Welcome to Edinia

Welcome to the world of Edinia! A world filled with intrigue, politics, and diverse cultures. A world ruled by gods and whose history is filled with epic odysseys of heroes past and mythic monsters. Together we'll embark in a new odyssey: a tale of heroes, gods, deception, politics, loss, hope, and tragedy. - Henry

Edinia is a world inspired by the official Wizard of the Coast Theros setting. Theros is itself inspired by Ancient Greece. Edinia shares a lot with Theros but also diverges in some key elements. If you're familiar with Theros and some of its elements, don't assume they're the same in Edinia just because they share a name. Unless stated otherwise, this wiki is the source of truth.

This page highlights some information that's common knowledge with the people of Edinia and will set the stage for the beginning of the campaign. Once you finish reading this article, you should follow continue to Character Creation which goes over a step by step process for creating a hero in Edinia.

The World

Before jumping into creating your character in Edinia, you should know what to expect and where you'll be placed in the world. This section goes over some common knowledge that the denizens of Edinia believe to be true and also some details regarding where the campaign will begin.

Topography

The world of Edinia is composed of a single continental landmass along with a myriad of islands and archipelagos. All civilization is concentrated on the southwestern side of the continent, the rest of the continent is so so dangerous that only a few have dared to explore it and none have returned. On the eastern edge of the known lands is a mountain range, commonly known as the World's Spine. To the north lies The Ashlands, a desolate land devoid of water and occupied by unimaginable monsters.
To the west and to the south is the Siren Sea. The sea contains a series of islands, most people who try to explore the islands never return and those who do, aren't able to later make their way back to the same island. This has lead people to believe that the islands are in constant movement.
Past the Siren Sea lies the Edge of the World, legends say that those to sail off the edge continue to fall for the rest of eternity. The Edinia World Map is an interactive map (TODO) that will help visualize the topography and location of the different civilizations. Keep in mind though, maps in Edinia are rare (especially world maps) and mostly put together based on vague descriptions from different sources rather an actual cartographer traveling the land. So don't expect the map to be 100% accurate.

Civilizations

Each race, except Human, has its own homeland. How to reach the homelands of the different races isn't always common knowledge. Travel is mostly by road on foot (or hoof, or paw), horse, or cart which are considered safe in most cases. Human
Humans are mostly concentrated in poleis which are centers of multi-racial civilization where all races are welcome and live in peace. Each poleis is composed of several towns, villages, and the main city that shares its name with the poleis. There are 3 large poleis: Meletis, Setessa and Akros.

Meletis is located on the westernmost peninsula and is known for being a center of democracy, philosophy, it focuses on expanding knowledge and its economy is dependant on the trade of farming foods;
Setessa is somewhere in the Nessian Wood, located more or less in the center of the known world. Little is known of Setessa, only that it is a poleis centered around a culture of warrior women. Most tales regarding Setessa come from hunters in the Nessian Woods who got lost and stumbled across the city or that were saved from monsters by Setessan patrols. Those who do visit Setessa speak of a beautiful city in the woods and a society that values nature and strength;
Akros is a militaristic poleis to the north, built into the northern reaches of the Karachthon Mountains. It's ruled by a monarchy along with an elected council. Its society values law and order and its economy rely heavily on its artisans and industrial trade.

Leonin
The Leonin highly value community. Each Leonin has an important role to play and rarely will they strive from that role. Leonin prides typically occupy dens or mobile tent cities, or both at different times of the year. Their dens commonly lie amid the foothills at the edge of Oreskos which is a northern grassland that extends all the way to the World's Spine. Dens are usually comprised of small, interconnected networks of underground chambers. Large, shared spaces in these dens are typically decorated with rich woven textiles, bone crafts, and rich clay and crystal pottery. The dens are cool in the summers, but leonin are a sun-loving people and prefer to be outside—even sleeping outdoors—whenever weather permits. Minotaur
There are two main communities of Minotaurs, those who live in the city of Skophos and those who wander the badlands of Phoberos. The badlands are north of Akros and Skophos and be found on the northern edge of the badlands, at the southern border of The Ashlands:

Little is known about the city of Skophos. Reaching it requires the traveler to traverse the Badlands of Phoberos which means dealing with the maze-like set of arid canyons, filled by tribes of outcast Minotaurs and other, even more, frightening monsters. What is know is from Minotaur trade companies that do business with Akros, mostly trading monster materials for new weapons;
Minotaurs of Phoberos are known for being aggressive outcasts of Skophos. They spend their time marauding, pillaging and trying to pick a fight with Akros in an attempt to impress the god Mogris.

Triton
Most Tritons make their homes in the Siren Sea and a rare few call Melites their home. Nothing more is known about the Trion homeland. Satyr
The Satyr are from Skola Vale. No one really knows how to reach it but legends say it's somewhere to the far east, nestled into the World's Spine. Although most Satyrs live in Skola Vale, a lot of them enjoy the idea of traveling the world and enjoying all that the gods have created. Some Satyrs might leave the vale because they grow bored of the constant revelry and seek ways to share joy with others, this often means that Satyrs become quite popular among other communities. Centaur
The Centaur civilization differs greatly between the Lagonna and Pheres bands.

At the northern edge of Meletian territory, between the sea and the Nessian Wood, roam the centaurs of the Lagonna band. The Lagonna are nomadic but their camps are well-tended too and often rival smaller towns in luxury and amenities. Each family in the band is called a guri and is lead by the eldest (unless they step down). Each guri generally travels and works on their own but the in times of need, the guri leaders convene to discuss the future of the band. The Lagonna are known for their wealth which they've accrued simply from trading;
The Pheres are raiders who roam the land between Setessa and Akros. Unlike the Lagonna, the Pheres aren't nomadic and instead reside in permanent hidden camps. Pheres herds are built on voluntary associations instead of family bonds and don't have a single leader. The herds only really come together when there's a larger target they want to raid, otherwise the herds prefer to remain small to avoid detection.

History

When storytellers relate the history of Edinia, they always speak in the most general terms. An event of just ten years past happened “many years ago,” and the founding of Meletis in the distant past happened “many, many years ago.” In Edinia, history transforms into myth quite quickly, becoming generalized, vague, and moralistic. And because the gods are so deeply involved in mortal affairs, it’s often impossible to distinguish between the myths of divine activities and the scraps of historical fact in these records. There are several myths and legends that are commonly known, most about the gods and some kind of rivalry between them. Which myths are commonly known to you will depend on your race and origin.

Where it all began

We'll start our adventure in a small remote village called Andrios. The village is located at the base of the Karachthon Mountains nestled between two rivers at the edge of the Lagonna Grounds, somewhere in between Setessa and Akros. It has a population of about 500 people, mostly a mix of farmers and hunters. It isn't clear to what poleis it belongs, it's on the edge of all 3 of them, but people don't really concern themselves with that. The people of Andrios rarely leave the town and the only visitors they receive are traveling merchants. The village is governed by a council of elected officials. Each of them specializing in an important facet of society. These are Defense, Hunting, Cultivating, Medicine, Diplomacy, Religion, and Education. When selecting who should be on the council, anyone can vote for anyone and there isn't any formal campaigning. This means that members of the council are there not because they seek wealth and glory but rather because the people believe they are the best fit for that role. When we start, your character will be a member of the council. This means you were elected because you are the best to discuss and prioritize that given facet of society. When making your character, you'll need to choose which role you'll take. Feel free to suggest new roles and I'll adjust accordingly (maybe Commerce, Entertainment, or others). The only role that is reserved is that of Defense.

Next Steps

You now have a basic understanding of the world so you should be able to create a draft of a hero. Do get started, continue to Character Creation. Before we start, we'll have a Session 0 without everyone together to discuss the world and also to have a general Q&A.