Etruria (WOD)

Etruria was a commercial empire of twelve city-states throughout northern Italy that predated, and was eventually surpassed, by Rome.

The first Etruscan cities were founded by refugees from Asia Minor in the 13th century, shortly after the Trojan War. Their culture had many similarities to the Greek culture of the period, including the names of the gods, but their language was wholly unrelated to either Greek or Latin.

Etruscan priests specialized in two types of magic, necromancy and prophecy. The empire was famous for their oracular powers, and they even predicted their own downfall: as Rome, once their colony, grew more powerful, it began to conquer the Etruscan cities one by one. Larth Fulumchva, the high priest of Tarchna (modern Tarquinia), transformed himself to the world's first liche in order to resist this conquest, but was trapped by Roman mages from the Cult of Mercury.

While some elements of Etruscan culture lingered for many centuries after their conquest, today the language is completely unknown outside the Pallottino family, a branch of the Euthanatos tradition who carry on Etruscan magical traditions in the modern day.