The Lands of Warlderia

Sanziberg City

Sanziberg is 5 miles south of the slumbering volcano Gundigap on the coast of the Dragon Sea. The city is surrounded by fertile agricultural land with numerous orchards and vineyards. It only has a small dock area that mainly deals with commercial shipping instead of fishing, but the nearby island of Dyptvann has larger sheltered docks that deal with fishing and commercial shipping. The docks are very busy during the summer and autumn months, but quiet in the winter.

History

Originally the only settlement in the area was an Orc city two miles down the coast. It was built as much above ground as below in a straight line from the base of the volcano to the shore. The city had a large port from which they traded and raided along the coast. In the Higher wars it was very active in transporting troops and breeding Half-Orcs with a large human slave population being kept above ground.

When Kaegor I started his conquest of East Aeldaria some of the Half Orc and the Human slaves saw this as an opportunity to rise up against their Orc oppressors. An hour after dawn they attacked the Orc guards and stormed through the city above ground successfully, but wherever they attempted to go into the under city they met failure. With the coming of night the battle turned in the Orcs favour, using hidden tunnels they flanked the rebels and drove them out of the city. By midnight everything was looking grim, with the rebels being gradually drive back towards the volcano and all routes of escape being blocked.

Unnoticed by the Orcs they had driven the humans towards an old temple of a half forgotten fire god, which had long been neglected and ignored. It was at this time that a priest came from the temple and spoke to the rebel commanders saying his god would win the battle for them at a cost. Although little is known of the details of the agreement it has gone down in legend that part of the price was for a volunteer to aid the priest at the cost of their life. In desperation the rebels agreed to this and one of the leaders, a man called Sanziberg stepped forward to pay the price.

The priest called forth the lava from the volcano and used Sanziberg as a target to guide it onto the Orc right flank and over their city. With a third of their army destroyed and their city being swept away by the lava the Orc moral broke and they fled the field of battle. In the morning the rebels hunted down any Orcs who had not fled the area killing them. They then started building a new town, naming it after the man who gave his life to save them from certain death. A statue to Sanziberg was built and remains in the centre of the city to this day. There are many rumours and fears that the lava only destroyed the upper city of the Orcs, but there have been no clear evidence of any Orcs tunnelling out in the years since.

Originally the town was ruled by a council of twelve, but this fell to bickering and infighting. The final act of the council was to form the Triumvirate to Sanziberg. Under the first Triumvirate the town prospered and grew into a city. With limited space to expand the harbour due to the effects of the old lava flow they built a port on the nearby island of Dyptvann. The city has remained under the control of various Triumvirates with roles as follows:

• One controls the army and is responsible for the farms and vineyards surrounding the city.
• Another controls the navy with responsibilities for the harbour and the safety of Dyptvann.
• The third controls the Watch and is responsible for the courts, markets other affairs within the city walls including resolving issues between the different religions where they affect the safety of the citizens.

Religions

Sanziberg has numerous temples and religions available for people’s worship. In addition to the more common religions its closeness to Gundigap has attracted priests from all the fire deities. In the past there worshippers often clashed publically in the city, but since the city council introduced separate areas outside the walls where their public services have to be held this happens less often with most of the clashes occurring in the surrounding areas.

Other than the well known gods there is also an old temple on the slopes of the volcano for the worship of the god (or spirit) of the volcano. None know who this was built by as it does not seem to be of Orcish manufacture. This temple always has two attendants a priest and an acolyte. There are rumours that neither have changed for as long as anyone can remember, but as few visit the temple and they do not come down to the town it is hard to be sure. The temple itself has fallen into disrepair as it is too large for the two of them to maintain. The city council regularly sends up basic supplies of food to the temple and sends up a representative once a year with an offering to appease the spirit of the volcano, but no one else appears to visit the temple throughout the year. Few remember the name of this god (or spirit) with most just referring to the temple as the Temple of Gundigap. With the part it has taken in the cities history this has been considered prudent, but with it slumbering with no eruptions and little activity since the time of Kaegor I there is talk of the offerings ending.

Races

Sanziberg’s population is mainly Human, but with a sizeable minority of Half Orcs. This minority has helped give it a reputation of being a rowdy, fun place with plenty of places to gamble and take part in sporting competitions. Its also has small communities of all the main races. During the summer and autumn months there is an ever changing mix of sailors coming in, often including different cultural and racial groups. The city also attracts groups of pilgrims and clerics who worship fire gods coming to see and worship at Gundigap. Overall it is a cosmopolitan mix of races, religions and cultures.