# Starter Adventure
*Rome DCCIV AUC, The Edge of the Republic, Rome and the provinces in 50 BC. Source: https://oldwest.exodusnds.com/era-books/rome/starter-adventure*
## The Senator's Vote
Begin where the story in Welcome ends. Use the Pregenerated Characters for three to seven players. Five scenes take the party from 3 Ianuarius to the Nones of Februarius 50 BC: a morning greeting and a theft in the Subura, a sickroom near Capua, a senator's funeral games for his father, a dinner and a strongbox, then a Senate hearing. Use Patronage and Rank throughout and The Arena and the Games in Scene 3. Scene 5 brings the Gallic War into the Senate through an envoy and a centurion.
##### WHAT YOU NEED
I The Core Rules; Era Rules (Patronage and Rank; Medicine and Illness; Travel); The Arena and the Games; Skills and Talents.
II The characters: the Pregenerated Characters, or characters built with Character Creation and Roles.
III The figures (Adversaries): Nerva uses the Lanista entry, Marina's Gaul the Murmillo or Gaul, Papirius his own entry, and the boy who steals the satchel a Subura Tough. Fabia's father, Senator Numa, his son and Damon need no stat block.
## GM Overview
### The Premise
Fabia's father needs Numa's vote before he will put Banona's petition to the Senate. The Aeduan embassy wants back the lands her house lost after her brother joined the revolt of 52 BC. Last year Fabia bought Bithys and paid Nerva, the Capuan lanista, extra to train him and put in a word with Numa. Her house has since sold Bithys to Nerva, who hires him out. Numa has yet to promise his vote.
### What Is Really Happening
An Aeduan noble who backed Rome in 52 BC got the lands in Caesar's settlement. His agent Damon, a Greek freedman in Rome, offers Numa money to vote against the petition and pays Papirius 400 HS to steal the embassy's letters. Papirius serves Fabia's father, who also sponsors Banona. He takes Damon's coin anyway. A boy from his band can steal the letters without exposing him. He'll sell them back to whichever side pays, so long as his patron never hears who took them. Numa holds a share of Egypt's Roman debts and wants Rome to remember his father's games and advance his son. He'll sell his vote to whoever helps him do it. He hires Nerva's pairs for his father's funeral munus at Capua on 20 Ianuarius and decides after the games.
### Timeline
Use Roman civil dates (Gods and Religion, The Roman Year). There is no intercalary month in 50 BC. The calendar is five to seven weeks ahead of the sun (The Era, The Day and the Year). In civil Ianuarius, late autumn gives way to winter. The vintage is over, the olives are coming in and travelers wear cloaks. The sea is closed by either count (Era Rules, Travel, The closed sea). Take the Appian Way for every journey.
| Date (50 BC) | What happens |
|:--|:--|
| 1 Ianuarius | The new consuls take office; every client in Rome attends them (Powers of the Republic, The Last Year Before the War) |
| 3 Ianuarius | **Scene 1.** The morning greeting at the house of the Fabii; at midday the satchel is stolen in the Subura |
| 4 Ianuarius | Nerva leaves Rome for Capua on foot with his men and Bithys |
| 6 to 10 Ianuarius | The party travels to Capua in two hired carriages and lodges there on the 10th |
| 11 Ianuarius | **Scene 2.** The party reaches Numa's villa at dawn; Nerva's train reaches Capua |
| 20 Ianuarius | **Scene 3.** Numa's munus for his father in the amphitheater at Capua |
| 21 Ianuarius | **Scene 4.** The funeral feast at the villa; the strongbox that night |
| 22 Ianuarius | Numa's morning greeting: the second Ask, if the party needs one |
| 23 to 27 Ianuarius | The party returns to Rome |
| 29 Ianuarius to 4 Februarius | Numa travels to Rome |
| 5 Februarius (the Nones) | **Scene 5.** The Senate hears the Aeduan embassy in the Temple of Concord |
| 13 to 21 Februarius | The Parentalia: temples shut and business stops (Gods and Religion) |
| End of Februarius | Fabia's and Eros's creation Debts fall due (Era Rules, Money and Credit, Stakes) |
| 1 Martius | The optimates hold that Caesar's successor may be named from this day |
**The road.** Allow about 130 Roman miles between Rome and Capua. A hired carriage takes five days at 26 miles a day. Era Rules allows four to six days at 25 to 40 miles a day. Nerva's train takes eight days on foot at about 16 miles a day, within the rule's seven to nine days at 15 to 20. The scene dates account for those journeys.
### The Cast
| Figure | Role in the adventure |
|:--|:--|
| **Fabia's father** | A senator of the Fabii (Charisma 3, Charm 2, Dignitas 4); Banona's patron and Chryseis's owner |
| **Senator Numa** | Senatorial, Dignitas 3; editor of his father's games; the vote the house needs |
| **Nerva** | The lanista at Capua who owns Bithys; *infamis*; Numa's man for the games (Adversaries, Lanista) |
| **Numa's son** | A boy of twelve, sick with the flux at the villa |
| **Damon** | A Greek freedman, agent of the Aeduan who holds the lands; Papirius's paymaster |
| **Papirius** | Street boss of the Subura (Adversaries, Decimus Papirius Rufus; Rome, The Subura) |
| **Marina** | Fabia's friend from the opening story; she owns the Gaul Bithys fights |
| **Marina's Gaul** | A gladiator in the Gaul's kit (Adversaries, Murmillo or Gaul): Might 3, Melee 2, Resistance 3, Wound Points 13 |
### Using the Pregenerated Characters
If nobody chooses Banona, play her as the GM so the petition goes ahead. If nobody chooses Fabia, her father's steward carries the house's business and no one uses Patron's Seal. Roll Bithys's bout as GM if he has no player. Without Kallias, skip his offer to Numa. The strongbox is still available.
### The Odds at a Glance
| Scene | Gating check | Chance in 100 | Second route |
|:--|:--|:-:|:--|
| 1 | Banona's Ask, Hard, two assistants | 62.7 | Numa moves the motion himself (Scene 5) |
| 1 | The chase, Septimius with Banona assisting | 74.1 | Buy the satchel back from Papirius (76.3 for Fabia); the letters are held 93.8 times in 100 |
| 2 | The boy is never incapacitated, with Chryseis's Care | 81.3 | None needed: the Credit only adds a die |
| 3 | Bithys wins | 48.8 | None needed: the games run either way |
| 4 | Numa's vote, all routes | 89.6 | Kallias's offer; the strongbox and a second Ask |
| 5 | The Senate passes the decree | 68.0 | Referral to the proconsul |
Carry each scene's result into the next. The adventure continues after a failed check. Across all five scenes, the decree passes 68.0 times in 100.
## Scene 1: The Morning Greeting
*Rome, the house of the Fabii on the Palatine, 3 Ianuarius, dawn; the Subura at midday. Map: Rome, The City in 50 BC.*
### Setup
Two days into the new consulships, the clients queue by rank in the atrium (Rome, The Palatine and a Senator's House). Fabia has her father's letters. Nerva has attended the house since last year's sale and brings Bithys with him. Kallias comes beside Banona, who carries the Aeduan council's letters in a satchel. Septimius has leave to tell Fabia's father what he saw in Gaul. Before the Aedui rose in the spring of 52 BC, Banona brought their grain to the army he marched with (Legion Battles, Banona and the Aeduan Grain).
### The Ask
Use a Great Ask when Banona asks her patron to put her petition before the Senate (Era Rules, Patronage and Rank, The Petition).
- **The check.** Hard Charisma + Negotiation, 2M 1A against 3 Trial Dice . Dignitas 1 adds no die. Fabia and Kallias may each assist with 1 Boon Die (Core Rules, Types of Checks, Assisted Checks).
- **The odds.** 48.5 in 100 unaided, 55.9 with one assistant, 62.7 with two.
- **Success.** He will move the motion when the Senate hears the embassy on the Nones of Februarius, provided Numa has promised his vote. Record 1 Favor, or 2 if he names a price on a roll of 2 or more net Banes (6.6 times in 100 over the adventure). At the start of the next session he calls it in (Calling In). Have Banona dine with his allies and tell them what Caesar's settlement did to her house. No check.
- **Failure.** He refuses this session. With 3 or more net Banes, he takes offense and accepts no Ask from Banona until she does him a service. Continue to the hearing. If Numa promises his vote, he can put the motion himself (Scene 5).
### Nerva's News
Give the house this information from Nerva without a roll.
- On 20 Ianuarius Numa holds his father's munus at the Capuan amphitheater. Nerva supplies the pairs. He puts Bithys against Marina's Gaul in the last bout.
- Numa declares his vote after the games. A win for Bithys gets Nerva to speak for the house.
- Numa's son is sick at the villa. His Greek physician has gone. Fabia's father lends Chryseis to accompany Fabia without a roll.
Kallias has seen Numa's share of Egypt's Roman debts on the king's list of creditors.
### The Satchel
At midday a boy from Papirius's band cuts Banona's satchel strap and runs off with the council's letters. It happens in the lane below her lodging (Rome, The Subura).
- **The chase.** An Extended Check (Core Rules, Types of Checks, Extended Checks): Average Might + Athletics, a threshold of 3 net Successes, at most 3 rolls, one roll for each stretch of lane. One pursuer rolls and one may assist. Septimius (1M 2A) with Banona assisting catches the boy 74.1 times in 100; alone, 61.9; Bithys (2M 1A) with an assistant, 80.5. A roll with 2 net Boons shows the boy passing the satchel to a man in a green cloak: Papirius.
- **Buying it back.** If the boy escapes, Papirius holds the satchel at his crossroads shrine and sells it back for 400 HS, the sum Damon paid him: at that price he keeps Damon's coin and does his patron's client a service, and his patron never learns who stole the letters. Average Negotiation: Fabia, with Dignitas 3 and Convincing (2 Boon Dice), 76.3 in 100; Eros, with Convincing, 70.6. On a success he names his buyer, Damon. On a failure he sells the satchel back to Damon.
- **Fighting for it.** Use Adversaries for Papirius's men and Core combat for a fight in his lane. If the party starts it, the Subura stays against the party for the campaign.
Over the adventure the party holds the letters at the hearing 93.8 times in 100.
### Failure States
If the patron refuses or takes offense, carry that forward. If the party loses the letters, it cannot use Herald's Staff at the hearing (Scene 5).
### Outcome
The party has Numa's terms and destination. Nerva takes Bithys to Capua on 4 Ianuarius. The party hires a carriage on the 6th and takes lodgings there on the 10th. For trouble on the road, see The Era, Travel at a Glance.
## Scene 2: The Villa at Dawn
*Numa's villa, an estate of vines and olives outside Capua, 11 to 19 Ianuarius. Map: The Era, The Mediterranean in 50 BC (Capua). Place: Places and Campaign Tools, A Villa and Its Farm.*
### Setup
The party leaves Capua on horseback at dawn. The doorkeeper lets the party in on Fabia's name, and Numa offers rooms until the games. His twelve-year-old son develops the flux from bad water on 11 Ianuarius.
### The Sickroom
- **The illness.** Use Serious (Era Rules, Medicine and Illness). Each morning roll Average Might + Fortitude for the boy (Might 2, Fortitude 1, Strain Points 12). On a failure he loses 3 Strain. A Serious illness cannot kill.
- **Care.** Give the boy rest, clean water and food. Before his daily check, roll Average Medicine for Chryseis (Intellect 4, Medicine 2, 2M 2A). Add 1 Boon Die to his check per net Success, up to 2. Resolve Care and any Breakthrough on the daily check under Era Rules, Medicine and Illness.
- **The odds.** Care brings incapacitation down from 31.9 to 18.8 times in 100. Under care, illness lasts 3.5 days on average. The Course ends it by 17 Ianuarius regardless of rolls.
- **The Credit.** If the boy is never incapacitated, Numa treats the cure as a service done unasked. Fabia records 1 Credit with him for the house (Era Rules, Patronage and Rank, Calling In III).
- **The house.** Give Chryseis Household Keys at the villa after nine days in its sickroom. She knows its people and stores by then.
### Damon at the Villa
Damon meets Numa privately on 15 Ianuarius. Roll Average Streetwise among the villa's slaves to learn that Damon offered money for Numa's vote. Apply the Enslaved person's Strength for the back stairs of the free. The party hears about the offer at the feast without the check.
### Nerva's Ludus
At the Capuan ludus, Bithys trains for the bout (The Arena and the Games, The Ludus and the Lanista). The bookmakers offer Evens against Marina's Gaul (Bets). Nerva still promises to speak for the house if Bithys wins.
### Failure States
If the boy is incapacitated, award no Credit. The party can still stay at Numa's villa.
### Outcome
Record any Credit with Numa (0 or 1) and whether the party knows of Damon's offer. Bithys enters the games fit to fight.
## Scene 3: The Games for Numa's Father
*The amphitheater at Capua, 20 Ianuarius. Place: The Arena and the Games, Venues (Campanian amphitheaters).*
### Setup
The munus honors Numa's father, who died some years ago (The Arena and the Games, Games in 50 BC). Numa sits as editor and Marina watches with his guests. Bithys comes in last in the procession of pairs. His bout closes the games.
### The Bout
- **Bithys.** Thraex, Melee 2 (2M 1A, and 1 Boon Die for the sica's Accurate 1), Resistance 3, Wound Points 13, Crowd's Favor and Appeal to the Editor. He has one victory at Capua and is not Known here: Crowd Favor 2.
- **Marina's Gaul.** The Murmillo or Gaul kit (The Arena and the Games, Gladiators and Their Kit): Might 3, Melee 2 (2M 1A, and 1 Boon Die for the gladius's Accurate 1), Resistance 3, Wound Points 13, the scutum's Defensive 1, Crowd Favor 2.
- **The rules.** The Bout, Crowd Favor and The Editor's Decision, unchanged. Numa is an editor the GM runs, so Appeal to the Editor makes him grant missio when Bithys loses at Crowd Favor 3 or 4. At 0 to 2 Bithys's appeal is Average, because he has a victory at Capua: 42.1 in 100 (Skills and Talents, Bithys Appeals at Capua).
- **The odds.** In 100 bouts, Bithys wins 48.8, with 26.8 wins at Crowd Favor 5 or 6 and 13.7 at 6. His losses break down to 15.7 at 5 or 6, 32.5 at 3 or 4 and 3.0 at 0 to 2. The editor gives the sword in 1.8 bouts in 100. Use these odds when each fighter continues after a first Critical Injury at Crowd Favor 3 or lower and yields at 4 or higher. He also yields past half his Wound Points if the next hit would drop him (The Arena and the Games, Bets).
### Results
- **A win.** One purse, 800 HS, goes into Bithys's peculium; at Crowd Favor 5 or 6, two purses and the palm (The Arena and the Games, The Editor). Nerva speaks for the house before the feast.
- **A win at Crowd Favor 6.** The games end with a winner at 6: Numa gains 1 Dignitas (The Editor's Decision, III). The house gains no Credit: it sold Bithys, and the service is Nerva's.
- **A loss.** Missio, or the sword if the appeal fails. Nerva does not speak for the house. The ludus's medicus treats Bithys (Injuries and Recovery); Chryseis may treat him instead.
- **Bets.** At Evens, Eros's stake of 200 HS wins 200.
### Failure States
After a loss, carry Bithys's Wounds and any Critical Injury out of the arena. If the editor gives the sword, Bithys dies. Numa owes Nerva the lanista's price of 10 purses in place of the hire, and the player builds a new character.
### Outcome
Bring 0 or 1 Credit with Numa to the feast. Record whether Nerva spoke for the house.
## Scene 4: The Feast and the Strongbox
*Numa's villa, 21 Ianuarius, evening and night; Numa's morning greeting on 22 Ianuarius.*
### Setup
Numa hosts his guests from the games. Fabia, Eros and Kallias recline with Damon and Marina, and Banona attends as an envoy. Set Numa's marker for the Fabii to Wary 1 after Damon's offer. If Nerva spoke for them, set it to Neutral. Use the GM's adjustment under Attitude II (Era Rules, Patronage and Rank), since Nerva is no patron of Numa's. Numa's Peregrine marker is Wary 1.
### Reading the Room
Roll Average Savvy + Perception to read Numa's markers. Fabia and Kallias have Dinner Couch, so roll Easy for either. Spend 2 Boons from a social check at dinner with Dinner Couch to learn one guest's wish. Numa wants the house's votes when his son stands for quaestor in his turn.
### Fabia's Ask
When Fabia asks for Numa's vote, roll a Hard Great Ask. Her Charisma 3 and Negotiation 2 give 2M 1A. Add 1 Boon Die for Dignitas 3, 1 for Convincing if she offers a fair deal (votes for his son), and 1 per Credit spent.
| Credits spent | Numa Neutral (Nerva spoke) | Numa Wary 1 |
|:-:|:-:|:-:|
| 0 | 62.7 | 55.5 |
| 1 | 68.7 | 61.9 |
*Chances in 100 that Numa promises his vote.*
- **Success.** Numa promises his vote. Fabia owes him 1 Favor, or 2 if he names a price.
- **Failure.** He refuses. On 3 or more net Banes he is offended and hears no Ask from the house until it does him a service (Era Rules, Patronage and Rank, The Petition II), so the strongbox and the second Ask are closed.
### Kallias's Offer
If Fabia fails, Kallias offers to pay Numa first on his share of the king's paper from Egypt's next grain revenue. Roll Average Negotiation for the bargain. Add 1 Boon Die for Convincing and 1 Bane Die for the Peregrine marker. On a success, 62.7 in 100, Numa promises his vote and the king's court owes him first payment.
### The Strongbox
If both offers fail without offending Numa, the party can look for Damon's offer in the strongbox in his tablinum that night.
- **Getting in.** Roll Average Savvy + Perception for Chryseis with 1 Boon Die from Household Keys. Use what she knows of the villa's hours, rooms and steward. On a success (51.5 in 100), she gets to the tablinum with Eros unseen. On a failure, both withdraw unseen with nothing. If failure shows 3 or more net Banes (0.1 times in 100 attempts), the steward catches them and Numa takes offense. Chryseis's owner decides her punishment (Era Rules, Slavery, The Owner's Power and Flight).
- **Reading it.** Roll Average Intellect + Lore (Trade) for Eros. Abacus Hand gives 1 Boon Die. On a success (70.6 in 100), he finds Damon's letter and the sum offered. Spend 2 Boons with Abacus Hand to find the entry showing Damon's first payment has already arrived.
### The Second Ask
At the morning greeting of 22 Ianuarius, have Fabia match Damon's sum with her house's offer. Remove Wary from Numa's marker for the house. Roll Hard with 2 Boon Dice from Dignitas and Convincing (62.7 in 100).
Over the adventure the party wins Numa's vote 89.6 times in 100: by Fabia's Ask 64.1, by Kallias's offer 22.5, and by the strongbox and the second Ask 3.1.
### Failure States
Numa refuses every route, or is offended: the question is not put at the hearing (Scene 5).
### Outcome
Return the party to Rome on 23 Ianuarius, whether or not Numa promised his vote. Numa comes on the 29th.
## Scene 5: Before the Senate
*Rome, the Temple of Concord, the Nones of Februarius (5 Februarius). Place: Rome, The Forum's Buildings in 50 BC.*
### Setup
The Senate House burned in 52 BC. It is still being rebuilt or has only just opened. The Senate meets here at Concord, one of the temples it used after the fire. The consul puts the questions, senators speak by rank and each votes by walking to one side (Powers of the Republic, The Senate). Hear the embassy first. Septimius waits to testify, and Kallias advises Banona.
### The Question
If Numa promises his vote, Fabia's father puts the motion if he granted Banona's Ask. If he refused, Numa puts it himself. Without Numa's promise, the Senate hears the embassy and refers the complaint to the proconsul without a motion.
### Banona's Hearing
Roll Average Negotiation (2M 1A) when Banona asks the Senate to restore her house's lands. Her Dignitas 1 among Romans gives no die.
- **The Senate's markers.** Peregrine Hostile 2 and Gaul Hostile 2 (Era Rules, Patronage and Rank, Attitude).
- **Herald's Staff.** If Banona holds the council's letters, no marker is worse than Wary 1.
- **The house's word.** The house of the Fabii is Banona's patron, and one house moves the Senate once (Attitude IV). Fabia's letter under the house's seal (Patron's Seal) moves one marker two steps toward Neutral, or one Neutral marker to Welcome 1, in place of her father's word, not on top of it. Without Fabia, her father, if he moves the motion, moves one marker one step toward Neutral.
- **Numa's support.** Numa is not Banona's patron. If he has promised his vote, the GM sets one marker one step nearer Neutral (Attitude II): a senator of his rank speaks for the embassy.
- **Assists.** Septimius's testimony that Banona fed the army he marched with in the spring of 52 BC, before the Aedui rose, and Kallias's counsel each add 1 Boon Die, the Core limit of two.
| State at the hearing | Dice | Chance in 100 |
|:--|:--|:-:|
| Letters held | 2 Boon | 76.3 |
| Letters lost | 2 Boon, 1 Bane | 69.1 |
| Without Fabia's seal: letters held, her father moved it | 2 Boon | 76.3 |
| Without Fabia's seal: letters held, Numa moved it | 2 Boon, 1 Bane | 69.1 |
| Without Fabia's seal: letters lost, her father moved it | 2 Boon, 2 Bane | 61.8 |
| Without Fabia's seal: letters lost, Numa moved it | 2 Boon, 3 Bane | 54.6 |
### Results
- **Success.** The Senate passes a decree (*senatus consultum*) advising the proconsul to restore the lands of Banona's house; a tribune may still veto it. Over the whole adventure the decree passes 68.0 times in 100.
- **Failure.** The Senate refers the complaint to the proconsul. No check in the adventure holds a Crisis Die, so a Calamity comes only if the GM spends a Peril Point (Era Rules, Calamity results).
### Failure States
If nobody puts the question, no decree passes. The complaint goes to Caesar's command, which the Senate takes up from 1 Martius.
## Consequences and the Year's Events
- **Favors owed.** Banona owes Fabia's father 1 or 2 Favors. Fabia owes Numa 1 or 2, and the Favor he calls in when 1 Martius comes is the house's vote, and her father's, on naming Caesar's successor (Powers of the Republic, The Last Year Before the War).
- **Debts.** Fabia's note of 6,000 HS to Eros, and Eros's 6,000 to his patron, fall due at the end of Februarius.
- **Damon.** He and the Aeduan he serves are the party's antagonists. A decree against them goes to a proconsul whose friends gave them the lands.
- **Bithys.** His purses go toward his price of 10 purses and the vicesima, 8,400 HS in all (The Arena and the Games, Bithys's Price).
- **Kallias.** If his offer bought the vote, the king must pay Numa before his other Roman creditors, and they will hear of it.
- **Septimius.** Later in the year the Senate orders two legions from Caesar's army for a Parthian war, and they wait at Capua (Powers of the Republic). His men are among the soldiers both generals' agents court.
- **XP.** Award XP at the end of each session by the Core Rules (10 to 25 a session).
### Running It for Fewer Players
With three or four players, play Banona if nobody chooses her, keep Fabia's father as an NPC and roll Bithys's bout as GM. Without Fabia, use the rows without the seal in Scene 5. Without Kallias, rely on Fabia's Ask and the strongbox for Numa's vote.
At midday a boy from Papirius's band cuts Banona's satchel strap and runs off with the council's letters. It happens in the lane below her lodging (Rome, The Subura).
- **The chase.** An Extended Check (Core Rules, Types of Checks, Extended Checks): Average Might + Athletics, a threshold of 3 net Successes, at most 3 rolls, one roll for each stretch of lane. One pursuer rolls and one may assist. Septimius (1M 2A) with Banona assisting catches the boy 74.1 times in 100; alone, 61.9; Bithys (2M 1A) with an assistant, 80.5. A roll with 2 net Boons shows the boy passing the satchel to a man in a green cloak: Papirius.
- **Buying it back.** If the boy escapes, Papirius holds the satchel at his crossroads shrine and sells it back for 400 HS, the sum Damon paid him: at that price he keeps Damon's coin and does his patron's client a service, and his patron never learns who stole the letters. Average Negotiation: Fabia, with Dignitas 3 and Convincing (2 Boon Dice), 76.3 in 100; Eros, with Convincing, 70.6. On a success he names his buyer, Damon. On a failure he sells the satchel back to Damon.
- **Fighting for it.** Use Adversaries for Papirius's men and Core combat for a fight in his lane. If the party starts it, the Subura stays against the party for the campaign.
Over the adventure the party holds the letters at the hearing 93.8 times in 100.
### Failure States
If the patron refuses or takes offense, carry that forward. If the party loses the letters, it cannot use Herald's Staff at the hearing (Scene 5).
### Outcome
The party has Numa's terms and destination. Nerva takes Bithys to Capua on 4 Ianuarius. The party hires a carriage on the 6th and takes lodgings there on the 10th. For trouble on the road, see The Era, Travel at a Glance.
## Scene 2: The Villa at Dawn
*Numa's villa, an estate of vines and olives outside Capua, 11 to 19 Ianuarius. Map: The Era, The Mediterranean in 50 BC (Capua). Place: Places and Campaign Tools, A Villa and Its Farm.*
### Setup
The party leaves Capua on horseback at dawn. The doorkeeper lets the party in on Fabia's name, and Numa offers rooms until the games. His twelve-year-old son develops the flux from bad water on 11 Ianuarius.
### The Sickroom
- **The illness.** Use Serious (Era Rules, Medicine and Illness). Each morning roll Average Might + Fortitude for the boy (Might 2, Fortitude 1, Strain Points 12). On a failure he loses 3 Strain. A Serious illness cannot kill.
- **Care.** Give the boy rest, clean water and food. Before his daily check, roll Average Medicine for Chryseis (Intellect 4, Medicine 2, 2M 2A). Add 1 Boon Die to his check per net Success, up to 2. Resolve Care and any Breakthrough on the daily check under Era Rules, Medicine and Illness.
- **The odds.** Care brings incapacitation down from 31.9 to 18.8 times in 100. Under care, illness lasts 3.5 days on average. The Course ends it by 17 Ianuarius regardless of rolls.
- **The Credit.** If the boy is never incapacitated, Numa treats the cure as a service done unasked. Fabia records 1 Credit with him for the house (Era Rules, Patronage and Rank, Calling In III).
- **The house.** Give Chryseis Household Keys at the villa after nine days in its sickroom. She knows its people and stores by then.
### Damon at the Villa
Damon meets Numa privately on 15 Ianuarius. Roll Average Streetwise among the villa's slaves to learn that Damon offered money for Numa's vote. Apply the Enslaved person's Strength for the back stairs of the free. The party hears about the offer at the feast without the check.
### Nerva's Ludus
At the Capuan ludus, Bithys trains for the bout (The Arena and the Games, The Ludus and the Lanista). The bookmakers offer Evens against Marina's Gaul (Bets). Nerva still promises to speak for the house if Bithys wins.
### Failure States
If the boy is incapacitated, award no Credit. The party can still stay at Numa's villa.
### Outcome
Record any Credit with Numa (0 or 1) and whether the party knows of Damon's offer. Bithys enters the games fit to fight.
## Scene 3: The Games for Numa's Father
*The amphitheater at Capua, 20 Ianuarius. Place: The Arena and the Games, Venues (Campanian amphitheaters).*
### Setup
The munus honors Numa's father, who died some years ago (The Arena and the Games, Games in 50 BC). Numa sits as editor and Marina watches with his guests. Bithys comes in last in the procession of pairs. His bout closes the games.
### The Bout
- **Bithys.** Thraex, Melee 2 (2M 1A, and 1 Boon Die for the sica's Accurate 1), Resistance 3, Wound Points 13, Crowd's Favor and Appeal to the Editor. He has one victory at Capua and is not Known here: Crowd Favor 2.
- **Marina's Gaul.** The Murmillo or Gaul kit (The Arena and the Games, Gladiators and Their Kit): Might 3, Melee 2 (2M 1A, and 1 Boon Die for the gladius's Accurate 1), Resistance 3, Wound Points 13, the scutum's Defensive 1, Crowd Favor 2.
- **The rules.** The Bout, Crowd Favor and The Editor's Decision, unchanged. Numa is an editor the GM runs, so Appeal to the Editor makes him grant missio when Bithys loses at Crowd Favor 3 or 4. At 0 to 2 Bithys's appeal is Average, because he has a victory at Capua: 42.1 in 100 (Skills and Talents, Bithys Appeals at Capua).
- **The odds.** In 100 bouts, Bithys wins 48.8, with 26.8 wins at Crowd Favor 5 or 6 and 13.7 at 6. His losses break down to 15.7 at 5 or 6, 32.5 at 3 or 4 and 3.0 at 0 to 2. The editor gives the sword in 1.8 bouts in 100. Use these odds when each fighter continues after a first Critical Injury at Crowd Favor 3 or lower and yields at 4 or higher. He also yields past half his Wound Points if the next hit would drop him (The Arena and the Games, Bets).
### Results
- **A win.** One purse, 800 HS, goes into Bithys's peculium; at Crowd Favor 5 or 6, two purses and the palm (The Arena and the Games, The Editor). Nerva speaks for the house before the feast.
- **A win at Crowd Favor 6.** The games end with a winner at 6: Numa gains 1 Dignitas (The Editor's Decision, III). The house gains no Credit: it sold Bithys, and the service is Nerva's.
- **A loss.** Missio, or the sword if the appeal fails. Nerva does not speak for the house. The ludus's medicus treats Bithys (Injuries and Recovery); Chryseis may treat him instead.
- **Bets.** At Evens, Eros's stake of 200 HS wins 200.
### Failure States
After a loss, carry Bithys's Wounds and any Critical Injury out of the arena. If the editor gives the sword, Bithys dies. Numa owes Nerva the lanista's price of 10 purses in place of the hire, and the player builds a new character.
### Outcome
Bring 0 or 1 Credit with Numa to the feast. Record whether Nerva spoke for the house.
## Scene 4: The Feast and the Strongbox
*Numa's villa, 21 Ianuarius, evening and night; Numa's morning greeting on 22 Ianuarius.*
### Setup
Numa hosts his guests from the games. Fabia, Eros and Kallias recline with Damon and Marina, and Banona attends as an envoy. Set Numa's marker for the Fabii to Wary 1 after Damon's offer. If Nerva spoke for them, set it to Neutral. Use the GM's adjustment under Attitude II (Era Rules, Patronage and Rank), since Nerva is no patron of Numa's. Numa's Peregrine marker is Wary 1.
### Reading the Room
Roll Average Savvy + Perception to read Numa's markers. Fabia and Kallias have Dinner Couch, so roll Easy for either. Spend 2 Boons from a social check at dinner with Dinner Couch to learn one guest's wish. Numa wants the house's votes when his son stands for quaestor in his turn.
### Fabia's Ask
When Fabia asks for Numa's vote, roll a Hard Great Ask. Her Charisma 3 and Negotiation 2 give 2M 1A. Add 1 Boon Die for Dignitas 3, 1 for Convincing if she offers a fair deal (votes for his son), and 1 per Credit spent.
| Credits spent | Numa Neutral (Nerva spoke) | Numa Wary 1 |
|:-:|:-:|:-:|
| 0 | 62.7 | 55.5 |
| 1 | 68.7 | 61.9 |
*Chances in 100 that Numa promises his vote.*
- **Success.** Numa promises his vote. Fabia owes him 1 Favor, or 2 if he names a price.
- **Failure.** He refuses. On 3 or more net Banes he is offended and hears no Ask from the house until it does him a service (Era Rules, Patronage and Rank, The Petition II), so the strongbox and the second Ask are closed.
### Kallias's Offer
If Fabia fails, Kallias offers to pay Numa first on his share of the king's paper from Egypt's next grain revenue. Roll Average Negotiation for the bargain. Add 1 Boon Die for Convincing and 1 Bane Die for the Peregrine marker. On a success, 62.7 in 100, Numa promises his vote and the king's court owes him first payment.
### The Strongbox
If both offers fail without offending Numa, the party can look for Damon's offer in the strongbox in his tablinum that night.
- **Getting in.** Roll Average Savvy + Perception for Chryseis with 1 Boon Die from Household Keys. Use what she knows of the villa's hours, rooms and steward. On a success (51.5 in 100), she gets to the tablinum with Eros unseen. On a failure, both withdraw unseen with nothing. If failure shows 3 or more net Banes (0.1 times in 100 attempts), the steward catches them and Numa takes offense. Chryseis's owner decides her punishment (Era Rules, Slavery, The Owner's Power and Flight).
- **Reading it.** Roll Average Intellect + Lore (Trade) for Eros. Abacus Hand gives 1 Boon Die. On a success (70.6 in 100), he finds Damon's letter and the sum offered. Spend 2 Boons with Abacus Hand to find the entry showing Damon's first payment has already arrived.
### The Second Ask
At the morning greeting of 22 Ianuarius, have Fabia match Damon's sum with her house's offer. Remove Wary from Numa's marker for the house. Roll Hard with 2 Boon Dice from Dignitas and Convincing (62.7 in 100).
Over the adventure the party wins Numa's vote 89.6 times in 100: by Fabia's Ask 64.1, by Kallias's offer 22.5, and by the strongbox and the second Ask 3.1.
### Failure States
Numa refuses every route, or is offended: the question is not put at the hearing (Scene 5).
### Outcome
Return the party to Rome on 23 Ianuarius, whether or not Numa promised his vote. Numa comes on the 29th.
## Scene 5: Before the Senate
*Rome, the Temple of Concord, the Nones of Februarius (5 Februarius). Place: Rome, The Forum's Buildings in 50 BC.*
### Setup
The Senate House burned in 52 BC. It is still being rebuilt or has only just opened. The Senate meets here at Concord, one of the temples it used after the fire. The consul puts the questions, senators speak by rank and each votes by walking to one side (Powers of the Republic, The Senate). Hear the embassy first. Septimius waits to testify, and Kallias advises Banona.
### The Question
If Numa promises his vote, Fabia's father puts the motion if he granted Banona's Ask. If he refused, Numa puts it himself. Without Numa's promise, the Senate hears the embassy and refers the complaint to the proconsul without a motion.
### Banona's Hearing
Roll Average Negotiation (2M 1A) when Banona asks the Senate to restore her house's lands. Her Dignitas 1 among Romans gives no die.
- **The Senate's markers.** Peregrine Hostile 2 and Gaul Hostile 2 (Era Rules, Patronage and Rank, Attitude).
- **Herald's Staff.** If Banona holds the council's letters, no marker is worse than Wary 1.
- **The house's word.** The house of the Fabii is Banona's patron, and one house moves the Senate once (Attitude IV). Fabia's letter under the house's seal (Patron's Seal) moves one marker two steps toward Neutral, or one Neutral marker to Welcome 1, in place of her father's word, not on top of it. Without Fabia, her father, if he moves the motion, moves one marker one step toward Neutral.
- **Numa's support.** Numa is not Banona's patron. If he has promised his vote, the GM sets one marker one step nearer Neutral (Attitude II): a senator of his rank speaks for the embassy.
- **Assists.** Septimius's testimony that Banona fed the army he marched with in the spring of 52 BC, before the Aedui rose, and Kallias's counsel each add 1 Boon Die, the Core limit of two.
| State at the hearing | Dice | Chance in 100 |
|:--|:--|:-:|
| Letters held | 2 Boon | 76.3 |
| Letters lost | 2 Boon, 1 Bane | 69.1 |
| Without Fabia's seal: letters held, her father moved it | 2 Boon | 76.3 |
| Without Fabia's seal: letters held, Numa moved it | 2 Boon, 1 Bane | 69.1 |
| Without Fabia's seal: letters lost, her father moved it | 2 Boon, 2 Bane | 61.8 |
| Without Fabia's seal: letters lost, Numa moved it | 2 Boon, 3 Bane | 54.6 |
### Results
- **Success.** The Senate passes a decree (*senatus consultum*) advising the proconsul to restore the lands of Banona's house; a tribune may still veto it. Over the whole adventure the decree passes 68.0 times in 100.
- **Failure.** The Senate refers the complaint to the proconsul. No check in the adventure holds a Crisis Die, so a Calamity comes only if the GM spends a Peril Point (Era Rules, Calamity results).
### Failure States
If nobody puts the question, no decree passes. The complaint goes to Caesar's command, which the Senate takes up from 1 Martius.