Dytikos

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Overview

Western Dytikos is consumed with war. The Helm's Thundering Horde conquers all in its path, ruling the central plains of the Aplos.

The remains of the Acrolonian Hegemony still holds the western heartland of Old Aletheia in its desperate and merciless grip, battling the Helm and the rebels to the south.

The New Aletheian nations along the southwestern coast struggle to survive against both Horde and Hegemony. The many isles of the Dytikan Archipelago, still in Hegemony hands, are simmering with revolution and piracy.

The Archon ruler of Katerga in the Aplos buys independence for his city with tribute to the Horde. The old caravan city rife with debauchery and intrigue, as spies and agents from all nearby powers come to deal with one another.

The aurora-crowned Avigian Barrens lie in the heart of the Aplos, a vaultland beneath the titanic gaze of broken stars. Cyclops tribes dwell among the ruins of Arcadian cities, hunted for sport by the Helm, and savage to would-be treasure-hunters. The northern Fidion Coast seems an idyllic land of prosperous city-states, following the hasty withdrawal of the Hegemony. But rogue pirate-lords from the Boreal Archipelago and Hegemony raiders alike pick at them, and behind the façade, the vampiric Lamia pull the strings.

In the towering peaks of the Fidion Ori, south of the coast, the ruins of the great Pythian Empire moulder. Vast mineral wealth awaits in the Labyrinth, the vault-caves beneath the mountains, where the Sisters of Stone and other forces of fury gather their power.

The old lands of Epolosia along the southeastern coast are gradually being overrun by the asphodel flowers unleashed by the Curse of the Oboloi. Where they spread, the blood-drinking shades of the dead are free to roam. The Great Crypt of Taphos lies at the heart of the infestation, the home of the now deceased Oboloi who released the Curse to halt the Acrolonian Invasion in her lands. The city of Epolosus, famed for its learning, home of the fallen Caduceus, lies wracked with disease, riddled with asphodel, and half-abandoned by its inhabitants.

In the heart of a great oasis in the Golden Waste, Pyrgos stands proud, home of Aegis and Owl. The city houses the famous Lyceum Stratigikis, the Owl's school of military art and science. They oppose the Helm and his Horde, but haven't mobilized against him yet, instead facing the immediate concern of asphodel encroachment to the south. Aberrations and fiery titan beasts roam the dunes.

Chemaros jealously guards his riverlands between the Aplos and desert. Since the end of the Invasion, the Archon has little patience for the imitheoi and their Theagonas. All who would cross must pay tribute, and only his naiad children may sail the river. He particularly loathes the Helm, who butchered many naiads, and the Trident, who seeks to control Port Limani, at the northern mountain-lined bay where his river mouth empties.

Regions

The Esperines

The Esperines (The Isles of Evening, Dytikan Archipelago) - 6 big isles - numerous smaller isles - exposed to the open world-ocean, fury weather can be bad

- first colonized by neriads from the Boreals and alseids from the mainland. - by the time of the Godswar, had picked up a number of Nor as well - when racial factions developed in Aletheia after the Godswar and fall of Arcadian civilization, this extended to the isles. - Threefold Coven builds a seclusium on Kalama - kampoi began raiding the isles in the Shattered Age, with some major tribes taking root. - Damastor gradually brought the isles under Aletheian control

- After the Fall and Titanomachia, the dryad titancult the Trees of Woe retreated to the remote isles, dominating a patch of the Esperines until forced into hiding by the Acrolonian Invasion

- Court of Three returns to the Kalama seclusium, pacting with the locals and offering oracular insight in return for numeric offerings. - Acrolonians begin raiding in the isles, creating outposts. Once they capture Aletheia, they solidify their hold on the isles, but its always hard to really hold close; kampoi, islanders, tritons, etc poking at weak spots. The demonblood Bloodlines create manors for themselves in the isles, places to relax or get away from the court in Lex, or plantations run by slaves.

- with the Dawn and reconquest, the isles are simmering with revolt against the Hegemony, who is trying to maintain its hold, but abandoning less valuable isles. local pirates raid them. Boreal pirates make local alliances, capture isles for themselves, or convince them to join the Trident's League. New Aletheians seek allies, as does the Viper. Smugglers move goods to and from the Esperines and the Bay of Whispers. All the suppressed groups crawl out of the woodwork (kampoi, etc).

goods - fish, products of the sea

- demonologist tower? - what temenoi? archons?

culture - rough and ready, fishermen and sailors, larger isles are somewhat cosmopolitan, smaller ones can be pretty obscure/rustic. isles tend to be independent politically, though they can fall into the orbit of the larger isles or other major powers

Kalama ("reeds") - rocky, grassy hills, marshy coast. the semi-decent bits of the isle are riven by salt-marshy channels that grow an shrink with the tide, splitting it into many sub-isles - few people, dour, odd, possibly cursed or not-right; maybe titancultists - regarded as remote, desolate, storm-hammered - a byword for "far away" or "the middle of nowhere" - a hag-oracle stands there, passage to the Court of Three, has made deals with the locals? there is a fathomless oceanic rift down into the Strange Sea alongside the isle, which attracted the hags long ago. vathys nibbling at the edges, clashing with hags - wretched little hegemony garrison, mostly punishment duty and meager tax-collection; the garrison is getting more and more nervous, ignored by their higher ups. they hope the isle will be abandoned before the locals rise up and murder them all or sacrifice them to the hags. Looking for any way out/aid/etc (might cut a deal with the vathys?) A few Bloodline officers (down and out politically) keep them lashed in line, for now.

Oreinisi ("mountainous isle") - mountainous, mines - Elysians mined here, flying vessels meant ports and mines very high up, out of current reach, modest ruins nestled in high valleys - hegemony penal colony of miners, has imported many races/cultures, enslaved dactyloi mining engineers? - troublesome mountain clans in the interior, wild, willful, and rebellious, aggravating pirates in older days, lots of hidden coves and caves, wood is sparse, preventing them from becoming a major naval power, but they were rich in metal, quarried stone; built high cliff side fortresses, never taken until acrolon came (stood off the barigor back in the day, dawn of their warrior traditions)

Dasos ("forest") - mountains and forest - after the titanomachia, a cult of dryads fled here, conquered the locals, who came to bow to them in time. Ships of living wood. Were driven into hiding by acrolon, who slashed and burned, and timber logging, as necessary. - Beginning to reemerge as the hegemony flails, take their revenge (horrible tree-crucifixions), tree ships sail once more. Some mortals may dream of throwing off the dryads as well, not just accepting an new/old master. - active guerilla war between dryads and hegemony, the task has been placed in the hands of an ambitious bloodline lord who will gain the isle as his if he wins, backed by a notable demonologist

Sthalo - forest and hills, some clear, fertile land - north side is forested hills, less populated, a few towns engage in a lot of clandestine traffic and trade - significant alethian influence, major hold of the hegemony - forests provide timber for ships, major shipyards

Zevgari ("pair/couple") - fertile lowlands divided by central mountain - significant alethian influence, major hold of the hegemony - the two sides were given to different bloodlines to keep balance/infighting, now getting really unstable

Prasinomeros / Prasinomeroi ("green place") - small patch of fertile land (actually a handful of isles separated by narrow channels) - major hold of the hegemony, under one bloodline; important supply point (food, etc) for the mainland hegemony, as the horde makes it harder to harvest on the eastern front - was an outright part of Alethia, old summer palace for the Alethian court, isle was their resort, prosperous. now used by the bloodlines, shadow guild, demonologists - large acrolonian population, locals really crushed down

The Aplos

Katerga

Phidion Ori

pythian empire

Phidion Coast

• Evanto, Ourarabos
• Phidion Gap

Epolosia

Epolosus Great Crypt of Taphos Asphodels

The Vale of Chemaros

Port Limani, Limani Gap join with the Pyrgian River