Veritas

### **Description of Region:**

Veritas is a series of diverse islands located to the southeast of the main Andora landmass. The islands of Veritas are widely varied in their size, flora, fauna, topography, and many other aspects. The diversity found in Veritas is a result of a massive storm known as the Maelstrom.

The Maelstrom is a destructive storm which not even the powerful navy of Veritas Prime are prepared to fully explore. Wild variation in Veritas' islands is directly influenced by The Maelstrom's connection to Andora's planes. All planes have influence on the Maelstrom affecting the local ecologies of the islands as well as the people who inhabit them.

Due to the planar influence present, the islands exhibit widely different traits. One island is a lush forest with a plethora of birds that is heavily influenced by the plane of air while the next island over is a barren desert, made swelteringly hot by the plane of fire. As more islands are revealed via the Maelstrom's volatility, Veritas Prime continuously conducts expeditions to explore and record these islands.

The variation of the islands are mirrored by their inhabitants. The main demographics of Veritas are plane-touched races such as the aasimar, tieflings, and genasi.

However, while the many island of Veritas differ, there are a few rules which are the same across the region due to rules placed by Veritas Prime:

* Lying is a crime within the islands of Veritas and being caught lying can lead to punishment.
	+ The government of Veritas Prime is more lenient with adventurers, only preventing them from lying in official matters such as discussing business.
* There are truth zones scattered across Veritas, especially on Prime. These truth zones consist of setting up a Zone of Truth to make sure no one in the designated area is able to lie.
	+ These zones are where usually the most important business is held.
	+ The truth zones on Veritas Prime are set up permanently in numerous locations, especially in those areas in which official matters are discussed.
	+ Other islands may only have one truth zone that is only used when officials from Veritas Prime are visiting.
		- Truth Zones on the other islands need regular maintenance.

### Important Locales:

- Veritas Prime

- Barrholm Isle

- Blood Blossom Reach

- Evergreen Tusilva

- Estudo the Dilator

- Riapervio

- Suterma

- The Tower

### Player Factions Located in this Region:

- Ad Centrum Artium

- Castelium

### History of the Region:

#### 0 - 6500

Veritas is entirely covered by the Maelstrom.

#### 6500

The Maelstrom begins to recede and the first few islands are revealed to the rest of Andora (This regression of the Maelstrom gradually continues until the storm hits the levels it is currently at now)

* These first islands include:

* The perfect circular island that eventually becomes Veritas Prime
* Evergreen Tusilva appears already populated with the Treents
* Estudo the Dilator Appears

The Archmage Kogaan discovers Castelium and a strange object therein when searching for magical artefacts to improve his knowledge of the Arcane and add to his collection. Kogaan would toy with the artifact for years before understanding its true purpose something which is a closely guarded secret only known the the Numori. This leads him to establish the island of Castelium as his home knowing that if such artifact exist in the world people should collect and protect them.

#### 6500-6200

Numerous peoples get shunted from maelstrom portals onto the circular island and begin to create a civilization.

* These people include the races from all of the planes.
	+ I.e. genasi, angels, demons, ect.

While building their civilization the people on the circular island find ancient technology of people long past.

* This technology protects the city from the maelstrom and allows their boats to better withstand the tumultuous effects of the maelstrom.

#### 6900

During the process of building this city, an institution to foster the arts is established.

* Ad Centrum Artium

#### 7700

The city on the circular island is finished, covering the entire landmass it sits on.

Truth-based magic is discovered.

#### 7700 - 8400

Using the maelstrom repelling technology, the people of Veritas make a humanitarian push out to other islands to try and discover others that might be otherwise trapped and to colonize new land as they begin to have overcrowding issues.

* The majority of islands found turn out to be uninhabitable due to strange planar magics affecting them.
* They discover a gladitorial island which it’s inhabitants call Riapervio
	+ The denizens of this island pass away their days by fighting each other in a large arena centered on the island.

* The people of Veritas Prime settle on a nearby island which is always warm due to connections with the plane of fire.
	+ They turn this island into a resort as for both the people of the the region as well of foreign visitors. The island is named Suterma.

Truth-based magic studied intently.

An authoritarian political faction gains traction and uses the new advancements in truth magic to stage a bloodless coup and restructures Veritas Prime’s social strata.

#### 8400 - 9000

Under its new authoritarian leadership, Veritas Prime turns their humanitarian goals with the other islands into one of conquest in which they begin to try and put the other islands under their rule and make them follow their rules.

With the rise of the authoritarian faction, a church based off of truth magics quickly rises in power and prominence, gaining political influence to permanently cement themselves within Veritas Prime’s zeitgeist.

Conflict between Veritas Prime and Castelium as the former tries to make the latter swear allegiance to them.

* Castelium ‘fights’ them off and this further cements that they are an independent organization. This leaves bitter tensions between Castelium and Veritas Prime.

To avoid bloodshed, the islands of both Estudo and Evergreen Tusilva made an agreement in which they will join Veritas Prime but will have special permissions under their rule in accordance with anything involving their own islands.

Ad Centrum Artium is able to gain special permissions in regards to the Truth Church based on the nature of art as a personal expression.

#### 9000-9200

Central Veritas discovers two islands uninhabited.

* One with strange deserted castles, remnants of magitech, schematics and blueprints. The other is an island with strange red cherry blossom trees with magical properties. These two islands namely Barrholm Isle and Blood Blossom Reach were subsequently colonised.

Barholm Isles starts developing military and knightly orders where the Blood Blossom reach develops an intricate trade network both normal and black market.

Barrholm Isle consists of more militant populations of Veritas enforcing the truth zones and worship of Atris.

Blood Blossom Reach consists of the more criminal elements, being forcibly relocated from Veritas Prime.

#### 11900-12000

Rumors have begun of a giant tower reaching to the sky that has been spotted by ships traveling near the edge of the Maelstrom.

* It has aptly been named ‘The Tower’

Within Veritas Prime recent political unrest due to overcrowding and a lack of new inhabitable islands for this growing population has become prominent. There is also growing dissatisfaction with the government’s ability to adapt and implement change.

A recent response to that dissatisfaction has been sweeping addendums to laws that effectively allow for a separate legal class of adventurers that has several leniencies. This has allowed foreigners to come and go far more smoothly then in the past as well as many locals have elected to make the effort to qualify in order to satisfy their own wanderlust or simply have less severe consequences.