The salt air blew harshly and assaulted the senses as waves churned and crashed against the rocks upon the shoreline. A clamor of barking orders, creaking wooden docks, and the hearty laughter filled the air within the small port. Merchant vessels and their precious cargo came and went in their time, foreign and domestic goods making their way throughout the republic. Cuinte stood upon the deck of the ship he had hired to ferry him and his escort to Athens. He was rather impressed by those who had come to protect him, a handful of guards hand picked by Octavian himself, over a dozen hired thugs to hide among the ship's crew as they made passage to Greece, a 'priestess', and two of the German war spirits.

A grin crept across his face as he thought on the nature of these three young women, if he could even call the latter two that. With spirits, no matter their type, one can never trust what they say, at least not completely. As he watched the bustling port, accompanied by one of his bodyguards (stripped of armor to prevent suspicion), he enjoyed the feel of the salt air beating against his face. One of his hands moved to caress the spine of his copy of Libri Tagetici, a rather common manual on the practices of a haruspex. It was basic yes, but it reminded him of his youth, a child rooting through the innards of a freshly slaughtered lamb. To think that now he stood at the threshold of greatness, having the ear and doing the work of the great Octavian! But now it would take more than divination and wisdom to cement his place in what would surely be a glorious new Rome. If his escort could keep him alive that is.

Road to Knowledge

She had been expecting to be with the XIX legion in Gaul, not all the way back here in Rome. She had felt like she outstayed her welcome long enough; why was she still in Rome and not with the Germanic peoples whom she gave favor to? Well, she wouldn't have been with them even if she was with the XIX legion at the moment, but at least it was somewhat closer.

Oh well.

With an air that was unmistakably one that held a bit of disdain, Amelia gave Quinte a look before turning back to the dock, knowing that if there was an enemy (that she could handle, who knew what she would have to do if she had to fight a ship) she would have to fight on the deck against any last minute assassins. From there, it would just be up to her fellow war maiden of Odin and her creatures of the sea to see them safely to Athens, where potential danger was abound once more.

All she hoped was that she would get a chance to do something other than struggle as the ship sank and that Quinte wouldn't charge himself into trouble and make their job needlessly harder than it was.

Well, it would not be the only time in which Oriana was to travel. She has not been too far from her "home", or whatever her residence could be classified as, however, to protect the ideals of the person she believed would shelter the fractured Rome together once more, she would go anywhere she needed to go. After all, she was a simple girl. Younger than most others she knew. But even through this young attitude, she could be considered a "gifted child". After all, the priestesses of Rome tended to be better suited if their progression to this classification happened at a younger age.

Just like the other priestesses, she was a "dog of the state". An adherent of a deity to serve Rome and its citizens. Of course she would be one to do whatever the state asks. Therefore, one might be able to consider her a prisoner to her own duties. A slave to her ignorance. A person who simply followed orders and tended not to question it. After all, why would Octavian lie to her if he was to bring Rome to glory once more.

"Are we almost there?" The overly young priestess asked the man who had been assigned to "look after her", as it were. After all, she was still just a girl. Though she held the arcane knowledge, the mentality of a child still existed, and as such she needed mental guidance by another for the most part. Not to say she could not complete a task on her own, but would most likely not be able to obtain the greatest result if not in conjunction with another to lead her.

"I want to be useful any way I can to Octavian~."

One could say that was her primordial desire. A desire that was the core of her being. To be lead by the man who would make Rome great again. #makeromegreatagain

"I suppose by extension I shall be useful to you~. My name is Oriana Artorius in case we did not know. I hope we can all get along~."

Truly a childish individual, through and through. However, innocence does not always imply "good", merely a misunderstanding of the world around her.

Road To Knowledge

3 Lions? Check

3 Boars? Check

Jocasta? Check

Revi? Check

Godelvia was ready to go. She didn't feel the need to bring a lot other than her precious pets. Well, her precious pets and Jocasta. She didn't really do anything, including playing, which meant she was rather boring to hang around. Godelvia wouldn't be too mean to her bird, it always did what it was told.

"Jocasta, I want you to keep constant look out around the ship. If you see any boats, storms, or anything like that coming, warn us."The bird flew up into the sky, and would serve as the lookout for now. No response, not even a little bird sigh. There just wasn't any fun with Jocasta.

Once she was saw Jocasta safely in the sky, she looked over towards the other maid of Odin. A "famous" warrior, one who willingly partook in battles against slaves. Once they reached land, they would surely be safe with her around, as well as Godelvia's very own pets. The sea was supposed to be what Godelvia was an expert at, given her relationship with Ran, but she truly wasn't the best equipped for naval battle, just navigation.

At the very least, they would have mostly calm waters as long as she was around.

"Gladiator, would it be possible if we could rotate between our ravens scouting out the areas ahead? Jocasta will eventually need to rest. "

She should probably introduce herself to the rest of the crew, but she was to antisocial for that. It was amazing that she managed to ask the Gladiator to assist her.

Agripena retched over the ship's railing for what seemed to her like the twentieth time. She had never been on a ship before, and it seemed that she was suffering what the sailors termed "Neptune's Curse." Put simply, this was a trip from Tartarus, and her destination might be even worse. Or at least more isolated.

She managed to lift her head from the vomiting long enough to get a look at the horizon. The last hour or so had apparently gotten them close enough to see the shores of Britannia. The Priestess whispered a prayer to her patron. "Thank you, Ceres."

The Wild Goose Chase

Aboard the trireme that was conveying the delegation to Britannia, 19th Legion Legionary Titus Licinius Nerva Flavianus carefully paced along the walkway that spanned parallel to the rowing deck, his hand on the pommel of his gladius as he kept a stern eye on the remiges who manned the ship's oars. The dull thud of a drum pounded in his ears, each trio-arranged row of freed-men sailors heaving to and fro as they worked the oars at a steady, calm pace - the wind had died down earlier that morning, so until it picked back up again, these men would have to earn their pay the hard way.

He had only received a rudimentary briefing from his cohort's centurion a few days ago - accompany an expedition to the Britannian island across from Gaul and (along with the rest of the 9th and 10th Cohorts, who were currently separated across two other vessels accompanying this one) protect the delegation until their work was done. If they got jumped, however, a message would have to get sent back to the rest of the legion camped in Amorica, where reinforcements can be mobilised and sent across.

A part of him, however was apprehensive - only scattered rumors had reached his ear about Britannia, and even then, it was likely that more then half of it was unreliable, at best. Instinctively, he clutched at the small, visible icon of Minerva that hung around his neck, inwardly praying that, if something went wrong on this voyage, that she'd send warning to Neptune as soon as possible.

Road to Knowledge

Gladiator?

Oh, she supposed she meant her. Turning away from the Roman priestess who was probably consigned to a poor fate of being manipulated into fighting for causes she will never truly understand, milked like a cow for her magical abilities until she either fell in combat or, knowing the society that spawned her, got married and was expected to settle down with a family.

Well, Amelia would not be opposed to this Oriana girl falling in combat; for if she did, the Valkyrie would personally offer her a seat in Valhalla.

"I think that would be the best." She said to her fellow war maiden with a smile. "And please, call me Amelia. I gave up that Gladiator business already. I'll be counting on you to keep us safe on the seas."

Road To Knowledge

. . .

Shit, she actually replied beyond an 'okay'. The fellow maiden also introduced her name, meaning Godelvia would probably have to respond with her own name. She was not ready for this kind of situation. What was proper protocol for this? It was a bit too late for a greeting, and a salute wouldn't be proper in this situation.

A protocol book was written for a haruspex, so why couldn't Valkyries get one?

Godelvia just needed to keep calm, and try to act like she understood how social interaction went. Hopefully, she wouldn't screw up, and potentially ruin the entire mission.

" A-alright Amelia. I am Godelvia. It is nice to meet you. "

Flawless.

A little ways away from most of the people on the ship stood another girl. This girl was, in fact, another Valkyrie. It appeared that she had gone largely unnoticed; she was used to this, however. Despite how cute she may have actually been, peoples' reactions to her were often either that of completely not noticing her or, rather, being afraid of her.

Being Kára was suffering. Sometimes. She may not have been as socially inept as one of the other two Valkyries on board, but she certainly was shy. Usually.

In any case, it appeared the other two maidens of war were conversing. The topic of said conversation happened to be something that caught Kára's attention, as it was something that she could -and felt compelled to- help out with. As such, she nervously approached the one who had introduced herself as Godelvia. An elegant name. Maybe they could get along.

"E-excuse me...I'm also a maiden such as you, and I could have Diego also scout if you would like...Would that be okay?"

The raven familiar with the anachronistic slightly odd name sat perched on the girl's shoulder. He was probably making fun of her in his head for stuttering.

Oh.

I guess the weird subhuman did not want to play.

A pity. Such was the life of weirdos Oriana supposed. Perhaps she could have convinced the other to understand the greatness of Octavian, her belief in the man who would restore Rome. Such barbarians should be happy that they would be under the foot of the Romans as slaves. Truly, a wasted potential. However, that is why she followed Octavian. He would make Rome once against great, as her patron goddess dictates. As a citizen of Rome, it was her duty to ensure that only the greatest ruled. That only the ones to provide strength and determination to the city of Rome; the the nation of Rome; the people of Rome.

And that was Octavian to her. That was the legend she had believed. An individual so great one would be willing to place their heart and soul into their determination to ensure their will would be administered. After all, what is a nation without it's ruler? Nothing more than a squabble of people biding themselves towards a power struggle, locked within eternal conflict.

But Octavian would fix that, right~? He would not let such frivolous squabbles falter the true heart of Rome, right~?

"Oh, I guess you don't want to play~," Oriana said after seemingly being ignored by the German. "That is okay~. It is not like you are obligated to play with me or anything~."

The troop was on a mission; an objective. To ensure that this would come to fruition, Oriana would simply obey the orders given. It was not like it was against the orders to scrutinize with her fellow ... mission-goers(?) ... and as such she felt it would be a fun experience to speak and understand how such strange folks who have rejected the true graces of the gods and worshiped false idols outside the rule of the only righteous-willed government acted. Were they even people? Oriana had only seen them as slaves captured during wartime, so it was not like she understood anything about them. They were just "the other": non-Romans. She supposed they were not as important as a Roman, but that still did not mean they were not "people". And children naturally enjoy the right to play.

Road to Knowledge

"I think it would be best if we had as many ravens flying and helping scout as possible, so of course you would be welcome if your raven is to join ours in taking turns." Amelia assured the new Valkyrie with a smile. Even as she spoke, Elov appeared and perched on her shoulder.

Taking a moment to consider the possibilities, she figured she should at least try and get along with Oriana. If her isolation - or, Odin forbid, racial arrogance - separated her from the war maidens and caused friction, it would be bad.

"Oriana, do you have anything that could help keep an eye out?" She spoke, her voice a little louder than her normal speaking voice to account for her distance from the germanic maidens. "The more, the merrier, and the ocean is a wide, wide place."

The soothsayer smiled at the girl's words. "Well Oriana, we will see how you can help me to aid Octavian. I'm looking forward to see what you have to offer me, and by extent him. Tell me, what is it you are skilled in? Or rather, who do you favor as your patron among the Olympians?"

If he was to be around these new 'priestesses' he would learn what he could of them. This one especially intrigued him, her eagerness to take part in Octavian's cause was appreciated, even if it was perhaps a little too close to hero worship for his taste. Still, such a comrade could be more than useful for what their master might make of Rome, if it could indeed survive the coming storm. The Etruscan was pulled from his thoughts as the shipmaster and his first man began shouting orders to depart, their cargo loaded and secure. Oarsmen took their positions and began their steady pace, each and every man working in time to move the vessel out into deeper waters. Soon the sails would be dropped, and they would be on their way to Athens. Cuinte ran a hand against his book as he thought to himself, he would open one of the livestock and see what awaited them, in time though. For now he was content to watch the land slowly shrink away into nothingness before the vastness of the sea.

Road To Knowledge

Oh, there was another maiden of the All-Father? When did she get there? Is that what Jocasta was chirping at when Godelvia got on the boat? Eh, either way, she seemed like a decent person, offering her raven and everything. Hopefully, she would be able to help Goldevia while they were on the sea.

Wait, shit, she'd probably need to interact with her. Time to act like a normal, sociable, Valkyrie.

" Yes, your raven can go after Amelia's. Hello, I am Godelvia. Nice to meet you. "

Perfect, spot on.

Of course, it totally sounded like she was a socially inept fool, but Godelvia was decently proud of herself. For a girl who spent most of her time around animals, which usually didn't speak, talking to other humans was really odd. All of these formalities, and so on. She just really wished there was some kind of book for this.

Amelia was asking the Roman girl if she had anything that could help scout, so that meant less social interaction for Godelvia.

Once the left the port, Godelvia finally realized how important her part of the mission was. Not only did she have to care for the lives of 2 other Valkyries, a 'priestess' and a haruspex, but she had a lot of her animals on the boat. She needed those.

"I have wolfy I guess~," Oriana said with a bit of childish aspirations. Of course, for Oriana, her spirit animal was similar to a "friend" of sorts. A being that would guide her to her desired goal. A spirit that would protect her to the best of her abilities as long as she continued to serve her patron goddess. After all, it was commonplace for a magical girl to have some sort of companion for their quests involved both treachery and danger, so a being that could provide such companionship would be expected.

Of course, by "Wolfy", she was referring to the spiritual animal she was contracted with. A wolf. Who would have guessed? Either way, she was unsure if Germanic magical girls were able to see her animal, but at the very least she understood that Cuinte would not be able to see her animal at the very least. Those without powers tended to be ignorant about the miracles of the priestesses, at least from what Oriana was told.

"They should be able to see any dangers around us~. They are really smart."

Well, about as smart as one would expect a spiritually contracted wolf to a magical girl to be. Smart by Oriana's standards anyway.

"But I think we should all be friends. I like making friends~. They are the best. You too~. Although I might be young, I think that we can at the very least have fun together~."

Of course, Oriana referred to the shirking, antisocial-seeming "priestess" or "Valkyrie" or whatever they wanted to be called. Although not as young-seeming as Oriana, she did display a bit of youthful bliss. Even if Valkyrie were minded to have the perception of one much older, they still retained their youthful flare, or what could be considered such, within their bodies. Although Oriana did not know such information,

"I don't know your name, but I don't think that one needs to know another's name in order to be friends. I was friends with a lot of people that I never even knew who they were called. We even played together before. Isn't that fun~? I think I told you my name, but I want to know yours."

An exchange of names is similar to an exchange of understanding. To create a classification for another, falsely or otherwise, was important to Oriana at a conceptual level, even if she herself did not understand why she would insist on such.

It was then that Oriana noticed that Cuinte had spoken to her.

"Oh~, my patron is the mother of Rome herself, Juno. Pretty cool, huh~?"

Kára smiled. It was a heart-melting smile. Both of her fellow Valkyries had deemed her able to aid in their endeavors. "Praise the All-Father! I'm glad to be of some help. You hear that, Diego? You're on scouting duty after the raven that's after this one, alright?" In response, the bird stared for a moment before deciding to groom its wing. Finding this rather cute, Kára patted her familiar on the head. It retained a blank expression. Possibly because birds lack the ability to change their expression.

It appeared that the one named Amelia was now in discussion with another one of the people who was to be on this vessel, so Kára turned her attention back to Godelvia. "That's a nice name. I like it. Graceful. Mine is Kára. Pretty simple compared to yours, isn't it...?" The girl chuckled to herself in a slightly nervous fashion. She by no means disliked her own name, but it was a simple fact that most people she met had much more grandiose-sounding ones.

She just kind of stood there. Kára did not lack social skills, she was merely bad with strangers. If her fellow warriors had instead been puppies or squirrels or something of the like, maybe she would have been slightly more comfortable. But alas, such was not the case. And so she stood.

Road to Knowledge

To think that such a young child could be so eager for such a task was, admittedly for Amelia, disturbing. She wondered if Oriana truly understood the significance and rigors of her position, her powers, and, worst of all, if she understood how others would see her position. She was also more than a little concerned with her obsession for Octavian - even that oaf of a soothsayer could see it. While Amelia did not frown upon and even admired loyalty, such was her own loyalty to the father Odin, her devotion was... troubling.

Noticing that Kara and Godelvia were getting to know each other better, she decided that it would be best if she were to speak to Oriana so that she would at least feel included. Isolation could be dangerous for the mind, no matter how old or mature.

"That's reassuring." she smiled. "I'm sure Wolfy can warn us if anything tries to sneak on board, while our ravens can take a look at the general area for more obvious dangers. Like Pirates and other such dangers."

The statements this Roman Priestess made about playing with a lot of people of whom she didn't even know their name was even more distressing to Amelia. A Valkyrie who was more in tune with human thought than most of her fellow maidens, she had a quiet inkling that this was most definitely not a healthy way for a child to form relations.

Well, she would have to change that.

"Well, I would be delighted to be friends with you. I am Amelia; it is an honor to meet you Oriana."

A name was a start, at least.

Road To Knowledge

Godelvia was sure that the girl before her was supposed to be "cute", but that didn't mean Godelvia would respond correctly to it. It just seemed like a girl with a dumb smile. Why was she hanging around people again when she had cute lions she could be playing with? Oh, right, something about making sure the group works as a unit.

Or something.

" Thank you, Kára. Your name is simpler than mine, yes. "

And back to awkward silence. What did one say in this kind of situation? She was sure you wouldn't do what you would do with animals, call them my a cutesy name and feed them. From what she has seen, people didn't take too kindly to that.

Usually.

Godelvia would have to break the silence somehow. She knew about animals, talking about them would probably be the best solution. Yes, how can she go wrong when talking about animals?

" Ravens are boring animals. Don't you agree? "

The Wild Goose Chase

"If that's what you want, then I would gladly take on the task. I've always wanted to see how good warriors in that land are."

Well, that what she said when she accepted the task from the warband's leader, but she had woefully underestimated the sheer amount of time needed just to get to this point. Ari had envisioned a grand battle with worthy warriors, one that would be recounted in epics for years to come. Unfortunately, that moment was yet to come, as she was stuck here on this vessel until they finally reach the barely visible coastline over yonder. Sigrun, her familiar, was perched on top of the mast, muttering discontentedly about the time it spent on this boat.

That aside, the people she was traveling with was quite a strange group. In fact she doesn't really know who they are, but there was one who seemed to have the air of a leader, two who seemed to be rank and file soldiers, and a young girl most likely to be one blessed by their gods, like she herself was. She'd wager the clothes of her back none of them was comfortable with her on the boat, seeing as she was one of those they would call 'barbarians'. Ah well, they did put up with her this far already, so perhaps they weren't too bothered.

Ari leaned back against the mast, waiting patiently as Sigrun started heckling the rowers under its breath.

Quest 4
Sanngridr sighed, shoving the part of her disgusted by the filthy air of the fringe tenements of Rome. The smell of shit and rot permeated the air, not the smell of life and regrowth, but a smell of sediment and stasis. Cities filled her mind with bile, being forced to confront the worthless, the unnatural, and most of all the heathen. Shrines to Vesta and the gods of trades filled her peripheral vision through doors swinging ajar, livestock roamed the streets, and she had to resist her basest instinct to rip them to shreds. Thankfully (for the animals), the fact that a large group of wolves kept to her heels quickly moved anyone with any sense of fear.
She still did not get why she was sent to perform some cowardly act of assassination, not even a fair battle for one of her caliber, still assisted by two priests of the Roman's gods, while her compatriot Ari was sent to clear out raiders in the land of the Britons. She would take up her frustrations later.
Quoth looked around with a curious eye, searching for a sliver of meat or some form of treat to make this slog worthwhile. He turned on Sanngridr's shoulder, and with a punctuating squaw addressed Sanngridr's current companions, who he had learned to be Tulia and Aelia.
"Do you have any idea where we should ask about this mansion? I'm afraid my partner here has not been in Rome in a decade or two, and she's not big on delaying the kill- work."
People looked confused but just assumed that, as ravens were not supposed to talk and therefore the fault was on their end.

"Juno? Interesting choice for such a young woman. In all honesty, I expect half of you to just sign yourselves off to Venus or perhaps Jupiter gets his hands on you. That seems to be something the king of the gods has a fondness for." The Haruspex chuckled at his own words, only half interested in the 'priestess'. His attention was more focused on the sea, watching the waters churn and swell again and again. The motion of their ship within the waves soothed him, and was admittedly somewhat hypnotic.

The cry of a lookout, and then a raven, roused him from the trance. His eyes scanned across the water, finally laying his eyes upon a pair of dots upon the horizon, quickly growing larger and larger. Orders began to roar across the deck, ship hands rushing to new positions as signal after signal was ignored. Cuinte's bodyguard moved his hand to rest on the grip of his sword, the man's hard features settling into a grim frown as the new vessels grew closer and closer. To the dismay of the shipmaster and his oarsmen, the ships were approaching ramming speed.

The ship rocked as the first vessel slammed into its side, though to the shipmaster's credit he had managed to maneuver the ship to avoid the other enemy's charge, though they were quickly rectifying their overshot and moving to board. The crew of the the first ship had already begun to board, men armed with swords, daggers, and even simple clubs and hatchets storming onto the merchant vessel's deck. Many of the oarsmen were slain outright as they scrambled to keep their attackers at bay. Cuinte had chosen to remove himself from the excitement, his bodyguard cutting down one or two of the pirates as they retreated below deck. The rest of the military escort, as well as Cuinte's hired hands, began to join in the fight, a storm of blades, fists, screams, and fresh drawn blood raging.