The Rasennan Republic
The founding government form of the Rasennan city of Rasca.
Structure
Led by a mixture of elective and familial elections, only those of the houses of nobility could be elected to the higher offices of the Republic. Advising the two elected Suffetes was the Curia, an assembly of 300 Curators who were a mixture of the proletarii and the patrii, the commoners and the nobility. An official chain of elected positions was necessary to climb the political ladder which started with the Tribunes, multiple offices that were there to be representatives for the proletarii directly as they were elected from the less prestigious Assembly of Masses which any eligible citizen had the right to attend and vote in. Elected Tribunes became eligible to enter the Officiate Honoreum by being elected one of the twenty Rebeni who managed financial and administrative duties. Next were the sixteen Civali who managed public buildings, food matters, and public games. Then came the Luediai, the eight judges of Rasca who administered law, codified traditional law, and declared holidays with advice from the Civali. Finally came the two Suffetes who oversaw the conduct of the Curiate, officially passed legislation, and held supreme power for five years as they passed official authority every two days.
Culture
The Rascians, or the Rasennans as they called themselves were a collection of settlements and cities that dotted the central and upper Lakian Peninsula. Traditionally, the Rasennans claimed descent from a pair of brothers, Fasus and his brother Cassus. Through them, the Lakic people and by extension, the Rasenna came to Lakia. Rascus, the son of Cassus, was exiled from his father's city and wandered for a time before coming to the bank of the river Sacris, dumping his treasured belongings into the river, and officially finding a settlement for himself and his followers. Rascus would witness his city's sacking and filled with sorrow, flung himself from the Giorian Rock, a cliffside named for the slave woman who had given those who sacked Rasca an entrance into the city. After Rascus' death, a few more kings of the city ruled until they were thrown out and the Republic was declared.
As their power and prestige grew, they attracted enemies from all sides who wished to destroy the Rasennan upstarts. However, the Rasenna proved resilient and a nearly unstoppable force as their culture of defiance led to victory after victory in the field of battle. This success grew the Rasennans from goat herders in the rugged lands of their home to masters of their peninsula and eventual masters of the inner sea and beyond. Starting as a humble people, the Rasennan culture morphed over time to better emulate their almost divine stature and power. Sprouting city after city in conquered territory, the Rasennan way of life dominated from east to west as their language and customs altered the path of every culture that followed them.
Public Agenda
The Republic was assaulted from all sides by invaders and enemies, this gave them a heavy-duty as each war fought held the fate of the Republic on its shoulders. Foreign diplomacy was of utmost importance as treaties and trade agreements kept enemies at bay just as well as a spear or shield could.
Assets
Rasca sat on excellent terrain, fed by the river Sacris which connected it to the sea, Rasca traded with their land neighbors but also with the wider world from Mykra to Iola one could find Rasennan ships and merchants. The nearby mines of Matis which were won early from the Matii yielded a lucrative supply of gold and other precious stones. The land around Rasca was in stark contrast to the rest of their neighbors, in a valley with excellent farmland, Rasca's population quickly outgrew that of their more mountainous neighbors and became one of the more important cities on the peninsula in a short time.
History
Rasca's history begins with the Illian princes Fasus and Cassus, sons of the Mykran war hero Arnza, they led their people far west in search of a new home. There they found Lakia and roamed far and wide, settling the peninsula. Among the many cities was one founded at the bank of a river, founded by an exiled prince, this city was named Deumueum simply meaning "city by the river". This founder was Rascus and with his death, the new city would be renamed after him, Rasca. Rascus left his people on their own and a council was formed that was to decide the city's future. This council became known as the first Curia and its role as the city's ruling council would persist becoming known as the "Res Publica" or Public Thing. The city of Rascus would grow quickly and become the most powerful city in Lakia and face numerous challenges from all sides. However, Rasca was not without heroes and the republic would see its people rise to the occasion and establish themselves as the center of the peninsula. As they outgrew their Lakic home, the Rasennans began expansion in all directions as they conquered and subjugated nearby tribes and enveloped them under the banner of the Rasennan Eagle. From Areul to the northwest, across the western sea to Galukia, eastward to Agrihenia, and on.
Fighting further south entangled the Republic with a new, dangerous, and foreign foe, the Hakkatens and their subjects leading to a series of devastating wars that saw the Republic nearly fall before being pulled from the brink by Julius Marsus Haccedus who boldly led an invasion of the Hakkaten homeland and win decisive victories there. Now the master of the Western Cassena Sea, the Rasenna then moved on to Mykra who had allied themselves with the Hakkatens during the long final Teneboric War. Led by Lucius Marsus Mykradonicus, the younger brother of Julius Marsus Haccedus, the entirety of Mykra was conquered and subjugated, with the abolishment of the Mykran monarchies ending more than a thousand years of native Mykran rule.
However by this time, the republic began buckling under its own weight and several civil wars would be fought in the following years as political norms were destroyed and the Republic cracked and crumbled in the final war of the Republic fought between Manlius Rabirius and his rival Lucius Decimus Kotta who was victorious and was hailed as "dictator et perpetuo", dictator for life and titled the "Princeps Curatus" or 1st Citizen of the Curia. Kotta held unlimited power and soon the systems of the Republic faltered and a pseudo-empire replaced it. Kotta's adopted son, Lucius Nervus Marius would succeed him and become the first official Princeps of the Rasenna. With Marius' ascension, the Republic was slowly dissolved and the Principate replaced it, and soon after the Dominate replaced that. The only memory of the great Republic would soon be dusty old books and crumbling buildings.
Disbandment
Following the seizure of power by Marius, the offices of the Republic served to maintain Marius' hold on power. His permanent hold on key offices in the state, and his bestowed titles and privileges were transferred to his heirs, ensuring semi-herititary rule would come after him, effectively ending the Republic in a generation.
Demography and Population
The Rasennan culture was linked with that of other Lakic speaking peoples of the Lakic peninsula, thus it was easy for Rasennan to become the exclusive culture of the peninsula. However, it was harder to convert other people to the culture of the Republic but through the years it was done mainly in provincial capitols or other major cities. Lakic became the most spoken language of the Republic and soon was the parental language of several others.
Territories
Rasennan territory slowly grew from the city of Rasca and some surrounding farmland to the entirety of the Lakic peninsula and then to all of the land bordering the Cassena Sea except for the eastern lands of the former Natreshan empire which were conquered in the early imperial era during the reign of Emperor Julius Darius.
Military
Over time the Rasennan military became more and more powerful and professional. Early armies were largely composed of the wealthy as they could afford to wage war. This system was unreliable and not well utilized as personal glory and success were more important than the result of the battle.
However, it was this style that resulted in stories of martial bravery and honor that had an effect on the next stage in Rasennan military traditions. Rasennan military culture rapidly changed as armies became composed of semi-professional soldiers who went on campaign and briefly returned to the city or farmland to see to their crops or business'. Symbols like the Eagle Standard, the Axe, and Vine staff were all adopted in this time as the military professionalized and became the dominant fighting force on the peninsula. Soon, commanders were required for successful military operations and soon martial camps and schools were opened with governmental grants and donations from more dedicated politicians and private citizens.
Religion
The Rasennans believed in a similar pantheon to their Lakic neighbors, they believed in a chief god Manus a god of order, justice, and civilization all things the Rasennans came to treasure. Below him were his brothers Edis god of wealth and Dedros god of wisdom and thought. Various other important deities were worshipped like Irea goddess of the sea and earthquakes, Tydros the god of war and fire. Other deities came and went with Rasennans eventually coming to worship "Victus Ouea" or the Victorious Sun sponsored by Emperor Marcus Ferras Rursus. Victus Ouea was a conglomeration of all of the previous deities of the Rasenna rolled into one.
Agriculture & Industry
One of Republics' greatest strengths was its position with a river giving them access to the wider sea and fertile farmland between the rugged mountains giving them defensible positioning relative to their neighbors. The ingenuity of the Rasennans also aided them when they pioneered the aqueducts that gave their cities water from the snowmelt in the mountains which gave them a luxury many other peoples did not know.
Trade & Transport
Again benefitting from great positioning, Rasca's proximity to their port of Tarpeia at the mouth of the Sacris, allowed them access to the wider Arnziatic Gulf and by in large the entirety of the sea which made trade very easy and their center as a hub of trade more and more prevalent as the state expanded and conquered new lands home to new trade routes whichever increased the riches of the state. Also important was the encouragement and support given by the government to trade leagues which pour more and more wealth and prosperity as private leagues such as the Tarnsa Trade League were almost notoriously wealthy and not frugal about spending their money from trade on infrastructure which got them into the good graces of the state which offered them more freedoms and allowance.
Education
While the poor did not receive a formal education, many still learned to read and write as it was necessary for many of their future careers. Children from rich families were often well-schooled and were taught by a private tutor at home or went to academies where they were taught by distinguished intellectuals surrounded by similarly rich students from well-off families. These academies were the foremost in thought and taught a variety of subjects such as mathematics, natural science, astronomy, dialectics, philosophy, and politics.
Infrastructure
The Republic was famously active as it expanded into more rural lands with little in the way of infrastructure. The excellent road system implemented early on in the Republic's history and refined over the years made travel much safer and easier than in other places in the world. Rasennan roads were built as durable as could be accomplished as they were made to drain water to the side of the road. The Rasennans used a three-layered system to ensure that the roads would be sturdy. In some mountainous areas, engineers would cut grooves into the path to prevent travelers from slipping and rocks from eroding.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
Et Reipublicae (For the Republic)
1589 B.E or the 1st Year of Rascus - 860 B.E
Type
Geopolitical, Republic
Capital
Alternative Names
The Res Publica
Successor Organization
Formation Type
Training Level
Semi-professional
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Demonym
The Rasenna
Leader Title
Government System
Democracy, Presidential
Power Structure
Federation
Economic System
Traditional
Currency
Denarii- common term for all coins
Sesterce- 1st government issued coinage with copper, silver and gold variants
Solidus- solid gold coinage used exclusively to pay soldiers
Sesterce- 1st government issued coinage with copper, silver and gold variants
Solidus- solid gold coinage used exclusively to pay soldiers
Legislative Body
Proletarian Assembly
The Curia
The Curia
Judicial Body
The Luediai, the eight elected high judges
Executive Body
Two Suffetes elected every five years
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Notable Members
Related Myths
Comments