Pitched Unfairly

The Horse by Odysseus of Ithaca

A gift Troy can't refuse.

War council · Year ten of the siege

The problem

Ten years of siege. Zero walls breached.

Ships on the beach
1,186
Years camped
10
Achilles
Unavailable
Years on the beach

0

Walls breached

The insight

Troy won't open for an army. It will for a gift.

Army at the gateShut. Ten years running.
Gift at the gateOpen. They widen the wall for it.

The product

One hollow horse. Thirty seats. All taken.

Builder
Epeius, with Athena
Frame
Fir ribs, maple planks
Drive
Wheels under the hooves
Height
Taller than your gates
Seats filled 30 / 30 At capacity

Go to market

We sail home. Home is behind Tenedos.

  1. 1Burn the camp
  2. 2Launch the fleet
  3. 3Leave one horse
Troy The beach: one horse Tenedos Toward home (on paper)

PR

Our PR team is one man with a very sad story.

Sinon gets caught on purpose, cries on cue, and is untied by King Priam himself.

For immediate release · The beach outside Troy

Greeks give up, sail home, leave enormous apology

  • The horse is an offering to Athena, to make up for the stolen Palladium.
  • It was built huge on purpose, so it cannot fit through your gates.
  • If it ever got inside Troy, Troy could never be taken.

Source: Sinon, a Greek, recently escaped

Believed

Positioning

Not a weapon. A thank-you to Athena.

For their return home, the Greeks dedicate this thank-offering to Athena.

Trust metrics

Trust climbs every beat. Laocoön is a dip, not a trend.

Trust in the gift

100%

Serpents Two sea serpents from Tenedos remove the critic. Troy calls it a sign.

Risks

Three people see through it. None of them is a problem.

RiskWhat could go wrongMitigationStatus
LaocoönPriest of Neptune Inspects the product with a spear. Sea serpents, courtesy of the gods. Troy reads it as a verdict. Handled
CassandraPrincess of Troy Predicts the whole launch, accurately. Apollo's curse: nobody believes her. Already in place. Pre-solved
HelenWalks around the horse Calls out names in our wives' voices. Odysseus keeps a hand over Anticlus's mouth. Owned

Launch timeline

Launch is night one. The gates open from the inside.

  1. DawnThe fleet sails for Tenedos. The horse stays.
  2. MiddaySinon talks. Troy cuts open its own wall to pull it in.
  3. EveningThe horse is in the citadel. Troy feasts, then sleeps.
  4. NightThe fleet returns by moonlight. Sinon opens the hatch.
Nightfall in 00:00 Gates open

The ask

One horse, one carpenter, and thirty of your bravest.

  • 1horseFir and maple, on wheels
  • 1carpenterEpeius. Nobody else.
  • 30heroesMenelaus already said yes

ReturnTroy, by morning.