Συν ται η επι ται
[Λ]Name: Apollodorus
[Λ]Alias: Dorian
[Λ]Age: 24
[Λ]Gender: Male
[Λ]Lineage: Herakles [Minor]
[Λ]Class: Spartiate
[Λ]Position: Hippeis; King's Royal Guard
[Λ]Enōmotiai: First Myrmidons
[Λ]Syssitia: κρυπτός Ω
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[Λ]Personality: Appollodorus is a Spartan first, and Greek second. His personality can seem, to outsiders or non-warriors, somewhat severe. He values the Spartan and Greek ideas of honesty, fellowship, bravery, and honor between foes, and refuses any sort of dishonesty, even on the parts of his allies. This isn't to say that he dislikes cleverness - only underhandedness. Generally straightforward and blunt as a hammer, the Spartiate's Laconic wit is evident in his dark - and sometimes lewd - humor, his severity tempered with the sort of lackadaisical nature that comes from one who simply lacks fear in all forms beyond self-preservation. Laughter, when among allies or respectable foes, is common for him.
Like any true Spartan, war is first and foremost; his forte and only profession. While it may be a stretch to say he loves it, or loves taking lives, he does not dislike war, and he will not hesitate from killing if he must. Trained his entire life for waging war, it's all that he truly knows, and he sticks to it, as putting up his spear and shield for a plow or trade would be abhorrent to his warrior code.
He doesn't understand most modern technology and generally stays away from it, while magic and the like are not uncommon in his world. However, he does despise it still - beyond the works of the divine, he sees magic as hardly useful beyond soothsayers and oracles, preferring to work with his own hands or weapons, as opposed to leaving his life in the care of arcane sigils and rituals.
Like all Spartans, he also takes great pains to keep himself clean, most especially his long hair, which is the sign of a warrior in his people's culture. He has a dislike of any ornaments, and is typically austere in his own dress, preferring simple clothing. Jewelry is largely a non-issue, and it would be rare to ever see him wear such a thing - he'd sooner sell it to get a whetstone for his sword.
[Λ]Appearance: Possibly a little short in comparison to other inhabitants of Gaia, Dorian is still a proud figure with his body crafted for war and in the image of the Grecian ideal of the athlete. His features are unmistakably Greek, his nose appearing to have been broken and healed mostly correctly, while his face retains little of youth; replaced with the hardness of someone who has spent years on campaign.
[Λ]Defining Features: Beneath the helmet of his panoply, Dorian could be considered fairly handsome, even ignoring the tad-crooked nose and the small nicks and scars from battle that litter his face, neck, and the rest of his body. His eyes are almond colored, and his hair is the color of pitch - black, and worn long and wavy in the typical Doric-Spartan fashion. He is entirely clean-shaven, preferring not to wear any facial hair. Beyond his good looks, he doesn't actually stand out. Scars and muscles are par for the parcel in Gaia, but his looks and long, wavy mane of hair might not be.
[Λ]Height: 5'10''
[Λ]Weight: 187
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[Λ]Lycurgus, Lawbringer: Lycurgus is modeled after the chosen weapon of the Spartan phalanx of Apollodorus's time - a spear of roughly eight feet in length. The point is made more like an edged spike, as opposed to a blade, more useful for thrusting attacks than cutting. The spearhead and counter-weight appear to be made of normal bronze, while the haft is ashen.
This spear is named after the legendary founder of Sparta's law system himself, and has been passed through several generations of Sparta's finest warriors, making it somewhat of a legendary weapon. To the people of Gaia, however, it won't seem terribly special - it's only supernatural properties are that it is much more durable and sharp than the composition would suggest, and that the spearhead oft-times ignites in glaring flame that can burn and sizzle the flesh of any who touch it.
[Λ]Myrmidon Aspis: The most noteworthy part of any Spartan panoply is the shield, and Apollodorus's is no different. Made of sturdy wood double-layered with Corinthian black bronze, the shield has a somewhat bowled make to it as all aspises do, and the lambda has been skillfully etched into the metal of the facing. This shield is lighter than one might expect, but can take blows from just about any weapon head on, and takes several to crack or break. Even if it were to break, it will eventually mend itself - over time, of course.
[Λ]Orichalcum Xiphos: The back-up weapon of the Spartan hoplite, this is a short sword of roughly 1 1/2 feet of blade, with 1/2 foot of handle. The blade is made of Orichalcum, a supernatural metal mined by mysterious people from the East, beyond even Persian lands. The blade is thin and straight, and made for stabbing and cutting. This sword has no special qualities to it, other than the composition of the blade, which makes for a sturdy weapon.
[Λ]Hippeis Cloak: Almost as notable as the shield is the crimson cloak of the Spartiate warrior. This is made of simple wool, and embroidered with gold, Grecian designs along the edge to denote the owner's place in the Royal Guard of the king, the Hippeis. Fire resistant and good at keeping its owner warm. The brooch for this cloak is made of gold in the form of a Lambda.
[Λ]Corinthian Helmet: This helmet is made typical in the fashion of the times, but like all of his armor, is made from Hepatizon, otherwise known as Black Corinthian Bronze. This metal is supposedly of a mythical nature, on par with greater metals such as high grade steel, mithral, dragonsteel, or otherwise "armor worthy" metals, but much lighter in weight. This helmet is shaped in the typical Corinthian fashion, with a closed face and traversal horsehair crest of red to denote his status as a leader of men.
[Λ]Lakedaemonian Cuirass: This muscled cuirass is made of Hepatizon, and shaped to fit his form. Muscular definition has been worked into the details of the armor to give the appearance of athletic shape and form when looked upon, but this offers no extra degree of protection, and the armor itself has no special properties beyond being made of Hepatizon.
[Λ]Krypteia Bracers: These Hepatizon bracers are shaped to fit the contours of his forearm, and protect from wrist to joint, with leather string used to tie it in place on the underside of his forearm to make sure it fits. Instead of muscle definition like his greaves or cuirass, etchings of the conquering of Messenia by the Lakadaemonians. These vembracers have been dual layered to offer extra protection against the blows of weapons, but they're still only 'accessory' pieces and can be broken or creased rather easily.
[Λ]Spartiate Greaves: Made of Hepatizon in the typical Greek fashion (muscled definition, made to "bend" around the leg and tie together in the back), these greaves go from ankle to knee, and provide both front and back protection, as opposed to solely front. Their make also allows for flexibility and movement, and are not as rigid as one might think.
[Λ]Crimson Chiton: A simple wool tunic dyed crimson to match his cloak and embroidered with black stitching. Being made of mere cloth, it offers little protection other than from the elements. It reaches down to just above his knees, lacks sleeves, and is cinched in place by a leather cord around his waist.
[Λ]Warrior's Kit: The warrior's kit is a bag of essentials carried by most warriors. Since his separation from his homeland, he has taken to carrying money in the form of gold and silver coins (typically barred by Spartan tradition), along with things like bandages, sutures, food, oil and tools for his armor, and means to clean himself and the like. He also has a variety of bone and ivory combs, not surprising considering his heritage.
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[Λ]Heracle's Descendant: As an off-shoot of the royal family, the members of Apollodorus's family are Heracleidae; descendants of Heracles himself. The demi-god hero's various sexual exploits have spread his line far across the land, and this is true in Sparta as well. This is what makes Apollodorus a "hero", his Olympiad heritage sets him a step above other men in his talents and physical prowess, and allows him, for a short time, to draw on the power of Heracles himself.
[Λ]Gift of Heritage: When needed, Apollodorus can draw upon the power of Heracles and other heroes past through his blood-connection to them, vastly increasing all his physical attributes for a short amount of time. The warrior has a limited amount of times he can do this per fight, and doing it too many times can cause self-harm, or even death.
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History:
The lineage of Apollodorus is long and entwined with the history of Sparta, and even Greece on the whole. Sparta is led by two lines of kings - the Agiads and the Euryponids, whom are descended from Eurysthenes and Procles, twin sons of Heracles who conquered Sparta two generations after the Trojan War
From that point onward, Sparta has been led by the two lines of kings from these two Heraclediae, with Eurysthenes's line being known as the Agiads, and Procles being the founder of the Euryponid line. Apollodorus is a part of the Agiad line of kings, which is generally considered the 'superior' line, as it produces more war-kings. Leonidas was an Agiad, and the uncle of Apollodorus.
Little can be said of Apollodorus's life prior to coming to Gaia, as the ways of Sparta are strict and austere, and allow little in the ways of drama and ups and downs in other cultures.
Personal history of Apollodorus--
503-496 BC - Born to Cleombrotus (brother of Leonidas) and Cassandra. These are the only years he spent with his family prior to entering the agoge, of which little can be said. His brother, Pausanias, was some seven years his elder, and thus they never saw each other except in passing, until Apollodorus joined the agoge.
496-486 BC - Spent mandatory ten years (age 7-17) in the agoge to be trained as a proper Spartan warrior. Learned how to use the spear, sword, shield, and how to take care of his arms and armor, along with the varied military tactics of the contemporary Greeks and Persians of the time. Like all recruits at this age, he oft-times had to steal his food, and literally earn his survival from day to day. It is in this frame of his life that he was allotted his personal Helot servant, Demetrius, who served as a second for the Spartiate in battles to come.
During this time, Apollodorus was also inducted into the Krypteia thanks to his lineage and combat prowess. Like all members of this secret organization of elite Spartan warriors, he would sneak out to kill Helots, as per the customs of the society. By his own reckoning, he murdered nearly two dozen over the course of being inducted to the Krypteia at the age of twelve, till his 'graduation' from the agoge at the age of seventeen. It is during this time he gains his family's hereditary artifacts, excepting Lycurgus.
486-481 BC - At this point in his life, he was required to and thusly married a Spartiate woman in good standing named Eunike. Spartan culture restricted their time together, however, and so the two saw rarely of each other, given his relative youth and how much time he spent over the five years in fighting minor campaigns around the Peloponnese. He did, however, sneak out often enough to see her that they had three children together, two boys and one daughter. During this time, he is also promoted to being a Hippeis; a member of the kings' royal guard.
480 BC - Prior to the Battle of Thermopylae, a Persian assassin made an attempt on the life of Leonidas, the Agiad king, while he was having a meal with Cleombrotus and Apollodorus. Apollodorus managed to notice the assailant and protect Leonidas, but at the sacrifice of his own health - two arrows and a sword wound were the price of his uncle's safety. For his valor, Leonidas passed the spear Lycurgus to his nephew as thanks.
Bed-ridden and direly injured, Apollodorus was unable to join his king and fellow Hippeis warriors to Thermopylae. When news of the batte's conclusion reached Sparta, the warrior and his brother Pausanias began to rally the Krypteia and Hippeis to battle, urging their fellow Spartans to follow through with the war against Persia.
479 BC - Having gained the support of his father (who was acting as regent for Leonidas), the Euryponid king, and the Ephors, Apollodorus and countless other Spartiates and marched to battle, with the elder Pausanias leading the army. Having made agreements with the other city-states in danger of Persian dominion, Pausanias was made head of the entire Greek force, with Apollodorus in control of the Hippeis.
The Greeks met the Persian armies at Plataea, near the River Asopus. The two armies camped across from one another for nearly two weeks, with little more than skirmishes initiated by the cavalry of the Persians. The Persians had begun to assault the Greek supply lines, however. With their food and water both threatened, the Greeks began to retreat to higher ground where they could protect their supply lines and regain a source of water.
The Tegeans and Spartans covered the retreat, and when the Persians saw that the Greeks were retreating back, Mardonius (the Persian general assigned by Xerxes to crush the Greeks) began to move forward to assault the Greeks. Pausanias, whose Tegean and Spartan forces had reached the Temple of Demeter on high ground, sent a messenger to call the Athenians to their position, but the Athenians were engaged in close combat with the Theban contingents.
The Spartans under Pausanias were assaulted first by the Persian cavalry, who were unable to break through the Spartan and Tegean phalanx. Pausanias refused to advance his forces until Apollodorus convinced him of good omens in the sky above. With Pausanias directing the force, Apollodorus took to the fore with his Krypteia and Hippeis brethren and began to advance towards the Persian infantry, who had also began to move forward.
The Greeks, with longer spears and heavier armor, smashed into the Persian infantry front and immediately began to grind them down. Leading the Spartan frontline, Apollodorus punched through the Persian center with two dozen of his fellow Spartiates, cutting down the Persian sparabara and spearmen before trampling them as they advanced.
Without realizing it, Apollodorus and his Enōmotiai had been enveloped by the Persians and cut off from their brethren. Seeing the enclosed Spartans, Mardonius and his personal squad of men rushed to engage them. The Agiad descendant managed to spear the Persian leader from his horse after a fellow Spartan had hurled a stone at Mardonius's head.
Despite this action leading to the eventual route of the Persian forces, it also left Apollodorus open, an opportunity his Persian opponents didn't fail to take. Before Mardonius's heart had even stopped beating, his killer was shot several times by Persian archers in the rear-guard of Mardonius's bodyguard. Two arrows struck him squarely in the throat, while the other three managed to pierce into his open flank, as he'd broken from his phalanx to make the kill.
Despite this death being seen in plain view, the Hippeis's body could not be found among the dead. It has been assumed that Ares, the God of war and bloodshed, carried off the warrior to Hades, or perhaps to some faraway land for some strange reason.
??? - Arrival in Gaia. For unknown reasons, Ares has chosen Apollodorus as an experiment in the world of Gaia. Given only the clothing on his body and his arms, he was left to fend for himself somewhere outside of Barton, and has been wandering aimlessly since.
