[AU] The Legends of the Gods and Heroes of Greece

Alternate Timelines
1

Welcome fellow Greeks!

I am Theia, the Titaness of sight and prophesy. I see all, and will be the overseer for all proceedings. As you go about conquering lands, turning the hearts and minds of people, and slaying mythical beasts, here are some ground rules:

There are multiple city-states that you are able to conquer or gain influence in. They can be found here: http://imgur.com/a/GllGV

Note that the map is not necessarily accurate, merely drawn as such for efficiency.

If you are a hero, you are able to take the city-states, using military, diplomatic, or economic means. If you are a god or goddess, you do not physically fight to control the city-state, instead supporting your heroes to fight, or to turn the hearts and minds of the people of the city-state, so they may shower you with blessings.

Here are a list of city-states, the hero in control of the city-state in parenthesis and the numbers indicating strength in land, sea, and population, respectively:

Sparta 2, 8, 3 - Zeus has influence here
Thebes (Cadmus) 3, 7, 5- No god has influence here
Athens (Theseus) 1, 1, 1- Zeus has influence here
Syracuse 4, 3, 2- Poseidon has influence here
Argos (Perseus) 5, 9, 7- Zeus has influence here
Corinth (Bellerophon) 7, 6, 4- Poseidon has influence here
Eretria 10, 11, 11- Hades has influence here
Aegina 6, 2, 6- No god has influence here
Elis 8, 10, 9- Zeus has influence here
Rhodes 11, 5, 8- No god has influence here
Ithaca (Odysseus) 9, 4, 10- No god has influence here

There are also monsters you are able to battle to win over to your side. These monsters can be killed, but fear not! They will resurrect themselves in time, and gods and heroes may again win them over to their side. Here are a list of monsters:

Hydra: Land beast, many headed monster whose heads grow back double if chopped off.
Minotaur (Pan): Land beast, vicious bull-man.
Nemean Lion: Land beast, giant lion with near impenetrable hide.
Chimera: Land beast, fire-breathing goat/lion morph.
Harpies (Pan): Used on land and water, man-eating bird-women.
Argus: Land beast, many-eyed being, can see long distances, good for defense or attacking. If killed it does not come back.
Amazons (Pan): Use on land and water, immortal warrior women, but they can die in battle.
Satyr (Pan): Land beast, half-man, half-goat, good around nature, but tend to get drunk a lot.
Sirens(Zeus): Use on land and sea, wailing banshee women, can lead men and ships to their deaths.
Mermaid: Sea beast, warriors of the sea.
Scylla: Sea beast, giant water monster.
Nereid: Sea beast, warriors riding on dolphins or sharks.

You can either make your moves in public, proclaiming to the universe your intentions by posting here. These can include soldier movements, alliances with city-states or trade requests, or recruitment, or anything else. Or if you wish to be secretive, you may message me in secret with your move. Or do both! It is up to you!

I will give regular updates so you are able to continue responding to events as they unfold.

The more creative, the better! Use any and all Greek mythical lore at hand to become the supreme being! Good luck, and may the gods be ever in your favor!

Current alliances:
Syracuse, Rhodes, and Corinth (Bellerophon): to prevent the spread of Eretrian influence in the region
Thebes (Cadmus) and Eretria (Hades): an exchange; naval improvements for an overland trade route

Current other heroes serving each Greek Hero or God:
Chiron- Aged centaur teacher. Trains units and heroes. Serves Cadmus.
Jason- Argonauts captain. Army and Naval commander. In Ithaca.
Atlanta-Extremely fast warrior, the fastest mortal on the planet. Currently a secret as to who she serves.
Arachne- Strong spider-woman. Serves Zeus.
Agamemnon-Commander of armies, fearless leader. Serves Bellerophon.
Hippolyta- Amazon warrior, controls a cadre of warrior women. Serves Pan.
Castor and Pollux- Twin brothers, fierce hunters and warriors, can borrow the winged shoes of Hermes and fly. Serve Cadmus.
Achilles- Invulnerable hero, controls Myrmidon warriors. Serves Bellerophon.
Daedalus- Inventor, can create amazing inventions. Serves Hades.
Helen- Beautiful woman of Troy/Sparta, men will not attack her but will fight over her. Serves Hades

[edit_reason]Updated map stats[/edit_reason]

2

Here is a current list of players and their characters. If you wish to jump in, simply message me or declare a character and whatever actions you wish to take:

The Gods and Goddesses

Zeus (The Atlae Isles)- God of heaven and weather, commands a thunderbolt. Shapeshifter. Possessess a sense of truth and justice and will not do anything dirty or underhanded. Resides in Mount Olympus, in the Elis region.
Poseidon- God of the sea, Urthquakes, and horses. Very rash and temperamental. Resides in Atlantis, near Syracuse.
Hades (Tuva)- God of the underworld. Wealthiest being. Possesses a helmet to turn you invisible. Controls the three-headed dog Cerberus and Charon the Ferryman. Possesses the ability to control the dead, which are weaker soldiers but more numerous. Must consult with wife Persephone before taking actions.
knock-off (Mexregiona)- Goddess of speed and victory. Inspires confidence upon heroes and their soldiers, and regularly reward the victors of battle. Sought after before and during war. Besides loyalty to Zeus, you are not very loyal to others you support, and will break allegiances to side with those you believe are the winners.
Pan (Dragonia)- God of the wild and nature. Half human, half goat, and are more at home in caves and woods than in the city-states of Greece. Able to cause chaos and pandemonium by simply yelling. You and Hades share an association with the Greek hero Orpheus.
Melinoe- Daughter of Hades. Goddess who can bring nightmares and madness to anybody, with the ability to drive mortals insane.

The Heroes

Heracles- Son of Zeus, monster killer. Can defeat any mythical monster in battle. Passionate, rash, and emotional, as well as extremely vengeful.
Perseus- Son of Zeus, King of Argos, commands the city-state of Argos. Controls the head of Medusa, which can turn whoever looks at it into stone. However, Poseidon hates you, and will attempt to ruin everything you do.
Cadmus (Irish Dissidents)- Son of Zeus, King of Thebes, commands the city-state of Thebes. Controls the Spartoi, who are soldiers that spring from the earth. Can shapeshift into a dragon. All the gods dislike you though, so you bear misfortune at every turn.
Bellerophon (Fortuna)- Son of Poseidon, King of Corinth, you command the city-state of Corinth. You control the flying horse Pegasus. You can use Zeus’ thunderbolts from the Pegasus. However, Zeus does not like you, and will attempt to screw you over.
Theseus- Son of Poseidon, King of Athens, you command the city-state of Athens. You are a monster killer, and can defeat many mythical beasts in battle. You have favor with all of the gods, but side with one and the others will lose their favor.
Polyphemus- Son of Poseidon, you are a giant cyclops who is effective at killing men. You control the infamous man-eating sheep. However, you are extremely dumb, and cannot compose complicated actions, they are much more simple in nature.
Odysseus- You are the King of Ithaca, and command the city-state of Ithaca. You are incredibly clever and brilliant, which means that your crisis moves will automatically have a layer of complexity. However, Poseidon hates you, and will attempt to ruin everything you do.
Orpheus - You are a hero associated with Hades. You are a poet and musician, who has the ability to charm almost any living thing. You can also sometimes can bring the dead back to life, at the expense of sapping some of your life force.

3

(OOC: So is this set up like DnD or typical storytelling? Imma do DnD-style RP for now)

Since I’m associated with Hades, I’ll start off in Eretria.

4

OOC: You may post anyway you like. For all those on board- You are free to do traditional storytelling or DnD type RP, just know that the end result of your actions will be dictated in the updates. So, for example; if you choose to consult the oracle at Delphi, or attack a city, I will post an update indicating what the oracle said, or what the result of your attack was. Now, if you are communicating and interacting with others in the RP, such as pursuing alliances, strategy, trade etc. then you do not need to wait for updates. If you are interacting with the environment, which are things outside of the player control, that will require an update
So naturally the more descriptive and creative the better!

5

To: Hades
From: Zeus

Hi Hades,

I think we can all say that our brother Poseidon is a bad god. He is rash, and that’s not the temperament of a gentlemanly god.

Therefore, I propose the anti-Poseidon League. Would you like to join!

Sincerely,
Zeus

6

Updates for my immortal and mortal beings:

It appears that Hades has picked up shop and moved to Eritrea. An important trade city, Eretria is also known as the richest city-state in Greece. This, combined with Hades’ considerable wealth, means no single city-state can match the economic influence Eretria has. Functioning as the bank of Greece, this would allow Eretria to have a near monopoly on gold. The denizens of Eretria have welcomed Hades with open arms, knowing that he will shower the rich citizens with even more riches. Hades has tasked King Minos to be the magistrate of the Underworld in his absence.

In other news, the city-state of Syracuse, angered that their enemy in trade has openly allowed Hades to reside in the nation, has renewed calls to close off some of Eretria’s trade routes. “Those -heathens!- How dare they allow Hades, the god of the underworld, free reign in their city!” shouted one priest of Syracuse to another. “He will take their gold with him to the kingdom of the dead, and no living mortal will ever be able to have it again!” “We should do something, gods should not be residing in city-states like this,” the other replied. “Where are our allies in a time like now, surely we cannot be the only god or city-state who tolerates this?”

7

From Mount Olympus, Zeus flew down to Elis.

8

The wild forests north of Delphi, the god Pan strode upon the urth, his cloven hooves silent as he casually sauntered down an animal trail. Pan has descended down from Mt Olympus in search of his brethren, the Satyrs. For he brought the wine, and he knows where there are nymphs to be had. Once he finds the Satyrs he will lead them to the nymphs where debauchery will be had by all.

[spoiler]http://i.imgur.com/eOVF3mQ.jpg
[/spoiler]

9

“Humph, those heathens dare let in the god of death in with open arms? And now they think they can profit off his wealth. Greedy pigs and heathens!” Bellerophon stood up in anger after just hearing the recent news of Eritrea. “We need to do something before they use their influence to bring all of Greece into the hands of Hades!”

“I would also like to mention that Syracuse, a city also favored in the eyes of Poseidon, has demanded for the closing of trade routes with Eritrea,” a nearby adviser pointed out, “maybe we should do likewise.”

“Hmm, that does not seem like a bad idea.” Bellerophon rubbed his chin as he paced the floor, thinking up a plan. “We’ll close trade with Eritrea for the time being just to show our disagreement. We’ll also move our fleet into the waters of Aegina and Athens to convince them to do likewise.”

(OOC: I hope I’m doing this right)

10

knock-off, using simple mathematics and personal choice, concluded that she would join the side of Zeus and Hades, but not in front of their faces. They’d get overconfident and lose if that were the case. Anyway, Poseidon was strong, but not strong enough to take on his two brothers.
knock-off zipped over to the city-state of Ithaca, where “no god has influence”. She planned to take the city as her own and push the western front toward Poseidon.
The goddess showered the people of Ithaca with gifts of good fortune and strength. Any competitions that had taken place between the city-states were now in the reigning hands of Ithaca. Happiness severely increased throughout the area. The fastest runners on this side of Olympus were positioned within her confines. She hoped it’d be enough for control. After all, being a smaller god can be hard sometimes.

11

Zeus, finally finding out that knock-off had already flew to Ithaca, was enraged. But he headed to Athens.[edit_reason]Dang it Mex.[/edit_reason]

12

Pan, after drinking 6 cases of wine, passes out drunk in the middle of the forests near Olympia. As he comes to, he finds he has been carried to a cave by none other than, the Satyrs! ‘My lord, we found you lying on the ground after clearly imbibing on some great wine. We await your orders, sir.’ Pan has gained 100 Satyrs!

The denizens of Ithaca look on quizzically as they see a flash of white light that goes towards the Royal Palace. ‘Was that Hermes, giving a message to our leader, Odysseus?’ ‘No, I believe that was Aeolus, the lord of the winds.’ Remarked one to another. ‘It is neither; I have not seen that flash of white since we sacked Troy,’ a wizened old man said. ‘That is knock-off, the goddess of victory. We are truly blessed to have her here.’ Generally, the people of Ithaca, being hospitable folks, have welcomed the goddess, but they are not sure of her intentions and are proceeding with caution.
(OOC) There is no chronological rule you have to follow here. Even if characters die in the Iliad or other works, assume they are alive and well.

Zeus has moved his entire being out to Athens. ‘I welcome the most noble King of the Gods to Athens! I have to wonder though, what are you doing here?’ said Theseus, President of Athens. ‘Surely such a move will enrage the people of Sparta, who pray to you every hour in between their repeated bouts of fighting and bathing?’ ‘We are enemies after all, and I fear that this may cause them to renew hostilities against us. Once the blood of war has entered into their minds, it is tough for them to see reason.’ The residents of Athens are awe-struck, but are fearful that their city-state will again be at war.

In other news, Syracuse has begun to mobilize their naval fleet, and has sent emissaries to the cities of Ithaca, Rhodes, Sparta and Corinth for talks of pursuing alliances. Eretrian citizens are concerned that war will be coming soon and have begun to hoard their gold.

13

Hades would like to buy out the city of Athens and Aegina (Bribing all major government and military officials within the city-states) using the combined wealth of Eretria and Hades’ own personal fortune.

14

— Begin quote from ____

Hades would like to buy out the city of Athens and Aegina (Bribing all major government and military officials within the city-states) using the combined wealth of Eretria and Hades’ own personal fortune.

— End quote

OOC: Hold up a sec. Wasn’t I Hades?

15

I would like to play as Cadmus, if Theia will allow it.

16

To: Perseus and Heracles
From: Cadmus

Most esteemed brothers! The tails of your magnificent defeats of the many foul monsters that defile these noble lands will forever mark your places in history. As the sons of Zeus, we must unite under a common banner, for Greece stands in peril! I employ you, send word through my trusted message bearer, so that we may meet face-to-face in private to discuss our plans for our great nation.

17

[spoiler]
— Begin quote from ____

Hades would like to buy out the city of Athens and Aegina (Bribing all major government and military officials within the city-states) using the combined wealth of Eretria and Hades’ own personal fortune.

— End quote

OOC: Hold up a sec. Wasn’t I Hades?

Yeah …
Strat asked to RP the God of the Underworld: Hades
Tuva asked to play the Hero: Orpheus[/spoiler]

Pan looks upon his brethren, “My people!” he began, “I bring nectar of the vine!” He holds up his Everfull Flask of Wine (a flask only he can open and pour out of). “Come! Bring your mugs, and ye shall partake of this divine wine!” He cheerfully smiles at the Satyrs, “We shall drink and be merry, we shall find many nymphs and have a bacchanal!”

Pan partakes of his own wine then says with a leer, “if we cannot find the nymphs we are near Olympia and shall move there to have a truly huge bacchanal!” He pours the wine to his ‘flock’ of horned man-goats partaking the divine drink as well.

18

(OOC) My bad, I messed that up with Strat and Tuva. We will say that Tuva is Hades, and we will give Strat his pick. My apologies again!

Updates:

The hero Bellerophon has moved a flotilla to the city-state of Rhodes, and it appears there is talk of an alliance between Corinth and Rhodes. It is important to remember that the Colossus at Rhodes, a hulking metal being, resides in Rhodes and could possibly turn the tide of battle.

Cadmus, upon entering the world, has begun to expand the Thebes army, perhaps to shore up defenses, or begin war preparations? I do not know his intentions. In the meantime, he has consulted the Oracle at Delphi, and I was able to hear some of what was said to him… ‘it seems that Athens and Sparta will again be at odds… impact the Sparta and Athens situation…’ Even for a seer, I do not know what was fully said, and this may be too ambiguous for the everyone. But, because Cadmus has searched for knowledge, the wise old centaur Chiron has pledged loyalty to him! Chiron is especially effective at training soldiers and making heroes.

It appears that the Spartans are incensed at Athens. There is a rumor going around that Zeus was coerced into moving to Athens, and the people of Sparta demand something be done to rescue him. Sparta has started mobilizing its forces, and it appears Athens is right in its cross-hairs.

Finally, Pan and his Satyrs, and his quest to drink and find nymphs, has stumbled into the nearby city of Elis! His Satyrs have taken several of the women of Elis, mistaking them for nymphs, into their caves. the city of Elis is furious at such a brazen assault on its people, and they seek retribution (or at least an invite to that truly huge bachannal)

More updates will be forthcoming as events continue to unfold

Theia, the all-seer

19

As to further spread her influence, knock-off appeared upon her chariot and glided down to the ground. A huge crowd gathered and stared at the goddess. She was highly uncomfortable, but she needed to show the populace that she was there to do something for them.
She pulled out a transparent container of water, being about a third full, and gave it to a random man in the crowd. He tinkered with it until he kind of understood what he was holding with his meaty fingers.
“Flip,” knock-off commanded.
The man stood there for a second, shivered, then proceeded to pull off a three-turn bottle flip, with a landing accent, right in front of himself.
The crowd gaped.

20

— Begin quote from ____

Finally, Pan and his Satyrs, and his quest to drink and find nymphs, has stumbled into the nearby city of Elis! His Satyrs have taken several of the women of Elis, mistaking them for nymphs, into their caves. the city of Elis is furious at such a brazen assault on its people, and they seek retribution (or at least an invite to that truly huge bacchanal)

— End quote

Pan looked upon his brethren and smiled. He turned his attention to the City of Elis. Striding into the city center, he called out to the people of Elis, ( making sure not to use his ‘chaos inducing voice abilities’ ) “People of Elis, hearken to my words! I invite thee to a grand bacchanal! Come, Come bring your daughters, bring your sons, bring yourselves, for we shell drink and be merry this day of days!”

Pan offered up drink from his Everfull Flask of Wine to any who wished to partake of the Divine Wine of Pan as he walked back out of Elis to join with his satyrs in their bacchanal with those ‘nymphs’ they found in Elis.