A Theft at the Thermopolium

A jade merchant's prized possession has disappeared from a locked strongbox. All suspects are trapped within the caupona until dawn. Investigate the inn, question the guests, and recover the Serpent.

The Caupona of the Golden Amphora, a prosperous inn and thermopolium on the Via dell'Abbondanza in Pompeii. Oil lamps cast amber light across the atrium's impluvium pool. Terracotta amphorae line the counters. The air carries the scent of garum, olive oil, and wine. A jade merchant of great wealth has checked his prize possession into the strongbox for safekeeping during a private banquet. By dessert, the Jade Serpent of Antioch has vanished. The city gates have closed for the night and the vigiles have sealed the street. No one may leave until dawn.