Theme Files of the Shadow of Olympus

Theme Files are the background the story of Eleusia. Within the following paragraphs, you will find the exact information you need to make yourself feel comfortable within the walls of Eleusia.

THEME

After the Olympians had crushed the Titans and the world was theirs to manipulate as they wished, the Graecian cities were divided up amongst the Gods through contest, trickery, luck, and willpower. Athens belonged to Athena, Ares took Sparta and so forth. As the Gods quarrelled for more and more followers, Hera turned her attention to the small valley city at the base of Olympus, Eleusia, and her modest people. As Hera began to devise a plan to take the village for herself, Artemis caught wind of Hera's plan. The Huntress gathered the rest of the Gods together and, finally under Athena's watch, a game was to be held between Hera and Artemis - the winner of which would be declared the victor and would take Eleusia.
The game was simple - take a woman from the valley and lift her to a status higher than the highest man of the city. The woman chosen, Philomena, was a dirty beggar with no family, very few teeth, and a generally mean disposition. Though she was far superior than most men in stench, she held no political or social power. Artemis bathed Philomena in the light of the silvery moon, cleaning her body and refreshing her soul. She instilled in the woman the ability to beat any man in speed, agility, and hunting games. Philomena proved herself to be a worthy warrior, better than any man, and was raised to the leader of the local hunters. Artemis knew Hera's powers could not bring the woman any higher, for no mortal woman had ever surpassed a King.
Hera took the woman and gave her the power of the Seer. Philomena, now a superior Huntress and a beauty, had the ability to see the Future. Her ability was so sharpened that she merely had to look in the direction of a person and she would know when and how they would die. With this power, Philomena could also see what would kill the person and could easily carry out this plan. She carried out her murders at night, killing those influential townsmen against her, and rose to their position through fear. As Philomena carried out the final justice and killed the King, she ascended his throne as the first and only female leader of Eleusia. Hera, happy in the conquest, moved to take the valley.
But, in no time had Philomena taken the Throne than a band of the King's supporters rose up against her and killed Hera's pride, sending Philomena to the Underworld, where, as Hades could attest, she was not amongst the highest tier of great men.
The game, having been lost by both Goddesses, was declared a stalemate. Athena, in her wisdom, looked upon the valley and its divided people. She declared that this city, the unknown city of Eleusia, would be the 'City of the Gods' where every Olympian would have a Temple and no Olympian would claim it for their own.
Of course, one cannot fully trust any of the Olympians, and as the city grew, each cult, each faction, and each follower tried their best to raise their God to the status of the City's protector. And though each has failed, there is no end to the attempts and trickery of the Gods to acheive that end. Even Athena, holding the scales of Justice, allows them to tip towards her interests at times.
Today, in the year 287 DG (during the reign of all Gods), Eleusia is still the hidden jewel it always was. It fosters a large farming and mining community and has one of Greece's largest schools of art, poetry, and philosophy. Further, a seemingly never-ending supply of metals keep the surprisingly advanced military in excellent form. Women hold an important role in society and even take the jobs suited in other cities only for men - most blame or praise Hera and Artemis for this social advancement.
Though the Aristocracy is patriarchal, the Cults have many female leaders and female hunters, in the tradition of Artemis' Philomena still roam the forests. The military, however, has strict codes against women serving ranks higher than entrant or nurse.
There is a path to the sea, a path around the mountains, and a path to Mount Olympus. And though the Gods have been known to come to Eleusia, mortals do not step foot on the Mountain.

HISTORY

During the dark ages of Greece (roughly 150 years after the Trojan War and between the dates of 1100bc-800bc), there were no written records to denote when the actual rise of Eleusia as a city began. But, it began, as it is told, with a noble family of Dorian Greeks who decided to move closer to the Mountain of the gods due to terrible harvests and Mycenean raiding forces advancing on their old property. They took their entire fortune along with the peasants loyal to them and started building what came to be the walled city-state of Eleusia.
Named after the beautiful and trainquil Elysian Fields in the underworld, Eleusia was meant to be a bit of 'Heaven' on Earth. The ruling family (as mentioned in NEWS POLITICS) were not only just, but intelligent and tolerant of most other cultures. And though they were wary of foreigners, they did not exclude any from the walls of the growing city.
During this time (known as the Archaic Period c. 800-500bc), the city-state began to flourish under the watchful eye of the monarchy. At around 800bc, the Greeks began to use writing again and created their own written language with the help of their trading Phoenician counterparts. Further, as the population of most city-states began to grow, Greeks began emigrating to different parts of the Mediterranean Sea. This held the population of Eleusia at a good level and the city continued to prosper. Eleusians began to branch out from agriculture to the finer points of life like athletics, arts, and religion.
In the final part of the Archaic Period, a war between the Greeks and Persian Conquerors began. Most of the Greek colonies on Asia minor were taken by the Persians. However, though the Perians were mighty in battle and form, the Greeks had a strong tactical advantage of knowledge of the land and, of course, they had the gods on their side. So the colonies fell, but mainland Greece did not. In the year 449bc, a treaty was signed between the Persians and the Greeks, and though peace fell in words, it did not fall in spirit.
Eleusia had not sent many of its troops to battle, for Marathon and Athens (two large southern cities) were bent on claiming glory for themselves, and therefore Eleusia did not feel the pain of the wars. This did not mean that they didn't share in the hideous aftermath. Wounded soldiers, widowed women, and fatherless children searching for answers from the gods would flock to the city at the base of Mount Olympus. Hearing the stories these people had to tell, Eleusia, once a city that welcomed outsiders, began to close itself off from the outside world - including the other city-states that Eleusia deemed too quick to enter battle.
At this point, the gods took their eyes away from battle and began to turn their attentions to the tiny walled city at the base of their Mountain, Eleusia. Before the arguing began (see NEWS THEME), Zeus, in his wisdom, saw the city as it should have been seen - as a world apart from the other city-states. After the events in NEWS THEME, Eleusia was blessed as being the City of the gods, where every god would have a Temple and be worshipped and no god would go without followers. Fearing that mortals are fickle and may decide to turn away, Zeus also blessed all that devoted their life to a god a bit of the magical powers that the specifc god was patron of.
Today, Eleusia is a democracy and though she does allow foreigners into her walls, they are quickly dismissed therefrom when their business is done. No Persians are ever allowed within, it is treason to smuggle one through the gates and death to those Persians which are found within. Eleusia also does not share bonds with any other city-state, as the others are too engrossed in their own business to worry about a far-off place under the mountains.

DEATH

PC Death is not always the end of the game. There is an underworld for your soul and if Hades has anything to say about it, you might be around for longer than you imagined.
Usually, after a PC dies, the character is deemed 'dead' and is imagined to have gone on to the Underworld. The player behind the character is encouraged to make a new character. If, however, the player is specifically asked by Hades or Persephone to stay on the game (and the request is made of the Goddess), then the player will work out how afterlife will affect them and their family.
So, you've died. What happens now? After you're led to the entrance of the underworld, you would make your way to the River Styx. There, the ferryman, Charon, would demand a coin to take you across the river. Your friends and family would have given you a coin to cross the river. If not, you would be damned to eternally wandering the shores of the Styx. At the other side, you would meet the guardian of the underworld, Cerberus. He is a viscious three-headed dog that keeps the living out and lets the dead enter. No one could escape by Cerberus.
From there, you would find yourself at a crossroads where your soul would wait to be judged by Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aeacus. If you were deemed to have lived a good, worthy life, you would be sent to the Elysian Fields where you would stay, forever happy. If you had lived a terrible life, you would find yourself in Tartarus, where you would be condemned to eternal punishment. If, however, you were neither overly good nor overly bad, you would be sent to the Asphodel fields. There, you would just sit in a boring grey wasteland, waiting for some offerings from the living to cheer you up.
If you were to go exploring, you would probably find Erebus, the Palace of Hades and Persephone. Further, you might see the ordinary souls drinking from the Pool of Lethe, or the lake of forgetfulness, erasing any memories of life. You could also see those lucky enough to be in the Elsyian fields drinking from the Pool of Memory.
If you were dead, you were dead forever. And though there are cults that claim one can be reborn at least three times, most factions and religions know that once you're in the underworld, you're there until Hades says otherwise.
Like the Egyptians, the Greeks believe that without a proper burial ritual, the soul will not take its rightful place in the underworld. When someone dies, all close relatives and friends of the deceased would cut their hair short to indicate morning (even women). The dead body would be left in the home for one day, like a wake, and all those that visited would wash their hands before and after they left the home. (The Greeks believe that death is the utmost in uncleanliness).
Early on the morning of the funeral, a procession would take the body from the home to the cemetery. The procession was a noisy affair, as most of the mourners would cry out their anguish and sadness as they walked.
The Cemetery is situated far outside the city walls. Each family has its own plot where tombstones, marble slabs, or sarcophagii are placed. It is customary to bury your loved one with personal belongings, such as jewlery and clothes. Also, pottery vessels are filled with food and drink for the afterlife. Ancestral worship continues after the person has died and offerings are made when it seems as if the deceased's soul is unsettled or angry.