2 - Summer 1340

La Deliziosa

It is a few days before mid-summer when Trucco, one of Cola Di Rienzo's lieutenants, approaches Marco da Pitigliano with a request from the Capo. It seems that over in Rione Trevi there is a client of Cola's in distress. Trucco tells Marco of a gangster, by the name of Giacomino Strozza, throwing his weight around and demanding protection money from local businesses. Trucco tells him to take a couple of lads to the Deliziosa - a brothel of the better sort - and put himself at the service of Donna Giulia the proprietoress.

Marco sets off with his companions, Rocco del Mare and Fr. Giovanni and a young guide by the name of Pino. When they arrive they are surprised to find a priest, Father Arturo Quotidiano, sitting drinking wine in the cortile of the brothel with an ugly ugly looking brute called Astore Tollo. It seems that they had just rescued one of Donna Giulia's doormen from a beating handed out by this Strozza's men. They readily agree to help.

After a day spent watching the gang's caserma. Marco and his fellows decide that it is best to lay a trap for the gangsters when they come to collect - or to carry out their threat to abduct La Deliziosa's star turn, La Bella Scura.

On midsummer night Strozza's righthand man Turo and a couple of henchmen turn up to demand the money or the girl. When Donna Giulia refuses him, Turo decides that he and his men are sufficient unto the task of abducting La Bella Scura. He is mistaken. As they enter the courtyard they are surprised by Cola's men. Turo tries to escape but is brought down by a well aimed roof tile thrown by Pino. All three are given a good drubbing. They are stripped to their shirts and despatched back to their boss with the message that La Deliziosa already has protection.

The Necrofagi

The group are next asked to attend to a plea for help from merchants in Piazza Navona. Their contact, Signore Arminio, tells them that people have been disappearing from their area at nights. He leads them down into the old passageways beneath the strangely elongated market square that is Piazza Navona. There he shows them a fissure leading further down into the depths. It seems that a hat known to belong to one of the victims was found. He provides the group with lamps and a flask of oil.

They make their way down the rubble slope into a set of passages below. There they find a band of Necrofagi - corpse-eaters or ghouls feasting upon a frech body. After a fierce fight, including a struggle with a much larger ghoul, they find an inner room with a huge, bloated female of the species lying upon a veritable bed of charnel. She is in the process of giving birth. Withstanding her terrible shrieks, as his companions waver, Astore steps forward to drive his cinquedea, through her guts and end her unholy existence.

In the room beyond they find a "larder" in which lie four victims, frozen to immobility by the chilling touch of the Necrofagi, but still alive.