This article contains content from pre-release sources that may or may not be reflective of canon upon release. This article therefore likely contains spoilers.
The Witnesses are members of the Shields of Mars, a secret group of freedom fighters founded by King Romulus himself to protect the Romans from the darkness that seems to edge closer to the city of the Seven Hills with each passing year. A conspiracy is underway against Romulus to overthrow him and subjugate the people of Rome. The conspirators have gathered in an ancient temple to officiate the propitiatory ritual for the King's assassination, to be carried out the next day, during a speech to the troops gathered on the Campus Martius. The characters must prevent an Etruscan Priest from completing the ritual and laying the foundation of "the rising Cult of Uni" at all costs.
The opening in the cave ceiling lets out the smoke of the flames that illuminates the Domus Regia, the King's House. Flickering light plays over the image of the god Mars engraved on the bronzeshield hanging over Romulus' seat. The ninth hour has passed, and you are resting around the hearth, eating honey-glazed mushrooms on the eve of the King's speech to the troops, on the Campus Martius. A hooded woman named Naevia runs into the Domus, gasping for breath. Bending down on one knee, she reports of an assassination plan aimed at the King! Some of the senators, pater familias [sic], and militia captains, unhappy with the King's politics, have been persuaded by an unknown group that Romulus has softened to such an extent that Rome risks conquest. Behind the conspiracy is a shady Etruscan man whose identity Naevia has yet to discover.
In the heart of the swamps north of the Tiber River stands an old temple dedicated to Laran, the Etruscan god of war. Despite this, the effigies that now decorate the temple portray the goddess Uni instead. Before putting an end to the conspiracy, the Witnesses must identify who is behind the assassination plan and what their intentions are should they successfully kill the King.
The Etruscan Priest is officiating an important ritual to the gods in the ancient temple of Laran, north of the Campus Martius over the Tiber River. You are the Shields of Mars—you must stop this conspiracy before it can develop any further. Once you reach the temple, you spot men and women in fine clothes, their identities concealed behind bronze masks, each accompanied by personal guards.
Challenges
Entering the Temple: The Witnesses must find a way to enter the Temple of Laran, where the traitors will participate in the ritual. The Witnesses employ stealth, disguise, or cunning to gain access to the restricted area without raising suspicion.
Body Guards: Personal guards accompany each of the guests. Some stay close to their wards, while others remain discretely around the temple's perimeter. If the Witnesses are not disguised as guests, any Stealth check made to infiltrate the structure requires 1 Raise.
Make the Traitors Talk: If the Witnesses are able to interrogate any of the participants in the ritual, they can identify most of the conspirators, as they can be recognized despite their masks by their posture or voice. As far as their motives are concerned, some seem to be here merely out of curiosity, while others are convinced of the need for betrayal and are persuading others. Before taking action against the Etruscan Priest, in order to try to gain enough information the Witnesses must make at least 3 separate Approach checks.
During the completion of this Challenge, the Witnesses discover one of the following pieces of information for each successful Approach check:
The source of Romulus' power is the magical sword he has carried since his first battle. It is imperative to steal it from him.
The goddess Uni (Juno) herself has ordered the Etruscan to oust the ailing Romulus to create a new order to rule and subjugate Rome.
Senator Caius of the Gens (Family) Galeria is the spokesman for the Etruscan within the walls of Rome and has long been operating in the shadows to recruit the traitors gathered here tonight.
Weaknesses
Dead Traitors Wear No Masks (minor): The characters could ambush any conspirators arriving late, posing as them to enter the temple, speak with the other guests, and get close to the Etruscan. This can overcome the Bodyguards and Cultists Challenges, or give the Witnesses a Free Raise when facing the Make the Traitors Talk Challenge.
After trying to collect information about the traitors involved and their plan to kill Romulus the next day during his speech to the troops at the Palus Caprae (Goat Marsh), the Witnesses can proceed with their own assassination. The Priest has declared that he can feel a great spiritual force in the temple's foundations and its alignment with the full moon about to rise. If the Etruscan Priest were to be "accidentally" killed during the ritual, the superstitious Romans might perceive it to be a very bad omen, casting a pall over the whole idea of a conspiracy.
Apparently, Thresu—the Etruscan Priest of Uni, the mighty goddess you all know as Juno—has sensed an otherworldly force pulsating beneath the Laran temple's foundations. As the moon ascends in the dark sky, the priest narrates how it aligns with cosmic forces beyond mortal comprehension in a crescendo that guides the ritual to its final step, which needs all lights but the moon's to be extinguished. Time to work in the dark to serve the light: a mishap or an accident during the sacred rites might cast an ominous shadow over the conspirators' designs...
Challenges
Move Undetected: Setting the plan in motion without being detected by the many guards in the temple and by the circle of cultists who guard the altar is very difficult unless the Witnesses use diversions and camouflage techniques.
Set the Trap: Whatever idea the Witnesses come up with to assassinate the Etruscan Priest and make it seem like the will of the gods, it requires 3 separate Approach checks.
Weaknesses
Whispers (minor): Not all of the guests are convinced by the Priest's words. The Witnesses can try to instill doubt in the minds of those present: the Priest is a foreigner, he has gathered everyone in a foreign temple, and is inviting them to enter the cult of a foreign goddess. This can lower by 1 the number of separate Approach checks required to overcome the Set the Trap in Motion Challenge.
Both the memory intro text and Thresu's character biography below incorrectly conjugate the noun patres familias, the elderly heads of Roman families. Because both texts place them within lists of plural people groups with the intent being to mean multiple elders, the correct form would be patres familias.
A great public speaker and natural charmer, Thresu is one of the most prominent members of the Cult of Uni, a shadowy collective that operates throughout the Italian peninsula. The cult worships a goddess called Uni, Juno's Etruscan counterpart, and plots to control the known world. Thresu has started infiltrating every corner of Roman, Sabine, and Latin society, even bringing some prominent pater familias [sic], captains, and senators into his conspiracy against Romulus. By doing this, he pulls the wool over their eyes with promises of conquest and power while slowly indoctrinating them into the cult of the ancient Isu Juno.
If someone selected Romulus as their Witness, right after framing the scene in the Simulation the Reader can give the Sword of Mars Piece of Eden card to that player (found in the Animi Network Card Deck or in the Assassin’s Creed RPG App). From now on, the Witness can select this Piece of Eden card and activate it at will.
