Our Journey Starts Here.
The World of Mythic Earth, its peoples, history, and the games and stories inspired by it.
The summary that follows is a brief look at various aspects of the Mythic Earth hobby, from lore to the multiple games inspired by the setting. This is your appetizer. The main course that awaits you is a massive feast for the senses, presenting you with a growing collection of stories, peoples, mythologies, backgrounds, scenarios, games, and much more. Mythic Earth is a fictional version of our very own home planet.
It has been lovingly developed over almost 15 years with one main motivating factor- heroically presenting previously under-represented peoples and their cultures to a broader audience. As gamers and our primary audience live within the gaming community, we have chosen various games to help us present and celebrate the cultures we love and admire so that the gamer can immerse himself or herself in those stories. We hope that in this fun and engaging way, gamers will be inspired to learn more about these wonderful civilizations.
Gaming is our language, and millions of us speak it. What better way to help us fulfill our mission? Many of us share a hope within the design studio: That the games and stories we have created will give you an “intellectual itch.” An itch for knowledge that can only be relieved by looking deeper into and learning more about these fantastic peoples, their stories, and their place in humanity’s story.
Mythic Earth started as a tabletop battle and skirmish game but is now also an RPG (Heroes of Mythic Americas launching in early 2024) and is expanding further with a board game currently in development, a three-novel series, graphic novels, and more. Our games are all set in the high fantasy setting of Mythic Earth, where battles and adventures take place with the help of gorgeously sculpted 28 MM miniatures.
Story background. The One. The Eternal Quest for Balance.
Mythic Earth is a fictional interpretation of various historical civilizations that span thousands of years of life on Earth. Our version of Sacred Mother Earth is a combination of History, Mythology and our very own mythos, all of which are all lovingly represented within a fantastical setting.
Mother Earth and the multitude of universes our planet exists within are ruled by one entity: The One.
The One created a singular and overriding mechanism to govern everything that is, has been, and will ever be: Balance (also referred to as The Eternal Balance).
The One’s mandate is for all sentient beings to strive and maintain The Eternal Balance. This concept is at the core of everything in the Mythic Earth stories and the games we play around and within those tales.
Mythic Earth.
The stage for the dramatic events that happen in Mythic Earth and on our gaming tabletops are centered on our home planet, which, to us citizens of Mythic Earth, is the sacred Mother Turtle.
In the Mythic Earth tabletop battle and Mythic Earth Incursion (the skirmish version) games, players fight for the Eternal Balance as mandated by the One. Those battles span the entirety of Mother Turtle and involve ancient cultures from around the globe.
Mythic Americas is where the story begins, and it is also the center of all the action, but it is only one of the realms that make up the entirety of Mythic Earth. The others are Mythic Asia, Mythic Polynesia, Mythic Europe, and Mythic Africa.
Every “Mythic” Area of Sacred Mother Earth (Asia, Polynesia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas) comprises six to eight core Forces (our term for the armies or factions that battle it out in the game). The game launched with four Forces: Tribal Nations, Aztecs, Maya, and Incas, and those Forces have now been joined by the Inuit, Western Federation, Taino, and the Chachapoya. When complete, Mythic Earth will have a massive population of heroic characters and warriors and the multitude of minis that represent them, well over 40 Forces!
Mythic Earth Eras and the Ruling Children.
Many ancient cultures, like the Maya, believed that the earth (and its creatures) had been created and destroyed many times. In Mythic Earth, these cycles of birth and death, which span thousands of years, are known as the Eras. In Mythic Earth, each Era has a ruling class: The Ruling Children.
The Children, Ruling Children, and Seed Children.
In Mythic Earth, all creatures are of two main types: physical or spiritual (some can be both).
No matter the type or species, these entities are known as The Children. The One created the Children and the gods and demigods meant to rule over them. One group will rise to prominence from the various Children's races and species and become The Ruling Children. Humans are currently the Ruling Children, but in the past, others, non-humans, have ruled over our planet.
Whatever the species that currently finds itself as the Ruling Children, they are granted the privilege (by the One) of ruling over an Era. The Ruling Children are specifically tasked with helping to maintain The Eternal Balance. The life cycle of the Ruling Children always follows the same pattern: they rise to prominence and then (almost all) die off at the end of an Era.
A few of the Ruling Children are aware of the fact that, as with all life, the Children and Ruling Children will rise (be born), rule (live), and eventually fade away (die) when an Era ends. Thus, these few survivors are tasked with passing on the knowledge of how to maintain the Eternal Balance to the new species or race destined to become the Ruling Children. This knowledge and the application of it is known as The Way of The One. The Way of The One is similar to a codex; a book of learning. It is not a religion but a way of life. A desire to keep all existence on Mother Turtle in Eternal Balance with itself.
The Crux and Soul Walkers.
In our fantastical setting, we travel through space and time via the Crux. The Crux is an imaginably vast metaphysical and physical duality that connects an infinite number of universes. Within the Crux travel through physical and spiritual places as well as time is possible. In this way, Forces, which span thousands of years and miles, can interact with each other as if they all lived on the same planet simultaneously. The Crux is a place of magic that can transport individuals and their Forces not only to geographical areas but to spiritual locations such as the Maya underworld, Xibalba.
Only powerful Children and the gods can travel through the Crux. Of the Children, Soul Walkers are the most capable. Soul Walkers do not have to be human; they can be any creature. But now, the best Soul Walkers on Mother Earth are Humans.
The One, and the Everliving and Everchanging.
The Children are influenced by a group of gods divided into two general alignments: The Everliving and Everchanging.
These two sets of gods sit right below the One in the hierarchy as perceived by sentient beings all around the universe. They are infinite in numbers but generally align into two main camps, both opposite sides of a balanced coin: birth and death, creation and destruction.
Whatever alignment a god is or a Force or individual or race of Children fights for, they all share one mission (sometimes unknowingly) to maintain the Balance as mandated by the One. So, all of the actions of everyone and everything on Mother Earth are focused on helping to keep that Balance as they see it.
The Everliving are a group of beings that hail from the “living” forces on Earth: Natural fauna and forests of the land, sea, and air. They share a common goal: to make the entire planet an Eden for all living things under the Moon and Sun. For as long as the Ruling Children are meant to rule.
The Everliving will not hesitate to use the forces of life, organic or spiritual, to end an Era. So don’t be fooled into thinking the Everliving wish eternal life upon the Children.
The One has ordained that Balance is the overriding controlling principle of all existence in the Universe and this Balance is built on cycles of life and death (existence and non-existence).
The Everliving are mirrored by the Everchanging beings of natural chaos and non-organic forces. They aim to create change perpetually. Chaos and disarray are their eternal dream. They strive to end existence. In previous Eras, it was through some cataclysmic event that the Everchanging wiped out the Ruling Children and ended their Era.
But this is also done to maintain the Eternal Balance. Only by ending an Era can a new Era begin. This is, of course, as the One wishes it.
Hierarchy (in order of importance)
The Mythic Earth Tabletop Games. Playing Mythic Earth games using The One’s Way.
Mythic Earth games are centered around the concept of “Maintaining the Sacred
Balance, as mandated by the One”. In our worlds, some of the Ruling Children (humans)
refer to this mandate and all the cultural, historical, and mythological aspects of that
dictum simply as The One’s Way.
The One’s Way expresses itself in games of Mythic Earth as a simple game mechanic that
allows for Forces to play under one of the two main Alignments, which are the
Cornerstone of the Mythic Earth mythos: The Everchanging and the Everliving.
Before any game of Mythic Americas begins, players first randomly choose (by rolling dice) one of the two Ways to play for. The alignment, fated to them by the roll of a die, gives their Force access to alignment-specific elements of the game such as Devotions to The Way, (secondary scenarios), which are objective-driven scenarios that set additional parameters for each game within Mythic Earth.
These secondary scenarios, along with the primary Balance of The Way scenarios (which are not alignment dependent), are tailored to be rich in the lore of the Mythic Earth worlds, such as Mythic Americas, and as a result, create a very cinematic gaming experience.
This dual Balance-driven scenario approach, The One’s Way, also introduces a strategic
complexity to the game, which makes battles within Mythic Earth a very challenging and fun play experience.
The One’s Way random choice will also give your Force access to Blessings of The
Way (rewards from the gods and demigods who rule the Everliving and the
Everchanging) and your Magic Users will also be able to choose Alignment-Specific
Spells.
The One’s Way is designed to encourage all players to build balanced Forces. Each of the two alignments will pose different challenges depending on what side your Force is fighting with (Everliving or Everchanging). Secondary objectives (which as noted are alignment-specific), are also randomly chosen. A Force’s alignment dictates which magic spells or Blessings it can use during the battle.
Through thousands of games, these game mechanics have been shown to reward players with balanced Forces that include all types of Units and Unit capabilities, giving their leader the flexibility to meet random battle conditions.
In short, the Balance requires a balanced approach to playing the game.
Maya
The Maya are the combat hammers in Mythic Earth. Except for the Alux (who impact the enemy is a more subtle way than brute force), almost every Unit in the Maya Force is to be feared. Their excellent Tikal archers offer high-quality ranged support for their highly elite hand-to-hand focused warriors. The Camazotz is perfectly designed to support the main Maya battle line. The Children of Xibalba are death-gifting monstrous creatures that will decimate almost every Unit they hit in combat. If you’re looking for almost unmatched ferocity, the Maya are your Force.
Taino
The Taino call the eastern coast of Mythic North America home. The Taino people are celebrated for their peaceful and communal spirit, but that is one side of a very balanced coin. The Taino fight as a coherent Force. They fear no one, as historically, their regular enemy are the cannibalistic Caribs. Dealing with the Caribs, the Taino don’t ever flinch from going to battle. Their confidence is supported by the fact that their warriors always fight alongside their civilians. The Taino Force is mighty not because they are elite warriors but because they fight with the ferocity of a people who fight to save their people and homes! Taino can also rely on powerful individual heroes as well as the mighty Guardians of the Caracaracol.
Western Federation
Comprising diverse tribes coexisting in the wild and tumultuous environs of the mid-western portion of Mythic North America, the people of the Western Federation are known for their wealth in ranged attacks, amazing mobility, and mastery of the natural forces of Fire and Lightning. Great herds of Tatanka add their majesty and power to make Western Federation Forces a rolling avalanche of flesh, fire, and lightning. Flying high above the battlefield mighty Thunderbirds wreak havoc on the enemy below, while on the ground warriors of the Western Federations set multiple fires around the enemy. Corralling them and funneling their movement, and at the same time driving them onto areas where the Western Federation warriors can meet them in full advantage.
Chachapoya
The Chachapoya culture inhabits the cloud forests of Mythic South America. The Chachapoya benefit from having access to warriors from not only the Andes mountains but also from warriors who call the Amazon River basin home. This means that the Chachapoya can rely on profession warriors who fight in a similar manner to their regular foes, the Incas, but also with agile and highly mobile river scouts who employ magic users that have access to all manner of plants which help their warriors perform better on the battlefield.
Coming Soon
Tribal Nations
A coalition of tribes inhabiting the forests of northeastern Mythic North America, the Tribal Nations come to battle almost always accompanied by the mighty Wendigo. And in turn, the Wendigo is supported by a Force which can move almost freely across the battlefield with the help of the magics from their Medicine Man magic user. Ferocious wolves from the forests that surround their villages join the Tribal Nations in battle and are typically accompanied by Units of the ferocious Sasquatches and fast-hitting War Eagles. Tribal Nation Forces is a wonderful collection of warriors and mighty creatures, who work together to achieve victory on the battlefield.
Aztec
A sophisticated civilization known for their massive Forces which are almost always aided using death magics and the terrifying Tlalocan-bound dead. Their Forces also benefit from having two Behemoths and multiple magic users available to accompany them into battle and using a combination of elite living warriors working together with hordes of undead creatures all supported by their powerful magics, more often than not see the Aztecs victorious on the tabletop.
Inuit
The Inuit are a very resilient Force, their special Hardy rule makes them incredibly hard to remove from the tabletop. the Inuit primarily inhabit the challenging environments of the northernmost Arctic regions in the Mythic Americas. Hardy makes the Inuit a difficult opponent, but that is just support and one of the many advantages available to their Force: A force with an array of wonderful Unit choices, from Harpooners to mighty and monstrous Ijiraq. Inuit Forces tend to valiantly march upon their objectives, take whatever is thrown at them and hit back like a freight train. They certainly have the tools to employ such tactics. Few Units in the game are as feared and the Amarok who should always accompany the Inuit into battle.
Inca
In Mythic Earth the Inca control a vast empire built and supported by a mighty, highly trained, organized, and supported military. The Incas are almost always led by a mighty Sapa General, who can join the battle on foot or on mighty spirit jaguars. A Sapa General will almost always be at the forefront of any fight in a battle. Accompanied by elite warriors or jaguars and leading a variety of Cuzco Warriors Sapa Generals and their Inca Force are a formidable enemy to square off against. Added to the military prowess is their solid choice of magic users, fast-moving condor riders, and the mighty Maras.
Personae Dramatis.
The heroes and heroines of Mythic Earth interact and live at the end of a five-thousand-year period, which culminates with the spread of Europeans across the globe.
There are seven critical characters in the game’s current timeline. All seven of these characters are destined to die or will cease to impact events on Mother Earth: Two Everliving and two Everchanging, roughly aligned humans (4). This loose alignment means that the characters are more likely than not to side with one alignment over the other.
Named characters will make their appearance within Mythic Earth starting in 2024. Currently, the only named character which is playable in the game is Lord Mortis.
Everchanging
Red Crow- Aztec High Priest. Fire and Death are his themes.
Kiviuq- Inuit Warrior/General. Ice and storms are part of his story.
Kiviuq is a legendary hero of the epic stories of the Inuit of the Arctic regions of northern Canada, Alaska, and Greenland.
Everliving
Silver Spring- Iroquois Sachem. Physical and Spirit animals are always with and around him.
Manco Capac- Inca oracle – creatures of the Crux and spirit realms.
One Everliving and one Everchanging god will also make an appearance on either or all table top, board or RPG settings.
Cizin- (Ever Changing)
Stone Serpent- (Ehecatl) (Everliving)
One set of dual spirits represents the Everliving and Everchanging. These two spirits are two halves of one entity, each with a unique personality and temperament, which are aligned to the Everliving and Everchanging core concepts. They are the One’s representation on the Conflict of Eternity (physical plane: Tween and Twixt.)
Tween. Everliving.
Twixt. Everchanging.
Together, these characters add up to seven beings. Seven is a very significant number (holy) in our mythology.
Other important numbers:
Six. Representing the directions of the spiritual compass.
One. The One (Tween/Twixt).
The Gods.
Tween and Twixt- Eternal spirits. Twin aspects of one entity. One spirit with two personalities and which are the One’s representation in the universe, as the One who is all and nothing, yet everything must have an avatar to interact within the two main conflicts: Conflict of Eternity (physical plane) and the Conflict of Existence (metaphysical plane). (More on the conflicts in another article).
Native American-inspired (non-nation specific) spirits that take on the physical form of 14-year-old twins in the Northeast of today’s USA. Gods that live amongst the Children. They have no rivals or equals, as they are the One.
Tween:
● Boy, “14-year” old twin to sister, Twixt
● Fun-loving, strong, protective, family/community-focused
● At core: foundational strength
● Belief: All ills can be cured by dousing a problem with love and empathy
● Looks for people he can help
● Spirit animals: Owl, tatanka, eagle, beaver, bear
Twixt:
● Girl, “14-year” old Native American twin to brother, Tween
● Trickster, risk-taker, self-centered, opinionated, always fun-loving
● At the core: Disruptive and chaotic
● Belief: Destruction is the start of life, not the end
● Spirit animals: Coyote, crow, raven, fox, rat, scorpion, weasel
During our tale, Tween and Twixt become estranged. In the end, after much fighting, it is their core foundation that allows them to journey to The Crux and change things there.
Tween and Twixt can’t directly speak to most humans; this was forbidden by the gods long ago. They can speak to a tiny band of followers on each side. Those who can travel through the Crux, Soul Walkers, know how to contact them in the open planes of the Crux; They can enter the in-between infinite spaces between the two main planes (which we refer to as the Conflict of Eternity (Physical Plane) and the Conflict of Existence (metaphysical plane), by Soul Walking.
Tween and Twixt can communicate with all creatures and objects as well as with the gods.
Non-soul-walking humans can indirectly communicate with Tween and Twixt via hallucinogenic drugs, namely variations of peyote.
In a dream state, a very select and small group of humans and almost all of the gods can manipulate time (a physical foundation of the Conflict of Eternity). Note: The pain of living creatures (especially humans) can bring some humans to a surer heightened dream state.
Cizin. Also known as Kisin.
In our story, Cizin is the counterpart to Mother Turtle and Ehecatl-the rain god.
Cizin is a Maya god of death and earthquakes. He is the most important Maya death god in the Mayan culture. Scholars call him God “A”.
Cizin, also spelled Kisin, (Mayan: “Stinking One”), is also the earthquake god, and god of death, and the ruler of the subterranean land of the dead. In ancient drawings, Cizin is often depicted as a dancing skeleton. He is also known for his death collar, the most prominent feature of disembodied eyes dangling by their nerve cords.
Ehecatl- Stone Serpent (Maya Kukulcan).
Ehecatl is also known as the feathered or plumed serpent god, specifically the Yucatec Maya. He is a creator god who brings rain and winds (as opposed to Cizin God of death and war). Historically, he is associated with the Chichen Itza temple, built in his honor.
In Mesoamerica, the snake was regarded as a deity that symbolized life above and below the earth and associated with the underworld (where he is always in conflict with Cizin). The words “sky” and “snake” have the same pronunciation in both English and Maya. As part of maintain the Balance, Mythic Earth’s Ehecatl, is a splinter of Cizin. Theirs is a symbiotic and balanced relationship.
The Children (humans).
Everchanging.
Red Crow (in the novels, which are set in modern times, he is also called Brujo Rojo.) His real name has yet to be discovered and long erased from any official records. He appears in Mythic Earth as a larger-than-life, giant Aztec High Priest.
He is incredibly powerful, and yet he is an enigma.
Red Crow is the most powerful Soul Walker currently on Sacred Mother Earth. He is a shape shifter, taking on various animal and human aspects. His preferred area of study is the gods of the Everchanging and their control over the physical planes. Red Crow believes he can control all power on Mother Earth by finding ways to purposely, and smartly affect the Eternal Balance.
His preferred shape-shifting form is that of a massive clotted-blood-red crow.
Kiviuq- Inuit Warrior/General. Can be a Soul Walker when necessary and under certain conditions.
Whenever in battle Kiviuq is aided by the sudden appearance of ice in various ways (for example, ice forming in front of his opponents, which slows them down, enemy warriors suddenly freezing, and storms materializing out of clear blue skies).
Kiviuq lives in what today is the central, far north of Canada.
He is the leader of a large community of Inuit peoples from across the north. All of these tribes have gathered around his banner because they believe he has obtained the favor of the gods.
He is known to have a dark and brooding presence but is also empathetic to the struggles of those he defends.
Along the way, he will come to an agreement with an Amarok. In their partnership, the Amarok allows for Kiviuq to ride him and together they go to battle and experience countless adventures.
As with all other human heroes of our story, Kiviuq can travel into and throughout the Crux all on his own, even though he was not trained as a Soul Walker. All of our human heroes, who are not trained Soul Walkers can do this but only in dire situations.
Everliving
Silver Spring- Iroquois Sachem. Animals and Spirits can be communicated with and even asked for assistance (which they always give-wolves, bears and eagles are often seen around him). Soul Walker when necessary and under certain conditions.
Silver Spring is the current elected leader of the Tribal Nations (by the Nations Supreme Court of Women). He is one, if not, of the best tactician warriors on Mythic Earth. He can see signs of from the One and in this way is able to achieve victory and success in most of his exploits.
As with all of the characters in our story, Silver Spring is more aligned with one of the two alignments but for some reason seems to be favored by the Everliving. Even Cizin, who is strongly referenced as an Everchanging aligned character will at times commune and work with the Everliving.
His large, home-based settlement is in what today is Northern New York State.
Manco Capac- Inca oracle. Can summon and command creatures of the Crux and spirit realms. Powerful (almost the equal of Red Crow) Soul Walker. Lives in a precursor of Machu Pichu, Moray.
Manco can sometimes see the future during his Soul Walks. He is regularly aided by three large and mighty spirit animals, A jaguar, a condor, and a snake. They guide Manco in many ways, from whispering to him when he is near a medicinal plant that he has never used, and then they teach him how to use the plant to transporting large Inca forces throughout the Crux with unbelievable ease.
Manco is also typically accompanied by a cohort of pure maidens who are all virgins, both spiritually and physically. These women help Manco use magics from both the Everliving and Everchanging with incredible ease and potency.