Cicero

Cicero from orbit

> *"Cicero stands as a testament to just how much of a pain in the neck Humans are to kill, they'll adapt to wherever you throw them. Cicero should have killed them. Instead, they evolved, and started killing each other. I don't know how they're not all dead yet."*
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**Cicero** is a moon located in the Gironella System, within the Verpletter region of Aylathiya. It is the homeworld of the Human mutant sub-species known as the Frugis, and is a member world of the Commune Federation. It orbits a gas giant known as Brenvyce. People and goods from this world are referred to as "Ciceran".

Cicero has a unique history within the galaxy, as it was home to a variety of Human nations attempting to settle it after the Great Seal-Off of Verpletter. These nations blamed one another for the catastrophe and fought until they had only a limited amount of advanced technology left. This led to them being stranded on Cicero together, and to the formation of a feudal society.

Being an incredibly cold and desolate world, Cicero was intensely difficult for the Humans to withstand. While they constructed insulated cities and utilized whatever was available to them, the sub-zero temperatures were still too much for them to handle. Eventually, mutations began to occur in the population, leading to the emergence of the Frugis, who became the new dominant population on Cicero by 92,436 CE. They were approached by the Commune Federation in 93,512 CE and became members of the Federation soon after. Cicero has since become a major hub of activity within the Federation, and is considered one of its most influential members.

## **Population**

Cicero has a population of around one-hundred billion sapient individuals, the majority of which are species that have adapted for the cold. Frugis form the majority of the population, being eighty percent of everyone on the planet. The remaining twenty percent come from other species within the Commune Federation, including Humans, Oswaihr, Qar-Qar, Yettar, Empatehr and various others.

Much of the non-native population of Cicero reside in mountain-based cities, which have been built to accommodate various other species within the Federation. Many Frugis also live in these mountain cities, though their sections are normally colder. Most Frugis live in advanced underground cities, built to withstand the bitter cold of their homeworld.

## **Culture**

Ciceran culture is often considered to be fairly complex, with many contradictions in it.

The Cicerans have evolved somewhat of a warrior culture. Various areas are sectioned off from one another in what the population calls "shrewssevain," meaning "territory". These territories are based upon the previous feudal rulers' realms of influence and are still named after them, despite them having died long before joining the Commune Federation. The borders of these shrewssevain have walls around them with transport stations being built into them, allowing people to travel along the borders and into other territories as they so desire.

Many Cicerans are taught from a young age how to fight and kill, even with primitive weapons such as knives and swords. Ciceran children will often engage in mock battles, acting out several different combat scenarios such as ambushes and duels. This has created a society of people who are fully capable of killing one another should they so desire it. They have a series of competitions every year, which they call the Tryxvynia Contests. In these contests, teams are pitted against one another in multiple types of battles. It is very competitive and widespread, with each team representing a shrewssevain.  In spite of this spartan set-up, the general population of Cicero has often been described as incredibly friendly, even by the usually welcoming standards of the Federation.

Cicerans, particularly the Frugis, are known to be very straightforward about sexuality. Public displays of affection are incredibly common on Cicero, and are paid nearly no attention by the rest of the populace. Many Cicerans are also very sexually active, with a number of buildings constructed for the purpose of sexual fulfilment. Companionship is highly sought after on Cicero, as are general bonds between groups. Polyamory is an extremely common occurrence there. Many people here attract a partner via their engagement in sport. It would appear that the Frugis are almost universally pansexual, as there have been nearly no reports of this getting in the way of companionship.