Spoiler: Astraea Kynthia
Name: Astraea Kynthia
Age: 27
Gender(M or F): Female
Appearance(pic and/or description):Spoiler: Astraea
https://i.imgur.com/P2ZLJno.jpg
A statuesque and fit woman of a proud Spartan line. 6 feet tall and 150lbs of proud warrior muscle. Her skin a dark mocha color sporting it's fair share of scars and old wounds, but still a beauty said to rival the fairest of the Goddesses. Her hair is black as night, and despite being impractical for a warrior is kept long as a symbol of feminine beauty and status, a silly custom, but one she cannot escape.
Usually dressed as above even after leaving her life as a mercenary to serve Harpocrates, but when she is not on a mission she dresses herself in the scarlet peplos of Sparta along with tall gladiator sandals.
Race: Human
Demigod, Fallen Hero, or Follower: Follower
Lineage(Demigods only): N/A
Patronage(Fallen Hero or Follower only): The Greek God of Silence Harpocrates
Divine Skills and Abilities (limit of 3):
The Mask of Many Secrets: A passive ability that allows her to blend in with her surroundings without use of disguise or guile.
The Sound of Silence: A keen increase in her sense of hearing, even in a loud room.
The Noiseless Voice: When looking at someone she can see their secrets, at least their more recent ones.
Normal/Racial Skills and Abilities(limit of 4):
Spartan Warrior: While not as extensively trained as boys, Spartan girls are trained in the basics of martial combat. And once her family moved from Sparta she was trained the same as her twin brother. This gave her extensive skill with swords, spears, shields and the many other weapons of the Spartan warrior.
Educated: No one in Sparta is allowed to be stupid, Astraea was educated in history, geometry, philosophy, music and dance.
Fit: Extremely fit and strong Astraea trains daily with extensive cardio, weight-training, and weapon training.
Silent Willpower: Among the first thing she learned after taking her Oath of Fealty to the God Harpocrates. She learned the tremendous willpower that comes with being silent, allowing her to overcome many challenges.
Weapons(Limit of 2 weapons):
As any Spartan warrior worth their salt Astraea carries only two weapons a finely made xiphos and a doru.
Artifact to be retrieved and reason: Harpocrates's Ledger of Secrets: The book kept by her patron that holds every secret known to Gods and Man. No matter how small nor how well kept, every secret as soon as it is hatched in the mind of it's keeper is written down in the God of Silence's Ledger. Should it fall into the wrong hands the very fabric of reality would unravel and open up everything to the Void.
Armor(one sensible suit of armor): The armor in the image above and her hoplon is all the armor she needs.
Equipment: Whet stone, dried food, spare water, a waterproof cloak, armor maintenance kit.
Personality: Astraea, like all Vigilantes of Harpocrates has an air of reservation about her. Eyes clear and unwavering lips set in a steady lined grimace of sorts. While not cruel she isn't the most compassionate of women. She believes in putting duty above personal needs and gains. Beyond those guises though she is a young woman of passion and conflict, her past that had brought into the Vigil's care always burning within her mind threatening her careful said vows and promises to her patron of Silence and Oaths
Likes: Her duty, training, mediation, her Patron, the Vigil, music.
Dislikes: Failure, liars, thieves, whining.
Spoiler: Background:Astraea and her twin brother Alcander were born on a cold winter's day on Mount Kynthos on the island of Delos. Her parents her father Kyrie and her mother Damia were both proud Spartans, but were tasked to leave Sparta's main city and be part of the garrison on Delos they were chosen because Kyrie's family line was originally from the island. As usual war threatened the Olive Kingdoms and Sparta's ruler was a cunning man and learned the secret to power is keeping a wide hold on promising lands for resources and potential battlefields. It was an honor neither of them wished to waste and with the twins already growing strong and restless in their mother's womb they decided the move would do them all some good.
The journey itself was arduous, but they arrived at the fort in the middle of the night and thus began their lives as citizens of Delos. Sparta had already been on the island for a few years building their fortifications so the members of House Kynthia just as building was being wrapped up and being made ready to hold troops. The twins were born a few weeks later both healthy, hale and squalling. Strong limbs and features proved these children were perfectly formed and a gift from Ares to help strengthen his chosen people. Now in Sparta proper the son Alcander would receive the lion's share of training from the kids' veteran warrior father, but this was a new land full of new dangers so the pragmatic parents decided both children would be trained and educated the same. Raised as a unit the siblings grew up with the mindset it was them against the world. Astraea had Alcander's back and Alcander had Astraea's back, each other's best friend and confidant even as they grew older and nature began drawing them apart from each other and towards other companions of the opposite sex.
As they were reach adulthood conflicts broke out between the Spartan garrison and some less than gracious island inhabitants who bore ill will against the bronze clad warriors as they had set up their base on a sacred religious site, as the birth places of the God Apollo and Goddess Artemis. But the God of War Ares was stronger than those two and the warriors refused to leave. And thus as has usually been the way of the Olive Kingdoms war sprung up for the amusement of the Gods and the blind arrogance of humanity. Despite both being trained as warriors Astraea was forbidden from joining her brother in the defense with the other young men. But war is never neat and easy like that, the islanders outnumbered the Spartan garrison, but the Spartan reputation for fighting to the last man caused the enemy to become creative with their assaults. They harangued the garrison from afar slowly picking off the defenders with arrows and catapults. The Spartans pressed the attack soon after the first pieces of artillery landed, but the islanders had sprung a two pronged attack on the warriors attacking their backs just as they flooded through the gates of the fort. But even the the blood of a Spartan is not so easily spilled, the fought on all sides and even the women and children in the fort had to take up arms and fight the invaders back.
Better equipment and training can only go so far when your enemy seems like an endless flood. The defenders put up a legendary fight, but in the end the men and boys were wiped out and any girl or woman still fighting was quickly cut down or captured as they were overwhelmed. Astraea was among them and the following months were the closest thing to being dropped on Hades's doorstep as she'd experience while still alive. The islanders were brutish men rape was a favored pastime for them and once those lusts were slacked they tormented the survivors making them fight in losing battles until they could get their woods back for another round of rapes. As an attractive young woman Astraea and her small group of female friends endured the worst of these games. She was trapped in this state for a full year before Sparta came for the island with a vengeance that could rival even the wrath of the Gods themselves. The entire island of Delos was wiped clean of anyone who wasn't of Spartan blood and the bodies cast unceremoniously into the sea or sent in pieces to Sparta's enemies as a warning. Only a handful of women survived the horrors at Mount Kynthos and more than half of those few died weeks later. Luckily none of them were forced to carry a child of the enemy, but the scars and pains were not so easily forgotten by them. Astraea had always been of stronger stock, but the memories even affected her. The Gods have never been ones to treat even their most devout followers with unending kindness, but some scrap of kindness would've been appreciated, even if that just meant death. But the now eighteen year old woman could never see herself dying for the pleasures of the Men of Delos nor for the blind allegiance to Ares. She left Sparta with only her weapons and armor to keep her company seeking work as a mercenary. Her Spartan lineage doing wonders for getting her work, but it was empty work for empty coin. Just killing for the sake of killing and being scary for some oil merchant so he could get a better deal on a product.
She carried on like this for two years until a chance encounter brought the idea of Stoicism and the Vigil of Harpocrates. She was walking through a marketplace somewhere in the middle land when she came across something being pummeled by no less than three heavily armed guards. Blood coated the ground, but she couldn't hear anything at first she thought they were beating the body of a dead man for some reason. But soon six men dressed in white and black robes arrived at the scene and beat the men away with their bare hands. She recognized some of the martial arts from Sparta, but she also saw moves taught only to members of Athens and Thebes standing armies. Once the guards were gone two of the six men picked up a seventh man. He was covered in blood and wounds, but he never made a single sound even after one of his comrades put his dislocated arm back into it's socket. In fact none of the men made a noise. It intrigued her...were they all mutes? Having no jobs to mind herself with she followed behind the men observing them. She tried to ask questions, but they all simply looked at her and motioned for her to follow them. Trailing easily behind the men led her to an assuming temple complex built into the side of a mountain. She recognized the letters that spelt out Harpocrates, but for the life of her she could not place what they meant. It vaguely looked like a name of some kind and since they were on a temple it was obviously the name of a God. But she had never heard of a god going by Harpocrates before, hopefully once inside she could speak with someone who had a tongue in their heads.
Most of the men vanished into the recesses of the temple leaving her alone with the man who had been getting beaten in the marketplace. He was in obvious pain, but his mouth was locked into a grim line of silence still his one good eye studying her from head to toe. Nodding lightly he led her towards the heart of the temple. The crushing silence of the temple was deafening, usually temples were full of chanting, chattering, or in the case of some Temples copious sounds of sex. But here...it was dead silence he own breath sounded like the screaming of Boreas himself. Her wounded guide led her into what she assumed was the inner sanctum of the temple opening the door for a small room for her he motioned her inside before shutting it before shutting the door so quietly she wasn't even aware of him doing it until she heard the faintest jingle of the metal handle clatter behind her. Apprehension jumped into her throat and she drew her xiphos from it's sheath.
But despite her fear, no attack came at her. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light she saw a single man dressed in a white tunic and robes kneeling before marble statue of a kneeling man only a foot or so taller than the flesh and blood man before it. It held one fingers before it's lips with it's right hand and had it's left hand clasped around the hilt of a short sword at it's waist. The very picture of secrecy and striking from the shadows, a Rogue God?
As if reading her thought the man stood up and spoke. "No, Harpocrates is not a Rogue God...he is simply a private one. While the other Olympians are gallivanting about Olympus with their feuds or dallying with pretty mortals to make bastards, my Lord is in the background recording and compiling." The speaker stood up pulling his hood down and Astraea sheathed her sword studying him. He was older with a black eye patch with long salt and pepper tied into a short mane at the back of his head. His face was clean-shaven but weathered and scarred. As the woman studied him he studied her then spoke. "Harpocrates is the God of silence, secrets and confidentiality. He is the secret keeper of the Gods, everything they try to keep in the dark my lord brings to the light and holds them accountable for it. All of Zeus's liaisons, all of Hera's act of jealousy, every sin and broken promise Harpocrates knows. We are his Vigil many would wish to learn what he knows and some even try to destroy the knowledge." He let out a low chuckle dusting off the knees of his robes. "But you cannot silence the God of Silence, I am Sofus, Sage of this Vigil."
That was the first day of Astraea's new journey for purpose. The men she encountered in the marketplace were Acolytes nearing the end of their two years of silence before they get become Neophytes in the Vigil of Harpocrates. It was a test or fortitude and wisdom two things every member of the Vigil would need to properly serve their Lord. She had already endured much in silence, but two years without even grunting if she stubbed her toe would be a challenge nonetheless. She would live in the temple with the other Acolytes and they would be each others silence keepers. She wasn't the only woman in the group, but as far as she could tell she was the only Spartan, but that's been her life for the last few years so two more wouldn't hurt. During her Trial of Silence she was trained and put through many challenges including getting into street fights without uttering a single word or making any sort of sound. She passed her two years of silence and went back to her wandering warriors ways, but this time she had a purpose greater than coin, she had the ideals of Stoicism to strive towards and everytime she took the Harpocrates Vow of Silence before her biggest missions. A Vigilant can speak if they so choose once they pass the Trial of Initiation, but most continue on in silence anyway, but before the biggest missions a vow must always be taken to ensure the protection and guidance of their Deity. "Harpocrates's favor can only be heard if you listen for it above all else." Is a common phrase among the Vigil and it's one that has proven it's truth time and again.
But now after serving the group faithfully for a few years and undergoing many important missions Astraea's most important mission is upon her. The Ledger has been stolen from the temple of her Vigil and she must get it back before every secret is known and all out war begins and the very fabric of the world gets torn asunder.
Spoiler: Other:In silence even the most minute sound becomes like the boom of thunder. At first it's like the gentle rumble on the horizon, but spend long enough in the quiet and even the beating of your own heart will be like a storm on top of your heard conjured by Zeus himself. With focus and patience you can quell that booming or make explode all around you as if you are the storm itself instead of just it's witness.
That was what Astraea was currently practicing in her small stone cell in the Temple. Deep in meditation and dressed in just her short sleep tunic her chest rising and falling at a steady tempo. Before joining the Vigil she thought such activities were a waste of time, she didn't see how sitting with folded legs in a dark room for hours at a time improved a warrior's body or helped anyone around her. But after joining the Vigilant of Harpocrates she learned the power behind meditating. It quieted the torrent of thoughts and emotions the boiled inside her during the day and the painful memories that haunted her at night. It also strengthened her mind against outside terrors and influences facing down monsters like Harpies and Minotaurs can leave you with all kinds of terrible memories you want to forget. And for a warrior, a strong mind is just as important as a strong body.
Keeping her breath even she synced it with the beating of her heart until they were as one. This was the easiest part of meditating, clearing the mind of thought and embracing the quiet. The difficulty comes in maintaining that focus, ignoring the nagging little thoughts in your head that threaten to break you out of your quiet. "How much your legs sitting like this" "What will you have for dinner tonight?" Will Zeno's snoring wake up the temple tonight?" Just all the tiny fleeting thoughts that go through your head a millions times a day. Inconsequential and easy to dismiss, but annoyingly persistent if you let them have free reign inside your head. That is one of the best things she gains from this practice and one she often enjoys before a mission. Centers the heart and mind on what is ahead, like going into the underworld to free Hades from chains.
