Miragliano

Once a crown jewel of the Tilean city-states, Miragliano is not nearly as wealthy or prosperous as it once was. The princes of the city war amongst each other with mercenary armies (called "coin brothers", as they are considered family while in the employ of a particular prince) and the population is sickly and meek.

The marshes to the east are a hideous and evil place, and most miraglianis stay far away from them, though there are a few brave souls who attempt to till the blighted soil.

Coin is the prime language of the city, just like in other parts of Tilea. The local government is essentially a complex system of bribes, meaning that the richest people in the city are effectively the leaders. With enough money and skill, a landless outsider can come to Miragliano a landless rich merchant and leave a noble.

Geographically, Miragliano is made up of hundreds of islands

Important people

The Deici

The Dieci is the name given to the most powerful nobles in the city; they form its governing counicil. Though the membership can shift over time, it is generally only through expert political maneuvering that such can happen.

The Empire generally lets Miragliano govern itself. The Castellan of Riekland is traditionally given a seat on the Dieci, but as he always has more pressing business to attend to, the Imperial presence is functionally ceremonial.

The Dieci are headed by 'Il Duce', a title that at one point held little meaning, but now essentially denotes the ruler of Miragliano. SOme time ago, the Decree of Traditional Heritage made the Duce into a hereditary title - until recently the Fulvinis held it for centuries. However, due to the Fulvinis inability to produce an heir, the title has passed to Marco Cortuni.

• Arturo Giovanni is the talk of the town at the moment; they say he came storming in from L'Anguille with a fierce foreign fighting force, and forced the brothers who had exiled him from their positions of power. The people of Miragliano love a good comeback story, so this tale has been elaborated upon in every tavern in the city, to the point where the dimmer commonfolk believe he arrived at the head of an army of giants and demons.

• Giacomo Cielvini is the patriarch of one of the Four Greatest (previously Three Greatest) houses, also known as the Dieci.

• Marco Cortuni is currently Il Duce. It is said that he reached this position through the systematic elimination of the heirs of the old line of Duces, the Felvinis. It is also rumored that the recent ascendancy of Arturo Giovanni is due in no small part to Marco Cortuni's gold.

• Alfonzo Fulvini The Fulvinis have held the title of Il Duce, First Among Equals, for centuries until now. Stunningly, given the rumors of Alfonzo's great virility, he has been unable to produce an heir, and two years ago was stripped of the office of Il Duce.

Others

• Leonardo de Miragliano is a famed inventor; it is said that the College of Physical Study tried to forcibly conscript him for tenure, but could not defeat the ingenious lock mechanism on the door to his apartment. He later went willingly, and several ingenious devices now in use by the Imperial Army are of his design. It was Leonardo that invented the water-cooled repeater gun, used to devastating effect during the war in Araby.

• Claudio de la Cobalto, the chancellor of the Academy of Finer Arts.

• Giovanni Bruno, an agitator and philosopher, whose primary tenets inlcude that worship of Sigmar has no rational basis, and that religion in general is simply an abstracted worship of elements of nature we do not understand.

• Ignatio della Crux, a mercenary General

Favorite places

• The Hippogryph is a tavern of excellent reputation. It is said that deals of all magnitude are worked out across its heavy oaken tables, from penny-ante thuggery to thousand-gold shipping deals.

• Piazza de San Marcus, with the great Catedral de Pater de Grande Mer (also known as Manaan) looking out across it, is a scenic and fortuitous place to meet.

• The Old Quarter, in the very northeastern section of the city, is home to renowned scholars and booksellers. Leonardo de Miragliano makes his home in this area.

• The Academy of Finer Arts is one of the best known schools for painting in the Old World. It is said that Leonardo himself occasionally takes on students here.

• The Palace District, built upon the largest and most valuable islands, is home to the Dieci as well as the Ducal palace, all of which are opulent manses with private docks for gondolas and even larger ships.

• Giribaldi's, a shop famous throughout the city for its fine selection of worldly curios.

• The Guild of Defense, the guildhall for mercenaries and their ilk. The guild does a brisk business in the city, with the Dieci constantly feuding amongst themselves by proxy. The nobles often go through the guild to get men to do their dirty work, which means that the Guildhall is a font of priveleged information. The price on such information is often incredibly high, as divulging the secrets of Miriglianese nobility is a sure way to get a price on your head. A notable exception to the above is Arturo Giovanni; his mercenaries are almost entirely foreign, a fact that has not endeared him to the Guild.