Play@YSDC

The House of Marcus Antonius- Rome, Italia
After Midnight- March 15, 44 BC

Following the directions given by Adelphus, the two cavalrymen and Marcus Sabinus soon arrived at the lavish home of Marcus Antonius, one of the greatest houses in Rome. It was in the wealthy Senatorial district where Marcus had been earlier tonight, but it was even more extravagant than Scaevola's house had been. Perhaps only the home of Crassus had a greater display of wealth, but all of that had done him no good at Carrhae when he had met his death in battle with the Parthians less than a decade earlier. Two lictors stood watch at the front door, bearing the rods that were symbols of their station within the walls of Rome. Outside the city, they could carry axes, another symbol they bore - but also very functional. Lictors not only had the power to guard the great and powerful, they also had authority to execute.

Artemis came to a stop well before the lictors and rendered a salute.

"Veteran Atermis Gaius Sylvius, signifier of the Auxillary Ala quingenaria, requesting an audience with the Consul and most respected veteran of Rome about a matter of vital importance to the Republic." He spoke with the confidence of his time in the service, but kept his voice to where only those near him and in front of him could hear. He fished out his veterans diploma and offered it for inspection.

The lictor on the right studied the document.

OOC,[b]Artemis[/b], please roll Status.

The lictor nodded and handed the diploma back. He and his partner stepped aside to allow them entry. "The Consul is in the tablinum," he said. "You and your friends may enter. A servant shall guide you."

"May Fortunna favor you." Artemis smiled and nodded at the lictor. He stepped forward into the doorway and looked about for the mentioned servant. Now to find a way to save the General, he thought to himself. He looked back over his shoulder, nodded at his colleagues and proceeded forward.

"And you as well," the lictor said as Artemis, Spurius, and Marcus walked past him into the vestibulum, where a bald, middle-aged servant waited for them. "This way, sirs," he said with a bow. He led them through the shadowy atrium to a room at the opposite end that was lit by candles. This was Marcus Aotonius's study, where the great man himself, tall and broad-shouldered, sat opposite a nervous-looking Senator in a white toga with a broad purple stripe. They had been in conversation, but they stopped talking as soon as the servant approached. The Senator nearly jumped.

"Veteran Artemis Gaius Sylvius, signifier of the Auxiliary Ala quingenaria, and his associates are here to see you, Dominus," said the servant with a deeper bow. "They say it is a matter of vital importance to the Republic."

"It seems that there is no shortage of such matters tonight," said the Consul, standing. "Ave, Signifier. You may speak."

OOC,All of you, please roll Listen to see if you were able to overhear any of the conversation before it stopped, and please roll Republic to see if you recognize the Senator.

Marcus walked forth with his companions, quite impressed from the luxury of his surroundings and the fact that he was now working with cavalrymen in a matter of significant importance to the republic, this was clearly a first in the thief's book, and he thought he'd make the most of it.

He proceeded with the others to the room where the two men were having a conversation, still silent and vigilant he tried to pay attention to his surroundings before doing anything else.

Listen = 70,[dice]0[/dice]

Republic = 25,[dice]1[/dice]

OOC,Spurius's Listen roll (50% skill): [dice]0[/dice] Spurius's Republic roll (35% skill): [dice]1[/dice]

Marcus Sabinus,Before he had reached the room, [b]Marcus[/b] had overheard the men within talking: "I'm telling you, Consul, [b]Caesar[/b] will be killed!" the Senator had said. "You have still presented no proof, [b]Casca[/b]," [b]Marcus Antonius[/b] had replied. "How do you know this?" "Well, I- shh, someone approaches!"

Marcus catches a piece of what the Senator was talking about as the servant walked them into the room and started introducing them to Marcus Antonius.

While Artemis was in the front, Marcus whispered to both of them: "From what they were talking, it seems the Senator is on our side", never taking his eyes from the front and calmly smiling after the introduction ended, taking a slight bow in signal of respect for the Senator and Marcus Antonius.

"Praise be to your ears, Marcus," Artemis whispered while turning his head slightly to the side and downward. He continued to bow his head while bringing his right fist to his chest.

"Consul, I apologize for the disturbance at such a late hour, but I bring grave news, as I stumbled upon a plot against our beloved General and Caesar by some within Rome's leaders. As a veteran soldier, I took my service and sacramentum serious, Sir, and that included protecting the Republic. We came to the one we felt we could trust and share such dire news." Artemis went silent, his head bowed in respect to the two men before him.

"You see, Consul, it is just as I said!" the Senator remarked.

Marcus Antonius ignored him, focusing on Artemis instead. "You were right to come to me, soldier," he said. "As it happens, you did not even awaken me. What are the details of this plot? Who is involved? How did you come to know of it, and what proof do you have?"

"Consul, it has been a heady day for a simple veeteran as myself," Artemis raised his head and caught the eye of the Consul. He focused on the man before him and slowly began replaying parts of the day in his mind. Then he spoke again.

"We stumbled upon this threat earlier in the day. We went to the Queen to ask about a black Egyptian cult and she too had heard rumors that a group in Rome was trying to change the balance of power. She asked us to try to find clues that could save Caesar and the Republic." Artemis tried to slow his breathing and maintain both his tone and his stare at the Consul.

My lady and a few of us visited Scaevola, and he revealed to her his fascination with an Egyptian god named Toth. Artemis continued. The Senator and her went to some part of his villa, while Spurius and I awaited their return. She could not speak much about what she was shown, but she was shaken and simply said that we needed to save Caesar.

From what we could collectively gather, Dominus, this Toth appears to be the Dark God that Scaevola and numerous others are hoping to appease with an attack on Caesar making him a sacrifice and his brutal death will bring them great rewards. A touch of anger entered into the

"My lady, and her colleagues, gave me this scroll and explained its meaning to me as it is written in the language of the Pharoahs." Artemis pulled the scroll he had been given from within the tucks of his clothing and stepped forward towards the Consul holding the scroll out in front of him. "She also mentioned that she was going to help give us a means of identifying Scaevola and his flock by integrating into their numbers in a yellow stola and palla. For who ever is near her, will be bearing some special daggar called Ra. Sir, we came as quickly as we coud, and these men are my witnesses that I speak the truth about this matter."

Artemis stopped talking. He simply held out the scroll, held his gaze with the Consul and breathed.

Marcus Antonius took the scroll and glanced at it. "I cannot read the writing," he said. "Can any of you? I am sure you are telling the truth about what you were told, but how do you know that is the truth? Or if it is, the author of the scroll could be lying. I need a translator, first of all." He snapped his fingers and caught the gaze of one of his servants, who nodded and ran from the room, "Who is this mysterious lady of yours, and why should she be trusted? How did she obtain this scroll? Accusing a Senator is a serious matter, and I must have proof before I act against him."

"I can confirm part of his report," the Senator said. "Senator Scaevola is indeed part of the plot."

"Thank you, Casca, but we still must verify this information. I must know the exact words on the scroll and its provenance."

Dominus, Artemis continued with his report. Lady Caelia is a healer and the daughter of a physician Graecus or something like that. It was suggested by the Queen that with the Lady's affiliation with Egypt, that she might be able to garner Scaevola's trust. She was successful and learned more about the plot we had come across run by the Brotherhood of the Beast.

That originated in the forum, and Senator Germanicus and a man named Adelphus affirmed what a group of us learned about a brotherhood intending to assassinate Caesar. It was Adelphus that gave us this scroll that is now in your hands, I know not how to read the scroll and have told you it's purpose. Artemis took a moment to like his lips, paused and caught his thoughts and breath.

Our Lady Caelia intends to send us information associated with Scaevola's plans tomorrow morning. She also will be able to help us find Scaevola amongst the crowds tomorrow. So, Artemis paused again and licked his lips, "How do we Consul save our Caesar from this madness?"

"Ah, you must be referring to Caelia Alba," said the Consul. "I have indeed heard of her, and Senator Germanicus holds her in high regard."

At that moment, the servant returned along with another slave, this one of Egyptian appearance. Antonius handed him the scroll, and he translated it aloud:
"Hail Adept Scaevola,
I, Master Kemnebi, send you greetings from the Temple of Thoth in Khmun. Accompanying this missive you will find the Dagger of Ra. It is an ancient artifact of great power that we have only recently unearthed. Most of its powers remain mysteries to the Brotherhood for now, but it will certainly suffice for the purpose you have envisioned. In order to empower it for that purpose, you will need to slay an extremely powerful individual, and you must sacrifice a large portion of your essence in order to do so. However, there may be a way to lessen the cost to your ka. If you conduct this sacrifice in conjunction with as many others as possible, the cost will be shared with them, though you will still pay the highest price. It matters not which of you actually strikes the death blow, but it is essential that every one among you sheds the victim's blood. Once that is done, further sacrifices can made of any individual as long as it is done in the presence of Thoth, and you shall reap the benefits. Of course, the more powerful the victim's spirit, the greater the benefits to you. Those benefits will far outweigh the cost of the initial sacrifice. If Thoth wills it, you will become the greatest magician the world has ever seen, able to live through the centuries and witness the eventual awakening of the Beast. If you go down this path, you will surely succumb to madness, but as we both know, madness is merely seeing the world for what it truly is. The blessings of Thoth go with you."

"There is no mention of Caesar in this missive," Antonius said, "but there can be no doubt that he fits the description. Rest assured that I will allow no harm to come to Caesar. In the morning, I shall personally go to the Forum to warn him of the danger."

Marcus gently steps a little forward, and slightly bows before speaking.

"Pardon my interruption sir, I realize the seriousness of the situation, but specially since there's not really any mention of Caesar is why we need to be more discreet." He said while he lifted his eyes in order to meet Antonius's.

"If we act carelessly, he might realize something's off and he'll switch to another target, maybe we should focus on trying to track and follow Scaveola, while a discreet group guards Caesar."

Marcus then steps back to the place where he previously was, with a slight smirk forged on the left side of his mouth. "We should use the element of surprise to our advantage, sir."

Spurius after recollecting a bit of his thoughts and what Caelia has previously said states "We should not care about Scaevola choosing another target. The matter at hand is to save Ceasar! However I think Caelia said something about the stars being right so Ceasar becomes a sacrifice to Thoth. Besides, I bet most of his followers do not even know Scaevola's exact plan. Most of them will help him just because they want Ceasar dead for political reasons.. Spurius makes a small pause to measure the others' reactions and continues "Is there a way to ensure that Scaevola never meets Ceasar, especially with the Dagger of Ra? Or better yet warn Ceasar as soon as possible so he does not go to the Forum tomorrow. If they don't attemt the assassination tomorrow, they won't have a reason to try it another night.

Antonius met Marcus Sabinus's gaze, nodding. "There is wisdom in what you say," he spoke. "You can leave Caesar's protection to me. As for Scaevola, do you know his whereabouts right now?"

"No, Consul," Artemis interjected. "Lady Caelia will be wearing a vivid frock tomorrow while she is in Scaevola's company in the Forum. We thought that her being with the Senator and his co-conspirator's may help to identify all those that might be involved in this terrible plot against our Caesar."

"In that case, there is nothing more that can be done tonight," said Marcus Antonius. "Thank you for your warning. I shall see to Caesar's safety, and we shall keep an eye out for the woman in yellow."

"well, then I feel we have done our best, and may Fortuna bless us all in the effort to protect the General tomorrow," Artemis bowed his head, saluted the Consul then stepped back to join his colleagues. "Let us head back to rest, I am certain we can get a few hours of sleep before the morn. There will be room, even on the floor, at the Inn I am staying at. Otherwise, we should meet where?"

Marcus nods at Artemis's proposal. "I think it's best if we stay together for the time being, you can't ever be too careful, if they somehow know about us, they'll try to disrupt our plan." He said while walking towards the exit of the room.

Marcus then turns his head back to meet his colleagues with a crooked smile. "I don't mind sleeping on the floor, I can sleep anywhere, my friend."

"Then, let's head to the inn, we can make the sleeping arrangements work for a few hours before morning light." Artemis headed out of the room and made his way back out into the night. "A queen, a consul, two cavalry men, villas, it has been a day for the ages to be sure."

"Even if we sleep together we need to take shifts. Too many people already know of us.I am not really sure if we can trust them all. The enemy might be unto us any minute now. , says Spurius with a concerned look, peeking around to see if someone is following them.

"Well noted Spurius, well noted," Artemis said with a sigh. "Let's make haste, even a short amount of time can give us the rest we need."

Artemis lead the way back through the roads and alleys to the inn he had been using for the past few days , alebeit little time had really been spent there.

Artemis, Spurius, and Marcus took their leave and made their way to the inn where Artemis was staying. It did not appear that anyone was following them. At this hour, the streets seemed utterly deserted but for them. It was as if the great city of Rome were utterly devoid of people save for the three of them, though it had to have a population of over a hundred thousand.

"Men, it's been a while since I have been in Rome, but is it the norm to have such a quiet evening?" Artemis looked about as they continued to make their way to the inn. Their pace was that of men determined, his look that of someone not wanting to be bothered along his way.

Marcus frowns and thinks about what Artemis just said.

"I haven't been much to this part of the city, but I usually work and go out at night. No matter how small the town is, there's always some night life, this is certainly strange." He said while looking to his sides as they kept walking, trying to listen to anything unusual.

All was quiet, and the rest of the walk to the inn was uneventful. There were plenty of people sleeping in the common room, putting the lie to the notion that they were the only three people in Rome, but there was still some space left for the three of them.

"Let's find a spot, and we can do watches if we agree it's necessary," Artemis whispered and pointed to some open space that would accomodate them. "Who wants what watch?" I can do first or last."

"Agreed",answers Spurius, "I shall take the middle watch. If the need arises,do not hesitate to wake me up.

Marcus walks up to the side of the room Artemis was pointing to, and as they all arrived, he laid his back upon the wall, lifting his knee while placing the foot on the wall too.

"You guys must be tired then, I'm usually awake at this hour, let me do the first one and get some rest. Is 2 hour shifts good for both of you?" He said with a slight grin on his face, looking at the entrance from where they came from.

"Perfect Marcus, perfect, I will take the last then, Spurius, you have the middle shift," Artemis stripped off the toga as he whispered back at Marcus and looked about for his kit. Seeing it, he slipped on his earlier clothes, rolled his military cloak up into something of a sleeping mat, and slipped the pugio in a fold near his head. He looked at the other two, nodded, and did what all trained veterans did in such situations - slept.

Spurius lies down without saying another word. He needed as much sleep as he could get so in a few seconds he was fast asleep.

The two cavalrymen fell asleep right away while Marcus stood watch. It had to have been later than he thought, and he couldn't help yawning. It had been a long day and a busy night, and he was exhausted.

OOC,[b]Marcus[/b], please roll CON x 5.

Con x5 = 45,[dice]0[/dice]

OOC,holy crap!

Marcus was so tired he just had to sit down. From there, it was only a few seconds until he too fell asleep.

OOC,I'll keep this thread on hold for a little while until one of the other threads moves forward enough. Please be patient.

OOC,Everyone is moving to the thread linked below.

Nightmarr