Rescue in Himera

Ancient manuscripts are found in La Madrague just south of Marseille. Researchers from the Centre Camille Jullian of the Maison méditerranéenne des sciences de l'homme in Aix-en-Provence are called to examine the finding. They are granted permission to examine the manuscripts at the the CCJ-MMSH. Some of the documents are translated from the ancient Greek. The text tells the story of a group of men involved in a task of great danger:

In 409 BC, the Carthaginians at the request of the Elymians who have been fighting against the Selinuntines to stop them from invading their lands, send an anrmy to southwestern Sicily. After landing somewhere near actual Marsala, the Caryhaginian forces march to the Greek city and lay siege to it. After two days they break into the city but only after nine more days is the city taken. The walls are razed to the ground, as well as many buildings, including temples. After destroying Selinus, the Carthaginians head for Himera, the main objective of the commander general Annibas (Hannibal) Mago who wants to get even for his grandfather's defeat before that city in 480 BC. Hannibal will raze the city to the ground so it will never be inhabited again. In the Greek city of Elea (Velia, in actual Campania) merchants have found out that the Carthaginian army is headed for Himera. They are worried for the well being of relatives and friends living there. They hire a team of Black Sea Greeks to save their kin and friends. They providde them with ships for transport and a unit of Elean hoplites to help them in their mission. They will have to sail to Sicily, extract those to be rescued from Himera, escape and head back to Elea, but in their way will be the enemy's army and pirates. It will tough then to make it back to Elea.

The researchers are called by the legal owner of the mansucripts who's gettig impatient and wants these back to sell them. The researchers will need to convince the owner to let them finish studying the documents and hope that they can be granted more time.