Quote from Birel_13 >>

Nimue merely crosses her arms across her chest, but the slight smile creeping onto her face dispels any illusion of stoicism she may be projecting. "I never said thank you," she turns her dark eyes first on Caio, then Astrid. "I couldn't have gone into that place alone. I know it's not easy to be at odds with those you consider family." She turns her gaze back out to the sea of pilgrims before them. "But it's even harder to lose family. Maybe your volatile friend will understand that. That he and I are not so dissimilar." Her fingers brush the edge of her still-glowing pendant.

     "Of course, hun. Family makes us do strange things, huh? Even when they're gone." Astrid gives the elf a smile. "And I wouldn't go as far as calling him a friend... yet. Though I guess Brightmantle has brought me to this bunch for a good reason." The dwarf glances around to the pilgrims milling around the courtyard and notices that the Bogatyr's words have stirred many to getting motivated to getting the journey underway. "Seems like we're about ready here," she says to Numue. "Shall we..?"  

     With a click of her tongue and a nudge with her heels, Astrid brings Bluebell along side the carriage near Alaris. She peers inside and gives the priors a nod, taking note of the reliquary they carry with them. She offers Brother Ludomir a smile before saying, "That sounds nice. It's been awhile since I've spoiled myself with that halfling drink. Though a little goes a long way."

Ghoul sways on her shoulder as Nimue follows Astrid over to the carriage, a small smile on her face.  

Shiva puts an arm around Caio's shoulders as she beams proudly, "Yes, beautiful horrors are our specialty, sir. You're in good hands. Now, it seems that we are about ready to depart?" Releasing her friend, she notices an absence.  "Ari, have you heard from Elodia?"

Nikolai nods invisibly as Jonathan disappears. 'I'll be in touch, young man.' He looks about and decides to begin working his way towards the rest of the group before his spell dissipates. As he moves his way through the throngs of the unwashed he begins to fade back into view of those around him, taking note of any that actually mark his sudden appearance and offering them up a rather wicked smile as he continues on his way. As he approaches the others, he takes a moment to get a closer look at the specters hanging around his companions gather as much details about them as possible. Nikolai makes no effort to tell the others yet as he spends sometime staring at the empty spaces behind and around them.

'Is that you behind me? The specter haunting me? Or is it something else?' He asks the voice in his head, hoping for a rather easy answer to the riddle.

Quote from ZeeOfIstus >>

Shiva puts an arm around Caio's shoulders as she beams proudly, "Yes, beautiful horrors are our specialty, sir. You're in good hands. Now, it seems that we are about ready to depart?" Releasing her friend, she notices an absence.  "Ari, have you heard from Elodia?"

 
Right on cue, the stark silhouette of a rider atop a tall, white horse appears at the eastern end of the square. Resplendent in a hooded cloak of deep red velvet, Elodia trots towards the carriage, her golden curls glistening in the sunlight.

Quote from Lyrel >>

Nikolai nods invisibly as Jonathan disappears. 'I'll be in touch, young man.' He looks about and decides to begin working his way towards the rest of the group before his spell dissipates. As he moves his way through the throngs of the unwashed he begins to fade back into view of those around him, taking note of any that actually mark his sudden appearance and offering them up a rather wicked smile as he continues on his way. As he approaches the others, he takes a moment to get a closer look at the specters hanging around his companions gather as much details about them as possible. Nikolai makes no effort to tell the others yet as he spends sometime staring at the empty spaces behind and around them.

'Is that you behind me? The specter haunting me? Or is it something else?' He asks the voice in his head, hoping for a rather easy answer to the riddle.

 
Perhaps it is me, the voice that is both his and not his murmurs in Nikolai's mind, or perhaps it is something else. Perhaps I am something else...

The voice trails off and it seems to Nikolai that he is alone in his thoughts once more.

Spotting her coming towards the group, Shiva smiles and waves in her direction. "Ah, there she is. Well, it seems that we're all here. Do we push off now then, Alaris?" As the words leave her mouth, she's already pulling herself back onto her horse. The fondness she felt for horses was deep-set, each reminding her of hard-fought freedom every time that she rode. It made her want to gallop off in any direction, the wind whistling past her face as momentum catapulted her to someplace new. But, as usual, she resisted the urge, looking to her radiant friend expectantly.

Quote from stormchaser6 >>

"Good morning, Bogatyr Forien," he declares, before glancing up at the crystal blue sky, "and a fine morning it is indeed! The Commander said that you would be here to escort my companions and I to Paragon. Please forgive us the crowd; Vida's relic draws the faithful like the Lady's light itself. We ourselves are but three in number. I travel with Prior Beinidict and Prior Branok. We thank you for your service to the temple."

 

Alaris bows low from the saddle. "The Lady honors me with the opportunity to serve her, Venerable Brother Ludomir."  

Quote from stormchaser6 >>

"Of course, so far from civilisation, the Lady's light can also draw the attention of more sinister forces. The darkest depths of the wilds are said to be home to many beautiful horrors that might seek to claim the relic for themselves..."

His piece said, Ludomir's serious expression breaks into another beaming smile.

"...but that's why the Commander has assigned us such a capable escort. I'm sure that we'll all be sipping eggnog in Littlewood before we know it!"

With a click of her tongue and a nudge with her heels, Astrid brings Bluebell alongside the carriage near Alaris. She peers inside and gives the priors a nod, taking note of the reliquary they carry with them. She offers Brother Ludomir a smile before saying, "That sounds nice. It's been awhile since I've spoiled myself with that halfling drink. Though a little goes a long way."

Shiva puts an arm around Caio's shoulders as she beams proudly, "Yes, beautiful horrors are our specialty, sir. You're in good hands. Now, it seems that we are about ready to depart?" Releasing her friend, she notices an absence.  "Ari, have you heard from Elodia?"

"I have not - I thought she would be here right away. And where has Nik gotten off to?"

Quote from ZeeOfIstus>>

Right on cue, the stark silhouette of a rider atop a tall, white horse appears at the eastern end of the square. Resplendent in a hooded cloak of deep red velvet, Elodia trots towards the carriage, her golden curls glistening in the sunlight.

Spotting her coming towards the group, Shiva smiles and waves in her direction. "Ah, there she is. Well, it seems that we're all here. Do we push off now then, Alaris?"

Alaris exhales in relief and raises a hand waving in greeting as Elodia approaches on her own white steed. The level of relief surprises the aasimar a bit, but there is no time to ponder it. "I think so, Shiva. It is time - maybe if we start moving, the old teacher will show himself," Alaris replies with a smile before their voice changes. The paladin calls out in a tone that carries over the din and chatter of the crowd, "Children of Vida, friends of Piotrgrad, we thank thee for thy honor and return thy love to thee tenfold. Now, I pray, let us depart in peace - give us thy blessing as you have received our own." Alaris nods to the drover seated at the front of the coach, then nudges Zadkiel forward with a knee. Nikolai, where the hell are you? they worry as their gaze looks over the crowd.

Nimue pulls herself up onto her horse, which had been tethered nearby, keeping to the rear as the carriage starts forward, instinctively tucking her softly glowing amulet into her shirt. Best to not draw attention. I've done enough of that already.

"Or perhaps that is exactly what you should be doing." 

Not now, Grandmama. You've done enough damage already. Nimue can hear her grandmother's exasperated sigh. "How will you ever achieve your goal with silence, my darling? I can tell you the road will not be easy. Silence is not something you can afford."

The thronging pilgrims part before Zadkiel and the driver clicks to his horses, sending the carriage rolling off towards the eastern side off the square. Nevertheless, many follow on behind the procession.

Caio mounts his steed and takes a position near the front of the caravan as they begin to embark on the journey. He keeps his mask down, scanning their surroundings constantly while Ghoul takes off from Nimue’s shoulder and keeps eyes on the group from above. 

For a long while he is silent, keeping distance between himself and the others, but eventually he pulls back to ride alongside Nikolai and Shiva. “I’ve been thinking. I know the three of you are quite fond of our moniker, but I don’t think the notoriety we have as the  ‘Trio Infernale’ is as useful as it once was. Our enemies knew us by name before we knew them. If they have other contacts or agents about, it won’t be hard to keep tabs on us. Perhaps we can take advantage of the fact that our group looks quite different than it once did, the change in composition combined with a new name might offer a bit of discretion. At least for now.”

As the others begin to mount up, Nikolai turns his attention to his own horse which was being handled by Alaris while he was speaking with Jonathan. He turns to look at Caio with a curt nod as he addresses Nikolai and Shiva. "I would agree, our notoriety has served us well in the past, but I feel we have moved well beyond such things. You are better versed in knowing such things, so I trust your thoughts on this. We have called upon us the ears or being far beyond our capabilities. And to that note, we have much to discuss once we are away from prying eyes and ears." He gives Caio and Shiva a strange look before he glances behind them once more, looking at the astral projections? Beings? Whatever they were... before looking back once more. "Let us get out of the city, it does not hold the same love for me it did a few days ago."

"Yeah, sounds good to me. Did you have something in mind, Caio? There are what, seven of us at the moment?" She then turns to Nik with concern in her eyes. " And are you feeling alright, Nik? You look a little wild-eyed."

Nikolai shakes his head in response to Shiva's question, but offers her a small smile. "I will be fine, but there is something we all need to discuss. Not here though."

Caio gives a grave nod to Nikolai before turning to Shiva with a slight hint of amusement in his voice. “Seven of us, seven sins, all of which we possess in spades. The Deadly Seven? No, sounds a bit gauche in Tanemian. Perhaps we retain the infernal flavor? Septem Mortale?” Ghoul gives an approving squawk as he momentarily swoops low.

The carriage's pace is slow and steady as it rumbles on through Kalininsky district towards the city's edge. The procession of pilgrims trailing the clergy and their escort is initially substantial, but slowly shrinks as they pass the walls of the old town and head for the open road. Eventually only a score or two remain.

Out amongst the farms, the skies are grey and the wind cold, sending shivers to the hearts of anyone not wrapped up warm. Elodia pulls her fur-lined cloak tightly around her, occasionally glancing longingly at the shelter of the coach.

The sight of the shivering noblewoman should've brought a bit of sympathy to Nimue's mind. But all she can think about is the cold ice in the woman's voice as she laid blame at Nimue's feet. She stares at the back of her golden head for a time, wondering exactly what it was she was running from. From the corner of her eye, she can see Nikolai riding with Shiva and Caio, with Alaris close by. She can't help but feel....alone. For the first time since she'd left home, she truly felt lost. Not even her grandmother would be able to dig her out of this one.  

Once the procession gains the open road, Alaris whistles to catch Caio's attention, gestures to themselves, and twirls a finger over their head to signal that the paladin is going to do a slow circle of the procession. Then Zadkiel drops back from the lead, tossing her fine head in mock annoyance, as Alaris leads her towards the pilgrims. The paladin murmurs words of blessing with a smile as they pass among the pilgrims, looking for familiar faces and evaluating their footwear and equipping. The aasimar's countenance falls with frustration and sadness as they see a couple of little children scampering among the group. This job just became that much more work... They shake it off with a prayer of their own and then call out to the followers.

"The love of the Lady upon you... Listen close: no dawdling or straggling along. If you need help, ask me early rather than late. Keep your eyes open too," the paladin warns as some of the travelers eye one or another of the Trio askance, "and you may learn some things. Keep a gentle tongue in your heads, though - I will brook no disrespect to my companions."

Moving on, Zadkiel moves up next to Nimue and bumps her elbow in a friendly but imperious demand for affection. "We haven't had a chance to really talk," Alaris begins with a smile that makes even their silvery eyes glitter with emotion. "You're traveling with a loud, strange, headstrong family - What made you want to throw in with us?"

Once they had finally left the city behind and began their journey through the farmlands beyond, Nikolai keeps glancing behind his companions with a slight glimmer and flash in his eyes. Each time he spots the astral projections until finally the spell fades a few miles outside the city walls. He rides in silence for a while longer as Alaris rides around the caravan to check on the pilgrims accompanying them. He allows his eyes and thoughts to drift as he watches farm and after farm roll past, thinking longingly to the time not so long ago when he, Ling, and Shiva traveled these very lands ending threats that the naive and ignorant farmers could not conceive all the while ridiculing the Trio over something which they had no control. They could not control their heritage any more than those fools could have controlled the weather that controlled their livelihood. Even so, Nikolai would still do the job and proudly keep his shoulders high regardless of their spite.

But those days were gone. Just like Ling. He felt a heavy weight upon his shoulders as if he'd failed her. He should have pushed his own familial issues aside and recognized that hungry look in Ling's eyes; a hunger for knowledge of her past and why she was the way she was. Even Shiva seemed to have a similar pull, especially now that she had seemingly changed... That had been a harrowing moment outside The Black Sheep. Even Shiva was pulling away from him. The night with Ling had destroyed everything. It was falling apart from one moment of weakness...

'You must learn to control you passions, young one. There is far too much fire in your heart.'

'You speak in riddles and nonsense!'

'Do I? I wonder...'

Nikolai growls in frustration at the obliqueness of the voice, but then stops and ponders at his own anger for such a small thing. Perhaps... Perhaps he was right. Nikolai thought back to memories the other he had shared with him and he felt a coldness in his stomach. So much death and destruction. It was on a scale he could not even fathom. He pictured what Piotgrad would look like if all the people within the walls dropped dead and even such a horrific thought was nothing compared to what he'd seen from all those awful wars that had been shared with him. 'Perhaps we could speak more later. I would listen to your words of patience, if you can teach me. I am so tired.' But there was no response now. Nikolai sighed as he let his thoughts drift for a time before deciding that they were hopefully far enough away from Piotgrad to speak a bit more openly. He lets out a sharp to whistle to catch Alaris' attention and jerks his head towards the others as he directs his horse closer to Caio and Shiva. "As soon as Alaris and Nimue are here, I will tell you all what I could not within the city. As I said, there is much to discuss."

Nimue jumps slightly as Alaris pulls up beside her. She offers a smile back, though her dark eyes don't give away much. 

"Truthfully? I don't know. But it feels like I'm being....called by something. And finding Valentine.....however much trouble it's brought, I don't regret going into that house. It's brought me one step closer. To what, I don't know yet. But Aralath hasn't steered me wrong yet." 

"It looks like Nikolai is holding a bit of a convocation... Let's ride that way and see what he has for us."