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The office of the Knights Comitas Chapter Master of Cathagi is not as spartan as you might have imagined. Many Comitas knights swear vows of poverty, chastity and silence, but the room is littered with curiosities and trinkets of indiscernible value. It hardly measures up to the extravagant wealth on display at the Cathedral of the Brother’s Landing in Pascae, but clearly the Chapter Master here has afforded himself some small comforts after a lifetime of service. The windows face out from the Church into the Nova Cathagi bay, just a greenish-blue blur at this distance, and the heat of the day is much dissipated by the sea breeze floating in through the translucent linen curtains.
“Thank you Brother Kroger, you may return to your duties.” The silent knight bows deeply at the voice of Chapter Master Callahan, retreating as the old man sets down his quill on the parchment before him and bids you sit. “Sir Emile Andrei…”
“Your holiness.” You bow respectfully, much at a loss as to what this is about. You’re find yourself having to step around one of the Chapter Master’s curiosities before taking your seat. A stuffed animal of a species that you cannot in all honestly properly describe, it has the proportions of a large dog but is shelled head-to-toe in some form of natural carapace.
“I have received a highly unusual request from some of the pilgrims. They have pleaded that access to the Salve Sanctum be set aside for you alone today.” The Chapter Master watches you carefully, his grandfatherly demeanour taking a more severe turn as he notes your shocked reaction. “The Sanctum is where the first infant steps of our faith were taken, and I mean that quite literally. In my decades of service here, access to the Sanctum to outsiders has been restricted perhaps twice outside of our annual confirmation of the Comitas. My respect for any man who travels here on their own undertaking, noble or common, and I see no good reason to favour one pilgrim over another with sole access to the Sanctum. It is a highly unusual request, and not one that I was minded to grant despite the appeal of your confessor.”
“I understand, your holiness.” You gulp, feeling a headache coming on. What has Father Towbray riled up now? “You must believe I had no idea…”
“Yes, I believe you. But I am not finished.” Chapter Master Callahan holds up a hand as before you can speak further. “I have heard much of you since your arrival, not least of which being the account of your vigil at Brother’s Landing and this incident involving the storm. While at first it was mainly the pilgrim contingent you arrived with, quite a number of the other good souls here have heard the same stories and now wish you the same privileged access to the Sanctum. Some are merely curious, some eager and a few are… apprehensive, shall we say.”
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