The False Prophet | Ancient World Mystery Story | Podcast

About this episode

The episode features a short story set in the Roman Empire, blending adventure and mystery with supernatural elements.

The False Prophet by David Drake is a short story by David Drake set in the waning days of the Roman Empire. It features his recurring classical Roman-era characters, Vettius (a ruthless soldier) and Dama (a witty merchant). The narrative follows the duo as they encounter a charlatan who is not quite what his loyal followers believe him to be, blending adventure and mystery with supernatural or science-fictional elements. The story is a centerpiece of Drake's Vettius and Dama mini-trilogy, which also includes Black Iron and The Shortest Way. Host - M.P. Pellicer www.MPPellicer.com SUPPORT VIA DONATION Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Marlene11 LISTEN TO ALL MY PODCASTS www.EeriePodcast.com Narration by a human, never AI Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/nightshade-diary--2765110/support .

People in this episode

Host: M.P. Pellicer

Topics covered

• ancient world
• mystery
• adventure
• supernatural
• science fiction

Keywords

• Roman Empire
• David Drake
• Vettius
• Dama
• charlatan
• mystery story
• supernatural
• science fiction

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The False Prophet, Black Iron, The Shortest Way

Places: Roman Empire

More episodes of Nightshade Diary

• The Thing on the Doorstep | H.P. Lovecraft | Podcast · May 29, 2026 · 1h 8m
• The Cloak and Another Dark Tale | Podcast · May 10, 2026 · 53 min
• Winged Death | H.P. Lovecraft | Podcast · May 1, 2026 · 1h 0m
• Fishhead and Another Dark Story | Podcast · April 21, 2026 · 29 min
• Air Raid | Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction | Podcast · April 15, 2026 · 32 min
• Denkirch | Horror Fiction | Podcast · April 9, 2026 · 33 min