The planet Tiber (/ˈtaɪbər/) lies within the centre of the Empire's core and is one of two habitable planets within Planetary Star System designation #0406, or Alvero in the Imperial Standard Nomenclature. House Eridanus, who control the planetary government, has given the planet the moniker "The Jewel of the Empire."
Tiber is also the name of the planet's largest and centrally located river.
Major cities and Important Locations
Cities
Tyr (Capital)
The Eridanii capital of Tyr is the pinnacle of city planning. A young city, every step of Tyr’s growth and development has been designed to the very block. In 2892, a recovering HEX and rising commodities values left the Eridanii with an abundance of ambition and resources. The damaged Tiberum was no longer able to keep pace with the massive demands of the sector’s economy. That year, the Triumvirate authorized funding and commissioned Countess Eridanus Jade Constantine to construct a new capital. The ancient, pre-Scream city of Messop had been a monument to the old ways, and it was atop these ruins by the sea that the monument to the new would be erected. The Countess set about the assemblage of experts to assist in the new city’s construction and planning. Urbifex Fornax Syksson Oluwalade was among the best structural engineers of the age, and she was tasked with building the foundations of Tyr atop the old ruins in a way that preserved the old city below. Lord Electrical Engineer Triangulum Corelvic Dorn devised a new form of solar array capable of being integrated into the transit ways throughout the city as well as the exterior faces of large buildings. And lastly, Meret Lyra Ibram Welmira assisted the project as an aesthetic designer and consultant; her greatest contribution was Darkwater Station, now Tiber’s largest spaceport. The city now houses the House Eridanus Exchange (HEX) and all House Eridanus governmental offices. The ruins and canals of Messop below the city are now popular tourist attractions for those interested in pre-Scream culture.
Aurem
The largest inland city on Tiber, Aurem, is unique in that it has no natural water connection. However, the Dita d’Oro canals crisscross the jungles linking the city and its surrounding farms back to the to the major arteries of the planet. The casinos of Aurem are famous around the sector and attract millions of tourists despite less-than-picturesque landscape surrounding the city.
Conflux
Located at the site where several rivers coming together to form the mighty Ptolemy river, The Conflux is an important trade center of Tiber. The harbor brings together people from all over the sector making the city one of the more cosmopolitan locales of the Eridani homeworld and a great place to find cuisine from across Acheron Rho. The high volume of traffic has left The Conflux littered with enormous stacks of discarded shipping containers some of which have been repurposed as housing or storage. The Eridanus Board of Securities Exchange has it's headquarters in Conflux.
Eridania
In the valley between the jungled hills of Agrestis and the Specula Mountains is Eridania, an impressive 90,000 square kilometers of cleared jungle. Here the landscape is made up of vineyards dedicated to growing the specialty bred grapes and exotic fruits that are used to make Tiber’s signature wines and brandy. Many Eridanus nobles call this land home, living in expansive villas with Tuscan architectural themes. Also home to the famous Chrysos Mill, a town known for it’s high fashion, bespoke tailoring, and other offerings of opulence. Trilliant’s Tiberian Facet, Chrysos Villa, is also located here.
Estuaria
At the mouth of the Tiber river where the blue-green river meets the amethyst seas lies the city of Estuaria. The confluence of the meeting of river and ocean makes Estuaria a prime spot for fishing, both industrial and for sport. Both the gateway to the largest river, and to the planet in general, the city is home to the largest aquatic port and serves as the “front door” of Tiber and the city of Tyr.
Ostia
Lake Ostia is the headwaters of the Po River. The Denari Locks provide a navigable passageway for riverine barges and water ships to step up the waterfalls into the blue waters of Lake Ostia. The lakeside city of Ostia is the largest spaceport in the southern hemisphere of Tiber and is the greatest source of lake fish.
Tiberum
The old capital, Tiberum is now a shadow of its former self. The HEX crash of 2874 doomed many building projects and patricians of the city never recovered. Remnants of the opulent old city remain only symbolically, all official business has left for Tyr. Rundown housing blocks for workers stretch for miles under a grand canopy of trees, home networks of subversive factions preying on the un-indentured peasants.
Tributaria
Tributaria would be an unremarkable satellite city of Tiberium if were not the home to the infamous Borsorosso. At the Red Market, also known as the debtor's market, danista can sell the debt they own, effectively selling the services of the debitrix who owe it. While the market has been the bane of many, it has saved others from ending up a debitrix themselves.
Venoa
A popular vacation spot this small waterfront city is known for its impressive architecture and many alleys and passageways that are below sea-level. These small spaces make secluded getaways for those looking to have discreet encounters or to escape the crowds during the annual post-tax day festival. All over the city visitors will notice statues and reliefs of the winged whale, a symbol of the city’s founding family.
A dock in Venoa can take visitors to the Stordiz Private Archipelago and the variety of tourist attractions in the region. One can also find House Lyra's main Tiberian Embassy in the city.
Vienistria
Built on a small spit of solid land in the mouth of the Mirna Delta, Vienistria is a marvel of engineering. As the population boomed after the end of the second civil war the towering buildings began to sway and even bend over the river. Harnessing the way the skyscrapers were arching, a team of engineers supported the mushrooming shape with anti-grav engines and a complex tether system. The result is a wonder to behold.
Locations
The Canals of Mesop
An underground maze of water-filled canals, they are the remains of the pre-Scream metropolis of Mesop. With the construction of Tyr, the new capital of Tiber, Mesop has now been relegated to a tourist attraction for those with an interest in the pre-Scream era. It is also common to see couples on romantic trips around the waterways.
Cupole-di-Splendore
The Agrestis Mountains, just 40 km south of Eridania, is home to the spectacular and dazzling event space of Cupole-di-Splendore (also known as the splendor caverns, or the brilliant domes). Cooled by the rocks, these caves are a respite from both the heat of the planet’s atmosphere and the constant air conditioning in the cities that battle it. In various areas of the caves sparkling gemstones line the walls, in others iridescent and rainbow-colored stalagmites and stalactites appear to erupt from the ground and descend from the domed ceilings. However the greatest attraction is the main stage, a massive blue and white geode with an internal diameter of half a kilometer, that can seat an audience of four hundred thousand (400,000)!
Cristallo Bridge
The Cristallo Bridge is a 12 lane bridge stretching over the Ptolemy river measuring some 78 meters in width. The formerly named Malnati Bridge stood as a symbol of House Eridanus’ commitment to the continued flow of commerce and trade. Once serving hundreds of thousands of people a day, the bridge was rendered obsolete by the construction of another bridge several kilometers upstream. Since then the bridge has been converted into a cozy public meeting area. As of 3199, the bridge’s midsection has been replaced with a transparent crystalline material to allow visitors to watch the flowing river below.
Juliana’s Palace
The largest casino on the Aurem Strip is an exact replica of the Empress Eridanus Juliana’s Imperial Palace from Imperial Prime. A pinnacle of pre-Scream and early empire architecture, the Juliana’s Palace also serves as a venue for the greatest acts on the sector. The 100,000 person opera house is lined with decadent gold and black columns, gilded furnishings, and plush blue velvet seating.
The Vault
The old safe of the Eridanus Imperial Bank before it was moved to Tyr and dispersed to other secure locations, The Vault is a comedy club in the city of Tiberium. Ownership of The Vault is constantly in flux and is given to poor and hapless Viscounts to ensure that the grimy mismanaged feel of a comedy club is maintained. Rumors have it that the club is a recruitment center for the Tax Breachers, the clandestine Eridanii mafia.
Ecosystem
Tiber is a planet rich with beautiful and exotic plant and animal life. Its warm and nearly planet-wide tropical conditions have created a perfect breeding ground for colorful and unique life.
The oceans are also full of completely unique life but perhaps even stranger to many in the empire is the unique shade of purple of the oceans of Tiber. Although a mystery for many years, recent scientific studies have determined that the coloration comes from massive blooms of a unique breed of algae that grows in the deepest parts of the ocean. This algae has in layman's terms 'stained' the oceans a lightish purple that many have compared to liquid amethysts. This strange occurrence has further aided to the nickname of Tiber as Jewel of the Empire. This strange coloration has not contaminated the water, proven through many scientific studies and generations upon generations of consuming the water all across the planet, however, new studies have begun to further understand the properties of this algae. Many Eridanii hope that the plant has some practical use so that it may be used to make a lucrative and taxable product.
Sky Whales
Over the lush green jungles and amethyst seas, reams of Tiberian sky whales drift through the clouds along rivers of air. The iconic animal of Tiber, sky whales are gentle giants who watch over the peaceful planet. They feed predominantly on insects caught in their massive mouths during flight. By doing so the whales provide a great service to the people of Tiber by quelling the number of bugs which bite and sometimes spread disease.
Sky Whale Watching and is a popular pastime for many on Tiber. The gambling Eridanii also conduct Sky Whale Speed Registration games where contestants attach harmless tracking darts tagging the whales and must accurately file the appropriate paperwork, in triplicate of course, faster than their opponents. Contestants, upon winning, are given the opportunity to freely name the Whale.
Lacertillers
Scaled amphibious quadrupeds that resemble armoured otters. They are omnivores that are hardy enough to survive anywhere on Tiber including urban rivers. Ranging in a wild range of colors, a proposed blue, gold and white Lacertiller is prophesied to live deep in the jungle.
- see more detail on Tiberian Flora and Fauna
History and Culture
For an in-depth description of Eridanii noble culture see House Eridanus Culture
The origins of the name Tiber have been lost to time and history. Some claim it comes from a grand king or emperor of an ambitious and world-spanning empire. Were the Eridanii a different kind of people one would expect this to give them dreams and pretensions of Imperial glory; however, the Eridanii people rarely desire such accolades and instead prefer to be trusted advisors and administrators of the Imperial Exchequer and Administration.
Another theory is that the name Tiber comes from an ancient and important Terran river; though many disregard this as fancy born of the Eridanii’s own fascination of the rivers of their homeworld, a feature that has influenced much in their culture and speech. The planet Tiber resides within the perfect habitable ring of the system and as such has developed a climate and atmosphere that is exemplarily suited for human habitation. The climate across much of the planet is warm and tropical with a few cooler areas found at the poles and on the few mountainous peaks. The topography of the world is not overly unique consisting of a few large continents divided by a number of large purple oceans. Each of these oceans is dotted by sandy tropical islands that serve as popular vacation destinations, each owned and operated by enterprising Eridanii noble families. Each of the continents is notable for its high number of rivers that twist and wind through the land. To early inhabitants of Tiber, these rivers were a lifeblood that provided food and trade connections. This reliance on the rivers further ingrained the importance of water and the flow of the necessities of life as an important facet of Eridanii culture. The beauty of the planet and its many islands, oceans, and coastlines has attracted the attention of many and is home to billions of loyal imperial families from lowly serfs that inhabit the megatowers of Tiber’s cities to the vast sprawling royal estates of the Eridanii nobility.
Tiber serves as the trade hub and home headquarters of House Eridanus and as such is often a bustling metropolis of a planet with the comings and goings of numerous trade ships. The spaceports found on nearly every continent rarely sleep with ships coming and going at all hours carrying crew, supplies, trade goods, ambassadors, and luxuries from all across the empire and destined to every location under the Imperial reign. The offices of the Eridanii headquarters are located here and serve as the treasurers and financial auditors of the empire.
The people of Tiber work hard to maintain the bureaucratic efficiency and pay the highest taxes of any people within the Empire. Their taxes, however, do not disappear into the nebulous void that rivals of the Eridanii would have one believe, but instead are fed back into the public works of the entire planet. Universal free healthcare upon Tiber is the best of the entire empire and none are turned away for any reason, illness, or injury. Public transportation is handled with excellent care and is updated regularly and evenly across the entire world. All trains, ships, skycraft, and other forms of transportation are provided by these taxes from the offices of the Trilliant Ring.
Tiberian Dialect
The planet Tiber is unique in that the native language of the populace is Imperial standard. Scholars of linguistics and historians of pre-Scream Acheron Rho often debate whether or not Tiber was the home planet of the language. Whereas Imperial Prime has a largely homogeneous dialect with pockets of immigrant communities creating amalgamated speech patterns, Tiber is home to hundreds of distinct but closely related dialects. The case still rests if that there are possibly thousands, but some shift, split, and merge too often to pin down an exact number.
Broadly grouped into High Imperial, the dialect of the nobility and most closely related to Prime’s dialect, and Bastard Imperial the language of the commoners with various regional distinctions. Tiberian natives don’t have to ask each other where they are from because of the idiosyncrasies of how one word or another is pronounced may differentiate between one side of a mountain pass or street from the other.
Corp Cant
In addition to High Imperial nobles of Tiber are often familiar with Corp Cant, a semi-coded language of House Eridanus and the various corporations of the Sector.
Architecture
One of the most striking things about the Eridanii homeworld is the architecture of the Eridanii themselves. Historians of ancient Terra have compared it to a mixture of the towering monolithic buildings of ancient Dubai and the grand architecture of the noble Venetian Republic of whom little remains. These constructions are commonly built with a special obsidian-like stone and dark metals. Many of these are built into grandiose and opulent structures. Most of the House Eridanus offices and meeting halls are marked by the striking black structures with accents of silvers and golds and glass. The streets of Tiber’s many vasts cities are a maze of twisting and flowing paths that often form into spirals similar to the waters of the planets many rivers. These streets are connected as they spiral outwards by flyways that connected the various twisting branches. Visitors often find themselves lost and confused as they attempt to navigate these pathways, often stumbling into many of the more exotic and enticing shops, betting halls, and other tourist traps common to the entrepreneurial practice of House Eridanus.
Local Specialty
H.E.X.
The H.E.X. (House Eridanus eXchange) is the Eridanii run and managed stock exchange for the various corporations and the productive noble houses. It allows the industrious citizens of the Empire to purchase stocks, funding our noble houses and corporations in their endeavors. In return, their stocks may improve and may be sold at a higher price. This promotes competition between the various corporations as well as solidarity among the houses. The headquarters of HEX is located in Tyr, the capital city of Tiber. Many traders, businessmen, and stock brokers from across the Empire travel to Tiber to work and monitor the HEX This travel and the infrastructure around it has become a multi-billion credit industry. High end temporary residences, restaurants, and entertainment venues from lounges and clubs to sports and recreation establishments of all kinds have been built and expanded to accommodate these travelers. Many lower status Eridanii have achieved fame, fortune, and status through cunning exploitation of these needs.
Due to the recent disruptions with the fall of House Cygnus, the HEX trade floor had been closed but the Eridanii are happy to announce that it has recently reopened its floors to allow the investors of all the houses access to their shares once again. The dedicated Eridanii staff and analysts keep a careful watch on the news, rumors, business dealings throughout the sector to predict any major shifts and changes in the worth of stock
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