Verradûn (Pale City)

Verradûn is the heart of faith and fanaticism, a city built upon the ashes of countless crusades and purges. Its streets are narrow and winding, cobblestones worn smooth by centuries of boots and ritual processions. Gothic cathedrals loom above every plaza, their spires reaching skyward like skeletal fingers, each adorned with stained glass depicting martyrs and holy flames. The city is perpetually shrouded in smoke and ash from ritual fires, giving it a permanent twilight even at noon.

The Crimson Inquisition governs with iron precision. Red-clad inquisitors patrol the streets, enforcing doctrine and rooting out heresy. Ordinary citizens live under the weight of fear and piety, praying constantly lest they be accused of sin or corruption. Bells toll endlessly, marking both the hours and the passing of the condemned, their clangor echoing across narrow alleys and courtyards.

Beneath the surface lies a network of catacombs and crypts, stretching for miles beneath the city. These are said to house both forgotten saints and the cursed dead, and rumors speak of forbidden rituals conducted in their shadows. Markets are tight and oppressive, filled with candles, incense, and the scent of roasted meats. Shops sell relics, charms, and manuscripts of divine law, and even the smallest trades are monitored by inquisitors or their informants.

Verradûn is a city of extremes: the sacred and the profane, devotion and terror. Pilgrims and travelers often find themselves overwhelmed by ritual, spectacle, and a sense of ever-present judgment. It is a place where faith is both weapon and shackle, and where every alley may hide either salvation or doom.