Having rung the bell to assemble the congregation, Mishok patiently waits for the gathering to build. Meanwhile, Sartan wonders whether a religious institution like this might have some texts that would help them understand the nature of the gangsters, Mr. Elthar and Mr. Venzia. Sartan is wondering what exactly cambions and tieflings are, and whether they have any powers they should be prepared for. One of the acolytes takes him to search through a modest collection of texts. They find one that provides a treatise on the influence the infernal realms have upon the material world. It explains that fiends from the lower planes of existence – the Abyss and the Nine Hells, are at war with each other. Demons inhabit the Abyss…. 666 planes of utter chaos, hatred and horror. The most evil, depraved souls from the material plane are sent to the abyss where they emerge as wretched larvae, destined to live amid pain and violence, each scratching and clawing to dominate their wicked brethren. Those who succeed, mutate into more powerful and dangerous demons, with only the most vicious ascending to the heights of the terrible demon lords. Devils, on the other hand, rule the Nine Hells. Rather than chaos, the Nine Hells are structured into a rigid framework of institutional cruelty. The devils are as thoroughly evil as the demons, but with sinister designs of dominion over all. The two evil factions: demons and devils have been at war for eons, and their battle often bleeds through to the material plane – sometimes through direct incursions, summons from powerful conjurers, and proxy actions by their adherents in the material world. Some of these fiends have also blended their bloodlines into those of mortals.

Tieflings, as a subrace of humans, came into being due to a pact struck generations ago with Asmodeus—overlord of the Nine Hells—infusing his influence into their bloodline. Tieflings, in the broadest sense, still look human. At this point in their history, they are not necessarily inherently evil, but rather as prone to one alignment or another, as any human would be.  However, their infernal heritage has left a clear imprint on their appearance. Tieflings have large horns that take any of a variety of shapes: some have curling horns like a ram, others have straight and tall horns like a gazelle’s, and some spiral upward like an antelopes’ horns. They have thick tails, four to five feet long, which lash or coil around their legs when they get upset or nervous. Their canine teeth are sharply pointed, and their eyes are solid colors—black, red, white, silver, or gold—with no visible sclera or pupil. Their skin tones cover the full range of human coloration, but also include various shades of blue or red. Most pertinent to Sartan, they do carry some magical features, such as the ability to see in the dark, resistance to fire, and the innate ability to cast a few spells.

Cambions are the direct offspring of a human and a fiend… either a devil or a demon, and they are thoroughly evil. They are powerful, ruthless, and equipped  with dangerous magic – such as the ability to change their appearance and charm people. As such, these evil entities are able to spread much corruption amid mortals, and may be used as material world agents for their infernal or abyssal lords.

By the time Sartan has completed his research, the church has largely filled with parishioners. Mishok introduces himself, provides some background regarding Brother Tibalt’s mission, and reads the prepared remarks left by the pastor. He commits to checking in on the church daily and then turns the service over to the acolytes, who are much more familiar with the prayers and rituals of this particular church.

The group takes their leave and head downtown to the Shadowfurst Investment and Loan. The financial institution is housed in a truly impressive stone edifice. They enter a grand hall, and are shown to a financial consultant. He sets up Mishok (the only one with suitable credentials) with an account. He takes their gold and presents Mishok with a leather bound cheque book. The others, if they would like to open up accounts, would need to apply for proper Citizen Registration Documentation through the city council – requiring a fee and the signatures of three character witnesses. The clerk gives Mishok and Davros each a peacock feather quill pen.

They leave the bank and decide to go shopping. First they visit the alchemy shop.

Sartan purchases

• 2 potions of healing
• 1 potion of greater healing
• 1 potion of purging

Mishok purchases

• 1 healing kit (10 uses)

Next, they visit the jeweler.

Sartan sells:

• 97 gp worth of gems
• A tiara, a silver bracelet, and 3 gold rings

Mishok sells

• 12 sapphires of various colors and grades, earning 4300 gp (the jeweler pays him with a cheque.)

They decide that next they will go in search of other gear that might help them in the future. Perhaps some armor, or some gnomish devices, or a spyglass, etc.