Tobaro

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Tobaro the City of Sirens is a city and principality of Tilea. [1a]

The city is built on the uninviting and dangerous shore on the eastern side of the Abasko Mountains. The 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. [1a]

Tobarans are great seafarers, although when it comes to a pitched sea battle they are no match for the Magrittans or Arabyans. They are also regarded as being grim and gruff, weathered by the storms of their home and have much in comon with the Dwarfs who live there. [1a]

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, Tolaire, 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.[1a]

The city remained abandoned until Tilean shepherds 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. Over the next few centuries it grew and in about 1 IC Tobaro became a City State. As the only harbour on the western coast of Tilea, it also acted as a stopover between Estalia and Tilea. [1a]

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. [1a] 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 broke though the catacombs the High Elves had built under the fortress that had become Tobaro. They quickly overwhelmed the defenders, enslaving much of the population.[1a] 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. Dwarf Engineers collapsed key catacomb tunnels, others were walled up and a garrison of mercenaries permanently posted beneath the city. [1a]

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. [1a]

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 into his old age (12 years of age), until he, while inspecting the guard, fell off the battlements into the sea. [1a]

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.

Locations

  • Altezza District: Wealthiest part of the city and overlooks the sea with larger houses - although still cramped by Tilean standards. Includes the official residence of the Prince of Tobaro and many merchant houses. [1a]
    • Palazzo del Vento (Palace of the Wind): Old citadel and official residence of the Prince but its defences are now neglected. [1a]
  • Harbour & Porto: Seven huge gates defend the Elf-made harbour and docks ring the cavern with a huge number of brothels, inns and warehouses. [1a]
  • Scogliera District: Built into the cliff face its mainly inhabited by the professional classes - merchants, physicians and scholars, traders and craftsmen. [1a]
  • Trafuro District: Warrens of tunnels, some of which are still unexplored or were sealed off after the Skaven invasion. The poorest of the city live here in unpleasant conditions - dark and damp with the only natural light being at the tunnel entrances. The Deepwatch barracks are located in this district. [1a]

Notable

  • Deepwatch: Defends the city against threats from below but can also gain riches from hoards of ancient treasure in the deeper caves. [1a]
  • Navigator Families: Descendants of thoses who sought space to live in the Fool's Rocks, they now hold the manopoly of the sea trade in and out of the city as each family controls its own safe route. rivalry is fierce between them and they have no love for the ruling family of Tobaro. [1a]
    • Nanna De Naufragios: Matriarch of the infamous Naufragios family who have a reputation for shipwrecking and piracy. [1a]
  • Pirazzo's Lost Legion started their career as part of an expedition to Lustria that hailed from Tobaro as did their commander Fernando Pirazzo. [4a]
  • Tobaran Engineering Guild: Extremely powerful in the city they create and maintain the tunnels and caverns with many Dwarfs guiding and training the human engineers. [1a]

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.

Grungni

Known as il Grungnio in the city, Grungni is worshipped by by many humans as well as Dwarfs especially in the Trafuro district. [1a]

Manann

Mainly worshipped by the sailors and fishermen of the Porto district - a large temple to the god is located by the Customs house. The powerful Navigator Families also worhsip him although there are rumours that the Cult of Stromfels also has a presence on the Fool's Rocks. [1a]

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 their wares and other goods. Many mercenary and adventurer warbands often make the journey to the Marketag Festival to purchase new 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 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.

Ranald

Skaven

The clan stronghold of Clan Skurvy is located beneath the city with tunnels leading out to the Isles of the Sirens and the hidden port of Spineport. [2a]

Subsidary Settlements

  • Cera-Scuro A lair of pirates in the Siren Isles, conquered by Tobaro in the early 2500s. [3a]
  • Vedenza: City-state reclaimed from Estalia in the early 2500s. [3a]

Trade

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.

Gallery

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)