Jeridon
Landscape
Jeridon finds itself in a very hilly and marshy area, coming down out of the mountains of Halvmir to the south and flattening out towards the tip of the peninsula. The orchards of Jeridon are the best in Gaeis, bar none.
History
Since the demise of King Gaunt III and the exile of the Solosans, the city of Haven has been ruled by the office of the High Judge. The office of the High Judge began in those following generations to dream of the perfect society: free from crime, deception and corruption, the city of Haven would be the resting place for peaceful souls... and a place of punishment and death for those who would seek to take advantage of those souls. The High Judge Pious II, who ruled from his 20th birthday until his 98th, set in motion the Weight of Law amendment, which stated that all criminal acts were an abomination in the eyes of the innocent soul, and so no act would be punished to a lesser degree. The laws of Haven would be obeyed by its citizens, or its citizens would rot in a cell underground. Pious hoped that the fear of a greater power would galvanize the Jeridi society into one unified, law-abiding community that was caring, kind, and obedient. What he got was crowded dungeons.
When the dungeons grew too crowded, more dungeons were simply dug beneath those already existing. The underground prison grew and grew until finally it seemed as if it would outgrow the city itself. Over time, the guards stationed to guard the dungeons felt as much a part of them as the prisoners, and began to afford them certain comforts. More and more criminals the High Judge sent into incarceration, crowding the subterranean community. The place came to be known as "The Hollows," for hundreds and hundreds of cells were hollowed out to make room for prisoners. Rapists and murderers suffered the same fate as thieving children and tavern brawlers. Eventually, a group of guards, dissatisfied with their lot in life and seeing that they were not so unlike the prisoners they forced into cages everyday, staged a prison uprising that nearly overwhelmed the city of Haven. Indeed it would have, had many of the prisoners refused to take action. The uprising was quelled and order restored, but the message was clear: the ways of Pious II were well-intended but ill-founded. Pious II died in his bed, raving mad.
After the death of High Judge Pious II, the city of Haven under Regulus the Watchful realized the blunders of Pious could not be so easily undone. The Weight of Law amendment was overturned and an offering was made to the prisoners of the Hollows: they could elect to rot in their cells until their sentence was over, as dictated by Pious, or they could band together and form their own community, but would never see the light of day again. The vote of the prisoners would have to be unanimous, for Regulus would not tolerate another uprising like the one seen under Pious II. In the coming weeks, all the prisoners who wished to simply remain in their cells (as well as many of the murderers and rapists as well) mysteriously died and the unanimous petition was granted. The city of The Hollows was born in shackles.
