Chapter 1: The Wedding

[tibbius]

King Alec of Aegium is a small king of a small fishing village, in a time after the ruin and partial abandonment of the great Bronze Age cities of Hellas. Centuries earlier the village was known for its ships and its warriors. Centuries later it may again be a great port. For now it is a modest village ruled by a modest king. About five hundred people live there.

The village has a smithy, and up in the hills there is a small quarry, and in an ancient marble edifice built with stone from that old quarry there is a room of decrepit scrolls, some scrawled in Linear A and others in Linear B. Those who would gain learning come from around the area to ponder the scrolls.

Today, almost all the people of the village have gathered at the sacred grove on the hillside below the quarry. It is a sunny spring day. King Alec's plain-faced daughter Damali and all her friends wear wreathes of apple flowers and plain white gowns. Gregorios, the groom, likewise wears a wreath and also a plain white tunic. Everyone is barefoot on the grass. There are clay and silver and golden goblets of wine from old skins, and a table laden with dishes of spanakopita and baklav and moussaka and fresh spring greens with olives and tomatoes and onions laden with a vinegary dressing. The day is joyful. Damali is to be married with Gregorios, who will gain prestige and may soon be elected king when Alec retires to fishing.

You all are gathered with the rest of the celebrants. Bran, known for his holiness, has been asked to officiate and give the sacrifice of a spring lamb to the glory of Hera and Zeus. He stands with the knife and the lamb, waiting for the right words to come to his lips, when a group of strangers approach from over the hilltop. They bear spears and axes and wear armor. They number two dozen or more.

[Leitz]

To be honest with himself, Bran was certain that Alec could have chosen a more skilled person to officiate Damali's wedding. Yet, to be honest with himself, Bran was pleased to do this for a family he loved as much as his own. The day had been good to Bran, he had spoken to several of Damali's friends. It was a good season to be a man, and he was a man.

So were the strangers. Bran doubted the timing was accidental, but perhaps it was. Perhaps it was nothing but a friendly gesture from one of the neighboring kings. Bran looked at the markings on their armor and shields.

"Damali, stay behind me. If they try to encircle you, run to my house as fast as you can." Bran whispered.

Perhaps it was nothing, but perhaps it was something. Alec and the men would stand forward, unless the sacred grove was Bran's own territory for the day. As the men started to respond, Bran looked at Alec, and raised a quesioning eyebrow.

[tibbius]

As the strange men came closer, Bran and the others could see that they wore wolf-skin cloaks. They carried no shields, and their plain leather armor had no markings. They were lycanthropes, kingless men who roamed the desolate hills like a pack of the wolves whose skin they wore, bandits who raided the wandering flocks and villages at whim. They were the principal reason why King Alec and the kings before him had required the frequent training of twenty to thirty warriors, most of whom now stood about the grove in their best armor with their weapons laid in piles at the edge of the grove.

The lycanthropes approached within about two hundred yards, and as they did so they shook their weapons above their heads and cheered: "Hurrah! A wedding feast!" There were about an equal number of lycanthropes as of the king's warriors.

"Arm yourselves, but do not attack," said Alec firmly. His warriors moved to obey. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he bellowed, "Welcome, honored guests! We offer you our hospitality." This was a possibly futile attempt to impose the laws of hospitality on such lawless men.

[tibbius]

Andrew had come several weeks by ship around the coasts of Hellas, from far Delos, in order to attend some sort of minor ceremony in the ancient sacred grove of Aegium. All the omens had forecast it would be important to attend. But ... a wedding? True, a king's daughter, but no great king. And the town was not a walled city-state that he had imagined, but a modest village with tumbledown stones where walls once stood well beyond the outskirts of the remaining dilapidated homes. Less than a quarter - no, less than a fifth the size and population of the temple complex on Delos!

Now there were armed men approaching the wedding.

[cybersavant]

Andrew


Andrew turns to the others onboard and asks, "What do we know about this place?"

[tibbius]

Old Origen, the leader of the expedition, answered Andrew. "It is a small town that was a great city. You can see where the walls have fallen, and where the breakwater still makes a big harbor. There is a library here that we may hope to use, if we are courteous guests. Meanwhile, the omens counseled to attend this wedding. They did not forecast these strange guests."

[cybersavant]

Andrew

stands by, silent witness to the current confrontation.

[tibbius]

As the warriors of Aegium move to gather up their weapons, the approaching bandits respond - by tossing down their own in a clatter of wood and bronze, making a pile a hundred yards upslope from the sacred grove. They continue toward the wedding party in the early afternoon sunlight, their shadows rippling on the grassy slope beside them. The breeze blowing down the hill carries their feral, unwashed odor to the guests.

"Good health to you, o King!" bellowed the tallest of the lyncanthropes, a narrow-faced man with a bushy black beard and long curly black hair. He swung a sack from his back and brandished it. "We bring gifts for the feast!"

= = =

Later in the afternoon, after Bran had slaughtered the lamb and after King Alec and the bandit chief had skinned and butchered it and set the limbs and carcass to roast above an open flame to the honor of Zeus and Hera, the party had dissolved into small groups laughing and embracing and wrestling. Andrew and Alexander found themselves together in the company of Origen, who quizzed Alexander on the contents of the library: "And how many scrolls about botany? Are there any about the growth of plants, or just their names and features? Here is a chance for Alexander (rossik) to expand the details of the setting. Origen talked also a great deal about the glories of Delos. It seemed almost that he was trying to recruit a new librarian for the temple island. Perhaps travelers had carried news of Alexander's studious ways all the way east to the Cyclades.

Bran, meanwhile, watched Damali's pretty friend Sosan flirt with a short thick-bodied lycanthrope while his friend the King sat talking with the chief lycanthrope about the news from neighboring kingdoms. Among other things: War. The bandits had been hired in midwinter by King Xantho of Temeni, the neighboring kingdom, to raid the flocks of Elaionas, another kingdom further along the coast of the Gulf of Corinth. Now King Stelios of Elaionas wanted to hire them to raid Temeni, but the bandit chief wanted no part of taking both sides, so he was moving northwest up the coast to get clear of the conflict. He asked safe passage through Aegium to Rododafni, where he hoped his kinfolk would be kind. King Alec worried that Stelios would be offended that he had welcomed the lycanthropes to the wedding, but he and they had obligations now as host and guests, so there was nothing he could do about it.

= = =

Up to you where we go with this for now. My roll for the lycanthrope's behavior had a surprising result, and I went with it, but that defused a potential conflict that wasn't well-suited to your characters anyway. I'm seeing this game as being more focused on crafting, magical research, and roleplay than on combat. What are your thoughts? Let's address in the Dialectic topic.

[Leitz]

Bran watched Sosan flirt. A quick stab of jealousy; she was high on his list of women to consider. Very high.

He looked around at the people gathered. Three different groups, one happy wedding. Aegium's population was significantly increased in numbers, diversity, and strength. Bran felt good about that. Truly, Sosan was on his mind, but his thoughts were more of Aegium. Her voice spoke strongest, today.

With a polite word Bran excused himself from Alec and the leader of the warband. He circled around, spoke well to the militia and Aegium's own warriors, before speaking to the others. One of the lycanthropes gave him the name of Sosan's target of interest. Another gave Bran a quick toss to the ground and a joint lock. Both men laughed, and then Bran made the warrior show him how the lock had been done.

Straight roll Warrior 5, Bran 2

It was a good day. Bran made his way to Sosan and Aegeus, the lycanthrope.

"Welcome, Aegus my friend, but beware," Bran said as he drew the man's attention to Sosan. "She is beautiful, but she comes from a hard working family. Her fish stew is thought to have almost healing properties, and I assure you it is the best you have ever tasted. Should your attention be drawn to her for too long, you life will be one of ease and pleasure."

Bran patted Aegus' stomach. "That means you'll have to work twice as hard as the rest of us to stay in your fighting trim! Be careful of such beauty."

Cup nearly empty, Bran returned to Alec and Drakon, the lycanthrope leader. "My friends, if I may intrude for a moment. Alec, you are king and may gainsay anything unwise that passes from my lips; truly the two of you must lead people well. Yet I would ask you to consider what passes before us all."

"Drakon, to lead men into battle requires courage. Strength. Alec can tell you, leading them into a time of manly living is also challenging. You consider going to your home land and letting the fates decide for you. What if you led them to prosperity? Is that a battle you want to win?"

He turned to Alec. "Stelios will be curious of us, no matter what. Yet today I see diverse groups brought to our home, for reasons we must discern. I see buildings my grandfather, father, and I would love to restore, if men were available to dwell therin. I see warriors strong enough to be peaceful, and travellers curious enough to talk. I see Aegium as a place that welcomes those who are strong and wise."

"The two of you lead well, is this something we can do together?"

[cybersavant]

Andrew

Andrew followed Origen's questions and Alexander's answers. The library was of interest to him as well.

When Origen took a break in the conversation, Andrew picked up the slack. "Your island is new to me. What are it's highlights?"


And the day-to-day routine?"

[tibbius]

A map:

(The highways and bridge aren't there yet.)

[tibbius]

King Alec squinted at Bran, and grasped his red-brown beard, which was braided at the chin with silver beads according to the Egyptian fashion. "I do not wish to offend anyone," he replied mildly. "Drakon, what do you think about this?"

"I also wish not to give any offense," answered the lycanthrope, who shifted his weight on his haunches and clenched his interlaced fingers to crack his knuckles. "Perhaps it would be better if we continued up the coast to Rododafni, where we could join my kinsmen. They would wonder at us if we stayed here instead." Turning his attention fully back to King Alec, Drakon continued, "May we stay the night in some of the old houses at the edge of the town?"

= = =

The lycanthropes retired to the ruined cottages as the wedding ended at sunset. They behaved appropriately during their night in Aegium - no misbehavior with the local women, at least not anything that led to crimination. Before dawn they had departed traveling northwest over the hills that stood above the shore.

= = =

A few days passed, during which Origen and Andrew spent much time with Alexander in his scriptorium.

= = =

About a week after the wedding, Bran was replacing the lintel of an ancient doorway in a widow's house on the hillside opposite the sacred grove. It was an arduous task that required several days between the chiseling of mortar, the placement of props, levering out the stones around the lintel, actually replacing the lintel, and then replacing and mortaring all of the stones. The widow's middle-aged son would pay him 3 bushels of barley at the upcoming harvest.

A shadow fell across the wall before him. He turned with his lever in his hand and faced a smaller man who leaned on a head-tall staff. "Do you know the way to the hall of King Alec?" There was something menacing about the man's posture. Bran noticed that he wore a short sword.

[rossik]

"there are many knowledge stored in library. Not only about the things of men, but those of the gods too. Some are secret, some are for initiated only. And some are worth many more times then gold!" Say Alexander, wide eyes looking far away.

"I wish we can have access to it. I really do".

----

"Say, Origen, what can we expect here"?

[cybersavant]

"there are many knowledge stored in library. Not only about the things of men, but those of the gods too. Some are secret, some are for initiated only. And some are worth many more times then gold!" Say Alexander, wide eyes looking far away.

"I wish we can have access to it. I really do".

Andrew


"Who is in charge of access? Perhaps we could petition them for limited or accompanied access."

[tibbius]

The library is open to all. The building is maintained by an elderly couple who live in the cottage down the hill. They ask for a chicken or a silver ring in exchange for "guiding" visitors through the scrolls, but really Alexander does most of the guidance. He has learned the bulk of the catalog and meticulously returns the scrolls to their pigeonholes at the end of each day when visitors have been perusing them.

[Leitz]

"Of course." Bran stood, and smiled. "I need a break anyway, let me show you the way."

Bran figured being around when the visitor found Alec, would help Alec. Perhaps afterward his friend could explain the decision with the warriors, it seemed odd to Bran himself. Still, that might be one reason Alec was king and Bran was not.

Hopefully some of the food he earned for this would help pay for some armor and a weapon. Things seemed to be getting adventuresome.

[tibbius]

"Say, Origen, what can we expect here"?

The elderly foreign priest clasped his hands and bobbed his body slightly forward from the hips. Maybe a tiny genuflection. "We have heard of your library in Delos," he answered, "and wish to study with you. Particularly regarding botany of the Peleponnese, but any other topics that you have available. We brought scripts and ink and reed pens for copying, if that will be permitted. In return we can offer perhaps some useful talismans and other gifts."

[tibbius]

"Of course." Bran stood, and smiled. "I need a break anyway, let me show you the way."

Bran figured being around when the visitor found Alec, would help Alec. Perhaps afterward his friend could explain the decision with the warriors, it seemed odd to Bran himself. Still, that might be one reason Alec was king and Bran was not.

Hopefully some of the food he earned for this would help pay for some armor and a weapon. Things seemed to be getting adventuresome.

The unpleasant stranger interrupted King Alec mending a fishing net, and spoke with him for nearly an hour. At the king's request, Bran remained outside the hall and overheard portions of the conversation. Apparently, despite Alec's good intentions, kings Stelios and Xantho both were offended that Aegium had hosted the lycanthropes at Damali's wedding. The two kings demanded an apology from Alec in the form of gifts.

[Leitz]

Bran shook his head. He stayed outside the hall, per Alec's request, but stayed close. The unruly messenger might get physical, but Bran hoped not.

A mirthless chuckle. The way his luck was going, Sosan was likely mad at him because she "wasn't really flirting at all", and the lycanthrope Aegeus already had a wife. Drakon's parents were probably worried sick about him, and longed for his return. Hopefully Damali at least still liked him; he had done his best for her.

Perhaps it was time to get some distance? There was an old shop on the far side of the walled in area. Like most things on that side of Aegium, it was overgrown and neglected. The foundation was good, though, and there was enough room to have a shop and a small living quarters. Close to a main gate so business could come and go, if business grew and if the gate were rebuilt. Staying with his parents, and working in grandfather's shop, was getting crowded. Yes, perhaps it was time to adventure a bit. If nothing else, it would give him a chance to try out a few ideas. The wood around Aegium was good. He could do good things with it.

Bran kept guard for as long as Alec seemed to need him.

[tibbius]

After about an hour the messenger emerged and glared at Bran. "The king offered me your house to spend the night," he said, "and food at your hearth. I thank you." His demeanor belied the formalities of guest and host. "I will return east in the morning."

"Bran!" called King Alec. "Send the messenger, Eolas, to your parents' house. He is my guest tonight. See him on his way, then come in and talk."

After, the king unfolded to the carpenter what had passed within the hall. Eolas brought a message of scorn and baseless demands for an apology, jointly from both the kings who had vied to hire the lycanthropes to harass each other. Alec suspected that his welcoming the bandits to the wedding feast was merely a pretext for the neighboring kings to seek some of Aegium's wealth - salt fish, mutton jerky, and a good store of barley as well as bronze goods smithed from ingots traded for the fish. It was a few weeks until spring harvest, and any who had been imprudent with their winter grain stores might be looking toward an imminent lack of bread.

"I trust you, Bran," said Alec. "I know in the matter of the lycanthropes I did not heed you. This was one of my concerns. Also there was Marcus to consider. If Drakon and his men had joined us, he would have vied with Marcus to be champion. Marcus is my wife's cousin, and if he were displaced - even by a stronger fighter - it would be sad for us. In any case, I want to say I trust your judgment. What do you think I should do about this message, this harsh demand for gifts?"