Thom listens to them both, wincing occasionally at his injuries.
"I'd say we avoid the orgy," says Thom. "I'm in no fit shape to enjoy it." His chuckle stops abruptly at the pain it causes in his side.
"You're both right. We aren't prepared to make this place safe to live but with our full group and some preparation we might be able to. It might be worth a little more poking about to see if there is places for sancti and the needs of the custodes. This won't be easy but there is a lot of promise here. But I'm ready to get out of here too."
Turold walks around the outside of the baths, away from the square. It is quite foggy, and the walk is a lot shorter than it should have been, and he turns no sharp corners, before he find himself returning around the opposite wing. As far as he can tell, there are no other building, and also no windows or doors from the bath on the outside.
Nobody disturbs the quiet in the square.
Square footage
The Cold Bath was the size of a small swimming pool, close to 20x10 paces, so the room must have been 25x15 paces. The two wings have same width, about 15 paces, but are longer, maybe 35 paces, or whatever it takes to fit the changing room and three pools.
The building is high enough to fit a floor above, but the pool areas are high-lofted and sometimes the floor is elevated. There could easily be a floor above the changing rooms and the left hand wing you have not visited.
The temple is a little wider than the square, say thirty paces, and the passage between the temple and the bath is four horse arses wide, which is what it takes for two Roman chariots to pass each other.
"There are no outside entraces outside the ones we see from here, nor are there windows. The size of the regio can be readily ascertained from this center square." Turold says to Thom, as he walks back to him. "If there are living quarters, they are upstairs, if there's an upstairs, or an underground perhaps. We could only ascertain that by finishing to explore the inside. But from the description that we have from the spirit, it's likely to be just a small part of the building, if there is any space for private and work quarters. It may not exist at all. Which means that if we decide to live here... either we build a third level to the building somehow, and I'm no architect, we erect a tower or other building in this town square, between the temple and the baths, or we live outside the regio, in the town or the forest proper. What do you want to do next? Do we see whether there are living quarters somewhere, or do we take a cautious approach and retreat for now?"
"I think we should retreat and move on for now. There is potential here but we're only a scouting party, and I'm ... limited. If we're going to get to the sites on the coast, we should go soon. I worry I will slow us down."
"Seems a valid thought, in line with my own. Hopefully exiting is as easy as entering. If not, we may need to enlist the aid of one of the residents and I am not so sure that will be easy," Betula thinks to herself afraid of what might entice one of these indulgent spirits or an elemental to aid them.
Outside the regio, Finn has reached the end of an entertaining performance. The magi and the two others have been gone for an hour or two, and the sun is starting to set. However solid Finn's repertoire is, the villagers have other things to do. «Hey, bard,» shouts the woodworker. «I loved your show. Would you like to have supper with us? I need to close up shop first; food should be ready when the sun sets, I think.»
«It is above the workshop; I am the carpenter at the opposite side of the square,» says the carpenter and points. «You'll see me at the front when you come. I had better hurry. See you in a bit.»
Some other villagers flock around as well. Some throw a coin before they disappear, while others have queued behind the carpenter. Before he joins the carpenter, Finn has got an invitation for breakfast, as well as a few offers for food and drink for the road, if he pops around in the morning.
Strolling over under the last rays of sunshine, the carpenter sweeping the ground in front of the the workshop starts chatting. «I am amazed how far you have traveled. Have you seen all the great cities?»
In the regio, the magi have no clue about the time. There is no sun, and they have the same bland light as they had when they arrived. It feels like an encapsulating bubble of fog. There is indication of any regio boundary at the well or elsewhere in the square. The doors to the temple open easily enough and they find the three statues staring somberly at them as they approach.
Anything else before they try reciting the Mercurian prayer?
“I have travelled only the far western areas of Europe and so there is much more yet for me to explore. Have you seen many other travellers over the past year? The war has raged for some years now, has that affected your idyllic village?” Enquires Finn of the carpenter.
«There are always travelers at the market in Nottingham, but it is too crowded. Nobody has time to stop and chat. Here, it is only the well pilgrims who care to stop. We are too close to Nottingham, people prefer to stop there and further North. ... Western reaches, you say. Santiago? Ghent? Paris? London, I suppose. What are they like? Are they a lot larger than Nottingham?»
“Paris and London I have visited and both are indeed much larger than Nottingham. Paris university is a marvel and the churches and cathedrals of both cities are quite splendid.” Replies Finn