Coryani Empire

The Coryani considers themselves to be citizens of the greatest nation in the world. Cosmopolitan in outlook, the Coryani are tolerant of the customs of others, often drawing parallels between a foreign behavior and some facet of their own culture. While trade and the blessings of civilization propels the influence of the empire far and wide, it is the might of its legions that projects its strength across the Known Lands. Each province of the Empire is like a nation unto itself. The people of a particular locality are as distinct from their fellow citizens from a different province as they are from peoples of other countries.

National Languages: High Coryani, Low Coryani

Coryani Empire Personality Traits (d6)

1 My loyalty to the empire is without question.
2 The teachings of the Mother Church always guide me.
3 I simply must have a bath everyday or I don’t feel like myself.
4 I tell foreigners on the benefits of living within the Empire, and why they should consider becoming a citizen.
5 I always follow the laws and regulations, like a good citizen should.
6 I will always help a fellow legionnaire.

Coryani Empire Ideals (d6)

1 Respect: I am a citizen of the greatest civilization in the world.
2 Responsibility: I have a duty to the Empire, the Mother Church, and my family, in that order.
3 Family: Without my family, I am nothing.
4 Noble Obligation: It is my duty to protect and lead others into the benefits of civilization.
5 Ambition: First a seat on the Senate, then…who knows?
6 Freedom: I will never be enslaved again.

Coryani Empire Bonds (d6)

1 A powerful family (ex. the Gracchi) used my father as a scapegoat, which led to his execution and left us destitute. I won’t rest until my family honor is restored and those that did this pay dearly for their treachery.
2 The new province of Nova Cormata is asking for help in settling that wild region. Sounds like a good opportunity to extend the empire and claim some land as a reward.
3 The time I spent in Sweet Savona enjoying the food, wine and women/men there was the best time I’ve ever had. It’s time to earn more coin for a return visit.
4 My grandfather was in the Legion of Radiant Glory when it was overrun by the Abessians. Reckoning day can’t come soon enough for those vile Myrantians.
5 So much of the Known Lands suffer needlessly, from living under a tyrant, working until they collapse, or dying from a simple cut that our knowledge of medicine could have easily cured. As a Coryani, it is my duty to bring civilization to these benighted people.
6 My childhood friend was found guilty of being a heretic by the inquisition and justly purified. What should I do with this strange pendant the gave me before their arrest? It’s just a simple piece of copper with an eye engraved upon it.

Coryani Empire Flaws (d6)

1 Everyone who isn’t a Coryani is beneath me.
2 I have a scandalous secret that could ruin my family if it were known.
3 Slaves are property and should be treated as such.
4 If you don’t have wealth, what good are you?
5 Anyone who says a word against the legions, the empire or the Emperor will get a fist to the face.
6 I can’t stand the smell that hangs over the people and cities of foreign lands. Don’t they practice basic hygiene here?
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Coryani Naming Conventions

Coryani names are organized in the tria nomina (three name) style. This naming convention has been adopted in most provinces, Valentia being notable in that this model is not followed; instead this region uses only a given name and a family name.

The three names are a personal name (praenomina), a family name (nomina), and a descriptive name (cognomina) or a nickname.

To create appropriate Coryani names of your own use greek, roman, or latin names

Common Male Praenomina: Alexander, Basilis, Demitri, Grigoris, Nikomedes, Perikilis, Theofanis, Yannis

Common Female Praenomina: Aleka, Berinke, Delphinia, Korrina, Melina, Niobe, Pelagia, Rena, Sylvia, Triphena.

Common Nomina: Agelakos, Dimopoulos, Gizikis, Kokotis, Lianis, Markos, Peppas, Sakellaris,

Appearance

The prototypical Coryani is of medium height with curly blond or light brown hair. Outside the core provinces of Illonia and Balantica, such features are now only common in the most aristocratic and ethnically chauvinistic noble families. Considering the Empire’s many conquests over the centuries, it should come as no surprise that every racial appearance in the entire world can be found somewhere in Coryan.

Gender Roles

Though they are considered equals under the law, most noble women do not enjoy the level of freedom that their lesser counterparts enjoy. Their fathers arrange their marriages and they are unlikely to be trained in the skills of a profession. Marriage is far too valuable a tool, with its ability to increase a family’s prestige and status, to squander such a commodity as an eligible daughter by allowing her to take up a trade and pursue her own course in life.

Unique among the provinces of the Empire, most legions raised from that region have exclusively female commanders.

Nobility

Members of the noble class, known as patricians, enjoy great privilege in the Empire, but with it comes a duty to ensure the Empire’s continued prosperity and survival. Patricians are expected to take positions of public and political service, military command or senior clergy.

Social mobility is possible in extraordinary times, and many of the Empire’s legends tell of men rising from the depths of slavery to the heights of imperial power.

In Coryani courts of law, the weight of an individual’s testimony depends on his social class. The word of a man of high position counts more heavily than the word of his social inferior.

Val

Val comprise the uppermost social class, the Patrician Imperialis, signified by golden trim on their robes as opposed to the emerald green stripe of patricians. Only val are permitted to rule a province or rise to the position of Patriarch of the Mother Church. The emperor must also be of this class, because a blood link to the old kings of the city of Coryan is required to rule the Empire. Bastard or disenfranchised val are not provided with any preference under the law, though if such a person were to attain the position of patrician they would be of a higher class than their human counterparts.

It is common for lesser human members of the patrician class to marry a penniless or commoner val in an effort to improve the social standing of their children. Not all val are wealthy and powerful. Though their heritage entitles them to rise to the highest echelons of society, there are many val who live out their lives as craftsmen, soldiers or members of other professions.

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Commoners

The vast majority of the free people in the Empire are members of the plebian class. This class holds citizenship within the Empire and all the protections that calls for, but they are not permitted to hold any offices of authority.

Not all commoners are citizens of the Empire. Foreignborn people, known as gentiles, and those from recently conquered territories, known as provincials, are not considered citizens. They must earn this right, and most secure their legal standing through service, typically in the legions or in the Imperial bureaucracy.

Religion

The Mother Church of Coryan is instrumental in the preservation of the Empire. At the very birth of the Empire, the Mother Church was formed to incorporate the teachings of all its component nations and to foster peace between the widely varied sects of worship throughout the newly obtained territories. It has often been said that the Mother Church is the glue that holds the Empire together; if the Church were to collapse, the Empire might well die with it.

Military

Coryan maintains the largest standing army of any nation in the Known Lands. The imperial legions are extremely well-trained and exceptionally well disciplined. The organization of the legions represent the height of military efficiency, with consistent unit sizes, standardized officer ranks and equipment throughout the nation.


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