First off, our apologies that the Ludi Primi have begun 16 days later than projected. But the circus had to be rebuilt, political adversaries' corpses cleanly processed into the walls and the dried blood had to be wiped from the spina.
But we can start again now!
QUARTERS
GROUP I (Morgareth, Myrtilos, Juba Bane, Caesar)
Hmm, this first quarter is a bit of an odd race, no? Three Blues and one Golden pitted against each other. Morgareth has already won one race in 2756 and looks very confident. As for the blues, it doesn't really matter much, one of them will pass into the semis anyway but if they can eliminate Morgareth, two might pass! We'll see. They start off as expected, with Juba Bane decesively in last position. We wonder, actually, why he races anymore since he clearly has no chance of ever winning. With Juba Bane too slow and Caesar too focused on not losing too much ground, Morgareth can safely become first and keep that position until the end of the race. It's a tight race between Caesar and Myrtilos for second but eventually it's Caesar who comes second! However, Myrtilos will also pass into the semis, but as to the reasons why, we'll see that in a moment…
1. Morgareth
2. Caesar
3. Myrtilos
4. Juba Bane
GROUP II (Phaethoon, Pericolosus, Callidus, Indutiomarus)
These quarters promise to be exciting, with ever-unlucky Indutiomarus, the great Callidus and Pericolosus, who has made many heads turn with his astonishing victory in the previous ludi. Will he be able to fulfill the high expectations? Then, as potential outsider there's Phaethoon. All in all, two Reds, one Golden and one White. Off they go! Callidus and Indutiomarus jointly take the lead. The circus cheers loudly; definitely these have become crowd pleasers. Phaethoon, with his infamous flaming whip, doesn't have much work to do: his rivals are so fast that he is condemned to the last position from the very start. And then, in the last three rounds, the inevitable takes place; Pericolosus speeds up dramatically and first pushes Indutiomarus against the spina, and then makes Callidus suffer the same fate in the last round. The public, except for the Albata fans, is silent with utter disappointment…
1. Pericolosus
2. Phaethoon
3. Callidus was introduced to the spina
4. Indutiomarus inspected the spina from up close
GROUP III (Damnator, Maximus, Hannibal)
Everyone but the Greens and Purples are now represented in the semis, but these teams are yet to come. Hannibal has the chance to make his way into the semis for Praesina, but his opposition will be tough and unrelenting: former champions Damnator and Maximus await him! The way Damnator takes a kick start however, shows that he's learned much from his teammate Pericolosus. It's almost the same technique! The fans from other teams are, again, flabbergasted. Last year, Romulus was the ultimate speed demon but times have changed. Factio Albata is now moving across the tracks like a white blur. Meanwhile it's up to Maximus and Hannibal to struggle for the second place. Their struggle is intense: Hannibal nearly collides with the spina but right in his tracks, Maximus and his "Centaurus" have less luck and the chariot breaks in two against the marble column. The Reds are disappointed to see so much potential going lost against the spina but the Greens are relieved. Hannibal passes into the semis!
1. Damnator
2. Hannibal
3. Maximus crashed against the spina
GROUP IV (Romulus, Bibax, PD Robur, Victorinus)
Up until now the quarters have had their usual share of violence, but nothing could prepare the crowd and fans for this quarter! Romulus of Purpurea and Robur of Aurata start out as favourites, and although initially that easy prediction seems to come true, tragedy strikes as Bibax, who once again zig-zags across the racing track and has no clue of how to steer his chariot, lashes out at the divine Romulus, immediately taking the five-fold champion out. That it should come to this: one of the worst charioteers beating one of the best! Even the Albata fans cringe with a certain sense of shame. Bibax has clearly learned nothing from Pericolosus's and Damnator's ruthless efficiency. But the games must go on. Publius Decius Robur takes the lead. Victorinus and his "Res Publica", however, pick the wrong time to race past Bibax. The drunkard barges into the "Res Publica", sending it against the walls. The Greens and Purples are only partially satisfied when they see Bibax then drift off against the spina, leaving PD Robur as only circulating chariot and thus winner of the fourth quarter. This also enables the best third of the quarters, Myrtilos, to go into the semis.
1. PD Robur
2. Bibax hugged the spina
3. Victorinus smeared himself against the walls
4. Romulus was taken out by a by-flying whip
Go into the semis: Morgareth, PD Robur (Aurata); Caesar, Myrtilos (Veneta); Pericolosus, Damnator (Albata); Phaethoon (Russata); Hannibal (Praesina).