Tobaro

From Warhammer - The Old World - Lexicanum
Revision as of 17:24, 11 February 2018 by Hyberius (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search

Tobaro "the City of Sirens" is a city and principality of Tilea. The city is built on the uninviting and dangerous shore on the eastern side of the Abasko Mountains.

The Abasko Mountains make Tobaro practically unreachable from the west, while the Fools Rocks surrounding the shoreline make entry by sea dangerous enough that only Tobaran pilots can safely navigate them.

Tobarans are great seafarers, although when it comes to a pitched sea battle they are no match for the Magrittans or Arabyans.

The Tobaran exports are silver and gem stone mined from the surrounding mountains, which are traded for foodstuffs mostly with other Tilean states. Their maritime trade is mostly limited to ports along the Tilean Sea and in the southern Estalian kingdoms.

History

In legend, the coasts once echoed with the calls of winged creatures whose scratchings along the crags of the towering sea cliffs became foul and maggot-ridden delvings. The Elves are said to have come to the City of Sirens, driving out the foul creatures. The Elves afterwards turned the cliff side into a fabulous city, by expanding the caves, and building in the cliff side a huge enclosed harbor - a cavern domed like a great cathedral and large enough to hide a fleet. The Elves delved deep into the mountains. Following their wars with the Dwarfs, the Elves abandoned the city along with the Old World.

The city remained abandoned until the Tileans discovered the passage through the Rocks and the entrances to the hidden harbor beyond. Driving out the cliff-dwelling creatures who had taken up residence, the Tileans repopulated the city and renamed it Tobaro.

Tobaro over the centuries became a city and about 1 IC Tobaro became a City State.

During the Arabyan Crusades the ports of Tobaro was use as a landing port for the Bretonnians and other Tilean Mercenaries, since it was a quick jaunt over the Abasko Mountains to Estalia. Sultan Jaffar did not like the fact the Estalians reinforcements were coming from Tobaro. In the year 1448, the Sultan sent a fleet of Corsairs to destroy the city. The walls of the outer city never wavered and the Arabyans were turned back to their dhows. This proved to be a major victory for the allied forces.

In the year 1563, Skaven had broken though the catacombs the High Elves had built under the fortress that had become Tobaro. They quickly overwhelmed the defenders. The Prince of Tobaro, Meldo Marcelli, escaped the city with half of his forces and most of his ships and Man-O-Wars. He and the rest of his army landed in Remas, were he had used his vast wealth hire a vast mercenary army, including the elite contingent of Remas.

He returned to Tobaro with out delay with his army and High Elf reinforcements. They stormed the city, the foul rat-men put up little resistance, and were pushed back in to the catacombs where they were finally defeated. Now many of the catacomb tunnels were walled up and a garrison of mercenaries is permanently posted beneath the city.

Tobaro remained a principality, but only just. Less than three centuries after the heroic recapture of the city by Meldo Marcelli, his family had held on to the principality in one way or another, and was finally split in to quarrelling factions. There were several eligible candidates who claimed the title of prince. While they were planning each other's downfall, a prophecy began to circulate around town. This prophecy stated that the next Prince of Tobaro would meet a terrible end. The rival factions agreed to play it safe and they elected a pig to preside on the council of citizens as Prince, at least until the prophecy came to pass. Nothing happened! Years passed and the pig wore the hat and gold chain of the office of Prince. Tobaro was remarkably peaceful during the rein of Piggolo I. The would-be contenders for the princedom began to worry and one even plotted to assassinate him. Then it was pointed out that if any one assassinated the pig, they would in fact be committing treason and would be executed himself! Piggolo I lived until old age, until he, while inspecting the guard, fell off the battlements into the sea.

At this time only one contender rival was still alive, and assumed the throne without opposition. Tobaro has remained a princedom, despite several attempts to make it a republic.

Pirazzo's Lost Legion started their career as part of an expedition to Lustria that hailed from Tobaro.

Religion

There are three main gods of the city state of Tobaro. That is not saying that there are not other cults in the city. It is not uncommon to have more then one major temple in any of the city-states.

Mercopio

Mercopio, the god of Merchants, Prosperity and Trade, also known as Handrich in the Empire, is a fairly popular god in the city state of Tobaro. This is due to the fact that Tobaro is so reliant on trade in order to stay the thriving city is now. Mercopio's temple takes the form of a giant walled marketplace with goods from all over the Old World and beyond.

On Marketag, the first day of sailing season, a huge festival of Mercopio is held near the acropolis at the center of the city. Merchants from the Empire, Estalia, Bretonnia and the other Tilean City-States make the long journey to Tobaro each year to attend this festival, to sell there wears and other goods. Many mercenary and adventurer warbands often make the journey to the Marketag Festival to purchase now weapons, equipment, and other necessities, like new standards, maps, and fine crafted Imperial pistols. Also mercenaries often sell their skills at this festival as well.

Myrmidia

Myrmidia, Goddess of War, is the most prominent god in all of Tilea, much like Sigmar is in the Empire. Many of the Tilean mercenaries worship Myrmidia, and several regimental standards have different aspects of her on them. There are lesser temples all over Tilea, but there are major temples in all of the city-states.

Tobaro is no exception. There are two major temples in the city, one at the lower part of the city near the gates and the docks; the other is located near the acropolis. The one at the lower city is mainly for the poor and the migratory mercenary regiments that have a tendency to show up from time to time. The temple near the acropolis is for the nobility of the city, and the mercenary regiments that work for the city and its prince.

Warrior Priests of Myrmidia have been known to accompany many of the mercenary armies that leave the docks regularly. Also it is not uncommon for a couple of Warrior Priests to go down in to the catacombs beneath the city to give the mercenaries that are stationed down there for religious and moral support in the very bleak dungeon like environment.

Morr

Morr, the God of Death, is a probably one of the most well known gods in the Old World, and every major city has a temple to the death god. Tobaro has one temple in the city, and two lesser temples in the lower city. The two lesser temples are mostly for regular worship and services for those who cannot afford to go the larger temple in the upper city. The large temple handles the largest part of the funeral ceremonies for the city and is the dormitory for all of the priests of Morr in the city.

The wealthy of Tobaro are put to rest in the catacombs beneath the larger temple. The rest of the cities dead are buried in the Field of the Dead. Once again here money takes a big part as well, the people that could afford it are placed in a coffin and is put in a plot, when those who are poor are placed in a mass grave, which is marked by a stonewall with the names of all of the people put to rest there. There are several of these walls in the Field of the Dead, since plague and fires take their toll on the poor. The Field of the Dead is surrounded be a huge black iron fence designed to keep things in. Like many other cities in the southern part of the Old World, Tobaro has a small problem with Ghouls, Necromancers, and the walking dead. Because of this has hired a regiment of mercenaries to patrol the field and do away with any unpleasantness they come across, and since the mercenaries they hire are loyal to Morr, someone bribing them to look the other way is not an issue.


The city-states of Tilea
Tobaro - Miragliano - Trantio - Pavona - Remas - Verezzo - Luccini - Sartosa - Vedenza

Sources

  • Stillman, N., Pirinen, T., Wigley, J. 1998. Warhammer Armies: Dogs of War. Nottingham: Games Workshop Ltd. ISBN 1-872372-02-3
  • Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (1st Edition)