info | locations

LOCATIONS:

housing & sites

HOUSING.

Upon arrival, each newcomer will be shown to a newly constructed house at the outskirts of Mytilene; two storeys, complete with courtyard and several bedrooms. New arrivals will live together in units, until all available bedrooms are occupied, after which an identical building will be found nearby for the next.

TEMPLE OF HERA.

The temple of Hera outside Mytilene is actually devoted to worship of both Hera and Zeus, as well as Dionysus whose cult is very active in the city. It is the biggest temple on the island and besides daily worship, it is the site for festivals and an annual beauty contest among the young women of Mytilene.

AGORA.

The agora, or the square, is the place for political meetings and discussion, vote-casting and similar civic duties. It is also the place where the marketplace is held, so whether you want to debate or to buy your groceries, you'll find what you're looking for here.

ODEION.

The odeion, or the music hall, is the smaller circular building where people meet for poetry recitals, musical and theatrical entertainment and the like. Here you go to be entertained and educated, and to socialize in a slightly more free and relaxed manner with other citizens.

HOUSE OF POLYANAKTIDES.

Polyanaktides, the father of Gorgo, owns a large house at the heart of Mytilene that is open to visitors, also among the newcomers. Gorgo has taken it upon herself to welcome the people who've been brought here and in her courtyard you can converse or be taught the lyre or sing as it suits you. Her pupils will most often be present, too, which is a feast for the eye.

HOUSE OF KLEANAKTIDES.

Similarly, the Kleanaktides house, house of Myrsilus the Tyrant's family, occasionally opens its doors to the new arrivals, so that they may have their questions answered or discuss their status as foreigners in the city. When they arrive, it's always to lavish feasts with many in attendance, if you want to know the richest and most important men around.

STOA.

The stoa, the column-lined walking halls around the agora, are places to gather to be educated by teachers, to discuss politics or business and to learn to debate and converse better. Someone is always giving a lecture or showing off useful techniques, so stick around if you're interested.

BOULEUTERION.

The bouleuterion, the council building, is the political center of the city and Myrsilus meets here on most days with his advisors and others invited. Here the politics of the city are laid out and implemented, and although Mysilus rules alone, he is supported by just as many as those who oppose him.

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info | npcs

INFORMATION:

NPCs

GORGO. The most renowned singer in Lesbos, due only to the absence of greater singers like Alcaeus and Sappho. However, she revels in her popularity and milks it for all that it is worth, teaching young girls and leading wedding processions and other festivities with poetry and song. She is, unusually for her time, unmarried and her father is influential enough not to need find her a husband, so she instead lives in his house still.

GONGYLA. First, she was a pupil of Sappho, but when Sappho had to go into exile, she became a pupil of Gorgo instead, in order to avoid returning home to Colophon where she is from. She will soon have finished her training, but she and Gorgo are trying to persuade her father to let her stay in Mytilene and become Gorgo's yoke-mate rather than going back to Colophon.

ANDROMEDA. A woman who came from an originally humble farmer's family with a farm outside Eresos, but olive oil has grown in value since and they are now relatively well-off, living in Mytilene. She is married to a merchant who is more often away than home, trying through the men around her to persuade Myrsilus to make it possible for women to inherit, so she can inherit her father's business, and also in a relationship with Atthis, another of Sappho's former pupils.

ATTHIS. A former pupil of Sappho who was engaged to be married before Sappho went into exile. Now married to a male poet who cannot compete with Gorgo for popularity, but can provide for them nonetheless. She is one of the only remaining people in Mytilene who is loyal to Sappho and although in a relationship with Andromeda, her heart belongs to the singer in Sicily.

MYRSILUS. Tyrant of Mytilene. Trying to change politics in regards to the aristocrat families on Lesbos, a tough act. He works closely with Pittacus who is his extended arm, but most of the politics are his own and extremely unpopular. He is not a well-loved king and he doesn't try to be.

SAPPHO. The original Lesbian singer, now exiled in Sicily away from all she knows and loves. Is not mentioned except in whispers by people back in Mytilene, out of fear of angering Myrsilus, but everyone knows what happened to her and how it might happen to everyone else among the aristocracy. Will be allowed to return ten years later, four years of her time in exile already passed.

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