So, if you're at all familiar with the Theros setting, whether from the D&D book or MtG card sets, you probably know that the map of the plane is somewhat... limited. I realize that this is mostly in an effort to encapsulate the self-contained feel of the mythic Greek style of the setting and narrative: the literal "end of the world" lies somewhere beyond the edge of the map, whereupon travelers either sail off into the starry realms of Nyx or plummet over the edge into the Underworld. Nobody knows what, if anything, may lie past the endless forests to the east, or the mountainous wastelands of the north, etc.
But what if there was more? Because the thing is, the actual historical peoples of the real world region that inspired Theros were very much aware of other cultures in the world beyond their own little corner of it. Heck, the existence of the Bronze Age was only possible through sourcing copper and tin, often necessitating trade from pretty far afield! Imagine other lands inhabited by the classic D&D elves, dwarves, goblins, etc. (I will freely admit this line of thought is partly inspired by the God of War video games, which canonize the existence of the Norse Aesir and the Nine Realms in the same world as the Greek Olympians.)
This brings me to the Ravenloft Domain of Dread known as Har'Akir, somewhat broadly inspired by dark fantasy and pulp adventure horror tales of ancient Egypt. In the assumed normal version of the setting, the mummy lord who rules over this land has wiped out the worship of real-life Egyptian gods and installed the worship of a new, false pantheon (implied to be the Dark Powers granting Death Domain abilities to their clerics). However, in Theros, gods are born out of Nyx and the sincere collective belief of mortals. So... could these gods be real, in this part of the world? Did the people of Har'Akir worship the gods of Theros under different names prior to the rise of Ankhtepot?
Feel free to share thoughts, criticisms and ideas of your own.
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So, if you're at all familiar with the Theros setting, whether from the D&D book or MtG card sets, you probably know that the map of the plane is somewhat... limited. I realize that this is mostly in an effort to encapsulate the self-contained feel of the mythic Greek style of the setting and narrative: the literal "end of the world" lies somewhere beyond the edge of the map, whereupon travelers either sail off into the starry realms of Nyx or plummet over the edge into the Underworld. Nobody knows what, if anything, may lie past the endless forests to the east, or the mountainous wastelands of the north, etc.
But what if there was more? Because the thing is, the actual historical peoples of the real world region that inspired Theros were very much aware of other cultures in the world beyond their own little corner of it. Heck, the existence of the Bronze Age was only possible through sourcing copper and tin, often necessitating trade from pretty far afield! Imagine other lands inhabited by the classic D&D elves, dwarves, goblins, etc. (I will freely admit this line of thought is partly inspired by the God of War video games, which canonize the existence of the Norse Aesir and the Nine Realms in the same world as the Greek Olympians.)
This brings me to the Ravenloft Domain of Dread known as Har'Akir, somewhat broadly inspired by dark fantasy and pulp adventure horror tales of ancient Egypt. In the assumed normal version of the setting, the mummy lord who rules over this land has wiped out the worship of real-life Egyptian gods and installed the worship of a new, false pantheon (implied to be the Dark Powers granting Death Domain abilities to their clerics). However, in Theros, gods are born out of Nyx and the sincere collective belief of mortals. So... could these gods be real, in this part of the world? Did the people of Har'Akir worship the gods of Theros under different names prior to the rise of Ankhtepot?
Feel free to share thoughts, criticisms and ideas of your own.