RomanQuest by Herbie Brennan

you’re an Initiate you get to make three calls to 96 where you could be lucky enough to get help in an emergency.”
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    That’s good news. If and when you do decide to pay a call to 96 , don’t forget to make a note of the section number you’re leaving so you can get back safely afterwards. The other good news is that foul smelling liquid is actually very good for you since a swig will restore a double dice roll of Life Points up to your natural maximum. Roll one die now and add four to discover how many swigs are in the bottle. Now put on your apron and your sash and parade secretly to 150 to select another destination.
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    Please select an option from the previous page.

118
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    Oops, you’ve just walked into a group of soldiers playing dice. They look up as you enter.
    â€œWho are you?” one asks.
    â€œWhat do you think you’re doing here?” asks another.
    â€œDid anybody ask you to wander around the boss’s house?” demands a third.
    â€œWhy are you wearing funny clothes?” frowns a fourth.
    â€œNobody, nothing, no and they’re the only ones I’ve got,” you tell them quickly. “Well, I’ll just be going now.”
    The largest of them climbs to his feet. “No you won’t,” he says. “I’m feeling bored so I’m going to insist you join us in a game of dice. We’re playing Jactus.”
    â€œI don’t know how to play Jactus,” you tell him quickly.
    He grips your arm so tightly that you’d have to rip it off in order to get free. He smiles at you and breathes a cloud of garlic in your face. “Easy peasy,” he says.
    â€œI’m sure it is, but the fact remains I’m unskilled in this game so it’s going to be no sport for you if I play, no sport at all, so why don’t you just let me -”
    â€œSit down!” growls the soldier.
    You sit down.
    â€œNow Jactus, as I said, is very simple,” the soldier tells you. “There are five of us, including you. My name’s Quintus, this is Sextus, that’s Septimus and the bald-headed one is Eric. Don’t tell me your name, we don’t want to know. Now, we sit round in a circle like this ...” He signals and everyone moves into place.
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    â€œNow,” says Quintus, “everybody throws one die to begin with to find out who’ll go first. Highest score wins and if there’s a draw, the people concerned throw again. Let’s do that now ...”
    Throw one die for yourself, then for Quintus, Sextus, Septimus and Eric. Highest score goes first in the game. The others follow in clockwise order round the circle.
    â€œOnce we’ve settled that,” Quintus grins evilly, “the fun starts. Everybody puts one gold piece in the middle -”
    â€œI haven’t got any gold pieces,” you tell them hurriedly, “so I’ll just leave you to your game and -”
    â€œWe’ll accept a Life Point in lieu of each gold piece you owe,” Sextus puts in.
    â€œWhat??”
    â€œI said we’ll accept one of your Life Points in lieu of your stake. For every round the game lasts, each of us puts in a gold piece, but you get one Life Point hacked out of your arm, your leg, your bum or wherever’s convenient.”
    You stare at him appalled, “But what happens if the game lasts so long it kills me?”
    â€œThen you go to XIII!” Eric says and everybody laughs.
    â€œBut it probably won’t come to that,” Septimus tells you kindly, “because you’ll probably win a bit of gold for yourself as the game goes along.”
    â€œUnless you’re very unlucky,” grins Eric.
    â€œRight,” Quintus puts in briskly. “Each of us takes turns to throw the dice. You throw both dice twice, then one die once - five throws in your turn altogether. The object of the game is to throw a Jactus Venerius , which is five fives. First