podobno:
the following is the Prologue for the Cultist Storyline Event
LOCAL PREACHER'S PERSONAL REVIVAL SPURS GROWTH
by Liz Schall
Staff Reporter, Lexington Post-Dispatch
Among the many small churches of Clay, Kentucky is also found the
fastest growing church in the Eastern U.S. Over the course of just a
few months, the Millennium Church of the Coming Kingdom has grown from
a small, mostly elderly, congregation to a community bursting at its
seams.
Led by its young, enigmatic pastor, Rev. Daniel Adams, the Millennium
Church has outgrown the 100 year old church building in which it
formerly resided. In response to the growth, the congregation has
temporarily moved outdoors and acres of land are now peppered with
tents used for church activities and for housing many of the church's
members.
It is this recent move to a communal living style that has some
outsiders worried. One woman, who asked that we not identify her by
name, said that the Reverend's followers were selling all of their
possessions and giving the proceeds to the church. She continued, "The
church created an armed militia to get ready for the end of the
world." Many local residents have also blamed the church for a recent
spate of livestock killings. Local police said that the animals were
killed in an "unusual manner", but refused to elaborate. Officials
were quick to say that they have not established any connection
between the killings and the Millennium Church.
The most startling aspect of the church's growth is the speed with
which it has come about. By all accounts, Rev. Adams was, at best, a
mediocre preacher and a man nearly devoid of charm. His installation
at the Millennium Church was his first stop after ordination and his
struggling ministry consisted mainly of ministering to Clay's elderly
and sick. Yet Rev. Adams is certainly at the root of this tremendous
growth and his personal transformation is mirrored in his
congregation.
In June of 2006, Rev. Adams attended a denominational conference in
New York City. After attending a show, Rev. Adams fell prey to a
mugger and was badly injured. When he didn't return from New York
on-time, many of the congregants assumed he'd chosen not to continue
as their pastor. Church members noted that a previous pastor had
abandoned them in a similar fashion and this contributed to their
outlook. Reverend Adams did return, however, and the changes were
apparent almost immediately.
"Rev. Adams' disappearance a few months ago was a frightening time for
all of us," said Michael Dean, one of the church's eldest deacons. "I
was headin' home in my pickup from a friend's place in Fredonia when I
saw the Reverend walkin' on the side of the highway. I picked him up
and brought him home. He said he'd been mugged; maybe even poisoned.
He sure didn't look good."
The first signs of Rev. Adams' transformation occurred during his
convalescence. "It took him quite a while before he felt up to going
back to preachin' at the church, but some of us elders would go to his
house in the evenin' and he'd teach us," said Deacon Michael.
It was at these impromptu services where the deacons first noticed the
renewed spirit of Rev. Adams. It was also during these first nights
that they reportedly witnessed Rev. Adams perform miracles and heard
him speak his prophetic visions of the end of the world. Since that
time, many of the church's members claim to have personally witnessed
Rev. Adams work miracles.
In recent weeks the church has begun to build walls around their
compound. "We're in the last days, and Rev. Adams says we're gonna be
ready," said Deacon Michael.
However, the church's next battles are more likely to be legal, than
spiritual. Some Clay residents have promised a lawsuit to try and stop
the church's expansion. The Millennium Church had no comments on the
threatened lawsuit.
------------------------------
Horatio Ballard tired as he neared the end of his nightly web search
for pertinent news stories. He knew that this was one of those menial
tasks that he probably should have delegated to some underling, but
Horatio found comfort in the routine. In earlier nights, Horatio would
have newspapers snatched from the printing presses across the Midwest
and would have them hand-delivered to him. Back then, there was not
enough time to review the papers and react before they were
distributed. The internet, however, changed all of this.
Local news from Kentucky was rarely relevant and Horatio only followed
the link by accident. He had already closed the browser window when
his mind recalled a few words that he'd just seen on the screen.
Horatio re-opened his web browser and retrieved the news article. He
re-read the section about the dead animals and knew something was
awry.
Horatio would need to find out more, certainly, but he felt that he'd
stumbled upon a situation with the makings of a major Masquerade
breech. He was also aware of the value of a nice cache of
arms--something a growing militia was sure to have.
Jacob Votaux reached Clay in August and hard already began to carry
out his orders--get close to Reverend Adams. He carefully catalogued
every detail about the militia; the weapons storehouses, when
additional arms shipments would arrive, and who was delivering them.
Jacob also perfectly recorded every utterance Rev. Adams made when
he'd preach. After a time, Jacob's superiors stopped asking him about
weapons and told to focus on the prophecies. Each time Jacob
reported-in to his Sabbat superiors, he could sense that the
information he provided was important and useful--and frightening.
