"Have you ever experienced getting torn to shreds, then being rebuilt, only to quickly be ripped up all over again?" The priest questions with a tilt of his head. "Or perhaps, getting eaten alive by eldritch rats, your screams to only be consumed by the darkness that surrounds your pitiful body? Being drowned in the depths of the ocean as writhing tentacles drag you down deeper and deeper? Being staked to the heart?" He leans into the vampire with a grin on his face. "Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to get burnt up on the surface of the sun and relive that moment for the rest of your Gods forsaken life?" 

He leans back and gestures to the basement door. "Then by all means, enter the basement."

Had she had no follow up to his words, he would simple smile to her before going off to his grand altar of Umbra and begins his prayer for their lost companion. 

Father's answer satisfies Villanelle's curiosity, so she is quiet and allows him to pray over Vulcans soul.

"Creed forsaken." Madison breathed, looking around. "I will not be going into your..basement.." she gave Father a wary look. She found a spot to collapse into and began to tend to her burn wounds. "Nothing could be worse more than this place. And if i'm wrong, we will soon find out." As she worked, her gaze wandered around. "Creed and Crown help us.."

Somewhere impossibly close, but unimaginably distant, a conversation took place.

He had potential. Why did you have to do that?

HE REFUSED THE OFFER.

Yes, I know. I could sense it. 

IT IS INSIGNIFICANT. THERE WILL BE MORE.

Of course. In time, all will be understood. 

THERE IS MUCH WORK TO DO.

Yes, I am coming.

Freya is taken aback by Father's strange act of kindness.  Too exhausted to really talk or even think, she can't help but accept Father's invitation to enter into the strange building that magically appeared before her.  As her last act of defiance, she calls forth 6 bats out of thin air, and then herself turns into a bat, and the flock all flies up into the belfry and chillaxes together.

That night, she dreams of a dark and handsome Artificer who disappeared from her life as fast as he arrived.  Pity.....she had wanted to convert him...

Dia sits in one of the pews and slips off her leather armor, completely ignoring (or perhaps reveling in) the fact that this leaves her utterly naked, and checks the armor so she can make any necessary repairs before falling asleep, still unclothed.

Madison took off her leather trench coat, granted it was filthy and bloodied. She walked over to Dia, trying to not stare at her too obviously, and said, "You need this more than I do." she said, whether Dia was awake or not, putting it over her if she was asleep, or next to her if she was awake.

Tora Tiger eventually returns generally close to Dia, the mist surrounding her, leaving regular Tora in its place, surprisingly almost unscathed. She remains quiet before eventually falling asleep, looking up at whatever was above her. 

She dreamed of the forest, the lush trees hazilly above her. Much more inviting than this madness. But the memories seemed to be faded, hazy, almost unpleasant. Tora felt the longing to go back, but she would do anything Dia required. Or... at least that's how it felt before. Now... Well now she did it because she wanted to. She enjoyed the danger. Reveled in the dominant power she felt in her new form. Why couldn't she stay like that forever? One with her spirit. It was... a longing thought. A beautiful union. Better yet, she believed it was possible. But for now, her temporary link would have to do. 

And so, she dreamed. 

Dia was indeed gorgeous, like a woman you couldn't afford. Madison distracted herself, which was easy to do, as this very place Father conjured up was a massive tribute to whatever god was testing us. Playing with us. She considered asking Father, who seems to enjoy this place, enjoy what was happening - and Madison was scared. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. She was considered getting up and talking to Father when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. 

"Say." Madison muttered, looking at Tora sleep. "When did Tora get a teddy bear?"

"Strange." Villanelle says in response to Madison's question. "I didn't see a toy shop on the way here. Father, is there a child in this temple who left their toys out?"

After another inky explosion and a shattering mirror (that I failed to notice and all the RP after until now...), Exelda stood breathing hard in a sweaty, inky mess. She'd finally snap too as Villanelle taps her foot and announces the death of Vulcan.

LeBlanc would straighten herself up as Father summons forth a rather impressive structure. A temple. The mention of a rest sounded foreign to her, feeling as though it's been weeks since the last time she put her feet up. Exelda had been preparing to spend her resources on her compatriots, to use Father's choice of words. The swordmaster still had plenty up her sleeves but wasn't about to turn down their priests' generosity, even though she suspected it was mostly for his benefit. LeBlanc would pace back and forth in front of the temple a few times before finally following the others inside. She'd bow her head in thanks to Father.

As everyone settled in their own areas, it would go without saying that LeBlanc would avoid the basement and find her own section of pews in the back to make her evening nest. The swordmaster would keep her back to the others as she took her turn to cleanse herself of the filth of their journey thus far. Exelda would close her eyes and hum a soft melody to herself as she stripped off her leathers, casting prestidigitation to clean them, then herself. Her fingertips would glow as she'd trace her wounds, sealing them up as they went. Once refreshed, she'd redress and pick up her blades. She'd examine them one by one, cleaning and polishing them before slipping them back into their places.

Exelda would lay along the pew, crossing her feet at the ankles and stare up at the ceiling, eventually falling silent.

Just as Father finishes up his prayers, he’s called to attention by Madison and Villanelle referencing some bear that seemingly popped up from thin air. “Oh! He’s left us a gift, it seems.” He says, unbothered by the presence of the stuffed toy, even getting up to pick it up and set it at the head of the altar. “There, a better view.” He pats the toy in the head with a smile before turning to the girls, his hands folded before him.

“I have never seen this teddy bear before, and I assure you there are no children here, so I must assume it’s a gift from my lord himself. He must be overjoyed to see me bring in so many interesting saaah— companions.” He nods after his correction. “Anywho, I know the pews aren’t very comfortable, but they will have to suffice as beds for you all...” He gives a look over to the already snoozing Dia and Tora, then to Exelda in the back. “Mm, maybe I was incorrect in that statement... But, if that will be all, I will be retreating to my quarters. If you need me for anything don’t hesitate to knock on my door~”

Had the ladies had nothing else to say to him, he would do as he said and retreat to his quarters for some light reading before bed. 

Exelda's arm would lift lazily from the pew giving a simple thumbs up to Father before going back down.

Madison, already unnerved from everything that's been going on, just had to ask.

"Hold on." she said to Father, squinting at the toy. "If your..lord, as you say, is the mastermind of all..this." she had difficulty trying to find the words to describe where they were. "Why do you fight alongside us?" 

She tore her gaze away from the teddy bear to give Father a stern look. As he spoke, she looked at the teddy bear again, it was..unnerving..how it stared out into space, and it made her very uncomfortable.

Villanelle was about to doze off to sleep as Madison asked Father her question. She suddenly popped up in her pew, ready to hear the answer.

Father had his back turned to them, yet he stops in his tracks when proposed the question. He is silent at first, seemingly thinking over his answer before turning his head, smile faded, and answering simply with: "It's cute to see you all try."

With that, he heads off to his room and locks the door shut.

Madison stared at Father as walked off. She glanced sideways at Villanelle. "That's not the answer I was expecting." she said, mulling it over. She sat down in a pew.

On one hand, it was impressive how Father was so confident, offering a flippant response to Madison and then ******* right off. But it was still disappointing that it ended so anticlimactically. She goes to sleep in her pew shortly afterwards.

UMBRAL PITS LEVEL 2 - ROOM 3
THE BLACK CHAMBER

This unlit room is about 80' x 150' with a 20' high ceiling. The entire floor is inlaid with an elaborate mosaic of eldritch design, other than that, the room is bare. Five powerful humanoids are in this room sitting reverently around a black chest in a tight circle, heads down. They are all pitch black and mostly featureless, wearing armor and heavily armed. They are a mixture of male and female, and slightly different. As you enter the room, they remain in their position, unmoving. A horrible buzz emanates from the room, like feedback, loud and headache inducing.

Freya whispers to group as they enter the strange room “This Umbra character has a strange sense of music.  I never understood why people like this EDM crap....it just gives me a headache.”

She’ll rip off the bottom hem of her cloak, crumple it up into two small wads, and stuff a wad into each ear (makeshift ear plugs).

Then, she’ll take a moment to attempt to hide in the shadows (Stealth/Hide in Plain Sight: 35).

Villanelle doesn't question what's causing the buzzing or who the people are. Only what's inside the chest. "What's in that chest that has you revering it so much?"