GreekPunk - Part 3 - The World - Greece and Enemies (Including other Greeks)

(thanks to Triggerhappy and Undeadfrog from spacebattles/sufficient velocity.com for the inspiration)

Greece:

Greece is in turmoil.  There are multiple factions vying for dominance in the new era, while other independent city-states and factions try to play off the powers that be.

Macedon:

The former homeland of Alexander the Great, they are fighting tooth and nail to retain control of the Greek Peninsula.   They are having problems adapting to the new era, most notably because it seems like every two-bit commander claims to be the successor to Alexander the Great, creating rivalries that will not give up in the phalanx as a base unit.

However, while limited by treaties, they have turned to sponsor privateers to weaken their foes at sea.

What is particularly of note is they have created a massive fortification around Mount Olympia and claim to be the protectors of the gods, even if the gods often dispute this claim.

There is also a rumor that the ruling family is a snake cult that comes from a time long before the time of humanity.  So far, this is unfounded, but the rumors persist.

Epirus:

The young Pyrrhus II has claimed the throne of the region, this land of small villages is essentially the Greek frontier and broken by Pyrrhus’ ancestor, who reached the outskirts of Rome at great cost.   Believed to be possessed by his ancestor who wants a do-over.  It is a place of strong religious belief and 2nd chances and is often a place where outcasts and outsiders go when they aren’t sure where else to be.

At Dodona, the oracle of Zeus has expressed their favor by clouding the location in a massive thunderstorm, only allowing knowledge to those that are worthy.

Aetolian League:

The Aetolian League was the first to form and while considered semi-barbaric by their neighbors, they are the dominant state of Central Greece.  They are driven to a position to upset Macedon and are currently weighing their options to ally with either Carthage or Rome.  They have abandoned the Phalanx for a more wave style of warfare, where they prefer cheap automation with interchangeable parts over using citizen armies.

They have the mighty oracle of Delphi under their heel, but the Oracle keeps warning of a war that "all will lose."

(For the purposes of this post, the Role of the Oracle of Delphi will be played by Bea Arthur, a more age-appropriate Oracle).

Sparta:

While nominally associated with the Aetolian League, they are their own city-state and often do things in the name of the state and “the gods”.  Just about their entire soldier caste is merged with the shades of the gods (most commonly Hercules and Leonidas) to become a society of demigods.

Achaean League:

The Achaean League, similarly, had existed for centuries as a loose religious association before it reformed itself in 280 on the same lines as the Aetolian League.  This is a strange unification of such ancient and legendary cities of Argos.  It dominates the Peloponnese through the use of mercenaries.  They rely on their mobility of their citizen soldiers to repel invaders, using both rails and small automation.

Argos:

The ancient city of the Hydra has regenerated.  The beast itself is now a mixture of the serpent and the mechanical thanks to the power of interchangeable parts.  The animation of beast and machine has made it a perpetual guardian, but it demands regular sacrifices for its services.  Its minions are known as it's heads and is sent out on its behalf.  These forces are difficult to route out as they are always working behind the scenes.

Thebes:

Is one of the prominent members of this league and considers it’s automation that of the new Spartoi or "Sown Men."  While destroyed by Alexander the Great, it has been restored using a blueprint and is one of the most orderly cities in Greece.  It is also a place where it’s police force is completely automated in the name of public order.  They were traditionally Cavalry, but have adapted this tradition to small steam chariots.  They still have that contrary and bullheaded nature that made them famous, and often looks over old innovations in the hopes of finding something new "just to show them."

The Athneo-Knossos Alliance:

At one point two powers were going to go to blows, but instead of getting into a fight, they got into a debate that lasted days.  Once exhausted from the discussion, they ended up making an alliance that dominates the Aegean Sea and a lot of those city-states that are dependent on it, not unlike a federation.

Athens:

The birthplace of innovation, naval power, and Automation and has regained long lost power and dominance.  It is the Greekpunk city of wonder and conformity.  They are also essentially the town you go to make it big in the theater and more then one vigilante organization has used these skills and technology developed to fight or commit crime throughout the ancient world.

Knossos:

The land of Philosopher Minotaurs whom species is the fusion of the spirits of Daedalus and the Minotaur who conquered Crete through brains and brawn.  They consider themselves the Platonic ideal and have a bad temper to those that point out their inconsistencies.

Rhodes:

The Island kingdom is known for having the greatest Colossus in the ancient world.  It wades into the depths of the water driven by heroes to keep the Aegean safe from sea monsters.  But there is a nasty rumor that there are organic sea serpent components in the mighty Colossus.

Other powerful allies in this federation are Pergamum and Byzantium.

The Trojan Necropolis:

This town was found by a couple of freebooting adventures, that the shades of this dead city immediately possessed them.  They then began to offer themselves as a waystation but continued to possess travelers until the population of Troy has arisen again as their personalities were rewritten by beings of legend, abet with a slight green tint.  It is a step back in time, with huge ancient walls, and a dedication to getting revenge on the Greeks and the Romans (whom they consider an insult they claim their ancestry).   Poseidon is their patron god now, after the horse fiasco, and it prepares it's deadly hippocampus forces that merge the dead and machine.  Troy never forgets.

Ephesus:  

This fabled city of the Amazons are one of the staunchest allies of the Trojans and are often responsible for kidnapping new hosts for them.  Their city contains the legendary Temple of Artemis and it influences the actions of the entire city: namely that of the hunt and moon.  They have been rumored to have strange, secret technology that allows them to track when others would give up and are one with the night.

Scythia:

(special thanks to Incognito from SB.com for this one).

Horseman tribes and confederacies are bound to these grasslands as they are dominated by the bloodline that merged a dragoness and the mighty Heracles that mated during one of his many adventures. Purity has been key by the rules to preserve this bloodline which allows the draconic features to manifest.  Their lack of unity is the only thing stopping the rise of the dragon, but for how long?

The Seleucid Empire:

The dominant power of the Middle East, it is on the decline.  Its feudal structure allowed political vibrancy, but it also has affected the stability as local rulers become rebellious vassals.  It has lost territory to its neighbors but is currently going through a revival through Antiochus III the Great.  He plans to raise an army like the world has ever known and just simply march east and drown them in sheer numbers and teamwork. This includes supernatural creatures such as ogres, manticores and even stranger creatures of power.

Antioch:

The center of the Seleucid Empire, this is a young city of opulence. Built as the choke point for the middle east, this is where the forces are amassing to move out east.  It is the city of the Jinn which influence the city using their knowledge of the legal code to wield their supernatural power.

Babylon:

This city was ancient even by these eras standards, it is currently abandoned. Plant life has taken over this city and it's rumored that some of the plant life is sentient enough to be amassing forces within.

Bactra:

The Graveyard of empires is a little too literal. It teams with shades that are unsure of their heritage (due to the surprisingly high Greek population in this neck of the woods), who have deteriorated into ghouls. They would be a danger to all if Antiochus hadn't come to a "working agreement" which is rumored to be his ace in the hole for his own schemes.

Egypt/The Ptolemaic Kingdom:

This ancient land was conquered by Ptolemy I, the childhood friend of Alexander the Great and he still rules.  While he died over 80 years ago, he arose from the dead and repossessed his original body.  The mummification process gave him eternal life and he has been cannibalizing mummies, temples, and artifacts to only increase his power as Pharaoh.

Alexandria:

While many cities claim this name, the one in Egypt is the one people refer to.  It is a place of writing and is the place of cosmopolitan, 2nd only to Rome in sheer size.

It is probably best known for its library.  While there is some modern skepticism whether it existed in history, it exists in this world and is a place where all knowledge ends up: you just need to know where to look.  Whether you survive is another matter entirely as the library is a very dangerous place for the ignorant.

Isthmus of Suez: 

One of Ptolemy's many projects.  He has hired some Roman contractors to dig a canal to allow access from the Mediterranean to the Red sea using Steam Technology.  If completed, it will allow an unprecedented amount of prosperity and control over trade.  But there are many that are trying to sabotage this endeavor.

Memphis 

This ancient city of the Egyptians is the religious center and has undergone a renaissance of sorts. This is the city that Alexander the Great has been entombed, at least for now, and is the city of a thousand gods.  A side effect of this city is the sheer number of ancient shades, and not all are happy with the new regime.  The people of the nearby Set maat (the place of truth), the town of artisans, is home to what can be described as "shade stoppers" that are sent throughout the Kingdom and beyond.

Tutankhamun

While not a location, there is this persistent urban legend of note.  A minor Pharoah was missed during the magical cannibalism of Ptolemy.  He was resurrected by his shade and now wanders Egypt and beyond, looking for resources and force of arms to reclaim his kingdom.

Ankhar the Defiant

Claiming to be the son of Ra, this mighty hero runs around the world looking to right justice with a large toothy grin.  The Greeks compare him to a Hecatoncheires for his giant size, mighty strength and ferocity in combat, but he isn't the brightest and often gets into trouble because of it.

Hyperborea:

This land far to the north beyond the Northwind.  While often depicted as a utopia, it is closer to a land of fire, kept warm by the magma flows from the volcanoes that isolate this region.  The circular temple to Apollo is occupied by a multi-headed dragon that sleeps, forever guarding the golden apples that grow in the rich volcanic soil.  These apples are rumored to be an ever-burning fuel source.

It is rumored that it's mainly the twisting currents that make people think it's that far north, and in fact, it might be Iceland.

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GreekPunk - Part 2 - The World - Rome and Friends

Rome:

The Italia Peninsula is both smaller and greater then they have ever been.  Without the constant slaves of conquest, Rome has been forced to rely on automation for the mines and the fields.  Still, Rome and its allied states have learned from the blood and iron used in the 1st Punic Wars.  All roads still lead to Rome as thousands flock to the city for a better life.

Syracuse:

It is mostly occupied by the Romans, but the Greeks and Carthage inhabitants are always providing resistance.  It is a place that is like the Vietnam war that gives dread to those troops that get this tour of duty.

Carthage:

Carthage survived relatively intact from the 1st Punic wars. The worship of Baal allowed young impressionable shades that had been sacrificed to help in the protection of this mighty empire.  It currently controls the northern African coast, Corsica, Sardinia and the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula (where they have a working relationship with the monstrous entity Scylla who lives by the pillars of Hercules).

Libya:

Ruled by a woman that claims to be Medusa, queen of the desert. Her nomadic minions cover themselves from head to toe and raid their neighbors: Carthage and Egypt.  They are considering an alliance with Rome but are wary of dealing with the Patriarchy.

Iberian Peninsula:

The rest of the Peninsula is Centaur Territory.  After being morphed by a curse done by the Carthage (that loosely went "if you like horses so much, you can be one."), they have adapted by setting up a logistical network of way stations across Europe for communications.   They attempt to hold their primal nature by using music and poetry to provide a focus, which results in some truly amazing entertainers that scour the lands.

Gaul: 

This proud people once sacked Rome and Rome has never forgotten it. The Druidic Consul holds sway and is masters of alchemy, often using strange potions on fearless troops to create monsters dedicated to acting as guardians of the land.

Britain:

This land is the Atlantis of this world.  Very little is known about this world, even the nearby Gauls give it a wide birth.  What is known is it is a location of huge Standing Stones, strange blue-white light lines of immense magical energy and a surprising amount of sheep, always watching.

Alps:

 A Pythagoras cult (complete with a Pythagoras shade) has taken over the Matterhorn and have built a mathematical wonderland, complete with automated monsters.

Automation provides warm running water, but it runs a contest once a year for initiates.

They have a working agreement with Hannibal, which allowed significantly more troops and elephants to cross the alps in this timeline with relative ease.

Germania:

Here be Giants, which was rumored to have migrated from the north and settled here.  While their populations aren't large, they have managed to raise huge paddocks of sheep to live off of.  Runes and ritual are very important to these monsters.  They commonly hire themselves as mercenaries for anybody if the price is right.  However, they are beginning to slow, but surely learn the ways of the south and are trying to organize themselves into a mighty kingdom that will dominate the continent.

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GreekPunk - Part 1 - Overview

This is an idea I've been stewing on off and on and decided to flesh it out to see if interest to develop further.

It's essentially its own sandbox of the Ancient world, with a few twists to make it different.

Automatia

One of the defining moments of the settings is just after the 2nd Punic wars.

1. Archimedes of Syracuse is captured, rather than killed.
2. He's then sent to Alexandria with his new patron as a "wonderous consultant" and expands on the knowledge there.
3. He finds out about the aeolipile and refines it with the knowledge of the day.
4. These toys win favor at court.
5. Athens takes issue and starts a "toy war" with Alexandria
6. with this rivalry pushing innovation, within 50 years, it allows the Greeks to push back the Roman expansion for a while with automatic as well as low-grade rail transportation.

This is an ancient world where technology managed to be driven to mythic levels and has changed a lot of how the world works, for good and ill.

Rome, while powerful, hasn't reached it's insane empire building levels yet, mainly due to its rivals stealing state secrets and developing their own weapons and countermeasures.

Shades of the Past

Hades/Pluto must have opened the gates because of this blood because the spiritual dead are surprisingly common.

Some claim to be fragments of the gods, some claim to be great figures of history and it's very hard to confirm which shades are telling the truth.

While the mainstay is Greco-Roman, every culture of the ancient world has had this occur causing the need for inter-pantheon politics through the possessed Council, an international organization dedicated to deruffling feathers with varying degrees of success.

While they can do little directly to affect the current world, they can use worshipers and ride them, not unlike the voodoo tradition, while offering mystical insight and power.

(Heck it is rumored that the Shades of great scientists and builders of the past is the reason why the ancient world has gone through such innovation as cults seek to out tech each other until they are grabbed by the local authorities).

Sometimes it comes as incantations, other times comes as essentially superpowers, but there is usually a trade-off to control such power and makes many superstitions have real power, at least in their jurisdiction.

This has caused many historical figures to play a prominent role long after their deaths.  Although it does make people somewhat blasse whenever yet another "Alexander the Great" or "Hercules" comes to town.

For example, there is a feud where a shade of Socrates has accused a shade of Plato of corrupting his words and using his mouthpieces, causing a feud between the Socratic Order and the Philosopher kings that has been going on since the return of the shades and it's only going to get worse from here.

This also allows many people who were relatively mundane in life and forced to walk the living world to setup mystery cults or agreements with adventurers to make something of their afterlife
(which can even include former player characters).

Sometimes these Shades end up mutating the living, resulting in the transformation of entire people into mythical creatures, both monstrous and playable, many of which are still trying to find their place in life, which often leads to the multicultural center
that is Rome.

Now the Punk

The punk aspect would be patrons in all cultures, but especially Rome, owning most of the pie by being able to trace it to the founding of the republic.

A lot of the others have hereditary kings that claim to go back to divinity.

Your characters are the plucky upstarts that have to wade through the various power plays of both external and internal politics while wondering where your next meal is, at least at first. :)

Additionally, a lot of underground cultures based on ideas, professions (such as the firemen of Rome) and mystery cults that "do your own thing" as contrast and potential political upheavals.

It gets worse if a shade gets a liking to you.   Suddenly, you have a fragment of the gods/ancients/spirit and are usually considered "unfit" by your betters.  Whether they exploit or exterminate you, they will consider you beneath them unless you can bring them to heel.

Inspirations

Disneys Aladdin (because Mechanicles started it all)
GURPS Rome
Hercules (1983)
Hercules vs the Moonmen
History Bites
Hardcore History: Dan Carlin (Punic Nightmares, Death Throes of the Republic, Celtic Holocaust, King of Kings)
Rinse the Blood off my Toga (a Wayne and Shuster Special).
Rome (HBO Special)
The History of Rome (Michael Duncan)
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edward Gibbon)
The Storm before the Storm (Michael Duncan)
Into the Lands of Bones-  Alexander the Great in Afghanistan - Frank L. Holt

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Winter is here.