Mythic Vistas: The Trojan War (d20 System)

161 Pages·2005·10.07 MB·English

by  Aaron Rosenberg

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- Credits -
Design: Aaron Rosenberg
Additional Design: Robert J Schwalb (Cerberus, Legendary Animals, additional Captains of Legend),
Scott Bennie (original Mass Combat and Piety rules from Testament: Roleplaying in the Biblical Era).
Editing: Christina Stiles
Development: Robert J Schwalb
Art Direction and Graphic Design: Hal Mangold
Cover Art: James Ryman
Interior Art: Caleb Cleveland, Kent Burles, Joe Wigfi eld, Lisa Wood, Jonathan Kirtz,
Britt Martin, Drew Baker & Beth Trott
Cartography: Shawn Brown
Executive Producer: Chris Pramas
Green Ronin Staff : Steve Kenson, Nicole Lindroos, Hal Mangold, Chris Pramas, Evan Sass, and Robert J Schwalb
Th e Trojan War is © 2004 Green Ronin Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reference to other copyrighted material in no
way constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright holders of that material. Th e Trojan War, Green Ronin, Mythic Vistas,
and their associated logos are trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® and Wizards of the Coast® are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., and are used
with permission.
‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and are used according to the terms of
the d20 System License version 5.0. A copy of this License can be found at www.wizards.com/d20.
Th e following text is Open Gaming Content: Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7; the game rules in Chapter 8; the stat blocks in
Chapter 10; the Cerberus stat block and the Legendary Animal template from Chapter 11; all magic items in Chapter 12;
and the Divine Favor rules in Chapter 14.
Printed in the U.S.A.
Green Ronin Publishing
P.O. Box 1723
Renton, WA 98057-1723
Email: [email protected]
Web Site: www.greenronin.com
- 1 -
Table of Contents
Credits ...............................................1 Shields ......................................................................63
Armor Properties ......................................................64
Introduction: Goods ..............................................................................65
The Trojan War Goods Descriptions ..................................................65
Color ........................................................................67
& the Homeric Age ................5
Chariots ...................................................................67
Boats ........................................................................68
Running a Trojan War Campaign ..........................................5
Food and Drink ........................................................69
Chapter One: The Epics ...........7
Chapter Seven:
Before the War .......................................................................7 Homeric Battlefields .... 70
Th e War ..................................................................................8
After the War .........................................................................9 Th e Basics ........................................................................70
Chapter Two: How Fighting Works .......................................................70
Terrain ......................................................................71
Characters ...............................10
Forces ..............................................................................71
Characters Attached to Units ..........................................73
Race ......................................................................................10
Battlefi eld Actions ...........................................................73
Human ..........................................................................10
Battlefi eld Feats ...............................................................76
Divine Off spring ...........................................................11
Occupation ....................................................................13 Common Bettlefi eld Feat Combinations ........................80
Piety .....................................................................................13 Sample Army Forces .......................................................80
Chapter Three: Chapter Eight:
Character Classes .............. 14 Religion and Piety .............81
New Character Classes ....................................................14 Th e Greek Pantheon ........................................................81
Charioteer ......................................................................14 Aphrodite .................................................................82
Dedicated Warrior ..........................................................17 Apollo .......................................................................82
Magician .........................................................................20 Ares ..........................................................................83
Priest ...............................................................................24 Artemis .....................................................................83
New Prestige Classes .......................................................28 Athena ......................................................................84
Orator ..............................................................................28 Hades .......................................................................84
Runner ............................................................................30 Hecate ......................................................................85
Seer .................................................................................32 Hephaestus ...............................................................85
Chapter Four: Hera .........................................................................86
Hermes .....................................................................86
Skills and Feats ................. 35
Iris ............................................................................87
Poseidon ...................................................................87
New Skills & Skills Uses .................................................35
Zeus ..........................................................................88
New Feats ........................................................................37
When Gods War ............................................................89
Chapter Five: Magic ................. 41
Off erings ........................................................................89
Religious Services ...........................................................90
Arcane Magic ...........................................................41
Piety ...............................................................................91
Divine Magic ............................................................42
Piety Points and Piety Modifi ers ..............................91
Spell Lists ........................................................................42
Gaining and Losing Piety ........................................92
Arcane Spells ............................................................42
Sins ...........................................................................92
Divine Spells ............................................................46
Reducing Sin ............................................................93
New Spells .......................................................................50
Chapter Nine:
Chapter Six:
The Homeric World ............95
Equipment ................................59
Achaea .............................................................................95
Th e Age of Bronze ..........................................................59
Geography ................................................................95
Currency ..........................................................................59
History .....................................................................95
Bartering ..................................................................60
Politics ......................................................................95
Weapons .........................................................................60
Culture .....................................................................96
Armor .............................................................................62
- 2 -
Economy ..................................................................96 Wondrous Items .....................................................121
Religion ....................................................................96 Artifacts .........................................................................123
Troy .................................................................................97 Minor Artifacts ......................................................123
Geography ................................................................97 Major Artifacts .......................................................124
History ....................................................................97 Chapter Thirteen:
Politics ......................................................................98
Nine Long Years ..................126
Culture .....................................................................98
Economy ..................................................................98
Th e Battlefi eld ..............................................................126
Religion ....................................................................98
Decade-Long Confl ict ..................................................127
Chapter Ten:
Running Part of the War ...............................................128
Captains of Legend ......... 100 Achaean Arrival ......................................................128
Conscriptions .........................................................128
Achaean Captains ..........................................................100 Sailing to Troy ........................................................129
Achilles ...................................................................100 Early Confl ict .........................................................129
Ajax ........................................................................101 Middle Confl ict ......................................................130
Agamemnon ...........................................................101 Side Battles .............................................................130
Calchas ...................................................................101 Plague .....................................................................130
Diomedes ...............................................................102 Th e Iliad .................................................................130
Menelaus ................................................................102 Closing Confl ict .....................................................131
Nestor .....................................................................103 After the War .........................................................131
Odysseus .................................................................103 Choosing Sides ..............................................................132
Patroclus .................................................................104 Achaeans ................................................................132
Philoctetes ..............................................................104 Trojans ....................................................................132
Sinon ......................................................................105 Changing Outcomes ....................................................133
Th ersites .................................................................105 Helen ......................................................................133
Trojan Captains .............................................................106 Oath of Tyndareus ..................................................133
Aeneas ....................................................................106 Leadership ..............................................................134
Glaucus ...................................................................106 Achilles ...................................................................134
Hector ....................................................................106 Th e Field of Battle ..................................................134
Helen ......................................................................107 Truces .....................................................................134
Memnon .................................................................107 Deaths ....................................................................135
Paris ........................................................................108 Trojan Horse ..........................................................135
Penthesilia ..............................................................108 Final Victory ...........................................................135
Priam ......................................................................108 Aftermath .....................................................................136
Sarpedon ................................................................109 Chapter Fourteen:
Common Foes ...............................................................110
Running The Game ...............137
Green Soldiers ........................................................110
Trained Soldiers .....................................................110
Epic Conventions ..........................................................137
Veteran Soldiers ......................................................110
Gaming Vs. Epic Storytelling .......................................138
Legendary Soldiers ................................................110
Fame and Fortune .........................................................139
Chapter Eleven:
Deus Ex Machina .........................................................140
Homeric Bestiary .................111 Divine Favor .................................................................141
Divine Displeasure ........................................................143
Homeric Monsters ........................................................111 Omens ...........................................................................144
Known Monsters ....................................................111 Building a Homeric Adventure .....................................147
Legendary Animals ................................................114 Appendix I:
New Monsters ........................................................118
Greater Divine
Spirits .....................................................................118
Chapter Twelve: Offspring ...................................149
Treasure ...................................119
Appendix II:
Mundane Items .............................................................119 Reference Tables ..................151
Item Value ..............................................................119
Magic Items ..................................................................120 Index .................................................157
New Magic Items ...................................................120
- 3 -
- Introduction -
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System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams,
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Testament, Copyright 2003, Green Ronin Publishing; Author Scott Bennie.
Th e Trojan War, Copyright 2004, Green Ronin Publishing; Author Aaron Rosenberg.
- 4 -
Introduction:
The Trojan War & the
Homeric Age
Vast armies face each other across a broad plain, fi lling the fi eld with a sea of spear tips, shields, and helmet plumes. Powerful
warriors stalk about, marshaling their troops and confronting foes directly, their frames and features almost godlike in grace
and strength. From a high tower within the walled city, a woman watches, her beauty the catalyst of all this bloodshed. Th e gods
themselves observe, and frequently intervene. And on the battle rages, day after day, year after year.
Welcome to the Trojan War.
Immortalized in Homer’s epic poem the Iliad and in dozens of lesser works, it is perhaps the most famous battle of all time. Few
people in the modern world have not heard of Helen of Troy, whose face could launch a thousand ships, and of the Trojan Horse,
settling the decade-long confl ict. Most people who have read any literature have encountered references to Odysseus (also known
as Ulysses) and Achilles. Adaptations of the epic can be found in plays, novels, movies, and television series.
And now, you can play a part in that epic struggle.
Th is book, the newest in the Mythic Vista series, details the Trojan War. It examines both sides of the confl ict, and discusses the
forces arrayed against Troy and those standing in its defense. More importantly, this book converts the battle into a campaign
setting, off ering new character classes, feats, skills, equipment, and other details based upon the war and its participants.
Inside, you will fi nd suggestions on how to enter that story, both as players and as GMs, so you can carve a space for your own
adventures, yet still maintain the continuity of the original tale.
Th e most important thing to remember when playing the Trojan War, however, is that the battle was not among men alone. Th e
gods took sides, and often stepped in to protect their favorites or target their enemies. Because all the combatants worshipped the
same gods, this war was not a clash of ideologies. Both sides prayed to Zeus, Apollo, Athena, and others, and the gods quarreled
amongst themselves as to which side should win. Some gods even switched sides during the war, or helped indiscriminately, even
capriciously. Zeus, the king of the gods, switched sides more than did any of the other gods. One day, he defended an army, only
to attack it the next. In many ways, though the Trojan War involved hundreds of thousands of men, it was really a battle among a
handful of powerful warriors, a chess game where even those warriors proved mere pieces in the hands of their gods.
So, if you want to play in a world where the gods answer prayers directly, and where a man and his sword can win fame by
sweeping through the enemy ranks, and where honor and wits are just as important as strength and size, start reading.
Running a
Trojan War Campaign
Th e Trojan War is a perfect setting for a fantasy game. It was an era fi lled with heroes and gods and a time when many brave
warriors rose to prominence and won immortal fame—usually by besting equally powerful warriors in the opposing army.
Because the gods involved themselves directly, a Trojan War campaign can have as much magic as the GM wants, or as little.
Monsters can appear, particularly in the hills or waters near the battlefi eld, and treasures may abound, or be totally absent.
Moreover, the GM has a ready-made structure for events—he knows exactly when Achilles leaves the battle, that he dies before
he comes back, and even how the confl ict will end.
Of course, knowing all that does not mean the GM has to follow it. GMs should use Homer’s work as a guideline rather than a
boundary. Take whatever you like from the Iliad and the Odyssey, and then create your own stories using that as a framework. If
your players want to play Achilles and Odysseus and the other Achaean leaders, you can start your game at any time during the
war and let them alter events by their actions. If they decide to play Hector, Sarpedon, and the other Trojan heroes, perhaps they
can actually save Troy from destruction. By playing in this setting, you are creating your own stories based upon the originals,
and you are not required to follow them in every detail. Th e setting provides you with all the trappings you need to create a good
story, but you and your players can then develop that story on your own, just as Homer developed his.
Th e most important elements to a Trojan War campaign are the constant confl ict, the frequent intercession of the gods, the
hunger for wealth and glory, and the sense that this was a moment when the greatest of men could shine. As long as your game
includes these aspects, and the general feel of the era, it will be a proper Trojan War campaign. Do not build a story about
merchants or common sailors—that is not the essence of the Homeric story. Focus upon the hero. It is how his choices and
actions alter the course of an entire nation that makes a Trojan War campaign.
- 5 -
- CHAPTER One: The Epics -
- 6 -
Chapter One:
The Epics
Th is chapter summarizes the events described in the various epics, including the war, the events leading up to it, and the events
following after.
Before the War
We have all heard how Paris’ theft of the beautiful Helen started Everyone believed Helen, the daughter of Zeus and Leda, to
the Trojan War, but it really began with an apple. be the most beautiful woman in the world. Because of this,
many men sought her hand in marriage, including numerous
Of course, the apple was no normal piece of fruit. Th e goddess
kings. Helen’s foster father, King Tyndareus, worried selecting
Eris, or Discord, who had not been invited to the nuptials of
one man among the suitors would cause war between all. But
Th etis, the water nymph daughter of Poseidon, and Peleus,
Odysseus, who had desired Tyndareus’ niece Penelope, off ered a
chose to attend anyway. And as a sign of her displeasure at being
solution: in exchange for Penelope, Odysseus instructed the king
slighted, she threw a golden apple among the guests at the
to demand all the suitors swear an oath, pledging to defend the
reception banquet. Th e apple bore an inscription: “For the Fairest.”
marriage rites of the chosen man. Th e suitors agreed to this, and
Th e mortal women present knew they could not compete with
swore their oaths before the gods. Th us, when Paris abducted
the beauty of the goddesses, so they simply ignored the stranger
Helen, Menelaus and Agamemnon, his brother and king of
and her odd gift. But the goddesses, on the other hand, fell victim
Mycenae, gathered their troops. Th ey rallied the former suitors,
to their own vanity, and they argued about who most deserved
whose oaths bound them to support the venture against Troy,
the apple. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all claimed it, and their
and their soldiers. Th is combined force is referred to collectively
bickering fi lled the hall. Since they could not agree, and no one
as the Achaeans—other names include the Danaans or the
else present dared to displease the deities by choosing one of the
Argives, though, for simplicity’s sake, this text uses Achaeans.
others, the goddesses decided to select an impartial observer: the
When the people of Troy saw this massive navy approach, Troy’s
mortal Paris, a shepherd and prince of Troy.
King Priam ordered his people to prepare their defenses. Th e
Th e three goddesses approached Paris, and demanded he chose
nine dynasties recognizing him as their overlord joined Priam’s
the most beautiful among them. Each goddess off ered him
army.
a reward in turn. Hera promised him wealth and dominion
Not everyone wanted to participate in the coming battle.
over the world. Athena promised him wisdom and victory in
Odysseus feigned insanity to avoid joining the Achaean army,
war. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, promised him Helen, the
but Agamemnon and Menelaus saw through the ruse, and
most beautiful woman in the world. Naturally, Paris awarded
forced him to leave his home and aid them in gathering their
Aphrodite the apple.
allies. Th e greatest challenge came in Th essaly, where the elderly
Aphrodite then led Paris to Sparta, and aided him in seducing
King Peleus could not fi ght anymore. He had a son named
Helen away from her husband, King Menelaus. For nine days,
Achilles, though, who all considered him the mightiest warrior
Menelaus entertained his royal guest, but then the King left for
alive. Th etis, Achilles’ mother, knew from prophecies if her
Crete to attend the funeral of his grandfather Catreus. After
son went to war, he would not return, though he would win
Menelaus’ departure, Paris persuaded Helen to accompany him
everlasting fame for his deeds. To prevent him from going, she
to Troy, and the two lovers fl ed into the night.
disguised him as a woman and concealed him among the ladies
When the King returned home and discovered the betrayal, of the household. Th e attempted deception did not fool the
he swore to avenge himself and to retrieve Helen. As king of clever Odysseus, who easily discovered the youth’s identity. Once
Sparta, a city of warriors, he marshaled his army, and prepared to recognized, Achilles gladly accepted the off er to fi ght with the
set sail. But that was not the extent of the matter. other Achaeans, and took command of his father’s Myrmidons.
A Homeric Setting
Th roughout this book, the Trojan War’s era and the setting is referred to as Homeric. Th is is for three reasons. First,
historians argue over when the Trojan War occurred (if it really happened at all), and so no fi xed date can be off ered.
Second, this book focuses upon the Trojan War itself but also touches upon the events in the Odyssey, and to a lesser
extent, Virgil’s Aeneid, and the lands many of those invaders came from. Th ird, describing something as Trojan only
covers the city of Troy and its neighboring lands, while calling something Achaean only applies to the invaders, yet the
two forces had many common traits and features. Th e term Homeric, however, encompasses everyone involved in the
battle, all of the lands associated with the story, and the plains before Troy and those distant kingdoms of the many
Achaean leaders.
- 7 -
- CHAPTER One: The Epics -
It took over two years for Menelaus to muster his forces for and unrest between the two continued throughout the coming
the trip to Troy, and many things happened along the way, days. Achilles, however, was not free from blame, for later,
nearly all involving the gods. At one point on the voyage, at Tenedos, Achilles slew King Tenes, the son of Apollo. In
Artemis becalmed the Achaeans’ ships because Agamemnon response, the god sent a snake to bite the archer Philoctetes.
had off ended her. To appease her, he sacrifi ced his own Philoctetes’ wound refused to heal, forcing his companions to
daughter, Iphigenia, and though he appeased the goddess, the leave him behind on an island, where he would survive for years
act off ended many of the other captains, including Achilles, by shooting birds from the sky.
The War
When the Achaeans fi nally reached the Troad, the region around Despite Zeus’ decree that the Achaeans suff er, Athena and Hera,
Troy, Odysseus and Menelaus went ahead as ambassadors to the Achaeans’ two greatest supporters, continued to aid them.
convince the Trojans to return Helen or face attack. Th eir mission Athena encouraged Diomedes to charge into battle. Th e warrior
failed, even though many Trojans wanted to send her back to avoid would have single-handedly routed the Trojans if Apollo had
war. Failing to avert disaster, Odysseus and Menelaus returned not intervened. Th en Ajax and Hector faced one another in
to the fl eet and sailed the rest of the way with their men to Troy, single combat, but neither could defeat the other. When night
beaching their ships along the shore not far from the city itself. Th e fell, they agreed to call the battle a draw, and exchanged gifts
Trojans fl ung heavy stones against the invaders to prevent their to show respect. Th e gifts, however, proved ill for both of them.
landing, but the Achaeans fought through. Th ey leapt out upon the Hector gave Ajax a sword, which Ajax later used to kill himself,
plain, and marched across, laying siege to the city. and Ajax gave Hector a purple belt, with which Achilles later
used to drag Hector’s body behind him.
Th e Achaeans had attacked many other lands on their way to
Troy, including Th ebes and Lyrnessus. Few could stand against Th e confl ict continued, and with Zeus’ aid, the Trojans swept
them, and when they reached Troy, the captains had won many the battlefi eld and stormed the Achaean camp. Many of the
treasures. At Th ebes, Agamemnon claimed the woman Chryseis mightiest Achaeans suff ered wounds, and the Trojan Hector and
as his prize, while Achilles chose the maiden Briseis at Lyrnessus. his men burned many of their ships. Poseidon stepped in to aid
the Achaeans—Zeus’ attention had wandered—but the king of
Th ese two women proved deadly to many of the Achaeans.
the gods soon noticed and helped the Trojans carry the day.
Chryseis was the daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo, and
after years of travel, he reached Troy seeking the Achaean Agamemnon, seeing how desperate his situation had become,
captains. He begged them to return his daughter to him, and fi nally agreed to appease Achilles, and off ered not only to
even off ered handsome treasure as compensation. Th e men felt return the girl but to give him a great amount of treasure as
his request was reasonable and ought to be granted, since he was well. Achilles stood fast, refusing the gifts, even though his
a priest, but Agamemnon refused, going so far as to threaten the friends Odysseus and Ajax carried the message. Still, Achilles
man. Humiliated, Chryses left, praying to Apollo for revenge. Th e relented enough to allow his friend Patroclus to put on his
archer god, enraged at this treatment of his priest, set a plague armor and lead the Myrmidons to the Achaeans’ aid, believing
upon the Achaeans. Th e contagion wreaked havoc among the that by wearing Achilles’ armor, everyone would think he had
Achaeans, killing many of them and jeopardizing their war eff ort, returned to the battle, unnerving the Trojans and heartening
until fi nally, the seer Calchas explained the cause of the plague. the Achaeans. Achilles insisted his friend drive the Trojans
He urged Agamemnon to return the girl and off er additional back from the ships and nothing more, but Patroclus let victory
sacrifi ces as an apology to the god. Th ough this angered the distract him, and pursued the Trojans across the battlefi eld,
arrogant king, Agamemnon fi nally agreed, but on one condition. almost to Troy’s walls. Again, the gods intervened. Apollo
If he had to give up the girl, he would take someone else’s prize stunned the man and Euphorbus wounded him before Hector
in return. Achilles denounced the king for his greed, and in fi nally killed him and took Achilles’ armor from his body.
reply, Agamemnon took Briseis as compensation. Th e mighty
When Achilles learned of his friend’s death, anger swept
warrior did not stop him, but announced he would no longer
through him, burning away his stubbornness. Th e greatest
fi ght in the war, and he and his men refused to take part in
warrior swore revenge, and with new armor bestowed unto him
further confl ict. Th is weakened the Achaeans, but heartened the
by his mother, fashioned at the hands of the god Hephaestus,
Trojans. Odysseus, Nestor, and several others begged Achilles to
Achilles accepted Agamemnon’s apology and gifts, and rejoined
reconsider, but the young warrior stubbornly refused to yield. To
the battle. Th e Achaeans crushed the Trojans, while Achilles
make matters worse, he complained to his mother Th etis, who
strove to face Hector. Zeus had decreed Hector’s death, and so
then complained to Zeus. Owing Th etis his life, the king of the
when the rest of the Trojans fl ed back to the city, Athena tricked
gods off ered to repay her by making the Achaeans suff er until
Hector into remaining, so he faced Achilles alone. Th ough a
they had no choice but to appease Achilles fully.
mighty warrior himself, Hector was no match for Achilles,
Th e Achaeans continued to fi ght, even without their greatest and soon fell to the man’s wrath. Not content with this victory,
champion, not realizing the gods had turned against them. Achilles desecrated his opponent’s corpse, dragging the body
Hector, a prince of Troy and the commander of their forces, behind his chariot all the way back to the boats. King Priam
proposed a truce, suggesting a duel be fought to settle the approached the Achaean camp alone and made a personal
matter. Paris agreed to fi ght for the Trojans, since he had appeal to Achilles to take back Hector’s body for proper burial.
ultimately caused the war, and Menelaus insisted on fi ghting Achilles, always honorable, allowed the Trojan king his request,
for the Achaeans. Menelaus would have killed his former guest and so was Trojan’s hero buried.
had Aphrodite not rescued Paris and spirited him to safety. Th en
Achilles did not live long enough to savor his victory, though.
Athena encouraged the archer Pandarus to shoot at Menelaus,
Patroclus’ death had been the fi rst in a series, and shortly after
thus breaking the truce.
Hector’s corpse returned to Troy, Paris shot Achilles with an
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- CHAPTER One: The Epics -
arrow, piercing his ankle, the one place where Achilles was this thank-off ering to Athena.” Odysseus and several of the
vulnerable. Apollo had guided the shaft, and thus avenged the Achaeans’ best warriors climbed inside the horse. Th e rest took
death of his own son. their boats and other belongings and emptied the camp. Th e
next day, fi nding the camp deserted and the horse standing in its
Following Achilles’ death, the army presented his armor to the
midst, the Trojans assumed the Achaeans had fi nally fl ed. Th ey
next best warrior in the camp. Ajax and Odysseus vied for the
dragged the horse into the city, and set it before Priam’s palace,
honor. When Odysseus won, Ajax went mad, and only Athena
while they debated what to do with it. Th e seeress Cassandra
prevented him from slaughtering his own allies, turning his
saw the truth, but her curse was no one ever believed her visions.
wrath mistakenly on the cattle, seeing them as soldiers. When
Laocoon, another seer, confi rmed her words, but the gods sent
he saw what he had done, shame overtook him, and he killed
serpents to kill him, and thus no one listened, and the Trojans
himself, falling upon the very sword Hector had bestowed to
spared the wooden horse.
him. Th us, the Achaean army lost its two mightiest warriors in
rapid succession. Th at night, the Achaean Sinon lit a beacon lamp in the Achaean
camp, guiding their ships back to shore, while Odysseus and
Th e Achaeans then chose guile over force to win the day. Th ey
his men crept out of the horse, overpowered the sentries, and
retrieved Philoctetes from his exile in Lemnos, his wound
opened the city’s gates allowing their comrades into the city. Th e
fi nally healed. Philoctetes shot and killed Paris, removing the
Achaeans swept through the sleeping Trojans, killing Priam and
war’s catalyst.
his remaining sons, and killing or taking the king’s daughters
Odysseus then stole into Troy, and removed the Palladium, a
as slaves. Th ey even slew Hector’s son Astyanax, a little boy. Of
wooden statue sacred to Athena that protected the city from
the royal family, only Aeneas, his father Anchises, and his son
being sacked.
Ascanius escaped, and only with Aphrodite’s aid. After killing
Finally, Odysseus suggested a new stratagem. Th e Achaeans everyone and dividing the spoils, the Achaeans set fi re to the
constructed a massive hollow wooden horse, and engraved upon city. Victors, they gathered in their ships and set sail for their
it the inscription: “For their return home, the Achaeans dedicate respective homes and waiting families.
After the War
Of the victors, not all returned to their former lives. Many Menelaus also suff ered the gods’ ire. Angered it had taken so
had off ended the gods, and now faced the consequences of long to recover his wife and defeat the Trojans, he did not
divine wrath. Agamemnon returned to Mycenae, but his wife off er the gods sacrifi ces when he left Troy. As a result, the gods
Clytemnestra had never forgiven him for the death of their destroyed many of his ships and stranded the rest along the
daughter Iphigenia. When he returned, she and her lover Egyptian coast. It took seven years before Menelaus and Helen
poisoned and killed him, along with all of his other children. found their way back to Sparta.
Only his son Orestes, who was away at the time, survived, and
Th e most famous voyage home, however, belongs to Odysseus,
later revenged him, reclaiming the kingdom.
the craftiest of all the Achaeans. After sailing from Troy,
Lesser Ajax, also known as Ajax the Runner, off ended Athena by Odysseus and his men put in at an island, where they
violating her temple in Troy. As punishment, she asked Poseidon to encountered the monstrous one-eyed Cyclopes. Odysseus
send a violent storm to sink most of blinded Polyphemus, the greatest
his departing fl eet. Ajax managed to of all Cyclopes, and escaped, but in
live by clinging to a rock, but made his arrogance, he told the monster
the mistake of boasting that even the his name. Polyphemus prayed to
gods could not kill him. Outraged, his father Poseidon, and the great
Poseidon split the rock in two, and sea god capsized most of Odysseus’
Ajax fell into the sea and drowned. boats, killing nearly all of Odysseus’
men. Th ough Odysseus survived,
Diomedes also suff ered delays and
and eventually returned home to
diffi culties. During the war, he
Ithaca, it took him ten long years.
wounded both Aphrodite and her
And when he arrived, he found his
lover Ares. Th e two gods caused a
wife Penelope beset by suitors, who
storm to maroon his ships along
consumed all of his wealth. With
the Lycian coast, where King Lycus,
the aid of his son Telemachus and
an ally of Troy, captured them and
the goddess Athena, who always
intended to sacrifi ce them to Ares.
protected Ithacan king, he killed
Fortunately, the princess Callirrhoe
the suitors and reclaimed his home.
helped Diomedes and some of
his men escape. When Diomedes As for the Trojans, Troy was
fi nally returned home, he discovered destroyed but Aeneas and his
his wife Aegialeia cuckolded father and son roamed the ocean.
him with a local noble named Aphrodite watched over them, and
Commetes; the two had ruled after many adventures, they settled
in his stead. With Athena’s help, along a distant shore, establishing a
Diomedes defeated his wife’s lover home there, a home that would one
and he regained his kingdom. day become Rome.
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