La Tilée


Tilea, or more correctly the Tilean City-States, are a collection of realms sharing a common history and culture rather than a single united realm. The greatest of the city states: Tobaro, Miragliano, Remas, and Luccini, are realms whose rulers see themselves as equals to any King or Emperor. They have substantial trading empires, maintain their own armies, and engage in cut-throat political battles with each other and neighbouring realms that frequently escalate into actual wars. Many of the cults of the Southern pantheon trace their origins to these lands, and Tileans are characteristically both sincerely devout and accustomed to seeing religion as something that accommodates itself to the shape of life rather than vice versa. Bretonnians are inclined to interpret this attitude as cynicism or tokenism, but to Tileans it seems simply reflects the way things are: priests are invariably also major political figures, and usually act fairly pragmatically. There are comparatively few Tilean religious idealists. Most Bretonnians would tell you that if anything drives Tileans, it is money. Tileans are all mercenaries of some description, whether what they sell is their swords, their wares, their allegiance, or their selves. Bretonnians are often impressed by the effortless Tilean sense of style, but are suspicious that there is little below the posturings than pragmatism and self-interest.