Sailing…
Recounting our travels starting from the seventh month of the nineteenth year of the reign of Pharaoh Ptolomy, son of Ptolomy.
Recounting our travels starting from the seventh month of the nineteenth year of the reign of Pharaoh Ptolomy, son of Ptolomy.
From: Sammus’s Boast:
We sailed on until dawn on 6th July. Kallicrates informed Agripinus that we had water for a few days, but not enough to go straight to Carthage and we discussed where we might go first. We decided to head for Carthago Nova, initially. Agripinus gave Kallicrates 120gp to pay for the trip to Carthage. Our discussions also involved the likelihood of pursuit and Baal-Shaq told us that his note to Hannibal told him that his share of the loot would be left at the temple of Baal in Carthage, so he would know our planned destination.
The wind blew lightly from the north, and we had need to tack to make progress. Si'aspiqo used the conch Hanno had given him, to help forecast the weather. He told us that the weather would remain fair. We saw a few sea birds but little else as the day passed uneventfully and we sailed on at night with Amphius as lookout.
By dawn on 7th July, the wind had died and then a light wind came up from the southwest, which was ideal to sail to Carthago Nova. Mago spotted some whales and Si'aspiqo forecast the weather would continue fair with the wind from west or southwest. We sailed on at night lit by the moon which was about 5 days short of full. By the next morning there was a light wind blowing from the west and we had another good day and night’s sailing.
The wind freshened from the northeast on 9th July and soon Mago spotted the coast ahead. We saw a few fishing boats and later in the day a merchant ship. We had some rowing to do, and I joined in with the crew. At dusk Kallicrates decided to just drift at night as we were too far out to anchor. Amphius kept watch to check that we didn’t get too close to shore.
During the early hours of the morning, we were had got quite close to shore and the wind had backed to come from the southwest, so Kallicrates hoisted a small sail, for the last part of the night. We sailed along the coast for the day. Mago failed to spot some fishing boats, and the fishermen shouted curses as we got too close to them. Kallicrates thought we should reach port the next day and we sailed on under the stars and moonlight.
By dawn on 11th July there was a fresher wind now from the northwest and we had to tack. Mago saw five ships far off in a line on the horizon to our right. He thought they were warships and Kallicrates thought they were ramships, as they were going into the wind, on a converging course for Carthago Nova.
We sailed on into harbour and Agripinus announced himself and the Morning Breeze to a guardship and we moored just before dusk. The five ramships looked like they were part of the war fleet Mago told us. Agripinus went ashore and asked for audience with Hanno but was told the man was busy that day. The priest asked an official to arrange an audience for him the next day.
The harbour was swarming with sailors from the warships and soldiers too, as my companions and I made our way into the town in search of refreshment and news. I stuck close to Toxoanassa, which was just as well as she was soon surrounded by sailors gawping and jabbering in Punic. Toxoanassa and I bought some drinks, and they were content with that.
Si'aspiqo and Mago stayed close to Agripinus and kept out of trouble, but Baal-Shaq and Amphius were involved in an altercation. Baal-Shaq took exception to a comment and a brawl erupted. He was a very handy boxer and soon laid out one man and a second. Another stumbled into Amphius, who managed to avoid him. Baal-Shaq punched a third and as someone tried to pass Amphius, to join in, the Greek tried to trip him. The man kept his feet and turned on Amphius but missed. Amphius grabbed him and spun him round and then dodged a haymaker and moved back out of range. Meanwhile Baal-Shaq knocked over one or two more opponents and when Amphius’s adversary noticed this, he quickly left the scene.
We learnt little information from our visit. Agripinus spent more time talking about our journey across the desert than hearing any news. Mago was told that there was a lot of work in Carthage for men with his skills as they were readying lots of ships for a fleet to Sicily, to sweep the seas of Romans and stop them ferrying troops across the straits. Once Baal-Shaq and Amphius rejoined the rest of us after their brawl, we gave up and returned to the ship. Kallicrates ordered some food from the shore and soon multiple vendors arrived. It was a raucous night in the port.
On the morning of 12th July Kallicrates ordered barrels of fresh water to be loaded on board the Morning Breeze and Agripinus left to seek audience with Hanno. The priest returned at noon. He had learnt that the fleet was going along the coast to the northwest and that relationships with Syracuse were somewhat strained although support against Rome was still expected. Large numbers of Roman troops had crossed the straits to Sicily. He had been advised to return to Carthage as soon as possible. Agripinus then went to the military chapel to commune with Tanit and ask for the goddess’s blessing in heading east as soon as possible.
Kallicrates ordered more barrels of water which were loaded aboard with Kallicrates complaining about the prize. Three more warships were rowed into harbour during the day, as there was no wind.
On the morning of 13th July there was still no wind, and we rowed out of harbour. Si'aspiqo again forecast the weather via the conch – it would be calm for some time he thought with the hope of a breath from the north. We spent the day rowing and saw no warships just a few fishing boats. Kallicrates complained about the extra he had to pay for fresh water in time to leave and Agripinus gave him 20gp.
Soon after midnight, on 14th July, the wind started to appear. It was a cooler wind from the north and by dawn it was blowing quite well and we sailed out into the sea and turned eastwards. The day passed quietly, and we sailed on at night. Amphius spotted some whales nearby. We sailed on the next day and night with the wind unchanged.
At dawn on 16th July the wind had veered to come from the east. We sailed on and Mago eventually spotted a ship similar to our own off to the south, heading for the African coast. Kallicrates steered away slightly to let it slip away to the south. Towards the end of the night Amphius spotted the African coast ahead. By the morning of 17th July the wind was from the southwest and the first clouds for a week or more were seen. With the conch, Si'aspiqo forecast that the weather would remain similar for the next day. We sailed on east under a light wind passing a few fishing boats, and by the end of the day Kallicrates thought that we were about a day west of Hippo.
That night Amphius guided the Morning Breeze around some debris and noticed that the sea was getting a little choppy – he woke Kallicrates and then Si'aspiqo. The latter, with the help of the conch, forecast a storm incoming ahead, with bigger waves to come. We had the choice of sailing out to sea and running before the storm or trying to make landfall somewhere on the coast before it hit. As we discussed the options Amphius saw a flicker of lightning on the horizon. Agripinus asked Tanit for an augury as to whether it was more auspicious to head north or south and was advised to head north, which matched the advice from Kallicrates. The helm steered us away from the coast into deeper water to the north, ready to run before the storm.
Party & company:
Met: —
Places:
Party Loot: —
From: Sammus’s Boast:
By dawn on 18th July a gale was blowing. Everything was lashed down, and I removed my armour and just wore my tunic, a woollen cloak and a waterproof hat. Agripinus began singing a holy hymn of Tanit to encourage us all and kept singing for three hours. By this time the weather had deteriorated and there was a lot of spray and rain, and the wind had increased to storm force. Agripinus took a short break from his hymn but then began once more, and some of us joined in as we began to learn the words and tune and all felt encouraged. The ship began pitching horribly and everyone was soaked and feeling chilled.
Every three or four hours Agripinus took a short break from his hymn but then started once more. Kallicrates ensured that the man at the helm was relieved regularly as it was exhausting work. The ship continued to run north of west before the wind, trying to keep ahead of the following waves. The ship continued to pitch violently, and the fierce wind and heavy rain continued until dusk on 18th July, but then the storm dropped back down to a gale, but the rain continued.
The gale continued until midnight when the wind eased just a little and veered to come from the southeast, and the drizzle and spray lessened. Kallicrates came round and reassured as all that the worst was probably over. We nibbled on some dried sausage, but we were all soaked through and chilled to the bone.
The gale blew on unchanged until dusk on 19th July but then finally began to ease. Agripinus was able to cease his singing and heal Mago who was suffering from exposure. I am sure the priest’s hymn had aided our survival and whispered my thanks to Tanit. After midnight, the wind dropped to brisk, and the crew gave a cheer. The wind was now from west of south, but it had started rained heavily once more. Mago was still suffering from exposure and Agripinus carried out two more rites of healing after which Mago felt much recovered. We all managed to huddle together in the early hours of 20th July and got some rest.
At dawn on 20th July there was a brisk wind from the southwest and Kallicrates discussed our options with Agripinus. With this wind it wasn’t possible to make for the African coast, so they decided to sail north for either Karalis or maybe the Balearic Islands depending on how far we had been blown west. With the aid of Si'aspiqo’s arts a fire was started in a tripod stand on deck and hot drinks were prepared.
During the day the sail tore and had to be replaced with a spare, while the tear was repaired. Mago spotted land on the northwestern horizon. The sailing master thought it was one of the Balearic Islands, maybe Minorca, where the port of Mago the namesake of our comrade lay. If that was correct, we would need to sail due East for a day and half to reach Sardinia and then sail south along the coast to Karalis from there or sail south of east to aim for Karalis directly. It was soon clear that the harbour of Mago lay ahead but unfortunately a sail tore and had to be replaced, and we knew we would be unable to reach the main harbour before dark. Under the guidance of Amphius we made it safely into the outer part of the harbour in the rain and dark and anchored up ready to row into the harbour proper after the sun rose. Si'aspiqo cast a cantrip with the conch and thought the next day would be fair weather.
At dawn on 21st July some fishing boats arrived and tried to sell us fish. Kallicrates asked Mago to translate and he told them thanks, but that we were going into harbour to get some warm food. As predicted it was a fair day, but with a warm wind from west of north which meant we had to row in. We made our way past a point and then an island with a Carthaginian fort and then a naval yard with a Carthaginian warship. We moored close to the town on the south side of the island.
Mago was taken by Kallicrates to help him buy provisions, while Agripinus went to visit the authorities, and the crew went in search of some hot food. The rest of my comrades and I stayed on board to rest and guard the boat.
When Agripinus returned he told us he had heard that there was rebel activity on the west coast of Sardinia, so this area should be avoided, and we should sail directly to Karalis. The commander had not heard of Hannibal of Uttica. The priest had spent some time healing a soldier with a badly broken leg, as a favour to the commander.
Mago arranged for supplies from the small local market and then bought a bronze Celt-Iberian sword. It was quite old, with Sardinian marks on it, but had no particular virtue. He sold it to Amphius for a substantial profit.
We stayed in port for the rest of the day and at dusk Mago, Amphius, Si'aspiqo and I along with some of the crew went ashore for a few drinks and some food. When we started to head back to the ship, Si'aspiqo noticed that his purse was missing – the strings had been cut. It had contained 50 gold pieces which Amphius had just paid him in settlement of a debt. He realised that it must have happened when he had been jostled going to the jakes at the last bar and thought he knew who had done it. We returned to the bar, but Si'aspiqo could not see the man or anyone spending his money.
We returned to the Morning Breeze and met up with Agripinus who put on his gear and cast an augury to determine where Si'aspiqo’s purse was. He thought it was in the settlement to the southwest. We then set off in search of the miscreant and the purse.
Party & company:
Met: —
Places:
Party Loot: —
From: Sammus’s Boast:
We returned to the Morning Breeze and met up with Agripinus, who put on his gear and cast an augury to determine where Si'aspiqo’s purse was. He thought it was in the settlement to the southwest. We then set off in search of the miscreant and the purse. I had my sword and a cloak as did Baal-Shaq and we both carried torches. Mago and Toxoanassa had their normal skirmish gear. Amphius had his marine armour. The weather was deteriorating, dark and cloudy. It was the last quarter of the moon which had set, so it was very dark. We set off southwest into the settlement, and past a marketplace, close to the inn where Si'aspiqo had been robbed, which was now shut.
Agripinus muttered another prayer and pointed off in a direction that led into smaller and smaller lanes. We came to some round huts and a small square, where dogs started barking at us. It had now started to rain. There were shouts to which Mago replied and told us that they wanted to know who we were. There were more noises in a language that I didn’t understand and the sound of loud bangs of alarm from a couple of the huts. Agripinus led us on through a tangled set of interlocking houses and yards, until we saw torches ahead and there was an exchange of words between Mago and the torchlit group ahead. They asked what our business was, telling Mago that this was their neighbourhood and we couldn’t come here armed for battle without there being trouble. Mago translated for Agripinus, who explained that one of us had been robbed and we were looking for the goods and the robber and that we would not cause them a problem.
The spokesman for the torchlit group told Mago that we should return in the morning and ask for Ertebas, and he would take us to Ablan, the district judge. Si'aspiqo offered a reward for the return of his purse and a substantial portion of the contents, then we returned to the boat, with Baal-Shaq and Amphius acting as rearguard. The Greek saw a few torches and people keeping their distance but following us for a while. The group had seemed like poor citizens rather than military or even organized crime.
In the morning, we returned to the same area. Mago asked for Ertebas and was directed to a slightly bigger house with a yard where there were a few large dogs and a sturdy citizen who introduced himself as Ertebas. It was raining heavily as he took us to Ablan, and the wind was blowing fiercely; it was lucky we were not at sea. Ertebas wore a rain hat and waxy cloak to protect against the weather, and I was glad of my own hat and cloak.
We were admitted into a larger house and shown into a small chamber with an elder well-dressed man, and we were invited to sit on stools. He started in Punic, but then went back to the local language, with Mago acting as interpreter. He asked us to tell our story and Si'aspiqo related how he had been in a bar and had had his purse strings cut and his purse containing over 50 gold pieces stolen. There was some back and forth between Mago and Ablan and Ablan had been surprised at the large sum, but Si'aspiqo explained that it had been in settlement of a debt and he had inadvertently put it in his purse. Si'aspiqo offered half of what he received back as a reward. At this point Ablan turned to Ertebas and asked what he had found. The latter handed over a purse containing 48 recently minted Carthaginian gold coins.
Ablan explained that someone had come to buy a barrel of wine from Ertebas last night and had a purse containing many gold coins and no explanation of how he had come by it. Ertebas had confiscated it. Si'aspiqo confirmed that it was his purse and stood by his reward. There were more words between the judge and Mago and then Mago relayed that Ablan felt that 8 gold pieces was perfectly adequate as a reward. We were told that if we lost something else or there was another crime against us then we should come and ask for the judge. Si'aspiqo apologized for our hasty action and explained that we had moved in haste due to the large sum involved.
Ablan said that we were strangers here and that they did not want there to be any trouble with Carthaginians, then asked if we were satisfied with his judgment and Si'aspiqo agreed that we were and that we were grateful for his wisdom. Ablan told us to go in peace. Agripinus gave a long speech giving the thanks of the Carthginian state. Si'aspiqo asked Mago if it would be appropriate to pay judge, but Mago did not think so, we should just leave. Si'aspiqo went up to Ertebas, and they shook hands and Ertebas invited us to his place for wine.
We all sat under his stoop and were served bread and wine and Ertebas and Mago talked. We drank several ceramic mugs of rather good wine and found that Ertebas was a wine seller. He wondered whether we might like to buy some of his wine and we took him and introduced him to Kallicrates when we returned to the Morning Breeze. Kallicrates then returned with Mago to Ertebas’s place to finalise a deal. Si'aspiqo, Amphius, Baal-Shaq and I accompanied them. Ertebas maybe knew enough Greek to make a deal, but things went more smoothly with an interpreter. Kallicrates ordered 20 small barrels of wine at 5gp each to be delivered the next morning. Amphius and I finished the barrel we had started and had to be helped back to the ship. Mago was not up to the task of bearing a large man like me and fell over, so Baal-Shaq had to take over leaving Si'aspiqo and Mago the easier task of bearing Amphius. By now it was still raining, although the wind was a little was less blustery, but the weather served to sober up the Greek and me.
Si'aspiqo cast cantrips to help decide whether we should go to Karalis first, or sail directly to Carthage and Agripinus carried out an augury. There seemed to be no ominous portent against going to Karalis and so we decided to do that as both Mago and Si'aspiqo had things to collect there. We stayed in port for another day as there was steady rain and no wind at all. The wine was loaded from a cart pulled by a donkey and 3 trips were needed to deliver 20 sealed barrels or casks of the wine. Si'aspiqo got out the shell and cast a cantrip to predict the weather and thought it would be dry and fair the following day. Later in the day the rain stopped, and we had some hot food in town.
The morning of 24th July was fine, with a fair wind from the southwest, which meant that we needed to row out of harbour. Once out of harbour we could tack east. The day and night passed quietly and the next morning the wind was from the northwest, and we made good progress for the day.
We hove to at night and both Si'aspiqo and I both heard a strange voice calling us in our dreams, but we managed to avoid answering its call, however the helmsman started clambering over the side and had to be pulled back by Agripinus, who was on watch. Neither he nor Amphius, who was also on watch, heard the voice, only those asleep. Kallicrates and others of the crew were talking concernedly on deck, and I understood from Amphius that they speculated on what had disturbed us. It did not seem like a siren as that usually affected those awake. Perhaps there was a sunken ship nearby and one of victims might be haunting us in our sleep.
Agripinus started singing a hymn and soon it started brightening in the east and he greeted the dawn. There was a fair wind for Karalis that day and we sailed on, with the shore sighted soon after midday. We sailed along the coast for a little way and were met by a Carthaginian guard ship. Agripinus had on his armour and gave his name and rank and we sailed on. The guardship had not come out to meet us last time, we had sailed here, so there seemed to be a heightened military readiness. We rowed into harbour in the late afternoon.
The next morning, 27th July, Agripinus went to the temple and exchanged news, while Mago collected his tools and Si'aspiqo collected his gear. Agripinus reported back that Carthage was dealing diplomatically with the tribes in the north of the island, as the army wanted to clear any rebellion ready to fight in Sicily. Provisions were provided and Kallicrates loaded them along with everything Mago and Kallicrates had brought on board and was concerned with how much cargo we had aboard.
We spent a modest night out in Karalis and then set sail on 28th July with a fair wind for Carthage. The following day was sunny and warm with a good wind from the north and Kallicrates felt the Gods were with us. Around noon we saw sails on the horizon, and soon there were more and more of them heading roughly towards us. Eventually 17 large ramships came into view with many men rowing and lots of shields and glittering armour in view. One diverted to come in hailing distance and Agripinus told them his name and destination. They rowed on by, and we sailed on to Carthage. Mago said that this was a large detachment from the main fleet and war or military action must be afoot. There were 200 berths in the centre of the harbour in Carthage, but normally most ships would be in storage, laid up for time of war. These looked like they were heading from Carthage, probably for Sicily. Later that day, we saw the shore and then the lights of the city. Kallicrates decide that as it was a fair night, then with help from Amphius we should be able to make harbour.
Unfortunately, there was a misjudgement coming in to moor and the Morning Breeze bumped against a quay whilst manoeuvring in the dark. There was a challenge as it was a surprise a ship would moving in the dark, but Agripinus answered and we managed to moor safely in the early evening of 29th July.
Party & company:
Met:
Places:
Party Loot: —
From: Sammus’s Boast:
In the morning Agripinus hurried to the Temple of Tanit and reported to the High Priest. He returned wearing impressive new armour, a bronze cuirass, and told us what he had found. He had told the High Priest about events in Kart and upsetting the temple of Melkart; the High Priest had just given a shrug. He had been pleased that we'd managed to unearth another complex, but concerned with the news that there was a Baal spy in the desert. He was very happy with Agripinus report of converts and agreed to send someone to fulfil Agripinus’s promise to Tamuda.
On the situation closer to home, the Army wanted healers at the front (even though as Sacred Band Agripinus should be defending Carthage), however, if Agripinus could wrangle a diplomatic mission that would trump any military directive, so he had asked Tanit for Divine Guidance.
The Goddess was very pleased with progress, finding secret pools of Suma, bringing proof, and then sealing them up ensuring that they cannot see the light of day again was ideal. However, she had a mission for Agripinus, to go far to the East, to seek the lost city of Hamazi, a place in which he would find the ruins of Akshak. Here there were stone tablets that would guide him onwards. There was a mystic man he would have to meet, but the first port of call would be Seleucia-on-Tigris.
The High Priest had taken all this in and was setting up the relevant documents and diplomatic messages so that Agripinus could get to Ptolemy in Alexandria and thence to Antiochus II, the Seleucid ruler. Those two were not on good terms, so Agripinus would have several sets of documentation to travel as a Diplomatic Envoy. Agripinus was advised that we should offload the potions we obtained through an intermediary so that we were not connected with yet more Suma-linked items hitting the market.
We agreed that we would accompany Agripinus on his quest and discussed how long we should remain in Carthage and what to do about our loot. We considered staying for a month, which would include the Harvest Festival, an important celebration in Carthage, and give time to Si'aspiqo to investigate the various arcane items we had found. However, we decided that it might be better to leave after a couple of weeks, if possible, to avoid pursuit. In the meantime, we should try to avoid notice.
Baal-Shaq found a town house to rent in his name for 200gp for the month including the servants. The town house was sturdy and defensible with a big roof terrace close to the harbour with a cool basement dug out below it. With help from the sailors, our goods were transferred there and stored in the large basement. We told Kallicrates that we planned to stay in Carthage for a while and released him to sail away. We said a cordial farewell to him and the crew, and they gave fond hugs to Toxoanassa in particular.
We engaged the services of the factor Mel-Far who we had used before to sell our potions for cash. He said this would take at least two weeks and his fee would be 10%. After using one bottle of each type as samples and setting up an auction, he sold a third of our potions for 2,210gp after his commission, getting 100gp per bottle of healing potion and 50gp per bottle for the sleeping draught. Mel-Far was very pleased with his cut.
Mago and Si'aspiqo accompanied me as advisors as I tried to sell the ivory idols I had bought in Kuku. We explored the huge marketplace, with streets of vendors stretching off into lanes of tiny workshops and stalls but no one offered me much more than I had paid for them. In a corner near the spice bazaar one evening we found the small stall of a transient trader – a grizzled Cyrenian, burned almost black by many years of the Libyan sun. He knew the worth of the ivory heads, exclaiming, “Carved Gods; I hear them laughing. Ha – I give you more than gold – see!”
From under the stall he pushed a battered wooden chest – within was a hoard of scrolls and Si'aspiqo's eyes flashed as he made out Greek and Egyptian texts in the twilight – something about Alexander in India, some huge tale of a Greek War, something from a Greek about the Assyrian language, and Egyptian prayers to the gods, written properly with hieroglyphs of power – at least one is a spell he already knows. Arcane treasure indeed!
He was urged to just take a quick look as they were near enough to dust already. After some bartering with Mago about so many scrolls per head, back and forth, he agreed to trade the chest and everything within for my Two Gods. Seeing the greedy look in Si'aspiqo’s eyes, I agreed, confident that the Kushite would give me a fair price for the scrolls.
Amphius found that the next ship bound for Alexandria, via Cyrene, left a couple of days after the lease on our house expired. The captain was a swarthy Macedonian/Greek named Magus. He seemed to generate some funny looks from Greek sources in Carthage, Amphius told us.
We celebrated the harvest festival with Amphius, Baal-Shaq and I celebrating harder than some, while Si'aspiqo busied himself investigating some of the items we had found and looking carefully through the scrolls. We discussed the fingerbone necklace and all agreed it should be destroyed, so Agripinus took it to the temple of Tanit to have them properly dispose of it.
While investigating the magic items, Si'aspiqo noticed something was watching him or us. Initially he felt that this was a spirit that had followed us in some way but then came to realize that the headband helped him notice things that were not obvious. Whilst wearing it, he had a feeling that someone was behind him but felt no active sense of malice.
Mago and Amphius further investigated the ship and captain Magus. He had a reputation as very proficient and had sailed with much success between Carthage and Alexandria and other points east. According to former crewmen he was a priest or sorcerer, who could interact with winds and avoid storms. He was highly magical observant of things in his ship. When they returned, Amphius spotted someone watching us. He was dressed as a beggar but had a large well-fed dog. He was out in the alley in the shadows and maybe this was what Si'aspiqo had noticed.
We all agreed that this passage to Alexandra was our best option. The cost was 40gp per passenger, reduced to 20gp for sailors or mercenaries, who would be under the command of Magus for the voyage. The ship would sail to Cyrene, spend a week there and then on to Alexandra. Amphius booked space for the six of us in a room together.
We drew lots organized by Baal-Shaq for picking magic items from the loot. Toxoanassa was drawn first and chose the ivory bangle with the luck spell, I was drawn second and chose the green ring, which I had been wearing for some time, and which improved my chances of saving against magic. Si'aspiqo then chose the protective scarab. Mago was drawn next and thanked Baal for his luck; he chose the priestess’s dagger. Amphius then selected the shen ring, followed by Agripinus, who chose the gold amulet, both items were similar in effect to my ring. Hannibal was drawn next, but by this time there was nothing left for which he had claim. Baal-Shaq was the last participant and grinned ruefully as he had organised the draw. He chose the bone medallion to find the polestar. Once again Baal-Shaq organised a draw for the remaining four items – Si'aspiqo was drawn first and chose the obsidian dagger, I was again drawn second and chose the cobra headpiece, then Amphius chose the heart of cold, which was now only slightly cool and finally Agripinus chose the small idol that acted as a link to the shedim.
We also drew for the green ring which had been found on the first shedim we had encountered, before we had met either Mago or Baal-Shaq. Si'aspiqo won the draw and many of us were pleased he had done so, as we felt it was important that our magician was protected leaving him free to protect the rest of us. We all thanked Baal-Shaq for his assistance in the draws.
We discussed the watcher we had seen and Amphius suggested making it known about a party planned to say goodbye to Baal-Shaq and to see if the watcher tried to take advantage of any distraction. The man had only been seen watching at night and Baal-Shaq thought it unlikely the watcher, who had done nothing but watch for two weeks or more, would do any more than that now. He said he would be happy to go and invite the man in to join the party.
Si'aspiqo had taught Agripinus the Egyptian word to trigger my headdress, so he borrowed it, and went outside, shortly before dawn the next morning. Baal-Shaq and I stood by the door listening, and Si'aspiqo and Amphius watched from the roof. Agripinus returned after 20 minutes with some fresh rolls. He told us that he had spoken to the watcher, and that the man was an adherent of Baal tasked with watching Agripinus, but to do no more than keep him under observation. The man was evidently Carthaginian and had served in the army. He seemed very comfortable in the dark and had warned Agripinus not to wander around at night without a lantern.
Amphius arranged for food, wine and entertainment to be brought into the house for a farewell party for Baal-Shaq. Everything was set up on the roof where it was cooler. We decided to leave the house a couple of days before the lease expired. Baal-Shaq would remain to handover to the new tenants. He suggested we leave when the streets were busy shortly before dusk and Amphius arranged for dockers to carry all our gear down to the ship. We said fond goodbyes to Baal-Shaq and expressed our hope that we would meet again.
We made our way down to the harbour just before dusk on 30th August and found our new berth. The ship was a penteconter, the Hippocampus or Sea Horse, Amphius and Mago informed me. It had a large mast, and normally had space for up to 50 oars, but had been modified to make room for cargo to replace some of the oars. Mago, who claimed he had been a sailor long enough, chose to pay 40gp as a passenger, but the rest of us had signed up to work our passage as soldiers or healers and paid 20gp each.
Magus, the captain and owner was under a shady awning. He was almost 6 feet tall, sturdy and swarthy. When he saw us, he called us a Trojan horse, as we were not Greeks at all, but an army crew, with an Amazon to boot he added looking Toxoanassa in the eye. He laughed and exclaimed that we could have afforded to pay double. He admitted that Amphius had fooled him, with no lies, but he would try to get his value out of us. He produced a roll of papyrus where we each signed or made our marks in turn as we each swore the same oath, to follow his orders and act for the best of the ship and crew. Mago, as a passenger did not need to swear.
I was assigned to the blue watch under Diogenes, Magus’s second in command, along with Si'aspiqo, while Agripinus and Toxoanassa were assigned to the red watch under Magus. Amphius would watch overnight, and could sleep in the day, but was nominally assigned to the blue watch. Mago was not assigned to a watch but told Magus he could call on him if required. We were shown to a group cabin to stow our gear, which was probably the captain’s cabin. We were introduced to Shemesh, a large man who looked Egyptian, and was accompanied by four Greek mercenaries. They were peltasts, armed with javelins, and a small shield and sword, wearing leather armour. Shemesh himself had a larger shield and sword. They also were split between blue and red watch. Diogenes was Greek but also had a few words of Egyptian. Magus asked us to declare if we had anything inflammable and Si'aspiqo showed him our incendiaries. He checked they were properly packed and admitted Si'aspiqo knew his business and reappraised the Kushite and bowed slightly. It looks like we will have things to discuss, he told Si'aspiqo.
There was a family of Carthaginians, two parents with three small children and two other men, who were said to be Carthaginian, but had an unusual accent and unusual clothes. We were just waiting for a Greek to arrive and then we would set sail.
The next day was fair, and the Greek arrived with some cargo. During the red watch just before dusk, Magus had a quiet word with Agripinus. The priest relayed to us that Magus had diligently avoided taking on last minute passengers, offering large amounts to come on board in place of the existing customer. We owed him a favour.
The following morning soon after dawn on 2nd September, Magus went down the gangplank and we saw him talking to a group of Carthaginians, shaking his head and saying no, before bidding them farewell and returning to the ship. The gangplank was soon pulled up and the crew cast off shortly afterwards. As we left harbour, I noticed that there was a small mast at the front, which I had not noticed before and Mago called the Artimon. An auxiliary sail could be set on it he told me, although there was not one up now. There was a light wind, but it was not useful and the crew rowed out of harbour. As we left, we could see Baal-Shaq waving from the shore and a group of unhappy Carthaginians. The wind was from the southeast as we left harbour, which was no use as we needed to go south or southeast, but after a while the wind shifted to come from west of south and we sailed east for the rest of day. It was clear to Mago that the Hippocampus, a sturdier and heavier ship, was quite a bit slower than Morning Breeze. Late in the afternoon, the wind veered back and the crew rowed until dusk, and the ship drifted through a dark, peaceful night.
The 3rd September was bright and clear, with a fair wind from the northeast and we sailed southeast and the day passed uneventfully. At night Amphius noticed a pod of very big fish jumping out of water and circling ship – dolphins. The crew thought this a good omen.
The next day there was a west wind, but after a while it shifted to come from the northwest, an ideal direction. Si'aspiqo could see that Magus was muttering quietly and twisting the wind. We saw a sail during the day but the rest of the day and night were without incident. The Carthaginian family, a cobbler and his family, were planning to disembark at Thapsis, to start a new life there. The other two Carthaginian citizens with the unusual clothes and accent were going to Leptis and the Greek merchant, a dyer, was going to Arsinoe.
There were five Greek colonies in this area, all founded by Greeks from the islands, but under Macedonian influence since Alexander. They were referred to as the Pentapolis. They were Cyrene, Appolonia (the port for Cyrene), Arsinoe, Berenice and Barca. The Hippocampus would stop at Sebrata to take on water, then at Thapis and on to Cyrene and Appolonia, where there would be a longer stop and Magus might take on passengers for Alexandra.
The 5th September, there was a cool, steady breeze from the west, which soon turned to come from the northeast. The Hippocampus ran west down the coast to Thapsis.
I note that:
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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.
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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 Dionysus 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 Dionysus. 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 Dionysus 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 Dionysus. 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.
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From: Sammus’s Boast:
The Temple of Dionysus 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 Dionysus 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.
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From: Sammus’s Boast:
As we recovered from our hangovers over the morning of 17th September, the Hippocampus sailed east with a fair wind under cloudy skies with intermittent rain. In the afternoon Magus explained to Agripinus that he had decided to leave Leptis that morning despite the weather as he had heard a rumour. Word reached him that the Melkart worshippers had been told by their High Priest that the Ketos had been sent by Melkart because of a lack of piety in Leptis and so a beautiful foreign maiden should be sacrificed to appease it. This conflicted with the Temple of Dionysus and their plan and Magus thought it best to leave rather than being drawn into any strife between the factions. Now we owed him a further favour. He had had no time to take on more passengers and there were now just us on board with the Greek merchant, Meliton, who was bound for Arsinoe. We were sailing for Macomeda and Magus didn’t like the look of the clouds and rain all around.
Despite the rain Amphius used a shortsword to hack the ivory teeth out and remove some hide from the Ketos head, producing 22 large ivory teeth, 72 smaller ivory teeth, and enough hide for two dozen thick belts. Magus admired the collection as the crew laboured to throw the great head overboard. “That is a lot of teeth – they make fine souvenirs”, he hinted. We offered him one of the large teeth and smaller teeth for each of his crew. When this was announced all the sailors cheered.
The next day, 18th September, was grey with drizzle, but the wind was in a favourable direction for us to sail along the coast eastwards. In the late afternoon Si'aspiqo and I both spotted a mast but there seemed something odd about it to us. Diogenes took a look and declared it to be damaged and ordered the helm to steer us towards it. Magus came on deck and we all put on armour. As we approached, we could see that it was a small galley with a broken mast. Figures waved from the ship and shouted in Greek.
A voluble Greek shouted
“Let the Gods be praised we need help, wind and wave have been against us, but Demeter will reward you for saving her child”.
He then said something about a festival in three days’ time and Amphius explained that Thesmophoria was a Greek religious festival for late harvest related to Demeter. It was held at the new moon which would be in three days’ time. The little verbose Greek then went on at length explaining that he was Simos the master of the Demeter’s Child and all about their misfortunes and praising us for saving him. Diogenes muttered:
“Is there no shutting this windbag up?”.
Magus gave his name and asked Simos to tie up alongside, explaining that we would help and swearing peace. Eventually the two ships were tied up alongside.
The small galley only had a short spar and a small stormsail up and there were not enough men to row, just Simos, three sailors and a man in a dazzling white and red linothorax. Simos introduced the latter as their employer – ‘the mighty Diophanes!’.
Magus climbed down into the Demeter’s Child and beckoned me to follow along with Shemesh. Simos introduced us to Diophanes, who was a slender boyish youth, with black hair, grey eyes, and very slim arms. He was unblemished by war and looked too thin for a soldier. However, he comfortably held a long-bladed hoplite spear, a dory; he had a languid look to him as he eyed me. Magus introduced me and Shemesh. The youth said that he was Diophanes, a servant of Zeus, and must follow the path set out for him until Zeus called him home to Olympus. He told us that he had been called to go to Leptis forthwith as there was a mighty deed Zeus wished him to do there, but the weather had been impeding their progress. He had unblinking grey eyes and his linothorax was dazzlingly white with a beautiful scarlet pattern. He reminded me of Boreas the Greek hero we had met in Emporion, who had claimed to be the foster son of the Goddess Nike and who we had similarly beaten to his quest.
Magus and I exchanged glances, but I left the talking up to him. Magus announced we had just come from Leptis, which had indeed been afflicted by a huge sea monster. He told Diophanes that there was a long story about this, but we should deal with the damage to Demeter’s Child first. Diophanes preferred to have the news first as this monster sounded like just the sort of thing Zeus would have in store for him. Magus explained that evil winds and misfortune had delayed him until others had taken up the challenge and slain the monster. Diophanes was surprised to hear this and asked how it happened and I admitted it had been me and I had played the role of Perseus to rescue Andromeda from the Ketos.
Diophanes was struck dumb, looking me up and down and then blurting out in astonishment:
“You were Perseus!”.
When he asked about Andromeda, all the crew stepped back to reveal who had played her and Toxoanassa nodded at him. Magus said she was in disguise and was an Amazon, assuring Diophanes that she was quite beautiful in a dress. I explained that the monster had been distracted by her and I had been able to use a great sword to remove its head adding that we still had the teeth, but the head had been recently thrown over the side. Diophanes moved close to me, looking me up and down and again exclaiming:
“Perseus!”, in astonishment. “I suppose you are Thracian”, he said and when I explained I was a Gaul, he just continued and said that the Thracians had given great service to Alexander.
He seemed crestfallen and thanked me very unconvincingly.
Magus invited them on board and Simos asked if we had anyone wise in healing arts, as he had one sailor wounded and another sorely wounded as well as having lost one overboard – for he had only three fit crewmen. Magos told him that we needed to make for Macomeda as it was the closest port and the wind was fair for the south. After discussion, Simos agreed.
Agripinus healed one sailor with a broken arm, re-setting the arm properly, and then the second sailor who had a concussion. Meanwhile Mago and Simos discussed what repairs could be made to the small ship. Both the mainsail and the back-up had been wrecked, so the small stormsail was all they had left. The ship was not really built for rowing but was ideal for small trading and carrying a passenger. Mago thought that if they could get into a harbour, he could put a new mast in, although a small port might not have a full-sized mast available. Magus suggested using the spar from our Artemon mast until we reached Macomeda. Simos was effusive with his thanks and then asked if we could make up his crew shortage from the Hippocampus – Amphius and Mago volunteered and when Magus suggested to Si'aspiqo that his knowledge of the weather might be useful the Kushite also volunteered and along with two more sailors; they all made their way over to the Demeter’s Child.
It was now dark and both ships burnt lights and hove to. The two ships tried to stay in formation despite the deteriorating weather and by rowing from time to time, we were still together at dawn. By now the wind had risen and the wind had veered to come from the southwest and was pushing us out to the open sea. Soon the rain mainly stopped and there were just showers and flurries of rain, but the wind rose to gale force and both ships ran before it. On board the Hippocampus, we battened down the hatches and tied down cargo and struggled to stay in sight of the other ship.
Agripinus asked permission from Magus who nodded and then the priest sang a rousing hymn to Tanit to encourage us all in our efforts to save the ship. The winds were now storm force, and we ran on before them for hours plunging into waves which broke over the deck. By now with the sea tossing the ship around, both Agripinus and I felt seasick, but still he carried on singing his hymn as I clung to the lifelines and lent a hand to the crew when needed. From time to time, we heard loud creaking from the hull, but there was no obvious damage. Now and then we caught a glimpse of a glimmer of light from Demeter’s Child a few hundred yards away, still running before the storm.
After around 10 hours the storm abated slightly, and Magus tried to get a little closer to the other ship. Then a great wave broke over the ship, and two sailors were washed across the deck from the port side and crashed into the starboard side of the deck right beside me. I grabbed the one who was unconscious and carried him to the cabin aided by another of the crew, while the other victim managed to reach the cabin unaided, but holding his hand and head. Some of the deck cargo needed re-securing.
The hull creaked a little more and some of the sailors were looking very cold and tired as the gale began to subside on the evening of the 19th September. It was approaching midnight when it finally blew out. Eventually a small light appeared to starboard, and Demeter’s Child pulled alongside during night. By dawn we were able to shout across and confirm that both ships had come safely through the storm.
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