RomanQuest (10 page)

88

 

“Today,” announces the Greek pedagogue to a chorus of groans from his pupils, “you will be learning numbers.”

Nobody groans louder than yourself.

“Unlike the cultures of the Middle East, which use really stupid squiggly numbers like these -” The Greek walks to the blackboard and draws the numerals 2, 3, 5 and 8. The class erupts in hoots of laughter. “Unlike these cultures,” the Greek repeats, “we use solid, sensible respectable Roman numerals!”

Cheers from the class.

“If you were an uncivilised Arab,” the Greek smiles, “you would have to learn no less than ten number symbols. But as a Roman, you only have to learn seven! Isn't that a vast improvement?”

Chorus of ‘Yes, sirs' from the swots.

“The Roman number symbols you have to learn are I, V, X, L,C, D, and M and the good news is you know them already because they're letters of the alphabet and we did writing yesterday. But -” Here the Greek looks pointedly at his class. “-when they're used as numbers they mean something different to what they mean as letters. This is what they mean ...” He turns and writes on the blackboard:

I = ONE

V = FIVE

X = TEN

L = FIFTY

C = ONE HUNDRED

D = FIVE HUNDRED

M = ONE THOUSAND

“Now,” says the Greek turning back to the class, “here's the secret of writing Roman numerals. If you place a numeral of the same or lesser value after another numeral, it adds to the value. Like this.” Back at the blackboard he writes:

I plus I is written as II and equals TWO

V plus I is written as VI and equals SIX

D plus C plus L is written as DCL and equals SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY

“You see,” he explains, “D equals five hundred, C equals one hundred. Add them together and you get six hundred. L equals fifty. Add that to six hundred and you get six hundred and fifty. DCL - see?” He turns back to the board. “Now, a symbol placed before one of greater value subtracts its value like this:”

V minus I is written as IV and equals FOUR

C minus X is written as XC and equals NINETY

M minus I is written as IM and equals NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE

He turns back. “Now you know all about numbers. Class dismissed.”

 

Bit sudden, but you expect he's tired. Still, the little bit you've learned about Roman numerals might come in handy for reading copyright dates at the end of TV programmes. For the moment, return to your map at
CL
and select another destination.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

89

 

You're in an empty north-south corridor with doors in the end two walls and in the western wall.

 

The door to the north is marked
LXXXIII
. The door to the south is marked
LXXIX
. The door to the west is marked
LXXXXVIII
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

90

 

“Let's make a deal,” you tell the grinning spearman desperately.

“Volo pactum facere,”
the simultaneous translator booms through your mouth unnervingly.

“Suppose you just let me walk out of here without any trouble and I assure you I shall make no complaint to the authorities, or hold your threatening behaviour against you in any way.”

“Fors fortis!”
snarls the spearman.

“Fat chance,” translates the decoder in your ear.

 

And before you can ‘Woe is me!' (O me miserum!) he hurls himself upon you, thus usurping any possibility of your getting in the first blow. The man has 30 Life Points and his spear does +3 damage to your unprotected hide. If during the fight he scores 9 or better, he will elect to use the net instead of the spear. This causes no damage at all, whatever the dice may show but will immobilise you completely for the next three combat rounds so you can't even lift the dice while he pounds away at you. If, as seems likely, this encounter kills you your bleeding body will be dragged from the arena and dumped unceremoniously at
13
. In the event that you survive, it might be a good idea to grab that net and spear before you stride victorious to
40
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

91

 

“Don't have five denarii,” you tell him glumly.

“What do you have then?” he asks.

You dig into your pockets and come up with a half-chewed toffee covered in hairy lint, the crumpled brochure for the Colossus of the Apennines, a wizened chestnut with a hole bored through the middle, a short piece of string, a page torn out of a lined notebook with somebody's phone number written on it but no name so you've not the slightest idea who would answer if you rang, and a paper clip.

“Oh, wow, like cool!” Titus exclaims, wide-eyed. “What about giving me that?”

“This?” you ask frowning, picking up the paper clip. “Or this -?” You offer him the conker. Surely he couldn't want the toffee. Even you are finding it disgusting.

“No - that!” he tells you breathlessly, pointing at the crumpled brochure. “Look at the colours! Look at that painting of the lake and the big statue!”

“That's not a painting - that's a photogr -” You stop yourself abruptly. “Well,” you say, “it's very valuable, of course, but if you're as good a guide as you say ...”

He snatches the crumpled brochure. “Come with me!” he tells you firmly.

 

And, taking your hand, leads you to
37
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

92

 

“Wrong!” exclaims Caligula delightedly. He looks thoughtfully into the middle distance. “Surgical amputation of the brain, I think.”

 

After which painful experience, you can make your way to
13
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

93

 

“You can tell by the way I'm dressed I'm not an escaped slave,” you say firmly.

“No, I can't.”

“Yes, you can.”

“No I can't”

“Yes you can.”

“Can't!”

“Can!”

And so on for quite a long time until you get fed up and say, “Look, a person's innocent until they're proven guilty - right?”

He looks at you in astonishment. “Are you out of your mind? You'll have trouble getting any of your rights if you're not a Roman citizen and I don't think you are.”

“I am,” you lie.

“Are not,” he says.

“Am!”

“Not!”

“Sum!”

“Non es!”

And so on until your merry conversation is drowned out by a distant explosion and a rumbling roar that gradually comes closer and closer.

“What's that?” somebody asks.

“Jupiter's thunderbolt?” suggests one.

“Vulcan's hammer?” suggests another.

Then someone points to a black, pine-shaped cloud climbing into the sky. “It's the volcano!” she screams. “Vesuvius has blown its top!”

Red hot cinders and globs of molten lava begin to rain down.

“Quick! Under cover!”

Without waiting for any urging, you dive into the nearest doorway to take shelter from the fiery rain. Within seconds, half a dozen other people are crowded in there with you.

“Should be safe here,” you remark, hoping for reassurance.

“Safe as houses,” somebody tells you as a nearby house catches fire and falls down. “Greek built,” he shrugs dismissively.

As you stand watching the rain of fire and listening to the roar of the volcano, a sulphurous fog rolls towards you. In moments you and everyone around you is coughing in a vain attempt to rid your lungs of the acrid fumes.

Moments more and you are sinking to your knees.

 

That's how it was at Pompeii, I'm afraid. Long before the lava reached it, the fumes poisoned just about everyone and every thing in the city, including you. Go to
13
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

94

 

“You win!” exclaims the wild-eyed man delightedly. “Come on - I'll take you to the Palace before I'm tempted to make any more bets.”

He leads you out of the enormous hippodrome through a back entrance and as you get your bearings, you realise the Imperial Palace is just behind the Circus Maximus across the Appian Way.

Guards move forward as you approach, but (somewhat to your surprise) recognise the wild-eyed man at once.

“Lost another bet, have you, Janus?” one grins. “Better go on in. But mind yourself - the Little Boot's in residence.”

Hardly able to believe this is really happening, you walk through the huge entrance doors into a colonnaded marble hall lined with statues of a thin young man in a series of heroic poses.

“This way,” says Janus, turning into a corridor.

You follow to find this too is lined with statues of the same young man. Janus pushes open a door. “This is the Emperor's private temple,” he says.

You step inside. The temple is immense, larger even than some of the public buildings you've seen. There is a heavy smell of incense in the air and beyond the altar in place of a statue of the god, there is a massive statue of the thin young man whose image seems to be decorating every other inch of the palace.

“Who is that clown?” you ask.

“It's me,” a voice says in your ear. “I had it erected when I realised I was really a god. Jove to be exact.”

You swing round to find yourself face to face with the slim young man whose statue towers behind the altar. He is wearing a pristine toga piped in purple and has a laurel wreath set at a jaunty angle on his head.

Janus's arm snaps up in a Nazi salute. “Hail Caesar!” he exclaims. Out of the corner of his mouth he whispers, “Bow or something! This is the Emperor Caligula!”

 

Bow my foot. You've got three choices here. You can either take your chance and try to assassinate Caligula at
108
You can take to your heels and get away from this monster as fast as you can at
126
Or you can bide your time and see what happens at
154
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

95

 

Something odd about this house. For one thing all the windows are heavily shuttered. For another there's a guard on the door.

“Allez vite!”
he growls as you approach.

“Don't understand that,” mutters the Mercury phone in your ear. “He must be from Gaul.”

But even without a translation, you can see he's telling you to go away in no uncertain terms.

 

The question is, will you listen? There is absolutely nothing stopping you from allezing vite to
150
and selecting another destination from your map. If you feel like trying to get into the house he's guarding, you can do so at
123
, but if this results in a fight, don't say I didn't warn you.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

96

 

Roll two dice:

Score 2 and restore a single die roll of Life Points.

Score 3 and restore a double dice roll of Life Points.

Score 4 and collect a magic bow which never misses and will kill any single opponent instantly the moment you shoot it. Now throw one die to find out how many arrows you have.

Score 5 and Jupiter will teleport you instantly to any section shown on your map at
150
.

Score 6 and collect a beautifully tailored suit of bronze armour that not only protects you to a level of -8 in any combat, but also shines in the sun and makes you look like Arnie.

Score 7 and pick up a First Aid Kit that restores your Life Points to their natural maximum each time you use it. Throw one die to find out how often you can use it.

Score 8 and pick up five Special Life Points which you can add at once to your maximum total.

Score 9 and Jupiter will transport you from the section you're in back to the last section you visited where you can make a different choice to the one you made before.

Score 10 and Jupiter will transport you directly to
13
thus showing life as an Initiate is not all a bowl of cherries.

Score 11 and a purse containing one gold libra, twenty silver sestertii and twelve copper denarii will drop from the sky into your lap.

Score 12 and your current Life Points will temporarily double in the next three sections you visit even if they were at or near your maximum to begin with. When you reach the fourth section, they will return to the level they were at before.

 

Now return to the
section you just left
and get on with your adventure.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

97

 

“Wrong!” exclaims Caligula delightedly. He grins wickedly. “Only kidding. Now, your next question in the Quiz of Death is a hard one because not many people know the answer: When do the Sibylline Prophecies predict Vesuvius is going to erupt and destroy Pompeii and Herculaneum? Will it be in January, 79 a.d., in January 78 a.d. or in August, 79 a.d?”

 

Tricky. If you think the correct date is January, 79 a.d. turn to
66
If you think it was January 78 a.d. turn to
49
If you think it was August 79 a.d. turn to
29
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.