// THE PREMISE
What this world is
Hellanor is a sun-scorched Aegean world of marble city-states, wine-dark seas, and monster-haunted wilds where the gods of Olympus still walk among mortals and the bloodlines of heroes run thick. This is the Age of Heroes, when a single mortal with the right blood and the right fate can slay monsters that armies cannot, when the gods take lovers and grudges among men, and when the line between glory and hubris is the thinnest blade in the world. You are a hero in the making: a demigod child of an Olympian, a mortal champion blessed or cursed by a god's attention, an exiled prince, or a clever wanderer who survives by wits. Oracles have spoken your name, and the Fates have begun to weave.
The Gerousia of Thelassa, the council of aristocrats and priests under Archon Phyleus, governs the proudest polis in Hellanor and would harness a hero's deeds to its own designs. The Brood of Echidna, a militant cult devoted to the forgotten Titans under the sorceress Medousa Kirke, gathers the monsters under one banner to drown the age of heroes. The Sibyls of the Rooted Earth, oracles who tend a sacred grove in the Deepwood, set heroes on their paths through riddling truths and never tell the whole cost. The Stater Fellowship of ship-owners and moneylenders controls the flow of coin across the seas. And the Unclaimed, a band of exiles and escaped slaves led by Lykos 'The Bronze', haunt the wilds. Kymon, the last priest of the sky-king Zephyros, still keeps the old rites.
An old prophecy is coming due, that a hero of mortal blood will either bind the rising Titans or break the rule of Olympus forever, and your name has surfaced in the oracles' riddles. Choose which oaths you are prepared to swear and whose idea of heroism you are willing to serve.
// PLAY PROFILE
What this world plays like
Begin with a hero's problem: unwanted divine attention, a riddle from the Sibyls, or a monster near the polis. Decide whether to accept the role others see for you or question the prophecy before following it.
The Gerousia of Thelassa wants a champion it can use. The Sibyls offer guidance with a cost. The Stater Fellowship controls passage and coin, while Lykos and the Unclaimed offer another view of the heroic age.
You might pursue Medousa Kirke's gathering monsters, seek Kymon's counsel, or test the difference between serving Olympus and earning mortal trust. Decide what kind of hero you are trying to become before accepting someone else's answer.
// FACTIONS IN MOTION
Principal factions
The ruling council of aristocrats and priests who govern the polis of Thelassa, led by its iron-willed king. They enforce the rigid social hierarchy and the worship of the Olympians as a matter of civic survival and divine right. Their primary goals are the preservation of their own power, the collection of tithes and tariffs, and the extermination of any heresy that might draw the wrath of the gods down upon their marble walls.
A militant cult devoted to the forgotten Titans, led by the sorceress Medousa Kirke. They practice abhorrent rites of blood sacrifice to fuel their power and birth monstrous abominations. The Brood believes the Olympians are decadent tyrants and seeks to awaken the dormant Gigantes to shatter the bronze dome of heaven and return the world to a state of primordial, glorious chaos.
An ancient sisterhood of oracles who tend a sacred grove in the heart of the Deepwood. They inhale prophetic vapors that rise from a chasm, speaking the riddles of Fate to those brave enough to seek them. They serve neither Olympian nor Titan, but a silent, sleeping power in the earth's core, and every prophecy they utter is a calculated move in a game that will decide the world's ultimate master.
A powerful consortium of ship-owners, merchants, and moneylenders who control the flow of goods through the port of Thelassa. Though they possess immense wealth, they are denied true respect and political power by the landed aristocracy. They chafe under King Lycaon's heavy tariffs and seek to use their economic leverage to bend the Gerousia to their will, funding philosophers and other dissidents to undermine the old order.
A desperate band of exiled criminals, escaped slaves, and dishonored soldiers who haunt the impassable mountains. Lacking a polis, a patron god, or any rights, they live by the strength of their spear arms, raiding the fertile lowlands to survive. They are a physical manifestation of Thelassa's brutal justice, and their bitterness makes them dangerously susceptible to any power that promises vengeance.
// KEY FIGURES
People you'll meet
// SITES OF RECORD
Places that matter
A vast and ancient forest of black-barked pines and gnarled oaks that blankets the heart of Hellanor. The canopy is so thick that the forest floor is in perpetual twilight, and strange, pale fungi glow with eerie light. The air is still and heavy, and the silence is broken only by the snap of a twig or a whisper that might be the wind.
A jagged range of grey, windswept mountains that rise like the vertebrae of a colossal skeleton. Thin air, treacherous goat-paths, and sudden, violent storms make travel a deadly affair. In the shadowed valleys between the peaks lie fetid swamps and cold, black lakes.
A dense, coastal forest that tumbles down hillsides to meet the wine-dark sea. Unlike the Deepwood's ancient dread, this forest feels more alive and aggressive, full of thick, thorny undergrowth and the hunting cries of strange beasts. A thick, salty mist often rolls in from the sea, shrouding the trees in grey.
A wide, sun-drenched coastal plain of olive groves and wheat fields, dominated by the gleaming marble walls of the polis of Thelassa. The air is thick with the scent of salt and thyme, and the sounds of political debate in the agora and the hammering of bronze in the armories. This is the heart of mortal ambition in Hellanor.
// STORY PASSAGE
A passage from the published profile
Kymon, last priest of Zephyros, lets the smoke of the offering rise before he speaks. "The sky-king has noticed you. Do you understand what that means, mortal? It is not a blessing. It is a weight." He banks the altar-fire with a careful hand. "The gods do not love us. They use us, and they remember. Honor Zephyros and he may lift you above kings. Slight him, and there is no canyon deep enough to hide in. The Sibyls have spoken your name. Now you must decide whose name you will speak back."
He has served the god for forty years, and he is warning you, and he is also, you realize, a little afraid of you.
Selected story passage. Your choices can lead elsewhere.
BEFORE YOU ENTER
Choose a first decision
Start with a person you want to meet, a place you want to see, or a problem you want to understand. You make choices through written actions and read the Narrator's response. The people and places above introduce this world; they do not promise a fixed sequence of scenes.
Completed turns save to your account. Review the latest scene and the relevant in-game information when returning. Check current access and Spark allowances before a longer session, and use the player guide for help with saves, artwork, possessions, and other supported features.
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