Nestled on the very edge of the Tether Wilds is the walled town of Veritas. It is also known as "The Pen" by many both inside and outside the Embershard Kingdom due to its infamous underground prison that houses giants exclusively. Giants are born and die in Veritas as the Kingdom uses giants as enslaved manual labor. In fact the very prison that contains the giants to this day was once constructed by giants themselves although its original purpose is unclear.
Veritas is a human settlement and its people don't care for those they call "non-human". They tend not to trust them and some may even just refuse to talk or do business with those individuals. That is also not to say that all Veritians are this way. Some may show helpfulness or even kindness to those few that they encounter however, it is still with a drop of caution.
Veritas is ruled over by the Count or Countess. This title has been held for several generations by the Laurent (Lor-onn) family. The Laurent line of nobles is said to have established a vast fortune and maintain their seat on the council in Pluto with impunity. The current ruler is Count Charles Laurent of Veritas.
Veritas has a standing army of roughly 4,500 men and woman to defend itself. The walls of the city are made of Limestone and are 16 feet tall and 6 feet thick. The walls were made and then updated to contain more docile giants while they worked in the town proper so they are very tough and can last in a long siege. Giants also in a last ditch effort can be weaponized for war however, many would be reasonably uneasy at the thought of arming the giants and putting much faith in them for the defense of the town. Veritas has four gate houses that are depressed into the wall and gate towers to bottleneck any would be invaders while murder holes and arrow slots are utilized. The town also sports six giant crafted ballista capable of killing a Wyvern with one or two volleys. Trebuchet can also be made and fired over the walls from the inside to target enemies outside the walls.
Veritas may be more widely known for its capture and imprisonment of giants but its wealth comes from the trading industry that Veritas and the capital of Pluto have built on the back of the giants work. Lumber, stone and mineral deposits are all abundant here and sent out on the roads to other cities in exchange for wealth or private trade agreements between the most powerful and wealthy. The more abundant resources gathered by the locals consist of furs, honey, wine and a collection of different herbs such as saffron, nettle and cloves.
TRANSPORTATION- Carriages can take people from one point in the city to the next for a modest price. Carriages cost 2cp per person.
LIGHTING- Veritas has several well spaced oil lanterns on sturdy stone posts lining its streets and buildings. They are lit every night starting at 7pm in the summer and 6 in the winter. They are then extinguished at 5am in the summer mornings or 6am in the winter.
BUILDINGS & DECOR- Most buildings in Veritas are made of oak or walnut wood with stone. Government buildings however would be made strictly of either Limestone or Marble and are large and gothic in style and stature. They were constructed by giants and would be repaired or maintained by them as well. Most buildings here are between 3 to 5 stories high with the exception of private homes for personal use.
WATER- The residents have their water cleaned in small worked institutions paid for by the citizens taxes. Water can be purchased from taverns, water distribution centers, or traders of various wealth statues.
ECONOMY- The default currency of the world is the copper piece, also known as a copper bit. The typical Commoner makes about 1gp a week(so about 15cp a day).
Equipment in the 5th Edition Player Handbook up to 30gp is available through various shops throughout Veritas.
Veritas is a Pre-Necrophage settlement and its noble lines go back hundreds of years. Giants however are a fairly new addition to the city. During the Necrophage, Count Robert Laurent (Lor-onn) ordered his cavalry to encircle a migrating pack of Hill Giants passing through the Tether Wilds. After a long and hard fought fight, the giants were beaten and the rest enslaved. With giants collared and shacked, work progressed in Veritas and its nobles were protected by some of the fiercest creatures in the southern lands of the kingdom. To this day the Veritians hold giants captives who construct great works all across the kingdom when they are sent to do so. If any giant is "out of line" as it is often refereed: the beast is executed by the other giants and if any do not join in, they too are killed and made a lesson of to all the others. Its a cruel and evil system but to the folk of Veritas, it is just their way of life.
Veritas rests on the edge of the Tether Wilds where the Pale River tributary carves out a nice border between the two. Flanking the east side of the town is the Rachni Forest, infamous for its large colones of spiders and other similar horrors. However the rolling hills of the Tether Wilds are still present here and many large structures stand atop the largest hills in the town: making them visible works of architectural art from almost anywhere in town.
fur, honey, wine, opium, wheat, horses, nettle, wood, limestone, gemstones, copper, tin, coal, silver
