Zelus is the Classical deific embodiment of zeal itself. He encapsulates excitement, eagerness, rivalry, and unwavering devotion to a sworn cause. Zelus is one of the Daimons, the divine children of Pallas and the River Styx. He currently aids the Exiles in their quest to eradicate Dragovinians from the face of the earth.
Zelus has a complicated place in the Olympian pantheon. Continue reading
Nashville, is a tourist city, a state capital, and a center for the music, car, and health industries. All these things lead to a great deal of fun things to do, see, and visit in the city.
Nashville has an almost exact replica of the Parthenon from Athens in the American city’s Centennial Park.
The Nashville Parthenon is complete, unlike the Athenian Parthenon which seems Continue reading
Ashabodai was Queen of the Amazons and a powerful Dragovinian in the Xorian Empire. After the previous Queen Anajakaze died, Ashabodai ascended the throne by besting her competitors through skill of arms as is tradition. She played the subordinate matriarch to King Jevaninada II during her reign, rarely challenging out or contradicting him. During the Second Alliance War she led her Amazon warriors against the soldiers of the Alliance. Ashabodai perished during the Battle of Phoenix at the hands of Logan the Warlock. She was succeeded by Queen Jittehalong, who is not a Dragovinian but still serves the Xorian King.
Ashabodai was born to an Amazon of noble bearing during the reign of Queen Anajakaze Continue reading
One of the purposes of this writing is to connect the stories of the mythical heroes in my campaign world. Cecilia’s story connects to Jovy’s because they both had adventures in the Caspian Sea. Thus, I’m also going to repeat verbatim a few of the paragraphs from Cecilia’s story in Jovy’s. No apologies!
Jovy followed the guidance of Hermes to become the first captain to sail the Caspian Sea. Hermes gifted Jovy with the first double masted frigate capable of tacking against the wind. Jovy along with his friend and companion, Cecilia, rid the Caspian of monsters making it safe for other voyagers. Jovy declared himself King of the Caspian, exacting tribute from coastal settlements and pillaging those that did not comply with his demands. He named and colonized Those Blasted Islands in the sea and fought to protect the colonies during the Dragon War. He imprisoned the gold dragons. When Jovy retired he beached the Mira Miro at the mouth of the Aractrash River to found the city of Lordodo. Jovy joined the other heroes of the Dragon War in their slumber beneath the earth, awaiting the destruction of the Orbs of Dragonkind and the return of the dragons.
Jovy was born to a group of farmers living in the area around what is now Jipangu. Jovy was a rebellious child, often shirking his duties to swim in the river, whittle toys out of wood, or steal eggs from the hen house. His father arranged an early marriage for Jovy, hoping that the responsibility of a wife and family would straighten Jovy out. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. Jovy skipped town the night before the wedding.
He journeyed west to the Caspian and then south following the shore. Along the way Jovy earned money by working odd jobs or more often by stealing. By the time he reached the sea he had himself a nice pair of clothes along with a good set of armor and matching sabers. Jovy found that his natural charm and his wanderer’s mystique attracted many of the young women in the villages he passed through who were bored of their provincial lives just like he once was. In addition to leaving a trail of theft and robberies, Jovy also left a trail of broken hearts and pregnant teenagers.
Throughout his journey, Jovy made offerings to the patron god of thieves and vagabonds, Hermes. Joy saw his life as a dark place with only toil ahead, but for the grace of Hermes who led him towards a full and joyous life. Jovy often spoke to Hermes and as he went south towards the Aractrash River, Hermes spoke back to him. The god of travel told Jovy, “When you reach the Aractrash River chop down the five largest trees. Use the wood of these trees to build a large bowl, as big as a room. Then get the bowl into the river. Do this and I will turn the your life’s fate from woolen thread to cloth of gold.”
Jovy followed Hermes’ command. When he reached the River he located the five largest trees and cut them down with an axe he’d pilfered from a farmer’s woodpile. He bought a saw with stolen gold to make planks out of logs. He boiled water in a large soup pot and painstakingly bent the logs, inch by inch. Jovy nailed them together to make the largest bowl he had ever seen, rounded with a rough bottom. Undoubtedly any soup the gods wished to drink from it would leak out the sides, but Jovy had done it! Hermes’ bowl was completed.
Jovy strained and pushed to get the bowl into the river. He pushed, he pulled, he tied a rope around it and put his back into it. Nothing worked. Then a woman showed up wearing fish scales for armor with a golden sword slung at her hip. She introduced herself as Cecilia the daughter of Zeus and asked his name. Jovy said, “Me name is Jovy. Apollo told me to build this here bowl and put it in tha’ river. He promised a reward. Perhaps iffen you help me we can share it.” Cecilia shrugged and shoved the bowl into the water with a single push.
The bowl splashed into the jungle water and began to grow. It lengthened and tapered at the ends, forming a streamlined structure. Huge poles grew out of the bottom rising up into the sky. Wooden slats protruded from the internal sides and then joined together to make two decks. Ropes and sails appeared from nowhere to fill out the rigging of the ship. An anchor and chain grew out of a whorl on the wooden side. Lastly, the steering wheel slowly rose from the upper deck at the rear of the ship. Floating on the river before Jovy and Cecilia was the first sailing ship complete with two masts, a forward boom for a jib and almost a dozen sails. A crew of sailors stood at attention on deck, summoned by the same magic that created the ship.
“Are you to take that into sea against the monsters? asked Cecilia.
“Aye lassy, and I’ve a mind for you to come along too iffen you be willing,” said Jovy.
“An adventure on the open water? I’d like that.”
Jovy named the vessel the Mira Miro and he took his place at the steering wheel as Captain. Cecilia joined him, wearing her fish scale armor with her golden sword always at the ready. After sacrificing a bull to Poseidon, Jovy’s command set the sailors to work taking the Mira Miro downriver. Fresh water turned to salt as they reached the Caspian Sea. Almost immediately something rocked the ship. A great tentacle rose out of the depths and attempted to drag the ship down into the water. Cecilia called out her father’s name and jumped into the water with sword in hand. Her fish scale armor allowed Cecilia to swim through the water with ease and breath it as well. She sliced off the monster’s tentacle with her golden sword, then followed the beast into the deep as it retreated. She slew it and reemerged with a giant octopus eye to document her achievement. Jovy congratulated Zeus’s daughter before setting sail once more.
The heroic duo traveled across the width and breadth of the Caspian, slaying monsters as they went. Cecilia slew monsters through brute force, but Jovy had more finesse. He tricked monsters into giving him their treasure without a fight. He snuck into their caves and grottos at night to slay them in their sleep. He convinced them he was a god and that they were better off swimming ashore than facing his wrath. Jovy hoped his accomplishments would impress Cecilia and win her heart, but she never looked at him with the doe eyes he had come to recognize in his conquests.
Once while sailing Jovy asked her, “Why ain’t a lass such as yerself married?”
Cecilia said, “I vowed to Zeus that I would give my virginity to no man who could not take it for himself.”
“Aye. I’ve seen ye fight. Twould ‘ave to be a mighty man indeed who can claim yer maidenhood.” And I am not that man, thought Jovy to himself. He gave up any hopes of winning Cecilia. They had passed the time on deck by arm wrestling many times. He had never beaten her.
When the pair had defeated most of the monsters in the Caspian they parted ways. Cecilia returned to her village to make it the first fishing town on the Caspian. Jovy stayed upon the water in the Mira Miro. He traveled across every inch of what he called Those Blasted Islands in the sea. He named each one according to who he thought best suited to live there after exploring them. Jovy went to the Caspian’s rapidly increasing coastal population to gather colonists for Those Blasted Islands. The islands were soon inhabited with Jovy proclaiming himself King of the Caspian.
Jovy took tribute from more than just the colonies on Those Blasted Islands. He also claimed all the towns and villages within 10 miles of the sea as his own (excepting those close to Cecilia). Those who would not submit were pillaged.
Jovy took some time off from sailing and became good friends with the Hill Dwarves of Jord. Some say he was even buried in Jord. Others say he was buried on Jovy Isle where his pleasure mansion once stood.
When the Dragon War started, Jovy joined up along with Cecilia. He imprisoned the gold dragons. When the time came for the heroes of the Dragon War to sleep, Jovy beached his ship at the same location he first made the large bowl for Hermes. The Mira Miro remains there to this day, now serving as the city hall for Lordodo.
To be continued
-GoCorral
Whew! This one took a lot longer to write than I thought it would. A little late for “D&D Mondays.” I should still be able to keep up with one post a week though.
Cecilia the Salt Champion was the daughter of Zeus and the mortal Hymniara. The founder of the city that now bears her name and liberator of the Caspian, Cecilia slew the great sea beasts that prowled the sea. She accomplished many other great tasks on land as well as befriending the dolphins and the people of the sea. During the Dragon War, Cecilia imprisoned the black dragons. All her tasks were done in the name of her lord-father, Zeus, while wielding a shining sword that he gave to her. The sword was buried with her deep beneath the earth where Cecilia slumbers, awaiting the return of the black dragons.
Composing the Cimmerian Timeline has an issue that if I do it chronologically I risk missing events that I put into various cities’ backgrounds and later forgot. I’ll do my best to get everything as it comes up chronologically. Inevitably I will make mistakes and need to include events that are in a period of time that I already covered. I’ll just note that in each update that requires it and edit the complete timeline on the menu bar at the top of the site.
1150BCE: The Olympians held a convocation. The Trojan War devastated the greatest heroes of Greece and now the oldest survivors had died. The gods wished to continue their philandering and fun, but the Fates decreed that no such business would occur in Greece. A decision was made to head east, to the land of the Goblins.
The Goblins had a pantheon of their own which the Olympians had to combat with before their rule of Cimmeria could be secure. The Olympians created many new mortal servants to war against the Goblins while the Olympians engaged the Goblin gods themselves. These new mortals organized themselves into a governmental body known as the Conclave. Humans, Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, Halflings, and other races of Cimmeria all worked together in the Conclave.
1149BCE: Threatened as they were, the Goblin pantheon called upon a most terrible weapon, the Phoenix. The Olympians battled with the Phoenix. They defeated the great bird but found that it arose anew from the ashes, stronger than it was before.
1147BCE: After many attempts to destroy the Phoenix, the Olympians turned to their mortal allies. They gave the mortals access to powerful magic and combat techniques in the hope that with their combined force they could vanquish the Phoenix for good.
1146BCE: The health of King Aeëtes of Colchis began to fail without his daughter Medea’s magic. He started feverishly studying to reclaim the arts she once used to extend their lifetimes.
1140BCE: Years of planning allowed the mortals, led by the sorcerer Sadroston, to defeat the Phoenix. A city named after the bird was built upon its ashes. This was the first Olympian city in Cimmeria.
1139BCE: The war with the Goblins and the Goblin pantheon continued. King Aeëtes mastered the unruly magic of the Olympians to immortalize himself. Hades was furious that a subject escaped entrance to his realm. The God of the Underworld began preparations to reclaim the old Aeëtes’s soul.
1118BCE: The war raged on. The Conclave pushed the Goblins out of Western Cimmeria and founded the city of Nox as a center for people living in the west.
1113BCE: Tensions rose between the Dwarves and the Humans over how to coordinate the actions of Phoenix, Nox, and smaller population centers against the Goblins.
1102BCE: Karnafaust, First High King of the Dwarves, stormed off with his army after a disagreement with the Human leader, Drolofo. Karnafaust struck into Goblin territory in Eastern Cimmeria, stopping only when he reached the Black River.
1101BCE: Karnafaust founded the city of Fangaroot upon the Black Mirror Lake. He declared an independent Dwarven state from the Conclave of Humans, Elves, Halflings, and Orcs.
-GoCorral
Greek myths describe periods of hundreds or thousands of years when humans were around and the Titans ruled. And before Cronus was born there was a long time where just the primordial deities were around hanging out and doing whatever primordial deities do.
So how far back does my timeline of Cimmeria go? A hundred years from current events? The Trojan War? The war between the Titans and the Olympians? The birth of Gaia from the void?
I picked the birth of Deucalion as where my timeline would start.
For those of you who don’t know, Deucalion is the Greek mythological version of Noah. A lot of religions have versions of Noah. Archaeologists link these stories to flood events at the end of the last ice age.
Deucalion is the “Father of Humanity” in Greek mythology, so he is a natural starting point for a timeline about Humans.
But where do I line up Deucalion with an actual historical timeline?
Fortunately, there is a event in Greek myths that has a counterpart in reality, the Trojan War!
The remains of Troy have been found with multiple layers of cities built on top of each after the previous layer was destroyed.
Two of the layers are reasonable candidates for what was destroyed at the end of the Trojan War. These two layers are called Troy VI and Troy VII.
Troy VI was destroyed first around 1250BCE and Troy VII was destroyed around 1183BCE.
So which was the Troy the Greeks destroyed?
Luckily the myths give us an easy answer. Troy was attacked and damaged a few decades before the Trojan War by Heracles. Thus if we were to line up mythical and historical events we would claim that Heracles destroyed Troy VI in 1250BCE and the Greeks destroyed Troy VII in 1183BCE.
From there it’s a matter of counting backwards generationally from the Trojan War to Deucalion.
It turns out that Patroclus is the best candidate for counting backwards to Deucalion. Figuring out Patroclus’s age is somewhat dependent on Achilles’s age.
The good news is that Achilles’s age is given in the Epic Cycle. He is eight years old when Odysseus takes him off to the Trojan War. It takes two years to get to Troy and the Greeks are there for ten years. That means Achilles would’ve been 19 or 20 near the end of the war.
Patroclus is meant to be Achilles’s older cousin and pederast. I guessed that he was seven years older.
So we count backwards 27 from 1183BCE and we get 1210BCE as the birth year of Patroclus. Patroclus was the second son of Menoetius. We count backwards for Menoetius, assuming that he had his first child at 25 (typical for Greeks), with a 2 year gap per child. Continue this process until you reach Deucalion and then add a bunch of years to Deucalion because he lived longer than normal Humans do just like Noah.
Obviously, I could use a similar system to date many of the events in Greek mythology, but that’s a huge pain in the ass. It’s enough that you know that all the heroic myths take place over a roughly 200 year period, with most of them concentrated around the 50 years leading up to the Fall of Troy.
And without further ado, here is the first installment in the Cimmerian Timeline.
1421BCE: Deucalion is born.
1339BCE: The Great Flood happens, signaling the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Heroic Age.
1196BCE: Paris steals Helen and the call goes out among the Achaeans.
1195BCE: Odysseus finds Achilles at Scyros and the ships sail to Troy, ravaging almost every settlement enroute to the great city.
1193BCE: The Achaeans arrive at Troy.
1183BCE: Troy falls, signaling that the Heroic Age will end soon.
1173BCE: Odysseus returns home.
1159BCE: Odysseus is killed by Telegonus, his son with Circe. Telegonus takes Penelope and Telemachus back to Circe’s Island. Telegonus marries Penelope and Circe marries Telemachus. This death and marriage signal the end of the Heroic Age and the beginning of the Iron Age for Greece.
-GoCorral
