SPQM c1s6b: There goes the box...

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...

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

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.

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

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

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

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