Carthage has a lot of healers and Animal whisperers! It will help our elephants over the Alps, I suppose.

I've said before about Hamartias that they're rather like an obcession; one doesn't change their entire personality and apparently physically age in such a short period without having developed some sort of driving obcession.

Presumably it's regret, but what exactly? Also fear.

Maybe seeing a lot of people die will make your character freeze up? Or maybe he's willing to go to great lengths to ensure no one in his care will die and may pull an Achilles level freak out if someone does [Sulking followed by murder rage]? There's options, you just need to dig around for them.

Originally, hamartia was a term Aristotle borrowed from archery, where it meant "to aim for the center but miss." Today it just tends to mean a fatal flaw - some kind of overriding personal vice that a character is unable to let go of, but it might just as well refer to one of the character's core personality traits taken to extremes.

I hope that provides some inspiration, because besides a missing Hamartia, the character seems more or less ready.

So, harmatia. Are they intrinsic to the character of, well, the character? Do they changes with times and experiences?

For Mago, previously his hamartia would be a simple "Recklessness" - the nature of challenging foes head-on for glory; seeing tigers as dogs (or however that proverb goes). Now, it would be "Reservedness" - being slow to act, possibly to a detriment of himself or others. Also, being somewhat timid and generally uninspiring. I hopes to either find a balance between the two through character development and makes him, pretty much, as close to a perfect heroic figure as possible. Or leads him completely off the deep end either way, but eh.

In that case, yes, his Hamartia could be a reflection of his very extremely passive personality - an example of how that same humility might cause him to act too late.

Done.

Name: Aetius

Side: Rome

Parent: Mars

Calling: Roman warrior (Scout/Skirmisher/Light Infantry). A farmer and hunter when not in war

Appearance: Ruggedly handsome with a strong jaw, with short cut hair and a stubble of beard, his eyes are an intense grey. His body is well-toned and muscled, fit for the son of the god of War. He is a bit taller than average, standing at around 6 feet tall. Appears to be around his late twenties, early thirties.

Personality: Being the son of Mars have always marked Aetius life, trained in the art of fighting from a young age by the finest of instructors and recruited to was many fights as people could, however he also embodies his fathers goal of peace through violence, leading to Aetius only fighting to bring peace, never for glory. He as such hates Hannibal for invading but is also not really fond of those he fight for as they provoked the war in his eyes. He enjoys drinking and the company of friends and women

Hamartia: Greed. -WIP-

Powers:

• Warrior: Being the son of the god of War have granted Aetius an unnatural talent for violence with speed and strength.
• Warding: Aetius naturally drives away evil spirits by his mere presence...
• Fertile Feet:... And his feet brings life to plants and agriculture where he lives.

Abilities: Aetius is a very skilled warrior having trained for it his entire life though he prefers dual blades, cutting through the enemies like a scythe through wheat, which makes sense as he is a quite good farmer. He does know the basics of command and tactics but is not someone you'd put in charge of an entire legion.

Equipment: He does not go completely unarmoured but actually wears a linothorax harness for protection and a tunic under it. Over it all he wears a wolf pelt and he carries with him two gladius, a javelin, a parma (kind of shield) and a bow along with a quiver full of arrows.

Adding all of the approvals so far to the list now.

I'm nooot sure. The Roman side is not exactly starved for warlike demigods right now (including another child by Ares-slash-Mars.)

Well, the big difference between Ares and Mars is that whilst Ares represents carnage and the destruction of war Mars paradoxially seeks peace (albiet through violence) and is an agricultural/fertility god

I'm aware. That doesn't change the fact that he's still a god of war, and we've already got a fair few of those hanging 'round.

Carthage, with the exception of Caratacos, is currently entirely made up of people who can heal injuries and communicate with/command a specific animal. I mean it's an oddly specific combo so Rome can live with an abundance of Wargods.

Unless you're worried about team balance for head on encounters because I think we can manage that. At least if we loose, everyone will be healed in minutes.

I'm working on an Egyptian demigod mercenary for Carthage's side. So you'll have at least one combat focused dude with fire powers. Though amusingly... given the fact he's the son of Sekhmet well, *copy pastes from wikipedia* Sekhmet Goddess of fire, war, vengeance, healing, and medicine.

So the invaders are all made up of healers and most of the defenders are people with inherently aggressive power.

Well, when in Rome...

edited 27th Apr '14 11:19:48 PM by math792d

And us Wild Cards have attractive young tricksters. Each side appears to have taken on a "hat" without any planning whatsoever.

Fancy hats, those.

Re: Mars demigod - This is just kind of me being a stickler for history, but twin swords are kind of impractical in ancient warfare. The gladius doubly so.

The whole point of the gladius◊ is that it's almost entirely a thrusting weapon. The idea was to hide behind the shield and deliver primarily stabbing attacks. It was never meant to be a slashing weapon like, say, the Germanic spatha that the Romans later used as cavalry sabres. Someone armed with two gladii is going to get stabbed to death.

I'm not necessarily saying that it's completely impractical, it's just kind of an important facet of warfare in the ancient world.

edited 28th Apr '14 3:50:09 AM by math792d

Well, the problem is that the spatha as far as I know came long after the punic wars and even after the heavy infantry started to switch to these longer blades the light infantry kept using gladii. And it's not like the gladii could not slash as the Roman infantry were trained to take any advantage they could, such as slashing at the opponents kneecaps. If having to fight on the frontlines of a field battle Aetius would preferably use his shield instead of a 2nd Gladius

It's more that it was designed as primarily a thrusting weapon rather than its inability to slash. A rapier could be used as a slashing weapon too, but that wasn't the purpose of the design.

And like you said, kneecaps, legs, and the entire lower body were an easy target if you weren't using a shield. That's another reason why dual wielding was generally impractical in combat.

Sure, in a slapfight between demigods it's probably less of a problem, but otherwise it's going to be a bit of an issue.

Yeah, this was the reason why I made him a skirmisher/light infantry/raider where fighting in organized formations is less likely to happen.

Name: Usi

Side: Egyptian Mercenary employed by Carthage

Parent: Sekhmet, Goddess of War, Vengeance, Fire, Healing, and Medicine

Calling: Mercenary/Warrior

Background: During one of the annual festivals meant to appease Sekhmet’s wrath, the goddess herself decided to participate and ended up just as drunk as most of the revelers. One of the revelers ended up propositioning the goddess and surprisingly didn’t end up eviscerated for it. Nine months later, Usi was deposited on the steps of a temple of Sekhmet. He was raised by the priests and priestesses for the first four years of his life, before his mother showed up again. She took him away and then dumped him into the middle of a pack of lions. For the next four years he lived with the lions the divine power running through his veins allowing him to blend into the pride with ease. He then stumbled back across civilization, and on vaguely remembered memories returned to the temple where he was originally raised.

There he was re-educated on the nature of civilization, though once Usi had had enough of that, he ran off on his own this time. While still quite young he managed to join up with a wandering band of mercenaries. From them he learned the art of war something that he took to with frightening ease. Having only met his mother once, Usi at the time wasn’t really aware of his divine heritage, and nor was the band he joined. Which unfortunately ended up with the band condemning him as a demon which certainly wasn’t helped by the fact some more of his heritage was kicking in at the time. Still they saw use in him, and instead of executing him, they chained him and did their best to turn him into a weapon.

This ended poorly as when Usi reached fourteen years of age, he broke free of his bonds and slaughtered the entire band by himself. Left alone in the wilds once more, Usi didn’t really know what to do next. Thankfully, his mother decided to show up again, and explain some things. Angered by how little his mother seemed to care for him, he attacked her, only to be beat back down into submission. The fact that she didn’t kill him right then and there, despite it not only being within her power, and within her personality from what he had learned about her at the temple stunned him. Once he recovered with new knowledge in his head, he returned to civilization.

From there, he temporarily joined the Plotemic navy, since as a native egyptian he couldn’t join the army proper. While he had great success in the Navy, it still didn’t properly satisfy him. He was more inclined for land skirmishes then ship to ship combat. He deserted the navy, and from there joined a group of mercenaries that were on contract with Carthage. Through a number of combats, he ended up being the only one still kicking of that band. At that point, he decided to screw bothering with a proper band, and has been doing solo work from then on.

Appearance: Usi is six and a half feet tall, shaved bald, and dark skinned. His eyes are vertically slit like a cats, and have gleaming golden irises. His fangs are also far more prominent than a normal human’s. Though tall and well muscled, he is more lanky than broad in the shoulders. He typically wears a short sleeved hauberk of iron chainmail, and has two iron scale vambraces covering his forearms. Two iron scale greaves cover his shins. Across his chest he has a massive x-shaped scar from when he attempted to fight his mother. He has a number of other less serious scars across his body.

Personality: Usi is not a nice person. He is bloodthirsty and brutal and a bit of a hedonist. Fortunately, he is not so lacking in self control as to indulge in this all the time. He also has severe anger issues.

Hamartia: Being the son of a goddess of war and vengeance, Usi is prone to debilitating fits of rage where he has problems telling friend from foe. He will also go to incredible lengths to seek retribution for even minor slights at times. Which can leave him blind to more immediate concerns.

Powers:

Feral Ferocity: While Usi’s eyes are always cat like in nature, he is capable of assuming more leonine features at will. This highly limited shifting ability lengthens his face slightly, fills his mouth with razor sharp fangs, and turns his fingernails into vicious claws. His ears also lengthen to some degree and become pointed. He also gains a slight agility boost in this form.

Bred for War: Usi is in perfect physical shape, being the peak of human physical ability in every way and then some. While not possessing quite as much brute strength as some of the stronger demigods out there, he is still superhumanly powerful. Though his main physical aspect is speed.

Furious Flames: Being the son of a goddess with a purview of fire, Usi is not only highly resistant to high heat and smoke inhalation, but he is also capable of generating fire at will from his body. He often coats his sword in fire during combat more for intimidation purposes than any actual benefit.

Master of Medicine: While not so capable at medicine as to be qualified as supernaturally gifted with it, he instinctively knows the best ways to treat injuries and diseases with whatever materials are on hand and or readily obtained. All of these treatments are not supernatural in anyway.

Pride Bound: Usi has a uncanny affiliation with lions. While not capable of taking flat-out control of them he can join any pride of them with ease, and is often able to convince them to aid him. This power extends to other non-lion felines but gets radically weaker the less related the feline is to lions.

Abilities:

Swordsmanship: While not what one would call a master of the blade, Usi’s learned ability combined with his natural abilities and ferocity make him just as deadly.

Ranged Combat: He has leaned the basics to a number of forms of ranged combat, but is most capable with throwing weapons.

Tracking and Hunting: In his youth Usi learned from the lions themselves how to hunt. His skills were further refined with some dedicated if forced training by the first merc band he had attached himself to.

Sailing: While never much of a natural sailor, Usi picked up a fairly hefty amount of maritime knowledge during his time in the navy.

Hand to hand combat: Usi has had little to none actual training in this and instead makes do with his own hard earned experience and natural abilities.

Equipment:

Falcata: His primary weapon

Chainmail Hauberk: His ill-begotten armor.

Scale vambraces: Actual purchased armor.

Scale greaves: A matching set to go with above.

Five oil soaked iron tipped wooden javelins: For a bit of ranged combat and to light things on fire at a distance easier.

A second falcata: Incase he doesn’t have time to yank his first out of a corpse.

edited 28th Apr '14 10:07:45 PM by Kosjurake

Well, now that we have something of a balance again, I think this is a pretty good time to hold off on more signups. I'll just add the last names to the list, then get started on the first post.

For emphasis:

Until further notice, signups are CLOSED

It lives!

Discussion thread here.

Hey guys I PM'd math after I didn't see any objections to my joining so here's my Carthaginian.

Name: Hycaeus Utica

Side: Carthage, possibly Wild Card

Parent: Yam, the serpent-god of chaos and the raging sea

Calling: Sailor and pirate

Backstory:

• Hycaeus’ grandfather was a wealthy merchant, who, while sailing to Iberia, brought his daughter along with him, in hopes of marrying her off to the governor of a new colony. While en route, the ship was rocked by a heavy squall and Hycaeus’ mother fell from the deck and immediately sank deep into the ocean.
• A day later, they found her floating directly in their path to Iberia, unconscious, with little memory of what had happened; only remembering the deep inky darkness of the sea. When they arrived at their destination, they were startled to find that she was already growing large in her stomach, and gave birth before they left.
• Hycaeus was a strong and smart child, more at home on his grandfather’s ships than at home learning. When he became a man, however, he scorned his grandfather’s offer of a merchant ship in order to join up with another, one that raided Roman and Syracene shipping. His naval skills were always evident, but only in piracy did his skill in combat and his temper truly come to the fore.
• After one such raid that put a Sicilian town to the torch, Hycaeus challenged the captain for his position and disarmed him, before throwing him into the sea to drown. Instead, a great tentacle emerged from the water and plucked the captain down to the depths, before the writing, twisting creature surfaced and spoke to him, naming his father as Yam, god of chaos and the sea, and saying that Yam was pleased by his actions.
• Emboldened, Hycaeus began to raid and pillage for Carthage even more enthusiastically, learning of his ability to control the waves and wind. He continued this for several years, becoming rather renowned in his own right, before the Republic called on him to serve it directly.

Appearance: Hycaeus is tall and strong, with a lithe, muscled frame. His skin is a dark tan from years under the hot Mediterranean sun while at sea, his eyes are a deep, dark blue, and both his hair and his beard are bushy and black. Hycaeus is about 5’6, taller than most mortals, but often shorter than other demigods. He looks a few years past his youth, soon to be approaching middle-aged, but his hands and shoulders are weathered and scarred far more than one would expect.

Personality: Hycaeus is quite affable and gregarious to all those who meet him, known for being a man of drink and song, and often prone to excessive revelry. Despite this, he is likeable and friendly, and many Carthaginian captains and merchants call him friend. However, despite his friendliness, Hycaeus is surprisingly brutal to those he raids or meets as enemies, which some say he inherits from his father Yam. He has no reservations about slaughtering entire merchant crews or torching seaside towns if they do not surrender quickly enough, often enslaving all survivors. While many warriors hold a sense of respect for their enemies, especially competent ones, the only worthy opponents to Hycaeus are those worthy enough to be sacrificed to his father in the inky depths of the sea. He is known for sometimes dedicating his acts of piracy as tributes to Yam and Dagon.

Hamartia: Excess, everything Hycaeus does he does in excess. He drinks until he passes out (which is quite prodigious for a demigod), sings until his throat is raw, and dances until his feet will not carry him, but he also burns and pillages entire coastlines when angered at unplanned resistance or difficulties. The chaos in his blood from Yam can also lead him to act unpredictably, and often recklessly.

Powers:

• Son of the Sea: Hycaeus is at home on the sea more so than on land. He is even better, stronger, and quicker than normal with a trireme deck beneath his feet and a sea breeze at his back. When in water, he swims with breathtaking speed and can hold his breath for truly amazing amounts of time, having dived for hours before surfacing. As Yam is also the god of rivers, this ability works when bathed in fresh flowing water as well, like rivers and lakes.
• Stormcaller, Windshaper: Through meditation and sacrifices to his father, Hycaeus can control the breath of the wind, calm rough seas, or summon storms. This takes hours of prayer and meditation, and works best within sight of the sea. The storms he summons are usually minor, but with large sacrifices and heavy prayer he could summon storms capable of scattering fleets and tearing sails.
• Deepfriend: As the son of Yam, God of the Dark Waters, Hycaeus is friendly with all sea creatures, but those from the abyss are kindred to him. Hycaeus can communicate and enlist the aid of squid, sharks, and other strange and dangerous ocean beasts. Crabs and amphibians also listen to him, being his father’s favorites.

Abilities: Hycaeus is a veteran of combat, having spilled blood from Iberia to Ionia, and is well versed with sword, spear, and sling. His naval prowess is almost unmatched, both when captaining a single ship and many. He is a natural leader, both on sea and on land, and men instinctively look to him for direction. He is also a truly prodigious drinker and hedonist with miraculous alcohol limits.

Equipment: A falcatta, buckler, and knife make up Hycaeus’ usual arms when raiding, although he has been known to use a spear and shield in pitched battles. At sea he either wears light linen and scale armor or none at all, but on land he seeks heavier armor such as chain mail. He uses a sling, with which he is deadly accurate. He owns a light trireme, with a crew of two hundred rowers and pirates (most are both).

edited 30th Apr '14 3:31:04 AM by rabbitRider

Approved, as the very last character (I'm serious this time.) I'll work you into the goings-on as soon as I escape this class.