Zindalankh
Situated nearly opposite the Semphari city of Dhaztanar, Zindalankh was once the great city’s fiercest competitor. Once it was the end of the Road of the Dawn, the only route between the Gbor Nor and Hallstatt. Just as Semphar controlled the flow of trade from the east, Zindalankh had a grip over trade from the west. Each city struggled to gain supreme power over the trade of the Gbor Nor.
Ultimately it was Dhaztanar that won, through the simple expedient of appealing to greed. Recognizing that they were no threat to the eastern trade, the merchants of Dhaztanar lobbied to make the Rauthenflow navigable. Over great resistance, the project was undertaken, restoring the engineering works of the ancients. Ships could now sail straight from the Inner Sea to the docks of Dhaztanar. Zindalankh’s power over the western trade was shattered.
Since that time, Zindalankh has steadily dwindled. Once prosperous, its people are now poor and destitute. Denied their honest livelihood, the citizens of Zindalankh have resorted to less moral means. The city is now a haven for the pirates that plague the Gbor Nor and the mouth of the Rauthenflow. Merchants venture here to ransom stolen wares or pick up some choice item for a fraction of its value. Thieves dwell in every alley, cardsharps at every table. The only law that exists here is the law of the sword.
Although Zindalankh is in theory under the rule of the Grand Druid of Hallstatt, the citizens pay no attention to Hallstatt law. They allow what they see as the Druids minor meddling and pronouncements in exchange for the limited protection they receive. Not only do the city guards mind their own business, the presence of the Druid’s men implies that he will fight for what he owns if there were a need.
Were it not for this, the fleets and armies of Semphar would have handily destroyed Zindalankh long ago. However, with the Druid’s protection, such an act would be an open declaration of war. Zindalankh is struggling for its independence in its own unique way. Should it secure its freedom, there is no telling what the blackguards of the city might decide to do next.
check maps for names and continuity
