Tzaphir

Tzaphir was once the great capital of Amarand Tzafiero, a mighty empire of humans and dwarves which was overthrown by the forces of chaos and darkness during the Breaking of Nations. The city was re-founded on the southern end of Lake Gyar by humans and elves amidst the tumbled, jungle-covered remains of the old city, and it remains a favourite destination for adventurers and treasure-hunters due to the miles of underground passages and numerous half-collapsed chambers below the surface of the tree-lined hills around the city.   Ancient Wonder: the Ruins of Amarand Tzafiero The dwarves had founded their city on much older remains from an unknown civilisation of some earlier age.  An enormous, spiral-shaped ancient city descends to a depth of two miles beneath the ground, made of polished granite, the murky depths of which are flooded with foul water.   Tzaphir expanded greatly under the Taorminite empire, who used it as a major staging base in their campaign against Proponthryntis and later a major farming district, well irrigated by the sacred Fayenne River. The old city on the southern side of the river is a chaotic mass of old brick-built apartment blocks and timber shanties, while across the river the Taorminite capital is built on a rectangular grid with the typical three open public areas (the market, public square and sports precinct). Though its importance as the key bread-basket of the empire has diminished, it is still the largest and most powerful city in the immediate area, exporting large quantities of grain and other produce to the Sundur Coast every spring.   Since the Breaking of the Pact and the dissolution of the Taorminite empire, Tzaphir has been ruled by an oligarchic council elected by the richest members of the city every ten years. The local elites who control the farms and plantations do not allow the lower-class inhabitants voting and civic rights. Rebellions have been brutally suppressed in recent years by the army of mercenary warriors.   The climate is temperate, with a mild wet winter and spring, and a hot dry summer and autumn. The Fayenne river, one of the largest waterways in Casiphon, flows constantly strong all year around, fed by the melted snows of the Black Peaks.