Itania

Social Hierarchy

Itania’s rigid social order is maintained through wealth, military service, and lineage.

The Senate: A collection of the most powerful noble houses, generals, and merchants.

The Magisterium of Chains: The enigmatic order overseeing the Binding process, maintaining a stranglehold on all arcane knowledge.

Legion Commanders & Engineers: The backbone of Itania’s might, granted significant influence.

Merchants & Artisans: Those who supply the war machine, their fortunes rising and falling with the tides of war.

Peasantry & Laborers: The vast majority, many bound to their lords through debt or service.

The Bound: Magic users stripped of their will, existing only as fuel for the empire.

A Distrust of Magic

"A man with a sword can kill a dozen before he is struck down. A mage, unbound, can kill a city before he is even seen. We do not chain them because we hate them—we chain them because we remember."

— Tribune Septimus Corvo

The Itanish people believe magic is a sickness, a taint upon the world. Children showing signs of magical ability are immediately taken to be Linked—a process shrouded in religious ritual and state-mandated control. Those who resist are either branded as heretics and executed or sent to the Forges, vast underground prisons where their power is siphoned to fuel the empire’s most devastating creations.   Foreign magic users are closely monitored, forced to wear arcane suppression cuffs, and are not permitted to travel alone. Any unaccompanied sorcerer will find themselves quickly detained or worse—enslaved.  

The Legions of Itania

Itania’s military is highly regimented and disciplined, drawing from both its ancient legions and more modern siege warfare. Soldiers march in tight formations clad in heavy plate, their shields interlocking in unbreakable walls. War golems stride alongside them, towering constructs of marble and steel, their movements powered by the siphoned essence of captive mages.   Siege weapons of terrifying complexity are a staple of Itanian warfare. Ballistae that fire bolts of searing arcane energy, trebuchets that hurl spheres of liquefied magic, and artillery capable of reducing entire city walls to dust. Itania’s war engines are slow to produce but nearly unstoppable once mobilized.

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Festivals & Celebrations

Despite their rigid and disciplined society, the Itanish people hold several grand festivals throughout the year. These occasions are a mix of military pageantry, religious devotion, and remembrance of past glories.  

Dies Solis – The Day of the Sun

A grand festival held at the height of summer in honor of the Solar Titan. It marks the longest day of the year and symbolizes Itania’s eternal strength and endurance. The entire capital of Caelum is draped in golden banners, and processions of warriors, engineers, and priests march through the streets, displaying their latest war machines and siege weapons.

Ritual Fires are lit atop every major spire in Caelum, fueled with sacred oils that burn bright gold.

The Sun Duel takes place at dawn, where elite warriors compete in single combat in the grand arenas to showcase their skill.

The Offering of Light – Bound magic users are forced to release their energy into massive orbs, which are then hurled into the sky by siege weapons, creating radiant golden explosions that illuminate the heavens. This is seen as a purification ritual, a way to rid the land of corrupted magic.

Vinarii – The Festival of the First Press

Held in Elixus, this festival celebrates the first pressing of grapes for wine, one of Itania’s most prized exports. Though far more lively and indulgent than other Itanish festivals, it is still framed as a celebration of discipline, honoring the labor and ingenuity that allows the land to provide for the people.

Citizens wear wreaths of vine leaves and drink the first cask of the year’s vintage in ritual toasts honoring their ancestors.

Gladiatorial matches are held in the main city squares, symbolizing the strength of the workers and their ability to endure.

The Procession of the Vintage – massive wagons of grapes are paraded through the streets, led by the Wine-Keeper, a masked figure who represents the spirit of the harvest.

Dies Ferri – The Day of Iron

A day devoted to war and industry, held on the anniversary of the first successful Binding. It is an occasion to honor the engineers, smiths, and warriors who have strengthened Itania through their craft.

Public Oath-Swearing Ceremonies – New legionnaires take their vows before the Senate and Magisterium of Chains.

War Machine Demonstrations – Engineers unveil new siege weapons, showing their destructive capabilities.

A Grand Execution of Captured Mages, either through public siphoning or sacrifice in the Forges.

Parade of the Dead

A solemn event that takes place in the capital Caelum during the darkest night of the year. It is a funerary march where the people of Itania carry effigies of their ancestors through the streets, singing the Hymn of the Departed.

All candles and torches are extinguished, and the city is bathed in total darkness, save for the flickering golden lanterns carried by the people.

Masked priests of the Ancestors walk among the crowds, whispering the names of the dead and collecting offerings of wine and salt.

At midnight, the city’s great beacon is reignited, symbolizing the continued presence of Itania’s honored dead.

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Birth & Funeral Traditions

 

Birth Rituals – The Naming at Dawn

A newborn’s first sunrise is considered sacred, for it is the moment the Solar Titan sees them for the first time.

Newborns are taken to the city spires, where they are held before the rising sun while a priest whispers blessings upon them.

A piece of iron is placed in their crib to ward off corruption.

Names are chosen based on omens—a child born under a storm might be named after a warrior, while one born on a peaceful morning might bear the name of a poet.

If a child displays signs of magical talent, the family is required to present them to the Magisterium of Chains. If deemed "safe," they are Linked. If deemed too powerful or resistant, they are taken away, never to be seen again.  

Funeral Rites – The Sunward Journey

Death is viewed as a transition into the Halls of Dawn, where one joins their ancestors in watching over the living.

Cremation is the standard practice. Corpses are burned on iron pyres, and their ashes are scattered into the wind from the tallest towers in Caelum.

The deceased’s personal blade or shield is melted down and reforged into a plaque that is added to the family shrine.

If someone dies in battle, their helmet is sent back to their family, so they may engrave it with their deeds before it is laid in the family's shrine.

Mages, however, do not receive these rites. Their bodies are burned in the Forges, their souls denied entry into the afterlife.

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Food & Drink

Itania’s cuisine reflects its empire’s martial nature, coastal geography, and rigid structure. Meals are practical, nourishing, and steeped in tradition.  

Common Dishes

Panis Ferreus (Iron Bread): A dense, long-lasting bread that soldiers carry into battle.

Marinated Lamb with Garum: A dish of slow-roasted lamb soaked in a fermented fish sauce, a delicacy among the Senate.

Olivum et Caseus: Bread dipped in a rich olive and cheese spread, a staple of both commoners and aristocrats.

Legionnaire’s Stew: A hearty mix of lentils, salted pork, and root vegetables, commonly eaten by soldiers.

Fire-Wine: A spiced red wine infused with cinnamon and citrus, traditionally drunk during victories and funerals.

Prohibited Foods

 

Magic-tainted food, such as arcane-infused fruits or meats enchanted for preservation, is forbidden as an abomination.

Imported foreign delicacies are heavily taxed and reserved only for the Senate.

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Fashion & Armor

  Itanian fashion is practical, structured, and martial, favoring strong silhouettes and heavy fabrics.  

Common Clothing Styles

Tunic of the Bound Threads – A layered tunic, reinforced with thin bands of metal thread, symbolizing discipline.

Woolen Cloaks Fastened with Iron Clasps, often adorned with the emblem of one’s family or military unit.

Broad Leather Belts with engraved plaques that tell one’s lineage and achievements.

Armor & Military Attire

Legionnaire Plate: Heavy segmented armor, featuring an articulated gorget and reinforced vambraces.

The Helm of Sunfire: High-ranking officers wear helmets with tall crests of gilded bronze, representing the light of the Solar Titan.

Engineer's Harness: Those who construct and maintain Itania’s war machines wear blackened leather reinforced with brass, protecting them from arcane energy leaks.

Formal & Religious Wear

White robes trimmed with gold, worn by senators and priests.

The Chains of the Magisterium: The overseers of the Bound wear black silk robes, adorned with ceremonial chains forged from the shackles of fallen mages.