This work is not mine - it is an adventure book published by Arcanum Worlds. I do not know the rules to posting outside links, but you can find the Odyssey of the Dragonlords Player's Guide for free through google(legally, on the official website where the Adventure Book is purchased).
Odyssey of the Dragonlords Primer
Ancient Thylea
For many ages, Thylea was a wilderness of centaurs, satyrs, cyclopes, and other creatures who worshipped their native gods, the Titans. Mortals who came to Thylea lived in small, defenseless tribes—until the arrival of the Dragonlords.
The Dragonlords
The Dragonlords were an order of heroic, dragon-riding mortals who came to Thylea five centuries ago. They initiated the First War against the Titans and defeated their armies. Most of the Dragonlords and their dragons were killed during this conflict.
The Five Gods
When all seemed lost, the mortals of Thylea were saved by the sudden appearance of the Five Gods, who walked the land in mortal guise. They forced the Titans into a temporary truce, called the Oath of Peace.
The Oath of Peace
The Oath of Peace has prevented open warfare with the Titans for five hundred years. But now, the truce is ending. The power of the Five Gods wanes, and the Titans prepare to wage war upon mortals once again.
The Oracle's Prophecy
At the beginning of the story, the heroes are chosen by the Oracle to confront the ancient Titans and end the conflict once and for all. This requires them to fulfill the Oracle's prophecy and rebuild the ancient order of the Dragonlords.
Themes
Gods and Kings Mythic heroes have dealings with the gods, almost as a matter of course. The gods are not always nice. They are jealous, capricious, cruel, generous, vengeful, kind, vicious, forgetful, thoughtless, lusty, selfish, passionate, and generally all-too-human in their ways. They do not know everything and cannot control everything, but within their spheres of influence, they are awesome, terrible, and dangerous. It’s a foolish mortal who disrespects the gods. The wisest heroes acknowledge the power of the gods over every aspect of life. Mythic heroes must also contend with the will of mortal kings and queens. Earth-shattering events demand action from the most powerful rulers from across the land, but their hands are often bound by the vagaries of fate. Sometimes, they are forced to take up arms and join the quest themselves, but more often they must depend upon the might of famous heroes.
Oaths and Curses Mythic heroes are often bound to their quest by powerful oaths. Oaths are inviolable sacred vows that are sworn only in the most serious of circumstances. Oaths have a powerful, far-reaching effect on society. They may create peace between the gods, promote unbreakable fellowships, and even instigate bloody wars. No mortal of sound mind would ever dare break an oath, lest they be afflicted by terrible curses. To be cursed by the gods is to be cursed by the land itself. Food turns to dust in the mouths of those who are cursed. Harpies peck out their eyes, and their souls are dragged screaming into the Underworld. For this reason, even the bravest of heroes fear the consequences of breaking an oath. The gods, on the other hand, are literally incapable of breaking their oaths, for they are made from the same magic that binds and enforces them.
Fame and Hubris All great heroes seek to increase their fame. This may sound like vanity, but within a mythic context, fame is essential to achieving one's goals. Famous heroes may summon warriors to their aid, influence the opinions of the masses, and even demand audiences with the gods. Though seeking it may shorten one's life, fame is the most direct route to immortality. But the danger of increasing one's fame is hubris. Excessive pride, or hubris, leads to the downfall and destruction of many famous heroes who overestimate their abilities—or who underestimate the gods.
Fate and Prophecy Mythic heroes are subject to the forces of fate and prophecy in equal measure. Fate directs the lives of both gods and mortals, and though she is the greatest of all mysteries, she is also cruel to those who defy her. The greatest gift she gives us is the gift of prophecy. Prophecies reveal paths that would otherwise be hidden to us—paths which allow us to rise to our fate, rather than be destroyed by it. Such paths are often dangerous, and walking them may seem like madness, but that is the task of the mythic hero. To dismiss prophecy and spurn one's fate is hubris of the highest order.
Comedy and Tragedy In the end, the story of a mythic hero falls into one of two categories. Those who win fame by rising to their fate and honoring their oaths may be forced to make tragic sacrifices, but they will be happier in the end. On the other hand, those who turn from fate, break their oaths, and curse the gods will meet tragic endings, even if their lives are happier in the short run. In other words, mythic heroism means rising to the challenges that fate throws at you, even when the gods themselves work against you. It means losing yourself in the wilderness for decades, only to return in glory when your enemies least expect it. It also means betraying your loved ones, overthrowing rightful kings because of petty grievances, and discovering that you were a pawn of prophecy all along. Mythic heroes do not lead easy lives, but they do lead dramatic ones. It's not just the victories that make their adventures memorable—it's the failures, also.
Timeline of Thylean History ~2,000 DA Height of the Gygan empire 24 DA Arrival of the Dragonlords 18 DA Founding of the first settler kingdoms 14 DA The First War begins 12 DA Sydon kills the last dragon 10 DA The Five Gods appear 1 DA Mytros ascends to the heavens 0 CE The Oath of Peace is sworn 1 CE Founding of the Kingdom of Mytros 28 CE Disappearance of the Ultros 35 CE Construction of the Necropolis 125 CE The Aresian campaigns begin 330 CE Pythor becomes king of Estoria 370 CE The Kraken destroys one of the Colossi 400 CE The last great Aresian campaign ends 468 CE Acastus becomes King of Mytros 500 CE The Oracle's Prophecy (Now)
Arrival of Mortals In the centuries before the founding of Mytros, mortals had no dominion over the untamed lands of Thylea. When elves, dwarves, and humans washed up on Thylea’s shores, their weapons failed them, and their magic ceased to work. They were forsaken by their gods, forced to live as beggars among the fey races.
Curious about these strange refugees, the nymphs and satyrs offered them hospitality, and many small settlements were founded. The centaurs, however, offered them no quarter, and the cyclopes were known to devour men whole. Life in Thylea was short and brutal for the so-called ‘trespassers’ from foreign lands.
During this era, the Twin Titans wielded great powers, unlike anything seen since the dawn of time. Sydon was venerated as the Lord of Storms. He could conjure apocalyptic storms with his right hand and cataclysmic earthquakes with his left hand. His sister-wife Lutheria held dominion over the land of dreams, and her voice was said to give life to the dead. Fearing eradication, the desperate mortal settlers built shrines to Sydon and held feasts in Lutheria’s honor. Thousands of sacrifices were dedicated to the Lord of Storms, and libations of wine were poured to the Lady of Dreams at every meal. The twins were at first unswayed but, over time, they warmed to the persistent worship of the hapless settlers.
In exchange for this devotion, the Titans offered the mortals oaths of protection, which shielded them from the worst ravages of the centaurs and cyclopes. The settlements survived, but they were always at the mercy of the Twins. So it remained for many hundreds of years.
Arrival of the Dragonlords One fateful day, a flight of powerful bronze dragons arrived on Thylea’s shores, each bearing a great champion from the Old World. These were the legendary warriors known as the Dragonlords, and they heralded an upheaval that would forever change the history of the Forgotten Land.
Within just a few years of their arrival, many small cities were founded, and a half-dozen small kingdoms sprang up along the roads of the western reaches. The Dragonlords founded powerful dynasties, and the humble mortals who had once lived in terror of the Titans now abandoned their temples and stood tall.
The Dragonlords were symbols of hope for a beleaguered people. Whenever any mortal settlement was razed to the ground by roving centaurs and cyclopes, the Dragonlords would repay the attackers in kind. Through harsh winters, blistering summers, and relentless assaults by the native races, the Dragonlords fought tirelessly, and the people of Thylea persevered.
Everywhere the dragons were greeted with shouts of adulation. When spotted flying overhead, they would be hailed as saviors, and great songs and feasts would be held in their honor. They were radiant to behold, bronze scales gleaming like fire. To be visited by one of the dragons was to be blessed; and nowhere was more blessed than the City of Mytros.
But the great powers that ruled Thylea grew jealous Sydon and Lutheria, the Twin Titans, immortal children of the mother goddess, amassed great armies to eradicate the city. The Dragonlords responded by gathering all the mortals in Thylea into a united assault on the native races, and so began the First War.
The First War The histories of the First War are vague, having been passed down through the centuries in the form of decaying scrolls and tapestries. What is known for certain is that the native races were driven into exile. The centaurs retreated into the steppes, while the satyrs fled into the forests. The Gygans, an ancient civilization of cyclopes, were annihilated, leaving behind the crumbling ruins of their fallen cities.
The cost of victory was great: by the time the war ended, the last of the dragons had been killed defending the city they loved most. Although the Dragonlords are remembered as the great heroes of this age, their noble dragons came to be equally venerated as guardian spirits. The blood of their sacrifice is woven into the stones of Mytros, and to this day the city is said to glow radiant bronze at sunset.
Perhaps most miraculous of all, however, was the appearance of the Five Gods. These immortal figures descended from heaven when the tide had turned against the Dragonlords. Some have claimed that they were manifestations of Thylea’s own desire to protect her immigrant children. They took the form of mortal men and women, but their eyes were alight with the fire of divinity.
Each of these new gods manifested some portion of the power that had once belonged to the Titans. Pythor, the Lord of Battle, took command of the centurions of Mytros and, after many gruesome battles, the armies of the native races were broken. When the final spear had been thrust into the heart of the Gygan King, the Five Gods fell into a torpor, apparently to recover their strength. The city, it seemed, was safe.
But Sydon and Lutheria swore vengeance. The mountains shook, the seas boiled with rage, and spine-chilling nightmares descended upon the mortal armies. Such was the anger of the Titans that their retaliation threatened to sunder the very foundations of Thylea. In the end, Mytros, the goddess of dawn, sacrificed herself and ascended once more to the heavens in order to rescue her beloved city from destruction.
The Oath of Peace Having lost their mounts, the Dragonlords commissioned a fleet of warships and took to the seas. The greatest of these ships was called the Ultros, captained by one Estor Arkelander. He is said to have sailed into the very depths of the underworld where Lutheria sleeps upon her diamond throne. The other Dragonlords are said to have ascended Phraxys, the Tower of Sydon, where the Lord of Storms watches all.
Many songs are sung of the trials and troubles of the Dragonlords, but few can say what actually transpired during their final journey into the perils of the Forgotten Sea. The priests of Mytros watched for signs of the impending apocalypse. On the night of the winter solstice, when Thylea’s doom seemed near, the boiling seas suddenly calmed and the nightmares ended.
Some days later, a black ship sailed into the harbor of Mytros, carrying the bodies of many of the Dragonlords. The ship was captained by Damon, a powerful wizard who had served the Dragonlords during the First War. He was mortally wounded, but he uttered not a single word. He delivered three precious items to the Temple of the Five, and then vanished in his ship, along with the bodies and arms of his fallen masters.
One of the items that Damon carried was a scroll of parchment, upon which was written the Oath of Peace. This Oath was cause for great celebration. Sydon and Lutheria had sworn not to take vengeance upon the mortals of Thylea for a period of 500 years, provided that daily sacrifices to the Titans should resume, and that their temples should be maintained and honored.
The Present Day The Oath of Peace has prevailed for 500 years and, throughout this age, the mortals of Thylea have flourished. The City of Mytros grew into a great metropolis, and it has been protected by the twin Colossi, beacons of civilization on the shores of a dark frontier. More settlers came from beyond the Forgotten Sea, and the ranks of humans, dwarves, and elves grew. The remaining Dragonlords became kings and established dynasties to rule over the new cities that were founded across the land. As the worship of the Five spread, so also did their power over the land and oceans grow, until every village boasted shrines to Volkan and Pythor, and the dominion of Sydon and Lutheria was nearly forgotten.
The Five Gods loved their people and made sure to walk amongst them whenever they could. While five centuries may seem like an eternity, the time now grows near where this period of peace must finally come to an end.
The Oracle's Prophecy With the imminent end of the Oath of Peace, the Oracle has prophesied the Doom of Thylea: the death of the gods, the destruction of the sacred tree, and the total annihilation of all mortal races.
Players in this campaign will take on the role of a group of heroes who have been summoned to the Temple of the Oracle in an attempt to avert this catastrophe.
The Titans are divine powers native to Thylea. They have existed since the dawn of time.
Thylea, Great Mother of All | TN | Nature | Eternal Golden Ash Tree 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 Oldwood 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 |TN | Destruction | Spiral of Ten Stone Hands 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 | TN | Tempest | Lidless Black and Red Eye 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 | CE | Death | Crown of Black Antlers 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 races 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 demi-god children. They helped the Dragonlords and the mortal races to defeat Sydon and Lutheria during the First War. For centuries, they have blessed the mortal races, 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 | LG | Life, Light | Silver Dragon with Golden Eyes 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 | NG | Forge | Silver Anvil Wreathed in Blue Flame 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 | CG | War | Golden Hammer and Five Stars 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 demi-god children. A few centuries ago he became the king of the city of Estoria when he overthrew a mad tyrant.
Vallus, The Goddess of Wisdom | LG | Arcana, Knowledge | Silver-stringed Lute with Five Stars 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 races. 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 | CG | Trickery | Golden Laurel Wreath with Five Stars 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.
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 the race of 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 races 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 races. They are seen as being as dangerous as the centaur tribes or fey creatures of the Oldwood. The most feared of the barbarian tribes are the Amazons that dwell upon the island of Themis.
Factions of Thylea
Temple of the Five
Centurions of Mytros
The Academy at Mytros
The Temple of the Oracle
The Druids of Oldwood
The Order of Sydon
The Cult of the Snake
Lost Tribe of the Gygans
Centaurs of the Steppes
The Raving Ones
Traveling to Thylea
Adventurers who explore the oceans of their world to their farthest reaches will eventually discover the Maelstrom: a terrifying region of hurricanes, whirlpools, and jagged rocks. Drunken sailors often boast of death-defying encounters within the Maelstrom, but none who have sailed its waters have ever returned.
Adventurers who brave the Maelstrom must spend days battling storms, skirting whirlpools, and navigating through treacherous shoals. The passage is so intense that the crew is likely to be rendered unconscious. Lucky adventurers will awaken in calmer waters, under a cloudless sky—a glittering green expanse known as the Forgotten Sea.
The Forgotten Sea stretches for hundreds of miles in every direction, and it boasts hundreds of islands. Powerful ocean currents prevent ships from approaching these islands, and any attempt to do so will cause a ship to lose control and be smashed on a rocky shoreline.
Watchful sailors may glimpse strange things on the islands: impossibly tall humans in fine clothing, monstrous reptilian beasts, and great stone carvings in the shape of human faces. Intrepid explorers will eventually catch sight of a towering bronze colossus shining brightly on the horizon. This beacon serves to guide ships into the harbor of Mytros, the greatest city in Thylea.
Oaths are sworn between men and their kings all the time, but oaths between men and gods are rarer and more binding. Oaths sworn to powerful creatures of the Fey, or to demons and devils can be just as binding.
Oath of Peace
An oath of peace is one where a powerful creature or king demands that the person swearing the oath will commit no violence against them or any of their servants. There is almost always a time limit to such an oath. Sometimes the time limit can be weeks or months, but other times it may be years or centuries. An oath of peace is central to the story presented in this book.
Oath of Protection
An oath of protection is one in which a powerful individual is sworn to come to the aid of another in a time of great need. One of the most famous of these oaths in mythology is the oath that the Achaean kings swore to Menelaus, husband of Helen. The kings swore to assist Menelaus if anyone ever threatened Helen. When Menelaus called upon the kings to fulfill their oaths, the Trojan War was the result. An oath of protection requires the swearer to answer a call for aid as quickly as possible. Once the threat has been neutralized, the oath is fulfilled, and there is no further obligation. Failure to answer the call, or even allowing the other party to come to harm, will cause the oath giver to be branded an oathbreaker, and they too suffer the curse of the treacherous.
Oath of Service
An oath of service is an oath sworn by one individual to another. The swearer is required to perform one task, which does not need to be specified when the oath is sworn. Unlike the oath of protection, this task could be of any type: it may even require evil deeds, such as
Mortal Curses
Curses fall upon those who break oaths, break guest friendship, make deals with powerful evil creatures or anger the gods. Curses are not to be taken lightly: they publicly and clearly mark a hero’s untrustworthy quality for everyone to see.
Curse of the Harpy Any person afflicted with this curse will slowly transform into a harpy. It is sometimes invoked by powerful fey creatures such as hags or nymphs when an oath is unfulfilled, though sometimes the gods might punish a mortal with this curse. The only way to stop the transformation is through powerful divine magic.
Curse of the Medusa A person cursed in this fashion will slowly transform into a medusa. This curse usually comes from bargains made with devils and demons: a mortal might have been asking for beauty or eternal life, but instead was granted the terrifying form of a medusa. Sometimes, ancient fey creatures such as hags will transform a victim into a medusa, often simply for amusement. The transformation can be stopped with divine magic, but without intervention the victim will transform within a few weeks.
Curse of the Graverobber This curse is visited upon someone who takes any magical item from the grave of a hero blessed by the gods. Those afflicted by this curse cannot eat. After a number of days equal to their Constitution score, the cursed character will gain one level of exhaustion every day until they die from starvation. It is impossible for the person to get rid of the magical item that they stole, even by returning it to the correct grave. It will always return to their possession at midnight.
Curse of the Treacherous This curse afflicts those who abuse guest friendship or break powerful oaths. Those who violate the tenets of guest friendship are at risk of being cursed by the offended host or guest. Breaking an oath made to the gods will almost always cause the offending mortal to be cursed, but a person might also become cursed for breaking an oath to an especially powerful king, or even a pious beggar. The effect of this curse is directly related to the injustice of the offense.
The first thing you should decide is where your hero is from. Heroes who hail from Thylea will have a stake in her future—but outsiders may choose to quest only for some means to escape these shores. Player characters can be natives born in Thylea, or outsiders from overseas. Native characters should follow the guidelines below. Outsiders are those recently washed ashore from an ill-fated voyage across the great ocean, and can be of any race or class that exists in the world from whence they came.
Thylean Natives
Dwarves, elves, gnomes and halflings are all descended from the original settlers or an outsider who arrived during the last five centuries. Half-elves are descended from a union between a native elf and native human. Since there are no orcs on Thylea, all half-orcs come from a small community in Mytros that has existed since its founding. Tieflings can come from a union between a mortal spellcaster and a fiend. A dragonborn is someone who has the blood of the original bronze dragons in their veins. The children of the dragons usually take on the characteristics of the race of their mortal parent, but sometimes they are born with a strong tie to their draconic ancestors.
Thylean Names
Names in Thylea have a Greek flavor to them. This applies to both humans and non-human races. However, it is fine for players to choose names that follow a more traditional fantasy adventuring flavor or use something completely different: all of the native races are only a few centuries removed from their original homelands.
Use this section for inspiration to determine your hero’s personal history.
Barbarian—Tribal Warrior You come from the barbarian tribes on the margins of civilization. These tribes are made up of outsiders who occasionally washed up on the shores of Thylea in the centuries before the coming of the Dragonlords. Originally of all races and nationalities, your people fought on the side of the natives in the First War. Thus, you are treated with distrust by the civilized races.
Bard—Satyr Minstrel You are a wandering satyr minstrel, traveling across Thylea and sharing your music with whoever is willing to listen or play with you. You perform in the smoky taverns of human towns, and also in forest glades, for nymphs and other fey creatures.
Bard—Student of the Academy You are a student from the Academy in the city of Mytros. You learned from the masters there and have devoted yourself to knowledge, philosophy, beauty, and music.
Cleric—Priest of a Distant God You worship one of the gods of the world from outside of Thylea. The worship of this god was kept alive for generations within your family. Most view your veneration of an outside god with amusement, but there are those who think such worship should be stamped out.
Cleric—Priest of the Five Gods You worship the Five. You, and others like you, keep the faith alive by performing miracles and drawing upon the power of the Five. You are devoted to resisting the creeping influence of the Titans, Sydon and Lutheria.
Druid—Keeper of the Oldwood You are a member of the druidic order of the Oldwood. You are in tune with the mother goddess herself. You serve as an intermediary between the settlers and the native races of Thylea—satyrs, centaurs, and nymphs.
Druid—Centaur Mystic You are a centaur who believes that all races of Thylea can co-exist peacefully. You travel the human cities, spreading the faith of the mother goddess. It is a difficult life, as you are often confronted with fear and hatred.
Fighter—Warrior of Mytros You can come from almost any background: a warrior in the service of one of the kings, a retired veteran, or a member of the Mytros city guard. Whatever your station, by all the gods, you know how to fight.
Monk—Aresian Warrior You are a member of an ascetic sect of warriors who hail from the kingdom of Aresia. Aresians are considered the most dangerous warriors in all of Thylea, and you are proud of this reputation.
Paladin—Knight of the Five Gods You are one of the knights sworn to serve and protect the Five Gods. You were trained at the Temple of the Five in Mytros, and you are fiercely loyal to Queen Vallus, the goddess of wisdom.
Ranger—Amazon Warrior You are an Amazon from the island of Themis. You left the island when it was taken over by a death cult thirteen years ago. You are unfamiliar with the ways of men, simply because you have known very few of them.
Ranger—Oldwood Tracker You might belong to the druidic order of the Oldwood but, whether this is the case or not, you often work for one of the Thylean kings as a scout.
Rogue—Thief of Mytros You can have one of many origins: perhaps you are an outlaw who used to work with the thieves’ guild in Mytros; perhaps you recently quit a bandit gang or pirate crew; you might be a spy for one of the kings; or perhaps you grew up on the streets and are a self-taught practitioner of the light-fingered arts.
Sorcerer—Descendant of the Gods One of your ancestors was a god, and their power has manifested in your blood as an innate aptitude for magic.
Sorcerer—Exiled Satyr You are a satyr who was born with the gift of magic in your blood. Ostracized from your own people and driven from home, you left the fey lands to live amongst the civilized folk.
Warlock—Priest of Lutheria You once served as a priest of Lutheria. After leaving her service, you swore a pact with one of the dark powers that lurks in the Nether Sea.
Warlock—Servant of the Fates You are a servant of the three ancient witches who dwell on the Island of the Fates.
Wizard—Academy Philosopher You learned magic at the Academy in Mytros. After finishing your studies, you may have stayed at the Academy as a teacher—or perhaps you wandered abroad, seeking new magic.
One of the recurring themes of ancient Greek myths is that many heroes are “born of the gods.” Epic paths are designed to give players mythic archetypes for their heroes, so that they feel like divinely touched figures, such as Hercules, Achilles, Odysseus or Theseus.
Each player should choose one of the epic paths described in this section. This will determine their hero’s mythic context within the land of Thylea and influence relationships with her gods and people. Epic paths are different from standard backgrounds in that they are specific to this setting. They unlock new aspects of the adventure, including special relationships with story characters and access to specific magic items.
Players should choose a standard background in addition to their epic path. This will provide them with skills, tool proficiencies, languages and starting equipment. The flavor of the standard background should be enhanced or replaced by the description provided by the epic path.
Every epic path has a set of goals. While these goals are personal to each hero, they are supplementary to the overall goals of the adventure. When a hero accomplishes their goals, they become blessed by the gods. Each epic path has a different divine blessing that is granted upon completion of its goals.
There are also magic items listed under the goals for each of the epic paths. Some items may be located in distant parts of Thylea and must be found before they can be used. Other items may be forged or built, and a hero must discover how to build the item, find thenecessary components, and then find a forge where the work can be done. Heroes often have a choice between several magical items.
In addition to linking each hero to the divine powers of Thylea, epic paths are intended to help tie the heroes to the story in a powerful way. When you think of the greatest fantasy epics, the heroes always have strong ties to the story—special relationships with kings, queens, villains, and gods. The heroes of these stories are important for reasons that go much deeper than the powers and the items they wield.
Epic paths should not diminish player agency. Players are free to pursue the story hooks presented in each path in any way that the DM deems appropriate. They are also free to modify an epic path with the agreement of the DM
The Cursed One (Taken)
You come from a great family or tribe that has been cursed for centuries, owing to the actions of one of your distant ancestors, who angered the Titans. Whatever the nature of your curse, the stigma has haunted you for all your life. Wherever you go, you are shunned by the ignorant and the superstitious. As a result, you have felt like an outsider for all your life. You know that as long as you remain cursed, you will be incapable of living a full life. Moreover, you are not sure that your family or your tribe will survive for another generation unless you find a way to lift the curse.
For players who love: Cadmus, Atreus (Greek Tragedies) Restrictions: None. Adventure Hook: The Oracle reveals that she knows who can end the curse. Heroic Tasks • To end your family’s curse. • To find a family artifact that is key to ending the curse. Pick one lesser and one greater magic item from this list: ››(Lesser) Gem of Brightness: only you can attune. ››(Greater) Staff of Fire: can be any melee weapon. ››(Greater) Belt of Fire Giant Strength: this belt also grants resistance to fire. ››(Greater) Efreeti Bottle: only you can attune.
Divine Blessing
Blessing of the Gods. You and your direct family are immune to curses, diseases, and the poisoned condition.
Monstrous Races: Cursed One Monstrous races are especially compatible with this epic path, since many of them have been subjected to curses.
The Demi-God
You are a mortal child of Pythor, the god of battle. Your temper is legendary. From an early age, you demonstrated unnatural talent in everything that interested you.
You’ve never met your father, but your mother was a woman famed for both her beauty and her skill as a harpist. She was carried away by a green dragon when you were very young. A family of soldiers adopted you, and then raised you to be a mighty champion for the city of Mytros. You are a favorite child of the city, and bards already sing of your great deeds while travelling the Heartlands.
As a youth, the Oracle predicted a great destiny, one in which you might be able to join the pantheon alongside your divine father, who has recently fallen into despair and drunkenness. According to the Oracle, Pythor can be brought back from his drunken oblivion if you are able to achieve the three great labors that defeated him. You must find Pythor’s last great love (your mother), defeat his greatest foe, and finish building his greatest weapon. Do these tasks, and your father will be redeemed.
For players who love: Heracles, Kratos Restrictions: You must be a native to Thylea. Adventure Hook: You have been summoned by the Oracle due to your fame and divine heritage. Heroic Tasks • Find your mother (Ophea or a name created by you). • Defeat Pythor’s greatest foe. According to legend this is a green dragon known as Hexia. • Finish building Pythor’s greatest weapon. Choose either: ››Rod of Lordly Might; or ››Luck Blade (can be any type of sword)
Divine Blessing
Blessing of Health. Your Constitution score increases by 2, up to a maximum of 22.
Monstrous Races: Demi-God Pythor was known to take many forms, bedding both mortals and the native races of Thylea. As one of the monstrous races, you are unlikely to be a champion from Mytros. Instead, you are a champion of the Druids of Oldwood or one of the tribes of the steppes.
The Doomed One
You come from a famous and distinguished family with ancestors that include Dragonlords and gods. However, you had the misfortune of being born under a fell astrological sign, one that portended a doom of epic proportions. Your parents died shortly after you were born, under mysterious circumstances.
All your life you have been plagued by ill luck, and you have long suspected that your death will be as ugly as it is spectacular. The prophets and fortune tellers of Mytros make signs against evil when they see you in the street, and you have always been treated with prejudice and superstitious dread. Nevertheless, you’ve been called by fate to the Temple of the Oracle, and this can only mean that your nameless doom is now at hand. The Oracle has promised that your doom can be avoided, for she alone knows what will protect you.
For players who love: Achilles, Elric of Melniboné Restrictions: Must be a native to Thylea. Adventure Hook: The Oracle knows that your doom reflects the doom of the world. If you save yourself, you will be able to save the world. Heroic Tasks • To defeat the creature that has been fated to kill you. • To forge the one artifact that will protect you from your doom. These items provide resistance to all damage that originates from the creature that is fated to kill you. Choose one from the following list: ››Robe of the Archmagi ››Breastplate of Invulnerability ››Cloak of Invisibility
Divine Blessing
Blessing of Protection. You gain a +1 bonus to your AC and to all saving throws.
Monstrous Races: Doomed One Your ancestors are not Dragonlords; instead one of your ancestors is a Titan, such as Lutheria or Sydon.
The Dragonslayer
You have a tragic past. Something terrible happened to you when you were young, and it forced you to reckon with the darkness within much sooner than anyone should ever have to. This tragic event shaped your identity and drove you to become who you are today. You know that it was a dragon who was responsible for destroying your childhood. The dragon might have razed your village to the ground—or it might have ruined your life in more insidious ways while polymorphed into the shape of a man or woman. Either way, you wish to discover the identity and the location of the dragon so that you can seek it out and exact brutal vengeance upon it.
For players who love: Perseus, Turin Turambar Restrictions: None. Adventure Hook: The Oracle knows how to find the dragon that was responsible for your tragedy. Heroic Tasks • To kill the dragon responsible for your tragedy. • To find items that are key to killing dragons. Pick one lesser and one greater magic item from this list: ››(Lesser) Armor of Resistance—Fire: this can be any armor type. ››(Lesser) Ring of Resistance—Fire: only you can attune to this ring. ››(Greater) Dragonslayer: can be any melee weapon. ››(Greater) Quiver of Elhonna: includes five arrows of slaying (dragons) or bolts of slaying (dragons). ››(Greater) Wand of Binding: only you can attune.
Divine Blessing
Blessing of Dragon Slaying. You have advantage on all attacks against creatures with the dragon type. Creatures with the dragon type have disadvantage on saving throws against your spells.
Monstrous Races: Dragonslayer Monstrous races are especially compatible with this epic path, since many have ancient grudges against dragons.
The Gifted One
Ever since you were a child you’ve shown remarkable promise, effortlessly mastering every activity you’ve attempted. You have no explanation, but most people assume that you must have divine blood flowing through your veins. As you are from a common, or barbarian, family, you have been the target of seething envy from the children of the nobility and the wealthy who believe you do not deserve your gifts. You’ve therefore spent most of your life proving your worth. You want to achieve fame and fortune and have your name remembered down the ages. Mostly… you want to become a Dragonlord. If you could find a dragon egg and successfully hatch it, you could join the list of legendary heroes that are still remembered after five centuries. The call of the Oracle has given you an opportunity to prove your worth.
For players who love: Jason and the Argonauts, Daenerys Restrictions: Must be a native to Thylea. Adventure Hook: The Oracle promises that the prophecy will put you on the path to become a Dragonlord. Heroic Tasks • To found a new order of Dragonlords. To do so you must find the Fortress of the Dragonlords. This fortress is the magical item instant fortress. • To attune with one of the crowns of the dragonlords. This will allow you to cast the spells bond of the dragonlords and dirge of the dragonlords. • To find a dragon egg, hatch it and raise the dragon to be your companion.
Divine Blessing
Blessing of the Dragonlords. While mounted on a dragon, you gain that dragon’s damage resistances, damage immunities and senses (blindsight, darkvision and its passive perception if it is greater than yours). If the dragon is an adult or ancient dragon, you can also use its legendary resistance (but this counts towards the total number of uses per day).
Paladins: Oath of the Dragonlord Paladins who take the Oath of the Dragonlord probably shouldn't choose the Gifted One as their epic path, as they receive similar powers automatically.
The Haunted One(Taken)
You were once in possession of the rarest treasure in Thylea: a truly happy life. You had a loving partner, beautiful children, and lived in a great house in the city of Mytros. As the first child of a powerful family with godly lineage, you were destined to be the next ruler of Mytros. Then one day, everything changed. You returned home to find your house cold and empty. Your friends and neighbors have no memory of your family, almost as if they never existed. For a while, you struggled against insanity. Now you’ve resolved to find your family, whatever the cost. You’ll travel to the ends of the earth and fight the gods themselves if needed. You’ll do whatever it takes to bring back the people you love, even if everyone thinks you’re crazy.
For players who love: Orpheus, Harry Potter Restrictions: Must be a native to Thylea. Adventure Hook: The Oracle claims that saving the world and fulfilling the prophecy will give you answers about your family’s disappearance. Heroic Tasks • To be reunited with your family. • To reclaim your family name and legacy by tracking down your family artifacts. Pick one lesser and one greater family artifact from this list: ››(Lesser) Ring of Protection: this signet ring was worn by members of your lost family. ››(Lesser) Amulet of Health: this amulet is emblazoned with your family crest. ››(Lesser) Ioun Stone, Awareness: this stone was a jewel given to your ancestors by the gods. ››(Greater) Helm of Brilliance: this crown was worn by your ancestors, who were past rulers of Mytros. ››(Greater) Dancing Sword: this sword (it can be of any type) contains the soul of the family’s founder. ››(Greater) Rod of Absorption: this rod was always carried by the leader of your family.
Divine Blessing
Blessing of Magic Resistance. You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Monstrous Races: Haunted One You were the leader of a tribe of centaurs, satyrs, minotaurs, or sirens from the far reaches of the steppes. Your tribe vanished as if they had never existed.
The Lost One
You hail from a distant land, where your people worshiped foreign gods and spoke languages unknown to the people of Thylea. You sailed in search of the fabled treasures of the Dragonlords, but your ship and most of your crew were destroyed in a storm. Found by fishermen and brought to the city of Mytros, you discovered that your arrival had been prophesied by the Oracle.
You may not believe in any of the Oracle’s prophecies, but one thing is for certain: you are somehow stranded on Thylea’s shores, and your fate is now here. If the Oracle believes that you are one of the chosen few, then you must do what you can to help.
For players who love: Narnia, Wizard of Oz. Restrictions: Must be an explorer from distant lands. Adventure Hook: The Oracle thinks you have been sent from the outside world by the gods in order to fulfill the prophecy. Heroic Tasks • Find your surviving crew members. • Find a way to get back home. • Find the fabled treasures of the Dragonlords. The treasure trove includes three gems worth 10,000 gp (a diamond, a ruby, and a sapphire), 2,000 pp, and 10,000 gp. It also includes one item from the following list: ››Gem of Seeing ››Necklace of Prayer Beads ››Glamoured Studded Leather ››Rod of Rulership
Divine Blessing
Blessing of Luck. You may reroll any one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. You must use the second roll. The blessing cannot be used again until after a long rest (at least several nights’ sleep, as the DM decides).
Monstrous Races: Lost One You were a stranger in your own land, across the Forgotten Sea. The tribes of Thylea welcomed you as family, but you still wish to return to your homeland.
The Vanished One (Taken)
You are one of the Dragonlords, the legendary outside explorers who first discovered Thylea. You were present when the tiny settlement of Mytros was founded, but you’ve been missing for almost 500 years. During an expedition into the Cerulean Gulf, you fell victim to the irresistible charms of a nymph named Versi. You’ve spent the last five centuries in a waking dream, trapped in her cave with no knowledge of time passing or events on the mainland. Versi released her hold on you when you were called by fate to save Thylea, but she made you swear an oath to return to her once your quest is completed. Versi is known as the Oracle by most of the inhabitants of Thylea. Centuries of Leisure The time that you have spent with Versi has created gaps in your memory. You are no longer the great Dragonlord that you once were. You must relearn all of the skills lost to you.
For Players who love: Odysseus, Captain America Restrictions: Must be an explorer from distant lands. Adventure Hook: You are the Oracle’s favorite pet. Heroic Tasks • To find if you have any descendants. • To reclaim your title as a Dragonlord. In order to do this you must: ››Attune with one of the crowns of the dragonlords. This will allow you to cast the spells bond of the dragonlords and dirge of the dragonlords. ››Find a dragon egg, hatch it and raise the dragon to be your companion. • To get back your fabled armor. Choose one item from the following list: ››Boots of Speed: Emblazoned on the boots is the image of your old dragon mount. ››Dragon scale mail: Made from the scales, given willingly, of your old dragon mount. ››Cloak of the Bat: Only you can attune to this cloak. Instead of transforming into a bat, this cloak allows you to transform into a pseudodragon.
Paladins: Oath of the Dragonlord Paladins who take the Oath of the Dragonlord probably shouldn't choose the Vanished One as their epic path, as they receive similar powers automatically.
Divine Blessing
Blessing of the Dragonlords. While mounted on a dragon, you gain that dragon’s damage resistances, damage immunities and senses (blindsight, darkvision and its passive perception if it is greater than yours). If the dragon is an adult or ancient dragon, you can also use its legendary resistance (but this counts towards the total number of uses per day).
Monstrous Races: Vanished One You were not one of the Dragonlords. Instead, you were champion from one of the native tribes that were defeated by the Dragonlords. You want to claim the power of a dragon and rebuild the order to include all the diverse peoples of Thylea.
These additional races, spells, and subclasses will be made available in DnDBeyond to you once you've been accepted to the campaign. I have them in my homebrew collections, and I will create a campaign with content sharing so you can use them.
At the dawn of time, a war between the gods and Titans left the world of Thylea forever changed. Thousands of years later, the first mortals arrived, carried by ship and dragon.
The Dragonlords were the champions who overthrew the Titans 500 years ago and forged the Oath of Peace. But the power of the Oath has waned, and now the Titans seek vengeance.
You are one of the heroes called by prophecy to end the conflict once and for all. Poets will sing of your deeds for centuries to come... if you survive.
The future of Thylea looks grim. Monsters menace the roads, and corruption threatens the cities. The storm god Sydon demands daily sacrifices at every temple, and his sister-wife Lutheria kidnaps children for her secret rituals. The Five Gods, who once protected the settlers, are silent. And now, the Oracle has prophesied the Doom of Thylea: the death of gods, the destruction of Mytros, and the total annihilation of the mortal races. You are one of a group of warriors who have been summoned to the Heartlands in an attempt to avert this coming catastrophe. You each have reasons for answering the call, but rumors of your coming have already spread across the land.
Welcome all, to Odyssey of the Dragonlands, an epic greek-themed campaign designed to take characters from levels 1-15! I'm looking for 4-6 mythic heroes to answer the Oracle's call!
For character applications, please submit the following:
Character Name Race Class Backstory & Epic Path
For ability scores, choose from one of these six randomly rolled arrays: Ability scores: 131316141015 Ability scores: 151213161716 Ability scores: 151314151217 Ability scores: 161313141311 Ability scores: 11171216179 Ability scores: 111215101414
Name:Aelyn the Lost One Race: Human Class: Bard (Hopefully applying to Thylea's esteemed College of Epic Poetry one day) Backstory & Epic Path: Hailing from the distant lands of Arborea to the far north, Aelyn is a restless soul and an adventurer at heart, growing up with the stories of the fabled treasures of the Dragonlords of Thylea and joining a daring voyage across the seas with the ship the Mystral and a crew of like-minded friends and adventurers, the Mystralians, seeking treasures and epic tales to bring back home one day. Venturing across the seas and braving it's many dangers, the Mystralians found themselves caught by a tempestuous storm sent by the fickle god Sydon himself, sending the Mystral down under the roaring waves. As fate would have it, Aelyn found himself washed up on the shores of the very land he set out to find. With the help of friendly fishermen the young adventurer soon reached the the great city of Mytros, staying at the Golden Satyr Inn where he quickly learned the language and culture of this new strange land, earning his living by entertaining with his lyre and telling stories of his homeland and of the adventures of his journey to Thylea with his fellow Mystralians. He is however growing restless again and plans to soon set out to find any of his fellow Mystralians that might have survived Sydon's wrath, and of course to find the fabled treasure of the ancient Dragonlords of Thylea.
Backstory: A young acolyte of Mytros, Kierro's talent in magic and healing grew at a much faster pace than his peers in the Temple of the Five. All the better for the sick and hungry who visited - he loved to help people and inspire hope among them. Having studied history, Kierro idolized the dragonlords as beacons of hope in a dark universe and secretly dreamed of becoming one, though he remained humble. His place, for all he knew, was with the people he wanted to help.
All of that changed when the summons of the Oracle reached him. Prophecies of saving the world - he would do anything to avert a disaster that would take away the people he cared about. And becoming a dragonlord became more than a dream - a dragonlord was someone with remarkable power and respect. Someone who could save the doomed land, and more importantly be of more help than he could ever dream of - someone who people could look to for hope in hours of desperation.
edit: reading history and thinking abt my preferred character tendencies, can I worship the Lady of Dreams or are the Twin Titans wholly antagonist powers / too far in the past?
Backstory: Although FAR from a vanished champion of her people, Kylix does share one characteristic with the Vanished Ones: she believes heart and soul that the prophesied Dragon(lords) Reborn not only can but MUST include heroes from ALL the peoples who now call Thylea home, and would fight beside even a cyclopes if she saw reason to believe the cyclopes was truly noble in spite of what the world believes about them. (Consequently, she tends to be found in the company of tieflings, Doomed Ones, Cursed Ones, and outcasts of all varieties; however, her inherent sense of grace and style is often sufficient to win her (however grudging) acceptance in company that considers itself BETTER than that ... )
It is her passionate conviction that this is what the Oracle truly intends, the true spirit of the Oath of Peace, and that if this is not done Thylea is doomed to eternal war and tragedy. And since she is absolutely a classic satyr in her delight in the pleasures of all levels of a beings' being, and sees no reason why all even halfway decent sentient creatures should not live in a world that allows them to revel in the fullest delights of their bodies, minds, spirits, and hearts; and also fiercely believes in a good dose of wonder, magic(k) and dream ... as well as the more classic and reasoned Student of the Academy arts which she sees as intertwined and essential to their polar opposites in forming one whole of beauty, Art and Poetry ... to cure pretty much anything that ails ya -- well, given that, sure, she'd be willing to consider becoming a Dragonlord herself as long as it didn't cramp her style too much ... ;*) And one would advise against getting her talking on the subject unless you've got a couple months to spare and don't mind a conversation that's mostly one-sided though not with any intent to hurt your feelings and if you bring it up she'll be GLAD to let you talk for five minutes before unconsciously drifting back into supernova-eyed fulminations and murmurings that are only half spoken to you though again with absolutely no intention to hurt your feelings and she'd be genuinely distressed if you told her later how much of a conversation hog she'd been . . .
It is entirely possible, though she tries not to admit it to herself more than about once a fortnight, that the elegant ease with which all her Arts seem to have come to her might have SLIGHTLY tinged her outlook on these matters ...
Epic path: The Gifted One
Request: given backstory and character elements, the only ability array that really makes sense to me as balancing the need for CHA and DX with Kylix' approach as also respecting the powers of the INT, is the first one (assuming you list them in standard ability score order instead of an array where the numbers are assignable at will in which case ABSOLUTELY ignore this, I see a perfect one if I can just shuffle the numbers around. Trouble is, the first one bothers me as a long-seasoned RP-heavy preference player as being TOO uniformly good. Can I, assuming I can''t shuffle the scores around, LOWER one of the non-essential scores to make Kylix more interesting? Please? Maybe WIS, given the tendency to avoid self-reflection the last remark about "once a fortnight" implies.
Thanks for the reply below! Since I can shuffle them, I pick door #4:
For ability scores, choose from one of these six randomly rolled arrays:
Ability scores: 16121691215
Um ... also, Vallus and Kyrah seem to have gotten transposed in their alignments, or else this is a REALLY interesting expectation-challenging campaign, but traditionally I'd expect the goddess of trickery to be CG, not LG, and vice versa
As a self-proclaimed Greek mythology nerd, this looks amazing. Colour me intrigued!
Character Name: Lilaea
Race: Nymph (Naiad)
Class: Sorcerer (Demigod Origin - Tempest or Nature, still deciding.)
Backstory & Epic Path: The Cursed One Just outside the mighty kingdom of Mytros, nestled within the verdant forests and winding rivers, a naiad named Lilaea flourished. Her pale skin shone like moonlight, her cascading dark tresses shimmered like starlit waterfalls, and her eyes held the wisdom of ancient depths. Born of the sacred union between the nymph Chloris and an ancient river god, Lilaea possessed a rare beauty that captivated all who beheld her. But perhaps more enticing than her physical appeal was the nymphs' voice; a thing of pure enchantment and ethereal beauty. It was said that, when she spoke, her words flowed like the gentle babbling of a pristine river, carrying the soothing melodies of nature itself. It possessed a mesmerising resonance, as if every word she uttered carried the secrets and wisdom of the natural world, infused with a subtle echo of the unseen realms, as if it harmonised with the very essence of the river she called home. Her voice soon became something of a local legend; there were stories of men and women alike who had heard her voice and gone mad with desire, driven crazy by their love for the naiad and the need to listen to her blessed words.
Soon, these tales of ethereal allure reached the heavenly realm, catching the interest of one of the great gods. Enthralled by her delicate grace and enchanting melody, he descended from Mount Olympus and sought to win the heart of the enchanting naiad. With honeyed words and celestial melodies, the God declared his love for Lilaea, promising her eternal bliss in his divine embrace.
But Lilaea, though flattered by the god's attention, possessed a spirit untamed by the allure of celestial divinity. She revelled in the beauty of the natural world, her heart entwined with the whispering winds and bubbling streams. The god’s advances, though tempting, could not sway her from the path she had chosen—to remain forever connected to the earthly realm she cherished. And so, she turned him down.
Enraged by Lilaea’s rejection, the god’s pride swelled like a tempestuous storm. Blinded by anger and a wounded ego, he sought to punish the nymph for what he decided was vanity and hubris. Drawing upon his divine power, he channelled his wrath into a curse, directing it towards Lilaea’s soul. When she tried to speak, to defend herself against his accusations, she felt her voice seized by an unseen force. It was as if a celestial hand had clutched her throat, constricting her vocal cords, and robbing her of the power of speech. All that she could manage was a faint echo of the sounds around her, a whisper of sounds since past. No longer could her melodic voice grace the breezes or resonate through the forest's depths, enchanting mortals as she so desired. Her words, once a symphony of nature’s harmony, now destined to haunt the air as breathy reverberations, became a testament to her silenced spirit, an eternal reminder of her rejection of divine love.
In the wake of the curse, Lilaea, her heart heavy with sorrow, sought solace in the embrace of the untamed wilderness. Nestled amidst the dappled sunlight and gentle caress of the river's ripples, she found her sanctuary. With every sound, the silent echo of her muted voice reverberated through her being, a constant reminder of her silenced spirit. In the company of her fellow naiads, kindred spirits who understood the weight of her burden, and the ancient trees and their whispered wisdom, Lilaea withdrew into a self-imposed solitude. Within the depths of her river, her eyes mirrored a myriad of emotions left unspoken, a tragic wellspring of unexpressed longing for the past.
It was during this time of silent loneliness that the great oracle called to her, carrying the promise of liberation from the curse that held her captive. Intrigued and fueled by a newfound glimmer of hope, Lilaea emerged from the shadowy water, her resolve resolute and her spirit aflame. She was going to reclaim her voice and identity, even if it meant defying the gods themselves.
Request: given backstory and character elements, the only ability array that really makes sense to me as balancing the need for CHA and DX with Kylix' approach as also respecting the powers of the INT, is the first one (assuming you list them in standard ability score order instead of an array where the numbers are assignable at will in which case ABSOLUTELY ignore this, I see a perfect one if I can just shuffle the numbers around. Trouble is, the first one bothers me as a long-seasoned RP-heavy preference player as being TOO uniformly good. Can I, assuming I can''t shuffle the scores around, LOWER one of the non-essential scores to make Kylix more interesting? Please?
Um ... also, Vallus and Kyrah seem to have gotten transposed in their alignments, or else this is a REALLY interesting expectation-challenging campaign, but traditionally I'd expect the goddess of trickery to be CG, not LG, and vice versa
It's fixed. The scores in the array are assignable however you wish.
Character Name: Ruby Smallclaw Race: Kobold Class: Warlock (The Fathomless) Backstory & Epic Path: Ruby started her life as a happy little Kobold living in a tiny tribe somewhere far across the sea, knowing nothing of the goings on in Thylea. But everything changed one day when she was out by the sea collecting shells, and she had the misfortune of being spotted by a sailor from a strange ship beached nearby. She was snatched up by the sailor and slapped in chains, destined for a life of slavery in some strange land, never to see her home and her family again.
And then... something happened. As the ship sailed towards gods-know where, the ship hit a terrible storm. The ship capsized, most of the crew of slavers and fellow slaves were killed in the wreck. Ruby was trapped in an air pocket, knowing all too well that it was only a matter of time before her little sanctuary filled with water or simply ran out of air. But fate had other plans for her. An ancient being of the deep saw her plight, and offered her a chance to escape her watery grave. A few hours later, Ruby woke to find herself on the shore of a strange land, still shivering in terror from her brush with death.
When she was found by a kindly fisherman, he took her back to the city of Mytros. To the kobold's absolute shock, when the fisherman took her to the temple to find temporary shelter the priests immediately brought her to the Oracle, who told her that in spite of her humble beginning, she had a great role to play in this world. And for a chance to return home, Ruby was willing to play whatever role she had to.
Epic Path: The Lost One (I think that's the closest option, even if she didn't set out on her journey willingly).
Oh lovely, thank you so much :D. And I've resolved the conflict in her soul by making her a follower of Vallus with a strong pull towards Kyrrah and an almost equally strong revulsion at what uptight bleeping prudes most of her worshiippers tend to be about matters of "LAW" and "PRINCIPLE" and boring stuff like that...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
It was once said that when you gave a man a the job he wanted, the money to be comfortable, the satisfaction of a lovers embrace, and the comfort of a home, then he would soften, and conquest would flee his veins.
Adonis lounged amongst sheets of satin and silk beneath the canopy of a bed that was curtained in lavish gossamer. The sweet smoke of tobacco and hashish clung to the air like acrid perfume, gently rolling and settling about the room as the muscled Goliath reclined in the bed and laid one arm behind his head amongst the dreadlocks that flowed from his head. When he had come from...from...from the parts unknown, scrubbed from his memory by the sands of time...he had shaved his head, displaying the tattoos that were the pride of his people.
Now all that was behind him...
It was once said that when a man carried a weapon of war for many years, and then hung it above his hearth upon his return home, and believed that he was done with the weapon, that no matter what he did with his hands for the rest of his days- caress a lover- hold his child- build a life- his hands shall never forget the heft, the weight, the feel of the weapon, or the conduct of the battle.
He could no longer remember why he woke up sweating in the middle of the night with his posh bed clothes clinging to his body. He would never forget, though, the feeling of the hundreds of fingers that had smoothed his skin, traced his scars and tattoos, and especially not those of Versi, his lover, the nymph who had lured him in from his conquests, tamed him, that made him shudder and gasp like no one ever had before and who owned his body, his mind, his soul...
His heart.
And now as his lover crawled into the bed, came to him, planted a passionate kiss on his lips, Adonis knew this man, this nymph, owned him in a way that no one ever would again. Gone from his mind were the memories of the battle's din, the exhileration of a felled enemy or a conquered land, a subjugated people. Away the recollection of coming to Thylea had gone, as well as the memory of the wind against his face as he soared the skies on dragonback...
It was once said that one man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world will be better for this.
Time was a concept that had lost all meaning to Adonis as Versi held him in his supple arms. How long he'd had the pleasure of knowing his lover had been lost to him just as most of his memories had been.
But then the oracle's call came.
And the waking dream slowly ended.
And Versi put the leatherbound notebook of memories gently into Adonis's hand before Adonis. And Adonis reached up to the hearth that Versi had raised for him, and he pulled down the weapon, and his hands remembered what his mind could not.
His arms wrapped around Versi, and his mouth found his, and when their kiss was done, he vowed that when he was finished, he would return...
It was once said It is impossible to make men who you want them to be; you must use them as they are...
Hi!
I took a little liberty with Versi in this version of Adonis's history and made the NPC / character male. BUT, this doesn't need to be set in stone and is adjustable. We can discuss if it creates an issue.
Adonis will be Herculean Path Barbarian who is slowly uncovering his memories after 500 years of bliss. He has become accustomed to peace, and his only goal it to complete the task placed on his shoulders by the Oracle so that he may return to the life of pleasure and the embrace of Versi, where he has become content to stay.
He *might* take a dip in Fighter, but I'm not 100% sure of this.
Character Name: Ethimei Race: Thylean Nymph (Aurae) Class: Druid (future Circle of Sacrifice) Backstory & Epic Path: The Dragonslayer Ethimei was born in the lands far away from the mortal kingdoms. When she emerged from her cocoon, she found nobody. Nothing. All her predecessors and all her would be brothers and sisters were nowhere to be found. Lost and disoriented, she knew deep inside that this was not the way things were supposed to be. But she didn't know what to do.
After some harrowing time alone, she came across a tribe of centaurs that helped her. Unofficially, she became a part of their group and learned the ways of the druidic order of the Oldwood.
Life was fine amongst her centaur friends, but she also knew she was different and longed to know what had happened. This led her to travel the wilds a bit.
In time, she pieced together small bits of what happened from other fey that she met. She still does not know the reason, but it is clear that the culprit was a dragon, trying to disguise itself in a human form.
It had come and took all who should have been her companions. From all descriptions, they were destroyed. Surely Ethimei would have been destroyed too if not for the intervention of fate. Those who claim to have observed what happened describe some aracane event. But she's never quite figured out any details.
However, as she has traveled, she has felt the call of the mother goddess. It has caused a fascination to grow in her for all things of the civilized world. Though unfamiliar with humans and those other beings, there is now a desire in her to learn more. The voice of her mother urges her to teach others about her and thus learn to live together.
Even with this new call, Ethimei is still dedicated to determining which dragon was responsible for all that happened and finding ways to get vengeance. Having heard the Oracle knows of the dragon, she is now eager to go see what she must do to gain this knowledge. Perhaps this is even a sign from the mother goddess on the path she needs to take.
This work is not mine - it is an adventure book published by Arcanum Worlds. I do not know the rules to posting outside links, but you can find the Odyssey of the Dragonlords Player's Guide for free through google(legally, on the official website where the Adventure Book is purchased).
Odyssey of the Dragonlords Primer
Ancient Thylea
For many ages, Thylea was a wilderness of centaurs, satyrs, cyclopes, and other creatures who worshipped their native gods, the Titans. Mortals who came to Thylea lived in small, defenseless tribes—until the arrival of the Dragonlords.
The Dragonlords
The Dragonlords were an order of heroic, dragon-riding mortals who came to Thylea five centuries ago. They initiated the First War against the Titans and defeated their armies. Most of the Dragonlords and their dragons were killed during this conflict.
The Five Gods
When all seemed lost, the mortals of Thylea were saved by the sudden appearance of the Five Gods, who walked the land in mortal guise. They forced the Titans into a temporary truce, called the Oath of Peace.
The Oath of Peace
The Oath of Peace has prevented open warfare with the Titans for five hundred years. But now, the truce is ending. The power of the Five Gods wanes, and the Titans prepare to wage war upon mortals once again.
The Oracle's Prophecy
At the beginning of the story, the heroes are chosen by the Oracle to confront the ancient Titans and end the conflict once and for all. This requires them to fulfill the Oracle's prophecy and rebuild the ancient order of the Dragonlords.
Themes
Gods and Kings
Mythic heroes have dealings with the gods, almost as a matter of course. The gods are not always nice. They are jealous, capricious, cruel, generous, vengeful, kind, vicious, forgetful, thoughtless, lusty, selfish, passionate, and generally all-too-human in their ways. They do not know everything and cannot control everything, but within their spheres of influence, they are awesome, terrible, and dangerous. It’s a foolish mortal who disrespects the gods. The wisest heroes acknowledge the power of the gods over every aspect of life. Mythic heroes must also contend with the will of mortal kings and queens. Earth-shattering events demand action from the most powerful rulers from across the land, but their hands are often bound by the
vagaries of fate. Sometimes, they are forced to take up arms and join the quest themselves, but more often they must depend upon the might of famous heroes.
Oaths and Curses
Mythic heroes are often bound to their quest by powerful oaths. Oaths are inviolable sacred vows that are sworn only in the most serious of circumstances. Oaths have a powerful, far-reaching effect on society. They may create peace between the gods, promote unbreakable fellowships, and even instigate bloody wars. No mortal of sound mind would ever dare break
an oath, lest they be afflicted by terrible curses. To be cursed by the gods is to be cursed by the land itself. Food turns to dust in the mouths of those who are cursed. Harpies peck out their eyes, and their souls are dragged screaming into the Underworld. For this reason, even the bravest of heroes fear the consequences of breaking an oath. The gods, on the other hand, are literally incapable of breaking their oaths, for they are made from the same magic that binds and enforces them.
Fame and Hubris
All great heroes seek to increase their fame. This may sound like vanity, but within a mythic context, fame is essential to achieving one's goals. Famous heroes may summon warriors to their aid, influence the opinions of the masses, and even demand audiences with the gods. Though seeking it may shorten one's life, fame is the most direct route to immortality. But the danger of increasing one's fame is hubris. Excessive pride, or hubris, leads to the downfall and destruction of many famous heroes who overestimate their abilities—or who underestimate the gods.
Fate and Prophecy
Mythic heroes are subject to the forces of fate and prophecy in equal measure. Fate directs the lives of both gods and mortals, and though she is the greatest of all mysteries, she is also cruel to those who defy her. The greatest gift she gives us is the gift of prophecy. Prophecies reveal paths that would otherwise be hidden to us—paths which allow us to rise to our fate,
rather than be destroyed by it. Such paths are often dangerous, and walking them may seem like madness, but that is the task of the mythic hero. To dismiss prophecy and spurn one's fate is hubris of the highest order.
Comedy and Tragedy
In the end, the story of a mythic hero falls into one of two categories. Those who win fame by rising to their fate and honoring their oaths may be forced to make tragic sacrifices, but they will be happier in the end. On the other hand, those who turn from fate, break their oaths, and curse the gods will meet tragic endings, even if their lives are happier in the short run.
In other words, mythic heroism means rising to the challenges that fate throws at you, even when the gods themselves work against you. It means losing yourself in the wilderness for decades, only to return in glory when your enemies least expect it. It also means betraying your loved ones, overthrowing rightful kings because of petty grievances, and discovering that you were a pawn of prophecy all along. Mythic heroes do not lead easy lives, but they do lead dramatic ones. It's not just the victories that make their adventures memorable—it's the failures, also.
The History of Thylea
Arrival of Mortals
In the centuries before the founding of Mytros, mortals had no dominion over the untamed lands of Thylea. When elves, dwarves, and humans washed up on Thylea’s shores, their weapons failed them, and their magic ceased to work. They were forsaken by their gods, forced to live as beggars among the fey races.
Curious about these strange refugees, the nymphs and satyrs offered them hospitality, and many small settlements were founded. The centaurs, however, offered them no quarter, and the cyclopes were known to devour men whole. Life in Thylea was short and brutal for the so-called ‘trespassers’ from foreign lands.
During this era, the Twin Titans wielded great powers, unlike anything seen since the dawn of time. Sydon was venerated as the Lord of Storms. He could conjure apocalyptic storms with his right hand and cataclysmic earthquakes with his left hand. His sister-wife Lutheria held dominion over the land of dreams, and her voice was said to give life to the dead. Fearing eradication, the desperate mortal settlers built shrines to Sydon and held feasts in Lutheria’s honor. Thousands of sacrifices were dedicated to the Lord of Storms, and libations of wine were poured to the Lady of Dreams at every meal. The twins were at first unswayed but, over time, they warmed to the persistent worship of the hapless settlers.
In exchange for this devotion, the Titans offered the mortals oaths of protection, which shielded them from the worst ravages of the centaurs and cyclopes. The settlements survived, but they were always at the mercy of the Twins. So it remained for many hundreds of years.
Arrival of the Dragonlords
One fateful day, a flight of powerful bronze dragons arrived on Thylea’s shores, each bearing a great champion from the Old World. These were the legendary warriors known as the Dragonlords, and they heralded an upheaval that would forever change the history of the Forgotten Land.
Within just a few years of their arrival, many small cities were founded, and a half-dozen small kingdoms sprang up along the roads of the western reaches. The Dragonlords founded powerful dynasties, and the humble mortals who had once lived in terror of the Titans now abandoned their temples and stood tall.
The Dragonlords were symbols of hope for a beleaguered people. Whenever any mortal settlement was razed to the ground by roving centaurs and cyclopes, the Dragonlords would repay the attackers in kind. Through harsh winters, blistering summers, and relentless assaults by the native races, the Dragonlords fought tirelessly, and the people of Thylea persevered.
Everywhere the dragons were greeted with shouts of adulation. When spotted flying overhead, they would be hailed as saviors, and great songs and feasts would be held in their honor. They were radiant to behold, bronze scales gleaming like fire. To be visited by one of the dragons was to be blessed; and nowhere was more blessed than the City of Mytros.
But the great powers that ruled Thylea grew jealous Sydon and Lutheria, the Twin Titans, immortal children of the mother goddess, amassed great armies to eradicate the city. The Dragonlords responded by gathering all the mortals in Thylea into a united assault on the native races, and so began the First War.
The First War
The histories of the First War are vague, having been passed down through the centuries in the form of decaying scrolls and tapestries. What is known for certain is that the native races were driven into exile. The centaurs retreated into the steppes, while the satyrs fled into the forests. The Gygans, an ancient civilization of cyclopes, were annihilated, leaving behind the crumbling ruins of their fallen cities.
The cost of victory was great: by the time the war ended, the last of the dragons had been killed defending the city they loved most. Although the Dragonlords are remembered as the great heroes of this age, their noble dragons came to be equally venerated as guardian spirits. The blood of their sacrifice is woven into the stones of Mytros, and to this day the city is said to glow radiant bronze at sunset.
Perhaps most miraculous of all, however, was the appearance of the Five Gods. These immortal figures descended from heaven when the tide had turned against the Dragonlords. Some have claimed that they were manifestations of Thylea’s own desire to protect her immigrant children. They took the form of mortal men and women, but their eyes were alight with the fire of divinity.
Each of these new gods manifested some portion of the power that had once belonged to the Titans. Pythor, the Lord of Battle, took command of the centurions of Mytros and, after many gruesome battles, the armies of the native races were broken. When the final spear had been thrust into the heart of the Gygan King, the Five Gods fell into a torpor, apparently to recover their strength. The city, it seemed, was safe.
But Sydon and Lutheria swore vengeance. The mountains shook, the seas boiled with rage, and spine-chilling nightmares descended upon the mortal armies. Such was the anger of the Titans that their retaliation threatened to sunder the very foundations of Thylea. In the end, Mytros, the goddess of dawn, sacrificed herself and ascended once more to the heavens in order to rescue her beloved city from destruction.
The Oath of Peace
Having lost their mounts, the Dragonlords commissioned a fleet of warships and took to the seas. The greatest of these ships was called the Ultros, captained by one Estor Arkelander. He is said to have sailed into the very depths of the underworld where Lutheria sleeps upon her diamond throne. The other Dragonlords are said to have ascended Phraxys, the Tower of Sydon, where the Lord of Storms watches all.
Many songs are sung of the trials and troubles of the Dragonlords, but few can say what actually transpired during their final journey into the perils of the Forgotten Sea. The priests of Mytros watched for signs of the impending apocalypse. On the night of the winter solstice, when Thylea’s doom seemed near, the boiling seas suddenly calmed and the nightmares ended.
Some days later, a black ship sailed into the harbor of Mytros, carrying the bodies of many of the Dragonlords. The ship was captained by Damon, a powerful wizard who had served the Dragonlords during the First War. He was mortally wounded, but he uttered not a single word. He delivered three precious items to the Temple of the Five, and then vanished in his ship, along with the bodies and arms of his fallen masters.
One of the items that Damon carried was a scroll of parchment, upon which was written the Oath of Peace. This Oath was cause for great celebration. Sydon and Lutheria had sworn not to take vengeance upon the mortals of Thylea for a period of 500 years, provided that daily sacrifices to the Titans should resume, and that their temples should be maintained and honored.
The Present Day
The Oath of Peace has prevailed for 500 years and, throughout this age, the mortals of Thylea have flourished. The City of Mytros grew into a great metropolis, and it has been protected by the twin Colossi, beacons of civilization on the shores of a dark frontier. More settlers came from beyond the Forgotten Sea, and the ranks of humans, dwarves, and elves grew. The remaining Dragonlords became kings and established dynasties to rule over the new cities that were founded across the land. As the worship of the Five spread, so also did their power over the land and oceans grow, until every village boasted shrines to Volkan and Pythor, and the dominion of Sydon and Lutheria was nearly forgotten.
The Five Gods loved their people and made sure to walk amongst them whenever they could. While five centuries may seem like an eternity, the
time now grows near where this period of peace must finally come to an end.
The Oracle's Prophecy
With the imminent end of the Oath of Peace, the Oracle has prophesied the Doom of Thylea: the death of the gods, the destruction of the sacred tree, and the total annihilation of all mortal races.
Players in this campaign will take on the role of a group of heroes who have been summoned to the Temple of the Oracle in an attempt to avert this catastrophe.
The Powers of Thylea
The Ancient Titans
The Titans are divine powers native to Thylea. They have existed since the dawn of time.
Thylea, Great Mother of All | TN | Nature | Eternal Golden Ash Tree
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 Oldwood 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 |TN | Destruction | Spiral of Ten Stone Hands
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 | TN | Tempest | Lidless Black and Red Eye
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 | CE | Death | Crown of Black Antlers
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 races 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 demi-god children. They helped the Dragonlords and the mortal races to defeat Sydon and Lutheria during the First War. For centuries, they have blessed the mortal races, 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 | LG | Life, Light | Silver Dragon with Golden Eyes
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 | NG | Forge | Silver Anvil Wreathed in Blue Flame
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 | CG | War | Golden Hammer and Five Stars
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 demi-god children. A few centuries ago he became the king of the city of Estoria when he overthrew
a mad tyrant.
Vallus, The Goddess of Wisdom | LG | Arcana, Knowledge | Silver-stringed Lute with Five Stars
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 races. 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 | CG | Trickery | Golden Laurel Wreath with Five Stars
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.
The Mortal Kingdoms
The Kindom 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 the race of 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 races 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 races. They are seen as being as dangerous as the centaur tribes or fey creatures of the Oldwood. The most feared of the barbarian tribes are the Amazons that dwell upon the island of Themis.
Factions of Thylea
Traveling to Thylea
Adventurers who explore the oceans of their world to their farthest reaches will eventually discover the Maelstrom: a terrifying region of hurricanes, whirlpools, and jagged rocks. Drunken sailors often boast of death-defying encounters within the Maelstrom, but none who have sailed its waters have ever returned.
Adventurers who brave the Maelstrom must spend days battling storms, skirting whirlpools, and navigating through treacherous shoals. The passage is so intense that the crew is likely to be rendered unconscious. Lucky adventurers will awaken in calmer waters, under a cloudless sky—a glittering green expanse known as the Forgotten Sea.
The Forgotten Sea stretches for hundreds of miles in every direction, and it boasts hundreds of islands. Powerful ocean currents prevent ships from approaching these islands, and any attempt to do so will cause a ship to lose control and be smashed on a rocky shoreline.
Watchful sailors may glimpse strange things on the islands: impossibly tall humans in fine clothing, monstrous reptilian beasts, and great stone carvings in the shape of human faces. Intrepid explorers will eventually catch sight of a towering bronze colossus shining brightly on the horizon. This beacon serves to guide ships into the harbor of Mytros, the greatest city in Thylea.
Sacred Oaths
Oaths are sworn between men and their kings all the time, but oaths between men and gods are rarer and more binding. Oaths sworn to powerful creatures of the Fey, or to demons and devils can be just as binding.
Oath of Peace
An oath of peace is one where a powerful creature or king demands that the person swearing the oath will commit no violence against them or any of their servants. There is almost always a time limit to such an oath. Sometimes the time limit can be weeks or months, but other times it may be years or centuries. An oath of peace is central to the story presented in this book.
Oath of Protection
An oath of protection is one in which a powerful individual is sworn to come to the aid of another in a time of great need. One of the most famous of these oaths in mythology is the oath that the Achaean kings swore to Menelaus, husband of Helen. The kings swore to assist Menelaus if anyone ever threatened Helen. When Menelaus called upon the kings to fulfill their oaths, the Trojan War was the result.
An oath of protection requires the swearer to answer a call for aid as quickly as possible. Once the threat has been neutralized, the oath is fulfilled, and there is no further obligation. Failure to answer the call, or even allowing the other party to come to harm, will cause the oath giver to be branded an oathbreaker, and they too suffer the curse of the treacherous.
Oath of Service
An oath of service is an oath sworn by one individual to another. The swearer is required to perform one task, which does not need to be specified when the oath is sworn. Unlike the oath of protection, this task could be of any type: it may even require evil deeds, such as
Mortal Curses
Curses fall upon those who break oaths, break guest friendship, make deals with powerful evil creatures or anger the gods. Curses are not to be taken lightly: they publicly and clearly mark a hero’s untrustworthy quality for everyone to see.
Curse of the Harpy
Any person afflicted with this curse will slowly transform into a harpy. It is sometimes invoked by powerful fey creatures such as hags or nymphs when an oath is unfulfilled, though sometimes the gods might punish a mortal with this curse. The only way to stop the transformation is through powerful divine magic.
Curse of the Medusa
A person cursed in this fashion will slowly transform into a medusa. This curse usually comes from bargains made with devils and demons: a mortal might have been asking for beauty or eternal life, but instead was granted the terrifying form of a medusa. Sometimes, ancient fey creatures such as hags will transform a victim into a medusa, often simply for amusement. The transformation can be stopped with divine magic, but without intervention the victim will transform within a few weeks.
Curse of the Graverobber
This curse is visited upon someone who takes any magical item from the grave of a hero blessed by the gods. Those afflicted by this curse cannot eat. After a number of days equal to their Constitution score, the cursed character will gain one level of exhaustion every day until they die from starvation. It is impossible for the person to get rid of the magical item that they stole, even by returning it to the correct grave. It will always
return to their possession at midnight.
Curse of the Treacherous
This curse afflicts those who abuse guest friendship or break powerful oaths. Those who violate the tenets of guest friendship are at risk of being cursed by the offended host or guest. Breaking an oath made to the gods will almost always cause the offending mortal to be cursed, but a person might also become cursed for breaking an oath to an especially powerful king, or even a pious beggar. The effect of this curse is directly related
to the injustice of the offense.
Creating Mythic Heroes
The first thing you should decide is where your hero is from. Heroes who hail from Thylea will have a stake in her future—but outsiders may choose to quest only for some means to escape these shores. Player characters can be natives born in Thylea, or outsiders from overseas. Native characters should follow the guidelines below. Outsiders are those recently
washed ashore from an ill-fated voyage across the great ocean, and can be of any race or class that exists in the world from whence they came.
Thylean Natives
Dwarves, elves, gnomes and halflings are all descended from the original settlers or an outsider who arrived during the last five centuries. Half-elves are descended from a union between a native elf and native human. Since there are no orcs on Thylea, all half-orcs come from a small community in Mytros that has existed since its founding. Tieflings can come from a union between a mortal spellcaster and a fiend. A dragonborn is someone who has the blood of the original bronze dragons in their veins. The children of the dragons usually take
on the characteristics of the race of their mortal parent, but sometimes they are born with a strong tie to their draconic ancestors.
Thylean Names
Names in Thylea have a Greek flavor to them. This applies to both humans and non-human races. However, it is fine for players to choose names that follow a more traditional fantasy adventuring flavor or use something completely different: all of the native races are only a few centuries removed from their original homelands.
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.
Thylean Backstories
Use this section for inspiration to determine your hero’s personal history.
Barbarian—Tribal Warrior
You come from the barbarian tribes on the margins of civilization. These tribes are made up of outsiders who occasionally washed up on the shores of Thylea in the centuries before the coming of the Dragonlords. Originally of all races and nationalities, your people fought on the side of the natives in the First War. Thus, you are treated with distrust by the civilized races.
Bard—Satyr Minstrel
You are a wandering satyr minstrel, traveling across Thylea and sharing your music with whoever is willing to listen or play with you. You perform in the smoky taverns of human towns, and also in forest glades, for nymphs and other fey creatures.
Bard—Student of the Academy
You are a student from the Academy in the city of Mytros. You learned from the masters there and have devoted yourself to knowledge, philosophy, beauty, and music.
Cleric—Priest of a Distant God
You worship one of the gods of the world from outside of Thylea. The worship of this god was kept alive for generations within your family. Most view your veneration of an outside god with amusement, but there are those who think such worship should be stamped out.
Cleric—Priest of the Five Gods
You worship the Five. You, and others like you, keep the faith alive by performing miracles and drawing upon the power of the Five. You are devoted to resisting the creeping influence of the Titans, Sydon and Lutheria.
Druid—Keeper of the Oldwood
You are a member of the druidic order of the Oldwood. You are in tune with the mother goddess herself. You serve as an intermediary between the settlers and the native races of Thylea—satyrs, centaurs, and nymphs.
Druid—Centaur Mystic
You are a centaur who believes that all races of Thylea can co-exist peacefully. You travel the human cities, spreading the faith of the mother goddess. It is a difficult life, as you are often confronted with fear and hatred.
Fighter—Warrior of Mytros
You can come from almost any background: a warrior in the service of one of the kings, a retired veteran, or a member of the Mytros city guard. Whatever your station, by all the gods, you know how to fight.
Monk—Aresian Warrior
You are a member of an ascetic sect of warriors who hail from the kingdom of Aresia. Aresians are considered the most dangerous warriors in all of Thylea, and you are proud of this reputation.
Paladin—Knight of the Five Gods
You are one of the knights sworn to serve and protect the Five Gods. You were trained at the Temple of the Five in Mytros, and you are fiercely loyal to Queen Vallus, the goddess of wisdom.
Ranger—Amazon Warrior
You are an Amazon from the island of Themis. You left the island when it was taken over by a death cult thirteen years ago. You are unfamiliar with the ways of men, simply because you have known very few of them.
Ranger—Oldwood Tracker
You might belong to the druidic order of the Oldwood but, whether this is the case or not, you often work for one of the Thylean kings as a scout.
Rogue—Thief of Mytros
You can have one of many origins: perhaps you are an outlaw who used to work with the thieves’ guild in Mytros; perhaps you recently quit a bandit gang or pirate crew; you might be a spy for one of the kings; or perhaps you grew up on the streets and are a self-taught practitioner of the light-fingered arts.
Sorcerer—Descendant of the Gods
One of your ancestors was a god, and their power has manifested in your blood as an innate aptitude for magic.
Sorcerer—Exiled Satyr
You are a satyr who was born with the gift of magic in your blood. Ostracized from your own people and driven from home, you left the fey lands to live amongst the civilized folk.
Warlock—Priest of Lutheria
You once served as a priest of Lutheria. After leaving her service, you swore a pact with one of the dark powers that lurks in the Nether Sea.
Warlock—Servant of the Fates
You are a servant of the three ancient witches who dwell on the Island of the Fates.
Wizard—Academy Philosopher
You learned magic at the Academy in Mytros. After finishing your studies, you may have stayed at the Academy as a teacher—or perhaps you wandered abroad, seeking new magic.
Epic Paths
One of the recurring themes of ancient Greek myths is that many heroes are “born of the gods.” Epic paths are designed to give players mythic archetypes for their heroes, so that they feel like divinely touched figures, such as Hercules, Achilles, Odysseus or Theseus.
Each player should choose one of the epic paths described in this section. This will determine their hero’s mythic context within the land of Thylea and influence relationships with her gods and people. Epic paths are different from standard backgrounds in that they are specific to this setting. They unlock new aspects of the adventure, including special relationships with story characters and access to specific magic items.
Players should choose a standard background in addition to their epic path. This will provide them with skills, tool proficiencies, languages and starting equipment. The flavor of the standard background should be enhanced or replaced by the description provided by the epic path.
Every epic path has a set of goals. While these goals are personal to each hero, they are supplementary to the overall goals of the adventure. When a hero accomplishes their goals, they become blessed by the gods. Each epic path has a different divine blessing that is granted upon completion of its goals.
There are also magic items listed under the goals for each of the epic paths. Some items may be located in distant parts of Thylea and must be found before they can be used. Other items may be forged or built, and a hero must discover how to build the item, find thenecessary components, and then find a forge where the work can be done. Heroes often have a choice between several magical items.
In addition to linking each hero to the divine powers of Thylea, epic paths are intended to help tie the heroes to the story in a powerful way. When you think of the greatest fantasy epics, the heroes always have strong ties to the story—special relationships with kings, queens, villains, and gods. The heroes of these stories are important for reasons that go much deeper than the powers and the items they wield.
Epic paths should not diminish player agency. Players are free to pursue the story hooks presented in each path in any way that the DM deems appropriate. They are also free to modify an epic path with the agreement of the DM
The Cursed One(Taken)You come from a great family or tribe that has been cursed for centuries, owing to the actions of one of your distant ancestors, who angered the Titans. Whatever the nature of your curse, the stigma has haunted you for all your life. Wherever you go, you are shunned by the ignorant and the superstitious. As a result, you have felt like an outsider for all your life. You know that as long as you remain cursed, you will be incapable of living a full life. Moreover, you are not sure that your family or your tribe will survive for another generation unless you find a way to lift the curse.
For players who love: Cadmus, Atreus (Greek Tragedies)
Restrictions: None.
Adventure Hook: The Oracle reveals that she knows who can end the curse.
Heroic Tasks
• To end your family’s curse.
• To find a family artifact that is key to ending the curse. Pick one lesser and one greater magic item from this list:
››(Lesser) Gem of Brightness: only you can attune.
››(Greater) Staff of Fire: can be any melee weapon.
››(Greater) Belt of Fire Giant Strength: this belt also grants resistance to fire.
››(Greater) Efreeti Bottle: only you can attune.
Divine Blessing
Blessing of the Gods. You and your direct family are immune to curses, diseases, and the poisoned condition.
The Demi-God
You are a mortal child of Pythor, the god of battle. Your temper is legendary. From an early age, you demonstrated unnatural talent in everything that interested you.
You’ve never met your father, but your mother was a woman famed for both her beauty and her skill as a harpist. She was carried away by a green dragon when you were very young. A family of soldiers adopted you, and then raised you to be a mighty champion for the city of Mytros. You are a favorite child of the city, and bards already sing of your great deeds while travelling the Heartlands.
As a youth, the Oracle predicted a great destiny, one in which you might be able to join the pantheon alongside your divine father, who has recently fallen into despair and drunkenness. According to the Oracle, Pythor can be brought back from his drunken oblivion if you are able to achieve the three great labors that defeated him. You must find Pythor’s last great love
(your mother), defeat his greatest foe, and finish building his greatest weapon. Do these tasks, and your father will be redeemed.
For players who love: Heracles, Kratos
Restrictions: You must be a native to Thylea.
Adventure Hook: You have been summoned by the Oracle due to your fame and divine heritage.
Heroic Tasks
• Find your mother (Ophea or a name created by you).
• Defeat Pythor’s greatest foe. According to legend this is a green dragon known as Hexia.
• Finish building Pythor’s greatest weapon. Choose either:
››Rod of Lordly Might; or
››Luck Blade (can be any type of sword)
Divine Blessing
Blessing of Health. Your Constitution score increases by 2, up to a maximum of 22.
The Doomed One
You come from a famous and distinguished family with ancestors that include Dragonlords and gods. However, you had the misfortune of being born under a fell astrological sign, one that portended a doom of epic proportions. Your parents died shortly after you were born, under mysterious circumstances.
All your life you have been plagued by ill luck, and you have long suspected that your death will be as ugly as it is spectacular. The prophets and fortune tellers of Mytros make signs against evil when they see you in the street, and you have always been treated with prejudice and superstitious dread. Nevertheless, you’ve been called by fate to the Temple of the Oracle, and this can only mean that your nameless doom is now at hand. The Oracle has promised that your doom can be avoided, for she alone knows what will protect you.
For players who love: Achilles, Elric of Melniboné
Restrictions: Must be a native to Thylea.
Adventure Hook: The Oracle knows that your doom
reflects the doom of the world. If you save yourself,
you will be able to save the world.
Heroic Tasks
• To defeat the creature that has been fated to kill you.
• To forge the one artifact that will protect you from your doom. These items provide resistance to all damage that originates from the creature that is fated to kill you. Choose one from the following list:
››Robe of the Archmagi
››Breastplate of Invulnerability
››Cloak of Invisibility
Divine Blessing
Blessing of Protection. You gain a +1 bonus to your AC and to all saving throws.
The Dragonslayer
You have a tragic past. Something terrible happened to you when you were young, and it forced you to reckon with the darkness within much sooner than anyone should ever have to. This tragic event shaped your identity and drove you to become who you are today. You know that it was a dragon who was responsible for destroying your childhood. The dragon might have razed your village to the ground—or it might have ruined your life in more insidious ways while polymorphed into the shape of a man or woman. Either way, you wish to discover the identity and the location of the dragon so that you can seek it out and exact brutal vengeance upon it.
For players who love: Perseus, Turin Turambar
Restrictions: None.
Adventure Hook: The Oracle knows how to find the dragon that was responsible for your tragedy.
Heroic Tasks
• To kill the dragon responsible for your tragedy.
• To find items that are key to killing dragons. Pick one lesser and one greater magic item from this list:
››(Lesser) Armor of Resistance—Fire: this can be any armor type.
››(Lesser) Ring of Resistance—Fire: only you can attune to this ring.
››(Greater) Dragonslayer: can be any melee weapon.
››(Greater) Quiver of Elhonna: includes five arrows of slaying (dragons) or bolts of slaying (dragons).
››(Greater) Wand of Binding: only you can attune.
Divine Blessing
Blessing of Dragon Slaying. You have advantage on all attacks against creatures with the dragon type. Creatures with the dragon type have disadvantage on saving throws against your spells.
The Gifted One
Ever since you were a child you’ve shown remarkable promise, effortlessly mastering every activity you’ve attempted. You have no explanation, but most people assume that you must have divine blood flowing through your veins. As you are from a common, or barbarian, family, you have been the target of seething envy from the children of the nobility and the wealthy who believe you do not deserve your gifts. You’ve therefore spent most of your life proving your worth. You want to achieve fame and fortune and have your name remembered down the ages. Mostly… you want to become a Dragonlord. If you could find a dragon egg and successfully hatch it, you could join the list of legendary heroes that are still remembered after five centuries. The call of the Oracle has given you an opportunity to prove your worth.
For players who love: Jason and the Argonauts, Daenerys
Restrictions: Must be a native to Thylea.
Adventure Hook: The Oracle promises that the prophecy will put you on the path to become a Dragonlord.
Heroic Tasks
• To found a new order of Dragonlords. To do so you must find the Fortress of the Dragonlords. This fortress is the magical item instant fortress.
• To attune with one of the crowns of the dragonlords. This will allow you to cast the spells bond of the dragonlords and dirge of the dragonlords.
• To find a dragon egg, hatch it and raise the dragon to be your companion.
Divine Blessing
Blessing of the Dragonlords. While mounted on a dragon, you gain that dragon’s damage resistances, damage immunities and senses (blindsight, darkvision and its passive perception if it is greater than yours). If the dragon is an adult or ancient dragon, you can also use its legendary resistance (but this counts towards the total number of uses per day).
The Haunted One(Taken)You were once in possession of the rarest treasure in Thylea: a truly happy life. You had a loving partner, beautiful children, and lived in a great house in the city of Mytros. As the first child of a powerful family with godly lineage, you were destined to be the next ruler of Mytros. Then one day, everything changed. You returned home to find your house cold and empty. Your friends and neighbors have no memory of your family, almost as if they never existed. For a while, you struggled against insanity. Now you’ve resolved to find your family, whatever
the cost. You’ll travel to the ends of the earth and fight the gods themselves if needed. You’ll do whatever it takes to bring back the people you love, even if everyone thinks you’re crazy.
For players who love: Orpheus, Harry Potter
Restrictions: Must be a native to Thylea.
Adventure Hook: The Oracle claims that saving the world and fulfilling the prophecy will give you answers about your family’s disappearance.
Heroic Tasks
• To be reunited with your family.
• To reclaim your family name and legacy by tracking down your family artifacts. Pick one lesser and one greater family artifact from this list:
››(Lesser) Ring of Protection: this signet ring was worn by members of your lost family.
››(Lesser) Amulet of Health: this amulet is emblazoned with your family crest.
››(Lesser) Ioun Stone, Awareness: this stone was a jewel given to your ancestors by the gods.
››(Greater) Helm of Brilliance: this crown was worn by your ancestors, who were past rulers of Mytros.
››(Greater) Dancing Sword: this sword (it can be of any type) contains the soul of the family’s founder.
››(Greater) Rod of Absorption: this rod was always carried by the leader of your family.
Divine Blessing
Blessing of Magic Resistance. You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
The Lost One
You hail from a distant land, where your people worshiped foreign gods and spoke languages unknown to the people of Thylea. You sailed in search of the fabled treasures of the Dragonlords, but your ship and most of your crew were destroyed in a storm. Found by fishermen and brought to the city of Mytros, you discovered that your arrival had been prophesied by the Oracle.
You may not believe in any of the Oracle’s prophecies, but one thing is for certain: you are somehow stranded on Thylea’s shores, and your fate is now here. If the Oracle believes that you are one of the chosen few, then you must do what you can to help.
For players who love: Narnia, Wizard of Oz.
Restrictions: Must be an explorer from distant lands.
Adventure Hook: The Oracle thinks you have been sent from the outside world by the gods in order to fulfill the prophecy.
Heroic Tasks
• Find your surviving crew members.
• Find a way to get back home.
• Find the fabled treasures of the Dragonlords. The treasure trove includes three gems worth 10,000 gp (a diamond, a ruby, and a sapphire), 2,000 pp, and 10,000 gp. It also includes one item from the following list:
››Gem of Seeing
››Necklace of Prayer Beads
››Glamoured Studded Leather
››Rod of Rulership
Divine Blessing
Blessing of Luck. You may reroll any one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. You must use the second roll. The blessing cannot be used again until after a long rest (at least several nights’ sleep, as the DM decides).
The Vanished One(Taken)You are one of the Dragonlords, the legendary outside explorers who first discovered Thylea. You were present when the tiny settlement of Mytros was founded, but you’ve been missing for almost 500 years. During an expedition into the Cerulean Gulf, you fell victim to the irresistible charms of a nymph named Versi. You’ve spent the last five centuries in a waking dream, trapped in her cave with no knowledge of time passing or events on the mainland. Versi released her hold on you when you were called by fate to save Thylea, but she made you swear an oath to return to her once your quest is completed. Versi is known as the Oracle by most of the inhabitants of Thylea. Centuries of Leisure The time that you have spent with Versi has created gaps in your memory. You are no longer the great Dragonlord that you once were. You must relearn all of the skills lost to you.
For Players who love: Odysseus, Captain America
Restrictions: Must be an explorer from distant lands.
Adventure Hook: You are the Oracle’s favorite pet.
Heroic Tasks
• To find if you have any descendants.
• To reclaim your title as a Dragonlord. In order to do this you must:
››Attune with one of the crowns of the dragonlords. This will allow you to cast the spells bond of the dragonlords and dirge of the dragonlords.
››Find a dragon egg, hatch it and raise the dragon to be your companion.
• To get back your fabled armor. Choose one item from the following list:
››Boots of Speed: Emblazoned on the boots is the image of your old dragon mount.
››Dragon scale mail: Made from the scales, given willingly, of your old dragon mount.
››Cloak of the Bat: Only you can attune to this cloak. Instead of transforming into a bat, this cloak allows you to transform into a pseudodragon.
Divine Blessing
Blessing of the Dragonlords. While mounted on a dragon, you gain that dragon’s damage resistances, damage immunities and senses (blindsight, darkvision and its passive perception if it is greater than yours). If the dragon is an adult or ancient dragon, you can also use its legendary resistance (but this counts towards the total number of uses per day).
These additional races, spells, and subclasses will be made available in DnDBeyond to you once you've been accepted to the campaign. I have them in my homebrew collections, and I will create a campaign with content sharing so you can use them.
Races
Thylean Centaur
Thylean Medusa
Thylean Minotaur
Thylean Nymph
Thylean Satyr
Thylean Siren
Subclasses
Barbarian - Herculean Path
Bard - College of Epic Poetry
Cleric - Prophecy Domain
Druid - Circle of Sacrifice
Fighter - Hoplite Soldier
Paladin - Oath of the Dragonlord
Ranger - Amazonian Conclave
Rogue - The Odyssean
Sorcerer - Demigod Origin
Warlock - The Fates
Wizard - Academy Philosopher
Spells
Bard Spells
2nd Level
Sleeping Draught
3rd Level
Dirge of the Dragonlords
5th Level
Sword of Fate
Cleric Spells
3rd Level
Dirge of the Dragonlords
5th Level
Sword of Fate
9th Level
Theogenesis
Druid Spells
3rd Level
Animal Polymorph
6th Level
Seeds of Death
Paladin Spells
2nd Level
Bond of the Dragonlords
3rd Level
Dirge of the Dragonlords
Ranger Spells
3rd Level
Animal Polymorph
Sorcerer Spells
3rd Level
Animal Polymorph
6th Level
Seeds of Death
9th Level
Theogenesis
Warlock Spells
2nd Level
Sleeping Draught
3rd Level
Fatebinding
5th Level
Sword of Fate
6th Level
Seeds of Death
Wizard Spells
2nd Level
Sleeping Draught
3rd Level
Fatebinding
5th Level
Sword of Fate
6th Level
Seeds of Death
9th Level
Theogenesis
At the dawn of time, a war between the gods and Titans left the world of Thylea forever changed. Thousands of years later, the first mortals arrived, carried by ship and dragon.
The Dragonlords were the champions who overthrew the Titans 500 years ago and forged the Oath of Peace. But the power of the Oath has waned, and now the Titans seek vengeance.
You are one of the heroes called by prophecy to end the conflict once and for all. Poets will sing of your deeds for centuries to come... if you survive.
Welcome all, to Odyssey of the Dragonlands, an epic greek-themed campaign designed to take characters from levels 1-15! I'm looking for 4-6 mythic heroes to answer the Oracle's call!
For character applications, please submit the following:
Character Name
Race
Class
Backstory & Epic Path
For ability scores, choose from one of these six randomly rolled arrays:
Ability scores: 13 13 16 14 10 15
Ability scores: 15 12 13 16 17 16
Ability scores: 15 13 14 15 12 17
Ability scores: 16 13 13 14 13 11
Ability scores: 11 17 12 16 17 9
Ability scores: 11 12 15 10 14 14
Name: Aelyn the Lost One
Race: Human
Class: Bard (Hopefully applying to Thylea's esteemed College of Epic Poetry one day)
Backstory & Epic Path: Hailing from the distant lands of Arborea to the far north, Aelyn is a restless soul and an adventurer at heart, growing up with the stories of the fabled treasures of the Dragonlords of Thylea and joining a daring voyage across the seas with the ship the Mystral and a crew of like-minded friends and adventurers, the Mystralians, seeking treasures and epic tales to bring back home one day. Venturing across the seas and braving it's many dangers, the Mystralians found themselves caught by a tempestuous storm sent by the fickle god Sydon himself, sending the Mystral down under the roaring waves. As fate would have it, Aelyn found himself washed up on the shores of the very land he set out to find. With the help of friendly fishermen the young adventurer soon reached the the great city of Mytros, staying at the Golden Satyr Inn where he quickly learned the language and culture of this new strange land, earning his living by entertaining with his lyre and telling stories of his homeland and of the adventures of his journey to Thylea with his fellow Mystralians. He is however growing restless again and plans to soon set out to find any of his fellow Mystralians that might have survived Sydon's wrath, and of course to find the fabled treasure of the ancient Dragonlords of Thylea.
Aelyn's Character Sheet
Character Name: Kierro
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Cleric (Light)
Backstory: A young acolyte of Mytros, Kierro's talent in magic and healing grew at a much faster pace than his peers in the Temple of the Five. All the better for the sick and hungry who visited - he loved to help people and inspire hope among them. Having studied history, Kierro idolized the dragonlords as beacons of hope in a dark universe and secretly dreamed of becoming one, though he remained humble. His place, for all he knew, was with the people he wanted to help.
All of that changed when the summons of the Oracle reached him. Prophecies of saving the world - he would do anything to avert a disaster that would take away the people he cared about. And becoming a dragonlord became more than a dream - a dragonlord was someone with remarkable power and respect. Someone who could save the doomed land, and more importantly be of more help than he could ever dream of - someone who people could look to for hope in hours of desperation.
Epic Path: Gifted One
Ability Score Array: 13 17 17 17 14 8
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edit: reading history and thinking abt my preferred character tendencies, can I worship the Lady of Dreams or are the Twin Titans wholly antagonist powers / too far in the past?
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reedit : ah. CE. NEEE-ver mind ;)
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Character Name: Kylix Phyrnixianos (CG)
Class: Bard - Satyr Minstrel
Race: Thylean satyr
Backstory: Although FAR from a vanished champion of her people, Kylix does share one characteristic with the Vanished Ones: she believes heart and soul that the prophesied Dragon(lords) Reborn not only can but MUST include heroes from ALL the peoples who now call Thylea home, and would fight beside even a cyclopes if she saw reason to believe the cyclopes was truly noble in spite of what the world believes about them. (Consequently, she tends to be found in the company of tieflings, Doomed Ones, Cursed Ones, and outcasts of all varieties; however, her inherent sense of grace and style is often sufficient to win her (however grudging) acceptance in company that considers itself BETTER than that ... )
It is her passionate conviction that this is what the Oracle truly intends, the true spirit of the Oath of Peace, and that if this is not done Thylea is doomed to eternal war and tragedy. And since she is absolutely a classic satyr in her delight in the pleasures of all levels of a beings' being, and sees no reason why all even halfway decent sentient creatures should not live in a world that allows them to revel in the fullest delights of their bodies, minds, spirits, and hearts; and also fiercely believes in a good dose of wonder, magic(k) and dream ... as well as the more classic and reasoned Student of the Academy arts which she sees as intertwined and essential to their polar opposites in forming one whole of beauty, Art and Poetry ... to cure pretty much anything that ails ya -- well, given that, sure, she'd be willing to consider becoming a Dragonlord herself as long as it didn't cramp her style too much ... ;*) And one would advise against getting her talking on the subject unless you've got a couple months to spare and don't mind a conversation that's mostly one-sided though not with any intent to hurt your feelings and if you bring it up she'll be GLAD to let you talk for five minutes before unconsciously drifting back into supernova-eyed fulminations and murmurings that are only half spoken to you though again with absolutely no intention to hurt your feelings and she'd be genuinely distressed if you told her later how much of a conversation hog she'd been . . .
It is entirely possible, though she tries not to admit it to herself more than about once a fortnight, that the elegant ease with which all her Arts seem to have come to her might have SLIGHTLY tinged her outlook on these matters ...
Epic path: The Gifted One
Request: given backstory and character elements, the only ability array that really makes sense to me as balancing the need for CHA and DX with Kylix' approach as also respecting the powers of the INT, is the first one (assuming you list them in standard ability score order instead of an array where the numbers are assignable at will in which case ABSOLUTELY ignore this, I see a perfect one if I can just shuffle the numbers around. Trouble is, the first one bothers me as a long-seasoned RP-heavy preference player as being TOO uniformly good. Can I, assuming I can''t shuffle the scores around, LOWER one of the non-essential scores to make Kylix more interesting? Please? Maybe WIS, given the tendency to avoid self-reflection the last remark about "once a fortnight" implies.
Um ... also, Vallus and Kyrah seem to have gotten transposed in their alignments, or else this is a REALLY interesting expectation-challenging campaign, but traditionally I'd expect the goddess of trickery to be CG, not LG, and vice versa
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
As a self-proclaimed Greek mythology nerd, this looks amazing. Colour me intrigued!
Character Name: Lilaea
Race: Nymph (Naiad)
Class: Sorcerer (Demigod Origin - Tempest or Nature, still deciding.)
Backstory & Epic Path:
The Cursed One
Just outside the mighty kingdom of Mytros, nestled within the verdant forests and winding rivers, a naiad named Lilaea flourished. Her pale skin shone like moonlight, her cascading dark tresses shimmered like starlit waterfalls, and her eyes held the wisdom of ancient depths. Born of the sacred union between the nymph Chloris and an ancient river god, Lilaea possessed a rare beauty that captivated all who beheld her. But perhaps more enticing than her physical appeal was the nymphs' voice; a thing of pure enchantment and ethereal beauty. It was said that, when she spoke, her words flowed like the gentle babbling of a pristine river, carrying the soothing melodies of nature itself. It possessed a mesmerising resonance, as if every word she uttered carried the secrets and wisdom of the natural world, infused with a subtle echo of the unseen realms, as if it harmonised with the very essence of the river she called home. Her voice soon became something of a local legend; there were stories of men and women alike who had heard her voice and gone mad with desire, driven crazy by their love for the naiad and the need to listen to her blessed words.
Soon, these tales of ethereal allure reached the heavenly realm, catching the interest of one of the great gods. Enthralled by her delicate grace and enchanting melody, he descended from Mount Olympus and sought to win the heart of the enchanting naiad. With honeyed words and celestial melodies, the God declared his love for Lilaea, promising her eternal bliss in his divine embrace.
But Lilaea, though flattered by the god's attention, possessed a spirit untamed by the allure of celestial divinity. She revelled in the beauty of the natural world, her heart entwined with the whispering winds and bubbling streams. The god’s advances, though tempting, could not sway her from the path she had chosen—to remain forever connected to the earthly realm she cherished. And so, she turned him down.
Enraged by Lilaea’s rejection, the god’s pride swelled like a tempestuous storm. Blinded by anger and a wounded ego, he sought to punish the nymph for what he decided was vanity and hubris. Drawing upon his divine power, he channelled his wrath into a curse, directing it towards Lilaea’s soul. When she tried to speak, to defend herself against his accusations, she felt her voice seized by an unseen force. It was as if a celestial hand had clutched her throat, constricting her vocal cords, and robbing her of the power of speech. All that she could manage was a faint echo of the sounds around her, a whisper of sounds since past. No longer could her melodic voice grace the breezes or resonate through the forest's depths, enchanting mortals as she so desired. Her words, once a symphony of nature’s harmony, now destined to haunt the air as breathy reverberations, became a testament to her silenced spirit, an eternal reminder of her rejection of divine love.
In the wake of the curse, Lilaea, her heart heavy with sorrow, sought solace in the embrace of the untamed wilderness. Nestled amidst the dappled sunlight and gentle caress of the river's ripples, she found her sanctuary. With every sound, the silent echo of her muted voice reverberated through her being, a constant reminder of her silenced spirit. In the company of her fellow naiads, kindred spirits who understood the weight of her burden, and the ancient trees and their whispered wisdom, Lilaea withdrew into a self-imposed solitude. Within the depths of her river, her eyes mirrored a myriad of emotions left unspoken, a tragic wellspring of unexpressed longing for the past.
It was during this time of silent loneliness that the great oracle called to her, carrying the promise of liberation from the curse that held her captive. Intrigued and fueled by a newfound glimmer of hope, Lilaea emerged from the shadowy water, her resolve resolute and her spirit aflame. She was going to reclaim her voice and identity, even if it meant defying the gods themselves.
Lilaea:
It's fixed. The scores in the array are assignable however you wish.
Character Name: Ruby Smallclaw
Race: Kobold
Class: Warlock (The Fathomless)
Backstory & Epic Path: Ruby started her life as a happy little Kobold living in a tiny tribe somewhere far across the sea, knowing nothing of the goings on in Thylea. But everything changed one day when she was out by the sea collecting shells, and she had the misfortune of being spotted by a sailor from a strange ship beached nearby. She was snatched up by the sailor and slapped in chains, destined for a life of slavery in some strange land, never to see her home and her family again.
And then... something happened. As the ship sailed towards gods-know where, the ship hit a terrible storm. The ship capsized, most of the crew of slavers and fellow slaves were killed in the wreck. Ruby was trapped in an air pocket, knowing all too well that it was only a matter of time before her little sanctuary filled with water or simply ran out of air. But fate had other plans for her. An ancient being of the deep saw her plight, and offered her a chance to escape her watery grave. A few hours later, Ruby woke to find herself on the shore of a strange land, still shivering in terror from her brush with death.
When she was found by a kindly fisherman, he took her back to the city of Mytros. To the kobold's absolute shock, when the fisherman took her to the temple to find temporary shelter the priests immediately brought her to the Oracle, who told her that in spite of her humble beginning, she had a great role to play in this world. And for a chance to return home, Ruby was willing to play whatever role she had to.
Epic Path: The Lost One (I think that's the closest option, even if she didn't set out on her journey willingly).
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Provide feedback!
Oh lovely, thank you so much :D. And I've resolved the conflict in her soul by making her a follower of Vallus with a strong pull towards Kyrrah and an almost equally strong revulsion at what uptight bleeping prudes most of her worshiippers tend to be about matters of "LAW" and "PRINCIPLE" and boring stuff like that...
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
I love what you have put together. Very impressive. I would love a chance to play i this world you are dreaming and making.
this is still a work in progress but here’s the outline concept:
Character Name: Jace Flamerunner
Race: Siren
Class: Rouge (Odyssean at 3rd level)
Backstory & Epic Path: Still working on this
Ability scores: 17 10 10 16 17 15
D&D since 1984
A little music for the mood...
https://youtu.be/AMsV7qigmgQ
Adonis Keetor
The Vanished One
Goliath Barbarian
It was once said that when you gave a man a the job he wanted, the money to be comfortable, the satisfaction of a lovers embrace, and the comfort of a home, then he would soften, and conquest would flee his veins.
Adonis lounged amongst sheets of satin and silk beneath the canopy of a bed that was curtained in lavish gossamer. The sweet smoke of tobacco and hashish clung to the air like acrid perfume, gently rolling and settling about the room as the muscled Goliath reclined in the bed and laid one arm behind his head amongst the dreadlocks that flowed from his head. When he had come from...from...from the parts unknown, scrubbed from his memory by the sands of time...he had shaved his head, displaying the tattoos that were the pride of his people.
Now all that was behind him...
It was once said that when a man carried a weapon of war for many years, and then hung it above his hearth upon his return home, and believed that he was done with the weapon, that no matter what he did with his hands for the rest of his days- caress a lover- hold his child- build a life- his hands shall never forget the heft, the weight, the feel of the weapon, or the conduct of the battle.
He could no longer remember why he woke up sweating in the middle of the night with his posh bed clothes clinging to his body. He would never forget, though, the feeling of the hundreds of fingers that had smoothed his skin, traced his scars and tattoos, and especially not those of Versi, his lover, the nymph who had lured him in from his conquests, tamed him, that made him shudder and gasp like no one ever had before and who owned his body, his mind, his soul...
His heart.
And now as his lover crawled into the bed, came to him, planted a passionate kiss on his lips, Adonis knew this man, this nymph, owned him in a way that no one ever would again. Gone from his mind were the memories of the battle's din, the exhileration of a felled enemy or a conquered land, a subjugated people. Away the recollection of coming to Thylea had gone, as well as the memory of the wind against his face as he soared the skies on dragonback...
It was once said that one man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world will be better for this.
Time was a concept that had lost all meaning to Adonis as Versi held him in his supple arms. How long he'd had the pleasure of knowing his lover had been lost to him just as most of his memories had been.
But then the oracle's call came.
And the waking dream slowly ended.
And Versi put the leatherbound notebook of memories gently into Adonis's hand before Adonis. And Adonis reached up to the hearth that Versi had raised for him, and he pulled down the weapon, and his hands remembered what his mind could not.
His arms wrapped around Versi, and his mouth found his, and when their kiss was done, he vowed that when he was finished, he would return...
It was once said It is impossible to make men who you want them to be; you must use them as they are...
Hi!
I took a little liberty with Versi in this version of Adonis's history and made the NPC / character male. BUT, this doesn't need to be set in stone and is adjustable. We can discuss if it creates an issue.
Adonis will be Herculean Path Barbarian who is slowly uncovering his memories after 500 years of bliss. He has become accustomed to peace, and his only goal it to complete the task placed on his shoulders by the Oracle so that he may return to the life of pleasure and the embrace of Versi, where he has become content to stay.
He *might* take a dip in Fighter, but I'm not 100% sure of this.
Thank you for taking the time to read my drivel!
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/100972249
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Very interested. Place holder!! More to come
Character Name: Ethimei
Race: Thylean Nymph (Aurae)
Class: Druid (future Circle of Sacrifice)
Backstory & Epic Path: The Dragonslayer
Ethimei was born in the lands far away from the mortal kingdoms. When she emerged from her cocoon, she found nobody. Nothing. All her predecessors and all her would be brothers and sisters were nowhere to be found. Lost and disoriented, she knew deep inside that this was not the way things were supposed to be. But she didn't know what to do.
After some harrowing time alone, she came across a tribe of centaurs that helped her. Unofficially, she became a part of their group and learned the ways of the druidic order of the Oldwood.
Life was fine amongst her centaur friends, but she also knew she was different and longed to know what had happened. This led her to travel the wilds a bit.
In time, she pieced together small bits of what happened from other fey that she met. She still does not know the reason, but it is clear that the culprit was a dragon, trying to disguise itself in a human form.
It had come and took all who should have been her companions. From all descriptions, they were destroyed. Surely Ethimei would have been destroyed too if not for the intervention of fate. Those who claim to have observed what happened describe some aracane event. But she's never quite figured out any details.
However, as she has traveled, she has felt the call of the mother goddess. It has caused a fascination to grow in her for all things of the civilized world. Though unfamiliar with humans and those other beings, there is now a desire in her to learn more. The voice of her mother urges her to teach others about her and thus learn to live together.
Even with this new call, Ethimei is still dedicated to determining which dragon was responsible for all that happened and finding ways to get vengeance. Having heard the Oracle knows of the dragon, she is now eager to go see what she must do to gain this knowledge. Perhaps this is even a sign from the mother goddess on the path she needs to take.
Ethimei Character Sheet
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer