10 - Venetian Gratitude

A perusal of the loot from the Toad pool in the under-dark, reveals a portion of it, found on one set of remains, to be very recent, personally identifiable and with clear linkages to Venice. Rocco seeks Cola's counsel on its disposal. Cola recalls that there was a young Venetian nobleman who disappeared during the raid on the Baths of Diocletian last year. He strongly advises Rocco to surrender all the personal elements to Lorenzo Bembo the Venetian Agent in Rome and hope for a reward rather than to try to dispose of such identifiable objects on the open market.

Rocco takes a signet ring found on the body to the address of the Venetian Agent with a short letter of introduction. Lorenzo Bembo is not at home and Rocco is received by a young equerry who confirms that this is the signet ring of the missing Pasquale Bembo. However, he is highly suspicious of Rocco's tale. Believing him to be witholding the full story he has him dragged down to a dungeon to be professionally questioned on the matter. Fortunately, Signore Bembo returns just as the hot irons are to be applied, and takes a different view of the matter.

Rocco is returned, under guard, to the House of the Crow, there to collect all the belongings of Pasquale Bembo. On his return with them to the house of the Venetian Agent he is there greeted more courteously by Lorenzo himself, and rewarded with a bag of Venetian gold ducats. Lorenzo expresses interest in Rocco's tale and indicates that he would like to know whatever else can be discovered about the matter.

9 – A Poetic Party and Toad in a Hole

The party seek the advice of Cola on the three ancient coins they had found in the cloacal realms beneath the city. He suggests that they gift them to the poet Petracca who is known to be a collector of such things. Due to be crowned Poet Laureate in a couple of weeks time, Petracca is a good man with whom to be onside according to the notary.

A few days later, back at the House of Crows, they receive a visit from an unusual pair. Two women, eccentrically dressed in men’s attire arrive at the door. They give their names as Bettina and Marisa. Through Donna Giulia of La Deliziosa they have heard that the House of Crows is seeking door guards. Given a lack of other contenders for the post, after a short interview they are hired (though they do take the precaution of contacting Giulia to check their references, which prove satisfactory).

Almost their first visitor is a herald who delivers the thanks of Francesco Petracca for their gift and an invitation to the private reception after the public ceremony on the 8th April.

On the day itself Marco, Rocco, Father Arturo and Fra. Giovanni make their way through the streets to the Capitol. They are joined by a newcomer to Cola’s famiglia, a young magus by the name of Lorenzo. All have upgraded their wardrobe for the after-party, but the journey through the crowded streets proves hard on their new threads. The city is fairly thronging with poetry enthusiasts – as well as those attracted by the free food and especially drink provided by the City Fathers for the occasion. However, none have their pockets picked. Nor are they drawn into any of the free-wine induced street-brawls they observe on their way to the Piazza del Popolo.

There they stand witness to the ceremony, in which Francesco Petracca is crowned with laurels. They listen stoically to several long speeches and a poetry recital, and note that the tone seems very much in tune with Cola’s rousing demagoguery on the theme of restoring the past greatness of Rome. Indeed, Cola actually receives a name-check (amongst others) in Petracca’s acceptance speech.

After the ceremony and the speeches, they follow a stream of chairs and palanquins down the Capitoline and up the Palatine to the palazzo in which the reception is to be held, stopping off in the Forum market to refresh their appearances. On arrival there is some resistance from the functionaries guarding the entrance and checking bona fides, who plainly consider them to be uncouth and under-dressed. However, they wave their invitation with Petracca’s seal attached and are grudgingly admitted.

Dispersing around the party they make a few interesting acquaintances. However, it is Rocco’s chance discovery of a plot against young Matteo Corsini that dominates their evening. It seems that a gang of young yahoos of the Frangipani famiglia, who disapprove of Matteo’s liaison with their sister, Serena, were planning to waylay him as he departed the festivities.

With the assistance of Lorenzo who, it transpires, can by his Arts change a person’s appearance, they hatch a plan with Matteo and his serving man Noli. Fra Giovanni and Father Arturo, closest to them in height and build, take their semblance and lure the Frangipani youths away in pursuit. Meanwhile Corsini and his servant leave quietly by another exit. In due course the Frangipani catch up with the priests, but finding their quarry not to be who they had expected, depart in bafflement. The party meet up with Matteo and Noli near the House of Crows to toast the success of their stratagem.

A few days later the same party descend into the cloacal realm beneath the House of Crows. They return later that day carrying a sack of loot and Brother Giovanni who is missing a foot. It seems that he was seized by a giant toad that would have dragged him into a deep pool there to devour him or feed him to its brood. It got his foot but Rocco and Marco between them managed to rescue the rest of him. Strangely it seems that while lacking the appendage, the friar is surprisingly hale after his ordeal and the stump perfectly healed. There is talk of a veritable miracle attending the prayers of Father Arturo.

8 - The Boys are Back in Town

Staggering home to the House of Crows after a night of pleasant revelry at the Black Cat, the party found themselves in the midst of a deadly street ambush. Ill equipped for combat and facing three heavily armed men, they did well to escape with their lives. That they did so reflects both stout resistance and the Grace of God. It seems that at least one of the assailants could not stomach the slaying of a man of God and fled in the face of Father Arturo’s righteous ire. Meanwhile at the other end of the alley in which they were penned Astore kept a pavissiere at bay and disrupted the crossbowman’s opportunities to shoot. Marco was knocked unconscious and Fra Giovanni was pierced in the arm by bolt.

On their return to the House of Crows, the party took stock and realised that their attackers must be the Fratelli Pozzoli, returned from the service of King Robert in Naples, seeking revenge for the dreadful assault on their mother last year. They conclude that while they may have seen this attempt off that they may anticipate others in the future. Their pleas for assistance from Cola fall on deaf ears. He plainly considers the assault on Esmerelda Pozzoli to be inconsistent with the public image he wishes to present. They resolve to hire some muscle to guard the House of Crows at night and left it at that.

Once recovered from their wounds they turn once more to exploring the passages under the House of Crows that stretch off into the darkness below the city. There they discover that they are not alone in having an access point into this secret network of tunnels, encountering a set of steps leading up to a doorway that is clearly guarded by both men and dogs. In another area they fish a body out of a watercourse, only to find it occupied by some kind of spectral creature that is exorcised by Father Arturo – though not before it has latched onto Fra Giovanni to feed upon his life-force. It is banished just in time. They feed him a Restorative and help him home.