One of the many children born of Aspasia, a common woman of exceptional beauty. Isocrates was born of her short liaison with Benedict and grew to become her most capable child. Isocrates was noticed at a young age by the pedagogue, Thero, for his considerable intelligence, who took Isocrates under his tutelage. Normally, poor children would not receive such education as their parents could not afford it; however, Thero considered his pupils as his future and helping them now would indenture them to him, which he could call upon in the future.
Isocrates went onto a secondary school in Athens, were Thero was also a sponsored teacher. Isocrates was amongst the brightest of the students, demonstrating a natural flair for public speaking and became popular in the school. Isocrates went on to perform his ephebic training, performing his two-year tour of duty. Training and the duties were all routine until 312BC, when he was one of the selected troops to accompany Demetrius I of Macedon in a dispute with Ptolemy.
Demetrius was defeated in the Battle of Gaza and the experience was shocking for Isocrates. He saw the horrors of battle and became disgusted with the instruments of war, seeing them as an ill omen. Despite this, he had to fight. Demetrius managed to recover ground, with a victory near Myus.
Isocrates showed his flair for engineering and was redeployed from the front lines to design engines of war. Isocrates avoided the details of their application in war as he was too engrossed in mathematics and physics of engineering. Due to ongoing hostilities between the nobility, Isocrates was stuck in military service until spring, 310 BC, where Demetrius was soundly defeated in Babylon.
Isocrates decided to travel the known world with his comrades-in-arms. The accompaniment of his friends was much a comfort for they were accustomed to battle. Though they often teased Isocrates about his pacifism, they respected him, recognising his intelligence and level-headedness.
To make a living, Isocrates, offered his polymath skills as services. Many wealthy nobles bought his services and soon Isocrates and his companions were rich enough to travel afar. And travel afar they did, from Macedonia to India, from the Black Sea to the Red Sea, they traveled. Isocrates learned much on his travels - including the nature of zero, which resolved some his issues in engineering.
After a decade of travel, the friends decided to return home, to Athens. In the few years before the great disaster, Isocrates, rose to be one of the Archons of Athens: his worldly knowledge, public speaking skills, and military popularity made him a formidable politician. He also become a influential member of the Academy. Well, that was until everything went to Hades. The volcanoes Poros and Methana started seismic activity and Isocrates went to investigate... Little did he realize that every Volcano in Greece of beginning to erupt...
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| Heros of the Hour - Isocrates | The Keep of the Thirteenth Hour |