Tiberia

A traditional Greco-Roman culture similiar to the Euresu of Comraich and central Gor.

The architecture of Tiberia is a marvel of mathematics and marble. Great temples, arenas, forums, and Domus rise high over the coastline above simpler structures both inside and outside of the volcanic Servian walls. Tiberia is located on a peninsula that juts out into the southern sea. The land is warm and the hills dotted with olive groves, vineyards, orchards, sheep and goat herds, root vegetables, and some cereal grains such as Chickpeas, emmer wheat, and lentils. Fishing is a major industry.

The Euresu diet is primarily cereals, vegetables, olive oil, and wine. Seafood, cheese, eggs, meat, and many types of fruit were also available to those who could afford them. The Euresu are also adept at processing and conserving their food using techniques from pickling to storage in honey. They considered themselves gourmets and flavored their food with sauces, herbs, and exotic spices. Tiberia exports as much food as it imports, with an eye for the unusual and exotic.

Personality

Euresu personalities can be grouped into four separate temperaments; sanguine (enthusiastic, active, and social), choleric (short-tempered, fast, or irritable), melancholic (analytical, wise, and quiet), and phlegmatic (relaxed and peaceful). Euresu prize martial skill, social status, and knowledge. The phlegmatic personality is, more often than not, a slave.

The Euresu are a military culture and respect these traits in the other kingdoms. They are xenophobic and believe their culture is the most advanced and most powerful. There are four social castes within the Euresu; the citizens, the middle class, the plebeians, and slaves. Citizen houses are those that have active officers in the military. If a family can not afford to outfit one of their own as an officer in the military, the family loses citizen status.

The Euresu have a driving force to re-establish their fallen Empire -- it is only the method that is up for continual debate; martial force or diplomatic alliances. They rely heavily upon the written word and expect, like the Dyrlings, for it to be adhered to. Modern Tiberia is a Representative Democratic Oligarchy with a King/Queen, a Senate, and elected Representatives.

Appearance

The Euresu are generally dark hair and dark eyes, tanned/olive skin. Men and women are both generally tall, warriors are powerfully built, older men have a propensity to become rotund, most young women who are of citizen families are athletic, while those who have had children or are prostitutes keep more round flesh upon themselves. Men wear their dark hair cut short, and women wear theirs in elaborate styles famous for their curls, waves, and headdresses.

Euresu wear a combination of early Grecian plus fantasy roman with muted Egyptian accents, with styles and modesty going in and out of popularity depending on fashion trends. They wear a lot more white than the Zephrin do. Clothing styles are typically draped cloth worn loose, pinned, or pleated. Grecian garments such as the chiton, himation, peplos, and chlamys are worn by all social classes, while the Roman garments such as the stola and palla for women and togas for men are worn over tunics. Togas are restricted to men of the citizen class. Euresu women love gold bangles and jewelry, while Eresu men tend towards a more regal and less peacock style, sandals, togas, and tunics for the most part. Color choices tend to be carefully combined.

Traditions

The ancient religion of the Euresu center around the god Mithras. First of all, he is the god of contract and mutual obligation. Mithra may signify any kind of interpersonal communication and whatever establishes good relations between people. Mithra has been called the Mediator. The Euresu pride themselves on their skill in constructing written contracts and negotiating agreements.

Mithra is also the god of the sun, of the shining light that beholds everything, and, hence, was invoked in oaths. He is the god of mutual obligation between the king and his warriors and, hence, the god of war. He is also the god of justice, which was guaranteed by the king. Whenever people observed justice and contract, they venerated Mithras.

The conventional view of life after death in Tiberia conceived of an afterlife wherein the soul separated from the body and then typically lived on in the underworld kingdom of Orcus. Sometimes the spirits of the dead might return to the world of the living, as either Manes (protecting spirits of the dead) or Lemures (malevolent spirits of the dead). The Euresu have a number of superstitions, including the belief in the evil eye, the value of bread as a sacred gift, crows being a sign of misfortune, to give a coin in return for a gift of perfume, not handing someone a knife, knocking on wood to prevent bad luck, and the necessity for the blessing of one's parents

Expanded Lore

Further reading and links for the culture obsessed.

History

Timeline

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Small Council NPCs

Role	Description
Marcellus Augustus Rex of house Trajan Ruler	Marcellus, also known as the Gorgon to his people due to his fearless tenacity in combat, is the third generation ruler of Tiberia from house Trajan. Knowing that the senate could dispose the house should they take displeasure in Trajan rule, Marcellus has begun promising a return to empire which has served to bolster Tiberian faith in the regime. He is a fair but harsh king, willing to dole out punishment as needed. The difficulties of keeping the senate's support while trying to maintain the loyalty of his small council remains a challenge however. Some would argue that his need to balance these two factors is what's keeping Tiberia from returning to their former glory
Misas of House Jacatra Diplomat	The weakest of the five houses, Jacatra was only put into place when all of the men of House Triarius were killed in a horrible boating accident. Misas was always considered a weak-willed man and is bulled by his family and his wife. House Jacatra is distantly related to the Triarius family, a fact that he does not like to admit or even have remembered. He was voted in much because of the sympathy extended to a once-great family in their time of loss. Still, he comes from a long line of diplomats and negotiators and so no one views it as wasted effort in serving the empire given his knowledge.
Yatrayan of House Xatrax Warlord	Yatrayan is an elder statesman and ruler of the army. A general his entire life, he put down multiple uprisings and has maintained the military for many rulers. Though Tiberia is far from its greatest power, it is to his credit that it has not sunk into mediocrity. Xatrax is considered the first house and even more powerful than Deeiclease. This fact causes animosity and so the two houses are known to assassinate one another as well as brawl.
Claudius of House Lagaius Coinmaster	Lagaius is a miserly and miserable bastard of a man. No one likes him, no one wants to deal with him, and yet this horrid human being continues to find success everywhere he goes. The term “Claudius touch” is jokingly used when someone is extremely lucky. Claudius was a second-rate noble who was hated by all and yet when he purchased a piece of land considered useless by all he discovered a silver mine buried beneath the depths. With that wealth, he invested in house Deeiclease funding their campaign to rule, and once again he succeeded. He has seven wives and four of them have tried to poison him and he has survived every attempt. Many are convinced he has signed a deal with a demon. Still, Claudius has a penchant for coins and is owed many debts and so despite his personality he lives and seems to be a ruler even among kings.
The Rat Spy Master	A genius-level intellect raised by the streets. The Rat's mother died before shortly after he was born. His Aunt, who found and raised him died by the time he turned seven. The Rat from that point lived without authority and took it upon himself to survive no matter what. As he stole and fought his way through life he made friends of other homeless children and he collected them turning them all into thieves to rob and steal. His life would have ended early and most likely at the gallows or the tip of a sword, but The Rat was lucky enough to have met Marcellus; who in turn took a strange liking to the boy. The Rat grateful for gold and food, followed Marcellus using him at first but eventually falling in love with his savior. The network known as the Ratpack are the greatest spies in the city and serve no one but the Marcellus and their self-proclaimed leader. His Lordship soon realized the amount of power The Rat held over the city-state and thus put the young man in a position of power to avoid any backstabbing. Marcellus still worries this may come to light as the Rat continues to build up his followers. He is hated and feared by all the noble houses and all fear the rats skittering around for their secrets.

Phrases

Religio Mithraism

The name of the religion in Tiberia.

Gallery