City of Meletis

Meletis is a polis devoted to learning, magic, and progress. It is the most populous city-state and home to progressive thinkers, pious thaumaturges, and wise oracles. Born from the defeat of tyranny, to this day it pursues the ideals of free thought, societal betterment, and reinvention over stagnation and totalitarianism.

Government

A council of philosophers called the The Twelve serves as the ruling body of Meletis. They are elected by popular vote among the citizens of Meletis and serve for terms of four years at a time. They are supposed to govern by philosophical principles of justice and social order, and many of them do strive to uphold the highest ideals in their decisions. Others are more grimly realistic, and a few are deeply corrupt, serving only their own interests.
The most senior member of the council is recognized as its leader, responsible for bringing the assembly to order and moderating its debate. Currently, this position is held by the renowned philosopher and orator named Perisophia.

Industry & Trade

Trade between Akros and Meletis is constant and productive. Caravans make the two-day journey between the poleis at least once a week, carrying fine Akroan metalwork and pottery to Meletis, and Meletian fabric, stonework, and fish northward. Both poleis mint coins of copper, silver, and gold, with equivalent value. Aside from the other human poleis, Meletis also trades with the centaurs of the Lagonna band. The centaurs don’t work metal, so they trade woodwork, the produce of the plains, and woven blankets to the human poleis in exchange for weapons and armor.

Infrastructure

Pyrngos

Many Meletians speak of the “edifice of knowledge,” referring in the abstract to the sum of all learning and scholarship. Every citizen is expected to help improving this edifice for the good of the polis, whether through philosophical exploration, advancements in magical technique, investigation into the nature of the gods, or perfection of techniques in crafting and trade.
But the edifice of knowledge in Meletis is a literal structure as well as a metaphorical one: the Pyrgnos is a glowing stone tower standing near the coast. It is literally formed from the collected learnings of the polis, recorded on carved stone tablets and glowing letters hovering in the air. At night, the Pyrgnos shines like a lighthouse where the sea wall meets the shore, gleaming on the waters of the Siren Sea.
A decade ago, the Pyrgnos was partly demolished by a kraken that attacked the city, but it has been repaired and continues to grow, reflecting the continued learning of the polis’s citizens.

The Dekatia

Meletis boasts many centers of learning, but the preeminent academy for philosophers and mages is the Dekatia. Students who display remarkable promise over the course of their earlier education can go on to spend up to ten years in arduous training at the Dekatia, apprenticed to master priests, thaumaturges, philosophers, and military heroes. Those who manage to complete this decade of training are renowned as the wisest of the wise and the bravest of the brave, combining all the essential learning of the polis into one heroic package.

The Observatory

The Observatory is a tall viewing platform and a windowed structure offering a splendid view of the sky, renowned as a place to study Nyx, the home of the gods. Special crystals shaped by thaumaturges and blessed by the oracles of the gods enhance the view, making it easier for observers to see the workings of the gods among the stars and constellations. Priests, mages, and philosophers interpret what they see in the Observatory as signs and omens from the gods.

Guilds and Factions

Architecture

The architectural and academic marvels of Meletis testify to the achievements of civilized humanity. The streets are paved with bricks made in interlocking geometric shapes, meant to demonstrate principles of both mathematics and magic. Grand temples line the streets, testifying to the Meletians’ devotion to the gods. These rise as both mighty bastions dedicated to individual deities and various neighborhood shrines devoted to the pantheon as a whole.
Inside the city, the wild lands feel like a remote threat. Perils from the sea present more obvious dangers, but a great sea wall protects the polis’s port on the Bay of Meletis, while a lengthy channel cuts through the surrounding land to reach Meletis Harbor on the Siren Sea.

Geography

Meletis sits on the coast of the Siren Sea, surrounded by rivers, sparse woodlands, and vast, stepped grasslands. Fields of barley provide sustenance to Meletians and their animals. Well-trod roads wind their way through the region, but most locals travel along the coast in simple boats.

Founding Date

0

Type

Metropolis

Inhabitant Demonym

Meletian

Location under

Theros

Owning Organization

The Twelve