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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.
Thursday 5th November ’26
7:45pm for 8:00pm BST
From: Si'aspiqo’s wheeze:
Once the initial hullabaloo of the watch and ambassadorial arrivals died down Agripinus brought Tanit’s grace to bear on the drug that incapacitated us, which improved matters. Toxoanassa, Mago and Amphius were irritatingly springy once Tanit bestowed her mercy upon them. Perhaps I had had more wine than I’d thought for I was still a bit ‘morning after’. Bleah. Agripinus, not wishing to try Tanit’s patience too often, left Mery sailing on Ra’s Barque. The young fellow probably needed his sleep.
When dawn arrived the guards were still with us and swooped on the two regular domestic staff when the arrived, on suspicion of poisoning. There was weeping, wailing, denials and pleas for mercy. One of the women was on her knees before Agripinus begging him directly, in something close to the Punic tongue, to save her as an innocent and a true worshipper of Ba’al, Tanit and Melqart.
It was to no avail, for Agripinus had no authority over the palace guard, whom I suspected would quickly torture a confession out of one or both, for all the good that would do us. A quick word to Agripinus, as the wails faded into the distance, set him to suggest, diplomatically, to Harpalus, who did have authority, that
After some debate Agripinus persuaded Harpalus and the guards to allow me to use what they called “Persian” methods of interrogation on the two domestic staff. Persian?! Ha! Is it ’coz I is black? But I said nothing out loud. Diplomatic, you see.
While the debate was going on, Diophanes and Sammus returned from their vigil at the temple of Melquart-Herakles. We handed Sammus a dropped bag of loot easily identifiable as from his baggage by familiar things like the cobra circlet. Agripinus and Diophanes had each lost small but heavy chests. Diophanes seemed unbothered, Agripinus perhaps less so. It seemed the thieves had found and plundered the unoccupied bedroom Agripinus, Sammus and Diophanes would have been sharing then were interrupted by my shouts before they turned to investigating the snores of Mery and Mago in the second bedroom, or Toxonassa on the balcony.
Regarding the domestic staff in a dank and dingy dungeon; I was able to encourage, in the name of Aset (Isis), the two women to answer truthfully and without reservation, despite their stressful circumstances, and thus to dismiss them from suspicion to my satisfaction. There was no hint of deception nor signs of knowledge of any plot. It seemed to me that torture could only bring false confessions. I reported so to Agripinus and the guards.
Back at the accommodation Harpalus called on Agripinus again a little later and handed over the intriguing little wrist-light we’d noticed on the dead thief’s arm, just before he’d been carried away. It was a bronze, crystal and leather construction, redolent of cunning Greek artificers and attracted Mago’s particular technical interest. A very professional tool for a burglar and likely not cheap.
Harpalus also brought news that a member of the wider domestic staff was missing this morning, one Otis. Enquiries, he said, were being made. I mused that were I a ruthless palace plotter I might arrange a random disappearance as a diversion… but we should wait for evidence. I didn’t wait to suggest that if wider enquiries are being made it would be interesting, perhaps, to discover who assigned Agripinus’s party to this particular residence on the vulnerable exterior of the palace complex.
We then spent time establishing what we had to work with and what we knew. While I had been inclined to blame something in the wine for our intoxication, the others reckoned the wine was, is, fine, but there was an exotic, strongly-spiced fish dish, of which nothing remains, that could have been the cover for whatever it was laid us low; certainly we had all eaten of it.
To further investigation, we had to hand:
All these pertained to not just the dead thief, I reasoned, but likely a gang, an association, similarly equipped – for I remember several small lights, even allowing for seeing double – from the same sources, all joined together for a mission. Could I perhaps draw on all these factors? This could not be a detection, I had no applicable spell for such a vague target and likely not the reach, but perhaps a seeking of signs and portents might guide me in a fortunate direction to make enquiries?
First pointer. So, with the Hermes token, the wrist light on the bloody cloth I called for good fortune in the hunt and then for a Sign to some common link, a source, a home… and tossed down my divining teeth. Their pattern directed me towards the stairs to the roof. To ensure I missed nothing I further called on Djehuty, He who is like the Ibis, whom the Greeks name Thoth, to Reveal Secrets to me, that I might miss no clue.
The intricacy and craftsmanship of the wrist light had my full attention; this was no petty, insignificant thing. The Hermes token was not significant in Djehuty’s sight. Ascending to the rooftop I found an overlooked caltrop lodged in a corner. The hooked-on escape ropes Amphius reported had been removed by the guards, but there were some faint, fine scratch marks on the balustrade, likely from the grapple for the initial ascent from the gardens below by the scratch pattern. Beyond the gardens, the bulk of the temple of Melqart was obvious in my sight.
(It should be said that even without the assistance of Djehuty/Thoth there was also long track of the guards’ sandal-prints leading towards that temple after the alarm and investigations in the night.)
Agripinus closeted himself in a room and sought further guidance from Tanit. To him she revealed that the people involved and the stolen chests were still within the walls of Tyre not, as he had feared, passed across the causeway to the coast.
It occurred to us that despite our first inclination to assign blame to Melqart’s machionations, the temple is a large structure[1], and much of the city lies beyond it – Melqart might just be in line of sight of our true target, when looking from our roof top. So, with Mago and Toxoanassa to look after me in case I became distracted from my surroundings as I worked, we took to the streets to look at the problem from another angle. We initially thought to take a boat around the island city would be the quickest method, but the stiff breeze from the south-west and the white tops to the waves dissuaded us.
Second pointing. So we went up onto the walls. As I worked my cantrip, facing into the city with the southwest wind at my back, the divination twigs were blown from my hand, spinning just slightly more northerly of Melqart’s fane than the direct path of the wind would suggest.
Third pointing. By the east, landward, gate is a statue of Alexander and an inscription celebrating his building of the causeway to the coast. A muttered incantation hidden, I hoped, by gestures of worshipful respect to the God-Emperor, brought an eddy in the wind to snatch a sheaf of small straws from my hand, whirled them up and then scattered them away towards the west. An indication towards, but perhaps slightly aside from, the Temple.
Fourth pointing. At the north end of the city-island is the Tomb of Agenor, an ancient king of the Phoenician city. There were people praying to the city-god, so with a sacrifice of a few silver coins I joined them to ask for his favour for my quest. In answer the wind swirled some loosely held threads of cloth around the monument to fall behind us, to the south.
Fifth pointing. Feeling we must be closing on our goal I asked my companions to guide my footsteps south as I focussed, with Djehuty’s assistance. A small roadside shrine to a Phoenician goddess caught my attention. Well worn, unrecognisable, she still merited a small, dusty, drying garland of flowers. A few minutes diversion to the stalls of a nearby market gave us refreshments for ourselves and I could make an offering to the little goddess: wine and a fresh garland, then asked for her favour in my seeking. Which I undertook there and then with some offcuts from the flower garland. The wind gusted, carrying the cuttings up and up and landing them on the roof of a nearby tenement, carefully noted by Mago and Toxoanassa. The little goddess got a further thank-you of wine.
We returned to the palace apartment by mid-afternoon to hear the news from Harpalus via Agripinus that the missing servant ‘Otis’ does not, in fact, exist. No one of his name or description is known where he supposedly lived. He had served in the palace staff for at least a year.
Aside: Diophanes commented that the Temple of Melqart, where he and Sammus were praying at the shrine of Herakles all night, was large, a dark place for a dark power, with the voice of Herakles far away and no prayers to Zeus there.
Date: 20 Ptolemy II: April 08
The party & company:
Met: (named persons)
Places:
Party Loot:
Party Resources
From: Si'aspiqo’s wheeze:
(The day after the new moon.)
The dawn wind was light, but adverse, so I was again asked to beg Kymopoleia to grant us her Favour of an adjustment of its direction, calling the wind Notos from the south to replace Caecias’ northerly-of-eastern breath.
We saw first a merchant galley coming from the southeast likely hugging the coast on its way north, soon the coast itself, then hints of the smokes of a great city. Late in the afternoon our ramship entered a harbour at the south-eastern side of the walled island city of Tyre. We could see the famous causeway running some half a mile from the coast to the city walls – built by Alexander for his siege, seven decades ago.
After a sharp left turn on entering the merchant Harbour of Egypt, we came to dock in the southwest corner, divided off by breakwaters forming the military harbour: a few warships, but no merchant vessels.
We encountered the infamous stench of cooking, rotting sea-life, attendant to the production of the famous purple dye, which hung over the city and alongside the walls. I was almost inclined to beg Kymopoleia for a breath of relief, but it seemed the natives did not heed the smell; so best to sniff deeply and numb the senses…
Seeking distraction from the one sense, we tried to concentrate on the others. There were the cries and bustle of a busy marketplace over the nearby city wall, in which were visible a large public gate and a smaller, closer one we were told was the military gate to which we would disembark. We waited. And waited. That disembarkation was delayed until dusk. There was no word, but it seemed likely this was some ploy of security by obscurity. Carts and escorts arrived with the twilight when the ship’s captain, Diomedes the Navigator, came to thank Agripinus for my assistance with the wind and wish him and his party well.
Various Greek soldiery escorted us ashore, straight through the darkened market quarter to the citadel-palace, then through a maze of internal alleyways to our accommodation. Agripinus relayed from Xanthippus that arrangements for onward travel would take a few days, so this was our stop-over. He enjoined us not to speak of our further mission; we were here as his, Agripinus’, entourage of guards and advisors as he made pilgrimage to the places of origin of the Punic race. We were free to go into the city while he was making formal visits to the great temple of Melqart and other significant sites, and generally give the impression we were visitors, soon to return to Alexandria and Carthage. There was a curfew; we could come and go from the citadel by day but must be back by at dusk. Seeking to return after dusk would involve long waits for verification by Commander Xanthippus personally. We all saw that he was not likely to be happy, nor speedy, if that came to pass…
Our accommodation: A flimsy door from an alley on the edge of the citadel complex opened to a three room apartment: two bedrooms, one close to the entrance, another up stairs, and a large common room in the form of a Greek andron with a ‘U’ of couches around a large crater of watered wine. A door from the common room opened onto an enclosed balcony, with shutters, overlooking a strip of open ground dotted with olive trees and herb bushes. Stairs up from the common room gave access to the second bedroom and a rooftop terrace directly over the balcony, looking over the open ground and the tops of the olive trees.
An evening meal, a deīpnon, of bread, oil, cheese, olives, garlic, fish, dates and nuts was prepared by domestic staff in the small cooking area off the common room, while we argued over who slept where and where to stash our bags and bundles. Though we were travelling ‘light’ with only a pair of saddlebags each, eight of us and the capacious bags were a bit crowded in two bedrooms. Toxoanassa relieved the pressure somewhat when she nobly volunteered to camp out on the balcony. So some bags were stashed there and others in corners of the common room. Agripinus, Sammus and Diophanes shared the ground floor bedroom, Mago, Mery and I had the upstairs bedroom and Amphius notionally took the doorkeeper’s stool for a night watch place then could sleep where he chose by day.
(After that night I resolved to sleep on my blanket on a common room couch, and what matter if I’m woken at the pre-dawn by the arrival of the domestics. Ha! Little did I anticipate…)
Agripinus went to make show of Taking-In the Roots of Ancient Punicity. Sammus and Diophanes were away for, I assumed, Manly Rites at the Great Temple of Melqart, whom the Macedonians see as Herakles.
(There is some discussion of the opinion of ‘true’ Greeks on this point, but if Diophanes is agreeable to the theology I’m not inclined to disagree with him and his Patron…).
Mago and I took a stroll around the South and North markets, he with an eye to trade, remarking on purple-dyed and other luxury textiles, glassware of remarkable clarity, garon – a fermented fish paste (with almost no apparent odour, here), woodworking from shipbuilding on down to simple timber export, smith-work from tools to weapons to fine jewellery. Meanwhile I mostly took in the ambiance, though noting there are many of the same basic materia available as I’d brought with me from Alexandria and, indeed, from Carthage. Amphius too, once he woke from his morning nap after the night watch, took a stroll around the city markets and various gates, and made sacrifice at the Greek shrine to Herakles within Melqart’s temple. In the accommodation Mery read a scroll or three and Toxoanassa hugged her stones…
Those of us casually about the city – Amphius, Mago and I – managed to return before the ban. Agripinus sent word that he was unavoidably detained by a diplomatic symposium with his fellow ambassador Harpalus, Ptolemy’s representative. Of Sammus and Diophanes we had no word, and I pitied any citadel guard who had to try to bar their re-entry.
The lack of our principal Agripinus seemed to deflate our host domestics somewhat as they had provided a full symposium for this night; a singer and a lyre player, a more formal meal, glass(!) kylix drinking bowls and the crater was filled with wine “in the Carthaginian style” in honour of our absent patron…
The wine was very rich, sweet, and flavoured with unfamiliar, perhaps eastern, spices, but of the general style of wine in Carthage. Mago and Mery retired to the upper bedroom early and Toxoanassa to her draughty balcony, all feeling sleepy after taking the wine. I was strangely drowsy for the amount I had imbibed and even Amphius, a toper to his very Greek core, was looking as if his eyes were not quite tracking. After thanking and dismissing the staff and musicians we two tried to get a grip.
Amphius took water while I tried to prepare a purifying draft using my herbs and a cantrip. I was becoming very suspicious of the wine, but finding it difficult to focus. I took my draught then put my fingers into my throat induced a vomit, but it did not serve well, for the symposium had lasted long enough for many small sips to pass beyond my stomach, into me. To stave off sleep I tried to stand, propped, at the doorway to Toxoanassa’s balcony for the fresh air and in the hope that literally falling asleep would wake me on impact with the floor… The waking on impact with the floor idea worked in part, but the corollary: getting to my feet thereafter, did not… I dreamed a while. A gentle dream of softness, warmth, comfort, worrying about nothing… Until a desert perfume came over me and I heard Astarte’s voice sighing “Wake up, Si'aspico, wake up…”
I was half sitting, slumped against a wall at the doorway to the balcony, in darkness. No nightlight lamps burned. I heard voices, Greek voices, whispering. Someone was moving above me, up the stairs, and a whisper came from the common room. There were small flickers of light that were not just those behind my eyelids. Footsteps came down the stair so I grunted and snored in case the hand lights had caught my open eyes. I was inspected, but passed as sleeping. The footsteps continued to the common room and there was a low conversation. Behind me, Toxoanassa stirred in uneasy sleep, but did not wake. There were rummaging noises from the common room.
Then came a man’s voice from above, up the stairs, slightly louder than before. “There’s no reply.”
A girl, or young boy, agreed or acknowledged with a simple "Yeah."
He above urged speed, and she replied “There’s lots of stuff!”
So I shouted. “Well if you’d asked politely I might tell you what's there. THIEVES! THIEVES!”
There was a squeak from the girlish voice and a man called “LEGGIT!”
As they wouldn’t know, in the dark, who shouted, I slumped down again at the foot of the stairs in hope of being an inert trip hazard for those fleeing in the dark, and brought the pattern of the Shocking Grasp into my mind’s eye…
At least three small lights arrived in the passage from the common room, with the girl’s voice leading “C’mon! C’mon!”
She jumped right over me and up the steps. The second too passed me easily, so I grabbed at the last figure. My hand only brushed his leg briefly, but was enough to cause him to stumble on the stair, where his bare leg was in easy reach of a pinch as I muttered the key word: “Scorpion”.
He screamed. “They’ve got me!”
And fell on top of me while I was calling “GUARDS! GUaamph…”
Once I had my head clear of writhing thief I changed my cry to call my nearest comrade “OIORPATA! OIROPATA! ARISE! Oiorpata! To me!”
There were stirrings at the other end of the balcony, but I was distraced from my calls by the strong thud of something hitting the stair beside my head. I scrabbled for another grasp on the thief on top of me. A loud whisper from above urged my opponent to “For fuck’s sake! Get on with it!”
So I let him go in the hope he’d leave quickly and perhaps entangle the one I feared was coming down; going one against two did not seem likely to have a good outcome for me. But instead of taking his leave the damned ungrateful thief spitefully turned and hit me a body blow with a club!
As I gasped, the scent of wine and horse presaged Toxoanassa’s arrival, confirmed by the crunch of an blow into the wall beside my head, followed by a loud exclamation, which I took to be a pithy Old Scythian prayer for victory in battle. The thief took this opportunity to break contact and take his leave, but stumbled the steps on his numbed leg. Hoping Toxo wouldn’t make the same mistake twice I leant forward and goosed the thief again: “Fire-Ant!”.
To my immense gratification, he screamed “They got me!” and collapsed groaning on the stair. His comrade, “Fucksake”, jumped down the steps — a sword stabbed over my shoulder into the fallen thief just as Fucksake slashed him too; perhaps by mischance, but perhaps those that fall behind are left behind.
The thief’s body slid down the steps onto me, then something else landed on him. Cretan curses told me it was Amphius, likely the source of the sword thrust from behind me, but he scrambled to his feet again and took off up the stairs, attempting a pursuit. Then suddenly stopped, with a curse. “Caltrops!”
There were sweeping noises and metallic tinkles, but the delay made the pursuit vain. He came back to report climbing ropes hooked onto the parapet of the terrace.
Toxoanassa meanwhile had made it to the door to the access alley and called for the guard. Two arrived; she reported that we’ve been burgled, but they had to inspect the situation rather than respond immediately to a woman’s word. They were shown the dying thief, the ropes and hooks on the terrace and finally raised an alarm, blowing a whistle which was quickly answered by other whistles though the area. More guards arrived. I kept emphasising, slurringly, that we were drugged! (Mago and Mery were still asleep though all the row) and that we are part of a Carthaginian diplomatic mission! Our food and drink were drugged! This was an inside job! An hostile act against an ally granted favour by Ptolemy himself! Eventually I irritated the patrollers enough for them to send for an officer of the watch.
Once lamps were lit, we found a swag bag lying by the stairs, with lootings from the empty bedroom by the alley door. It contained some of Sammus possessions and some of Agripinus’s. We shall need to make a full check of all our bags when we recover from the drug…
The officer of the watch arrived. He found an amulet at the dead thief’s neck. “Hermes,” he identified, “patron of thieves for stealth, luck and getaway. Looks like this one has run out…”
Convinced by this and other evidence before him he sent messages to his Seniors. Before the hour was out Agripinus arrived with a guard escort, dragged urgently from his symposium, and then later Harpalus, Ptolemy’s ambassador, whom one presumed was senior enough to come at his own pace. Harpalus, like me, was unhappy at a lapse the palace security that allowed this to happen, but he may be able to make something of it.
It is not yet dawn of the 8th of April.
Date: 20 Ptolemy II: April 06 - pre-Dawn 08
The party & company:
Met: (named persons)
Places:
Party Loot:
Party Resources
From: Sammus’s Boast:
We selected Mery of Memphis from the three candidate scribes who had approached Si'aspiqo and Si'aspiqo invited him to our lodgings for refreshments and to meet the party. A slightly built, 5’3”, man with a shaven head and smallpox scars arrived at the appointed hour. He spoke good Greek and Si'aspiqo introduced each of us to him. He reddened and became somewhat confustulated and tongue-tied when Toxoanassa was introduced to him. He said he would be pleased to accompany us all. Si'aspiqo explained that we had a mission to the East, but there might also be investigations into matters of interest. We asked questions to determine his power as a magician and his ability to survive a fight and then asked if he had any questions. We were happy with our choice.
On 31st March a soldier brought a sealed scroll addressed to Agripinus, ambassador of Carthage. It was from Harpalus and warned him to be ready to travel at 4 hours’ notice. We should take saddlebags only and be ready for hard riding. We let Magus know we would be leaving soon, and he wished us well and hoped to see us when we returned to Alexandria.
As we breakfasted on 2nd April, a soldier arrived with another scroll addressed to Agripinus from Harpalus, telling us to be ready at noon. We said our goodbyes and warned Diophanes to be ready. At noon a sergeant and four soldiers arrived with a cart and we walked across Alexandra, arriving at a heavily armed gate, where we were admitted into the palace district. This was a small city within the city. After a few turns along narrow streets, we reached a small courtyard. The cart was pushed in and the door to the yard was closed and locked behind us.
After 5 minutes an officer and scribe arrived and asked for Agripinus. The priest handed over his papers along with those belonging to those of us who had them. Those of Agripinus were amended to include Toxoanassa and Mago who hadn’t left the city. Everything was noted in a ledger by the scribe. The officer commented on Diophanes’ papers –
“Soldier of the Oracle of Zeus – I haven’t seen one like this before”.
“There aren’t many”, responded Diophanes.
“Well, that’s the King’s business, you can pass”, decided the officer. He told us to make ourselves at home and that the commander would be informed that we were here.
An hour or two later the locked door was opened and a splendidly dressed officer entered. He said he was Xanthippus, the commander of the royal mission to Seleucia. His task was to get Harpalus and Agripinus to Seleucia. Those in their entourages were under his protection. This was a military mission, and we would travel with speed, with few options to rest. Army conduct applied and any problems should be taken to Agripinus first, but if we saw anything we should shout out. There were no details, but the council had determined that there might be an attempt to delay or prevent the mission. The escort would leave tomorrow morning as planned, but we would set sail for Tyros before dawn – we should rest and be ready to leave at midnight. We should not leave this room as the guards had orders from Ptolemy to kill before questioning. The doors were locked for our safety. We were given refreshments of freshly baked bread and olive oil, dried meat, olives and dried fruit.
At midnight the doors opened and soldiers bearing torches guided us to a familiar dock and a ramship. We were ushered aboard the ship, which was packed with marines, up a gangplank and then led to a small pavilion tent, pitched on the deck near the bow. We were told this was our shelter, and we could store our kit here or in the hold. It was a small tent with room for six to lie down or 8 if there was minimal equipment. A bench nearby was assigned to us.
Si'aspiqo explained that he had some weather-related skills and he was led off to the stern and introduced to Diomedes the Navigator, the captain, who was interested in his skills. The magician was introduced to Naymar, an Egyptian priest of Serapis. He had a was-sceptre, almost like a walking stick decorated with gold leaf. Naymar was shaven headed, with a slight paunch and wore expensive robes. Si'aspiqo was told they would call on him if required and he returned to our pavilion.
Preparations continued at night and even more men boarded. As soon as the first grey light appeared the ship pushed off from the deck and rowed out to sea. The morning of 3rd April saw a southerly wind, and we sailed directly north, straight out to sea, watching the lighthouse and Egypt disappear behind us. Now it was light, we could see the ship had two decks of oars, although the ship now sailed under the power of a large mainsail. A little before noon two sails appeared on horizon, and all three ships altered course to pass close by. Signals were exchanged, and the other ships passed by, heading to Alexandria.
Agripinus divided us into two watches of four: he, Toxoanassa, Si'aspiqo and I were on one and Amphius, Diophanes, Mago and Mery the other. We each had six hours out of the tent, and six hours resting inside. Around noon Harpalus strolled along to speak to Agripinus. He told the priest he was glad we had made it and hoped everything was set up satisfactorily. Agripinus confirmed it was and offered his help if needed. Harpalus told him that this was Diomedes’ crew and we were all under Xanthippus’s orders. We would be sailing to Tyros and then heading into Seleucia from an unexpected direction – from the west instead of south. The cavalry escort that set off at midday would have extra people to simulate our presence. It would be interesting to hear if they came under attack or interference, but we wouldn’t know until we reached Seleucia.
He explained that factions in Seleucia might not wish the ambassador to be exchanged. He told us how Romans at the court of Ptolemy had protested about Ptolemy having an ambassador of Carthage, when Rome was at war with them. Ptolemy had told them that this was not Sicily – and anyone at war here was at war with Ptolemy. Harpalus chuckled at his story. We were served more good food along with watered wine. The ship sailed on through the night under a clear starlit night.
After midnight Agripinus and I struggled to sleep as Si'aspiqo was twitching and gibbering in a dream. Agripinus tied his feet together to prevent him from leaving the tent and we went to sleep.
At dawn Si'aspiqo was hollow eyed and very tired, he had been wracked by nightmares all night. Dreaming that he was being chased by something he couldn’t see; when he pulled himself together it had disappeared into the in-between. Mery had felt something cold during the night, but couldn’t see it, maybe it was a spirit. He said Si'aspiqo had been ridden by a spirit of the dead.
4th April dawned fine, but the brisk wind came from the northeast, and the ship was rowing into it, when a marine officer turned up asking for Si'aspiqo. He went to the stern where he was met by a glare from Naymar, but Diomedes asked if he could do anything about the wind. Si'aspiqo cast a spell and after a moment of stillness a vigorous wind blew from the opposite direction. The oars could be taken in and the sail raised. Si'aspiqo explained that he had learnt this from a fine Greek sailor. Naymar looked daggers at Si'aspiqo, but Diomedes said that all were grateful to him. Si'aspiqo had to recast after 6 hours, and the wind veered, more slowly this time, to a favourable direction. Each time there were cheers from the sailors, who would not need to row.
That night Mery set out some tiny effigies around the periphery of tent and wrote some small scribbles on parchment, warning us not to step on them – as they were to keep away evil spirits. The night passed quietly.
The next day was fine again, and the crew did some fishing. Toxoanassa and I joined them and she caught a decent fish. Just as the light started to fade, I caught something large and heavy. I braced myself against the rail on the edge of the deck and saw something swirl and heard a splash. Suddenly, I felt cold and dizzy and dropped to one knee, asking those around to help me. A wave of sickness and dizziness came over me, and I started to lose some control of my legs. There was an almighty tug, and I was pulled over the rail.
There was a big splash as I hit the water. It was difficult to co-ordinate my legs, almost as though I had drunk too much. I let go of the line and managed to bob to the surface and gave a shout. I could see the dark shape of the ramship not too far away. As I surfaced again, there was a lot of noise from the ship and I saw the brilliant white light of Tanit, which was now further away than I expected. There was a big sploosh – someone large or something had gone into the sea. I shouted again and tried to swim in that direction.
Suddenly I felt a hand, or maybe a tentacle grasp my ankle and pull, but then immediately released me. I suspected it had been repulsed by Si'aspiqo casting protection from evil on me via my token. As I boobed up again, I heard a voice calling where are you in Greek and I shouted to let him know where I was. Diophanes, for it was he, swam though the water, told me to lie still and then grabbed me. I quickly warned him of the evil that had grasped me but been repulsed and I heard him call on Zeus.
He started pulling me back to the ship, but then he let go and let out a gasp. I heard a curse in a language I didn’t understand, but sounded vaguely Greek, and then I saw a large shark. Diophanes continued calling on Zeus. I saw the ship by the light of Tanit, much closer now.
As well as a circling shark, I saw a horrible human face with seaweed for hair. As the light of Tanit caught it, it ducked unhappily below the surface. I heard shouting and Greek voices from the ship and Diophanes called to Zeus again. A rope was thrown nearby, which Diophanes wrapped around me, and I grasped hold and was rapidly hauled aboard. Soon Diophanes was aboard too. He said that this must have been one of the immortal daughters of Tethys as he had heard it cursing in an old form of Greek. This was the second time I had been attacked by one, and we wondered whether I was a marked man in some way. Maybe it was related to the Ketos I had killed or perhaps it had more to do with the presence of Si'aspiqo I wondered. I spoke to Diophanes, who smiled and said:
“You may indeed be a marked man after slaying the Ketos. That was my task, but you stood as Perseus and the Titans may remember you. What Luck! To have such challenges seek you out, instead of suffering dreary passages over the Blessed Sea. You are a fortunate man, Sammus – although I think you should learn to swim as soon as may be.”
Si'aspiqo twisted the wind a little and we sailed on quietly to dawn.
Date: 20 Ptolemy II: March 30 - April 06, Dawn
The party & company:
Met: (named persons)
Places:
Party Loot:
Party Resources
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