Frumius and the Slave Tutor slip through the granary's rear breach into a neglected shrine between narrow irrigation channels. Reed blades hiss in the evening wind, and stale water carries the smell of mud and rust.
Fallen roof tiles ring a weathered altar. Beyond it, the fields fade into dusk, while the granary wall hides the route they used.
Gaius Neratius
Here. The old shrine was forgotten when the channel moved. Forgotten places keep secrets better than guarded houses.
The Slave Tutor presses one hand against the copied clay tablet beneath his tunic. The sealed wax tablet remains within Frumius's reach, its surface unbroken.
Gaius Neratius
If Varro's men search the granary, they will find nothing. But if the signet belongs to whom I fear, Rome itself may be hunting us.
A raven's feather rests beside the altar, black against pale dust. From the irrigation bank comes a single soft splash, then silence. The shrine offers concealment, but not certainty.
✓ Quest Accepted
Escape the shrine with the tutor
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach Rome with the tutor
“Can we cross the channels without exposing ourselves to Varro's men?”
NO, BUT (Even, rolled 54)
No. The channels do not offer a concealed crossing; the open banks and dusk reflections leave any passage exposed to Varro's men.
“I keep the tutor low and guide him along the bank toward Rome.”
FAILURE (Great Athletics, rolled -3)
Frumius keeps the Slave Tutor crouched and guides him along the bank toward Rome. The damp earth gives way beneath their weight.
The bank slumps into the channel. Frumius catches the tutor's arm, but the collapse forces them onto a bare strip of stone between the water and the shrine wall.
Gaius Neratius
The tablets are safe, but we are in the open.
The copied clay tablet stays pressed beneath the tutor's tunic. The sealed wax tablet remains wrapped at his side, while the broken bank blocks the quiet route onward.
Therefore, the collapse exposes a low stone culvert beneath the shrine. Its mouth leads toward Rome, but its narrow passage offers no room to turn or fight.
Gaius Neratius
That culvert may hide us from the road. Or it may trap us before we reach the city.
A raven strikes the shrine's altar, and the sudden crack silences the dusk. The tutor looks from the culvert to the exposed bank, waiting for Frumius's next move.
“I lead the tutor into the culvert”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +0)
Frumius plants his feet on the stone strip and drives his shoulder beneath the tutor's arm, guiding him through the culvert's low mouth.
The passage accepts them. Water curls around their sandals as the shrine wall closes behind, hiding both men from the open bank.
Gaius Neratius
My name is Gaius Neratius. I have carried these accounts farther than I ever thought I could.
Gaius keeps one hand over the tablets beneath his tunic and follows Frumius into the cramped dark. The hidden signet impression presses against the wax tablet's binding.
Gaius Neratius
The culvert bends toward Rome. If the old drainage channel still opens beyond the shrine, it will give us cover.
Behind them, reeds scrape stone, then fall silent. Ahead, the culvert divides around a sunken pillar, one branch carrying a faint thread of lamplight and the other carrying running water.
Gaius Neratius
Frumius, the light may lead to the road. The waterway may lead beneath it. Which passage do we take?
Quest Complete
Escape the shrine with the tutor
Skill Upgrade: Athletics Great→Superb