Rome

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Rome (罗马)
Alias(es)	Roman Empire; Western Roman Empire; New Roman Empire; Holy Roman Empire; New Rome 71 212 213
Occupation/Role	Imperial state, civilization, and political identity whose legitimacy is central to multiple conflicts 212 233
Status	Repeatedly reconstituted under different rulers; unified under Artorius in the Nero-era conflict and later expanded through the New Human History 236 284 285
First Appearance	Chapter 4

History

Decline of the Western Empire

Rome enters the story in decline. Britannia, Hispania, Gaul, and Lower Germania have fallen or slipped from central control, while Britannia fractures into smaller kingdoms after Roman authority recedes. Lucius Tiberius becomes Western Roman Emperor and wins campaigns against barbarian forces in an attempt to restore the Empire. 4

Lucius offers Britannia recognition and pardon if it returns to Roman rule, threatening military invasion if it refuses. Arthur rejects the demand, making Rome’s attempted reassertion of authority the immediate cause of their conflict. 4

Despite its political weakness, late Western Rome retains major remnants of the Age of Gods. It fields magi, magical weapons, Giants, and other Phantasmal Beasts, while Lucius himself possesses divine and monstrous sources of power. 13 16

Artorius’s Roman Empire

Arthur initially enters Roman service as a “Saxon prince,” offering troops in exchange for Rome lifting Britannia’s grain embargo. He swears fealty to Lucius, but uses the arrangement to build an independent military and political base. 11 12

Lucius appoints Arthur Governor of Upper Germania after learning that they share an interest in resisting the Counter Force and the decline of the Age of Gods. Arthur’s subsequent growth alarms Lucius and neighboring Roman governors. 16

The Germans acclaim Arthur as Artorius I, and his declaration of independence leaves Lucius facing a two-front crisis. 64 Arthur defeats Lucius at Ravenna, annexes Italy and North Africa, and becomes the recognized successor to Roman imperial legitimacy. 71

Period	Development	Result
Western Roman decline	Rome loses control over major western territories while Lucius attempts reconquest.	Britannia resists reintegration; imperial authority remains unstable. 4
Arthur’s Roman service	Arthur joins Rome nominally as a Saxon prince and is made Governor of Upper Germania.	He gains an army, territory, and political influence within the Roman system. 11 12 16
Artorius’s rebellion	Arthur is acclaimed Emperor by the Germans and marches on Italy.	Lucius is defeated; Artorius inherits Rome’s legitimacy. 64 71
Holy Roman Empire	Artorius reorganizes the restored western state under a new name.	The Empire begins centralized reforms, reconstruction, and expansion. 71
Nero-era Rome	Arthur establishes New Rome as his capital in a separate first-century conflict and intervenes in Nero’s Roman civil war.	Rome is unified after the defeat of United Rome and the Demon God Pillars. 212 213 236
New Human History	The Roman Pantheon expands across the Mediterranean and beyond under Artorius’s rewritten history.	Rome becomes the core civilization of a planet-spanning human order. 284 285

Rome as an Identity

Rome is treated as more than a city, ethnicity, or succession of governments. Arthur describes it as a concept with a history spanning more than two thousand years. 211

During the defense of Byzantium, Arthur turns local inhabitants into “Romans” through the idea of a shared nation and people. Craftsmen, farmers, merchants, sailors, soldiers, and surrounding villagers cease to be defined as Scythians, Thracians, Dacians, or Greeks and accept a common Roman identity. 212

Arthur rejects the idea that Rome should remain a privileged city supported by colonies. He declares his Rome to be an “Empire of All Humanity,” rather than a slave-based city-state ruling the Mediterranean. 233

“You are Rome.” — Romulus recognizing Artorius as the future and fullest expression of Rome 233

Roman Legitimacy

Romulus, Rome’s Divine Ancestor, carries exceptional symbolic and mystical authority. Any Roman faction supported by him gains immense legitimacy and morale; a faction opposing him risks viewing itself as fighting against Rome itself. 233

Romulus ultimately recognizes Artorius’s state as a superior, future-oriented Rome. He surrenders his army before being forced into a final battle by Demon God corruption. 233 234

Government and Society

Artorius’s Model

Aspect	Nero’s Rome	Artorius’s Rome
Citizenship	Rome privileges the city’s citizens while provincials remain exploited and excluded. 230	Citizenship is intended to encompass the Empire’s whole population. 231
Labor	Slavery and large slave-owning interests underpin society. 230 231	Workers are free citizens working for their own welfare. 231
Administration	Powerful senators, nobles, and slave owners can obstruct reform. 231	Administration is rooted in villages and grassroots governance under central authority. 231
Economy	Wealth is concentrated in Rome and spent sustaining a decadent lifestyle. 230	A unified internal market is designed for overall development rather than the benefit of specific classes. 231

Following his victory over Lucius, Artorius introduces a five-year reconstruction plan: roads are repaired with cement, canals are dug, rivers dredged, tram systems established, and Mediterranean, North Sea, and Baltic trade revived. Agriculture is expanded through forest clearing, swamp reclamation, new farms, and pastures. 71

The Artorian state reforms its laws, taxes, economy, and government while exercising strict control over religious institutions. Religious corporations must pay taxes, cannot accumulate large estates, and are managed through the Bureau of Nationalities and Religions. 71 84

Public health infrastructure—including sewers, water supply, waste disposal, aqueducts, water towers, public baths, and toilets—is restored or expanded before Roman technical knowledge is lost. 119

Nero’s Reforms

After marrying Arthur and being entrusted with Rome’s rule, Nero launches the Roman New Deal. Her measures include appointing commoners and former slaves as officials, abolishing tax farming, redistributing land, expanding provincial citizenship, promoting education and science, freeing slaves, and reforming finance and public infrastructure. 239

The Roman Senate opposes these reforms, declares Nero a public enemy, and attempts to assassinate her. Nero responds by abolishing the Senate and replacing it with an Assembly of Citizens. 239

Military and Mystical Resources

• Roman formations — Lucius’s army uses disciplined Roman infantry formations that defeat imitators, supported by active battlefield spellcasters. 13
• Magi and Phantasmal Beasts — Late Western Rome possesses tens of thousands of magi, powerful magical resources, and tamed beings such as Giants. 16
• Roman-style legions — Artorius fields more than 70,000 troops, including over 2,000 elite knights and over 2,000 magicians; his forces use long-spear formations, plate armor, and enchanted mobile ballistae. 60
• Roman Legion transformation — In the Nero-era conflict, Arthur’s E@@REF_ENTITY_1151105@@-rank “Roman Legion” skill turns civilians and soldiers into elite Roman forces equipped with improved phalanx tactics, heavy crossbows, armored cavalry, and dragon-marked shields. 212
• New Rome’s industry — New Rome possesses immense Theodosian Walls, magical crystal cannons, automated shipyards, automated factories, and high-density urban construction. 212 213

Relationships

• Lucius Tiberius — Western Roman Emperor who seeks to reunify Rome; first employs Arthur, then becomes his principal rival and is defeated at Ravenna. 4 12 71
• Artorius Pendragon — Dragon Emperor who inherits Roman legitimacy, founds the Holy Roman Empire, and reshapes Rome into a centralized imperial project. 71 84
• Nero Claudius — Emperor of first-century Rome; allies with and later marries Arthur, then governs Rome through the Roman New Deal after his departure. 215 239
• Romulus — Divine Ancestor and founder of Rome; recognizes Artorius as the most fitting embodiment of Rome and entrusts his army to him. 233
• Eastern Roman Empire — Initially maintains mutual recognition and peace with Artorius’s western state, but later competes with it under Justinian II. 71 164 170
• United Rome — Rival Roman faction assembled by Lev and led militarily by Servants including Caesar; defeated after Arthur’s intervention in Gaul and Hispania. 227 230 236
• Roman Pantheon — Mythic form of Rome in the New Human History, led by Artorius against rival pantheons and used to establish a new human order. 281 284

New Human History

In the New Human History, Rome is rewritten into an Age of Gods empire ruled by Artorius as the Father God. After defeating the Greek, Persian, Egyptian, Phoenician, Celtic, and other pantheons, the Roman domain unifies the Mediterranean region. 284

Artorius creates the first human, Romulus, as a primal Roman and appoints him consul responsible for imperial logistics. This Romulus is explicitly separate from the old history in which Romulus is the son of Mars. 284

Over successive imperial generations, Roman civilization develops Aether-based technology, modern cities, railways, roads, canals, airports, ports, and rising living standards. Rome’s Golden Age remains exclusive to its own territory, while regions outside its influence remain comparatively undeveloped. 284

Roman expansion eventually extends through Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe, Rus’, the Cumanian Steppe, Africa, India, Japan, and the Americas, spreading the concept of humanity across the planet. 285