Only victory endures.
—Akroan motto
The walled polis of Akros stands defiantly atop a precipitous cliff. The unforgiving mountains around it serve as a shield between its holdings and the rest of Theros. Few have ever dared to attack its famed fortress, the Kolophon, and no attack has ever breached its walls. To the residents of Theros, the Akroans hold near-mythical status: feared warriors produced by a culture that centers around perfecting the mind and body for war. Their armies have rarely tasted defeat as they expand the borders of Akros, seizing new lands and bounty.
People of Akros
For most of Akros’s neighbors, the term “Akroan” evokes legendary warriors, trained from birth in every martial discipline known to humankind. It brings to mind songs of tight-knit martial bands, holding strong in the face of unbeatable odds. It sings of a great yearly competition that crowns the preeminent warrior-athlete in Akros, and—by extension—the world. The majority of Akros’s inhabitants, though, aren’t members of its martial elite. The famed warriors of Akros have the means to devote their lives to studying and training in the ways of war because they rest atop a rigid social structure of serfs and servants that largely dwell beyond the Kolophon’s walls. Those who stand at the heights of Akroan society, or outside it, are detailed here.
The Monarchy
Traditionally, Akros is ruled by a monarch drawn from the lineage of lektoi. The monarchy passes from parent to eldest child, but any sibling or first cousin of the heir can challenge this succession and claim the throne by besting the heir in single combat.
Currently, the monarchy is in a state of turmoil. King Anax has died, and his wife, Queen Cymede, has disappeared. An oracle of Keranos, the queen is said to have transformed into a pillar of fire and vanished into the wind, but until her death is certain, the lektoi are reluctant to name a new monarch. Anax and Cymede have no children, so the king’s niece, Taranika, acts as regent, attempting to guide the polis through what is sure to be a difficult transition.
As if the situation weren’t complicated enough, rumors have it that Anax isn’t dead. He, or perhaps some shimmering Nyxborn simulacrum of him, has been seen at the head of squads of satyr hoplites, wielding an axe that billows with smoke and drips searing lava.
Lektoi
At the apex of Akroan society are the lektoi, the large warrior class of Akros. Members of this class claim descent from the seven warriors who first established the Kolophon after the fall of the archons. Though the families now number more than seven, each one uses an animal associated with one of the seven warriors as its symbol, either the ram, lion, horse, boar, badger, bull, or hart. The ram, associated with Akros’s first king, Elektes, is commonly used as a symbol for the lektoi as a whole and for Akroan strength, determination, and resilience. It is a popular theme in clothing, jewelry, and weapon ornamentation, and some lektoi even wear their hair braided into stylized ram horns.
Although the lektoi claim descent from heroes, membership in this noble class isn’t strictly hereditary. Anyone can earn a place among them by claiming a victory in the annual Iroan Games. More commonly, members of lektoi families lose their place of privilege if they fail to fulfill their obligation to serve in the Akroan military.
Stratians
The Akroan military is formed of wandering bands of warriors (drawn from the lektoi families) known as stratians. Outside the walls of the Kolophon, the stratians camp in the forests and fields, hunt game for food, and train younger warriors as they go. Their tasks are to search for monsters that have strayed into Akroan territory and to protect travelers.
Stratian forces are divided into three types of duty and armed appropriately for the task before them:
Alamon. Rugged forces of wanderers patrol Akros’s borders, defending against invasion or attack by monsters that dwell in the mountains, foothills, and badlands around Akroan territory. They are armed and armored for speed and agility, allowing them to move stealthily and strike unexpectedly.
Lukos. The most elite forces among the stratians, the so-called wolves contend with threats that the Alamon can’t handle alone. After the guerrilla tactics of the Alamon have softened up a target, the heavily armored Lukos march to finish the task.
Oromai. The watchers are the guardians of the Kolophon who protect the fortress from invaders and maintain order within its walls.
Flamespeakers
Prominent spellcasters, the flamespeakers are reclusive priests of Purphoros who revere nature spirits and who inhabit fiery rifts in the mountains. The ancient practice is viewed as primitive but powerful, and Akroans of any background might risk making a pilgrimage into the mountains to hear a flamespeaker’s prophecies.
Servants and Serfs
Lektoi who complete their military service with honor often retire to the Kolophon or their family estates and go about the leisured life of aristocrats. Their households are run by a class of servants made up of lektoi who were unable or unwilling to undertake a military career. These servants lack citizenship’s full privileges but retain a position of some honor thanks to their class.
Below these servants, at the bottom of Akros’s social hierarchy, are the serfs. Comprising the vast majority of Akros’s population, the serfs largely reside outside the protection of the Kolophon, laboring to grow the staple crops that support Akros’s citizens and its trade. A relatively small number of serfs are skilled artisans who manage to build a more prosperous life for themselves with their crafts. But even these wealthier serfs can’t own the land they live on, and they enjoy few rights or legal protections.
Nonhumans in Akros
Akros maintains a standoffish—and often hostile—stance toward its neighbors, particularly the minotaurs of Phoberos, the leonin of Oreskos, and the centaurs of the Pheres band. Members of those peoples rarely find a warm welcome in Akroan territory. However, Akroans respect prowess, loyalty, and self-sacrifice, and might welcome any who embody such virtues. Some stratians also seek to learn the martial practices of other peoples, and might invite individuals or small communities to Akros to learn their ways.
During the Iroan Games, everyone is welcome in the stadium. Satyrs flock to the city to witness the competition, and some take up permanent residence, celebrating the outcome of one year’s games until it’s time to start watching the next.
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