Setessa
This city saved me when I was an orphaned child, sold into chains. Now is my turn to save it.
Setessa is the favored polis of Karametra, 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.
People of Setessa
The populace of Setessa live in a beautiful paradise, and they’re prepared to fight to the death to protect it. The constant training in archery, falconry, riding, and close combat can seem out of place among the idyllic forests and beautiful gardens and orchards, but that is the way of life in Setessa.
Gender in Setessa
Setessans believe that women become heroes through martial exploits, while men do so by finding their own way in the world. As a result, the polis is populated mostly by women and children.
When young men reach the age of fourteen, their rites of passage culminate in a journey called peregrination, where they wander the world until they find a new place to call home. Most of these who leave return to Setessa between 25 and 30 for a one-year visit. The few men who reside permanently in Setessa live in the Amatrophon, training and caring for the animals there. Some of these men never peregrinated, but others left and then returned to Setessa.
The women of the polis form a tight-knit community where property is held in common. There is no marriage, and ancestry is traced matrilineally.
Despite the very different roles played by men and women, Setessans are flexible when it comes to any individual’s place in that structure. Some men set out on peregrination after spending a number of years identified as women, and some women return from peregrination (or never undertake it) after a period of realization. Some people move fluidly between roles, and a few choose a special role that Setessans view as standing outside the dichotomy of gender, living in Ophis Tower.
The warriors of Ophis Tower are martially trained as women are but wander the world as men do. They gather information for the Ruling Council, search out routes for peregrination (including identifying sympathetic individuals and households who will mentor young men at the start of their journeys), and rescue lost and abandoned children from other communities, bringing them back to Setessa.
The Ruling Council
Karametra is the queen of Setessa, but of course gods have more important concerns than the day-to-day governance of a human polis. So a five-member council attends to the daily tasks of leadership on the deity’s behalf. The council is made up of the commanders of the four prominent fortress-watchtowers that guard the polis. These commanders are elected by popular vote: Anthousa of Leina Tower, Phaedra of Hyrax Tower, Niketa of Bassara Tower, and Kallias of Ophis Tower. The fifth member is Silverbrow, a centaur oracle who reads the Kelema Veil at the Nexuses of the Seasons and advises action based on her visions. Anthousa is the head of the council, considered Karametra’s closest advisor and the de facto ruler of the city.
Defenders and the Four Towers
Karametra includes defense of the home in her domains, and the residents of Setessa follow suit. Setessan military forces are organized into four major regiments, each associated with a fortress tower.
Bassara Tower
The tower of the fox stands near the Summer Nexus and watches for interlopers who enter the Nessian Wood without permission. During their training, troops there focus on archery and guerrilla tactics. Their leader is Niketa, a woman in her fifties who spends most of her time in the tower since she parted ways with her dryad partner.Hyrax Tower
The tower of the falcon lies on the ridge near the Autumn Nexus. Its regiment includes contingents of scouts and falconers. Its leader is Phaedra, a nineteen-year-old master falconer and orphan from Meletis who was rescued by the Ophis regiment.Leina Tower
The tower of the lion stands near Karametra’s temple at the heart of Setessa. Its regiment, led by the hero Anthousa, is dedicated to the defense of the polis and the training of its children. The Leina warriors favor double-edged axes.Ophis Tower
The tower of the serpent nestles at the center of Setessa. Its wandering warriors travel the world, working on behalf of the Ruling Council. Their leader is Kallias, who was sold into slavery as a child. They lost an eye and several fingers before they were rescued and brought to Setessa, where they have devoted themselves to saving others in a similar plight.The “Little Bears” of Setessa
Children in Setessa are reared by the polis as a whole and treated with the highest respect; their welfare is paramount and their training is a significant part of every warrior’s occupation. Orphans and abandoned children are sacred to Karametra, so they are brought into the city and tended just as Setessa’s own children are.
In contrast to the discipline associated with educating children in other poleis, Setessan youngsters enjoy tremendous freedom. Called arkulli, meaning “little bears,” they are welcome anywhere in the city. They often wander in and out of the temple, training grounds, the hall of the Ruling Council, the market, and anywhere else their paths take them. Such freedom is meant to cultivate a curious spirit and help the children find the path they’re most interested in following later in life.
Nonhumans in Setessa
Setessa doesn’t welcome outsiders, as a rule, except the orphaned and abandoned children brought to live in the polis. But the polis can be more hospitable to nonhuman outsiders than to humans (especially male humans) from other poleis. A few centaurs of the Lagonna band, leonin, and satyrs have earned the right to live in Setessa. Dryads and naiads from the Nessian Wood rarely try to enter the polis, but they are often friendly with the Bassara soldiers who patrol the forest. Setssa also houses most of the female elves of Theros, while male elves also leave the city - though many years after the human males, they still leave at the beginning of puberty - and tend to settle all around Theros, most returning to Setessa once they are fully adult for a one-year visit.
Features of Setessa
Setessa fuses nature and civilization into a single living organism. The polis extends from a huge tree at its center, like the rings of a still larger tree. A dense circle of vegetation forms the city’s outer wall, with the treetops magically woven together to create a barrier against intruders. Expertly trained archers stand guard on platforms nestled among the upper branches. Inside these natural walls, patches of thick forest alternate with open spaces where the Setessans build their homes and civic buildings amid the trees. Out of deference to Nylea, the residents of Setessa never construct a building that isn’t absolutely necessary, and their homes and buildings are seamlessly integrated into the environment, with magic coaxing vegetation to weave together into walls or roofs.
Temple to Karametra
In the very center of the city is the temple to Karametra, patron of Setessa. Three ancient trees grow from an earthen rise and spiral around the heart of the city. The temple, built of glittering limestone, nestles amid the massive trunks. Strong magical wards protect the temple, since Karametra herself sits here when she visits her beloved polis. All manner of civic functions are based in the temple, and most of them are carried out by Karametra’s attendants. These attendants serve as healers, advisors, teachers, chroniclers, and oracles.
Nexuses of the Seasons
Four holy sites, corresponding to the four seasons, stand in or near the polis and serve as temples—primarily for the rites of Karametra and Nylea, but also to the other gods to an extent. These nexus points between the mortal world and Nyx—a phenomenon called the Kelema Veil—are where omens manifest amid star fields that glitter in the shadows and where oracles seek messages from the divine. The four nexuses are each distinct in their own ways.
Spring Nexus
Associated with Karametra, the Spring Nexus is located in a lavish garden just behind her temple in the city of Setessa. A large arch of vines and flowers leads into the nexus itself and stays fresh and green all year long. Spring is the most celebratory time for Setessans—a time for planting and hope. Worshipers leave gifts for both Karametra and Nylea here.Summer Nexus
Located in an olive grove west of the city proper, the Summer Nexus is covered by a leafy green canopy. As a shelter from summer’s heat, the nexus is a favorite resting spot for people and animals alike, and Nylea and Iroas are worshiped here.Autumn Nexus
Near the southern edge of Setessa, in an orchard filled with golden apples, a small cave behind a basalt arch holds a perpetually burning flame. Priests keep a strict rotation to ensure the fire never goes out, as it represents Purphoros’s fire that keeps the world warm through the colder seasons and allows the autumn harvest. In addition to Purphoros, Setessans come here to worship Iroas and Mogis, when necessary.Winter Nexus
At the eastern edge of Setessa hides a rocky cave that was once a lion’s den. The cave contains a burial ground and is rumored to lead all the way into the underworld. Setessan children occasionally dare each other to see who can make it the farthest into the cave, but the morbid atmosphere usually sends the children scurrying back before long. Setessans come here to worship Pharika and Erebos, paying respects to the dead or hoping to fend off death for a while yet.Abora Market
The Abora Market is a giant, open-air market just inside the main eastern gate of Setessa. Every day it is thronged with citizens buying and selling food, crafts, and curiosities. On the seven days surrounding the full moon, outsiders are even allowed into the market, though they are still prohibited from roaming the rest of the polis. Visitors who try to explore beyond the market are typically banned from the polis and must forfeit any goods they brought into the city.
The most impressive part of the market is the raptor hall, where falconers show off the trained raptors available for sale. Hunters all over Theros come to buy famous Setessan falcons.
Caryatid Groves
Scattered throughout the city are several groves that are sacred to Karametra and Nylea, made up of slender trees with almost humanlike forms. It is said that whoever enters one of these sacred groves in search of peace will find it—and take root, becoming part of the grove. The trees here are caryatids, capable of animating in defense of the groves or the city (as animated trees) but otherwise resting in silent stillness.
Setessa’s Surroundings
Beyond the city’s encircling trees, the territory of Setessa extends to cover about a third of the Nessian Wood and a wide swath of the open chaparral. In contrast to Meletis and Akros, no villages or military outposts mark Setessan territory, but a few key features in the Nessian Wood define the area under Setessan control.
Amatrophon
The Amatrophon encompasses a large forested region at the northwestern edge of Setessan territory, and it provides a safe haven and training ground for the diverse range of animals that occupy an honored place as natural protectors in Setessan society. Experts train the renowned falcons of Setessa here, along with horses for riding and for combat. More unusual animals are found here as well: trainers work with pegasi, wolves, and lions to get them ready to accompany Setessans in battle. Here men live and work alongside women, collectively training and caring for the animals that live here.
Nessian Wood
The vast wilderness of the Nessian Wood is considered Nylea’s domain. Its trees are as old as the world, twining together to form an impenetrable canopy shielding the wood from Heliod’s angry glare. Their roots stretch deep into the earth, and some say they drink from the Rivers That Ring the World, the waters of the Underworld. All manner of wild and magical creatures dwell in the Nessian Wood, far from the reach of human civilization.
Nylea allows limited hunting in the Nessian Wood, but she has been known to kill those who poach without her permission. Setessa’s Bassara regiment helps the god keep an eye out for such illicit hunters, as well as any intruders who might bring danger upon the polis.
Cypress Gates
A natural gap between two mountains on the west side of the Sperche River provides access into the Nessian Wood from the east. Ancient Setessans carved an impenetrable fortress into the mountains to guard the pass. Bassara patrols from Setessa still check in on the fortress regularly, and they occupy the fortress when there is reason to suspect danger from the east. More than once, though, patrols have reached the fort only to find something else has taken up residence, whether it be rowdy satyrs, grim Returned, or worse.Hunter’s Crossing
Setessa once extended its claim over more of the Nessian Wood, establishing military outposts like those of Akros. At the western end of the forest, along the road from Meletis known as the Guardian Way, the ruins of a round tower lie beside a rushing stream. This marks the greatest extent of ancient Setessa’s reach. A site of rich natural beauty, with lilacs growing along the riverbank and silver fish darting in startlingly clear water, it is abandoned by Setessa and favored by travelers as a resting point on the road before coming under the eaves of the forest.Myth of Nikaia the First Caryatid
A Setessan archer named Nikaia claimed that she could outshoot anyone, even Nylea. Word of this unwise boast spread, and in response Nylea appeared at the next archery contest at the Spring Nexus. She challenged Nikaia to an impossible feat of archery: to shoot an arrow into one of the twin trunks of Kruphix’s great tree at the edge of the world. Nikaia immediately realized that neither refusal, failure, nor success would forestall Nylea’s wrath. Nonetheless, she held her head high, she and Nylea both let fly, and both arrows hit. Impressed by the mortal, Nylea took Nikaia to her sacred grove and planted her there as a caryatid, immobile but forever occupying a place of honor.
Since then, Nylea has honored dozens of other champions and worthy mortals, blessing them with the long lives of mighty trees. The grown seedlings of Nikaia and Nylea’s other favored continue to share their wisdom and protect Setessa to this day.
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