Friday, April 24, 2026

After Action Report: MithraCon 2026 Day 1

Friday, April 24th, 2026
Around 3 p.m. - around midnight
Participants: Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia
Marcus Cassius Julianus
Marcus Quintius Clavus
Aulus Iulius Paterculus
Titus Ovidius Nonus
   I arrived somewhat after 6 p.m., asked at the front desk, and was given the room numbers for the conference, along with a key card. Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia, M. Cassius Julianus, & M. Quintius Clavus had already been talking for some time. Sibylla had arrived first in the early afternoon to set things up. Cassius, who had arrived afterwards, had set up a tauroctony in one corner of the room, consisting of both a canvas image of the bull-slaying and a bronze statue of the same, set up on a table. On the counter on the other side of the room, he'd brought some of his small antiquities for sale in their portable display case.
   We spent only a little further time speaking up in the room before deciding to head down to dinner. We passed through the lobby, where Sibylla told the staff that T. Ovidius Nonus was expected to arrive later that night, giving them his macronational name. Across the street, we had dinner in the same Japanese restaurant where we'd eaten the previous year. While waiting for and during the meal, we discussed various topics. Cassius told us about an antique urn he'd purchased as part of his antiquities trading business, only realizing after it arrived that it was enormous. Sibylla told us about the farmer's markets which were soon to resume, her process for inventing new spice blends, and the fact that really hot spice blends had to be made by her colleagues, as even mixing them exposed the mixer to their heat.
   At the end of the meal, the waiter brought us an unexpected treat - eight French-style macarons. We had a few with the tea which had been shared by the table and brought the rest up to the room.
   We stayed up talking a while longer. Cassius gave out t-shirts with an image of the taurontony on them. Cassius also offered to give away his extra copy of a book on Mithraism which he had accidentally bought twice, but he reviewed the book so unfavourably that no one wanted it even for free. Then we set up the beds. I went down to the lobby & lingered there until after 11 p.m. Nonus arrived a bit afterwards.

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