As the famous phrase goes; “Behind every great man, there’s a great woman” this couldn't be more true than in the case of one of Elegos’ (and history’s) most powerful women, Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great.
Here we will outline her historic life, delving into a personality that we are convinced will stick with our players long after they have finished our game.
Origins
Her family belonged to the Aeacidae which claimed descent from Neoptolemus, son of the hero of the Trojan War; Achilles. The Aeacidae were a well-respected family of Epirus, a region of southern Europe now shared between Greece and Albania.
Olympias seemingly wasn’t born with her grand name, originally named Polyxena, as Plutarch mentions in his work Moralia. She changed her name to Myrtale prior to her marriage to Philip II of Macedon as part of her initiation into an unknown mystery cult. 👀
The name Olympias was the third of four names by which she was known. Legend has it she took the name in recognition of Philip’s victory in the Olympic Games of 356 BC, the news of which coincided with the birth of another of Elegos’ central characters, her son, Alexander.
Personality traits
Maintaining her public image is central to Olympias’s personality. She is fueled by a desire to remain the most powerful and indisputably relevant figure in Ancient Greece. Olympias goes to great lengths to orchestrate and maintain this status.
At her best, she is incredibly self-aware, realizing that alongside leaders like Philip II and Alexander the Great, her presence demands intimidation and intelligence to stay on top. Quite tactfully and steadily, Olympias used people’s fear to control them.
Olympias employs an outer veneer of superiority in order to disguise an inner sense of chronic vulnerability. Regulating the discomfort within herself is a driving force. Because of this, she carries a deep mistrust of people, even further of the Mytha Classes.
Resolute and inflexible when it comes to the fate of her enemies. No amount of self-reflection is exercised that might introduce more complex emotions such as remorse, grief, or self-compassion.
She confides in her son Alexander about her fears, believing that a secret society is attempting to undermine their rule. This paranoia has been present since the murder of her husband Phillip II, a paranoia that may have some real substance.
This chaotic personality makes Olympias a key figure for the player to keep a close eye on, her emotional instability is potentially the biggest danger in Elegos.
