Geldcrass: Heart of the Plains
The largest of the inland towns, Geldcrass is a powerful merchant city located at the island’s heart. A principal crossroads on the Aranthaes Highway, it connects directly to New Haven, Geldsan, Bim, Fairpont, Sandmar, and Lantear. Known as the agricultural breadbasket of Aranthaes, Geldcrass thrives as the primary marketplace for the famed wheat of the Geldcrass Plains.
Setting & First Impressions
From a distance, Geldcrass rises like a fortress of stone above the golden sweep of its surrounding fields. Tall towers and crenellated walls dominate the horizon, their red-tiled roofs glinting in the sun. The highway approaches through an expanse of wheat, alive with carts and drovers bound for the city gates. The bustle is constant: caravans from every province, herds being driven to market, and long lines of merchants waiting for entry under the city’s banners.
The Marketplace of Aranthaes
The beating heart of Geldcrass is its Grand Market Square, where farmers and merchants gather daily to trade grain, livestock, wool, and river produce. Beyond raw goods, the city has grown rich in milling, brewing, and clothmaking — industries that flourish in the shadow of the plains. Its markets supply not only the capital but also the northern ports, with trade caravans departing in every direction. Guild banners hang proudly in the square, each competing for influence over prices and contracts.
Walls & Watchtowers
Geldcrass’s defenses are as formidable as its trade. Thick walls ring the city, punctuated by round towers and high keeps. Each of the six great gates corresponds to a highway route. The central citadel rises above them all, seat of the Merchant Council that governs the city. From its high watchtower, the view stretches across the plains to every horizon — a reminder that Geldcrass sits at the very center of the island’s life.
Notable Places
Grand Market Square: the largest open market on the island, filled with stalls, guildhalls, and the clamor of haggling voices.
The Citadel: seat of the Merchant Council and home to both the city’s militia and its archives of trade law.
Gate of the Harvest: the northern gate, traditionally used by farmers and drovers bringing goods from the plains.
Hall of the Wheatlords: a guildhall where the wealthiest grain merchants dictate contracts and supply lines.
Rhythms & Customs
Market bells toll at dawn, noon, and dusk, marking the official trading hours. During the harvest festival, carts of grain are paraded through the streets before being donated to the city’s temples and poorhouses. It is customary for travelers to carry a token of wheat — a single stalk bound with twine — when entering the city, as a sign of respect to the plains that sustain it.
For the Storyteller
Geldcrass offers a wealth of intrigue: merchant guilds vie for dominance in the Council, records at the gates conceal smugglers’ names, and rival caravans sometimes clash outside the walls. Beneath its wealth and order lies tension – between farmers and guilds, pilgrims and merchants, even guards and drovers – making Geldcrass a crucible of opportunity for those bold enough to exploit it.