Syracuse, shadow of Achaea
Achaea is a shadow in the outer regions of the Golden Circle. Somehow missed in the era of shadow path building centuries ago, it existed oblivious to the existence of other shadows, and vice versa for millenia. A continent-spanning Empire, the Achaemenid Empire, has dominated the civilized regions for centuries.
Like any such political creations, time wounds all heels. The Empire is crumbling, slowly tumbling toward dissolution. As it desperately tries to maintain together, the periphery of the Empire struggles to forge independent destinies.
The city-state of Syracuse is just such a place. A mercantile power within the Empire, Syracuse feels their interests are better served in independence and freedom. Toward that end, the trading juggernaut commissioned the Rift Project, an exploration of the theoretical possibilities of world outside of Achaea.
Imagine their surprise when they discovered there was a host of worlds just waiting to be contacted. Outfitting a scion of one of the senior council members, one Iolaus Diotrephes, Syracuse soon learned through him that not only was there a nearby world to make contact, but apparently an entire suite of worlds.
The canny Syracusians saw an opportunity when they saw one. They've dispatched young Iolaus to the heart of the Golden Circle to seek trading and alliance with the Eternal Realm.
Syracuse itself sits on the island of Kore, part of an archipelago of islands called the Islands of the Sunset. Sitting off of the western coast of the continent, Syracuse is a trading port for much of the western Empire, the place where everyone comes to buy and sell goods. As a trading power, Syracuse is also a focal point of ideas, boasting the best schools, both sorcerous and mundane, outside of the capital.
Although other aspects of the city-state hearken to Ancient Greece, its government is much more evocative of Republican Rome. An aristocracy dominates a ruling Council, and it is these aristocratic families which dominate the political life of Syracuse. There is upward mobility both for individuals and families, however, as well as downward mobility for those aristocrats who have lived far too long on previous glories, and contribute nothing toward the present.
Formal speaking in Syracuse is done in verse, in the cadences and schemata of classical literature. Thus, a first greeting of a stranger, or pronouncements to the populace, or even published notices will be in dactylic hexameter. Much of the higher echelons of society tend to speak this way in even more informal settings as well.
Syracusians are traders and take it seriously. This is not to say that Caveat Emptor applies, the Council of Syracuse takes the regulation of Trade very seriously, and tries to strike a balance between overly controlling it, and permitting undue exploitation. "A clever merchant can fool and steal from a man once. A cleverer merchant will earn the man's business for life. And his children's."
In the spirit of Everway and games like House of Cards, here are the "vision cards" for Syracuse and the shadow of Achaea:
Virtue:Overlooking the Diamond(Reversed): Recognizing Opportunity
The Syracusians, most particularly of anyone in the Empire, know how to seize upon a chance when one comes along.
Fault:Spring(reversed): Stagnation
The Empire has dominated Achaea for so long, it has stifled creativity and progress more than provided law and order. It's part of the motivation for Syracuse to try and transcend its failings by wresting itself from it.
Fate:Death: Change/Stasis
Either Syracuse will succeed, and herald in an era of change in Achaea, or it will fail, and be smothered by a decaying but still powerful Empire, returning to the stasis of life under its rule
Usurper:Silver Cartwheel coin
Syracuse, and the portions of the Empire touched by it, IS trade and commerce. The exchange of goods is the engine of the realm, and it is taken seriously.
