The caprice of the gods, the destined hero, the great journey, the untamed wilds beyond the city walls, the raging sea, the birth of civilization, temples and burnt offerings, hoplites and phalanxes, hydras, gorgons, minotaurs, sacred and profane rites and rituals, great thinkers, enlightened despots, revels in the woods, the power of belief - Theros is a plane filled with divine magic and monstrous danger, where heroes are born and where legends are made.
The humans of Theros embody the spirit of carving out a place for civilization from the wilds. Although other, smaller settlements exist, the majority of humans are associated with one of Theros's three major poleis: Meletis, Akros, and Setessa.
Citizens of the three main city-states occasionally war with each other, and with the tritons of the coast, and with the belligerent leonin heathens, and with some of the more savage centaurs. Plus every polis has its hands full with attacks from epic monsters from the wilds - cyclopes, minotaurs, hydras, harpies, and giant beasts of all stripes. There’s not a lot of love between the poleis, but every polis has plenty of problems beyond other humans.
Rivers That Ring the World
Five rivers encircle Theros, flowing with waters more ancient than the world itself. These define the boundary of the living world from Theros' underworld. Occasionally the living wander to the Rivers, but the wardens of Athreos ensure that only the dead pass. The land that borders the first of the Rivers That Ring the World is a blackened, smoldering wasteland that's several hundred meters wide.
The Land of Nyx
Above Theros, rather than stars, lies Nyx, the night sky. Its ever-shifting constellations display the myths and legends of the past - sometimes the very recent past - and it is home to the gods, truly divine beings who thrive on the belief of mortals.
When mortals sleep and dream on Theros, they are said to "visit Nyx," the proverbial land of night and the home of the gods. Therefore, dreams are seen as gifts from the gods. When the gods appear to mortals, each is "infused" with Nyx itself. Where the god's features or form would be shadowed, instead the night sky is visible, as though the gods occupy the daylit world and the nighttime world at once.
The Underworld
Beneath Theros is the Underworld, where the souls of mortals go when they die. Those few who return do so by giving up their faces and their memories, hidden behind golden masks. Even then, Erebos, the god of the dead, is jealous, and sends his servants out into the world to retrieve those who escape his grasp.
Countries and Realms of Theros
Geographical Features on Theros
| Name | Geography Type |
|---|---|
| Deathbellow Canyon | Canyon |
| Nistos Forest | Forest |
| One-Eyed Pass | Pass |
Cities on Theros
