THE TOGA DETECTIVE IIIIT’S A FAMILY BUSINESS…THE INTERACTIVE GAME BEGIN

HADESYou arrive in a dark, featureless place, a denarius in your hand. Hades himself comes to greet you.“Sorry, but somewhere along the way, you managed to get yourself killed. I’m feeling pretty nice today, so before you pay your coin to get across the River Styx, I’ll let you have a choice. You can go back to the beginning of this whole crazy business, or you can come along with me to the underworld. What do you want to do?”Go back to the beginning Go with Hades

SALVE!It’s been years since your last case involving Silius and Messalina, which was in AD 47. You’ve been able to afford to live because the money Claudius gave you was substantial! You probably don’t have to ever do another case if you budget wisely. For the past few years, you’ve been working on your family life and keeping the romance alive with your wife, who you met after the Claudius case. You’ve been married for years and now, in AD 57, she’s given birth to a child! Name him!

NAMINGYou’re excited to choose a name for him. Your wife Lucretia has already chosen a praenomen(a first name), Tiberius. You love that name and the Emperor that goes with it!Now it’s time for you to choose a cognomen (a last name). You want to break away from the normal naming system by not passing down your cognomen, and you have a few to choose from. Which do you choose?Ahala Balbus Bibulus Blaesus BrutusBucco Caesar Capito Cato Celer CelsusFlavus Habitus Lepidus Nasica NeroPulcher Salinator Scaeva Verres Turdus

AHALACruel! You’ve given your son a name that means ‘armpit’. So now he is Tiberius Lucretius Ahala.Continue

BALBUSMean! You’ve given your son a name that means ‘stutterer’. If he does stutter when he’s older it might just save you, but little Balbus will catch on and hate you for it. Well done. Your son is now called Tiberius Lucretius Balbus.Continue

BIBULUSYou horrible man, Vespillo! You’ve given your son a name that means ‘drunkard’. Now he’s destined to live up to that with the depression his name will cause him. Your son is now called Tiberius Lucretius Bibulus.Continue

BLAESUSCruel! You’ve given your son a terrible name, with a variety of terrible meanings: ‘someone who mispronounces words, slurs his speech, stammers or lisps’. If he does any of those things you will be in deep cacas. Your son is now called Tiberius Lucretius Blaesus. And please tell me you know how to pronounce it or you will be the Blaesus.Continue

BRUTUSHmm… an interesting choice. Sadly, Brutus was one of the conspirators that killed Julius Caesar, and Rome’s still pretty urined off about that. As soon as you announce your son’s name of Tiberius Lucretius Brutus to the world, some angry pro-Julius Caesar people storm your house and kill you, your wife and your son, thinking you are the reincarnation of the conspirators.Continue

BUCCOGood going, Quintus! You’ve given your son a name that means ‘fool’ or ‘dolt’. He’s going to hate you forever when he finds out what it means. Your son is now Tiberius Lucretius Bucco.Continue

CAESARThought you were clever naming him after Julius Caesar, did you? Well the Imperial family took it the wrong way and since you’re now under the Emperor Nero, also called Caesar, you are sentenced to death by choking on your baby’s excrement. What a way to go.Continue

CAPITONice one. You’ve given your son a name that means ‘big-headed’. Your son is now Tiberius Lucretius Capito.Continue

CATOAlthough this means ‘shrewd’ or ‘prudent’, which is a better meaning than the other choices, you’ve named your son after a particularly famous Roman figure Cato the Elder (or Cato the Censor). He was a conservative and he did not want Rome to be Hellenized (he was pretty opposed to it), and seeing as your wife is Greek, she’s not pleased. She stones you to death and renames your son Mortus. Tiberius Lucretius Mortus.Continue

CELERThis is a good choice of name! It means ‘quick’, so hopefully he’ll be quick when he’s older. Your son is now Tiberius Lucretius Celer.Continue

CELSUSThis name means ‘tall’, and your son is certainly tall! Even though he’s a baby, you can tell that he’ll be probably six feet or bigger when he’s a teenager. His name fits him well! So your son is now Tiberius Lucretius Celsus.Continue

FLAVUSFlavus means ‘blonde-haired’, and your son does indeed have a few wisps of blonde hair on his little head. The name fits him well. Your son is now Tiberius Lucretius Flavus.Continue

HABITUSThis name means ‘in good physical condition’. You swear you can see a six-pack forming as you give him the name. Your son is now Tiberius Lucretius Habitus.Continue

LEPIDUSThis is a good choice, meaning ‘charming’ or ‘amusing’. Let’s hope he grows up to be that way! Your son is now Tiberius Lucretius Lepidus.Continue

NASICACongratulations! You’ve given your son a name that means ‘big nose’. “You’re the big-nose!” Lucretia snaps, giving you a mean right hook. Your jaw snaps to the side and as you turn to counterattack, she jabs viciously and breaks your big nose. Blood and snot dribble down your face and your nose is at an awfully crooked angle. You’ll have to live with that crooked nose for the rest of your life sadly.Your son is now Tiberius Lucretius Nasica.Continue

NEROYou think it would be the ultimate in reverence to name your son after the recently crowned Emperor, Nero. In a few years this backfires, because Rome burns in a massive fire in AD 64 and Nero does nothing about it. Your son is killed by rioters and they besiege your villa, thinking your son is the real Emperor, as you told them he was called Nero. Eventually you run out of food and have to eat Lucretia. Slowly you have to consume your own body and once you get to your organs, you die of… well, eating your own organs.Continue

PULCHERGood choice! This name means ‘good-looking’ or ‘beautiful’ and with your handsomeness, your son is bound to be hot. You look at him and see he’s already forming those piercing eyes, chiselled jawbone and winning smile. (And that signature Roman nose.) He’s going to be better-looking than Adonis and the heartthrob of all the girls. Your son is now Tiberius Lucretius Pulcher.Continue

SALINATORA strange choice… this means ‘salt-harvester’. What was your reason for choosing this name? Your son is now Tiberius Lucretius Salinator.Continue

SCAEVAThis name means ‘left-handed’. Let’s hope that he is left-handed when he’s older, otherwise he and you will have a lot of explaining to do.Continue

VERRESMean man! This name means ‘pig’. When he’s older your son is going to kill you!And he does. When he’s fifteen he has had enough name-related bullying and decides to get revenge by killing you and changing his name to Aquilinus, a name he’s always liked.Continue

TURDUSWhat sick stuff is going through your mind, Vespillo? You want to name your son after excrement? Worry not, because Turdus actually means ‘thrush’. Thankfully the Latin word for poo has nothing to do with turd, so your Romans friends won’t understand your low barbarian humour. Your son is now Tiberius Lucretius Turdus.Continue

BUILDINGYour son grows up happily with his new name, and he helps you solve cases from time to time. When he’s ten, he tells you that he wants to be a detective when he grows up, so you tell him that he’ll get the ‘Vespillo Family Detective Agency’ when you die. For now you can just work on cases together.Three years later, word gets out that Emperor Vespasian is starting to build a grand amphitheatre, bigger than any the Empire has ever seen. Tiberius is ecstatic, because you invite him to come to Rome and see the building in progress. Getting into your personal cart, you begin to drive to Rome. You and Tiberius wonder how the amphitheatre will look when it’s finished.To Rome

SCAFFOLDING AND DEATHWhen you arrive, the sheer numbers of people shock you. Thousands have decided to come and see the soon-to-be-amphitheatre, and you realise that the inns will be full if they don’t get to one in time. Tiberius is set on climbing the scaffolding and seeing the building close up, but you’re anxious to let him. What do you do?Let him climb Take him with you to an inn

THE DEATH PARTYou think that the inns can wait. You’re on good terms with the Imperial family anyway, so maybe they can let you stay in the Palace for your trip. Sadly, many people have had the same idea as Tiberius and are crowding the scaffolding. Soldiers try in vain to get them off, but the wooden beams break and hundreds of people go tumbling down and hit the floor. Thankfully, Tiberius is not one of them, but in your haste to save him, you are crushed by a fat child.Continue

STAYING THE NIGHTYou drag your pesky thirteen-year-old away from the scaffolding and carry him upside down to an inn. His tunic slips, showing his private parts, but the embarrassment serves as a punishment for Tiberius being so immature.When you reach the inn, you secure the last available room. It’s getting late, so you tuck Tiberius in and say goodnight. You, however, are sixty years old, and fit as a fiddle, so you creep downstairs and cavort with the young people all night. Wine flows profusely from your cup into your mouth. You recall all the drinking-related scrapes you’ve had in the past and realise that you might just enjoy your wine a little too much. To put it mildly.It’s getting towards dawn now. What should you do?Carry on partying Get a couple of hours of sleep

PARTY TIMEYou can survive on little to no sleep, so you’ll be OK. You drink some more wine and dance with a few women. One of them looks like Helena, and you get a twinge of heartache. If Claudius hadn’t killed her, you might have proposed to her. You were in love! But you were in love with Messalina more…Suddenly, a rabid old man comes up to you and stares at you with his one red eye. “Detective, there is something you must know…”He is probably drunk. You turn to leave.“Wait!” he grunts.Do you…See what he has to say Ignore him and carry on partying

MORE PARTY TIMEThe man tries to follow you, but a quick brandish of your knife sorts him out. You carry on having fun and drinking, but there’s a dark shadow in your mind cast by that old man. How did he know you were a detective? What was it he wanted you to know? You try to forget about it, and when people start to disperse, you follow them and join Tiberius in some blissful sleep.Goodnight

OLD MANYou sit him down at a table and ask him what he wanted to say.“You support the Emperor, don’t you? Well don’t let it get too far, for he preys on people like you. He will rise and avenge! Avenge! He has been disturbed and he will not let that rest! Beware, Vespillo, and your son too. Four men will die today, and unless you stop the Flavian, more will follow! Heed my words! Heed them! Heed them or die!”He collapses with the exertion of speaking.What in Hades?!

DECIPHERINGYou try to go over what the man said. The Flavian… that must be the amphitheatre, for that is what it’s called. But he will rise an avenge? The Flavian will rise and avenge, or something else? He said he will rise and avenge ‘those who support its building’, so whoever’s rising and avenging must dislike the building of the amphitheatre. But who? Or what?Even in the midst of his confusing outburst, he mentioned that four more men will die today. Even if he didn’t mean it, you’re a detective and it’s your moral duty to stop these murders taking place. What you are still worried about is the fact that more men will die if the Flavian continues to be built. What on earth can you do to stop that? More importantly, what are you going to do now?Stop the murders Ignore his ravings, they probably mean nothing. I’m going to catch some sleep

DAWNYou wake up slowly, rubbing your eyes. Sun streams through the inn’s windows and despite its beauty, you feel terrible. Your head is pounding, your mouth is dry and your eyes are stinging. You find a cup of questionably fresh water and splash it in your face, getting rid of no hangover symptoms whatsoever. But you have to get on with the day, so you wake Tiberius and get yourselves ready.“What are we going to do today?” Tiberius asks. You reply…“We’re going to explore the city.”“We’re going to look at the amphitheatre.”“We’re going to the baths for a scrape and a nice chat.”

EXPLORING ROMEYou’ve been here loads of times, so the streets are very familiar to you. Tiberius looks around, fascinated, and asks many questions. On the way, you meet a few interesting people and stop to enjoy the sun. Suddenly a muscular man rushes down the street, barges past you and runs off down an alley. “Oi!” Tiberius yells. “Watch it!” You’re surprised how feisty your placid little boy is.In front of you is a massive street, virtually empty. It’s the street the man came from. Tiberius sees a glassmaker’s shop and is itching to go in, but you’re set on following that unusually muscled man.Go down the street Pursue the man

THE GLASSMAKERS’ STREETYou walk down the street with Tiberius. The man was probably a messenger or slave, which explained why he was so muscular. All that running or labour would make you really strong.You scream in pain as you step on a bloody knife. The blood is fairly fresh and it stains your sandal. Tiberius picks it up carefully and his eyes glint with glee.“There must be a mystery! Someone’s been murdered! We have to take this for evidence.” He tucks it in his belt and carefully drapes folds of his tunic to hide it. You say that for now the mystery can wait. You should go and do something else.Go to the baths Go to the amphitheatre

PURSUITThrowing Tiberius onto your shoulders, you chase after the man. He’s in your sights for a while, but he suddenly turns a corner and disappears. You take the same turn, but he’s gone. You put Tiberius on the ground and notice he’s got a knife in his hand. You’re appalled and ask where he got it from.“I found it, and there’s fresh blood on the blade, so it means someone’s recently been murdered. We must investigate!”You laugh, but assure him there hasn’t been a murder. Tiberius tucks the knife secretly away in his belt and asks what you’re going to do next.To the amphitheatre To the baths

THE BATHSYou arrive at the baths and deposit your clothes in the changing-room. Tiberius is a little embarrassed to be naked, but he doesn’t say anything. In the exercise area, you play with wooden swords and get a bit sweaty. Slaves come and put some olive oil on you, which has ash and lavender in it. Then it’s scrape time! They get their strigils and scrape the oil off you, making you squeaky clean.You take him to the cold plunge pool and jump in. The freezing cold water is invigorating, but Tiberius emits a scream as high as a girl’s and gets out immediately. When you get to the warm pool, you slide into the water and relax. There are a few groups of people and a few intriguing conversations going on. Who do you talk to?The old men The athletes The philosophersThe rowdy teenagers The poets and playwrights

OLD MENThey are lounging in the water and gossiping. You wade over to them, but Tiberius hangs back. You greet the old men, who mutter a general salutation in incomprehensible tones, then forget you’re there.“Tell me again how they found Gemellus?” one asked.“Beheaded on the sands! Messy. Next to him was a couple of young men and a poor guy with his neck broken.”“When was this?” “This morning, just after dawn! People have some weird theories about who killed them…”Talk to more people

WHO TO TALK TO?Who are you going to talk to?The old men The athletes The philosophersThe rowdy teenagers The poets and playwrightsNo one, I’m going to the amphitheatre No one, I’m going to explore Rome

ATHLETESYou ask them what they’re talking about.“Did you hear those noises last night?” a handsome man asks you. “I was woken up at the crack of dawn by some terrible wailing. It sounded like someone was being killed!”Another one interrupts. “Didn’t you hear that screaming? Worse than the wailing, I say! That was the sound of someone being killed!”A blonde man flicks his hair out of his eyes and speaks. “I heard all that, but there was a scratching sound, like fingernails down some stone. Sent chills down my spine…”Talk to more people

PHILOSOPHERS“Why do you think someone would be so opposed to the building of the Flavian anyway?” one of the philosophers says to himself. “It’s probably because they believe our Empire is corrupt and any material progression is only for the worst… A terrible philosophy in my opinion. The amphitheatre is only a forwarding of the greatness of Rome.”“It could be because of their anger towards someone or something deeply involved with the building. A desire for vengeance, perhaps?”A smiling man butts in. “Or as the superstitious people say, that ancient king doesn’t want anyone disturbing his tomb!” All the philosophers laugh.Talk to more people

ROWDY TEENAGERSWhen you go over to them, the teenagers spit at you and insult you. You move closer to sort them out, but one of them expertly directs a stream of their urine into your face. Spluttering, you try to tell them off, but they are challenging you to a fight. A stout boy pulls some of your hair out and asks you to fight back. Do you…Fight back Ignore them and talk to someone else

FIGHT!With skills you learned from some Gaulish ruffians, you try to break the boy’s arm. But you’re sixty, so you’ve lost a bit of your strength. He counterattacks with a vicious jab to your eyes, which temporarily blinds you. A teenager, who was once Tiberius’ friend, jumps on your back and holds you under the water until you drown.Continue

POETS AND PLAYWRIGHTSOne of the poets is humming a catchy tune as you come towards them. He stops and asks if you have any ideas about words to go with it. “The poem will be about the legend of the Titan King. Have you heard of it? The story is very in vogue right now, as it’s said he has risen to stop the building of the Flavian Amphitheatre! If I make up a brilliant poem about the legend soon, I can perform and sell it to make loads of money.”“I’m writing a play of the legend,” a playwright interrupts. “Do you know anyone who could play the Titan King? I need someone with a loud, intimidating voice and who looks good in black.”Talk to more people

THE AMPHITHEATREThere are lots of people around as you arrive at the amphitheatre. Everyone is nervously talking and avoiding the bodies in the middle of the arena, which are being picked up by soldiers. You ask them what’s going on.“Last night these four men were murdered, and we’re just collecting evidence.” He stops, then gasps. “You’re the detective Vespillo aren’t you? The head of the Praetorian says that you’re supposed to solve this mystery. He’s been looking for you all morning!” You agree to solving the mystery, then begin to examine the scene. There is a hole in the middle of the arena, which is massive and quite deep. At the bottom of it is a dirty wine cup, which Tiberius picks up. On many of the stones are scratch marks, which look like someone has dragged three fingernails down them. The only thing left to do is talk to people to get some information.Talk to people

TALKINGYou need to know if anyone has any information about the murders. Who do you talk to?Slave Murmillo Soldier Rich man Builder Woman Retiarius Gladiator trainer Glassmaker Priest No one, I have enough information

SLAVEYou ask the slave what he knows about the murder.“I heard some weird noises last night. There was one that sounded like wailing. There was one that sounded like scraping, or someone chiselling something out of stone. There was also this strange jingling noise, like chains or something.”Talk to more people

MURMILLO“I saw a man come to the amphitheatre last night,” he says. “He was in a black toga, and I couldn’t see his face. I tried to follow him, but he saw me so I ran away.”Talk to more people

SOLDIER“I didn’t see anything, but you need to know your mission. Let me tell you it in short, so you can understand. Last night, a man came to the amphitheatre and murdered four people who were working there. It happened just before dawn, and the victims were just starting work. We came immediately, but the murderer had run away. You have to find out who the murderer is and arrest him somehow. Hopefully you already have a bit of information, so you can just get some evidence from people and make your deductions. I’m sorry it’s so chaotic, but the murders are so unexpected and we’ve got to hurry if we want to stand any chance of capturing whoever did this. And be warned, some people have some crazy theories about the murders…”Talk to more people

RICH MAN“He’s risen! I knew it!” the man exclaims. You ask him what he means.“The priests told me that this would happen… There’s a legend… It says there was a king who lived a long time ago, longer than the Greeks, Romans or Etruscans, and he was loved by all, but he had a vindictive streak. When he died he was buried in the middle of Rome, and his tomb is being disturbed by the building of the amphitheatre. He has risen and will avenge those who support it! More men will die if the amphitheatre continues to be built!”“Craaaaaazy…” Tiberius whispers.Talk to more people

BUILDERYou ask the builder what he knows about the murders. “I suppose it was after the murders were committed… but I saw a man in a black toga go in the direction of the insulae. He was running pretty fast, so I guess it was the murderer.” He points to exactly where the man went, which was close to the Glassmakers’ Street and the inn you are staying at.Talk to more people

WOMANStrangely, she is the only woman on the scene.“I know a lot about gladiators,” she says. “My husband is a lanista, he owns one of the gladiator schools in Rome. Now everyone says those scratch-marks are from fingernails, but no one’s fingernails are that strong! There are three parallel lines in each instance, which means that it was done by a trident. Now who has access to tridents? Gladiators. So that means a gladiator murdered those men.”Talk to more people

RETIARIUSYou ask him if anything unusual has happened recently, anything that could be connected with the murders.“I didn’t see or hear anything, but one of the retiarii in my ludus ran off last night. That makes me really suspicious.”“What ludus do you train at?” Tiberius asks.“The main one in Rome. We’re going to be supplying gladiators to the Flavian when it’s finished. But quite a few of us have been fired, because the lanista doesn’t want any less-than-perfect gladiators tainting the splendour of the new arena. Most of the retiarii have been fired, including the guy that ran away.”Talk to more people

GLADIATOR TRAINER“One of my tridents was stolen yesterday evening. I work at the local ludus, so I think the murderer came in, took a trident and killed those men with it.”Talk to more people

GLASSMAKERYou ask him if anything out-of-the-ordinary has happened to him recently.“A few days ago, a shady-looking man came into my shop asking for a hollow tube of glass. That was pretty weird to me, but nothing to do with the murder. Sorry.”“How unhelpful,” you think.Talk to more people

PRIEST“I knew he’d risen…” he mutters to himself. You ask him if he’s seen anything unusual.“A few days ago, a man came to the temple and asked to look at our sacred book of legends. We left him to it, and when he’d gone one of the priests saw a page had been ripped out. It was the page about the Legend of the Titan King, which is more than a coincidence, seeing as the Titan King has committed these murders. He must have turned into a normal-looking man and taken the page out, because he didn’t want us to be reading about him.”Talk to more people

THE MURDERER DISCOVERED?“I think I know who the murderer is!” Tiberius exclaims. You can practically see his powers of reasoning and deduction working in his head. You try to think of who the murderer could be. Do you know who he is? Are you ready to find him?Yes No

NOT QUITE READY…You tell Tiberius that you need to look at things again, and closer this time. You need more evidence. You…Go to the baths Talk to more people Explore Rome

SOLVING THE MYSTERYEmpowered by all this new information, you know exactly who the murderer is and where he’s gone. You first ask Tiberius what he thinks.“I think it’s a gladiator that wants to scare people by pretending the Titan King has risen and stop the amphitheatre being built, because he prefers the old one. There’s still a bit more thinking I need to do…”Where has the murderer run off to?The baths The insulae The old amphitheatre Out of the city

MURDER IN THE BATHSYou run to the baths, thinking the murderer has gone there. You don’t look as you enter, and don’t notice you’ve arrived at the female section. Literally hundreds of naked women pile on top of you, suffocating you to death. Continue

THE OLD ARENAWhen you arrive, you notice that there is no one there. No matches are on today, so the place is completely, eerily empty. Tiberius goes through the gate where the gladiators come in and has a look there. You run up the rows of seats and stand at the top, looking at everything. A cold wind picks up and you rush to wrap your toga tighter around your body, but you slip and go crashing down, splitting your skull on the sand.Continue

NOT IN ROMEYou get your litter and jump in, ready for a long journey to find the murderer. Tiberius complains the whole way, telling you that the murderer is still in Rome and he knows exactly where he is. Soon he gets tired of complaining and jumps out of the litter, running back in the direction of the city. Bandits ambush you later that day, and stab you to death, before you realise that Tiberius was right and has successfully solved the mystery.Continue

PURSUIT THROUGH THE INSULAEYou sprint down the Glassmakers’ Street and head off down an alley, following the trail of coins, blood and black thread. Soon you spot a man running away, and when he notices you, he chucks a tube of glass at you. It hits Tiberius in the head and knocks him out. Do you…Stay and help Tiberius Leave him and keep chasing the man

HELPYou call for help and start to pick little bits of glass out of Tiberius’ skin. There’s loads of blood, and you’re afraid he might be dead. You see a bit of the tube on the floor, so you lob it in the direction of the man. Thankfully, you have good aim, and it hits him in the back of the neck, felling him instantly. A physician comes along and takes Tiberius away, and you run after the man and pin him down. The man opens his eyes slowly, and is shocked when he sees you staring down at him. You ask him what he is doing running away.“I’m late for something! Get off me, I need to go! Why in Hades did you throw that bit of glass at me?” he nods his head in the direction of the glass shard.Interrogate him further

THE MURDERERYou explain that you think he is the murderer. He laughs and struggles out of your grasp. You let him stand up, but tie your toga around his legs and your tunic’s belt around his wrists. You have many questions to ask him, so first you ask what his name is.“I used to be known as Taranis,” he spits out. You know that this is the name of the Gaulish thunder god, and you quickly deduce that this is a nickname. You show him all your evidence and tell him that you’re sure he’s the murderer. He tries to argue against all your points, but you see through it and call for someone to get a Praetorian or soldier. Soon a soldier arrives and puts Taranis under arrest.“Explain yourself!”

TARANISYou demand an explanation as to why he murdered the four people.“I used to be a gladiator at the local ludus, a retiarius. I was at the top of my game, all the girls loved me, and I was set to be the Gladiator Primus– a pleb like you wouldn’t get how important that is. But then the news of the Flavian came, and my lanista had to make some serious cuts, to compensate for the new gladiators coming in. He only wanted the best, and apparently I wasn’t! So he fired me. I wanted revenge… and I got it. I used the ‘Titan King’ legend as a disguise for my murders, and it was going so well. I would have killed more every day, if I weren’t stopped by you.”Continue

SCRATCHES“I had a look at the book of legends in the temple, and saw that the Titan King legend fit perfectly with what I wanted to do. I got myself a black toga and a knife. Since I was a gladiator, I stole a trident from the ludus and used it to make the scratches down the stones. I used a wine cup to dig a tomb-like grave, and a hollow tube of glass to make strange noises. The jingling was caused by the purse of coins and random bits of metal I had. It was a brilliant plan, but you foiled it. Curse you!” The soldier tightens his grip on Taranis, and asks you for any evidence you have. You tell him all you know, and bring out the wine cup and knife Tiberius found. The soldier takes Taranis away to the courthouse, and you go to the physician to see Tiberius.Continue

PURSUIT ALONEYou leave Tiberius, who is being seen to by a passing physician, and continue to chase the man. He turns a corner suddenly, and you run past it. You’ve lost him! You retrace your steps and leg it, your years of running training coming into practice. You sprint faster than a bolt of lightning and trap the man inside an empty shop. Hearing the commotion, some people arrive and ask what is going on. You tell them to back off, and begin to interrogate the man.Interrogate

VICTORYTiberius is fine, but a little dazed. You explain the outcome of the mystery and tell him that he was quite right with his deduction! He has the makings of a fine detective. Go to the inn

A WELL-NEEDED RESTYou go back to your inn and relax in your room after your adventures. Night falls, so you go to bed early. The next morning, you start packing your stuff in order to leave, but a breathless messenger bursts in.“The Emperor wants to see you. He said it’s urgent. There’s a litter outside waiting for you.”You finish packing quickly, and go to the litter. You get in and it begins to move. Tiberius is excited to be meeting the Emperor. Soon you see the Imperial Palace looming over your heads, and you get out of the litter.To the palace

VESPASIANYou are directed to Emperor Vespasian’s private room, where he is sitting and doodling in the corner of a scroll. “Welcome,” he says. You greet him formally, and subtly kick Tiberius so he says “Ave” and salutes like you. “I’m so glad you solved this mystery. It would be a disaster for the murders to continue, and the beauty of my amphitheatre would be lost. No one would think of it as the place to see wondrous spectacles, they’d only remember how many lives were lost building it. Thanks to you, its reputation has been restored. Both of you deserve a present!”Tiberius squeals with glee at the mention of a present, but you remain calm. Choose a present

PRESENTSTiberius is offered a choice of five brilliant presents, and he chooses to get fighting training from a veteran soldier for a year. You think it’s good for him to toughen up a bit; you were worried that he’d become girly. What do you choose?“You can sit next to me during the inaugural games of the Flavian Amphitheatre.”“You can have my personal favourite wine, a sharp spiced red from the year of Julius Caesar’s assassination.”“You can get a discount of half on everything you buy from now on.”“You can become a senator.”“You can have my villa on the Quirinal Hill for free.”

STOP THE MURDERS!You wake Tiberius quickly and dash off to the amphitheatre. You have a feeling the old man was speaking the truth, even if he was crazy. When you get there, you hide behind a pile of stones. Tiberius is a bit confused, so you explain quietly what’s going on and what you’re doing. You see four men working. It’s nearly dawn, so they must have started early. Suddenly there’s a jingling noise, so you shut up and listen carefully for more. Then you see a man in a black toga appear from the darkness, and he’s making some terrifying noises. Tiberius screams and the man turns around. Do you…Reveal yourselves and question him Duck further behind the stones and hope he hasn’t seen you

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?You stand up and stride confidently towards the black-robed man. He turns around to reveal a wide, angry face. That’s the last thing you see, as a knife is thrust into your heart.Continue

SPYINGYou try not to make a sound, even as the man makes more wailing sounds. Then you hear a spine-chilling scream, which is abruptly cut off, followed by three more, exactly the same. Finally there’s a scratching sound, which is just like someone carving something out of stone. You have to clamp your hand over Tiberius’ mouth to stop him screaming. Then you hear footsteps and you know the man has gone. You slowly and carefully make your way out from behind the stones and see a horrible sight. There is a wide, deep hole, with four dead bodies around it. Two have had their throats slit, one has been beheaded, and one has a broken neck. On many of the stones that have been put up, there are scratch-marks that resemble marks that would be made by three fingernails. Tiberius starts calling for help, as he is absolutely terrified. Help!

CRIME SCENESoon many people have arrived at the crime scene, and some soldiers have covered the bodies with white cloths. The soldier running the operation asks for evidence from you, so you tell him everything you saw and heard. Sadly, you didn’t stop the murders, but you’re now involved in the mystery. A group of priests appear, and the High Priest brings out some chickens. They assemble around the hole and the priests sacrifice all the chickens, while chanting. A goat is led to the middle of the amphitheatre and has its throat slit. A huge bull struts up and you intervene. You ask them what on earth they’re doing.Continue

THE TITAN KING“We’re purifying this place, and sacrificing so the gods won’t let any more people get killed.”You ask why it was impure.“The Titan King has been here, and he has risen.”You ask for an explanation.“There is a legend we priests believe, and it goes like this: once there was a civilisation, older than even the Greeks, Romans or Etruscans. It was a mighty kingdom, ruled by a dynasty of powerful kings. They conquered more than what our Empire has done, more than Alexander the Great, more than anyone in history. They ruled over the whole world, all except for one country.”Continue

THE TITAN KING STORY“This country was full of rebels and barbarians, and they tried to overthrow the kingdom. Miraculously, they succeeded, and as the king’s capital city burned, he vowed to avenge anyone that tried to better him again. He fought the rebels until his last breath, and his remaining subjects buried him in a vast tomb, unknown to the conquerors of the kingdom. The tomb is just underneath our feet, at the site of the amphitheatre. His name was Tytinos, which was their word for ‘Titan’. He is the Titan King, and now Vespasian is trying to better his civilisation. He has risen, and these four murders are just the beginning. Until the Flavian has been destroyed, this will keep happening and the Titan King will wreak havoc on the entire Roman Empire.”Continue

YOUR MISSION“What you must do is find the Titan King and appease him somehow. You have a way with words, detective, you can bargain with him and let the Flavian continue to be built. You must do this, even if it means offering your life to stop the Titan King.” You think that the High Priest is a little crazy, but there is an intriguing mystery to be solved. You must find this Titan King and appease him, if he exists. If he doesn’t, you must find out who committed the murders and bring them to justice. Continue

CHOICESYou discuss with Tiberius what to do in order to solve the mystery. You have a few options.Find a temple and read up about the legend Examine the crime scene Ask the priests what you should do to appease the King Wait until nightfall and hide in the amphitheatre to see what happens Go to the Emperor and demand the Flavian to be torn down

THE TEMPLEYou take Tiberius to a nearby temple and ask for entry. They let you in and lead you to their library, where you find many books and scrolls about myths and legends. You send Tiberius to read some of the simpler ones, while you tackle the more difficult works.‘A Book of Myths and Legends’ ‘The Tragedy of the Titan’‘Obscure Legends’ ‘Etruscan Tales’ ‘The History of Italia’ ‘The Sacred Book of Lore’

‘A BOOK OF MYTHS AND LEGENDS’You flick through the book and find a page on the ‘Titan King’ myth.There was a kingdom which Romans called Old Aetruska, and it was a thriving economy filled with rich merchants, wealthy plebeians and beautiful women. After hundreds of years of rule, a rebel nation rose and destroyed the kingdom, which was governed by a benign ruler called Tytinos {also spelled Titinus, Tytinus, Tetinus, Tytian}. It is said that the king of Old Aetruska was buried in the centre of what is now Rome, and whenever Roman power gets too strong, he rises from the grave and tries to stop the progression of society, often through martial means.Read another book

BOOKSWhich book will you read?‘A Book of Myths and Legends’ ‘The Tragedy of the Titan’‘Obscure Legends’ ‘Etruscan Tales’ ‘The History of Italia’ ‘The Sacred Book of Lore’I’m finished, I want to examine the crime scene I’m finished, I want to ask the priests what to do to appease the king I’m finished, I want to wait until nightfall and hide in the amphitheatre I’m finished, I want to go to the Emperor and demand the Flavian to be torn down

‘THE TRAGEDY OF THE TITAN’You’re annoyed to find it’s a poem.King Tytian, rising above the flames of EtruskaTrying in vain to crush the forces that defy himBuried deep in the centre of the cityWhere no one can find him, but he is watchingWaiting for a civilisation to riseRising above the grandeur of EtruskaWailing, screaming, dead soulsUntil Tytian is at the top once again.Read another book

‘OBSCURE LEGENDS’This one is a peculiar book, written in a nearly unintelligible hand.From the dark civilisation of the Etruscans comes a legend that is as shrouded in mystery as the Underworld. It is said that King Tytinus, a ruler of a kingdom older than the Etruscans, was defeated by rebels and swore to crush anyone that had a civilisation better than his. In my opinion, Rome is coming close, but since this is an obscure legend, no one will know until it’s too late and Tytinus has killed them. He goes about his crushing in a violent way. Some people say that the Etruscans themselves were brought down by Tytinus’ wrath.Read another book

‘ETRUSCAN TALES’The Etruscans are full of interesting tales, and we will start with a violent one about a king. You may not want to read this to your children. It’s quite brutal.People always say to love Rome, love your Empire, for it will only do good. But when the Empire gets too advanced, the Etruscans say that a king called Tetinus will rise from the dead and avenge. Avenge what, no one knows. People say that the Etruscans were felled by the wrath of the king, when they began to conquer more and more places. The Greeks were brought down too, after they got too big-headed and thought they were the best. Personally I think the place was just heaving with philosophers, and Tetinus did not want that. You’ll know if Tetinus is avenging, because you’ll hear wailing, screaming and the jingling of metal, and you’ll see scratch marks down the walls. Not to mention people will be dying all over the place. You’ll recognise Tetinus by his black toga, and the fact he only creeps around at night.Read another book

‘THE HISTORY OF ITALIA’It takes you a while to find a page remotely connected with the Titan King.In Rome, there is a monument more ancient than Luperca’s Cave, and more hidden than an Emperor’s motives. It is called the Tomb of the Titan King, and it can be found in the centre of the city. Legend has it that a great kingdom was situated there, and when it was overrun, the king was buried in a secret tomb, to rise when a civilisation become greater than his. This part of the history of Italia is cloaked in mystery, and it is uncertain whether any of the legend is true. Read another book

‘THE SACRED BOOK OF LORE’This book is written in a very old form of Latin, and your Gaulish upbringing makes it very difficult for you to understand. You have to get Tiberius to translate, to your embarrassment. When Rome gets too strong, when their grip is too tight, King Tytinos will loosen it. The progressive ventures of the Empire will be halted as bodies pile up, the night rings with wails and screams, his hands carve solid stone, and it will not cease until Rome burns. The keepers of this knowledge must strive to moderate the Empire and prevent this from happening and destroying our civilisation like he destroyed the Etruscans and Samnites. Sacrifice daily for the Titan King, and pray that he does not avenge his kingdom in devastating ways.Read another book

THE CRIME SCENEYou have a look at the amphitheatre and look carefully at the scratches on the stones. They look like a sharp object has carved them, and you think the fact that they are three parallel lines must have some significance, although you can’t work it out yet. There are too little lines to be fingernail scratches, unless the Titan King had lost some fingers while he was rotting in his tomb. But who would be strong enough to gouge out rock with their fingernails? If the Titan King is who the priests told you he his, he’s probably capable of anything.The bodies have been taken away, but you have a look at the hole. At the bottom of it is a dirty wine cup– some posthumous merriment, perhaps? Tiberius picks it up to keep as evidence.Ask the priests what to do to appease the king Wait until nightfall and hide in the amphitheatre Read up about the legend Go to the Emperor and demand the Flavian to be taken down

APPEASEDYou ask the High Priest what you can do to appease the King.“You could probably get away with just money, if he is feeling kind. But there is a high possibility that you’ll have to arrange for the Flavian Amphitheatre to be torn down somehow. If he asks you that, contact me, because I can get hold of the Emperor and persuade him. This is important, because if you disobey the Titan King’s orders, you will be killed and he will continue to avenge. In the worst case, you will have to kill yourself in order to appease him, and you might even have to kill your son too.”You are chilled by the thought.Read up about the legend Wait until nightfall and hide in the amphitheatre Examine the crime scene Go to the Emperor

DEMANDSYou jump in your litter and go with Tiberius to the Imperial Palace, where you storm in and track down Vespasian. If the Titan King is to be stopped, if he is real, the Flavian will have to be destroyed. “By Pollux!” Vespasian exclaims. “What are you doing here, Vespillo?”You explain yourself passionately, demanding the Flavian be torn down immediately. He laughs in your face, spitting at you, then sends you to the Praetorians, who execute you. Vespasian takes care of Tiberius, who grows up to be the Emperor history knows as Titus.Continue

HIDINGWhen the moon rises, you leave the inn and sneak off to the amphitheatre. Tiberius is thrilled, and he is excited to finally solve the mystery. Now you will see if the Titan King is real, and if he isn’t, who is pretending to be him. Tiberius goes to the opposite end of the arena and hides behind a pillar. You hide behind a pile of stones and see a slave cleaning up after the day’s investigating. He sprinkles some sand over the blood, and he immediately stops when he hears a jingling sound. You peer round the stones to see the man in the black toga. What do you do now?Reveal yourself and arrest him Stay put

BLACK ROBED MURDERERYou pop out from behind the stones and announce to the man that you are a detective and you’re going to arrest him on suspicion of murder. “Would you dare arrest the Titan King?” he shouts, calling up the powers of the four winds to blast you into a pillar. You break your back. He calls upon his undead army made of the soldiers of his fallen kingdom, who advance on you and stab you sixty times, one for each year of your life (they say it’s one for each girlfriend you’ve had, but you deny it).Continue

WATCHINGThe slave does not notice the man, and carries on sprinkling sand. You see the black-robed man pull out a trident and start to scrape down a stone, getting the attention of the slave. He turns around and starts to shout at the man, who is wailing through a hollow tube. In his other hand is a purse, which he shakes. There’s another jingling sound. The slave stops shouting and tries to beat up the black-robed man. He pats himself down, obviously looking for a knife, and when he sees he doesn’t have one, he puts his hand over the slave’s mouth and his other arm around his neck, strangling him.Stop him! Stay put

WAITINGYou wait a little longer, until the black-robed man has killed the slave. But he knew you were there all along, and you are shocked as a thug taps you on the shoulder. You turn around, only to get punched in the face and your nose broken. The thug crushes your flimsy arms in between his fingers, then breaks your legs. You collapse in pain, then the thug snaps your neck. You die instantly.Continue

ARRESTRunning towards the black-robed man, you tell Tiberius to pounce. Your son pins the man to the ground and you hold him by the neck.You explain that you think he is the murderer. He laughs and struggles out of your grasp. You let him stand up, but tie your toga around his legs and your tunic’s belt around his wrists. You have many questions to ask him, so first you ask what his name is.“I used to be known as Taranis,” he spits out. You know that this is the name of the Gaulish thunder god, and you quickly deduce that this is a nickname. You show him all your evidence and tell him that you’re sure he’s the murderer. He tries to argue against all your points, but you see through it and call for someone to get a Praetorian or soldier. Soon a soldier arrives and puts Taranis under arrest.Continue

EXPLANATIONSYou demand an explanation as to why he murdered the four people.“I used to be a gladiator at the local ludus, a retiarius. I was at the top of my game, all the girls loved me, and I was set to be the Gladiator Primus– a pleb like you wouldn’t get how important that is. But then the news of the Flavian came, and my lanista had to make some serious cuts, to compensate for the new gladiators coming in. He only wanted the best, and apparently I wasn’t! So he fired me. I wanted revenge… and I got it. I used the ‘Titan King’ legend as a disguise for my murders, and it was going so well. I would have killed more every day, if I weren’t stopped by you.”Continue

THE TITAN KING?“I had a look at the book of legends in the temple, and saw that the Titan King legend fit perfectly with what I wanted to do. I got myself a black toga and a knife. Since I was a gladiator, I stole a trident from the ludus and used it to make the scratches down the stones. I used a wine cup to dig a tomb-like grave, and a hollow tube of glass to make strange noises. The jingling was caused by the purse of coins and random bits of metal I had. It was a brilliant plan, but you foiled it. Curse you!” The soldier tightens his grip on Taranis, and asks you for any evidence you have. Tiberius brings out the wine cup and explains that Taranis used it to dig a hole, obvious because of the scratches and dirt around the rim. “So there’s no Titan King?” Tiberius asks.“Of course not! I just used that story to cover up the murders! I thought I wouldn’t be detected.” The soldier marches Taranis to a courthouse, while you go to your inn to rest.Go

THE FLAVIANSadly, Vespasian dies before the amphitheatre is completed, but the next Emperor, Titus, finishes it and carries out the old Caesar’s request. You sit next to him as the first ever matches are fought in the arena, and you are happy you solved the mystery those years ago. Tiberius has grown up to be a wonderful man, and a good detective, and works in the ‘Vespillo Family Detective Agency’ with you, sometimes working on cases with you. Mostly now he works on his own, and is bringing in lots of money. You are immensely happy that the Titan King was not real and the murderer was brought to justice.Continue

WINEYou’ve never tasted a bad wine. Until now. You drink it in front of Vespasian, and use all of your willpower not to spit it out. Then you feel lightheaded, and open your mouth to excuse yourself, only to find your tongue has swollen greatly. Vespasian’s has too, and you both acknowledge that this wine was going to be used by the conspirators to kill Julius Caesar, and the poison only grew more potent in the next hundred years. You drop to the ground, convulsing and vomiting, then you are paralysed. Strangely, you don’t die of the poison, but you crack your head open against a table leg during your convulsions and die of both brain damage and blood loss.Continue

DISCOUNTSYou are thrilled that you get discounts on everything, so you go on a spending spree. Then you get the news that if you own more than 1,000,000 sestertii worth of stuff, you get three times as many taxes. Sadly, your wealth and stuff comes up to nearly five million sestertii, so you pay fifteen times as many taxes. You cannot afford it, so after a while you are forced to become a gladiator to get money. Sadly, you are sixty, so you’re not in peak physical condition. You die in your first match.Continue

VESPILLO THE SENATORYou enjoy being a senator, as it brings you lots of money and you get to decide the future of Rome. Your decisions are loved by all, and soon you are promoted to consul. You keep getting re-elected and remain consul for over ten years. You can’t believe that this came about because you stopped the ‘Titan King’ destroying the reputation of the amphitheatre. You are very, very happy.Continue

QUIRINAL HILLThe villa is wonderful, and full of things from all over the Empire. You overlooked the slight rodent problem, and eventually your villa is overrun by rats. They breed in large numbers, not seeming to care about the implications of incest, and there are soon thousands of rats milling about, which then turns into millions. There are literally millions of rats breeding and pooping all over your house. After a while the numbers become so great that you are drowned in a heaving sea of rats.Continue

VALE!Rome thanks you for coming to see the Flavian Amphitheatre, and helping to solve the mystery. It doesn’t matter whether you succeeded or failed, the name of Vespillo will go down in detective history. Now you have a son, your line will continue. Let’s hope Tiberius is as good as you.

The End.Thanks for playing! Click again to end the game!