“Ah, look at those stars above! That’s the Turtle. They say that, in the earlier days of Thylea, when the Twin Titans decided to unite their perverse bond in holy matrimony, they sent out invitations to all the creatures of Thylea. Only the turtle was absent from the wedding, and Lutheria was enraged that anyone would spoil her special day. She went to the turtle, and demanded to know why they were absent. The turtle said that, while they were humbled to receive an invitation, they seldom liked to leave their home. As one of her jokes, Lutheria cursed all turtles to forever carry their homes on their backs, and that is how the turtle got its shell.”

- Old Samuel

Kyrah is a poet, one of some skill and renown (Although some of her poetry is... questionable). It is Kyrah’s task to gather the heroes from the oracle’s vision and ensure that they live up to their potential.

She is a dark-haired woman usually wearing a white traveling dress with practical leather boots, and she carrying a large satchel that appears to contain dozens of scrolls, along with plentiful writing supplies.

She's a travelling poet....and she knows it.

I once saw a stampede of centaurs going to battle against the cyclopes, west of Xanderia. There is no more marvelous sight in Thylea than their spears gleaming in the sun of the steppes, wild manes flowing, hooves thundering. That night, they feasted and sang under the stars, calling out to me from afar, but I confess that I was too afraid to draw near.

—Leyland, Gladiator of Mytros

 

A noble race that roams the great plains of the world, centaurs are both feared and respected by other intelligent creatures. Centaur legends claim that they are the offspring of a powerful god of war that came down to the mortal plane in the form of a stallion. They are proud of this divine heritage and demand that the proper respect be shown to them.

Equine Nomads

Centaurs possess a humanoid torso with a horse’s lower body. They are as varied in coloration and physical build as humans and horses. Their horse body can be chestnut brown, black as a nightmare, pure white as a unicorn, grey, and other colors between. They can be a single color, spotted, have white “socks,” or have hooves of different coloration. Their human bodies can be of any skin color from dark-skinned to pale. Their human hair can be black, brown, blonde, or red—but it most often complements that of their horse body.

Proud and Haughty

Centaurs are a proud people. They view themselves as superior to all other races and demand respect and adulation. They can be vain about their appearance and are careful to be dignified and aloof in the presence of others. However, most centaurs are also fond of drink and once inebriated they can become loud, boorish, and dangerous.

Centaur Tribes

Centaurs are a tribal people. Centaurs are fiercely loyal to members of their tribe and will never leave one of their own behind. When they mate, they mate for life. If they join an adventuring group, they will often consider that group to be their current tribe and will be intensely loyal to their fellow heroes. They normally roam huge expanses of steppe land that they consider their domain. They don’t build settlements in these lands, but they are protective of them. While centaurs can be herbivores, they prefer meat and enjoy hunting, but they will resort to gathering fruit, nuts, and other plants if an area has been overhunted. Travelers who are respectful of the plants and animals in tribal territory are left alone, but those who disrespect nature or try to build permanent settlements of any kind will become a target of the tribe’s wrath.

Centaurs In Thylea

Centaurs are distrustful of the civilized races. In the First War that raged five centuries ago, thousands of centaurs were killed by the invading Dragonlords, and the centaurs have never forgotten or forgiven. The distrust is mutual, especially as centaur tribes are now flocking to the banner of Sydon and raiding outlying farms. Centaurs that enter a Thylean town or city will find that they are tolerated but kept under constant watch. The centaurs tend to worship the mother goddess, but they will sometimes offer prayers to one of the titans, Sydon or Lutheria. They never worship the Five.

Centaur Names

Centaurs have names that are specific to their race. These names can often be difficult for members of other races to pronounce, so they can adopt nicknames when traveling with a band of non-centaurs.

• Male Names: Agrius (Agri), Amycus (Amy), Asbolus (Az), Bienor, Chiron, Cyllarus (Cyl), Dictys, Eurytus (Tus), Elatus, Eurytion (Yuri), Hylaeus (Hyla), Nessus, Perimedes (Peri), Pholus, Rhoetus (Rote), and Thaumas (Tom).
• Female Names: Agaria, Biano, Cylla, Diena, Eura, Hylonome (Hylo), Heranae (Hera), Nessicana (Nessie), Nara, Ponadata (Pona), Rhaelatisis (Rala), Rhaena (Rain), and Seranu (Sara).

Monstrosities are monsters in the strictest sense— frightening creatures that are not ordinary, not truly natural, and almost never benign. Some are the results of magical experimentation gone awry, and others are the product of terrible curses (including Minotaurs and Medusa). They defy categorization, and in some sense serve as a catch-all category for creatures that don’t fit into any other type.

For a time the eight children of Thylea and Kentimane lived quiet and contented lives, sheltered on the islands spawned from the body of their mother. But, in time,contentment became loneliness. They were gods, but they had no purpose. Talieus The First, the God of Crafting, first born of the siblings, gathered his younger brothers and sisters together and proposed they create races of mortal creatures to worship and revere them. He would help each of them to create something of their own. Of all the Titans, only Sydon and Lutheria, his youngest siblings, refused: they were united by the powerful bond, and did not feel the empty loneliness of their kin. The other Titans created Centaurs, satyrs and nymphs, who quickly spread to populate the islands. Yala The First strove for beauty and grace and made the Nymphs. Chalcia The First strove for freedom and speed and made the Sirens. Goloron The First strove for wisdom in all things and created the Satyrs. It was not clear what Versi The First strove for but in the she created the Centaurs. Hergeron The First created the Cyclopses and Gygan, great giants capable of moving earth and stone to build massive temples in honor of Talieus The First and the others who had given them life.

Sydon and Lutheria regarded these new mortal races with contempt. They became bitter and resentful, and isolated themselves on the last uninhabited island of Thylea, where their hatred festered. Until one day. Lutheria approached Talieus, claiming she and her twin had grown weary of their solitude. Offering praise and flattery, she urged him to create a new race, one greater than all the others, to dwell on her island. Weakened by his sister’s adulation, Talieus did as he was bade and the Unknown were born. They quickly spread out from their isolated home, overwhelming and conquering the native species on nearby islands. The other Titans condemned Talieusfor creating such aggressive and dangerous creatures. Talieus, burning with parental pride, refused act against his newest children. It fell to Sydon, the God of Storms, to halt the Unknown’ advance. As they piled into their ships, he unleashed the fury of the sea, dashing their vessels to smithereens with howling winds, drowning them beneath the waves. Even Sydon could not halt their advance forever. The other Titans, fearful the Unknown would continue to spread, begged their father for help. Moved by the fears of his children, Kentimane used his hundred hands to gather all the Unknown onto a single island. Calling on the strength of Thylea herself, he bound them there with powerful magic so they could never leave and removed the island from Thylea itself.

As punishment for his foolishness and pride, Kentimane stripped Talieus of his power and gave it to Sydon. Using his older brother’s former power against him, Sydon bound Talieus The First and presented him to his sister and now wife as a gift. Lutheria took no pity on her helpless elder brother. She blinded the mighty Titan and sewed his lips shut, so he could never tell the others the truth of his downfall. Then she bound his power to her crystal scythe and forced him to wander eternally in the Nether Sea, dragging her throne-ship across the waves behind him by a great chain strapped around his neck. Seeing Talieus’ fate, the other Titans were horrified. Together they began plotting revenge against the twins, but Lutheria and Sydon were ready for them.

When a human is afflicted with the Graverobber's Curse or an equivelant and dies with great malice and fear in their heart, Lutheria gains claim over their souls. Sometimes she decides to return the cursed soul to its body, transforming the unfortunate creature into a ghoul. Unable to die and unable to slake their eternal hunger, ghouls roam the land by night, desperate to consume any living flesh it can find.

Thylean ghouls have a propensity to hoard whatever valuables they find. Lutheria finds it amusing to hearken back to the greed that killed them in life, so she compels ghouls to keep whatever treasure their kills carried, even though the items are useless to the creatures now.

Humans are all descended from the original settlers or an outsider who arrived during the last five centuries.

Thylean Names Names in Thylea have a Greek flavor to them. 

Male Names: Adonis, Adrian, Basil, Belen, Bemus, Calix, Claus, Corban, Cy, Damen, Darius, Demitrius, Deo, Dru, Egan, Estevan, Evan, Faustus, Giles, Gregory, Griffin, Isidore, Jace, Jorges, Julian, Kal, Karan, Keelan, Kyril, Lander, Layland, Leo, Magus, Mateo, Neo, Nicholas, Nicos, Odell, Orelius, Orrin, Pancras, Pearce, Philip, Quinn, Rastus, Sander, Santos, Sirius, Spiro, Stavros, Tadd, Tassos, Theo, Timon, Tyrone, Vitalis, and Xander.

Female Names: Adara, Adrianna, Aegea, Aria, Ava, Bryony, Cadie, Calista, Calla, Cara, Cleo, Dalia, Daria, Demi, Desa, Diana, Dora, Echo, Electra, Falana, Finn, Galena, Gemina, Halia, Hatria, Hester, Idylla, Iliana, Ina, Irene, Iria, Jacinda, Jenesis, Justina, Kaia, Kat, Kiersten, Lacie, Layna, Leah, Lyssa, Madelia, Mariam, Maya, Melani, Nara, Nora, Orelle, Pamela, Penelope, Petra, Rhoda, Seema, Selena, and Tabatha.

Myrto was the grandson of Adonis Neurdagon. He is famous for his wealth and for spending his wealth.

Individuals spawned by the union of Lutheria and Sydon.

This heavily-trafficked gate leads northward into the Heartlands. During the day, the road is filled with centurions, pilgrims, and merchants traveling between Mytros and Estoria. At night, the road is patrolled by soldiers with torches, who rotate shifts between a series of stone guard towers.

During their stay in The City of Mytros, The Heroes of Thylea have ammased a laundry list of things they could do to improve the city, their standing with the citizens and the aquisition of wealth.

Queen Vallus asked them to resolve the flooding that gripped the city, starting by investigating the sewers. She also asked if possible, for them to discredit the Temple of Sydon and Temple of Lutheria as they have grown very powerful in recent years.

Additioanly, tyhey were asked by Taran to find and eliminate Unknown.