Homontel, and beyond

[Graybeard]

"Small-town xenophobia," Sister Rose answered. "I've seen it before out here, just never in a form this, well, farcical." Brother Miguel and Argus were talking quietly about magical defenses -- she heard Miguel stressing "alive and unharmed" -- but if she got involved except in last resort, it'd just pour fuel on the priest's fires, so best to take a back seat on this one.

Miguel stood up, having worked something out. "Good evening, my brothers in the Church," he called. "We are pilgrims passing through on a mission with the approval of the Patriarch himself. We intend --"

The other priest cut him off, roaring like a volcano. (Why can't any of us at the mission have voices like that? Miguel asked himself, half amused, half envious.) "You partake of the Reformed apostasy! You are worse than infidels! Now face the righteous wrath of the true servants of Luminosita!"

The four riders spurred their horses into a shambling, disorganized gallop, their lances pointing every which way, as Miguel and Argus rolled their eyes...

[Drannin]

The gallop was impressive insofar as it involved four men technically armed, technically on horseback, all going roughly the same direction. It became less impressive when one of the men slipped off of his saddle and fell onto the ground. His horse bolted, spooking the other horses which reared in a vaguely impressive spectacle of equine fear. The three men falling off simultaneously was also impressive in its own way. The group of four horses running for the hills and presumable freedom touched a chord in all their hearts. Given that the group of men started groaning while on the ground, it appeared that none of them was seriously hurt. Which was also something of an accomplishment.

So, technically speaking, it was an impressive display of... something.

Argus let his Wall of Stone spell fizzle and looked at the bedraggled group solemnly. "...Should we help them?" he asked no one in particular.

[Graybeard]

Neither Sister Rose nor Brother Miguel could answer Argus immediately; both were too busy trying to stifle guffaws. They came out of it after a few seconds, though, and Rose started to form an answer, but Miguel stopped her short. "Rose, is Departure over yet? Can you feel it?" He was all serious again.

Puzzled, Rose concentrated. It wouldn't be as obvious to the two of them as it would to one of the artificial priests of the Orthodox branch, who had to draw on Luminosita's power for their spells ... and suddenly she knew why Miguel was asking. "I don't think so. Still a few minutes, probably sundown," she said, looking off at the horizon. Yes, the sun was just barely up. She shook her head to confirm her opinion.

"I don't think so either," Miguel said. "At least, I certainly hope not; it'll make things a lot less messy here." He looked to the ground, where the belligerent, and now decidedly chagrined, priest seemed to be preparing to cast a spell.

[Sareth]

Lillith was less polite than either Brother Miguel and Sister Rose. She wasn't bothering to hide her amusement at the country bumpkins. Her laughter wasn't loud, but it wasn't subtle, either.

At the hurried whispered conversation between Brother Miguel and Sister Rose she grew serious again, however. She didn't know much about the beliefs of the church and its doings. She did know that Brother Miguel and Sister Rose didn't apparently need to rely on the fake god they worshiped for spell power, so their concern about whether it was over was...

One of the men on the ground was casting.

"I thought your Orthadox people couldn't use magic during..." but she wasn't able to complete the comment.

[Graybeard]

"FORCE BOLT!" the Orthodox priest shrieked, as most of the occupants of the wagon dove for cover ...

... And absolutely nothing happened.

Looks like I was right about the timing, Sister Rose thought (she'd stayed upright -- one must have the courage of one's convictions, after all), as the man realized what had happened. Furthermore, his three militant companions figured it out too, and disappeared into the fields to make themselves scarce; it was still planting season, and nothing in the fields themselves was up yet sufficiently to hide their highly embarrassed bodies, but the windrows provided plenty of cover for them to hide and make their sheepish way back to town. The result was one highly chagrined priest standing in the middle of the road, realizing that he was confronting a wagonload of trouble, and was very, very alone.

"Come, let us reason together," Rose said, as Brother Miguel returned to his position and the priest pulled a dagger out of his robes, looking considerably less bellicose -- and confident -- than he had moments earlier.

[Sareth]

Considering she had just survived a dealing with giant war gollums, deadly traps, and being discovered by priests of a hostile religion who had the power to Do Something, Lillith's reaction to the knife was predictable. She laughed. She slid down from the wagon (after having sat back up from her ducked position) and turned to Sister Rose. "I'll try not to hurt him."

Massive war machines and explosive runed ruins were beyond her and her training. But knife bearing morons were easily handled. That was something she'd trained for, though the training had been meant mostly as a way to sharpen the connection between body, mind, and spirit, and not as an actual combat skill. Still, she thought she'd do alright.

She stepped forward, and the man glared. "A woman?" He looked slightly more courageous now that he was, apparently, only facing a clearly foreign girl. "Know your place."

Lillith took up a comfortable pose, and smiled. "I do. It's on top."

As Lillith expected, the Orthadox priest turned purple, clearly upset at the suggested matriarchal dominance. He rushed forward, knife first...

And flopped onto his back with a "whoof!" of air being expelled from his lungs. He got up from the ground, struggling for air but unwilling to wait to get it back and rounded on Lillith. The girl, looking calm, simply watched him in her relaxed pose. He came at her again...

And sprawled face first in the dirt. He started to stand, but Lillith smashed her knee into the small of his back and grabbed his wrist. She twisted until he grimaced and dropped the knife. "Like I said, on top."

The priest swore, but a little torque of the captured hand kept him compliant. "My mother told me that Aye-key-doah was taught by immigrants from the East. I've heard others claim that it was taught to the Ensigerum by the elves long ago, and then modified to fit their needs. I don't know, myself." She shrugged. "I do know that it is very good at aligning the body, spirit, and mind into a greater harmony. I find it very relaxing to practice the kah-tahs. It helps calm, clears the mind, strengthens the body, and cleanses the soul." With her free hand she patted the smoldering priest on the head. "I think you would benefit from greater harmony." She turned and winked to Sister Rose. "He's all yours, sister."

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose nodded, half amused, half impressed. That was a nice takedown that Lillith had pulled -- not strictly necessary, considering that the entire party was looming above the priest in the wagon and loaded for bear, but it certainly served to make a point. Several points. She nodded at Brother Miguel to do the talking; subjecting the man to further humiliation by a woman would be piling on, so to speak. Besides, she wanted to cast an Empathy to understand what was going on inside his hostile, if simple, head.

Miguel nodded back and started to speak, his face as neutral as he could make it under the circumstances. "Greetings, Brother in Luminosita. I am Brother Miguel, formerly with the Special Forces of Luminosita's Will and currently on assignment to the Kiyokan Mission to the Faithless." What a silly name for a military unit, but it may actually be useful here. "Next time you're picking a fight with a unit traveling to do the will of the Church, I suggest you not do it with special-ops people. Now, who are you and why do you confront us?"

The man glared back and choked out a response a phrase at a time -- Lillith was still sitting on his chest. "I am Father Dugoy, priest of the Temple of Our Lord Luminosita in Mazatzel -- the One True Church. Now call off the heathens under your command and let us talk."

Miguel started to comply with the "request," but decided not to. Departure would be ending any moment now, the priest's magical batteries would get recharged, and there was still every chance he'd do something terminally stupid. Besides, Lillith could use a win. "I don't think so. Your lack of the hospitality that your town's welcome sign promised doesn't bode well for courteous conversation. Tell us why you react to a peaceful band of travelers this way."

The man tried to spit, couldn't. "You travel with heathens." That was all he would say.

However, Rose's Empathy spell was revealing some things that Dugoy's words were not. She quietly cleared her throat. "That sign is a trap, isn't it? And you're the bait."

[Sareth]

"He's bait for a trap?" Lillith glowered down at the man, giving a bit of a twist to his wrist. "What sort of trap?"

[Graybeard]

"I think I see how it works," Sister Rose said, as Brother Miguel put on his Truth spell. "This nasty group meets travelers on the edge of town, checks them out. If they're familiar, or obviously with the Orthodox church, or maybe just paying protection money, then fine, welcome to Mazantzel, come on in. If not, you chase them away -- but then as they bypass the village, a quote-unquote, 'friendly native' comes out and offers to guide them to a 'welcoming' inn somewhere in town ... for a fee. Then the visitors get rolled there in their sleep. Maybe they get pockets picked, maybe they get belongings stolen. Maybe they even get ... personally mistreated. Isn't that right, Father Dugoy?"

"Lies! Lies, you ... you ... infidel," the priest sputtered. "How dare you profane the name of the Church of Luminosita like this? I'll --"

"Put a cork in it, Father," Miguel commanded. "I don't need spellcraft to smell a rat here, but I've got it anyway, and I know the truth. I'd also bet that one or two of those 'militia' that were riding with you might have a stake in a pawn shop, or a second-hand store, or something where they can fence the stolen goods. Don't they?"

The improbable plum color that Lillith had evoked was back in the man's face as he raged. "I never! These are the finest citizens of Mazantzel that ride with me! I'll have you drawn and quartered, you --"

"I think we all know that that isn't true, don't we, Father?" Rose said quietly. "And if we take that bypass back there a hundred yards or so, there'll be a man waiting for us on the other side of town -- nice and friendly-like, won't there?" She started to say more, but something odd in the Empathy spell caught her attention, a sudden intensification in the mana available for the spell.

Departure was over.

[Drannin]

Argus was actually impressed. "Crime and disorder in the countryside? Nice." The priest at this point was a rather brilliant shade of purple.

"I'll take this from you no longer, damn you!" the man shouted. And then, Argus felt it. A build-up of magical energy within the man. Oh-oh. This 'departure' thing must be over. He has powers now. Better warn the others...

"Gawk!" It proved to be unnecessary, thanks to Lillith, as was indicated by the man's yelp.

Argus winced. Weave, no man deserved that!