Calarion

#Septopolis 30!

Thanks Khonri for organising this! In retrospect I should have done just one city (Hubris). I got to do a lot of creating for it and I think next month will be taking what I wrote, expanding upon it, and writing it up properly. It got a bit rough when I got busy but I got there!

It was fun to do, my favourite bit is the tiiiiny Helios in his chariot inside the sun. :)

#Septopolis 28

I drew a map of Hubris!

Forgot to #Septopolis this one! :)

a man in a cowboy hat is standing in the middle of a snowy mountain . ALT: a man in a cowboy hat is standing in the middle of a snowy mountain .

Thank you! There's a surprising amount of overlap, but the real inspiration was...

For both Fiumenze and Hubris and everything else, it's @hiriadunning.bsky.social!

Fiumenze was created over dinner at a nice restaurant with them. Hubris was the result of Hiria showing me Jimmy Barnes in Big Enough. All brainstorming has bounced off them, plus general support and encouragement.

Icaria has short black hair and olive skin. She wears a peplos with a cowboy hat and boots, and hidden revolvers. She's charming and quick-witted. She knows she's unpopular with some of the Gods and that her time as Tyrant is almost up, but is determined not to give in to Fate without a fight. (8/8)

Hubris: the biggest movers and shakers are THE GODS. But the most important mortal right now is Catastrophe Icaria. A child of Hermes, this gambler usurped control of Hubris after the departure of Carius of Corinth. She's encouraged it to be a den of sin and iniquity, and takes her cut. (7/8)

Finally, Zaffiro knows he's getting old and needs a successor from the younger dragons. He'll give them opportunities and will see who proves themselves worthy. (I think it'll be his newly hatched grandchild Piccino, who is strongly pro-human. That will be interesting!) (6/8)

Zaffiro's current ambition is to extend the rule of Fiumenze to the surrounding area. He's looking into building a canal that would allow access to the sea (the Sporco isn't navigable all the way.) He wants to stir up trouble with Ascia and conquer them, and then expand further. (5/8)

Zaffiro has largely retired from the bank to follow his interests in urban and international politics and the arts. He is an intelligent and discerning patron, and has tried his hand as a composer and a poet. He loves talent and is fascinated by magicians, although he is only a dabbler. (4/8)

His bank ledgers are his hoard; he loves money when it is circulating and making more money. He is unlikely to kill an enemy, and more likely to either make it worth their while to become his friend or, failing that, to ruin them economically, politically, socially and personally. (3/8)

Zaffiro took over the city in his human form over hundreds of years. No human banker can rival a dragon for long term investment planning! He's now set up a web that leaves him on top and benefits those who might try to remove him; he doesn't want to risk having to fight united humans. (2/8)

#Septopolis 27

Fiumenze: It's finally time for Zaffiro 'il Magnifico' de' Fisici, the dragon prince of Fiumenze. Zaffiro is a large dragon with blue scales and showy jewelry. In his human form, he's a handsome older man with olive skin and short salt-and-pepper hair and beard, richly attired. (1/8)

People will go into the desert and fight monsters and discover the secrets of Atlantis and probably get cursed as well. New settlers will arrive in town. Greed will lead to ruin. People will die tragically. I think there's going to be a great fire of Hubris. (6/6)

Hubris: It's at an earlier conceptual stage. The Gods want Catastrophe Icaria removed, but should it be a monarchy or a republic or more lawlessness? The steam train is coming to town (they look like bronze triremes!) because there has to be a train robbery. Hera wants votes for women. (5/6)

If I was going to do a new game, it would start with an assassination attempt on Zaffiro who's brought so much wealth and prosperity and stability and art and power and oppression and suffering. He barely escapes, says "Help me!" and collapses unconscious at your feet. What do you do? (4/6)

However, I also think that Zaffiro's enemies are starting to line up against him: the jealous Ranieri dragons, agents of other dragon princes, the rival city-state Ascia, the mistreated working class, the Church and other humanists who want an end to all dragon rule. (3/6)

All the dragon princes across Tirenia have become the biggest, the best, and now the only place left to expand is against each other. So I see him moving from being prince of one city to trying to take over a whole area - matching how in real life, the de' Medici became the Grand Dukes. (2/6)

#Septopolis 26

So much is going on 'right now' in Fiumenze over multiple TTRPGs played there + ideas for more games in my head + ideas players have that they want to run with.

The biggest thing is that Zaffiro 'il Magnifico', the dragon who's the de-facto prince of the city, wants to expand. (1/6)

Hubris: They have no major religious festivals at the moment, because the civic government is so unorganised. (Some of) the gods are unhappy about this and want Catastrophe Icaria removed, so that proper urbanisation can begin and proper worship to begin. It would be up to PCs to arrange this. (3/3)

In the city they have the Marcia dell’Uva (Grape March). Celebrants wearing vines brings the first bottle of new wine from each vineyard to the Signoria, who sample them and present prizes to the best wines. More wine is brought in too, making this a very merry if raucous celebration. (2/3)

#Septopolis 25

I think I've talked about a few festivals already. One I haven't mentioned is the Vendemmia in mid-autumn. It's the festival of the wine harvest. The exact date changes year to year. In the countryside, people gather to pick the grapes (1/3)

That's true! A bit more about Duke Orlanda: she's a great warrior and commander and is so honourable she's a modern-day Paladin. She's extremely cultured and got one of the largest libraries in the world. Her arch-rival is Signore Augustino Malarancia, so wicked he was canonised to Damnatio!

Hubris has no ties to anywhere else. It's too isolated and too focused on its own survival and its own prosperity to look outwards. (3/3)

HURRAY I CAUGHT UP!

Fiumenze is also a part of the Tirenian League, an informal defensive league of city-states. As such, they've got ties to beautiful Medilano, the other major member, which is far to the north. In our home TTRPG, the League failed as soon as it was tested. That's politics for you! (2/3)

#Septopolis 24

Fiumenze's rival is Ascia, a nearby city to the south. They've been rivals over trade and control of the local area. No one ever forgets that the outnumbered Ascians famously defeated the Fiumentines in the Battle of Berardenga two hundred years ago. (1/3)

Hubris: Much simpler: there is no law. (Unless a PC decides to be the Sheriff and clean up this town!)