| Campaigns | In The Company of Witches | Ettenes
 
  • Overview
  • Government
  • Religion
  • Places of Interest
  • People of Interest
  • Groups and Guilds
Ettenes
Size: Large Port City
Population: 90,000
Trades: Fishing, olives, fruit, wine, goats, spices, pearls, rugs & tapestries
Qualities: Beautiful costal regions, white sand beaches
Dangers: Pirates
Languages: Imperial Common, Thessalyan
Disadvantages: Isolated from the Empire, Constant War with Nessia

History

A magnificent jewel resting beside the sea, Ettenes rises in steps up the mountainside from the blue waters. White walls and blue domes, narrow streets, countless steps and an ever-present sea breeze make this city lovely to visit and difficult to leave. The people are pleasant, generous and relaxed, there is little crime, and time seems to move at a slower pace here. Most people, even those out in the rural areas, live lives of comfort, wanting for nothing. A standing army is maintained to keep the peace, and a small navy protects the city’s deep harbor. Occasional Nessian raids are rapidly dealt with, as the slow-moving Thippans quickly jump-to, grabbing sword and spear, to help drive back invaders alongside their soldiers. Ettenes is a place of culture, education and leisure, though the hard-working agriculture, trade and merchant class forms a solid backbone, as with every culture
A hereditary monarchy, with either a King or Queen. The monarch is well-advised by counselors, priests and mages. There is a privileged, noble class structure, but the wealthiest merchants equal these nobles in power and prestige.

KING DAMOSIUS II
The current King of Thippus is an older man who has sat upon the throne a long time. Intelligent and wise in the ways of running an economy, government and infrastructure, Damosius II is no warrior, and has strong passive tendencies. This has made for a thriving population (little is spent on military), but has left Thippus dangerously exposed to invasion, and puts her fleets at risk. Were it not for the might of Thessalya, Damosius’s nation would have fallen to the Nessians long ago.
In Their Own Words… “These islands have enough warlords, there is no need for another. Besides, it is the thinking man who advances his people, through thought and knowledge, not blood. Our cousins in Thessalya are full of pride at being our defenders…I say let them do as they will. Thippus will only propsper.”
  The people of Ettenes and Thippus worship the Greek pantheon, with the goddess Helena figuring most prominently. Temple high priests enjoy much influence and wealth, and the priests of Pan work enthusiastically to procure the finest virgins from Thippus so they may ‘sacrifice’ them (deflowering them) upon their randy god’s altar. For the most part, the people are devout, and the representatives of the assorted gods do not overstep their bounds.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 

HALL of MINOTAURS: This enclosed arena looks like one of any pillared structures from the outside, but within is a gladiator-style arena where heroes and average folk alike test their skill (often after a drunken wager) against feral minotaurs. The beasts are captured live from the thousands of remote, coastal caves and unpopulated flyspeck islands surrounding Thippus, kept in dungeons beneath the arena, and used in sport for wagers and crowd entertainment.
  The FALLEN TROJAN: Outside this large stone building is a giant, wooden framework of a horse’s head. Within is Ettenes’ most popular night spot, featuring drink, song, dancing, consorts and gaming. Large, with many levels of rooms and corridors, it is a maze of debauchery that even the King is known to visit on occasion. ‘The Trojan’ makes its own wine (a potent grape called “Blue Athena”) and brews two excellent beers; a pale called “Star Chariot” and an amber stout, “Mermidon.”
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Cossimo Adrogas: A prominent merchant lord specializing in spices and oils, the secretive Cossimo is rumored to be quietly exploring new trade routes with the mysterious “Eastern Lands.”
In Their Own Words… “Walachia? Constanta? Fairy tales, never heard of them.”
  Vespasianas: The present-day hero of Thippus, this mighty warrior, explorer and adventurer is credited with single-handedly slaying a Nessian Sea Dragon, raiding the Nessian “Darkmage Spire” in Adraxus and looting it of a magical orb, and for the rescue of a Thessalyan princess after she was abducted by Nessian pirates (a real slap in the face to Thessalya’s reigning hero!)
In Their Own Words… “Kings fall, mountains crumble, cities turn to dust, and man is forgotten… unless he wraps himself in the cloak of glory and legend, and then he will attain immortality!”
  Rheusus of Tettradacham: The High Priest of Apollo, this charismatic leader’s flock has begun to rival that of the goddess Helena, and as a result his status and power in Thippus is growing. A well-connected politician, he is the person to know in Ettenes.
In Their Own Words… “Your offer of a new temple on the northern shore is most generous, my Lord Merchant, most generous indeed. I am certain I can convince His Majesty that you should receive next year’s royal spice contract. Let us praise Apollo, and the heavenly Light with which he has graced our meeting.”
  Arcivius: This former adventurer and soldier of fortune (he fought as a mercenary for years at Red Saddle in the Empire) is privately wealthy and very high level. Concerned with Thippus’s apparent apathy for war and seeming fear of stopping Nessian invasion before it reaches her shores, Arcivius has begun building a personal army. He claims it is for the defense of Thippus, to be used as an offensive tool to take the battle to the Nessians, but there are those who fear he may have armed ambitions for the throne
In Their Own Words… “We must seize upon the lessons I learned from the Imperials. Take the fight to the enemy, give him no safe haven. Hope for peace, plan for war, and hit your enemies so hard their future generations will feel the impact of the blow.”
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  “Arcivian Hoplites:” A large cadre of professional soldiers (many former mercenary associates of their liege, Arcivius,) these highly trained and disciplined foot troops are recognizable by their red-plumed helmets and expertise with the shield and spear. When not drilling, they are off on naval raids, hitting Nessian ships and coastal villages. Respected (if not entirely trusted) by the Thippus military, they are a welcome addition to a fight when Nessians hit the beaches of Thippus.