There are several aspects of Thylea that are different from a typical fantasy world. Oaths are expected to be honored upon the life of the swearer, and guests can expect to be shown hospitality even in the homes of their fiercest enemies. When these ancient laws of Thylea are disobeyed, the resulting punishment can forever change the life of a hero.

Oaths and curses are not enforced by any particular titan or god. These are natural laws that were woven into the fabric of Thylea at the dawn of time. Even Sydon and Lutheria must honor their oaths or suffer dreadful consequences.

Guest Friendship#

Guest-Friendship is a concept of great import in the lands of Thylea. It requires that all hosts show generosity and courtesy to guests who are far from home, no matter what disputes may divide the two parties. For Guest-Friendship to be established, a host must invite someone into their home and provide them with food or drink.

It is expected that the guest should provide a gift to the host to seal the friendship, but the bond is established as soon as the guest has shared a meal with the host. The bond of Guest-Friendship ends when the guest has departed with the host’s blessing. After that, the two may become enemies once more.

However, if one party brings about harm to the other while the bond is in effect, then the friendship is broken, and the offending party is now subject to the Curse of the Treacherous. The Furies are widely known to be the arbiters of such disputes, and few are willing (or foolish enough) to suffer their wrath.

Sacred Oaths#

Oaths are sworn between men and their kings all the time, but oaths between men and gods are rarer and more binding. Oaths sworn to powerful creatures of the Fey, or to demons and devils can be just as binding.

Oath of Peace#

An Oath of Peace is one where a powerful creature or king demands that the person swearing the oath will commit no violence against them or any of their servants. There is almost always a time limit to such an oath. Sometimes the time limit can be weeks or months, but other times it may be years or centuries.

Oath of Protection#

An Oath of Protection is one in which a powerful individual is sworn to come to the aid of another in a time of great need. One of the most famous of these oaths Introduction 15 in mythology is the oath that the Achaean kings swore to Menelaus, husband of Helen. The kings swore to assist Menelaus if anyone ever threatened Helen. When Menelaus called upon the kings to fulfill their oaths, the Trojan War was the result.

An Oath of Protection requires the swearer to answer a call for aid as quickly as possible. Once the threat has been neutralized, the oath is fulfilled, and there is no further obligation. Failure to answer the call, or even allowing the other party to come to harm, will cause the oath giver to be branded an oathbreaker, and they too suffer the Curse of the Treacherous.

Oath of Service#

An Oath of Service is an oath sworn by one individual to another. The swearer is required to perform one task, which does not need to be specified when the oath is sworn. Unlike the Oath of Protection, this task could be of any type: it may even require evil deeds, such as assassination. For this reason, most people are hesitant to ever swear such an oath, viewing it as a last resort.

When the oath swearer is called upon, they must answer as quickly as possible. Once the task has been completed, the oath is fulfilled and there is no further obligation. Failure to answer the call, or refusal to complete the task, brands the swearer as an oathbreaker and makes them subject to the Curse of the Treacherous.

Mortal Curses#

Curses fall upon those who break oaths, break Guest-Friendship, make deals with powerful evil creatures or anger the gods. Curses are not to be taken lightly: they publicly and clearly mark a hero’s untrustworthy quality for everyone to see.

Curse of the Harpy#

Any person afflicted with this curse will slowly transform into a Harpy. It is sometimes invoked by powerful fey creatures such as hags or nymphs when an oath is unfulfilled, though sometimes the gods might punish a mortal with this curse. The only way to stop the transformation is through powerful divine magic.

Curse of the Medusa#

A person cursed in this fashion will slowly transform into a Medusa. This curse usually comes from bargains made with devils and demons: a mortal might have been asking for beauty or eternal life, but instead was granted the terrifying form of a medusa. Sometimes, ancient fey creatures such as hags will transform a victim into a medusa, often simply for amusement.

Curse of the Graverobber#

This curse is visited upon someone who takes any magical item from the grave of a hero blessed by the gods. Those afflicted by this curse cannot eat. After a number of days equal to their Constitution score, the cursed character will gain one level of Exhaustion every day until they die from starvation. It is impossible for the person to get rid of the magical item that they stole, even by returning it to the correct grave. It will always return to their possession at midnight.

Curse of the Treacherous#

This curse afflicts those who abuse Guest-Friendship or break powerful oaths. Those who violate the tenets of Guest-Friendship are at risk of being cursed by the offended host or guest. Breaking an oath made to the gods will almost always cause the offending mortal to be cursed, but a person might also become cursed for breaking an oath to an especially powerful king, or even a pious beggar. Oaths have importance and gravity to them.

The effect of this curse is directly related to the injustice of the offense. The Curse of the Treacherous manifests itself in a manner that is unique to Thylea. The Furies, the three queens of the erinyes, gather to determine the severity of the offense. When they have agreed upon a necessary response, they dispatch 1–3 erinyes to punish the target. These erinyes will hunt and try to capture their quarry until they have been defeated. Those captured by erinyes are taken to the Island of Oathbreakers in the Nether Sea, where they must live out the rest of their miserable lives.