Greece [scrapped in favor of starting over]
Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 9:51 pm
Very first draft. There are a few aspects of Greek history I was unsure about (I'm assuming the Dorians were the main presence in Greece when the Changer's War started, though it doesn't really matter because I think that whole period was during the Greek's Dark Age? Also, I had a really cool idea about what could happen with the Sea Peoples, but I want to nail everything else down before starting on that).
Also, I'm not sure how well received my, uh, vision of present day Greece would be, or even if that's where his Emperor-ship was located. I assumed not. Anyways, apologies for the rough writing. Please let me know what you think of this history before I launch into the current tribe/town things, island monsters and such left from the War.
I will edit these notes/roughdraft once I get some love from yon admin-mods.
(do something on the sea people http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Peoples )
Athena began somewhere around 1400 BCE
Giants appear in the region around 1100 BCE (later?earlier? Consiered 900-800 BCE)
Theogios appears around 700 BCE
Greek culture follow Dorian civilization?
Overview
Athena is an old city, and the surrounding province of Greece is one of the oldest on Pal Tahrenor to survive the major upheavals of magic and the Changer's War mostly intact. Though much of the epicenter of old civilization, under the Dorian people, was destroyed during the Changer's War (most notable of these being Athena herself) the culture itself lives on within all of Eyropa. The Greece of current Pal Tahrenor is shrunk from its former glory, not particularly its own province with Proconsul and a solid group of peoples, as with each of the other provinces in the Eyropan empire, but left more as an homage to Theogios and the Greece-that-was.
Greece is home to several tribes of mixed ethnicity, who are claimed by the Eyropan Emperor himself and whose lands are left strictly alone. These peoples are very lightly taxed, and the only stringent requirement of the Emperor is that they do not attempt to build upon any of the old Dorian sites or expand past their current settlements. They may leave Greece if they so desire, to become a citizen of another province under the empire, but they would have to undergo a rigid process filled with paperwork if they desire to return to living in Greece.
Those of Eyropa who worship or revere Theogios view Greece as a holy site, and some make pilgrimages to the Temple of Athena, set atop the Athenus Range overlooking ruined Athena.
History
Athena and the surrounding province of Greece were one of the oldest to be established on Pal Tahrenor. After the duration of the Mycenaean Age, the Greek civilization fell into a Dark Age, and modern historians can only suspect it was due to Dorians, Giant tribes, or the Sea Peoples. Whatever the case, after this relatively unknown portion of history Theogios rose to power in Athena, and soon had united even the most querulous of city states.
Through trade with the outer countries, soon word of Theogios had spread. Those who did not submit themselves to the Greek at the outset were absorbed by the onrushing spread of his ideas, firm but fair rule, and the proven protection of being under his banner. Throughout this Athena became the very center of the world as far as the people of Theogios were concerned. Even when the first whispers of war had spread, people traveled many miles to learn and trade under the fair light of Athena.
The growing conflict of Pal Tahrenor's other Changers were not to be dismissed, however, and the magical aftershocks from the battles between the Changers became strong enough to affect Eyropa. After a particularly strong wave of magic caused the city of Athena to topple as if from an earthquake, Theogios committed to pushing Setkhantos further south.
This act is viewed by some as an act of war, and by others as one of desperation. Whatever the true cause, Eyropa was overtaken by the war itself. Though the people of Athena tried to rebuild after the magical disturbances, several more catastrophes occurred along the entire southern coastline. The specifics of these disasters are unknown, but it is agreed by all that they were a direct result of the war.
After Theogios sacrificed himself to end the war, the state of Greece itself was that of a disaster the likes of which had never been seen before. The great Peloponnese Peninsula, home to such fearsome city-states such as Sparta and Pyrgos had been sunk beneath the waves, as with the Ionian Islands, and the Dodecanese Islands. Crete's landmass had been drastically changed, and most of it rendered uninhabitable. The smaller islands of the Cyclades were lost, and those that remained were mostly barren. The majority of the Dorian Greeks had fled their homeland to settle in the more northern parts of Eyropa.
After the Eyropan Empire gained a new ruler, and what some historians claim to be the 50th anniversary of Theogios' sacrifice, Greece was declared to be holy ground and inviolate to other provinces. The few remaining tribes clinging to their homeland became the Emperors direct subjects under his protection.
But, the Changer's War had done more than substantially alter Greece's geography. The majority of Greece's islands had become home to beings weird and occasionally monstrous. The remaining survivors of Athena had been changed drastically into the undying. They had lost their higher functions, and could only attempt to eat the stones of their home. Many historians suspect this was the revenge of Farahu for what Theogios had done to Setkhantos.
To this day, the Eyropan Emperor forbids any living person to enter the ruins of Athena. The only town remotely close to Athena is the Holy Temple of Athena, which is a religious settlement open to all pilgrims and operated by the Emperor's men.
Economy
Greece does not have an economy, per se, as its small tribes typically use a bartering system using various goods. They don't typically have much bishani, and they practice a sort of mysticism that has much to do with keeping in touch with the Greek culture as it was before the Changer's War.
The real economy in Greece, in connection with the rest of the world, is at the Temple of Athena. There, various religious institutions have set up their own shrines and way-stations, where pilgrims can go to get closer to their spiritual choice. Food vendors, artifact sellers and the like have gathered there as well, and they do a brisk trade.
But, since this is where Theogios and the Empire originated, the Empire takes the settlement very seriously. Imperial guards are always stationed there, and any sort of vendor or religious camp has to first submit tedious paperwork. Anyone selling or preaching in the Temple who do not have paperwork are promptly shipped back to the capital to spend an unspecified time in prison.
Politics
Greece is directly under the Emperor's control, and as such has no proconsul. It only has consuls in the form of the Imperial Guard who are stationed there at the Temple of Athena, who are occasionally sent out to patrol the land. If you break law in Greece you are not breaking the law of a Province, but the Emperor's direct decree. Minor infractions such as misplaced paperwork might only keep you in jail for a few days, but causing trouble, going where you shouldn't, or interfering with the native populous will likely end in execution at the discretion of the Imperial Guard.
That said, each tribe takes care of itself. They typically have some sort of forum, and their leaders tend to be philosophers or wise-men of great learning. They do not petition the Emperor except in the direst of need, and prefer to be left alone without outside interference.
Also, I'm not sure how well received my, uh, vision of present day Greece would be, or even if that's where his Emperor-ship was located. I assumed not. Anyways, apologies for the rough writing. Please let me know what you think of this history before I launch into the current tribe/town things, island monsters and such left from the War.
I will edit these notes/roughdraft once I get some love from yon admin-mods.
(do something on the sea people http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Peoples )
Athena began somewhere around 1400 BCE
Giants appear in the region around 1100 BCE (later?earlier? Consiered 900-800 BCE)
Theogios appears around 700 BCE
Greek culture follow Dorian civilization?
Overview
Athena is an old city, and the surrounding province of Greece is one of the oldest on Pal Tahrenor to survive the major upheavals of magic and the Changer's War mostly intact. Though much of the epicenter of old civilization, under the Dorian people, was destroyed during the Changer's War (most notable of these being Athena herself) the culture itself lives on within all of Eyropa. The Greece of current Pal Tahrenor is shrunk from its former glory, not particularly its own province with Proconsul and a solid group of peoples, as with each of the other provinces in the Eyropan empire, but left more as an homage to Theogios and the Greece-that-was.
Greece is home to several tribes of mixed ethnicity, who are claimed by the Eyropan Emperor himself and whose lands are left strictly alone. These peoples are very lightly taxed, and the only stringent requirement of the Emperor is that they do not attempt to build upon any of the old Dorian sites or expand past their current settlements. They may leave Greece if they so desire, to become a citizen of another province under the empire, but they would have to undergo a rigid process filled with paperwork if they desire to return to living in Greece.
Those of Eyropa who worship or revere Theogios view Greece as a holy site, and some make pilgrimages to the Temple of Athena, set atop the Athenus Range overlooking ruined Athena.
History
Athena and the surrounding province of Greece were one of the oldest to be established on Pal Tahrenor. After the duration of the Mycenaean Age, the Greek civilization fell into a Dark Age, and modern historians can only suspect it was due to Dorians, Giant tribes, or the Sea Peoples. Whatever the case, after this relatively unknown portion of history Theogios rose to power in Athena, and soon had united even the most querulous of city states.
Through trade with the outer countries, soon word of Theogios had spread. Those who did not submit themselves to the Greek at the outset were absorbed by the onrushing spread of his ideas, firm but fair rule, and the proven protection of being under his banner. Throughout this Athena became the very center of the world as far as the people of Theogios were concerned. Even when the first whispers of war had spread, people traveled many miles to learn and trade under the fair light of Athena.
The growing conflict of Pal Tahrenor's other Changers were not to be dismissed, however, and the magical aftershocks from the battles between the Changers became strong enough to affect Eyropa. After a particularly strong wave of magic caused the city of Athena to topple as if from an earthquake, Theogios committed to pushing Setkhantos further south.
This act is viewed by some as an act of war, and by others as one of desperation. Whatever the true cause, Eyropa was overtaken by the war itself. Though the people of Athena tried to rebuild after the magical disturbances, several more catastrophes occurred along the entire southern coastline. The specifics of these disasters are unknown, but it is agreed by all that they were a direct result of the war.
After Theogios sacrificed himself to end the war, the state of Greece itself was that of a disaster the likes of which had never been seen before. The great Peloponnese Peninsula, home to such fearsome city-states such as Sparta and Pyrgos had been sunk beneath the waves, as with the Ionian Islands, and the Dodecanese Islands. Crete's landmass had been drastically changed, and most of it rendered uninhabitable. The smaller islands of the Cyclades were lost, and those that remained were mostly barren. The majority of the Dorian Greeks had fled their homeland to settle in the more northern parts of Eyropa.
After the Eyropan Empire gained a new ruler, and what some historians claim to be the 50th anniversary of Theogios' sacrifice, Greece was declared to be holy ground and inviolate to other provinces. The few remaining tribes clinging to their homeland became the Emperors direct subjects under his protection.
But, the Changer's War had done more than substantially alter Greece's geography. The majority of Greece's islands had become home to beings weird and occasionally monstrous. The remaining survivors of Athena had been changed drastically into the undying. They had lost their higher functions, and could only attempt to eat the stones of their home. Many historians suspect this was the revenge of Farahu for what Theogios had done to Setkhantos.
To this day, the Eyropan Emperor forbids any living person to enter the ruins of Athena. The only town remotely close to Athena is the Holy Temple of Athena, which is a religious settlement open to all pilgrims and operated by the Emperor's men.
Economy
Greece does not have an economy, per se, as its small tribes typically use a bartering system using various goods. They don't typically have much bishani, and they practice a sort of mysticism that has much to do with keeping in touch with the Greek culture as it was before the Changer's War.
The real economy in Greece, in connection with the rest of the world, is at the Temple of Athena. There, various religious institutions have set up their own shrines and way-stations, where pilgrims can go to get closer to their spiritual choice. Food vendors, artifact sellers and the like have gathered there as well, and they do a brisk trade.
But, since this is where Theogios and the Empire originated, the Empire takes the settlement very seriously. Imperial guards are always stationed there, and any sort of vendor or religious camp has to first submit tedious paperwork. Anyone selling or preaching in the Temple who do not have paperwork are promptly shipped back to the capital to spend an unspecified time in prison.
Politics
Greece is directly under the Emperor's control, and as such has no proconsul. It only has consuls in the form of the Imperial Guard who are stationed there at the Temple of Athena, who are occasionally sent out to patrol the land. If you break law in Greece you are not breaking the law of a Province, but the Emperor's direct decree. Minor infractions such as misplaced paperwork might only keep you in jail for a few days, but causing trouble, going where you shouldn't, or interfering with the native populous will likely end in execution at the discretion of the Imperial Guard.
That said, each tribe takes care of itself. They typically have some sort of forum, and their leaders tend to be philosophers or wise-men of great learning. They do not petition the Emperor except in the direst of need, and prefer to be left alone without outside interference.
