Capitulus Quinque: Pilgrimage

[MadVlat]

"It is your loss brothers! The truck contains more than passengers!", Rego barks out in congenial but loud words. The priest making sure that he is heard...

[Vardaen]

The gate to the Black Monolith is silent. The Black Order is notoriously closed off to the Imperium even to the others of the clerical order. With that a dead end Solaria puts the truck in reverse and backs up, "Well then, let's find someplace else to bunk down for the night."

It takes about an hour but you locate a place on the edge of town that caters to pilgrims and you secure a place for the truck and yourselves for a few score of gelt and the night passes without too much incident. That bring you to the barren morning and once again loaded in the truck you stand on the bed watching the great gate at the edge of the town open. A herd of pilgrims spills out into the wilderness like so many ants filing out of an ant hill. There must be several hundred travelers who begin the long many day trek out into the wild lands beyond the city to see the Shrine of St. Drusus. All around the walls you can see militia forces, some with mounted stubbers, others with longlas rifles. They are doubly on watch with the gate open, for this land is wild and inhospitable and enemies are all about for it seems the more holy a place the more chaos wants to destroy it.

[Grimbold]

Haxtes says nothing, but he observes all. He motions his head and looks questioningly at the others, indicating that perhaps they should also seek out the shrine.

[Trogdor]

Jericus hops up onto the bed of the truck and finds a seat on one of the boxes. Given the nature of the land they'll be passing through, he double checks his long las to make sure everything is in order. If they run into trouble, that's likely to be his first line of defense.

[Vardaen]

Solaria looks at Rego and steps on the peddle and the truck lurches forward out of the gate along the road that leaves the settlement. For the first mile its slow going as you try your best to not run over any of the walking pilgrims, but eventually you break free of the pack and are on open road. The road however soon turns into just a dirt trail through the bleak wilderness. Those on the back are choked with dust and dirt kicked up from the trail, luckily everyone has some form of filtration. Twenty kilometers into the drive and you spot a broken down truck on the side of the road, its an old wreck, nothing new or worth exploring, but Solaria slows down near it. You can see what appears to be an RPG explosion in the side of it, and a few picked clean skeletons still sitting in the cab. "Weapons free!" She calls up to those in the back as she picks up speed once more.

Its about half a dozen hours since you left the space port and you spy a small military outpost up ahead. These small outposts are placed along the way to the shrine every so often, timed for walking pilgrims. Its hardly more than a watch tower with a small courtyard for troops to stand behind rockcrete walls and barbwire. Around that pilgrims set up tent cities, shanty towns and migrant hovels as they make the way to St. Drusus' Shrine still days travel away.

In the top of the three story tower is a Heavy Stubber Team, behind the rockcreate barricades and barbwire are another dozen men with lasrifles and the like. Some are on duty, but most just are sitting and playing dice, or shooting the breeze.

[ManWithDoor]

Damien looks around suspiciously when they find the wreck, but likes Solaria's plan of gunning out, and is happy that it was left far behind. He doesn't want to become like the skeleton inhabitants, left to rot on this distant world. He looks much more at ease when they get to the barricades and loyal Imperial Guard troops. A few travelers are easy pickings. A heavy stubber team, not so much.

[Trogdor]

Paranoid as ever, Jericus looks carefully at the wreck as they pass it, trying to figure out which direction the RPG came from. Was it from the outpost or from somewhere else?

[Vardaen]

GM

Grim? MadVlat?

The wreck is good few good miles from the outpost, but the RPG blast appears to have been a driver side impact, not head on. That still make Jericus worry.

Your truck rolls into the outpost area, and you are forced to park outside the barricade. The 'yard' inside the barricade is only few dozen meters wide, and is only for the milita stationed there. Solaira shuts the engine off and leans back in the seat. "Well, Father, perhaps some of your goods could get us a place to stay for the night inside the walls."

The men on the tower are peering down at your truck, and the pilgrims already here glance up from tents and fires as you mill about.

[MadVlat]

"I agree. Let us see what the humble works of a priest can gain us on our journey", Rego quips. "Who will watch the vehicle while we barter?"...

[Vardaen]

Solaria leans back, "I'll keep my eye on my baby, the rest of you go get us a safe place to park. This is your rodeo Father, you better take the lead on this, we are just along for the ride." She lights up a lho stick and leans out the window puffing away.

Rego and the group dismount and start toward the barricade. Two guards, lasrifles slung over their shoulders stand on the other side of the 1 meter high wall. "What can we do for you.... Father?" they add as they see Rego's attire. "This here is a militia outpost, not an inn I'm afraid."