The City States of Greece

Oh stop it. In the end the Titans will be once again back in Tartarus. ( After Christos kicks their ass.)
 
To prevent theological confusion among the uneducated masses that may lead to a failure to do proper honour unto the gods, I recommend that works of fiction should not focus on the works of the Olympians. If the people of Athens began to worship fictional 'heroes' the wrath of the gods would surely be drawn upon us.

Truly indeed the worship of fictional heroes as compared the lawful veneration of Theikoi, men who have become divine through the awakening of divine power born from descent from a god, or through the indwelling of the essence of a deity, or through a gift of the gods, such as for example the divine Herakles and the divine Perseus, is unlawful.

However the revelation of Athena has established the means to prevent such opinionated deification of false divinities. For in her revelation she commanded the establishment of hierarchs in each city, with the Great Hierarch in Athens being the first amongst equals amongst this venerable college. The Hierarch in each city is charged with correcting and rebuking such false deifications of fictional characters, if the problem persists, is controversial or is widespread in many cities than the faithful should know that the Great Hierarch is the lawful arbiter of true worship, and reject what he rejects with the voice of the gods as false deity, and accept what he accepts with the mark of divine wisdom as a true divinity worthy of divine worship.

Considering this divinely established means of correcting error. I see no reason why stories involving the 12 are to be forbidden, so long as they give the gods rightful reverance and refrain from impiety and the spreading of falsehood and hubris that could lead to a failure to participate in the divine rites and neglect of ones duty to the gods. Besides should such stories be forbidden absolutely we could be putting a muzzle on percieving true revelations of divine action in the world, which is something to be avoided, for many are the gods, and many are the ways to spiritual awakening in the worship of the divine.
 
I do not propose outright forbidding fictional depictions of the Olympians, in my recent ode to our archers I included a line regarding Artemis. Depictions of the gods that are a true representation of them, even if the actual events are fictional, will provide valuable insight into the ways of the gods.
This tale of "Christos" appears, in my eyes, to denigrate Zeus - lauding this fictional character at the expense of the lord of Olympus. It is tales such as this that will bring divine disfavour on Athens and could lead to misfortunes such as the Japanese settling in the sacred valley of the Eurotas.
 
This tale of "Christos" appears, in my eyes, to denigrate Zeus - lauding this fictional character at the expense of the lord of Olympus. It is tales such as this that will bring divine disfavour on Athens and could lead to misfortunes such as the Japanese settling in the sacred valley of the Eurotas.

No. This story has to do about how the people can do many brave things without the help of the Gods and how Zeus, instead of using his power, trusts a human to do a mission for him.
 
Your previous statement

To prevent theological confusion among the uneducated masses that may lead to a failure to do proper honour unto the gods, I recommend that works of fiction should not focus on the works of the Olympians. If the people of Athens began to worship fictional 'heroes' the wrath of the gods would surely be drawn upon us.

-

Your clarification makes more sense than this previous recommendation, which would seem to suggest I forbid fiction focussing on the works of the 12 as a central theme. As to stories that denigrate the gods, or make them an object of ridicule, such a thing is clearly blasphemous and the work by its very nature a violation of the divine majesty. Blasphemy as a form of sacrilege is a grave offence against the gods, and as such should such works occur the just penalty for commiting such a violation will be appropriately severe.

I need not ban stories revolving around the gods on this matter however, as sacrilegious acts themselves are rightly forbidden according to custom. I need not decree specific laws against specific forms of the offence as the general indictment against such things already applies by the customary law of the athenians. Even less do I need to ban the writing of books before they even come to light in the manner of your original proposal, for just reparation for such an egregious violation of the Athen's relationship with the gods, by the courts, shalt surely be passed once an offence becomes known making amends for the offence and restoring serenity between Athens and the gods.
 
My original recommendation was intended for storytellers, not the Hierarch. Nevertheless I thank you for your clarification of the legal niceties surrounding this subject.
 
My book is not heretical.
 
My original recommendation was intended for storytellers, not the Hierarch. Nevertheless I thank you for your clarification of the legal niceties surrounding this subject.

It is no problem, such a statement as yours could easily without such clarification lead to unintended consequences. Regardless, our storytellers can rest safe in the knowledge that works centering on the 12 are acceptable so long as they are not sacrilegious in any way and in the knowledge that if they are the courts are more than willing to ensure just reparation for the offence is given.
 
My work has nothing to do with heresies. And it is not the first time that the Gods ask the help of Mortals. And the mortals, by helping the gods, gain salvation.
 
ooc:

you may like to know christos that heresy is rather rare in hellenistic religion. To be a heretic you would have to totally overturn the traditions of hellenic polytheism (example would be rejecting the other gods in favour of a monotheistic religion revolving around Zeus).

Heresy tends to be associated with religions that place a premium on orthodoxy (right belief). Hellenic polytheism on the other hand IRL and in-game is pluralistic and places a premium on orthopraxy (right practice). Ergo you conduct the sacred rites appropriately, refrain from the condemned actions and so long as you do that you can believe in a diversity of teaching from the dionysian mysteries all the way to pythagoreanism or platonism alongside your regular practice of the proscribed religious rites and actions.

This is why people within the in-game religion can go off and start their own little sects within the all-encompassing dodekatheism, becoming heirophants and creating their own structures, specific teaching/practives for their particular movement within dodekatheism as a Heirophant (revealer of the divine). (so someone can start the orphic mysteries and as a dodekatheian cult its practitioners continue to uphold the divine faith and practice the necessary rituals in addition to going on their moonlight soirees in isolated forest groves and secluded mountain glades.). Indeed this pluralistic nature is I think natural for a polytheistic religion where there are many separate gods, even apart from the olympians down all the way to local divinities and nature spirits.
 
It is no problem, such a statement as yours could easily without such clarification lead to unintended consequences. Regardless, our storytellers can rest safe in the knowledge that works centering on the 12 are acceptable so long as they are not sacrilegious in any way and in the knowledge that if they are the courts are more than willing to ensure just reparation for the offence is given.
You know, I could write these kinds of stories and merely sign them anonymously. :p

They still give you prestiege, whether they are heretical or not.

edit: oh, and I'll probably try an RP with my character going with the Spartan settlers.
 
ooc: and then I order a nice bookburning and a search for the peasant responsible who once found will be punished according (if its a player or a notable) to the judgements of the Archon ;)

oh and who is to say the settlers will found Sparta, the individual who happens to get it (still waiting for any ai noble offers) may decide to rename it according to their own desires, or to reflect what they want the city to become. Oh incidentally a settler may come around faster than you think (/pats the athenian gold pile)
 
ooc: and then I order a nice bookburning and a search for the peasant responsible ;)
OOC: Framing is fun. :evil:

Oh, and I wan't aware that we had books. I thought that we used scrolls. :crazyeye:
 
ooc: scrolls are books just as codices are books. Scroll or codex it matters not. Either way I have just recalled we dont have writing, as such the bookburning would occur only after that tech is researched meaning that the search (and punishments against retellings of the story) would be what occurs. :p

as to framing, you can try. You would have to be exceedingly good at it however considering myself and certain others have.. prior experience in the arts of framing people in games such as this. Either way though, I don't see why you would want to produce a sacrilegious work when you can just (once in-game) create a nice little cult within dodekatheism as allowed for by its pluralistic structure, or alternatively if you are not in the game make hagiographical (in the sense of totally uncritical praising and glorifying of the subject) poetry about me :p, or perhaps do some more standard RP work in the manner of Aaronius's thing (which is really good). This reminds me too, I need to get round to doing the next instalment of the Athenead, I've been waiting for a momentous occasion to provide a cutoff point, I sense such a point is fast approaching.
 



JoanK has been born into the game as Konstantinos JoanK Aristandros

Players can now write sotries and books as if we had writing.

Athens was alive with activity. The people had much to talk about. The Archon's meeting with the gods and his public preachings managed to convert 1/3 of the populace to this new cult. The Archon had used public tax money to hurry the completion of the settler. It was rumored he spent 1000 Drachma, and dipped into many different areas of the budget. The Areopagus was going to meet again! The Archon had added an additional 10% War Tax. Though there was a little grumbling it largely went unnoticed. Solon, the heir to the Megakyroi line, became the first noble musician of Greece! He wrote a Hymn to Apollo that was well received by the people, and was rumored to have greatly impressed the foreign visitors. The Koreans had arrived and were sending ripples through the city. Many had already started to learn how to write, and were adapting it to Greek. Even a few Korean words had slipped into the Greek vocabulary. And finally, the Korean expertise with elephant brought a new reverence of the creature, and spawned many new recipes surrounding it.

Updates:
  • Mercenaries- Players and NPCs can hire mercenaries to fight for them. Mercenaries cost varying amounts of GPT depending on the situation
  • Levies- In times of war nobles can summon levies from lands they own. The strength will be random, but the more land and power Nobles have the stronger the levies they will be able to raise. Raising levies may anger the people.
  • Added Musician Skill to the skills list.
 
Tambien brought to my attention that I should clarify Only those born into the game can write books. 'Peasants' (unborn players) still can only tell tales at the fire.
 
OOC: Hooray! Alive at last!
 
OOC: most excellent. You can kneel in awe before me as the mood takes you :p
 
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