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[wisemensay]

HISTORY

Pittacus is the oldest son of Hyrradius, a former military adviser (strategos) to the Mytilene council and king, and he comes to succeed him as a prominent and highly regarded commander of the armies. He grew up in a standard noble household in the city-state of Mytilene, with a Thracian mother in charge of all internal affairs of the home and who thus often left him in the care of one of their slaves, so he grew up with her influence as an indirect tangent to his life, not something that could be heavily relied upon as a physical reality. On the other hand, his father's ambitions and aspirations on his behalf were doubly great, because the first many younger siblings he got were sisters and it would take almost a decade and a half before Hyrradius had another boy child who could take some of the weight of expectation off Pittacus' shoulders. By then, at age 15, he had already enrolled with basic military training camps and was preparing for his future in the field.

Like many men in Ancient Greece, Pittacus would wait until relatively late in his life (40+, normal marrying age for Greek citizens was around 30 with girls being notably younger) to marry, having established himself as tyrant-killer first (after having murdered the first tyrant of Mytilene, Melanchrus, in conspiracy with different family-clans of nobles besides his own family in 611 BC) and thereafter, as victor in the Sigean War, 608 BC, where he won in one-on-one combat against the Athenian commander, Phrynon, and thus decided the outcome of the whole conflict, avoiding much bloodshed. In the aftermath, when the new tyrant, Myrsilus, was appointed, the family-clans of nobles once more conspired to kill their new and very unpopular ruler and have Pittacus do it, but behind the scenes Pittacus had made a deal with Myrsilus: I will serve under you, only if you promise me I shall serve under no one else when you are gone - and you have my word, I will not be the one to kill you. So, Pittacus backed out as tyrant-killer a second time, instead serving as strategos under Myrsilus and became the long arm of the law in the entire city-state.

At my chosen canon-point, 604 BC, Pittacus has yet to marry, but is getting involved with the independent and very female-leaning woman, Andromeda, who used to frequent Sappho's circles, and whom he's getting increasingly obsessed with, until he even begins considering marrying her, although she is much too old to be an eligible match. His father is insisting that he looks for his prospective wife in the Penthelid family, formerly of royal standing, to legitimate his claim to power and Pittacus has to choose, for the first time in his life, between personal desire and societal expectations.

History tells its own story about what he chose.

PERSONALITY

Pittacus is lawful good, embodied. He believes in rules, regulations, moral codes and such human-shaped framework for the right behaviour and proper manners. He has very strong ideals and morals in regards to what he wishes to see in his society - and what he doesn't wish to see. As a soldier, he is at the same time willing to kill and put down people he deems unfit for their positions, if they hold power over others. He is confident, somewhat arrogant, and has high expections to both himself and others. He is a religious man, though he is more a follower of Dike than of Dionysus. He craves power and influence, but only in a manner that he believes Mytilene will benefit from. When he finally gets to take over from Myrsilus, he only pledges himself as ruler for ten years, enough time to fix certain difficulties in the politics of the city, and afterwards he resigns willingly, not clinging to his position. That is the kind of man he is. He means well, but things can be meant well with violent measures and through radical action. Yet, he never takes what he doesn't consider to be his due.