Near the Colosseum practice space, Decimus Severus and Veteran Retiaria measure the sand and inspect the dulled trident. Marcus guides Valeria toward the weapon racks.
Marcus Flavius
Remain here a moment. Watch the corridor, not the weapons. The traffic has changed since we entered.
Two attendants pass without carrying equipment, then return by another route. The school steward, who sealed the roster, is nowhere visible. Decimus keeps the record within reach.
Marcus Flavius
The steward’s absence may mean nothing. The extra care around that tablet may mean nothing too. We learn by noticing before we accuse.
Valeria Asiaticus
The corridor is busier than the practice space, but no one carries a weapon.
Marcus Flavius
Your next purse is livelihood, and livelihood attracts hands that prefer influence to honest wagers. Read who arranges the opportunity, and who benefits from its shape.
Beyond the racks, Veteran Retiaria tests the net’s weighted edge while Decimus questions an attendant. Marcus falls silent, leaving Valeria the corridor, the record, and the people moving around them to judge.
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify who is manipulating the arrangements around Valeria’s next purse
“"Um, one moment, is this simply a practiced bout? No one given me a blunted sword."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
Valeria Asiaticus
Um, one moment. Is this simply a practiced bout? No one has given me a blunted sword.
The corridor quiets around her question. Decimus glances from the sealed roster to the empty space at Valeria’s weapon rack, his expression hardening.
Decimus Severus
It is a witnessed practice exchange before the lawful bout. You will not enter it unarmed, and no one will alter those terms.
Retiaria
Nor would I call it a contest without giving you a proper weapon. Net and trident teach distance, but a sword gives you a fair answer.
Decimus signals to an attendant. The young man, a young adult human man with a lean build, short dark hair, and a plain off-white linen tunic, returns with a blunted sword, its rounded edge and dulled point plainly visible, and places it on the rack before Valeria.
Decimus Severus
There. Inspect it yourself. The steward’s absence does not suspend the record, and this weapon is added to the practice inventory before witnesses.
Marcus Flavius
Good. Ask before accepting a weapon, a rule, or a promise. Now the exchange can teach you something without pretending to be more than it is.
“She inspects the weapons, both the sword and the trident.”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled +2)
Valeria lifts the blunted sword from the rack, weighing its balance and testing the rounded point against her palm. The grip is sound, though the leather has been recently replaced.
She then examines Veteran Retiaria’s trident, tracing the dulled prongs, the socket, and the long ash shaft. Its weight favors reach, but the worn haft shows careful use rather than neglect.
Retiaria
The trident is balanced for recovery after a thrust. It punishes a careless hand more surely than an armored opponent does.
Valeria compares the weapons side by side, noting the sword’s quicker recovery against the trident’s superior distance. The net’s weighted cords remain intact, with no hidden tear or loosened knot.
Marcus Flavius
You have seen what they are and what they are not. The sword is honest practice steel; the trident demands that you solve distance before attempting control.
Decimus Severus
Inspection recorded. The practice inventory now lists both weapons, and no one may claim you accepted an unseen defect or unequal equipment.
Decimus marks the inventory before the attendant and Retiaria. The sword remains before Valeria, while the trident returns to its place beside the net, ready for the witnessed exchange.
✓ Quest Accepted
Complete the witnessed practice exchange under the recorded terms
+ New Item Acquired
Blunted sword
“She takes the blunted sword and her place in the practice yard.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled -2)
Valeria takes the blunted sword and steps into the marked practice space opposite Veteran Retiaria. The recently replaced leather shifts under her grip, raising a sharp blister along her palm.
Marcus Flavius
Keep the hand closed, but do not fight the grip. Let the blade answer through your wrist and footwork.
Her entry scuffs the sand loudly enough to draw the attendants’ eyes. Decimus looks toward the corridor, then back to the two fighters as the practice yard settles around them.
Retiaria
You have taken your place, and I have seen the cost of haste. I will test your distance before I test your courage.
Decimus Severus
The exchange begins on the recorded terms. Blunted weapons, marked boundaries, and no concealed alteration.
Retiaria gathers her net without casting it, keeping the trident angled toward Valeria’s centerline. Valeria’s blister stings, but the sword remains secure as both women settle into measure.
“She circles to her left, facing the trident. If the Retiaria wishes to employ her net, she will have to turn.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled -1)
Valeria circles left with the trident always before her, keeping the blunted sword aligned with its points. Her injured palm stings, but her footing stays measured and secure.
Retiaria
A sensible angle. If I cast now, I must turn with you or throw across my own reach.
Veteran Retiaria pivots to preserve the centerline. The net remains gathered in her hand, its weighted edge unable to settle on Valeria while the turn continues.
Marcus Flavius
Good. Do not chase the trident. Make her choose between facing you and preparing the net.
Decimus Severus
The boundary holds. The exchange remains controlled, and no cast has been made.
Retiaria completes her turn and squares herself again, but Valeria has taken the outside angle. The sword now threatens the trident’s shaft if Retiaria reaches too far.
Retiaria
You have made the net costly before I have thrown it. Now show me whether you can keep that advantage.
“She continues to circle.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +0)
Valeria continues circling left, keeping the blunted sword aligned with the trident’s points. Her outside angle widens, and Retiaria must turn steadily to keep her weapon between them.
Retiaria
You keep the measure without rushing. That denies me the cast and preserves your sword hand.
The net remains gathered as Retiaria pivots, its weighted edge dragging lightly through the sand. Valeria’s movement carries her safely around the trident’s reach without crossing the marked boundary.
Marcus Flavius
That is the lesson. Make the distance do the work, and let her spend strength merely keeping you in front of her.
Decimus Severus
The circle is clean. No boundary breach, no cast, and no change to the recorded terms.
Retiaria settles into a guarded stance, conceding the center rather than overextending. The trident still commands the space before her, but Valeria now controls the exchange’s rhythm.
“She continues to circle.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled -3)
Valeria continues circling left, preserving the outside angle as Retiaria turns to follow. The blunted sword stays aligned with the trident, denying its reach.
The fresh leather bites deeper into Valeria’s palm. A small smear of blood darkens the grip, but her hand remains closed and the angle remains hers.
Retiaria
You hold the advantage despite the pain. I can see the cost now, and I will not waste strength chasing you.
Retiaria yields another fraction of the center, keeping the net gathered while her trident tracks Valeria’s shoulder. The weighted cords drag a faint arc through the sand.
Marcus Flavius
Keep circling. The hand pays for the grip, so let your feet carry the exchange and spend nothing more than necessary.
Decimus Severus
Outside angle secured. The injury is minor, the weapon retained, and the practice remains within its recorded terms.
Valeria completes the turn with Retiaria still before her and the trident displaced from the centerline. Her palm stings sharply, but the exchange’s rhythm remains under her control.
“She continues to circle.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Melee Combat, rolled +1)
Valeria continues circling left, carrying the outside angle around Retiaria’s guard. Her blunted sword remains aligned with the trident, and the net cannot settle across her path.
Retiaria
You make the ground serve you. I must turn, but you spend only what the distance demands.
Retiaria pivots with measured steps, keeping her trident between them. The weighted net trails harmlessly through the sand as Valeria completes the circle without crossing the boundary.
Marcus Flavius
Good. Keep your feet beneath you and let the angle remain yours. The hand is injured, not the rest of you.
The movement carries Valeria fully around Retiaria’s threatened side. The trident points away from the centerline, while Valeria’s sword now commands the exposed shaft.
Decimus Severus
Outside angle maintained. Weapon retained, boundary respected, and no alteration to the witnessed practice.
Retiaria
Then I will stop chasing the circle. Show me what you do when the distance belongs to you.
“She continues to circle.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled -1)
Valeria continues circling left, carrying the outside angle around Retiaria’s guard. Her blunted sword remains aligned with the trident, while her feet stay beneath her despite the sting in her palm.
Retiaria
You refuse the center and make me turn for every inch. The net cannot find you while you keep that angle.
Retiaria pivots more cautiously, giving ground rather than overreaching. Her trident points away from Valeria’s centerline, and the weighted net drags harmlessly across the sand.
Marcus Flavius
Good. Do not chase the opening. Preserve it. Your feet have won the position, and your blade only needs to make that fact visible.
Valeria completes the circle cleanly, fully preserving the outside angle. The trident’s shaft is exposed, the boundary remains untouched, and the net still has no clear path to her legs.
Decimus Severus
Outside angle maintained. Weapon retained, boundary respected, and no change to the witnessed terms.
Retiaria
Then the ground is yours for now. I will have to risk the net or surrender the measure, and neither choice will be comfortable.
“Valeria observes that she has maneuvered the Retiaria into standing on her own net, rendering it useless. Is this just some clever ploy? Only one way to find out. She steps inside her opponents guard and jabs with the blunted sword.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Melee Combat, rolled +0)
Valeria notices Retiaria’s heel pressing the net’s weighted edge into the sand. The cast is impossible while the cords lie trapped beneath their owner’s foot.
Valeria Asiaticus
Her net is pinned. Perhaps that is deliberate, but only contact will reveal the ploy.
Valeria steps inside the trident’s guard before Retiaria can recover her stance. She keeps her shieldless body tight to the weapon’s shaft and drives the blunted sword forward.
The rounded point strikes Retiaria squarely beneath the breastbone, a firm practice jab that halts her advance without injury. The veteran’s trident drops harmlessly aside.
Retiaria
Not a ploy. I trapped my own net while yielding ground, hoping you would hesitate before entering. You read it correctly.
Marcus Flavius
Clean entry. You did not chase the opening, you tested it, and the point made the answer plain.
Retiaria lifts both hands from the weapons and steps clear of the pinned net. Decimus marks the successful controlled touch as the practice exchange settles under the witnessed terms.
Quest Complete
Complete the witnessed practice exchange under the recorded terms
New Gift: Ironclad Contract Negotiation
