[Mkguild] Roman story part 30

[cokane8116 at aol.com]

    Bitt enjoyed just wondering the market.Moving about the countless stalls and shops. Taking in all the exotic sights,sounds and smells. Brightly colored banners, cloth, blankets and clothing hungfrom every available place. Tempting the passerby to purchase them. Enticingsmells told of spices from faraway lands or lured the shopper to buy what foodwas there. Whatever the palate there was something there to satiate it. Forthose not hungry – there were items of all shapes and sizes. Their sellerstelling each passerby how they MUST purchase it as they truly needed it. Whateverit was. They expounded on the delights and usefulness of all they sold toeveryone within hearing. Whether they wanted to hear it or not.    A constant worry was thieves. Everymarketplace was plagued by them but with so many people being Legionnaires (andarmed) the crooks usually limited themselves to cutting purses. So Bitt alwayswalked with one hand on his purse at all times.    He would often purchase something. Some newor favorite food or perhaps some trinket for himself or for family back home.And he always liked having some date palm wine to drink.    Bitt was just idly looking at the items forsale on the tables and racks. His eyes fell upon something resting amidst thebric-a-brac. It was a large ring of weather bronze. It was made of wire tightlywound into a strand and shaped into a ring with the one end open slightly. Herecognized it instantly. It was a torc a type of jewelry common among folk backin his homeland. But he had never seen one here. Not this far south.    Bitt examined the torc for a long moment. Itwas weathered and green with verdigris. This was not local made. The peoplehere did not wear torcs and the styling was different. He recognized the style.This was from Tirontach. His homeland. “How did it get here?” He asked himself.    “Where did you get this?” He asked theseller. This was an older female feline with a golden coat and pointed ears. Aspecies he recognized as a Caracal.    “The widow of a veteran,” the caracalresponded. “She is forced to sell it.”    “I’ll give you ten, bronze Quadran for it,”Bitt responded.    “Ten? The feline countered. “It’s a familyheirloom. Brought back from far away Cartillia during the war there. Surely itsworth twice that amount.”    A shiver ran down Bitt’s spine. This was warloot. After taking Senaloca the empire looted everything they could. This was undoubtedlytaken from the corpse of a defender. Probably by the soldier who had killedhim. This was from one of the Nine Clans. Perhaps his own clan. This simpletorc was HIS heritage. Stolen. The thought occurred of simply taking it. Butshe didn’t steal it. The thief was long dead. It didn’t seem fair to steal itback.    Bitt nodded his head. “I’ll give you twentyfor it.”    A handshake and the exchange of coins andthe torc was his. The fox stood there looking at the torc. He wondered howoften it had changed hands over the century since it was stolen. A thoughtoccurred to him.   “If there was one here.There has got to be more.”  ****************     Ironicallyenough the only surviving complete copy of what the empire called “TheCartillium campaign” is in Senaloca. Indeed, the official history of the 76thsurvives to this day there too. All due to the efforts of Bitt who laboriouslycopied it all and sent it home. It offers an all too rare glimpse into a Legion’shistory.    TheCartillium Campaign   Anew Translation   ByEdmund Hynes   AonghusaPublishing    The official 76th legion’shistory of the Cartillium campaign was ontwenty-five scrolls kept in the Principia. Bitt had waited over a year beforehe decided to see about reading it. He got permission to visit the Principiaand more time was spent haunting the various clerks before he found the rightone.    It was a small room, lined with racks filledwith many scrolls. The peculiar smell of parchment and ink brought back manymemories to Bitt.    The hyena was seated at a simple table ofwood set in the center of the room. He was patiently scribing something onto afresh scroll. The hyena looked up at Bitt. “I am Tullus Settorius. Can I help you?” This was anImmunis – An Immune. Someone whose special skills earned him immunity to theregular drudgery duties of work details or standing guard. His particular skillwas scribe. Being literate was all too rare in the legion and people who couldread and write were highly prized.    “I wish to see the 76th’s historyof the attack on Senaloca back in 1115,” the fox answered, trying to not lookas nervous as he felt.    Tullus tilted his head to one side. “Why?Can you read?”    “Yes,” Bitt answered, slightly insulted. “Ofcourse.”    On the table next to the hyena’s hands was apile of tablets made of thin slices of wood. Each about the size of his hand.Tullus picked up one and extended his hand to the fox. “Read it.”    Bitt extended his left hand but stopped andwinced in pain. He muttered several curses and took the tablet with his righthand. “Damn Parthians.”    “What happened?”    “A Parthian put an arrow through my shieldand into my arm,” the fox explained.    “The Parthians are superb archers,” Tullusresponded.    “I discovered that,” the fox said with alaugh.    He tapped the tablet in Bitt’s hand. “Readit please.”    “Metto to Advectus. Very many greetings. Ihave sent to you through the agency of Saco: Hubs Number 34, Axles for carts,Number 38. Therein an axle turned on the lathe, number 1,” Bitt said readingthe wooden sheet easily.    The Immunis nodded appreciatively. He wentto a rack that rested in one corner. It held a large number of scrolls. Thehyena pulled out a scroll and examined it a moment. He put it back and repeatedthis several more times before pulling out one and handing to the fox. “Becareful,” He pointed to a table on the opposite side of the room. “You can sitthere.”    A scroll is made of papyrus wound onto twoposts. One on either end. To read a scroll you unrolled one end as you rolledup the other. Reading each part slowly. Even with practice it was an unwieldlyprocess. And when done the reader had to rewind the scroll. It was doublydifficult for Bitt with one arm hurt. There are many reasons why books replacedscrolls and these were several of them.
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