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Napoli, known as The Bright City, is a city on the island of Pompeii and is the capital of the Empire of Pompeii. It has a population of 250,000 individuals and is widely regarded as one of, if not the, most enlightened civilizations in the world, as well as being the best magic-users. It is from Napoli that the Emperor and Senate rule. Residents are called Napoletani.

As the capital, Napoli is home to the Imperial Palace and the Great Senate Hall. Traditionally, rulership and management of the city belongs to the Emperor. However, until recently, the actual management of the city of Napoli had been taken over by the Senate in one of many political moves intended to hamstring the power of the Emperor (reducing his ability to apply military pressure to members of the Senate).

After the opening of the Cisapline Blight and the destruction of Mila in 1022 PR, Vittorio saw an opportunity to regain power that he had lost to the Senate and declared martial law throughout the city, re-asserting his traditional right of control. For the first time in seventy years, the Praetoriani (the police force in Napoli) walked the streets in full battle array - a move which had the support of a scared populace and served to remind an arrogant Senate of the true power of the Emperor.

Senatorial meetings were suspended "for the safety of the Senators", the families of many Senate members were taken from the city "for safekeeping" by Vittorio's orders, the power of the Senate to appoint the Aelia to run Napoli and the other Senatorial cities was "streamlined for effective governance for the duration" and several prominent, Senate owned businesses were either closed "for public safety" or bought out by the Emperor "to ensure their smooth and uninterrupted functioning during the current crisis". Emperor Vittorio had regained control of Napoli - and, with it, the Empire.

[edit] Culture

Napoli has historically been the center of learning in the Empire, and this continues through to the present day. The University of Napoli was one of the first universities to be founded, and it has been a center for sculpture and music in Terracopia.

However, it has taken a darker turn since the rise of the Blight. The Sculpture of the Senate, the grand sculpture of a senator defying an Emperor, widely regarded as a classic work of art, has been destroyed by an angry mob. Any sculptures depicting the Senate in a favorable light have been removed for safekeeping. The Gallery of the Senate, next to the Great Senate Chambers, was removed to the Imperial Palace. The Hall of Music was burned, and has not been rebuilt. Many of the artists have moved to Aquitania or the Free Cities. The University now is mostly given over to military training; about half the students are Blue permit-holders. However, the University of Napoli is still considered one of the foremost institutions in Terracopia.

[edit] Government

For the past ten years, Napoli has existed in a state of "official" martial law. Emperor Vittorio is the official and lawful ruler of the city, and his power is exercised by the Legati (singular Legatus) - generals in the Praetoriani. The Legati and their own staff oversee the day-to-day running of the city, and they are each entitled to seven Purple Robes to denote their status.

Despite being under martial law, day-to-day life within the city has continued almost exactly as it had for the past hundred years (with a few exceptions: the Senate no longer has the right to enforce any laws on the city).

[edit] Police and Military

Unlike other cities within the Empire, Napoli is policed by an actual division of the Imperial army, the Praetoriani. This military wing was originally charged as the Emperor's personal guard. After Napoli was chosen as the Imperial seat, it was decided that the Bodyguard be expanded, and that none save "true servants of the Emperor" be allowed to bear arms in large numbers within the walls of the City.

The Empire of Pompeii has the second-largest navy in Terracopia, and most of it is stationed here.

[edit] Geography

The Quarters are isolated from one another by the Walls of the City. There are many roads through them, but there are Praetoriani guards posted at the gates. All residents of the city require a Napoli Residence Permit, due to the complex magical systems in place supplying the city with water. The Napoli Residence Permit is commonly called the White Stamp, after the official seal on it. They are difficult to forge, because some magic has been used in their construction.

All visitors must have a Gate Pass, and must be certified in a magic-safety course. It is a few hours long. It is typically done on-board ship for those arriving by ship, and those arriving by land must only answer a few simple questions and demonstrate rudimentary knowledge. The course is regarded as an inconvenience, but a minor one, and the magical systems more than make up for it.

Passage between Quarters is restricted between midnight and dawn to those with special papers, and, during the day, White Stamp checks are random and frequent. All residents in the city carry their White Stamps at all times; the Praetoriani in their battle gear are intimidating, even for a lifelong resident.

[edit] Portside

The port facilities in Napoli are the most extensive in the world. The Empire is used to importing goods from faraway lands and far-flung regions of the Empire, so the port is designed to handle the largest cargo ships, and many of the most extensive shipping concerns maintain their headquarters or a significant branch here. The shipyards of Napoli are renowned for their combination of stable designs and durable construction.

[edit] Drydocks and Shipyards

The drydocks in Napoli work hand-in-hand with the shipyards. Napoli shipyards have created the vessels of the Imperial Navy for centuries, and they have refined their designs extensively. The new Interdict-class heavy warships are produced here for the Blight Legion. They combine the traditional use of magic with some steam innovations from Neuland, and the result is a fast steam-powered ship with the signature heavy broadsides of the Imperial Navy.

The other class of warship being produced is the Festival-class large troop transport, able to move 150 legionnaires from Genoa to the shores of Piedma. Its predecessor, which did not use steam, was twice as slow and half as large. About three of each are produced each year.

The position of Aelia of the Imperial Docks of Napoli is one of the highest of the Aeilae available in the Empire, and the Senate guards it closely. The Aelia's offices are in the West Senatorial Complex, along with the Aelia of Trade, the Aelia of Diplomacy, and the Aelia of Magic. However, like all Aelia since the rise of Vittorio VII, the Aelia of Napoli are appointed by the Emperor.

The Legate of the Imperial Navy has his offices on the northern end of the Imperial Shipyards, and the Office of the Naval Legate is on the top floor of the Imperial Center of the Docks. The Naval Legate is responsible for the ships and the crews of the ships; the Aelia of the Imperial Docks of Napoli is responsible for the docks, the shipyards, and the drydocks - the delineation of authority, and the conflicts between the Legate and the Aelia were historically used in the city as a barometer of Senate-Emperor relations. Vittorio VII took the unprecedented step of combining the two posts by appointing the same person to each. With the Senate suspended, the historic conflicts between the Senate and Imperial posts have been resolved.

There is usually at least one Imperial Navy ship in the drydocks, and many more in the seaside docks. There are occasionally larger trading ships in the drydocks, but not often - the Imperial drydocks are expensive to use, and few non-military ships are large enough to warrant them.

[edit] The Docks of Napoli

Napoli is the center of export for the highly-productive island of Pompeii. Many trade routes to and from Macedonia have a change of ship in Napoli. These are called the duskward routes, as opposed to the dawnward, which depart from the Free Cities, and are a longer journey. Additionally, goods from all over the Empire arrive here, both for the use of Napoli residents and for shipment outside the Empire.

The docks of Napoli are divided into two segments - the Old Docks and the New Docks. The Old Docks, within the city itself, are designed to accommodate the largest trading ships. The New Docks, just outside the city, are designed for smaller ships.

The dockworkers of Napoli attempted a revolt the year after the People's Republic of Baden was founded, but it was utterly crushed. Nevertheless, the dockworkers number 30,000, and they are concentrated in the Low District, just south of the end of the Old Docks, and just outside the city proper. Their houses are old and surprisingly well-kept - many of them have been handed down through the generations.

The Merchants of Napoli - both those based here (and thus considered Imperial Merchants), and those from abroad who have offices here - are just east of the docks, on the border between Portside and the Old Quarter. They have store fronts on the ground floor, and apartments above them.

[edit] Old Quarter

The Old Quarter of Napoli is the oldest part of the city. The roads here are straight, but haphazard. The buildings are forbiddingly angular and made of stone. Every building in the city is reinforced against earthquakes, but the buildings of the Old Quarter were the most difficult to protect.

There are aqueducts running alongside and between many houses - they are filled by the magic water system, but the aqueducts work well enough in the Old Quarter to allow their use to continue. The lead pipes inside the buildings, however, have been replaced with magic.

The buildings themselves have unadorned stone columns holding up the aqueducts and the facades. The stairways on the buildings are on the exteriors, but they are gated at the ground floors. Many pieces of laundry can be sen air-drying on them. The upper floors have larger windows, but most of them are still not much bigger than a human head.

The residents of the Old Quarter tend to be poorer merchants and richer dockworkers. The Old Quarter is ringed by the Quarter-Wall, which has largely fallen into disrepair. The streets are paved in red poorly-fitted stones. Two streets run through the Old Quarter - the Street of Rome, running north-south, and the Street of Pompeii, running east-west. They meet in the Intersection of the Empires. The Piazza della Traders is at this intersection, and it is lined with rich merchants' offices and the Trading Hall, where ship schedules are posted and the current prices across the city are listed.

Both the Street of Rome and the Street of Pompeii are straight outside the quarter, but they twist and turn inside it.

[edit] Imperial Quarter

The Imperial Quarter is centered around the Imperial Palace, in the middle of the city. However, it is bordered to the west by the Old Quarter, to the north by the Senatorial Quarter, to the east by the Magic Quarter, and to the south by the University Quarter.

The Imperial Quarter includes the troop barracks for the Praetoriani, south and west of the Imperial Palace. The barracks are several centuries old, and they have drill grounds between them. The barracks complex is bordered to the south by thr Street of Pompeii, which goes directly to the docks. The Praetoriani, when they deploy, parade down the Streeet of Pompeii to their transport ships.

The central offices of the other concerns of the Emperor are north and east of the Palace. The Imperial Military Academy, where Legati and other senior officers are trained, is immediately north of the Palace. The Piazza of the Emperor is immediately east of the Imperial Military Academy, and the Offices of the Imperial Departments are on the east side of the Piazza.

Some merchants, almost all Imperial, have branch offices throughout the quarter to make dealing with the government easier and less time-consuming. Messengers and official couriers crowd the streets during the day throughout the city, but they are the most dense here. The sidewalk restaurants are crowded at noon and at sunset with office-workers and soldiers. Many mid-ranking civil servants live in the district, and there are many all-night eateries open here that deliver to the Offices of the Imperial Departments. There is very little other nightlife in the Imperial Quarter.

[edit] Senatorial Quarter

The Senatorial Quarter has the Great Senate Chambers and the homes of many Senators, as well as the central offices for the Aeliae. However, since the Blight, the Senatorial Quarter has been in decline, and many homes, offices and shops have changed hands as a result. Newcomers to the city often buy houses here, especially if they are from small cities. This is because the Senatorial Quarter is mostly single- or two-family houses attached to one another, two stories tall. They are made out of a combination of wood and stone, but mostly stone. The ornate carvings on them date back centuries in most cases. Almost the entire quarter has been connected to the city water grid.

Due to the influx of immigrants, especially those from Mila, the Senatorial Quarter has an exotic and complex feel to it. Many houses have been converted into shops or restaurants. Immigrants to the Senatorial Quarter tend to be from artisan professions. Many of the best tradesmen in the city are here.

Almost all the immigrants in the Senatorial Quarter are second- or third-generation Napoletani. Due to the structure of housing contracts in the city, it is very difficult to move between quarters without a high-ranking job in the civil service. The structure of the housing contract laws in the city is about a century old; when it was written, the Senatorial Quarter was the most prestigious part of the city and difficult to move into. Apartment buildings were tightly regulated, and few were built in the Senatorial Quarter, unlike the rest of the city. Housing in the Quarter was easy to secure and hand down through the generations. When the Senate was neutralized, the old laws remained.

The Hall of Music, which burned down several years ago, has not yet been rebuilt. It was northwest of the Great Senate Chambers.

[edit] University Quarter

The University Quarter is centered around the University of Napoli. It is south of the Imperial Quarter. The population is mostly students, artists, and writers.

Buildings in the University Quarter are relatively new - most are only a century old. They are, without exception, three stories tall, and they are packed closely together. They tend to be set back a few meters from the street, and are surrounded by wrought-iron fences. Fence designs are an indicator of status in the district; the more intricate the design, the higher-status (not necessarily richer) the residents. Prolific artists, renowned writers, and distinguished professors are the highest-status residents. The pentagonal windows have vestigial shutters and tinted glass,and are scattered over the walls seemingly at random.

The ground floor of most buildings is given over to art galleries, private libraries, or small shops. The upper two floors are residences. Some apartments are only two or three rooms; some take up an entire floor. The quarter has an adequate, if slightly antiquated, magic water system.

The streets in the University Quarter are laid out on a grid, and somewhere between four and twelve buildings are on each grid square (most have nine). Buildings closer to the university are filled with students; those farther away with professors and artists, and the edges of the quarter are populated with low-ranking civil servants. Housing in the University Quarter is not hereditary, so almost all of the residents of the University Quarter have arrived during their lifetimes (although a few children of residents have earned their places in their own right). The University itself actually controls the distribution of White Stamps in the Quarter.

The Praetoriani are not allowed onto the University campus itself, by tradition and by law.

[edit] Magic Quarter

The Magic Quarter encompasses both the land above the occhio di monte, the old rock mining shafts and caverns, and the caverns themselves. The buildings in this district are built primarily using magic, and are both very strong and very light. They are typically five or six stories tall, in contrast with the surrounding buildings, which are four or five stories tall.

The above-ground portions of the Magic Quarter are surrounded by the Quarry Wall. The Quarry Wall dates back to the times when the caverns underneath the city were rock quarries. These caverns were guarded by the Empire to keep trespassers out. Now, the Quarry Wall serves as a checkpoint, staffed by a special legion of the Praetoriani, the Blue Legion. All members of the Blue Legion hold Blue Permits, marking them as military magic-users. The purpose of the checkpoints is to ensure that only those holding a Magic Permit are allowed into the Magic Quarter. There are many sensitive magical experiments taking place in the Magic Quarter, and the Magic Permit qualification exam includes how to act in the Magic Quarter or any high-magic area.

The underground portions of the Magic Quarter, called the Caverns of Napoli, are only accessible through the entrances in the aboveground portions of the Magic Quarter. The underground portions span most of the city, including out into the harbor. However, some areas (the Harbor Cavern being the most notable) are guarded by the Praetoriani Blue Legion, and access is tightly controlled. Many of the caverns are only one story tall, but some are taller, and have three or four stories of buildings and streets sprouting off the walls.

Both the Caverns of Napoli and the aboveground segments of the Magic Quarter require a resident to hold a Purple Permit, which certifies that they have been trained in how to live in a high-magic environment. It is not difficult to get, but it is a time-consuming process. About half the residents are Blue Permit-holders, because of the military caverns, but they tend to keep to themselves. The rest are an even mix between Red and Green.

[edit] Places of Note

[edit] Old Quarter

The Intersection of the Empires, where the Street of Rome meets the Street of Pompeii, is one of the busiest intersections in the city - the two streets meet at a close angle, and traffic is directed by the Praetoriani. At one corner of the Intersection lies the Statue of the Old Empire, a replica tall stone statue, rescued from Rome, of an old Emperor. The Statue that stands there is a replica because the original stands in the palace (badly-damaged from several cart collisions, and very weathered).

438 Street of Rome, Old Quarter, is an old building, several stories tall, superficially identical to the buildings around it. The interior walls and the roof were destroyed in a fire several centuries ago. Now, the inside of the building is a small park, with grass on the now-broken stone floors. Access to the building is restricted to Senators only; it is one of the few places in the city that they can still go (under guarded supervision, of course).

The Old Hall, in the southwest part of the quarter, is the hall where the city used to be ruled, before the fall of the Empire of Roma. Since then, it has become a repository for paperwork, and is the place in the Old Quarter where Permits are renewed, licenses granted, and other miscellaneous daily tasks are carried out by the civil service.

[edit] The Piazza della Traders

The Piazza della Traders is the center of the trading life in the district. It is walled in, but open to the air and weather. Prices are posted here hourly, and ship schedules and updates from across Terracopia plaster the columns. The doors are guarded by privately-hired guards, and they check all those entering for their badges to keep out pickpockets.

The floor is quite large - it has a full map of Terracopia, with pillars at the locations of major cities. News and shipping schedules from those cities are posted on the pillars. The north wall is for Napoli news, and many shipping companies and merchant families have bought space on the other three walls.

[edit] Imperial Quarter

[edit] Offices of the Imperial Departments

The Offices of the Imperial Departments are where the core of the civil service of the Empire is based - those parts of it that are under the Emperor's control, that is. However, since the Senatorial positions have been taken over by Imperial appointments, the Offices of the Imperial Departments is the effective center of the entire domestic civil service. The old Senatorial positions still have their offices in the Senatorial Quarter. For those positions that have not been combined with Imperial positions, the primary offices are still in the Senatorial Quarter. For those that have been combined, the Senatorial Quarter offices are still open, but they are mostly for archiving and mundane tasks; decisions have been transferred over to the Offices of the Imperial Departments.

The Offices of the Imperial Departments are housed in three numbered buildings. Building One holds the offices dealing with Napoli itself. Building Two holds the offices for the other major cities in the Empire, and the civilian liaisons to the Legions and the Praetoriani. Building Three holds the offices for country affairs; matters like taxation on land, crop rotations, and the allotment of lands to retiring soldiers are decided here. All three buildings have the same drowsy feel of endless rows of offices and waiting rooms, all seemingly designed to discourage interlopers.

The new Building Four, on which construction is still ongoing, is for the "effective and efficient centralization of Imperial efforts against the Blight." It contains the central Imperial authority for the caretaker administration of Genoa, as well as the central archives for the Blight Legions. It is only half-completed currently; the scaffolds of the south wing hide the skeletal walls from the outside, but the north wing is finished. Offices in the north wing have all the organization of a dropped stack of paper.

Messengers sent out from the Offices of the Imperial Departments have a special purple cap. The tassels on the cap indicate sending department, receiving department, and priority. The messengers always look rushed. Surplus messenger bags - slung to the side, triple-clasped, made of durable, waterproof leather - are carried by junior members of the various services due to their utility. Many of those junior members were once messengers themselves, and they tend to be more friendly and accommodating towards non-civil-servants than the older members.

[edit] The Imperial Palace

Built in the absolute center of the city, the Imperial Palace occupies almost a square kilometer of of the city. The area around the Imperial Palace is called the Imperial Quarter. It is renowned across Terracopia for having the most complex and intricate magical mechanisms possible. There is indoor running water, self-voiding chamberpots, and a high-speed magical elevator in the Imperial Tower.

The Imperial Palace has seven buildings attached to it - five of them are warehouses, granaries, and paperwork repositories. The sixth is the Imperial Tower, and the seventh is the Imperial Residence.

[edit] The Imperial Tower

The Imperial Tower is where the actual business of governing the city takes place. The Imperial Hall, on the ground floor, is where the Emperor is crowned. Both walls are lined with mirrors and windows, and the furniture is inlaid with gold webs. The short steps on the northern side of the Hall lead up to the Imperial Throne, and the northern wall is inset with a map of Terracopia c. 145 PR. The southern side is a map of Terracopia, c. -50 PR, before the Great Rising.

The Imperial Throne is made of iron and silver, and it gleams brilliantly in the light. There is a design, picked out in gold; it is a map of the city as it stood c. 250 PR.

Since the Blight, Vittorio VII has renovated the floor and the ceiling of the hall, restoring the old depiction on the ceiling of the Great Rising consuming Roma to its former bright colors. He has replaced the stone floor with finely-veined pink marble.

The Imperial Tower, buttressed by magic, is one of the tallest buildings in the world. It stands 35 stories tall, far taller than any other building in the city. The magic elevators are on the outside of the tower. The Emperor's offices take up the entire top three floors, and they are where he administers the Empire. Many messengers are sent here with the distinctive purple tassels indicating that they are bound for the Emperor. The other floors of the Imperial Tower are taken up by the apartments of top civil servants and families of Legati who are stationed in warzones. During the day, the Emperor is either found in his offices here or at the Great Senate Chambers, taking stock of the war effort.

[edit] The Imperial Residence

The Imperial Residence is a long building, recently rebuilt, that houses the Imperial Family. The Emperor's private chambers are here, as well as those of his family. The style is reminiscent of the Old Quarter buildings, because the Residence is not rectangular, but an irregular hexagon, and three stories tall. The entire building is very well-guarded, like the rest of the Imperial Palace.

The first floor of the Imperial Residence is given over to large halls for feasts, parties, and celebrations, of which there are many. Each room is different - some of the more well-known ones include the one with a detailed forest mural covering the west wall (the Forest Room), a hall with a floor made of fifty different kinds of wood (the Wood Room), a hall with a depiction of the sky above Napoli on the day that Vittorio VII was crowned (the Sky Room), and a very large hall with statues of great Emperors (the Statue Room), including the Statue of the Old Empire.

The second floor of the Imperial Residence is for the Senators who live at the Imperial Residence. The rooms are lavishly decorated, but the guards are very insistent about not letting the Senators out of the floor on their own. The library on the floor has many books, most of them worn from the Senators re-reading them.

The third floor is for the Imperial Family. The Imperial Family is insistent on its privacy, and the Emperor, the Empress, their two sons, three daughters, maids, servants, doctors, and nurses all live on the floor. No one is allowed on the floor unless they have been personally and explicitly cleared by the Emperor or Empress. It is rumored that the most valuable treasures of the Empire are on the floor, hidden somewhere, but few dare to try to find them. Those that do are invariably caught and thrown off the balcony in the Emperor's 35th-floor office in the Imperial Tower.

[edit] Imperial Military Academy

The Imperial Military Academy is in the Imperial Quarter. It is where the top-ranking officers in the Legions and all officers of the Praetoriani are trained. The Imperial Military Academy trains some of the finest officers anywhere in Terracopia, and several hundred graduate each year. About three-quarters of the graduates are in the Praetoriani, and the rest in the Legions; however, in recent years, the numbers have become more balanced, even as the University of Napoli has taken on more military officers.

The Imperial Military Academy has access to the logbooks of almost every ship in the Imperial Navy, excluding those lost at sea, sunk in battle, surrendered, or defected. The logbook archives for the Legions are sparser - the Legions have been defeated more often in battle, and sometimes logbooks are lost; however, there are enough to create detailed reconstructions of most of the major battles of the Empire of Roma and the Empire of Pompeii. The logbooks are kept in the Library of Pompeii, but they are accessible to those in the Imperial Military Academy should they apply for the proper clearances; almost all of them do.

The Imperial Military Academy is somewhat unusual in that it trains both land and sea officers with the same courses. They learn side-by-side. Legion, Praetoriani, and Navy allegiances are set aside in the classroom, and each graduate of the Imperial Military Academy is expected to know about the strategy and tactics of all three services. This has led to many cross-postings, and has allowed officers in the Praetoriani to assume postings in the Imperial Navy for the Blight Legion.

The Blight Legion is the exit for about three-quarters of the current graduates; those that are not going to the Blight Legion are expected to either serve in one of the legions in another city, or to enter the Civil Service to deal with military affairs. The Blight is claiming officers at a record rate, and the Imperial Navy has many Praetoriani filling its officer posts. They make good captains and commanders, even if they do get seasick often. Even with the cross-postings in place, Praetoriani are mainly used to fill in the gaps in a crew - few ships have a mostly-Praetoriani crew.

The newest courses at the Imperial Military Academy deal with the use and deployment of Airships, the effective and clear deployment of Legions to fight the Blight, amphibious operations on hostile shores, and the most diplomatic means of establishing and maintaining an effective liaison with other countries' militaries, especially in the field. While these courses represent a departure from previous practice, they are also very effective, and many who have gone through them report that their in-the-field experiences are smoother. Recent graduates of the Imperial Military Academy are preferred for this reason for postings requiring international expertise.

Many of the courses taught at the Imperial Military Academy are taught by rotating instructors from the field, so their knowledge of the current situation is very deep. There are also a number of foreign officers teaching at the Imperial Military Academy - this has been only in recent years, however, and no foreign service member is allowed to serve as a student at the Academy.

[edit] Senatorial Quarter

[edit] The Great Senate Chambers

The Great Senate Chambers are in the center of the Senatorial Quarter.

The Great Senate Chambers are historically where the Senate voted. However, as Senate votes in the chamber have been suspended given the current Blight, the Great Senate Chambers have been turned over to the Emperor to use as a center of coordination for the war effort. The ancient Senate desks and the sheaf-and-staff of the Senate seal have been removed from the Chambers, and now magicians and tacticians from across the Empire coordinate the Imperial war efforts here. The offices of the Senators, on the second floor, have been turned over to the Legati for their use.

The Senate Chambers were square. The northwest wall was the President of the Senate's podium, from which he maintained order, and behind him was the sheaf-and-staff of the Senate. The northeast wall was where the Senators from Napoli were seated. The southeast wall was where the Senators from cities elsewhere in the Empire were seated, and the southwest wall was where the Senators from the countryside across the Empire were seated. The seating reflected the acrimonious and deep divisions between the different factions and their concerns.

Now, the northwest wall is given over to a large map of the Blight region. The center of the chamber is an elevated terrain map, around which staff officers move pieces. The northeast and southeast walls are where officers, communicating magically with those near the front lines, keep track of events, relay orders, and call out troop movements. The southwest quadrant is where much of the strategic planning takes place - tables ringed with generals and diplomats. It is a subdued place, although rarely completely quiet.

Vittorio II brought the Senate to his bidding through posting Praetoriani guards in the chamber during votes he considered too important to be left unwatched. Eventually, he no longer needed the guards, and the Senate did what he wanted.

[edit] The Gallery of the Senate

The Gallery of the Senate was the art gallery of Senatorial acquisitions. It was known across Terracopia as one of the most complete collections of art from the Empire, and had one of the largest collections of ancient Atlantean art anywhere outside Atlantis. It was in a building adjacent to the Great Senate Chambers. The Gallery was built in an experimental style, reminiscent of Atlantis. It was made up of domes and hemispheres, with no straight exterior walls. The current building dates back three centuries, but there have been a Gallery of the Senate for seven hundred years on the site.

After the destruction of the Sculpture of the Senate, outside the Gallery, the Emperor had the collections moved to the Imperial Tower. It was felt that leaving them in the Gallery would mean that they would eventually be ransacked and destroyed by more angry mobs. Currently, the Gallery is being used as an office for the Praetoriani.

[edit] The Hall of Music

The Hall of Music, which stood for four centuries, was burned to the ground in 1024 PR. Public performances there had stopped the year before, and almost the entire interior was moved to the Imperial Tower and the Great Senate Chambers. The fire started during a private performance for Vittorio VII, who barely escaped with his life. He has not yet rebuilt the Hall of Music, citing other priorities.

The outside round wall still stands, but the interior is a charred mess of gravel; the larger stones were removed to build other buildings in the city. The Hall is often the site of amateur performances in the evenings by the immigrants who live in the surrounding areas, but the Praetoriani stop all performances at midnight, citing noise and disturbance laws.

It is still one of the liveliest places in the city. The Stage Floor, a still-intact slab of granite, is the stage for performances of one-act plays by various small groups from the Senatorial Quarter (and more than a few students from the University), and many of the plays are quite good. Small stalls line the outside wal with various foods and trinkets. The placement of stalls, the schedule of performances, and the upkeep of the Hall ruins are all done by a part of the division of the Senatorial civil service that had overseen the Hall before it burned; they work out of a small room in the Great Senate Chambers.

[edit] University Quarter

[edit] The University of Napoli

The University of Napoli was one of the foremost universities in Terracopia before the Blight, and it is still one of the most important and influential institutions, even after many of its top professors left for the Free Cities or Aquitania. It is the oldest university in Terracopia, founded in 410 PR. The Emperor addresses the University at the start of each year with a speech.

The curriculum, traditionally structured around the quadrivium of magic, music, mathematics, and astronomy, is considered very rigorous. The University uses a six-year program, with each student taking their examinations in the fourth year. The exams are very difficult, but the easiest one is the magic qualification. Part of the exam is qualifying in one of the three Imperial Permits for magic in their fourth year (Red for non-Imperial and non-military use, Green for Imperial use, and Blue for military use). Thus, each graduate of the University of Napoli is certified in the use of one kind of magic, which makes them useful across Terracopia (although few leave Napoli - very few other places have the same natural magical strength).

The astronomy qualification exam includes traveling to the Imperial Observatory and compiling a transit chart for an assigned star (this has led to the Stellar Archives, which is Terracopia's best astronomical archive, dating back nearly six centuries).

The mathematics examination requires the student to prove a set of statements either true or false in front of the board of examiners; they have 25 hours to prove or disprove them, and few finish before the 23 hour mark. Any student who completes the examination in less than 20 hours is considered to be extraordinary; Vittorio VII took 21 hours when he attended the University of Napoli.

The music examination involves both composing an original piece of at least five minutes in length, but also building the instrument that it is to be performed on. About a fifth of students who take the examination create entirely new designs for instruments; many of them succeed.

Graduates of the University of Napoli are well-trained, and many of them take professorships at other universities across Terracopia.

[edit] The Bookseller of Napoli

The Bookseller of Napoli is a small shop just east of the University, taking up the entire first floor of a building. The Bookseller has many odd and rare volumes from within the Empire. However, what is notable about the shop is not the rare books, but the café and the gifts granted to the Bookseller by students of the University, grateful for his coffee and late hours (or those unable to settle their tab another way). The collection of musical instruments here (made by students for their music examinations) is top-notch, and contains the first of the great Brindisi cellos.

The Bookseller holds regular concerts of the students at the University in his café (but admission is restricted to those either currently enrolled in the University, alumni of the University, professors at the University or those who graduated from another University and are sponsored by a professor); the performers are usually exceptionally-talented, and Vittorio VII is a regular attendee.

[edit] Library of Pompeii

The Library of Pompeii, established by Vittorio II, is one of the foremost collections of printed works in the world. It is in a great domed building, one of the tallest in the city. The Library of Pompeii was originally established to catalog the works of the Empire, but it quickly branched out into works from abroad. The Librarians have studiously maintained the collection of books. newspapers, and music, and they invented the form-catalog system, which uses a combination of colors, numbers, and letters to precisely locate every work in the archive. Few have the right to take a work out of the library, but many can come here to browse.

They must be a member first, however. Membreship is a complex process, but Senators (both sitting and retired), members of the Imperial Family, and Legati automatically receive access; other people must rent a library card on a yearly basis.

The use of magic is forbidden in the library, and only the Chief Librarian (a post appointed by the Emperor) may use any magic at all (and only then in an adjacent building), mostly for mending worn books. All magical instruments and weapons are confiscated at the door, and all visitors are checked throughly. This is to protect the collection from damage, but, when combined with the labyrinthine stacks, it makes the library a private place, where visitors need not fear for their lives. Many a pursued noble has taken refuge in the library to catch their breath.

A number of Senators fled here to avoid the round-up after the Blight, saying they were safer in the library. Vittorio VII agreed, and had quarters built for them. He dubbed them the Librarian-Senators, and hired them as librarians. The Librarian-Senators, since then, have lived on the Library grounds, and read many books. They are among the most knowledgeable and courteous of the librarians, but can frequently be found in one of the couch-circles, reading esoteric works and debating with each other and passersby - in hushed tones, of course. It is quite a spectacle.

[edit] Magic Quarter

[edit] Caverns of Napoli

The Caverns of Napoli, originally created from mining, then hollowed out by magic when magicians started moving down there, are inhabited, with buildings covering the sides, and one even stretches out under the harbor. The more powerful magic-users live down here, in part because the magic here is very strong.

The Caverns of Napoli are where the most powerful magical items in the Empire are made, in small shops dispersed about the caverns. The three entrances to the surface - the First Shaft, the Second Shaft, and the New Shaft - have large magical elevators for transport up to the surface and down to the Caverns. Almost everything that is required in the Caverns is brought down by the Shafts.

The Caverns have Terracopia's most advanced magic infrastructure. This infrastructure, called the Cavern System, brings air, water, and light to all residences in the Caverns, and maintenance of this system is a top priority. The Cavern System is the top employer of Red and Green Permit-holders in the Empire, and they can be distinguished by their metal-sided carts painted with the sun-and-raindrop symbol of the Cavern System.

The heaviest users of the Cavern System are the secret, guarded military regions, referred to generally as the Harbor Cavern.

[edit] The Harbor Cavern

The Harbor Cavern is the heart of the Empire's most secret research lab. Little is known about the most secret projects taking place there; however, some of the projects are publicly-known.

The Imperial Airship development program was headquartered here, with the testing base in a secret testing base in the middle of the island of Pompeii. Many of the plans and technical expertise for the project was supplied by the Medicia after the Striking of Mila, and it is said that only the Medicia's help allowed the Empire to build airships. The Empire had many of the magic parts in place, but not enough of the Steam knowledge.

The gradual and effective refinements of the magic systems in the Empire have mostly stemmed from here. More efficient water delivery has led to the expansion of the water grids in the past century.

Rumors speak of the development of magic systems that would allow ships to move faster and stay longer on-station before needing repairs, of magic shields for the legions, and of rudimentary defenses against the Blight. One particularly common rumor is that the Empire has developed an "underwater airship". However, no evidence of this has yet been produced.

[edit] History

[edit] The Founding of Napoli

The city of Napoli was originally founded somewhere between -700 PR and -200 PR. It was never very large before the Great Rising; a small port city with strong magic, Napoli did not have the population or the agricultural resources that other regions of the Empire commanded, so it played a very minor role.

However, in the aftermath of the Great Rising, the remnants of the Empire of Roma quickly coalesced around Napoli due to the stronger magic available there (a consequence of the volcanoes and the earthquakes in the region). The alignment of Legati and Aeliae behind the Emperor at this time, the Coalescence, initially had no geographic focus.

[edit] The Rise of the Empire of Pompeii and the City of Napoli

The Emperor chose to place his capital in Pompeii during the Coalescence, in 23 PR, and he declared that he had sole authority over the city. He made this decision based on both the good natural harbor and the strong magical environment. With this decisive action, he was able to regain the initiative, and the Empire of Pompeii expanded to its maximum historic extent. The machinery of Imperial government was set up in the city over the next few centuries; with the Emperor holding sole authority over the city, he was able to effectively and efficiently rule Napoli, while the Senate ruled most of the remainder of the Empire.

However, the balance of power was maintained between the Senate and the Emperor. The Emperor's power declined, in general, but it was always enough to assert his control over Napoli directly. He did give the civil administration of the Senatorial Quarter to the Senate, but this was an informal arrangement, and the precise extent of it was the subject of much debate. However, when Vittorio I rose to power in 835 PR, he was able to assert his control over the entire city itself, and reduced the role of the Senate in the city itself to a purely advisory one.

[edit] The Rise of the Senate

At the start of the year 875 PR, Napoli was firmly under the control of Vittorio II, a strong, virile Emperor. He was one of the last of the "strong" emperors, reversing centuries of Senate control and wielded considerable control over the Senate, as well as standing up to the Medicia. However, in 875 PR, Vittorio II suffered a paralytic episode, an event which left him a near-drooling shell of his former leonine presence.

The Senate took advantage of the weakened Vittorio II and enacted several laws intended to strengthen their control over the city. At first, they declared that they were unable to "freely design laws for the good of the people" as long as they continually "felt the shadow of the Imperial sword upon their necks". Thus, the Praetoriani were forbidden to arm themselves fully, and were greatly reduced in number.

Over the next several years, several additional laws were passed, each aimed and wresting some subtle control of the city from the power of the Emperor. Finally, the only rights left to the throne were the right to declare martial law and to pay the soldiers of the city.

In 880 PR, Vittorio II died, and his successor (Vittorio III) was assassinated by the Medicia during his coronation in what is referred to as the Crown of the Medicia incident.

After Vittorio II's death by illness and Vittorio III's assassination, his grandson, Vittorio IV found himself politically hamstrung. He was unable to reassert control over his own empire without suffering extreme political backlash: without a reason for martial law, the people would not accept it, and he was young enough to be completely manipulated by the Senate. During Vittorio IV's reign, the Senate was unchecked, and took more and more power over the entire Empire. Vittorio IV eventually died, going down in history as one of the weakest and most ineffectual leaders in the Empire's history. The Senate took an increasing amount of power over the city itself in subtle ways - the appointments of civil servants, their powers and scope, and the placement of government buildings all became Senate-controlled.

The next several emperors were not much more powerful, with Vittorio VI even lamenting that he was powerless to do more than convene the University and christen ships.

[edit] Vittorio VII

Vittorio VII was crowned in 1012 PR and at first it seemed that he would follow in his father's footsteps as a weak-willed figurehead. In fact, before the destruction of Mila, there were many discussions in the Senate to simply remove the Emperor from the picture entirely.

However, the destruction of Mila by the Corruption in 1022 PR changed all that. Contrary to the perception of the Senate, Vittorio was both clever and ruthless, and in one night took complete control of Napoli by declaring martial law. Over the next week, he utterly defanged the Senate, and within a month had returned control of the Empire to the throne.