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Carthago! is a game by G.M., louisxiv just made a site for it.
Carthago! is a game by G.M., louisxiv just made a site for it.
Thu 5th February ’26
7:45pm for 8pm BST
From: Sammus’s Boast:
The Temple of Dionysius was manned, torches were burning and the High Priest, Palaemon, was busy making preparations. There was an open-air court with trees, shrubs and vines and I took the opportunity to practise with the harpe; it was surprisingly light and well-balanced and although patinaed with age, it was remarkably clear of marks or notches and sharp enough to shave hair. I rested for an hour or two to prepare for the ordeal to come.
Mago spent some time examining the manacles, working out how best to open them. It seemed to be an alloy of silver and another harder metal. There were square headed pins or screws, and he thought he would be able to unscrew them, but it would be very difficult indeed for Toxoanassa if she were wearing them. There was a long trailing chain. It was old and well-worn and there were quite a few pounds of silver in it. As she contemplated the chain and thought about just how big the jaws of the Ketos had been, Toxoanassa complained that Amphius hadn’t clearly explained the role of Andromeda to her.
Amphius bravely volunteered to be my shield bearer and went back to the ship, to collect his large Hoplite shield, along with some incendiary ammunition. On board he explained to Magus that we were going to take part in a ceremony where the priest of Dionysius would use the tale of Perseus and Andromeda and summon the sea monster and we were to kill it. Magus was surprised to learn that Toxoanassa had agreed to be Andromeda, but less so that I would be Perseus. Magus agreed to come along and watch but expressed his concern at the plight of Toxoanassa. When he and Amphius returned to the temple Magus was wearing a splendid bronze helmet. It was old and impressive, with a high plume, and cheekpieces and whirls in which Poseidon and sea creatures were cast. He also wore linothorax armour and greaves. With them were accompanied by Shemesh the Egyptian and one of his Greek mercenaries.
By now a large congregation of men and women had appeared. They were well dressed; the men wearing cloaks and the women all in scanty Greek dresses. As more and more arrived the men were all given torches and not long before dawn, bronze chains and manacles were given to every woman. Toxoanassa looked particularly beautiful in her chiton and her necklace; maybe she had make-up on, but I suspected, part of it was the glamour of the necklace.
Then large kraters of wine were brought out. Toxoanassa was the first to be served and then me. The wine was the best I had drunk since Kuku. With difficulty I managed not to drink so deeply that it might impair me for the trial I would face. The wine was passed on around the congregation, but I noticed my comrades refrained from partaking. Magus was taking a keen interest in all that was going on, and I saw him whispering his concerns to Agripinus, who seemed to be reassuring him. All too soon a faint light could be seen in the Eastern sky.
The temple courtyard was full as the procession set out, led by Palaemon with Toxoanassa/Andromeda beside him and then myself/Perseus with Amphius close behind, as my shield bearer. Behind me I could see the men holding their torches high and the women carrying bronze chains over their shoulders. The whole congregation were singing as we marched out. Agripinus was a few rows back and not far behind him were Si'aspiqo and Magus, but I saw no sign of Mago.
We wended our way a few hundred yards and heard the sea on both sides. The sky to the east had the first tinges of grey light. We followed the path along a narrow strip of land up to a rocky outcrop on which was set the low tower of the lighthouse. The crowd formed a large circle lit by torches, just below the lighthouse, and a choir of singing women waved their chains while a priest passed around them with a bowl. As Perseus I felt excited but slightly disconnected from what was happening and it seemed Toxoanassa as Andromeda had similar feelings.
Palaemon and two torch-bearers descended some steps or notches cut into the rock down towards the sea a dozen yards below and intoned loudly in Greek. He danced back up the stairs and took Toxoanassa/Andromeda by the chain and indicated Amphius and me/Perseus were to follow. Amphius stumbled near the bottom of the rough broken steps and ended on the edge of a tidal pool. Toxoanassa/Andromeda also almost fell and was held up by Palaemon. As we descended there was a surge above us as the crowd tried to get near the edge above for a better view.
Toxoanassa/Andromeda was manacled at the wrists and Palaemon linked the silver chain through a bronze ring set in a pillar of rock close to the edge of the tidal pool. The crowd above were singing and Palaemon shrieked out to sea in Ancient Greek maybe calling to Poseidon. Amphius set up his large shield on a stand in easy reach. The tide was out but was coming back in and dawn was close.
I learnt later that at this point Agripinus had prayed for a blessing on Toxoanassa. Si'aspiqo had found a little space off to one side of the crowd where there wasn’t such a good view, but where he was just close enough to target spells and had invoked a luck spell on himself and made ready to cast his protections.
Suddenly Toxoanassa/Andromeda called out a warning and I/Perseus saw ripples in the water. There was a rushing surge so fast that I/Perseus had no time to react and the Ketos hurled itself at the rock. Toxoanassa/Andromeda tried to dodge in her chains, but the massive teeth ripped her dress to rags, and she was left bleeding from several gashes; so nearly she missed being grabbed in the huge jaws. I/Perseus launched an all-out attack and cut deeply into the beast with the harpe and set it bleeding too, while the Ketos lunged from the pool and missed its bite at me. The harpe was much easier to wield than I had imagined and was obviously extremely sharp from the way it bit into the scaly hide of the monstrous beast.
Toxoanassa/Andromeda tried to keep away from the Ketos as best she could but was tightly held by the silver chains. Amphius drew two shortswords and by an effort of will overcame the fear exerted by the Ketos – it was not a problem for Toxoanassa/Andromeda and I/Perseus, undoubtedly because of the wine of Dionysios. Meanwhile Agripinus had invoked his arcane weapon and Si'aspiqo cast a spell against evil on Toxoanassa/Andromeda. I/Perseus struck deeply into the long neck of the Ketos once more with the two-handed harpe but missed with another blow as did Amphius with both his shortswords – but our luck held as so did the Ketos. At this point the arcane blade of Agripinus appeared as a sparkle in the air, but it too missed its mark.
Using his arts, Si'aspiqo had now cast his protection from evil on me. Maybe as a result the beast turned on Amphius as the Greek stabbed at it with his shortsword, but it missed yet again and I/Perseus struck deeply into the Ketos. Streaming with dark blood, the beast lunged at Amphius, who dodged but stumbled and the rows of sharp teeth in the massive jaws took a bite, as I/Perseus struck leaving a wound across the great face of the Ketos. Amphius too was now bleeding. I/Perseus struck another great blow, and it started to retreat into the water, but I/Perseus followed hacking into it with the harpe. Truly it might be a gift from the old Greek gods, for the Ketos collapsed in a pool of ichor and Amphius thrust his shortsword into its shuddering body.
I/Perseus hacked off the head with several more blows and could hear the crowd cheering wildly above. I/Perseus turned to them and waved in triumph. The sound of Palaemon singing the praises of Poseidon and Perseus resounded. One of the first to come down towards us was Magus, closely followed by Agripinus. Palaemon used a spanner to undo the bolts and release Toxoanassa and Magus assisted her away from the rock. Between Amphius and me we managed to drag the head out of the water. It was huge, with masses of large white teeth – dozens of pieces of ivory.
Agripinus carried out some healing and made sure Toxoanassa and Amphius’s wounds were cleaned. Soon Mago appeared – he was in worse shape than Toxoanassa and Amphius, as he was muddy and battered, having been trampled by the crowd in all their celebrations. I was unscratched. Agripinus spent some time healing Mago too.
With the help of some of the bronze chains, the crowd helped carry the huge head back into town. It was deposited at the foot of the Curia, an important looking civic building in the centre of the town where the people of Leptis came to marvel at the massive, scarred head with impressive teeth. There was an assembly in the city square where speeches of acknowledgment were made mainly in Greek. We were given our promised reward of four talents of silver (400gp) and were told we could take the head of the Ketos away with us.
Palaemon invited us to take part in a ceremony of thanksgiving and a celebration involving more wine than I could remember took place. The next I knew it was the next morning, and the ship was already heading out to sea. Magus had avoided the party and had made sure that the head of the Ketos had been loaded on board, where it was now set up at the prow, and he had made all preparations for a rapid departure.
I saw that Toxoanassa had made it back safely and she was now wrapped in a fine cloth blanket and being offered a cool water by Magus. The rest of my comrades were all safely aboard too, all with hangovers and only Mago and Amphius could remember getting back aboard the ship.
Party & company:
Met: (named persons)
Places:
Party Loot:
From: Sammus’s Boast:
As we sailed out of the harbour on 12th September, there was a light south-westerly wind, which helped to leave and then after half an hour it swung to come from the west, and we sailed east along the coast. The crew were looking forward to getting to Leptis as it was a fun place to visit. We sailed on quietly for two days and Magus decided to sail on for the second night as it was a clear starlit night with some moonlight, so that we would arrive promptly at Leptis the following day. During the night we saw lights well off to the south which Magus told us was Oya, a small formerly Greek settlement, now called Oyet by Carthaginians.
The 14th September was cloudy and grey with a cool, light wind from the north. After half an hour the wind backed to come from the west, and we sailed on along the coast. Si'aspiqo spotted seabirds ahead and then large and active fish jumping out of the water. Suddenly something very large with huge jaws jumped out of the water and engulfed one of the large fish. Si'aspiqo shouted “Ketos”, and asked permission to track it with a cantrip. He tried using his fetish of a tooth from a previous Ketos, but realised this was a different type. The Ketos appeared again and it did not have the long snaky neck of the one we had encountered previously. It did seem armoured with scales and its jaws were filled with dangerous looking teeth.
The Ketos bumped the side of the ship, but not as hard as the previous Ketos. This Ketos though was still huge, with enormous jaws. Amphius, Toxoanassa and Mago tried to strike it with missiles, but only Amphius was successful, hitting it twice. Agripinus summoned his arcane weapon and struck the beast too. The Ketos sounded and didn’t come back again. Magus put up the small sail on the Artemon and we sailed on, soon approaching a lighthouse on a peninsular. We could see stone buildings a couple of miles inland. There was quite a lot of flotsam and jetsam as we approached, maybe a fishing boat had been smashed to smithereens. A little bit of rowing was needed and Amphius, Agripinus and I joined with the rowing, not without some problems for my comrades, who almost lost their oars. Leptis had a harbour with a narrow entrance between two peninsulas and a shallow lagoon between. Small boats offered to help tow us in, but Magus declined. We were directed where to moor. There was a small, stone quay occupied by another ship, so we had to drop anchor in the lagoon.
There was a large cluster of quite impressive stone buildings, which Amphius said were Greek. There was a citadel with wall and gate which encircled most of the impressive stone buildings and the lagoon. The gate led into the rest of the town where the market was. Apparently, most people here spoke both Greek and Punic. The rest of the crew wanted to go ashore in the evening, but Mago and Agripinus went to investigate Leptis in the afternoon. They heard the town crier proclaiming a reward of 4 talents of silver (400gp) for the head of the Ketos. They made their way to the market, where Mago was offered a large black and white striped hide, which was claimed to be that of a unicorn, brought here from far into the interior. Mago was sceptical of the unicorn claim, but it was a good and unusual hide all the same and he bought it for 18gp. They explored the collection of stone buildings and saw a Baths, a Palaestra or wrestling school, and a Greek gymnasium. Agripinus asked if there were slaves for sale anywhere and was pointed to the Stoa, which was a covered colonnaded area next to a large building in the formal area of the town.
They returned to the ship and reported what they had found. Mago showed his hide and Si'aspiqo said that he had seen similar hides before from the African interior. It looked like the hide of a black and white striped horse and Toxoanassa was very interested in it.
I went into town with Amphius in the evening along with much of the crew. We saw a Greek theatre, although it was closed that evening. We found a Greek wine bar and had some olives and wine. Amphius heard a rumour that the temple of Dionysius was seeking a new Perseus and Andromeda to kill the Ketos. Any interested should attend the temple at dusk the following day. Plenty were willing to tell what they knew of the beast. Apparently, it had been there for several weeks, and four fishing boats had been eaten. All bemoaned the terrible luck. We heard that there were mutterings amongst the Carthaginians, something religious, that the temple of Melkart might know more about.
We found the Nymphaeum, a temple where there was a water shrine to Greek Gods, Goddesses and Nymphs associated with the sea. A small river led into the town where the shrine was. There was an old, ruined temple on one of the peninsulas, that had been to Zeus and other Olympians. The Greeks made signs against evil, when it was mentioned and we suspected that it was thought to be haunted. I enjoyed more wine and resisted the temptation of what Amphius referred to as flute and lyre girls, who smiled enticingly.
We went back to the Nymphaeum passing the Palaestra, through lanes and alleys to a small open-air temple and shrine. It was closed and so was the gate when we got there. We were told that a bell had rung just before midnight to notify everyone, but we were able to pay 10sp to go through and then hired a boatman to row us back to the ship.
The next morning, 15th September, Amphius went to the Nymphaeum to worship, Agripinus went in search of the temple of Tanit, while Mago took Toxoanassa to the market in search of another unicorn hide.
Agripinus soon found the temple of Tanit. There was an older smaller temple next to it, which might have been Greek but was now dedicated to Baal. The town was abuzz with talk of the Ketos, which was blighting the fishing trade, there were lots of prayers being offered to save the place from the Ketos, but the priest of Tanit, felt this was more Melkart’s area. Agripinus said a few prayers to Tanit and mentioned to the priest that his ship had been bumped by the Ketos on the way here. Next to the temples to Tanit and Baal was a Greek temple to Dionysius. There were Greek baths to the north outside the city walls near to the sea, which used heated sea water and Agripinus visited these before returning to the ship.
Mago and Toxoanassa went to the market, where Mago found someone selling ostrich feathers, and someone else selling red gems. There was no sign of the trader who had sold the striped hide. Mago thought some of the gems were of good quality. The trader gave a long story of transport from fabled Kush across the desert and Mago bought what he thought were the best half of the gems for 50gp.
Amphius found a lot of smaller shrines at the Nymphaeum along with a larger one to Poseidon. He donated 20gp for a sacrifice. He asked for blessing and good fortune at sea and for his contribution was taken to quite a few shrines, daubed with scented oils and allowed to join in multiple prayers with the priestess. He talked to her about the Ketos and she told him that the town was haunted by ill luck. A demon from the deep had been visited on them as a curse she thought. She was awaiting developments, but Palaemon, the High Priest of Dionysius had a plan and was looking for a new Perseus and Andromeda. It was currently perilous to come and go from harbour. She thought that the Gods were telling Amphius to stay ashore for a little while. She did not know why there was a curse but had heard that Carthaginian worshippers of Melkart knew more and had a story to tell. She warned Amphius that she saw danger in his path ahead.
The ship was moved to the quay as provisions were loaded aboard. We discussed how to deal with the Ketos and looked around the harbour for other suitable vessels. There was a light warship, a scouting trireme on a slip. It had a ram. Mago thought it was for harbour defence, and dealing with pirates, or could be sent get more help. Naval squadrons probably called here from time to time. There was also a small trading ship and lots of fishing vessels.
We spoke to Magus to see what he knew and what those of us who were part of his crew would be permitted to do. He had heard that the Ketos was a large problem for the town, and the locals thought it had been sent as a curse. He did not know what it would do when we left but thought it more likely to attack on leaving than arriving. He was happy for us to go and see what the temple plan was. It was our business if we did this while the ship was in port. He feared the weather was changing, and that therefore the ship might not leave tomorrow and might be here some time. He needed to time to consider. He told us if there was anything he could do to help us, he would.
I geared up with chainmail, weapons and bling, Agripinus wore his new armour and Amphius had donned new Spartan armour. All apart from Toxoanassa were in their battle gear, but she wore a Greek robe and Amphius’s necklace. There were whistles when the crew saw us and calls of: “Look at them!” We set out before dusk and headed for the Temple of Dionysius. People stopped and stared as we went through the town and guards made way for us as we stated our destination. We were greeted by High Priest Palaemon, who intoned loudly to the sky in archaic Greek. He then said: “Greetings several Perseus’s and you are Andromeda, as called and prayed for”. He told how the Ketos cursed the town and was an agent of darkness, then related how a vision had reminded him of the story of Perseus and Andromeda.
He told how Andromeda should wait on the shore at dawn and the Ketos would be summoned and then slain using the holy harpe of Zeus. He told us he would bless our endeavour. He went inside and returned with a very large and unusual sickle-shaped sword some 5 feet long. It had a two-handed handle and a strange, grey-black, curved blade. Palaemon explained that it was an artifact from the wars of the Olympians against the Titans.
I felt the role of Perseus was my own, but Amphius was keen to try the blade; he could lift it, but it was too heavy for him to wield. I hefted it; it was a strange shape, looking like a sickle on top of a pole, but it was surprisingly well balanced and very sharp. So sharp, that I inadvertently cut my finger. Si'aspiqo asked permission to cast magic and Palaemon agreed telling the Kushite that he could not harm it. Si'aspiqo did not know who or what had made this, but it was intended to kill, and it felt very cold indeed and spooky.
Agripinus cast an augury, asking if this venture would have the blessing of Tanit, and would she bless it and he felt her agreement. Palaemon told us to go to the lighthouse and the pools there before dawn. He produced some silver chains for Toxoanassa in her role as Andromeda. Mago inspected them and saw they had a screw pin – he thought he could undo them in a round or two.
It began raining around midnight and the wind began to rise.
Party & company:
Met: (named persons)
Places:
Party Loot: —
From: Sammus’s Boast:
Late on the afternoon of 5th September we sailed into the harbour of Thapsis. There was a small Punic settlement, surrounded by a fence rather than a wall with tribal Numidian huts outside. Amphius, Agripinus, Magus and I went ashore and tried some olives and fresh fish.
The next morning the Carthaginian family offloaded their belongings onto a cart and disappeared into the settlement. Magus had the remaining cargo and gear rearranged and 20 very large, heavy amphorae were hoisted aboard and stored, which took most of the day. The ship’s water barrels were also refilled. Three Greeks came on board; Euphemos, his son Nikias and another man called Leon. The amphorae were their cargo. Amphius, Mago and I went ashore again and just before we left, Magus had a quiet word with Amphius suggesting that if he had the opportunity, he should comment on how much he was looking forward to seeing Berenice, which in reality we would bypass.
The morning of 7th September the wind was from east of south, which was the wrong direction and the crew started by rowing. Soon the wind veered to come from almost directly west and we sailed east on a light wind into open water.
The next day was fair, with decent wind from the west. We began by sailing south and tacking, but the wind soon veered and we sailed south out of sight of land. Around midday, Magus set out a board with pieces like a chess set and a few short poles of different heights. After fiddling with it for a short time, he seemed satisfied and we sailed on until dusk. Magus intended to sail on very slowly with just a small sail on the artemon for the night, but Amphius suggested he might put on more sail, and he would watch from the bows. Magus had a larger sail hoisted on the artemon and Amphius kept watch.
Suddenly during the second half of the night there was a heavy bump on the port side of the ship and two people fell overboard, off the starboard side. Si'aspiqo cast a cantrip and thought it was a Ketos, a very large sea monster like a whale. There was a surge in the water and Amphius saw the flukes of a huge fish on the starboard side. “Ketos”, shouted Si'aspiqo and pointed down and kept tracking the creature with his cantrip. Amphius also shouted a warning and then he threw a rope to where one of the sailors was thrashing in the water. The sailor grabbed the rope and Amphius and I hauled him back on board. As we did so we heard a gurgling cry and a splash off in the sea to starboard. It sounded like the Ketos had taken the other sailor. Agripinus started to sing a hymn to Tanit, after a few coughs, he sang out loud and clear and we all felt encouraged.
Toxoanassa was peering into the dark with a bow but could see no target. Si'aspiqo held his Ketos tooth and cast a spell to try to charm the creature, but it had no noticeable effect. Amphius called on Magus to put on more sail and move on.
There was a big bump from the port side at the bows of the ship. A few people fell but no-one went overboard. Si'aspiqo muttered again and there was a swirl from the deep, but nothing poked out of the water. Diogenes called the blue watch sailors to the mast and Amphius help them in hauling up the mainsail. Agripinus summoned the light of Tanit and shone his orb out onto the sea. Amphius was dazzled but kept hauling up the sail.
Si'aspiqo pointed off into the sea and a huge, armoured head poked out of the water and then recoiled from the light and sounded. Maybe the magician’s spell had some effect after all? It struck the water with its tail as it descended into the sea. Soon the sail was fully raised, and the ship began to gather way. There were some cries of confusion and fear, but a space formed around the priest as he pointed his light out where the Ketos had sounded. Once the ship gathered speed, Magus called archers to the helm to cover the stern. The Hippocampus surged through the wine dark sea leaving the Ketos behind.
At dawn on 9th September Magus took stock. There was a small leak in the bows, which had been plugged with some rags, and the crew mourned the loss of a comrade. Agripinus had healed anyone injured when the ship had been buffeted. Magus congratulated Amphius and I on hauling in a sailor and thanked Agripinus for his healing, and the holy light that had discouraged the Ketos. He was glad that we were not far from Sebrata where he could have the leak properly repaired. He did say that the Ketos had seemed particularly angry, which was somewhat of an ill omen, but it had been sent back to the deep.
Late in the afternoon there was a call of “Land ho!”, and soon we could see the coast ahead of us. As dusk started to fall Amphius could not make out the lights of Sebrata, and as we were near the shore, we hove to for the night. During the night Amphius noticed a passenger come up from below and wander to the side of boat. He seemed to just stand there for a minute and then started to climb over the side. Amphius leapt forward and grabbed him before he went overboard. It was Nikias, who babbled something in Greek about someone singing beautifully. Diogenes asked if any on deck had heard any singing, which we had not. He muttered about spirits from deep – and made a sign against evil.
Soon after, Amphius spotted a little brightness off to the west, which he thought was probably the lights of a settlement. Diogenes said the wind was in wrong direction, and Amphius should just keep an eye on the lights.
The golden fingers of dawn spread over the horizon accompanied by a breeze from the southwest, which twisted slightly after some muttering from Magus. The ship then tacked westwards to Sebrata, arriving late on the morning of 10th September. There was a less impressive harbour here with no breakwater, and a wooden quay. Some ships probably beached rather than mooring. There was a larger settlement with more buildings some in the Greek style architecture. There was also a township that might have been Numidian, although the houses were different than those we had seen before.
Amphius, Mago and I went ashore and walked through a marketplace with fresh water flowing into it. There were some kind of shrine and a Greek temple and baths. Amphius and Magus were keen to use the baths, and I joined them and had my hair and beard trimmed. When we dressed again, Amphius noticed that 5gp had been stolen from his purse. When he remonstrated with the owner, pointing out that this was not good for repeat business, the owner shrugged saying he was very disappointed but disreputable people did come through here and these things happened.
In the centre of the settlement there was a shrine to Serapis, of whom none of us had heard, and another to Isis, an Egyptian Goddess. The Greek temple was for multiple Greek Gods with a special shrine to Hercules, whose stories sounded a little like those of a Gallic hero. We found bread and plenty of olives to eat and then on to a bar before returning to the ship before midnight.
Magus decided to stay another day and do some trading in the marketplace. He also replenished the fresh water supplies. Amphius bought a scroll of Greek poetry at the market and Mago bought some pieces of ivory. The crew rowed the Hippocampus out of harbour on a fair morning on 12th September. Magus had decided to try to make directly for Leptis which would be halfway from Carthage to Cyrene.
Party & company:
Met:
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Party Loot: —
I set as the era the year of the accession of the Pharaoh Ptolemy II, son of Ptolemy, so we begin in the year 18 of that reign, and I use a simplified system of twelve months with no regard for the multiple systems of intercalary days, weeks, months or moons of our own various cultures nor those we have passed through. I shall use the month names used by the main story-teller, a Gaul, Sammus the Strong, but number them to disambiguate their order.
–Si'aspiqo