Dragons of Tirenia

The latest Dragon Princes game has just started, and it's 'The Ruins of Auromia!' The players are mercenaries who are going to explore the ancient and nearly abandoned city of Auromia, and get caught up in supernatural shenanigans when they investigate the mystical forest that's sprung up there.  I'm hoping to write up the first session report soon, but in the meantime, one of my players has created two moodboards for the game: one for their character, and one for the game itself. Moodboard for Noke, the urban druid Moodboard for The Ruins of Auromia

Population:  300,000. Kymaiopoli is the largest city in Tirenia. Dragon:  Southern Tirenia is unofficially ruled by the Benevoli, a crime syndicate led by the black dragons. The black dragon Nero controls the Benevoli in Kymaiopoli. Politics: The ruler of Kymaiopoli is the Prince of Trinacria. While the Prince claims dominion over all of southern Tirenia and the island of Trinacria, in practice his influence does not extend far beyond the borders of his city. For this reason, he is often informally styled the Prince of Kymaiopoli. Prince Ferrante di Kymaopoli lives in incredible luxury, isolated from the actual running of the city. Economics: Southern Tirenia's farmlands are less productive than those of northern Tirenia, and so Kymaiopoli is the sole focus of south's agriculture. It is also a major port city, with significant trade with Sahelia. Religion:  Kymaiopoli has always been a centre of Tirenian religion. The city still has some ancient shrines to the cla...

There have been many different calendars in Tellaia, but the most influential have always been Tirenian. The Auromian Empire had two different ways of counting years: they would refer to 'Anno Auri' (Golden Years), to refer to years since the ascension of the first Gold Dragon Emperor, but more commonly they would refer to events by the reigning emperor of the time: 'in the fifth-second year of the reign of Emperor Aurelius Draco Sahelianus', for example. After the fall of the Auromian Empire, the Church started counting from the death and resurrection of La Salvatrice, and so the calendar 'Anno Salvatricis' and 'Ante Anno Salvatricis' (A.S. and A.A.S.) became widespread. This timeline is a work in progress! 1229 A.A.S.   The Auromian Empire begins when gold dragons liberate the city of Pallantia from the fairy 'gods' who rule it. They become its new rulers, and the city is renamed 'Auromia' in honour of Aurelian Draco, who becomes ...

Population:  30,000. During its height, Auromia had a population of well over a million, but is now all but deserted. Geography:  Auromia is situated on the Albula River. Its site is notable for the ten hills that the city is built upon: each hill used to be its own suburb. and was the site of a different gold dragon's palace. History:  Auromia was founded a long time ago, under the name of Pallantia. It was taken over by the gold dragons, who renamed it Auromia in their honour. The Auromian Empire expanded to govern most of the world. With the fall of the Auromian Empire, the city became the centre for the new Salvationist church. When the High Ordinarch moved to Aterni, the city's population dropped drastically. Dragon:  Auromia was the seat of power of the gold dragons. Its land is now controlled by the green dragons, but there are no green dragons living in Auromia. Politics:  Traditionally, a Senatore from one of the noble families whose estates sur...

Population:  200,000. Vanzenia suffered massive casualties during the recent Carnevale Revolution, as well as the loss of an entire city district, which was first incinerated by dragonfire, and then destroyed when the previous dragon lord Morignus fell on it. Dragon:  Vanzenia is ruled by the red dragons. Morignus, the oldest and most powerful dragon in the world, was the instigator of the stealthy conquest of Tirenia. Recently, however, Morignus has perished and his daughter Gianetta has taken over power. She is an opportunistic schemer who was the leader of her father's secret police, but managed to take advantage of a populist uprising to become the new ruler. Politics:  Following the Carnevale Revolution, Vanzenia is now officially a republic. Gianetta the red dragon is the Principessa, and leader of the Signoria, the ruling council. Previously, Morignus had ruled as an absolute tyrant, and auctioned off government posts, effectively making the city a plutocracy. ...

Population:  90,000. Dragon:  Fiumenze is the home of the blue dragons, led by Zaffiro 'il Magnifico.' He runs the d'Azzuro Bank, which loans money throughout the world. His 'hoard' is his collection of ledgers and journals: by lending and investing his incredible fortune, he has become phenomenally rich. Government: Officially, Fiumenze is a republic led by the Signoria, nine guildsmen who are randomly selected every two months. In practice, everyone knows that Zaffiro controls whose names are available for selection. Zaffiro also uses a half-dozen highly capable agents such as Antonia Ficino to stay on top of current events. Economics:  Fiumenze is the wealthiest city in the world, and its signature coin, the pezzo d'oro, is trusted everywhere for its high gold content. Fiumenze's workers have formed into multiple guilds, which wield immense economic and political power. The most powerful guilds are the Arte di Calimala and the Arte della Lana,  who ...

In Tirenia, one's first loyalty is to their family. Many rural Tirenians live with their extended family, and in the cities families often meet for celebrations and festival, for the church, or just for a daily meal. While the typical Dungeons and Dragons adventurer is often isolated from their family, in Tirenia everyone knows that no one argues like family, but that family will always have their back. (Part of the success of the Benevoli crime syndicate is how it treats the organisation and its members as a family.) A Tirenian character can choose to have their bond be to their family, rather than a specific person or place. How does this work in practice? Once per adventure, a character with a family bond can call upon a member of their extended family for help. This family member will exist at the same social level as the player character, and may be able to help provide help. The PC and the DM should name the relative, define the relationship, and give a one-word personality...