GreekQuest (9 page)

99

 

Dappled sunlight. You're in a clearing in the woods.

 

Paths lead north east to
143
, south to
33
, south west to
93
, west to
87
and north west to
104
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

100

 

“Maybe I'd better look after this myself,” you tell the men and walk on down the hillside.

As you approach the tree line, a fit-looking woman in her thirties emerges with a sword in her hand. She places the other hand on her hip and watches your approach with a small grim smile. “I see you've found Heracles,” she says as you come within earshot.

“If that's his name,” you nod. “Are you his mother?”

“I am and proud of it. Little devil's been racing off to get into mischief within a few hours of being born. I expect he'll grow up into some sort of superman.”

“He will if he's the Heracles I'm thinking of,” you mutter, trying desperately to remember if the Heracles/Hercules of Greek/Roman myth came from Sparta.

“But anyway,” the woman is saying, “I'm very grateful to you for bringing him back safely. You'd scarcely credit it, but there are people who'd actually leave a baby in the open to fend for itself. No, since I notice you don't have a weapon - and you'll certainly need one to survive in a place like Sparta - let me show you my gratitude by giving you this.” With which she hands you the sword she is carrying.

 

Wow, that's really nice of her. The sword is so sharp it strikes with +5. Now after you've thanked her politely you have the choice of getting on with this adventure at
130
or, since you now know where you are at least, taking a minute to pick up a little background about Sparta from your Brief Guide To Ancient Greece at
150
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

101

 

You flash your safe conduct at the guards on the largest tent in the encampment and are ushered in to the presence of a muscular grey-haired man. This must be King Menelaus, Helen's husband, who started the war when Paris nicked his wife. He looks you up and down, frowning thoughtfully. “You aren't the youngster working for Zeus by any chance?” he asks.

“Yes, I am,” you nod.

The king stands up. “Good. So you can tell me how to shorten this war. What I want to know is if I should fight that villain Paris in single combat or try some other tactic. What do you think?”

 

Interesting question. If you think he should fight Paris go to
129
. If you think he should try something else, turn to
108
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

102

 

“Good decision,” murmurs Zeus as the golden chamber shimmers all around you and your vision, momentarily, fades to black. From somewhere far away you hear him add, “Hope you can find your way to the sacred grove.”

 

With which he teleports you directly to
58
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

103

 

Dappled sunlight. You're in a clearing in the woods. But wait - there's a bearded character with a bluish cloak over his linen tunic. He's seated beside a most diverse array of goods spread out on a ground sheet.

“Hey you!” he calls. “Need something? Anything? Come and see what I've got for sale!”

You walk across and examine the merchandise.

“Hellespont mackerel,” he tells you proudly. “And lots of other fish if you're feeling fishy. Thessaly puddings here if you like Thessally puddings. And prime ribs of beef.”

Since you're not hungry at the moment you ask, “What are you doing selling stuff here?”

“It's my job,” he says. “You sound like a barbarian, so I'll fill you in. I'm from Athens and we've got four social classes. There's the pentakosiomedimnoi - they're the nobs. Then there's the hippeis, who've enough cash to buy a horse. After that you've got the zeugitai, who've at least got a plough and two oxen and finally there's the thetes - they're the poorest landowners.”

“And which are you?”

“None of them,” he says. “I'm a metoikoi. That makes me lower than a thetes. Actually it makes me even lower than a woman, which is saying something. A metoikoi is a Greek from another city state who's currently living in Athens. Since we're not allowed to own land and we don't have the vote and aren't thought of as citizens, we usually become merchants, which is what I did.”

His range of goods is extraordinary. As well as the food, he shows you sails, rigging and papyrus from Egypt, ivory from Africa, raisins from Rhodes, carpets from Carthage, spices, ceramics and much, much more.

 

You can buy anything you want from the items mentioned at a nominal sum of three obols each since he's taken a liking to you. After that, the paths out of here lead north west to
156
, north east to
112
, or south east to
99
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

104

 

“An excellent choice!” exclaims King Menelaus. “I was thinking of making a huge wooden horse, filling it with men and leaving it outside the walls of Troy while the rest of us pretend to retreat. Paris is so thick he'll think it's a gift and take it inside. When he does, our men will jump from the horse and open the gates for the rest of us. What do you think?”

 

If you like the notion, go to
160
. If you think it's the dumbest idea you've ever heard in your life, you can tell him so at
73
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

105

 

This place is open to the sky like a Roman amphitheatre, and even has a few tiers of seats for spectators. But even so it's clearly not a place of entertainment. What it looks like is a military training ground. The good news (especially if you're feeling a bit below par) is that there's a character selling ointments, liniments and patent medicines from a tray.

“Free to soldiers and athletes!” he calls as you approach.

 

Here's an interesting situation. Ointment costs an obol per jar, liniment is the same. Both restore a die roll of Life Points. The medicines are a drachma per bottle and restore a double dice roll of Life Points. All of which may be academic if you don't have any cash. If you do, buy what you can afford, then get back to
61
to pick another destination. If you don't, there's nothing to stop you returning to
61
empty-handed, but since the healing is free to soldiers and athletes, you might like to try your luck down below on the training ground at
141
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

106

 

“That's all very well,” you say haughtily, “but you'd better make an exception in my case since Zeus sent me.”

“Why didn't you say!” exclaims the priest. “Follow me!”

 

With which he leads you to
82
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

107

 

Dappled sunlight. You're in a clearing in the woods.

 

Paths lead north to
87
, north east to
93
, and south east to
78
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

108

 

“You're right!” roars Menelaus. “This confirms exactly what I thought. As far as I can see, our options are all-out attack, strategic retreat or some cunning ploy. What do you favour?”

 

Another good question. All out attack takes you to
119
. Strategic retreat is at
113
. But if you can think of some cunning ploy that might do the trick, turn to
104
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

109

 

The first day of the two-day run to Athens proves uneventful and you've lots of time to admire the scenery. The country is amazingly picturesque in a rocky, mountainy sort of way, and while the soil doesn't look all that wonderful, the slave farmers manage to grow oranges, olives, dates, pomegranates, figs and even cotton.

In the wilder areas, you get to admire tulips, hyacinths, and laurel which seem to have come up without any help from anybody.

Although Pheidippides wants to keep going, you insist on taking a short rest in the heat of the afternoon. Pheidippides has gone off to find a stream to refill your water skins and you've just settled down gratefully in the shade of a tree when you hear a peculiar snuffling sound. You look round to discover a large black boar is watching you with beady brown eyes.

You start to scramble to your feet. “Nice boar,” you say soothingly. “Pretty piggy.”

The boar charges.

 

This bad tempered animal has only 20 Life Points, but it will automatically get in the first strike and it has tusks that will do you +5 damage. If this little hassle kills you, go to
13
.

If you survive, you should know that roast wild boar not only tastes delicious, but is low in fat and if cooked in oil pressed from olives, high in polyunsaturates, so each meal will restore a double dice roll of Life Points. Roll one die three times to determine how many meals you can make from the meat, but divide your answer by two since half of it will have to go to Pheidippides.

If you're a vegetarian, you can ignore the above, but either way you should turn to
7
should you survive the boar.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

110

 

You shift sideways sharply before this old geek gets violent and begin to circle the ring of cliffs to find a way out. There isn't one. Which is absolutely and utterly impossible since you ran in here, but the way things are nonetheless. As you complete the circle, you realise the old geek is grinning at you inanely.

 

Grin back while you make your mind up what to do. Which really comes down to humouring him at
159
or taking him seriously at
55
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

111

 

“Don't be silly!” you tell him severely. “I've no quarrel with you!”

“Sissy!” shouts someone in the crowd around you.

“Cow herd!” shouts another.

“Litratute! Staterquet! Rumblebottom!” the rest of the crowd takes up in a chant.

 

All of which is the first subtle hint you're about to be stripped of your new job due to cowardice and sent, ignominiously, to
61
to select another destination.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

112

 

Dappled sunlight. You're in a clearing in the woods.

 

Paths lead east to
135
and south west to
103
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

113

 

“An excellent choice!” exclaims King Menelaus. “You can lead the retreat!”

Which, since you have no option, you do and are killed by the first arrow fired by Paris's pursuing warriors.

 

Pull the arrow out and go to
13
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

114

 

A huge man picking his nails with a short sword is lounging at the entrance to this building. He watches you approach, then steps out to bar your way.

“Anybody who wants to get in here has to answer some questions,” he growls. “And before you get any ideas about fighting your way through like most Spartans do, I have eleven brothers within earshot, all as big and as ugly as me and armed to the teeth. Harm one hair of my slightly balding head and they'll fall on you like Mount Olympus.”

“What's your question?” you ask hurriedly.

“My question is this,” says the huge man. “Were Hera's Mum and Dad Hellenes, Olympians or Titans?”

You look at him blankly, your brain working nineteen to the dozen.

 

It's make your mind up time. If you think the answer's Hellenes go to
66
. If it's Olympians, try
127
. If you plump for Titans, turn to
91
. If you haven't a clue, the best (indeed the only) thing you can do is return to
61
and select another destination from your map.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.