Veralia

"The teardrop of the gods."

Veralia is the oceanic homeworld of the Nereids. It's located in The Solaris System, orbiting the star Asteri. It's known for its wondrous seas more unique than any other in the system, and was a common tourist spot before the planet became isolationist.

## Geography

There are no continents on Veralia, only a handful of islands that peak over the waters.

Veralia has many distinct regions in its oceans. The Brine is a region of water with high concentrations of salt. The greater salinity of its waters allows it to create the effect of an ocean beneath an ocean. It's essentially a gigantic brine pool stretching for hundreds of miles.

There are numerous underwater mountain ranges on the sea floors, some of which are highly volcanic. Gigantic columns of toxic gas bubbles can be seen rising to the surface from these mountains.

   Floating mountains with large amounts of vis-absorbing crystals can be found within the waters. The crystals help to keep them afloat and off the sea floor. They also attract the fauna, creating nomadic ecosystems.

Coral reefs may stretch for miles in width and in height. Entire cities have been built solely on the coral itself.

A distinct red patch of water can be seen from space. It's Veralia's mysterious sea of blood, which has remained from even before recorded history. It's theorized that a great beast had died in the area, its blood being too thick to mix with the water and too toxic to be consumed. The blood sea is a barren patch of the oceans, Veralia's equivalent of a desert.

Gigantic boneyards are also present. They are the grounds where the largest of Veralia's creatures have passed, their fossils and ribcages housing entire ecosystems within.

### Flora and Fauna

   The fauna of Veralia is easily the largest in the system. Gigantic leviathans stretching for hundreds of feet are common to spot. The abundance of life in Veralia's waters are able to maintain the size of these creatures.

The flora also tends to grow to large sizes. Kelp forests and coral reefs may stretch for miles. As mentioned above, some types of coral have been the foundation for cities. Their durability and seemingly immortal aging make for great natural structures.

## Major Factions

### Coralia

The Coralian empire is located in the shallow waters of Shepos. Like their namesake might suggest, their cities and culture revolve around the coral fields that they've built cities in. Their culture revolves around the coral, as it provided their ancient people with shelter from great beasts. It has become worshipped, and is to the point where nereids commonly use the Tahul to develop coral-like features.
Much of their economic strength come from selling the coralsteel grown and harvested here. Because nereids live underwater, they cannot create metal as easily without natural fire. To get around this, they grow and temper coral in such a way as to create objects with metallic properties. It's a very large industry in Veralia, and Coralia is the leading provider of such coralsteel.

### The Abyssal Tribes

   Deep in the trenches of Kuvras dwell the Abyssal Tribes. These Nereids have adapted to the cold and dark depths, relying instead on their keen sense of smell to navigate the barren world around them. They commonly use the Tahul to develop jaws strong enough to break stone so that they may eat the entirety of the creatures they hunt, including bones. Their gray pigment-less bodies have adapted to withstand the pressures of the deep waters.

The Abyssals are commonly mistaken to be a savage, lawless people due to their beastly appearance and way of life. Their culture relies less on technology, instead using the Tahul and their vis abilities to complete their operations. Much of their economy is based on mining in the trenches they live in. They routinely send representatives of their culture to trade ore and coralsteel with the nereids above.