Joséphine seemed to be the voice of reason in that moment, and her words offered an alternative to panicked and furious reactions. Things had gone wrong, yes, but none of them had suffered any real loss at this point. The catholic woman looked up at Joséphine with a quizzical expression. Skeptical, and yet grateful. Finally, she took the hand and stabilized herself. [color=f49ac2]"Thank you. And you, I think, may call me Valérie."[/color] She produced a handkerchief and dabbed her eyes, managing to collect herself. [color=f49ac2]"I am a religious sister, but it's hardly my desire to stand on ceremony here. I am on a leave of absence actually. I should be at home recovering... it's just my luck that I've been pulled into more trouble."[/color] She met Joséphine's eyes once again with a brief, sheepish smile - the mounting worry briefly breaking into a sense of amusement that could be felt behind her unexpected grin. [color=f49ac2]"Yes, we should head back into town."[/color] The would-be inheritors finally gathered themselves after having the realization that some kind of supernatural curse now prevented them from leaving the city grounds. That wasn't an easy thing to believe, but it could hardly be denied. One could perhaps reason that the sudden fit of illness was due to some sort of poison - there would have been several opportunities to deliver the substance, but the time of onset was all too perfect. And there was something else - the occurrence involving flowers from the night before was similarly difficult to explain. Herbachet's duplicity and and the dubious inheritance dispute would have to be put aside for now. Something greater was going on here. In a small cafe on the way back into town, the group got to talking about the reason they were gathered in the first place: family ties. They needed to find out what was [i]really[/i] going on here, and who was really involved. Tracing back their parentage like Herbachet claimed to have might prove difficult without the ability to leave Loudon, but a hall of records or somesuch would be a good place to start. [color=f49ac2]"Actually, I already know a bit about my family's history here,"[/color] Valérie confessed. Having pulled back her veil in order to enjoy a cup of tea, one could get a clearer view of her than before. She had a pretty face really, though it was still a bit blushed from the events of that morning, and there were dark circles below her eyes. [color=f49ac2]"My family has a long connection with the church. In the old days, oftentimes one of our second sons would become a priest instead of a gentleman, and many of our women joined as catholic sisters for various reasons. We don't live near Loudon now, but I know that my ancestor was involved in that infamous possession affair. I warn you that it's rather a dreadful story."[/color] The blonde woman continued in a quieter voice, breaking off whenever the waitress drew near. [color=f49ac2]"His name was Father Lactance. He was an exorcist for the church, and apparently a very strict man. He spared no method with Urban Grandier. I do not know what torture they put him through. He begged to be hanged, but my ancestor denied him, as he had been officially proven to be a sorcerer. In the end, Father Lactance refused him the kiss of peace, and he put the flame to the pyre himself. They say that Urban Grandier's last words were a rebuke against him for breaking his promises."[/color] It was certainly a grisly story - and that was just part of it, but then that was why it was known the world over. It didn't sound anything like the kind of family connection that Herbachet had hinted at, but it was the only one related to Loudon that the sister knew of. Valérie gripped her cross pendant as she considered the story and everything that had been happening. [color=f49ac2]"There must be a church father in this town. I think I should talk to him. I would be very grateful to have some guidance on the things we've been going through. Let's meet up later. If you find anything interesting, I want to hear about it, too."[/color] -- The rest of the group headed to the Hall of Records to investigate, towards the middle of town. Nothing can be removed from the building, but members of the public are allowed to peruse the files. [u][b]Samuel Rationality Check (23) Great Success[/b][/u] It's not as easy for Samuel to piece together an unknown lineage, considering how far his family has gone in the ensuing years, but where there's a will, there's a way. Samuel can read French just fine, and he's able to make a few trips to the telegram office, which proves to be vitally helpful. He uses telegrams to ask relatives for more names and references, and to write to other records offices in the country to confirm any connections he finds. It takes all afternoon, but Mr. Trentwell finds out more about the frenchman in him than he'd ever known before. Apparently his family had been in the UK for roughly one-hundred-and-fifty years. Before that, some of them had been known as "Belciels" and before that, "de Belcier". A quick check of Loudon's records doesn't turn up anything recent, but remembering Valerie's story from earlier, he looks into that page of history. What does he find? Jeanne des Agnes, also known as Jeanne de Belcier - was Loudon's mother superior back in 1634, and she was practically at the center of the controversy. Apparently she had been one of the first and most prominent nuns to suffer possession at the hands of Grandier. If true, this was a significant breakthrough. He shared it with Joséphine, and using the research she'd been compiling in the meantime, they were able to work together to find that she also had a likely ancestor that was involved in that famous affair: the Baron de Laubardemont. He was the king's commissioner and an ally of Cardinal Richelieu. He had been given orders to have the city walls demolished, and had used his legal knowledge and political sway to see it done. Urban Grandier had been one of his biggest opponents in Loudon, and after the scandal broke out, the Baron led the charge in prosecuting him as a sorcerer. At trial, he recited accusations received from possessed nuns, and even produced the famous pact with the devil that proved him guilty beyond doubt. They weren't able to find anything significant on Arcade's heritage, but given how things were unfolding, it seemed likely that his ancestor would have been involved in the affair, as well. These revelations were certainly progress in understanding what kind of plot they found themselves now entangled with, but they did little to clear the air or explain the situation. No, if anything this knowledge produced an unsettled and unsure feeling. This was not the history of mutual support and success they were looking for. Maybe their ancestors had wronged Urban Grandier back then. But he had lain dead for more than three hundred years. The world was slowly starting to rehabilitate his image. No one in their right mind would try to avenge him now, would they? Herbachet's real plan remained an enigma. -- Valérie returned after a few hours. [color=f49ac2]"I've just spoken to the priest at the church of St. Pierre. I rather think he didn't take me seriously, though he seemed a good man. I also asked him about my ancestor, Father Lactance, but he wouldn't tell me anything. Apparently the church has officially sealed the matter. I tried to press the issue, but it seemed that even apart from the official policy he was sick of hearing about the Loudon affair. I suppose there have been rather a lot of tourists poking around and asking about the same things..." "He said that if I really must know more, then I should go see this man Felicien Labourdette. Apparently he's the local expert on the subject. I have the address here. I wasn't sure it'd be worth the time, but I can't just leave this alone."[/color] -----------------