Welcome to Theros

I am Medomai, ageless and deathless, seer of endings:

I did foretell the fall of Alephne in watery terror,

Mocked by the foolish who say that the voice of the gods is but madness.

Great was its ruin, and slaughtered were all who did not heed my warning.

Brighter the future I now foretell, of beginnings, not endings:

Heroes are coming, who strive against fate’s stern decrees, and who carve their

Own bright pathway through history, greater than all mortal yearnings.

They were alone on the glassy blue ocean. A waterfall stretched endlessly along the horizon line. The water at the edge of the world was like a placid pond, as if enjoying a last few seconds of existence before cascading over the edge in a raging torrent of white-capped water.

Directly in front of them was Kruphix’s Tree. Two enormous trunks were separate at the base, but they arched toward each other and joined at the top in a single leafy crown. Stars glittered beyond the waterfall, but the background was milky violet with tinges of deep blue. The seawater that plummeted over the edge disappeared into the abyss of the stars.

They had reached the edge of the world.

—Jenna Helland, Godsend

The caprice of the gods. The destiny of heroes. Great journeys into monster-infested wilds, and mythic odysseys to the edge of the world and back. These elements of adventure fill the realms of Theros, a new setting for your Dungeons & Dragons campaign to explore.

The roots of Theros lie in the myths of ancient Greece, tales dominated by gods, heroes, and monsters. This world was created as a setting for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game, explored in card sets beginning in 2013. The lands of Theros serve as an example of how to take inspiration from real-world mythology and adapt it into a world built from the ground up for fantasy adventures.

This book is your guide to Theros, its gods, its peoples and their cities (or poleis), its threats, and its tales. It also guides you through creating characters destined to be legends and adventures born of this mythic setting.

Chapter 1 covers the heroes of Theros: the races, class options, and backgrounds you’ll need to make a character. It also introduces supernatural gifts available to starting characters—features that set Theros’s adventurers apart as true heroes.

Chapter 2 introduces the gods of Theros, a squabbling pantheon of arrogant and powerful beings who view mortals as pawns in their strategic games. It also provides rules and guidelines for characters who serve as champions of the gods, including divine benefits they can gain as rewards for their piety.

Chapter 3 turns to the mortal world, the lands in which the epic adventures of Theros unfold. It covers the three city-states of humanity, the wild lands of leonin and minotaurs, the great forests and wide plains where satyrs revel and centaurs roam, and the seas where tritons dwell and titanic monsters lurk. It also offers glimpses into the divine realm of Nyx and the dismal realms of the Underworld.

Chapter 4 builds on the guidelines in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, highlighting adventures set in Theros. Maintaining a focus on the gods, it presents omens that might launch heroes on the road to adventure, details hundreds of plot hooks, includes maps of potential adventure locations, and presents a short introductory adventure you can use to launch your campaign.

Chapter 5 details treasures of Theros, including the artifacts of the gods, the magical inventions of renowned artisans, and various other devices infused with the magic of the world.

Finally, chapter 6 presents numerous inhabitants of Theros. An exploration of familiar beasts from the Monster Manual and other sources—creatures with their roots in Greek mythology—details their place and unique characteristics in the lands of Theros. Several of Theros’s most notorious creatures, foes as legendary as the world’s most renowned heroes, are also presented as mythic monsters, terrors designed to test even the gods' mightiest champions.

Dreams of Divinity

Theros possesses a unique metaphysical property: things believed and dreamed here eventually become real. The collective unconscious of mortal people has the literal power of creation, though the process unfolds over the course of countless centuries. Thus, the gods of Theros and their servants were believed, dreamed, and narrated into existence, materializing and becoming fully real as a result of mortal belief in their power. As stories were told, sacrifices made, and devotion given over ages, the gods formed and gained lives just as real as the mortals who dreamed them into being.

Does that mean that the gods of Theros are less powerful or less divine than the gods of other worlds? Not at all. Once a dream or belief in Theros becomes reality, it is just as real as any other thing, and the gods have been real for a very long time. The people of Theros believe them to be divine, ageless, and all-powerful, and therefore they are.

A single individual can’t do anything to make the gods less real or change the nature of a god. Threatened with the wrath of Heliod, for example, a mortal can’t simply “disbelieve” the god out of existence or turn his wrath to kindness. It’s the collective unconscious of every sapient being on Theros that shapes reality, and changes to that reality occur on the scale of ages, not moments.

In practical terms, then, the gods of Theros are no less real, powerful, or important to Theros than the gods of other worlds are to those worlds. Notably, though, these gods have influence only over Theros and the two planes connected to it: Nyx, the starry realm of the gods, and the Underworld, eventual home of all die.

Gods and Devotion

The central conflict in Theros is among gods, striving against each other over the devotion of mortals. Mortal devotion equates to divine power: when people fervently pray to a god, when they piously observe the god’s rites and sacrifices, and when they devoutly trust in the god’s divine might, the god becomes more powerful.

The competition for mortal devotion isn’t necessarily a zero-sum game. The people of Theros don’t believe in one particular god to the exclusion of others, and the most pious people pray to all the gods with equal fervor. But a deity’s goal is to increase the number of people who, when faced with peril, will call on that god for help. It’s that trust, that reliance, that faith that gives the gods their power, not merely ideas and concepts.

Mortal beings—heroes and monsters alike—often become unwitting pawns in the contests of the gods. Having a powerful champion is an indication of a god’s power—and can potentially increase the god’s own power. A champion who acts as an agent of a god among other people helps increase those people’s devotion to the god. And if a hero should happen to strike down the agents of a rival god along the way, all the better.

Fate and Destiny

Two closely related concepts loom large in the way mortals think about their place in the world: fate and destiny.

The idea of fate is that the course of each mortal’s life is predetermined, spun out in a tapestry woven by a trio of semidivine women, the Fates. Gods aren’t bound by the strands of fate, their lives and legends constantly changing and endlessly uncertain. In the case of most mortals, it’s thought they plod along their predetermined path from beginning to end, carrying out the tasks appointed for them until they complete their journey to the Underworld.

This fairly bleak view of existence is undermined by the heroic ideal exemplified in myths, legends, and the lived experience of Theros’s people. Heroes, by definition, are people who defy the predetermined course of fate. They take their fate into their own hands and chart their own courses, striding boldly into the unknown, striking down supposedly invincible foes, and resisting the will of gods. Their proud defiance of fate is rewarded when they at last complete their mortal journeys; worthy heroes spend their afterlives in Ilysia, the fairest realm of the Underworld, where they finally rest from the struggle of their lives. In many cases, their works also live on, both in the stories of future generations and repeating in the night sky among the stars of Nyx.

Destiny is different. The strands of destiny are spun from the hair of the ancient god Klothys, but they don’t chart a predetermined future. Destiny establishes the order of things, the hierarchy of being, the relationship between gods and mortals, the instincts and impulses that govern mortal behavior, and other aspects of the way things are. Gods and mortals alike are constrained by the threads of destiny. Mortals can do little to alter them, but more than once the arrogance and presumption of the gods have caused the strands of destiny to become tangled. The god Klothys enforces the bounds of destiny. She isn’t only the spinner of destiny’s strands but also an avenging fury, punishing the foolhardy gods who tangle them.

Champions and Heroes

The champions of the gods number among some of the most influential and inspirational figures in Theros. These mortals have personal relationships with the gods, potentially serving as divine agents in the world or being compelled to action by immortal schemes. Still others were born with divine gazes set upon them, whether due to their remarkable abilities or the circumstances of their birth. Through their lives, champions experience the blessings and curses of their divine relationships. Some might brandish incredible powers granted to them by the gods. Others, however, discover how fickle and vindictive the gods can be. How a champion contends with the whims of a deific patron defines what makes them a hero, whether they seek incredible ways to court immortal favor or forge a path that throws off the bonds of destiny. Regardless of the course they choose, the deeds of champions influence belief in the gods, but even more so, they fill the hearts of Theros’s people with hope and wonder.

More than just for their deeds, heroes fill an important role among the inhabitants of Theros. Legendary heroes form a vast collection of well-known archetypes whose deeds create cultural touchstones and shape modern philosophies. They also embody the potential of mortals to be more than mere drops in the raging river of fate. Tales of heroes teach that greatness is achievable and that there is more to the world than what any one individual knows. The people of Theros see the truth of this in the powers of the gods and in the immortal constellations that fill the night sky. Even as the names of individual heroes might eventually fade away, their deeds live on as heroic archetypes—such as in the case of the nameless champion in the renowned epic, The Theriad. These archetypes teach and inspire, whether they’re represented in tales of journeys or creation, in sculptures rising above polis roofs, or in the temples of the gods. Throughout Theros, those who seek greatness typically begin by deciding what heroic archetype they most closely align with and letting that ideal influence their fate.

The heroes illustrated throughout this introduction are examples of heroic archetypes. The General, the Protector, the Vanquisher, the Hunter, the Provider, the Warrior, the Slayer, the Philosopher, and others like them are idealized figures who appear in narrative and theatrical drama—sometimes with personal names attached, but often without. Tales describe the Slayer destroying a hydra… and a mighty cyclops, and a dragon, and a Nyxborn giant, and a lamia, and any number of other creatures. Did one Slayer do all that? No, the archetype has become the repository for legends about many different heroes, all of whom are notable primarily for slaying something.

The heroes of a Theros campaign might aspire to emulate one of the great heroic archetypes, or they might strive to forge an entirely new mythic identity, to be remembered by name in tales of glory forever.

History and Myth

When storytellers relate the history of Theros, they always speak in the most general terms. An event of just ten years past happened “many years ago,” and the founding of Meletis in the distant past happened “many, many years ago.” In Theros, history transforms into myth more quickly than it does in other worlds, becoming generalized, vague, and moralistic. And because the gods are so deeply involved in mortal affairs, it’s often impossible to distinguish between the myths of divine activities and the scraps of historical fact in these records.

The origin and generations of the gods—from the primordial titans to the modern pantheon now worshiped in Theros—are described in chapter 2. The world’s myths also fill this book, stories that still resonate in the dreams and ambitions of Theros’s people. These myths are noted in distinct sections, with the first appearing in chapter 1. Yet the largely agreed upon history of mortal folk on Theros occurred more recently and is thought to have unfolded as follows.

Age of Trax

Human history vaguely recalls an era just before the birth of modern human civilization, called the Age of Trax. This semi-mythical era, nestled several centuries back in the fog of historical memory, is marked by the rule of supernatural beings called archons.

The archons of Trax are said to have come from unknown lands to the north and established a heavy-handed rule over the humanoids of Theros. Many peoples remember this as a time of oppressive servitude, when they were forced into the armies of the tyrant Agnomakhos. The archons dubiously suggested that their rule actually protected the weaker species—centaurs, humans, leonin, minotaurs, and satyrs—from the dangers of far more powerful beings. Giants, demons, and medusas are said to have ruled kingdoms of their own in those days, and tales tell of Agnomakhos leading his leonin soldiers to repel an invading army of giants. Dragons, krakens, and hydras are also said to have grown to even greater size in those days than they do now, annihilating whole nations and carving untold catastrophes across the land.

Birth of the Poleis

The end of the Age of Trax corresponds roughly with the rise of the fourth and latest generation of gods, whose interests lie in the application of more abstract principles to the realities of mortal life. Three of these gods—Ephara, Iroas, and Karametra—played significant roles in the establishment of human civilization, in opposition to the archons.

The goddess Ephara inspired and equipped two human heroes, Kynaios and Tiro, to overthrow the archon Agnomakhos. Divergent tales describe their history following the defeat of the tyrant. Some claim that they warred with each other for control over the region and that only their eventual death paved the way for the peace that allowed the new polis of Meletis to flourish. The truth is that they ruled Meletis peacefully together, established its legal code, and defended it for decades.

After the fall of Agnomakhos and the other archons of Trax, humans and minotaurs waged a bloody war in the highlands. The poleis of Akros and Skophos were born from that bloodshed, inspired by the martial doctrines of Iroas and Mogis rather than the legal code of Ephara. Eventually the years of war settled into an uneasy peace with the badlands of Phoberos as a barrier separating the poleis from each other.

Meletis, Akros, and Skophos perpetuated the stark division between civilization and nature that was inherent in the archons' rule. While most humans (and minotaurs) embraced that division, the god Karametra tried to teach people a new way of living in harmony with nature, leading to the founding of Setessa.

Age of Heroes

The uncounted centuries since the fall of the archons have been marked by the exploits of great heroes, many of which are recorded in works of epic prose and poetry. Three major narratives remain widely retold and studied: The Akroan War, The Callapheia, and The Theriad.

The epic tale of the Akroan War is only nominally a history of the long siege of Akros, precipitated by the queen of Olantin abandoning her husband and going to live with the Akroan king. With the war as a backdrop, a nameless poet spins tales of gods and heroes, victories and tragedies. The death of the triton queen Korinna, and the resulting birth of the Dakra Isles from Thassa’s falling tears, is a tale told incidentally, by way of comparison to the grief of the Olantian king. The tale of Phenax escaping from the Underworld is told to explain the origin of a phalanx of the Returned that comes to fight alongside the Olantian forces. And when the sphinx oracle Medomai appears and foretells the fall of Olantin, the poet tells of Medomai’s earlier prophecy of the destruction of Alephne—a tragedy that could have been averted had anyone believed the sphinx’s dire warning.

The saga of Callaphe the Mariner, told in The Callapheiea, is a more coherent narrative focused on a single hero and her exploits. Known as the greatest mariner who ever lived, Callaphe was a human trickster from Meletis who sailed a ship called The Monsoon. She was the first mortal to decipher the secret patterns of the winds (provoking Thassa’s ire), and she sailed over the edge of the world and into Nyx to claim her place among the stars. The tales of her adventures are a mythic tour of the Dakra Isles and the coastlands of Theros, describing a panoply of creatures, nations, and marvelous phenomena—some of which still exist as described in its verses, though others are lost to history or myth.

The Theriad is a different sort of epic, closely associated with the worship of Heliod. At a glance, it appears to be about a champion of Heliod who is never named but simply called “the Champion.” A closer read, though, reveals that the tales take place over the span of centuries and the identity of the Champion changes from tale to tale. In fact, The Theriad is a compilation of tales describing the exploits of many different champions of the sun god. It is widely believed that some tales are actually prophecies of champions yet to come.

Recent Memory

The Age of Heroes has not yet come to an end, and more epics will surely be sung and written as more heroes take their destinies into their own hands and chart their paths to the stars. The heroes of recent memory—Haktos the Unscarred, Siona and her crew on the Pyleas, Kytheon Iora, Elspeth and Daxos, Anax and Cymede, Ajani Goldmane, and countless others—are no less heroic than the protagonists of age-old epics, even if their deeds aren’t yet as widely known. Beyond individuals—a kraken attack on Meletis; the fall of the monstrous hydra Polukranos; the Nyxborn assault on Akros; Erebos’s titan felled by Heliod’s champion; the apotheosis and destruction of the mortal-turned-god Xenagos—the epic events of the recent past are already remembered and retold as mythic deeds. Many of these tales are told throughout this book, but they’re only a fraction of the myths the people of Theros share.

Like white-hot bronze on the smith’s anvil, Theros is ready to be forged by the deeds of today’s heroes and ushered into the next great era of its history.

Languages

Theros is not the most cosmopolitan of worlds, and a relatively small number of languages are used in its lands and sea. The citizens of the three human poleis (Meletis, Akros, and Setessa) speak their own dialects of the Common language, mutually intelligible but just different enough to identify the speaker’s native land. Leonin and minotaurs have their own languages, and tritons speak the Aquan dialect of Primordial. Centaurs and satyrs speak distinct dialects of Sylvan, and different bands of centaurs even pronounce the same words differently. Giants and cyclopes share one language. Dragons and sphinxes have distinct languages rarely spoken among mortals of Theros, and the gods themselves speak in a unique language that few beyond mortal oracles can understand.

Standard Languages

Exotic Languages