Oreskos

Our world stands on three feet: pride, dignity and independence. When voices claim we've lost these virtues, do not listen. Those are the words of thieves, convincing you you've already lost what they aim to steal.
-Liala, matron of the Sun Guides

A vast valley of dry grasslands nestled between the Katachthon Highlands and the Oraniad Mountains, Oreskos is the home of the leonin. Here roam vast herds of knot-horned gazelle, flocks of elephant birds, prides of lean lions, and a menagerie of other beasts. Predatory griffins and manticores regularly range over the region's grassy seas, while beings like the anvilwroughts of Mount Velus or the Nyxborn from Nykthos often experience Oreskos as their first glimpse of the wider world.
Unspoiled by roads or buildings, Oreskos is a land of striking natural beauty, where the plains and sky appear to go on forever. Craggy stone formations and ancient ruins dot windswept grasslands and plateaus, shading into scrubby badlands, rocky hills, and unwelcoming mountains. At the sun's height, the grasslands shine like beaten gold, and the sunsets are incomparable. Magnificent storms spread clouds in a rainbow of colors, creating vistas exhilarating to those brave enough to weather them. The hills yield ancient treasures and a bounty of precious metals and stones. At night, the movements of Nyx are striking, but images of the gods seem to keep their distance from this land where few pay them honor. Yet most non-leonin will never see this beauty. The leonin prides guard their lands implacably, and without a good reason to be there-or a leonin guide to vouch for one's presence-outsiders are often chased away.

Landmarks

Mount Kure

Atop Mount Kure rises a massive temple, open-roofed and accented in gold. This temple of Heliod, his closest to Oreskos, is rarely visited, but on the god's highest holy days, worshipers journey there to commune with the sun god. These pilgrimages occasionally bring the god's servants into conflict with wary leonin hunting nearby.

Sun's Mirror

This vast, placid lake sits at the center of Oreskos. No matter the weather around it, the lake's surface remains undisturbed, and often reflects the sunlight so brightly that it's difficult to look at. Those who approach the lake and gaze into its waters usually see their own reflections, but on rare occasions, they see visions of places far away. The leonin claim that these visions show not just the present, but even the past and the future.

Type

Grassland

Included Locations

• Tethmos

Related Ethnicities

• Leonin of Oreskos

Inhabiting Species

• Leonin
• Tabaxi
• Tortle