Category:Corinthian



CORINTHIAN "When I served with the mercenaries of Corinthia, we swilled and wenched all night and fought all day – aye, blood ran down the channels of our swords."– Black Colossus A land of mountains and non-descript city states held together in a loose alliance, Corinthia's main claim to fame is that the Road of Kings passes through its central country-side. It is an ancient kingdom that coexisted with Acheron. It is highly developed with an established aristocracy and a powerful priesthood.

Description
Corinthia apparently had a separate identity as early as the fluorescence of Acheron. It was subject to the latter, then "gained its independence" with the fall of the ancient empire to the Hyborians. Some time during the 3,000 years that followed, it came under the growing hegemony of the Hyborians.

Corinthians are no longer pure-blooded Hyborians. Centuries of intermingling with Zamorians, Stygians and other trade races have darkened their skin, although they still remain stout and tend toward tawny hair.

Clothing
Corinthians dress in loose clothing, especially tunics, peplos and chitons. The clothing of the Corinthians resembles drapery.

Tunics are worn by both sexes and are worn with a belt. A Corinthian tunic is essentially a piece of drapery tied over the left shoulder. In cooler weather, a chlamys – a bordered cape pinned or tied at the right shoulder – might be added.

Corinthian soldiers dress in whatever they can afford; often they wear a chlamys and little else, for the chlamys can be used as a light shield in combat. The knights wear heavy armor and the pike-men wear less.

Corinthians tend to wear sandals in warm weather and leather boots in cooler weather. Jewelry and cosmetics are worn by the women. Powdered lead is a common cosmetic, used to give the women a pale, ivory-skinned complexion.

Behavior and Notable Oddities
Only a native-born Corinthian is given legal protection and the right to appeal to the king. This would include the son of a Kushite slave born on Corinthian soil; since the child was born in Corinthia, he is considered native-born regardless of his true ethnicity.

Corinthia is not a feudal society, so allegiances do not have the same weight as they do in Aquilonia or Nemedia.

Corinthian warriors are an uproarious lot, drinking all night and fighting all day. They fight with straight blades with blood grooves.

Corinthia seems to be haunted by more than its share of were-beasts. Mammoths wander the hills and cleft valleys of Corinthia. Hill panthers, condors and carnivorous trees are also relatively common there. Some lakes are haunted by water spirits called undines.

Sea of Gray Despair – This ‘sea’ was once the site of a great city during the years Acheron, Zamora and Stygia ruled and Corinthia was a fertile trading ground between the powers. The great city reared here was both powerful and rich until a barbaric enemy from the lowlands, possibly another wave of Hyborians, razed the city and ruined the surrounding land with salt. Ultimately a great curse was laid on the ground. Over the centuries the land has recovered somewhat, although it is still a bleak wasteland. This wasteland is in the central regions of Corinthia and men fear and avoid it. Werewolves haunt this foul plain.

Religion

 * Mitra
 * Anu

The Corinthians worship Mitra, the ‘universal god of the Hyborians’. The Corinthians, close to Zamora and Koth, are a bit more tolerant of other religions than Aquilonia but the Mitrans themselves remain zealous in their devotion to Mitra. He is regarded as the one true god, a god of light commanding a celestial army and a host of saints. Mitra either condemns souls to Hell or raises them in Heaven. Intolerant piety exemplifies this religion of supposed goodness. The Mitrans prize stately and almost plain architecture, preferring the awesomeness of Mitra over the sweeping, symbolic architecture of the temples to the other gods. It is a point of pride with the Mitrans that their temples as well as their god are different and, to their eyes, superior to the others. The Mitrans do not worship statues and do not sacrifice humans or animals to Mitra.

Anu is another god worshipped in Corinthia. Anu is a Shemitish god, a sky-god symbolized as a bull that controls the weather. He is a creator god as well, having fashioned the world and humanity from his own thoughts. He is worshipped with curious rites in front of obscene brass idols that often involve the sacrifice of bulls and cattle. He is a fearsome deity and not to be petitioned lightly. He does not like to be bothered with day-to-day concerns and his attention is often wrathful. His worship is meant to appease him, not to demand things from him.

Government
Corinthia is ruled by a king who commands imperial legions, yet opposing political factions are rampant in the city. Corinthians are ruled by bodies of politicians and a king reigns supreme over that senatorial council.

The Corinthian senate, composed of delegates from each of the city-states, does not pass law. That is the power of the king. The senate does, however, control much of foreign affairs and internal political arenas, as well as advise the king, which is its primary purpose.

Economy and Common Professions
Trade drives the economy of Corinthia. The Road of Kings is an important economic highway and is probably the single most unifying factor in Corinthia.

This dependence upon trade indicates that mining is not important in Corinthia. Either the mountains of Corinthia are barren of ore or they are too dangerous to fully explore. The latter is more likely. Mining does occur in Corinthia but is rarely profitable enough to supplant international trade as the major economic force.

Common Professions:
 * soldier
 * trader
 * artisan

Sex Roles and Marriage
Corinthian men support their families either by working or through commercial ventures. Women are expected to manage the household and oversee the slaves. Even poor families have slaves who do the cooking and cleaning and care for the children.

Corinthian houses are fairly simple. A house is usually built around a small courtyard and contains bedrooms, store rooms, guest areas and a kitchen. Male visitors are not supposed to be in rooms that the household women or children frequent so they are entertained in special guest areas.

Slavery
Slavery is alive and well in Corinthia. Even poor households usually own a slave or two. In addition to privately-owned slaves, Corinthia has public slaves owned by the city-state. These slaves usually live independently and are trained for specialized jobs, such as spotting counterfeit coins, serving at temples, tax collecting and other tasks. The Zamorans sell captured women from Brythunia and other Hyborian nations and the Kothians sell Corinthians slaves from the south.

Influences
Architectural Influences: Ancient Greece, Roman Empire (West).

Corinthian houses are fairly simple. A house is usually built around a small courtyard and contains bedrooms, store rooms, guest areas and a kitchen. Houses are lit by oil lamps and are heated with charcoal braziers. Furnishings include simple chairs, tables, chests and beds made from wood. The furnishings are rarely ornate.

Most cities in Corinthia tend to be sprawling affairs, with little or no central planning, just haphazard construction when more space is needed. Poorer sections of town are not paved and are quite filthy. Corinthian buildings usually have window ledges that run continuously around the outside of the building.

More Information
RPGS:
 * Return to the Road of Kings (Corinthia, p 83 - 89)
 * Faith and Fervour (Mitra’s Might, p 15 – 22, Anu p 72)