T. Nepius~
I pray to Juno that your household is well in these troubled times. The Berbers rise in the south and threaten the Limes that guard our borders. Know that I will sacrifice to Mars for your victory in this struggle.

I hesitate to call on you at a time like this for such a minor issue but I have had difficulty with the local Praefectus Fadius Bato. There is a local turris left over from the days when our borders did not extend as far and I fear trouble
is brewing there. We know of Beastia Gigantea, a pack of Aper, but they seldom bother our people. Recently my youngest son, Postumus, has gone missing. We search daily, but it is as though he were spirited away.

Surely this is the work of something beyond the power of our local villae.
If you could send us help or convince the local Praefectus to aid us I would be in your debt.

In friendship and urgency,
G. Aurelius

Sighing, the Praetor turned to his advisor, “Send for that Praetorian, the one who always wants something.” Looking over the letter from his old friend he knew he must do something. Yes, the Berbers were rising but if it was not them then it was the Gaetuli or the Numidaens or some other tribe. He had ignored the interior too long and now he was paying for it.

Into the hall strode the Praetorian Prefect for Gaetuli, Numidius Matius Cyricus. Matius had the airs of a politician, one who was always looking to improve his station.

“You summoned me, Praetor.” It was more of a statement then a question. He spoke with just a hint of an accent that Nepius had never been able to place. He smelled faintly of perfumes from distant lands.

“Yes, Matius, we have a problem. Walk with me.” As the pair began to stroll out into the gardens, the Praetor looked the man over. He knew he could not trust Matius. No one trusted too deeply in Gaetuli, or the Empire for that matter, and rose to Praetor of even a small province. Still, if it was in his interest, Matius would do what the Praetor asked.

Nepius handed the letter from Aurelius to Matius. “As you can see, we need to address this before it gets out of hand. Aurelius has friends in high places and has made new allies with his marriage that will have far reaching effects.”

Nepius eyed Matius looking for a reaction. On some men you can see the wheels turning as their thoughts come around to what they must do. With Matius, it was a matter of going directly to the solution.

“It would be wise to appear to help without being directly involved, at least not in a way which we cannot later deny.” Nepius felt his stomach twist at the thought of dealing so casually with his friend’s son. He could not deny it though, he had to position himself to be able to claim credit if all went well and to blame someone else if anything went wrong.

“Might I make a suggestion, Praetor?” Nepius nodded his consent, “We could use this miscreant Fadius. He has just enough ambition to aid us but not so much that he will attempt to claim the laurels. If the effort fails, the blame is assuredly his since he is the local Praefectus. If he succeeds, we have the letter to prove our good intentions.” Matius stopped to smell a bouquet of flowers at the edge of the path.

Knowing that he had set in motion a thing as unstoppable as the tide, Nepius looked at Matius. A man so cool in the face of such challenges would do well in the Empire.

“Matius, I will write a dispatch for your courier by tonight. Make sure you send a man capable of dealing with this and anything that may need his attention afterwards.” Nepius turned away, aware that he had just killed a small part of himself.

.................................................. .................................................. ....

SALVE !

I need four to six players please ! All will choose from 6 pregenerated Core 3.5 characters. This adventure is part of the Roma Imperious setting by (HinterWelt) and is a conversion from the Iridium RPG system (well worth checking out) at : https://www.hinterwelt.com/

Two sessions to be run, each lasting between 3 and 4 hours and both starting at 8 PM GMT using Fantasy Grounds 1.05f.

1) Aulus Tadius Galena: Priest of Minerva and secretly, an initiate of Mithras. Galena has travelled to the province of Gaetuli and the town of Dolus in an effort to shake the attentions of a particularly inquisitive Praetorian. Galena used to live in Britannia but after stealing some druidic scrolls, he has been on the run since. Sadly, he still cannot decipher all three of the scrolls that he stole but he knows they point to the location of one of the Lost Treasures of Britannia.

2) Gaius Calpenius Hermes: A street urchin of Caesarea and skilled pick-pocket and thief. Hermes is now enjoying a sabbatical after an unfortunate misunderstanding in the busy port city. Hermes is a skilled burglar and thief but accidently killed a nobleman with considerable political connections and he knows his life is forfeit. He needs money to escape to Hispania and establish himself in Gades, a large port.

3) Marcus Vocusius Crescens: A soldier attached to the Praefectus and something of an outspoken troublemaker. Crescens has been "volunteered" by his commanding officer. Crescens is the younger brother of a famed soldier who distinguished himself in a particularly heroic (but futile) battle against the Jade Empire. Crescens has much to live up to and whilst he adored his brother, is being slowly bourne down by the weight of expectation as he approaches the age his brother (Agrippa) was when he was killed. He desperaely wants the chance to carry out a memorable deed and possible, get promoted.

4) Clodia Secunda: This attractive young woman is the paramor of the Praetorian Prefect for Gaetuli, Numidius Matius Catricus and is eager to show her true value to a man who she fears will soon marry and establish a political career in Hispania. Clodia is brave, impetuous and passionate but sadly, not truly loved by Catricus.

5) Sertonius Nerva Betto: A Praetorian agent from Hispania, summoned to Gaetuli some months ago after curious rumours of strange noises and disappearances began to circulate amongst the nomads of the deeper deserts. He has also been sent to investigate the local tribes of Ghana who seem to have a range of magics unknown to the Empire.

6) Vidugavia: A hulking warrior from Germania Magna, Vidugavia seeks wine, women and song but needs money in order to pursue these laudable goals. Gaetuli has some interesting prospects being a border province and he had a friend called Wulfrics working in one of the villas ... only he cannot remember which one.

Currently I have :

Saturday :
Vidugavia - Ramza
Sertonius - Aberto2k
Marcus - Kepli
Hermes - Micah
Aulus - greytale
Clodia - free

Vidugavia - Ramza
Sertonius - Aberto2k
Marcus - Kepli
Hermes - Micah
Aulus - free
Clodia - free

Please PM if you want to play ...