Divine Lands

From the deep underworld, to the far distant India, to the lofty reaches of Olympus itself, the mythological world of the Greeks and Romans is exceptionally well detailed. There is nothing short of a glut of resources to draw upon to expand upon the Divine landscape of the Theoi, and here we present the most interesting and important features found. However, as the Greeks and Romans had a glut of Legendary locals, so too did they have a glut of understandings of the shape of the world from different periods. For simplicity, here presented is the cosmology we use, cobbled together by combining Hesiod with later authors who clarified or expanded upon his system. Effectively, there are two bowls resting on top of each other, forming a sphere. The upper bowl is Ouranos, and the bottom Tartarus. Where these two bowls meet, there is Oceanos, forming an exterior ocean-river around the edge, as the center is occupied by Gaia as the land which sometimes floats, but is somehow physically connected to Tartarus underneath, through the Underworld.

As always, this should be little more than a guideline to present the most enjoyable story one can, so add, subtract, and develop to one's heart's content.

Underworld - Hades

On the far edge of the world, past the gates of the sun and the home of Oceanus, and under the earth sits the land of the Grecian dead. Reaching this place is simple for the dead, as Hermes carries the souls of those who have passed to the entrance, but for the living it is somewhat more complicated.

One could try to bribe Hermes, Thanatos, or Hecate to bring them to the Kingdom of Hades, but too one could set sail across the final sea of Oceanus to find the entrance far to the West of the world. There, at the far reaches of the world, one can find a great cavern to descend into to reach the edge of the Underworld.

However, there are other ways. Several caves around the Mediterranean are purported to be entrances to the Underworld, and being far more accessible than sailing to the edge of the world, most Scions will find their entrance here. Descending into the Stygian depths in either location, however, leads visitors to the same place. One could also try to find the reflections of the Underworld rivers on earth and take entrance there, but one does not want to touch the rivers of the Underworld.

The River Acheron

As Scions walk deep into the depths of the earth, they first encounter Acheron, the River of Pain. Swampy wetland, tall with reeds and pungent in odor awaits them here, with the only light coming from eerie swamplightes and the tiny lantern on the ferry of Charon.

Though somewhat dismal, the shore of Acheron is covered in lilies, and the souls of the dead who were buried without coins. In recent centuries, this throng of ghosts has grown, and grown, and grown after the burial rituals died, and any approaching Scion will find themselves set upon by dead begging for coins to be allowed to cross the river into what lies beyond. A particularly benevolent Scion may walk into the depths with the intent of saving all of these souls, though Charon may have somewhat of a fit.

Charon the Ferryman, son of Erebus and Nix transports the dead and living across the river Acheron for the fee of a coin, guiding those who seek to pass further into Hades over the river of pain. He is not an unfriendly man, but not particularly talkative. An elderly man, God, or maybe Titan, Charon moves beings safely across the river. Just what he is doing with all of those coins is... unknown.

The water of the Acheron is, as its name would imply, unpleasant to attempt to swim. Firstly, it is swampy and generally dismal, which does not make for an easy passage. Secondly, it is the River of Pain. Touching the waters of the Acheron causes one’s nerves to scream in pain, needing to beat 60 on a Stamina + Fortitude roll or be purged of all Willpower and a Virtue channel from one’s highest Virtue as the pain overwhelms them. Attempting to swim the river, no one has tried. If just touching it causes such pain, swimming it is an option for only the bravest, or most foolish.

The Gate of Hades

Reaching the far shore of the Acheron, one finds themselves staring up at a colossal bronze gate that towers far above, possibly reaching the roof of the colossal cavern the entire Underworld is situated within. This is the gate of Hades, and here sits the famed hound of the Underworld.

Cerberus, son of Echidna and Typhon, the colossal three headed dog with a serpent’s tail, and a mane made from hundreds of snakes. Almost more wolf than dog, some primordial beed from the early eras of the Greeks, Cerberus guards over the gates of Hades. The hound only allows the dead to pass under his many-eyed gaze and enter through the massive gates into the world beyond. Furthermore, the dead inside the gates are kept at bay from attempting to leave due to the horrifying appearance of the giant hound.

However, as an avid reader will know, Cerberus has been tricked before. The great hound has been lulled asleep by music, given drugged honey cakes, and once wrestled into submission by Heracles. Attempting to sneak past Cerberus is impossible save for the most tricky of Gods, the Hound boasting a Perception + Awareness pool of 26 + 36. However, the hound is more easily tricked, lulled to sleep, or drugged as he only has an MDV of 25. Far above anything a mortal may attempt, but a suitable challenge for Scions.

In theory, one may try to fight Cerberus. The Hound of Hades is no pushover, and even great Heracles on the cusp of his apotheosis struggled to wrestle the hound into submission. However, this is not the only risk. If one were to attempt to fight Cerberus, the baying of the hound would alert Hades almost instantly for himself to investigate. Furthermore, actually killing Cerberus would enrage Hades, and likely his entire court including Persephone, Hecate, Thanatos, and the Furies who would descend upon the killer swiftly. One may be able to slay the hound, but in Tartarus they will dwell until the end of all things in punishment.

The Courthouse

One who passes by Cerberus, and through into Hades proper finds themselves in a far different world. Paved pathways cut from gold, silver, and other times cobblestone sized emeralds and other precious gems lead towards the Courthouse where the dead are judged.

The Courthouse itself is a reminder to all that while Hades is the ruler of the gloomy underworld, he is the King of all which is within the earth, including the vast riches. The courthouse is tall, with statues of Themis carved from marble and painted vibrantly. The building itself built from black marble with veins of gold and silver, the court of the Underworld is beautiful and spectacular.

Inside, in the court itself, four judges sit, judging the lives of those who died and deciding where they ought to reside. Rhadamanthus, son of Zeus and Europa, who judges over all those from Asia (east of the bosphorous). Aeacus, son of Zeus and Aegina, who was rewarded with the keys of Hades for his exceptional piety judges over all those from Europe. Then, there is Minos, brother of Rhadamanthus, who holds the authority to overrule the other judges if he feels so fit, though he does this exceptionally rarely. These three were the original judges of the Underworld, and their judgements decide if any dead mortal or Scion goes to Elysium, the Fields of Asphodel, or Tartarus. Elysium is reserved for the greatest, mostly Scions and others from the Age of Heroes. The Fields of Asphodel is for those who lived quaint and unremarkable lives. Tartarus, the prison of the Titans, is only for those mortals or Scions who were not only evil, but specifically bothersome to the Theoi themselves.

And then there is Triptolemus. A latecomer to the judgements, just who his parents were is a topic of exceptional confusion and debate. What is known is that he is a favored of Demeter, and he holds authority to judge those initiated within the Eleusinian Mysteries. Simply put, he has not judged a single soul in over one millennium now. However, if a being who was initiated arrived, he is able to judge them fit of Elysium even if they were otherwise unremarkable.

The Fields of Asphodel

The residence to the inconsequential dead, the Fields of Asphodel is an endless series of fields in the Underworld filled with Asphodel, as one would guess from the name. For those curious, Asphodel is a tall grey-white flower.

The dead here are for want of nothing, but their existence is somewhat... well, frankly boring. Most of the dead here were mortals who did little of importance in their lives, and now live in these endless fields. Scions likely will find little of importance here, short of possibly visiting dead relatives. The living who do walk through these fields will find themselves stared at by the vacant expressions of the shades here.

Elysium

The paradisiacal home for Heroes and those initiated in Mystery Cults lies past the River Lethe, the river of forgetfulness or oblivion. Elysium is a beautiful land filled with music, life, and an abundance of blood (which the dead subsist on). Fundamentally different from the Fields of Asphodel, Elysium is a wondrous afterlife. Beautiful people, good food, enchanting music, a reward for being those the Gods approved of, or loved. Here is where Scions will likely be drawn, to the rolling green hills, spattered with gleaming golden paths and pristine images of Roman villas and rural grecian homes. Here dwell the greatest heroes of the Greek and Romans, Achilles, Odysseus, Aeneas, Jason, Atlanta, and even both Ajaxes. These ancient heroes would be amazing mentors for many Scions, as long as one could navigate the politics of ire that still linger between many of the Heroes.

However, Elysium has not always been, and during the Age of Heroes there was only the Fields of Asphodel. What prompted the creation of Elysium is unknown, but a clue may be found in the other residents of Elysium. The Mystery Cults of Demeter and Dionysus, though they both have entirely different ideas and methods to their cults, both have a chance to reach Elysium even if they were unremarkable in life. Just how this came to pass in the world of divine politics is unknown, but whatever happened has stuck. Among the Heroes and favored of the Gods are sects of members of both Mystery Cults, both still practicing their rituals. While some of the Heroes approve of the excess of Dionysus’ cult, these cults have caused tremendous tension within Elysium.

When you get into Elysium for single handedly routing an army by screaming at it, you tend to be annoyed someone else got in for sacrificing a piglet and drinking some moldy barley water.

The Palace of Hades

In the center of the Grecian Underworld sits a towering edifice to the wealth of the earth. A fortress-palace, with walls that, if the walls of Mycenae are called Cyclopean as they are so large a Cyclops must have placed them, than those of Hades’ palace are Titanic. Huge boulders build the wall that forms the base on which the palace is built will be noted by particularly astute Scions to be colossal uncut gemstones, larger than city busses.

The gate of the palace leads the Scion inside these walls, leading to the main complex itself built from the black marble with golden veins. Towering columns beautifully carved by Hephaestus fill the complex, and statues of the Chthonic Gods of the Theoi loom in the hallways where flickering torches provide the only light.

The complex is massive in scale, stretching up towards the ceiling of the massive cavern. Invisible servants move through the complex, only noticeable to Scions when they are offered directions, food, or drink, through a Scion should know well enough to eat any of the food of the Underworld. Here, in the main complex visiting Scions will find vaults filled with all of the wealth of the earth, glittering gems, precious golds, and large clay pots filled with oil, a recent addition.

Thanatos dwells here, a Lesser God, the Son of Nyx, who is Death itself. Wherever a mortal dies gently, Thanatos is there. He is much like his brother, Hypnos, the God of Sleep who also dwells in Hades palace. Scions who meet either of the brothers will find them gentle, though Hypnos is more often asleep than not. Thanatos however is normally happy to help Scions find their way around the Underworld, a gentle and kind young God. He always will tell Scions how sorry he is that he will likely not meet them above, as the Heroes of the Theoi tend to die violently and tragically.

Such deaths are the realm of the Keres who dwell here, a conglomeration of Lesser Goddesses or possibly even Lesser Immortals born of Nix, who are all violent deaths. Sickness, murder, death in warfare, the Keres lurk the halls of the Palace and laugh to each other. Scions best avoid them. Further in the groups of frightening divinities present, so too are The Furies, three sisters who were the burning vengeance of law against such unnatural crimes as patricide, filicide, incest, regicide, and the like. To Scions who have never committed such a crime, the Furies will look on them with suspicious eyes, lest they the child of Zeus, Hades, or Persephone who they will treat politely with. However, if a Scion has violated one of the tenants of unwritten law that the Furies guard, they must hope that they have Hades or Persephone’s own protection.

Deep within the complex one will come to find the Throne Room of Hades, built of the same black and gold marble, the long hallway is lined with braziers and torches until one comes to the platform on which the thrones of the King and Queen of the Underworld sit. Hades’ throne is simple, a simple blocky shape hewed from a hunk of Onyx, where his queen’s is instead glittering gold, decorated with verdant greenery created from emerald and amber. For half the year, only Hades will sit, during the Spring and Summer. However, during the Autumn and Winter Persephone will join him.

If one has a request of Hades, it is normally best to leave it until Persephone is present. If a Scion can not cause Hades’ to budge, Persphone has in the past interceded.

There is, however, another part of the Palace of Hades. If one wanders the complex, they will likely come to a single room, almost entirely empty. There is a single chair upon which sits Peirithoos, a mortal who attempted to sneak into the Underworld to kidnap Persephone to be his own bride. Hades will not allow anyone to save the mortal from his eternal imprisonment upon the chair, and keeps him inside the Palace as an object lesson.

Overworld - Olympus

Mount Olympus, the home of the Gods and the Titans before them. A grand city of gold and marble sits on the uppermost reaches of the mountain surrounding the summit where sits the throne of Zeus.

The Mountain in the past has been sieged by Giants, and before that by the Gods while Olympus was the seat of the Titans before them. It has little in terms of fortifications, with invaders instead having to either bombard the shining city or try to climb scale the heights while being assaulted by the residents of the shining city.

While in Olympus, the world does appear differently, with the sun and the moon both chariots driven by Artemis and Apollo, the sky appearing to be an actual physical dome high above, and the earth below having no curvature, though only the most perceptive Scions will likely notice this oddity.

Axis Mundi

Reaching Olympus is obvious, one must climb Mount Olympus in Greece. Now, the peak has been reached many times by mortals, to which it has been noted there was a lack of gleaming golden palaces sitting in the clouds. However, this is due to the Theoi not particularly liking mortals and having no interest in having them wandering around the wondrous city.

To Scions, Lesser Immortals, Gods, Titans, and the like, Olympus actually appears larger than it appears to mortals, the peak of the mountain the foothills of the true colossal peak. They need not climb, as there is a path leading to the top, though it is closely watched by the servants of the Gods. If one wished to sneak in, however, flight or climbing the mountain is the safest bet.

Walking up the mountain along the path, steps which circle the mountain to the peak, takes several hours, however it is not difficult in the slightest, and the sight of the world below is breathtaking to many Scions when they first start the hike.

Sneaking up the mountain, by flight or by climbing requires the Scion to contest Apollo, or Artemis in their chariots high above with a Dexterity + Stealth against the Deity’s Perception + Awareness. However, if an invader is particularly unlucky, or they appear to be a threat, they will also have to avoid the sight of Helios, the Titan of the Sun. Physically climbing the mountain takes a total of 200 Successes on Dexterity or Strength + Athletics with each roll taking an hour.

Palace of Zeus

Atop the highest point of Olympus’ peak sits a sprawling palace of gold and marble. With floors of solid gold, and high stretching marble pillars, the King of the Gods displays his might and power. Hundreds of servants move through the sprawling complex, in and out of private chambers, storerooms, and doing their best to keep out of the way of the Gods.

The walls of the palace are painted in wondrous colors, and others in frescoes depicting the great deeds of Zeus, some of which have been lost to the myths of mortals. Statues of the Thunderer and his family pose regally through the palace, all leading up to the center most chamber which sits atop the highest peak.

Here sits the Twelve Thrones of the Dodekatheon, the Twelve Gods of Olympus, with Zeus’ towering over all the others. The thrones are placed around the edge of the circular room, with the hearth of Olympus sitting in the center, tended by gentle Hestia. The thrones of the Gods are built of gleaming gold, each forged by Hephaestus with the resident of the throne in mind. Apollo and Artemis’ thrones have the looming images of their celestial orbs above their heads, both decorated with arrows, with Apollo’s three legged like the seat of the Oracle of Delphi, and Artemis’ supported by the forms of beasts. Dionysus’ throne is of living, twisting golden ivy which produces wondrously tasting golden grapes whenever the God of the Vine takes a seat. Aphrodite’s throne, a wedding gift, is stunning and gleaming in the light of the hearth, forged of gold in the shape of a great shell as mortals often depict Aphrodite emerging from the waves. Demeter’s throne is simple, though it fits the nature of the Goddess, little more than a stool which the Goddess sits, engraved with the image of barley. Athena’s is built with a high back resembling the front of the Parthenon, with the legs coiling snakes. Hermes’ is right beside the door, both because mischievous Hermes occasionally has to make a quit exit, and because the messenger of the Gods is frequently sent out to bare the word of Zeus. His throne has a low back as to allow the God to wear his great floppy hat. Poseidon’s throne is depicted like the grand throne of a king, but with marble barnacles fastened to it and engraved with the images of dolphins and sea-weed. The Throne of Ares is hammered out of the shields of great warriors, and is particularly brilliant in design as Ares believes for the shields it to be a wondrous seat, despite it being intensely uncomfortable. The throne of Hera is... infamous, the Goddess still sitting in the adamantine throne which Hephaestus trapped her in all those years ago, since having been disarmed, the Goddess refusing a different chair to remind all what her crippled son did. And then there is the Throne of Zeus, a colossal thing, bigger than all the other thrones, with two great eagles of gold supporting the arms, and forged in the shape of brewing storm clouds.

It is in this central chamber of Zeus’ palace where the Dodekatheon arrive together to discuss matters, and where Zeus gives his judgments and makes decisions his entire Pantheon will have to live with.

The Chambers of Hera

Living within the sprawling complex of Zeus’ palace, Hera’s personal chambers are regal. Peacocks strut along marble halls, and any Scion with experience with the animals will note that they are not making the ridiculous noises they normally do, instead having sweet songbird calls. Asides from the personal bedchambers of Hera, where none but Zeus and Hera go, Hera also has her own throne room where she organises matters of state, and plots against the children of her husband.

In fact, notably, Hera had her throne room fitted with a special addition by her son, and there is an expertly hidden bar which can be dropped across the door, which makes the room absolutely impenetrable. One wonders why Hera has such a fitting.

The Chambers of Demeter

As an unmarried sister of Zeus, Demeter finds her home in the sprawling palace of Zeus. Shuffled off to a far wing, Demeter’s chambers are by the storehouses, filling the Goddess’ halls with the smell of grain. Outside, the Goddess has fields of barley growing, and shifting gently in the air which she tends to herself especially at night so she can see her lover far above her.

In the Autumn and Winter however, the home of Demeter changes drastically, and the fields of barley lie fallow and empty. The entire wing of the palace is filled by the sound of furious pacing as the Goddess moves from wing to wing, still infuriated that Zeus would give away the hand of their daughter in marriage.

The Forge of Hephaestus

Apart from the rest of Olympus’ beautiful palace sits Hephaestus’ own, which is more a workshop than a palace. Wrought entirely from bronze, the workshop has a huge vaulting ceiling which allows the God to fit his twenty bellowed furnace in the center.

The crippled God is aided here by women forged from gold, which can speak, think, and move around by their own volition, some of the greatest handiwork by Hephaestus, assisting the God in his creations and helping him move around the complex.

It is here that the smith God creates many of the great tools of the Gods, and here that he designed all of the other palaces in Olympus itself. However, it is not the only forge of Hephaestus, as sometimes he wishes to escape from his family and work in peace without being continually interrupted by his family looking for new oddments. Down in the world below, the God has forges inside many of the great volcanoes of Greece, Anatolia, and Italy where he can find peace.

Perhaps the saddest part of Hephaestus’ home, however, is his bedroom which the God clearly put a colossal amount of time and effort into. Furniture made of beautiful woods, a bed forged like a great shell bursting out of the sea with waves of pure silver, cunningly created tables that zip around to serve on residents hand and foot. The bedroom for all of this wonder is dusty and abandoned, the metal net which Hephaestus caught Ares and Aphrodite together in his bed in is left on the bed in a heap.

The Place of Aphrodite

Built by Hephaestus as a wedding gift, a palace of marble and gold decorated with hundreds and hundreds of statues of beautiful Aphrodite in numerous poses fill the entirety of the building leading to a serene center open to the air which radiant Aphrodite often sits among plants and fountains.

Looking down into this central chamber is something of a porch, which has its entrance in the bedroom of Aphrodite. Here the statues are of a decidedly more... inappropriate nature, with the walls decorated with images of carnal acts, smelling of overpowering perfumes and enchanting smelling oils. A particularly unwise Scion may find themselves brought here for ‘personal discussions’ with the Goddess, and they best hope that neither Ares or Hephaestus hears of it.

The Palace of Apollo

The Palace of Apollo is forged from gleaming gold (Scions in Olympus will notice the overabundance of the metal as a building material makes it slightly unimpressive, or perhaps Zeus has intentionally had the majority of the overworld made exceptionally conductive) with a large stables where he houses his steeds and the chariot of the sun itself.

However, the stables is relatively unimportant as no one except Apollo and his servants go there. Instead, all are attracted to the amphitheater which Apollo performs for the pleasure of his fellow Deities within. Open to the air so that when Apollo plays, the sweet sounds fill all of Olympus, every one of the thousand seats in the theater is positioned perfectly to hear the performance of Apollo in the center. The front row, in fact, has more simplistic designs of the twelve thrones of the Dodekatheon, along with several other seats with the names of important Gods such as Hades, and some rogue Titans, such as Helios or Rhea.

There is another chamber, deep in the shining palace, where Apollo sits on a three legged stool when he needs to see more than he normally does. It is in this place that Apollo has his prophetic visions, and a cunning Scion will notice it is designed just like the oracle’s chamber in Delphi, save for the bones of a colossal snake which are coiled around Apollo’s room.

The Palace of Artemis

Being contrary, Artemis’ palace is forged of silver, and is somewhat smaller than the ones of her fellow Gods. This is for two reasons. Firstly, Artemis is almost never on Olympus, but still has a palace as she is one of the Dodekatheon. Secondly, it is built to the smaller scale of Artemis who is eternally a child. Technically, Artemis should, as a unmarried daughter of Zeus, live in his sprawling home. However, due to the deal Artemis made with Zeus, this would mean that Apollo would have to stay at home as well. Likely to allow Apollo his independence, Artemis was granted her own residence as well.

The palace frequently has muddy footprints and paw prints across the marble floors where Artemis has walked in with her hounds, and in her central chamber, guarded by the original hunting hounds given to Artemis by Pan, the rare visitors will notice the walls are dented from absent mindedly shot arrows.

The Palace of Ares

Ares palace is likely the least of a palace of all of the Theoi, a large rectangular home with the center open to the air, blood soaked sands where Ares has others fight for his amusement and often fights himself.

It is here that Ares trained his children, Enyo, Phobos, and Deimos in combat, and where Romulus lives, having been swept away by Ares to live on Olympus as a minor God, sitting at the right hand of his father. Scions who meet Romulus will often note that he has an exceptionally inflated idea of self worth, and many do note the occasional cruel glint in his eyes. Being raised by a wolf and breaking your brother’s skull open, as well as being the child of Mars-Ares likely leaves one's mind in a strange state.

The Palace of Dionysus

It’s technically a palace, but Dionysus does not rule from within it. Shuffled off to a far corner of Olympus, Dionysus’ palace is in a state of constant revelry, with wine and other intoxicants flowing like water. Centaurs, Fauns, Nymphs, and a whole host of Lesser Gods walk the halls here drinking and reveling happily.

Entering into Dionysus’ Palace when not during a formal situation can be somewhat dangerous for Scions, as the eternal party is not like a modern party. Occasional cannibalism, glimpses of impossible things in hallucinations, and in somewhat of a perpetual state of orgy makes navigating the home of Dionysus exceptionally difficult, especially if one doesn’t want to join in the revelry.

The Palace of Athena

Athena’s home is designed in mind of the Parthenon, or perhaps the Parthenon was designed with Athena’s palace in mind. Athena’s Palace however is much larger with additional chambers, and instead of the colossal statue of Athena sits the throne of Athena.

The large marble palace has rooms filled with scrolls, the contents of which range from ancient texts, to modern academic journals which the Goddess has found interesting in one way or another. An entire room in the palace is devoted to a loom and a single chair where Athena weaves, with a fresco of a spider on the floor. The Goddess still practices to avoid the humiliation of being defeated by Arachnie occurring again.

However, the chamber Scions are most likely to be brought to is a a small sparring arena, much unlike Ares monstrous bloodstained one, it is here that Athena practices herself, and trains Lesser Gods and occasionally lucky Scions to excel in combat. The room has tall shelves of scrolls detailing battles, both modern and ancient, in addition to racks of armor and armaments from all periods of Greece.

The Others

Several Major Gods of the Pantheon do not actually have homes on Olympus. Hermes, for one, doesn’t find a point to having one as he can live in the halls of Zeus easily enough, which is helpful as he is often awoken by his name being bellowed as Zeus wants to run off an order or love letter.

Poseidon and Hades both have no palace on Olympus as both Kings have their own palaces within the hearts of their lands, Poseidon at the bottom of the sea where he holds court, and Hades deep within the earth in the Underworld. Pan does not have a palace on Olympus as the rural God detested the idea before his death, and instead chose to live high in mountain glens.

Terra Incognita

To the Theoi, the world was flat. Though the Grecian mathematics, specifically Eratosthenes did mathematically prove the world was a sphere, to the Theoi, it was flat. This does cause somewhat of an issue, as the world doesn’t... work when flattened to a two dimensional object, but an enormous amount of the Greek mythic understanding of the world was based on the idea of a flat earth.

What is further an issue is the Greeks had... imaginative understandings of the world outside their borders. Ethiopia and India both come up in Grecian Myth, but likely are Terra Incognitas rather than the real places, the Greeks just used these locations to differentiate between the direction of foreigner. However, the Theoi will likely insist their India is correct and this subcontinent that the Deva are living in are stealing their idea.

In simple, to the Greeks reality was a sphere that was in two parts. The upper part of the sphere was the Vault of the Sky, or the Heavens. The lower part of the sphere was Tartarus, which is both an entity and a place like Gaia. When the sphere is closed, Gaia (the land) sits exactly on the seme of these two halves of the world, sitting like a colossal island suspended in the Ocean (which is why Poseidon can shake the earth despite being the King of Water, he can shake the earth as it floats on his kingdom.) and inside this island (which is the entire world) has the Underworld inside it. Somehow, the Underworld connects to Tartarus, which might suggest the Earth touches Tartarus and does not in fact float upon the waters, but no one has really checked.

To each individual Storyteller is left this absolute mess of a cosmological existence. Work it out as best one can, in all likelihood, just hope a player doesn't start asking questions about how any of this obscene geography actually works.

The Palace of Poseidon

Deep in the Aegean ocean, supposedly somewhere by the ancient city Aegae on the island of Euboea. Here, Poseidon lives with his wife Amphitrite in a beautiful palace created of coral and marble. Designed without any defences, the fact it sits at the bottom of the ocean and the Theoi have no aquatic threats likely the reason.

Due to this, where both Hades and Zeus opted for forms of defense, Poseidon’s palace is opulent and sprawling across the ocean floor. Sea-beasts swim idly past the palace, whales, giant squid, and even stranger creatures, all servants of Poseidon. The palace was likely originally a coral reef, which must have been created by Poseidon as the location is not fitting for such. Then, parts of the structure was carved from the rainbow coral, and in other locations fitted with gleaming marble walls and columns.

The palace has floors, despite the fact that no one walks in the palace of Poseidon. Servants, Nereids mostly, Poseidon’s children such as Triton, and the other residents of the palace swim through the halls all capable of breathing underwater by blessing of Poseidon, or by personal talent. Visitors are normally left to overcome this obstacle themselves, though those invited to the hall are always given blessing by Poseidon and guided to the depths by Triton himself.

In Poseidon’s halls one can find... actually, very little. Where the palace of Zeus is overflowing with Gods, Titans, and others seeking audience with the Sky Father, and the palace of Hades is physically built on a foundation of more wealth than the western world possesses, Poseidon has nothing of the sort. Few visit Poseidon, and he does not have overwhelming wealth. The God does have an abundance of fish, which is not to be underestimated symbolically as the early Greeks had fish as a more important part of their diet than grains, but still. It feels lacking.

One can tell that even Poseidon notices this, and the God is eternally jealous and angry that Zeus won the heavens while he got the Ocean. He has even in the past plotted against Zeus, but the King of Heaven avoided his brother’s schemes. If there were rumbles of a second Titanomachy, one should sooner check on the Palace of Poseidon for turncoats than the Palace of Hades.

The Isle of the Cyclopes

The island that Odysseus stumbled across on his long way home from the Trojan War would be a strange destination for Scions. However, it would be a prime refueling station if themselves on an Odyssey, no matter their culture. The island boasts a population of Cyclops sons of Poseidon, who are smaller and more brutish than the Primordial Cyclopes. The Cyclopes on this island are shepherds, with flocks of colossal sheep, which makes the location prime to resupply if on a long voyage.

The only difficulty is that the Cyclopes are cannibalistic. Or, well, actually not. They would be cannibals if they ate each other. They just eat humans. However, the Cyclopes are not stupid, just a bit slow as seen by Odysseus’ trick of Nobody. If a Theoi Scion explains who they are, the Cyclopes might invite the Scions into their home depending on who they are. If children of Poseidon, this welcome would likely be quite sincere.

The familiar face on this Island is Polyphemus, who as the Cyclopes are immortal, still lives on the island even though he is now blind. The blind Shepard is still a bit slow, but if a Scion could restore his sight, they would find themselves with a staunch friend, or possibly the favor of Poseidon.

The Isle of Circe

An island filled with dense woodland populated by the most exotic ‘wild animals’ can be found while sailing the Aegean if one knows where to look for it. The isle is the home to Circe, who may be the daughter of Helios, or perhaps Hecate, no one asked her. A powerful magician, Circe is the ruler of this land and adores tricking visitors into eating and drinking in her palace, only to have them drugged and turned into animals. If she would try to do this to a Scion is... debatable.

However strange Circe may appear, she is stranger still. While Hermes went to Odysseus to give him molly to ward off Circe’s magic, he did happen to mention another trick which would subdue Circe. Holding a sword to her throat. For whatever reason, Circe... well, really likes this, and one can seduce the powerful divine witch with a Dexterity + Melee roll. Even the Divine must have kinks.

Why one would visit Circe is an exceptionally good question. The witch does know the ocean exceptionally well, and can give excellent advice if a Scion so desires it. The most likely reason for being there, however, is shipwrecking or curse, just like Odysseus.

Oceanus and the Rim of the World

Both an entity and a location, Oceanus is the colossal ocean (not the normal ocean, which is Pontos, son of Gaia) which divides the earth from the edges of the sphere of the Vault of Heavens and the Bowl of Tartarus. There is very little here in fact, but reaching it is somewhat tricky. One needs to sail out past the Pillars of Heracles into the Atlantic, and keep sailing with the intent of reaching Oceanus. Scions with Travel and Water will have an easier time of this than others. One must be ready for quite the voyage however, and with perfect winds and clear skies, the voyage could take months, though, it is not consistent.

However, there is a good question in “Why would anyone want to go to Oceanus?” and the answer is that there is actually land past Oceanus. Right where the Vault of Heaven touches the earth (Scions who want to can go see it and touch it, a literal colossal wall which also happens to be the Primordial Ouranos), there is a lip of land upon which live several powerful figures, including Oceanus and Tethys.

Those who wish to visit these neutral Titans can find them here in a colossal palace which is now mostly empty. The childhood home of Hera, the two Titans live here together in marital bliss after their foster daughter Hera helped the pair resolve their differences. The home of the two Titans would be an exceptional place to hide something however, as it is very literally the edge of the world.

Here, too is the home of Helios, a golden palace forged by Hephaestus. Helios, since having handed the reigns of the Chariot of the Sun to Apollo, lives here entirely content with his lot in life until he is dragged back into the world by someone bothering his poor cattle. Unlike Oceanus, Helios is entirely allied with the Theoi, and even more beneficially, is almost all-seeing. He may help a Scion of the Theoi for a price, though it would be great as Helios is a powerful Titan.

Scions sailing towards these houses will likely see the colossal sight of Atlas, standing up to his knees in the ocean and holding the vault of heaven aloft high above them. The Titan’s legs are the size of mountains, and they will likely pass unnoticed under the Titan. However, he is a marvel to see imprisoned here.

The Garden of the Hesperides

At the edge of the world sits the Garden of the Hesperides, where Hera had her wedding gift from Gaia placed, an apple tree which produces golden apples. In golden houses, here dwell the daughters of Atlas, the Hesperides, who watch over Hera’s apples. Once upon a time, they were too guarded by the Dragon-Serpent Ladon coiled about the tree, but he was slain by Heracles and placed among the stars.

Scions who visit here find a verdant and paradisaical garden, but the Hesperides are somewhat cautious about visitors. They remember what happened last time a Scion visited them, and it would be safe to assume there were Consequences for their failure to keep Heracles from the apples.

The Pit of Tartarus

Somewhat part of the Underworld, but more not than truly a part is the colossal prison of Tartarus. Based off his siblings Ouranos, Gaia, Nix, and Erebus, Tartarus must have an anthropomorphic form, but none have ever seen it, only eluded to when he fathered Typhon with Gaia.

Nevertheless, Tartarus can be seen as the opposite of Ouranos, literally. Ouranos is the large dome of the heavens, where Tartarus is a bowl which the heavens is the other half of. What Tartarus was originally is lost, as the Theoi bound the entire pit with colossal walls of Bronze and affixed with a colossal gate.

As a prison, one would expect the gate to be kept closed, however this is not actually the case. On the command of Zeus, the three Hundred Handed Ones open the colossal, and miles thick bronze gates of the Pit to release the winds created by Typhon out to the world. The truly wicked, or, in truth, the wicked who managed to catch the personal displeasure of the Olympians, such as Sisyphus and Tantalus were imprisoned here along with the Titans, and by that logic the gates are also sometimes opened to hurl in the souls of mortals. However, despite the gates being opened, the Titans never escape.

Why this is could be any of a number of reasons. From the example of Tantalus and Sisyphus, the Olympians may have bound the Titans with ironic tortures which they may not escape from. Perhaps the Titans are chained, or otherwise bound. Or, perhaps, the Titans are unable to break the line of the three infinitely strong brothers who they themselves imprisoned here. If any of these are true, it goes unmentioned.

Unlike all other Terra Incognita of the Theoi, and almost all Pantheons, no one is allowed to enter Tartarus. Scions are not welcomed, and the Hundred Handed Ones will order Scions (and Gods) alike to leave when they are seen approaching. If their words are not heeded, and they are not one of The Dodekatheon, the Hundred Handed Ones will at that point likely attempt to crush the intruder under a hail of colossal fistfulls of rock. The Hundred Handed Ones take their duty seriously, as they both adore their nephew Zeus, and hate their siblings the Titans for imprisoning them so. They are the ultimate wardens, and they shall not allow any to pass.