Yeah, within a few days.

Your trucks have you moving a good deal faster than anyone else can react, and these roadblocks haven't been around long. You'll probably drive past the soldiers on their way to clear the roads when you go.

Basically, if you want to try to capture any more of them alive for Dr. Vanderbilt's medical room, then this is your chance to do so. They won't be here when you come back with (or without) Ortzel.

Oh, yes. By now Felix would understand how exorcism for the lay worshipper works as well as any. It's a simplified rite, and if he wants to learn it Arkady would be more than happy to teach it to him. Clearly it's not just for yucks.
Oh, did the body armor Arkady asked for arrive from the ship?

Felix (and anyone else who was listening in) can always try an exorcism if pressed. Though they won't be able to do so anywhere near as well as Arkady, not being themselves consecrated as priests.

The ship could pack and put together some basic armour - bulletproof vests and the like - though they don't really have much that can stop a determined man with a broadsword, or for that matter a marksman with a crossbow. (Slow, maybe. Stop, no.)

Anything that can stop a rifle bullet can stop any medieval crossbow you could actually pick up. Neither the kinetic energy nor the momentum of the bolts/darts are as high as they would be for a 7.62 round (or the equivalent). Unless there's a rigid insert the bruise might be spectacular for a heavy crossbow, but it wouldn't penetrate. A broadsword would be pretty much the same; they're rarely all that sharp, but make really good impact weapons.

None of which would stop an attack to where the armor isn't, of course.

I'm not exactly sure how long it's taken to get to the castle; if the arch-prelate died two days ago, that's what Arkady would have said.

Apparently a bulletproof vest is not exactly perfect protection against a modern crossbow. Not quite sure how medieval crossbows compare, but of course a vest won't protect your face.

Edit: Did a bit more searching on arrow speeds for medieval crossbows. My current understanding is that the bolt will stick in the vest, but not penetrate. It'll still give a massive bruise, but it'll be a non-lethal bruise.

As for broadswords - the vest might well stop the sword from cutting you. But, as with the case of a man armed with a club, he doesn't need to cut you to kill you, and a broadsword is a great big heavy thing.

What's the motive power for these riverboats?

Sail, unless you'd like to spend a FATE point to declare something different.

Out of curiosity, did they come from upstream or did the wind happen to be blowing strongly and in the right direction all day?

They're on both sides of the castle's promontory now, but asking the guards on the castle wall will reveal that they came from upstream.

There are no heavy engines on the wall to threaten river traffic? How remiss.

Remiss, indeed. Unfortunately, one has to go to war with the castle one has, not the castle one wants to have.

Huh. I always assumed Piper did it.

Can I spend a fate point to say I managed to use my visor to take a high quality photo of Martel? And another to say I have hundreds of printed copies? I have an idea. Two ideas actually. Put a regular old bounty on his head and ask the thieves guild for assistance.

We should scout out Groan's position. Methinks Martel might still be involved.

I'll allow that without a FATE point needing to be spent.

Talen can also provide decent sketches of the man if necessary (apart from his talents at thievery, the boy's pretty good with a pencil and has an excellent memory for faces).

I'll talk with Ulath and see what the bounty system is like and if he'd approve of us putting one out on Martel. Basically I want to hand wanted posters out like Halloween candy to every village we happen across in our journey to try and stop or limit Martel's movements.

'Wanted: Dead or Alive. This man, Martel, is dangerous and should only be approached by seasoned professionals. If you see him or anyone resembling him, please report to the Knights of the Church as soon as possible.'

The gold from the mine should make for a decent reward.