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The Eldest Son, Part 2

Players/Characters Present:
John Sikking - Basil Amantes (Ftr3)
Bruce Barnett - Bonzimir Amantes (Rog1/Hlf2)
Barbara Muth - Nereida Amantes (Clr3)
Chris Wood - Felix Amantes (Psi3)
Peter Drake - Demetrios Amantes (Ftr2/Wiz1)

The Amantes continued to follow clues towards the disappearance of Jonas Ennius. As soon as they left the University, they were accosted and 'escorted' by a strong contingent of the City Guard to a nearby guard house and into the office of one Pertinax, a Magister Civites (Captain of the Guard). After some initial pleasantries, and examining the party's ID papers, Pertinax got down to the nasty (and somewhat amusing, to Felix) business of threatening the Amantes. He said he knew they were representatives of the Ennius family, and that he knew Jonas Ennius was up to no good. He was sure that the Ennius family (and its agents!) were crooked, and he wanted the party to know that he was keeping an eye on them. He threatened the full sanctions of his office if they broke even the smallest law in the city. Attempts to negotiate met with haughty failure. Bonzimir noted that the many books on the shelves were largely untouched and that the important-looking papers on the desk were mostly just filled with doodles.

After being tossed out of the guard house, the Amantes were followed by two out-of-uniform guards who made no attempt to hide their presence.

After moving from the Groves to the Ghostly Minstrel in the Old City, they left a message for Flavia Brassus (Quintus Amantes correspondent in Echoriath) with the barmaid, a young brunette woman named Cornelia. Then, they traveled to the Convent of St. Aurelius, near the border between the Middle City and the Maze. Here, they discovered the Reverend Mother embroiled in an argument with a dishevelled dwarf named Boren Backslap. Boren, a member of the Rat-Catcher's Guild, has the contract to catch vermin under the convent, but a new and somewhat larger sort of vermin has arisen in the catacombs: giant spiders. 

The Reverend Mother refused to speak to the Amantes until something was done about the spiders. Understanding that they were seeking for Jonas, Boren told them he knew the young man well (and seemed eager to gamble with them until he learned they weren't Jonas's relatives, and therefore probably did not have his phenomenally poor luck with dice and cards). He told them that Jonas had lost everything gambling at a number of establishments, including the Tail-Catcher's Pub, the hang-out for his guild. Among the things that Jonas had lost to Boren was the book 'Poems for Hestia' which Professor Herminius coveted. Boren told them of the luck he'd had 'wi' da ladies' since acquiring this book. However, he agreed to part with the book for fifty traders if the Amantes would help him with the spider infestation.

The catacombs were filled with giant spiders and several mutated rats. Some of the spiders had swollen to enormous sizes and the battle to clear the catacombs was vicious and harrowing. In facing the great mother spider, the team seemed in danger of it's own imminent demise. Felix was webbed to a wall, and the huge spider was able to threaten everyone in the room. But then, a very well-aimed blow (GM's Note: Demetrios spent his Hero Point) by Demetrios stunned the bloated monster for three rounds. The Amantes and Boren were able to make short work of the beast after that.

It was later discovered that the spiders had gotten huge drinking large quantities of "Dr. Faustus' Invigorating Tonic", which the convent girls had been pouring down the drain rather than drinking (it tastes like a samurai's sweatsocks). Mother Superior, thrilled with the Amantes and very unhappy with the girls, set such things to rights before inviting the Amantes to dinner. There, they discussed the fate of Maria Clodia and Jonas. Maria Clodia, it turned out, had secretly returned to the convent, very repentant, but had little to say of her time away, other than that she'd spent it with Jonas Ennius. Mother Superior said that Maria Clodia had normally been a very level-headed girl. Unlike most of the spoiled rich girls in the convent, Maria Clodia was the daughter of a fishmonger who'd spent his life savings to get his daughter into the church, and she was normally a conscientious and hard worker. They also learned that the route Jonas had taken into the convent from the sewers was now blocked.

The Amantes prevailed on Mother Superior to allow them to talk with the novice. Maria Clodia was a pretty young woman who was clearly confused by her own actions. She told the siblings that she enjoyed Jonas's company, but didn't know if she loved him or not. She was unable to account for why she'd run off with him, though. When asked about "Poems for Hestia", she admitted that Jonas often read to her from the book, and that she loved the poetry. The Amantes formed the conviction that the book was somehow capable of magically charming those who heard its poetry. Mother Superior was relieved to know that the young woman might not have acted willfully.

Unfortunately, Maria Clodia was unable to tell the Amantes where Jonas was, merely that they'd lived together for a month in an apartment in the Maze. He'd been badly beaten by Lucius Vitellius, from whom he had borrowed thousands of traders to pay off his gambling debts and that in the last days before his disappearance, he'd been obsessed with a wealthy merchant in the city named Appius Macrinus.

The session ended with Boren Backslap departing to retrieve the book, and agreeing to meet the Amantes that night at the Ghostly Minstrel.

1) Who is Appius Macrinus? 
2) Why was Jonas obsessed with him before his disappearance? 
3) What powers does "Poems for Hestia" contain? 
4) Where is Lucius Vitellius? 
5) And where is Jonas Ennius? 
6) What does Pertinax want? 
7) Has anyone else dumped the Doc's nasty but powerful concoction into the sewers or catacombs? 

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