The Rumor Mill - Week 33

Join us on a journey into the most significant political and military force on the north shore of the Middle Sea for week 33 of The Rumor Mill: the Ionian Republic. Yes, an emperor led them until Empress Irene stepped down and made way for the Republic about 150 years ago. Since then, Ionia's power has waned significantly. They once ruled the entire shore of the Middle Sea, north and south, but most of their holdings on the south shore are no longer under their control. Colonies rebelled, and the Legions shrank as entire subcultures left the Republic. To add insult to injury, they've fallen behind in the race for technology, divine influence, and arcane power.

Let's see what the rumor mill says about this once-great power as we trawl Fellport Harbor for stories about Ionia.

1d8	Rumor	True?
1	A day up the North Road from Fellport, merchants love camping at Windhaven.	Yes1
2	Ionia outlawed slavery over 100 years ago, but many say it still exists.	Maybe2
3	Since Empress Irene dissolved the Empire, Ionia has become far less militant.	No3
4	The Ionians may have invented plumbing, but Umber Plumbing perfected it.	Maybe4
5	Magic still follows the Hermetic traditions first written by Philostratus.	Yes5
6	An explosion on Insula Vindicta started the downfall of the Ionian Empire.	Maybe6
7	Ionian naval power remains unmatched across the Middle Sea.	No7
8	The ruins of Turrim Equites marks the border between Fellport and Okular.	Yes8

1 - The Ionian town of Venta stood here, destroyed by Dunhill's army. The old amphitheater's earthworks protects the caravans.
2 - Underpaid workers now suffer under indentured servitude. Some bosses increase debt for supplies to keep workers forever.
3 - The Legions still provide a path to power, and Consul Leo recently invaded Fellport to "avenge" his diplomat's "murder".
4 - Water latrines weren't just Ionian. Vi Umber created a whole system: flush toilets, fast fertilizer, and greywater irrigation.
5 - The very ideas of spell levels and precise incantations in arcane magic come from Philostratus's Hermetica 600 years ago. 
6 - The timing works out. The Biblioteca Vindicta stored many arcane secrets, and hellfire consumed the island 150 years ago.
7 - Andalusia pushes the boundaries of sailing technology, and their new clipper ships are so much faster than any Ionian ship.
8 - This Ionian lookout tower now serves as a bandit hideout for The Prince and his gang. They have a phase spider on guard.

Part of T.W.Wombat's Lore 24 project, detailing the world around Fellport.
For all city posts, see the Fellport Index. For posts about the wider world, see the Beneterra Index.