One of two churches in Shadowhold, the other being the local base of operations for FIRSTLIGHT.

The Second Chance Church was by far more wealthy than any church that the Reverend had the pleasure of heading. He was far more comfortable with the small town churches with a congregation of no more than a few dozen. Still, aside from a few odd looks when he had first arrived, the clergy had come to accept their rather unorthodox pastor. What few suspicions they had subsided when Father Callahan, the recently retired reverend, returned to be part of the congregation.

The new Reverend seems to be a night owl, and as such, keeps the midnight oil burning, so to speak and allows the church to serve as a shelter to the downtrodden at all hours of the day. There is even a private office for more personal conversations and many of the congregation have come to prefer these "personal chats" to get sin off their chest than the traditional confessions.

On most evenings, the Reverend can be found privately praying, consoling one or more of his flock, or taking care of the crypt built underneath the old church.

Emily entered the church with the satisfying clacking oh her heels bouncing around the bolstered accoustics. She made the sign of the cross as she entered, despite the years past it seeemd rude not to and did not harm. There were more mortals in attendance than she would have thought and walked her way down the pews and taking in the scent of old stone, wood and votive candles burning. It brought back memories of her mortal life somewhat. Neither pleasant nor unpleasant. She made her way around the stations fo the cross but did not utter the prayers, simply taking in the art and stopping at the 12th station, her personal favorite. After a few minutes she took a seat on the worn pews near the front and silently listened to the mumbling prayers of the mortals around her. Joseph remained standing nearby as she waited to see if this spectacularly faithful and devout reverend she had heard about would make an appearance.

Shewas curious to meet him as she had never met a truly devout Kindred, at least not devout to the classical dogma at least and wondered if it was indeed some kind of sham

The door to the small office tucked away in the church opened quietly and one half of a conversation spilled out into the hallowed halls. The Reverend and a young local woman stepped out. The unfocused eyes and blatant serenity on her face could almost be mistaken for ecstasy, but the congregation had long lost any notion of any suspicion of the Reverend. He was a devout man who could make the people feel His presence within them. Throckett spoke in a practiced hushed tone: it gave the feeling of a private, intimate conversation, even as he gently guided the woman through the nave. "I will ask one of the alter boys about our discussion. I believe Matthew is also on a similar path. Speak with Josephine in the morning, I'm sure she'll be able to arrange something." The woman thanked him profusely, her words echoing in the quiet room, before the reverend quieted her with a hand on her shoulder. "Psalm seventy eight, fifty two".

 Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

Many of the congregation joined him in his short prayer. Even the woman he was speaking too seemed to mouth the words even as he spoke it. The voices all blended together into a sort of hushed mumbled choir, as soon as the Psalm was over however, the rest of the parishioners went back to their private prayers. "Only by the grace of God have I been blessed by such a faithful flock. There is no need to thank me, only Him. If you are ever in need, He and his people are here to guide you to salvation. Go and be merry." With that he opened the vestibule door and bid the woman a good night. Miranda is such a pleasant soul. He thought to himself, scanning his gathering. His eyes fell on two rather new attendants. A rather striking woman and what seemed to be her attaché. Judging by their looks, it was unlikely that they were here for worship, and Throckett briefly pondered if they were wealthy donors looking for a tax shelter.

He made his way towards them, sticking his gloved hands into his cassock pockets to fumble the handwarmers he kept hidden there. He hoped against the latter, as he always felt uncomfortable taking money from strangers; especially when they weren't devout. Once he reached the woman he extended a perfectly warm and welcoming hand to complement his warm honeyed tone. "Welcome to the Second Chance Church. I am Reverend Richard Throckett. I apologize if you were here for the sermon tonight, due to bereavement evening mass has been cancelled this week. Perhaps if you were to come in the morn-" The Reverend noticed the familiar predatory glint in her eyes. It caused his perpetual smile to falter in surprise for just a moment before his pearly whites returned in full force. "I see. Please, come into my office. We can have privacy there." he said, gesturing towards the room he had just exited from mere minutes ago. The open door showed a rather mundane looking office.

What were they doing here? He wracked his mind, but was certain that this woman was not there that horrible day. He also doubted that she was the new Prince. After what happened last time, he was certain that the new one would bring far more protection, if there even would be a new Prince. It was very possible that the group that murdered her; the "Anarchs", had already taken over (as ironic as that would be) and had sent this woman to make sure that he would be brought to heel. He prayed for the safety of his herd and had faith that whatever reason why she was here, it would not lead to violence, at least tonight.

Emily took the offered hand and stood. " Thank you father, i will try not to take much of your time. Emily followed the reverend to his office and Jospeh closed the door before standing guard nearby. " Good evening father, my name is Emily Chalmendelais and I serve the honourable and esteemed Primogen Serana Maharet. Please allow me to say that you have a beautiful church, it reminds me a little of the church i used to attend as a mortal and the acoustics are simply magnificent. You will have Forgive me for prattling on like this during our first meeting."

Emily shifted her legs into a crossed sitting postion and placed her hands neatly on her lap and smiled brightly. "eaque detéstor, quia peccando, non solum poenas a Te iuste statutas proméritus sum. That was always the two lines that encapsulated whatever small faith i had back in those days. Ironic that for all my sins in life I was rewarded with immortality and freedom from the feeling of sin. I have heard that grave sins were committed last night and was hoping you could shed the light of truth so that i will not be trapped in the mire of fear and uncertainty."

Emily patiently awaiited his response hoping that cutting to the point might ease some his obvious tension. She recalled the warmth of his hands and touched a finger to her lips in an exaggerated display of thought. "Do you use the blush of life everytime you meet with mortals? I should think you would be ravenous by the end of the night?."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:40, Sun 28 Nov 2021.

The Reverend took his own seat and interlaced his fingers as he let his fellow kindred speak. Rather than answer her initial troubling question he pulled out his hand warmers to answer her second one.

"The Lord Provides." He said with a bashful smile. He wasn't certain what she meant by 'blush of life' but he could guess. "I tend to save my over exertions for my sermons. And when it comes to managing my needs, I have found that my flock and I, like many others, have a symbiotic relationship. "

Placing the hand warmers back into his pocket the Reverend's smile became strained. "God forgives all sin, Emily. All you need to do is ask forgiveness, repent, and try to take a better path. As for what happened recently..."

Thockett recalled the events to the best of his ability. The mission they were given. His request. He left out his own personal struggle with the beast but spoke in great detail about the assassination of the prince by the homeless looking kindred. The death of the Sheriff and her sire at the hands of what he assumed to be the Anarch leaders. As he relived the tale his voice quivered and he had to take a few moments to gather his resolve.

"I must admit that my version of events lack context. I am a simple shepherd, a tool for Him to guide the lost, and new to this world of the reborn. Perhaps if you found and spoke with the others there, it may shed light that I may not be able to provide." He pulled out his wallet and took out the cards that Richard and Nefertari gave him and offered them to her.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:38, Mon 29 Nov 2021.

Emily slapped her knee and  and chuckled whislt wagging a finger at the reverned in an overexaggerated and comical manner. "How marvelously simple! A shame so few of my outfits have suitable pockets. I shall be sure to keep a few in my purse from now on. Joseph take a note of that in case i forget please." Joseph gave a nod but overwise did not respond.

"I am afraid your sermons will do little good in my case, i was no saint in my mortal life and any sense of guilt or disgust I feel towards my actions have long since dried up and become dust in the wind. The path we are on now requires an unfortuantely high amount of casual cruelty. Even if the evils we commit are small they are still evil i supposse though i cannot claim to be any kind of philosopher." Emily looked as if she wanted to say more but listendd quietly as the reverend spoke, placing an icy hand on his own in support when his voice quavered but othwerwise waiting for him to finish. So it is all true then, my gamble may yet pay off though the involvement of the Anarchs is troubling. Her sympathetic smile took slightly more predatory form and she licked her crimson lips and looked to Joesph with a curt nod as she touched her middle finger and thumb together at the tips to signal her command. Joseph scanned the room again before pulling out his phone and typing quickly.

"It seems that it was a trying night for you and no apology is needed, inf act it i i who should be greatful." She picked up the cards and smiled. Richard Navarro, Ventrue, Nefertari Panthea, Tremere and Rook. I hope that miser Du Ros is not involved in this. It is an acceptable risk, she won't be patient forever and the stage is set. She placed the a cards in her coat and returned her hands to her lap. " you have shed light ona great worry of mine and now i can set about preparing myself  to walk safely in the nights. If this does indeed spell war with the Anarchs then we shall all have to stick together. Here take my card and call if you need any assistance at all. I do not share your faith yet I know a kindred spirit when i see one. Oh! pardon the pun, it was entirely unintentional assure you. I will be sure to speak with this Lord Navarro and Lady Panthea when the opportunity allows." Emily slid across her own business card.

She watched the Reverend for a few moments in silence with an appraising look. " I hope you will forgive me if i ask you a personal question Father but, how long have you been  shall we say... uplifted from the mortal coil? Of course you are under no obligation to answer should you choose not to, it just strikes me that you may wish for assistance in navigating some of the more treacherous waters of our world, especially now that war appears to be brewing. War is blood to the sharks and many of our cousins will perish, perhaps not all of them at the hands of our enemies. Sad as it is to say, their is no shortage of treachery when covetous positions are to be filled but i wou ld much rather not involve myself in that bloody business. Should you ever have any questions i hope you will ask them and i would be happy to assit you and perhaps shed some light of my own on this peculiar world of ours. Of course i am no expert but i have...shall we say been around a domain or two in my time and had brushes with various groups of idividuals and factions."

The Reverend noticed the nonverbal communication between Emily and Joseph but did not inquire about it. It was none of his business after all, but it did leave a foreboding feeling in his gut. The other kindred summoned by the Prince were also quite taciturn. Have his people grown to rely on subterfuge and secrecy in the shadow of His absence? Throckett hoped that this wasn't the case. Openness and clarity were the best practice for finding and resolving problems peacefully and the best method for following the True Path.

For nothing will be impossible with God.

The Reverend's smile widened slightly and mirth danced within the lines of his eyes as Emily made her unintentional pun but he kept his thoughts to himself. As far as he was concerned, it didn't matter if she believed what he believed. He knew through experience that trying to force others to see His light would only cause them to shut their eyes tighter. To clench them tight in spite and denial. No. The best way to spread his ideals would be to get people to see that with a little faith, his way could and would bear fruit. He was certain that the road ahead of him was far more dangerous and arduous that he could possibly imagine, especially after that night, but God put him here for a reason and he would see it through to the end.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

If the Reverend was at all uncomfortable with Chalmendelais' line of questioning he certainly didn't show it. "My resurrection occurred about ten years ago." He said, his pearly white smile beaming. He kept the fact that he knew exactly how long ago, to the very day to himself. "I understand that makes me remarkably young when it comes to our people, and I find myself constantly hindered by my ignorance. Unfortunately it's hard to decipher metaphor from revelation in the scriptures, but I do try my best." He said, his hand wandered reflexively over to the Holy Bible that lay on his desk. "I certainly hope that war isn't on the horizon, and I'll certainly be on the forefront of trying to cool down any tensions in that regard. These are trying times and we need to achieve peace or face potential oblivion."

If anyone worships the Beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand,  they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury.

His eyes glazed over for a moment, as if he were seeing something far far away. He blinked and focused back on Emily. "I had intended to ask Mr. Navarro, but I was still grieving over our loss. The kindred that fateful day spoke of the 'Sabbat' as if they were bloodthirsty beasts incapable of reason or rational thought. I had simply surmised that they were either violent enemies of our people that we dehumanize or that they simply were more likely to succumb to the devilish temptations that plague us all..." He paused and while he still held his calm smile, lines of worry shown in his eyes. "Are they capable of reason? Or are there some whom do not keep their capabilities once resurrected? I-I've never seen a Sabbat before."

"My word, you are still practically a child by the reckoning of our kind, its impressive that you were chosen to attend the Prince in the same company of Lady Panthea and Lord Navarro. I understand that they are rather prominent in this community and it is rare that Anarch leaders would also attend. Clearly you must have caught the Prince's attention for some reason. Perhaps your humanity? You haven't quite got that empty shine in the eyes that we all get in time." Emily's smile dropped and she looked a little sad.

"Without intervention from the powers on high war seems unavoidable. The Anarchs killed three major figures within the domain including its ruler and enforcer. For the Anarchs this is a chance to take over the domain and rule it for their own, an opportunaty that the Anarch Elders are unlikely to let go to waste. If the Camrilla give up the domain without a fight or punihs the Anarchs for their treason then it will incite more rebellions. Trust me Father, the Camarilla will not allow that to happen and so there will almost certainly be war. Mortals and kindred will both bleed before this war ends i should think, best to hunker down and hope it passes swiftly."

Emily's lips turned a sneer for a moment at the mention of the sabbat but she quickly replaced it with a doll like expression of neutrality. She paused before answering, choosing her words carefully. "The sabbatt are not all monsters though I have never thought to try and reason with them, indeed in the few instances I have encountered sabbatt I did all i could to avoid them and seek succour with other kindred. The ones you are likely to meet on the streets are very likely to be savage and viscious killers. The Sabbat are fanatics that beleive kindred are the true master sof the earth and everything else is theirs to do with as they wish. For all of our cruelties they tend to be small scale, well comparatively. The Sabbat would have humans enslaved and massacred for sport."

Emily wrung her hands together as though cleaning them as she paused. "Have you heard the term Diablerie used before by other kindred?"

The Reverend's mouth opened in surprise when Emily mentioned the prominence of the company he was associated with. He was not too knowledgeable of things outside the domains of faith and he had spent most of his time in Shadowhold getting to know the clergy and his parishioners, seemingly to his detriment. He continued to listen to Emily with rapt attention. He mused over Emily's words. It seemed that the politics of the renewed were not so different from the politics of the living. Lives still hung in the balance awaiting the judgement of those with power. When there is a moment for him to cut in he asks, what he feels is, an important question.

"If war is inevitable." He said "I would like it to end as quickly as possible. With as little death as possible. My church is certainly not the haven for our kind that I wish it to be. But I do wish for it to be shelter from the upcoming storm, for saved and sinner alike." Emily seemed quite connected, or at least would know people who would be connected. In this way he hoped that he revealed his goals and motivations without coming off as a gullible pawn. He had no delusions; he knew that someone like him was bound to be used as a piece in what was to come, but he planned to be under his own terms.

Throckett felt relieved when he heard Emily's explanation of the Sabbat. They were far worse than he had originally thought; simple 'barbarians' or heretics that were otherized to make it easier to eliminate them. No, what he had volunteered to do that fateful night was the equivalent of teaching cannibals the word of God. An extremely dangerous action, by all accounts, by far more achievable than what the other kindred; likely blinded by rage or their own biases implied. He would, however, have to learn more about these people before blindly diving into their community, at least without some way to avoid a rather gruesome end.

"Diablerie?" the priest puzzled. "It sounds vaguely familiar. Does it have something to do with demons? Why do you ask?"

"I kind gesture though i would advise you arm yourself with something more than your faith, though potent i am sure it is unlikely to be enough to stop a kindred on the warpath. To be honest the best way to survive is to not be noticed at all. I would say you are doing a good job of that as it is. Here, i have heard somone called Rook is the person to go to for these sorts of things." Emily placer her hand in her coat pocket and slid across the slip of paper with Rooks number on it toward the Reverend.

" Diablerie is somethign of a tabbo amongst other kindred and its best not to mention polite conversation. It is what we call it when a kindred drains anothers vitae. I don't know how it works but is kills the kindred fed upon and the feeder gains some of the dead kindreds strength. Some say that draining an older vampire gives you even more strength others say that thats nonsense. Either way the punishment is always death. The reaosn everyone hates the sabbat is because they encourage diablerie and some of them even form packs specifically to hunt kindred to feed on. That is probabaly why the elders won't discuss peace.  When fledglings acquire a taste for their new power and run wild it is dangerous. Imagine if we encourgaged all the freshly turned to slake every thirst and give themselves wholly to the beast within. Imagine we taught them that it was right to do so and in fact they were chosen by a higher power, that every kindred and mortal they killed brought them closer to this higher power. I am sure you can appreciate why they are feared so much."

Emily clapped her hands and smiled brightly. "But that senough of the gloomy subjects i think. I am in no position to give orders to anyone but i would ask that if you do wish to talk with the Sabbat that you at least consider doing so with capable warriors. It is refreshing to have meet another kindred who does not despise mmortals and view them simply as cattle and i should say every domain needs a little more kindness and idealism. I should hope we can become goos friends and hope you don't mind if i visit you here every now and again. I always admired the acoustics and aetistry in churches."

Emily rose and offered a hand to the Reverend. "It has been a pleasure Father but i do not wish to take all of your time."

Throckett nodded and glanced at the card before pocketing it. Rook. It was clearly a pseudonym of some kind from the works of spy novels and other tales of skullduggery. The name wasn't familiar at all to him, nor did it dredge up any ideas of this person's competency or even his actual line of work, but if Emily recommended him, then he would at least take it under consideration. He was also quite surprised how close his earlier mental comparison to cannibalism came to describing the ways of the Sabbat. Even if this "Diablerie" was real, it was the very concept that would make it difficult to integrate these people into modern kindred society; assuming they even wanted to in the first place. The priest was also surprised that drinking another vampire dry held a special sort of taboo over say, killing them outright. His own sire seemed perfectly willing to share his blood with Throckett and it was an integral part of his own resurrection. Perhaps that was it; blood, 'vitae', held a sort of reverence to the Kindred. This reverence coming from...

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

Yes it made perfect sense to him now. It was so clear that Throckett felt ashamed that he had not come to the conclusion sooner.

"Yes of course." The Reverend spoke, his tone was soft but assured, "Now that I have come to a  greater understanding of the difficulty of the task ahead of me, I'll be sure to be more mindful of the preparations." He paused before addressing the next subject, "You and your friend," he said, nodding towards Joseph, "are always welcome at any time for any reason. Feel free to refer others here as well. In these trying times we have but each other to rely on to get through the nights."

He quickly rose with Emily, his smile beaming at his new friend. He clasped her hand with both of his, now long cold. "The pleasure was all mine, I assure you. God be with you." He nodded towards the door, allowing the two the privacy to make their exit on their own terms. After they left, Throckett mused over Rook's card. The Reverend was was more or less a nobody in the Kindred's world, so it was unlikely that he would be targeted, but was his congregation safe? His thoughts also wandered towards the Sabbat. Mortals were likely still being attacked, and the actions of these kindred would likely pass by unnoticed in the upcoming war. Perhaps this Rook may be able to shed some light on these issues.

Emily noded at the reverends blessing but did not respond further before taking her leave with Joseph in tow. As she walked down the aisle she stopped a few moments before the 12th station of the cross once more and smiled, wondering how funny it would be if Jesus had actually been a kindred. Several of the miracles could certianly be explained by that though she doubted he wold be walking around in daylight. Witha  flick of her hair she continued out of the church, heels clicking softly on thes tone floor.

She waited for Joseph to bring the car around and sat down in the back and stretched out her legs. "You sent the information to her i trust? Make sure you sent every detail he gave us correctly. I may have to call on her for sassistance before this war is through so i would like her to know that i am taking my role here seriously after all."

Jospeh flashed a look into the rear view mirror before responding. "Indeed i did, i do not embellish or down play any of my reports and simply advise on the actions and acivities ina clear and concise manner." "Of course you do Joseph, i was not suggesting you embellish anything, tonight has been a resounding success so far i would say and we confirmed more than i thought we would. The good reverend is naieve but appears to be honest and politically uncomplicated, all of them can be very useful qualities to us. Time to go home i think...oh if you could stop by Mr and Mrs Halls house on the way, I fancy a bite to eat and it has been several days since I fed from them so i am sure they are wringing their hands in anticipation for the joy of my kiss. tonight might eb the last time however, otherwise they will start getting too clingy by far and now is not the time to draw attention to ourselves."

Two nights later, an athletic man in loose fitting work clothes enters the church.  Callously passing the worshippers as he walks with methodical determination to the altar, and the expected place of the Reverend.

Two kindred in almost as many days. After a rather quiet few years in Shadowhold, this sudden change was quite alarming. The Reverend immediately recognized the man as he walked in. He was the man from that fateful night. Throckett didn't really know what to make of him, or why he was here. He had been rather taciturn and disaffected by the turn of events. What business did he have with him?

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

"Welcome," The priest's voice was warm and inviting betrayed only by the worry apparent in his eyes that darted from the kindred to each mortal that he walked past. He left the altar and took a slow, purposeful path towards the man, placing himself between him and his own office. "I'm sure we have much to discuss." Throckett gestured towards his office, its open door revealing a rather mundane room. Whatever this man needed, it was clearly not to wax poetic or to chew scenery.

His gaze is firm, and devoid of the humanity of the reverends' previous guest, as he meets Throcketts' eyes.  With a single gesture, he indicates that the Reverend would proceed him into the office.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:21, Tue 07 Dec 2021.

The Reverend gulped and led the creature man to his office closing the door behind him. The Lord was certainly testing his bravery today. The Priest was only mostly certain that this man meant him no harm; he was a powerless new-blood with little to no connections. It would be more likely that he would end up as collateral damage or as a martyr than anything.

Fear not, for I am with you

As he made his way to his chair the Reverend never quite took his eyes off the stranger.
When he spoke, he betrayed his nervousness again with his abrupt directness. "So, what brings you to my office?" His honeyed tone, though still warm, had dropped the normal frills and emphases that he was so prone to.

The man turned and locked the door behind him.  Sealing the Reverend in the room with him.  Then sat across from the Reverend, his eyes locked upon him with a penetrating gaze.

After a brief conversation the door opened with the man making rather quick departure leaving a stunned and confused Reverend. He had entered the room with many questions and would be leaving it with far more. As he heard the outer door to his church close he sighed and rubbed his temple, praying to God for strength.

Stepping from the Reverends' office, the man walked with slow methodical steps towards the door.  Stopping only once, to turn to a worshipper, and speak to her in a firm voice.  "The Reverend will see you now.". He continued to the door as she moved to the office.