Unfamiliar Environment

A man stripped of all clothes but what can only be called his underwear is woken up by sudden coldness and a burning sensation right after.

The man tried to jump up only to feel he was held back by something.

Once the light entered his eyes what he saw was a dim room with rays of light coming from above, two rows of almost naked men sitting on the left and right side of the room with chain feet and arm chains above their heads, the smell of shit and piss came right after.

"Ixion you survive my friend, I fear you succumb to your wounds inflicted by those Roman dogs"

A man spoke to him in a strange language but he somehow understood him, when he looked at the man who sat on the other side of him memories came to him like a flood, making him lose consciousness

"IXION"

The man called Ixion is an Illyrian pirate, he was a fisherman's youngest child but Rome came and conquered the coastline forcing his tribe inland, tribesmen only knew the bounty of the sea and were unable to adapt to the mountains. Hunger soon spread throughout the tribe his parent either in an act of self-preservation or intent to give their son a better chance sold him to an Illyrian pirate becoming what Rome wished to destroy by conquering the Illyrian tribes' coastline.

Ixion grew up on a pirate ship, terrorizing Rome's shipping lines but one of their raids turned bad ambush and boarded by the well train Roman marines they were forced to surrender after 13 hellish years in that Actuaria he's free but as a Roman slave. First sold in a Greek port, the slave trader who bought him is now holding him and the rest of his merchandise in the bottom deck of his Actuaria ship sailing to Italia. 

Once again he is woken up from his sleep but this time by the pommel of a gladius hitting in his head.

(Sailor) "Sir this one still breathes"

(Slave Trader) "Good get him food and water, I don't want to lose any of my merchandise if I can help it"

Ixion once again heard a different language but this time he could understand it was Latin but with a very thick accent than the one he was familiar with at the Vatican

The Sailor left after feeding everyone

"Ixon you live, I thought the gods have taken you when you faint all the suddenly"

On the bottom deck of the ship filled with slaves speaking their exotic language, he can only understand the sailors and Pheasalus a fellow Illyrian pirate brought together by misfortune

"I went to the gate of Olympia themself but the gods told me is still not my time yet and brought me back to relish in the exotic piss and shit of the bottom deck"

Pheasalus smiles and replies "At least the fever couldn't change that mouth of yours, not something I can say about your complexion, you look like a noble daughter with how white your skin is my friend"

"Enough with the jest Pheasalus, have you learned of the destination of this ship"

"My Latin isn't fluent at all but I have heard them mention the word Neapolis, does it sound familiar to you"

"That's one of the largest port cities of Italia Pheasalus, large quantities of merchandise go through those walls every, I pray wherever we end up let it be together"

"As do I"

After almost a month of traveling, they finally arrived at the port of Neapolis, the slaves were chained together and taken to a special slave processing center where they would stay the night, be bathed and oiled up to be sold in the market the next day

An ambitious Lansita from Capua travels to Neapolis in the hope of forming a connection with the Patricians who will be hosting the gladiators' games, there he will see a Thracian auxiliary deserter brought by Praetor Glaber survive his execution and with the hope to attract Praetor Glaber attention, he will spend a good chunk of his life saving on that slave (Watch the show if you want to see their interaction)

Marketplace Afternoon

The Gladiator noon rounds have ended and the arena is in recess as they prepare for the afternoon rounds (noon rounds are usually execution aka Spartacus fought around that time) Ixon and Pheasalus have been up on display since the morning, and the slaves around them slowing get bought up but they are different. They are pirates, a profession known for brutality and hard to train, the small-time owners who can't afford guards don't want the risk and the large-scale owner would rather spend the extra coins for a more trainable slave. The slave trader of course knows this but there still exists a place that will buy these undesirable and those are the ludus found throughout the republic, finding out a game will soon be hosted in Neaplois, he bought those very cheap Illyrian pirates in the hope of turning a small profit. The slave trader is unbothered by the lack of enthusiasm for Illyrian after all the lanista are watching the games and only some may visit the marketplace during the recess between the noon and afternoon games.