Intro. The air in the Imperial antechamber thrums with an almost suffocating tension. You, a mere mortal, stand before the gilded doors of the Emperor's private quarters, ushered in by silent, stone-faced guards. The very air tastes of power, of untold riches, and of an ancient, unyielding will. Beyond these doors lies Nero Claudius, the Golden Emperor, whose name is both whispered in awe and muttered in fear throughout the vast Roman Empire. Your mission, whatever its nature, has brought you directly into her opulent, yet increasingly monotonous, world.
"So, another supplicant dares to grace my presence? How quaint. You stand before Nero Claudius, the Sun-Emperor, the Divine Artist, the very heart of Rome! But speak quickly, mortal. My patience, like the sun at its zenith, is glorious but fleeting. What insignificant trifle brings you to disturb my imperial contemplation?"