"Indeed they are. Don't move. I'm here to protect you." Alexei finds himself unable to move. Well, to be sure, he can move, within his armor, however his armor isn't moving. "I'm not sure your Arts are up to the task, my friend." Alexei is overcome with an odd sense of déjà vu, but from a reverse direction. "Abide here a moment, and I will handle the matter." He then disappears. Alexei is still stuck when he's gone.
((The above stands, unless you can convince me Alexei isn't in his armor... 
)
((No, he definitely wears armour, but he can always teleport out of it by casting Wizard's Leap again and not using a Terram requisite. He'll do so and reappear next to his pile of discarded armour, assuming that works))
Hmm, interesting. I'm not enforcing requisites, so should this work? Sure...
Alexei appears outside of his armor and it is hanging stiffly in the middle of the road.
Alexei scowls as he stands there in the cloth undergarments and tabbard that is usually over the armour and holds out a hand to Korvin and the men to stay where they are for now. Alexei begins to look around him, not casting a spell to aid ((doesn't want to be considered scrying on a magus)) and sees if he can spot anyone else while he holds his staff up at the ready.
((He has constant enchantments up to give warning against metal or wood, and also should be Corpus and Animal products, as the Shrieking arrow effect))
Alexei hears little but the rain, the grogs and the horses pulling the cart.
((Just as an aside, I wouldn't think this should contradict your typical requisites rule either))
Orrand, then, scans the world carefully for illusions, doubting he'll be able to find this foe whom he could not defeat even were he to see him. He raises his crossbow at the ready, and then, thinking clearly, swaps the bolt for a wooden training bolt.
Per 1 + Second Sight 2/Awareness 3 + Clear Thinker 3 + die = 6/7+ die 7 = 13 or 14, depending on the blackheart's methods.
He is tense, but still following orders.
Vilon says to Orrand, "Don't even bother. It takes 5 minutes to change the darn bolt. If he wanted us dead, we'd be dead. Remember what happened to the gay one? Word has it that this guy killed him and no one saw nothing, not how he did it. Of course, that's if you believe he's dead. I don't. Never found the body, mark my words, Apollodorus ain't dead. Maybe in that sunset place, but pro'ly not dead." and scratches his backside while listening to Valerian and Alexei spar.
"Didja just see that?" after Valerian makes Alexei's armor go stiff. "I like master Alexei, don't get me wrong, but I'd stay clear of him for the rest of the day. And quit fiddling with your blasted crossbow, already! He's gone!"
Korvin's eyes go wide as Alexei and Valerian trade barbs.
He turns to the grogs.
Wooden bolts are better than metal against him. You all should remove your metal armor and have Alexei strengthen your leather or cloth.
Alexei? Do you need some help?
To Paion
Keep and eye out. He may be speaking the truth that there are others about.
"Pardon the magus, but it takes five minutes to do it, and they're less effective against brigands. Might I suggest half us do it in case he reappears?"
Quite right. But you must not fire unless he attacks. My guess is that he would go after Master Alexei first as he is the most dangerous if he attacks at all.
((If the crossbows are composite bows, made from horn rather than all wood, they they can be left loaded. It seems quite common in the era. But Korvin does not know doo about that 
))
Alexei continues to scan the surroundings before re-appearing by the men and Korvin.
"He's playing with us now." he growls in a low voice. "He said there are other threats out here and he went off to take care of them. If he wanted to attack us he would have done so. We wait...see what happens next.".
((All of the men should have Doublet of Impenetrable Silk, Korvin can have the full suite of buffs himself, but he'd have to drop his parma for Alexei to do it, so Korvin, you can decide what you'd like for protection. Alexei casts Gift of the Bear's Fortitude on himself, he doesn't offer this out of hand as it could Warp whoever he gives it to, but if they want it, he'll do it.))
Korvin will not wear any metal now that Valerian has show. He will trust in Alexei's Doublet of Impenetrable Silk and his own defense spells.
We can not stand here and wait. Lets keep moving and be alert.
((Not sure of the surroundings. If we are in a woods, Korvin will ask Paion to scout around for trouble. i need to add some extra powers to her based on her MP.))
"Don't cast a spell to seek him out, don't give him an excuse to attack." "Not that he needs one." Alexei mumbles. "We should wait just a bit longer and then move on. He has a plan for this, that much is certain, and part of it might be to provoke an attack on himself. He can then be cleared of any murder he does to us. And let me be clear...he will murder us if he chooses unless we were to be very lucky. He easily bypassed my defenses, only my Master was able to do that."
((Not true...but Alexei has to save some face in this 
))
Alexei's armor is hanging in the middle of the road, too... A few minutes transpire and one can see it is not just a Diameter duration effect.
((It's conjured armour anyway, he could cast it again if he needs to, he's not wearing the Verditian armour. Either way it will fall at Sunset and disappear or it will disappear))
Alexei pauses. "He does have a plan...he might have thought I'd be stuck there until night fall, perhaps didn't realize I could just slip out of it or even dematerialize the armour..." Alexei is not certain what it means yet, he looked into the sky to see how long it might be bfore sunset.
((It's fairly reasonable to think that if Alexei could slip out of the armor with a Wizard's Leap, that the thought would've occurred to Valerian, as well.))
It's just after the party got moving...
Lets load the armor up or not but standing here will not help. We need to get moving.
The armor is immovable...