DATELINE: DATELINE: NONES APRILLIS 1230 – SCENE 01 – whilst the Custodes in Roma are meeting with the blind priest of Apollo, Herotius Octavius, Faustus enters the city of Tarracina disguised as a celebrant, hoping to escape any additional notice. His goal is to make it to the Cohors Arcana castra and report in to Gallus Valens, the Tribune in Tarracina. Even through the thick smoke and incense, the steep mountain path leading to the Sanctuary of Jupiter carved into the mountain rock can be clearly seen watching over the bustling port.

Faustus is making his way through the crowded streets when he feels the telltale bump of someone picking his purse. He turns to see a young woman running the other direction through the crowd. Faustus gives chase and stops short when he sees her run into an alley and meeting with three young men, street toughs. One of the men seems to be upset with the woman and backhands her hard enough to go reeling. Faustus approaches the men and their leader, the one that struck the woman, says that his “sister” is always doing things like this and that he is glad the man made it to them so he can return the goods she stole. Faustus looks at the girl, but she doesn’t make eye contact, she simply sits sullen on the ground with her hand to her cheek.

Faustus sizes up the street toughs and decides that killing them would not be worth the attention it would draw. The young man tells Faustus that he is terribly sorry and that for his trouble, he can have a token that he was told comes from a tomb far to the north. Faustus accepts the coin and leaves the men, looking for a Centurian he can report them to as tomb robbing is strictly forbidden.

When Faustus finds a Centurian, he pulls out the coin but it looks like the young man pulled a trick on him and swapped it out when he placed it into his palm; now Faustus simply holds an ancient, pitted copper planchette. The Centurian warns Faustus about cutpurses who pray on celebrants during festivals. Faustus pockets the planchette and tells the Centurian to forget about it.

SCENE 02 – When he arrives at the castra, Faustus is introduced to Farnax, a priest of Apollo. Gallus Valens tells Faustus that he is to go with Farnax to the temple of Jupiter where they will meet with other Custodes coming in from Roma. He is to accompany Farnax on a mission of great importance to Emporer Theodomir himself.

DATELINE: 8 IDES APRILLIS – SCENE 03 – When the Custodes arrive at Tarracina at sundown, they part company with Festus, who goes on ahead to secure lodging; they are anxious to get to the temple of Jupiter.

As they approach the winding stairway that leads to the temple sanctuary, they see a scene before them: a richly dressed man and woman are with a young woman, very pregnant, sat upon an ass. They cannot hear what the family is saying but the man is very upset and strikes the young woman hard enough to knock her off her mount.

The Custodes spring into action immediately and whilst Neferisa tends to the young girl, Aristo and Naram of Baylonia confront the man, who is Septimus, a powerful merchant. Septimus tells the Custodes that his daughter was impregnated by a boy in the city and he is taking her to the sanctuary where she can enter service of Jupiter and not shame her family.

Things get heated between the Custodes and Septimus and they place him under arrest, which he scoffs at. They discover a medallion around his neck which contains a fat man with big ears sitting cross-legged. There is writing in unreadable characters around the medallion etched into the metal. Septimus explains that the medallion was given to him by a business contact from the Far East and that it has no religious significance, it’s just a sign of good fortune, but he is not a believer. The Custodes accuse him of being allied with a forbidden cult and escort the entire family up the mountain.

SCENE 04- On their way up the mountain, Septimus’ daughter, Acca, tells Neferisa how she came to be pregnant — she claims she was visited upon by an incubus and that is how the father of the child is.

SCENE 05 – When the Custodes arrive at the sanctuary, they are greeted by a priest named Octavius, who knows Septimus. The Custodes release Septimus into Octavius’ custody and he takes the family away to see what happened on the pathway to the sanctuary.

SCENE 06 – Once inside the temple proper, the Custodes meet Farnax, who explains their mission: they are to protect the life of the Sibylla, whom the Emporer fears is in great danger. They are to leave at first light to the Sibylla’s cave in Cumae to the south.