The Ancient Titans#

The Titans are divine powers native to Thylea. They have existed since the dawn of time.

Thylea, Great Mother of All#

Thylea is the namesake of the Lost Land. She takes the form of a gargantuan tree on an island at the heart of the Cerulean Gulf, and her followers believe that her roots reach deep into the earth, binding the world together in an eternal embrace. Thylea is believed to be a generous, life-giving goddess.

The Druids of the Oldwoods believe that her will is communicated through the changing of the seasons, rather than through words. Long winters, for example, signal her displeasure; long summers are a sign of her approval.

Kentimane, The Hundred Handed#

Kentimane was the most powerful of the Titans. He is believed to be both the husband and eternal guardian of the Great Mother. Many references are found to him in the poetry of the gygans and the centaurs, but few credible sources have survived the ravages of time.

Kentimane is usually depicted with one hundred heads and one hundred hands.

Sydon, The Lord of Storms#

Sydon is the Lord of the Oceans and all that flows from them. He takes the form of a colossal, bearded man with three eyes, and he carries a terrifying black glaive. He

surveys both land and water tirelessly, summoning storms to punish those who displease him. Sydon is a jealous and vengeful god who makes no allowances for the worship of any god but himself or his sister-wife, Lutheria.

Every temple in Thylea fears the wrath of Sydon. Daily sacrifices are offered to him in every village, even as the settlers continue their silent prayers to the Five. Whenever thunder rolls through the skies of Thylea, you can be sure that someone has provoked Sydon’s anger.

Lutheria, The Lady of Dreams#

Lutheria takes the form of a beautiful, black-eyed woman who sleepwalks through the underworld, greeting the spirits of the dead. She carries a crystal scythe, which she uses to harvest the souls of those who displeased her in life. Lutheria commands her followers to live without remorse, to drink, dance, and feast to their heart’s desire, because any day could be their last. She is a mother to the fey species of Thylea, who she strongly favors.

Worship of Lutheria is rare among settlers, but she is nevertheless honored with many feasts and festivals because Sydon demands it. Whenever any drink is poured, a libation must be made to Lutheria or else a swift punishment is sure to follow.

The Five Gods#

The Five Gods are widely celebrated as the settlers’ favored gods. With the exception of Mytros, they are not heaven-dwelling deities but familiar faces who walk among their people. They have been known to take mortal husbands and wives, rule over cities, and sire demigod children. They helped the Dragonlords and the mortal species to defeat

Sydon and Lutheria during the First War. For centuries, they have blessed the mortal species, protecting them from tyrannical domination by Sydon and Lutheria.

Shrines to the Five gods can be found in nearly every settler household. Prayers to the Five must be accompanied by the sign against the evil eye to ward off the jealous gaze of Sydon and Lutheria.

Mytros, The Goddess of Dawn#

Mytros, called by some the ‘Silver Queen’ is the most benevolent of the Five Gods and the patron goddess of the most important kingdom in Thylea. She is widely credited with the survival of the city during the destruction and aftermath of the First War, and she is said to appear to her priests as a warrior queen clad in shimmering golden armor. Having ascended to the heavens after a cataclysmic battle with Sydon and Lutheria, she no longer walks among mortals. She is the most powerful of the Five Gods, and the source of most priestly magic in Thylea.

Volkan, The God of Forges#

Not much is known about Volkan except that he is the husband of Mytros. He concerns himself with artifice and crafting and is primarily worshipped by dwarves, smiths, and wizards. He is depicted as an elderly and wise-looking man (and sometimes as a dwarf). He is rumored to travel through the Heartlands on the winter solstice, distributing toys and sweets to children.

Pythor, The God of Battle#

A son of Mytros and Volkan, Pythor appeared to the settlers during the First War and fought tirelessly against the centaurs and gygans that threatened to overwhelm the city of Mytros. His praises were sung for centuries after, and he is said to have walked among the settlers in mortal guise, taking women to his bed and fathering demigod children. A few centuries ago he became the king of the city of Estoria when he over threw a mad tyrant.

Vallus, The Goddess of Wisdom#

Vallus is revered as the goddess of wisdom and beauty, and she is believed to know as much about Thylea’s history as Sydon and Lutheria. She was once known to travel far and wide, surveying ancient ruins and collecting lore concerning the origins of the land and the fey species. Prayers are offered to Vallus when guidance is needed and

information is scarce. She is the oldest daughter of Mytros and, in many ways, she has inherited her mother’s legacy, serving as both queen and patron goddess to the city.

Kyrah, The Goddess of Music#

Kyrah is revered as the trickster goddess of music and poetry. She is the swiftest of all the gods, capable of disappearing in the blink of an eye and she can travel great distances with each step. Her voice is said to be more beautiful than any musical instrument. There are very few shrines to her, except among bards, who revere her as the Muse.

Human Kingdoms#

The Kingdom of Mytros#

The city of Mytros was the first settlement founded by the Dragonlords. It was protected by the Goddess of Dawn and grew into a mighty kingdom after the end of the First War. It is the largest city in all of Thylea and the center of commerce, religion, and politics. The Great Games are held outside of the city once a year. The Temple of the Five stands at the center of the city, but in recent years the worship of Sydon has been growing in popularity. The Titan now has his own grand temple that stands across the street from the Temple of the Five.

Mytros is ruled by the mighty King Acastus, the last true descendant of the Dragonlords. Acastus is revered across all of Thylea and he is the husband of Queen Vallus, the wisest of the Five Gods. Through some miraculous feat of magic, he has recently resurrected dragons, which were thought to be extinct since the end of the First War. He now seeks to rebuild the ancient order of the Dragonlords and restore the city of Mytros to its former glory.

The Kingdom of Estoria#

Estoria is an ancient stronghold that has resisted centuries of attacks by centaurs, cyclopes, manticores, and other dangers which thrive on the steppes beyond the Arkelon River. The king of Estoria is Pythor, the mightiest of the Five Gods. He rules from his palace at the highest vantage point in the city.

From his throne, Pythor can survey the sprawling farmlands of his kingdom to the south and watch vigilantly for any new threats that might emerge from the north. Although the Estorians are considered provincials by the people of Mytros, everyone knows that the greatest warriors and adventurers of this age are forged in the service of the Lord of Battle.

The Kingdom of Aresia#

The kingdom of Aresia has long been a rival to the kingdom of Mytros. The two cities have been engaged in dozens of wars over the last several hundred years, which are collectively known as the Aresian campaigns. The reasons for the fighting vary, but one thing is certain: warriors on both sides seek glory in battle.

The warrior monks of the eastern shore are amongst the most feared fighters in all of Thylea. Their children begin training with spears from the day they take their first steps, and every adult is required to serve in the militia. Aresians spend their lives in pursuit of ‘degrees’ in schools of martial philosophy, which have been refined over many centuries of defending their borders.

Aresian warriors cultivate an air of rugged austerity out of a sense of pride in their history, but it disguises long hours spent on beauty rituals, poetry readings, and decadent feasting. The most powerful families in Aresia are those which take the greatest pains to appear ascetic—eating unspiced gruel and wearing little to nothing in public, while lavishing fine foods and luxurious garments on their servants in paradoxical and conspicuous displays of wealth. The highest caste warriors make a point of leading lifestyles that most closely resemble those of their hard-pressed ancestors.

Barbarians of the Gulf#

For millennia before the coming of the Dragonlords, outsiders would occasionally wash up on the shores of Thylea. These were usually shipwrecked explorers or merchants who were blown far off course. Of all species and nationalities, these people had to live in harmony with the natives of Thylea. They formed tribes and lived on the islands of the Cerulean Gulf. When the Dragonlords came, these tribes fought with the natives of Thylea against the newcomers. In present times the barbarians are still looked upon with fear and distrust by the civilized species. They are seen as being as dangerous as the centaur tribes or fey creatures of the Oldwoods. The most feared of the barbarian tribes are the Amazons that dwell upon the island of Themis.