SPQM c1s14b

When the trial continues the next day Dekia goes there to follow it and see if there might be any connections to the strange behaviour of the goods of seeds and meal. Meanwhile Gaius and Lucius walks to the harbour to ask about goods (that doesn't reach Asylum).

Gaius and Lucius talk with traders who say that there's no shortage but that they have gotten a better price from local buyers. It seems obvious that someone is buying seeds for something (Check; Persuader, Passed).

Decia listens to the last part of the trial and the local merchant is probably getting it. The defender of the merchant can't fight the very carefully applied accusations. The jury will gather again tomorrow to feliver their verdict; guilty or not. If guilty the judge will deliver the sentence, probably ostracisation or worse. Afterwards Dekia discusses the matter at hand with an assistent to another merchant who has nothing to add but thinks it's important to show that the city doesn't tolerate this kind of behaviour.

During the afternoon exercise, wrestling, the patrol exchange information and discuss what they know and don't know. Later all patrol gather at the inn. Noone has found anything spectacular but bread has apparently become expensive. In hte evening just as Gaius is about to explain the further plans Nona explains that she must go about with her secret mission and can't be part of the regular missions since her secret mission, as stated earlier, is more important. Gaius is frustrated, as are the rest of his patrol, but can't say anything since the secret mission is sanctioned by The Senate and The Mice People.

Suddenly Faustus remembers that one of his patrol memmbers is guarding a thief they caught that needs some flogging. Gaius is uncertain what's the correct thing to do according to the law (Check; Administrator, Fail with a Twist). In the morning they all march with the thief to the forum where they flogg him and let him go. Then they go to the temple of the city to honour the forefathers.

Later the jury finds the accussed merchant guilty. The judge delivers the sentence ostracisation, that the merchant should be denied water and fire within 400 (mice) miles for the forum of Lostora. An interesting effect of this is that the area stretches into the jurisdiction area of Asylum and the patrol feels a little insulted that the Lostora administration thinks that they can decide what should or shlould not be in Asylum. The merchant's body guard who is found guilty of contacting and training the bandits is sentenced to death but since he witnessed he gets the honourable death of decapitation instead of the very dishonourable regular strangling.

During the day Gaius engages in a lot of eating to get his strength back (Check, Buy food, Resources Ob 1, Passed, Condition Hungry & Thirsty is removed).

They continue their investigations by asking work leaders of day workers in the storage area and it seems that no more seeds are leaving hte city by the harbour than before but more caravans might be transporting seeds from the city. Seems that someone is buying discretly and maybe storing for some purpose, like feeding bandits or rebels. Dekia is asking around about The Miller but finds no information but hears that the exciting city around here is Rustica in the north. THere one can find voles, mice with just one leg in the middle and mice with their face on their belly and other strange and unusual things.

One of the other patrols has been searching the archives for records on arriving ships but hasn't found anything unusual which supports the theory that the caravans are the ones transporting the seeds away.

The troop of several patrols is suffering from each of the patrol leaders wanting to be the leader. Since the tribunes of The Pretorian Guard has made it clear that Gaius is the leader for the operation they fight over the post as second in command. Gaius convince them that rotating the second in command post each day is a good and the only solution (Check; Persuader, Passed). As the days are getting very hot and food often gets bad very quickly they get sick during the Mite Days (Twist; Health, Failed -> Condition Sick). That can't stop them though and they struggle on (End of Player's turn).