Name: Maeon of Thebes

Age: 23

Gender: Male

Origin: Greek

Religion: Maeon respects all the gods, but favours Apollo and Hermes with the Muses coming second to them.

Appearance: Of average height, Maeon has the slim, lean-muscled build of an athlete. He has reddish-brown hair, worn almost to the nape of his neck and with a tendency to curl; in summer it bleaches to a more sandy shade and his eyes are a shade mid-way between grey and green (there are persistent rumours of barbarian blood in the family ancestry, leading to their fairer colouring). He has strong features that are pleasantly regular without being handsome, although his engaging smile gives him a certain attractiveness, as more than one woman has noted before now. He has a very pleasant voice. He wears a simple knee-length belted chiton and sandals. 

Personality: Maeon is cheerful, good-natured and friendly. He has a mischievous sense of humour and apparently refuses to take life seriously – his music and his religion are the only things he treats with any gravity. He’s a natural wanderer, unable to stay in one place for too long – his gaze will inevitably drift to the horizon and he will start to wonder what lies beyond. He has a boundless curiosity for other people and their culture; he will happily befriend any ‘barbarians’ he may come across – he is particularly fascinated by their music. He is loyal to his friends, and though not a warrior he possesses a stubborn courage.

History: Maeon was born in Thebes. His family were members of the middle class, owning a decent sized farm just outside the city and making a good living selling their produce to the ever hungry city. Maeon was never interested in the farm, and with an elder brother and sister, stood little chance of making his living at it in any case. His father was able to afford a slave to teach his sons, Leonidas, and this tutor discovered the boy’s gift for music.  After some pleading, Maeon’s father agreed that he could leave the family home to train at one of the musical schools in Athens. It was a long journey for a young boy and an elderly slave, but they made it and the seeds of Maeon’s love of travelling were sown.

Maeon blossomed at the school – he threw himself into the music and athletic training with enthusiasm and grew into an accomplished musician. He left the school at sixteen, but was unable to return home straight away as Leonidas caught a fever and was unable to travel. Maeon nursed his faithful companion, although it was doomed to do no good, and Leonidas died in his young pupil’s arms. Maeon insisted on spending what money he had saved on the funeral rites, and no one dared complain they were too elaborate for a slave who’d only been freed a few days before his death.  He left Athens and started his wanderings.

Maeon worked as an itinerate musician and sometimes practised his dexterity with small pilferings, though that was mostly for fun, only from those who could afford it and he’d never keep the money, usually giving it to charity (he’s seen many hungry children in the streets of the cities), although he always donates some to Hermes. He is currently wandering after spending a while with a wealthy young widow; she was a generous patron, but Maeon sensed her determination to ensnare him in the bonds of matrimony and left with some haste.

Skills: Maeon is a skilled singer and lyre player.
He’s a fast runner – travelling for most of his life has kept him fit and limber.
Sleight of hand: he has very dextrous hands, able to make a coin dance back and forth over his knuckles and perform many minor tricks, as well as ‘pickpocketing’, being capable of swiping a carelessly tied money pouch or an item from a market stall without being noticed. 
His memorising of songs and poems and messages has given him decent powers of recall – he doesn’t have a photographic or near perfect memory, but still good.

Equipment: His lyre, which he usually carries worn across his back, a sling with a pouch of ammo (both worn at his belt). He has some basic ‘survival gear’ – a waterskin, a couple of flints for creating fire and a knife (a general purpose tool rather than a weapon). The only other thing he carries is his money – a few coins in a pouch concealed under his clothing. He may occasionally cut himself a staff while travelling, either to lean on or use as a weapon.

Miscellaneous: nothing I can think of right now.