It Is Foretold

Present

• Abellinut "Able" Ugwistan, 31, Moor Arian Fighter from Septum – Jeff

• 

  Velito Rosso

  Brave Jose "BJ", 22, Arian Visigoth Fighter from Astigi – Jamie
• Fabius Cato, 26 Roman Nicene Temple Fighter from Rome – Richard 
• Luigi Abundus Bertolini, 23, Roman Nicene Priest from Ravenna – Chris
• MARMALADE Merkel, 24, Vandal Arian Temple-Fighter from Gades – Kevin
• Hawk-Eye, 22, Arian Visigoth Barbarian from Astigi – Shane
• Velito Rosso, 24, Roman Nicene Barbarian from Venice – Darryl
• Victor Koshenko, 24, Alan Arian Thief from Gades – Ian
• MARMALADE Sister Sarah, 22 Arian Visigoth Priestess from Toletum - Steven 

by Darryl

Notes from the stories of Velito Rosso, told in his old age (he hopes).

Come and a sit-a down and I will tell you more-a of what happened in my-a adventures when I was a younger man in the far off lands to the west.

Spine snake

Last-a time we sat here-a together, we was a being chased by the spine snakes that-a were trying to kill-a us, and regain control of the nasty spear that a we called the "Spear of Christ", but now-a knew that this-a was really the spear of a nasty old-a god from the distant past (Geryon).

After the lasta attack, we decided to not-a wait any longer, and to start heading as a quick as we canna, so packed up and we set sail for the town of Astigi [down the Baetis river from Corduba on a hired barge] where we wanna give the spear to the Prophet that Brother Luigi believes will be a able to destroy it and make us all-a lotta safe. 

We travel as fasta as we canna, and I handle the barge with greata skill as ever, but when we are about two hours away from Astigi, a snake a catch-a up with us, and we see a it coming up behind us in the river. Able is notta a good and, like alla the fighters, is very sicka [severely wounded]. So, I give him the tiller and tell-a him to keepa the boat as straight as possible. Hawk-eye is looking after the horses, and we are in a great danger as many of da boys are very sicka. 

BJ, he shoots and hits the snake with a mighty shot, but stilla it comes on. I have a throwing net for catching the fish, and throw it over the snake, and tangle him uppa a real good, but it thrashes and squirm-a around alota and begins to break outa the net. 

It is nowa on aboard, and we alla trying to hit and kill it before he a break out of the net, and we are getting a bit a scared. Then, the great brother Luigi comes aforth and pours some of the holy water upon the snake; which hisses and writhes before it a lies still.

We are very happy, but very much afraid as we a know that there are more of them to come. We travel on as fasta as we can and have sentries alla around the barge, including my beloved Isadora. 

We arrive in Astigi justa in time. As we beginna to tie the barge uppa to the dock, we see-a coming at us more snakes. Brother Luigi, he a begins running as a fast as his a little legs will carry him, 200 metres (over the board-walks of the Astigi Undercity) towards where the Prophet is, so as to a warn him. BJ, Victor and Hawk-eye they very carefully tie a rope to the spear and thena begin running with it towards the Prophet's house too. I stay to make-a sure that the barge is-a all tied up and Isadora is a safe. 

Brother Luigi arrives but the guards of da Prophet, they not allow Luigi to go ina to see him, and using mucha profanity refuse his  entry.   But-a Luigi, he is a good at the talking and with greata persuasion convince them thata he must see the Prophet righta now. So, he goes in, and the others pulling the spear go ina with him. 

The Prophet remembers them and says "As foretold you bring the spear". He thena unwraps the spear and holds it up. 

There is mucha nervousness amongst the party as they hava seen this before, and now thinka the spear will possess him. At the same time, they a hear a crunching sound from below them and the wooden boards upon which they are a standing begin to splinter, the snakes they are arriving. A snake skull appears in the splintered hole looks around and then it begins to rusha towards the Prophet. 

He then a casually smacka it on the head with the spear and it falls into dust. His eyes they glow red, and he lifts uppa the spear and says "It is foretold!"

The party, theya now feeling a little more of the relax and so begin to talka to him, knowing that they and the spear are now all a safe. The Prophet, he aska them about Lady Florinda,  and we tella him she is safe in Corduba with most of her ladies. 

Thena he begins to swoon and rocka and rolla from side to side and says "I feel another prophecy coming on". 

The party, they watcha him enter a trance and they nota sure wadda to do but soon he stoppa and say "Florinda is no longer a slave, you have changed the course of history". 

The party shuffle their feet in embarrassment but with a greata pride. The prophet he then a says that the Sister Sylvia isa to stay with him, and then, with great power, he pours the holy water on all of the party who  have injuries and they are then-a cured. This is a great a miracle and we are all impressed. 

Able asks also to have holy water, but the prophet he a tella him that he only have the minor wound and to man up. Hawk-eye is still a little worried about the spear and so he goes and he a touch it. In a flash he sees the old members of the party, Aulius (Jamie), Vanker (Shane), and Elia  (Richard). They are a walking together through a forest. Hawk-eye is beginning to shake and the prophet gestures to his guards who then a pull Hawk-eye away from the spear, "Git" says the prophet.

Brother Luigi he then asks how we have-a changed the history, and the prophet says it is because we gotta the lady to the university, and now she is a safe from being killed.

But "I see darkness coming."

Hawk-eye then tells the prophet of whatta he see when he touched the spear, and the Prophet, he say "They still have a part to play".

Butta he not stoppa with this, he then says because we have done such a great job that he will a offer to the party a boon. We notta know what to do about this, and so he a say, "ok you comma back tomorrow and I willa grant this."

Arian Bishop Javier 
of Corduba

There are King's guards throughout the town and we see that the Arian Bishop Javier Scumeritso's coach, it is here too, and so we decide to notta go to the Arian church for the night, instead we stay in the Golden Nugget inn. We hire some guards to look after the barge and the horses, and retire to the inn to talka about what boon we would like to have a. We thinka maybe one of two, either we could asks for all of us to get a better at our skills and abilities, OR that our great reputation should a spread before us as we a travel.

Finally we go with the latter, knowing that this a boon could also be a bane, but-a we know that we are so a good this will a notta matter. So now the group, it has a name: we are now-a the group called "Companions of Abundus".

Some of us, we stay in the inn while Brother Luigi go to the Nicene church Our Lady of Radiant Hope. And Victor, he decide to a go to the Arian Church of the Sacred Flame. Bishop Javier is there, and on Victor getting there, he is-a summoned by the Bishop.

"Where is the priest of Nicene?"

"At the church"

"And Sylvia, my novice?"

"Um ... don't know we left her at Corduba"

"Any news?"

"We got rid of the spear."

"You did? How?"

"A powerful man destroyed it."

"How? Where?"

"Don't know"

"Explain yourself"

"We met a man along the way and he destroyed it."

"Where is he?"

"Don't know. He was just a mysterious man."

"He destroyed it?"

"Yes"

"You will remain here."

So Victor, he is a locked up inna room butta he thinks this is notta a good, so with a bit of the crafty skill, he leave, and he finds his way to the Nicene church where the Brother Luigi, he is staying. Lucky, he come in from the back a door as there are some Arian White Cloak guards at the front-a door. The White Cloaks had gone and seen Brother Luigi to tella him he is summoned by the Bishop. Luigi, he say it is too late tonight and maybe he come in the morning. So Luigi and Hawk-eye gather everyone at the Inn and we make the plan for early leaving on the barge. 

Some of the party, they go and get the boon from the Prophet, and some sort-a out the barge with supplies. Brother Luigi says it is the feast of saint Nicholas of Myrna, and he make sure that the procession is brought forward, and so give an excuse for notta coming to see the Bishop. 

Some of the party go to see the prophet for the boon, and they say "The Companions of Abundus are to be trusted honoured and respected throughout the land."

"It is foretold."

Lorica Squamata

Everyone then a meet early in the morning at the barge, but BJ, he say-a he wanna go back to Cordoba to collecta his armour [lorica squamata, 2pt, which was being fitted for him] which he has a paid for and is to make him a look a cool fighter, so we say ok and we will a meet him in Hispalis. So, we set a off and BJ, he rides off alone to Corduba. 

The trip to Hispalis is simple and takes a few days, with only the one-a problem: in a small-a town called Axati where there is some of the guards of the king, and they ask about a black man called Able (he is a hiding in the bilge of the barge), and I, Velito, use my greata sales skills to tella him not here matey, so he go away.

Then we are all a together again in Hispalis, and BJ, he has a lovely looking armour, and we await the next part of our great adventure.