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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 StilesDevelopment: Robert J Schwalb

Art Direction and Graphic Design: Hal Mangold Cover Art: James Ryman

Interior Art: Caleb Cleveland, Kent Burles, Joe Wigfield, 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 SchwalbThe Trojan War is © 2004, 2008 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. The Trojan War, Green Ronin, Mythic

Vistas, 3rd Era, and their associated logos are trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.The 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.

Green Ronin PublishingP.O. Box 1723

Renton, WA 98057-1723Email: custserv@greenronin.comWeb Site: www.greenronin.com

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Table of ContentsCredits ............................................... 1

Introduction: The Trojan War & the Homeric Age ................ 5

Running a Trojan War Campaign .......................................... 5

Chapter One: The Epics ...........7Before the War ....................................................................... 7The War .................................................................................. 8After the War ......................................................................... 9

Chapter Two: Characters ............................... 10

Race ...................................................................................... 10 Human .......................................................................... 10 Divine Offspring ........................................................... 11 Occupation .................................................................... 13Piety ..................................................................................... 13

Chapter Three: Character Classes .............. 14

New Character Classes ....................................................14Charioteer ......................................................................14Dedicated Warrior ..........................................................17Magician .........................................................................20Priest ...............................................................................24New Prestige Classes .......................................................28Orator ..............................................................................28Runner ............................................................................30Seer .................................................................................32

Chapter Four: Skills and Feats ................. 35

New Skills & Skills Uses .................................................35New Feats ........................................................................37

Chapter Five: Magic ................. 41 Arcane Magic ...........................................................41 Divine Magic ............................................................42Spell Lists ........................................................................42 Arcane Spells ............................................................42 Divine Spells ............................................................46New Spells .......................................................................50

Chapter Six: Equipment ................................ 59

The Age of Bronze ..........................................................59Currency ..........................................................................59 Bartering ..................................................................60Weapons .........................................................................60Armor .............................................................................62

Shields ......................................................................63 Armor Properties ......................................................64Goods ..............................................................................65 Goods Descriptions ..................................................65 Color ........................................................................67 Chariots ...................................................................67 Boats ........................................................................68 Food and Drink ........................................................69

Chapter Seven: Homeric Battlefields .... 70

The Basics ........................................................................70How Fighting Works .......................................................70 Terrain ......................................................................71Forces ..............................................................................71Characters Attached to Units ..........................................73Battlefield Actions ...........................................................73Battlefield Feats ...............................................................76Common Bettlefield Feat Combinations.........................80Sample Army Forces .......................................................80

Chapter Eight: Religion and Piety .............81

The Greek Pantheon ........................................................81 Aphrodite .................................................................82 Apollo .......................................................................82 Ares ..........................................................................83 Artemis .....................................................................83 Athena ......................................................................84 Hades .......................................................................84 Hecate ......................................................................85 Hephaestus ...............................................................85 Hera .........................................................................86 Hermes .....................................................................86 Iris ............................................................................87 Poseidon ...................................................................87 Zeus ..........................................................................88When Gods War ............................................................89Offerings ........................................................................89Religious Services ...........................................................90Piety ...............................................................................91 Piety Points and Piety Modifiers ..............................91 Gaining and Losing Piety ........................................92 Sins ...........................................................................92 Reducing Sin ............................................................93

Chapter Nine: The Homeric World ............95

Achaea .............................................................................95 Geography ................................................................95 History .....................................................................95 Politics ......................................................................95 Culture .....................................................................96

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Economy ..................................................................96 Religion ....................................................................96Troy .................................................................................97 Geography ................................................................97 History ....................................................................97 Politics ......................................................................98 Culture .....................................................................98 Economy ..................................................................98 Religion ....................................................................98

Chapter Ten: Captains of Legend ..........100

Achaean Captains ..........................................................100 Achilles ...................................................................100 Ajax ........................................................................101 Agamemnon ...........................................................101 Calchas ...................................................................101 Diomedes ...............................................................102 Menelaus ................................................................102 Nestor .....................................................................103 Odysseus .................................................................103 Patroclus .................................................................104 Philoctetes ..............................................................104 Sinon ......................................................................105 Thersites .................................................................105Trojan Captains .............................................................106 Aeneas ....................................................................106 Glaucus ...................................................................106 Hector ....................................................................106 Helen ......................................................................107 Memnon .................................................................107 Paris ........................................................................108 Penthesilia ..............................................................108 Priam ......................................................................108 Sarpedon ................................................................109Common Foes ...............................................................110 Green Soldiers ........................................................110 Trained Soldiers .....................................................110 Veteran Soldiers ......................................................110 Legendary Soldiers ................................................110

Chapter Eleven: Homeric Bestiary ................. 111

Homeric Monsters ........................................................111 Known Monsters ....................................................111 Legendary Animals ................................................114 New Monsters ........................................................118 Spirits .....................................................................118

Chapter Twelve: Treasure ................................... 119

Mundane Items .............................................................119 Item Value ..............................................................119Magic Items ..................................................................120 New Magic Items ...................................................120

Wondrous Items .....................................................121Artifacts .........................................................................123 Minor Artifacts ......................................................123 Major Artifacts .......................................................124

Chapter Thirteen: Nine Long Years .................. 126

The Battlefield ..............................................................126Decade-Long Conflict ..................................................127Running Part of the War ...............................................128 Achaean Arrival ......................................................128 Conscriptions .........................................................128 Sailing to Troy ........................................................129 Early Conflict .........................................................129 Middle Conflict ......................................................130 Side Battles .............................................................130 Plague .....................................................................130 The Iliad .................................................................130 Closing Conflict .....................................................131 After the War .........................................................131Choosing Sides ..............................................................132 Achaeans ................................................................132 Trojans ....................................................................132Changing Outcomes ....................................................133 Helen ......................................................................133 Oath of Tyndareus ..................................................133 Leadership ..............................................................134 Achilles ...................................................................134 The Field of Battle ..................................................134 Truces .....................................................................134 Deaths ....................................................................135 Trojan Horse ..........................................................135 Final Victory ...........................................................135Aftermath .....................................................................136

Chapter Fourteen: Running The Game ............... 137

Epic Conventions ..........................................................137Gaming Vs. Epic Storytelling .......................................138Fame and Fortune .........................................................139Deus Ex Machina .........................................................140Divine Favor .................................................................141Divine Displeasure ........................................................143Omens ...........................................................................144Building a Homeric Adventure .....................................147

Appendix I: Greater Divine Offspring ................................... 149

Appendix II: Reference Tables ..................151

Index ................................................. 157

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- Introduction -

1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f ) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement.

2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.

3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-

free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your

Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the

COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.

7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.

8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.

9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.

10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You

have written permission from the Contributor to do so.12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open

Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30

days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary

to make it enforceable.15. COPYRIGHT NOTICEOpen Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams,

Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Testament, Copyright 2003, Green Ronin Publishing; Author Scott Bennie.The Trojan War, Copyright 2004, Green Ronin Publishing; Author Aaron Rosenberg.

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0aThe following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights

Reserved.

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Vast armies face each other across a broad plain, filling the field 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. The 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 conflict. 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.This book, the newest in the Mythic Vista series, details the Trojan War. It examines both sides of the conflict, and discusses the forces arrayed against Troy and those standing in its defense. More importantly, this book converts the battle into a campaign setting, offering new character classes, feats, skills, equipment, and other details based upon the war and its participants. Inside, you will find 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.The most important thing to remember when playing the Trojan War, however, is that the battle was not among men alone. The 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

The Trojan War is a perfect setting for a fantasy game. It was an era filled 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 battlefield, 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 conflict 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. The 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.The most important elements to a Trojan War campaign are the constant conflict, 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.

Introduction: The Trojan War & the

Homeric Age

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- CHAPTER One: The Epics -

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Everyone believed Helen, the daughter of Zeus and Leda, to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Because of this, many men sought her hand in marriage, including numerous kings. Helen’s foster father, King Tyndareus, worried selecting one man among the suitors would cause war between all. But Odysseus, who had desired Tyndareus’ niece Penelope, offered a solution: in exchange for Penelope, Odysseus instructed the king to demand all the suitors swear an oath, pledging to defend the marriage rites of the chosen man. The suitors agreed to this, and swore their oaths before the gods. Thus, when Paris abducted Helen, Menelaus and Agamemnon, his brother and king of Mycenae, gathered their troops. They rallied the former suitors, whose oaths bound them to support the venture against Troy, and their soldiers. This combined force is referred to collectively as the Achaeans—other names include the Danaans or the Argives, though, for simplicity’s sake, this text uses Achaeans.When the people of Troy saw this massive navy approach, Troy’s King Priam ordered his people to prepare their defenses. The nine dynasties recognizing him as their overlord joined Priam’s army.Not everyone wanted to participate in the coming battle. Odysseus feigned insanity to avoid joining the Achaean army, but Agamemnon and Menelaus saw through the ruse, and forced him to leave his home and aid them in gathering their allies. The greatest challenge came in Thessaly, where the elderly King Peleus could not fight anymore. He had a son named Achilles, though, who all considered him the mightiest warrior alive. Thetis, Achilles’ mother, knew from prophecies if her son went to war, he would not return, though he would win everlasting fame for his deeds. To prevent him from going, she disguised him as a woman and concealed him among the ladies of the household. The attempted deception did not fool the clever Odysseus, who easily discovered the youth’s identity. Once recognized, Achilles gladly accepted the offer to fight with the other Achaeans, and took command of his father’s Myrmidons.

We have all heard how Paris’ theft of the beautiful Helen started the Trojan War, but it really began with an apple. Of course, the apple was no normal piece of fruit. The goddess Eris, or Discord, who had not been invited to the nuptials of Thetis, the water nymph daughter of Poseidon, and Peleus, chose to attend anyway. And as a sign of her displeasure at being slighted, she threw a golden apple among the guests at the reception banquet. The apple bore an inscription: “For the Fairest.”The mortal women present knew they could not compete with the beauty of the goddesses, so they simply ignored the stranger and her odd gift. But the goddesses, on the other hand, fell victim to their own vanity, and they argued about who most deserved the apple. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all claimed it, and their bickering filled the hall. Since they could not agree, and no one else present dared to displease the deities by choosing one of the others, the goddesses decided to select an impartial observer: the mortal Paris, a shepherd and prince of Troy.The three goddesses approached Paris, and demanded he chose the most beautiful among them. Each goddess offered him a reward in turn. Hera promised him wealth and dominion over the world. Athena promised him wisdom and victory in war. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, promised him Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. Naturally, Paris awarded Aphrodite the apple.Aphrodite then led Paris to Sparta, and aided him in seducing Helen away from her husband, King Menelaus. For nine days, Menelaus entertained his royal guest, but then the King left for Crete to attend the funeral of his grandfather Catreus. After Menelaus’ departure, Paris persuaded Helen to accompany him to Troy, and the two lovers fled into the night.When the King returned home and discovered the betrayal, he swore to avenge himself and to retrieve Helen. As king of Sparta, a city of warriors, he marshaled his army, and prepared to set sail. But that was not the extent of the matter.

Chapter One: The Epics

This 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

A Homeric SettingThroughout this book, the Trojan War’s era and the setting is referred to as Homeric. This is for three reasons. First, historians argue over when the Trojan War occurred (if it really happened at all), and so no fixed date can be offered. 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. Third, 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. The 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.

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- CHAPTER One: The Epics -It took over two years for Menelaus to muster his forces for the trip to Troy, and many things happened along the way, nearly all involving the gods. At one point on the voyage, Artemis becalmed the Achaeans’ ships because Agamemnon had offended her. To appease her, he sacrificed his own daughter, Iphigenia, and though he appeased the goddess, the act offended many of the other captains, including Achilles,

and unrest between the two continued throughout the coming days. Achilles, however, was not free from blame, for later, at Tenedos, Achilles slew King Tenes, the son of Apollo. In response, the god sent a snake to bite the archer Philoctetes. Philoctetes’ wound refused to heal, forcing his companions to leave him behind on an island, where he would survive for years by shooting birds from the sky.

The WarWhen the Achaeans finally reached the Troad, the region around Troy, Odysseus and Menelaus went ahead as ambassadors to convince the Trojans to return Helen or face attack. Their mission failed, even though many Trojans wanted to send her back to avoid war. Failing to avert disaster, Odysseus and Menelaus returned to the fleet and sailed the rest of the way with their men to Troy, beaching their ships along the shore not far from the city itself. The Trojans flung heavy stones against the invaders to prevent their landing, but the Achaeans fought through. They leapt out upon the plain, and marched across, laying siege to the city.The Achaeans had attacked many other lands on their way to Troy, including Thebes and Lyrnessus. Few could stand against them, and when they reached Troy, the captains had won many treasures. At Thebes, Agamemnon claimed the woman Chryseis as his prize, while Achilles chose the maiden Briseis at Lyrnessus.These two women proved deadly to many of the Achaeans. Chryseis was the daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo, and after years of travel, he reached Troy seeking the Achaean captains. He begged them to return his daughter to him, and even offered handsome treasure as compensation. The men felt his request was reasonable and ought to be granted, since he was a priest, but Agamemnon refused, going so far as to threaten the man. Humiliated, Chryses left, praying to Apollo for revenge. The archer god, enraged at this treatment of his priest, set a plague upon the Achaeans. The contagion wreaked havoc among the Achaeans, killing many of them and jeopardizing their war effort, until finally, the seer Calchas explained the cause of the plague. He urged Agamemnon to return the girl and offer additional sacrifices as an apology to the god. Though this angered the arrogant king, Agamemnon finally agreed, but on one condition. If he had to give up the girl, he would take someone else’s prize in return. Achilles denounced the king for his greed, and in reply, Agamemnon took Briseis as compensation. The mighty warrior did not stop him, but announced he would no longer fight in the war, and he and his men refused to take part in further conflict. This weakened the Achaeans, but heartened the Trojans. Odysseus, Nestor, and several others begged Achilles to reconsider, but the young warrior stubbornly refused to yield. To make matters worse, he complained to his mother Thetis, who then complained to Zeus. Owing Thetis his life, the king of the gods offered to repay her by making the Achaeans suffer until they had no choice but to appease Achilles fully.The Achaeans continued to fight, even without their greatest champion, not realizing the gods had turned against them. Hector, a prince of Troy and the commander of their forces, proposed a truce, suggesting a duel be fought to settle the matter. Paris agreed to fight for the Trojans, since he had ultimately caused the war, and Menelaus insisted on fighting for the Achaeans. Menelaus would have killed his former guest had Aphrodite not rescued Paris and spirited him to safety. Then Athena encouraged the archer Pandarus to shoot at Menelaus, thus breaking the truce.

Despite Zeus’ decree that the Achaeans suffer, Athena and Hera, the Achaeans’ two greatest supporters, continued to aid them. Athena encouraged Diomedes to charge into battle. The warrior would have single-handedly routed the Trojans if Apollo had not intervened. Then Ajax and Hector faced one another in single combat, but neither could defeat the other. When night fell, they agreed to call the battle a draw, and exchanged gifts to show respect. The gifts, however, proved ill for both of them. Hector gave Ajax a sword, which Ajax later used to kill himself, and Ajax gave Hector a purple belt, with which Achilles later used to drag Hector’s body behind him.The conflict continued, and with Zeus’ aid, the Trojans swept the battlefield and stormed the Achaean camp. Many of the mightiest Achaeans suffered wounds, and the Trojan Hector and his men burned many of their ships. Poseidon stepped in to aid the Achaeans—Zeus’ attention had wandered—but the king of the gods soon noticed and helped the Trojans carry the day.Agamemnon, seeing how desperate his situation had become, finally agreed to appease Achilles, and offered not only to return the girl but to give him a great amount of treasure as well. Achilles stood fast, refusing the gifts, even though his friends Odysseus and Ajax carried the message. Still, Achilles relented enough to allow his friend Patroclus to put on his armor and lead the Myrmidons to the Achaeans’ aid, believing that by wearing Achilles’ armor, everyone would think he had returned to the battle, unnerving the Trojans and heartening the Achaeans. Achilles insisted his friend drive the Trojans back from the ships and nothing more, but Patroclus let victory distract him, and pursued the Trojans across the battlefield, almost to Troy’s walls. Again, the gods intervened. Apollo stunned the man and Euphorbus wounded him before Hector finally killed him and took Achilles’ armor from his body.When Achilles learned of his friend’s death, anger swept through him, burning away his stubbornness. The greatest warrior swore revenge, and with new armor bestowed unto him by his mother, fashioned at the hands of the god Hephaestus, Achilles accepted Agamemnon’s apology and gifts, and rejoined the battle. The Achaeans crushed the Trojans, while Achilles strove to face Hector. Zeus had decreed Hector’s death, and so when the rest of the Trojans fled back to the city, Athena tricked Hector into remaining, so he faced Achilles alone. Though a mighty warrior himself, Hector was no match for Achilles, and soon fell to the man’s wrath. Not content with this victory, Achilles desecrated his opponent’s corpse, dragging the body behind his chariot all the way back to the boats. King Priam approached the Achaean camp alone and made a personal appeal to Achilles to take back Hector’s body for proper burial. Achilles, always honorable, allowed the Trojan king his request, and so was Trojan’s hero buried. Achilles did not live long enough to savor his victory, though. Patroclus’ death had been the first in a series, and shortly after 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 vulnerable. Apollo had guided the shaft, and thus avenged the death of his own son.Following Achilles’ death, the army presented his armor to the next best warrior in the camp. Ajax and Odysseus vied for the honor. When Odysseus won, Ajax went mad, and only Athena prevented him from slaughtering his own allies, turning his wrath mistakenly on the cattle, seeing them as soldiers. When he saw what he had done, shame overtook him, and he killed himself, falling upon the very sword Hector had bestowed to him. Thus, the Achaean army lost its two mightiest warriors in rapid succession.The Achaeans then chose guile over force to win the day. They retrieved Philoctetes from his exile in Lemnos, his wound finally healed. Philoctetes shot and killed Paris, removing the war’s catalyst.Odysseus then stole into Troy, and removed the Palladium, a wooden statue sacred to Athena that protected the city from being sacked.Finally, Odysseus suggested a new stratagem. The Achaeans constructed a massive hollow wooden horse, and engraved upon it the inscription: “For their return home, the Achaeans dedicate

this thank-offering to Athena.” Odysseus and several of the Achaeans’ best warriors climbed inside the horse. The rest took their boats and other belongings and emptied the camp. The next day, finding the camp deserted and the horse standing in its midst, the Trojans assumed the Achaeans had finally fled. They dragged the horse into the city, and set it before Priam’s palace, while they debated what to do with it. The seeress Cassandra saw the truth, but her curse was no one ever believed her visions. Laocoon, another seer, confirmed her words, but the gods sent serpents to kill him, and thus no one listened, and the Trojans spared the wooden horse. That night, the Achaean Sinon lit a beacon lamp in the Achaean camp, guiding their ships back to shore, while Odysseus and his men crept out of the horse, overpowered the sentries, and opened the city’s gates allowing their comrades into the city. The Achaeans swept through the sleeping Trojans, killing Priam and his remaining sons, and killing or taking the king’s daughters as slaves. They even slew Hector’s son Astyanax, a little boy. Of the royal family, only Aeneas, his father Anchises, and his son Ascanius escaped, and only with Aphrodite’s aid. After killing everyone and dividing the spoils, the Achaeans set fire to the city. Victors, they gathered in their ships and set sail for their respective homes and waiting families.

After the WarOf the victors, not all returned to their former lives. Many had offended the gods, and now faced the consequences of divine wrath. Agamemnon returned to Mycenae, but his wife Clytemnestra had never forgiven him for the death of their daughter Iphigenia. When he returned, she and her lover poisoned and killed him, along with all of his other children. Only his son Orestes, who was away at the time, survived, and later revenged him, reclaiming the kingdom.Lesser Ajax, also known as Ajax the Runner, offended Athena by violating her temple in Troy. As punishment, she asked Poseidon to send a violent storm to sink most of his departing fleet. Ajax managed to live by clinging to a rock, but made the mistake of boasting that even the gods could not kill him. Outraged, Poseidon split the rock in two, and Ajax fell into the sea and drowned.Diomedes also suffered delays and difficulties. During the war, he wounded both Aphrodite and her lover Ares. The two gods caused a storm to maroon his ships along the Lycian coast, where King Lycus, an ally of Troy, captured them and intended to sacrifice them to Ares. Fortunately, the princess Callirrhoe helped Diomedes and some of his men escape. When Diomedes finally returned home, he discovered his wife Aegialeia cuckolded him with a local noble named Commetes; the two had ruled in his stead. With Athena’s help, Diomedes defeated his wife’s lover and he regained his kingdom.

Menelaus also suffered the gods’ ire. Angered it had taken so long to recover his wife and defeat the Trojans, he did not offer the gods sacrifices when he left Troy. As a result, the gods destroyed many of his ships and stranded the rest along the Egyptian coast. It took seven years before Menelaus and Helen found their way back to Sparta.The most famous voyage home, however, belongs to Odysseus, the craftiest of all the Achaeans. After sailing from Troy, Odysseus and his men put in at an island, where they encountered the monstrous one-eyed Cyclopes. Odysseus

blinded Polyphemus, the greatest of all Cyclopes, and escaped, but in his arrogance, he told the monster his name. Polyphemus prayed to his father Poseidon, and the great sea god capsized most of Odysseus’ boats, killing nearly all of Odysseus’ men. Though Odysseus survived, and eventually returned home to Ithaca, it took him ten long years. And when he arrived, he found his wife Penelope beset by suitors, who consumed all of his wealth. With the aid of his son Telemachus and the goddess Athena, who always protected Ithacan king, he killed the suitors and reclaimed his home.As for the Trojans, Troy was destroyed but Aeneas and his father and son roamed the ocean. Aphrodite watched over them, and after many adventures, they settled along a distant shore, establishing a home there, a home that would one day become Rome.

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