Myth Into History, Week 8: Classical History IV - Roman Redux [Thurs/1st Period, Danger Shop]
Class today was meeting inside a Roman palace, with the tables lined up on either side of a torch-lit, columned corridor. Janice was pacing between the tables, her cigar unlit this week, waiting for the students to get seated.
"Look a little different to you today?" she asked, gesturing with her free hand at their surroundings. "This is the Roman Emperor's palace the way, according to my research, it looked in Caligula's time. Much more decadent place, wasn't it? We talked about him a little bit last week, but I want to go into a little more depth today. There isn't a single ancient source text out there that doesn't describe him as a despot and a madman, including Gabrielle's scrolls. It's also well documented that he tried to convert all of Rome to worship him as a god. What most people don't know is that he actually tried to become one, by putting Aphrodite under his thrall and slowly leeching her immortality."
She gestured to a painting on the wall, depicting Aphrodite and Caligula. "Kind of nauseating, isn't it?"
"Right, then, so what happened? Most sources will tell you that members of the Praetorian Guard assassinated him. But how do you assassinate a god, huh? Especially if he's the emperor? Even if you have the power to kill gods, like Xena did for a short while, you can't just kill the ruler of the empire and figure it'll make everything better." Janice fished the Danger Shop remote out of her gun holster and pressed a button, transforming their surroundings into an outdoor courtyard with a gate leading to the open road. Two chariots with harnessed horses were standing at the ready. "So challenge the emperor to a chariot race, beat him, and make sure to humiliate him in the sight of his people. Then convince him that killing himself in front of the people will cement his place in the pantheon. Simple, right?"
She smirked. "Not so simple. You kids get to try out the chariot race for yourselves. Dirty tricks are a go, but if you end up resetting the Danger Shop by doing something too dangerous, it's your own fault. So pair up and have at it."
[OOC: Here be the Class Info Post. SP at work again -- I should in theory have the new, zippy-fast computer when I get in in the morning, but I also just got a big project dumped on me. I swear, it's like they think I should, like, work at work or something. Honestly, the audacity. OCD is up!]
"Look a little different to you today?" she asked, gesturing with her free hand at their surroundings. "This is the Roman Emperor's palace the way, according to my research, it looked in Caligula's time. Much more decadent place, wasn't it? We talked about him a little bit last week, but I want to go into a little more depth today. There isn't a single ancient source text out there that doesn't describe him as a despot and a madman, including Gabrielle's scrolls. It's also well documented that he tried to convert all of Rome to worship him as a god. What most people don't know is that he actually tried to become one, by putting Aphrodite under his thrall and slowly leeching her immortality."
She gestured to a painting on the wall, depicting Aphrodite and Caligula. "Kind of nauseating, isn't it?"
"Right, then, so what happened? Most sources will tell you that members of the Praetorian Guard assassinated him. But how do you assassinate a god, huh? Especially if he's the emperor? Even if you have the power to kill gods, like Xena did for a short while, you can't just kill the ruler of the empire and figure it'll make everything better." Janice fished the Danger Shop remote out of her gun holster and pressed a button, transforming their surroundings into an outdoor courtyard with a gate leading to the open road. Two chariots with harnessed horses were standing at the ready. "So challenge the emperor to a chariot race, beat him, and make sure to humiliate him in the sight of his people. Then convince him that killing himself in front of the people will cement his place in the pantheon. Simple, right?"
She smirked. "Not so simple. You kids get to try out the chariot race for yourselves. Dirty tricks are a go, but if you end up resetting the Danger Shop by doing something too dangerous, it's your own fault. So pair up and have at it."
[OOC: Here be the Class Info Post. SP at work again -- I should in theory have the new, zippy-fast computer when I get in in the morning, but I also just got a big project dumped on me. I swear, it's like they think I should, like, work at work or something. Honestly, the audacity. OCD is up!]