Ludi ictis

SPQM c1s16c

2012-02-20T20:08:00.001+01:00

The by the forefathers damned captain of the so called civil guard doesn't really seem to care about the order in the city, at least not when it's patrol mice that get attacked. The patrol mice bite their tongues and don't speak up but leave and meet up with the rest of the patrol mice (except Nona and her patrol).

There they are approached by a messenger from the duumviirs of the city who tells them that they ''ought to'' leave their weapons by the guard. After a lot of argumenting they do this but to be able to have at least a few armed mice they apply for bodyguard permission for the patrol leaders, the centurio. If acknowleged each of them will be allowed to have a bodyguard armed with knofe or dagger but it will take time to process their application. When they leave their weapons with the guard they manage to get a list of toll transaktion to find out who trades most, least and in between. Gaius patrol mice divide the lists between themselves and during the coming days they find out who are trading the most over the city borders, among others a gold and silver trader and a seed trader. When questioned the seed trader actually answers that he has noticed some changes in who buys what and in what amounts mice buy or sell. He has noticed a substantial raise in the price of seeds but no special raise in the buying of seed as traders had seen in Lostora. During these days the rest of the patrol os marching up and down the streets where they think the black mailers are working to give them a hard time.

As they are doing some progress Lucius manage to get in balance again (Check; Passed Will Ob 2, Undisciplined (Angry) is removed).

Dekia tries to provoke Vorenus, the black mailing mouse, to come forward by spreading the romour that they are gonna stay in Rustica for a long time (Check; Succeed with Condition) and manage to provoke him to do something (End of Player's Turn).

SPQM c1s16b

2012-02-20T19:49:00.001+01:00

As the patrol returns to the inn they go by the palestra and have a long and hard nice exercising. After bathing they actually return to the inn, only to find that their spears has been broken, their wooden shields has been hacked at with axes. Dekia's round bronze shield has been severely buckled as have their helmets. Their swords and weapon belts have been peed on. One big and utterly offensive act against them and The Pretorian Guard. Although they actually threatens people at and around the inn noone has heard or seen anything. They are apparently afraid of someone. The patrols switch inn and soak up their belts in a try to get the worst smell out of them. Nona doesn't appear.

It is quite obvious that the black mailing mouse they met yesterday is responsible so they decide to pay him a visit early in the morning, all ten of them (Nona and her patrol have still not appeared). As they arrive two ''muscles'' stand guard at the gate to the stairs in the insula. The patrols take care of them and bring them to the appartment of the black mailing mouse. Nobody answers so they break in and find nothing else but a bedroll. They search for places to hide stuff but find nothing.

When they leave and enter the street they hear somebody whistle and suddenly about twenty mice appear from both ends of the street and attack them. The mice try to hurt them badly, probably to scare them off. They fight back and try to get away without getting injured (Check; Fighter versus Fighter, Passed). Gaius and his patrol walks to the inn The golden Leaf where they're supposed to find the black mailer. On the way over there they spot the city's civil guard who seems to keep the distance both to the patrol and the fight they had a short while ago. A strange behaviour for a guard one might think. At The Golden Leaf there's a captain of the guard and when speaking to him they realize that he thinks that they provoked the mice of the city and thereby started the fight and either they handle that and take the damage or they start a process and accuse someone of something. Gaius is furious.

SPQM c1s16a

2012-02-06T22:00:00.001+01:00

As they stay in Rustica to wait for Nona's completion of her secret mission they keep on looking for signs of The Miller or his doing. As they walk down the street they hear someone telling one of the craftsman in one of the many shops at the street level of the insula buildings ''You better pay or else...''. It's a jeweller in an obvious uncomfortable conversation with a nicely dressed mouse. Gaius interprets it as black-mailing grabs the nice-looking mouse and drags him away from the jeweller starts an animated argument with him. There is no direct connection between a witnessed threat from the mouse and he says he repressents a grup of mice keeping the bad mice away and protecting the good ones that pay them to. Gaius and Lucius follows the mouse as he walks away but Dekia stays and talks to the jeweller.

Dekia buy a thin necklace a little cheaper if she promises to show it off and tell everyone where it came from and mangae to start a little discussion about the mouse who just left and actually gets him to tell that there is something that could be called black-mailing going on (Obstacle: Persuader, Passed).

The black-mailer walks on floowed by Gaius and just behind him Lucius. Suddenly four big mice show up from different directions and try to separate Gaius from Lucius and attack Gaius. Lucius grabs the black-mailer and points at the bandits and ''happens'' to get in the way for one of them. The other three jumps Gaius and throws him to the street and kicks him and then disappear (Obstacle: Failed with a Twist). Gaius pass out for a moment from the pain but don't get seriously injured (Twist: Become Injured from the beating, Health, Passed). The four mice disappears and the street clears quickly.

Gaius gets on his feet again and with this as an excuse the all three escort the nicely dressed black-mailer so that he should get in trouble. He tries to resist but they follow him whereever he goes and is very reluctant to open when they get to his home. They make it clear that he has no other alternative than to open and go in to porve that he lives there and aren't trying to fool them. The apartment are in a quite fashionable insula and obviously he has some money. As the make him open he shouts loudly about their and The Pretorian Guards fascist methods.

Now they have a little problem. Should they tackle this obvious problem? In Navalia or Sapientia it's clear that they don't have any jurisdiction but this is one of The Free Farming Cities and they aren't really members of The League of Mice Cities?

They turn to mice of the local curia but htey don't think it's possible to accuse anyone for anything. Rather they think that it seems like the mouse is keeping the order. It's their, the patrol's, risk if they want to charge him of anything. Seems like the cities leaders either can't handle the situation or don't want to. The Guard has no rsources for it either (End of GM's Turn).

Roma obscura session 5b (c2s5b)

2012-02-05T21:05:00.001+01:00

After cleaning up after the battle with the pirates the two cohorts march on towards Delphi. The resources are used effectively and each day's march well planned. Since Atia has a good reputation among the legionaires they make an extra effort for her and they march on effectively like a roman troop should, even a little better than that and although they are short on resources they don't end (Check; Lead the march to Delphi effectively, Militarist, Passed). Everyone is looking forward to be stationed close to more civilised areas with a big city though.

As they are closing in to Delphi they send a message to the king of Delphi that they are coming and are gonna be stationed there to keep the order of Rome and when possible help Delphi with what they can. A few days later, close to Delphi The right hand of the king of Delphi met up and greet them. He is very polite, almost overly so, and tells them that they can camp about a half day's march from Delphi. That won't do according to Atia and Mettia and after some discussion they have to give them an area close to the city for a third of the troops. The two parts of the troops get one guide each and as The right hand of the king of Delphi leaves they march on. Atia take her cohort and Mettia's third maniple to the big camp further away and Mettia take her forst and second maniple to the area close to Delphi.

Mettia guide show them an area of dried out land, hard totaly dry land with cracks in it. As they stand there the wind blow some dust in their eyes. The area looks like something where factorys once were and strange experiments were carried out. Mettia and the guide exchange polite phrases in something that could be called greek and somewhere along the line the guide calls Mettia a cow, at least that's what Mettia hears. Now the discussion is finished, the greeks may treat their own women like second class humans without citizen rights but no greek shall stand here or anywhere else and call her a cow. She is firstborn, family head-to-be, tribune and lead for 600 legionaries and cavallry and auxilaries. She has the guide to show them another area close to the mountains where there will be shadows all the time instead of sun but that's better. The area is also actually possible to dig trenches in and there's wood for building and fire and grass for the donkies and oxens. It is a little close to The Inspired One's factories though but hopefullly no too bad smoke will blow on them (End of Player's Turn).

As Atia arrive to their area she send a messanger to the owner of the land, a Markos, to tell him why they're here and that his land was appointed to them by the king himself.

SPQM c1s15

2012-01-29T19:25:00.001+01:00

They stay a few days in Lostora waiting for Nona to complete her mission. During these days they train. To find space for the training they go outside the city where they find an open space that's almost perfect for training. As they spend the day there a snobbish mouse with about ten mice following him appears. He claims to be the owner of the land and orders them to leave his park immediately. Gaius says that they're from The Pretorian Guard and outside the cities they are the law and they are training to do their important missions that he should be grateful for. The maybe-owner of the land doesn't back down and for a while it almost seems like Gaius will order his patrols to deal with the maybe-owner and his followers but he hold himself back and they leave the area and return to the city.

The city's palestras are cramped and in the search for somewhere to train and exercise they find out that the militia has an exercising area outside the city that's quite big. They ask and are allowed to do their training there. After a few days Gaius decides that they can't wait for Nona and they leave a message for her and march towards Rustica. The second day their camp is swarmed by mites and they have to scare them off to not catch any nasty bugs and to have their food for themselves (Obstacle: Fighter versus 4D, Passed).

They march on and they feel that they have lost time waiting for nona and when not finding that much information in Lostora. gaius have them to keep a high tempo (Obstacle; Persuader, Succeed with Condition Sick) and so they arrive to Rustica (End of GM's Turn).

Arriving in Rustica they find it hard to get somewhere to sleep for eleven patrol mice. As they search the city for a place Gaius at least get his patrol lots of food and they are all full and satisfied (Check; Resources, Passed). Lucius tries to put his hardships behind him but fail and remain undisciplined (Check; Remove Undisciplined (Angry), Failed). Gaius on the other hand feels quite satisfied that they arrived in time without anyone getting to much hurt and now their stomachs are full (Check; Remove Undisciplined (Angry), Passed). Finally they find a place where there's room if they divide themselves among one room and the dinner room. Gaius and the patrol leaders take the room and the other patrol mice get the dinner room. During the evening Dekia spend time for herself and reaches out to her forefathers to explain and to listen and manage to get back on good or at least neutral terms with them (Check; Remove On Bad terms with the Forefathers, Passed).

Gaius leads the search for information about The Miller but there's nomice called that in Rustica but seeds to get bought to a greater extent than before and the seed is transported away somewhere. Since no other goods like tools, hunting gear, weapons, and other stuff has been sold to a greater extent it's very improbable that the seed is for groups of mice. Groups of mice would need lots of other stuff too (Check; Find information about seed selling and whether The Miller is in Rustica, Passed). So The Miller is not here but someone is trying to affect the seed market in a way that will hit the southern cities most (End of Player's Turn).

SPQM c1s14b

2012-01-28T22:56:00.001+01:00

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).

Roma obscura, a change of rules

2012-01-14T12:59:00.002+01:00

So far we have in the Roma obscura campaign run the Mouse Guard rules but this doesn't fit well with one of the players that think it's to much rules and some strange effects as lingering Conditions or too much effects bound to rules rather than pure role playing. Therefore we decided to try the rules from the swedsih game Magneter och mirakler.

The rules in Magneter and mirakler are quite simple and very much based around everything important having aspects that can be used sometimes, quite often or often depending on the level of the aspect. To this is added a system for story conflict resolution where the antagonist and protagonist use an aspect if they like to. If one of them do, that one decides the outcome, if both do, it's a even call and the conflict is escalated. In an escalated conflict the two parties can use as many fitting aspects as they want and then they roll a six sided dice each and add their bonuses. The one with the highest result decides the outcome.

The rules has some more details as aspects having both negative and positvie sides and a rule for making the gamers use both negative and positive sides of their characters to make the game more interesting.

This is the characters we ended up with (Mouse Guard originals can be found earlier in the blog):

Mettia Equitus Hirrus:

Game setting: +5/-5

Rationally convincing: +2/-2

Social: +1/-1

Honestly outspoken: -+1/-3

Childhood in a senatorial family: +1/-1

Tactics-wise tribune: +2/-1

Has greek enemy: +1/-2

Cares for her own integrety: +2/-2

Intrigued by Inspired Ones and Meta-Physis: +1/-1

Trained fighter: +2/-1

Atia Lucius Quintilius:

Game setting: +5/-5

Seasoned legionary leader: +2/-1

Action takes precedence before status: +2/-2

Pedgogical retor: +1/1

Disciplined: +2/-1

Conscientious administrator: +1/-2

Conflict-filled order of duty*: +1-3

Military tactician: +1/-1

Cartographer with field experience: +1/-2

Doesn't waste time: +3/-1

* Rome -> Family -> Forefathers -> Me

Expected to be Rome -> Forefathers -> Family - Me

We also set some themes for the campaign, this part of the campaign:

- Roma's plan for Achaea

- Atia's and Mettia's mission

- Roman brats in Achaea

- The Inspired Ones

- Greek honour

- Greek conflicts

All aspects and themes are translated from swedish and might therefore differ some fom what's intended and will be used in the game.

Roma obscura session 5a (c2s5a)

2012-01-14T08:57:00.001+01:00

As the weather gets better but the winter's not formally over competitions between the cohorts are held and in the end of the winter a winner is coroned. It's Atia's cohort that takes home the most victories and the final total victory. During the games the centurions have showed their well known engagement in their units and if they keep that spirit up when it comes to battle they might be as spoken wnd written about as Gaius Julius Caesar's famous centurions.

At the first day of Early Summer they celebrate the Rosalia signoris where the standars are decorated and honoured and then they march northwards toward Delphi. Atia resumes the correspondance with the brats and for someone being able to read between the lines it seems that she's actually trying to deceive them into behaving in the most brattish roman way one might imagine, probably to help spark the conflict in Sparta they think Rome wants.

As they march on they hear rumours about pirate fleets but reckon that they wont attack two full cohorts and also they are often marching not so close to the coast as to worry. Mettia also starts to have weekly meetings with all her centurions in addition to the regular meetings with her, Atia and the centurio senior (the leaders for the six maniples). Besides trying to get a better general contact with her cohorts she's trying to get some response on why her cohort didn't win the games.

Since the first harvests not been done yet the food is still taken from diminishing winter storages and is therefore a little expensive. They try to get as much fish as possible since that food isn't as dependent on the season as the otherwise used (and normally cheaper grains). They hold on to the existing money to make it last until they ge more funds from Rome via Athens. A part of this is to transfeer some money rewards to free time rewards and to not have too much effect on the security by not having enough guarding personell they also spread the free time out so it doesn't always come in direct connection to the action that led to the reward (Obstacle, Administrator, Passed).

The coast seems safe and quiet although the rumours about pirates.

They haven't been starting to feel safe a long time when scouts return like hunted and tell that they have seen an anchored war fleet, presumably pirates. As Atia and Mettia discuss the matter at hand more scouts arrive and tell them that the pirates has left the ships and is moving for an attack.

The attack is quite well prepared and well started but the good roman legionaries and Atia's and Mettia's leadership is holding them off and slowly pushing them backwards. Now the pirate start to retreat and actually do a mostly organized retreat and then flee which give them the possibility to get away from the legionaries and are only floowed by the quite few cavallerists in the troop which much minimizes their losses (Obstacle, Complex; Militarist for preparations for battle and Militarist for the actual battle, Passed).

The attack seemed to have been well prepared and obviously they have had good knowlegde of where the cohorts have been and that the weak point is the baggage train in the middle and it seemed they were specifically going for the part with the money for wages and supplies.

Neither the cohorts nor the pirates suffer any great losses but quite a bunch of pirates fell for the persuing cavallerists. They iterrogate villagers in the area but they dont seem to have cooperated with the pirates and seem quite scared for the pirates (and the romans).

After clearing up the area they march away some to get away from the good ambush area wich seem to be appreciated by the villagers (End of GM's Turn).

SPQM c1s14a

2011-12-29T21:17:00.002+01:00

As their ship arrives to the Lostora harbour and the war ship part of it they see intense activity, many ships from the northern parts of the sea but also lots of ships from Navalia.

They stroll around a little but don't find anything interesting or room for 14 pretorian mice. Gaius manage to convince an inn owner to let them sleep on the floor in the dining room. Pretorian mice are trustful and they can trust them to get everything in order early in the morning before the first guests arrive (Obstacle: Persuader, Succeed with Condition Undiciplined (Angry)).

The troop invades a wine tavern and talks a lot to the staff and since the patrol mice are quite a few mice they stop much of the serving. The owner drives the staff around and instead gets caught up in conversation herself. According to the owner Rustica is an intersting place where one can find many of the things the pretorian mice has thought of as things travellers tell stupid people to seem cooler than they are. It is only by skipping some food now and then they manage to get everything in the dining room away for sleeping and back againf or the customers (Obstacle: Succeed with Condition Hungry and Thirsty).

The patrols split and go in different directions to hunt romours about the so called Miller. A t the forum there a trial going on. Gaius patrol stops to listen. It's a merchant, Voronos, that stands accused for having had his body guards training and hiring bandits to ambush competitors. The prosecutor is a mouse named Mikos and who seems quite good at his work. Most mice listening expects evidense ending the trial today (End of GM's turn).

SPQM c1s13

2011-12-28T00:26:00.000+01:00

The patrol gets invited to Praetor Urbanus Mamercus, a simple dinner, ''simplicitas'' as he calls it. It's just three meals and frosted fruit juice as the last extra meal. When they ''happen'' to mention their work in The Pretorian Guard Mamercus stears the talk into the sadly lost Gold Age and asks if they might have the strength and character to act as if The Gold Age had returned, if it would be possible for them to carry out the new secret mission as if it was Gold Age again. He then mentions the secret mission that only Gaius should know about. Well, Mamercus is Praetor urbanus and very influential in The Senate. He probaly hears most things. He almost gives them the mission to seek out a mysterious dissident in the north cities among The Free Farming Cities and the Gaius should lead that mission although it might involve several patrols, that's why it's so special. Missions with several patrols acting together focused on the same task is a rare thing these days in a dwindling Silver Age.

The next day Gaius seek information about trade troubles that could either give clues to the slight shortage of food that has raised the prices some or give clues about someone pulling strings to accomplish this. In the short time they have before they should be ready for the secret mission he doesn't manage to do that. Dekia tries to convince one of the tribunes that it would be wise to let them not go on mission with Nona's and Faustus' patrols (Dekia's and Gaius' enemies respectively). Nona is trying to get to stay in Asylum for the summer to work on her career in The Senate and the officials. The laying suggestion is Gaius' and Volcatius' patrol (Volcatius is Lucius enemy). That on the other hand wasn't what the patrol wanted, they wanted to have four patrols but not the three patrols led by their enemies. Also Volcatius is suggested as first centurio.

The patrol tries to convince the tribunes that they should send four patrols, one is their own and none of the three are the patrols of their enemies (Conflict, Won with Major Compromise => Four patrols but the three others are led by their enemies). In the end the mission shall be accomplished by four patrol; Gaius', Volcatius', Nona's and Faustus' patrol. Also Nona has some extra secret mission that might lake her sometimes unavailable for the mission to be carried out by Gaius and the other patrols.

Gaius is first centurio and leads the operation. The other patrol leaders are:
* Volcatius, plebeian who dislikes nobiles and especially Lucius.
* Fausus, nobiles who dislikes Gaius since their time together in the beginning of their time in The Pretorian Guard.
* Nona, nobiles who dislikes plebeians and Dekia especially and on top of everything Dekia isn't a citizen of Asylum but just a socii (a foreigner that has gained some citizen rights but for example not the right to vote of being a family head).

Just the perfect mice to cooperate on one of the biggest missions on hand for The Pretorian Guard.

The mission is to find and ''take care of'' the, so called, Miller in the Free Farming Cities. He or she is supposed to be behind the beginning food shortage that makes the food in Asylum more expensive, something that could escalate if it affects the deliverence of food to the poor in Asylum. Then unrest would be at hand. The proletarians and many plebeians would also become easily swayed by political movers. The patrol tries to convince the other patrols that this is actually a good idea and that the mission is that important that they should put their enemities aside for the duration of the mission (Obstacle: Persuader, Fail with a Twist). Nona takes the matter about her not having to join the mission but persuing her carreer in Asylum to the tribune assembly who quickly backs up the earlier decision by the single tribune (End of GM's Turn).

After this Gaius tries to get Nona cast out of The Pretorian Guard for her refusing to follow order (Check: Persuader, Fail with a Twist)

Lucius has a session with his forefathers at the alter at home and at the big temple for the forefathers in Asylum and manage to get on better terms with them again (Check: Remove On Bad Terms with the Forefathers, Passed).

Lucius, his father and Nona's mother persuade Nona to cooperate for the good of the clan. She be that egoistic, she is a part of the clan (Persuader, Passed).

Gaius patrol and the other two patrols, not Nona's, arranges for a ship to take them to Lostora (Check, Passed).

Dekia says that the weather's gonna be fine during the first part of the trip to Lostora (Check: Fail with a Twist).

The four patrols, 14 mice, then sail on a pretorian trireme to Lostora a harbour and trade city at the coast not far from the biggest city of the farming cities, Rustica (Check: Resources, Passed, to get food and other resources easily to get to Lostora as fast as possible). Soon the weather changes and the weather of the Mite days in the Late Summer is worse than in many years (Twist: Health roll to not receive Condition Sick). They are also unlucky and don't manage to do the trip before or after Vestalia, an important ceremony for the household and their forefathers (Twist, Ceremony Master to not get Condition On Bad Terms with the Forefathers, Succeed with Condition). After one of the shorter but more interesting sailings to Lostora they arrive in the harbour where they see many ships from the northen cities and also ships from Asylum and Navalia (End of Player's Turn).

SPQM c1s12

2011-12-26T20:33:00.000+01:00

As the families of Carnifex gets slaves for manning the workshop mamercus is setting up for Aeneas nona gets the agreed half of the slaves but fofers them to Mamercus before Lucius family is ready and thereby shows of a little. Lucius father is raviging in the atrium of their domus since not only does it out him and his son as a little worse but it do put the clan of Carnifex as a splitted clan with individually working families who compete for attention and glory rather than working for the clan. Lucius visits the slave market and together with his friends he manages to find yet one more appropriate slave and presents as many slaves as non plus one (Obstacle: Resources Ob6, Passed).

Just as Lucius father's anger is cooling down other news about Nona reaches his ears. Nona is holding a ''theoretical speech'' in the senate. ''Theoretical speeches'' are a way for young senators-to-be to hold an actual speech in the senate but wothout it having political implications since they're held outside regular meetings and the senators are supposed to leave them out of their decision making. now Nona is going to hold a theoretical speech against having plebeian military tribunes. That's one of the hot questions now and then, for example now and is not gonna be able to be kept outside the decision making - which Nona probably is fully aware of. Especially since there's not gonna be any counter-speech since it's a ''theoretical speech''.

Lucius decides to hold his own theoretical speech about the good sides of the plebeian tribunes and what they have done for The Pretorian Guard and that variations bring good to The Pretorian Guard. This is as close to a regular debate in the senate one comes without having it and should anyone bring it up, highly irregular and slightly dishonourable to fight it out outside the proper channels.

Meanwhile Dekia is burying herself in the archives to find information for Lucius to use in his ''theoretical speech'' and also the slaves are delivered to Aeneas' workshop built by Mamercus. It seems that the workshop with these slaves are fully manned except a skilled foremouse and that needs to be someone skilled in several crafts as well as administration but Mamercus promises to get one. Also, Lucius has a morning walk with Aeneas trying to befriend him and show him Asylum. Aeneas is quite snobbish though and disregards most of Asylum as ''well, we did that in Sapientia this many years before you'' no matter that most of these actually is evolved quite far away from what Sapientia did. Actually much of the Asylum versions has surpassed the Sapientia versions. Lucius bites his tongue, after all Aeneas seems to be a great inventor and as such important for the growth of Asylum and as by accident also the growth of the Carnifex clan since their were an important part of getting Aeneas here. Aeneas is somewhat impressed by the apiary though but goes on by not being the slightest interested in speaking with workers or foremice but only masters. At the end of the walk Aeneas also admit some impression by the Asylum aqueducts, some impression.

Nona holds a theoretical speech about not letting plebeians into the honourable office of military tribune. Nobiles are made for leadership, plebeians are not. Lucius who are a little more pragmatic realizes that The Pretorian Guard can't afford to be that picky at the moment. In The Gold Age that was possible but not in this dwindeling Silver Age. He therefore holds a theoretical speech about the need for The Pretorian Guard to be able to expand.

The informal fight goes on and they even have one speech each more and many in the senate seems to get that there is more going on, some sort of informal vendetta between the two. Also both Lucius and Nona is trying to put thoughts into the heads of the senate members. In the end Lucius is the one who manages to do that best but at the cost of the senate defining the office of legate so it will be impossible for a plebeian to get and hold it. No legislation on the matter of tribunes is done though (Obstacle: Conflict, Orator versus 4D, Won with Compromise).

Mamercus, the clever Praetor Urbanus, notes though that he has noticed the seperate deliverance of slaves from the two families, the almost same amount of slaves and the actual fight going on behind the theoretical speeches. It also seems that the senate start to get a stronger interest in limiting the People's Assemblies, for example by gaining control over the people's tribunes (End of GM's Turn).

Gaius is having an informal meeting with the tribune responsible for logistics and training of tiro and miles who also happens to be a plebeian. gaius tries to get the tribune to tell him about what the big mission everyone important seem to know about is about. He actually manage to do this but is held by his honour to not tell anyone else (Check: Persuader versus 3D, Passed).

Dekia digs on in the archive but can't find any information regarding what the mission might be about. In the meantime Lucius manage to convince Aeneas and one of the tribunes that a demonstraion of the belly shooter might be a good idea. A demonstration where the power of the belly shooter is showed off is held (Check: Persuader versus 3D, Passed). During the time up to the demonstration Lucius becomes aware of a conflict between Aeneas and the head weapon smith of the guard. Aeneas insists on ordering the giant arrows for the belly shooter with straight feathers at the back end whilst the weapon smith is convinced that any arrow flies better with slightly tilted feathers.

Dekia tries to get hold of her body and soldier on though she's sick but the stressed out life lately make her fail that although they're back in Asylum and mostly off duty (Check: Health Ob2, Failed, Healer needed). Life goes on for a while in the city (End of Player's Turn).

Roma obscura Winter session 1

2011-12-18T19:01:00.000+01:00

The two cohorts dig in at Mountain-Pass and seem to be able to get food reasonably easy as long as they pay maybe a little too much. The area doesn't seem to fare too ill but the leaders and councils of the small cities around the area is talkative and kind of elusive in their talk and not to happy with the kings of Sparta guiding them there but hopefully they and the cohorts will get along.

Mettia tries to find out the relation between Mountain-Pass and Sparta and finds that they have a quite frozen relationship. Sparta has no real sway over Mountain-Pass but pretends to and of course guided the two cohorts there as if it was a noble gesture from the kings and an act of kindness towards their guests. In reality they managed to get the cohorts of their land and eating somebody else's food the whole winter.

Atia is still curious and confused about their diffuse mission description and some of the decisions made about their legion's reinforcement of the first legion in Graecia. She ponders the matter and and discusses with Mettia and the centurio senior primus of both cohorts. They come to the conclusion that the mad act of putting the two brats in Sparta probably is made to provoke the kings and the brats into something less controlled actions that will need invention and thereby give Rome an excuse to break down on Sparta.

As for their own mission they realize that not only is the praetor in Athens believing that the mad inventor in Delphi is onto something valuable but so does Rome. They might have landed in the middle of something big and probably Rome is watching. Their missions isn't simple though since they should protect the inventor AND keep the order in Delphi. That implies that there is some problems with the order and disorder is seldom good when someone should be protected. They can't just convince the inventor to come with them to Rome (or take him) because then they won't be upholding the order in Delphi as they're supposed to do.

After the winter's slower cadence and contemplation these characters have evolved:

Atia Lucius Quintilius

Age: 33

Title: tribunes (fourth year, wants to get to the next carreer step)

Belief: The right action is neither lessened nor amplified by the origin of the actor.

Instinct: Never waste time!

Traits: disciplina 1, legionary honour 2, prudentia 1

Nature: 3 Will: 5 Health: 4

Auctoritas (resources): 7 Dignitas (circles): 7

Friend: Atilius Marcus Qunitus, prosperous merchant that has sponsored Valerius Lucius Qunitilius' (Atia's father) election campaigns.

Enemy: Secundus Titus Aurelius, upcoming politician that has collided with Atia.

Skills and wises:

Fighter 3

Healer -

Hunter 2

Instructor 4

Pathfinder -

Scout 2

Survivalist -

Weather watcher -

Orator 3

Deceiver 2

Persuader 2 X out of 3 needed

Rider 2

Cartographer 2

Militarist 3

Adminstrator 3

Ceremony Master 1 X out of 3 needed

Mission-wise 1

War-wise 1

Mob-wise 1

Nobiles-wise 1

Mettia Equitus Hirrus

Age: 31

Title: tribunes (second year, wants to stay on practical levels of the army, no politics)

Belief: The world needs less politics.

Instinct: There is always a good tactic to the kill.

Traits: comititas 1, rational 1, honestas 1

Nature: 2 Will: 5 Health: 4

Auctoritas (resources): 7 Dignitas (circles): 6

Friend: Caelus Tuccius Pius, childhood friend. They were neighbours as childs. I many ways he's the opposite of Mettia, a real carreer politician. They meet sometimes and is good friends although their differences. They often have giving discussions about politics, strategy and how to make a carreer.

Enemy: Kiria av Delfi, the king of Ithaka's sister's daughter. Odros of Ithaka (the king's son) was held as Rome's guest to further the realationships between Rome and Ithaka (hostage). When the king appeared to give pirates harbour space on his island he was ordered to give up their names and force them out on the sea where they could be dealt with. The king refused and as a punishment as and as a mean to get him into other thoughts his son was killed. Mettia was the one carrying out the killing. The victim's cousin Kiria of Delphi was very much insulted and angry and grieved her cousin. She sought out who was involved and is thinking of how to carry out revenge.

Skills and wises:

Fighter 3

Healer 2

Hunter 3

Instructor -

Pathfinder 2

Scout -

Survivalist -

Weather watcher -

Orator 3

Deceiver 2

Persuader 3

Militarist 4

Baker 2

Rider 2

Strategy-wise 1

Tactics-wise 1

Sparks-wise 1

Cursus honoris-wise 1

Metaphysicist 2

Delphi-wise 2

Mouse Guard hack SPQM updated, v 0.6.0, PDF & ePub

2011-12-17T21:25:00.002+01:00

A new version of MG: SPQM, Mouse Guard: Senatus Populusque Muris ver. 0.6, can be found under Stuff at www.illertass.se, link. Many sections has been filled out better.

illern (a) illertass.se

Roma obscura session 3b (c2s3b)

2011-12-11T23:36:00.000+01:00

The four cohorts led by Atia leave the village, the outpost and the crucified prisoners but march on on alert, ready to fight back a retaliation attack. It's slow but safe and no attack comes and a few days' marches from Sparta ten hoplites demand to meet the leader for the romans. Atia and Mettia meet up with them and meet king Arros of Sparta.

He asks questions and wonders how they're gonna solve the food question. He thinks they are ducking the questions and not really are answering and so they are. He leaves not satisfied. Atia and Mettia sees that as more his problem than theirs.

Mendros, second king of Sparta, meet them later and asks the same questions. Atia and Mettia explain that only half of the troop will stay in Sparta and the rest will march on nortwards. The king helps them with info about the road north and a tip on where they can spend the winter. The best way to march for them happen to not go to Sparta but rather leave Sparta's territory rather soon. Since Atia and Mettia wants to get as far as possible before winter they and the king aggrees on what is best (this way they eat as little as possible from the areas close to Sparta).

Atia and Mettia are a little worried about leaving the brats alone in Sparta but decide that they have to fulfill their own missions as soon as possible and can't spend all their time disciplining the youngsters. They march on.

But first Atia tries to instruct them as well as she can, about what the mission is exactly about and how to behave. She is distracted by a weird feeling stemming from her forefathers and can't get hold on what's it about. They're dissatisfied by something though, that's clear. Anyway, she and Mettia is convinced that the brats won't manage to start a war before they're out of the way in their winter camp to the west.

They are a bit in a hurry though but manage to get there in time to set up camp and a temporary fort for the winter and has to press on and keep the order tight to get there but they do (Obstacle; Pathfinder, succeed with Condition Sick). Finally they arrive at a place called Mountain-Pass, sick but there in time (End of GM's Turn).

Roma obscura session 3a (c2s3a)

2011-12-11T22:26:00.000+01:00

A few days later a feast is held at the praetor's house together with two arkonts from Athens. The brats aren't behaving as usual but the rest of the tribunes manage to show their good side and partly cover the tribunes bad side - the brats - to not be coloured by them as a group (Obstacle: Persuader versus Deceiver 4, Passed). Mattia and Atia take the oppurtunity to ask the arkonts about Greece and mostly of southern Greece and Delphi specifically to show themselves as interested and to get information about hte area they will be travelling through and spend time fulfilling the mission in. The focus is mostly militarily and they get a good and informative conversation going with the arkonts (Obstacle Persuader versus Deceiver 4, Succeed with Condition Angry/Tired => Atia gets a Tool consisting of knowlege of southern Greece, +1D and Mettia get a check on her way to learn Delphi-wise). The arkonts are a little suspicius about these roman military leaders being so curious but not enough to not tell Mettia and Atia a lot as the evening passes on into late night and the praetor doesn't hold back on wine, dancers or lyricists (End of GM's Turn).

Shortly after they get the message that they shall march in two days. Four cohorts will move out to Sparta and two of them on to Delphi). They, Mettia and Atia, start to prepare their troops and get provisions. The brats mostly trust their centurio senior primus to do what's needed and doesn't really care whether it's gonna be any of them.

The next day they're told that the two brats will march with Mettia and Atia to Sparta where the brats will stay with their cohorts and Mettia and Atia march on to Delphi..

As they march westwards during the Dog Days they have troubles with stomach illness among the troops and food quickly becoming unusable and therefore some having a little too little of provisions. By keeping the discipline and paying good for the food they can get they manage to keep the cadence and reach the outskirts of spartan territory when expected (Check: Militarist, Succeed with Condition). It's mostly Atia, Mettia and the troops that make it possible. The brats spend much time among the greeks in the ''picturesque'' ''farming areas'' testing the wines and looking at the girls and boys dancing and probably comparing the loval plump lyrics with the ones of Athens.

As they enter spartan territory they are told that there has been crop failures and that there almost no food to sell. Atia and Mettia ride around and question the village leaders directly but get the same message everywhere. Atia is getting quite suspicious but find no evidence.

During the march Atia sends reports by the local runners back to the praetor in Athens about the progress.

As they march on the the brats are talking about that it's strange that they don't see any typical spartan architecture or other signs of Sparta except for some warriors here and there. Atia and Mettia mostly just let them chatter on and wonder what they are talking about. Farmers are farmers everywhre, or?

The brats start to get bored by the ''picturesque farming area'' and Mettia and Atia can't decide whether they should be amused or worried. After a while the brts report that their troops and buyers that search south of the road has started to find more food and soon they are getting as mych food needed for their troops whil Atia's and Mettia's scouts and buyers still get too little food and have to spread ut over a wider area and therefore slow down the march. Atia is a little suspicius that the brats are squeezing the farmers but let it be since it will be the brats problem as they're the ones staying in the area. For that to be true though they have to get back to a normal cadence otherwise they will be stuck together with the brats in Sparta. Neither Atia or Mettia thinks high of that outcome.

Not much later they suddenly get a message from the front troops that there are some sort of guard standing in their way. Something like a hundred typical spartan soldiers in full armor standning attention in the middle of the road, actually all over the road. Atia brings her scribe, Mettia and her scribe to the front to speak to them hoping that with their total knowlege in greek should make it possible to communicate with them. At leat hte scribes are not that bad in greek.

They order the tropps to halt as they ride up to the front and stop just out of spear reach of the spartans and tell them that a roman troop under the lead of tribune Atia Lucius Quintilius needs to pass on the road. The soldier in the right front turns and shout something backwards and the soldier at the back left turns and run into a sturdy house on the side of the road, facing a big villiage on the other. Atia and Mettia assume he's telling some commander about the situation and in an attempt to be polite they wait. As an hours time is closing in they decide it has been enough time and they tell the spartans that they will pass no matter they are standing in the road or not and return to their place in the middle of the column. They have a short discussion on how to tackle the spartans and then send the orders for attack.

The furthermost cohort, Atia's, change from four to six files, the small roads hadn't given more room for marching. As Atia's cohort march out to the left, turn around and march back to the right to place themselve with about one half of the cohort on eachside of the road Atia give the two brats order to take two decuria of cavallery each, one fourth each and ready them selves for encirclement. The brats, happy that something exciting is happening gladly ride away. Atia's cohort has placed itself as a six file snake crossing the road and everyone makes a left face and the six file marching order has become a six line battle line, ready to kill. All the time the spartans has just observed them like they were just clock work men that has run out of torsion power. Atiaäs centurio senior primus sends report back the some hundred meters along the rest of the front half of the troops and baggae train to the tribunes. Atia immediately orders attack.

As the legionaires march forward the spartans during silence form up for a battle line but being only a fifth as many they will have to do well to stop the romans, and that's just one out of four cohorts. On the other hand, everyone has heard about the 300 spartans at Thermopyle. The two front lines throw their spears and the spartans lift their big round shields and although some get hurt badly and fall down they are just silently replaced and the spartans big round shields do a good job to protect them from the spears and not many shields get pierced and weighted down by a pilum, rather the pilii slide off.

The jogging legionaires and spartans tackle each other with the shields and stab at each other, each with their pros and cons with spears or short swords. The spartans can't stand the four times as many romans and start to back down. The brats readies the cavallery.

The spartans fall and the romans slowly move forward driving the fewer and fewer standing spartans backwards. Their lines start to look thin and although the spartans aren't known for running away the cavallerists close up och each side of the legionaires, ready to encircle any escapers. THen suddenly the lines break and the spartans actually flee. The cavallery rides of, makes a circle and stab och ride down the fleeing spartans and drive the remaing ones into a circle of legionaries and cavallerists. Now the spartans surprise the romans again by giving themselves in. About a fifth of the spartans still stand and are disarmed and tied up. legionaries are sent to the house and Atia and Mettia themselves ride over to have a look. As expected it seems to be some sort of border post or inn for runners and marching soldiers. They find an office but someone has burnt some papers there lately. Atia and Mettia quickly go through the other paers and collect what seems to be inventories to be able to get a grip on troops in the area and maybe also food in the area. They then return to the troops and order them to be at war state since runner(s) presumably has lsipped away and if someone will try something they will know about them and what has happened.

The psartans are quesitoned but show some spartan traits and don't tell anything interesting and since there's no time for detailed questioning and they should anyhow be punished with the death so Atia orders them to be crucified. When that's done the column marches on but no prepared for battle or ambush.

Atia also decides to send a special report back to the legates and the praetor and because of the recent events she decide to use some of their own cavallery to fulfill the missions. Two pairs of riders are sent on different routes and at slightly different time to make it harder for any rebellious spartans to stop both messages (Check, give as good orders that at least one of the messages arrive: Militarist versus Militarist 3D, Passed). The riders later actually reach Athens and the praetor but that of course Atia doesn't know.

During their further travel Atia gets into a conflict with the eldest brat who almost, almost challenge her on a fight but she refuses to let private matters risk any of them or their ability to fullfill the mission during the mission. Private amtters has to wait until some other time. The brat feeling dishonoured storms off but there is no fight and the cohorts continue to march towards Sparta. Atia promises to record the events in one of her reports to the praetor (End of Player's Turn).

Roma obscura session 2 (c2s2)

2011-12-11T22:02:00.000+01:00

Mettia and Atia, second and third tribune has found each other during the travel from Rome to Athens and spend time in the city to get to know and see what Athen's like.

In many ways it's just like any big city, except not as great as Rome. They do get a little suprised by a few things like the smaller size of the biggest houses, the more primitive common water supply and the war prisoners from the east making up the security guard in the city. Sure Rome has slaves as a watch for fires and trouble makers but they're not war prisoners and not armed with bows.

One of the things they do is to get some new clothers and among those some cloaks in greek style. As they walk around at Agora and other selling places they see a lot of bargaining going on (ofcourse) but when they approach sellers they just get a price. At first they think the the citizens are trying to fool the occupiers and get their money and then they think that they are weak and afraid and to dare to bargain and try to get a good price from the romans because they could be punished or something. In the end they realise that the price is quite honest, neither as low as some citizens get and neither as high as some citizens get. It's somewhere in between. They just don't really understand those greeks.

When they later on dress in their simplier greek cloaks instead of their roman togas they get very polarizied reaction; either they are openly disliked or openly liked. They guess that some think that they should not come here and think they are like the citizens and some think that at least they try to get to the local culture and not look at it from above.

Anyway they are painfully aware that there's lots of luggage from earlier roman civil wars fought in Achaia; Sulla, Caesar and others has fought internal roman enimies like Pompeius Magnus on greek territory and in that process eaten the greek's food, used their slaves, entertainded themselves with their young men and women and so on.

One evening their thoughts get diverted from their own eventual problems with the citizens. Sitting in one of the quite primitive but still peaceful greek bath house the two brats, foruth and fifth tribunes appear and jump into the personal bathtubs like children jumping into the basins in Rome and water is splattered on both Mettia and Atia and greek. The greek mumble very quietly and don't say anything and the brats seem to think that it's their right to behave as they wish since they are romans and the conquerers. They chatter loudly and tell plump jokes as they were ten years younger. They also order a lyricist to replace the peaceful and traditional lyricist already there trying to get a job some evening later on. The lyricist appearing on the brats' order is not halfly as skilled and only sing very plump lyrics. Erotic is fine but this don't have the finesse Mettia and Atia would have liked, erotic lyrics or not. They excuse themselves and leave and probably are seen as boring by the two brats. Whatever.

The next day they visit Akropolis and also make an offering to the forefathers as they continue their journeies around the city.

They also has to spend time organizing the troops, managing payments, food and so on and also keeping them in order when they aren't actively doing any specific mission (Obstacle: Administrator versus Ob3, Passed). One evening at a symposion they can't hold themselves but try to lure the praetor to tell them about the plans for their stay in Achaia. They actually manage to get the praetor to tell them some (Obstacle: Persuader versus Deceiver 4, Succeed with Condition Undisciplined). Apparently some of the cohorts, probably two, will be placed in Sparta and some, probably two, will be placed in Delphi. According to the praetor there has been some unrest in the western Achaia that he hasn't been able to really deal with with just one legion. He hopes that they can put a lid on the unrest by placing some troops here and there and thereby showing the appearance in Achaia more clearly. He doesn't say what the last two extra cohorts should do though (End of GM's Turn).

The time in Athens is a little boring since there's no work to be done except keep the troops ready for a march sometime soon but not any emergancy march with short notice so no real challenge. Some social activities witht he three brats can't be avoided and while Mettia and Atia can't get along with the fourth and fifth tribune the sixth tribune, Mortius, isn't that bad although he's quite bratty. At least he has the social consciousness to get flattered when Atia asks about his family's farms and mentions the good olives coming from one of them.

During the wait in Athens Atia and Mettia suggests a hunt as a try to get some time to pass and also to flatter the praetor some by asking him for good hunting grounds in the area. The praetor in turn is very polite and only suggests the area in very broad terms and when getting there all the time hinting for Atia who's leading the group where to go.

When the camp is set up they divide themselves in two groups; Mettia and the foourth and fifth tribunes in one group and Atia, the praetor and the sixth tribune int he other group. The legate and her first tribune has stayed in Athens to prepare for the secret mission (that Mettia and Atia actually know some of).

Mettia's group quite soon find a boar and start to drive it towards the other who spread out and prepare to face the beast and hopefully kill. There's a good chance they will just be avble to hurt it and have to leave the killing to Mettia's group though. As the both groups close in with the boar in between the two brats can't hold themselves and thunder away banging the sides of their horses and as the others in fear watch the two riders face the boars for themselves without other riders or armed companions they kill or almost kill the boar and in the process put both themselves and the horse in great danger. As the other arrive the praetor with a very skilled move leave his horse readying his spear as he lnads and stabs the boar over the throat to make sure it's actually lose it's strength and dies.

As the blood spreads over the grass the rest arrive. Atia and Mettia are not sure if they are relieved the brats survived or not but losing two tribunes in a hunting accident wouldn't gain Rome. Mettia walks up to the oldest of the brats who were in her group and although slightly still under her command, asks him what he in the name of the forefathers thought he were doing, slaps him, turns around join the others giving orders for butchering the boar and later return to the camp. During all this the praetor have seemed to observed everyone and especially the exploding conflict between Mettia and the brat.

In the evening the two brats keep much to themselves, maybe even seem a little ashamed. maybe some manner might seep into them from somewhere. Atia and Mettia socialize with the praetor and Mettia, with the aid of Atia, get him to tell about the mission details (Check: Persuader versus Deceiver, Passed). The praetor between the three of them; him, Atia and Mettia, expose more about the plans. Apparently there has been unrest in the east and therefore he will place two of the brats with their cohorts in Sparta and Atia and Mettia with their cohorts in Delfi. More important though probably is that in Delfi lives a weird but inspired philosopher. A young man that's ignited with ideas that's gonna change the world as the praetor sees it. This man and his inventions must be protected and guarded for Rome - without provoking the locals.

Among th ethings he has created is some sort of accounting machine that as the praetor sees it will change the world much more than the steam machines. Being able to transport troops slight faster than before and without making htem as tired and being in able to dig deeper in the ground because steam powered pumps are so much better is all good but not really changing the world. This accounting machine will though. Already the greeks seem to be getting this since they are pilgrimageing to delfi as before but more and more of them are now coming to get mathematical answer wich they take home and ponder over, conclude and then make decisions based upon. This in a speed much faster than with lots of slaves and lots of abacuses although they have to travel to Delphi. Politicians and philosohers rejoice alike. The praetor even thinks that the old oracle with it's connections to the collective of forefathers is dwindling behind the accounting machine driven by steam. As the praetor forsees the use of the connection to the forefathers and the heros for the cirty states and the Res Publica of Rome will die away. The more direct connection between specifice groups of forefathers and the specific families for family matters will never die but the not so giving connection to all roman or all civilized forefathers for the bigger collectives of humans will give in for the greater use of human creations that aid the humans directly here and now or maybee soon. This accounting machine is one such thing and more will come even if not many see it.

When they return towards Athens the two brats are still keeping to themselves and ride their own way back doing whatever brats do.

I Athens they go to the palestra and the bath house, which can't be compared to the bath houses in Rome. They're more like the smaller bath houses serving an insula or two. More than one time the brats have arrived to the bath house before Mettia and Atia and usually are frolicing around and sometimes ording lyricists, but always the plump ones. Always looked upon with frowns by the greeks.

Atia collects extra details reports from the troops to keep them on their feets and to have a grip on their status. The brats are as usual all over the place and almost make fools out of themselves a symposion held by the praetor. Atia instead is keeping it low and have a long time of meditation where she actually get in contact with her forefathers and explain her doings and why and actually seems to make them understand. She also sucks up some to them, the wise ones, the longer living ones than her, their collective wisdom (Check: Beginners Luck, Ceremony Master, Passed, Condition On Bad Terms with the Forefathers Are Removed).

Time passes as they wait for going on the secret but not so secret mission (End of Player's Turn).

Roma obscura session 1 (c2s1)

2011-12-11T21:58:00.000+01:00

The legion consisting of legate Lutia, first tribune Niklos, second tribune Atia Lucius Quintilius, third tribune Mettia Equitus Hirrus, fourth tribune Faustus, fifth tribune Draconus, sixth tribune Mortius and their cohorts travel, mostly by steam train, southwards on the west coast of Italia, around the mountains and back up nortwards again. The train journey with few breaks of marching continue over to the proivince Achaia (Greece), southwards and around the mountatins and up to Athens where preator Mons is having his headquarters with his legion.

The foruth, fifth and sixth tribune soon show themselves as new, quite unskilled brats out on an adventure and during the long journey they manage to get on both Atia's and Mettia's nerves (and probably also Lutia's and Miklos').

In Athens the legion set up camp to await further orders while the legate and tribunes are received by the praetor and given room in his own house. The second evening he holds a reception and symposion. During this it is obvious that he is also socially and career-wise probing the tribunes. Atia and Mettia manage to leave still looking good and competent in the eyes of the praetor (Obstacle, Persuader versus Deceiver 4)

Two of the brats, the fourth and fifth tribune, show themselves for their most we-shall-enjoy-our-self-side and rumble around and even try to get Atia and Mettia to rumble along in their beds or maybe one big bed? Atia and Mettia manage to with a lot of Thanks-but-no-thanks steer them away without having to resort to threats of social or violent nature (Obstacle, Persuader versus Deceiver 3, Passed with Condition Undisciplined). Mettia and Atia don't really know what happens next, if the brats rumbled along by themselves with themselves or with someone else and don't care either (End of GM's Turn).

During the coming weeks while they are waiting for the orders to come, while the legates and the praetor make their plans Atia and Mettia arrange contests between the cohorts to keep them occupied and in form. They also convince the legate that the troops don't need two weeks of total rest but only one week and then they can go back to full duty (Check: Persuader versus Persuader 4, Passed).

During the contest the fifth cohort win 2 out of three contests and the fourth tribune's cohort win the third contest.. Mettia is frustrated by the non-information policy the legate seems to have while the plans are made but manage to get her aggression off her mind in boxing contests (Check, Will Ob 2, Passed, Condition Undisciplined is removed). Time passes and no plans for their visit in Achaia is revealed (End of Player's Turn).

Roma obscura, name and Nature

2011-12-11T21:39:00.000+01:00

The name ''Roma obscura'' is taken because it could mean ''The dark Rome'' or ''The smokey Rome'' and both fit with a vision I have of where the Rome of this setting is heading, a Rome with real London smog.

The original Mouse Guard Nature didn't fit that well with a roman setting so I took some inspiration from another Mouse Guard hack Realm Guard (Dunedain rangers of Tolkien's Middle-Earth) and tried to take it from there. What I ended up with (which might be changed) was:
Tradition, Family, Pride

Roma obscura, Rome with a touch of steam punk

2011-12-11T21:19:00.001+01:00

A new campaign in a fictious Rome of Augustus and steam using The Mouse Guard RPG system.

CHARACTERS:

Atia Lucius Quintilius
Age: 32
Title: tribunis (third year, wants to get to the next carreer step)

Belief: The right action is neither lessened nor amplified by the origin of the actor.
Instinct: Never waste time!
Traits: stubborn 1, legionary honour 1

Nature: 3 Will: 5 Health: 4
Auctoritas (resources): 7 Dignitas (circles): 7

Friend: Atilius Marcus Qunitus, prosperous merchant that has sponsored Valerius Lucius Qunitilius' (Atia's father) election campaigns.
Enemy: Secundus Titus Aurelius, upcoming politician that has collided with Atia.

Skills and wises:
Fighter 3
Healer -
Hunter 2
Instructor 4
Pathfinder -
Scout 2
Survivalist -
Weather watcher -
Orator 3
Deceiver 2
Persuader -

Rider 2
Cartographer 2
Militarist 3
Adminstrator 3
Mission-wise 1
War-wise 1
Mob-wise 1
Nobiles-wise 1

Mettia Equitus Hirrus
Age: 30
Title: tribunis (first year, wants to stay on practical levels of the army, no politics)

Belief: The world needs less politics.
Instinct: There is always a good tactic to the kill.
Traits: comititas 1, prudentia 1

Nature: 2 Will: 5 Health: 4
Auctoritas (resources): 7 Dignitas (circles): 6

Friend: Caelus Tuccius Pius, childhood friend. They were neighbours as childs. I many ways he's the opposite of Mettia, a real carreer politician. They meet sometimes and is good friends although their differences. They often have giving discussions about politics, strategy and how to make a carreer.
Enemy: Kiria av Delfi, the king of Ithaka's sister's daughter. Odros of Ithaka (the king's son) was held as Rome's guest to further the realationships between Rome and Ithaka (hostage). When the king appeared to give pirates harbour space on his island he was ordered to give up their names and force them out on the sea where they could be dealt with. The king refused and as a punishment as and as a mean to get him into other thoughts his son was killed. Mettia was the one carrying out the killing. The victim's cousin Kiria of Delphi was very much insulted and angry and grieved her cousin. She sought out who was involved and is thinking of how to carry out revenge.

Skills and wises:
Fighter 3
Healer 2
Hunter 3
Instructor -
Pathfinder 2
Scout -
Survivalist -
Weather watcher -
Orator 3
Deceiver 2
Persuader 2

Militarist 3
Baker 2
Rider 2
Strategy-wise 1
Tactics-wise 1
Sparks-wise 1
Cursus honoris-wise 1
Metaphysicist 2

MG SPQM c1s11: Look at my family.

2011-06-24T21:21:00.000+02:00

During the break in missions the patrol is called to a hearing about the hare incident. The hares have made a big event out of the patrol, who they don't know wich patrol it is, shot at a hare and now has temporarily ended their cooperation with Asylum which means no hare riders for The Guard and no hare contests at The Big Games. They probably won't hold that stance for long though since they need work done by the mice but for the moment it's the mice who has it worst.

It's Nona who ahs brought this up and questioned whether the patrol did the right thing and if they maybe should be punished in soem way. At the hearing is the patrol, Nona and a tribunis. The patrol defend themselves quite good although they can't get away from the fact that they're the reason that there's no hares for the hare riders and no hare contests fo The Big Games this year. In the end the tribunis concludes that they did wrong but that they can't really be held responsible for the result since they act with what information they had at the moment and at that moment the hare seemed to be a spy for someone and then not a member of the hare Asylum is cooperating with. There will be some discontent in The Guard (Obstacle, Conflict, Convince the tribunis they acted correct with the information at hand: Won with Minor Compromise).

As a few days pass by they realize that Nona and Faustus is working hard on getting most of the cedit for bringing on half of the box to Asylum and also rescuing the other half that the patrol lost. Now that can't be let pass by without taking a stand. A rethoric fight takes place over the coming week as Nona and Faustus is spreading lies and the patrol tries to kill the rumours with the truth. Apparently Nona and Faustus don't think that Gaius' patrol should have both a merit badge for the long secret box mission and the recover of the lost half. If their rumorus get a grip in the guards's minds there will be voices raised for not giving them to merit badges. Lucius is a good speaker and together they manage to almost fight the rumours but Nona and Faustus has a lead and works hard. In the end they only is given one merit badge but also Nona and Faustus is deemed quite suspicius by many guards and lose some of their good connections with other guards (Obstacle, Conflict, Convince the guards that Faustus and Nona is not speaking the truth: Won by both sides, The patrol only gets one merit badge and Faustus and Nona loses 1 point in Circles). The division between Nona & Faustus and the patrol is just widened (End of GM's Turn).

Gaius visits a doctor to finally get rid of the sickness lingering from the long period in the wilderness (Check: Passed Circles Ob4).

As things settle down Lucius, with his family head's good will start to arrange for a feast for the patrol, Mamercus Fabius Longius and the philosophers. The feast will just be a dinner for M F Longius but Lucius presents it as a simple dinner to remind fo the hardship the patrol and the philosophers endured together. The feast goes well and Mamercus finds it nice and picturesque and leaves thinking good of Lucius family (Ceck: Arrange dinner for Mamercus in a way that makes him focus on Lucius family as partners in the affairs with the philosophers, Passed Resources Ob6). During the dinner Dekia has her own agenda, she wants to lure Aeneas to tell her what the thing in the box is. Interested and curius as Lucius is he can't stop her although there's some risk that her attempts ruin the feast. In good team work witht he rest of the patrol Mamercus is distracted and Aeneas tungue slip late in the evening and he tells Dekia that it was a Astrobium, whatever that is, but as he's gone so far his own ego makes him to shortly explain what it could be used for. Apparently the one holding it will be able to sail across the big sea instead of around it. A fact that could topple the power balance in The League of Mice Cities not a little (Check: Passed Deciever versus 3D).

Satisfied with the course of events the patrol relax and finnally get some real rest for a while (End of GM's Turn).

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s10: Finally, the box is in Asylum!

2011-06-24T21:20:00.000+02:00

Early Summer, 3 Weather Twists.

The patrol arrives at Asylum and immediately takes the philosophers to the barracks to leave them in the care of The Guard, report and convince the tribunis in command that there's still a chance to get to their half of the box - if they just get some extra patrols and quickly go out to comb the terrain. Dekia and Gaius leaves their report and try to convince the tribunis while Lucius keep an eye on the philosophers. Aeneas actually seems a little interested in the order of everything at the barracks although he usually seems to think that Asylum is well below Sapientia in every mean.

Dekia manages to convince the tribunis to give them three extra patrols and immediately go out and track the godmice down (Obstacle: Failed Persuader versus 3D, succeeded with Condition Angry). Immediately they escort the philosophers to Marmercus Longius Fabius, the city praetor, who will be their host in Asylum while the other patrols gather for the mission, only to find out that two of the three patrols are Faustus' and Nona's patrols. Gaius and Dekia bite their tongues, control themselves and they set out on the mission.

Now organization is a hard thing for mice but Gaius does a good job and the next day they're closing in on the godmice in double cadence and in good organized. It's almost that they for a moment feel a little breeze from The Golden Age as they fall down on the godmice who drops the box and run for their life (Obstacle: Passed Beginner's Luck Militarist).

They get the box and quickly returns to Asylum, a little surprised they could work so well together although the harsh relations and a little worried about that only a few godmice was travelling wioth the box. Without ambushes they arrive to Asylum and can give the box to a happy Aeneas (End of GM's Turn).

They now actually get two weeks of rest where they will get no new missions and they fall into some our-big-important-mission-is-finished-and-we-succeeded-coma. Later Lucius visits a Doctor and get his injuries treated (Check: Passed Contacts Ob4, Condition Injured is removed). Both Dekia and Gaius manage to, after a while, come to senses and relax now that the missions is over and they don't have to work with Nona or Faustus. Now the responsibility for the box is no longer theirs (Check: Passed Will Ob2 for both Dekia and Gaius).

The happiness is tainted with sadness though when two small mice babies, Lucius sister Prima's daughter and Gaius’ sister Prima's son, dies in some strange sickness that the patrol is supposed to have brought upon their families from their long mission in the wilderness (End of Player's Turn).

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s9b: And the box is lost...

2011-06-16T21:20:00.000+02:00

Early Summer, 2 Weather Twists

The patrol almost manages to get to Asylum when they're attacked Again. This time it's not someone's Liberation Front. It's godmice, those ridiculous mice that say that the forefathers doesn't exist and that the emergency plot device ''god'' actually exists and that all mice have to obey his will. The patrol readies their weapons and fight bravely but there's so many of them, so many…

After a hard fight the patrol breaks apart and a godmouse manages to get the box and run (Check; Travel the last part of the journey to Asylum with the box and the philosophers: Lost Conflict with Compromise, the patrol can follow the godmice with the box). The godmice withdraw and the patrol pants but there's no rest for the pretorians. They park the philosophers at a tavern and set out to get the box back.

They hunt down the mice, tackle them and grab the box and run away but it gets snatched from their paws again (Twist: Fighter versus 6D, Failed with a Twist).

Again the patrol hunts the godmice and catches them in a glade. They stop, drops the box and threatens to stab it to pieces with their spears. During this fight of the wills a godmice sneaks away with the box and disappears and then the other godmice also runs off (Fighter versus 5D, Failed with a Twist, Unseasonably Hot).

Depressed the patrol returns to the philosophers, pick them up and in the heat returns to Asylum. On the way they pick some hope. If they could convice a tribunis to send out several patrols it might be possible to get the box after all. It's just two hours to Asylum. The patrol hurries on (End of Players Turn)

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s9a: Still got the box, still got the box...

2011-06-16T21:18:00.000+02:00

Early summer, 2 weather twists

The hare appears again and the patrol really bothers about it and is convinced that it's following them and reporting to someone about their whereabouts. Something has to be done. They decide to try to lure into a cramped situation and hurt it but not kill it with the belly shooter. They scout out a good place and some of them take the regular route their while some take a shortcut and prepare the belly shooter. The hare appears and Lucius fires. The spear goes through the ear of the hare and it takes a jump right away and disappears (Obstacle: Passed Physicist versus Hare 7D). The patrol sighs reliefed and continue their journey.

After some travelling they suddenly spot a crow and even before it dives down towards them they know that it will try to steal the box. Ravens are tricksters and can steal for the fun of it but are on the other hand not that bent on actually stealing something. Crows on the other hand are common thieves and engaged in stealing stuff. The patrol back down and when the crow lands they form a line with the spears towards it. The crows makes an attempt but gets quite badly hurt and gives it up (Obstacle: Passed Fighter versus Crow 7D). They hurry on (End of GM's Turn).

They continue their journey and when they rest for the night at a wine tavern Lucius manage to reason his way to a stoic way to look upon the hardship they have to endure (Check: Passed Recovery Ob2, Undisciplined is removed). They still have quite a piece of a road to travel to get to Asylum, they straggle on (Check: get one third of the way to Asylum, Complex Test with two Tests). As they walk on they come to a town where the inhabitants are about to start building the bridge. They have one problem though; they have to make an offering to the spirits and the forefathers before they begin this big engineering project. That's not a problem in it self but one or two poor families has fallen to banditry and will most probably attack and steal the offerings which contain a lot of food and a little silver and a gold coin.

After a short discussion the patrol conclude that they can't just walk on, they have to help the farmers laying the ceremonial foundation for the mundane bridge foundation. So they escort the caravan toward the stream to be bridged and they are attacked by the bandits. When the bandits see the pretorians they turn around and flee and at first the patrol thinks they made the day but in the meantime one of the accompanying farmers ran off with the silver and gold (Complex Test part 1: Fighter versus 4D, Failed with a Twist).

The patrol immediately hunts after him and quickly closes in when he lets go of the loot and runs away (Twist: Passed Scout versus 2D). The patrol picks up the money and return just in time to deflect a new robbery attempt. Now the caravan can travel in peace to the stream and conduct the ceremony. The pretorians travel on.

After a week or so they run into another patrol on a mission. The patrol is escorting workers towards the scent border where they will lay out scent to strengthen the barrier against predators. After some exchanging of news the patrol leader asks for help. They have sighted a kestrel and probably it's after the civilians. Normally the patrol probably could ward it off by themselves but now it's very important that no civilians get hurt or any of the equipment gets thrashed. Again the characters can't turn down the plea for help and change route to follow the other patrol until dusk and to stay with them until after dawn.

While the other patrol prepares the encampment together with the civilians the characters put up the belly shooter. Now the kestrels gonna encounter some mouse technology.

When darkness falls the kestrel attacks and Lucius once more fire the belly shooter. The kestrel gets the spear in the tars and almost drops to the ground before it turns away to get some easier caught food (Complex Test part 2: Passed Physicist versus Kestrel 6D). The other patrol thanks them and promises to tell about them when they return to Asylum. After dawn they part ways and the characters start the last part of the journey to Asylum (Almost End of Player's Turn).

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s8 Onwards, onwards.

2011-05-20T21:12:00.000+02:00

Early summer, 2 weather twists

As a preparation for the journey they buy some crusts so that they if needed could travel a day without foraging which would make it possible to pick up the speed significantly for that day (Obstacle, buy crusts for one day for eight people: Resources Ob 4, Succeeded).

They have just travelled a few days when they start to notice a hare that seems to be the same hare every time and after yet a day or two it's obvious that it's following them. Already at the first encounter with a hare they suspected that it was reporting to someone and they discuss how to lure it or scare it away but don't find a way. Also the hares are allies to The Pretorian Guard so they don't want to hurt it. They have to live with it following them (Obstacle: Get away from the hare, outcome the hare is following them is accepted and not dealt with).

The keep walking worried about an ambush around every corner (End of GM's Turn)

After yet another day or two they start to get really, really worried about the hare following them and decide to try to talk to it to talk it out of following them. They even go out to find some nice food for hares to offer it but still doesn't manage. On the other hand it seems to actively avoid them (Check, Talk with the Hare: Loremaster Ob 3, Failed with a Twist). Not so surprisingly there soon comes an ambush right after they have walked through a village where all the houses have the same decoration on the doorposts. It's some plant Lucius doesn't recognize but it's obvious that it's always there even if it's sometime mixed up among other decorations. Shortly after the village they hear a cry, but a new one this time.. ''For God. By God's Word''.

The philosophers get very upset when they hear someone use the word ''word'', a word which also has the meaning of ''order'' and ''reason'', in combination with the word ''god'' in real life. To them and the patrol ''god'' is some obviously made up entity used in theatre plays to have en excuse to introduce a character or other element in the play without having to really write the play so that it leads up to that moment. You just introduce this god entity who with it's power comes down and do stuff. ''This is ridiculous!'' they shout.

The patrol form up and meet a many mice but not that experienced and they fight them off (Twist, fight off the godmice: Complex Test: Fighter versus 4D, both Tests Passed). They quickly move on.

As they move on they don't get that much opportunity to forage and Dekia buys some extra food for them (Check: Resources Ob 2 Passed, Condition Hungry & Thirsty is removed). There's not much else to do than move on and keep every eye open for more ambushes. Not surprising at all they soon again feel that they are followed and start to take small detours and keeping away from the obvious road choices and manage to avopid their stalkers.

As they travel on meet a scared family of a weak husband, a quite go-ahead mother, a young mouse and a small baby mouse. They're quite scared and says that a flying squirrel has been lurking around throwing glances at their youngest. Dekia gives the rest of the patrol no time to decide. Of course the patrol sahll help the family and so they form up to scout the the flying squirrel, protect the family and fight off the squirrel. They have just done that when the squirrel attacks from above in a silent glide. The patrol leaps forward as the civilians throw themselves to the ground and give the squirrels some good cuts that make the squirrel go away and find easier prey. They follow the family to their village which is approximately in the right direction. They then turn toward the correct direction and walk along towards Asylum (Check, get one third of the trip back to Asylum, Complex Test, part one avoid godmice, part two help family attacked by a flying squirrel: Passed Scout versus 5D and Passed Fighter versus Flying Squirrel 6D). Two weeks later they reckon they have during some intended and some not intended detours have gotten about a third of the rest of the trip to Asylum (End of Player's Turn).

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s7c: It must be destroyed or you’re doomed...

2011-05-08T21:09:00.000+02:00

Early summer, 2 weather twists

As Dekia thinks the thing should be delivered to Asylum at almost any price and haven't trusted Nona since the events in Asylums harbour she immediately sides against Nona. Gaius is convinced that the orders should be followed as they were intended and that means that the thing and the philosophers should be escorted to Asylum and if that comes with a price that's a risk you take when in The Guard and working for the community.

Nona is actively trying to convince the patrol that they won't survive trying to get the thing to Asylum and that the thing getting into the hands of Navalia will topple the whole balance of The League of Mice Cities, maybe even destroy it. They all know that Navalia can't fully be trusted. She looks at Lucius who isn't really participating but seems to be filled with anxiety and asks why he isn't siding up with the family and why he, if any in the patrol, doesn't see the political catastrophic effects of the thing getting lost to Navalia. Doesn't he trust her? Lucius doesn't know where to turn, patrol or family and nobiles? He is convinced that a pretorian should represent The Pretorian Guard and not his family but still he often instinctively defend the nobiles and Nona is after all both nobiles and family (Lucius sits out the first three actions of the upcoming conflict).

The discussion goes high and quickly involes insults and challenges for duels. Dekia and Gaius is also frustrated about the civilian mouse, Nona's client, who apparently knows a lot about the secret maters and who talks about being in the guard as if he know anything about it. After a while Lucius joins on the patrol's side (Check, Get all the philosophers and the thing to Stameus in it's current state: Conflict versus 4-5D, Won with Major Compromise, New Twist: The thing has to be dismantled and sent two different ways and they’re in a hurry not to be discovered).

Nona backs off in front of their arguments and her cousin Lucius taking the other side but only if the thing is dismantled and sent with two different parties rather than with one big party. Everyone agrees on that although Aeneas himself is skeptical. Now they only have to find a trustful smith that can modify a chisel into a special one needed for dismantling the thing and all the normal tools needed. They manage to find a smith that can do it and try to pay him to not talk about what they have ordered and what they have done in his workshop (Twist, Find a skillful smith and dismantle the thing within two days: Failed Physiscist Ob3 Succeeded with Condition).

After two days of hard work, a lot of lost money, little sleep and not that much food they look at the thing dismantled. The thing that, as Lucius trained in mechanics, is some kind of mathematical device is dismantled into it's four modules and a central piece is taken from each module and given to the wrong module. In that way, should a module get lost it will still not be functional and it will take a lot of work to reconstruct it and to guess one's way about the other modules needed. Lucius doesn’t really get the grip on the thing but a mathematical device could mean a lot of things. If one could just crank a dial and get the results of formulas then a big step would be taken for physis knowledge among mice. Lucius is still guessing a lot and he knows that Aeneas snatched a few things away from the device before he let them get at it...

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s7b: Stameus finally?

2011-05-06T21:08:00.000+02:00

Early Summer 2 Weather Twists

Gaius chase of the robbers but don't follow them into the night. When they finally after a while wind down the manage to get some sleep and nothing more happens that night. THe next day the philosophers decide to go to the library and the patrol decides that they have to be escorted and since Lucius doesn't mind going to the library he volunteers. Dekia feel the duty to protect the philosophers. Gaius conclude that the mice trying to stop them won't be back already today and not during daylight so he decides that they don't have to escort the philosophers all three of them. He therefore takes the chance to go to the palestra instead of the library.

As the part and all but Gaius head for the library they manage to not take the shortest route to the library and end up on smaller streets than planned and suddenly some mice pop out in the street and tells them to hand over the box. All three of them is armed with knives, Lucius and Dekia has no weapons at all and the philosophers has only done some friendly wrestling on the palestra.

''Run!'' Lucius shouts turns Aeneas around and runs with him. Dekia stays behind a fraction of a second staring at the bandits and then runs after Aeneas and Lucius managing to buy the company a short head start. They run for their lives while the rest of the philosophers hide against the wall. The hunt goes on and the bandits manage to keep up. Gaius hasn't strolled that far towards the palestra when he hear mice come running. He turns around and see Aeneas, Dekia and Lucius come running along the street with three armed bandits after them.

As his patrol mates and Aeneas pass by he steps out in the street bravely taking the risk of fighting with three armed mice but thereby saving his friends, Aeneas and the mission. One bandit pass by on each side of Gaius but one has to stop and Gaius thereby evens out the struggle a little to his mates advantage. A quick and dirty fight starts. With his superior fighting skill Gaius even manage to knock down the bandit without any serious wounds which usually is the result of a knife fight (The Chase Conflict becomes a complicated Test with two Conflicts. If Gaius wins his Conflict only two mice will make up the opponent team for Dekia, Lucius and Aeneas. Gaius wins the Conflict, Fighter versus 3D, without Compromise).

The other two bandits keep chasing Aeaneas, Dekia and Lucius but the chased ones manage to keep the distance long enough for reaching better quarters with at least some city militia and even maybe one or two merchant body guards interested in the order in the city. The bandits give up and scatter off (Won Conflict, 5D at first but then just 4D, with minor Compromise). What Aeneas and the patrol hasn't noticed though is that some cog fell out of the thrashed box and that the bandits grabbed these when they ran off (Minor Compromise).

Dekia gets some city militia to come over but they're not that interested in mice chasing each other. Strictly that's not forbidden and after all Aeneas, Lucius and Dekia is citizens from another city and not formally included in the primary group of mice to protect - that's the citizens of Navalia. Meanwhile Gaius has manged to get another mouse to get some other militia mice who aren√§t that interested either but it's definitely very forbidden to bear arms inside the city walls so the grab the bandit and drags him away. The patrol gathers and go back to where they met the bandits and to their relief they find the philosophers hiding at a tavern (End of GM's Turn).

A little shook up they go to the library to do the research. THe philosophers order copies to be sent to them and Lucius look up some of the pictograms he found at the inner box (Check: Failed Archivist, Succeed with Condition). When they later eat they manage to convince the philosophers that Navalia actually is that dangerous that they have said all the time (Check: Passed Persuader versus 4D). Satisfied with that the patrol can conclude that they will do least wrong by escorting the philosophers to Asylum rather than wait in Navalia (although that's their new orders). Lucius try to soldier on and Gaius try to get rid of his frustrated thought after his misjugdement about the bandits but neither succeed (2 Failed Checks without Twists).

They now decide that it's time to leave Navalia as soon as possible and early the next day they leave for Stameus. They get to Stameus a little shaken and paranoid but without any mishaps but as they walk into the Inn an old enemy to Dekia sits there and directly greet them. It's Nona Iustus Carnifex, a not too distant relative to Lucius. Apparently she's there to meet up with them and see if they need any help and what kind of help they might need. It's a little strange though because she also has an client with her and has sent away the rest of the patrol as she wants to talk to them alone. She explains that they won't reach Asylum alive and that the box then will fall into the hands of the enemy and the box is mighty enough to give Navalia total power on the sea wich would topple the balance between the cities and Asylum, Saoientia, The Pretorian Guard and The League of Mice Cities would all lose in that case. Therefore they has to destroy the box. (Check, Get to Stameus with all the philosophers and the box, Conflict, resist getting convinced to destroy the box).

<GM's Note>Here it was late again and we decided to paly the Conflict the next meeting when we would be less tired and fully appreciate the exciting and quite importantat and crucial Conflict.</GM's Note>

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s7a: Navalia it is after all...

2011-05-01T21:06:00.000+02:00

Early summer, 2 weather twists

When the patrol arrives with the broken box to the philosophers and the trader they try to break the new slowly to Aeneas but he's of course very interested in whether they got the box back and almost immediately spot the thrashed box and is devastated. They don't really manage to calm him down but when he instead lapse into some kind of depression they manage to get him walking toward Navalia and the company moves again.

They arrive to Gaius' friend's inn outside Navalia. Gaius' friend greets them warmly and gets them food and drink and, do they discover lately, new bedrolls and sheet. They eat, drink, talk and tuck in for the night. The next day they and the trader go separate ways as he's going into Navalia and the patrol just want to see if there's any patrols or new orders in Navalia. Lucius visit the post office in Navalia and gets one letter fro the patrol, one letter for the philosophers and one order from The Guard. He opens the order and the letter to the patrol. The order is an order to wait for reinforcements or new orders in Navalia and the letter is a short private letter stating that it is good that they are in Navalia, since they are reading this letter. It would be very good for the patrol and their families if they just stayed there.

Lucius returns and shows the orders and gives the philosophers their letter. They don't tell what it's about but from their expressions it's not good. When asked they tell that terrible things have happened at home. As they sit at the inn and damn the new orders things get worse. In comes a small company of three mice and quite soon oit's obvious that they are among the few mice who don't believe in the forfathers and the need to please them to gain backing in this life and also speak of a god, something only talked about in strange stories or comedies. Sometimes it's joked about that the weasels believe in a god.

Gaius can't take this and explain to them that since they're outside the city they'd better take that talk somewhere else since it's illegal, even of the second sanctum degree, to deny the existence of the forefathers and the penalty for that is death. The three mice gets very, very smooth, irritatingly smooth and mild and manage to duck the question whether they deny the existence of the forefathers or not but leave the inn when confronted with the angered centurio.

In the afternoon the patrol has decided that they can't sit outside Navalia but has to go inside and stay there instead. The philosophers see that as an opportunity to meet other well of citizens and going to the library and don't see the same dangers as the patrol does. When they wait outside the gates they hear the three god mice again and Gaius approach them and tell them that if they don't leave very, very soon, like immediately he will have to arrest them. They are still outsiode the cities and under Pretorian Guard jurisdiction. They scatter off.

When they have gotten a room at an inn they go to the baths to clean up for real and live some civilized life again. During this Lucius accompanies the slave who guards their clothes and the mysterious box and actually manage to make the slave belive that it won't harm if Lucius get to look in the box and so he does. He gets a good look and bunch of old., old pictograms on the outside of the box and memorizes them to be able to look them up at the library.

The next day when they pass the main square they hear another mouse speaking about ''god'' and about the forefathers. Lucius can't let this go on but takes a stand and starts to speak against him and a row of replies follow during the coming days. In the end Lucius lose but at least someone stood up against these craziness (Orator versus 5D, Lost with a Twist).

Suddenly one night they wake up and out from the room some mice run very quickly. Gaius is first on his paws and run after and hunts them out of the inn. Someone tried to steal the box! In the middle of the town on a repsectable inn (Twist; Passed Scout versus Scout 4D). Now hte philosophers start to accept that there are dangers inside Navalia too but still don't really fear that anything dangerous could happen. In the evening they go to a symposium with some other philosphers while the patrol is treated as regular body guards and has to stay outside the triclinum where the actual symposium is.

<GM's Note>Here much time had passed in real life and we decided to take a break since we all have to get up early the next morning.</GM's Note>

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s6b: There goes the box...

2011-04-27T19:32:00.000+02:00

Early in the morning the patrol and the caravan leaves towards Navalia and Camillius and his patrol travels on towards Sapientia. As they travel on they discuss the latest happenings and Lucius let out a little idea he has; what if someone sent the hare to find out if they were carrying the something? Even if not it's a matter that a lot of animals is able to sniff the big amount of bronze in the box. They decide to shop an iron pig, iron smells more than bronze, and some garlic to camouflage the smell from the something and to make a decoy. The next day they reach a smith by the road and but a iron pig wich they put in a wooden box on one of the bugs who isn't that much loaded right now. They also buy some garlic and put into Dekias bag next to the something to hide the smell (Check: Resources Ob4, they use some of the guard money to protect them from Resources Depletion but that isn't needed as they Pass the Test).

As they travel on they really start to feel the toll of protecting the civilians, the something and not knowing what it is and never being able to really rest or lower the garde. Gaius tries to be a good example and lift his head and struggle on (Check, Soldier On, Passed Health Ob 3). When Lucius the nobiles see his plebeian leader straighten up and carry on he tries to do the same, he can't be weaker but apprently he is (Check, Soldier On, Failed Health Ob 3). Dekia on the other hand gets inspired and find some inner resources and straighten her body and correct the bag hanging and disturbing her all the time and carry on (Check, Soldier On, Passed Health Ob 3).

As they slowly travel on they discuss the matter that they have to visit Navalia after all and get the idea that someone could leave and travel att normal speed and reach Navalia, go inside, check for orders or reinforcements, get outside again and meet up with the others. In the end they decide that it's probably to dangerous (after hearing the resistance to be overcome with the Check). They travel on but decide that they should visit Gaius old friend who runs a tavern outside Navalia and rest there while one of them goes inside to check for reinforcements and orders (Check, get to Gaius friend outside Navalia, Complex Test; avoid Navalia's Liberation Front and robbing attampt at demolished road).

Suddenly their hear the call again ''For the freedom of Navalia!". They throw down everything and raise their weapons and fight well but as they kill two rebels two other knock down Dekia, grab her and the box and run of with her (Avoid Navalia's Liberation Front, Conflict, Rebels Win with Major Compromise, two of them die but they manage to get the box). Lucius and Gaius tell the other to stay beside the road and hide and runs after the rebels. As they run Lucius look for some Mentha and they stop for a short moment while he crush a leave and mix with another leave from his medicine pouch and make a substance to snort to clear the respiratory tracts and make it easier to sniff the rebels as they hunt them down (Lucius lower his Nature from 4 to 3 to raise his Temporary Nature from 2 to 3, Check, Construct a Tool to gain an extra dice in the hunt, Passed Scientist Ob 2).

They run further and gain on the rebels and finally catch up with them. They run towards Dekia and tackle the two rebels and run of with Dekia and the box (Check, Complex Test, Catch up with the Rebels and Free Dekia and the box). They quickly ran away and hide (Test 1, Passed Scout with Tool versus 5D, Test 2, Passed Fighter versus 5D). Cautiously they return to the other and move away.

Some days later as they has to pass a part of the road ruined in the summer rains and are stringed out a few bandits appear and distract them as two throw themselves at Dekia, hold her down and destroys two swords and an axe to cut the chain and run off with the box (Robbing Attempt, Failed Scout versus 6D -> Twist).

The patrol gather and Dekia is almost chocked over her luck that they didn't cut her arm instead of the chain. Quickly they send the trader adn philosophers into the bushes out of sight from the road and sets off after the bandits. They run and catches slowly up with the bandits. As the bandits reach an open area they realise that they can't outrun or hide from the patrol (Twist: Passed Scout versus Early Summer 3D). The bandits stop and drops the box with the thing and seem to ready themselves for fight. The patrol slow down and take a look at the surroundings. One of the two bandits raise his spear in a two handed grip and the other one shouts that if the patrol don't leave the box gets it. The patrol stare at them, everyone trying to figure out if they're serious and what they think about the box.

Lucius doesn't care theat much about the box, he rather get the bandits and makes the road safer for civilians guards alike and suddenly he charges the two bandits and then the rest of the patrol can do nothing else but follow. The bandit thrusts his spear into the box, again and again and again but the patrol doesn't stop. The other bandit gives him a nudge and they run off.

The patrol follow the bandits and at small hole under the nearest oak the bandits take a stand. This is gonna be hard fight two desperate bandits at a good position against three pretorian guards. The fight begins and both parties are fighting fiercly and slowly the bandits has to back and suddenly Gaius and Lucius fell one of them. THey're all three quickly after the third and Dekia tackle him to the ground but he get to his feet and run as Dekia tackle him again and he falls down a hole between two small roots and in the darkness they hear him tumble. No one survives that they say and quickly return to the box (Check: Fight Conflict Won with Major Compromise, the bandits wanted to get the patrol to leave and the patrol wanted to kill the bandits, one of the bandits are killed and one disappear in the darkness and are left for dead).

The box broke at the first thrust and the other three or four went into the thin copper housing of the thing and through and into the machinery - a lot of cogs. As they lift it up they hear loose parts tumble around and although they try to carry it carefully it makes clanking and rattling noises and seems quite broken. They don't look forward to telling Aeneas about. Telling their superiors won't be fun either but at least Lucius is convinced that the box isn't worth any greater sacrifices and are ready to declare that standpoint and why he thinks so. During the walk backLucius has a hard time not looking inside Dekias bag with the thing (End of Player's Turn).

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s6a: And everyone considered...

2011-04-14T19:31:00.000+02:00

Early Summer, 1 Weather Twist

Suddenly they hear the thunder of a hare or two coming from the side of the road. Lucius tries to get the foremouse and the bugs close to a cliff where the the hare will take a jump over them if it comes that way while Gaius and Dekia tries to get the others into safety in holes. Before Dekia can get Aeneas safe the hare lands among them, turns around and jumps towards her, topples her and starts to sniff her intensely (Nature versus Hare Nature 6, Failed with a Twist).

The hare that toppled Dekia and sniffed at her or rather the box suddenly sets of in long jumps and the beaten patrol and body guards can cool down a little. Almost everyone got a nudge from the big animal as it landed among them and went for Dekia and the box. Dekia is quite upset and tries to corner Aeneas and force him to tell why the hare was so obviously interested in the box. He doesn't know, or at least he says so. Dekia's skeptical but he seems honestly surprised. Both he and the other philosophers suggest that hares maybe are a little crazy. There must be a reason why an animal almost as intelligent as mice hasn't built a civilization. As one of them comment ''Even the weasels has completed more''.

They move on towards Navalia. The vegetation and on top of that a hard rain makes it hard for them to move on in something that at least could be compared to advancing towards Navalia. They take shelter for a while until the worst is over. Lucius then takes on the weak old and philosophers (Aeneas is younger, fitter and more interested in getting to Asylum) and they take another route to avoid the muddiest main road. Lucius uses all his instruction tricks to get the philosophers along the route without falling and getting entangled and after a while the get back to the road and has even managed to keep the cadence (Twist: Pathfinder versus Early Summer, Failed with a Twist. Twist: Instructor versus Early summer 3D, tied, Succeeded with Will Roll).

After some days more they're almost halfway from Cyprios to Navalia and enter a bigger village and the tavern there. As they take up most of the floor there and are preparing for the night three ragged mice walk in. At first the patrol ready themselves but then they see that it's mice in guard cloaks and when they fold down their hoods Lucius see that one of them is his old friend Camillius. What are he doing here in a guard cloak? Has he joined the guard?

As they sit down to talk they that Camillius is bringing a diplomatic message from The Senate and the Mice People to Sapientia and that the whole guard knows that Gaius' patrol is on a secret important mission. The not so discreet message they got at the gate when they left gave that away. Gaius' patrol sighs heavily. They also learn that the patrol escorting Camillius lost a member in an ambush from Navalia's Liberation Front. Gaius warn them for the liberations groups further on down the road and that both Navalia and Sapientia have got one each. After a while it becomes obvious that Doros' patrol, the one escorting Camillius, somehow also has found out that Gaius' patrol is escorting an important something. Camillius is strongly convinced that they should rather destroy the something than getting it lost or making the guard suffer losses while Doros speaks for getting it to Asylum at all costs and in between Gaius' patrol sits with orders that they should bring the thing to Asylum even at significant costs. From the patrol they also get a copy of an order to wait for reinforcements or new orders in Navalia which upsets the patrol since they’ve working the philosophers to accept not staying in Navalia since that will be dangerous and probably uphold them on their journey.

Although the trader and his foremouse and bodyguards wants to sleep the discussion goes on and in the small dinner room it's impossible for them to sleep. Especially since the philosophers also sit up and talk about the spheres that make up the sky firmaments and how to calculate the music they make. After a while the discussion gets animated and arguments fly through the air as spear thrusts and sometime defenses are made like shield blows and Camillius tries some sneaky maneuvers but he's not used to these small companies but rather the big masses at forums. Suddenly Gaius has it and hit the floor with his paw says that the discussion ends here. They have their orders and they're leaving early tomorrow. Doros and Camillius give up but meanwhile Dekia and Lucius has changed their mind. In the beginning they were totally on their centurio's line but now Lucius thinks that the thing shall reach Asylum at all costs and Dekia thinks that they should rather destroy than losing it or The Guard losing any members. Gaius is still prepared to follow the orders and make some sacrifices to get it to Asylum. Doros and Camillius isn't unaffected either and actually has switched opinions and Camillius now thinks that it must reach Asylum at all costs and Doros thinks that that it would be better to destroy the thing than make sacrifices for it.

(Conflict: Part 1, Camillius, wants to convince the others that the thing should rather be destroyed than The Guard losing any members. The guard members are more valuable in the long run. Part 2, Doros, wants to convince everyone that the thing must reach Asylum at all costs, obviously it's very very important. Part 3, Gaius’ patrol, the patrol sticks to their orders and want to end the discussion as soon as possible. The conflict sways back and forth and it seems like the patrol is getting it and Doros and Camillius will slug it out over the heads of the patrol with probably Camillius winning but then Camillius makes a mistake, using Feint, and loses a lot of stance and it gets quite even and everyone sets in their final move and everyone's Disposition reaches 0. Everyone reach their goal. We decided that Camillius manage to convince one patrol member and Doros, that Doros managed to convince Camillius and one patrol member and that Gaius managed to finish the discussion without getting his opinions changed).

(End of GM's Turn)

<GM's Note>A lot of Checks were earned in the obstacles, totally the patrol has seven checks, so we decided that it would be better to take a whole Player's Turn the next meeting rather than splitting it up. Also the Conflict was pretty intense and everyone excited.</GM's Note>

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s5: Threats and curses

2011-04-08T19:19:00.000+02:00

Early Summer, 0 Twists

As they sit at the inn, the respectable but not luxuary one, in Cyprios they are approached by a well clothed but not spectacularily clothed mouse who presents him and asks if they're Gaius' patrol. They answer ''yes'' and he seems relieved and says that he has asked a few patrols already. He starts the conversation by asking if he should address the nobiles or the centurio, the patrol leader, first and they indicate the centurio. He continues by brining up that Gaius' siblings has got childrens. ''Well, yes that's natural.'' Gaius says. The mouse then continues ''It would be very un-natural if that was to be made undone''

Bam!

Gaius is standing up with his small stool in the hand and the muse is lying on the floor bleeding from the head and the whole inn falls silent and mice move away.

The patrol calms Gaius and says that he could have been there to warn them as well as threatening them. Dekia turns the mouse over so that he should not choke on his toungue or saliva where he lies but can't do much more for him. Instead she goes out to find someone from the city guard. After a while she finds a patrol and manage to get them to come over to the inn since it's quite a respectable place and because there's been fighting which might start wider unrestfulness.

When they arrive they and patrol, from an iron ring and a diploma like neck band, find out that the mouse is a freed mouse from a lesser nobiles family. The city guard immediately gets less interested since there's no concern for any citizens of Cyprios although they fine Gaius for disturbing the city peace, an action that _could_ have resulted in wider violence. By literally emptying their purses Gaius and Dekia manage to pay the fine. Lucius refuses to help Gaius pay the fine and consider it to be a private matter, not a guard matter (Reources Ob4, Succeed with Condition Resources Depletion, -1 Resources). The guard leaves them with the knocked down mouse leaving the care taking to them. They decide to sleep in the dining room that night in case he should wake up from the coma or if there could be anything they could do. In the morning he is dead, probably from internal mixing of body fluids. According to Dekia that's not at all uncommon when blows are dealt to the body.

The atmosphere is not that good in the morning, everyone is feeling a little worried about what the mouse meant and also what to do with him. In the end Gaius picks him up and disposes him in an alley. The worries are eating at the patrol althoug Lucius manage to shake off his worries. Gaius was directly aimed at as he experienced it and Dekia is really, really skeptical and anaslyses everything (Trait Skeptical) but in the end the analysis goes berserk and she comes up with a lot of new ways that her family might be threatened (Roll versus Deceiver 5D + Trait Calm 1D + Scary-wise 1D, Lucius Pass and Dekia and Gaius Fail and get Undiciplined (Angry) Dekia gets a Tie and uses her Trait Skeptical to Fail and get 2 extra Checks). They decide that they need some rest, food and try to find out if there's a tribunis in town (End of GM's Turn).

Dekia asks the owner of the inn if she knos if there's any tribunis in town. She says that there might be. She doesn't know but she got the impression that a guest at finer inn closer to the main agora was connected to The Pretorian Guard but he was living at a citizen's house and might have left now. Dekia decides to try to find out and hopefully find him and get a meeting. She finds the inn but no tribunis, hard without a name when the tribunis is there as a private person and not on duty. Politics! She return later without completing her task (Check; find tribunis, Circles Ob3, Failed with a Twist).

During this Lucius is sitting and memorizing and thinking about the strange ancient pictograms on the inner metal box that holds the very secret thing and Gaius takes it slow. They both later orders some extra food and drink to at get in balance again (2 Checks: Resources Ob 1; Lucius pass and Gaius pass). Later they gather and talk about the strange wax mouse inside the box. When Aeneas is told he gets very upset, maybe mot so much that someone might try to cast a curse on them as that someone in his workforce has betrayed him and put it there. He agrees on opening the outer box a little to get it out.

Dekia and the philosophers talk about what to do with and among other things point out a few important things; all real mouse material must be removed (whiskers, fur and so on), the miniature cloak should be lost somewhere in the wilderness where it will go back to the earth, the lead thread around the mouse shall be removed and melted and divided into several pieces and the mouse itself remolded and melted to wax with no similarity to a mouse. The last part is the most dangerous because that's when it's the biggest risk that any effects are transferred to a real mouse. The remolding should also be done at anti zenit as the philosophers call midnight.

Sometime during the day a letter is delivered to them. In it someone explains that they now has to actually set their plans into action and that it's totally their own fault. This doesn't help Gaius to get less nervous,upset or angry (Check: Failed Will Ob 2, still Undisciplined).

Dekia is skilled in ceremonies and take on the task armed with the philosophers knowledge (Check: Passed Ceremony Master with Tool, philosophers' knowledge, Ob 4). When they melt the remodeled wax they all start to sweat, apparently there's still some connection between them and the wax.

In the morning, just before they leave the city, they go to a smith who melts the lead and divide it and then they chek the post office and set off towards Navalia.

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s4b: ‘‘Freedom’’ they shouted.

2011-02-20T19:18:00.000+01:00

Early Summer, 0 Twists

It's morning and the patrol leaves, with the philosophers, with the mysterious box manacled to Dekia, with the belly shooter box on a bug, with the trader with his foremouse, body guards and bugs. Slowly, slowly the move on along the road. They have travelled for a few days when Gaius notices that they are followed and he also think, which the others confirm, that there is the scent of more mice in the air and since there's no fields or good harvesting areas nearby that's suspicious. At first they think of ways to avoid the probably coming ambush from bandit but then they instead think of preparing themselves for the assault since it will be hard to go somewhere else with that a big company and it is after all their duty to take care of bandits roaming the areas between the cities.

Later the same day Gaius spots the mouse mouse in front of the by a hill that's probably the sign for the coming ambush and shouts his orders and the patrol members ready themselves and the body guards prepare to protect their hirer and the goods (Check, get to Cyprios, Complex Test part one: Passed Scout versus 5D, the ambushers are discovered and the patrol prepared, +1D for Tool - prepared). ''For Sapientias freedom!'' the mice shouts and throw themselves at the party. Gaius makes the process short with the spotted mice and engages another as the other do. A fifth mouse almost get around and get to the caravan where they suspect to find something, the box, that they want. The patrol fights good and bravely and encircle the fifth mouse and takes him as prisoner as the other run to the wilderness (Check, get to Cyprios, Complex Test part two: Won Conflict with Major Compromise, the Major Compromise being a Twist).

As they tie the bandit and look around for a second attack the philosophers come running very excited. Apparently the bandits managed to snatch Aeneas instead of the box. Seems like there where more bandits than they thought in the beginning. They question the captured bandit but he refuses to say where they're taking Aeneas and only repeat that this is for the freedom of Sapientia which disturbs them all but especially Dekia. The cities are in a league together, not controlled by some imperialist city dominating the others. The bandit speaks about the treaty that Sapientia signed that, according to him, says that Sapientia must give money, goods and recruits to Asylum or else. That's quite laughable since all recruits are volunteers and the support to The Pretorian Guard, not Asylum, also is voluntary. He says that he has seen a copy and that they should look ''in the lower right corner on the back side of the treaty''. The patrol dismiss him as brain washed and turn to the rest of the traveling party.

They tell the philosophers to follow the trader and his body guards to a safe place and hide there. They don't trust them so the patrol has to find a safe place and everybody except the patrol hide there. The patrol then sets off to find Aeneas. They keep much a faster pace than the bandits and soon pass by them and finds their hideout where they wait for them (Twist, Complex Test part one: Passed Scout versus 4D). When the bandits arrive the patrol falls on them as load of bricks and go straight for Aeneas. They hold up their shields and tackle their way through the bandits and grab Aeneas and make him run for his life. They escape although Dekia is suffering from carrying the damn box all the time (Twist, Complex Test part two: Passed Fighter versus 4D). A bit further away they stop and rest and then go back to the rest of the party.

In the evening Dekia talks a lot with Aeneas and tries to make him slip with his tongue and say something about the content of the box but he doesn't. He keeps his mouth shut, even to a former Sapientia citizen (Check: Deceiver versus 6D, Failed with a Twist). In the morning they're woken up by Lucius who stands guard who says that there are mice snooping around. ''No, not more bandits'' they think and ready themselves and get out of the hole before the fighting begins. Bandits pop out of the bushes and attack them. ''For the freedom of Navalia'' they shout runs forward. The fight is hard and barely won, the bandits seem to be bent on getting at either the trader or the philosophers but the patrol forsake themselves to stand in the way and the bandits, not being willing to do the same sacrifice, return to the bushes and disappear (Twist: Conflict versus two parties, won with Major Compromise, the patrol is Injured and Tired).

They hurry to get moving although the philosophers protest about the traders body guards who apparently didn't guard their bodies. Gaius tells them to shut up and that the body guards are not paid for protecting them. The philosophers mumble something about ''duty'' but stop the complaining. A few days later when they stop for the night unusually early Lucius can't constrain himself and when the philosophers are busy he borrows the box from Dekia and turns and turns it to get the light to pass through the slits between the planks in the outer box. He manages to see a lot of old pictograms which he describe for Dekia who write them down, some of them she even recognize but can't remember. He also sees a little wax mouse with an uncoloured pretorian cloak encircled by lead thread. That's omnious because that's probaly a curse and it must have been put there by another of the workers at Aeneas' work shop (Check: Passed Scientist Ob4).

Then finally, yet a few days later, they arrive to Stameus (End of Player's Turn).

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s4a: Dangers; herons and militia captains

2011-02-13T19:17:00.000+01:00

Early summer 0 twists

The guards and the philosophers stay at the tavern, eating and waiting for the evening to come, to sleep and go on the next day. They discuss the heron and weather they're going to Navalia or not. The philosphers want s to take a break from the wilderness and the villages to get to some civilization (the smaller cities Cyprios and Stameu apparently isn't enough) and the patrol wants to avoid the city because of assumed concentration of enemies there. The philosophers think the patrol is paranoid and ask questions like ''Do you actually think they will, like, stab us in the middle of the city?!?'' and doesn't understand or don't want to understand the patrols point of view. The discussion gets quite animated and loud and other mice start to look at them and they try to be discreet but fail, especially Gaius gets very annoyed at the philosophers.

In come a gang of better dressed bandits and roughians. They keep their daggers, weapons - not tools, in their belts although they leave the spears they probably ahve outside. After a short turn to the bar and the tavern owner they approach the patrol and ask if they're Gaius' patrol. They then tell them that they're sent by the arconts of Sapientia (the highest leaders, nine nobles) to get the very important box with the very important and secret thing manacled to the one responsible for it. They say they're from the Sapientia militia. Gaius tells them that they have no jurisdiction outside the city and that they do not nned to bother about a Pretorian Guard mission. The militia captain insists on meddling and says that since the thing left the the city without the arconts knowing it there's a form of ''retroactive jurisdiction'' bound to it. ''Would someone please be manacled to it?'' If not, they will ahve to bring it back to Sapientia. Gaius gets a little upset again and tells them that they'll have to walk through him to get the thing. The captain answers that then they'll have to do that. Dekia tries to soften the discussion and slow down the rage that's building up. Lucius looks on astonished and surprised. Finally Dekia goes against her centurio's, Gaius', order and says that she will take the responsibility and be manacled to the box. Barely, she manage to get Gaius to accept this.

Aeneas is asked if he knew that the arconts should have been told about the box leaving Sapientia and he says that of course he knew that. He assumed that they understood the the government should have been notified about them fetching hte box from the militia. The patrol looks at him in anger but don't press on with a discussion. One of the milita mice founds out that the village, no surprise, has no smith and the hearest is two villages away. The militia captain has no problem with the patrol taking on the heron with Aeneas new belly shooter as long as he can send along one of his mice. The patrol accepts that and the two groups calm down and sits down in one end each of the tavern's dining room.

As the night closes in and the patrol and other travelers almost begin to prepare for sleeping more travelers arrive. This time it's a trader, hos foremouse and a few body guards. They get very excited when they see the patrol and with joy asks for escort. The patrol realizes that it would be hard to motivate turning them down but that the trader will slow them down significantly. They try to evade the escorting by telling the trader that they will stay in the area for several days doing other missions. That's no problem for the trader. He gladly offers a few days on a near month-long journey if he can get a pretorian patrol as escort. Unwillingly the patrol accepts if the trader waits for them.

Finally everyone goes to sleep.

In the morning the patrol, one militia mouse and the philosophers walk south towards the coast and the place where the heron's supposed to be these days. They find the heron and start to unpack the belly shooter and are going to do a dry shooting to test the thing when the heron spots them and sets off to get some late breakfast. Hurrying they jury-rig a sheild and spears as a mount for the belly shooter and with Gaius croaching and carrying some of the weight and Lucius as shooter and Aeneas giving ''valuable advice''. In the last second Lucius has aimed and fires and the dart goes right up the throat of the heron who stumbles forward.

Dekia and the philosophers run for cover while Gaius pulls down Aeneas and protects him with his body and Lucius throws himself over the belly shooter to protect it. The heron falls and with thunder borrows it's beak into the ground and lay still. Dead (Passed Scientist versus Heron 7D).

Everyone flocks around the heron to look at it, examine it and to cut feathers as trophies. Soon the philosophers are making plans for how two-mice patrols with a belly shooter can take on any animal. The pretorians try to protest but don't manage and still arguing about it the return to the next next village along the route where they can find a smith.

They announce to the villagers that the heron is dead and the villagers cheer for The Guard. Suddenly the whole village seem to appear from nowhere and Lucius gladly tells the story about the heron killing in the tavern while the others do the work that's left, getting a case for the dismantled belly shooter and getting Dekia manacled to the very important box. The smith congratulates them and get to work almost without questions. The patrol accept the arconts's demand for someone taking responsibility and getting manacled to the box and soon it is done (Obstacle, convince the militia captain that it can't or shouldn't be done, accepted)

Gaius searches for a villager known for his carpenter skill and orders a case for the belly shooter which will be delivered before midday the next day. When Dekia, Gaius and Aeneas come to the tavern it's totally packed with villagers listening to Lucius' story. Instead they get a little food and drink from the back door. When mice starts to return home to go to bed the slave approaches Gaius and Dekia and tells them that a hare had been sitting listening to something, probably Lucius' story.

A little late they get to sleep (End of GM's Turn).

<GM’s Note>Still a lot of role playing going on.</GM’s Note>

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s3b: A missing box

2011-02-06T19:16:00.000+01:00

Early summer, 0 Twists

The next day they visit the tribunis that are in Sapintia. It's quite common that tribunes stays in the important cities of the League of Mice Cities as private persons but (as they have no jurisdiction within the cities) but still are representatives for The Pretorian Guard and advice patrols arriving to the cities. They ask to see him and is told that they can come the next day after the client reception. They look at the city and in the afternoon they visit the palestra, the athletics exercising ground, in hope to meet the at least some of the physicists there as all civilized mice do some exercising. Dekia asked her father but he didn't know where Aeneas lived.

At the palestra there are some mice already but no mice that looks like any of the physicists. Dekia do a lot of armored running, Gaius wrestling and Lucius throws the discus. A young hotspur challenges Gaius but loses in the end due to Gaius greater stamina but it's a close call. Gaius is cheered at and the sapientia mouse a little grumpy. During the wrestling a lot of betting were done and many mice lose quite a sum from Gaius winning the wrestling.

After a while a group of mice that has an aura of philosophers around them arrives. It doesn't take long to recognize Aeneas's mentor Andromada. They manage to start a discussion with them and seem interesting and are invited to the baths after the exercising. At the baths Dekia starts to discuss different government varieties with Andromada and her neighbour. Meanwhile Gaius starts up a quite animated discussion with a fem mice around him and Lucius get to exchange a few words with Aeneas unnoticed. Aeneas is really interested in going to Asylum for a while and isn't forced to in any way and believes that goes for the other three too. He also invites the patrol to dinner the same evening to discuss the journey undisturbed and to get to know each other a little.

The patrol goes home to Dekia's family's house to change clothes and freshen up a bit. Lucius wears his toga and Dekia borrows a himation from her mother while Gaius goes as a pretorian in his cloak. They have nice seven-parts dinner with Aeneas and decide to leave on the second morning. Aeneas says he has a lot to do, among other things to inform the other three philosophers, and ask the to fetch the box with the secret invention from the militia who is guarding it. They get a token and a signed letter with Aeneas's insignia. During the evening Aenaeas also talk a lot about his new belly shooter and gets quite excited about the prospect of using it against the heron. He decides to bring it and the patrol doesn't mind but they secretly decide that they don't want to test it themselves.

The next day they visit the tribunis and reports on the regular matter to him and since they already had got in touch with the philosophers they don't mention the secret mission and he doesn't mention it either so either he doesn't know about or he doesn't know which patrol to expect for the mission. After that they visit the agora and the market to buy an amphora of resin wine to treat the philosophers with THey expect them to be used to quite comfortable travels and not the kind that awaits them. Dekia finds an honest trader with a nice wine and uses some of the mission money to buy an amphora for them (Check: Passed Resources, +1D, Ob3). They then check in on the Agora Council and as they expect they deny the villagers scent border liquid. They fetch the box and Lucius is VERY curious about the content. Later in the afternoon he even tries to see what's inside since the box isn't that well made. He quickly realizes that the box is not that heavy and that the thing inside must be much smaller than the box since there is much free room inside the box. He even begin to suspect that it's empty but that can't be so he reckon the thing inside is quite flat.

The next morning they meet up with the philosophers at the gate, pick up their weapons and leave to get Aeneas's belly shooter prototype from his workshop. THe three other philosophers are older and quite grumpy about the coming trip and the sparse resources.

At the workshop a nicely but simple dressed civilian mouse catches up with them. He looks like a slave or foreman of some rich mouse and says that he has something important to tell them. He insists on that the thing can't leave Sapientia because Navalia will do whatever they need to to get their paws on it and that can't be because then everything will go downhill and nothing will be like before. When they ask who he is and who has sent him he refuses to answer. Gaius now gets really angry with him as he takes it as a threat and draws his sword and tells the mouse that outside the cities it's The Pretorian Guard who has jusrisdiction and he better tell who he is and who sent him. The mouse still refuses but scared back away and quickly leaves.

Aeneas order his workers to get the pieces for the belly shooter prototype. Meanwhile he and Lucius discusses and although Aeneas refuses to tell what's in the box he can't keep himself from telling htat it's something with cogwheels and that if Lucius listen while he turns the box back and forth he will hear the cogs click inside. Lucius hears nothing and now realizes that there actually are nothing or at least not what should be in the box (Check: Passed Scientist versus Deceiver 5D). At first Aeneas doesn't believe him but when he listen for himself he realizes the same and order the box to be opened and as expected it is empty except for a nailed down copper plate in the bottom to make it a little heavy.

They check with the militia but they are totally convinced that no one has tampered with the box under their care. Aeneas gets very upset since someone must have bribed at least one worker to tamper with the thing and the box and orders all workers to start searching for the real thing and after a while they luckily find the real thing in its' locked down box that should have been hidden inside the regular box. Relieved they place the real box in the regular box and close it again. Aeneas also order his foreman to find out who hasn't been to work lately. That ought to be the bribed worker. They decide to leave immediately after reporting to the guard captain that the missing thing is no longer missing.

They try to march on but that's not easy with three grumpy philosophers and one overloaded slave but they manage to get to the bigger village close to the heron area without problems (Check: Passed Deceiver verus Deceiver 4D). Gaius almost gets robbed of their extra money from The Guard but feels when his belt is touched and turns around but in the wrong direction and the thief escapes. They realize that it most have been professionals since someone most have distracted them, especially Gaius and only one of them ran for the door so one of them is left in the tavern's dining room (End of Player's Turn).

illern (a) illertass,se

SPQM c1s3a: At last - Sapientia

2011-01-30T19:15:00.000+01:00

Early Summer, 0 Twists.

The patrol drives on towards Sapientia when they start to hear rumours about a heron that's terrorizing mice along the coast. At first they think it's just rumours without substance since it's always someone's friend's friend's cousin who has seen a heron but as they travel on the rumours take on more of a shape and they meet mice who know someone who has seen the heron and also the rumours are quite the same. They discuss the matter but decide that a lone patrol of three mice can't do that much against a heron and therefore they shall keep to their mission. A mice suggest that one could pour scent border liquid in the nest of the heron and make it move away. As several mice now get interested and ask what scent border is it gets obvious that the country mice don't know that much about the big world around them and what the pretorians do for their safety.

The patrol explains about the scent border and has to several times convince mice that wolves and lions actually exist there outside the scent border. Since it will take long time to get scent border liquid sent here or for any action from any of the bigger cities the patrol suggests that the mice might be able to get the heron to move by burning it's nest. Controlled fires are sometimes done to get some new plants to grow for the harvesters or to raise the return of investment for the farmers. The patrol also suggest that the military ships also will be more engaged in taking down or scaring away the heron than the bigger cities lying inwards land. They leave, but take a message to Sapientia with a formal claim for some scent border liquid, and walk on and soon leave the heron rumours behind them (Obstacle, outcome accepted and not dealt with: the heron raiding the coast).

They push on and manage to keep quite a good cadence and reach Sapientia (Obstacle: Passed Pathfinder versus Early Summer 3D). As they approach Sapientia they stop and open the secret letter to see who they should meet and escort. To their surprise there's four names and not three. Dekia recognizes one name as probably being a young promising physicist when she left Sapientia for joining The Pretorian Guard.

At the gate they are respectfully questioned about their errand and told to leave their weapons in the gate. After asking for it they also get token as proof of what they have left in the militia's care. They tell the militia mice that they are suvey the paths and also bring a petition from a villlage. They go to Aeropag, a elevated plateu where the People's Assembly's Council hold office. On the way Dekia point out places in the city and a social merchant invites them to some resin wine and fruit by his stand. They thank him and continue through Agora, the main big square, while Lucius taunt Dekia a little because there are nog bigger houses than two-level houses. Dekia says that they don't build big houses just because of it but only if they need to. Lucius suggest that maybe Sapientia isn't that popular that that many mice move there (as in Asylum). With out killing each other they reach the office of The People's Assembly's Council and deliver the petition and promise to answer any following questions if needed. They also offer their help by taking the scent border liquid with them on the way back.

The patrol decide that it's no idea trying to get in touch with any officials or physicists this evening and instead they go to Dekia's parent's place where they and especially Dekia is received with much joy. The patrol is well received and get their paw washed and get woolen sock for the cold stone floor and to Lucius surprise Dekia's parents seem quite well of although they're no nobles. They can stay as long as they want and get Dekia's old room to sleep in. Gaius go to bed early to sleep (Condition Tired is removed) while Lucius and Dekia sit up and speak twith her family. Among other things they talk about which philosophers that are hot these days. Two names from the list pop up, the young promising physicist and his mentor. The promising physicist has much fulfilled what was expected and evolved the mechanics at The Academy. His mentor is a female mouse who has written a thorough and criticizing collection of scrolls about the different cities different governments. They think she will be quite controversial in some places, where depending on which governments she deem good or bad. Dekia and Lucius see with some horror that they will have to act body guard to this controversial mouse all the way back to Asylum. Dekia then realizes that she has mixed up the names and it’s not the controversial mentor that they are going to escort but only the promising physicist and three other philosophers (End of GM's Turn).

<GM's Note>A good portion of role playing this meeting too.</GM's Turn>

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s2c: On and on and on and spooky.

2011-01-22T19:13:00.000+01:00

Player's Turn, still winter but it's not long till early summer now (at the end of the session).

It's hard to travel in all the mud and if it's drying up there's a lot of new vegetation but they push on towards Navalia and Spaientia (Check: Pathfinder versus Winter 6, Failed with a Twist).

One night Dekia wakes up somewhere but nowhere, spooky. Someone but noone is there and speaks to her or rather demands her to speak to whoever it is and tells her to stop mumbling behind the whiskers. Dekia is desperately trying to communicate but fail and suddenly she pops back to the reality she's used to. Her patrol mates has having a really bad night and almost remember nightmares. It's still far until the morning so Gaius falls asleep again but all the time rolls around and can't find a comfortable way to sleep and is sweating a little.

They go on but when they can't sleep the next night either they start to discuss what's happening and as Dekia has a little more knowledge about spirits (Ceremony Master) she figures out that it's probably a lemur, partly from the behaviour aind partly from that it's actually following them. She thinks that she might be able to lure it away with a version of the ceremony every family head do at Paternalia and then they can sneak away from it. It will be quicker than trying to communicating with it and solving whatever matter that's keeping it here among the living. optimally they would help the lost spirit but it might not only be seeking to fulfill something and then leave. It might be here to some other more ''evil'' deeds and they don't have the time to get involved in this.

Dekia sends out her patrol mates to find certain plants and chop up certain number of even pieces of them while she goes through the ceremony in her mind. They also make an improvised household altar with their shields and weapons in the hole where they have had the camp. Lead by Dekia they walk three times around the altar and three times Dekia throws out three pieces of the nine pieces of plants. They then hope that the lemur has followed the enchanted pieces of plants and pick up their stuff and hurries away (Twist: Passed Ceremony Master versus 3D). The next time they sleep well and the spirit seems gone.

They keep on walking and keep a good cadence and reach Navalia. From a distance they look out over the harbour next to the city (not a day's travel away like in Asylum) and see that the sea traveling seems to have started, at least the Navalia patrol ships are out rowing. They decide to not enter Navalia to not give up their position to anyone in the area since they are getting afraid there are some conspiracy against the fulfillment of the mission. They pass around the city and continue their travel.

After a few days they find an ant path passing the path. That's not a big problem but a if all the ants or many of them would attack it would not be funny. They talk it over and they decide that they shall try to ''steer over'' the ant train temporarily and sneak by. Dekia and Lucius try to lead enough ants off while Gaius stands by to grab any ants not following along. They manage to create a gap in the ant train and pass without provoking the ants to attack to defend their tribe (Check: Passed Beginner's Luck: Insectrist versus 4D). They walk on towards Sapientia.

It's still hard though and some of them get tired as they push yet further, a littel stressed by having been delayed earlier (Check: Health Ob3 not to be tired, some fail).

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s2b: Travelling and climbing

2011-01-08T19:11:00.000+01:00

Yet still Winter 6 but after this session it will be Early Summer.

The patrol start their journey back to the big path and their mission after this small detour. Everything goes well, it is still muddy and they get tired of the traveling but no real problems until they have travelled a day or two on the main path along the coast. They suddenly have to stop because the path is completely swept away by a landslide from among the hills towards the coast. They could take a detour on the smaller paths and get by without problems but they feel that they have lost enough time already and don't want to get stopped by a regular landslide.

They examine the landslide and find that it's very steep to climb down in the new chasm and it's also quite muddy down there and they don't know how deep it is. In the ending of the landslide it's easy to climb down but here it's very muddy, maybe really deep, and it also feels like it could start moving again. In the end where the landslide start it looks better though since it's a little steeper and all loose material seem to have fallen down and they might be able to make a rope from plant fibers and walk and climb past the destroyed path. Gaius take the lead as a daring and responsible leader and also being the one best fitted for spotting the best places to put their paws. Lucius comes next quite behind Gaius and guiding him on the bigger scale, using his pathfinder experience to see which way is the best for Gaius (while Gaius do the small scale decisions). Decia stays behind for a while until Gaius has reached the other end and anchored that end of the rope, just in case something would happen it's nice to have someone on safe ground. All three get over and put their paws on safe ground on the other side (Passed Pathfinder versus Winter 6). They take a break and continue their journey (End of GM's Turn).

<GM's Note>This meeting also had a lot of roleplaying and among other things the nobiles citizen of Asylum Lucius and the ''half Asylum citizen'' (socii) springing from Sapientia Decia tried to conclude which of the cities was the best. It all started with Lucius mentioneing that Asylum was the cradle of all culture and that it was founded over five hundred years ago by hast the great snake killer. Decia then pointed out that Sapientia actually was founded somewhere around eight hundred years ago and already was a city when Asylum was founded. Sapientia also is the city known for their physicist (scientists). Lucius then countered by asking what the founder of Sapientia acutally did. ‘’Were there any deeds or actual heroic acts involved like Hasta killing the great snake? No? Not?’’ And so on…</GM's Turn>

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s2a: Investigations & conspiracies

2011-01-06T19:08:00.000+01:00

Still Winter 6

When Lucius comes home late in the afternoon the day before the mission start, he mostly lives in his family house rather than his chamber at the Pretorian garrison, he finds an excited house slave telling him that the family has an important visitor who wants to meet him, Lucius. The slave helps Lucius to quickly freshen up a bit and so Lucius enters the atrium. There the family head of one of the most influent nobiles families is sitting and talking with Lucius' s parents not mentioning the fact that the social gap almost is as between a rich plebeian and a proletarian.

When Lucius enters and bows to him he gladly tells Lucius to straighten up and needlessly presents himself as Mamercus Fabius Longius. He chats friendly a bit and then suddenly gets to the point - the mission. The secret very important mission. The mission not to be spoken of. The mission that would be a great boost for principale’s carreer. The mission that could be a great boost for a once wealth and successful family that now is not so wealthy and a little sidestepped by other families in the rise. That is if the mission is well done and strengthfully completed. On a side note but a very clear such he mentions that it's more important that the Thing reaches Asylum than the physicists. But most successful would of course be if they all arrive at Asylum. The Senate and The Mice People would be most grateful. Then he rounds off the conversation and says that he should note be rude and have them serving him expensive wine and keeping them up. After all there's an important mission to fulfill. He bids farewell and leaves.

Lucius and his parents are quite excited but noone really knows anything about the mission. Lucius manages to cool down and get to bed and be at the gate in the dawn as expected. There he meets his patrol leader centurio Gaius and his patrol mate principales Decia. They get the money for keeping the physicists happy on the way back and a sealed document with the names of the physicists they shall escort to Asylum. It is sealed with a seal from The Senate and The Mice People and they can barely imagine how curious the gate keepers has been. An extra early mission with a message from SPQM. That's got to be important. The patrol leaves frustrated about the carelessness with the name list. They reckon the whole of Asylum will soon know about it.

As the patrol walks on the great road to Navalia and Sapientia they discuss the missions and try to convince the others that they have the right political opinion. The travel is hard in all the mud. Gaius is keeping up their own cover story and makes notes about the path and every tine they pass a Town (muncipalis) they leave a report there for the town itself and for the pretorians to come.

After almost a week's travel they reach yet another small village but in this village everybody seems to be gathered in the small tavern and excitedly talking about something. Apparently there's a band of highway mice not far to the south that robbed the first merchant caravan to set out in late winter. Then the gathered mice sees that pretorians have arrived and suddenly they are the centre of everything. After getting some information from the villagers and a farmer that is living in the village where the merchants sought help after the ambush. They join the farmer for the travel to his village after convincing to leave early the next morning and getting the arrangement of his buying of seeds going quicker.

They travel for about two and a half day and arrive at the farmer's village. At the tavern they get a description of where the ambush was said to have happened. They stay overnight and set off to the place the next morning. The place is actually easy to find because it's a part of the path that passes through a narrow pass which also turns and bends. A good place for an ambush. They soon find tracks of the robbers leading away the pack beetles and follow them into the forest (Passed Scout versus Winter 6D). They soon find a camp where they also find the beetles, apparently killed and left for the birds to eat and also a lot of the packs of cloth the merchant got robbed of, at least what remains after animals have toyed with it and taken pieces to build with. This together with the fact that the robbers seemed to avoid injuring someone too badly make the patrol suspicious. This is not an ordinary robbery. Usually you don't want to leave any witnesses after such hard punished crime.

As they continue to follow the tracks they follow them to a wide flat rock area where the tracks disappear. The patrol use the rest of the day to search for the tracks in their end of the area but don't find anything. In the evening they discuss the matter and decide that they can spend all the time needed on following the robbers and reporting to the city of Nocus (the closest city). They are also now sure that this band of skilled fighters, at least one skilled scout, at least one used to handle beetles and one rich leader with a sword (or so they have been told) is no ordinary robbers. They could probably earn a good living as bodyguards instead. Everything points at this being organized for some other reason like revenge or competition. They decide to go to Nocus and report and leave the matter to them snce it now is an internal affair of that city (the merchat was also from Nocus) and pretorian matter. They also have an important mission to fulfill.

On the fourth day they arrive at Nocus and speak to a militia captain there and also seek audience at the pretor's office and the merchant office . They speak to the merchants personal scribe and to the merchant himself and ask a few questions and lay forward their ideas about it not being an ordinary robbery. The merchant agrees when he hear it all but has no that hard competitor. It's all very strange. They also report to the pretor and give him their ideas. This way they hope that someone will take action and also spread the knowledge among several people in case someone should be corrupt.

The next day they leave Nocus to return to the big path and their mission (Half way through GM's Turn).

<GM's Note>We had a LOT of role playing this meeting and that was fun and iteresting. It was nice to see the patrol getting involved in the robbery and the general duties of the Pretorian Guard and having angst when pitching it against their important mission. There were also some remarks about who's better, a plebeian or a nobiles, an Asylum mouse or a Sapientia mouse and other colourful role playing and of course a lot of investegations.</GM’s Note>

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s1: Locked politics

2010-12-21T19:06:00.000+01:00

Winter 6

It's winter and politics. Most cities are surrounded by water and mud and it's raining most of the time, sometimes hard. This is a time of election of new officials like consuls. The elections are held in the beginning of the winter and then the the debating starts. The senate shall agree on a lot of matters before summer or the consuls and their staff can't work effectively when the weather gets better. This winter one big question is up:

Sapientia and their philosophers.

What should be Asylums and the Leagues official stand? Should Sapientia be asked to share more of their knowledge and inventions? Should an official demand to share be sent to them? Has the League had enough of their secretiveness and it's time for action like blocking their trade or having Navalia stop shipping stuff for them to get them to share? There are senators speaking for all alternatives. Roughly the senate is split into the optimates who generally speaks for the upper classes and the populists who speak on behalf of the people, the regular mice, the plebeians and proletarians.

The populists are mostly on the line of sending an official polite request to Sapientia or even not doing anything at all since they haven't done anything wrong. The optimates are usally more hardcore and on the line of sending an official demand or even taking action against Sapientia.

The patrol consists of one poor nobiles, Lucius, from a family in need of some nice moves to regain power, popularity and wealth, a plebeian patrol leader, Gaius, and a decorated (principalis) guard member from Sapientia, Decia, (without right to vote but with certain other citizen privileges). They're not agreeing the matter...

Lucius thinks it's time to step forward and get somewhere, not necessarily taking action against Sapientia but at least making a demand. Gaius is more into sending a polite request to formalize and clarify the matter which seems to be a bit vauge, it's not obvious what has been said between the two cities. Decia thinks everything is fine but understands why a polite request might be sent.

They discuss the matter and after a while Lucius says that he can accept Gaius's and Decia's view on the matter if that's a view well established within the pretorian guard, as a guard member he of course accepts the guard's view (although the pretorian guard never would take any official stand in political matters). They therefore conduct an inofficial gallup among several patrol leaders and find that many, if not all, supports a more gentle approach. Lucius backs down and supports the majority's approach. Now there's one more problem, there's a total stalemate in the politics between different views and agendas in the senate and if Asylum is lucky something might be decided somewhere around late summer.

The patrol decides to use what influence thay have to if possible tilt the deciding process in any direction, preferably sending a polite request. To get a final decision that the consuls should follow in their work the senate needs to hold a meeting, that could be vetoed by one of the people's tribunes, where they vote on which suggestion that should be passed to the people's assembly who then vote on approval of the suggestion. The process is now stuck on the senate discussing and not coming to deciding on a date for a meeting for voting on certain suggestions. Having a decorated, principales, nobiles guard member in the group they might actually have the possibility to influence a few nobiles in the senate. The plebeian patrol leader might for example be able to sway the people's tribunes to not veto a senate meeting for voting in the matter and also to influence some voters in the people's assembly. At first it seems like Decia from Sapientia has no saying in this but it shows that she knows some prosperous merchants who definitely can sway some plebeians and some nobiles who use their services (senate members are not allowed doing monetary businesses). She also have some influence by being from Sapientia and knowing things about Sapientia.

The task is quite hard though but they manage after weeks of work to get the ball rolling and the senate holds a meeting where they vote and they decide on sending a polite request (Passed Deceiver versus Ob4).

In the late winter they are called to a planning meeting together with a legate and three military tribunes. Apparently there's an upcoming mission and apparently their patrol is already assigned to it but the officials want to discuss some matters with the patrol or hear what they have to say about something related. At the meeting a assignment of escorting three later to be named philosophers and a thing from Sapientia to Asylum - discreetly. A lot of things are discussed as, how to treat the philosophers who probably are used to luxuary livings, how to be discreet, what risks should be taken to protect the philosophers/the thing/the patrol/different reputations and relationships. In the end the patrol takes a very low key stand and accept the mission in what ever form it is assigned (Persuader, Versus Test, Influence the specifications of the assignment, the patrol accepts the outcome whatever it might be and no test is taken). The patrol leaves the meeting knowing that they will get a a little suspect but probably ''exciting'' assignment when the summer comes in about two weeks (End of GM's Turn).

Now that the patrol has seen that they actually has a little, if only a little, political power they also want to influence the plebeians, the proletarians is mostly out of reach, to approve of the senate proposition when it's time to vote. Lucius puts some of his reputation on the line and starts to speak about the more hard core action lines in the hope of plebeians hearing this and by repulsion of nobiles doing the opposite. Decia strengthens this by doing bad talking of nobiles and Gaius says the opposite to what Lucius says and thereby giving plebeians legitimacy to go on his line and not Lucius/the nobiles line. They actually manage to do this that much that also the ambivalent people's assembly turns in direction of favoring the standing proposal from the senate (Check: Passed Persuader Ob4).

As the winter is drawing to it's end they and the assignment is closing in they realize that it might be much easier to keep the sapientia philosophers happy and cooperative if they at least sometimes each week, in every big town or so, could buy nice food and good wine for them. They don't have that kind of resources themselves and don't feel for spending their own money. There's someone else who has money though - The Pretorian Guard itself and the officials ought to be interested in the fulfillment of the assignment. They ask for a meeting and apply for some money. The tribune is a little suspicious at first but listen to them and promise that they will be able to get a pouch silver coins to bring on the journey for that purpose (Check: Passed Persuader versus Deceiver 2).

Just as the tribune is going to close the meeting centurio Gaius, the leader of the patrol, says that there is one more thing they'd like to bring up. ''Ok, but make it snappy'' the tribune says. Decia starts to explain how she have heard that the weather is getting better very fast and that it's drier than expected in a lot of places, she also has heard that the physicists of Asylum is gonna declare early summer (corresponding to spring and the first part of summer) any day now. This way they manage to convince the tribunis that they can leave for this important mission as soon as the money's ready (Check: Passed Deceiver versus Deceiver 2 -1D for inverted Brave, the tribune is appealed by their braveness and eagerness). The tribune reluctantly agrees and says that by the second dawn from now they can't get the money and leave for the assignment.

Happy the patrol leaves to prepare themselves for their first mission and probably the first mission for the whole guard this year (End of Player's Turn).

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM: New campaign (c1)

2010-12-20T19:02:00.000+01:00

New campaign, SPQM - Mouse Guard in an ancient mediterranean setting. The patrol consists of the following three mice:

Gaius Rufius Aponius, centurio (patrol leader)

Age: 38

Born in Asylum

Fur color: Gray

Cloak color: Black (loyalty, eternity)

Parents: family head Rufius, archivist.

Senior artisan: Ptronius the athletic

Mentor: Dexius, focused on Fighter/Scout

Friend: Prima Gatius Buccio, a tavern owneress that Gaius helped during a winter when he was cut off in her town.

Enemy: Faustus Neoius Sorio, a nobiles centurio, Gaius was decorated and promoted before Faustus although they entered service at the same time.

Belief: All mice should be valued based on their actions not their origin.

Instinct: Always fulfill the duties expected by the guard.

Traits: Disciplina 1, Leader 1, Cunning 1

Gear: Spear, scutum, gladius, wax tablet with abacus, stones for the abacus and stylus.

Nature 3, Will 5, Health 4

Auctoritas (Resources) 5, Dignitas (Circles) 4

Fighter 5

Healer 3

Hunter -

Instructor -

Pathfinder -

Scout 6

Survivalist -

Weather watcher -

Orator -

Deceiver 2

Persuader 2

Administrator 2

Archivist 2

Athletic 2

Forest-wise 1

Heat wave-wise 1

Shore-wise 1

Escort-wise 1

Lucius Iustus Carnifex, principales (patrol guard),
of poor nobiles family

Age: 28

Born in Asylum

Fur color: White

Cloak color: Black (eternity, loyalty)

Parents: family head Iustus, physicist (scientist).

Senior artisan: Livius the athletic

Mentor: Rosonius, focused on Pathfinder

Friend: Camillius, orator, friend from child age, is now trying to make a career in the senate.

Enemy: Volcatius, instructor, expressed contempt for nobiles, Lucius then gave him a lesson in nobiles worth in front of everybody, Volcatius has not forgotten that.

Lucuis family also has powerful enemies in the competing nobiles family Trailus (populists)

Belief: A pretorian repressents the guard not his family.

Instinct: Always defend the nobiles.

Traits: Firmitas 1, Nobiles 1

Gear: Spear, scutum, gladius, toga.

Nature 4, Will 4, Health 4

Auctoritas (Resources) 4, Dignitas (Circles) 4

Fighter 3

Healer 2

Hunter 2

Instructor 2

Pathfinder 3

Scout 2

Survivalist 2

Weather watcher 2

Orator 2

Deceiver 3

Persuader -

Physicist 2

Athletic 2

Path-wise 1

Debate-wise 1

Dekia Rosonios Cheba, principales (patrol guard)

Age: 28

Born in Sapientia

Fur color: Brown

Cloak color: Blue (loyalty)

Parents: family head Rosonios, archivist.

Senior artisan: Publicola, harvester

Mentor: Quintilius, focused on Healer

Friend: Faustus Lucius Acellio, first son to a rich trader, he and Dekia found a friendship when he came to bring his father's gratefulness for Dekia's work with putting out the fire in the docks.

Enemy: Nona Iustus Carnifex, daughter to the oldest child in Lucius family, was responsible for the storage where the fire in the docks started. She said that she was sick, probably poisoned, Dekia said that she probably had a hang over and was sleeping.

Belief: A pretorian always puts the safety of The Territories before his or her own (note that it is The Territories, no matter if it is a settlement that is a member of The City League or not).

Instinct: Always help those in need.

Traits: Skeptical 2

Gear: Spear, scutum, gladius, small bag with good-to-have-stuff.

Nature 4, Will 4, Health 4

Auctoritas (Resources) 4, Dignitas (Circles) 4

Fighter 3

Healer 3

Hunter 2

Instructor -

Pathfinder 3

Scout 2

Survivalist 2

Weather watcher 2

Orator -

Deceiver 2

Persuader -

Athletic 2

Ceremony master 2

Harvester 2

Archivist 2

Asylum-wise 1

Forest-wise 1

Nobiles-wise 1

illern (a) illertass.se