File: Map of the Aegean World.png (1020 KB, 1600x1143)

1020 KB PNG

You, however, do not know these things. You are the young lord of a few small villages, far from the halls of power. Your mother used to rule in your name but now you are a man full grown. Consequently you…

>Rule in power in the eastern Peloponnese, not far from the city of Argos and the capital Mycenae. Your liege is Diomedes Tydides, your peer in age and master in power. The culture and refinement of the wealthiest and safest region of Hellas are well known to you. (+3 intelligence, +3 charisma, regional alignment Peloponnesian)

>Rule in power on the border of Locris and Phocis, west of Delphi. You have no formal liege but Ajax Oileus, son of the famed Argonaut Oileus, is your greatest neighbor. The agricultural heartland of Hellas, your home region is much divided. Homeless veterans (also called bandits), mystics, bards, and fearsome creatures frequent the roads. Like all central Hellenes, you are hardy in both body and mind. (+3 willpower, +3 constitution, no regional alignment)

>Rule in power in the north of Thessaly, in the foothills of Mount Olympus. Your liege is Peleus, husband of the goddess Thetis and father of lion-hearted Achilles. Cold, hilly, and much-threatened by northern barbarians, the struggle of your youth has made you strong. (+3 strength, +3 agility, regional alignment Thessalian)

>>5579586
>>Rule in power in the eastern Peloponnese, not far from the city of Argos and the capital Mycenae. Your liege is Diomedes Tydides, your peer in age and master in power. The culture and refinement of the wealthiest and safest region of Hellas are well known to you. (+3 intelligence, +3 charisma, regional alignment Peloponnesian)

>>5579586
>Rule in power in the north of Thessaly, in the foothills of Mount Olympus. Your liege is Peleus, husband of the goddess Thetis and father of lion-hearted Achilles. Cold, hilly, and much-threatened by northern barbarians, the struggle of your youth has made you strong. (+3 strength, +3 agility, regional alignment Thessalian)

Sing, O muse...

>>5579586
>Rule in power in the north of Thessaly, in the foothills of Mount Olympus. Your liege is Peleus, husband of the goddess Thetis and father of lion-hearted Achilles. Cold, hilly, and much-threatened by northern barbarians, the struggle of your youth has made you strong. (+3 strength, +3 agility, regional alignment Thessalian)

>>5579589
>>5579591
>>5579592

Yes, you are a Thessalian noble. Despite your young age you have skirmished with Illyrians, Macedonians, and Thracians alike. Your holdings are humble indeed in comparison the walled cities of the higher lords. Even the unwalled towns on the southern coastal trading routes far surpass your villages in grandeur. Yet it is not the humility of your lands which bothers you. Rather, it is the humility of your name.

Your father was not any mere noble. In the first war of the Argives and the Thebans, where the armies of the Polynices sought to depose his brother the usurper-king, seven mighty generals led the forces of Argos. Your father was one of those men. His name is today sung by bards across Hellas. One and all they died gloriously, laid low before the seven gates of Thebes. Despite their failure, the daring of the assault and its connection to doomed Oedipus captured the hearts of poets everywhere. Never before had an army attempted to take a walled city by sheer force of arms.

A generation later, the sons of those generals again attacked Thebes. Vengeance was the order of the day. They, unlike their fathers, succeeded in putting a scion of Polynices on the throne. Today they are known collectively as the Epigoni, men better than their fathers, famed across Hellas. You should have been one of them. Yet you are not. They marched as teens and you were but a young boy at the time. Who could expect a child to command a force on campaign?

Still, the shame eats at you. Your peers are among the most famous men in the land and you have nothing to your name. Your father will live eternal in song while you languish in ignominy. What was it, his name?

>Rule in power in the north of Thessaly, in the foothills of Mount Olympus. Your liege is Peleus, husband of the goddess Thetis and father of lion-hearted Achilles. Cold, hilly, and much-threatened by northern barbarians, the struggle of your youth has made you strong. (+3 strength, +3 agility, regional alignment Thessalian)

Being good at fighting seems prudent, considering the mess waiting to happen.

>>5579586
>Rule in power in the north of Thessaly, in the foothills of Mount Olympus. Your liege is Peleus, husband of the goddess Thetis and father of lion-hearted Achilles. Cold, hilly, and much-threatened by northern barbarians, the struggle of your youth has made you strong. (+3 strength, +3 agility, regional alignment Thessalian)

>>5579622
>Hippomedon, the stoic. Your father was an Argive cadet-prince and was famed for his manly virtue. You have always striven to match him in dedication. He slew a grandson of a river god on the Theban plain, and for it the very same river god later stripped him of his armor and washed him up before the Theban archer contingent. His end was bloody. (Paternal trait: Dutiful. You are extra diligent in training and easily avoid the petty temptations that lead most to weakness. You get two stat points per level instead of one. For reference, you will probably have ~6 levels by war’s end)
Long term investment

>>5579622
>Hippomedon, the stoic. Your father was an Argive cadet-prince and was famed for his manly virtue. You have always striven to match him in dedication. He slew a grandson of a river god on the Theban plain, and for it the very same river god later stripped him of his armor and washed him up before the Theban archer contingent. His end was bloody. (Paternal trait: Dutiful. You are extra diligent in training and easily avoid the petty temptations that lead most to weakness. You get two stat points per level instead of one. For reference, you will probably have ~6 levels by war’s end)

The Greek heroes tended to end up suffering due to hubris. Let's hope we don't suffer the same fate.

>>5579622
>Hippomedon, the stoic. Your father was an Argive cadet-prince and was famed for his manly virtue. You have always striven to match him in dedication. He slew a grandson of a river god on the Theban plain, and for it the very same river god later stripped him of his armor and washed him up before the Theban archer contingent. His end was bloody. (Paternal trait: Dutiful. You are extra diligent in training and easily avoid the petty temptations that lead most to weakness. You get two stat points per level instead of one. For reference, you will probably have ~6 levels by war’s end)

>>5579615

>>5579616
>>5579617
>>5579630
Votes noted. The formatting bothered me.

>Amphiraus, the prophet. Your father was an Argive noble and one of those blessed or cursed by Apollo with visions of the future. You share this trait with him. He died most extraordinarily, his chariot swallowed up whole by the earth as he charged the Theban lines. (Paternal trait: Seer. You occasionally have visions, both mere moments from the present and years hence. At the start of each thread, you will have a vision of the future, and on every roll of yours I will roll an extra 1d100: on a 1 OR 100 that roll is an autosuccess due to inexplicable intuition. For reference, this is generally going to be a d20 quest without overriding crits.)

>Capaneus, the blasphemer. Your father was an Achaean noble and his skill at arms was only matched by his overweening pride. He managed to scale the walls of Thebes, but he for his arrogance was struck down by a bolt of Zeus in his moment of triumph. You share the extraordinary toughness that your father used to survive to that point. (Paternal trait: Vanguard. While most begin to falter when harmed, you are made of much sterner stuff. Your Strength and Agility bonuses will only start to go down once your health pool is reduced to half. Normal men begin to suffer penalties to strength and agility once they fall below 90% health.)

>Hippomedon, the stoic. Your father was an Argive cadet-prince and was famed for his manly virtue. You have always striven to match him in dedication. He slew a grandson of a river god on the Theban plain, and for it the very same river god later stripped him of his armor and washed him up before the Theban archer contingent. His end was bloody. (Paternal trait: Dutiful. You are extra diligent in training and easily avoid the petty temptations that lead most to weakness. You get two stat points per level instead of one. For reference, you will probably have ~6 levels by war’s end)

>>5579632
>>5579635
Also noted

>Hippomedon, the stoic. Your father was an Argive cadet-prince and was famed for his manly virtue. You have always striven to match him in dedication. He slew a grandson of a river god on the Theban plain, and for it the very same river god later stripped him of his armor and washed him up before the Theban archer contingent. His end was bloody. (Paternal trait: Dutiful. You are extra diligent in training and easily avoid the petty temptations that lead most to weakness. You get two stat points per level instead of one. For reference, you will probably have ~6 levels by war’s end)

Diligence is the first step on the path of excellence. I’d like to ask if there are corresponding hidden flaws to every paternal trait?

>>5579637
>>Capaneus, the blasphemer. Your father was an Achaean noble and his skill at arms was only matched by his overweening pride. He managed to scale the walls of Thebes, but he for his arrogance was struck down by a bolt of Zeus in his moment of triumph. You share the extraordinary toughness that your father used to survive to that point. (Paternal trait: Vanguard. While most begin to falter when harmed, you are made of much sterner stuff. Your Strength and Agility bonuses will only start to go down once your health pool is reduced to half. Normal men begin to suffer penalties to strength and agility once they fall below 90% health.)

>>5579641
Mechanical flaws will always be mentioned in trait votes. However, these traits will go a long way towards forming the character of your hero. In this case of dutifulness, you are going to be less fun in your many social engagements.

>>5579654
That's ok, it's not like he wouldn't be autistic with us controlling him anyway

>>5579637
>Hippomedon, the stoic. Your father was an Argive cadet-prince and was famed for his manly virtue. You have always striven to match him in dedication. He slew a grandson of a river god on the Theban plain, and for it the very same river god later stripped him of his armor and washed him up before the Theban archer contingent. His end was bloody. (Paternal trait: Dutiful. You are extra diligent in training and easily avoid the petty temptations that lead most to weakness. You get two stat points per level instead of one. For reference, you will probably have ~6 levels by war’s end)
Appreciate the effort you're putting into this, QM.

>>5579637
Seems like Hippo will win but I want to go for the prophet because it will let us justifiably use our IRL knowledge of the stories.

>Amphiraus, the prophet.

Amphiraus really seems like he drew the ire of Hades, considering his demise.

>>5579630
>>5579632
>>5579635
>>5579641
>>5579642
>>5579666
Hippomedon confirmed. I respect the deferred gratification. Satan, I direct your metagaming instincts to the INTELLECTUAL category

>>5579664
Thank you! I've been thinking about this quest concept for a couple of years now. I'm very pleased by the response so far.

Ah, father. A man you never met. The thought of him does not sadden you so much as sober you. Even the greatest of mortals are easily brought low by the gods. That is why you do not find yourself so concerned with honors, passing material fortune. What use is a hoard of loot if Zeus can drag you down to Hades with but a word? No, it is glory which you want. Even the gods cannot steal a man’s memory from the minds of his admirers.

You may not have glory yet, but your moment is coming soon. Two fortnights ago you received a rider from the halls of Phthia bearing news. High King Agamemnon is assembling an expeditionary army. Even a minor provincial noble like you heard about that affair with that foreigner and King Menelaus’s wife. He received the prince into his home, gave him all the conveniences that Zeus demands one gives to travelers, and was repaid with his wife being taken hostage! [Thessalian, Dutiful] You do not mind the insult to the Atreidae but the flagrant disrespect of Xenia offends you. The fact that the matter has escalated to the point of a general call to arms is no real surprise.

The High King can only legally compel men who took the Oath of Tyndareus to join his army, for only those lords agreed to defend the marriage of Menelaus and Helen with their full might. That will bring many of the lesser kings of Hellas to join him in the Peloponnese. According to your liege’s messenger, however, Lord Agamemnon wants more men. He has offered to pay for the provisions and transport of every freeholding lord who joins his army out of the royal coffers.

In essence, he has offered to pay for your chance to win undying fame. It is an unbelievable opportunity for someone like yourself, who could never afford fielding your levies beyond the very lands which they live on. You sent your own runner straight to Mycenae to confirm your enlistment. The last four weeks have been spent feverishly making preparations here at home. You have levied what local men you could- a scant 50, just enough to crew one galley. Arms and armor needed to be pulled out of stockpile or bought. Provisions for your absence also needed to be made. Mother in her old age is no longer able to rule. Thus your elder sister Deianira will manage your lands for you while you are away.

>>5579676
It is almost time for you to go. You will not be leading your men just yet, as the High King has not informed his forces where they will gather. You are heading to Mycenae to get ahead of the many other men who will surely be attempting to integrate themselves into the military hierarchy of this unprecedented force. You find yourself looking in the polished bronze mirror on the wall- a wedding gift your mother received from generous old Nestor of Pylos. Who is the man that looks back? Describe him.

Alright boys, this is the big chargen vote. You have three starter trait points and may take on one MALUS trait in exchange for another starter point. Tier 2 traits cost two points. I will be treating these votes as package deals unless literally none of you agree on what exact bundle to take. Fair warning, these represent some of the strongest traits you will be able to pick. Please wait until I post all six categories.

PHYSICAL:
>(Tier 1) Gifted Athlete: You are a gifted athlete, skilled in wrestling, boxing, pankration (unarmed combat), running, swimming, jumping, chariot-driving, horse riding, discus, shotput, archery, and javelin throwing. Additionally, you have immense natural physical talent (+3 to strength and agility, and +3 skill in all the aforementioned).

>(Tier 1) Giant: The average noble of divine blood is taller than a common mortal man. You, however, are a giant among your peers. You are akin in size to the famed Heracles. (+4 to strength and strength cap and +4 to constitution and constitution cap. For reference, the normal cap is 20).

>(Tier 2) Student of Chiron: Some believe that Achilles, the (in)famous northern prince, was the last student of the greatest master of arms in all of Hellas. You know these men to be wrong. In due time the bards singing your deeds will amend this error. (+2 to all physical stats plus willpower, +4 skill in unarmed combat, swordplay, spearplay, shielding, javelin throwing, archery, and dodging).

>>5579689
DIVINE:
>(Tier 1) Favored: You are favored by some god or goddess. This divinity will interfere in your life without prompting, always to your benefit. (Subvote to choose which god/goddess later. Will give you a 3+ stat boost pertinent to that deity’s interests. You will also be allowed 1 automatic success per thread on rolls pertaining to this deity’s interests: these are understood to be divine intercession IC. Additionally, this trait may be later upgraded to Chosen.)

>(Tier 1) Fresh Olympian Blood: While all Hellenic nobles can point to a god or goddess somewhere in their ancestry, you can do much better. One of your grandparents was a divinity, apparently a potent one, although you don’t know which. Your eyes, flecked with gold, can see the spirits acting on the world. You are afforded far more respect by daemons of all kinds. Your flesh is not like that of lesser men. (+1 to all stats and regenerate 2 health per turn of combat, in addition to the above. For context, your base health at 10 constitution is 8 with natural potential to get to 18)

>(Tier 2) Chosen: Many men are blessed by the gods. Priests, prophets, and oracles are said to commune with them. Exceedingly few mortals, however, have ever had a personal relationship with any deity. You are one of those few. (Subvote for which god/goddess later. The consequences of this trait depend wholly on what god/goddess has chosen you, but you are guaranteed double the benefits of Favored.)

MAGIC:
>(Tier 1) Augur: Traditionally the work of priests and prophets of Apollo, you have the skill to analyze sacrifices in exchange for foreknowledge. You can also process the meaning of the movement of birds when you chance upon them. This skill will give you the reputation of a diviner. (+3 willpower. Mechanically, you can perform a sacrifice to store 1 all-purpose reroll/save at a time. There is no theoretical limit on how many times per-thread this ability can be activated. Additionally, at significant narrative moments when birds appear you may roll to gain some supernatural understanding of the matter at hand.)

>(Tier 1) Polypharmakos: The esoteric art of magic herbalism is known to few mortals. These few are almost exclusively witches. Your elder sister, a practitioner of the craft, has taught you a fair amount of what she knows. No master, you nevertheless know enough to give you a substantial edge. (+3 intelligence. In addition to knowing the ins-and-outs of most common and magical plants, you further know how to produce different medicines, poisons, and one special drug subject to a subvote later)

>(Tier 2) Relic Inheritor: Your father was a legendary warrior, and to you he left an item fit for legend. (Subvote on what later. This item will be extremely powerful, approaching that of legendary tools like Achilles’ shield, the skin of the Nemean Lion, or any of gifts Zeus gave to Perseus)

>>5579692

INTELLECTUAL:
>(Tier 1) Polymechanos: Some nobles consider knowledge of such trades to be unfit for a man of the blood. Minor nobles like you, born and raised outside the confines of city walls, understand just how valuable the ability to fashion a boat or repair one’s own armor is. Woodworking, metalworking, basic civil engineering, and other such skills are known to you. (+4 intelligence, and a +3 skill concerning basically any mundane artisanal craft).

>(Tier 1) Literate: You can read. This is a rare skill to begin with, restricted to a fading class of scribes born for the task and almost unheard of among the Hellenic nobility. Yet you are not merely literate like the common scribe. You can read common Hellenic, Minoan, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Phoenician, Hittite cuneiform, and likely anything related to these scripts. Consequently, you also have a much-enlarged understanding of the wider world despite your provincial upbringing. (+4 intelligence, a lot of extra knowledge, and the ability to speak the common trading languages on top of the above).

>(Tier 2) Tactical Genius: In an age before formal military education, you are the one in a million individual who has just the right mix of genetics and upbringing to intuitively grasp the art of war. Your men will always be in the right formation, you will anticipate the flow of battle accurately, and you may invent unheard of strategies. Your fellows will recognize this extraordinary ability. (+6 intelligence, +4 intelligence cap. In addition to a lot of passive buffs, this trait also makes it so that any military write-in you can imagine, I will accept).

SOCIAL:
>(Tier 1) Man of the People: Being raised in a rural village has its benefits. Some high nobles might go their whole childhood without speaking to normal men other than their servants. You are not they. Your finger is on the pulse of the average tradesman, the peasant girl, and perhaps most importantly the common soldier. (+3 in all social interactions with the common folk, +4 charisma)

>(Tier 1) Rhetor: Hellenic noblemen must be warriors, not only on the battlefield but also in the assembly hall. One must speak well in order to be chosen for honors by social superiors, to convince a father that you deserve his daughter’s hand, to impress fellow demigods on the field of battle, and so on. The art of persuasion is in a nascent stage, but you already know it better than most all men. (+3 for all formal speeches/appeals, +4 charisma)

>(Tier 2) Silver Tongued: Language is a marvelous thing. All are susceptible to its influence, gods and men alike. Hermes robbed All-Knowing Apollo blind by wit alone. Prometheus bested Almighty Zeus with his winged words. You too are a master of the cunning tongue, sharper than any blade. (+3 to all seductive, deceptive, persuasive, or otherwise self-interested speech acts, +6 charisma, +4 charisma cap)

>>5579695
MALUS:
>Born Under a Bad Sign: The Fates have something special planned for you. Oedipus wept.

>Disfavored: You have bothered some god or goddess. This divinity will interfere in your life without prompting, always to your detriment. (Subvote to choose which god/goddess later. -3 stat loss pertinent to that deity’s interests. You will also be hit with 1 automatic failure per thread on rolls pertaining to this deity’s interests: these are understood to be divine intercession IC. Additionally, this trait may be later upgraded to Enmity.)

>Autism: You are not so good with words. Or reading social cues. That is a substantial problem for an ambitious minor noble. (Incompatible with SOCIAL traits, -5 charisma, and a further -3 to all social rolls which are not factual communication)

And here we are, possibly the most consequential vote for the first section of the quest. I will call this vote tomorrow evening. Ask any questions you like.

Is it possible to overcome the disfavoured malus? By eventually making amends with said god or goddess? Or is it a permanent thing?

>>5579689
>(Tier 2) Student of Chiron
Too cool to pass up.
>(Tier 2) Tactical Genius
This is going to be a long war.
>Disfavored
Wonder if it can be that river god that ended up killing the father.

>>5579689
PHYSICAL
>(Tier 1) Gifted Athlete: You are a gifted athlete, skilled in wrestling, boxing, pankration (unarmed combat), running, swimming, jumping, chariot-driving, horse riding, discus, shotput, archery, and javelin throwing. Additionally, you have immense natural physical talent (+3 to strength and agility, and +3 skill in all the aforementioned).

DIVINE
>(Tier 1) Favored: You are favored by some god or goddess. This divinity will interfere in your life without prompting, always to your benefit. (Subvote to choose which god/goddess later. Will give you a 3+ stat boost pertinent to that deity’s interests. You will also be allowed 1 automatic success per thread on rolls pertaining to this deity’s interests: these are understood to be divine intercession IC. Additionally, this trait may be later upgraded to Chosen.)

INTELLECTUAL
>(Tier 2) Tactical Genius: In an age before formal military education, you are the one in a million individual who has just the right mix of genetics and upbringing to intuitively grasp the art of war. Your men will always be in the right formation, you will anticipate the flow of battle accurately, and you may invent unheard of strategies. Your fellows will recognize this extraordinary ability. (+6 intelligence, +4 intelligence cap. In addition to a lot of passive buffs, this trait also makes it so that any military write-in you can imagine, I will accept).

MALUS
>Disfavored: You have bothered some god or goddess. This divinity will interfere in your life without prompting, always to your detriment. (Subvote to choose which god/goddess later. -3 stat loss pertinent to that deity’s interests. You will also be hit with 1 automatic failure per thread on rolls pertaining to this deity’s interests: these are understood to be divine intercession IC. Additionally, this trait may be later upgraded to Enmity.)

Hippomedon made an enemy of a river god, Ismenus, and he was saved by the intercession of Hera (through Zeus). That makes them natural choices for Favored and Disfavored.

>>5579703
Eventually, yes. However, it's very hard to change a god's mind. I direct you to what Tiresias told Odysseus he had to do to placate Poseidon

I can think of two
>(Tier 1) Giant: The average noble of divine blood is taller than a common mortal man. You, however, are a giant among your peers. You are akin in size to the famed Heracles. (+4 to strength and strength cap and +4 to constitution and constitution cap. For reference, the normal cap is 20).
>(Tier 1) Fresh Olympian Blood: While all Hellenic nobles can point to a god or goddess somewhere in their ancestry, you can do much better. One of your grandparents was a divinity, apparently a potent one, although you don’t know which. Your eyes, flecked with gold, can see the spirits acting on the world. You are afforded far more respect by daemons of all kinds. Your flesh is not like that of lesser men. (+1 to all stats and regenerate 2 health per turn of combat, in addition to the above. For context, your base health at 10 constitution is 8 with natural potential to get to 18)
>(Tier 2) Tactical Genius: In an age before formal military education, you are the one in a million individual who has just the right mix of genetics and upbringing to intuitively grasp the art of war. Your men will always be in the right formation, you will anticipate the flow of battle accurately, and you may invent unheard of strategies. Your fellows will recognize this extraordinary ability. (+6 intelligence, +4 intelligence cap. In addition to a lot of passive buffs, this trait also makes it so that any military write-in you can imagine, I will accept).
For a good all rounder leader
>Disfavored: You have bothered some god or goddess. This divinity will interfere in your life without prompting, always to your detriment. (Subvote to choose which god/goddess later. -3 stat loss pertinent to that deity’s interests. You will also be hit with 1 automatic failure per thread on rolls pertaining to this deity’s interests: these are understood to be divine intercession IC. Additionally, this trait may be later upgraded to Enmity.)
The fucker that killed dad

>>5579714
I merged the two by adding the disfavored malus and forgot to delete it

While I understand and indeed approve of the desire to seek vengeance on the god that killed your father, the Disfavored trait entails that you bothered a much more important god than he. Unless... I have an idea. More on this later.

>(Tier 1) Gifted Athlete: You are a gifted athlete, skilled in wrestling, boxing, pankration (unarmed combat), running, swimming, jumping, chariot-driving, horse riding, discus, shotput, archery, and javelin throwing. Additionally, you have immense natural physical talent (+3 to strength and agility, and +3 skill in all the aforementioned).

>(Tier 1) Literate: You can read. This is a rare skill to begin with, restricted to a fading class of scribes born for the task and almost unheard of among the Hellenic nobility. Yet you are not merely literate like the common scribe. You can read common Hellenic, Minoan, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Phoenician, Hittite cuneiform, and likely anything related to these scripts. Consequently, you also have a much-enlarged understanding of the wider world despite your provincial upbringing. (+4 intelligence, a lot of extra knowledge, and the ability to speak the common trading languages on top of the above).

>(Tier 2) Tactical Genius: In an age before formal military education, you are the one in a million individual who has just the right mix of genetics and upbringing to intuitively grasp the art of war. Your men will always be in the right formation, you will anticipate the flow of battle accurately, and you may invent unheard of strategies. Your fellows will recognize this extraordinary ability. (+6 intelligence, +4 intelligence cap. In addition to a lot of passive buffs, this trait also makes it so that any military write-in you can imagine, I will accept).
Gifted Athlete seems a given, it’s great for keeping us alive. Literacy shouldn’t be sniffed at, and it lets us exploit opportunities that other noblemen or less educated men could not. Tactical genius also is ideal, considering we still have to lead our 50 man group. I’d rather keep them and us alive through sound tactical decisions. This is a more intellectual build, sure, but Greece has no shortage of Excellent fighters coming to Troy, so I’d rather we excel in ways they couldn’t. Besides, all this fits the skill set of a noble on the border, fighting against barbarians.

>Disfavored: You have bothered some god or goddess. This divinity will interfere in your life without prompting, always to your detriment. (Subvote to choose which god/goddess later. -3 stat loss pertinent to that deity’s interests. You will also be hit with 1 automatic failure per thread on rolls pertaining to this deity’s interests: these are understood to be divine intercession IC. Additionally, this trait may be later upgraded to Enmity.)

>>5579689
Supporting this! >>5579714

>>5579721
Well, Crenaeus is a grandson of Ismenus, so he also would be a great-grandson of Oceanos and Tethys (not to be confused with Tethis)

>>5579734
Cenaeus was also a son of Pan, who might be the vengeful god in question, since he never got a shot at Hippomedon.

>>5579714
While looking on wikipedia for our dad, I found this
>In Aeschylus' tragedy Seven Against Thebes, Hippomedon is one of the seven champions who attack the seven gates of Thebes. Aeschylus describes him as very large and powerful.
So giant even make narrative sense besides the stat cap.
I'm willing to drop fresh olympian, even though a way to heal would be really useful

Would being a student of Chiron give us any connection to his other students? Actually, is our character similar in age to Achilles?

I chose Athlete because it makes sense for us to be a good horse rider, considering we live in Thessaly.

>>5579737
Well, not our dad directly, I was looking for what river god as near Thebes, then I found out he was an actual figure instead of an oc
Also should probably have spoilered that
>>5579736
at makes sense. I guess fauns, satyrs and sheppards would hates us

>>5579737

I’d be happy replacing the god’s blood with Literacy. The extra knowledge afforded by it seems pretty Valuable. Logistics and trading is an essential part of keeping an armed force maintained.

>>5579738
Chiron has only ever taught his students individually, so you wouldn't have met Achilles or Telamonian Ajax under his tutelage. However, WHEN you meet them that common bond could be extremely important. I should add at this point something about the canon of this quest. The only sources you can take as 100% correct are the Iliad, Odyssey, Theogony of Hesiod, and Thebaid of Statius. Of course, if all goes well you shall be changing certain elements of the first two. I otherwise reserve the right to pick and choose whatever I like out of Greek drama, ancient secondary sources about the Epic Cycle like the Bibliotheca or summaries of Proclus, actual late bronze age history, and my own imagination. Also, as a matter of style I'm going to keep my OOC commentary in spoilers and direct orders in greentext.

>>5579749
I was going to suggest either gifted athletle so we could have the skills to make use of our strength, literacy so we could read and speak, Rhetor to convince fellow nobles of our plans or pharmacy so we could still have acces to healing.
But if Pan ends up being the god with a grudge, we probably won't be able to forage in the wilds to make the medicines

>>5579751
I can’t wait for Pan to jump us the moment we enter a shrubbery. It’ll be just like Vietnam…

>>5579751
Read and write.
>>5579756
When the trees start playing flute

>>5579738
Oh, I forgot to add that you are of an age with Achilles- you're 18, he's 16. If y'all do end up picking Student of Chiron you'll have trained with under him from 12-15 while Achilles did so from 6-9

>>5579740
Warning: saddles do not exist yet so horseback riding in battle isn't a thing yet. We /chariot/ in this quest. Of course, Gifted Athlete also gives a skill in that, so whatever.

>(Tier 1) Giant: The average noble of divine blood is taller than a common mortal man. You, however, are a giant among your peers. You are akin in size to the famed Heracles. (+4 to strength and strength cap and +4 to constitution and constitution cap. For reference, the normal cap is 20).

>(Tier 1) Literate: You can read. This is a rare skill to begin with, restricted to a fading class of scribes born for the task and almost unheard of among the Hellenic nobility. Yet you are not merely literate like the common scribe. You can read common Hellenic, Minoan, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Phoenician, Hittite cuneiform, and likely anything related to these scripts. Consequently, you also have a much-enlarged understanding of the wider world despite your provincial upbringing. (+4 intelligence, a lot of extra knowledge, and the ability to speak the common trading languages on top of the above).

>(Tier 2) Tactical Genius: In an age before formal military education, you are the one in a million individual who has just the right mix of genetics and upbringing to intuitively grasp the art of war. Your men will always be in the right formation, you will anticipate the flow of battle accurately, and you may invent unheard of strategies. Your fellows will recognize this extraordinary ability. (+6 intelligence, +4 intelligence cap. In addition to a lot of passive buffs, this trait also makes it so that any military write-in you can imagine, I will accept).

>Disfavored: You have bothered some god or goddess. This divinity will interfere in your life without prompting, always to your detriment. (Subvote to choose which god/goddess later. -3 stat loss pertinent to that deity’s interests. You will also be hit with 1 automatic failure per thread on rolls pertaining to this deity’s interests: these are understood to be divine intercession IC. Additionally, this trait may be later upgraded to Enmity.)

Changed up the content of my vote.

>GIANT

>FRESH OLYMPIAN BLOOD

>MAN OF THE PEOPLE

>>5579689
>>5579712
Support this. Favored by one god, disfavored by another.

I love your attention to detail so far QM. Είσαι Έλληνας;

>>5579807
Thanks! If only. I'm an American who, inter alia, studied Classics as an undergraduate. I can no longer sight read ancient Greek and never learned modern in the first place, but I dearly love the ancient Mediterranean and Homer above all.

>(Tier 1) Giant: The average noble of divine blood is taller than a common mortal man. You, however, are a giant among your peers. You are akin in size to the famed Heracles. (+4 to strength and strength cap and +4 to constitution and constitution cap. For reference, the normal cap is 20).
>(Tier 2) Student of Chiron: Some believe that Achilles, the (in)famous northern prince, was the last student of the greatest master of arms in all of Hellas. You know these men to be wrong. In due time the bards singing your deeds will amend this error. (+2 to all physical stats plus willpower, +4 skill in unarmed combat, swordplay, spearplay, shielding, javelin throwing, archery, and dodging).
>(Tier 1) Fresh Olympian Blood: While all Hellenic nobles can point to a god or goddess somewhere in their ancestry, you can do much better. One of your grandparents was a divinity, apparently a potent one, although you don’t know which. Your eyes, flecked with gold, can see the spirits acting on the world. You are afforded far more respect by daemons of all kinds. Your flesh is not like that of lesser men. (+1 to all stats and regenerate 2 health per turn of combat, in addition to the above. For context, your base health at 10 constitution is 8 with natural potential to get to 18)
>Disfavored: You have bothered some god or goddess. This divinity will interfere in your life without prompting, always to your detriment. (Subvote to choose which god/goddess later. -3 stat loss pertinent to that deity’s interests. You will also be hit with 1 automatic failure per thread on rolls pertaining to this deity’s interests: these are understood to be divine intercession IC. Additionally, this trait may be later upgraded to Enmity.)
the one who killed our father

>>5579766
+1

>>5579689
based quest the troian war and our starting position are rich for opportunity, conflict and fun, also a lot of heroes and figures are present.
And if gods of other cultures meddle in the affairs of the greeks and troians it might be interesting too, the hittites will certainly keep a close eye to the situation if not more.... they are fairly war like after all.

>>5579689
>(Tier 1) Giant: The average noble of divine blood is taller than a common mortal man. You, however, are a giant among your peers. You are akin in size to the famed Heracles. (+4 to strength and strength cap and +4 to constitution and constitution cap. For reference, the normal cap is 20).

>(Tier 1) Literate: You can read. This is a rare skill to begin with, restricted to a fading class of scribes born for the task and almost unheard of among the Hellenic nobility. Yet you are not merely literate like the common scribe. You can read common Hellenic, Minoan, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Phoenician, Hittite cuneiform, and likely anything related to these scripts. Consequently, you also have a much-enlarged understanding of the wider world despite your provincial upbringing. (+4 intelligence, a lot of extra knowledge, and the ability to speak the common trading languages on top of the above).

>(Tier 2) Tactical Genius: In an age before formal military education, you are the one in a million individual who has just the right mix of genetics and upbringing to intuitively grasp the art of war. Your men will always be in the right formation, you will anticipate the flow of battle accurately, and you may invent unheard of strategies. Your fellows will recognize this extraordinary ability. (+6 intelligence, +4 intelligence cap. In addition to a lot of passive buffs, this trait also makes it so that any military write-in you can imagine, I will accept).

>Disfavored: You have bothered some god or goddess. This divinity will interfere in your life without prompting, always to your detriment. (Subvote to choose which god/goddess later. -3 stat loss pertinent to that deity’s interests. You will also be hit with 1 automatic failure per thread on rolls pertaining to this deity’s interests: these are understood to be divine intercession IC. Additionally, this trait may be later upgraded to Enmity.)

>>5579689
>(Tier 1) Gifted Athlete: You are a gifted athlete, skilled in wrestling, boxing, pankration (unarmed combat), running, swimming, jumping, chariot-driving, horse riding, discus, shotput, archery, and javelin throwing. Additionally, you have immense natural physical talent (+3 to strength and agility, and +3 skill in all the aforementioned).
>(Tier 1) Favored: You are favored by some god or goddess. This divinity will interfere in your life without prompting, always to your benefit. (Subvote to choose which god/goddess later. Will give you a 3+ stat boost pertinent to that deity’s interests. You will also be allowed 1 automatic success per thread on rolls pertaining to this deity’s interests: these are understood to be divine intercession IC. Additionally, this trait may be later upgraded to Chosen.)
>(Tier 2) Tactical Genius: In an age before formal military education, you are the one in a million individual who has just the right mix of genetics and upbringing to intuitively grasp the art of war. Your men will always be in the right formation, you will anticipate the flow of battle accurately, and you may invent unheard of strategies. Your fellows will recognize this extraordinary ability. (+6 intelligence, +4 intelligence cap. In addition to a lot of passive buffs, this trait also makes it so that any military write-in you can imagine, I will accept).
>Disfavored: You have bothered some god or goddess. This divinity will interfere in your life without prompting, always to your detriment. (Subvote to choose which god/goddess later. -3 stat loss pertinent to that deity’s interests. You will also be hit with 1 automatic failure per thread on rolls pertaining to this deity’s interests: these are understood to be divine intercession IC. Additionally, this trait may be later upgraded to Enmity.)

>>5579881
>>5579868
>>5579866
>>5579828
>>5579807
>>5579796
>>5579766
>>5579733
>>5579714
>>5579712
>>5579709
I lied! I have counted the votes and am pleased with the outcome. Somewhat. Here is the issue: (GA, F, TG, DF) and (G, L, TG, DF) are tied as the winning combinations. Now, on account of the overwhelming popularity of G otherwise, I am making the executive decision to finalize Giant, Tactical Genius, and Disfavored as traits. The issue is with the last trait: F and L have three votes apiece, and FOB has four votes collectively. The reason why I imposed the bundle system was to prevent a suboptimal build, but you so far have managed that yourselves. Therefore, among the other votes I will now present, the last will be a runoff between Favored, Literate, and Fresh Olympian Blood. Choose wisely. No bundling this time, I will tally it all later. This time I will ACTUALLY return tonight.

You are familiar with yourself, although you are not given to admiring your impressive physique. Your imposing stature and musculature belie the keen intellect behind your eyes. Your beard is full but not too long, the style of a young mountain man. You are satisfied with your appearance. In all likelihood you will not have occasion to look yourself over in a proper mirror again until you make it to Mycenae proper. A lilting whisper glides past your ear.

>”Ni-kon~” Short for Nikandros, victory of a man. You will see this name proven to be destiny.

>”Pan-ther-ion~” Lynx. Your father named you Panther, but your family has always used the diminutive.

>”Ty-chon~” Short for Tychanos, lucky. According to mother your birth was rather difficult.

You whirl about at the sound. Your sister, damn her. She loves doing this to you. Among her peculiarities is the fact that her visage is not reflected on any surface. She looks quite pleased with herself. Blonde hair shimmers with the light of dawn.

“Your chariot is packed. I left a little gift in your satchel.” Though she may make fun, Deianira is still reliable. That’s why you trust her as your steward.

“My thanks dear sister.”

“You know that nothing is free. You remember your promise?”

>>5579907
Ah, the promise. More hopes than your own ride with you to Mycenae. Deianira is old for a noble bachelorette at twenty-two winters. Unfortunately, you have no older male relatives and father did not arrange a match for her before his untimely end. Not that her prospects were all that good in the first place. A minor country noble lacking in powerful relatives does not merit much of a bride-price. And while she may be beautiful, her otherworldliness has scared off a fair few suitors.

“Yes, I remember. A man with wit and strength, unafraid of witchery, capable of taking orders, worthy of your glory. Only the best for Lady Deianira.” Her womanly pride did away with what suitors remained.

The smile at this reply is saccharine and a little smug. You know well your duty. Every eligible bachelor of worth has joined or will join Agamemnon’s army. You will find her a husband among these warriors or otherwise face both her wrath and the dishonor of a broken promise.

“My words exactly. See to it that a foreigner’s blow doesn’t rattle your brains hard enough to make you forget.” For all her qualities, your sister does care for you. She won’t be there to dress your wounds the next time a stray arrow catches your shoulder. You suspect that bothers her.

“And my sergeant?” It will be your sister who sends your men after you once she is informed of where the great army is meeting.

“Do not worry brother...

>>5579908
>… Iudas has told me that your men’s spirits are high. They will make good time on the road.” Your sergeant is an enslaved eastern noble, purchased from a Phoenician trader at some expense by your mother. You do not know how he ended up in his condition. It was he who taught you courtly graces and the fundamentals of fighting, even if you far outstrip him in skill now. (Gain trait: Noble Retainer. Your second in command is educated, well-mannered, and manifestly competent in politicking. He has led men in the past but was evidently not skilled enough to avoid defeat and enslavement.)

>… Pantaleon has assured me that ‘His strength will be yours’.” Your sergeant is an Epirot hunter, a man of prodigious size and power. He came to your attention when a peasant informed you of another bearded giant wearing a lion’s skin three years ago. Heracles reborn was your fear, but he turned out to merely be a boisterous commoner. (Gain trait: Warrior Retainer. Your second in command is an impressive specimen for a non-noble. You know him to be able to hold his own even against those descended from the gods in battle. Whether he is good for much else remains to be seen.)

>… Argyros is busy drilling your men. He is disappointed with their readiness.” Your sergeant is an Argive commoner who loyally served your father in the Theban war. His skill and intellect are undiminished by his age. Your trust in his decades of service is absolute. (Gain trait: Veteran Retainer. Your second in command is an experienced campaigner who is utterly devoted to your family. He can be trusted to command the men in your stead, but is a commoner in every other sense.)

“Excellent. ‘Nira, please remember to-“ The look she gives you stops your words.

“Did you say goodbye to mother?” She holds your gaze steadily, the question uttered in all seriousness.

You have done no such thing. It would make no difference to her, with her mind it the state that it is in. Her psyche has steadily deteriorated since you took your place as lord four years ago, almost as if she only held on to sanity for your sake. Your sister has tried countless tinctures, poultices, and other medicines, some magical, attempting to reverse or at least stop the decline. Nothing has worked. None of the sacrifices to the gods you have made, and you have made many, have worked. It is a pain fresher and sharper for you both than your father’s death.

“No.” Simple. Final. Your tone indicates that you will hear nothing else of the matter. She lets out a sigh, clearly unwilling to challenge your decision. She will push you far but knows when to stop. It is one of her finer qualities.

At this you embrace. Your sister is tall for a noblewoman, but you tower over her. Her hands are cold against your back, even through your chiton.

“You will return brother.” An assertion of fact.

“I will.” Another oath to be honored.

>>5579910
There is nothing more to say. You turn from her and walk away. [Dutiful] You consider turning back again but decide against it. There is no need to when you will assuredly see her again.

Your chariot driver sees that you are in no mood to talk. As soon as you mount the platform he takes hold of the reigns and signals the horses to move. You ride for the Thessalian plain, and from there the coast.

Memories come unbidden. Not mere memories, but fears. A man who has no enemies is no man at all it is said. However, among your enemies is a fearsome one indeed.

>The rivers. All of them. It was a childish thing, swearing an oath to have revenge on the rivers of the world in your father’s name. Now your years of refusing to honor the minor gods of the waters has made your name known to them. Or so your sister claims the spirits of the forest say. (-1 agility, -1 strength, -1 constitution. The very veins in your flesh resist you in the name of their greater kin. Beware of the rivers.)
>Pan, the god of the wild. You know your father felled a son of his, is that why he dislikes you? Or does he dislike you for your stalwart refusal to partake in the wanton frolicking of the forest spirits he merrily leads? Who can say? The wind that flows through the trees and grasses speaks his displeasure all the same. (-2 willpower, -1 charisma. Beware of the forest and the creatures that call it home.)

>Runoff Time!

>Favored
>Fresh Olympian Blood
>Literate

>>5579911
My IP is rather dynamic, expect frequent ID changes. I'll start using a trip sooner or later

>>5579911
>The rivers. All of them. It was a childish thing, swearing an oath to have revenge on the rivers of the world in your father’s name. Now your years of refusing to honor the minor gods of the waters has made your name known to them. Or so your sister claims the spirits of the forest say. (-1 agility, -1 strength, -1 constitution. The very veins in your flesh resist you in the name of their greater kin. Beware of the rivers.)

>Favored
Buff and brainy. We gotta be Athena's favored

>>5579920
The other two votes anon!

>>5579907
>”Ty-chon~” Short for Tychanos, lucky. According to mother your birth was rather difficult.

Sometimes strength and knowledge fail you and all you have is fate.

>… Argyros is busy drilling your men. He is disappointed with their readiness.” Your sergeant is an Argive commoner who loyally served your father in the Theban war. His skill and intellect are undiminished by his age. Your trust in his decades of service is absolute.

I think that for our crazy strategies to work and as the bickering and politicking go wild, having a steadfast rock will be worth its weight in gold and the lives of our men.

>>5579911
>”Ty-chon~” Short for Tychanos, lucky. According to mother your birth was rather difficult.
Poor mother. How tall is a giant like our hero at this time?
>Iudas
An eastern noble, huh. Perhaps that can come in useful considering the enemies to come.
>The rivers. All of them.
I hope we don't have to fight a river. We ain't no Achilles. Yet.
>Favored
Dutiful, tactical genius, and with a strong body. Practically built for being favored by Athena, it would be really funny if Aphrodite gets chosen, considering the dutiful nature of our character.

QM, would you mind telling us the average amount of intelligence a person has?

>>5579924
You are 6'8". Heracles was 7' straight. Nobles tend to be 6', with height generally increasing as the proportion and potency of divine ancestry increases. The average mortal man is ~5'5".

While an abstraction of the fact, the baseline for a mundane man is ~6/10. The peak for those lacking divine ancestry is the baseline of the nobility, and the average noble has somewhere between 11 and 14 intelligence. Make no mistake, those with the blood of Olympus are quite literally built different.

>>5579907
>”Ni-kon~” Short for Nikandros, victory of a man. You will see this name proven to be destiny.
>… Argyros is busy drilling your men. He is disappointed with their readiness.” Your sergeant is an Argive commoner who loyally served your father in the Theban war. His skill and intellect are undiminished by his age. Your trust in his decades of service is absolute. (Gain trait: Veteran Retainer. Your second in command is an experienced campaigner who is utterly devoted to your family. He can be trusted to command the men in your stead, but is a commoner in every other sense.)
>The rivers. All of them. It was a childish thing, swearing an oath to have revenge on the rivers of the world in your father’s name. Now your years of refusing to honor the minor gods of the waters has made your name known to them. Or so your sister claims the spirits of the forest say. (-1 agility, -1 strength, -1 constitution. The very veins in your flesh resist you in the name of their greater kin. Beware of the rivers.)
Fuck rivers. Achaea is laker country.
>Favored

>>5579911
By Aphrodite tits another update so soon ! Ah a small family, but it seems one that loves us.
Nice, and thanks qm. Qm, a small question but does our family have a symbol ? It would be nice for flavour.

>”Pan-ther-ion~” Lynx. Your father named you Panther, but your family has always used the diminutive.
A powerful animal, fitting for a strong young man. At this point in time southern europe still had many lions and many other animals now extinct. It wouldn't be strange to see european lynx around either.

>… Argyros is busy drilling your men. He is disappointed with their readiness.” Your sergeant is an Argive commoner who loyally served your father in the Theban war. His skill and intellect are undiminished by his age. Your trust in his decades of service is absolute. (Gain trait: Veteran Retainer. Your second in command is an experienced campaigner who is utterly devoted to your family. He can be trusted to command the men in your stead, but is a commoner in every other sense.)
A good man to trust.

>The rivers. All of them. It was a childish thing, swearing an oath to have revenge on the rivers of the world in your father’s name. Now your years of refusing to honor the minor gods of the waters has made your name known to them. Or so your sister claims the spirits of the forest say. (-1 agility, -1 strength, -1 constitution. The very veins in your flesh resist you in the name of their greater kin. Beware of the rivers.)
rivers rivers rivers, that will not be easy but not something impossible.

>Literate
If it's a rarity, is a point of pride and..... it can be very useful.
It also opens doors, that don't open if you aren't literate.
While no doubt difficult, gods can probably notice us and bestow their favor on us. We are a rather particular individual, and that always interests deities. Even if starting with their favor is tempting same for olympian blood...

>>5579907
>”Ni-kon~” Short for Nikandros, victory of a man. You will see this name proven to be destiny.
A proud name
>… Argyros is busy drilling your men. He is disappointed with their readiness.” Your sergeant is an Argive commoner who loyally served your father in the Theban war. His skill and intellect are undiminished by his age. Your trust in his decades of service is absolute. (Gain trait: Veteran Retainer. Your second in command is an experienced campaigner who is utterly devoted to your family. He can be trusted to command the men in your stead, but is a commoner in every other sense.)
A loyal, experienced retainer
>>The rivers. All of them. It was a childish thing, swearing an oath to have revenge on the rivers of the world in your father’s name. Now your years of refusing to honor the minor gods of the waters has made your name known to them. Or so your sister claims the spirits of the forest say. (-1 agility, -1 strength, -1 constitution. The very veins in your flesh resist you in the name of their greater kin. Beware of the rivers.)
River killed dad. Fuck rivers
>Favored
Do not get fucked by rivers, among other things

>”Pan-ther-ion~” Lynx. Your father named you Panther, but your family has always used the diminutive.

>… Argyros is busy drilling your men. He is disappointed with their readiness.” Your sergeant is an Argive commoner who loyally served your father in the Theban war. His skill and intellect are undiminished by his age. Your trust in his decades of service is absolute. (Gain trait: Veteran Retainer. Your second in command is an experienced campaigner who is utterly devoted to your family. He can be trusted to command the men in your stead, but is a commoner in every other sense.)

The rivers. All of them. It was a childish thing, swearing an oath to have revenge on the rivers of the world in your father’s name. Now your years of refusing to honor the minor gods of the waters has made your name known to them. Or so your sister claims the spirits of the forest say. (-1 agility, -1 strength, -1 constitution. The very veins in your flesh resist you in the name of their greater kin. Beware of the rivers.)

>Literate

The favor of a god can be gained, in my eyes. Literacy takes years and years of effort. Fact of the matter is that this is going to be a long war, and that we’ll need to supply our soldiers.

>>5579907
>”Ni-kon~” Short for Nikandros, victory of a man. You will see this name proven to be destiny.
I like how it sounds
>>5579910
>… Argyros is busy drilling your men. He is disappointed with their readiness.” Your sergeant is an Argive commoner who loyally served your father in the Theban war. His skill and intellect are undiminished by his age. Your trust in his decades of service is absolute. (Gain trait: Veteran Retainer. Your second in command is an experienced campaigner who is utterly devoted to your family. He can be trusted to command the men in your stead, but is a commoner in every other sense.)
A second-in-command that is both loyal and competent is too good to pass up
>>5579911
>The rivers. All of them. It was a childish thing, swearing an oath to have revenge on the rivers of the world in your father’s name. Now your years of refusing to honor the minor gods of the waters has made your name known to them. Or so your sister claims the spirits of the forest say. (-1 agility, -1 strength, -1 constitution. The very veins in your flesh resist you in the name of their greater kin. Beware of the rivers.)
THEY KILLED DAD
>Literate
Since fresh blood isn't getting that much support, I'm going with this instead

When did we swear revenge on rivers, if we go with that option?

>>5579907
>The reason why I imposed the bundle system was to prevent a suboptimal build, but you so far have managed that yourselves.
Oh, I guess we should have minmaxed one or two stats instead of going for an all-rounder.
Thinking back, Augur and Tactical Genius probably would have been the simplest and most useful combo.
At the very least our character isn't boring.

>>5579911
>Tychon
>Argyros
We will be no natural tactitian, so if we want to stay in the coming war, we'll need to make our men last. A good commander is the first step to that, while we cover the might at arms.
>Pan. Angering Poseidon is not a good idea when you're travelling by sea. Just ask Odysseus in two decades or so.

>Fresh Olympian Blood
I like literate almost as much if not more, but we are dutiful enough to learn. Gods know there'll be enough time for that... The blood is too good to pass up, and cannot be gained any other way. Remember the Paternal Trait, most people lose stats very quickly once their health dips down, regen is great for staying in the fight and carving our glory next to the great names. Also, not having it against a chosen or favored will most likely get us killed. I'm assuming it covers stamina as well, and that is what kills, really. Not dying tired and all.
Favor is something we can earn with our feats, I say.


Also, this looks like a great quest in the making, so let us pray to the muses to ward off the curse, anons.

>>5579907
>>”Pan-ther-ion~” Lynx. Your father named you Panther, but your family has always used the diminutive.

>>5579910
>>… Pantaleon has assured me that ‘His strength will be yours’.” Your sergeant is an Epirot hunter, a man of prodigious size and power. He came to your attention when a peasant informed you of another bearded giant wearing a lion’s skin three years ago. Heracles reborn was your fear, but he turned out to merely be a boisterous commoner. (Gain trait: Warrior Retainer. Your second in command is an impressive specimen for a non-noble. You know him to be able to hold his own even against those descended from the gods in battle. Whether he is good for much else remains to be seen.)

>>5579911
>Pan, the god of the wild. You know your father felled a son of his, is that why he dislikes you? Or does he dislike you for your stalwart refusal to partake in the wanton frolicking of the forest spirits he merrily leads? Who can say? The wind that flows through the trees and grasses speaks his displeasure all the same. (-2 willpower, -1 charisma. Beware of the forest and the creatures that call it home.)

>Literate

>>5579987
Actually, since Thessaly won, the most minmaxxed would have been Capaneus as our father, Student of Chiron and divine blood, for a combat monster

>>5579907
>”Ni-kon~” Short for Nikandros, victory of a man. You will see this name proven to be destiny.
>… Argyros is busy drilling your men. He is disappointed with their readiness.” Your sergeant is an Argive commoner who loyally served your father in the Theban war. His skill and intellect are undiminished by his age. Your trust in his decades of service is absolute. (Gain trait: Veteran Retainer. Your second in command is an experienced campaigner who is utterly devoted to your family. He can be trusted to command the men in your stead, but is a commoner in every other sense.)
>The rivers. All of them. It was a childish thing, swearing an oath to have revenge on the rivers of the world in your father’s name. Now your years of refusing to honor the minor gods of the waters has made your name known to them. Or so your sister claims the spirits of the forest say. (-1 agility, -1 strength, -1 constitution. The very veins in your flesh resist you in the name of their greater kin. Beware of the rivers.)
Peneus will be an immediate issue, probably, but we'll make the rivers pay.
>Favored
I'd prefer the blood, but it's unlikely to win and it's better to have the favor of a god at least.

>>5579975
Changing to
>Fresh Olympian Blood
Seems there are more people that want it then I thought.

>>5579924
The arguments about the blood and later earning the gods' favor have convinced me.
Changing to
>Fresh Olympian Blood
Perhaps if we figure out which god our hero is related to, we can get their favor more easily, even if they’re not one of the big boys.

Something to consider, but how will our hero find good armor for his large frame? That stuff ain't cheap.

>>5580091
Who cares for armor if you're regenerating faster than a troll, anyway?
Now I wish seer had gotten picked, so we could gift Achilles a custom bronze heel-protector.

If we have the option to choose who we're favored by, and we choose Athena, goddess of the strategy and tactical side of war, we get 1 auto-success per thread on rolls pertaining to things falling within their domain. So that means that our trait military genius, which allows no harebrained military write-in that OP can refuse, will have at LEAST one success in its execution.

>Inb4 we kill or severely wound Hector using a super-ballistae built from seashells and olives.

>>5580125
Huh, hadn't realized the write-in friendly option had won.
Won't change my second in command vote though. We will still need a competent subordinate to have the men actually apply our maybe not so brilliant strategy instead of questioning us all the time.

>>5580125
the situation you’ve illustrated would be covered by Hephaestus, not Athena.

>>5580125
>What if we armed the trojan horse with a greek fire thrower instead?

>>5580130
Not mentioned is us using our cunning to bait him out with a scarecrow dressed in Achilles armor.

the thing is, I’d rather we attract Athena’s attention and favour through our own self-worth and skill. That’s why I picked Literacy, along with tactician. it gives us extra knowledge and intelligence we can exploit with our tactician skill. the miscellaneous knowledge it gives us allows us to think out of the box. we could draw inspiration for example from an egyptian battle we read about and use the tactics they used. the QM put it there for a reason, it’s of equal worth to the other 1 point traits, which must make it relatively exceptional as well. the ability to learn without a dedicated teacher orally doing it is immense.

>>5579983
btw, i’m the same dude. different devices and location.

>>5580125
We get one auto-success on stringing a bow with a strand of cotton so we can break Paris' bowstring with a well-placed shot. Sadly, he gets two auto-succs from Apollo, so he makes a new string out of his eyelashes and kills Achilles anyway.

>>5580138
exactly. the auto success is nice, but many people at troy will also have blessings. I personally don’t see us beating most of the main cast in a one on one duel. I’d rather win the war aand gain glory that way than being a duelist fighting against bad odds.

>>5580138
Kek. I think it's not too far-fetched that we, in our infinite TACTICAL GENIUS, will makes Achilles wear some damn greaves.

>>5580147
I want us to be known far and wide for pulling stunning victories out of our ass with nothing but a candle while buck naked covered in Athena's very own olive oil. The memes and laffs will be glorious.Our enemies and allies awed alike.

Things are a bit all over the place, so I'm doing an unofficial tally so we can keep track how things are going.
This way it's easier to change votes to a second preferred choice or argue about the choices

>Name
Tychanos the lucky 3
Nikandros the victorious 4
Panther the lynx 3

>Sergeant
Argyros the loyal 8
Ludas the foreigner 1
Pantaleon the warrior 1

>Angry deity
DAM(N) ALL RIVERS 8
Pan 2

>Runoff
Favored 4 (5)
(Specifically by Athena) 2
Literate 3 (4)
Blood 3

If there is a number in parentheses, is because there was a vote change

I agree that we'll most likely end up earning Athena's favor at one point. But honestly, no matter if the blood wins or not, my goal is to have our guys write a fucking diary and have that be the thing that acts as this world's Illiad and Odyssey. Doesn't get more immortalized than that!

>>5579907
>”Pan-ther-ion~” Lynx. Your father named you Panther, but your family has always used the diminutive.

>>5579910
>… Argyros is busy drilling your men. He is disappointed with their readiness.” Your sergeant is an Argive commoner who loyally served your father in the Theban war. His skill and intellect are undiminished by his age. Your trust in his decades of service is absolute. (Gain trait: Veteran Retainer. Your second in command is an experienced campaigner who is utterly devoted to your family. He can be trusted to command the men in your stead, but is a commoner in every other sense.)

>>5579911
>The rivers. All of them. It was a childish thing, swearing an oath to have revenge on the rivers of the world in your father’s name. Now your years of refusing to honor the minor gods of the waters has made your name known to them. Or so your sister claims the spirits of the forest say. (-1 agility, -1 strength, -1 constitution. The very veins in your flesh resist you in the name of their greater kin. Beware of the rivers.)
>Literate

>>5580155
Yeah, but we gotta know how to read and write for that. it would be pretty interesting to make ourselves a diary in which we write about the events that have unfolded every day of the war, as well as our thoughts on the matter. I’d rather not take several years trying to learn how to write and read. since at this point, it’ll take years of effort to do it otherwise. there’s a reason why we learn how to read and write young, other than the obvious. it’s much easier.

>>5580155
Well, we won't be able to write anything without literacy.
At beast dictate our memories to someone that can.

Imagine the size of our brain if we went Peloponnesian, picked literate and tactical genius.

>>5580167
we’d probably have a brainchild like Athena lol. gonna do a Zeus and crack our skull to let our child out of our brain.

Don't forget that we can upgrade being Favored to being Chosen. Becoming Favored to Chosen might take a while, but from scratch to Chosen will take forever, but on top of whatever extra great divine boons from our chosen God/Goddess (I am hoping Athena), so will we receive 2 auto-successes as well if I understand correctly.

>but you are guaranteed double the benefits of Favored

>>5580180
yeah, but the same could be said by not picking favoured, earning the favour of a god, and then becoming chosen. it’s a matter of time, and I’d rather take Literacy, because it opens up a ton of opportunities.

Plus, I’ll br honest, in the trojan war, there are a ton of opportunities to gain glory and the favour if the gods. what the trojan war lacked was brains and common fucking sense, which i’m hoping we’ll provide.

>>5580202
>what the trojan war lacked was brains and common fucking sense
We can definitely provide one of those things.

>>5580194
Yeah, but we'd have an initial foot in the door, which in-character can take however long to get there and isn't really something immediately known how. We don't even know what boons that Athena will provide us, but the boosts in intelligence related activities will be significant anyways for opening up opportunities I am sure. Literacy can be earned with time as well, and might be sped up even with Athena's blessing.

>>5580206
or Athena’s blessing could be earned quicker by being more innately intelligent. what we don’t get from the blessing is the extra knowledge that comes with it. it could go both ways, but in my eyes, it’ll take much more time learning our letters than it will to earn glory an attention from the gods at Troy, a glory hotspot. plus, the trade language that comes with literacy coulf be invaluable for us procuring equipment and supplies for us and our men without getting scammed like the rest of the greeks.

>>5580062
Changing to
>Fresh Olympian Blood
as well

>>5580213
You make good points, but these are all temporary as opposed to the divinity of the gods themselves and the potential power to be tapped into. There is a great amount of danger that comes with each scrap of glory to be won, and as I mentioned, it's not a guarantee that "glory" as how you put it will be what Athena wants to see to favor us, and even then, having an actual god/goddess behind us will not be something to scoff at compared to learning how to read and trade, which is more tangible than that of the favor of a being beyond the mortal realm.

>>5580219
fair enough, I just think we’d benefit earlier than with the blessing. us using convoluted tactics, which id a certainty with quests on 4chan and our tactics perk make me pretty certain we’ll attract her eye.plus it isn’t like a god couldn’t pull back their blessing at the worst possible moment if we displease them. I’d rather have the purity and certainty of steel… I mean knowledge than have a blessing we could easily earn through 10 years of campaign. it’s a gamble, sure, but a rather small one in my eyes, considering the time frame. I doubt we’ll die from a stray arrow after all, unless we roll 5 ones in a row at the start.

plus, i find it kinda funny if we turn up with zero blessings and dunk on them with our big brain energy. it appeals to my underdog boner.

>>5580232
>>5580194
>>5580165
>>5580155
>>5580153
>>5580147
>>5580136
>>5580133
>>5580132
>>5580125
>>5580118
>>5580091
>>5580029
>>5579987
>>5579983
>>5579956
>>5579932
Many good thoughts here. The vote will be open for a good few hours yet, so here's some clarification.

No family symbols. Heraldry doesn't exist yet, but you will later have the opportunity to make your own familial seal.

With all of these starter traits it is impossible for you to acquire their equivalent before war's end with the exception of Favored. There are some key yet incredibly contingent points much later on in the quest where you will be able to attract a god's attention, but that is less certain than one might think. Zeus WILL smite you if you insult him, but countless men have been propitiating him their whole lives to no avail. If you do not pick it here you will be routelocked out of Chosen, which is the biggest upside of doing so now.

If you go Rivers, you would have done so in your boyhood, perhaps ~9 or so.

To the contrary you have minmaxed pretty well. Roughly speaking the best idea was to take at least one trait out of the "physical" bundle and at least one from one of the other categories. Being purely about one of the categories is bad, but so too would have been certain other combinations.

The super combat build was an option, yes. I wouldn't call it most min-maxed.

Do not worry about your armor. You have your father's, like a proper Hellenic hero, and it fits you pretty well. Plus it's in very good condition since he didn't die in it.

I shall tell you now, that later business about Achilles being invulnerable is not true.

A warning- I should have added "within reason" about the Tactical write ins. The trait does not give you mechanical/chemical skills of any kind, and at any rate I am profoundly opposed to "inventing guns early" isekai nonsense.

However, if you had chosen Polypharmakos, you could have invented Greek Fire.

Don't be a defeatist yet. Your current stats actually place you firmly in the mid tier of Hellenic warriors, with much room to grow into top tier.

Also, about Athena. Do not forget that there is a mortal she already loves most dearly...

Yes, I respect the instinct to conquer without the gods' aid. Telamonian Ajax is the canonical god-ignoring sigma male.

>>5580154
Updating the count

>Name
Tychanos the lucky 3
Nikandros the victorious 4
Panther the lynx 4

>Sergeant
Argyros the loyal 9
Ludas the foreigner 1
Pantaleon the warrior 1

>Angry deity
DAM(N) ALL RIVERS 9
Pan 2

>Runoff
Favored 3 (4)
(Specifically by Athena) 2
Literate 4 (5)
Blood 4

>>5580242
That's good to know, seems I misread what you wrote as saying that we made a suboptimonal build instead of us managing to avoid one

Freaking Odysseus.

>>5580252
indeed. freaking odysseus. though honestly, i think we can bond with him over big brains and our dislike of water and water deities. its cold and wet and gets everywhere…

>>5580250
Oh, and here's a recap of what each of the tied powers do

>(Tier 1) Favored: You are favored by some god or goddess. This divinity will interfere in your life without prompting, always to your benefit. (Subvote to choose which god/goddess later. Will give you a 3+ stat boost pertinent to that deity’s interests. You will also be allowed 1 automatic success per thread on rolls pertaining to this deity’s interests: these are understood to be divine intercession IC. Additionally, this trait may be later upgraded to Chosen.)
Only a +3, but comes with a guaranteed success per thread. Also the only one we can possibly pick up during the quest, but we would miss on the upgraded form
>(Tier 2) Chosen: Many men are blessed by the gods. Priests, prophets, and oracles are said to commune with them. Exceedingly few mortals, however, have ever had a personal relationship with any deity. You are one of those few. (Subvote for which god/goddess later. The consequences of this trait depend wholly on what god/goddess has chosen you, but you are guaranteed double the benefits of Favored.)
I suppose it would be a +6 in stats and two forced successes

>(Tier 1) Fresh Olympian Blood: While all Hellenic nobles can point to a god or goddess somewhere in their ancestry, you can do much better. One of your grandparents was a divinity, apparently a potent one, although you don’t know which. Your eyes, flecked with gold, can see the spirits acting on the world. You are afforded far more respect by daemons of all kinds. Your flesh is not like that of lesser men. (+1 to all stats and regenerate 2 health per turn of combat, in addition to the above. For context, your base health at 10 constitution is 8 with natural potential to get to 18)
One in each stat would be the equivalent of an +6 in stats, also the healing that would be useful because
>Normal men begin to suffer penalties to strength and agility once they fall below 90% health.

>(Tier 1) Literate: You can read. This is a rare skill to begin with, restricted to a fading class of scribes born for the task and almost unheard of among the Hellenic nobility. Yet you are not merely literate like the common scribe. You can read common Hellenic, Minoan, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Phoenician, Hittite cuneiform, and likely anything related to these scripts. Consequently, you also have a much-enlarged understanding of the wider world despite your provincial upbringing. (+4 intelligence, a lot of extra knowledge, and the ability to speak the common trading languages on top of the above).
+4 is middle ground compared with the other ones, and we already have a +6 intelligence from tactical genius. But being able to read and write could give a leg up compared to other nobles

Quick question, does our stats have a starting value, other then bonuses we picked from chargen? >>5579927 here you said that the baseline of nobility is 10.

>>5579911
>Nikandros
>Argyros
>RIVERS
>Literate
This quest seems to have lots of potential.

>>5580263
>does our stats have a starting value, other then bonuses we picked from chargen
No, 10 to start +- the relevant traits.

>>5580263
Oh, and Tactical Genius also increase our cap to 24, just like Giant does to strength and constitution.
If the baseline is 10, and we pick up literate, we would start up as smart as the smartest regular noble could be, and capable of going even beyond. But would miss out on guaranteed auto success (within reason, and probably not Athena because Odysseus cucked us) or healing to avoid getting our stats reduced

>>5579911
>”Ni-kon~” Short for Nikandros, victory of a man. You will see this name proven to be destiny.

>… Iudas has told me that your men’s spirits are high. They will make good time on the road.” Your sergeant is an enslaved eastern noble, purchased from a Phoenician trader at some expense by your mother. You do not know how he ended up in his condition. It was he who taught you courtly graces and the fundamentals of fighting, even if you far outstrip him in skill now. (Gain trait: Noble Retainer. Your second in command is educated, well-mannered, and manifestly competent in politicking. He has led men in the past but was evidently not skilled enough to avoid defeat and enslavement.)

>The rivers. All of them. It was a childish thing, swearing an oath to have revenge on the rivers of the world in your father’s name. Now your years of refusing to honor the minor gods of the waters has made your name known to them. Or so your sister claims the spirits of the forest say. (-1 agility, -1 strength, -1 constitution. The very veins in your flesh resist you in the name of their greater kin. Beware of the rivers.)

>Fresh Olympian Blood

I just like the image of a huge stonefaced man getting the shit kicked out of him and then immediately getting up terminator style to keep going. Scare the piss out of people when he just won't die.

>>5580266
>No, 10 to start +- the relevant traits.
Great i wanted to be sure that we would start with 10, and not 0 or 1

>>5580263
>>5580268
Here's our stats for now.

17/24 strength
13/20 agility
14/24 constitution
10/20 willpower
16/24 intelligence
10/20 charisma

Dutiful
Giant
Tactical Genius
Disfavored (To choose)

And here's how we would be if each version won. Except favored because we would need to pick a god first to know where their 3 points would go to

River + Blood
17/24 strength
13/20 agility
14/24 constitution
11/20 willpower
17/24 intelligence
11/20 charisma

River + Literate
17/24 strength
13/20 agility
14/24 constitution
10/20 willpower
20/24 intelligence
10/20 charisma

Pan + Blood
18/24 strength
14/20 agility
15/24 constitution
9/20 willpower
17/24 intelligence
10/20 charisma

Pan + Literate
17/24 strength
13/20 agility
14/24 constitution
8/20 willpower
20/24 intelligence
9/20 charisma

In my opinion rivers are both the best mechanical and narrative option

>>5580282
I made a mistake

River + Literate
16/24 strength
12/20 agility
13/24 constitution
10/20 willpower
20/24 intelligence
10/20 charisma

>>5579907
>Ni-kon~
Cute
>Iudas
Seems nice
>>The rivers
River water bad!
>>Favored
A god from the start is awesome

>>5579911
Wow, can't believe I didn't notice this quest earlier, just got done reading. As a huge fan of the Greek classics, I love this. Have to admit I've wondered often about running a Greek "hero" campaign or quest.
With that said, right now the tally and setup is quite confusing and overwhelming, so I'll only vote on the one point I care about. And thanks for running Homer, this is going to be fun!
>Fresh Olympian Blood
I love the classics, alright, and well, stick to the archetypes.

I'll say though, Andronicus would be a name with a meaning that would have been very appropriate for this quest. Or Mononomachus

>>5580374
Thanks anon! This quest is scratching a real itch of my own, hence the update speed. Andronicus is actually a name I considered! Rejected for not rolling off my tongue the right way. Mononomachus is neat, I've never heard that one before. Play your cards right and you can earn it as a epithet/cognomen!

>>5579911
>Favoured
>Rivers
>Lynx
I HAVE AN INSATIABLE URGE TO DAM THE RIVERS

>>5580385
Quick question from the Barbarian Hordes, what do those names mean?

>>5580401
Andronicus means warrior, not unlike Herman in german. Also victor? A very common name of eastern roman/greek emperors at a certain time.
Monomachus means he who fights alone, or gladiator. It is also the moniker of a very succesful eastern roman general. It's also got a vibe that reminds me of Lan's moniker in Wheel of time by the aiel - something like, one man who fights as a nation.
>>5580385
I guess I'm so used to Andronicus it seems completely normal - used it at one point for the Darth-name of a Sith Lord character I played in Star Wars. Good times.
And glad Monomachus has been useful and might come into play. It's definitely setting appropriate.
And better than being called Stylarios or something

>>5580404
Ah, a Byzantine man. I never much studied past Constantine myself.

>>5580401
Now now anon, in this thread we're all civilized men. You may be a Canaanite or Egyptian if you like, but no hordes here.

>>5580426
It's too late, the illyrians and thracians have arrived.
At least it's not schytians or gauls. I hope.

>>5580438
What post? ;)

Did we get Fresh Olympian Blood?

Literacy is good because the Hittites are just next door and we need to eventually resupply, considering how long this campaign is going to be. I’d rather not get scammed by merchants passing along the sea.

>>5580446
Nope, it’s still a tie at 6 votes each for literacy,blood and Favour.

>>5580442
I don't know what you are talking about ;)

>>5580447
Literacy also means that we get to write our own account of the war, we can be a warrior-poet and immortalize ourselves in history.

>>5580463
Yeah, there really isn’t anything much more immortal than books, besides the gods. We certainly wouldn’t be forgotten, and we’d be Dunking on Homer himself. It’s the good ending to this story. Besides, we can be the warrior-poet who somehow competed on our fellow Legendary god-blessed warriors while being a normal human. That’s pretty based.

>>5580448

I am late to this quest, please allow me to break this tie!

>Blood

My logic is thus - favor from a god can be earned, literacy can be learned, but we (presumably) cannot earn fresh Olympian descent through deeds alone.

Also, the regen bonus from FOB is nothing to sneeze at and will likely be a big boost to our combat potential.

Maybe we can focus on learning to read as we travel out from our lands?

>>5580463
We could become one of the stoic philosophers

>>5580468
>literacy can be learned
It can't
>>5580242
With all of these starter traits it is impossible for you to acquire their equivalent before war's end with the exception of Favored.

>>5580468
We can’t gain any of these traits by the end of the war other than favoured. Literacy will not be a thing if we don’t pick it now.

>>5580473
Well, it can't on the level that literate would give us.
I still want blood though

Alright, for the sake of convenience I am calling the vote here. I will do some tallying and if there turns out to be a tie in any of the votes it will be in the hands of ὴ καλλιπλόκαμος Τύχη

>>5580492
Roger that

Well the voting closed.
I'm updating my tally one last time for completionism's sake

>Name
Tychanos the lucky 3
Nikandros the victorious 7
Panther the lynx 5

>Sergeant
Argyros the loyal 10
Ludas the foreigner 3
Pantaleon the warrior 1

>Angry deity
DAM(N) ALL RIVERS 13
Pan 2

>Runoff
Favored 5 (6)
(Specifically by Athena) 2
Literate 5 (6)
Blood 7

This vote was close.
Maybe we should put ranked preference? Weighted votes? That would makes things even harder to follow though
I'm ok with letting the dice decide too

>>5580512
A correct accounting by my lights, thanks for double-checking. Nikandros, Argyros, Rivers, and Fresh Olympian Blood take it. Secretly, I wanted Fresh Blood or Literacy to win. The former opens up a world of supernatural shenanigans, the latter opens up a world of Bronze Age autism. For you non-Greek speakers, Deianira's affection name for Nikandros is Νίκων, Winner. Good choice. We will carry on with relative majority voting. I will endeavor to avoid multi-choice votes in the future, I just was excited about chargen.

>>5580534
Sis is a cutie. Too bad most of the good men we'll meet will either be accounted for or die in the war.

>>5580534
>the latter opens up a world of Bronze Age autism
Fuck, that's my favorite kind of autism. Is it too late to take it back?

>>5580534

Fair enough. Fresh blood seems good if we get into the esoteric. Hopefully with it it’ll be much easier to make amends with the river gods. I’d rather not end up like Daddy. Gods are technically Daemons after all.

>>5580540
Yep. Hopefully we can hook her up with a genuinely good guy who listens. Only the best for our family.

>>5580540
Maybe there will be another OC prince running around that we can marry her to

>>5580545
Alea iactast. Worry not, if you befriend a certain hero the wide Mediterranean world will open up to you. Choosing Iudas (Judas) would have done the same, as he is a Shasu noble who was defeated in battle by Phoenician warriors. As a note, FOB has also made Nikandros even taller. He now is 6'10".

>>5580552
I mean, I think we’d want to keep her with us. Did she specifically want a prince? Because if we can find ourselves a great warrior of relatively low noble standing, we could bring him with us to help against the damn barbarians.

>>5580557
>I think we’d want to keep her with us
For a second there I thought you were talking about keeping the bloodline pure. But making ties with nobles that we can call to arms would be politically extremely savvy. Even if we'd have to let her go with them. The biggest hurdle with sending her away is making sure whoever she weds has enough gravitas to make sure that no one in his household will fuck with her for being a bit weird and witchy.

It's not just the husband we need to worry about turning their nose up at her, after all. So we'll either need the greatest of reputations or her husband of sufficient authority.

Marriages are so complicated.

>>5580569
I think we’d want someone lower in status than us, and he’d obviously have to be our friend, so we don’t have to deal with succession shenanigans.

>>5580534
>Fresh Olympian Blood take it.
Pity, but that means that we must go down in history by our feats alone.

>>5580598
I’m hoping we can at least read and write Greek by the end of it. Not necessarily every Mediterranean language like in the Literate one, but enough that we could write down memoirs of the war. A diary, so to speak.

>>5580601

Exactly, we can still literally learn to read and write - we just won’t be a polyglot off the bat.

File: theSeven.png (22 KB, 480x254)

22 KB PNG

>>5580534

[Disfavored] The Rivers, damn them all. They are what come to mind. Your ancestral foe, the waters that which one never steps in twice. You think for a moment. The Peneus will need to be forded to go to Larisa (also known as Phthia, the set of King Peleus). Following the natural course of the river will be an unacceptable delay on your path to Mycenae. Besides, you want to meet with your liege to discuss his plans for the war. Peleus is old and will undoubtedly avoid the expedition himself, but will Prince Achilles lead the Myrmidons? You are unsure.

[Thessalian] Firsthand experience tells you that the northerners only grow bolder with the times, no matter how many of them you kill. [Giant] And you have killed many to test that induction. [Tactical Genius] Reason tells you that the city and the northern border are defensible with many less men than Peleus can call upon, so he should be able to spare a force. Achilles is not known for being cautious and will likely want to go. Fleet-footed Thetis is unpredictable, as all the goddesses of heaven are. [Olympian Blood] Perhaps you will ask her yourself. You can speak man-to-divinity with them unlike lesser nobles.

Your thoughts again turn to your sister. She shares your eyes, dark with flecks of gold in the pupil. She has told you that the relative class of her husband is no matter so long as the other qualities she specified are present. Naturally, the higher the class of the man she marries the greater the bride-price paid to you will be. [Dutiful] Yet greed will not factor into your decision. You don’t know. Achilles is unmarried, him? A pipe-dream.

Your mind is wandering. You need to focus on the road.

>Give me 2d20, Bo3. The first is for the quality of the journey from your homestead to the river, the second is for REDACTED.

Rolled 11, 2 = 13 (2d20)

>>5580614
Roll over or under?

Rolled 3, 11 = 14 (2d20)

>>5580614

>>5580614

>>5580617
Depends. In the case of environmental/encounter rolls like this, over

Rolled 3, 18 = 21 (2d20)

>>5580595
>I think we’d want someone lower in status than us
Considering we don't even have the means to campaign proper, and only have enough men to keep bandits from walking into our lands and bullying the residents as petty tyrants that is an exceptionally low bar. I just want to be able to call upon someone with the ability to project power for when the unwashed hordes inevitably come knocking. Or a neighbor decides their rule to be truer than ours.

>>5580614

So we got 11/18? Not bad.

>>5580404
>Andronicus means warrior
Not quite. Nikandros and Andronicus come from the same root. Niki (Victory) and Andras (man) and their meanings are fairly similar.

Monomachos comes from Monos (alone or single) and Machi (fight) so yes, it means he who fights alone or gladiator.

File: theNaiad.jpg (191 KB, 800x1204)

191 KB JPG

>>5580617
>>5580620
>>5580628
>11, 18. Minor success, automatic normal failure

The first leg of your journey, a day’s time at good chariot speed, is uneventful. Perhaps if you did a poorer job of defending your section of the border or if you lived in a more lawless region, like that of Central Hellas, things would have been much worse. The road is bumpy from disuse and your chariot driver has nothing to report.

That is, until you make it to the river. The Peneus is not an especially large river and you were wise enough to return to the site of a previous successful fording. According to your habit you offered no sacrifice to the god alongside the other customary offerings a traveler gives. This has come back to bite you.

As soon as you see her you tell your driver to halt. He sees nothing out of the ordinary. That is a failing of his human ancestry. There is a naiad on the riverbank. Her legs are in the water, and she is looking in your direction. Her nakedness is plain, the typical fashion of these daughters of nature. You are well away from her. You cannot simply avoid her- the next natural ford is many stades downstream and you need to cross the river now. You could make camp and hope she leaves, but that will also waste valuable time and leave you vulnerable in the wild. You wear nothing but your sandals and chiton.

>A naiad is not a river god. Approach her, speak earnestly, and ask what the daemon wants in exchange for safe passage. [Charisma check]

>A naiad is not a river god. Approach her and tell the girl to leave or else. [Intimidation check]

>A slave obeys. Charge the girl in your chariot and force her to flee. [Chariot skill check]

>Write in.

>>5580660
>>Write in.
>Capture and rape her

>>5580660
>A naiad is not a river god. Approach her and tell the girl to leave or else. [Intimidation check]

>A naiad is not a river god. Approach her, speak earnestly, and ask what the daemon wants in exchange for safe passage. [Charisma check]

No need to be an asshole. We’ll see what she wants, then decide what to do. Simple as.

>>5580672

Backing this.

Plus, we’re just asking her. We can simply refuse whatever price she asks for if it’s way too high. I’m sure we can do her a small favor for safe passage, considering our shite luck with rivers.

>>5580660
>>A naiad is not a river god. Approach her, speak earnestly, and ask what the daemon wants in exchange for safe passage. [Charisma check]
If she asks for something stupid or grand we can just tell her to fuck off and slap her with our sandal.

I mean, we should be fine, considering we also have an advantage to talking with Daemons with our god’s blood.

>>5580660

Homer, have you read Circe recently or something?

Some of the references to the iris flecks of gold and pharmako-magic caught my eye

>>5580660
I don't get this choice. If we go for choice one, what's to stop us from doing choice two if it doesn't work? And then choice three if that doesn't work? Or does failure somehow lock us out from the other choices? And if so, it'd be nice to have some idea of what that would like.

I'll go with choice 1, I guess since it commits the least.

>>5580660
>A naiad is not a river god. Approach her, speak earnestly, and ask what the daemon wants in exchange for safe passage. [Charisma check]
First, we try to be resonable. We start damming them when that fails.

>>5580660

>A naiad is not a river god. Approach her, speak earnestly, and ask what the daemon wants in exchange for safe passage. [Charisma check]
Well well. Damn water getting everywhere.
But let's talk there is no reason not to

>>5580706
We really need to import some fucking beavers. They are true comrades in the fight against running water! In all seriousness though, I’m thinking we try not to provoke the river gods too much. No need to gain their true hate.

>>5580714
If those streams don't want their family killed then they should keep them there. Also, wasn't Achilles also nearly killed by a river god? Those bastards are going to get Ganges'd if they keep sticking their currents where they don't belong. Now serious, we do what we can within reason

>>5580703
In brief, it's about character-building and consequences. You're a hero in an interesting time in Hellenic history- less powerful (and therefore less ornery) than those of 2-4 generations prior like Heracles, Perseus, and Bellerophontes, but still fully capable of giving lesser daemons what-for. Are you the old-fashioned rapist like the first reply? A more genteel negotiator? Something else? Second, your actions have consequences. A failed threat or attempt at negotiation fully eliminates any element of initiative. While IC Nikandros doesn't fear for his life, who can say what mischief the girl could get up to if aggravated?

>>5580699
The novel? No, although a friend recommended it to me. The latter is just Greek, the former is ripped wholesale from the quests of Fortuna.

>>5580732
If she asks for our firstborn she's getting it in nine months from today. This strategy works so long as we don't have one.

>>5580732
I imagined that it was about character building, it's why I voted to tell the water woman to fuck off when negotiating is the better option.
Picking a Malus and not acting on it feels wrong

>>5580732
I get the establishing the character's personality bit but I still don't see why we couldn't just do 1, then 2 (or 3) if 1 fails. It's really not clear what the consequence would be for failure either. But I'll hold my tongue for now and see how this plays out.

>>5580714
We will see, having them has enemies is anything but great in the long run. At the same time we have a dead father, and they didn't say/do anything about that.

It could go different ways. Maybe they want tribute again, or make a threath, or promise/prophecy of something bad.
More often than not deities are quite vengeful and petty. Offering a chance to talk should still count for something, even if we can make our point for way we don't do tribute to them anylonger.

>>5580743
*why

>>5580743
I mean, how old was Nikandros’s when his dad died? Besides, he made that promise to himself when he was 9, and people change a lot from the kids they are when they’re 9. I see our guy as being as solid as a mountain, reliable, wise, calm. We aren’t some hotheaded young punk. We’re a ruler, a lord.

>>5580750
That’s my headcannon on what I want him to be anyways.

>>5580750
I don't think he is an hothead, but if he kept for so long the no tribute policy then its an issue that cannot be easily resolved. It would take time, and they better do something in exchange.

i am interested in fixing the relations since rivers are everywhere in the world, its a constant problem because there is one after another. Though I will not allow them to push Nikon around/mock him.

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>5580665
>>5580668
>>5580672
>>5580679
>>5580694
>>5580703
>>5580706
>>5580713
>Hey girl, how about you let me cross your river if you feel me

She is not the goddess of the river. You know nothing of this nymph and what she might want. Your distaste for the rivers of the world does not mean you want to draw your sword against any water-spirit you happen upon. Nor are you honor-bound to fight her. It would be wise to tread lightly around the spirit, so you elect to hear her out.

You dismount your chariot and approach the girl. While she is apparently nonchalant, you have little doubt that she is taking your measure during the approach.

>Give me 1d20, Bo2. No CHA bonus, +3 for Olympian Blood, -3 for your bad reputation with aquatic spirits, so no bonuses either way. You're looking to beat whatever I roll.

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>5580779

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>5580779

Good rolls. We got em.

>>5580781
>>5580782
Nice

>>5580779
>>5580782
>16 versus 11, a solid success for Nikandros

As you get closer to the Naiad, you are better able to make out her face. She is clearly unafraid of you, no tenseness in her muscles or narrowing of her bright eyes. She looks curious, as you might when a well-dressed stranger comes up the road to your own manor seeking a place to pass the night. Perhaps you can use that. You stop a stone's throw away, close enough to speak without threat. A respectful formal address seems best to begin with.

"Lady of the river, your beauty and surety of heart do you credit. I am Nikandros of Thessaly, son of the famed prince Hippomedon. Might I learn of you and your parentage?" Freshwater nymphs are of diverse parentage, and there is a reasonable chance she does not descend from a river.

"I know of you Nikandros. My cousins name you a brute, a mortal without respect for the blessed daemons of the land. Yet in my estimation your visage is pious and your bearing Olympian. I am Asterope, a daughter of Okeanos who is the father of all the rivers and lakes of the world." Asterope answers your questions with honesty- any apprehension you felt is dispelled by the report. Thankfully she is not a river nymph by blood. Getting to the point should serve you well, although a touch of flattery may put the spirit in a generous frame of mind.

"Asterope, a name fit for a maiden of such brilliance. I and my companion seek to ford the river you rest in. I beg peaceful passage and all the honors Hermes commends of those greeting travelers." You do not kneel or beg- this is a meeting of cosmic equals.

The nymph's face twists at these last words. Did you make a mistake invoking Hermes? He is the god of boundaries you know, but should you have called upon another Olympian? "*All* the honors of giant-killing Hermes? My Lord Nikandros, you are forward for a passing scion of Prometheus." You recognize her turn of face as mirth now- apparently the invocation of Hermes means something different to a daemon than it does to a mortal. Good to know. In truth, you have spent much more time avoiding the spirits of nature than learning their customs. She continues.

"No, son of Hippomedon, I shall not give you all Hermes might have me. You may cross this river in peace. I bid you good fortune on the roads ahead." At this the girl rises, calves in the water, and sinks into the river and out of sight. That went well enough you think.

You return to your chariot and inform the driver that the river is safe for crossing. No inconveniences come up- indeed, when your chariot's left wheel gets caught on a stone it almost as quickly pops right over it. With the river passed you decide to get a good stade away from the bank before pitching camp for the night. You sleep peacefully and get back on the road in the morning.

>3d20, Bo3, no modifiers. Let's see whether you make it to Phthia next vote.

Rolled 19, 2, 2 = 23 (3d20)

>>5580839

Rolled 16, 18, 9 = 43 (3d20)

>>5580839

>>5580847
Nice.
Well it did go well enough for the talk. And we have learn something, like they consider us a brute among river spirits.

Rolled 17, 4, 7 = 28 (3d20)

>>5580839

>>5580842
>>5580847
>>5580855
So I take it the journey itself is fine, but we come across some shitheel gate guard or something? The numbers, what do they mean?

Well, it seems like we’ll have an interesting encounter on the last leg of our journey.

So Hermes has some relations with fertility.
Did she think we were asking for sex or something?

>>5580880

Hermes famously smashes with any and all nymphs that he can get his grubby hands on.

The nymphs are sort of lowly creatures in the grand scale of Olympus and are flattered that a true God will “play” with him, the other Olympians think he’s an idiot for wasting his time with common river girls…

>>5580885
>that weird brute shows up
>actually polite
>immediately asks to fuck
>lmao

>>5580888
Man, A shame we didn’t get a natural 20. Need to spread that bloodline around, you know.

>>5580885
>>5580888
Kek

>>5580842
>>5580847
>>5580855
>>5580885
You have the right of it. Hermes in the centuries prior to your own was much more sexually active. His reputation as a god of fertility has been fully supplanted among Hellenic mortals by Dionysus, Aphrodite, and some more obscure divinities. The nymphs remember him for being the kind of god who is happy to fuck any girl that calls him on a threshold. Your charisma is pretty low all things considered, but some daemons may crave potent Olympian genetics. Know that that 18 gave you a non-hostile, non-dangerous spirit and the social rolls went very well.
>19, 18, 9: strong success, strong success, normal failure

After fording the river your journey goes much quicker. The roads of the Thessalian plain are more used and better maintained than those north of the Peneus. Your admiration for your liege increases- what better proof of a lord's ability is there than a peaceful countryside and fine roads? On the road you pass other travelers- most heading the same direction as you- but choose not to stop your chariot. You recall the end of King Laios of Thebes and are careful among the traffic.

As you get closer Phthia you pass increasing numbers of patrolling Myrmidons. The soldiers of Peleus wear fine armor and their long hair comes out the back of their distinctive crestless helms. You begin to wonder if something is amiss but reason that their duty is their own concern. They do not molest you.

Finally, after a few days travel, the walls of the city crest the horizon. They are not as massive as those of Mycenae- you went to the capital some four years prior to be received formally as a Hellenic nobleman. There is a problem however- the gates are shut. This surprises you. [Tactical Genius]The gates of a city might be closed midday if a threat is expected or suspected, but the loose order and large numbers of the Myrmidons on the road indicate that Larisa is not concerned with a siege and should be well aware of any encroaching forces. Decisions, decisions...

>Approach the gates and attempt to hail a guard. They'll surely let you in if you ask.

>Bypass the city and continue on to the coast. Mycenae awaits. A large city doesn't lock itself up for no reason, and whatever is awry is none of your business.

>Turn back and try to find one of the patrolling soldiers. They didn't stop you as you approached the city, so it can't be that bad.

>Something else?

>>5580946
>>Approach the gates and attempt to hail a guard. They'll surely let you in if you ask.
I want to at least ask if something is going on. Who knows, maybe it's just a damaged mechanism.

Also
>possibly bedding a water spirit to try and break the curse of rivers
A strange twist of fate to be sure

I’m guessing a pandemic? Maybe the king ordered the city contained? That’s the only reason why the city would be locked up.

>>5580946
>Approach the gates and attempt to hail a guard. They'll surely let you in if you ask.

Considering the literal heroic appearance of our character.

>>5580957
The only solid reason that comes to mind at least.

>>5580957

this is a pretty good guess. Presumably our divine background would prevent us from getting sick?

>>5580946
>Approach the gates and attempt to hail a guard. They'll surely let you in if you ask.

Really no harm asking what's going on, worst case we continue on to Mycenae.

>>5580946
>Approach the gates and attempt to hail a guard. They'll surely let you in if you ask.

>Approach the gates and attempt to hail a guard. They'll surely let you in if you ask.

Eh, whatever. I’ll just stick to this actually.

>>5580946
>>Approach the gates and attempt to hail a guard. They'll surely let you in if you ask.

>>5580954
>A strange twist of fate to be sure

Well i reckon that settles it

>secondary objective: dick down naiads until we tame the rivers

File: theWallsOfMycenaeIn3000Years.jpg (284 KB, 1140x800)

284 KB JPG

>>5580954
I'm just going to warn you now, sex never solves problems.

>>5580954
>>5580958
>>5580964
>>5580967
>>5580983
>>5581000
>Consensus for approach the gates. How do you want to play this? Pic related, the gate is in a recess in the walls.

>Get within earshot of the walls, declare yourself and your purpose, and ask to be let in. Simple enough. [Kleos check]

>Get within earshot of the walls and ask why the gates are shut. [Charisma check]

>Something else?

>>5581006
>Get within earshot of the walls, declare yourself and your purpose, and ask to be let in. Simple enough. [Kleos check]

Perhaps we can rely on father's name. Certainly inherited his size.

>Get within earshot of the walls and ask why the gates are shut. [Charisma check]

We aren’t all that well known. Our father, sure, but not us. I’d just simply ask them. It’s a relatively innocent question, so it shouldn’t be a super hard check.

>>5581006
>>Get within earshot of the walls, declare yourself and your purpose, and ask to be let in. Simple enough. [Kleos check]

Remember that we ourselves were worried about our lack of fame. Of Kleos. Which was why we wanted to go to Troy. Relying on non-existent Kleos seems a bit foolish.

>>5581006
The operative word was try, after all. I mean it's not like it ever backfired on Zeus. Sorry, Poseidon. Sorry, dang there's a lot of them actually. Then again, over half of any examples in Greek myth were rapes so fuck if I know.


>Get within earshot of the walls and ask why the gates are shut. [Charisma check]
Oi, cunt. The fuckin' gate's shut.

>>5581028
We’re Australian now? No wonder a river god drowned our father.

>>5581031
An aussie's irreverent and nigh incoherent constant shit talking would likely get him quickly smote by the gods several times over. But damn would the confused seething be glorious to witness.

I'd like to squeeze out another update tonight but this tie is something of an issue. I know /qst/ is slow on Fridays so I'll give it a few more minutes before rolling.

>>5581006
>>5581059
Here you go then
>Get within earshot of the walls and ask why the gates are shut. [Charisma check]

>>5581006
>Get within earshot of the walls and ask why the gates are shut. [Charisma check]

>>5581061
>>5581065
Much obliged gents.
>Get within earshot of the walls and ask why the gates are shut

>1d20 Charisma check, Bo1, +0. Whatever is going on in there, they don't have time for you

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>5581072
Spaghetti

>>5581075
Nice.

>>5581075
Damn, I was really hoping you would botch this one. Kudos for not doing the Kleos check, that was a smart move.

>>5581080
>QM hopes that we fail
Heading for a proper greek tragedy, I see. ;)

>>5581072
>best of 1

>>5581075
>local man literally too large and in charge to ignore

>>5581081
Since y'all wisely avoided the "Born Under A Bad Sign" trait, I'm never going to doom you to inevitable fate. But I have my preferences concerning the range of possible outcomes on occasion, especially when they amuse me.

>>5581075
>19, great success.

You wonder if there is a plague in the city. Two generations ago the Thebans suffered one for the sins of King Oedipus against the natural order. It would be a shock to you if either King Peleus or Goddess-Queen Thetis would do anything worthy of such divine punishment. You would also be angry at those soldiers you passed for not warning you about it. At any rate, there is only one sensible way of finding out what if anything is wrong.

Again you dismount your chariot and tell your driver to await your return. You feel vulnerable approaching the gate like this, unarmored, but it would be a serious insult to your liege to don armor before approaching his walls. You are no great orator but your lungs are large and your voice deep. You take a deep breath.

"GUARDSMEN OF PHTHIA, WHY IS THE GATE SHUT?" You place particular emphasis on that first part, addressing them like you might your own men in the press of battle. It is a message even a simpleton could process.

"BECAUSE KING PELEUS ORDERED IT SHUT!" A man with a lesser voice yells back at you. His voice rings off the walls surrounding you on three sides. The daft bastard, of course it is shut on his ruler's command. You quash your annoyance.

"OBVIOUSLY THE GATE IS SHUT ON THE KING'S ORDERS, BUT WHY DID HE ORDER IT SO?" You boom again.

"BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MEN TO GUARD THE CITY!" Not enough men? How? Larisa is one of the most militarized cities in Hellas, second only to Salamis in terms of trained soldiers. Considering the many men you saw on the road, it is not impossible that the soldiery of the city has been sent across the broader region for some reason.

"AND WHY DO YOU NOT HAVE ENOUGH MEN? DID THE KING SEND THEM SOMEWHERE?"

"YES, THE KING SENT THEM TO LOOK FOR PRINCE ACHILLES AND QUEEN THE-" the reply is cut off suddenly. Somebody shut up the idiot on the walls. Not that it matters. The prince and queen are missing!

>>5581124
The gate in front of you begins to open.

Behind it stands a single man in armor but unarmed. He is dressed as a Myrmidon. He addresses you.

"You are a lord I take it?" A stupid question. What else would you be, a barbarian? Your annoyance at these men is growing by the second.

"That I am- Nikandros, son of Hippomedon. I have come to speak to my Lord Peleus, but now learn that Lady Thetis and Lord Achilles are missing. Explain this to me." This is a command, not a request. You are concerned.

"Lord Nikandros, please follow me." The soldier politely orders you. He begins to turn his back to you to lead the way. A foolish decision. Does this man not know you could break him with no more trouble than a slave might have picking an apple? You stay put. For one, you do not take orders from commoners. For another, this situation is highly suspicious to you.

"No, Myrmidon, you will answer my question here and now. What has happened?" This is nonnegotiable. There is an edge to what you say now.

He freezes in place, likely realizing the mistake he has made. He begins to speak.

"My lord, I am under orders to not-" He stops and again reevaluates his position. Perhaps he realizes that you are far more dangerous than any future punishment.

"... Queen Thetis and Prince Achilles went missing two days ago. King Peleus has sent the vast majority of the city's garrison to look for them in the local area, but no sign of them has been found. With the absence of the garrison the King ordered the gates shut and all travelers denied entry." Fear, you suspect, has made him true.

So, the goddess and the warrior-prince are missing. You immediately understand why you were supposed to have been barred entry. This is a scandal- no, a shame on the house of Peleus. It is an event that can only occur in a house disunited, one that reflects most poorly on the head of the family. You have no doubt that the goddess left of her own accord and likely spirited her son with her. But why? You think for but a moment.

The call to arms, the reason you are here in the first place... the goddess does not want her son to leave... and so prevents him from doing so in the only way she knows how. By kidnapping, just as the gods have always done. The overzealous mother protects her son, without the blessing of the husband. A goddess needn't obey a mortal spouse. This explanation coheres quite well with what you know of gods, mothers, and Prince Achilles. What are you going to do with this deduction?

>Tell the Myrmidon that you will meet with King Peleus now. He has a problem, perhaps you have a solution?

>Turn around and walk away. Getting into the internal affairs of your liege's family does not strike you as especially wise.

>Question the Myrmidon more. (What?)

>Something else?

>>5581127
>Tell the Myrmidon that you will meet with King Peleus now. He has a problem, perhaps you have a solution?

>>5581127
>Tell the Myrmidon that you will meet with King Peleus now. He has a problem, perhaps you have a solution?

It's time for that big brain of Nikon to shine!
Perhaps we can ask if the prince had any favored companions. A lure, so to say.
Can't blame Thetis for not really wanting her son to die or not being too fond of Peleus, especially considering how she ended up meeting him.

>>5581127
>Tell the Myrmidon that you will meet with King Peleus now. He has a problem, perhaps you have a solution?
I see what this is. OOC, we know Achilles was sent to hide among the daughters of Lycomedes. In 'canon', Odysseus sniffs him out by sounding an alarm (he doesn't run for shelter) or by peddling women's jewellery (he picks out a spear and shield).

>Tell the Myrmidon that you will meet with King Peleus now. He has a problem, perhaps you have a solution?

>>5581142
I wonder if our boy Nikon would be able to see his divine heritage with his special patented GOD EYES. Probably not. That would probably make picking out special people too easy.

>>5581127
>Tell the Myrmidon that you will meet with King Peleus now. He has a problem, perhaps you have a solution?
The butterfly begins flapping its wings. I wonder how much we can change in the outcome.

>>5581127
>>Tell the Myrmidon that you will meet with King Peleus now. He has a problem, perhaps you have a solution?

>>5581132
>>5581134
>>5581142
>>5581146
>>5581150
>>5581158

“Myrmidon, take me to see my Lord Peleus.” The man nods wordlessly and begins walking. This time you follow.

You have never seen the city Larisa, although your mother told you much of it in your youth. She attended the wedding of the goddess and the king here. Well, perhaps attended is an overstatement of the reality. She was in the city when the two were wed but did not see the ceremony itself. The city was, in her words, “full of men and gods and daemons of all kinds”. It was as if Olympus and Elysium and Hellas came together for a chance moment- all was gold, silver, and ivory. The city teemed with song, the nobility walking the same halls as their gods for a brief day and night of merriment. Wine and ambrosia ran in the streets.

There is no wine and ambrosia now. The walls of the buildings in the city are covered in aging painted art, the statues are by your lights plain. Nor does the city you walk through have much in the way of gaiety. To the contrary, there is a tangible miasma of fear. Your guide is generating no small amount of it- he is, as they say, caught between a rock and a hard place. You do not concern yourself with his petty feelings.

The empty streets facilitate a swift journey to the heart of the city. The palace of Peleus at least impresses you. Its stonework outstrips anything you have ever seen before, intricate engravings covering every inch of the flawless walls. A gift of Hephaestus perhaps? You stop at the open door.

There is much risk in this. You have barged into affairs not your own and made a man violate the orders of your liege in doing so. It is not physical risk- the old man and the dregs of the garrison do not scare you. It is a risk concerning your reputation and honor, your Kleos and Timae. King Peleus could ruin you for your disrespect- at least, if he were not currently dealing with this crisis. But risk brings opportunity. You could, by assisting a man who is rightly thought the second most powerful in all of Hellas, vault over a great many other men. You cross the Rubicon.

The splendor of the palace interior does not surprise you. Fine statuary, exotic plants overgrowing their vases, lighting bordering on the supernatural. There are even gold engravings covering the walls, somehow more sophisticated than even the exterior. Could a goddess live with less? You put the question out of mind.

In a minute you reach the furthest interior of the palace. Another door stops you in your tracks. Again you stop and think. How do you plan to approach the king?

>>5581235
>With humility and grace. The social chasm between yourself and Peleus is greater than that separating the east from the west. By being courteous and helpful, you will convince the old man that you can help him with… whatever this is. [Charisma/Willpower check]

>With direct frankness. The King is in a poor position, but you are the only noble who yet knows of what has befallen his household. He deludes himself thinking that his mortal army has a chance at finding the goddess. You will help him help himself. [Intelligence/Willpower check]

>With force. The old man has lost his touch, the power that he used once to go from an exile to a master of untold souls. Get him on the back foot, take a dominating rhetorical position, and impose your will on the future of this partnership. [Willpower/Strength check]

>Another approach?

Be careful now anons. If you have particular suggestions about/modifications of the given approaches, put them out there.

>>5581235

Kings and gods are prideful.

Perhaps we can discretely offer services to Peleus, surely a King as wise as he can think of a use for the grandson of the Divines?

>basically, offer our services to Peleus without implying that he actually needs our help.
>perhaps we can locate Thetis using our more supernatural contacts and appeal to her on a more direct level given our heritage?

In-character, I’m sure we’d know that the gods are settling in with popcorn given the upcoming entertainment of the war and so we can reasonably assume someone has eyeballs on Achilles.

>>5581240
>>5581242

Oops, I posted before you did Homer.

My suggestion would sort of fall into your middle choice:

>With direct frankness. The King is in a poor position, but you are the only noble who yet knows of what has befallen his household. He deludes himself thinking that his mortal army has a chance at finding the goddess. You will help him help himself. [Intelligence/Willpower check]

Basically, we can chat with the Gods on his behalf and because we’re not directly related to the situation, the local divinities might be more willing to be honest.

>>5581235
>You cross the Rubicon.
Reee Romans go home, Aeneas a shit.

More seriously

>With humility and grace. The social chasm between yourself and Peleus is greater than that separating the east from the west. By being courteous and helpful, you will convince the old man that you can help him with… whatever this is. [Charisma/Willpower check]

>>5581240
What I would aim to do is to make it clear that our intention isn't transactional per se. We know Thetis and Achilles are gone and we want him to be involved in the fighting solely for the fact that him being such a renowned warrior is bound to draw out the greatest heroes the enemy can muster. And we seek to defeat said enemies and wash ourselves in glory. We aren't trying to coerce Peleus or blackmail him in any way. But going without his favor to retrieve his son steps far outside of not only our duty but also authority given his wife would undoubtedly turn us away.

We do have an interest in bringing Achilles back but twisting the arm of our liege and an old man, using the bonds of paternity no less is vile.

But I also don't know exactly what kind of man Peleus is. Does Nikon have any particular insight in that regard or has he been kept distant enough to not know much of his lord?

>>5581250

This is a pretty good take as well

>>5581250
Nikon is not personally familiar with the man, having only briefly met him in Mycenae upon his accession to the status of a full Hellenic noble. He certainly knows the rumors/stories.

>Peleus was born, alongside his elder brother Telamon, to the king of the minor southern island Aegina. The brothers murdered their half-brother not confirmed, but widely assumed whom their father favored.
>After their exile for this crime they joined the famed expedition of the Argonauts. Peleus and Telamon were mighty warriors and close associates of Heracles on the journey. It was in the Black Sea that he is said to have first met and fallen in love with his future wife, Thetis.
>Also on this expedition was the former king of Phthia, whom Peleus befriended. He married that king's only daughter upon their return from the expedition.
>Not long after, Peleus's father in law died in a hunting accident again, widely assumed to have been murder. He inherited the throne and some years later his wife committed suicide You get the picture here.
>Later, according to the dictate of Zeus and maybe/maybe not with the agreement of the goddess in question, he married Thetis.

Of course, Peleus fought in many other minor battles besides these. He lived a rather exciting life before settling down in his old age. In a phrase, Peleus could be described as a "power-hungry bastard". Of course, nobody ever told the King that in the past because he was one of the most dangerous men in Hellas. Now nobody says it because of the incredible power and prestige of his position. But he's also old and rumored to be close to handing over the throne to his only son, so perhaps he's softened with age.

>>5581240
>>With direct frankness. The King is in a poor position, but you are the only noble who yet knows of what has befallen his household. He deludes himself thinking that his mortal army has a chance at finding the goddess. You will help him help himself. [Intelligence/Willpower check
Maybe.....

>>5581261
Oh, I should also say that Peleus is known to be a grandson of Zeus. So in terms of divine parentage you and he are probably close to par.

>>5581261
In that case it might behoove us to seem like a brutish battle chaser. Someone he can manipulate and more importantly manipulate into serving his son faithfully. No one is wary of the dog that is on its leash after all.

Of course by the time he realizes his mistake he'll probably have backed himself in a corner, abdicated or died. Not that it would really matter, I doubt we'd plan to try and oust Achilles from his seat anyway. That he more than likely will never ascend, should have worn boots.

But ambitious people truly despise even the idea of anyone else fostering their own ambitions. Decisions decisions.
>>5581264
Dammit, Zeus.

>>5581240
>With force. The old man has lost his touch, the power that he used once to go from an exile to a master of untold souls. Get him on the back foot, take a dominating rhetorical position, and impose your will on the future of this partnership. [Willpower/Strength check]

>>5581240
>With direct frankness. The King is in a poor position, but you are the only noble who yet knows of what has befallen his household. He deludes himself thinking that his mortal army has a chance at finding the goddess. You will help him help himself. [Intelligence/Willpower check]
I like what >>5581276 suggests. If we can look like a war hawk, we can tell a half-truth about wanting glory from the war.

>>5581127
>Tell the Myrmidon that you will meet with King Peleus now. He has a problem, perhaps you have a solution?

>>5581240
>>With direct frankness. The King is in a poor position, but you are the only noble who yet knows of what has befallen his household. He deludes himself thinking that his mortal army has a chance at finding the goddess. You will help him help himself. [Intelligence/Willpower check]

>>5581240
>With direct frankness. The King is in a poor position, but you are the only noble who yet knows of what has befallen his household. He deludes himself thinking that his mortal army has a chance at finding the goddess. You will help him help himself. [Intelligence/Willpower check]
Like him, we have fresh god's blood, we would be able to speak to his wife without incurring divine wrath. His myrmidon may be many, but they do not have this blessing.
He is our lord, and it is our duty to help, so we will find his family and convince them to return.

>>5581240
>>With direct frankness. The King is in a poor position, but you are the only noble who yet knows of what has befallen his household. He deludes himself thinking that his mortal army has a chance at finding the goddess. You will help him help himself. [Intelligence/Willpower check]
>>5581276
I'll support the write-in, paint ourselves as a not quite mindless glory-seeker. Good enough to have around, not good enough to plot. Just play it straight ahem and it should work out. We want Achilles there so there is more glory in winning this fight, nothing more.
Maybe namedrop our father, he can make the connection to our need for fame, and sniff an opportunity. Don't say it directly, let him think he's getting one over us.
Don't appear like an Odysseus-type smart guy, that would backfire I think.

>With direct frankness. The King is in a poor position, but you are the only noble who yet knows of what has befallen his household. He deludes himself thinking that his mortal army has a chance at finding the goddess. You will help him help himself. [Intelligence/Willpower check]

I mean, it is our duty to assist our lord in the matters that concern him.

>>5581240
>>With direct frankness. The King is in a poor position, but you are the only noble who yet knows of what has befallen his household. He deludes himself thinking that his mortal army has a chance at finding the goddess. You will help him help himself. [Intelligence/Willpower check]

>>5581276
I support the write-in. Make it clear that we find it’s our duty to aid him. Present ourselves as a simple man, wishing for conventional glory, but also content in our position as a lord under him.

Hey Homer, is it possible to acquire the favour of multiple gods? Or are they jealous about who they bless?

>>5581240
>With direct frankness. The King is in a poor position, but you are the only noble who yet knows of what has befallen his household. He deludes himself thinking that his mortal army has a chance at finding the goddess. You will help him help himself. [Intelligence/Willpower check]

Is the strength stat equal to Nikon’s intelligence stat.

>>5581440
>Hey Homer, is it possible to acquire the favour of multiple gods? Or are they jealous about who they bless?

Not Homer but wasn't some storys about that? The one I remember is Athenas and Poseidon fighting for a city.

You cant use just one boon at time or use one more that the other, or bad thing start happen

>>5581528
>The one I remember is Athenas and Poseidon fighting for a city.
The city of Athens, specifically. They each gave a gift and the one chosen by the King as the better would become the patron of the city. Poseidon gave them horses, Athena gave them olive trees. You can guess who won.

In mythology, it was possible but rare for more than one god to favour the same mortal. Perseus got Athena's polished shield, Hermes's winged sandals, Zeus's harpe and Hades's helm of invisibility when he was sent to kill Medusa but we're talking about the only hero who rivaled Heracles for the title of greatest hero of antiquity, and even he was favoured primarily by Athena. I wouldn't be surprised if was straight up impossible for us.

>>5581240
>With direct frankness. The King is in a poor position, but you are the only noble who yet knows of what has befallen his household. He deludes himself thinking that his mortal army has a chance at finding the goddess. You will help him help himself. [Intelligence/Willpower check]

That's just how we roll. Asking nymphs to fuck and lords to fight.

File: PeleusFightingWomenBackIn(...).jpg (113 KB, 1200x630)

113 KB JPG

Rolled 18, 19 = 37 (2d20)

>>5581441
In every respect, yes. 17/24 for a generic +5 bonus on both stats.

>>5581365
About that. while he is your liege- which is to say, you pay taxes to him in addition to the taxes you pay to Agamemnon- in reality the system of obligation connecting the minor lords, major lords, and high king is highly frayed due to the events of the previous ~50 years. More on this later.

>>5581440
In terms of equivalency to the starter trait? Basically impossible. Getting Olympians on your side is not so much a matter of ability, more a matter of luck than anything else. You would have to be lucky indeed to manage that twice. The "canonical" Achilles was favored by Athena in addition to the obvious patronage of his mother, but let me say now that Achilles is not someone who you should compare yourself to overmuch. However, the possession of Olympian Blood does make it quite plausible that you could, say, acquire the favour of Boreas or Nike or some other lesser (but still potent!) being. In addition, there is the matter of your grandparent to consider. OOC the gods generally consider mortals fun playthings, but even they care for their kin. There will be opportunities later.
>>5581280
>>5581295
>>5581245
>>5581247
>>5581263
>>5581309
>>5581311
>>5581317
>>5581365
>>5581386
>>5581276
>>5581405
>>5581617
>A majority for Direct Frankness, with reasonable support for allowing your motivation to appear to be a strong desire to get the Prince into the action of the war It's a clever idea and to a lesser degree true, ever important for an inexperienced negotiator

Your mother used to say that honey catches more flies than vinegar. In this case, however, you are hardly dealing with a fly. You will approach the king in something approaching earnest- you came here to see Prince Achilles and get him on the road with you to Mycenae, only to find the gates closed and the prince reported missing. You will tell him what you really think- this business of the army will not work out. He needs someone who can actually deal with the intervention of the blessed gods. Unspoken, that he needs you.

>Roll me 2d20, Bo2, +4 (on a split stat check you average the bonus, rounding up. I give you an extra point for the write-in). You will need to beat my rolls for each part: 2d20 +1. Bo2 because you caught Peleus with his chiton off, so to speak, but he is not inclined to hear advice from a man of your status.