Thassa, Goddess of the Sea

Thassa is the god of the sea and also presides over aquatic creatures and the secrets of the briny deep. But she is also the god of ancient knowledge, murmurs, gradual change, introspection, vast distances, long voyages, and far-ranging searches. Thassa might also be described as the god of patterns, such as those of tides, currents, ripples in water, and even the passage of time. To most mortals, Thassa is the sea, and the sea is Thassa. The wind and waves, the tides, and the ocean’s bounty, ranging from small fish to the enormous krakens—all these are Thassa’s dominion. The sea has many metaphorical aspects that Thassa oversees as well: ancient knowledge, long-term change, introspection, voyaging, and repetitive patterns such as the tides. Thassa governs the slow changes wrought by the passage of time, such as the weathering of rocks and the erosion of beaches. Where Nylea controls the eternal cycle of the seasons and Kruphix monitors the flow of time, Thassa holds sway over the slow-acting but irresistible forces that alter the world over hundreds or thousands of years. Most of Thassa’s dedicated worshipers are tritons, and the vast majority of tritons are wholly devoted to Thassa. Tritons spend much of their lives in Thassa’s realm, with their god omnipresent. They weave prayers to Thassa into nearly everything they do. Among humans, Thassa is worshiped by those who rely on bountiful seas for sustenance or calm waters for safety. Sailors, fishers, and residents of Theros’s coasts and islands all pay her at least nominal respect and sacrifice. Her center of worship on land is in the coastal polis of Meletis, where sailors and philosophers pray to her for guidance.

Champions of Thassa

Thassa’s champions typically work on behalf of change, embrace new ideas, don’t automatically defend the status quo, and wish to serve the god who controls pounding waves and massive krakens.

Thassa’s Favor

In much the same way that the sea and its secrets simply exist, Thassa trusts that the lives and actions of her champions will serve her long-term goals because of their connection to her. What made the god of the sea turn her attention to you or how did she show her interest? The Thassa’s Favor table offers a few possibilities.

d6	Circumstance
1	You nearly drowned in a shipwreck, but Thassa answered your prayers for deliverance.
2	You were found on the shore as a newborn, in a basket woven of ocean grasses.
3	You dreamed of a great kraken. When you followed your dreams to the sea, the kraken appeared to you and gave you Thassa’s blessing.
4	You grew up on a fishing boat, and your parents taught you Thassa’s rites.
5	You were born with a pearl in your mouth, an obvious sign of Thassa’s favor. You still have the pearl.
6	You have no idea why Thassa showed interest in you, and you might sometimes wish she hadn’t.

Devotion to Thassa

Following Thassa means devoting yourself to a particular way of perceiving the world. Thassa herself seldom takes a stand on moral issues, preferring to let matters play out, but her mortal champions can’t usually afford to be so patient. As a follower of Thassa, consider the ideals on the Thassa’s Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.

d6	Ideal
1	Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what she stands for.
2	Knowledge. I will learn the secrets of the hidden depths.
3	Freedom. The sea can take me anywhere, and I’m not going to tie myself down.
4	Bounty. The ocean always provides, and I will share its gifts with those less fortunate.
5	Change. Everything’s just waiting to be something else, including me.
6	Power. Like the waves, I answer only to Thassa.

Approval

You earn Thassa's approval when you expand the god’s influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:

Supporting those who would reform or overturn institutions
Preventing cataclysmic change
Putting things in motion that has a payoff in the future
Offering a treasure to the sea
Planting seeds of change in others
Defending or maintaining a temple to Thassa

Thassa's approval decreases if you diminish Thassa’s influence in the world, contradict her ideal of gradual change, or attempt to impose artificial order through acts such as these: