Eldritch Rome: Politics and Geography
Contents |
Geography
This game takes place at the height of the Roman Empire, which stretches from Hispania in the West to Iudaea in the East, from Britannia in the North to Egypt in the South. There are other political forces (the Parthian Empire, Barbarian tribes) but they do not pose serious challenges for Rome at this point.
Politics
After the recent war with Dacia, Rome has settled into a time of peace and prosperity. This does not mean there are no conflicts (barbarian revolts are frequent during this time), but in the heart of the Empire at least, war takes a backseat to politics. Intrigue and powerplays are the words of the day, and everyone is trying to get a little richer, a little higher in the Cursus Honorum, a little closer to Emperor Trajan. Political backstabbing often turns quite literal, and assassins and hired mercenaries do not go broke.
Culture
Rome becomes more of a melting pot with every year. Men come from all over Europe, Western Asia, Northern Africa and beyond, and they bring their gods and customs with them. The arts, especially poetry and rhetoric, flourish under wealthy patrons. Dozens of languages can be heard on the streets of the capital, and its citizens espouse hundreds, if not thousands, of religious practices and philosophies.
Most of these practices and philosophies tend towards tolerance and acceptance, as in any culturally mixed environment - but, as always, there are extremes. Human sacrifice is considered a barbaric crime, and not practiced in the open, but that does not mean it doesn't happen.
Lifestyle
The wealth of Rome has led to an ostentatious, pleasure-centered lifestyle for its elite. Celebrations in Rome are, as always, extreme - pleasures of the flesh are indulged to excess, and sometimes the darker sides of men and women surface after they've gorged or drank too much or spent the day in the Collosseum watching gladiators get ripped apart by wild tigers. Cutpurses and worse roam the streets, looking for easy prey staggering home from the parties. Aristocrats, such as Sextus, move about in fast carriages or on palanquins carried by dozens of slaves, from one villa to another, not deigning even to step upon the streets of Rome. The screams - some of joy, some of pain - start early in the evening and last well into the night, every night...
