Old RP Thread

[Curio Agelastus]

Salvete amici,

For all those who do not enjoy RP, please ignore this thread. It's merely temporary, until we work out how to use the usergroup.

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Curio made his way through the streets, recalling his unpleasant experiences in the ruined labyrinth on Crete. However, it took him only a short while to find the new building, and he stood in front of it, appreciating the fine quality of the architecture.

He walked in, glad that the building project had been approved by the Senate, knowing that such a tavern was just the place to meet his amici. Despite the offices he held, he knew that he had still not entirely adapted to the customs of Roma, and that he remained a mongrel of three different cultures. He only hoped that his more well-bred friends did not view him in that way.

Sitting down, he ordered a cool Falernian to keep him occupied until the others came. Who would be the first to join him?
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Bene valete,
Marcus Scribonius Curio Britannicus.

[Aldus Marius]

Avete conlusores (Greetings, fellow-gamers)!

For the opinions of his more well-bred companions, Marcus Curio would have to wait; for the only other Roman who seemed to be headed for the taverna that afternoon was old Marius--Marius the Wanderer; battle-scarred, Plebeian as they come, and called Wanderer because he still had a Legion's habit of travelling great distances at a moment's notice, for no reason anyone else could discern. Marius had no tolerance for b.s. and little for small talk; he was a stiffer dose of earth than most civilians were prepared to deal with. He could be quite rough on people sometimes. Yet underneath the boar's-hide exterior was a man who loved his friends as brothers; who treated his animals as kin; and who had perhaps more sense of Duty than was good for him. If a fellow had Marius in his corner, he had him there for keeps.

So here came Marius, with much of his menagerie in tow; he'd left the horse at a stable near the Porta Nuceria, and the old greyhound--too frail to travel--was with friends in Britannia; but the other three dogs were with him, the terrier and the herder and the little scrap of a dog he'd taken from some boys in Hispania province who'd been about to feed it to a Molossus.

He entered the taverna with his retinue, and must have presented a very odd sight to the denizens of the Capital seated therein. You see, he was as provincial as they come, too, and if anyone here recognized him as a Roman, they would know he was going to be a Roman in his own way...

He didn't see anyone he recognized at first; but then his eyes adjusted, and he thought he spotted Curio not too far inside the entrance. In time he became convinced of this, enough to risk the embarrassment of hailing the wrong man:

"Ho!! Curio!!! Amice bon'!! Is that you, after so long...?" And he plunked himself down next to his suspected best friend, frightening away a retired actor in the process, while his dogs made themselves at home underneath their barstools...

In amicitia,

[Gnaeus Dionysius Draco]

Dressed in an un-Roman looking cloak in the spirit of young Roman bohèmiens entered Gnaeus Dionysius Scorpio in his favourite taberna. Favourite because for him it expressed the decadence of the late 1st century before Christ - unaware of this date, of course, since for him it was the seventh century. The fin-the-siècle feeling was deeply engraved in his heart.

The young man himself was of mixed heritage and belonged to the class of equites. His grandfather had been a Greek immigrant but down his maternal ancestry a lot of Etruscan influence was clearly visible. Hence his praenomen "Gnaeus".

He ordered his favourite brand of wine, an obscure brand which was actually Greek and any battle-hardened Roman would probably look down upon. He didn't care. Waiting for his consumption he glanced around the taberna and suddenly noticed Curio and Marius. Latter he had only heard about as the Peregrinator, the Wanderer, and former he knew because a few years back they'd been with the same tutors.

"Well well," he said, "if that isn't mi optime Curio. What are you into these days?"

[Curio Agelastus]

Salvete omnes,

Curio repressed a sigh as his drinking companion told yet another story of a play well-staged. It was going to be a long night.

Curio's face lit up as he saw his old friend Marius walk in - the actor slunk away on seeing the tough legionary walk towards Curio's table. It did not occur to Curio to question Mari's breeding; surely almost anyone could be more well-bred than a semi-savage from the corners of the earth, windy Britannia?

Curio had always admired Marius' drifting nature - although Curio was well-travelled, his travels were limited to the places between and near Roma and Britannia.

In response to Marius' hearty salute, Curio called,
"Salve Mari amice! It does me good to see you again - all the others here seem to be the hangers-on that a person could find at any opening such as this - the kind we have both dedicated a great deal of time to avoiding."

As Marius sat down, he noticed with a grin that Curio had procured a haunch of meat, which he gave with a bow to the three dogs that accompanied the Wanderer.

Curio asked, "So how are you, mi Mari? Weary from the journey?" He then handed a soda to his amicus with a wry grin.

As Scorpio entered, Curio grinned, glad that Scorpio had heeded the call to the taverna. But then, both of them had preferred the taverna to their books, especially under the whiplash tutelage of the grumpy Greek teacher, Nestus.

In answer to Scorpio's question, he replied,
"Oh, same old same old... I'm considering taking some of my less civilised friends from Britannia to Roma, in the hope that it will remind them of their Roman heritage. You met one of them once - the merchant who named himself Titus Sertorius Albinus?"

Marius cleared his throat, and Curio said,
"Oh Gods I'm a fool! Scorpio, this is Marius Peregrinus the Wanderer - no doubt I've told you of him at some point? Marius, this is Gnaeus Dionysius Scorpio, a old friend of mine. So, how are you both doing?"

Curio smiled as he listened, hoping that some of his other friends would come soon.

Bene valete,
Marcus Scribonius Curio Britannicus.

[Publius Dionysius Mus]

Salvete

---------------

And then a loud noise nearby the taberna... For some it sounded like a wild boar growling. But the more familiar customers in the taberna knew it was actually a man singing a song. And not just an ordinary man, but the most regular customer in the taberna, the always drunk Publius Dionysius Mus. Once a wise man and consul, he now got to know the fun parts of life and he was enjoying every minute!

He stumbled in the direction of Curio's table, fell twice on his way, but finally made it. He sat down on a chair and mumbled: "T-That's already the f-fourth time the ground f-fell on me today, I'v-ve got a feeling it d-doesn't like me that m-much today... *hips*".

Scorpio, who knew this fellow rather well, immediately knew what to do: he asked the waiter for a bucket of water and poured it on poor Mus... Drunkenness slowly disappeared.

Now Publius Mus was able to see that there were three men at the table (he thought there were about six or nine at the moment he entered...). He said hello to Curio and thanked Scorpio for his intervention with the water. Then he looked at the third man at the table and said: "I salute you, o man of the military. If I am correct of course, but I can tell almost sure from your looks and attitude that you are or were once a soldier."

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Valete bene

[Aldus Marius]

Salvete iterum...

"Salve Mari amice! It does me good to see you again - all the others here seem to be the hangers-on that a person could find at any opening such as this - the kind we have both dedicated a great deal of time to avoiding."

Marius was also glad to see someone he knew, and said so: "Ah, mi Curio, at last someone who understands! Hangers-on, yes...this town's got more full of them every year, all pressing their lips to the hindquarters of whoever the current strongman might happen to be. Nobody says what they mean anymore, and I'm not sure why I still come--except, like the migrating falcon, out of habit. Even that may not sustain me next year, though, if stercum like that..." (he gestured towards the actor) "...is a representative sampling."

Marius then helped Curio with the meat and the dogs; the two larger ones each got their share under the barstools; but the little one, in an uncharacteristic show of tenderness, was being allowed to ride up under Marius' chest in a canvas sling. She, therefore, got to eat at the table, and any disapproving stares from staff or patrons were met by that peculiarly calm, icy, windblown glare of Marius' own: it was like being stared down by a living sword, or a winter storm. They left the pup alone.

Curio asked, "So how are you, mi Mari? Weary from the journey?"

"Na, not the journey; all the weariness is in the destinations. When I can stand the guiles of my fellow-man no longer, I go. Amazing, how many folk have never figured that out..." and he lapsed into one of his silences. Clearly this man was not used to talking to people, and even his friends knew him to be terse until he'd warmed up a bit...

[Aldus Marius]

Salvete!

OOC: Mus' post hit the board as I was composing my last one! -so my character did not address his; my apologies, and I intend to correct the oversight in my next offering.

Before we get too much further into this, though, it would be useful to know a few things about our setting...

- Are we in Rome, a provincial capital or other town, or someplace else? (I have assumed Rome, but written little that actively depends on that assumption...and am perfectly willing to move the action elsewhere.)

- What era are we playing in? I know Scorpio's post specifically mentioned the last century of the Republic, but are we all agreed on this? (My protrayal of Marius and his Wanderings would fit better in the Flavian-Antonine period...)

Perhaps we should start an OOC (Out-of-Character) thread to discuss these things, to keep the RP thread clear for (you guessed it!) roleplay.

Also, a few RP conventions...
- OOC = an 'Out-of-Character' post, when you are writing as yourself.
- IC = an 'In-Character' post, where you are writing as your RP persona.
It is very important to maintain the distinction between the two; this way no real-life Romans get insulted by the things their characters may say and do to each other. When returning to IC from OOC, mark that section BIC ('Back in Character') so we know to shift gears. Thank'ee... >({|:-)
- Moves: In general, 'moving' (writing actions/dialog for) a character other than your own is frowned upon. ('Background-noise' people like the other bar patrons or people in a crowd don't count--do with them what you will!) Different groups vary in strictness about this; so far, here, it has not been a problem...but I did want to let you know that the custom is out there, before it causes any hard feelings.

For myself, I intend to speak only for Marius in my scenes, and to write in Black when OOC *in RP only*. (All my other material, here and in the rest of the Forum, shall be in my customary Purple prose...unless I'm feeling especially military and switch to Green.) [wink]

In amicitia et fides,

[Aldus Marius]

Salvete!

Now Publius Mus was able to see that there were three men at the table...Then he looked at the third man at the table and said: "I salute you, o man of the military. If I am correct of course, but I can tell almost sure from your looks and attitude that you are or were once a soldier."

Marius turned to eye the new guest. "Aye, that I am, and was; they declawed and defanged me before they turned me loose, but they never did take the ramrod out of my back." He grinned, winked; he was beginning to relax now that he'd been brought his Cream Soda... Then suddenly, out of nowhere, he jumped to his feet and snapped a salute, startling the tiny dog he carried. "Lucius Marius Peregrinus, Pilus Prior; Third Cohort, First Maniple, Second Century, Legion VI Victrix, Eburacum, Britannia...now retired." The reporting statement came out still filled with the pride, not of a raw recruit, but of a Centurion with the experience to back it up. It welcomed inquiry; one could almost hear it say, "Imagine the things he's seen! Imagine the adventures--!"

He seemed almost transfigured in that moment; twenty years younger, with all his strength and pride returned, and none of the physical and emotional wounds he'd since been dealt. It was not hard at all to picture a highly-polished lorica segmentata on him, with sword and helmet to go with, and the inevitable vine-staff. And to those who had known him the longest, there was only one sad conclusion to be drawn: His only home, his only love, had been the Legion; and he wandered now because he had lost Her, and had not fit anywhere since...

[Aldus Marius]

Avete iterum...

I seem to have left poor Marius standing there with his arm extended, looking like a silly ass. >({|;-) Allow me to correct this; I'm sure he'll thank me for it...

Marius Peregrinus never seemed to know from one instance to the next how he was going to affect people. His reporting statement, meant as an answer to Mus' greeting, seemed to have stunned the entire taverna into silence. Patrons were staring at him; the ex-actor wore a smirk that seemed to say "Well, that explains everything"; and overall he got the sinking feeling that everyone on the premises now had him pegged as some swaggering miles gloriosus out of a Plautus comedy, pulling rank on hapless civilians and expecting a chorus of ooh's and aah's any time he recited his resume.

Of course, Marius was not that kind of person at all; the thought of being mistaken for such absolutely mortified him; so with as much of his remaining dignity as he could muster, he lowered the salute, mumbled some tendernesses to his puppy-dog and resumed his seat. Folding his hands quietly, he awaited Mus'...or Scorpio's...or Curio's response...

[Publius Dionysius Mus]

Publius Mus listened carefully to Marius' official declamation, and noticed the reactions of all other people in the taberna. When Marius was seated again, Mus said to him: "Well, mi Mari, you sure know how to get the attention of everyone around... Maybe I can use your military skills, talents and contacts...", and saying this Mus straightened his toga and ordered a good Falernian wine for everyone. "It's a mighty coincidence I happen to meet you three out here, it must be a divine plan! You see, I have this small problem that needs to be solved. A good friend of mine has died a few days ago, and in his will there is a magnificent fortune for me - but only if I can find his missing son Drusus. If I can find him, half of the father's fortune is mine, and the other half will go to Drusus."

Here Mus paused, looking at the faces of his three companions. They all seemed to be thinking after these words. And then he went on: "Of course my first question is if you want to help me in this quest. And then we can maybe work somthing out... you know, reward and so... What do you think, amici?"

And then he eagerly awaited their answers...

[Gnaeus Dionysius Draco]

Scorpio was following everything with an avid interest, from Mus' drunken mumbling up to Marius' military accounts.

He turned to Curio and asked "Say, mi Curio, whatever happened to that Punic girl the other day? You know, the one we saw outside the Martian Fields. You *do* remember her don't you?"

[Q. C. Locatus Barbatus]

Locatus enters the Taberna after what he calls a hard day of work (trying out the new Tabernae in Town):

"Hi fellows! What are you talking about... have I missed something?" Looking at the wine: "Some excellent booze, I guess" He silently sits down and orders some more wine.

[Aldus Marius]

"You see, I have this small problem that needs to be solved. A good friend of mine has died a few days ago, and in his will there is a magnificent fortune for me - but only if I can find his missing son Drusus. If I can find him, half of the father's fortune is mine, and the other half will go to Drusus."

Marius frowned, pondered. This did not sound like his kind of thing; he was not fond of children by any measure, especially after what had almost happened to the tiny puppy he bore. He'd seen too many such incidents to have any illusions about the charms of the young. He'd just as soon avoid them; he wasn't about to try to dig one up on purpose...especially with money involved.

"One question, sir...How old is the brat? Would we be looking for a kidnapped urchin, or a young man gone off on his own?? It makes a difference; maybe the sprog don't want to be found, and he may be capable of putting up some resistance."

To Curio he said, "Amice, you were the one first summoned us hence: Was there a reason, beyond the joy of each others' company...?"

[Quintus Aurelius Orcus]

Salve
This is the first time i ever participate in this so bear with me.
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After a long day at the office of a rogator, Sokarus enters the taberna. He closes the door behind him.It looks like another heavy drinker just entered the taberna. Wearing just a toga, it is noticeble that Sokarus has a beer belly from to much drinking. He sees his dear friend Locate, Mus et Scorpio. He walks up to him when he accidently fall on the ground. He had already been drinking at the office and felt on the ground now because he was drunk. He was so drunk that he hit the ground more than that he was standing up. It was a good laugh for everyone to see the local drunk fall. Appearently there isn't much going on in the life of a rogator than drinking. He managed to get up again and goes sitting with his friends. They know that a drunk rogator is always fun to be with. But not for long anymore. His term is almost over and he isn't looking forward to another term hence it's boring. That is one of the reasons why he started to drink.
'What's happening?' asks a drunken rogator.
A moment of silent surrounds the table as he sits down.

[Curio Agelastus]

Curio turned to Mus, interested by this unusual problem.
"I assume you have been through all the records? There are hordes of scribae out there with little to do; I suggest you set them to checking the rolls of the military, the various religious organisations, and other societies which would have allowed him to travel. Until that is done, I can help little, amice."

Curio heard Scorpio's reminiscence, and smiled slightly,
"Remember her? How could I forget? I see her most days down at the market. Yes, I accept that you don't go to the market much - but I am an assistance, I don't have assistants of my own to do such things. She is working on the fruits stall - the wily shopkeeper pays her close to nothing, because he knows she can get no occupation elsewhere. I believe she is also learning more of our ways with a charitable tutor, paid for with the majority of her earnings."

Curio then looked in disbelief at Locatus as he sat down. Locatus had spent the day sampling drink, and he sat silently... As Curio spoke with the others, he kept one ear open, knowing that Locatus would not remain silent for long.

Curio grinned as Sokarus approached - Curio had once been a Rogator, in another place, and understood Sokarus' Rogatorial problems. Curio used the silence that descended when Sokarus joined the table to answer Mari's question.

"Well, for that matter, there is something that I wanted to speak to you all about, but the pleasure of your company means much more. Let us simply enjoy talking together, with no ulterior motives or purpose, with nothing to do but while away the day with empty chatter."

Curio smirked,
"But we do not have to speak in such a thespian manner as I used just then..."

[Q. C. Locatus Barbatus]

Locatus saw Curio looking at him and knew what he thought. As soon Curio was silent he smiled and said:
"ah, a girl Curio? I thought so... Keep on trying!" And than serious: "I know some people who sell their goods on the market, maybe I can help."

Looking at Mus: "Still not solved your problem, amice? I'll try to help you, maybe we can find some traces and find that boy."

Finally he looked at Marius, at the other end of the table. 'Which was his last travel?' he thought, 'when will he ever stop and settle down? Maybe I should offer him the luxury of a modern Domus and see what happens'.

But Marius noticed the look in Locatus' eyes, and knew which offer was going to come...

[Quintus Aurelius Orcus]

Sokarus who is listening to what is being said was interested in Mus' problem. Before he became rogator, Sokarus used to travel within the Roman Empire. It took him some time but he visited most of the prominent cities within the Empire along with some prominent people. He know alot of people in different positions and organisations. Sokarus thinks he can help Mus finding the boy Drusus. But in order to help him, he will need some specs on the boy/ How old is he? What does he look like? That kind of information is required to give to his friends.
'Mus, i think i can help you out.' Says Sokarus to Mus while the rest is talking. Mus looks interested in what he has to say. He knows what he is going to say to him.
'I know some friends from the days i travelled around. I think they can help you out. If somebody out there that doesn't want to be found, they will find him. I can call in a favor so that the costs are low.'
Looking at Mus, he sees that he is interested in hearing more about it. Upon looking at Locatus and the rest, he sees that they want to know what kind of favors he does for his friends. They are very interested to know more about it. Not the mention where he travelled to and with who? Especially Scorpio and Marius seem to be interested in his travels. But all in time, he will tell them about it. Sokarus will not tell everything in a taberna since there are things that are beter not said in a local taberan, certainly not when you hold a position within the goverment. Sokarus has a dark past behind him. His ability to hold an function as a rogator came through various connections. He isn't pure as the rest of the table is.

[Publius Dionysius Mus]

Mus carefully listened to Curio's advice on assigning jobless scribae to complete his task; a perfect solution for someone as lazy as Mus... "This option should certainly be considered", Mus said to Curio.

When Sokarus entered, drunk as always, Mus frowned... But then remebered his own entrance in the taberna and quickly changed his toughts. He welcomed Sokarus and offered him a glass of fine Falernian wine (actually it was fresh water from one of the aquaducts, but in his condition, Sokarus would never notice this).

Then Mus sat in silence for a while, drinking and thinking. Until Sokarus told him about his friends, and their offer. Mus immediately said to himself: "Another opportunity to let others solve my problem! Very nice..." He then handed Sokarus a wax tablet. "This is everything your freinds need to know about the boy; I will first let some scribae try to find him, or try to find some traces, and then your friends can goo and get him. There will be a nice reward for you and your friends." (Publius Mus, being a wealthy and rich man, knew this should be no problem).

Then Mus looked at Locatus, and asked: "Well, amice, what do you think of this nice and exclusive wine?"

[Quintus Aurelius Orcus]

Sokarus who is drinking of Falernian wine that Mus offered him. Even though he did taste funny, not like any wine he has ever drank but than again, he drinks more cheap alcohol: ale, beer, that sort of things. He did noticed the difference but didn't really think about it when drinking of it. It did helps him to sober up. Mus gives him the wax tablet containing everything he needed to know. He agreed with the deal that his scribae would try to find some trace of Drusus before letting his friends lose on him.' Thank you for the info, dear friend, but there is another thing we must discuss. As i already mentioned, these guys don't do this for free. Calling in a favor would only reside in lowering the pricebut for a wealthy man like you. It wouldn't be a big problem, right?'
Sokarus looks at him and than started to look around. He started to see people coming and going in the taberna. He wonders if this is the right time to go home. It as still early for him. It doesn't look like Mus and the rest have any problem staying awake or sober for that matter.

[Aldus Marius]

Marius spoke very little after the affair of the military salute; instead he remained deep in his tumbler of cream soda, watching gravely over the rim of the glass as he sipped, and listening...listening...to everything.

It had occured to him that he was out of his element here. He only really knew Curio; the rest were strangers except by reputation, and there were more people around this table now than he had really spoken to in over a year, across half of Western Europe. As the conversation hit its stride, it became clear that one of these companions was a rich man, a few held minor offices, and only one other besides himself and Curio had ever been out of Rome. These were denizens of the capital, political people, people aware of each others' fortunes, legal status and private lives. Such people were dangerous, in a way that his dogs could not defend against, and they usually meant ill towards people like Marius--the odd bits, the gypsies, the nonconformists; the powerless and impoverished. Indeed, the way that Locatus fellow was studying him, he felt like he was about to be thrust into a cage and kept on display for the amusement of someone's guest. "Look at the raggedy-man that still calls himself a Roman! He's as Roman as the wolves in the arena..."

Their imagined jeers were still ringing in his ears when the group seemed to come to some settlement about the missing boy. He ordered dinner, patiently explaining to the tavern-keeper's son how "barbecue" was prepared, and hoped for the best result.

All this gave him time to muster the courage to render his view of the Drusus solution: "Hand the whole thing over to a third party...? Not the way I would have handled it. Fides and all that... If a dying friend entrusted me to accomplish a task for him, I'd want to be sure it was done properly, which means I'd have to do it myself. Nothing wrong with paying a government flunkie to go through some records, mind--but it's hardly fair to collect the money at leisure when a bunch of other people have done all the actual work.

"But then, I s'pose you togate types hear the peasantry say that all the time. I'm nobody special either-- I have no personal interest in the money, or in the boy...but my opinion has been asked for, and you're getting it. Now if you'll excuse me..." then he grabbed Curio by the arm and whispered fiercely in his ear, "WHY have you brought me here??"