“Interesting. I wonder what would happen if we were to get Minton into the same room as this ersatz goddess,” Midian muses aloud. “To know the thoughts of divinity, or at least a facsimile thereof.” 

Inwardly Midian determines to test the man’s mind reading abilities when they meet. Such a skill could be useful, or very dangerous. 

"The thoughts of divinity?" says Priestess Aloma, sounding a little surprised at the depths of Midian's own thoughts. "An interesting idea."

Then she adds, "At this time, it is just my hope that Hareld has been close enough to this supposed avatar to be able to tell us if she is real or not. He is normally the soul of discretion, and it his duty to protect the School, but I believe—as a devout follower of Mithra—that he will tell me if someone is pretending to be the goddess."

By this time, the two are getting quite close to the gate and Midian starts trying to determine if someone is perhaps already reading his thoughts.

[Make a Perception check.]

Perception: 20

Re roll for exp if relevant:  18

Quote from Izraal1 >>

Perception: 6

Re roll for exp if relevant:  22

[OOC: Although Midian feels nothing strange, he also feels certain that no one is interfering with his mind. He also gains some experience points.]

"Hello Hareld, It is Lisbeth Aloma," says Midian's companion, as they reach the large wooden door that acts as the gate to the School. "Do you mind if we talk?"

She then turns to Midian and with a smirk says, "He tells you not to talk as the echo is annoying, but it is hard not to."

Suddenly a loud barking starts up on the other side of the gate.

Turning in surprise, the priestess says, "That's new. There wasn't a dog here last time I came."

"Perhaps to a mind reader a dog provides a superior companion," Midian muses.  "A dog does not dissemble, or act in opposition to its thoughts.  A dog is among the most straightforward and guileless creatures in existence."  While it sounds like Midian is praising the animal, inwardly he is full of nothing but contempt.  The masses are no different than dogs, begging for scraps and cowering to their masters.  He quickly corrects such thoughts, and focuses on an internal mantra of scripture, in the event that this mind reader's powers are real.  "In any case, it is understandable that a dog might be more pleasant company for such a man."  

He prepares to head in alongside Aloma when she is ready, evidently waiting for some inaudible - to him - signal, that they are welcome.

"Master Minton?" queries Priestess Aloma, as if to the air, as the dog's barking becomes more serious.

"Wait a minute," Midian hears from inside and then, "Bruxa! Ssh! Be good."

Then there come sounds from the large door and a small spy hole opens letting light flood out.

"Yes," says a voice in Sorian. "Who is it? Come closer so that I can see you."

There is silence for a moment and then Priestess Aloma steps closer and says, "Master Minton... Hareld... Is that you?"

"Lisbeth," comes the answer from within and then, "Wait, I will open the gate."

The gate is quickly opened revealing a Sorian man in his early middle years who, unlike the majority of the race, is unusually short. Behind him, Midian can see a large black dog chained to a kennel, which looks entirely too small for it.

"Come in, Lisbeth, come in," says the man and then he catches sight of Midian. "Who is this?" he asks.

Priestess Aloma seems momentarily unable to speak and has a surprised look on her face.

Midian bows his head politely but says nothing, unsure what the protocol is with this unusual man, or why Aloma seems so shocked. 

Insight - 17 He tries to get a read on why Aloma reacted as she did. The name, perhaps?

Quote from Izraal1 >>

Midian bows his head politely but says nothing, unsure what the protocol is with this unusual man, or why Aloma seems so shocked. 

Insight - 17 He tries to get a read on why Aloma reacted as she did. The name, perhaps?

[OOC: If this is Master Minton, then he's not living up to his reputation. Considering the way Priestess Aloma approached the School, he should have known who was at the gate.]

"Hello?" says Minton, a little confused. "Have I gone deaf?"

He then gets a suspicious look on his face and closes the gate a little. "If you are not going to tell me your name, then you aren't going to come in."

Then he looks to Priestess Aloma and says, "Lisbeth? Are you okay? Has this man got you under some sort of spell?"

"No, no, I'm fine," says the priestess, finally finding her voice. "But... Are you okay? You haven't responded to any of my thoughts."

At this, Minton actually smiles and says, "That's because I've been cured... By the Goddess herself. Do I have a story for you..."

Then he looks back at Midian and says, "But duty first. Who are you, sir?"

“Cured, but you’ve forgotten the names and voices of old friends? Interesting sort of miracle,” Midian says. “I’m Midian. We actually came here to ask about the goddess, how fortunate for us. It sounds like you do have quite a story to tell. Please, do share it.”

Midian looks to Aloma with a raised eyebrow, but says nothing about the man’s condition at this time, hoping he can be promoted to simply voluntarily she information about his “encounter with the divine.” 

Minton glares at Midian and then looks to Priestess Aloma. "Do you vouch for this rude young man?" he asks.

Priestess Aloma ignore his question, asking one of her own, "What do you mean by cured?"

Minton replies, saying, "I no longer hear the thoughts of everyone... It is a blessed silence, I can tell you."

"How?" asks Aloma, still sounding confused.

"One of your own—a priestess—came among us. But she is now an avatar of blessed Aieda herself." 

At this, Minton's eyes seek out the rising quarter moon that is in the sky before continuing, "She did but touch me and all the voices, all the incessant babble... It just went away... It is a miracle, I tell you."

After a moment, Priestess Aloma asks, "And this avatar, she is still here?"

"Yes, yes," replies Minton. "She is... She is under the archmagus' protection in the administration building."

"Would we be permitted to see her?" asks Priestess Aloma.

At first, Minton gestures for her to come in, but then he holds up a hand to stop her. "No, sorry. It is against School policy. I will need to get the archmagus' permission to allow one of the priesthood on the grounds in an official capacity... We have had this problem before, Aloma. Remember."

"Yes, yes," replies the priestess, showing a little frustration. "I am happy to wait. Go and get your permission."

"I'll be back as quickly as I can," says Minton before closing the gate and locking it.

"He has always been a stickler for the rules," says Aloma turning to Midian. "Still, something strange certainly seems to have happened within these wall, don't you think?"

“Absolutely strange,” Midian agrees. “Including the fact that under these circumstances anyone would be a stickler for conventional rules. If this is a genuine manifestation of the goddess, we are dealing with a monumental event. The church should have been alerted, the public should be talking of nothing else, and so on. For the supposed goddess appearance to be ‘hoarded’ by the school of the arcane, and for them to be concerned about petty faction and protocol during such an event, does not ring of truth. One should not hear of the physical presence of divinity from rumors told by drunken students while undertaking a covert investigation - you would expect more ubiquitous knowledge of such a thing, and that it would be something that should circumvent all societal norms - that’s news like no other, after all.”

Midian casually searches the room while Minton is gone - Investigation 11 - while speaking to Aloma. “He mentioned some prior incident where evidently the interests of the church and the school were at odds. What was that all about?”

[OOC: You were not allowed in to the School. Midian and Priestess Aloma are both still currently on the street and therefore Midian's Investigation check only reveals the fact that there is no sign of any way to lock or unlock this gate from the outside.]

"Strange? Yes and no," says Priestess Aloma in regard to Master Minton's behaviour. "He's an unusual man; privy to many secrets that he is honour bound to keep to himself."

Then, in answer to Midian's last question she says, "When the School was first set up by the current king's father, one of its founding principles was that it be areligious so that Stemians wouldn't be against coming to it. At the time, it was considered more important for people to learn how to control their wild magic than worry about who they worshipped."

Then she adds, "It was actually we Mithrans that argued for a lot of the 'policy' Minton mentioned; all visits by an official representative of any religion need to be reported to the king and they can only visit with the archmagus' permission. Which applies to me, if I want to go beyond the gatehouse."

Then she is silent for a moment before saying, "He said that the avatar was one of ours: a priestess. I wonder what he meant by that?"

“Pure conjecture, at this point, but when you examined the ‘evidence’ associated with Harlan’s murder you found items associated with priestesses of your order. The staff of the tavern he died at mentioned multiple women being seen with him. Within a short time from his death we have both the new law enacted as well as this woman who came here, along with a male, and claims to be divine,” Midian says. “I can’t say that it all connects with certainty, but as I said, even in a city as large as Constantine, it’s hard for me to believe so many unusual events would take place in a short span of time and be entirely coincidental. Maybe this priestess turned goddess was with Harlan and knows something about his death. Either way, we have to know more.”

Priestess Aloma thinks for a while before saying, "I agree that it is unlikely that there isn't some sort of connection... And, if there is, then we possibly have a priestess of Aieda without her holy moon necklace. Add to that the fact that I couldn't tell who owned the necklace found at the murder scene with my magic and it all becomes deeply troubling to me."

“Indeed. I must say, this kind of intrigue, on the one hand, is exactly what I had trained for. I am just surprised so much of it seems to originate internally. The one odd note is that I have yet to find any confirmed ties to any cultists, all the more surprising considering the edict that went out,” Midian says. “Though the night is still young. There could yet be an Arionite link we haven’t discerned as of yet. In any case, we will know more once we meet this ‘goddess’ inside. If they decide to let us in.” 

"One thing I am pretty sure of though," begins Priestess Aloma, "is that, if this priestess that Minton mentioned is real, then she is not from Constantine. I know my sister priests. We are a tight-knit group. None of them have been absent from the temple and it is hard to imagine any of them pretending to be an avatar of the goddess."

A little while later, the dog behind the door suddenly starts barking again only to be quietened once more by Master Minton, apparently returned from his mission to get permission for Priestess Aloma to enter.

The door is opened by Minton, who is now with another person: a beardless Sorian male in his early twenties with his long dark hair tied back in a queue. The man is wearing expensive clothes and is also wearing the silver medallion of a journeyman magus.

"The archmagus wishes to see you, Lisbeth," says Master Minton. "Young Eddard here will take you and your companion to the administration building."

"Hello," says the young man. "I am Eddard Maclan. Please follow me."

[OOC: Make a straight Wisdom check versus a DC of 15 to see if Midian knows anything about this person.]

Wisdom: 10

The sight of the signet ring on the young man's finger confirms Midian's memories. This man must be the eldest son of Lord Maclan.

Priestess Aloma and Midian are led further into the School by the young Eddard Maclan.

"I take it, priestess, that you have come to see our miracle woman," says the young man. "I'm a little surprised to see you aren't in your formal vestments. Has the king's decree made it so unsafe in the streets that you are required to travel around in disguise and with a protector."

"No, no," says Priestess Aloma. "I came to speak with Master Minton just as a friend... I am a little surprised that the archmagus let us in. Technically, I am not here in an official capacity in this matter."

Eddard smiles and says, "No doubt it is the fact that you are an alumni that has opened the gate for you, as it were. Maybe the archmagus is interested in finding out what the Temple's stand might be on this. The manifestation of the woman's power was both quite startling... and shall we say, revealing."

"And you, sir," says Eddard looking at Midian. "You wear a scholar's robes over leather armour and I see you have a modicum of magic yourself. Are you perhaps something more than a simple guard?"

"Technically I am not here in an official capacity, either," Midian says with a japing tone and a slight smile.  "At this moment I aspire only to be the best 'simple guard' I can be to priestess Aloma.  Every young man has ambitions of more, of course.  But we'd all be prudent to protect ourselves in these uncertain times, and a bit of magical potential is hardly unique in Constantine, or elsewhere.  I'm hardly the most interesting thing that's entered your halls of learning as of late.  I would love to hear more about these 'manifestations,' as you put it."

Midian takes on a tone of awe and wonderment in his voice, "Is it true that she has performed miracles?  Did you witness them yourself?"