Thread 6318543

Sing, goddess, of thirsty Argos, and of the glory of Hippomedon Aristomachides - sing of the folly of Adrastus, of the savagery of Tydeus and of Oedipal transgressions! Sing, O Muse, of Zeus’ designs, which even now come to fulfillment…

Observing these deeds from his cosmic height, the nations stained

with first bloodshed, the Sower of Stars commands the Marcher

be summoned posthaste. And Mars, who had just destroyed

Getic cities and slaughtered howling Bistonês, was

with dizzying speed racing his team up the slopes of sky,

tossing the lightning-crested gleam of his helmet, his armor

golden, grim and alive with horrific, monstrous figures;

Heaven’s dome thunders, the blood-colored light of his shield glows

ruby-red, its disk rivals and strikes the sun from afar.

Jupiter, seeing Mars still puffing from his Sarmathian

labors, his heart flooded with all the storm-bursts of war:

“As you are, my lad, just as you’ve come to me, set out

for Argos, your sword reeking, your self in a cloud of wrath.

Let them snap their indolent reins and, loathing all else,

yearn for you as they plunge in headlong, pledging to you their

hearts and hands. Sweep the reluctant on, break their treaties!

To you we gave it, yours the right to arouse war lust

in the Gods themselves – even in my dear Peace. I’ve now sown

seeds of conflict; Tydeus returns, reporting brazen

outrage, a ruler’s crime, and (primary source of vile war)

treacherous ambush – which he, and with his own arms, has avenged.

Make them believe!”


“Now, You, High Gods, who trace your bloodlines to me:

strive neither to fight in hatred against me nor to sway

me with pleas. Fate and the Sisters’ dismal spindle have thus

sworn to me. This day, appointed for war since the world

began, lies waiting and these nations were born for this battle.

But, if you object to my making this generation pay

for crimes of old, to my punishing these dire grandsons, then,

by this eternal citadel, by my entempled mind,

and by Elysian springs awesome even to me, I swear

with my own hand I’ll shake Thebes off her foundations and shatter

her walls, strew Inachian rooftops with towers torn

from the ground – or else, with my downpours, I’ll sweep them all

into the sky-blue waves, though Juno herself, toiling amidst

the turmoil, should wrap her dear temple and hills in her arms…”

- Book III, Statius’ Thebaid
Zeus’ words to Ares, following Tydeus’ ambush by Thebans
Translation by Jane Wilson Joyce

LESCHES’ NOTES

Seven Against Thebes Quest is a spin-off quest related to the series of Trojan War Quests that were created first by Homer, and then hijacked by myself. Set in Mythic Greece – a time of brazen helms and spearpoints, of demigods and Olympians, and occurs approximately twenty years prior to the events of Trojan War Quest. We will be playing as the father of the TWQ and TWQ:DS’ main characters (Nikandros and Deianira) – the legendary Hippomedon Aristomachides of Argos, near the peak of his physical ability and fame. Please note – no prior experience in the other quests or knowledge of Mythic Greece will be necessary to play this quest – this quest is meant to stand alone as a complete and self-limiting story.

His actions during the upcoming events are quite important – not just to his compatriots as they struggle against the Thebans and their allies, but also for his future family. Gods, goddesses and spinners alike will be watching his actions with great interest, and unforeseen consequences are a certainty…

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Recommended Reading:

Seven Against Thebes Quest #1: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/5934977/
Seven Against Thebes Quest #2: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/5976675/
Seven Against Thebes Quest #3: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6180072/

Optional Reading:

Trojan War Quest #1: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5579585/
Trojan War Quest #2: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5610431/
Trojan War Quest #2: Nostos: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5742360/
Trojan War Quest #3: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5827930/

Trojan War Quest: Deianira’s Sidestory #1: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5644134/
Trojan War Quest: Deianira's Sidestory #2: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5687242/
Trojan War Quest: Deianira's Sidestory #2.1: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5725902

Hippomedon Aristomachides (Ἰππομέδων)

Level 4

Height: 6’8”
Weight: ~375 lbs/170kgs

Kleos:: Your name has graced the lips and tongue of many Danaans – to your enemies, your name is a synonym for “death”, and to your allies, the byword for the perfect soldier. You are loved by the Argive Royal Family and by the Argive people for your many contributions to their safety and security. +9 to Kleos checks. Deeds below.

Major:
• Victorious Argive Prince (+8): You have crushed countless bandits, raiders, Heraclids, and more in the service of your uncle, King Adrastus of Argos. There are very few living Hellenes who can say honestly that they have won more duels and personally slain more foes than you.

Minor:
• Phocian Provocateur (+1): You set two warring princes of Siciunt, a minor kingdom, against one another, causing their deaths, the deaths of hundreds of their soldiers, and guaranteeing another generation of conflict in one corner of Phocis – all to please the bloodthirsty gods.

Timae: You are a very wealthy prince of Argos, even richer than some minor kings of Hellas – the gifts of your estates are so great that they cannot be easily measured in talents or livestock alone. +8 to Timae checks. Relevant possessions below.

STATS:

Strength- (21/24) (+12)
Agility- (18/20) (+6)
Constitution- (17/24) (+5)
Willpower- (14/20) (+2)
Intelligence- (13/20) (+1)
Charisma- (11/20) (+0)

Regional Alignment: Argive. Argive nobility are well-adept at navigating the intricacies of Hellenic noble politics (+3 CHA). Following King Adrastus’ example, the noblemen of Argos are expected to hold fast against their enemies, never quaking or quailing, and to stand firm (+3 WILL).

Epithets:

• πελώριος: “Gigantic” or “the Mighty”, due to Hippomedon’s size and strength.
• ἀμύμονος: “Peerless”, due to Hippomedon’s genius in personal combat.

Traits:

• (Tier 1) Giant: You are akin in size to the famed Heracles. (+4 to strength and strength cap and +4 to constitution and constitution cap. For reference, the normal cap is 20).
• (Tier 1) Gifted Athlete: You are a gifted athlete, skilled in wrestling, boxing, pankration (unarmed combat), running, swimming, jumping, chariot-driving, horse riding, discus, shotput, archery, and javelin throwing. (+3 to strength and agility, and +3 skill in all the aforementioned).
• (Tier 1) Argive Martial Tempering: You are the product of excellent Argive soldier training (+2 to STR, AGI, +2 skill in unarmed combat, swordplay, spearplay, shielding, javelin throwing, archery, and dodging).
• (Tier 1) Strategist: Basic tenets of troop discipline, camp formation, battlefield tactics and general warfare knowledge has been imparted to you. (+3 intelligence, +2 to petteia, generalship, troop combat rolls when you are in command)
• (Tier 0) Argive Combat Training: Additional instruction with a second weapons-master, stacks with the AMT trait. Further +1 to combat skills, +1 to STR/AGI.

Flaws

(Tier 1) Offputting Impiety: Devotion to the gods has never been your natural impulse - some part of your instinctively rejects the authority that they assume over the lives of men. While you are not truly blasphemous, your casual indifference to matters of the divine is somewhat offputting as a member of the Argive nobility. (-3 to all deity interactions, up to one success per thread auto-fails, -2 to CHA)

STATUS:

HP- (13/13)

Skills:

• Petteia: +2 to the game. (Strategist)
• Command: +2 when commanding your troops personally in battle. (Strategist)
• Combat: +3 to to-hit, wound, dodge and block rolls. (Argive Martial Tempering/Argive Combat Training)
• Athletics: +3 bonus to all such contests. (Gifted Athlete)
• More skills to be uncovered as circumstances and traits necessitate.

Inventory:

• Armor of Aristomachus: Provides a mighty +4 bonus to block rolls, and additionally provides the ability to convert a battlefield unit’s failed morale roll into a success once per battle. The bronze helm is topped with triple-tiered snow-white plumes, and iron chain-mail lines the sides of the torso; a unique appearance making you instantly recognizable.

• Royal Quality Bronze Spear (1d5+STR+SKILL), Bronze Sword (1d5+STR+SKILL) and Bronze Shield (+1 to block rolls)

• Hephaestian Kopis: A divinely-wrought short sword that has come into your possession, it is unbreakable and pierces bronze like thin linens. 1d7 base damage die, negates enemy armor bonii, and increases chances of enemy spear-breaks.

Your Forces:

• Second In Command Currently not with you: Argyros, veteran of the Second Argo-Theban war. An experienced campaigner who is utterly devoted to your family. He can be trusted to command the men in your stead but is a commoner in every other sense. When he is independently commanding your troops, they receive a +3 bonus in combat and another die. His bonus (but not the die) adds to yours when you directly command.

• Inachian Honorguard: This loyal squadron of commoner spearmen is well-seasoned in warfare and well-equipped to boot – they are Tier 3 troops, and their equipment is a cut above most Argive squadrons. Exceedingly well trained, experienced, loyal, and high morale: some of the best troops in the Argive army. (High-quality equipment – 1d4 spear damage, +2 to block rolls). 5/10 unit progress

• Hippomedon’s Army: Two thousand men-at-arms recruited from the large population of your home estate; these men along with all other Argive troops, have been passed through a punishing training program. They are now Tier 2 troops and can be trusted to behave professionally on the field. They have been equipped in the standard fashion of Argive forces: good-quality linothorax, ox-hide shields, leather helms and spears that fly true. (Good quality equipment – 1d3 spear damage, +1 to block rolls)

[bold]In the Palace of Eurykratides, King of Trachis[/bold]

Apologies for the long delay, anons. I have returned to see this quest to the end! We’ll pick up exactly where we had left off this past March.

---

But then, round Eurykratides stands to address you and his other feast guests once more:

“…Now, as many of you have heard, the victor of my Oetian Games will select a priceless treasure from my personal collection. Is it not right that these valorous men should know what they compete for?!”

The μέγαρον bursts into raucous cheering - your own interest is piqued. The obese king’s prior comments about an Argive shield come to mind... Eurykratides waves his plump arms; household servants bring in a bulky object – you immediately discern it to be a weapon or armor-stand, with a heavy blanket thrown over it. Eurykratides continues his verbal flourishes for another interminably minute, ensuring all present are hanging on his word, before the heavy blanket of the stand is dramatically cast aside...
You are momentarily dazzled by the jeweled shield that rests within – a stunned hush falls over the crowd as they observe the artifact. This is clearly the jewel of Eurykratides’ collection – the shield whose existence you weaseled out of the fat king a few nights previous. You recognize it at once as a work of sublime quality, far beyond what a man of his κλέος ought to possess.

Intricately detailed and flawless – nearly the entire surface of the bronze has been worked over in flowing designs – you peer intently, as the flickering torchlight plays over the rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. The scenes depicted strike you as familiar, somehow – they are of -

Of –

You know this shield.

You KNOW this shield.

A far-flaming disc, where lived, in perfect gold,
Danaus’ Night:
In fifty guilty bridal suites glow,
The Furies’ pitch-black torches;
The father himself at the blood-
stained doors praises the heinous crime
And inspects the swords…

You last saw it as a young man – barely more than a boy… Hanging in the halls of your estate, before the mansion became yours - you spent countless hours examining the surface, amazed at the tiny details of the inlay.

And then, after your father burned upon his pyre – it was never seen again. No – the shield went missing even before the funeral pyre of Aristomachus; your father was burned with a favorite spear alone. A mystery, swallowed whole by another. Your father’s abrupt death was rarely discussed in court – his missing shield, never. You had long thought it lost forever; you rock back on your heels – you don’t remember standing. Murmurs of concern rise from the other feast attendees, beneath your notice. A thought floods your mind, drowning your senses, flooding your ears, drenching your tongue, scrambling your wits:

THE MISSING SHIELD OF YOUR FATHER RESTS BEFORE YOU!

In the Palace of Eurykratides, King of Trachis

Apologies for the long delay, anons. I have returned to see this quest to the end! We’ll pick up exactly where we had left off this past March.

---

But then, round Eurykratides stands to address his guests once more:

“…Now, as many of you have heard, the victor of my Oetian Games will select a priceless treasure from my personal collection. Is it not right that these valorous men should know what they compete for?!”

The μέγαρον bursts into raucous cheering - your own interest is piqued. The obese king’s prior comments about an Argive shield come to mind... Eurykratides waves his plump arms, and a team of household servants bring in a bulky object – you immediately discern it to be a weapon or armor-stand, with a heavy blanket thrown over it. Eurykratides continues his verbal flourishes for another interminably minute, ensuring all present are hanging on his word, before the heavy blanket of the stand is dramatically cast aside...

You are momentarily dazzled by the jeweled shield that rests within – a stunned hush falls over the crowd as they observe the artifact. This is clearly the jewel of Eurykratides’ collection – the shield whose existence you weaseled out of the fat king a few nights previous. You recognize it at once as a work of sublime quality, far beyond what a man of his κλέος ought to possess.

Intricately detailed and flawless – nearly the entire surface of the bronze has been worked over in flowing designs – you peer intently, as the flickering torchlight plays over the rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. The scenes depicted strike you as familiar, somehow – they are of -

Of –

You know this shield.

You KNOW this shield.

A far-flaming disc, where lived, in perfect gold,
Danaus’ Night:
In fifty guilty bridal suites glow,
The Furies’ pitch-black torches;
The father himself at the blood-
stained doors praises the heinous crime
And inspects the swords…

You last saw it as a young man – barely more than a boy… Hanging in the halls of your estate, before the mansion became yours - you spent countless hours examining the surface, amazed at the tiny details of the inlay.

And then, after your father burned upon his pyre – it was never seen again. No – the shield went missing even before the funeral pyre of Aristomachus; your father was burned with a favorite spear alone. A mystery, swallowed whole by another. Your father’s abrupt death was rarely discussed in court – his missing shield, never. You had long thought it lost forever; you rock back on your heels – you don’t remember standing. Murmurs of concern rise from the other feast attendees, beneath your notice. A thought floods your mind, drowning your senses, flooding your ears, drenching your tongue, scrambling your wits:

THE MISSING SHIELD OF YOUR FATHER RESTS BEFORE YOU!

Shock recedes – and fury rises in its wake. How did the shield of Danaus’ Night come to Trachis?! Now, Eurykratides’ past terrified conduct makes sense – his insistence that you swear the strong oaths is cast in a new light. Treachery and thievery – it is only means by which your father’s shield could come to rest in this midden heap. The Trachians present now know that something is amiss – they stare at you with increasing alarm as your face reddens and hands curl into stony fists. Eurykratides is holding up his hands, pleading with you:

“Please, Hippomedon! The oaths, the oaths you swore! HONOR ZEUS Ξενιος!"

A friendly hand comes to rest on your shoulder - Faibokranef the Aegyptian gazes at you with concern, asking you some question in accented Hellenika - you are too angry to discern his meaning. The Sardinians, twin sons of Heracles, are standing now as well, their jaws clenched, prepared for the possibility of violence. On the far end of the table, Hyperenor remains seated - his eyes watch you wolfishly, dissecting your weakness.

>Anons previously rolled a 4,15 – double-passing Hippo’s rage check

But you clench your jaw, find your control once more. You are not some barbarian blind to obligation, willing to kill guest-friends at a moment’s notice- even the lowly Trachians benefit from Zeus' law. You sit heavily once more.

Your reaction was noticed by all, and in particular, by the Theban Hyperbius*, who eyes your birthright hungrily. You’d rather die than let a Theban carry your father’s shield into battle against you. You do your best to keep up appeareances - sipping at the mediocre wine and chewing the charred pork. Faibokranef, the Aegyptian, now sitting next to you, pats you reassuringly on the shoulder, before whispering in his accented Hellenika:

"Iz yur shield, Hippomedon?" You cannot hope to tell the full tale to the foreigner, but his gesture is appreciated - you shake your head in a friendly fashion at him. The atmosphere in the room is punctured - the men present speak in hushed tones, ther eyes sliding in your direction now and again. You've ruined the celebratory mood, unfortunately, and so you elect to head to your small guest rooms early.

---

In the morning, you perform some light exertions in an effort to keep limber. The next "Labor" in these Oetian Games was announced as the "Bulls of Crete" - you can only guess that you'll be wrestling with one of the straight-horned beasts. In the early afternoon, you rest, and in the late afternoon, you take your steeds out for a ride on the trails surrounding Trachis. Crowds of filthy Hellenes and devotees of Heracles Προμαχος alike bathe you in their admiration - always a balm to your nerves. As you return to Trachis, you note with interest that a new group of steeds are stabled there - a double quartet of well-bred beasts, stallions all.

I kept referring to the Theban prince as “Hyperenor” by mistake last thread, whoops.

Eurykratides is nowhere to be found, and the other competitors are similar submerged in their own training regimens. You cross paths with them all over the course of the day, but nothing of import is said between you - all manful communication is to be conducted through tomorrow's event. In the evening, there is no celebratory feast. As you consume huge quantities of substance for your evening meal (all the better for tomorrow's competition), you learn that news of your participation in the Oetian Games (and your meddling with the heirs of Siciunt) has spread like wildfire in central Hellas. A princess of neighboring Locris has apparently arrived with her brother to observe the remainder of the competition - or more likely, to identify marriage prospects. You don't bother to remember her name, as she does not appear in Eurykratides' megaron - presumably, she decided to eat in privacy. In all likelihood, further spectators are likely to make their appearance as the competition continues.

In the evening, you retire early once more - you are impatient for tomorrow's tribulations. As you rest atop the cushions of your bed, your eyes flutter, and the Ονειροι pull you into a dream nearly at once.

>welcome back to SATQ, anons. This dream sequence will constitute the "interlude" of the thread. This vote will close on 10/16 at 10pm - a nice long time to settle in, re-read the old threads, shitpost about the bastard gods...

>but what to dream about, /qst/?

>You stalk a fearsome prey across a mountainous ridge, careful in your approach...

>In the training yards of Argos, you come across your cousin, Capaneus. First words fly - then fists...

>Atop a black-hulled ship, you ride with Argyros - in pursuit of Cycladian pirates...

>A blonde woman beckons that you follow her - it is twilight in the hills of Thessaly, but her hair shines...

>Your father, so much taller than yourself, carries you atop his shoulders - today, you finally ride Arion!

>>6318578
>>Your father, so much taller than yourself, carries you atop his shoulders - today, you finally ride Arion
Seems fitting, now that Hippomedon knows what he is truly competing for.

Great to have you back Lesches!

>>6318578
>Your father, so much taller than yourself, carries you atop his shoulders - today, you finally ride Arion!

>>6318588

Kek, these meme cards are out of control.

>>6318584

Good to be back - I still think that SATQ could finish by thread 6 if all goes well and I am disciplined, so this thread will be critical to push several plot points along.

>>6318578
>Your father, so much taller than yourself, carries you atop his shoulders - today, you finally ride Arion!
Oh glorious day! Welcome back, QM.

>>6318578
>>Your father, so much taller than yourself, carries you atop his shoulders - today, you finally ride Arion!
It is only fitting to dream of our father when reminded of him so...

o shit it ain't dead? shit I guess I need to go back and do some catching up

looks interesting, suppose I'm registering and going to check out the other threads

>>6318648
>>6318625

Welcome, flowing-haired anons! Strap on your bronze, make your propitiations to the Olympians as you set out - Zeus prefers the roasted double-fold of fat on bone! Fan the flames of your resolve as you read - The Late Bronze Age is a time of heroics, yes, but also a time of grief and woe. there is much sadness contained within the poetic lines…

>>6318578
>You stalk a fearsome prey across a mountainous ridge, careful in your approach...
Just to be a contrarian.

>fatso stole pops' shield somehow
>hyperbiatch being a smug ass thinking he's gonna win it
Anger, but also A LOT MORE ANGER FUCK. This Theban prick better hope he suffers a tragic accident and dies because if we ever get our hands on him after we leave this place and our oath within it he's doomed. I also expect everyone else to get out of our damn way if they know what's good for them.

Faibokranef is chill though. I wonder if his son will march under Memnon in the Trojan War. So far I wish glory and wealth for his family.

~24 hourish warning until vote close

---

>>6318850

Part of the fun of SATQ is producing lots of characters and wondering what might become of them over the next ~30 years... Most of my characters have a little backstory beyond their charsheet, even if it never comes up in the quest itself, Faibokranef included.

Hail Noble Lesches, Blessed Storyteller, Returned from Far-Wanderings!

Lord Hippomedon's deeds not yet recorded, his lineage High-Born of Olympos, shall be proven in this game of Low-Born Olympics.

>>6318937
The worst part is trying to figure out which half of the characters are gods in disguise.

>>6318958
You won't believe me but Hippomedon is actually just a hippo that's been dressed up by the Argive court and made to think since birth that he's a man.

>>6318962
No shot. Next you'll tell me Capaneus is just a (particularly stinky and surly) boar that they put a hat and fake beard on and he's been bluffing his way through life.

>>6318962
I believe you, o mad prophet.

>>6318963
No, that's Tydeus, Amphiaraus can see his true form and is being driven mad by the constant squealing and grunting.
Capaneus is actually a cross-dressing woman.

>>6318578
>Your father, so much taller than yourself, carries you atop his shoulders - today, you finally ride Arion!

Awesome your alive Lesches!

Got to re read this so I remember whats going on.

no new votes in a while, so let's get started a bit early

In the way of dreams, you forget yourself as you fall –

And you are Hippomedon Aristomachides, five-year-old prince.

You are big for your age, and Father tells you that this is very good when you see him. But Father hunts in the wilds for days and days, because it is the summer, and this is when the hunting is good. You cannot hunt yet – not until you are eight. So from sunrise until sundown, you are outdoors in the fields and forests and swamps beyond the Palace. You have servants – a gang of boys, who play Soldier and Hunter and Gods on Olympus when you want. You run and chase them until you are all tired and then you all gulp milk and honey and pressed grape – the poor boys from the common huts guzzle these like they are dying of thirst before playing more. You win every game - they are all afraid of making you sad or mad. If you send them back to their slow-wit fathers, they will work the fields and carry heavy things all day – much harder work than playing with you.

But you send most of them back to the huts after only a few days – Father says that this is good, too. “Do not let them get too comfortable, Hippomedon – the Palace is not their place.”

Some days, you glimpse Father on his chariot as he rides back from the wilds or to the City. And if you are lucky, he will see you waving and he will wave to you. You love the horses in his chariot – big and strong and fast. You want to ride with him so badly, but you cannot beg – if you beg, Father says “begging is for women, boy”, and strikes you hard. But Father knows that you want to ride, even though you did not ask this month. He always knows what you are thinking. He knows that most of all, you want to ride the god-horse - κυανοχαίτης Arion. The black-maned horse of Heracles!

And finally, Father told you two days ago that he will bring Arion to the Palace, and you will ride him!

The morning is here! You are so excited you cannot be still. You spin hoops in the courtyard of the Palace and throw rocks at the Palace walls, but it is very hard to wait. You jitter and wiggle and run and jump and hop and roll and run some more, until Helios the sun-god is riding high in the sky, towards unlucky noon.

You hear Father and his chariot far away - hooves pounding the earth like distant thunder, Father’s sharp commands cracking the air like lightning. When he arrives, you are standing too close to the road - you stumble backwards to stay clear of the wheels, as he stops. In a flash, Father sweeps you up his arms. He talks to you, scrubs his hands through your well-oiled hair, laughs with you. Today, his voice is warm and clear, and without cruelty - no need to watch his hands. Father places you atop his broad shoulders, and you are high, high, high in the air. You grasp his black hair tightly and scream with laughter as he pretends to shake you off for a minute or two.

>cont

Father stops pretending and points to his steeds - you stare at the four lathered creatures, panting and massive, as Father names them - but you only pay attention to the stallion in the lead-horse position. Famed Arion stares back at you with knowing eyes. In the way of dreams, you are suddenly a man again, standing beside your father in the chariot - an impossibility. You ask the divinity in your man’s voice:

“Son of Poseidon, what have you seen through the decades? How many secrets do you hold?” The black-maned stallion reveals nothing, but meets your gaze steadily, whickering in apology for his silence.

The scene blurs - you are a boy once more, and now you ride atop Arion’s broad back in the pastures on the edges of Father’s land, your fingers wrapped within his flowing mane. His hide is warm, the moving muscle beneath like carven stone. The scent of horse is overpowering, and the warm breeze is tugging at your prince’s chiton, dyed dark red, and ruffling your unshorn locks. Father walks beside Arion, his right hand resting on your lower back, teaching you how to sit, how to turn left and right, how to tap with one’s heels to urge Arion on. You do so, and Arion moves to a trot - happiness bursts through your chest and you cackle wildly with glee. You are Heracles! And for a moment, an errant gust of wind brings you a foul scent - dry excrement, rotting bark, wet scales… but it passes. The scents of growing wheat and fat cattle fill your nose once more as Father jogs lightly alongside you.

Father is proud that you keep your seat as Arion trots - “A firm grip, Hippomedon! Your instincts are true!” – and he laughs himself – a booming drum that vibrates your chest too.

Is this more than a dream? you think, in your man’s voice. I remember this day...

Father turns to your boy-self, still astride Arion, and says: “Hippomedon, I named you well. A Horse-Lord of Argos!” You show him your gap-toothed grin, and he says:

“My first-born son and heir… you will inherit all that I have. You will be spared the injustice that I have suffered.” You don’t know what he means - what is an eenjestive? You don’t know the word. But he stops speaking for a time.

You come to the small stream by the west end of the pastures, and Father helps you down from Arion. There is a servant standing by the streambed with a set of foals. You kneel with Father by the waters and wash your hands and say your prayers to the naiads of this place. Father brings you to the foals and you see that each of them are wrong. The brown one has wiggly legs and takes slow, shaking steps – the black one cannot move its neck and must swing its body stiffly to look about. The foals are excited to see you – they know you are a child too! They lick your fingers and you giggle when they push you in play, trying to bowl you over.

Father taps you on the shoulder, and speaks further:

>cont - last post will come at 9-10pm tonight

>>6319178
> Father brings you to the foals and you see that each of them are wrong
Dad is going to make Hippomedon kill the foals, ain’t he?

“Hippomedon, see their forms? These foals have been shaped poorly – they are bred of good Argive stock, but even so, such accidents of form are common and unpredictable. It is the will of the gods.”

You pat the foals gently on the noses – they nip at your fingers and their hot breath spills over your hands. Their tongues are very pink! You are strong enough to keep your footing as they push against you – you push them right back, laughing at the effort needed. After a few moments more, the servant comes to pull the foals away – they bleat happily as he does so. You like them.

“These foals are blameless, son – but if they were to survive, they would pass on their deformity to their sons, and on to their sons. In time, the whole line would suffer the effects. In truth, many of these foals cannot survive on their own. It is the same with men – a tainted spring will poison the waters. Better to block it up, let the streams run dry, than spread the poison.” As he speaks, your father presses something into your hand.

A brazen knife.

You look at Father in confusion, and he replies:

“Hippomedon, we must be strong and decisive – ready to sniff out weakness like a hunting hound and cull it at once, no matter the cost. This must be done constantly - every day.”

You nod, unsure – there is a sinking feeling in your gut. The bronze is heavy in your hand.

Father gestures to the servant and the brown foal with wiggling legs is returned. Father shows you how to grip the blade properly, how to position it against the throat.

“You must be quick, and draw up as hard as you can, as you pull.”

And with Father watching, you do it.

Black blood streams forth from the foal’s throat – much much more than you expect, and you drop the knife. The foal flops unsteadily, collapsing against you – your hands and chest are now warm and sticky. The foal’s mouth is open, its lips curling – a whisper of a shriek is escaping from its frayed throat. You know that it is in pain - crying out, you desperately try to hold the wound shut with your hands, but the blood flows like a river - hot droplets spray across your face and mouth. The foal is thrashing wildly, knocking against you as you try to save it - but suddenly falls to the earth.

Its eyes are motionless.

You step back. Your eyes are open very wide, the scent of blood invades your mouth and nose. You know at once that the foal is dead – its warm blood drying on your flesh. Father watches you close.

>okay, /qst/ - can boy Hippo keep it together? this is essentially a morale check, and will be match or roll under the check. As an Argive prince, his WILL is 4 (better than some commoner adults!). Normally, I would call for two rolls here, but Hippomedon's father is present as a stabilizing influence, so I'll grant a bonus die.
>I need THREE rolls of dice+1d20. At least one 4 means Hippomedon keeps his bearings and Father continues...

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>6319178
>Father taps you on the shoulder, and speaks further:
>>cont - last post will come at 9-10pm tonight
Holy shit, dad can speak in greentext? Incredible.

>>6319330

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>6319330
Cold to teach it this early, but understandable.

>>6319307

nice work, now find all the fun tie-ins and other clues scattered through this interlude

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>6319330

>>6319335
>>6319344
>>6319348

>4
>Hippo very narrowly escapes flaming out
>players have won another clue!

Nice work, anons - I’m traveling this weekend, so update timing will be hard to predict. Shooting for at least two more before Monday, which should be enough to wrap up the interlude and resume the quest proper.

>>6318543 (OP)
Is it still possible to register without having to jump through hoops?

>>6319358

You already have through this post, you’re within the ~48hr registration window (or close enough).

I only set-up the registration thing originally because I was worried that I would get trolled to oblivion by anti-Homer-QM people and that never really happened (although I later kept in place to make samefagging votes arduous, which has worked reasonably well). Ironically I had more to fear from Deianira-stans deluging my threads with an infinite supply of softcore drawings of topless priestesses…

>>6319373
>I had more to fear from Deianira-stans deluging my threads with an infinite supply of softcore drawings of topless priestesses…
That sounds to me like the opposite of a problem.

>>6319380
Some men drown while others desiccate.

You stand there, looking up at Father, and fire licks at the inside of your heart. You feel unsteady on your feet, your head swims, your eyes water. A tear rolls down your cheek, but you stifle your sobs. You look to the bright blue sky, hear the buzzing of insects, smell the copper scent of horseblood in the air. Father is speaking to you calmly:

“Peace, Hippomedon – peace. This is a difficult thing – to firm your resolve and act. Strength must be won and held firmly.” Father approaches to kneel, and brings his face to yours – the nose and angular features that you know so well, the faint lines of his forehead only just beginning to reveal middle-age. Dark circles ring under your father’s eyes, marring his face. He says soothing words with his mouth, and places a reassuring hand on your shoulder, but his eyes are flat, and his mouth twists strangely as he speaks. You don’t trust his hands - he watches you, measures you. You resist the urge to sob or run or empty your breakfast onto Father’s sandals, and only just barely manage to do so.

After a long minute, your head clears, and Father rises again, seemingly satisfied.

“Hippomedon – Horse-Lord - one day, Arion and his sons and grandsons and great-grandsons will all be yours to command - and a crown will rest upon your head.” You are baffled by this - only your uncle King Adrastus has a crown. Will everyone get a crown? He points to the brazen knife, in the dirt, and after a second’s hesitation, you pick it up. Father motions to the servant once more.

The black foal seems to sense the danger – it bleats in outrage and terror as the servant drags it closer. Its eyes meet yours, betrayal indelibly pressing the moment into your mind. Your man-self watches from above, powerless to stop the memory, knowing that your Father is in the right. Again, Father helps you hold the knife against the black foal’s throat, even as it bucks and rocks stiffly from side-to-side. It begins to scream – a yowling cry like a baby. Your hands are shaking – your fingers are numb.

“Now, Hippomedon!”

The blade slashes of its own accord – black blood sprays, and this time, you step back quickly. The foal topples to the ground, and its hooves scrawl wild loops into the earth. You watch as it strains to right itself, wracks its body, tries to hold the wound shut against the dirt.

All fruitless efforts – it lies still.

Father places a hand on your shoulder, and you turn to him – his eyes search you again, as you grapple with the deed...

>okay, /qst/ - another set of THREE dice+1d20 rolls. Hippomedon survived the first morale test here, and the killing of the second foal is less shocking as a result, so I'm assigning a +2 context bonus. So 6 and under is the number to beat.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>6319490
Kingly ambition?

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>6319490

>>6319490
>>6319501
My ability to roll low has come in clutch.

>>6319501
>>6319502
>>6319494

Well done, anons. I do need another roll to see if child Hippo manages to impress his dad a little

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>6319580

>>6319494
Nah dad just believes all men are kings. Sadly, mom believed if he breathes; he's a thot.

>>6319618
>all men
Not peasants.

>>6319619
Well that's cause peasants aren't even people. That's like comparing cows and ducks, man. Be reasonable.

Update tomorrow (probably morning EST).

Fun fact: I’ve been reading Apollonius Rhodios’ Argonautika and it’s possible that he wrote a pretty good epic poem when it is was out of style as an elaborate “fuck you” to his poetic mentor. I found this very reassuring since I started QMing out of pure spite myself

>>6319686
kek

>>6319686
My favorite thing is that super ancient graffiti they found and it was a bunch of crass jokes and dumb bullshit that you see today. It reassures me that likely in the future a thousand years from now there will be more jokes about taking mad shits on their neighbor's porch written on strange futuretech crystal memory sticks or whatever weird crap they make. Humanity truly never changes.

A burning sensation spreads within your chest – like you’re holding your breath. Again, you feel the blade slip from your fingers – the bronze tip lands neatly in the earth, and the knife stands upright. The goals are motionless now - how strange that only a minute ago, they played with you as a friend. Droplets of fresh blood splash into the dirt besides the ruddy bronze. Again, your guts twist and writhe – but you hold back your vomit, only barely. You wince as pain singes your fingertips – somehow, you had cut them as you released the black foal’s lifeblood.

Father notices this, and kneels to inspect the cuts – his hands are gentle, but firm.

“Ah – the cost of duty, Hippomedon. Even when we are strong, when we are decisive, there will be pain. But we must never relent in the face of discomfort. We have common ground with Adrastus there, at least.”

“But you must know, Hippomedon, that even strength, honor, fame and duty is not enough. Others will strip from you what you deserve - smiling thieves will rob you of your birthright before you are even born… The only response can be to tilt the future in our favor – to strike out, no matter the cost. And failure must never be tolerated.”

At this last statement, Father turns to the servant – a balding commoner man of middle years. His face is blanched white.

“Lasthenes, is it not so that you have betrayed me and my interests?” Father asks. The man coughs and splutters a bit, before responding.

“Y-yes, it is so, Prince Aristomachus.” Your man-self stirs in confusion – [i]did this truly come to pass? The the moment with the foals, yes, but I do not recall this interrogation…[/i]

“And what the nature of this betrayal?”

“I gambled away the wealth and substance of Argos, meant for Athens. I was weak, and the women of Corinth were willing. When it came time to return to Argos, I instead fled to Sicyon.” Your boy-self is confused again – what women?

“And what is the justice required for this betrayal?”

“To g-go down to the Lord of Many, Prince Aristomachus.”

Father turns to you and speaks slowly to you –

“Do you see, Hippomedon? This man is deformed in the spirit, and in the mind – not in the flesh. He could not fulfil his duty as a result. His weakness must culled before it can infect others. Bring him the knife.”

Your limbs move – you feel nothing as you float over the earth and hand him the blade. The man is weeping silently, still white with terror.

“If you have the strength to save your family, Lasthenes, then use it now,” your Father intones calmly.

>/qst/, I need your help for these morale rolls – you will be rolling for Lasthenes. I need TWO rolls of dice+1d20. Normally his will is 5 (worse than the average commoner), but there is a significant context bonus of +5 (which may become clearer later). So anyways Lasthenes is trying to roll under a 10 twice.

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>6319872

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>6319872
Well he failed already kek

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>6319724

>>6319898
>>6319901

>17, 10
>extremely narrow pass for Lasthenes

Amazing how the dice conspire for greater drama. Next update (which include a vote) will be tomorrow, probably in the evening EST. We’re making good time and are on schedule!

>>6319903
What happened to your old trip?

>>6319903
>pass
>So anyways Lasthenes is trying to roll under a 10 twice.
Hm?

>>6319904

Eh now that you mention it, I think I misremembered by my old trip pass (even though I swear I know it by heart…). Should be able to check my original notes and verify by tomorrow morning. I doubt that 4chan changed their trip algorithm but maybe they did after the basedjak hack incident?

>>6319906

Bad phrasing on my part - morale checks are a “meet or roll below” test. Our guy had a 5 WILL and +5 context bonus = 10 or below morale check.

>>6319912
But he still didn't roll ten or below -twice-.

>>6319912
>I doubt that 4chan changed their trip algorithm but maybe they did after the basedjak hack incident?
They did, because many passwords and tripcodes were exposed.

>>6319927

>twice

Ah, apologies for being unclear, I just meant that there would be two rolls of dice+1d20, each roll attempt being to match or roll under 10. Bad wording on my part. Anyways I was mostly looking for some direction for the scene and Tyche Αυτοματια has provided it!

Where is hippo's momma anyways? A lake, wetland, or river?

>>6319962
Ah I see I see. Yeah with the elaboration I can see it. I kinda misplaced the emphatic portion.

>>6320001

Strangely enough, Hippomedon's mother doesn't seem to have come up at all in the source literature, nor has it ever been mentioned in my set of quests or in Homer-QM's original TWQ (as far as I know).

I have something planned for this, but it's not an exciting part of Hippomedon's history, I have to say. He knows who she was and why she is not around - it just hasn't come up naturally so far.

>>6320208

Appreciate your feedback nonetheless, sometimes when I am racing against time to post I fail to express myself clearly.

---

Writing update now - should be out within the hour.

>>6320631
>when I am racing against time to post I fail to express myself clearly
To be fair this is entirely a linguistic quirk. Some people will read it how you think it, some people will read it how I did. It's not like the phrase itself was incorrect.

With shaking hands, Lasthenes raises the still-bloody knife to his own throat. You scramble backwards to the safety of your Father – your eyes feel like they are bulging out of your skull. The noon sky above is brilliant and cloudless; the stream gently laps against its banks.

The foals are still motionless – dolls that have been discarded in the dirt.

The dream flickers for a moment – your boy-self is standing in the shallows of the stream, washing the foalblood off his hands and face. Father helps you back onto the banks, passes you a handcloth for drying, and then provides you with honeyed bread. A fragmentary thought from your man-self swells - Yes – this is more familiar, not like before…

The dream flickers again.

Lasthenes is struggling with the blade – his hands are shaking so much that he is losing his grip, and he is breathing hard, face rolling with sweat, eyes downcast. Father says nothing, as you crowd against his legs. A long minute passes, and then another. Your hands and feet itch, your flesh crawls – even as a boy, you know this to be madness and torture, this indecision. Your mouth is so dry that you cannot speak. You find that you are angry with Lasthenes - why can he not summon his manful dignity?!

Lasthenes meets Father’s eye – and there is no resolve, only terror. With a sudden motion, he draws the knife against his throat with both hands. But the cut is ragged, uneven - deeper on the left and barely a scratch on the right. Blood streams down the left side of his neck and bubbles wetly from the gash - Lasthenes is choking. He slides to his knees, attempting to seal the wound shut with his hands...

Father kneels besides you, calm and cool, and brings his face close. His breath is foul – like rotting meat.

“Boy – he did not have the strength to do his duty properly and suffers for it. His agony will be prolonged, now. A fitting end for a προδότης and a ἐπίορκος – a traitor and oathbreaker.” Your boy-self watches the man struggle, kicking his heels and writhing – another foal in the dirt.

Father is content with Lasthenes’ torment – he watches the man with interest. There is a light breeze – your bloody chiton rustles against your flesh. Your hands and feet are frozen in place. You wonder if you should act in some fashion?

>here’s the first vote of SATQ #4...

>Strength comes from duty fulfilled – pain and dishonor from duty unmet. Let the man suffer and die as Father wishes, and let him be judged by Αἰακός, judge of the dead, when his shade arrives in Tartarus.

>Pick up the knife yourself and end Lasthenes’ life swiftly, but not out of mercy. If he has betrayed your father, then he has betrayed you in turn. You deserve your own revenge; honor is stripped from the shoulders of the enemy that you have laid low yourself. WARNING: Will trigger another WILL check.

>Something else? Warning: may trigger a check, depending on the write-in.

>>6320656
>Pick up the knife yourself and end Lasthenes’ life swiftly, but not out of mercy. If he has betrayed your father, then he has betrayed you in turn. You deserve your own revenge; honor is stripped from the shoulders of the enemy that you have laid low yourself. WARNING: Will trigger another WILL check.
Further prove our worthiness as a leader of men.

>>6320656
>Strength comes from duty fulfilled
murdering

>a foul scent - dry excrement, rotting bark, wet scales
>His breath is foul – like rotting meat
This is actually a dream from Tisiphone I'm guessing. If only we could talk to Arion

>>6320677
Wait a minute. Can we trying calling her out? Even though it might be a bad idea. I'd change to that.

>>6320656
>>Pick up the knife yourself and end Lasthenes’ life swiftly, but not out of mercy. If he has betrayed your father, then he has betrayed you in turn. You deserve your own revenge; honor is stripped from the shoulders of the enemy that you have laid low yourself. WARNING: Will trigger another WILL check.
>>6318584
This is me. The constant bad smell is a little concerning. I wonder if there is a god masquerading as Hippomedon's papa?

>>6320681
>>6320771

>can you attempt to confront your Father and smoke out the divinity behind this charade?

Ding ding ding, you can certainly can! This may trigger a roll but there would be a good bonus. Well done to the insightful anon - your paranoia will serve Hippo well in the future.

The vote will close tonight at ~7pm EST, and update shortly afterwards, if all goes well.

>>6320656
>Something else? Warning: may trigger a check, depending on the write-in.
CALL HER OUT. politely, if possible?

>can you attempt to confront your Father and smoke out the divinity behind this charade?

I like to imagine this is why MC doesn’t really worship the Gods. Cause he’s played these games before.

>>6320818

Actually most of Hippo’s exposure to the divines has come through the events of this quest. He’s not partly-divine like his children, so he cannot see divinities or easily speak with them.

However, he was raised in the hyper-masculine Argive Royal Family and many of these people are extremely confident in their own abilities, very prideful and not terribly devout or faithful people (Melampians like Amphiarus aside). So Hippo is generally skeptical that the gods mean well or deserve his respect (after all, they don’t seem to respect mortals that much, do they?). He hasn’t needed their help to crush the enemies of Argos and doesn’t expect this to change any time soon…

>>6320656

>>6320661 is me. I'll change to back >>6320816

Great thinking, anon.

Wait, wait - I’ve had a brainwave!

I’m implementing a second flash vote that will end at 8pm tonight.

Do you trust me, /qst/? Pick one of the two:

>Hippo strikes to end these games once and for all. Moderate risk, potentially high reward.

>Hippo takes a measured approach, low risk but reduced reward.

Choose wisely!

>>6320934
>>Hippo takes a measured approach, low risk but reduced reward.
Always pays off to be cautious with divinities. Except when it doesn't because they think you being careful is pussy shit, or something.

>>6320934
>Hippo takes a measured approach, low risk but reduced reward.

>Hippo strikes to end these games once and for all. Moderate risk, potentially high reward.

We ain’t no BITCH!!!

>>6320971
>>6320993
>>6321020

Extending the flash vote to 9pm, update will follow shortly afterwards

Danaans aka lurkers, I summon thee! Arise from the fields and vales of Hellas and lend your mighty voices to this chorus! aka vote, you bastards lol

>>6320934
>Hippo takes a measured approach, low risk but reduced reward.
not nira

>>6320971
>>6320993
>>6321020
>>6321034

>Hippo maintains his prudence

Interesting, I thought for sure you guys would throw caution to the wind here.

Update shortly.

As you cower against Father’s legs, clarity washes over you. The scene is surreal, bizarre. A dying man squirms and gurgles in agony; dead foals before you.

This is not true. This is a dream.

Your man-self is awakening – but you are still within the dream. As a boy, you step lightly to the side, as Father watches the suffering man – just out of his sightline. Clear-headed, you remember that you are Hippomedon, Prince of Argos, and nobody’s fool – you pretend to stumble and sway on your feet in distress as you think. Some part of this dream is real – you remember the foals, yes, but the man is a fiction.

And who else but the gods could invade your dreams, twist your memories of Father against you? And who else but the Queen of the Venerable Goddesses, Τισιφονη Σεμναι, would do such a thing? Tisiphone has slithered in your trail since that night in Tegea – will you never be rid of the scaled bitch? Irritation flares into anger beyond reason – will she poison your nights and days, steal your happiness as her whim? Must you watch over your shoulder endlessly for the deceits of this creature? You’ve heard of deities becoming enamored with mortal men, but you doubt that the goddess has interest such as this in you – the Furies are well known to be virginal. And while you don’t doubt that Tisiphone has tormented countless mortal men and send their shades to the Lord of Many below, your innocence is assured – you have committed no treason, no oathbreaking, no fratricide. Your loyalty to Argos and to your family is sacred and inviolate - you are blameless!

You have half a mind to simply lay hands on the goddess yourself and shake the truth loose – if Peleus can capture Ἁλοσυδνης Thetis and subdue her for his own purposes, why can you not do the same to Tisiphone? It’s been remarked by some of the elders of Argos that Capaneus and yourself might have been able to match Peleus and Pollux in their respective primes, had you joined them on the Argo a generation ago…

But you put aside such foolishness - men who challenge the gods are inevitably punished. Only Heracles himself could consistently challenge the gods and survive – and even then, suffered greatly for his ego. You have no desire to repeat his mistakes. You decide to put an end to this play – but with control, not with savagery. As certainty rises in your mind, the boy-prince vanishes and is replaced by the man. Before the goddess can notice, you kneel, turning towards Her, lowering your eyes, and booming out with your voice of command:

“Πραξιδικαι Tisiphone – Hippomedon of Argos greets you! What message do you bring from the gods?”

>cont

Lasthenes’ gurgling and retching suddenly comes to a halt – from the corner of your eye, you see that he simply vanishes from sight. Father stiffens in surprise, and turns to you, standing – She wears your Father’s skin still. Before She can speak, there is melodious laughter, and then a pleasing male voice from the empty air, like a brazen bell:

“What foolishness this has been, Sister! I design the dream to your wishes, and still the prince punctures your chicanery! How many times has he done this before, I wonder? Tell me the truth!” and then more laughter.

You freeze in disbelief – Tisiphone mocked before your very eyes! By the words, you guess that he is one of the Ονειροι – one of the gods tasked with the delivery of dreams to mortal men. She glares in rage at the empty air, over your left shoulder – clearly, Tisiphone can see one of her own kind, even if you cannot, and hisses imperiously in return:

”Silence! I have been tasked by Zeus Βασιλευς himself!"

You are frozen with your head lowered, eyes on your father’s sandaled feet – but in a flash, more ridiculing repartee from the unseen god: ”Oh – now it is silence that you wish? Well, what do you have to offer? Speak at once - the price of my silence rises with every moment! This tale is worth quite a bit on Olympus!”

”Barter later - begone now!" Tisiphone screeches through your Father’s clenched jaw – the sound of glass shattering on stone. After a few moments, there is no response from the empty air – you dare a longer glance at the goddess. Tisiphone audibly takes a deep breath, eyes closed, still wearing your Father’s skin – and you are startled to see… embarrassment?! written on his face. A thing you never saw in life, you are certain - your father was not capable of embarrassment, as far as you know. Your eyes flash back to the earth before you risk discovery -

You have inadvertently led to Tisiphone to shaming and mocking by a god! You aren’t sure how to react and so you do not – you pretend to have heard nothing, head bowed, and wait for the goddess’ word. After a few more moments, you hear Her speak, Her words tumbling too swiftly:

”Arise, prince.” Standing, you keep your eyes on your Father's feet – meeting Her gaze is not a mistake you wish to repeat.”I bring word from Olympus. Preserve the life and limbs of Hyperbius of Thebes, during the Oetian Games. Do this and you do the will of Zeus.” Somehow, you get the distinct impression that Tisiphone is flustered...

“Yes, goddess," is your simple reply.

”And Hippomedon – tell no one of this dream. Do this, and I... I shall be pleased.”

"I swear that I will no one of this dream, deity or man alike," you add quickly.

"Then awaken, Hippomedon, and serve the will of the gods."

>Tisiphone Bond - 2 / ?

Next update tomorrow evening - well done anons. Insightful anons may well start piecing things together - there have been enough clues. If not, don’t be alarmed - the big reveal is coming soon enough (nearly two years in the making!)

>>6321055
Haha, get rekt snakeshitter! But also, damn, now we can't kill the Theban.

>>6321066
>now we can't kill the Theban
There are many and more ways a smart prince of Argos can neutralise a theban prince, without resorting to murder or mutilation. His followers, his horses, his chariot, his arms and armour. These are just the material things one could remove from the board. His reputation and standing, the trust of his friends, family, lovers and countrymen, these too could be targeted, not even mentioning a scheme to involve the gods in his affairs (though that may be folly).

If we truly want it, he can do it for nothing is impossible for Hippomedon, Aegis of Argos

>>6321057
Aristomachus tried usurping Adrastus' throne because of all the abuse leading to him being killed covertly. Tis gets interested because of the attempted oath breaking and kinslaying. The uncles are sad because they murdered their brother. Adrastus inflicts more injustices onto the son such as trying to make him break his marriage oaths...which is incredibly impious considering the patron deity of Argos is Hera, the goddess of marriage.
>>6321066
Just get a discus competition going. It's worked before.

>>6321055
>don't kill hyper bumfuck
>in fact, make sure he survives unspoiled
>mfw
This dumb fucking snake I FUUUUCK shit bitch. I wish to force this creature to become the ouroboros. Stuff her head up her own ass. The gods ruin everything, man. Take all our fun away.

>>6321101
As the other anon said, his life and limbs must be intact. Nothing about jacking his ride and gear. In fact, one could argue that doing so would further preserve his life by keeping him out of play for longer.

>>6321389
The problem I see is if we fuck with him and he decides to press the issue and force our hand. Otherwise I am 100% down to take exactly one of his chariot wheels. So he looks like a bum playing at being rich with a salvaged chariot when he inevitably gets a replacement here. I guess it's a matter of opportunity.

Your eyes open, and it is morning in Trachis. Your bed is peaceful - you are reassured to find that you possess your heavily-muscled frame once more, and not the frail form of a boy.

You take several minutes to find your bearings, and steady your mind. You dress yourself in the gear that fat Eurykratides had provided you at the start of the Oetian Games – lion’s hide and club. You resolve to put the events of the dream behind you as best as you can, barring the order of Tisiphone to preserve the wellbeing of Hyperbius. Seers of all the great cities tie themselves in knots attempting to discern the rationale behind the gods’ behavior, and are no better off for it. Better to forget it entirely, if you can. You must clear your head and put aside the distracting riddles of the divines until you have time to puzzle over them at some future point - today, you and the other five competitors will meet the challenge of the “Cretan Bulls”!

Given that Eurkyratides has had twelve years to plan these games, you rather expect that each challenge will mount in complexity and showmanship, all the better to drive up his own fame and popularity. After all, building the wealth and prestige of the Trachian king is the true goal of the Games, you expect, despite the ostensible purpose of pleasing Heracles Προμαχος. As you find your way through the shabby halls of the Trachian Royal Palace, you wonder if you had misjudged the portly king entirely – you had initially conceived him to be an idiot, out of his depth, putting on a tournament that he could not actually arrange to completion. But as you turn into the entrance hall, you are immediately mobbed by servants, slaves, guests of all kinds, and among the chattering crowd, noblemen and noblewomen alike. You recognize none of these last, but their number alone suggests that the Oetian Games must be a smashing success - Eurykratides’ vault is no doubt filling to the absolute brim with guest-gifts! A clever king retains the choicest of these for his own collection and distributes the remainder to new arrivals in turn.

It seems you had slumbered somewhat later than expected, and this was the source of some consternation, although none had yet dared to disturb your rest. You are quickly bustled outside to Eurykratides’ stables, as adulating men and lusting women scream for your attentions. In a few minutes more, you are riding in your own chariot, pulled by four sons of Arion – Surf, Tide, Bounty and Plenty, and Eurykratides himself joins you in the car. You ride from Trachis down the slopes of the hills to the Malian Gulf - the waves sparkle on the horizon in the clear morning light. The roads are swamped with travelers, vagrants, Achaeans, Danaans, Hellenes, Malians and once, you think you even spot a half-civilized Thessalian, dressed in out-of-fashion robes. Your chariot can only make swift progress due to an advance team of horsemen who beat aside the road-weary with clubs and spear-butts.

The mole-like sovereign, after some customary greeting, begins to launch excitedly into a review of today’s event – the other competitors are already waiting for you. He is sweating profusely and speaking – no, shouting – over the sound of chariot wheels and hoofbeats, but speaks efficiently – no theatrics now:

“As you might remember, decades ago, King Minos of Crete had been gifted a divine bull, brilliant white, that had once been property of Poseidon Πελαγαιος. Poseidon later requested that the Cretan bull be sacrificed in his honor, and King Minos instead attempted to deceive the Earth-Shaker by hiding it amongst the lesser beasts of his royal herd. In retribution, Poseidon cursed the bull with raging madness, and the creature set about destroying Crete. King Minos, despite summoning up the best of his kingdom, could not restrain the beast, and despondent, let it run wild. King Eurystheus of Athens learned of this, and interested in seeing the bull’s might for himself, challenged Heracles to capture the beast and bring it back alive to Athens for his review.”

This tale, of course, you know very well, being the Seventh of Heracles’ Labors – but you don’t interrupt your kingly host as he speaks – this would be rude. As he speaks, you find that you’re grateful for your extreme height – the Trachian is emitting a constant spray of spittle as he yells up to you, and were you shorter, it would be your face getting covered, rather than the oiled iron chain-mail of your armor.

“Today’s challenge comes in three parts, Lord Hippomedon, and the final goal, of course, is to transport a mighty bull to the finish line. The first task is simple – wrangle one of my mighty cattle into a reinforced cart, and drive the cart to the sea – a distance of ten stadia. You race against your peers to do so, for there are only four carts. The slowest two competitors will be out of the competition.”

“The second task is again simple – wheel the cart into the boat, and row the boat across a shallow stretch of the Malian Gulf. Importantly – there are only three boats.” At this point, there is a pregnant pause - you sense that Eurykratides is leaving something important out. Before you can press the king, he continues:

“Finally, you must make landing on the opposite beach, and drive your cart through the “Gates of Athens” and on to the victor’s platform. As you might have surmised – the bull must be living for the victor’s laurels to be awarded.”

You consider - a test of one's strength and endurance, to be certain. A finely-bred bull might weigh more than twenty commoners - but it is much easier to go down-hill with such a weight, and easier still to row such heavy things on the water. But the final portion of the challenge - pushing the beast and cage back UP the beach and through the "Gates of Athens" - this should be the true test.

>Whoops, ran out of time lads
>Next update tomorrow night EST - we should be able to start the competition proper then
>See you tomorrow, get hyped for the BULLBOWL!

>>6321501
I invoke the curse of SHIT DICE on Hyperbius and seek his rout from the tournament. So we don't have to worry about him getting disemboweled by a swan or something.

Rolled 1, 8, 6 = 15 (3d20)

>>6321503
Swan rolls.

>Heracles stole Asterion the Minotaur's dad, then Theseus killed him
Huh, I somehow never put together that these were all the same magic bovid.

>>6321501
Looking forward to it!

>>6321505
Thank goodness, it's just a regular and typical swan. You never know when you're gonna come across a mythical dire swan.

>>6321507
>mythical dire swan
Those are over in Solarpunk Cleanup Agent right now.

>>6321509
Those poor bastards.

The ride continues for several more minutes, and your pace increases as you descend from the hills surrounding Trachis. Cresting over a ridgeline, you are greeted with an unimpeded view of the Malian Gulf. This part of Hellas is thickly settled, despite its political strife – fields and farms stretch out almost to the edge of the shallow ocean. The waters are a bright and lazy blue, and hardly deeper than a river.

You let Eurykratides babble on about this and that, saying little of note of yourself, until you realize that the man has started to poke and prod at Argive matters. He asks no outright question of you, but poses half-rhetorical questions to the rushing morning air – “Ah, but I wonder what Tydeus of Calydon might think of this tournament?” and “Hmm, your cousin Capaneus might able to smash a battalion in his own right, presuming that he is of the mind to do so!” Clearly, he hopes to bait you into conversation. You simply grunt in response – the Trachian is no Odysseus, and is of a much lower standing than yourself, despite your respective titles. You can simply ignore these fitful interrogations and Eurykratides eventually falls into silence.

As you draw closer to the beach, you see that Eurykratides has assembled a circular, fenced arena – perhaps two stades in diameter – with a very large number of spectator stands ringing it. Your eyesight is akin to an eagle’s, so you can easily make out that there are four, large reinforced carts that have been joined to the north side of the fencing, with their doors held upright by heavy joists. These will be cast aside when the time comes, slamming the heavy door shut, and jailing a captive bull within. On the south side of the arena, you note that there are seven gates, currently shut, built into the fencing, and directly above, multi-layer stands for the crowd. You intuit that the cattle will burst from these closed gates when the time comes and are no doubt being whipped into a frenzy at this very moment.

The crowd notices your arrival, of course, as you draw near – huge waves of screaming, shouting and applause buffet your eardrums. The familiar rush rises within your breast, and you raise a mighty fist to the air, roaring your greeting in return! Is there anything sweeter than the acclaim of men?! κλέος– it is your breath and blood! You vault the fencing easily and make your way to the center of the arena. At first, you hardly notice your fellow competitors in the area as you bathe in the worship of common Danaans – but after a minute, you turn to them:

>cont

The Sardinian giants, sons of Heracles himself, Nicodromus and Halocrates, blonde and smiling. They have their father's appearance and build, but you have found them pleasant and civilized - very much unlike their progenitor! They nod at you amiably, wishing you well, and you do the same. In the last competition, they had to work against one another, but will they again?

Dadaces, a Cycladian of low nobility (hardly more than a shepherd) and short height, but of great sportsmanship – he paces a bit anxiously, stretching his phenomenal shoulders and arms, as he does so. He hails you squarely and without shame – you hail him with respect in turn.

Hyperbius, the Theban, glowers in your direction while playing to the crowd – he is young, brash, foolish, and – gods damn it, your responsibility. At least a man’s thoughts are his own – curse that scaled bitch to Tartarus! you think.

Finally, the foreigner Faibokranef, whose forefathers had their hides blackened from Phaëthon’s doomed ride over Libya, Aegypt and Aithiopia. You have been charmed by the man, despite his difficulties in speaking Zeus’ Hellenika. His scarred shoulders and wiry frame are capable of greater feats of strength than you had imagined.

The crowd is simply too loud to make speaking to your fellow athletes possible, so when Eurykratides stands atop a platform in the stands, begins his opening benediction to the masses, you all turn to his attention. It is a thankfully brief address - Eurykratides repeats the general structure of today's event, but his final comment catches you off-guard -

[bold]"AND TO OUR COMPETITORS, I ASK THAT YOU SEEK OUT THE WISDOM OF HERACLES Λύσανδρος AS YOU STRAIN AGAINST YOUR FELLOWS!"[/bold]

Strange - "liberator of men" is not a name commonly given to Heracles. As you frown, you see Hyperbius grinning blackly. Heracles was famed as the victor of many competitions, but often killed his opponents in the process of doing so. You grasp the king's euphemism and groan - Eurykratides suggests blood-shed between the competitors! The crowd doesn't grasp the implications, and the cheers fade away in confusion - but then, unseen horns blast a brief note - "Prepare yourself!"

You have only a moment to react -

>your strat, /qst/? Vote closes at 10pm EST tomorrow.

>Focus all of your efforts on capturing a bull as soon as possible, and wrangling it into a cage. Your best move to simply flee the arena at all haste.

>Attack one of your competitors at the earliest opportunity in order to remove them from the event - PLEASE SELECT TARGET AS WELL. The Heraclean clubs deal 1d4 "stun damage", but accidents can and do happen, especially when these clubs are wielded by men with semi-divine strength.

>Attempt to team up with a fellow competitor to defend against any onrushers and capture a bull as swiftly as possible. Teamwork is an uncertain thing - you move as quickly as your partner, and may even be betrayed later.

The Sardinian giants, sons of Heracles himself, Nicodromus and Halocrates, blonde and smiling. They have their father's appearance and build, but you have found them pleasant and civilized - very much unlike their progenitor! They nod at you amiably, wishing you well, and you do the same. In the last competition, they had to work against one another, but will they again?

Dadaces, a Cycladian of low nobility (hardly more than a shepherd) and short height, but of great sportsmanship – he paces a bit anxiously, stretching his phenomenal shoulders and arms, as he does so. He hails you squarely and without shame – you hail him with respect in turn.

Hyperbius, the Theban, glowers in your direction while playing to the crowd – he is young, brash, foolish, and – gods damn it, your responsibility. At least a man’s thoughts are his own – curse that scaled bitch to Tartarus! you think.

Finally, the foreigner Faibokranef, whose forefathers had their hides blackened from Phaëthon’s doomed ride over Libya, Aegypt and Aithiopia. You have been charmed by the man, despite his difficulties in speaking Zeus’ Hellenika. His scarred shoulders and wiry frame are capable of greater feats of strength than you had imagined.

The crowd is simply too loud to make speaking to your fellow athletes possible, so when Eurykratides stands atop a platform in the stands, begins his opening benediction to the masses, you all turn to his attention. It is a thankfully brief address - Eurykratides repeats the general structure of today's event, but his final comment catches you off-guard -

"AND TO OUR COMPETITORS, I ASK THAT YOU SEEK OUT THE WISDOM OF HERACLES Λύσανδρος AS YOU STRAIN AGAINST YOUR FELLOWS!"

Strange - "liberator of men" is not a name commonly given to Heracles. As you frown, you see Hyperbius grinning blackly. Heracles was famed as the victor of many competitions, but often killed his opponents in the process of doing so. You grasp the king's euphemism and groan - Eurykratides suggests blood-shed between the competitors! The crowd doesn't grasp the implications, and the cheers fade away in confusion - but then, unseen horns blast a brief note - "Prepare yourself!"

You have only a moment to react -

>your strat, /qst/? Vote closes at 10pm EST tomorrow.

>Focus all of your efforts on capturing a bull as soon as possible, and wrangling it into a cage. Your best move to simply flee the arena at all haste.

>Attack one of your competitors at the earliest opportunity in order to remove them from the event - PLEASE SELECT TARGET AS WELL. The Heraclean clubs deal 1d4 "stun damage", but accidents can and do happen, especially when these clubs are wielded by men with semi-divine strength.

>Attempt to team up with a fellow competitor to defend against any onrushers and capture a bull as swiftly as possible. Teamwork is an uncertain thing - you move as quickly as your partner, and may even be betrayed later.

>>6322040
>>Focus all of your efforts on capturing a bull as soon as possible, and wrangling it into a cage. Your best move to simply flee the arena at all haste.
If we move quickly enough then that dipshit Hypnobumpkin won't even have the chance to accost us. And I'm sure only one of the Heraclid twins would be able to actually stop Hypodermicbuttfuck in a physical confrontation and they'll both probably be working together this round.

>>6322040
>Attempt to team up with Faibokranef
BIG men with BIG feelings.

>>6322040

>Attempt to team up with a fellow competitor to defend against any onrushers and capture a bull as swiftly as possible. Teamwork is an uncertain thing - you move as quickly as your partner, and may even be betrayed later.
Whatever happens, Hyperbius must be protected, sadly. Perhaps we should explain noe that, while we do not care for it, it is Zeus' own will that we work together for now? We need not break any oaths by specifying which goddess shatred thsi or how.m -- it just was revealed in a dream.

>>6322153
>tell guy who absolutely wants to bash our brains in he has to survive and be okay
>assume he won't immediately leverage that by attacking us since we can't fuck him up
Am I being paranoid? I feel like if Hyperbius is an absolute cock gobbler he'd pull some shit like that. Especially if he gets it in his head that the gods have ordained his wellbeing.

Can we just chokehold Hyp and knock him out for a couple minutes so he misses his chance for cattle preserving his life and limbs? Or just throw a rock at his cattle/boat?

>>6322158
We also want to win the contests so we can ensure we get our dad's shield back. I do wonder if sinking any boats would be allowed though. It would be unsportsmanlike so I don't know if it would fly. Or killing the cattle. Of course, that doesn't stop us from doing it the first time to get browbeaten by the fat little king. Which would probably be a kleos hit, if we're being honest. Getting a dressing down from a small man of objectively lower social status than you and him being in the right for it so you have to just take it because you've also sworn not to turn him into paste? Talk about the perfect storm. Come to think of it, with how pissed off these bulls are gonna be when they get let out, they might just charge and try to gore everyone in front of them, which would complicate things if we did try to fight Hypiebonk and a bull tried to impale us mid scuffle.

>>6322047
>>6322153
>>6322155
>>6322167

You guys are basically all thinking about this correctly, lots of competing priorities here.

>>6322158

>can you accost one of the other competitors right now to prevent them from being more seriously injured later?

Absolutely, yes - the phrasing of Tisiphone's request matters. She wants you to preserve Hyperbius' life, as well as physical and mental capabilities. She didn't exactly say that you can't lay hands on him...

In fact, there's at least one clever solution to the Hyperbius problem that Hippo could deploy RIGHT NOW, but I don't think any anon has thought of it yet.

>>6322193
>there's at least one clever solution
Break his cart, such as the door or wheels or handles? Though that may lose Hippomedon his advantage.

Tough decisions so far, for now I will go with
>Focus all of your efforts on capturing a bull as soon as possible, and wrangling it into a cage. Your best move to simply flee the arena at all haste.

>>6318584
This is me.

>>6322197

>sabotage competitor’s equipment

That’s not exactly what I had in mind but could be done as well. By the way, other competitors might have the same idea…

>>6322193
>solution
Can Hippomedon throw his club at him? We don’t seem to have changed clothes so maybe a stunner?

>>6322205

>can you huck your club at Hyperdick’s head

Kek, yes, and Hippo would automatically throw at half-STR bonus. I’d have to assign a small risk of permanent damage, you’d temporarily disarm yourself in the process, and of course, now you’ve rendered Hyperdick unconscious in an arena with stampeding bulls, so what to do then?

>what about Argive stunners?

Everyone has their Heracles cosplay gear on, so these stunners are in Hippo’s chariot. The rules of sportsmanship are obviously extremely loose in this era but it’s expected that Hippo et al only use the provided gear, would be cheating to bring your own gear in

>>6322213
>wat do?
Steal his club and get protective bull clubbing. Or throw his club at another competitor and just punch oncoming bulls.

Would we get advantage for the throw or is Hyp paranoid enough to see it coming?

Anyways that’s my vote. Should take him out for the whole tournament if successful.

Thinking on it. Hippomedon is strong enough that he could stand a good chance of just quickly beating the shit out of all the others in this bull arena. Certainly wouldn’t win friends.

>>6322219

>advantage to throw?

You don’t really need it, it would be very unlikely for Hippo to blow it at this close range.

>take him out for the full tourney

Possible but these guys do have borderline superhuman constitution, so more likely that you concuss him for a lasting INT debuff a la Nikon.

>>6322221

>Can Hippo go hogwild and start fucking everyone up

Yes, but even Hippo might not want to start a 4v1 wrestling match while getting charged by bulls. Even if this works out for him, consider that he will be Enemy No 1 for the remaining events…

>>6322155
This is why I would phrase it as "Zeus wants us to work together" not "I am not allowed to hurt you."

>>6322193
>In fact, there's at least one clever solution to the Hyperbius problem that Hippo could deploy RIGHT NOW, but I don't think any anon has thought of it yet.
Bully the little king into telling Hypebeast he has to leave?

Vote count with ~8 hours to go

Bullrush
>>6322047
>>6322197

Team up with Hyperdick
>>6322153

Attack Hyperdick with thrown club
>>6322219

—

Get those votes in, lurkers. Six lines of Homeric poetry OR a spicy LBA meme is enough to buy entrance to the best quest on /qst/ just meming, I don’t hold a candle to the greats like ForgottenQM, Homer-QM, etc. I’m just a poser!

>>6322253
Yeah that's fair. I probably glossed over that in my shadowrunning.

>>6322310
>>Focus all of your efforts on capturing a bull as soon as possible, and wrangling it into a cage. Your best move to simply flee the arena at all haste.

You are knowledgeable and loyal qm.

>>6322040
>>Focus all of your efforts on capturing a bull as soon as possible, and wrangling it into a cage. Your best move to simply flee the arena at all haste.
Hyperbius is also a gigachad so he'll be fine. We can slow him down later when we're not at risk of being trampled by a literal bull.

Rolled 3, 8, 4, 14, 9, 1, 20, 17, 6, 4, 1, 15 = 102 (12d20)

Alright, Hippo is locked on the sigma grindset here.

However, my autism has demanded that I produce a map so that everyone has a clear sense of the events (since it could get messy).

I will also roll some dice to determine starting locations for competitors, since it might be relevant later. See map.

Position 1: lowest
Position 2: 2nd lowest
Position 3: 3rd lowest
etc

Hippo: 1,2 rolls
Dadaces: 3,4 rolls
Fai: 5,6 rolls
Hyp: 7,8 rolls
Halo: 9, 10 rolls
Nico: 11, 12 rolls

>>6322458

Hippo: 11
Dad: 18
Fai: 10
Hyp: 37
Halo: 10
Nico: 16

I'll put Halo and Nico together since it wouldn't make sense for the twins to be standing far apart anyways... See revised map.

Please note that:

>Blue Triangle H is Hippo
>Yellow Triangle H is Halocrates
>Red Triangle H is Hyperbius

Rolled 4, 1, 6, 5, 1, 6, 6 = 29 (7d6)

>>6322462

Finally, I'll be rolling for directionality of the charging bulls - this is mostly for flavor...

>>6322463
>three bulls heading for hyperbius
Shit.

Rolled 16 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JzDCFfbenA&list=RD41qC3w3UUkU&index=2
optional musical element, trust me

Confidence blooms in your chest. You were born for this - born for this moment. These other men are lesser creatures - you pity their ignorance, their foolishness, their weakness. Only the men of Argos are capable of true greatness; only the men of Argos are beloved by Hera Αργεια! You will have to educate these poor fools...

"MEN OF TRACHIS - I AM HIPPOMEDON OF ARGOS - MEET ME ON THE VICTOR'S BEACH!

The cry shreds your throat, but you care not, for the horns are already sounding – a long, drawn out blast like thunder, like bronze on bronze, like the gates of Thebes crashing to the earth. The cattle-gates before you snap up violently, and your quarry emerge from the darkness.

As when a howling gale approaches the rocky coast, and the wine-dark waves swell and rise, first battering against the cliff sides and the outcrops, before finding their way into a rocky inlet, drawing their strength from the hidden deeps, and giving chase to one another, vaulting over the slick boulders embedded in the sand, growing frothy white with salt spray as they leap one another to crest the next stone, each wave shouldering another aside to make its own headlong dash against the coast – in this fashion, so did the white cattle of Eurykratides burst forth from their gates.

Seven prime beasts in the strength of their youth – long-horned, thick with muscle and fat, they crash onto the sand, spraying blood (for their hides have been marked with whips) and breathing hot fumes of frenzy.

You tense; light on your feet, you grip your club. The sounds of the crowd fade to nothing – your mind clears.
The cattle break and shift unpredictably – but their instinct, even maddened, is to run together. The far left two of the mighty beasts immediately break to their right, and begin to run against the far fencing. Hyperbius wastes no time – one of the beasts is approaching and he sets off after it, club in hand. Dadaces, too – he lumbers heavily into a sprint, tacking to meet the second of these.

The bull from the central gate tacks to its right as well, but seeing an opening, you charge it yourself! Your strides lengthen, in only a few seconds, you will catch it! You spare a glance over your right shoulder – the Sardinian twins move to capture a beast in tandem, and beyond them, Faibokraf lopes to meet the last. An extra set of bulls careen wildly towards one another as the exit their gates – they are on a path to collision!

As you draw within ten paces, your prey catches sight of you and jolts in alarm – now is the true test!

>okay, /qst/ - give me a dice+1d20+6 for Hippomedon’s initiative
>I’m rolling for the bull – it has a +3 AGI bonus in total (+1 base, +2 temporary whipping bonus)
>We’ll handle the rest of the competitors once Hippo’s section is done.

Rolled 18 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6322478

Rolled 17, 12, 3, 19, 11, 10 = 72 (6d20)

>>6322479

kek, based.

BATTER UP

I need THREE ROLLS of dice+2d20 to determine Hippo's to-hit and wound. He will be attempting to crack this bull's skull in a HW,HW,HW format. I'll be rolling for the bull in the typical NPC DDD,BBB format.

Hippo will be rolling with a mighty +9 to-hit (I'm pretty sure, although as I look back to the thread 1 duel with Adrastus, I gave him a +11 bonus at the time, and I can't recall why, something to do with the style bonus against a human combatant? anyways, that particular encounter wouldn't have changed even if Hippo had been given a +9 bonus...), and terrifying +14 to wound.

The cow will be rolling to defend with a +3 dodge bonus, and +6 natural con bonus. Importantly, these cattle are much sturdier than mortal men, and their wound pool is 1.5x. So the cattle have 28 wounds total if I'm doing my math right.

>>6322486

Correction, I think Hippo has a +12 STR bonus and an additional +3 wound bonus between his combat traits - so actually a +15 wound bonus, I think.

Rolled 16, 19 = 35 (2d20)

>>6322486
Moo
>>6322310
You’re number 1 QM in my books! Though I think you may have a dice addiction

Rolled 12, 5 = 17 (2d20)

>>6322486
Who'd have thought cows were so strong?

>>6322488
Nice.

Rolled 5, 7 = 12 (2d20)

>>6322486

14*1.5=21?

Rolled 16, 10, 1, 7, 7, 14, 7, 17, 17, 18, 7, 11 = 132 (12d20)

>>6322486
>>6322488
>>6322494
>>6322496

>Hippo rolls a 25,34 vs 20,25
>solid contact!

I need a dice+1d4+14 to determine wounds!

---

>>6322503

Erm, that's right, the cattle have 21 wounds apiece.

>>6322488

>dice addiction

Could be true but I'm very motivated to make sure that the quest is "fair" and not overly biased by QM bullshit. Lots of the "fun" surprises of the quest have come from Tyche's direction.

---

I'm also going to take a moment to roll for cattle initiative and competitor initiative here.

dice 1-6 - these are the remaining cattle initiatives at a +3 bonus, from Gate 1 to Gate 7
dice 7-12 - Fai (+6), Nico (+1), Halo (+1), Hyper (+4), Dadaces (+2)

Again, some of the competitors could feasibly die here. The cattle randomly pick between headbutts (1d2), hooves (1d3) and horn attacks (1d4) and their STR means that they'd deliver some hurting for sure.

Rolled 1 + 14 (1d4 + 14)

>>6322600
+15

Rolled 4 + 14 (1d4 + 14)

>>6322600

>>6322600

>Gate 1 Bull vs Nico (and then Halo): 19, 18, 18 - bull attacks Nico, Halo attacks bull
>Gate 2 Bull vs Fai: 13, 13 - tie goes to Fai
>Gate 3 Bull vs Gate 5 Bull: 4, 10 - bull 5 attacks bull 3
>Gate 6 Bull vs Hyper: 10, 22 - Hyper attacks bull 6 - we have a race with Hippo here!
>Gate 7 Bull vs Dadaces: 17 vs 7 - Dadaces has a special plan which is delayed...
>there's an extra 11 at the end I will discard
>feel free to check my math, I haven't become any better at juggling all these numbers despite my lust for rolling

I'll do some additional rolling over the course of the day to dictate the outcomes of these minor conflicts and then will write up the update for tonight.

There will be considerably less rolling (maybe) once the fields have winnowed and the bulls are packaged up...

>>6322604

>Hippo's Bull takes 15 wounds!
>Hippo's Bull is now at 6/21 wounds - this correlates to a -6 wound debuff under Homer's system. Bull is now very sleepy and much easier to push and pull...

>I'll dictate that Hippo will automatically succeed his grappling attempt against the bull given the significant mismatch between his bonii and the bull's malii

>If Hyper is also successful in his attempt, there will be a STR+AGI contest to determine who stows their bull away first.

Rolled 13, 10, 6, 17, 3, 13, 14, 9, 15, 17, 12, 3, 16 = 148 (13d20)

there's a bit of rolling to do here...

>Gate 1 Bull attacks Nico

So that's BTHx3,BWx3 and then NDx3,NBx3

Bull TH - +3 bonus
Bull Wound = +6 bonus
Nico Dodge = +1 bonus
Nico Block = +9 bonus (+8 Con, plus +1 heracles costume bonus

Last die is to determine horn (1-8) vs headbutt (9-14) vs hooves (15-20)

Rolled 10, 15, 1, 13, 20, 11, 7, 9, 18, 4, 11, 13 = 132 (12d20)

Bull vs Nico, Halo Resolution
>16, 23 vs 16, 25 - bull attack fails, Halo counters

Rolling for Halo's club counter-attack - bulls are "unflankable" so he gets no flanking bonus.

HTHx3, HWx3 vs BDx3, BBx3

Nico To-Hit = +1 bonus
Nico Wound = +10 bonus (pure strength, no skill bonus!)
Bull Dodge = +3
Bull Block = +6

>>6322828

Kek, so amusing, the twins sort of blow it on the counter - Halocrates takes a home run swing and misses, while Nico basically tanks a bull charge. So the twins are still struggling with the bull at the end of Phase 1.

Will do the rest later tonight.

>>6322834
If the two progeny of Heracles manage to get eliminated on this trial I will cry laughing.

Rolled 12, 18, 18, 10, 6, 20, 20, 20, 3, 4, 6, 12 = 149 (12d20)

>>6322924

Very possible, these guys have been mostly dicking around in Sardinia for twenty years and are still level 2, they don’t have much to show for their age. Heracles the god and his Hellenic offspring (discounting the Dorian branch) are not terribly ambitious people…

Don’t sleep on Faibokranef, by the way, he’s older than he looks…

It occurs to me that I should give Nico a chance to counter-attack to finish his phase, rolling for that now…

NTHx3, NWx3, BDx3, BBx3 - all with same modifiers

>>6322941
>20, 20, 20,
What the fuck. And double 18s? Why don't you go gamble you rat bastard lmao

>>6322956

Kek, this bull is a slippery one, he dodges the Nico counter as well. The twins are well on their way to a freakout

Rolled 6, 19, 15, 4, 15, 15, 11, 6, 18, 4, 10, 20, 11 = 154 (13d20)

Alright, I lost some time tonight wrestling with a logistical challenge, but having solved that, can at least finish the rolling for Phase 1.

>Fai attacks Gate 2 bull

FTHx3, FWx3, BDx3, BBx3
presuming Fai connects, also rolling a d20 for damage and dividing by 4.

Fai has a +8 to-hit (and he really misses his old khopesh at the moment), and a +5 to wound
Bull has a +3 dodge
Bull has a +6 block

Rolled 12, 16, 3, 16, 8, 9, 14, 16, 19, 4, 2, 10, 9, 12 = 150 (14d20)

>>6323084

>27, 20 vs 21, 26 - Fai hits squarely but the bull DGAF

Bull counters! 13th die is for horn vs headbutt vs hooves, 14th die for damage...

Rolled 6, 14, 12, 7, 10, 17, 16, 11, 13, 11, 1, 19, 5, 17 = 159 (14d20)

>>6323085

>19, 24 vs 27, 14
>last two mostly irrelevant since Fai dodges the headbutt

Another washout - a shame, I was rooting for Fai.

Now, bull on bull conflict as Gate 3 and Gate 5 collide. We'll skip the initiative roll since it doesn't matter, really, and go right to combat resolution, mostly to see if one of the bulls is damaged. Last two die dictates type of attack and damage by aggressor.

Rolled 20, 9, 7, 16, 2, 13, 6, 18, 3, 6, 18, 7, 12, 15 = 152 (14d20)

>>6323090

>17,23 vs 19,25 - aggressor fails, victim counters...

Rolled 11, 7, 4, 9, 16, 19, 8, 11, 1, 20, 10, 17 = 133 (12d20)

>>6323091

>23, 22 vs 21, 24 - another washout, victim bull strikes fail
>these two bulls separate...

Now for Hyper's rolls against Bull 6...

Hyper To-Hit = +6
Hyper Wound = +10
Bull Dodge = +3
Bull Block = +6

Rolled 2 + 10 (1d4 + 10)

>>6323093

>17, 29 vs 14, 26 - Hyper success!!!
>rolling a dice+1d4+10 for damage

This will trigger a "sprint" phase between Hippo and Hyper in the next update...

Rolled 4, 4 = 8 (2d4)

One final roll to dictate directionality of Gate 3 and 5 Bulls after their collision to conclude Phase 1...

I'll write up a chunky update for tomorrow, thanks for everyone's patience. The crunch will likely start reducing quickly as competitors (both men and bulls) fall out of the event or out of Hippomedon's attention.

>>6323098
Do you think we’ll reach the nemean games this thread?

>>6323217

30-50% chance, we have a couple big scenes in this thread to tackle once the tournament is over (which might take another 2 weeks or so), then a major timeskip, and then some other business to tackle before we hit Book 3-5 proper of the Thebaid.

But I don’t plan to take nine month gap between thread #4 and #5 so I am really pushing to finish this quest by summer 2026…

The bull you dart towards is white – the color of fresh cream, handsome and wide-browed. But its hide has been marked with cruel lashes, and rivulets of blood now wick over its body, crimson streaking its sides and gathering in the folds of its flesh. Its dark eyes are wide open, frantic and rolling, as it takes in the screaming crowd – one of these locks at you, and its hooves flash. It tacks toward you, bringing its left horn to bear! In the three or four years of its short life, it has learned that men flee its charge, fear its bellowing power – its rippling muscle and thick fat give well-deserved confidence.

But the beast does not know you – does not know your fame - does not know that hail from the greatest line of Hellenes in all of the Aegean - twice are Argives are descended from Zeus! It does not know that countless hours in the training yard have brought you power too – and your mighty hands grip a club that will serve you well enough.

As the beast turns in towards your chest, you twist violently from right to left, bringing the head of the club around in a great wheel. Of course, your timing is perfect, effortless – the clubhead smashes violently into the beast’s left temple just before it makes contact with you – the dull thud of wood on solid bone is your reward. You let the momentum of the strike rotate you as the bull misses its footing, dips suddenly towards the sands of the area; you leave the club-handle in your left hand as the strike finishes. The long left-horn of the beast begins to sweep against your right side, and so you drive viciously against the earth with your left sandal and place your right hand on its shoulder, vaulting high over the bull’s back, and tucking in your right leg as you soar.

You don’t quite leap the beast entirely – your sandals drag across the beast’s broad back, and you reach down with your right hand to brace against the bull’s spine as you fall upon it. In the end, you actually ride the bull as it crashes like a great oak, scoring the sand as it slides for several strides.

The crowd erupts in celebration – cries of “ARGOS!” and “HIPPOMEDON” are volleyed like arrows from on high. The beast is insensate, motionless; the action has flipped your orientation, and you now have an excellent view of the whole arena. You’re caught off guard as a set of bulls streak just before you – they bash and jostle one another like fighting brothers as they run side-by-side to your right.

>cont

Rolled 7, 10, 4, 11, 13, 15 = 60 (6d20)

You spare a glance to your competitors. To your far right, Dadaces runs after his bull, but is too slow to approach – the man is heavy-footed and can only chase after it as it runs along the far fencing towards the empty cages.

Hyperbius, the Theban, manages a feat similar to your own – he cracks his bull’s skull from above with a violent chop as it attempts to gore him. You watch his form carefully – a graceful and smooth motion, and he does not react with surprise as the beast stumbles and falls, although he only narrows avoids having his legs crushed by the disoriented steer. The man is a trained soldier and has great strength in his own right. You scowl – he is a threat to you after all, not some flower to shelter. Damn the gods, you think. The brotherly bulls race past Hyperbius as well, now charging against the far fence.

To your left, the Sardinian twins, Nicodromus and Halocrates, struggle violently to no avail. Their bull is truly mad with rage, completely unpredictable, thrashing bizarrely as Nicodromus simply catches his bull by the horns, grinding it to a halt. Halocrates comes in with his club, but handles it like an enormous children – a wild swing that misses the beast entirely and nearly causes Halocrates to fall himself.

To the far left, the Aegyptian makes his own play - with surprising fluidity, he makes a daring one-handed strike against his own bull as he sprints alongside it, but the beast’s skull is too thick – it simply shakes off the strike as it continues to run. Still, you revise your opinion of the man once more – you suspect that he is no stranger to armed conflict.

The bull below you begins to stir - you quickly slide off, stash your club within your belt, and take position. Given your stature and armspan, you can simply stand at the beast's shoulder, and grip each horn-base with your hands. By sheer force, you'll be able to drive the creature into an empty cage, especially while dazed...

>The Bull previously took 15 wounds from a full-power strike from Hippo, translating to a significant -6 malus. No need for crunch here, the power mismatch is too great.

Hyperbius is quick to mimic you, although his captive is considerably more lively than your own, and you each prepare to begin your race to the empty cages...

>Hyperbius' bull took 10 wounds - he has a +8 STR bonus and a "Soldier of Thebes" trait. I'm rolling to determine whether Hyperbius faces any bull resistance in the grapple phase, or even escapes, although this is pretty unlikely.
>Hyper gets a +8 grapple bonus, bull gets a +2 bonus given its wound penalty. HHH vs BBB

>>6323349
I thought constitution wasn't affected by wounding?

Rolled 8, 4, 11 + 5 = 28 (3d20 + 5)

With pandemonium still erupting across the arena, you begin to wrench your captive bull forwards, quickly bringing it to a trot. Blood weeps from its left ear - its head tends to track in the same direction and attempts to shake its skull from time to time. With your great strength, you are able to keep the bull moving forward. Clearly, your strike has perplexed it - it does nothing to shake you off as you make steady progress.

Hyperbius is not so lucky - his bull retains some part of faculties and begins to thrash and wrestle against its new master. The Theban is able to maintain his grip, but only just so - his progress suffers as result.

>Hyperbius will be rolling with a -4 malus since he can't control his beef very well, but is slightly closer to the empty cages (see map).

Still, the race is on - the Theban has a slight positional advantage that you must overcome!

>I need THREE rolls of dice+1d20+12!

>This is a STR+AGI contest, so I'm calculating this as (STR bonus + AGI bonus)/2 + gifted athlete bonus. For Hippo, this is (12 + 6)/2 +3 = 12. Hyperbius is of course a gifted athlete as well - (8 + 4)/2 + 3 = +9, minus -4 beef malus = +5 total.

Rolled 6 + 12 (1d20 + 12)

>>6323356
Lol we just have to roll a 4

Rolled 12 + 12 (1d20 + 12)

>>6323356

Rolled 20 + 12 (1d20 + 12)

>>6323356

>>6323353

>con affected by wound malus?

Shoot, this comes up every thread and I have to scour the previous material for the answer since I never remember, let me get back to you.

Grappling is a STR-only contest though, so the wound malus definitely affects the bull’s STR bonus. The bulls have 18 STR and 18 CON if that clears it up

>>6323356
>>6323365
>16 against a 32
Wow. Lapped him.

>>6323356
>>6323357
>>6323362
>>6323365

>32 vs 16
>blow-out, Hippo secures an extremely healthy lead on Hyper
>this will translate to a significant speed malus on Hyper for the race to the boats down by the shore, although Hippo and Hyper are both in the same "race phase", if only just barely.
>Hippo once again proves that he is a flowing-haired Chad with no equal, but good thing that this is not a math contest...


I'll write up another update tonight at 10pm ish. Given that Hippomedon is going to be leaving the arena behind and won't have eyes on the remaining bull vs man fights, i might do the bulk of the remaining arena fight crunch behind the scenes and instead post a summary image for review.

>>6323377
Can we bean Hyper during the race phase?

>>6323384
The stick is looking mighty chuckable.

>>6323384
>>6323385

Yes, but honestly, Hippo will likely be so far ahead that the angling would be tough to pull off, and Hyperbius will be running behind his cart. The carts are basically really big wagons with crossbar long handles (see pic related for a smaller IRL version), so I’m imagining that the competitors will actually flip the wagons around and then act as the “brakes” as the weight of the cart + bull pulls them downhill. So hyper’s cage might partially shield him as he goes.

Hippo could theoretically just wait outside the arena to brain Hyper but I don’t know that he would burn his huge advantage in order to pre-settle a grudge…

>>6323396
>Hippo could theoretically just wait outside the arena to brain Hyper but I don’t know that he would burn his huge advantage in order to pre-settle a grudge…
Giving up an advantage to get a preemptive runback is absolute Capaneus hours.

>>6323396
I guess a rock would be better. I think Hippo is straight up skilled enough to pull of such a shot while at such a distance. How far would you say the throw would be?

>>6323401
>a rock
Like Father, like Son.

>>6323400
>>6323401
>>6323574
>>6323576

Nice to see the old memes take flight once more...

>>6323401

I mean, Hippo is the most gifted QB this side of the pyramids. He can huck a fist-sized stone with unbelievable precision. Longest on file QB throw is ~70 yards (Baker Mayfield or Aaron Rodgers). I'd personally put Hippo's max throw range at 120 yards, now that his STR is 21, but would cut this in half if he's trying to wound rather than kill. The throw is definitely "possible", but again, the angling is not great for him, since Hyper's cage will be blocking the shot most of the time.

Additionally, I would definitely make Hippo take a turn to collect an optimal rock, which means giving Hyper time to get a bit closer. I'll dictate now that each degree of success in the cart-push correlates to about 50 yards, which seems fair - in which case, Hippo would probably need to sit and wait at a good spot to catch a side angle on Hyperbius (so small cage con bonus for that).

Also, consider that Hyper may very well decide to throw rocks back at Hippo, and that Hippo will be exposed (no cage con bonus), since he'd be standing on the hill side of his cart.

Given the discussion, I'll definitely put it up to a vote, since there's some legit trade-offs between charging flat out to the beach vs trying to wound Hyper and put him out of the running more permanently.

>>6323603
Thinking on it. Good rocks would probably be better found at the beach

>>6323603
What about trying to ruin Hyper's cart instead? Like, via busting its wheel with a rock?

Rolled 20, 10, 17 = 47 (3d20)

As you trot across the sands, you can hardly believe your luck – mayhem is blossoming in every corner of the area, but your direct advance to the empty cage (middle right) is entirely unmolested. You watch as Dadaces and his bull follow the rounded fencing, passing by empty cages – the Cycladian is not fleet of foot, but appears entirely at ease as he lopes along, apparently unconcerned with his lack of progress.

Bundling your bull into its cage is a straightforward affair – perhaps you imagine it, but there seems to be some relief in your victim as it enters the safe space. You rip out of the supporting brace that holds the cage door aloft – it crashes shut, and you “lock” it by jamming the brace back through a set of iron rings that links the door to the cage floor. Looking behind you, you see that the Theban has hardly made any progress – the beast wobbles left and right, attempting to spin off its grappler. You don’t doubt that Hyperbius will succeed in the end, but you don't stick around to observe, or take stock of the other competitors. Now that you have the advantage, you must push it!

Putting your shoulder against the heavy cart, you strain – it pops into motion, and you duck out of the arena trailing behind it. Of course, the trail itself is lined with screaming commoners, who chant your name - you ignore them. Sweat rolls down your back under your lion’s hide as you strain – the morning is growing hot, although thankfully, Zeus Σκοτιτας has sent a few billowing clouds to shade the earth here and there, along with a cooling sea breeze. Your muscles thrum with power, still fresh - you make the best of your early victory and speedily begin your descent to the shores – already, you look forward to a quick wash in the waters of the Malian…

>okay, /qst/ - this is a (STR+CON)/2 + SKILL contest. Hippo has a mighty +12 for STR, a decent +5 for CON, and +3 for Gifted Athlete = +11 (round down). Cart pulling was not specifically part of Hippo’s athletic training (lol), but by QM fiat, all reasonably-related athleticism traits held by all characters will apply to this part of the competition.

>so I need THREE rolls of dice+1d20+11 for Hippo!

>I’ll be rolling for Hyper with an (8 + 5)/2 = +6 bonus, except that I’m also giving him a significant speed penalty due to his poor grappling outcome – so he’s back down to dice+3d20 flat. Hyper has no athleticism trait, btw.

---

>I also need a vote – this will close in 24 hours at 10pm EST tomorrow. I have a bunch of rolling to do tomorrow, so updates might be scarce tomorrow.

>stop to collect rock, try to ambush Hyper? Hippo will sacrifice a large chunk of his lead in the process and success is not guaranteed, given the practicalities of trying to throw around a bulky cage. Success means that Hyper is realistically out of the competition...

>continue with all speed to the beach.

Can we just put holes in the other boats if we get there first?

Rolled 15 + 11 (1d20 + 11)

>>6323623
>20
You’re a rat bastard who should go gambling, Lesches.
>continue with all speed to the beach

Rolled 3 + 11 (1d20 + 11)

>>6323623
>>continue with all speed to the beach.
If we win this one with two points we technically can't lose in the final competition, only be tied with. And if it's 1 on 1 we have great odds of winning regardless of which dude we face.

>>6323623
>stop to collect rock, THEN
>continue with all speed to the beach.
We only sacrifice a bit of our lead to nab a stone and stuff it somewhere, and then if Hyper comes after us and gets close we can rock him/his cart. Maybe a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, though; the rock would slow us down some.

Rolled 20 + 11 (1d20 + 11)

>>6323623
>Continue with all speed to the beach.
Hope my rolling works lol

>>6323680
Boy did it kek

>>6323680
>20
This brings me much-needed joy.
>>6318584
This is me btw.

>>6323680
damn he's moving fast

>>6323625
>>6323626
>>6323680

Wow, Hippo and Hyper are pushing things to their very limit here - really putting on a show for the commoners!

Will be doing lots of rolling today, but small chance of an update tonight…

I spent a lot of time dicking around with various rolls in between other activities today but came to three conclusions:

1) Numerical performance means something beyond just "higher = good" - I intend for the rolls to actually correlate to race position, so a visual schema is needed to keep track of all the various shenanigans in this event. See pic for current abstracted race positioning, separated into bands. Only Hippomedon and Hyper are listed for now; you'll note that Hippomedon's excellent performance has moved him a rung above Hyper's (also excellent performance)

You'll additionally note that there a "spacer" between bands, worth 10 performance units. Basically, it takes some significant overperformance to move up a slot.

2) I shouldn't roll behind the scenes at the same time I'm introducing new mechanics - this is confusing and may create the appearance of impropriety on my part. Better to roll openly and slowly through regular post updates.

3) I forgot to give Nicodromus a legitimate counterattack (which I will handle in a short post) and made a couple of other minimal errors elsewhere in roll calculations, but nothing that would change events so far.

Rolled 7, 15, 2, 6, 7, 15, 6, 18, 5, 5, 13, 18 = 117 (12d20)

The trail is hardpacked earth – Eurykratides had clearly spent considerable time and effort ensuring that the trail from the arena down to the shore would be serviceable for the competitors. In fact, it is so smooth and stable that you have little concern for overturning; your movement can be best described as a controlled sprint, as you simultaneously guide your cart, steady its wobbles, and even push it forwards time and again. In short – you can’t hope for more speed without taking reckless risks.

You glance over your right shoulder – another of the cages lurches out onto the trail. Hyperbius, no doubt – your opponent’s cart quickly picks up speed, and you catch a glimpse of him as he flips his cart around in the same way that you did - he is now mostly obscured from view. The Theban must be pushing with all of his fiendish strength, as his cart flies, but as you gauge his progress, you are reassured – his top speed cannot quite match yours, and your lead will certainly lengthen even further over time…

You’ve about a hundred paces* down the trail when you hear a great roar erupt from the arena behind you. Your ears sift through the cacophony to discern what event has transpired...

this little vignette takes place in the middle of the cart-push sequence, the visual schema I just posted represents the “end state”, where Hippomedon is already at the boats.

>okay, I’ll rolling for Nico’s counterattack against the bull – this is the final aspect of Phase 1 in the arena. Nico has a +1 to-hit, +10 wound, bull has a +3 dodge, +6 block. NTHx3, NWx3, BDx3, BBx3

>>6324105
>2
I dunno about others but I trust you to roll behind the scenes. Like how you sort of did with that spreadsheet in the mock battles. I can't help but wonder if you'll make a tournament spreadsheet to save you time in the future. Don't have any comments about new mechanics.
>3
Considering that competitors might die to bulls or maybe others, I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been aristeia.

>>6324110

>16,25 vs 21,24 - kek, Nicodromus blows it with a sloppy miss as well. They'll go for a tag-team on the bull next Phase and that will probably go much better for them.

Next update will come tomorrow evening 10pm EST. Thanks for everyone's patience - these events can be sort of a grind.

>>6324111

Appreciate the kind words, anon. I mostly felt more comfortable doing the army battling out of the quest thread because it was something of a dry run for an actual battle sequence, and more importantly, the stakes were quite a bit lower (a couple of reputation points with Adrastus).

I do actually have a spreadsheet for this tournament as well, of course :), but Hippo stands to win a considerable amount in this tournament (Kleos, sure, but other things as well) and could also possibly lose, at great personal cost, as well. No one has really taken seriously the idea that Hippomedon may completely lose his marbles if some idiot takes his father's shield home. At any rate, it's quite critical that I take my time and do this properly, because so much of SATQ and the rest of TWQverse depends on it...

Rolled 8, 8, 17 = 33 (3d20)

The great surge of voices fades away into jeers and scattered catcalls - clearly, whatever attack was launched failed again.

You fall into the rhythm of the challenge - the cart swaying and rocking as it goes down the slopes, the shores of the Malian gulf drawing closer. You enjoy the challenge, of course, as you push your body to its limits. You have hours to go until you are on the victor's stand, and eventually you will tire, but for now, the excitement sustains your forward progress very well.

You briefly wonder what Deianira and Euanippe might be doing this morning - a girl of one and her mother. With luck, they are enjoying the fine weather outdoors - Deianira loves sunny days. You miss the child - you haven't seen her face for nearly two weeks...

>rolling for initiative on the Nico, Halo, Bull conflict at the top of Phase 2 in N,H,B configuration. All parties now have a +1 AGI bonus - the "whipped" bull bonus has faded away.

Rolled 9, 17, 2, 13, 3, 3, 11, 6, 9, 18, 14, 4, 2, 17 = 128 (14d20)

>>6324227

Ah - she truly is a delight. Her hair - lightest blonde - was just beginning to grow when you had left your estates. You'd been surprised that she had been bald so far long, but Euanippe has assured you that this is normal for a yearling child. She has changed you - the same hands that would throw ten ten down to Tartarus in the morning would hold her gently in the afternoon, as carefully as you might try to hold a cloud from the sky.

Another roar from the crowd in the arena - you glance back at Hyperbius and see that your lead is steadily growing as you had hoped.

>rolling for Gate 1 Bull against Halocrates. BTHx3 (+1), BWx3 (+6), HDx3(+1), HBx3 (+9) format. Last two dice are for horn vs headbutt vs hooves, and damage, should bull connect

Rolled 9, 19 = 28 (2d20)

>>6324229

In the sky above, you see a pair of sea eagles wheeling - like you, they are heading towards the sea. To your surprise, you see a pair of fledgings trailing behind them, their wings smaller and less confident in the air - they flap frantically to catch their parents. Perhaps their first flight out of the nest?

>18, 19 vs 12, 27 - bull connects by fails to wound

And again, the crowd's energy dissipates into mocking calls - clearly, more disappointment at a bloodless outcome. The downsloping trail is still smoothly graded as you labor.

>Now for the Sardinians twin's grapple attempt - they forgo their clubs and simply lay hands on the beast - should have done this from the start. Nico has a +10 STR bonus and is the prime grappler. Halocrates tags on and adds his STR bonus too - another +10. It's incredibly unlikely that the bull would be able to fight out, so we'll forgo this and instead say that the Twins are now frogmarching the bull towards the left middle cage.

>We turn our attentions now to Faibokranef - rolling for initiative. Fai has a +8 bonus, Gate 2 Bull has a +1 bonus. F vs B format

Only a few seconds later, you hear some loud and clear calls - "AE-GYP-TIAN! AE-GYP-TIAN!" and at the same time, another side of the arena bursts into cheers - you suspect that a bull has been captured - by the twins, if you had to guess... You likely have only a minute before they enter the cart-push striving properly.

Rolled 17, 19, 16, 7, 13, 9, 9, 4, 9, 17, 12, 11, 8, 20 = 171 (14d20)

>surprisingly, the Gate 2 Bull beats Fai 20, 17, and gets a chance to attack!
>Gate 2 Bull has a +1 to-hit, +6 to wound, Fai has a +8 to dodge, and a mere +4 Con bonus in total.
>Fai has 11 wounds total (8 base + 3 Con bonus), and could theoretically be killed here if he gets hit by a horn... Rolling in a BTHx3, BWx3, FDx3, FBx3, plus a die for bovine attack type and then actual damage roll.

Checking repeatedly over your shoulder at Hyperbius' cage and for signs of the Sardinian twins on the trail above you, you listen carefully for rumor of the foreigner's conduct on the arena sands - you're learning that you don't need your eyes to intuit the ongoings...

Rolled 13, 8, 12, 15, 4, 20, 18, 4, 10, 15, 3, 1 = 123 (12d20)

>>6324409

>20,19 vs 17,21 - a headbutt attack is only narrowly blocked from crushing Fai!
>Fai counters! FTHx3 ,FWx3, BDx3, BBx3. Fai +8 to-hit, +5 wound, bull has a +1 dodge, +6 block

The shouting of thousands of Trachians weaves a tale together - a missed attack involving the Aegyptian, and you wait for the counter.

Amazingly, you hear a deep voice bellowing to you from the backtrail, fresh with young zeal:

"HIPPOMEDON - IS THIS NOT A FINE DAY? MEN LIKE YOU AND I ARE BORN FOR THIS!"

Strange - you don't detect a hint of irony at all, and as you open your mouth to shout back, the Theban screams again:

"I CANNOT WAIT TO SHAME YOU IN FRONT OF A CROWD, ARGIVE! IT WON'T BE THE LAST TIME!"

Bastard. You grit your teeth and close your mouth - let the man stew in second place in silence.

>>6324422
I can't wait to rip his still beating heart out at Thebes.

>>6324422
Nice, a personal rival.

Have had a busy couple days and a head cold, but should be able to make some good updates tonight and probably a vote post, stay tuned

>>6324951
Get well soon, QM!

Rolled 3 + 5 (1d4 + 5)

forgot my roll...

>>6324990
I wonder if Fai is better in the social and intellectual fields.

Before you, the hills are beginning to spill out into the marshy fields by the coast - the trail is still relatively steep and lightly forested on each side, but the time to switch the cart around and pull it is coming soon. Your legs are beginning to settle into the steady rhythm of hard labor - tense, flex, extend, relax, tense, flex, extend, relax... You'll be able to keep up your pace without too much difficulty. If Argyros were here, he'd no doubt invent some joke about missing your true calling as a common laborer. You miss the man and hope he's doing well - really, you treat him better than any brother. That bronze panoplia you gifted him is really worth a small fortune...

You pay no mind to the commoner Hellenes who beg for your attentions as they labor. One group of young men are so foolish as to leap into your path, perhaps expecting you to slow - instead, one of the men's legs are crushed under a cartwheel when he is too slow to retreat. You scoff at both his idiocy and his frailty, before you put him out of your mind. Above you, echoed cries of joy ring out from the wooden stands of Eurykratides' arena and roll down the trail - the unmistakable sound of Hellenes delighting in bloodshed. You wonder if the Aegyptian has finally scored a strike?

>Faibokranef scores a hit with a 21,25 vs 19,21
>He deals 8 damage to the Gate 2 Bull - 13/21 wounds, -3 wound malus. This ends Faibokranef's Phase 2 - but he's positioned well for Phase 3...
>Dadaces trades his Phase 2 turn for a +5 context bonus...

As you follow the trail to the west, you craning your head around to check your backtrail, and observe the arena - but you can no longer see it clearly. It rests atop the hillside that you are now descending, and is screened by copses of trees - the echoes of the Trachians become strangely distorted, losing their coherence.

With nothing else to observe (and no desire to look upon the sweating Theban), you look instead at the sky.

The same set of sea eagles and fledglings that you had spotted earlier are now wheeling low over your head, skimming the tops of the cypress trees. The greater of the eagles crosses over your head, dipping lower and to your left. You lose sight of it behind the boughs. You hear keening cries and peering through the canopies. Interested, you see a large, battered swan flapping into madly into the clear air, riding an ocean breeze to greater elevation. The sea eagle does not reappear, although certainly, the swan seems to be fearful - the eagle's companion and fledglings continue their journey towards the sea. You'll have to recount the tale to Amphiarus when you next get the chance and see what the seer might -

"DO YOU SEE THAT, ARGIVE?! ANOTHER CAGE HAS LEFT ITS MOORINGS!"

Zeus above, will you be forced to listen to the disagreeable shouting of this Theban prince all day?! Unfortunately, as you attempt to peer, you cannot see what your inferior does - he still labors on a higher ridgeline.

>cont

Rolled 20, 20, 18, 13, 15, 19, 5, 19, 9, 14, 4, 17, 1, 4 = 178 (14d20)

>>6325010

He's an interesting guy and has seen a lot in his life, you'll get a chance to talk with him at the feast dinner tonight.

---

Okay, for the next bit of rolling - I'm going to put the play by play in spoilers so that anons can choose to be surprised by the next couple updates, if they would like. So basically, DON'T LOOK if you want to learn about events along with Hippomedon!

Dadaces makes a sneak attack on the twins just as they leave the arena and turn the cart around - Nicodromus is handling the crossbar, letting the cart pull him downhill and is the closet to the arena wall, and Halocrates is stabilizing/pulling the cart from the front, running alongside - both have their backs to Dadaces at the moment.

Dadaces has a +2 AGI bonus, and a temporary +5 context bonus to the following initiative roll only - he's been chasing his bull as a decoy this whole time, waiting to strike. He has typical +2 to-hit, a +5 wound bonus and no combat skills. If Dadaces wins his initiative challenge, he'll enjoy a smaller bonus of +2 to his combat rolls (because Nico is coming off the crossbar and grabbing his club all at the same time, a bit awkward). Nico has a typical +1 dodge, +9 block bonus, +1 to-hit, and +10 wound bonus (ouch) and no combat skills. So it's DIni, NIni, then DTHx3, DWx3, NDx3, NBx3. If Dad loses initiative to Nico, then these rolls will represent Nico's strike on Dad. Last roll is just damage if either one scores a wounding...

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>6325026

some high fucking rolls in this quest lately.

Dad initiative: 20+5+2 = 27
Nico initiative: 20+1 = 21
Dad to-hit: 18+2+2 = 22
Dad wound: 19+5+2 = 26
Nico dodge: 14+1 = 15
Nico block: 17+8+1 = 26

fuck me, it's a tie. I'm giving Dadaces the tie break because sneak attacking the Twins takes serious balls and I don't know how this ends for him

I forgot the damage roll last post, so here it is now...

All done for tonight - should be able to put out several more updates over the next few days.

Rolled 20, 3, 14, 11 = 48 (4d20)

>more spoilers, don't read if you want to learn about events along with Hippomedon!

Dadaces amazingly scores 8 damage against Nicodromus, bringing him to 8/16 wounds, and providing a -4 wound malus to Nico. Not a bad alpha-strike, but the odds are against him... Now time for the next round of combat!

so I'm rolling now for four initiatives - Dadaces at+2, Nico at -3, Halocrates at+1 (because of course, he's spun around to defend his brother and advancing on Dadaces), and Faibokranef at -9 (+6 AGI minus a 15 context penalty - he's still inside the arena, but will be charging out - he didn't know you could attack your opponents until now due to the language barrier.

Moments later, the spectating throng explodes into surprised howling, individual voices merging into a single cry – something has happened! You don’t stop your efforts, but clearly, one of your competitors has done something unexpected. Despite your irritation, you wish the Theban might shed some light – but damn him, he is silent. You suddenly suspect that he is preparing some trickery himself, and quickly check his position - but no change. You hate that the man is within earshot and therefore close enough to warrant your attention - he is staining your glorious day with his boorishness. You give up on trying to learn what has come to pass up by the arena - whatever information that Rumor might pass alongside the trailside Trachians is likely to be too inaccurate to be helpful to you anyways...

Rolled 15, 1, 4, 1, 8, 11, 17, 1, 11, 19, 17, 6 = 111 (12d20)

>>6325512

>more spoilers, don't read if you want to learn about events along with Hippomedon!

yo, Dadaces is not fucking around here. Dadaces attacks Nico first (DTHx3,DWx3,NDx3,NBx3), Halocrates attacks him, Fai storms out of the gates to attack one of the twins, and if Nico is standing, he is last. Dadaces now has a +2 to-hit bonus, +5 wound bonus, Nico has a -3 dodge bonus, and a +4 CON bonus

As far as I know, Homer-QM intended for wound malii to affect CON bonii in combat and his original intention was to create a "death spiral" for wounded characters, I suspect. I'm using Nikon's duel with Diomedes as a reference, but I can't think of another similar fight - the MCs of the TWQverse have not fought while wounded very often for obvious reasons, but if someone can find a statement from Homer, would be happy to re-evaluate...

You’ve finally reached the bottom of the trail and entered the marshy outskirts of the shoreline. Now on flatter terrain, you quickly spin your cart and begin to pull. You’ll no longer be able to move at a near-sprint, but with the trail so carefully engineered, your pace will be excellent. You have no doubt that you’ll be first to reach the boats – which you can see as tiny smudges on the rocky sands.

Your lead is substantial - and despite Hyberbius' efforts, he has not been able to keep pace. You're certain that you'll be able to take to your boat without molestation - but should you flee the man? Why not simply eliminate him from contention through some other means? It occurs to you that naval vessels are typically rigged with spare lines - you could subdue Hyperbius, restrain him thoroughly with one such rope and keep him from further danger? Even better, you could lash the man to the top of your cage and make a show of his weakness. The bitch goddess ordered you to preserve his physical and mental strength, but said nothing at all about his reputation...

>well, /qst/? What will Hippomedon do upon reaching the boats? Please note that directly sabotaging the vessels is possible but wouldn't occur to Hippomedon - he's not a schemer like Odysseus. This vote will close in 24 hours.

>simply move to the boat, stow your bullcage safely and begin rowing to maintain your lead.

>force a confrontation with Hyberbius in order to eliminate him from today's challenge. Afterwards, you might choose to stash him away safely somewhere or instead, actively attempt to puncture the man's reputation.

>something else I haven't thought of?

>>6325519
>simply move to the boat, stow your bullcage safely and begin rowing to maintain your lead.
Fuck it, just leave.

Thread 1 from homer
>Correct. Constitution is unaffected by stat degradation.

>>6325519
>force a confrontation with Hyberbius in order to eliminate him from today's challenge. Afterwards, you might choose to stash him away safely somewhere or instead, actively attempt to puncture the man's reputation.
Humiliate. Emasculate. Intimidate. We will soon be stomping upon the necks of his people in combat, so let this set the tone.

Can we steal the oars of the boats? Or even huck them?

>>6325519
>>simply move to the boat, stow your bullcage safely and begin rowing to maintain your lead.
Don't want to risk accidentally killing his bitch ass. And if we get unlucky and get stuck in a slog we might miss out on our W and that may complicate things.

>>6325519
>>simply move to the boat, stow your bullcage safely and begin rowing to maintain your lead.
Tempo Tempo Tempo + honour and such
>>6318584
this is me

>>6325519

>simply move to the boat, stow your bullcage safely and begin rowing to maintain your lead.

Rolled 19, 15, 2, 8, 8, 6, 17, 6, 5, 11, 10, 1 = 108 (12d20)

>>6325520

Damn, you're right, not sure how I missed that. Fortunately, does not change the outcome of the prior set of rolls.

>spoilers below

Dadaces botches his next round of combat - 17,16 vs 14, 27 - he makes contact but Nico tanks the hit like an uberchad. These rolls are for Nico's counter on Dadaces he's still wounded but will regenerate at the end of this turn. He is a grandson of Zeus and so his Fresh Olympian Blood trait is stronger than Nikon's - he regenerates 3 wounds at a time. So Nico still has a -3 to-hit bonus, a +6 wound bonus, and Dad has a +2 dodge, and +6 block bonus (+5 con plus +1 herc armor). NTHx3,NWx3,DDx3,DBx3

>>6325520
>>6325536
>>6325553
>>6325623

Consensus seems clear, but will let the vote run until 10pm EST or so.

>>6325543

>Can you put them in the water or steal the oars?

Yes, of course, but this is obviously an extremely dickish move, and Hyperbius has eyes - he might temporarily abandon his cage to come fight you if he sees you doing this. But completely possible.

>>6325636

Okay, we're locked in for

>row row your boat

But I've completely run out of time today and didn't get a chance to do much quest-thinkin', so next update will come tomorrow at some point. Maybe 10% of an update before 12pm and 90% of an update by 10pm EST.

>>6325903
>row row your boat
Not so gently across the bay. And it will be merrily if the fool Theban capsizes his stupid dinghy. Well maybe not for the bull.

Rolled 2, 6, 20, 4, 4, 5, 15, 7, 16, 12, 18, 15 = 124 (12d20)

16,16 vs 19, 17 – Nico blows the counter – his cracked ribs slow his attack and Dad dodges…now Halo comes storming in to crush Dad’s skull! Rolling for Halo in HTHx3, HWx3, DDx3, DBx3 format. Halo has a +1 to-hit, a +10 to wound, Dad has his +2/+6 dodge/block bonii as prev desc…

As tempting as the shaming of Hyperbius would be, you decide against any such delays and resolve to simply take off from the beach with all possible speed. After all, this is only the second of the three Oetian challenges – a first-place finish today would near-guarantee that you receive the champion’s laurels at the end of the Games. And not to mention, the recovery of your father’s shield, and some additional burnishing of your κλέος besides.

Looking ahead, you see that Eurykratides has taken the time and effort to lay out a broad “trail” of split logs, flat side up and carefully joined together, to meet the edge of the earthen trail and guide the carts down to the waves – the wheels rattle loudly against the timber, and you scatter nearby gulls into the air with the racket you make. You constantly check for Hyperbius’ progress over your shoulder, but he is only just now descending into the marshy flats, many strides behind you, and too far away even for one of your legendary spear-casts - he is no threat to you, certainly, and has apparently calculated that a second-place finish is preferable to facing you directly.

The shouting of the arena crowd is now entirely swallowed by the pleasant surf as you pass on the wooden road, but to your distaste, some vagrants have camped here, hoping for a glimpse of the competitors. They tumble out of their makeshift huts and from behind shrubs to gawk at you and shout at you in their gaptooth pidgin, draped in filthy rags. You pretend not to see and hear them. Truthfully, you could hardly even call these rootless, indigent men Hellenes; men so impoverished of mind and body that they are claimed by no king. Thankfully, the sweet breath of Ζέφυρος draws away whatever mighty stench their unwashed bodies are producing…

Before you, the Malian Gulf’s waters are quite calm – you’re no sailor, but even you know that a shallow gulf tends towards peaceable currents. It is only out on the wine-dark sea that a man must be on watch for the ship-breakers. The boats of the challenge are set about one hundred strides distant from one another - the western-most with a black hull, the middle vessel painted a dull red, and the eastern-most, a brilliant white. Each boat appears to have a team of laborers awaiting the arrival of the competitors, and as far as you can see, the vessels are mastless, quite small, but broad and deep-bellied. Likely that they are only just large enough to support a pair of oarsman and the caged bull. Speaking of, your captive, the bloodied bull, only lows from time to time as you approach the center vessel – apparently, he does not fear the water.

>cont

Rolled 20, 1, 5, 1, 17, 10, 1, 6, 7, 14, 19, 18 = 119 (12d20)

>spoilers below, don't look!

Astonishing how bad the Sardinians are at fighting. Halocrates blows his attack on Dad by rolling a 21,15 vs 18,24 - now Dadaces "counters", but he's actually going to attack Nico again, since they're all standing right next to one another - (DTHx3,DWx3,NDx3,NBx3) Dadaces has +2/+5 to-hit/wound bonii, Nico now has a -2 dodge bonus, and the correct +9 CON bonus per Homer-QM - he has regenerated 3 wounds and is now at 11/16 wounds for a -3 wound malus. After

Bringing the cart to a halt beside the white-hulled vessel, you are swarmed by common Trachian laborers - men of olive complexion, with brown hair and eyes. Bowls of well-mixed wine and water appear to wet your throat; platters of meat, fruit and other food for your sustenance. You eat and drink of the substance of Eurykratides as quickly as possible as you stretch your fatigued legs - they'll now have a chance to rest as you row. As you replenish yourself, the laborers lay out a broad and heavy ramp from the sands to the ship's deck, tie the bull-cart with ropes, and with coordinated heaving, pull the cart up and maneuver it amidships. As you join them on the deck, you see that there is a square depression, with iron wheel-locks, where the mastbox might typically be. A cleverly-designed thing - the cart is locked into place and is quite secure, and is also now low enough so that you can see over the top of the cage within it, provided that you stand from your rowing bench.

You quickly stride about the deck for other quirks of the small boat - no weapons of any kind, although you note that there are many long lengths of rope with iron-hooked tips - grapples. Clearly, Eurykratides was imagining that there might be conflict between the ships - you will be glad to disappoint him! The laborers place another generous supply of wine, water and food upon the deck in secured fashion, and leap to the sands. They kick out the wooden bracers (which kept the ship upright) and with coordinated pushing, skim the ship over yet more wooden logs into the waves.

You settle onto your rowing bench, and adjust the footrest so that your legs are comfortable. Your back is to the bow of the ship, and so you'll be able to stand now and again to peer over the bull's cage for Hyperbius as you leave the southern beaches. Looking over to the north, you see only the waves - it is late morning, and you expect to row through noon to the late afternoon. With luck, you'll arrive on the northern sands well before dusk. Your shoulders flex - you grip the oars and breathe deeply - and begin!

>okay, /qst/ - give me THREE rolls of dice+1d20+8. This is another strength/endurance challenge, so it's (12 + 5)/2 = round down to 8. Hippomedon has an excellent lead on Hyperbius...

Rolled 1 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>6326361
Gifted athlete bonus?

Rolled 20 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>6326361
ROW. ROW. ROW. ROW. ROW.

>>6326364
Rowing wasn't listed for it, though rowing can be a sport. Personally I'd consider it something for athletic contests but I ain't in charge.

Also, happy Halloween errybody. Hope no one got got by a satyr or dickass nymph. Nor accosted by any shades escaping from the underworld on this ghoulish night.

>>6326369
>dickass
I read that as dickless nymph and was filled with terror at the implication

Rolled 4 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>6326361
get after it

>>6326364
>>6326368
The duality of man.

>>6326369
Happy Halloween!

>>6326372
May all you nymphs be as Ganymede ἑταῖρος Διός? A curious blessing indeed. Only in this far-eastern basket-weaving forum shall such nymphs dominate discourse.

>>6326377
>The duality of man.
This is just trojan war quest dice

Rolled 3, 20, 5, 16, 2, 10, 14, 11, 10, 12, 3, 10 = 116 (12d20)

>>6326364
>>6326368

>no gifted athlete bonus?

Honestly, it was an oversight since by the end of the night I'm desperate to finish up and be done, lol. Rowing is not specifically listed under Gifted Athlete, true, and Hippomedon himself is so rich and famous he doesn't have much rowing experience (why row with common sailors?), but seeing as I provided the +3 bonus to cart-pushing (also not explicitly listed in the GA description), and Hippomedon is simply a giga-chad, I should probably just not think too hard and apply the bonus.

So all that to say

>Hippomedon has rolled another 20+11=31 for the rowing leg of the challenge - he is basically outperforming even his own lofty expectations and is an LBA speedboat. Hyperbius cannot hope to outpace you by normal means.

The real battle is for second place and beyond... Hoping to put out another update around 2pm.

Also, more rolls for the spoilers, don't read below!

Dadaces "counter" on Nico fails to wound - 22, 10 vs 13, 27- Nico takes a face-shot at very close range and doesn't even feel it as he advances. Faibokranef arrives and now he attacks, but due to positioning, he strikes at Halo first - FTHx3,FWx3,HDx3,HBx3. Fai has a +8/+5 bonii, Halo has +1/+9 bonii as typical. Unfortunately for Fai, the twins are now alert to any possible bullshit and so he loses out on a potential ambush/flanking bonus of his own - Halo sees him coming and spins to face him. the 13th die is for damage provided Fai actually connects. The crowd has basically all scrambled out of the arena and are baying for blood at this point. All of this combat is happening while Hippomedon and Hyperbius are descending down the hills, by the way, so the timelines have diverged somewhat between the spoiler sections and Hippo's updates...

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>6326473

[spoilers]28, 21 vs 15,21 - Fai strikes and wounds - tie goes to attacker! I forgot my damage roll though... so it's an obscured 1d4+5 for Fai's damage roll[/spoiler]

>>6326473
High CON and low AGI really make this seem like a slap fight

>>6326688

im actually glad that most of it is happening off-scene because i feel like it would be like writing a WWE match and not in a good way, lol. Reflects well on Hippo that we don’t have to worry about such embarrassing performance.

Next update tomorrow (and perhaps a double or triple update day by way of apology) - sorry for the delay but I’m simply knackered