The legend of Hortator

The legend says, a ship was once stranded in a vicious storm off the Roman coast. All hope was lost and panic ensued, but one man, Marcellus, did not want to give in to the powers of chaos. He stood up tall on the deck among the crashing waves and took his position by the massive drum, for he was the Encourager, the Inciter — the Hortator of the ship. As he begun beating the drum, his inner rhythm united the sailors to fight the chaos, and the waves coming from the drum nulled out the waves of the storm, controlling the waters and ensuring safe passage.

The drum was long thought to have been lost. A young queen had stolen it in the hope of uniting the people under her rule, but had failed, for she did not possess the inner rhythm, and the drum had disappeared during the havoc of the uprising.

Many rumours have surrounded the legendary drum over the centuries. The latest one tells a story of a secret auction, during which the artefact was purchased by a famous producer and placed in his studio…