Dulentis

Large Town: Population 4,097 (62% letheni, 14% vesperkin, 22% human, 2% other)

History

Founded in the mid-Reckoning period, Dulentis is less of a town, and more of a penal colony. It is where the Rathmore Empire holds many of their slaves, using them as free labor to gather resources for the rest of the empire. Though originally meant for Letheni slaves, other races have since been brought here; those who have committed petty crimes in other areas of the Empire. The town is crucial to the Empire's economy, and provides many of the raw materials used in Elysara and Luxandra.

There have been a number of attempted uprisings among the slaves of Dulentis; the most recent of which was only twenty years ago. Most recently, a Letheni by the name of Ardian Latherin, who was a high-ranking member of Cartagahareni ("red dread"), a group considered terrorists by citizens of the Empire, who use hit and run tactics against the Myrmidoni and try to liberate their slaves. Normally, King Colton would order the execution of such a figure. However, he instead chose to make an example of him by forcing him to work the most dangerous job in Dulentis -- Rescanoden mining. Rescanoden is a crystalline material that grows rapidly in the presence of animate Flow, so if the miners get too close, it can rapidly form jagged shards that will skewer them. However, despite the odds, Ardian was able to survive doing this for several years until he saw an opportunity to break free, shoving a Myrmidon into a Rescanoden deposit, and escaping into the Deephollow with his fellow miners. However, they were unfortunately killed by unknown creatures within the Deephollow shortly afterwards. Though he did not achieve freedom, the fact that he was not recaptured has led to other slaves exalting him, giving them hope that they may one day have a chance to escape.

The Commonwealth has made a number of attempts to liberate the town, both to free its captives, and to sabotage the infrastructure of the Empire. Unfortunately, it is in a position that is difficult to reach, as Luxandra's navy patrols the ocean watching for such attempts. The town is well-known throughout The Commonwealth due to the way it treats its resident slaves. Officials of Dolenna have been using the high concentration of adventurers in the city to try to recruit those willing to help rescue the slaves within Dulentis.

Government

Dulentis is part of the Rathmore Empire, and has an overseer that handles the administration of the town's slaves. The overseer, a Human man named Otto Mevendi, is a cruel man who seems to enjoy going above and beyond his duty to make the lives of the prisoners more miserable. King Colton does not really enforce any rules about how to treat their slaves other than not to kill them unless they become a problem, as they need them to gather resources. This means there is rampant abuse from the Myrmidoni, with them beating slaves for the slightest offense.

There are strict rules governing the slaves of Dulentis. All slaves must speak Myrian at all times, and speaking another language is punished with severe beatings. It goes without saying that like all other areas of the Empire, magic is punishable by death; but that doesn't stop the Letheni in the camps from using simple quick enchantments to enhance the flavor of the slop fed to them.

Economy

There isn't much of an economy to speak of in Dulentis, being that all of its exports are provided to the Empire at no cost. All exports from the town are sent to other settlements within the Empire, with the majority being sent to Elysara. The most important exports from Dulentis include metals such as copper, iron, copper, tin, and zinc; as well as wood and stone. The town is situated in a material rich area, and most common materials are found in abundance here. The materials produced here, costing them nothing but poor quality food for the slaves, can be sold to the Empire's citizens extremely cheaply.

Dulentis does have a number of artisans in residence to process raw materials for transport, but there are few who produce anything that is not strictly for trade. Besides blacksmiths, carpenters, and stonemasons who process these raw materials, not many produce goods from these raw materials, as the production is better suited for Elysara. Some of these artisans are slaves who have been given special privileges due to their trade skills.

Notable Locations

• Ebonatevis - A sprawling mine in a cave at the base of the mountains that leads straight into the Deephollow. The name, meaning "black mine", is not only from the oppressive darkness that the Letheni have to work in without light, but for its history of miners going missing. Over the years, countless miners have attempted to escape by fleeing further down into the Deephollow. However, the Myrmidoni typically don't bother to try to stop them, as the fate that awaits them in the Deephollow is worse than anything they could do to them. It might be assumed that there are a lot of escape attempts, but it is the opposite; the Letheni are terrified of the Deephollow and it takes a lot to make them resort to such measures. The Letheni who do escape are typically killed by creatures roaming the caverns before long, and as a result, the mines are infested with the spirits of Letheni who have died trying to get away from the Empire. There are also more than a few who have died in mine collapses. The spirits trapped here are traumatized by their experiences in Dulentis, and though some are hostile, many hide from the Myrmidoni.
• Dabirras il Moten - This massive quarry downhill from the mountains, not far from the nearby river, is one of the Empire's primary sources of stone, granite, marble, and clay. The quarry is over a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide. Though much of the top-level clay and stone has been extracted, it will be many years before a new source is needed. However, stone is not the only thing found here -- due to an old Wellspring anomaly, the shadows cast by the stones in the quarry are deadly. Those who are caught within a shadow in the quarry fall into it, into the rock below. As a result, many bodies are found preserved within the rock as workers dig. For this reason, workers have to be careful of their position throughout the day and make sure to break down any overhanging rocks or large chunks, or they could trip and fall into the shadows.
• Gilanodenath - The primary source of wood for the Empire, the "forest of disappearance" is home to an odd Wellspring anomaly. The Myrmidoni keep the slaves near the edge of the forest because those who venture too far into the woodlands tend to vanish. Strangely enough, walking along the main road appears to be entirely safe, but straying from the path leads to spontaneous disappearances. Only 1 in 20 who disappear in the forest have been found, and they appear to have no recollection of having been gone.
• Vascir il Gavin - The slave camps, on the north side of the town at the base of the mountains, have a large number of tarps in simple lean-to frames. The tarps are poor quality with holes in them, and the slaves are not given blankets; though with Myr's consistent climate, temperature is not a concern. As the majority of slaves are Letheni, who do not sleep, they simply sit in their tarps for hours trying to rest enough to return to work the next day. The camps are surrounded by palisades and guarded securely.

Culture

In Dulentis, the culture of its slaves has been suppressed. They are not permitted to practice their faith, observe holidays, or even use their native language. The Letheni slaves within the town, as others in the Empire, are required to speak Myrian. The only culture that is observed in the town is that of Humans of the Empire. The Myrmidoni in residence are given free reign to go about their lives outside their duties, and live seemingly "normal" lives; but the slaves in the town are excluded entirely, being forced to live in poor conditions. Outside of a slave's daily work schedule, they are given mass produced food that is just enough to keep them alive and strong enough to work; however, they are able to earn more, if they are willing to stake their life on it. The Myrmidoni need their entertainment, and given the town's remote location and lack of access to amenities of cities like Elysara or Luxandra, their entertainment includes fighting and contests of skill.

The Myrmidoni allow the slaves to participate in tests of skill, or even fights, in order to earn better living conditions, food, days off, or even their freedom. The slaves are pitted against the Myrmidoni in games involving physical prowess; games which are obviously unfairly rigged against them given the Myrmidoni's access to better food and fitness; games which typically include team-based sports, races, and fights. While it is highly unlikely for a slave to defeat a Myrmidon in these games, the Myrmidoni are if nothing else true to their word and always honor their promises to reward the winner. Occasionally, a slave will challenge a Myrmidoni in single combat, with the prize being their freedom. The Myrmidoni will even feed the slave a hearty meal the night before and the day of. Though the Myrmidoni honor the challenge and will release the slave if they win, none have ever succeeded. Despite knowing how foolish it is to challenge them, some will do so just for the promise of a good meal after eating nothing but slop for so long.

Oddly enough, despite the Empire's cruel treatment of the slaves, they are given one day a year, on the 25th of Lekaren, where they are relieved of their duties and permitted to spend time outside the camps; under heavy supervision of course. The day, known as Arovish, is the only mercy the slaves are given, and was given to them by Otto, the town overseer, and is not a sanctioned event. Otto is convinced that giving them a small glimmer of hope is enough to keep them going, and will result in fewer escape attempts over time.

Defenses

Dulentis is in a relatively safe spot despite the handful of Wellspring anomalies in the area that can cause people to go missing, but creatures in the wild are not their greatest concern. Though the occasional Myrmidon is fooled by one of the Harpi, the real threat facing Dulentis is liberation. The Commonwealth has been working for a very long time to attempt to liberate the slaves in Dulentis, both to save them, and to deal a blow to the Empire's resources. There are a few ways The Commonwealth typically approaches this; sailing around the north of Myr and landing west of Dulentis, approaching from the Deephollow, or approaching by sea.

The sea is well-defended by the Empire's navy, which comes from Luxandra to the south. Large vessels have no hope of approaching Dulentis without being spotted by their patrols. Occasionally smaller vessels can sneak around The Scablands, but Dulentis' Myrmidoni guard the western road heavily. The eastern road is not as heavily guarded due to the effects of the Wellspring anomaly in the Gilanodenath, but there are checkpoints along the main path all the way through the forest. Though the Deephollow is the most dangerous approach to the town, The Commonwealth has attempted it several times, with brave souls traversing hundreds of miles underground through treacherous subterranean biomes to reach Ebonatevis, the mines. Even if they manage to reach Ebonatevis, all passages leading to the surface, as well as the entrance to the mines, are guarded heavily by Myrmidoni.

The Myrmidoni in residence make up just under a quarter of the town's population, but without weapons and proper training, the slaves have no real hope of ever surviving a rebellion. For this reason, the Myrmidoni guard their weapon reserves very carefully, but do not really watch the slaves too closely.

Crime

Conventional crime is practically non-existent in Dulentis due to the fact that slaves are the majority population. Occasional fights break out between the Myrmidoni, but the consequences of murder between soldiers is far worse than imprisonment or death. There isn't much to steal besides food, which is punished with beatings. Though it is not considered a crime amongst the Myrmidoni, as they do not consider the slaves to be people, the Myrmidoni can be very abusive to the slaves. The town's slaves frequently attempt to escape, but very few have ever managed to truly escape. Those who break free typically meet one of three fates; they either disappear into the Gilanodenath, are attacked by Harpi, or are recaptured by the Myrmidoni, whether from Dulentis, or other areas of the Empire.