Kira nods thanks to Irabeth for the explanation. She bows he head as the prayer is intoned, even as she knows first hand that The Inheritor both watches over us, and cannot intervene.
Kira's mood is low as they ride, and made worse by the sight of the village, but she is alert. "There are no doubt people here who deserve to be buried, I wonder if we have the time for such niceties?" she says to no one in particular.
Mulluq feels admonished by Captain Krimmos' words and look toward him, but he is soon rid of the thought as both Kira and Sol suggest that leaving quickly still allows them time to plan. He is eager to get underway for the blow dealt to the hordes of the Worldwound as well as return an item precious to his Goddess back into the fight.
The next day he is buoyed by the prayer, almost to the point that those that know his degree of morose could almost say he was cheerful. He rides high in his saddle, ready to battle the enemies of his Goddess. As the day wears on, the pall over the masses sinks in more and more until he is on par with the gloom that has fallen over the others at the find of the ruined village.
Finding himself close to Kira, as he had been under her watch when the whole thing began, he nods with her statement. "If there are no survivors, we should at the very least offer a prayer over the fallen."
Jod's inclination is to join the scouts, but since none of the leaders tried to distribute the party among the small army, he decides maybe that was intentional and endeavors to ride near his friends and make sure he knows where they all are.
Overhearing the two holy warriors’ exchange, he replies, ”Doubtful we can afford to stop for long, but a prayer doesn’t seem out of place. Even searching for survivors might be too much, but we can’t afford to have demons behind us, either.” He sighs, ”And this is why I should not lead others. Can’t make a decision. Do we know when the village fell to the demons? Was it attacked when the city was?”
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Sol also wants to ride with the scouts. Younger, and less thoughtful than Jod, the young Kenabresian urges his horse forward to speak with Captain Orwem.
"Captain Orwem, ma'am. I know I don't look like the usual scout recruit, but I've dreamed about riding as a scout in the Crusades for most of my life. If you'll have me, I'd be honored to ride with you until we reach Drezen."
Orwem looks Sol over. "This isn't going to be a picnic. But you did work back in Kenabres. The others will show you the ropes."
At Valas's Gift, a search reveals no survivors. In some of the residences there are charred corpses but not enough to account for all of the villagers. What might have happened to the rest isn't clear.
But during the search Kira turns up a well-hidden food cache. "Well, looks like they won't be using it any time soon," says Irabeth grimly. "Let's not let their hard work go to waste."
Some soldiers dig a trench by the burnt-out houses, drop the bodies in and cover them with earth to give the dead a shallow communal grave. The crusaders gather to offer brief remembrance and Irabeth turns to Captain Krimmos. "Would you like to say some words?"
Krimmos shakes his head and silently stalks away. Irabeth blinks in surprise but then leads the brief burial service herself. Afterwards she addresses the army.
"It will be dark soon. We will set up camp here, away from the houses as a mark of respect. I don't need to tell you to stay alert. Your captains will provide you with watch duties. Be ready to ride at dawn."
Kira watches Krimmos wondering if his reaction is the weight of sorrow, or something else.
After the impromptu ceremony she moves off to help set up camp in the area we have been allocated, and draw her ration share.
Hannik wipes the sweat from her brow and more or less just streaks it with dirt from the hastily dug trench grave. She sits down on a rock nearby and mumbles to Jod, "I've dreamed about seeing and traveling Sarkoris all my life. Now... This is not at all how I imagined it."
He nods in understanding. ”I came to Kenabres because I felt called to the Worldwound to take up my bow and sword against the demon hordes. Rhok’s mission to the city was as close as I could get. The elders refused to let me go on my own because they didn’t want to lose a warrior and a hunter - but sending a swordarm with my crazy cousin was the only way they felt they could let him go with a clear conscience.”
He looks toward the blasted lands they would see later. ”Until now, I hadn’t thought of what this land was before.” He falls into a thoughtful silence.
The sun goes down and the cold sets in. The crusaders have hammered out tents in the fields, and picket patrols cover the perimeter. The wind moans softly and cloud covers the night sky, plunging everything into deep darkness, only partly dispelled by camp fires.
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At the march's end, Sol had returned to pitch his tent with his comrades. Turning from tightening a ground line, he joins the somber conversation.
"My family farmed a patch a half day's travel from the Wardstone line. I don't remember a lot. Sun in the garden, a cool patch of woods. But my parents loved it, even with all the work. They often talked about it at night. They never did get completely used to life in Kenabres.
"One of my dad's greatest regrets was the night the demons attacked and we had to flee. I remember getting lost in the dark. I couldn't find my parents. I was tired and hungry and scared, but a woman found me. She gave me a little food, and caught a lightning bug to give me a little light. But that bug wasn't ordinary. It was bright and had big colored wings. I think she was a angel from Desna. She disappeared just before the crusaders found me.
"It was two days before the crusaders got me back to my parents. I don't think they were ever so glad to see me again."
Sol shakes his head, corners of his mouth turned down, eyes unfocused and turned down with them.
"Your story mirrors many others in this region Sol, I'm sure. I have heard of Desna sending guidance to those who are lost. It would seem you have been favored by two Goddesses now." Kira smiles, hoping to bring Sol a little happiness rather than to ridicule.
"Mulluq, would you come and pray with me?" Kira stands, and waits for Mulluq to answer.
Jod reaches over to Sol and gives his shoulder a squeeze, but says nothing.
Mulluq listens to Sol's story, disinterestedly at first, until the mention of angels from Desna. "The gods are great and powerful, but you were blessed that it was a Goddess of Good that noticed you. Maybe she has plans for you, and you should truly listen to the messages she sends you. Divine notice should not be taken lightly." He actually seems to look at Sol with a hint of cheer, counting the man lucky for having the Goddess' attention.
Mulluq turns to look at Kira as she calls his name, but stands abruptly at the request, "I would love to share worship of the Inheritor, as our prayers joined could further empower her to look after this mission we've undertaken, and all the souls fighting the good fight in her name."
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"Thanks, guys. That means a lot." Sol says quietly and lapses into silence.
A few moments later, the young man comes out of his reverie. " Do you know where I was today? I was riding with the scouts! I asked Captain Orwem, and she said I could on account of our service in
Kenabres. I always hoped I'd join the crusades as a scout."
”Yeah? Think I can join you tomorrow?”
Mulluq turns to look at Kira as she calls his name, but stands abruptly at the request, "I would love to share worship of the Inheritor, as our prayers joined could further empower her to look after this mission we've undertaken, and all the souls fighting the good fight in her name."
Kira smiles wrily, "Of course." she then leads Mulluq off towards the edge of camp, but within the sentry line. She speaks as she walks "Before this started I was assigned as your guardian. I want you to know, that I know longer feel that I am in that capacity. You are my comrade and friend, and after our visitation from the Inheritor I cannot feel any authority over you. Shall we pray?"
Mulluq listens attentively as they walk, curiosity and confusion evident on his face. When she finishes, he responds, "Lady Valerious, I never looked on you as my guardian as much as my handler; there to ensure I was not the threat to the citizens that my horrific appearance belies, as is an appropriate and just response to my arrival. That said, I appreciate your sentiment but still defer to you, not out of obeisance but out of respect. I am proud to be able to think of you as my sister in arms, fulfilling Iomedae's glorious designs, even though I still consider myself unworthy of being thought an equal. Does this confession weigh heavy on you that you asked me aside? In our prayers, we shall ask the forgiveness of the Inheritor, for your sentiment toward me, and my over-welling of pride in receiving such a gift." He kneels blade down, with both hands on the hilt and head on the pommel as is his usual stance, and begins to pray.
"Mulluq, your well being weighs heavily on me. Not physically, but emotionally. That you still feel unworthy is unjust. Hopefully together, we can bring you that justice. I will certainly pray that way."
The night passes quietly. But the adventurers awaken to a shout at dawn. A crowd of crusaders is gathered towards the northern perimeter of the camp and swords are drawn. Coming closer, a body of one of the guards is sprawled on its back in the frozen mud. Half of the face has been eaten away.
Kira stops before she gets too close to the crowd to assess the situation.
Assuming it's safe she then moves in to look at the victim.
Kira scans the valley. There are lots of potential hiding places - boulders, crags and the like - but she sees no evidence of anything hostile.
She then looks at the corpse. The most obvious wound is where the face and neck have been torn and apparently eaten away. But other than this grisly display, as she turns the body she notices a stab wound in the back, level with the heart.
"This guard was stabbed. I wonder if the attack on the face was a wild animal later in the night, or an attempt to hide who was dead."
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Sol looks over Kira's shoulder and recoils, hand to mouth. "Why're demons always so, so grisly?"
But within seconds, he's putting up a braver front. "Don't let the kiddies see this."
By the time she's examined the body, he's recovered himself.
"I don't know, Kira. But we'd find someone missing at role call, or when they didn't report in. I'll guess this poor bastard never saw it coming."
"Let's step back, lads. Who found the body?"
Jod will try to have a look around to see if there are tracks, but expects the frozen ground is unlikely to yield any clues.
Mulluq merely looks at her before responding with a simple, "Yes, Lady Valerious."
Mulluq moves up to the other side of the body as the group investigates. Looking only briefly at the body, he turns his attentions to the group gathered and focuses first on looking for any signs of ill intentions or guilt, scanning the crowd for signs of evil. As he does, he stares at the faces assembled to try and assess if anyone looks like they know something about the incident.
Leaning over to Kira he suggests, "We should take a current role call of who is present and who isn't. It does not give us much, but it gives us a place to start looking."
[b]”I agree, we should do so quickly before the crowd disperses.”[/]
“There’s no need,” grates Krimmos, shouldering through the ring of onlookers. “It’s Ventavio. I recognise his armour.”
He drops on one knee and stares at the body’s wounds. “Fight well in the armies of the Inheritor,” he murmurs.
He straightens up and adds, “But we need a roll-call anyway, in case anyone is missing.”
Kira nods to her superior, then looks for a sergeant or someone to actually perform the task.
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Mulluq offers a little insight to Kira, "There does not appear to be any guilty party among those assembled from what I am able to sense. If the entire force were formed up, I could try to get a sense of all of them." Mulluq eyes Krimmos. His attitude just seems to grate on the teifling, and he thinks there may be something not quite right with him.
”If only we had the time for that. Even both of us working together would take time to get a sense of every individual.”
Jod will move in close to the body to examine the grisly wound. What would eat an man’s face like this?
"No, Lady Valerious, if they are all standing near enough together I can tap into my heritage to find the seed of evil that rests within anyone in a fairly large area. With little more than a minute, I would be able to find one man with wickedness in his heart among a large crowd." Mulluq seems saddened by knowing what his power is, and how he has to tune into it, even if it can be useful to root out evil.
"No, Lady Valerious, if they are all standing near enough together I can tap into my heritage to find the seed of evil that rests within anyone in a fairly large area. With little more than a minute, I would be able to find one man with wickedness in his heart among a large crowd." Mulluq seems saddened by knowing what his power is, and how he has to tune into it, even if it can be useful to root out evil.
"The Goddess in her grace has granted me the same power since our travels began, but I had not realised the extent of it until now."
Sol detects no magical auras and, with time short, the body is sewn into a blanket and buried with the dead from the village. Irabeth says a short eulogy as the sun begins to burn the cold mist away.
A roll-call shortly after finds that Ventavio, a crusader from Cheliax, is missing and presumed to be the dead man. Without much more to go on, the brigade packs and gets ready to ride out.
Vilareth Ford is another day's ride. The wind keeps up a bitter blast as the column pushes further north.
Jod and Sol are travelling with the outriders on point, keeping a lookout for the enemy ahead. In the afternnon curtains of drizzly mist descend, intermittently draping the valley below and the moors above.
Jod is too focused on figuring out his role and ends up being completely ineffective as a scout as a result.
Kira glances at Krimmos, and frowns, but says nothing.
Late in the afternoon, Sol and Jod are so busy concentrating on themselves they nearly ride straight into an enemy camp. As they head up the road ahead of the main column the mists part to reveal some bunker-like structures by the river a few hundred yards ahead. The road leads up to them and then seems to peter out. Bivouacked around them is a large force of creatures, humanoids as far as they can tell, some sort of military force. Raised in the centre of the camp is a grisly banner - the crucified and disembowelled body of a man, strung up and left to hang with its viscera dangling out.
As soon as Sol and Jod see this, they are spotted in turn. A yell goes up and arrows begin to whistle through the air.
As they travel, Kira relates to her companions what Krimmos said under his breath, and her concerns that this may lead to poor decisions on his part.
”It is not my place to challenge the leader of another force, let alone a superior, I can see how his pessimism could lead to disaster.”
Mulluq responds to Kira's warning, "It may have already shown its face, as the morale of the troops seems low in light of the recent event, and a commander with low morale himself will likely contribute that aspect to his men."
The enemy army seem as surprised by Sol and Jod as they are by it. Nevertheless, a few of its members have the presence of mind to set off in pursuit, leaping to their mounts and giving chase.
"I am not sure how we can help his men. But we must be mindful that when it comes to the crunch, our backup may not be as reliable as we would like."