Mage - Eric

She asks if you have found anything out, about the wasps or notes

"Nothing conclusive about the notes, though my associates have copies. The hornets are a newly discovered species, and their venom apparently causes memory loss, which could explain some of the references in the first note."

He looks around to make sure that they are still alone.

"This Order of the Rebirth sounds very suspicious. Apparently they were some kind of medieval heresy."

"And did someone just rediscover this... 'heresy'? Or has it been some sort of secret society going back through the centuries?"

"I'm not sure."

He gestures to the church, with a grim smile.

"Maybe we should go and ask them?"

It looks like a normal Catholic church - lots of carvings and statues of Christ and Mary. There is a notice board nearby detailing local events. The altar is large but nornal in appearance.

[Lots of graven images, you mean...]

[Is there anyone hear who looks priest-y? Failing that anyone else?]

There is a priest towards the back and a woman praying in the pews. Jennifer gravitates towards the notice board.

It is covered in flyers for coffee mornings, health classes and after-school events.

[Roll Wits + Investigation, dif 7]

[3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10]

[Investigation-tastic]

Your eyes are drawn to a small article from the local paper. It is about the church and how attendences are up during mass. The photo shows the priest and a beaming Afro-Carribean man. The caption identifies him as Austin Kittrell. The article makes a vague reference to "personal difficulties in Austin's life"

[I'll try and swipe it while nobody is looking.

Then check out the praying woman.

With mage sight, not like that - I'm a married man]

She is praying in silence but her lips are slowly moving. She seems wrapped up in what she is doing and a slight light radiates from her torso.

Eric motions to Jennifer (assuming that she hasn't noticed the woman) and gestures to try and convey the glow emanating from her.

Jennifer asks: "Do we want to speak with the priest, or do you want to poke around a bit more, or try to join one of these popular Masses to see what's going on?"

she glances at the woman and nods

[Priest?]

"Maybe we should join in with a mass if one is about to start soon, then we can talk to the priest afterwards?"

[the priest in the back of the church...]

[the next mass starts at 12 - about 30 in-game minutes away]

Eric suggests to Jennifer that there might be another line of investigation to consider. One that would take about 30 minutes and require us to nip outside.

Oh, and for her to channel the spirits of the dead...

Jennifer nods again. "Yes. I'd be interested to hear the details of this mass, especially considering the gifts my own experiences have left me with."

"The actual method of allowing the dead to speak through me requires a ceremony through which a ghost talks to someone else. Which in this case would be you, Eric."

"That's no problem, my dear. If you'd be so kind as to attach this to your forehead before the ritual- er... ceremony commences, I'd be much obliged."

From his coat pocket he extracts a silk-wrapped bundle. He opens it to reveal an ornate brass object that resembles a large monocle. It's edges are etched with strange symbols and the glass is tinted slightly so as to give everything seen through it a mildly distorted appearance.

He pulls a leather harness from his other pocket and gestures for Jennifer to strap it around her head...

Jennifer obliges

"Right then, in your own time. If you can signal when you are ready I'll start asking the ghost questions."

[This item uses two powers, one to grant the ghost a vision of the future, the other to compel the ghost to tell the truth about what it sees. I'll check the details on both.]

[people are beginning to arrive for the mass.]

"Erm... hello? Hello spirit? Do you have something to tell us?"