RomanQuest (2 page)

5

 

It's all happening here and that's for sure. You've wandered into a part of the city built in a small closed valley ringed by the Seven Hills and by the look of all the activity around you, this is the busy heart of Rome. There are shops and open markets lining both sides of the valley, imposing buildings all around and two open spaces in the north west corner. The din of the crowds is almost deafening.

“'Scuse me?”

You turn to find a runny-nosed urchin standing at your elbow. “Yes?”

“You look like a yoke - like a visitor to our city,” he says. “Would you like to hire a guide? Very experienced, very cheap.”

“Would this guide be you?” you ask him.

“It would,” he grins. “Name's Titus. Tell you all you need to know, show you everything you need to see for just five denarii. Half an hour with me and you can tell all your haysee - all your rural friends how capital life is in the capital. Might even find you a decent toga - that gear you're wearing is dead out of date. What do you say?”

 

Good question. If you've even one gold aureus left from your Jactus game, you can afford five denarii with change to spare. But do you want to waste money on this brat? He may know as much about Rome as the average hedgehog. You can decline his offer right now and make your own way through the city with the help of your tourist map at
25
. You can shell out five denarii like a sacrificial lamb and hear what he has to say at
37
or, if you don't happen to have any money, you can tell him you're skint at
91
.

 

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6

 

Here, wait a minute - you've absent-mindedly walked back into the Amphitheatre and by the sound of the crowd, the games are still going on. Fortunately you haven't walked into the arena.

Yet.

 

But you certainly can if you want to - walk into the arena, that is - and who knows you might earn yourself some more money if you don't get yourself killed. The tunnel to the arena opens out at
27
. A safer option might be to head for the auditorium and watch the games for a while at
61
. But the safest and most sensible of all is to get back to
150
and select another destination from your city map before this place is buried.

 

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7

 

To your astonishment, the wild-eyed man bursts into tears.

“What's wrong?” you ask, appalled. “You won the bet!”

“That's what's wrong,” he wails. “If I win a bet, nobody will bet with me again and I'm a compulsive gambler.” He brightens suddenly. “Tell you what - double or quits.”

“Double or quits?”

“You get everything back and a tour of the Imperial Palace if you win.”

“But I've nothing to bet!” you protest, remembering he's just won everything in your pocket.

“Bet ten of your Life Points,” he suggests. “I'm an Ancient Roman - we enjoy watching people die by inches. In fact, you can keep betting Life Points until you do win. Assuming you survive, that is.”

You don't have to take this macabre gamble. You can just as easily give him the fingers and walk right out of the Circus Maximus this minute to pick another destination from your tourist map at 25. But if you want to, you can keep gambling your Life Points in blocks of ten until you either win, decide to give up or die.

 

If you decide to gamble, roll two dice. Score 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 and the Greens win, in which case you lose ten Life Points. If this kills you, go to
13
. If it doesn't, either bet again or leave for
25
. Score 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 and the Blues win, in which case so do you and you may turn to
94
.

 

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8

 

That's better. That's definitely better. You haven't ended up at the point of some gladiator's sword or on top of an erupting volcano. You're in a comfortable little room that actually seems to have underfloor heating, exactly the sort of surroundings you'd expect if you were successfully transported to some quiet corner of an upper crust Roman villa where two aristocrats were about to get married.

The room itself seems to be a dressing room, judging by the open wardrobes and the clothes strewn about the floor. Doubtless the slaves will be in later to tidy up, but for the moment, except for yourself, the room is empty.

You check your belongings and discover that although your weapons and armour have disappeared, you still have the Brief Guide to Ancient Rome and the Mercury Phone is still sticking in your ear. It's not much to help you find the wedding party in time to stop Germanicus and Agrippina getting married, but at least it's something. You decide the best thing is to get on with it as quickly as possible.

 

There are two doors in this little room, one in the north wall numbered
XXXII
, the other in the west wall numbered
XVIII
.

 

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9

 

“Wrong!” exclaims Caligula delightedly. He looks thoughtfully into the middle distance. “Drowned in a vat of steaming porridge, I think.”

 

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

 

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10

 

“No way!” you tell him, glancing around for an escape route. The Mercury Phone seems to be a two way translation device because your comment comes out as
“Nullo modo!”
But instead of hanging around to find out if he's understood, you take to your heels.

At once the crowd begins to boo and out of the corner of your eye you can see a forest of thumbs pointing down.

You make for the archway where the priests came in, but two other armed men move to block your exit.

You screech to a halt. “This is no way to behave at a religious occasion!” you scream as the character with the spear catches up with you, having dropped his net somewhere in the chase.

One of the burly men blocking your way gives you a pitying look. “This ain't no religious occasion,” the simultaneous translator growls in your ear as it picks up his words. “This is the Roman Games and you've just been made a gladiator!”

 

This definitely wasn't in your contract with the Sibyl, but what can you do about that now? As well as the clown with the +3 spear, you are now facing a goon with a +5 sword and a lout with a +8 trident. Each of them has 30 Life Points and a strong desire to make a name for himself by killing you. Should this desire be satisfied, your bleeding body will be dragged from the arena and dumped unceremoniously at
13
. In the unlikely event that you survive, take your pick of sword, spear or trident and stride victorious to
40
.

 

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11

 

You take a deep breath, grip your nose firmly and leap with wild abandon into the freezing waters of the frigidarium pool.

 

There are disproportionate implications of this simple action. First, roll one die to find out whether or not you can swim. Score 1 to 4 inclusive and you're paddling like a little duckling. Score 5 or 6 and you sink like a stone all the way to
13
.

 

Next, assuming you survived the swimming test, make an Absolutely Anything Roll to find out whether you survived the blistering shock of intense cold that assailed you when you hit the water. If making the roll kills you, go to
13
. If you succeed in the roll, go to
28
. If you fail in the roll, deduct 10 Life Points. If the deduction kills you, go to
13
.

 

I know this is getting complicated, but you're the one that jumped into the pool. If you fail your Absolutely Anything Roll and the deduction of Life Points doesn't kill you, you can make as many more Absolutely Anything Rolls as you like, providing you deduct 10 Life Points every time you fail. Or, now or later, you can throw your hat at the whole thing, climb out of the stupid pool and return the way you came through the door marked
CXXXXI
.

 

Got all that? Good.

 

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12

 

You glance towards the distant horizon where the looming shape of Vesuvius has so far failed to spew lava into the air, then abruptly make up your mind. “Where exactly is the Temple of Neptune?” you ask the woman.

“Back the way you came, turn left and you'll find it at XLI.” she tells you cheerfully.

 

Well, what are you waiting for? If you want the Temple of Neptune, go now to section
XLI
. Alternatively, of course, you can get out of town through the Porta Neptuna at
69
or even turn back to your map at
150
and select another destination.

 

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13

 

Well,
sic biscuitus disintegratus
, as the Ancient Romans used to say, which translates as that's the way the cookie crumbles. Your cookie's crumbled with a vengeance since you're now dead as an undertaker's fish paste sandwich.

 

But unless you want to hang around this section for the rest of your death, it's time for you to roll up a whole new mess of Life Points (not forgetting any Special Life Points you've earned) then gird your loins, place you nose to the grindstone, put your best foot forward and try, try, try again from
Section 1
.

 

I'll be rooting for you.

 

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14

 

Throw one die.

 

Score 1 or 2 and go to
22
.

Score 3 or 4 and go to
58
.

Score 5 or 6 and go to
48
.

 

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15

 

You'd never mistake this building for anything other than what it is. One looks tells all. This is the boss's place, Mr Big's pad, or in Rome, the Imperial Palace. It was definitely built to impress. Look at those sweeping columns. Look at those imposing archways. Look at the doors designed for giants, as if only giants lived there.

Look at the guards. There are so many soldiers you'd swear they were expecting an invasion by the Helvetii. One of them is walking over to you now.

“Where do you think you're going?” he asks sourly.

“I was wondering if the Emperor's at home,” you tell him.

“Another one asking about our Emperor,” he called over his shoulder.

“Another one for the Mamertine Prison,” another soldier calls back.

“No, wait, just a minute. I -”

But now the guard has been joined by his colleague and they're walking towards you menacingly.

 

You can get into trouble in this place just by sightseeing. But are you just going to stand there and let them take you away without a fight? If you fancy your chances against these bruisers, turn to
44
. If you'd prefer just to run like hades, try
102
.

 

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16

 

There are a couple of dozy-looking guards on this gate but they seem to be there just for ornament since they aren't stopping anybody or checking papers. With a huge feeling of relief you skip through the gate and onto the road out of town.

You've escaped! You're out of Pompeii before the fateful eruption! Now all you have to do is get far enough away to make sure you're safe when the volcano actually blows.

“Excuse me,” you call to a passer by, “but where will this road take me?”

“To Herculaneum!” she calls back cheerfully.

“Thank -” You stop abruptly. This road is going to Herculaneum? But Herculaneum was one of the other cities, like Stabiae and Pompeii, that were buried when Vesuvius erupted. This is out of the frying pan into the fire. Literally. You're going to have to find another way out - fast!

As you turn, there is a terrifying roar as the peak of Vesuvius splits open behind you and a black pine-shaped cloud erupts from the volcano showering massive red-hot cinders and great globules of molten lava.

“Arrrgh!” you howl as a great globule of molten lava lands directly on your head, burning off most of your face and eating its way through the bone of your skull.

 

After which it becomes quite difficult for you to continue your adventure. Go to
13
.

 

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