Human civilization in Theros is centered in three poleis: Akros, Meletis, and Setessa. These poleis exemplify the human drive to settle the land, to shape nature according to their needs, and to organize into political structures that can withstand the changing fortunes of the passing centuries.

Each polis is centered in a city but includes a wide region of surrounding territory, and each one has its own distinct society and culture. To the people of Theros, "Meletis" is more or less synonymous with "Meletians"­ the polis isn't just the people who live in the city of Meletis or even those who dwell in nearby villages; it is the people who follow the Meletian way of life, wherever they might be found. 

Citizenship and Government

In every polis, civic responsibility and full protection are afforded only to citizens. Citizenship is limited to those whose parents were both citizens of the polis. Citizens of other poleis, and their children, aren't permitted to participate in the government of the polis. In Akros, citizens must meet one additional requirement: they must serve in the army.

The three poleis have different political structures, but each one has a council elected by popular vote of the citizenry. The Twelve, Meletis's council of philosophers, is the democratically elected ruling body of the polis. Akros is ruled by a hereditary monarch who is advised by a council of elders elected by and from among the citizenry. Similarly, Setessa's Ruling Council is formed by popular vote, and they govern the polis while its queen--the goddess Karametra--is absent. 

Trade and Currency

Trade between Akros and Meletis is constant and productive. Caravans make the two-day journey between the poleis at least once a week, carrying fine Akroan metalwork and pottery to Meletis, and Meletian fabric, stonework, and fish northward. Both poleis mint coins of copper, silver, and gold, with equivalent value.

Setessa trades with the other poleis as well, but less extensively. Its Abora Market, just inside the city gates, is open to outsiders only on certain days, and Setessan merchants prefer to barter goods rather than accept currency. Despite these restrictions, Setessan food, woodwork, and trained falcons are highly valued in the other poleis.

Aside from the other human poleis, Meletis and Setessa both trade with the centaurs of the Lagonna band. The centaurs don't work metal, so they trade woodwork, the produce of the plains, and woven blankets to the human poleis in exchange for weapons and armor. 

Recreation

The people of the poleis enjoy the opportunity for some recreation, as time and money allow.

Gymnasia are popular gathering places, offering athletic training as well as space for philosophical discussion and friendly socializing. A resident of the city might visit a gymnasium one day to exercise, the next to view a wrestling match between celebrated competitors, and the next to hear a renowned philosopher give a lecture on ethics.

Another important venue for recreation is the theater. The works of celebrated playwrights, past and present, are regularly produced by casts of professional actors. On occasion, a storyteller, accompanied by a small orchestra, draws crowds to a theater for a recitation of one of the great epics, such as The Theriad or The Callapheia. Such a performance might stretch over two or three days. 

The astronomers and philosophers of Meletis have established a calendar that has found some adoption in Akros and Setessa. It divides the year into twelve months of twenty-nine or thirty days, each beginning with the new moon. About every three years, an extra thirty-day month is added at the end of the calendar to keep it aligned with the solar year.

The beginning of the year is considered the end of winter, so the new year begins with the spring. Each month is holy to a specific god and named after a major festival celebrated in Meletis during that month. Setessa and Akros have adopted the same names even though they don't share all the same observances, with one exception: the fifth month (Thriambion in Meletis) is called Iroagonion in Akros, after the Iraan Games, which are held in that month every year.

The Meletian Calendar table summarizes the months, their lengths, and the god each is associated with. 

MELETIAN CALENDAR

*This month occurs only once every three years.

"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. 

For more information about Akros, your character must have a reason to know it (lived there at one point, currently living there, passed through the city before, etc.).

"EVIL FLOURISHES WHERE IGNORANCE THRIVES." --Perisophia the Philosopher

Meletis is a polis devoted to learning, magic, and progress. It is the most populous city-state and home to progressive thinkers, pious thaumaturges, and wise oracles. Born from the defeat of tyranny, to this day it pursues the ideals of free thought, societal betterment, and reinvention over stagnation and totalitarianism.

The archon Agnomakhos ruled the area that is now Meletis for centuries. Impressing those he conquered into his legions, Agnomakhos aggressively expanded his empire, spreading it as far as the forests to the east and the mountains to the north. Ultimately, though, the heroes Kynaios and Tiro overthrew the archon. From the empire's ruins rose Meletis, a land that endeavors to reject cruelty and oppression throughout the world, and guards against hypocrisy within its own borders.

For a time, Kynaios and Tiro ruled Meletis, striving to govern in accordance with the highest philosophical and ethical principles, which ultimately led them to relinquish their power and establish a philosopher-led republic. After the kings' deaths, the council of scholars known as the Twelve took up rule of the polis, with the sage Elpidios serving as the senior member. 

For more information about Meletis, your character must have a reason to know it (lived there at one point, currently living there, passed through the city before, etc.).

“THIS CITY SAVED ME when I was an orphaned child, sold into chains. Now is my turn to save it.” --Kallias, Ophis Tower commander

Setessa is the favored polis of Desconocido, and its buildings blend so perfectly into the forest that it's difficult to tell the difference between inside and outside. The populace lives in harmony with the thick forests, terraced farms, and trained animals of Setessa, and they celebrate the cycle of seasons with grand holidays.

Setessa is also unique among the poleis of Theros in that few of its adult residents are men. Women comprise the bulk of the population, holding almost all of the leadership roles and carrying out most work. Men are few and far between, mostly performing roles at the polis's edge. Children run freely around the polis. They're so important, in fact, that Setessa's people take in abandoned children from all over Theros. 

For more information about Setessa, your character must have a reason to know it (lived there at one point, currently living there, passed through the city before, etc.).

"OUR WORLD STANDS ON THREE FEET: Pride, dignity, and independence. When voices claim we've lost these virtues, do not listen. Those are the words of thieves, convincing you you've already lost what they aim to steal." --Liala, matron of the Sun Guides

A vast valley of dry grasslands nestled between the Katachthon and Oraniad Mountains, Oreskos is the home of the leonin. Here roam vast herds of knot-horned gazelle, flocks of elephant birds, prides of lean lions, and a menagerie of other beasts. Predatory griffins and manticores regularly range over the region's grassy seas, while beings like the Anvilwroughts of Mount Velus or the Nyxborn from Nykthos often experience Oreskos as their first glimpse of the wider world. 

For more information about Oreskos, your character must have a reason to know it (lived there at one point, currently living there, passed through before, etc.).

"MOGIS RESHAPED OUR ANCESTORS, giving form to their great rages and pains. We are not our ancestors, though. We are god-carved for greatness, but each of us determines how." --Gysios, Bronzebones veteran

The western edge of Akroan territory is a region of arid canyons and caverns called Phoberos, a land of harsh natural whims haunted by ravenous monsters. Fierce bands of wild minotaurs haunt these badlands, and for centuries these brutal marauders were the only minotaurs the human poleis ever knew--which contributed to the minotaurs' reputation as bloodthirsty brutes.

But to the north of Phoberos, far from the walls of Akros, stands the sprawling, labyrinthine polis of Skophos. Skophos is mentioned in a few ancient odes, but only a handful of humans have ever beheld Skophos, and hardly any have successfully navigated its labyrinthine passageways and returned to tell of it.

The founding of Skophos and its troubled history with Akros are the stuff of myth, and it is difficult to distinguish the mortal history of the two poleis from tales of the twin gods, Iroas and Mogis. The gods warred with each other, their followers and champions vied for control of scarce land, and two ideals-the nobility of heroic struggle and victory versus the brutality of savage slaughter in war-competed for a place in the mortal mind. Just as Mogis is the dark shadow of everything Iroas stands for, so is Skophos the reflection of Akros. And Phoberos is the bloodstained battleground where the eternal conflict between the gods and their poleis is waged. 

For more information about Phoberos and Skophos, your character must have a reason to know it (lived there at one point, currently living there, passed through before, etc.).

"DEATH AND LIFE ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN. Opposite, but eternally connected. One cannot exist without the other." --Slighos the Body-binder

Before becoming a god, Phenax died, passed into Erebos's realm, and ultimately escaped the Underworld. His escape route, the Path of Phenax, has since been employed by rare, but over the ages innumerable, individuals. These Returned find the world of the living far different from how they experienced it in life--not that they remember their lives. Although they've escaped from the Underworld, the Returned still find themselves separate from the living, their memories lost and their unnatural states striking fear in most mortals. As a result, most Returned come to follow certain paths of behavior and gravitate toward two city-states, known as the necropoleis--cities of the dead. 

For more information about the Realms of the Returned, your character must have a reason to know it (lived there at one point, currently living there, passed through before, etc.).

"CALLAPHE GAZED ON THE COASTLINE, certain her destiny called her here, where the mist-shrouded rocks sang, promising glories undreamed of." --The Callapheia

The vast Siren Sea extends west from the known lands of Theros to the edge of the known world and the mists. As Thassa's domain, the sea hides an amazing array of creatures, including the entire triton civilization. Its legendary dangers range from deadly reefs and wandering islands to predatory beasts and devastating krakens. Ever-changing, the Siren Sea is a realm of impossible sights and constant danger, the setting of legendary odysseys and the crucible of heroes. 

For more information about the Siren Sea, your character must have a reason to know it (lived there at one point, currently living there, passed through before, etc.).

"TASTE THE WORLD before Erebos rips your tongue out." --Thisbi, satyr dawngreet

Nestled in the highlands of the Oraniad Mountains, the Skola Vale is blessed by Nylea, covered in lush grass, and dotted with copses of trees. Satyrs roam the comfortable valley with no need for permanent settlements, all their needs provided for by the valley's magic. According to legend, Nylea was so taken with the valley's beauty that she poured the contents of her wineskin onto the vale to make it flourish forever. When wild goats drank of this wine, they became the first satyrs who made the magical land their home.

While the Skola Vale is a place of revelry, it isn't without its dangers. The satyrs themselves can become too raucous in their merrymaking, and monsters lurk in the shadows of the trees and the surrounding mountains. 

For more information about the Skola Vale, your character must have a reason to know it (lived there at one point, currently living there, passed through before, etc.).