The Temple of Mercury

Across from the Colosseum and the Septizodium, almost three-quarters of the way up the slope of the Aventine Hill, is the Temple of Mercury. Long abandoned, it is no longer adorned with apotropaic herms and statues of the Roman god. The roof is cracked and portions of the temple have fallen down. Only half of the marble columns stand, hidden behind clinging vines and overgrown weeds. From a short distance away, it looks like nothing more than another pile of weedy rubble, indistinct from the hundreds of similar piles littering the vineyard section of Rome. But beneath the cracked marble floor lies a secret.

Hundreds of years ago, the basement of the Temple of Mercury was used to store votive offerings to the god of commerce, and as a meeting place for the few Cult of Mercury members who lived in Rome. The temple ceased to be used after the Ostrogoth siege of Rome in 546, lying in ruins until explored by Bonisagus in the eighth century. Forgotten again, it has lain fallow until rediscovered by Alyates several years ago. Since then, he has made it his home, appreciating the Magic aura of 3 in a city full of Divine and Faerie auras.

Alyates left the ruined temple alone and concentrated on the rooms beneath. A dilapidated stairway leads down to a clean, spacious, stone room. A single wooden door leads to a lavishly decorated room, half living quarters and half laboratory. Spontaneous Imaginem spells keep the air fresh, scented with lavender, and spontaneous Ignem spells keep the room well lit. The room is protected by a level 30 Aegis of the Hearth spell, annually cast from a casting tablet that Alyates keeps among his personal treasures. The site is not marked with a sanctum marker; as far as anyone knows Alyates died in Constantinople in 1204.