Actual Play: FATE Eagle Eyes: Herculaneum -- In the Shadow of Vesuvius Session 1

Here's the write-up for Session 1 of the Eagle Eyes One-Shot that occurred Friday, August 12th, 2016.

Dramatis Personae:

• Sabin, a Resourceful Widow of a Rich Patrician (Played by R)
• Prim, Sabin's slave (Played by J)
• Cassius, a Devil-May-Care Poet (Played by W)
• Mystery Man, the Eagle's representative in Herculaneum and the PCs boss, called Quintus (a Equestrian) and Glaucus (a Patrician) by various folks
• Marcus, brother-in-law of Sabin, murdered Sabin's husband and inherited everything, leaving Sabin and her child nothing
• Various nobles, guards, gladiators and crowds of common folk at the coliseum
• Kaeso, Patrician Merchant
• Pomptina, second wife of Kaeso, probably having an affair with Kaeso's son, Antonius
• Antonius, son of Kaeso by his first wife
• Gallus, a slave, friend of Prim
• Various party guests, guards and servants
• A performing bear
• A tiger

Flashback several months: Scene where Sabin is recruited into the Eagles by the Mystery Man and his brutish bodyguard, 4 months after Sabin's husband is murdered. Sabin is promised quarters as befits her station and a reasonable fiction that a friend of her late husband provides the estate as friendship to his memory.

Flashback several months: Scene where Marcus, Sabin's Brother-in-Law, sends Prim to spy on Sabin. Along the way, Prim is waylaid by the same Mystery Man and his brutish bodyguard. Prim is recruited into the Eagles in much the same way.

Sabin at her new digs, a fine estate on the outskirts of Herculeneum, doing small jobs for her mysterious benefactor, talking to people here and there, gaining info for the Mystery Man.

Mystery man shows up after recruiting Prim, and stays long enough for Prim to arrive and to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with.

Back at the Present: 3.5 months later, Mystery Man invites Sabin (and by extension Prim) to the Arena in a private box.

While walking through coliseum, where they observe that the Mystery Man is called Quintus (a Equestrian) and Glaucus (a Patrician) by various folks. Quintus is a partier, Glaucus more staid, a gentleman farmer.

At the games, they meet Kaeso Salinus and his much younger second wife Pomptina (who is probably having an affair with Kaeso's son). They are invited to a party at Kaeso's house.

Sabin gets into a conflict with Pomptina, winning gloriously, and Prim, seeing a gladiator die horribly, promptly gets sick on Pomptina's dress and her maid, adding to the embarrassment that Pomptina experienced with Sabin.

During the events at the coliseum, Prim runs into Gallus, a slave scribe who is good at "cooking the books". She finds out that Quintus is a horrible gambler that looses a lot to Gallus' master. He speculates that the losses are bribes but nah, can't be that.

The show over, they leave the arena and Sabin wants to know why they are going to the party, Mystery Man says he wants her to watch Kaeso and report who he is meeting with. Mystery Man says he wants Prim to break into Kaeso's library and riffle the desk for documents. 

Flashback several months: Scene where Cassius is being chased by thugs from an unhappy cuckolded husband. A timely intervention by the same Mystery Man and his brutish bodyguard leads to Cassius recruited into the Eagles.

Back at the Present: Mystery Man arranges for Cassius to entertain the party and wants Cassius to be prepared to create a distraction with "Hey, everyone LOOK AT ME!!!!"

Sabin prepares a wonderful outfit and when they arrive at the party, makes nice with Pomptina, becoming her Besties. As Sabin watches Kaeso, Mystery Man trips a waiter and in the ensuing crash which attracts everyone's attention, Prim escapes and heads to the library.

In a well-lit corridor, outside the library she hears people arguing then two loud thumps. She goes in and finds Kaeso dead with a dagger in him and promptly throws up on the desk, triggering a secret passage to open in the bookshelf as she grips the desk to steady herself.

A servant, hearing the noise, enters the room and finds Prim and the dead Kaeso and raises the alarm. Prim brains him with the library door as guards rush down the corridor. She leaps for the secret passage and closes it as they bust through the door.

Session 1 ends with a dead body! An escaping slave! And "Guards! Guards!" being shouted throughout the house!