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TimeWatch RPG Playtest Story Hour (Updated 9-2-14)
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<blockquote data-quote="Ladybird" data-source="post: 6309338" data-attributes="member: 10689"><p><strong>Episode 2, Chapter 9: Poetry (and Poets) in Motion</strong></p><p></p><p>We decide to look for the poet/philosopher Lucretius in 56 BCE, when he;s is in the middle of writing, or has already completed, his great work De Rerum Natura. That's also when Caesar's conquests are going on, so maybe we can get some more reliable info on what he's doing too, and why he and the Helvetii are all going east instead of west.</p><p></p><p>It's an easier trip than usual, since we're only traveling in time, not in space. We land in another Roman alleyway, which looks pretty similar to the Roman alleyway we landed in a few hours ago and 150 years in the future. The Romans outside the alley don't look the same, though. There are more people wearing togas, and fewer people who look like they've come from places outside Italy. We're definitely still in the Republic, not the Empire.</p><p></p><p>Michel, being Streetwise, finds a reliable-looking Random Roman to ask directions. "Have you heard of this poet Lucretius? I wanted to give him a commission."</p><p></p><p>Random Roman looks surprised. "Oh, yes, Lucretius Carus. He lives on the Aventine. But my good man, if you want to commission poetry to give your girlfriend, don't go to <em>him</em>. He doesn't write anything that she'll like. You know who you should go to instead? Catullus! Now <em>he</em> can write a poem that - "</p><p></p><p>"Oh, no!" Henry cuts him off, before Random Roman can talk in any more detail about exactly what kinds of poetry Catullus writes. (The answer: poetry that, when I read it in my intro Latin class in college, made me learn all sorts of new, interesting, and R-rated vocabulary words.) "He's planning to send it under the name of his rival," Henry explains. "That way, she'll think the rival is not only unromantic, but also missing something upstairs."</p><p></p><p>Random Roman is confused in a whole new way now. "Wouldn't it be easier to just send flowers?"</p><p></p><p>"Well, yes," Henry concedes, "but you're missing the difference between normal people and people like him." He gives a pointed look at Michel.</p><p></p><p>We've got our directions now, and we head up to the Aventine, into a neighborhood that's fairly swanky, but mostly apartment buildings rather than single-family villas. Most of the residents seem to be young wealthy bachelors. Yves feels instantly at home.</p><p></p><p>A slave greets us at the entrance to the building. "What are you doing loitering around?" The presence of slaves makes us feel uncomfortable again, but not as bad as it did in 1790s Georgia.</p><p></p><p>"Loitering?" Yves begins grandly. "Oh no! we are here to visit the great poet Lucretius!"</p><p></p><p>The slave regards Yves suspiciously. "What are your names?"</p><p></p><p>"Je m'appelle Yves…"</p><p></p><p>"…and we are representatives of a patron who wishes to remain nameless," Michel finishes smoothly. Equally smoothly, he slips the slave a bribe.</p><p></p><p>"Oh!" says the slave. "I understand. Second one on the left."</p><p></p><p>The apartment where the slave directs us is off of a central courtyard, its doorway covered by a curtain. Since there isn't a door, we knock on the wall.</p><p></p><p>Lucretius is on the border between middle-aged and old, with a whitish-gray beard, middle height, dark eyes, fairish skin for an Italian. His clothes are high-quality, but old. Most of his possessions are, too - he's clearly got money, but doesn't bother spending it very often.</p><p></p><p>But the most notable thing about Lucretius is that he seems a little…off. Our Timecraft-senses are picking up something odd about him. He's not out of his own time like Forrest, but he's a little wavery like Elizabeth. Not the most chronally stable of people. We're not surprised - we'd guessed that either he was getting help from timetravelers or traveling himself - but we're on our guard.</p><p></p><p>Yves takes the lead, since this is his sort of neighborhood, and since he's good at talking to wealthy poets. "We'd like to talk to you about your poetry," he begins. "We're great admirers of your work."</p><p></p><p>Lucretius waves a hand modestly. "Oh, I'm really just following in the footsteps of my masters, like Epicurus."</p><p></p><p>"But you have ideas that Epicurus never dreamed of!" Yves persists.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, no," says Lucretius. "I'm just putting it in language that Romans can understand."</p><p></p><p>"No, no, you're being too modest!" says Yves.</p><p></p><p>Michel does not Detect any Falsehoods, but we all detect some BS. Lucretius is telling the truth when he says he got some ideas from Epicurus, but he definitely isn't telling the whole truth.</p><p></p><p>Edward tries a slightly more direct approach: "We were very interested in what you had to say about atoms."</p><p></p><p>Henry becomes even more_direct. Intimidatingly so, even, as he begins to play Bad Cop. "Some highly placed people in the Senate are interested too," he says, looming closer to Lucretius. "We know you're passing secret military messages through your poetry. We need to know who you're sending them to."</p><p></p><p>Lucretius backs away, terrified and bewildered. "What? I'm not doing that! And - and - I have friends in the Senate too! Titus Memmius! Caesar! <em>Cicero</em>! Who sent you? Why are you doing this?"</p><p></p><p>"I'm not going to answer any of your questions!" Henry shouts. "You're going to answer mine!"</p><p></p><p>"Nobody gave them to me!" Lucretius flails.</p><p></p><p>"Then where are you getting them?" Henry presses.</p><p></p><p>"From great philosophers!" says Lucretius.</p><p></p><p>"From unpublished works?" Michel asks skeptically.</p><p></p><p>"Yes!" Lucretius says. "I'll show you!"</p><p></p><p>We all follow Lucretius <em>very closely</em> as he goes to get some scrolls. Henry cuts out the 'following' step and just barges into the apartment, with Edward right behind. We don't want to let Lucretius get away.</p><p></p><p>As it turns out, our instincts are correct. Lucretius goes over to a wooden chest and starts to reach in…and starts to shimmer faintly.</p><p></p><p>Henry shoots the chest.</p><p></p><p>Lucretius yells. A sudden burst of temporal instability waves out from the chest. Edward manages to hold fast, but Henry - right next to Lucretius - starts to feel a little unstable. A rosebush in the courtyard is even less fortunate than Henry - it Fades out.</p><p></p><p>Edward springs forward, tackling Lucretius to the ground. As he does, he notices that Lucretius has a little wooden box in his hand, with little metal wheels or gears on the front. "Get the box!" he shouts.</p><p></p><p>The others are rushing into the room by now, and Yves tries to help Edward pin the philosopher. Unfortunately, Yves is not very used to physical activity, and doesn't pin very effectively.</p><p></p><p>Mace and Michel both go for the box - Mace misses, but Michel succeeds. He grabs the box expertly out of Lucretius's hand while the philosopher is struggling with Edward and Yves. </p><p></p><p>Lucretius manages to wriggle free just long enough to grab the box back from Michel. While the rest of us chase after him, Lucretius starts to fiddle with those little gears on the box. We can tell he's prepping for time travel, probably to a pre-set place.</p><p></p><p>Fortunately, Lucretius is so distracted with the gears that even Yves can't miss this time when he attacks. Unfortunately, Yves is just a little too late. Lucretius vanishes, and so does the box.</p><p></p><p>In his place is a very confused boy of about 12, with red curly hair, with a scrubbing brush in his hand. "Oh! Sorry, sirs. Were you checking out the room?"</p><p></p><p>No Lucretius. No box. The wooden chest is there, but it's very heavily damaged from Henry's shot.</p><p></p><p>Sometimes, when there's a burst of temporal instability and someone leaps away to a different time, the timeline replaces them with another person from the local time, just to maintain some sort of continuity. So instead of our very suspicious philosopher, we have a very surprised young member of the cleaning crew.</p><p></p><p>Yves, ever hopeful, asks the boy, "You don't know a Lucretius Carus, do you?"</p><p></p><p>The boy shakes his head. "No, sorry. I'm Aiax, I work for the manager here. Sorry, didn't mean to disturb."</p><p></p><p>"It's all right," Edward sighs. "Go about your business."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ladybird, post: 6309338, member: 10689"] [b]Episode 2, Chapter 9: Poetry (and Poets) in Motion[/b] We decide to look for the poet/philosopher Lucretius in 56 BCE, when he;s is in the middle of writing, or has already completed, his great work De Rerum Natura. That's also when Caesar's conquests are going on, so maybe we can get some more reliable info on what he's doing too, and why he and the Helvetii are all going east instead of west. It's an easier trip than usual, since we're only traveling in time, not in space. We land in another Roman alleyway, which looks pretty similar to the Roman alleyway we landed in a few hours ago and 150 years in the future. The Romans outside the alley don't look the same, though. There are more people wearing togas, and fewer people who look like they've come from places outside Italy. We're definitely still in the Republic, not the Empire. Michel, being Streetwise, finds a reliable-looking Random Roman to ask directions. "Have you heard of this poet Lucretius? I wanted to give him a commission." Random Roman looks surprised. "Oh, yes, Lucretius Carus. He lives on the Aventine. But my good man, if you want to commission poetry to give your girlfriend, don't go to [i]him[/i]. He doesn't write anything that she'll like. You know who you should go to instead? Catullus! Now [i]he[/i] can write a poem that - " "Oh, no!" Henry cuts him off, before Random Roman can talk in any more detail about exactly what kinds of poetry Catullus writes. (The answer: poetry that, when I read it in my intro Latin class in college, made me learn all sorts of new, interesting, and R-rated vocabulary words.) "He's planning to send it under the name of his rival," Henry explains. "That way, she'll think the rival is not only unromantic, but also missing something upstairs." Random Roman is confused in a whole new way now. "Wouldn't it be easier to just send flowers?" "Well, yes," Henry concedes, "but you're missing the difference between normal people and people like him." He gives a pointed look at Michel. We've got our directions now, and we head up to the Aventine, into a neighborhood that's fairly swanky, but mostly apartment buildings rather than single-family villas. Most of the residents seem to be young wealthy bachelors. Yves feels instantly at home. A slave greets us at the entrance to the building. "What are you doing loitering around?" The presence of slaves makes us feel uncomfortable again, but not as bad as it did in 1790s Georgia. "Loitering?" Yves begins grandly. "Oh no! we are here to visit the great poet Lucretius!" The slave regards Yves suspiciously. "What are your names?" "Je m'appelle Yves…" "…and we are representatives of a patron who wishes to remain nameless," Michel finishes smoothly. Equally smoothly, he slips the slave a bribe. "Oh!" says the slave. "I understand. Second one on the left." The apartment where the slave directs us is off of a central courtyard, its doorway covered by a curtain. Since there isn't a door, we knock on the wall. Lucretius is on the border between middle-aged and old, with a whitish-gray beard, middle height, dark eyes, fairish skin for an Italian. His clothes are high-quality, but old. Most of his possessions are, too - he's clearly got money, but doesn't bother spending it very often. But the most notable thing about Lucretius is that he seems a little…off. Our Timecraft-senses are picking up something odd about him. He's not out of his own time like Forrest, but he's a little wavery like Elizabeth. Not the most chronally stable of people. We're not surprised - we'd guessed that either he was getting help from timetravelers or traveling himself - but we're on our guard. Yves takes the lead, since this is his sort of neighborhood, and since he's good at talking to wealthy poets. "We'd like to talk to you about your poetry," he begins. "We're great admirers of your work." Lucretius waves a hand modestly. "Oh, I'm really just following in the footsteps of my masters, like Epicurus." "But you have ideas that Epicurus never dreamed of!" Yves persists. "Oh, no," says Lucretius. "I'm just putting it in language that Romans can understand." "No, no, you're being too modest!" says Yves. Michel does not Detect any Falsehoods, but we all detect some BS. Lucretius is telling the truth when he says he got some ideas from Epicurus, but he definitely isn't telling the whole truth. Edward tries a slightly more direct approach: "We were very interested in what you had to say about atoms." Henry becomes even more_direct. Intimidatingly so, even, as he begins to play Bad Cop. "Some highly placed people in the Senate are interested too," he says, looming closer to Lucretius. "We know you're passing secret military messages through your poetry. We need to know who you're sending them to." Lucretius backs away, terrified and bewildered. "What? I'm not doing that! And - and - I have friends in the Senate too! Titus Memmius! Caesar! [i]Cicero[/i]! Who sent you? Why are you doing this?" "I'm not going to answer any of your questions!" Henry shouts. "You're going to answer mine!" "Nobody gave them to me!" Lucretius flails. "Then where are you getting them?" Henry presses. "From great philosophers!" says Lucretius. "From unpublished works?" Michel asks skeptically. "Yes!" Lucretius says. "I'll show you!" We all follow Lucretius [i]very closely[/i] as he goes to get some scrolls. Henry cuts out the 'following' step and just barges into the apartment, with Edward right behind. We don't want to let Lucretius get away. As it turns out, our instincts are correct. Lucretius goes over to a wooden chest and starts to reach in…and starts to shimmer faintly. Henry shoots the chest. Lucretius yells. A sudden burst of temporal instability waves out from the chest. Edward manages to hold fast, but Henry - right next to Lucretius - starts to feel a little unstable. A rosebush in the courtyard is even less fortunate than Henry - it Fades out. Edward springs forward, tackling Lucretius to the ground. As he does, he notices that Lucretius has a little wooden box in his hand, with little metal wheels or gears on the front. "Get the box!" he shouts. The others are rushing into the room by now, and Yves tries to help Edward pin the philosopher. Unfortunately, Yves is not very used to physical activity, and doesn't pin very effectively. Mace and Michel both go for the box - Mace misses, but Michel succeeds. He grabs the box expertly out of Lucretius's hand while the philosopher is struggling with Edward and Yves. Lucretius manages to wriggle free just long enough to grab the box back from Michel. While the rest of us chase after him, Lucretius starts to fiddle with those little gears on the box. We can tell he's prepping for time travel, probably to a pre-set place. Fortunately, Lucretius is so distracted with the gears that even Yves can't miss this time when he attacks. Unfortunately, Yves is just a little too late. Lucretius vanishes, and so does the box. In his place is a very confused boy of about 12, with red curly hair, with a scrubbing brush in his hand. "Oh! Sorry, sirs. Were you checking out the room?" No Lucretius. No box. The wooden chest is there, but it's very heavily damaged from Henry's shot. Sometimes, when there's a burst of temporal instability and someone leaps away to a different time, the timeline replaces them with another person from the local time, just to maintain some sort of continuity. So instead of our very suspicious philosopher, we have a very surprised young member of the cleaning crew. Yves, ever hopeful, asks the boy, "You don't know a Lucretius Carus, do you?" The boy shakes his head. "No, sorry. I'm Aiax, I work for the manager here. Sorry, didn't mean to disturb." "It's all right," Edward sighs. "Go about your business." [/QUOTE]
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TimeWatch RPG Playtest Story Hour (Updated 9-2-14)
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