Rome
The Roman Empire is the most powerful force in the Frontier Universe. They have established jump gates across human-colonized space, extending Rome's influence throughout vast regions of the cosmos. The Romans view space as the realm of the gods and pursue two primary objectives there: resource extraction and the search for the divine zones where the gods are believed to exist.
Rome has developed numerous colonial planets, building its wealth through large-scale resource mining. Because of its high profitability, many plebeians and provincial settlers migrate to these colonies to work in the mining industry. Some planets, however, have harsh and dangerous environments. While such conditions discourage many, the risks also promise enormous rewards.
Patricians, seeking to maximize their wealth, deploy large numbers of slaves to monopolize resource extraction on these perilous worlds.
In the Frontier Universe, the Romans are driven by a powerful motivation for space exploration. They believe their advanced technological civilization was made possible by a message sent to humanity by Prometheus. To them, space is a sacred realm, and they see themselves as being invited into the world of the gods.
Yet despite this divine mission, Rome's aggressive expansion across the stars has created growing challenges. The ever-increasing number of colonies has made it difficult to maintain control.
Contents
The Roman Empire, armed with alien knowledge, has conquered Terra (Earth) and leads interstellar exploration.
History
Origins
When Troy fell to the Greek coalition in the twelfth century BCE, Aeneas, a member of the Trojan royal line, escaped with his father Anchises, his son Ascanius, and the household gods. Leading a group of refugees, he wandered across the Mediterranean and briefly encountered Queen Dido of Carthage before finally reaching the region of Latium in central Italy. There, King Latinus welcomed him and, following an oracle, offered his daughter Lavinia in marriage. This angered Turnus, the Rutulian king who had been betrothed to her, and war broke out. Aeneas killed Turnus in single combat, secured victory, and founded Lavinium, uniting the Latins with the Trojan settlers.
After Aeneas’s death, his son Ascanius left Lavinium and built Alba Longa at the foot of Mount Alba. The city became the leading power of the Latin League. Generations later, a succession struggle broke out between Numitor and Amulius, sons of King Procas. Amulius seized the throne, deposed his elder brother, killed Numitor’s sons, and forced Numitor’s daughter Rhea Silvia into the order of the Vestal Virgins to prevent her from bearing heirs. Despite this, she gave birth to twin sons, Romulus and Remus, claiming that the god Mars was their father. Amulius imprisoned her and ordered the infants to be drowned in the Tiber, but the swollen river prevented this, and the servants set the babies adrift in a basket.
When the waters receded, the basket lodged near the Ficus Ruminalis, where a she-wolf found and suckled the twins. A shepherd named Faustulus later discovered them and, with his wife Acca Larentia, raised them as his own. The brothers grew into natural leaders among the local shepherds. As adults, they became entangled in a fight with the herdsmen of Alba Longa. Remus was captured and taken to Numitor, and during the interrogation the truth of their origins was revealed. Romulus gathered their companions, overthrew Amulius, and restored Numitor to the throne.
After reinstating their grandfather, the twins chose to found a new city near the site of their rescue along the Tiber. Romulus favored the Palatine Hill, while Remus preferred the Aventine, and the disagreement escalated. They turned to augury, seeking a divine sign from the flight of birds. Remus reportedly saw six vultures first, but Romulus claimed to have seen twelve. Each insisted that the gods supported him. In the ensuing clash, Remus mocked Romulus by leaping over the boundary of the new settlement, and Romulus killed him in anger, declaring that anyone who crossed his walls would meet the same fate.
Romulus then named the new city Rome, after himself. According to the Roman scholar Varro, the city’s foundation date was April 21, 753 BCE. As Rome’s first king, Romulus created the Senate, expanded the population, and established the basic institutions that would guide the early Roman state.
The Conquest of Egypt
In 30 BCE, Rome conquered Egypt, turning it into a Roman province. During this time, Rome gained access to the vast body of Codex knowledge preserved in the Library of Alexandria. Many scholars who had been active in the library came under the direct patronage of Roman aristocrats and continued their work interpreting the Codex.
From this point onward, Rome achieved unparalleled technological advancement and rapidly accelerated its expansion, embarking on a period of conquest that no other power could rival.
Technology
Jump Gates
In the Frontier Universe, jump gates are known in Latin as VIA IMPERII, meaning "Imperial Road".
Jump Gates are the core technology that allowed the Roman Empire to expand its influence across the galaxy. These structures are hyperspace transit gateways, essential infrastructure for deep space navigation. Through them, Rome was able to efficiently develop vast colonial planets, rapidly transport resources, and deploy military forces across its territories.
Hyperspace travel through Jump Gates requires at least two gates. Both a departure and an arrival gate must exist for travel to occur, which is crucial for round-trip navigation. This is why the Roman Empire always constructs Jump Gates in pairs or network clusters, ensuring stable two-way traffic between star systems.
Today, Jump Gates are one of the most critical infrastructures supporting Roman interstellar civilization. All ships using the network must pay a toll, and with countless vessels passing through the gates every day, this toll has become a major source of revenue for the Empire.
For more detailed information, see Jump Gate.
FENNEL Engine
This rocket engine is based on technology deciphered from the Codex, and its operating principle is strictly classified. The Codex Administrative Council designates it as one of the Roman Empire's strategic core technologies and maintains rigorous control over it.
“Prometheus hid fire inside the stalk of a fennel and gave it to humankind.
Now, with fennel in our hands, we are ready to visit him.”
— From the memoir of the Great Codex Interpreter of the FENNEL engine
Colonial Planets
To be revealed.
Collegium
Collegia occupy an extremely important position in the political and economic structure of Frontier Rome. They exist in countless forms across every industrial field. Most collegia operate under the patronage of Roman aristocrats, who provide political and financial support from behind the scenes. Through this backing, the collegia secure contracts, expand their enterprises, and generate profit. In return, these members offer political loyalty to their patrons and willingly pursue ventures that serve the patron's interests, maintaining a relationship of mutual benefit.
Among all collegia, the most profitable by far are those devoted to planetary exploration and resource extraction. Many Roman aristocrats fiercely compete to sponsor these expeditions, desperate to be the first to claim worlds rich in valuable materials. Although a patron cannot formally own a newly discovered planet, they gain the most advantageous rights to exploit its resources. Planetary exploration is extremely dangerous, yet the rewards for success are life-changing, which is why many impoverished free citizens volunteer for these missions in the hope of securing a better future.
Columbarium
A columbarium is a collective burial space operated by a funerary collegium. Members of the collegium shared the costs of construction and maintenance, and the facility was primarily used by freedmen, commoners, and lower-class citizens. It emerged as a response to rapid population growth and the financial burden of traditional burials, offering an economical alternative for those who could not afford private graves or large family tombs. Because of this function, many columbaria were built and managed collectively by specific families or collegia.
For collegia engaged in deep-space exploration, the situation is even more complex. Long-distance missions often involve a high risk of disappearance, meaning that some members pay into the columbarium system yet never return to make use of it, dying or vanishing during expeditions.
Members of the collegium regularly visit the columbarium to honor their deceased colleagues. These gatherings serve as communal rites through which the group collectively mourns the dead and reinforces its internal bonds.
Interior of a Roman Columbarium. These structures serve as collective burial sites for collegium members.
Schola Prospectorum
The Schola Prospectorum is one of the largest deep-space exploration collegia in Rome. Many Roman aristocrats sponsor the organization in hopes of discovering resource-rich planets suitable for high-quality mining operations. Outwardly, these aristocrats appear to cooperate by supporting the same collegium and presenting a unified front against rival organizations. In reality, they also compete among themselves to secure influence and profit.
Deep-space exploration collegia such as the Schola Prospectorum often include freedmen as members, but Roman nobles frequently free selected slaves and enroll them in the collegium for their own economic benefit. In these cases, nobles carefully choose slaves with strong physical and mental health before granting manumission.
These collegia travel aboard planetary survey vessels and use the jump-gate network to reach the gate closest to their target. After passing through the final gate, they continue on their survey ships for several months and compete with teams from other collegia for planetary mining rights. Survey vessels are stocked in advance with knives, blunt weapons, and similar tools. Upon landing, if another collegium’s team occupies the desired location, violent confrontations occur. Many explorers are injured, and in severe cases they disappear or are killed. The frequency of these incidents makes such losses feel almost routine.
Although successful missions bring substantial rewards from the collegium, the chances of success are low due to constant territorial competition. Even those who survive and return rarely talk about what happened, since keeping silent is often safer for their own protection.
Schola Prospectorum. One of the largest collegium buildings located in Ostia. Its primary business is planetary exploration and resource extraction.
Vestal Virgin
The Vestal Virgins play one of the most essential roles in Roman society, and in a Rome that has achieved interstellar civilization, their role is even more critical. They are chosen at a young age by the Pontifex Maximus of Vesta and dedicate themselves to maintaining the stability of Roman society for thirty years as Vestal Virgins. During this period, personal contact with their families is officially forbidden. They spend the first ten years receiving education, the next ten years actively performing their duties as priestesses, and the final ten years dedicated to training their successors. After their thirty years of service, they are free to engage in social activities, including marriage.
Their obedience to the goddess Vesta is absolute, though they are sometimes influenced by their networks with Roman aristocrats. Their daily lives are largely classified, and ordinary Romans cannot know their identities or whereabouts in detail. When traveling, they are accompanied by a dedicated escort, and though the escort is not large, it is clear from their movement that they are not of ordinary status.
One of their most fundamental duties is to travel through all star systems under Roman control and visit the planets where temples of Vesta have been established, inspecting whether the sacred fires continue to burn. Roman society considers the extinguishing of Vesta's flame, even in a single location, to be the most significant omen of misfortune that could befall Rome. As the Vestal Virgins travel through multiple star systems, they frequently meet with influential aristocrats in each region to assess the stability of local society. Additionally, when a new colonial planet is being developed, the Vestal Virgins accompany the advance party to the colony and are responsible for establishing the sacred flame of Vesta.
A Vestal Virgin, chosen at a young age, dedicates thirty years to maintaining the sacred flame of Vesta across Rome's colonial planets.
Culture
To be revealed.