<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/8c/d0/5f/8cd05f820f7bf5f1020dcd94cabe41e7--fantasy-concept-art-fantasy-artwork.jpg)</div>As the clouds parted, nestled betwixt the massive river and vast, virulent, and verdant woods lay nestled a city thrusting up to the sky.  Its vast ports housed sea ships and sky ships alike, its thick walls constantly patrolled and lined with a heavy compliment of cannons and boiling oil.  Plooms of smoke billowed from the smokestacks as factories with massive waterwheels churned along the riverside.  Overlooking them on a cliff above the river, high over the city, was the grandest structure of all:<br/><br/>the Assumption of Merriam, grandest of Cathedrals, built upon the spot of the eponymous miracle.  This site was so holy as to demand the construction of a city deep within the Wilds, a city which had thrived and grown rich as one of the few lights of civilization along fruitful trade lanes.  Beneath it, amidst pillars carved of the blessed rock, small ships with offerings and pilgrims teemed amidst the lowest level.  A long climb of limestone lay ahead of any who would reach the Lower Shrines to propitiate themselves to the Goddess and Her Church.<br/><br/>For Delia, however, as the small wooden airship lashed to vast balloons trundled closer, there would be no awe inspiring sail into the Hall of Sojourners, nor a long and arduous climb up the steps to the Lower Shrines.  She would be let off on a small platform for important Church officials only, and allowed into the Upper Archives.<br/><br/>The pier itself was a small affair, two strong men received the cast lines and tied tethered the ship after yanking it close.  A plank was extended once the airship was firmly in place, and all present would deferentially avert their gazes as the Inquisitrix disembarked.  All agents of the Unyielding Truth had the liberty to summarily execute ordinary people as heretics, and none sought to invite such a fate through crossing her.<br/><br/>Beyond the platform itself was the inner confines of the temple, where Head Scribe Maximilian awaited Delia's arrival.<br/><br/>Maximillian stood amidst vast book cases and scroll shelves reaching to the ceiling of the three-story chamber.  Many scribes in plain white robes went about their duties tidying the place and keeping their heads down.  Templars in full runic armour patrolled or stood watch as dutifully as automatons.  There was a cluster at a vast wooden table between two stacks, however.<br/><br/>"Good, good, you're here--we have much to discuss!" he said, barely taking his eyes from a variety of tomes before him.  "You have already been briefed on events going on here, I am sure."  The long and short of it, a brutal murder had led the city guard to a grizzly occult ritual.  They had died to all but a man when the daemon the ritual had summoned tore into them.  The final survivor was being kept her, to be inducted into the Templars once he had recovered from his ordeal.<br/><br/>"I'm afraid there have been some troubling developments, however.  Firstly, the scene of the ritual was disturbed before local Inquisitors could arrive to secure it--namely, the<em>grimoire</em>used to summon the daemon had been removed.  The sole survivor described it as a black furred text with yellowed pages using a blood red--or more likely, dried blood--ink."  He flipped a page in a dusty leather-bound volume and turned it on the table, sliding it gently towards Delia, wherever she stood.<br/><br/>"As near as I can tell, D'zuk the Unquiet (http://weknowyourdreams.com/images/demons/demons-04.jpg) has been let loose upon the city."  Alongside an image was a description of the daemon's general proclivities: murder, arson, 'profane' rituals involving a variety of virgins, and shrieking very loudly the whole while.  "A number of incident reports have been compiled, mostly from the Harbour District," he gesticulated towards a pile of scroll.<br/><br/>"Thus far we've ever been able to preempt the damn thing.  But part of the reason we've called you here is, well," he looks around, unsure of himself, "the High Almoner would like to speak with you, privately, after the issue with the daemon has been cleared up.  For now, I can only advise you to exercise the utmost caution.  The tools of the Church are of course at your disposal, though it may be advisable to work alone in order to avoid the daemon preempting you as it has the others."<br/><br/>Before Delia lies a series of reports--the daemon enters a location, normally a factory, in gaseous form, and attacks someone doing maintenance work or squatting in the rafters.  They take their time torturing or otherwise 'defiling' his target, makes a lot of noise, then reverts to gas and leaves.  Two incidents stand out: one in a brothel, and the other in a tavern.  Both were recent and the scenes were being preserved for inspection, meaning she could head there and look at what had happened herself.  The reports detailed simply 'profane rituals.'<br/><br/>Delia had a variety of options before her: attempt to<strong>convince </strong>Maximilian to tell her more,<strong>go </strong>to one of the two latest sites, or spend more time with the reports and<strong>Investigate </strong>the information she had on D'zuk to glean more information--patterns in behaviour, particular weaknesses, motivations, what sort of cult might have summoned him, etc.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Delia Corbeanu</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://thumb.ibb.co/fuc8Ro/30fbd43781f5d2d5f0e51e696e63b06a_gothic_fantasy_art_fantasy_women.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fuc8Ro)<br/><br/>Health: 4/4<br/>Pleasure: 0/5<br/>Anal Virgin?: Y<br/>Oral Virgin?: Y<br/>Vaginal Virgin?: Y<br/><br/>PERCEPTION: 2<br/>(technology): 0<br/>Investigate:  3<br/>Truesight:  2<br/>Detect:  1<br/><br/>BODY: 2<br/>(gaia): 0<br/>Melee:  3<br/>Fuck:  1<br/>Resist:  2<br/><br/>CHARISMA: 3<br/>(corruption): 0<br/>Diplomacy:  1<br/>Spellcraft:  2<br/>Willpower:  3<br/>[/quote]</div></div>