“In a world where people walk the earth untouched by death, monsters lurk in the shadows and a mountain is home to beings capable of raising the oceans and raining hell from the sky, a mortal is a simple thing. Simple, yet utterly crucial. A god without anyone to believe in them is a poor thought indeed.”
– Sarpedon, Son of Zeus –
Siro,
Delphi's Echo
Eight years ago, the capital city of Apollo’s empire, Delphi, was destroyed in a single night; incinerated down its very foundations by an unknown demigod. Over nine thousand people were killed. Siro, a young priest, was the only survivor.
Rescued by Apollo from the wreckage of the burning city and brought to the city of Bassae, Siro is a man haunted by the ghosts he left behind. Unknown to all, Siro emerged from Delphi’s fire with a warped power of prophecy. When he sleeps, he lives through the eyes of the demigod that destroyed his family and home. Each heartbeat, every breath, Siro feels it all. But they are fleeting memories. As soon as he wakes, the memories are like lamp oil in his hands, and Siro is left with a handful of broken secrets. Caught between his urge to avenge his family and his duty to Apollo, Siro moves between the days, waiting for the next stolen look at his family’s murderer.
As the Sixty-Ninth Pantheon approaches, Siro realises the demigod is at the heart of a devastating plot that will bring the Twelve Olympians themselves to their knees. A plot that only he can see coming.
Chara,
High-Priestess of Apollo
There are many who claim to truly love the Olympian they are branded with. Some believe it, and even fewer mean it. Chara, the recently instated High Priestess of Apollo, is one of those mortals. Blessed, or cursed, with an devotion to Apollo that borders on fanaticism, Chara serves her god with singular purpose. Even the blights caused by Apollo’s status as the Twelfth Olympian seem to have little effect on her. Where others wither and starve, Chara continues to shine. The other priests watch her with a cocktail of jealousy and awe, but Chara believes there is nothing impressive about her beliefs. Apollo is their hope, so they must hope.
Chara has lived a sheltered life. Her safety is fiercely guarded by her father, Perdix, the Herald of the Sun, and she can count on one hand the times she has left Bassae. As such, her eyes are not as open to the harsh truths many Greeks face. However, she is not blind to the Olympian system, nor the weight mortals must shoulder. She harnesses this adversity as a weapon, driving herself forward for the betterment of her people.
To Chara, the Sixty-Ninth Pantheon has the potential to be Apollo’s dawn. The destruction of Delphi has galvanized Apollo’s devout. His immortal son, the radiant Asklepios, has never been stronger. After two hundred years of weakness and humiliation, the sun god’s rise is practically inevitable. That is, until her childhood friend Siro approaches her to talk about a dream…
Achilles,
Librarian of Thamryis
Named for the greatest demigod Greece has ever seen, Achilles is anything but his namesake’s image. Thin haired and bodied, Achilles serves as the Grand Librarian of Thamryis, entrusted with the vast wisdom kept within its walls.
Gifted with a brain sharper than a blade but without the courage to use it, Achilles forever dreams of something more; something that will see him placed amongst the histories he so adores.
One of the few mortals alive with knowledge of the forbidden gods, Achilles finds his quiet life torn asunder with the arrival of a letter, written by his old friend Chara.
Perdix,
Herald of the Dawn
Two hundred years ago, the title of Herald of the Dawn would have earned Perdix an enormous villa, numberless servants and the most magnificent uniform. As it is, with Apollo crippled, Perdix is little more than a muted mouthpiece, spreading the sun god’s word to the few that still care to listen.
Not that Perdix cares. Aware of the harsh truths of the Pantheon, but with the will to harness them, Perdix pushes forward with a dogged, relentless conviction that is only surpassed by his daughter, Chara. Nights can be long and cold in Greece, but the sun always rises.
Merillo,
Priest of Apollo
Merillo is a mortal in an unenviable position. A priest of a minute temple on the eastern fringes of Greece, the annihilation of Apollo’s primary temples have seen him catapulted into relevancy, with none of the experience to handle it.
If the pressure is getting to him, Merillo is hiding it well. Tackling his new responsibilities with an enthusiasm that most Apollonian’s have forgotten, the young priest brings a faint promise of hope to Apollo’s elderly devout. In such troubling times, that’s enough for anyone to grasp onto.
Phoebe,
Companion of Hippolyta
An Amazon warrior and sworn devout of Ares, the god of war, Phoebe won the honour of serving as the Companion of the demigoddess Hippolyta in the Sixty-Ninth Pantheon.
The Pantheon is the first time Phoebe has left the Amazonian borders, and finds the Grecian way of life confusing and enamoring in equal measure.
At only 18 years of age, Phoebe is one of the youngest Companions in the Panthoen’s history, and the Amazonian takes to the field with a desperate urge to prove herself, and the skills to do so.
Karkinos,
Companion of Sarpedon
Many people ask the question: why is a crippled man competing in the Sixty-Ninth Pantheon?
Karkinos has dedicated his life to the pursuit of criminals. Whereever crimes go unpunished, he administers judgment. Whenever the weak are threatened, he protects them with body and sword.
To Sarpedon, the son of Zeus, the answer is simple. There are few good people left in this world, and Karkinos is one of them.
Caliphon,
Companion of Herakles
The ex-commander of a famous mercenary battalion, Caliphon has received more battle honours than many mortals have had hot meals, and now, having won the almost incomparable honour of serving as Herakles’ Companion for the Sixty-Ninth Pantheon, the venerable soldier has no intention of stopping. The Pantheon is just the next battlefield to conquer.
“Division, sadness, the hunger. No one but the minority can be happy while the Pantheon exists. How can that be seen as godly? But, let me tell you, what begins tomorrow will be so very godly.”
– Phobos, The Heart of Fear –
