RETEBIUS (Duchy of)
Location: Southeastern coast of the continent of Brun, south of the Altan Tepes Mountains, west of the Gulf of Kantrium. OW
Area: 5,100 sq. mi. (13,210 sq. km.).
Population: 180,000 including the city of Retebius (pop. 20,000).
Languages: Thyatian (Thyatian dialect), Elvish (Vyalia dialect).
Coinage: Thyatian Standard: emperor (pp), lucin (gp), asterius (sp), denarius (cp).
Taxes: 25% income tax collected quarterly on the aristocracy, nobility, and wealthy; 20% income tax collected quarterly on everyone else (Va. 1, Ya. 1, Fy. 3, and Ei. 1). Thyatians abroad must still pay their taxes. Expensive and magical items are also taxed 25% of their worth. 10% imperial commercia sales tax on all goods except food, clothing, and fixed assets; levied on imports, rebated on exports. Tax on slave owning equal to 50% of the slave's value annually. Property tax levied based on quality of land, roughly 6% of its value annually.
Government Type: Dominion, member of the Thyatian Empire.
Industries: Agriculture, crafts, fishing, oil, magic, rare mounts (flying), trade, wine.
Important Figures: Callastian Retebius (Duke, human, male, Rake16), Mitasula Retebius (Duchess, human, female, M18), Desdemona Retebius (Heir, human, female, Rake7/M12), Alexandrus Maxentinos (Air Fleet Academy Commandant, human, male, F20), Marcus Kelephius (Prelate, human, male, Pr16 of Odin), Phillipia Caeseria (Magist, human, female, M20), Sabattius Laskaris (Lord Knight Commander of the Knights of the Air, human, male, F18/Pr16 of Vanya).
Flora and Fauna: Grape vines, olive trees, cedar, peach, pear, orange, and cherry fruit trees in cultivated orchards, maple, birch, and oak trees. Herds of cattle, sheep, horses, goats, and mules. Bees kept for honey. Bears, boars, centaurs, lycanthropes, mountain lions, foxes, dryads, wolves, unicorns and goblinoids can be found in the wilds of the empire. Hill giants and ogres in the hills. Pegasi, griffons, rocs, ruby, gold, and white dragons as well as other aerial mounts are common near Retebius.
Further Reading: Dawn of the Emperors boxed set, DDA1 Arena of Thyatis, DDA2 Legions of Thyatis, previous almanacs.
Description by Vivianna Romanones.
The capital city of this duchy (pop. 20,000) is home of the Retebius Air Cavalry Training Academy, a flying-mount cavalry renowned throughout the world. The Retebius Air Fleet suffered tremendous casualties during the Wrath of the Immortals war, but is beginning to recover from the losses. Eusebius is considering renaming the air fleet as the Retebius Air Cavalry to differentiate it from Thyatis' growing fleet of air ships, but it is likely to remain the Retebius Air Fleet in the hearts of many. The duchy was one of those recently enlarged, receiving additional land all the way to the Trevanion River, to help provide land grants to air knights.
The Land
For centuries Retebius was a small duchy, bounded in the west by the Mesonian River. Last year its borders were extended westward as far as the Trevanion River (though at the same time administration of the town of Hillfork was transferred to the Duchy of Thyatis). Retebius is, geographically, divided into two parts: the coastal lowlands that the Polithius River drains into from the Altan Tepes and the interior hill country around the Mesonian River. Both these areas are excellent pasturage for beef cattle, which is then driven to Retebius City or Thyatis City for sale in the markets there. The grasslands of Retebius are rich and plentiful, used to feed cattle, horses, and other creatures (the mounts of the air fleet).
From the standpoint of settlement Retebius can also be divided into two similar, but not identical, portions: the old duchy and the new lands. The old ducal lands are centred on the coastal lowlands, but include the hills east of the Mesonian River. This area has been well-settled since before Thyatis became an empire. The new lands consist of the hilly region between the Mesonian and Trevanion Rivers. This area was added onto Retebius last year, more than doubling its size, as a means of helping rebuild the numbers of the Retebius Air Cavalry. The Duke of Retebius has granted out these lands to new recruits and their families, people willing to serve as air mounted soldiers in the Thyatian military forces. Though kept as a preserve before, these lands-watered by the Mesonian and Trevanion, are as lush a pasturage as is found in the eastern (old) lands. Though the Crown Rebellion has interrupted development, the Duke of Retebius has handed out many parcels to eager volunteers already.
Though dotted with many villages and small towns, Retebius' sole main settlement is the city of the same name. Retebius City is located on the coast of the Gulf of Kantrium, just to the south of the Polithius River. Heavy fighting took place around here during the Wrath War, but the citizens of Retebius have repaired most of the damage the Alphatian invaders caused. The city itself is considerably larger than its population demands; with over half of it (owned by the Retebius family) devoted to training academies, barracks halls, lodgement for mounts, and other facilities for the air cavalry. This is the main base for aerial activity in Thyatis, still more famous and significant than the construction yards for skyships. Air fleet members, though often right out of the academy, have performed well in battle during the Crown Rebellion. The southeastern portion of the city, fronting the river and including the city's harbour, is the civilian portion of Retebius City.
The People
Though daily life is little different in Retebius than in typical Thyatian communities, the economy is clearly geared towards serving the air cavalry that is based in this duchy. Beef cattle are raised not only to feed the humans and demihumans, but to provide sustenance for carnivorous mounts as well. Air knights own much of the lands in the old duchy, and the new lands are being granted almost exclusively to air cavalry recruits. The common citizens don't consider this devotion to the needs of the air cavalry and knights a hardship, since those who live here are air enthusiasts even if they never take flight themselves.
The people of Retebius City make their living, for the most part, provisioning the air base, and in fisheries in the gulf itself. The city's population actually grew after the war, as many came here to help in the rebuilding effort and then stayed afterwards finding work as craftsmen or with the fishing fleet. Others, folk skilled in training animals, were enticed to move here and assist in replacing the losses the air knights suffered in the war. This makes Retebius City busier than any time in recent memory, since so many new "pilots" and their mounts are being trained at one time. In fact, the duke's fields are so busy he was forced to turn down the offer of creating a skyship construction yard here. Callastian does not actually seem that upset about this missed opportunity, however-he prefers his men and their mounts to such ships in any case.
Don't Miss
People come to Retebius to see one thing-the
air fields, the bewildering diversity of mounts flying overhead, the large
training exercises which bring together more flying creatures of more varieties
in one place than can be seen anywhere else.
Air shows are frequently put on for the public (well, usually-during the
current time of war, they have been suspended).