The Mithral Mines were constructed and used by the  Volkan's Smiths to construct the weapons of the gods in the first war. 

The Heroes of Thylea need to find it's the location and rekindle the great forge fire of The Mithral Forge.

"During The First War, Pellania, a famous bard, was captured by Lutheria, the Goddess of Dreams and Death.  Terrified as to her fate, Pellenia sang songs of dark humor that made light of the First War's atrocities, won Lutheria over, and so won her freedom.

But as she departed, Pellenia grew overbold and tried to steal Lutheria's treasures.  She was captured again and taken to the Island of Oathbreakers.  There, Lutheria made her an offer: if Pellenia could make her laugh with one last song, then all would be forgiven.  Before Pellenia could take up her lute, Lutheria reached out with her claws and ripped out the bard's tongue, forever silencing her beautiful voice."

"The five stars i t he constellation of the Bard remind us of Pellenia's tale.  The two brightesst are the singer herself; the next two symbolise her lute; the small, flickering star between them is her severed tongue."

"See those stars that look like a tree?  That's the Nymph, and her story is tragic.  While out on a hunt, King Lacanus of Pythoria stumbled upon a small grove with a single silver tree growing in the centre.  There he found the most beautiful creature he had ever seen - a dryad with silver eyes. He instantly fell in love.

The dryad was smitten with Lacanus as well, and she agreed to marry him, even though it meant leaving her birth tree behind.  But on the long journey to his palace, she grew feverish and ill.  Within a week, she withered and died.

Heartbroken, Lacanus ordered his soldiers to chop down the silver tree so it could be used to build a suitable coffin.  As the first axe struck its trunk, Lacanus screamed out in pain and fell dead.  By marrying the dryad, he had bound his spirit to hew birth tree - and so by felling the tree, he joined his wife in death."

Tarchon is one of a burgeoning order of dragon-mounted soldiers commanded by King Acastus.

The Oracle is a famous water nymph who dwells in the hot springs below a temple south of Estoria. She has the gift of prophecy, and her soothsaying is heeded by gods and kings alike. Despite her heritage as a daughter of Sydon, she has always had a special fondness for the mortals of Thylea, and she is attended by many faithful priests.

It was centuries ago when the Xiphos of Slaughter came into being. The dreaded Dragonlord, Estor Arkelander had just destroyed the Gygan capital Fortress on theThe Island of Yonder when he heard tales of a blacksmith from prisoners, a blacksmith that was said to be able to forge weapons that could even pierce the skin of even the thickest beast.

It took months, months of rooting out the Gygan survivors but eventually the smith and his family was found.

"Heed me Gygan scum, your family will be killed... slowly. There is but one way to alter their faith and that is to forge me something. I wish for a weapon that can drench all the shores of Thylea in blood. I wish for a weapon that could slay anything, even a Dragon."

The smith having no choise and not wanting to witness his family be tortured obeyed. Long days of toil followed with the end result being produced, the Xiphos of Slaughter, a bronze sword that while at first glance seems unremarkable but a more trained eye would find that it has not a single imperfection upon it's sharp blade.

"It is perfect...well almost perfect." Estor then completed the creation of the weapon by anointing it with the smith's and his family's blood. After this event the sword was permanently stained deep red.

Estor Arkelander wielded this dread weapon for many years but after he vanished it has reapeared in different hands, usulaly resulting in a bloody conquest as there are always men willing to follow  a terror if only to make it less likely to be struck down by it. The destruction is only stopped when the wielder is finally cut down but quickly resumes when another gains possesion of it.

The Xiphos is incredibly sharp and leaves grievous wounds. It feeds off the blood of any creature it strikes, strengthening the wielder while weakening the victim. The wielder of the blade also eminates an aura of fear and dread making all but the most stalwart of character keen to obey their demands. 

The wielder is said to never want to be apart of the weapon, keeping it within reach at all times, turning intensely violent against any who would try and separate it from them. While the power the weapon gives is immense it is said that a wielder can lose themselves during bloodshed and strike at friend and foe alike. As the Xiphos grows in power so does it's influence.

This is the cave where The Heroes of Thylea fought The Corrupted Boar. It was full of offal and human remains but The Heroes of Thylea made sure to honor the dead there as was proper.

Whereas in most of Thylea snakes are seen as a threat and a pest (almost a curse), a tradition inherited from the largely hoofed races (snakes and hoofed creatures have never been great friends), some isolated villages up in dry mountains or deserts have a small festival in their honour. They are seen as a symbol of fertility and the more snakes a villager can find for the parade the better and more fruitful they feel their year will be.

This festival is celebrated in various isolated areas of Thylea, most notably the Island Of Themis.

"See those stars that are shaped like a flower? That's the constellation of the Trickster. There once was a nobleman who took great pride in the vast rose gardens that bloomed on his estate. Eventually, these roses attracted the attention of the great trickster goddess, whose name has been forgotten.

The Goddess admired the nobleman's beatiful flowers, but she mocked his boasts: it was his servants who deserved the credit, for they tended his gardens.  So the nobleman made the goddess a wager - if he could grow a field of red roses without the aid of his servants, then she must agree to marry him.

She agreed, and for a year the nobleman tended a plot in his garden with his own two hands - planting the seeds, cultivating the soil, watering and weeding every day.  It was hubling, back-breaking work for the vain nobleman, but the seeds eventually took root and grew.  But when the bushes finally flowered, the petals were not red, but white - the godess had switched the seeds to teach the braggart a lesson!"

Yala is the strongest among Sydon's children. She fights at the head of his armies. Mortals flee in terror before her wrathful temper.

The Heroes of Thylea will now make their way to The Temple of the Oracle to get answers and to find out their destiny. However, a more urgent reason has also appeared.

After the festivities ended after the events of The Corrupted Boar everyone went to sleep and had the same dream. The Oracle appeared to them and said a few faint words sounding as if she was underwater.

"Help....me"

The Heroes of Thylea made their way with great haste. Knowledgeable Eurytus was able to lead them through The Oldwood without large difficulty and they soon found themselves at The Temple of the Oracle. 

It's doors sealed and the usual crown of attendants and people hoping to be granted an audience with the the Oracle were missing. Something was quite amiss.

Thankfully, mighty Tryntia knew of a different way to enter the large system of caves and tunnels that made up The Temple of the Oracle and the heroes soon found themselves at an old temple that appeared to have been a temple of Sydon's. Fighting through malevolent steam spirits, animated weapons and soldiers from The Order of Sydon the heroes were able to free the surviving attendants, including Proteus and make their way down to Versi's grotto.

The heroes then rescued the Oracle from the clutches of the witch Heleka, and in the process, they've learned the first portion of what The Fates have in store for them. Now, they must undertake a series of Great Labors in order to prepare for their confrontation with The Ancient Titans. The prophecies can be found in The Prophecy of Versi.