Approaching Rome

Powerful wizards have fantastic ways of traveling and may have the means to instantly travel to Rome. Those who rely on more conventional means of

travel — like the perfectly acceptable walking — encounter the Holy Roman Emperor's troops. The soldiers have blocked every major road leading to Rome. Originally stationed to lay siege to the city, most of the troops have retreated to Apulia. A few large groups are stationed along the roads to capture any cardinals summoned to the papal conclave, but the troops aren't expecting any more cardinals at this point. Most people, the imperial troops included, are waiting for the College of Cardinals to select a new pope. Regular clergy, pilgrims, merchants, and other travels are not unduly harassed.

Have your players make a Perception + Awareness + simple die roll against an Ease Factor of 6. If they succeed, their characters see the imperial troops lazing alongside the road before the troops see them. Failing this roll means that the soldiers see the characters at the same time that the characters see the soldiers, and botching this roll means that the characters inadvertently walk into the imperial troop's camp. On the eve of the siege, the emperor had nearly five thousand men stationed around Rome. Currently the imperial army is a hodge-podge collection of foreign mercenaries and vassal German and Neapolitan nobles' troops. The magi encounter one such group, a battalion of two hundred soldiers led by fifteen Neapolitan knights. The knights are either enjoying the day with a nearby hunt or a lunchtime siesta, depending on what time of day it is, leaving the actual work to the soldiers.

The soldiers are tired and bored. Ordered to capture cardinals, the soldiers let other parties pass, especially now that the emperor wants to act friendly toward the Roman citizens. As long as the group doesn't look rich and are not traveling in style, the soldiers let them pass after answering some mandatory questions. Ask the group's spokesman for a Presence + Charm + stress die roll. Remember the –3 penalty to social rolls if the character has the Gift. If the roll succeeds against an Ease Factor of 6 the group can pass. Failure means that the soldiers need to bring their superiors into the discussion, meaning a delay more than any real trouble. Of course, this depends how the player characters react. If the player botches the roll the soldiers think the group contains a disguised cardinal and move to arrest them, calling for help as they press forward.

The magi cannot know that the soldiers will not molest them and may take preventative measures. Twenty soldiers stand by the road with another 100 loitering in a nearby camp, making two distinct groups. If the knights are not hunting they are also in the camp. If a magus wants to affect all the soldiers by the road with a single spell, the Target must be Group (10 individuals) with an additional Magnitude included (to affect 100 individuals). Boosting the spell by an additional Magnitude, to affect 1000 individuals, won't work in this case because the two groups aren't physically close enough to count as a single distinct group.