City History and Lore
Zeniterra was once known as a walled fortress city called the Ninth Star. Located on the plains of Lastwall, east of the Fangwood Forest, it was a major military and supply station in the region. On a night 17 years ago, a great earthquake shook the fortress into the sky as a mountain rose from under the earth and carried the Ninth Star more than a mile above the plains. After the initial panic and isolation, the citizens of the Ninth Star began to notice a strange mixing of architecture in foundations of a small number of their buildings. After some excavation, six tunnels to an expansive ruin were discovered and explored. In these ruins, the citizens found what appeared to be miss matched structures, caverns, and entire small settlements. The only common thread between these discoveries was that they had appeared to have been left in a rush, and although their treasures and valuables remained, there have never been any survivors or bodies discovered. In their place, has been left a horde of dangerous and harmless creatures. Each new discovery led to the acquisition of many treasures. These expeditions have since shaped the city into a beacon of commerce, especially in the realm of magic item discovery and trade. The life blood of Zeniterra is the finding and trading of these items to regions where there is not the same access to the plentiful magical equipment that occur in the ruins of the mountain. Zeniterra is an independent city-state and with their geographic isolation, has a strong tactical advantage against most external dangers. The city has very limited agricultural and harvesting resources and must depend on foreign trade for these necessities. Political life has also been shaped by the excavations into the mountain. Slavery is common and only an individual who has merit in the exploration or support of exploration of the mountain is granted citizenship. The central government of Zeniterra is compromised of a 5 seat council that are selected from the 5 most powerful organizations; The Temple of Abadar, the Mage's Circle, the Delver Mercenary Company, the house of Clan Oldervik and the Traveler's Guild.