Breothyia smiled slightly as she watched one of the many new helpers Othya had given her to complete her task set a small barrel of pitch just out of sight on a ledge on a building. The twine soaked in lamp oil that lead to it was unnoticeable as it fell along the door frame. She had no idea who owned the building or what it’s purpose was, but it was in the ideal position to naturally spread fire to the neighboring Christian Temple.

“Mistress,” one of her helpers spoke up, “we have completed all the tasks you have given us. All that is left is for your careful eye to inspect the details.”

“With only three quarters the suns path,” Breothya murmured looking up at the clear sky. “Not even one day after Othya gave me this task and its done. You all set the lamps with fresh oil?”

“Yes mistress,” the helper nodded. “We have emptied enough amphora’s to light this street for a full month.”

“The pitch leaks slowly, yes?” Breothyia asked. “The flames won’t catch if it just a lamp wick on wood.”

“We have ensured that all barrels are leaking slowly mistress,” the helper said and added. “The locations you have marked with importance have even had a layer of pitch pooled beneath the barrels to ensure that they catch. With all precautions that the pitch does not run down the side of the buildings.”

“The roofs coated too?” Breothyia asked while she thought, the pooled pitch sounds like a good idea though she worries that it might get past their precautions and still run to the street.

“We have fallowed your instructions mistress,” the helper bowed his head.

“You have done well,” Breothyia said with a smile, mimicking what Othya does when she completes a task well. “I can hardly wait for when it will begin, I can almost imagen the fires now."

"The pork is three folles," the butcher said.

"Thats one and a half more than last week," the woman said. "What made the price go up?"

The butcher glanced around befor speaking again, "the Demes are kicking up a fuss, porters are getting more hesitant to bring in the meat so I have to pay them more."

The woman sighed, "I heard that two of their leaders escaped the hangman's noose yesterday."

"If it were only that," the butcher shook his head. "A new rumor started to spread about more regulations on guilds so the Greens are all up in a huff."

"The Greens too?" The woman asked as she handed over the the coins. "There is also word of a state run fire brigade in the Forum of Constantine. Blues all have their hackles raised seeing as that part of the city is their territory."

"If you would take my advice," the butcher grumbled, "stay clear of the Hippodrome for the next few months, riots are growing harsher and more violent with the last killing twenty, and with all these policies are heating the blood of the men. The Hippodrome is were the Blues and Greens meet with any regularity, best to not get caught between them. I would dread the loss of one of my beast patrons."

The woman laughed, "thank you, I will heed your words and find something else for my family to do on the Ides for the next few months."

The woman took the the meat from the butcher and walked away.

"Goddess protect us," the butcher said under his breath as he thumbed a subtle spider sigil carved into his counter.

Tassos grumbled to himself as he and his crew filled a forgoten church wearhouse with eough weapons to give it the apearence of an armoury. Racks of swords and spears and shields, they were all of middling quality so tht anyone who knew enough about weapons could tell that whatever lie Othya spun would be believable. Looking over the goods again with a critial eye he made sure that it seem to pass military muster. Once done he spread out a few sheets of pupyrus and a book that Othya had delivered to him that morning. He did his best not to read too much of it, the less he and his crew knew the beter off they would be. But a few lines were enough for him to know they were forged to look to be writen by one of his competitors and was comfirmation of a much larger shipment.

"My, this all looks impressive." A voice came from the door.

When Tassos turned one of his men held Bulis at knife point. Tassos still did not know weather the man was sopposed to be a priest or a monk.

"Aris, seeth your blade," Tassos ordered, "Bulis, I know you know better than to approach us unanounced. What brings you here now and what is so important?"

Aris pulled his knife away from Bulis and returned it to a seath hidden under his tunic. The reast did the same and cleared a path between Tassos and Bulis.

"I came to do the same as you, Tassos," Bulis said as he walked up to the same table and placed a satchle. "To place ties and links that will complete the riddle you started."

"The building itself is not enough for Othya's goal? No, never mind." Tassos shook his head. "The less I know the better off I will be, I may be in her web but I am not entangled fully."

"That you know," Bulis murmured as he decoraited the table with documents and items of a churchly nature. He looked to Tassos and saw the scowl and chuckled, "come now, do you think you would see her machinations to this point if you were not already entangled. You would have dropped the supplies on the dock and it would be my job to decorated this lovely building. You are as tangled in her web as all of us."

Bulis chuckled again as he finished and began to leave. He paused and looked back, "do your best to not be in the city tomorrow my friend. I would hate for you to be here when she has no more use to the web that you are in."