Government
Vitium is a long standing republic that derives its authority from times of antiquity, and like most governments subject to such lengths of time, it is highly corrupted. Instead of being the idyllic republic of freedom and fair chance, it is a true oligarchy, with powerful merchant families and businesses controlling every function of the government and the people themselves.
Long ago the idea of an equal government of the people for the people was sold for an ideology favoring slavery, pleasure, and doing whatever it takes to make some coin, making Vitium politics cut throat and dangerous on top of clear signs of corruption.
The government itself functions on meetings that take place in the centermost city and the birthplace of Vitium itself, the very well named City of Vitium, also known as Monument by the citizens of Vitium in reference to the ancient obelisk that strikes up at a tilted angle in the center of the city, its words describing the founding of the city and first meeting of Vitium.
The meetings control the aspect of the directions Vitium is going to go, such as legislature, matters of war, and of course, business. The leader of the meetings is the Doge, with the idea of every republic representative being equal having pattered out ages ago. The Doge on paper is a member of the representatives voted into a position of higher power, but in truth it is usually the heir of the last Doge (who tends to have come from the most powerful family), or a brutal representative not above corrupting his or her way into power.
Representatives themselves each control a certain number of cities in Vitium, their families having either long owned them De Facto, De Jure, or acquired them in trade with other powerful families, and in their cities they hold the ultimate authority, so long as it doesn’t go against any verdicts made in the national meetings, albeit, that in itself is not unheard of.
While their authority is supposed to come from the people, in essence it comes from their purchasing power and hired civil police forces. Judiciary functions take the form of municipal judges, paid and employed by the representative in charge. Any citizen can take a plea to the judge or defend themselves if accused of a crime, in which the judge holds the power to dismiss or declare in all matters. Punishments depend on the city in question, and also if any civil law (usually created with an accompanying punishment in mind in case of trespass) is transgressed.
Geography
Culture
Vitium culture can be described as bold. Hawkers take every opportunity to outdo the competition, and courting individuals showcase their passion openly and with grand schemes. Courage to stand up to opposition is as valued as the passion to make yourself known and to take your desires by any means necessary. While this doesn’t mean everything goes, it doesn’t mean a proper Vitium denizen won’t try, if it means collecting their desires.
Acknowledgement is power in the Republic, and it goes in hand with the rule of bold attitudes. Wealthy families of cities often become benefactors if they don’t out right control the municipal, shedding their wealth and throwing extravagant feasts and parties to keep the commoner mob entertained and in their pockets. Because of this, public parties are common and frequent, making the city streets reflect the flashy desires of it’s people.
To match the pomp of the culture, the very clothes the people wear tend to be brave. Reds, oranges and gem crusted jewelries are common colors on the many styles the Vitium citizens wear. Capes tend to flow from heavily embroidered and flowy shirts, often with popping colors. Cuffs tend to explode from the wrist up to the knuckle and the shirt hems tend to flow right below the waistline, where baggy pants are held on by thick hand width belts and ribbons. The pants tend to tighten around below the knee or ankle, where fanciful shoes tend to begin, often curling to a point with flat decorated parallel sides running the length of the shoe. Dresses are also common and tend to take on the look of a many feathered bird.
Food is heavily spiced, with peppers being a staple to almost every dish. Stews, pottage and soups tend to be thrown out in favor of roasted pepper pastes, flatbreads, nut pastes, and domestic meats, spicy curries, and herbed cheeses. Drinks take the form of the many citrus fruits that grow in Vitium, often alcoholic, or simpler wheat based brews.
Slavery is a crucial aspect in Vitium culture, with slaves making up a good portion of both the military, construction force and service industries. Slaves are routinely stocked through trade, and raids on neighboring countries (and sometimes between their own cities). The rights of Slavers tend to be prioritized and within reason, they can get away with enslaving helpless travellers of the country.
Another way the Vitium people gather slaves is by encouraging pregnancies and outlawing the use of contraceptives among the slaves, making every child born of a slave or sex worker property of the municipality. While sometimes seizures of the newborns can get violent, the municipality rarely kills the defending mother in the struggle, with less care given to the father (as well as the chance to be thrown into slavery themselves for denying the municipality its rights to the child.
Military
The Vitium military is not exempt from neither the money-making nor slavery ways of Vitium. Command positions are often sold by the municipalities or the representatives and council, and used to garner political and economical support. Because of this practice, the military is of varying experience, and while it is possible to be promoted through the ranks, experienced soldiers and officers often butt heads with rich buy ins just playing pretend.
Despite this the Vitium military is nothing to scoff at. The slavers take great interest in seeing it succeed and therefore many merchants donate and support the endeavour by providing equipment, paid trainers and slaves to ensure the force is always ready. A working military means more slaves being brought in from conquests.
The bulk of the military is slaves, each promised with freedom should they prove themselves over the years, or a horrible death should they desert. Common equipment and tactics focus on long spears and thick shields, perfect for the flat geography of Vitium.
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