The Veracian Heartland

The heartland of the Veracian empire consists of three main territories; the original Veracian tribal lands, the lands across the Isen of the former Galbini and the lands of the barbarian tribes that originally inhabited the mountains around Brennus. Much of this land was forests, but an insatiable pressure for land led to widespread deforestation and a massive expansion in arable farming. The spring thaw of the snow around Brennus irrigated the farmland every year, and the temperate climate made Veracia a prime producer of grain and wheat.

Veracia, the capital city and home to around 35,000 people, was located on a large plain. Surrounded by high walls, the city was dominated by the Royal Citadel, a massive marble structure completed in 12 NRG. The Citadel formed the heart of the Royal Enclosure, a walled-off area of the city that contained council chambers, a small park, barracks for the Myrmidons and the Royal Horse Guards and the Hall of Kings, the resting place of the Veracian monarchs. Just outside the city was a small graveyard, where heroes of the empire were laid to rest.

Pellenore was the second city of the empire. The original home of the empire, founded by Siegfried himself, the city suffered from a poorly-designed layout: its narrow streets confusing and maze-like, and the granite from which it was made meant the city was dark and dismal. However, it was one of the most prosperous cities in the empire and contained around 18,000 people, thanks to its proximity to the port city of Gerouset (13,000 citizens).

Brennus was the home of the Veracian military, a fortress high in the mountains that housed armourers, shield-makers and leatherworkers, as well as the hundreds of other professions that were needed to keep the army functioning. Structurally functional rather than beautiful, the city's high walls meant that it could easily stand against barbarian invasions. At the height of the Veracian empire, Brennus was the home of twenty-five thousand Veracian infantrymen and 15,000 civilians.

Veracia was noticably more urbanised than its neighbours, with its hamlets rapidly growing into towns, developing their service centers. Industry, while small, was growing, and the prevalence of steel manufacturing meant that many of the tools used on the continent were made of Veracian steel.

Social

Veraica is highly bureaucratic in comparison to the countries around it. Each town has a governor, either civil or military, who organises tax collection, justice, the militia and the limited welfare provision. While the army is made up of volunteers, its maintenance requires a large number of armourers, horse breeders, leather-workers and other tradesmen. The Veracian military, therefore, occupies a privileged place in Veracian society.

Social structure is fairly fluid at the levels below the court. Those families who traced their descent from the families of Siegfried and his close companions tended to form an aristocracy, but below that individuals were distinguished by their own actions rather than those of their ancestors. Certain families developed military traditions, other tended towards the civil service, but these jobs were available to anyone with the right skills.

Veracia has, effectively, two languages. High Veracian is the original languge of the state, used in inscriptions and in official proclamations since the days of Siegfried. However, the masses of different barbarian dialects from the tribes incorporated into the empire soon adulterated this language, and a form called Low Veracian became the lingua franca of the Empire.