IC-Ep 2-Perchance to Dream(Everyone else)

[Mr. Handy]

Forum Romanum- Rome, Italia
Mid-Morning, March 15, 44 BC

The sun was shining brightly on the great Forum of Rome. It felt like their heads had only hit their pillows a moment ago, yet here they were. Germanicus strode through the street, Claudius lapping at his heels like a faithful, ugly dog. Caelia Alba was here as well, as were Titus Iunius Philo, Decius Lupus, and Aricus Callidus Gladio. Septimus, the elderly augur, was there too. There were great crowds of people, but their faces seemed indistinct.

[aine]

Caelia looks around and at herself. She is wearing a bright yellow stola and palla and a slightly ridiculous headress of yellow and gold flowers. She certainly stands out from the rest of the crowd. Caelia spots Septimus and Germanicus. "Septimus! You are well?" Caelia is amazed. "Quick, can I help you; we must hurry if we are to keep up with Germanicus!" She takes the old man by his arm and hurries after the striding senator. She keeps glancing at the old seer, wondering how he can look so hearty.

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Titus has often had the experience of knowing that he is dreaming. He also knows that some dreams are meaningful and some are not. Whether this dream has passed through the gate of ivory or the gate of horn is difficult to say. In either case, the best thing to do would be to follow the wise Septimus and find out what he, or his dream image, has to say.

[HoneyDog]

Claudius trots along after Germanicus, wondering where they are all going now. He picks up the anxious mood emanating from the other members of the party, and hopes that there won’t be trouble. Well, at least not for him.

[DrPeterson]

"Look lively, Claudius, the Ides of March are upon us. Let's go to the Theatre of Pompey Magnus and meet with Caesar."


Germanicus strode on with the grace of his station and smiled benignly at the faceless crowds.

[Mr. Handy]

Septimus shuffled along as best he could, guided by Caelia. "This has happened before," he intoned. "It will happen again."

As the group approached the entrance to the Theatre of Pompey, several Senators fled from the building, clad in white togas with broad purple stripes. "Murder!" shouted one, a horrified expression on his face. "Caesar is slain!"

[aine]

"Gods! No! Slain already? While I slept!" Caelia is mortified and falls to her knees. "We have failed. No wait, maybe I can do something." She leaps up and calls to the others, "Help me find Caesar; maybe he is only wounded - I can help him!"

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Titus rushes to guide and aid Caelia as best as he can. If this is a true vision of the future, perhaps he can learn something to prevent it.

[Mr. Handy]

Titus and Caelia could not get through the rush of Senators and assorted others fleeing the Theatre of Pompey. Everyone was rushing in the other direction, and nobody else was trying to go towards it. "Stay back!" shouted one man as he barrelled past. "They have knives!"

"Not again," moaned Septimus, clutching his chest. "I have failed again. Why must I always fail?" Then his eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed.

[DrPeterson]

Germanicus's heart sinks as he tries to navigate the throng of fleeing senators.
"Knives!? Weapons in the Senate! What is this barbary?"

Seeing his attempts to enter rather fruitless, he grabs the shoulder of a passing man.

"What is this talk of knives? Who is attacking Rome?"

[aine]

"Titus, Help me!" Caelia reaches back for Septimus and tries to protect him from the trampling feet of the senetors as he falls. "Ye Gods, Septimus you silly old fool! Why didn't you stay in bed?" She exclaims angrily. "I can't understand why he's here, walking around; he nealy died from a heart attack yesterday. Actually no, he did die but then somehow he came back to life again; it was a miracle." She says to Titus.
"Two heart attacks in two days." She shakes her head. "Here, help me carry him to the side; Caesar will just have to wait a minute."

[Mr. Handy]

"I know not!" wailed the random man Germanicus had seized.

Titus helped Caelia move the fallen Septimus out of the rushing crowd. Once she had a chance to examine him, she could see that he was no longer breathing. His heart had stopped again.

[DrPeterson]

Germanicus was unsure what frustrated him the most, that he could not advance to where he wanted to go, or that the cream of Rome was stampeding around like a horde of unkempt Germans. This was the cancer at the heart of the Republic. The senators were no longer decent men who respected and upheld the mos maiorum, the traditions of the ancestors, they were cowards and lickspittles.

Looking around for a moment, he walks up one step and then empowers his voice with the experience of his years of military command.

"I am senator Tiberius Germanicus of the Tulii. You will move out of my way and allow me passage into the Senate for I swear to the Furies that I will personally tear asunder any man that dares block my path. "

Persuade 60%,[dice]0[/dice]

[aine]

Caelia attempted first aid on the old man but it didn't look hopeful.

firstaid,(70%) roll: 76

[Mr. Handy]

Nothing Caelia could do was any help to Septimus, though he did at least have a smile on his face and seemed at peace at long last. He was dead, and this time he remained that way.

Germanicus gave a stirring oration to the crowd, which stopped panicking and came to its senses, Senators and commoners alike. They scattered before him, but no sooner had they done so than another large group of Senators emerged from the Theatre of Pompey. There were more than twenty of them, and they walked slowly, deliberately. As they got closer, everyone could see that they had blood on their hands. "People of Rome!" they shouted. "We are once again free!" They were met with silence, for the crowd was now gone.

[DrPeterson]

Germanicus stares aghast at the blood on the Senators' hands and for a moment he feels the world fall from under him.
It couldn't be, it shouldn't... and yet he knew it was. The Pillar of Rome had fallen. It was the end of the Republic.

He looks at the murderers' face, committing them to memory and is then seemingly startled by a strange sensation on his cheeks. He lifts his hands up to brush it off, only to look in awe at the tears sticking to his fingers.

"Claudius", he whispers. "Take Caelia Alba in via the maintenance entrance around back. See what can be done, and see that you get his body out of there."

He then takes a few steps towards the murderers and raises his right fist with extended index and little finger.
Looking at them with a cold hatred in his eyes, Germanicus his left hand to his mouth and bites it deeply, the blood on his lips and teeth as he speaks.

"By Juno, I curse you. While you live you will be haunted by the vileness of your deeds and will find peace no more in this life or hereafter. Fruit will wither where you walk and all things joyful to you will turn to ashes.
In death your names will live on in infamy and the centuries will remember you as the traitorous dogs who brought down the greatest man of these days. I curse you."

[HoneyDog]

Without a word Claudius turns and makes his way back to Caelia. He doesn't relish leaving his master to face all those knives but he won't disobey an order.

He approaches Caelia as she kneels with Septimus. "Lady Caelia! Please... Maybe we can help Caesar!"

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Titus rushes to see if he can learn anything from the dream-Caesar's wounds. If from an animal, why not a man, even if it is only an illusion?

Spoiler:

If possible, will attempt to auger from the body of Caesar.

[dice]0[/dice]

[aine]

Caelia gently closes Septimus' eyes, "At least you are free of pain now, Septimus." She whispers; she is glad to see the smile on his face. She stands as the hunchback scuttles up. "Yes, let us make haste, Claudius!" And she scurries with him into the building.

[HoneyDog]

Claudius leads Celia to the back of the building, and through the maintenance entrance described by Germanicus. He hopes that there won’t be any more of Caesar’s assailants – perhaps all the attention will be directed to the front of the building. He keeps his dagger in hand, concealed in the folds of his cloak.