ANDESTREA: VERDIS
Welcome to bright sunny Verdis, on the shores and surface of Saphinni Lake! If you're an avid fan of extreme sports, you've picked the right province: Verdis gets you out on the water, where you're the one who decides whether you sink or swim. Biologists, grab your petri dish -- Verdis has the highest deadly bacteria quotient in all of Andestrea! Bring a little something home for the neighbors, and spread the wealth!
Whitewater Rapids Barrel Ride
It's new! It's exciting! It's a brand-new sport! And we swear you'll look like a million riding the Cirianni toward the capital on your own authentic Verdis barrel!
Some agencies send you barreling in first-class accommodations, but trust us: Those barrels are the real thing. Smiley's uses only authentic water barrels -- the actual tubs used to store foods, beers, and fruits for water transport. And after just two days inside, we swear you'll smell the difference!
Better yet, our touring is flexible, allowing for
inside or outside travel over your week on the water. Got cramps, need some air? Ride on top, and admire the colorful einrédra! Caught the sniffles, fingers wrinkling like prunes? Take the comfort of an interior ride! Just don't forget your seatbelt when you reach the Ciranni Whitewaters -- twenty miles of head-harrowing waterfalling fun!
With barrels this sweet, you'll be loathe to lose yours when the trip comes to an end. That's why you won't have to. Any barrel that makes it to Verdis goes home with its paying customer. Consider it just our own little way of saying "thanks," and keeping the waterways safe.
 | Legal Disclaimer: Thirteen dwarves not included. Barrels reaching Verdis without bearing a paying customer will be mulched. |
Spelunking the Sewers of Verdis
Got a hankering for aquatic urban spelunking? Want to make a little piece of plumbing history? If you've thought you've put up with other people's crap before, you've obviously never been to the sewers of Verdis.
Built partially upon the surface of the sparkling Saphinni, the underbelly of the Verdis capital is crisscrossed by a plethora of waterways and open sewers -- a perplexing maze for those willing to brave its stagnant thoroughfares.
Who knows what wonders you might find in those dank passages -- what treasures have disappeared into these cold waters and sludge over the centuries. Jewelry? Gems? Sculpted swords? Gallstones? Missing diplomats, or possibly the royal heir? In the sewer, anything is game! We give you a canary, a nose clip, a skiff, and a shove, and you're on your merry way!
The larger-than-life alligators lurking in the muck are but one added feature guaranteed to make your trip more exciting! Collecting lost treasure has never been so challenging, with only a few seconds to grab before you're nabbed! And we've always wanted to know if those tales of roving light-deprived mole people had any truth to them. Anything you bring back to the light of day should be considered an achievement -- even if it's just yourself.
Griswolde's Winefields
The scent of swollen grapes hangs heavy in the air, but nowhere more than the vineyards of Duffy Griswolde. You might not find Griswolde wines in a Verdis restaurant or an elaborate royal dinner -- in fact, we can guarantee that you won't -- but that's because a Griswolde wine is a special treat, withheld exclusively for vacationers traveling with Smiley's. We offer you a look at the fermentation process, from the inside out!
Wines produced at Griswolde's vineyards are known throughout Andestrea for their versatility for things besides drinking -- including their ability to remove rust from swords, polish armor, set fires, clean puncture wounds, and operate as birth control of sorts.
You'll start by exploring the vast vineyards, a few miles southwest of Verdis proper, digging up compost and plucking away tentworms. Next you'll stomp the harvested grapes in the estate's private cellars, right beside Griswolde's chained dhukla horde -- giving that wine an extra kick! Being barefoot has never been so much fun.
Then simmer the concoction in water-swollen casks originally lost along the inlets and byways of the Andestrun, hand-picked by Griswolde himself. Feeling a bit peckish? Take a rest in the pressing trough, making your own unique contribution to the fermentation process.
When all is said and done, Griswolde's fine wines await you at the end of the day. Have insomnia? A quick whiff of a Griswolde wine will put you out for at least a night. Want to distract a hit squad? Griswolde's brews will curdle the hair on their tails.
This is a vacation meant for the connoisseur in you. Smiley swears, you'll never look at a glass of wine the same way again.
Visit to the Rugue Mor
So what if the gilgenbach has been resurfacing every few years in Verdis, putting the city under almost-constant quarantine? This is your chance to see once and for all what this "scourge of Elandra" is really about.
Tend the dying along the streets in the poorer sections of the city, savoring the sweet rosy scent of bursting pustules. Lance a few bubos and sample the liquids that come out. Lend a hand with multiple amputations and foot the bill. We promise it won't cost an arm and a leg.
Don't worry about catching the disease yourself; true, gilgenbach's highly contagious, but it kills within hours. Chances are, you won't even notice.
Verdis: The only city where the grim reaper drives the welcome wagon.
