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Alea Iacta Story Hour: A Mythic Rome Campaign (Baby Announcement: 8/17)
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<blockquote data-quote="Orichalcum" data-source="post: 2948685" data-attributes="member: 3722"><p><strong>Alea Iacta XI: Romantic Comedy Chp. VI: Gathering Info</strong></p><p></p><p>Marcus, who had joined the group in the midst of their experiments and nearly gotten choked by the toxic gas for his troubles, took a deep breath as everyone tried to calm down from the sudden explosion. "So, we know that the smithy was blown up by a combination of quicksilver and Greek fire, and that quicksilver is incredibly expensive, and Greek fire is banned within the city, and the only known source is, well, Llyr. Who wasn't in town at the relevant time, so he's not a suspect."</p><p></p><p>Llyr mutters with barely concealed irritation, "Thank you for eliminating me from the list of people who'd like to randomly blow up Heilyn's forge."</p><p></p><p>"So we need to track down where the quicksilver came from, where the Greek fire came from, and then try and figure out exactly how much damage was done to the neighboring smithies, and we have to do it quickly," the oblivious Marcus continues. "I think quicksilver is used by doctors as a medicine for certain diseases; I remember my parents always had a small supply on hand for adjusting the humours, especially of mentally disturbed patients. I'll check around there; my parents' names are well enough known that I have some contacts in the medical community here in Roma."</p><p></p><p>"Your parents heal through...drugs?" Heilyn asks, not really having bothered in the past two years to enquire into the Centurion's family history.</p><p></p><p>"Well, of course. Through drugs and a detailed knowledge of the body and its humours. My father even had the honor to participate in a human dissection at the Academy in Alexandria," Marcus replies.</p><p></p><p>Heilyn looks shocked, and Cornelia seems a bit ill. "Why not just talk to their guardian spirit and give it energy?"</p><p></p><p>"Well," Marcus replies thoughtfully, "you can of course go to the priests of Asclepius and pray for a dream, which I imagine is somewhat like what you describe. But really, it's very irrational and unphilosophical, and it doesn't let you predict problems. Like the dangerous health issues of young women, for instance. Everyone knows that if women don't get married and pregnant by a certain age, their humours get dangerously overheated and they start acting very irrationally and strangely. Some even die from it."</p><p></p><p>There is a sudden, dead silence in the room, as everyone notably doesn't look at Cornelia. Cornelia herself, after a moment, says in a clipped, no-nonsense tone, "Right. So, Marcus is going to go ask the doctors about quicksilver. I'll check with Lucretius about other sources of Greek fire, and then see what I can find out about Publicola's sources of money. Why don't the rest of you go and talk to the apprentices at the other smithies and try to find out what they know about the explosion? Meloch, you stay here - I really don't want you to do something else which I should really flog you for, except I can't, because then it will look like I'm actually guilty in the trial."</p><p></p><p>Everyone, hurriedly, leaves the villa of Licinia Luculla, except for Meloch and I. I take a long bath while Meloch sits there pensively, trying to figure out how to escape his upcoming dire fate of torture. Humans - always so worried about the long-term problems. </p><p></p><p>Cornelia visits Lucretius at the barracks of the Praetorian Guard and explains the situation. The young Decurion ponders for a moment. "Well, Greek fire is kept very tightly regulated because, if it got loose, it could burn down half the city. The only source I can think of is actually right here in the Praetorian barracks; the Praetorian Engineering Corps keeps 40 amphorae on hand in case of emergency attack, as well as for certain spectacular effects at the Imperial Games."</p><p></p><p>"Can we go check it and its security?" Cornelia asks.</p><p></p><p>"Of course," Lucretius answers, and they wander deep into the inner courtyards of the barracks, where Cornelia gets more than a few admiring glances. They have to pass by four sets of guards, where Lucretius shows credentials and gives the password of the day, before eventually they find themselves in a a doubly-insulated, windowless room with thick stone doors which let in a minimum of light, when open. The guards at the door warn, "Don't light a lantern; you'll have to use the light from the door." Lucretius and Cornelia wait until their eyes adjust, and Cornelia quietly casts a light spell and cups it in the curve of her hand, as they look around the room. Within a few minutes, they come to the same conclusion.</p><p></p><p>"Lucretius, there are only 38 amphorae here. There's an empty space halfway at the back here. And by the dust, they were taken fairly recently."</p><p></p><p>They go out and inform the guards of the disappearance, who seem extremely puzzled. "There's been no disturbance of any kind, Decurion. I swear by Jupiter that no one who isn't a Praetorian Engineer has been in that room, except for the two of you, in years. We haven't even used any in the Games for the past few seasons."</p><p></p><p>"Can we have a list of the Praetorian Engineers who have been in that room, or guarding it, within the past month?" Lucretius asks.</p><p></p><p>"Certainly; go over to Accounts."</p><p></p><p>There are about 16 possible candidates, Cornelia and Lucretius discover; they determine to spend the rest of the day determining if any of them have connections to Publicola, the smithies, or the local alchemists, and come back to the villa to enlist Meloch's help enquiring among the lesser citizens of Roma. "You can at least be useful here - just don't steal anything, or annoy anyone powerful!" Cornelia warns the pygmy.</p><p></p><p>After many hours of idle conversations and frequent bribes, they discover that one of the veteran Praetorian Engineers, Sulpicius Sertorius, has a cousin named Sulpicius Galba who's an alchemist and merchant. It's not much of a lead, but they decide to go and confront the Praetorian anyway.</p><p></p><p>Lucretius puts on an intimidating glare and calls Sulpicius Sertorius into a small cubicle back at the barracks. "I've been charged with investigating a grave theft, Sulpicius, and I have reason to believe you may have information about the crime. If you speak honestly, I may be able to spare you from harsher penalty or dismissal from the Praetorians."</p><p></p><p>The engineer seems honestly terrified. "A theft? I don't know what you mean, sir...I didn't have anything to do with that shield-stealing prank, really I didn't, and anyways, the Centurion got it back after the parade..."</p><p></p><p>"What?" Lucretius is startled momentarily - apparently there have been all sorts of hijinks in the barracks lately. "No, I'm talking about the disappearance of two large amphorae of Greek fire from the locked room in the barracks."</p><p></p><p>"Oh," he responds.</p><p></p><p>Cornelia can instantly tell that Sulpicius looks shamefaced. She hesitates a moment, than quietly casts Suggestion. "Look, we just want to know what happened to it. Tell us what you know, and we'll try to be lenient."</p><p></p><p>"I didn't think it would do any harm - I mean, we have plenty, and it never gets used, and my cousin's very responsible! He just needed some for his experiments." Sulpicius Sertorius blurts out.</p><p>, </p><p>"This would be your cousin Sulpicius Galba, the alchemist?" Lucretius asks officiously.</p><p></p><p>"Yes. I mean, of course, I couldn't give it to him officially, but he just came along one night when I was guarding the room, and I gave it to him. I'm very sorry - I'll reimburse the cost or make new supplies; I just didn't think it would do any harm." the engineer confesses.</p><p></p><p>"You do realize there's a good reason why Greek fire is banned within city limits?" Lucretius snaps, before intercepting a glance from Cornelia and remembering that Llyr has already broken that particular law.</p><p></p><p>"Yes, sir, very sorry sir, won't ever do it again sir."</p><p></p><p>"What can you tell us about your cousin?" Cornelia asks.</p><p></p><p>"He's a good man - mostly a merchant, but he dabbles in alchemy. Hasn't been the same since he got so badly burned in that terrible disaster last year, though - I think these experiments might have been designed to try and heal him?"</p><p></p><p>"Terrible disaster?" Lucretius asks?</p><p></p><p>"You know, the attack on the Temple of Mercury? My cousin was just there to pray and pay his monthly dues, and he got caught in an enormous ball of fire as the thief was escaping. He's lucky to be alive - and he had to pay a lot to the Temple for keeping him alive, let me tell you. Very religious man, though."</p><p></p><p>"Right. Well, we'll let you know if I need to discuss this with your superior. Meanwhile, keep your mind on your duty - an extra night watch for the next two weeks should help with that," Lucretius tells him and dismisses him, before looking thoughtfully at Cornelia.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Orichalcum, post: 2948685, member: 3722"] [b]Alea Iacta XI: Romantic Comedy Chp. VI: Gathering Info[/b] Marcus, who had joined the group in the midst of their experiments and nearly gotten choked by the toxic gas for his troubles, took a deep breath as everyone tried to calm down from the sudden explosion. "So, we know that the smithy was blown up by a combination of quicksilver and Greek fire, and that quicksilver is incredibly expensive, and Greek fire is banned within the city, and the only known source is, well, Llyr. Who wasn't in town at the relevant time, so he's not a suspect." Llyr mutters with barely concealed irritation, "Thank you for eliminating me from the list of people who'd like to randomly blow up Heilyn's forge." "So we need to track down where the quicksilver came from, where the Greek fire came from, and then try and figure out exactly how much damage was done to the neighboring smithies, and we have to do it quickly," the oblivious Marcus continues. "I think quicksilver is used by doctors as a medicine for certain diseases; I remember my parents always had a small supply on hand for adjusting the humours, especially of mentally disturbed patients. I'll check around there; my parents' names are well enough known that I have some contacts in the medical community here in Roma." "Your parents heal through...drugs?" Heilyn asks, not really having bothered in the past two years to enquire into the Centurion's family history. "Well, of course. Through drugs and a detailed knowledge of the body and its humours. My father even had the honor to participate in a human dissection at the Academy in Alexandria," Marcus replies. Heilyn looks shocked, and Cornelia seems a bit ill. "Why not just talk to their guardian spirit and give it energy?" "Well," Marcus replies thoughtfully, "you can of course go to the priests of Asclepius and pray for a dream, which I imagine is somewhat like what you describe. But really, it's very irrational and unphilosophical, and it doesn't let you predict problems. Like the dangerous health issues of young women, for instance. Everyone knows that if women don't get married and pregnant by a certain age, their humours get dangerously overheated and they start acting very irrationally and strangely. Some even die from it." There is a sudden, dead silence in the room, as everyone notably doesn't look at Cornelia. Cornelia herself, after a moment, says in a clipped, no-nonsense tone, "Right. So, Marcus is going to go ask the doctors about quicksilver. I'll check with Lucretius about other sources of Greek fire, and then see what I can find out about Publicola's sources of money. Why don't the rest of you go and talk to the apprentices at the other smithies and try to find out what they know about the explosion? Meloch, you stay here - I really don't want you to do something else which I should really flog you for, except I can't, because then it will look like I'm actually guilty in the trial." Everyone, hurriedly, leaves the villa of Licinia Luculla, except for Meloch and I. I take a long bath while Meloch sits there pensively, trying to figure out how to escape his upcoming dire fate of torture. Humans - always so worried about the long-term problems. Cornelia visits Lucretius at the barracks of the Praetorian Guard and explains the situation. The young Decurion ponders for a moment. "Well, Greek fire is kept very tightly regulated because, if it got loose, it could burn down half the city. The only source I can think of is actually right here in the Praetorian barracks; the Praetorian Engineering Corps keeps 40 amphorae on hand in case of emergency attack, as well as for certain spectacular effects at the Imperial Games." "Can we go check it and its security?" Cornelia asks. "Of course," Lucretius answers, and they wander deep into the inner courtyards of the barracks, where Cornelia gets more than a few admiring glances. They have to pass by four sets of guards, where Lucretius shows credentials and gives the password of the day, before eventually they find themselves in a a doubly-insulated, windowless room with thick stone doors which let in a minimum of light, when open. The guards at the door warn, "Don't light a lantern; you'll have to use the light from the door." Lucretius and Cornelia wait until their eyes adjust, and Cornelia quietly casts a light spell and cups it in the curve of her hand, as they look around the room. Within a few minutes, they come to the same conclusion. "Lucretius, there are only 38 amphorae here. There's an empty space halfway at the back here. And by the dust, they were taken fairly recently." They go out and inform the guards of the disappearance, who seem extremely puzzled. "There's been no disturbance of any kind, Decurion. I swear by Jupiter that no one who isn't a Praetorian Engineer has been in that room, except for the two of you, in years. We haven't even used any in the Games for the past few seasons." "Can we have a list of the Praetorian Engineers who have been in that room, or guarding it, within the past month?" Lucretius asks. "Certainly; go over to Accounts." There are about 16 possible candidates, Cornelia and Lucretius discover; they determine to spend the rest of the day determining if any of them have connections to Publicola, the smithies, or the local alchemists, and come back to the villa to enlist Meloch's help enquiring among the lesser citizens of Roma. "You can at least be useful here - just don't steal anything, or annoy anyone powerful!" Cornelia warns the pygmy. After many hours of idle conversations and frequent bribes, they discover that one of the veteran Praetorian Engineers, Sulpicius Sertorius, has a cousin named Sulpicius Galba who's an alchemist and merchant. It's not much of a lead, but they decide to go and confront the Praetorian anyway. Lucretius puts on an intimidating glare and calls Sulpicius Sertorius into a small cubicle back at the barracks. "I've been charged with investigating a grave theft, Sulpicius, and I have reason to believe you may have information about the crime. If you speak honestly, I may be able to spare you from harsher penalty or dismissal from the Praetorians." The engineer seems honestly terrified. "A theft? I don't know what you mean, sir...I didn't have anything to do with that shield-stealing prank, really I didn't, and anyways, the Centurion got it back after the parade..." "What?" Lucretius is startled momentarily - apparently there have been all sorts of hijinks in the barracks lately. "No, I'm talking about the disappearance of two large amphorae of Greek fire from the locked room in the barracks." "Oh," he responds. Cornelia can instantly tell that Sulpicius looks shamefaced. She hesitates a moment, than quietly casts Suggestion. "Look, we just want to know what happened to it. Tell us what you know, and we'll try to be lenient." "I didn't think it would do any harm - I mean, we have plenty, and it never gets used, and my cousin's very responsible! He just needed some for his experiments." Sulpicius Sertorius blurts out. , "This would be your cousin Sulpicius Galba, the alchemist?" Lucretius asks officiously. "Yes. I mean, of course, I couldn't give it to him officially, but he just came along one night when I was guarding the room, and I gave it to him. I'm very sorry - I'll reimburse the cost or make new supplies; I just didn't think it would do any harm." the engineer confesses. "You do realize there's a good reason why Greek fire is banned within city limits?" Lucretius snaps, before intercepting a glance from Cornelia and remembering that Llyr has already broken that particular law. "Yes, sir, very sorry sir, won't ever do it again sir." "What can you tell us about your cousin?" Cornelia asks. "He's a good man - mostly a merchant, but he dabbles in alchemy. Hasn't been the same since he got so badly burned in that terrible disaster last year, though - I think these experiments might have been designed to try and heal him?" "Terrible disaster?" Lucretius asks? "You know, the attack on the Temple of Mercury? My cousin was just there to pray and pay his monthly dues, and he got caught in an enormous ball of fire as the thief was escaping. He's lucky to be alive - and he had to pay a lot to the Temple for keeping him alive, let me tell you. Very religious man, though." "Right. Well, we'll let you know if I need to discuss this with your superior. Meanwhile, keep your mind on your duty - an extra night watch for the next two weeks should help with that," Lucretius tells him and dismisses him, before looking thoughtfully at Cornelia. [/QUOTE]
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