Marcus leads Valeria, still holding her sword, through a narrow passage into a quiet dressing court. The attendants remain outside, barred from hearing what follows.
A folded tablet rests on the dressing table, marked with a palace seal. Its arrival during the bout, delayed until the officials intervened, feels deliberate rather than confused.
Marcus Flavius
Set the sword down only if you choose. First we learn who sent this, and why they wanted it delivered while every eye watched you.
Marcus breaks no seal. He studies the tablet’s cord, the wax, and the faint smear of arena sand caught beneath one fold.
Marcus Flavius
The message names the spectators who favored your defiance, and the factions that answered their applause. Someone has been counting your allies.
the contract advocate
The palace mark is genuine. If this record reaches the court, Myrina is no longer merely an entertainer. She is a visible choice Rome has begun to make.
Beyond the door, attendants murmur and shift their feet. Inside, the sealed tablet waits between Valeria’s sword and the loosening bandage on her injured hand.
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the political enemies threatening Valeria’s independence
“"This is nonsense. I am only fighting against a gladiatrix, not the Emperor, and my fans are not any kind of political faction. Women are banned from politics anyway. Let me see that."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +2)
Valeria Asiaticus
This is nonsense. I am fighting a gladiatrix, not the Emperor. My fans are no political faction, and women are barred from politics anyway. Let me see it.
Valeria holds out her uninjured hand. Marcus studies her face, then places the sealed tablet in her palm without breaking the cord or wax.
Marcus Flavius
Read what it claims, then judge whether the palace cares what women are permitted to be. Politics often begins by naming someone harmless.
The tablet is compact and official, its palace seal intact. Arena sand clings beneath one fold, and a notation lists spectators whose applause was recorded beside their names.
the contract advocate
Those are not merely admirers, according to the writer. The tablet calls them influential households and marks which men answered their support.
Valeria can inspect the sealed tablet clearly: its cord, wax, palace mark, sand-stained fold, and political annotations are all visible without opening it.
Marcus Flavius
Whether the list proves a faction is another question. But someone in the palace has decided your applause is worth counting.
+ New Item Acquired
Sealed palace tablet
“She continues to study the tablet. Does she recognize any names? Some of her father's friends, perhaps? If they have really gathered to cheer her on, she is being thrust into a dangerous situation.”
SUCCESS (Great Politics, rolled -2)
Valeria tilts the tablet toward the dressing court’s light, studying the names beside the recorded applause. The palace seal remains unbroken, but the list is legible.
Several names mean nothing. Others strike familiar chords from her father’s old papers: Publius Varenus, Titus Celer, and Marcus Flavius, each marked beside households whose members applauded.
Marcus Flavius
Varenus served your father at the Forum. Celer carried messages before the executions. Neither man would want his household counted by the palace.
The discovery confirms that some of the cheering households connect to her father’s former circle, though the tablet proves attendance, not conspiracy. Her injured finger throbs as the loosened bandage slips.
Valeria Asiaticus
They have turned applause into a ledger of dangerous loyalties.
the contract advocate
The names are enough to frighten patrons, but not enough to condemn them. If this tablet is copied, every household listed may learn who is watching.
Marcus takes a cloth and steadies the tablet beneath her hand without touching the seal. Outside, an attendant’s footsteps pause at the barred door, then move on.
✓ Quest Accepted
Warn the watched households of the palace’s surveillance
“She sighs heavily. Now, they're even threatening her fans! "These are just ordinary people, no senators or public officials among them. The principle conspirators against Caligula were executed long ago. I was just a child then, and don't remember any of them. No political faction here, just a flimsy excuse for persecuting me. I should write them polite messages thanking them for attending, but warning them away from the following bouts."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Oratory, rolled +0)
Valeria Asiaticus
These are ordinary people, not senators or officials. The conspirators against Caligula were executed long ago. I was a child and remember none of them. This is only a flimsy excuse to persecute me. I should thank these spectators politely, and warn them away from my following bouts.
Valeria sighs heavily and lowers the tablet onto the dressing table. The palace seal remains intact, while the listed names sit exposed as witnesses rather than conspirators.
Marcus Flavius
Write the warnings. Courtesy gives the households room to withdraw without making them declare themselves against the palace.
the contract advocate
I can provide wax tablets and witnesses. Each message will thank them for attending, advise them to avoid the next bouts, and preserve no political claim.
The advocate supplies small tablets and ink. Valeria dictates a restrained message for each listed household, thanking its members for their attendance and warning them that palace scrutiny makes future appearances unwise.
Marcus Flavius
She is turning the palace ledger into a courtesy register. Let Rome see that these people are spectators, not a faction summoned beneath her name.
The messages are sealed and entrusted to the advocate for delivery through ordinary household channels. The listed spectators receive their warning without being accused, recruited, or exposed as allies.
Quest Complete
Warn the watched households of the palace’s surveillance