Megara is a historic town and a municipality in West Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. ( Wikipedia )
"So, Leonidas sent you? He must have his hands full if he didn't come himself. Monsters are rampaging all over Greece, not just in Sparta. Perhaps the Oracle can reveal the source behind all these attacks. The Oracle requires an offering when one requests an audience. Take a branch from the sacred olive tree to the Oracle of Delphi, the greatest of the oracles. Kings and tyrants from the world over seek her prophesies. You will find the sacred olive tree in a grove on the road to Delphi, above the Helicos Pass. Take care warrior."
"Zeus protect us all and speed you in your journey."
"The road leaving town is a dangerous one. It will take you past the Halcyon Coast and through Boetia - then you will be well on your way. The olive grove is by the Helicos Pass, just after the Village of Ambrossos."
"The Oracle of Delphi is the greatest of seers. Kings and tyrants from the world over seek her prophesies."
"We've got troubles. Every part of Greece is troubled these days. Sure, the centaurs and the satyrs are bad, but for us, the walking dead are worse. Every night they're at the city walls. We wake to more farmland burned and cattle slain..."
"The dead raise their hand against the living, and still gods do not hear our prayers!"
"I don't know whether to believe you, stranger... The skeletons sent back to their graves where they belong? I thought hope had fled the Grecian lands."
"Warrior, if you stood and fought the undead, we should all take heart! Does dawn ever fail to follow night?"'
"Everyone's talking about the undead, the living bones that attack us. Many in Megara whisper rumors, but I know the truth. I know where they come from... I crept out one night just before dawn and followed quietly. There is a ruined city built by the Mycenaeans long ago that we call Old Eleusis. It was there they went. There I followed them and watched them pour into the old stone gates."
"Yes, I found out where the restless dead go. But there are so many, who would dare go in there?"
"So the skeletons will trouble us no more? You have done a great service to Megara, warrior."'
"In future times, children will play in those ruins and shepherds will tend their sheep there."'
Meikiades~ Young Artisan: Gives details about Old Eleusis.
"Old Eleusis? That reminds me of an old myth they tell of the ruins. They say it was ruled by three brothers, three princes. But in their hubris they offended the god Apollo. He cursed them never to enter Hades but to walk Old Eleusis as restless undead."
"The three princes each mastered one form of warcraft, the old tales say. Polypas bore sword and shield, Menon rained deadly arrows on their foes, and Aristeus worked magic of ice and lightning with a staff in his hand."
"Could the old tales be true? Could it be that the three brothers marshal the undead against us?"
"You have put an end to a great evil. May the gods reward you."
Eurystheus ~ Market Gossip: Worried about the invasion of monsters and the future of the city.
"Why these monsters came, or what they want - nobody knows."
"I have heard news from almost every city-state in Greece. Beasts everywhere. Houses burning. Is there any hope left?"
"What I am really afraid of? I'll tell you. I'm afraid I'll survive when these monsters have had their way with Greece... and raise my family hiding in caves, or cowering deep in the woods."
"Megara will hold out. We have warriors. We can fish if we can't farm. Beyond the walls I've heard rumors of bigger beasts - Cyclops. Would the walls of Megara hold out against one of those?"
"Megara has always been my home. I will stay here come what may."
Impressive skills of local merchants
Xenodides ~ Storyteller: Tells story about war between Titans and Gods.
"Muse, grant me voice, voice and memory to tell about the first of wars, the oldest battle, in the times before the gods had come to rule, when they were bowed beneath the heavy Titan hand. The ill-formed Titans, great in strength and cruelty, oppressed the gods, their offspring - until at last behind the leadership of lightning-wielding Zeus, the gods took arms against the Titan kings. It was the first war, and the greates. Oceans were moved and mountains overturned. Gods and Titans struggled for dominion, might and cunning making victors first of one and then another, until at last, wearied in their age, the Titans lost the war. The gods threw down their foes beneath the earth, into the pit of Tartarus - except for one, the strongest and cruelest of the Titans, and he they chained beneath a mountain for revenge. Then Zeus was king of gods, and ruler over all the world."
"The first gods, daughters and sons of the Titan Kronos, are Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Poseidon, and Hades. They rule the sky, the earth, the sea, and the underworld where the dead come to dwell."
Iphitus ~ Aged Fisherman: Tells you about life of the fisherman and about sea monsters.
"By the looks of you, traveler, your feet are sure and firm on land. Well mine are just as sure aboard a sea bound vessel."
"We are out on the water long before rosy-fingered dawn. A good day, we're back in time to sell our catch."
"Oh, there's bigger boats that come here - soldiers and traders from the corners of the earth. But before them, my grandfather's father sailed fishing boats in Megara."
"At first, when the monsters showed up I didn't worry. Take to the sea, I thought. But there are strange beasts in the water, too. Nowhere is safe."
"Fisherman: that is my trade, that is my life. It's dangerous these days. Sirens stupefying sailors - and now, according to that fellow, kraken beasts big enough to eat a ship. Think of it!"
"The truth is, I've just arrived here myself. I was on a warship bound for Athens when siren-song drove the crew mad. Unguided, our ship smashed against some rocks. I clung to a board and somehow washed ashore along with plenty of other timber and much of our cargo, which was arms and gold."
"The ship was bearing gold and weapons to Athens. The chests that split now belong to Poseidon, but a few washed ashore."
"I'd have returned to the beach, but strange and dangerous creatures roam the sands. I barely escaped alive."
"Old sailors tell tales of sirens singing to passing ships with voices so beautiful it drives the men mad. When the ship hits the rocks, they feast on the sailors' bones. But I never thought they were more than old sailors' yarns."
"We washed ashore in an alcove on the Halcyon Coast, which lies towards Delphi."
"The Halcyon Coast lies between Megara and Delphi, but if you're looking for those chests, they're not in plain sight."
