sceptical tone suitable for her own alter ego of a grounded commoner in service to these alleged nobles: "You'd think people would flock to an offer like this. There is no strange reputation attached to this house that my mistress should be aware of, is there?"

"People tend to have a strange way of refusing salvation when they're so...entrenched in their current ways." Sister Intias shrugs, "As far as I'm aware, it is likely because we are relatively new, Consortium help or no, long run establishments have patronage for a reason. Hardly anyone knows what to expect from us save for those who currently back us, and the word of mouth they spread certainly helps even individuals like yourselves find us."

10 hours ago, Covered in Weasels said:

Balthazar dearly wants to know more about these "faith meetings," but cannot currently think of a way to bring them up in a circumspect manner. So instead he asks about Brother Baranthas. "You mean he goes into... the Underhive? Isn't that place full of gangs and worse? I mean, the darkest places are those that most require the Emperor's Light, but isn't he worried for his safety?

Intias gets a very grim look, "Oh, Baranthas travels farther than just the Underhive. Desoleum is cursed with an area even deeper than what most hives are plagued with. 'The Dark' lies at the baseworks of the 'Spine' from which Desoleum Prime was crafted upon. If you've heard of the gang wars of the underhive or the rampant mutations therein, the Dark is what the Underhive likely fears. But, Baranthas trusts in his experience and his faith to guide him to those who may take up his offer. I did not grow up in the Mid-Hive, Barathas even lower than myself."

The woman's answer gave Ariel pause. It did little to dispel her suspicions regarding the facility, given her masters were already convinced of foulness afoot, yet she could understand the notion of people refusing salvation -- less why they did it, of course, but from all she had learned at the schola and during her novitiate, there were billions of humans in the galaxy led away from the Emperor's light by hubris, fear and greed.

For the time being, she could not think of further questions to ask, and she was certain they would not be shown anything they were not supposed to see. She kept looking around for signs of falsehood, but already suspected that truth might only be found by infiltrating the building without a chaperone, or pursue Baranthas into the lower hives.

Estelia "wonder if trust would be more forthcoming if you had an ordained priest on staff?"

In her view, it should be easier to trust an actual priest, but she wondered if people so 'set in their ways' would agree.

"But on that note, what should we expect from you? As you say, there are other alms houses in this hive, and the people in this part of the hive directly don't seem to be overtaxing your resources currently."

((What can you do for our company? ))

The Novice suppressed a cringe and forced herself to make eye contact with the woman. She was not used to situations where being so demanding would earn anything but a severe penance. It was both terrifying and exciting, just like everything about this day.

On 9/22/2020 at 7:56 PM, Lynata said:

For the time being, she could not think of further questions to ask, and she was certain they would not be shown anything they were not supposed to see. She kept looking around for signs of falsehood, but already suspected that truth might only be found by infiltrating the building without a chaperone, or pursue Baranthas into the lower hives.

On 9/26/2020 at 6:00 PM, Servant of Dante said:

Estelia "wonder if trust would be more forthcoming if you had an ordained priest on staff?"

In her view, it should be easier to trust an actual priest, but she wondered if people so 'set in their ways' would agree.

"But on that note, what should we expect from you? As you say, there are other alms houses in this hive, and the people in this part of the hive directly don't seem to be overtaxing your resources currently."

((What can you do for our company? ))

The Novice suppressed a cringe and forced herself to make eye contact with the woman. She was not used to situations where being so demanding would earn anything but a severe penance. It was both terrifying and exciting, just like everything about this day.

Intias smiles, seemingly expecting the question (dealing with the Consortium must obviously bring it up a lot), oddly skipping over Estelia's wondering aloud to get to the question that she thinks is more pertinent to the noble's desieres, "From us? Opportunity and reputation. As I'm aware of it so far those at least on Desoleum care for one another's standings, donning on an Alms house gives accolades, and I assume for yourselves, offworlders as you are, can not only make hedgeway into Desoleum's upper society but spread such philanthropy back on your own home planet. The opportunities of course lie in manpower, not all those in the alms stay around yes, but the larger we become the more will and feasibly the more houses will exist. Those who give patronage to the houses would in turn of course have the first opportunities to offer the downtrodden new employment for your own services from a place you know has already vetted away those lacking the will to change themselves for the better. But..."

And Intias here pauses to consider, having obviously come to some decision based on your previous interactions, "I do believe that is the end of the tour as far as I can give it, Brother Baranthas should be back in a few days. I can use the previous information given to me in order to alert you when he's returned and perhaps you may be able to come to a more solid conclusion with his involvement?"

Estelia considers the woman's demeanor wondering what kind of impression she had given her.

((Scrutiny: Per 20 + Known 0 = 20; Roll=49, Faith Point re-roll=50 for 4 DoF . Faith in the Creed = 3, FP not recovered.))

She looks to Father Thorne for a moment, hoping he would catch anything she was missing and smooth over anything suspicious she had said while resisting the urge to check with Ariel since the other Novice was supposedly a simple bodyguard and she a noblewoman.

She nods in response Intias, "and being part of a quickly growing organization . . . well that sounds particularly beneficial. I would be happy to meet Baranthas," she pointedly omits any officious honorific since the man was apparently not ordained of the Imperial Cult, "and the sorts of people he rescues from below."

'Manpower', Ariel wondered in silence. Might this be the secret they were looking for, or at least a part of it? Though rule of law forbade the capture and trade of human chattel, many worlds of the Imperium were permitted to practice various forms of bonded servitude or penal labor. Even the Emperor's own Space Marines had to be created by harvesting implanted organs from slave hosts.

Unsanctioned slavery of non-mutant human populations, however, carried stiff penalties. Could the alms house possibly be involved in such a trade? The novice made a mental note to check the planet's laws once they would return to the mansion.

((Failed Scrutiny test))

Balthazar searches for any crack in Intias's mask, but he can discern nothing about any hidden motivations. At a loss for what else to do in this meeting, he thanks her for her hospitality. "And when Brother Baranthas returns, perhaps we will be able to speak again. I am ever so interested to learn more of your organization from the shepherd on the front lines, so to speak." Privately, he wonders whether Baranthas would be more forthcoming if they were to sit him down for a forceful interview...

On 10/8/2020 at 2:14 PM, Servant of Dante said:

She nods in response Intias, "and being part of a quickly growing organization . . . well that sounds particularly beneficial. I would be happy to meet Baranthas," she pointedly omits any officious honorific since the man was apparently not ordained of the Imperial Cult, "and the sorts of people he rescues from below."

On 10/13/2020 at 1:43 AM, Lynata said:

10 hours ago, Covered in Weasels said:

((Failed Scrutiny test))

Balthazar searches for any crack in Intias's mask, but he can discern nothing about any hidden motivations. At a loss for what else to do in this meeting, he thanks her for her hospitality. "And when Brother Baranthas returns, perhaps we will be able to speak again. I am ever so interested to learn more of your organization from the shepherd on the front lines, so to speak." Privately, he wonders whether Baranthas would be more forthcoming if they were to sit him down for a forceful interview...

Intias politely inclines her head, "Of course, I'll make sure to mention your interest in the Alms House." She escorts you back to the main serving area and sees you on your way.

((You can all make an Awareness +0 test))

((Given that there's nothing else to do until Baranthas returns, you make a normal trip back to the Villa. I think it's best to save XP for the end of the "Alms House" portion of the investigation, but I'm sure that there's some minor avenues to investigate before the Brother returns.

So a round or so of preparing for whatever the next interview will entail.))

((Awareness +0 : Per 20 + 0 Known + 0 Challenging = 20; Roll: 23 1 DoF ))

Estelia keeps mostly quiet till they are safely back to the villa.

"What . . . did we find out anything useful?"

She absent mindedly picks dust off her dress, "Maybe I was expecting something more shocking than I should have. We already knew Barnabas was down in the levels below, maybe when we cab talk to him we can find out if there's something uncouth happening down there."

"I wonder", Ariel muses in response. "Perhaps we should have taken on a local guide, someone more used to life in the underhive. Someone better suited to spotting inconsistencies." The novice pauses for a moment as she reflects on what they had seen. "Do you think it is normal they do not show much deference to the Faith here?"

"I've known that the Imperial faith takes many forms on many worlds, and that not everyone can be as devout as a priest or Sister. But it saddens me to see such aimlessness of purpose among the people of this hive. Maybe they are lacking in faith, Novice Ariel, and I know we could remedy that given time. But they also lack hope, and I know not how to solve that." Balthazar looks pensive and even a bit sad for the rest of the trip home.

On 10/19/2020 at 12:37 AM, Servant of Dante said:

She absent mindedly picks dust off her dress, "Maybe I was expecting something more shocking than I should have. We already knew Barnabas was down in the levels below, maybe when we cab talk to him we can find out if there's something uncouth happening down there."

Inellia notes the comment and provides, "While the forces of the archenemy can always act in overt manners, it is their insidious subtlety that is their deadliest weapon. Unfortunately that requires years of experience to pick up on immediately, but that is of no fault to you. It simply means our enemies may be more dangerous than we should be suspecting."

On 10/21/2020 at 1:15 PM, Lynata said:

"I wonder", Ariel muses in response. "Perhaps we should have taken on a local guide, someone more used to life in the underhive. Someone better suited to spotting inconsistencies." The novice pauses for a moment as she reflects on what they had seen. "Do you think it is normal they do not show much deference to the Faith here?"

8 hours ago, Covered in Weasels said:

"I've known that the Imperial faith takes many forms on many worlds, and that not everyone can be as devout as a priest or Sister. But it saddens me to see such aimlessness of purpose among the people of this hive. Maybe they are lacking in faith, Novice Ariel, and I know we could remedy that given time. But they also lack hope, and I know not how to solve that." Balthazar looks pensive and even a bit sad for the rest of the trip home.

Commenting to Ariel after Blathazar's comment, "Desoleum shows a general showing of faith in the creed sadly, from my experiences, and hope...well hope is a whole other matter. Your views are coloured by the majesty of true places of faith, even Balthazar is blessed in tutelage of the great ossuaries of Thaur. Estellia makes a point, putting aside how dangerous the Alms house may be, perhaps the Mid-Hive and Consortium are not their overall goal. Whatever this 'brother' ((she says derisively)) searches for in the lowers may be a key into the mystery you seek to unravel. If you can gain his trust, perhaps you would not need a guide, mayhap he would lead you there himself."

Inellia considers a moment, "Or, you could always...'extricate' the information from him and then find a guide to suss it our yourselves." There is a...concerningly positive wondering in her voice at the idea of having a heretic interrogated. ((Then again nothing has been proven so maybe she's being energetic about the whole thing.))

((I think it's fair to get a reaction to this, and then move on. At least to confirm is you have any follow-up questions for Inellia or something else to handle. While Intias mentioned only a few days, it appears that Baranthas was delayed for some reason, and will not contact you for 5 days. Not that we'll play through all 5 days, that's just a measure of how long you have to mess around with.))

Estelia nods,"I'm more than a little suspicious of Barnabas's faith, given what we've heard. If talking to him confirms our suspicions it might make sense to bring him in."

Estelia will spend the next five days drilling with her weapons and trying to get used to moving quickly in a dress without tripping herself. She's still quite pleased with the sword she found for Ariel, and seems to see all this opportunity to 'dress up' as rather fun. As the days pass though her nerves start to get to her again, and the Novice makes a more serious effort to prepare herself mentally by talking to Ariel.

"What do you think we should expect from Barnabas? I'm not sure how to 'gain someone's trust' really. I suppose we just need to keep up our disguises?"

"Or perhaps rather than talking to him, it might be possible to follow him unseen, let him pursue his works and find out what he is up to? Speaking to him before might only make him suspicious", she mused. "If we could put a tracker on him, perhaps send a servo-skull."

For her part, Ariel would focus her training on the art of combat, going through the moves and stances of the Sisterhood's close combat style, but also trying to become more intimate with the blade Estelia had given her. As any trained swordsman knew, the weight of a weapon, its reach and its point of balance could have a small but critical effect on how it was to be swung.

"Yes, if we do choose to approach him ...", she agreed with her fellow novice. "Perhaps our guise was poorly chosen. I have a feeling this man would not trust anyone but his own. I wonder if we should have put on the rags of the destitute instead."

Balthazar will spend the next few days in prayer or meditation, and checking out books on the local faith traditions of Desoleum. He wants to get a better idea of how people here worship the emperor, and perhaps find evidence of practices similar to what Baranthas is doing. He wants to know how it of the ordinary this is.

"We could change our disguises, or we could attempt to approach as we appeared in front of Intias. I am in favor of the second approach, as we've already made a good first impression. But you are right, perhaps this would have been easier with the other approach. "

On 10/30/2020 at 12:41 PM, Servant of Dante said:

Estelia nods,"I'm more than a little suspicious of Barnabas's faith, given what we've heard. If talking to him confirms our suspicions it might make sense to bring him in."

...

"What do you think we should expect from Barnabas? I'm not sure how to 'gain someone's trust' really. I suppose we just need to keep up our disguises?"

On 11/4/2020 at 12:01 PM, Lynata said:

"Or perhaps rather than talking to him, it might be possible to follow him unseen, let him pursue his works and find out what he is up to? Speaking to him before might only make him suspicious", she mused. "If we could put a tracker on him, perhaps send a servo-skull."

...

"Yes, if we do choose to approach him ...", she agreed with her fellow novice. "Perhaps our guise was poorly chosen. I have a feeling this man would not trust anyone but his own. I wonder if we should have put on the rags of the destitute instead."

5 hours ago, Covered in Weasels said:

Balthazar will spend the next few days in prayer or meditation, and checking out books on the local faith traditions of Desoleum. He wants to get a better idea of how people here worship the emperor, and perhaps find evidence of practices similar to what Baranthas is doing. He wants to know how it of the ordinary this is.

"We could change our disguises, or we could attempt to approach as we appeared in front of Intias. I am in favor of the second approach, as we've already made a good first impression. But you are right, perhaps this would have been easier with the other approach. "

((Make a CL (Imp Creed) +20 (it'd be +10 but there are some books you can use in the villa) to learn about Desoleum's specific general creeds))

Inellia offers, "It would appear that with Intias you performed some actions or made some intuitions that caused her to believe it was worth her time to let Baranthas know about you in the first place, so, likely, you've already started on the path of garnering their trust. If you had chosen poorly, I doubt you would be able to meet with this 'brother'. That would have been the chance to change disguises, but even if you were dregs you would not know where to be found by Baranthas in the lower levels. If you had only gone to the Alms house you would not inherently know how to ingratiate yourself into whatever is involved with the handkerchiefs either."

"Playing the part of the Emperor's Nobility does open doors. I suppose it'd be unbecoming to not show up when we've asked for an invitation. We'll just have to see what information we can get out of the man through casual conversation."

Personally, Estelia hoped she might meet one of the supplicants brought up from the lower levels; they would be an entirely new sort of person to meet.

Inellia's explanation seemed to lift the dusk-skinned novice's mood, like a welcome balm on an open wound of doubt. The novice was not used to operate in an environment saturated with uncertainty; things were just so much simpler in the convent. You would follow the words of your superiors, and they would guide you to salvation. Here, however, they had to think for themselves rather than just act on doctrine, and naturally this came easier to Estelia than herself.

"Very well. We shall hear what this 'brother'", she quickly adopted their host's derogative emphasis on the word, "has to say, and act accordingly. I have a feeling that at the very least we might be inducted into at least some dark secret of this society, one way or another." Ariel patted her pistol holster as she spoke, as if to reassure those present - and herself - that she'd knew how to deal with one of those ways.

Balthazar is also required by Inelia's comments. "Even if we are not the target audience of Baranthas, it should still be worthwhile to approach him. Religious expeditions into the Underhive are quite rare, and questioning him about his purpose there may prove fruitful. It would be even better if we got a chance to interview some of these new converts as well..."