Location Preview: Deverenia

LUTHLARIUS 

As common folk exist only to serve the Orders of Deverenia, so too must all the world bear the yoke of the Emperor's iron city. Fantastic and terrible, the city entices and entraps scholar and soldier alike. Luthlarius rises from the plains of Deverenia like a blade drawn in salute, a term itself popular amongst the city's many bards. All roads in the city lead to the Sedes Imperium, an immense tower that juts from the earth, atop which the Emperor holds court in an open-air setting. Each section of the city forms a circular ring, called a stratum, about the Sedes, beginning with the personal holdings of the imperial family and their guards (the Imperial Stratum); then the Church Stratum, home to the city's Bishop Koenraad; the holdings of the Knightly Orders are next, the technical homes of the heads of each order, though only Master Isil Loth maintains residence here, the other lords and ladies remaining in their territories. Following this stratum is the domain of the wizards, primarily the Skyborne Path, who preside over the city's perpetually stormy clime. Beyond the Wizards' Stratum is a thick, tall rampart, which the Imperial Guard and Skyborne Path patrol in equal numbers. The wall separates the constancy of the inner city from the controlled chaos of the outer city, which changes form and function due to the whims of the Emperor. At present, the city boasts ten strata, though it has had up to sixteen and as few as five at prior intervals in the city's history.

While Deverenians make up the vast majority of the population, delegates from the Nothrog (whose leader, Nassiral Hate, has a standing peace pact with the Emperor) find themselves welcomed, if coldly, by the city's masters. As is true of the country it rules over, there are but two types of Deverenians in Luthlarius: the knights, and the commoners, and the distinction between them is obvious even to the newcomer.

Luthlarius has a singular purpose: to feed the appetites of its masters. Though not the den of sin that is Misear, the Deverenians who rule over Luthlarius are nonetheless an evil breed, even among their race. Bloodsports are common behind closed doors, and the chirurgeons of Loth demand frightening components for the treatments which extend the Emperor's life.

Economy

Luthlarius practices a unique economic system: that of open extortion. The city itself produces nothing, other than a government for the nation. It demands high tariffs and tributes from other Deverenian lands, and frequently the nation's neighbors as well. Those who fail to meet the exorbitant demands instead meet the armies of Deverenia, who are all too eager to take what was not offered. The city's black market, such as it is, exists only to provide for commoners and foreigners, at exorbitant rates.

Laws

Like the nation it leads, Luthlarius' laws restrict action, rather than protect its people. Deverenian law demands that commoners show absolute respect to their betters, the nobility and the knights. It mandates that all kneel before the altar of the greatest of the Storm itself.

While the common man does not fall beneath the aegis of the Emperor's law, Deverenian honor protects them... to an extent. So long as a man serves his lord faithfully and well, his lord's honor demands that the lord protects his servant from harm. Unfortunately, there is little recourse against those who violate this code, and even less enforcement of the same. The Chromatic Knights seek out those who violate their honor, but abuse of inferiors is a lesser offense in many Knights' eyes.

The only law unique to Luthlarius is that, while the entrance is open to all, none may leave without the Emperor's written approval. According to legend, Signon himself instituted this law, tremendously simplifying the tasks of the Imperial Guard, as well as to dissuade others from entering the city casually. The guard enforces this law with frightening zeal, and attack any who would leave the city by means other than the main roads.

Population:  65,000 Deverenian peasants, serfs, and slaves; 10,000 Knights and wizards of various orders; 5-50 Nothrog dignitaries and their retinues

Government:  Absolute monarchy

Imports:  Food, spirits, trade goods, slaves, precious metals and ores, exotic items, black market goods

Exports:  None

Important NPCs: Emperor Vyacheslav Drac (Emperor of Deverenia); Master Isil Loth (Lord of Loth); Master Halvedar (head of the Imperial Guard); Bishop Koenraad (Bishop of Luthlarius); Princess Dashkova Drac (heir to the Deverenian throne); Kzarrik (Nothrog tactician and diplomat)