You have left Urcadia on the road to Argos on the far side of the Peloponnese. You may be traveling for different reasons, perhaps a loved one is waiting for you there, perhaps you hope to find adventure, perhaps you just want to get away from where you are.  In any event, traveling together is safer than traveling alone.

The road is long, and you have time to talk as you go.

Katerina gives out a sigh as she drives the wagon she procured in Urcadia. When Anemia left to visit her grandparents, they made a promise to meet in Argos once Katerina finally gains leave from the higher-ups. When she arrived back on Urcadia, she did exactly that once she received leave, however she wonders,"How am I going to explain to Anemia the baggage I'm carrying." she mumbles to herself as she turns to the back of her wagon to see various vagabonds of different backgrounds. Their are a few that are familiar to her, unfortunately those few are people she didn't want to meet for the rest of her life,"Yet this is the hand fortune seems to want from me." she mumbles again and then sighs, again, as she keeps driving to their destination.

"I greatly appreciate the transportation, Highness," Chiatracles says from where he sits at the back of the wagon, hands wrapped around his stout walking staff. "I would not wish to tarry in Urcadia - going against my banishment was risky, but there were matters to resolve between my sons." He sighs. "One might have wished that they would have learned better than to quarrel in their mature years, but alas, I seem to have taught them nothing."

"Serendipity and coincidence are indications that the the Gods want something to happen." Sophia offered to Saulas.  It was a deceptively light-hearted offering, to engage in philosophical debate.

To come face to face with one who'd put fire to her home?  How could such a thing be a coincidence?  Surely Saulas could sense her seething rage, her eagerness to balance the scales.  But Sophia promised herself that she would not be rash.

The wound that Katerina had made took months to heal.  The fevers and chills lasted far longer. It could be no coincidence that now, when she was finally healed, Sophia found herself traveling with a group that included the very one who'd done that to her.

Mother Green whispered in the taw, the holy place inside her head reserved for imaginary conversations, arguments with herself and fantasies that would never be...  And Mother Green said to be patient.  In due time, the will of the Gods would unfold and that, even as embittered as she was, Sophia would play the role she was always meant to play. How could she do otherwise? She was who she was and would always be such.

She'd kept her distance from Katerina, though.  She couldn't tell yet whether the soldier recognized her or not, nor whether she'd even remember the debt that Sophia felt she needed to repay.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:02, Sun 21 Aug 2022.

The gods like to keep us guessing My Huntress.  Are we all just peaces on a great tactical board that they playing against each other or are they rolling dice and moving us along as the random number decides.  It is hard to tell.
The find horse he was riding next to Sophia was always a joy to ride.  It was one of Katerina father's finest war horses.
Saulas had locked eyes on Katerina as the group had move out.  Nothing had been said but he was sure he was not the first person his betrothed would want to see as they headed out.
In spite of what his reputation was he always like to keep his promises.  He promise to find someone or something that would make Katerina happy and it look like he may have chance to keep it.
So the question is if gods decide to leave the board for a moment and have a drink and something to eat.  Do we get to make our own moves and roll our own dice.  What do you think?
He turns to Sophia.  As he did he nodded to Chiatracles and smiles.  The same nod and smile he used when he first talked to the wise man many years ago.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:33, Sat 20 Aug 2022.

On a cool spring morning you traveled down the road.  There was a faint smell of smoke on the air. Sophia noticed it first, but soon the wind out of the east carried it to all.  As you traveled the sent got stronger. What at first might have been the sent of a camp fire mixed with the smell of oil, wet straw, and refuse.  As you rounded a bend in the woods, black plumes were visible in the distance over the tree tops.

"Oh my." Chiatracles watches the smoke with foreboding. "It would be both wise and virtuous for us to discover what is happening, and lend help if possible and needed. But my old legs do not lend themselves well to scouting - possibly someone younger and more athletic should cautiously approach and see what they can find out?"

"Hmm, no Highness please, Wise Chiatracles. I don't go by that, especially in public in front of strangers, or at least strange folk." Katerina says to the Wiseman as she glares at Saulas,"Anyways, save your appreciation, I owe you a debt I could never repay. Without you I couldn't have taken the chance, so don't think of owing me a favor anytime soon, your free to ask me of anything within reason." she says, then looks at the smoke in the air,"... Hmm, that's never a good sign." she says as she stops the wagon and hops down with spear in hand,"The rest of you stay by the wagon, I'll see check what's going on." she says, cautiously approaching the smoke trail.

As you approach you hear the sounds of many people some are shouting, "More water here!" You also hear crying. At the edge of the wood, you see a farming village in disarray.  There are signs of conflict, most of the villagers are putting out fires with buckets, some are tending the wounded.

As you see the suffering people, your thoughts go back to that time when you fought with your father, and Anemia was there to offer you comfort. You feel the need to bring comfort to the villagers as Anemia did to you.

Compel: I Will Always Be Here For You. gain one fate point to accept, or give one up to resist.

Seeing their suffering, Katerina couldn't ignore this. She turned back to the wagon and approached the others,"Their are several wounded farmers in the village, and some of the houses are on fire. Those that are able, follow me, they'll need all the help they can." she says, without any hesitation she moves onward to the villagers and will proceed to help them douse the flames.

I'll accept that extra Fate Point

Sophia had been walking beside the little caravan.  She slowed momentarily, to make sure that her bow and pack was securely stored., then  she took off after the soldier-princess, her eyes scanning the village for the place she could be best used.

Most likely, it would mean fighting the fires.

Is there any indication as to whether the cause of the conflict is still a threat?

Chiatracles limps after Sophia and Katerina as fast as his old legs can carry him. As he gets a better look at the blaze, he recalls the time, years ago, when he took to studying fire. A bakery on his street had burned down, and he had wondered why the flames had spread to some nearby houses but not others. He had set up numerous experiments over the course of many months, burning down many structures erected to his specifications during a variety of weather conditions. By the time his neighbours got fed up with his apparent pyromania and petitioned the King to get him to stop, he had learned quite a bit about how fires spread... and therefore also how most effectively to fight them.

I attempt to create an advantage in the form of some educated advice I can share with the people fighting the fire. Not sure which skill would be used, but I use A Lifetime of Study to make it Lore regardless.

08:21, Today: Chiatracles of Urcadia rolled -1 using 4 Fudge dice with rolls of 0, 0, 0, -1.  Lore to create advantage.

With my +4 Lore, that's a result of 3.