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.