Venia

Demographics

The original population of the city was dominated by local Ipiculans, the tribes that lived on the island for several centuries since their migration from the south. As Venia's territory expanded, the city became home to people from an increasing number of Ipiculan tribes and the Diakai who lived on the island to peoples from the breadth of the Middle Sea. People from nearly every culture under Auria's light had settled in Venia and created new lives for themselves.

Government

Venia had initially been a monarchy governed by three kings, descended from the three sons of Ceralus. Following the demise of the royal line, three elected officials became the heads of state. With one of three elected every third year and serving for three years apiece, the Triarchs held some of the power vested in the kings of old. All three held military and civil authority, each holding a unique role in Venia's government. The Triarchs represented the Venian Triad, consisting of Maratalus, Orbia, and Taranux. A fourth god called Auriumia was later elevated to an exalted status alongside the original three. The Triarchs were elected by the Convocation, the legislative body which consisted of all free-born citizens older than fifteen. The Convocation is itself divided into two parts, called the Assembly and the Tribes. The Assembly had no ethnic or class divisions and was composed entirely of non-aristocratic Venians. They voted directly on matters affecting everyday concerns and issues. The Assembly elected two kinds of public officials: one to represent their interests who sat on meetings of the Venerated and another who received public funds to maintain local services and buildings. The Tribes divided the citizenry into groups based on wealth and origin. Elections in the tribes focused on every other elected official in Venia, from those who
While the Convocation represented the interests of all the people of Venia, the Venerated were a bulwark of the aristocracy. Founded to advise the kings, they continued as the leading governing body. They had the power to declare war with the approval of the Convocation, and members of the Venerated are most of the army's highest-ranking officers. The Triarchs tended not to act without receiving the Venerated's advice.

Defences

The city has three sets of walls, one defending Sanctuary Island, another defending port, and a third facing the mainland.

Industry & Trade

The most lucrative Venian industries were, historically, shipbuilding, fishing, and logging. As the forests retreated, the Venians decreased their exports of wood and diverted it toward domestic use. It was also a longtime center of trade, which only expanded along with its empire. The slave market was particularly famous, being one of the largest in number of daily transactions in the world. Goods from all across the known world changed hands in the markets adjacent to Venia's massive port and the countless shops lining the streets. When Venia reached its zenith, one could buy everything from silk from the west and spices from the east to amber from the north and exotic wines from the south. The full bounty of the Middle Sea was for sale at the city's impressive fish market.

Infrastructure

Unlike the orderly grid patterns of Diakai cities - from which the Venians copied much of their later architectural features - Venia's layout was chaotic by comparison. Only the largest and most important streets were perfectly straight. They were also swept regularly and well-maintained. Those in other areas veered off in strange directions before crisscrossing with other roads or ending abruptly. Most of the city's streets were narrow, poorly-lit at night, and inundated with trash, feces, and urine. While the wealthy lived in immaculate domiciles with numerous rooms and private gardens, the average citizen lived in one of many hundreds of shoddy apartment buildings. These homes were often multiple stories high and constructed from cheap bricks and wood. Fires often ravaged these districts and risked spreading to the rest of the city, which it had on several occasions throughout Venia's history. 
 Also, three significant roadways exit the city and connect it to the rest of Ipicula. The road heading north was called the Varginian Way, the one leading south was called the Carlian Way, and the third going east was called the Apenian Way.

Guilds and Factions

Throughout most of Venia's history leading up to the First Venian-Satri war, the city's politics was dominated by three factions. One sought to maintain the power of the aristocracy. They opposed giving more power to the ordinary people and fought for the interests of the most powerful landowners, ship owners, and mercantile colleges. A second sought to expand the rights of the urban poor, commoners, and small business owners while seeking to break up the monopolies of the wealthy. The third is less defined, but they could be considered moderates. Members of this group share more diverse views than either of the other two political factions, with opinions falling between the outlying groups. These people - Venerated and a smattering of people from moderately-well off people such as shopkeepers, small-time merchants, and others - sought to maintain the status quo. The desire to not rock the ship became harder to maintain as socioeconomic conflicts brewed in Venia's territories. This faction dissipated for a time but experienced a revitalization in the decades before the First Venian-Satri War. 
Various guilds, called Colleges, held sway over the professions they represented. For example, bakers belonged to the College of Breadmakers, and those who made glass belonged to the College of Glassblowers. These professional organizations were sometimes little more than glorified dining clubs, while others met to set citywide prices for their goods and services. Penetration varied by profession as well, with some abstaining from joining. Other Colleges were less official and involved in suspicious activities such as robbery and murder, to cover up their actions. The government relied on the College of Granaries to safeguard grain shipments once they arrived in the city, for which they were generously compensated. The College of Guards was one of the most famous of these groups. Its ranks were filled by veterans who underwent a rigorous selection process. They guarded all high-ranking political officials and were among the few permitted to bear arms on Sanctuary Island.

History

According to legend, the hero Ceralus founded Venia after leaving Meia, the city his grandfather had ruled before him. The new king had numerous enemies and sought to be closer to Martalus, the sea god and his father. He gathered all his loyal followers and anyone else who desired a fresh start and traveled west toward the coast. Martalus had instructed him to follow his designated sign, which was either a pod of dolphins breaking the surface or rough patches of seas visible from land, depending on the source one believed. Ceralus and his followers had discovered the sign they were looking for at a stretch of forested coastline with a natural harbor. A small island lay not far offshore. Unfortunately for Ceralus, a town called Fernali occupied the island. The people had built their modest surrounding a rocky outcrop, one which they made a citadel and a temple to *, their divine patroness. Olive groves and grapevines lined the shores of the islands, and numerous small ships patrolled the water around it. Ceralus and his people set up camp on the mainland about one hundred paces from the sea. They began by constructing simple dwellings made of branches and mud bricks. The ruler of Fernali was named Ebiona, renowned in the area for her intelligence and her beauty. Allegedly, she had received eight offers of marriage from local kings and chieftains and had refused them all. She did not tolerate interlopers' presence on her land, so she sent the most eloquent among her people to deliver a message to the Venians. Her terms offered Ceralus three unsavory choices: he and the rest of his kind could depart without harassment, submit themselves in chains and be allowed to remain, or be forced out. Ceralus, convinced his father had promised him Ebiona's territory, replied that he wouldn't leave without a fight. The messenger, who identified himself as Orinus, offered the king an expression of stony silence and left the Venian encampment without uttering another word.
Thus began the conflict between the Venians and the Fernalians. Ebiona sent armed men to the mainland to slaughter the Venians, but they managed to abandon their camp with time to spare. The Fernalian warriors arrived to find empty dwellings before splitting into small groups to sweep the surrounding forests. Although the Venians were poorly armed, they ambushed the scattered groups of soldiers and slaughtered them, taking their weapons.
Next, Ceralus planned a daring invasion of Sanctuary Island. With the aid of a local king and queen who despised Ebiona, Ceralus crossed the harbor on a moonless night and stormed Fernali. Caught completely by surprise, the townsfolk were either slaughtered or captured. While Ceralus' allies sold their captives into slavery, he made an offer to those under his bondage. Any one of them could join the Venians and become a member of his tribe. Surprised by Ceralus' gesture of mercy, many accepted, including the former queen. Ebiona became an advisor to Ceralus for a time before attempting to betray him. Ceralus discovered her treachery and ordered her thrown from Fernali's citadel, where the Triad Temples stood in later times. Much to the frustration of successive generations of Venian women, Ebiona's scheming was used as an argument against granting full political rights to women.
Ceralus was credited with founding many of Venia's oldest political institutions. These included the Venerated, who were a body of his most ardent followers. The most ancient Venian nobility claimed descent from these sixty men. He also created the priesthoods and appointed the first high priests. From then onward, the priests would select a new high priest whenever the former finished their term of five years or was dismissed. Under the kings, the priests selected three candidates from among their number, and the king then appointed his favorite. The first crude temples were dedicated to the gods under his reign.
Ceralus ruled for forty-one years, taking two successive women as his wives and fathering three sons and four daughters. The two eldest sons, Arrenius and Gerius, became joint rulers with their father during the latter part of his reign. Ceralus was said to have died one of three ways: he walked into the sea to be reunited with his father, he ordered his bodyguards to throw him into the sea for fear of becoming an invalid, or threw himself into the sea at the loss of his second wife. No matter what truly occurred, his third son Oncis became king.
The first two queens of Venia were called Marsilia and Corda. Marsalia was a daughter of a local king and the mother to Arrenius and Gerius. She and Ceralus were married for more than twenty years. Elected as the first High Priestess of Orbia, she served well in that position. According to Venian legends, Marsalia implemented many of the priestesses' most ancient rituals and customs. These include
Ceralus' four daughters had stories as illustrious as their relatives. In descending order, they were named Titana, Setia, Malita, and Akaria. While Setia and Akaria opted to become priestesses, Ceralus married off Titana and Malita to local kings to secure much-needed political alliances. Titana became Queen of Setia and Akaria continued to serve unofficial roles in government for their father and brothers for the remainder of their lives.
The three brothers, after many verbal quarrels and debates, formed a compromise. All three would continue to rule in a triarchy. Upon their deaths, one of their descendents would succeed them. Together with the Venerated, they created the first official Venian government, the basic of which survived for centuries afterward. Each royal line was named after its progenitor. The Venian monarchy lasted for twenty hundred and eighty-three years.
WIP 

Tourism

Most large public buildings were designed with a fusion of Ipiculan and Diakai architecture, making extensive use of arches and eclectic shapes inspired by the former and colonnades and straight angles inspired by the latter. Post and lintel inspired by eastern styles were used in palaces and bathhouses before favor turned toward sprawling domed spaces, made possible by the use of concrete. The material, invented on the island of * by the Diakai, spread throughout Venian territories, supplementing stone and brick in public and private works alike. Compared to Diakai temples, Venian temples are often more elaborate constructions. Diakai temples have columns running around the entire structure to support the roof. Venian temples, meanwhile, either utilize the same design or have colonnades adorn the front of the building with the rest of the structure supported by solid walls.
Venian residences rarely have windows facing the street. Instead, they often face an interior open space. Houses owned by the aristocracy and successful merchants often have private gardens to fulfill this role, while apartment complexes offer public courtyards.

Architecture

Most large public buildings were designed with a fusion of Ipiculan and Diakai architecture, making extensive use of arches and eclectic shapes inspired by the former and colonnades and straight angles inspired by the latter. Post and lintel inspired by eastern styles were used in palaces and bathhouses before favor turned toward sprawling domed spaces, made possible by the use of concrete. The material, invented by the Diakai, spread throughout Venian territories, supplementing stone and brick in public and private works alike. 
Compared to Diakai temples, Venian temples are often more elaborate constructions. Diakai temples have columns running around the entire structure to support the roof. Venian temples, meanwhile, either utilize the same design or have colonnades adorn the front of the building with the rest of the structure supported by solid walls.
Venian residences rarely have windows facing the street. Instead, they often face an interior open space. Houses owned by the aristocracy and successful merchants often have private gardens to fulfill this role, while apartment complexes offer public courtyards.

Geography

Situated on a natural harbor and shielded from the Middle Sea by a large island, Venia was founded on an enviable geographic position. The River Stama, little more than a stream, flowed to the south. Although once outside the boundaries of the city, growth over subsequent centuries saw the river's incorporation into the city's sprawl. Numerous forests dot the hills around the city, providing excellent quality timber for shipbuilding. These hills sloped down into gentler slopes and a low-lying plain where most of the city resided. The island was dominated by rocky hills and beaches of pale sand. Later becoming known as Sanctuary Island, the island housed the majority of the city's temples, including those dedicated to the Venian Triad.

Natural Resources

Scholars interested in all fields flock to Venia to witness its many noteworthy sites. 
On Sanctuary Island, the most famous destinations for tourists include the temples dedicated to Martalus, Orbia, and Taranux. The Temple of Martalus was one of the most lavish temples anywhere in the Middle Sea. Its roof tiles were gilded, which glimmered when sunlight reflected off them. The temple's marble columns were painted with broad stripes of paint, while the pediments and friezes were decorated with elaborate scenes of myths featuring Martalus. The temples of Orbia and Taranux were constructed in similar fashions. These buildings underwent several renovations and had been reconstructed more than once due to fire.

Alternative Name(s)

Capital of the Middle Sea, City of Salt and Olives, Capital of the World

Type

Capital

Population

Twenty thousand after the expulsion of the last three kings and the founding of the Triarchy; around half a million by the time of the First Venian-Satri War

Inhabitant Demonym

Venian

Owning Organization

Venian Commonwealth