Elysium

Map of Elysium

*Elysium is a world made up of two large continents (Knossos and Thrace) and two smaller continents (Corinth and Thebes), and many islands. Elysium is a smaller world than Earth but has three moons (known as the Maidens collectively and as Selene, Luna, and Diana individually). The mortal people of Elysium are known as Elysians, and they can be considerably diverse in appearance, culture, and wardrobe.*

## Locations

### Knossos

Knossos is the lands surrounding the new Mt. Olympus. The lands are known as the Freelands as by divine decree, no nation or king shall claim the lands in sight of Mt. Olympus, instead, it is ruled by high priests and village elders. It is mostly made up of rural villages, and it is a very peaceful, idyllic area. Conflict rarely shows up in Knossos, and it is not uncommon to see the gods wandering among the Knossosi villages: Zeus, Hermes, and Demeter are often seen among the taverns, roads, and fields of this area.

The people of Knossos are tan-skinned human-like people with wheat colored eyes and hair. They tend to have circular faces and are usually quite lanky in build, with long arms and legs.

### Sparta

The Spartan Empire to the southeast of Knossos now controls what was once called the Tribelands. The Spartans were once just a small tribe of warriors, but Ares took an interest with them, named them after his favorite peoples of the old world, and led them in conquering and subjugating the many other tribes that neighbored them. To this day, the Spartans are the most militant of Elysians and tend to prefer to worship the gods in their Roman incarnations. In fact, the Spartans' architecture and wardrobe favor Roman influences.

The Spartans are diverse, having been made up of a dozen different ethnicities from the peoples they conquered and many of their citizenry being the product of war-wives and war-husbands (lovers from other lands who were intimate with Spartan mercenaries or warriors during a foreign campaign). Thus the Spartans do not have a set look.

### Republic of Athens

The Athenian people are traditionally olive-skinned and dark haired. They, more than any others, resemble the look of the Mediterranean people that the gods once ruled on Earth. However, with centuries of accepting like-minds from all lands, the Athenian people are now almost as diverse as the Spartans.

The culture of the Athenian people is a near-utopia if you're into knowledge and philosophy. Campuses and forums are among the busiest areas of the cities of Athens, as most Athenians enjoy learning and friendly debate. The military of Athens is also no laughing matter, though it might not have the manpower of Corinth or the firepower of Sparta, it is widely accepted that Athens produces the best generals and tacticians, often personally tutored by Athena herself and their ships are the finest made.

### Corinth

Corinth is a commercial powerhouse. They are very much driven by two things: the free market and the concept of free love. They worship Aphrodite and Hermes heavily here (as the gods of love and trade) and is one of the few places on Elysium where Hades is a celebrated god and openly worshiped as the God of Wealth but also due to his love of Persephone which Corinthians hold up as proof that people of all kinds can find happiness together through acceptance.

The native people of Corinth have a fair complexion and almost white hair but are now a diverse culture much like Athens and Sparta. The look of Corinthians is now quite accepting of all manner of attire, but most tend to dress in minimalist attire and color their skin with bright patterns of henna and dye their hair brilliant shades in all manner of colors... anything to make themselves stand out more.

### Ithaca

The people of Ithaca are divided into two classes: the tourists and the natives. The tourists are any non-native that visits Ithaca and are always afforded every right. Meanwhile, the natives are uptight and rigid, who take great cultural pride in playing host to the tourists and ensuring they enjoy themselves.

The native Ithacans are tan-skinned people with dark lips, palms, and raccoon-like masks over their eyes. They have many strange cultural leftovers from before they were converted to the Olympian religion. They do not allow their own kind to leave their islands and do not allow others into their society, other than to stay as tourists.

### Thebes

Theban society favors art and culture. They are a people with light skin and dark hair and have not much in the way of a proper military, relying on Corinthian or Argosi mercenaries to protect them if threatened. They tend to always be the first society to adopt new styles, often years before the trends catch on in Athens or Corinth.

They are ruled by a dynasty with a peculiar custom of having their newly appointed king or queen marrying a subject that is declared suitable by the high priest of Thebes. This bride or groom then offers themselves as a sacrifice at the temple and lays with whatever god or goddess answers the prayer. As part of a deal with Zeus, the offspring of this union will be granted the soul of a reincarnated hero, thus ensuring that their kingdom's heir will be a hero.

### Rhodes

Rhodes is much like Thebes. It once was part of the Theban Kingdom but broke away recently when it declared its independence. They are culturally savvy, perhaps more so than Thebes, but they do not practice monarchy, instead of having adopted a democratic model like Athens.

### Thrace

Thrace is a land mostly made up of a desert in the south, tundra in the north, and swampy marshland islands in the southwest. Two tribal peoples make their home on this continent. The first, the Argosi, are mostly nomadic, migrating about their continent to suit their needs and adjust to the seasons. The few cities that they have are small and practical, surrounded by districts that look abandoned in off-seasons and crowded with nomadic migrants in the on-season. The Argosi are large, powerful people, with dark skin and pale hair. They dress in wraps that can be adjusted to suit their needs based on their environment.

The second people of Thrace are the Thracians themselves, which are a loose collection of tribes that have yet to fully convert to the Olympian religion. Most of the tribes have adopted a sort of hodgepodge system wherein they combine their older customs with the new Olympian traditions. Mostly barbaric, the gods have decided these tribes are no threat to what they have built and have thus allowed them to remain as a cultural anomaly.

### Tribe of Delphi

The small tribe of Delphi is light skinned, with earth-hued hair, but often bleach their hair to resemble Apollo's golden locks. They are a religious community built around what is easily the most pristine and beautiful great temple ever created in Elysium. The tribe protects of the spirit of the Oracle, which they gift to a promising young woman of their tribe. Upon receiving the spirit of the Oracle, the woman becomes prophetic and symbolically marries the Pantheon of Olympus, swearing off her own family. The spirit of the Oracle ravages the minds of its hosts and most women are only able to serve as Oracle for three to ten years before their sudden death from brain hemorrhages.

### New Troy

These people resemble the Knossosi, having been colonized by the Knossosi (the first converts to the Olympian Faith) after the natives of the islands of New Troy committed mass suicide when their gods were killed, choosing death rather than conversion. The new Trojan people have forsaken their old lifestyle on Knossos and are in the process of creating a military which hopes to one day rival Sparta, colleges which may one day challenge Athens' own, and marketplaces that might one day outsell the likes of Corinth. While it is a promising new nation, it still has a long way to go to be a true rival to any of those.

The Trojan people are enlisted in civil service for a term of five years after completing finishing school, those who refuse to do this are not granted the rank of 'citizen' and find their rights restricted (cannot hold public office or vote, cannot be granted the rank of master in any craft, cannot marry, et cetera).

### Atlantis

The natives of Atlantis are humans, the citizens of the fabled city that Poseidon brought to Elysium with him. Some of them have found their way to other parts of Elysium and this contributes to why Elysians resemble humans as much as they do. The Ithacans are one of the few peoples that have not bred with humans.

On Atlantis, people tend to wear simple tunics and breeches which allow them their skin to breathe on the now tropical island. Their city in the center of the island, also called Atlantis, is where Poseidon rules (or his son, Triton, in his stead). It is the only mortal nation in Elysium where a god directly reigns over the people, but in order to maintain their lifestyle, they are insular by choice and do their best to avoid the affairs of the rest of Elysium.

Atlantis is a considerable utopia and when Poseidon feels welcoming, he allows outsiders to visit the island, but he has never tolerated any Elysian to dwell in Atlantis longer than three seasons, even famously ordering the corpses of visitors be sailed out twenty miles and tossed out to sea.

## Notes and Trivia

* While it’s not a nation, the area to the northeast of Knossos, far north of Sparta, that is the "wildlands" or Forests of the Moon, an unclaimed land of thick forests. It is used as a game reserve for the gods to hunt and a haven for the few "relic races" of centaurs, satyrs, and such that survived the transition to Elysium. It is also where Artemis spends most of her time, with the "great temple" there actually being a sacred spring in the middle of the forest, overseen by priestesses that are known as the Wild Wardens or Silver Maidens, sworn protectors of the wild lands.
* The People of Elysium use the Ancient Roman units of measurement, for example pes & uncia is height and libras is weight.

## Links and References

1. ↑ NeOlympus Journal 1 A Look at Elysium