Aspasia
Here’s another character who’s likely to play a big part in Alexandra’s adventure in Athens.
Aspasia of Miletos (200 points)
Age 50; Human; 5′ even; 115 lbs; Petite middle-aged woman with dark hair and eyes, dresses in modest but very fine clothing.
ST 9 [-10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 15 [100]; HT 11 [10].
Damage 1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 9 [0]; Will 15 [0]; Per 15 [0]; FP 11 [0].
Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Block 6 (DX); Dodge 8; Parry 8 (DX).
Social Background
TL: 2 [0]. CF: Hellenic (Native) [0]; Persian [1]. Languages: Ionian Greek (Native) [0]; Persian (Accented/None) [2].
Advantages
Appearance (Beautiful) [12]; Contact Group (Athenian aristocrats and wealthy businessmen) (Effective Skill 15) (9 or less; Somewhat Reliable) [10]; Status (Average aristocrat) (+3) [15]; Wealth (Wealthy) [20].
Disadvantages
Hard of Hearing [-10]; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5]; Reputation (Among conservatives, as a foreigner and former prostitute) -3 (All the time; Large class) [-7]; Sense of Duty (Family and close friends) (Small Group) [-5]; Social Stigma (Second-Class Citizen) [-5].
Quirks: Always soft-spoken and polite; Likes to flirt with handsome men; Nostalgic for her time with Perikles; Quietly skeptical about the gods; Very careful with money [-5].
Skills
Accounting-13 (IQ-2) [1]; Acting-14 (IQ-1) [1]; Area Knowledge (Athens)-15 (IQ+0) [1]; Brawling-11 (DX+0) [1]; Carousing-12 (HT+1) [2]; Connoisseur (Literature)-15 (IQ+0) [2]; Current Affairs/TL2 (Mainland Hellas)-16 (IQ+1) [2]; Dancing-11 (DX+0) [2]; Diplomacy-15 (IQ+0) [4]; Erotic Art (Human)-11 (DX+0) [2]; Expert Skill (Natural Philosophy)-15 (IQ+0) [4]; Fast-Talk-14 (IQ-1) [1]; Finance-14 (IQ-1) [2]; History (Athenian)-14 (IQ-1) [2]; History (Ionian)-13 (IQ-2) [1]; Interrogation-14 (IQ-1) [1]; Knife-11 (DX+0) [1]; Law (Athenian)-14 (IQ-1) [2]; Literature-15 (IQ+0) [4]; Musical Instrument (Lyre)-14 (IQ-1) [2]; Occultism-14 (IQ-1) [1]; Philosophy (Milesian School)-14 (IQ-1) [2]; Politics-15 (IQ+0) [2]; Professional Skill (Prostitute)-14 (IQ-1) [1]; Psychology (Human)-14 (IQ-1) [2]; Public Speaking (Rhetoric)-16 (IQ+1) [2]; Religious Ritual (Hellenic)-13 (IQ-2) [1]; Savoir-Faire (High Society)-16 (IQ+1) [2]; Sex Appeal (Human)-14 (HT+3) [1]; Singing-12 (HT+1) [2]; Streetwise-14 (IQ-1) [1]; Swimming-11 (HT+0) [1]; Teaching-14 (IQ-1) [1].
The problem with drawing up Aspasia in GURPS terms is that we know almost nothing about her life. We can be fairly sure that she came from an aristocratic family in the Ionian city of Miletos, that she was very well-educated for a woman of her time, that she may have worked as a hetaira (essentially a high-class prostitute) for a while after coming to Athens, that she had a long-term relationship with the statesman Perikles, and that she was extremely influential in the social circle that grew up around him. The details, unfortunately, are lost under centuries of fiction and outright slander.
I’m working with the assumption that Aspasia was born about 466 BCE, and that she came to Athens as a young woman, accompanying her older sister, and her sister’s aristocratic Athenian husband. As a foreign woman in Athens, beautiful and with a considerable education, she would likely have been able to make a small fortune as a hetaira, but I’m assuming she gave up that life when she took up with Perikles in the middle 440s BCE. This version of Aspasia never ran a brothel, although she has often offered advice and support to other women in the trade, helping them maintain their independence and invest their money.
At present, Aspasia is settling into a comfortable middle-age, married to an Athenian strategos and democratic statesman named Lysikles. From behind the scenes, she is still assisting her son by Perikles as he develops a public career. She maintains the appearance of a very private individual, but she quietly remains in contact with every intellectual and half the aristocrats in Athens. Many people visit the house she shares with Lysikles, seeking advice, hoping to make political or business bargains, or just for quiet conversation. Sokrates and Alkibiades both remain her close associates.
Although, no, this version of Aspasia is not running any world-spanning conspiracies.
Character notes:
- Aspasia was renowned for her intelligence, wit, and education. Sokrates himself held her in very high esteem, and she and Perikles created a social circle that did much to give Athens its reputation as the center of Greek intellectual accomplishment. I don’t think an IQ score of 15 is at all unreasonable for her.
- Aspasia is well past her youth at this point, not quite as deft or fit as she once was, and I have her growing hard of hearing with age.
- I’m assuming that Aspasia, born to a wealthy family in Ionia, would have had opportunity to learn spoken Persian and assimilate something about Persian culture. That might make her a valuable resource for anyone having dealings in Ionia or with the Persian Empire beyond.
- Aspasia still has some of the skills she picked up as a hetaira, although she hasn’t used them professionally in decades. Instead, she uses them to advise younger women as need arises. She remains a sharp businesswoman, managing her own investments with an iron fist and earning some income by helping others do the same.
- At this point in her life, Aspasia is primarily a philosopher, with the emphasis on natural philosophy that comes from the Milesian School of her home city. She doesn’t teach or debate in public, nor does she accept pay for teaching like many of the Sophists, but she continues to lead an active intellectual life and maintain a circle of like-minded friends.