Ven City

When the Colony Ship Crux first touched down on Hiera over a millennium ago, it landed in a verdant river valley just above the Hieran equator. It was named the Ven River Valley after a heroic figure long-since forgotten, and it would soon become the site of Hiera's largest city. With a population of over a billion, the Ven River Valley has long since left its pastoral roots behind. Today, a wasteland of steel, black glass, and concrete stretches for thousands of square miles around the poisoned River Ven.

The Imperial School of Law

On the banks of the River Ven, not far from the downtown district, is the campus of the Imperial School of Law. Here, lawyers and judges from across the Empire, from the highest Crux noble to the commoner who will never rise above his city's court system, are trained in the Highest Law. While Richters must either be members of House Crux or join it as a prerequisite to their training, lawyers, stenographers, and other roles adjacent to the law from other houses and entities are welcomed at the Imperial School of Law.

The Memorial to the Martyrs of the First War

When humanity first came to the sector, its progress was hindered by a variety of dangerous alien civilizations. It is said The First Emperox begged and pleaded for them to understand humanity's birthright, that it was the will of God that the sector be colonized by mankind, but they responded only with fire. Millions of humans were killed in the brutal fighting, and the memorial was erected in their honor.

The Oberlandesgericht

The Oberlandesgericht, better known as the Imperial High Court, is a towering building, somewhere between a Gothic cathedral and a skyscraper, and it is from within its walls that the entire Judiciary is managed. It sees only the most significant of cases, and it was from this building that the Oberster Richter Crux Malleus Toreon passed Judgement upon the traitorous House Cygnus. It was at the Oberlandesgericht that the Emperox Cygnus was to be held on trial, before their life was suddenly cut short by a Serpens assassin. Upon its highest tower, many hundreds of feet above even the next-tallest building, the Flame of Hiera has burned eternal, ever since it was lit by the Mother of Mercy centuries ago.

Crux Square

Directly between The Memorial to the Martyrs of the First War and The Oberlandesgericht, lies a public square known simply as Crux Square. A number of commemorative statues and sculptures to heroes of House Crux occupy the open space within the city. On the second day of every summer, following The Longest Day, Crux Square becomes a site to a ceremony during which all Scharfrichter recruits who have successfully passed their trials recite their oaths in front of representatives of the Prince and the High Church, and are awarded their Richtschwert.

Glender Peak

Primarily hosting private law offices and private residences for said lawyers, Glender Peak is a community of professionals. Buildings here are nestled against the gradually gaining slopes of the Glender Range. While still not as tall as the mighty Oberlandesgericht, it does offer an impressive view over the rest of the Legal District.

New Baghdad

Ven’s main shopping district, New Baghdad has the high-fashion couture that House Crux nobility frequently enjoy. A testament to how much gold has been and still is mined from Hiera, many elements of the shopping district incorporate gold. The streets are made of gold bricks, and Trilliant boutiques and products are frequent sights. Custom Lyran and Trilliant tailors make bespoke articles of fashionable or functional clothing, including coats to serve as rewards for passing the Crux Ordeal for Attainment of Title (“C.O.A.T.”).

The Wunderbär Arena

The Wunderbär Arena is a large mixed-use stadium built to house concerts, legal philosophy lectures, conferences, and seminars. Built to withstand the bitter cold of Hiera, the arena is very well insulated, resulting in unparalleled acoustics. As the arena is only used for special events, it is directly connected to the Mother of Mercy Spaceport, meaning that artists, lecturers, and other performers can quickly move both their personage and their sets in and out of the space without having to meet with the public, if desired. The seats are luxurious and the Arena has established box suites for each of the Noble Houses and the High Church on one level and for the Corporates on a second level.

Iravani's Capital Coats

They're almost criminal! (Disclaimer: They are not criminal)

One of Ven's most famous coat-makers, Iravani's has been open since the First Imperial Civil War in some fashion or another. Rows and rows of fine coats with furs and materials from all over the Empire line narrow, wood-paneled halls that weave and wind together in a cozy atmosphere.