Principles of the World

The Know World mostly faces the Sea. It is a vast basin on which peoples of different cultures live and where the creatures of myth roam free.
The daring and the brave venture into its waters. In distant lands they go in search of the Prize and fortune and glory.
The Sea is dotted with wild and unknown islands, ready to be explored and despoiled. The mainland is for the most part unexplored and mysterious.

Gods are real, they walk among humans. Sometimes they fall in love with them, sometimes they are envious.
They are powerful and capricious, but not almighty. They are immortal, but they can be injured.
One can appeal to the deities to request their intervention. Often they will not listen, sometimes they will respond unpredictably.

The Demigods are not necessarily the result of the union of a god and a mortal but some are, like Heracles.
Those who demonstrate strength, power, good family, and good behavior are termed heroes.
After death Gods may grant the apotheosis. When this happens the hero assumes the title of Demigod.

Characters are called to action out of obligation (labours) or to seek glory (deeds). They will often cross The Sea to accomplish their duties.
Whether they are demigods, heroes or ordinary people, they all have something in common: Fate is inescapable. The Moirai have already established the length of their thread. They accept it and face creatures and oddities with courage.
Characters prefer cunning to brute force. War is not a sport, after all. However, some times they will be arrogant and overconfident. This is called hubris and is punished by circumstances and the gods.

Myths passed down in literature are real history in this world.
Being passed down orally by the aoidos, there are conflicting versions of the same story.
It is possible to meet the heroes of myth. The odigoí is free to choose which mythical era to set the adventure in.

When one appeals to a god, they are a eukhé (prayer). Eukhé is the high and noble form of magic.
In Egypt, west of Lybia, the high priests practice heka (magic) that draws on primordial power through rituals and incantations.
Importing some incantations, which are passed down without fully understanding their function and power, some practice goïteia, a low and limited form of magic that has lesser effects than either eukhé or heka. Practitioners of goïteia are frowned upon and considered by most to be charlatans.

Around the vast Sea on mysterious islands or impenetrable forests are located labyrinths.
There are different types of labyrinths. Some are physically mazes built to imprison and protect. Others are networks of caves or palaces with complex geometry.
Those who face the dangers of the labyrinths will be rewarded with Prizes and other riches.

The Underworld is a real (but hidden to the living) physical place where the souls of the dead dwell. These are only shadows of the mortal that they were, with no sense of purpose. The Underworld has a complex geography it is crossed by rivers and inhabited and defended by creatures.
It is possible to descend into the Underworld with the rite of katabasis. The ability to enter the realm of the dead while still alive, and to return, is a proof of being a hero. The purpose of the descent is to recover a quest-object or a loved one, or with heightened knowledge.
It is also possible to summon the souls of the dead with the rite of nekyia. In this case the descent into the Underworld will not be physical and will have the purpose of obtaining knowledge or prophecies from the dead.