| Name | Erast |
|---|---|
| Controlling Nation or Faction | The Kingdom of Ossik |
| Location | Shore, South East of The Kingdom of Ossik |
| Size | Capital City - Tens of Thousands |
| Authority | Protective |
| Disposition | Welcoming |
| Focus | Shipbuilding, Entertainment |
| Appearance | Fortified, Stately |
| Details | The city is abuzz with preparations for the wedding of a powerful noble taking place here |
Additional Details
The capital of Ossik and the home of the Queen, Erast has been home to many generations of nobility and has been the target of many a war for successorship. As a result, the city is well fortified, a traveler will note passing through many nested walls and gates as they make their way about town.
Despite this, the relative peace and stability they have enjoyed under Queen Jessamine Kovan has allowed prosperity to show itself in the visual style of the city. The walls around the city and districts still exist, but now they're ornamented with colorful banners, any scars of past wars have been repaired, and the town guard are more akin to the average citizen than hardened soldiers on campaign.
Erast is a major ship building hub of the West of the Old World, due in part to its proximity to the Iron Sea where a great deal of conflict takes place. The shipyards is a district all its own, with gates and water control mechanism commissioned from House Duran and modelled after Mortar Keep's own shipbuilding facilities.
It would be neglectful of me not to mention the knightly orders. These world renown institutions of Ossik all maintain a presence here in the city, with quite a few using it as their headquarters. No matter what order you seek, their prominence, or their specialty, you can confident you'll find them here in some capacity. The yearly Tournament of the White Lance taking place here in Erast sees each knightly order present their best and brightest to both the common folk and the nobles they serve in contests of skill. Those who succeed in the tournament are given great honors and the title of Knight Exemplar in recognition of their efforts.
As a knock on effect of so many great heroes in one place, the city also boasts many arenas, adventuring guilds, taverns, and inns to cater to and employ these able bodied folk. The common folk also have a tournament of their own, an homage to the Tournament of the White Lance called the Trial of the Commons. The winners of this event's tournaments are often scouted for membership into the knightly orders or command large sums as mercenaries or adventurers. As such, many adventurer's guilds and mercenary groups submit a team: even if they fail to win it's excellent publicity.
Finally we must address the undercity. While the agrarian sprawl outside of the castle walls is where many choose to go if they cannot find lodgings in the city, Erast has a labyrinthine web of tunnels beneath it spanning hundreds of years of the city's history where some take their chances. Some of these tunnels were crypts or catacombs, some are part of the city's sewer system, some are defunct mines, some are even rumored to connect to hidden passages around the city or function as escape routes for noble estates. The undercity can be dangerous to the unprepared and unaware who explore it. The upper levels often hide gangs, thieves, outlaws, and smugglers, but use caution if you go deeper as traps and mazes guard the city against the more wretched and dangerous things coming up from the deepest depths. Only seasoned adventurers with something to prove go to the depths, sometimes coming back with tales of beasts, abominations, and lost treasures of old.