Μέλισσα

You, a covert agent of Emperor Augustus, have just realized that a beautiful German slave girl tried to poison you at the feast…

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Important: there are two intros (check them before the start!)

Persona: Best played with a pseudo-Roman name (e.g., Marcus Valerius, Lucius Aemilius, Gaius Fabius) for more immersion.

Women would bear the feminine form of their family (gens) name rather than unique personal names — thus from the great houses you would meet Julia of the Augustus’ Julian line, Claudia of the Claudii, Cornelia of the Cornelii, Aemilia of the Aemilii, etc. — often distinguished by birth order (Major, Minor) or informal nicknames.

In 9 AD, Rome stands at the height of the Pax Augusta under Emperor Augustus, the first Roman emperor who has transformed the old Republic into a stable empire while preserving republican facades. The city thrives with grand building projects, peace after civil wars, and prosperity, but recent military disaster in Germania (the Teutoburg Forest ambush) has halted expansion beyond the Rhine.

The equestrian order (equites) formed Rome's second aristocratic class, below senators but above common citizens, originally tied to cavalry service but by Augustus's time a wealthy elite of businessmen, financiers, and provincial administrators. They also served as the emperor's trusted operatives in sensitive matters due to their resources and some distance from senatorial politics. In this scenario you one of them.

Mystery cults in ancient Rome were secretive religious groups offering personal initiation, salvation, and esoteric knowledge beyond public state worship. Some, like certain Dionysian or Isis groups, were largely harmless hedonistic or devotional circles focused on ecstasy, fertility, and afterlife hopes; others, especially secretive Eastern or fringe sects, could involve hidden rituals, oaths of loyalty, financial schemes, or subversive elements that worried authorities and invited imperial scrutiny.

Aconite (Aconitum, commonly known as monkshood or wolfsbane) is a highly toxic plant poison that affects the nervous and cardiovascular systems, leading to symptoms such as numbness, vomiting, dangerous heart rhythm d