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Aristeia: The Epic Cycle

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Aristeia: The Epic Cycle
Platform Rome: Total War: Alexander
Mod Type Overhaul
EraTrojan War
Mod Leader Zhuge_Liang
Release Status 2.0
Forum / Thread Here

Description

Aristeia is a vision of the Trojan War era and is based on the famous story from the epic cycle from which the Iliad has secured its place among the most important works in western literature. Aristeia attempts to be an enjoyable stylised representation of the trojan war faithful to its depiction in archaic literature and early classical pottery.

Features

There are 3 campaigns in Aristeia:

  • The Aristeia Grand Campaign
  • The Campaigns of the Epic Cycle (consisting of)
    • The Cypria
    • The Iliad

Each focuses on a different aspect of war:

The Aristeia Grand Campaign gives the player the chance to be one of the Greek ruling houses or a member of the trojan alliance with dual aims of winning the trojan war and also securing a place for their own heroes in the annals of history, or indeed with the gods on Mount Olympus. Covering both the trojan war and its aftermath the scope of this campaign is much larger than the others and is focused on empire building.

The Cypria focuses on the initial stages of the Greek invasion. The greeks have tens of thousands of troops on their small footholds of lemnos and lesbos. Their treasury sacks bulge with hundreds of thousands of gold coins; the funds they secured before leaving. The Trojans are defending their territories from overwhelming forces. It will take time to gather their forces and recruit new troops capable of repelling the invaders, but all is not lost for the Trojans. If they can maintain control over their territories and built a sustainable economy then time is on their side. With each passing month the Greeks spend thousands on maintaining their mighty army, if victory does not come quickly for the Greeks then it is unlikely to come at all.

The Iliad starts in the year 121 when the trojans have been pushed back by the greeks in many areas. A stalemate has ensued where the greeks, being thinly spread, have not the resources to assault the walls of troy and the trojans have compressed their armies into a defensive pocket around troy itself. To add to the troubles of the greeks their greatest warrior, Achilleus, has decided not to fight and instead remains in his camp. The trojans will no doubt capitalise on this and will likely assault the Greek positions on the beach of troy. The player can choose to fight as either the Greeks or the Trojans to attempt to break the deadlock.

Factions

The House of Atreus

ATW-houseofatreusmicro.jpg

  • Capital: Mykenai
  • Culture: Achaean
  • Difficulty: Moderate

"O chariot-race of Pelops long ago, source of many a sorrow, what disaster you have brought upon this land! For ever since Myrtilus sank to rest beneath the waves, hurled to utter destruction from his golden chariot in disgraceful outrage, from that time to this, outrage and its many sorrows were never yet gone from this house." - Mycenaean women; Sophocles, Electra 504-6

Atreus' family has gone from being completely foreign to the Achaean land to being its master in the space of a few generations. The dynasty was started by Tantalus, a son of Zeus, who lived on Mount Sipylus in Maeonia. Right from its beginning, this was not a happy family. In the old times, mortal men lived side-by-side with immortal gods, and Tantalus became so conceited with his relationship to Zeus that he decided to play a trick on the Olympian gods. He invited them to a dinner party at which he served his own son, Pelops, as the main course. The goddess of agriculture, Demeter, took a bite out of Pelops' shoulder before the gods realised the trick and resurrected the poor boy. In place of his old shoulder they gave him one of ivory.

Pelops left his homeland in Phrygia and came to the city of Pisa in Achaea. The king of Pisa was a cruel man named Oenomaus, who had a fair daughter, Hippodamia. When Pelops arrived, he saw rows of heads nailed to the palace walls - they were the heads of men who had come seeking Hippodamia's hand in marriage but had not met Oenomaus' high standards. To win her hand, a suitor would have to take her in his chariot and flee to the Isthmus of Corinth with Oenomaus in pursuit. If he made it there in time, he could marry her; if he was caught, then he would die. Pelops took up this challenge, but decided to even the odds - he gained the confidence of Oenomaus' charioteer, Myrtilus, by promising to give him half the kingdom of Pisa, and then sabotaged the wheels on his chariot. King Oenomaus not only lost the race, but was killed, strangled by his own reins. As he died, Oenomaus cursed Myrtilus, praying that he should be killed by Pelops. Pelops then refused to honour his promise to Myrtilus, and cast him into the sea to prevent him from pressing his claim to half the kingdom. As he himself drowned, Myrtilus cursed Pelops and his entire family.

Pelops was ritually purified for the murder of Myrtilus by the god Hephaestus. He came to rule over much of the Southern peninsula of Achaea. As a result, that land is called the 'Peloponnese'.

Pelops' sons were Atreus and Thyestes. Now, the city of Mycenae had been founded by the hero Perseus, but his descendants were cast out from the city and replaced by king Eurystheus, famous for being a tormentor of the hero Heracles. Eurystheus left Mycenae in order to campaign against Heracles' children, the Heraclides, and entrusted the city to the care of Atreus. Eurystheus was killed, and the Mycenaeans received an oracle advising them to choose one of the sons of Pelops to be their new king. Thyestes challenged Atreus for the throne, and so Atreus wrought a bloody revenge on Thyestes' sons. He cut them up and served them to Thyestes at dinner. One of Thyestes' children however, Aegisthus, escaped and himself slew Atreus.

Thyestes finally became king in Mycenae. Agamemnon and Menelaus, the sons of Atreus, were banished from the city. Atreus' royal house was once again brought low, and it seemed as if they would never rise to glory again. However, the two brothers went to Sparta to seek refuge there at the court of King Tyndareus. Tyndareus took pity on the sons of Atreus, and helped them invade Mycenae and drive away Thyestes. Agamemnon then became king of Mycenae.

Tyndareus had two daughters: Helen, who is the most beautiful woman in the world, and Clytemnestra. Agamemnon married Clytemnestra. Helen, however, was receiving offers of marriage from all over Achaea. Such was the desire for her hand that there were worries about jealousy - what if the failed suitors made war on the successful man in order to win her over? Fortunately the cunning Odysseus of Ithaca came up with a plan. All the suitors must swear an oath to protect the man who won her hand, the so-called 'Oath of Tyndareus'. In the end, Menelaus won Helen in marriage, and succeeded Tyndareus as king of Sparta.

Now the House of Atreus rules over the kingdoms of Mycenae and Sparta, and the two brothers Agamemnon and Menelaus are effectively the overlords over most of the other princes in Achaea through the Oath of Tyndareus. The dynasty is in a strong position. However, the brothers must be careful - people are still jealous of Helen and desire her even to the point of risking war. In addition, many other people want revenge on the family for one reason or another, and not just Aegisthus, the son of Thyestes...

The House of Dardanos

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  • Capital: Troia
  • Culture: Phrygian
  • Difficulty: Hard

"Of all the cities that men inhabit under the sun and the starry sky, the nearest to my heart was Troy, with Priam and the people of Priam." - Zeus to Hera; Homer, Iliad 4.45

Troy - the greatest city in the known world. Troy, the envy of kings and princes everywhere. By the banks of the River Scamander, near the Hellespont Sea that connects the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea, she controls trade between both East and West, and North and South. She is ruled by one of the greatest royal houses among mortal men.

The story of this dynasty began when Zeus, the king of the gods, lay with the Pleiad Electra, who gave birth to Dardanus. Dardanus lived on the island of the Pelasgians (later known as Samothrace), but when his brother Iasion was killed by Zeus for making love to the goddess Demeter, he left the island and settled in the region known later as Phrygia. Phrygia was then ruled by Teucer, son of the river god Scamander and the nymph Idaea, and he welcomed Dardanus. He gave him his daughter Batia in marriage and a share of his territory. Dardanus founded a city, and his kingdom became known as Dardania.

On Dardanus' death, his son Erichthonius became king and had a son of his own named Tros. Tros had a son, Ilus, who went to the kingdom of the Phrygians and took part in the games there. He won the wrestling competition, and the king of the Phrygians was given an oracle - he should give Ilus a cow, and the young man was to follow this cow and found a city wherever it lay down (in the same way that Cadmus was ordered to do by the Pythian Oracle). Ilus followed the cow to the hill of Ate where it lay down, and he founded a city there, calling it 'Ilium' after himself. However, in recent times it has become better known after the name of his father Tros, being called 'Troy'.

Ilus married Leucippe, who gave birth to Laomedon. When Laomedon became king of Troy, the gods Apollo and Poseidon decided to test his honesty, and came in the guise of mortal craftsmen to him. They offered to build him the finest city walls in the world, and he agreed. However, once they had finished, he refused to pay their wages, and so Apollo sent a plague, while Poseidon sent a sea-monster to snatch away the Trojan people from the coast. An oracle told Laomedon that the only way to banish the monster was to expose his daughter Hesione to it, which he duly did. However Heracles (fortunately) happened to be passing by, and offered to save Hesione in return for the mares of Zeus (which Laomedon had received as compensation for Zeus' rape of Ganymede). Laomedon agreed, but again, after Heracles had saved Hesione and killed the monster, he refused to live up to his end of the deal. Heracles then began the first siege of Troy, and captured the city. Among Heracles' companions were Telamon, the father of Ajax. Heracles killed Laomedon, replacing him with Laomedon's son Priam, warning Priam to reign more wisely than Laomedon had. Priam was lucky - Heracles killed all of Laomedon's other sons.

Priam has ruled for a long time and has had many great adventures. It is even said that he has gone to war against the distant Amazon people who live by the River Thermodon. Today Priam is a very old man, but rules wisely over a prosperous people. He is such a great statesman that he is able to count on almost all the peoples of Phrygia as allies, even the warlike Amazons. His first wife was Arisbe, but after he gave her over to the Phrygian Hyrtacus, he married Hecabe, who has borne him fifty sons. These sons are his great legacy to Troy and the House of Dardanus, but not all are glorious. Some, such as Hector and Deiphobus, are great and noble warriors capable of mighty deeds. Others - notably Paris - have their mind set on less honourable pursuits...

The House of Minos

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  • Capital: Knossos
  • Culture: Achaean
  • Difficulty: Easy

"Here was Minos, a man who exceeded all men in cruelty, and who enslaved with his navies the inhabitants of continent and islands alike..." - Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana 3.25

The House of Minos began when Zeus, disguised in the form of a bull, carried the Phoenician princess Europa away to Crete and made love to her. Minos was the product of their union, along with his brothers Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon. Minos came to rule over Crete, claiming that the gods had assigned this kingdom to him. To prove that this was true, he said that whatever he prayed for would be given to him. So he prayed to Poseidon that a bull might appear from the depths of the sea, promising to sacrifice it to him afterwards. Poseidon did send a bull, and Minos was confirmed as king of Crete. However, Minos decided to sacrifice another bull in its place, angering the god as a result.

Minos turned his Cretan kingdom into a great centre of naval power and made his presence felt not just among the islands but even on the Achaean mainland. It is said that his son, Androgeus, died while competing in the Panathenaic games at Athens, and so Minos in his anger declared war on the city. First he came to besiege the city of Megara on the isthmus between Attica and the Peloponnese. This was the siege during which Scylla, the daughter of the Megarian king Nisus, fell in love with Minos and betrayed the city. Minos was so disgusted at her treachery however that he tied the girl to the stern of his ship and drowned her. Having defeated an army of Thebes under their leader Onchestus, who came to help Megara, Minos turned to Athens itself, but was unable to capture the city. Minos prayed that the gods take vengeance on Athens instead, and a plague was visited on the city.

Poseidon, however, had not forgotten Minos' duplicitous sacrifice, and in revenge sent another bull to Crete. He made Pasiphae, Minos' wife, fall in love with the bull. There was one problem - how to mate with it? She had the famous craftsman Daedalus build a model cow for her to lie inside, and so she had intercourse with the bull and gave birth to one of the most famous monsters of the heroic age, Asterius, also known as the Minotaur (the name means 'bull of Minos'). Minos locked the monster up in the labyrinth, the maze-like prison built by Daedalus (whom he also put in prison), and forced the Athenians (who had submitted to him after the plague) to send yearly seven boys and seven girls to feed to the Minotaur. One of these was the famous future king of Athens, Theseus, who famously killed the bull-man and escaped the labyrinth with the help of Minos' daughter Ariadne, whom he promptly ditched on the island of Naxos and who then married the god Dionysus. As Theseus was escaping from the labyrinth, he had to fight a battle with the Cretans in order to get back to his ship, in which he slew Minos' son Deucalion.

Minos' power began to crumble. Daedalus and his son Icarus escaped from their cell by building wings and flying out the window (though Icarus flew too close to the sun, and fell to his death), and Minos decided in his rage to pursue the craftsman. He didn't know where to look, however, and so he came up with a plan. He took a spiral shell with him, promising a reward to anyone who could pass a thread through it, believing that only Daedalus could achieve the task. Eventually he met King Cocalus of Sicily, who was hiding Daedalus. Cocalus gave it to Daedalus, who bored a hole in the shell, attached a thread to an ant, and let the ant pass through the hole. His identity revealed, Daedalus and Cocalus decided to have Minos killed. While Minos was taking his bath, he had boiling water poured over him, and so met his end. Despite his apparent cruelty and his aggressive imperialism, the gods thought that he was a just man, and so today he sits in Hades, judging the souls of the dead.

Now that Minos has met his wretched end in Sicily, Crete is ruled by his grandson Idomeneus, son of Deucalion. His kingdom is much reduced in size, since after Theseus' blow to Minos' power in his escape from the labyrinth, many of Crete's former territories have tried to assert their freedom once more. Moreover, Idomeneus was one of the suitors of Helen and swore the Oath of Tyndareus. Consequently, he is now sworn to aid Agamemnon and Menelaus should their power ever be threatened. Can Idomeneus restore Minos' Aegean empire? Can he make Crete the leader of the heroic world once more?

The House of Peleus

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  • Capital: Alope
  • Culture: Achaean
  • Difficulty: Moderate

"There is no city so barbarous or so strange in its speech that it does not know the Fame of the hero Peleus..." - Pindar, Isthmian 6.25

A great adventurer, warrior, and wise king, Peleus is nonetheless best known as the father of Achilles, the virtually unstoppable hero with a wild temper. Peleus is the son of Aeacus, the king of Aegina, and it is on the island of Aegina that the family's story must begin.

The island of Aegina lies off the Western coast of Attica and South of Salamis; it was once known as Oenone. Zeus fell in love with Aegina, the daughter of the river god Asopus and carried her to Oenone, where he consummated his love with her and she gave birth to Aeacus. Hearing that Zeus had violated his daughter, Asopus chased him down and tried to fight him, though Zeus easily drove him back with his thunderbolts. It is said that, as a result, it is possible to find coals in the River Asopus (Apollodorus 3.12.6). Aeacus became king of Oenone, now renamed Aegina in his mother's honour.

Hera wanted to punish the island that bore the name of her husband Zeus' mistress Aegina, and so sent a plague down that killed most of the people there. Aeacus was destitute, and seeing a swarm of ants underneath an oak, he prayed to Zeus that he might receive new subjects as numerous as the ants. Zeus answered his prayer, and so created the race of Myrmidons (the Greek word for 'ant' is 'myrmex') whom today Achilles leads in battle. Aeacus was a pious and just man, and is even said to have resolved disputes among the gods themselves.

By his first wife Endeis Aeacus had the sons Peleus and Telamon (the father of Ajax and now king of Salamis). Aeacus then married the nymph Psamathe, and she bore him a son named Phocus. It is said that Peleus and Telamon were jealous of Phocus, and they lay in ambush for him while he was hunting; Telamon impaled him on a hunting spear. Not wanting to kill his two other sons, Aeacus sent them into exile, Telamon to Salamis, and Peleus to Phthia in Southern Thessaly. Aeacus is fondly remembered, and after his death he became one of the judges of the dead in Hades, along with Minos and his brother Rhadamanthys.

Peleus arrived at the court of king Eurytion in Phthia, who ritually purified him of his brother's murder. Eurytion gave Peleus a third of his lands to rule over and the hand of his daughter Antigone in marriage. At this time Aeson, king of neighbouring Iolcus, ordered his son Jason to fetch the golden fleece from Colchis. Jason was favoured by the goddess Athena, who helped him build the ship Argo, and he invited various Achaean heroes to join in his quest. Peleus was one of those heroes, and, having been chased for hundreds of miles by the enraged king Aeetes of Colchis, he finally returned home to Phthia. At this time Artemis sent a divine boar to ravage the Locrian city of Calydon, and Peleus, always ready for adventure, agreed to be one of the heroes who went to slay the beast. Alas! During the hunt he accidentally struck down his father-in-law Eurytion with a javelin, and so fled to the court of Acastus in Iolcus, where he was again purified. Owing to various intrigues of Astydamia, wife of Acastus, Peleus lost his wife Antigone, and ended up marrying the nymph Thetis.

Thetis had not wanted to marry Peleus, but with the help of the god Proteus he managed to catch her, and she agreed to the marriage. The wedding feast was held on Mt Pelion with the gods in attendance; even the Muses themselves came to sing for Peleus. However, it was also at this feast that Eris (goddess of discord) set the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite fighting amongst each other, a contest that does not bode well for the world.

Peleus had a son by Thetis, "a dazzling light in Thessaly", the young hero Achilles. Achilles' strength and courage are unmatched, but he also has an ungovernable temper. As a result, Peleus gave him to the wise centaur Chiron to educate on Mt Pelion, though not even Chiron could tame the boy. It is certain that he will be famous as a warrior, but will his temper sour his glory?

The House of Telamon

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  • Capital: Salamis
  • Culture: Achaean
  • Difficulty: Moderate

"To no man would great Telamonian Ajax yield, to any man that is mortal, and eats the grain of Demeter, and may be cloven with the bronze or crushed with great stones. Nay, not even to Achilles, breaker of the ranks of men, would he give way, in close fight at least; but in fleetness of foot may no man vie with Achilles." - Idomeneus to Meriones; Homer, Iliad 13.320

Brother of Peleus and son of Aeacus, Telamon is the ruler of Salamis in the Saronic Gulf to the South of Megara and West of Attica. However, his roots lie to the South of Salamis.

The island of Aegina was once known as Oenone. Zeus fell in love with Aegina, the daughter of the river god Asopus and carried her to Oenone, where he consummated his love with her and she gave birth to Aeacus. Hearing that Zeus had violated his daughter, Asopus chased him down and tried to fight him, though Zeus easily drove him back with his thunderbolts. It is said that, as a result, it is possible to find coals in the River Asopus (Apollodorus 3.12.6). Aeacus became king of Oenone, now renamed Aegina in his mother's honour.

Hera wanted to punish the island that bore the name of her husband Zeus' mistress Aegina, and so sent a plague down that killed most of the people there. Aeacus was destitute, and seeing a swarm of ants underneath an oak, he prayed to Zeus that he might receive new subjects as numerous as the ants. Zeus answered his prayer, and so created the race of Myrmidons (the Greek word for 'ant' is 'myrmex') whom today Achilles leads in battle. Aeacus was a pious and just man, and is even said to have resolved disputes among the gods themselves.

By his first wife Endeis Aeacus had the sons Peleus and Telamon (the father of Ajax and now king of Salamis). Aeacus then married the nymph Psamathe, and she bore him a son named Phocus. It is said that Peleus and Telamon were jealous of Phocus, and they lay in ambush for him while he was hunting; Telamon impaled him on a hunting spear. Not wanting to kill his two other sons, Aeacus sent them into exile, Telamon to Salamis, and Peleus to Phthia in Southern Thessaly. Aeacus is fondly remembered, and after his death he became one of the judges of the dead in Hades, along with Minos and his brother Rhadamanthys.

Telamon became the king of Salamis and married Periboea. Even for a hero he has led a long and very eventful life. When Heracles slew the sea monster that was ravaging the coast of the Troad, the king of Troy, Laomedon, refused to reward him for his efforts, and so Heracles decided to avenge himself on Laomedon. He fetched a small group of heroes from Achaea, among whom was Telamon, and sacked the city in a lightning campaign. Telamon was given Hesione, Laomedon's daughter (whom Heracles had rescued from the monster), and by her he fathered Teucer. Shortly afterwards Aeson, king of far-off Iolcus in Thessaly, ordered his son Jason to fetch the golden fleece from Colchis. Jason was favoured by the goddess Athena, who helped him build the ship Argo, and he invited various Achaean heroes to join in his quest. Telamon was one of those heroes, and, having been chased for hundreds of miles by the enraged king Aeetes of Colchis, he finally returned home to Salamis. At this time also Artemis sent a divine boar to ravage the Locrian city of Calydon, and the mighty adventurer Telamon agreed to be one of the heroes who went to slay the beast.

After returning from Troy, Telamon and Heracles were feasting together; Heracles prayed to Zeus that Telamon might have a strong and valorous son and an eagle (the bird of Zeus) appeared to confirm that his prayer had been heard. The boy would be Telamon's first son, and it was Periboea who gave birth to him. When the boy was born he was named 'Ajax' (or 'Aias', in Greek) after the Greek word for an eagle, 'aietos'. The handsome young man is already famous among the Achaeans for his tremendous physical strength; in fact, he is deemed second only to Achilleus in this respect. With his mighty shield he is an iconic figure among the Achaeans, though as one of the Suitors of Helen who had to swear the Oath of Tyndareus, he is effectively subject to the commands of Agamemnon and Menelaus. Can Ajax and his family take the first place within Achaea that they so rightly deserve? Will he be able to live up to his father's deeds, who once conquered the mighty walls of Troy with Heracles?

The House of Neleus

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  • Capital: Pylos
  • Culture: Achaean
  • Difficulty: Hard

"I seek no other vengeance than to ignore Heracles' mighty deeds." - Nestor; Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.575

Neleus was the son of the god Poseidon and the mortal woman Tyro. It is said that Tyro fell in love with the river god Enipus in Thessaly, but that Poseidon, falling in love with her himself, took on the appearance of the river Enipus and made love to her. She was ashamed and, since this was done in secret, abandoned the twin that she bore so that nobody would learn of the rape. However, a horse keeper found them, and they were raised by their stepmother Sidero. Their names were Pelias and Neleus. Sidero treated Tyro very harshly, and when the twins grew up they learned the truth about their mother Tyro. Pelias took revenge on Sidero and cruelly slew her while she was taking refuge at the altar of the goddess Hera. Pelias took the throne of Iolcus (he would later send Jason to find the golden fleece) and, for some unknown reason, banished his brother Neleus, who travelled to Messenia.

In Messenia was the city of Pylos, founded by Pylas. However, Neleus and his band of Iolcans came and seized the city from Pylas. He married Chloris, the daughter of King Amphion of Thebes and Niobe of Mt Sipylus. Niobe had had many children, and was so proud of this that she boasted, comparing herself with the goddess Leto, who only had two children, Apollo and Artemis. Apollo and Artemis were so enraged that they slew most of Niobe's daughters, though Chloris and a few others escaped their anger. Neleus and Chloris together had a son, Nestor, later to become one of the most famous Greeks.

Neleus was a friend of Eurytus, a prince of Oechalia in Aetolia who had received a bow as a gift from the god Apollo (Eurytus' son Iphitus gave this bow as a present to Odysseus). Heracles came to Neleus to be purified for the murder of Iphitus, but since his father Eurytus had been close to Neleus, Neleus refused to do so. Neleus would pay dearly for this, as in later years Heracles returned to the Peloponnese with an army and invaded Messenia, killing him. He also killed all of Neleus' sons, except Nestor, who happened to be being educated in Gerenia at the time.

Now, Nestor had been granted a great gift by Apollo and Artemis. It is said that, having killed most of the sisters of his mother Chloris, the two gods gave Nestor the gift of life for three generations in return for all the lives that they had cut short. Thus it is that old Nestor is alive even today. He fought bravely in a war against Elis, and himself killed the Elean Itymoneus, as well as Mullius, the son-in-law of King Augeas. On another occasion Nestor fought in a war against the Arcadians, whose champion Ereuthalion was so fearsome that no man dared to challenge him. Nestor however was brave enough, and slew Ereuthalion in single combat.

Old Nestor has been on many adventures. He was among the heroes who went to Calydon to slay the infamous Calydonian boar (which Demeter sent to ravage the land after the people had forgotten to sacrifice to her), and he also joined Theseus in his battle to help the Lapiths against the Centaurs. He is also widely renowned for his great wisdom and his moderation. He may not seek to enlarge his kingdom through offensive wars, or to wish to try to gain any revenge on Heracles except ignoring his deeds, but what of his sons Antilochus and Thrasymedes? Might they perhaps aim to make Pylos the greatest city in the Peloponnese?

The House of Tydeus

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  • Capital: Argos
  • Culture: Achaean
  • Difficulty: Hard

Theseus: "What! did you give Argive maids to foreigners?" Adrastus: "Yes, to Tydeus, and to Polynices, who was Theban-born." Theseus: "What induced you to select this alliance?" Adrastus: "Dark riddles of Phoebus stole away my judgment." - Euripides, Suppliants 135-9

The story of the House of Tydeus is one of disgrace, exile, restoration, and disgrace once again. Truly the goddess Fortune is capricious. Tydeus' father was King Oeneus of Calydon in Aetolia of Western Achaea. Oeneus' first wife was Althaea, who hanged herself after causing the death of her first son Meleager. It is said that it was the will of Zeus that Oeneus should then fall in love with his own daughter Gorge, and together they had Tydeus. It is also said that Tydeus was exiled from Calydon for committing murder, though it is not clear who he murdered. Some say it was his uncle Alcathous, others his brother Olenias, and still others that he killed the sons of Melas. At any rate, his uncle Agrius forced Tydeus to flee, and he arrived as a suppliant at the court of King Adrastus of Argos.

When Tydeus arrived in Argos, he met a fellow exile, Polynices of Thebes. Polynices was the son of the ill-fated Oedipus, who had married his own mother Jocasta. Polynices had been exiled from Thebes by his brother Eteocles. King Adrastus welcomed them both. He had once heard a prophecy that he should marry his daughters to a boar and a lion. At first he had been confused by this, but when Tydeus and Polynices arrived, he understood. For their shields were decorated with paintings of a boar and a lion respectively. Tydeus received Adrastus' daughter Deipyle in marriage, and so became heir to Adrastus' kingdom in Argos. Adrastus also promised to restore Polynices to his throne in Thebes.

So it was that Polynices and Tydeus gathered five other Achaean heroes, Amphiaraus, Capaneus, Eteoclus, Hippomedon and Parthenopaeus, and set out to attack Thebes. Thus the began the war known to poets as the 'Seven Against Thebes' (which would be the subject of Aeschylus' famous tragic play of the same name). The group paused at Mount Cithaeron outside Thebes, and Tydeus was sent to Eteocles in the city as an ambassador, bringing him an ultimatum: he must abdicate and restore Polynices to his kingdom, or the Seven would attack the city. Eteocles refused and sent him away; as Tydeus left, Eteocles arranged for fifty soldiers to ambush him. However, Tydeus was a mighty hero who fought all fifty of them single-handedly. He killed all but one of them, a certain Maeon, the son of Haemon and Antigone (a daughter of Oedipus), whom he sent back to Eteocles to report on the death of his men.

The Seven drew themselves up against Thebes. The city of Thebes has seven gatehouses in its wall, and so each hero attacked one of the gates. However, the attack was doomed to failure from the start, since it had been prophesied that all of the Seven would die in the attack. Tydeus slaughtered many enemy warriors, including Aon, Atys (bethrothed from childhood to Oedipus' daughter Ismene ), Chromis, Clonius, Deilochus, Hippotades, Idas, the charioteer Phlegyas, Pholus, Prothous, Pterelas, and Thoas; Tydeus also killed Ismene (another daughter of Oedipus), at Athena's instigation, while she was having intercourse with Theoclymenus. In the end he fought the hero Melanippus, and Melanippus was mortally wounded by Tydeus, he managed to strike back and return the compliment. Tydeus lay dying, and so Athena went away to find a potion of immortality that Zeus had given her previously. After she had left, Amphiaraus presented Melanippus' head to Tydeus, and, in a state of delirium, Tydeus began to eat Melanippus' brains. Athena was so disgusted when she saw this that she kept the potion, and Tydeus died.

Now his son Diomedes is the king of Argos. Diomedes is a mighty warrior like his father was, and he has already had the chance to prove it. He and the other six sons (known in Greek as 'Epigonoi') of the original Seven Against Thebes attacked the city again and were successful, putting Polynices' son Thersander on the throne. Since then Diomedes was one of the suitors of Helen, and, like the rest, swore the Oath of Tyndareus. Thus, if Menelaus' marriage to Helen is threatened by any person, Diomedes is pledged to help him and Agamemnon act to defend that marriage. He ought not to disappoint the sons of Atreus...

The House of Laertes

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  • Capital: Pale
  • Culture: Achaean
  • Difficulty: Moderate

"For nothing is greater or better than this, when man and wife dwell in a home in one accord, a great grief to their foes and a joy to their friends; but they know it best themselves." - Odysseus to Nausicaa; Homer, Odyssey 6.180

Many heroes of Achaea are far-famed for their fighting prowess. Arms and war can earn plunder, renown and power, it is true. However, wits and guile can be just as effective, if not more so. Through planning, trickery and a persuasive tongue a man can win all that he needs without endangering his own life unnecessarily and without his enemy realising what is happening. So it is that famous Odysseus has earned the name 'polymetis' (in Greek), or 'very wily'.

Unlike many Achaean kings and princes who travelled far and wide to find their kingdoms, Laertes is of a family well established on Ithaca in the Echinades islands on the Western coast of Achaea, just off the Peloponnese and the Acarnanian headland. His father was Arcesius and his mother was Chalcomedusa, and ultimately his male line stretches back to Aeolus, the god of winds. Arcesius' father Cephalus was a lover of the goddess of the dawn, Eos, and Arcesius' wife was Anticlea, daughter of Autolycus. Autolycus (meaning 'lone wolf') was the son of the god Hermes and Chione, and would be called "the most accomplished thief and perjurer in the whole world" by Homer. Apparently he was even able to metamorphose himself and the goods that he stole in order to escape detection. It is probably from Autolycus that Laertes' son Odysseus inherited his cunning.

When Pelias, king of Iolcus, tried to get rid of his son Jason by sending him to faraway Colchis to fetch the golden fleece, Laertes was one of the Argonauts that Jason gathered to help him in his quest. Later on, when the Calydonians were punished by the goddess Demeter for not sacrificing to her and their lands were being ravaged by a monstrous boar, Laertes was one of the heroes who joined in to hunt the beast.

Laertes is still alive, though very old and weak. Odysseus, married to Penelope, is his only son, though he also has a daughter called Ctimene. Odysseus' name is rather interesting - it seems to be from the Greek verb 'odyssomai', which means 'I hate'. It is said that, when he was a baby, Odysseus' nurse Euryclea asked Autolycus to name him, and said that the boy was 'polyaretos'. She meant this in the sense of 'much prayed for', but it can also mean 'much accursed', which is how Autolycus understood her. And so he named the boy Odysseus.

Now young Odysseus is the king of Ithaca and the island of Cephallenia, and has a son of his own called Telemachus, by his wife Penelope. He had originally tried to marry Helen, the daughter of King Tyndareus of Sparta, though of course it was Menelaus who eventually won her hand. Odysseus nonetheless had a very important role in this affair. Helen is the most beautiful woman in the world, and so she attracted suitors from across Achaea, and from even further away too. She is the source of much jealousy, and her father and the suitors were worried that the failed suitors would return with an army and make war on the man who was successful. Nobody knew what to do about this, until cunning Odysseus suggested the following plan: each suitor should swear an oath before the gods that, whatever the outcome, he would protect the man who eventually won Helen's hand in marriage. The suitors agreed, and now most of the princes of Achaea are pledged to help Menelaus (a son of Atreus and brother of Agamemnon), who was accepted by Tyndareus, in defending his marriage to Helen. This oath became known as the Oath of Tyndareus.

Odysseus' position is quite secure in Ithaca, surrounded by the sea, and he ought to have a peaceful life ruling over his kingdom. Nonetheless, his advice and cunning are sought after by many other heroes, and, especially after the Oath of Tyndareus, he could find himself being drawn into something that he would rather avoid...

The House of Oineus

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  • Capital: Kalydon
  • Culture: Achaean
  • Difficulty: Moderate

"Calydon and Pleuron belong to the Aetolians, and though they are now humbled, in the past these foundations were the ornament of Greece." - Strabo, Geography 10.2.3

Between the rivers Achelous and Euenus lies the city of Calydon, with its sister-city Pleuron nearby, in the region of Aetolia in North-West Greece. Aetolia is named after Endymion's son Aetolus, who left Elis after being wrongly convicted of murder. On arrival he did commit real murders however, and forcibly made himself the master of the land which now bore his name. He married Pronoe, and by her had the sons Calydon and Pleuron, who founded the cities of the same names in this region. They would establish a large family that came to rule over the region. This family would become quite renowned. It is said that Tyndareus was once exiled from Sparta, and came to the court of Thestius of Pleuron as a suppliant. In time Thestius restored Tyndareus to his throne in Laconia.

One of Calydon's descendants, Porthaon, married Euryte, granddaughter of the god of the river Achelous, and in time he became king of Calydon. Their son was named Oeneus and, for one reason or another, he oversaw one of the most famous incidents of divine wrath in all the stories of the Greek poets.

While he was king of Calydon, Oeneus received a vine plant from the god Dionysus, who had recently revealed himself to the world as a god. Calydon had a great harvest that year, but, while sacrificing the first fruits of his crop to the gods, Oeneus for some reason forgot to sacrifice to the goddess Artemis. Artemis became enraged, and so sent a monstrous wild boar (now known as the 'Calydonian boar') to savage the Calydonians' crops and the people themselves. The locals tried to hunt it, but it was far too large and fearsome for them to overcome it. The boar not only destroyed crops but also animals, and made it impossible for the people to go out to sow any more crops for the next year. If King Oeneus did not act, the Calydonians would starve.

And so Oeneus summoned all the greatest heroes of Achaea to come and help him defeat Artemis' monstrous boar. Many answered his call, and he assembled a host including Amphiaraus (one of the Seven Against Thebes), Atalanta (the virgin huntress), Asclepius (who would become a god of healing), the Dioscuri (Castor and Polydeuces), Deucalion, Iphiclus, Jason, Lynceus, Meleager (a son of Oeneus and Althaea), Mopsus, Nestor, Peleus, Phoenix, Pirithous, Telamon, Theseus, and many others besides. In the end Atalanta scored the first hit on the boar, followed by Amphiaraus and Meleager. Finally it was killed. Meleager stripped the boar's hide, and wanted to give it to Atalanta as a mark of respect for her hit, though Meleager's brothers strongly disapproved.

Soon a civil war erupted, with the Curetes (the natives whom Aetolus had conquered) taking the side of Meleager's brothers, and the Calydonians taking Meleager's side. Meleager killed most of his brothers, though in the end he himself fell in battle after being betrayed by his mother Althaea.

It seems that Oeneus survived this war, and lived to impose his rule on Aetolia once again. However, his nephew Lycopeus by his brother Agrius, overthrew him and placed his father on the throne. Agrius then locked old Oeneus away in prison, and Oeneus' son Tydeus (the father of Diomedes) fled Aetolia to the court of King Adrastus in Argos, where he met Polynices, an exile from Thebes. Adrastus promised to help both regain their kingdoms, though they tried restore Polynices first (in the war of the Seven Against Thebes). However, both Tydeus and Polynices would perish in this expedition. Nonetheless, Tydeus' son Diomedes was determined to succeed where his father had failed; he and the six other Epigonoi marched on Thebes and restored it to Polynices' son Thersander, and then attacked Calydon, killing Lycopeus. Oeneus was too old and weak after his time in prison to rule, and so Diomedes put Oeneus' son-in-law Andraemon (who had married Oeneus' daughter Gorge) on the throne.

Today Andraemon's son Thoas is king of Calydon, though the city's power has been very greatly reduced after being racked with civil war. Thoas will have to reimpose Calydonian authority on the land of Aetolia before he can hope to make his kingdom the ornament to Greece that it ought to be. There is a slight complication, however. Thoas was one of the failed suitors of Tyndareus' beautiful daughter Helen, and so swore to the Oath of Tyndareus. If anything should happen to threaten Menelaus' marriage, Thoas will be expected to obey any summons to war that might come from the Sons of Atreus. But what are the odds of that happening?

The House of Kadmos

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  • Capital: Thebai
  • Culture: Achaean
  • Difficulty: Moderate

"Lord of Thebes, do not sow a furrow of children against the will of the gods; for if you beget a son, that child will kill you, and all your house shall wade through blood." - The Pythian oracle to King Laius of Thebes; Euripides, Phoenician Women 20

Murder, incest, exile, war, oracles, sibling rivalry, theomachy, cows - most heroes' family histories include some of these themes, but the House of Cadmus has them all. The dynasty's fascinating story begins with Cadmus, a prince of Phoenicia and son of Agenor (a son of Libya) and his wife Telephassa. It is said that Cadmus' sister Europa was abducted from the shores of Phoenicia, and Agenor instructed him and his brothers Phoenix, Cilix and Thasus to search for her, and not to return until they had rescued the girl. Phoenix eventually gave up and settled in Phoenicia (which was named after him); likewise Cilix eventually settled in Cilicia and Thasus on the island of Thasos in the Northern Aegean.

Neither did Cadmus locate Europa, for she had been abducted by Zeus (in the form of a bull) and set down near Mount Dicte on Crete. Accompanied by an army of Phoenicians and his mother Telephassa, Cadmus first sailed to Crete, then to Thera and then to Thrace. There he met Harmonia, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, whom he married. Eventually his mother Telephassa died, and Cadmus decided to travel to the oracle of Apollo at Pytho (later known as Delphi) to enquire after his sister Europa. The oracle told him to forget his sister, and instead to found a city. He was to follow a cow and establish a city wherever it would lie down. Eventually he built the city of Thebes, named after Egyptian Thebes (founded by his father Agenor) and the region was named 'Cadmea' after him (later it would be known as 'Boeotia'). When he and his settlers first arrived they found that the local spring was guarded by a fierce dragon of Ares, which was picking off his people. As a brave hero, Cadmus slew the dragon, and Athena told him to remove its teeth and sow them in the ground like seeds. Cadmus did so, and a fierce race of warriors, the 'Sparti', grew up from them. They immediately began to fight amongst each other, but eventually there was a group left that were at peace with each other. These joined in the founding of the city, and became a key part of the ruling elite.

Cadmus had a long and interesting life. He helped Zeus defeat the monster Trypho by bewitching it with the music of a syrinx (a kind of flute), and some say that it was in reward for this that he was given Harmonia to wed. It is also said that Cadmus introduced writing to the Achaean land, adapting the scripts of Egypt and Phoenicia to the sounds of the Greek language. Eventually, when he and Harmonia were in Illyria, Ares finally got his revenge for the death of his favourite dragon by turning the couple into a pair of serpents. Nonetheless, Zeus sent them to the Islands of the Blessed, and Cadmus and Harmonia are now immortal gods.

Eventually the famous King Pentheus, grandson of Cadmus through the latter's daughter Agaue, and son of Echion, one of the Sparti. Pentheus is most famous for denying the divinity of the god Dionysus. For Dionysus, son of Zeus and Semele, was revealing himself to the world as a god, and travelled from the far East (where he had conquered India) to Achaea with a group of his worshippers, the Bacchae (also known as 'Maenads', these entranced women were given miraculous strength by the god). Austere Pentheus, disapproving of Dionysus' ethics of drunken revelry, but not understanding that he was a god, put him in prison and tried to kill his followers. However, Dionysus bewitched him and persuaded him to go to spy on the Bacchae as they revelled. Pentheus' own mother Agaue was one of the Bacchae, and, in a trance, she fell upon her son and tore off his head, thinking that he was a lion.

After Pentheus' death, Labdacus became king of Thebes. Like Pentheus, his arrogance led him to ignore the power of the gods, and he was killed by the Bacchae for ignoring a Pythian oracle. His son Laius took the throne, but being only a child, he was easily pushed aside by the usurper Lycus, who ruled Thebes for twenty years. Eventually Amphion and his twin brother Zethus slew Lycus and took power for themselves. Amphion's wife was Niobe, who boasted that she had more children than the goddess Leto. As revenge for Niobe's arrogance, the children of Leto, Apollo and Artemis, slew all but one of her children, and the Thebans overthrew Amphion, replacing him with Laius. Laius married Jocasta, daughter of Menoeceus and sister of Creon. A Pythian oracle warned him not to have any children, since his son would be the cause of his own death and the ruin of his dynasty. Nonetheless, becoming drunk one night, Laius made love to his wife and she conceived a son. Remembering the oracle, Laius pierced the baby boy's ankles and left him to die on the slopes of Mount Cithaeron. A passing horseman of King Polybus of Corinth happened to find the child, however, and brought him back to that city. The King's wife Periboea, learning of his pierced ankles, called the boy 'Oedipus', which means 'swollen foot'.

Oedipus grew up in Corinth, and eventually heard the same oracle that Laius did, which was that he would kill his own father and marry his mother. Believing himself to be the son of Polybus and Periboea, he left Corinth and travelled to Thebes. He happened to meet Laius on the way, and, after an argument when Laius tried to push him off the road, he killed his real father. Returning to Thebes, which was cursed by the Sphinx, Oedipus used his wisdom to solve the riddle that she posed to those who would get rid off her:

"What is that which has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?" - Apollodorus, Library 3.5.7

The answer, of course, was 'man'. In gratitude the Thebans made Oedipus their king, and he married the widow of Laius, Jocasta, his own mother. Thus was the prophecy fulfilled. Their children were Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone and Ismene. Eventually Oedipus learned the full truth of the matter, and gouged out his own eyes in grief and withdrew into exile in Attica. His wife Jocasta hanged herself in shame. His two sons, Polynices and Eteocles, fought each other from the throne, and Eteocles won, banishing Polynices. Polynices travelled to the court of King Adrastus of Argos, and returned to Thebes with Tydeus and five other heroes to fight the war of the Seven Against Thebes. All seven were eventually killed, and Eteocles refused to allow his body to be buried. Eteocles died too, however, and Oedipus' brother Creon came to the throne.

Then came the Epigoni, the sons of the original Seven Against Thebes, including Diomedes the son of Tydeus. They defeated Creon in war, and replaced him with Polynices' son Thersander. Thersander rules over a kingdom weakened by civil strife, recent plague and the ignominy of such a disastrous royal house. Moreover, many of the city's finest men have died in the two civil wars. Worse still, he did not come to power peacefully or on his own efforts, but was established on the throne by foreign heroes. He will need to expend much effort if he is to rebuild the power of the House of Cadmus and convince the people that he is a worthy leader for Thebes...

The House of Asklepios

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  • Capital: Trikka
  • Culture: Achaean
  • Difficulty: Moderate

"If a mortal has been granted health and can live off his own goods, he rivals the most fortunate. There is joy in all human life as long as it lacks disease and helpless deprivation." - Bacchylides, Odes 1.165

Asclepius' mother Coronis was the daughter of Phlegyas, a king of Boeotia, and became a lover of the god Apollo. Apollo was greatly taken with her, and together they conceived Asclepius. She, however, was in love with a man named Ischys, and foolishly decided to marry him in secret, and even lay with him. Zeus punished Ischys for lying with Coronis by killing him with a thunderbolt. Jealous Apollo killed Coronis, but as she lay burning on her funeral pyre, Apollo took care to snatch Asclepius from her womb and save the boy.

Since Apollo is a god of health, it is no surprise that Asclepius became a great surgeon and healer. In fact, he was so skilled that not only could he prevent people from dying, but he could raise up those people who had already died. For he had received from Athena the blood that flowed from the veins of Medusa, and while he used the blood that flowed from the veins on the left side for harm, he used the blood that flowed from the right side for salvation, and so could raise the dead. Some of those whom he resurrected included Capaneus, killed by a thunderbolt from Zeus during the war of the Seven Against Thebes; Glaucus, the son of Minos, who had drowned in a pot of honey; Hippolytus, son of Theseus, killed by Poseidon after his father had (wrongly) come to suspect him of raping his step-mother Phaedra; and King Tyndareus of Sparta. In the end, Zeus feared that other men might learn the art of healing from Asclepius, and so smote him with a thunderbolt.

Apollo was filled with grief at his son's death, but was powerless to do anything against the mighty Zeus, king of the gods. Instead, he slaughtered a great number of Cyclopes, the one-eyed monsters and craftsment who had made Zeus' thunderbolts for him. Zeus would have cast Apollo down to Tartarus for this, but relented after Apollo's mother Leto interceded on his behalf. As a punishment, however, Apollo was made to serve King Admetus of Pherae as a thrall for a year. Asclepius could be said to have had the last laugh, for he did not actually die. Instead, he has become an immortal god, and the one to whom people pray when they wish to be healed.

Asclepius' children were his sons Machaon (now king of Tricca in Thessaly) and Podalirius, by his wife Epione, and his daughters Iaso, Aegle, Panacea and Hygia (whose mother is unknown). Hygia too is a goddess, though she and Asclepius are seen by mortals to be much closer and more sympathetic than the distant and often uncaring Olympians. Machaon and Podalirius are both renowned as great healers, almost like their father. Machaon was a suitor of Helen, and so swore to the Oath of Tyndareus, meaning that he and his brother would have to obey Agamemnon and Menelaus, the Atreidae, if anything should ever threaten Helen's marriage to Menelaus. Should they ever go to war, their skill as healers would come in very useful indeed!

The House of Tlepolemos

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  • Capital: Ialysos
  • Culture: Achaean
  • Difficulty: Hard

"And Tlepolemus, son of Heracles, a valiant man and tall, led from Rhodes nine ships of the lordly Rhodians..." - Homer, Iliad 2.654-5

Tlepolemus' own dynasty is perhaps one of the newest of all the Achaean houses. He is technically one of the Heraclidae, the children of the hero and god Heracles. Heracles had captured a woman named Astyochea from the city of Ephyra by the River Selleis (later to be known as Corinth, in the North-Eastern Peloponnese) and lay with her; in time she bore him Tlepolemus. However, when he had grown to manhood, Tlepolemus slew Heracles' dear uncle Licymnius, a son of the war god Ares. He soon had to flee, for the other sons and grandsons of Heracles began a hunt for him, determined to take revenge for Licymnius' death. Tlepolemus built ten ships, and took his followers across the sea. Eventually he came upon the island of Rhodes, and there he settled, coming to rule over the three main cities of Ialysus, Lindus and Camirus.

Tlepolemus was not the first king of Rhodes, however. The first inhabitants were the Telchines, after whom the island was known as 'Telchinis'. These were a race of wizards, and were the first to fashion statues of the gods. It is said by some that they practised an evil magic, and mixed the waters of the infernal River Styx with sulphur, creating a deadly potion. Others say that this is merely a slander put about by jealous rival craftsmen who could not match the Telchines' skill. At any rate, the Telchines were driven out of their island by Zeus, who sent a flood against them.

When Earth was created, the gods parcelled-out its various lands among themselves. At this time, Rhodes did not exist, and apparently the god Helius (the god of the sun) was absent, and upon his return, demanded land of his own. Zeus was going to redistribute the lands, but Helius refused, because he knew that the island of Rhodes would rise above the waves, and asked to have it for himself. Later, Helius consorted with Rhode, the daughter of Poseidon and Amphitrite, and had a large number of sons known as the 'Heliades'. These Heliades were renowned astrologers; they divided the day into hours and introduced new navigational practices to seamanship. The most talented among the brothers was one Tenages, but some of his other brothers gave way to envy and murdered him.

When the murder became known, as it was bound to, to their father Helius, the Heliades who had taken part in the murder scattered and fled to different lands. One of the others, Ochimus, became king of Rhodes, and married the nymph Hegetoria. Their daughter was Cyrbia, and she married Ochimus' brother Cercaphus. Their sons were Ialysus, Camirus and Lindus. These each founded a city, and these cities were named after them. Lindus in particular would become famous for its temple of Athena, which is said to have been built by Danaus when he fled from Egypt.

Later Althaemenes, son of Catreus and grandson of Minos of Crete, came and settled on the island of Rhodes. When Catreus was very old and on the verge of death, he sailed from Crete to Rhodes to tell Althaemenes that he was going to give him his kingdom. On landing, however, Catreus and his men were taken by pirates, and in the ensuing fight Althaemenes accidentally killed his father. Althaemenes left Rhodes in his grief, and so when Tlepolemus arrived the people of the island had nobody to accept as their king except him. Tlepolemus was one of the suitors of Helen, bound to protect her marriage to Menelaus by the Oath of Tyndareus. Now Tlepolemus must prove that he has the ability to cement a dynasty on Rhodes in the long term, something which his predecessors were not able to do...

The House of Bellerophon

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  • Capital: Xanthos
  • Culture: Phrygian
  • Difficulty: Easy

"First he bade him slay the raging Chimaera. She was of divine stock, not of men, in the fore part a lion, in the hinder a serpent, and in the midst a goat, breathing forth in terrible wise the might of blazing fire. And Bellerophon slew her, trusting in the signs of the gods... And against him, as he journeyed back from there, the king wove another cunning wile; he chose out of wide Lycia the bravest men and set an ambush; but these did not return home at all, for peerless Bellerophon slew them one and all." - Homer, Iliad 6.178-90

Bellerophon was a grandson of Sisyphus and came from the city of Ephyra (later known as Corinth) in the Peloponnese. He was the son of the god Poseidon and Eurynome. When he accidentally killed his own brother, Deliades, he was forced into exile from Ephyra and came to the city of Tiryns in the Argolid, where Proetus was king.

Proetus was himself an exile, from the city of Argos, driven out by his own brother Acrisius. His father-in-law, King Iobates of Lycia, sent an army of Lycians to help restore Proetus to his throne. Eventually, a settlement was reached whereby Acrisius was to hold Argos and Proetus Tiryns. Acrisius was the father of Danae, mother of Perseus, who founded the city of Mycenae. When Bellerophon came to Tiryns he became a subject of Proetus, but Proetus' wife Stheneboea fell in love with him and tried to persuade him to meet her in secret. Being an honest and upright man, Bellerophon rejected her, but soon learned that there is nothing so fierce as a woman scorned. She told Proetus, who decided to tell Bellerophon to take a letter to King Iobates in Lycia. He was not to open the letter on the way, for it contained instructions stating that Iobates should kill Bellerophon.

When Bellerophon arrived in Lycia and gave the letter to Iobates, the king had a bit of a problem. Bellerophon was a very mighty hero indeed, and Iobates preferred not to attack him outright. Instead, he ordered Bellerophon to kill the Chimaera, a fearsome beast that was ravaging the land of Lycia, believing that the monster must surely defeat him. It so happened that, when Perseus killed Medusa, her head fell to the ground and up sprang the winged horse Pegasus. Bellerophon was given Pegasus as a gift from his father Poseidon, and Athena gave Bellerophon a set of divine reins as a gift. Mounting Pegasus, Bellerophon shot down the Chimaera from above. Thus foiled, Iobates ordered him to fight the warlike Solymi, and when he defeated these, Iobates told him to fight the even more warlike Amazons, whom Bellerophon also defeated.

Finally, Iobates ordered the finest of the Lycian warriors to come forward and set an ambush for Bellerophon. But the great hero Bellerophon slew them all, and Iobates, deciding that he must have the protection of the gods, relented and offered him his daughter Philonoe in marriage. Having married into Iobates' family, Bellerophon inherited the kingdom of Lycia. Sthenoboea, the wife of Proetus, killed herself out of jealousy when she heard this news.

Philonoe bore him the sons Isander and Hippolochus, and also the daughter Laodamia. Laodamia would later lie with the god Zeus, and bore him the son Sarpedon. As Bellerophon's fame grew, so did his hubris (impious arrogance), and he tried to fly on Pegasus up to the realm of the gods on Mt Olympus. Zeus sent a fly to sting Pegasus, who threw Bellerophon. The hero fell all the way back down to Earth, landing on the Plain of Aleon ('wandering') in Cilicia, where he lived out his life as a blind, impoverished cripple, a fitting punishment.

Today Lycia is ruled by Bellerophon's grandson Sarpedon, son of Zeus. Sarpedon is a brave and trustworthy man who honours his promises to his allies such as the Trojans and knows not to challenge the gods - for now. Can he lead his family back to greatness without incurring the jealousy of the gods like Bellerophon did?

Maiones

Maionesmicro.jpg

  • Seat of Power: Hyde
  • Culture: Phrygian
  • Difficulty: Moderate

"The kings of this country before Agron were descendants of Lydus, son of Atys, from whom this whole Lydian district got its name; before that it was called the land of the Maeonians." - Herodotus 1.7.3

Maeonia is the land of the three river valleys of the Hermus, Cayster and Maeander, and contains the famous mountains of Sipylus and Tmolus. One of the earliest rulers of Maeonia was Tantalus, the son of Zeus and the nymph Pluto; after the notorious banquets at which Tantalus served up his son Pelops to the gods, his family migrated to the land of the sons of the Achaeans, a part of which became known as the 'Peloponnese in honour of Pelops (the name means 'the island of Pelops', though actually the area is a large peninsula).

The first king of the Maeonians was Manes, a son of Zeus and Gaea. He married Callirrhoe, one of the Oceanids (the daughters of Ocean), and his sons were Atys (who succeeded to his throne) and Cotys; his capital was Hyde on the River Cayster. It seems that in those days the Maeonians were not one united people, since Tantalus is attested as having ruled as a separate king in the region of Mount Sipylus. As well as Pelops, Tantalus is also famous as father of Niobe, who married King Amphion of Thebes. Niobe is one of Maeonia's most famous daughters, though not for a very auspicious reason. She gave birth to ten sons and ten daughters, and was so pleased with her children that she gave way to hubris and boasted that, while the goddess Leto only had two children (Apollo and Artemis), she herself had twenty. In revenge for her arrogance, Apollo and Artemis smote all but one of Niobe's children. Only her daughter Chloris survived, and she would become the mother of Nestor, king of Pylos. Niobe herself was turned into stone, and her rocky form can clearly be seen on the slopes of Mount Tmolus. In the Summer, plentiful tears come from Niobe's eyes and stream over the mountain crags.

Maeonia is a wealthy and prosperous land in the West of Phrygia, with abundant grain and fertile farms. It is famous for the quality of its horses, and the Maeonians pride themselves on their skill in riding - a great skill indeed, since most peoples are unable to fight from horseback, but prefer to fight from chariots (stirrups and saddle pommels would not be invented until many centuries later). The Maeonians combine their skill on horseback with a skill in archery, and they produce excellent cavalry archers, able to run rings around their enemies, shower them with arrows and then retreat before their foe can get to grips with them.

Maeonia has finally been united under the rule of King Talaemenes, and he is a firm ally of the city of Troy and its ruling House of Dardanus. To the South, the Carians and the Lycians are allies, though not far away the hostile Achaean House of Tlepolemus rules over the island of Rhodes. The Maeonians are bound to defend the House of Dardanus, which is threatened by the jealousy and envy of many peoples. Perhaps, however, someday the Maeonians can come to eclipse all their rivals and be the focus of loyalty for all the Phrygian peoples?

Kikones

Kikonesmicro.jpg

  • Seat of Power: Ismaros
  • Culture: Barbarian
  • Difficulty: Easy

"Meanwhile the Ciconians cried out for help to other Ciconians who lived inland. These were more in number, and stronger, and they were more skilled in the art of war, for they could fight, either from chariots or on foot as the occasion served; in the morning, therefore, they came as thick as leaves and bloom in summer, and the hand of heaven was against us, so that we were hard pressed." -Odysseus to King Alcinous; Homer, Odyssey 9.47-53

The Ciconians are a Thracian tribe living on the Northern Aegean coastline, and their principle city is Ismarus. They are named after the founder of their people, Cicon, a son of Troezenus, son of Ceas. To the Achaeans and Phrygians they are an obscure people shrouded in mystery, living at the edge of the civilised world. Indeed, beyond the Ciconian tribes lie the Thracian wilds stretching up to the lands of the savage Getae and Hyperboreans, where men drink wine unmixed with water and do not honour the gods. The Ciconians then find themselves on a border between the worlds of the civilised and the uncivilised, and so have elements of both types of society. On the one hand they are bound together in a powerful confederacy of tribes ruled from the centre by King Euphemus in Ismarus and are close allies of the powerful House of Dardanus across the Hellespont, but on the other hand they have much in common with the ferocious savages to the North.

Their weapon of choice is the rhomphaea, a wicked sword with a blade that curves forwards to a point. A Ciconian warrior can hack this sword into an enemy and then wrench it free, dragging bone and internal tissue with it. The Ciconians favour lightly armoured but brave soldiers who know practically no fear in battle; as a result it is no surprise that they are particularly devoted to the god Ares, and indeed Ares is quite fond of the Ciconians in turn. As well as rhomphaea-bearers, the Ciconians are renowned for the quality of their skirmishing troops such as javeliniers. They can also call on the ready help of warriors from the Hyperborean tribes to the North, who are fine horsemen.

Thrace itself is a land of rolling hills, forests and plains. It is bounded by the Astican mountains and the Black Sea to the East, the Aegean Sea to the South, the land of the Paeonians to the West and the forests of the Getae to the North. The plains are intersected by the Rhodope mountain range, which runs from East to West. The land is very rich in grain, and also has rich veins of precious metals, such as gold and silver, meaning that the Ciconians could easily become very rich.

In the tales of the poets, the Ciconians would become most famous for Odysseus' deeds in Book 9 of the Odyssey. They are only mentioned twice in the Iliad (and very briefly), but after the fall of Troy the first place where Odysseus stopped was the city of Ismarus, home of the Ciconians. Since the Ciconians were allies of Troy, Odysseus attacked them and laid waste to their city. However, more Ciconian allies soon came up to aid their kinsmen against Odysseus, and many of his soldiers were killed. In the end, Odysseus was forced to run back to his ships and leave Thrace. Also, it was among the Ciconians that the renowned musician Orpheus died. Orpheus was in love with Eurydice, but she had died of a bite from a poisonous snake. He played such sad music and sang such mournful songs that the gods and the nymphs themselves wept, and told him to go to Hades to ask him to return Eurydice. He did so, and won Hades over with his music. Hades entrusted Eurydice's spirit to him, and commanded him to leave the Underworld without looking back until he had reached the land of the living once more. However, Orpheus could not restrain himself, and looked back at Eurydice before they had both left the Underworld; she vanished, never to return. So Orpheus travelled to the wild lands of the Cicones and abandoned the worship of all the gods apart from Apollo. Dionysus, who had used to be Orpheus' patron, grew angry at this, and Orpheus was torn apart by Thracian Maenads (women sacred to Dionysus, also known as 'Bacchae').

The House of Thyestes

Houseofthyestesmicro.jpg

  • Seat of Power: Kythera, Mykenai
  • Culture: Achaean
  • Difficulty: Hard

"The spoiler is despoiled, the slayer pays penalty. Yet, while Zeus remains on his throne, it remains true that to him who does it shall be done." - Mycenaean Elders to Clytemnestra; Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1560

Thyestes' family is an off-shoot of a foreign bloodline that has gained mastery over Achaea, but Thyestes himself has almost nothing now. The dynasty was begun by Tantalus, a son of Zeus, who lived on Mount Sipylus in Maeonia. From the very start, this family was submerged in strife. In the ancient times, mortal men lived side-by-side with immortal gods, and Tantalus became so conceited with his relationship to Zeus that he decided to play a trick on the Olympian gods. He invited them to a dinner party at which he served his own son, Pelops, as the main course. The goddess of agriculture, Demeter, took a bite out of Pelops' shoulder before the gods realised the trick and resurrected the poor boy. In place of his old shoulder they gave him one of ivory.

Pelops left his homeland in Phrygia and came to the city of Pisa in Achaea. The king of Pisa was a cruel man named Oenomaus, who had a fair daughter, Hippodamia. When Pelops arrived, he saw rows of heads nailed to the palace walls - they were the heads of men who had come seeking Hippodamia's hand in marriage but had not met Oenomaus' high standards. To win her hand, a suitor would have to take her in his chariot and flee to the Isthmus of Corinth with Oenomaus in pursuit. If he made it there in time, he could marry her; if he was caught, then he would die. Pelops took up this challenge, but decided to even the odds - he gained the confidence of Oenomaus' charioteer, Myrtilus, by promising to give him half the kingdom of Pisa, and then sabotaged the wheels on his chariot. King Oenomaus not only lost the race, but was killed, strangled by his own reins. As he died, Oenomaus cursed Myrtilus, praying that he should be killed by Pelops. Pelops then refused to honour his promise to Myrtilus, and cast him into the sea to prevent him from pressing his claim to half the kingdom. As he himself drowned, Myrtilus cursed Pelops and his entire family.

Pelops was ritually purified for the murder of Myrtilus by the god Hephaestus. He came to rule over much of the Southern peninsula of Achaea. As a result, that land is called the 'Peloponnese'.

Thyestes and Atreus were Pelops' sons. Now, the city of Mycenae had been founded by the hero Perseus, but his descendants were cast out from the city and replaced by king Eurystheus, famous for being a tormentor of the hero Heracles. Eurystheus left Mycenae in order to campaign against Heracles' children, the Heraclides, and entrusted the city to the care of Atreus. Eurystheus was killed, and the Mycenaeans received an oracle advising them to choose one of the sons of Pelops to be their new king. Thyestes challenged Atreus for the throne, and so Atreus wrought a bloody revenge on Thyestes' sons. The accursed scoundrel cut them up and served them to Thyestes at dinner. However, Thyestes' son Aegisthus escaped his cruel fate and killed Atreus himself.

Thyestes finally became king in Mycenae. Agamemnon and Menelaus, the sons of Atreus, were banished from the city. Thyestes and his son Aegisthus were in the ascendant, rulers of Mycenae, and the sons of Atreus were forced to seek refuge in Sparta with King Tyndareus. Shortly afterwards, however, Tyndareus agreed to help them take Mycenae back for themselves, and so Thyestes and Aegisthus were forced to flee from them, arriving on the small island of Cythera off the Southern coast of the Peloponnese. Now they rule Cythera, but that island is not much to speak of - it barely has a city, let alone any kind of wealth or armed force.

Now Thyestes and Aegisthus plot their return to Mycenae and their revenge on the sons of Atreus. In recent years the Trojan prince Paris has stolen Menelaus' wife Helen, causing the Atreids to mobilise all of Achaea and lead an expeditionary force to Troy to retrieve her. Well, not quite all of Achaea - the Thyestids are still in Cythera, and with the Achaean princes set to be cut to pieces outside the walls of Troy, what better time would there be for Thyestes or his son Aegisthus to stage their triumphant return to power in Mycenae? All that it will take will be courage, guile, and just a little bloodthirsty violence.

Lesser Realms

Slavemicro.jpg Rebel Nations equivolent

Trojan Horse (Agent)

In Aristeia there are no spies or assassins. The only way to infiltrate an enemy settlement is to use a trojan horse, but these take a very long time to recruit, can only be built in camps and don't guarantee that the gates to the enemy settlement will be opened. If they do succeed however it is much less costly than a siege assault where ladders and siege towers are not available.

Introduction Script

We have included a slightly long winded introduction script at the beginning of the campaign. This introduction gives you a fairly detailed bit of the background to the story and various regions on the map. It can be skipped at any time by pressing 'Esc' key - however the audio may continue for a minute after this.

Trojan War

One of the biggest differences between Aristeia and TTW is this time there is an actual trojan war! Each faction starts with armies and a camp in the general region of Troy. There are two assault areas, one on the plain of troy and another further south, both linked by the Minoans under the leadership of Idomeneus who can attack both areas.

The camps do not allow the training or re-training of troops, but merely function as a defensive base. If an army is to be maintained then reinforcements will need to be shipped in from home without leaving the home territories too weak.

No Greek faction is singularly strong enough to take Troy, and the Trojans are not strong enough to defeat the Greeks... at the start of the war anyway. In order to take troy (an objective for all Greek factions) teamwork will be required with allied nations. The alliance will have to be nurtured, military assistance granted when sought, and strategy used to full effect on the campaign map (the areas around troy present plenty of possibilities).

Of course it is not just enough to take troy, you need to be able to hold it, so don't go wasting all of your troops on the assault. Once troy falls alliances will strain. If it is left poorly defended then civil war will likely erupt in Greece. Many factions will ask themselves why they spent so much money and lives on the assault if they gain nothing from it - and so might you if when playing as a Greek faction an ally captures the city first.

One-man hero units

At last we have single soldier hero units in both campaign games and custom battles!

Each hero will appear to have six men in his 'bodyguard', but rest assured there is only one man on the field. Each of these 'extra' six should be treated as a relative endurance or health counter for the hero. The lower it gets the less damage he will do and the more likely he will die. These will regenerate over a number of turns on the campaign map.

Hero combat is different to typical Total War combat and a greater degree of control should be exercised over one's hero to prevent him running off and getting killed. It is recommended that the 'defend area' button is pressed for all hero units.

Heroes are the most powerful unit in the game but they do have two weakness. The first, quite obviously, is other heroes, the second is chariots. Even the strongest hero can't withstand being repeatedly run over by chariots and their horses, however heroes are also the strongest weapon to use against chariots and kill them far quicker than any other unit. They can also cause mayhem on the battle line fighting against standard infantry (an excellent way for them to gain experience and traits to make them more powerful) - but they are not indestructible and will die if overwhelmed.

Heroes tend to seek each other out in battle, and can kill each other quite quickly. This is the best way to kill an enemy hero if chariots are not available.

Once a hero dies the morale impact on the battle is huge and an entire army may route unless it consists of the most elite troops or other heroes. Once dead their armour is taken by the enemy and this provides them with a morale bonus. Heroes who accumulate a vast amount of enemy cuirasses will be particularly feared on the battlefield.

There are a large number of new traits and ancillaries which will help shape a heroes abilities. Even the weakest hero can be nurtured to become one of the best. Even the best can fall victim to a lucky blow from an inferior enemy, such must be acts of the Gods.

New Atmospheric Lighting

Through a painstaking mixture of relative planning, trial and error I have come up with what I consider as the perfect atmospheric lighting for both the Aristeia campaign map and battle map. The colours are somewhat desaturated; the environment is foggy and bronze. There is a high contrast between bright and dark areas. The shadows help to bring out the details on the new higher poly unit models.

The lighting is just one of the aristeia features which have no other purpose than to create a unique atmosphere for the mod, a 'feel' which suits the myth and a look which is uniquely identifiable as Aristeia.

Higher Poly Units

It has greatly lengthened the production process but virtually all units have been hand crafted. The models, and more importantly the textures have all been painted from hand with only a tiny number of exceptions (such as revivals of popular TTW units). I do hope that during play people will stop to take in the detail on the units. The symbols and styles have all been researched, and while there may be a degree of similarity in the units the textures help make each faction unique.

Regional Recruitment System

In Aristeia we have implemented a regional recruitment system which allows all factions to recruit the generic unit types of each region. For each of these units there are unique textures. For example, as the house of Atreus, if I successfully capture Troy I will be able to recruit all of the generic mysian region units. The generic units are as follows:

Spearmen, swordsmen, slingers, archers, javeliniers.

Each regional variety has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Each faction can however train its native generic types in any region if they build a port of adequate size to ship them in. As well as adding variety to the armies of each faction this feature also introduces a new game-play element. You will not be able to retrain your native soldiers in foreign lands unless a port is available. In land locked areas native troops will never be available - and so re-supplying your forces by capturing settlements with ports will be of great importance. The only other way to resupply will be to manually bring in new troops by sea. This is of particular importance for the coastal camps around troy where no recruitment is possible.

Each faction also has unique 'guard' units. These are dependent on your factions ruling house and can be recruited anywhere if there is a suitable size government building. The downside of relying on these troops however is that they are more expensive and take twice as long to recruit.

In Aristeia there are also regional specific units, such as the myrmidons, Trojan silver spearmen and carian axmen. In order to recruit these troops the required region must be under your control.

Other Features

  • Single soldier hero units
  • Several unique generals for most factions.
  • A new unit recruitment system adding masses of variety whereby the units change depending on geographic location of recruitment area.
  • High quality new unit models up to 5 times more polys than vannila RTW.
  • High quality textures 512 X 512 pixels.
  • Trojan War - each faction starts during the trojan war with a camp and several armies in the area of troy.
  • Trojan Horse agent.
  • Traits and Ancillaries suitable to the heroic feel of the mod and to allow the development of heroes.
  • A new seige warfare system with makeshift defences and primitive rams instead of ladders or seige .towers.
  • New concentrated map on Greece and western Anatolian coast.
  • Half naked Amazon women!

The Team

ZhugeandZenith.png

Mod Leaders

Mod Concept

  • Zenith Darksea
  • Zhuge Liang

Based on the Iliad and odyssey by 'Homer'

3D Artwork

  • Zhuge Liang

2D Artwork

  • Zhuge Liang

History and Descriptions

  • Zenith Darksea

Aristeia Campaign Map

Epic Cycle Campaign Map

Unit Cards

Traits and Ancillaries

Soundtrack

Marios Aristopoulos

Excessive text file coding

  • Zhuge Liang

Included Mods

  • Promethius grass mod
  • EB Greek voices mod

Visual Material

Unit Previews

Agamemnon
Menelaos
Nestor
Peleus
Trojan Argyroteuchai

Battle Screenshots

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
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