Dragons of Tirenia

Finally, another session! Averroes' player won't be joining us again, and Donatella's player was absent. Hopefully she'll be back with us again next time. Guests screamed, or gasped, or clapped, as the statue of Davide came to life. The loudest voice belonged to Fra Gottifredo, who loudly denounced the statue as heresy and called on the  sbirri  to destroy it. Ilaria, Heidini, Chiara and Lia decided to take the situation under control before the priest could arrange a lynch mob. Ilaria convinced Emiliano Brasco to give them control over the situation, and the mercenaries were happy to avoid taking responsibility. Chiara bonded with Davide over a joke, and the  sbirri  took the statue into another room of the villa for questioning - after wrapping him in the fallen curtain like a makeshift toga. As they left, Fra Gottifredo cornered them and threatened them with going to their superior, the Gonfaloniere di Giustitia, if they did not destroy Davide. He honestly felt ...

Aterni, the Windy City History: Aterni is located high in the Avunine Mountains. It began life as a cluster of villages situated around the source of the Aterno River. Over time, the area became popular among the wealthy as a scenic retreat to build villas and go hunting. In 833 A.S. the High Ordinarch Reimundo di Clementi declared that the Church deserved a city built for its own glory: Auromia, he claimed, was too pagan. He moved the Ordinarchy to his villa at Aterni, and began construction of a new city there. Aterni was completed in 847 A.S. Government: Aterni is a theocracy governed by the High Ordinarch. He has, in theory,absolute legislative, executive and judicial authority over the city and the surrounding villages. He then appoints different committees or officials to carry out the duties of the government in his name. In practice, the city operates through a complex web of patronage. The High Ordinarch is controlled by the Ordinarchs who voted for them at the college...

Despite what the songs of bards might suggest, love and marriage are two very different things in Tirenia. Marriages are matters of politics or convenience more than romance, and arranged marriages are the norm. Both men and women are able to marry once they become adults at 17 years old, but typically men delay for a while to pursue political or career aspirations (or sow wild oats). Accordingly, the groom is typically a decade older than the wife or more.  In aristocratic society, marriage is the cornerstone of politics, and so betrothals will be arranged years before the wedding. The bride’s family is expected to pay a lavish dowry, and some cities have public funds available to help pay dowries for orphans. The groom is also expected to give lavish gifts to the bride and her family. One of the most notable gifts is the marriage chest: a trunk painted with romantic or erotic images for transporting the possessions of the bride to her new home. The actual marriage consists of...

The cuisine of Tirenia is highly regional, but new foods are constantly being introduced and incorporated into existing recipes. Many of the staples of modern Italian cooking have not yet arrived in Tirenia. Pasta arrived later in Tirenia than it did in Italy, but has been accepted as a popular new foreign food in the last generation. Tomatoes will be discovered shortly, and player characters may be responsible for introducing them; alternatively, they may be among the first to try them.  Rice, bread and fresh vegetables are the staples of the Tirenian diet. Thick, porridge-like soups, supplemented with beans and mushrooms for protein is a common working-class meal. The wealthy are able to eat a more heavily meat-based diet, especially game meats, poultry and fish. This meat might be boiled or fried. Cheese is also popular, and every region has its own special cheese. In the centre and north of Tirenia, sausages and salami are popular; olives are common in the south. Coastal ar...

Medilano, the Beautiful History: Medilano is located in the fertile plains of the north-western Eridano Valley. It serves as the main trade route for goods travelling across the northern mountains. As a result, it is an extremely prosperous city, and was historically seen as a rival for the great city of Auromia itself. From the beginning, the silver dragons who live near Medilano have been its protectors. They were curious about the humans, and kept a watchful eye on them. This is also why there is such a high proportion of silver dragonborn in the city. Medilano was absorbed into the Auromian Empire after a brief war - the gold dragons thinking that the long-term benefits of unity would outweigh the short-term suffering, while the silver dragons believed that the ends could not justify the violent means. The silver dragons soon sued for peace, wishing an end to the destructive conflict. Mezziano entered the Empire on favourable terms, and those silver dragons that were wil...

Felsina, the Learned City History: Felsina was founded by the ancient Tirenians during the Age of Heroes. It is situated at the southernmost edge of the Eridano Valley, at the northern end of a pass through the Avunine Mountains to Tarchania. Its strategic position means that it changed hands many times, before being conquered by the Auromian Empire. It was ravaged by orcs during the Empire’s fall, before being refounded by San Basilio, who is the city’s patron saint..It was subsequently conquered by Carlo d’Orso, who left it as the seat of the Felsina Marches. After his death, it was conquered once more and subsumed into the Tarchanian Marches, before that state disintegrated due to internal unrest. Internecine internal conflict followed. The High Ordinarch attempted to resolve it by dispatching an envoy, who claimed the city on behalf of the Church. Civil war continued until Matteo Benvolio, a condottiere, seized the city. The Benvolio family revealed themselves to be brown dragons, ...

Another month, another chapter in the saga of Ratto! https://skybeargames.itch.io/dpf-street-rat-iv  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ "But," you might ask, "Why are these computer games the only new content on the blog, even though you've been in lockdown this whole time?" This blog has always been where the brainstorming lives. I've always said I want to turn this into a book one day. Well, I've been hard at work on the first draft! It's pretty crude and will need a ton of revision and playtesting and what have you... but it's happening! Hopefully I'll have something finished before 6th Edition rolls around in five years time or whenever it will be...