Viridia (pronounced vuh-RIH-dee-ah), formally the Dominion of Viridia, is a large kingdom that stretches across Thadria and Hellea. Though still wealthy and glorious, Viridia is an empire reckoning with its long, slow decline. Despite having lost over half its territory over the last centuries, Viridia still demands respect as it attempts to regain its lost prestige.
Geography, flora, and fauna
Even in its modern diminished state, the Dominion of Viridia sprawls across Thadria and Hellea. From the capital in Ilirnas the monarchs of Viridia have ruled over a land that includes plains, forests, mountains, and innumerable lakes and islands, everything from the ever-warm Chaskan coasts to the cold mountain peaks of the Pike Mountains, from the ancient forests of the Penmaerd to the arid uplands of central Thadria.
As with much of the surrounding region, Viridia has a broadly warm to temperate climate, with moderate rainfall throughout the year, mild to warm summers, and cool winters. As Viridia is quite large, this of course varies by particular location. The southern and eastern coastal regions tend to be warmer, and the higher elevations of the mountains and uplands are in general colder.
Centuries of expansion and development have pushed many of the larger animals away from the regions of Viridia where populations are concentrated, particularly in Attalea Major and Ertan. Despite this, wild animals like deer, bears, wolves, badgers, hawks, and so on are common throughout the Dominion. Smaller creatures are widespread. A variety of magical beasts can be found in various regions of Viridia, but are especially prevalent among the dense trees of the Sotosa Woods or Penmaerd Forests.
The Penmaerd Forests and the grasslands surrounding it are also home to a number of megafauna, specifically glyptodons and chalicotherium. The chalicotherium, in addition to living wild, are sometimes tamed and used as mounts or pack animals within the provinces of Herren and Penmaerd, where the roads are of a lesser quality.
The coastlines around Viridia are generally safe and easily navigable, without a great many dangerous oceanic creatures or natural hazards.
Innumerable lakes dot Viridia, both large and small, many of which have a good amount of aquatic life. The lakes in the Penmaerd Forests and Sotosa Woods in particular are notable for being inhabited by large insects like giant water striders.
Much of Attalea Minor, especially around Lake Gansal, is quite swampy, with differing flora and fauna as a result. A large number of birds, including cranes, egrets, and others, hide and make their nests in the reeds. Travelers are advised to beware the deceptive calls of the liarbird, a carnivorous bird that mimics the sounds of people calling for help, drawing its victims into the marshlands and ambushing them. These birds are known to mimic multiple languages.
Viridia straddles the Tanerde Strait, the long yet narrow strait that separates Hellea and Thadria. This geography is crucial to Viridian power, as it ensures they are able to control any ships leaving or entering the Phiora Sea.
History
Beginnings
Born from humble beginnings, Viridia was formed around Y7020* by the philosopher-general Merulus Numida, who carved out a realm for himself out of the disparate patchwork of nations in western Thadria. In its earliest days, Viridia was a small nation, much alike the many others nearby in the peninsula at that time. Among these monarchies, republics, and theocracies, one crucial factor elevated Viridia to early prominance - their control of the Tanerde Strait. Through controlling this passage between the seas, Viridia was able to slowly yet steadily grow in influence and wealth.
Amberikon Crusade
Following the destruction of the Amberikon anchor site in Y7550*, planar boundaries between the Material Plane and the Abyss intersected in western Thadria. This provided a means for creatures from either plane to pass into the other, something the demons of the Abyss began to do in significant numbers. The city of Amberikon and surrounding communities were quickly overrun before the demons began to appear elsewhere along the western coast of Thadria.
When the Amberikon Crusade was declared in Y7551* by influential Harinnan clergy, the rulers of the still-small Viridia jumped to answer the call. Though forces from around the Sea of Ersas contributed to fighting back the demons, soldiers from Viridia became particularly renowned for their dedication and bravery. By the time the crusade concluded in Y7596* with the sealing of the last planar rifts, many Viridians had given their lives to protect the world from the demonic threat. Though at great cost, Viridia emerged from the crusade far stronger than before. The Dominion had taken over much of the territory around the Bay of Ertan in the process of securing defenses against the demons, and retained this land as the danger began to subside. Close ties had also been forged with the Harinnan high clergy, now based in Mesollonia, who gave the monarch and generals of Viridia their blessing as rightful and just rulers.
The Viridian legions, still the backbone of the nation's military, first began during the crusade. Volunteer soldiers from across eastern Thadria were organized and trained under Viridian generals to protect against the demonic incursion, something they managed to do with valor and increasing effectiveness as the crusade dragged on. Today the legions remain very proud of this time in their history.
Expansion across Thadria
Though Viridia entered a short period of peace after the conclusion of the Amberikon Crusade, as they rebuilt and mourned their losses, this pause did not last long. Viridia began to look to its neighbors, many of whom had been greatly weakened after almost half a century of fighting. By Y7615* the first great period of Viridian expansion had begun as the Dominion started to expand through the combined efforts of its envoys and its legions. Much of western Thadria quickly fell behind the Viridian flag, with many choosing to peacefully join the nation that had successfully ended the demonic invasion. Those that instead choose to remain a thorn in the side were quickly brought to heel by the ever-growing legions. Throughout it all ties to the church of Harinna remained close. Clerics and paladins of the goddess frequently accompanied the legions and diplomats, extolling the honorable virtues of Viridia.
The senate was formed during this time, largely as a way to ensure a smooth transfer of power from the former rulers of newly acquired territory. Most senatorial families can trace their roots to the rulers of once-independent realms that were annexed in this period of expansion.
By Y7790* the western half of Thadria was almost entirely under the banner of Viridia. The entire eastern coastline of the Sea of Ersas lay within Viridia, and the legions had pushed as far east as the central highlands of the peninsula. The dwarves of the Tumunzari Hills retained their independence for a while longer, only entering the Dominion after a treaty was signed in Y7822* guaranteeing them autonomy within Viridia. In the midst of this drive east, the legions also crossed the Tanerde Strait into the loosely organized city-states and tribes of northwestern Hellea. Erenon was annexed in Y7841* following negotiations with Ustal Saekoll, a local ruler, and the eastern Thadrian provinces of Pashalta and Camantan soon followed. Of all the nations that once existed in Thadria, only the dwarven mountain strongholds of Barat Rkund retained their independence - Viridia attempted to negotiate their accession to the Dominion, but when that was rebuffed it was decided it was not worth the cost of a military endeavor. The orcish population of the region was gradually pushed out of Thadria as Viridia expanded, with most making an unwilling migration north to Druzda
Reign of Light
After this era of unprecedented expansion, Viridia had become a major power on the world stage. Rather than continue the push to acquire new territory, the Dominion began to follow a different path. Though the signs of this shift were already visible at the time, this new stage in its history is popularly connected to the first Viridian monarch of the ninth millennium, Ordio Russus. In a grand declaration to the senate in Y7999*, Russus announced that he wished his rule to be a "reign of light", under which all the peoples of Thadria could grow and prosper. Over the centuries since, this term has come to be used to refer to the period of stability and good fortune that spanned the following millennium.
During the thousand years of the Reign of Light, skilled mages, artists, inventors, and merchants flocked to Viridia as the Dominion became a center of learning, art, and trade. The western cities especially grew markedly, and none more than the capital Ilirnas. The institutions of the city became the envy of the world, as people arrived from far away to have an opportunity to learn from the masters of their fields.
Viridia's military did not remain completely static during this time. After the formation of Druzda to the east, and the orcs' renewed, more organized raids over the border into Camantan, Viridian diplomats approached Khan Grivkam Khur in Y8985*. An arrangement was eventually reached between the Dominion and the khan. In exchange for a hefty yearly "tribute", the khan agreed to cease raids and allow the recruitment of young orcs into the Viridian military. Though this agreement has wavered occasionally in the centuries since, these orcish recruits have been molded into the janissaries, one of the best trained and most prestigious branches of Viridia's military.
Invasions of Ishtar and Razgovir
See also: Razgovir, Koritan, Talam Galta, Izgrev, Ishtar
As the ninth millennium turned into the tenth, the Reign of Light began to falter. The nations around the Chaska Sea had begun to assert themselves once more, and those that once would have traveled to add their ideas and wealth into the dynamics of Viridian society instead found themselves in Khapesh, Tamkaranu, Eretrebus, or elsewhere. In the halls of the senate discontent began to rise. The legions had remained mostly still for centuries, tasked only with defending the ports from pirates and the lands from dangerous creatures, and many believed a new era of expansion was the key to restoring Viridian prominence.
By the middle of the ninety-fourth century, this sentiment among the senatorial families had risen to such a point that it could not be ignored. King Avus IV, also known as the Sun King, decided he had to act. In Y9355* he launched an invasion of Ishtar, sending the legions to bring the Viridian flag to the Land Between Two Rivers. An invasion of Razgovir soon followed, beginning in Y9356*. Along with a subsequent attempt to take control of Korymbos to regain faltering support in the senate, these campaigns lasted until the death of the king in Y9402*. Though militarily very successful, Viridia faced strong challenges in retaining and ruling the land they had conquered. The logistics of maintaining the Viridian military so many hundreds of miles from Ilirnas proved impossible to resolve, not helped by unfriendly or hostile populaces. In the decades of occupation, Razgovir especially crumbled as the Viridian senatorial families who were granted control of the territory proved far more interested in personal enrichment than in the success of the Dominion or the well-being of their new citizens.
After the death of the Sun King in Y9402*, Viridian control of their new territories quickly fell apart. Viridian nobles retained their firm grip on the nation that would become modern day Izgrev, but were unable to effectively counter the rising tide of resistance elsewhere north of the Phiora. Soon after the abandonment of their Ishtaran territories in Y9410*, the legions left the lands that would become Koritan as well.
The church of Harinna, long stalwart allies of the Viridian throne, began to distance themselves from the monarchy later in the reign of Avus IV. The often forceful and aggressive methods that the legions deployed abroad were seen by many as running counter to their goddesses' values. The king himself began to be viewed as having forgotten the tenets of righteous and just rulership, with many seeing him as too focused on short-term material gains. Though the church never officially broke with the monarchy, the closeness they once enjoyed has still not yet been regained.
King Avus IV, and this period of Viridian history in general, is remembered far better in Viridia than in the places that were briefly subjugated under his rule. Many Viridians see in Avus a great leader who grew the empire to new, lofty heights that many dream of one day reattaining. In Ishtar and the nations around the Phiora Sea, and especially in Koritan, Avus is instead considered a tyrannical invader who attempted to sweep away existing, thriving societies in favor of his own. Elsewhere, Viridia's image as a peaceful, prosperous center of the world was irreparably broken by these invasions.
Crisis in Erenon
See also: Erenon, Pasuhalta & Kamman
Though the Dominion made it through the next two centuries relatively unscathed, the ninety-seventh century was a time of great upheaval. In Y9613* the sudden outbreak of a plague struck Erenon, quickly spreading throughout the eastern province. Clerics and other healers sent to aid the province proved unable to do more than limit the extant of the disease's spread, stymied by the plague's resistance to magical healing. When the severity of the illness became clear to Viridian administrators, they quickly moved to shut down travel to and from the province. The legions were stationed on the borders, especially on the western side of Erenon, with orders to contain the plague until it could be treated. This contributed to the death toll, as refugees were forced into cramped, dirty camps as they waited for permission to cross the border. The plague continued for years, in which time it wiped out roughly half of the population of Erenon.
Seeing the Dominion's failure to manage the outbreak, and the heavy-handed methods of containment to the west with seemingly less concern about the east, the governors of Pashaltia and Camantan jointly made the decision to declare independence in Y9620* out of concern for what might happen if the plague were to spread into their lands. While the war for independence in Pashaltia was nearly bloodless, as the only Viridian troops present were those on the Erenite border, Camantan was not so lucky. The Legion of the East, which was on campaign in the Urra Highlands, returned to the province and attempted to quash the rebellion. The independence movement prevailed, with the two former provinces uniting into Pasuhalta & Kamman, but not without many casualties and vast swathes of the countryside razed.
Breakaway of Hkarzda
See also: Hkarzda
Viridia continued to face issues with internal stability, though nowhere else to the same extent as in Hkarzda. As reward for their faithful service, the janissaries had long been granted large estates in the Silverwood Hills upon their retirement. Slowly over the centuries, the orcish population within the region grew significantly. Though considered an integral part of the Dominion for centuries, there had long been a sense of unease and unrest among the inhabitants of the Silverwood Hills. Many viewed Viridian administrators as prioritizing the southern, mostly human, cities over the interests of the orc estates. This culminated in the declaration of a new orcish khanate, Hkarzda, in Y9932*, created in the image of the Druzda Khanate.
This separatist movement was not universally supported, however. Not only did the southern cities remain loyal to the Dominion, but a very significant proportion of the Silverwood orcs rejected the movement as well. As a result, the region has been in a low-level state of civil war since Y9932* - while open battles are essentially unknown, minor skirmishes and raiding are commonplace.
Despite supposedly being a khanate, no khan has ever been declared due to lack of popular support and constant infighting.
Modern Viridia
Today Viridia is an empire at a crossroads. Centuries of unrest and war have undermined the legacy of the long Reign of Light, and the Dominion's status as the world's center of arts and learning has been lost as the states of the Chaska and those of Kea Racha have come into their own. Many Viridians look to the rest of the world to see what can be learned and adopted in order to regain the prestige they once enjoyed, while many more look to their own past and dream of reattaining their position the same way they did once before. The luster of the empire still shines, however, as though it may be diminished Viridia is still a wealthy and storied land.
Erenon is functionally independent today. The Dominion has no real control of the former province, though on occasion military exploratory expeditions are sent. The legions continue to guard the western border of the province, now the eastern border of the empire, in an attempt to halt the growing movement of settlers back to the region.
Relations between the Dominion and Pasuhalta & Kamman have stabilized significantly since the United Provinces' war for independence. Both states are dependent on each other for trade, and while Viridian administrators wish to reclaim their lost territory, there are many issues of a higher priority to the Dominion.
Viridian administrators and the senate have been reticent to act in Hkarzda. For now the Dominion limits itself to seeking closer ties with the orcs who remained loyal to the empire, hoping the civil war will resolve itself without the need for direct intervention.
Even the parts of Viridia that have remained loyal show signs of escalating instability. In parts of the kingdom, especially the more remote parts of the southeast and in the central highlands, senatorial families have begun marshaling forces that answer only to them and drawing territorial lines, something that has long happened quietly behind the scenes but has now escalated in the open. Taxes have stopped flowing into Ilirnas from parts of these regions as well, while in the borderlands around Hkarzda and Erenon bandit lords have begun to exert control, preying on travelers and villagers alike. Despite all of this, however, the monarchy and the senate continue to govern the majority of Viridia with a strong hand, and there remains no danger of the urbanized east falling out of their grasp, at least for the time being.
Demographics
Though the population of Viridia is predominantly human, the Dominion is a heavily multicultural empire with citizens of a variety of ancestries. Besides humans, there are sizable populations of half elves, elves, ratfolk, dwarves, and half-orcs, and smaller numbers of other races.
Orcs have become somewhat common in Viridia, though less so after the break away of Hkarzda.
Viridia has a high goblin population, especially in regions farther from the capital. While many are integrated into Viridia society, more or less, some of the more unruly and independent-minded goblin tribes pose a constant nuisance.
Culture
Religion
The people of Viridia primarily worship the gods of the Chaskan pantheon, though contact with travelers from all around the world has introduced other pantheons and deities to both the cities and countryside. Harinna is the most often worshiped deity, and her church and the monarchy have a long history of intertwined relations. However, though they will rarely say so directly, the high priests of the Indomitable Sun have grown increasingly discontent with what they view as the growing disregard of the goddess’s values by the monarchy.
Other deities whose churches and temples can be commonly found include Hasamel, Aduntarri, and Mithrai. More recently cults to Erra have begun appearing throughout the Dominion - the state and religious figures keep a wary eye on the growing faithful of this god, but otherwise view the cults as harmless.
Arts
Viridia is well known throughout the world for the artistic skill and body of work of its poets. While some poets are commissioned by the monarchy or the senatorial families, many are also simply ordinary people with a degree of education who choose to write about their experiences. Similar to traveling bards, some poets journey between communities to write and recite their works for local audiences.
One person shows are popular attractions within the Dominion. These bards are not only skilled in music or oration, but also carry with them small stages from which they act out all the characters in a play. Audience participation is a core part of this art form, either with audience members jumping in to play a character (often completely unscripted) or shouting out changes they would like to see in the performance. This impromptu nature means that the same play may take wildly different forms between each performance.
Traditions
Festivals and celebrations within Viridia usually involve a large amount of music and dancing. Some visitors to the Dominion have remarked that the Viridian people take any opportunity they can to engage in these celebrations, especially in the more traditionalist rural regions of Thadria. Even more somber gatherings like funerals often feature musicians and dancing.
Languages
Depending on where one is within Viridia, a variety of languages can be heard. Thadrian is the most often spoken, but Hellean and Common are also widespread. Elven, Dwarven, and Orcish are also widely prevalent. Multilingualism is typical in the cities around the Sea of Ersas and near the Tanerde Strait, though less standard as one moves farther into Thadria.
Food and cuisine
While the traditional Thadrian diet is centered around a number of staple foods, specifically bread, beer, other wheat-derived foods, olives, eggplants, fruits like apples and dates, and a variety of meat, the cuisine of Viridia today is a complex fusion of cultures. In addition to the above ingredients, foods originating from Hellea, Khapesh, and the eastern Chaska have all entered common use. Viridian food tends to use a complex blend of spices, depending on what can be afforded.
Society
Especially among the urban populations, Viridian society has historically been held together by a sense of duty to the empire. With the slow decline of the Dominion, however, this has begun to falter. Corruption and graft, once rare, have become much more common and intentionally overlooked.
Social status is incredibly important within the Dominion, and can be obtained in one of three ways. The easiest is to be born into the aristocracy of the senatorial families, as even lower nobility are granted privileges that ordinary folk are not. Many have found that wealth buys access to higher social circles, and this is taken advantage of by Viridian merchants both for social reasons and to further their business interests. The only reliable method the common people have of increasing their social status is through an honorable and distinguished military career.
Viridia has a fairly major regional cultural divide between the provinces of the Dominion in Hellea and western Thadria and those in eastern Thadria, to a large degree due to how the western parts of Viridia have historically been much more developed and populated. The east and west have also had very different histories and cultural influences - the peoples of eastern Thadria retain much of their own traditions and cultures, distinct from the Hellean- and Chaskan-influenced west. Regardless of the accuracy of such blanket statements, by their naysayers eastern Thadria is sometimes stereotyped as a provincial backwater, and western Thadria as a the home of power-obsessed senatorial families, nobles, and merchants.
Magic
Many wealthy families in Viridia employ constructs in the form of animated statues as servants. Most are mindless, simply ordered to complete rote tasks, but others are given a degree of intelligence and judgement so they can assist in more complicated work. These constructs are frequently dressed in clothes befitting their roles.
Viridian wizards and other learned arcane casters can find many opportunities to study and expand their skills, whether as an apprentice to a more experienced mage or in an educational institution. The Dominion is home to many schools of advanced magic, some of the foremost around the Chaska, with long histories and a great deal of prestige.
A guild of Viridian alchemists, the League of Potion-Makers carries with it a significant amount of social and political power. As their services are so useful to the upper classes of Viridia, the League is one of the only organizations able to bend the normally rigidly protectionist Viridian trade policy. Most of their League's membership is in the provinces of Attalea Major and Ertan, with their headquarters in Felasan.
Education
City-run schools are relatively commonplace in Viridia. Though not free, children can enroll for a marginal yearly fee. Education in basic literacy, math, and history is available until age fifteen, at which point children are expected to seek out an apprenticeship or other full time employment. Especially among the poorer peoples of Viridia, if children attend school at all they are frequently pulled out before reaching fifteen in order to help support their families. In smaller communities in the rural provinces, these schools often do not exist.
Many major cities in Viridia publish regular newspapers alongside other written works.
Architecture and urbanization
Like many aspects of Viridian culture, the architectural styles used in its towns and cities varies greatly throughout the Dominion. In the west, buildings are constructed in designs rather reminiscent of those used in Hellea, making heavy use of stone, especially limestone or marble, and brick. Columns, arches, large open space, and an abundance of windows are common, though the homes of most people are far less elaborate in their ornamentation and complexity than those of the wealthy, which often also include features like interior gardens, friezes, and other decoration. Western Viridian buildings of state and worship often also include spires, steeples, large domes, and other similarly monumental characteristics. The Palace of the Kings in Ilirnas is a prime example of this, and it has long been popular for any nobility that can afford it to replicate the same architectural styles, albeit on a smaller scale. Roofs are typically made from clay tiles.
In the east, meanwhile, buildings tend to be more straightforward and plain in the designs, though no less expertly constructed. Brick and stone remain commonly used, typically granite or limestone, but so too is wood, especially for the houses of the lower classes. Sturdy and with comparatively fewer windows and ornamentation than is found in the west, these styles are well-suited for the more varied and seasonal environments of eastern and western Thadria.
Travel
The Dominion has an extensive and generally well maintained road network, even if today it has seen better times, designed chiefly to facilitate the travel of the military to the borders of the empire. Though these roads are smaller and less well maintained in the Thadrian interior and along the south coast, they have proved more than capable to allow the legions to swiftly crush local rebellions in the past. The roads are also widely traveled by merchants and ordinary people, viewed as, for the most part, safe for all.
Land ownership
The vast majority of Viridia is public land under the control of the state. Farmers and others who work the land are considered tenants, and are allowed use of a certain amount of acreage as long as they pay a proportionate tax on the goods they produce. Other, non-public land primarily falls within the ownership of the senatorial families, who likewise rent it out to those who will be productive and pay the taxes levied upon them.
As part of this arrangement, nearly all non-populated regions within Viridia are free for the use of hunters, trappers, and others who make their living from the land outside of agriculture. Ancient ruins, unless specifically protected by royal or senatorial decree, are also open to all adventurers for the same reason.
Government
Viridia is a hereditary monarchy, ruled by multiple dynasties in the millennia since it was established. The monarch, currently King Sanctus III, does not enjoy absolute authority, however, as the power of the monarch is counterbalanced by that of the senate. Senators act as representatives of the historically important families, the senatorial families, of each province, though over time some have lost the wealth and prestige they once enjoyed. New senatorial families are rarely appointed, as to do so would require breaking tradition and expanding the size of the senate, or else removing another family from the position, a great slight. The senate has little codified power but a great deal of informal influence, and convention dictates that the senate’s recommendations should be followed by the monarch.
Though it is not a common event, new dynasties usually take control of the Dominion when the previous one has shown itself incapable of handling the realm in times of great crisis. The continued rule of a monarch and dynasty is contingent on them enjoying the ongoing support of the senate - multiple times in the past the senate has turned against the king or queen and pressured them to abdicate the throne.
The monarch of Viridia delegates regional control to a governor of each province. Governorships are semi-hereditary positions; if one performs well, their child is likely to be chosen as the next governor when the need arises. On the other hand, if one does not perform well then they are likely to be unceremoniously removed from power and replaced with a trusted advisor of the monarch.
Military
Viridia’s empire is built off the strength of its military, renowned or feared (depending on who one asks) throughout the region. Until relatively recently the imperial legions were entirely volunteer forces who underwent long training regimens before seeing service. However, conscription to increase the ranks has begun as part of an attempt to stem the decline of the empire, as imperial forces are sent throughout the realm. Viridia has taken the unusual step of not only conscripting foot soldiers but also casters to serve as combat healers and magical frontliners.
Alongside the legions, two branches of the Viridian military carry a particular prestige with them. The janissaries are recruited from among the young orcs of Druzda and given years of training to drill them into being deadly and extremely loyal soldiers. The janissaries serve as the bodyguards for the monarch primarily, and as highly trained frontline soldiers secondarily, but only when the Viridian generals think their presence is required. The cataphracts, meanwhile, are heavily armored cavalry who can wreak havoc against infantry. Viridia is also known for having made great advances in siege engine designs.
Provinces
Current provinces
Past provinces
- Erenon - Erenon was abandoned centuries ago after the plagues proved nearly impossible to contain. The region is now functionally independent.
- Pashaltia and Camantan - These two provinces split from the Dominion in the wake of the Erenon crisis, forming the new nation of Pasuhalta & Kamman. Despite some tense relations in past centuries, in the modern day the United Provinces and Viridia actively engage in trade and diplomacy, albeit uneasily at times and even if Viridia still has designs to regain its lost territory.
- Aqaran, Enesur, Sarves, and Terqa - These provinces, part of Ishtar, were only briefly under Viridian control during the reign of the Sun King.
Economy
Historically, Viridia has dominated trade in the northern Sea of Ersas by controlling passage through the Tanerde Strait, a situation that continues to present. This has allowed the Dominion to favor its own merchants, and to enact high tariffs on merchant vessels flying the flags of other states.
Viridia also has plentiful natural resources, which is the second major source of the nation's wealth. Viridian iron from the Tumunzari Hills is highly sought after due to its quality in particular.