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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 5910069" data-attributes="member: 6669384">***Seeburn had moved a chair to the common hallway, and leaned back against the wall. He would have leaned against the door, but he wasn't sure the simple wooden latch would hold. Half the night had passed quietly, and he was missing his bed after days on the road. Not that these beds were all that much to miss, but still...His reverie was disturbed by a loud clatter from his own room. He straightened quickly and entered to see what was wrong. The shutters of the window stood open to the night air, but the room was empty. He quickly checked behind the door and under the bed, but no one was there. Examining the window he found what had made the noise. He had closed and barred the shutters as any sane man would, but had laid his short crowbar in as well, for security. A knife mark in the wood showed where the intruder had slipped a thin blade between the shutters and driven it into the wooden bar so he could lift it quietly. He hadn't known about the iron bar, and it had fallen to the floor when the wood one was removed. The noise had scared whoever it was away. ***Something was wrong. Penn's eyes opened a slit in the darkness. Whether it was a heavy footfall or the chill of the night air, something had awakened the Fey, and he saw a man in black moving stealthily across the room towards his bed.He had no dagger hidden under his pillow, and none of his magic was of the hurtful type, so he decided to try and shock the intruder. "Advice, from one professional to another?", he said to the shadowed figure. "Wooden hinges need a different sort of grease than metal ones. Use the wrong one and they groan a bit when you move them." The intruder, shocked by such calm advice, lunged forward, hoping to silence the figure in the bed before he could raise an alarm. His blade plunged down, burying itself deeply in... a pillow, as the Bard dodged aside. Penn, seeing the would-be assassin directly over his bed, did what came naturally. He snapped his head forward, delivering a vicious head-butt to the man, then rolled off the bed, calling for help as he did. The man staggered back in shock, then heard the thunder of running feet in the hall, and dove for the window. The door crashed inward as Seeburn's shoulder hit it. "What's happening?", he demanded. Penn grabbed his own blade as he rushed in pursuit. Peering out the window he called, "Hey, you forgot your knife!", hoping to make the man pause and look up so he could at least get a look at his face. To his surprise he saw that Sylus was out in the same alley, having apparently exited his own room next door in order to cut off the assassin's escape. The man didn't look up at Penn, but did stop for a moment in consternation and check his own hand for the blade he still held. Sylus tried to take advantage of that moment of indecision and dove for the man, but his grasping hands grabbed only shadows in that dark place. Seeburn took the more direct approach. He shoved the Bard aside and dove out the window, blade in hand. Now the man wished that he had looked up, for the Barbarian caught him by surprise and drove his sword nearly through him. Both fell to the ground with the impact, but with the speed of long practice the assassin continued the motion to roll to his feet and began to run, with Sylus and Seeburn fast on his heels. "Never the Night Watch when you need them.", Penn sang from his window vantage point, and a moment later there was a figure blocking the entrance to the alley. The wounded man, desperate, drew a second blade, a longer one, from a hidden place and charged the Watchman. And a moment later he was on the ground, three arrows protruding from his chest. "Who sent you!", Sylus demanded, seizing the fallen man by his bloody tunic. "He said he was sss...", the man managed to say before the words were drowned in blood.       *** Sylus sharp eyes scanned the night, searching for the men who fired the fatal arrows. All he saw was stillness and shadows, black on black.  Even the illusory Night Watch had faded from sight.Seeburn walked across the plaza, leaving the relative cover of the alley. It was a risky move, but then the hidden snipers had managed three clean shots into that alley so it didn't seem to be all that much more of a risk. Penn came dashing down the way, Sylus' weapons in hand. "I thought you might need these.", he called as he joined the pair. But the Ranger's attention was elsewhere. "Hmm. Unusual.", he murmured as he examined the arrows. Each dead black shaft bore red fletchings and an arrowhead that looked almost like silver. He tested the tips, noting the razor edges on those odd heads, even after piercing armor, flesh and bone, "Careful, those might be poisoned.", Seeburn warned as he returned from his brief scouting expedition. "Nah. No grooves or hollows to hold it." the Ranger replied, arrows being his area of expertise. "I'm just not sure what the heads are made of. Which means they're unusual, probably custom work." The real Night Watch arrived moments later, drawn by the shouts and sounds of battle. Once explanations were made, they examined the body and prepared to haul it away. All the windows of the inn were alight, and the innkeeper stood in the rear door, anger clouding his normally fearful expression. "What's all this? None of the other guests can sleep with you folk yelling and pounding.", he said, red faced. "Oh, it's nothing.", Seeburn answered, taking a moment to wipe the assassin's blood from his sword. "Just a couple of people trying to kill us. I'm sure it will all be sorted out in the morning." The man paled and quickly retreated. The others returned to their chambers, and slowly the neighborhood grew quiet once more. *** "I'm adding that door to your bill!", insisted the innkeeper. "The intruders came in through the window. You broke that door yourself.""Fine, fine. What are the damages?", asked Penn, annoyed to be bothered by such a detail. "15 gold.", the man said firmly. "You'll be paid.", Penn assured the man, though he had no idea where he'd come up with the money. Then an idea came to him. "Seeburn, may I borrow that little flask of yours? I promise I'll return it, full." The barbarian looked surprised, but handed over the last of his highland brew. Many a chair had given its all in various bar fights here. Some had been repaired, some replaced, and some had small casks filling in for them. Penn collected several of these and filled them from the fountain in the plaza. Taking a slight sip from the highlander's flask, he sang a song in praise of Dionysius, and then nearly fell over as the vapors of the brew swept over him. He handed over fully half of the yield to Seeburn. "I promised I'd refill it, and this should do that more than once.", he laughed. Then, taking one of the remaining containers, he went to the innkeeper. "You say you don't have anything better than that sour spittle to serve your guests?", he began with a smile. While Penn and the innkeeper were dickering, a herald arrived to escort Marcus and Nedel to their audience before the Senate. As they walked, they kept their eyes open, fearing that more of Senator Denius' minions would attack them. "Do you think he'll try again?", Nedel asked quietly. "Not sure.", answered Marcus. "I'm actually surprised that they failed last night. I expected better from him." "Not that I'm complaining", joked Nedel, "but I think we've been insulted. He obviously didn't care enough to send the very best." "I'm almost looking forward to the look on his face when we actually show up.", Marcus said in agreement. "But we know this isn't over." *** "Thank the gods you're safe.", said Denius effusively. "I heard about the attack." The two others in the room nodded their agreement."We were all worried.", Calvinus added. "There have been attempts on all of our lives, and any travelers who enter the city seem marked for death." "Plots are part of life for some of us.", Markus Caesar expanded, "but these are something else. Everyone seems to be a target. We called you here because, frankly, you're the only people we can trust."    That confused the companions, but the explanation followed quickly. Denius had issued the summons, to disguise the fact that the pair of companions were to meet with Caesar himself. The Senate knew nothing of the meeting, and that was how everyone wanted it.  The companions were strangers to the halls of power, and were thus to be trusted as they had no connections to any who normally prowled those halls.While technically the Senate was all but powerless, in reality they were the most powerful 100 men in the world. Their advice guided the empire, and their wealth and influence extended their reach far beyond the city walls. If they should learn of secret meetings, the shockwaves could upset the very delicate balance that kept the Empire functioning. And, of course, if someone wanted to upset that balance, terrorizing the Senators was one way to do it. Someone was doing just that. It wasn't just that people were being killed. Rome was a large city, and someplace in it there was always a crime of some kind happening. But this was different. Everyone in the city was afraid. And everyone was a suspect. Rumors and suspicion were turning neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend. The companions had distinguished themselves in Athens, and more to the point, they weren't from Rome. They had earned the trust and respect of the Emperor himself, the General of all the armies and the head of the Senate as well, though this last one was loathe to admit it. Now these men needed them to find and root out the conspirators, and as quickly as possible. *** "I don't believe that Denius just asked for our help.", Nedel laughed as they headed back to the inn."Well, politics is the art of expediency.", Marcus mused. "What we did to him in the past isn't nearly as important as what we can do for him right now. He'll probably go back to hating us once this is over." The pair were all but laughing when they walked into the common room of the inn."Marcus Gaius Domenicus?", asked a man who wore the brassard of the City Watch. "Yes, that's me.", the Cleric answered openly. "How can I help you?" "You're under arrest, by order of the Magistrate Senorum, for conspiracy against the Emperor's right hand, General Calvinus." And as quickly as that, Marcus was marched away under guard. "Does anyone know what that was all about?", Apellenea asked in shock. "I thought he cleared that all up in Florence." "Well, the mails might not have reached Rome yet.  And if the guard heard he was in town…", Seeburn answered, carefully studying the rafters of the room, the hint of a smile dancing at the edges of his lips.*** The companions fanned out across the city, each to their own quarter, seeking answers.Penn and Nedel paired up, visiting inns and public houses, offering samples of this "new" brew, asking questions and listening to tales. The curiously strong drink, which Penn had nicknamed "Essence of porcupine" for its harsh draw, loosened more than a few tongues. Fletchers took one look at the arrows Sylus offered for examination and turned him away, faces pale and hands shaking. But the direction they turned him towards was useful. Euphemia took a sharply different approach. The assassin's purse had been empty, but a small signet ring was found in the folds of his sash. The emblem depicted was Egyptian, a pyramid with the apex stone suspended above, a single eye engraved on that stone. She took that ring to all the wrong places, and asked all the wrong people about it, hoping to find the right answers. She was directed to a shop, a jeweler who specialized in signet rings. But the directions lead to an empty alley, and once she ventured into its confines the entrance was blocked by half a dozen men. "You sent a boy to do a man's work.", she said softly as she tossed the ring to the leader. "He failed. Have you considered giving the job to a woman?"    *** "Marcus, good to see you,", called Seeburn, as the Cleric entered the inn. "You worked things out?""The Imperial Warrant helped.", Marcus said sternly. He hadn't wanted to show the order, signed by Caesar, to the guard, but it was better than showing it to the Magistrate. Like the one Nedel carried, it authorized him as an agent of the Empire, but like Nedel's order, it was given during the secret meeting. The guards might gossip, but the Magistrate was high enough up the food chain that the word would definitely spread in all the wrong places.He could have waited until the Finding from Florence arrived, clearing him, but that could take days. The mails weren't exactly reliable these days."So what do we know?", he asked, changing the subject. His friends gathered around to share what they had learned."The trouble makers seem to have a foothold in the south quarter.", Penn began. "It was the most heavily damaged by the Vandals, and being relatively poor it's been the slowest to be repaired.""Our assassin wasn't local.", Nedel added. "He hailed from the north east, perhaps a Hun or a Czech. An out of town assassin, but not a very good one.""The arrows that killed him were made at a shop on Canal street.", Sylus informed them. "It was the arrowheads that placed them. They're distinctive. An iron alloy, but bright instead of black. They hold an edge better than straight iron, and are pricey. ""The targets were Marcus and Nedel.", Euphemia informed the group. "The man didn't know what rooms they were in, which is why he kept trying.""Wait a minute.", said Nedel. "The assassins have been targeting travelers from other cities. Marcus is a Roman. Why would they want him?""I don't know.", the Halfling answered. "All I know is that the price was set on the 'heads of the Romans', and for some reason they included you in that set."Nedel raised his hand, revealing a black iron ring, the sign of a Citizen of Rome. "My father's title, Comus, means 'Companion of Emperors'. It makes us Citizens of Rome." Then he added hastily, "And then there's my commission.""What commission?", came the common question."After the business in Athens, I was given a commission as a Centurion. A reward for volunteering to take Calvinus' place, and make myself a target. I've been doing some negotiating on Rome's behalf, mostly down south.""The Egyptian grain exchange?", Apellenea asked in wonder. "Did you have a hand in that?""Yeah. My father knew some people who knew some people. I helped negotiate it while we were in Florence. There were a lot of influential people there, you know. It's probably one of the reasons we got called to 'appear before the Senate'."There was much concern among the group. They weren't supposed to draw attention to themselves, but were quickly being drawn in far over their heads. The meeting began to break up, without resolution.                </blockquote>

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