Empire of Syracuse

Boron Brioche

Antoninus Florian

Marcus Florian

Septimius Savola

The Empire of Syracuse is a faction encountered and mentioned by Boron Brioche. They are one of the 3 factions that inhabit the Marble Continent, the other 2 being the Marlossian Sultanate and the Shadravid Empire.

## History

As of writing, very little is known about the history of the Empire. From their current prosperity, it's implied that they were either able to fend off the Zygardian Empire with ease, or perhaps they allied with them.

It's implied however, that their history is long and ancient, as evidenced by the Empire's religious devotion in treating its past imperators as deities.

### The Coming War

In the year 2026, the empire is found to be in a state of almost stagnation, yet constant expansion all the same. The son of Imperator Marcus Florian of the Florian Dynasty, Antoninus Quintellius Marcus Octavius Atilius Florian, was indirectly punished for being reckless, despite being the heir to the throne. He was made Legate of the Province of Messinium, a sparsely populated province on the fringes of the empire's coasts for his actions. Still though, he keeps out a constant alert for the Shadravid Scouts, as Syracuse and the Shadravid Empire are still at war.

One day, when all the soldiers were sleeping, a Felineko named Boron Brioche appeared in Messinium from a rift. Boron managed to sneak into a nearby Syracusan military camp, and stole the Centurion's armor, taking on the moniker of "Caius". "Caius," would then march with a century of around 80 legionaries from the camp, including 2 higher-ranking ones named Gallus and Aetius. Together, they would march to the sea, eating grape pies along the way. "Caius" and his century would leave off in a nearby quadrireme for the Fairy Continent.

Meanwhile, after Boron had left, Antoninus Florian himself arrived at the military camp, furious that 80 soldiers were missing and that a centurion's armor was missing. Antoninus marched up to the Centurion's tent, opened it, and stripped the centurion off his rank and honor on the spot, banishing him from the military. After a couple more minutes of asking and walking around, Antoninus found out the Centurion's name was Caius. Antoninus would become absolutely fixated on finding Caius for the coming days.

After a couple days, Antoninus would return to his private estate, where he'd flirt with his beloved, shrewd politician Setpimuius Savola. Savola tried his best to comfort Antoninus, where it succeeded... for now.

## Culture

Syracusan culture is said to be incredibly honoring of warfare and combat. The Syracusan Legions are known as one of the wonders of the Marble Continent, and to see them in person is said to be a blessing and a curse. Starting at age 13, every male trains in the way of the warrior, eventually becoming a full-fledged legionary where they must serve for at least one year. To leave your legion before your draft expires is seen as a sign of weakness, thus desertion is one of the most frowned upon practices in the Empire, with punishment of public humiliation or even death.

It seems the only way to get out of the draft is to be in school, or be a member of the Crescendian Upper Class. If one becomes an intellectual, or more importantly, goes into politics, it can be a way to completely avoid military service. Syracusan politics are highly important in the empire, and it's said that if you are a politician, you will become quite respected amongst the people.

In addition to military and politics, Syracuse is known for more material things. For instance, with along with their military, the empire is perhaps second-most famous for its diverse wines. From sweet tastes to sour, it seems that the Syracusan wine industry is perhaps one of the greatest in Emera. It's not uncommon to see farms such as the one Boron saw in Messinium with vineyards that stretch for acres and acres upon end.

The Syracusan religion is much different from what you'd think. While they do hold a degree of Polytheism, each past Imperator is martyred for something, and thus they are worshipped as such. Imperators with enduring legacies will tend to have large temples dedicated to them, while others merely can be shrines on the side of the road. There are simply countless.

## Military

The Syracusan Military is well-known for its brutality and strict sense of honor and duty. A bit of it is touched on in the culture section, but its military is said to sweep through ancient kingdoms in mere weeks.

### Army

The Syracusan Armies are managed in an organized and complex structure. Each province has one or two legions, depending on its size. The most basic military unit is the standard legionary, often coming equipped with a short sword and a tower shield. Legionaries are further part of a group of 80-100 called a Century, led by a Centurion. Centurions are known as the higher officers of the army, and most are relayed through them to their legionaries. With enough Centuries, they will eventually report to the Legate or Legates of the province. Legates are the highest rank of military command one can possibly get to before they perhaps reach the sanctified rank of Imperator of Syracuse. Reaching the rank of Imperator however, without any familial or political connections, is one of the most difficult things one can do in the empire. a legate will also command a Legion.

Those starting early out in the military begin merely as "helper boys", going around Syracusan camps and doing menial tasks and really anything to help their fight (things such as carrying buckets of water to thirsty soldiers, or replacing a broken sword). With enough training, the "helper boys" will eventually become fully fledged legionary recruits.

### Navy

From what we've seen, the Syracusan Navy is somewhat unknown. We know it uses ancient-era ships such as quadriremes.