Weridia

Classification: Marshland City-State Population: ~20,000 Region: North Western Aridell Wetlands, edge of the Perished Marshes Governance: Triumvirate of Salt-Elders, advised by the Bone-Bound Synod and guild consortiums Primary Exports: Marsh-salt, processed bogwood, pickled leechroot, alchemical fungi, corpseglass jewelry, swampsteel (rare) Known For:   Sophisticated undead containment methods   Spiraling stilt-homes stacked five stories high   The Processional of Hollow Faces, an annual festival commemorating the Marsh War dead   The Bone-Bound Order, now a state-sanctioned force with investigative and exorcistic jurisdiction   Overview:   Weridia stands tall, literally, on pylons and stone causeways above the sunken wreckage of earlier settlements. Built layer upon layer, the city seems to grow upward rather than outward, a necessary adaptation to the shifting, undead-haunted wetlands that still digest the land below.   Though once considered backwater, Weridia has grown into a strategic alchemical and spiritual center, a place where exorcists, marsh witches, and fungus barons walk side by side. Magic is not feared here, it’s measured, fermented, and taxed.   The city's wealth is preserved in saltstone vaults, while its poor cluster in outer reed camps, where the fog never lifts and the shrines are always full. Districts & Landmarks:   The Redvault – Upper-class district built into a ring of red marshstone towers. Home to guildmasters, salt merchants, and the Salt-Elders.   Weeper's Reach – Slum district half-sunk in the marsh itself. Full of leech-pickers and bone-harvesters.   The Bone Bastion – Headquarters of the Bone-Bound Order. Features open-air crematoriums, ossuaries, and deep marsh patrol halls.   The Salt Glass Market – Semi-permanent market of glaziers, picklers, and poison brewers.   The Cradle Canal – Main artery of trade; connects Weridia to distant towns via poleboat convoys and salt-skiff barges.   Cultural Details:   Spirits are believed to rise in mist, so all city bells are tuned to vibrate in the fog, to appease or warn them.   The “Drowned Tongue” is a local cant that mixes Common, Draconic, and Old Sailors cant. Spoken by dockhands, witches, and smugglers alike.   Marriage is often marked by a shared swamp tattoo etched with crushed bone-charcoal.   Salt-child adoption (rescuing children born in marsh villages) is common, creating complex family webs that span class boundaries.