The world of Veyrath

Every run stays in the vault under Veyr. This is the world above it, and where the heroes came from.

The curse

The city of Veyr built its prosperity above a royal vault. At first the bankers took ordinary collateral: a ring, a field, a ship. Then a desperate king offered the one thing every citizen carried. Their names.

The bargain took hold. A debt could be minted. Every unpaid life became a face pressed into gold, and every generation inherited the balance of the last.

Far beneath the counting houses, all that wanting grew a heartbeat. It curled round the treasury, plated itself in everything the city had given up, and became Avarax, the hoard wyrm. The mint fell silent a century ago. The collecting did not stop.

Now coins with living faces turn up in the markets above, and people recognise someone.

Veyrath

Veyrath is a continent of rival kingdoms, clans and free ports. No crown rules all of it, and no neighbour is trusted for long. Its richest city is Veyr, and the vault lies under Veyr.

Valdren, the Crownlands

Fertile plains, long roads, walled cities and human kingdoms that quarrel over all of it. Veyr is its crown city. Its noble houses finance descents the way they buy land: for a share, agreed before the claimant reaches the stairs.

Came down from here: Anselm and Hesk, both of Veyr.

Kharzug, the Iron Marches

Mining highlands held by the orc clans, each with its own chief and its own grudges. Before it fell silent, Veyr's mint bought Kharzug ore for a hundred years. Some clans want the vault's gold; others say it was dug out of their mountains in the first place.

Came down from here: Brannoch.

Sylvaran, the Elderwilds

Old forest, closed villages, and ruins older than any crown. Its scholars pay well for what comes up from the vault. Its elders say some things were buried for a reason.

Came down from here: Ossa.

Varnhold, the Frostbound North

Snow, mountains and settlements a week's walk apart. A winter there costs more than most people own, so Varnhold sends more people down than any other region, and gets the fewest back.

Came down from here: Wren.

Ashkar, the Scorched Reach

Dry valleys where whoever holds the well holds the town. Its traders pay for water in Veyr's coin, and lately the coins have started looking back at them.

Came down from here: Ilse.

Merrowen, the Shattered Coast

Free ports, scattered islands and merchant houses with no single master. Every coin that leaves Veyr sails out through Merrowen, and that is how the faces reached purses across the whole continent. Its collectors pay the best prices for what claimants carry back up.

Came down from here: Pip.

Why they come down

The curse is not Veyr's alone any more. A fisherman in Merrowen or a clan chief in Kharzug may find a face they know in their own purse, so people from every region come to Veyr's vault. Patrons above pay for their descents: a claimant who comes back up owes the patron a share.

The Tallyman does not care which crown sent anyone down. He writes the share down with everything else: that is the Tally.

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Written from the game's own rules, version 2.17.2. Spotted something wrong? Tell us on Discord.