Questionable Questing

Getting in shower be out in a sec

I didn't even think of that angle, I was thinking more mutual corruption on both sides, but yeah that makes a lot of sense. Which also ties in with how over time Charlie starts to see sexuality as a tool to control and ensnare her lovers.

As that is what they think of her and she reflects and enhance that but I want chapter plots

I have a plot planned for Italy at some point. lol. With potentially a Jojo or Rocky figure to be Charlie's next husband after the reporter. Which to make a long story short, after discovering the cult's involvement in Nigeria posing as Portuguese missionaries, the Reporter and Charlie team up with the twins to start investigating around

Only to discover that a whole system of orphanages, missions, and hospitals all under the Catholic church has been subverted. With the twins wanting to strike while the iron is still hot and before the cult can go back underground, also secretly holding a grudge against Catholicism and loving the opportunity to kick their teeth in with the little shadow war the two sides have, with Charlie instead opting for peace.

Hoping to maintain the truce the two sides have. Through the reporter we come to learn that Charlie's has had an on and off war with the church for the last several hundred years over influence and power, as certain section of the Church see Charlie as the Antichrist and an existential threat. With her directly going to Italy and meeting the Pope under neutral ground to try and sort this mess out.

A jojo or rocky figure?

Do we get sympathetic pov from Catholics pointing out serious issues in Charlie's faction?

Like how the porn logic is insane or her imperalism?

In Between the meeting with the Pope, you have elements of the cult trying to instigate violence between the two groups with their subverted spy ring in the church not something they wanted to lose but if they have to burn it they can at least try to spark tensions with their two mortal enemies fighting each other. With the Sicilian Mafia getting involved in this whole shit show.

Since the big reveal, is that one of the Aztec artifacts the Pirate discovered being what started the corruption as a Spanish mission in Mexico accidentally stumbled onto it and where corrupted, thus giving the cult the in and now through the Mafia they are trying to smuggle it out of Italy before Charlie or the Pope discover it. Thus creating a brawl between all these factions.

What god is the artifact connected too?

Does the Pope have magic here?

But I fully intend to show the Catholic's in a more sympathetic side. With neither one really wanting an all out war and both side genuinely wanting to do good. It's just like you said, they are absolutely terrified not only what a loss of their own authority it would be if they allowed Charlie to continue her investigations but also the fear that she could corrupt some of the last strongholds they have in London.

Since England does not have the best relationship with Catholics, it made it very easy for Charlie to practically push them all off the island. But yes, the Pope and many of his higher priest do have magic powers and they also have access to some of the oldest Keylines/artifacts and are one of the biggest forces that can effectively negative Charlies powers.

Keylines. So how does that work? The magic systems rules and style, its cool stuff

And the god the artifact is connected too is Xipe Totec. He's the Aztec god that likes wearing people's flayed skin which is meant to represent death/rebirth. Some pretty sick stuff if you look it up.

Does he have any good traits?

The Keylines form naturally like rivers or lakes, feeding off on energy put off by living things. With jungles and tropical rainforests having the strongest of the so-called wild Keylines. But wild energy is nothing compared to the ergy humans put off, with all the major Keylines basically following the path of human development as more people meant they generated more power, which made the lines stronger.

With over time humans discovered these lines and learned how to manipulate them by communing with old spirits and godly figures. With it being a bit of a chicken and an egg situation where, nobody knows if the gods made humans or the humans made gods through their belief. Doesn't really matter. It's a symptomatic relationship where the gods teach and the humans pray giving power.