Born of the Gods as Told by Flavor Text

Shields up, spears out, heels set, hearts firm.

"Trust me. When you have earned a god's favor, you'll know."

"It has been my experience that soldiers most fervently follow generals who lead by example." —Elspeth

"The numbers of Nyxborn among us have swelled. Is this a sign of the gods' favor, or does it portend something else?"

Some adopted the tactics of the leonin to combat the ferocity of the minotaurs.

"Civilization is the sum of Ephara's gifts." —Olexa of the Twelve

The demon had flown past the reach of Erebos's whip but not the point of the sun god's spear.

Better to be beneath Heliod's notice than beneath his heel.

Someone had to be first to attack, but he was not alone for long.

The great hart stood like a statue, its hide painted gold by the dawn. The Champion laid down her weapons and stepped forward within an arm's length of the beast. The hart, sacred to Heliod and bathed in the god's own light, bowed to the Champion, marking her as the Chosen of the Sun God. —The Theriad

Some griffins are able to pluck mystic auras from the Æther that are hidden from other mortals.

"My left has felled a cyclops. My right has slain a giant. I bring both to every fight."

It was Daeron's bravery that brought him to Odunos. But it was the magic of Meletis that brought him home.

"Even if I should die in the saddle, she will not let me fall to the ground." —Hypatia of the Winged Horse

"Such deeds should be common fare for such as us." —Anax, king of Akros

In Meletis, the walls have ears. In Akros, they have blades.

"Let the humans have their pantheon. We need no gods to thrive. Even a mortal such as I can capture a part of the sun's power."

On Theros, the dove is a symbol not of peace but of discovery. Quick wings herald the arrival of a revelation.

"There will come a time when the gods will look at mortals and shudder." —Uremides the philosopher

It serves a justice higher than the whims of the gods.

Students at the Dekatia Academy learn that being sent to study with her is a lesson in itself.

"I was not chosen for my faith in the gods. Sometimes the gods must put their faith in us." —Elspeth

"The humans and their gods never blessed me. Only the pride deserves my allegiance."

They can conjure stars from a clear sky.

"Is it not the embodiment of our aspirations?" —Prokopios, astronomer of Meletis

Tritons borrow the camouflage of their oceanic prey to become predators on land.

"Watch the waves too long, and you may never look away." —Meletian proverb

"Ask of Keranos that you may understand the stars that mark your destiny. Implore Erebos that you may accept the fate thus divulged."

The mind is a vessel that may be emptied like any other.

"Pray to Thassa for what? A bigger monster to eat it? A wave that can wash it away? What then?" —Lindos, merchant of Meletis

Thassa felt no need to punish the sailors for their folly in crossing the straits. The kraken would do it for her.

"Those who incur Thassa's anger will be swallowed whole by her waves, or torn asunder by her bident." —Thrasios, triton hero

"He is Thassa's. I could not sway him." —Kiora

Where the geometries of the world collapse, a master of the Æther can harvest power beyond comprehending.

Few dare to brave the Dakra Isles. Those who return are forever changed.

No matter how big and strong you are, the sea is bigger and stronger.

To resist Thassa is to deny the rising tide.

The sea is always hungry.

"I can see why this appeals to Thassa." —Kiora

She sees mortals not as they wish to be, but as what they will become.

"Every nightmare is a caged bird that yearns to be set free." —Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver

"Some poisons enter through the blood. Some are ingested. Some are inhaled. All ways through which mortals draw strength are paths for poison." —Agathe, priest of Pharika

Not an arrow loosed, javelin thrown, nor sword raised. None were needed.

Phenax promised the newly dead souls they would be spared from Erebos. In this, he did not lie.

Priests of Erebos give an occasional reminder to mortals who have forgotten their mortality.

"The sad truth is that the whip of Erebos is long enough to wrap around all our throats." —Perisophia the philosopher

Gods can be appeased. Demons, however . . .

One chance. One throw. One perfect hit.

"Never forget that the life you've built can be undone by a single loose thread." —Perisophia the philosopher

Burial rites among the Felhide minotaurs involve devouring those who fell in battle, to remove their shame from memory and to fuel the survivors' revenge.

"More children taken. This is an evil we will track without mercy." —Anthousa of Setessa

It is a terrible thing when the path of the Returned leads them back to the Underworld.

Merchants of the Underworld trade in coins of clay. Gold serves another purpose.

A favorite of Erebos, for it has sent many to the Underworld.

A servant of Pharika must know countless balms that heal and soothe—and countless more that do the opposite.

A body Returned, a soul still lost.

Every twitching nerve and pulsing vein carries a message, discernible with the right tools.

Life is most precious to those who have already lost it.

Proud Alkmenos, who would not bow to Erebos in death, is now bowed by his own hubris for all eternity.

"The time to serve is now."

"Did Purphoros bless Maikal because of his rage? Or did Maikal's rage blossom after he'd been blessed? Only the gods know." —Eocles, oracle of Purphoros

The breakthroughs granted by Keranos, god of epiphany, can be surprisingly literal.

The Champion armed herself to face the cyclops, heedless of her companions' despair. "How will you defeat it with only one spear?" asked young Althemone. The Champion raised her weapon. "It has but one eye." —The Theriad

In Meletis, certain oracles are trained to be divine lightning rods, receiving countless visions in an instant.

It is unwise to insult the god of the forge. It is also unwise to stand near anyone else who has insulted him.

Purphoros is god of creation and destruction, which makes him the most creatively destructive god in the pantheon.

The Akroans fashion their helms to honor the dragons, not to protect against them, as that would be of little help.

"I will soar higher than the walls of Akros! Higher than the clouds! Higher than Heliod himself!"

Minotaurs go into battle hungry. The first sight of their enemies' blood sends them into a flesh-eating rage.

"We are the motes of rain that join to make the thundercloud. The power of the storm god surges through us!"

Mount Sulano erupted not in magma but in anger.

"The gods of Theros are born of the expectations and beliefs of mortals. If I have found godhood, what does that say about their true desires?" —Xenagos, god of revels

Plidius wagered that Arissa couldn't kill a chimera with her javelins alone. She proved him wrong in a way everyone could see for days to come.

His heart, the coal; his eye, the spark; his hand, the whirling flame.

When Purphoros cleans the ashes from his forge, entire cities vanish.

Purphoros's blessing: sometimes a boon, sometimes a bane. Always ablaze.

A prayer answered by Keranos is clear for all to witness.

Despite its fearsome stature, it is as elusive as a shadow, circling round to stalk those who presume to hunt it.

"Even alone I outnumber you."

"If the hierarchies of nature were determined by ferocity alone, the badger would be lord of the beasts." —Anthousa of Setessa

Hunt without Nylea's leave and you may find yourself the next quarry.

Cloaks woven from its webs are durable and waterproof but said to bring on nightmares.

"You cannot achieve greatness if its seed has not already been planted in your heart."

To be counted among the warriors of Setessa's Leina Tower, you must not fear death, only failure.

The harvest god's cornucopia contains the fruits of the fields, the forest, and beyond.

"The false god Xenagos treats the whole world as his rollick site. If his whims are left unchecked, Theros will be reduced to rubble and ashes." —Elspeth

The Fates tried to cut her string but found the thread had turned to iron.

"Who can deny the call to battle when it sings in our blood?"

Trompers are the most feared warriors of the Pheres Band. Anger is their lifeblood. It sustains them and gives them purpose.

The first satyr to wake after a revel must search for the site of the next one.

"Setessa is not the city of my birth, but it is the place I fight for, and the place I'm willing to die for. Does that not make it my home?"

"Who says you cannot touch the stars?"

Some fruits are best left ungathered.

The girl who would become the Champion of the Sun hacked furiously at the practice dummy. At last she stopped, breathing heavily, and looked up at her instructor. "So much anger," said the centaur. "I will teach you the ways of war, child. But first you must make peace with yourself." —The Theriad

Thaumaturges of Theros have learned to weave their magic into the world around them, but it can be pulled apart strand by strand.

"She may call herself Kiora but I believe she is Thassa, the embodiment of the sea and empress of the depths."

The strength of the people comes from the land. And the bounty of the land comes from Karametra.

"You slew the gorgon? Show me." —King Igalus, last words

Just because a temple has no guards doesn't mean it's undefended.

A siren once tried to steal it out of jealousy but was caught by the song of its strings.

"The music is in the drum. I simply coax it out to be heard."