Realms of Gods and Mortals

What is the farthest explored point on the known world?" Elspeth asked.

“In the east, beyond the leonin lands, there’s another forest,” Daxos told her. “Larger even than the Nessian Forest. No one knows how far it goes.”

“What’s to the west beyond the sea?” Elspeth asked.

“The world ends at the waterfall where Kruphix’s Tree grows,” he explained. “The sea falls off the edge and into the void below.”

“My home was beyond your infinite forest,” she said.

—Jenna Helland, Godsend

The world of Theros, as its inhabitants understand, includes three realms: the mortal world, the divine realm of Nyx, and the Underworld. They are three distinct planes of existence, tucked into their own pocket of the multiverse and shielded from the rest of the cosmos by the power of the gods. This chapter discusses each of these realms in turn, with a focus on the mortal realm where the schemes of the gods intersect with mortal lives.

The Mortal Realm

Compared to most worlds of the Material Plane, the mortal realm of Theros is small. The known world is barely two hundred miles across, with unexplored wilderness beyond. And some unknown distance beyond that is the edge of the world, where the sea flows off the disk of the world and into the starry void.

The known world of Theros consists of a long stretch of coastline forming the eastern edge of the vast Siren Sea. Eastward from the sea, the land rises up to two ridges of mountains. The lofty peaks of the second ridge form a barrier that few mortals have passed, so only rumors of a vast forest describe the land beyond.

To the north, the coastal lands become a barren region of badlands crossed by a labyrinth of arid canyons, with minotaur lands beyond. The minotaurs speak of impenetrable mountains rising amid a dark forest to the north.

The Siren Sea is studded with islands large and small. The largest cluster near the mainland, called the Dakra Isles, is poorly charted, and even those sailors who attempt to explore the isles return with contradictory information. Westward from those islands, some have successfully sailed to the edge of the world, though no one can say for certain how far it is—the journey never unfolds in a straight line. In theory, it is equally possible to sail south to the edge of the world, but those waters are stormier and more forbidding.

The heart of mortal civilization lies in and around three poleis—cities and their surrounding territories. Together the three poleis, Akros, Meletis, and Setessa, encompass most of the human population of Theros. Meletis covers the whole territory of the southwestern peninsula, Akros forms the northern frontier, and Setessa lies at the northern edge of the wild Nessian Wood.

Two bands of centaurs—the Lagonna and the Pheres—roam the hills and grasslands between the three poleis. The leonin hunt in the valley of Oreskos, nestled between the two mountain ranges. Satyrs dwell in a smaller sylvan vale northeast of the Nessian Wood. And tritons live primarily in the coastal shallows of the Siren Sea, though some manage to make comfortable homes among the humans of Meletis.

The badlands of Phoberos, northwest of Akros, are the frontier where Akroan soldiers clash with minotaurs. Farther north is the minotaur city of Skophos, little known to humans.

The necropoleis of Asphodel and Odunos are home to the Returned—zombie-like beings who have escaped the clutches of the underworld at the cost of their identities. The lands around these cities are bleak and barren, as if the Returned brought the pall of the underworld out with them into the mortal realm.

Exploring Theros

Vast and varied lands comprise the world of Theros, from the territories of the great human poleis to the dizzying peaks of the Oraniad Mountains. The line between legend and location often blurs in Theros, though. While the residents of a polis can be relatively certain their homes will remain where they left them when they venture off to work, the specific locations of legendary sites prove more nebulous. Even well-known locations are typically noted referentially, like how the city of Neolantin is often described as being along the coast, far to the southwest of Meletis.

Some sites prove even more elusive. The Dakra Isles, for example, move at the whims of the gods and so prove impossible to map.

As a result, Map 3.1 serves largely as a vaguely agreed upon arrangement of locations, fuzzy borders, and general distances. While the scale and placement of sites are true by mortal standards, details might change as the gods please. As such, journeying between places is most reliably conducted by employing guides or maps specific to a single destination.

If you are running a campaign in Theros, you can adjust distances between locations to suit the needs of your adventures. The distance might not be the same for two successive journeys; any trek across Theros can expand or contract to accommodate adventures and encounters as you wish.

Life in the Poleis

Human civilization in Theros is centered in three poleis: Akros, Meletis, and Setessa. These poleis exemplify the human drive to settle the land, to shape nature according to their needs, and to organize into political structures that can withstand the changing fortunes of the passing centuries.

Each polis is centered in a city but includes a wide region of surrounding territory, and each one has its own distinct society and culture. To the people of Theros, “Meletis” is more or less synonymous with “Meletians”—the polis isn’t just the people who live in the city of Meletis or even those who dwell in nearby villages; it is the people who follow the Meletian way of life, wherever they might be found.

Citizenship and Government

In every polis, civic responsibility and full protection are afforded only to citizens. Citizenship is limited to those whose parents were both citizens of the polis. Citizens of other poleis, and their children, aren’t permitted to participate in the government of the polis. In Akros, citizens must meet one additional requirement: they must serve in the army.

The three poleis have different political structures, but each one has a council elected by popular vote of the citizenry. The Twelve, Meletis’s council of philosophers, is the democratically elected ruling body of the polis. Akros is ruled by a hereditary monarch who is advised by a council of elders elected by and from among the citizenry. Similarly, Setessa’s Ruling Council is formed by popular vote, and they govern the polis while its queen—the goddess Karametra—is absent.

Trade and Currency

Trade between Akros and Meletis is constant and productive. Caravans make the two-day journey between the poleis at least once a week, carrying fine Akroan metalwork and pottery to Meletis, and Meletian fabric, stonework, and fish northward. Both poleis mint coins of copper, silver, and gold, with equivalent value.

Setessa trades with the other poleis as well, but less extensively. Its Abora Market, just inside the city gates, is open to outsiders only on certain days, and Setessan merchants prefer to barter goods rather than accept currency. Despite these restrictions, Setessan food, woodwork, and trained falcons are highly valued in the other poleis.

Aside from the other human poleis, Meletis and Setessa both trade with the centaurs of the Lagonna band. The centaurs don’t work metal, so they trade woodwork, the produce of the plains, and woven blankets to the human poleis in exchange for weapons and armor.

Recreation

The people of the poleis enjoy the opportunity for some recreation, as time and money allow.

Gymnasia are popular gathering places, offering athletic training as well as space for philosophical discussion and friendly socializing. A resident of the city might visit a gymnasium one day to exercise, the next to view a wrestling match between celebrated competitors, and the next to hear a renowned philosopher give a lecture on ethics.

Another important venue for recreation is the theater. The works of celebrated playwrights, past and present, are regularly produced by casts of professional actors. On occasion, a storyteller, accompanied by a small orchestra, draws crowds to a theater for a recitation of one of the great epics, such as The Theriad or The Callapheia. Such a performance might stretch over two or three days.

The Meletian Calendar

The astronomers and philosophers of Meletis have established a calendar that has found some adoption in Akros and Setessa. It divides the year into twelve months of twenty-nine or thirty days, each beginning with the new moon. About every three years, an extra thirty-day month is added at the end of the calendar to keep it aligned with the solar year.

The beginning of the year is considered the end of winter, so the new year begins with the spring. Each month is holy to a specific god and named after a major festival celebrated in Meletis during that month. Setessa and Akros have adopted the same names even though they don’t share all the same observances, with one exception: the fifth month (Thriambion in Meletis) is called Iroagonion in Akros, after the Iroan Games, which are held in that month every year.

The Meletian Calendar table summarizes the months, their lengths, and the god each is associated with.

Meletian Calendar

Akros

Only victory endures.

—Akroan motto

The walled polis of Akros stands defiantly atop a precipitous cliff. The unforgiving mountains around it serve as a shield between its holdings and the rest of Theros. Few have ever dared to attack its famed fortress, the Kolophon, and no attack has ever breached its walls. To the residents of Theros, the Akroans hold near-mythical status: feared warriors produced by a culture that centers around perfecting the mind and body for war. Their armies have rarely tasted defeat as they expand the borders of Akros, seizing new lands and bounty.

People of Akros

For most of Akros’s neighbors, the term “Akroan” evokes legendary warriors, trained from birth in every martial discipline known to humankind. It brings to mind songs of tight-knit martial bands, holding strong in the face of unbeatable odds. It sings of a great yearly competition that crowns the preeminent warrior-athlete in Akros, and—by extension—the world. The majority of Akros’s inhabitants, though, aren’t members of its martial elite. The famed warriors of Akros have the means to devote their lives to studying and training in the ways of war because they rest atop a rigid social structure of serfs and servants that largely dwell beyond the Kolophon’s walls. Those who stand at the heights of Akroan society, or outside it, are detailed here.

The Monarchy

Traditionally, Akros is ruled by a monarch drawn from the lineage of lektoi. The monarchy passes from parent to eldest child, but any sibling or first cousin of the heir can challenge this succession and claim the throne by besting the heir in single combat.

Currently, the monarchy is in a state of turmoil. King Anax has died, and his wife, Queen Cymede, has disappeared. An oracle of Keranos, the queen is said to have transformed into a pillar of fire and vanished into the wind, but until her death is certain, the lektoi are reluctant to name a new monarch. Anax and Cymede have no children, so the king’s niece, Taranika, acts as regent, attempting to guide the polis through what is sure to be a difficult transition.

As if the situation weren’t complicated enough, rumors have it that Anax isn’t dead. He, or perhaps some shimmering Nyxborn simulacrum of him, has been seen at the head of squads of satyr hoplites, wielding an axe that billows with smoke and drips searing lava.

Lektoi

At the apex of Akroan society are the lektoi, the large warrior class of Akros. Members of this class claim descent from the seven warriors who first established the Kolophon after the fall of the archons. Though the families now number more than seven, each one uses an animal associated with one of the seven warriors as its symbol, either the ram, lion, horse, boar, badger, bull, or hart. The ram, associated with Akros’s first king, Elektes, is commonly used as a symbol for the lektoi as a whole and for Akroan strength, determination, and resilience. It is a popular theme in clothing, jewelry, and weapon ornamentation, and some lektoi even wear their hair braided into stylized ram horns.

Although the lektoi claim descent from heroes, membership in this noble class isn’t strictly hereditary. Anyone can earn a place among them by claiming a victory in the annual Iroan Games. More commonly, members of lektoi families lose their place of privilege if they fail to fulfill their obligation to serve in the Akroan military.

Stratians

The Akroan military is formed of wandering bands of warriors (drawn from the lektoi families) known as stratians. Outside the walls of the Kolophon, the stratians camp in the forests and fields, hunt game for food, and train younger warriors as they go. Their tasks are to search for monsters that have strayed into Akroan territory and to protect travelers.

Stratian forces are divided into three types of duty and armed appropriately for the task before them:

• Alamon Rugged forces of wanderers patrol Akros’s borders, defending against invasion or attack by monsters that dwell in the mountains, foothills, and badlands around Akroan territory. They are armed and armored for speed and agility, allowing them to move stealthily and strike unexpectedly.
• Lukos The most elite forces among the stratians, the so-called wolves contend with threats that the Alamon can’t handle alone. After the guerrilla tactics of the Alamon have softened up a target, the heavily armored Lukos march to finish the task.
• Oromai The watchers are the guardians of the Kolophon who protect the fortress from invaders and maintain order within its walls.

Flamespeakers

Prominent spellcasters, the flamespeakers are reclusive priests of Purphoros who revere nature spirits and who inhabit fiery rifts in the mountains. The ancient practice is viewed as primitive but powerful, and Akroans of any background might risk making a pilgrimage into the mountains to hear a flamespeaker’s prophecies.

Servants and Serfs

Lektoi who complete their military service with honor often retire to the Kolophon or their family estates and go about the leisured life of aristocrats. Their households are run by a class of servants made up of lektoi who were unable or unwilling to undertake a military career. These servants lack citizenship’s full privileges but retain a position of some honor thanks to their class.

Below these servants, at the bottom of Akros’s social hierarchy, are the serfs. Comprising the vast majority of Akros’s population, the serfs largely reside outside the protection of the Kolophon, laboring to grow the staple crops that support Akros’s citizens and its trade. A relatively small number of serfs are skilled artisans who manage to build a more prosperous life for themselves with their crafts. But even these wealthier serfs can’t own the land they live on, and they enjoy few rights or legal protections.

Nonhumans in Akros

Akros maintains a standoffish—and often hostile—stance toward its neighbors, particularly the minotaurs of Phoberos, the leonin of Oreskos, and the centaurs of the Pheres band. Members of those peoples rarely find a warm welcome in Akroan territory. However, Akroans respect prowess, loyalty, and self-sacrifice, and might welcome any who embody such virtues. Some stratians also seek to learn the martial practices of other peoples, and might invite individuals or small communities to Akros to learn their ways.

During the Iroan Games, everyone is welcome in the stadium. Satyrs flock to the city to witness the competition, and some take up permanent residence, celebrating the outcome of one year’s games until it’s time to start watching the next.

Features of Akros

At the center of the polis of Akros rises the Kolophon, a mighty fortress and the seat of Akroan power. This many-tiered structure perches upon a vast cliff, which drops into a deep canyon carved by the Deyda River. Nature and Akroan ingenuity conspire to make the Kolophon one of the most intimidating fortresses in Theros.

Beyond the polis stretch craggy hills and mountains broken by narrow stretches of arable plains. It is a nearly impassable landscape, save for a few roads hewn through passes. Residents claim that only a fool would attempt to invade the heartlands of Akros, yet Akroans obsessively guard against invasion nonetheless.

Beyond its thick walls, the streets of Akros are dotted with towering statues of heroes. Red-tiled roofs soar over square-topped sandstone columns, and holy sites dedicated to Iroas, Purphoros, and Keranos, among the other gods, are many. The architecture is formidable, spare, and militaristic, thick with sharp, angular shapes.

Temple of Triumph at Akros

At the heart of the walled city is the huge stadium that hosts Theros’s greatest sporting event, the Iroan Games. A grand temple of Iroas stands beside it, serving as the venue for award ceremonies. A wide plaza connects the stadium to the city’s outer gates, offering plenty of room for celebration around the annual games.

When the stadium isn’t hosting the actual Iroan Games, it is still used daily for training and for lesser athletic events. Many of the buildings surrounding the stadium are dedicated to serving it: smaller training facilities, providers of athletic gear, stables, and other shops.

Citadel

The uppermost tier of the city, perched on a rocky outcropping at the southwestern corner of the Kolophon, is the great citadel. The Oromai (the “watchers” who maintain order and defend the Kolophon) are quartered within the citadel’s imposing walls, and the monarch’s palace is built atop it. Temples of Iroas, Heliod, and Keranos also adorn the top of the citadel, the latter commissioned by the late Queen Cymede, built with an open roof to give her a clear view of stormy skies.

Akros’s Surroundings

Arable land is scattered across small plateaus and valleys in Akros, meaning that the serf communities that farm the land are small and just as scattered. Volcanic rifts, landslides, and venomous animals make travel dangerous for anyone who doesn’t know the terrain, and visitors wishing to avoid suspicion from patrolling stratians would be wise to stick to the roads.

Outposts

The Alamon soldiers spend most of their time patrolling Akros’s outlying areas, centering their patrols around scattered outposts. These serve as staging grounds for Alamon and Lukos units to prepare as they venture out to raid or guard against monsters and invaders.

• One-Eyed Pass The outpost in One-Eyed Pass serves to keep an Akroan eye on the large cyclops population of the area, but the stratians also use the cyclopes to their advantage. Any time dangerous creatures come down from the mountains and pose a potential threat to Akroan holdings, the Alamon harry the enemy and try to funnel them into the pass. The cyclopes of the pass viciously defend their territory against all intruders, weakening or even eliminating the danger before it can reach the Akroan outpost, where the Lukos finish off any stragglers.
• Pharagax Bridge On the western border of Akros gapes a massive chasm rumored to descend all the way to the underworld and belch forth foul creatures. The great stone bridge that spans it is the only way into Akros from this direction. Stratians consider it a high honor to be assigned to guard the bridge.
• Titan’s Stairs These stone “stairs,” seemingly carved into the granite cliffs that protect Akros and haunted at all times by eerie, whistling winds, provide natural access to Akros. The stratians guard it fiercely and use it as a staging ground for invading the lowlands.
• Phoberos Outposts Several semipermanent encampments dot the badlands between Akros and the wilds beyond. Fresh cadres of troops come here every month to relieve soldiers who are worn out by relentless assaults from raiders, fire-breathing dragons, and other threats.
• Mountain Shrines The Akroans believe that the gods are best worshiped at the places closest to Nyx—mountain peaks. Small temples and shrines are found throughout Akroan territory. Some are tucked in caves or nestled in crevices or canyons, while others are bare altars exposed to the elements.

Myths of the Akroan War

Centuries before the polis of Olantin sunk beneath the sea (a myth told in chapter 4), its queen left her husband for the king of Akros. Slighted and heartbroken, the Olantian king summoned his whole host of loyal spears and sails to wage war on the fortified mountain polis.

What followed was a siege that stretched on for decades. Whole parts of Akros were destroyed and rebuilt in the fighting. There were heroes who knew only a life of conflict, performing feats of incredible prowess for the honor of Olantin, or who awed the gods with their sleepless commitment to defending the gates of Akros.

Most people today know of the event from an embellished account laid down in an epic poem, The Akroan War. Although its author has been lost to time, the poem is considered to be a definitive accounting of the greatest war in history. Countless soldiers aspire to fight with the honor and purpose that inspired the heroes of the Akroan War.

Pheres Lands

Between the mountains of Akros and the vast Nessian Wood to the southeast, Pheres-band centaurs roam across the dry, hilly landscape. Gathered in small bands of fierce raiders, the Pheres centaurs plunder whatever prey they can find: merchants and other travelers moving between Akros and Setessa, settlers trying to eke out an existence in the region, leonin tribes, Lagonna-band centaurs who range too far to the north, and any others they encounter.

Meletis

Evil flourishes where ignorance thrives.

—Perisophia the philosopher

Meletis is a polis devoted to learning, magic, and progress. It is the most populous city-state and home to progressive thinkers, pious thaumaturges, and wise oracles. Born from the defeat of tyranny, to this day it pursues the ideals of free thought, societal betterment, and reinvention over stagnation and totalitarianism.

The archon Agnomakhos ruled the area that is now Meletis for centuries. Impressing those he conquered into his legions, Agnomakhos aggressively expanded his empire, spreading it as far as the forests to the east and the mountains to the north. Ultimately, though, the heroes Kynaios and Tiro overthrew the archon. From the empire’s ruins rose Meletis, a land that endeavors to reject cruelty and oppression throughout the world, and guards against hypocrisy within its own borders.

For a time, Kynaios and Tiro ruled Meletis, striving to govern in accordance with the highest philosophical and ethical principles, which ultimately led them to relinquish their power and establish a philosopher-led republic. After the kings' deaths, the council of scholars known as the Twelve took up rule of the polis, with the sage Elpidios serving as the senior member.

People of Meletis

The people of Meletis take pride in their city’s grand architecture, especially the great temples to the gods. They value philosophy and other intellectual pursuits, especially the practice of magic. Meletis’s army is known for its discipline and its piety, and its navy is unparalleled. The city observes every one of the gods' holy days in various ways, and most residents try to live as the gods demand.

Rich fields and the bounty of the sea support most people throughout Meletis. The people have reputations for being accomplished weavers, skilled sailors, and cunning merchants. Books and literacy are also common throughout the land, and the work of scribes, cartographers, musicians, and storytellers is well regarded. The people of Meletis believe themselves to be the inheritors of a heroic tradition, and each person owes it to themselves and to society to strive for greatness. Beyond Meletis’s common folk, a few groups that hold noteworthy standing are detailed here.

The Twelve

A council of philosophers called the Twelve serves as the ruling body of Meletis. They are elected by popular vote among the citizens of Meletis and serve for terms of four years at a time. They are supposed to govern by philosophical principles of justice and social order, and many of them do strive to uphold the highest ideals in their decisions. Others are more grimly realistic, and a few are deeply corrupt, serving only their own interests.

The most senior member of the council is recognized as its leader, responsible for bringing the assembly to order and moderating its debate. Currently, this position is held by the renowned philosopher and orator named Perisophia.

Philosophers

Though they aren’t necessarily heroic, philosophers are highly valued in Meletis, which is renowned as the center of philosophical thought. They form a privileged class, often coming from wealthy families but also supported by stipends from the polis’s academies and their own students. Different philosophical schools hold political as well as intellectual power in the polis, with five schools of philosophy dominating Meletian discourse.

• Elpidians Perisophia’s optimistic Elpidian school currently predominates Meletian thought and politics, carrying on the works of the heroic Epharan oracle Elpidios. The Elpidian school strives to put magic and philosophy to use in improving the lives of all Meletians. Elpidian mages embrace magic in all its forms.
• Formalists Formalist philosophers believe in a realm populated by abstract entities such as numbers and theories. They focus their efforts on trying to improve the moral fabric of the polis, hoping to create the ideal society, where people live together in peace, and where war and crime disappear.
• Uremideans This school emphasizes logical reasoning, rhetorical excellence, and theories of ethics and virtue. Uremideans are eminently practical governors who seek to balance ethical ideals and realistic necessities.
• Nykleans Nyklean philosophers teach that reason or destiny underlies all of reality, so that everything that takes place must unfold just as it does. These philosophers train themselves to accept and endure whatever befalls them, enjoying good fortune but not grieving its loss.
• Anapsians Anapsian philosophy embraces the fine delights of life: the pleasures of love and friendship, fine food and drink, art and music. Anapsians have few strong opinions about governance, except that an ultimate good end should be kept front of mind in all decision.

Thaumaturges

Meletians view magic as one of the greatest art forms, and they call the most accomplished mages thaumaturges (“wonder workers”). Many Meletian mages are trained at the elite academy of the Dekatia, but countless smaller schools and private tutors teach the magical arts. These lessons in magic typically include a well-rounded education in the sciences and philosophy. Some thaumaturges find their magical studies aligning with popular Meletian philosophies and choose the schools of magic they focus on based on such teachings.

The mark of a true thaumaturge, though, is a gift or positive omen from the gods; even the most accomplished student of magic can’t earn the title without such a sign of divine approval. One mage might receive the gift of a spear from Heliod, another could receive a clockwork owl from Ephara, and still another might experience a wild, creative vision from Keranos.

The Reverent Army

The hoplites of Meletis practice battlefield tactics in an environment saturated with religious devotion. The military force of the polis is called the Reverent Army, and aims as much to exalt the glory of the pantheon as to defend Meletis. The soldiers are clever and resourceful, believing their piety leads the gods to smile upon them. More likely, though, their extensive training in battlefield tactics and magic gives them an edge over other soldiers, with most Meletian Hoplite knowing at least a little magic.

Nonhumans in Meletis

Meletis strives to be a beacon to all of Theros’s people. Well-intentioned members of any culture are welcome on Meletis’s streets, and the polis’s people work to earn the trust of their neighbors.

Of all the poleis, Meletis has the closest relationship with the tritons of the Siren Sea. Several communities of tritons consider the harbors of Meletis and secluded coastal sanctuaries their home. Many take part in work near and under the water that other peoples are ill-suited to, but increasingly tritons find work not related to the sea, with triton restaurants, chemists, and members of the Reverent Army being increasingly common.

Meletis maintains a fragile peace with centaurs of the Lagonna band, engaging in regular trade. It’s not uncommon for small groups of centaurs to set up shop in the polis market for short periods, though few spend more than a night or two in the city, most finding it claustrophobic at best.

Few leonin journey to Meletis, knowing little of the land beyond what their stories remember of Agnomakhos’s tyranny. Even an age after the archon’s rule, most leonin view Meletis as a cursed place. Those few who have traveled to the polis in recent years find it changed, with great potential for trade and cooperation, but no Meletian or leonin has yet initiated an official dialogue between the two peoples.

Most satyrs have little patience for Meletian philosophy, visiting largely out of curiosity or on elaborate larks. Minotaurs are rarely seen in Meletis, though those who visit with peaceful intentions are welcome.

Features of Meletis

The architectural and academic marvels of Meletis testify to the achievements of civilized humanity. The streets are paved with bricks made in interlocking geometric shapes, meant to demonstrate principles of both mathematics and magic. Grand temples line the streets, testifying to the Meletians' devotion to the gods. These rise as both mighty bastions dedicated to individual deities and various neighborhood shrines devoted to the pantheon as a whole.

Inside the city, the wild lands feel like a remote threat. Perils from the sea present more obvious dangers, but a great sea wall protects the polis’s port on the Bay of Meletis, while a lengthy channel cuts through the surrounding land to reach Meletis Harbor on the Siren Sea.

Pyrgnos

Many Meletians speak of the “edifice of knowledge,” referring in the abstract to the sum of all learning and scholarship. Every citizen is expected to help improving this edifice for the good of the polis, whether through philosophical exploration, advancements in magical technique, investigation into the nature of the gods, or perfection of techniques in crafting and trade.

But the edifice of knowledge in Meletis is a literal structure as well as a metaphorical one: the Pyrgnos is a glowing stone tower standing near the coast. It is literally formed from the collected learnings of the polis, recorded on carved stone tablets and glowing letters hovering in the air. At night, the Pyrgnos shines like a lighthouse where the sea wall meets the shore, gleaming on the waters of the Siren Sea.

A decade ago, the Pyrgnos was partly demolished by a kraken that attacked the city, but it has been repaired and continues to grow, reflecting the continued learning of the polis’s citizens.

The Dekatia

Meletis boasts many centers of learning, but the preeminent academy for philosophers and mages is the Dekatia. Students who display remarkable promise over the course of their earlier education can go on to spend up to ten years in arduous training at the Dekatia, apprenticed to master priests, thaumaturges, philosophers, and military heroes. Those who manage to complete this decade of training are renowned as the wisest of the wise and the bravest of the brave, combining all the essential learning of the polis into one heroic package.

The Observatory

The Observatory is a tall viewing platform and a windowed structure offering a splendid view of the sky, renowned as a place to study Nyx, the home of the gods. Special crystals shaped by thaumaturges and blessed by the oracles of the gods enhance the view, making it easier for observers to see the workings of the gods among the stars and constellations. Priests, mages, and philosophers interpret what they see in the Observatory as signs and omens from the gods.

Myth of the Fall of Agnomakhos

From the back of his flying bull, the archon Agnomakhos led armies across the face of Theros, carving out an empire that stood for generations. While numerous rebellions attempted to cast off the archon’s rule, each was crushed by his armies of giants, leonin, and other fearsome creatures. So, when the heroes Kynaios and Tiro sought to inspire an uprising, few flocked to their banner.

Undeterred, the rebels soldiered on against impossible odds. Seeing their dedication to the cause of freedom, the goddess Ephara came to the heroes. She offered to aid Kynaios and Tiro in their battle against the tyrant, supplementing their martial skill with a new weapon: magic.

With their new power, Kynaios and Tiro inspired the people to rise up against Agnomakhos, ultimately defeating his armies and striking the archon down. From their victory rose the polis of Meletis and the use of magic among mortals.

Agnomakhos’s fall remains a point of honor in the minds of Meletis’s people, a moment immortalized in relief upon countless civic buildings throughout the polis.

Meletis’s Surroundings

Meletis sits on the coast of the Siren Sea, surrounded by rivers, sparse woodlands, and vast, stepped grasslands. Fields of barley provide sustenance to Meletians and their animals. Well-trod roads wind their way through the region, but most locals travel along the coast in simple boats.

Meletian Holdings

The polis of Meletis embodies the heart and mind of what it means to be Meletian, but the polis’s lands also includes numerous other settlements and wildernesses. The people who live in these holdings are no less Meletians than the inhabitants of the city, and they share the values of other Meletians even if their lifestyle affords them little opportunity to study magic and philosophy.

• Altrisos This small walled city is famous for Ephara’s intervention to protect it from a kraken, her face coming to life on the marble wall and making the barrier grow so tall that the kraken couldn’t get through. Altrisos now has Ephara’s face on nearly every building and wall in the entire city in gratitude.
• Glossion Glossion is a small coastal town that would be completely unremarkable, except that it’s accumulated a truly impressive library. The bulk of the town’s economy revolves around maintaining the library and meeting the needs of travelers who come to visit it.
• Krimnos Renowned as the home of Anapse, the philosopher who founded the Anapsian school, the village of Krimnos attracts many philosophers who share Anapse’s delight in the pleasures of a simple life.
• Listes Listes is a fortress marking the northeastern border of the polis. The civilian population is hardly less disciplined than the members of the Reverent Army stationed there, and the whole population observes Iroas’s holy days together.
• Natumbria The residents of Natumbria are famous for training sea animals as skillfully as Setessans train land and air animals. They train sea snakes, dolphins, and even sharks on a few occasions to be combatants, working animals, aquatic mounts, and companions.
• Neolantin Though they are regarded as Meletians, the people of Neolantin view themselves as citizens of Olantin—a coastal polis that long ago vanished into the sea. According to legend, an angry Heliod smote the polis with his spear, sinking it in punishment for its people’s utter hubris. The fact that the Neolantians were spared this fate, they say, is evidence of their humility, and they take special care in their sacrifices to Heliod.
• Oxus Oxus is a quiet town with a notably wealthy population, consisting largely of merchants who have retired from trade with large fortunes at their disposal. The tomb of Kynaios and Tiro also stands in the center of the town, the subject of many local legends.
• Phaela A small fishing village, Phaela is most noted as being the literal “end of the road” for travelers venturing south from Meletis. The rugged lands beyond are rocky and scattered with forgotten ruins.
• Sitrium This coastal town is known for the way many of its buildings are on stilts to accommodate the changing tides. Sitrium is famed for its skilled shipwrights.
• Thesteia The village of Thesteia is little more than a crossroads, but it’s notable for its temple to Karametra. The site draws farmers from the region who offer a portion of their crops to the god of agriculture.

Lagonna Grounds

At the northern edge of Meletian territory, between the sea and the Nessian Wood, roam the centaurs of the Lagonna band. Unlike the ferocious Pheres band, the Lagonna-band centaurs are generally peaceful and don’t engage in raids upon Meletian territory. They are frequent visitors in Listes, Krimnos, and Meletis itself, and often carry goods between Meletis and Setessa, since they are more at home in the Nessian Wood than most Meletian merchants.

Setessa

This city saved me when I was an orphaned child, sold into chains. Now is my turn to save it.

—Kallias, Ophis Tower commander

Setessa is the favored polis of Karametra, and its buildings blend so perfectly into the forest that it’s difficult to tell the difference between inside and outside. The populace lives in harmony with the thick forests, terraced farms, and trained animals of Setessa, and they celebrate the cycle of seasons with grand holidays.

Setessa is also unique among the poleis of Theros in that few of its adult residents are men. Women comprise the bulk of the population, holding almost all of the leadership roles and carrying out most work. Men are few and far between, mostly performing roles at the polis’s edge. Children run freely around the polis. They’re so important, in fact, that Setessa’s people take in abandoned children from all over Theros.

People of Setessa

The populace of Setessa live in a beautiful paradise, and they’re prepared to fight to the death to protect it. The constant training in archery, falconry, riding, and close combat can seem out of place among the idyllic forests and beautiful gardens and orchards, but that is the way of life in Setessa.

Gender in Setessa

Setessans believe that women become heroes through martial exploits, while men do so by finding their own way in the world. As a result, the polis is populated mostly by women and children.

When young men reach the age of fourteen, their rites of passage culminate in a journey called peregrination, where they wander the world until they find a new place to call home. The few men who reside permanently in Setessa live in the Amatrophon, training and caring for the animals there. Some of these men never peregrinated, but others left and then returned to Setessa.

The women of the polis form a tight-knit community where property is held in common. There is no marriage, and ancestry is traced matrilineally.

Despite the very different roles played by men and women, Setessans are flexible when it comes to any individual’s place in that structure. Some men set out on peregrination after spending a number of years identified as women, and some women return from peregrination (or never undertake it) after a period of realization. Some people move fluidly between roles, and a few choose a special role that Setessans view as standing outside the dichotomy of gender, living in Ophis Tower.

The warriors of Ophis Tower are martially trained as women are but wander the world as men do. They gather information for the Ruling Council, search out routes for peregrination (including identifying sympathetic individuals and households who will mentor young men at the start of their journeys), and rescue lost and abandoned children from other communities, bringing them back to Setessa.

The Ruling Council

Karametra is the queen of Setessa, but of course gods have more important concerns than the day-to-day governance of a human polis. So a five-member council attends to the daily tasks of leadership on the deity’s behalf. The council is made up of the commanders of the four prominent fortress-watchtowers that guard the polis. These commanders are elected by popular vote: Anthousa of Leina Tower, Phaedra of Hyrax Tower, Niketa of Bassara Tower, and Kallias of Ophis Tower. The fifth member is Silverbrow, a centaur oracle who reads the Kelema Veil at the Nexuses of the Seasons and advises action based on her visions. Anthousa is the head of the council, considered Karametra’s closest advisor and the de facto ruler of the city.

Defenders and the Four Towers

Karametra includes defense of the home in her domains, and the residents of Setessa follow suit. Setessan military forces are organized into four major regiments, each associated with a fortress tower.

• Bassara Tower The tower of the fox stands near the Summer Nexus and watches for interlopers who enter the Nessian Wood without permission. During their training, troops there focus on archery and guerrilla tactics. Their leader is Niketa, a woman in her fifties who spends most of her time in the tower since she parted ways with her dryad partner.
• Hyrax Tower The tower of the falcon lies on the ridge near the Autumn Nexus. Its regiment includes contingents of scouts and falconers. Its leader is Phaedra, a nineteen-year-old master falconer and orphan from Meletis who was rescued by the Ophis regiment.
• Leina Tower The tower of the lion stands near Karametra’s temple at the heart of Setessa. Its regiment, led by the hero Anthousa, is dedicated to the defense of the polis and the training of its children. The Leina warriors favor double-edged axes.
• Ophis Tower The tower of the serpent nestles at the center of Setessa. Its wandering warriors travel the world, working on behalf of the Ruling Council. Their leader is Kallias, who was sold into slavery as a child. They lost an eye and several fingers before they were rescued and brought to Setessa, where they have devoted themselves to saving others in a similar plight.

The “Little Bears” of Setessa

Children in Setessa are reared by the polis as a whole and treated with the highest respect; their welfare is paramount and their training is a significant part of every warrior’s occupation. Orphans and abandoned children are sacred to Karametra, so they are brought into the city and tended just as Setessa’s own children are.

In contrast to the discipline associated with educating children in other poleis, Setessan youngsters enjoy tremendous freedom. Called arkulli, meaning “little bears,” they are welcome anywhere in the city. They often wander in and out of the temple, training grounds, the hall of the Ruling Council, the market, and anywhere else their paths take them. Such freedom is meant to cultivate a curious spirit and help the children find the path they’re most interested in following later in life.

Nonhumans in Setessa

Setessa doesn’t welcome outsiders, as a rule, except the orphaned and abandoned children brought to live in the polis. But the polis can be more hospitable to nonhuman outsiders than to humans (especially male humans) from other poleis. A few centaurs of the Lagonna band, leonin, and satyrs have earned the right to live in Setessa. Dryads and naiads from the Nessian Wood rarely try to enter the polis, but they are often friendly with the Bassara soldiers who patrol the forest.

Features of Setessa

Setessa fuses nature and civilization into a single living organism. The polis extends from a huge tree at its center, like the rings of a still larger tree. A dense circle of vegetation forms the city’s outer wall, with the treetops magically woven together to create a barrier against intruders. Expertly trained archers stand guard on platforms nestled among the upper branches. Inside these natural walls, patches of thick forest alternate with open spaces where the Setessans build their homes and civic buildings amid the trees. Out of deference to Nylea, the residents of Setessa never construct a building that isn’t absolutely necessary, and their homes and buildings are seamlessly integrated into the environment, with magic coaxing vegetation to weave together into walls or roofs.

Temple to Karametra

In the very center of the city is the temple to Karametra, patron of Setessa. Three ancient trees grow from an earthen rise and spiral around the heart of the city. The temple, built of glittering limestone, nestles amid the massive trunks. Strong magical wards protect the temple, since Karametra herself sits here when she visits her beloved polis. All manner of civic functions are based in the temple, and most of them are carried out by Karametra’s attendants. These attendants serve as healers, advisors, teachers, chroniclers, and oracles.

Nexuses of the Seasons

Four holy sites, corresponding to the four seasons, stand in or near the polis and serve as temples—primarily for the rites of Karametra and Nylea, but also to the other gods to an extent. These nexus points between the mortal world and Nyx—a phenomenon called the Kelema Veil—are where omens manifest amid star fields that glitter in the shadows and where oracles seek messages from the divine. The four nexuses are each distinct in their own ways.

• Spring Nexus Associated with Karametra, the Spring Nexus is located in a lavish garden just behind her temple in the city of Setessa. A large arch of vines and flowers leads into the nexus itself and stays fresh and green all year long. Spring is the most celebratory time for Setessans—a time for planting and hope. Worshipers leave gifts for both Karametra and Nylea here.
• Summer Nexus Located in an olive grove west of the city proper, the Summer Nexus is covered by a leafy green canopy. As a shelter from summer’s heat, the nexus is a favorite resting spot for people and animals alike, and Nylea and Iroas are worshiped here.
• Autumn Nexus Near the southern edge of Setessa, in an orchard filled with golden apples, a small cave behind a basalt arch holds a perpetually burning flame. Priests keep a strict rotation to ensure the fire never goes out, as it represents Purphoros’s fire that keeps the world warm through the colder seasons and allows the autumn harvest. In addition to Purphoros, Setessans come here to worship Iroas and Mogis, when necessary.
• Winter Nexus At the eastern edge of Setessa hides a rocky cave that was once a lion’s den. The cave contains a burial ground and is rumored to lead all the way into the underworld. Setessan children occasionally dare each other to see who can make it the farthest into the cave, but the morbid atmosphere usually sends the children scurrying back before long. Setessans come here to worship Pharika and Erebos, paying respects to the dead or hoping to fend off death for a while yet.

Abora Market

The Abora Market is a giant, open-air market just inside the main eastern gate of Setessa. Every day it is thronged with citizens buying and selling food, crafts, and curiosities. On the seven days surrounding the full moon, outsiders are even allowed into the market, though they are still prohibited from roaming the rest of the polis. Visitors who try to explore beyond the market are typically banned from the polis and must forfeit any goods they brought into the city.

The most impressive part of the market is the raptor hall, where falconers show off the trained raptors available for sale. Hunters all over Theros come to buy famous Setessan falcons.

Caryatid Groves

Scattered throughout the city are several groves that are sacred to Karametra and Nylea, made up of slender trees with almost humanlike forms. It is said that whoever enters one of these sacred groves in search of peace will find it—and take root, becoming part of the grove. The trees here are caryatids, capable of animating in defense of the groves or the city (as Animated Tree) but otherwise resting in silent stillness.

Setessa’s Surroundings

Beyond the city’s encircling trees, the territory of Setessa extends to cover about a third of the Nessian Wood and a wide swath of the open chaparral. In contrast to Meletis and Akros, no villages or military outposts mark Setessan territory, but a few key features in the Nessian Wood define the area under Setessan control.

Amatrophon

The Amatrophon encompasses a large forested region at the northwestern edge of Setessan territory, and it provides a safe haven and training ground for the diverse range of animals that occupy an honored place as natural protectors in Setessan society. Experts train the renowned falcons of Setessa here, along with horses for riding and for combat. More unusual animals are found here as well: trainers work with pegasi, wolves, and lions to get them ready to accompany Setessans in battle. Here men live and work alongside women, collectively training and caring for the animals that live here.

Nessian Wood

The vast wilderness of the Nessian Wood is considered Nylea’s domain. Its trees are as old as the world, twining together to form an impenetrable canopy shielding the wood from Heliod’s angry glare. Their roots stretch deep into the earth, and some say they drink from the Rivers That Ring the World, the waters of the Underworld. All manner of wild and magical creatures dwell in the Nessian Wood, far from the reach of human civilization.

Nylea allows limited hunting in the Nessian Wood, but she has been known to kill those who poach without her permission. Setessa’s Bassara regiment helps the god keep an eye out for such illicit hunters, as well as any intruders who might bring danger upon the polis.

• Cypress Gates A natural gap between two mountains on the west side of the Sperche River provides access into the Nessian Wood from the east. Ancient Setessans carved an impenetrable fortress into the mountains to guard the pass. Bassara patrols from Setessa still check in on the fortress regularly, and they occupy the fortress when there is reason to suspect danger from the east. More than once, though, patrols have reached the fort only to find something else has taken up residence, whether it be rowdy satyrs, grim Returned, or worse.
• Hunter’s Crossing Setessa once extended its claim over more of the Nessian Wood, establishing military outposts like those of Akros. At the western end of the forest, along the road from Meletis known as the Guardian Way, the ruins of a round tower lie beside a rushing stream. This marks the greatest extent of ancient Setessa’s reach. A site of rich natural beauty, with lilacs growing along the riverbank and silver fish darting in startlingly clear water, it is abandoned by Setessa and favored by travelers as a resting point on the road before coming under the eaves of the forest.

Myth of Nikaia the First Caryatid

A Setessan archer named Nikaia claimed that she could outshoot anyone, even Nylea. Word of this unwise boast spread, and in response Nylea appeared at the next archery contest at the Spring Nexus. She challenged Nikaia to an impossible feat of archery: to shoot an arrow into one of the twin trunks of Kruphix’s great tree at the edge of the world. Nikaia immediately realized that neither refusal, failure, nor success would forestall Nylea’s wrath. Nonetheless, she held her head high, she and Nylea both let fly, and both arrows hit. Impressed by the mortal, Nylea took Nikaia to her sacred grove and planted her there as a caryatid, immobile but forever occupying a place of honor.

Since then, Nylea has honored dozens of other champions and worthy mortals, blessing them with the long lives of mighty trees. The grown seedlings of Nikaia and Nylea’s other favored continue to share their wisdom and protect Setessa to this day.

Oreskos

Our world stands on three feet: pride, dignity, and independence. When voices claim we’ve lost these virtues, do not listen. Those are the words of thieves, convincing you you’ve already lost what they aim to steal.

—Liala, matron of the Sun Guides

A vast valley of dry grasslands nestled between the Katachthon and Oraniad Mountains, Oreskos is the home of the leonin. Here roam vast herds of knot-horned gazelle, flocks of elephant birds, prides of lean lions, and a menagerie of other beasts. Predatory griffins and manticores regularly range over the region’s grassy seas, while beings like the anvilwroughts of Mount Velus or the Nyxborn from Nykthos often experience Oreskos as their first glimpse of the wider world.

Leonin of Oreskos

Close-knit prides of several dozen to a few hundred leonin make their homes throughout Oreskos. These communities treat every member as family, with all taking equal roles in hunting, cooking, family care, and other daily responsibilities. Status in the tribe typically comes with age and by forming relationships with other members of the community, whether through childrearing, friendships, romances, teaching, or otherwise. Leonin women tend to remain part of their mothers' prides, while males often leave to join new prides when they find partners. Councils of matriarchs make decisions for most prides, these leaders rising from among the oldest or best-respected women of the pride.

Generally, leonin communities avoid outsiders, particularly armed groups of soldiers and champions of the gods. Many leonin suffered under the rule of the archons and at the whim of fickle gods, a grim history that taught them well-remembered lessons about trusting strangers or relying on deities. Most leonin understand that people aren’t their culture, though, and individuals who prove themselves trustworthy might find gradual acceptance among the prides. Even so, leonin prides accept centaurs, minotaurs, and satyrs more readily than unpredictable humans and alien tritons.

Leonin Communities

Leonin prides typically occupy dens or mobile tent cities, or possibly both at different times of the year. Their dens commonly lie amid the foothills at the edge of Oreskos, particularly along the Oraniads to the east. Dens are usually comprised of small, interconnected networks of underground chambers. Large, shared spaces in these dens are typically decorated with rich woven textiles, bone crafts, and rich clay and crystal pottery. The dens are cool in the summers, but leonin are a sun-loving people and prefer to be outside—even sleeping outdoors—whenever weather permits.

Numerous beasts migrate across Oreskos during the spring and fall. During this time, hunters from nearly every leonin pride participate in extended expeditions. In some cases, the entire pride takes part, emptying their dens to journey across the plains. While on the hunt, prides dwell in lavish tent-cities, largely comprised of tents capable of housing whole families. These temporary homes surround brightly colored pavilions, where craftspeople turn game into meals, clothing, and materials, honoring their animal neighbors by wasting nothing. While these encampments are obvious and well supplied, they are also heavily guarded by wary leonin. As a result, strangers who approach such camps tend to receive cold receptions.

The Speaker

Each year, on the day of the first full moon after the autumn equinox, matriarchs from all the leonin prides gather at Tethmos to select a monarch, who acts as a representative of the prides in the wider world. While terms like “queen” or “general” are often applied to this leader by outsiders, the meaning of the leonin title, zibynth, is closer to “speaker.”

As the sun rises on this festival day, the leonin gather to renew pacts of friendship. The matriarchs of all the prides hold council during this time. As dusk falls, the council announces a new speaker. A fantastic celebration ensues, involving dancing, feasting, singing, public professions of deep feelings, and trading oaths.

Traditionally, the speaker reigns for a single year. As the leonin have grown less isolated, though, they have come to explore greater continuity in their leadership, and the current speaker, Brimaz, has held the office for several years. One of the few men to ever be speaker, he is broadminded, humble, and determined, with a deep connection to the land. He is quick to seek opinions from the matriarchs of the leonin prides, and often defers to their wisdom. While his focus has largely been within the grasslands' borders, he cautiously explores engaging in trade with the human poleis

Ironmanes

One collection of leonin prides, the Ironmanes, doesn’t recognize the authority of the speaker. These fearsome warriors live in the foothills of the western Katachthon mountains, acknowledging no authority but their own. The warriors of the tribe stain their fur with rust to declare their status and ornament themselves with claws and small bones taken from defeated opponents. While intensely territorial, the Ironmanes sometimes offer their services as guards or guides, though they generally disdain working for anyone but other leonin. Numerous leonin fighters and rangers count themselves as Ironmanes.

Sun Guides

True children of Oreskos, the Sun Guides have lived in the grasslands for countless generations. They know the way of Oreskos’s beasts and seasons better than any. Both mystical and knowledgeable, the Sun Guides read the messages in plant growth and animal migrations, and make their place in the natural cycle.

Sun Guide prides might be found throughout Oreskos, but most orbit the lake known as Sun’s Mirror. While these prides sometimes seek their dens during the harshest winters, many will spend years on the open plains. Many druids, monks, rangers, and sorcerers hail from Sun Guide prides.

Swiftclaws

Among the greatest hunters of Oreskos, the Swiftclaws are known for speed and efficiency. Their hunts are known to be among the shortest and most fruitful. While their martial prowess earns them respect, it also affords many leonin more time to share tales and study the lore of their people. As a result, some of the greatest leonin storytellers and historians number among the Swiftclaws. Fighters and rogues are also common among the Swiftclaws, and many bards and wizards come from these prides as well.

Grasslands of Oreskos

Unspoiled by roads or buildings, Oreskos is a land of striking natural beauty, where the plains and sky appear to go on forever. Craggy stone formations and ancient ruins dot windswept grasslands and plateaus, shading into scrubby badlands, rocky hills, and unwelcoming mountains. At the sun’s height, the grasslands shine like beaten gold, and the sunsets are incomparable. Magnificent storms spread clouds in a rainbow of colors, creating vistas exhilarating to those brave enough to weather them. The hills yield ancient treasures and a bounty of precious metals and stones. At night, the movements of Nyx are striking, but images of the gods seem to keep their distance from this land where few pay them honor.

Yet most non-leonin will never see this beauty. The leonin prides guard their lands implacably, and without a good reason to be there—or a leonin guide to vouch for one’s presence—outsiders are often chased away.

Tethmos

Tethmos serves as the default capital for Oreskos, a meeting place for the tribes, and the home of leonin leaders. Stone buildings and slender windmills jut above the plain, their pale colors and metal decorations shimmering in the light and changing color as the sun moves across the sky. Many leonin matriarchs and other wise souls retire to Tethmos to share their wisdom with all the prides. In recent years, a few non-leonin traders have been admitted into Tethmos, provoking exaggerated tales of the leonin sages and their golden city.

Mount Kure

Atop Mount Kure rises a massive temple, open-roofed and accented in gold. This temple of Heliod, his closest to Oreskos, is rarely visited, but on the god’s highest holy days, worshipers journey there to commune with the sun god. These pilgrimages occasionally bring the god’s servants into conflict with wary leonin hunting nearby.

Sun’s Mirror

This vast, placid lake sits at the center of Oreskos. No matter the weather around it, the lake’s surface remains undisturbed, and often reflects the sunlight so brightly that it’s difficult to look at. Those who approach the lake and gaze into its waters usually see their own reflections, but on rare occasions, they see visions of places far away. The leonin claim that these visions show not just the present, but even the past and the future.

Phoberos and Skophos

Mogis reshaped our ancestors, giving form to their great rages and pains. We are not our ancestors, though. We are god-carved for greatness, but each of us determines how.

—Gysios, Bronzebones veteran

The western edge of Akroan territory is a region of arid canyons and caverns called Phoberos, a land of harsh natural whims haunted by ravenous monsters. Fierce bands of wild minotaurs haunt these badlands, and for centuries these brutal marauders were the only minotaurs the human poleis ever knew—which contributed to the minotaurs' reputation as bloodthirsty brutes.

But to the north of Phoberos, far from the walls of Akros, stands the sprawling, labyrinthine polis of Skophos. Skophos is mentioned in a few ancient odes, but only a handful of humans have ever beheld Skophos, and hardly any have successfully navigated its labyrinthine passageways and returned to tell of it.

The founding of Skophos and its troubled history with Akros are the stuff of myth, and it is difficult to distinguish the mortal history of the two poleis from tales of the twin gods, Iroas and Mogis. The gods warred with each other, their followers and champions vied for control of scarce land, and two ideals—the nobility of heroic struggle and victory versus the brutality of savage slaughter in war—competed for a place in the mortal mind. Just as Mogis is the dark shadow of everything Iroas stands for, so is Skophos the reflection of Akros. And Phoberos is the bloodstained battleground where the eternal conflict between the gods and their poleis is waged.

Minotaurs of Phoberos

Most of the minotaurs that roam the badlands of Phoberos are outcasts from the society of Skophos. They are bandits and marauders, bloodthirsty killers infected by the wild rage of Mogis. These minotaurs have more in common with the monsters in the Monster Manual than with the civilized people described in chapter 1 of this book (including their Large size). Most of them use only the barest minimum of technology—tattered clothes, piecemeal armor, and heavy weapons, all scavenged from their fallen foes. They wander alone or gather in bands under the leadership of the strongest among them, and in either case tend to kill any human they encounter. Three distinct bands are particularly well-known by their Akroan foes.

Bloodhorn Minotaurs

Named for their blood-caked horns, the Bloodhorn minotaurs have ragged claws to supplement their charges and gores. Gleeful in their brutality, they slaughter and devour any intruders they encounter in the badlands, and particularly value the bone marrow of young humans. They take pride in their overlarge, razor-sharp horns.

Felhide Minotaurs

The notoriously dour Felhide minotaurs are descended from the warlord Thyrogog of the Ashlands. The Theriad recounts the brute’s defeat and the loss of his great axe, Goremaster. Viewing Thyrogog’s defeat as a divine sign, the warlord’s descendants retreated into the Ashlands.

Burial rites among the Felhide minotaurs involve devouring those who fell in battle, to remove their shame from memory and fuel the survivors' revenge. Should another scavenger reach a fallen Felhide before the rest of the band can eat the dead minotaur’s remains, the minotaurs mobilize to track down as much of their dead comrade’s body as possible.

Ragegore Minotaurs

Ragegore minotaurs are the most ferocious of their kind, deeply infected by the bloodlust of Mogis. Ragegores never withdraw from a battle, entering a frenzy of furious delight at the sight of an enemy’s blood. While in the heat of battle, a Ragegore minotaur seems to feel no pain and barely notices wounds that would kill a human. Some Ragegores have been known to fall dead immediately at the cessation of battle, their life sustained only by their fury.

City of Skophos

When Akroan soldiers encounter minotaurs in ordered squads, patrolling the badlands on predictable routes, clad in armor and wielding bronze weapons, they tend to speak of the “Bronzebone band,” as if these minotaurs were just one more faction competing for dominance in Phoberos. But these minotaurs aren’t just one more raiding band; they are the soldiers of Skophos, the minotaur polis.

Skophos stands as a literal maze, its twisting streets carved from the red sandstone of the badlands. The walls of the maze rise as narrow buildings that serve as homes, shops, and defensible fortresses for the city’s predominantly minotaur population. Mighty stone outcroppings tower over the labyrinth, including temples to Mogis (the most prominent), Erebos, Keranos, and Purphoros. The fortress-palaces of tyrants, the lairs of monstrous oracles, and cavernous indoor markets also stand as destinations at the end of confounding avenues.

Priests and warlord champions of Mogis rule the city, with individuals serving as tyrants over city districts. The city’s rulers rarely meet in council, and when they do, the quarrelsome tyrants rarely find common cause or any basis for agreement. Only the priests of Mogis can force the city’s leaders to put aside their quarrels and work toward a single goal.

Lesser Peristyle

The minotaurs of Skophos acknowledge the entire pantheon of gods, though they are far enough inland that they have little cause to honor Thassa, and many of them view Iroas as an enemy of their people. They worship a more ancient aspect of Karametra, who demands blood to ensure the fertility of the earth. In the shadow of Mogis’s great temple, most of the gods are honored with some kind of violence.

In that context, the small temple known as the Lesser Peristyle is an oddity. Dedicated to Ephara, it is a place where minotaurs debate philosophy and strive to rein in the excesses of the tyrants who govern the city. The existence of Skophos is a testimony to the benefits of an ordered society, as Ephara teaches, and that self-evident lesson is the strongest argument that Ephara’s handful of priests can make to justify their presence in the city. From that starting point, they pursue their vision of a better way of life, aspiring to nobler principles than senseless slaughter and better governance than iron-fisted tyranny. Under the leadership of the temple’s priests—Haraksi, an ingenious smith and mother of eight, and Olakia the Torn, an oracle who experiences visions from both Mogis and Ephara—a school of minotaur philosophers aspires to a vision of Skophos that can coexist in some measure of peace with the wider world.

Mogis’s Chalice

Many grand temples to Mogis stand in Skophos, presenting a stark contrast to the crude shrines that usually serve as sites of worship for the god of fury. Near the center of the polis, one temple larger and more elaborate than the rest serves as a holy site and the seat of the minotaur government, called Mogis’s Chalice.

Fires always burn in two great copper bowls on either side of the temple entrance. Iron-spiked crenellations ring the temple roof, many decorated with skulls. Red clay is smeared at the entrance and the altar, often anointed with fresh blood. Inside, a massive bronze minotaur head hangs above the black marble altar.

Legend holds that if anyone, minotaur or otherwise, kills a hated rival or enemy in the main room of the Temple to Mogis, they will be blessed by the god of wrath. Even the minotaurs of Skophos will not interfere with such a battle, and the victor is always allowed to depart without further bloodshed.

Badlands of Phoberos

Between Skophos and the human polis of Akros stretches the desolate wilderness of Phoberos. Numerous canyons, said to have been cut in the earth during battles between Mogis and Iroas, crisscross the rocky badlands. As minotaurs prove adept at navigating such natural mazes, they often make camp in these crags, hidden from the sun and heat. A variety of other raiders and monsters similarly make their lairs in such places—particularly cyclopes, basilisks, and harpies.

Deathbellow Canyon

Deathbellow Canyon is known for its stinking bogs, cave-riddled spires, and the ominous markings of Ragegore minotaurs. At the canyon’s heart yawns the Kragma, a vast cave that resembles a screaming mouth. The Kragma is the grim meeting place of the Ragegore minotaur bands, where these Mogis-worshiping raiders make brutal sacrifices and endlessly quarrel, their war cries echoing through the canyon.

The Stratian Front

Soldiers from the Akroan army monitor Phoberos and patrol the borders of Akros, confronting any threats that might bring harm to their homeland. Such is an endless war that demands Akros’s constant attention. While a few permanent encampments exist—like raucous Camp No Hope and the cavern Fort Sandmouth—most stratian patrols follow their own path through the badlands.

The Ashlands

Buried in white ash, the Ashlands offer a vivid reminder of the last time Mount Vesios erupted. Numerous undead wander these lands, many not realizing that they’re dead as they wander half-buried ruins. These lands are also the home of the Felhide minotaurs and the bleached dragon oracle known as Timedrinker.

Realms of the Returned

Death and life are two sides of the same coin. Opposite, but eternally connected. One cannot exist without the other.

—Slighos the Body-binder

Before becoming a god, Phenax died, passed into Erebos’s realm, and ultimately escaped the Underworld. His escape route, the Path of Phenax (see chapter 4), has since been employed by rare, but over the ages innumerable, individuals. These Returned find the world of the living far different from how they experienced it in life—not that they remember their lives. Although they’ve escaped from the Underworld, the Returned still find themselves separate from the living, their memories lost and their unnatural states striking fear in most mortals. As a result, most Returned come to follow certain paths of behavior and gravitate toward two city-states, known as the necropoleis—cities of the dead.

The Returned

Walking the Path of Phenax doesn’t restore a soul to its life. Those who return from the Underworld are hollow shells inhabited by grim and purposeless spirits. These Returned are separated from their memories, which become wandering eidolons (see chapter 6). They retain their personalities and skills, but each Returned tends to be a very different being from who they once were. Their second life is theirs to do with as they please, but it’s typically a confused, cursed life, plagued by frustration, bitterness, loneliness, and melancholy. Such leads many Returned along dark paths.

Anographers

Anographers are the scribes of the Returned. On long scrolls of bleached white parchment, they write half-remembered names, images from dreams, and descriptions of places and people that might once have held meaning. Other Returned visit anographers and describe what scraps of memory they retain. Some believe hidden wisdom lies upon these scrolls, clues to ancient mysteries, or hints at the lost identities of the Returned.

Gray Merchants

Traders recognize Gray Merchants by their hooded gray cloaks and their carts piled high with useless trinkets. Their wares include components for sinister rituals, jewelry stolen from graves, cursed magic items, and other ominous goods. In return, they demand kitchen utensils, worn bridles, waterlogged books, and other unremarkable trash. There’s no rhyme or reason to what the Gray Merchants seek, and the merchants themselves never speak. They conduct business through gestures, making their unusual trades and plodding off into the shadows.

Kakomanteis

Returned Kakomantis employ powerful magic at a price paid in blood. Some theorize that in life each kakomantis was a spell caster, and the trip along the Path of Phenax corrupted their abilities. Regardless of how they came upon their grisly magic, kakomanteis keep small animals, such as rodents, snakes, and insects, close at hand to power their spells, though more potent magical effects demand more significant sacrifices.

Palamnites

While most of the Returned are listless and quiet, Returned Palamnite burn with envy and rage. They are vicious killers, destroying what no longer brings them joy. Palamnites burn villages, slaughter innocents, and steal wealth only to discard it later. Most stories of vengeful Returned stem from reports of these tortured souls.

Pseudammas

Pseudammas are cursed by fleeting memories of their lost children. They know that they were parents in life and that they will never again experience the love of their child. Though their plight is heartbreaking, pseudammas turn tragedy into horror by snatching mortal children and attempting to raise them. However, the Returned have forgotten the needs of the living and they have no concept of how to care for a child.

Asphodel and the Despair Lands

The influence of the Underworld leaches life and color from a peninsula south of the Nessian Wood. Here, the necropolis of Asphodel sprawls amid the bleak region called the Despair Lands.

The Returned of Asphodel seek to be left alone with their ennui. They rarely leave the city, venturing out only when spurred by fugues of emotion or fleeting memories. The streets are dusty and rarely walked, though the windows of dilapidated hovels glimmer with the staring masks of listless Returned. Asphodel is an echo of the grim cities of the Underworld, making it a tragically ironic home for those who risked so much to escape the land of the dead.

Coliseum of the Aphonai

Three ancient Returned called the Aphonai rule Asphodel. They wear simple, identical golden masks and long, drab robes, making them nearly impossible to distinguish from one another. From the Coliseum of the Aphonai, a perfectly circular stone building that stands at the heart of Asphodel, the leaders listen to cases brought before them and decide on the few matters of importance to the city. Trespassers caught within the city are often brought before the Aphonai for judgment. The elder Returned never speak, rendering their judgments only in gestures.

Order of Phaios

A cabal of mages known as the Order of Phaios defend Asphodel with their magic. The mages of the order devote themselves to studying arcane mysteries that could never be unraveled in a single life. Like all Returned, though, they have difficulty remembering what they learn. For this reason, the rooms of their order’s vaulted hall, the Stoa of Shadows, are covered with coded engravings that collect their wisdom. While the research of the Returned rarely leads them to epiphany, some of the few living mages who have stolen into the stoa escape with remarkable knowledge.

Hetos, the Bleak Mire

Asphodel perches at the edge of a sprawling marsh called the Hetos Mire. The necropolis stands on an elevated piece of land surrounded by treacherous bogs and tangled thickets. The inhospitable territory serves the Returned as a first line of defense against any intruders. Near the southern edge of Hetos stands an ages-old, crimson cypress called the Blood Tree. Color from the tree bleeds into the surrounding bog, making the swamp waters look like a charnel pit. Vicious and venomous swamp creatures are drawn to the Blood Tree and frequently drag prey into its foul midst.

Odunos

The Returned of Odunos despise the living, feeling sparks of pleasure when they destroy whatever the living value, be it property or people. Within their city, armed Returned gangs roam the streets, quarreling for no apparent reason. Beyond the city’s walls, undead raiders strike out, menacing the lands of Akros, Meletis, and Phoberos. These raids are led by the city’s de facto ruler, Tymaret the Murder King, a servant of Erebos tasked with returning Phenax to the Underworld. Knowing that Phenax could disguise himself as anyone, Tymaret slaughters all living souls, just to be thorough.

Those who would strike back against Odunos’s raiders must venture through mires corrupted by sucking bogs and necromatic horrors. Those who survive to reach the city find it heavily guarded, its towers bristling with sleepless guards and abominations of unliving flesh.

The Bothros

A bottomless chasm yawns at the north edge of Odunos. Nothing that has fallen into its depths has ever been recovered. After a successful raid, warriors from Odunos usually dispose of their spoils in the Bothros—caring nothing for their pillage. Occasionally this includes captives, forced into the pit during wordless executions.

Crypts of the Lost

Beyond Odunos rises a cluster of tors honeycombed by countless tombs. Few know who were originally buried in this morbid labyrinth, but the Returned care nothing for the corpses and dust. Occasionally, Returned who’ve grown tired of their half-lives congregate here, waiting for a final death to claim them. Some tales claim that treasures lie amid the crypts, but others say that Phenax first emerged from the Underworld here, and his path could be retraced back into Erebos’s domain.

Myth of Tymaret the Murder King

When Phenax made his escape from the Underworld, there was one witness to his escape, an unremarkable soul called Tymaret. Sharing what he’d seen with the god of the dead, Tymaret received a cursed blessing from Erebos: he would be restored to the mortal world, but as a Returned, and with the task of slaying Phenax. Tymaret took up the quest, but as Phenax was masked, he proved difficult to locate. So Tymaret began slaughtering every mortal he encountered, confident that one of these victims would be Phenax. Yet, when Phenax became a god, he evaded his pursuer, leaving Tymaret and his legions of Returned to eternally, fruitlessly kill in Erebos’s name.

The Siren Sea

Callaphe gazed on the coastline,

certain her destiny called her

here, where the mist-shrouded rocks sang,

promising glories undreamed of.

—The Callapheia

The vast Siren Sea extends west from the known lands of Theros to the edge of the world. As Thassa’s domain, the sea hides an amazing array of creatures, including the entire triton civilization. Its legendary dangers range from deadly reefs and wandering islands to predatory beasts and devastating krakens (see chapter 6). Ever-changing, the Siren Sea is a realm of impossible sights and constant danger, the setting of legendary odysseys and the crucible of heroes.

Tritons of the Siren Sea

Most tritons make their homes in the Siren Sea, either migrating with the shifting tides or raising hidden cities of outlandish beauty. The majority are devoted servants of Thassa who rigorously protect her domain, often treating surface-dwelling sailors as trespassers. Tritons make most of their goods from materials harvested from the deep, but have also developed ingenious forms of metallurgy—largely based around volcanic sea vents—and chemical etching, crafting wares that rival those made on land. The endless array of life and unpredictable changes of the sea make tritons regular witnesses to wonders. As a result, most tritons have a natural curiosity, ever seeking to see and learn more, but know they’ll never fathom all the wonders of the world.

Although numerous triton cultures exist throughout the Siren Sea, many of those closest to shore are led by priests of Thassa. Triton warriors enact their leaders' will, with many specializing in doing battle against massive beasts or ships sailing the surface. The most wary communities might even employ shorethieves, tritons adept at using magical disguises to infiltrate land-bound towns to watch and steal from “dryfolk.”

Dakra Isles

The Dakra Isles were created when Thassa wept over the death of Korinna, a triton queen killed by a human’s harpoon. Where the god’s tears fell onto the sea there exploded forth an isle suffused with immortal magic and memory. Ages later, the Dakra Isles—also called the Isles of Enchantment—harbor strange sights and fierce monsters. Thassa’s power makes it impossible to keep an accurate chart of the islands' positions, which roam as they please. Thus, even the most famed locations appear on no map, and sailors might spot them when or wherever Thassa wills. A few of the Dakra Isles' legendary locations are noted here, and chapter 4 presents guidance for creating more magical shores.

Arixmethes

Tales tell of the lost island of Arixmethes, whose population was wiped out by disaster. In truth, generations of hapless humans raised their city, realizing too late that they’d done so upon the back of a titanic kraken. When the kraken Arixmethes awakened, its throes devastated the city upon its back and wiped out the residents. Since returning to its slumber, Arixmethes drifts where it will, still bearing the ruins of a legendary city upon its back.

Cronemouth Cove

This tiny island lies in the midst of perpetual doldrums and holds a known gate to the Underworld. It is guarded by a coven of Sea Hag who share a single tongue that is perpetually trying to escape from their clutches, wriggling out of reach with a mind of its own.

Ketaphos

Famed for its role in The Callapheia, the island of Ketaphos supposedly exists in Nyx during the night and in the mortal realm during the day. Callaphe and her crew were welcomed there and fed by a band of Nyxborn centaurs when a storm drove them to the island, then found themselves stranded on a barren rock when the sun rose and the island shifted to the mortal realm.

Skathos

The island of Skathos was once a sacred meeting place for a secret cult of Pharika whose rites revolved around consuming a magical flower native to the island. The island is now home to the medusa queen, Hythonia (described in chapter 6).

Skola Vale

Taste the world before Erebos rips your tongue out.

—Thisbi, satyr dawngreet

Nestled in the highlands of the Oraniad Mountains, the Skola Vale is blessed by Nylea, covered in lush grass, and dotted with copses of trees. Satyrs roam the comfortable valley with no need for permanent settlements, all their needs provided for by the valley’s magic. According to legend, Nylea was so taken with the valley’s beauty that she poured the contents of her wineskin onto the vale to make it flourish forever. When wild goats drank of this wine, they became the first satyrs who made the magical land their home.

While the Skola Vale is a place of revelry, it isn’t without its dangers. The satyrs themselves can become too raucous in their merrymaking, and monsters lurk in the shadows of the trees and the surrounding mountains.

Satyrs of the Skola Vale

The satyrs of the Skola Vale are wild and free. They have taboos, but not laws, influence fluctuates constantly, and all are free to make merry in any way they please, so long as it doesn’t impede on others' ability to do the same. Disagreements are typically turned into opportunities for public competition. Irreconcilable issues are usually solved by a strict application of “you go over there, and you go over there.” True intentional crimes, however, are violations known deep in the satyr soul. If needs be, revelry can halt in an instant to help someone who’s been hurt, and true criminals are exiled from the Skola Vale for life. Satyrs quickly bury negative thoughts, though, and the loss of one friend merely leads them to redouble efforts to make more.

Distinctions are few among satyrs, but several notable groups are detailed here.

Dawngreets

Dawngreets are satyr emissaries, explorers, and storytellers sent to other communities throughout the world. They arrange satyr-style celebrations wherever they go, spreading their people’s carefree philosophies, praising Nylea, sharing news, and creating friends the Skola Vale can rely on when necessary.

Nylea’s Favored

A circle of satyr druids, Nylea’s Favored protect the Skola Vale, restoring nature after damage by wildfires or too rowdy satyr parties. They also defend the vale by growing dense underbrush and supporting populations of wild beasts at their territory’s borders.

Sibyls

The closest people satyrs have to leaders are their sibyls, who are blessed with limited ability to see into the future. Sibyls warn the community when danger threatens the valley, select dawngreets, and oversee the “initiation rites” of the Cult of Horns. The oldest sibyl is a gray-furred satyr named Cresa. She insists that the more she drinks, the further she can see into the future.

Skola Vale Revels

Satyrs hold regular revels called rollick nights. These lengthy festivals are full of merrymaking, contests, impromptu performances, and song, all accompanied by good food and sweet drinks. Beyond these celebrations, tales are also told of bakkeia, revels that occur in deep caves and that involve ancient sacrificial rites. Most satyrs say these traditions were abandoned ages ago, though.

Cult of Horns

Some non-satyrs looking for pleasure without consequences visit the Skola Vale, encouraged by dawngreets and tales of wild revels. After spending some time with the satyrs, dark-humored sibyls might invite outsiders to join the Cult of Horns. If they agree, the non-satyr might be crowned with a circlet of horns, marking them as “stubs” (for their crown’s stubby horns). A period of hazing follows, where the stubs are enticed to perform menial or humiliating tasks. When the satyrs grow bored—or a respected, sober satyr steps in—the hazing ends, which typically results in the stub later waking up alone in the mountains. Most satyrs who participate in such ungenerous behavior are chided and are themselves made to serve at the next revel, but the satyr memory for consequences is short and the tradition persists. As for former stubs, most never share details about their experiences, their secrecy contributing to tales of dark rites and sinister enchantments in the vale.

Features of the Skola Vale

The Skola Vale is a wild place where majestic animals run free, trees, vines, and bushes provide fruit, and Nylea’s magic enhances the land. Plants and animals grow rapidly in the valley. The chaotic satyrs may upend a copse of trees one night only to have it regrow by morning. Most of the Skola Vale consists of greenery rolling over gentle hills. During the day, the vale’s residents hunt small game and gather wild fruit for wine. Other predators, such as bears, lions, and rocs, hunt the region as well. Some of these beasts, whether predator or prey, have become Nyxborn legends that appear again and again through the generations, either as threats or the stuff of incredible meals. Satyrs speak of both Kexosrexsos the Braided Lion and Hulp the Pork Bird with equal awe.

Woodlands

The Skola Vale’s trees grow in twisted, climbable shapes allowing inhabitants shady places to play and sleep. Dryads protect the largest of these trees, especially from drunken satyr antics. During the day, the copses are idyllic forests, filled with the music of panpipes. At night, though, the forests grow more menacing. Nocturnal monsters roam the wood—particularly chimeras, cockatrices, and harpies—striving to pick off drunken satyrs wandering alone after a revel. Satyrs rarely travel alone at night, believing that noise and music scare away evil, but revelers aren’t always as wary as they should be.

The Katachthon Mountains

While folk wisdom holds that the eastern Oraniad Mountains are blessed by the gods, dark, older magic supposedly holds sway in the Katachthons. While the Katachthons are a smaller range than the Oraniads, they are harsher and more volcanically active, with regular avalanches, storms, and unpredictable microclimates. Clouds obscure heavenly signs, guides become disoriented, and explorers wander in ever-smaller circles. And above it all, dragons rule the range—fire-belching creatures whose bellies, it is said, are filled with the flames of Purphoros’s forge.

Those who live in the foothills of the Katachthons are loath to acknowledge any tales of wondrous treasure or mysterious creatures to be found there, only repeating a warning to travelers: if you must cross them, keep to the passes. The two passes, One-Eyed Pass and the Cypress Gates, aren’t safe, but they are generally considered less lethal than attempts to blaze one’s own trail.

Mount Velus

Visible from Akros, Mount Velus is an energetically active volcano. The fiery mountain serves as nothing less than Purphoros’s home in the mortal world.

While the volcano has only erupted a few times since Akros’s founding, those minor catastrophes were enough to demonstrate that a major eruption might destroy the entire region. Akroans regularly leave offerings at the foot of the volcano, and rigorously dissuade travelers from venturing up to the sacred peak, hoping to avert the great explosion they fear is coming.

While some adventurers have climbed to the volcano’s caldera, met Purphoros, and lived, the god’s anger isn’t the only danger. A red dragon called Thraxes makes his home in the halls of Purphoros’s first residence, which the god abandoned to create a larger and more ornate home deeper in the volcano. The dragon occasionally uses the old forge to craft his own creations, melting gold from his treasure hoard. He sometimes gives these creations to Purphoros as offerings. In exchange the god allows the dragon to stay in the volcano.

Purphoros’s forge lies in the deepest part of Mount Velus, near a vast lava pool. The massive iron forge is surrounded by the finest ores, metals, and gems. Some of the greatest treasures Purphoros ever crafted are contained in the god’s residence, a forge-palace warded by an enormous, gilded iron door. Occasionally these doors crack open, admitting a curious anvilwrought creature into the world, or burst wide, unleashing some manifestation of Purphoros’s fury.

Mount Vesios

Mount Vesios, also known as the Little Sister, is a smaller volcano that resembles Mount Velus and erupts concurrently with Velus. A monastery on its western slope houses scholars and spellcasters who study the volcano, believing that through it, they might be able to control the eruptions of Mount Velus. Numerous Oread and Akroan flamespeakers offer their omens from the volcano’s heights.

The Oraniad Mountains

The Oraniad mountains stretch along the east side of Oreskos. While they don’t share the dark reputation of their western neighbor, they are the more dangerous territory. Tall, timeless mountains, the Oraniads are said to be closer to Nyx than any other point on Theros. Ancient shrines lie among the lonely peaks, their origins lost to mortal memory, and their halls haunted by mysterious supernatural phenomena. A wanderer might come upon a shrine to a forgotten god, only to find it gone upon looking back. Travelers might also catch glimpses of mysterious creatures here, beings that should have long ago passed into Nyx, or that have slipped from the divine realm before the gods intended from them to appear upon the world.

Empty Eye

On the western edge of the Oraniad range’s widest point stands its tallest peak, a smooth-sided, towering, extinct volcano. Its caldera is a gaping dark hole, and no expedition sent to plumb its depths has ever returned.

Nykthos

The Nykthos is a nexus point between the mortal realm and Nyx. The site bears the name of the first Nyxborn, a divine artisan tasked with building altars to the gods so they could be worshiped by mortals.

Built on a vast plain high in the mountains, the temple forms a mighty semicircle upon a field of starry marble. Its position at the peak of Mount Carian affords it an unobstructed view of the horizon in all directions. Statues of gods, champions, and oracles adorn the shrine, and each deity has an altar in a distinct alcove. Towering pillars of light rise from each altar and vanish into the starry night sky. Unseen in the heavens above, these pillars connect to counterparts in an identical temple in the foyer to Nyx—the entrance, as it were, to the realm of the gods. The few brave souls that complete a pilgrimage to Nykthos and sleep on the peak experience extremely vivid dreams of divine entities, sometimes talking with the gods themselves or gaining visions of the future.

Phoenix Stairs

An eerie natural formation of hexagonal pillars creates a natural staircase up to a small volcanic peak in the Oraniads. A phoenix makes its nest in the caldera at the top, tending its precious egg. Phoenix feathers bring high prices in markets across Theros, though misfortune hunts those who ascend to the creature’s lair, even if they succeed at obtaining only a single feather.

Winter’s Heart

Among the northern Oraniads stands a blizzard-gripped mountain that resembles a volcano. What breathes forth from the crater isn’t fire, though. The caldera’s interior is coated with ice so cold it freezes anything it touches. Even the fumes that issue forth cause instant frostbite. At the volcano’s heart stands a glass statue of a haunting, androgynous figure offering a diamond crown. None who have attempted to claim this strange gift have survived. Even the gods prove reticent to speak of the place, denying its existence or speaking of it with shame.

Realms of the Gods

The mortal world of Theros isn’t the only realm where the gods hold sway. The mortal realm is closely linked to two other realms, the domains of the gods themselves, Nyx and the Underworld.

Nyx

Nyx is an endless plane of existence where the powers of potentiality and belief hold sway. It is the realm of the gods, of belief given form, of dreams, and of rising and fading philosophies. From here, the pantheon of Theros watches the mortal world and guides the living. Though the gods live in a veritable paradise, they can’t sever themselves from the mortal world. To do so would be to lose the faith of their followers, the source of their magic and a power they will not relinquish.

Nyx can be perceived in the night sky, with its ever-changing brilliance marked by constellations and cosmic phenomena. Its power slips into the world in the same form, with star fields filling the shadows of Nyxborn beings that are infused with its power (see chapter 6 for details on Nyxborn).

While Nyx is impossible to map, distinct regions do exist, and some travelers have returned to the mortal realm with tales of these incredible locations.

Mount Hiastos

This drifting mountain rises in sharp relief against the starry sky of Nyx, culminating in a golden orb that can be seen from a great distance. Some speculate that this orb is the source of Nyx’s vibrant colors and lights, and that without it, the plane would be plunged into eternal darkness. Several gods make their homes on the mountain’s slopes. Heliod maintains a sprawling palace of gold and white marble, with a rooftop throne where he receives guests. Purphoros maintains a forge beneath the mountain, where he crafts philosophies, energies, and creations that would be impossible to manifest in the mortal world. Keranos lives near the summit of the mount, where he sends lightning bolts of inspiration to manipulate forces throughout dreams and the cosmos. Nylea, too, is known to visit Mount Hiastos, maintaining a sanctuary there within an ancient, knotted wood.

Mystic Sea

This body of mist and water hides endless secrets within its depths—both literal secrets that manifest from mortal minds and unimagined concepts not yet fully formed. Thassa’s palace floats underwater, its buildings suspended in giant bubbles that drift with the currents. At its edge, in a city of divine copper and marbleized hopes, Ephara makes her home.

Tovian Fields

Nyxborn legends battle here in ceaseless, glorious war. Unlike any mortal environment, the Tovian Fields are an expanse of energies, the clash of opposing philosophies manifesting as throngs of legendary combatants. In the midst of this riot rise the palatial war-tents of Mogis and Iroas, who lead the endless battle.

Kruphix claims the borders of the Tovian Fields as his territory. He doesn’t maintain a central residence. Rather, his influence binds the conflict, encompassing all perspectives and preventing the battle from spilling forth into the rest of Nyx.

The Underworld

The Underworld is the place of final rewards and endless suffering. Although many believe the Underworld is literally beneath the ground, in truth the plane is distinct from the mortal world, reachable only via magical means, hidden pathways, or by death. The souls of all dead sapient creatures awake on the banks of the Tartyx, where they meet Athreos the River Guide. From there, those capable of paying for his service are ferried to their new home in the Underworld.

Most imagine the Underworld’s wards as being stacked atop one another, but their actual relationships defy mortal understanding. While the Tartyx River reaches each ward, Phylias is typically defined as the entry to the Underworld, while Tizerus is farthest from this entrance. The other wards hold their own equal places in between. Regardless, souls destined for each realm reach their destinations with equal efficiency and permanency. (See chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for details on planar arrangements.)

Each distinctive Underworld ward is effectively infinite in scale, with the space between noteworthy locations endlessly expanding and contracting. Traveling between locations is typically impossible on foot. Secret paths that defy mortal logic, magical steeds, and the intervention of powerful Underworld denizens all might speed one’s travels, though. Attempting to escape the Underworld is an entirely different, nearly impossible matter, though (see chapter 4 for details).

Although vast beyond understanding, the Underworld’s most noteworthy regions are detailed here.

The Tartyx River

The Tartyx forms the boundary between the mortal realm and the Underworld. It is also known as the Rivers That Ring the World, as it is formed from the confluence of five tributaries, each originating in one of the Underworld’s five wards. The Tartyx is vast, with one far shore impossible to see from the other. Countless drifting islands dot the river, some forested by leafless trees, others heaped with crumbling ruins. Still others are the domains of powerful demons and strange entities that death proves not quite able to claim. None of these tiny lands are hospitable to either the living or the dead. Even the waters of the Tartyx hold their own threats, both mysterious creatures that slither beneath its rippling waters, and their own infamous power to wash away memories and all sense of identity.

Agonas

Agonas is the last home of warriors and soldiers who battled in life without honor, as well as the souls of cowards, mercenaries, and others who lived by the sword. Their cries of pain and triumph echo on the faintest wind, stirring bloodlust in all who hear them.

The clash of weapons echo over every ridge and canyon of Agonas’s rocky expanse. Great stadiums and platforms rise from the arid landscape, some carved from the remains of titanic ruins, others hanging from massive, rusting chains. The many theaters of battle blend with dwellings carved into natural rock towers, forming an extensive network of arenas and errant fortifications. At the ward’s heart thrums the Stadium of Dishonor. Here fierce soldiers test their blades against one another and against the teeth and claws of vicious monsters.

Upon arriving, dishonorable souls relegated to Agonas are met by oreads (see chapter 6), the souls of other dead champions, and cyclopes, who guide them to the scene of their endless battle.

Phylias

The souls that occupy Phylias were uninspired and didn’t strive for greatness in life. They plodded through existence and left no mark upon the world through their deeds or their deaths. In the afterlife they perform repetitive tasks in close quarters with others just like themselves, all in a mockery of a living community.

Artless architecture of plain, gray stone gives Phylias an outward appearance of normalcy at first glance. But the buildings are titanic, blocky masses of hodgepodge construction erected seemingly without plan. Although the structures might be impressive in size or number, they are cold and hollow, derelict monuments in an endless slum.

Those who arrive in Phylias are met by no one. They are simply left to wander away and slip into a place among the shuffling masses.

Ilysia

In Ilysia the souls of heroic mortals and of those who died unjustly find eternal rest and comfort. Erebos’s grim influence holds no sway here.

Ilysia is a sanctuary of peace and tranquility. Majestic temple-palaces stand amid lush forests, the colorful vegetation draping luminous marble in living mantles of flowers and sweet fruit. At the ward’s heart towers the Citadel of Destiny, where heroic souls gather to honor the gods, trade tales of glory, and feast with worthy companions. They also hold elaborate physical contests in which any Ilysian soul is welcome to participate.

When the worthy dead arrive in Ilysia, they are welcomed by dryads, majestic chimeras, or the souls of legendary heroes.

Nerono

Nerono is the final home of souls haunted by their memories and of mariners who were lost at sea.

Vast oceans fill Nerono, a realm dotted by lonely islands and crisscrossed by aimless ships. Titanic ruins and great, algae-slick chains rise out of the sea, as do the weathered hulls of legendary shipwrecks. The sky is a misty blur of color that hangs over water as still as glass. Despite the ocean’s normally placid appearance, mighty storms often arise from nowhere, casting souls into waves and whirlpools by the scores. Somewhere within the great oceans hides a twisting tangle of tides and winds called the Labyrinth of Memories. This maze of waterways confounds unwary travelers and twists their course into an inescapable path for eternity.

When a soul reaches Nerono, sirens, naiads (see chapter 6), or sphinxes might guide them into the ward.

Tizerus

The deepest ward of the Underworld, Tizerus is the final punishment of murderers and those who committed unforgivable offenses against the gods themselves.

The ward is a gloomy, miserable expanse where the ruins of titanic architecture loom over a wasteland of black rock. At its center looms Erebos’s palace, an ominous structure of polished darkness embellished with gold ornaments and streamers of crimson silk. The god of the Underworld broods in his halls, occasionally striking out with his lash to drag wayward souls into his realm. Deep beneath the palace lies the lone glimmer of hope amid the ward’s gloom: the portal called Lathos, which leads back to the world of the living. Beyond Erebos’s palace sprawls a stinking swamp of rotting muck and dead vegetation known as the Mire of Punishment. Souls trapped there suffer eternal torment at the claws of demons and other monstrous creatures.

When souls damned to Tizerus arrive, they quickly find themselves dragged away in a whirlwind of pain and terror. Demons, Underworld harpies, lamias, and nightmares compete for the chance to haul the doomed away to their own personal punishments.