Your browser lacks required capabilities. Please upgrade it or switch to another to continue.
Loading…
<img src="images/thebes.jpeg" />
The sun peaks over the hills of central Greece one morning in the year 395 B.C on the City of Thebes. The sunlight shines through the legendary Seven Gates and the city slowly comes to life.
The people are buzzing in the streets as businesses open, people gossip, and morning sacrifices are commenced in the temple. Excitement dances in the air like electricity in a storm because the King of Thebes has an announcement, and everyone knows what it'll be.
[[Today will be a big day.]]
Around mid-day the population of Thebes gathers at the King's palace to hear his annoucement.
The King of Thebes comes out onto the palace balcony dressed in his finest garments with a small parchment in his hand. He cleared his throat and in the loudest voice he could muster proclaimed;
"On this day I announce that my daughter, Princess Artemisia, will begin the process of deciding her husband."
The crowd comes to life with shouts and conversations. Two men standing next to each other watch from the back of the crowd.
The first, [[Timeaus]], an accomplished poet and musician stands nervously holding his lyre.
The second, [[Chariton]], the finest athlete in all of Thebes looks at the balcony deep in thought. Timeaus, a smart and kind young man of aristocratic birth,
is known as the finest young poet and musician in Thebes.
To make some extra gold on the side he routinley performs in the center of Thebes, usually attracting a large crowd, and he also composes love poetry for the young men and women of Thebes to give their lover.
Timeaus was even asked by the King to compose a song for the biggest festival in Thebes, the Daphnephoria, which celebrated the numerious forms of Apollo. He recieved amazing reviews for his performance and craft, and was rewarded by the King with many gifts.
[[He stood looking at the Palace and wondering if the Princess would find him worthy.]] Chariton is the best athlete in all of Thebes. He spends all day in the gymnasium wrestling, running, and flexing. So much flexing.
One time a man named Alcibiades beat Chariton in a wrestling match. Chariton spent the next week training and challenged Alcibiades again. Chariton beat him so bad that Alcibiades was never seen in the gymnasium ever again.
Chariton could at his worse be a little bit of a braggert, but at his best was a force of good in his community by stopping thieves and keeping watch over the young Thebans.
[[He stood looking at the Palace and wondering if the Princess would find him worthy.]] As the King went back into the Palace and the crowd began to slowly dissipate both Chariton and Timeaus stayed in their spots.
Chariton spoke first, "A big announcement. I wonder who will prove themself worthy? Maybe one of us?" He finished his last comment with a chuckle.
"Heh, perhaps. It has been a long day I think we should go home." Timeaus replied while looking anxiously at the balcony.
"Indeed, I shall see you tomorrow friend." Chariton said as he departed ahead of Timeaus.
[[Follow Timeaus home.]]
[[Follow Chariton home.]]Timeaus went home and stared at his lyre for what seemed like forever. He waited until the lyre spoke to him about how to capture the heart of the Princess.
He could hardly sleep as the ideas came to his head.
[[Should I try to impress her with some sort of physical feat? Maybe the Princess wants a man who can do incredibly athletic things..]]
[[I could try to win her over with my poetry and song.]]Chariton went home and as he tried to go to sleep he thought about what he could do to impress the Princess.
He came to two options:
[[I could compose a verse! Try my hand at a little poetry.]]
[[Well, I'm super athletic and strong, surely she'll be impressed by a feat of athleticism.]]
<<audio mainsong play>>
Hello!
In this game you will be helping guide one of two fictional ancient Greek men trying to impress the Princess of Thebes.
How will you win her heart? Through your own skills?
Or perhaps invoking the power of the gods?
A mixture of both?
That is for you to decide, but without further ado...
[[Welcome to Thebes]] "But any verse I could compose would never be as good as anything Timeaus has done.." Chariton thought to himself.
"Hmm..what are my strengths? Wait, literally strength is my strength.
What if I broke that giant stone that sits right outside the town?"
[[There is said to be a magical stone in it, but no one has ever been able to break the outside to find out.]]Chariton thought about what act of strength could be worthy of the Princess' hand in marriage.
What if I broke that giant stone that sits right outside the town?"
[[There is said to be a magical stone in it, but no one has ever been able to break the outside to find out.]]"Urgh..No...Chariton is a way better athlete than me so anything I could even dream of do he could match and surpass."
Timeaus then looked at his lyre and a brilliant idea came to his head.
"Of course...I should show the Princess what I am best at! And.." the voice inside his head trailed off and he went over to a chest in the corner of his room.
He opened the lid and took out a brown bag from the chest. As he carefully peeled back the folds of the bag a brilliant purple gem emerged in his hand.
[[With my finest song and this beautiful gem the Princess will find me most favorable!]] "Of course! No one would be able to match my best verse. I'll capture the Princess' heart with song and rhyme."
As Timeaus said this he went over to a chest he kept in the corner of his room and opened it. The only thing inside was a small brown bag, and as he carefully peeled back the folds of the bag a brilliant purple gem came peeking out.
[[With my finest song and this beautiful gem the Princess will find me most favorable!]] "Yes! Breaking the stone will show I'm a strongest man in Thebes and worthy of her love when I pull the gem from the stone."
Chariton spends the next day training. He breaks smaller rocks, and beats everyone in the gymnasium in wrestling matches twice over to get this body ready.
Chariton thinks to himself that in order to secure victory he should offer sacrifice to a god to grant him success. But which god would help him best?
[[Zeus and his son Kratos? Kratos is the god of strength and having the King of the Gods on his side wouldn't hurt.]]
[[Ares, god of war? I may need his strength if I am to do battle with this giant boulder.]]
[[Perhaps Hephaestus? The god of masonry and the hammer could help my fist act as a hammer on an anvil.]]Timeaus wakes up the next morning with a clear focus and begins to write the epic verse that will capture the heart of Princess Artemisia.
In what seems like no time at all Timeaus has crafted a beautiful song and verse. He looks over it and says to himself, "This is a masterpiece! This is my best work ever."
With his extraordinary gift Timeaus felt the need to pay respects to the gods, but which one? Which would help him capture the heart of Princess Artemisia?
[[Apollo, patron god of the arts? His guidance will allow my song to reach even Olympus itself!]]
[[Aphrodite, goddess of love? She is the mistress of love and beauty! The one who gave Helen to Paris to be his bride.]]
[[Hera, goddess of marriage? Surely having her on my side will bless our marriage.]]<img src="images/apollo.jpg" />
Timeaus decides that Apollo will bless his fingers and voice to play and sing his song for the Princess well enough to win her heart! He goes to the temple of Apollo in the center of the city to offer sacrifice.
[[The day of the competition between the suitors arrives.]]<img src="images/aphrodite.jpg" />
Timeaus decides to offer sacrifice and prayer to the Goddess of Love. Timeaus captures a dove near his house and releases it offering his sincere prayers to win the heart of Princess Artemisia.
Timeaus spends the night practicing his song and tweaking his verses with his newfound divine inspiration.
[[The day of the competition among the suitors for the Princess' hand in marriage arrives.]] <img src="images/hera.jpg" />
Timeaus decides that Hera will bless his marriage the best of all the gods and goes and offers sacrifice to the shrine dedicated to her located near the pomegranate trees in the public garden.
[[Soon the day arrives to play his song for the lovely Princess Artemisia.]]A large crowd gathers near the Royal Palace. The King of Thebes and Princess Artemisia sit on the balcony overlooking the crowd which has left a giant hole in the middle for the suitors.
Many suitors try and fail to capture the heart of the Princess, but it was now Timeaus' turn.
He begins his song and without warning suddently notices, for the first time ever, everyone looking at him. Timeaus begins to sweat and his fingers begin to lose their place on his lyre. His voice, normally so pure, becomes shrill and he loses all confidence. Timeaus quickly leaves the stage without even hearing the words of the Princess.
As he depart the Princess murmurs to her father, "A shame because his songs are normally so good."
Timeaus felt his heart sink as he went home passing the sign that says [[Welcome to Thebes]]. A large crowd gathers near the Royal Palace. The King of Thebes and Princess Artemisia sit on the balcony overlooking the crowd which has left a giant hole in the middle for the suitors.
Many suitors try and fail to capture the heart of the Princess, but it was now Timeaus' turn.
Timeaus plays his song with expert precision. Every movement contributing to the elegant sound coming from his lyre, and his voice sounding so pure without a hint of any miscues. Timeaus finishes and awaits the word of the Princess.
"A beautiful song, no mess ups, and technically well done." Timeaus smiled to himself. "However, there was no passion in it. Your song could have been sung to anyone and not just me."
Timeaus felt his heart sink and he slowly left the middle of the circle and went home passing the sign that says [[Welcome to Thebes]]. A large crowd gathers near the Royal Palace. The King of Thebes and Princess Artemisia sit on the balcony overlooking the crowd which has left a giant hole in the middle for the suitors.
Many suitors try and fail to capture the heart of the Princess, but it was now Timeaus' turn.
Timeaus began to play his song and within seconds the crowd was fully engrossed in his melodies and pure voice. The Princess sat up in her chair to get a better look at the young man.
As Timeaus played the crowd swelled they were hanging on every note. As he reached the final crescendo there were people in the crowd crying, and couples holding onto their lovers for dear life. The song ended and the crowd burst into loud cheering.
The King of Thebes stood up applauding, and the Princess stood up next to him and smiled for the first time that entire day. Aphrodite had charmed the hearts of Thebes as Timeaus began to play his song. Timeaus gave Artemisia the brilliant purple gem to signify his devotion.
[[With that it was settled. The marriage was scheduled for the next day.]]<img src="images/zeus.jpg" />
Chariton decided Zeus and Kratos would be the most fitting to offer sacrifice to. He went to the Temple of Zeus and sacrificed his family's finest bull in honor of the God of Lightning. He poured libations to Kratos, God of Strength, and departed. As soon as he got outside the temple he saw a Storm in the distance raging in the direction of Thebes' hated rival Athens. Chariton took this as a good omen and proceeded home.
[[The next day was the day of fate when the suitors gathered to prove their worth to the Princess.]] <img src="images/ares.jpg" />
Chariton decided Ares would be the most beneficial to pray to. He went to the armory and took the finest helmet and spear he could find. He offered sacrifice over the objects and felt the power of rage flow through him.
[[Before Chariton knew it, it was time for the competition.]] <img src="images/hephaestus.jpg" />
Chariton went to the local blacksmith and offered sacrifice by his forge. Chariton felt with the power of the god of the forge by his side he could smash the boulder like a hammer molding steel.
[[The day Chariton felt was his to win the heart of the Princess finally arrived.]]<<cacheaudio "mainsong" "music/lyre.mp3">>The wedding was the most beautiful Thebes had ever seen. The gods blessed the marriage after the proper sacrifices and rituals were held.
After the King of Thebes passed on, Timeaus and Artemisia ascended to their place on the throne and ushered in a new Golden Age.
Congratulations! You learned the single most important lesson of love in the Ancient Greek world: When in doubt trust Aphrodite AND NO ONE ELSE!
Thanks for playing, and pro tip: don't go challenging gods to contests. It won't end well. A large crowd gathers near the Royal Palace. The King of Thebes and Princess Artemisia sit on the balcony overlooking the crowd which has left a giant hole in the middle for the suitors.
Many suitors try and fail to capture the heart of the Princess, but it was now Chariton's turn.
Chariton had a team of men from the gymnasium roll the boulder in the middle of the break of people in plain view of the King and Princess.
As Chariton steadied himself ready to strike the boulder, he focused up and right as he brought down his fist he felt a tug in his back and he fell down in pain. His friends came to help him and began gently nursing his back, lifting him up, and taking him away. As Chariton was dragged away he muttered to himself "maybe I went too hard training.."
The men took him to the direction of a medical tent passing the [[Welcome to Thebes]] sign as they went on their way.A large crowd gathers near the Royal Palace. The King of Thebes and Princess Artemisia sit on the balcony overlooking the crowd which has left a giant hole in the middle for the suitors.
Many suitors try and fail to capture the heart of the Princess, but it was now Chariton's turn.
Chariton had a team of men from the gymnasium roll the boulder in the middle of the break of people in plain view of the King and Princess.
Chariton prepared to break the boulder with his bare hands. Without warning Ares took control of his psyche and induced a rage on the unsuspecting Theban. Chariton punched the boulder countless times, but Ares in his cruel ways prevented any strength from getting into Chariton's strikes. In front of the King and Princess Chariton was unable to break the boulder.
Hanging his head in disgrace he went straight past the [[Welcome to Thebes]] sign in order to go train in the hills. A large crowd gathers near the Royal Palace. The King of Thebes and Princess Artemisia sit on the balcony overlooking the crowd which has left a giant hole in the middle for the suitors.
Many suitors try and fail to capture the heart of the Princess, but it was now Chariton's turn.
Chariton had a team of men from the gymnasium roll the boulder in the middle of the break of people in plain view of the King and Princess.
Chariton readied himself and to the amazement of the crowd sparks began to fly from his fists as he repeatedly punched the boulder.
Soon Chariton's strikes had caused a sizeable gash in the boulder and with one final jumping strike he split the remaining rock in two. The Princess jumped from her chair in astonishment, and the King sat stunned in his chair. The crowd roared with the feat of athleticism on display from the young Theban. He picked up a precious purple gem from the middle of the rock pile and presented it to Princess Artemisia.
[[A wedding date was decided upon that night.]]The wedding was the most beautiful Thebes had ever seen. The gods blessed the marriage after the proper sacrifices and rituals were held.
After the King of Thebes passed on, Chariton and Artemisia ascended to their place on the throne and ushered in a new Golden Age.
Congratulations! You successfully married Chariton to the most lovely Artemisia, and learned BY FAR the most important lesson of Ancient Greece; when in doubt JUST PAY HOMAGE TO ZEUS AND HIS KIDS!
Seriously don't end up like Sisyphus.