Grepolis Creative Writing Challenge

[DeletedUser4013]

Theonlythomas' Grepolis Creative Writing Challenge​

Task - The task is fairly simple. Write a creative writing piece of between 600 and 1000 words. Your piece must be set in ancient Greece and nothing that wasn’t around then can be mentioned. This is a very open piece and could be about anything from a Hoplite named Bob off to fight a war to a farmer called Jesse who has an encounter with a Greek god.

Method - How does a user compete successfully?
You have 1 week from the competition opening to enter, all entries must be PMed to Theonlythomas by midnight on that day (GMT+1). Any submissions received after this time will not count.

Rules -

• No plagiarising. It has to be your own work.
• It can be no more then 1000 words (a few over is ok) and no less then 600. If it is outside of these boundaries your piece will not count.
• All normal forum rules apply (Do not use this to insult any other members of the community etc.)
• Voting will be anonymous.
• Campaigning is not allowed; you are allowed to advertise the event/poll (e.g. please check out this poll and vote on which you think is best’ is allowed, but ‘check this out and vote for number 3’ is not).

Victory Conditions - I will post the pieces as they arrive in my inbox, they will be anonymous and please do not reveal who’s is who’s if you know, do not even say something like ‘I think number 1 is Tyrion’s’. Once the competition has ended a poll will be created and this will be open for 1 week.

Prize- There will be prizes for 1st and 2nd place- once the poll is over I will reveal who the winners are (but none of the others, they can choose to do so if they want).
1st place- Forum Title:

2nd place- Forum Title:

And of course, lots of +rep.

 

[DeletedUser]

THanks to the people who made the titles- not sure if they want to be named so i will refrain fron doing so- but thanks.

 

[DeletedUser]

Entry 1-

It’s a warm summer night; the moon was shining brightly, reflecting off of the still lake. The boats in the harbour were rocking gently, the windmill wasn’t turning, the miners had stopped mining and priests in the temple as stopped praying. Only the night guards were moving, walking slowly along the high walls that encircled the large (13716 point) city.
Then the wind began to pick up. The ships started to rock more violently and the windmill began spinning wildly, the corn in the fields was being blown to hard some stalks began to break off and drift away. Then, everything was still once more.
If you were standing next to the Agora on this night you might have seen a woman dressed a purple robe. But this was not just any purple robe, it was the deepest most rich purple, but this is only to be expected as this was not just any woman. I will not attempt to describe her beauty, as words would not do it justice, but I will say this, her beauty was not of this world. If you watched this woman on that night, you would have seen her appear to walk down the hill, towards the smallest house in the city, and I say appear as her immortal feet did not actually touch the ground as she moved.
As Hera walked down the hill that night she had only one thing on her mind… love. She had been watching this particular man, a soldier in the City’s army, for some weeks now. Observing his every move, protecting him from any danger that may have presented itself. This man’s name was Acacius, he was captain of the Hoplites and was known for being a brave and fierce warrior.

Acacius had been having the month of his life, he had come out of several battles completely unscathed, an arrow heading straight for his head has strangely shattered before it could hit him, he had been promoted to captain, he had been invited to dine with the King and that annoying girl who kept pestering has mysteriously disappeared. He was on an all time high and nothing, bar nothing, could make it any better… or so he though.

Hera entered the small house and looked around, although she had seen this place many times, she had never actually set foot inside before and was struck by its tiny dimensions. But she was not here to look at his house, no; she was here for his heart. As she entered the dark bedroom she appeared to be emitting a low light and warmth, it was this that woke Acacius. He opened his eyes and saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen standing at the foot of his bed, he saw her heavenly face and knew instantly who she was. ‘Am I dreaming?’ he asks quietly.
‘No’ replies Hera in a voice so beautiful, it would silence a battle field with just one word, ‘you are not dreaming’. And with that she unties her dress and…

ADULT CONTENT REMOVED

Acacius woke with a start. There was bright sunlight pouring in through his small window, the sky was blue and there wasn’t a single cloud in sight. If he had been happy this time yesterday, then he didn’t know quite how to describe how he felt at that moment. He was alone in the room and the thought that it had all been a dream began to poke its way into his mind, but this was quickly proved to be wrong when he saw on the floor at the foot of his bed a purple robe. But this was like no purple robe he was ever seen; it was the deepest most rich purple he had ever seen. He picked up the robe and laid it on his bed, then he grabbed his tunic and ran out of the house, he realised that he must be late for his morning drills with the troops.

 

[DeletedUser]

Entry 2:
THE LAST BATTLE OF EPSILON

They are coming. The earth trembles as the hordes of soldiers march in unison. The walls from the pass echo with the sound war cries and swords clanking against shields. So cold is this morning that my bracers burn my forearm’s from their frozen touch. My lungs ache as I draw in the piercing mist. Our captain is yelling out words to rally the soldiers, but I need no words for motivation. He took my wife and only son; I will take his head.

They are coming.

The captain yells for us to assume formation and prepare for war. My bones creak like a ship mast as I stand. Blood stains my teeth from biting my lower lip and the taste makes me crave more. Waiting is death in itself. I close my eyes and picture my child and wife. Her hair is woven like a crown of ember and laced with sweet fragrance of white Myrtle pedals. She smiles at me while holding our son, Branus. Her name escapes my lips in a whisper, “Minara”. I make my vow to them that they will be avenged. As I open my eyes I see the faint silhouette of what appears to be Athena. She stares at me and then slightly nods her head. I blink and she is gone.

They are here.

An endless pause of bitter silence; the earth holds its breath. A thunderous roar from both sides shakes the ground. Our captain calls us forward and we obey in unison. My spear tip glistens as the sun crests over the mountain peak. We clash and my spear finds its way through the chest of an unknown warrior. I recoil and search for my next victim. A young boy, barely 12 winters old stands in my path. His eyes widen at the sight of my spear. Fear has taken him and for a moment I feel remorse. My mind says ‘you must not fail’. My spear thrusts clean through the boy’s neck, spewing crimson blood in all directions. An instant kill; he felt no pain. It is the best I can do for him.

We regroup and push forward once more. The day wanes and the air thickens with death. Hours have gone by and the battlefield is littered with lifeless men. The enemy is getting restless. As the enemy’s troops come forward in scattered formations they reveal their King in the distance. Finally, I see him; King Tyrion. His head sticks too high in the air for a man on deaths door.

The first mistake.

A burning sensation pierces my left calf. I fall to one knee and look up at my attacker as his sword comes down with a determined blow. My shield barely deflects the blow, causing me to drop my spear. The force sends me to the ground. I quickly draw my sword and roll to my back. His sword rips through the sky once again. I deflect the blow with my shield and thrust my sword into his meaty leg. He falls to his knees in agony clutching his wound. I roll forward quickly, seizing the moment, and with a swift strike I remove his head.

We run forward slaying cowards one by one as King Tyrion screams for his soldiers to fight. I close in on the villain and revenge is within my reach. I can smell his bitter blood as he stands in front of his throne with his carriers guarding him. He sees me and knows who I am. I see his eyes expand with every step that I take. His carriers attempt to defend the throne, but I quickly dispatch three of their heads. Tyrion thrusts a sword towards me. I deflect it with my sword and spin around with my shield at shoulder level. My shield finds its mark on the King’s helm, knocking it off and sending the King to the ground. Immediately I thrust my sword into his belly.

The second mistake.

As my sword pierces flesh I see the anguished face of a woman clad in the King’s armor. Frozen in confusion I stand, watching this woman die slowly. The harsh sting of a blade enters my back and paralyzes my body. A whisper enters my ears and says, “So close you have come only to be fooled by a woman. You will die here as another soldier, but my name will live forever!” My body goes limp. My vision blurs as I look up at Tyrion. The cold hand of death grips my throat. ‘I have failed you’. Darkness begins to cover my eyes. A blurry figure stands before me; Athena. She motions for me to rise. My right hand suddenly feels the end of a spear. My sight immediately returns at the feel of the weapon in hand and I spot Tyrion looking away at the battlefield.
Redemption.

Slowly, I stand with a firm grip on the spear and I shout to my foe, “Tyrion”!!! He turns around and I thrust the spear deep into his gut. His face goes pale and blood trickles from his mouth. I thrust the spear in deeper and whisper into his ear, “You are wrong. Both of our names will live forever. Only, you will be known as Tyrion, the cowardly tyrant that tried to conquer Epsilon and I will be known as Cerus, the man that took Tyrion’s head!” I quickly took the sword from Tyrion’s side and with a clean strike; his head fell to the earth. Tyrion’s body followed, lifeless and smeared with blood. Exhaustion took me and my body gave way to the ground. As I looked to the peak of the mountain I saw Athena once again, smiling, and then she was gone. My life was coming to an end, but my revenge was complete and Epsilon saved. As darkness took me, I saw the image of my wife and child smiling; I whispered, “I am coming”.

 

[DeletedUser]

Entry 3:
The Epic of Euclid

Darkness overshadowed the battlefield as the opposing armies retreated towards their camps. It was already the close of the third day of intense fighting, yet neither side had a considerable advantage. Euclid, a fierce young Greek warrior, only twenty two years of age, had finally found his way back to camp. In his tent, he was overcome by the need to rest, but he knew he could not for he was on watch duty that night. The Greek army had to run a tight lookout each night because “The Unholy Ones” were known to use unconventional fighting techniques. On the first night after fighting, an elite group of Unholy warriors snuck into the Greek’s camp and brutally slaughtered ten men in their sleep before being discovered and repulsed. This would have been considered an abomination several decades ago, but times were changing. It was now the eighth year after the death of Pilemonon, the leader of the once great “Greek Alliance”, and the Greeks were in disarray over the death of their leader. It was in this year that the Unholy Ones had emerged as a major force. Some speculated that The Unholy Ones were demons; others argued that they were warriors from across the “Great Sea”; while still others believed that they were men who had come over from the Far East. The Greeks called them The Unholy Ones for lack of a better name. Euclid did not know what story to believe. All he knew was that he was tired and scared. Being a guard was a dangerous task.
Searching for an escape route, Euclid turned to Pericles, his tent mate who was uncannily fat for one who is in the army, and said, “Hear me Pericles! I do not ask for much, but on this night eight years and two hundred fifty seven days after the death of Pilemonon, I ask that you take up the watch for me. I am exasperated and disheartened after today’s fighting. I plead of you Pericles, that you would do what is noble.” After a long pause, Pericles responded, “Leave me to finish my dinner. I shall have an answer for you then.”
With that, Euclid left Pericles in peace. For the most part, Euclid was a noble and courageous warrior. However, tonight, he could not stop thinking about his near death encounter with Drakon, the cruel leader of the Unholy Ones, that afternoon. The only thing standing between life and being consumed by death at that very moment was Euclid’s mighty armor. The more he remembered this, the less he desired to fight. All Euclid wanted was to be a hero. But he did not know how he would accomplish this with Dracon standing in his way. He returned to the tent a few moments later to find Pericles, asleep on his bed with jelly on his lips and crumbs on his fingers. ‘Disgusting!’ thought Euclid. ‘What a pig!’ Despite his anger towards Pericles, it was now obvious to Euclid that he would have to stand on guard that night. He dawned his bloody armor and proceeded to the watch station.
The sky was particularly dark. It was ruled by shapeless, ominous clouds that drifted eerily by. The night was cold, lonely, and unbearably quiet. The night gave one the feeling that if he began to sing his words would only make it a few paces before falling to the ground. Euclid thought of his wife, Anastasia. He felt compelled to walk away and return to her. They loved each other greatly. Euclid thought of the possibility of some dastardly man trying to court her away from him, but he knew Anastasia would never do such a thing as horrible as leave him.
The cold was growing unbearable. Euclid huddled deep into his blanket but that was still not enough. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Euclid saw a faint light, a reflection of a star off in the distance. ‘Might it be a shield?’ thought Euclid. Soon he heard voices and the clanking of armor. He saw a dark column winding up and down the gentle hills like a serpent. It was Dracon and his army! Euclid shouted as loud as the powers within him allowed. He did not know if any of the soldiers had heard him and he had no time to find out. In an instant, The Unholy Ones were rushing at the camp. They were charging like ravenous wolves. It was as if they had not been fed in days and the camp was like a fresh, juicy slab of meat. Euclid drew his sword and just before The Unholy Ones were upon him, his fellow hoplites arrived to support him. The battle that ensued was enormous. Each army suffered tremendous casualties because no one could see quite enough to defend against blows effectively. The warriors of both sides fought fearlessly, especially Euclid. After killing eight enemies and crippling seven more, Euclid found himself face to face with Dracon. This time, however, Euclid did not back down. He fought like a lion. His heart burned with an acute sense of pain because of how much he despised Dracon. He bashed Dracon with his shield, then he thrust his sword thought Dracon’s thigh. Dracon fell to the ground and kissed Euclid’s feet. He begged for mercy and offered him everything he owned if Euclid would only spare his life. Euclid felt pity for Dracon but the gods incited in him a flaming passion that spread through his entire body. Euclid raised his sword and the next moment, Dracon was dead, his decapitated head rolling on the ground.
He had done it! Euclid smote the mighty Dracon. He could not fathom how he accomplished this. He simply thanked the gods on mount Olympus for delivering him from this trial unscathed with his enemy dead. The hoplites threw up their arms and shouted, “Hoorah!” as the enemy retreated in terror. However, this moment of profound astonishment and triumph was short lived. A moment later, a ballistic arrow, fired from one of Euclid’s own men, pierced Euclid’s heart. Euclid was dead, but he had died a hero. And this was all he ever truly wanted.

 

[DeletedUser]

Entry 4-
Twas a dark night in a small village of Agios.Igeantha,mother of three children,three sons, now gave birth to a fourth child.It was a girl.A beautiful little girl,now sleeping peacefully in her arms after a terrible night of unimaginable pain and suffering.But no one would have ever seen what would become of Igeantha,all the people in the village,and that little girl,now called Leiliana.
As years passed,Leiliana grew every day more beautiful than the next.Even if she was young,she was well aware of her beauty,and was not hiding her pride.She lived with her mother and 3 brothers,but she hated them,all of them.Leiliana thought that they were always putting her down and binding her,moving her away from her destiny of becoming the most beautiful and powerful woman in the world.But her mother Igeantha loved her with all her heart,more than her sons.She loved her because of her unimaginable beauty,and she was her only daughter.But Leiliana used her mothers love into making her say that her daughter is more beautiful than the goddesses...
Blind and foolish,Igeantha only wanted to please Leiliana and so she would pray for her daughter in the temple every day,adding that the gods should protect and love her daughter,leaving the goddesess,for they cannot compete with Leiliana's beauty.
Leiliana has always walked the village,looking at the young soldiers whose eyes could not believe the beauty that shines from that unknown girl.She could have had any man she wanted,a warrior or a king-twas not hard for her to seduce any man.She had many girl friends, but in secrecy,all of them envied her.
She also had a friend from childhood,now a young man named Afentis.He was still childish even if he was a hoplite in the greek army; A blond haired young man with blue eyes,he adored Leiliana. But in Afentises world now,Leiliana was more than just a friend for him.But for her he never existed. She believed she could seduce even the gods,and she did that,without hesitation.Summoning Dionysus by drinking wine with other women,even the gods were put to the test of resisting her.Long have Hera,Gaia and Athena been blind to these insults,but that day when they would punish Leiliana,finally came.Hera shown herself one night in Igeantha's dream, warning her to stop insulting the goddesses.Igeantha woke up frightened for her daughters life,so she rushed in the middle of the night,praying to Zeus to keep watch on Leiliana,since his wife is threatening her.
Zeus was glad that she asked for his help,so without hesitation,he came down from the sky,came up to her room,and entered her dreams...
When she heard of Zeuses treatury from Athena,Hera was furious.
The goddesses decided to test Leiliana's heart before forever cursing her.But she failed all tests,of mercy,kindness and love.
Now they were sure she desirves punishment,so they cursed Leiliana-twisting and corrupting her beauty,thus turning her into a goat. Leiliana was struck with so much fury and fell down on the ground.Everyone scattered as they saw the powers of the 3 goddesses who were now not hiding themselves. The girl fell down on the ground,but she was no longer a beautiful woman,but an abomination that had the appearance of a goat with horns.When she woke up,she saw the faces of the shocked soldiers.She ran inside her house,and when she looked at the mirror,the whole village shook with the terrifying scream.
When her mother saw her,she cried day and night,praying to the gods to break the curse in exchange for her life. Hera did not accept that. But the old woman loved her daughter so much despite the hatred Leiliana had towards her.Igeantha gave sacrifice to the goddesses every day.Carrying small animals and little food she had to give to the gods in return for Leiliana.Afentis never left Leilianas side,and now he loved her even more than ever.The girl never left the house again,so he stayed with her,comforting her.
Seeing her mother Igeantha and the young man Afentis,the goddesses saw something they have not in a long time-sacrifice and love.
Looking down on those two people who still loved and would sacrifice everything for Leiliana,they felt sad,for they were immortal,and no one cared for them that much.
Knowing now that she will never be forgiven for her insults,Leiliana finally understood just how much her mother sacrificed for her,and that her one friend who actually was the true one,was by her side all the time,but she never looked to him.Deep down inside,she felt regret,but also warmth,knowing that the people who loved her were always by her side,yet she did not see them.So,at the end of all things,Hera,Athen and Gaia agreed that this girl should be given a second chance,now that she felt regret,and finally saw the truth.They lifted the curse.The joy and happiness of her mother,brothers and Afentis was not explainable.That was a moment,like no other.In tears and joy,Leiliana promised that she will never be the same again,thanking the goddesses and her mother for showing her the truth,lifting the blindness caused by her greed and pride.
She now felt the same love for Afentis,and she loved him with all her heart.Leiliana again became the beautiful woman she once was,but different in heart.
Not long after that,Igeantha passed away.The horrors she went through and the suffering brought her down to her knees.Leiliana's and Afentises sorrow was unimaginable.They could not see why she had to die,and Leiliana blamed herself for that.But,just before Igeantha would take her last breath,she whispered to Leiliana:
„My dear child... The gods and goddesses,they still envy us,still envy you..Everything is more valuable,more precious,because it has an end.Because we have an end.This love and beauty you have now,you..you will never have it again.So live now my child,do not despair.“
With that,the old woman closed her tearing eyes.She never opened them again.


Twas a dark night in a small village of Agios.Igeantha,mother of four children,three sons and one daughter,now left this world,joining the goddesses she once prayed for mercy.
This was a story only we could live through,not gods,for we are not eternal.And that is bliss.

 

[DeletedUser]

Four more days to submit your pieces people. (Entry closes at 23:59:59 on Wednesday (GMT +1)).

 

[DeletedUser]

Ok- Competition is now closed.

Thank you to the 4 entrants for your pieces.

The poll will be going up soon.

 

[DeletedUser]

Any new competition in the near future?