Zarik-Val
| Zarik-Val | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Mountain Trade City |
| Location | Citadel Mountains (75 miles northeast of Kar-Thal) |
| Realm | Terasil |
| Inhabitants | Minthari |
| Significance | Major highland trade center; hub of wealth and stonecraft |
| Controlled by | Council of Stone |
Zarik-Val is a wealthy and well-built city set high in the Citadel Mountains, northeast of Kar-Thal. Unlike the austere stoneholds of its southern cousin, Zarik-Val is a place of open markets, contract houses, and quiet competition. It draws traders, builders, and artisans from across the eastern ranges, and has become a favored surface settlement for the usually subterranean Minthari.
Geography
The city is built across wide stone plateaus carved from the mountain’s spine. Each level is connected by ramps, tunnels, and cable bridges. Snow falls often but melts quickly on the warm black stone that makes up most of the streets. From the upper edges, one can see the distant peaks where deep-traders arrive through narrow mountain passes.
History
Zarik-Val began as a waystation for caravans traveling between the eastern home of the Minthari and Sanctuary Vale and lands out west. Its position—defensible and resource-rich—drew artisans and investors from Kar-Thal and beyond. Over time, it grew into a full settlement run by contract holders and guild leagues.
Districts
The city is divided by altitude and trade function. Key districts include:
- Upper Tier– Where the wealthiest families and contract holders live and negotiate.
- Workshop Row – Workshops and cutting yards where quarried stone and refined goods are shaped and traded.
- Minthari Commons – A shaded, lower district where most Minthari live and underground channels connect to the Deep Road tunnels.
- Justice District – The legal and record-keeping zone, where all contracts, trials, and deals are witnessed and signed.
Notable Locations
- The Council Seat– Council hall where city rulings are made by voice and mark.
- Slate Pillars – Public monuments engraved with long-standing contracts and civic laws.
- Trader's Court – A plaza where meetings and deals are made in private.
Culture and Society
Zarik-Val is orderly but not cold. Speech is respected, and silence is saved for decisions. Status comes from ownership, skill, or deal-making. Orasians here are clean-spoken and precise, and Minthari are given respect for their patience and craftsmanship. While not a spiritual city, many locals mark their doors with quiet blessings.
Economy
The city’s wealth comes from stone, trade, and quiet control. Contract houses regulate goods moving between the Murazkar Range, the Anvil tunnels, and the plains beyond. Gem-cutting, vault-work, and metal refinement also play key roles. No good is sold without a name, mark, and weight.
Defense and Military
Stonewardens, under the Council of Stone leadership, guard its roads and treasuries. Its cliffs and paths are narrow and easily sealed, and every main gate has been cut to close by hand or floodstone if needed.
Dangers and Threats
Snowstorms, stone collapse, and rare smuggling attempts pose the main threats. Some worry about debt-duels, when contract disputes escalate beyond speech. The city's wealth has also drawn quiet interest from more shadowed parts of the highlands.