Oreskos
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.
Geography
Grasslands of Oreskos
Unspoiled by roads or buildings, Oreskos is a land of striking natural beauty, where the plains and sky appear to go on forever. Craggy stone formations and ancient ruins dot windswept grasslands and plateaus, shading into scrubby badlands, rocky hills, and unwelcoming mountains. At the sun’s height, the grasslands shine like beaten gold, and the sunsets are incomparable. Magnificent storms spread clouds in a rainbow of colors, creating vistas exhilarating to those brave enough to weather them. The hills yield ancient treasures and a bounty of precious metals and stones. At night, the movements of Nyx are striking, but images of the gods seem to keep their distance from this land where few pay them honor. Yet most non-leonin will never see this beauty. The leonin prides guard their lands implacably, and without a good reason to be there—or a leonin guide to vouch for one’s presence—outsiders are often chased away.Tethmos
Tethmos serves as the default capital for Oreskos, a meeting place for the tribes, and the home of leonin leaders. Stone buildings and slender windmills jut above the plain, their pale colors and metal decorations shimmering in the light and changing color as the sun moves across the sky. Many leonin matriarchs and other wise souls retire to Tethmos to share their wisdom with all the prides. In recent years, a few non-leonin traders have been admitted into Tethmos, provoking exaggerated tales of the leonin sages and their golden city.Mount Kure
Atop Mount Kure rises a massive temple, open-roofed and accented in gold. This temple of Heliod, his closest to Oreskos, is rarely visited, but on the god’s highest holy days, worshipers journey there to commune with the sun god. These pilgrimages occasionally bring the god’s servants into conflict with wary leonin hunting nearby.Sun’s Mirror
This vast, placid lake sits at the center of Oreskos. No matter the weather around it, the lake’s surface remains undisturbed, and often reflects the sunlight so brightly that it’s difficult to look at. Those who approach the lake and gaze into its waters usually see their own reflections, but on rare occasions, they see visions of places far away. The leonin claim that these visions show not just the present, but even the past and the future.History
Leonin of Oreskos
Close-knit prides of several dozen to a few hundred leonin make their homes throughout Oreskos. These communities treat every member as family, with all taking equal roles in hunting, cooking, family care, and other daily responsibilities. Status in the tribe typically comes with age and by forming relationships with other members of the community, whether through childrearing, friendships, romances, teaching, or otherwise. Leonin women tend to remain part of their mothers’ prides, while males often leave to join new prides when they find partners. Councils of matriarchs make decisions for most prides, these leaders rising from among the oldest or best-respected women of the pride. Generally, leonin communities avoid outsiders, particularly armed groups of soldiers and champions of the gods. Many leonin suffered under the rule of the archons and at the whim of fickle gods, a grim history that taught them well-remembered lessons about trusting strangers or relying on deities. Most leonin understand that people aren’t their culture, though, and individuals who prove themselves trustworthy might find gradual acceptance among the prides. Even so, leonin prides accept centaurs, minotaurs, and satyrs more readily than unpredictable humans and alien tritons.Leonin Communities
Leonin prides typically occupy dens or mobile tent cities, or possibly both at different times of the year. Their dens commonly lie amid the foothills at the edge of Oreskos, particularly along the Oraniads to the east. Dens are usually comprised of small, interconnected networks of underground chambers. Large, shared spaces in these dens are typically decorated with rich woven textiles, bone crafts, and rich clay and crystal pottery. The dens are cool in the summers, but leonin are a sun-loving people and prefer to be outside—even sleeping outdoors—whenever weather permits. Numerous beasts migrate across Oreskos during the spring and fall. During this time, hunters from nearly every leonin pride participate in extended expeditions. In some cases, the entire pride takes part, emptying their dens to journey across the plains. While on the hunt, prides dwell in lavish tent-cities, largely comprised of tents capable of housing whole families. These temporary homes surround brightly colored pavilions, where craftspeople turn game into meals, clothing, and materials, honoring their animal neighbors by wasting nothing. While these encampments are obvious and well supplied, they are also heavily guarded by wary leonin. As a result, strangers who approach such camps tend to receive cold receptions.The Speaker
Each year, on the day of the first full moon after the autumn equinox, matriarchs from all the leonin prides gather at Tethmos to select a monarch, who acts as a representative of the prides in the wider world. While terms like “queen” or “general” are often applied to this leader by outsiders, the meaning of the leonin title, zibynth, is closer to “speaker.” As the sun rises on this festival day, the leonin gather to renew pacts of friendship. The matriarchs of all the prides hold council during this time. As dusk falls, the council announces a new speaker. A fantastic celebration ensues, involving dancing, feasting, singing, public professions of deep feelings, and trading oaths. Traditionally, the speaker reigns for a single year. As the leonin have grown less isolated, though, they have come to explore greater continuity in their leadership, and the current speaker, Brimaz, has held the office for several years. One of the few men to ever be speaker, he is broadminded, humble, and determined, with a deep connection to the land. He is quick to seek opinions from the matriarchs of the leonin prides, and often defers to their wisdom. While his focus has largely been within the grasslands’ borders, he cautiously explores engaging in trade with the human poleis
Sun Guides
True children of Oreskos, the Sun Guides have lived in the grasslands for countless generations. They know the way of Oreskos’s beasts and seasons better than any. Both mystical and knowledgeable, the Sun Guides read the messages in plant growth and animal migrations, and make their place in the natural cycle. Sun Guide prides might be found throughout Oreskos, but most orbit the lake known as Sun’s Mirror. While these prides sometimes seek their dens during the harshest winters, many will spend years on the open plains. Many druids, monks, rangers, and sorcerers hail from Sun Guide prides.Swiftclaws
Among the greatest hunters of Oreskos, the Swiftclaws are known for speed and efficiency. Their hunts are known to be among the shortest and most fruitful. While their martial prowess earns them respect, it also affords many leonin more time to share tales and study the lore of their people. As a result, some of the greatest leonin storytellers and historians number among the Swiftclaws. Fighters and rogues are also common among the Swiftclaws, and many bards and wizards come from these prides as well.Tourism
The leonin of Oreskos mostly keep to themselves, but Brimaz is looking to possibly open up more to the other polies and races to foster trade and the exchange of knowledge.
