Present:
- Abellinut "Able" Ugwistan, 31, Moor Arian Fighter from Septum - Jeff
- Aulius "Owl" Lucius Decanter, 25, Polytheistic Fighter from Gades - Jamie
- MARMALADE: Elia Ildaria, 24, Basque Pagan Barbarian from Gasteiz - Richard
- Luigi Abundus Bertolini, 23, Roman Nicene Priest from Ravenna - Chris
- MARMALADE: Merkel, 24, Vandal Arian Temple-fighter from Gades - Kevin
- Vanker Polyester, 22, Vandal Pagan Rogue from Gades - Shane
- Velito Rosso, 24, Roman Nicene Barbarian from Venice - Darryl
- MARMALADE: Victor Koshenko, 24, Alan Arian Thief from Gades - Ian
By Jeff
"What now then?" wondered Luigi to the group.
"We need to go to the Island and kill that Geryon thing" stated Velito.
"NO!" replied everyone else.
"We still need to find and off that pagan traitor spy pretending to be a soldier" suggested Abel hopefully.
"NO!" replied nearly everyone else.
"Let's skip town and run away to somewhere safe" proposed Owl.
"NO, I think there is more to do here yet" Abel countered firmly.
"Let's investigate the evil well" suggested Luigi, "At least it's close by"
"YES" everyone agreed, and we hurried outside to the well.
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The well looked quite normal
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The circular well looked quite normal; a series of annular steps descended to the water level and the well shaft dropped away below into darkness.
"A light?" wondered Vanker.
"Let me" responded Luigi, beginning his hour-long prayer to request a miracle.
Everyone waited around until Luigi had created a glowing rock which was then tied onto a length of rope and lowered down into the dark waters. The light illuminated the full shaft diameter and we all peered down into the well as the light was slowly lowered into the depths.
About two meters down, a strange spike in the centre of the well came into view.
"What's that? whispered Velito.
"It's got a pointy tip" noted Able.
"It's some sort of spike" replied Luigi.
"News" yelled Acolyte Felix who had come out into the yard behind us.
"Bishop Alaric is gathering troops to come and arrest everyone here at the church"
"Time to run away to somewhere safe" proposed Owl.
"YES" everyone agreed, except for Luigi.
"I shall stay and check out this spike" stated Luigi. "You all go, and take Sister Justina with you"
Abandoning Luigi to his continuing investigation of the evil-infested well and the strange spike thing therein, the rest of the party quickly gathered up some supplies and equipment, including Sister Justina from her confinement in her rooms, and cautiously snuck away from the Church towards the centre of Gades. Velito obtained rooms in the Sapphire Scab Inn, and everyone quietly slipped in keeping a low profile.
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| Luigi squeezes down the well |
Back at the Church, Luigi had stripped down to his stripy undergarments and standing on the bottom step of the well had lowered the light down past the spike till the rope ran out of length. He hadn't spotted anything else out of the ordinary, so he fastened the light off at the depth of the spike and slipped into the cold waters. He figured a two-meter dive wouldn't be too challenging. But he hadn't counted on his recent culinary adventures and lack of significant exercise, and he struggled to plunge his considerable bulk down the relatively narrow shaft.
But eventually he managed to drag himself down the wall of the well shaft, get a firm grip on the spike, and with much effort and tugging managed to haul it up. A spear!
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| A Geryon Spear had been in the well. |
"This is the same type of spear that Geryon was using" he mused."This indeed must be the source of the evil here" he surmised while getting dressed.
As Luigi stored the spear out of sight he pondered.
"I wonder how it got here? Could there be a tunnel to the bottom of the well from the island? No, surely not, it's much too far. And the water is fresh, no salt contamination. Someone must have placed it in there" he eventually concluded.
"Who could have done that? Another puppet of that Geryon creature no doubt"
Just then a contubernium of soldiers arrived from the town militia. They stomped up to Luigi who was standing in the front courtyard, and their decanus demanded that Sister Justina, Vanker, and Aulius be handed over immediately, by order of the "true" Bishop of Gades.
A loud scream of "WHORE" echoed down from Father Valerius's chambers causing the soldiers to look around nervously. One even drew his sword.
"So, where are Sister Justina, Vanker, and Aulius?" demanded the decanus.
""They are not here" replied Luigi calmly.
"Well, where are they then" the decanus shouted.
"I do not know" replied Luigi.
"We shall search the church" the decanus declared, "Show us everywhere"
Luigi showed them around the church, opening every door and letting the soldiers have a good look into all the rooms and spaces. As they entered Father Valerius's room, Father Valerius let out a mighty scream of "WHORE, WITCH, SLUT" from the bed and started to thrash around, spittle flying from his mouth and his eyes wide and bloodshot.
Stepping back in alarm, the decanus asked "What's wrong with him?"
"Oh, don't mind him, it's just a religious thing" responded Luigi.
"Right then" the decanus replied nervously, "I can see that the others aren't here, we'll be off"
"But, if either of them come back, send them immediately to Marcus at the Arian Cathedral"
"But of course" replied Luigi demurely.
And the soldiers left, marching out the front gates and back up the street towards the town.Luigi watched them go.
"Bloody Marcus at the bloody Arian bloody Cathedral" spat Luigi, "Of course .... NOT. Bloody Heretics."
"Now, lets have a good look at that spear"
Retrieving the Geryon spear from the store, Luigi gathered his thoughts, settled into his contemplative prayer state, reached out for his God, and prayed for a Detect Evil miracle.
Sometime later (one hour) Luigi opened his eyes to see the spear glowing with a sickly green aura. Nodding his head, he gathered up the spear and carried it down to the furnace. Dosing it with oil, he set it alight and tossed it into the heart of the furnace. Maintaining an all-night vigil, Luigi fed the furnace throughout the night, fully expecting the thing to be destroyed.
Bleary eyed, Luigi opened up the furnace doors in the morning hoping to clear out the ashes and bury them in the sanctified graveyard. To his shock, the spear was still there, whole and unchanged, nestled in the warm ash at the bottom of the furnace. "Oh crap" he exclaimed.
Meanwhile, back at the Sapphire Scab Inn, the rest of the party had had a peaceful quiet night and were well rested. Even sister Justina seemed quite normal. Following a hearty breakfast delivered to their rooms, Owl and Able snuck over to the church to check in with Luigi and see what was going on. Luigi reported his encounter with the soldiers, his discovery of the spear, its decidedly evil nature, and its resistance to fire and destruction.
"Give us a look then" asked Owl, picking up the spear.
A strange tingling sensation ran up Owl's arm as he grasped the spear. His hairs all lifted along his arms, and the hair on his head briefly fluffed up. Sparks crackled along the spear from Owl's hand out to the tip, and Owl's eyes lit up with a red glow.
"Wow" exclaimed Owl, "Are you sure this is evil?"
"Yup, and we need to get it away from the church in case those soldiers return" replied Luigi.
"No problem" confirmed Owl, "We can hide it in my family warehouse"
"EVIL, EVIL, RUSTY ANCHOR INN, Eeeeevilllll" screamed Father Valerius.
"I wonder what is at the Rusty Anchor Inn?" wondered Luigi aloud, "I will have a quick look"
"You lot wait here till I return" Luigi instructed Owl and Able, "And keep that spear hidden!"
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the only thing Luigi found at the Rusty Anchor Inn was Vanker, nominally hiding out there, but openly drinking at the bar and raucously cavorting with half the town's compliment of "working" girls. "Oh crap" muttered Luigi, "At least we know where he is now"
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| What was in the slaver's woodshed? |
Racing quickly back to the church, Luigi let Able and Owl know what the "evil" was at the Rusty Anchor Inn. While he had been out investigating, Father Valerius had also been moaning and muttering about "Slavers compound wooooodshed" and "Sapphire scabbbbb""This guys knows everything" exclaimed Able, "Let's hope no one actually listens to him"
Owl suggested that Able and Luigi should gather up the party at the Sapphire Scab, for a next step discussion, while he hid the spear in his family warehouse and then met them all at the Sapphire Scab.
Owl unconsciously rubbed his hand along the shaft of the spear, hidden below some sacking, as he hurried off to his family's warehouse. "Evil? It would be evil to destroy this thing" he mused to himself, "It has useful powers. Anyone can tell that. No wonder Luigi couldn't destroy it. Fire, pugh, it's made of fire! So warm to the touch, so smooth, so much potential. I must keep it safe. I'll be able to control it, use it, to help us all"
Arriving at the warehouse, Owl slipped in through the hidden rear entrance and made his way to a dark corner where he knew no one would find the spear. He placed it gently into the corner, tip upward, and just before he released it, he decided to try a small experiment. Grasping the centre of the shaft firmly in his right hand, Owl closed his eyes and bent his thoughts to the island and the creature they had met there. "Geryon" he whispered quietly.
"WELCOME FRIEND" was the immediate response.
"Ah, .... hello there" responded Owl with a small grimace, "Is there anyone over here I can trust?"
"VANKER OF COURSE"
"Yes, but anyone else?"
"JUST RUN ANYONE THROUGH WITH MY SPEAR, AND THEY WILL BE MINE TOO"
"Oh, ah ... right. Um, I think Father Valerius knows about you ... this ... us"
"RUN HIM THROUGH WITH MY SPEAR"
"Um, right ... yup. But we might have to leave town. They are looking for us!"
"TAKE MY TOY WITH YOU, YOU WILL NEED IT"
"Oh yes, of course. Must rush now, talk later ..."
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| "Wow" thought Owl |
Owl stepped back and raised his eyes in rapture.
Twin beams of light speared up into the dusty ceiling of the warehouse. The dust was swirling in a chaotic maelstrom, dancing about like stars in the black void of the heavens.
Then the light faded away and the darkness of the ceiling returned.
"Wow" Owl thought briefly, then he slipped out of the warehouse and raced off to the Sapphire Scab.
Arriving back at The Scab, Owl rejoined the rest of the party for a discussion on their next steps. Vanker had been summoned from his "hideout" in the Rusty Anchor and everyone was together. The town guard and the Arian Church were hunting for them. Father Valerius was way to accurate with his rambling shouts and mumbling. It seemed that Gades was no longer the place to be hanging about.
Which was all confirmed when Acolyte Felix suddenly arrived through the front door of the Scab, looking a bit flushed, his eyes darting about nervously. He rushed over.
"Father Valerius said you would be here" he started.
"You have to leave town" he gasped, "That false Bishop has declared Owl and Vanker as heretic and they are to be tried and killed. Well, just killed really"
"Take Sister Justina with you and head straight to Portus Gaditanus, a few hundred meters over the Gades River mouth in the estuary. I have arranged for you to be met at the Silent Harp Inn and provided with assistance there. Do not linger here too long!" he concluded.
So, thus ended the discussions and a flurry of activity resulted. Supplies for travel and an extended trip were gathered, transport for the "marmalading" party members arranged (a small cart), Vanker concluded his business with the local working girls (just a few minutes), Owl retrieved the spear from his family warehouse, and the party gathered near the town gates ready for a dawn departure.
As soon as the morning dawned, we slipped out of town. Owl and Vanker with hoods pulled up, and Able leading the loaded cart.
"'Orning 'ficer" Able mumbled, "Ust eading ome to Portus Gaditanus afer a appy ight of borchary and tainment"
"You got any stolen sceptres in there?" asked the guard at the gate, "Cause we'll be taking a quick look"
"Ook way" replied Able, "Nofin ere but the ole pig spit n som dunkin sods"
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| A day from Gades to Portus Gaditanus |
It was a quick and uneventful trip down the causeway on the old Roman Road. No trouble with the guards at the Hercules end of the causeway, trundled safely past the Chapel of Santa Teodora, over the Betis Marches, across the Gades River bridge, and safely into Portus Gaditanus before night fell.
We arrived in the middle of the day, found the Silent Harp Inn, and looked around the common room for whoever might be meeting us here.
"Isn't that the pagan witch we moved on a few weeks ago?" whispered Luigi.
Sure enough, Daphne of the Light, who we had indeed moved on from the Christian Shrine at the base of the Gades causeway in our first mission together, was seated in the common room. She was looking very happy to see us, and in fact stood and came over towards us.
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| Daphne of the Light |
"Welcome, welcome" she exclaimed, "I assume you know Felix, and that has sent you here to see me"
"We know Felix" responded Luigi warily, "Acolyte Felix from Our Lady of Perpetual Succour?"
"The very one" chuckled Daphne, "We have an arrangement"
"Oh yeah?" asked Luigi, "Why then did he 'arrange' for us to bust you up a few weeks back?"
"Oh, don't worry about that" Daphne laughed, "A small misunderstanding. He has told me that some of your lives are in Danger. Owl and Vanker, yes?"
"Mayyyybeeee" muttered Luigi, looking warily around the room.
"No need to worry" stated Daphne, "I have arranged for you to take temporary employ with the caravan guard of the Lady Florinda, the wife of Count Julian. They are travelling through to Corduba via Hispalis and Astigi while the Count remains in Gades. He has lost his sceptre apparently!"
"Really?" questioned Luigi.
"So I've heard" replied Daphne, "But you will need to catch them up, they left a few days ago and the country along that road isn't totally .... safe. Best depart immediately"
So, that then was settled. Daphne handed over a sealed letter for the captain of the caravan guard, and we headed straight off. Back towards the Gades river, and then left, heading inland (North) on the Hispalis Road. We travelled for the rest of the day across the pleasant rolling countryside, the sun shining warmly down upon us, and set up a camp just before dark.
"I hope that letter doesn't say 'Kill these traitors immediately'" pondered Velito suspiciously.
"Or anything like unto it" laughed Luigi, "You must have more faith brother!"
Watches were set for the night, which passed peacefully, and we set off at dawn after a quick breakfast. Around mid-morning we passed two bodies swinging from the branch of a tree beside the road. Both male, and apparently peasants by their threadbare clothes. Luigi said a brief prayer and we moved on.
A little further up the road we passed an old half burnt cart on its side beside the road. The smell of smoke lingered in the air, and fresh bloodstains were smeared across the back of the cart. There were scuff marks all around, but no bodies to be seen. No goods or equipment either, much to Velito's disgust.
"You'd think bandits would leave something" he grumbled.
"There has obviously been trouble" noted Owl, "Let's just be a bit more cautious from here on"
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| An overturned cart ahead |
Another kilometre up the road we rounded a bend to see an overturned cart in the middle of the road ahead. Some items had spilled across the road and two figures were crouched behind the cart, which bristled with arrows. Somewhere ahead bandits were hidden and had ambushed the two travellers.We hung back out of sight while Vanker was dispatched through the surrounding bush to stealthily reconnoitre the scene and report back.
The standoff at the wagon continued while Vanker was away. We remained hidden. The occasional arrow thudded into the side of the tipped cart, and the two figures flinched every time. But they were safe behind their shelter, unless they moved and broke cover!
Vanker slipped out of the bush to report that there were at least two male bowmen hidden in the woods.
"I got within three meters of one of them and he never even noticed" Vanker boasted.
"Could you have killed him then?" asked Able.
"Sure, but that would have alerted the other one" snorted Vanker.
Just then another arrow thudded into the cart and one of the figures leapt up and made a bolt for the bush on the side of the road. He never made it as a pair of arrows pierced him immediately and he collapsed, only meters from the safety of the bush. A moan of despair came from the second figure behind the cart.
"Save them" yelled Owl, shoving Able and Velito forward.
So we charged, headlong towards the unknown and hidden archers, yelling and waving our swords in a show of competence and bravado. Able, Vanker, and Velito spread out across the width of the road, sprinting forward. Owl and Luigi followed in the second rank, sheltered by the brave warriors in front.
Two arrows shot towards Vanker, the first piercing his breastplate, vest, and chest, while the second ricocheted off his cap.
"Oww" screeched Vanker, slowing slightly, but only to let Velito and Able do the honours.
"Stay down" yelled Able as he sprinted past the cart and the women sheltering there.
Luigi skidded to a stop beside the downed figure, a man, and attempted to help him. But he quickly looked up and shook his head. Dead.
When Velito and Able arrived at the bush where the bandits had been sheltering, there was no sign of anyone. No more arrows were shot at us; the cowards had fled. Murderers!
Julia and her husband had been travelling to Gades, but with her husband dead and the cart effectively disabled and not easily repaired, we convinced her to travel with us to the next town, Hasta Regia. We gathered their items from the cart, buried the body, said prayers, and carried out the appropriate death rituals. Well, as much as could be done without having consecrated ground anyway.
"How about a Holy Cure?" grunted Vanker, snapping off the arrow protruding from his chest.
"The ground is not consecrated here" stated Sister Justina, "So, no, a cure is not possible"
"What if you used a Holy Relic?" asked Owl.
"If we had a Holy Relic, sure, that could be used instead" confirmed Sister Justina.
"Well, I have a Holy Spear of God" noted Owl, "Just saying"
"Impossible" stated Sister Justina, "There is no Holy Spear of God"
"Why don't you try using this?" prompted Owl, unwrapping the Geryon Spear.
"Ha" mocked Sister Justina, "It will not work. But, OK, let me touch it"
Sister Justina gripped the wooden shaft of the Spear in one hand, placed her other hand on Vanker's arrow wound, and went through the Cure prayer rituals. As soon as her hand grasped the Spear, her eyes began to glow and her hair frizzed up. As she spoke the words of the prayer, a red glow began to build up around her hand that was placed over the wound, and as she concluded the red glow transferred directly into Vanker's chest. The weeping blood was sucked back into the wound and his torn skin knitted tidily together.
"Mmmm" sighed Vanker pleasantly.
"Ohhhhh" exclaimed Sister Justina, "That was ... that was .... Wonderful"
"Brother Aulius, you are right" she continued, "Praise the Holy Spear of God"
"Where did you get this mighty relic? Is it the actual spear that pierced our Lord's side?"
"My ancestors met the Lord Jesus you know" commented Able.
"Brother Aulius, you are blessed indeed" gushed Sister Justina, "Can I ... carry it?"
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| Sister Justina carries the Holy Spear of God |
Owl lets Sister Justina carry the Spear, for a bit, and she is ecstatic.
Her eyes glow with the typical Geryon effect while she does, but she is convinced that her own God has bestowed this mighty Holy Relic on Brother Aulius and repeatedly comments about "being bathed in the Holy Light of God". She practically skips along the road singing.
Able and Velito refuse to touch the Spear at all.
"Too happy" grunts Velito, "Nothing good will come from this"
As we get closer to the town of Hasta Regia, the "Holy Spear" is re-wrapped it its covering and tucked away safety on the cart.
Sister Justina's glowing eyes return to their normal state, but she remains ecstatic and cheerful for the rest of the journey into the town.
Taking some rooms in the Hasta Regia Inn, we hear that Lady Florinda's caravan had passed through the day before yesterday, so only a few days ahead now. We are praised for our dramatic rescue of Julia from the bandits, which have been an increasing problem in recent weeks.
The night at Hasta Regia was uneventful and the next morning we set off for Nabrissa, about a day's travel north along the Hispalis Road.
Nothing much to report about that trip, although the road was in minor disrepair, with significant potholes in a couple of places. In fact, near one excessively large pothole we found a broken wagon that had obviously hit the hole and smashed a wheel. It had been pushed off the side of the road and abandoned. It looked to be a few days ago it had happened. Empty of course!
We arrived at Nabrissa in the early evening and booked into a local Inn. Lady Florinda's caravan was now only a day ahead. We appeared to be travelling at about twice the speed of the caravan, so we should catch them in the middle of the day tomorrow. We had another uneventful night and first thing in the morning we set off towards Orippo, the next major town on the Hispalis Road.
Just before midday, we spotted a large wagon caravan in the distance ahead. We would encounter their rear guard pretty soon as we could see a few soldiers on horseback between us and the caravan.
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| Our location when we spotted the caravan |
