19885/Secrets of the Vatican

Secrets of the Vatican
Date of Scene:	01 February 2025
Location:	Beneath an old church in rome.
Synopsis:	The Adv Club descends in to the ancient tunnels beneath an old church in Rome. They find themselves immersed in the traps of the past, and the dangers of the present.
Cast of Characters:	Lara Croft, Kate Bishop, Marc Spector, Cinque Evers, Patience Alperen

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Lara Croft has posed:
The underground air was thick with the damp scent of stone and age, laced with the faint tang of minerals from the slow seep of water through ancient rock. Hours had passed since they descended beneath the church of San Clemente, winding through labyrinthine passages of forgotten corridors and crumbling masonry. The light of their flashlights cut through the darkness in shifting beams, illuminating faded frescoes and symbols carved into the walls - clues left behind by those who once walked these halls with purpose.  Their exploration had lead them through all manner of stone corridors, some more impressive than others, but most of them were quite unimpressive, save for the level of cobwebs, dust, and questionable residents that still called these tunnels home.

The group finally found themselves at the apex of a set of stone stairs, that descended for what felt like a mile down in to the ground.  The stone stairs were lined on either sides by alcoves filled with statues of Templar Knights, each one staring at the adventurers, as they crept past their guard post in this long forgotten stairwell.

Finally, they reached the last dusty step, and came to a wall of cobwebs, dried and gently swaying in the subterrainian wind that silently passed through the tunnel.  With her light held up, Lara glanced to the others with her, and reached a hand out in to the cone of her flashlight.  She pulled at the webs, tugging them down, causing them to split and fall away, reavealing what lied beyond.

Beyond the wall of web, the passage widened into a vaulted chamber, its ceiling arching overhead in elegant yet ominous symmetry. The floor tiled in intricate geometric patterns, some of the stones looking unnervingly loose beneath the dust of centuries. At the far end of the room stood an ancient mechanism - a collection of stone pillars and rotating disks, etched with Latin inscriptions that had softened with age but still held their mystery. A puzzle. And if history had taught them anything, likely a trap as well.  

Lara exhaled, rolling her shoulders back as she took in the sight before them. "Well, I'd say we've reached our first test." She gestured toward the puzzle, then tapped the toe of her boot lightly against one of the floor tiles, testing its stability. A faint *click* sounded in response, and she immediately stilled. "That's not reassuring."  

She glanced over her shoulder at the team, eyes marked by clear caution. "Alright, let's be careful. These kinds of mechanisms were designed to keep people out, and we're likely standing right in the middle of its trigger zone." Her gaze flicked to Patience. "Let's get a proper read on what we're dealing with here before we go shifting anything."  

Then, with a wry glance at Kate, she added, "And before anyone suggests it - no, this isn't the time to ?wing it.'"  

A distant drip echoed somewhere deeper in the tunnels, the only sound beyond their own breathing. Whatever they were looking for - it was close, but they had to get past this test first...

Kate Bishop has posed:
Being underneath the church was no small source of amusement for Kate Bishop. While non practicing these days, she was raised Jewish.

But even while not Catholic, she's still happy to help her friends in the Adventurers Club. She even turned up in uniform. Or at least scuffle appropriate gear in a lot of shades of purple leather. With the odd highlight of black via accessorizing. Or her hair up in a ponytail.

"I'm gonna guess that whatever the hell that Latin inscription says is probably important." she ponders as she squints her blue eyes as if focusing her eyesight will magically translate the ancient text. "Maybe wanna stick to stepping on the scuffed up tiles. Clearly high traffic stones!"

Marc Spector has posed:
"I'd never have thought ancient traps were a real thing," Stephen Grant says with a shake of his head. He's changed from suit into something more appropriate for delving beneath the earth, though it still looks like he bought it out of a magazine a few days before taking off on this adventure. Even as he makes this remark, a voice only he can hear seems to scoff somewhere over his shoulder.

He moves into the chamber, though he is careful not to do so quickly and his eyes drift to the floor for conspicuous tiles even if he is trying to hide that fact. He peers critically at the first of the frescoes, hands clasped behind his back. He tilts his head to the side, speaking back towards Lara and the rest.

"You know, if you really wanted I'm sure a sledgehammer would open more mysterious gates than solving a riddle."

Cinque Evers has posed:
Under normal circumstances, Cinque would never reveal his secret identity so soon. Displaying a glimpse of his powers was one thing, but fully suiting up required careful calculation. He had, in fact, devised a complex mathematical proof to weigh the odds of whether donning his costume was the right call. The deciding factors were clear: one of his teammates was a direct descendant of Jesus of Nazareth, which meant all eyes were likely on Patience rather than him. And if things went sideways, he had no intention of making it easy for the Maggia or the Catholic Church to track him down. So the obvious answer was to wear the costume. The mask was a necessity.

Besides, the costume allowed him to carry all his toys or tools designed for a variety of unexpected surprises. He retrieved his infrared binoculars and took a moment to survey the tunnel. In his mind?s eye, he recalled the passage leading to the chapel with perfect clarity. His gaze then shifted to an inscription etched into the stone. He narrowed his eyes before turning to the others.

"I recognize the words as Latin," he said. "But what do they say?"

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen had taken time to prepare for this (probably ill advised) journey under the city - and more than likely under at least part of the Vatican. If it weren't for the right reasons, she'd be vehemently opposed to the whole idea; out of respect for history, the countless saints and believers of Christ sure to have been buried down here, as well as for the Church. Though slightly less for the later, these days.

Dressed in her signature armor with a small satchel and backpack worn under her cloak, she moved through the narrow tunnels with the rest of the team. In her right hand she holds what appears to be a staff, wrapped liberally in burlap covering. Some would surely know it is more than that.

As they reach the first puzzle, Patience paused and looked around carefully while listening to Lara's field experience. If anyone here would know a trap, it is not difficult to believe it would be Lara.

As the 'click' is heard, Patience closes her eyes to focus for a moment before opening them to study the chamber's features and to spare an imploring look to Stephen. "It would. And then important details, clues, and most of all - irreplacable history - would be lost forever. There is yet to be a reason we need to rush. Should that change for the worse there will be ample opportunities to desecrate the past with abandon..."

Studying the inscription, she nods once to Cinque before reciting the warning in perfect Latin and then translating to English, "Only those who walk in the path of the evangelists may pass."

Gesturing to the statues in turn, she identifies them. "Saint John. Saint Mark. Saint Matthew. Saint Luke. We have the evangelists. And we will have to decipher what the inscription expects us to do, exactly.." She glances to the others before looking to Lara; the one with most of the deadly trap experience of the group after all.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara gave a sideways glance toward Steven, expressing a soft smile toward the man that she only barely met in New York, before inviting him on this trip. "You'd be surprised how common they really are.  From the mercury traps around Chinese emperor tombs, to... so much more..." She stepped forward, weaving past Patience and Steven, her keen gaze locking onto the worn floor beneath them. Dust and centuries of neglect had settled into the grooves of the carved stone tiles, but now that she was looking for it, the faint markings became clear - subtle etchings, nearly lost to time. She crouched, gloved fingers brushing over a tile marked with the ghostly outline of a winged man. Matthew. Her lips pressed together in thought as her gaze lifted to the pillars Patience had identified.  

Rising smoothly, she approached the nearest column, trailing her hand along its surface until she reached the rotating stone disk on top. Symbols. Four of them. The Evangelists. A slow exhale left her lips. "This is a sequence lock," she murmured, glancing back at the others. "The symbols on the pillars correspond to the tiles on the floor. If we get this wrong, I suspect we'll be dealing with more than just a stiff door." Her eyes flicked toward the thin slits in the ceiling - too evenly spaced to be natural. "Spikes, if I had to wager a guess."  

Lara took a step back, nodding as she pieced it together. "Right. We need precision. Steven, I need you on the pillars - rotate them until each one aligns with its correct Evangelist symbol. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Cinque, I want you on mapping duty. Track which floor tiles bear the same symbols as the pillars. We need to press them in order." She turned to Kate, expression sharp with purpose. "Kate, you and I will handle the floor. Once Cinque confirms the correct sequence, we'll step on them together."  

Her gaze flicked to Patience. "Patience, stay at the ready. If this room decides to turn on us, I'd rather not be skewered by divine retribution."  

Stepping back, Lara gestured for them to move. "Let's not keep history waiting."

Kate Bishop has posed:
"Those are probably load bearing booby traps. Funny thing is if they have a way to self reset after they go off, or did they have people doing regular maintenance like any modern security system?" Comes some more nuggets of what may or may not be wisdom from the Bishop in name only.

At least when Patience has an answer to the translation the brunette in purple hmms. "So I expect the evangelism was still preaching. Gonna guess the scuffed stones are still the path. But to be on the safe side..." with a toe touching a different stone, the lighter side she adds some extra weight to push down and see if it falls away or sets something else off. "Maybe be ready to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge." she says while making a wince expression. What might happen, she doesn't know. "If need be I'll set up a zipline from this side of the chamber to the other." she adds as an actual suggestion.

Marc Spector has posed:
"I don't know, Ms. Bishop," Grant muses, rubbing his chin, "If I went to all that trouble to build a puzzle box, I'd not want to risk it getting crushed. But then, the sort of mind that builds a place like this in the first place likely has different priorities. I'll just say I don't have a self-destruct button for my summer house."

But he does what he's bidden, moving towards the pillars to rotate them. For a somewhat foppish-looking financier, there is a lot of strength deceptively hidden. There's more to him than meets the eye.

Cinque Evers has posed:
A part of Cinque's mind is captivated by the situation, intrigued by the sheer number of intellectual mysteries unfolding before him, unlike anything he has ever encountered. Yet, the rest of his mind seamlessly shifts into multitasking mode. As time slows due to his accelerated perception, he begins scanning the floor, his enhanced intuition quickly identifying patterns that match those of the evangelists.

With meticulous precision, he verifies the patterns multiple times, ensuring their accuracy with his heightened intellect before finally speaking.

Pointing to a faded winged figure, he states, "Matthew is three squares to the left of the pillar. The lion is two squares diagonally left. Three squares down from there is Luke, and finally, two steps to the right is John."

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen sparing a wry smile for Lara, she nods. It isn't clear to her how, exactly, she is supposed to avert Divine retribution - or mortal but she watches as the team begins to follow Lara's instructions. Her eyes follow Stephen first, trusting he'll rotate each of the statues in the correct order - but ready to speak up if he happens to stray out of order.

Lara Croft has posed:
At the banter from the others, Lara glanced to Kate, as the two got in to position to alter the stones upon the floor.  "I have come across far too many of these sorts of traps, where there have been those who had come before... and never left.  Gruesome displays." she vaguely elaborated, as she followd Cinque's guidance, and glanced to Steven to watch his progress too.  "this place?  I would guess the only people who have come to it, since its creation, were those who knew the proper allignment... and more than likely there is a master reset control somewhere... close. But, hopefully, we don't need it..."

After her last instruction from Cinque was accomplished, and Lara moved her dusty boot from the pressured floor tile, she held her breath as the final piece of the sequence clicked into place. A deep, mechanical groan rumbled through the chamber, ancient stone grinding against itself as the weight of centuries shifted. Dust trickled from the ceiling, disturbed by the slow but deliberate movement of the massive stone door ahead. Then, with a final resonant *thud*, it parted - revealing a passage descending into the darkness beyond.  

Lara exhaled, glancing over her team. "Well done. No skewering today." Her boots echoed lightly as she stepped forward, peering down the corridor. A damp, cool breeze carried the scent of age and decay, tinged with something else - water. "Stay alert. This structure has seen better days."  

Moving cautiously, Lara led the way inside, her torchlight casting flickering shadows against the walls. The corridor opened into a vast chamber, the remains of its former grandeur still visible despite the damage. The ceiling, once adorned with intricate carvings, now bore deep cracks, and portions had collapsed entirely. Water pooled along the edges of the chamber, seeping through fractures in the stone, glistening in the torchlight.  

But it was the empty pedestal at the center that drew Lara's focus.  

Lara's lips pressed into a firm line as she stepped closer, the weight of realization settling over her. This chamber had once held the Crown of Ages. But now - now it was gone.  

She turned to the others, her voice steady but edged with new urgency. "We weren't the first ones here. Someone took it..." She said, her voice echoing around the water-filled chamber, the pools reflecting light from their submerged corners, across the crumbling sanctum's walls.  As Lara turned back to the empty pedestal, she spoke again. "Spread out, maybe there are clues as to how recently this happen---"

Suddenly, the chamber door they had come through, began to rumble closed again, the light from the puzzle room growing dimmer, as something came clattering down the passageway the team had just accessed. Clink clink clink.
Two hand grenades, pins removed, bounced across the stone floor, one rolling down the middle dry pathway, while another fell in to one of the submerged pools in the sanctum's corner.

Kate Bishop has posed:
It took a bit of agility to make sure the actual wrong stones weren't stepped on as Kate and Lara moved about. Thankfully her quiver holds everything in place with magnets.

Always with the magnets!

But once they get through the puzzles and traps and it appears that they were beaten too the prize. If there ever was one there's a frown.

It soon turns to a more panicked look as she hears the clatter of grenades rolling about.

"Futz, grenades!" she yells and is already drawing her bow and a couple arrows" The first is loosed and while it doesn't hit the grenade, it doesn't have to. The immediate area around it just starts getting covered by an expanding mass of foam. The sort normally used for nonlethal capture of people. It can take a bit of a beating since it was also at one time designed to protect people from high impact car crashes.

Should hopefully be able to take a hit from a grenade.

The other might be a problem with people in the way though.

Marc Spector has posed:
Steven already appears to be reacting before Kate can call out the presence of the grenades, as though the mere sound triggers something in him. If anyone were paying attention, it would be easy to see his whole demeanor change. His posture shifts, his shoulders square, and his expression becomes less laissez-faire and far more serious.

In a singular motion he flings himself across the room, fluidly moving behind one of the pillars. He draws something from an inner pocket, clutching it tight against his thigh for a second as though he were waiting for something to show so he might throw it. A silvery ankh, by the look of it, with the edges sharpened to a razor gleam.

Cinque Evers has posed:
As Cinque?s accelerated perception tracks the grenades, they move in slow motion to his eyes. He observes his team spring into action, anticipating the blast and preparing for the next wave of attacks. He silently acknowledges his admiration for Katie?s quick thinking as she fires a foam arrow at one of the grenades, and for Steven, who skillfully maneuvers behind a pillar, likely positioning himself for a counterattack.

Raising his modified Navy Colt pistols, Cinque rapidly calculates the optimal angle to maximize the impact. With precision, he fires, aiming to create a larger hole and force the grenade deeper into the underground tunnel.

"Take cover," he calls out. "I am 99.997 percent sure this will work"

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen reacts with a similar level of speed to the others with combat training. That three meter long staff wrapped in burlap blurs as she spins it around her wrist, passing it from her right to left hands. In the same movement she slips behind another of the columns while also producing a pistol from under her cloak, most notably the pistol as a close quarters red-dot sight and a recoil compensator at the muzzle.

Her gaze sweeps the chamber looking for any other signs of intruders they haven't spotted yet.

Lara Croft has posed:
"Look out!" Lara shouted, her voice sharp as she was the furthest inside the partially submerged chamber, giving her little time to react to the incoming grenades.  

Kate's arrow was perfectly timed, splashing through the bubbling foam as it hit the rolling explosive, quickly covering it with a layer of sticky goop that hardened just as fast. The grenade detonated with a violent burst, sending foam and rocks flying in all directions. The ground beneath their feet trembled, and chunks of stone rained down from the arched ceiling above.  

Rocks crashed around Steven and Patience, while Cinque, ever the hero, aimed his twin pistols into the dark pool where the second grenade had fallen. The floor beneath them shattered, and a violent geyser of water and air erupted as the grenade detonated with a deafening roar. The shockwave rattled the very foundation of the sanctum, causing the eastern walls to crack, splitting open with torrents of cold water rushing through the breaches - barely held back by the crumbling stone.  

Lara quickly moved toward the others, her light sweeping around the room as she checked to ensure everyone was still in one piece. Her eyes flicked back toward the sturdy stairs they had come through. The massive stone door at the top was five feet thick and easily twenty feet tall - it wasn't going anywhere.  

She cursed softly under her breath and stepped back into the heart of the sanctum, heart racing. Her boots splashed through the foam left by Kate's arrow, leaving ripples in the water now flooding the chamber. With her free hand, Lara unclipped one of her twin climbing axes from her side and gripped it tightly.  

"The maps Cinque found," she explained quickly, her voice steady despite the chaos, "show side tunnels to the west and east of this chamber. It must be where the water's coming from. If we can reach them, we can find a way back to the surface."  

She didn't wait for a response, instead charging toward the wall where the cold water was gushing through, her heart pounding in anticipation. With both hands gripping her axe, she raised it high, the sharp tip biting into the stone with a resounding clang. Sparks flew as metal met rock, and the echo of the strike reverberated throughout the sanctum.  

She hit the wall again and again, the clang of metal ringing in her ears with each strike. On the fifth blow, the axe lodged deep into the rock, and with a forceful grunt, Lara pulled it back. The entire wall gave way, crumbling around her.  

A wave of freezing water poured into the sanctum, rising up to their knees but not enough to flood them completely. As the water settled, the hole she had torn through the stone revealed a narrow corridor beyond, leading into a larger, even darker chamber.  

Faint shouts in Italian echoed from the distance, the voices accompanied by the roar of a motor.  

Lara sloshed through the water, stumbling over the slick rocks she had just freed from the wall. She braced herself against the jagged stone edge she had just created and turned to the others. Her arm, covered in dirt and water, waved toward the dark passage ahead.  

"Let's go," she said, her tone firm with determination. "I think we've found our attackers."
And at the far end of the tunnel that laid ahead,a group of men with flashlights, and a large headlamp, could be seen boarding a speedboat in the dark, while a second one floated down the center of the tunnel, carried by the current of Lara's freshly busted open hole, right toward the members of the Adventurer's Club ...

Kate Bishop has posed:
With no more fighting or explosions for now, just a room quickly filling with water, Kate considers the swim. Sure she might have the arms for it, but just how long a swim under water is a big question.

The exploded foam might make for some nice abstract art if it ever gets fished out of the water.

Luckily they might not have to yet as the team via liberal use of Lara's pickaxes gets them into another tunnel, following the sound of speedboats and Italian speaking goons.

Thankfully for Kate, she hadn't put her weapon away or the second foam arrow. Already flying ahead of the Adventure Club to try and bind up as many of those mooks as possible, making it a little easier to get to the boat.

Marc Spector has posed:
It's difficult to easily notice what Steven does in the chaos that unfolds. The strange metallic ankh in his hand is thrown, ricocheting off the stone wall and around the corner in an effort to strike whoever it is that is chasing them. But he doesn't wait, instead moving to follow after Lara. Everything about him is different. No foppish motions, no panic. Just cold focus.

Cinque Evers has posed:
Cinque puts his holsters away as he begins to follow behind Lara as he can. Behind his mask, Cinque is grinning like a chesire cat, "Rising water, grenades, mysterious artifacts, archery, a warrior descendant from Jesus, metallic ankh, puzzle solving, and Lara leading the way...membership in this club might make my new longevity something worthwhile. Cinque dips his head underneath the water as he continues to swim, "Assuming I don't die first."

Patience Alperen has posed:
As the wall is destroyed and reveals the water-filled tunnel, now with Even More Bad Guys, Patience slips the staff over her back on a sling and draws a second (matching) pistol from under her cloak. Ignoring the fact they're all now at least knee deep in Water of Questionable Provenance, she steadfastly moves with the rest of the team through the bashed opening to quickly advance and help subdue the mystery men. Whether or not subduing and still living or its alternative remains to be seen - but given the current developments, she's more than willing to so violence with extreme prejudice if they so choose. She'll visit Father Mateo in a few weeks for confession and all will be well. Probably.

She glances to Cinque and almost glibly responds, "Don't worry. The Lord and I have an understanding. I really am on a mission from God."

Lara Croft has posed:
As the enemies' speedboat roared to life and began to race away, Lara's eyes locked onto the fleeing vessel, its engine spluttering to a start as the men scrambled to get away. The boat was already pulling ahead, but Lara wasn't about to let them slip through her fingers. She watched closely as Kate's foam arrow hit its mark, entangling one of the attackers, while Steven's ankh sent another tumbling into the boat. The remaining men were already hurrying to escape.

Lara wasted no time. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she made sure the others were on their way. The water around them surged, but the team had to stick together. There was no room for hesitation.

She leaped into the speedboat, the engine growling as she took the wheel. Her hand hovered over the throttle, ready to accelerate. The flooded sanctum was still shifting, water pooling around their feet as they quickly boarded.

Lara kept her gaze fixed on the boat ahead, studying the distance, waiting for her team to catch up. Her hands tightened around the controls, but she stayed patient. The moment they were all in, she would go after them.

As the last member hopped aboard, Lara's grip tightened, her body poised for action. The men in the other boat were getting further away, but not by much. She knew she had to be quick.

Her voice rang out, sharp and commanding, "Everyone in? Good. Hold on!"

With a swift motion, Lara slammed the throttle forward, the boat jerking as it surged into the water, sending waves crashing against the sanctum walls.

The chase had begun.