Selucia

Still a stub but in progress -- felixdeus Somewhat less stuby, but still in progress -- rathersane

Imperium Selucium or just the Selucian Empire. A sound to be awestruck. A nation of proud people and true believers in the almightiness of the Empire, the wish of the gods, creators of Terra. Based on three islands Selucia is rich in culture and beautiful places. Whether you want to relax on one of Selucia's beaches or to climb in the mountains. The normal progression of seasons is not part of the Empire's enviroment as it straddles the Equator and gets nearly 330 days of sunshine every year. But the mountains and inner valleys offer also cool places and the clouds get caught in the mountaintops to unload their weight, rain. The three islands offer also three different cultures but they are not as different as one may think. It is more or less the people's behaviour how to deal with situations and how to handle the climate. The capital Auroria is the biggest city in the Empire and seat of the government and senate. It is for sure the foundation of this wonderful and mighty city was 753 B.C.E. Therefore the Empire is dating each year from the time of the city's foundation. Another major part of the Empire are the three major families of Selucia. Well, the modern time calls them parties but that is just for the foreign countries.All three of them are so old the Selucian people are sure they are of divine origin.

= Senatus Seluciorum = The Selucian Senate is one of the major bodies to govern the Empire. Though the ministers of the government are on the top of the ladder important laws and treaties can only be ratified by this gremium. Heated debates and also funny little stories are always part of a discussion here. The Selucian Senate is often the place of international meetings but also to celebrate the new year with the Selucian citizens invited by the government. Famous debates between VBS and IPS were held here and the Imperator was seen to be amused while sipping Uleroth's finest whisky. Nethertheless the people of Majatra seem to believe this place is one of the major powers that others cannot deny to listen to from time to time. The foundation of SOTO began here and spreads across Majatran continenet. In the rich history of the Selucian Empire important decisions were taken here deciding over war or peace, aid or pressure and a common free trade or single economical arrogance. Its major importance for the Empire is well known in the myths and tales of Selucia. Every 1st of Janurary the government thanks the gods for their leadeship, inspiration and their wisdom. The citizens of Selucia are sure their Senate is the place of all Selucian wisdom and truely the holder of the gods' wishes.

= Curia Provinia (provincial guildhall)= Each town and city has its own Curia where elected and appointed magistratus are dealing and handling the tasks of daily life in a town. The villages and rural districts are mostly connected with governmental structures of its neighbouring towns and cities. It is a tradition in modern Selucia to be dressed in traditional clothes during their daily work in worship of the Empire's history and culture. Beside this these clothes are pretty breezy which is a great benefit in the Selucian climate. Though in modern times ballots can be handled electronically the Empire went through several crises with such a system. Therefore Selucia changed the method and went back to an easier and more traditional way. Now the voters tick the box next to the name of their favored candidate and stuff the ballot in a box. Two members of each party then count the ballots. This prevents cheating of any kind. The Selucian citizens are proud to combine modernity and traditional elements in the Empire.

= Prudentia civilis (politics) = Aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem ! Remember to retain in difficult situations !

Politics in the Empire is mostly a debate between the three elder families (parties). Differences how to model the society are often the cause of heated debates and the involved families are not always able to find a consensus. From time to time some citizens form another party to take part in the senate but mostly this sort of tomfoolery is short-lived. Usually it signals the political ascendancy of a different family. The political spectrum wavers between center-middle up to center-right. The Empire never saw a strong left wing while some enviromental parties have come and gone in the past centuries. This, of course, influenced the other players on the political stage and today the most of them have their own stance on this topic. The case of passionate debates is more or less the taxation policy as the more industry leaning family clashes with those who try to balance the taxation between the upper hundreds and those who are of middling or minor income.

Imperator

 * Imperator Marcus Assedus Conservatus 2266 -
 * Imperator Appian Sagius 2262 - 2266
 * Imperator Marcus Assedus Conservatus 2255 - 2262
 * Imperator Marko Saliyudari 2238 - 2255
 * Imperator Jean-Marie Sawyer Morel 2234 - 2238
 * Imperator "Papa" Sergo Karnevardokidze 2200 - 2234 ruled for 34 years
 * '''Imperator Ashu'ara 2196 - 2200
 * Imperator Æþelred the Unready' 2192 - 2196
 * Imperator Philipp de Cloe of Assedo 2189 - 2192
 * Imperator Robert Buisson, Esq. 2185 - 2189
 * Imperator Harold H. Kumar 2178 - 2185
 * Imperator Charlie Coveliers 2175 - 2178
 * Imperator Robert Buisson, Esq. 2168 - 2175
 * Imperator Charlie Coveliers 2164 - 2168
 * Imperator Humphrey Dickinson 2159 - 2164
 * Imperator Robert Buisson, Esq. 2156 - 2159
 * Imperator Frank Vanhecke 2152 - 2156
 * Imperator Robert Buisson, Esq. 2149 - 2152
 * Imperator Frank Vanhecke 2145 - 2149
 * Imperator Robert Buisson, Esq. 2137 - 2145
 * Imperator Matthew Barnes 2129 - 2137
 * Imperator Friedrich IV. of Assedo 2121 - 2129
 * Imperator Soso V. Koba III 2113 - 2121
 * Imperator Wilhelm I. of Assedo 2099 - 2113
 * Imperator Charles I 2095 - 2099
 * Imperator Wilhelm I. of Assedo 2091 - 2095
 * Imperator Charles I 2088 - 2091
 * Imperator Nikular II ? - 2088 hereditary Head of State

Senatus
The members of the Selucian Senate are called Senatores. A single members is called Senator. Each members has to run his own election tour for his favorite familia. Therefore it is pretty normal the candidate restricts hisself on one location, mostly a city, town, village or a rural district. His most used platform is the rostrum, a traditional concession when modern communication tools weren't present. But also the todays modern tools are used to contact his voters like TV-shows, blogs, advertising, posters and homepages. An election campaign can be more or less expensive so the most candidates have a comfortable family background. But from time to time Selucian citizens come together to form a new party and are collecting money for their stance. Depending on the results of the last election campaign the Senate pays back up to 35% of the costs. But the salery to be in the Senate is strongly fixed to the double minimum income of a regular Selucian worker. The magistratus (ministers) of the government receive the quadruple of the minimum income. The only exeption is the Imperator. He receives the income of the luxury taxes. This is used to maintain the palaces and governmental ceremonies for visting foreign politcians as well as for the Cohors Praetoria.

Familiae
= Municipia, coloniae et vici (cities, towns and villages)= The Selucian Empire is rich of beautiful villages, towns and cities. Thou today the Empire has 10 major metropolis and lots of midium sized towns and small wonderful villages all its beginning started in the ancient times of Selucia. The Selucian peoples lived in small villages and worked hard on their fields or as fishers on the sea to earn their daily income around 800 before 0. But 753 before 0 something happened which should change their lifes and centuries later also their lifespan. Selucius Maximus returned from one of his daily hunting just to call the circle of the elder together. He suggested to build a town! After intensive debates and discussions Selucius was victorious with his plan and convinced the others to support him. This was the birth of the first Selucian town, Auroria. In the year 753 before 0 Auroria was build up and functioned as the main trading market for the neighbouring destricts and regions in Korgana. Her place near the sea and her port also helped her to became a key stone for the trading with the Shadar Island. Around 685 before 0 the Selucian natives were united under one roof bound together by the same religion and origin. Just 5 years later in worship of Selucius Maximus all people of the three islands began to call themself as Selucian people, till the present days. Since the foundation of Auroria the Selucian people worked hard to improve their architectural skills and they started to build up villages and small towns over the islands and connected them with roads. These skills and the improvements of infrastructure boosted the Selucian society a lot. Faster travelling and trading, better communities and step by step better laws and administrations teached them to go further and further. And now in the present times the Selucian Empire is blessed with these wonderful towns and cities. To give you, my dear reader, a first impression you will find some of our towns and cities described here.

Auroria
Caput Mundi

''Auroria, oh Auroria! My sweet heart and hope of my life. Without you I am lost and with you I am lost in eternal love. Nothing else tasts so sweet. Nothing else is holding me like you in your warm and comfortable coat of divine love. Fortunate those who ever felt your affection and miserable those who felt you anger. The pearl of all towns shining brigth golden in eternity. -- Epistula 1,20 Titus Literatus''

These words describes the feelings of the Selucian citizens best. There is no person who never wants to visit Auroria once in his life. Marble and granite, golden roofs and impressive public buildings, temples of the Selucian religion and churches of other religions, wide market places called forum (fora, pl.), wide streets and avenues, green parks and also silent places to recover, all this is Auroria, Caput Mundi, Caput Selucia. One of the main avenues is the Via Imperatoris dividing Auroria from NE to SW. This avenue has a width of 50 meters with a green strip planted with trees and a sidewalk in its middle, each 100 meters a fontain. It is also the place for parades of all kind be it after a military victory or the new year parade. Important festivities are also be held here like the three religious parades to honor the three main gods. The inhabitants are comming from all over the Empire and strong communities of foreign people form other Majatran coutries are living here too. Auroria is a multicosmos of people bound by the divine might of this city. The inhabitants, nethertheless of their origin, are saying unisonous : Civis Seluciam ego. The biggest market place is the Forum Selucium. It is a combination of religious buildings, stores and market halls as well as cafés, bars, ciggar lounges, bistros, restaurantes and of course ambessies of other nations. Here the inhabitants are living their daily life, their joy and their culture. As the capital of the Selucian Empire lots of important buildings and companies have their seat here. Big trading guilds and universities of all kind make this metropolis really the most important city, not only of the Empire but also for the neighbouring nations.

Important buildings and places
 * Domicilium Imperatoris (Palace of the Emperor)
 * Senatus
 * Magistratus (ministries)
 * Pantheon
 * Sepulcrum Imperatorum (Mausoleum of the Emperors)
 * Domicilium SOTO
 * Domicilium Allied Nations
 * Academia legis navalis (of the law of the sea)
 * Academia legis omnium gentium (of international laws)
 * Academia legum peregrinarum (of foreign laws)
 * Academia legum rerum publicarum (of the national laws)
 * Summum Praetorium Selucium
 * Academia Militaria
 * Academia Navalis
 * Praetorium regionalis II aeriae navigationis Seluciae
 * Emporium Maximum Mercatorum (The biggest trading market)
 * Via Imperatoris
 * Via Selucia
 * Forum Selucium
 * Forum Publicum
 * Forum Aureum
 * Schola Magna
 * Officinae (industries)
 * Colosseum Imperatoris
 * Circus Maximus
 * Circus Publicus Magnus
 * Theatrum Selucium
 * Theatrum Majatrum
 * Castra Legionis (5x)
 * Castra Legionis Praetoriae (5x)

Assedo
Once upone a time in Selucia the city Assedo was the capital of the norther regions of Korgana. The family Asseda (nowadays known as the House of Assedo) gave this city her name. During the unification wars between 500 before 0 and 437 before 0 the Familia Asseda joined the site of the Familia Selucia and Korgana became the first unified province of Selucia. Assedos early contacts with northern babarians in the time between 387 and 354 before 0 developed this city into the first oversea trading port and meeting point for foreign relationship. But the time wasn't always peaceful and soon the first clashs between Selucian and barbarians occured. Assedo was forced to build up walls and barracks to defened barbarian siegs. This is also one of the causes why some of the most important weapon factories have their facilities in and around Assado nowadays. The inhabitants are proud of their eldest family and the familia Asseda sponsored hugh parks and gardens for the people. Till today Assedo is one of the important cities and offers also well soigned recreation areas. Also today Assedo is a garrison city and 5 Legions are stationed here with the possibility to use two big training fields outside the city. The major seaport is an important keystone for the northern trading routs and several merchant companies founded their HQs here. So there is no doubt the gods Neptunus and Mercurius are highly venerated with hugh temples. In the surrounding villages and towns the citizens developed finest wine cultures using the hills with their good earth and some tabacco plantages are also working.

Important buildings and places
 * Praetorium Provincialis
 * Praetorium regionalis I aeriae navigationis Seluciae
 * Circus Assedi
 * Theatrum Assedi
 * Theatrum Poeticum
 * Portus Magnus Mercatorum
 * Portus Classis Seluciae (Selucian Fleet Port)
 * Officinae (industries)
 * Forum Assedi
 * Forum Hobraziae
 * Emporium Korganae
 * Castra Legionis (5x)
 * Academia Legum Korganis
 * Scriptorium

Argona
= Religio (religion) = The Selucian Religion (run by the Selucian Church) has 27 main gods and lots of minor gods and spirits - collectively known as the Divine Pantheon. The gods are pooled in groups of three each.

The first group contains the three gods for the state: Sol Invictus, Magna Mater and Neptunus who represent the sun, the earth and the water respectively. The second group contains the three gods for growth, breeding and health: Ceres, Diana and Aesculapius. The third group contains the gods of trade, luck and war: Mercurius, Fortuna and Mars Ultor. These three groups are the highest division of Selucian gods as they deal with the most important matters.

The second division deals with the matters of the individual islands. Therefore it can be possible some of them are not represented on another island as much as in their main one. The fourth group deals with matters of the isalnd of Korgana and Kal Serathi but is also present on the other islands. These gods handle matters of wine (and other alcoholic drinks), crops and manufacturing: Bacchus, Iuno and Minerva. The fifth group deals with matters of the island of Uleroth. These gods, also more or less represented in other provinces, handle matters of love and gardens, ethics and sea ports: Venus, Vesta and Portunus. the sixth group deals Shadaran matters, though, as with the other groups, you can also find them on the other islands. Stock farming and death, flowers and gardens as well as of the beginning and ending: Dis Pater, Flora and Ianus.

The third division contains gods for newly-born (Ops), fruits and gardens (Pomona), and for woods and mineral springs (Feronia). They are together the seventh group. The eight group consists of Carna for homeostasis, Pales for the willow and herders and Consus for the harvest. In the ninth group are the gods Vertumnus for the seasons, Volcanus for fire, iron and blacksmiths and Apollo, the patron of herds, musicians and artists.

Further there are many ghosts and spirits who influence the Selucian daily life:

Lares (pl.) (also called Genii Loci) are Selucian deities protecting the house and the family - household gods. They are deeply venerated by Selucians through small statues, usually put in high places within the house, far from the floor. Types of Lares:
 * Lares Familiaris - family
 * Lares Loci - for a certain place (the family house)
 * Lares Publici - (small) town
 * Lares Compitales - crossroads
 * Lares Paganalis - villages
 * Lares Permarini - the sea
 * Lares Rurales - land
 * Lares Viales - travellers

In Selucian mythology, the Manes are the souls of deceased love ones. As minor spirits, they were similar to the Lares, Genii and Di Penates. Manes are also called the Di Manes (Di meaning "Gods"), and Selucian tombstones often include the letters D.M., which stood for dis manibus, or "dedicated to the Manes-gods". The word is also used as a metaphor to refer to the underworld.

Di Penates or briefly Penates are originally patron gods (really geniuses) of the storeroom and are household gods guarding the entire household.

Lemures and Larvae Lemures mark the dead spirits in Selucia generally. The good were considered as lares (see above), the bad as larvae and the neutral as manes. Lemures are those, which had not gotten an appropriate burial place or had committed criminal offences during lifetimes.

The Larvae are usually dead spirits of people who haunt and harm. Their appearance is skeleton-like and their effect is similar to the Greek nekydaimones. They agonise the dead ones exactly the same as the living persons, which they can cause delusions. A person with delusions is called Larvatus. Because they are spirits of the underworld, Selucian people sacrifice only at night to them.

Other Religio
Of course the Empire contains other beliefs and religions than the native folk religion, the most colorful of these is Helatrobusism a religion that believes that an alien race known as the Helatrobus created all life on Terra as part of an experiment to understand their own development and that the gods of the native folk faith of Selucia were in fact members of the Helatrobus visiting Terra to observe the experiment first hand.

The most common religions of Terra - Christianity, Islam & Judaism - also have minority representation in the Selucian population. Members of these religions often tend to form close-knit communities, to maintain their religious independence.

= Cultus Humanus (culture) = The Empire's culture is rich in festivities and arts. There are three kinds of Selucian marriage. A more traditional and religious one, a traditional family marriage and a marriage by living together for a minimum of one year. All of these are celebrated with lots of friends and family.

Ludi Gladiatorum
The Ludi Gladiatorum are one of the biggest games in the Empire. The first game was held 347 BCE and since then the strict rules haven't changed. It can be bloody, it can lead to death but this doesn't often happen. People are cheering the gladiators and a successful fighter can become very rich and very well known, a real hero. Each provincial capital and also most of the bigger towns have an arena for these games. There are special gladiator schools to train the participants before one of them ever sees the arena. While in ancient times prisoners of war were trained to fight in the arena, today this is a voluntary option. It is always a fight between two men; each of who chooses one of the four fighter 'archetypes' once they began their training. But it is not easy to gain the merits and reach the overall goal of success. The way to the Colosseum Imperatoris in Auroria is stony and difficult as there is a strict hierarchy to claim the top. You have to become successful, and well known to receive an invitation to the next heigher level of arena. In the normal way a gladiator starts on the regional level somewhere in the Imperial Provinces. After several successful fights and a good reputation he might get an invitation by a next higher Circus to impress the spectators there. Once if he fights in one of the provincial capitals his reputation is high enough to be able to climb the highest level, the Colosseum Imperatoris. With each higher level the money for a victory increases, and there have been previous instances where victorious gladiators have left the sport with a private means of 2.000.000 SEN and more. The highest victory sum ever payed to a victor was during the Victory Games after Terran War I - 500.000 SEN! (There is a description of the different arenas of Selucia here)

Parks and Gardens
Selucian citizens have a fine flair for gardens and parks. Not only the upper class likes to have a garden in their backyard but also the normal people who are living in their own houses. It is pretty popular to have odoriferous and colourful flowers and shadow spending trees or bushes. Families who want to spend a bit more money often have a fontain in the middle of the garden to impress the visitors. But this is the privet sphere only. In the public the Empire is proud to have not only medium sized gardens for a short work break but also to have wide parks with arangements of trees, flowers, fontains and sculptures of Selucian poets, Imperatores and othe important Selucian members. Some parks are so big you need more then an hour to walk throu them to reach the other site. These big parks are often used for festivities and family holiday trips. One of the biggest parks is the Imperial Park. Its arrangement contains lakes, eucalyptuses, colourful flowerbeds, cypresses, marmoreal statues, the gods' pantheon and the Imperators' mausoleum where all Selucian Imperators are buried. Fontains and little resting places are also part of the arrangement. Last but not least the major families also founded some parks over the past centuries so Auroria has a NPMP-memorial-park, a VBS-park, a BSP-park and IPS-park. But these parks founded by the families are nothing in compare with those parks the families have in their strongholds.

= Oeconomia / Quod gignitur e terra (economy and products) = The Selucian Empire is proud to have a strong economy and a wide spectrum of products as well as some important raw materials. This chapter will give you an overview about the Selucian economy, companies and products. The merchant fleet contains 750 ships of all size to transport those goods to our trading partners Terra wide. Thou foreign invostors are not allowed to have a majority in Selucian companies the Empire is proud to annouce an average growth of 2,8 percent every year. As founder of SOTO and the benefit to be one of its key stones lots of trading is going via the Empire to reach the northern nations. So it is quite normal foreign companies and nations founded trading posts and merchant companies in the Empire. With Selucia's permanent sea patrols to keep the sea free of piracy and smugglers all trading partners benefit from the safety the Empire provides.

Marble quarries
Argona and Nabal

Basalt and Granite
= Exercitus Selucius (Selucian military)= The Summum Praetorium Selucium is the seat of all three branches of the Selucian Military. The Academia Militaria is also include as the Academia Navalis. This body has a long tradition and is well respected. All important decisions dealing with any kind of military situations and solutions as well as aid programs for foreign coutries are worked out here. Also the civilian merchant fleet has a seat here for a better communication in times of need. With 8,000,000,000 SEN the defence budget is well filled. Because of the huge knowledge the best mappers are comming from this institution. One of their works you can see in the Selucian Atlas

= Lyrics = Selucia is rich in song lyrics dealing with the deep love of Selucia. Here you can read some of them to understand the soul of this lovely country.

Deep Love My love is stronger now than you’ll ever know and it won’t ever let you go My love is wider than the ocean can be and it’s deeper than the deep blue sea My love goes higher than a mountain can rise and I see it there in your eyes My love gets tougher when the going gets rough and believe me, I’ve got more than enough

Keep tryin’ Selucia, keep holding on There’s a place we belong Where things are good, where love is strong

I’m never ever gonna leave you to cry on your own Never ever gonna not go and pick up the phone I’m never ever gonna let you be chilled to the bone No, no, never No, no, never I’m never ever gonna leave when you’re lost in the storm Never ever gonna not keep you safe where it’s warm I never ever will desert you when your heart is torn No, no, never No, no, never

My love shines brighter than a twinkling star Selucia no matter where you are And my love keeps burning like an eternal flame you can feel it, when I’m calling your name

Keep tryin’ Selucia, keep holding on Lightning There’s a place we belong Where things are good, where love is strong

Terra's Iron Hand With all the clarity of dream The sky so blue, the grass so green The rank and file and the navy blue The deep and strong, the straight and true

The blue line they got the given sign The belts and boots march forward in time The wood and leather the club and shield Swept like a wave across the battlefield

Now with all the clarity of dream The blood so red, the grass so green The gleam of spur on chestnut flank The cavalry did burst upon the ranks

Oh the iron will and iron hand In Terra’s green and pleasant lands No music for the shameful scene That night they said it had even shocked the queen

Well alas we’ve seen it all before Knights in armour, days of yore The same old fears and the same old crimes Terra hasn’t changed since ancient times

= See also =
 * List of countries
 * Terra Nullis