Alea Iacta VII: Lux et Veritas Chp. 6?: The Trial
Sorry for the long delay, folks - I was preparing for the final session of this arc, which just concluded! (No spoilers, but the game is going to continue...) Then I was grading 63 Roman History exams, and attending multiple academic conferences, and one thing led to another... But I can promise very regular updates for at least the next month or two.
***
Publicola summons Nikos, the newly freed slave of Perthinos the soothsayer, up for questioning. Nikos is an olive-skinned, slenderly built young man, proudly wearing a red freedman's cap.
"You are Nikos Perthinianus, former slave of Perthinos?" Publicola asks perfunctorily.
"I am."
"Do you remember the visit of Memmius Salonianus to your former master?"
Nikos gives an account similar to that of Perthinos, claiming to remember remarkably little of the prophecy. He does admit, however, to having taken detailed shorthand notes of the prophecy in his own personal code, a standard precaution in case customers complain of having been misled later.
"I have your transcribed notes of this supposed prophecy here, Nikos. Will you read them for the court?"
"Well, I'm not really sure of what interest they'd be, honored advocate. Perthinos says a lot of strange things in his prophetic trances..." Nikos stammers.
"Are you aware, Nikos, that slaves must be tortured before they can testify in a Roman court, to ensure the veracity of their evidence?
"Well, of course, sir. But I'm not a slave. I'm a freedman Roman citizen, and thus immune to torture," Nikos states confidently.
"And when did you obtain your freedom?"
"A few weeks ago, honored advocate."
"It was the day after Memmius Salonianus' visit, wasn't it?"
"I suppose it was, honored advocate."
"Don't you find it strange that you decided to buy your freedom and protect yourself from court-ordered torture the very day after you heard a prophecy predicting the possible doom of the Empire?"
"I don't find it strange at all, honored advocate." <laughter in the courtroom> "I had enough money, and it was the beginning of summer - a good time for a change."
"I see. Well, if you don't want any investigations into the suspicious timing of your purchase of freedom, I suggest you translate this prophecy for the court. Now. Remember, we aren't trying either you or your former master on this charge, for now."
Suitably cowed, Nikos reluctantly accepts the scroll with his scrawled notes on it and unrolls it. He begins reading - very, very slowly.
Pour thy wine out to the gods
and beg for them to save you
for in the times to come
bountiful harvests shall be of naught.
For the past echoes forward
and Nero's music shall be heard again
played by barbarian drums
on the shortest night,
when great Jupiter seems to attack
his own two sisters and all their wards .
For as one light dies, many others will arise.
It takes Nikos nearly 10 minutes just to decipher this first verse of a long scroll, and Publicola, well aware of the dripping water-clock shortly to end his time, impatiently taps his foot. Finally he blurts out, "Look ahead! Does it say anything about the destruction of the Empire or threats to the Imperial family?"
Nikos responds blandly, clearly intending to stall, "Well, there's some more here about a bad wine harvest...and something about the truth...but it's all very hard to make out sir. If you gave me some more time..."
Frustrated, Publicola dismisses the uncooperate Nikos and calls his last witness, the eminent elderly jurist Quintus Rutilius Africanus, with only a few minutes to spare. Metellus recognizes Rutilius, who gave a lecture or two back in Metellus' schooldays, and nods to him; Rutilius nods slightly back as he hobbles to the front of the proceedings, clearly dismissive of the youthful judges.
Publicola begins, glancing nervously at the water-clock. "Well, everyone here knows you and your qualifications as an expert on Roman law, Quintus Rutilius, so why don't we cut directly to the heart of the matter. Please tell the court about the law against seeking a prophecy about the fate of the Empire.
Rutilius is clearly dying to launch onto a long and technical lecture, but is also well aware of the water-clock. Tossing aside several scrolls to his slave, he intones, "Well, young Publicola, the key differentiation is between intentionally consulting a soothsayer and being an accidental recipient of a prophecy. If a man is walking through a marketplace and hears a Jewish preacher claiming some dire fate which later actually occurs, he is not guilty of breaking the law."
"What about if he goes to hear a soothsayer deliberately, and receives a different prophecy from the one he asked for?"
"This is a difficult question. Seeking out a soothsayer at all is, of course, a minor illegality. The important aspect here, I believe, would be whether or not the question asked could be reasonably expected to return an answer related to the fate of the Empire or the Imperial family. "Who will my daughter marry?" for instance, is unlikely to be a dangerous question. But it's certainly not an area to mess around in lightly."
"What is the standard penalty for seeking such a prophecy about the fate of the Empire, Quintus Rutilius?" Publicola interrupts, glancing at the last few drops of water left in the upper bowl.
"Death by being thrown off the Tarpeian Rock, and confiscation of all property, of course. It's high treason, after all."
"Thank you, Quintus Rutilius," Publicola says quickly. "I would like to just very quickly sum up what we have learned here. We know that Memmius Salonianus went deliberately seeking a prophecy to a known soothsayer, one known, furthermore, for true and dangerous prophecies. We know that he received a prophecy which mentioned an attack by Jupiter, the failure of harvests, falling houses, and various other dreadful events in Rome, as well as possibly even worse disasters directly connected to the Imperial family. We know that he did not report this prophecy to the authorities, but instead gossiped about it to his neighbor and spread confusion and chaos. And we know, good judges, what the law clearly says, and what the penalty for such a despicable act of treason, which undermines the very faith we have in our Emperor and Empire, shoule be. The prosecution rests its case."
***
FYI, the PCs have now solved the prophecy, so all you readers can feel free to speculate here on the boards.
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
