Billed as a traditional Gygan holiday, Therismós is promoted by the Order of Sydon as the correct way to have ‘fun’ and worship the Titan too.
The day sees worshipers of Sydon come together to compete in a number of games to pick the strongest and most devoted followers. The winners of these competitions are then brought together at sunset to lead a sacrifice to the Lord of Storms. After the sacrifice, a public feast is thrown, with all food and drink paid for by the Order of Sydon. All are welcome to attend - though they are required to voice their devotions to the Titan before the feast begins.
In reality, however, today’s Therismós only roughly resembles the original Gygan traditions, which were much more violent and cruel (at least to the non-Gygans who had the misfortune of being a part of them.)
On this day in centuries past, slaves of the Gygan Dynasties would be pitted against each other in competitions, with the winners fought over and traded by their masters. The weakest and least favoured slaves would then be sacrificed to Sydon at sunset by the hands of the slaves who won the competitions earlier in the day. Touted as an ‘honour’ for the slaves involved, this practice was a way of testing the obedience of those under the Gygans’ service.
As cruel as it was for other races involved, Therismós was an important time for creating bonds between Gygans, with the day culminating in an evening feast that saw the different Dynasties come together in peaceful (if not rowdy) celebration of each other and their Titan patron.