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 and 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.

Grasslands of Oreskos

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.

Tethmos

Tethmos serves as the default capital for Oreskos, a meeting place for the tribes, and the home of leonin leaders. Stone buildings and slender windmills jut above the plain, their pale colors and metal decorations shimmering in the light and changing color as the sun moves across the sky. Many leonin matriarchs and other wise souls retire to Tethmos to share their wisdom with all the prides. In recent years, a few non-leonin traders have been admitted into Tethmos, provoking exaggerated tales of the leonin sages and their golden city.

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.