Many years have passed since the heroes saved Mytros from the fury of the titans and brought back the Dragonlords. In the calm that followed the storm, the city did not return to what it had been. It became something greater. With the Five gone and the old divine order broken, Mytros rose as the most powerful mortal force in Thylea.

The voyage of the Ultros opened safe routes across the Cerulean Gulf. Trade that had once been chancy and rare now flows with regular rhythm. Towns and cities along the coast look to the banner of Mytros for protection. Its alliance with Estoria has hardened from old friendship into a formal partnership. Tribute arrives from many independent states that now pay for the protection of Mytrosian warships and Dragonlords. Mytros has begun to behave like a power that might one day rule all of Thylea.

Aresian Fears#

Aresia has watched this rise with growing alarm. It has never matched the sea strength of Mytros, but its standing army is the most feared in the land. While Mytros builds fleets, Aresia trains hoplites. When Mytros seeks alliance, Aresia quietly arms its enemies. Aresian gold and officers

have strengthened the centaur tribes and minotaur rebels. Envoys have crossed the sea to Themis, securing the support of Amazon generals. Aresian whispers travel faster than ships. They tell every frightened city that Mytros intends to build an empire more cruel than anything before.

The Great Expedition#

In time, Mytros had enough of being bled by rumor and proxy. A great expedition was proclaimed. Taran Neurdagon, richest man in Mytros and heir to a Dragonlord line, offered his fortune to build a war fleet that would break Aresia once and for all. In return he demanded command. The bargain was accepted. To nervous ears across Thylea, this looked less like a defensive war and more like the birth of a hungry empire. Many coastal cities turned to Aresia rather than accept Mytrosian tribute. Xanderia and its allies were the first to declare for Aresia.

The war that followed has been a disaster for Mytros. The expedition was divided in its leadership and careless in its planning. A storm on the Cerulean Gulf destroyed an entire fleet. The first siege ended in catastrophe, with thousands of Mytrosian soldiers enslaved or slaughtered. The second siege has dragged on for three bitter years. Taran still clings to command, but the camp has rotted around him. In Mytros, the people call for his removal. In Aresia, the people grow used to the sight of foreign banners that never advance.

Ekoh and Narsus#

It is at this moment of stalemate that Ekoh, an Oread

• Nymph (appendix B, The Great Labors), seeks out the heroes. She now brings news of something far more dangerous than any army. Years ago, before this conflict, she pledged herself to the God of Beauty, Narsus. Narsus is the brother of Kyrah, Pythor, and Vallus. They rarely speak of him, because he is self-absorbed and selfish—obsessed with the incomparable beauty that he attained when he was transformed from a dragon into a god. Narsus refused to aid the settlers during the First War, and his family consequently disowned him. After the end of the First War, Narsus staged a competition to choose a woman worthy of being his wife. His suitors were to bring him the silver antlers of an elusive white stag. Many of the most powerful and influential women in the world participated in the contest, but the victor was an oread huntress named Ekoh. Tragically, she was never able to claim her prize. Queen Calliope of Aresia became obsessed with Narsus—she took him captive and fled back to her city. Narsus has been held in Aresia for 500 years, and the city of Mytros has launched many campaigns to recover the god of beauty without success. The two cities now have a long history of grievances which have eclipsed the original conflict.

Theogenesis#

Narsus, still a captive within Aresia, has uncovered a legendary rite called Theogenesis, a path by which mortals may rise as gods. In a world that has lost its pantheon, such a ritual could reshape all of Thylea. Ekoh fears that Aresia will use this secret to raise its own rulers to divinity, or worse, offer that power to hidden patrons.

Ekoh wants the heroes to travel to the siege camp, remove Taran from command, and bring the siege to a decisive end. To do nothing is to leave the future of Thylea in the hands of Aresian nobles and whatever forces whisper in their halls. To act is to risk becoming conquerors in truth, yet also to claim the power to decide what new gods will rise from the ruins of the old order.