Hrothgar simply listens and tries to stay out of anyone's notice. He pulls up cowl of his cloak over his head, shadowing his face. Hrothgar is not comfortable around authority figures.
Not many of Constantinople's elite ever met Modius while he was in the Senator's service, so he doesn't worry much about being recognized. He stands back from Paper as if he might be one of Paper's men, which makes him feel tough.
For Modius
"Stratos Kopteros is a fellow countryman of mine. As all the world knows, we Persians are an odd race."
Isat smile disarmingly and shrugs slightly.
Faccipus nods. He takes Paper by the elbow, and leads him deeper into the courtrooms. Seeing the rest hesitate, he smiles and says "Please, come with me." When you are alone, in a small office with no windows, and a trio of bright, but old, oil lamps, He speaks.
"About Stratos Kopteros, I can only assume that your business with him is for your associates. That is all I will say about that man. He is not the sort that I think...You can find him at the calends. He has services that he conducts there. He has rooms in the Inns of court, on the third floor. He is pleasant enough in person, but his views are not, how shall we say, respectful of the order of things. I won't say any more about it. If you want to catch him, you had better hurry. The storm that is coming is a rebuke from Neptune."
"I was sorry to hear that your house burned down. I knew that one of the villae had burned, but had no idea it was yours. I will personally go and tell your counsellor about this, as soon as he is out of court. We will handle this as quickly as possible. Do you have any suspects? Who is the investigator?"
Paper looks at Artus gravely
"In truth Artus I am not sure who is investigating. After the events of the evening I went and stayed at a friend's house. I was slightly injured. I believe that it was perhaps something to do with my servant Zalmoxis. . I figured it would be my duty to report this, I still don't know how I am going to tell Pater."
It takes longer than you expected to report the arson on your house. It is a complex web of deceit you weave, trying to skirt what you know, and make a plausible sequence of events. A clean shaven roman Centurion arrives, with a scribe in attendance. The scribe swears Paper in, then the Centurion and Facippus take turns asking Paper for details of the night before. What starts as a statement, is actually an interrogation. The Centurion has been chosen because he is not known to you. Chairs are brought in. The officer is introduced as Claudio Lucillus. At three points, Lucillus reveals information, after hearing your version of events.
He mentions that bodies were found.
Bluff DC 16 to work them into your fictional narrative.
If you write a plausible lie, you can get +4 on the roll.
He mentions that one of the arsonists, an Alcaeus Simonus, was caught, and confessed that he was part of a team hired to attack the house.
Bluff DC 18 to incorporate Alcaeus' version of events.
If you write a plausible lie, you can get +4 on the roll.
He asks if you have any enemies, or anyone who wishes you harm. When you say that you don't, he casually asks: "Does the name Lycurgus mean anything to you?"
What do you say?
Anyone can chime in, and aid another, on any of the bluff checks. The DC of the aid another is 14.
By the end of the interview, it is obvious that Lucillus was doing his job, as a representative of the court, by attempting to uncover the truth about the events of last night. He is not being vindictive, and has no hidden agenda.
It takes longer than you expected to report the arson on your house. It is a complex web of deceit you weave, trying to skirt what you know, and make a plausible sequence of events. A clean shaven roman Centurion arrives, with a scribe in attendance. The scribe swears Paper in, then the Centurion and Facippus take turns asking Paper for details of the night before. What starts as a statement, is actually an interrogation. The Centurion has been chosen because he is not known to you. Chairs are brought in. The officer is introduced as Claudio Lucillus. At three points, Lucillus reveals information, after hearing your version of events.
He mentions that bodies were found.
Bluff DC 16 to work them into your fictional narrative.
If you write a plausible lie, you can get +4 on the roll.He mentions that one of the arsonists, an Alcaeus Simonus, was caught, and confessed that he was part of a team hired to attack the house.
Bluff DC 18 to incorporate Alcaeus' version of events.
If you write a plausible lie, you can get +4 on the roll.He asks if you have any enemies, or anyone who wishes you harm. When you say that you don't, he casually asks: "Does the name Lycurgus mean anything to you?"
What do you say?Anyone can chime in, and aid another, on any of the bluff checks. The DC of the aid another is 14.
By the end of the interview, it is obvious that Lucillus was doing his job, as a representative of the court, by attempting to uncover the truth about the events of last night. He is not being vindictive, and has no hidden agenda.
Paper attempts to weave a narrative skirting as close to the truth as he can go without revealing the survival of Levi.
"I had offered to host a small gathering at my house that evening. My family is away on business, and I had wanted some company. When I arrived I seem to have caught my manservant Zalmoxius unawares. I had known that sometimes he indulged in hashish smoking, and I assumed he ws embarrassed that I had arrived with unannounced guests in tow when he had been using.
While we were eating supper he disappeared, but then I heard sounds of a argument. When I investigated I discovered that another man was in Zalmoxius' rooms and had slit his throat."
Paper describes Zalmoxius' murderer.
"It was at this time that a crew of theives broke in, perhaps on orders of this man. I assume they wished to rob my villa, and this had been planned for when I was out somewhere. They obviously didn't expect to find me and my friends there! I believe they set the fire to mask their retreat after we fended off their initial assualt. I don't know why someone would be hired to attack my house, my family are lawful Romans and have no dealings with the lower elements that I am aware of."
To the question of Lycurgus
"Hmm, it doesn't ring a bell. Is he one of the theives?"
"As he said, Sirs. And I was wounded in the attack, you can see our scars, they were quit numerous and we fled, fighting as we went. If they weren't thieves I can't imagine what they wanted, my friend's family is upstanding and he has been gracious in helping me get on my feet. I for one would like to know why hoods are attacking good Roman families. I've heard this isn't the first time in recent days."
Aid another/Bluff (while intoxicated): (1d20 6-1=16)
If the man is wearing any Christian symbols: "He has not declared himself a Christian but I find him to be one in deeds. Truly a good Samaritan."
"I'm a physician by profession. Papyrus's friendship is welcome in itself, but his generosity extends to helping me expand my practice. We joined him for supper at his request - and with great pleasure I might add.
It does seem the attackers expected the house to be unoccupied, but from what you say of Alcaeus it was carefully planned. We were certainly not expecting any such attack and were forced to flee. I am not a natural fighter and in any event was more concerned with helping the wounded to know how many people were in the house.
As to why anyone should wish to attack us, I have no idea. I can't think of any reason why a man of Papyrus's standing and integrity should be a target unless perhaps there is some percieved slight or jealousy we know nothing about. I am a foreigner here and seek only to improve my medical skills and knowledge - please forgive my ignorance of politics."
Although Gnaeus Papyrus stumbles through his accounting of last night, his earnest friends convince the man that everything is as Paper recalls. He ends the interview by saying; "It is a terrible thing that was done to you. I would have gone to get revenge, but I see that you are a better man than I. It is not much, but we can order our paper from your family in future. We use enough paper here to make a second courtroom. At the moment, we buy from Anaximather's paper mill, but we can certainly come to an arrangement with the noble house Papyrii. Let us shake on it, so that new business may spring from old ashes."
A man appears in the doorway. He is wet. The rain must have started. With the tension in the room, you didn't notice. He is a little wild in appearance, but unmistakably Persian. He has thick black hair, and large eyes that seem unnaturally bright. He has some of the air of a madman about him, and an unsettling energy. For all that, he was a handsome man once, but something seems to be in the room with him. He has fine wool robes, cut loose in the Tunisian style. His hands are ink stained, but he is otherwise clean. His eyes dart around, and settle on Isat. He speaks in very fast Persian. A burst of words that is over in a couple of seconds. To all but Isat, they sound like glossolalia.
To Stateros in Persian
I am Isat Vastra and I've been looking for you. Nico Karageorgio wanted us to meet. Forgive me, but may we carry on this conversation both in private and in a language my brothers can understand? It's possible the need is urgent. Another assumption which of course I should not make. I learnt that at Eleusis.
To the others, and especially Lucillus
"I thank you. This is indeed the man I was seeking. Perhaps we should leave you to your work and continue with our business elsewhere. If that would not be discourteous."
In Greek, but just as fast. " You are Isat! I have heard about you. Welcome to Constantinople. I see you brought a retinue. One can't be too careful these days: There are people who... but that is a subject for another time. Hello everyone. I am Stratos Kopteros. I am vvery happy that my friend from afar has finally come to see me. Any friend of El...Isat's is a friend of mine. Thank you for bringing him safely into this den...this place. This most Christian of cities. I am sure you are coming to wait out the storm with me, but my room is small. I will go with you then. I will need a change of clothes. It will take me approximately sevven and a half minutes to get the clothing. The Greek minutos, not the Roman. They count funny here. I will be right back. Nice to meet you all. Don't go anywhere. I will be right back."
The centurion and court orderly make their farewells. The matter is in capable hands. True to his word, Kopteros leaves almost instantly, and comes back after seven minutes. He has a cloak over his robe, and has thoughtfully brought an extra cloak for Modius. Outside, it is not raining, it is pouring. There is a downpour of solid sheets of water. The wind whips the stinging rain everywhere, as if zephyrs were playing a game of tag. You all find yourself in the Atrium, looking out at the downpour. It is now twenty four hours since you all met. A lot has changed in that time. A rain that fierce must abate sometime, and sure enough, a break in the rain gives you the chance to get back to Hrothgar's hide safely.
All of you look carefully at the streets and the rooftops. Some of you, at least, are getting a little paranoid. Shapes that may be youths on the rooftop turn out to be chimneys, and every hooded figure scurrying in the rain seems ominous. Paper and Hrothgar are all business, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Their combat instincts, Modius street senses and Isat's keen vision reassure you all that the threats are solely imaginary. Hobgoblins of stress.
Stratos talks non-stop to Isat about Eleusis and the mysteries. He catches himself doing it, breathes a few times to calm down, then asks questions again. This time, he actually waits for answers. He asks Isat what kept him so long. He asks how you got wounded. He asks if Isat has been threatened or troubled by anyone.
Hrothgar: Perception check. DC 17.
*snip* He asks Isat what kept him so long. He asks how you got wounded. He asks if Isat has been threatened or troubled by anyone.
His eyes rolling slightly in an effort to keep up with Stratos's flood of eloquence, Isat finally manages to get a word in here and there.
"You're not the easiest person to find Stratos. I haven't specifically been threatened, but we have attracted a LOT of trouble. My friends have been injured because of it. We could all use help and I need advice. And ... we're trying to stay inconspicuous. Dangerous times."
In an undertone to his friends
"Now I know what you have to put up with when I talk for hours. It must be a Persian trait. Apologies. Next drinks are on me."
Hrothgar: Perception check. DC 17.
Hrothgar yawns and turns his head to the side, and he sees....
Stratos is obviously under some kind of stress. He seems happy to have met you, and instantly accepting. He has been working too hard on something. His energy is a natural trait. He just seems to be operating faster and smarter than most. He is not necessarily able to express it. He is persian, but definitely a man driven to learn. He has a narrow focus of some sort.
Hrothgar yawns and turns his head to the side, and he sees
a woman in a second floor window. The woman has seen Hrothgar, and recognised him. She has ducked into the window to avoid notice. She is of Alaric's tribe by marriage, but was born to the same tribe as Hrothgar. Her sympathies are impossible to know. She knows who you are, and you are only two blocks away from your hide. There is no bond of amity between you and her. She is not even a cousin of yours, but grew up a few years before you. Her name is Yihanna. She married Alaric's uncle.
During the entire interview process Paper obsevers the niceties and tahnks all of the court officials for their time. He agrees that the matter is terrible but that perhaps some good can come of it.
Out in the lashing rain Paper keeps up a wary vigilance as they hurry down the rain-lashed streets. There are dangerous enemies about, and Paper watches the areas they walk as thouroughly as if he marched through a German forest with his century.
Perception roll (if needed): 1d20+4=14
The rain and high winds make it difficult for Paper to discern anything.
To Stratos.
"One name the keeps cropping up is Lycurgus. I really don't like what we're hearing about him. Do you know anything? There's someone you need to meet and talk to. A man called Levi Bram. He is ... talented ... in ways which you and I understand."
Isat is aware of being out in the open street and trying to be fairly obscure.
"I have heard of a man called Lycurgus. He is one of the wise. He studied under a woman called Affeili. He started out as a very conservative, very academic scholar of the arts, but he found something in the dust of Tunisia that opened him up. He can do great things. I heard he can burn things with a word. He can call things to serve him, move things with his mind. He can speak to animals, and even raise the dead to serve his will.He learned a lot from his Mistress, but then denounced her as a follower of the dark ones. Some of my friends in Jericho said that he was a bastard first, a politician second, and a wizard third. He apparently was greedy for power, not just over the art, but over other casters too. He wants the power of the names all to himself. He has a lot of sway with the blue churchmen"
He sees that most of this is lost on Isat, then says "What did your masters tell you in the shadow college? You are of the art? You were said to be of great talent. Surely you studied the art?"
"I studied nothing. I am wholly a child of the goddess. Her power seeps from me, Eleusis is in my soul and guides me, but I have no training, only faith. Stratos, I don't know what my powers are. I can heal - astonishingly. I have brought men back from the edge of death, maybe beyond. But I don't know how. Can you teach me?"
Embarassed by his own eloquence, he adds
"Look, I was raised a rational follower of the Wise Lord. He guided me to my profession and I'm good at it. In my arrogance I went to Eleusis seeking - I don't know - knowledge very likely. What I found was certainly knowledge, but I was humbled and devoured by the goddess. Now I'm a child again and as ignorant and foolish as I've ever been."
"I went to the mysteries to see if there was anything for my order. We call ourselves Jericho, for we attack the walls of the real. I had no idea that you were one of the gifted. We have names for many things, and it is hard to forget them. I will try and speak plainly. I am a wizard. I learned for many years how to shape the world through words of power. These words are written in the first tongue, before Babel. The logos that the builder used when he made the Earth. The words are terrible to a mind that is not prepared to handle them. There are other ways of magic. If you can heal, that is a gift I do not have. I do not know the ways of those who are gifted. I know the ways of the ones who are skilled. The gift is for the old gods to bestow. I am not going to be much help to you on your path, but it is good that you came to me. There are forces at work that seek to destroy the old magics, in the name of the Christ. They will kill you if they know of you. They have people all over the known world. There is a man I know who channels his faith in Hermes into miracles. He is gifted, as you are. He lives outside the city, on a farm by the river, about a day's walk on the north bank. There is an apple orchard, and a stone house with a small tower. He is called Hermocrates of Sidon. He can teach you to hear the goddess and be attuned to her will. I sat with him for a month, and could still not see how his magic worked. My principles were useless to decipher his. The gods are great indeed to have made many types of magic."
You are all two blocks away from Hrothgar's room. Hrothgar has seen something. There are dark stratus clouds letting a thin drizzle out in miserly bursts. This is the sort of rain that lasts. The cumulonimbus has almost rained out, in the savage burst of earlier. Now there is just dark sky, and persistent rain. The wind is quick, and sharp. window shutters are banging, and awnings are snapping in the wind. visibility is not great, because the clouds blot out a lot of light. The water on the streets is not draining well. There is a small pond forming against the walls of the city. It is hard to hear much over the wind, but you are not overheard either. Stratos and Isat's conversation is unheard by any of the others. It looks as if there may be flooding. The sky is a black shroud on the evening. The city is battening down. There is no light from Hrothgar's room The shutters are closed. There are rats on the street.
Do you continue toward the room? The woman who saw Hrothgar is back inside the house, and will not see where you go.
If you want to leave the city, you will need to go soon.
a woman in a second floor window. The woman has seen Hrothgar, and recognised him. She has ducked into the window to avoid notice. She is of Alaric's tribe by marriage, but was born to the same tribe as Hrothgar. Her sympathies are impossible to know. She knows who you are, and you are only two blocks away from your hide. There is no bond of amity between you and her. She is not even a cousin of yours, but grew up a few years before you. Her name is Yihanna. She married Alaric's uncle.
Hrothgar yawns and turns his head to the side, and he sees
"Oh c@5p!"
To Hrothgar: The door to the house you saw her in is closed, but there is a short wall to the courtyard of the house. She also didn't close the window she looked out when she saw you. It is on the second floor, but you could jump up and get a handhold on the windowsill with a DC 14 jump check. The house is a communal house held by three or four families. there are sheep inside, and wool carding is done there. It is not a rich property. There are probably no more than fifteen people inside a house like that.
"Guys, I need your help. Let's discuss it when we get to my room."
You get to the steps to the hide. There is no-one on the street. The door is shut. There is no light inside. The stairs are slick with rain on the reddish tiles. Levi opens up for you all. He looks calm, and a lot better. He also looks relieved to see you all.
Master Bram. We have the thing you left on the roof. It is lucky it is heavy, or it would have gone to swim. Hrothgar has something to tell us.
I am glad you are all back. I was scared. I admit it. I have not left this room all day.
"Guys, I need your help. Let's discuss it when we get to my room."
Play it out in character, if you can.
I am glad you are all back. I was scared. I admit it. I have not left this room all day.
"Someone followed us this afternoon. I'm worried about staying here too long, Levi - your enemies reach far, and they are now our enemies, too."
"Guys, I need your help. Let's discuss it when we get to my room."
"Anything to do with the way you've been lurking round corners all day Red?"
and to Levi
"You look better. That's good. We need you on your feet. How's the stomach wound?"
It hurts, but I am learning how to move with it. It is swollen. I am really hungry, but I don't want to eat with the damage to my gut. Someone came to the door and listened about three hours ago. They tried to look inside, then they went away again. I stayed very still, and didn't want to move much. That was just before the downpour. Did you see the rain? you are so lucky here to have rain like that.
I am worried for Ruth. She has been in the hills of the dead for more than a day.
Yes. He is on the stairs behind you all.
"So I think we should get Levi's wife next. I'd feel better knowing she's safe and I think Levi would too - before we start to untangle this web."
For everyone
Hrothgar gathers his comrades-in-arms.
"Friends, as is readily apparent to you, I am not a native of this city. I came here from my homeland because I did I am fugitive. You see I castrated the heir-apparent of my tribe for raping my sister and causing the death of my father."
"Now I have lived in this city peacefully, if you can call this peace. But today, someone from my tribe saw me. And it is possible that she may already reported my whereabouts to my people. I have to leave the city immediately, or perhaps you can suggest an alternative."
"Well, we could start by shaving you bald. It would help with the fleas, too."
Scratches his chin. "This just got a lot more complex, didn't it."
"Modius, you gotta be joking. Are you sure they won't recognize me without all the hair?"
"Would a dress help?"
Laughs.
"Just kidding brother. I think it would help to disguise you a little right off. A change of clothes, too. Did she see you notice her?"
"Would a dress help?"
Laughs.
"Just kidding brother. I think it would help to disguise you a little right off the bad. A change of clothes, too. Did she see you notice her?"
"Modius! You may be a comrade-in-arms but ... a dress, really!" Hrothgar says indignantly.
"What if Paper and I exchanged roles? Him one of my proud people and I one of his, what you think?"
"And I think finding another apartment would improve our chances of survival against ALL of our enemies."
"Just the beard would do Modius, no need to go too far with this. He could wear a hat.
"Getting out sounds good. It's a shame about the Gaul Hall job though - think we can get a message to your friend to let him know we'll be late for lunch tomorrow?"
Turning to Stratos
"Do you think Hermocrates would allow us all to visit him?"
To the others
"There's a man who can certainly help me and might help us all put some pieces together. He lives out of town, once we find Ruth we could go there. Stratos knows something about Lycurgus as well. None of it is good and we're going to need all the help we can get. He's a witch and a very powerful one."
"What if Paper and I exchanged roles? Him one of my proud people and I one of his, what you think?"
Modius eyes Paper's cropped hair.
"And a haircut."
"Whatever we do we need to leave now, it wasn't any of our friends who came here today because the friends were all out together. I'm not going to wait to be surrounded again."
"Ah, the sacrifices I have to make for the sake of freedom... my own."