The truck idles on the shoulder, corn wavering black on both sides. Ahead, the cathedral rises out of the fields like it belongs in another century.
Moonlight washes over the stone facade and catches the giant wooden doors. The broken star symbol on them glows faintly, as if it is answering the moon.
Elizabeth Bathory
That is not a building that should be here.
Thadeus Jovanović
The doors match the trail. This is the center of it.
Thadeus and Elizabeth stare through the windshield, the church framed dead ahead. The road, the fields, and the light all seem to point toward that one seal.
Elizabeth Bathory
If Stars of Divinity is spreading into Detroit, this is where it starts.
The truck stays still, but the glowing star on the doors gives the place a pulsing, ugly presence. The next move is theirs.
✓ Quest Accepted
Find an entrance into the cathedral
“Thadeus and Elizabeth sit back in the truck, watching for any movement near the entrance. Elizabeth's phone buzzes, startling her to nearly drop it outside of the truck. She sees Marla is calling, and answers. Elizabeth nods her head, then turns to Thadeus, "Did you pack binoculars?" Thadeus thinks on it, then gives a thumbs up. He steps out of the truck and jumps into the truck bed, searching his supplies, finding a pair of heavy duty binoculars. He sits down in the truck bed, and looks through the binoculars, the cathedral looking much clearer and larger.”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled -2)
Elizabeth fumbles her phone inside the cab, catches it before it slips out the open door, and answers in a low voice. Thadeus gives a short nod toward the fields, then pushes himself out into the night.
Elizabeth Bathory
Marla? Yeah, we are here.
Thadeus climbs into the truck bed, boots thudding softly against metal. A tarp, a duffel, and the stacked supplies shift as he digs through them.
Thadeus Jovanović
The binoculars should be back here.
His hand closes on a heavy pair of binoculars, and he settles onto the bed edge with the cathedral centered beyond the windshield. The view snaps sharp, stone lines and dark windows suddenly looming much larger.
Elizabeth Bathory
Did you pack binoculars?
Thadeus keeps the binoculars trained on the church entrance while Elizabeth waits for Marla’s reply. The truck creaks once under his weight, and the rattled gear gives away a faint metallic clink from the bed.
+ New Item Acquired
Heavy Duty Binoculars
“Thadeus continues observing the cathedral, nothing out of the ordinary appearing. Elizabeth peeks her head out of the truck, confirming the camera Marla attached to the passenger side view mirror is still there. Marla confirms with Elizabeth that she can see the cathedral, "The camera feed is working."”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled +2)
The cathedral sits dead still beyond the corn, its windows black and its broken-star doors faintly lit. Thadeus keeps the binoculars steady, watching for movement that never comes.
Marla Brewer
The camera feed is working.
Elizabeth leans halfway out of the cab, glancing at the mirror mount, then back toward the field. The little camera stays fixed, pointed at the church with a steady red indicator.
Elizabeth Bathory
Good, I can see it too.
Thadeus Jovanović
The doors are still clear. No one is moving outside.
Thadeus lowers the binoculars a fraction, then raises them again, keeping the entrance centered. The truck idles on the shoulder, and the field between them and the cathedral remains empty.
“As Thadeus brings his binoculars back down towards the cathedral doors, he spots several figures wearing dark purple robes with purple cloaks attached, walk up to the doors. Thadeus estimates the doors must be at least 15 feet tall. One of the robed figures, a woman, grabs the circular door knocker built in the door and taps it three times. The robed figures stand there for a minute, and one of the cathedral doors slowly opens up, allowed the six figures to walk in. Thadeus alerts Elizabeth to his findings, adding, "Let's watch to see if anyone else tries going in."”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled -1)
Thadeus lowers the binoculars and catches movement at the cathedral doors. Six robed figures in dark purple cross the threshold lights, their cloaks hanging like a single moving shadow.
Thadeus Jovanović
Elizabeth, there they are. Six of them. Let’s watch to see if anyone else tries going in.
The woman at the front takes the circular knocker in hand and taps three times. The huge doors answer with a slow opening, enough for the robed group to file inside.
Thadeus keeps the binoculars trained on the entrance, judging the doors as towering, old, and built to swallow people whole. The purple shapes disappear into the dark interior one by one.
Elizabeth Bathory
I see them. Those are not churchgoers.
Elizabeth straightens in the cab doorway, phone still in hand, her attention snapping from the camera feed to the field. The truck idles low and steady, while the cathedral stays quiet after the last robe slips inside.
Thadeus Jovanović
Keep watching the doors.
Quest Complete
Find an entrance into the cathedral
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Great→Superb