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Alea Iacta Parthia: Render Unto God (A Mythic Rome D&D 3.5 Storyhour) Chp. 5.; 6/22
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<blockquote data-quote="Orichalcum" data-source="post: 3585597" data-attributes="member: 3722"><p><strong>First Post: Did Those Feet In Ancient Time</strong></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver">Dear Meloch,</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver">I know you can't read this, but hopefully you can pick up enough sestertii with your juggling fireball act to pay a scribe to read it to you. Heilyn the smith sends congratulations on the birth of the triplets; I advise you to groom them and bathe them every other day, at least. Don't worry, Cornelia still doesn't know you're alive, and we left her mother back amusing herself in Roma with a new Praetorian guardsman as her lover.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver">Where are we, you may ask, and why is Heilyn the smith with us? I write from Jerusalem, in the province of Judaea, a small, unimportant, impoverished place on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, between Syria on the north and Egypt on the south and with the Parthians and some free kingdoms to our east. Quintus Caecilius Metellus Minor, Cornelia's noble husband, is off commanding a Legion (the 9th, which you may recall from our earlier adventures) in the war against the Parthians, under the command of the Emperor.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver"></span></span></p><p> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver">He did not think that it was safe enough to bring his wife and young daughter (Caecilia, whom I wrote you of in the last letter, the one who pulls tails, and I think she may have her mother's magical talents) to the army camp itself. So he found us a nice house to rent here in the relatively civilized city of Jerusalem, only two weeks' journey from the frontier, where he can visit occasionally. I say relatively civilized because at least they have a bath, but it's much more chaotic than Rome or Athens. Fistfights are constantly breaking out in the streets, over obscure points of religious doctrine. The locals say they all worship the same God, but they seem to do so in many different ways.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver">Oh, and Heilyn? Well, he showed up, sweaty and bedraggled, on the doorstep ten days ago, asking for hospitality, and of course the mistress gave it. Apparently, he's still trying to figure out how to make a lightning bolt, so that he can repay his debt to Mercury after destroying half of Mercury's temple and stealing Lugh's cap (back) from him. So he's been wandering all over the Empire trying to find experts in light and fire magic who can teach him how to permanently trap lightning in a metal form. He claims to have had some trouble, because, well, when the God of Travelers is peeved and impatient with you, travel is not an easy and carefree adventure. He's in Judaea because he's heard that the Parthian Magi are experts in fire and spirit magic, and so he's hoping to find one to discuss magical theory with. Of course, almost all the Parthian Magi are currently trying to kill Metellus and his Legion, so I don't know how well theory discussions will go with them.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver">But Heilyn isn't the worst of our visitors. He doesn't even smell that bad anymore, after Cornelia asked him to take a long bath. Our real problem arrived five days ago. Apparently, Valeria Maxima, Metellus' mother and Cornelia's mother-in-law, decided to go on pilgrimage to the temples of Isis in Egypt to assuage her grief after Metellus Major's death two years ago. Having toured Egypt, she reasoned that Judaea was just next door, and she could pay a long visit to her son's family and get to know her granddaughter better. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver">I think if Cornelia hadn't sworn never to cast Suggestion on any of Metellus' family, she'd have convinced Valeria Maxima to go on a tour of Germania by now. She's both overprotective and meddlesome, and Cornelia feels she can do nothing right. Besides, she keeps muttering about new rites of Isis that she's learned, and that seems potentially dangerous.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver">Take this morning, for instance. Cornelia received a highly confidential communication from the Governor, requesting her presence and that of any of her "allies," and mentioning that Cimbrus Caesar had recommended her family as skilled in the investigation of...unorthodox problems. Valeria Maxima read the scroll over her shoulder on the breakfast couch and insisted on coming along, on the grounds that she needed to be able to protect her hapless, naive daughter-in-law from any political problems or intrigue. I think she was just bored. Cornelia requested that Heilyn and I accompany her, as, of course, we are actually experienced in dealing with "unorthodox problems." Heilyn grumbled a bit, but as she is providing him free lodging, food, and useful contacts, it seemed expedient for him to cooperate for now.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver">Well, the courier is about to leave for the port of Jaffa, which has just opened up again to the early spring ships, so I'd better entrust this scroll. I'll send more scrolls to tell you if anything exciting develops from this summons.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver">If you are well, I am well.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="color: Silver">Shast the Monkey</span></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Orichalcum, post: 3585597, member: 3722"] [b]First Post: Did Those Feet In Ancient Time[/b] [FONT=Verdana][COLOR=Silver]Dear Meloch, I know you can't read this, but hopefully you can pick up enough sestertii with your juggling fireball act to pay a scribe to read it to you. Heilyn the smith sends congratulations on the birth of the triplets; I advise you to groom them and bathe them every other day, at least. Don't worry, Cornelia still doesn't know you're alive, and we left her mother back amusing herself in Roma with a new Praetorian guardsman as her lover. Where are we, you may ask, and why is Heilyn the smith with us? I write from Jerusalem, in the province of Judaea, a small, unimportant, impoverished place on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, between Syria on the north and Egypt on the south and with the Parthians and some free kingdoms to our east. Quintus Caecilius Metellus Minor, Cornelia's noble husband, is off commanding a Legion (the 9th, which you may recall from our earlier adventures) in the war against the Parthians, under the command of the Emperor. He did not think that it was safe enough to bring his wife and young daughter (Caecilia, whom I wrote you of in the last letter, the one who pulls tails, and I think she may have her mother's magical talents) to the army camp itself. So he found us a nice house to rent here in the relatively civilized city of Jerusalem, only two weeks' journey from the frontier, where he can visit occasionally. I say relatively civilized because at least they have a bath, but it's much more chaotic than Rome or Athens. Fistfights are constantly breaking out in the streets, over obscure points of religious doctrine. The locals say they all worship the same God, but they seem to do so in many different ways. Oh, and Heilyn? Well, he showed up, sweaty and bedraggled, on the doorstep ten days ago, asking for hospitality, and of course the mistress gave it. Apparently, he's still trying to figure out how to make a lightning bolt, so that he can repay his debt to Mercury after destroying half of Mercury's temple and stealing Lugh's cap (back) from him. So he's been wandering all over the Empire trying to find experts in light and fire magic who can teach him how to permanently trap lightning in a metal form. He claims to have had some trouble, because, well, when the God of Travelers is peeved and impatient with you, travel is not an easy and carefree adventure. He's in Judaea because he's heard that the Parthian Magi are experts in fire and spirit magic, and so he's hoping to find one to discuss magical theory with. Of course, almost all the Parthian Magi are currently trying to kill Metellus and his Legion, so I don't know how well theory discussions will go with them. But Heilyn isn't the worst of our visitors. He doesn't even smell that bad anymore, after Cornelia asked him to take a long bath. Our real problem arrived five days ago. Apparently, Valeria Maxima, Metellus' mother and Cornelia's mother-in-law, decided to go on pilgrimage to the temples of Isis in Egypt to assuage her grief after Metellus Major's death two years ago. Having toured Egypt, she reasoned that Judaea was just next door, and she could pay a long visit to her son's family and get to know her granddaughter better. I think if Cornelia hadn't sworn never to cast Suggestion on any of Metellus' family, she'd have convinced Valeria Maxima to go on a tour of Germania by now. She's both overprotective and meddlesome, and Cornelia feels she can do nothing right. Besides, she keeps muttering about new rites of Isis that she's learned, and that seems potentially dangerous. Take this morning, for instance. Cornelia received a highly confidential communication from the Governor, requesting her presence and that of any of her "allies," and mentioning that Cimbrus Caesar had recommended her family as skilled in the investigation of...unorthodox problems. Valeria Maxima read the scroll over her shoulder on the breakfast couch and insisted on coming along, on the grounds that she needed to be able to protect her hapless, naive daughter-in-law from any political problems or intrigue. I think she was just bored. Cornelia requested that Heilyn and I accompany her, as, of course, we are actually experienced in dealing with "unorthodox problems." Heilyn grumbled a bit, but as she is providing him free lodging, food, and useful contacts, it seemed expedient for him to cooperate for now. Well, the courier is about to leave for the port of Jaffa, which has just opened up again to the early spring ships, so I'd better entrust this scroll. I'll send more scrolls to tell you if anything exciting develops from this summons. If you are well, I am well. Shast the Monkey[/COLOR][/FONT][COLOR=Silver][/COLOR] [/QUOTE]
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