OOC: app
PLAYER INFORMATIONPLAYER NAME: EJ
AIM & EMAIL: paythepiper79 / heraldofzeus@gmail.com
TIME ZONE: CST
AVAILABILITY: Most of the afternoon, until about 8/10pmish CST M-F; most weekends
RP EXPERIENCE: Loads. Currently RPing at CCI :o
CHARACTER INFORMATIONGOD(DESS): Hermes
RESOURCES: http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hermes.htmlDOMAINS OF POWER: (This is pretty much straight from Theoi.com) Animal husbandry, heralds, trade and Merchants, thieves and trickery, language and wiles, roads, hospitality, feast and banquets, protector of home, guards dogs, guide of the dead, sleep, birds of omen, dreams of omen, rustic divination, gymnasiums, games, rustic music, animal fables, and astronomy.
He has sort of been a catch all for a lot of things. Jack of trades, so to speak. He is also considered The Patron for the Summer Olympic Games (not so much the winter games, however, as they are a modern addition to the ancient tradition). While he shares the domain of the gymnasium with others, such as Hercules, the Olympics are something he is still honored as a patron of even today.
FULL POWERS: In addition to most things a deity an do- appearing on command, blessings, magic of all sorts, etc. Hermes can do a lot more things:
The ability to turn people into stone: (
http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/HermesWrath.html ) Hermes can turn people into stone, when they really push him.
The ability to turn people into animals: (
http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/HermesWrath.html ) Much like the stone, Hermes is known to turn people into animals as punishment. Or as a way of protecting them. He tends to even sometimes do it because it is just funny.
The ability to calm aggressive individuals: ("When Mercury [Hermes], holding it in his hand, was journeying to Arcadia and saw two snakes with bodies intertwined, apparently fighting, he put down the staff between them. They separated then, and so he said that the staff had been appointed to bring peace. Some, in making caducei, put two snakes intertwined on the rod, because this seemed to Mercury a bringer of peace."
- Hyginus, Astronomica 2.7)
The ability to affect ones speech/communication: As the god of language and communication, Hermes can affect a person’s ability to communicate with others. Most commonly in the form of muting them, or making everything they hear gibberish.
The ability to put a person to sleep and/or induce dreams of omen: ("[Hermes] grasped in his fist the wand that charms to sleep, put on his magic cap, and thus arrayed ... sprang from his father’s citadel down to earth [to slay the monster Argos Panoptes]. There he removed his cap, laid by his wings; only his wand he kept ... Cyllenius [Hermes] saw all Argus’ eyelids closed [after soothing him with the music of a shepherd's-pipe] and every eye vanquished in sleep. He stopped and with his wand, his magic wand, soothed the tired resting eyes and sealed their slumber."
- Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.583 and "A sculptor was selling a white marble statue of Hermes which two men wanted to buy: one of them, whose son had just died, wanted it for the tombstone, while the other was a craftsman who wanted to consecrate the statue to the god himself ... In his sleep, the sculptor saw Hermes himself standing at the Gate of Dreams (Pylai Oneiroi). The god spoke to him and said, 'Well, my fate hangs in the balance: it is up to you whether I will become a dead man or a god!" -
Aesop, Fables 563 (from Babrius, Fabulae 30) With this in mind, while in possession of his Caduceus, he can put people to sleep and affect their dreams in order to get his way.
Make plants grow, and a natural gift for herding animals: This is mostly explained in his birth myth, which is below in the history. Hermes made a vine sprout from the ground and used it to hide cattle, escape Apollo, and such. Pretty handy trick for a new born.
Trickery and thievery: Hermes IS a trickster and a God of thieves. By that right alone, he is a master thief. There is hardly anything he cannot make off with, and most of what he can’t steal is because he promised and more took an oath saying he’d leave it be. This also, however, does make him a fairly good gambler, and a bit of a cheat.
As a master at trickery, as well, he has the ability to change his appearance and his age with a whim. From time to time he would appear as a child, or an elderly man. This was mostly something one on whim.
Speed: Hermes is considered one of the fastest deities in the Greco-Roman pantheon. He’s described as being faster than a thought. In F1 he’ll be limited to one quarter of his normal speed.
Language: The ability to learn languages with fair ease. This is an innate ability. Or, as some myths say, he is the father of language and simply knows every language spoken by mankind.
Invention: Hermes is able to create new things, and learn to how to use them and apply them. He has done as much in many of his myths.
The ability to see and speak to the dead: Hermes is the guide of the dead, and in that case can see and speak with the souls of the departed. This is an innate gift, and not something he can turn off.
The inability to lie and steal from Apollo: This is covered in the history, but Hermes swore an oath to his brother that stops two things. First off, he swore to never steal from his brother again, or even to go near his house. The little thief was cut off. Secondly, while Hermes is the god of liars, and can easily spot a lie a mile away…he himself is oath bound to
not lie. What he can do is withhold information, or dance around it without saying the whole truth, but an outright lie is not possible for him. This means a) people have to pay attention to what he says and b) he cannot renege on a promise. Assuming you can get one out of him to start with.
And lastly,
Business/Merchant-like things: It is more of a skill than an actual power, but Hermes has a way of affecting how well, or how poorly a person’s business goes. Of course, back in the day it wasn’t all that respected. These days, however? Lets just say he is one with Wall Street.
ITEMS OF POWER: Winged Sandals- used to let him zip the air/fly around with. His caduceus- one of the most noted symbols for him. The Caduceus allowed him to sooth warring/fighting groups, and put people to sleep. His golden sword! Which...doesn’t do anything, but it fun to say you own a golden sword.
CURRENT STATE OF POWERS: Hermes’ powers are not near what they used to be, that is for sure. However, he still can wield a mighty nerf bat from time to time. Most of his powers (outside of things that were primarily skills) that remain deal with the affects he can have on business and gambling. He can, with a decent amount of effort, affect how well a business deal goes, or small scale profits. However, if he tries anything large scale (such as on a national or world level) he would be tasked quite a lot and would not be sure to have any results for his efforts (assuming he could even do it at all). Like wise his power to turn people into stone or animals has become nearly extinct, and to even attempt it would drain him considerably. The powers that came from his sandals/boots and caduceus, likewise, have diminished and are difficult if not near impossible to use, as such he hasn’t tried in a rather long time.
He has other powers, though, that he can use much more often. For example, he knows when a person is lying to him, almost by instinct. He can understand nearly all spoken languages, but has far more success with translating and speaking ancient middle eastern and Mediterranean languages. The recently departed are still drawn to him, though it isn’t as constant or wide ranging as it once was. In fact, he usually has to be within the area for it to happen. As such he avoids places where people tend to die. Like hospitals.
Lastly, changing his apparent age and looks takes a lot of effort on his part. As such he doesn’t really do it very often, and only when it is unavoidable. He finds it difficult, as there are times he misses the freedom to be anyone he wants to be, but the psychical drain on him has more than kept him in line.
He has, also, a number of skills that were boosted by his divinity. By in large, he has stopped trying to feed power into them, and simply kept them up to par in a more...mundane way.
SKILLS & ABILITIES: In short? Hermes has honed his business skills into a fine, sharp blade. He has managed to earn himself a hefty chunk of wealth for his efforts. He keeps up with modern languages by taking up a new one each year, and as such knows about 60 percent of the major languages, and keeps himself up to par with the ancient tongues through continual education. He keeps his thievery skills up by sometimes leading the life of a thief from time to time, and pick pocketing. Most of the stuff he does is small scale, and he has a new fascination with fraud. Technology- how he loves it. He gambles, as well, to keep up his skills with misdirection, cheating (it can be done), and sweet talking. He takes part in college debate and politics to keep up his silver tongue and communication skills, as well as picking up people at bars. He runs, and works out daily to keep his psychical prowess up, and has been known to do amateur boxing.
MORTAL ALIAS: Jack Dolios
MORTAL AGE: 20
RESIDENCE: College dorms, atm. He likes to be social!
OCCUPATION: College Student, Trustfund baby thanks to some clever business tactics. What? It is his calling in life.
PLAYED BY: Alex Pettyfer
[Image 1] [Image 2]PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: About two years ago, Hermes decided to change his life around again. His physical appearance was rebuilt from an older, well aged gentleman to that of a youthful athlete. Now a days he is a moderately tall, handsome young man. He stands at about five feet, nine inches in height, with curly blond hair. His eyes are a bright, clear shade of blue.
As far as his clothing is concerned, he has a wide range. For the most part, though, he can be seen in jeans and teeshirts, or jeans and a button down shirt. His hair is almost always unruly, and he even forgets to shave a lot. When needed, however, he does dress up rather well. Button down shirts, blazer jackets, slacks, nice shoes. Sadly, the hair is still a bit unkept even then.
As far as what is under the clothing, however, Hermes has a very athletic body. His upper body is well defined, and he sports strong abs and a thick shoulders. His body isn’t quite as lean as it used to be, but it is still evident that he runs quite a bit. He also has a number of tattoos, including one on each wrist, and a cross on his chest. He, however, has never explained the reasoning behind them to anyone.
HOW HAS LIVING AMONG MORTAL AFFECTED YOUR CHARACTER?:Hermes has always been a champion of mortals, and aware that change could (and eventually would) happen. Living among the mortals, however, has given him a certain appreciation for the world they’ve built around them. He marvels at the way travel has change, improved, and become a thriving business on its own. In some ways he takes pride in what mankind has accomplished, feeling as if he was the one that gave this gift to them. The gift of aspiration and invention, and the thrill on innovation; regardless of the validity of his part in the technological evolution. For him, life has slowed down, but he doesn’t seem to mind it. He changes with the world, and finds joy in what he can. While he does long, at times, for his old life? He sees no point in dwelling on it. After all, even if they were to regain power, there was no promise of what that life would bring them. And in truth, he never felt as free to live as he does now.
Before, he had a role. He had a job, a duty that his entire life revolved around. Sure there was still time to play, but a god ultimately had to serve his purpose! As such, they rarely strayed from what they were meant to do. Or at least, he never had time to. There was always a task at hand for Hermes. But living among mortals has given him the freedom to do the things he chooses to do, and indeed...sometimes he isn’t sure he is willing to give that up.
PERSONALITY: Hermes is a trickster God by definition. He's playful and youthful, and particularly mischievous. Throughout his mythology he is shown to grant prayers and blessings in the most unorthodox methods. An arrogant child, he often believes that people should adore him simply because he is one of the 12 seated Olympians. He feels he is privileged (example of this is in how he became on of the 12 seated Olympians, where he stole Apollo's cattle) and does not except to be held responsible for his actions (again, in the case of stealing Apollo's cattle, he was rewarded with what he wanted with very little cost to himself.) He also has a burning desire to be accepted, almost demanding of it.
In a lot of ways Hermes can be childish and child-like in his behavior. That isn't to say that he can't be an adult (he is the representation of wisdom, after all), it is just that among his peers he tends to be very selfish and attention demanding. He likes to be the center of attention, often claiming to be 'Zeus' favorite', though there isn't too much bases in that. He is fond of his siblings, though Apollo and Dionysus are by far his closest siblings. Apollo and he are often found to court the same women, as well as share in day to day events. Dionysus, however, Hermes helped save and raise when the godling was first born. He repeatedly hid the child from Hera, and would later be in Dionysus' company a great deal. And despite his apparent attitude toward Ares, Hermes is also close to his oldest brother in his own way, though most would be hard pressed to see it behind all the teasing he does.
Hermes is also a lover more than a fighter. That being said, he won't engage in a direct fight with anyone or anything. Hermes relies more on is wit and cunning. He will often attack from behind, with quick, deadly blows...or simply bow out of the fight as he did with Leto in the Illiad. He does not feel inclined to give in to people who attempt to goad him into a fight either. Hermes wit and cunning, however, does not come to the forefront of Hermes personality only when confronted with a fight, however. He doesn't like to give answers out right, even if he knows the answer already. He enjoys word play, and double speaking, and trying to get others to trip up in what they are saying. Not that he will lie, if it comes to it. In fact, while he is a patron deity of liars and thieves, Hermes himself is oath bound to
not lie.
And among his many quirks, there is the fact that Hermes is a rather tactile individual, as well as affectionate. Mostly this side comes about after he has done something 'wrong' and is of a mind to help smooth over any rough edges that might have resulted. He has no desire to actively hurt people, generally speaking, but that doesn't stop him from being a pain in their butts. ((Re-Cattle stealing))
PERSONAL HISTORY: Hermes was born in a whirlwind of events. Zeus, the mighty king of the Olympus spied upon the nymph Maia, and conceived the god. It took but a day for the impatient child to be born into the world, a babe of a single determination- to become one of the twelve seated Gods of Mount Olympus. However there were a few problems that stood in his path. The first was his mother, the quiet, shy nymph Maia. She had spent her whole life avoiding the deathless ones (gods), and had no more interest in them after her son was born than before so. (
Homeric Hymn 18 to Hermes 3 ff). Secondly, he had to gain his own father’s attention, which was much easier said than done.
The just born godling, however, stole away from his cradle when his mother rested, and embarked upon his first quest with barely hours of life in him. Outside of the cave, though, he was quickly distracted by finding a tortoise, which he then killed and hollowed out. He ran strings across the shell, creating the lyre, before he gleefully went back to his task at hand. He slipped from the mount he was born on (Kyllene). He travelled the land swiftly until he came upon the fields that Apollo’s cattle grazed. Carefully he sectioned off 50 of the cattle, and forced them to walk backwards so to confuse anyone that tried to track them.
He convinced the moon to look the other way, and only a lone farmer, Battos, to forget he saw anything. He said to the man, “Old man, digging about your vines with bowed shoulders, surely you shall have much wine when all these bear fruit, if you obey me and strictly remember not to have seen what you have seen, and not to have heard what you have heard, and to keep silent when nothing of your own is harmed.”
Hermes drove the cattle back to a grotto where he built a pit and made fire by rubbing dried sticks together. He was a bit of an ingenious child, for being but a day old. However, once done with that, he dragged two horned cows to the fire, and killed them. He cut up the fat and meat, and roasted it over the fire, preparing twelve portions in honor of the twelve highest gods on Olympus. As he prepared the food, he longed to eat it…however he abstained, because a god cannot feast from the food of mortals. He spent his first night in the world beneath the stars with the cattle before slinking back home. By dawn’s break he was once again in his cradle, playing the part of hapless babe, his mother none the wiser on the antics of her son.
Or so he thought. She approached him soon after and said to him: “How now, you rogue! Whence come you back so at night-time, you that wear shamelessness as a garment? And now I surely believe Letoides [Apollon] will soon have you forth out of doors with unbreakable cords about your ribs, or you will live a rogue's life in the glens robbing by whiles. Go to, then; your father got you to be a great worry to mortal men and deathless gods.”*
Swiftly Hermes did answer her with: “Mother, why do you seek to frighten me like a feeble child whose heart knows few words of blame, a fearful babe that fears its mother's scolding? Nay, but I will try whatever plan is best, and so feed myself and you continually. We will not be content to remain here, as you bid, alone of all the gods unfee'd with offerings and prayers. Better to live in fellowship with the deathless gods continually, rich, wealthy, and enjoying stories of grain, than to sit always in a gloomy cave: and, as regards honour, I too will enter upon the privilege that Apollon has [i.e. as the god of cattle-herders]. If my father will not give it to me, I will seek--and I am able--to be a prince of robbers. And if Leto's most glorious son [Apollon] shall seek me out, I think another and a greater loss will befall him. For I will go to Pytho to break into his great house, and will plunder therefrom splendid tripods, and cauldrons, and gold, and plenty of bright iron, and much apparel; and you shall see it if you will.”*
And while Maia and her son argued, Apollo had risen in search of his cattle. Despite Hermes words to Battos, the old farmer told Apollo what he had seen and the God then followed the tracks to Maia’s home. When Hermes and his mother finally saw the great golden god, they found him in a rage. Hermes, crafty and cunning, snuggled down into his garments and cuddled himself up into a ball as Apollo approached him, appearing to be asleep as a new born bade should be. But Apollo did not fall for such a trick, and instead said to Hermes: “Child, lying in the cradle, make haste and tell me of my cattle, or we two will soon fall out angrily. For I will take and cast you into dusty Tartaros and awful hopeless darkness, and neither your mother nor your father shall free you or bring you up again to the light, but you will wander under the earth and be the leader amongst little folk.”*
Hermes did reply to his brother then, saying, “Letoides, what harsh words are these you have spoken? And is it cattle of the field you are come here to seek? I have not seen them: I have not heard of them : no one has told me of them. I cannot give news of them, nor win the reward for news. Am I like a cattle-liter, a stalwart person? This is no task for me: rather I care for other things: I care for sleep, and milk of my mother's breast, and wrappings round my shoulders, and warm baths. Let no one hear the cause of this dispute; for this would be a great marvel indeed among the deathless gods, that a child newly born should pass in through the forepart of the house with cattle of the field: herein you speak extravagantly. I was born yesterday, and my feet are soft and the ground beneath is rough; nevertheless, if you will have it so, I will swear a great oath by my father's head and vow that neither am I guilty myself, neither have I seen any other who stole your cows --whatever cows may be; for I know them only by hearsay.”*
Apollo then laughed at him, saying in return, “O rogue, deceiver, crafty in heart, you talk so innocently that I most surely believe that you have broken into many a well-built house and stripped more than one poor wretch bare this night, gathering his goods together all over the house without noise. You will plague many a lonely herdsman in mountain glades, when you come on herds and thick-fleeced sheep, and have a hankering after flesh. But come now, if you would not sleep your last and latest sleep, get out of your cradle, you comrade of dark night. Surely hereafter this shall be your title amongst the deathless gods, to be called the prince of robbers (arkhos pheleteon) continually.”*
In the end, Hermes and Apollo argued on until they came before Zeus with their case. There Apollo gave his accusation, only for cunning Hermes to reply with his own silver tongue, saying: “Zeus, my father, indeed I will speak truth to you; for I am truthful and I cannot tell a lie. He came to our house to-day looking for his shambling cows, as the sun was newly rising. He brought no witnesses with him nor any of the blessed gods who had seen the theft, but with great violence ordered me to confess, threatening much to throw me into wide Tartaros. For he has the rich bloom of glorious youth, while I was born but yesterday--as he too knows--nor am I like a cattle-lifter, a sturdy fellow. Believe my tale (for you claim to be my own father), that I did not drive his cows to my house--so may I prosper--nor crossed the threshold: this I say truly. I reverence Helios greatly and the other gods, and you I love and him I dread. You yourself know that I am not guilty: and I will swear a great oath upon it:--No! by these rich-decked porticoes of the gods. And some day I will punish him, strong as he is, for this pitiless inquisition; but now do you help the younger.”*
Unfortunately for Hermes, his own father could see the wheels turning in his head, and then ordered him and Apollo to search out the cattle. This time, though, the king of the gods did order Hermes to be honest and take his brother to them. And so he did, leading the great Apollo to the grotto that held his cattle. However, while impressed with Hermes great skills (and more so with the fact that he killed two cows on his own while being but a new born babe), Apollo twisted a part of osier withes, and attempted to bind Hermes hands. The withes, however, fell from Hermes arms to the ground, where there they grew and covered the cattle. Apollo stood astonished as he gazed.
Looking from side to side, Hermes then took up his lyre which he had brought with him, and began to play. He entranced Apollo with his song to the point that he brother then agreed to trade the cattle for the instrument. But then an idea struck Hermes, and he created the shepherd’s pipe, and played it as well. Apollo was once again entranced, and traded the skill of divination by stones and birds and well as the heralds staff. And then the brothers made an oath to each other. Hermes swore to never steal anything from Apollo again, and indeed to keep clear of the god’s home. And in return, Apollo swore to lover no man or immortal as well as he then loved Hermes. And Zeus did confirm that oath, and thus they were bound to it.
And then Zeus did confirm one more thing, that Hermes was the twelfth seated deity on Olympus, messenger to the gods and mortal men, master of thieves, bringer of luck, wanderer, and many other things. And so, the young godling left his mother to be raised as a prince of Olympus should be, and then came to take his seat at his father’s side. (Story of the cattle comes from:
Homeric Hymn 4 to Hermes (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) * marks direct quotes from text.)
However, once free to do as he pleased, Hermes returned to the old man Battos, and for telling Apollo of his theft, the god then turned the man to stone where he stood. (
Hesiod, The Great Eoiae Frag 16 (from Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 23) From that point on Hermes acted as all gods acted. He gave favor to those whom he loved and cherished, and punished those that dared to defy the gods.
Among the many things he did, though, he gave Pandora a box in which many evil spirits where locked away from man. In the box, Hermes placed lies and falsehood, gifts born of his silver-tongue; though he had long sworn to never tell a lie himself. He also tied Prometheus to the mountain, as punishment for giving mankind the gift of fire, and each morning he called the eagle to feast upon the titan’s entrails. He assisted Perseus in his quest against the gorgon, giving over his own winged sandals so that the hero could fly. Hermes did so, some say, out of love, others say it was because Zeus bid him to. In truth, he did it for both reasons, and eventually took Perseus as a lover. He sired children within women, and for hundreds of years the youthful god played more than aided those around him. He even saved his own brother, Dionysus, from the wrath of Hera by changing him into a goat.
Hermes sense of humor was never far from him in the things he did. Though, perhaps, Hercules was not of the same humor as the messenger sold him to slavery. All the same, Hermes answered the prayers of men in many ways, none ever direct, and few ever simple to understand. One man prayed for money, and was never answered until the day he destroyed the god’s effigy, and coin spilled from the wreckage. He guided the dead to Hades, and escorted Persephone from Tartarus…or would have if she had not eaten the fruit of the Underworld.
And of all these things, nothing, perhaps, caused the greatest trouble as when Eris tossed the golden apple between the great goddesses of Olympus. Hermes, as ordered by Zeus, sought out the shepherd turned prince, Paris, to come stand judge over the goddesses. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all rose to claim the title, and each offered Paris great gifts if he were to choose her. But Aphrodite offered the most tempting, the hand and heart of Helen, the most beautiful mortal woman. And so, Paris choose Aphrodite, and Hermes then stole her from her husband, a powerful Grecian king.
Thus the Trojan war was born.
Hermes, ironically, sided with the Greeks…by Zeus’ request. However, he was not much of a fighter. Nor was he particularly biased against the Trojans, as he lead Priam to see his fallen son, and then helped the king still Hektor’s body away for a proper burial. And as the war came to blows, Hermes had found himself pitted against Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis. Against her he refused to fight, and politely set aside his golden sword saying: “Leto, I will not fight with you; since it is a hard thing to come to blows with the brides of Zeus who gathers the clouds. No sooner you may freely speak among the immortal gods, and claim that you were stronger than I, and beat me.” (
Homer, Iliad 21.493)
Following the Trojan war, Hermes helped Odysseus find his way home at the bidding of Zeus, but otherwise his life went back to a mostly normal state. He did eventually marry, however, the goddess Peitho, one of Aphrodite’s ladies. Along with that, he fathered a few more children and did his best to keep Hera off Zeus’ man-whoring trail.
But as time went on, the Christian religion began to grow and Hermes was among the first to see the change that was looming over them. He never left Olympus, however, staying true to his father’s side until Zeus himself abandoned their old life. It was only then that Hermes set forth into the new world to see what he could make of it.
Much of his time in the early days was spent traveling the world as a peddler and thief. For him the change was not so dire, he supposed. There was much to enjoy about the mundane task of buying and sale wares, of robbing a man blind, of even keeping the bed of a lover warm. Life began to whisk by him faster and faster, and with each change the world introduced, he deftly adapted.
Later in life he would claim that his greatest adventures came from the middle ages, where he often claimed to be a number of different people in his travels. Sometimes he pretended to be a priest, collecting alms for the church. Other times he professed himself to be heroic figures of legend, and charmed the ladies (and sometimes men) into his bed. For him it was the greatest of times, simply because the rules simply no longer applied. But it was also here that he began to disdain the Christian God and his followers.
It started small at first, a quiet observation as priest and knights forced ‘pagans’ to boy to their God. But then the violence began to grow, and while they were not his faithful followers, Hermes despised the people that were fooled, or forced onto knee until they ‘believed’. And though he could hardly stop the crushed waves of change, he began to fight back where he could. In the guise of a bard, Hermes would travel the lands and speak of the old myths and legends. Perhaps they would not be worshipped, but at least they would not be forgotten.
However, as time passed, his rage and hatred would often drive him to drastic measures. He would destroy churches they they destroyed temples. He would incite the congregations, and turn them upon each other time and time again. The more fanatical the Chruch became in his eyes, the more so he became. He kept pushing, and pushing until one night he realized he couldn’t push any more- he had nothing left within him.
Weak, and alone, Hermes was forced to come to terms with himself and the world around him. And as the Middle Ages began to fade, so did some of his discontent. He turned his focus away from the Christian religion, then, and put his eyes to the skys...so to speak. As the Renaissance took hold of Europe, Hermes too to highway robbery. Which proved to be rather lucrative.
But the time the Americas were colonized, however, he’d moved on to piracy. Unable to decided on a name, however, he failed to really achieve renown for his acts, but he did find a certain sort of enjoyment for loot and plunder. When a squall sank his ship, however, off the Caribbean coast, however, he opted for yet another change. Thus began his cycle of change, spending about thirty to forty years in any given profession before finding a new life for himself. While in the Caribbean, he spent some time as a blacksmith, and then another some odd years a baker. Neither proved very...fruitful, but he chalked it up as an experience none the less. Moving from the islands to the Mainland, he traveled through Mexico for a while, then into the French-Louisiana. There he found
New Orleans, which quickly became a sordid lover of his.
Hermes spent a long time in New Orleans, watching her grow from a fledgling city to a vibrant port. Here is gambled, farmed, and slept his way through the ranked of the city. Eventually he came into a plantation, where slaves maintained his crops and herds for him. He fancied himself a kind master, not at all uncomfortable with the concept of owning another man, but neither seeing a need to beat them senseless. He even promoted education among his slaves, which got him more than his fair share of stares in town.
But like all things, even that life had to end. The American Civil War came, and Hermes abandoned his life in the South for something the busy life of New York City. It was here that Hermes first turned his attention to the growing American economy. Seeing a chance to put himself in the ranks of Rockefeller and Henry Ford...but without the infamy. I
As the Industrial Revolution came, and then went, Hermes made his greatest profits during World War I, when he built a factory to manufacture clothing to sell to the American and British governmenst. After the war, he began to shift the focus of his enterprise to public. When he grew bored with that, however, he began a trend of signing the wealth over to his ‘heir’. Taking on a new appearance, he started a new life.
With the freedom of endless money, so to speak, Hermes left for California after having seen a silent film staring Lillian Gish. Enchanted with films, he began to learn how to make them. He produced and directed a number of small, mildly successful movies; however, most of Hermes’ time in was spent partying with numerous girls and gentleman across the city. He eventually gave up on the film industry, however, and turned his focus to one of the noblest career choices:
Bootlegging.
As the 1920s hedged closer to the end of an era, Hermes’ newest business venture boomed. He opened a small bar under a local restaurant in Los Angeles, and served not just the bootleg of choice, but imported wines and liquors. Everything was golden for him, until the stock market crashed. Despite everything, Hermes felt more shock than anything else. For one, he wondered how he missed the coming of such a world wide event, and for another? Well, he really missed when currency was traded by it’s weight in gold.
As the Great Depression rolled on through, Hermes once again went about the business of reinventing himself (his previous wealth was lost in the crash, and his both his former and current business shut doors). He took a number of odd and end jobs about the country, working on the railroad for a time. Following that he traveled to France, and worked for a Parisian paper a reporter for a few years. By 1939 he had taken up residence in London, acting a younger artist from Manchester.
Given that his career as an artist was getting him no where, and fast, Hermes enlisted. His first posting in the armed service was as an infantry man, something he had little care for. It wasn’t that war was particularly gruesome, at least no more than the others he had witnessed in history, but front line was not for him. Eventually he worked his way into the British Army Intelligence unit, and that was where he remained for the rest of the war.
Following the war, Hermes took to the idea of travelling through the middle east and on into Asia for most of the next forty years. He got by on odd and end jobs he took, as well as petty theft and gambling. He never stayed long in one place, having spent only five months in Hong Kong, and then six in Bejing. He watched as the last Chinese Emperor lost his empire to the socialist in 1949, and spent a number of years observing the growing pains of The People’s Republic of China. For a time he visited Russia, making to visit most of the Soviet Union.
By 1970 Hermes had found his way to Vietnam, where he wrote several articles for American and British news papers. For a time, even, he acted a bit as a medical doctor, seeing to the heath and welfare of many Vietnam’s civilians that had been caught in the crossfire of war. Following the war, however, he strayed south into the Indonesian islands, and eventually into Australia by the 1980s. There he once again too up the mantel of business man, find a small niche market for rare, such as elephant tusk and white ivory.
However, when that pool dried up thanks to activist, Hermes again moved on. This time he traveled to Africa, starting in South Africa where is took part in the local government for several years. Then moved on, exploring the better part of the continent. For him, the act of travel and scraping by through any means he could became a bit of a game. Often times he lingered only for a few months in any particular area, constantly reinventing himself and learning to adapt in each new environment.
Yet by the mid-2000s, Hermes was once again in the Americas, having taking a rather quick trip (in his terms, at least) up through South and Central America before settling in New Orleans once more. Unfortunately his stay there was cut short by Hurricane Katrina. This time he cut a path through the mid-western states, gambling online for cash at times, before making a fortune with an dot com venture. He sold his idea to the highest bidder, before taking that money and investing it through a number of off-shore accounts. Now he mostly lives off the capital and return on investments.
Two years ago, however, Hermes once again reinvented himself. Despite his endless travels, and having (literally) seen the world he decided there was one major thing he had yet to experience. Thus he created a new identity for himself, Jack Dolios. There he has declared a major in Economics, with a minor in Linguistics. Thus marks the first time in over half a century that he has been in one place for any significant amount of time.
PLOT IDEAS: Hermes, being the sort he is, is always looking for a way to advance himself and for change. There is a reason the Romans associated him with Mercury after all. :D So, I think right about now, he might be looking to shake things up now. I’m not sure how, yet, but I’d be open to ideas from others!
HOW DID YOU FIND US?: You told me :o
