Road to Kiev, Chapter Nineteen
Housekeeping
Sunday, November 27th, 987 AD
We decide to spend the next four days in Thanalil's vacated cottage just doing regular type of tasks. Thalia leaves early in the morning to go hunt. Ivan and Edward chop down a tree and wedge at between the tunnel door and the wall because we're all still worried about Veronica. The door is locked as well. Slim, who turns out to dabble in the black arts when his Lord Vladimir isn't looking, Reynaldo, and Catarina all copy spells from each other. Wong washed her clothing and was able to net a few edible crustaceans. Nicolae took a chainmail and started to stretch it out so that he could make a metal net so as to better use his shocking grasp spell. Conrad, Reisha and Anna just kind of lazed about and rested. Towards the end of the day, Thalia returned all bloody carrying a deer carcass and a wolf carcass. She said she tracked a deer but when she got to it, five wolves were already snacking on it, so she kicked their asses and brought one of them home too.
A Final Farewell
Monday, November 28th, 987 AD
The previous days activities continue with a few exceptions. Edward takes over the chainmail widening because Nicolae goes with Wong and Thalia to hunt for adders. He needs their stomachs for one of his spells. That night, Edward sets a pyre for Gunther's head and those with the inclination pray for him. The rest of us remember his brave and daring life.
Giant Attack
Tuesday, November 29th, 987 AD
During the day, Thalia, Ivan, and Wong got hunt a find a herd of very large cows. Thalia is able to coerce one into coming with them, but the rest of the herd stampedes away. That night, during the first watch headed by Edward and Ivan, five giants come towards the cottage. Ivan hails them in Russian.
Ivan: Ho there! Who nears us?
Giant: We do.
I: What can we do for you?
G: We want the house.
I: You can't have it. We live here.
G: Well, how tall are you?
I: Why?
G: We have a rule where we come from: the tallest one gets the house.
I: Well, we have a rule where we come from, too: the one who wins the fight gets the house.
G: That's a good rule too. How many of you are there?
But Ivan had had enough talk. He rushed towards them. Three giants rushed towards him. Meanwhile, Edward had been rousing the rest of the party. Reynaldo was able to catch the three rushing giants with a lightning bolt. Edward, Thalia, Anna, Wong, Reisha, and Conrad all rushed as well. The two giants who had stayed behind started throwing rocks at the rushing party members. Conrad was immediately flattened. Wong was also struck, but not as bad as Conrad. She decided to stay back and shoot Melf's Acid Arrow out of her magic ring. Catarina, Reynaldo, Nicolae, and Slim stayed in the cottage and used magic and arrows to help the party. One giant was felled, and another ran, but not before throwing rocks at the cottage and destroying it.
Ivan: Do you yield?
Giant: What are the terms?
Ivan: You leave.
The giant looked around. He saw his comrade on the ground, looked at the two comrades still with him and then at the destroyed house. He couldn't be sure how many more of us there were, so he chose the better part of valor. Besides, they'd already destroyed the object they had come for. They took a step back. We took a step back. They took two, we took two, so on and so forth until we were back at the cottage, as it was, and they had departed the general vicinity. We rested.
More Housekeeping
Wednesday, November 30th, 987 AD
Most of us are healed, some of us became more powerful, and Slim smoked and cured all the meat we acquired, but not before Nicolae used his newfound spell, Vampiric Touch, to drain away the lifeforce from the cow they had captured the day before. He finally was able to heal himself, but we don't know how long this will last. Also, we're all a little afraid of him now. The mages finish copying spells from each other.
Heading North
Thursday, December 1st, 987 AD
We leave the ruined cottage (everything we touch, it seems) and head for the Dniper River. Slim says he knows the way so we follow him. In the middle of the day, we realize we need to find a town before we go too far so that we can replenish our supplies, especially our rope. Slim adjusts our heading slightly and we continue. Towards night, we find a friendly farmer who charges only a copper to stay in his barn for the night. However, he charges us a silver for a bowl of soup. Many of us abstain.
Shopping in Novaya and Passage Booked
Friday, December 2nd, 987 AD
After four hours walk from the barn, we reach the town of Novaya. Reynaldo remarks how the name means "Don't Go" in Spanish and makes a joke about the low tourism of the place. Personally, I don't get it. We shop for our rope and Slim informs us that it will take about a month to follow the Dniper to Kiev on foot. We groan. He says a boat will probably take us in about a week, and that he will pay our fare if Reynaldo will give him some artifacts from the Elven ruins on the other side of the Euxine. Reynaldo, Ivan, and Slim go to the docks and try to find a boat. They talk to the harbormaster.
Slim: We need a boat to Kiev.
Harbormaster: Ayup.
S: Can we get one here?
HM: Ayup.
S: That's great.
HM: Ayup.
S: About how much, do you think?
HM (spits): Well, what're you looking for? Private rooms, suites and whatnot?
S: Oh no no no, we don't have that kind of money. Steerage will be quite alright.
HM: Well, then, how many in your group?
S (after quick consultation with Reynaldo): Eleven, good sir.
HM: I can give you a group rate of twenty gold each. Ten, if you work.
S (nearly fainting): S-so much, sir?
HM: Ayup.
S: There's no way to knock it down, maybe to fifteen gold each?
HM: Anope.
S: O-okay. When does the next ship leave?
HM (looks out on the river as a ship departs the harbor): After that one, I assume.
S: Well, yes.
HM: In three hours.
They come back to the party and let us know. Reynaldo tells us the price and if we think it'll be okay to give Slim the artifacts for our passage. Slim nearly falls to the ground.
Slim: Wait a second. I never said I'd pay for your fare. I said I'd buy the artifacts off of you.
Reynaldo: What? Bullshit. You said you'd pay for us.
S: I never! I said I'd pay you money, thus paying your fare, perhaps, but never the entire party. I don't have that kind of money.
R: Let me get this staright: you're a mage, you're a cook, you're a coward, and you're a liar, too.
S (looks sheepishly to the ground): I never--
R (cutting him off): You remind me of someone I used to know.
We all glare at Slim but decide to take the ship anyway. Reynaldo pays his full fare, as well as Conrad's. Thalia, Nicolae, and Catarina also pay full fare. Ivan, Slim, Edward, Anna, Reisha, and Wong all pay half. The captain is none too pleased that he has to put girls and Slim to work in some way. We sail all day and night.
Vodyanoi Attack
Saturday, December 3rd, 987 AD
The boat runs aground in a small lake and we begin fixing it. The sailors start getting worried about Vodyanoi, Russian water spirits. They get so worried that they leave the lake, much to Ivan's dismay. He starts to rant and rave about how Russia's sons should comport themselves. He calls them cowards, all while working on the boat. Suddenly, a Vodyanoi pops up next to Ivan. The green, four-eyed water monster advances and Ivan turns to fight it. Five more Vodyanoi come up and the rest of the party joins the fray. Reynaldo stealthily climbs the boat so as not to be seen when he casts his magic. He manages to shoot a lightning bolt and snare to Vodyanoi. Many of the onlookers are startled by this. Two Vodyanoi quicly go down, but so do Reisha, Conrad, and Wong. Reynaldo climbs down the other side of the boat and swims out into the lake. He stands underwater and fires magic missiles until he runs out. Nicolae cast blindness throughout the battle. Reynaldo, fresh out of magic, comes out of the water and lands a devastating backstab with his mighty Reynaldo's Axe on a Vodyanoi. He quickly falls. Through the combined might of Ivan, Anna, Thalia, Catarina, and Edward, the remaining Vodyanoi are felled. The onlookers cheer heartily, led by Slim, who ran in and out of the water to help the wounded out. Ivan beat his chest and told all the assembled that this was how a Russian honored his Mother Country. The Captain quickly put us all on guard duty.
Up the River
Sunday, December 4th through Thursday, December 8th, 987 AD
These five days are spent sailing or waiting out a storm. During these days, many sailors and passengers remarked on the Vodyanoi attack. Of special interest to them was how a lightning bolt came to only hit the Vodyanoi and why the combatants were healing faster than they maybe should be. Anna weaved a spell to sway them towards less suspicion. It worked well enough. On Sunday, a storm blew in and we had to wait the next two days in a barn. On Wednesday, we fix the boat and head up again. On Thursday, river nymphs swim off our starboard side and nearly charm every sailor with their breasts. The captain has to smack them all back to their posts. Slim is hit by the cook because he also could not help himself.
Kiev, At Last
Friday, December 9th, 987 AD
We get to Kiev and quickly find a reputable inn where we get two rooms. Reynaldo, Wong, and Thalia realize they are the only original members of this mission to get Kiev to help Constantinople. Kai turned into a werewolf, Thorvald left for personal reasons, and Gunther was killed in the line of duty. These three plan on how they're going to approach the Prince of Kiev. They realize they might need a Russian translator, and they settle on Anna, over Reynaldo's objections. They tell her that the Byzantine Emperor will form an alliance with Kiev by marrying the Emperor's sister, Princess Anna, to the Prince of Kiev, Prince Vladimir, if Kiev agrees to help Constantinople against Bardas Phocas and his armies. Slim eavesdrops and mentions that an alliance with Constantinople will give Kiev prestige it has never had, wealth beyond its imagination, and trade routes down the Dniper, into the Euxine, through the Bosphorous and the Dardanelles and into the Mediterranean Sea. While Reynaldo totally agrees with him, he tells him not to listen anymore. After hearing all this, Anna says she'll have to ask God about it. She goes to the other room to pray.
End Chapter Nineteen
