[hider=Iolanthe Adastreia]
[u][b]IOLANTHE ADASTREIA[/b][/u]
The Shining Hoplite

[u]Background:[/u] Iolanthe's upbringing was a simple one, she was born in Athens, to a silk weaver of a mother, and a father who was an archer in the city state's army. War was commonplace in Greece, and engulfed much of the young girl's life. Even though Greece was solidified as a country before Iolanthe's time, frequent disputes between Athens, and its neighboring city states, such as Sparta, and Corinth, hardened the girl's outlook on life. At age nine, she lost her father, who died in battle during the Achaean-Roman wars, which ultimately resulted in a loss for Greece. During this time, Iolanthe was young, but she was much unlike the girls her age, many of which sought after boys, or tried their hands in the trades; perhaps it was because her father was Spartan, the desire to do battle ran deep in her blood, and vengeance was lustfully sought after. Young Iolanthe played stick fighting with the boys, and came home with many a bruise at the end of each day. Deeper in to the war, at age ten, Iolanthe realized she had a power unlike any other, the ability to see things that nobody else could, with a precision to mock the gods, she was blessed, and joined the Greek army as a scout. Iolanthe's teen years involved practicing swordplay with the local militia, who adored her spunk, and manning the country's beacon outposts, where she could properly utilize her vision.

Perhaps if Iolanthe was older, she might have been better able to help her country fend off the Romans. Word reached Athens of Corinth's fall, only years after the unity of Greek city states. She wanted to join in the army's march, but was not allowed, luckily, for they were defeated in battle. When the superpower that was Rome finally pushed onwards to Athens, there little the city could do. Iolanthe's teenage years were spent during Rome's domination of Greece.

At age twenty, Iolanthe's vengeful mind was mostly quelled, for life with the Romans wasn't so bad, love for the gods was shared across the empire, and there was little more than a language gap. Eventually, Iolanthe went on to become a priestess to the stars, assuming a religious life might quell her inner rage. She observed the stars, and marked many points on astrological charts, but years passed by in boredom, and she eventually fell in with old allies that fled the Corinthian war. The complete annihilation of Corinth caused enough backlash to give reason to the Greeks, to create a secret rebellion, of which Iolanthe joined, and fought back against the Romans.

During Iolanthe's third battle against the romans, she was met by a powerful adversary on the battlefield. She proved herself invaluable in battle, many a legionnaire flinched before her skill with the spear and aspis, however the Romans had a secret weapon, a man with a magic voice, who invoked this power upon the hoplites of Rome. Using his voice, he cursed and brainwashed the Greeks to serve Rome, and Iolanthe became the man's prize and joy. She was directly integrated in to the royal Legion, and her meddle was tested against the many artifacts seized by Rome - that is when they discovered the truth, she was Hyperion's champion.

[u]Personality:[/u] Honour and virtue above all other things, Iolanthe's pride and pursuit of glory often compel and motivate her actions. In battle, she is tempered, but extremely analytic, her eyes of course being blessed by the divines. With ease, she can determine the motives of an individual simply by observing their physical gestures, making her seem very wise. Quick thinking has saved this hoplite more often than anything else, she is intelligent enough to convince hardened warriors of her usefulness, even in an age dominated by men.


[u]Appearance:[/u][hider=Iolanthe][img]http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz313/Glendowyr/Iolanthe%202.png[/img][/hider]
Beneath her helmet, Iolanthe is a beautiful woman, with rosy cheeks & lips, her eyes are a dark brown, just slightly darker than her long chestnut coloured hair. Her complexion is often marred by dirt, sweat, or bruises from battle, and her thin nose tilts slightly to her left. Standing upright, without shoes, Iolanthe is five feet, and ten inches tall. She is musclebound, with very large thighs and calves, and oddly squarish shoulders. She has smaller than average sized breasts, and a wide hip ratio.

[u]Equipment:[/u]
↳ Hyperion: The legendary sword-lance, named after a titan god who fathered the sun, moon, and dawn; its blade is six feet long, its handle two, with a bladed hilt on the back end. This weapon's shape and form changes depending on the time of day, and it is otherwise the most indestructible item in Iolanthe's armour. When the sun is high, the lance glows a bright gold, harmful to the naked eye if stared at for too long, in this state, the lance's blade becomes superheated, allowing it to melt through metals given enough time and force. Unlike most lances, Hyperion's spearhead is flat, and sharpened to act as both a slashing and piercing weapon. When the cowl of night looms overhead, Hyperion's Selenic form awakens, and it loses its glow, turning ice cold and invisible. At dawn, or dusk is when Hyperion is most deadly in battle, in its Eon form, the spear becomes ethereal; at dawn, it glows brightly, and burns whatever it passes through, at dusk, the reverse effect, anything struck by the incorporeal blade will be frozen.

↳ Aspis & Hoplon: Iolanthe sports two shields at all times, and incorporates them in a very defensive fighting style. The first, an Aspis of two feet in diameter is attached to her right shoulder, with room bored out of the top side so that it does not interfere with her head-space. The second shield, a larger three-foot hoplon, is often brandished on her left forearm, and attached tightly so that it does not fall off in battle - her hand is mostly free, however still hidden behind the shield, she has practice in wielding her gladius behind the shield's dome. Both shields are made of steel, and gilded with bronze, the larger of the two weighs about fifteen pounds, whilst the pouldron is just over half of that.

↳ Gladius: Two short swords are equipped to Iolanthe's hip, one on each side. The swords are made of steel.

↳ Panoply: A full set of armour, comprising of both Greek and Roman crafts. A signature muscle cuirass, uniquely crafted for her, allowing room for her breasts, unlike most Greek armours which are made for men. A Legionnaire's helmet, signifying her service to the Roman legion. Bracers equipped to both her wrists, and shins. A metal plated skirt protects much of her legs and waist. Iolanthe wears no smaller pauldrons, nor any plates for her joints, so her movements aren't that hindered. 

↳ Cloak: A crimson red cloak is fastened to rings attached to the back plating of Iolanthe's armour. Fully aware that getting clothing stuck in battle can become a fatal mistake, the cloak is detachable if tugged on hard enough, or she may unhinge the rings with the hilt of her spear.

[u]Abilities:[/u]
↳ Hyperion's Blessing: Like most Greek gods, Hyperion has a favored champion, Iolanthe, his blessing upon her is the power to brandish his legendary spear without being burnt or frozen.

↳ First Principle: Iolanthe's eyes were blessed at birth, and throughout her life, she realized her true power was not a martial art, nor in the trades or crafts, but a scholarly prowess. Her observational skills are beyond human, proven so during her city state's war against Rome, where Iolanthe was able to spot the Roman army on the horizon, and calculate exactly how many men marched, as well as exactly what kind of weapons and siege engines they brought to the battlefield. Her visual prowess goes even beyond distance, fog, smoke, and darkness only vaguely disrupt her line of sight, she is capable of staring at the sun without burning her eyes, and her mind is exceptionally quick to react to anything she perceives as an immediate threat.

↳ Physicality: Unlike many other champions, Iolanthe lacks the upper body strength to push boulders, or wrestle minotaurs, however she does have her qualities. Her thigh and calve muscles are immense, and she is fully capable of enduring powerful impact attacks, if she blocks them with her shield, and channels the kinetic energy through her legs. It is difficult for even the strongest of champions to break Iolanthe's brace, due to the sheer power of her lower body. Her dashing speed is formidable, however the weight of her armour is cumbersome, she is well known for her short dashes, which add tremendous force to lance thrusts.
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