Fellowship of the Dice

The Psyker probes the prone Cleric, both with his mind and his medical instruments. Damien understands the power of sacrifice and vision, and respects Rego's quest. He could knit up every scratch with a thought, but that might negate the sanctity of the moment. He will save the man's life if necessary, but healing only just enough to prevent such a thing. Until Rego is sure that his sacrifice has met its goal, Damien won't interfere more than he has to.

Rego is out, and Damien and Haxtes collect him. The Cleric's grip on his blade is white knuckled, pressed against his bare chest. Collecting the man the pair look to Solaria and Jericus who help escort the group to a small guard shack nearby. Using Rego's status and the donated items as leverage you gain access to a small heated room. After about an hour Rego wakes, you feed him some nutripacks and he wakes up, then fades back into sleep.

Damien decides not to heal him with his powers, this struggle is a holy one that only Rego can fight. So it is by late that night he wakes, renewed, with vigor and energy. His blade sanctified, and his faith stronger than ever.

When Rego proves to be down and out from his long vigil, Jericus steps up to direct the group. He arranges for a room, while Damien and Haxtes deal with Rego and Solaria watches their backs.

Once the priest is resting, he addresses the group. "Okay, I'm not sure when Rego is going to recover. But we should start making our plans to return home. Haxtes, our truck only barely made it here. Can you take a look at it and see if you think it'll make it back to the spaceport. If not, we either need to get it repaired or find different transport. Solaria, see about supplies. Make sure we have enough for ourselves and whatever bribes we think will be necessary on the return journey. Damien, you keep watch over Rego. It looks to me like all he needs is rest. But just in case, be ready to try a healing. For my part, I'll speak with the local authorities to see if I can get any kind of report on what the current conditions are between here and the spaceport. It hasn't been that long since we arrived here. But if there's one thing I learned growing up it's that things can change quickly in a place like this."

Then he looks around. "Any questions? If not, let's get moving. I'd like to be off by first light tomorrow."

Damien agrees to watch over Rego, making sure that he is physically taken care of. Normally he would also offer to protect him from malign entities that might take advance of a downed Cleric, but the Psyker doubts they would be able to stand the Holy energy still sufficing the man. "Also, how much more bribery goods/money can we spare? I'd like to see about getting those heretical cowards by that bridge executed. If we can get a Captain or something enough reward, I'm sure he'd send a sufficiently large task force with us. It wasn't too far from this stronghold."

Haxtes goes down to the truck and has a chat with its machine spirit.

I need some oil for the engine and some promethium to fuel it, he thinks. And an oil filter as well as a fan belt.

If he can, he purchases the parts from a shop nearby, else he will try to fabricate them himself. Then he takes another look at the truck to see if anything else needs repairing.

Damien watches over Rego, the Cleric is delirious but he will eventually recover. Damien makes no move to heal or help him that might put his pilgrage in trouble but he's there just in case.

Haxtes tends to the truck, he procures a few supplies and upgrades and repairs pieces of the engine. The truck will make the return trip, this much he is certain of now.

Solaria restocks the truck, food supplies, camping supplies, and some further supplies for bribes and bridge tolls. She has it loaded and ready when its time to depart.

Jericus checks with the local authority. He finds out that there have been troubles in the month with raiders, mostly local savages, driven by chaos to attack the shrine. The holier the location the more chaos attempts to bring it down. It is a constant war zone here, but the Imperium keeps the guard well supplied and there is little true danger of loosing the location. Reports suggest another raid might be coming soon, the quicker you leave the better.

Regrouped at the truck its time to leave. You load Rego in the front and strap him down. Solaira behind the wheel and the rest of you hunkered down on the back under a tarp to cut the wind. The truck pulls out and starts along the road, you pass through the various camps and shanty towns, then out the main gate and back toward the space port....

Rego's eyes flutter open amidst a forehead dripping with sweat. As he regains focus he pulls the now visible Damien close. "My brother we will soon encounter a great evil. I must be the one...", Rego fades out for a second but regains control with a painful exhale of air. "...I must be the one that smites the daemon. St. Drusus has shown me the way".

He pulls himself from the stale matress, wincing from his many wounds. "Brother I would call on you for your aid in making me whole once again. For the darkness grows with each passing day and I must be made travel ready"...

Rego wakes as he's loaded into the truck, Damien tends him, and the group then rumbles out of the gates of the shrine. Your trip back takes you though pilgrims, the same ones that you landed with. They are just now arriving some are still a few days out, but you drive through the throngs, much fewer of them now as they have died off from the weather or were turned away at the bridge, or perhaps simply gave up. You rumble down the road for a few days retracing your steps nearing the bridge.

Near the bridge you stop to find things a smoking ruin. uniformed imperial guard have taken the bridge, and the forces that were holding it are gone. As suspected the men holding it were raiders and rebels, and once Jericus informed the guard at the shrine of the situation they rolled out a few units to clear them and retake the bridge.

So you roll across and after a time, a week since Rego's ritual, you return to the space port. The truck is sold, for a great loss, and you book return passage off this planet back to Scintilla the heart of the Calixis sector.

Rego's pilgrimage a complete success, you load up, lift off and head for home.