*In the Holy Kingdom of Aurauld*
Deacon Paula sat in her spacious private quarters, a dim light persisted as candles burned at each corner of the wide room. Candles were a luxury Paula had only recently been able to indulge in following her recent promotion from Missionary to Deacon. Yes, indeed, this entire dormitory had been given to her following her promotion, rife with finery that she had never indulged in before. A large gold-plated mirror hanging over the wide fireplace in the centre of her room's far wall was one such luxury she also gladly appreciated. Not that her promotion hadn't come from a long string of dedication and struggle, but she could not but help feel somewhat guilty to indulge in such luxuries whilst many within the kingdom starved. Before she could ponder this thought too long, a loud *knock* reverberated from the grand oak door that marked the entrance to her room.
"Enter", she calmly called out. Moments later the door creaked open and a young boy wearing a tattered brown cloak with unkept dark hair streaking down his face entered with a noticeable nervousness.
"No need to be frightened my dear boy" she explained hoping to ease the boys evident anxiety, "What is your name child?".
"--uh its erm, William, your excellency", at that Paula let out a loud laugh causing the boy to flinch back slightly.
"Apologies, William I did not mean to startle you" Putting on a reassuring face she further explained "but I assure you there is no need for pompous titles like "your excellency" when addressing me my dear deacon or miss will suffice".
At this the boy straightened up slightly evidently reassured by her kind demeanor "as you say your excel-- Deacon" he abruptly corrected himself realising he was about to commit the same error once more.
Paula interjected once more before the boy's embarrassment could cause him further distress, "Now then William, please do enlighten me as to the purpose of your visit?"
"Of course miss, the Arch Bishop has requested you go see him-" "Very well-" Paula began to reply before William spoke up once more "he also stressed that it is urgent and to prepare your *necessities'* for it is a time-sensitive issue."
"In that case young William, I better not keep the Arch Bishop waiting, thank you for your message. You are dismissed". At that the young boy bowed and hastily made his exit from her chambers, pulling the door closed behind him. Upon the door creaking shut Paula let out a deep sigh and pondered to her self "What now then."
As Paula marched up the arched hallway leading to the Arch Bishops office she admired in passing the ordained grand ornaments that hung from the ceiling and the decorated walls covered in paintings that were taller than most houses, musing to herself that the wealth in that hallway alone could feed 1000 people for their entire lives. As she approached the end of the illustrious hallway she saw an armoured figure waiting at the end of the hall standing by the door to the Arch Bishops office. As she approached she quickly realised it was a figure she would rather not be seeing- Arthur from the Churches order of Templars.
The man was of medium height and had no physical features that might distinguish him as a great warrior, but despite that and his young age he had quickly risen through the ranks of the Knights Templar and become one of the Arch Bishop's most trusted enforcers. Paula knew that beneath that plain smiling face, there resided a merciless killer. She had seen the work of the templars before, when she was a missionary on an expedition to Norlam a detachment of templars was sent to "cleanse" the area of heretics. The scenes of brutal slaughter haunt Paula to this day and ever since she has had a deep distrust of the Templars.
Reaching the door way, she spoke to the man "What are you doing here?" In a tone that was not necessarily aggressive but certainly not friendly.
The man shrugged "The same reason as you Deacon, i presume, to speak to the Arch Bishop" at that moment the Arch Bishops office door flung open and they were both called inside.
Paula stepped in shortly followed by Arthur, she laid eyes on the Arch Bishop immediately, a short pudgy man, wearing a long flowing purple robe ordained in gems that she had never seen before. His desk on its own may have been the most expensive item she had ever seen before, the legs covered in cold, the corner pieces with shining emeralds emanating light from them. Before she had the chance to survey the whole room, the Arch Bishop spoke.
"Welcome, unfortunately, I wish this chat could have been more pleasant. I have called you both here because the church requires your services. A trusted friend of the Church has gone missing, and her disappearance is shrouded in darkness. I have called you both here because I need you both to resolve the mystery at hand"
Upon those words, Paula felt a sense of fear grip her stomach although she was not entirely sure why, she had dealt with murderers and cultists before but something in the Arch Bishops voice hinted that there was something more here- something far more sinister.