Monstrorum Misericordia

World of Darkness -- Pax Romana

Junius Secundus Cato made his way down the dark and filthy alley that
lay in the nameless warren of streets between the old Temple of Luna and
the Temple of Diana in the lower Aventine. Regularly he glanced over his
shoulder concerned over the possibility of being followed
being followed, a concern that had only grown since he had slipped out
of his villa in the Piscina Publica the low-lying district east of the
Aventine Hill and begun the long walk west along the Via Nova. That street
was the lesser of two roads in Piscina Publica and was less often used after
the fall of night.

Secundus had chosen the Via Nova for that very reason hoping to avoid prying eyes
as he made his way towards the Porta Ardeatina a secondary postern or lesser gate
that primarily served cart traffic during the day and which was often closed by night.
The other larger gate, the Porta Appia, was highly fortified and heavily staffed by the
fourth cohort of Vigiles and Secundus had no desire to be stopped at the greater gate that
serviced the heavy traffic of the Via Appia which paralleled the Via Nova, but whose width
and wealth of business made it the most popular road for both wagons and pedestrians headed
into the heart of Rome. Secundus being of the rank of equestrian, a knight, would be recognized
by any of the seasoned watchman and recognition was what the aging knight most wanted to avoid
this particular evening.

To aid in avoiding notice Secundus had dressed in the clothes of one of his man-servants and
and had left behind both his armor and bodyguards. At just over fifty years old Secundus was
still fit for combat if not quite so spry. The gullies along either side of the sloping road
that led up to the Porta Ardeatina were heavy with brush and a well known place for highwaymen
to waylay the unwary or unprepared. Strangely, the old knight had seen no sign of bandits and
had passed through the postern at the cost of only a modest bribe. Still he had felt an uneasy
sense of being followed since passing through the Servian Walls and had taken special effort to
throw off any pursuit rather than lead a tail to this evening's meeting.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porta_San_Sebastiano

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regio_XII_Piscina_Publica

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigiles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_ancient_Rome

https://www.historynet.com/espionage-in-ancient-rome.htm