Campaign Premise

Tykos, Frontier of Adventure

Welcome to Iroa, brave adventurers! You are to play key figures helping to set up the new colony village of Tykos. This colony has some powerful backers, but is also far from the poleis behind its establishment, and lies in an essentially uncharted land. Its success or failure will depend largely on the heroes who stand up to lead and defend it, and that means you! Tykos is a colony town established as a joint venture of the Ithean (Iroan "Greek") polis of Krypteia and the Khefiri (Iroan "Egyptian") pharaonic queendom of Senemet, in the northwestern reaches of the Makrys peninsula. It is a new settlement, barely a month or two old, and its first few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity as building materials, seed supplies, and the first residents and workers have been shipped over to set up what is currently really just a brand new village. Hopes are high that the village will prove successful and grow into something much more. And as some of the most capable and thus most important residents appointed to the colony, your player characters will have a huge impact on its success or failure and whether this dream can come to pass! The colony sits at the mouth of the sapphire-blue Zafer river where it opens into the Kolchys bay, facing west toward the Pyrmar firesea. The river valley cuts through the western foothills of the Hyperenees mountains to the east as they march down to the sea. It is lush with wild saffron crocus, chickpea, millet, wild grapes, olives, pomegranates and figs, which the colony planners hoped would help give enough basis for the town to become self-sufficient in feeding itself after the startup period. Deep forests of "Grecian" cypress and poplar extend to the southwest, while highlands lie to the southeast. Rolling hills crest the northern bounds, and were said by the initial scouting teams to eventually give way to wetlands that are cooler than expected despite their closer approach to the warm lands of the north. Dominating the local horizon are the triune volcanic peaks only a few leagues to the east, dubbed the Adelfi or the Three Sisters by the new settlers. A lush valley well suited to supporting the needs of a town is all well and good, but what truly caught the eye of the preliminary scouts were the valley's more unique mineral, supernatural and historical resources. The colony is being built on crumbling scraps of ruins from the Gigasera - the old Age of Giants from before the time of modern mortals and Gods - and there is always the hope that such ruins will turn up treasures or lore that will prove useful to the peoples of the present day. And the valley as a whole is awash in a supernatural energy field as the result of being the overlap of two loci, powerful influences on reality from the aftereffects of the Age of Giants that can produce unique resources which are impossible to find anywhere else on Iroa. It is more common to only find one locus, and for two to overlap is very rare. What unique opportunities will present themselves to the colony from this confluence? The usual reasons of resource exploration, colonial self-sufficiency and economic expansion certainly play a part in the colony's location, but they are not the only reasons for why it sits where it does. Tykos represents an opportunity for Krypteia and Senemet to gain more power and influence relative to rival poleis in the Firesea region, such as Xyria and Pelekys - especially the latter. Pelekys makes grand claims to the entirety of Makrys, but one polis does not have sufficient population or military to establish iron control over a peninsula the size of Iberia. In the wake of the recent Kervelos war between Krypteia, Xyria and Pelekys that ended with no clear victor, Krypteia and its strongest ally are eager to make a statement by establishing a successful and important outpost in Makrys, so they can put the lie to Pelekys's claims of right to the land.

Make the Town your Own

As some of the founding settlers, your party will have a big say in the town's future. A fair amount of details about the settlement are up in the air, and are up to YOU to help decide. I as the GM will settle any undecided matters and have defaults prepared if you can't come to an agreement, but I want to see you work together to flesh out the colony so you feel like you know it before we even start. Many of these categories will ask you to roll for the state of the valley and the town's starting condition. Nominate two players to roll, then choose whichever of the two results you like better. If both players roll the same result, consider it fated!

The Giant Ruins

Fragments of great cyclopean structures litter the valley, and are especially concentrated near the mouth of the Zafer. These are ruins from the Gigasera, the Age of Giants, and stand a lonely sentinel over the newly settled land. Many are just crumbled stretches of wall, or great pillars of which only some are even partly standing today. Some places see greater piles of rubble from collapsed structures - a prime source of stone for the growing colony - or even the surviving foundations and lower walls of what were once great structures, dwarfing any modern mortal. There are also places where there is some indication of further ruins below the earth, covered up by time and neglect as the earth and foliage have reclaimed them. These are the most likely to hold ancient treasures and lore not yet lost to erosion, wandering beasts and the explorers of centuries past. They are also the most likely to be filled with dangers that may also have stood the test of time…

Historical Site

As a group, please decide after your nominees roll 1d8 on the table below: What is the state of the ruins at the site of the new colony? Most results grant the benefit of a free major structure.

What was once a great henge sprawls across the bluff overlooking the bay, with several concentric rings of menhirs once topped by lintel stones, all elaborately graven with the abstract art of the ancient giants. All have fallen, every single stone without exception having fallen facing away from the henge's center toward all directions of the compass. Fruit trees grow equidistant between each set of menhirs. The ruin counts as a rank 1 grove, benefiting the colony's relation to natural powers.
A mighty ziggurat stands here like an artificial mountain of giantish craft, clearly once dedicated to one of the Titans who preceded the Gods, matching one of the loci of the valley (choose or flip a coin). The uppermost tiers and temple that once surmounted it are long since scoured away, but the mighty base still stands proud, enabling a stepped colony. The summit is graven with constellations. The ruin counts as a rank 1 temple, benefiting the worship of and connection to the divine.
The exposed foundations and some remnant cellars and lower load bearing walls of an ancient Giantish fortress complex, sprawling over and around the bluff overlooking the river mouth. Any furnishings or armoury are long since looted or lost to the elements, but the colony can repurpose the Giants’ foundation work and labyrinthian walls as its own. The ruin counts as a rank 1 keep, benefiting the colony's ability to defend against attack.
A soaring tower of ashlar stone stands here on the bluff, once modeled as a giantish arm and hand reaching for the stars above. The actual hand has fallen into the bay, leaving the edifice open to the sky, but much of the tower is miraculously intact, if crumbling and overtaken by plants. The colonial administration can set up within the tower. The ruin counts as a rank 1 tower, benefiting both magical research and scientific philosophy.
What looks to have been a giantish mortuary or ritual chamber, found in a cavern accessed through its ceiling via a shaft plunging from the top of the bluff. An eternal flame springs from a crack in the center of the cavern and causes the air in the cavern to ripple with heat. Great stalagmites surrounding the vent were chopped in half long ago to form a ring of daises. The ruin counts as a rank 1 foundry, benefiting any work of artifice, mundane or magical.
A domed circular structure of unknown purpose encompasses an area the size of a small village, tall statues acting as pillars to hold up the surprisingly extensive remnants of the roof upon their broad hands. It seems the center of the dome may have always been open to the heavens even in its prime. The colony, at least in its early days, is built INSIDE the structure. The ruin counts as a rank 1 establishment, benefiting commerce and information gathering.
A yawning cave in the cliff base facing the sea holds crumbled monuments and outbuildings, clustered around a vast and imposing set of door, built into the back wall. Great care was taken to decorate the gate and the cliff in which it lies. Even after all this time, this stern gate remains sealed. The colony, at least in its early days, is built INSIDE the sheltered cave. The ruin counts as a rank 1 catacomb, benefiting the defense against and courting of dark powers.
Somewhat intact ruins comprising some ancient giantish polis spread deep under the waters of the bay, visible in hints when the sun is high and strong. Scattered stones march into the bay, remnants of an old road that once led to the sunken polis. The colony must do without a giantish foundation and does not receive a free major structure, but instead gets one extra roll to see what upgrades are available when the town is improved.

Your choice does not lock you out of having the other major structures in your town. But major structures are major investments, and you will have to decide as a group, when the resources are available, which you wish to build or upgrade!

The Colossus

There is also a great and ancient colossus standing out on an island in the bay, bearing the countenance of some ancient titan once worshipped here, as if guarding the harbor from approach. Have your nominees roll 1d6 on the table below to determine what the colossus looks like.

A colossus of moss-covered stone, crumbling but retaining an undeniable power.
A mighty structure of tarnished bronze, with the patina of centuries of exposure.
A vast shaped tree or wooden carving of titanic scale, wreathed in flowering vines.
An immense weathered sculpture, wrought from the face of the sea-cliff overlooking the bay and colony.
A titan grown or shaped from coral, submerged in the bay; the “island” is its head, emerging from the sea.
A shadowy silhouette appearing when fog lies upon the sea; the island mount otherwise appears bare.

Your choice will have implications later.

Useful Remnants

Some of the giantish ruins scattered about the area are intact enough that they can grant two free settlement upgrades to the colony. These structures are only rank 1 due to their timeworn nature, and your jury-rigged adaptation of these ruins to a more practical modern use. However, they offer a gigantic foundation of immense potential, such that repairs and further upgrade work over time could improve them to the highest rank. Have your nominees roll 1d8 to determine what the colony lucked into. Also consider and discuss how these look different from comparable mortal works!

An "amphitheater" (outdoor theater) in the form of a stepped open pit quarry, now played out but clearly used as the source of the stone from which most of the ruins are constructed.
A "latomo" (quarry) repurposed from the remains of a once mighty citadel cast down into total ruin, unsalvageable save as a source of useful stone still fit to be reworked.
A "pharos" (lighthouse) in the form of two primal beacon structures, one at the end of each of the two promontories which reach into and shelter the bay from the ocean beyond.
A "dromos" (road) running to the east end of the valley, a wide trench seemingly dug to channel the now-crumbled lava of some ancient eruption from the Adelfi all the way to the sea.
A "loutro" (bathhouse) comprising expansive hot springs in a dell below the colony, surrounded by fallen statuary and with a deep shaft in the center plunging to unknown depths.
A "gefyra" (bridge) of sorts across the Zafer, as great remnant columns or broken monuments span the river, upon which the colonists can place wood planks to jury rig a crossing.
An "agora" (plaza) that may once have been the giant citadel's garden courtyard, to you a walled plaza and town center with the giantish benches serving as makeshift stoa.
A "desmoterion" (jail) that seems to have been a coop for large fowl or other beasts kept to produce eggs or milk for the giants, but which will serve the community suitably as a jailhouse.

Your choices do not lock you out of eventually having access to the other structures. But those are unlikely to be free, and will need to be chosen and paid for when they are rolled up as available upgrades!

The Zafer River

The most defining feature of this fertile valley is the Zafer itself. A shining river sparkling blue in the sunlight, it winds all the way across the valley from its headwaters somewhere in the Adelfi or beyond, opening into the Kolchys Bay. Its waters bring life to the vale and opportunity to the new colony.

Magnitude of the River

How broad is the river? As a general rule of thumb, the wider a river is, the shallower and slower it is, though all rivers run faster toward their centers than the shore. Regardless of the average width, the river opens up wider at its mouth, and becomes narrower upstream of feed streams and closer to its headwaters. Have your nominees roll 1d4 to determine the river's breadth, and as a consequence, its depth, speed, and other traits.

Narrow, young, deep, and fast. The Zafer is only 60 meters (~200 feet) wide on average. Resource poor, but the water is cleaner, and the river is easier to bridge and manage. Enormous warships can easily make their way far along this river.
Average in width, age, depth and speed. The Zafer is about 300 meters (~1000 feet) wide on average. This is the default, and is a pretty typical size for those waterways destined to become culturally significant. Median resources and cleanliness.
Wide, ancient, shallow, and slow. The Zafer is about 1500 meters (~5000 feet) wide on average. Resource rich, but the water is dirtier, and the river is difficult to bridge and manage. Nothing much bigger than a fishing boat is getting far on this river.
The Zafer is a creek, not a river per se. It is narrow, shallow, and of average speed, only about 15 meters (~50 feet) wide on average. Resource poor, with water of average cleanliness, but much easier to build over. Canoes and coracles are fine, but real boats are impractical.

A wider river may make it easier to ford and to emplace bridges, and also makes it easier to extract resources from the river such as clay or fish. However, it can also impede other traits you might potentially desire, such as the ability to sail the river or exploit it in more specialized ways. Moreover, while a wide river may be easier to bridge, it is nonetheless more expensive to do so, as more materials will be required.

River Topography

What topography defines the river's course on the map? This is the actual geographical "layout" of the river - how it lies upon the land as it makes its way through the Zafer valley toward the sea. Have your nominees roll 1d8 to determine what you have to work with here as far as the course of the Zafer.

Winding on its course through the valley. At a few points it forks and later rejoins, and a few streams feed it from the hills, highlands, and underground. This is the default.
Ramrod straight down the center of the valley, undeviating all the way up to the Adelfi. This is unlikely to have happened naturally unless it is following a fault line.
The Zafer is the confluence of multiple streams and lesser rivers, emanating from the woods, highlands, hills and mountains. This makes the upper valley a marshland.
Pours over multiple minor waterfalls and through stretches of rapids as it descends the valley, due to subsidence and scarp terrain. Traveling upstream by boat is a no go.
Mostly underground, emerging from a cave near the colony. The vale is easily traversed and has more usable land area, but is also poorer for resources and agriculture.
The river forks in the lower valley, entering the sea both north and south of the colony, which with its foundational ruins now sits upon an island where the rivers meet the sea, and is disconnected from the valley proper save by ferry until bridges are built to span the forking arms.
The river has a floodplain of 10d10 times wider, which is a blessing for agriculture and clay industries if its cycles are learnt, but a curse in other ways. The mouth of the river is actually a delta, and establishing a harbor will be harder.
A lake interrupts the river's course, filling much of the center of the valley. The lake is resource rich, but significantly reduces the usable land area of the valley.

If your river is deep enough to allow practical boat travel, this topography will have a huge impact on how far you can get into the Makrys interior before you have to abandon your craft and hoof it.

Mysteries of the Zafer

Which phenomena are particularly notable about the river, besides merely being the life-blood of the entire colony project? You have staked a claim in an enchanted land, but those magics suffusing the valley do not stay tidily off in a corner somewhere. They are of course manifest within the valley's single most important resource as well. And fittingly for such a defining feature, it doesn't merely have only mystery, but at least two. Have your nominees roll 1d8 to determine the two most notable special features or enigmas of the river!

At night, the river glows with a pale luminescence. This effect is especially pronounced in seasons or weather aligned with the valley's most influential God.
The river has carved a relatively deep gorge or fjord for itself. The colony sits on a cliff overlooking the river and the bay. Ruins have fallen in, so it wasn't always here.
The water has a pleasant taste to it that most would describe as crisp and faintly sweet. Brewers and bakers are excited for the potential of this water.
While sediment has largely covered it over time, the bed of the river is clearly lined with quarried stone, marking it as an artificial project of the ancients.
The river is significantly colder or warmer than expected. A cold river is healthier but promotes frequent fog. A warm river is more resource rich but promotes disease.
Instead of overlapping, the valley's two loci are actually separated by the river, with one to the north and the other to the south. Neither loci dominates the river itself.
The Zafer flows backwards in defiance of gravity and logic, running uphill toward the Adelfi. The river is undrinkable seawater and the land near the river is poisoned, but it is a source of oceanic resources even far inland rather than riverine resources.
Bodies regularly float down the river to the sea on canoes or rafts from somewhere far upstream. These unpiloted morbid vessels sail true and never seem to run aground. (If you also roll 7, they instead unerringly find their way to the river from the sea!)

The river will also be affected by the loci of the region; see below.

The Istar Wood

Southwest of the colony are extensive woodlands, largely of cypress and poplar - typically taller and narrower than the trees to which most modern people are accustomed. To have such easy access to both hardwood and softwood represents a great resource to the new colony. But Iroa's forests are largely untamed, especially in mainland regions like around Tykos as opposed to on smaller, long-settled islands. Moreover, not all plants that grow in a forest are so beneficial, nor are the things that live there always welcoming.

Distance to the Wood

How close do the woods approach the colony? This is a matter of some pressing concern, because the Near Istar is the primary source of resources in the short term for the growing colony, beyond that which was shipped in or can be harvested by fishers from the river and bay. Even if the region proves suitable for mining or other operations, such things take time to get going, and it is the bounty of the woods that will get you through the period where those ventures are not yet ready to help support the colony. As such, having ready access to the wood can be very convenient. The colony will sustain a higher growth rate if the forest is close, and lower if it is far. However, untamed woods are dangerous. Children and full grown adults are claimed every year by predators in forests not far from even the "great poleis" like Xyria, to say nothing of a fragile little village like Tykos. Other hazards lurk within a wood as well. The colony will sustain a higher mortality and disaster rate if the forest is close, and lower if it is far. Have your nominees roll 1d6 to determine how long it takes to get from the colony to the forest proper.

Visible in the distance, cresting a ridge southwest of the colony and descending only to the to the lower hilltops, watching over the Zafer valley below. It is a day's travel by foot between the colony and the woods, or several days when carting logging supplies or lumber.
Marching down the slopes of the valley, creating a wooded horizon of uncertain thickness past the fields. It is half a day's travel by foot between the colony and forest.
Growing halfway into the south of the valley, extending further east than north, all the way into the Odreinos Highlands which are now a domain of the forest in addition to their other traits. You can get from the colony to the closest extent of woods in just a few hours.
Extending all the way across the valley and encircling the harbor, creating essentially a gigantic glorified meadow centered on Tykos and the harbor completely ringed by trees, only about an hour's distance from the colony. The woods extend into the northern hills.
Spreading deep into the south valley but not the north, stopping at the shores of the Zafer and the bay. It is directly across the river from the colony, only minutes away once a bridge is built to span the Zafer.
Completely filling the lower valley, enveloping the river and displacing the fields to farther inland. The colony is in the outer horizon of the woods, where it starts to thin out as the land descends to the shore of the bay. The woods extend into the northern hills.

This is not necessarily a static state. The woods closest to the colony are going to be cleared and pushed back bit by bit over time as they are harvested for their resources, unless you take special care (and attendant growth penalties) to avoid harming the wood. If you somehow convince the colonists not to touch the woods at all, they may even encroach closer upon the colony's demesne over time.

Character of the Istar

The Istar is a truly gargantuan wood, at least as large as the river valley itself. However, the broad stretch within a few days travel of Tykos by foot hews to some shared characteristics that were noted by the initial scouting expedition. What is the state of the forest nearest to the colony, as noted by those scouts? Is it ancient or young, dense or thin? Does it rapidly darken only a short way into the woods, or does a wash of sunlight usually manage to penetrate the canopy no matter how far in you go? These facts will also determine how rich the Istar is in resources of use to the colony, as well as affecting how safe or how dangerous it is to work or travel here - or even to merely exist nearby! Have your nominees roll 1d6 to determine the state of the forest in its closest approach to the colony.

Low density forest, with trees farther apart from each other, scattered groves, little undergrowth, and a lot of light. Provides less resources but is less dangerous.
Moderately thick and wild, but not in an especially unusual way. It seems like a relatively normal forest, providing normal resources and normal danger.
Dense, overgrown, and dark, with trees clustering close together and little in the way of natural trails. Provides more resources but is more dangerous.
Primeval rainforest, its countless trees hosting a nearly unbroken canopy and endless thick undergrowth. Provides the most resources but is the most dangerous.
Roll 1d4 with reference to the entries above. The forest is dying, and what lives there is more desperate and aggressive. Reduce the resources and increase the danger of the forest by one step.
Roll 1d4 with reference to the entries above. The forest is bountiful and appears to have been cultivated, whether deliberately planted or simply well-managed. An oracle advised the backers against settling the vale but was overruled. Increase the resources and reduce the danger of the forest by one step, and it is easier to traverse, but whenever an event is rolled for the valley it will be rolled twice and will take the worst result.

Discovering the look of things farther from the colony will, of course, require exploration!

The Enchanted Wood

What traits of the woods have become the talk of the colony? It's clear that there's something special about them, whether that is some characteristic of the natural magics of the region, or the lingering work of the giants who once dwelled in the valley, or perhaps even some forgotten handiwork of the gods in the Tyrian age. Two traits in particular stand out as the most important and pressing, and may have a large impact on how useful and accessible the Istar may be. Have your nominees roll 1d8 to determine the two known enigmas of the Near Istar. It is inevitable that the Far Istar will present its own conundrums for the colony to solve sometime down the line, but at least in the near term, that will (probably) not be an issue until the colonists have a way of bypassing the Near Istar!

It is always one particular season within the forest. Roll 1d6, with 1 being Spring, 2 being Monsoon, 3 being Summer, 4 being Dry, 5 being Autumn, and 6 being Winter.
Ruins lie within the outskirts of the wood. These can be further wreckage of the former giant presence, or of mortal scale despite having believed the land untouched.
Mist frequently or continuously hangs heavy within the woods, sometimes boiling out from the eaves of the forest into the valley beyond to cover everything in thick fog.
The woods show signs of an extensive and devastating ancient burn in the case of a thick forest, or more frequent fires in the case of a thin forest.
A bronze fence, a wooden palisade, a flowering ballustrade, or even a paling of bones walls off the woods, save for one or two gates. There is no sign of builder or guard.
Mysterious lights can be seen moving deep beneath the trees late at night or when the mist rises. But maybe it is just the bioluminescent fungus that is abundant here...
Every night is greeted by a rhythmic chorus of howling that arises from deep within the wood, a wordless and mysterious song that varies from one night to the next.
Wild grapes grow rampant in the forest, the vines climbing the trees into the canopy, attracting more wildlife. Increase the resources and danger of the forest by one step.

The woodlands will also be affected by the loci of the region; see below.

The Odreinos Highland

Southeast and east of the valley are hills and highlands, a natural maze of bluffs, drops and ravines. These are especially pronounced to the east, as the land rises toward the Adelfi, the three volcanic mountains farther up the Zafer river, and the great Hyperenees mountains eastward of that. Much like the Istar Wood, these highlands were only little explored by the initial scouting expedition to the vale, deterred by the confusing topography and by signs of extensive habitation by wild beasts. It is believed, however, that they could be a useful source of quarry stone, and possibly might be host to more valuable ores for mining operations as well. The Odreinos begin about a day's travel by foot to the south from the colony, and about two day's travel to the east, given the as yet rugged and untamed nature of the vale and its vaguely north-westerly orientation.

Geologic Structure

What is the structural layout of the Odreinos, at least the closer reaches of the "Near" Odreinos more visible from the valley? While the highlands lie some distance from town, they are nonetheless visible from town on a clear day. They are a backdrop to adventures in the valley, and should characterize how you envision the scenery in your theater of the mind's eye. Have your nominees roll 1d6 to determine the primary geoform that characterizes and defines the highlands.

Rugged, jagged, blockish and rocky, as if some titan smashed the earth with a colossal cudgel in the distant past and broke up the land like so much pottery.
Rolling, steep, and even somewhat confounding anticlines and synclines, much like someone folded and scrunched up the land like a crumpled tablecloth.
Willowy plinths and soaring "peaklets," like a landscape of countless oversized stalagmites rendered upon the surface of the land instead of underground.
Unusually regular rock formations, as if someone took the cracked polygonal landscape of a desiccated desert flatland and writ it large upon the region here, with the cracks between the elevated formations as passes and ravines.
Soaring formations, looking like nothing so much as the skeletal carapace, chest cavity or other remains of some incomprehensibly vast being save for being comprised of overgrown stone, with a shadowed pass beneath them connecting the valley to the rest of the peninsula much more directly than the other options.
Dominated by a single large and mostly level or gently rolling mesa or tableland, rising above the valley and lowlands around it with cliffs at all its edges.

Bear in mind that the valley is windward with respect to the Pyrmar, not leeward, so even the rocky hills bear significant vegetation and are not desertified. The rain shadow (the leeward dry region) is within the Hyperenees mountain range to the east.

Compositional Topography

What geology defines the highlands, and the rocks from which it formed? Rocks are formed and deposited by many different processes, but usually only one process predominates in a region, or sometimes two. Geology is a case of "birth" determining "fate," in many different aspects, because this will decide everything from the resources and wildlife of the highlands, to how many and what kind of caves are present. Have your nominees roll 1d8 to determine the elemental origin and alignment of the highlands, and thus their fundamental nature.

Aeolian, a topography abraded from soft stone and earth over time by unusually active and persistent winds, and by dust carried upon said winds. Air-aligned.
Escarpment, a topography broken and shaped by extensive tectonic activity, especially by the intersection or grinding of the land at geologic faults. Earth-aligned.
Karst, a topography carved out by water from rocks such as limestone and dolomite, marked by extensive cave systems and underground aquifers. Water-aligned.
Magmatic, a topography created and defined by volcanic activity and the deposition of lava, or rock thrown by a volcano or carried away on lava. Fire-aligned.
Crystalline, a topography defined by mineral salt deposition and by rampant and colossal crystal growth even aboveground, with geodic boulders. Psychic-aligned.
Petrifacted, a topography resulting from the transformation of mountainous trees or once-rich seabed into strange rock, much of it fallen and obstructing. Poison-aligned.
Roll 1d6 twice with reference to the entries above, until you have two separate results. The Odreinos are defined by the clash of one geology intruding to the other, or their strange synthesis into a whole of their own.
Roll 1d6 with reference to the entries above. The area's elemental alignment is intense rather than background. The highlands have more resources but are more hostile, and are even more infested with monsters.

This choice determines what minerals and ores could potentially be endemic to the region. For example, the marble so beloved of Ithean sculptors and architects is most likely to be found in karst terrain, but will not occur at all in magmatic terrain. This choice also affects the likelihood of features such as hot springs, as well as influences what supernatural forces are more likely to be attracted to the region.

Hidden Depths

Every corner of the Zafer valley is steeped in magic and secrets, not least this most prominent elemental feature of the dale. Born of and bound to the world as they were, the ancient giants which held the dale long before you surely spent much of their time and efforts in the region here. But other powers move in the secret places of the world besides just the mighty folk of yesteryear, and such forces may yet prove to still be at work in these distant hills. Even if not, though, the conjunction of ancient craft with natural magic and unique geology can mark a landmark as special in other ways. Have your nominees roll 1d8 to determine the two most salient enigmas of the Odreinos. As has been the case previously with the river and the woods, this will have an impact on adventure and story opportunities in the region!

Great cyclopean beacons or monuments from a bygone age adorn the lonely crowns of the tallest hills of the area, and can be seen from a considerable distance.
A lake, unusual in some way, exists in the southeastern reach of the valley at the foot of the highlands, fed by streams running from springs deep within the Odreinos.
Low rumbles or sharp cracking sounds frequently echo across the valley like distant thunder, originating from some unknown activity or process within the highlands.
The ravines and gullies below the hills and rock formations have a markedly different climate to the upperland, being significantly wetter, drier, hotter, colder, or etc.
Useful minerals or valuable ores are so prevalent that they are even exposed on the surface in places. It's miraculous they haven't already been claimed and exploited...
Colossal rock formations do not appear to have been formed so much as placed in the highlands, as if they were hoisted into place by the Gods or Titans themselves.
Ancient rock paintings and carvings are scrawled across a great extent of the cliffs and rock formations of the highlands, and are visible from a considerable distance.
A canyon or crater splits the highlands in twain. Roll again for the nature and geology of the canyon as separate from the highlands as a whole.

The highlands will also be affected by the loci of the region; see below.

The Loci

Generations ago, the primordial Titans made war against each other with armies of Giants. Each of these Titans sought primacy for their own vision of how the young world of Iroa should take shape and which philosophies should govern its existence. The effects of this war echo within the foundations of the world, and may well do so for all time. Where groups of giants fell, they became one with the land and their primordial power seeped into and stained the very fabric of reality. These sites, called loci, resonate with the nature of the primeval giants that spawned them, even in the present day. A locus is generally expansive. A mountain cluster, a valley, a forest, or an abyssal trench may represent a "typical" locus. Within its aura, the locus influences almost everything in subtle ways - from the climate and weather, to the plants and animals to be found there, to the manifestation or relative proportion of other natural resources. Some or all of these can have a supernatural tinge depending on the locus and the story of that location. The giants of Iroa are not the "Norse" giants of other D&D worlds but instead are each associated to primal domains and concepts of reality, staking out turf later claimed and codified by the Gods. As such, each is associated to the same domains as a cleric may be bestowed by the Gods. The domain once channeled by the primal giants who died here seeds the concept of their locus! Mortals often look for auspicious loci with favorable traits when siting a new city, a fortress, or other such venture. Geomancers travel with colonial scouting parties, looking for the signs of influence from the ancient gigantomachy and tasked with assessing their effects and limits, as well as providing advice as to which might prove most favorable given the intentions of their sponsors. While every kind of locus has negative side effects, even ones like Life or Unity that might seem on their face to be purely positive, the benefits are generally considered to outweigh the drawbacks. One particularly noteworthy benefit is that every known locus holds rare resources within its bounds, sometimes things that simply not possible to find outside a locus, like plants and minerals with magical properties; such resources might only be found within a locus region, but they keep their properties once harvested and taken outside it, which is why loci are so highly prized. Soarwood, for instance, is a "weightless" wood that hangs in the air wherever it is left without falling for so long as it does not bear weight greater than its "actual" mass, and is found only in Tempest loci. It is possible for two seemingly contradictory loci to overlap and both be in full effect, and such places are noted for often producing particularly rare or otherwise impossible resources. Such is the case with Tykos. One of the deciding factors in siting the colony in the valley was due to the auspicious convergence of two loci. Their overlapping influence covers the Zafer river valley as it wends from the Three Sisters to the Kochyl Bay. Which two loci, though? That's up to you, the players! What kind of town do YOU want Tykos to be - and did this help impact why you chose to come to this frontier or why you were assigned here? Consider not only the impact on the natural environment of the valley but also how this will shape the culture and future of the community, and how this may influence future adventure opportunities. One locus may be semi-predetermined, depending on your party composition. If one or more player characters has access to a divine domain, whether as a Cleric, a Divine Soul Sorcerer, or the like, one of the two loci WILL be one of the party's domains. However, the other locus is up in the air, even if there are two clerics or the like in the party. The group can certainly choose to go with the other player's domain, but can instead pick something entirely different. You are not forced to roll for the remaining locus, because it has such an immediate impact on the character of the colony. Instead, I recommend that you vote among yourselves for the remaining locus, or for both loci if no one in the party is associated to a domain. Alternately, you may have everyone roll d12 and pick the two you like or that keep coming up in the rolls. Each locus is assigned a number in case you choose to roll. If you have seemingly contradictory loci, consider synergistic effects or thematics that would resolve the clash. The GM will break ties and suggest alternate ideas if necessary. Loci encountered elsewhere in the world may sometimes have different effects to those listed below, even if satisfying their theme in other ways. The list below are simply the loci of each type that the people of Iroa consider to be the most habitable or generally useful without the expenditure of excessive effort, and so the most likely targets for colonization or the establishment of most kinds of major projects. The "default" loci if you do not choose are Arcana and Twilight. This creates a somewhat whimsical but beshadowed and dangerous land, sacred to Oneiste and only thinly separated from Nod, the so-called "Feywild" or "Dreamtime," where the power of stories, oaths, and fairytale logic bleed into the mortal world and can trump conventionally understood ideas about reality.

1. Arcana

The world of Iroa is magical and suffused with supernatural mysteries, but this region in particular seems especially likely to become the subject of mythic tales. This region operates to some degree on storybook logic, as seen in the fables of moralist storytellers or the tales that grow around powerful or influential fey, and superstitions often prove quite real. Fey are more active in the region, and "tucked away" natural areas like grottos, meadows and groves may prove to be larger within than without and more than usually enchanted besides. The flow of time may also be a bit different within the zone than without.

Deities: Aiatriu, Embrys, Oneiste
Magical Thinking: Any ability check that involves magical theory or supernatural phenomenae receives a +1d4 bonus, such as to identify a spell being cast or assess the properties of a supernatural site. Spells and rituals that directly manipulate the substance of magic or the fabric of reality are cast at one spell level higher than the slot used, such as dispel magic or teleportation circle. Magic items made or found here will always have quirks that might make interesting stories more likely.

2. Forge

Regions bound to a locus of the forge are always at a higher temperature than their surroundings; they remain temperate even when their surroundings are cold, or are hot when their surroundings are warm. Fires burn hotter and spread more quickly. The region sees increased geothermal activity, and hot springs in mountains and rocky areas are common. Useful minerals also prove more abundant, being both present in higher quantities than comparable areas elsewhere, as well as being more easily extracted and worked. Natural things are more hostile to civilization and more vengeful about its negative effects.

Deities: Idaedon, Xenoves
Fires of Creation: Any ability check that involves fire in some integral way receives a +1d4 bonus, such as to produce metal, pottery, food, or distilled spirits. Spells and rituals of fire and creation are cast at one spell level higher than the slot used. All animals and fey near a settlement are one step more hostile than usual. Plants near a settlement are also more likely to display hostile adaptations such as allergens, poisons, thorns, invasive roots and the like, while also becoming less nutritious.

3. Grave

The boundary between the mortal world and the underworld is especially thin here. The region is very haunted and the Returned are drawn here, but not all dead spirits are hostile. Shadows frequently move in mysterious ways, and some level of mist or haze often covers the region; the mist usually stays out of buildings provided the fires are kept burning, but if the fires should lapse then it will eventually creep in even though the doors and windows might be shuttered. Most importantly, regions like this so tied to the essence of the grave always have one or more liminal spaces hidden within their bounds that grant physical passage to the Underworld when the mists are risen; any attempt to block them off usually just results in another path forming somewhere else.

Deities: Katabis and Persereka, Mytrah
Breath of the Grave: Any ability check involving the dead or undead receives a +1d4 bonus. Necromancy spells and rituals are cast at one spell level higher than the slot used, but the chance of mishaps like calling on the wrong spirit is doubled. Because it is easier for spirits to cling to this world, death saving throws also get the +1d4 bonus, as well as an undead creature's save vs turning. The process of decay is greatly accelerated, but this also impedes the spread of disease.

4. Knowledge

Memory and reason are quickened here, and even common laborers from impoverished backgrounds soak up information like a sponge. Practical "common sense" actually is common here instead of it being a misnomer. People are harder to fool, but secrets are also harder to keep here, and a secret is more likely to get out sooner rather than later without the application of well-planned precautions and keener vetting of those who know it. It is also harder to forget even traumatic things that would be better left unremembered.

Deities: Paideia, Xenoves
Font of Knowledge: Any ability check to recall information, or research and investigate forgotten lore or new leads, receives a +1d4 bonus. Divination spells and rituals are cast at one spell level higher than the slot used. Attempts to introduce or spread unfounded rumors are disadvantaged, because people are more likely to insist on and adhere to evidence or a solid chain of reason, motive and the like. Attempts to conceal or control the spread of information are likewise disadvantaged. A higher than normal proportion of residents will stumble upon "things that mortals were not meant to know" and will have their sanity and loyalty challenged as a result.

5. Life

The region is filled with a vibrant energy that instills some extra vivacity into every living thing, and some unliving things. Infant mortality is greatly diminished, and people just tend to live longer and healthier lives in general, but diseases are particularly more potent and virulent. Objects of particular importance, age or veneration may develop souls and some limited ability to either move or affect the environment around themselves, such as in Japanese beliefs about kami but manifest in a real way.

Deities: Aiatriu, Mytrah
Flesh and Blood: Any ability check that involves the body or life force in some integral way receives a +1d4 bonus, such as to practice medicine, midwive a baby, and so on. Healing and restorative spells and rituals are cast at one spell level higher than the slot used, as are spells that animate or give life to inanimate objects. Completing a long rest in this area restores all spent hit dice instead of only half of your maximum; this also gives the +1d4 bonus to any recurring checks to recover from a long term ailment or injury. All of these benefits to healing and restoration exclude disease, as diseases are themselves living things and so are more robust and virulent; disease spells get the spell level boost, and checks to save against or get better from a disease take a 1d4 penalty. While this may make the campaign a bit easier overall, at least while you are within the valley, remember that hostile forces in the valley also benefit from the locus in exactly the same way!

6. Light

It is almost never completely dark here. The sun shines more strongly by day, the moon and stars flood the night with ambient light, and even in subterranean depths there is some form of luminescent moss, crystal, insect, or other common phenomena to provide a spark of light in the darkness. Plant life grows more quickly and to greater size and extent, but in the way it is "expected" to as opposed to the more "fantastical" vitality imparted to plants in a Nature locus.

Deities: Heliana, Nykos
Eternal Light: Perception checks receive a +1d4 bonus, and in clear conditions any creature can see twice as far or see details twice as small as usual. Spells that produce light or deal radiant damage are cast at one spell level higher than the slot used. The light level is always one step higher than it would otherwise be, even in places that would otherwise be completely dark. On a clear sunny day or in a room lit equivalent to daylight, even creatures without light sensitivity must wear some form of eye protection or suffer disadvantage on attack rolls and on sight-based Perception, Investigation, etc checks.

7. Nature

The power of the plant and animal world is expressed most fully in this region. Trees, brush and all other plants grow taller and thicker, and even crops are more productive, but they are also more fantastic in nature and always have some unusual trait. Beasts grow larger and wilder, becoming more powerful and harder to tame, as well as displaying greater cunning, and like plants always demonstrate some fantastic or unusual trait. Plants are likewise more apt to hybridize in unlikely ways; agricultural crops tend to be wildly abundant in their gifts and highly resistant to famine, but also much harder to keep "pure."

Deities: Thala, Varva
Natural Vigor: All Survival checks and ability checks relating to animals and plants receive a +1d4 bonus. Spells and rituals involving animals and plants are cast at one spell level higher than the slot used. Animals and plants have all of their ability scores increased by 2, but summoned creatures and conjured plants are not automatically controlled, and must be convinced to help or behave, while people who take the form of animals run a greater risk of losing themselves.

8. Order

The world aligns itself to a regimented sense of the rule of law here. People are less likely to question or bend duly implemented rules and laws. This manifests even in the wild, where every tree in a grove is evenly spaced from the next, every blade of grass rises to exactly the same height, and mosses, lichens, and cracks in stone or ice spread out in perfectly symmetrical patterns. Negotiations, parliamentary discussions, trials, and other such affairs take twice as long here as they might elsewhere, due to the area's enforcement of instincts toward bureaucracy and extreme precision and definition of every possible term and rule.

Deities: Heliana, Katabis and Persereka
Law and Order: All ability checks made in relation to the knowledge or practice of law and regulation receive a +1d4 bonus, as do all checks made to perceive falsehood, cheating, disguises, and so forth. Spells and rituals that command, dominate, or otherwise "impose rules" or increase order / decrease chaos and entropy, are cast at one spell level higher than the slot used. Promises and contracts, even made off the cuff without thinking about them, are bound with the full power of an Oath, and like Oaths elsewhere in Iroa are enforced by the fabric of reality itself that binds even the gods, and place the speaker or contractants under a geas to enforce the "oath."

9. Tempest

Storms are common here. The weather turns quickly, and it can be difficult to predict what it will do next. What is predictable though is that there will forever be a wind upon the area, even if just a breeze; the air is never still here except where walls have blocked it out. Things want to float here if at all possible, so it is more difficult to sink in the water and easier to get blown away in a strong gale. One quaint effect of the locus is that any food preparations involving the incorporation of air are easier and more stable here, such as foams and the development of leavened breads.

Deities: Idaedon, Thala
Constant Draft: The effective weights of creatures and objects are halved while in this region. Fall distance is halved before determining damage. Flying speeds, and jump height and distance, are increased by 50%. Spells and rituals providing flight, levitation, waterwalking, or the like are cast at one spell level higher than the slot used, as well as effects that produce or manipulate wind, weather, and so on. Weather other than "Calm" is always increased by one step; there's no such thing as the rain only sprinkling in this region.

10. Trickery

Where a Knowledge locus quickens the mind, a Trickery locus stokes base cunning and quickens the tongue and hand. People are driven to play fast and loose with the truth and with other peoples' boundaries within the region. Minor misfortunes and double edged blessings are also relatively common in the region, things like gates failing to lock when not double checked or dropped items rolling out of sight to be found by someone else with more need of them, things that individually could be put down to coincidence but in their preponderance are something more than that.

Deities: Embrys, Lyrium, Stratia
Fast and Loose: All ability checks related to performance, deception and misdirection receive a +1d4 bonus. Enchantment and chance-manipulation spells and rituals are cast at one spell level higher than the slot used. Roll a d20 when casting any non-cantrip spell; a 20 produces a wild surge, as per a Wild Magic sorcerer, while an actual wielder of wild magic adds +1d4 to their surge rolls in this region.

11. Twilight

Shadows wrap about and enfold this land like the embrace of an old friend. The sun never fully rises above the horizon here, so the daytime hours are always in a perpetual state of dawn or dusk. Night lasts 50% longer than day here even at the summer solstice, and considerably longer still in winter. Secrets are hard to uncover and people who know them feel compelled to keep them. Dreams are vivid, and prophetic and clairvoyant dreams - while still rare - happen much more frequently here than they do elsewhere in the world. Reality is "thinned" here and the fake may actually become real.

Deities: Oneiste, Varva
Long Shadows: All ability checks related to stealth, concealment, and the protection of secrets receive a +1d4 bonus. Illusion, shadow, and night-themed spells and rituals are cast at one spell level higher than the slot used. Illusions, whether of creatures, objects or phenomena, have a chance of taking on a real existence that is no longer under the control of their creator; this becomes less likely if someone intentionally tries to make it happen. There is also a slim chance for a sufficiently widespread rumor to become an actual fact where it wasn't before, whether in whole or in part, or as an interpretation of the wording of the rumor regardless of its spirit, or of the spirit of the rumor regardless of its wording; again, this is generally so as to thwart or pervert most attempts to make it happen on purpose, and so results in a monkey's paw effect.

12. Unity

This region instills a great sense of calm and safety. People and even animals are somewhat easygoing and lazy, but also more philosophical, and all living things and natural phenomena here seem somewhat more beautiful than their equivalents elsewhere. It's easier to form attachments and crushes that one might later regret within this region, including for those that one might never be attracted to otherwise, and feelings of love or obsession for another are typically stronger here than elsewhere. Creatures may form unlikely unions and sire impossible offspring here, and many of the world's hybrid monsters are believed to have originated in Unity loci when the direct touch of a Titan, a God or other guiding force was not involved.

Deities: Lyrium, Paideia
Peaceful Presence: Persuasion checks and any other ability check involving diplomacy, defusing conflict, or the production of "culture" such as art or music, all receive a +1d4 bonus. Spells and rituals that provide protection or communication, calm emotions or otherwise defuse conflict, or similarly proactively "contribute to society" are cast at one spell level higher than the slot used. Downtime training times are halved for anything cooperative. There is a strong tendency toward groupthink, and the development of additional social norms or traditions that everyone is expected to follow if they want to be accepted by their peers; people are also more likely to believe that everyone can just "get along" even when this is eminently untrue.

13. War

This locus has seen intense fighting, and its ground is soaked in blood. Spilled blood never entirely washes away here. Both people and animals are more irritable and prone to violence. Points and edges stay sharper. This locus doesn't just enhance violence however, but any competitive venture, from sport to cut-throat business. Strategies are easier to come up with, and it's easy to train people with the martial or competitive spirit. The founders of Pelekys founded that polis within a War locus precisely because it hones them into more competent warriors and athletes, more quickly than they would come by such skills outside of that region.

Deities: Embrys, Nykos, Stratia
Aggressive Impulse: Any ability check that involves preparing for battle or competition in some integral way receives a +1d4 bonus, such as to draw up strategies, craft weapons, research deadly new magic, incite people to violence, and so on. Spells and rituals that affect weapons, armor and artillery are cast at one spell level higher than usual, as are those that provide tactical coordination or incite violence. Downtime training times are halved for anything violent or competitive. Because people are quicker to anger and have more violent beliefs here, it is harder to convince them of peaceful solutions or to stand down from a fight.
You can't roll this result if rolling for loci by d12, nor can it be the automatic locus from a divine PC, because it is "hard mode." The campaign WILL be harder if you pick War! As such, you have to intentionally choose it. The group can vote to keep one of the two loci and discard the other, replacing it with War.

Character Roles

There are a variety of roles your characters can play in the new settlement. These roles aren't generally exclusive, and more than one character can usually slot into a given role if it works for your capabilities and backstory. These roles can relate to your character's backstory and motivation for being part of the "Tykos Schema," the project that encompasses the new settlement, but this isn't strictly necessary. For instance, be you a veteran of the Kervelos conflict seeking to get away from the crowds of the major poleis, or a spy for Xyria or Pelekys or Akhen seeking either to undermine the settlement or to divert wealth and knowledge to your real patrons, an exile cast out from your home village for some costly mistake or unfortunate misunderstanding, or an itinerant wandering wandslinger and gambler looking for a real long term challenge worthy of your abilities and capable of finally holding your interest, ALL of these can lead you to become part of the astynomoi for your recognized combat skills.

Keeper of the Peace

Are you one of the astynomoi, the guards or lawkeepers assigned explicitly to help keep the peace and protect the settlement? One of your characters may well be the functional equivalent of a sheriff of the Old West, the chief lawman in town; other characters who choose this role are functionally deputies of this sheriff. In a small town just starting up, there is not typically a lot of crime, but some is inevitable everywhere; a bigger part of the role will be mediating and settling disputes and other troubles. And of course, you will be protecting the town from monsters and accompanying investigatory missions ("adventures") into the surrounding areas to both help secure resources for the town and secure it from nearby threats. A paladin or fighter are perfect choices for the sheriff, but are not the only options. Just about any class can perform admirably in this role, even a Rogue or a Wizard, though your style of keeping the peace and the "mood" you bring to the town may be quite different as a result. Even the wildest barbarian, unfettered by most social conventions, can understand the importance of not crapping where you eat and of keeping trouble out of one's home, and might help impose order in the settlement with the sheer force of their personality and the intimidating ripple of their muscles. You will need to decide if you are close with the people you serve or if you are more of an aloof watcher and enforcer acting on behalf of the colony's backers, which may dramatically impact your relationships with many of the NPCs. Hypatia is a peacekeeper in the new settlement. Cheery and inquisitive in most matters, but guarded about her personal life and her history, she will be the "sheriff" if no player chooses to take up this role. Otherwise, she will be a deputy and keep the peace when the party is out of town. I will ask you questions during Session Zero to help settle more details about how you see Hypatia and the other named NPCs in the following sections, such as species and background.

Shepherd of the Faith

Are you an oracle, or otherwise gifted with a connection to your God and with the divine magic and insight that flows through that connection? Then you are probably the village padre or madre - or one of them, if more than one of you qualify! You are a shepherd of the flock, not only expounding the teachings of your God and calling on the people to give them faith above the other deities of the pantheon, but also serving as spiritual parent, counselor, and advisor to the people of Tykos. The energy and beliefs of the people in town are shaped by your choice of god, as a village dedicated to Mytrah, Goddess of Reaping and Sowing, has a very different focus and mood to that of a village devoted to Stratis, God of Strategy and Commerce. If two of you are representatives of different gods and both take on the role of the town priests, then the people of Tykos will reflect the admixture or clash of your respective faiths as a reflection of the cooperation or competition between your characters! A cleric is the obvious choice for this role, but a paladin or Divine Soul sorcerer can also serve - and they aren't the only ones. Thanks to the piety system, a character of any class can have a strong link to their deity and manifest actual blessings and divine power from that relationship, and a "face" like a bard who is trained in Religion might prove to be an even more effective preacher than an actual cleric. A druid who steps into this role would likely promote a town more connected with the spirits of nature and the land than with the Gods above, probably creating a dynamic much more akin to the relationship of the ancient Japanese with their kami or to the pagan tribes of northern Europe. And if a warlock who is devoted to the Titans should take up the mantle, it might create a lot of discomfort and potential conflict with your backers across the sea... Elexios is an introspective and usually soft-spoken widower, who flares into passionate life with a voice that can shake a whole room when delivering a speech from the heart. If not a single player takes up the role of the village faithkeeper, or a player would rather be an acolyte than a leader, then Elexios takes up the position of Tykos's resident priest. If you do play the faithkeeper however, is Elexios your assistant, your mentor, or the leader of a rival temple to another God?

Voice of the Backers

A new town usually doesn't just spring up out of nowhere save for in extraordinary circumstances. The existence of Tykos represents both a partnership and a plan. It furthers the cooperative efforts of Krypteia and Senemet, as these two powers of the Pyrmar seek to become wealthier, more powerful, and more secure against the machinations of their rivals. Your character might be an agent of a Krypteian senator or of one of the viziers to Pharess Senkahpshut, keeping an eye on Tykos as it develops and representing your patron's interests to make sure they are not forgotten. Your job is to make sure that they get their due say from their heavy investment of both drachmae and political capital into this project. Any character with a high Intelligence, Charisma, or Wisdom is a good fit for this role - especially the first two. Artificers, wizards, bards, sorcerers and warlocks are a natural pick, as would be a savvy rogue. You're a connection to the outside world, and information, requests and dictates from the backers flow through you, as does the responsibility of coordinating the deployment of resources they provide to the colony. Should the colony prove successful and start expanding, you will have more say in what the focus of that expansion is and in which direction it proceeds. Those with grievances about what is happening in and with the town are also likely to turn their attention to you first, and it's up to you - and any assistance you muster or accept from your fellows - to decide whether and how to address their problems, be it by agreeing and acceding to their needs, getting them on the side of you and your patrons' vision, or telling them to shut up and get in line. Calca and Benna are adepts from Krypteia and Senemet respectively, assigned to Tykos to represent the backers. They are stern and tight-lipped, always found together and always dressed alike but in opposite colors. They seem to ever be judging everyone and everything around them, and their tongues are notoriously sharp; they have few good things to say, which makes it all the more surprising and meaningful when praise does slip out. If no one fills the role of voice of the backers, they represent the Senate and Pharess, and what they think of your progress affects whether the mood of the backers turns towards generous and trusting, or tight-pursed and controlling. Their role may shift if one or more players do represent the backers; do you answer to them directly, or are they their own little faction of two representing a merchant prince/ss invested in the project and standing apart from the settlers of Tykos?

Warden of the Wild

While the new settlement must be built out, organized, protected and directed, these are not the only concerns of the so-called "Tykos Schema." The town is being built in a verdant wilderness that has gone mostly untouched since the Gigasera. The land is filled with unknown and untapped resources, the geomantic powers of the region are not fully understood, overgrown giant ruins lie forgotten and covered in time, and countless beasts roam the surrounding forests and hills - many of them undoubtedly quite dangerous. The Schema thus has almost as much need of people equipped and willing to leave the town as to stay and construct it. Your character is one such person, here to help in your own way as a child of the land, and in so doing earn the wealth and renown you could not so easily obtain in the heart of civilization. Perhaps you were even part of the initial scouting team that decided on this valley as the best site for the new colony, and decided or were asked to stick around! Barbarians, Druids, Rangers, and even Monks are all quite well suited to this role, but other classes can provide useful talents and insights for the job as well. Your character might primarily be a scout and prospector, seeking resources the new community can tap to generate useful wealth and product both here in your new home as well as for the backers of the Schema. You may instead be a hunter and warrior more at home outside the town's boundaries than within them, foraging for sources of food for the settlement, and hunting dangerous beasts that threaten the settlement or its farms and mining and other operations. Or you could be a shamanic spirit-walker, attuned to the power in the world, helping guard the settlement from evil spirits while also responsible to find and correct any dangerous imbalances in the geomantic energies of the region due to the rare overlap of two separate Loci. Whatever your specialty, you will be expected to be somewhat competent or at least knowledgeable in the other aspects of this role, given that the average resident and politician knows very little of The Wild other than that it is Dangerous and Out There, with its challenges not as distinct in their minds as those that arise within city walls. More people than not believe that nature must be tamed and beaten into submission for the success of civilization to be possible, though some few think it can be lived with if treated with respect; which kind are you? Kehinde is a seasoned Khefiri huntress of sarcastic and mocking disposition, part of the original scouting expedition in which her sister Taiwo became separated and was never found. If no PC takes up a Warden role, Kehinde is in charge of arranging the settlement's exploration, hunting and shamanic expeditions. If at least one PC takes up this role, Kehinde is a resource that it will be your responsibility to deploy, choosing missions she and her team are sent on while you are busy in town or traveling in another direction.

Hand of the Guilds

While trade guilds and merchant confederacies have not developed in this ancient setting to the same extent as in later eras, they do exist in an earlier and smaller form, allowing individual merchants and tradesfolk to pool resources, make themselves heard by politicians, and more easily quash rivals not in the organization. The establishment of a new purpose-built settlement, with a large influx of money from the coffers of two poleis and the attention of multiple powerful people, represents a great opportunity to make some drachmae, and even more importantly, to potentially gain an outsized share of influence both in the new community and with its backers by getting in on the ground floor. Your character might be a representative of one of the guilds of the Pyrmar, be it a relevant trade guild like the Apex Woodwrights of Krypteia or the White Hand Masons of Senemet; or another "interested party" like the Dead Coins thieves, seeking to glean and divert some of the treasure earned or unearthed by the new settlement if word of it has gotten out already, or the Luminous Order scholars, who would be interested in any knowledge and lore that might be parsed from the giantish ruins of the vale. It could even be a singular merchant baron, with their own motives... Any character with multiple skills applicable to the construction, expansion, improvement, operation, and trade of a settlement is applicable here, especially if they have a background like Guild Artisan or Noble. If you're representing a trade guild, you don't necessarily need to be a "face," but simply to be good at its relevant skills; an Artificer may be particularly appropriate, but even a bulky warrior good with his hands and with a chisel could exemplify the interests of the White Hand Masons. You establish deals and see that the guild gains influence, and likely even do work in town relevant to the guild, but while you can influence where investment money from the guild ends up you cannot divert those drachmae into your own pockets. It's probably best for any divestments you do receive to be reinvested back into the party as a whole. Tassander, "Tas" to his friends - which is most of the town - is a rugged but boisterous and cheerful old man. He arrived in Tykos with the first wave of settlers, and helped build his Saltmaiden taverna with his own two hands. He is already a pillar of the young community and well regarded for his friendly and helpful nature, but he also makes no secret of being connected with one of the guilds of the Pyrmar. Is his guild a rival to yours, or are you serving the same interests, or is your faction unrelated and holds different goals in Tykos?

Independent Operator

Your character may well be in the new settlement for reasons of their own, though this does not relieve you of your responsibility to give them connections to one or two of the other player characters. Whatever your purpose in applying for consideration for the Schema, you were in fact selected for your obvious skills and sent here by the committee in either Krypteia or Senemet; Tykos is still "setting up shop" and is not yet open to general immigration. What are you, and what does this offer to the settlement?

A skilled artisan, architect or laborer, engaged in the actual construction of the town.
A professional entertainer, or alternatively a professional "companion."
A researcher, sent to find the locus resources and determine the possibilities they offer.
A scholar, excavating and studying the local ruins to learn more about the Age of Giants.
A teacher, hired to tutor the children who accompanied their families to the new colony.
A mysthios, a combination of mercenary and general troubleshooter.
A criminal with rare talents and rare connections, that saw you sent here for a second chance instead of executed.

Or perhaps it's something else not even mentioned here. I'm willing to be flexible, as long as your idea clearly offers something to the settlement and to the group! Whatever role you end up choosing to play in the colony, please decide and explain in your backstory what led to you being chosen for this role. Did you acquit yourself particularly well in the war and accrue a reputation for leadership? Did you save the life or reputation of an influential politician or businessperson involved in the project? Are you the scion of a wealthy family, offered up to the project either to help accrue more influence for your clan, or perhaps as part of all your siblings being sent into the world to see who proves themselves worthy of the family fortune? Did your superb ability and insufferable personality irritate the superiors of your priesthood or organization so much that they sent you here, framed as a reward but really to get rid of you? There are countless reasons you might be here - make sure we know yours!

Final Considerations

You're almost done! Hopefully this has been a fun process. There's just a few more things to think about!

Name the Town

Tykos is a suggestion, the default name if you don't agree on another. In Greek, it means "Ideal," reflecting the optimism and hopes of the settlers. You are free to keep this name, but if you collectively so choose, you can give it another Greek or Egyptian name suitable to a colony, reflecting the respective Ithean and Khefiri backers and founders of the colony. This can be reflective of the mood or hopes of the town, or some relevant detail of its environment and surroundings. For example, Katharnera or Sepetmaw would be the Greek or Egyptian cognates respectively of Clearwater. An Egyptian name has extended implications. It means Senemet is probably the primary partner in this project rather than Krypteia, and Khefiri culture would be equal or ascendant over Ithean, rather than the default state of being a complementary influence and accent to the Ithean core themes. You probably shouldn't pick an Egyptian name unless half or more of the party is Khefiri in origin. It is of course potentially possible to convince the residents to change the name of the town in play. However, this will be much harder than setting it from the start, and will be harder still the longer the town has been active.

Colonial Industry

What are the chief economic activities of the new colony? You should be able to form an idea of this based on the loci you have chosen earlier, the presence of representatives of any major guilds as noted above under "Hand of the Guilds," and the chief faiths in town which are likely based on your group as noted above under "Shepherd of the Faith." For example, while there will always be some level of agriculture going on to feed the colony, this won't necessarily be an industry unless the town is dedicated to a deity like Mytrah, or the valley has a Light or Nature locus, or one of the valley's crops is well-managed and proves particularly lucrative. This industry will of course be rather preliminary at the beginning of the campaign, while the village is small and struggling to survive. It will become more prominent over time, as the colony expands and gains access to more inhabitants and resources.

Advancement

As your party levels up, so too will the colony... so long as your missions are mostly successful and you don't allow great tragedies to befall the town. Each time you gain a level, the town will expand a little more, and it will be able to gain new services or improve services that already exist. For example, an improved bazaar will increase your options for buying and selling gear and special items, a lighthouse will improve the safety of sea travel and fishing and will increase traffic via the harbor, and attracting a warmaster to open a fighting school will allow martial characters to learn special techniques. If you dedicate efforts in between levels to a particular goal, it is more likely to become available or be eligible for improvement sooner than it might otherwise.

Player Handbook